Atlantis Rising (39 page)

Jon glared at Mike.

“No need to get that upset,”
Terri said. “It’s a bit much for us all.”

“I’m not done yet,” Jon said. He
focused his attention on Sa’oliq who backed up slightly.

“Captain,” Atlantis said.
“You’re…”

“Computer, disable AI! Minimal
functions, only,” Jon said. Atlantis disappeared from sight as Jon finished.
“Sa’oliq, I want you to think real long and hard about my next question.”

“Yes, M’Lord,” Sa’oliq said as
she bowed.

“Is there anything else I need to
know?” Jon said in an even voice. “Any more secrets I need to know about?”

“No, M’Lord,” Sa’oliq said.
“Nothing I’m aware of.”

“I swear I’ll space the next
person who keeps something like this away from me,” Jon said.

Carla’s hologram had walked up
next to Jon. Even though she was on the auxiliary bridge, she could hear
everything that was going on. Up to this point, she had been listening and
staying out of the discussion. Now she felt it was time to speak up, and she
did so.

“Captain,” Carla said.

“What?” Jon said, his voice still
showing his anger.

“You once told me that I needed
to see a larger picture when I’m in command,” Carla said.

“Yeah? So?” Jon said.

“Well, Sir,” Carla said. “You’re
not seeing the larger picture, here.”

“I think I see more than you
realize,” Jon said. “This secret business will end up hurting us in the long
run. I’m tired of people and their secrets! They should have told me about this
a long time ago. For them not to tell me, makes me think they don’t trust me!
If they don’t trust me, why are they here?”

“You’re right,” Carla said. “They
should have told you about something this important. You’re our leader, and you
have a right to know everything going on. You are also going to have to
understand that even though you’re our leader, you will not know everything.
You have to trust those people around you to do the right thing. You’re blowing
this whole thing way up, for no reason. Simply telling everyone you would like
to know about important things like this would have been fine.”

“Have you been talking to Marc?”
Jon asked. He blew out a breath as he tried to calm down. “I did over react a
bit, didn’t I?”

“No. Why? And yes, a bit,” Carla
said.

“You just sounded a lot like him,
there, for a second,” Jon said. “Computer restore AI. Com, have Deatra brought
back to the bridge.”

Atlantis blinked into existence
and opened her mouth only to see Jon hold his finger in front of his mouth, and
then pointing to her, motioning her to be quiet. Atlantis nodded and then
started looking through the data streams on the hologram as she waited.

Deatra stepped off the transport
tube a few minutes later, and made her way to where the small group was
standing.

“We’re here, now,” Jon said. “I
over reacted a bit about the whole thing. I do need you to keep me informed
about anything major that might affect the ADF as a whole. I’m not sorry for
what I said, but rather, for how I said it. So, let’s get back on track here,
and do what we have come here to do.”

Jon gave Deatra a brief smile as
he reached for her hand. She took it and nodded to Jon as she leaned into him.

“I’m sorry,” Deatra said. “I
didn’t mean to keep anything that was vital from you. I was just protecting
Terri until we knew more. We were all just trying to help.”

“I understand and respect that,”
Jon said. “I was caught off guard by the whole situation. After, when we talked
about it, it hit me wrong. I don’t keep anything from you, and I expect the
same in return. That is one thing you need to understand about me. I don’t hide
things from the people I care about.”

Everyone nodded his or her
understanding when Jon finished.

“So,” Jon said. “What do we know
about this system?”

“It’s said to be the base for the
Cypher Guild,” Atlantis said.

She touched the hologram and
zoomed to a planet that had a small pulsing dot marked on its surface.

“This planet has a small energy
reading, with a debris field around it. The planet has a breathable atmosphere
and multiple life signs.”

“Life signs?” Deatra said.

“Yes, I’m guessing it’s the
planets indigenous wild life,” Atlantis said. “I’m not getting any readings that
would point to a civilization being present.”

