Infinity's End: Books 4-6, page 28
Understand what? What concerns could a Claxian have? She knew not everyone was receptive to a Claxian’s thoughts, but at least a few people on board were, including Caspian and Lieutenant Tyler. Not to mention acting Captain Diazal.
The captain isn’t technically receptive to my thoughts. She can’t hear me unless I bring her into a shared space. And yes, while I can help her and speak with the others, it isn’t the same as speaking with my own kind. You are perhaps the first person I’ve met I can be completely honest with.
I’m honored, she replied.
I’m unaware if you know, but Claxians do not often leave our homeworld. We are bound to it in many ways, preferring instead to allow others to come to us. This had been both beneficial and disastrous for us in the past.
Zenfor shuddered. She couldn’t imagine inviting alien species to Thislea. It would do nothing but leave them open to attack or worse.
Many other species feel the way you do. But not mine. We are a race of pacifists. And when others came to conquer us they may succeed for a short amount of time, but only until we build sufficient technology to repel them from the planet. Just because we do not like war doesn’t mean we won’t fight for our home. So many of us stay and decide not to leave our system.
I’ve read some of your history. What about the humans?
The humans came to us in great need. They were dying, killing themselves really. But they were also looking for something. Reaching out. And we took pity upon them. And now a few thousand years later see what we have built together. Had it not been for the humans we never would have entered into this Coalition. But they convinced us it was in the best interest in all of our people. And no one has attacked Claxia Prime since. I can’t say that they were wrong.
Zenfor sensed hesitation. Sesster was holding something back.
You’re right. Even though the Coalition is a positive force in this part of the galaxy, my people are held to a higher standard than all its other members. They all look to us for guidance, wisdom, technology, innovation. We learn very young that we are an example to all other races, and we must present ourselves as such.
Is that why you’re on this ship? she asked.
Partially. I wanted to help. But it was also a challenge, to see if I could leave Claxia Prime and make a life for myself out here. But it hasn’t been without its obstacles.
Tell me about it.
He was silent a minute and she glanced over to his physical form, still operating many of the controls with his long tentacled arms. There is a credo among my people: Claxians can do no wrong. It isn’t a statement of pride or confidence, but instead it is a warning. It means that we cannot make mistakes, especially in front of other members of the Coalition. We hold ourselves to the highest standard. And it is one I have not been able to match.
Zenfor returned her attention to her screens even though she wanted to reach out for him. It would look strange if she suddenly walked over to him and stood there, staring at him. Everyone would know they were speaking. That sounds like a difficult standard to uphold. She couldn’t help but think about the camps where she was trained. Where Sil stayed there until they finished the training, even if it took years. Even if it took a lifetime.
I have made many mistakes since coming aboard. But the funny thing is, some have turned out for the better.
How do you mean?
You, for instance. Had I not assisted Mr. Robeaux in escaping in his own shuttle, it is very possible we never would have established a dialogue with your people. And you would not be aboard.
She couldn’t argue with that. She’d been ready to kill Caspian and it had only been at the insistence of her brother Kayfor that she allow him to live and hear him out. I didn’t know you helped him escape.
Yes. He figured out your ship was the same one he encountered seven years ago. But he could only do that by illegally downloading information, which I allowed. The captain promised not to tell the Sanctuary on the homeworld, but I fear the information will reach them one day.
Another strain of guilt ran through Zenfor. She too had kept information from Mil’less, specifically that she’d used Sil technology to upgrade Tempest after promising she wouldn’t. It was an action punishable by discharge back on Thislea.
I had no idea you were facing much the same problem, Sesster said.
I feel like I’ve betrayed her. Like I’ve betrayed my people.
I understand what that means to you. Perhaps… He hesitated again.
Yes?
Perhaps we can explore our feelings together. And in this way we will no longer each be alone with our mutual problem.
