Chronicle of Ages (28 page)

After Maelgwn had reported his findings to Zerrah, he quizzed him as to what means may have been used to commit such a theft.

Zerrah produced what appeared to be a tiny hand gun, which was small enough to be easily concealed. ‘Something like this, I'd say.' He aimed it at a vase and fired, whereby the vase disintegrated into light wave matter and was sucked into the weapon. ‘It's a particle converter, which works on much the same principle as your fighter module.'

Zerrah reversed the function of the weapon, whereby it shot forth the light matter once more and it reformed into the vase. ‘I've already scanned it for prints.' He then shrugged. ‘Either it's been wiped clean or our thief was wearing gloves.' Zerrah placed the particle converter aside.

‘But the missing item was guarded by an alarmed force field,' Maelgwn posed. ‘Surely the beam from the converter should have set it off?'

Zerrah nodded to agree. ‘Unless it was specifically designed to avoid triggering the alarm system. It's been done before. No sooner have we devised a new defense system than some industrial thief has figured out a way to work around it.'

‘In fact, it's looking like all the hardware used to commit this theft was specifically designed for the job. While you were gone I ran a metal detector over the room.' He led Maelgwn to his next finding. ‘And came up with this.'

It was a small box-like object that was open front and back, so that you could see straight through the middle.

Maelgwn's information stores didn't recognise the device. ‘What is it?'

‘It took me a moment to work it out as well.' Zerrah grinned as he picked up a little bottle that was on a nearby bench. He placed it inside the device and the bottle vanished. ‘I'm pretty sure it's a mini-transporter plate.'

‘Curse it!' Maelgwn feared the device may have been used to get the NERGUZ out of Mazua already.

‘Now don't wet yourself,' Zerrah urged. ‘If Gibal is yet to invent a transporter with a range that goes beyond the radius of a city, I very much doubt anyone else has.'

Maelgwn's instincts disagreed. ‘I'll bet my life Inanna has the item in question already.' If the size of the mini-transporter was anything to go by, it looked as if Zerrah's assumption was correct — it had been specifically designed to cater for the NERGUZ. That was not to say that Inanna's officials had committed the crime. Whomever it was who'd been sneaking around in these quarters may have planted the evidence now laid out before him. The mysterious stalker may also have been looking for the stolen item, and this tiny transporter could be just a decoy.

‘Is there some way to trace the destination of this mini-transporter?

Zerrah shrugged. ‘There is one on my security team who might be able to hook it up to the central security system and extract the information. But only he could tell you if the components of this mini system are compatible with ours.'

‘Then you have my clearance to revive that person,' Maelgwn granted, ahead of pointing to the charichalum tubes that contained Inanna's officials. ‘These two will be the first to be questioned once we dock with the
Aten
.'

‘Agreed,' Zerrah nodded, rather interested to find out just how much the two Leonines knew.

 

As the time of contact with the
Aten
was fast approaching and Gibal had yet to make an appearance on the control deck, Maelgwn decided he'd best chase the Lord up.

But Gibal was not encountered en route, nor was he to be found in his quarters.

Maelgwn tried to reach Gibal via his communicator, but there was no response. Before panicking, Maelgwn reached for the secret PKA locator that Gibal had insisted he carry in case of an emergency. Unfortunately, he discovered that the pouch in his belt that had contained the device was now empty.

‘That's impossible!' he cried, beginning to wonder if he was capable of keeping track of anything?

‘Wait a moment …' Maelgwn focused on Gibal to teleport himself to his side, but again had no success.

Either he'd missed Gibal somewhere along the way and the Lord was now in the lab, or, whomever was in
possession of the stolen NERGUZ was using it on Gibal to prevent him from being found via thought projection.

Maelgwn gripped hold of his communicator.
Zerrah.

I read you Dragon,
Zerrah confirmed.
Is there a problem?

Revive your entire security team. Gibal may be missing.

What?

Maelgwn was sprinting towards a transporter when he realised there was an easier way. With no one around to witness the event, he envisioned the inner security doors to the lab and in an etheric instant, found himself there.

