by Finn Gray
“What is the longest jump you’ve attempted?” Jude asked. He realized that silence had fallen on the bridge. No one bothered to look at him out of the corner of their eye any more. He had their full attention.
“Since the upgrade?” Modric checked the data. “We’ve only jumped between Hyperion and Thetis.” His eyes suddenly went wide. “What are you thinking? Is there something about Starrolt tech?”
“Just a theory based on what I know about Mister Starrolt’s alma mater and his hiring policies.”
Starrolt was an elitist who had attended Osires, an ancient university in the heart of Vatome, the capital of the empire. Only the scions of Vatomian nobility and old money families were admitted. In their narrow worldview, only those of their circle were worthy of trust. Starrolt’s hiring practices reflected that bias. He was so paranoid about his research being stolen that he would only hire fellow Osires graduates for research and other inner-circle positions. And while the Osires science department was comprised of legends, legends were, by definition, old news.
Jude took a deep breath. It was possible that his life, all their lives, hinged on this moment. If his theory was correct, he just might get them back to the fleet—and get himself and Magda to the safety of Simon’s battlecruiser.
“We need to check a single line of the QE code. Find the Keleven Function.”
Modric frowned but complied with Jude’s instructions. Lines of code filled the screen.
“I’ve got it.”
“Please count the number of digits.”
Modric shook his head and began to count in a soft whisper.
Jude could not look. He turned away and closed his eyes.
Please, gods, let me be correct.
“What’s the deal?” Bonebrake asked.
“Dammit, Bonebrake, you made me lose count,” Modric said.
“Everybody shut up and let them work!” Begay thundered.
“All right, starting over,” Modric said. He began to count again. It seemed an eternity until he finished. “Three hundred eleven, just like we learned in school.”
Jude raised his arms in exultation, fists clenched.
“Praise the gods!” he shouted.
“This is good news, then?” Begay asked cautiously.
“Starrolt tech is designed for use on the emergency QE drives of his short-hop luxury cruisers. Until quite recently, he has been so protective of his product that he has not permitted it to be used on any other sorts of ships.”
“Why does it matter?” Modric asked. “The functions are all the same.”
Jude raised a finger.
“Like you, I was taught that the Keleven Function was comprised of three hundred eleven digits. But cutting-edge scientists know that the slightest of adjustments have been made to the Keleven Function in light of the results gleaned from the most advanced experimental jump craft.”
“What sort of change?” Begay demanded.
“Another one hundred zeroes, then a one and a three. It’s the sort that wouldn’t make a difference in the sorts of jumps that even the most advanced military ships undertake. Of course, those of us who remain on the vanguard adjusted our tech accordingly. It’s a matter of professionalism.”
“And Starrolt?” Modric asked.
“He was never passionate about the science. He’s a businessman at heart, boosted by his family’s reputation and resources. And his team never caught it because none of his ships ever attempted a jump of sufficient length to expose the flaw.”
“But when someone attempts to jump from the Aquarian System all the way to the Scarn Nebula…” Begay said.
Jude smiled. “One tends to undershoot one’s mark.”
Begay looked as if he wasn’t sure if he could trust what Jude was saying.
“All right, Doctor Vatcher. Let’s see if you can get us back to the fleet.”
Jude set to work right away, first determining the location to which they had jumped, then plotting a new course to the Scarn Nebula based on the new coordinates. While Modric checked his work, Jude updated the QE program to reflect the appropriate Keleven Function. He counted the digits once, twice, three times.
An expectant hush had fallen across the bridge. No one dared to speak, and probably dared not hope. Finally, Modric turned and looked at Jude.
“I can’t find anything wrong with your work, Coc.”
“Excellent.” Jude turned to tBegay. His heart was in his throat. This had to work. “Commander,” he began, his voice dry, “we have jump coordinates.”
Chapter 33
The Scarn Nebula
“I think we’re almost out of the nebula,” Smoke said as Teddy piloted the craft through the chaos.
“If we get out of this alive, I swear I will never forgive either of you for taking me down into that stupid facility,” Gwen said from the copilot’s seat.
“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Teddy said.
Gwen ignored him. Her voice rose to a shout. “And let’s not forget turning on a machine when you had no idea what it did. When is it ever a good idea to press a button when you don’t know what’s going to happen?”
“You’re right. I owe you a night out,” Teddy said.
“In your dreams.”
The red haze was thinner here, and so was the debris field. They were almost out!
“Picking up bogeys on RADS,” Smoke said. “Gods, I think it’s the Memnons.”
Teddy was unsurprised. That was just the way his day was going. They shot out of the nebula to see a squadron of Reapers closing in on a lone Mongoose. The imperial ship was firing with everything it had, picking the Reapers out of the sky. The imperial ship was putting up a fight, but the Memnon numbers were too great.
“Let’s see if we can shorten the odds.” Teddy closed in on the Memnons and opened fire. He had taken out two before the Memnons knew they were there. Gwen got missile lock on another and shot it down.
The Memnons were not terrific pilots. Teddy had realized that during the battle with the invading fleet, and other pilots had confirmed it. They flew by the book, but their reactions were slow, their maneuvers predictable. In a matter of minutes, the Mongoose had cleared the sky of Reapers.
