Rocket to Trinculo (Mastery of the Stars Book 3)

by M J Dees

  "Welcome to Waterfall," said one automaton. "We are your designated tour guides. We will give you a tour of the city before we take you to the demonstration site where you will witness the dawn of the globe.”

  Ay-ttho, Tori and Sevan all exchanged confused glances.

  "You will have noticed as you arrived, the waterfall that gives our city its name," said one automaton as they led the group away from the airstrip. "The water not only acts as a source of power generation for the city, its spray has a delightful cooling effect on what would otherwise be a very warm environment."

  The automaton seemed satisfied by the confused expression of its tourists.

  "I know what you are thinking," it continued. "You are thinking: 'what about the snow-capped mountains'?"

  "I wasn't," said Ay-ttho.

  "Very observant of you. The peaks of Nereid are freezing because of their altitude and the snow there feeds our waterfall, but down here, nearer the planet's surface, the climate would be too hot were it not for the constant cooling effect of the spray from our impressive water feature."

  "I was thinking how to escape this tour," Ay-ttho continued.

  "Maybe we should go along with it for a while," Tori suggested. "It might give us a good overview of the city which might be useful later."

  "The waterfall also helps to keep our city clean," the automaton said with enthusiasm. "Organic waste from the city is flushed into it and the waterfall carries it away to biodegrade."

  It was only then that Sevan noticed they had built the city over a series of canals which flowed to the edge of the cavern where they joined the waterfall.

  "If there is time later, we should be able to show you the works to eliminate erosion from the source of the falls," the automaton said with what sounded to Sevan like excitement. "What many don't realise is that the falls were created to divert the water from the site of the mines which we will take you to visit later. The water is also used to clean ore mined above."

  The automaton seemed to love its role.

  "In addition," it continued. "The water shields the city from the loud noise of the mines on the surface below the mountain. And also absorbs energy from the larger blasts which are sometimes used to open new work faces in the rock of neighbouring mountains. The waterfall and the city are an engineering triumph for which we will always be grateful to Chief Barnes."

  Ay-ttho, Tori and Sevan exchanged glances.

  “Is Chief Barnes here on Nereid now?” Ay-ttho.

  “Of course,” said the automaton. “It is he who invited you to the ceremony.”

  More exchanged glances.

  "What ceremony?" asked Ay-ttho.

  "Why, the ceremony of the dawn of the globe."

  This time, shrugs accompanied the exchanged glances.

  "Did I mention the waterfall's role in reducing the city's air pollution?" the automaton asked. "The water droplets trap airborne particles both from the city and from the much more polluted atmosphere of Nereid, preventing pollution from the many mines from entering the city. And then there is the strategic advantage of the waterfall in preventing attack. Negotiating the small aperture between the waterfall and the entrance to the city is very difficult which is why all ships have to be guided in and out of the city by our own navigators."

  Is that everything about the waterfall?" asked Ay-ttho.

  "For now, yes," said the automaton. "We have other aspects of the city to show you first."

  They followed the automatons, enjoying the break in educational chatter.

  "If we need their guidance systems, it will be tricky to escape from this place," said Tori.

  "We need to find The Mastery of the Stars," said Ay-ttho.

  "But why has Barnes invited us here if he knows we are out to get him?" asked Tori. "And where is Lopez?"

  These were, in Sevan's opinion, both very good questions the answers of which he did not possess nor did he have any idea where the answers might be procured. He allowed himself the briefest moment of wonder why he was following Ay-ttho and Tori on this ridiculous mission to seek revenge, before he remembered that he had nowhere to go.

  "Are there many guests invited to the ceremony?" Ay-ttho asked the automaton.

  "Yes, there are many."

  "And you have been guiding them around the city?"

  "We have."

  "You didn't see one wearing robes a little like the robes that Chief Barnes wears?"

  "There are many guests and many guides."

