Harry's Sacrifice (23 page)

“Caleb O’Hara, I’d like you to meet our common ancestor, Hara Prime, and Percival Prime. I found them where you told me I would—trapped in ice.”

Hara extended his hand in the way of Alvian warriors. It was a sign of respect and they all knew it. Caleb returned the gesture, clasping first Hara’s hand and then Percival’s.

“Welcome. I have long foreseen this day, though many turning points had to be crossed before we could arrive at this place. Won’t you come in and be comfortable? I have a meal waiting for us to share.” Caleb was every inch the gracious host, moving aside as everyone filed in.

Only Ronin paused in the doorway to be introduced. Harry did the honors.

“With your permission, Caleb,” the
Zxerah
patriarch stated while the others continued to enter, “I will station some of my people at your door to be certain of our privacy.”

“I would be honored,” Caleb said politely, looking out the door at two of the
Zxerah
who had followed, acting as honor guard for their little party.

The two who positioned themselves on either side of the door were both pure Alvian, and Harry knew they were some of the most capable and deadly soldiers the Alvian race could boast. Nothing and no one would get through them without a serious fight.

Harry deliberately waited until the door was closed on Mara 12 before turning to introduce Ro and Cormac.

“It’s good to finally meet you two.” Caleb regarded them both with a knowing smile that said clearly to Harry he’d seen something about them in his visions.

“Why didn’t you tell me about them?” It was rare that Caleb kept anything about what he’d foreseen from Harry.

“Where would be the fun in that?” Caleb winked at him and smiled, but then became a little bit more serious. “Honestly, son, there are some things a man needs to figure out for himself. Your relationship with these two is one of those things. I saw them around you now and into the future—if you choose to allow that to happen. As I said, there are some decisions you must make for yourself. But I will tell you this—with them lies happiness. I can’t say that without them you will not also be happy, but choosing them is not a terrible way to go.” Caleb patted Harry on the back and turned back to his other guests, leaving one very confused half Alvian behind.

The dinner was as sumptuous as Caleb could manage given his limited resources being held prisoner within his small suite of rooms. Harry knew he had to have been saving up non-perishable items for several days to have all this ready for them tonight.

Hara and Percival had already had a long day, but they enjoyed the meal and the camaraderie. They talked of history and Caleb’s abilities and his role in saving the family by preparing before the cataclysm, but the conversation was easy and didn’t delve into hot topics until after the meal was finished and hot drinks had been served.

It was then the most important topics were raised, but only after Hara had turned off the recording device.

“There need be no record of this to incriminate me later,” he joked as he stuffed the recording device into an enclosed storage space.

He rejoined the group around the table and refreshed his tea, pouring for everyone else who wanted more as well. He was gracious and clearly not expecting anyone to wait on him. Harry had come to expect that sort of easy and calm manner from him, but it was good to see him interact with everyone else the same way. Especially a human. Up ’til now, Harry had only seen the ancients around other Alvians. He didn’t really realize he’d been holding his breath and waiting to see if Hara and Percival treated Caleb with the same equality.

“Caleb, you have seen the future,” Hara began, gaining everyone’s attention as he sat back down at the table. “It is my hope that Harry here is not the last of his kind. I am working toward a time when humans and Alvians can intermix and become the next logical evolution of both our races.”

“Bluntly spoken.” Caleb nodded. “But accurate to what I have seen. It won’t be easy to get us all to that point. There are still a lot of hard feelings on the part of humanity and a great many outright traumatized people who will want nothing to do with your kind for a long time to come. In fact, it might not be possible to reach a true mixing of our races for several generations. There are other obstacles to overcome first. The most important being the restoration of emotion to the Alvian race.”

“Something I have already begun to tackle,” Ronin said quietly. He raised the sleeve of his robe silently to display a small, square skinpatch. Harry recognized it immediately. “My people have begun taking the cure on a voluntary basis. All of the pure Alvians and winged Brethren have volunteered,” he reported with a faint smile. “Living with humans for so long has taught them there is much to be gained from having emotions, even if it will be scary at first. Our human Brethren have promised to support us through the change and are showing us compassion as we learn how to feel.”

