The Red Rover, page 4
part #6 of The Rover Series Universe Series
“Uh, Kabibi.”
Kabibi rolled back into the traveler’s seat and secured his security harness.
“Just level off and follow my lead. They know us.”
“If you say so. I sure hope this vakata was worth it.”
Altarhi shook his head. The Nanjemoy continued its deceleration as one of the regioners stepped in front of their path, waving both hands—which was an indication for them to stop. He powered down the Nanjemoy as the armament repositioned itself closer to the proboscis of the transport. The remaining three regioners spread around the transport with their handheld armaments drawn.
“Yeah, this isn’t worrying at all.” Altarhi said. His cynicism was getting the best of him.
The regioner standing beside his operational casement gestured for Altarhi to lower it. He obliged the request with a smile—a futile attempt to diffuse what was already a tense situation.
“This transport was to have returned the preceding cycle. What reason have you for the delay?”
“Uh—” Altarhi was flummoxed.
“We lost track of time. We were sub-Kethyrie. In the Salimite-infested batstu, no less. Our instruments were not optimal, so we found a spot to coalesce until the darkness had returned.”
Kabibi was inspired. He unloaded that pile of rubbish off the top of his head without flinching. Which was an impressive feat considering they were staring down the barrel of annihilation should they so much as blink wrong.
“Feel free to check your logs. We risk our existence doing vital research for Fonantis and we’ve never had this happen before. I can assure you it will not happen again.” Kabibi went on.
The regioner remained stationary at the operational casement. The possibility that Kabibi’s words hadn’t swayed him was astronomical, although it was impossible for them to tell, considering the helmet concealed his identity. Moments later, the regioner turned to another regioner on the opposite side of the Nanjemoy. The second regioner made a hand gesture as the first one nodded. The first one turned back to the casement.
“One-time error. Further violations will result in severe consequences.”
Altarhi and Kabibi glanced at one another before nodding in agreement. The first regioner made a swirling motion. The defense armament commenced withdrawing to its initial position within Fonantis. The remaining regioners at the entry point stepped aside, granting the transport secure passage.
Altarhi reactivated the Nanjemoy, closing the casement as he breathed a respire of relief. The transport hovered across the border at a gradual pace, leaving the regioners behind.
“I can’t believe that worked.” Altarhi muttered.
“What did I tell you about belief? At some point, you will cease resisting my insight.”
Altarhi sneered and shook his head. The hubris that Kabibi often displayed was infuriating. They were one erroneous comment away from being vaporized and here he was patting himself on the back. Once again, he had cheated misfortune with a wink and a smile. Still, at the rate he was going, there would come a time where his luck ran out. It was only a matter of when, not if.
<>
Kabibi took a deep breath as Altarhi steered the Nanjemoy beyond the regioner checkpoint, entering the fast-paced megalopolis they called home, Fonantis.
The city-state was immaculate in every direction. Aero-dynamic hovering transports like the directorate’s Koyokon and surface runabouts like the Acoaxet filled the pathways everywhere Kabibi looked. High above them, staying in line with the pathways, was a multifaceted high-speed rail system that took Fonantians from one place to the next in moments.
The burnished edifices were so lofty in design, that some of them almost reached the convexity’s inner surface. The convexity’s foundation itself was stabilized by massive girder-blocks made of aluminous material that were erected at every major intersection.
The Fonantians were the first culture to recognize the need for protection against the harsh northern Kethyrie climate. Not long after their convexity was erected, did the Motiecurons and the Rookanga follow suit with convexities of their own. The citizenry of Fonantis had exploded in recent generations, aided in large part by technological advances from researchers like Kabibi and the hydro-electric energy of the Sniamoo, the marine that bordered Fonantis to the east.
Since birth, every Fonantian received the same two tenets by which they were obligated. The first being that they all must have a purpose. No matter how insignificant the goal may have seemed to those on the outside looking in, as long as the Fonantian doing it remained impassioned, they would be able to consider their existence worthwhile.
The second and perhaps, the single most important factor in their city-state’s surreal growth, was that they must always look forward. Through every mistake and miscue, they were never to dwell on falling short in their endeavors. Doing that would only impede their eventual progress.
This was one of the driving forces behind why Kabibi was so adamant in retrieving the vakata. Due to Kethyrie’s barren topography surrounding Fonantis, the growth of the city-state was on the verge of plateauing.
Unless their finest echelons were willing to cease the abatement between themselves, the Motiecurons and the Rookanga, Fonantis would soon be overflowing with citizens, many of whom would be incapable of serving the greater population at-large. Their harmonious society had a better chance of falling apart than its immaculate outer appearance would lead one to believe.
The vakata and the space vessel they had found it in, had the potential of being the catalyst they needed to progress even further. When the cycle came that Fonantis was a space-faring society, it would no longer matter how many remained on Kethyrie. Kabibi had seen the beauty of the stars from the surface, many times. He knew where the future lied.
“We’re here.”