What do you mean, may be? Either he is missing or he isn't!
Zerrah demanded answers.

Maelgwn held his palm up to the security plate outside the inner doors to the lab. Once inside the top security area, Maelgwn willed himself to the control deck.

On the other end of the communications link, Zerrah had began to panic.
Dragon, answer me!

When Gibal was nowhere within the control deck either, Maelgwn breathed a heavy sigh of remorse for his negligence.
Confirm, Gibal is missing.

Just wonderful … this is a flipping nightmare!
Zerrah cursed, and then went quiet a moment.
So, who is going to dock Mazua?

I shall see to it,
Maelgwn advised.

Like you were seeing to Gibal's safety?
Zerrah mocked to make a point.
This isn't just some minuscule fighter craft, you know? Just how much flight experience have you got?

Maelgwn was hardly going to admit to having but a few hours of simulated pilot training.
You just concentrate on finding Gibal. Let me worry about the
Aten.

You had better be true to your word this time, Dragon. My kin, associates and dearest friends are in your hands.
Zerrah signed off.

Maelgwn let go of the communicator. He had no wish to endanger these people, but, as advised by mission control, he had to trust that his mind had been programmed to deal with such situations.

Thus, in blind faith, Maelgwn assumed the hot seat and placed his hands on the PK control plates that were on the end of both the armrests of Gibal's chair. Although Maelgwn had perused the ship's instrument boards many times before this, only upon this viewing did he come to understand all the different functions. Now he could make use of the data each readout disclosed. He was concerned to discover, however, that according to this ship's tracking device, the
Aten
should have been within sight and yet the huge spacecraft was not registering on any of the other instrumentation. Upon requesting an exterior visual, the visible monitor came to hover before him. On the screen all Maelgwn could see was light-years of deep space and the distant twin suns of the Sirius system.

‘Please Goddess,' he mumbled to himself as he lowered the headset that would allow him to communicate with craft outside of Mazua. ‘Surely I can't lose a space station of that size.' Maelgwn was about to attempt to raise a response from mission control on the
Aten
, when an exterior craft advised: ‘This is
Aten
patrol requesting identification of approaching craft. Respond or you will be considered hostile.'

Maelgwn breathed a sigh of relief as he saw two of the
Aten
's patrol craft shoot past over the city. ‘
Aten
patrol. This is Mazua control requesting top security clearance to dock.'

‘Grandpa, is that you?'

Maelgwn grinned broadly as he recognised his grandson's voice. ‘Confirm that.'

‘Well, holy subspace, Dragon, you do like to make an entrance.' Cadwell laughed. ‘Hang about, we should have clearance for docking presently.'

‘I'm hanging,' Maelgwn confirmed. ‘I also request an immediate audience with mission control.'

‘Passing on that request.'

All went silent in Maelgwn's headset a moment.

‘Dragon command,' Cadwell responded, finally, ‘mission control wish to know if you have achieved your directive.'

‘I have.'
I hope,
Maelgwn thought on the quiet. ‘I must advise, however, that I have a highly volatile situation on board. Until I have briefed mission control, I suggest this ship is kept isolated … no one departs, no one boards, except me.'

After another long silence Cadwell advised. ‘Mission control confirms your requests, Dragon. We are guiding you in.'

‘Much obliged, she's all yours.' Maelgwn's headset retracted and he sank into his seat, relieved to no longer be acting alone.

On the invisible screen before him, he witnessed the fabric of space rip open to reveal the
Aten
nestled in its fold. With the parting of the cloaking shield, all the
instrumentation began registering the larger craft it approached. The
Aten
was guiding the Mazua down beneath itself, where a special docking bay awaited designed specifically to accommodate the mobile city. The pinnacle that rose from Gibal's central operations building was the point of contact that housed the only corresponding hatchway through to the
Aten
.

