Chapter 2Ф
The split in the rock was tall, but it became narrower the higher up it went, and the fissure was uneven so that X could only occasionally make out daylight above. He continued into the dim passage quickly, eager to get out of range of any stray fire that might come through the opening, from either side. Mirana was nowhere to be found. After continuing around a curve or two so that he could see only a short distance ahead or behind, X stopped to catch his breath. He suddenly thought that calling Jenara might be a good idea, and it was only then that he realized that his com unit had gone dead. He checked the blaster that he always carried when he went out and found that it was dead as well. He put both away and started forward, slower this time, wondering what could be so important about this path that would cause so much trouble back at the entrance.
X jumped with a loud shout as a voice spoke right in his ear.
“I thought I made it clear that you can go.”
His yell had drowned out most of that sentence, but he settled down as Mirana appeared in front of him, eyeing him sternly.
“I came to… What are you… Wait. I thought there was some kind of block to your invisibility thing.”
“It’s the mountains,” Mirana said matter-of-factly. “The Shadow Masters infused them with a bit of their power so that when the Enlightened set up their scanning field, the whole range glowed green. They knew something was up, but there was no way to pinpoint it. So they had to modify their energy field to exclude this rock.”
“I see,” X said, still feeling nervous. He was still wrestling with the dichotomy of his having helped her and her having threatened to kill him.
Mirana seemed to sense his apprehension. “I wasn’t going to do it, you know. I just knew that Valkron wouldn’t risk hitting you with his attack.”
“I think Jeldor might be dead,” X managed, not quite ready to put the battle behind him. “You know, the dragon you so conveniently hid behind. And there are people fighting for their lives up there, too.”
“They are attacking what they think is a threat,” Mirana corrected. “I have no control over that station. Or Garodus.”
“Who, that black dragon? You know its name?”
“I remember his name. Only it’s with someone else’s memory. He was left here, just in case someone tried to stop the future Shadow Master from reaching the Final Legacy.”
X sighed. “All right, I give up. I’ll just be quiet while you explain things from the start. But you’re going to have to take me with you; I’ve been exploring this planet for too long to turn back now.”
Mirana seemed to consider his proposal for a moment, then shrugged. “You can come, as long as you can keep up. But I’m still in a hurry.”
Mirana recounted her trip to the station and her escape from the dragons as they worked their way along the path, which seemed to be sloping downward slightly. X kept expecting it to end in some climactic setting, but it simply wound onward as they walked. It had opened up a little, and to his surprise the sky was still visible overhead when Mirana finished. “Why is this little canyon still open? You’d think we would have seen it from the sky.”
Mirana smiled. “You’re forgetting where we are.” X gave her a confused look, and she continued. “We’re not in a canyon; we’re in a cave. The ceiling is wrapped in a Shadow field that shows the sky above. It’s maybe not the most efficient way to provide light, but their power storage was pretty good, especially when the whole planet could serve as a reservoir.”
X shook his head in amazement. “I’m not sure I’m going to get used to you doing that. How many people’s memories do you have?”
She smiled, evidently amused by X’s bewilderment. “It’s not exactly like I have their memories; I can’t pick out specific details, and there’s nothing personal. There’s a mass of knowledge in there, but it’s too fuzzy to pick out until something becomes immediately relevant.”
“But you said they gave it to you to motivate you to come here.”
“I guess so. I was already planning to come. But those so-called Enlightened people were definitely on the evil side.”
“I’m having trouble believing that,” X said quietly.
“What, because of the dragons? It’s not like they were the actual rulers. They seem to have been left as guardians, with a very simple mission to accomplish: keep me out. It wasn’t a bad plan, really – creatures like that could live as long as they needed to, and since their power is tied to their bodies, the technology-blocking energy field wouldn’t impede them.”
“I just can’t believe that Valkron would just go all violent like that based on some ancient war.”
“Don’t be too hard on him. He did let me go to save you, after all.”
X was silent for a while, willing his thoughts to change the subject. The next thing on his mind was hardly more comforting, though. “Jenara is going to go nuts when she hears about all this.”
Mirana looked like she was stifling a laugh. “So what’s the deal with you two, really? You don’t work together, but you’re always talking about her. And don’t tell me it’s just because you ‘grew up together.’”
“Yeah, well, that’s complicated. I told you about her and Ned. The thing is, I was used to Jenara being all independent and everything, but seeing her dating – or whatever – I realized that I was feeling a little jealous. So once we got back to Palandora, I sort of tried to get past the brother-sister thing we had had going on. I guess I had always had a crush on her, and I guess she was ready to open up – you know, after going through a war and everything. I felt like we had a lot in common, and things seemed to be going well. But then her father retired, and Jenara was elected Queen. Everything sort of changed after that. There was so much to do that she never really had time. You know, to spend together.”
