The shuttle settled down, and Tebrey quickly boarded, Hunter at his side, along with a battered and burned Murcat.
"You'll have to undergo decontamination protocols when we reach the Arcadia," the pilot notified him as they accelerated out of the atmosphere.
"Yeah, I know. I've been through the drill with you people before," Tebrey replied. "Please notify the medics that I have rescued a Murcat companion that was being held prisoner in the enemy base. He is injured and in shock from losing his human partner. I'll need detox and anti-radiation injections. I'll also need some basic broad-spectrum medical nanotech trauma packs."
"Acknowledged," the pilot said. He came back a minute later. "They want to know if you need a medical team standing by to take over."
"Negative." Tebrey glanced at Emerald in his strange new form. "Not for him, anyway. I might need them." Only the bright green eyes gave Emerald away, but very few knew enough about Murcats to notice something that subtle. It wasn't as if Hunter's green eyes were usual, either. Murcats weren't one of the common bioengineered companions; that was one of the reasons that Tebrey had suggested this particular form. "He's likely to attack if anyone but me tries to treat him. Just have them stand back. I've got a lot of experience with this sort of thing."
Does this mean I should bite them if they touch me? asked Emerald.
Tebrey could tell Emerald was being facetious, so he ignored him.
Do you really think it was wise to bring him along? Hunter asked.
We couldn't leave him there, Tebrey answered. He would have died. He still has information we need, and he could prove a resourceful ally.
You really believe that crap about him being there to find you, don't you?
He was fighting a Theta using only the power of his mind. He's are offering me that kind of training. Even if I refuse, we need to know these people. We're going to be living in the Concord, but we can't close our eyes to what's happening in the Federation. What will happen to the Federation if the Thetas gain control of it? What will happen to anyone else? Do you think they'll stop there or that they won't spread into other systems? You know the answer to that.
Hunter growled softly. He wasn't happy at all about having the alien so close. He couldn't understand why Tebrey trusted Emerald so much. He vowed to keep a close watch on him. He knew he was more than capable of tearing the alien apart.
Chapter Forty-Six
Hiram Singh stood on the bridge of the Arcadia next to Captain Torenth and tried to keep his expression calm. Twenty-eight of the crewmembers they'd rescued from the Centaur had died, despite everything the Concord doctors could do. No matter how good the technology, extreme brain damage from radiation was irreparable.
They had ferried the bodies back to the Centaur. Now that they were ready to leave the system, it was time to destroy the ship. He datalinked the command via the Arcadia, and the Centaur's primary fusion engines overloaded and went critical. Everything within ten thousand kilometers of the ship was consumed in the blinding fury of the transient star.
A fitting funeral pyre, Singh thought.
"You had a good ship and an exemplary crew, Commander Singh," Torenth said gently.
Singh grimaced. There could only be one captain on a ship, so he reverted to his rank rather than his title. It was a painful reminder of his loss. "The best," Singh answered, his voice hoarse.
He'd lost two thousand, one hundred sixty-three of the people under his command. There were only one hundred forty-six of them still alive, including the marines who had survived the assault on the Empire base. At least Tebrey had gotten the data they'd come for. Now Singh just had to get it back to Admiral Meleeka.
"Can I offer you and your crew refuge in the Concord?" Torenth asked him.
Singh tore his eyes from the view of the destruction of his ship. "You've already done much for us, Captain. I hate to ask you for another favor, but I need to report back to Admiral Meleeka. I need to report the events here."
Torenth smiled without humor. "The Federation isn't the safest place for a Concord ship right now, Commander. I doubt they would take it kindly if we showed up in the Sol system. Is there another system that will do? Someplace your admiral can meet you?"
"If you can get us to Prism, I'm sure I could arrange transport to Luna from there. I doubt anyone would risk opening fire on your ship, though."
"I hope you are right, Commander. We'll give it a try."
"Thank you, Captain."
"Helm? Lay in a course for 61 Cygni."
To Tebrey, it seemed that Emerald enjoyed acting like a surly cat.
Three days of rest, along with what medical aid Tebrey could give, had sped the man's recovery. He had healed so fast that Hunter had begun to worry again about what it was, exactly, that they were getting themselves into. Tebrey was still stiff and sore from his broken ribs, crushed spine and extensive bruising. Concord medical technology wasn't significantly more advanced than that of the Earth Federation, but they had done what they could for him. Tebrey had healed almost as quickly as Emerald, but he hadn't had any nerve damage, just broken bones.
The crew of the Arcadia avoided Tebrey when he left the small cabin to which he and Hunter had been assigned. He was lucky to have the cabin at all. Most of the survivors from the Centaur were still in Medical. One of the crew mess-rooms had been converted into temporary sick bays for the less wounded. Only Tebrey's unique status – and a distant order from the Concord admiral Tebrey had briefly met – gave him the privilege of privacy.
Very few of the Concord crewmembers liked the fact that there were Federation personnel aboard the ship, much less Wolf Empire personnel. Tebrey wasn't too happy about that, either. His dislike for the Empire bordered on hatred. There had already been fights between Federation and Empire personnel. So far, though, no one had been seriously injured.
