Aeolus Investigations Episode 17

Available from Amazon.com.

Christine Samue has known for six thousand years that the total destruction of the Accord was coming. Lexi Stevens, Christine’s mother and the Marshal of the Accord, whose job is to protect her people has only known what is coming at her for a few years. It wasn’t nearly enough time for her to prepare.

Christine had her own problems. Trapped in the past with her team, she is responsible for building a resistance movement to take down the evil Apixactin Empire. If she fails, she risks the possibility that the Accord will never exist.

She knows what she needs to accomplish. It isn’t just the Apixactin’s she needs to be concerned about. With her team thoroughly behind her, she needs to take control of the Empire and build a fleet of warships powerful enough to support Lexi and the forces of the Accord.

Empress, Chapter 1, Destiny’s Child

Following a brief knock on the cabin door, Sesti entered the bedchamber assigned to Pete and Chris in the residence area of Lyrex’s Government House. Both adults were naked. Pete said, sounding exasperated, “If you’re really blind, I don’t guess it matters, but you should learn to wait outside until you’re invited in.” They had had that discussion more than once in the short time they had known Sesti.

Sesti sighed. “I knew we were going to have to get this out of the way, eventually. I’m a blind person who sees everything. If we’re to survive what we must accomplish, you need to trust me fully — even when it comes to things I can’t prove.” She paused. “You have Zappers on the tables on either side of the bed. Take the power cells out and toss them at me. Ah, normal speed, please. I’m not strong and fast like you guys are.”

Pete looked at Chris, who nodded back. The Zappers flew through the short space separating the adults and Sesti. Suddenly, two Zappers were pointing steadily at their heads, held in the steady hands of an apparently unflappable twelve year old, who only said, “Well, that’s good. You’re as fast as Hera’s people.” She tossed the weapons back, her eyes turning to take in Pete. “I know you’re naked, Father. I know what you and Mom did last night. I know what Emmet and Liz are doing now.”

Pete stared at her. “I’m not your father, kid.”

“Oh, did I get that wrong? Sometimes I get the past, the present, and the future confused. You should be aware of that, too. You will be — my father, I mean.”

She looked at Christine. “You may as well get dressed. In normal terms, I can’t really see what you’re doing, anyway. I need to be part of your planning team. I need to know how quickly you can build up Lyrex to stand up against Hera’s eventual assault.”

Chris said, “How long do we have?”

“You should check with Leader Cochran. His data is based in fact. Mine is perception. You know how that is. My perception was that you would come to Lyrex. I did not perceive you destroying the Empire’s picket. Thinking about it, it’s obvious you would have to. Within a year or two, those ships are to be relieved. Even if you subdue the replacement crews, the fact that the original ships won’t be returning is going to need to be dealt with. I don’t know how long you — we — really have.”

“Why not?” Pete asked.

She really hated explaining herself. Probably do to years of hiding her abilities from people who most likely wouldn’t believe her anyway. With a sigh, Sesti said, “Because I see an Apixactin Extermination Fleet sitting three days outside of the hyper-limit, hoping to determine why they’ve lost contact with the picket before dismembering your effort. Because I also see the Empire simply forgetting about one belligerent system on the distant fringe of Hera’s Empire when she has so much else to be concerned about. Because there’s a future in which Lokasine shows up, calls Hera a brat, and wipes her from existence.” She paused. “All of those are very low probability. Lokasine can’t afford the energy for a fight. There are more possible futures than can be counted. Sorting through them simply to make conversation is draining. Learn not to ask me questions like that, please, Dad.”

Pete grinned. “Gotcha. That time you called me Dad. What’s the probability that Chris and I will be adopting you?”

Sesti grinned, looking for the moment like a twelve year old child. “That probability approaches infinity. She needs me. Less obviously, I need both of you. Without you, I go insane by the time I reach adulthood. My mother, Hera, is insane. I’m uncertain about my grandmother, Lokasine. I’m told insanity runs in families. There’s an excellent chance you can save me from that fate.”

***

Sesti hung out in the suite while Pete and Chris took turns taking a quick shower. While waiting for Pete to finish, Chris reached out to Emmet and Liz. Change of plans. We won’t be meeting Cochran for breakfast. I haven’t told him yet.

Emmet replied, It sounded boring anyway, Chris. What are we doing instead?

Having breakfast on the Sharks.

I was looking forward to something different than the food we’ve been eating for the last twenty months, Liz said.

