The Archer's Paradox - The Travis Fletcher Chronicles Read online

  “Except you.” Travis pointed out.

  “And the hope that she can reconcile with you and somehow regain some honour.” Turix Dayak' concluded.

  Travis turned back to the landscape passing below to consider what he had just heard.

  He was still turning events over in his mind when he felt the little craft descending. Turix Dayak' requested landing permission and they were soon back in the underground hangar. The journey back to his apartment also passed in silence with both of them wrapped up in their own thoughts. Turix Dayak' stopped the ground car by the bounce tubes underneath his building.

  “Will you consider the plight of Xnuk Ek’?” she asked. “She needs your forgiveness, and you like her more than you can admit to yourself.” she ended with a cryptic smile.

  Travis looked at her. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “When we first met in the Gaming Centre, I tried to make you react in the same way that Xnuk Ek’ was able to do and I could not.” she gave a mock pout. “No matter how hard I tried.”

  Travis blushed heavily as he remembered ‘standing proud’ every time Xnuk Ek’ was close, even in his dream. “You have a very twisted sense of humour.” he said, mimicking her pout.

  She smiled broadly. “There is still hope.” she said. “You should hurry. The mistake I engineered will soon be discovered.” she finished.

  “And I don’t suppose…” his eyes flicked momentarily upwards.

  “No.” she interrupted, with a twinkle in her eye.

  He got out of the car and made his way back to his apartment. He had a lot to think about and he needed answers. He realised it was nearly midday and he was expecting his final visit from the doctor and he had still not had breakfast.

  Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe arrived at Travis Fletcher’s rooms just as the sun had passed its zenith. It had been sixty days since their arrival back on Otoch, the failed kidnap attempt on Travis Fletcher and the attempt on her life. Travis Fletcher had not taken the death of his guide well and blamed himself for not being able to defend himself. He had not easily settled in to life in the City afterwards and had found it difficult to make new acquaintances. People either held him in reverence for what he was or regarded him with suspicion for his resemblance to their absent cousins of Xi Scorpii E or for what happened between him and Xnuk Ek’. Also he kept any guides allocated to him at a distance and refused to join in any conversations other than to ask or impart information. He had withdrawn into himself and become a recluse in his apartment, even after Wingu Kanzu had offered up all his accomplices and they had been executed, along with Wingu Kanzu himself. All this had been done with the usual Xi Scorpii efficiency with only a select few citizens even being aware of what had happened. Even the damage done under Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe’s tower by the gun battle had been repaired before anyone had noticed.

  Travis Fletcher’s only interest now was to discharge his responsibility as he had promised and then ‘get the fuck off this shit hole’ as he put it. Although he had no idea where he wanted to go or what he wanted to do when he got there. Could he ever go back to Sol 3? He certainly could not just pick up his old life, as he was effectively dead, according to Sol 3’s authorities and his sudden reappearance could cause a lot of unwanted attention. In addition, his higher brain functions were maturing at an extremely rapid rate, far faster than anyone could have predicted and amongst the rest of the inhabitants of Sol 3, whose mental abilities had been genetically stunted, he could be very dangerous indeed.

  When he finally answered the door, The Original looked like he had been dragged reluctantly from a lifetime of hibernation, but he perked up when he saw that Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe had brought a visitor with her. She looked on with a smile creasing her aging features as he hugged Niji No Tori until she was sure the young girl would expire from lack of oxygen. She gently ushered them inside as they chatted incessantly, each describing their life in minute detail since arriving back on Otoch. This was her second visit and Travis Fletcher’s third and final treatment, and one way or another his life was about to change, so she felt he deserved the chance to relax with someone he considered a friend, even if for a short while. Niji No Tori, on the other hand, had gone from strength to strength and Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe had needed to accelerate the young Aantah’s training. The girl’s boundless enthusiasm, coupled with her new found confidence, was paying dividends and she was now leaping ahead of the other Paal Kaniks under her.

  She let the pair chatter on for a while before insisting that the session should start. Travis Fletcher surprised Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe by asking Niji No Tori to join them in his Mindscape. The sharing of a Mindscape was either between a patient and their Ts’ats’aak or an offer of something more intimate. Niji No Tori was not the former and Travis Fletcher was not offering the latter. His argument was that he was not really needed during the session and would like to carry on his conversation with his friend. Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe got the impression there was more to the suggestion than met the eye, but she refrained from voicing her thoughts.

  Once inside Travis’ Mindscape his mood changed. He led them to the Radio Sheffield building and immediately rounded on Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe. “I’m right in thinking that we cannot be overheard in here?” he asked. The look on his face was set as if he had something important on his mind.

  Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe nodded warily. “That is true. There can be no intrusion into your Mindscape without your knowledge.” she affirmed.

  “Good, then you can start by telling me the whole truth about why Shukekk shot me.” he growled, shaking a finger menacingly at the old Ts’ats’aak.

  Niji No Tori took a step backwards nervously. She had seen Travis Fletcher lose his temper before and she was painfully aware of what happened next. He had not directly called Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe a liar but he was on very dangerous ground and this was not the same as with Xnuk Ek’. He was not being goaded this time and he seemed to know exactly what he was doing, which frightened the young Aantah even more. She reached out to calm him down. “Do you know what you are doing?” she hissed at him but he ignored her.

