The portals, p.24
The Portals, page 24
part #19 of Survivors Series
The Arnap didn’t speak, just nodded, presenting Jules with his hand. They wound their way to the bridge, Sergo and Dean eyeing everyone with suspicion. Jules did her best to pretend she was actually Nix, their leader, and it seemed to be working.
The second they landed on the bridge, she walked to the middle, barking orders. “Get us to Haven. Now!”
The Arnap vessel rose from Sterona’s surface, and Jules noted the wormhole generator charging. She couldn’t believe that Hulope had given them the technology. There would be consequences for her actions, long-lasting ones. Hulope had just completed an act of war against the Alliance, and there was no way Jules’ mother would stand for it.
The vessel rose higher, pressing into space, leaving Sterona behind.
Jules hung back, waving Dean and Sergo forward. “These are my allies. No one is to harm them.”
“Where are the others?” an Arnap asked, his face pinched.
“Gone,” Jules muttered, thinking about Lance, Balee, and Anlise. They were on Sterona somewhere, but she’d deal with them later. For now, she was determined to protect her people.
Dean groaned, steadying himself on a console, and Jules knew he was in rough shape. “Almost done, Dean.”
He grimaced through a nod, and the wormhole generator fired up, shooting their craft to Haven.
When they slowed, Jules saw the giant ship, seemingly comprised of multiple Angor war vessels. The pulse glowed brightly, threatening destruction.
“I want them on screen!” Jules shouted, and the image on the display blinked to five separate Arnap bridges.
“We are prepared to strike,” one of them said.
“Cease fire. We are done here!” Jules yelled. She stepped closer on Nix’s frail legs. “This war is over. Disband immediately.”
The captains looked at one another, and a graying man started to laugh. “Nix Benah, are you really that foolish? We allowed you in our presence because of funding. You built us an impressive fleet, and these new wormhole generators will ensure that we rule the galaxies with ease. But your time is finished.”
Jules was at a loss for words. She had expected them to listen without hesitation.
The Arnap on board started for them, and Jules tried to throw her shield up. But of course, it was gone with the essence of her Deity.
She closed her eyes and felt the tight grip on her wrists as the Arnap led her from the bridge.
_________
“Where are we?” I asked. We were no longer in the Void. This was real, a solid footing beneath the soles of my boots. The planet was nearly bare, just fresh soil with tiny sprouts of vegetation. From here, it was flat in all directions, a prairie with the impression of a newness rarely seen.
“They have expanded. It has been completed,” the Universe said.
“Who has done what?” I asked.
“The Deities used their Valincin. Merged them together to form a galaxy. This is their work.” He smiled proudly.
“But you said something went wrong,” I reminded him.
“Perhaps I was mistaken.”
The sky was a pure pale blue, the weather perfect. I glanced to my right, noticing clouds rolling toward us. “I think we found it.”
My companion once again resembled my long-dead father, and he turned to me, snapping his finger. We emerged somewhere else, a far cry from the pleasant afternoon I’d just been basking in. The rocky ground was cracked and hissing steam from beneath the surface.
Four giants stood before a single thirty-foot-diameter sphere, the light changing from white to black as they struggled with it.
“Jules?” I whispered, seeing one of the Deities was only a shadow. My daughter stood far below, her actions mirrored by the misty ghost of a god floating over her.
“Dad!” Hugo rushed from a hiding spot behind a hillside, Regnig right behind him.
Someone has taken your daughter’s place, Dean. They’re trying to control the Deities and the Valincin.
“It is Nix Benah,” the Universe said. “The imprint of the Macrocosm is heavy on him.”
“Then where is Jules?” I asked.
“She must be in his body!” Hugo exclaimed.
“There is only one solution.” The Universe faced me and Regnig. “With the new era, we must shift to a new Recaster, as you’ve requested. But there is an overlap, allowing for two. It will alter the power of the Balance in our favor, but only momentarily, when the Valincin is complete. Do you understand what this entails?”
