Chapter 14
Callora, Bysern, Rayne, Bob, and I stayed in the conference room while the rest of the Kytran advisors left the room and made their way back to the main area. Not everyone looked happy with the decision, and a couple of the advisers lingered near the table like they were reluctant to leave us alone with their queen.
But the horse was already out of the barn, so to speak, and for the moment, we were useful to each other. So Callora crossed her arms and stared down her advisers, and the last man finally left us to our discussion.
We gathered around the table, which barely made it past my knees. I’d have thought I’d wandered into a kid’s imaginary tea party, except for the serious looks on Bysern’s and Callora’s faces.
Bysern placed both of his large, leathery hands on the table and drummed his meaty fingers on the glass, while Callora folded her arms in front of her body and looked ready to talk business. They were an intimidating pair, though I suspected that was a routine they had worked out over the years, sort of like the Kytran version of good cop, bad cop.
I was also sure that this had all been part of their plan from the start, and part of me was nervous that maybe Callora had lied about there being a weapon that could fight off the Karaak just to rope us into this assignment. But as I watched the pair, I was sure that wasn’t the case. I was positive Callora knew something we didn’t, and if mapping a way through the radiation could get her to show us how to beat the enemy, then it would be worth it.
“So, how much radiation can your ships currently withstand?” I asked.
“Not enough to get away from the planet,” Callora sighed. “The Karaak wiped out most of our long-haul ships, which were designed to withstand the heavy radiation. The ships we have left are mostly smaller vessels designed for quick flights around the planet.”
“We’ve been adapting them,” Bysern said. “But it will take time we don’t have. And we’re no longer certain what the safest routes are.”
“If you are able to map out a safe route, then we can get the supplies from the space station in the nearby system,” Callora said. “They’re expecting us, and we’ve even found a few people willing to carry supplies to the planet, if we can provide them with a map.”
“How did you get a message to them?” Rayne asked, and she had a good point.
“I had a scout ship off-world before the Karaak came,” Callora replied quickly. “They were going to stop off at the station on their way back, and then we were attacked. I’m sure they’ll be ready and waiting for us when we get there.”
“Right,” Rayne said, though her eyes narrowed in doubt.
“Will you be coming?” I asked. “You know, once we’ve found the route.”
“Oh, no, I won’t,” Callora said. “The people need me here, and honestly, that might be too much for my advisers to accept. They were willing to let me talk to you, but they might riot if I told them I was leaving. But I trust you to find the best route through the cloud and to bring the supplies back here.”
“Of course,” Rayne said and turned to Bysern. “What about you?”
“I need Bysern here, too,” Callora said in a tone that told Rayne to stop asking.
Bysern glanced at his queen. He seemed surprised that she wouldn’t let him leave, either, but he didn’t dare undermine her in front of company out of respect for her. Still, the look of surprise on his face said enough.
“How many ships do you think you’ll need to send with us?” I asked.
“We have four that should be able to withstand the trip,” she said. “Once we have a route and more ships, we’ll be able to send more.”
“How many people will be on board each ship?” I asked.
“There should be about a hundred on each ship,” she replied. “To help with the loading.”
“Alright,” I said. “And you have people ready and willing to take the risk?”
“I have gathered enough volunteers,” she confirmed. “Everyone understands what’s at stake, and I have more people willing to make the trip than I have ships.”
“Okay then,” I replied. “Well, Rayne and I will go back to my ship and get to work on the route. We’ll send a message once we’ve found something that will work.”
“That is acceptable,” the queen said with a slight nod. “I’ll send the order to the ships’ captains to prepare to leave as soon as you give the command.”
“If this goes well, we’ll see you again soon,” I said, and then Rayne, Bob, and I turned and walked back out into the corridor.
As we walked, Rayne started to say something, but I held up a hand to stop her. I could hear low voices coming from the conference room, and I wanted to hear what the queen and her second had to say.
“Why can’t I join the fleet?” I heard Bysern demand. “If we’re going to ask our people to risk their lives on this mission, it would look better if one of us led the way. Besides, it makes sense to have someone with actual authority at the station to negotiate new deals if need be.”
“They won’t be risking their lives,” Callora argued. “That’s why I asked Will and Rayne to find a route.”
