Chapter Eight

Seconds later an image appeared in front of me. I assumed it had to be the surface of Merak, but it was hard to tell. Everything looked grey and almost fuzzy. It was the bright green planet that I had come to know. My eyes scanned different points, but the entire image looked pretty much the same.

"Is this real?" I shook my head, suddenly feeling anxious at the idea that we would consider landing on Merak. "It doesn't make sense. We were told there was vegetation on this planet, but it looks dead. Why would we be coming back here?"

Audrina's body grew rigid as she stood next to me. "You're right. I don't see any land or trees...or really anything green. How did it change so quickly?"

"Me either," Theo's voice sounded deeper than I had ever heard it before. I wondered if he too was feeling the same anxiousness about so much unknown. My heart was racing, but I knew I had to stay calm for the group. Theo's hand softly rested on my shoulder. It felt good to feel him so close to me. My body welcomed his touch. It felt warm and protective.

There was so much I couldn't figure out right now. It was frustrating how quickly things kept changing. My so-called mother and father were now enemies, but why had they betrayed me? Then there was Samuel. I wanted to believe he wasn't on their side, but there was a nagging feeling that told me he had known a lot more than he had told us for a long time.

I looked out of the window. Merak's grey surface seemed ominous. We were planning to descend onto a planet that didn't look like it could sustain us. Why this place? Was it a trick? My fingers rubbed my temples hoping that it would help me think more clearly. What was I missing? The idea that I might be leading the team towards a death trap didn't sit well with my stomach.

"Caleb, please confirm. Is there a dry area that will actually allow us to land?"

The image rotated more than a dozen times in front of us. Finally, there was a small white dot that peaked out among the grey water. It too almost shimmered in the light from the stars.

"We will land there," Caleb's voice responded.

"Are we sure it's a big enough area for us to park this ship?"

"Yes, it is more than ten miles in circumference," Caleb's voice responded.

"Hmmm...that doesn't seem right. It looks so small in this image."

"Merak is ten times larger than the planet Earth—"

"Is there any life on this planet Caleb?"

"I'm not picking up any heat signals."

"That's a big problem."

"Why?" Audrina folded her arms over her chest.

From somewhere inside the ship, Luther cleared his throat. "Obviously, something that is fully living couldn't survive on this planet. That's why she changed all of us. Ciphers are the only thing that might survive."

I swallowed the large lump that had developed in the back of my throat as my right hand slowly closed around my medallion hoping to feel some sort of signal that we could use the Jump Line, but there was nothing. My medallion was now just a regular necklace.

"We can't jump, can we?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

Gave shook his head. "No. I've tried several times now. Our medallions are useless up here."

"This sucks,"

"I agree," Audrina rubbed her lips together. We all stared at the large planet in front of us that seemed to grow larger and larger by the second.

"Caleb, how much fuel do we have on this thing?"

"Fuel? I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"Gas to make it go."

"Captain James, this craft is powered by the sun."

"What? We're not close enough to the sun for it to help keep us powered."

"Our batteries are full," Caleb's voice responded.

"How?"

"Because the Iliad is state-of-the-art and uses very modern technology."

It sounded like Caleb was quoting some sales pitch.

"So, we will be able to take off from Merak if we decide it's not the place we want to call home? Can you confirm that?"

"Yes, the Iliad will still be able to charge on Merak, but we only have enough food to sustain us for two months and the trip back to Earth will take much longer than that."

"How long?"

"Twenty-five months."

"But, we may be fine if we can get back to the point where we can open up the Jump Line—"

"Captain James, I do not know what you are talking about," Caleb's voice said. I looked over at Theo, his eyes told me everything I needed to know...I shouldn't entirely trust Caleb.

My hands rested on my hips. "Alright, I guess we are going to land on Merak. After that, I really don't know what to expect, but we obviously have enough weapons to help us fend off an entire army. Guys, lets prepare to land this thing."

"Captain James, I have located the Napoleon," Caleb interjected.

"Really? Where?"

"It's waiting for us on the ground."

I scanned the screens in front of me trying to get some sort of information, but everything still looked the same as it had several seconds ago.

"Caleb, what ground? Where are they?"

He didn't answer.

"Caleb?"

Silence again.

"Caleb, I command you to answer. Did the Napoleon land on Merak?"

His little episodes of silence were beginning to annoy me. "Hello Captain Esa James. I have made it impossible for Caleb to respond to you right at this moment. Please stay on your course and land the Iliad. We have much to discuss."

The sound of the voice sent chills up my back. "Hello Dr. James. Glad to see you made it through Plesus. I understand you are waiting for us on Merak."

A sharp laugh filled the air. "Don't ever doubt me. Trust me child. This wasn't the first time I travelled through Plesus and it won't be the last. Yes, see you soon."

"I didn't doubt you," I responded, trying to calm the rage that had once again ignited inside of me. "We will be landing on Merak shortly. I'm sure the entire team is looking forward to once again being in your presence."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Audrina sit back down in the chair closest to mine. I knew Theo, Gave and Luther were also doing the same thing. Audrina rolled her eyes.

"I will see you in a few hours. If you try to change the course of the Iliad, then I will destroy the ship," Paul's nasty voice suddenly filled the air. "Don't mess with us Esa—"

"Hello Paul. Glad to hear you also made the trip. It will be a family reunion when we land on Merak."

"Captain James, it's good to hear your voice as well. We will be waiting for you to land. The Iliad is a very valuable ship in our fleet and we would like to keep it that way."

"Message received," I responded, knowing it was pointless to try and talk to the rest of the team. We were trapped. Paul had made it very clear that we were to land. A part of me wanted to test him and see if he would fire at us, but something in my gut told me they wouldn't hesitate. I was their offspring, but that really didn't matter. They had created a new line of soldiers. We no longer held as much value to them, but despite that knowledge, I also knew I wasn't ready to quit just yet. They commanded us to land and we would follow that order. Honestly, though, I was growing more and more tired of Marie and Paul...and apparently he really wanted the Iliad back.