"I've marked out the best places to try on these maps," Saul said as he handed over the Holo-Maps. The three had discarded their gear in their rooms and were looking out over the area from their main balcony. The brightness of the sun was diluted and they could get away with just wearing normal sunglasses now. Rows upon rows of walkways weaved their way through the trees taking the walker to numerous bars and eateries. Though this city catered for a simpler way of life, technology was still employed in certain areas such as the sound diffusers that surrounded the bars and the fields that walled the walkways.
The walkways and ground covering below were made from a type of dark quartz that glistened from the speckled sunlight streaming through the canopy above and enthralled onlookers with its many colours. Tree trunks jutted out from every nook and cranny, or so it seemed, but the city and the jungle seemed to nestle neatly together.
"Let's get something to eat before we carry on with our search. The fresh food here has quite a reputation from what I've heard."
Saul and Tianu both nodded and followed Thorn out onto the walkways between the trees. The fresh breeze rustled the leaves and the scent that hung in the air teased out memories deep within Thorn's mind of Prius 3 and the lush vegetation that grew there. Memories that he hadn't visited for a long while.
The fresh food was indeed special. An array of fruits and succulent meats in locally made sauces played with their taste buds as they ate. Saul and Tianu had never had such delicacies before. So juicy, and soft and the flavours were to die for.
It was an hour before they resumed their search. They split up. Thorn took the bars at ground level. They were beginning to fill up slowly. In each one, wherever he went, the stares followed him. There can't have been many humans around here, if any. Or maybe they knew something he didn't. Either way he was getting the same old answers.
‘Help, Thorn!’
The psychic cry came from Saul. Then the same from Tianu. Then silence. He reached out with his mind to find them, still a little weak from his previous exertions. Once he found his bearings he set off.
"Going somewhere in a hurry are we?" came a voice ahead of him and he stopped abruptly before he could get in to his stride. In front of him stood two Jornaerns. Strong and muscular, they towered over him wearing what seemed like some sort of battle dress. Black leather like material had been turned into a vest and at the shoulders some sort of light armour covering. The black material continued onto their legs forming a one piece outfit. Shin high boots finished the look.
Thorn saw with his mind three more behind him. He quickly looked into the mind of the Jornaern who spoke and saw what had happened to Saul and Tianu. They were safe, just out of action for a while. This put him at ease.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"That's not your concern. What is your concern is how quickly you and your friends can leave this system."
The three Jornaerns moved a little closer to Thorn.
"I can't do that just yet. I'm looking for someone."
"That someone you are looking for isn't here, doesn't want to be found, is dead. Take your pick."
Thorn smiled knowing he had finally found his lead.
"Now I know the first and last part of that statement is untrue otherwise you wouldn't be here with your four friends."
The Jornaerns face changed as he realised that Thorn knew about his three colleagues behind him. He seemed a little flustered as he replied.
"Well...that doesn't matter as we're here to make sure you leave. The easy way or the hard way."
Thorn tried to reason with him.
"I just want to see him for a short while. Tell him I'm an old friend from way back."
It didn't work. The Jornaern pulled out a laser whip from his belt that cracked the air as it flailed around. The other four followed suit. The hum in the air was kind of soothing in a deadly way and it massaged Thorn's mind for a split second distracting him. It was almost costly. As the first whip hit him his coat deflected it harmlessly out of the way. Then four more hits knocked him to the ground. One whip caught him on the cheek and it opened a two inch cut, knocking his sunglasses to the floor.
He let out a yelp of pain and cupped his cheek with his hand. He was temporarily blinded by the sudden bright light on his eyes, but closed them instantly and his mind took over. A temporary field enveloped his body deflecting the blows from the whips. This proved to be more exhausting than Thorn first thought.