“You know it’s still a risk, your majesty,” Bysern said. “And I am perfectly willing to join them.”
“Well, I’m not willing to let you,” she replied. “We’ve lost enough people, thanks to the Karaak. I don’t need to lose you as well. Not when there’s so much to do to rebuild this planet. It’s starting to feel like an uphill battle.”
“Thanks to you, we still have a planet to rebuild,” Bysern replied. “But I still think you’re wrong not to allow me to go with the supply fleet.”
I heard them starting to come toward the exit, so I quickly bundled our trio away from the room and out into the main cavern.
“Bysern has a point,” Rayne said. “If I was one of the guys going out in the supply fleet, I’d be nervous that one of my leaders wasn’t willing to go, too. It would make me think it was a lot more dangerous.”
“Where I come from, none of the leaders get their hands dirty,” I said.
“Earth sounds strange,” Rayne said.
“It is,” I chuckled. “You’re right, though. It’s a bit odd that Callora’s so dead set against her or Bysern going. On the one hand, I get it. She’s lost two billion lives thanks to the Karaak, and losing one of her leaders right now wouldn’t be easy. But on the other hand, now’s the time when the Kytrans need someone to stand up and lead. And as Bysern said, it would be good to have someone there who can negotiate on behalf of the government.”
“I suppose the decision’s up to her,” Rayne sighed. “But that doesn’t mean that we have to like it.”
“Tell you what I won’t like,” I said. “Going back up those stairs to get to the surface.”
Rayne groaned as we crossed through the cavern toward the door we had entered through. A few of the Kytrans stared at us as we walked past, and I felt like a giant amongst men as we weaved our way through the small, blue creatures, though I was sure that what they lacked in stature, they made up for in strength, both mentally and physically.
There was a mixture of energies that oozed from each of them. Most of them just seemed curious about what we were doing there, but others seemed to have polar opposite reactions to our presence. Some of them seemed excited to see a new species walking through their halls, while others seemed to despise us. I even saw one of them spit in our direction, and even though I didn’t know about any of their customs or gestures, I was pretty sure the message was the same as it was on Earth.
Callora’s decision to welcome us onto their planet was definitely controversial and had probably made some of her people doubt her decisions as queen. I wasn’t exactly sure how being queen worked on Kytr, but if it was electoral, then I figured she might have a tumultuous reelection on her hands, should it come to it. If she was born into being the leader of the planet, then I hoped she could quell any doubts people had in her before someone had the bright idea to usurp her.
I wasn’t born yesterday, so I didn’t entirely trust Callora. But I could tell that all she wanted was what was best for Kytr, and that was all anyone could ask of their leaders. I just had to remain in her good graces long enough to learn about their weapons, and with a bit of luck, no one would attempt a coup before we had what we needed.
With that in mind, I ignored the stares and angry looks that were directed at us, and I kept quiet for the length of the cavern. I noticed that Rayne had an equally troubled look on her face, and once we were outside the concealed door and it had slid shut behind us, I could tell that she was ready to burst.
“What is it?” I asked.
“There’s definitely something wrong about her refusal to let Bysern go with us,” Rayne blurted out. “Back me up, Bob.”
Bob beeped affirmatively.
“Well, I’m glad we’re thinking the same thing,” I said.
“Plus, she doesn’t like me,” Rayne said with a sly smile. “She’s clearly not a good judge of character.”
“Maybe she is,” I chuckled, and that earned me a punch on the arm. “Alright, alright. But I agree, I think it’s weird that she won’t go and won’t let Bysern go, either.”
“Maybe we’re just paranoid,” Rayne said. “I wouldn’t want you to go off and risk your life if I was in her position, nor would I want to leave my people without a leader.”
“But you’d also want to show them you trust these random outsiders that you want to lead your ships off-world to get supplies,” I said. “It’s a tricky situation, that’s for sure. But, either way, we need that weapon, or at least to see it and find out what it is, and this is the easiest way we can do it.”
“Well, as long as she upholds her end of the bargain,” Rayne sighed and nodded.
We climbed back into the elevator and took the rickety bucket all the way up. We stepped out into the hall, went around the corner, and carefully avoided the boobytrap. Eventually, we reached the bottom of the stairs, and then we began the long climb back up to the top.
