The room they'd chosen for the meeting was an odd juxtaposition of unfinished gray stone and expensive art. Staring at the Van Gogh on the opposite wall, Liam wondered idly if there'd been a room like this somewhere five years ago, full of somber people debating possibilities and contingency plans as an alien ship drew steadily closer. A little more cigarette smoke and it could play like a scene from "The X-Files": the small, self-selected group secretly negotiating the fate of humanity while the rest of the planet carried on in merry ignorance. Of course, we all know what happened to that group. Sort of. He caught himself rubbing his palm and dropped his hands into his lap.
Boone was doing the best job of projecting an impression of imperturbability--skills developed while pretending to be an implant, Liam surmised. Only his eyes betrayed his trepidation; they were a little too alert, as if he were preparing to spring into action with a moment's notice. Lili was more obviously restless, tapping her fingers on her chair and casting the occasional impatient glare in the direction of Augur, who had made it clear that he wasn't going to say anything until Doors got there. Liam studied the hacker, trying to get some sense of what he had found. All he could discern was a heady mix of fear and excitement. Augur lived for the rush and apparently this was a major one.
Doors arrived at last, perpetual scowl firmly in place, and took his seat at the table. With a last look around the room, Augur dimmed the lights and brought up an image of the red ship.
Liam was struck again by that odd sense of familiarity. He stared at the ship, trying to coax out the memories it summoned. Long discussions in cool, dim caves; firelight flickering on metal as dancers leapt joyously through the dark while two moons looked down from on high; twisting strands of DNA separated so that each element could be examined…a flaw… And the memories slipped away. With a grimace of frustration, Liam returned his attention to Augur.
"Using the passwords supplied by Boone, I managed to hack into the mothership's communications network. It was, I might add, a fairly impressive feat, if I do say so myself. They've really tightened security since this all began. Apparently the Taelons don't want word to spread."
"The point," interrupted Doors.
"The point," said Augur, "is this." He gestured towards the screen.
"We've seen that before," objected Lili.
"No, you saw this one." Another button and the screen split in half, displaying two identical ships moving through distinctly different star fields.
"There's another one," said Boone.
"Actually," said Augur, reaching for the panel, "there are about eleven other ones." The screen split into a dozen small squares, each with its own ship.
"Where are the rest of the ships located?" asked Liam.
"As far as I can tell, they're all heading directly towards different outposts scattered throughout Taelon-controlled territory."
"Why did they choose these particular outposts?" asked Lili.
"I haven't been able to find a pattern. It could be that they're each aiming for the first Taelon outpost they stumbled across. Or the outposts could have some value we don't know about. Either way, this is definitely a coordinated effort. They're all going to arrive at exactly the same time."
"Which is when?" asked Doors.
"In thirteen days."
"Wonderful," said Doors sarcastically. "So we have less than two weeks to decide how to deal with what yet another threat to our planet."
"Or our salvation from the Taelons," said Lili.
Liam looked back to Augur. "Have you managed to find a way to communicate with them?"
Augur shook his head. "The Taelons are monitoring the ships too closely to risk it. However, the ships have been in touch with the Taelons."
"What did they say?" asked Boone.
"The Taelons aren't quite sure," said Augur. "All of the ships have been sending out identical messages, but the Taelons haven't been able to translate them yet."
"Did you download the message?" asked Liam.
"Of course. But translating an alien language isn't exactly like cracking an encrypted file. I haven't had time to…"
"Play it."
"Liam, how many millions of years has it been? Even if the Kimera knew this race, their language has probably changed so much that…"
"Play it."
"All right," said Augur doubtfully. He touched the panel, letting loose a torrent of squeaks, hisses and clicks that bore no resemblance to any language heard on Earth.
"That's a message?" asked Lili dubiously.
Liam closed his eyes. "Again." He listened intently to the clicks and hisses. A bright, burning sun…flashing colours…slow death spreading through the land… The memories clicked into place. He opened his eyes. "That's not the whole message."
"You can understand it?" asked Boone.
"No," said Liam. "Augur's right; the language has changed too much. I'd need a larger sample if I wanted to translate it. But they had a visual component to their language, and this message is missing that."
"This is all I could find," said Augur.
"Who's 'they'?" demanded Doors.
"The Ti'kklak." The name had a harsh, throat-twisting sound.
"The Kimera knew them?" asked Boone.
"Yeah. A Kimera exploration ship discovered their planet and established contact about a century before the Kimera died out." He scanned the room, trying to gauge their reactions. Curiosity, some fear…but not, he noted with relief, directed towards him.
"So it was the Kimera who found the Ti'k…Ti'kklak," said Lili. "Not the other way around."
