Timeless (The Cartographer Book 3) (6 page)

“What?” I asked. Before he could respond, my vision started to become blurry. Suddenly there were two Kedges standing in front of me. I broke out in a cold sweat. The terminal started to spin and I had to stick my hand out to steady myself against the vending machine. “What the hell?” I cried in alarm.

Kedge roared with laughter and the room rotated another 360 degrees. The vending machine was on the ceiling briefly before settling back to the floor. It didn't physically move, mind you, that's just how the vertigo instructed my eyes to see it. I was so overcome by dizziness that I thought I would pass out.

“What the hell did you do to me?” I gasped.

Kedge ceased laughing and slapped me on the back. I thought I would fall face first to the floor. “Oh, did I forget to tell you? Kamilian Coolers are strong alcoholic drinks. I forgot you were a first timer with alcohol.” He brayed laughter until tears formed in his good eye. If I wasn't sidetracked by a spinning room, I would have slugged him in his good eye, but I had to settle for bitter muttering instead.

Kedge led me to a nearby bench and I stumbled onto it. “Don't worry, the effect is short. The room should stop spinning in about twenty minutes,” he explained.

“Are you two done playing around,” Vigil grumbled as he wandered over from his side of the room. “I hear a train approaching, so make sure to get all the shenanigans out of the way.”

I looked toward the track that ran through the center of the station, but it was no use. I was seeing two of everything. Instead, I closed my eyes and settled for listening. Vigil was right, a train was approaching. The low humming sound steadily increased until it became a dull roar once it entered the terminal. The elevated rail system entered the terminal and I expected it to enter like a monorail—on top of the rail. The bullet train actually hung below the rail until it reached the terminal, where it rotated counterclockwise before it entered.

Kedge picked at the metal plate over his throat. “Well that's interesting.”

The train came to a stop and the doors slid open. The only people to exit the train were two guards armed with rifles slung over their shoulders and a man dressed like a medieval monk. He had an orange robe tied at the waist by a golden rope. The skin of his face was so tan that it was almost orange. He looked almost human, except his slanted blue eyes were spread further apart, flanking a round nose as large as a softball with a single nostril. Despite the loose folds of his robe, it could barely contain his girth. His stout belly nearly hung from the robe, but the rope belt proved stronger than it looked. When he spotted us, a broad smile split his face, revealing several gold teeth.

“Welcome to Gliese, my name is Mazu,” he beamed. “I apologize for the delay, but it is difficult keeping to a schedule while running a planet.” His smile remained and I couldn't be sure if he was serious or making a joke. It was difficult to read the portly man's expressions.

“I understand,” Vigil replied. I was amazed how his expression went from aggravated to diplomatic in a heartbeat. The Timeless chose him to be their representative for a reason. “We are looking forward to seeing your planet and beginning our dialogue.” He accentuated the statement with a smile. It was the first time I had ever seen him smile. It appeared so genuine it was scary. “This is Nathan Chambers and Kedge Mal'Dineen.” He pointed at each of us as we were introduced. I waved my hand briefly before returning it stiffly to my side, realizing how silly a gesture it was. Kedge remained silent.

“Let us delay no further,” Mazu replied, sweeping his hand toward the waiting train. “Shall we be on our way?”

Vigil followed him aboard. Before I entered, I turned to Kedge, who remained strangely quiet during the entire verbal exchange. I looked down and saw his hand resting on the butt of his weapon. When he saw me staring, he removed the hand and quickly boarded the train.

I watched him go with piqued curiosity. Did he see something that I had not? As I slowly boarded the train and watched them move through the train cars, I suddenly found myself second guessing the decision to come to Gliese.

“This is no time to play Monday morning quarterback,” I muttered in an attempt to reassure myself. I couldn't shake my trepidation, something was about to go horribly wrong.

The Proposal

The outside of the train was deceptive because the inside was much bigger than I thought. I expected the inside to look like a typical Earth train, but I was surprised at the layout. Instead of an aisle splitting rows of seats, they were backed against the walls in pairs with a small table separating them. Commuters filled the seats and went about their day reading a paper or looking at their hand held electronic devices. Most ignored us as we passed. Some gave us mild glances of curiosity before returning to their activity. Mazu led us toward a private car located at the rear of the train. My group was sandwiched between him and two of the Ministry's royal guards as we walked. Before we reached the rear car, I noticed a couple keeping their eyes down, almost making an effort not to look at us. It was as if they were afraid to look up. Vigil noticed them also, but did not say anything.

When we entered the private car, the two guards remained outside. I stepped inside and looked around. I could see the car was private for a reason. It was a luxury beyond anything that the standard passengers could enjoy. Two fur-covered loveseats faced each other on one side of the car, while several leather-bound chairs were stationed against the windows. A brick fireplace sat at the far end of the car and next to it was a cherry-wood bookcase filled to capacity with books. A large, flat-screen television had been mounted on the wall between the two loveseats and another mounted over the fireplace. The train started to move before I could absorb all of the beauty of the cabin.

“I see by your faces that you approve of our Royal Suite,” Mazu beamed.

“I bet Vayne would love to be here,” I replied.

Vigil chuckled dryly. “I would have to agree with you on that point. At this very moment he would be trying to contemplate the logistics of loading the train onto his ship.”

I couldn't stop myself from laughing because deep down I knew Vigil was right. An image formed in my head of Vayne trying to load the luxury train car into his ship. Mazu looked at me queerly and I stifled myself as best I could.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Sorry,” I apologized. “I was just thinking of an old friend.”

Mazu nodded and offered me a warm smile in reply. “No offense taken. It is good to see people laughing. Despite our most prosperous year ever, the people of Gliese could use some laughter.”

