Chapter Forty-Six
The Drone
An hour passed, and as the second hour ebbed away with no sign of anyone climbing the steps from below, the children had begun to tire of the waiting. Sorrow had quickly turned to boredom, and from boredom to sleep. But time passed slowly, and by the fourth hour their tiredness had given way to curiosity and hunger.
Sophia sat on the bonnet of a wrecked police car with L’Barr. He held a plate of food and busied himself explaining what each morsel was before he offered it to her to taste. She ate each piece with interest and delight.
Amy sat in Craig’s arms. They were leaning against the wall, talking softly to one another. Craig stroked Amy’s hair.
Paula sat with Emile by the steps, both of them looking down and waiting patiently. El-Vin sat next to them. Jean had brought them all some food. El-Vin had taken it hesitantly, staring at Jean intently and waiting while he offered the food to the others before she took a bite. She had continued to watch Jean until the boy had moved away, and now he sat with Rowena next to Anne and Prince Carl. They too were in each others arms.
Carl talked earnestly to Anne, holding her hand. But whatever it was he said, all she did in reply was shake her head sadly.
Vanessa now sat by herself. She leaned against the side of a broken car, the doors hanging off it. Underneath her was the back seat that she had pulled out. She sat in silence, not crying now, but with her head down.
Becky sat by the broken cart examining the gun that now lay bent and broken beneath the stones. Behind her, Jane, Jemma and Karen rummaged about in the rocket-ship, their movements causing it to sway and rock slightly.
Jane suddenly emerged from the hatch of the rocket-ship and called to Becky. “Hey, Becky! There’s another one of those in here!”
“Is there? Show me!” Becky left the broken gun and ran to join Jane in the rocket-ship, both of them disappearing inside.
Rolf sat with his arms around Soo-Kai, watching them all. And he watched Kai-Tai and Prince Harold in particular. Kai-Tai sat almost opposite to them on the other side of the alcove. Mainly she kept her eyes on the opening and the steps, but every so often she would also look up to check that the Prince was still nearby. He always was. Sitting near her and waiting patiently with her.
Prince Harold hadn’t put a foot wrong with Kai-Tai. He himself had cleaned and bandaged her wounds. And when food was brought in, it was he that had given it to her. Rolf marvelled at his knowledge and understanding.
When Rolf had met Soo-Kai, he had stumbled and chanced into the bond with her. Only his intentions had been clear. But this had been enough for Soo-Kai, and she had understood and accepted him. Not so with Prince Harold. He knew exactly what he did, and he left nothing to chance. And he also managed what anyone else did with El-Vin, staying close to her while her wounds were tended, and keeping his men away from her. Only Jean had got by, but even he had retreated under Prince Harold’s stern gaze. But if Prince Harold’s actions were a marvel, so to were Kai-Tai’s.
Rolf had known Kai-Tai for a short time, and when he saw her it was often only fleetingly. But he had quickly come to accept her hard nature and her unwavering disapproval of him. The reason for it was simple. Kai-Tai hated him for stealing Soo-Kai away from her. Rolf could sense it in her eyes whenever she looked at him. And he never doubted that if the bond between him and Soo-Kai were to be broken, she would kill him without hesitation.
Sometimes that scared him. But it was a fact. He had got used to it. He had to, for Soo-Kai’s sake.
From that first time they met in the forest, Kai-Tai’s urge to kill him was a plain and almost physical presence. And the other Destroyers were no different. Only Hai-Fam, who was young, seemed softer and friendlier. Yes, and maybe Jai-Soo also. Rolf wondered about her. She had helped the children and spoken with Paula almost tenderly while Nan-Po and the other Destroyers had almost ignored them. It made him wonder how old she was.
Prince Harold’s treaty had had profound effects.
In contrast to that first time they met, Kai-Tai’s character now seemed almost benign. Her expression and her body language were completely different to before. Her very features had seemed to change and soften. When Rolf looked at her now, he saw Soo-Kai. He had prided himself on the fact that he could recognise one from the other, but now, if it wasn’t for Kai-Tai’s hair hanging loose about her shoulders, Rolf would have sworn that it was Soo- Kai sitting before him.
Rolf turned and stared at Soo-Kai. Then he moved his head closer to hers and whispered in her ear. “Do you wish that your mother and the Prince would keep their bond?”
Soo-Kai looked across the alcove at her mother. “Yes, but I know that it is not possible,” she answered in a soft voice.
“Why not?”
