Dance of Time Read online

  The crews nodded, and when she stepped out onto the wing, they followed.

  Every crew was checked into their ships and running preflight checks. She gave them five minutes to get them started, and then, she froze them in time as well. A few had looked like they were going to leave their people behind. She wasn’t taking chances.

  “Okay, back to the embassy.”

  She held onto the grips on either side of the door and focused on keeping the spaceport silent and still.

  In her headset, she heard him ask, “Have you frozen the crews?”

  “I have. They won’t know time has passed as long as we can get the evacuees here in the next hour or so.” She could hold it longer than that now, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “Then, I had better get us back to the embassy.” The ship lifted and took off, moving across the city again.

  She watched the embassy approach and looked at the direct lines to the spaceport. The gardens were the best bet.

  “Do we have any ordnance?”

  “What kind?”

  “I need to blow a hole in the walls of the embassy gardens. Fastest way to the spaceport is through the garden walls.”

  “And it will minimize the exposure to the population.”

  “Correct.”

  “Right. I will make the hole.”

  Zez nodded and watched the aliens crowd the embassy as they dropped into position.

  “I need that hole, Immune.”

  A whirring sound reached her ears, and a blast sounded. The folk near the embassy recoiled, but someone inside was in communication with Immune, and they started to move toward the ship.

  “They need to surround me, and we will walk out together.”

  “Understood. Embassy security will do a live briefing. They are ready when you are.”

  She unhitched her links to the ship and jumped to the ground. She ran toward the evacuees and arranged them to her satisfaction. “If anyone falls, pick them up. We can’t go back, so we all have to go forward. Stay together, move as quickly as you can, and we will get you out safely.”

  The crowd murmured her instructions, and she lifted her hand in the air, moving forward.

  The attackers were only just arriving at the hole in the gates, so it was easy to lock them. The group picked up speed.

  It was exhausting keeping the spaceport locked down while walking three kilometres with weapons pointed at them, their owners locked in a temporal seizure.

  Zez kept them moving until her feet touched the tarmac. The evacuees separated and headed for their ships. It was a relief to release the crews as the first of those who were being rescued made it onto their ships.

  Ten minutes later, Zez cleared the tarmac and watched the ships taking off. She held the insurgent army back and cleared her throat. “Well, Immune, if you wanted to come and get me, that would be great.”

  “I am in the air. See you in two minutes.”

  She looked around at the men and women aiming guns at the sky, locked up and frozen at her whim. “Oh, yeah, that can’t possibly go wrong.”

  While she waited for the shuttle, she carefully disarmed the fighters near her. She laid their weapons on the ground, carefully aiming them toward the distant hills.

  All pulled triggers were going to remain so the moment she released her confined targets.

  When the shuttle reached her, a ladder descended, and she didn’t hesitate. In seconds, she was hanging from the metal rungs and the ship was lifting off.

  Climbing quickly was part of her training. She held the folk on the ground as long as she could until she was flopping into the ship. The weapons fire kicked in as she squirmed to safety and hit the door closure.

  Lying on her back, she fought for breath as the hours of tension rippled and relaxed. She kept breathing slowly and let her body normalize.

  The shift from gravity to the artificial system was obvious to her. The pitch of the engines changed, and she could sense the smooth engagement of the navigation computer.

  She got up on her hands and knees, working her way toward upright.

  Immune came into the hold with a ration bar and a bag of water. “Here you go.”

  She nodded and took the sustenance. “Thanks.”

  “You are impressive.” He had an amused look on his features. His eyes were a shade of purple so deep they were nearly black.

  “That is the idea. If I were crappy at this, I wouldn’t be here.” She tore into the ration bar and drank some water. “Are all the evacuees accounted for?”

  “Each and every one. They picked up the stragglers and stayed in the group.”

  “Good. I wasn’t sure we got them all, but everyone seemed pretty calm when we got to the ships.” She munched and paused for a yawn.

  “You are tired?”

  “Little bit. If you don’t mind, I will rest a little on the journey back to Citadel Necridid.”

  “Rest by all means, but we are not returning to Necridid.”

  She stared at him. “What?”

  “There are more events needing your particular talents. You have been assigned to the Sector Guard for the foreseeable future. This was your test.”

  “I have to be home in the next few months.”

  He shrugged. “It may be possible. It may not be. Time will tell.”

  She really wanted to punch him, but she was too tired. With her body feeling as if it was filling with lead, she dragged herself to the bunk in the first room she found.

  She was too exhausted to put up much of a fight. That could wait until she was rested.

  Chapter Three

  “I am not a slave.” She announced it when he came into the galley where she was eating breakfast.

  “I never said you were. You are a talent of the Citadel. You are trained for this activity.” Immune prepared tea for himself.

  “I am.”

  “You are also paying a debt for your education and upkeep for the last decade. This first mission has done much toward clearing your debt. Each person you saved was worth one week of your training.”

