The Awakening (The Hyperscape Project Book 1) (22 page)

Nick chuckled.
“I guess you would see it that way. I suppose you can’t miss something you
never had. I’ve finally gotten used to having nanites in my head. I think I
would actually miss them if they were gone.”

“I think it’s
safe to go ahead and inject the translators now,” Karg said, his big, round
eyes on Arya.

Arya read the
translated text then nodded in agreement. “Yes! Please. That would make things
so much easier.” She tilted her head to expose the artery in her neck to
receive the injection.  She frowned when Karg hesitated.  “Well, what
are you waiting for?” she asked impatiently.  “Hurry up and do it.”

Karg grinned. “I
think she’s going to be okay,” he said with a wink to Nick.

An hour later,
Nick sat with his arms draped over a chair and watched Arya finish the two
helpings of dessert that Karg had brought up from the galley. Arya took the
last bite then sat back and licked her fingers in satisfaction.  The
translator nanites in her brain were beginning to work again. “So glad that’s
over with. Not being able to understand anyone was horrible.”

Nick voiced the
question that had been on his mind since her awakening. “What was it like? I
mean, it must have been terrifying for you. Being trapped in your own body,
watching the nanite bugs doing their horrible deeds and not being able to stop
them.”

Arya stared at
the floor for a long moment. Her eyes glazed over, a hint of tears forming in
the corners. “It’s hard to explain. I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it
yet. But, yes, terrifying would be a good word, yet wholly inadequate.”

Nick sat silent
for a moment. “I understand. If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here. 
And I’ve always been a good listener.” He reached out and touched the back of
her hand. She glanced up at him, her eyes filled with a mix of emotions.
   

“Of all people,”
she whispered.  “For me to be the spy.”

“It’s okay,”
Nick soothed.

“It’s
sacrilege,” Karg added.  “For them to use the Queen of Aris for such a
mission.”

Arya looked over
at her four-armed friend.  “Can you ever forgive me?”

“There’s nothing
to forgive.  You were a victim,” Nick answered.  “You tried to stop
the nanites.  You fought them so hard.  I saw it happening.”

Arya’s lower lip
quivered.  She pressed a speckled hand to her mouth to stop the quiver
from getting worse.  A tear streaked down her pert little nose and landed
on the back of her hand.  Nick stared at the tear.  It looked like an
iridescent jewel against her green skin.  Beautiful and sad at the same
time.

“It’s going to
be okay,” he said.  “I promise.  You’re safe.  We’re all safe.”

“And stuck in
hyperspace,” Karg said.

Arya looked at
him in shock.  “What?!”

Nick
grinned.  “Yeah! That was my doing.  I saved our asses by using the
module to open a window into hyperspace. The Ashok barely escaped by coasting
in behind me.  It was close, but the Dragorans lost this battle.”

She stared at
Nick.  “This time, anyway.”

“Yeah. 
Well.  We still have technology they don’t have.”

“And now
you’re…we’re a bigger target than ever,” she reminded him.

“We’ll worry
about that later.”  Nick took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. 
“Right now, all we need to do is eat more dessert.”  His gaze pivoted to
Karg. “Because the big guy here didn’t think to share.  Let’s go to the
mess hall and get some real food.  Like bacon burgers and French fries,
and—“

Arya
laughed.  “You are beyond strange, you know that.  I don’t know what
the frek you’re talking about half the time.”

“What’s a
bacon?” Karg asked.

Nick dropped his
head into his hands.  “If we ever find a hog on one of these barren planets,
I’ll show you what bacon is.  For now, let’s get something, anything, to
eat.  As long as it’s tasty.”

Karg rumbled,
literally rumbled.

Nick raised his
head.  “What the hell was that?”

“All this talk
of food is making me hungry.”

“Listen, guys, I
don’t want to go to the mess hall.  I want to be alone, so—“

“Karg won’t mind
fetching us some vittles, will you, Karg?” Nick volunteered him.

Karg
grinned.  “I’ll be right back.”

Nick turned back
to Arya as Karg left the room.  She stared at him with forlorn eyes.

“Nick, I’m
afraid the crew will refuse to accept me after what’s happened.”

