The Time Voyager's Obsession

Compromised - II

Hana stared at the holoscreen in bewilderment, seeing not a man forged of flesh and blood, but a creature constituted solely of stone. The rough, grating reverberance of Gream’s native Tarthan held all the rumbling progression of a landslide. It was not the alien’s physique, but his voice that gave her reason to pause.

To Hana’s surprise, a smile began to curl her lips as she listened to the chieftain speak. Against all odds, she recognized the Tarthan tongue from that of her own universe. It was the same speech used by Gorgas the Intimidator, the Trogir Warrior she had briefly seen at her last ill-fated Fight Pit Match with Filo. It felt like a lifetime ago, when the ever-expanding cosmos had seemed almost small by comparison.

“Even within the multiverse, there is repetition. Particles can only be configured in so many ways over an infinite space,” Tiberius’s words welled up from the depths of her mind. Not only could Hana decipher the creature’s garbled language, she was almost certain that she could speak it, as well. Her years as an archivist on Astra Glacies had brought Hana in contact with a multitude of languages. Part of her work had included documenting foreign dialects and vernaculars, making her a skilled linguist. She leaned in from her position beside Tiberius, listening intently to the unfolding conversation.

“Whatever price they have offered you, I will double it for safe passage through restricted space C9. We are a civilian life support vessel. There is no threat to you here,” the Voyager promised, his steely blue eyes meeting Gream’s unsettling yellow with cold resolve.

“With what currency would you pay me, Captain? You have not been sighted on Naphus for the better part of a decade. Do you expect me to allow you credit? The Xeunese will pay me in coin, which is worth more than all of your empty promises put together. I see no Queen in my midst, only a Queen of beggars,” the Tarthac chieftain leered, his rocky chest quaking with laughter.

“You are in the presence of Tahlia Dariana Reginus, First of Her Name. I am a Queen by blood, the only currency that matters,” Hana challenged, her tongue replicating the guttural speech fluently as she did her best to channel Tahlia.

Beside her, Tiberius struggled to keep his composure, obviously unhinged by her sudden impersonation of the dead queen. His piercing eyes flit to Hana with a mix of awe and reproach at her blatant disregard of his orders.

“She speaks!” Gream rumbled approvingly, folding his enormous bolder-like arms and lifting a heavy brow. “I was beginning to fear that the passing years had rendered you mute.”

“Captain Var speaks with my authority, but I will not sit quietly in the face of such slander. We are equals, you and I,” Hana reminded the hostile alien imperiously.

“Equals, now, are we?” Gream growled in rebuke, baring his pointed teeth. “Did you not refer to me as an uncivilized cur upon our last meeting, Queen?”

Hana faltered, her mind reeling as she tried to adapt on her feet. Tahlia’s spitefulness was undermining her every step, even from beyond the grave. Reading her hesitancy, Tiberius quickly interceded.

“Much has changed since the fall of Naphus. Our Queen has humbled herself before you. Name your price and upon her return to the throne-”

“I see no humility. I see only weakness,” Gream interrupted him with a harsh roar. “The moment your ship docks on Naphus, you will be overrun and slaughtered like livestock. Your Queen signed her death warrant the moment she entered this system with a bounty on her head. I would be a fool to release you now. Is that what you take me for, Captain?”

“Only a fool would throw away a fortune for a pittance. All of the wealth of Naphus is aboard this vessel. We are all that remains of the proud Taohkese, the royal blood. As I said before, name your price. I will have it wired to you in whatever digital currency you prefer,” Tiberius replied with a snarl.

“My price is her,” Gream demanded roughly, his slit pupils dilating as they honed in on Hana. “You will come with me willingly, Tahlia Dariana, or I will blow your ship apart piece by piece, and your proud people along with it. If you are lucky, perhaps the Xeunese will make me a gift of you. I would like to have you as my slave, bound in chains and shackles at my feet.”

Hana’s thoughts shifted to the terrified civilians she had encountered upon first entering the vessel. She had felt their eyes follow at her back, and now realized that it was in silent accusation. In her greed and ambition, Tahlia had deprived them of everything: home, family, and stability. It was the people of Naphus who had paid the price for their Queen’s selfishness, and Hana felt guilty by mere association.

“It isn’t just our own fleeting happiness on the line; a world that is home to billions stands in the balance!” Tiberius had been right all along. Her freedom was a small thing to forfeit to save the lives of so many, even if they were strangers. Though Naphus had not suffered by her hand, Hana was anxious to make reparations, all the same. She was no war criminal.

“If you will grant my people safe passage, then I will submit to your demands,” Hana conceded, swallowing down the lump of fear rising in her throat.

As soon as the words had left her lips, Tiberius’s hand clamped down on her own, squeezing to the point of pain. “What are you doing?” he hissed through gritted teeth.

“What I have to,” Hana whispered, keeping her gaze focused straight ahead.

“You surprise me, Queen. I would have expected more derision from such a prideful woman. I will enjoy breaking what remains of your spirit. My transport vehicle will be waiting for an access code to the hangar deck. Don’t keep me waiting,” Gream ordered with smug satisfaction before the transmission faded to black.

The bridge had fallen silent around her, and Hana’s body felt oddly numb. She had fallen out of reality and into some terrible nightmare. It was Mala Fide all over again, only amplified by ten-fold.

Without a word, Tiberius snatched her up by the arm, hauling her away from the crowded deck like a disobedient child. The doors closed at their backs as Hana followed behind him listlessly, all of the fight having drained from her limbs.

“You cannot do this!” the Voyager exclaimed with a sudden force of emotion, grasping Hana by the shoulders as he pinned her back against a wall. “All hells, woman, why do you never listen? Did I not make it expressly known that you were to follow my lead? We leave now!”

