Your Truth is Out There (Find Your Truth Book 1) (31 page)

As Henry let this new information sink in, he gave his friend an irritated look.

“Why didn’t you just say that from the beginning?” he asked. “We could have saved a lot of time if you’d have just jumped to the punch line and skipped all of the explanation,”

“We could have saved even more time if you’d simply have trusted me when I told you there was nothing to worry about,” said Gsefx, who somehow seemed ready for Henry’s reaction. “Henry, I’m going to need you to trust me even more as we move forward. Having an accident is the least of our concerns. It’s the chaos you’re about to experience that worries me. It’s going to be overwhelming and very disconcerting. I can close the shades and keep them closed until we reach our destination, if that will help.”

“No,” said Henry, without hesitation. “That would just make it worse. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, if you say so,” said Gsefx. “We’re going to make the transition in about thirty byts … err … seconds.”

Henry nodded and silently counted down from thirty, his heartbeat picking up speed as the number approached zero.

“Here we go,” said Gsefx as Henry passed five … four … three … two … one …

Henry felt the ship change speeds, noticeably slowing down, then suddenly where there was once nothing but dark space, void of anything except other ships, there was a planet. A huge, bright green planet. And where, a moment earlier, there were just tens of thousands of ships, there were now easily hundreds of thousands of them. As before, going in all different directions, all choreographed in a massive, hysterical, and chaotic, yet mesmerizing dance. If anything, Gsefx had undersold the vision.

Henry cried out, in spite of himself.

“Are you all right?” asked Gsefx. “Shall I close the shades?”

“No!” said Henry. “No, I’ll be okay … just … just give me a minute to get my bearings.” He looked from window to window trying to take it all in. “There are just so many different kinds of ships … and … and … beings flying them.”

“Yes, and thankfully for us it’s not a busy, high-traffic, commuting time. If it were, you might see one of the accidents I mentioned, and then we’d be stuck, crawling along. Then it would take us too long to reach our destination.”

“This … this is not that busy?” Henry looked out of the front window again. “I think I’m beginning to get a feel for what a caveman would have felt like if he’d suddenly appeared in time for rush hour traffic in L.A. or New York.”

Henry paused for a moment, not looking out either window. Not looking anywhere, but thinking about where he actually was. He sat this way, motionless, for several minutes until Gsefx finally broke the silence.

“Henry, are you still with me?”

“You know, people on Earth have no idea this is out here,” said Henry, softly, without moving. “They just go about their daily lives like they’re the center of the universe. They have no idea.”

“No, and that’s as it should be, Henry. I made a terrible mistake coming to Earth like I did, and my wife and friends are now paying the price. We have to hope we can fix my mistake before the consequences get any worse.”

“I’m not sure exactly what you need me to do,” said Henry, “but we will fix it, Gsefx, and we will get your wife back, I promise you we will.”

“Thank you, Henry. No matter what happens, I know how difficult all of this is and I want to thank you for at least trying.”

Henry smiled and looked back out the window. For all of the fear and near hysteria he had felt just minutes before, knowing he was a part of something bigger than himself helped him feel remarkably calm and serene.

“I think a part of me knew there was something more to life than what I was living,” he said. “I just didn’t know what it was. Now, I’m seeing just how much more. Our tiny little planet seems pretty inconsequential when looking at all of this.”

The cockpit was silent for a few minutes as Henry took it all in. He finally turned toward Gsefx, who seemed to be waiting for him.

“Inconsequential? Earth?” said Gsefx. “I don’t think so.” He pushed a few buttons on his console, and then looked at Henry and smiled. A moment later the cockpit filled with the sweet sounds of a late ‘70s rock song. Henry smiled and they both sang along to the music at the top of their lungs.

Night is day and day is night

Don’t say I won’t ‘cause you know I might.

You are wrong and I am right

Don’t cross my path ‘less ya wanna fight.

Rock on my children!

Rock on my love!

Rock all day and rock all night,

Roll in the sounds from heaven above.

Rock on my children!

Rock on my love!