  "Well, what about the ships? Have you seen an old Corporation freighter with long scratch marks down either side?" Ay-ttho looked at Sevan as she said this, letting him know that she still held him responsible for the damage he did to her ship the first and only time he attempted to fly it.

  "There are many ships," said the automaton.

  "Can we see a list of guests and ships?" Ay-ttho persisted.

  "I'm sorry but we protect all guest information."

  "And where do we need to go when we need to leave?"

  "After the ceremony we will escort you to the proper place."

  This sounded ominous to Sevan. The automaton had used 'proper place' instead of 'ship' as if the ship was not the proper place. Where was the proper place if not the ship?

  Sevan began to feel his anxiety welling up inside but he had no option but to follow Ay-ttho and Tori until he could find a quiet place where he could settle down. All he knew was the mines unless you counted running away from the Corporation which wasn't a job.

  He looked around at the canals in the city illuminated by the many lights and thought the city looked beautiful. Waterfall might be a good place to settle down if he could get a job in mine administration. As long as Barnes didn't find him and kill him.

  "This is Slar'mufar the Mutilator," the automaton said, causing Sevan to jump almost out of his antenna.

  He looked, expecting to see a huge beast wielding large hideous looking weapons, but he saw someone who looked very much like himself only a little smaller and very much more female.

  "You can call me Slar, the mutilator thing is more of a nickname." she said.

  Sevan thought she was very beautiful, not in the same way that Ay-ttho was beautiful but in a much more familiar way. He thought Ay-ttho was stunning but in a very inaccessible way. Slar seemed more like Sevan. Tori seemed more like Ay-ttho with his size and his muscles. Slar was small and thin, like Sevan.

  "What about the rest of the tour?" asked Ay-ttho.

  "Slar'mufar the Mutilator will take you straight to the very important guest area. The ceremony is about to begin."

  The automatons left, leaving Ay-ttho, Tori and Sevan alone with Slar.

  "I am with Lopez," said Slar. "Come with me."

  There was a series of glances exchanged between the group before Ay-ttho nodded and they began to follow Slar.

  "What's going on?" Ay-ttho asked.

  "Lopez asked me to bring you to the ceremony."

  "No, I mean, why did he steal our ship and abandon us in space?"

  "Oh, that. I think he felt that he stood a better chance of infiltrating the Nereid security systems if he came alone."

  "What about M'Scyhu and Gwof?" asked Sevan.

  "Almost alone," Slar corrected.

  "We had no problem infiltrating the security system, they invited us to the party," said Ay-ttho.

  "I think that's what Lopez was worried about, your approach of flying to the planet expecting to get arrested. Lopez accessed the planet's system and sent the invitation."

  "So Barnes doesn't know that we're here?"

  "He might know you are here, given your interaction with the automatons but he won't know that Lopez is here."

  "Or M'Sychu or Gwof," said Sevan.

  "Or M'Sychu or...."

  “Gwof,”

  “... or Gwof” said Slar.

  "What's the plan?" asked Ay-ttho.

  "Lopez can't divulge the plan at the moment."

  "So, what are we supposed to do?
" asked Tori. "Just follow him around and spectate?"

  "I think that's a good idea," said Slar.

  "This is my revenge," said Ay-ttho.

  "I think Lopez sees it differently."

  "Then, if it's his revenge, why didn't he already do it?"

  "Lopez has been planning for this moment for a very long time. When you arrived at Pandoria, you revealed his position to the Corporation so he had no option than to move when he did."

  Ay-ttho did not look thrilled with the situation. Sevan didn't understand the problem. If Lopez killed Barnes, then he would have done their job for them and they could go somewhere less stressful.

  They followed Slar in silence until Sevan could take it no more.

  "What do you think this dawn of the globe thing is?" he asked Tori.

  Tori shrugged. Sevan considered asking Ay-ttho but thought better of it. Instead, he turned his attention to Slar whom he was hoping he could get to know better.

