The Light-field (Triad of Being: Book Three)

By Traci Harding

The final book in the fantastic Triad of Being trilogy, from one of Australia's most popular and bestselling Voyager authors.
In the battle to get the Being of the Field back to the Universe Parallel, the greatest weapon and risk lay in its own light-field.ten years in Maladaan's past, taren Lennox seizes the opportunity to secure personal financing for the AMIE Project and base the building on Frujia - away from Maladaan and its Secret Service.But when the MSS develop a weapon, from a patent of one of taren's inventions, that counts light - photon by photon - she begins to doubt her ability to keep her ever-growing psychic army a secret. For this new photon-camera can identify a psychic from the more inept by the unmistakable brilliance of their light-field.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Dec 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780730497806

Traci Harding

Traci Harding is one of Australia's best loved and most prolific authors. Her stories blend fantasy, fact, esoteric belief, time travel and quantum physics, into adventurous romps through history, alternative dimensions, universes and states of consciousness. She has published more than 20 bestselling books and been translated into several languages. 

Book preview

PART 1

THE PROJECT

1

THE BROTHERS GERVAISE

This was it, the day they had been prepping for all year.

The Astro-Marine Institute Explorer prospectus was printed and bound, with Lucian’s vision for a mobile interstellar vessel laid out in great detail within. There were other mobile research vessels in existence that specialised in land, sea or space research, but none that had been ambitious enough to combine them all.

Private funding was Lucian’s very best hope of seeing his vision realised without too much interference. Government backing was not as desirable, as it brought with it more restraints, guidelines, red tape and leaks in information than it was worth. Lucian had seen the projects of his colleagues and peers stifled by government involvement, and he wanted to avoid that at all costs. Still, getting the project off the ground was paramount, so he could not discount the possibility completely. The greatest technological minds at the University of Esponisa on Maladaan — where AMIE had taken up temporary offices — had shown a great interest in the project. They had already applied for extra funding from the Government, so that Maladaan might secure the project and have first access to any of AMIE’s discoveries. The university’s interest had been of a growing concern to Lucian but, as his brother Swithin kept reminding him, they had paid everyone involved thus far and were beholden to no one.

Maladaan was certainly not Lucian’s first choice for the location of AMIE’s ground-based operations; there was no wilderness left on the overpopulated planet, so appropriate test sites for their vessel would be limited. One of the reasons Maladaan was so eager to get on board the AMIE project was the prospect of discovering new virgin planets with natural resources to exploit. It made Lucian shudder to think of being part of a discovery project that would only amount to destruction.

Ideally, the tropical regions on the planet Frujia would be a far more idyllic place to live, work and test their vessel. Lucian was something of a dreamer, and he knew that this aspiration was a little out of step with reality. It was near impossible to gain a visa to visit the tropical paradise and insanely expensive to build there. Not to mention the political nightmare to get approval from the native ruler of the planet, Chief Matan-tu-hoo, who took pride in keeping his planet as pristine as possible.

‘Lucian!’

The professor looked up from inspecting the printed prospectus on his desk to find that Swithin, his older brother, and business partner, had entered his office and was waving his communicator around in the air.

‘I have good news.’ Swithin gave a laugh to release some of his excitement. Lucian was intrigued, as Swithin was always so sceptical. ‘President Anselm of Sermetica, the Chairman of the United Star Systems, has graciously accepted our invitation to consider our project.’

‘What!’ Lucian was on his feet. ‘Anselm is the most influential man alive!’

‘I know.’ Swithin grinned.

‘Anselm is coming to our fundraiser, is that what you’re telling me?’ This was beyond Lucian’s wildest expectation.

‘Well, not the man himself, obviously.’ Swithin brought Lucian crashing back down to earth. ‘The president said in his message,’ Swithin brought up the written acceptance on his communicator screen, ‘that although his planet is not interested in funding such a project at this time, that he would like to consider AMIE for his own private investment, and he is sending along his personal science-slash-investment advisor, Dr Lennox.’

In the end Lucian could only be stunned by the news. ‘Wow! We couldn’t have hoped for a better shot at private funding, because if Anselm gets involved —’

‘Everyone is going to want a piece of us,’ Swithin concluded, amused by his brother’s awestruck expression. ‘I told you I could stir up the right kind of interest.’ He raised both brows to beg a little praise.

Swithin, in his younger days, had been involved in the interstellar black market and had been running and trading everything from drugs, to weapons, technologies and even people! In the end it was only Lucian’s exceptional reputation as a scientist and vow before a court of law to see his brother gainfully employed that had kept Swithin out of prison. At that time Lucian had asked Swithin what he really wanted to do with this life, to which Swithin had replied, ‘Who the hell knows what they want to do for the next several hundred years?’

‘I do,’ Lucian had bantered, and after outlining his dream of building the Astro-Marine Institute Explorer, Swithin proposed doing something about the grand vision.

‘You design it and I’ll raise the cash to build it.’

Naturally, considering Swithin’s criminal past, Lucian was dubious — hence Swithin’s comment just now about the right kind of interest.

‘You’ve done exceptionally well,’ Lucian granted, daring to hope he had seen the last of his brother’s criminal tendencies.

