Dawn of a New Age (14 page)

2.5.2136

1912

Shuttle Kiarin

M
ARIO gently nudged K’Alan awake.

“Dinner time, Kal,” Mario said as he handed K’Alan a small tray.

“Great,” K’Alan yawned.  “I’m hungry.”

“Too bad.  It’s not great,” Mario grunted.  “I’m afraid K rations are about all I could make.  Even I, with all my skills, can’t make K rations taste good.”

“They’ll do,” K’Alan said as he tore into the food.

They ate in silence, the quiet hum of the engines the only sound in the cabin.

“What are you going to do when the war’s over, Kal?” Mario said after a while.

“I don’t know,” K’Alan shrugged  “Your father has a great idea as far as the White Knight becoming a place of diplomacy.  I think we’ll work on that when it’s over.  I guess I’ll travel for a little while afterwards.  I have some personal time saved up.  Maybe Kit, Elam and I will take a trip.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Mario nodded.  “Me, I don’t think I’ll take any time off.”

“You should, Mario,” K’Alan smiled.  “Once the delegates start arriving, I don’t know when any of us will get a chance to take a vacation again.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Mario said with a dead pan expression on his face.

“No, I’m not, Mario,” K’Alan chuckled.  “Once we start putting the delegates together, we’re going to be very busy.  And of course, there’s the matter of relocating the survivors once a colony can be started for them.”

“Aw, hell.  We’re going to be too busy to enjoy life,” Mario rolled his eyes.

“Probably not THAT busy, Mario,” K’Alan chuckled.  He reached for his drink.

“By the way, K’Alan.  S’Era asked me out today,” Mario grinned as K’Alan took a swig of his drink.

K’Alan choked, sending his drink all over the cabin.

“That’s not even funny, Mario,” K’Alan said.

“Actually, she did.  I wanted to talk to you before I gave her my answer.  If it bothers you that much.”  He shrugged.

“It just caught me by surprise is all,” K’Alan laughed.  “If you want to go out with her, I won’t stop you.  Mostly because if she has her sights set on you, there’s no way I could stop it anyway.  Just tread really careful.  I’d hate to pick up the pieces if she gets honked off at you.”

“I promise I’ll be careful, Kal.  Hey, this is me we’re talking about here,” Mario flashed his winning smile.

“And that’s what I’m worried about,” K’Alan grinned.

2.5.2136

1915

SLS White Knight

The Bridge.

“You can pick up your jaw, Katherine,” the newcomer said.  “I’m quite real.”

“But you…”

“Look just like you?” the other woman said.  It felt weird to Kath to hear her own voice come out of someone else’s mouth.  “Of course I do.  I’m your twin sister.  My name is Suela Yeuid.”

“I didn’t even know I had a twin sister,” Kath shook her head in disbelief.  “How long have you been on board?”

“I came on the same time as Commander Sykes,” Suela made herself comfortable at a station near where Kath was sitting.  “This is the first chance I’ve had to come try to talk to you.”

“This is unbelievable.  I never even dreamed I had a twin,” Kath sank back into her chair, clearly still stunned.

“You were sent away when you were born.  I’ve spent my entire adult life looking for you.  And now that I’ve found you, I’m glad.”  Suela smiled a broad smile.  It was eerie seeing her own smile on someone else’s face.  It was clear that having a twin would take some getting used to.

“I wish I had known, Suela.  I would have been looking for you too.”

“I know, Katherine.  But you had no way of knowing.  When our mother sent you away, she did so because she couldn’t care for both of us.  Unfortunately, that meant that you not only did not know about me, but also did not receive the proper training in your youth.”

“Training?” Kath furrowed her brow in confusion.  “I don’t think I understand.  What kind of training?”

“You’re an empath, Katherine.”

“What’s an empath?”

“An empath is someone who can sense and affect other people’s emotions,” Suela explained.  “It’s a rare gift, but one which requires great training to use properly.  Angelian twins, such as we are, generally have the gift.  I do.  And so must you.”

“OK, I’m dreaming right?  This is all just the result of a very whacked out dream, right?” Kath asked, still disbelieving.  “I fell asleep on watch.  That must be it.”

“It’s real, Katherine.  All too real.”

She was floating.

Inwardly, she groaned, as she recognized the void.  She didn’t know why, but she recognized the void from somewhere in her subconscious.  She must have been here before,  The fact that she had been here confused her.  And K’Itea was afraid.

“Is anyone there?” she asked aloud.

“We are here, K’Itea Bryce,” a woman’s voice.

“Show yourself,” K’Itea said, looking around.