He had to think quickly. Catching his sunglasses with his mind he threw them through the air at such a speed that when it hit the lead Jornaern it broke his nose. The whip dropped from his hand and he fell backwards to the ground. There was a split second when everyone stopped. This was Thorn's chance. He dropped the field around him, relieving the stress on his mind and jumped over to the fallen whip grabbing it as he forward rolled.
The four standing Jornaerns regained composure and readjusted their distance to Thorn to continue their assault. Thorn grabbed the closest with his mind and dragged him forwards so that he would take the full force of the next onslaught. Which he did to his fellow comrade’s dismay. The three weapons left their vicious marks on his body, shredding clothing and skin alike. The shrill cry from his lips lasted at least a minute while he lay on the floor writhing around in agony.
Thorn was now on his feet, whip dangling by his side. The three remaining Jornaerns, a male and two females hesitated on their next move.
"I don't want to hurt any more of you. I just want to speak to Ifor." Thorn tried the peaceful approach. Again it didn't work. The male pulled out a laser gun from behind his back and took aim. Immediately Thorn's mind took it from his grasp and broke it in half in mid air right in front of a startled face. He took the hint and fled into the narrow alleyways behind him. The two females didn’t take long to follow.
Thorn dropped the whip and knelt down beside the lead Jornaern. Blood was pouring through his hands as they cupped his nose.
"I want you to take me to my companions," he said to the forlorn figure. A low rumbling growl emanated from the Jornaerns throat as he got to his feet.
Thorn was led through the small alleyways for about twenty minutes before coming upon a solid wood door to a tall warehouse type building. The Jornaern banged on the door three times then paused and then banged another four times. Footsteps could be heard coming towards the door until it opened slightly and a scarred face peered through the gap. As soon as it did Thorn threw the door open. The Jornaern behind it went skidding across the floor and was pinned down by a force he could not see.
"Which way now?" Thorn followed the Jornaern up a flight of stairs, passed some unused and trashed offices to a room at the far end of the corridor.
“You go in first," he whispered to the Jornaern.
The door opened to a large room that directly overlooked the empty warehouse space below. The five Jornaerns inside were a little surprised when they saw their leader with red blood smeared over his face. Then when they saw Thorn they jumped into action grabbing for the weapons that they had left lying around on the tables they had been sitting at.
Too late. Thorn had whipped the weapons into a pile in the corner.
"Stop! At ease. I don't think you will stand much chance against this human. Let him be."
The five Jornaerns took a step backwards in response to their leader. Thorn saw to the left side of the room Saul and Tianu were laying on the floor. He went over to them.
"They are not harmed. Just a mild plant sedative that will wear off in a couple of hours. We were only sent to meet up with you and warn you away. Things got a little...out of hand. No hard feelings I hope?"
Thorn took no notice of what was said as he examined the two lying on the floor. He looked back up to the leader and pulled out the communicator.
"Give this to Ifor and get him to contact me. We'll arrange a meet then."
Chapter 23
"What do you mean he's psychic? Is he a TechPsycher?"
Zorba was
favouring his broken nose. He'd had a few broken noses in his time so it was an annoyance as much as anything else. He was trying to explain to Ifor of the encounter.
"He didn't have a headband, but he is definitely from Earth."
"Then they must have come up with some other way of giving them the psychic powers. A new breed of TechPsycher. God knows what they've done to these people to get them to this point."
"Whatever it is he is very powerful. Maybe more so than you."
Ifor shot Zorba a sharp look.
"Then we should go prepared with the element of surprise. Pelios!" he shouted to the next room.
A moment later a six foot human walked into the room. The same build and skin tone as Ifor, but some fifty years younger. He threw the communicator to the advancing man.
"I want you to contact this man pretending to be me and arrange a meet in the wasteland just outside the southern gate. About a mile outside by the abandoned camp. Make it for night fall where we'll have more cover. Zorba, round up five or six bodies and one good marksman. Place him on the large rock just outside the camp. Let's find out what this bum wants."
