Alien Attachments (22 page)

Dani nodded, seeing the wisdom of the practice.

Next, he took her to the Surfran region. Mountains over sixty thousand feet high breached the stratosphere. Barren and beautiful, the peaks reminded her of Mt. Everest on Earth. Her parents had taken her to Nepal when she was twelve. She’d never forget how stunning those peaks were. An echo of that trip played in her mind, making her both happy and sad.

The pod shot up into the air, skimming the mountain side. “See over there?” Balastar pointed to what looked like a metal igloo close to the tallest peak. “It’s a pressurized camp. A couple hundred hearty souls make the trek every year from the bottom to the top. Midway, they switch from hiking gear to a rugged equivalent of a space suite and spend the night at the top where decreased gravity makes for a unique experience.”

They headed down to a more tropical region next with stunning waterfalls and purple lagoons. Dani’s head swam and she only hoped her captured images would do justice to the incredible sights.

Balastar landed the craft in a small grassy glen. “Hungry?” he asked, setting them down.

She looked at her watch and was surprised to find it was after twelve. “Starving, actually.”

The interior of the craft shifted and the bottom half became visible. Dani shook her head.

“What?” Balastar asked with a smile.

“I just keep seeing my life now like it’s a movie. Science fiction, of course.”

“Of course.” He opened a door and pulled out a large picnic basket. The smell of something delicious filled the cabin.

Dani inhaled deeply, her stomach growling. “What is that?”

“An old family recipe. I hope you like soup,” he said, opening another cabinet where a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine resided.

The butterflies in her stomach fluttered about. “Quite the spread. If it tastes half as good as it smells, we’re good to go.”

“Excellent. Grab a blanket from inside the door there and join me.” With that, Balastar opened the hatch, grabbed the basket, bread and wine, and stepped out onto the grass.

Once Balastar opened the pod, Dani went into sensory overload. The sound of the waterfall, splashing over the cliff and into the pool below, set an undertone for the experience. The air was slightly damp and smelled of moss and something more floral.

Dani inhaled deeply and followed Balastar outside. “I hadn’t realized how quiet it was in the bubble,” she said, shaking out the blanket and laying it at Balastar’s feet.

He placed the basket in the corner and sat down.

Dani sat next to him and peeked inside. The smell again, mixed with the glen’s own aroma. “It’s beautiful here.”

“Stunning.” He wasn’t looking at their surroundings.

She met his gaze, full of intensity like charged air before a storm. “You should know, I’m not really a long term relationship kind of person.”

Balastar frowned briefly and seemed to consider this. “I’m okay with that. For now. Perhaps I can change your mind.”

Dani grinned. “You can try.”

He leaned in and she met him halfway for a kiss. His lips were soft and the smell of his cologne mixed with the grass and plants nearby. His psi brushed against hers, but there was nothing more than a pleasant sensation. Unlike Ian, with whom she was terrified she’d lose all control, this she could handle. A pang of guilt stabbed her chest when she thought of Ian, which made her angry. She had no reason to feel guilty. Balastar broke off abruptly when his com emitted an unusual sound.

He groaned and straightened up. “Sorry, I have to take this.”

“No problem.” She reached over and tore off a piece of bread to quiet the rumbling in her stomach.

Whoever was on the other end did all the talking. Balastar shook his head with a look of amazement on this face. “Thank you for this. I’ll go and see her safely off the planet now. I’ll be in touch.”

“What’s happened?” Dani said.

“It’s begun. The GTO is about to announce dissolution of the Sandarian Empire. We need to go. Now. My mother needs to get off planet. The Cavacents as well.”

They gathered up the lunch items in silence and returned to the pod. Once inside, Balastar set their destination and turned to her. “Sorry about our picnic. Rain check?”

“Sure.”

Balastar made an adjustment to the console and they shot forward with insane speed. “I’m taking you back to the compound. I’ll take care of my mother and come straight back. I need to convince the Cavacents I’m on their side.”

“Sounds good.”

Balastar was distracted on the way back. They traveled in silence, getting there in less than twenty minutes. He landed at the main entrance and gave her a brief kiss before taking off again, the pod blinking invisible a few feet off the ground.