Swithin did seem to relish his new-found respectable position in society, and Lucian felt he had no desire to revisit his dangerous past. He even looked respectable these days, with his long hair cut short and slicked back, and his taste in clothes improving on par with his increase in income. His deep husky voice did make Swithin sound far more sinister than he actually was, and he kept his lanky form fitter than the next guy. The only people Swithin really feared were those with any of ‘the Powers’. For it had been psychics recruited by the Maladaan Secret Service who had aided the authorities to bust Swithin and his black market buddies. Lucian would have thought that his brother would have been thanking those same psychics now, for turning his life around? But no, Swithin — like a majority of people in the United Star Systems — felt that those with the Powers were the greatest threat to mankind that the universe had ever spat forth. Psychics were seen to have an advantage over normal folk, and so were rounded up, registered and restrained, or better yet, incarcerated or executed. Thanks to Swithin’s personal experience, the brothers knew that some of these psychics also worked with the secret service agencies. Yet another splendid reason to avoid government funds, lest they discover something the secret services might want to exploit.

‘Have you heard of this Dr Lennox in your travels?’ Swithin wondered what kind of a person they might be dealing with. ‘Apparently the doctor was awarded the degree by the University of Heavensgate on Sermetica, for an outstanding contribution in the areas of biophysics and quantum field theory.’

‘Impressive.’ Lucian frowned, as he’d lectured at just about every major university in the United Star Systems during his seventy-year career in astrophysics and he’d never heard of a Dr Lennox before. ‘Anselm is fond of hiring young, fresh minds.’ Lucian raised both brows and shrugged. ‘All shall be revealed tonight, no doubt.’ He placed the prospectus that he’d been proofing back in the box with the others, preparing to depart and get ready for the big event. Swithin loitered. ‘Was there something else?’

‘There is, actually,’ Swithin piped up. ‘I’ve invited someone to come tonight that I really think you should meet.’

Lucian was delighted. ‘A woman?’

‘It’s not like that,’ Swithin suppressed a smile, ‘she’s a marine biologist —’

‘A marine biologist!’ Lucian gasped back an urge to laugh.

‘I know that’s a little out of my league,’ Swithin conceded, ‘which is why this is just business. We need a marine biologist, right?’

‘Yes, we do,’ Lucian conceded with a smile.

‘So that position may as well be filled by a good-looking woman, who is a resident of Frujia and has strong links with the universities there?’ Swithin proposed.

Lucian nodded in agreement. ‘Sure … I’d be more than happy to meet her. Does your business associate have a name?’

‘Dr Amie Nardone —’ Swithin advised as Lucian noted the time and was startled into action.

‘Well, we had better get a move on.’ Lucian wanted to shower and change before heading to the venue, and so he steered his brother toward the door. ‘I would like to be there to greet our potential investors as they arrive.’

The university ballroom had been outfitted with several huge screens that were displaying 3-D animations of how the AMIE spacecraft would eventually look, inside and out. The caterers had decorated the room tastefully, and the food they were bringing in smelt wonderful. With the prospectuses laid out on the tables around the room, the brothers Gervaise felt confident to open the doors to their much anticipated future.

The room filled quickly and although they suspected that many of their guests had attended just out of curiosity, it was nice to know that they would have an audience to pitch to.

When Swithin’s business associate arrived, it was fairly clear to Lucian why he was so eager to have her on board the project.

Dr Nardone was a tall, slender, tanned brunette, who looked like she belonged more on the catwalk than in a submersible. Her simple black dress and heels gave the impression of effortless elegance, as Swithin led the woman toward Lucian.

‘This is the marine biologist I was telling you about.’ Swithin did the honours. ‘Dr Amie Nardone, please meet my brother, Professor Lucian Gervaise.’

Although only Lucian could have detected it, Swithin certainly did fancy this woman. His brother was just that little bit more accommodating around women he liked.

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Professor Gervaise.’ The doctor spoke up first. ‘Your vision is truly inspiring.’ Her eyes wandered to the huge screen close by and then back to Lucian. ‘I hear you might be looking for some inspiring minds to consult on the marine contingent of this enterprise?’

She certainly wasn’t backward in coming forward. ‘We will be, if all goes well today,’ he confirmed, and before she could pursue the topic, Lucian looked to his brother to change it. ‘Any sign of the mysterious Dr Lennox?’

‘He hasn’t made himself known to me, no.’ Swithin downplayed his concern.

‘I should really think about giving the presentation soon, before our audience starts to wander.’ Lucian noted they were an hour into their three-hour function, but it was Anselm’s envoy’s attention that Lucian wanted most.

‘Look, there are quite a few faces here I don’t recognise,’ Swithin pointed out. ‘He might already be here and will make himself known to us after he sees the pitch. Do you want me to check with the doorman?’

Lucian shook his head, determined to go ahead in any case. He was far more nervous than he usually was before a public speaking event, which was usually just work, but today his entire future was on the line. ‘If the doctor is not here, then we’ll just have to bring him up to speed later,’ Lucian murmured to Swithin, and then looked to their lovely company to excuse himself. ‘It was a pleasure, Dr Nardone. I look forward to speaking with you again.’

‘Likewise,’ she assured, raising her glass to wish him luck before Lucian headed for the speaking platform.

Once the professor was behind the speaker’s box, his talent for engaging an audience with his oratory came naturally. The pitch was going rather smoothly, until Lucian noted a late arrival descending the stairs of the ballroom.