“Patriarch,” Ro said quietly, a hitch in her soft voice. Harry was almost alarmed to see tears in her eyes, but he knew immediately that her worry was mixed with both joy and companionship. She reached out her hand to the Patriarch and he clasped it, returning her emotional gesture. “It is worth it,” she whispered as their eyes met and held, both shining with emotion.

“I have not worn the patch as long as you have, little Rose, but I am glad to finally feel…something. It comes and goes,” he admitted.

“It will grow stronger the longer you are exposed to the gene-altering agent,” Cormac said softly. “The influx of emotion can be hard to handle at times,” he warned.

“I am gratified to see that you have started the process already.” Hara took control of the conversation once more. “This is better than I had hoped, but I should have known my old friends, the
Zxerah
, would be the first to embrace positive change, no matter how hard it will be in the beginning.”

“It will be difficult, but easier for the Brotherhood than the rest of the Alvian race,” Caleb chimed in. “If it’s any consolation, Ronin, I’ve seen your Resonance Mate. She is human. And lovely. A shattered creature that only you can put back together. It will be your task to protect her and nurture her for what must come next.”

Ronin looked as if he’d been punched in the solar plexus. His eyes were wide and his habitual composure was broken for a stark moment.

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you more than that, Patriarch,” Caleb went on. “My gift shows me limited amounts on some subjects, and as I reminded my nephew not too long ago, there are some things a man must discover for himself.” Caleb winked at Harry and he knew Caleb knew more than he was saying about Ronin’s mate, but Harry also knew Caleb very well and he would not budge.

Ronin was clearly floundering for a moment, but Hara took control of the conversation once more, sparing both the seer and the Patriarch.

“I want the cure made available to the general populace, but it must be on a voluntary basis and it must be done delicately.”

“This cannot be done quickly,” Caleb confirmed. “But it will go more smoothly if you get certain key people on your side. Your mother is one, Harry. If you can get her to take the cure, her cooperation will go a long way toward disseminating it. She can bring more of the scientific community on board once she is converted. She could be a very passionate advocate for change, if given the chance.”

“You’ve foreseen this?” Harry could hardly believe it. The cold woman who had birthed him didn’t seem the type to be passionate about anything. Ever.

Caleb nodded. “I can also tell you all this…the change will be positive for the vast majority of Alvians. It will improve conditions for humanity and will start a chain of events for both races to become one that will allow us all to prosper, together. I’ve seen what I believe to be thousands of years into the future—a time when the fully integrated population of Earth is reunited with the other Alvian colonies Hara and his team mapped out hundreds of years ago. It turns out really well for our people in the end. Really well. Better than for the other colonies who will turn to our planet for help in their times of need. And Earth will be there. The new center of Alvian-human civilization.”

The entire table was silent for a moment, thinking of that future time with varying degrees of amazement. It was Hara who finally broke the silence.

“Your power is truly advanced, Caleb. You have just confirmed what my own son, Merlin, foresaw. It was his vision that put us into stasis so we would be here to help set all this in motion. He knew that without us as the catalyst, the Alvian race might not get there on its own. And both races would suffer and die out, condemning those other Alvian colonies in the process.”

“Merlin? Like Merlin the magician of King Arthur’s court?” Caleb asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Hara chuckled in response. “The one and only. He is my oldest son.”

“Is?” Cormac repeated the word, clearly on the trail of something. “Is he also in stasis somewhere?”

Hara nodded in Cormac’s direction. “Yes, my young friend. Merlin and quite a few others will need your rescue in the days to come.”

“Are you certain he survived?” Roshin whispered, clearly remembering the fate of poor Dugan.

“Yes, my dear. He is alive and well. And impatient to get out of his pod.” Hara winked at her and she smiled uncertainly.