Kabibi turned to Altarhi, who had guided the Nanjemoy beneath the surface and was now pulling it into Kabibi’s personal corral at the far end of the annex. As soon as Altarhi powered down the transport, he hopped out. He rushed to the Nanjemoy’s rear and opened its storage space. He bounced with excitement as he waited for Altarhi to join him so they could remove the vakata from the Nanjemoy.
“Altarhi.”
“I’m here.”
Altarhi revealed himself from the operator’s side. Even with them passed the point of inquiry, his disposition was still unpleasant.
“Help me get it inside and you are relieved of duty.”
“Your generosity knows no bounds.” He facetiously stated.
Kabibi pointed to the Nanjemoy without another word. It was clear that a softer tone held limited value when dealing with Altarhi. They brought the vakata out of the transport, reactivating the dolly for ease. Kabibi refitted the blanket, making sure that the vakata was covered all over. They still would not be wholly secure until they were inside his home.
CHAPTER THREE
UNSETTLED
Citera sat on her sectional settee in the family room with her hands obscuring the worry that adorned her face. A full cycle had passed since Kabibi departed their townhome for his research purposes. When they first became acquainted, it was rare for Kabibi to ever stray from home. However, since she had birthed Narobe and Rhodelo, he seemed extra motivated to find other uses for his time.
Opposing him was never a sound strategy for Citera as Kabibi could always fall back onto his tried-and-true method that his efforts were essential to the forward progress of the Fonantian citizenry at-large. Citera could no longer be sure if she believed what he was positing or if Kabibi had become so adept at reciting fantasies with regards to his position within the echelons of their culture, that she just went along with it to appease his hubris.
The latches bolted to the entrance began to turn as Citera removed her hands and looked up. She sprung to her feet, hurrying to reach it before it opened. She noticed the latches which hadn’t been turned and did so herself. She swung the door open wide, revealing Kabibi.
“Step aside, Citera.”
She jumped aside as he commanded. Kabibi backed into their home pulling a lumpy blanket on top of his dolly as Altarhi was on the other side of it.
“Kabibi, where have you been? No contact from you, for a complete cycle?”
“Shut the door and lower your voice.” He snapped and pointed back at her.
Citera followed his instructions. She peeked outside the door, into the corridor. She was relieved to find it empty. She would be embarrassed if any vicinal heard the way he spoke to her. She closed the door, bolting several latches.
“Park it here.” Kabibi said.
Citera turned to see that they had powered off the dolly beside the sectional, lowering it to the floor. She approached them, still exasperated with Kabibi. Their eyes met a moment later.
“Where are they?” He demanded.
“Asleep. As they should be. Why?”
“Good.”
Kabibi yanked the blanket away from the dolly, tossing it on the sectional. In front of her was a being, a vakata—the likes of which she had never seen before. Citera crossed her arms. She was becoming incensed. The secrecy with which Kabibi was acting under told her everything she needed to know.
“I know what you’re thinking.” He said.
“I can assure you, you’re not that clever.” She remarked, the time for her to be dutiful was over.
Kabibi took his time making his way towards her. He was going to make yet another futile attempt to spin this as Citera not understanding the merits of his research. This was a situation she had dealt with many times before. She was determined not to let him win this time. His behavior alone revealed that what he was doing with the vakata was not within his professional responsibilities.
“Altarhi and I were beneath Kethyrie when we discovered a vessel. From space.” He pointed above. “And this—being you see—was on it.”
“So, you found this vakata?”
“Exactly.”
“And your first thought was to bring it here?”
“Told you.” Altarhi blurted out.
Kabibi shot him a look of aggrievement before turning his attention back to Citera, inching closer to her.
“Citera, my laboratory’s here. Of course, I thought to bring it here.
“And so is your family, Kabibi. Are we in danger?”
“Yes.” Altarhi said.
“No!” Kabibi shouted, turning back to Citera. “No. We are not. I have everything under control.”
Citera tilted her head sideways, uncrossing her arms. She stared at Kabibi for a moment before setting her eyes upon Altarhi. She was now seeing that he was no better than any of Kabibi’s previous protégés.
“If what he says is untrue, I’m holding you personally responsible.”
Citera turned and headed for the lacuna to the upper level of their home.
“Well, that doesn’t seem fair. I’m on your side.” Altarhi responded.
Citera waved him off as she continued climbing the lacuna, uninterested in hearing more excuses. She had experienced enough excitement for one cycle and would be better served getting some rest. Which was more than likely wishful thinking on her part, considering their new unexpected guest.
<>
Citera stampeded up the lacuna, disappearing from Kabibi’s line of sight. He knew that he hadn’t heard the final word from her concerning this discussion. Citera had a penchant for being impractical when it came to his research, which made reasoning with her a waste of his momentum.
He whistled to attract Altarhi’s attention.
“Come on, let’s take it down the lacuna to my laboratory.”
Kabibi grabbed the vakata’s legs while Altarhi lowered himself behind the upper torso. Simultaneously, they lifted the vakata off of the dolly and moved closer to Kabibi’s laboratory lacuna entrance.
“By the way, I appreciate you standing with me a moment ago.” He facetiously remarked.
“Please. The only reason I’ve made it this far is by steering clear of your domestic squabbles.” Altarhi said.