The woman was dressed in white from the top of her platinum blonde head of long straight hair, to the tips of her knee-high flat-heeled boots. Her white suit was very chic and she radiated an air of serenity and purity.

Lucian, in all his ninety years of life, had remained a bachelor. Science had always come first, and women didn’t seem to like coming second. He’d never believed in true love and he’d certainly never sought it out, but the woman who now held his gaze was like a thunderbolt. Time stood still as the paragon in white smiled warmly in his direction and nodded in encouragement, as if to remind Lucian that he was doing something before she had entered his line of sight.

When the professor snapped out of his trance, he had no idea how long his fixation had lasted — it felt like an age! He looked back to his notes, quickly found his place and finished up his spiel — all the while marking where the mysterious woman was located in the room. After taking questions, Lucian left the stage to a solid round of applause from the audience, but for some inexplicable reason the future of his project suddenly paled in comparison to his urgency to meet the woman in white. Lucian had no idea what he was going to say to her, and now that she was within arm’s reach, he slowed down to observe her.

She was gazing up at one of the huge screens, smiling broadly as she watched the animation depicting a walk through the interior of his dream vessel. Her quiet beauty made his heart skip a beat. It felt like someone had plucked the most shining star in the heavens from the sky, embodied it in a woman and placed her in the room for all to marvel at. And there were many people, men and women, whose attention she had drawn, although she seemed blissfully unaware of her allure.

‘What memories,’ she uttered, lost in her own little world, her demeanour oozing delight.

Lucian wasn’t too sure what to make of the comment. ‘You like my ship, I take it?’

The woman caught her breath and then turned her lovely smile his way. ‘I do believe it is the most magnificent idea I am ever likely to witness come to fruition,’ she replied.

Lucian was so elated by her claim that he could only smile in puzzlement a moment.

‘Dr Taren Lennox.’ She held out her hand.

‘That would explain it then.’ Lucian had never believed in the supernatural, yet something inside him had known in advance that this meeting was fated. ‘Very pleased to meet you, doctor.’ He took hold of her hand and from their point of contact he was startled to feel a rush of energy surge up his arm and straight to his heart, where it exploded like fireworks. What is going on with me today? It wasn’t like him to be so distracted — not by his emotions; most people wondered if the professor in fact had any personal feelings at all. Don’t blow this!

‘You received my client’s message, I take it?’ she replied, as she politely and gently tugged her hand out of his possession.

‘I did.’ Lucian’s embarrassment was quickly overcome by excitement, as he realised what this meant. ‘And from your comments just now, I can only conclude that you believe your client might be interested in investing in our project?’

Dr Lennox only smiled in response at first, and then pulled a business disk from her pocket. ‘Call me, and we’ll set up a less public meeting.’

‘Tomorrow?’ Lucian didn’t want to sound too eager, although his heart was pumping nineteen to the dozen.

‘The sooner the better,’ she agreed. ‘As my client has asked that you not sign up any other potential investors before speaking with me … especially those of the government variety.’ The doctor glanced to the gathering of officials from the University of Esponisa. ‘My client is only interested in investing in the private sector, for obvious political reasons.’

‘I understand,’ Lucian confirmed. ‘Shall we say ten a.m. at our office?’

‘I’ll be there,’ she granted with a grin that left the professor wading in a wave of euphoria in her wake.

‘No!’ Swithin came racing toward his brother as they witnessed the white woman leave through the ballroom doors at the top of the stairs. ‘That’s him … I mean her … Dr Lennox.’

‘I know.’ Lucian grinned.

‘Then why did you let her leave?’

‘Because we’ve got a meeting tomorrow morning,’ Lucian advised, playing with the business disk she had left him.

‘Yes!’ Swithin was well pleased, and gave his brother a chug on the shoulder. ‘She’s quite a looker, isn’t she?’

‘I hadn’t noticed,’ Lucian lied.

‘So I guess your pause mid-sentence when she walked into the room, was just for effect then?’ Swithin teased and Lucian felt his cheeks heat up.

‘It was a long pause then?’ Lucian did not really want to know the answer, as his brother was very amused.

‘You don’t know?’ Swithin laughed out loud. ‘It’s a good thing I’ll be at that meeting tomorrow, as clearly you’re going to be completely useless.’

Lucian took offence. ‘Hey! Who booked the meeting?’

‘Point taken.’ Swithin held up his hands to concede. ‘That being the case, I’ll allow you to attend.’

The look Lucian shot Swithin made him laugh all over again. ‘Sorry, I just never thought I’d see the day that you were bowled over by a woman.’

‘I guess that would be a first for both of us today.’ Lucian shot back at his brother and the comment served to sober Swithin’s amusement somewhat, as other interested investors began to close in on them.

Waiting for the morning to come, Lucian was transported back to his tenth birthday — the last time he recalled being so excited he couldn’t sleep. He’d been anticipating receiving his first telescope the following day, which had fuelled his interest in astrophysics — his first and only love.

The professor kept trying to tell himself that, as a scientist, he didn’t believe in anything as nonsensical as love at first sight, but that fact did not quell the excited feeling in his gut that was keeping him awake. In his mind’s eye, Lucian kept reliving the touch of Dr Lennox’s hand and the feeling it had ignited in him made his heart swell to bursting point every time.