“No!” I shouted over the wind.
Yes. I am confident we can stop him. Regnig flapped his wings with a strength I’d never seen in him before. I accept the role. I will be your Recaster for this new age.
“Very well. So it shall be.” The figure touched Regnig on the shoulder, and he began to evaporate into a bright mist. I felt myself being torn apart as well as I heard Hugo’s protests, but there was nothing I could do to calm him.
Follow me, Dean Parker.
Regnig’s ethereal self floated toward the battling Deities, and I joined him, somehow forcing my energy after his.
What next? I asked.
We fight for them. For the Cosmos.
He drifted past the bald god and into the massive sphere. I went along, unsure if I’d ever be able to return. I thought about his previous words, telling me I was a magnet for change. I couldn’t let this agent of the Macrocosm defeat everything we’d worked for. Countless lives were at stake, and despite the immense pressure to succeed, I felt freer than ever before.
I pictured the day I’d met Mary, the moment we’d connected again after the Kraski’s attack, then our first kiss. No one was going to take my family from me.
Regnig was already accepting his role, and I sensed him there, inside the Valincin, pouring his energy into it. I copied him, giving myself to the stone. I felt the shift and continued to push away the darkness.
Before I was sent away, I asked the Cosmos for one final favor.
_________
Hugo couldn’t do anything but watch as the gods stood over the stone, their palms pressed to it. They remained motionless, battling in some cosmic war he couldn’t see.
“We have to do something,” Hugo told the figure that resembled the grandfather he’d never met.
“We already have.”
“No, that’s not enough.” Hugo ran forward, ignoring the protests from the Universe. He rushed to Zaera, trying to kick her in the foot. “Get away from there!”
Hugo huffed a deep breath and grabbed hold of Areel’s leg. He climbed it like he’d been taught to scale a cliff in the Academy and managed to ascend to the top of the Valincin, which was difficult to gain purchase on. His foot slipped, and he nearly fell as he clamped onto Zaera’s finger. He held tight, moving up the giant digit. Finding stability, he got to his knees and retrieved his pulse pistol. Hugo aimed it at the Deity’s chest, trusting his sister wasn’t actually in there.
The smooth rock was the result of all four Valincins merging, and Hugo blinked as the stone shone bright white. The inky vapor subsided for a moment, and he knew it was time to act. Hugo pulled the trigger, trying to distract Nix within, and it worked. The giant god raised a hand from the Valincin to swat at Hugo, and it broke his connection. Hugo flew from the top, being caught in the air by an unseen force. He lowered beside the Universe, watching as the stone turned completely white. The darkness was gone.
“Well done, son of Dean,” the figure said.
“Thanks.” Hugo stared as the Deities recovered, releasing their contact with the Valincin.
“Zaera is not yours to be trifled with!” Areel clasped Zaera’s wrist, and Nix writhed, trying to escape. The others surrounded the possessed god.
“Leave.”
“Relinquish her,” Erposh demanded, and Zaera threw her head back in anger.
_________
Jules heard the prison cell doors close, and she vanished from Nix’s body, slamming into another form millions of light years away.
She felt the tight grip on her wrist, and found she was among the Deities again. “I have to stop the Arnap!”
“Jules?” Hugo called.
Where had he come from? She saw the massive sphere and grinned. They’d done it. “Is he gone?”
“Nix Benah has been returned to his own body,” Areel said. “We apologize for not seeing his trick.”
The Universe strode closer, still looking like her grandfather. “It is complete. The Universe remains in Balance. The Cosmos are pleased. Deities, you are not to interfere in this new era, do you understand?”
“We understand,” Areel said. “Come, Zaera. It is time.”
Zaera’s shadow moved away, and Jules felt her unlatch, the ghostly form exiting its connection with her. The horned god smiled at her, her translucent skin solidifying until she was once again among her peers.
