by John Coon
His aim was true.
The hybrid groaned and clutched its belly when Xttra withdrew the blade again. Dark red blood seeped out between the creature’s fingers. Kyra and Xander fired their spearguns. Two laser-reinforced spear heads punched new holes in the hybrid’s chest and right leg.
It staggered backward. Xttra rose to his feet. He grabbed the hybrid by the shoulder and plunged the saber straight into its chest. The volcanic glass blade ripped through the creature’s heart like worn fabric. It let out a violent cough and fresh blood dribbled down its chin.
Xttra retracted the saber and shoved the hybrid backward. It stumbled to the floor and let out a loud gasp. The creature’s eyes became empty, and its muscles stopped twitching a second later.
“That was a close call.” Sam’s voice trembled even as he tried to express relief. “I started having flashbacks to the attack I survived in the lab.”
Xttra turned around and blasted an immediate scowl at the others.
“It was a closer call than it needed to be,” he snapped. “Were you all waiting to see if the hybrid skewered me before taking action?”
“Everything happened so fast,” Sam replied.
Xttra stabbed an index finger at him.
“You didn’t even fire a weapon!”
Xander answered him with a dismissive wave.
“You survived. We survived. Quit whining about it.”
He turned away and walked out of the alcove. Xttra lowered his eyebrows and clenched his jaw. A few choice words sat on the tip of his tongue. He bit his tongue and resisted a growing urge to unload a new verbal jab at the Confederation setaworm. It did not merit risking his tenuous freedom.
“Get back here.”
Xander stopped and turned around as soon as he heard Kyra’s order.
“We need to haul this hybrid back to the ship and stick it inside the pod it came from,” she said. “This is our proof Delcor did what we always suspected he did.”
Xttra tore a strip off a sheet still partially attached to the overturned bed and cleaned the remnant blood off his saber blade. He retracted the saber back into its resting place inside his armored sleeve. His eyes drifted over to the hybrid’s now-lifeless face.
As much as it pained him to admit it, Xttra could no longer dismiss what Kyra said as mere Confederation propaganda. The hybrid echoed a popular Ra’ahm battle cry from the Separatist War before attacking him. It saddened and terrified Xttra to realize the chief sovereign was indeed capable of such atrocities.
His throat tightened and sweat beaded along his scalp as more unwelcome thoughts swarmed his mind. A different feeling of terror gripped him now. Delcor must have instructed one of his minions to lay a trap for Kevin and then for him. If that were the case, Calandra faced grave danger. And he was not there to protect her.
Xttra licked his lips and pinched his eyes shut. Concerns over her fate blanketed his mind like a dense fog. He needed to return to Lathos before time ran out.
To save Calandra.
25
Calandra checked the contact block periodically, waiting impatiently for an update from Kevin. Night turned into day and into night again without a word from him or Ominade. Their silence ate at her. Should it take this much time to connect her with their underground refugee network?
She tried to channel her troubled thoughts and energy into painting. Her unfinished panorama of rocky cliffs overlooking a vast ocean mocked those efforts. The contrast between shadow and sunlight on the farthest cliff did not strike the balance Calandra wanted. She tinkered around with hues, tints, tones, and shades. Yet, the scene she wanted to portray still did not evoke a brightness and hopefulness she sought.
Calandra set down her brush, still tipped with fresh paint, and closed her eyes. She exhaled slowly and rubbed her hands over her cheeks. Beautiful scenery did not rise to the surface easily in a mind swimming in fear.
How was Alayna handling this situation?
Calandra had not spoken with her friend since the day they uncovered evidence of the chief sovereign’s crimes. Alayna’s usual happy-go-lucky attitude degenerated into a fearful somberness after they left the Central Archives together. She said only a few words and had grown teary-eyed when they parted company after a hasty embrace.
Calandra walked from her studio to her bedroom and grabbed her arca vox. She punched in the contact code for Alayna. The holoscreen remained blank for a minute before flashing a message.