‘This is just business,’ he reasoned further, but the memory felt better than any drug he’d experimented with during his university days and was clearly far more addictive.

‘Enough, already!’ Lucian had made it to dawn and, having relived meeting Taren Lennox for the thousandth time, he felt he should really get over it. He still had four hours until the scheduled meeting, and they were going to be the longest four hours of his life!

Lucian fronted into the office half an hour early, by which time his lack of sleep was starting to catch up with him. He made the grave error of taking a seat on the office lounge, with the thought of catching forty winks before the meeting. However, this was becoming less of a nice thought and more of a necessity with every second that passed. Swithin was bound to be along at any second, Lucian reasoned to himself; he just had to rest his eyes for a moment …

The virgin planet is steaming with moisture from the warm rain teeming down upon his head. Tall shoots of vegetation dwarf him in size, as they reach up into clouds alive with colourful, electrical activity. Where am I?

Through the thick steamy mist Dr Lennox wades toward him, thigh deep in water — her white dress rendered see-through by the teeming rain. ‘On a planet that you’ll discover in about nine years from now.’

‘I’ve been here before,’ he replies, his desire snowballing into an intense feeling of coming home.

She reaches out to him and gently slides her hands up and around his neck to draw him closer. ‘Then you’ll know what happens next,’ she murmurs and as her lips engage his, the energy rush sends his consciousness soaring out of the top of his head!

His awareness returns to his body, only his body is not where he left it.

He is seated at a table, on the back porch of a very grand lake house. Dr Lennox is seated across the table from him, every bit as becoming, only her hair is dark. ‘I want you to seduce me,’ he tells her. ‘I promise you, you’ll get away with it.’

‘I already did,’ she replies and, leaning across the table, she kisses him.

When their lips part, he is laying naked on a bed in a magnificent underwater bedroom, where watery reflections from the portholes around the circular ceiling dance upon her naked body straddling his.

‘I don’t want to go back to being strangers.’ His heart sinks into an empty hole in his chest, as he pulls her naked form down to his. ‘I don’t want to go back to being ignorant and used.’

‘Stop worrying about your marriage,’ she assures him. ‘I’ll destroy it, I swear to you!’

Her kiss again transports him, this time to a small, indoor amphitheatre. Some people are arguing close by, but as her eyes engage his, the rest of reality fades into the background.

‘I love you,’ she whispers, on the verge of tears.

‘Never give up on us,’ he implores her, but her weak nod is not convincing. ‘Promise me,’ he pleads again, knowing the odds against them achieving their perfect union again are insurmountable.

‘I promise you, on my life,’ she vows, her voice hoarse with sincerity, ‘that you will always be my primary objective … so long as I live.’

This is their last kiss and the fact is tearing him apart inside.

She steps away from him, and with one last mournful gaze, vanishes into thin air.

‘Professor? Professor.’

Lucian felt himself shaking. He rolled over and woke with a start as he hit the carpet. He was most perturbed to be dragged from his vivid and emotive dreams. ‘What in the name of science —’

He’d dragged himself up to a seated position to find Dr Lennox, in another chic white outfit, crouched down beside him, repressing her urge to laugh. ‘I’m so sorry, professor, I didn’t mean to startle you.’

Her smile was entrancing, and Lucian wondered if he was still dreaming.

‘Hello?’ The doctor waved a hand before his eyes.

‘Sorry.’ He shook his head, whereupon his consciousness fully returned to the present and he moved to raise himself.

‘Here, let me give you a hand.’ She took hold of his arm.

The energy that Lucian had felt surge through him upon making contact with her yesterday seemed doubly evident today. Immediately his vitality returned, his head cleared and he realised what an embarrassing situation he was in.

‘I really must apologise, I thought my brother would be —’

They both noted the sound of someone running toward the office and within seconds Swithin was panting at the door, wearing his suit from the night before, which looked slept in. ‘Oh shit,’ he uttered, forcing a smile as he realised he was too late to save face.

Lucian just wanted to curl up and die; asleep and late was definitely not the first impression they wanted to make on their best private investment prospect.

Fortunately for them, Dr Lennox was taking these events in good humour. ‘Look, obviously you gentlemen are still recovering from last night’s big event, so why don’t I go get myself a cup of coffee and meet you back here in half an hour.’

Both brothers released a sigh of relief at the suggestion. ‘That would be most appreciated,’ Lucian spoke up, trying not to grit his teeth as he served his brother the evil eye. ‘I really do apologise.’

‘It’s fine, really.’ She waved off the inconvenience and left them to organise themselves.

As the door closed in the wake of the president’s envoy, Lucian covered his face with his hands and finally allowed his vivid dreams to reoccur. He wanted to remember every detail, although the accompanying mood was one of great loss and sadness.

‘Sorry I’m late, but I stayed up a little later than I —’ Swithin noted his brother’s mood was not as furious as he’d expected. ‘What just happened here?’

‘Nothing happened.’ Lucian had no explanation for his apparent emotional distress. ‘I just need a minute.’ He held closed his tear ducts with his thumb and forefinger to prevent creating a scene. ‘I didn’t get much sleep either, and so our potential investor just arrived to find me asleep on the lounge.’

‘Not good.’ Swithin dumped his case and jacket, and headed straight back to the door. ‘I’ll get coffee.’

