The Blood Solution (Approaching Infinity Book 3) (21 page)

“I do. Come on. I can make you
anyone
for a while. Who would you like to be? I could be Kass for you, if you like.”

He reached for her, wrapped his fingers through the luxuriant, pearlescent hair at the base of her skull and pulled her head down close to his so that their noses almost touched. She gasped in response, again finding her strength nothing compared to his, even in this induced dream state, and again staring open-mouthed, but this time not due to frustration. She blinked furiously, her cheeks flushing suddenly. She pursed her lips and swallowed awkwardly, waiting for what he would say or do next.

“You don’t get it, Tia,” he said.

She flushed anew at hearing him say her name.

“I don’t want to pretend.”

“Wh-What
do
you want?” she asked tentatively.

He closed his eyes and brought her closer, resting her forehead against his. “Maybe you, if we could get past all the lies and the illusions,” he said.

Her breath became heavy and Kalkin knew that her heart was racing inordinately fast. She took his hands and gently eased free of his grip. Her breast was heaving, her cheeks were bright red, her eyes spectacularly lit with something like electricity.

“Lor. When you entered the Academy, everyone wanted to be associated with you. Your Raw Mental Power was the highest in centuries, and there was little doubt that you would go on to be a Shade. I admit to being interested in you at first because of your RMP alone. The fact that you were young and attractive didn’t hurt. But each year I watched you advance and my admiration for you grew. You never compromised, you never shirked responsibility, and you always did the right thing. Of all the students—and faculty as well—you were most entitled to a large and rampant ego, but you never let ego determine your conduct. I did what I could to ensure that we would have at least one class together every term, just so I could be close to you.

“I don’t know if it’ll mean anything to you or even if you’ll believe me, but meeting you, being exposed to your. . .” she paused, searching for the right words, “your superior character changed me. My name is synonymous with promiscuity, I acknowledge that and take responsibility for it. But since you entered the Academy, every one who has claimed to have slept with me he has done so in his own dreams.”

“Including me,” Kalkin said quietly.

“Those dreams of yours, like this waking one, were shared, not one-sided wish fulfillment exercises designed to end unwanted advances.

“I can’t make you believe me, Lor. But here we are naked and exposed with no illusions to hide behind. I’ve said terrible things about you, about Kass, and about your relationship. She had with you what I desperately wanted, but felt I couldn’t have. I was wrong. To say those things, I mean. And I hope I was wrong in thinking that a relationship with you was something that I couldn’t have.” She lowered her eyes. “Four years ago, when you were helping out at Locsard, I thought there was a chance for us. I wanted so badly for it to work that I rushed ahead and used my power. It was selfish and wrong of me to do so. Right now, I want to lay
everything
bare, so that maybe we can start again.

“You asked me about Jav. The Emperor tasked me with distracting him to help him forget someone. After an initial sweep, I found his mind to be a guarded and secretive place. His RMP is recorded at 500, but there are some places that are simply inaccessible. His memory loss may be the cause. In any case, I found the most success with a girl.”

Kalkin raised an eyebrow.

“Not me,” she said a little grumpily. “But you may know her. She’s Tallo Pardine’s last surviving daughter.”

“Mao?” Kalkin said, frowning.

Tia nodded. “One of the strongest feelings in him I could find is his longing for Mai Pardine. As is often the case with dreams, though, it seems that one person makes an easy substitute for another. Once I found that this substitution worked, it required very little manipulation. I simply ensure that his dreams follow a particular course.”

Kalkin was still frowning. “Why does he
need
to forget
anyone
? Why does he need to have his feelings re-engineered? It’s not right, Tia.”

“Right? What does that even mean? Crashing down on planets, draining them of all their resources, and killing all their inhabitants: is that
right
? And please don’t give me the food chain analogy.

“We’re Shades, Lor. It’s my job to infiltrate people’s minds just as it’s your job to melt them down into messy, little puddles.

“And he’s
happy
. Which is more than most can expect and maybe more than he deserves.”

“Why do you say that?”

She demurred, shrugging. “No reason. I don’t know that I’ve ever spoken a word to him that I didn’t have to because of orders.”

“That’s no answer. What is it, Tia? What are you holding back?”