Dani sighed. He was a good man. A good, uncomplicated, man. So why did she have to keep reminding herself of that?

Ian leaned against a small metal trailer that temporarily housed the portal on Cat Island. A recycle crew salvaged as much of the original materials from the villa as possible, but it would be another month before they would finish rebuilding. He couldn’t complain. Human technology would take at least a year to rebuild. 3D printing was in its infancy on Earth. In the meantime, he lived in a large RV next to the trailer. He took a sip of his coffee and listened to the sound of the waves lapping on the beach below. He pondered the dark liquid. He liked coffee. Liked the caffeine buzz and the ritual of making and drinking the brew. The human brew. Ian cursed silently as his thoughts returned to Dani. He should be glad she was occupied with Balastar, but he wasn’t. Instead, anger and jealousy flowed through him. He shouldn’t blame her, but he did. At times it seemed his desire for her was matched only by his anger at her. Completely irrational. It wasn’t her fault she was human and the perfect mate for him. He sighed and resisted the urge to fling his coffee to the ground.

A muttered curse preceded Armond as he emerged from the portal shed. The tall blond rubbed at his neck with an uncharacteristic display of emotion.

“No luck, I take it?” Ian said.

“Depends on how you define luck. The device appears to locate the resonant frequency of objects and blasts them with an impressive amount of directional sound waves. It’s not an elegant solution for smashing in doors so I’m inclined to think it is more of a by-product of its ability to either produce or amplify psi.”

“You’re joking, right?”

The trailer door opened again before Armond answered and Mordo stepped out. “Excuse the interruption. I wanted to see how it’s going with our mystery device.”

Armond repeated his guess.

“Is that even theoretically possible?” Ian asked. “Creating psi?”

“Psi is an energy, like any other. Some Portal Masters believe that Sandarian’s innate ability to use psi could someday be artificially duplicated. We know this device can generate sound waves and block an active portal. We don’t know what else it can do.”

Ian reached out and took the device, turning it over in his hands. “This doesn’t look like Torog technology.”

“Almost certainly not,” Armond said. “It’s perfectly suited for our physiology. I’m guessing the Torogs have only a limited understanding of it themselves.”

“Any thoughts on where it came from?” Ian asked.

“None,” Armond replied.

Mordo took a turn inspecting the black device. “Have you told any of the Portal Masters about this yet?”

“No.” Armond hesitated. “I thought I’d leave that up to your discretion.”

“Under the circumstances, I think it would be best to keep this to ourselves,” Mordo said. “Are you…comfortable working with it?”

“Yes, sir,” Armond said.

The exchange between Mordo and Armond hinted at a hole in Ian’s knowledge regarding the two men. Mordo had been the one to recommend the albino, and although he had no complaints regarding his service, it was time to find out the whole story. Not just Armond’s, but his uncle’s as well. “Armond, I need you to fill me in regarding your relationship with the Portal Masters. If we’re going to be based here, defending this planet, and you’re the only one who can use that device, I need to know your story. All of it.”

Armond glanced at Mordo who inclined his head.

“I trained with the Portal Masters for three years.” Armond paused and let out a deep sigh. “It turns out my abilities are somewhat sporadic. My attempts at creating portals caused the deaths of two men. The masters decided I would not make a good fit, but found my unique skill set and insights too tempting to completely ignore. Much like our toy here, I appear to have a different kind of psi. So yes, we work together.”

“How about the rest of your family? Same abilities?”

“The guild wondered the same thing. They were never able to locate my birth parents.”

“Birth parents?” Ian said.

“I grew up in an orphanage.”

Ian took a moment to absorb the information. “Okay. You said your abilities with portals are sporadic. Are you sure you want to work with that?” He motioned to the device his uncle held.

“I’m sure. I need to do some further testing, but it appears to have a stabilizing effect on my abilities.”

“Use caution,” Ian said.

“Of course.”

Ian addressed Mordo. “And you, Uncle?” He’d never asked. He figured if Mordo wanted him to know, he would. But the stakes had changed, and it was time.