Chris laughed. There will be plenty of opportunity for that. I know you all know this. We’re going to be here a long time. We’ll meet at the dining room Leader Cochran directed us to. I’ll make our excuses and we’ll head over to the ships.

***

Leader Cochran was perfectly urban when Chris explained that she and her crew had to decline sharing a morning meal with him today. Ignoring Sesti, he offered all four a small glass of juice while he summoned someone to escort them back to the spaceport.

Chris said, “There is something we can talk about before we leave. Once the Empire realizes that they lost five battleships here, they’ll be back in force.”

“True. Sesti tells us you will be here to protect us. That’s why she called you protectors.”

Chris looked at Sesti, who was standing quietly, gazing off at who knows what. “Is that why you came up with that name, dear?”

“If you decide Lyrex is worthy of your efforts, it is only the beginning.”

Cochran shrugged. “Her answers are often like that.”

Chris said, “It doesn’t matter. We didn’t come here to save Lyrex. We will, if we can, but we came here to find Sesti in order to add her to my crew. Now, before we part company this morning… You have the wrong people here. If we’re going to be protecting Lyrex, we need to begin meeting with your science people, including your technology experts and your engineers. I want them to be present when we meet this afternoon. You can set up a lunch meeting if you prefer — we will be meeting for several hours. Understood?”

“Yes. It shall be done.”

Chris nodded. “Next, why did you drug the juice you offered to us?”

Cochran paled. “It was just a mild narcotic intended to make you more willing to accede to our requests.”

Her hard and commanding, Chris said, “Don’t do it again. Now get us a car. We don’t need a driver.”

Pete said, “In case that little conversation didn’t make it clear, Cochran, we aren’t here to work for you. You and your entire world work for us. Think about that. Enjoy your morning meal.”

***

As they ascended the ramp to the Sharks, Chris said, “Sesti, you said you wanted to be adopted. This is your new home until we can build something nicer.”

Sesti looked up at her, “So I can start calling you Mom? And Pete Dad?”

Chris laughed. “You can. You can also call us simply Chris and Pete. We’ll give you a tour of the two ships later. Let’s go have some food.”

Once they were all seated, Sesti asked, “What is this?”

“Steak and biscuits with gravy. It’s very tasty. You have melon rings on a separate plate because it’s a little weird to have them covered with hot gravy. I don’t know what you like to drink. The mug has hot chocolate in it. The rest of us are drinking coffee.”

Sesti laughed. “And you gave the blind girl a sharp knife to cut her food with?”

Chris asked, “Did I make a mistake? I think that you can’t process light waves through your eyes. I’ve watched you walk. I don’t think you’re blind.”

Liz watched the girl deftly use the knife to cut into her steak, placing a correctly-sized portion in her mouth. She said, “I don’t think she is, either. So what’s the story here?”

Chris said, “Sesti, this is my crew. We’ve been together for several years now. In that time, we’ve learned to trust and depend on each other. I want you to understand that you can depend on these people for anything.”

Sesti’s blind eyes traversed the table. “You want me to trust them like I trust you and Pete? I can see myself doing that. This hot chocolate drink is good. I like it. I like coffee too.”

Emmet, being impatient with that, asked, “Chris, were you serious when you said we came here for Sesti?”

Pete said, “She is. We didn’t understand that until this morning. Cochran called her an Oracle. Our term for what she does is precognition. Tell them why we chose Lyrex, Sesti.”

“Could I have another hot chocolate? Lyrex possesses infrastructure and resources sufficient for you to begin building a fleet. As such, it should be an excellent base of operations for what you need to do. That being said, Chris led you to Lyrex because I’m here. Pete is going to want me to tell you the other half. I’m here because I knew this is where you would come. It is circular logic, but you will simply have to deal with it. My brother Quetz helped me escape to here. He’s Hera’s lieutenant. I’m very confused about him. About all of you, really.”

Chris set down a fresh mug of chocolate in front of Sesti and a carafe of coffee for the others. She laughed. “One of the first things you’ll learn about us is that we drink a lot of coffee. And wine. What’s confusing you, Sesti?”

“Quetz is gone. I have no perception of him. Thousands of years from now, he’s back.”

Pete said, “He thought Hera killed him. We thought he must be right. You’re saying she didn’t?”

“It might be a fantasy, Dad. I don’t want my brother to be dead. He might be. However there’s a high probability that he isn’t. The other thing is the four of you and me. I can’t see any specifics about any of us. You, Emmet, and Liz are easier than Mom. You’re all artificial. Mom, like me, is genetic. It muddies my precognitions. How is it possible that we’re all still alive when Quetz comes back to me?”

