“Sorry, Emvel. Please continue.”
He looked a bit uneasy with our little flair up, but resumed, “That was part of the deal: an exchange of races.”
“This Gashnee never made it off the planet when the Kryth attacked ten years later, did they? I don’t recall any of this is the Annals. Not one bit of it.”
“I don’t know, Rels” he said. “I just heard about the invasion when I arrived here, on this planet, around that time.”
How I wished for the telyrum under the tree Yren had gaven us. I’ll take the flashing moths any day over this ridiculous Gashnee prophecy. It just keeps getting worse.
“Right this way.” Our guide pointed to another opening in the rock.
We proceeded in.
I could hear the rush of falling water once more.
The passageway ahead was showing signs of natural light coming through.
The impact of crashing water was becoming deafening again.
We exited into a chamber that was a sight to see.
An eye-shaped opening in the top of the ceiling allowed natural light to proceed down into the cavity.
Water from the river above poured in around its edges, falling to the next opening in the rock within the room we stood and down into the darkness below through a hole in the middle of the rotunda.
We made our way around the outside corners of this natural open foyer to another passageway on the other side.
It was beautiful, but loud.
As we continued our descent into who-knows-what and the water once again quieted as we moved away, Emvel picked up his story.
“My trip with the Gashnee ended on their home planet.”
“You mean T’Kharix, Emvel?” Mistuuk asked.
“No, Cuukzen. T’Kharix is not the Gashnee’s home world in your part of the sector. This planet of Tasashnee is the Gashnee’s original homeworld within this galaxy.”
Kayasa stopped dead in her tracks. “Wait. T’Kharix is the planet my people took after the great Gashnee fall. After the Kryth finished them off, we gained the spoils of war there.”
Emvel smirked. “What was left? What were these so-called spoils of war? The Gashnee destroyed or took most of their technology before fleeing. The scraps you Vrae and Kryth fought over were mere crumbs of a banished and dying civilization they themselves chose to abandon. They let you take what they wanted you to take.”
She turned to me. “Did he insult me just now, Human?” she asked.
“Yes. Yes, he did,” I responded with my best serious face.
I’m glad I wasn’t the target of her ire for once.
“How dare you,” she spat back at Emvel.
“I’ll explain more, Kayasa. My intention wasn’t to insult, but to speak truth to your erroneous perception of Vrae history.” He smiled at her. “We are almost to our destination. Come.”
That was a better insult than his first one.
I could see Kayasa bite her lower lip and clench her fists.
I was starting to love it when she gets mad. There’s a certain attraction about a strong woman, Human or not.
Call me crazy.
Let’s just see where this goes.
We continued down a semi-darkened path. Gone were the cauldrons of light for our guidance.
I could see a warm glow about twenty meters up ahead.
There was commotion that sounded off against the small stone passage we walked. There were more lifeforms where we were heading. I could hear their chatter.
The opening of the tunnel exploded into a massive cavern of activity.
It was a city under the river, and there looked to be Cuukzen running about. At least, they seem to be Cuukzen.
Great. All I needed is a bunch more of these guys gabbing my ear off.
The questions I had for Emvel were multiplying.
I was getting uncomfortable with what he had to say so far about our own history and that of the Gashnee. Kayasa…well, she wanted him dead at the moment. Meanwhile, Mistuuk was just being Mistuuk, not a care in the world except that now he looked interested in both the immense cavern and to find fellow Cuukzen.
I wish I could not have a care in the world; but, then again, I wouldn’t get to enjoy the chase and unknown excitement that hid around every corner.
Despite all the unknowns on this planet and the thrill of the chase, each step I took on this planet still felt even farther away from my own.
Data Cell 37
Commander Parejas looked over his holo-report as he sat in his command chair aboard the Orion’s Rage.
The glow highlighted his face in the darkness, the bridge otherwise vacant.
He closed the report out, proceeded down the steps of his chair, and exited towards the starboard lift.
The lift brought him several levels below where he got off and moved down a corridor to a briefing room on the other end.
The doors slid open.
Parejas entered.
All stood within the room.
“Have a seat. Are we ready for the briefing on Jens, Captain Bender?”
Kason was near the front podium. “We are, sir. All present.”
“Good. Let’s begin.”
Parejas connected his report to the podium.
The lights dimmed and a large holo-projection of a blue grid appeared behind the commander.
The images on the holo-projector changed and followed the commander’s words as he spoke.
“We have a confirmed report on the whereabouts of Reaver Jens Dryden. This briefing is to go over the extraction of the body of the captured Reaver, whether he is alive or dead.”
A planetoid appeared behind the commander in three-dimensional light, with nomenclature and stats of the sector alongside it.
“We will be using the plan drawn up by Kason Bender. This plan will use multiple forces and is meant for a quick planet drop-and-evac. The forces included are thirty Reavers from the regiments to include Kason’s team. There will be a landing zone team of one hundred troops lead by Captain Nevlen Bossarios. The final team will be aerial ground support lead by Major Chion Danchall.
