Page 54 of Spectral Seas (Spectral Worlds #2)

A BBY AND LETA watched from near the plateau’s small silo elevator as Bureau troops filed in and out of the lift with their Indici escorts. It hadn’t taken long to round up the rebels. The two massive battleships hovered above the plateau issuing commands over loudspeakers, reminding Abby too closely of his history with the Bureau as a Warlock, a lifetime ago. The four destroyers had docked around the perimeter, their gangplanks lowered over the embattlements as Viridian and Indici alike were lined up to board the ships, hands cuffed, and dampening collars—to prohibit psionics and shifting—fastened snug around their necks. The prisoners were strung together, and it wasn’t lost on Abby that they marched in the fashion of the blind workers in the mines deep below.

Director Yun Lin had shuttled down from the command ship. He was in uniform issuing orders to four specially uniformed Homeland agents. The agents nodded in response then took their places, one on either side of Sss’kallion, the other two on either side of Uhggwa. Sss’kallion and Uhggwa were also in cuffs and collars but were given the dignity to be marched solo across the gangplanks.

Abby didn’t recognize the uniforms the escorts wore, but most all had changed since his time with the Bureau. During the Spectral War significant prisoners like Sss’kallion and Uhggwa would have been put in custody of the Warlocks, but the Warlocks were no more. He squinted to place an augment over one of the special agents then zoomed in to focus on the golden insignia pinned to the agent’s collar, an eagle, wings spread wide, clutching a blade and a gold key in its talons.

Abby’s mouth went dry.

The blade and the key were the logo for the special agent corps, the eagle added something else. The eagle was not the same as the one the elite Warlocks had worn but it was close. With the battleships surrounding him, Abby was able to link into the Archives on the ships. The onboard libraries were a fraction of those accessible to him on the Alpha Plane, but vast all the same. He did a search for the insignia, expecting to find it an updated variation of the corps logo. Nothing came up. Nothing classified, nothing redacted, nothing at all. That didn’t mean they were the new Warlocks, but it didn’t mean they weren’t…or at least something like them.

Finished with the prisoners, Director Lin gazed over at the remnants of the destroyed gyroscopic machine. He bent over and picked up some small bits of rubble from the ground and rolled them around in the palm of his hand as he walked over to join Abby and Leta.

“Yun,” said Abby. “You still look good in a uniform.”

The director glanced down at his tailor-made tunic then gave Abby a smug smile. “I told you; I have a man.” He raised his brow in pity. “I really should have something made up for you. No offence Squire, but you look a mess. ”

“Ha. And I told you, silk isn’t my style.” Then he added, “Thanks for the reinforcements. I have to say, I didn’t expect such firepower.”

“When I learned of the coup, I mustered the battleships and her escorts from the NorEast and Atlantean bubbles simply as a show of force. I didn’t expect to come face to face with whatever that was poking through the breach.”

“Well,” said Abby. “I’m glad you did. Things were starting to look dicey.”

“What will happen to them?” Leta asked, gesturing toward the rebel leaders.

“Sss’kallion and Uhggwa?” asked Abby. “You won’t see them again.”

Lin scowled at Abby then said, “As far as the Bureau is concerned, Sss’kyrone will resume his position as leader of the Indici.”

“And his faithful, will they be restored as well?”

“Restored?” Lin was puzzled.

“Oh,” said Abby. “It will be in my report. The Indici have a way of removing the essence of their energy from their biologic shells. That’s how Sss’kallion was able to take any Indici not aligned with him off the board. He put them in storage.”

“You witnessed this?” asked Lin.

“Yes,” said Leta. “We both did. They have a chamber with shelves of jars, each with…an Indici inside.”

“Huh,” said Lin. “The Indici neural lace is well documented. It’s no secret that they’re separate from their physiology and that they’re biological shells are synthetic, our tech is based on theirs, but no one from the Alpha Plane has ever witnessed a transfer.”

“More than that,” said Abby. “They’re able to download without additional tech. Noncorporeal transfer. ”

“Noncorporeal transfer,” said Lin. “The boys in the lab will be excited to hear this.”

“So Sss’kallion’s people,” said Leta. “The other monks. They’ll be restored?”

Director Lin shrugged. “I suppose. That would be Sss’kyrone’s concern.”

“What about Uhggwa?” asked Leta. “He’s a prince.”

“A prince in permanent custody,” said Abby. “I’m not looking forward to speaking with Elggwa.”

“Same old Squire,” said Lin. “One step ahead. In fact, the Homeland would like you to deliver the news to the king in person.”

“The Homeland or you?”

“Does it matter? Besides, the Benediximus is the only one he ever wants to see anyway.”

“Ha. Ha.”

“I’m sure he’ll want to keep the peace,” said Leta.

“Yes,” said Lin. “I have no doubt. But I want you to accompany the Commander…just to be safe.”

“Yes, Sir,” said Leta.

“The bigger issue,” said Abby. “Is that there was a rebellion at all. This was too close.”

Leta nodded. “So,” she said. “There’ll be new terms.”

Lin gazed down at his open hand. In his palm were fragments of ruby, emerald, and sapphire. They glittered brightly as he rolled them around with the index finger of his other hand, the red and green bold against his blue tinted flesh. “New terms,” said Lin. “New tensions, and once word gets out, new threats.”

~*~

The End