A lone figure stepped out of the shadows.  She was wearing a long grey robe with the hood pulled back.  She appeared to be young with shoulder length black hair and eyes so dark they appeared to be black.  She had plain features and looked as if she had never smiled a day in her life.

“I am Kiara.  I am one who watches,” the woman said by way of introduction.

“What do you want with me?”

“Your husband is headed into trouble.  He was warned not to go to Brentax III himself.  He will likely be captured.”

“Will he be killed?”

“I do not know.  His path is difficult.  I do not know yet if he will survive.”

“Why are you telling me this?” K’Itea asked.  “It will only make me worry more.”

“Warn the others to prepare to take action, K’Itea.  They will listen to you.”

“But…” she trailed off.  “I don’t know if I can bear to live without him.”

“You are important to the future, as is your husband.  We will be watching.”

Kiara faded back into the darkness.

2.6.2136

0313

SLS White Knight

Forward Observation Lounge

K’Itea sat in silence, meditating on what she had heard in her dream.  She shook her head.  K’Alan would be all right.  He had to be.  Mario would keep him safe.  She believed Soran when he had said that.  Or at least she’d wanted to.

“Couldn’t sleep either, eh?” S’Era said behind K’Itea.

“No,” she sighed.  “S’Era, I’m worried about him.  I’m afraid he won’t come back.”

“Kit, I’m worried about him too,” S’Era said as she walked over and gently put her hands on Kit’s shoulders.  “But my brother is a survivor.  You know that.  He’s going to be all right.”

“I’m not so sure,” K’Itea shook her head.  She went on to tell the younger woman about the dream she’d had.  S’Era listened intently, shaking her head as K’Itea finished speaking.

“Maybe he is in for some trouble on Brentax III, Kit,” S’Era said.  But he’ll make it through. I’m sure of it.”

“I hope you’re right, S’Era.  For all our sakes.”

“If it’ll make you feel better, Kit, I’ll go with you in the morning, and we can talk to Commander Sykes about it.”

“Yeah, maybe that would be best,” K’Itea nodded.

“Good.  Now go get some rest.  You won’t do him any good by not sleeping.”

2.6.2136

0901

SLS White Knight

The Bridge

The bridge was bustling with activity.  Everyone was at their posts monitoring their stations with renewed interest.  The shuttle was due to reach Brentax III shortly.  And while everyone hoped that the mission went smoothly, they knew that, if it didn’t, the White Knight needed to be working efficiently and had to be ready for anything.

Commander Erin Sykes oversaw the bustle of activity with pride.  This was a good crew.  They knew their jobs and knew them well.  They would be ready for anything.

The only drawback was that Katherine Yeuid looked distracted.  It appeared to be only a slight distraction, but any such distraction in this type of situation was enough to worry Erin.  She hoped it wasn’t enough of a problem to distract the young woman from her work.  Maybe she’d talk to Katherine later about it.  Or maybe she’d just file it away and report her concerns to K’Alan when he came back.

“Commander,” Kath called from her console.

“Yes, Lieutenant Commander,” Erin said as she looked at the young woman.

“Commander, K’Itea Bryce is requesting to meet with you.  She says it’s extremely urgent.”

“Tell her I’ll meet with her in the conference room.  You have the bridge, Lieutenant Commander,” she said, jumping off and heading off the bridge.

I just hope whatever’s bothering you’s not too important, Kath,
Erin thought as she walked down the hall to the conference room.

2.6.2136

0913

SLS White Knight

The Conference Lounge

K’Itea Bryce and S’Era Bryce sat patiently in the conference room waiting for the commander.  The two women were in silent contemplation about what K’Itea had seen in her vision.  It had been so real, and K’Itea worried about the implications.  There was very little that she could do, other than warn Commander Sykes about what she had seen and hope that the commander took her warning seriously.

Not for the first time since she had woken up from the vision, she touched the bond she shared with K’Alan.  She wanted nothing more than to feel it was there.  Any more than that, and he would have felt it.  The last thing she wanted was to distract him in the middle of his mission.  She knew that such a distraction could be fatal.  But she was comforted that the bond was there.

“I hope you’re right about this, S’Era,” K’Itea broke the silence after a while.

“You need to bring up your concerns to the commander, Kit,” S’Era put her hand on her friend’s arm in a gesture of comfort.  “If you feel that this is something she needs to worry about, she needs to know.”

“I know, S’Era.”  K’Itea twiddled her thumbs.  “But what if it’s just a dream?”