“It will begin with the group jumping into the sector right above the planet with cover from the Flashpoint and her sister ship the Intimidator. The new orbital assault transfer beam will be used during this drop. The troop assault ship Diligence, captained by Dalt Tocmar, will be the main platform to launch the mission.”
Parejas nodded in Captain Tocmar’s direction with a nod in return from the seated officer.
“Once the extraction team is on the surface and moving to the abandoned facility where they’re keeping Jens, the landing zone team will then depart the Diligence and secure and hold the drop platform on the LZ.”
The commander looked over at Nevlen for a moment before he continued.
“Major Danchall will cover the LZ with gunship and fighter support.” He glanced up to find her in the seated group. “To conclude, once the mission to secure Jens is complete, all ground troops and Reavers will return via the transfer beam to the Diligence. I will now open it up for questions.”
The first to stand was Nevlen. “Commander, I would like to volunteer to lead the mission.”
“Can you believe this guy?” Kercy murmured to her fellow Reaver.
Ramek just shook his head in disbelief.
“Captain Bossarios, to answer your question,” Parejas said. “No, captain, your troops will remain at the landing zone and will not advance under any circumstance. Captain Bender will lead this mission. Is that clear?”
“It is, but may I interject-”
Parejas ignored him and moved on to the next question. “Captain Bender, your question.”
Kason stood. “Will we be able to get an actual practice drop from the Diligence besides the holo-simulators we’ve been using?”
“Indeed. I’ll refer that to Captain Tocmar,” Parejas said, gesturing to his fellow officer. “Captain.”
Captain Tocmar stood. “Thanks for the que
stion, Kason. We are setting up a drop for tomorrow on the moon, Tyr. We will give everyone the update once that is complete.”
“I would suggest,” Parejas commented. “That all drop personnel practice in the holo-simulator until the real-time rehearsal from the Diligence occurs. Get as many reps in as possible. The mission will begin two days from today.”
Maddox was next with his question. “Commander, what is the nearest Kryth military outpost from the planetoid?”
“Good question, Maddox. It’s a two days’ journey from their nearest base. The mission is scheduled to last one to three hours so, by the time they get word, any large force would take too long to get there. I don’t think they are interested in drawing a fight like last time for one of our own. We’ve been monitoring the sector with Deus probes to make sure of it. They were sent over the last few hours. We will have live updates all the way until insertion, but all contingency plans will be in place for anything overlooked.”
The commander’s attention was drawn from a visitor who entered the briefing room.
Parejas saw Captain Takkar wave him over when he came in.
“Excuse me, everyone. Kason, please complete the brief,” Parejas said as he left the podium and walked over to his friend near the door.
“What do you have, Jesan?” Parejas queried.
“Can we take this outside?”
“Of course.”
The two men exited and entered the corridor.
∞∞∞
Takkar didn’t waste any time with the commander. “We have a new situation with the cargo ship coming from Earth. I was contacted by the Balas Mining Company. They’re missing one of their new ore-container jump units.”
“Which are?” Parejas asked.
“They’re hyperspace assist units which help ore containers from the mining fields get back to Mydian quicker.”
“How fast?”
“It could cut the time by half.”
“And its whereabouts are unknown?”
“No. We picked up its heading, moving away from mining field 87B, and towards-”
“The cargo ship from Earth,” Shenta finished.
“Yes. Deus antenna 434 picked it up earlier today.”
Parejas walked the corridor. “Someone wants these artifacts sooner than later. Have you pulled the logs and investigated the Balas personnel?”
“We have. It looks like a normal run to the fields and back. There was a course correction programed by an unknown user halfway through its journey. Untraceable. From outside the company.”
“Or within?”
“Maybe.”
Parejas was not amused. His eyes said could burn stars. “This has become treasonous.”
“What would you like for me to do?”
“Put the Marshals on it. Contact Otel and have his team consider who may be behind this. This has priority over weapon and tech smuggling. For me, I’m thinking of taking the Rage since she’s the fastest in the fleet. We need to intercept the two vessels before they can rendezvous. We can’t allow whoever wants these Gashnee artifacts to get their hands on them.”
“What about the rescue mission for Jens?”
“I’m going to put you in command of it. I’ll leave Droe in command of the defense forces and fleets.” Parejas paused, deep in thought. “Jesan, this Gashnee mystery is becoming greater by the day and starting to get beyond us. I don’t have the slightest fondness for the events that have transpired since Strathin’s return.”
“It seems like that kicked things off,” Takkar said.
“Indeed.”
“When are you going?”
“Tomorrow. After the Assembly vote on Marshall Law. I’ll convene the crew tonight.”
“The Mount won’t delay the vote, will they?”
“I’m going to do what I can. What we don’t need right now is a political ploy for abolishing a law which will stress our resources further.”
“I hear that,” Takkar replied.
