Worlds Away (3 page)

5

Sierra
de las Minas :

Guatemala
:

Long Count: 9.19.19.17.9 :

With thoughts of
glory, both
for myself and for my people, I watched as the god completed his journey across
the sky and toward the mountains. I fixed the spot where he landed in my mind,
and then gathered my packs and my weapons and broke into a slow jog.

I was aware that I was going further into enemy territory
the nearer I got to the mountains. To the north, on the other side of the
mountains, was Lake Izabal, where many Q’eqchi’ villages made their homes.
Copán was two days’ south through the highlands. If I got into trouble, there
would be no help for me.

It would take me the better part of the day to get to the area
where the god had come down. I knew, once I had left the relative safety of the
forested areas south of Quiriguá, any patrol could spot me easily as I traveled
across the river valley toward the mountains.

If anyone else had seen the god, then they might come to
investigate. However, they would have to discuss the venture with their leaders
before they could organize. For the time being, I had an advantage, if I could
get there first.

Halfway there, I stopped beside a stream to drink and to eat
the last of my rations, then continued across the valley.

I reached the base of the mountains just as the sun started
to dip below the horizon.

I knew I was close. The god had landed about a quarter of
the way up from the base of the mountain. It was slower going, picking my way
up the face. A few times I stopped to catch my breath and see if any of the Q’eqchi’
were following. From where I was, I could see the entire plain to the east. If
I strained, I imagined I could see clear to the great ocean.

Night was falling, and if I didn’t hurry, I might lose my sense
of direction in the dark. Pushing myself, I climbed the rest of the way.

I expected something grand when I arrived. In my
imagination, I pictured a tall and imposing god sitting on a glowing throne of
jade, wearing a feathered headdress that would put anything I had ever seen to
shame. Jaguars would lie at his feet, and a great eagle would perch on one
shoulder—or perhaps it would be a firebird, flexing its blazing wings.

Instead, what I saw confused me.

There was no throne, no jaguars, no eagles, and no
firebirds.

There was a short boat before me, and it was tilted on its
side. A canopy covered the top of it, and it was open. The vessel was made from
a material unlike anything I had ever seen. The shell seemed to be in motion,
like the running water of a stream. Across the surface, it was as if an artist
had created a living painting of bright and glowing colors. I found myself captivated
by it.

I heard a faint sound and stepped around the mysterious
boat.

A god did not wait there for me. Instead, I saw what looked
like a plump young boy. He lay on his side, curled up, arms wrapped around him,
with his back to a tree.

Once I got close enough to him, I froze.

His body had no hair, and his pale white skin was leathery, and
mottled with blue patches.

His face was unlike any I had ever seen before. The top of
his head was shorter than normal, and he had a thick, bony ridge starting where
his eyebrows should have been, and wrapped around the sides of his bald head
and to the back of his neck. I couldn’t see any earlobes, but there was a small
bump where his ears should have been. His eyes were large and spaced wide apart
over high cheekbones. Although his nose was extremely small, his mouth and jaw were
long and beaklike. Overall, he bore a slight resemblance to a turtle without a
shell.

“You must help me,” the creature said, and he spoke as if he
were native to my village.

Overcoming my shock at his strange appearance, I rushed
forward to see what was wrong.

He opened his slatted eyes and looked at me. “How are you
called?” From this distance, I noticed that the words he mouthed did not match
the sounds that came out.

“I am Subo Ak of the Ch’orti’,” I said. “Who are you?
What
are you?”

“You may call me Ekahua. The people of the sky call us the
Grace, though my people call ourselves Xtôti.”

“Are you a god?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I am not. My people once came from a
world much like this one.”

I saw that he was having trouble breathing, and asked, “Are
you injured?”

“I am dying,” Ekahua said. “I will not live long on the surface
of your planet; it is destroying me. My ship is too damaged to take me back to
the sky.”

“Will anyone from your tribe come to help you?”

He said, “There are only a few of my people left, and they
are very far away. There will be no help from them. No one knows I am here.

“But there are other star tribes who might come. They cannot
be allowed to find my sky boat or me. It is too dangerous for them. You must
help me.”

