Keeper (4 page)

“I think that this is a brand new ship and we should test it to its limits.”

Ikvaro send the coordinates to the navigation systems to get them started, and with only a few adjustments, they had a two-day route to the planet.

Something that Aggie had said to him stuck in his mind. He opened the com system and sent a polite query to the Citadel Lowel for contact with the sister ship to the
Grey Talon.

His communication ended with, “If the ship is willing, please call me back.”

In the meantime, they continued on the route to the signal point. Ikvaro kept his position at the helm while Pen went off for a nap. His talent took it out of him.

Two hours from the initial contact with the Citadel, he got his reply. “Hello, General Ikvaro. This is the
Flourish Sparks
. What can I do for you?”

“Hello, I am seeking the location of the
Grey Talon
. Do you have any idea where she is?”

“Who wants to know?”

“She has a…friend of mine on board. I am looking for Keeper Agatha Keller.”

“Really. Well, junior, what is the password?”

He frowned. “Password?”

“Indeed. I was told to only offer assistance to someone with the password, so what is it?”

He took a shot. “Marty?”

There was silence. “I am sending you the location. Get my sister back into action. She is bored and has run out of supplies. Sleeping Terrans are no fun at all.”

Hope soared in his chest as he accepted the files coming through the connection.

“Contact me again if you need any help. I have included the direct com line for ease of use.”

“Pardon,
Flourish
, but didn’t the Alliance ask you for their location?”

“Of course they did. I just didn’t know it then because they were moving.” There was amusement in the tone generated by the Citadel ship.

“They are in space. They are always moving.”

“You don’t say. That is a surprise. I might have to update my nav systems to take that into account.” Flourish was smug.

“Thank you for your help.”

“You are welcome, now go get them and bring them home.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled and the com went dark. The stream of location data was precise, and it didn’t match the original calculations, but it was very close.

Pen chuckled. “You have what you need?”

“Yes, we are on our way. Estimated time of contact, two days.”

“Good. Go eat. Your lady won’t be impressed if you are pale and sickly when you find her.”

He snorted. “Like you?”

“We can’t all be gorgeously pale like I am, Ikvaro. You will just have to live with your jealousy for my lack of pigment.”

Ikvaro got to his feet and glared at his friend’s albino colouring. The ruby-red eyes in the chalk-white skin topped with a cascade of silky white hair was definitely striking. They had been complete opposites while they worked together and a friendship of sorts had developed.

“She prefers men who are tall, dark and handsome.” Ikvaro said with no small amount of smugness.

As he left the room, Pen called out, “Two out of three is pretty good.”

Talon
turned around and watched the incoming ship with her long-range sensors. It was sleek, new and coming right for her. She waited silently on the surface of the rogue planet that had sheltered them for the last year.

Talon
considered it a stroke of genius to hunker down on a world surrounded by living planets and a radiation field. If their instruments weren’t calibrated to look through the waves of interference, they would never see the small ship covered in dust and grit on the surface of the small planet in the rings of the brown dwarf.

Her shielding was more than up to the task of defending her body and Aggie’s. Talon had spent the last twenty months gathering information from the local planets and keeping apprised of the situation on Zenfar. There was nothing the Alliance could do to her, but Aggie was another matter. The removal of all the arrest warrants had been a relief, but there was the problem of Aggie losing her job. She was no longer a qualified Keeper in the eyes of the Alliance.

They may respect her moral choice but her actions caused too much fuss to simply ignore or at least that was the last information that
Flourish
had sent in a data pack. It was a little frustrating to have to wait for data bombs from her sisters, but the information had been confirmed before she got it, which was a handy thing.

Talon had kept abreast of Alliance politics and was ready to get back into action. The only problem was she didn’t know if she would be allowed to continue with Aggie as her companion.

* * * *

Ikvaro sent a signal to the planet and Pen kept his gaze on the scanners. The moment he spotted the outline of the ship, they were on their way.

“This is Ikvaro Levani calling the
Grey Talon
. Contact keyword is
Marty
.”

Silence counted for ten seconds and then. “This is the
Grey Talon
. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ikvaro.”

“May we land near you?”

“Don’t bother. I will come to you.”

On the surface, the spot that Pen had pointed out shivered and the outline grew as the hidden ship shuddered out of the sand and dust of the silent world.

The
Grey Talon
lifted up and approached them.

Talon
spoke again, “Shall I dock with you or did you want to be on top?”

Ikvaro grinned. “We will link with you. How is Aggie doing?”

“She is stable. There was a bit of a quiver six months ago, but she calmed down and is now in predictable condition.”

“Would you mind if we hauled you to an Alliance facility. I have brought folks out of prolonged cold sleep and it is rarely a simple matter.”

“Understood. I am worried about her as well.”

Pen worked the connecting magnetics as the
Grey Talon
moved into position under their ship. In half an hour, they were cinched together and on their way to the nearest Alliance medical station.

Ikvaro kept checking the display that
Talon
linked to their ship. The image of Aggie in full armour caused his heart to skip a beat. She was immobile and lifeless which was so far from the woman that he remembered he worried for her condition inside the chilled cocoon.

He contacted the med facility and informed them of the situation. They were standing by.

Pen chuckled. “Pulling rank isn’t like you.”

Ikvaro made a face. “It was necessary.”

“If you think so, I am sure it was. She will be fine.”

“I hope so. I really hope so.” He set his gaze on the monitor that showed the motionless woman in Keeper armour. He knew something was wrong, but he had no idea what it was. He dreading finding out.

* * * *

Aggie felt the consciousness that had inhabited her try to jump to the forefront. She pushed it back with force.

My body, my eyes. I get to see where I am.

Apologies, host. I was merely looking forward to being out in a wandering form.

Call me Aggie, Ylor. I offered you the chance to come in. Don’t make me regret it.

