The Force Paradox- Maodun Read online

  Slipping from the cradle of green that was her bed, Ruby left her chambers and let Trupe escort her to the observation bay. Hovering as they were over the frozen world of Beira, it was a beautiful view.

  Without asking, Trupe had furnished several deep, soft furs and now she settled into a meditative posture, legs crossed, back supported by a ledge lined with soft pillows. Wrapping the furs around her and tucking them in, Trupe whispered, “Dream well, my Princess. I will be here when you awake.” Ruby smiled at him, then closed her eyes and began to sink deeply into the mists of the ethers of connection as she’d been taught. Hopefully, she’d have an answer when she came back.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Warajel Rescue

  When Violet’s crew aboard the Bat jumped out of fold-space drive into the alley between Idolum and Arachnian territories, the crew of the Raptor-class sloop should have been safe. Technically, they were in a neutral zone. The Arachnians thought otherwise.

  Ben’s fold-space drive wasn’t ready to jump again, so they’d begun playing a game of hide and seek among the asteroids in the neutral zone. That had eventually failed as there weren’t that many asteroids and there was a large number of Arachnian sloops. The Arachnians were hyper-vigilant now that they’d gained their galaxy back from the black-hole that had threatened to consume it the year before.

  Opening a channel of communication with them had been fruitless. There didn’t seem to be much of a way to negotiate with Arachnians, or at least a way that Violet, Jack, Ben or Capp knew of. That had lasted all of about thirty seconds. Now they were being fired on heavily by the surrounding Arachnian sloops. So far the Soclaued armor had held up well and the new upgrades in weaponry had been worth the hefty retrofit price they’d paid.

  On the other hand, they couldn’t stay here much longer or they’d run out of ammo. It was time to run. Setting a course for the nearest Idolum outpost, a new colony on Beira, Violet jumped to warp. Ramming Bat’s nose through one of the Arachnian sloops just as they made the jump took out another of the opposition.

  When they dropped out of that warp jump, they were on the fringes of a large mass of warajel. Violet cut the engine to minimum and let the cloaking device kick in. Floating along in the mass of warajel, Violet opened the comms and communicated, “Arachnians come. Beware! They hunt us! Flee!”

  Expecting the warajel to hasten away enmass, Violet was surprised when they seemed to clump closer together hiding Bat among their multitudes.

  Trying again, Violet commed, “Arachnians come. Flee.” Nothing happened, except that enmass the colony of warajel began to move further from the point where Bat had jumped into the current position.

  “Jack! They’re shielding us from the Arachnians!” Violet wailed. “They’re going to be hurt or killed. They need to leave.”

  “I think ya done told ‘em that, girl. There’s naught you can do if they choose to stay,” he added gruffly, the emotion of their act striking even the grizzled veteran’s toughened heart.

  Moments later several Arachnian sloops entered the system. Soon they began sweeping the area in search of the smaller human ship. It didn’t take them long to figure out that they’d either jumped again or were hiding within the sea of warajel. There seemed to be some disagreement between the sloops as several jumped onward and two remained.

  The remaining Arachnian vessels lined up to fire on the warajel. Doing the only thing she could, Violet communicated, “Move away. We fire on Arachnians. Flee!”

  Dropping their cloak, Jack and Violet fired carefully, making every diminishing round count. “We’re running low on juice for the laser cannons and we’re about out of hard shells! If you’re gonna do something, do it soon!” Ben commed frantically in from the engineering room. “I’m still not ready to jump. The last blast from the “Arachnians punctured a thruster system that needs to be repaired before it’s safe!”

  “Slow and steady girl,” Jack whispered grimly. “Let’s edge out a bit more. Turn us so we can use the fat boys.” Fat boy was Jack’s nickname for an old fashioned cannon that he’d mounted behind the slight rise of the bridge. It packed a hell of a punch, but carried only two canisters. Fat boy had to be reloaded manually.