"Yeah. The Ti'kklak were an old race, but not a technologically advanced one. They certainly didn't have anything like that," Liam nodded towards the screen. "They didn't think that way. They were philosophers and artists, not engineers."
"Apparently they learned," said Doors. "Why are they here?"
Liam looked down, struggling to assemble his perceptions into an order and language comprehensible to the people present. "When the Kimera first encountered the Ti'kklak, they were suffering from a plague that had already wiped out half of the planet's population. The Kimera supplied them with a cure."
"And the Ti'kklak were grateful?" asked Boone.
"More than grateful. The whole Ti'kklak society was built around a complex system of ties and obligations. Honouring their debts is one of the most basic tenets of Ti'kklak society."
"And when the Kimera saved their species, the Ti'kklak incurred the mother of all debts," said Augur.
"Okay," said Lili. "But that still doesn't explain why they're here. There are no Kimera at those outposts. Just Taelons."
"Because there are no Kimera," said Augur.
"Because the Taelons destroyed them," said Boone.
Silence descended for a moment.
"What would the Ti'kklak consider an appropriate response to the annihilation of the race that saved them?" asked Boone slowly.
"You said they were mostly philosophers and artists," said Lili. "Do you really think that they're capable of…?"
A shout of victory; sunlight glinting on a long, curved blade; blood soaking into the hot white sand… He raised his eyes to look at her. "Yes."
"Then this is our chance," said Doors.
"Our chance to do what?" asked Boone.
"Our chance to get rid of the Taelons."
"You can't be serious," said Boone.
"Hold on a minute," said Augur. "We don't even know if these new aliens will be able to take the Taelons. I mean, you heard Liam, they aren't the most technically-adept race around. The Taelons have been fighting Jaridians for millions of years and they're still here. They'll probably blow those ships out of the sky."
"Not if we help them," said Doors.
"Help them?" said Lili.
"We've been studying Taelon technology for five years. We know its capabilities and its weaknesses. All we have to do it find a way to communicate that information to the Ti'kklak."
"No!" said Boone fiercely.
Doors glared at him. "Commander, this is a Resistance movement. Our purpose is to get rid of the Taelons."
"Get rid of them. Not kill them all off."
"We wouldn't be the ones doing the killing," said Doors. "You have to admit, there's a certain justice to be found in the Taelons dying because they exterminated another race."
Lili cocked her head thoughtfully. "He does have a point."
Boone turned on her angrily. "And do you want to be the one to explain to Da'an why we're letting his whole race die? Why we're helping to destroy them?"
"Listen, Will, I like Da'an. But he's the exception. Most of the Taelons couldn't care less whether our race lives or dies, except insofar as it might affect their survival. Why should we be any more concerned about them?"
Time to intervene.
"What makes you think the Ti'kklak would stop with the Taelons?" asked Liam quietly. All four fell silent and looked towards him.
"What do you mean?" demanded Doors.
"The Jaridians are prepared to slaughter us because they believe that we've been contaminated by our contact with the Taelons. What makes you think the Ti'kklak wouldn't do the same?" He paused for a moment. "And more importantly, what makes you think that I would let you destroy the Taelons?"
"I didn't ask for your permission," said Doors coldly.
Liam's smile could have frozen the sun. "You can't do it without me. I'm on the only one who has any chance of figuring out their language in the time available. No language, no communication."
"And what do you think we should do?" asked Lili. "Sit back and wait to see what happens? Warn the Taelons?"
"First, we need to find out if the Ti'kklak really are here to kill the Taelons. To do that, we need to establish a channel of communication."
"We can't do it," insisted Augur. "Not without the Taelons tracing it."
"Even if we do, then what?" asked Lili.
"You're Kimera," said Boone. "If you tell the Ti'kklak to call off their vendetta, will they listen to you?"
Liam sighed. "I don't know," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not sure how much credence they'll give to a Kimera hybrid. For that matter, I'm not sure that anything I've said is applicable here. Everything I know about the Ti'kklak is based on my own dimension."
"So the Ti'kklak might not be coming to destroy the Taelons at all," said Augur. "They could be coming to congratulate them."
"Possibly," admitted Liam. "But I don't think so."
"We need more information before we try to establish contact," said Doors. "If we don't approach them from a position of strength, we'll be inviting another invasion."
"And how do you suggest we manage that?" asked Augur. "Liam's information is unreliable and the Taelons don't have any."
"There is someone else we could ask," said Boone.
"Who?" asked Doors.
"Ha'gel."
"Absolutely not!" exploded Doors.
"Why not?" asked Boone.
"What makes you think Ha'gel even exists in this universe?" asked Lili. "Wouldn't we have found him by now if he were here?"
