Whitmore Day Read online

  “Does anyone disagree?” Nuvo challenged, doubting anyone would after the Keefa had spoken.

  “It may be premature,” the Mistark said, “but we lose nothing by acting early out of caution. How long should we wait here?”

  “Until they leave,” Nuvo said, glancing up into the sky and seeing the faint silhouette of their warship in orbit.

  “There is no need,” the Keefa said, sending a telepathic beacon to the nearest Hadarak minions. “They know we travel with them. Nothing will be revealed by our moving now, but our reluctance to do so may draw suspicion.”

  “I concede the point,” Nuvo said, with the group only having to wait a few hours before minions large enough to carry them individually arrived and flew them each to nearby colonies on the planet. When they got there pods were already being flash grown to carry them up to orbit, and soon they arrived at a 219 mile wide Warden, with the one of the massive tentacles it carried retracting inside further than normal to expose a patch of tissue beneath the armor layer.

  The cluster of pods carrying all the observers touched there and melded to the solid mass…then using technology far beyond the Hadarak they build corridors into it at a magically fast pace, cutting away at the living tissue and reusing it to build what living facilities they needed while Nuvo took on a different project.

  He ordered the Warden to construct something far larger inside its mass, hidden from sensors and having to cannibalize other parts of itself to make room and to construct the mechanism. Several days later when it was completed, Nuvo interfaced with the Essence comm device and sent a signal back to the Core of the galaxy…one that would arrive far faster than any known Hadarak transmission method, and one that would be picked up by the perimeter defense grids and retransmitted to those who needed to hear it.

  “We must eradicate the resistance in this galaxy now. Threat level is beyond expectation. Our assessment is that we are dealing with a Vikova paradox. Full measures are recommended to prevent it from coming to fruition. Unleash the Hadarak and end this blight before it grows into a greater threat…”

  Paul was still onboard the Excalibur fighting Hadarak in the system as more continued to pour in the jumplines and get ambushed by the fleets waiting for them in most cases when he received the comm update from the Maty where most of the trailblazers had gone. He was on one of his Jason-mandated rest breaks when it came through, so he had no distractions as he stopped his training swim and interfaced with a nearby terminal just above the waterline as he pulled himself out and telekinetically shook off the water droplets.

  He’d received the mental summons of a message, expecting some sort of trouble, but found it was from Morgan detailing what had been going on down on the planet, and that she hadn’t wanted to send a message before the observers had left.

  It was then that Paul was informed what the ‘observers’ said they were, and what they actually were, along with everything else that had been going on down there, including her fight with them.

  “Azoro?” he asked aloud, feeling the presence of his companion return with force to his mind. “What do you know of this?”

  “Little. I recognize only two of those races, and they were thought to be benign. If this group truly is the master of the Hadarak, they hid it from us well.”

  “Are these the major powers you spoke of?”

  “Not the ones I knew of, but perhaps the shadow presence behind our destruction. I cannot verify much of what they said, but you were right to send them away rather than kill them all.”

  “We wouldn’t do that.”

  “Others would. And your letting them go signals that you do not know who they truly are, which further cloaks the presence of the Gahana.”

  “What do you make of them?”

  “An enigma that we may have brushed paths with in the past, but only in the posthumous form.”

  “Meaning?”

  “We discovered certain similarities between galaxies that we could not explain. If they had a common benefactor in the past, it would explain the correlations…or perhaps some of them.”

  “Recommendations?”

  “Study and learn, but do not act. Keep those in stasis where they are until we know their true nature, and the reason they could not sustain themselves. I am as curious as you, but proceed slowly.”

  “Remember who you’re talking to.”

  “That’s why I say it.”

  “They know of the Saiolum.”

  “Interesting, but they cannot touch it. The other two energies they spoke of I am unfamiliar with.”

  “Anything you can share?”

  “Morgan killed many of them in single combat. How do you expect they will react now that they are free?”

  “The Gahana said they were stronger than they had showed,” Paul said grimly. “We’re not doing well to keep a low profile, are we?”

  “The Universe does not always give us the path we wish, and if the major powers I am aware of hear of this and come here…then it is a fight I will help you make. However, they may not want to reveal their own lack of power to others, else it invite predation upon them. I think the primary opponent will be the Hadarak, and they will try to snuff you out and erase their embarrassment.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “When the other trailblazers were being recalled and you were inundated with the repetitiveness of predictable naval combat, I left to explore the prize they sought. There are so many Hadarak in the system that the Saiolum is quite thick and I could travel easily. I saw into their minds as they left the system.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Why didn’t your brethren? There was no rush.”

  “Did they detect you?”

  “They have no knowledge of the Saiolum…at least no ability in it. I could not detect any window in the system other than you. But their thoughts were treacherous. They were here to learn from the combat with the Hadarak, and they do so in all galaxies. Even the Neofan they do not fight at full strength, only enough to press them to the breaking point to further alter and cultivate the Hadarak into a better weapon. It is their barrier against other threats, while they exist quietly obscured by their territory. They are advanced cowards, and their fear of what they saw Morgan do to them will drive them to send the Hadarak at you in full force. They did not discuss it, but many were thinking it. I believe that is the decision they will make.”

