They approached a small
shielded and well-lit area deep in the bedrock. Shalaen stopped in the hallway. “My father does not like it when I tell this part of the story–about my mother’s death. Let me speak of it out here, before we go in with him.”
“
I can understand,” Naero said.
“
My mother’s powers lapsed at the critical time of my birth. Some of them failed or vanished completely, only to reappear later in me. Others were weakened, and not as effective. Some vital part of her abilities poured out of her like water, and into me. But one thing became clear to her: She became trapped in her chosen form. When it died, so would she, and all her knowledge. She would never rejoin the Yattai as she had originally planned.”
“
That must have been terrible.”
“
Her grief at such a sundering was very great indeed, even as her joy at my birth. She could no longer contact the other Yattai for aid.
“
She made her peace with her choice. My sentience existed even in her womb. She shared much of her fading knowledge with me. I spoke as soon as I emerged, and my abilities increased as I grew rapidly. How old do you say I am?”
“Oh, maybe fifteen or sixteen standard years.”
She lowered her gaze. “I am three. When I was a year old, the revolt began in a small, isolated region, and then spread across several systems over time. Triax’s reaction increased with the revolt, becoming swift, massive...astonishingly brutal. The miners were no match for the advanced Corps military. Still they resisted. What more could they do?
“
When they came for my father, we fled, in the few ships left to us. When escape looked impossible, my mother remained behind and held them off. An entire fleet. She held them off, for four days. She gave us time to flee and continue the struggle the best we could. Through me, she would always be with us somehow. I remember my father holding me in his arms and weeping when we fled. She waved back at us, smiling on the viewscreen of her crippled ship, even as the battleships poured volley after volley of fire at her.
“
They tried to capture her. They wanted to understand her power, use it if they could, but she would not surrender. In the end, they wore her down and destroyed her. Even her powers had limits, as do mine.” Shalaen stared through her again.
“Your powers frighten me, Naero. Because I see no limit to them. I find that extremely dangerous.”
Naero shook her head. “But whatever you see in me, they don’t do me any good, because I can’t use them. You know how to use yours,” Naero said. She waved her arms around her in desperation. “Why don’t you help all of these people of yours more? They could use a few miracles. Why can’t you heal them? Feed them?”
“Trust me,
I fully understand your frustration and share it,” Shalaen said. “But the gift of healing that was my mother’s did not pass to me. I cannot heal, only protect. Neither can I change inanimate matter into food or water or medical supplies. In many ways my powers grew even stronger, but they are also more limited than those of my mother. Yet somehow we have survived–for how much longer I cannot say. We need to flee this world. We’ve taken on as many refugees as we can carry. We hate to leave the others behind under these conditions; it is a betrayal that breaks our hearts, but escape will be difficult as it is.”
“
I know some people,” Naero said. “Friends of mine who might help you.”
“
Shalaen,” her father called out. “Bring the spacechild in here. Don’t keep whispering to her in the hallway.”
“
Yes, father,” she said. They strode into the shielded area, into the light. Into a base station cobbled together, easily set up and taken down.
38
The rebel leader sat there alone, surrounded by rigged console stations, gathering and looking at information as it flashed by.
He rose up and walked over to them calmly, both hands outstretched in Ramorian fashion to show he held no weapons. Naero smiled. Most greeting customs started that way.
Naero
took both of his ruddy hands for a moment and felt the strength in his arms and hands. What else might she expect from a miner? She studied his plain face and thought he looked impossibly weary.
“
I hope Shalaen hasn’t bothered you,” he said.
“
Not in the least. We find each other very intriguing.”
“
I have the misfortune of being Nevano Kinmal, leader of the mining revolt, by default. No one else really wants the job.” He laughed, but Naero could sense the pain in it.
“
You know I’m a Spacer. I’m fleeing from the Corps, also.” No matter what lies the Corps Media spread about her and Spacers, she would never be ashamed of her family’s name...or her own.
She lifted her head high.
“I am Naero Amashin Maeris, of Clan Maeris.”
Nevano grinned. “
The renegade Spacer terrorist? Glad to meet you. I’m a genocidal maniac myself; I guess there’s enough bad press from
INS
to go around for both of us. Triax has an even larger bounty on your head than mine currently, but from what Shalaen has told me about you, the Corps must be shivering in their shit.”
That alarmed her a little. Did he know about the Kexxian Data Matrix?
“What has she told you? I’d like to know.” She concealed her anxiety, suddenly wondering what she could and could not hide from Shalaen.
Nevano Kinmal waved her to a chair
. “Come, let us sit down and talk. Two interstellar menaces to decent civilization such as we should take time to relax.”