Mirana actually stopped walking and gave X an incredulous look. “Are you telling me you couldn’t handle dating a woman with a job?”
“Of course not! It was just the opposite – Jenara was the one who said she didn’t have enough time. It really bothered me, and I kind of withdrew, but she didn’t want to stop being friends, so we meet for breakfast once a week.”
Now Mirana’s expression changed to one of pity. “Oh dear. I don’t have a lot of dating experience, but that sounds like the worst of both worlds.”
X smiled, feeling strangely relieved to be talking about this, even given the odd circumstance. “Yeah, it is. It’s not enough to really feel like we’re friends, but seeing her regularly makes it hard to let go.”
“Do you want to let go?”
“I have no idea. I’m afraid I’m permanently infatuated with her, regardless of what happens. She’s really pretty amazing, you know.”
Mirana started walking again, looking thoughtful. “That certainly sounds complicated. Kind of makes me glad I haven’t had to deal with that sort of thing. Although…” She stopped again. “Did you know the galactic social network is spreading gossip about me?”
“Really?”
“Yes. Apparently I have ‘fans.’ And from what I hear, they all expect me to marry Ned.”
X had to smile at that. “Well I wouldn’t pay much attention to what people say on the network. You can see where they get that, though. You do sort of have some unique things in common.”
“What, because we have similar weapons? Because we’ve been in a couple of the same battles?”
“And because of what you’ve done together, I guess. I’m not saying I agree with them.”
Mirana resumed walking, but the idea clearly still bothered her. “You can’t build a relationship based on continual challenges. That sort of thing is what stresses a relationship. You can only get close to someone if you have time to relax together. You have to spend time on your own initiative.”
“I guess maybe that’s true, although time spent does count for something.” X realized that Mirana was glaring at him again, so he added, “I guess I’m talking about Jenara and myself
more than you. We have a ton of history together on our own initiative, but there’s just no time now.”
Mirana gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, exuding pity again. “You’ll be fine. But take my advice. If she does ‘go nuts’ when you see her again, rethink where you want things to go with her. ‘Stewing’ is never a flattering state to be in.”
“Wise counsel from the Shadow Master,” X said with a smile. “I’ll try to remember that.”
The path was even wider now, and X was finding it increasingly amazing that the sky above could be an illusion. The invisible ceiling must have been high above, since the sounds and the feel of the breeze gave no hint that they were in a cave. There were even mosses and vines clinging to the stone, and water splashed down the rocks in a few places, eventually collecting into a stream that trickled along the path on the right-hand side. When the path was wide enough, Mirana started jogging, and X kept pace.
“I don’t suppose you know how long we’re supposed to be traveling…” X said after a minute of this.
“Nope. I guess we- Wait a minute.” Mirana stopped short and looked back. X looked around, but there was nothing but the babble of the stream and the rush of a little waterfall they had just passed. Mirana walked up to it, then turned back with a smile. “I almost missed it.”
“Missed what?”
“The path. It goes this way.”
X looked at the waterfall, then back down the canyon they had been following. “You lost me again.”
“Haven’t you heard? There’s always something hidden behind a waterfall.” And with that, Mirana ducked her head and jumped, clearing the stream and splashing into the falling water, somehow passing right through the canyon wall behind it.
“Mirana?”
“Come on,” her voice called out of the rock. “It’s just like the ceiling.”
X followed her through the falls and into a small cave, where he brushed as much of the water from his hair and clothes as he could. They continued forward around a sharp bend to the left and soon emerged from the tunnel. They were now standing in a roughly cylindrical chamber surrounded by sheer cliffs that seemed to reach up to the sky visible above, but presumably they actually ended in another ceiling somewhere. The ground was grassy but otherwise featureless. There were no paths leading out.
“A dead end?” X speculated.
Mirana kept looking forward as she spoke. “No, but this might be where you turn back. The floor’s not safe.” She walked forward a few steps and then knelt down and reached her hand out to the grass. It passed right through.
X frowned. He was not sure how long his curiosity would last if things got dangerous. While he thought, Mirana backed up a bit and then took a running jump. X held his breath, but Mirana landed casually some distance out. She jumped again and found another patch of solid ground.
“I’m not even surprised anymore,” X said. “I don’t suppose you can just tell me where to go?”
“I’d rather not risk it,” she called back, walking a careful line that wound around and took her near the right-hand wall of the room. She changed direction a few more times, crossing the room on the far side, then started making her way toward the center from the left wall.
