Chapter 9: Hyperspace









Hyperspace

-""-

The ship must have gone trans-light, so far they had not spaced anyone. They all had been left behind in one of the destroyers cargo holds. As Cara walked by Partner he saw something his four legged friend has never done, he flashed his formidable teeth and growled deeply at the Saresii woman. From his animal he received emotions of confusion and anger towards Cara. She hissed at Partner. "Be silent brute." Then she walked out the door. Partner liked Cara, he saved her life and until know he thought she liked Partner too. From the reaction of his beast and her something was terribly wrong.

The older Leedei, Inklung still held his spidery hands folded in what looked like a complicated knot, his strangely diffused face underneath that second layer of semitransparent skin appeared as if he was suffering.

Roy suddenly felt very sick to his stomach, as if he had eaten something really rotten and he started to heave, as if invisible fingers were crawling through his insides. It was the most frightening and horrible experience of his life so far. He could feel spidery bone fingers inside his throat and he heaved again and along with a gush of vomit a black ball like thing with legs plopped on the floor.

The same time his head became as clear as a bell and more out of instinct than anything else, he stomped his heavy all terrain boot on that thing and is squished like a Scare Bug.

The Leedei leaned forward in a nodding fashion and his voice sounded as if he was under a lot of strain. "Young Roy Masters. I was able to extract the Smilak from your body before it made its way to your spinal cord, they are good but so are we Leedei.. I am sorry for all the pain and discomfort." Roy pulled his TKU. "Never mind the discomfort, Sir. I am making sure these cursed Kermac swallow a pill of my own."

The teacher shook his head. "No young Roy, don't show them yet. There is more to this game than Kermac. I am a Union Teacher now but you know what the requirements are to become a Union teacher?"

Roy shrugged not seeing what the Leedei wanted to tell. He was eager to roast the Kermac, but the teacher had freed him. "No Sir, I never really thought about it too much." He laughed weakly. "Aat was right, you do need to catch up a lot, A Union teacher must have a service record in one of the armed forces. I was an officer in the PSI Corps."

"Just like Cara?"

While the Leedei talked he realized that all the others still in the room were still in this dazed state. His friends, the two Leedei and the Togar Pirate Captain. Aat's father, Cara and the Kermac were not there. Partner came happy as a camper over, he felt Roy was back to normal and Partner forgot all his confusion. He liked Roy and sneezed and he send mental pictures of him tearing through the Destroyer crew, the Kermac and to Roy's surprise Cara.

The Leedei said."No not like that person you call Cara. She is perfectly shielded, but does not respond to a secret contact technique all PSI Corps agents now. Whatever she is she is not one of the PSI Corps."

