Chapter 265
Jarberry’s eyes narrowed, lips pulled up into a snarl at Kyle’s response. “How did you learn that name?” he asked, voice low.
“Another entity stepped in to challenge Zierlan shortly after he appeared, and addressed him as such. A third entity arrived and interfered, and also named him,” Kyle replied, not entirely sure how to get into the specifics.
“Kyle, you’ve really stepped in it,” Jarberry said, some of the tension melting out of his posture. “So, tell me what happened.”
Kyle nodded, recounting their discoveries at Railen’s Folly and Zierlan’s appearance. He didn’t share the specifics of the Progenitor or its involvement with him, instead framing it as simply another A Grade presence that had an issue with Zierlan. From Jarberry’s initial reaction, it seemed like the violet-eyed monstrosity was well-known enough to have plenty of enemies. Kyle felt the Progenitor’s response and subsequent Sanction were too important to share, even with Jarberry.
For his part, the imp seemed to accept this version of events, though his ears perked up when they got to the conversation with the Administrator. “So, it’s true. You really talked to one, and at D Grade no less. Can’t say I’ve heard of that happening before.”
“Does that mean you’ve spoken with one?” Kyle asked, genuinely curious.
“I have,” Jarberry responded. “Only a handful of years back, though. It’s usually a discussion reserved for B Grades, though the odd C Grade has one here and there. If they’re exceptional enough, that is.”
“What prompts the conversation? And what do you even talk about?” Kyle asked, curiosity growing.
“Well, it’s nothing like the one you had,” Jarberry said with a snort. “It mostly happens when people hit a certain threshold of power, and they talk through the rules and regulations of how that power gets used. Not something you need to worry about for a long time yet.”
Which means that you’re strong enough to have that conversation now, Kyle thought. Jarberry had always been a bit of an enigma. Each one of their meetings uncovered a little more of the mystery, and knowing that the imp was exceptional enough to be compared to B Grades reinforced Kyle’s suspicions.
“How do you know of Zierlan?” Kyle asked.
Jarberry sighed, an old exhaustion and weariness appearing on his visage before he met Kyle’s eyes. “Remember when I told you my people made a bad deal once?”
Kyle nodded, thinking back to the conversation.
“Zierlan is the one that they made it with,” Jarberry said. “It was just one of the atrocities that got him the notoriety he has now.”
“You called it a deal,” Kyle replied, his mind slowly working through the revelation. “What happened? What did Zierlan do?”
Jarberry hesitated for a moment, checking the state of his wards, then pulling a flask out of thin air and taking a drink. “Imps were always a pretty rare species across the universe. From what we can tell, there has only ever been one planet where we developed, and it was a pretty harsh one. It’s a C Grade world, and with imps being relatively weak, the population never grew too high. At least, until we met the Collective, and started settling in the Gray Conglomerate.”
He started to float around the room absentmindedly, no longer focusing on Kyle as he continued. “One of the adaptations that let us survive for so long was a mental connection. It’s rare, but not altogether unheard of. Ours extended further than most, though. If one of us ran into something dangerous and died, we’d all get a sense for where that was. Find something interesting, and everybody would know. I’m sure it served us well, historically, but it turned into a hindrance as we integrated with the Collective.
“Imagine this, kid: you’re looking to hire somebody to handle classified documents. Do you hire the less competent human, or the highly-qualified imp whose entire species will be able to get a sense of what you’re working on? Needless to say, that left us with severely limited opportunities.
“As the years wore on, different folks tried to find methods to limit the impact of those connections. Some, like me, tried to find paths to eliminate it altogether. Others tried to have it both ways; turn it into a link that could be toggled on and off. The fools.”
He stopped, taking another long pull from his flask. “As you can imagine, my path took me in a direction where the connection was of more of a liability than an asset. I had it sealed away, and then altogether removed once I had the skills to do so. I was one of the few lucky ones who had both the ability and desire to do so. That was almost 400 years ago now.”
He took in a deep breath, then met Kyle’s eyes. “Of course, without the connection, I didn’t know what was going on. Not that I could have stopped it, in any event. Zierlan presented an opportunity, a magical sigil that would allow imps to toggle their connection on and off. He dangled it in front of the factions who were looking for just that, and some of them jumped at the opportunity.
“What they failed to understand was that Zierlan could infect everybody else through the same connection. Over the span of just a few days, he took control of almost the entire imp species. Where they went, nobody knows. Some of the imps who held on the longest shared what they could, before they were either taken over or asked for peace. That’s the kind of monster you’re dealing with.”
Kyle let the revelation sit for a while, appreciating how lucky he’d been. Jarberry’s words affirmed something terrifying; Zierlan wasn’t some brute out for destruction. He looked for subversion and control. What is he doing to the Progenitors? Kyle wondered, an involuntary shudder going through his body.