Rock all day and rock all night,

Roll in the sounds from heaven above

Even as Gsefx sang along with Henry, he marveled at the Earthling’s ability to adapt so quickly to this new, strange, and fast-moving environment. When Henry had first fallen asleep, Gsefx hoped he’d remain that way until they reached the Galacticount offices. He’d even adjusted the temperature and oxygen levels in the cockpit slightly in order to help him remain asleep. But this was better. Henry was awake, aware, and, after a brief bout of fully understandable panic, in complete control of himself.

Aside from the relief he felt for his friend’s well-being, Gsefx was also pleased by the fact that Henry’s current state of mind also made him much more capable of assisting him in his attempt to uncover the identity of Ricnor’s boss.

“Woooo-hooooo!” shouted Henry as the song came to an end. “You are absolutely right, my friend, whatever else may happen in planet Earth’s future, they can never take rock-n-roll away from us! Woooo-hooooo!”

Gsefx laughed aloud, in spite of the seriousness of the situation. The music, combined with Henry’s infectious enthusiasm, was hard to resist. Throughout most of the song, he’d been “playing the air git-arr,” which made very little sense to Gsefx, but seemed fun nonetheless. When the lightheartedness of the moment was over, Gsefx reached into the back seat and grabbed one of Henry’s smaller paintings, and handed it to his friend.

Henry looked confused.

“What’s this?” he asked. He immediately held up his hand. “Wait, obviously I know what it is. Why are you handing it to me?”

“Henry, no one can say what will happen in your planet’s future,” said Gsefx, “whether Earth will ever become a planet of consequence within the Galactic Community is a complete unknown at this point in your history. But what is known, what nobody can deny, is that the music you call rock-n-roll and we call albalan, has found a place within the galactic culture.”

He then put a hand on Henry’s painting.

“And, should you choose to share your art with a larger audience, I have no doubt that it, too, would find favor throughout the galaxy. Look at the lengths Ricnor and his gang have taken in order to steal it away from you.”

Henry nodded, but didn’t speak.

“No matter what happens, Henry, Earth will never be inconsequential, not only because of rock-n-roll, but because of you as well.”

Henry looked at Gsefx, a solemn look on his face. “But mostly because of rock-n-roll!” he said suddenly smiling, and broke into playing his air git-arr again.

“At some point you’re going to have to explain to me what that’s all about,” laughed Gsefx, as he returned the painting to the back seat with the rest and covered them up. “But it will have to wait because we’re here.”

“Huh … I guess we are,” said Henry, looking out his windows. “It’s a good thing too, ‘cause I really gotta go, if you know what I mean.”

Gsefx was puzzled.

“I don’t have any idea what you mean,” he said. “Where do you have to go?”

Henry smiled.

“It’s just an expression. I have to … um … you know … use the restroom.”

Gsefx thought for a moment, recalling his study of the English language and American pop culture. Then he understood.

“Ahhh, I see. You have to eliminate your bodily wastes. Is that correct?”

Henry looked away. Was he embarrassed?

“Well, yes, I guess that’s one way to put it.” He turned back to Gsefx. “What do you say when you have to ‘eliminate your bodily waste?’“

“Oh, that’s not an issue,” said Gsefx, “at least not for most species. We don’t have any. There are a few species who … oh … sorry Henry. Let’s go inside and get you to a … what did you call it?

“A restroom.”

“Yes, of course.”

As they exited the vehicle and walked into the Galacticount lobby, Henry still seemed to have something on his mind.

“What exactly do you mean when you say you don’t have any, well, you know, waste?” he asked as Gsefx closed the lobby door behind him.

“I mean,” said Gsefx, lowering his voice so as not to be overheard by anyone, “we eat only what our bodies’ need and nothing more. Over the millennia, we’ve evolved quite efficiently.”

“Huh,” said Henry, an expression on his face that somehow managed to convey his bewilderment, while also showing he was rather impressed. “Maybe there’s hope for us someday.”

“Perhaps. Now, the room you need is right over there … you might want to … oh never mind, you’ll figure it out. I’m going to get the files I need and I will meet you right back here. It will only take a few ebyts … err … minutes.”

“So, I’m supposed to just hang out in the restroom? What if someone asks what I’m doing here?”

