Enemy mine artifice, p.1
Enemy Mine (Artifice, page 1
Enemy Mine
Artifice: Episode Five
Smashwords Edition
K. P. Alexander
Copyright 2020 by K. P. Alexander
Chapter 1
Spying the anthropomorphic wolf now holding a gun and moving towards him, John was near halfway to jumping headfirst off the log and diving into the water for cover. He breathed a little better when he realized that the pseudo-werewolf Radin was only handing him back the weapon he had initially come into the swamp with.
“Ah, thanks, Radin,” John said, relieved. “I don’t think Commander Nuretz would appreciate me losing this right off the bat.”
The creature paid little acknowledgement to his gratitude, and merely growled, “You two wait here. Noo-retz pick you up soon.”
“Farewell, old friend,” Garh said, watching the creature hop back into the submarine.
John had no idea how far they had travelled through the pitch-black underwater tunnels. The beacons that had illuminated their path were spread so sparsely that they might as well have not been there. Nevertheless, Radin had expertly piloted the relatively small submarine and gotten them to the rendezvous point.
Still, while he had trusted the old man to not place them in unnecessary endanger, he wasn’t altogether unhappy that the ride back to the outskirts of the swamp was over.
“Well, then,” John said to Garh, “Looks like we wait for a bit now.”
***
“Should I even bother asking how you got to this little corner of the swamp with no other boats in sight?”
“Sorry, Commander,” John shook his head. “Trade secrets and all. Plus, even if I told you, I doubt you’d believe me. Hell, I doubt I believe it, and I was there.”
“Sounds about par for the course in these parts,” Nuretz shrugged. Pointing to the sidearm he had previously given John, Nuretz asked, “I trust you didn’t need to use that?”
“Not at all,” John confirmed. “Though, I do have some questions regarding it?”
“You’ll have to take those up with someone smarter than me, I’m afraid,” Nuretz said. “My expertise mostly falls within the practical aspects of using these weapons. Still, I’ll see if I can arrange an audience with a Cluster researcher for you.”
“That’ll be appreciated, though I suspect Ganz, or even Nolan might be a better choice to talk to them,” John admitted. Moving to unclip the holster, he continued, “I’d best be giving this back to you guys as well-”
“Keep it,” Nuretz said, shaking his hand in a dismissive motion. With a chuckle, he added, “Besides, we can’t have our newest admiral going around unarmed.”
With the past night’s escapades still fresh in his mind, John had almost forgotten the fact that he had been issued the honorary rank by the Nebar Cluster. Shaking his head, he said, “Thanks, though you’d better double check that the person who gave me that promotion wasn’t drunk off his rocker.”
“I think Fleet Admiral Krane was relatively sober when he did it,” Nuretz laughed. “Now, I know maths isn’t my strong suit, but I’m quite sure there were initially three of you?”
“Ganz is temporarily helping the old man with something,” John assured him. “We’ll get some sort of signal when he’s ready to come out, I’m assuming.”
“Sounds good,” Nuretz said, not questioning any further. “So, where to now?”
Garh grunted as he hopped into the small boat, extending a hand to John.
“Back to Iathera, then a hot soak,” John replied, settling as best as he could on the hard seat. “I think our mute friend here might have the same idea in mind, as well. Though, I think we’d both prefer separate baths. No offense, Garh.”
Garh grunted.
John absently wondered if both Nuretz was also aware of Garh’s special status as Iathera’s spymaster, and if they were both comically trying to keep the secret from each other. From what he’d seen of Garh, he wouldn’t put it past the stoic creature’s sense of humour.
“Sounds good to me,” Nuretz agreed. “It’s not a bad swamp, as they go. But, I’ll be glad to see it behind us.”
“Agreed. Let’s pick up your men and head back then.”
***
“Thought I’d deliver this package back to you personally, Lady Venarya.”
“My thanks, Commander, and I appreciate you getting it here in one piece,” Venarya replied, looking at John. If she thought it strange that the little scientist Ganz was missing, her face betrayed nothing. “Also, I think you’d best hurry and check in with Director Rinard and Admiral Krane. I believe they’ve got some new intelligence from the operation at the Gates.”
“It was my next stop, but thanks for the heads up,” Nuretz said. “Anything you can tell me now?”
“Just snippets of information, but it’s a strong possibility that Grandmaster Minardo has decided to come out of exile.”
Nuretz’ expression was one of mild bewilderment.
“Exactly,” was all that Venarya could say, shrugging.
“Well,” Nuretz said with a shrug of his own, “I’d best go see what this is all about. Thanks for the heads up, again.”
“Anytime, Commander,” Venarya smiled. “Take care.”
“You too, Lady Venarya.”
Nuretz now gone, Venarya purposefully walked over to John, now leaning against the wall and wondering if his tired muscles would ever recover from the night’s adventures.
Reaching up one hand and grabbing John behind the neck, she pulled him in until their lips met.
“I wasn’t gone that long,” John joked. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”
“Don’t make me spank you.”