I glanced at his ship. “How?”

“Inside my boat there is a—” He said something then that
sounded like stones grinding together. “It is a box with many square shapes,
with many drawings on them.”

Leaving Ekahua where he was, I strode back to the vessel. I
felt the hairs of my arms stand up when I leaned close to look inside. I didn’t
want to touch the surface. I feared it would burn me, or that it would suck me
into its swirling current.

There was a long, curved seat built into the ship. In front
of the seat was a flat box with many smaller boxes outlined within, some larger
than others. In the center of the box was a square that contained glowing,
moving shapes.

“Touch the shape that has a picture of a circle with a line
through the bottom edge.”

I looked over the boxes until I saw one that fit the
description. Once again, I hesitated. This could be a test or a trap. I didn’t
know what would happen if I did as Ekahua instructed. He said he was not a god;
therefore, I could disobey him without risking any divine wrath. However, he
was obviously very powerful; he could sail through the sky in this flying boat.

I remembered my people and how we were being slowly overrun
by the Q’eqchi’.

“If I help you, will you help me? Will you help us defeat
our enemies, who kill our men and steal our women? My village is near Copán. It
was once a great and beautiful city, but our numbers grow smaller every season.
We need help, as you do.”

He said, “My very presence here is a danger to the future of
this world, much greater than the conflict with your neighboring tribes. Having
knowledge of me, your entire world is at risk.”

I didn’t understand what he was talking about, and it seemed
he grew sadder.

“I have no weapons to give you,” he said. “But I can give
you a gift, Subo Ak.”

“What gift?”

“I will teach you the Song of the Stars. Perhaps you will
pass it on to your children and grandchildren.”

“A song?” I asked.

“There is great power to be had in the song.”

I was doubtful, but at the very least, I would have
something to bring back to my village. A new song would not bring me as much
honor as the skin of a Q’eqchi’ warrior, but perhaps the song would gain me a
level of respect with the elders. It was always good to be in their graces.

I nodded. “I will accept that bargain.”

“Press the shape marked with the circle and line,” Ekahua
said.

I did so, and jumped back when a plate on the back of the
boat opened. I stepped over to the opening and looked in. The inside of the
boat resembled a mass of roots wrapped around a solid block of dark polished
stone.

“There are a twelve cords on the top of the—” He said
another word I did not understand. I pointed to the top of the block, and when
Ekahua nodded, I touched one of the root-like cords.

“It will be difficult, but you must pull them all out, and
then put them back in different spots. You will need to work quickly. The ship
will—” When I glanced at him, he said, “The ship will become like fire and
burn. Within moments, it will turn to light and disappear.”

Shocked, I pulled my fingers away from the cords. Suddenly,
I became uncertain. The task sounded dangerous, and I did not want to be hurt
or killed for a song.

“No harm will come to you, Subo Ak, if you are fast, and so
long as the canopy keeps the cords shadowed from the sun. Once you have finished,
return to me here where you will be safe.”

I considered the device once more. There must be great power
inside those roots if they could destroy such a wondrous boat so quickly.

Taking a deep breath, I plucked the first root out of the
block. I felt an odd sensation in my hand, as if a small insect were crawling
across my palm. A quick look showed me that my hand was empty. I peered into
the hole left by the root and saw a small glowing object, no bigger than a
grain of sand, resting in the gap.

Mindful that I had to work quickly, I yanked the remainder
of the roots out.

“Hurry,” Ekahua said, and feeling the urgency in his words,
I replaced the roots into the openings in a random order.

“Good, now run back here.”

Just as I started to turn, I noticed that one of the glowing
grains of sand was resting in a nook partway down the polished block of stone.
It must have fallen out when I pulled the roots.

I snatched the pebble up between my finger and thumb, and
raced back to Ekahua as quickly as I could.

He was watching the boat, not me, and did not see when I
slid the grain of sand inside one of the loose beads on my belt.

I turned to see what was becoming of the boat. At first,
there was no change in the vessel.

