“Many will remember you. I will remember you. You are, and always will be, true friends … but I want you to know that you won’t be bothered here again. You have my word on that. There’s nothing more you need to give, now that everything has been taken from you. Hunt the local game, fish … live out your lives in this place you’ve come to call home.”

  Jason met Traveler’s steady stare. Tears flowed freely from his small dark eyes. As Jason prepared to leave and let his friends mourn in peace, he noticed the three rhinos were dressed for battle. Their plasma weapons and heavy hammers lay on the ground, close to their feet. Traveler, Few Words, and First Reflection stood up and secured their weapons, attaching their heavy hammers to leather thongs at their sides. One by one they approached the campfire and pulled burning timbers from the blaze. Unsure what was happening, Jason watched as the three warriors hurried off toward the domed structures surrounding the campsite. Traveler was the first to reach the largest of the domes. He stopped and looked to the heavens as if praying, or perhaps making a promise. Then, without further hesitation, he held the burning timber beneath the dome’s wood frame. In seconds the structure was burning—soon, fully engulfed in fire. The three moved with purpose from one dome to another, until all the domes were on fire.

  They returned to Jason at the campfire. “We are not deserving of a home. No, we will not hunt and fish here. The honor of our people fully resides within the three of us. Only us.”

  “What do you want to do?” Jason asked, getting to his feet.

  To Jason’s surprise, the three rhino-warriors looked happy and were smiling. Traveler spoke for all of them: “To avenge their deaths and die in battle with honor. We will fight at your side, Captain Reynolds. We won’t stop until the Craing are beaten down by our heavy hammers and we, too, join our brethren in the great beyond.”

  Chapter 26

  Dressed again in his battle suit, Jason phase-shifted back to the Minian. As soon as he entered the bridge, Dira looked up. “You took a shower. That’s not fair!” She was sitting at a console next to Bristol, who must have phase-shifted over from Her Majesty.

  “Status?” Jason asked, already noting there was substantial progress.

  Ricket emerged from beneath a console. “Good! Progress is good, Captain. DeckPorts are online.”

  Jason walked over to where Ricket was working and picked up a metallic device about the size of a toaster.

  Ricket took it from him, and put it back on the console. “We manufactured this power-interface coupling back on 4B. Once connected, it should provide The Lilly with enough power to phase-shift the two ships together into deep space.”

  “Well, don’t let me hold your progress up,” Jason said, looking around the bridge for Orion.

  “She’s in the armory, Captain,” Dira said.

  Jason tried to remember if he had ever been in the Minian’s armory.

  “I’ll show you the way.” Dira stood up and looked relieved to get off the bridge. She grabbed a battle suit helmet and headed for the exit.

  “That one’s mine,” Bristol said irritably.

  Dira stopped and took a closer look at the helmet. “Oh, you’re right.” She tossed the helmet back to him and grabbed her own.

  Together, they left the bridge and headed toward the closest DeckPort.

  “How you holding up?” Jason asked.

  “Anxious to get home. Annoyed that I can’t be there. Basically, I’m staying busy to keep my mind off things. I guess my biggest worry is I’ll never make it back before …” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

  Jason stopped and guided her into an open compartment off the main corridor. He pulled her in close. He looked into her eyes and spoke softly. “Not only will we get through this, I’ll come home with you. I want to help out any way I can.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know, Jason. Be realistic. You’ve got your own family to worry about … Mollie, Boomer, even Nan. We both know it’s only a matter of time before Earth is in just as much danger.”

  He kissed her. He didn’t want to talk about the perils of their two worlds right now, or anything else for that matter.

  She pushed him away with a hand on his chest. “What are you doing, Jason? Why now?”

  “You really don’t know?”

  She stared up at him with those amazing Jhardanian eyes, with their flecks of violet and amber. She looked down—her long lashes fluttered—then back into his eyes as if searching for something.

