Page 23 of Advance and Retreat (Dark Empire #6)

“A dmiral Piras,” Mereta gasped, then hurriedly settled his nerves so his Dark wouldn’t be drawn to note the present circumstances.

“Secretary-General. Or is it the Dark I’m addressing?” Piras watched him closely.

“You must know I’m in control, or you wouldn’t have dared approach me. How did you get past the guards?”

“Phasing.”

“So the rumors of such devices are true.”

“Darks can see through them, unfortunately. In fact, our phasing capabilities probably brought the All to our doorstep. What about you? A Dark is attached to you. Why isn’t it contacting the All or warning other Darks I’m here?”

“It’s a long story, I suppose. My meditation practice and state of consciousness have...sedated it. In a manner of speaking.”

“Hope?”

Piras’ gaze had slid from Mereta’s face, as if he spoke to someone else. Mereta remembered his Matara was named for the brightest of sustenance in dark times. He guessed she spoke from somewhere else in the earpiece Piras wore.

“Specialist Nath confirms you alone are speaking,” the admiral said to him. “Is there any danger of the Dark resuming control over you?”

“No. Admiral, my time is short. The All has commanded my assassination since my presence on Jedver has become problematic. I’m due in the next couple of hours to appear in a vid broadcast during which the execution will take place, carried out by Dark-ridden Kalquorian prisoners.

It’s to look as if the empire is behind the act. ”

Piras swore under his breath. “The All will miss you soon, then.”

“If it hasn’t already. Can you help me escape?”

“Rescuing you was why we came.” Piras paused, his brow wrinkling as he thought.

Or perhaps he listened to Hope or whomever else was on his team.

Presently, he added, “We have a way of capturing the Dark. I could take it off you now, but if you could continue to listen to the All and report everything going on, it would be to our advantage.”

“Tell me how you plan to get me out?”

“Phasing. There’s a delivery bin at your neighbor’s home—”

“I saw. That’s how you reached me? Ingenious.”

“If the All is having you assassinated, the whole planet will be searching for you soon. The area’s mostly deserted this time of day, but someone might be nearby to notice a bin being delivered, then taken away.

” Piras licked his lips, his sole concession to nervousness.

“The delivery personnel hanging around may have already attracted notice.”

“It’s no longer feasible, is it?”

“It appears to be our best chance, but even if we aren’t stopped on our way to the safehouse, we could be tracked to it.” Piras ground his teeth momentarily in frustration. “Tell me your plan, sir.”

Mereta quickly explained his ruse. Hearing it out loud made him more certain of the unlikelihood of it working. “I have little hope of success. As you say, they’ll come for me very quickly if I don’t give myself up in a matter of minutes. Their search will be thorough.”

“It has its strong points, however. Maybe we can use part of your idea to throw the All off the trail.”

“Just tell me what to do, Admiral. I put myself in your capable hands.”

* * * *

M ereta felt a sense of serenity as he flew his shuttle from the city.

He was soon soaring over its outskirts. He was less convinced than before he’d leave Jedver alive, but doing something was calming in its own fashion.

It was far better than going quietly to his death, no matter how little it meant to him.

If he could reach Piras’ hiding place, he’d have a real chance to return to Kalquor. He could help defeat the All.

As if his thoughts had summoned it, the familiar voice spoke in his head. Where is the Mereta? Why has it been taken from the office instead of preparing for the broadcast?

Mereta had never attempted to speak to the All himself. He’d listened in on many conversations between his Dark and its source, but he’d remained quiet. Hidden.

He did his utmost to recall the voice and cadence used by his Dark and spoke, hoping the telepathy worked while it dreamed. It is best to go through records on the Mereta’s private devices to make sure no evidence of influence is left.

Why would it matter? The All controls Jedver. No Separates opposing will see such records.

Is it not better to be certain?

No need. Report to council headquarters immediately.

It is good. He hoped the reply would be enough.

It wasn’t. Where has the Mereta been taken?

“I suppose the moment for silence and subterfuge has arrived,” he sighed. “The All’s suspicions are well and truly roused. I hope I’ve gone far enough.”

He found a lovely park, one of many surrounding the capital, and set his shuttle down on the nearly deserted landing pad. It would be traced. He had to move quickly.

He went to the storage bin in the back. Normally, he kept nothing in it, so he’d had plenty of room to stow the Alneusian suit his neighbor had tossed in the collection bin a couple weeks prior.

