The Cartographer Collection - The Complete Series

Excerpt from The Cartographer Collection

“I gave you explicit instructions to remain on the Argus until we arrived!” Meta's face grew darker with each word. His enraged face filled the screen.

Embeth remained resolute and matched the High Prince's scowl with one of his own. “I refuse to leave my men behind. It was a judgment call, plain and simple.” Embeth tapped the control panel impatiently.

“Embeth, you should know better! Your men wouldn't have been left behind. Helios Protocol is a proactive defense measure,” Meta explained. “They would have been recovered.”

“What have you done?” Enraged, I stepped between Embeth and the screen.

Meta's face turned crimson when he saw me. “You,” he spat. “I am beginning to think we made a mistake integrating you into the Explorer's League. Humans are nothing but trouble.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I roared.

Meta leaned back and took a deep breath. Behind him, the remaining members of the council whispered to each other. They seemed oblivious to the exchange going on in front of them, as if they had something more important to work on. Their indifference only served to aggravate me more.

“Your barbaric history,” Meta replied. “Mankind, throughout history, has shown that their only desires are money, power and bloodshed. For eons we have waited patiently, yet they failed time and time again to evolve into a species more focused on knowledge and self-improvement. Despite all of the technological advancements afforded them, they regress morally, ethically and in most cases, mentally.”

“Now wait a minute—” Kedge interrupted.

Meta held up his hand to stop him. “There is nothing more to say on the matter. This debate is pointless.” He leaned back and whispered something in Hark-Kalech's ear.

“Are you sure that is a wise course?” he asked with uncertainty.

“Of course I am,” Meta roared. “Just do it!”

Hark-Kalech glanced uneasily at us before leaving. Varooq and Kale followed him out the door.

“There are many things you do not know regarding recent events.” Meta returned his attention to the screen. His initial anger seemed to have ebbed. “This is more than just simple treachery by Calypso.”

“What do you mean?” Embeth inquired.

“Charr is not being destroyed by natural phenomena, as he claims. I admit there had been some unusually high volcanic activity which threatened the planet's crust, but it had stopped a while ago. Members of the Science Cooperative had developed a way to repair any damage done and are currently based on the planet, conducting field tests.”

“What?” I scratched my head. “But Calypso told us—”

Meta dismissed me with a wave of his hand. “I know what he told you. It was just a lie to help cover his true intentions.”

Lianne brought her fist down violently on the control panel. “All of these riddles and no answers. What is his true motivation?”

“We are not sure. But we are going to find out.”

I suspected the High Prince wasn't telling us everything. What are you hiding? Why are you hiding it? I held my tongue since he was angry enough and we did not have the time to conduct a verbal war. We had more important battles to fight.

“I refuse to go back until we are done,” I insisted. As soon as the words fell from my lips, everyone turned to me. I swallowed hard and cleared my throat under the weight of their stares. “I refuse!” I continued defiantly. “Mankind doesn't need a second relocation. We have a responsibility to stop this.”

“We have a responsibility?” Meta scoffed. His demeaning tone cut me more than any weapon ever could. “It is not your decision to make.”

“No, it's not,” Embeth interrupted. “But as commander of the Defense Fleet it is mine. I made the decision to recover my soldiers and stop Calypso.”

Meta narrowed his eyes. “Your decision lingers dangerously close to treachery, Embeth. You could be stripped of your seat on the Council.” When Meta saw that he would not back down he waved his hand dismissively and turned toward the Council members. “We do this with or without you.”

Satou turned and whispered to Embeth. “We will be landing in the East River in five minutes. So far everything looks clear.”

Embeth turned toward the screen and shrugged. “Take my seat then. It seems this Council is broken.”

Meta folded his arms across his chest with a look of disappointment. “Open a channel to the Swallowtail, Sergeant.”

“Channel is open, sir.”

“Captain Daranan, this is the High Prince. Continue with Helios Protocol.”

“Yes sir.”

“I'm sorry, Embeth. You made your decision.” A weary look came over him. “I had to make mine.”

The screen went black. Wide-eyed, I turned to them. “What now?”

“We finish the job,” Embeth responded.

Surrounded by the approvals of the others, I felt a sense of relief. Ahead, the East River appeared in the distance and Satou worked on slowing our descent. As we approached the water he eased the shuttle gently upon the murky depths of the river. Instead of descending into the water like last time, he guided the craft toward a wall adjacent to the United Nations building. Stealth mode allowed us to appear as nothing more than a breeze on a cloudless day.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “Aren't you worried we will be seen once we exit?”

“There is no time for covert tactics,” Satou replied grimly. He pulled open his tunic and reached inside. He produced an object that looked like a cell phone and handed it to Gard. “This alarm is programmed to sound in twenty minutes. If we are not back by then, you are to take off and return to the Argus.”

“Acknowledged.”

We left the shuttle via a side exit. Once I stepped foot outside, the crisp New York air filled my lungs. During our first trip to Earth, I felt a subdued sense of excitement. This time, however, the task laid out before us seemed much more solemn. Excitement escaped me.

“Well, here we go again,” I muttered.

“What did you say?” Wraith slipped soundlessly behind me.

“Never mind.”

We quickly crossed the ramp and dropped to a nearby window. Gard closed the ramp behind us which masked the ship once again. Everyone huddled outside the window while Satou pulled out an object that looked like a pen.

“What are you going to do with that?” I asked.

He ignored the question and instead pressed a button located on the handle. A yellowish light sprang from the tip and fell on the window. With the light, he carved a large O into the glass. A huge chunk of glass fell inward with a crash. “Get us inside,” he responded.

We entered the building and found ourselves inside a large office. Judging from the film of dust on the mahogany desk and lack of decor it appeared to be empty. Satou traced a finger across the surface of the desk. Tiny flakes of dust fell from his fingertip like brown snow.

Kedge removed his staff from the sling and gripped it fiercely. Wraith and Satou unholstered their neutralizers. Lianne clutched her sword and searched the room. Embeth, neutralizer in hand, turned toward us. As he did, the grenades in his bandolier clanged together dangerously. I cringed, expecting an explosion.