“No one will bother you. Trust me, Henry. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

Gsefx made sure Henry was headed in the right direction, then went to the lift and the 327th floor. He needed to get those files, collect Henry, and leave before Xtlar found out he was here. When the lift stopped at his floor, Gsefx went straight to Planvc’s office, walked in, and closed the door behind him.

“Gsefx!” said Planvc, looking up from the enormous stack of files surrounding him on all sides. “By the Gods, I was beginning to lose hope. Where have you been?”

Before Gsefx could answer, Planvc stood up, extricated himself from his work and embraced his friend. “It’s good to see you again.”

“And you, as well,” said Gsefx, smiling back at the one individual he knew he could trust and who wasn’t currently being held prisoner by the galaxy’s most ruthless criminal. “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch, and that this will only be a brief visit. I’m afraid things are … not yet resolved … is the best way to put it, I suppose.”

Planvc’s smile evaporated quickly.

“Then why are you here, if you’re not back for good? Gsefx, Xtlar knows you’ve been gone. He’s out for your blood.”

Gsefx fell silent for a moment. He knew this was the case, of course, but even so, hearing it said out loud made betraying Xtlar’s trust all the more real. Galacticount’s Chief Financial Officer had always looked after him and had treated him well, and Gsefx knew he was letting him down. He also knew that his days at Galacticount and as an accountant were over, no matter how this little adventure ended. It was too bad, really. He’d always enjoyed his work, but if rescuing Lhvunsa and Qilzar meant that it was over now, then so be it.

“That can’t be helped,” he said, a look of staunch resolution on his face. “I need to know more about the Pigawitts files you were working on, the ones where you found the discrepancies.”

“What about them?”

“The last time we talked, you were still looking into them. What did you find out? Did they lead anywhere?”

“Yes, they did and it’s big, Gsefx, really big,” said Planvc, as he turned back and began rifling through the stacks of files on his desk.

“Let me guess, Pigawitts has been hiding money, lots of it, for a long time.”

Planvc stopped and looked back at Gsefx.

“How did you …?”

Gsefx stopped his friend with a wave of a hand.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Planvc, I need those files. They’re all the proof I need to … wait … you haven’t told anyone else, have you?”

Planvc turned back to his files.

“No, of course not. I was getting a little nervous not hearing from you but I would have waited as long as I could before showing anyone else.”

“Good,” said Gsefx. He let out a sigh. “That’s very good. Let me have them and I’ll be on my way.”

“Gsefx, what do you need the files for? What are they proof of, other than Pigawitts being a crook and all.”

“I can’t tell you much, Planvc, for your own protection. All I can say is that I’m taking this proof straight to Pigawitts himself. He’s going to answer for what he’s done. And then he’s going to undo what he’s done to me, and to Lhvunsa.”

Planvc looked horrified. All of the color had drained from his features. Clearly he saw something reflected in Gsefx’s face he didn’t recognize, and didn’t much care for.

“Gsefx, I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re not the same Clangdorian I knew a few rotations ago.”

“No, I’m not. And the less you know, the better. You don’t need to be mixed up in any of this if you can help it.”

“I won’t argue with that. I’m certainly no hero. But Gsefx, Pigawitts is here, at Galacticount. He’s in the Pinnacle right now, meeting with Xtlar and Tsedle.”

A grim smiled crawled slowly across Gsefx’s face.

“Perfect. They can be my witnesses.”

Planvc handed Gsefx the files.

“Gsefx, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

Gsefx took them, then reached over and took his friend by the shoulder.

“Planvc,” he said with a sigh, “I haven’t been sure of anything for quite some time now. But there’s too much at stake. I have to take action now, before it’s too late.”

Gsefx paused for a moment, as if in deep thought, then took a step back.

“Planvc, I think it would be best if you weren’t here when all of this goes down. I’m not exactly sure what’s going to happen, but it’s almost certain to be unpleasant. The further removed from it you are, the better. Go home, Planvc. That’s a directive from your supervisor, though I may not be your supervisor for much longer. Go home, now.”

“Gsefx, are you sure?” asked Planvc. “I can stick around, just in case you need …”

“No,” said Gsefx. “If not for your own sake, then for mine. Please, just go.”