“No,” Hana answered him firmly. “It’s done, Tiberius. I’m not going to let these people suffer at my expense.”

He regarded her with desperate intensity, his eyes a storm at sea. “You are so very similar to her,” Tiberius said finally, his hard expression softening for a brief moment, “but different in all the ways that matter. Do you think I brought you to this place only to relinquish you to the likes of Gream? You’re special, Hana. Across all the infinite number of universes, you are unique.”

“I wish that I could believe that,” she muttered dejectedly, her eyes regarding the floor, “but if I don’t meet Gream’s demands, everyone on this ship will die. You said it yourself, Tiberius, every man, woman, and child. If I let that happen, I would be no better than her. My decision is final.”

“Gream is ruthless, I cannot deny it. His retribution upon this vessel will be swift and brutal, but it is a sacrifice you must be willing to make for the greater good of this world. As Voyagers, we are not bound by the limitations of an ordinary existence, Hana. We can chart a new course, one that gives these people a future,” Tiberius insisted, his eyes flashing wildly.

“I don’t understand. What are you saying?” She squirmed within his grasp, the man’s mere presence making Hana question her resolve.

“Listen to me, dammit! At Mala Fide, when you teleported outside of your cell, why do you think you were able to do that? I’ll tell you why, because you’d already done it!”

“What do you mean I’d already done it? Let go of me!” she demanded, brow furrowing.

“Think of time as a fabric,” Tiberius spoke rapidly, ignoring her protests. “I’m able to manipulate its fibers by folding space vertically, lessening the distance between one point and another.” He held up his palms so that they were facing, slowly moving them forward until they touched. “You are able to fold it horizontally, lessening the distance between past, present, and future.” This time, his hands hovered one over the other, pressing down until they made a smooth, flat line. “In the future, you were already outside of the cell, allowing you to make the jump from the present. You could, because you already had.”

She gazed up at him wide-eyed, shaking her head in disbelief. “Even if what you’re telling me is true, I didn’t have any control over my actions. All I remember is seeing Var dead and then the next minute, I was on the other side of the bioscreen!” Hana protested, her mind struggling to process the onslaught of information.

“You are only just coming into your abilities, Hana. Come with me. Allow me to train you. I promise to teach you all that I know. There will be no more secrets between us. Leave with me now and I swear to you that we’ll save them. We’ll save them all!” Tiberius exclaimed beseechingly.

“That’s not a risk I’m willing to take,” Hana whispered, tears brimming from her eyes as she shrugged out of the Voyager’s grasp. “I’m sorry, Tiberius. I’m just not the woman you want me to be.”

“You cannot do this!” he thundered, his face stricken with a fresh wave of grief.

At the sound of their raised voices, Jael strode out from around a corner, bearing a grim countenance. One look confirmed Hana’s suspicion that the commander had heard her heated conversation with the Voyager. “Perhaps I may be of some assistance, my Queen. Or should I say, Hana?”

“Commander-” Tiberius rumbled in warning, but the former captain raised a hand, silencing him.

“If this woman is not our Queen, which she clearly is not, then you must get her off of this ship, Captain,” Jael ordered stoically.

“Jael, please, let me explain,” Hana begged, hating the look of betrayal in his eyes.

“There is no time for explanations. I do not know who you are, but I can see that your intentions were well placed. I wish that our Queen had shown half of your empathy towards the end. That being said, if you go with Gream, your actions will likely do more harm than good. There was a time when he was in close alliance with our troubled Queen. All appearances to the contrary, Tarthacs are not dull creatures. Gream will be able to recognize a walking lie when he sees one, and then he will be out for blood. We are doomed either way, and your self-sacrifice would be a careless one.”Jael offered her a sad smile before turning his attention back to the Voyager.

“You will find a spare shuttle stored in the cargo bay. I will occupy Gream on the hangar deck while you make your escape. I assume you can still teleport while in flight?” Jael asked with a raised brow.

Tiberius gave a sharp nod in affirmation.

“In that case, you can set a home course for Naphus. If Gream thinks you are attempting to reach the planet, he will move to intercept you. It may buy us enough time to make an escape of our own.”

“Thank you, old friend. I will set all of this right in the end, or die trying,” Tiberius promised, grasping the man’s forearm in solidarity.

“May the winds of fate be with you, from one captain to another,” Jael answered in kind. He hesitated before adding, “You would have made a fine Queen, Hana, of that I have no doubt.” With one last bow, he departed for the hangar deck. She watched the man go with moist eyes, knowing they were unlikely to cross paths again. If there was any justice left in the universe, their plan would succeed and Jael would be spared.

“Come, we must be away,” Tiberius took Hana’s hand, dragging her off in the direction of the cargo bay. They walked swiftly and silently, tucking into shadowed alcoves and recesses to dodge the sound of approaching footsteps. The tension between them was nearly palpable.

When at last they’d reached the ship’s loading dock, Tiberius wasted no time in locating the stored shuttle. Ripping away its canvas covering, he quickly pulled up the access codes Jael had entrusted him with. The small craft hummed to life, it’s pair of wing doors rotating up vertically as they opened.

“Get in,” he ordered, leaving no room for argument in his tone.

For once, Hana obeyed, taking her seat on the passenger’s side and buckling herself into its harness. The doors closed in around them, clicking mechanically as the airlock sealed.

Hana exhaled slowly, trying to calm her frayed nerves. She had spent her last takeoff traveling blissfully unaware in sim. This journey promised to be a rockier endeavor, if a shorter one. Slowly, the craft taxied forward, pausing before the mouth of the cargo bay as the hull opened with a gaping yawn. Hana would have reveled in the beauty of deep space, had her eyes not been squeezed shut tightly.

“Well, here goes nothing,” Tiberius muttered ominously at her side, setting a home course before launching them into the unknown.