Jarberry caught the motion, and his expression softened. “Hey, kid, don’t worry about it too much. He’s not the only old monster out there, and certainly not the strongest. There’s a reason the Collective is around, after all. These stars didn’t just move themselves, after all.”
Kyle nodded, giving a weak smile back. “Thanks, Jarberry. I’m sure there’s plenty of work that will keep me in safer waters.”
“No doubt about that, kid,” the imp replied. “The job board is stuffed to the gills, and we could use the help. Unfortunately, it’ll be a while before you can take any of those. You’ve got some meetings coming up, so for now, you should rest and prepare.”
Kyle double checked the memo from Suierrillax, his meeting with Corthian Mining just around the corner. “Do you have any idea what Angela Corthus wants?” Kyle asked.
“What, do you think I just keep tabs on all the activities of a second-rate mining operation?” Jarberry asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes?” Kyle replied sheepishly.
“I’ll have you know that these assumptions are insulting. Even if, in this case, you’re right.” Jarberry grinned, a bit of levity back in his expression. “It sounds like they’re gearing up for an expedition soon, and I’d guess that Ms. Corthus wants you to be involved. From my initial research, they aren’t exactly drowning in D Grades. I knew it would only be a matter of time before they asked you for help with one project or another. Though with the firepower they’re assembling, this one doesn’t appear to be standard.”
Kyle felt his pulse quicken at the idea of another long-term assignment. Breathe in, breathe out, he thought to himself, quelling the momentary panic. Jarberry’s eyes were laser-focused on him, and he composed himself.
“How long until they go?” Kyle asked.
“No idea. Not that it matters, because you shouldn’t join them.” Jarberry crossed his arms as he leaned back in the air, still regarding Kyle. “You just came back from months away, half of your equipment is busted or missing, and you just earned more credits than you have in the last year. Take a breath, take a vacation, and consolidate your gains.”
“What if it has something to do with the people from Earth?” Kyle asked.
“What if it does?” Jarberry countered. “Last I heard it, your work with Corthian Mining helped the Earthlings tremendously. I haven’t seen them knocking on your door offering gifts of thanks.”
Kyle felt as though he’d been struck. These thoughts weren’t new, not to him. And yet he still couldn’t shake a lingering feeling of responsibility for their well-being.
Jarberry watched Kyle’s face, and the imp’s expression softened a bit as he continued. “Look, kid, I’m not going to tell you what you can or can’t do. That’s up to you. But from where I’m floating, it looks like you’ve been to hell and back. There’s no shame in taking some time to rest after going through what you have. Besides, that buddy of yours made it to D Grade just a little while back. This could be a good opportunity for him to stretch his legs, and help his team do the same. You can’t hog all the opportunities, you know.”
“Garth made it to D Grade?” Kyle asked. “That’s incredible, I never expected somebody else to get there.”
“Like I said, there’s plenty of other people Angela can tap on the shoulder. It doesn’t have to be you.”
A strong sense of affirmation flowed through Kyle’s connection to C.H.A.D.D., and he took another stabilizing breath. “I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks, Jarberry.”
“You’re welcome, Kyle. Not exactly how I expected our meeting today would go, but it was helpful.” Jarberry started forming complex patterns with his hands as the magical seals around the room dissipated. “I’ll leave you to get a good night’s sleep. Welcome home.”
Without another word, the imp disappeared, leaving Kyle and C.H.A.D.D. alone in the apartment.
As he set the C.H.A.D.D. pack down, Kyle realized he’d forgotten something, and swore. “I forgot to give him the tomes back. I’m not going to hear the end of it if we don’t return them soon.”
[I DOUBT THAT VERY MUCH, DR. MAYHEW.]
“Oh?” Kyle asked, sensing amusement from the drone. “And why is that?”
C.H.A.D.D. projected the interior of the pack, where the spatial storage for the tomes was sitting. Affixed to the front of the small disc was a note.
Kyle,
Hang on to these for a while longer. You can use all the practice you can get.
-Jarberry
P.S. – if you lose them, I’m still going to charge you for replacements. After the payday you have coming, I know you’re good for it.
Kyle chuckled as he finished reading, C.H.A.D.D. then dismissing the projection. He walked back into his kitchen – his kitchen – and made himself a meal. The smells of grilled poultry and roasted vegetables wafted through the kitchen as he cooked, placing the meal over a bed of rice. It was good to eat his own food again, the familiar flavors helping to ease a tension Kyle didn’t realize he’d been carrying. He cleaned up after his meal, and got ready to turn in.
His trip had been long and arduous, leaving him with scars he knew would take a long time to heal. The future was uncertain, his sense of responsibility warring with common sense. But as Kyle lay down on his bed, those thoughts quieted. One pervading thought trumped all the others; I’m home. His eyes closed, and a blessedly dreamless sleep met him.