Roy could not help but gasp. "But she is, she used to protect the President and Admiral Richard Stahl has talked to her."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Sit down next to me, I cannot unfold my hands, as this is how we Leedei maintain certain Psionic disciplines. It will make it easier to to talk to you."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy still full of anger and wanting to vent it, preferably strangling one of the Kermac, sat down reluctantly. "Alright, but I think we should, I should.."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Please keep your emotions a little better under control, I know it is hard for a human but I am right now making them believe you and I are still under their influence."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"I got Partner and I got a loaded TKU!"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"We are on board a Union Destroyer, there is a crew. Right now wed don't know who is behind all this or who is a victim and who is pulling the strings." "The Kermac of course! They did something to Aat and she did it to her father and from there they controlled everyone."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">The Leedei actually sounded angry for a moment. "Please, keep yourself under control. It is very hard to fight the Smilak they attached to me, talking to you and maintain a base wave for you if you spike with so much emotions every time. I freed you first because I hoped you would listen."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy holstered his gun and made Partner sit down and took a deep breath. "I am sorry." "That is better Young Roy. Do you really think the Kermac did all this? There is a Psi Corps branch at the station Granted the Smilak can circumvent most Psi shields as they use tactile Psionics, but they don't work in a Union Prison that uses psionic dampers. Someone had to turn them off and it could not have been Aat's father. He has no command authority at the prison and there is no way to infest a marine with anything while they are suited, these marvelous Auto Docs take care of such things."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"You mean the marines are the traitors?" "We Leedei are Union members for not very long and generally we do not believe in absolutes, but finding a way to turn one marine is already very unlikely, leave alone three or more."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy's thoughts started spinning, yet he could not really make sense of it. "Is it like a traitor president? There was one after all."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"I don't know who or what is behind all this but it isn't the Kermac and that is why we need to stay put. Once we are on G 6783 we have means to reveal the true source of all this."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy frowned. "That means you want me to do nothing?"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"I don't want you do anything before you think it through. impulsiveness is not always the best course of action. There is a power, a force capable of doing all this and we must identify it."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"And then?"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Then you use your PDD and call for help, after all not everyone carries a direct call code for the Eternal Warrior." "You know this?"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Young Roy, I am a Leedei . The second you mentioned the Admiral all was laid open to me. You can file charges for me breaking the Psi Laws after all this is done, but I had to know who I can trust."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy glared at the Leedei. "I begin to really hate Telepaths, not you but in general."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Me too, and that is why we think these PSI Laws are so important."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">The cargo hold door opened and Cara looked in. "Roy come and help me get the food. Our masters decided to let us all live for a while longer."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">The Leedei teacher was acting like he was under the influence of the Kermac and only one of his spidery fingers moved and it seemed to signal. "Please..."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy got up and followed Cara into the Corridor.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">She didn't say a word until they reached a small mess hall and she pointed to a row of Serve Matics. "Go and serve the others. You might have to do several trips. Once your done stay in the Cargo Hold." She said nothing else and left him. Roy selected burgers and and drinks, for Aat and Sobyr ,a raw one for Ncchsi but had no idea what Alejandro, Pictfram and the Leedei would eat. So he carried the first load back, halfway in the corridor he heard voices and quickly slipped into the next door. It turned out to be a storage room with stacks of strapped down crates. Along with his tray of food he crawled behind a double stack of Plasti-crates and not a moment to soon as two Union Navy personnel walked in. One was human and the other a Klack. "The human said to the Klack. "I know what you are saying T'ypikt but doesn't it strike you odd that we can't use GalNet at all; that we are not supposed to be down here and I swear to you I think I saw a Kermac slipping into the Captain's ready room."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"We are at war, Mitch. We are most likely on a secret mission NAVINT perhaps. That Saresii woman is a Colonel after all and I bet she's PSI Corps."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Well no matter how much she doesn't want us down here, we still need to get the replacement coupling to the Chief and we only store them here."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">The two opened a crate and the Klack started digging through plastic film. "Now that strikes me odd, us digging for replacement part for the number two intermixer, while we are in reach of at least 20 stations and five bases. I mean engine repairs like this are not done in space unless we really have to."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Why they pulled the ship out of dock while our annual maintenance wasn't even half done and most of our crew still on shore leave fits right into that."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Ships on maintenance are of the Active roster, Fleet probably doesn't even know we are on our way to Blue Moon. That means we are on a secret mission." The Klack's segmented body was halfway inside the crate. "Those parts are certainly well packed. I finally found it." "I get the Grav-Handler."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy sitting behind his crate wasn't sure what to make of this when the the door opened and Cara walked in." What are you two doing here? I told you the Cargo Deck is off limits for all personnel."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">The Klack struggled with a large piece of plastic and said."Colonel this isn't the Army or the PSI corps. We need this spare part or the Chief will shut us down. You don't want to go asymmetric into Quasi."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Under no circumstance are we to drop out of Quasi before we reached the HHW Gate. Go take your part to the Chief Engineer."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">The two man handled a shiny piece of machinery out of the crate, attached Grav Handler grips and left the storage room. Cara looked around and directly into Roy's direction. It was Cara he should not need to fear her, but she was of course under the influence of the Kermac and that is why Partner growled at her, this had to be the reasons.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">She pulled a PDD of her belt. This was odd, as Cara was a Data Head. She usually didn't use a PDD.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">The woman spoke into the thing. "Secure protocol Preset 5 activate."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">From his hiding spot he could not see what she saw, but he could hear a voice saying. "This call is unexpected, are there complications?" "Uncertain at this point. Pulling the Palomino out of a maintenance cycle was perhaps not the best decision. It appears the Barracuda did need maintenance indeed."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Unimportant, the Palomino has the spare parts and a good Engineer. The ship will not be needed after this." "You think destroying a Destroyer will be wise?"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Of course, you do it at the right spot at the right time and the right parties get blamed, while it makes heroes out of the crew. You did check there aren't any Terrans in that crew?"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"There was one but he remained at Kappa II. I reported this before."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Old habits die hard and one of them is checking everything at least twice."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"We should make it to the HHW in eighteen hours, if that engineer is worth his pay."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Be careful, the Union Guard dogs are already stirring and you must be on your way to the Leedei before they connect the dots."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"You said you will keep them of our trail."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"I do my best and there are plenty of false leads for them to follow. Now get back to your task and I will continue mine."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy was now convinced the Leedei was right. He wasn't even sure this was really Cara, but whoever she was, she wasn't under anyone's mental control. She was running the show.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">She put her PDD away sniffed the air and said to herself as she walked out. "Strange I suddenly have a craving for burgers,"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy waited a few minutes and then sneaked back out and returned to the Cargo deck. The Leedei teacher, still sat where he was before and Roy's friends looked the same. They wordlessly accepted the food. Roy said ."I don't even know what Stellaris, Leedei and Xiptin eat."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">The teacher said. "Don't worry about the food right now. I managed to get rid of my Smilak and was able to free Inklung. He is now helping me and I am much stronger now."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy had many questions but they could wait and he told him what he overheard and then said. "What is it we are doing now? Will you free Sobyr and the others?"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"No not at the moment, simulating their brain waves would be to much for the both of us. Our captors thankfully don't know much about us Leedei as we have not revealed it all. We have two psionic organs and one is in our hands. The Smilak could only control one."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy shuddered. "What are those things?"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">An old non sentient life form that has been used by the Saresii and also by the Kermac. They are genetic altered and can break down even the most sophisticated Psi shield as they attach themselves physically. They are quite illegal in the Union by the way."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy filed that under nasty and shivered as he remembered the thing crawling down his throat. I still have my PDD, they took nothing away from me. I can call Admiral Stahl now. He knows what to do!"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"And they detect your transmission and they get rid of all the evidence and that would be us, before he could come. I assure you once we are at our world, I can summon help instantly and we know who is behind this all."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Do you still allow me to use that device and search for my parents?"