The Concord crew didn't seem to have the same dislike. They didn't treat Tebrey with outright hostility, but more of a general unease in the presence of someone from the Centaur. The border clashes between their governments had made everyone edgy, but Torenth made sure his crew knew that the crew of the Centaur had been fighting against the people who had ordered such things.
Tebrey was torn as to what to do. Part of him wanted to take Captain Torenth up on his offer of sanctuary in the Concord. He would have liked nothing better than to go home to his wife, but he couldn't get past the thought that if he did, terrible things would happen. He was not comfortable with any of the choices he was presented with. His conversation with Emerald earlier hadn't helped.
You need to decide if you want to be the hunted or the hunter, Emerald had thought to him, because it's going to be one or the other with these things. They are going to hunt you. You've proved to be elusive quarry for them, and now that you've killed one of the old ones, they will never stop until you are dead or turned. You can choose to turn the tables on them, though. Fight back!
I have been fighting back, Tebrey replied with frustration.
You've been reacting to what they do. This evil will destroy your species if your people don't start making a stand.
I told you, we have been! Tebrey thought angrily. What more can I do?
You can join us. We can teach you how to fight back more effectively. We'll teach you to unlock everything that you can be.
So far, guns seem to be working well enough.
Maybe, Emerald thought. But they will not always be enough. Not even guns as miraculous as these.
You don't have guns like ours?
The technology does not exist where I come from.
You still haven't told me where that is.
East of the wind and west of the stars, Emerald replied. It is infinitely far and only a step away.
And really annoying, Hunter interjected.
You're just going to have to live with it. I cannot tell you better than that.
I can't accept that, Tebrey said. You want me to believe you, but how can I?
How is it
that you and Hunter are linked? Emerald asked.
It is a demonstrable psionic bond. It is thought to be similar to dynamically entangled pairs. Communication is instantaneous no matter the distance. There does seem to be a factor of distance in clarity; other minds get in the way.
Can you tell me what part of your brain allows this?
No, not exactly. It's just bound up with who we are.
I can no better explain where I am from. Distances and directions are meaningless.
Mandor Shadovsky tensed his muscles as he entered the higher gravity zone of the Rhyrhan embassy, but the transition was gradual – specially designed to be easy on those from lower gravities. The gravity went from the local point-two above Earth normal to the point-five above normal of the Rhyrhan homeworld.
"Admiral! Thank you for coming on such short notice," Ambassador Keves'brin said as Mandor came through the doors into the main building of the embassy.
The air was thick, warm and humid, and Mandor felt himself begin to sweat immediately. "Your message said it was urgent, Ambassador. I came as quickly as I could."
"It is appreciated, Admiral. If you would follow me? I'll take you to Emissary R'Chalnok."
"Somehow I suspected that's why I'm here," Mandor said.
"Wisdom is knowing why you are where you are."
Mandor gave the ambassador a sharp look. He was willing to accept that the Rhyrhans obviously knew more about what was going on than he did, but he wasn't willing to subscribe to their philosophy just yet. He'd always found Zen a bit irritating anyway, and the Rhyrhan form of it doubly so.
Ambassador Keves'brin led him into a large room designed to be a little piece of the Rhyrhan homeworld transplanted to Dawn. It was domed over in clear dura-plastic, and Mandor could see rivulets of condensation running down. It was even more humid in dome than in the embassy proper, if that was possible.
He hesitated on the threshold.
The ambassador turned to him with a toothy smile. "Do not worry, Admiral. Only the more benign plants have been cultured here. It is a grove of peace."
"I'm sorry," said Mandor. "I meant no disrespect. Just the opposite, in fact. I have an all-too-healthy respect for the jungles of Rhyr, having once been lost in them." That had been a nightmarish journey of three days and two nights being hunted by the local equivalent of apes – giant, carnivorous apes. Not something he ever wanted to repeat.
"The emissary is at the central meditation platform. Go to her."
"Thank you," he said as the ambassador turned away.
He walked down the winding paths to the stone platform. Mandor had no doubt that the red sandstone had been quarried over twenty light-years away on Rhyr. It seemed to him a ridiculous extravagance and expense.
Emissary R'Chalnok sat with her multi-jointed legs folded into a position that made the lotus position seem natural and comfortable by comparison. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be sleeping or deep in meditation. She was dressed in a long, flowing robe that reminded Mandor somewhat of a kimono.
She gestured gracefully to a spot next to her. "Sit, Mandor Shadovsky. We should talk."
"That's why I'm here."
Mandor sat on the slightly damp stone and leaned back. There was no way he was going to attempt her position.
"You lack the proper number of joints in your legs," the emissary said with a trace of humor in her voice. "Your Buddhists have often tried to achieve it, to their sorrow."
"I'm sure," Mandor replied. He was still disturbed by the ease with which these Rhyrhans read his thoughts. He was proud of his mind shields. "You wanted to see me?"
"No, I wished to speak with you." She opened her odd blue eyes then. "Not that you are unpleasant to look at, but it serves less purpose than speech."