“Promises, promises…”
The reunion continued for a few more minutes, and they had now managed to migrate to the living room, when Venarya paused to ask between kisses, “I hope you didn’t dump Ganz off at Rheus’ place? He’ll probably want to get some sleep after all that walking.”
John had to think fast. The only people not in the swamp who knew that Ganz and the old man were now back on Earth were John and Garh, and they had both promised Smiljan not to reveal his current whereabouts.
Then, of course, there was the slight issue of John promising Venarya not to experiment with his newfound abilities unless supervised either by herself or Mag. To that end, it would be tricky explaining exactly how the two scientists ended up on Earth without using Rheus’ portal.
“Please don’t ruin the moment by mentioning those two,” John joked.
Venarya smiled, but the look in her face showed that she was still expecting an answer.
“He’s with the Old Man,” John said, sidestepping any specifics. “All I know is that Smiljan asked him for a favour, and Ganz seemed pretty keen on the idea of helping him out. And, before you ask, no, I have no idea what that favour was.”
“Hmm,” her look was slightly suspicious, but a quick, devilish smile returned. “Okay, sounds good. Now, how about we try to finish what we started earlier?”
***
“Are we in agreement then?” the woman robed in black asked.
“You tell a good story, I’ll grant that,” Intendant Yazril countered. “However, all I have to go on is your word.”
“Over the centuries, have we ever been known to be deceitful in any of our dealings?”
“Honest truth be told, you lot are so tight-lipped I don’t think you’ve ever had the opportunity,” Yazril answered. “Still, if what you’re saying has even a flicker of truth, I can’t ignore it.”
“So, we have an arrangement?” the woman repeated.
Yazril furrowed her brow, “I’m not the sole decision maker, but you’ve made enough of a case that I will advocate on your behalf.”
“You’ll stress the importance of the situation?”
“I will.” Narrowing her gaze, she added, “For your sake, though, I sincerely hope you’re not playing me for a fool.”
The dark robed woman met her gaze and replied with a resigned tone, “By the end of this, I daresay that you’ll probably wish I had been.”
Chapter 2
“Okay, this joke is going way too far now,” John groaned. “Did I offend one of the gods here or something? And, technically speaking, didn’t we already get interrupted tonight?”
“I’ll talk to Quinn and see if he can sacrifice an orgot or two for you,” Venarya smiled, getting out of the bed and donning a robe. “I’ll be back.”
“And I’ll start getting dressed,” John said, fully expecting the previous scenarios to play out yet again.
Venarya left John and headed downstairs. Opening the door, she wasn’t sure if to be surprised at seeing Intendant Yazril there, accompanied by Garh.
“Sorry about this, Venarya,” Yazril apologized. “This is yet another one of those things that can’t wait.”
“Not at all. Come in,” she said quickly. Closing the door behind them, she asked, “More bad news from the old man?”
“If only,” Yazril said. “It’s probably better if John’s here as well, so we can keep him up to spee-”
“Way ahead of you,” he called out, entering the room and doing up the last of his shirt buttons. “Heard the door and figured I’d save time. Also, hey there, Garh. Long time, no see.”
Garh grunted.
“Ah, thanks. Sorry about the interruption,” Yazril apologized again. “I know you’re probably eager to get some sleep.”
“No trouble,” John assured her. “What’s happening?”
“The one that the giant pyramid blew up with its laser cannons of doom?” John asked. “Yep, I’ve got a vague recollection of it.”
“Well, I just received a visit from one of the Sisters.”
Venarya raised an eyebrow, “Even with that catastrophe, I wouldn’t have expected any of them to show up around here.”
“Not welcome around these parts?” John asked.
“No, nothing like that,” Venarya turned to explain. “They’re reclusive to the point where many people wonder if there’s anyone actually in those temples, and if the Sisterhood’s actually just a fairy tale. The few times I’ve encountered them have been terse, to put it lightly. For the most part, they seem to be singularly dedicated to some obscure mission or task. No one seems to know what it is, though.”
“Until now,” Yazril interjected. “I’ve just been made privy to what appears to be either a great threat, or a great delusion. If it’s true, we’ll all need a few stiff drinks before breakfast.”
“Well then,” John said, slowly realizing that going back to bed wasn’t going to be an option anytime soon. “Let’s all take a seat and get comfortable.”
***
“The Sisterhood claims that their temples,” Yazril began, “serve an integral function to the well-being of everyone on this world.”
“Sounds like every other religious spiel I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard quite a few in my day,” John commented, perhaps a touch more harsh than he intended. “Sorry, go on.”
“She told me of their ancient texts that speak of a time before our own history was well documented.”
“In other words, it’s probably going to be incredibly hard, if not impossible, to verify,” John said. Sighing, he added, “I’m sorry… again. I think the lack of sleep is starting to get to me. Continue, please.”
***
“Before I continue, Intendant, we know about your, shall we say, personal connections,” the robed visitor began. Holding up a hand, she added, “It’s not a threat, just full disclosure. To that end, we know that you have access to a partial record of the events I’m about to relay to you.”