“When we were in stasis, there was a sub-frequency on which we could all communicate. Our bodies were in stasis, but our minds were relatively free—under certain circumstances—to roam,” Percival clarified. “Free to learn, observe and communicate among ourselves. The others knew the moment we were released and left us with reminders to send help to them soon. For none of us could get out of our pods without a little help from our descendants.”

“So we’ll have to find the proper human descendant to open each pod?” Cormac asked with a frown.

“Yes,” Percival confirmed. “Though not all will be human. Some of our team had Alvian siblings they left behind when they joined our group. One of their genetic line—if any survive—would also work. We did it this way for security reasons. We didn’t want just anyone to be able to open our pods. This was the best compromise we could come up with from all the ideas that were proposed.”

“It was a good compromise,” Caleb said unexpectedly. “Your people will need family as they emerge from their long sleep. Even distant family is better than none at all.”

That sobering thought kept them all quiet for a moment.

“That is one of the things I wish to restore to my people,” Hara said softly into the silence. “Family is important. The way modern Alvians reproduce frankly disgusts me. I thank the stars that Harry had you and your people, Caleb, for the woman we met outside your door is like no
mother
I have ever seen. Her lack of feeling hurts my heart. I’m sorry you had to live with that for so long, Harry.” His ancestor’s kind gaze met Harry’s and held. He read compassion there, as well as determination.

“It’s all right.” Harry tried to shrug it off. “I had the O’Haras. They made my childhood full of joy and love.”

“I’m glad,” Hara said, breaking the somber mood. “And that brings me to my next proposal. Caleb, I’m busting you out of here as soon as I can.”

Caleb and Harry both smiled at the Alvian’s use of human slang. If not for the pointy ears and Nordic looks, he could’ve been a cowboy in an old Western.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Caleb said eagerly. “I already know what you’re going to ask next and you’re welcome at the ranch anytime, Gramps.”

Hara laughed outright at Caleb’s teasing and warm welcome. “Good. I want to meet your family—my family. I tried to keep track of at least some of my progeny through the centuries. You’re not the only O’Haras left in the world, but you’re the ones at the center of my plan. If you’re up for it.” Hara’s raised eyebrow and grin both dared and cajoled.

“We brought it this far, didn’t we?” Caleb countered. “I think I know at least some of what you have in mind and I’m all for it. But I do have to warn you about something.” Caleb turned serious. “We humans aren’t without teeth, and even now a group of humans plan to show the Alvians who have subjugated them that it may have taken us a while, but we can—and will—fight back. There’s the possibility that you can defuse the situation before any more blood is spilled, but you’ve got to be in the right place at the right time.”

“Where and when?” Hara was all business, his expression intense.

“Tomorrow. Noon. At the western edge of the city. I would suggest you take lunch at the aircraft hangar mess. Get them to take you there as part of a tour and do your best to be there at noon, then watch the skies.”

Harry thought he knew what was coming. He knew his brother-in-law, Chief Engineer Davin, had been supplying power crystals to the human resistance through the
Zxerah
for a while now. And there were a few Alvians now working with human techs to change over old human technology to run on Alvian power sources. Harry was eager to see what they’d come up with, and if Caleb was right—and he was seldom wrong—they’d all find out very publicly tomorrow.

They talked for a while longer, but eventually it was clear everyone was getting awfully tired and sleep was beckoning. Ronin stood first.

“With your permission, I will keep my people on guard all around you. Fliers in the air, Alvian
Zxerah
on the ground and a few human Brethren in select locations. It’s about time other Alvians got used to seeing them walking around free and functioning in competent capacities. I don’t trust the Council not to cause problems for you, Hara. They will not relinquish power to you easily—whether you seek it openly or not. It is clear our people are vastly interested in you and eager to hear what you have to say. You can sway public opinion and you are an unknown quantity to the Council. A loose cannon, as my human friends would say.” Ronin smiled faintly at his own words. “I and any of my Brethren would die to protect you, ancient ones. The
Zxerah
believe you represent the best hope for our people.”