New Alliance Read online

  It took a moment, but everyone seemed to clue in this meant peace from the dangerous Bhlat. I knew I’d rather be on the same side of the fence as them. The cheer progressed slowly, from the far reaches of the grassy region, and it carried forward, gaining volume until I had the urge to cover my ears, it was so loud. Dreb clapped me on the back in return, nearly sending me sprawling. I glanced over at Mary, who was stifling a laugh.

  I watched her, standing in her white uniform, and wished she was beside me. We’d discussed it, and I didn’t want a larger target than we had on ourselves. It had taken a lot of convincing Mary to even let me stand before so many strangers.

  “Good, we’re also thrilled to have the Bhlat on board. Next, we have Rivo Alnod, a Molariun hailing from the one and only Bazarn Five.” Rivo walked over to me, her blue skin contrasting the stark white uniform. Her suit was modified to accommodate her extremely short stature. Her four pupil-less eyes stared at me as she smiled. I remembered finding her aboard the robot pirate ship a few years ago, on my search for Mary, and I was so happy to see her healthy and donning the Gatekeeper uniform. Having her and her father’s support was important. The crowd knew of Bazarn Five, and I doubted there were many that hadn’t heard of her dad, Garo Alnod, one of the universe’s wealthiest entrepreneurs.

  “Thanks, Dean. I can’t wait to get out of this suit and party.” She barely said it loud enough for me to hear, and I laughed.

  “You just got in it, and already you want out?” I asked.

  Sarlun peered at the rear of the stage, where Suma walked over. Relief flooded his face as she neared us, wearing a crisp white Gatekeeper uniform.

  “And what great ceremony would be complete without a legacy member joining us? Suma is the daughter of the great Sarlun of Shimmal. She’s passed the tests with flying colors, and had the top grades of anyone in the last three centuries. She’s also a great friend of mine, and I’m thrilled at her inclusion.” I bent over, hugging the girl tightly. “You deserve this, Suma.”

  She squeezed me in return and smiled as we separated. Her snout wagged in excitement as the assembled stood and cheered in various ways. The reaction to today was fantastic: one for the ages.

  “We want to thank you all for representing your people here today and for joining the Alliance of Worlds. Without your support, we couldn’t venture into a future that’s more promising than any we could have imagined. Remember, this is Haven, and there’s room for you to send a colony to grow roots here. Our goal is to have all members of the Alliance represented on Haven within five years. If you haven’t decided on participating at this colony yet, please reach out to one of us, and we’ll happily discuss the steps necessary to make this a reality.”

  So far, we had twenty races with members living on Haven, and that number was growing by four or five a year now. We wanted to keep it expanding exponentially.

  People started leaving the promenade, music began playing from all corners of town, and drinks were being passed out of various smells, consistencies, and potency.

  Sarlun stepped over to me, setting a hand on my shoulder. “You did well, son. I never foresaw the Gatekeepers heading in this direction, but it’s time for us to stop hiding in the shadows and playing archeologist on barren worlds. This” – he waved his hand to indicate the mingling white-uniformed Gatekeepers on the stage – “is the future, and it’s thanks to you.”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t do much. Happy to help where I can, though.”

  The crowds stopped moving away momentarily, and shouting carried from the grounds to my ears. I scanned for the source and spotted them.

  Suma was at my side, and she whispered, “The Inlor.”

  We’d left them at the landing pad to be escorted to the ceremony, since we didn’t have time to greet them. It seemed they might have taken exception to that, and judging by the expressions on their faces as they neared the stage, they felt slighted. They had dense fur, which was something I hadn’t expected based on Suma’s explanation. The lead one had two thick brown furry arms at the top of his torso; the other four arms were lower, the middle pair jutting out from his sides, the lower pair from his hips.

  I’d been permitted into the Gatekeepers without needing to study or take an entrance exam, and I realized there was so much I didn’t know about the worlds and the people that inhabited them. His head was shaped like a dog’s, with a short snout accented by a pink nose. He spoke in growls, and I tapped my earpiece translator on.

