Infinity's End: Books 4-6, page 71
“We need you back at camp.” There was something strange in his voice, and Cas didn’t like any part of it. He’d heard that voice before, and immediately double-tapped his comm to switch it over to a secure channel.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“The captain, she was under…some kind of influence. She…hurt a lot of people.”
Cas disengaged all of the ship’s systems, dropping all the power levels back to zero. The canopy opened and ladder extended again, and he jumped out as fast as he could. “Exactly what happened? Where are the Athru?”
“She killed the last two,” he replied. “But then she didn’t stop. She attacked some of the crew…me, Martial…and Laura.”
“Oh, Kor,” Cas replied. He sprinted over to Jann who stared at him with wide eyes, mouthing what’s wrong? “I’m on my way.”
“Just go,” Jann said. “I’ll be fine here.”
“I’m not leaving you here alone,” Cas replied, helping her back onto his back. He hunched forward, grabbing her legs and took off jogging back toward camp.
“What’s going on?” Jann asked, her voice unsure.
Cas didn’t reply, only kept his head down and focused on where his feet were going. He didn’t need to trip over an errant root and sent them both spilling. Evie had attacked the crew? Even Laura? Nothing about this could be good.
He let go of one of Jann’s legs long enough to tap his comm again. “Box!”
“Yeah, boss.”
“Can you move the wounded? Can you get everyone to working shuttles? We need to get back to the ship as soon as possible.” The words came out in groups as Cas struggled to keep his breath and to keep moving at the same time.
“Xax is moving some of them now. But the others…there’s no point.”
Cas winced and picked up the pace. Behind him Jann said nothing else, and the only sounds were Cas’s constant huffing in time with his footfalls on the jungle floor.
They reached the edge of camp and Cas brought them into view. Off to the side lay the last two Athru, cut down by Evie’s sword, while near the shuttle they hadn’t managed to repair, lay at least six bodies, all of them members of the crew. Cas looked away from all the blood and saw Tileah standing over the immobile body of Evie.
“Set me down here,” Jann said. “Go take care of business, I’ll be fine.” Cas nodded and set her down gently, then ran over to Tileah.
“Is she—”
“He told me to watch over her,” she replied. “He said the alien knocked her out before attacking the others. But…” She indicated Xax hunched over Laura’s body and Cas’s heart fell. If they couldn’t save her, Evie might never recover. It was one thing to lose the person you loved, but to be the cause of their demise? It might be too much for her to take.
“What about…?” Cas glanced around, looking for Martial.
“Box moved him into one of the other shuttles already,” Tileah said. “I don’t think he has long.”
“Get the captain aboard the shuttle. We’re leaving right now. Help Jann back on a ship, her ankles are broken. And make sure we have everyone who’s left!” Cas didn’t mean to shout, but he was angry. Angry at this entire situation. Angry at himself for not being here to stop Evie, angry at her for succumbing to whatever it was that did this. Angry at the Athru and everything they represented. He didn’t care what it took. If they had to fly back to Coalition space in a cardboard box he’d find a way to make it happen. He wasn’t going to let them get away with this. They’d found a way to tear them all apart, physically and mentally. And Cas wasn’t going to let it happen to anyone else in the Coalition. But they sure as hell weren’t staying here a second longer than they needed to.
After motioning to some of the crew to help Tileah with Jann and Evie, Cas ran over to Xax. “Doc, we’re returning to the ship in the good shuttles. We need to move her.”
“I’m not sure it will do any good,” Xax replied, hanging her head. “I can’t save her.”
“Is she—”
“She was gone the minute the blade pierced her heart,” Xax replied. “If she’d been on the ship and I could have gotten to her immediately, maybe. But with this much blood loss—”
Cas couldn’t believe it. How was he going to tell Evie? And how would she ever forgive herself? “Okay,” he replied, his voice surprisingly calm. “Load her on the shuttle anyway. We’re not leaving her here for—” He gestured all around them.
Xax nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“All of them,” Cas added. “I don’t want to leave anyone behind.” Cas watched as the doctor lifted Laura’s lifeless body, carrying it over to the closest shuttle. He jogged over to the nearest dead alien Evie had killed, staring at his strange face. He had hoped maybe to find one of them alive, one who could still provide them with information about their intentions. Though, as he looked around, it seemed their intent was clear: extermination. Even if that meant they’d get the humans to destroy themselves. This small demonstration might be nothing more than a prelude to their real plan.
Cas huffed, walking back to the shuttles. They’d take the ships back into orbit, collect Sesster, Zenfor and wave three, and set off for the Bulaq hub. They didn’t have a choice. Perhaps they’d be able to find another ship that Zenfor could modify to get them all back home in time. It was clear they couldn’t stay here, no matter what. Four people ran off toward the spacewings.
“The pilots?” Cas asked Jann, as he approached where she was propped up inside the back of one of the shuttles.
She nodded. “We’ll have to send someone back for the ships at the first camp. Raffy volunteered to take my ship back.”
“We may not have the personnel.” Cas hopped into the back of the shuttle. It seemed most everything had been packed, though the command shuttle sat empty due to the Athru having destroyed its engines. “Where’s Box?”
