Catalyst sat in one of the seats behind Speck. Aster was in the other. Speck was cycling through the new H1’s probe scans. They were on the fifth hour of the fourth shift on the third week since they found Revol.
“I’ll take the disappointments of the first two weeks over this,” Aster said.
“I’ll take the peace of this week over last,” said Cat.
“There might be a happy medium,” said Speck.
Cat leaned forward and rubbed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
Outside their vessel, breaches were forming at a growing rate. The tears in spacetime wreaked havoc on many of Eno’s proxy systems the jumpship ran on, and twice they narrowly dodged being detected by enemy craft.
Speck pointed at his tactical display; first to where they found Revol, and then where the breaches were forming. “Reev was hanging around a cold breach. It had almost closed back up in fact. I don’t think Sol wanted us to wait around these breaches because they would come through them. I think they’re going to be drawn to them.”
Catalyst thought for a moment. “I wish we’d had more time to go over these details with Sol.”
“Why did he rush us off so quickly?” Aster asked.
Catalyst heard her, and the answer formed in his head, but he was tired and distracted, and contemplating the increasingly dangerous space they were searching through.
“I think he wanted us to get here before too many Tangent forces came through,” Speck replied.
It was a good enough answer, so Catalyst didn’t elaborate. “What are you suggesting, Speck?”
“We could hang back away from the spatial distortions caused by the breach, skirt their patrols and scan only cold breaches that they’ve quit using.”
“How did you figure this out?”
“Now that we’re not busy running and hiding, I’ve been able to look more closely at our scans. And I’ve been able to think, Cap.”
Cat nodded. “Good thinking, Speck. Make it happen.”
“I am just speculating, Cap.”
“He’s Speckulating,” said Revol. Eukary had come into the cabin with the thermos. They all turned and saw a luminous hand appear above the thermos and wave.
“Lookin’ good, Reev,” said Aster.
“He wanted to hang out up here for a bit,” said Eukary.
“I’d like to Specktate.”
“If you promise to tell better jokes than that,” Catalyst said.
“Actually, Cat... I mean Cap... Cat Cap, I’ve been remembering things. I might actually be useful.”
“I thought your memories were fading,” Catalyst said.
“Yeah, it seemed like the more I tried to take shape, the more I lost. So I decided to quit before I was a head.” Revol paused, letting the pun have its full painful effect. “Anyways, I stopped, and then some things came back. Like, in a flood. Like, when there’s so much rain on a planet that the water level rises too quickly for people to...”
“He can have my seat,” Catalyst said. He stood and made to leave, but Revol protested.
“Cat, stay.”
Catalyst sighed, then sat back down.
“Can I sit on your lap? Just kidding! Put me in a cup holder. The new ship has cup holders, right?”
Catalyst took the thermos from Eukary and set it in a cup holder. Revol’s glowing hand gave a thumbs up.
“Allright, move out, Speck,” Catalyst said. “Pilot’s discretion.”
When Speck found a ‘cold’ breach in one of the regions Sol suggested, there was both an object and an unusual energy signature hovering close to its iris. Catalyst ordered Ishtar to take the printed shuttle out and inspect the object, which turned out to be debris from a ship’s hull.
“We’re gonna need to print a bigger one if you want me going out,” said Forge. Ishtar had disembarked and he was looking inside the cockpit.
“I want you working with Reev,” Catalyst replied.
Back in the cabin, Speck was activating H1’s stealth suite while a lean, hungry vessel passed by on patrol.
“These ships almost look alive,” Speck said.
“Their space felt alive.”
“So, you did pass through the Verge,” Catalyst asked.
“I became aware in the Verge. But it didn’t feel like I’d passed through it. It’s hard to explain.”
“Euk said something from the other side was hanging onto you,” said Speck. “Do you think that might be where your visions were coming from?”
“Maybe.”
They sat in silence while they waited for the ship to pass. When it did, Speck asked the question that was on Catalyst’s mind as well.
“Who’s in these ships?”
Cat folded his arms across his chest. “Good question. They’re too small for the Archeus. And the Anunnaki are shock troops, not pilots.”
A dramatic groan came from the thermos.
“What’s up, Reev?” Speck asked.
“I had a disturbing thought. Each Anunnaki is made up of pieces of a bunch of us. So maybe they can all do pretty much anything. I mean, we don’t pilot anything as complex as this ship, but we can handle basic craft. A little patrol fighter like we’re seeing isn’t beyond the average Harbinger’s experience.”
“That is a disturbing thought,” said Catalyst. “For a number of reasons.”
Speck left as many systems of the stealth suite active as he could while moving at speed and resumed the search.
“You know what I haven’t heard anyone talk about?” Revol asked when they were on they were nearing one of the cold breaches.
“Your mom?” said Ishtar. She was leaning in the doorway.
Revol’s ghostly hand gave Ishtar the finger. “I’m being serious. Did anyone notice that Sol was a little extra radiant when he fought the Archeus?”
Catalyst measured his response. “I expected him to have advanced in the time he was away.”
