‘That is a very impressive accomplishment,’ Kestler acknowledged, ‘what a pity our research and talents have been so misused.’
Telmo was encouraged by the fact that Kestler was giving him the benefit of the doubt. ‘But had it not been so, we would never have found ourselves in these lovely circumstances.’
‘Too true,’ Kestler concurred, rather pleased about that.
‘I am so relieved to see you safe and well on Kila,’ Telmo added. ‘I know your pod had a mishap after you delivered the sample to Maladaan.’
‘Involuntarily delivered the sample, I assure you,’ the professor clarified, whereupon Telmo felt his gut sink. ‘For some mysterious reason, I was not extracted from my pod before it launched itself back into space, unfuelled, but the sample was extracted, no problem.’
‘Oh.’ Telmo caught the implication that the MSS had sought to dispose of the professor, and was disillusioned to have been associated with the project that had near snuffed out Kestler’s brilliant life. ‘I had no idea,’ the young scientist began, finding it hard to breathe as he was inwardly consumed by anger.
‘No one knew.’ Kestler placed a hand on the lad’s arm to calm him.
‘Chief Ronan did,’ the lad said with spite.
Kestler grinned at this. ‘Even he was only following the orders of some unknown higher up in the secret service chain of command.’
‘Khalid Mansur.’ Telmo’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the chief had blamed him for this mess.
‘President Anselm’s viceroy? A fair guess,’ Kestler conceded.
‘No guess,’ Telmo assured the professor, ‘I know he ordered the sample extraction and was behind the commissioning of the energy project I was working on, Chief Ronan said so.’
‘Well then, as Viceroy Mansur is a universe away now, there seems little point in wasting our energy on thoughts of retribution.’ The professor reasoned the younger scientist back to a more constructive frame of mind. ‘Floyd and I were just discussing quantum dynamics.’ Kestler motioned to a seat. ‘Would you care to join us?’
‘I would love to, only …’ Telmo could feel himself wearying from all the excitement and stimulation of this wondrous place — if he had this conversation at present he feared he’d retain none of it.
‘Perhaps a little rest might be in order for our envoy first,’ Avery suggested.
‘Some time soon then.’ Kestler left the invitation open-ended.
‘You’re both more than welcome in my laboratories any time,’ Floyd offered.
‘That would be beyond fantastic, on both counts,’ Telmo concurred, as Lord Avery bade the gentlemen farewell and continued to lead the way to Telmo’s new living space.
‘I can’t believe what I have been party to … how could I have been so stupid!’ Telmo was in shock. ‘I knew the MSS did some shady things, torturing and killing psychics, but a respected scientist like Eleazar Kestler?’
‘Well, now you know,’ Avery stated, ‘which makes it all the more simple for you to avoid being misled in future.’
‘As a scientist, I have to be more aware of how my work can be misused,’ Telmo was already lecturing himself. ‘Which means I need to ensure the ethics of the people I work for are sound and constructive.’
‘Well, if you intend on staying here, I don’t see that will be a problem,’ Avery announced with cheer, and the notion should have excited Telmo, but it didn’t.
The problem would still be alive and well inside the MSS and back in their home universe, where Khalid Mansur was getting away with murder.
It had taken an entire month for Jahan to get up the courage to visit Jazmay and Fari in their new apartment.
He had no real excuse, besides that he could not stop thinking about her. Jahan had never been faced with the prospect of ‘she hates me’ and although he had to confess he found her sexually attractive, there was a deeper infatuation that he’d never felt about any woman before her. He felt almost compelled to get to know her, despite her disinterest, when any other time he would have just moved on to the next interesting female prospect. Given that Jazmay was from another universe, it seemed impossible that she could be his Chosen other, as much as he wished it was so, but perhaps Jazmay was a past-life incarnation of his twin-flame? Or then again, he could just be imagining things to support his ardour for the mysterious foreigner.
Only one way to find out, Jahan told himself as he pressed his palm against the door panel and a chime sounded to alert the occupants that they had a visitor. He waited anxiously for the door to be answered, with a bunch of flowers and a few gifts in hand.
When the door dispersed, Fari was waiting to greet their guest, but seeing that it was Jahan he backed up and called into the next room, ‘It’s for you, Jaz!’