X had no idea what she hoped to accomplish by prancing around an empty room, and he tried looking for something interesting in the walls or the vines up above – assuming those were even real. When he found nothing of interest, he got down on his hands and knees and crawled over to where Mirana had shown him the drop-off. It was an eerie feeling when his hand went through the grass; he felt nothing, but it looked like his arm was buried in the ground. Mirana was still working her way around the room, so X did the only thing he could think of to pass the time: he leaned out and stuck his head through the floor.
The experience was decidedly disappointing; it was completely black down there. X had hoped to get a glimpse of where this hidden pit led, but evidently the illusion was completely blocking light from above, unlike the Shadow field on the ceiling. He kept his head there anyway, listening, but the only thing he could detect was the possibility of a slightly warm breeze coming up from below.
When he pulled his head back up, Mirana was watching him from the center of the room.
“Anything interesting?” she called, obviously not expecting an affirmative answer.
X climbed to his feet, feeling a bit dejected. “Just darkness. What about you?”
“There’s an opening in the floor. I’m not sure how soon I’ll be back, or even if I’ll come this way. You really should go back.”
X sighed. “Do you think that Garodus fellow is gone? I’d hate to get fried by Shadow fire the moment I step outside.”
Mirana shrugged, a guilty look on her face. “I’m exploring just like you. If you want, you can wait in the canyon; I promise I’ll come find you if I make it out before you do. You know, assuming there isn’t some dire need elsewhere. I really am sorry.”
“It’s okay,” X called out, knowing she had more important things to worry about than his logistical issues.
“Just one more thing then,” Mirana said, looking serious. “If you happen to see Ned before you meet up with me again, please tell him I’m okay.”
“I will. Good luck.”
Then she jumped, vanishing through the grass and leaving X alone.
X waited for just a moment before making his way back through the cave and past the waterfall. He paused there for a moment, debating whether to hurry back to make contact with Jenara or to continue onward. But he still had not really learned anything here, so he decided to continue along the path they would have taken if Mirana had not noticed the hidden passage. The canyon continued to widen as he went, but after several minutes X reached the end of the path; a rockslide had blocked all progress forward. There must have been something on the other side, since the stream pooled just slightly at the edge of the rocks. The water had to be going somewhere. X walked up to the nearest boulders, even climbing a few to test his weight. But the blockage was high, and since there was no way of even knowing how much of what he was seeing was real, he decided it would be foolish to continue onward without Mirana. Besides, this section of the path was probably just a decoy anyway, in case someone accidentally found the canyon before the Shadow Master had returned. Dejectedly, X started making his way back.
Before long X was coming up on the entrance again, and he slowed, listening for some clue as to what he might find outside. Everything was silent; whatever the battle’s outcome had been, it seemed to have ended. X tried calling out, hoping for a response from Valkron, but still there was nothing. He was still not convinced that there wasn’t a monster out there waiting to attack him, but he slowly approached the entrance and peeked out.
The entire area was empty. The ground was torn up and several trees were shattered or scorched, but even Jeldor’s huge body was gone – either he had managed to lumber off, or the other dragons must have removed it somehow. X kept his eye on the cliff above as he walked out into the valley, but still nothing moved. As relieved as he was not to be attacked, it was a little unsettling to see no sign of Valkron. X felt keenly aware of how alone he was. There was nothing he could do until he was in communication range, though, so he turned left along the cliff face and started walking.
X knew that he had left the electrical inhibitor field when his com unit beeped. He quickly pulled it out and found that Jenara had been trying to call him for a long time. He called her back and got a response immediately. If she was relieved to see him alive, that sentiment was buried by an obvious sense of panic.
“X, you’ve got to get back right away,” Jenara said in a quick breath. “It’s Nakmar Dren. Two Vortak ships showed up on our scanners moving at triple-digit warp. I have no idea how. She’s brought them here, X!”
This was certainly bad news, but X tried to respond calmly. “It’s okay, Jenara. The corridor is still blocked, right?”
“Yes, but X, we thought we were
safe here, and look what happened!”
“What has happened? Is the battle over?”
“We had to pull the ships back – even Black Fang. All of the weapons platforms are gone. We couldn’t even get a shield reading on that moon thing, so I have no idea how much we damaged it. It did back off finally, but we’re in no condition for another battle!”
“Okay. Just keep everyone away. Jenara, did you see what happened to the dragons?”
“That what? X, haven’t you been listening? The planet is under attack!”
X knew the irritation building inside him was not really fair, but he was having trouble holding it back. “Mirana is the only one who can deal with Dren,” he said pointedly. “I followed her to figure out what was going on. If she wants to face him, we might be able to get Dren to ignore everyone else.”
“We might? And what if she hides? Do you know where she is?”
“Roughly.” X cringed at the look he knew was coming.
“Great, that’s great. X, you need to get back here. Because if Dren wants to start by using up a bunch of torpedoes laying waste to that whole area, I’ll just be glad he’s spending them there and not here.”