Lucian released a huge sigh of pained relief upon finding himself alone and he allowed the built-up moisture to drain from his eyes. What has gotten into me today? He truly felt like he was on drugs and operating in an entirely different level of awareness. He didn’t want to be fantasising about his potential business partner, but it seemed, for the first time in his life, he had no wilful control over his thoughts or feelings. He’d never known a dream to overhang into his waking state like this. But it was a dream nonetheless and conceding this, the professor managed to put it aside and embrace reality, which was rather more positive and exciting.

‘What happened to you last night?’ Lucian asked, as Swithin returned with coffee.

Swithin could only grin. ‘I could ask you the same thing. How did you end up so tired, when you left at such a reasonable hour?’ He queried, intrigued. ‘You didn’t meet up with our potential investor last night —’

‘No!’ Lucian insisted very strongly. ‘I barely met the woman.’

‘Okay, I believe you.’ Swithin held up his hands in mock defence. ‘So, how interested was she … in the project, I mean?’

Lucian served his brother another dirty look. ‘I suspect they do want to be involved … or a least before this morning’s performance they did.’

‘How involved?’ Swithin probed, sipping his coffee.

‘They seem very determined to keep the project in the private sector.’ Lucian knew that much and Swithin smiled broadly, until a knock on the door nearly made him spill his coffee.

Clearly, they were both a bundle of nerves this morning, so the sooner they got this meeting under way the better. Lucian moved to open the door and greet their guest formally, just as he’d hoped to do in the first place.

‘Dr Lennox, welcome.’ He invited her into their modest office with a nice campus view, and managed to avoid making contact with her, which he was now cautious about. ‘This is my brother and business partner, Swithin Gervaise.’

‘Very pleased to meet you.’ She reached out and shook Swithin’s hand and his brother could not keep the delight from registering on his face.

Lucian felt a twinge of pain, which he quietly suspected might be jealousy; this was a new sensation for him, that he didn’t like much.

‘A sterling first impression we’ve made on you,’ Swithin commented as he offered Dr Lennox a seat on the lounge next to him.

‘Last night’s presentation was a very sterling first impression,’ she stated in their defence, choosing to take a seat in the armchair.

Lucian liked her comeback; she was very relaxed and confident. ‘You’re too kind.’

‘One of my many virtues.’ She grinned. ‘I won’t beat around the bush, gentlemen — we would very much like to fund your project.’

‘All …’ Swithin squeaked and cleared the shock out of his throat. ‘… All of it?’

‘That’s right,’ she answered pleasantly.

Lucian could not wipe the smile from his face. ‘But not even we are sure of the final cost at this stage.’

Dr Lennox opened her bag and pulled from it a thick document. ‘It’s going to cost twenty million USS.’ She handed them her costing to look over.

‘But the budget will change depending on where we decide to base the project?’ Lucian didn’t want to seem argumentative — twenty million USS was a lot of money!

‘The budget has been costed based on a build and testing on Frujia, where my client was given an island by Chief Matan-tu-hoo,’ she explained.

Lucian’s heart was nearly pounding a hole through the front of his chest; was everything about this woman a wish come true?

‘We will not be permitted to build on the island, but we are allowed to put AMIE through her paces there, away from any prying eyes. We have already obtained permission to lease some waterfront land on the main island outside of Kotan Bathaar. There, we would be permitted to base the build site and ground operations office, and we would have access to Frujia’s space pod launch port.’

‘What’s the catch?’ Swithin’s sceptical nature kicked in.

‘No catch,’ she assured.

Swithin rephrased: ‘What’s in all this for you and your client?’

‘Ah,’ she conceded that he had asked the right question. ‘I would like a position on AMIE to conduct my own research.’

Lucian’s interest was sparked, as this was an opportunity to discover a little about her. ‘I understand your field of research is biophysics and quantum theory, Dr Lennox?’

Her smile broadened. ‘I am looking for a Grand TOE,’ she explained, whereupon Swithin frowned, thinking her joking.

‘A Grand Theory Of Everything,’ Lucian explained, most intrigued to find this beauty also had a very impressive ambition.

‘That’s correct. I have just patented two pieces of equipment I am developing to aid my future research. One is to measure the light emitted by any given subject, photon by photon, and the other is to measure anomalies of chaos or order in quantum fields.’

‘And it was for these inventions that you were awarded your doctorate?’ Lucian inquired.

‘Indeed.’

Lucian’s mind was ticking over; this was exactly the kind of forward-thinking research he’d been hoping to attract to this project, although his brother still appeared lost. ‘Such research would be more than welcome aboard AMIE.’

‘Then I think that there is a very good prospect here for a partnership, gentlemen.’ She closed her bag. ‘Please, contact me once you have thought through our proposal, and if you would like to proceed, we’ll discuss contracts and development funds.’

‘That’s it?’ Swithin was wary; nothing was ever this easy. ‘You don’t need to consult with your client?’

‘I speak for my client, who wishes to remain a silent investor,’ she advised as she stood, Swithin and Lucian doing the same. ‘All the financial decisions regarding this investment are my call, and will continue to be, for so long as we are involved with your project.’

‘We’ll get back to you presently,’ Lucian assured her, feeling like he’d just won the interstellar lottery!