It wasn’t long before the sound of our ragged breathing filled the corridor. Even with the nanobots’ help, my legs were burning by the time we got to the top, and I couldn’t begin to imagine how Rayne felt. When she arrived about thirty seconds after me, she let out a groan of both triumph and defeat, and then she put her hands on her head and sucked air into her lungs through her breathing tube.
“That… wasn’t… fun,” she panted.
“No,” was all I forced out.
Bob bounded around us, the little bastard, and pottered toward the doorway. Rayne and I looked at one another, and then we both pressed the hem of our neckline, and the headpieces on our suits climbed up and over our heads. As soon as I was covered, I dragged my achy legs over to Bob and the door, which slid open automatically.
We stepped out onto the scuffed black glass that made up the surface of Kytr, and I was glad when I saw my ship in the distance. As much as I thought the Kytrans’ underground world was cool, I was relieved to be heading back to my ship.
Somehow, Rayne and I jogged over to the ship, despite our tired legs. Both of us needed to stretch them out after the burn of climbing so many steps, and a quick run to the ship was exactly what the doctor had ordered.
“Hey, Frankie,” I said when I stepped onto the ramp at the rear of the ship.
“I was listening through Bob for most of your encounter with the Kytrans,” the AI replied.
“Oh, good,” I said. “I wasn’t sure that I’d have the energy to explain everything that went on down there.”
“I have already begun working on finding a route through the radiation that will allow their supply ships to pass through,” Francine said.
“And that is why we love you,” I said as I climbed up to the living compartment.
Rayne and I walked through into the cockpit and flopped down in our respective seats. I stretched my twitching legs out, and while the release of endorphins after all that exercise definitely felt good, it was also nice to be sitting down again for the time being.
“They definitely have a weapon to help fight off the Karaak,” I told Francine. “I could just tell by the way Callora talked about it.”
“Then I am glad she agreed to make a deal,” Francine said. “We might not have the added help of the radiation barrier back on the Frumentum Colony that they do here on Kytr, but a weapon could at least give my creators a chance at survival.”
“Although, when we get back, I think we need to talk to the Lilacrons about moving the base,” I said.
“But they only just got settled on the colony,” Rayne said. “And we killed the Karaak scouts that came looking for them.”
“And how long until the Karaak realize that the scout ship didn’t come back?” I said. “They’ll have a lot of ships looking for the Lilacrons that might run into trouble here and there, I’m sure. I reckon that they have a window of time to scout the planet and return, like a few days maybe, but they’ll notice eventually that the scout ship isn’t coming back.”
“Shit,” Rayne sighed. “They’re not having a good time at the moment, are they?”
“Nope,” I said. “But at least they’re still breathing. For now.”
While Francine worked on finding a safe route through the radiation, I rambled back through the ship into the living compartment. I fired up my beloved coffee machine and took off my headpiece, and then I waited for the familiar, glorious scent of the roasted beans to fill my nose. I had actually begun to salivate by the time I poured myself a cup, and after I had dashed a bit of cold creamer in to make it drinkable, I let the smooth, wonderful coffee slither down my throat.
It warmed my body from the inside out, and as I closed my eyes, I was momentarily transported to my old farmhouse back home. I was sitting out in the backyard while the warm light from inside the house spilled out onto the garden around me, and I stared up at the swirling night sky that was filled with so many stars that it looked like someone had spilled glitter on a sheet of black paper and nailed it overhead.
For a few calm seconds, everything was easy again. But, I realized, it was also boring. The excitement and the purpose that Francine had given me when she crash-landed in my backyard was the kick in the ass that I had needed to live my life to the fullest. Although, sometimes I would still just imagine looking up at the night sky outside my house. It was familiar and real and felt like home.
“Everything okay?” Rayne asked, and I opened my eyes and looked over at the doorway where she stood.
“Yeah,” I said. “Just taking a time-out.”
“Reminiscing about Earth?” she asked.
“Is it that obvious?” I chuckled.
“Yes,” she laughed.
“Do you ever think about Wildern?” I asked. “Do you ever miss it?”
“No way,” she said. “I haven’t looked back since we left.”
“I sort of wish I was the same,” I replied. “I loved Earth, warts and all. I love this life more, but in an ideal world, I’d also like the option of going back occasionally.”