Yes, Avatar.

She was cold, very cold. Before she could open her eyes, she was surrounded by warm. It filled her lungs and she coughed and choked on it until her body surrendered and breathed it in.

I could warm you and you would be in ideal health.

No, Ylor. I need to see where I am. You are my hidden secret for now.

Understood, Avatar.

Aggie opened her eyes and the world was strange. Everything was both distant and magnified. Ikvaro was standing next to the plexi column that held her, and she smiled and pressed her hand to the inner column.

He smiled and pressed his hand to hers.

The connection to Marty flared to life and the relief streaming through it told her everything she needed to know about how long she had been gone.

Medical uniforms made their rounds, and one of them must have spotted something odd in her scans. They spoke eagerly to Ikvaro, and he scowled.

With that frown settled on his features, he opened a com unit in her tank. “Aggie, is there something extra in there with you?”

She gave him a thumbs-up. If he asked a question, she would always answer it honestly.

He leaned back in surprise and didn’t speak.

A doctor eagerly shoved him away and spoke to her. “You are exhibiting the same bloodstream indicators that we find in those with a planetary inhabitant.”

He hadn’t asked her a question, so she looked at him, bobbing up and down in the tank.

He frowned and ran a hand through his hair. “Do you have the mind of a planet inside you?”

She made a seesaw motion with her hand.

He asked Ikvaro if he knew the sign. He took the com. “You mean sort of?”

She nodded.

I could get you out to speak to them.

This is the first time I have been warm in nearly two years, Ylor. You stay put.

He chuckled in her thoughts.

Aggie closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of warmth. Folks may say that you didn’t feel the passage of time in cold sleep, and they were right, but you did feel the cold.

She rubbed her arms and looked down. If she could have screamed, she would have.

Being naked in front of Ikvaro was a fantasy, doing it covered in goo was a nasty shock. She curled up into a foetal position and tucked her head against her knees.

She heard voices through the speakers and ignored them. She floated in her curled position for hours, trying to pretend that she didn’t hear frantic questions posed by the medics.

Aggie cheated and used Ylor’s senses to look for Ikvaro. When he wasn’t within ten feet of her tank, she straightened and reached for the surface. Hands pulled her out and a wrap was tucked around her while she threw up the fluid she had been breathing. She looked up and frowned. “Damn it, Ikvaro.”

He rubbed her back. “I told you, the key to fooling a predator was to remain still. I didn’t think that you would ever be the predator in that equation.”

“I didn’t think you would be seeing me naked without a nice dinner, so we are both surprised.”

He looked delighted and laughed. “Come on. The medical staff is going out of their minds trying to figure out what is inside yours.”

She sighed and wobbled to her feet, easing down the tank steps one by one. “You know the rogue world I was on when you found us?”

“Yes, do you?”

“Its name is Ylor and what power and consciousness was left of it is now inside my body.”

She stumbled forward and he caught her, helping her to the exam bed.

The medical staff stood by and waited until she was settled. She was scanned within an inch of her life a moment later.

I can stop them if you wish, Avatar.

No, this is necessary. They haven’t really seen you yet. Your presence altered my personal chemistry and they got curious.

You are the mate of this Selna male. Correct?

Not yet. We have been going through a weird courtship. I think. I don’t know. We weren’t allowed a relationship because of my job and his job.

And yet, he is here at your side. I will investigate.

Before she could stop him, Ylor was touching Ikvaro’s mind and her favourite instructor froze in place, immobile.

The doctors got very excited and continued to stare at the readouts.

Ylor returned to her mind and she felt the smug satisfaction of her companion. She tried to find out what he had learned, but he was silent.

Finally, she cleared her throat. “I know you are all very excited, but I am cold and damp here and I have been cold for long enough. Either get me a suit or throw a blanket over me.”

The Azon doctor nearest her gave her a shamed look. “Pardon, Miss Keller. We have never seen an Avatar with this power signature before.”

A technician came over and draped a blanket over her. He gave her a tight smile and retreated.

“If you would like to ask the questions, I would like to give you answers.” She snuggled under the blanket and smiled brightly.

Ikvaro was remaining close by, and out of a strange instinct, she reached out for him. He gripped her hand and she sighed. “First, I was dying. My body was in distress. I had been idly conversing with the planet under us while I slept. I didn’t know that at the time. He told me later.”

The doctor looked riveted. “How did he infest you?”

Ylor didn’t like that. He flashed into control of her mouth, and she could only wince when she heard her voice shout, “
Infest
?”

The doctor flew up and pinned to the wall. Ikvaro’s hand was released and Ylor explained a few things to the medical staff.

Aggie was riding along as her body sat up and she stood to glare at the doctor with hands on her hips. “
I will have you know that Agatha and I get along very well. She needed help and I offered it, so she offered her body so that I could see some of the worlds that I have missed from my youth. She was going into shock and I stabilized her. I am a living being, not a parasite.
”

The doctor nodded. “Apologies. Your signature is just unlike any on record.”

Ylor let the doctor drop.
“
Of course it is. I lost my star, my people and my orbit all in one horrible year. I have been floating rogue since then, dormant until this woman arrived with her chatty ship.
”

Inside her own head, Aggie was kicking Ylor’s consciousness until she finally wrested control.

First thing to attend to was getting the blanket back on; the second was having a seat because her legs were still wobbly.

She finally gave in to what Ylor wanted to do. “Could you please?”

The doctor asked, “Could I please what?”

Energy ran through her limbs and she stood straight, finally feeling more like herself.

“Ylor has been offering to fix me and I was resisting it, but since I really want to get back to a normal routine and send a message to my sister, I asked him to get it over with. Since I am now back to factory spec, if you could just give me a set of clothing to wear, I will be on my way in search of food.”