“Yeah,” Ishtar agreed. “We all noticed, but it made sense to me that he would have learned some new techniques away from the confines of Harbinger Command.”
“Like he found some ancient tablet that taught him forbidden techniques?”
“Or,” Catalyst interjected, “he developed skills our training ignores. What I remember is that he used an immense amount of raw power to overwhelm the knight and stagger it. My assumption is that he did so in his first encounter put of desperation, and since it was effective, he led with that method the next time.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right.”
“What seemed strange about him to you, Reev?” Ishtar asked.
“The Archeus, they aren’t like anything else we ever fight. They aren’t like us, or the Anunnaki either. Or maybe they are like us, but on a much higher level. So Sol wasn’t just blasting that thing with energy. He was interacting with it on the inside. I don’t know exactly what way, but there was some sort of play between his radiance and whatever there is inside those monsters. All that raw power we saw was a distraction to the Archeus. You know, he hit it hard with a lot of force, then snuck in past its defenses.”
Catalyst found himself mired in deep thought. He was preoccupied with what seemed the death of two friends, and the possibility of death for all Harbingers. Thinking back, he could sense more than the apparent measure of purpose in Solomon’s attacks.
“I think you’re right, Reev.” Catalyst leaned back in his seat and folded his arms, pondering the implications of Revol’s hypothesis.
“Now why didn’t he teach us this,” Ishtar asked, clearly frustrated. “I deeply admire Sol. I always have, but I’m having a very difficult time understanding him right now. And trust is hard to come by without a little understanding.”
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Catalyst held in a sigh and kept his hands from his temples. He wanted clarity. “Any thoughts, Reev?”
“You’re not gonna like what I have to say.”
“What else is new?”
“Fair point. Okay. I think Sol’s training us to kill those things right now.”
“How?” Ishtar asked.
“I think we have to die.”
The silence was palpable. It seemed the cabin was trying to counteract the tense quiet. Speck’s controls echoed, and the soft beeps of his gauges rang like knells.
“Then why not send us to Bindhu Prime?” The pilot asked. “We all assumed that’s where we’d need to go. We would have bought it.”
“I don’t think he wants it to happen,” said Revol. “And I think he genuinely sent you guys to find us. Think about it. Ru and I got whacked. Wasn’t planned, just happened. Euk tells me that Sol was real tight lipped at first, then all of a sudden, he sends you guys out to look at specific places with some odd piece of tech he told Forge to slap together?”
It was the last thing Catalyst needed to hear. More secrets.
“Wait a minute,” said Aster. “Sol died. The Archeus killed him. But somehow they weren’t able to capture his radiance and… And while he was disembodied, he figured out how to reform. But why didn’t he just tell us this?”
“He was gone for thirteen years, Aster,” said Catalyst. “He couldn’t explain everything. That’s been established.”
She frowned, and as she looked intently out the view screen her jaw tightened. Catalyst watched her until she glanced at him with her eyes only, and he gave her a quick, apologetic look.
”I think we’re best following Cap’s advice to trust each other,” he continued. “And I think he extended that to Sol.”
Her gentle features hardened, and her voice was both pleading and sarcastic. “So just follow the carrot and see where it leads us? We’re Harbingers, Cat. Not rank and file recruits.”
“Hey, that got me back.”
She softened. “That’s true. I guess I just really want to know what happens next.”
“We find Ru. That’s what happens next.”
………
“Hey guys,” said Forge.
Catalyst turned in his seat. “Yes?”
“Cat… Captain, we need to get out of this ship. Even if it’s just for a few hours. And the space walks aren’t cutting it. We need to feel ground.”
Catalyst sighed. “Let’s finish this run. Then we’ll find a world.”
“Thanks, Cap.”
Forge left the cabin, closing the door behind him.
“I’m almost there myself,” said Speck.
Jumpship pilots were chosen after a harsh battery of courses and tests, with an average of ninety percent of applicants washing out. One of the hardest tests was the Three Rings, a three-month solo flight randomly generated by Eno. Catalyst knew that when a jumper wanted out of their ship, it was time to land if possible.
“Almost,” Speck clarified.
“I hate to risk missing her.”
“Yeah.”
“I should go be with the team.”
Catalyst stood and went to the bunks. Eukary and Aster were playing cards while Forge tinkered with the thermos. Ishtar was laying in the dark with her eyes open.
“Okay,” said Forge, “try it now.”
Revol’s face appeared above the thermos and Eukary and Aster cheered.
“There’s that creepy smile,” said Ishtar, rising from her gloom.
“Funny that Sol didn’t add any controls to this thing.”
“We didn’t have a lot of time,” Forge explained.
Revol turned his head. “Hey Cat.” He flashed his ethereal teeth in a dramatic childish grin.
“Did you tell them?” Catalyst asked Forge.
Forge nodded.
“Thank you, Captain.” Said Eukary.
“Hey Captain, do you think we could leave some sensor buoys around? Just in case.”