  “Are you questioning my honour?” Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe asked evenly. She seemed to be almost expecting the challenge.

  “No.” Travis shook his head emphatically. “I have no doubt that what you have said to me was motivated by honour and I am not calling you a liar.”

  Niji No Tori relaxed a little but Travis and her Nuuktak were still staring each other down grimly.

  “But I do want you to tell me everything you missed out.”

  Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe looked at Niji No Tori and back at Travis. “I do not think that this is the best time.” she said, indicating the young Aantah.

  “I think this is the perfect time.” Travis countered. “She was there when it happened and she was traumatised by it. She needs to know.”

  “Know what?” Niji No Tori asked with trepidation.

  “That the gun was sabotaged by someone and would not have killed me anyway.” he replied before turning on Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe again. “And I think you know why.” he finished, jabbing an accusatory finger at her.

  Niji No Tori looked between the two, her mouth flopping open in disbelief at what she was hearing and the tone of voice Travis Fletcher was using; nobody spoke to a full Nuuktak of Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe’s standing in such a manner without serious consequences but she was not reacting in the way Niji No Tori would have expected.

  “Tell me your reasoning.” Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe requested, taking a seat on the low wall that bordered the roof they were stood on.

  Travis gave a detailed account of his meeting with Xnuk Ek’. Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe did not interrupt and nodded gravely at particular points. When he had finished, she stood up and walked around thoughtfully before turning to Travis.

  “She was told not to approach you again.”

  “If you want to split hairs then it was her friend that took me to her so she did not break her promise.
Also she doesn’t know that the bastard she made the promise to turned out to be a fucking traitor, tried to kidnap me, had you lined up to be murdered, and has now been executed. I think that makes her promise to him moot now, don’t you?”

  “The fact still remains…”

  “Don’t bullshit me!” Travis spat back. “I’m not in the mood. She’s a mess and she’s lost everything, her career, her friends, her life’s been destroyed and for what?” he finished, spreading his hands plaintively. “For honour?” he spat the word out with distaste. “If that’s what your Code of Honour teaches you then I want no part of it.” he finished with a chop of his hand indicating his wish to be away from the Xi Scorpii as soon as possible.

  “And what will you do with the knowledge I give you?” Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe asked.

  “I don’t know until you tell me.” he replied. “But if I think she should know, I will go and tell her.”

  Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe smiled. “Well enough.” she acknowledged with a nod. “Then know this, Travis Fletcher. Wingu Kanzu not only sabotaged the weapon, he also altered Xnuk Ek’’s mind without her knowledge to ensure her conflict with you.”

  “What the fuck!” Travis’ legs suddenly felt weak and they gave way under him as he sat down heavily. For a race that prided itself on their Code of Honour, they could be more devious and dangerous than anyone from Earth. “So her teacher, her boss, her mentor, the person she most respected in the whole universe…” he left the sentence unfinished with a look of disbelief on his face. “Why?”

  Niji No Tori ran over and squatted next to her friend with a look of consternation on her face. She felt as if she was on a precipice and the ground was crumbling beneath her feet as everything she had been brought up to believe crumbled before her eyes.

  “She suspected something was wrong and was going to confront Wingu Kanzu, so he made sure she could not spoil his plans for you.”

  “How do you know?” Travis asked.

  “I saw Wingu Kanzu’s signature on Xnuk Ek’’s mind where he had altered her thoughts.”

  “And you never thought to tell her and put her right?” Travis accused.

  “The Council thought it prudent not to draw attention to Xnuk Ek’ until…”

  “What? Until the traitors had been exposed and executed?” Travis snapped sarcastically. “That was weeks ago. I know she and I didn’t get on too well, but if you saw her now…she’s just a shell, its pitiful.” he stood up and looked Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe straight in the eye. “Well I think we can put that right, don’t you? Finish what you have to and we’ll talk later.” With that, he took Niji No Tori by the hand and flew off to end the argument and show her some of his memories of Earth while Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe completed her final repairs.

  The dark centre of the city now pulsed with power, more than Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe had seen for a long time, and at the centre a black jewel fed all the other higher functions such as telepathy, telekinesis, matter manipulation, heightened perception and so on. It was this jewel, or rather the area of his brain the jewel represented that now secreted the chemicals that would save the Xi Scorpii people. Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe felt a deep satisfaction; her work was done. He already had a limited range of skills, but they would start maturing at a rapid rate now. He would need careful tutoring or he would quickly become a danger to himself and to others.

  They left the Mindscape and returned to the real world.

  “I don’t feel any different.” he said, a little petulantly, when Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe explained.

  “You will.” she promised, with a smile.

  “Will you teach me?” he said, turning to Niji No Tori, who looked at Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe with a mixture of embarrassment and panic on her face.

  “No! I cannot!” she stammered. “I am only Paal Kanik.” she insisted, her eyes pleading with her Nuuktak for support.

  “But I trust you.” Travis insisted, laying a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I like you.” he added.