“I know you
are.  But don’t be.  You have no idea how much these people love you,
how much they will do…and in fact
did
do, in order to protect you. 
And they don’t even know you’re the Queen of Aris.  They do it because you
are one of them, a part of them.  You are the glue that holds us all
together.  Don’t forget that.  These people are loyal to you until
the day they die.”

“That’s just
what I’m most afraid of,” Arya replied softly.  “I don’t want to be the
cause of their death.”

 Nick once
again took her hand.  After a long silence, he gently rubbed his thumb
over the soft skin of her hand.  “When I make a promise, I keep it. 
And I promise you this….  We will find a way to defeat the Mok’tu. 
I
will find a way.  I’m going to make everything right.  You can count
on me.”

Arya was silent
for a long time before she answered.  “You know…I believe you. 
Strange as you are, I do believe you.” 

One month
later….

Nick poked his
head into Karg’s quarters.  “Hey, buddy, do you know the results of the
vote yet?” 

“Yeah, come on
in. I just finished going over it.” Karg waved at him, urging him to enter the
room. “Arya, by a wide margin. Just as I suspected.”

Nick smiled and
gave a nod. “I think that’s a good choice. When are you going to tell her?” He
pulled up a chair across the table from Karg and plopped down.

“We’re going to
announce it in the mess hall at dinner. Sirok rigged it to broadcast
ship-wide.” Karg slid a giant bowl of green chips toward Nick. “Want some?” he
mumbled through a mouthful of the crunchy green food.

Nick hesitated
for just a moment then decided to give them a try.  He reached out and
plucked a chip from the bowl. “Sure, why not. Don’t tell me what they are, let
me guess.” Nick bit a small piece of chip off and gingerly tested it for taste.
A flavor something like wasabi attacked his taste buds, followed by what could
only be described as spinach mixed with peanut butter. “Whoa, that’ll open the
sinuses.”  He sniffed and fought against watering eyes. “Okay, I have no
idea what this is, but don’t tell me. It would probably just ruin it for me.”
Nick finished the one chip and grabbed a few more, holding one up to Karg.
“Thanks.”

“Good aren’t
they? They’re—”

Nick threw up a
hand to warn Karg off any explanation.  “No, no, no, I said don’t tell me.
I really…
really
don’t want to know. Did you say you were going to
announce it at dinner? It’s almost that time, isn’t it?”

Karg glanced at
the digital display that resembled a clock. “Shek, you’re right.” He stood,
plucked a paper off of the table, and grabbed a handful of chips. “Better get
going.  Don’t want to miss Arya,” he said as he shoved the handful of
chips into his mouth.

In the mess
hall, Arya sat at her usual table. When Karg saw her, he tapped his com-link
twice to open a link for his announcement. “May I have your attention? As you
know, due to current circumstances, we called for a vote on who the next
Captain should be. The results are in.”

The crew’s
sudden silence only enhanced the loudness of Karg’s voice as it echoed over the
ship’s intercom. “The results are as follows. Two votes for Sirok. One vote for
Karg. Glad to see
someone
appreciates me. One vote for Kyrk, and
fourteen votes for the new Captain of the Ashok…. Arya!”

The crew
immediately came to their feet and began applauding. An overwhelming majority
had made it clear who they wanted for their next Captain.

Arya sat frozen,
stunned by this sudden announcement.  Even with the recent turn of events,
they had still picked her to be their leader. It was the last thing she had
expected.

Arya suddenly
realized everyone was staring at her. Feeling oddly shy, which she’d never been
before in her life, she stood up and walked over to Karg. “Just for the record,
I voted for you,” she whispered to him.

Pasting a smile
to her face, she turned to look at the crew. They were all still on their feet,
the applause slowly dying down as they waited for her to speak. She cleared her
throat and began her first address to the crew.
Her
crew. It seemed so
odd to think that.  These people were now under her protection.  She
would be responsible for them from now on.  For all of them.  Even
Nick.

“No one could
ever replace Argos,” she began slowly.

A voice from the
crowd spoke up. “Hear, hear.”