  “Oh. So, six years’ worth.”

  “Indeed, leaving you fourteen years of compensation.” Immune smiled.

  “What?”

  “Oh, you have to pay for your sister as well. The Citadel does not pay for family members. It is not a forgiven debt just because you now work for them.”

  She glared at him as he sat across from him. “You are an ass.”

  He smiled slightly, looking extremely charming. The pleased expression made her want to punch him.

  She frowned. “How do you know so much about it?”

  “I did research on you before I agreed to take you on as my partner. I was expecting something a little more brutal looking.”

  Zez frowned. “Why?”

  “You are a mass murderer. It is in your file. Eleven dead. The Sector Guard was nervous about taking you on missions. I was the only option to get you off Necridid.”

  She swallowed and pushed the remains of her meal aside. “I can explain that.”

  He laughed. “I am impressed that you don’t deny it. You were a child, and you managed to kill nearly a dozen grown men, in front of a Citadel Specialist, no less.”

  “She was stuck with the others.”

  “So, you killed men in cold blood.”

  She pulled her self-control in and stared at him. “I killed men who deserved death. Those who prey on the helpless don’t have an entitlement to breathe the same air I do.”

  “And you are the one who decides?”

  “I did then, and if necessary, I will again.”

  He nodded with a slight smile. “And that is why I am with you. I am here to keep you from activating that sense of justice.”

  “You are my jailer.”

  “I prefer the terms companion or partner.”

  She crossed her arms. “I don’t.”

  He shrugged. “Not my problem. I am assigned to you, and that is the end of the discussio
n.”

  Zez got up and headed to the command deck. She pulled the data sheet into her lap and started reading. Arrival reports were coming in from the evacuees. Their ships were landing on their home worlds or the arranged safe worlds.

  Immune sat in the pilot’s seat, and he commented, “We are still on course.”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought you would turn us around and head back to Necridid.”

  She didn’t look up. “I have a sister. She is pregnant. She has a good man, and he will take care of her. I am also certain that if she needs any medical care, it will be billed to my account. If I purchase items for the baby, can I get them couriered to Necridid?”

  “Of course. You are serious.”

  “I am.”

  “You accept your situation?”

  “Despite what you think, I am a woman of honour. I killed those men because I thought they had raped my sister to death. I was a child, and my defenseless sister had been held for ransom, and when I tried to pay it, I found that she was bleeding to death.”

  He turned to her, and she could feel his gaze watching her.

  “If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t hesitate, but I wouldn’t kill them fast. I would cause wounds that would take them down and let them bleed to death in the most agonizing of manners. I took a class for that, too.”

  “So, I should keep an eye on you.”

  “If we are around rapists, yes.” She looked at him directly and met his calm gaze with her own.

  He extended his hand. “I am Korlin of the Northern Mists. Nishan by origin.”

  She placed her hand on his. “Zez of M’rora, born slave and now freewoman of Necridid.”

  He closed his fingers over her hand, and to her surprise, he turned into coiling vapour that filled the interior of the shuttle.

  “Okay. That is impressive.” She tried to lock him, and he tumbled back into his purple form. “And you weren’t kidding about being immune.”

  He smiled. “I was not kidding.”

  She cocked her head. “Even your uniform is you?”

  “Yes. I compress my molecular density to form this body. It is the shape I am most comfortable in, though I can look like anyone.”

  “Male or female?”

  He chuckled. “Again, this is the form I prefer.”

  “Well, where are we going next?”

  Korlin inclined his head before turning and bringing up the display. “It is a matter of importance and will tax your skills. The Lecidia turtle is coming ashore, and the environmental protectors wish to incubate her eggs to help increase the chances of survival.”

  “Why would I—oh wow.” She stared at the heavily protected turtle as it clawed its way up the beach and dug the laying hole.

  The vid showed the naturalists attempting to excavate the eggs after the turtle had returned to the sea, but she came back to defend her nest.

  Zez winced. “Did the naturalist survive?”

  He shook his head. “He did not. The turtle is exceptionally toxic, so even mild contact with it is deadly.”

  Zez had to admit that it was a challenge. “What does the turtle add to Lecidia?”

  “Balance to the ecosystem. The turtles keep the ocean predators under control. Since the turtles were harvested for their shells, the balance has turned, and the predators are destroying the fish and other wildlife stocks in the area.”

  “Right. So, all I have to do is freeze her?”

  He nodded. “Watch the video and pick your moment. Your judgment on what will be safest for all is what will be the deciding factor.”

  “Right. Have the eggs been laid?”

  “Not yet. It will be time when we land. The ideal is that we arrive before the turtle crawls up the beach.”

  “How long until we arrive?”

  “Fourteen hours.”

  Zez nodded. “Great. I am going to work out a little.”

  She headed to the cargo area, grabbed her bag and returned to the room she had commandeered. She changed into a clean but old bodysuit and went to the cargo hold again to do push-ups against the artificial gravity and pullups on the cargo netting.