Mandor smiled at the sexual innuendo. He'd encountered Rhyrhan sexual curiosity before. They all seemed very interested in the idea of a sapient mind in a different form of body. He met her eyes and had the uncomfortable feeling that she was seeing far more of him than just his flesh. He felt like his soul was naked before her gaze. She continued to stare at him until he got restless.
"You have a good soul. You are near to enlightenment."
"I don't feel particularly enlightened. Perhaps you could help me."
"Do not seek to follow in the path of those who have gone before. Seek what they have sought."
Mandor sighed.
"You grow frustrated with me, don't you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"It was always the way with you."
"Excuse me?"
"I knew you before you were you, Mandor Shadovsky."
"I was confused, before; now I'm lost."
"Thankfully, no. You are not lost. We have watched you for a long time. We have helped when we could."
Mandor's head began to hurt, although from the higher atmospheric pressure or the conversation, he couldn't tell. "I know you don't like to be hurried, but I'm a busy man. I was asked to come here because of some urgent matter. If it's so urgent, can you at least tell me what it is?"
"Hrothgar Tebrey passed the first hurdle, despite a failure to keep him from the surface of the planet." Her eyes narrowed at him, and her displeasure was a tangible thing, darkening the grove. "Unforeseen factors have influenced his first decision. We are now aware of more than we were before, and what we see troubles us. We feel he is still in danger, for he has not truly made the choice he must make."
"What factors?" He found the emissary's tendency to refer to herself in the third person plural annoying.
"We are not sure. There are forces at work unlike any we have encountered before. A storm is coming, Mandor Shadovsky."
"It's that bad?"
"It is neither good nor bad, but like all things, simply is. Storms may cause much damage and grief, yes, but they also clear away pollution and bring fresh changes. We are concerned, however."
"About what?"
"Admiral Kasimira Meleeka is dead."
"What?" Mandor exclaimed. "How?"
"She detonated a nuclear device when they came for her. It has wrecked much of the command infrastructure of the Federation Fleet. I fear this will be used against you."
Mandor rubbed at his face. He just couldn't believe it. There had been no word through any of the intelligence channels. Meleeka had been his last hope for peace.
"Even worse, it appears that Hrothgar Tebrey may be walking into a trap on Prism. We cannot see what will happen to him there. And there is another looking for him. We cannot look at that one directly, which is most unusual for us."
"A trap? You're sure?" Mandor stood up. "I'll need to contact the Arcadia, tell them to keep him from leaving the ship."
"Sit. It was already too late before I contacted you. It would have done little good anyway. You cannot temper the steel without subjecting it to the fire."
Chapter Forty-Seven
Ana wasn't sure how she felt about returning to Cedeforthy as they entered into orbit.
She had been so happy to escape her life there, but what she had been asked to do now was important. She could make a difference in the lives of thousands of her people. That was worth it, even if it brought her pain to return. Her people needed hope for the future; she could provide that hope.
The view on her air screen showed a lot of traffic in orbit around the planet. It was nothing like the traffic around Dawn, but it was still startling to see ships and shuttles in orbit around her homeworld. She recognized the Arcturus as they passed that ship. It was still beautiful. She hoped she could stop by and thank the captain again for saving her.
"We'll be landing at the Bellejor starport in twenty minutes," the pilot announced.
"We have a starport?" Ana asked, startled.
Jeroen shrugged from the seat across the aisle. "I knew they were building hospitals and schools, so why not a starport?"
"I just can't imagine how people have reacted to ships landing in the city."
"Can't be much worse tha
n seeing aliens walking around."
"If you say so," said Ana. "You had more education than I did. I think I would have fainted if I'd seen something like that."
Tonya snorted next to her.
"What?" Ana demanded. She liked the marine commander, but Tonya could be annoying sometimes. It had been a long trip from Dawn, and Tonya wasn't always likeable.
"I can't imagine you being scared of anything," Tonya said. "You'd have probably been the first one there if a ship had landed."
Ana wasn't so sure, but that sounded suspiciously like a compliment. She chuckled. "I probably would have, at that. I never had much sense."
Tonya locked her blue eyes with Ana's. "Why do you do that?" she asked softly. "Why do you put yourself down all the time?"
"I didn't have a good life, growing up," Ana replied. "I still have trouble believing that things are so much better now."
"So what?" asked Tonya. "I had a shitty life growing up, too. You don't see me whining about it. Get over it. You're a smart, good-looking woman. Don't let what some prick said to you when you were a kid control the rest of your life."
"I think I've done quite well for myself, thank you," Ana snapped. "You think you know me or what I've been through because you read a file? I've gone from a slave to an educated woman, and now I'm here to lead me people to a brighter future."
"There you go," Tonya said with a smile. "You do have some fire in there. You know, you're sexy when you're pissed off."
Ana blushed. "I'm also married."
Tonya shrugged. "Don't change the subject. You need to stop being so hard on yourself."
"I'm trying," Ana said. "It's difficult."
"Does your husband put you down?"
"Hrothgar? Gods, no! He's a lot like you, actually." Ana smiled; she always did when she thought of her husband. "He tells me how beautiful and smart I am, and that I can do anything I want to."
"Sounds like he's okay, then," Tonya said. "I guess you can keep him."
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