Lokians 1: Beyond the End of the World (28 page)

DeReaux blinked rapidly; his eyes were dry.
The Thewl who had stepped from the elevator nodded to him before
shuffling off to do inventory.

“
What the Hell was that,” DeReaux
gasped.

“
What did you see,” Fitzpatrick was
anxious.

“
Everything was slow, I, I don’t
know.”

“
Could you see everything around you,
like move around, like, like, you’re just a pair of eyes or
something?”

“
What? No! Is that what you got,” he
asked. “I didn’t get that at all. Everything was just slow, but I
guess, I felt like I knew how to do…whatever needed to be done,
like before on the battlefield only I was in control this
time.”

“
I’m glad it isn’t just me then. We
should tell everyone,” she declared.

They returned to the quarters deck and
attempted amassing the crew by running excitedly from door to door.
They pounded while screaming about the traveler. Korit and some
Thewls joined up when Fitzpatrick started a hurried explanation.
DeReaux followed up with his version. For a moment, they all looked
at each other.

“
Perhaps these are gifts,” Korit
finally ventured.

Adams and Franklin exchanged a trademark
glance.

“
What do you two know,” Swain
asked.

“
Surprisingly, nothing,” Adams answered
after a pause.

“
Although,” Franklin began.

“
What?” Fitzpatrick
demanded.

“
Well… No. I don’t know,” Franklin said
and looked down with a furrowed brow.

“
Okay, this is the first time either of
you have been at a complete loss. Now, I have to know,” O’Hara
chuckled.

“
Guess we should all get down there,”
Day suggested.

****

Humans and Thewls surrounded the traveler.
One-by-one, they all relaxed. A similar undertaking enveloped the
Humans.

Nandesrikahl was shown how to interpret any
language and signal. In the distance, across the loading zone, he
listened and heard Thewls talking about the inventory. They were
saddened by the loss of a friend in the last battle and were
bickering about whether or not they had enough parts to fix the
ships without having to scrap their friend’s ship. Anything he
heard broke to down to a core vibration, allowing him to
distinguish meaning and intentions.

Swain was able to feel his way through
machines and equipment. If it had components, he was able to enter
them, unravel how they functioned. The nearest machine was the
elevator. He visualized, like x-ray vision, the vertical, conveyor
track to which the cab was hooked. Then, delved into the buttons,
and he saw how each created a circuit in the cab’s mechanisms.

Adams and Franklin were shown that there was
nothing to offer them. The cybernetics and gene augmentation they
had received during their training with The Bureau had created a
barrier within them. They accepted the fact; there was no
alternative, yet the creature shared with them a bit of the old
culture and history. It was like living among the travelers, if
only for an instant.

Thewlian DNA was different than Human DNA,
and the travelers had never examined it, or mastered it, as they
did with their Human creations. The two species were overly
dissimilar, so the traveler was unable to open their minds to give
them gifts. Humans, however, all had a special, reserved potential.
Their pineal glands were the same as the traveler’s gland, but
Thewls were different, so he taught them meditation techniques
designed to help them reach their potential on their own.

Day was told that her time was nigh. All she
needed was patience. The final lesson was for the captain.

All outcomes occur at all times, but the
ability to choose one outcome over another is the key to survival,
to success.

He taught O’Hara to silence his mind. With no
thoughts or distractions he was able to focus wholly on the task at
hand. It didn’t mean knowing the exact outcome of every situation,
but quieting his mind allowed him to feel the push and pull of the
universe. It flowed like a river.
One might walk along side it.
One might walk away or towards it. One might get into the river and
try to swim against it, or across it, or with it.
O’Hara was
able to create a moment in time wherein he decided which of all
those was best and when to utilize such decisions.

Chapter Nineteen

A knock on the door woke Day. She looked at
the door, then around the room. Flem had already left. She rolled
out of bed to open the door. Captain O’Hara was on the other side.
He greeted her with a smile.