“Any idea what the debris field
is?” Jon said.

Atlantis nodded as she spoke, “It
appears to be some sort of battle field. However, they’re from an unknown class
of ship.”

“Strange,” Jon said. “Con, lay in
a course to that planet and put us in orbit.”

“Aye-aye, Sir,” the Con officer
said.

“Not really,” Sa’oliq said.

“Not really what?” Jon asked.

“She’s right,” Deatra said as
Atlantis nodded her agreement.

“She’s right about what?” Jon
said.

“The Cyphers are peaceful by
nature,” Sa’oliq said. “Their ships are unarmed and are usually protected by
the owners of the territory.”

“What about the Ga’sahde, I
thought they were the warrior sect,” Jon said.

“They were, but they were
destroyed long before the Cypher Guild was destroyed,” Sa’oliq said. “The
Cypher Guild stood for hundreds of years after the Ga’sahde. They weren’t seen
as a threat and served a purpose to the galaxy.”

“You mentioned something about
testing people,” Jon said. “How many are we talking about?”

“Ga’sahde or Cyphers?” Atlantis
said.

“Both,” Jon said.

“So far, about three hundred,”
Atlantis said. “Two hundred and twenty of them have the ability to be Ga’sahde,
the rest have the ability to be Cyphers.”

“How will all this work?” Jon
said. “Do we really want to bring them back?”

“What?” Sa’oliq said. “Of course
we want to bring them back.”

Deatra held her hand up as other
people started to speak. “The choice isn’t ours to make! It’s Terri’s right to
decide what happens with the Ga’sahde. She is the one who has to decide,”
Deatra said.

“Look,” Jon said. “This is
something we all have to agree on. It’s not something one person can decide.”

“It is and she will,” Deatra
said. “She outranks you on this matter.”

“Like hell she does! She’s my
sister, and I’m responsible for her,” Jon said.

“Jon, you’re not listening,”
Deatra said. “She is the Ga’sahde Alpha. It is her choice as to whether she
brings them back. You’re bound by the same law as the rest of us.”

“I’m not bound by any laws,” Jon
said.

“Sorry, Jon,” Atlantis said.
“When you took command of me and the station, you bound yourself to those laws.
If you refuse those laws we can’t allow you to command us.”

“They’re ancient laws,” Jon said.
“I can’t believe…”

“Stop,” Terri said, interrupting
him. “They’re right, I’ve read the laws, and this is something I have to decide
on my own.”

Jon looked at Terri, stunned. He
couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Terri, I don’t know if this is the best
thing for us,” Jon said. “We don’t know enough about this Guild. I know they
have their uses, and I can respect that, but I just don’t know if it’s the best
thing.”

“They’re maintainers of the
peace,” Terri said. “Well, at least the Ga’sahde was like that. Cyphers were
more like the lawyers of the galaxy, they made sure that contracts were binding
on both sides and no one took advantage of the other.”

“Oh great,” Jon said. “Lawyers in
space! Just what we need. Can this possibly get any worse?”

“It’s not that bad,” Terri said.

She giggled a bit at Jon’s
antics.

“So, how does all this work?” Jon
said. “I would like to know something about what is going on.”

“It’s pretty simple,” Terri said.
“The Cyphers are diplomats and are allowed to come and go freely, no matter
what is going on. Opposing parties called on them to ensure contracts between
people and races are legit, and say what they’re supposed to say. Governments
used Cyphers to negotiate treaties. All treaties have to have a Cypher present
to validate them. Without a Cypher to validate them, all major agreements are considered
nonbinding.”

Jon’s eyes widened as he spoke,
“Did you just say what I think you said?”

Terri nodded as she spoke, “Yes!
All agreements between the Invaru and their allies – and I use that term
loosely – are null and void.”

