Michael Hudson - Thieves of Light

"One of them has to be."

"That's what I thought. Then I started trying to find out who built the First Guardian-who makes the crystals- who designed our ships-and discovered that everybody thinks it's someone else. Ask Li-hon where the crystals come from and you get an answer something like 'The First Guardian provides.' "

"You mean that the Ylem might be hiding somewhere and letting you fight their battles?"

"Sometimes I think so." He shrugged. "Anyway. I guess the point for you is that you can't take everything you hear from the Alliance leadership at face value. But you can't go around challenging it, either."

"So is Earth really in danger? Or is that part of the fiction?"

"No," Parcival said somberly. "That's real. Look, I don't know what your habits are, but I'm ready to sack out. Do you mind?"

"What time is it? My watch is still in my locker at the Center."

"Midnight your time-the twenty-eighth division in ship time."

"Geez. I didn't realize," Bhodi Li said, standing up. "Except I don't know how well I'm going to sleep."

Parcival slipped past Bhodi in the narrow aisle and flung himself lengthwise on the cot. "These are more comfortable than they look."

"I meant because of everything there is to think about."

"Don't think too much-you'll hurt yourself." It was said teasingly, with a hint of a smile and a twinkle in the eye.

"I'll be careful," Bhodi Li said. He turned away as though to leave, but stopped at the door and looked back. "I can't help wondering about you-how you got here. Were you drafted, too? Nothing personal, but I've never seen anyone your age hold their own in the arena."

"I wasn't drafted, exactly. I volunteered."

"Volunteered! How?"

Parcival twisted onto his side and propped his head on one hand. "Truth is, I was always more interested in how the Photon Centers worked than the game itself-the sensors, the radios, the infrared guns, the computers. I poked around after hours and discovered a little too much. The First Guardian decided that I couldn't be let go and sent a ship to pick me up."

"When was this?"

"Almost a year ago."

"How often do you get back? I mean down to the surface."

"I never do."

"But your family-"

"There's nobody there to miss me," Parcival said, sounding like a ten-year-old for the first time since Bhodi had met him. "This is the only home I've got. Look, I don't want to talk any more. I'm tired. Lights off," he added, and the room darkened.

"Sorry. G'night, Parcival. And thanks-for being straight with me."

"You owe me one," Parcival said, settling back on the cot.

"Fair enough." Bhodi slapped the touchplate and watched the doorway magically appear.

"Hey-Bhodi," the youth suddenly called after him.

"What?"

"You play baseball?"

"Sure."

Parcival nodded absently, staring at the ceiling. "Think I'll ask them to pick up a glove for you the next time a ship stops at Earth. We can play catch anyway, right?"

"If I stay," Bhodi cautioned.

"That's what I meant. If you stay." But the hint of disappointment in Parcival's voice said that he had already begun to count on Bhodi's company.

What the hell am I going to do? Bhodi wondered as he returned to his quarters. I'm a dozen light-years from home with a lizard-priest that wants to convert me and a boy genius that wants me to be his big brother, on my way to boot camp for a star army. I don't want to fight for the First Guardian of Photon. I only came along for the ride — a sightseeing tour of the galaxy. But the more I see and learn, the harder it is to think about going back and forgetting it all.

And tomorrow we'll be there — wherever there is. What am I going to do?

Bhodi Li stood on the bridge of the Fraanic and stared with wonder at the spectacle laid out before him on the windows of the scoutship. No recording this time, the great space station called Intellistar hung like a glittering toy in space, high above the fleecy yellow-tinged clouds of a golden world.

At any given time Bhodi could see at least a half-dozen other spacecraft moving against the dramatic backdrop formed by steady-shining stars, a great white moon, and the system's brilliant blue-white sun.

"This is like going into O'Hare or L.A.X.," Bhodi said to Parcival, who was standing nearby.

"It's always busy," Parcival agreed. "This is the nerve center for the whole Photon Force. The First Guardian is here, as much as she can be said to be anywhere. Most of our training facilities are in this system."

"In other words, this is home."

"For me, anyway," Parcival said.

As they orbited Intellistar awaiting their landing confirmation, the analogy to a metallic flower persisted in Bhodi's mind. The central core, hexagonal in shape, was surrounded by a halo of six "petals"-every other one drooping as though wilted. Above each of the drooping petals was a row of hanger bays. The smaller craft buzzing back and forth seemed like bees coming to prospect for pollen.

When they finally were cleared to approach, Fraanic herself took over and began a fully-automated hands-off docking. But Li-hon nevertheless stood by at the controls as insurance against a system failure.

"It's just occurred to me," Bhodi said as the silver skin of the space station eclipsed more and more of the sky. "Why do you even have ships? Why not use the spacetime transporter all the time?"

"Two reasons," Li-hon said. "One is energy. The other is design."

"Design?"

"The transporter needs a terminal at both ends," Parcival added. "We can't just plop people down wherever we like-or snatch them up, for that matter. That's why we had to take you right from the Photon Center."

"The goals. You've got them rigged up for the transporter."

Parcival bobbed his head in agreement. "Any good player ends up there eventually. But the other probe is more serious. It took a tremendous amount of energy to push this ship from Earth to here with the fractional drive- but it would have taken about three times as much energy to throw it the same distance."

"So it has a limited range."

"The operational limit is five milliparsecs, or about one trillion miles," Parcival said. "But just between you and me-when you're looking at more than a hundred million miles or so, if you have a choice between flying and being thrown, fly."

"And when you don't have a choice?"

"Knock on wood," Parcival said cheerily. "If you can find any."

Li-hon grinned, a disturbing sight. "Now you know why he carries a baseball bat along."

When they disembarked, they were greeted by a floating, green-glowing mote and a disembodied voice that said, "Welcome to Intellistar, Bhodi Li. If you will follow the Guide, the next stage in your challenge will begin."

"The Guide?"

Parcival gestured at the light. "The firefly. It'll show you where you need to go."

"You're not coming?"

"We can't help you with what's to come, Bhodi Li," said Li-hon.

"And what's that?"

The floating fire started down the corridor to the right. "Please follow the Guide, Bhodi Li," the voice said. It was female in character, even maternal. "Your questions will be answered at the proper time."

"Go on," Parcival urged. "And good luck."

"Thanks," Bhodi said, his voice reflecting the ambivalence he felt, and started in pursuit of the Guide. He glanced back once to find Li-hon and Parcival watching him with concerned looks as though seeing off a friend on a different journey.

What have I gotten myself into? he wondered as he followed the Guide around a corner. Biology class is looking better and better all the time -

The Guide led Bhodi through several hundred feet of corridors before bringing him to a small outfitting room. Inside, a black mesh bodysuit was neatly laid out on a white counter like a headless corpse.