“Whoever you are, thanks for the backup!” Sabre’s voice rang in Teddy’s ear.
“It’s just me, your favorite Teddy Bear.”
“You guys are alive! Praise the gods!” Shepherd said.
“Maybe not for much longer,” Smoke said. “The Memnon dreadnoughts almost have us in range.”
Teddy glanced at RADS. The massive warships were closing in. They were already launching more fighters. There was no time to jump. Their ammo was almost gone. They were screwed.
Sabre’s voice came again, stiff and cold.
“Teddy, you are to begin jump prep right now. I’ll try to hold them off.”
“With what? Your charm and good looks?” Teddy said.
“Screw you. I’ve got more of both than you’ll ever have.”
Teddy wanted to laugh one last time in the face of death, but he was exhausted. How many times had he evaded death today?
“I think our nine lives are spent,” he said quietly.
Gwen reached over and squeezed his hand. “You’re an asshat, but it’s been a privilege to serve with you.”
“Hey Shep?” Teddy said. “This might be a good time for one of your songs.”
Shepherd launched into a mournful funeral dirge. They all knew the song well and joined in.
Grieve not for me, brother, shed you no tear for me.
I am bound for my home, far beneath the blue sea.
Teddy watched the Memnons close in. He had always thought death would come unexpectedly, or at least in the middle of a dogfight. He hadn’t expected to watch it coming, like a tsunami rolling in.
“The hells with this,” he said. “Let’s take a couple more with us before we go.”
And then the oncoming Memnons appeared to ripple. A moment later, a massive wars
hip appeared between the Mongoose and the Memnons.
“It’s Kestrel! Oh my Gods!” Teddy shouted.
“No time to waste!” Sabre said. “Let’s deliver the jump coordinates and go!”
Chapter 34
Facility C, Soria
They returned to the computer lab where Rory’s companions waited. After taking a few minutes to bring the others up to speed, Luthien announced it was time for them to see the thing they called the pool.
He moved to one of the consoles, tapped in some commands, and a single image filled every screen at the workstation.
It looked like a reflecting pool inside of an ancient temple. Columns lined the narrow space, where a series of stone steps led down into a glowing pool of aquamarine… something.
“Is that water?” Cassidy asked.
“We don’t know what it is. It’s a state of matter we don’t understand, although we’ve been trying for years,” Ndidi said.
“And the dinosaurs came out of there?” Rory asked. He wouldn’t have believed it had he not seen the dinos with his own eyes.
Luthien nodded. “And they ran wild.”
“How did your friend Memnon Mitch open this doorway?” Trent asked.
“We haven’t been able to figure that out. We’ve spent cycles studying it, and we’ve learned very little.”
There are no obvious controls,” Kally said. “As you can see, the pool is lined with columns, each with a symbol inscribed on it. Otherwise, it’s not much different from any other swimming pool. Well, except for the obvious,” she added.
“What do the symbols represent?” Trent asked.
“A few of them vaguely resemble old symbols I found in the archives, but we don’t know what they mean,” Ndidi said.
“You say you don’t know how this Mitch fellow opened the gate, or whatever the hells you want to call it. Does that mean you also don’t know how to close it?” Oates asked.
“Exactly.” Luthien shook his head. “We’ve barricaded select passageways so that if any more dinos come through, they can take the path of least resistance out to the jungle.”
“Have many come through?” Rory asked.
“The first day was the worst. The flock of raptors came through right away. Things calmed down for a little while, so we sent a drone through. The pteranodon snatched it and brought it right back. Fortunately, we had already opened the access tunnel, which gave it room to escape. Otherwise we’d be trying to shoo a giant flying lizard back into the pool.”
“Did the drone manage to capture any footage?” Rory asked.
“A few seconds only.” Ndidi stepped to another console and called up the footage. They watched as the drone took flight and passed through the glowing pool of liquid energy. It emerged beneath a jungle canopy. Ndidi froze the image. “This is the only real glimpse we have of what’s on the other side.
They saw a sliver of light through the dense foliage. Rory spotted what looked like a ruined temple in the distance.
“That looks familiar,” Cassidy said.
“Jill identified it,” Bennie said. “Rather, she remembered it from our niece’s favorite storybook.” He nodded to Kally who tapped her console and a split-screen showed the image from the drone side by side with an illustration from a children’s book.
“What is it?” Trent asked.
“That’s the temple at Tauro,” Rory said. “There’s the bull statue in the middle. It’s exactly the same!”
Cassidy frowned. “So, this pool is a portal to a storybook land?”
“Our working theory,” Luthien said, “is that this world, wherever it is, might have provided the basis of some of our myths and legends.” He shook his head. “I still can’t believe I’m saying that. We’re serious scientists and the closest thing we’ve made to a breakthrough is sheer speculation based on children’s stories.”
“Stories based on ancient tradition,” Kally said. “You know Dunn’s theory.”
Ndidi coughed into her hand and rolled her eyes.
“You got something you want to say? Kally glared at her, took a step forward.