“This is why we hid Terri's true
identity,” Sa’oliq said. “Our people aren’t bound to the Invaru anymore, with
the reappearance of the Cyphers. We’re currently relocating closer to Ghost
Station. You see the danger now? Admiral Breq is the only reason you lived.
This is why I said you have important friends. If it had been any other Invaru,
you would have been attacked.”

“I had no idea,” Jon said.

“Part of what Breq said is true,”
Deatra said. “He will have to report it. He needs to log her as a Cypher. This
is both good and bad at the same time. It’s good that it lets the other races
know there is a Cypher. It’s bad that it puts her into a dangerous situation.
The Emperor will attempt to kill her if given the opportunity.”

“I have no plans on leaving the
Atlantis
,” Terri said. “My place is by my brother’s side and that is where
I will stay. This Ga’sahde just allows me to do what I want: fight and fly.”

“In a way, yes,” Atlantis said.
“However, you will also have other responsibilities. It’s very important that
if you start rebuilding the Guild, that you keep it a secret and build up
quietly. One or two more Cyphers showing up and no one will think much of it,
as you’re already here. A massive migration of people, though, and people will
start poking around. At the early stages, the Cyphers will be vulnerable.”

“Let me get this straight,” Jon
said. “The Cyphers mean the downfall of the Invaru Empire… or at the very
least, a downsizing. Right?”

“Yes, in certain aspects,”
Sa’oliq said. “The Invaru will try to declare the old laws redundant and have
them removed before Terri can make a presence.”

“How can we stop that?” Jon said.
“Now I’m starting to like the idea of rebuilding the Guild. Anything to put a
thorn in the Emperor’s side makes me happy.”

“Our people are already spreading
the word and the holo vids of the emergence of a Cypher,” Sa’oliq said. “That
should slow them down a bit.”

“You’re sneaky Sa’oliq,” Jon said
as he smiled.

“Thank you,” Sa’oliq said.

“Sir,” the Con officer said.
“We’re approaching the planet.”

“Contact,” the Tactical officer
said. “Fold event forming directly in front of us.”

“Condition red,” Jon said.

A ship the size of
Atlantis
appeared in front of her. The hull was a deep red and it had cyan markings on
its hull in tiger stripes. The cyan colored lettering on the side, named her as
the
Brisqeth
.

“What is that?” Jon said.

Everyone’s answer was the same,
they didn’t know.

That is until Sa’oliq said, “That
is a Ga’sahde ship.”

“Sir, we’re being hailed,” the
Com officer said.

“On main viewer,” Jon said.

A figure dressed in blood red
battle armor and cloak holding a large staff that glowed at either end stood in
the middle of the screen. A helmet visor deployed made it impossible to tell
what race or sex it was.

“Kiosah nuh ikas jutlaes,” the
figure said.

Jon tapped the side of his head
as he spoke, “Are the translators offline?”

Atlantis pulled up a screen on
the planning table and looked it over. “No, they’re working fine,” she said.

“It is what they are,” Sa’oliq
said. “Their language can’t be deciphered by normal means.”

“Ovax madij lakode ufaw,” the
figure said.

“How do we respond t…” Jon said.

“SHHHH!” Terri said.

The figure raised the staff in
its hand and tapped it on the floor as it spoke again, “Ighas ologen hufeq
ousad.”

“Pohus ikkjas,” Terri said. “Hope
I got that right.”

“What did you say?” Jon said.

“We come in peace,” Terri said a
she grinned.

Jon rolled his eyes as Mike
chuckled.

The figure’s head turned slightly
in Terri’s direction. “Onneas hijooa kilap neaw unjissak,” the figure said.

“Utepi pewea ijusah,” Terri said.

“You will be tested,” the figure
said.

“Tested?” Jon said. “What does it
mean by that?”

“I have no idea,” Terri said.

The figure made a motion with its
staff and a glow surrounded Terri. Jon reacted instantly, and grabbed her. A
blinding flash of light filled his vision. When his vision came back, he was
standing next to Terri, in front of the strange figure aboard the other vessel.