“
Morning, Captain,” she said and
snapped a salute.

He returned it, saying, “Right, join me for
breakfast?”

She furrowed her brow and smiled, “Sure.
Everything okay?”

A smile flickered across his face. The two
walked to the mess hall, passing Thewls along the way. To their
amazement, they found new, shorter tables and smaller chairs had
been set out. Smaller plates and utensils were also available.

“
Anyway, we’ll arrive at Soft Light
soon, and then who knows. Every time we go anywhere, we run the
risk of being attacked. I just wanted to take some time and tell
you how much I appreciate your friendship. You’re not just one of
my crew. You’re my friend, and I cherish that,” he said as he
stared into his food.

She placed her hand on his and laughed.
“Geez, thank you; that was probably hard for you”

“
Yeah, emotions were never my
strength,” he said and looked into her eyes.

He realized that she really was beautiful.
Somehow, he had forgotten how much he liked her. While there was no
doubt that being professional was the proper course of action, the
truth was that they were flying through uncharted regions of the
galaxy as far away from Navy standards as possible. He kissed her
softly on the cheek.

“
Before this is over, and we go back to
the colony, I want one night for us,” he whispered.

Her eyes were glossy with newly forming
tears. She held them back as she nodded and grinned.

“
Me, too, Riley. Me, too.”

They finished their breakfast in silence. A
few minutes passed before the remainder of the crew filed into the
mess hall, where they joined their compatriots. That day, the final
jump landed them in the Carina-Sagittarius arm. They traded glances
before erupting into conversations about the traveler.

“
While a far less impressive feat, he
gave me loads of information,” Adams said between bites.

“
Yeah, I spent the night trying to
archive all the data,” Franklin commented.

“
Cool. I tried to use my new vision
thing,” Fitzpatrick added.

“
How did it work out,” DeReaux
asked.

“
Not well. Whatever I can do has eluded
me. I thought I was getting it, but I felt like I couldn’t move
past the room,” Fitzpatrick replied.

“
You guys are making me envious,” Day
complained. “All these cool powers, and what have you…I got
nothing!”

“
So, he didn’t show you anything at
all,” O’Hara asked.

“
He said he’d show me later, I
guess….”

“
Well, that’s a shame. I’m sure he has
his reasons,” Nandy shrugged.

“
What about you,” Day asked
him.

He smiled with fork poised before his mouth.
“He showed me ‘ow to understand. If that makes any sense,” he
replied and laughed.

“
Wow. Good joke, Nandy,” the captain
fired back, sarcastically.

“
How do you understand? I mean...what
does that mean,” DeReaux was perplexed.

“
Communications, of any sort, really,
are just vibrations. I can derive the meaning within.”

“
You mean you can decipher speech,”
Fitzpatrick asked.

“
Not only speech, any form of vibratory
communication. O’ course, it comes and goes,” he
responded.

“
Know what you mean. I was looking
through some ship components here on this vessel. Sometimes, I know
exactly how they work, how they connect, you know, but sometimes,
I’m just me,” Swain added.

“
What about you, captain,” Day
asked.

O’Hara thought for a moment. He looked at the
ceiling above him as he chewed. Whatever the traveler had bestowed
onto him wasn’t a power or an ability, but something else.

“
Hard to say. It was more of a message
he gave me, or maybe it’s a trick.”

“
Like what those two got,” Fitzpatrick
asked with a motion of her head, indicating the agents.

He shrugged. “Maybe it was more of a lesson.
Whatever it was, I’ve been feeling pretty good about our
situation.”

“
I went back to see the traveler. Just
to see if anything was different,” DeReaux stated.

“
Me too,” Fitzpatrick added.

“
And,” Swain asked with a cocked
eyebrow.

“
It just seems easier to focus around
him,” she answered.

“
Must be something with the aura he
produces,” Nandesrikahl suggested.