  “We will discuss the best course of action,” Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe smiled, “but now I have to report your progress to The Council. They will want to know when you will be ready.”

  “Shit, I’d forgotten about that.” he turned to Niji No Tori. “Will you stay with me? I feel the need for some company.”

  Niji No Tori smiled and nodded. Satisfied, Sundaravāda Ciṭṭe left them to report to The Council. Maybe her work as Ts’ats’aak was complete, but she still felt she had the responsibility of making sure that Travis Fletcher was kept safe, not that she distrusted The Council, but the recent events with Wingu Kanzu had proved that other forces were at work here. And then there was her discussion with Travis Fletcher about the plight of Xnuk Ek’…

  Chapter 12

  Fleet Commander Beadu Slecg surveyed the bridge of his flag ship. The Beorn was the newest and most advanced warship of the Níwlíc Éðel battle fleet and this would be its first action. And what an action it would be! It was a testament to his war record to be chosen as the Commander of the fleet that would snatch The Original from the clutches of the old enemy that was responsible for the destruction of their ancestral home-world so long ago.

  If the reports from the undercover operatives secreted deep in the enemy camp were accurate then Travis Fletcher also had a direct ancestral line back to the old home-world, making him a Child of Éðel. Beadu Slecg considered it his duty to liberate this long lost ancestor from his captors. The loss of the infiltration team troubled him however. Their fate was unknown, but it was assumed that they had not survived discovery along with the turncoat they had enlisted, which is why a more overt action had been sanctioned. His orders were to secure The Original, Travis Fletcher, at all costs. He looked round the bridge. The panels gleamed, the crew was sharp and alert and everything smelled new. What this ship needed, he decided, was some battle scars. He had seen five campaigns himself, to secure Níwlíc Éðel’s borders from the other races and to annex worlds that could supply their requirements for raw materials, food and labour. Most of his bridge crew were veterans of those campaigns that he had handpicked himself and the rest came highly recommended.

  The military governors of Níwlíc Éðel had determined that the remnants of the Last War were weak and corrupt cowards. According to the reports from the undercover teams, they had destroyed all their warships, disbanded their armed forces, and renounced violence. He snorted derisively to himself but did not wholly trust the word of soldiers that conducted their business behind masks, listening at doors and shooting their targets in the back from the shadows. But based on their reports, the governors had decided that the cowards would soil themselves and capitulate at the sight of his magnificent battle fleet. However, one report before they lost contact was that they had retrofitted one of their two capital ships as a warship. Only one against his one hundred plus? This was not a war; this was a massacre waiting to happen. But never underestimate your opponent; the voice of his drill instructor reminded him from the back of his mind; that is the first step to defeat. These ‘corrupt cowards’ however, still had hyperspace technology and with it the ability to find and return to The Originals’ home world. Whereas his fleet was powered by compression drives scavenged from the ancient warships of the Last War and maintained by engineers from the races they had conquered. These ‘corrupt cowards’ had also discovered and neutralised the, supposedly, elite undercover force that sent the reports. Fleet Commander Beadu Slecg gave another snort under his breath. One way to be sure of losing a war was to believe you were invincible and the enemy were cowards, but he had to keep those sort of ‘defeatist thoughts’ hidden away in the darkest corner of his mind.

  The displays on his console indicated that they had successfully taken up positions behind the debris of Tocha without being detected. The ancient graveyard and ‘glorious victory of his ancestors’ would be their hiding place until the time was right. He could see coloured icons all around the centre of one display, showing over a hundred warship
s keeping station behind chunks of debris that had once made up the second planet of Xi Scorpii C. It had been a slow and careful insertion as they matched their velocity and trajectory to stay in the shadow of the debris and out of sight of Otoch’s eyes and ears.

  As he watched, a blip over one hundred times larger than the largest ship in his fleet edged slowly onto his sensor display blotting out part of the fleet.

  “Commander, the Eardgeard Cwellend has arrived.” A rating announced crisply.

  Beadu Slecg thought he detected a note of awe in the young operator’s voice. “Thank you, Navigator.” Commander Beadu Slecg acknowledged. “I see it.” The one ship he hoped he would never have to commit to battle. He did not even want it in his fleet, but the Governors had ordered its deployment to terrorise the enemy into submission if necessary. Even its name made his skin crawl. A relic from The Last War of the Xi Scorpii, or The Fall as the Other Races called it. “Communications, bid their Commander welcome and direct them to take up position behind the rock we identified earlier.” He directed.

  “Yes Sir!” The immediate reply was crisp and precise. Beadu Slecg could feel the young communications officer snapping to attention in his seat.

  ‘Rock’ was hardly a fit description; it was the size of a small planetoid which was more than enough to hide the lumbering bulk of the Eardgeard Cwellend and probably a quarter of the fleet besides. The largest, slowest, least manoeuvrable and oldest ship of his whole fleet edged with painfully slowness into position. Luckily its hiding place had a slow and predictable trajectory, unlike much of the debris, because this lumbering beast took an age to respond to its helm. All they had to do now was wait until the natural orbit of the debris brought them within striking distance of their target.