  The words were out before he realized he’d said them. “I love you, Dira.”

  She continued to look into his eyes, not saying anything. She placed her hands on his face and, ever so gently, pulled him forward. She kissed him—the most tender, gentlest of kisses. She continued to hold his face close to hers, her lips touching his. “You know … I’ve always been yours, Jason … I think I always will be. I so so love you, too.”

  With eyes locked on each other, they kissed again, and again, and again. Gentleness gave way to passion and soon their hunger took them past caring about anything but having each other … being one with each other. Together, they slid down the bulkhead to the floor. Their battle suits came off with surprising ease and they held each other close, experiencing each other’s complete nakedness for the first time. Jason had never wanted anything as much as he wanted her—right now. Passion turned to quiet, slow intimacy. She guided his hands, his fingers, to explore her body … its physiology wasn’t exactly human—in some ways, the same; in other ways, quite different. He took in the sight of her smooth, violet skin and it stirred him. She was the most beautiful being he had ever seen, or could ever imagine. She watched his face—his every expression—with a bemused smile on her lips.

  Dira put two fingers on Jason’s lips and whispered into his ear, “I want it to be special. If you can wait, let me give myself to you at the right time.”

  Jason smiled and brushed the hair away from her forehead. “Of course, I’ll wait. I’d wait a lifetime for you.” She kissed him again and pulled him close one more time.

  Eventually they parted. They helped each other into their battle suits and made their way back to the main corridor. To Jason’s surprise, Gaddy emerged from a nearby DeckPort just as they exited the open compartment.

  “Seriously? Again?” Gaddy said, shaking her head.

  Both Jason and Dira looked puzzled, as if they didn’t know what she was talking about.

  “Whatever. Orion’s looking for you … in the armory.” Gaddy headed off toward the bridge.

  * * *

  The Minian’s armory was larger and more akin to a technical lab setup than the armory on The Lilly. Orion was seated on a tall stool and leaning over a counter. No less than six three-dimensional holo-displays were active, hovering in front of her. “There you are. Was wondering if we needed to send out a search party.” Orion wore a condescending smile she made little attempt to hide. It was clear to Jason she knew exactly where they’d been. Gunny’s eyes shifted back and forth between the two and then refocused on the hovering displays. He was glad she didn’t say anything further on the subject. But he wondered how she knew and how many others knew?

  “What do you have for me, Gunny?”

  Jason and Dira joined her on either side and looked at what she was working on. It was obviously a battle suit—actually, multiple iterations of the same suit.

  “Captain, while you were … busy, I started to think how I was going to come up with a means to destroy those battle droids. Nothing I came up with would do the trick. Perhaps with one exception—just nuking the whole platform. Unfortunately, the phase-synthesizer would be destroyed along with it.”

  “So tell me about this battle suit. You’re thinking it can stand up to one of those things?”

  “Yes and no. Ricket was here a while ago and showed me some interesting add-ons. For one thing, these suits have the same capability to phase-shift into the multiverse that the battle droids have. It’s so fast—instantaneous—that the user wouldn’t even notice.”

  “What does that mean when going up against the droids?”

  “It means they can fire plasma bolts, or even rail-gun munitions at you all day—but you, your physical self, wouldn’t be around to take the hits.”

  “I like that,” Jason said.

  “Yes, I do, too. The only problem is, the droids have the exact same capability. That’s sort of where I’m at with all this.”

  Dira pursed her lips and looked as if she wanted to say something.

  “What is it?’ Jason asked. “Don’t be shy.”

  “I’m not tech-savvy about such things but, well, I was wondering where do the droids actually go? You know, in those flashes when they jump back and forth into the multiverse?”

  Orion shook her head. “The multiverse is endless—an infinite realm of possibilities.”

  “But that doesn’t necessarily mean the droids are shifting to an arbitrary place,” Jason said. “We already know the Caldurians have the ability to move back and forth to specific locations within the multiverse. And they don’t, typically, leave things to chance. Why, then, wouldn’t the instant, projected, multiverse location the droids go to, be a real, specific location also?”