  “Them or their bosses?”

  “There are a great many of them here, in this galaxy. And those deep in the Core will make the decision. You have a matter of years to study the Maty before the full force of their power in this galaxy begins to come down your throat. And perhaps a century or two after that before the weight of the other galaxies follow it.”

  “You suspect or are certain?”

  “Nearly certain. It was all they could think about.”

  “Glad you’re with us, you sneaky bastard.”

  “Do not expect the current pressure on this system to relent. Expect it to continually increase.”

  “Anything else you learned?”

  “I cannot feel the Gahana. The Saiolum is not within them, so if you wish to find the others in the facility, you will need to use Essence to do so.”

  “So they can sense it, but are not part of it?”

  “It seems so, though I do not know how that is possible. They may be the most advanced race we have ever encountered, or perhaps that the universe has spawned through the lifesprings. But the source of their radiation concerns me more.”

  “An uber bad race?” Paul guessed.

  “We seem to be finding more depth to the universe than either of us expected. Growth is our only defense. I will continue to teach you our secrets, add what you can from the Maty, but the Hadarak are here and now, and they will not wait.”

  “Make or break,” Paul muttered.

  “Indeed. The mantle of responsibility in this case is quite thick and heavy. I will help you bear it as best I
can.”

  “Thanks, but it looks like the Saiolum toys aren’t going to be out by Christmas in time for the party.”

  “There is something more immediate. They value Maty more than their research into you. It is a possible avenue of advancement for the Hadarak, and the collection of knowledge is greater than you have discovered. They will prioritize taking it back before destroying Star Force.”

  “So they’re coming here first?”

  “Local assets will be here before the Core ones. Your brothers and sisters are already correct,” Azoro said, referencing the continued information Paul was scanning through. “The Maty must be moved.”

  “They already tried an IDF field.”

  “The Maty won’t allow it, and you cannot tow it. Unless you override it from within, it will not be moved.”

  “Did you see access codes in their minds?”

  “No. They had little access beyond what was publically accessible. With your help, I can move it.”

  Paul raised an eyebrow. “How?”

  “The Saiolum with the Hadarak present is quite strong. If you can hold the door open for me long enough, I can move it.”

  “Can I?”

  “Consider it a challenge,” Azoro dared.

  Paul sighed. “How do we do this?”

  “You’re going to do what?” Morgan asked Paul when he arrived on the surface of the Maty via dropship.

  “Don’t ask me to explain how, but Azoro says we can move it. Not far and not fast, but the Hadarak are going to make this priority number one,” he said, telepathically sending her his conversation notes with Azoro rather than explaining it the long way. “Savvy?”

  “Shit,” she whispered. “I opened Pandora’s box, didn’t I?”

  “With style,” Paul said, patting her on her helmeted head as he walked past the shorter Archon.

  “You’re gonna get fried, aren’t you?”

  “Burnt toast,” he agreed, walking down the stairs into the Maty with Morgan rushing to follow…

  Two hours later…

  “You are absolutely crazy,” Sara said as she and 8 of the trailblazers stood around Paul, who now had his armor retracted and his hands and feet bare as he stood in the approximate center of the Maty complex in an archway that allowed him to make physical contact with the structure with all four limbs.

  “Hush, I’m meditating,” Paul said deadpan as he breathed in slowly.

  “Any last instructions?” Aaron asked.

  “Nobody bump me, and don’t let so much as a mosquito distract me. Azoro doesn’t drive well without bumpers on.”

  “You’ve done this before?” Sara asked.

  “Move stuff? No. Practice him taking over my body, yeah. A little. Part of my training…and no peeking. Telepathy or battlemeld will shake me loose. I’m not very good at this yet.”

  “Orbit is clear of all debris,” Greg confirmed. “And the Elloquim have disconnected and withdrawn. The road is open, if you can really do this.”

  “Don’t underestimate the power of the Force,” Paul said, closing his eyes and dipping his head slightly as his arms were pressed tightly against the rim of the doorway and his feet were planted firmly against the floor. Then his head came up rather robotically and his green eyes flared.

  “Let us begin,” Paul said, except it wasn’t Paul’s voice, but rather an altered version of it. “So ja ley ti sah mat.”

  A wave of goosebumps ran up Morgan’s body, causing her to twitch in surprise…and the same was true of the others who exchanged telepathic inquires, but as promised they didn’t speak to Paul/Azoro so not to distract them.

  For a long while nothing happened. Not internally or externally, for the sensor and comm dampening within the Maty had deactivated once the Hadarak had been driven out and they could connect with the battlemap from the ships across the system. Morgan started to think Paul had miscalculated as this stretched on to many minutes, but without warning there was a massive ‘crack’ heard across the surface of the planet, though not inside, with the tracking sensors on the orbiting ships indicating the Maty had begun to rise a few inches per second…and was dragging a huge chunk of now broken planetary crust with it.