“Well, if it’s just a dream, then they’ll be prepared for nothing,” S’Era gave K’Itea’s arm a squeeze.  “But what if it isn’t just a dream, Kit?”

“That’s what worries me even more.”

Erin Sykes strode into the conference room.  She looked over the two Duterian women and smiled a warm comforting smile.  She sat down and looked at K’Itea.

“I understand you wanted to speak to me?” the commander asked.

“Yes, Commander.  I wanted to talk to you about a vision I had last night…”

2.6.2136

1102

Shuttle Kiarin

“Mario, wake up,” K’Alan said.  “We’re approaching Brentax III.”

“And I was having such a good dream too,” Mario groaned.  “Can’t I just go back to sleep, Kal?”

“Nope.  We need to get down get this over with and get back,” K’Alan shook his head.  “Time to get up, lazybones.”

“We do this and get back, right?” Mario opened one eye.

“Right.  We get back as quickly as we can,” the captain nodded.  “In and out.”

“Good.  I have some new recruits that I need to bilk out of their pay!”  Mario opened his other eye and sat up.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” K’Alan laughed.

“You better get our landing clearance, Kal.  I don’t want to have to deal with a bunch of angry guards just because we didn’t land properly,” Mario reminded his friend.

“Agreed,” K’Alan nodded as he reached over to open a commlink.  “Freighter Torian to Brentacchia Spaceport.  Requesting landing clearance for supply offloading.”

“Standby, Freighter Torian,” the Brentax flight control officer said.

“We’re screwed,” Mario mouthed.  K’Alan shook his head.

“Freighter Torian, you are cleared for landing pad 113.  Enjoy your stay on Brentax III.”

“Oh, I don’t like the way he said that,” Mario said after K’Alan closed the commlink.

“Well, you’re the one who wanted me to get landing clearance,” K’Alan shrugged.  He set the course for the indicated landing pad and engaged the thrusters.  “I could have just landed us somewhere and let the brush cover the shuttle.”

“And it would have been found and destroyed,” Mario sighed.  “We’ll just have to figure out how to go about getting M’Bek Tarmos into the shuttle without anyone noticing.”

K’Alan looked over as the shuttle landed softly on the landing pad.

“We’re down.”

2.6.2136

1117

SLS White Knight

The Bridge

E
RIN stormed back onto the bridge.  She wasn’t sure what to make of K’Itea’s vision, but she was now even more worried than she was.

“Yellow alert,” she said.  “Everyone set to full battle readiness.  Maintain full defensive screens, and full visual and electronic cloaking.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Masha barked as she set to making sure the cloaking field was in place and fully operational.  “Cloak working at one hundred percent.  Defensive screens are currently at ninety seven percent charge.”

“Weapons status?” Erin barked.

“Lasers are fully functional.  Proton torpedoes are armed and ready,” Masha reported.

“Good,” Erin nodded.  She flicked a switch on her panel  “Flight crews and pilots, stand ready.  We may end up needing you.”

“Commander, I hope you’re wrong about needing all of these precautions,” Kath said.

“Me too, Lieutenant Commander,” Erin said.  “Me too.”

2.6.2136

1300

Shuttle Kiarin

K’Alan groaned as he looked over the cargo in the shuttle.  Half of the katarrh root they had brought on board was destroyed.

“Well, at least our cover won’t be totally blown,” he sighed.

“What’s the problem now, Kal?” Mario said as he came back into the cabin from outside where he’d been checking over the shuttle’s status.

“Oh, nothing much,” K’Alan said.  “Half our katarrh root is bad.”

“Could be worse,” Mario smiled as he grabbed an antigrav sled and started to load the good cases of katarrh root onto it.

“How so?”

“All of it could be bad,” Mario flashed his winning smile and stepped out of the shuttle, pulling the antigrav sled behind him.

“The moment this mission’s over, the happier I’ll be,” K’Alan muttered as he stepped off the shuttle, closing the door behind him.

2.6.2136

1622

Gamma Epsilon Station

John Bonetti’s office.

John sighed as he looked at the growing mountain of paperwork on his desk.  All he really wanted to do was to run the entire pile through the shredder and be done with it.  He grinned to himself as he thought about what the mound of shredded reports might look like.  He shook his head and pulled the next report off the pile to read.

“Admiral, there’s a hyperspace call for you,” Sergeant Riggs, his yeoman called.

“Put it through, Riggs,” John sighed, inwardly relieved at the interruption.

“Admiral Bonetti,” Kerrin Jameson, President of the Star Leage, greeted the admiral.

“Madame President,” he acknowledged.

“How goes the retrieval mission, John?” the president asked.

