The Cartographer (17 page)

“Gard, shut down,” I muttered.

After an audible click, his eyes went dark and his chin rested on his chest. I looked toward Kedge, half-expecting him to pick up the staff and strike me down with it. Instead he plunged it into the ground again and leaned against it.

“Good,” he beamed. “Now we may begin.” He folded his arms across his chest and looked across the field toward the shuttle. His eyes were distant but he seemed focused on what he had to tell me. He continued staring at the shuttle silently.

“Um, are you going to tell me today or should I come back another time?” I quipped.

He didn't take his gaze off the shuttle, but when he spoke his voice matched the distant look in his eyes. “I summoned you because I need what you have.”

“What I have?” I repeated.

He turned toward me. “I need the map.”

“I thought you the copy that Ales stole?”

“Yes, what we have is centuries old. You see, Nathan, the Lumagom are not like the Consortium. They had no time for updating maps and charting new worlds because Ales' primary focus was on destruction and the desire for exploration and discover no longer burned within him. He became a locust rather than an explorer.”

“And you aren't?”

He folded his hands in front of him and looked toward the sky. His eyes were veiled with sadness and magnified by the brightness of the alien sun. “I admit my plan is risky, but it is one I'm willing to take.”

“Like what kind of risks?” I asked.

“The Lumagom would destroy me, Nathan. They believe that I'm seeking you out in order to infiltrate the Consortium and destroy them from. This would allow us to continue Ales' mad quest to destroy life in the universe and replace it with sentient beings dedicated to worshipping his insane gods.”

“And that isn't the case?” I asked skeptically.

He chuckled. “I understand your doubts, but ever since I learned of the time holes, I have yearned to travel back to Mars' past in order to save it. I had never shared their religious fervor.”

“Time holes? That's a pretty clever nickname for them,” I said. “But I thought you said that these were like doors, and since the planet is barren I assumed the wormholes had been destroyed.”

“They were,” he replied. “But Earth has one.”

“Yeah, but that one leads to another planet.” I countered.

“There is another,” he continued.

“Yeah but the one you are referring to is beneath the ocean and inaccessible. How do you know it leads to the past? It could just lead to another planet.”

“According to Ales' journal of the map he was positive that the second wormhole traveled to the past. If I can confirm his findings, we have the technology to bring the necessary equipment through the time hole and build a vessel capable of reaching Mars. That is all we need to warn Mars of the impending attack.”

“But you said the Lumagom would destroy you if they knew what you were doing. Wouldn't they try to stop you?”

He shrugged. “You let me worry about that.”

“What if the time hole doesn't go far enough back in the past?” I countered.

“Let me worry about that also.” He smiled and I took no comfort in it.

I frowned and he recognized the frustration in my face. His monocled eye studied me.

“You are the new Cartographer,” he said matter-of-factly. “I know about the safeguards that the former Cartographer put on the map. I also know that the Explorer's League has been unable to unlock it since his untimely death. You are the new Cartographer, therefore you must have unlocked it. I need that information.”

“OK,” I sighed. “If you already know where the hole on Earth is, why do you need the map?”

“It pinpoints the exact coordinates of the time hole. I only know the general location.” He stood up and pulled the staff out of the ground. He looked across the field and made a V gesture with his hands. I followed his gaze but saw nothing.

“Wait a minute, what are you doing?”

“Just letting my people know we are finished here.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and it was like someone set a block of ice there even though the temperature on the planet was about seventy degrees. The icy sensation originated from an ancient, unnatural being that should have been dead long ago.

“Hey, I'm not done,” I bellowed.

“I will let you think about what I said,” he said, ignoring my outburst. “I will give you two weeks and after that time I will contact your ship offering peace, but only on the condition that I speak to you one last time. This will allow you the opportunity to bring me the map.”

“OK let's say I decide to go along with your plan, how would I get the map to you? The map is on a computer and I can't bring the whole damn thing with me, it would look a little suspicious don'tcha think?”

“The map is actually a small disk, no bigger than a coin. It is probably attached to the computer via a port. I am confident you will find it.” He turned and walked away, leaving me alone among the blades of wheat like a human scarecrow.

The shuttle loomed in the distance and I wondered if Satou could see us. I felt like Kedge's request was treasonous even though his intentions were noble. I had to admit it affected me personally because it was the human race he was trying to save. I approached an emotional crossroads and a decision would have to be made. There was no procrastination allowed on this one.

“Gard activate,” I said and his eyes lit up. He turned his head toward me and although I know he didn't hear our conversation, I still felt the burden of guilt bearing down on my soul.

I kicked at an obsidian rock laying nearby and started toward the shuttle with Gard in tow. A bush near us moved and I jumped back, instinctively reaching for a graphite rod that was not there. Weaponless, I had to either stand and fight with Gard by my side or grab him and run. I was no warrior and made the decision to run but a voice stopped me.

“Wait!” I turned and saw Wraith step from the bush.

“Where you there the whole time?” I asked, suddenly panicked.

“Yes, Satou insisted I go with you in case you were in danger. We were unsure of Kedge's intentions…until now.”

I could practically see the implication in his final words.
Are you a traitor?

I threw my hands in the air in exasperation. The pressure of indecision overwhelmed me and I had to tell Wraith what was on my mind or I would explode.

“I don't want to do something traitorous, perhaps I could reason with the Council of Five?” I asked.