  “I suppose they do, but why would that matter—” She cut herself short. “I think I know where you’re going with this. If we can’t destroy them here, on this plane of existence, perhaps we can do so on another.”

  “Yes,” Jason said excitedly. “Here, we have more to worry about than just the battle droids. We’re trying to keep ourselves alive, and not destroy the phase-synthesizer in the process. That whole … nuking … plan to eliminate the damn things might be a possibility after all.”

  “I can work with that. I’ll need Ricket’s help. Thanks!”

  “Don’t thank me,” Jason said. “It was Dira’s idea, not mine.”

  Orion gave Dira a quick fist bump. “Oh, here’s something extra about these new battle suits.” Orion selected one of the floating holo-displays and enlarged it. With several more taps on the input device, the suit came alive and, in animation, turned three hundred and sixty degrees, doing a myriad of functions as it slowly turned on a vertical axis. “No more cumbersome and separate segments.” She placed a small, metallic-looking device, about the size of a pack of cigarettes, on the counter. “See this? This is your battle suit. You wear it on your belt at all times.”

  “What do you mean this is the battle suit?” Jason asked, looking confused.

  Orion stood up from her stool and stepped into the center of the room. “Watch … don’t blink or you’ll miss it.” She clipped the device onto her jumpsuit’s belt and squeezed its two longer-side edges inward—toward each other. Building upon itself, segment by segment, all in the span of two or three seconds, a hardened, red and black battle suit took form around her body. The last section to engulf her was her helmet.

  Jason got up and walked around her. It was a radically more advanced suit than he’d ever seen. The damn thing looked lighter, even aerodynamic. “Looks like the thing can fly,” he said.

  Orion smiled behind her new amber visor, and then her helmet segmented, reversing, and disappeared into the back of the suit. “No more carrying around your helmet, Cap. As for flying, I think it actually can do that. Again, I’ll need Ricket’s help with some of the exotic configurations. I know that phase-shifting is all integrated and the suit will configure to all sizes.”

  “Even someone the size of a rhino-warrior?”

  “I suppose so, if you can convince one to use it,” Orion said. She pressed a small indentation on her wrist and the battle suit continued to segment backwards; in seconds it was self-contained, encased in the small metallic device on her belt.

  “See, you’re in and out of your suit in seconds,” Orion said, giving a quick wink to Dira.

  Dira smiled and looked at Jason. “Hmm, I think I like that feature.”

  Chapter 27

  As Jason listened to Ricket explain what would be needed in the hours ahead, his high hopes for the new droid-fighting battle suit were quickly being dashed. There was one snag Orion had neglected to mention. With the exception of the one prototype she had demonstrated, manufacturing the actual suit was only possible using the Minian’s phase-synthesizer.

  “So we’re really no closer finding a solution to steal back the phase-synthesizer?” Jason asked irritably, quietly cursing Granger again for the colossal mess he’d gotten them into in the first place. He’d deliberately left Granger on the bridge under guard when he requested Ricket to join them in the armory.

  “Not necessarily, Captain.” Ricket plucked the battle suit cartridge off Orion’s belt and looked at it—flipping it over several times in his hands. He appeared to be contemplating something. He looked up at Jason and then around the Minian’s armory. “This battle suit cartridge—”

  “I call them SuitPacs …” Orion interjected.

  “This SuitPac is fairly basic. Doesn’t provide for the re-modifications you’d mentioned. With that said, it is still a remarkable piece of technology.”

  “So what are you thinking?” Jason asked.

  Ricket started to pace the floor, still flipping the SuitPac around in his small fingers. “If someone could covertly breach the platform’s security—make their way to the synthesizer—he may be able to initiate a manufacturing process.”

  “Start cooking these things right under their noses, you’re saying?” Jason asked.