She studied her fingers as she knotted them in the sheets, trying not to make eye contact. “I’m not supposed to say.”

Kalkin sighed.

She raised her eyes and blurted out, “But I will!” She relaxed a bit and said, “He killed Karlan Farsal.”

“Jav?” Kalkin said, shocked.

Tia nodded. “Back before. He made a deal with the Emperor: the Ritual Mask for service, replacing Karlan. He, Jav I mean, wasn’t in his right mind at the time, though. He didn’t seem to really comprehend his own circumstances until things were finishing up on 1398.”

A variety of thoughts competed in Kalkin’s head for an instant: how Jav might have been able to kill Farsal, how the Emperor could reward such an act with an Artifact, and how, ultimately, it changed nothing, most notably his affection for Jav and his numbness to Farsal’s death.

“I didn’t think you thought much of Farsal,” Kalkin found himself saying, regretting it almost immediately.

“Aren’t I allowed any friends in your world view, besides maybe Wheeler, Mefis, and the misguided young Miss Karvasti?”

“I’m sorry. That was unfair.”

“I felt sorry for Karlan. He had the power to get inside people, to control them, but he was incapable of understanding them. And then to see him brushed aside so easily by the Emperor in favor of an outworlder, his killer no less. Though, recently outworlders seem to be the popular choice.” She sighed, pausing before continuing, and cocked her head in a way that suggested reluctance to say what followed. “But Jav isn’t so bad. He was only doing what anyone else with the means to fight back would have done. And now that he’s calmed down, not tearing through Wheeler’s troops anymore, he seems like a decent person. Someone you in particular would like and appreciate.”

Tia met Kalkin’s eyes and was more than pleased to see acceptance, even encouragement, there.

“You’ve of course reported to the Emperor what you’ve found in Jav,” Kalkin said.

She nodded.

“Perhaps not just a coincidence then that the jump relays are several months ahead of schedule.”

“Perhaps not.”

“He did look happy,” Kalkin said.

“Right?”

“Okay. I’d like you to promise me something.”

“Anything,” she said eagerly, drawing close.

“I want you to promise me that from now on you’ll be honest with me, that you won’t hide anything from me, and that you won’t try to use your power on me without my consent.”

“I promise! I will always try to be strong for you, and I will
never
betray you.” She looked away, and caressed his hand splayed upon the bead to support him. “But, I know that I’m weak. If the Emperor ever gives me a direct order that puts us at odds, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

He took up her hand in both of his. “That’s fair enough. Honesty always wins out over guile with me, Tia.

“Let’s take things slow this time,” he said.

She straightened as if an electric current had surged through her spine, her eyes wide. It took a moment for her to absorb the import of his words, but finally a wide smile spread across her face. She threw her arms around him and pinned him to the bed beneath her.

“Please approach the target each time as you might in a combat situation, Specialist Kapler,” Gilf Scanlan said. “We’ll go over all the gross movements first, then cover options for the extremities.”

“Yes, sir,” Raus said moving to the practice dummy, which was similar in stature to himself.

Raus was stripped to his undershorts and connected to countless wires, all of which led to a computer tended by Scanlan. He bent low and gripped the dummy’s torso while placing his right leg behind the dummy’s.

“This is going to be a much more complex program than Rommel’s, Specialist Holson,” Scanlan said.

“I can imagine,” Jav said. “Since they’re not just swinging a heavy blade around, his troops’ actions will need to be much more fluid and responsive.”

“Exactly. I should have known that you would understand the intricacies and variables involved in combat. My apologies.”

“None are required, Director Scanlan. There’s plenty of what you do that I don’t begin to understand.”

Raus continued to attack the dummy, moving through each technique to its conclusion. His silent opponent was remarkably resilient, having his “bones” broken again and again. When Raus was finished, Scanlan had recorded a total of 732 distinct movements. The computer took 30 minutes to compile the data and then transferred it back through the wires to imprint upon the Resurrection Bolts.

“So, that’s it?” Raus said.

“That’s it,” Scanlan replied. “Dusty old skeletons are one thing, but corpses are another matter. No offense, Specialist Kapler, but I would prefer to run the final tests outside.”

Raus shrugged. “Okay and none taken.”

“Then shall we?” Scanlan said.

“Let’s,” Jav said smiling.

