Shadows of Golstar (51 page)

**The female human is unhurt. She did not have a
sufficient number of genetic markers to match the profile map for the
protections proscribed under the Compact. However, direct intervention was
unnecessary. She remains uninjured and her biological processes are viable. She
is in good health.**

He felt an immediate sense of relief and then a
thought struck him. “Can you bring her here on my behalf, transporting her like
you did me? For my sense of well-being, I would like to see for myself that
she’s safe. My concern for her safety is a human trait."

**That is permissible.**

Owens looked down at himself and quickly said, “Wait!
You’re sure that she’s alright, there is no immediate threat?”

**That is correct.**

“Then don’t bring her here just yet. First, is there
any way that I can get my clothes back? I would feel a lot more comfortable if
I was wearing something when she arrived.”

**The human requirement for external coverings is well
understood and your request will be honored. Your original over-garment was
severely damaged. The material used in its construction was found to be well
below acceptable standards, for your protection. We have taken the liberty of
constructing a new garment for your use.**

Owens had been looking at the shining orb when he felt
something brush across his legs. He looked down and found a mound of satiny
gray-green material lying across his legs. “Decent service, at least,” he
muttered.

He picked up the clothing and swung his legs toward
the side of the platform. He hopped off the platform and landed lightly on the
floor. It too was slightly yielding and Owens surmised the floor was comprised
of the same material as that of the platform’s surface. Again, he was gratified
to note he felt perfectly normal. He couldn’t detect any dizziness or weakness.
He rotated his injured arm. He felt no pain or stiffness. In fact, he felt
better than he had in some time.

He held out the new garment and saw it followed the
same general design as his survival suit, only the material was quite different.
It seemed both lighter and softer, and had a subdued shine he hoped wouldn’t
reflect light. A set of underwear, indistinguishable from what he had been
wearing, had also been provided. He put the clothes on and found that the new
survival suit fit better than the original. Just below the knees, the suit’s
pant legs seamlessly transitioned into a pair of boots. He found them as
comfortable as the rest of the suit.

There was a rustling sound and he saw that the
survival gear he had carried in the old suit was sitting in a tidy pile on the
platform along with his backpack.

**Your equipment appears serviceable. Upgrades were
not necessary. You will find your new body covering is, however, vastly
superior to the original one you wore. In addition to duplicating the survival
characteristics of the original, the material in the replacement garment will
provide an added degree of protection from energy weapon discharges, up to
level five.**

Owens was finishing replacing his gear in the suit's
numerous pockets. “It’s more comfortable too. You’ve sold me. But I’m not
familiar with that rating system. What’s a level five?”

**The hand weapons that were discharged against you
were rated at a level three. Each higher level of weapon classification will
result in a greater degree of damage from its discharge. Does that aid your
understanding?**

Owens whistled. He patted the suit and said, “Not bad,
I’ll take a half-dozen.” The Controller did not respond. No sense of humor,
Owens thought. He said, “Okay, now can you bring Sharné here.”

Owens didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t for
her arrival to occur as it did. One second he was standing in the room, alone,
the next second she was in the room with her back to him slowly getting to her
feet and rubbing her wrists.

She looked up, suddenly realizing that her
surroundings had changed. She put a hand to her mouth and stared at the
featureless wall, obviously trying to comprehend what had just happened. She
heard a quiet rustling behind her. Not knowing what to expect, she steeled
herself and suddenly turned to confront whoever, or whatever it was. 

Sharné was not prepared to see Owens standing before
her with a smile on his face. Her mouth opened in astonishment, her face
turning white. She whispered, “It cannot be; you are dead. I saw you die.”

The next thing that Owens knew, her knees started to
buckle and she began to fall towards the floor. Owens rushed over to her and
barely caught her in time. He cradled her tenderly in his arms.

**As a result of being confronted with your
unanticipated corporal existence, your companion was rendered temporarily
unconscious.**

 “If you mean seeing me alive was a total shock,
and as a result she fainted. I kind of figured that one out for myself, but
thanks anyway.” He looked down at her face and saw that her eyelids were
beginning flutter; she was already starting to regain consciousness. Not
knowing what else to do, he said in a gentle voice, “Take it easy, Sharné. It’s
me, Owens. I’m alive. Just feel my arms around you. I’m real and right here at
your side.”

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up intently at
his face, her hand reaching to stroke his cheek. A sob escaped her lips. “You
are
alive,” she said wonderingly. “But how can that be? I saw you, I saw you struck
down. You were burnt so badly.... I, I saw you die.” She kept stroking his face
as if to assure herself he was really there.

He bent lower and gently kissed her. Her arms went
around him in an urgent embrace and the kiss she returned became more
passionate. When he finally came up for air, he looked down at her and said
with a grin, “Does that prove to you I’m still alive?”

She struck him on the chest with a balled fist. He
winced. She smiled sweetly back at him, “We have only kissed a few times. Your
reaction just now was for added confirmation.”

“Did I pass?"

“Just one more test,” she reached and pulled his face
back again to hers.

The kiss lasted a little longer than the first. They
finally broke apart and he pulled her to her feet. They again embraced and she
murmured into his chest, “I thought you were lost to me. I do not understand
how you are now standing here before me, alive.” She looked up, suddenly
remembering what had just happened. “Where are we? One second, I was waiting to
board the mutineers’ shuttle and the next thing I am here. How did I get here?
Just where are we?”