Not Available.
“It’s me.” Calandra said, pressing a crystal panel and recording a message. “I want to know how you’re feeling. Let’s talk when you get a minute.”
She lowered the blank holoscreen again and set her arca vox back on a table next to her bed. Calandra started toward the door but stopped after taking a few steps. She turned back and stared at her arca vox.
Multiple beeps rang out from the communicator. Calandra dashed over and scooped it up. She raised the holoscreen.
“Alayna, it’s so good to—”
Calandra stopped mid-sentence. The image on the holoscreen did not belong to her friend. She found herself looking at a youthful man with a skinny brown beard and pointed nose.
“Who are you?”
“Apologies. I assumed you remembered me.”
“Should I?”
“I’m Talan.”
Talan? His name sounded familiar to Calandra. She had no clue why it did. They never met or interacted on any prior occasion she remembered.
“We met at the Stellar Guard shipyard a while back.” Talan flashed a warm smile to try to ease the growing awkwardness. “I serve as the navigator on your husband’s scout ship.”
Calandra closed her eyes and nodded. That’s why he seemed oddly familiar. Xttra introduced her to his new assistant pilot and navigator on the same day he told her he resumed taking planet-based missions from the Stellar Guard. He introduced his new crew members to Calandra to ease her apprehension about him returning to active service.
“I do remember you now.” She opened her eyes again and returned a polite smile. “It feels like a whole lifetime has passed since we met.”
“All we’ve gone through sure makes it feel that way.”
“What can I do for you, Talan?”
He paused and licked his lips.
“I don’t know if Bo’un told you this, but I’m assisting him with searching for Xttra. I’ve hit a wall and could use your help.”
“My help?”
Calandra lowered her eyebrows. Bo’un acted as her lone contact on Xttra’s crew up to this point. He had not delegated communication to anyone else. This all seemed a little unusual.
“Is something wrong with Bo’un?” She unloaded another question before Talan made any effort to answer the first one. “Why isn’t he contacting me?”
Talan scratched his left ear and glanced off-screen.
“He’s taking care of an urgent matter.” He redirected his eyes to her. “I can’t delve into any specific details. I’m sure you understand.”
Calandra did not understand why he gave such an evasive response to a straightforward question. She knew Bo’un at least as well as Talan did. If something bad happened to him, she deserved an honest answer.
“So, why do you need my help?”
“We found a merchant who has extensive off-world contacts with Thetian traders. Took some digging to find her. But there’s one little snag.”
“What snag?”
“The merchant isn’t comfortable meeting with any Stellar Guard officers. She will only speak to you.”
“Why only me?”
Talan shrugged and cast his eyes off-screen again. Calandra furrowed her brow. Why did he keep looking away from his holoscreen? The Stellar Guard officer acted like a person convinced they were under surveillance or taking orders from some unseen party.<
br />
“I realize I’m asking for a huge favor from you here, but I agreed to set up a meeting.” Talan returned his gaze to her again. “The merchant wants to meet at her shop in Luma Flats at her normal closing hour.”
Calandra’s heart sank. Luma Flats? She did not feel safe trekking out to that part of the city alone at such a late hour. Even with her artificial arm in proper working order, unease washed over her at the prospect of flying an aerorover alone. Calandra last piloted one before journeying to Earth a couple of years earlier.
“Going alone isn’t such a wise idea,” she said. “Maybe I can bring my friend Alayna along?”
Talan leaned forward and raised his brows.
“Alayna?”
“She’s helped me so much through this ordeal. I’d feel better with her around.”
Talan shook his head.
“I … I don’t know.”
He hesitated and paused for a moment. Talan cast his eyes at the ground. Calandra did not like the direction of this conversation.
Too many unknowns. Too much risk.
“I understand why you’re nervous.” He looked at her again. “I do. But this merchant only agreed to meet under the specific condition she meet you alone.”