“You still could,” Rayne said. “And we probably will, given that… you know…”
“The Karaak are headed for it,” I said with a nod. “I don’t know. Going back would be a lot of hassle. People would wanna talk to me and ask how I managed to build a spaceship they couldn’t even dream of inventing. It would be a nightmare.”
“Well, maybe after we stop the Karaak, you could show it to me,” Rayne said. “We’ll just sneak in, take a quick look around at all your favorite places, and then fly away before anyone figures out we were ever there.”
“I like the way you think,” I laughed as our eyes met. “Alright. It’s a date.”
“Sorry to ruin the moment, but I believe I have found a route,” Francine said through Bob.
Rayne and I both blushed at the acknowledgment that there was even a moment being had, and then we hurried back into the cockpit. We came and stood just behind our chairs, and then Francine displayed our new route on the HUD.
There was a lot of zigzagging to avoid the worst of the radiation, but Francine had marked out the sections of the cloud with different colors to show how intense the radiation was in certain places. We’d have to leave from the other side of the planet, which might be problematic after the attack, but it was the easiest entry and exit point.
As I studied the map, I saw there were points when things would get pretty tight, especially for a larger vessel, but it was doable. We just had to hope that the upgrades to the supply ships’ shields would hold, or else this wouldn’t work, and we’d probably take the blame for the loss of the ships and crews.
“Well, it looks like it could work,” I said. “It’ll be a bit of a close call for the supply ships, though. The cloud doesn’t allow for much wiggle room.”
“They will have to follow the route exactly, or they will risk exposure,” Francine said.
“What’s with the space station?” I asked. “It looks a bit weird on here.”
“There’s a dust cloud in between Kytr and the station,” the AI explained. “It is hard for me to locate it exactly, but I am able to tell you that it is roughly around there.”
“No problem,” I said. “We’ll be out of the radiation by the time we come to the dust anyway.”
“It’ll be like the Crossed Swords,” Rayne said, a reference to a black market trading planet we had visited not long ago that was located inside a miles-wide dust cloud.
“Hopefully not exactly like it,” I chuckled. “We only got out of there by the skin of our teeth.”
“Do your teeth have skin?” she asked with a horrified look on her face.
“No, it’s just--” I began.
“Another of your Earth phrases,” she interjected. “You seem to have a lot of those.”
“I’d never noticed that we did until I met you and Francine,” I chuckled, and then I turned back to the screen. “Alright, Francine, if you don’t mind hailing them and letting them know we’re good to go, that would be great.”
“Of course,” the AI said.
Rayne and I took our seats and strapped in, and Bob came and sat loyally beside my chair. I did the pre-flight check while Rayne looked over the map again, and then I lifted off the ground.
“Do you see anything?” I asked as I scanned the skies.
“The ships are on the way,” Francine confirmed. “I have confirmed with Bysern that he will be leading the four supply ships--”
“Bysern’s leading them?” I interjected.
“Yes,” Francine said.
“Huh,” Rayne said. “Maybe he convinced Callora after all.”
“I doubt that,” I replied. “I think her right-hand man took matters into his own hands.”
“Then we better bring him back in one piece,” Francine said.
I kept an eye on the air around us as I waited for the ships to appear, but that turned out to be the wrong place to look. I actually gasped when I saw the ground that I had been parked on just minutes earlier suddenly sink down about ten feet and then retracted to reveal another large cavern.
“Damn,” Rayne chuckled. “They couldn’t have just let us ride that down?”
“But you would have missed out on the test,” I replied.
Four ships started to lift up and out of the hole one by one, and I knew that Bysern would be front and center on the ship that was first out of the gate.
“I am able to access their computers on board the ships,” Francine said. “Would you like me to transfer the map to them?”
“Yes, please,” I replied.
“Transfer complete,” she said a second later.
“Good,” I said. “Thanks, Frankie.”
“Of course,” the AI replied.
The ground below us slid back into place, and it looked like the hole had never even been there. They really did have their security measures sorted out.
“Alright, then,” I said. “Let’s move out.”
I took off toward the far side of the planet, and the supply ships fell into line behind my ship. They were far larger than my ship was, and I knew there was no room for error. If their pilots flew even a few feet in the wrong direction, then there was a chance that they wouldn’t make it back to their planet other than in body bags. It was a lot of pressure to lead them through it, but I knew that Francine’s calculations would be accurate, so I just had to hope the other pilots were up to the challenge.
