Defender of the Empire 2: Facades (14 page)

Chapter 16 – A Change of Plans

Marius

             
“We are the partners of the immortal Spectrals, who are the eyes and ears of the Spectral Empire. We are the protectors in the shadows who guard the innocent. Cast by the Light, we are unafraid of the Darkness. We are Shades.”

He remembered speaking those words, that creed long ago. Before he had spoken them, he had studied their meaning. Even long after declaring them as his own, he still wondered at them. They were simple words, easy to speak. Poignant to say. It was harder to always live by them.

              Fear was insidious. Blinding. How else could he explain why he had never cared much for a colony world? He was supposed to be unafraid of the darkness, and protect the innocent. And yet, here was an entire planet shrouded in ugliness, in a darkness that he could practically taste.
Marius, what have you been doing?”
he thought, raking his fingers through his hair, his eyes staring at the ruined world below the LFA he was in.

              “What’s wrong, Marius?” Admiral Wingstar asked over a personal com-link. The use of his first name let Marius know they were not speaking as admiral to crewman. They were speaking as one Shade to another, which was good because Marius didn’t want to deal with the formalities at the moment.

              Marius nodded at the scene below them. “When did we turn blind, Braeden? Especially for
this
world? It is such an asset and yet… I haven’t been here till recently. Have you?” The fact that in all his time breathing he
hadn’t
come here before, was something he was not proud of. But without fail, he had always found somewhere else to be.

              Braeden was silent for a long moment before replying. “Once. Over a decade ago. Didn’t stay long.”

              “What would bring you here?” Marius couldn’t help but ask.

              “Desperation.”

              Marius frowned and looked past his friends—Westley piloting next to him, Jason typing vigorously into his console in another attempt to contact Rylynn, and the Masailen trained doctor, Amanda Terren. He looked past them all, to where the admiral sat with his head back and his eyes closed. Braeden slowly opened his eyes, and they were haunted when they met Marius’s gaze. Feeling like he was intruding, Marius turned away and tried to focus on helping Westley pilot the LFA.

              He was still curious, though.

              “I thought it was guarded enough to be safe,” Braeden continued through the com. “I also thought it was out of the way enough to be obscure. I was blind, Marius. I didn’t see this coming. I’m not sure
she
saw this coming, either.”

              “She?”

              “My sister-in-law,” Braeden replied dryly. Marius barely stopped himself in time from whipping around to stare at the man. It had long been believed that Braeden didn’t have time for a wife. They had thought he was too involved with his work. The prevailing joke was that he was married to his ship.

With that thought in mind Marius said, “I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“Several. And while some of their wives seem to miss nothing, none of them knew things like my wife’s sister,” Braeden said with amusement, as if he knew what a bombshell he had just thrown at Marius.

When he could order his thoughts again, Marius said over the com-link, “You are full of surprises.” He really wanted to ask who the lady had been, but he hoped his fellow Shade would take pity on him and answer the unasked question. If not, he’d have to turn to Zara, who’d have a ball stringing him along.

              “So are you,” was, sadly, the only response he got.

              MARIUS, WE FOUND HER, Zara reported before Marius could decide how much trouble he wanted to be in.

             
Where?
Marius asked, ready to guide the LFA in that direction and figure out how to explain it to the others.

              ON THE EDGE OF THE GREAT FOREST NEAR THE COLONY CITY OF PREH’HETI. SHE IS NOT ALONE, Zara warned.

We are on our way,
Marius replied, beginning to scan in that area.
Who else can we expect?

TWO TELMICKS AND SIX OTHERS, ONE OF WHICH IS OF THE L’UF.

Interesting,
Marius thought, remembering the last part of the letter from Rylynn’s aunt telling her niece to talk to the L’uf. A moment later, Marius was smiling to himself. “Hey, I just got something.”

“Did you now? Congratulations,” Jason said before meeting his narrowed gaze and saying, “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

Marius rolled his eyes. “I think I found her. There is a small group of mixed Telmick and human bio signs. It’s not something I’ve been seeing a lot of outside the colony cities.”