‘I look forward to it.’ The doctor found her own way to the door and departed, leaving the brothers Gervaise with their mouths hanging open from the shock.

‘We’ve got to be fucking dreaming,’ Swithin muttered. ‘That couldn’t have possibly just happened.’

‘If there is a more attractive investment deal out there, I’d be very surprised indeed.’ Lucian found it difficult to suppress his excitement.

Swithin raised both brows as he nodded to agree, and then smiled broadly. ‘Do you think it’s too soon to call her and accept?’

2

ZEVEN GUDRUN — STARMAN

The Timekeeper was about to cut him loose — Zeven knew it. Once the Gervaise brothers took Taren up on her investment offer, they would have secured their future operations base. So what was he, AMIE’s future pilot, going to do for the next five years while they built the mobile institute?

‘So what are you going to do with yourself after this, Bob?’ asked President Anselm, who was covertly meeting Taren here, in her apartment, to learn if she had closed their deal with AMIE. Bob was Zeven’s code name on his last mission and he was still undecided if he wanted anyone to know his true identity.

‘You didn’t mention that you were also telepathic.’ Zeven attempted to avoid the topic.

‘I’m not telepathic.’ Anselm grinned. ‘But I assume that you were just asking yourself the same question?’

Zeven was annoyed by the query. ‘I don’t want to go back to having to prove myself as a pilot. I’m a shit hot pilot —’

‘Are you?’ Anselm raised both brows. ‘I didn’t know that.’

‘Yes, I am … they don’t call me Starman for no reason!’ Zeven cringed, realising he’d given something about himself away — but then, that was a name he would not be known by for at least eight years yet!

‘Starman.’ Anselm picked up on the slip of the tongue. ‘Well, that certainly suits you better than Bob.’

Zeven was rather annoyed that Anselm was finding humour in his woe. ‘Look at me! I’m a kid again … no one is going to let me near any kind of revolutionary vehicle for at least another five frickin’ years!’

‘I will,’ Anselm answered, calmly.

‘Do the United Star Systems have a secret testing facility I don’t know about?’

‘If they did, you wouldn’t know about it,’ Anselm pointed out. ‘And if Sermetica had a testing facility for state-of-the-art transport, you wouldn’t know about that either, now would you?’

Starman smiled. ‘Are you asking me to come to Sermetica to be your crash test dummy?’ Zeven had had enough of the spy game and time hopping for the present; a little high-speed adrenaline pumping action was just what the doctor ordered.

‘Clearly, with your PK ability, you’d save a lot of lives if you would take up the challenge,’ Anselm bargained. ‘I think you’d find that, financially speaking, it would be very worth your while.’

Zeven was keen until Anselm added, ‘Who knows, you might even discover who your parents are while you’re there.’

‘I told you. I’m not interested in knowing who they are, any more then they are interested in knowing who I am,’ Zeven barked — that was a touchy subject.

But Zeven had learnt the hard way that if his emotions swung violently out of control, so did his Powers. As psychokinesis was the ability to move or distort matter at will, if he didn’t control his emotions, objects would start flying and people could get hurt.

Thus Zeven summoned up a more positive outlook. ‘Still … I am interested in making some serious money and breaking a few speed records so,’ he shrugged, ‘I guess I could try it out … on a trial basis.’

‘You may accompany me back to Sermetica after my meeting here is complete, if that suits?’ Anselm offered, trying not to sound too keen.

Clearly, Anselm was prepared to do anything to get Zeven and his fairly rare Power onside. But was it his Power, pilot skills, or Zeven’s close ties to Taren that Anselm was eager to harness?

‘I’ll pack.’ Zeven held up his hands, and his bag materialised. ‘Done.’ He let his luggage drop to the floor beside him.

Zeven felt better for having secured a means to fulfil his ambition and to make a name for himself, without having to repeat the next ten years of his life! The full impact of his choice to follow the Timekeeper back ten years in time had really only just come to light — now that the crisis they had come back to the past to alter had been resolved. Clearly, Taren’s mission now was to keep the various secret service agencies within the United Star Systems as far away from AMIE and its research as possible, whilst covertly gathering a psychic team to aid her in overcoming the malign forces that would, within ten years’ time, infiltrate and end the already shaky United Star Systems alliance. All diplomacy in the USS could end, and be replaced by a dictatorship run by a psychic army, whose power was derived from an evil thought form, fed by the blood lust of a thousand tortured souls.

‘Hello!’ Taren materialised before them, sounding as though she didn’t have a care in the world.

Anselm stood to greet Taren, who grinned broadly in response. ‘So, how did my future son-in-law react to having his destiny handed to him on a silver platter?’

‘They never got married,’ Zeven pointed out, not liking Anselm’s inference that Taren’s union with Lucian was a foregone conclusion.

‘We got a little distracted solving a multi-universal cock-up,’ Taren explained to her father, who was amused by their banter. ‘But, as expected, today’s meeting went very well. How could it not, when I already knew exactly what they were looking for?’ Taren placed her briefcase aside, conjured herself a cool drink and took a seat. ‘Poor Lucian was looking a little stunned though. I really shouldn’t have shaken his hand yesterday; he was bound to feel my Juju.’

‘Your Juju?’ Anselm frowned as he resumed his seat.