  Gently Violet floated the Bat down and to the side. Most of the warajel were now on the periphery of the battle as Violet had asked. A few had floated over to the Arachnian sloops and were busy wrapping their long, stinging tentacles into any gap they could find and around the viewfinders on the bristly black vessels. Really, Violet thought, warajel were way smarter than people gave them credit for. Electric currents wracked the enemy sloops, frying systems and causing wildly erratic cannon fire that hit nothing but empty space and a few unlucky warajel.

  She communicated once more, “Move away, we fire on Arachnian ships.”

  The comm static blipped, then came, “Fire. We stay.”

  “There’s no time girl. You’re gonna have to do it if ya want ta’ live,” Jack grunted. “Make it count. Don’t want our friends goin’ fer nothin’.”

  Violet took a deep breath, commed, “Thank you. We honor.” Slowly and steadily as Jack had taught her, Violet aimed the fat boy. Breathing out in one long controlled exhale, Violet let loose the first of the canisters, then swiveling smoothly, unloaded the last one on the second Arachnian sloop.

  Two massive percussive explosions rocked the Bat. Reflexively, Violet brought the Raptor up and over the explosions. Hopefully, once the space cleared, they’d be in the enemy sloops blind spot. As the viewfinders began to clear, Violet at first sighed out a tremulous breath of relief. Then a gasp quickly followed.

  The black enemy vessels were destroyed. So had several warajels. Half a dozen of the graceful killers floated damaged in the void. Some had torn tentacles floating separately below them. Two had huge gashes in their clear bodies and black blood oozed among their visible organs.

  Violet leapt from her seat, neatly avoiding Jack’s attempt to stop her pell-mell flight to the cargo bay. Over the comms she was issuing orders. “Jack, get Ben and Capp ready. I’ll be bringing them in on the sled. We’ll need a vacuum to hold them in. Air in the vacuum needs to be enriched with high levels of oxygen and particles of silica dust. I don’t know where you’ll find it, but get it done!”

  Violet leapt into her anti-grav suit, slapped the door to the cargo bay open as she was firing up the hover-sled. Slipping sideways through the still opening door, she was to the first injured warajel in seconds. A group of uninjured warajel stood vigil next to the tentacle-less body. Violet had no idea if they’d understand, but she commed out from her suit, “Have oxygen silica chamber. Will help.”

  The group slowly parted, allowing Violet to pull the body onto the sled and secure it with a small force-field. “Girl, those fluids off the bodies will eat right through your suit. Use yer head! Get outta there!” Jack practically shouted into the comm. Violet ignored him.

  Heading for the next injured warajel, Violet was stunned to see others of the colony gently shepherding the injured towards the sled. Soon she had all of them loaded and secured. A burning pain lanced through her thigh, almost incapacitating her with excruciating pain. Glancing down she could see that the acids from the warajel were searing her suit to her leg. Gasping with shock as the pain washed over her in waves, Violet lost her grip on the hover sled. Floating now in space, unsecured, she was half-conscious from the trauma.

  A group of warajel secured the sled and began moving it towards the Bat’s cargo bay door. Three of the largest warajel wrapped long tentacles around Violet and towed her gracefully along behind the sled.

  Jack had hastily donned his own suit and slapped open the cargo bay doors. As he reached out to assist the warajel with the sled, he made sure to stay well clear of any tentacles. Urging the sled towards the vacuum that Capp was infusing with oxygen and silica, a now suited Ben helped shove the entire sled through the force-field and into the healing bay. Well, at least Jack hoped it was a healing bay. They’d have to see.<
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  Hurrying towards the warajel still floating with an unconscious Violet, Jack reached out to take her from them. Long sets of poisonous tentacles barred his way. Frustration roiled in his gut. Now, closer to the group, he could see that each of the massive warajel had pierced her suit with tentacles and were gently swaying together. Strange multi-colored lights strobed and swirled within their bodies. A low-pitched buzzing caused his suit to start to smoke and spark. He had to get out of there. Damn it!

