Chapter Fourteen
By the time Vector returned to Gravis 5, fourteen months had passed since the Agrona incident. The days had seemed to drag and yet go so quickly and he was locked into the life that had been chosen for him. The sun rose and set all the same, and future days seemed to meld together.
He watched the hatching of the broods, hunted with the assassins, and explored this new world finding wonder in each new vista. He remembered her more clearly each time he entered their room and smelled her scent, he read and reread her cheesy novels using any tool he could to pull her to the forefront of his mind.
He took forays into deep space trying to find the heartbeat he had heard but was greeted by resounding silence. He made trips to Acosta Prime to refill the fuel reserves so that his search could continue, he still clung to the fading emotions and did everything he could to hold her in an accessible place. Months passed and he never once, in all that time, returned to the core worlds.
He did not know that the Eternal Fleet had finally blockaded Dromund Kaas and Coruscant, nor did he know that Lord Vowrawn and Senator Evran had bowed to Arcann with treaties and concessions that would tax both sides to the breaking point.
It would be another year and a half before he would discover that Rictis, Mortis, Aruk and Nox had all disappeared, or were, perhaps, dead. Ravage, who was on his flagship Sekhmet's Ire, when the Eternal Fleet had come out of hyperspace over Dromund Kaas, had to either flee or face annihilation. When put to the test, he chose life over pride. Darth Acina, with the support of the military, had assumed the role of Empress and Vowrawn had been demoted almost to the point of obscurity.
Minister Beniko had left imperial space after hearing a rumor of an outlander being held captive by Arcann somewhere on Zakuul and before she left, she had given a datapad with what information she had to the new Minister of Logistics, Gelmid Lorman.
She had asked him to forward this information to Vector Hyluss by broadcasting it regularly to the frequency of the Phantom, what she never suspected was that Lorman would read the information and press the delete button as soon as she was gone. Lorman did not want the agent found and Vector would never know how close he had come to some sort of direction for his search.
The hive continued to grow and prosper and they had developed a relationship, of sorts, with the reptilian tribe after one of their young hunters had been injured and saved by the hive. The young one had been joined although it was difficult with such a primitive mind. Most of what he told them was relayed in crude pictures as their language was more a series of grunts and hisses than true words.
He had told them that his name was Tus and the tribes were known as Hassuun, but he had been the key to opening up the limited dialogue between tribe and nest. Tus was the emissary and because of the structure of his brain, he would be more like a herald than a typical joiner, retaining much of his individuality.
Tus liked to shadow Vector wherever he went, perhaps feeling closer to the human than to the insectoid Killiks and they often went on long hikes together far into the fields and scouting out new territory. Tus had taught him how to catch fish and Vector found comfort in the simple action of standing thigh deep in water and casting the net, pulling in the catch to return to the hive. He even enjoyed mending the nets, using his hands in the repetitive work that brought a sense of peace that had been so elusive of late.
It was a couple of months past the three year mark when the sound of thunder that was not thunder broke the idyllic setting of Gravis 5. The warriors and assassins all poured out of the cave to look skyward to see the hulks of spitcrete ships burn their way through the atmosphere, the rest of the hive had arrived at last.
Vector shielded his eyes against the sun as he watched the great ships begin their downward arc to land in a grassy clearing about two miles from the cave as they were too large to get closer. Vector let the queen know that there were only two, but the increased population would provide much needed laborers, givers and warriors and more queens to populate the hive at a faster rate.
Tus seemed ill at ease at the site of so many killiks pouring from the ships and Vector was hard put to calm his new friend with assurances that the Hassuun was not in any danger. Alliances had been made and his nest stayed true to such treaties. Even so, Tus hung back and sullenly watched as hundreds of killiks trampled over the land that had belonged to his people for time uncounted.
After the ships were emptied and the cargo bay doors closed, Vector joined his queen and the others in their chamber to hear news of Alderaan and the other ships. There he discovered that one ship had sacrificed itself so that the other two could escape and the remaining ship was still completing construction after an engine flaw had been discovered that had required much work to correct. It should arrive within the next two or three months if it was allowed to leave Alderaan unmolested.
The newly arrived workers and givers set to their chores immediately and Vector noted that many joiners had made the trip as well, all would be needed in the years to come.
Vector stayed with the hive for a few more days to make sure that everything was settled but he had something to do that could not wait any longer. The ship that had been his home no longer held anything of her. The air had gone stale and nothing of her scent remained, it was time to go back to the core worlds and find a replacement. Whatever little humanity still clung to his mind was struck by such sadness whenever he entered he could no longer stand being inside this sepulcher of memories and loss.
He had thought that he would no longer be affected after spending so many years back among the hive but this place gnawed through his barriers finding those tender spots still left raw and vulnerable. The ship had become a distraction and a place he tried to avoid, a shadowy reminder of all he had lost, and all he had yet to lose, it was time to get back to the search and he could not do that here in this place of broken dreams.
He contacted Lianna as soon as he hit the outer rim letting her know what he was doing and to expect him in a different ship next time he visited. They had become close over the past two years and he had even shared her bed a few times, each trying to hold onto something that was constantly slipping away.