Yazril’s eyes narrowed.
“Rest assured that we have no intention of revealing your secrets.”
“Go on, then,” Yazril said, a tense look still in her eyes. “Tell me about these events.”
“Very well, then. When humans first arrived on Dracsos,” she started, referring to the continent that lay even more west than the Kierdan continent of Diurna, “we came as refugees. On the run from some sort of cataclysm.
She saw curiosity in the eyes of Yazril and held up her hand, “And, before you ask, the nature of this cataclysm is lost even to us. However, we escaped one terror only to be beset by another. Records say that our arrival here was then plagued by a great enemy.”
John curiosity had been piqued by the initial vague statements, and what he really wanted to ask Yazril was, So, who really are you?
Respect for the fact that she would tell him if she deemed it relevant made him ask the second most pertinent question instead.
“So, what you’re saying is that humans aren’t native to this world? How come no one’s mentioned that bit before?”
“It’s been quite a long time, and history is more legend than fact from that era,” Yazril said. “Historians still squabble over even minor details regarding events that old. Besides, any sane theory that questioned human origins would also have to be able to hypothesize an alternative possible answer to the question of where humans actually came from.”
“I guess that sort of makes sense,” John agreed. “Though, it does sound a little bit far fetched.”
“Don’t be so hasty. The short of it is that it’s probably true. I do have access to some particularly obscure historical records which would tend to indicate that humans, in effect, popped up out of nowhere on Dracsos.”
Venarya’s eyes widened a little.
“I trust you won’t enlighten any of your scholars, Venarya? If the remainder of what I’ve been told is true, this knowledge may be too dangerous to let out into the open.”
“Very well,” Venarya promised. “I’ll have to admit that my people’s own historical accounts don’t extend much beyond our own borders.”
“So, where did the humans initially come from?” John asked.
“Before you got here, I wouldn’t have been able to even postulate a theory,” Yazril replied, one eyebrow raised at John.
John took a second to register what she was implying. “What?! You’re kidding? Earth? How?”
“You’re in a better position to answer that than me,” Yazril shrugged. “Does your world have any historical records of a people fleeing from something and then disappearing?”
“Could be dozens of accounts, for all I know. Hell, everyone here could be a descendant of refugees from Atlantis, for all I know. I mean, I couldn’t even think about where to even start looking to figure that one out. I’m no historian, but I think that our own historical narratives start getting a little spotty even going back a thousand years. Do you know what they were initially escaping from?”
“I don’t, and I don’t believe my guest knew either.”
“Well, we can discuss that after,” Venarya said, steering them back on track. “What else did she say?”
“Do you have any idea who this great enemy was?” Yazril asked her visitor.
“Its precise nature, or even how it manifested itself, is lost to us,” the robed figure admitted. “However, that was not through negligence. It appears that it was deliberately excised from any records, once the enemy had been banished. From what little we can piece together, we suspect that our ancestors thought it wise to do so, lest some fool with too much knowledge should attempt to resurrect the threat.”
“Yes, you had mentioned before that the enemy had been banished, not defeated,” Yazril said. “Banished to where?”
“That we don’t know. Like I said, we barely managed to scrape together that bit of information from our records. All we know for sure is that when we escaped our predicament, ending up on this world, we unfortunately caught the notice of something. Something that apparently also managed to find its way into this world, but with ill intent. Whatever it was, the state of affairs concluded with it being sent back from whence it came.”
“I don’t suppose you have any texts that are more descriptive than that?”
“Negative,” the figure shook her head. “We’re not even sure how exactly the enemy was banished. All we do know is that we were instructed to construct temples in close proximity to wherever humans settled, lest the enemy find its way back here.”
“Instructed by whom?”
“We don’t know.”
“Okay, fine. Now, how does a stone building stop an otherworldly enemy from returning?”
“The buildings themselves don’t,” the figure said. “The tasrac devices housed in them do, however.”
“I see. And the device from the temple just south was destroyed in the attack, I assume?”
“No,” the robed figure shook her head. “The device itself is immense, and housed deep under the temple. However, the temples themselves were described to act as an amplifier. With it destroyed, the device’s effectiveness is diminished.”
“What exactly are these devices doing? How do they work?”
“We don’t exactly know.”
“What?” Yazril was getting tired of that answer.
“We were handed down very explicit instructions on how to create the devices, and how to deploy them. Other than that, we know next to nothing regarding their precise function.”
“You never investigated them further in all this time?”
“There was no way to be sure if tampering with even a new and undeployed device would have unforeseen consequences,” the robed figure explained. “Considering the stakes, we didn’t dare risk it.”
“Makes a degree of sense, I guess.”
“Which brings me to the reason I now stand here in front of you. We believe that the temple was deliberately targeted. And, if it was…”
“Then there’s a chance that someone may be trying to subvert your alleged mission?” Yazril completed her train of thought.
“Precisely.”
