The frown deepened on the captain's face. "There was a…technical problem."
She raised her head to focus on him. "What was it?"
"They didn't move the reversal mechanism far enough out of their reach when they shrank the city. They can't get back to size without someone coming in, removing the mechanism and then resurrecting the city."
Understanding washed over her. "That is why I am here."
"Precisely. The Nyvil had minor success in genetic alteration incorporating their molecular reduction technology. You were the success of that success. Now that you have mastered your inheritance, you can get onto the plane of Cila and retrieve that mechanism."
She looked at the ship surrounding her. "No offence, Captain, but what am I supposed to do with it when I bring it out? There is nowhere here for that city to regain its size."
He inclined his head. "That is why you are going to take the shuttle and the city and head down to the planet we are approaching. It is similar enough to their home world to provide them with everything that they need. Once they are back to size, we can collect the others and they can be re-sized."
"The other cities are here as well?" She looked suspiciously at the walls and floors.
He shook his head. "No. No two cities are grouped together, for safety."
"When do you want me to take the city?"
"As soon as you can assemble your kit and get to the shuttle bay. I will have the city delivered to the shuttle and you will be cleared for launch immediately."
"What is being told to the crew? I am rather noticeable."
"The launch bay crew has been told that you are leaving on religious holiday. The box is a holy relic from your mother's side."
She didn't have to ask
what box
. A seal formed over the city, providing a secure structure to conceal and support the people of Cina.
"Are you sure about this, Captain? I have never gone that small, let alone on a strange world without backup."
"You can and will do this, Lena Sinclair. It is your duty and your purpose, neither of which can be rejected."
She inclined her head. "Am I dismissed then, Captain?"
"You are. Good luck, Lena Sinclair."
As she took her first steps into the hall, she couldn't help but think that she would need all the help she could get.
Her kit and supplies were near her station in the maintenance room and she checked and double-checked her canisters and gauntlet. Kardo Rush had given her the blade and she thanked her stepfather every time she went into a small situation. It was the one weapon that had never failed her.
As she packed her kits and headed toward the shuttle bay, she mulled over all of the research that had gone into creating her peculiar arsenal. Years of studying molecular compression had led them to one conclusion…whoever mastered it was far beyond most intelligent species.
The spray cans were useless for the average person, but when their contents were compressed, they made for very effective weapons and tools.
Each canister had a different grip and when she was being attacked by giant cockroaches, those were the hints she needed to save herself from death as a miniature. If she died in the centre of a computer, no one else could get her out.
The on-duty service bay manager showed her to the sleek and elegant shuttle that had been prepped for her journey.
Rations, water packs and a full complement of uniforms were stowed inside the shuttle. The city was situated in the centre of the shuttle, suspended in a safety field, its container intact.
"Launch bay authorization effective in forty-five seconds."
She buckled in, sealed the doors and checked the systems. As soon as the shuttle gave her the all clear, she hit the manoeuvring thrusters and waited for the drop signal. A string of five lights came on and each one winked out in the final countdown.
The shuttle slid to the launch point and as lights flared, she took control of the shuttle, firing the manoeuvring thrusters as she fell away from the Reskar.
The planet below spun lazily in the blackness of space.
The readouts indicated that the planet designation was PRX-14. The fourteenth planet in the Prixalion cluster. It was uninhabited by sentient species, but just in case of interference with local flora and fauna, she was going to engage this experiment on barren soil.
The Reskar was off her sensors so Lena whistled idly to herself as she read the scans and selected a landing site. She hoped that the city of Cina would be happy with its new home.
The expansive plateau she chose was near a water source, had plenty of sunlight and should fit the city at its regenerated size.
Unwilling to put off the inevitable, she settled the shuttle on the bare edge of the plateau and turned her vehicle off. She tugged her gauntlet on, buckled the sword in place and turned to the suspension field holding the city of Cina.
The protective shell remained intact as she walked the expanse of the plateau, her gauntlet measured city centre if the city was normal sized and she placed the box on the ground.
It sat on the stone and did nothing.
"Why won't you expose the city, stupid box?" Lena squatted next to the box and ran her bare hand along the edges, looking for a lever or opening.
A sharp spike tore into her finger and as blood ran over the box, the city became visible once again.
"Blood? It takes blood to open your little case?" She hissed and stuck the pierced finger in her mouth. Grumbling and irritated, she put her boot tips at the edge of the city and did a half-shrink. She moved forward and shrank again. She continued shrinking by halves, moving to take up the slack so that she would not end up the equivalent of miles away from her goal.
As the city grew in her sight, she gauged her height, relative to her surroundings. When she felt she was the correct height to greet the inhabitants, she walked toward the huge dome. It repelled her first attempt to enter so she stuck her bleeding finger into the energy field and watched as it dissolved into nothing.
"That worked out better than anticipated." She stepped from the plateau and toward the city of Cina, noting idly that there were men approaching her. Lena kept her hand from her blade, but continued walking down the path toward the bustling mini-metropolis.
"Explain yourself, stranger." The male at the head of the dozen approaching her stopped in his tracks and held a stunner at her.
Lena thought that it was a stunner she was staring at, but she was rather distracted by the man holding it. His dark skin was the mirror to her own and the wave of black hair tied neatly in a tail down his spine let her know that she had met her first Nyvil.
"I am Lena Sinclair, Coalition maintenance officer. I have been asked to retrieve your enlarging mechanism and to restore your city to its normal size." She stood with her arms calmly at her sides and stared into his midnight eyes.
That was the main difference between them. His eyes were entirely black where hers wore the more noticeable marks of humanity, white orbs with brown irises.