  She was sweating lightly when she finished, and a quick solar shower cleaned her up nicely. Naked, she tiptoed from the lav down to her room, closing the door and exhaling with relief.

  She pulled on a work suit and put her exercise clothing in the refresher. Zez had already figured out when she would freeze the turtle, but she would have to adapt her plan depending on where they were in the laying cycle.

  It was a tricky situation, and the danger did hold a certain appeal.

  She was sitting in the galley with her feet up on the bench across from her, reading some short fiction for the purpose of entertainment.

  Zez smiled and read the next book in the series, delighted that the Terran archives had been dumped into the Alliance and made accessible.

  “We are approaching the planet. Are you ready?” Korlin’s voice came through the speaker in the ceiling.

  “I will be by the time we land.” She sighed and got to her feet, stretching and shaking out her robes. She grabbed a bag of water and hiked to the command deck.

  She dropped into the nav chair and lifted the data screen again, continuing to read the stories about modern humans and their recent introduction to the Alliance. There was no author listed, but the stories were as stirring as they were graphic.

  “What are you reading?”

  “Just a story written by a Terran archivist. She—I am assuming it was a she—has written accounts of the first Terrans to meet and mate with members of the Alliance.”

  He blinked. “That sounds interesting.”

  “It is very engaging.”

  “I will have to add it to my reading list. How many are there?”

  “So far I have located over a hundred. Did you know that there are Terrans in the Sector Guard?”

  He chuckled. “I have met a few, yes.”

  “What are they like?” Zez was eager to know.

  “Most are intelligent and determined. The Terrans who have been chosen to enter the Alliance are thoroughly screened. Their personalities make it easier for them to act for the wellbeing of others. It was why they were selected.”

  Zez smiled. “I would like to meet one, one day. Since they make up most of my DNA, I want to see one in the wild.”

  He laughed. “I will make sure that you have the opportunity.”

  She could hear the promise in his tone. Korlin was speaking an oath.

  She smiled and watched the water-covered world get closer and closer. The landmasses were less than ten percent of the world.

  Korlin changed his clothing into something more armoured, and he flew them to the surface where a small outpost had just enough space for them to land the shuttle.

  She shook out her robes when she got up. The gold she wore was so pale, it was the colour of ice and sand. Her bodysuit was a deep amber. Both colours were supposed to denote a time specialist. Since she was the only time specialist currently on duty, she guessed that they had made things up.

  “Are you ready?”

  She smiled at him. “Let’s go and steal some eggs.” Zez paused and took a deep breath. “Partner.”

  He gave her a startled look and smiled back.

  They walked out of the shuttle together and headed for the small outpost at the top of the hill.

  The naturalists on Lecidia came out to greet them, introducing themselves and then rushing Zez to the shoreline on the opposite side of the hill.

  The laying had already started.

  Zez asked the scientists, “Are you ready to excavate?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. This is going to happen the moment she is done.”

  The scientists paused.

  “What?” Dr. Wellibornaiaten was shocked at her comment.

  “I am going to time-lock her the moment she is entering the water. It will buy us the most time. She doesn’t turn fast, so as long
as you do your job efficiently and leave at least one egg in the ground. If you don’t, I will let her have you.”

  The scientists were appalled.

  “We need every egg that she has.”

  “And she will stop laying if there is no point to it. Give her what is hers. She isn’t a machine; she is a being trying to bring a new generation. Let her think she is doing it. Taking all the eggs will skew her instincts.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I did my research on the way here. She combines the instincts and behaviours of species who mate once and store the semen for use during the laying season. She will lay eggs until she dies. One clutch per cycle. Have you seen her mate?”

  The naturalists shook their heads.

  “Do you know how old she is?”

  They shook their heads again.

  She sighed. “Are you sure there are supposed to be more than one?”

  They looked at each other, and the doctor finally gave her some good news. “Yes, we have found traces and fossils of a world inhabited by them before the Inkron arrived and began their fishing. The turtles were considered dangerous, so they were exterminated. The records that the Inkron have provided were incomplete, but they gave credence to the idea that there were far more turtles here at one time. We are trying to reset the balance.”

  “Well, that shows some forethought. Okay. Let’s do this.”

  She led the way down the hill and stopped halfway to the beach. Zez crouched and waited.

  The doctor whispered. “What are you doing?”

  “I am waiting for her to finish laying.”

  “Don’t you want to be closer?”

  Zez laughed. “This is close enough. I don’t want to disturb or alarm her. Have your equipment ready. Holding her will not be easy. I need you to make sure that you smooth things out and it looks as similar to when she left it as is possible. Take scans and get it right.”

  “Yes, Specialist.”

  They were quivering with eagerness as they watched the huge creature down on the beach beginning to deposit her eggs.

  Two hundred eggs—each ten inches around—were laid in the span of ninety minutes, and the huge beast made her journey toward the ocean after covering her brood.