Catalyst nodded. “I’ll have Speck get some fresh ones printing. We’ll find a planet once they’re in place.”
Catalyst left the bunks and went to his cabin. He lingered in the doorway, peering into his dark room. He felt a hand on his shoulder and flinched.
“Sorry,” said Aster.
“No, I’m sorry.”
“Can we talk?”
He nodded, then entered the room and turned on the ceiling light.
His quarters were small and triangular. His bed was cut into the wall, as was his locker, placed just above. There was additional storage underneath, and a narrow closet between his bed and the wall he used for an office, which was simply a small desk, a computer and a chair. He’d brought a beverage dispenser with a selection of drinks, mostly alcoholic, with a small cupboard of tumblers. Sensus had recommended he find something outside regulations he could get away with. “The trappings of authority,” he called it. Catalyst also brought a selection of bound books in case the mission ran long.
Aster picked up a volume of poetry and opened it. “Thou art thyself a root growing in hell, tho thus heavenly beautiful to draw me to destruction.”
“Sol gave that one to me. I can barely understand the language of that era.”
Aster set the old poem down and picked up another, thinner book. “She wanted to enjoy the party, but she had a meeting with an assassin.”
“Forge recommended that one to me. It was a slog.”
She flipped through the pages. “There’s a lot of info dumps.”
“The whole stupid thing is an info dump.”
“Aha! Now these are yours.” She held up three works of psychology and a manual of post Tangent orbital defense tactics.
Catalyst let himself smile, then went to his beverage dispenser and took two tumblers from the cupboard. “What’ll you have?”
“Vodka.”
He looked at her with a shocked grin. “We’re in duty. On an op.”
Sue shrugged.
He poured two.
He gave her the chair to his desk while he sat on the corner.
“He’s hiding it,” she began, “but Revol’s anxious about pausing our search.”
“So am I.”
“We’re holding out as best we can.”
“We can only do so much.”
“And we do quite a bit.”
They sipped at their drinks.
“I always wished I could feel what this does to humans,” Aster said, staring at her glass.
“I’m good. It seems completely unmanageable for them.”
“Reev calls then non-radiants.”
“I heard that.”
She took another sip. Cat didn’t. Instead he watched her, how her hair dangled over one side of her forehead, and how she tended to avoid eye contact during intimate moments.
“I’m not sure what to think of it,” she went on. “On one hand it sounds kind, because he’s not referring to them as a separate species from us. But then it also sounds a little diminutive.”
Cat sipped his drink. “I wouldn’t worry about it. He doesn’t think less of them. That’s what matters.”
“I remember Ru asking me if I thought being romantic with someone in your same team was a good idea. I knew why she was asking, even though she tried to hide it.”
“And what did you tell her?”
“That it only was an issue if one was the other’s subordinate.”
“Do you think she guessed why you said that?”
“No. Cat, when we get back, I’m going to request a transfer.”
He set his drink down, as his throat had tightened. “Why?”
“Because I can’t do this anymore.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
“I have to live honestly. Do you agree?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
“So you’ll approve the request?”
“Yes. I’ll get you on a good team, too.”
“Thank you.”
She finished her drink, then rose to leave, stopping at the door and looking him in the eyes. Her returned her gaze, then reached out with his hand and gave hers a squeeze before she left.
When Speck found a place to land, Catalyst was feeling more than before that he was making a mistake.
“Let’s keep this short. Stretch your legs, get some air, then we go find Ru.” He watched the team disembark, and noticed Speck wasn’t with them. He went to the cockpit and found his pilot analyzing one of his screens.
“Speck, we likely won’t stop like this again.”
“Yes sir. Just caught something as I was about to power down. I’m thinking I should leave the engine running.”
“One of their scout ships?”
“No. It’s a manta.”
“Well they’re harmless.”
“Yeah. But this one ran into something that’s not. Poor thing is dropping fast. Over those mountains.”
“Well, leave as many systems as you need running. We’ll stay close to the ship.”
He saw the thermos on the briefing table as he made his way to the ramp. Forge called to him as he reached to pick it up.
“He said some stuff was coming back to him. Forge shut down his hearing so he could think.”
“It must be torture being trapped like that.”
“He seems happy. All things considered.”
“You just described Revol at every moment of his life.”
Speck laughed, then exited the ship. Catalyst waited a moment before following and closing up behind him. The moon they landed on was cold with a pale sky. The star its gaseous planet orbited was a massive blue giant, many lightyears away. From the moon’s horizon, the sun looked as if it likely didn’t know of the moon’s existence.
The frosty ground crunched under Catalyst’s boots. Any colder and he would have needed special heat gear like Speck was wearing. The others were gathered nearby doing calisthenics. Cat put on his skullfort and took in their surroundings. He caught movement in the sky. He activated the zoom in his visor to its maximum magnification, and his heart sank. The manta was plummeting to the ground, its flesh trailing from its mangled head in ribbons. It vanished behind a range of jagged mountains to the south, with only a puff of dust and rock to mark its passing.