Jann pointed further into the shuttle. “Down there with Martial. He doesn’t think he’s going to make the trip.”
Cas turned to another crewman loading up the last of the supply crates. “Get this hatch shut immediately.”
“Yes, sir,” the crewman said, securing the crate.
“Are you okay back here?” he asked Jann. She’d been strapped into one of the cargo nets.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. It’s easier than someone trying to move me into crew quarters.” She gave him a weak smile. “How’s the lieutenant?”
Cas cut his eyes to the floor. “She didn’t make it. I—” He shook his head. “I need to talk to Martial.”
She pursed her lips. “Good luck.”
As Cas made his way through the cargo area to the crew quarters, he heard the back hatch of the shuttle seal. He found Box leaning over a semi-conscious Martial; the man had blood everywhere and it dripped onto the floor from the bed. Two other beds held the bodies of two of Evie’s victims. On the highest one was Evie herself, still unconscious. “Be right back,” Cas said, passing Box and Martial. He made it all the way to the front. “As soon as everyone is confirmed as a go, take off, but—and this is imperative—all the shuttles need to leave the atmosphere at the exact same time, do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir,” Ensign River said. “We’ll coordinate with the other two and the spacewing pilots.”
Cas returned to the crew area where Box had managed to apply some kind of salve to Martial’s wound but he was still coughing up blood.
“He’s definitely not human,” Box said. “His organs are not in the right places. I’m not even sure what half of them are.”
Cas leaned down. “Martial. Can you hear me?” The man’s eyes fluttered, and he coughed again, blood dotting his bushy beard. “I need to know where the Athru are right now. When will they arrive at Earth?”
His eyes fluttered again, then focused on Cas. He reached up, grabbing his jacket with surprising strength. “You have to protect her—even from herself. Find Esterva. She can help.”
“Who is Esterva?” Cas asked. The deck plating shuddered as the shuttle took off.
Martial let go of his jacket and produced a small black orb from his pocket. He pressed it, and it glowed the same blue as the controls down in the pyramid had. “Hold on to this. Find Esterva…tell her I did everything…” He coughed again, the wet sound coming from deep in his lungs, if they were lungs.
“Shit,” Box said. “He’s going.”
Cas shook the man. “Martial! Where are the Athru right now?” But the man had stopped moving. His chest no longer rose and fell. Cas sat back on the floor, examining the small orb. Turbulence shook the shuttle as Box checked Martial’s vitals, his one useless arm still hanging at his side.
“I’ve recorded time of death, for the ship’s log.”
“Yeah,” Cas said, his mind back at what had been their camp. He dropped his voice. “How many people did she end up killing?”
“Eight,” Box replied. “She tried to get me, but…” He indicated his shoulder where Cas noticed a nick in the metal.
“Did she stop on her own, or—”
“She seemed to realize it when she hit me. Of course by then it was too late. Before that she was going after anyone close to her. I guess she thought they were all Athru. We tried to stop her, but—”
“How many people saw?” Cas asked.
“What?”
“Who else saw what happened?” Cas said, his voice urgent.
“I don’t think anyone, she killed everyone who were close,” Box replied.
“Commander, we’re breaching the atmosphere now,” River said through the comm.
Cas slipped the orb into his pocket and stood. “Hold down the fort. We’ll transfer the bodies to the stasis pods in the morgue when we get back. Before we go in search of help.” Box nodded, his one eye blinking a sympathetic pattern. It had been a long time since Cas had seen that one, and it warmed his heart to see Box hadn’t become completely cynical.
He made his way back into the cockpit where the familiar blackness of space stretched out before them. He never thought he’d be so happy to see space in his life. “Coming up on her starboard bow,” River said, working the controls with her mechanical hands.
“Everyone make it through at the same time?” Cas asked, thankful they hadn’t had to go through the same storm as when they’d arrived.
River nodded. “Yes, sir. Everyone is accounted for.” As they approached Tempest, Cas felt a strange sensation in the back of his mind. Something wasn’t right about the ship. It looked—too new.
“Ensign, pull alongside the hull, level with deck eleven,” Cas said, squinting. The ship was still some distance away, but he could definitely see there had been some changes.
“Aye,” River said, and the shuttle moved up and over so Cas had a good look at the side of the ship. “Sir, it’s been repaired.”
“It has,” Cas said. In fact, the entire ship looked like it was almost new. “What the hell?”
“Incoming comm.” River tapped a button on the controls. “It’s from Tempest.”
“Go ahead Tempest,” Cas said.
“Welcome back,” Zenfor said. Cas cocked his head. It was Zenfor’s voice, but it sounded different somehow. “We thought you might never make it.”
“What do you mean?” Cas asked. “We were only on the planet for a day or so. It should have seemed like seconds up here. There’s a time dilation effect on the planet.”
“Yes, we know,” Zenfor replied. “You’ve been gone for almost eighteen years.”
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INFINITY’S END BOOKS 7-9 PREVIEW
Caspian Robeaux couldn’t believe it. The Bay looked brand new, as if Tempest had just launched from dry dock yesterday. The floors gleamed with a polish he hadn’t seen since is academy days, and there wasn’t a tool or piece of equipment out of place. The entire Bay was spotless.