“Kedge's intentions seem to be noble, but I'm afraid they will fall upon deaf ears,” Wraith said.

“Why?” I asked.

“Well, Nathan, the Consortium insists on maintaining its mission of peace and exploration. At the time, when time holes were discovered there was a big moral discussion regarding their use.”

“Oh really? And what was their decision?”

“Well they decided that it would be improper to use the time holes to alter anything in the past, no matter how beneficial the intent. They issued a mandate long ago that no one would be able to use a time hole without the consent of the Council of Five.”

Before we boarded the shuttle I grabbed his elbow. “What should I do? Among all of you I'm just a baby and now I'm expected to make a decision that could alter the universe. I didn't sign up for any of this.”

A quizzical expression crossed his face. “What did you sign up for Nathan?”

“I had been brought—no wait strike that—I had been yanked into this. All I wanted to do was explore a damn mine with my best friend. That's all. I imagined an adventure beyond the barrier but nothing like this. No matter what decision I came to I was afraid whatever answer I gave Kedge would be the incorrect one.” I placed my head in my hands and started sobbing. “I didn't sign up for anything, Wraith.”

He placed his hands on his hips. “Do you truly believe that?”

I looked up through tear stained eyes and realized that my curious nature and thirst for knowledge combined with the potential for adventure fueled my decision to accept the responsibilities of the Cartographer. I yearned to explore beyond barriers. Whether it was a barrier in a cave or a barrier to another galaxy, it was all the same in the end—a mysterious adventure leading to a quest of the unknown.

Instead of answering Wraith's question, I silently trudged up the ramp and buckled myself in without saying another word. Satou's eyes shifted from me to Wraith—who gave him a slight nod—before turning his attention to the controls.

“It's good to see you are OK,” Satou said without turning around. “Calypso will want to be briefed on your meeting, he has called me three times since you left.”

I glanced at Wraith but he was busy studying a speck of dust on the floor. He never answered my question and it seemed it was clear that I would have to make this decision on my own. Even Gard offered very little conversation during the trip back to the Argus.

By the time we docked with the Argus I had made my decision. I needed to bring this up before the Council of Five. They needed to be made aware that Kedge was not like his predecessor and they held the power to bring permanent peace between them. There would be no losers—the Consortium would gain peace and Kedge would get the opportunity to right the wrongs done to mankind.

Or so I thought.

Meet and Greet

I
stared at the computer screen, swallowing the remaining lukewarm pizza and washing it down with root beer. The computer was off, but I could visualize the map. Sitting here staring at the blank screen seemed to be my daily ritual ever since leaving Planet X (officially named Xajax by the Explorer's league). I located the map disk on the side of the computer but refused to remove it, as if the act alone would set events in motion that could not be undone. It was as if I was the biggest procrastinator aboard the ship.

Gard had kept me company the entire voyage, offering witty banter to break the silence and occasionally joining me in games of chess. Their game was different than I had become accustomed to because they had two levels to the board with more spaces on each board and contained two kings and four queens. It took me awhile to get used to it, but once I did, I managed to steal a win or two, although Gard may have let me win.

“Gard, how long until we land?” I asked.

“
Estimated at our current speed: forty-five minutes
.”

I sighed and picked at the glass as I finished my drink. A dull pressure was building at the back of my eyeballs and I wasn't sure if it was from an incoming headache or my body getting acclimated to space travel.

“
Is something wrong
?” Gard inquired.

“Yeah, Gard, my eyeballs are about ten times too big for my skull right now,” I groaned.

“
They appear to be the same dimensions as before
.”

“Never mind.” I was about to make my move on the chess board when I thought of something. Since Gard was a robot and analysis was his specialty, I decided to toss the question out there.

“Gard, if I had the opportunity to save a planet from destruction should I do it, no matter the cost?”

He hesitated for an eternity. The clicks, buzzes and whirrs coming from inside his mechanical brain drowned out the noise coming from the hall beyond my room. His racket stopped abruptly and he looked at me.

“
I am not sure I can fully answer that question with the data provided. I would need to know the cost
.”

“What if I knew someone who could go back in time to save Mars, but in order to do that I would have to turn the Universal Map over to them?” I clarified.

“
That feat would be impossible, Nathan, because all wormholes on Mars had been destroyed
.”

“Not Mars. Earth. They would go back in time on Earth, build a ship capable of reaching Mars and attempt to warn the Martian Marines, or Buzz Lightyear or whoever the hell was there at the time of the impending attack.”

“
That is an impossible scenario
.”

My frustration level increased and I made the decision to tell Gard everything. While I retold the story I became exasperated, animated, agitated and many other `eds' but Gard remained stoic throughout it all. Instead of responding to my many emotional states, he continued to fixate on me with his usual emotionless stare. I loved him and hated him for it. I finished my speech and he rolled to the door.

“Wait,” I said. “Where are you going?”

“
We are almost at our destination. I know what you plan to do, Nathan, and I agree with your assessment. The Council should be made aware of these developments so I made the decision to attempt to alert Calypso before we landed
.”

“Wait a minute, I'm coming with you,” I called out, but he was already in the hallway. I had to run after him to catch up. “After all it was my idea!”

On the way to Calypso's room, a low hum came from Gard's head, and it seemed he was mentally calculating something. I didn't ask what he was doing and he didn't offer to tell me. We approached Calypso's door and I pressed the button to signal our arrival.

“Come in,” his muffled rang out from the other side.