Leaving Kytr’s atmosphere went about as smoothly as leaving any planet’s atmosphere could. Of course, that meant we were shaken up like a champagne bottle as we broke out of the invisible barrier around the planet, but it went without any hiccups, and it wasn’t long until we were shooting off into the radiation cloud.
As soon as we hit it, I could hear the shields start to fizz, just as they had on the way down to Kytr. I glanced down at my scanners and saw the trail of supply ships behind us following my every move. So as long as I stayed on course then hopefully, we would all make it out.
The only part that worried me was that I had to fly a lot slower than I would have liked, thanks to the supply ships’ limited speed. They were purely designed for transporting goods, so they didn’t move like my ship did. I couldn’t just leave them, of course, but the sound of my shields struggling against the barrage of radioactive particles sort of made me want to cut and run.
Something popped behind one of the panels, and I saw Rayne stand up and run toward a small puff of smoke. Francine was starting to shake and rattle, but the HUD indicated that the shields were still holding, so I gritted my teeth and kept to the exact path that the AI had laid out.
My teeth were clacking against each other, and Rayne was bouncing in her seat as she struggled to fasten her belt again when we finally cleared the edge of the radiation. There were a few more potholes, and then everything was as smooth as a freshly paved road. The shields still fizzed every so often, but we’d made it through without once setting off a warning light.
“How’s the rest of the convoy look?” I asked.
“They’re coming through now,” Francine replied.
“One… two…” Rayne counted aloud. “All four ships made it through.”
“I am not detecting any major damage to any of the ships,” Francine announced. “They should be able to make the return trip without any difficulties.”
“Thank goodness,” I replied. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road.”
“Show on the road?” Rayne laughed. “No, don’t even try to explain that one.”
I shook my head as I signaled the other ships, and then I took off for the station as soon as I had their confirmations. It wasn’t a long trip at least, which made me wonder why the Karaak hadn’t bothered with wiping out the station as well. But maybe the Karaak didn’t know about the station, or maybe they’d decided it would be easy enough to destroy once they’d wiped out the Kytrans. But the Kytrans had won, and the Karaak had fled, which meant the station got to live another day.
Though it did make me wonder why anyone was still hanging around the station if they knew the Karaak had been in the area.
Maybe the Kytrans had shared their weapons with the station. Now that was an interesting possibility.
“We are approaching the dust cloud,” Francine announced.
I realized I’d been lost in thought for some time, and when I glanced at Rayne, I saw that she’d managed to catch a short nap while I’d been pondering what had happened in this sector. I smirked at my roommate and then looked at the windshield at the purple cloud that we were rapidly approaching.
“It looks safe enough on the scanners,” I noted.
“You said the same thing about the Crossed Swords,” Rayne said with a yawn. “The scanners turned out to be wrong.”
“Not entirely,” I replied. “Is everyone still with us?”
“All ships have signaled that they are ready,” Francine replied.
I dove into the dust cloud, which turned out to be a giant rainbow once inside. Streaks of blue and pink and yellow zipped by while green and orange bits bounced off the shields. There was nothing big enough to do any serious damage, at least, not as long as the shields held, but I couldn’t shake the sudden sense of foreboding that started to creep up my spine.
I saw Rayne glance at me in my peripheral vision. She could tell that the atmosphere inside the cockpit had changed, and she looked concerned.
“What?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said as I glanced at my scanners. “I just have a weird feeling.”
“Weird weird, or weird bad?” she asked.
“Let me get back to you on that,” I replied.
I knew we were close to the station, but instead of feeling a sense of relief that we’d made it through, I could feel knots tightening inside my stomach. It was a bit late for the nerves about the journey to kick in, so I knew it wasn’t that.
“Please let the station be there,” I muttered.
We passed a last strip of purple and shot out into the clear center where the station was supposed to be.
And we found ourselves face to face with an enormous ship that was flanked by four smaller ships. I’d seen these types of ships before, with their oversized compartment for holding living beings, and I felt my stomach sink to my feet as I stared at the scummiest of the scumbags.
These were slave traffickers. And they had been waiting for us.
“Weird bad,” I said to Rayne.