As Thorn made his way to the meeting point the night descended quickly. The three moons cast multiple shadows on the ravaged ground. Saul and Tianu had stayed back in the city under his instructions. Although he hadn’t seen Ifor for over thirty years there was something about the message he had received about the meet that didn’t sound like him. It made him suspicious. If there was to be any trouble he didn't want to have to worry about them. There may yet still be a trap waiting.
The camp, one of many dotted around the city circumference, lay in a ruinous state. Once home to many activities that were outlawed in the city, it was left empty when the city law enforcers actually did something about it. They thought the camps couldn't survive out here in the wasteland with the violent weather changes and wild creatures. But they underestimated the resilience and fortitude of the Jornaerns and finally gathered a strike force that took out the camps in one fell swoop. The violent and bloody fight was a black mark on Jarads history.
As expected, there were eight figures waiting for Thorn when he got there. A large fire had been started to combat the low temperatures once the sun had set. The figures had their backs to the fire as they watched Thorn walk up to them.
"Who is this human who seeks an audience with me," bellowed Pelios slightly overplaying his role.
Thorn stopped twenty paces from him. He could not see Pelios's face, but he knew from the sound of the voice it wasn't Ifor.
"I don't know who you are, but I've come here to speak with Ifor."
"I am Ifor!" Pelios tried and failed to sound convincing.
As Thorn scanned the other figures he could just about make out that each one was wearing the armour of the Jornaerns he had encountered earlier in the day, but they also wore masks that covered the top half of their faces.
"Enough of this charade. Show your face like the man you are supposed to be." With that Thorn ripped off every single mask and pointed at Ifor. "You are the one I have come to see!" When Thorn saw Ifor's face for the first time in over thirty years, emotions began to swirl around his mind. So much so that if the Jornaerns had decided to attack at that moment he would have been defenceless.
Ifor stepped forward in front of Pelios.
"Who are you?"
Thorn fought back the emotion to speak.
"Has it been so long that you do not recognise me, my brother?"
Ifor moved a little closer getting a better look at the face using the light from the fire. A spark of recognition softened his features and his eyes slowly widened.
"Thorn? Is that you?"
Thorn nodded.
"My God, Thorn!" Ifor rushed over to him and they both hugged and jumped around like two schoolboys who had just told each other that they had lost their virginity.
Chapter 24
The two men spoke for hours back at Ifor's house. Ifor regaled Thorn with tales of his mercenary life and some of the close shaves he had. The rum flowed freely long into the next day.
"I never pictured you in this kind of environment," Thorn gestured out of the glassless window to the thick woods beyond.
"It's the only place on this whole planet that I don't need my eye protectors. Besides, I need the peace every now and then."
Thorn fell silent for a moment.
"The others are still alive. Just like you they don't know of each other's existence. We have to get back together again and continue the fight against the TechPsychers. We can end their domination once and for all."
The constant smile that had been on Ifor's face since he had recognised Thorn slowly disappeared.
"I don't know, Thorn. They've gotten a hell of a lot more powerful in the time we've been out of action. They've pretty much sewn up the whole galaxy. There's only a few planets they haven't reached yet and it won't be much longer before they've got them in their control. Besides, I've got a nice little life here now."
Anger erupted in Thorn like a volcano.
"And what about all of those millions of innocent Naturals that are being hunted down and experimented on. Have they got a nice little life? Do they have big houses to go home to without fear of being invaded and dragged away to god knows where?" He leaned on the window sill and gripped it, turning his knuckles white, hoping to control his anger. "Time has changed you, Ifor. Somehow your morals have been corrupted. Selfless help for the needy has become selfish and needy." Thorn turned to Ifor and glared at him. "I hope you never experience what our home world Naturals experience." Thorn left before he said something he would regret.
Ifor gripped his glass. He reached out with his mind and threw a chair across the room smashing it and part of the wooden wall it hit.
Thorn had slept for ten hours before waking to the darkness again. Disappointment still choked his heart. He rose from his bed and headed straight for the shower. Not even the coldness of the water could change his mood.