  “You are the one from the ship above?” he asked, while one of his clawed arms scratched idly on his leather vest. He wore pants as well, hair tufts shooting out on an exposed section between the pants leg and the heavy boot on his foot.

  “I’m Dean Parker.” I stuck my hand out, as if to shake, and he growled something my translator couldn’t pick up. “Extend your hand.”

  He jabbed a claw out, and I nodded to his hand with a thumb and three other digits. “Use that one. I’ll show you how we humans introduce ourselves.”

  The Inlor listened, head cocked to the side as we shook. He was flanked by several more Inlor on the stage now, and they watched me closely. Two of them were shorter, and even though they weren’t any less tough-looking than the one in front of me, I took them for females.

  “I am Etar Nine,” his name translated, and I wondered if that made him the ninth in his namesake’s line, or if it was unrelated.

  “Hello, welcome to Haven,” Mary said. She was holding Jules in her left arm, and my daughter was trying to squirm free of her grasp. She shook the Inlor’s hand as well, and he stared at my little girl for a moment before speaking again.

  “Haven. What is this place?” Etar asked.

  “How do you mean?” I prodded.

  “We Inlor are new to a lot of things. We only recently became a destination for trade, because of…” He stopped, glancing around. “We’ve become a place of trade. We haven’t seen many of the beings you have here.”

  “They don’t live here, not all of them. As you saw, we’re working on building an Alliance of Worlds. A treaty to prevent wars, a trade structure to ensure safe bartering and stop theft and piracy.” The group of Gatekeepers on the stage were moving off now, leaving Sarlun, Mary, and me alone with the newly entered Inlor. Slate stood at the edge of the stage, pretending to not pay attention to the newcomers, but I knew he was watching us like a hawk.

  “We’ve had issues with all of those factors. We found metal that can be manufactured into wire coil that allows large fleet weapons to hold charges and increase energy outbursts. This has drawn a lot of attention to our world. Perhaps we can discuss things while we’re here.” The openness Etar relayed was surprising, but I was relieved.

  “We’d love to talk about you entering the Alliance of Worlds. Come by the town square tomorrow morning, and we’ll explain how everything works,” I said, passing him a tiny chip with details embedded in it.

  “The Inlor would also like to speak about joining this Gatekeeper club,” Etar said, and I grinned at him.

  “We’ll discuss that tomorrow as well. Perhaps Slate and Suma can show you around the festivities?” I motioned for Slate to come over, and he jogged, hand ready to grab his pulse pistol. I shook my head.

  “Come with me,” Suma said in her native language, and Slate followed along, leading the Inlor away.

  When I was alone with my family and Sarlun, I blew out a deep breath. The stage was empty save us, and the seats held only a few beings, chatting amongst each other in the sunny afternoon.

  “How did you think that went?” I asked Mary and Sarlun. Jules had found her way out of Mary’s arms, and she was dragging her stuffed rabbit around the stage nearby.

  Sarlun shrugged. “I’ve never met an Inlor before, but talk of their metal is widespread. I think it’ll be a huge success to bring them in so soon. How did you manage to smuggle them here?”

  I told Mary and Sarlun about Sergo, and how they’d destroyed his ship without so much as blinking.


  “They barely mentioned it after, like nothing happened,” I said, while keeping an eye on my daughter. She was so mischievous, always exploring and pushing the boundaries we set in place for her. Mary claimed it was all my influence, but I had to admit we were both to blame.

  “We’ll have to keep an eye on them, won’t we, Dean?” Sarlun suggested, and he let out a squawk. “I can’t believe my little Suma is fully grown and one of the Gatekeepers now. I always planned on keeping her in a classroom, studying theoretical sciences, but ever since that day you and Slate stumbled upon her on Sterona, she’s had it in her head that she needs to be like you. All of you.” He pointed at Mary to make sure my wife knew she was also culpable.