  That rate of ascent increased slowly as Azoro harnessed the Saiolum currents and used them to propel himself…and by extension what was around him…as if he had deployed a massive sail using his own personal power while Paul was the focal point allowing him to access the physical universe.

  The same way Paul could cause his body to move faster by catching a current, Azoro was somehow expanding to the entire facility and a chunk of the planetary crust locked onto it. No technology was involved, and the Maty could not sense what was occurring in order to stop it. It rose unwittingly as the machines inside had no programming to deal with this abnormality, and the Gahana were either too restricted to realize what was happening, couldn’t intervene, or chose not to. So far the others inside had not been located, for it was going to take a level by level search with Essence to find their hiding places, and neither Paul nor Azoro wanted to wait. They needed to get the Maty off the Hadarak map as soon as possible.

  Inches per second became meters, and as the rise continued the crust around the Maty flaked off in chunks as it was not being propelled any more as Azoro restricted his aura progressively. Gravity dragged it back down, cleaning the hull as it rose through the atmosphere, eventually revealing the carrot-like shape of the Maty that had streams of magma pouring off the tip.

  The planet below became an inferno as the cork was released and the previously pressurized magma burst forth in a supervolcano underneath, then the crust buckled in other places to compensate, but there were no native lifeforms to worry about, and as for the Hadarak burrowed underground, there was no way to save them even if Star Force tried due to their genetic programming to fight to the death.

  So Paul and Azoro ignored them, with the Sha’kier pulling the Maty out of the planet and up through the atmosphere slowly gaining speed, but when it hit the cold of space it began to automatically transform, shaking Azoro’s grip momentarily, and it began to fall back towards the planet.

  He caught it again on the currents, slowly negating the fall and turning it into ascent again as Paul focused on nothing more than allowing Azoro to commandeer his body, which meant he had to hold open the doorway from the Saiolum constantly to allow him access…and that process was taxing him heavily.

  The Maty very slowly accelerated as it simultaneously rounded out into a long oval, but the pace quickened the more they got away from the gravity well as Azoro took it straight up from the planet along the most favorable currents that he had altered prior to lifting. They wouldn’t stay in the direction he sent them forever, so he had to take advantage of it now or expend a great deal more power to troll the Maty along the Saiolum manually.

  “Rest,” Azoro said in Paul’s voice, then his head twitched and Azoro was gone along with Paul collapsing to the floor.

  Morgan caught him with a flick of her hand and held him aloft until she got over to him and wrapped him up in her arms.

  “Hey hotshot, you there?”

  “Ouch,” Paul moaned. “Azoro says to activate the cloak now. He’ll have to make a few course adjustments later, but we’ll get to the outer edge of the system.”

  “And then?”

  “Nothing. The Hadarak will think we’ve left. But we stay right here under their noses.”

  “I thought we were taking the Maty to another system?” Greg asked.

  “We can, if I want to maroon myself in here with Azoro for the next 1000 years.”

  “If the Gahana can override the countermeasures we can tow it,” Morgan said.

  “If,” Paul reminded her. “We have cover now to find out. Kick their ass along a fake jumpline and follow it out. Make it look like we’re escorting the cloaked Maty, and take them on a wild goose chase. Otherwise empty the system and let them have it.”

  “Well that’s sneaky,” Sara said, crossi
ng her arms over her chest.

  “The Sha’kier are professional sneaks,” Paul attested as he looked up into Morgan’s eyes now that her faceplace was retracted. “Take me to bed.”

  “Medbay?” she countered.

  “No, just bed. And read me a story while you’re at it,” he said as his eyes partially rolled back into his head as he fought to remain conscious.

  Morgan lifted him up easily using muscle only and carried him away from the center of the ship to the small area where Star Force was busy establishing a colony for their use using mobile structures in one of many open valleys that held the frozen popsicles of preserved valuable races. When she got him there Morgan tucked him into one of the beds in the quarters but didn’t leave as Kara came in.

  “Has he done this before?”

  “Not that I was aware,” the Jinx said, putting a bare hand on his forehead. “He’s locked up tight.”

  “Azoro said they’ll need to do this again later for course corrections. I didn’t even know Azoro could take over his body yet.”

  “I’m not with him every second of the day,” Kara scoffed. “And he likes to keep secrets. Is Ghostblade getting guardian duty?”

  “Haven’t worked it out yet. Are you going to stay with him?”

  “First watch, at least.”

  “Ok,” Morgan said, standing up and kissing Paul on the head before moving her lips down to his right ear and whispering “Twos rule” before she walked out.

  The faintest of smiles cracked on Paul’s otherwise still face as his right hand under the covers pulled his fingers together until only two were remaining, attesting to his original team during basic training that had taken top marks, though Morgan had claimed the individual top spot.