“Because he does not love her and my mother knows it,” Soo-Kai replied almost sadly. “She would have given her life for him, but he has not done the same for her. His motives are clear. The liaison is for one night only. This he has stated at the outset, and it is not unusual or unfair. His terms were acceptable to her.”
Rolf looked sadder than she did. Soo-Kai took his hand. “You must remember that a bond such as we have is rare among our kind. For every once this happens, a hundred times or more the liaison is short. So long as we can conceive then such brief liaisons are acceptable. In a way they are preferred, as we can continue with the Purpose without distraction. Whether my mother has conceived or not, I cannot yet say, but when the dawn comes, they will part, and neither will wish to change their decision.”
Rolf sighed. “It seems such a shame. It would have made us all a lot closer.”
Soo-Kai turned in his arms, almost clambering on top of him in her need to hold him close. “You think of me always, how I love you so much, my husband.” They kissed, and Soo-Kai hugged Rolf so tightly that he almost couldn’t breathe.
Karen came out of the rocket-ship and looked around. She had wanted to ask Soo-Kai a question, but when she saw her and Rolf kissing she smiled. She jumped down and went to Kai-Tai instead.
Prince Harold gave her a stern look as she came close, but Karen wasn’t to be put off.
“Kai-Tai, what is this thing?” she asked, hooking a thumb at the rocket-ship behind her.
Kai-Tai turned and answered her question with another question. “Is it intact inside?”
“No,” Karen replied. “It looks like everything has been stripped out. There isn’t even a seat. Just the engines, those guns and a bit of electronics and stuff, but nothing else.”
“Then it is a drone.”
“A drone?” Karen repeated. “That sounds like something false or redundant.”
Kai-Tai nodded. “Yes. Once it was a small fighter, used in space rather than in atmosphere. A short range escort ship often used to protect other larger ships with little or no fire power. But that was long ago. Now its roll is that of a target for gunnery practice, or as a test to see if the Portal functions correctly.”
That stirred Prince Harold. He stared at the ship. “It was sent here on purpose?”
“It was sent with purpose, but not to here,” Kai-Tai replied. “Somewhere, someone waits for the arrival of this drone. They will be disappointed.”
Prince Harold looked annoyed. “Always treachery! As if we haven’t enough problems with border disputes with Falonbeck, now we have to look to the heavens and the stars for our enemies!”
Kai-Tai reached out to take his hand. “Do not be dismayed, my bond. The arrival of the drone was in error. Those that sent it may send more, but with the homing beacon now destroyed, none will arrive here.”
Harold turned to her. “But it was a test! Sent for a purpose! You said this yourself! That means someone tries to send things here. Maybe for now they are stopped, but what if they correct their error? What if their tests are successful?”
“Maybe they are successful,” Kai-Tai said to his surprise. “Maybe they corrected their error a thousand years ago. Or maybe
they correct it in a thousand years time from now. It no longer matters. Whether the drone was sent from the past or the future, its arrival here was solely due to the homing beacon. Its true destination in both time and space is unknown to us; we only know that it came here in error. But if they correct that error, their next transmission will go where they intend to send it. Where that is or was, no longer concerns us. It is not here and not now.”
Kai-Tai could see that Prince Harold was confused by her answer. He wasn’t the only one. Karen stood with her head tilted to one side, looking absolutely baffled. And behind her, Jane and Becky had emerged from the drone to listen, while Jemma sat on the edge of the hatch, her feet waving back and forth. Even Paula was staring at her with uncomprehending eyes.
Kai-Tai sighed. Being bonded brought with it hidden burdens. Now she was forced into a lengthy explanation for these humans when all she really wanted to do was rest. At least the bond would be over with the morning. Then she could happily kill everyone. It was much easier and simpler than having to relate to them. Why did humans spend so much time talking?
With Rolf and Soo-Kai now listening, Kai-Tai found herself the centre of attention as she explained.
“The Portal contains data fields for co-ordinates in time as well as in space. This is necessary in transmissions across the galaxy where the distances are so great. When you look to the stars you may see one twinkle in the night, but by the time it takes a ship to make the journey to visit it, it may have gone nova and be nothing but a cloud of gas. To visit the star as you see it, you have to go there at the time the light you see first left it. That could be a thousand, or a million years ago.”
“Cor!” Jemma exclaimed. “Time travel!”