‘Yes.’ Taren removed her jacket and pointed to the black band around the top of her arm, which she flipped inside out to expose a smooth piece of grey rock imbued with a colourful energy. It was resting inside a pocket with a large hole in it, leaving the flat piece of stone partially exposed. ‘This rock was taken from a planet that will not be discovered for another ten years, hopefully longer!’

Zeven nodded and pulled up his sleeve to expose the same kind of armband.

Anselm’s eyes became transfixed by the colourful phenomenon and the uplifting aura of the stone; he wanted to touch it. ‘May I?’ he requested, whereupon Taren returned the stone to a face down position next to her skin.

‘I have one for you.’ Taren closed her hand and then opened it to reveal a piece of the same mysterious rock. She handed it to her father.

‘Good heavens,’ Anselm commented, seemingly overjoyed by her gift. ‘I have never felt or seen anything so filled with light … except you two,’ he granted, looking from Taren to Zeven and back to his Juju. Anselm saw auras, so the stone’s strange illumination was all the more apparent. ‘How could a piece of mineral be so spiritually advanced?’

‘A gaseous entity is tending to the evolution of the planet this stone was taken from. It is the ethereal architect that many of the souls that I have known, and will know, shall evolve into at some distance point in time … you included.’

Anselm looked back to her, stunned and pleased. ‘Then you do trust me?’

‘Like a father.’ She smiled. ‘And being that you are one of the good guys, this Juju will aid you to make the right decisions, shield you from being detected psychically, and identify you to my other recruits, who shall grow in number over the next ten years. You must keep it close to your skin when you require its protection, and your treacherous viceroy must never see it.’

Anselm found himself constantly surprised by her foresight, though he considered he ought to be used to it by now. ‘Why is it that I get the feeling that you are already running the USS?’ Anselm smiled. ‘That’s supposed to be my job.’

‘Don’t forget to mention,’ Zeven felt compelled to add, ‘that if anyone from our soul group gets too intimate with you for too long, the Juju stone will heighten their psychic powers, dormant or otherwise. My ex-girl sure didn’t like that much.’

‘That’s because in the future we came from, being psychic was the worst social disease you could have,’ Taren pointed out. ‘But in the future we are building, hopefully that will not be the case. Right, Father?’

Anselm nodded firmly to concur. ‘I have been detained in Maladaan, attending talks regarding the Psychics Rights Bill. I knew Taren could secure our investment without any help from me.’

‘Thank you.’ Taren lapped up the compliment and smiled back at Zeven. ‘See, this future will be very different.’

Zeven was unmoved; he knew what Taren was trying to do. ‘Nice try, but I intend to keep my promise to Aurora. Miss DeCadie ain’t ever getting near me again.’

Taren served him a sceptical smile. ‘I’ve spoken to your Grigorian soul-mind about this very issue, you know?’

‘I don’t want to know what my higher self has to say about my love life.’ Zeven felt really uncomfortable — ‘insanely brave’ and ‘promiscuous flirt’ were his middle names, and he didn’t want that to change any time soon. ‘Clearly, you want me out of your love life —’

‘You were never in my love life,’ Taren defended, as her father was present.

‘Never?’ Zeven challenged her to be honest.

Taren cocked an eyebrow, as if wise to his game. ‘You know we are part of the same soul group and so are always bound to love each other, but I am not your twin soul —’

‘All right!’ He held a hand up to stop her saying more. ‘Just don’t tell me who she is.’

Taren smiled, pleased to have won the argument, until she noted the bag on the floor alongside Zeven. ‘Are you going somewhere?’

He detected sadness in her voice, but he didn’t show how gratifying her sudden concern was. ‘The President of Sermetica made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.’ He shrugged off his decision like it wasn’t painful to think about being parted from her for five years. ‘And you’re going to Frujia anyway.’

‘How did I know this would happen?’ Taren served her father a sideways glance of angst, then stood to speak with Zeven. The look on her face made his heart split in two.

‘I’ll wait in my transporter downstairs, shall I?’ Anselm rose also and kissed his daughter on the forehead. ‘So pleased all is going according to plan, sweetness. Keep me informed, won’t you?’

‘I will.’ Taren gave a weak smile, and waited for Anselm to leave before speaking. ‘I’m going to miss you, Zeven.’ She moved in for a hug, her eyes filling with tears.

‘I thought you’d be pleased I’m going, now that you’ve got a future with Lucian in your sights,’ he pointed out, enjoying the hug anyway.

‘That doesn’t mean I won’t miss you.’ She pulled back to look him in the eye.

‘Cool.’ He resolved to be light-hearted about this, as Taren was not going to be. ‘How about a goodbye kiss then?’

She grinned broadly at his cheek and, quite unexpectedly, obliged his parting wish. There was a great rush of energy that danced between them briefly and then she was standing at a distance once again.

‘Damn,’ he said, as he only ever got a kiss from Taren when they were parting; both he and Taren knew that if she was destined to be with anyone, it was Lucian Gervaise. There was really no getting around that anymore; whether Zeven was related to her or not, she was in love with someone else and always would be. ‘I just wish I could get that feeling with some other chick, who doesn’t mind being one of us freaks.’

‘You will,’ she said surely.

‘Don’t tell me,’ he insisted. ‘Promise me that you’ll never tell me.’