“No, I could
never replace such a great man. But I promise all of you I will do my best to
make you…and Argos…proud. Our mission is a vital one, one that could alter the
course of the war.  For many years, I have been proud to be a part of this
crew.  I have had the honor of working alongside all of you at some point
in time, and I am honored that you chose me as your Captain.”  Her voice
began to grow in strength as she took on the mantle of Captain.  Her back
straightened, and her chin lifted proudly.  “We have had our setbacks. We
have lost people close to us.”  Her eyes burned with fiery determination
now. “We have been chased to hetek and back, but I swear to you, we have just
begun to fight! Those baskurts will regret the day they set eyes on our sector
of space!”

The crowd
erupted in a long roar of approval as they cheered Arya on. She turned her head
to meet Nick’s gaze. He smiled, obviously proud of her.  She shrugged and
grinned back at him.  Captain.  This was a moment she’d never
foreseen. Her stomach fluttered. Ready or not, the Ashok was
her
ship
now.

The anxiety
level on the Ashok grew by the hour as they pushed further into Demented Space
and their rendezvous with fate. The unusual effects of the strange region of
space didn’t help the crew’s edgy demeanor. Navigation was tense at best.
Sudden strange symptoms of nausea and headaches plagued the crew. Everyone felt
a sense of impending doom, perhaps Arya most of all. It was as if a thick syrup
had poured over the galaxy, covering everything in a huge blanket of dread. But
she had to press on.

The thump of
Karg’s feet reverberated down the corridor in front of him as he slogged along.
He was too deep in thought to hear anything. The time had come. The ship drew
near its destination. Soon, Nick would be making the ultimate sacrifice in an
attempt to save numerous races of beings on planets that he had never even
seen.

The universe had
conspired to put this rag-tag band of diverse races together in the right place
at the right time. By the Gods, they might actually be able to put an end to
the enemy plague that had swept across their sector of space. The prophecy
could actually come true, after all.

Karg reached
Nick’s quarters and poked his head in the door. He hated to interrupt Nick as
he recorded his thoughts, but he had no choice. “It’s time,” Karg announced
from the doorway.

“Be right there,
Karg,” Nick replied, giving a nod.

Karg ducked back
into the corridor and headed to the hangar bay. The hollow echo of Nick’s final
words faded behind him in the distance.
He’s one brave warrior. I’m proud to
call him friend,
Karg thought to himself.

Arya rounded a
corner in the corridor, headed his way. He knew exactly where she was going.

“Karg, have you
seen Nick?”

“Yeah, he’s in
his quarters finishing his message. I don’t know why he insists on using that
antiquated recording device. We have much more efficient ones on board.”

Arya hardly
broke her stride as she answered. “Because it’s the only thing his people would
be able to read. It would take them too long to decipher our tech.”

“I guess that
makes sense,” Karg replied as she passed by him. “I’ll be waiting in Bay Two.”
 

Arya trudged
down the hall, her heart beating harder with every step. If only there was
another way.
Any
other way. As much as she wanted to call off this
mission, she knew it came down to the numbers. One man’s life for the lives of
billions. She couldn’t be selfish under those circumstances. This could be
their only chance to stop the Mok’tu.

Arya rounded the
corner to Nick’s quarters and collided with him on his way out. She
instinctively put up her hand to stop herself. She pushed herself back from
Nick, but her hand lingered on his chest as she stared into his pale, blue
human eyes. The feeling of his heart beating beneath his shirt overrode her
strength to pull away. She wanted to be close to him. If only she had more
time.

“Arya,” Nick
sputtered. “I was hoping I would see you before I…go.” He paused. “If I don’t
make it back, I just wanted to thank you. For everything.”

She stared down
at her fingers as they lay against his shirt.

“You know, I’ve
been wanting to tell you what the word
Aria
means on my world, but I
just never seemed to get the chance. It refers to a beautiful song. A graceful
melody that floats on air and delights the senses. It’s a fitting name for
you.”

Arya lifted her
gaze and smiled at Nick. If she only had the strength to force back the tear
forming on her lashes. But his words touched a place in her heart that left her
weak. The world faded away for a moment as she stared at him. Time itself
seemed to stand still as their gazes held one another in ways they could only
dream. Perhaps it was her longing for the moment to never end. Maybe it was the
fear of what was to come. But she was lost in the depth of his eyes.