“Let’s check it out,” Braeden said, and Marius typed in the coordinates.

“We have company!” Jason suddenly shouted. Westley jerked the controls in surprise, which turned out to be a good thing because that tiny movement was enough to save them from a laser blast.

Westley cursed before flushing and apologizing to the doctor. “Sorry Ma’am.”

“More coming in!” Marius called out.

“Right,” Westley muttered before doing what he did best—fly. The shots were numerous and while Westley was good, some things were just impossible to avoid. The LFA shuddered and the lights flickered before staying on.

“We can’t take another hit like that,” Marius said.

“No kidding,” Westley snapped.

“We’ll have to change plans. Take us to Sage’tehti. We won’t do anyone any good getting shot down,” the admiral ordered. Marius plugged in the new coordinates, and Westley veered toward the prime city. “Winter, open a channel to the officials of Sage’tehti. It wouldn’t do to survive the Telmicks only to be shot down by our own.”

“Aye Sir. Channel open,” Jason said quickly after pressing the right buttons.

“This is Admiral Braeden Wingstar of the LFH
Hail Mary
. We are coming in hot.”

“The gate’s open, Admiral,” The city’s communications officer reported.

“My thanks.”

“The mayor would like to see you once you land,” the officer continued, before cutting the transmission.

“Politics,” the Admiral muttered as Westley guided the LFA out of Telmick range and over the sprawling city of Sage’tehti.

Chapter 17 – Jack Fairhand

              Rylynn

              On the third floor of the Rosemary Apartments, the elevator opened to reveal two doors. I assumed this was probably the same for all the floors, but we’d either passed them or didn’t care to go that far. Both doors looked like mirror reflections of each other, the same light wood construction surrounded by darker wood molding. The walls were a pale orange. There was nothing to differentiate this floor from any other, so why Ace felt the need to say ‘here we are’ in an excited voice I have no idea.

              “And where is here?” I asked when all we had done was to get off the elevator. Kifen and Talis seemed to be agreeing with me, I guessed looking at their pained expressions. Mykio leaned against the wall near the elevator, grinning.

              “Pick a door,” Ace replied.

              I stared at him, trying to understand what could possibly be going on in that little head of his. It was obvious that he meant one of the two doors before us, but I was seriously tempted to choose the elevator behind me. He did, after all, say ‘pick one’. But there was something else going on. I could feel it. I looked away from Ace, at the two doors.

              “What is the point of this?” Talis asked, as I just looked from door to door.

              “Fear not,
Talklen
. This won’t take long,” Ace said with a confidence I wondered about. Just for the craziness he had been dragging me through, I considered not choosing either door and make them wait. But that other part of me that kept insisting there was something else going on refused to do that. It made me think that I hadn’t studied for a test or something.

             
M. Kit, do you sense anything about the doors? Wait! Let me rephrase that,
I quickly amended, knowing that she would likely respond with something about not being connected to the doors or something.
Can you enhance my eyes?

             
“Of course,” she said, amusement coloring her tone, and my vision became clearer. A shimmering glyph on the right hand door appeared. I took a step closer, trying to make it out. It looked like a lantern before a prison door.

              “That one,” I said pointing at the door on the right. Either he was looking for the door with the mark on it, or he wasn’t. Either way, I had chosen a door.

              Ace didn’t react, save to knock on my choice. I could just barely hear movement on the other side, before it was pulled open. A man with graying blond hair stood there. His eyes were a familiar shade of blue. “Hello, Jack,” Ace greeted.

              The man raised an eyebrow. “Greetings Ace.” He turned and his gaze landed on me. “I see you brought company.”

              “Jack, I’d like you to meet Rylynn Sinclair. Rylynn, this is Jack Fairhand,” Ace said, introducing us. I blinked. This was the man my aunt wanted me to meet? And Ace knew him as well? What was going on?

              “Ah Rylynn! It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Please come in, all of you,” Jack said, waving us in.

