Lords of the Dark: A Darkspace Saga Novella by B.C. Kellogg

Author:B.C. Kellogg [Kellogg, B.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Publisher: Blueshift Press
Published: 2017-03-09T07:00:00+00:00

Thirteen hours later, a glowing image in green floated above the conference table. Jeq leaned forward, still disheveled. Stubble grew on his chin. An empty mug of shiroppu sat in front of him on the table. The stimulant drink had done its work; neither of them had slept in over twenty-four hours.

“Sir,” he said. “This...this arrangement has to be it. Still have no idea what it means. There are no points on it that indicate any stars or planets. The inscriptions, as far as I can tell, don’t come from any language that exists in the Empire, living or extinct.”

Tarillion gazed at it. He sensed that Jeq was right. But what was he to make of the image? Apta had always read the tablets, seemingly knowing by instinct what system they referred to.

“Illuminate the major inscription,” he ordered.

The rest of the image went dim as the AI revealed the major inscription, a series of curves that seemed to have no pattern or design.

“The Locc looks within,” he muttered to himself, remembering what Apta had said to him.

He felt his heartbeat racing as an idea occurred to him.

“Isolate the major inscription and juxtapose it against all known navcharts,” he ordered.

“We’ve tried that, sir,” he said. “But there’s nothing on there that indicates star systems.”

Tarillion stared at Jeq. “This isn’t a map of star systems, Jeq,” he said. “This is a map of portals.”

Jeq stood up slowly at this revelation. It was the only explanation. Imperial navcharts—like those of all conquered peoples—focused on stars and planets. But the Locc were intimately connected to portals.

“These lines,” Tarillion said, his finger tracing the inscription. “They aren’t words. They show connections between portals,” he said. “Assume a portal lies along the path of each curve,” he ordered the ship AI. “Now cross-reference with all available navcharts.”

They held their breath as the computer processed his request.

It paused. Then the AI took the inscription and expanded it, making the flat inscription three-dimensional.

Red points appeared throughout the now three-dimensional image.

“Portals,” Jeq breathed.

Then, yellow points indicating star systems appeared.

“You were right,” Jeq said, gripping the table. “Look. Ultaxe. Senorat. Cadero.” He pointed to the familiar stars. Each system had a red point, indicating the presence of the portal. The major systems that Jeq identified were not at the core of the three-dimensional map, but instead shunted to the far right.

Tarillion couldn’t tear his eyes away from the red point at the dead center of the map.

“There,” he said. “That’s where the Locc is.”

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