“
What aura,” O’Hara
inquired.

“
We all give off a sort of life energy.
It’s logical to believe his energy affects ours,” Nandesrikahl
clarified.

The final consensus was that they all had an
easier time concentrating while in the vicinity of the traveler.
Swain and Nandesrikahl gleaned snippets of info on occasion, but
their focus faltered. DeReaux and Fitzpatrick were always able to
initiate their ability, but lacked the proper control. Day liked
hearing them talk about their abilities.

Suddenly, the Carrier’s navigator erupted
over the intercom, stating that all energy signatures were clear.
Glances went around the table. It was time to gear up.

Phoenix Crew amassed on the bridge, where
Thewls scanned for disturbances. Everyone expected the Lokians to
come barreling out of the blue, but there was nothing unusual.
Instead, Thewls discussed the Rhauss system, explaining it housed
only four planets. Images were brought onto the display screen for
everyone to see.

“
Rhauss has degraded to a Brown dwarf.
It is unlikely that any life was ever sustained here,” Lam-Yung
reported.

The captain turned to Admiral Yew. “I think
our friend doesn’t support your theory.”

“
This former sun has been inactive for
an extremely long time,” Lam-Yung interjected.

“
Even so, the traveler was discovered
frozen in ice on Sahagun. He might be able to survive anywhere,”
O’Hara replied. “Come to think of it, he didn’t have a space
suit….”

“
Yes. At any rate, we’re heading for
the second planet in this system,” Lam-Yung said as she brought it
to the forefront of the display monitor.

It was a tiny, yellow-brown planet. There was
nothing remarkable about it; a speck floating amidst the stars. The
admiral spoke then.

“
Only a few hours, men; be prepared,
and stay alert.”

The crew marched to the elevators then
proceeded down to the Explorer. The traveler was already on board
and amidst some friendly faces. Korit, Flem, Jor-Tune, and two
others. Jor-Tune gave a Human salute to the captain. He chuckled
and returned the greeting.

“
Good to work with you again, O’Hara,”
Korit said.

Jor-Tune extended his hand to Swain.
“Excellent, excellent. Glad to see you again, friend,” Swain said,
excitedly

“
What’s the plan? No one gave us any
instructions,” O’Hara told Korit.

“
Apparently, the traveler already
provided our navigator with coordinates.”

“
It’s a simple task this time,”
Fitzpatrick snarked. “What could go wrong?”

Scans indicated Soft Light was rich in
Ammonia and Sulfur. There were also caverns, which ran thousands of
meters beneath the crust to water, and geothermal activity kept
temperatures from falling too low. Atmospheric composition scans
showed a thick layer of Carbon Monoxide. The gravity on the planet
surface was 1.8 times that of Earth; for all intents and purposes,
it was capable of sustaining life, if beneath its surface.

The Explorer navigated through dense clouds
of gasses. Once visibility hit zero-zero, the ship’s outer lights
came on. Hours of slow exploration drifted by before the ship
arrived at its destination. All they witnessed were flat expanses
of brown rock speckled with yellow flakes. Every once in a while,
electrical currents set gasses aflame, giving off soft lights.

“
Probably why it’s called Soft Light,”
Nandy mused.

“
Sure, sure,” Swain said. “Hey, Cap,
check this out.”

He unpacked a mini gun from a large, black
case. The two looked over the new toy. While they were eager to
test new firepower and ammunition in the field, they weren’t
looking forward to another Lokian attack.

“
Mine’s bigger than yours,” Korit said,
showing off a photon mini gun. The agents about fell over laughing,
though the alien appeared stoic. “Was that a joke?”

“
C’mon, mate,” Nandy smiled, smacking
him, gently. “I can tell by your facial color you know what you
said.”

O’Hara and Day shook their heads in mock
desperation as the others joined in the fun. Then, Swain provided
the new ammo. During the final seconds, they quickly checked their
gear.