“I don’t like this. You haven’t told me anything about her—including her name.”
“Listen, I can monitor you from a distance and make sure she doesn’t do anything suspicious. I’m counting on you. If I didn’t have to involve you—”
Calandra rubbed her cheeks and let out a defeated sigh. Talan had forced her into a corner, and she did not like it one bit.
“Fine.”
Talan flashed a relieved smile.
“Good. I’ll let her know you’re heading to her shop.”
“What’s her name? What do you know about her?” Sharpness tinged her questions. “If I’m agreeing to do this, I deserve a little more information.”
“Of course. Her name is Zatoriah. I don’t know much more beyond what I told you. But I can send directions to her shop and her image over to your arca vox, or your trique if you prefer.”
Calandra nodded.
“Sounds good. I’ll be in touch.”
Talan’s image vanished from her arca vox. Calandra sat on her bed and stared at the blank holoscreen. A creeping anxiety spread through her body like a web. Something about this situation did not add up. Perhaps her imagination only conjured up unfounded fears, but Calandra did not want to dismiss them out of hand.
She entered the contact code for Bo’un on her arca vox. Talan claimed he was unavailable to talk. Calandra had to find out for herself. A blank holoscreen greeted her eyes. Two dreaded words followed.
Not Available. Just like Alayna.
Calandra released a deep sigh. Why were the people she needed to talk to all unavailable at the same time? She glanced at a clock. Many shops in Luma Flats would be closing soon. If this merchant had an actual lead on Xttra’s whereabouts, she owed it to herself to at least investigate. Still, making a trip to her shop at such a late hour called for taking precautionary measures. Calandra snatched up an eliminator Xttra gave her for self-defense after their return to Lathos. She stuffed the weapon inside a pouch she slung across her chest.
Calandra sealed her apartment door and hurried down to the aerorover. She flashed a brief smile when she opened the driver’s side door and climbed inside. If Xttra only knew she was flying his prized classic aerorover in his absence. Mortified would not begin to describe his reaction. Xttra squashed every attempt anyone made to fly his aerorover in the past.
She distinctly remembered how he reacted to Kevin’s desire to jump in the driver’s seat and go cruising around Luma. Xttra shook his head with vigor right after the suggestion left Kevin’s mouth.
“Not a chance. No one flies this aerorover except me.”
Kevin rested his hand on the aerorover hood and cocked his head at him. He smiled.
“C’mon dude. I promise I won’t wreck it. You can’t tease me by showing off this beauty and then refuse to let me try it out.”
“You’ve never flown an aerorover before. I’m not letting your first time be with this one.”
“I learned to fly your scout ship on the fly. And we all made it back to your planet here without any trouble.”
“That’s a whole different animal.”
Kevin pressed his hand against his chest and cast his eyes over at Calandra, pleading for help. She laughed.
“Remember how you showed me that Earth car you spent tons of time restoring? How would you feel about somebody else driving your car around?”
Kevin leaned back and gazed up at the sky. His eyes drifted down to her again and he nodded.
“When you put it like that, I see your point.” He laughed, admitting defeat. “No way I’d let either of you behind the wheel of my Mustang.”
Calandra released a heavy sigh as those memories faded back into the shadows of her mind. Her thoughts refocused on the task ahead of her in the present. Having Kevin, Bo’un, or Alayna by her side on this trip would ease troubled thoughts from bombarding her with relentless energy.
An electrical whoosh surged through the aerorover’s interior when Calandra started the engine. She pushed down the control knob and raised both wings. Then she pulled the knob back toward her and retracted all four magnetic wheels against the vehicle’s belly. Once it lifted off the ground, Calandra pushed the same knob forward and the aerorover zipped away from its parking spot outside her apartment.