  Mary laughed, a light comforting sound I’d never grow tired of. “She’s headstrong and brilliant. If we’re pointing fingers at anyone, it’s you, Sarlun.”

  He nodded. “Maybe you’re right. We made the correct call, didn’t we?”

  “Letting Suma in?” I asked, trying to pinpoint the direction he was going.

  “All of it. The Alliance, the open invitation to participate in the colony here on Haven, the expansion of the Gatekeepers.” Sarlun stared into the distance, watching the thousands of people mix together in the town square.

  “We did the right thing. This is all the start of something special, you’ll see.” I wrapped an arm around Mary’s shoulder, feeling her head lean into me.

  “I hope so. I really do,” Sarlun whispered.

  I noticed someone standing at the edge of the stage, and I instantly recognized the long white hair on the tall man. “Mary, do you mind if I catch up later? I want to talk to Karo for a minute.”

  She picked up Jules as our daughter played with her toy, and shook her head. “I don’t mind at all. Don’t be late for dinner. And whatever you do, don’t go running off on another crazy mission.” Mary got closer, out of earshot of Sarlun, and said quietly, “And remember we have somewhere to be after it’s all over tonight.”

  “How could I forget? Nothing will stop us. We need the night off.” I kissed her, feeling the press of her lips against mine, and Jules leaned in, kissing my forehead at the same time.

  “Bye, Papa,” Jules said.

  “Bye, Princess.”

  When I was alone, I went to the edge of the stage, seeking out Karo, but he was gone.

  Four

  The day had been too long; the entire week and month leading up to the big event had been even longer. Mary and I walked home, exhausted. Jules was there already, being babysat by a local human girl who lived next door to us. We had homes on New Spero, Earth, and Haven, and while we separated ourselves on those other two planets by living far away from civilization, we’d decided to stay right in the heart of things on Haven.

  The planet had changed tremendously since the days when Kareem had lived here; nothing but a few wooden buildings stood erect back then, and there was no real industry or any plan to develop. Now, tens of thousands were living on the world – most of them at the capital city, but there were at least five separate villages popping up in the most fertile sections of the world.

  Mary had been there with me when we’d first landed on Haven so long ago, searching for Terrance and Leslie. I’d almost died from a creature trying to drown me, and Mae had saved me. Like most worlds I frequented now, I had a long list of memories. Far too many of them involved me nearly dying.

  Now, walking the sidewalks leading out of the town square, heading for our penthouse apartment in a twelve-story building, it felt like a safe place, with nothing to worry about but when to go to bed and what time breakfast was being cooked.

  A few beings walked the streets, and I spotted two short blue Molariuns nearby, as well as a hybrid leading three Bhlat through the street, animated banter among them.

  “It’s good to see, isn’t it?” Mary asked.

  “It sure is.” We arrived at our building: the exterior bore a slate-gray façade, and an immense glass door led us into the grand foyer. Minutes later, we were up the elevator and inside our penthouse. Even though we’d spent a lot of time here in the last year and a half since the construction had ended, it never felt like home. There was only one place that truly did.

  Bernadette, the babysitter, was in the living room, the dim lights of her holotablet glowing against her youthful face.

  “Jules behave?” Mary asked, and the girl’s head snapped up, as if she’d only just realized we were in the room with her.

  “Like an angel,” she answered, getting up and heading for the elevator doors.

  My little Jules was a lot of things, but being on her best behavior wasn’t usually one of them. She was too feisty for most older sitters, but this girl had bonded with her easily.

  I headed for the bedroom, past the modern kitchen, and poked my head into Jules’ room. It was late, hours after her bedtime, and she was sleeping soundly. I almost regretted having to move her. Seconds later, she was in my arms, her little head limp against my cheek. Together, we went into the master suite, where Mary was pulling a device from a safe built into the wall.