Mereta had no idea why it had been thrown out.

Perhaps the seals or hoses keeping its aquatic occupant in her natural element had worn out or broken.

In any event, it had become part of his escape plan the instant he’d laid eyes on it.

Sneaking past his security guards to claim it had been a feat in itself, and Mereta had been forced to meditate for an extra half hour to calm the rush of adrenaline from his adventure.

It took another fifteen minutes to settle the misplaced pride of succeeding.

By the time he’d yanked the robotic innards from the outer casing that allowed an Alneusian to function like a bipedal humanoid, he’d been no more excited about the suit than he would have been over a glass of water.

Mereta stood at the hatch after pulling the exosuit on. The clear mask, which bubbled inches from his nose, betrayed it was no Alneusian floating in the suit. As long as he kept enough distance from others to avoid being looked at in the face, he should go undetected. He hoped.

Chief Engineer Lokmi appeared at his shoulder.

He’d accompanied Piras to Mereta’s quarters, only unphasing for quick introductions.

Piras had returned to the delivery bin to be taken back to the safehouse, leaving his Imdiko to accompany Mereta on a diversionary flight.

“The exosuit isn’t a bad disguise. I wish I had one. ”

“Phasing doesn’t matter when the Darks can see you.”

“Unfortunately, but we’ll do all we can to keep from being spotted. It’s clear out there, so if you’re ready, we can go. When you leave the shuttle, head straight into the trees. I spotted vessels on the other side of the park, including a zip flyer. We’ll try for it.” He disappeared again.

Mereta nodded and opened the hatch. He stepped out into the sunlight. The exosuit immediately began to warm up, but he’d cut a hole in the circulating tube connected to its neck to admit air.

Bowing his head slightly to discourage anyone he might encounter from looking too closely at him, he headed for the wooded area of the park fifty yards distant.

As far as he could tell, no one saw him.

He entered the canopy of trees undetected, grateful for the cover and the shade.

He was sweating profusely in the exosuit, the environs already excruciatingly hot.

He panted despite the air he knew was available to him.

He hadn’t realized he had a touch of claustrophobia.

When the tests to one’s serenity come, they come in bunches. He made himself chuckle quietly and concentrated on steadying his breathing. He wished Lokmi could accompany him unphased. The companionship would have been a welcome distraction.

Where are you? Have you departed from the Mereta? Answer!

He groaned and staggered. The All’s shout blasted through his skull. He felt his Dark stir in the recesses of his mind. He sent peace toward it, but it continued to wake, trying to extricate itself from the balm of pleasure it had become addicted to.

Lokmi appeared in front of Mereta, grabbing his arm to steady him. “Are you all right?”

“The All is searching for me...or rather, my Dark. It sounds angry.” Mereta blinked. “It referred to my rider as ‘you.’ I’ve never heard it do so. It doesn’t admit separation.”

“We’ll worry about it later. Do I need to extract it? It’s growing more solid to my sight.”

Mereta was trying to soothe his parasite, but it was struggling to regain its senses. He wasn’t sure he could.

Then the All snarled again. Found you. Converge on the Mereta. It has somehow subdued our control.

A chorus of distant minds answered.

Mereta was gasping for breath again. “The All has located us. It’s sending Darks to capture me. I sense several are nearby.”

“The containment will cut this Dark off from the connection.”

Lokmi was a flurry of motion, but Mereta couldn’t watch.

His attention was focused on his Dark, trying to settle it.

For its part, it was caught between the urge to do its greater part’s bidding and to remain in Mereta’s blissful peace.

It wavered amid the false sense of belonging to what its massive ego had always believed and being submerged in the ultimately real and good and fulfilling to those who’d found boundless grace.

Then it was slipping from him, receding into a monstrous aloneness. Mereta glimpsed it desperately reaching for him before it vanished, uttering a heartrending shriek.

He almost screamed in concert, rocked by its profound agony and the sudden shock of being alone in his mind.

“Got it. It’s unhappy, but they always are.”

Mereta gazed through tear-blurred eyes at the shimmering containment cube hovering in the air between him and Lokmi. An indistinct blob flattened itself against the side, banging on the side closest to him. It was trying to return to him.

“Are you okay now, sir? We need to get going if they’re coming for you.”