They continued moving in lock step until reaching the door that sat between the family and dining sections of the townhome. Kabibi maneuvered himself against the door, sliding his back down against the handle to unlatch it.
“Wouldn’t this have been easier to just bring the vakata over here on the dolly?” Altarhi asked.
“What good are you? You couldn’t have said something before we moved it?”
Altarhi responded with a shrug. Kabibi resumed sliding up and down the door, trying to unlatch it. He could have done as his protégé had suggested, but now they were just wasting valuable time. The door unlatched as Kabibi pushed back against it. It was now ajar.
“Remember. One step at a time.”
“Whatever you say, Kabibi.”
Kabibi resumed backing up, going down the lacuna, one at a time. He respired in relief that the lacuna-steps was wide enough for them to carry the vakata without issue. They reached the lower entrance to his laboratory where they were greeted by another latch.
Kabibi respired. All of his security measures were now coming back to bite him. He pushed back against the latch, trying to slide up and down to release it. He heard the latch lift as he backed up, pushing the door open further. He made eye contact with Altarhi, who was wearing a grin. He wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that this was amusing him. The laboratory bench was unobstructed as they set the vakata with care on top of it.
“Now, help me turn it around.” Kabibi said.
“What?”
“It needs to go the other way.”
Kabibi gestured to him. The vakata’s head was placed at the wrong end of the bench. They rotated the body, securing the head at the very edge. The vakata’s soleplates almost fell over the edge.
“You’re going to need a larger bench.” Altarhi said.
“Agreed, but in the meantime, I’ll just have to make do with what I already have.”
He moved towards the head of the bench while Altarhi was traveling the opposite direction.
“Where are you going?”
“You have held me captive for a cycle and then some. I’m going home, Kabibi.”
“Well, could you—”
Altarhi closed the door behind him. That was the end of their discussion whether Kabibi liked it or not. He turned to the vakata and respired.
“I guess it’s just you and me now.”
Kabibi pushed a lever, lowering the bench to his waist level, now that Altarhi was no longer helping him. He opened one of his cabinets and searched for a fresh case of soporifics. Probing the vakata without at least some supplementary support was out of the ordinary for him, but his curiosity was much too great to ignore.
He pressed a soporific against the vakata’s neck. This time it didn’t convulse from the substance’s invasion of its body, which was a good sign that the vakata was adjusting well to it. He put aside the soporific, replacing it with his hand to feel for a pulse. The vakata was still breathing.
“Okay, now we just need to get you out of this.”
Kabibi surveyed the vakata’s uniform. Judging by its gloves, the left hand remained intact, while the right appeared to be crushed. He peeked just below the vakata’s neck to see that it had another layer of dress beneath its outer covering.
Kabibi walked around to the other side of the bench and removed the left glove. As with the vakata’s face before, its hand was hairless and delicate to his touch. He held the vakata’s hand in his for a moment. It was so warm. He was gentle as he lowered it back against the bench and gave the vakata a second overlook. He was trying to locate how to best remove its outer layer without damaging its body.
He wiped his brow. This whole cycle was testing him in every imaginable way. To think, here in his laboratory was this brilliant discovery and yet he had no one outside of Altarhi and Citera that he could share it with. If he informed anyone else too soon, there was a significant likelihood that the vakata would be taken from him and given to a superior-ranked researcher. He was determined to not let that happen.
Kabibi began rummaging through his cabinets and found a handful of removable restraints. He fastened the restraints in strategic positions around the vakata, locking down its appendages as best he could. If the vakata were to awake, this was the best insurance he had against incident.
“By Iscoa herself, I’m spent.” He turned to the vakata. “I think it best if we pick this up later. Rest well, vakata.”
Kabibi headed for the door, leaving the vakata tethered to his bench. He exited the laboratory and began making his way up the lacuna. Being a researcher was often a thankless vocation in Fonantis. However, this was one of those rare cycles that reinvigorated his previous decisions. He knew deep within him that he had made the correct choice.
CHAPTER FOUR
BREAKING NEWS
The Yellow Rover’s crash siren beeped nonstop as the ship was descending too fast towards the surface.
“Delly!”
Delly’s eyes flickered open. She was having a recurring nightmare that seemed to go on for days. Her breathing was haphazard as she began familiarizing herself with her surroundings. The lights were reduced almost to complete darkness, which wasn’t helping her figure out just where the hell she was.
She squinted, feeling a surge of pain through random parts of her body. The last thing Delly remembered was activating the autopilot on the Yellow Rover as they were going down. She tried moving her arms and legs, but felt constrained on all of them.
“What the fuck?”
She shook with violent intentions, trying harder to extricate herself. She was wide awake now. It was at this point that she noticed that something was covering her nose and mouth. She began hyperventilating through her nose and sticking out her tongue, which was indeed not long enough to remove the apparatus that covered it.
She laid her head back in an attempt to calm down. She turned her head sideways. She was no longer inside her spacesuit, but her undergear instead, all while strapped down to a procedure table of some kind. She tried once more to lift her left arm, but was restrained at her forearm. She wiggled her fingers and sighed.