She considered it. She had been terribly lonely since leaving Mil’less, even though she knew by now she had to be aware of Zenfor’s actions. And she would probably not be receptive to Zenfor ever again, especially after she lost her command. And maybe that’s what was really bothering her. The fact she knew Mil’less would abandon her upon her return, and all of Zenfor’s actions had done nothing but ensure that outcome. Maybe if the engine upgrades still worked she could have told herself it was worth it; that they got something out of it. But now…
I think I understand. You need the engines to work in order to justify your betrayal. Just like I needed you to come back with Mr. Robeaux to justify mine.
I suppose that’s one way to put it, she replied.
I don’t want either of us to face that burden alone.
Neither did she. It was too hard alone, and she was tired of doing it. She decided right there to never be alone again.
Chapter Seven
This was stupid. He knew this was stupid and he was on his way to do it anyway. His conversation with Zenfor hadn’t given Cas any more confidence as to the state of the engines. With both the undercurrent and Zenfor’s enhancements down, there was little chance they’d survive. And the only lead they possibly had was this…prisoner with a magical map to treasure and fortune.
Fuck. Even thinking it sounded stupid. But he didn’t need to commit to anything. Not yet. He was just going to listen to the man’s story, and then he’d bring Evie down and let her listen. Then, after a careful evaluation, they’d decide what to do.
Cas waved to the security guard who opened the doors to the brig for him, where the alien still sat on his small bench in his room, his knees pressed together, and his entire body tensed up like a spring. Cas felt like he was waiting to launch himself at the barrier itself but holding back with barely any control. He drew a deep breath.
“Hello again.”
“Back f-for more,” Vrij said, his body shaking. “Back for m-my offer.”
“First why don’t you tell me how you came to be in this position. How did you get to be a scavenger, borrowing from other people’s ships?”
Vrij creased his brow and gritted his sharp teeth. “Not a g-good story. Sad. Dangerous.”
“Give it to me anyway. I’ve got the time.” Cas walked over to one of the empty desks in the room, pulling the chair free and setting it down in front of Vrij’s cell. He took a seat, so he was directly opposite the alien.
“Borrowing started when Laq disappeared,” Vrij said.
“Who is Laq?” Cas crossed one leg. Vrij watched the movement, then mirrored it.
“Home. Laq was home and now it’s g-gone. No more.”
Cas huffed. It was like pulling teeth to get anything from this guy. “Okay, so you lost your home. How did you get your ship? Where do you dock?”
“D-dock? Where all Bulaq dock now. At t-the Hub. Outskirts. I s-stay out there. Most Bulaq a-aren’t friendly. T-to m-me.”
Cas wasn’t sure if it was the auto-vox or if Vrij was in fact stuttering. Whatever the cause it seemed to be getting worse. “Okay, so you live on the hub now. Where is that?”
Vrij reached up with one hand held to the sky and undulated his four fingers in a rhythm. “Where the s-supplies are. Y-you can refuel.”
“Right.” Cas uncrossed his leg and crossed the other one. Vrij mirrored the movement again. “And as soon as we get there all your friends jump us and take whatever they want. I’m not buying it.”
“I-it’s the t-truth,” Vrij replied, anxiety coloring the translation of his voice. “Y-you could b-bargain. Barter. Trade.”
“And what could we trade that would be valuable enough to get what we need?” Vrij looked like wanted to answer but instead hesitated. Cas made a motion with his hand. “You can go ahead and answer. I know you’ve already scanned our ship.”
“Food. M-medicine. T-the Bulaq have lots of p-parts, little food.”
Cas took a deep breath. Evie wasn’t going to like that. They’d decided to put everyone on rations for a reason. While it was true they had a stockpile of food at the moment, it was designed to get them at least halfway back home. They couldn’t barter it away. Not unless Cas was absolutely sure they could fix Zenfor’s upgrades with the materials they procured. Because if they could get back using the same system that got them out here, they wouldn’t need the food.
“Okay, let’s say—” The room jolted, throwing Cas from his chair and Vrij from his bench, both of them hitting the floor at the same time. Cas hit his comm. “Bridge, report!”