  The golden fireballs at the centre of the system were getting low in the Nereid sky behind them and the golden light streaming through the waterfall seemed to make Slar's antennas sparkle.

  "We had better hurry," she said, picking up the pace. "It's getting late."

  Sevan's body was confused, one problem with space travel he hated. He might leave one planet at night, travel through a portal and land on the part of the next planet where it was day although his body felt he should be asleep.

  Slar was leading them towards the rock face on the edge of the cavern which surrounded the city.

  "We will take the rocket," she said.

  "What's the rocket?" Sevan asked.

  "It's a mass transportation system which leads all over the colony. This one leads to Trinculo which is on the plateau at the other side of the mountains, from there we will get a good view of the dawn of the globe."

  "What is the globe?" asked Sevan.

  "I don't want to spoil the surprise but if our intelligence is correct, it will be spectacular."

  They arrived at the rocket terminal where crowds were being prevented from entering by an army of automatons.

  "What's happening?" Sevan asked.

  "They are stopping them from using the rocket because of the ceremony," said Slar. "Only very important guests will be allowed anywhere near Trinculo until the globe has dawned."

  Slar led the group through the army of automatons who, to Sevan's surprise, parted and let them pass.

  "How did you do that?" Sevan asked Slar.

  "We are very important guests. Strap yourselves in."

  They did as Slar asked and strapped themselves into the comfortable seats. No sooner had they done so, than the rocket set off at terrifying speed. Sevan felt himself being pushed into his seat by the force of the acceleration. The city turned into a blur, whizzing past until the rocket entered a dark tunnel and Sevan had nothing to help him gauge the speed he was travelling other than the force pushing him into his seat.

  When the force relented, and he realised they were slowing down, the rocket emerged from the tunnel onto a plateau surrounded by snow-capped mountains. They were being turned orange by the twin stars which Sevan imagined disappearing behind a distant horizon but were unseen to him because of the mountains obscuring the view.

  As the rocket slowed, Sevan realised the horizon was visible through a significant gap in the mountains in the direction they were headed.

  Slar led the group off the rocket towards a large group of guests that had gathered not far away to witness the dawn of the globe.

  CHAPTER 8: DAWN OF THE GLOBE

  Sevan had never seen such a variety in the shapes and sizes of creatures as he had in the settlement on Pandoria but what he witnessed at Trinculo eclipsed Pandoria by far. It was a large group and many of them were equipped with suits or other apparatus to help them survive the Nereid environment which was alien, and fatal, to many of them. Ay-ttho, Tori, Sevan and Slar were fortunate in not needing such equipment, the Nereid atmosphere being very similar to ones that had existed on The Doomed Planet and Daphnis.

  The sky was darkening, and it soon became clear that something was appearing on the horizon. Sevan assumed that this must be the globe about which the automaton had told them. As it rose, it became clear that it was an enormous sphere. Its size and distance were difficult to judge.

  Either it was something very large and close, or it was some distance away and huge. As the sphere came into view, Sevan realised it was the latter.

  As more of the sphere came into view, Sevan realised that it contained a planet, small compared to the immensity of the globe. There was something familiar about the planet, Sevan felt like he had seen it before.

  Soon, Sevan realised that the globe contained not one planet, but two and the second also looked familiar. He looked at Ay-ttho and Tori and perceived through their astonished expressions that they were having the same thoughts.

  "Is that The Doomed Planet?" he asked.

  "And Daphnis," said Ay-ttho.

  "But he couldn't have moved them here so... in that amount of time?" said Tori.

  "Unless..." Ay-ttho began.

  "Unless he has developed the ability to create portals wherever he wants," said Slar.

  "But that's..." Ay-ttho was struggling to convert her thoughts into words.

  The group stood in awe along with the rest of the very important guests who all marvelled at the incredible size of the project, the sheer improbability of it.

  "If he can do this, what else can he do?" asked Slar.