  “Why did you say he?” Orion asked. “Why not a she? I have more experience manufacturing battle suits than anyone here, other than perhaps yourself, Ricket.”

  “In all likelihood, this will be a suicide mission, Gunny.” Jason shook his head. “I’m not willing to throw you into the mix.”

  “Cap—”

  “It’s not open to discussion, Gunny.”

  Jason could see Orion was fuming, but she’d just have to deal with it.

  “I was thinking neither one of you, Captain,” Ricket said.

  “Don’t even think that I’d let you—”

  “No, Captain. Not me. Whoever will be going up against one or more of the Craing battle droids will be at a tremendous disadvantage. Granted, the suit’s micro-servos greatly enhance one’s strength, but neither of you has one-tenth of the raw power that one of these droids possesses. And if you consider the matched defensive and offensive weaponry aspects, it may very well come down to hand-to-hand combat.”

  “So where does that leave us?”

  Ricket did not answer right away. He didn’t have to.

  “No. Absolutely not. You do realize, don’t you, that they are the sole remaining members of their species, right?”

  No one said anything while Jason stewed on the prospect. He kept hearing Traveler’s words in his head: “To avenge their deaths and die in battle with honor. We will fight at your side, Captain Reynolds. We won’t stop until the Craing are beaten down by our heavy hammers and we, too, join our brethren in the great beyond.”

  “I’ll leave it up to them, specifically to Traveler,” Jason finally said, although he already knew what the rhino-warrior would say.

  * * *

  Traveler, Few Words, and First Reflection made the expansive armory’s confines seem significantly smaller with their large presence. As Jason expected, Traveler was excited by the proposed mission, the prospect of fighting, even dying, honorably.

  “I will fight this mechanical beast. But no, I will not wear this fancy costume you propose.”

  “Why not?” Jason asked.

  “There would be no honor wearing such a strange garment. For millennia we have fought with this, this, and this,” Traveler said, referring to his hammer, his leather breastplate, and his fist, which he raised high into the air.

  “You have to wear the suit, Traveler. No suit … I can’t let you go. I’m fine going myself and taking my chances.”

  Traveler became agitated and repeatedly snorted. He walked from one end of the armory to the other, eventually stopping in front of Jason, his fists resting upon his hips. Jason and the others waited quietly until he settled down. The rhino-warrior looked from Jason to his brethren but got nothing from them. “I do not know how to use such a device. I am not comfortable with technology. I cannot learn this—I will surely fail.”

  “Can you use a plasma weapon?” Jason asked.

  “Yes.”

  “How about a phase-shift belt?”

  “Yes, I am getting better with that device.”

  “Then maybe you should give this suit a try. Hell, you may have some fun along the way,” Jason said with a shrug. He turned his attention to Ricket. “Are you sure this thing, this SuitPac, will expand to cover Traveler’s … um … girth?”

  “The actual technology of the device, the suit, no longer exists locally. Think of it like cloud computing, only now it’s the multiverse where the massive amounts of programming data is stored.” Ricket held up the small metal cartridge. “This is merely an interface to the multiverse.” With that said, Ricket moved in closer to Traveler and looked up at him. “Want to give it a try?”

  Traveler snorted again and simply looked straight ahead.

  “I’ll take that as an affirmative,” Ricket said, and secured the SuitPac onto Traveler’s own large belt. Noting that Traveler’s fingers were too large to compress the two micro-switches on the device, Ricket reached up and did that for him.

  Immediately, the device started to expand out, segment by segment, until Traveler’s legs, torso, and head were completely encased in the hardened battle suit. Somehow, the helmet conformed perfectly to the peculiar contours of Traveler’s head and horns.

  Traveler looked down at his arms and legs, appraising the hardened material that encased his body. To everyone’s surprise, when he snorted, as all rhino-warriors inevitably do, the suit somehow compensated for the snort with no apparent diverse effects.