“Might I put some clothes on first?” Raus said.

They took a jump ship and landed about a kilometer beyond the Root Palace walls, following Raus’s recommendation. It wasn’t quite a graveyard, at least not by design, but there were bodies on the ground and sticks driven into the earth as makeshift grave markers.

“Specialist Holson had a focus,” Scanlan said, “the pole sword used to record Salavar Grummel’s techniques, but you have no such object. All is a matter of will, though. When summoning, simply concentrate upon a lieutenant and he will be born.” Scanlan was dressed in a heavy suit with reinforced struts to support him under the increased gravity. He waved awkwardly at the ground, indicating for Raus to begin.

“Simple enough,” Raus said.

He surveyed his surroundings, took a breath, and bowed his head. The ground stirred before him. A clawed hand pierced the crumbling earth, and opened the way. A gasping corse rose up, pulled itself free of the dirt, found its unsteady legs, then knelt before Raus.

“Maaasssssterr,” it said. Its voice was throaty, wet, and sounded racked with pain.

“Stand,” Raus said.

It did.

Raus hesitated, not sure what to do next.

“Go on, ask him,” Jav said.

Raus looked from Jav to Scanlan.

Scanlan nodded.

“What’s your name?” Raus said.

“Kaauuuuplerrrr.”

Raus looked at Scanlan again. “He’s not much of a talker, is he?”

Scanlan shrugged. “There could be any number of reasons for that. It could simply be due to the corpse’s condition. Though, come to think of it,” he said turning away, thinking out loud, “Rommel has no organs for speech and yet he speaks perfectly. Hmmm.

“Set him a test, Specialist Kapler.”

“What kind of test?”

“Raise five or six more and have them demonstrate your Sarsan wrestling.”

Raus bowed his head again. The ground stirred as before but not as quickly. After a short time six more corpses stood erect and were soon grappling with one another, biting whenever their mouths came in close enough proximity to flesh to do so.

“Care to have a go, Jav?”

“No thanks. I’ve had my fill of up close and personal with them.”

Raus shrugged.

“Well, it’s clear that the transfer was a success. I don’t know what to say about the speech. It may improve over time, it may not. Ultimately it may have to do with the lack of a focus, like Specialist Holson’s pole sword. Try giving our new Mr. Kaupler some simple instructions over the course of the day and see how he does. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, except in his performance as a conversation partner. He is dead, after all, so we can’t be too picky.

“I’ll return to the Palace to report to Minister Witchlan. If you like, I can send for another jump ship—I don’t think I could stand the smell cooped up in a small space if we were to return together.”

“Thank you, Director Scanlan,” Raus said.

The Military Hardware Division Director took his leave and the jump ship was gone in minutes.

“Well?” Jav said.

Raus nodded. “Not the prettiest or cleanest of armies, and certainly not the stuff of social advancement, but on the battlefield, where it counts, I can’t imagine a more terrible adversary, if only psychologically.”

Jav grinned. “Good.”

“You seem to be in remarkably good spirits lately,” Raus said.

“Do I?”

“Come on, what is it?”

Jav lowered his head, embarrassed. “I’ve been having the most incredible vivid dreams lately. The kind you don’t want to wake up from.”

“You’re lucky. I can’t remember the last time I had a dream I
wanted
to remember.”

“Yeah,” Jav said, frowning a bit when considering this, realizing that he’d been the same until fairly recently. “I guess it’s a bit unusual. Some of the details are fuzzy, but it feels like an ongoing show, like it’s leading somewhere even if it’s just in circles. I
do
feel a bit guilty, though.”

“Why’s that?”

“I told you about Mai Pardine.”

Raus froze momentarily before nodding. Yes, he knew about Mai Pardine.

“I’ve been dreaming about her sister, Mao.”

“Oh.”

“The last time I saw her, I couldn’t believe how much she started to look like Mai. They’re just dreams, though. Nothing can come of it. I’ve known her since she was a kid.”

Raus tried to nod and smile, but he couldn’t help thinking about coincidences that kept stacking up. He wasn’t about to remind Jav that one of the 20th Generation Generals was a dream mechanic. So far, Jav was ignorant of all the elements pointing to conspiracy and the more Raus thought about it, the more he thought that that was a good thing.