Page 23 of Neverwylde 6
“How’s that?” Cooter demanded.
Gaveer answered. “Because they believe we were ordered by our D’har to lie for him. That is why our word means nothing.”
“But Plat islying,” Kelen insisted.
“Wait a minute.” Sandow leaned forward slightly. “Are you telling us Duruk will take the word of his friend over that of his own brother?”
Kyber managed a partial grin. “The bond between Plat and Duruk is stronger than blood.”
“That’s twice fucked up,” Fullgrath muttered.
“So what happened?” Mellori questioned. “How did you know we’d be where the lifepods were located?”
“I was brought in front of the Triumvirate to testify,” Kyber admitted. “They specifically asked me about our run-in with the Terrans. About the tegris. About who knew about the neverwylde planet.”
“Hoooold on there a minute.” Cooter held up a hand for attention. “Back up. Tegris? Neverwylde?”
“You mentioned a tegris before,” Kelen noted.
“It is what we call an anomaly that remains stationary in space,” Kleesod explained.
“Like wormholes and black holes?”
“Usually,” Kyber acknowledged.
“What about Neverwylde? I thought you said that planet wasn’t called Neverwylde,” Fullgrath brought up. “I thought you said its name was something else.”
“I was informed that a neverwylde is a planet that has sustained a cataclysmic event, yet still is able to sustain life forms,” Kyber told them. “That planet we were on is a neverwylde. Apparently our superiors have known about it for some time, but for some reason have kept its existence and location secret.” He pointed to Dox. “Dox was right all along when he called it Neverwylde.”
“Go on with your story,” Sandow urged. “They asked who all knew about the wormhole and the planet. And?”
“I could tell they were covering their tracks.” Kyber bowed his head. “They wanted to make certain no one else was aware we had crashed on that planet.”
“And by disposing of us all nice and tidy, no one would ever be the wiser,” Cooter drawled. “No need to bring politics into it. No need for diplomatic shit. All cut and dried, nice and neat.”
“And Plat?” Jules whispered.
Fullgrath snorted. “My guess is he’d become a miraculous rescue from space. The sole survivor of a vicious battle with a Terran warship. He’d go home and be lauded as a hero.” The man eyed them all. “And none of Duruk’s men would or could say anything, or else they’d find themselves also jettisoned out into space to die, like they tried to do with us. You guys have one hell of a way of ensuring crew loyalty.”
“Kyber.”
He turned to look at Kelen.
“You figured out their plan and came to rescue us.” She locked eyes with him. “You could have just as easily escaped on your own, but you came for us.”
“There was no choice involved,” he whispered. “I did what I felt was the right thing to do. With faith and a little luck, we will survive this, the same way we survived Neverwylde. Together, as allies.”
“And friends,” a small voice added. It was Dox, speaking up for the first time since leaving the planet.
Fullgrath chuckled and reached over to shake the young man’s shoulder. “You got that right, little guy. Allies and friends, right to the bitter end.”