“It’s still too early to know, Kerrin,” John sighed.  “The team should have gotten to Brentax III a few hours ago.  I am expecting to hear a status update from Commander Sykes this evening.  I will, of course, pass along what she says.”

“This mission is very important, John,” Kerrin reminded him.  “I trust you put the best people you could on it."

“Of course, Kerrin.  I know full well that the success of this mission could spell the end of the war,” John smiled.  “Frankly, I’d love this war to end.  I’m getting tired of reading status reports with friends and loved ones in the latest list of casualties.”

“I know, John.  I feel the same,” Kerrin said, a touch of sadness in her voice.  “Thorrin Jade has agreed to mediate the treaty.”

“How did you pull that one off, Kerrin?  He’s the best negotiator in this entire quadrant!”

“Very simply, he’s tired of the casualty reports too, John.  You get us M’Bek Tarmos and we’ll get the treaty negotiated and signed.”

“We’ll get him, Madame President.  Admiral Bonetti out.”

The President smiled and blinked off the viewscreen.

“Sergeant Riggs, if the White Knight should report in, I want to speak to Commander Sykes as soon as possible,”

“Understood, Admiral.”

John grumbled and picked the report back up.

2.6.2136

1736

SLS White Knight

The City

A small park, vaguely reminiscent of K’Itea Bryce’s favorite park on Duterius Prime, had been built near the center of the city. It wasn’t very large, only about a thousand square feet.  It was about all that they could allocate for such a park.  But it was beautiful.  Short green grass grew all over, and children could almost always be seen running around.  There was talk that the Captain had something special in mind for the park, but no one knew what.  There were some benches lining the sides of the park.

It was on one of these benches that S’Era Bryce was sitting dejectedly.  She’d sunk into a depression over the past two days, ever since her brother and Mario had left for Brentax III.  She didn’t even really know why, which was what bothered her most.

She watched the children playing tag and sighed.  She wanted children of her own.  She knew that much.  And yet she didn’t have any idea about what she’d like in a mate.  Nor had she ever really had any experience dating.  Ever since her bondmate had passed away, she’d simply been turned aside, as any potential suitors always viewed her as simply a handmaiden.  It did not matter that she came from a higher caste and chose the life she lead.  Nor did it matter that she was the handmaiden to the High Gentlewoman herself.  She never resented her role, never wished for another life for herself.  She only wished that one day, a suitor might see her for who she was, rather than what her job was.

Maybe that was why she had fallen for Mario.  He had no concerns over society.  Indeed, he’d probably be more concerned with the social ramifications of having a beautiful woman by his side, rather than the ramifications of dating a handmaiden.  No, he probably wouldn’t care about her station.

She sighed.  Despite all of the wonderful people in her life, she realized, for the first time, that she was truly alone.  There were only four things in her life that kept her from being totally despondent, her brother, K’Itea, Elam…

…and Mario.  She couldn’t explain it to anyone even if she had wanted to, but she felt this kinship with Mario.  Almost as if they were destined to be together. Of course, she hadn’t told him that was how she felt.  She was too afraid that he’d laugh it off as a childish fantasy.  But her heart had soared when he hadn’t said no to her request for a date.  She hoped that he would say yes, but he’d said he’d needed to think about it.  She suspected that he wanted to talk to K’Alan about it before giving her an answer.

And now he was off on Brentax III.  And she was worried about him.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the children playing.

“Are you OK, S’Era?” a female voice near her said.  She opened her eyes to see K’Itea standing nearby and watching her.

“No, K’Itea, I’m not,” the younger woman shook her head.

“Well, if you need someone to talk to, I’m here,” K’Itea said softly as she sat down.

“I’ll be OK,” S’Era smiled a sad smile.  “So, I hear that K’Alan has plans for this park.”

“Yeah, he does,” K’Itea grinned.  “He wants to turn it into a baseball field.  It’s not nearly a big enough park, though, so I am not sure what he will do instead.”

“Only K’Alan would think of something like that,” S’Era chuckled.  “It makes sense though.  Something like that is bound to be a real moral boost to everyone.”

“I didn’t even know what baseball was until two days ago,” K’Itea sighed.  “Kal had a ball and glove that he gave to Elam.  He explained the rules to us.  It sounds kind of fun.”

“He played in the Academy, didn’t he?” S’Era asked, vaguely remembering a letter from K’Alan describing the game.

“Yes.  Apparently he was a pitcher.  A fairly good one, especially since he had to learn the rules as he went,” K’Itea smiled.  “I would have liked to have seen him play.”

