The Cartographer (14 page)

Kedge hesitated and studied my reaction, mindlessly running his hand over the tattoo on his arm. “What is your name?” he asked suddenly.

“Nathan Chambers,” I mumbled.

“That doesn't sound very Martian.”

His statement struck me as comical, even though I knew it to be serious. I had to stifle a chuckle. “That's because it isn't. I'm from Earth, not Mars.”

“Earth?” Kedge regarded me suspiciously. “That's not possible, I read in the archives of the time we explored Earth prior to the attacks we determined that nothing lived there beyond primitive life. We found nothing more than giant beasts and overabundant flora.”

“It's a long story,” I sighed. “But the Consortium managed to rescue Martian survivors and relocate them to Earth.”

Kedge's face darkened and he stood up. “The Consortium!” he growled without looking at me. “They rescued some of my people, yet left me behind? All of their `superior' technology, yet they couldn't rescue us all.” His voice dripped with venom.

His face became dark so I attempted to diffuse a potentially volatile situation. “But I guess since you survived for so long, it worked out for you, right?”

Kedge chuckled but it wasn't one of humor. It was dark and full of malice. “Oh yes it worked out for me, indeed.” He turned and looked over his shoulder at me. “If that is what you call sitting back and watching a madman slaughter
billions
over the centuries in the name of a false god. The Consortium is responsible for Ales' behavior and for what I have had to do since his passing!”

I felt an ancient anger boiling under the surface and the tone in which he spoke caused me to stiffen, but I was naturally curious. “How have you survived for so long?”

Kedge turned to me slowly, the folds of his cloak blowing in the wind to once again reveal the armored carapace underneath. He tapped the glowing blue ring in the center of his chest. “The Lumagom were kind enough to give me this.”

“What is it?” The ring pulsated each time he drew in a breath and somehow I understood it kept him alive, although I didn't know how or why it worked.

“About ten years after I was captured by the Lumagom, Ales was mortally wounded during a battle with the Consortium. Most of our fleet had been destroyed and very few of us remained.”

He paused and I started to wonder what the answer had to do with my question but he continued after a few moments. “First, I should explain that the Tyrrians have a very long lifespan; up to 300 years. Ales regarded humans as a primitive species because of their short life span, however, I was younger and still in my prime and that was what he coveted most to continue his legacy. We had one crewmember from some godforsaken remote planet in a lost corner of the universe who happened to be a bioorganic engineer. Well this guy designed something he called `synthetic life' which, when implanted near the host's heart, has the ability to prolong their life for hundreds of years. It was too early in development to test earlier but too late for Ales to be the test subject, since he was already dying. They chose me instead.”

I found myself mesmerized by the pulsing ring and amazed that the technology to prolong life existed. I could only imagine what the scientists on Earth would do if they got their hands on it. But one lingering question remained.

“You mentioned that this technology,” I said and pointed to his chest, “could prolong your life for
hundreds
of years. The attack on Mars happened hundreds of
thousands
of years ago, during the age of dinosaurs.”

Kedge chuckled mechanically, this one had a bit more humor than the previous, and my tension level dropped from DEFCON 1.

“Well as I mentioned, the device went untested and had
unintentional
consequences.”

I started to ask another question when a pebble fell on my head. I looked up and saw Satou looking down at us with an expression of shock.

“Nathan?” Gard appeared by his side, his blue eyes doing their strobe-like dance.

“What!” Kedge turned to me with such ferocity that I backed up a step. “You are one of them?”

“I-I…well y-yes, but wait a minute,” I stuttered.

“You are a traitor!” he sneered and embraced himself with his cloak, vanishing right in front of me.

“Hold on, Nathan,” Satou cried and slid down the hill on his back before falling to the ground hard. He rebounded with the neutralizer in his hand.

Although Kedge disappeared I heard footfalls near the grove. I turned toward the sound and the soft earth betrayed his location, revealing footprints that tapered off into the woods.

“Kedge wait!” I called but it was too late. He was gone.

Satou was by my side in an instant, placing his hand on my shoulder to stop me from going into the woods. “Stop, Nathan, you do not want to go in there.”

I turned toward Satou and I felt a knot of fiery anger rising from my stomach. Everything at that moment was red, and it wasn't caused by the colorful leaves of the grove. “Calypso lied to me!” I roared. “Both of you lied to me about the Lumagom!”

Satou let out a heavy sigh and sorrow flashed in his eyes. “No Nathan, we did not lie to you, we tried to protect you.”

“That's a load of crap,” I cried. “Protect me from what, knowing the truth?”

Satou looked around frantically and grabbed my hand. His grip was like iron and I couldn't pull away. He leaned in and we locked eyes.

“We do not have time for this, Nathan,” he bellowed. “We need to get back to the shuttle, but I promise to explain further once we are away from danger.”

Without saying another word he gave the dangling rope a firm tug and it came tumbling to the ground. “Hold on to my back tightly, Nathan,” he said and handed me my hammer.

I did as asked and flung my arms around his neck. He used his strength and dug divots into the earth as he climbed to the top of the hill with ease. Once we passed over the ridge I dropped to the ground at Gard's feet.

“
We must hurry,
” he urged. “
I sense many life forms just beyond the reach of the grove that are closing in on our position at great speed
.”

“Let's go,” Satou ordered.

We ascended the ramp and entered the shuttle. Satou took the controls and Gard latched himself in place. I moved to strap myself in and noticed the bodies of Madoc and Crag lying on the floor near the cockpit. I slumped into a nearby seat, staring at their lifeless eyes and bloodied corpses. The antenna on Madoc's head no longer shone and a wave of despair overcame me. Their bodies reminded me of the dangers that came with the job. I thought about the last Cartographer and realized that it could have just as easily been me laying on the floor.