The gift in her
pocket shifted slightly, pulling her back to the grim reality of why she was
there. She reached down and plucked the amulet from her pocket and held it out.
“I want you to have this. It is considered by my people to be lucky.” She held
the necklace up, allowing the exquisitely crafted gold amulet to dangle in
front of her. “This amulet is said to contain water that was blessed by the
very first Queen of Aris. I’ve had it since I was a child.”

Arya looked
deeply into Nick’s blue eyes as she placed the amulet around his neck.

“Thanks,” Nick
murmured.

Their gazes
locked and held for a long moment. This might be the last time she would ever
see him again. It was taking every ounce of strength to contain herself. Her
brain screamed inside her head, begging her to stop him from going through with
this crazy plan. How could she let this happen? Was she really going to let him
fly headlong into certain death?

Nick shook off
his gaze and looked down at his hand. “I’m ready. You know what to do with
this.” He stretched out his hand and opened his fingers. In his palm was a
diamond memory card.

Arya scooped up
the card and cradled it in her palm. “Don’t worry,” she reassured him. “We will
launch the hyperspace transmitter probe along the coordinates you specified. It
will transmit your recording into hyperspace repeatedly for months before
running out of power. I’m sure your people will get the message.”

The plan was a
long shot at best. There was no telling if the humans would be doing any more
hyperspace testing, or if they would be able to retrieve the probe. But Arya
was at least going to give this brave species the chance. She owed them that
much. Hopefully, Nick’s calculations were correct, and his people could avoid
the malevolent hand that had laid waste to her part of the galaxy.

Nick smiled but
the pain on his face was obvious. He turned to head down the corridor toward
the prepped and ready module awaiting his arrival in the hangar bay.

Arya watched as
he walked down the long passageway toward the hangar bay and his uncertain
future. Her heart sank as he rounded the bend at the far end of the hall. Her
mouth formed his name, but only a whisper left her lips. Her tense throat would
allow no more. What was wrong with her? She couldn’t seem to think straight.
This strange human creature had her emotions running wild. She just couldn’t
bear to let him die.

She fought her
desire to run after him, stop him. If only there was another way.  But she
knew this was the only hope they had of saving her people and countless
millions of lives on other worlds. She had no choice. No choice at all. Her
only comfort was that his brave sacrifice would be remembered on a hundred
different worlds. One day they would erect monuments in his name and rejoice.
But not today. Today was the day he would die.

Arya struggled
to push back her tears.  She was the Captain of this vessel now.  She
had to behave like one. Reluctantly, she turned and headed for the bridge. She
couldn’t let the crew see her in this crazy emotional state. They were counting
on her strength.  She had to show them what she could really do.  She
had to be as brave as Nick.

Karg had just
finished painting when he heard the hangar’s access door open. He could tell by
the sauntering sound of the footsteps falling on the metal deck that Nick
approached. He set down his brush and wiped the splash of paint from his
cheek.  As he stood up, he found Nick on the other side of the module,
grinning from ear to ear.

Karg raised one
boney brow.  “What? Don’t you like it?”

Nick’s eyes
twinkled with delight as he stood there smiling. “It’s perfect. Thanks.”

Nick had spoken
so fondly of his father’s fighter craft that Karg had decided to copy its
markings onto the front of the module. From what he understood, Earth’s
fighters were usually adorned with such markings. And today the research module
was as much a fighter as any ship could be. The large mouth full of sharp teeth
that Karg had just finished painting on the nose of the craft reminded him of a
Ceruk fish from Irridian Nine. A chill ran down Karg’s spine at the thought of
the large carnivorous creature. He had lost his best friend to one of those
monsters while on a mission to Irridian Nine. Practically swallowed him whole.
He still had nightmares about it. Karg figured Earth must be home to some
similar type of scary aquatic beast.

Karg could tell
by the grin on Nick’s face that his gesture was appreciated. At least it seemed
to relieve some of Nick’s tension, and that had been his goal. He had little
else he could give.

Arya’s voice
crackled over Nick’s com-badge. “If you’re going, you better go now. We’ve just
been spotted, and they’re moving to intercept.”