Chris said, “The simple answer is that we’re immortal. Once I’ve done some preliminary work, I can modify your DNA so that you are too.”

Liz said, “So another trip to Limon?”

Chris said, answering slowly. “I’m not sure, but I think so.” Turning her look to Sesti, she said, “There’s a one of a kind object on Limon known as the Heart of Curdal. We believe it was created by the being we know as Lokasine. It strengthens a body to the extent that we become very hard to kill. Unfortunately, we have to leave it where it is in order to protect the future.”

Nodding, and looking grim, Sesti said, “Lokasine is my grandmother. Hera thinks she’s a god. That’s why Hera thinks she’s a goddess.”

Chris said, “Lokasine is also my grandmother. We consider her to be a meddling bitch.”

“That’s a shame. Like I said, we’re genetic. Somehow Pete, Emmet, and Liz were made into precogs. Lokasine made mistakes. She wants to fix them. Mom, if Lokasine can construct a Heart of Curdal, maybe one her granddaughters can too. I don’t mean me. Who is Gaia?”

Pete asked, telepathically, Are you telling her everything?

I think so. “Sesti, cosmically speaking, who arranged for us to meet?”

“I did, Mom. We had too. What about Gaia?”

Chris sighed. “My mother met an entity she named Gaia on a distant planet. She believes Gaia to be the embryonic form of a true god — one she believes is already more powerful than Lokasine. She’s working to instill her own sense of moral values in the entity.”

Sesti looked pensive for a moment. “When the coming war wakes Gaia, when your mother dies in the conflict, Gaia will wake. In her rage, everybody dies.”

Emmet said, “Wow! You’re voicing a precognition?”

Sesti shrugged. “More or less. Gaia cannot be allowed to rouse too early. Therefore Lexi Stevens cannot be allowed to die.”

Chris said, “I don’t want my mother to die. Do you understand that we came back through time?”

Sesti shook her head. “I don’t.”

“Six thousand years from now, we detected an Apixactin Fang orbiting our home planet. Earth is the home system of Lexi Stevens, who holds the position of Marshall of the Accord. Without going into detail, her job is protecting the people and planets of the Accord. I’ll be happy to fill you in on more about my mother and the Accord, but not right now.”

She looked around at the other adult members of her crew. “The Fang had cloaking technology that we couldn’t pierce. We got lucky. A nearby explosion cast a shadow which we could see. Mom was off in a distant part of the galaxy. I took command of the situation on Earth, recruited Pete, Emmet, and Liz for a hurriedly assembled boarding party, and transported onto the Fang. Hera’s ships, at least some of them, have technology which allows them to travel through time as well as space. Before we had a chance to subdue the crew, they activated their time-slip drive.”

“And you wound up here. In your past. That makes so much sense.”

Chris nodded. “Yes, we did. We met your brother, on Earth, in our past. He thought Hera was executing him. With your information, I don’t know exactly what she did with him. As he died, he transferred everything he knew of Hera’s technology base to me. He wanted us to stop her. They’re not much to look at, Sesti, but these two Fangs are the most advanced ships in Hera’s sphere of influence.”

“Why did you come here instead of back to your time?”

“Time-slip technology is dangerous. The odds of us getting back alive were too slim. You see, Sesti, with Hera’s empire having a six thousand year head start, the Accord should have never come into existence. Hera should have blasted Earth to atoms long before Lexi Stevens came on the scene.”

Pete said, “We decided that the only scenario that made sense is that someone stopped her in our past.”

Emmet added, “We also decided that that someone had to be us.”

“Which means we have a lot of work to do,” Liz said. “Welcome to the team, Sesti.”

Sesti had a confused expression on her face. She gasped out, “You’re all wrong.” Then she turned her head sideways and threw up her breakfast on the floor.

Emmet said, “I’ll get a cleaning robot.”

Pete got up to get her a glass of water. As Sesti sipped at it, Chris sent to the adults, Telepathically, she seems to be totally null. I can’t tell what she’s thinking. Emotionally, she’s close to going into shock.

After sipping half of the glass of water, Sesti said, “I’m sorry I made a mess. I didn’t realize that you didn’t know. Dealing with Hera is only the first step. The easy part. Can I have another mug of the chocolate drink, please?”

Empress is available from Amazon.com.