‘Who is it?’ came her curious reply, and as Jazmay stepped out into Jahan’s line of vision his heart melted in his chest.
Gone was her warrior façade, it had been replaced by some of the local attire — a long, sleek, hooded dress, in lilac, tied at the waist — which accentuated her slender height and the lovely colour of her eyes. Her dark hair, washed and untangled, cascaded down the front of her body in large, loose waves.
‘Jahan?’ she said, surprised, and then, spotting the flowers, she didn’t need to ask why he was here. ‘I didn’t think we were going to see you again.’ She smiled, and walked over to him.
‘And was that thought pleasing or displeasing to you?’ He figured he may as well ask and put himself out of his misery.
‘I couldn’t quite decide,’ she replied, still wearing half a grin.
Jahan considered that was better than a flat refusal. ‘These are for you.’ He passed Jazmay the flowers, which she appeared a little uncomfortable accepting. ‘Okay, so the flowers were probably a bit obvious and not really your thing, which is why I also brought you this.’ He passed her one of the boxes he was carrying.
‘What is it?’ Jazmay placed the flowers on a bench to give the parcel her full attention. ‘I can’t remember the last time I got a present.’ Her voice was a little raspy with sentiment, but when she opened the box and pulled out the sheer dark catsuit, clearly she wasn’t too sure what to make of it.
‘It’s an organic fibre suit,’ he told her, ‘it adjusts itself to prevailing weather conditions, it will keep you dry, safe, warm or cool, it can even be as strong as armour if you will it, without the weight or losing any flexibility.’
‘Whoa.’ Fari caught wind of the conversation. ‘Way cool.’
‘I thought you’d think so.’ Jahan tossed the other box he was carrying in Fari’s direction. ‘It will take anything you can dish out.’
‘Wow, clothes that are as strong as I am!’ The boy was super excited for a second and then calmed himself quickly. ‘I know you’re just trying to buy my allegiance,’ Fari accused, ‘and I want you to know … it might work.’ He wandered off to open his box.
‘The suit also adjusts itself to the size and shape of the wearer …’ Jahan turned back to Jazmay to finish explaining why he felt she could use one of these suits, ‘… and it will repair itself if torn. So, it would be perfect for practising your shape-shifting skills.’
‘This is a very thoughtful gift, thank you.’ Jazmay was rather taken aback by her emotions for a second and she appeared genuinely touched.
Jahan was pleasantly surprised to be doing so well and so ventured to suggest, ‘If you’d like, I can fly you to a place beyond the flight paths of our aircraft, where you can safely try it out … the Lord of the Otherworld mentioned to me that you had an urge to spread your wings a little.’
‘Do you know how to fly? I have certainly never flown before.’ Jazmay shook her head, preparing to decline. ‘If I crash, well, I am only mortal, after all.’
‘I have a few friends from the Falcon branch of the human tree, who you have no doubt seen around town,’ Jahan began and Jazmay’s eyes lit up.
‘The bird people, yes, I have seen them.’ She was excited but still
hesitant.
‘Well, one of my Falcon friends is visiting town at present, and she said she’d be happy to give you a few pointers,’ Jahan concluded. From the awestruck expression on Jazmay’s face, clearly the prospect of a female teaching her was appealing. ‘Shall I tee it up?’
‘Oh yes, please,’ she replied with a huge amount of enthusiasm, ‘that would be amazing!’
‘Then let’s do it.’ He encouraged her to go and get changed.
‘I’d love to come,’ Fari piped up to say, ‘but Agent Juna is taking me to the beach with his kids today.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ Jahan breathed an inward sigh of relief as Fari served him a grin and headed out the front door.
As he waited, Jahan’s eyes skirted about the apartment. There were no personal effects belonging to the occupants to catch his eye, which was probably why the two orbs on the bench stood out all the more.
The history and knowledge of the Chosen Ones were deposited on these thought-recording orbs, which were stored in the library at the institute of immortal history — as Jazmay had obviously discovered.
I wonder what she’s studying? Jahan walked over and placed his hand on the first orb to view its content; in his mind a voice advised that the orb title was ‘Cosmology 6.4 — Soul-mind evolution’. Jahan pulled a sour face and withdrew from the orb, having studied that text in primary school. His touch skimmed the orb alongside it. ‘Warning, this orb contains thought recordings from the Dark Ages on Gaia that are suitable for mature-age students only. Chronicles of the Dark Ages — Part three.’