  "But if he didn't destroy the planets," said Sevan. "Why did he tell us he did?"

  "He was playing with us again," Ay-ttho complained with obvious bitterness.

  Sevan wasn't sure she was bitter because Barnes had been playing with them or because her reason for revenge had disappeared by reappearing in front of her. She still had plenty of reasons for hating Barnes such as the time he had them imprisoned but the more Sevan thought about it the less clear everything seemed. Barnes had only imprisoned Ay-ttho because she had murdered an entire Corporation platoon, he might have done that for her own safety. He had also rescued them all from Aitne and frequently threatened to kill them but had not done so.

  Sevan looked at Slar and then noticed that Ay-ttho was observing their new acquaintance with distrust. Barnes had also been an assassin, what if Lopez and Barnes were in league together? That would put Slar on the same side as Barnes and would explain how she got such easy access everywhere in Waterfall.

  Slar noticed their glances.

  "What?" she asked.

  Tori then realised something was going on.

  "Why have you brought us here?" Ay-ttho asked Slar.

  "To meet Lopez."

  "And Barnes?" Ay-ttho was not happy.

  "It's more complicated than you think," said Slar.

  "Oh, I think..." Ay-ytho began, but she could not finish her thoughts because a loud noise from the sky made everyone turn in time to see a squadron of Republic fighters bearing down on them.

  As they approached, Sevan could see that the fighters were being pursued and being fired on by a group of Corporation patrol ships.

  The Republic fighters rounded and began heading straight for the gathering of very important guests.

  "Run!" Ay-ttho shouted as the fighters opened fire into the scattering group.

  Sevan ran as fast as he could, following the others back to the Trinculo rocket terminal. He tried not to look back but could hear the destruction behind him. Next to him, a flying creature was felled by a blast, the force of which almost knocked Sevan off balance.

  "What the fushy is going on?" Ay-ttho demanded when they reached the relative safety of one of the terminal buildings.

  "It's the Republic," said Slar.

  "Really?" Ay-ttho's tone was sarcastic.

  "Why are they trying to kill us?"

  "Not just us. They are trying to destroy Barnes' plan."

  "What plan?"

  A blast blew ou
t a large section of wall close to where they were hiding.

  "Come on, to the rocket," said Tori as he made a dash towards the platform.

  The others followed and Sevan could see the pilot stood halfway out of the cockpit entrance gesticulating for everyone to hurry so he could close the door and leave.

  There was a flash and a deafening crack and then there was no pilot, just a charred mark and chunks of debris littering the spot where the pilot had been.

  "Look," shouted Sevan, unnecessarily, because the others had also seen the pilot's demise.

  "Come on," shouted Slar, heading towards the front of the rocket.

  "What are you doing?" Sevan asked as he chased after them.

  "He's not going to pilot it anymore," said Slar. "So, we have to."

  Sections of terminal building were falling around them and then a loud unbearable screeching noise. Sevan turned to see that a Republic fighter had been hit and was plummeting towards them. It hit the ground just outside the terminal and skidded across the ground, crashing through the terminal facade and sliding across the platform towards Sevan and the others, coming to a halt just before it would have crushed them into the side of the rocket.

  They shook themselves from their frozen stares at the prospect of imminent death and continued towards the entrance to the cockpit. Others behind them, who had had the same idea were being picked off by fighter fire before they got near the rocket.

  Slar was the first to enter followed by Ay-ttho and Tori with Sevan bringing up the rear.

  "Close the door," said Slar.

  Sevan looked at the open door. There was a control panel on the door pillar with a large red button and a handle which looked like he needed to twist it to operate it. Sevan opted for the big red button and explosive bolts fired the door across the charred platform and into the crashed fighter.

  "Well done," said Ay-ttho, sarcastically.

  Slar pressed a button, and a shutter slid down covering the hole where the door had been.

  "Strap yourselves in," said Slar.