"I don't know." Boone looked expectantly Liam and Augur. "Would we?"
"Tough call," said Augur. "Ha'gel's capsule was buried beneath the hull of a wreck--not exactly the middle of D.C. An underwater salvage team accidentally stumbled across it while going after the ship. What's the market like here for recovered wrecks?"
"Maybe not as good as on your world," said Boone.
"It doesn't matter!" snarled Doors. "We're not going to free Ha'gel even if he is here. The last thing we need is yet another alien presence on this planet."
"If Ha'gel is here, it's only a matter of time before someone finds him," argued Liam. "Wouldn't you rather have the opportunity to recruit him for the Resistance than leave him wandering the planet unattended?"
"Do you expect me to believe that's really what you're concerned about?" snorted Doors.
"What other concerns do you think I have?" asked Liam acidly.
"You're an alien. So is Ha'gel. Same species. You figure it out."
"Yeah, the two of us are going to team up to take over the planet," said Liam derisively.
"How do you know that won't be what Ha'gel decides to do?" asked Lili. "You may know the Ha'gel of your universe, but as you keep pointing out, things--and people--change between dimensions. Look at Sandoval."
"Oh, Sandoval's still Sandoval," said Augur. "Same rules, just a different team."
"And if Ha'gel decides to play for the other team?"
"If Ha'gel is on Earth, it's because the Taelons sent him here after annihilating his entire race," said Liam. "I don't think he's going to cooperate with them now. And if he does try to take over the planet, I'll kill him myself."
"You said before that Ha'gel wasn't interested in vengeance," said Doors. "If that's true, what makes you think he wouldn't run straight to the Taelons?"
"Because they'll try to kill him as soon as they find out he's free. Along with anyone who tries to help him."
"That's a comforting thought," said Lili.
Liam looked confidently towards Doors, who scowled.
"Assuming I'm crazy enough to go along with this, what are we going to need?"
"An underwater salvage team," said Augur. "And the usual associated equipment."
"That's it?"
"I have to be there when they open the pod," said Liam.
"I'm not sure I want the two of you together."
"We have to be together. Otherwise the Taelons will detect him as soon as you open the pod."
"How?" asked Boone.
"They'll sense his presence in the Commonality."
"Wait a minute, you're saying the Kimera are part of the Commonality?" said Lili. "You're part of the Commonality?"
"Great," muttered Doors. "It's a miracle the Taelons haven't tracked us down already."
Liam shook his head. "I'm not part of the Commonality. The Kimera have a very strong psychic presence; it projects into the Commonality even though they aren't members of it. Releasing Ha'gel will be like tossing a stone in a pond; the ripples will be felt everywhere."
"So why don't they detect you?" asked Boone.
"My human heritage masks me as long as I don't make an effort to link into the Commonality."
"You just said that you're not part of the Commonality," said Doors.
"I'm not dependent on it like the Taelons are, but I can join it if I want to."
"So how are you going to prevent the Taelons from sensing Ha'gel?" asked Boone. "He won't have the benefit of a human heritage."
"No, but I should be able to shield him from detection."
"Should be able to," said Doors. "What happens if you can't?"
Liam leaned forward and offered him the barest hint of a smirk. "Then we're all in trouble."
Boone looked at Doors. "We should start this as soon as possible. We're working with a limited time frame."
"I'm still not convinced that this is the best option," said Doors.
"What other option do we have?" asked Lili. "You're the one who said we need more information."
"I didn't say we should get it by setting another alien loose."
"At the moment we've got three choices," said Augur, counting them off on his fingers. "We can sit and wait to see what happens thirteen days from now. We can try contacting the Ti'kklak directly without any verified information about their culture or purpose and hope that Liam manages to figure out their language before the Taelons catch us. Or we can bring up Ha'gel and see what he can tell us."
"We can also turn over all of this information to Da'an," said Boone.
"And tell him what?" asked Augur. "That the Resistance has a Kimera hybrid stashed away in its hideout?"
"I'll let you know when I've decided," said Doors, rising from his seat.
"Jonathan!" protested Lili, half standing.
He glowered down at her. "Do you have a problem with my leadership, Captain?"
"Only when you let your prejudices get in the way of making the right decision."
"Jonathan," said Liam, "I've always put humanity's interests first. But at the end of the day, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that both we and the Taelons survive."
"That's what I'm afraid of, Kincaid."
The beep of a global pierced the room.
"Quiet," said Boone automatically, sliding it open. "Boone. Go."
"You're needed on the mothership immediately, Commander."
"What's the problem?"
"Companion protector Siobhan Beckett has vanished."
"On my way."
He slid the global shut and raised his head. "It looks like this conversation is going to have to wait. Captain?"