‘Are you spying on me?’
The query startled Jahan to turn, where he confronted Jazmay. ‘Just curious as to what you are studying.’
‘Then just ask me,’ Jazmay said coolly.
‘I was there, in the Dark Ages on Gaia, you know?’ Jahan thought that might impress her. ‘At least, Urien, one of my past incarnations, was.’
In truth he’d avoided studying his past lives, not wanting to know who his Chosen other was, or what she looked like; and now more than ever he did not want to know.
‘Really?’ Jazmay seemed disinterested. ‘I was recommended that volume if I wished to study up on the history of our fair governor and his family.’
‘Oh.’ Jahan was deflated. ‘I’m a distant descendant of the Dragon clan, but I was there during that period of Earth history.’
‘I’ve not had the chance to look at it, but I assume you were an ally to our governor,’ Jazmay commented.
‘Mostly.’ Jahan skirted the issue a moment, and then confessed. ‘Actually I was the bastard son of a tyrant and sided with whomever was winning at the time. I did come through for Rhun when it counted though,’ he added in his own defence.
‘A survivor then,’ Jazmay concluded impartially.
‘Please …’ Jahan appealed, worried about what she might learn of him from the old chronicles, ‘… you cannot judge any of the Chosen by what we were forced to do in those barbaric times.’
‘I do not,’ Jazmay assured him. ‘What you don’t seem to understand is, my life and times have been just as barbaric. I am no lady, Jahan, I have done unspeakable things for my Queen and planet.’
‘It’s all history now, Jazmay,’ he stated to dismiss the gloom. ‘Today you are going to the most glorious beach in this quadrant of the galaxy.’
Jazmay could not keep a straight face any longer. ‘Well, I am ready.’
Off the north coast of Chailida city’s main landmass was a peppering of little islands, surrounded by deep green emerald waters that faded to pale jade colours in the shallows of the sandy island beaches, reflecting the aquamarine sky. Jahan flew Jazmay into the archipelago in his personal KEPA craft and the scenery took the Phemorian’s breath away.
‘Back in my planetary system, you would only see beaches even close to this beautiful on Frujia,’ Jazmay informed him. ‘And I never dreamed about being able to afford to go there.’
‘You’ve never been to the beach!’ Jahan emphasised the fact that he thought this was the crime of all crimes.
‘Nope, never.’ Jazmay laughed, excited. ‘I can’t swim.’
‘Can’t swim!’ Jahan was doubly shocked, but the thought of teaching Jazmay to swim was rather delightful. ‘Let’s hope you can fly, then.’
They were to meet up with Ibis, Jahan’s Falcon friend, on the island; she knew where it was as well as Jahan did, for it had been the secret getaway of their circle of friends through college.
Ibis-Swan was the daughter of Sparrowhawk and Gazelle, who ruled on Tarazean and represented the Falcon breed on the governor’s council. Ibis was the next in line of succession to rule on Tarazean, but you’d have never known from her scruffy beach attire.
Long quills of white fluffy plumage fell from her crown and down her back, and wings of similar colour sprouted from her shoulder blades. A creamy-coloured swimsuit was wrapped around her tanned body and covered only by a pair of old, worn shorts in the same bleached-out colour. She was a granddaughter of Tory Alexander and Maelgwn Gwynedd, though it was said she bore more than a fair likeness to her great-aunt, Candace.
‘Jahan!’ Ibis sprang from her squat on the beach and ran at Jahan to greet him with an overwhelming hug. ‘I missed you, man! How’s life at KEPA suiting you?’
He let her go, stepped backwards and held out his arms. ‘You be the judge?’
‘Still as handsome as ever,’ she noted.
‘And how is the world of politics treating you?’ Jahan was pleased to see her also; he’d missed his friends from university days, they never caught up often enough.
‘They all want me to find my twin-flame and marry, but no luck so far.’ She seemed rather happy about that.
‘This is Jazmay Cardea.’ Jahan brought Ibis’s attention around to his company so that he could introduce them.
‘Whoa.’ Ibis took a step backwards to emphasise her amazement. ‘I thought Jahan was exaggerating, but you really are gorgeous!’