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">"Of course Roy, but please remember what I said. It has never been used this way and it might not work as you hope it will."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">-""-

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Roy checked his PDD for the time and it was almost eighteen hours ago that he overheard the woman. Everyone had eaten and Roy, leaning against Partner even found some sleep. Again there were no dreams, at least none he remembered. The others were sleeping except for the Leedei teacher, who simply sat there with his hands folded.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">He liked to trust the teacher, but he hoped the Leedei knew what he was doing.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">He got up and sneaked out the door, the person who acted like Cara had shown him where the hygiene facilities were and that is where he was headed.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">The Corridor was empty, but he knew the IST and the access doors to this deck were locked.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">He was just done relieving himself when his PDD hummed with an in coming call. To his surprise and utter relieve it was Uncle Sam!

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">He took the call and before Sam could say anything, Roy told him breathlessly what had happened to him. He liked to trust the Leedei teacher and hoped he knew what he was doing, but this was Uncle Sam.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Sam didn't interrupt, Roy was afraid he could get caught or they were able to detect the transmission, so he wanted to be done as fast as he could.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Finally when he was done, Sam said. "I take care finding your parents, that is what I did for years. You hang in there and I will alert the Old Man himself. No matter if your parents are alive or dead, if they are tortured or safe and sound, we are at war and your first and foremost duty is to the Union."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">His sense of danger tingled and the bathroom stall was opened, by Cara! She glared at him. "Who are you talking to?" She held a weapon in her hand. He did not hesitate, she was not Cara, he hit the woman with all his strength and right into the face.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">She was thrown back, and the weapon she had flew in a a wide arch across the room. Roy did not want her to call for back up and pounded her again. "Whoever you are, you're not Cara.."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">She gargled and spat blood.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">A loud alarm tone followed by a voice made him turn."All hands prepare for Hyper jump."

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Then everything changed. It was as if his very inside was turned outside and the entire bathroom behaved like an elastic band and expanded into a long corridor. Cara lying on the floor also stretched. He felt nauseated and disoriented.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">The bathroom contracted a heartbeat later.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">Cara was suddenly back on her feet, and raked her boot in a spin kick across Roy's jaw. Still somewhat dizzy and disoriented, he failed to block the kick.

<p lang="en-US" style="font-weight:normal;widows:2;orphans:2">It hurt like hell and made him stumble back. "I had about enough." He spat and drew his TKU. "You tell me where Cara is and who you are or I start roasting body parts." Her face looked horrible, her chin dangled almost at her chest, the nose was shoved into an odd wrinkled shape. It was, so he realized a mask of some kind, there was another face beneath, partially revealed. She stopped in her next attack move and said. "I don't know how you managed to get rid of the Simlak, but you have no choice. We got your precious Cara and she is not aboard. She dies if you don't do what I tell you to do."