              “I’d love too, but I have to return to the gang,” Ace said, patting the older man’s shoulder as the Telmicks and I trooped in. We walked into a very nice living room, one whose white carpet I felt incredibly dirty standing on. Dark brown leather sofas provided seating that I dared not touch—again, because I didn’t want to ruin them. Neither Talis nor Kifen looked too comfortable, either. Adjacent to the door and living room was an open kitchen, compete with an island.

              Jack sighed. “All right then. Be safe. You too, Myk,” he added to Mykio. The L’uf inclined his head and the door shut as he and Ace left. Jack then turned to the Telmicks. “You will be wanting your payment now.” He moved to a tablet on the island and gestured Talis over. “This is the previously agreed upon amount, but I hear you lost a shuttle.”

              “A hazard in our line of work.”

              “And expensive,” Jack stated. “What is the point of payment for a job well done when a portion of it goes to replacing equipment?” Jack tapped something else, and Talis blinked. He then bowed to Jack.

              “You are a generous employer,” Talis said.

              “And you do good work,” Jack replied as he put the tablet back down. He offered his hand to Talis. “I look forward to working with you in the future.”

              “Agreed,” Talis said, shaking Jack’s hand before stepping back.

              “Here is a way to communicate with your ship,” Jack said, opening a drawer and pulling out a communicator. “It is secure,” he added, then walked toward me. I had to focus on him now, instead of deciding when a good time to raid his handy kitchen would be. “And now you and I can talk,” Jack smiled. I glanced from him to the Telmicks who had gone to speak with their shipmates, then back at Jack again.

              Jack confused me. He seemed quick and flighty like a bird, and yet he had a manner about him that demanded respect. He also had features that reminded me of someone else. “You’re related to Ace,” I said.

              If my goal had been to throw him off, I would have failed. Jack laughed. “Come and sit. Yes, Ace is my son, not that he often admits it.”

              “That explains why Ace knows you, but not about my aunt. Why did she tell me to talk to you?”

              “You are very blunt, aren’t you?”

              “Some days.” I shrugged and waited for him to answer the question.

              Jack sighed. “Your aunt and I were friends.”

              I shook my head. “How could you be friends? I never heard about you...”

              “Well of course not. We couldn’t let everyone know. The more ears that hear, the more chance the enemy will too,” Jack said in a slightly playful tone.

              I blinked. Aunt Sylvie had mentioned an enemy as well. “Who
are
you?” I asked, meeting Jack’s eyes.

              All playfulness left him. “I am Jack Fairhand of the Guardians,” he replied in all unhelpful seriousness. Seeing my expression, he smiled. “Which I guess means nothing to you. Very well, let me start at the beginning. I am an anthropologist. I had heard the rumors surrounding the L’uf people. Some sounded fantastical, others were just crude. Curious to know about Lenti’s native people, I went in search of them. A very long story short, I was accepted into a Pack and they told me their stories. One of those chilled me to my soul with a terror that would not abate until I did something about it. That was what made me start the Guardians. It is a truth that only they have the right to tell you, unfortunately. Which is why I will bring you to them very soon.”

              “Does this have something to do with the ‘enemy’ you mentioned earlier?” I wedged in while he took a breath.

              He smiled, whether at the question or because I had interrupted him, I don’t know. “Yes. Your aunt Saw that. She Saw that there was danger coming, and this was the place through which it would come. It fit with what the L’uf had told me, and will tell you. But things were still quiet. We had time. We used that time to grow the Guardians to its current strength, always being careful, though, of who we trusted. Our enemy has many eyes and ears. The enemy is also cunning, something Sylvia warned us about, and quick to find weaknesses and exploit them. We work only with those who can sense danger coming and can see the lantern before a prison gate.”

              “The symbol on the door.” Now Ace’s little door test made sense. Frowning, I had to ask, “What is behind the other door?”

              Jack patted me on the shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

              “Curiosity killed the cat?”