“You are a great spirit, Jules Parker. Thank you for being a vessel for good,” Zaera said in Jules’ own voice.
“I am grateful to have been chosen.” Tears dripped down Jules’ cheeks as all four Deities watched her with pride.
She rushed to Hugo, hugging her younger brother. “I’m proud of you.”
“I didn’t really do anything,” he replied.
“I doubt that. A Parker is always useful.” Jules saw no indication of their father. “Where is he?”
Hugo pointed at the stone. “In there.”
“No. He was sent to his rightful place. Your father is no longer the Recaster. His era is complete.”
Jules smiled when she saw a winged shape emerge from the Valincin’s core. He shimmered in light, a youthful version of Regnig. His beak opened slightly, and he lifted a claw.
I will miss you, Jules. You’ve done more for me than I can ever repay.
Tears fell down her cheeks, and she didn’t bother to wipe them. Regnig lowered to the ground and departed with the representation of the Universe. She and Hugo watched until they disappeared, leaving them alone with the Deities.
“What will you do?” she asked Manolar.
“Stay here. Protectors, with us!” she called, and the entire regiment of the six-armed beings materialized, surrounding the newly formed Valincin. “The portals will endure. This is their power source, and we will never let anything happen to them. Fear not, Jules Parker, your gifts are restored. You are no longer one of us. Do us proud.”
Jules nodded, glad to not be dragged into their ultimate plan of having her inhabit Zaera for all times. “Thank you.”
“The shift has occurred. Begin the new phase anew. There is much for you to explore. But through it all, remember the Balance,” Areel said with a slight smile.
“We will,” she promised.
They all vanished from sight, with the exception of Jurrot.
“Jurrot, what’s happening? Aren’t you remaining with them?” Hugo asked.
The twenty-foot-tall being stood tall, his chest puffed out. “No. I go with the worthy one.”
“I can’t ask that. Stay with your people,” Hugo told him.
“We have imprinted, which means I’m always at hand.” He passed Hugo one of the portal devices.
Hugo smirked, clasping the tool to his arm. “That’s pretty cool, isn’t it, Jules?”
“If you say so.” Jules looked at the stone and sighed. It was over. The search for the last Valincin. “Come on, Hugo. Let’s get to Haven.”
“What about the First World? Malir and Casidy are there alone!”
“Then we’d better go gather them.” Jules reached for the sphere, choosing her destination. The symbol for the First World came to her without any issue, and she activated the portal.
_________
“It’s not working. They’re going to fire!” Magnus shouted, and I stumbled onto the bridge, unsure how I ended up there. My memories were vague, but I knew that Haven was under attack.
“Put me on screen.” I staggered to the captain’s chair, my legs slightly wobbly.
Mary turned white the moment she saw me. “Dean?”
I touched her hand, kissing her cheek. “Just patch me through.”
“Parker, are you sure this is a good idea?” Magnus asked. “We can still beat them.”
“I won’t let them destroy Haven.”
The screen cut to a group of five Arnap captains, and they looked bored with the interruption.
“What is it?” one of them asked.
I walked to the head of the bridge. “My name is Dean Parker.”
This gave them slight pause. “Speak, Dean Parker.”
I glanced at the radar, seeing they had yet to fire. “I’m assuming you’ve heard about me. That I prefer to negotiate before fighting. That I seek peaceful resolves rather than bloody skirmishes.”
They nodded in unison.
“That version of me is dead. We started the Alliance to better our partners’ lives as well as ours. You came with the sole intent of destroying what we’ve built. I will no longer stand by and allow entities like you to exist.”
“What will you do about it?” the same man asked.
Despite my foggy memories, I recalled exactly what I’d asked the Cosmos for in my last moment with them.
Jules had done it once, and now it was my turn to understand her torment. I focused my energy on the Arnap, felt every one of their beating hearts, and realized the pain this must have caused my daughter all those years ago.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, and clapped my hands, the noise shockingly loud on the silent bridge.