“They’re making another run for the ship, Commander,” Uuma said on the other end.
“Bulaq idiots,” Vrij muttered, pushing himself up.
“Are weapons—?”
“Still down, sir, but Rafnkell has four spacewings out there engaging them right now.” Cas shoved the chair aside. The rest of this could wait until later. If the ship out there realized Tempest didn’t have any weapons they might call in some of their friends. And no number of spacewings could help them then. He ran to the door.
“Wait!” Vrij called, his hand on the barrier separating them. It was meant to provide a mild shock but Vrij held it like it wasn’t hurting him at all. “Bulaq have f-fuel cells…on the tops of ships. Looks like—” He made a triangular motion with his hand, then extended it out.
“Fuel cells?” Cas asked.
“H-hit fuel cells, ships crippled,” Vrij said.
“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” he replied. Cas left the brig and took off down the hall, tapping the back of his hand. “Uuma, tell Rafnkell to aim for some kind of triangular apparatus on the tops of the ship. They’re supposed to be the fuel cells.”
“Aye, sir,” she replied.
“I’m on my way.” He bypassed the hypervator and ran to the nearest access corridor. Half the hypervators were still out and there was no sense in him taking one for just one level. He’d already decided in his head he’d avoid them when he could until the ship was back up and at a hundred percent.
He scaled the ladders easily and popped out on level eight, finally reaching the bridge. When he arrived, Evie was issuing commands from the captain’s chair. Cas took his place beside her.
“They’re getting bolder. It’s two ships this time,” she said. Cas took stock of the tactical field before them. It was a straight-on dogfight and despite their superiority in numbers, the spacewings were having a hard time keeping up with the Bulaq craft. “We got a scan on one of the ships, it’s construction is similar to our guest’s.”
“Have they managed to hit those fuel cells yet?” Cas asked. It was time to see if Vrij knew what he was talking about or not.
“Not yet, sir. They’ve—” A bright flash of light on the screen cut her off. Cas shielded his eyes until the automatic shade turned down the brightness of the screen for a moment before bringing it back up.
“What was that?” Evie asked.
“Checking now,” Uuma replied.
“I believe it was one of the alien ships,” Lieutenant Zaal said in his deep, monotone voice. He still hadn’t managed to fix his personal apparatus from the attack and his robotic armature was on complete display for everyone to see, red eyes and all. Though he still wore his ceremonial robes.
“Fuck yeah, that’s what you get you sons of bitches!” Rafnkell yelled through the comm.
“Chief! Don’t destroy the other one, we need it for—” Another bright flash of light cut Evie off as the screen went almost white.
Rafnkell whooped again. “Sorry, Captain, what was that? I didn’t catch that last order.”
“Nevermind,” Evie replied. She cut Rafnkell’s comm and leaned over to Cas. “I guess I should have told her that before they went out there.”
“Might have been a good idea.” He smirked.
“Sir, how did you know about the triangle targets?” Uuma asked. Evie looked at Cas in anticipation of the answer as well.
“It seems our guest wants to put himself in our good graces,” he replied.
Evie leaned back in her chair. “Awfully convenient, isn’t it? He knows exactly how to destroy the one enemy who has been attacking us constantly? What if he wanted to get caught? He’s got to be a mole.”
Cas shrugged. “To be fair he told me shooting those things would disable the ships, not destroy them. If he was hoping a few more of his friends would be joining him in that brig I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint him.”
“No,” Evie replied. “I’m tired of hearing about this second-hand. I think it’s time I met our illustrious guest. And see what he has to say for myself.”
Cas nodded. He couldn’t think of a better idea.