As Maelgwn raised himself from the pilot's seat to make his way to the top level of the building, Aquilla entered the control deck. ‘I thought I told you to stay with Uriah.' He was angered by her defiance; with persons unknown loose in the city it wasn't safe for her to be wandering around on her own.

‘Zerrah said the Lord Gibal has gone missing.' Aquilla ignored his protest. ‘And as everyone else is in stasis and we are all accounted for at the time of his disappearance, that would seem to imply there is another player in this mystery, someone of the Nefilim persuasion most likely.'

‘Which is exactly why I asked you to stay with Uriah.' Maelgwn grabbed her by the arm on the way to the exit door. He didn't have time for this conversation.

‘Just listen to me!' Aquilla demanded, breaking free. ‘You could be blowing our only chance to catch the guilty party.'

With a heavy sigh, Maelgwn gave her leave to explain. ‘Talk en route.' He motioned her to walk with him.

‘If you still suspect that Inanna is behind all this, then I don't think you should question her representatives.'

‘What?' Maelgwn failed to follow her reasoning.

‘They are here to take delivery of the chariot for Inanna,' she reminded him.

‘Which they are
not
going to do,' he stressed.

‘But don't you see, it is the perfect plan B … for if we fail to turn up the missing item, the missing Lord, and our mysterious player, we can use the chariot as a cover to sneak into Inanna's stronghold. And,' she spoke up as the Dragon opened his mouth to protest, ‘no one said the chariot has to be in working order when we deliver it. If this unknown person is working with Inanna's representatives, then we want he or she to feel free to catch a ride back to her base with them. It will be considerably easier to search their transport than it will be to search this city.'

Maelgwn raised both brows, intrigued by the idea, as he could stow away on Inanna's vessel, wait until everyone on board was in stasis and then search the ship unhindered.

‘Fair foresight, huh?' Aquilla fished for a pat on the back.

‘Indeed,' Maelgwn smiled. ‘I may just do as you advise.'

‘You mean
we
,' Aquilla corrected, as she pulled Maelgwn to a stop. ‘I go with my machinery. Inanna will expect me to deliver the chariot and her blueprints to her.'

‘I'll see what I can do,' he advised as he resumed his course to the appointment. Unlike Tory, Aquilla was not an immortal warrior. Hence, there was no way he would allow her to accompany him on such a mission.

‘I want your word on it.' Aquilla seemed to sense his true intent, even without telepathic access to his thoughts.

Maelgwn stepped onto the closest transporter plate and took his leave without further comment. Truth be known, he had a plan of his own, that he dared not discuss with anyone before he had the Lord Marduk's consent to give it a try.

On the rooftop Maelgwn found the door to the tall tower that rose beyond Mazua's transparent domed force field, to connect with the massive underbelly of the central module of the
Aten
. The exterior security plate scanned his hand and granted him entry. Through the door was a platform that, as soon as it was occupied, rose to the top of the tower. As Maelgwn sped towards the hatch door above, he became a little anxious that perhaps the platform was not going to stop short of squashing him like a pancake. At the last moment, the hatchway vanished, and Maelgwn was elevated all the way into the
Aten
where he was met by two security guards.

‘Welcome back, Dragon.' Cadwallon greeted Maelgwn as he stepped off the platform into the small, enclosed security chamber.

‘We've missed you,' Candace added with a smile.

‘Not as much as I've missed you,' Maelgwn assured them both.

‘The Lord Marduk awaits you in the next chamber,' Candace advised.

‘We'll guard the hatch,' Cadwallon added.

Maelgwn nodded in gratitude and made straight for his audience. He hoped the Lord would not ask him to
remove the thought wave neutraliser he wore and pulled the sleeve of his suit down to conceal it from view.

 

Zerrah had teams of guards combing the city for the missing Lord, and was coordinating the search from the security quarters inside Gibal's central building. The man Zerrah had put on the job of attempting to trace the destination of the mini-transporter was the only other person present.

‘Captain,' he called for Zerrah's attention. ‘I know why I can't get a trace on this thing … it's not a transporter at all. It's a particle converter with no reverse function.'