“Yes, but not in the way you think,” Kai-Tai told her. “It has never been of any interest to us to go forwards or backwards, only to go to a certain place at a certain time. The galaxy is vast, and the number of stars and planets limitless. But the number of planets that can sustain life are not without limit, and those that exist do not all exist at the right stage of development. Life evolves, grows, flourishes, and then becomes extinct. So it is with civilizations. Whole empires and races could have risen or fallen in the time it took to journey to them. Better to visit them when they exist, and not when they have fallen. The Portal fulfils this aim.
“Civilizations separated by time as well as vast distances could be brought together. Even if one civilization had risen and fallen during the time the planet of another civilization was still being formed, they could still visit one another, form alliances and even trade. The Portal could allow whole ships to pass, or one single individual.
“It is said that the Tun-Sho-Lok invented the Portal, although others also lay claim to it. But it is true that the Tun-Sho-Lok were possessed with the desire to experience other societies and other civilizations. It was they who pushed the limits of the Portal ever outwards, seeking more and more life-forms and civilizations to add to the vast community already linked. And many of those civilizations were at different stages in their development. Some may have perfected space travel, while others still crossed their oceans on ships powered by wind and the oars of slaves.
“At the height of their civilization, it was said that more of the Tun-Sho-Lok lived on other worlds than did live on their own, and that on some worlds they even interbred with the local populations. It was also said that in one day it was possible to see the sun rise as a red giant on the periphery of the galaxy, and see it set as a white dwarf in the globular centre. And in between, all the civilizations, the art, the language and the cultures, all would be open to you.”
Anne was enthralled by Kai-Tai’s description. “That’s marvellous,” she whispered.
Kai-Tai nodded. “Yes. A brilliant achievement by a race rich in art and technology. But with trade and alliances comes politics. And with politics comes war. The Portal opened the way for war as easily as it did for trade. But war was no longer in the past or in the future, and it was no longer safely separated by long distances. Everywhere, instantly, war was here and now. It destroyed everything. Civilizations scattered throughout the history of the galaxy all ended at the same instant. Whole races perished. Now there is nothing.”
Anne couldn’t believe it. It was so sad. Sad and stupid. “But why?” was all she could say.
Kai-Tai almost shrugged, but then the pain in her back showed in her expression and she quickly gave up.
“The answer is difficult,” she said. “I speak from my memory of a time I did not experience. The history I related was one instilled into my mind by those who created us. But after so many years it fades. I am old, my mind is in compression, and the unimportant memories are slowly being discarded. Soon I will forget.”
Kai-Tai looked across at Soo-Kai. “You also forget, my daughter. But what do you remember?”
“I am fortunate to be bonded,” Soo-Kai replied. “What I remember Rolf has written down. I have only to look to see what has past.”
Rowena immediately spoke up. “The journal! I left it on the cart!”
“It will be safe with the horses,” Prince Harold told her.
“I should hope so,” Rolf added. “I have some of my cloth on that cart.”
“But what about the war?” Anne said. “What happened?”
Kai-Tai spoke again to Soo-Kai. “You tell them,” she urged her. “Exercise your mind by retelling our history. Tell them of the war with the Keruh Empire; tell them the story of the clones of the Tun-Sho-Lok, of the Inside, Outside war, and the revolt of the Navak.”
Soo-Kai nodded. “I will try, but without my journal, I am unsure as to what I will remember.”
Rolf took her hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you.” He smiled at her, and slowly, Soo-Kai carried on the explanation her mother had begun.
“A war was not sought, but in their relentless search for other civilizations, the Tun-Sho-Lok found the Keruh. They were vastly interesting, with a society built around a primitive warrior code. They were not ready for what the Tun-Sho-Lok gave them. And access to the Portal gave them access to all.”
Soo-Kai now retold the history of the war and the creation of the clones of the Tun-Sho-Lok. What she forgot, Rolf filled in, remembering from what she had told him and he had written down all those years before. Some of the girls had already seen Soo-Kai’s journal and knew the story, but all listened quietly.
When Soo-Kai recounted the Battle of the Black Cross Nebula, and the arrival of the Destroyers on Ellerkan, there was complete silence in the chamber. She finally finished the story with the history of the battles that followed, and the persecution of the Destroyers by King Stephen.
The silence continued after Soo-Kai had finished. And out of everyone in the chamber, Anne seemed to be the most overcome by the story.
“It’s so sad,” she said in almost a whisper. “All that life, all those people and civilizations, it was all so wonderful, and now they’re all dead and gone.”
And Vanessa said, “Yeah, life stinks.”