“Politicians will do what politicians do. Let us do what we do, Jesan.”
Parejas pat is friend on the shoulder. “Why don’t you go into the briefing? I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you in the morning at the den of thieves then?”
Parejas just smiled to his friend before heading down the corridor.
Data Cell 38
Shawna walked back to the forest line near the open meadow.
She had completed her task with getting the tower operating and now was awaiting Madilay’s return from her duties.
The director smiled at the sight before her.
A beautiful meadow as far as she could see stretched to the horizon with a light breeze moving the wild grass in gentle swells and flowers riding the green waves like so many birds enjoying the warm sun as she did.
She could build a home right in the middle of this picturesque scene, she thought.
As she enjoyed her surroundings, that punctual person that she was, started getting uneasy since it had been thirty minutes past when Madilay was supposed to arrive and pick her up.
She went to call her on the comms link, but stopped short, thinking better of it.
Shawna had given her daughter the opportunity to complete her task from a commanding position, and she was going to let her finish it.
But what if…no, she couldn’t think like that.
She had given her the responsibility. She would wait.
A check-in couldn’t hurt, she thought.
Shawna brought up comms. “Director Bowlan to Science-Spec Yoonsen. Come in,” she radioed, awaiting the young woman’s response. A few minutes went by. She called out again, “Director Bowlan to Sci-Spec Yoonsen. Please come in.”
Silence awaited her, so she brought up the bio-locator.
The device pinged Madilay’s location, showing it on the map.
Madilay was not near her tower, but fifty meters away in the tree line.
What was she doing? Shawna thought.
The vital signs on the locator seemed stable, except the heart rate was a bit elevated.
She radioed Madilay again.
She waited.
No answer.
The director pulled up her holo-wrist computer.
She found the hover unit terminal in the list of lights above her left arm.
Activating an open unit at base camp, she ordered it to her location.
It was a couple of minutes before the hover unit arrived, Shawna’s arms crossed and fingers tapping her upper arm as it landed.
Shawna did not hesitate and zoomed off towards Madilay’s location.
The last tower in the relay was just a few kilometers north.
Her hover unit sped over the valley floor, fauna and flora flew past. A clear stream intersected her path.
She would follow it all the way.
Shawna could see the tower now in the distance. Slowing near the other hover unit, she got off and started to look around the site.
As she approached Madilay’s hover, it was there she saw the blood.
A trauma kit was open.
A blood-stained epidermal lacer sat on the seat next to an injector used to prevent infection.
She started calling out, “Madilay!”
Shawna jumped back on her hover, concern in place of frustration, brought up Madilay’s position in the forest, and accelerated in her direction.
The trees came up fast.
She halted the unit with an emergency stop, almost falling off at the edge of the forest. She leapt from her unit and ran into the tree line.
Shawna glanced down at her wrist to see the transmitter location. She was right on top of her.
The trees swirled as Shawna spun, looking for her daughter.
She called out again, “Madilay!”
A young woman’s scream pierced the woodlands.
Shawn turned in the direction of the spine-tingling shriek; and there, standing in front of her about ten meters away, was Madilay.
/>
Madilay was standing there in shock, her hands over her mouth, eyes wide.
Shawna approached. “Are you okay?”
“What are you doing here? You scared the hell out of me.”
“I hadn’t heard from you. What happened to your arm?” Shawna asked, pointing to the injury.
Madilay’s left arm and hand had a med-sleeve covering it.
“I was putting in the sync unit and slipped. I tried to catch myself on the rail, but cut myself on a sharp piece of rusty metal.”
“Why didn’t you radio?”
Madilay was agitated. “Do I have to tell you where I am at every minute?”
“No, not at all,” Shawna interjected. “You were late, and I was just trying to get in touch with you. Why didn’t you respond to my comms?”
The young woman relaxed her posture towards the director. “I’m sorry,” she said. “That was my fault. I had taken off my wrist-comm because of my laceration. I just forgot to put it back on when I came into the forest.”
“Why did you come into the forest?”
Madilay was excited. “I found something.”
“What?” Shawna asked.
“Follow me. I’ll show you.”
The two women walked farther into the forest.
They approached a small clearing.
Madilay turned to Shawna. “See it yet?”
The director looked through the thinning trees as they came to the clearing, trying to make out what Madilay was trying to show her. “No. What am I looking-”
Shawna stopped in her tracks.
Her jaw dropped.
She was stunned at what she looked upon. “What is that?”
Standing before them was a towering, brownish-red metal structure.
Madilay walked up to it. “I don’t know. I picked it up on my scan when I got here. I thought I would investigate as it wasn’t one of ours listed on the network.”
Shawna moved around, looking at the three-legged tower.
It was solid, but had black pinstriped markings near the legs. They were panels of some sort.
The centerpiece rose just above the treetops and it was a bit smaller than the human towers in circumference.
Annals of the Keepers - Rage Page 24