  Motioning for Ben and Capp to exit the bay, he hastily made his way to the door. Quickly slipping through the decontamination hold, he threw his suit to the ground and ran naked to the observation window. All three naked old men now stood transfixed by the sight before them. The three elder warajel had completely enfolded Violet in their tentacles. The light show was still going on. After an hour of this, and a scramble for clothes in the decon chamber, the three elders, as Jack had begun thinking of them, slowly released their tentacles from around Violet’s limp body and slid her gently into the oxygen and silica infused vacuum they’d prepared for the warajel. Floating ethereally away into the dark of space, they were gone.

  Jack flew to the cargo bay doors, slapped the control to close it off from space and then checked all the systems on the vacuum chamber. Ben and Capp huddled beside him. There were seven sets of life signs. Some of them stronger than others. The human one was steady and strong. All three of them slid to the ground, legs jelly. “How da ya suppose we get her outta there?” Jack asked Ben.

  “I think we just wait till they’re all stable and then ask her when she wakes up. If she wakes up,” Ben replied, a catch in his voice. Capp just sat immobile, staring at the tangle of human limbs and iridescent tentacles.

  Hours passed. The three men took turns watching the vacuum pod. Slowly all the life signs steadied and Ben commed Jack that the tentacles on some of the warajel were definitely growing back.

  “She’s awake!” Capp’s voice cracked over the comms, waking Jack and sending Ben scurrying down from the bridge where he’d been monitoring the ship and its surroundings for any further Arachnian activity. The fold-space drive was online again and had coordinates plugged in. They just didn’t want to jump until they were sure Violet was stable.

  Jack pressed his face close to the force field that contained the vacuum. “Can you hear me girl?” he questioned roughly. “Get a move on, will ya? Yer makin’ us all nervous as hell.”

  Violet sat up slowly from the tangle of warajel and looked at her hand for a few seconds, flexed it slowly, then turned it palm up to show Jack. A small iridescent tattoo-like mark glittered on her palm. “I feel ok,” she said hesitantly. “But a little weird maybe.”

  “Weird how?” Jack urged.

  “Ummm,” Violet rose gracefully to her feet, “I feel lighter. Less substantial. I think something is different,” she whispered to Jack, her lavender eyes seemed to glow with worry.

  “Well, get outta there and let’s do some readings,” he ordered her tersely. “Come on, get the jellies in order, we’re gonna pull you outta there and then release the jellies back out into space. Ok?”

  “Okay,” Violet said, sliding each warajel into line and then stroking each along their softly arcing backs. Tentacles stroked Violet’s limbs and face caressingly. “See you later, my friends,” she whispered, allowing Jack to reach into a malleable entrance and drag her slowly out of the pod.

  After they’d sealed the cargo bay vacuum port again, they allowed the warajel to glide slowly back out into the void. It wasn’t long before they were headed towards the last known location of the large mass of their clan.

  Carrying Violet as though she was a rag doll, Jack trotted through the narrow corridors to the med bay, as Capp slapped open each door. Ben followed along behind, closing them. Setting Violet on the flat-topped sterile table, he hurriedly slipped the sensing-arm of the med bay’s computer over her form. Lights blinked and whirred.

  “Patient is warajel/human hybrid,” the computer stated calmly. “All systems are operational at optimum levels.”

  “Explain,” Violet ordered shakily.

  “Patient’s human systems have been reinforced with plasma’s from the warajel tissue pantheon. Conclusions reached...Patient will heal at an exponentially faster rate and will be capable of regrowing some limbs, if lost. Patient is lighter in mass, though tissue has been reinforced and is now much stronger and will have much faster reflex times. Patient may be capable of manipulating electrical currents in the same manner, or a hybrid there of, as the warajel. Patient may be able to communicate long distances with warajel clans. Dr. Database recommends psychiatric and neurological care to help patient integrate new qualities and learn to control possible side effects of warajel integration. Patient is now superior in physicality and has advanced neurological capabilities. Patient needs no further assistance from Dr. Database,” the computer stopped suddenly. “Dr. Database, out.” The retractable arm swung itself away from Violet’s body and its lights went black.

