Critical Path

“Inspired, sir. United. You’ve brought us all new purpose. With your leadership, we’re confident we can handle the threat you spoke of.”

“That’s good, Zoe. You’ll make a good officer.”

He smiled, not hiding away his face, enjoying how uncomfortable it made her.

Soon, it wouldn’t be his inspiration that would hold people in line. It would be fear.

In the Order of Things, Earth would be his.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Through blurred vision, Charlie watched Hagellan manipulate the holocube.

The pain in his ears felt like he was twelve feet underwater and hadn’t equalized. A second loud bang and flash of light ripped through the cabin. He squeezed his eyes shut. A high-pitched tone whistled in his ears.

The ship’s engines thrusted, and the sensation of flying in atmospheric conditions returned. Charlie rubbed his face as his splitting headache quickly receded. He glanced at the high-definition starboard screen and gasped.

A setting sun peeped over a dark gray jagged mountain range, which stretched into the distance. The foothills were covered in dense green and pink foliage. Croatoan root grew on the long thin plain at the bottom of the hills.

The ship banked to its left, giving Charlie a sweeping view as it turned. Cone-shaped volcanos and mountains dominated the geography. Root grew on undulating hills and the few flat areas. From what he could see, they managed to farm around thirty percent of the land. The sky had an instantly recognizable orange tinge.

“Jesus Christ,” Denver said over his shoulder. “We made it.”

Layla gazed out of the opposite window and shook her head. “Unbelievable.”

“This is Tredeya. We land near the gate,” Hagellan said.

Charlie reached under his seat and brushed his hand over the bomb. As interesting as this place may be, he hadn’t come for a sightseeing visit. “You made contact with your force yet?”

“No contact. But I am picking up activity on the other side of the range. The location of our barracks.”

“Wouldn’t you expect there to be somebody at the gate?”

“Yes, but I haven’t been here in two thousand years. Things change. Your own history should tell you that.”

“How long have we got ’til the destroyer arrives?” Denver said.

“One of your hours. We need to be quick.”

The ship continued to turn full circle. Charlie got his first view of the gate.

A huge, thick stone circle reached a mile into the sky. Two luminous green rings flashed around the inside. A series of small, cream-colored buildings perched on a small ridge to its left.

“What did they use it for, until you showed up?” Charlie said.

Hagellan unbuckled and turned in his seat. “The Tredeyans used it to explore the galaxy. They are manipulators rather than fighters. You may call them politicians.”

“Until you got your grubby hands on it and came to destroy us,” Denver said.

“They regularly came to your planet and perhaps influenced a great number of things. How do you think we got the coordinates?” Hagellan retorted.

“Do you expect us to believe that?” Layla said.

“I read their logs, inside that building.” He gestured to the closest windowless structure. “There are many things you don’t know. We will have time to talk after destroying the gate.”

Hagellan turned back to the holocube. The ship slowed and lowered toward a flat brown strip of land bathed in the shadow of the mountains. It landed with a bump, and the three croatoans talked to each other in their mother tongue.

Denver gave Charlie a nervous look and fished his rifle from below his stool. “What do you think they’re saying?”

Charlie leaned next to his ear. “Be ready for anything.”

“We landed behind this hill to give the ship protection from the blast,” Hagellan said. “It would be foolish to land by the gate.”

Charlie unfastened his harness. “Let’s get this over with. Are you sure it’s safe for us to go out?”

“Atmosphere as expected. Temperature good. Wear your tanks and mask and you’ll acclimatize. The gravity is a close to that of Earth, but you may feel heavier for a while until your muscles adapt,” Hagellan said. “We go now.”

Charlie, Denver, and Layla pulled their small facemasks on. Charlie took a deep breath of the air. It tasted stale and thick. It had root extract within it, which he was thankful for. He didn’t doubt he would need the strength and vitality.

A rumbling came from below. The ship’s door punched out and slid open. A warm draft rushed into the cockpit. Hagellan told Mike that the croatoans targeted planets in what human astronomers called the Goldilocks Zone. They were the most conducive for farming root. The temperature and atmosphere didn’t feel alien, which only aided Charlie’s tense mood.

Hagellan spoke to his two alien brethren. They grabbed rifles from a rack above the stools and clambered down the hatch at surprising speed. “We secure the immediate area.”

Charlie slid out the bomb. Denver helped him sling it over his shoulder. The thing weighed over a hundred pounds.

Layla continued to be mesmerized by her surroundings and gazed open-mouthed at the scenery outside.