  She set the half of the portal device into the bedroom doorway, and the web spread out inside the frame, creating a gateway to the other side. I nodded to her to go first, and Mary stepped through, disappearing. I grabbed a bag with my left hand and walked into the portal, appearing in our farmhouse on New Spero.

  After spending a month straight on Haven, the silence of the country was off-putting. “Do you hear that?” Mary asked.

  “What?” I looked around, ready to fend off an intruder.

  “Dean, always so quick to expect nefarious attackers. I only meant the lack of noise. It’s quiet,” she said.

  “You don’t think I have a right to be prepared? I think the Boy Scouts were onto something with that motto of theirs,” I said with a laugh. Jules was coming to, and I took her down the hall, settling her into her bed in the end room. I flipped a switch, and a soft orange light displayed butterflies on her wall. She briefly met my gaze as I pulled her covers up to her chin, tucking her in. Her eyes were bright green, almost fluorescent.

  We still didn’t know what effects she’d have after growing inside Mary while she was possessed by the Iskios, but we could only love her and treat her like any normal little girl. Her eyes were beautiful, and that was what we told her every day. Already, other children acted like she was different, and all we wanted was for her to grow up happy and healthy, like any parents would.

  I loved having the portable gateway device I’d found in Fontem’s collection. It had proved invaluable in my plot to isolate Lom of Pleva, and now I could use it to escape other things, like obligations, to whisk my family away to our home base. Jules closed her eyes, and I kissed her forehead gently before returning to the living room.

  Mary’s shoes were off, and I joined her, happy for the relief. She was in a dress, and I was in a formal Gatekeeper uniform. I plopped beside her, and she loosened my collar. I glanced to the coffee table to see two wine glasses full of what could only be a robust Shimmali red.

  “What’s the occasion?” I asked, picked up the glasses and passing one to her.

  “Did you see what we pulled off today? We’re making a safer unified galaxy out there. We need to celebrate the successes, Dean.” Mary was close to me, and I could smell her perfume. She was gorgeous tonight, and I took a sip, instantly feeling the wine calm me. All the work and efforts over the last month washed away as I leaned into the couch, putting my feet up on the table.

  “What if it doesn’t work? People better than me have tried this before. Do you remember Earth? Someone always screws it up,” I said.

  “If that happens, then we’ll deal with it when we have to.” Mary had a good outlook, and somehow worried less than I did about the future.

  We clinked our glasses together, and my eyelids closed slightly as I let myself relax. We chatted for a while about commonplace things: work we needed to do in the garden at our house on Earth, upda
tes on the new Terran sites being built here on New Spero, and eventually, we settled into a silence where we just sat there, enjoying sitting still beside each other.

  I woke hours later to the sound of my communicator notification going off. The only one who had access to this particular device’s other end was Magnus, and he was off on the tail end of his three-year stint running an exploratory Keppe vessel. When Mary, Slate, Suma, and I were stranded on Sterona while Mary was pregnant with Jules, Magnus had bartered his services away for their assistance to retrieve us. Now they were coming close to the end of those three years, and we were excited at the prospect of welcoming our friends home.

  We spoke once every few weeks on the communicators, but hadn’t in some time. I blamed it on the fact that we were both busy, but we should have made time for our talks.

  I shook the cobwebs from my brain as I eased off the couch where Mary slept, and I crept across the room to the communicator. The sun was starting to peek over the horizon, sending a light red color across our sky. With the tap of an icon on the palm-sized device, I heard Magnus’ frantic voice as I stood on our front porch, breathing in cool morning air.

  “Dean! You have to help…”

  That was all that came through, and I tapped it again, seeing the connection was still active. “Magnus, what is it?” I shouted.

  No sound emerged; then a crackle, and his voice again. “We’re stuck…”

  Then nothing further. The communication was over.

  Mary’s silhouette was in the doorway, and she kept her voice quiet, but her question was laced with concern. “What’s happened to Magnus and Natalia?”