"Captain Balfor Nivven, at your service. I work with the security force to keep the peace in Cina. I will take you to the elders and they can listen to your request." He offered her his arm.
Blinking in surprise, she took the offered arm and nodded politely to the other security guards who surrounded them on the way back to the city.
Lena enjoyed the feel of his arm under her fingers. There was strength and warmth in his body and her body was trying frantically to tell her that she had met the man for her. Her palms were clammy, her pulse quick, she was also quite sure that the heat in her face was translating into a darkening colour.
"How have you managed to get to us here on the micro level?"
Balfor's tone was conversational, but his arm was rigid as folk stopped in their daily tasks and stared at her. The security officers went on the alert and Lena started to realize that the folk of Cina might not be friendly to a newcomer.
"It is something I would rather only explain once. I am sure that you understand."
He nodded. "How much time has passed since we disappeared from the Coalition?"
"Centuries. It has taken the faithful a while to work out a system by which they can restore you."
He nodded and she admired the set of his jaw. His finely chiseled lips were pressed in a grim line as he kept his black-eyed gaze on the surrounding population.
They walked as a tense group for the rest of the way into the city. It took almost an hour to reach the city centre and by the time they entered the large building in the centre of the main square, they had a crowd of two hundred following them.
Lena turned to look at those assembled and an uneasy thread of sensation ran down her spine. With five exceptions, all of the faces she saw were male. Something was not right in the city of Cina.
"Agent, why are you here?" A council of eight men and one woman faced her in a semi-circle.
"I am Lena Sinclair and I have been sent to return Cina to its former size."
One of the men glanced over her from head to toe. "Are there other cities returned to the Coalition yet?"
She stood at ease with her hands behind her back and raised her chin. "No. You will be the first. I have placed the city on a plateau with a rock base, water nearby and it isn't in any migratory paths. The planet is unoccupied by other sentient species and is ready for your arrival, authorized and allocated."
She took a deep breath, "All we need is your reversal tech to return you to size."
The councillors turned and spoke rapidly to each other behind a glittering sonic screen.
Lena was impressed, the technology was advanced, but that followed with what she had learned about the Nyvil. The skewed population was a bit of a surprise. There had no mention of uneven birth records in the histories.
Balfor's voice washed over her in a low murmur. "They are discussing the likelihood of your tale being truth. There are several factors in your favour, they know you have had access to Nyvil DNA, and you obviously were able to use Nyvil tech to shrink yourself. That is a positive sign."
She jerked in surprise as she realized that they didn't seem to realize that
she
was the Nyvil technology.
The councillors spoke at length and the woman turned to her with a clipboard full of questions. "Before we make a decision, we need to know a little more about the worlds we will be re-entering."
"I will answer to the best of my ability."
"Thank you, Agent Sinclair. We would like to know how many races are currently in the Coalition?"
"One hundred and seventy-three. The Crozvere are no longer a threat to your people."
The folk in the council hall muttered as a wave of understanding blew through them.
"I see. How did you find out about this city?"
"I was given it by one of the Feshlin faithful. He dropped me here and told me that I needed to get you and your people to come out of hiding."
She inclined her head. "So, you simply took the city like you were carrying a tray?"
"No, there was a shielding on it. I had to remove the case before I could enter the city. I am guessing that you have day-to-night lighting in here."
The councillors flicked their screen on and talked rapidly again. When they dropped the screen, the woman stared into Lena's eyes with intensity. "How did you open the casing?"
Lena slowly moved her right hand and exposed her pierced finger. "I pricked my finger and my blood dissolved the case."
The roar of shock and forward surge of the crowd had the guards around her snapping into a protective circle.
She yelped as Balfor swung her up into his arms and bounded out of the council hall. Three leaps and they cleared the crowd, two more and they were on a balcony.
Balfor clicked a communicator on his belt twice. "They know you are safe. No one was expecting someone like you to have been created."
She straightened her uniform, their semi-flight had ruffled her nerves more than she would admit. "I am getting that idea. Where are we?"
He grinned and opened a door to a light and airy interior. "My place. There is no better fortified building in all of Cina. All of the guards and peacekeepers are quartered here. We may get some trouble from them, but not anywhere near the problem we would have with the general population."
"Why would my existence cause a fuss?"
Lena trailed after him into the building and she took a seat at the small table near his kitchen.
He poured two glasses of wine and brought one to her. "Our people did not simply remove themselves from view for defensive reasons. We are dying. The last experiments before the reduction had a side effect that no one had intended. Female children became a one-in-ten event. Our population is one tenth of its original level. Any girl child born is immediately betrothed to a suitable male and as long as that male becomes the best example of the Nyvil species that he can be. If he falls short in any way, he loses the prospect of a bride."
"So, that surge in the council hall was because…"
"You are unattached and they might have done you injury trying to press their suits." He sipped at his wine and she mimicked him.
The flavours were bright and unfamiliar. A warmth spread through her. Bright spirals of sensation curled through her. "What kind of wine is this?"
"Red berry. They grow very well in the hydroponic farms." Balfor finished his and fetched the bottle from the cooler. He topped up her glass before she said a word.
"So, what species are you blended with?"
"Human. Earth human. Why?"
"We were looking for a race to assist us in restocking our species. It is a good thing to know that there is a compatible set of genes out there somewhere."
She sipped at her wine and shifted uncomfortably as the heat started in her settled low in her belly.
"Are you sure that this is only berries?" She frowned at the glass. The last time she had felt anything close to this she had been watching a vid that had taken an erotic turn.
"It is said to arouse the senses, but to me it just tastes nice. Can I get you something to eat? The councillors will reconvene tomorrow in a more private setting."