              “You could say that,” Jack said with a wry smile.
Lovely,
I thought with a suppressed shiver. Suddenly I was very glad that I hadn’t just picked a door. Jack patted my shoulder again, then folded his hands in his lap and continued. “Our organization works behind a business front that does well for itself, but doesn’t draw attention. With the resources we earn and tech we discovered, we keep watch. Which is why our symbol is the watch lantern.”

              Jack sat a moment in silence, then sighed. “But then, years later, your aunt came to me and warned that the time was coming. She said that you were the key to our defense, but you were not ready yet. You had to leave Lenti in order to come back when the time was near. She told me this through tears in her eyes.” Jack looked away from me with a pained expression. “If only she had told me what was wrong… but she didn’t. She waved away my offers of help before running.” Jack paused a moment before continuing slowly. “The next day she was gone.”

              I looked out the window. I had seen her afraid only that one time, when she was kicking me out of the house. She knew what was coming and yet she didn’t tell me. She didn’t accept Jack’s offer of help. I looked over to where the Telmicks were standing. Jack was a wealthy man to have paid the ses-Ky. He lived in a prime city in a well-to-do neighborhood. His son led a successful gang. He had just told me about the resources and reach the Guardians had. Ace had demonstrated how successful their tech was, when he kept my Medi-Comp from calling for help—a signal that was still in effect, mind. Jack had resources. His Guardians had money. And yet my aunt hadn’t thought they could do anything to protect her.
What were they afraid of?

              There was a knock on the door, and Jack went to answer it. I fidgeted. I couldn’t figure out if I wanted to stay where I was, or if I should stand.
How do we not trip on the tangled web we are in?
I wondered. That is what it seemed like to me. The more you look into the shadows, the more you discover. It seemed as if everything in creation had a façade. Most were attempts to cover up those things that shame us. But others, like my aunt and the mask the Guardians wear, seem to hide a whole other world, one populated by people more paranoid than me.
Do the Shades know about the Guardians?
I wondered. Did they know about the enemy I had heard about twice now?

              Was this about the Soul Shadows?

              Kylesst had mentioned them. He had suggested that they might be the ones behind the ambush that killed my mother. Scrae had said they had forged that abomination called the
Lous-eci’dalb
. Were they the threat my aunt had been warning about? If so, how would one fight something that most don’t believe exists? One that operates behind the scenes? Did they have physical bodies, or were they similar to Spectrals? And if they were like Spectrals, how would you fight that? Did we need flashlights to spear them with light?

              I was brought out of my chaotic musing as Jack came over with another man. I stood up, not liking being cornered on the couch. I wasn’t sure what was going on any more, and my paranoia had kicked in. I was tired of being in the dark. I needed answers. But apparently I had to go through another round of introductions.

              The man walking slightly behind Jack looked to be a couple inches shorter than Ace. He had a more compact build than Ace’s lean muscles. His skin was the tri-colored curse of a redhead who’d been out in the sun a lot. The tops of his arms and face were a freckled red, while the underside of his arms were paler. Ace had a similar problem, but must be solving it by staying out of the sun whenever he could, something that this man didn’t seem to have as a choice. His copper red hair was a mass of thick red fuzz on his head.

              “Rylynn, I’d like you to meet Timothy Draeson. He will be coming with us when we meet with the L’uf.” I shook Timothy’s proffered hand.

              “Are we going soon?” I asked Jack.

              “Soon,” Jack confirmed unhelpfully. I was getting tired of almost-answers and their non-answer cousins.

              “We’ll have to,” Timothy said, with a smile at my frustration. For being paranoid, these guys sure smiled a lot. “It’s a long way and we will need to rest often,” Timothy continued. “But I keep myself from getting bored. Do you like to play games, Rylynn? I find they always help to pass the time.”

              “I like them,” I replied.

              “Excellent,” Timothy said with a big grin, and Jack groaned.

              “Good luck, Rylynn,” Jack said, patting Timothy on the shoulder, “this one loves his games. He can be relentless at times.”

Timothy laughed, and I wondered what I had just gotten myself into.