  “Holy shit!” Violet said, sitting upright in a startlingly graceful and lightning fast instant. “Did I just hear that right?”

  “Yep,” Jack said slowly. “Yer like a supergal now, if that piece of metal brain is right about it all. Guess we’ll just have to take it one step at a time and see. You alright with that, gal?”

  “Yep,” Violet said slowly, then slid to her feet. “I do feel weirdly light,” she added. “And I can hear the whisperings of the warajel clan in the back of my mind. That might get a little old,” she added, staring at Jack with a look of wide-eyed fear. “Not being alone in my own mind. Not liking that idea much.”

  “Don’t get bent around the axle, girl,” Jack said gruffly. “I can rig up something that blocks their waves.”

  “Oh, great!” Violet exploded, “I’m going to be wearing a tinfoil hat now!”

  “Nah, cool yer jets!” Jack belted back, his face red with worry. “I was thinkin’ maybe a collar for yer neck, like one of those old Welsh princesses used to wear. A torque, they was called.”

  Violet dissolved into tears for the first time ever that Jack could recall. “I’m sorry. I just feel weird and being part warajel is a shock to the system. That’s all. I just need a bit of time to reboot,” she blubbered.

  Ben broke in, “Did you have that thing on your thigh before? I don’t remember it.” He gestured at her bare thigh, where the sanitation gown the med station had clad her in after cutting away the space-suit ended.

  A large, glittering, tattoo-like mark stretched along the length of her thigh. Raising her hand for comparison, they all could see that the mark matched the one on her palm. “I think that’s probably some sort of warajel clan marking,” Capp said slowly, clearly thinking hard. “I think I’ve seen those somewhere before. Let me access the databases and see if I can find it.” With that he ducked out of the med bay and disappeared down the hall.

  Ben said, “I’ll go check our status and we’ll jump onwards toward the planet of Beira in the Calix System. Records say there is a large neutral Idolum nest there. We may be able to access their more advanced medical facilities. Shall I?” he questioned, raising one grizzled eyebrow.

  “Do it!” Jack snapped to Ben's already departing back.

  Violet collapsed into Jack’s arms and sobbed a bit more as he held her. “I’m just glad you’re alright,” he whispered. “We sure owe those warajel for savin’ our bacon. They’re alright, those jellies.”

  Violet laughed brokenly and straightened her spine. “Yeah, we do owe them. I’m glad I’m alive too. I’m glad they lived, too. It was genius to rig up that vacuum pod with the oxygen and silica. Saved us all. Remind me to thank Ben for that idea,” she added, wiping her eyes on the short sleeve of the sani-gown. “Get me out of this thing,” she added, blowing her nose onto the hem she’d raised to her face. “I need regular clothes and a cup of tea. Then I need to sleep and process all of this.”

  Jack ducked out of the med bay for
a few minutes and returned with a neatly folded pile of clothes. Matter-of-factly ripping the gown off over Violet’s head, he handed her the compression panties and bralet undergarments that she preferred. “You get dressed girl and take care of what ya need. We’ll be in the Calix System soon and then we’ll see if we can’t get a better ‘once over’ with some higher-tech med stuff than we’ve got. Ya need me, I’m here,” he added roughly, stumping off down the hall.

  Violet grinned slightly at his departing back. She didn’t think her real parents had seen her naked since she was six. Jack just took care of her, no matter what. He was far more her dad then her biological donors had ever been.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Kinship

  The Bat dropped out of fold-space closer to high-tech aide than to the planet Beira. When Jack realized what he was looking at, he hastily opened a channel to the enormous Idolum ship they were facing.

  “Idolum nest ship, Commander of planet Beira, this is the independent research vessel ‘Bat’. We ask for medical aid and assistance. I am First Mate Jack McCormick under the command of Captain Violet Camden.”