Sky traffic was minimal at this late hour. Only three other aerorovers were near Calandra as her vehicle zoomed over treetops. Hanging lamps ran parallel to streets below the aerorover. Each lamp held two clear globes on a single metal rod bisecting a stone column. The lamps alternated with trees and served as a natural boundary between streets and sidewalks. Hanging lamps offered Luma residents enough light for travel at night without blocking visibility of stars from city streets. They also provided useful reference points for reducing the risk of mid-air collisions with trees or other aerorovers.
Beeps emanated from Calandra’s chest pouch. She gnawed on her lower lip and shook her head. Of course, someone would try to contact her on her arca vox while in mid-flight. Her guess was Alayna. Calandra kept both arms glued to the steering controls. A conversation with her would have to wait until she and the aerorover were back on solid ground again.
Calandra pinpointed the shop where she was supposed to meet Zatoriah and landed along an adjacent street. More beeps emanated from her arca vox. She drew it from her chest pouch and raised the holoscreen.
Bo’un’s image popped up.
“I’m happy to see you,” Calandra said. She opened the aerorover door and stepped out. “I wish you were here to help me.”
“What are you doing exactly? Maybe I can spare a few minutes.”
“I just flew an aerorover out to Luma Flats. I’m meeting with a merchant you tracked down who has a lead on where we can find Xttra.”
Bo’un twisted his lips into a half-smile and scrunched up his eyes and nose.
“I didn’t track down a merchant. I’ve made zero progress since we met with that fake diviner.”
Calandra paused at the street corner. Zatoriah’s shop overlooked another street corner directly across from her. Lights were still on in the front window. A pair of patrons opened the main shop door and stepped out.
“You mean to tell me you didn’t talk to a merchant named Zatoriah?”
“No. Who said I did?”
“Talan contacted me and claimed you both found her while investigating Xttra’s abduction.”
Bo’un’s eyes widened. A concerned frown quickly washed over his lips.
“Talan hasn’t been assisting me with anything. When did he speak to you?”
“Less than an hour ago. He told me he was conta
cting me on your behalf.”
“This is bad.” Bo’un swallowed hard. Fear laced through his words. “Get out of there now, Calandra. You’re in serious danger.”
Calandra’s heartbeat quickened. Her mouth dropped open. A tremor raced through her limbs.
“What are you saying?” Her voice trembled as she forced the question out of her mouth.
“I suspected an infiltrator joined this crew and arranged for our ambush on Fengar. Talan confirmed it by contacting you. You’re walking into a trap.”
Her eyes darted back to the shop. The patrons who exited earlier had turned a corner and disappeared down a side street. Now, a woman with tightly cropped platinum blond hair stood on the shop steps. She stared straight at Calandra.
Zatoriah.
“I see the merchant now.” Calandra’s voice dropped to a whisper. “What do I do?”
Bo’un peeked over his shoulder as though he heard someone behind him on his end.
“Act natural and leave. Return to your apartment. I’ll get over there as fast as possible.”
She answered him with a silent nod. His image vanished from the holoscreen. Calandra slipped the arca vox back inside her chest pouch. Her fingers wrapped around the eliminator handle.
“Wow. This is the wrong place.” She raised her voice while slowly backpedaling toward the aerorover. “I’m so bad with directions.”
A crease formed in Zatoriah’s brow. Her metallic gray eyes stayed locked on Calandra.
“Stay right where you are,” she called out. “I can help you find your way.”
Calandra waved her off with her gloved arm.
“I’m fine. Really. Don’t worry about me.”
The aerorover door popped up in her peripheral vision. Calandra gave it a sideways glance. At once, Zatoriah withdrew a weapon from her belt. Calandra mirrored her action, withdrawing the eliminator from her pouch. The merchant’s eyes trailed down to the weapon in her hand, and she shook her head.
“So, a hotshot astronomer thinks she can put a laser bolt through me? You’re out of your element here.”
Calandra’s throat tightened and her heart pounded even harder. Zatoriah already knew her identity. She uttered a silent prayer to Ahm, pleading for deliverance. Her mind screamed at her to kill the woman, but she could not compel herself to pull the trigger.