A high-pitched sound came from it, soft at first, then
louder. The swirls on the surface of the boat became frantic, and the vessel
began to vibrate. The canopy snapped closed with a loud bark, and the plate on
the back dropped back into place.

The ship began to shine bright like the sun.

“Shield your eyes,” Ekahua said, and I put my hand over my
face, looking at the vessel between the cracks of my fingers.

The sound became louder, and just when I thought I couldn’t
handle it any longer, the boat burst into thousands of flecks of light. Each of
those flecks burnt out within moments.

When I took my hand away from my face, I saw that the boat
had completely disappeared. I cautiously approached the spot where it had
rested, and could not see any sign that it had ever existed.

“Thank you, Subo Ak,” Ekahua said.

I felt a raindrop fall on my cheek and looked up into the
evening sky. Clouds had gathered, and we would soon be caught in a downpour.

“We need to find shelter,” I said.

“I do not have the strength to rise; you must carry me.”

I picked Ekahua up, and he was far lighter than I had
expected.

When I had climbed the side of the mountain earlier, I had
passed a cliff where I had seen a small crevice. I didn’t know how deep the
crevice went, but I hoped it would be large enough for us to fit inside.

At the very least, it would keep the rain off Ekahua, and we
would be hidden in case the Q’eqchi’ warriors sent a scouting party this way.

6

Unknown
Station :

Sol
System :

To Alex’s
complete
surprise, he woke up.

The last memory he had was of the Solan Empire soldiers
firing at them. In retrospect, he realized they’d been shot with tranquilizers
rather than bullets or ion pulses.

Opening his eyes, he looked around. He was in an infirmary,
along with the other three. They were all hooked up to medical equipment and
life support. An oxygen mask pressed against his mouth, and he felt the pinch
of an IV needle in his arm feeding him nutrients.

Michael and Yaxche were still unconscious, but Alex saw that
Kenny was coming to. A soft moan escaped the physicist’s lips, muffled by his
own mask, and he moved his head in quick, jerky motions.

Alex recognized the signs of bio stasis. Some people did not
come out of it as well as others. NASA had experimented with the technique in
the past, inducing a state similar to a medical coma in their astronauts on deep-space
missions, but had discontinued the practice after determining the long-term
effects were potentially harmful, ranging from muscle atrophy to dementia.

How long has they been in stasis? It was apparent the Solan
Empire soldiers had decided it would be easier to put their prisoners to sleep
for the trip, rather than deal with them. Depending on how bad Kenny’s injuries
were, he might have actually benefited from the long sleep, giving his bones
time to knit.

Alex had a gnawing feeling deep in his stomach. He hadn’t
eaten solid food in who knew how long; he was suddenly ravished. Quelling the
hunger for the time being, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Where were
they?

Pushing his
sight
out, he was shocked to discover that
they were no longer on the patrol ship that had attacked them.

He surveyed their immediate surroundings. They were in a
large station, the design of which was not familiar to him. In passing, he
sensed there were more than a thousand people on the station. It wasn’t until
he looked beyond the edges of the complex that he realized they were nowhere
near Pluto.

From the moment Alex had been exposed to Kinemet on Macklin’s
Rock, he’d been able to hear the planets—the Music of the Spheres, as Yaxche
called it. Every celestial body had a unique combination of forces—radiation,
gravity, spin, mineral composition, and chemical makeup. Over the past several
years, Alex had been able to identify the planets by their individual
frequencies. With an odd feeling, he realized they were in orbit between the
inner asteroid belt and Mars.

Based on ion pulse engine technology, it would have taken
them four months to traverse the distance. That didn’t seem plausible to Alex;
he should have suffered far worse aftereffects from the medical stasis in that
case. At the very least, he would have had significant weight loss in that
time, and though he was acutely hungry, he didn’t feel much slimmer than
before.

Waking up must have triggered a sensor. He pulled his
sight
back as he heard a door open in the infirmary, and footsteps approaching.

Turning his head, he saw an unfamiliar man in a white lab
coat coming toward him. Middle-aged, with a pronounced aquiline nose and a
balding pate, the doctor smiled at Alex.

“Ah, I see our patients are starting to wake up.”