“Shall I take the first spot, sir?” Ensign River asked, sitting at the pilot’s seat, her mechanical hands working the controls.
“As close as you can get us,” Cas replied. “We have wounded.”
She nodded and the shuttle turned ninety degrees as she pulled it into one of the launch positions perfectly. She shuttle shuddered as it set down on the deck plating and the engines cut off. “We’re down.”
“Box!” Cas yelled. “Get the wounded to sickbay! No delays!”
“You got it, boss,” he replied from the crew section of the shuttle. Cas glanced out the window to see Zenfor—an older Zenfor—standing at door to the main corridor. A few of the crew rushed past her, including Ryant and Volf. Cas was stunned for a moment. They’d all aged from what he could tell. Could what Zenfor told him over the comm be true? Could they really have been down on that planet for nearly two decades?
Cas opened one of the side hatches and hopped down as Box coordinated moving their injured out of the back hatch of the shuttle. The other shuttles had followed them in and were in the process of setting down themselves. Cas could already see Xax had the back of her shuttle open and ready for as soon as they touched down. Ensign River jumped out behind Cas and ran around to the back to assist with the injured just as Lieutenant Commander Keely Volf came jogging up. Her signature pink mohawk was long gone, replaced by a smooth head free of any hair at all. She stopped in front of Cas. “Where’s the captain?”
“Injured,” he replied. The corners of her eyes showed crow’s feet where none had been before, though her eyes were just as bright as ever. “What’s the situation?”
“Shit,” she replied, looking him over. “She wasn’t kidding. You haven’t aged a day.”
“For us, that’s about as long as it was.” Cas caught Box carrying Evie through the exit while two other crewmen helped Jann onto a sled that hovered right above the ground. Xax ran across the open area, accompanied by nurse Menkel who now had gray in his hair. “What happened?”
“You never came back, that’s what happened,” Volf replied. “We lost you on scanners just like you lost Wave One and I wasn’t about to send the rest of us down there. We figured you’d been destroyed.”
Right, their time on the planet. He and the captain had agreed to split them up into three waves, each to go down at a different time in order to minimize the risk. But after they’d lost contact with Wave One, Evie had gotten impatient and ordered Wave Two down. Three had been scheduled to follow a few hours later, but obviously they never had.
“The whole planet—it was like a lens through time. We arrived seventy days after wave one, despite leaving only an hour later,” Cas said. Apparently their actions at the Athru Temple had changed the speed of the planet somehow, increasing it dramatically. “We weren’t supposed to be gone that long. How did you survive?”
“Not all of us did,” Volf replied. “We used the stasis pods in sickbay as long as we could while Zenfor and Sesster worked on the ship.” Cas’s comm beeped.
“Go ahead.”
“This is Captain See. All the spacewings are back in Bay Two. Should we prep a shuttle to retrieve the rest from Wave One’s camp?”
“No!” Cas said too emphatically. “Under no circumstances is anyone else to leave this ship until further notice. Understood?”
“Yes, sir. See out.”
Cas shook his head. “The last thing I need is someone else lost to time.” He returned his attention to Volf. “Who did we lose?”
“Jackson, Wakeman, Sharpey, and Racine. All in an accident about nine years ago. They were doing some routine maintenance—well, you can read my reports. There’s quite a few years to go through.”
“We need to have a senior staff meeting,” Cas said, motioning for Volf to walk along with him. All around him the crew was unloading supplies and locking down the shuttles. “What’s the ship’s status?”
“About as good as you could want. We’ve had a long time to get things back up and running,” Volf replied. “We even made some improvements.” She smiled as they approached Zenfor.
“Caspian,” she said. “It’s nice to see you again.”
He was taken aback by the gentleness in her voice. The woman he’d left had been much harsher, much angrier. And though he could see she’d aged, it fit her well. Like she’d always meant to have been older. Hadn’t she told him Sil lived hundreds of human years? “Are you…okay?”
“Okay is a relative term. I am uninjured, have enough food in my system and am well rested.
“You look…good.”
“Thank you.”
Cas glanced around. It was like being on a brand-new ship; Volf hadn’t been kidding. “I don’t understand,” he said. “If the ship has been repaired for some time, why didn’t you just leave? Why stay here?”
“We wanted to,” Volf said as they made their way down the corridor with Zenfor following behind. “But we had less than thirty people and even with all the repairs and improvements in the ship, there’s only so much that can be automated. We couldn’t leave until we had a crew.”
“Wait a second. The entire ship is operational again?” Cas asked.
“One hundred percent,” Zenfor replied.
“Does that mean your engines are back up and running? With their improvements?”
Zenfor hesitated. “The engines are back to peak efficiency.”
“Which means we can be back in Coalition space within the week, holy shit,” Cas said. When they’d taken off from the planet he’d thought they’d have to gather whoever was left on Tempest and start searching for another way home. He thought they’d have to become like the Bulaq, scavenging the galaxy for handouts until someone took pity on them. “Have you spoken to them? What happened with the Athru fleet?”