In the main living area, Tianu was still awake watching some local entertainment on the wall viewer. He turned around as Thorn came into the room.
"How was your reunion? Have you managed to sleep off the after effects?"
Thorn requested cold water from the dispenser.
"As soon as you and Saul have rested for the night we'll head back to Chaulk. Enyar should be back in a week or so."
Tianu looked a little confused.
"What about Ifor?"
The cold water burned the back of Thorn's throat.
"Looks like he won't be joining us."
"Why? What happened?"
"He's been away from the fight for too long. Seems like the mercenary lifestyle has diluted his morals. I was expecting...more."
A banging on the door broke into the conversation.
"Who's around at this time of night," said Thorn. He released his mind to wander outside of the building to find Ifor at the door. A look of surprise tightened the skin around his eyes. Tianu got up to open the door.
"Is he in?" Ifor asked.
"Yes." Tianu stepped aside as Ifor walked past and stopped in front of Thorn.
"You're right! I've let it go for too long. I can't stand by any longer. My exile to this side of the galaxy has clouded my...our real purpose in life. We were born to free our people, no matter the odds."
A smile crept over Thorn's face.
"I think the odds have swung in our favour, my friend. Have you noticed a change in your psychic abilities since that trap on earth?"
Ifor nodded.
"Yes, I have. And they have improved significantly over the years."
"I'm betting the same has happened to the others. I've been honing my abilities for the last thirty years with the help of an alien from Vulzeon. His race has a long story that involves the TechPsychers, but that's for another day. Before the psychic bomb took us out, these aliens were monitoring us and by their calculations, if each one of us has had changes to our mind as I h
ave, with the right nurturing, we could be powerful enough to take down the TechPsychers once and for all."
Ifor beamed at that thought. It disappeared almost immediately. "I have one more job I need to do before I can go anywhere, though. It should only take a day or so. It's one I can't leave. It's for a very influential individual and I don't want to be upsetting her. Why don't you come along and I'll introduce you to my baby."
Thorn looked puzzled.
"OK. Why not?"
Chapter 25
Six hours later Ifor and Thorn were standing next to a Star fighter.
"Meet my baby," said Ifor. "She's still young, relatively speaking, but boy can she move. I don't know of a single craft that can out manoeuvre her or catch her when she's in full flight. Come on in." Ifor bounded up the ramp like a lamb in the spring with Thorn following on behind.
It had been a long time since he had been in a Star fighter. The closeness of the walls brought back memories of the Savage Mind all those years earlier. The sounds, the smells. All so familiar, as was the outline of the ship as they approached.
The long corridor led to a ladder which in turn led up to another corridor which took the two men into the heart of the fighter. The control centre. Once again a familiarity gripped Thorn.
"Do you recognise anything yet?" Ifor asked looking at Thorn.
"It does have a familiar feel about it."
"I had it built to my own specs. I tried a lot of ships, but never felt quite at home with them. So I had this built. It's modelled on the Savage Mind. With all new technology, of course, and a few alterations compared to a regular fighter to accommodate my new abilities."
Thorn looked around the room. It was spacious compared to anything he had seen in the ship so far. Towards the front of the room was a large display area covering the wall. In the centre of the room a main chair sat with six more arranged around it. Ifor flopped down in the main chair.
"Take a seat. Lift off is usually a bumpy affair on this planet."
The fighter rose from the landing site with an elegant lift, nosing gently skywards. It was out of the Jornaern atmosphere within a minute and hitting light speed thirty seconds later heading for the Cold Region, a desolate and isolated area of the Helix System. The Cold Region contained nothing that would be classified as a planet. However, large rocks, with the biggest being half the size of Jornaer, circled what seemed to be nothingness. That is nothingness that could be explained. A perfect circle had been followed, for as long as there had been anyone in the System, by the rocks, but no one could explain what they were circling.