“Where's Wraith?” I asked.

“Behind you,” a voice called out weakly. I swung around in my seat and stared at Wraith, who I could barely see.

“Sorry, I didn't see you,” I explained. My words rang of irony because he was only partially there. At best, I would describe him as
dim
.

He winced and slid his hand away from his chest. It was covered in a luminescent white substance and he winced when he looked at it.

“Well I have seen better days,” he croaked. “Satou you think you can get us out of here?”

Satou finished securing their bodies to the passenger seats. He performed both tasks with grim determination, as if he had done it all before. I found myself thinking of my predecessor and wondered if, after he was killed, Satou had to do the same thing.

“Yeah I can get us out of here, as long as their attack didn't damage anything of importance.” He flipped several switches and the engines started up, to the relief of everyone on board.

“Argus, this is the Navetta, we have come under attack and are preparing to leave the planet,” Satou flipped several more switches and the rockets came to life. “Please have a medical team standing by. I have one wounded and two deceased.”

“
Acknowledged, Navetta. You are cleared for docking bay number four
.”

The Doorway To Heaven

S
everal hours have passed—more than enough time to allow my anger to fester. The medical team removed the bodies of Crag'Dughai and Madoc and prepared them for the funeral. There would be some sort of ritual, reserved for the Explorer's League, that involved jettisoning the bodies into space or something like that but I chose to return to my room instead of hanging around to learn the details. Over time my anger faded, leaving me with a hollow sensation that I tried to fill with multiple Cokes but a knock at the door interrupted my inevitable lapse into a sugar coma.

“Come in,” I said, not looking at the digital viewport.

Gard rolled into the room and parked himself next to the bed. Even though I looked at the ceiling, I felt his eyes on me.

“
Are you ill, Nathan
?” he asked.

I turned my head to look at him. Every muscle in my neck creaking like a rusty door hinge.

“No I'm fine,” I replied stoically. “Why?”

“
You missed the services for Madoc and Crag'Dughai. I just wanted to know if you were you, OK
?”

“I didn't feel like going,” I replied curtly.

Gard remained silent, studying me with those unblinking eyes of his. I understood he was just a machine, a complex marvel of modern science, but a machine nonetheless. It was impossible for him to show emotion or empathize with someone (it just wasn't in his programming), but at that moment it seemed he attempted to understand my pain and my anger. He rolled away from the bed and parked in the corner, where he remained silent. His silence burned at me more than his eyes and I felt I owed him more of an explanation because he was the closest thing I had for a friend now.

“I didn't want to go because I needed to sort through my emotions,” I grumbled. “Calypso and Satou betrayed me and I thought they were my friends.”

“
Betrayed? I am afraid I do not understand
.”

I propped myself on my elbows and looked at him. “They lied to me. They told me that the Lumagom were destroyed.” I hesitated before adding, “And neither of them told me about Kedge.”

“
They must have had their reasons
,” he offered. “
I am not one for presumptions but perhaps they needed to protect you
.”

“Protect me from what?”

“
All of the information regarding the Lumagom is considered classified
.”

“What the heck does that have to do with my question?” I asked, confused by the response.

Gard didn't respond and I decided to try a different approach. Exhaustion began to creep in and the cat and mouse game Gard played frustrated me.

“Who is Kedge Mal'Dineen?”

“I will take it from here, Gard.” Satou stood in the doorway. I had been so engrossed with my conversation with Gard that I never heard him sneak in.

Gard's eyes went dark and Satou took a seat at my desk. He leaned in with his hands on his knees and studied me.

“Kedge Mal'Dineen,” he repeated. “That is a name we had not heard in some time. We did not lie to you, Nathan, when we told you about the Lumagom. The Consortium has not had any contact with them since the battle over Caelum several centuries ago and we assumed they had been destroyed. It appears we were mistaken.”

“Why didn't you tell me about him?” I tasted the anger in my voice. “You guys had to have an idea they were out there! I mean…you're the Explorer's League, you explore the damn universe. That is your job…mission…whatever. How could you miss them?”

Satou chuckled with little humor. “Space is a very big place, Nathan. There are a lot of…
hiding spots
.”

“Don't give me the `universe is a big place' speech,” I argued. “Are you telling me that a destructive force like the Lumagom just happened to drop off your radar?”

Satou stood up and paced the room nervously. He scratched his head and mumbled something under his breath. After several minutes, he moved closer to me and leaned in. “I will explain everything but you must promise me that you will keep this to yourself,” he whispered.

I could only nod my head with intrigue at his proposal. Satisfied that I wouldn't go tip-toeing through the halls of the Argus blabbing interstellar secrets, Satou continued.

“We were aware that remnants of the Lumagom force were scattered after the battle over Caelum, but we thought they were leaderless and expected them to eventually disperse. Ales Banda was dead, and we incorrectly assumed the Lumagom died with him.” Satou said glumly.

“Kedge told me that Ales Banda was a Reptilian,” I said. “Apparently they were some sort of religious fanatics or something like that.” I told him everything Kedge had said. Satou accepted the information but seemed sad, almost apologetic.

“Indeed,” he replied distantly. “He was also our Cartographer.”

His words were like a ten ton brick to the gut. “What? I thought Kell was your last Cartographer?”

“That is correct,” Satou sighed. “Ales Banda was our first, however. He was extremely intelligent, cunning and resourceful. After he came up with the initial concept of the map, he refined it and turned it into what it is today.”