Alex tried to rise, but couldn’t even prop himself up on his
elbows. Thick restraints around his arms and ankles held him to the bed.

“Oh, you mustn’t try to move around until we can be sure you
haven’t suffered any muscle damage from your trip.” The doctor removed the
oxygen mask.

Alex tried to speak. With his dry throat, the words came out
as a croak. He moved his tongue around to moisten his mouth, and tried again.
“How long have we been in stasis?”

The doctor waited patiently for Alex to finish the question
before answering. “Two weeks, my boy.”

“Two…?”

The doctor smiled wider as he went to the other three
patients and removed their masks as well. “Yes. We’ve made a few advances since
you were last among us.”

Kenny had come fully awake, and seemed to have overcome his
reaction to the stasis. “Who are you?” the physicist asked.

“Pardon my manners. I am Doctor Naysmith.” He went over to
the diagnostic computer beside Kenny and looked over the readout. “Ah, good. It
looks as if you are making a full recovery. Your ribs will still feel tender
for a while, but give it another week or two, and you’ll be right as rain.”

“I think he meant, who are all of you?” came the question
from Michael. “Who are you people? Where are we?”

“As I said,” the doctor replied, a cheery note to his voice,
“quite a bit has changed in the past four years, and my job is
not
to
bring you up to speed. I’m just here to make sure you will be fit for an
audience.”

“An audience?” Alex asked. “With who?”

“With the Emperor, of course.”

“Emperor?” Alex realized he was simply repeating everything
as a question, and felt completely in the dark.

“Rest assured,” Doctor Naysmith said, “all your questions
will be answered in time. For now, if you’ll permit me, I will go over your
diagnostics and ensure you are all healthy. Do not stress about things which
are beyond your control.”

As if by unspoken consensus, the four of them pressed the
doctor no further, and let him go about his business, reading scans and
interpreting the output from the diagnostic computers. When he was finished, the
doctor offered a bright smile to all of them, as if he’d accomplished a great
feat.

“I will inform His Majesty of your full recovery. Have a
pleasant day.”

With that, the doctor left the four of them alone in the
room. The overhead lights dimmed, leaving them in semi-darkness.

“What the hell is going on?” Kenny asked.

Michael said, “We’ve obviously stumbled into the middle of
something big. We need more information. Alex, do you know where we are?”

Alex nodded, then realized that the others might not be able
to see him. “Yes. We’re on an asteroid mining and processing station. I’m not
sure which station, though—it could be Chinese; I don’t know their characters.
It’s in a solar orbit inside the inner belt.”

Michael asked, “In line with Mars’ orbit?”

“Yes.”

“It’s the Qin Station, named after the first Emperor of
China, the one who initiated construction of the Great Wall.”

Kenny said, “Emperors! Do you think there’s been a civil war
in China? Did they overthrow the communist party and resurrect the imperial
dynasties?”

“It’s a possibility,” Michael said. “What concerns me is
that they’ve apparently managed to supplant USA, Inc.’s presence on Pluto. I
know, when we left, things were dicey back home, but how bad could it have
gotten?”

“So what’s the plan?”

“For the moment,” Michael said, “it looks as if we have to
take the doctor’s advice. It’s out of our hands. Once we’ve met this Emperor,
whoever he is, then we’ll know more.” He added in a lower voice, “I would
suggest that we all continue to be extremely discreet. When we meet this
Emperor, let me do the talking.”

Alex said, “Fine by me.”

“Me, too,” Kenny said. He turned his head to the other bed.
“Yaxche. You haven’t said much. Are you all right?”

“Ahyah,” the old man said. “My stomach is upset. I’m a
little dizzy.”

“That’s probably because of the bio stasis,” Michael said.
“It will most likely pass in a few hours. It looks like we all have to play the
waiting game, anyway.”

Alex couldn’t just lie there and do nothing. He still had
enough Kinemetic radiation flowing through him to continue to use his
sight,
so he began to search Qin Station.

For the most part, the station was much like any other
mining station, populated with engineers, miners, pilots, administrators,
supervisors, and technicians of all the disciplines required to keep the
operation going. Expecting a mostly Chinese population, Alex was a little
surprised to find an even representation from all Earth cultures.