Nick tapped his
badge to respond. “Yes, Captain. Launching now. As soon as I leave the bay, get
clear of this area. You don’t want to be around when I light this thing up.”

“Understood.
Good luck, Bannon,” Arya replied.

Nick slapped
Karg on his shoulder and jumped into the module. He balled his fists a few
times and wiggled his fingers in an attempt to overcome the adrenaline shakes
as he prepared for liftoff. He was suffering the worst case of nerves since
flight school. Fighting the anxiety, he closed the canopy, and with a quick
wave to Karg, roared out of the bay.

Karg stood
watching as Nick blasted out of the hangar on his lonely mission to fight the
massive Mok’tu Star-Killer. The roar of the module quickly dissipated as it
penetrated the force field that held the atmosphere within the bay. The properties
of the field caused a distinct drop in the pitch of the engine noise, reminding
Karg of when he’d been a boy watching the scout ships race by on Rakozi. They
made the same sound.  Only…back then the sound had given him a feeling of
wonder and awe.  Now the sound gave him a feeling of dread.

The module flew
out of the gigantic bay and into space, looking like a shooting star as it
banked and zipped out of view.  So tiny compared to what it was about to
face.  And Nick inside, alone.  All alone.

On the bridge,
Arya struggled with the desire to radio Nick one last time. She had never
called him Bannon, always Nick. Calling him Bannon just didn’t feel right, but
she had the respect of the crew to consider now. There were just so many things
she wished she had said to him.

“Sirok, keep
tracking him. Be ready to launch the probe the moment that hyperspace window
opens,” Arya commanded. She was a natural born leader and adjusting quickly to
her role as Captain.  It felt good to be in control.

“Yes, Ary…em…Captain.”

The module
careened toward the enormous Mok’tu vessel. Their plan was that the Star-Killer
wouldn’t fire on the module. A craft the size of the module wouldn’t normally
pose any threat to the mighty ship, but the Mok’tu knew the small vessel’s destructive
power. They had already experienced its wrath firsthand. Fortunately, they
weren’t the type to take revenge. They were only interested in the power the
module possessed. They wouldn’t dare destroy it.

 “The plan
will work. It’ll work,” became Nick’s mantra as he sped onward.

Weapons-fire
suddenly erupted from the Ashok’s rear cannons. The rounds targeted the module
as it sped away. Nick weaved and bobbed, avoiding the incoming plasma bursts.
This was the distraction he had been waiting for.  It was time now.

Nick held his
breath as he flipped on the hyperspace generator. The amplitude was purposely
set low. The window would be too small for the module to fit through, but it
would be large enough for what he needed. Behind him, the Ashok launched the
hyperspace probe directly at the opening hyperspace window.

On the bridge of
the Star-Killer class vessel the Vontuk, Master Mok’tu 957 watched and listened
as his First Officer reeled off information as it came to him.

 “Master,
the hyperspace craft is headed toward us on an intercept vector. A hyperspace
jump point just formed in front of the craft. The Ashok is firing on the
hyperspace vessel, Sir. It appears the pilot is trying to make an escape. But
the window is too small. It’s possible the craft has been damaged and is unable
to open a large enough window.” The First Officer spoke with urgency. “Sir, the
Ashok has now launched some sort of probe at the hyperspace window.”

“What are they
up to?” The Master spoke in a low tone, his question directed at no one in
particular. He stared at the display in front of him for a moment. “Hold your
fire.”

 “I’m
picking up a transmission,” the bridge officer announced in his synthetic
Mok’tu voice. “Language codes also being transmitted on a sub-channel. Translating….”

Over the radio
channel, the translated human voice came in loud and clear.

“This is Nick
Bannon. I have what you want. I am willing to make a deal.” Nick dodged the
Ashok’s incoming rounds as the probe raced past him and disappeared into the window.
He reached over and shut down the hyperspace generator. “I will give you the
module. Hell, I’ll even teach you how to use it, if you promise to leave the
planets in this sector and my own world alone. Oh, and in case you get any
ideas, I’ve rigged the module with Coronite. You do anything that I don’t like
and you can kiss this module and its hyperspace tech goodbye.