Mordo took a long breath. “I won’t pretend I don’t know what you’re asking. I also trained with the Portal Masters many years ago. I found the guild to be a harsh mistress. They take their power seriously. I worried then about their sense of entitlement and decided to get out before I knew too much. I was lucky. Had I not been a Cavacent, they most likely would have prevented me from leaving. They warned me never to speak of it, and until now, I’ve kept my word. During my years there I developed friendships. Boys who believed, whether or not they spoke of it, as I did. One of them, Durgan Serred, became a dear friend. We remain…close.” Mordo wiped his brow with a cloth from his pocket.

“Durgan rose through the ranks over the years and is one of the most powerful Portal Masters. Last night he called me. A serious rift has formed within the guild. There are those hoping to expand the role of Portal Masters. They feel their importance in the universe is underappreciated and under-rewarded. I don’t know what is going to happen, but we need to be extremely cautious. In the hundred-plus years of their existence, they have never divided. Times are changing, and it’s not only the empire that is falling.”

“Hence your desire to keep this device a secret from them,” Ian said.

“Whatever this is, it may help us protect Earth.” Mordo handed the black box back to Armond. “Balastar contacted your father,” he said to Ian. “We’re meeting with him in twenty-five minutes. I’m inclined to believe Dani and Ria. I don’t think he is a threat. Councilman Prayda is another story.” Mordo looked out upon the water below. “His behavior last night was too bold, even for him. Something has changed.”

“I agree,” Ian said.

“I think it would be best if we keep Ms. Standich out of sight,” Mordo said.

Anger rose in Ian. “Balastar took her sightseeing this morning. They’re in a view pod and won’t be seen.”

“Good,” Mordo said.

“We could bring her back to Earth,” Ian suggested.

“I’d rather keep her close to us until we can lock the portals,” Mordo said.

“If Gordat finds out she’s human”—Armond shoved the device into his pocket—“it won’t matter where she is.”

Ian didn’t like his tone of voice, but he couldn’t argue the point.

Mordo didn’t comment and turned back to Ian. “How are the property acquisitions going?”

“Good. We’ve selected an area near Lago Como for our new compound. We’re buying property and shielding a large section where we can build.”

“Excellent.” Mordo wiped his brow again. “I don’t see how you put up with this humidity.”

“You get used to it,” Ian said.

Mordo checked his watch. “Twenty minutes. Why don’t you come back home with me now. I’d like to talk to your father before Balastar arrives.”

“Sure.” Ian took a last drink of his coffee and set the mug down.

“If you don’t mind,” Armond said to Ian, “there’s something I need to take care of on Sandaria.”

“No problem,” Ian said. “Come with us. We’ll still have two ports left for the hour.”

* * * *

Dani waived goodbye to Balastar and turned around to go find Ria or Ian when she plowed into Armond.

“Sorry,” Dani said. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Do you ever?”

She shifted her weight. “What are you doing here? I thought you returned to Earth.”

“Change of plans. Are you busy?” Armond asked. “I’d like to see what you’ve learned. Ria says you’re quite extraordinary.”

“I think I should find Ian first, Balastar just got word about the empire and—”

“It can wait.”

“But—”

“Ian is prepping for a meeting with your Balastar, and evacuations are well underway. Go change and meet me in the arena.”

It sounded as though everything was under control. She didn’t like the tone of his voice, but if it helped them get along better, she was game. Besides, she needed the activity. “Fine. I’ll be there in five.”

It took her more like ten minutes to get ready, but she found him waiting for her on the arena floor.

He didn’t waste any time when she approached. “Have you run the sims yet?”

“Sure, started last week with Ria. I love the different worlds. Makes it kind of surreal.”

“You need to practice on Earth. It could be useful.”

Armond flicked his hand and they were standing in a mountainous terrain. The light of Earth and the heat of the sun induced a surprising nostalgia after her time on Sandaria. It was good terrain for practice, large boulders and fat pine trees dotting the landscape.

“Who are we after?” she asked.

“Each other. You have fifteen seconds. I suggest you run.”

Something in his voice made her do exactly that.

* * * *

Rucon disconnected from a call just as Ian and Mordo entered his library.