Taren grinned in a way that made him think that she knew something that he didn’t, and as precognition was one of her strongest Powers, that was daunting. ‘I promise that I will never tell you.’ She held a hand to her heart.

‘Unless I want you to,’ Zeven thought to add, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. ‘Although, I can’t see that I would ever want to know for sure.’

Taren could only laugh and shake her head at him. ‘When you find her, you won’t have a choice in the matter, you will just know.’ She sobered again. ‘You take good take of yourself, Starman, the universe needs you.’

‘And I need the universe, so it’s a pretty good arrangement really.’ He gave her a wink. ‘If you ever need me, I’m only a thought away.’

‘Be seeing you then.’ She waved, still a little melancholy.

‘Um … you might want to call first,’ he teased.

‘Ditto!’ He heard her shout back, which put a smile on his face, as he teleported himself to Anselm’s transport.

It was difficult to part, having survived so many adventures together, but he and Taren had different lives to lead for the next five years. She had taught Zeven mastery over his Power and he wasn’t afraid of himself, or to go it alone, anymore.

Zeven materialised in the rear of Anselm’s unassuming transporter, just as the ruler was climbing in himself, and he startled the life out of the president. ‘You do get around, don’t you?’ He took a seat next to Zeven, trying not to look spooked.

Zeven noted that the driver’s compartment was completely screened off from the rear cabin; then couldn’t fail to notice how outdated the luxury transporter was. ‘Is this really the best they could do for the president?’

‘Hey, this was hot off the production line last week!’ The president was amused by the revelation Zeven was about to have.

‘Of course,’ Zeven whined, as their vehicle moved into the flow of traffic. ‘Nothing is going to be state-of-the-art to me, when I’ve flown what we’ll be flying ten years from now!’

Anselm had to chuckle. ‘Well, look on the bright side. You’ll already know what’s a dud and what isn’t, and think of how many lives you’ll save.’

The fact was a little depressing to Zeven and clearly he was outwardly deflated; if nothing else, life with Taren was always a thrill a minute.

‘I’ve got a fantastic apartment in Heavensgate that I never use, and you can live there for as long as you want,’ Anselm offered, in case he was losing interest.

‘Why are you so keen to get me onside?’ Zeven confronted Anselm. ‘It makes me nervous. Because if you think you can own me, or control me, you can’t.’

‘As powerful as you are, Bob … Or should I call you, Starman?’ Anselm queried. ‘Or perhaps you’ll tell me your real name, now that we are working together?’ Anselm pulled out a handheld database, and showed Zeven an article in the local news about a promising young pilot referred to as Airman Gudrun, who had gone missing. ‘There are a few loose ends we might need to square away.’

Zeven was shocked and then frustrated, but only for a second. ‘So, you know who I am, answer my question, or I’ll pop off and you’ll never see me again.’

‘Why do you mistrust me so much?’ Anselm had obviously never met someone so openly wary of him. Most perceived him as charming and accommodating — the Peacekeeper of the USS.

‘Things you did in the future give me cause to be cautious,’ Zeven stated.

‘You cannot hold things I’m yet to do against me,’ Anselm reasoned. ‘Besides, we share the same Juju now, if not the same bloodline, so how can I possibly fall short and not be held to account by you and our Timekeeper?’

Zeven let down his guard a little, as Anselm obviously realised that it was Taren who Zeven answered to; clearly Anselm was happy to take his cues from her too. ‘You broke a couple of promises to me once before, not that I remember much of it, because you then had my memory altered.’

‘I’m very sorry.’ Anselm apologised, as he sanctioned such things before today.

‘Still,’ Zeven had to confess, ‘I always did respect you, and found you pretty likeable, because you remind me of her.’ The thought of not seeing Taren for five years hurt quite a bit more than anticipated.

‘Well, besides testing my spacecraft and saving pilots’ lives, I also want you to be a go-between for me and Taren.’ Anselm finally answered Zeven’s question. ‘You have the ability to do that quickly and quietly, and you are the only person Taren really trusts.’

‘You got that right.’ Zeven was proud that although Taren may have been in love with Lucian, she could not yet trust him with all her secrets, and she had many — only Zeven knew them all.

‘You are the only man for the job,’ Anselm concluded. ‘So you see, that makes you my best and only ally. And quite apart from the business side of things, I like you, Starman. You’re just like I was a hundred years ago. I see a kindred spirit in you.’

Zeven had to admit that he’d always been well disposed toward Jabez Anselm. Despite his misguided actions, he knew that the man had always just been trying to protect his daughter.

‘Please, if you could judge me on that which I have done, rather than that which I might do, I give you my word, as Taren’s father and leader of the United Star Systems, that I will never betray your trust again … the truth is, I need you too much.’

Zeven could literally feel the sincerity flowing forth from the dignitary. ‘I believe we have a mutual cause that makes our ties to each other morally binding …’

Anselm nodded in serious agreement.

‘… but the universe help anyone who betrays the Timekeeper or any of her Chosen.’

‘In that knowledge, Starman, I’ve slept well this week, for the first time since Taren was born! The effort it takes to keep her hidden and maintain contact with her is near impossible, being who I am. How I envy your talent.’

‘We both know your viceroy has PK, right?’ Zeven pointed out he was not completely unique.

Anselm nodded. ‘I discovered Khalid’s power at around the same time he discovered