There was no love but a mutual caring between friends who were in need of help in fighting the inevitable. The pheromones would not be denied and each used the other as a reminder that they were still human. That thread was a weak lifeline that tethered them to each other as they faced the day when all would be gone leaving only what they had locked within their songs.
Lokin had been right and Vector had not counted on being without her for so many years. He had learned to find comfort in the hive and in Lianna's arms and he could but hope that Rey'elle would find such comfort for herself.
He would forgive and so would she.
Vector tried to contact Vowrawn and Beniko but got no answer, he even tried Kaliyo again, but to no avail. His last contact was Raina who answered his call.
He was inundated with all the information Raina bombarded him with. The blockade, the treaties, the disappearance of nearly all of the Dark Council, the rise of Acina to Empress, Beniko leaving and Vowrawn's replacement, Gelmid Lorman. Things had become so much worse since his departure and he was as helpless as any other to make any difference at this point.
"What of the space platforms and bunkers?" Vector asked.
"All are complete and just as deadly as the Eternal Fleet. There is a strange but powerful energy signature coming off the bunkers and they are using some shielding technology to protect the space platforms. The platforms themselves cannot be breached and any attempt at sabotage is met by some sort of plasma burst that is devastating.
"Our scientists are working on someway to disable that shield, but nothing has worked thus far, the technology is simply too alien."
"Raina, we have a favor to ask of you. We are heading to Tatooine and will abandon this ship, we need a replacement, any shuttle will suffice, can you arrange for such a thing?"
"The Phantom is your best bet for survival, Vector. Why would you even consider such a reckless act?"
"It is a wound that will not heal, Raina, even after all this time and the effects of the hive, it is a place of loss. There is nothing of her left, it has become a thorn under our skin, a death we are unable to face. We require a new beginning to continue our search for Rey'elle, this past is too heavy to keep dragging behind us. It weighs us down."
"I believe Saganu may still have some contacts on Tatooine, I will see what I can do. Contact me again when you are over the planet, but mind the platform, that one is fully operational as well. Raina out."
Vector came out of hyperspace in high orbit around Tatooine. He could see the space platform in the distance and proceeded to the far side of the planet before dipping down into the atmosphere to look for a suitable place to set down. The cloaking device would last just long enough to hide his entry.
He flew low for nearly twenty minutes before spotting a clearing that would suit his needs. He set the ship down on the sand and contacted Raina.
"We have arrived, do you have something for us?"
"Lorman has things locked up pretty tight and the military is counting every credit as if it were their last, but we did find a contact that has something you can use. Saganu had to pull in favors for this one, Vector."
"Can this contact be trusted?"
"He is Chiss."
"Then Saganu has our eternal thanks, but time is short and we cannot be sure that our landing went unnoticed. The information, if you please, and Raina, should we not see each other again, it has been a pleasure to have served with you."
"Likewise, Vector," Raina said and then gave Vector the contact information before signing off.
Vector made his contact who said it would be around two hours before he could deliver the shuttle and Vector had much to do in the little time given.
He gathered every duffel and satchel he could find and packed all his belongings, double checking so that he left nothing behind. He then went to the cockpit and prepared the navicomputer for a complete data wipe. Once he was sure the shuttle was not some sort of trap, he needed only to press one button and all travel history, all star charts would be gone.
He next went to the 2V droid and recorded a message, then ordered the droid to wipe its backup unit and transfer only that message. Lastly he ordered the droid to shut down, opened up the chassis and removed its memory chip and data core. There would be nothing left to follow, nothing to indicate that anyone had ever lived aboard. Time, wind and sand would take care of the rest.
He paced the ship rechecking everything when he heard the whine of a vehicle landing and opened the airlock and extended the ramp to see an older Lamda-class shuttle settle onto its landing struts.
The pilot and one other exited and approached Vector, offering to help with his bags while Vector finished inside then closed and locked the entry.
"Did you bring the detonite and camouflage netting?" Vector asked of the pilot.
"As requested. Shall we cover this thing, set the charges and be off then?"
The netting took some time since it was heavy and unwieldy for just three people but they finally got it placed over the ship and tied down. Then they set the detonite charges at the mouth of the entrance of the only land entry, set the timers and boarded the shuttle. Vector watched the explosion seal the ship off from any ground approach and the netting hid it better than he had expected, it might never be found, which was for the best.
Vector dropped off the Chiss at a remote base and then climbed through the atmosphere to head for home after transferring the star charts from his datapad into the shuttles navicomputer. The transponder codes of the shuttle were old but still valid and he should have no trouble refueling along the way.
He sat in the pilot's seat for a long time letting the enormity of what he had done settle into acceptance. On one hand it would appear that he was stripping her from his life while on the other he knew of the necessity of the steps he had taken. There was nothing left on the Phantom to miss, the ship had become completely devoid of all that was her, even the bed they had shared cut into him like shards of glass. The scales would balance given time.
In a sense, he was moving on, but the direction was always to her, forever to her.