My bones ached, and the last of the Cosmos touch fell from me while every single Arnap in the vicinity died.
The captains crumpled to the ground, collapsing from sight.
“Dean, what have you done?” Mary gasped.
“My last act as a Recaster.” I pulled her in, hugging her tightly.
EPILOGUE
Jaeke dreaded returning home, but also felt blessed by the opportunity. He was being escorted by a small blue woman named Rivo Alnod. Apparently, she ran the largest corporation in the Alliance, Alnod Industries, and was interested in acquiring Planetary Provider Inc.
Nix Benah, his wife Islea, his daughter Anlise, and the two hybrids, Lance and Balee, had been sent to somewhere called Traro Prison. Jaeke had heard enough about it from Slate during this trip to know the Benah family was finished.
“Will you be coming to Haven?” Slate asked him.
“Eventually. When my people have been evacuated from Tower City.” Jaeke smiled, thrilled that they could finally leave the squalor they’d grown accustomed to under the rule of Nix.
He still struggled with the fact that he’d been conned by Anlise, but in the end, he didn’t really care. They’d made a connection with this Alliance, and that was what mattered.
“You sure you won’t come with us? We’re visiting Seqor to meet with the heads of each planet, and to end this stupid First World search.” Slate guided the transport toward the top of Tower City.
“There never was a prize, was there?” Jaeke asked.
“I highly doubt it. They just wanted to have all the details on our society and use the information to their advantage. I’ve heard of people having a god complex before, but Nix took it to another level,” Slate said.
Jaeke was the first out, standing on top of their city, so high above the surface. Rivo accompanied them, smiling in the sunlight.
Slate patted his back. “Are you ready to give your people the news?”
“I am.” Jaeke went to the lift, deciding to start with the lowest level. Above them, a ship named Light lowered for the surface, and he was told it had a portal on it that would lead them to a new colony for the citizens of Zecos Three. All the infrastructure was already being created on Zaluniv, the world Nix had promised them.
“Coming with?” he asked Slate and Rivo.
“You bet.” They joined him on the elevator, and he ordered it to depths of the city, handing them each a Mister to help them breathe. “You’re going to need these.”
_________
Three Months Later
Jules walked through the graveyard of the people they’d lost in the Institute attack. Thankfully, it was only a handful of recruits, but the damage stung just the same. This was supposed to be a safe place, a destination for those wishing to excel. Instead, it had become ground zero for a senseless assault.
With the Arnap threat resolved, they’d decided to rebuild, and with the efforts of every last Alliance partner, it only took a month. She studied the fields, where the final touches were being added to the track, and saw Papa with Magnus, walking toward the park. He seemed lighter, freer, in spite of his actions against the Arnap. She remembered distinctly how snuffing the life from their other fleet had felt, and hated that Papa was dealing with the same thing.
“I thought I’d find you here,” Dean said. He was fully recovered, and had a gleam in his eyes. He wore a white uniform to match hers.
“Just paying my respects,” she told him.
“Want to go for a walk?” he asked.
“Sure.” She took his hand, leaving the small, treed area, and as soon as they exited the cover from the relentless sun, she started to sweat.
A pond feature had been added in the improvements to the Institute grounds, and they headed there, finding shade near the rushing water. In the middle of a desert, this seemed like an oasis.
She was happy to be done with the Shandra Valincin, and hopefully the Deities, forever. Papa was finished with the Recaster role, and they could finally move forward. She wasn’t certain what that meant for her, but since they’d discovered the countless races competing in Nix’s contest, the Alliance was tirelessly meeting and recruiting new members.
“You have that look in your eye,” Dean said.
“What look?”
“The one where you’re here, but not really.”
Jules smiled, taking both of his hands as they faced one another. “Sorry. Just have a lot on my mind.”
“What’s new?”