She did so
. Naero looked at Shalaen once more, standing impassively beside her father.
“
I don’t want you to worry,” Nevano said, “but Shalaen has in fact told me about the half of the Kexxian Data Matrix that you carry, imprinted on your genetic code.”
Naero held her breath for a second, then she shrugged
. “So, now you know why the Corps want me so badly.”
“
Indeed,” Nevano said. “But such secrets are of little use to me and my people, unless they can conjure up additional ships and weapons for us, or get us past naval blockades.”
“Sorry,” Naero said. “My people have yet to decipher them. We can’t even use the data. Do either of you know anything more about it or the Kexx that could help us?”
Shalaen said, “The Kexx were ancient even when the Yattai were young.”
“
Then you know why my people can’t let their tek secrets fall into Corps hands.” She looked directly at Shalaen. “What else do you know about it?”
“
More than you might think,” Nevano said. “I know what the Kexxian Matrix is, and what is in it. While she was studying you, Shalaen made a record of the full index that is hidden in your half, for those who know how and where to look.”
He handed her a data crystal. Naero gaped.
“Of course your half is useless without the other half that your brother carries,” Shalaen said. “But when all of the data is decrypted, this index will help your people decode and utilize the Kexxian Matrix much faster and easier.”
“
Consider it a gift,” Nevano said. “We only ask a few favors in return.”
“
Name them,” Naero said. “I’m sure that my people will be very grateful.”
“In a very short while, we will be negotiating final terms with Joshua Tech, The Spacer Alliance, and the Matayan Empire for any assistance that any of them can provide for us. We don’t have time to be choosy. We need allies.”
Naero thought about that for a moment. Should she bring in Ellis?
“I can’t speak for the Matayans, but you should be able to trust Joshua Tech and my people.”
“We are not so certain,” Nevano said. “Shalaen has already helped us capture three different Spacer strike groups sent to infiltrate us. They seemed incredibly determined to rescue you.”
“What?”
Naero said.
Nevano bowed. “I will have them released, and brought to you.”
Naero didn’t know what to say. Shalaen stayed with her.
“
I believe your aunt is being detained with one of them,” Shalaen said. “We did no permanent harm to any of them. But they made that very difficult, even for myself. What a remarkable splinter race you have become. I commend your people for their resourcefulness. Were it not for my powers, they would have either retrieved or terminated you by now.”
“
What do you mean, ‘terminated’?” Naero said. “They came to rescue me, not to kill me.”
Shalaen grasped her hand and touched the
wristcomp Naero wore.
“
Their primary intent was to rescue, but after the first two teams failed, they grew desperate. They decided to set off your suicide device, once they could not rescue you the third time.”
“
They tried to kill me?”
“
They attempted to, just before I helped capture the third team. Fortunately, I had already reconfigured your failsafe device by that time. Quite obvious, really.”
They tried to set it off.
Her own people tried to kill her.
She should be dead.
“I-I guess I can understand why they would do that,” Naero said, still shaken. “
Haisha
…they couldn’t be sure that you weren’t working for the Corps.”
“U
nlikely as that might be,” Nevano added.
Naero stared
at her wristcom. “Does it still work?”
“
Yes, you can still set it to obliterate yourself if you so desire, but we hope that that will not become necessary. It will still sound a warning and then activate if anyone tries to remove it or you are slain.”
Shalaen handed her another chip
. “That has your new activation codes on it. If there is someone you can trust, you may wish to give them the new codes, but we advise against that.”
“
What do you mean? Can you see the future?”
“In some
ways. Through people I see various possibilities.
“But t
hey explode in prisms around you, to the point where all is left dark and confused. Perhaps that is best. It is not healthy for most entities to know too much about their potential destinies.”
“
What can you tell me?” Naero asked.
“That y
ou must get the Kexxian Data Matrix to your people, and they must begin to apply it, at all costs. That much is certain. How you do that is not important. It will be disastrous if the Matrix falls into the hands of the Corps and your enemies too soon–”
“
How about not at all.”
“
That is also unwise, and not very likely. Information and knowledge always behave in fluid manners, difficult to contain or monopolize for long. Your people know this. Believe it or not, there may yet come a time, sooner or late, where the Corps and their worlds will become your strongest allies.”
Naero snorted. “
I strongly doubt that.”
“
Do not be so sure,” Shalaen said. She stepped forward and embraced Naero.
A tremendous sense of calm and well-being came over Naero as
they embraced. She put her arms around Shalaen and hugged her close. Like she would a sister if she had one.