“Why, is something wrong?” Vigil asked.

Mazu's smile faded and his face turned serious. “It is not for me to say. That is for the Prophet to explain.” He picked up a remote control from a nearby end table and switched on the television over the fireplace. A commercial came on promoting an Autojack 900, an automated jackhammer for use in mining where the danger was too great for miners to go.
Even aliens have to deal with commercials,
I mused before Mazu continued. “But rather than focus on the negative, let us focus on the beauty of Gliese.”

He motioned toward the window and my eyes followed. According to Mazu, the train's top speed was seventy-five miles per hour, but we hadn't quite reached that speed as of yet. The countryside floated past us, giving way to jagged mountains which split the sky along the horizon. Below us, sprawling forests and grasslands were split by a river about as wide as the Nile. Dotted along the river's edge were fishermen holding rods as thick as baseball bats and at least twice the length. Whatever they were trying to fish out of the water must be enormous.

“Below us, you will see the Riverlands District, which is overseen by my colleague Deb,” Mazu explained. “These rivers are rich with large-mouth skeet and razorfish which are delicacies enjoyed by the populace. The forests are fertile, filled with lush vegetation which feeds the people throughout the five districts.”

The forests soon gave way to grasslands where a pack of pale creatures grazed. At first, they appeared as oversized hippos, but upon closer inspection, they seemed more like rhinos, with the exception of two horns running parallel to their nose. The pack was making quick work of the grass, creating brown potholes among the sea of grass. Up ahead, a large stone wall loomed in the distance which seemed to extend for miles. From my estimates, it dwarfed the Great Wall in China.

“What's that?” I asked, pointing toward it.

Mazu glanced at the wall and smiled broadly. “Well that, my young friend, is a wall.” When I tossed him a sour look, he held up his hand and clarified. “It is a wall which separates the districts.”

“Why do you need a wall?” I asked.

Mazu ignored the question. “We are now leaving the Riverlands and should be making our way toward our next stop, which is the Farming Biome.”

“Next stop?” Vigil interrupted. “I was under the impression we were heading directly to the Temple.”

Kedge stiffened next to me. I assumed his distrust of the Order meant any changes in the schedule, no matter how minor or insignificant, would lead to unrest. When I looked at him, his hand was resting on the butt of his pistol.

“Well sir, this is a train, what did you expect?” he said with a wry grin etched on his face. “Not only is this rail transport from space port, it is also the main commuter rail for our people.” He pointed toward the door leading to the other cars. “Those people have places to go as well.”

A grim look crossed Vigil's face. “My apologies, I didn't realize our delays would be compounded more than they already have been.”

Mazu held up his hand. “No need to apologize. If anyone should apologize, it should be me, for not explaining in the beginning.”

Kedge relaxed and removed his hand from his weapon, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing we needed was to get into a gun battle with a representative of the Order aboard one of their very own trains.

Vigil seemed to be satisfied with his response. He turned and stared blankly out the window. I joined him and watched as the train passed over the wall. The grasslands vanished and were replaced by rolling emerald hills filled with tracts of a vegetable that seemed like a larger version of corn. Silos lined the hills while dark brown animals roamed the fields, tended by farmers. The animals, similar to cows but larger and hairier, lumbered back and forth chewing grass and taking an occasional prod from a farmer.

“We are now passing into the Farming Biome, the last district before we reach the Temple,” Mazu explained. “This district produces meat, grains, and dairy and distributes them to the people of Gliese.”

Kedge chimed in. “It seems you have a well-run organization going on here.”

Mazu frowned. “This is a society, not an organization. I would hope a human could appreciate what we have here.”

Kedge narrowed his good eye, while his bionic eye focused on Mazu. “What is that supposed to mean.”

His body went rigid and I was worried he would leap out of his chair and strangle Mazu. Fortunately for all of us, Mazu seemed to disarm Kedge with a smile.

“I apologize, I meant no disrespect. From what I understand of the geography of human culture, we are not unlike one another. If anyone can appreciate what we do here, I was hoping it would be you and Nathan. Over time, humans have shown to possess similar cultural desires and landscapes, at least according to what I read in the Archives.”

As I watched the farmers herd the animals and tend to the fields, I understood where Mazu was coming from. When I turned toward Kedge, I saw the mistrust etched on his face. He still did not believe the Order's intentions were benevolent. Vigil, on the other hand, couldn't care less about the scenery outside because he was too busy fiddling with something that looked like an oversized cell phone.

“I'm sorry, are we interrupting your game of Candy Crush?” I asked.

Vigil did not look amused. When he looked up, he actually looked
pale
. “I'm sorry to ask this, but can I have some privacy for a few moments?”

Kedge and I exchanged concerned looks. Mazu, on the other hand, appeared unperturbed. “No problem, I understand.” He smiled warmly, stood, and straightened his robes. “We have another stop coming up soon, I will check with the engineer to make sure we are still on schedule.” Before he opened the door he turned back to us. “The guards will be outside should you need anything.”

When the door closed, I turned to Vigil with concern. “What's wrong? You look like you have just seen a ghost.”

Vigil pushed a button alongside the device and a three dimensional image of Lianne sprang up above it. “Go ahead and repeat your message, we are alone now,” Vigil said.

Although the three dimensional figure was blue in color, judging by the look on her face, I had a feeling she was as pale as Vigil. Whatever message she had to relay, it seemed to affect both of them deeply. She turned and the image switched to the large screen aboard the bridge of the Stellar Horizon. Ibune appeared on the screen flanked by Horus and Arcturus. Their stern expressions were frozen in time. Lianne touched the screen and the message began.