Owens looked at the glowing sphere of light.
“Controller, please explain what happened and where we are right now.”

The controller told her an abbreviated story of what it
had told Owens.

When the Controller was finished, Sharné asked, “What
is this place?”

**This is the education and manufacturing complex
designated as Prime Two.**

“What’s it for?” Owens asked.

**It serves two principle functions. First, it is one
of many repositories containing all knowledge accumulated by the last race that
inhabited this system before humans. Second, it has the capability to reproduce
any material construct based on that knowledge. The race designated themselves
as the... **
The Controller then
rattled off a series of tongue-twisting syllables.

**For your ease, you may call them Trah-tang,
 
the ‘Enlightened.’**

Owens was intrigued. He asked, “What did the Trah-tang
look like? Were they like us physically?”

**No. They were bipedal fur-bearing mammals and were
descendants of an extinct branch of carnivores native to the fifth planet of
this system. Using your measuring system, when erect, they generally ranged
between two to three meters in height and weighed between one-hundred to
one-hundred eighty kilograms. Their craniums were approximately thirty percent
larger than a human’s. They last actively inhabited this system five thousand
of your years ago.**

“Do you have a holograph or picture of them?” Owens asked.

**Yes.**

Owens waited a few seconds then, “Well, may we see
it?”

**No.**

“Okay,” He kept the surprise out of his voice. “Then
can you at least tell us what happened to them?”

**No.**

Owens looked at Sharné. She appeared equally
perplexed. He asked, “Why not?”

**Your request transcends the classification of basic
information and becomes part of Prime Two’s educational function. Proper
authority must be proven before this function is activated, and the requested
information can be disseminated. In addition to education and manufacturing,
this complex also performs other important functions but their nature cannot be
revealed without proper authority. Activation of any of Prime Two’s functions
cannot be initiated without proper access authority.**
 

“Who has such authority?” Owens asked.

**A confirmed descendant of General Golan Berral Light
in combination with the command sequence can access this, or any of the other
complexes.**

Owens looked at Sharné questioningly.

“Owens, this is all new to me,” she said earnestly. “I
was never made aware of the existence of this… this facility. I do not possess
this command sequence. Allow me to ask the Controller some additional questions
of my own. Perhaps the Controller can provide information without triggering its
educational function.”

He nodded, “Sorry, I really didn’t mean to hog the
conversation.”

She smiled, “I know. Asking questions is your
business.” She looked at the shining globe, deciding on what to ask. Finally,
she asked, “If your functions are restricted by the exercise of a pass code,
why did you protect Owens? Without the authority code, how could you act
unilaterally?”

**The Compact directs us, in a very specific and
limited manner, to circumvent the authority restriction when the safety of…**
The Controller abruptly broke off.

Almost immediately, it began to speak again.
**The
humans that attacked you have departed from the planet and rejoined their ship.
Under the Compact, our obligation has been satisfied. You will be transported
back to the surface.**

“Wait,” Sharné pleaded, “What is…”

They were back on the planet’s surface. “…the
Compact?” she finished lamely.

Owens said, “If it’s any consolation, I already tried
asking that question.”

“Well, what was the answer?” she asked.

“I didn’t get one either. The Controller wouldn’t
answer me. Damn,” Owens muttered. “That thing was exasperating. First, it saves
my life, practices a little mind control and then finally stubbornly refuses to
answer simple questions.”

Sharné asked, “Mind control?”

Owens shrugged, “Yeah, I think it was a form of mind
control the Controller used on me, at least that’s what it felt like.” He went
to explain about the Controller’s use of subliminal frequencies and radiation
as a type of tranquilizer.

He paused and then said, “This assignment keeps
getting more confusing and I’m having a hard time keeping track of everything
that’s happened.”

She smiled at him and said, “If it makes you feel any
better, I feel the same as you.”

He cocked his head and scratched his chin.  He
grinned at her, “Nope, doesn’t help at all.” He ducked her swinging punch then
looked around briefly at their immediate surroundings. “Where did the
Controller drop us? I don’t recognize this area.”

Sharné now sighed. She looked past him, at the
familiar wall. “We were deposited where I was held captive.” She directed her
gaze towards the gate and saw it was now closed. It had taken on the same
shimmer as the rest of the wall. The force-field had reasserted itself and
extended its protection to the gate, resuming its full umbrella of protection.

Owens looked at where Sharné was looking and raised
his eyebrows.

“Yes,” she nodded. “It is a wall.” She led him over to
the deserted campsite. They found a couple of discarded chairs among the empty shelters
and sat down. She then described some of what happened since the mutineers had
apparently killed Owens. He listened closely, without interrupting.

After she was done, he asked, “So, after my body
disappeared, you say they searched for it?”

“Yes, they searched well into the night. They assumed
some animal had dragged you off for a secluded meal somewhere beyond this
clearing, but they wanted to be absolutely sure. Their failure to find your
remains seemed to support their theory.” 

Owens grinned, “Wouldn’t they be surprised to discover
I’m still alive?”

She smiled, “From what I was able to overhear, your
repeated success at surviving the previous attacks had already taken on almost
supernatural proportions. I overheard one of the mutineers actually mutter that
you were the Messenger of Darkness incarnate, that you could not be killed
unless you were cast directly into the sun.”