X gulped, thinking of Mirana alone in that cave, unaware of just how close her enemy was. But there was no sense in looking for her now, and Jenara was right about one thing at least – he had to help the Palandorans be ready for an actual invasion. He signaled a shuttle and started looking for a clearing that would make him easy to spot. But as he waited, X could not help but think that he had already lost any chance he might have had to make a difference.
As much as Jenara Trennon would have preferred to have her friend present to help her reason the situation out, matters deteriorated so quickly that in the end she had to face it alone. Just minutes after she had finished her call with X, a transmission came in from the starship Dread Phoenix, one of two warships that had somehow made it to Uraxis before anyone had found time to plan a response. Jenara asked General Orvinder to take the call, but even that small stalling tactic proved fruitless; Nakmar Dren wanted to talk to the Queen.
Jenara gulped as the man’s face appeared on her screen. He had a murderous, almost tortured gaze, and the flames that filled the room he was in made him look that much more intimidating.
“Queen Trennon,” he greeted in a dispassionate voice. “This communication is a courtesy. I thought you should know who was about to destroy your planet.”
“We are prepared to defend ourselves,” Jenara replied, keeping her chin high in defiance. “This nebula is our fortress.”
“Yes,” Dren said with a hint of condescension. “A mighty fortress that Kayleen Rax helped you fortify. I hope it doesn’t surprise you that she gave me the access codes for the corridor blockade. I will be coming through shortly.”
Jenara’s heart sank. Of course there was still a chance Dren was lying, but really he had no reason to do that. Why would he even come if he had no plan for getting in? She tried to mask a nervous gulp, knowing that any sign of weakness might rob her people of precious time to escape whatever Dren was planning.
“I assume you know why I’m here.”
Jenara’s brow lowered as she was forced to discuss yet another menace to the peace of her planet. “I imagine you are chasing Mirana Kelar.”
“You are harboring a dangerous woman. I am here to bring her to justice. And… to deliver a message.”
“I’m not harboring her,” Jenara said, trying not to sound defensive. “She came here without permission. We let her in in hopes of avoiding further confrontation, but she initiated an attack on this planet. She has no asylum here.”
Dren looked genuinely surprised at this news. “Fascinating. I suppose I could be persuaded to spare your planet if you were to spare me the trouble of hunting her down.”
“She’s hiding,” Jenara said, almost as angry at Mirana for running away as she was at Dren for threatening Palandora.
“Pity. But no matter. We are already removing the corridor’s seals.”
Jenara looked at another readout and saw that he was right. He would be coming through within seconds. Her options were narrowing. There was probably nothing she could do now that would turn out right, but there was one idea that might buy her some time. It was perhaps not the most noble idea Jenara had ever had, but it seemed like the only hope.
“Finding her may be difficult,” Jenara said, mustering all of her powers of diplomacy. “She is invisible, after all. What’s to stop her from sneaking out while you search?”
“I am losing interest in this conversation.” Dren started to look away.
“We have a rough location for Miss Kelar. I would be willing to consider offering you information on her position and situation in exchange for an assurance that you will leave the Palandoran people alone. If you would agree to leave one ship behind-”
“Ah, I see we are ready to proceed.” Whatever was going on behind Dren’s eyes was beyond Jenara’s ability to read, and that fact worried her. She was losing ground too quickly.
“Here are my terms,” Dren said, suddenly turning back to Jenara. “I will enter your star system in a matter of minutes. You will tell me what you know about the Shadow Master. I will confront her and kill her. And then, in exchange for your cooperation, I will kill only one Palandoran citizen, who you will offer to me freely.” And to Jenara’s horror, Dren pointed straight at the viewscreen. At her. “Kayleen told me before she died that she would have liked see you dead. I will honor that request. If you do not cooperate, I will lay waste to your city until you are dead, and then I will hunt down Mirana Kelar on my own.”
At this point, Jenara was utterly speechless. The mention of Kayleen Rax being dead was certainly news, but to have her own life set forth as a military target was so unthinkable that for a moment Jenara could focus on nothing else. Orvinder was signaling her that he was ready to take over the transmission, but Jenara was not ready to give up yet. Steeling herself, she took a step toward the screen. “My life is not mine to give; it belongs to my people. If you want to defy us and come after me when you are done with Mirana, we will be ready. But… if you will agree to hold off your attack on us until you have found her – and if you will let any of my people who wish to leave to do so freely – then I will tell you where Kelar is. And I will remain right here.”
Dren regarded her in silence for a moment, and then the hint of a smile spread slowly across his lips. “I do hate letting unfinished business drag on, and your information would speed things up. We have a deal, your majesty.”