“Me too, K’Itea.”  S’Era watched the children playing and smiled to herself.  “I’d like to have children one day, K’Itea,” she added softly after a while.

“I know, S’Era,” K’Itea said, patting her friend’s hand comfortingly.  “I’ve seen how you are with Elam.  I have no doubt you’d be a good mother.”

“Thank you, K’Itea.  That means a lot to me,” S’Era smiled.

2.6.2136

1902

SLS White Knight

The Bridge

Erin settled into the command chair.  She’d just come back from having an early dinner.  She was supposed to report in to Admiral Bonetti sometime that evening, but she had nothing to report.  It would have to be enough for the admiral.

“Lieutenant Commander Yeuid, prepare to initiate hyperspace communication with the Gamma Epsilon station,” Erin said, her voice clearly bored.

“Yes, ma’am.  Hyperspace communication initiated,” Kath reported.  “Holo activated now.”

John Bonetti’s head appeared in the gap made by the ring of the top level of the bridge.

“Admiral Bonetti, this is Commander Erin Sykes reporting in as ordered,” Erin said, snapping off a quick salute.

“Commander, how goes the mission?” the admiral asked.

“Uneventful, sir,” the young woman said.  “No word from Captain Bryce or Colonel Bonetti, but that’s to be expected.  I doubt we’ll hear from them for another twenty four hours or so.”

“As soon as M’Bek Tarmos arrives on the ship you are to immediately bring him to my office on the Gamma Epsilon station.” the admiral ordered.

“Understood,” Erin nodded.  “I’ll report in as soon as I know more.”

“Good,” John nodded.  “I’ll expect to hear from you in about twenty four hours then, Commander.”

“Yes, sir.  Commander Sykes out.”

The holo faded and Erin closed her eyes.  She gently rubbed her temples.  This was going to be a very long twenty four hours.  She sighed and went back to monitoring the bridge.

2.6.2136

1722

Brentax III

Brentax Militia Headquarters.

M’Bek Tarmos strode purposefully through the building that served as the headquarters for the Brentax Militia.  He headed to his office and closed the door behind him.  He walked around and sat down behind his desk, looking with distaste at the pile of paperwork that awaited him.

“Supreme Commander, Chancellor G’Kiron is here to see you,” one of his office staff called through his closed door.

“Send him in,” M’Bek growled.  He did not know what the elderly chancellor wanted, but it would be a good distraction from the paperwork.

Chancellor G’Kiron strode in, his large frame barely fitting through the door.  G’Kiron had no last name.  Some thought it was a symbol of dishonor for the elderly Brentax official, but G’Kiron had made a name for himself.  Once he had been the Supreme Commander of the Brentax Militia, but he had retired, healthy and whole, to the world of politics.  Although he knew that the strings were really pulled by the Militia and always would be, he did his best to influence things for the better.  The Chancellor knew that this war was proving to be more costly than anyone had ever realized.  And so, with heavy heart, he had decided to talk to M’Bek Tarmos, Supreme Commander of the Brenax Militia, about ending this war.

“Chancellor G’Kiron!” M’Bek oozed.  “It’s so good to see you.  Care for a cup of kamarat root tea?”

“No thank you, Supreme Commander,” G’Kiron shook his head.  “I was hoping I could have a word with you about the state of this war.”

“Glorious, isn’t it?” M’Bek smiled.

“I’m not sure I’d use the term glorious to describe it,” G’Kiron shook his head a second time.  “The war has gone on for almost thirty years, M’Bek.  Don’t you think we’ve made our point?”

“And what point would that be, G’Kiron?”  M’Bek leaned back in his chair to look at the Brentax official.  His eyes slowly narrowed as he suspected the man of cowardice.

“That the Brentax are not to be crossed,” G’Kiron said firmly.  “I didn’t say that I did not agree with the war, M’Bek.”

“If you had, I would have had to have you executed for treason, G’Kiron.  Watch yourself.”

“The Star League knows that we are a dominant force in this quadrant and that we’re not going to be going anywhere.  They respect us, and even fear us.  If we were to offer them a truce, they would not dare break it.”

“Yes, but why should we trust the Star League, G’Kiron?  They have not given us much reason to trust them.  They sneak attack us.  They send us peace envoys and use them as lures to destroy us.”

“But we have destroyed one of their homeworlds.  Surely they’ll remember that and quiver in fear at the thought of our doing that again and again.  We do have the firepower to destroy any of their worlds we so choose.”

“So you would recommend that we throw down our arms and make peace with the sniveling worms?  Is that what you are recommending, G’Kiron?” M’Bek scoffed.