Evie stepped up to the barrier, inches from the edge. The alien on the other side did the same, getting as close as he dared, though Cas told her he’d been able to touch the surface and hold his hand there with little to no indication of pain. She couldn’t decide if the plates all over his body protected him in some way or if he’d just been willing to endure the pain, but it was obvious from his behavior this was a resilient species. And she was struck just how much he resembled some of the Ashkasians. Cas hadn’t been lying. There were obvious differences of course; his eyes were larger; his mouth and chin shapes were different, and the lack of a tail was probably the biggest sign they weren’t the same species. But as she stood there watching his small nostrils flare and contract as if he was trying to smell through the barrier, she couldn’t help but think they were related in some distant way.
“Mr…Vrij. It seems your information was helpful, so I want to thank you.”
He nodded a few times, but his eyes always came back to Evie’s. He wasn’t someone who was shy of eye contact. “N-no more threat?”
“No, no more threat,” she replied, chancing a glance at Cas. He shrugged. “My friend tells me you know where we can find replacement parts. Where we can repair our ship.”
Vrij nodded. “The h-hub. Bulaq there can h-help you r-repair.”
“You can’t seriously think I would take my ship into the middle of your people’s stronghold, do you? I’d be handing it to them on a platter.”
Vrij cocked his head. “B-but your needs—”
“Are not so dire I’d risk the safety of this entire ship. So, if you were sent here to entice us into delivering a perfectly good spacecraft to your people, your mission has failed.”
Vrij creased his brow. “I-I’m not on—no mission. Only borrowing. T-to survive. T-to stay warm.”
“Yeah, I’ll buy that when my ship is repaired and my crew is safe,” Evie replied. “But your intel was a little too good. We ended up destroying your friends’ ships.”
Vrij twisted his mouth into a smile. “Good. Serves them r-right. Stupid Bulaq. Waste, nothing b-but a waste.”
Evie turned to Cas again. Either he was a good actor, or he hadn’t cared about the lives of the people on those ships. “Tell me more about this Hub. Who would we need to talk to in order to get the supplies we need?”
Vrij flinched. Evie wondered if Cas caught it too. “Diamant. T-talk to Diamant. H-he controls—he’s been there longest. P-people know—trust him.”
“Who is he?” Cas asked.
“Leader. He—” Vrij flinched again, finally breaking eye contact and cocking his head as if he was hearing a high-pitched noise. “H-he’s the prophet. The o-one who survived.”
“Survived?” Evie asked.
“W-when Laq was—taken f-from us. Diamant was t-there. The o-only one who c-came back. He’s our last c-connection to t-the Great Ones.”
Evie turned to Cas. “What the hell is he talking about?”
“I’m not really sure. Either the auto-vox is on the fritz or he’s just not making sense. He mentioned that before though: Laq.”
Evie returned her attention to their prisoner, catching his eye and keeping it. “Vrij. I need you to explain what you’re saying. We don’t understand. What is Laq? How was it taken? What happened?”
Vrij really seemed in pain now, but he pressed on anyway. “Laq was o-our home. O-our planet. T-then t-they came. Destroyed it. Destroyed o-our people. Diamant survived. He w-was the only one.”
Evie stopped. “Wait. Someone destroyed your planet?” She exchanged glances with Cas. “Did they also destroy your stars?”
Vrij’s eyes went wide. “How did y-you know?”
“It seems,” Evie said, “we have a lot to discuss.”
Chapter Eight
“So? Now what do we do?” Cas asked as they stood outside the brig.
Evie couldn’t believe it: Vrij was from the planet they’d seen destroyed on the long-range telescope sensors. The destruction of his planet had been what had alerted them to the Andromeda threat in the first place. Now she understood why he and his people were scavengers. They’d lost their entire homeworld in the blink of an eye. And then their stars along with it, taking out any other habitable planets in the system. And while this presented them with an opportunity to learn more about the threat, it also put them right in the middle of a desperate people looking for any way to survive.
“I’m not sure,” she replied. “Do you think Sesster can spare me a few minutes?” She needed to get her head straight and the only thing that seemed to work lately was her sessions with Sesster. They’d been having them up in one of the cargo bays but since he’d returned to Engineering they hadn’t had the chance. There had been too many crises in the way.