‘Behave,’ Jahan uttered aside to Ibis, as she was renowned for finding men and women equally attractive.
Jazmay was not angered, but because the statement had come from another woman, she blushed. ‘No,’ she declined the flattery, ‘where I am from, I am really rather ordinary.’
‘Well I definitely want to visit there sometime,’ Ibis grinned.
‘So do I,’ Jahan concurred, to the amusement of all. ‘So, Jazmay, I hear you are a shape-shifter,’ Ibis queried and Jazmay nodded to confirm. ‘But in order to get into the air you’re going to need some wings.’ Ibis pulled a dark feather quill from the end of one of her costume ties and handed it to Jazmay. ‘Lord Avery asked that I present this to you. It is the feather from a falcon female, long-deceased, so absorbing this DNA in order to manifest some wings will not be in breach of your promise to the governor.’
Jazmay choked on the happiness the lovely gesture filled her with. ‘My Lord Avery’s generosity is overwhelming.’ She found it a battle not to be overcome by emotion.
‘We can find a way around anything here,’ Jahan commented and made Jazmay smile.
‘You certainly can,’ Jazmay agreed, serving Jahan a look that acknowledged the part she knew he’d played in ‘teeing up’ this gift.
‘It’s no worries,’ Ibis emphasised and stepped back to give her some room. ‘So then, let’s see you do your thing.’
Jazmay laughed again. ‘No one has ever invited me to “do my thing” before.’ She sniffled back her emotion. ‘As a Valourean I was ordered to do “my thing”, and as a prisoner of the MSS I was restrained from doing “my thing”. Whoa!’ She exclaimed her joy unexpectedly. ‘I feel so liberated!’
She held the feather to her heart and, with a deep inhale, the molecules of her body went into a frenzy as she assumed the form of the woman to whom the feather once belonged. Wings, dark like her hair, sprouted from between her shoulder blades and the strands of her hair fell straight and grouped together to form long, dark quills.
Her long, slender body shortened and her facial features changed, but still her form continued to mutate and after a moment Jazmay’s own body and facial features returned. Jazmay maintained only the parts of the Falcon form that she chose — the wings, the hair quills and the knowledge of how to fly.
‘Woo-hoo, sister!’ Ibis staggered about with a huge smile on her face. ‘And I thought you were gorgeous before!’ Ibis backed up, and with a finger beckoned Jazmay to follow. ‘Let’s fly!’ She turned, ran and took off into the sky.
Jazmay had taken several steps in pursuit, when she stopped and looked back to Jahan, obviously feeling guilty about taking off and leaving him behind. ‘Thank you so much.’
‘Don’t thank me.’ He laughed and stripped his shirt off. ‘Go and have fun. I’m going to.’ He bolted off down the sand and dived into the water.
Sure, Jahan would have liked to have had Jazmay all to himself for the afternoon, but not until that was what she wanted too.
When he surfaced Jahan turned back to see Jazmay launch herself into the air, and although the first few flaps of her wings were laborious, once the wind was beneath her she took off with a screech of delight in pursuit of Ibis.
7
NO AVOIDING DESTINY
It had been one month since Rhun had consulted the Tablet of Destinies, and with each day that passed and the souls of his late, great parents did not arrive, he became more disgruntled and sceptical.
Kila’s contact with Maladaan had remained minimal, and Maladaan had insisted on sending its own ships and pilots to collect and deliver Kila’s aid. Zelimir Ronan had assured Rhun that it was fear that kept his people so unhospitable and mistrustful, and although Rhun preferred to maintain good relations with other planets, at least Maladaan’s fear would prevent them from invading Kila. Rhun, upon Zelimir Ronan’s advice, had continued to correspond with Maladaan through the chief of the MSS and his science officer.
‘If they don’t know what you look like, they cannot make you a target,’ Ronan had insisted. ‘Open war has never been the way of my people … I urge you not to underestimate Maladaan’s covert operations capability. Even I could be a threat to you, for we use mind games to make people do things against their will and conscious knowledge, as Kestler found out. The sleeper agent within can be triggered from a very long distance away — any form of communication can activate an agent — so indeed anyone from Maladaan is a threat to you, Governor.’