"Took them long enough to notice she was gone," said Lili. She stood up and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. "Let's go."
Boone paused on his way out. "We aren't done, Jonathan."
"We're done when I say we're done, Commander."
"We'll see about that." He nodded towards Liam and Augur, then strode after Lili.
Da'an was waiting with Zo'or, attempting unsuccessfully to soothe his child's impatience with his own calmness.
"This is intolerable," ranted Zo'or. "Companion protectors cannot be permitted to just disappear!"
"I am certain there is an explanation for Lieutenant Beckett's absence," said Da'an.
"Either Lieutenant Beckett has deserted her Companion, or she has in some way been incapacitated. Neither is acceptable."
Da'an looked at Zo'or with concern. "We cannot determine an appropriate course of action until we know what has happened."
"Indeed," said Zo'or frostily. "And where are the protectors who are supposed to uncover this information?"
"We're here, Zo'or," said Samuels, entering the bridge of the mothership. Boone followed closely behind him.
Da'an gazed on his protector with barely disguised relief. "Commander Boone, what have you learned about Lieutenant Beckett's disappearance?"
"I talked to the Volunteers who witnessed Sandoval's escape from the mothership two nights ago. They indicated that the Lieutenant was the one who called them to the shuttle bay."
"Then she has been taken by the Resistance," said Zo'or.
"That doesn't make sense," said Boone evenly. "Why take her and leave the Volunteers?"
"Why take her at all?" asked Samuels. "They have to know that a Companion protector would die before revealing Companion secrets. Our CVIs make it impossible to do otherwise."
"So they do," said Zo'or. He paced around the two protectors. "If you don't believe the Resistance is responsible for the Lieutenant's disappearance, who do you believe is?" He stopped directly in front of Samuels and stared up at him threateningly.
"We're still investigating, Zo'or. We only learned about her disappearance an hour ago, when the U.K. Companion contacted the mothership to ask why she'd been detained."
"Yes," hissed Zo'or. "How did her absence go unnoted for so long?"
"Lieutenant Beckett was on the mothership to investigate a potential security breach," said Samuels. "She informed her Companion that it could be up to a week until she returned. However, she filed her report shortly before disappearing, so we simply assumed that she had finished her investigation and returned to Earth."
"Poor judgment on your part," said Zo'or.
Samuels looked down in a show of subservience. "Yes, Zo'or."
"Then you must rectify this by pursuing an investigation now," said Da'an. "We are counting on you to learn the fate of Lieutenant Beckett as quickly as possible." He watched carefully for Samuels' reaction to his words. Yes, there was definite relief there. And below the relief, resentment. Which should be impossible for an implant. It seems that the healers were correct. The humans have begun to overcome their implants. Intriguing, but potentially dangerous.
"We'll get started immediately, Da'an," said Boone.
"Very well," said Zo'or carelessly. "Report back when you have learned something useful." Da'an marveled again at his child's ability to change his mood so rapidly. Perhaps a side effect of holding such strong emotions within. If only he would release them to the Commonality…Taelons are not designed to contain such emotion. We lack the necessary control, as I fear Zo'or may yet demonstrate.
"Since we have no way of knowing where on the planet she is, we'll split the search, Commander," said Samuels. "I'll upload the search grid to your global. There are a limited number of ways she could have gotten off of the ship. We'll start with those."
"Fine," said Boone. He looked at his Companion. "Da'an, can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Of course," said Da'an. "Excuse us, Zo'or." The Taelon nodded shortly and turned away from them. Da'an led Boone off of the bridge.
"What is it you wish to speak of, Commander?"
"I'm confused about a term I came across while going through the Taelon archives."
Da'an tilted his head curiously. "What is the term?"
"Kimera. I couldn't find any information about what it meant."
Da'an blushed blue and turned abruptly away from him. "Where did you see this word?"
"It was mentioned in a historical document," lied Boone. "Ancient Taelon history."
"Very ancient," agreed Da'an, turning back to him. "The word dates back to our earliest recorded history. It refers to…a great shame of my people. The mention of it is troubling."
"I'm sorry," said Boone. "I didn't mean to upset you, Da'an. But if the word is that old, then surely you have no cause to be ashamed. You can't be held responsible for the actions of your ancestors."
"On the contrary," said Da'an. "The Commonality links us not only across space, but also across time. Even death cannot break a Taelon's bond to the Commonality. All Taelons, living and dead, share a common purpose…and a common responsibility. Is that all, Commander?"
"Yes," said Boone. "Thank you for satisfying my curiosity."
"You had better proceed with the search for Lieutenant Beckett." Da'an turned away from his protector once more to gaze out at the stars, troubling memories running through his mind.