The question remained: whoever this Emperor was, would he be
in a position to defend Sol against the Kulsat? However much power he’d
accumulated, it wouldn’t matter if the Kulsat wiped them all out.

While he searched, Alex became aware of an area of the
station where his senses could not penetrate. The moment he got close, it was
as if he hit a wall.

A Kinemetic damper surrounded the large area, which could
have been rooms, offices, or labs, for all Alex knew.

After all his effort, Alex didn’t have much more information
than when he started. It looked as if they would have to follow the doctor’s
advice after all, and wait.

∞

It was nearly twelve hours later when a squad of armed
soldiers entered the infirmary, accompanying the doctor.

“Good news,” Doctor Naysmith said, “the Emperor will see you
now. First, however, we need to get you all cleaned up. Once I remove the stasis
equipment, you’ll have one hour to acclimate yourselves. We’ve kept gravity at
two-thirds on the station, so it should be easier for you to get your feet. No
doubt, you all are feeling hunger pains. It’s been a while since you’ve had
solid food, so we’ll provide you with a nutrient paste for today. Your stomachs
should be back to normal by tomorrow. Now, I hope you will all give me your
complete cooperation.”

Alex frowned. Having spent two weeks lying on a bed, he wasn’t
sure he could offer any resistance if he wanted to. Though the bio stasis kept
muscle tone up with electrotherapy, all four of them would have the physical
responsiveness of newborns for at least a while.

Without waiting for a reply, the doctor began to shut down
the remaining bio machines. He unhooked Yaxche from his IV first, and unlatched
his restraints. With the help of one of the soldiers, he assisted him into a
sitting position.

“How are you feeling?” the doctor asked.

Yaxche nodded. “Like an old man.”

With a short, polite laugh, Doctor Naysmith said, “Private
Lund will help you to do some stretching exercises.”

The doctor signaled one of the other soldiers to assist him
with Kenny, following the same procedures. He got Michael up next, and Alex
last.

When all four of them could walk around unassisted, the
doctor motioned toward a door on the other side of the infirmary. They followed
him into the next room.

“There are showers here,” the doctor said, “as well as
toiletries and clothing. I will return in half an hour to check on your
progress. If you require assistance, any of the guards will be more than happy
to help.” The soldiers entered the room behind them. It looked like they weren’t
going to have any privacy.

Turning on his heel, the doctor hurried out of the
infirmary, and left the four prisoners to put themselves together.

In silence, Alex and the others cleaned up, showering,
shaving and getting dressed. The clothes were simple jumpsuits with black
leather boots. The epaulets had the sigil of the Solan Empire on them.

When the doctor finally returned, he gave them all a
conciliatory nod of approval.

“Gentlemen, my purpose has been served. Thank you for your
time. Please follow these soldiers; they will take you to your audience. Have a
nice day.”

Alex automatically said, “Thank you.” Kenny looked at him
and lifted an eyebrow as if asking why he was being polite to their captor.

They all exited the infirmary. The doctor went down the hall
in one direction, and the rest of them headed in the other.

As they went, several of the station’s residents looked at
them curiously, but no one spoke.

Reaching the end of the hall, they stopped at an elevator,
and got in once the doors opened. One soldier tapped a button for the top
floor, and Alex remembered that the area surrounded by the Kinemetic damper was
there.

He felt the growing anticipation as they approached the
barrier his senses could not penetrate.

The moment the elevator went past the damping field, Alex’s
senses were overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of Kinemet stored on that level.
There was enough to power hundreds of quantum ships. It was more Kinemet than
USA, Inc. and Canada Corp. had mined in ten years.

The overwhelming radiation made him reel. He was so
distracted by the sensation that he hadn’t thought to use his senses to see if
there were any people there.

It was only when the elevator doors opened that he realized
there was a large welcoming party waiting for them.

He hung his mouth open in shock when the Emperor of Sol
System, surrounded by a dozen armed soldiers, spoke to him.

“It’s been a long time, Alex.”