“What’s the theory?” Rory asked, stepping between them. “And who is Dunn?”
“Dunn Sands,” Ndidi said.
He frowned. “The television presenter? The ancient mysteries guy?”
He was added to our team several weeks ago,” Kally said. “Some people didn’t care for that particular staffing decision. They think he’s not a serious scientist.” She glared at Ndidi.
Rory nodded. Dunn Sands was an enthusiastic presenter but gave off a distinct vibe of someone whose best thoughts were fueled by herbal hallucinogens.
“He’s kind of hot, though,” Cassidy said. “He’s got that fluffy blond hair.”
Rory gaped at her. He had never heard Cass talk like that. She was always too busy talking about social justice and wealth distribution to engage in that sort of talk.
“What?” Cassidy asked, seeing his expression. “I didn’t say I wanted to marry him.” She turned back to the others. “Sorry, tell us the rest of the story.”
“I can’t deny his theory is interesting,” Luthien said. “Haven’t you ever wondered why we’ve never found any of the ships the colonizers traveled in when they came to Aquaria?”
“Who cares? Technology becomes obsolete fairly quickly,” Oates said.
“But why not keep at least one as a museum piece? It’s the most significant moment in Aquarian history. But there’s nothing, no artifacts, no pics or vids. Just the same sort of evidence that we have for dinosaurs. Just myths, legends, and artists’ renderings of a world that might not have existed.”
“The colonizers were fleeing from a danger so great that they couldn’t risk anyone ever going back to where they came from,” Trent said, as if by rote. “The nav computers were wiped and destroyed. The few who knew the way sworn to secrecy.”
“That’s the story, anyway,” Luthien said.
“So, what are you saying?” Oates demanded.
“Dunn believes that this,” Kally pointed to the image of the glowing pool, “is the way our ancestors traveled to Aquaria.”
Rory considered this theory. It would explain how their myths and legends had managed to so accurately describe dinosaurs, despite no fossil record of such creatures having existed.
“It’s always been said that Soria is the cradle of civilization,” Rory said, scratching his head.
“Hold on,” Cassidy said. “How in the hells could a hole in the ground lead to another world?”
“There are a lot of theories,” Kally said.
Jill sniffed. “And all of them bollocks,” she mumbled.
Kally ignored her. “Could be a wormhole, it might work on the same principle as a QE drive, or something beyond our understanding. We simply don’t know.”
“You spent far too much time with Dunn,” Jill said. “He filled your head with his nonsense.”
“Those dinosaurs are plenty real,” Kally said. “The world on the other side of that pool is real. The fact you don’t understand it is immaterial.”
“I don’t have to stand here and listen to this,” Benny said.
“No one’s forcing you to stay,” Kally said.
Oates scratched his stubbled chin. “I imagine there are an awful lot of things science now takes for granted that were once considered impossible or even absurd. Just because you haven’t figured this thing out yet doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t real or even natural.” Cassidy and Rory gaped at him. “What? I’m a skeptic and a cynic, but I’m also practical. The simplest explanation is that this is a gateway to another world.”
“If that’s the case, then why did the colonizers go to such lengths to hide it?” Rory asked.
As he said that, the floor began to vibrate and a low rumbling filled his ears.
“Another tremor,” Ndidi whispered. “I’m going to check the seismic activity.” She hurried out of the lab, still clutching her tablet to her chest like a secu
rity blanket.
“Does she ever put that down?” Oates asked.
“She’s barely holding it together. She spotted Mitch on the security vid just moments before the dinos came through. She saw everything,” Bennie said.
“Crunch and munch,” Kally said.
“Is that what happened to Dunn?” Rory asked.
Kally hung her head, turned away.
“We don’t know for certain,“ Luthien said gently. “He was so excited when he saw the drone footage that he insisted on going through the pool. He was wearing a body cam but I guess the signal can’t penetrate the pool of energy. He hasn’t come back.”
“He went through without backup?” Cassidy asked. “Why? That’s crazy.”
“He’s an adventurer at heart.” Kally’s voice was hollow. “I guess he had to know what was on the other side, even if it killed him.”
Chapter 35
Battlecruiser Kestrel
“Commander, we’ve jumped right into a squadron of Memnons! They’re everywhere!” Martin Chee shouted.
“How many?” Begay demanded. His eyes scanned the vid displays around the bridge, taking in the images.
“Two dreadnoughts, coming right at us. And they’re launching fighters!”
Begay pounded his fist on the console. “Damn! Is there any sign of the fleet?”
Chee tapped out a series of commands on his console. “None, sir.”
“Do we launch alert fighters?” Victoria Nez asked.
Begay thought quickly. Even at full strength, Kestrel was unlikely to survive an engagement with two dreadnoughts at such close range. They would have to make a run for it.
“Fire up the QE drive and prepare to jump back to where we came from.”
“But we’ll be sitting ducks while we spool up,” Nez protested.
“We can withstand whatever their Reapers throw at us for the time it takes to jump. We just need to be gone before those dreadnoughts close within missile range.”
“Roger that, sir.” Her tone of voice said she doubted his assessment of their defensive capabilities.