Holding Shalaen was like embracing pure
serenity.
Holding a
being made of raw, enigmatic energy without being burned.
Yet it was Shalaen who gasped.
Her legs buckled. She nearly collapsed.
Naero stepped back and held the wispy young girl up.
“What are you, spacechild?” Shalaen said, her voice a mix of fear and wonder. “You truly frighten me.”
Naero tried to laugh. “I frighten you?”
Shalaen nodded, her radiant face and shining eyes fathomless and intently serious. “The powers and knowledge you hold untapped within you should frighten everyone. Especially you.”
Naero bowed her head. “They do,” she whispered. “I don’t know anything.”
The deck threatened to fall out from under Naero once more.
What was she? What was inside of her–the thing from her nightmares?
What was she going to become? Freak. Monster. Demon?
Did she have any choice in it all?
She recalled with terror and a scary hidden hunger how it secretly thrilled her. Leaving parts of her fearful, but other parts still hungry, eagerly craving more.
Om said it was all her, only a fraction of her latent abilities.
“I...I...I don’t know what I am,” Naero said. It almost came out like a sob. “Everyone’s afraid of me when they find out.
Haisha
, I’m afraid of myself, and I still don’t know anything. Can you help me? Can you tell me something?”
“Shhh...” Shalaen told her.
Naero clung to her peacefulness and almost broke down.
Shalaen kissed her on one cheek, then her forehead, and her other cheek.
With each kiss, Naero relaxed, awash in waves of calm and comfort.
Perhaps the Yattai were angels, as some legends claimed.
“Naero, always remember that true power, whatever its nature, is controlled and mastered best through love. And love is little more than the trifold understanding of compassion, justice, and mercy. There is no true freedom without the Harmony of the Three Wisdoms. Remember my words, in your darkest hours.”
Naero nodded, holding her tighter and shaking.
“When I am linked with you by touch,” Shalaen said. “I can show you many things as I see and know them. Concentrate on the sound of my voice. Open your heart and mind to me. Close your eyes.”
Naero did so and soared through the stars in an instant, as if she were a starship herself, sweeping through the galaxies at incredible speed.
“Few people understand exactly what the Kexxian Data Matrix really is–a legacy of wisdom, knowledge, and technology all in one,” Shalaen said. “Much like The Three Wisdoms, all three of these must be balanced for the Matrix to be of any practical use.”
Shapes took form in Naero
’s mind. Bipedal reptilian creatures of average size, with large eyes and dexterous hands. They looked after one another and their young with great care and diligence, expanding their knowledge and wisdom.
“
The Kexx were a very advanced race, ancient even before my mother’s people, the Yattai, began their ascent. What happened to them is still a mystery, though some of the Yattai have guessed. Great explorers and seekers of knowledge, the Kexx reigned for many eons over a vast free Republic. They nurtured many fledgling races and explored far beyond known space. They charted several galaxies and contacted multitudes of others.”
“That’
s...impossible,” Naero said. “The distance between galaxies is way too vast. We’ve barely charted one quarter of our own.”
“
Nevertheless,” Shalaen said, “they achieved these and many other technological wonders. But then, something happened. During the course of their travels, they blundered into a terrible war between two nearly equal advanced races. They had once made limited, preliminary contact with another advanced race called the Drians...”
Baeven had mentioned them.
“...and the race of sentient androids they nurtured called the Driathans.”
“
Driathans. I’ve heard of them as well.”
“
Yes, some still exist, even–a sad, forgotten immortal remnant. Mourning the loss of their mentors, the near-human Drians. But Nothing could have prepared them or the Kexx for the conflict with the rapacious G’lothc.”
Images flashed through Naero
’s mind, creatures both beautiful and horrific, terrible beyond imagination.
Shalaen went on. “By any measure, the G’lothc were
a race of intensely aggressive, psyonic and shape-changing beings. Countless other races had been enslaved by the opportunistic G’lothc, sent forth as their minions and shock troops. Terrifying creatures such as the sauroid Dakkur, and the dragon-like Kahn-Dar.
“
The long war raged for eons across multiple galaxies, scarring the universe, in vast waves of battle in this dimension and others. With powers and weapons beyond understanding to most peoples. We see the scars of those battles to this day as The Great Dying, where our universe itself was nearly unmade. Multitudes of cultures and life forms perished.
“Yet
in the final end, after several millennia, the descendants of the Kexx and the Drians pulled together the last of their mighty armadas, and obliterated the once indomitable G’lothc where the great foe made their final stand–on their few remaining systems, their fleets surrounding their last remaining stars and homeworlds.