by Carysa Locke
“I’m sorry,” Mercy said.
“Anyway.” Feria looked down into the coffee she still hadn’t touched. “The Talented who stayed behind went underground. Hid what they were. They did what they could to find others. To free as many slaves as possible. Veritas was originally formed originally as a secret society dedicated to keeping the Talented in the Commonwealth safe and free. Over time, we built our own wealth. We infiltrated null corporations. Started our own. Put spies in the military and the government. It helped us to find out just how much the nulls knew about us, and the more power we wielded behind the scenes, the safer we became.”
She paused and finally took a sip of her coffee, her eyebrows going up in appreciation. She smiled, the expression both sardonic and with a hint of real warmth. “I see you have all of the best luxuries.”
“Don’t you?” Mercy countered. “The last time I saw you, your suit alone cost as much as a month’s earnings for the average space jockey.”
“Touché,” Feria murmured. She took another sip. It felt like she was building herself up to continue. Silence reigned for a few minutes, and then Feria took up her story again.
“In the beginning — years before my time — Veritas thought the nulls were their only enemies. When their ships were attacked, they didn’t know who was behind it at first. Kill squads, maybe. There were no survivors. Just empty vessels floating in space with the entire crew dead, or gone. Eventually, a teleporter escaped. He was the first to report that the ships weren’t being attacked by nulls, but by Talented. They killed or took everyone else aboard. Veritas started sending ships out in groups; frigates went with heavily armed escorts. Sometimes, they escaped, sometimes they didn’t. They sent more than one contingent to try and negotiate with the pirates. They never returned.”
Mercy didn’t know what to say.
Feria let out a long breath. “And then the Veritas Queen was killed.”
Mercy started. “They had a Queen?”
“Of course.” Feria’s lips curved. “Did you think your great-grandmother was the only one?”
“Well…yes.” Lilith?
But for once, Mercy’s grandmother remained silent, giving no reply.
“We had two Queens. Our first, who eventually passed of old age, and her daughter, who had barely taken up her reign when she died. It happened suddenly,” Feria said. “And violently. And then her killer tried to claim us by force. Another queen had murdered ours, and then tried to make us hers. We resisted, and we have kept resisting all these years.”
“But…” Mercy struggled with everything she was hearing. She drank more of her coffee. “How did you keep her from claiming you? How did you survive without a queen? Didn’t your people become more violent?” The pirates had, after Lilith’s death.
“Zara died fourteen years ago. We survived the same way your people did in the wake of the virus: our empaths did what they could to mitigate the effect. As far as resisting the claim — that part was more difficult. We believe Zara must have injured the other queen in their mental combat. She was weak enough that we could hold our own against her, at least then.” Feria’s eyes flashed with anger. “We certainly weren’t going to stand for being claimed by the woman who had murdered our own. We thought it was the pirate queen.”
“Lilith,” Mercy said.
“Yes. We knew we had to do something, or she would claim us once her full strength returned. Our scientists worked night and day on a secret project. A virus designed to kill a queen. That’s all it was supposed to do.”
“Obviously it did a lot more,” Mercy said. “And maybe it was supposed to. Maybe some of your scientists took matters into their own hands, and tried to get rid of all the pirates.”
“Perhaps. It’s also possible the virus mutated somehow.” Feria shrugged. “We may never know the truth.”
Silence fell between them. Mercy thought about everything she’d heard. “It wasn’t Lilith,” she said.
“Obviously,” Feria said. “We know that now. Clearly, the Alpha queen was working us all against each other. That’s the only reason we agreed to sign that damned alliance. That, and you.”
There was a wealth of resentment in that last word. Even now, Feria hated being beholden to Mercy. Knowing that it was the only way to stay free of the Alpha queen apparently wasn’t enough to erase decades of bitter feuding — even if most of the feud had been a lie.
“Thank you for telling me,” Mercy said. “I think the only way to survive going forward is to be as honest with each other as possible. We can’t give the Alpha queen any opening to use against us.”
Feria sipped her coffee. “Agreed. That’s why I decided to go ahead and tell you our side of history. You need to know it. And you’re right. We have to work together if we’re going to survive.” She gestured vaguely toward the wall of the room, toward space. “Just look what she’s done to the Commonwealth. Why? Why attack nulls? Why destroy the monarchy?”
Mercy cleared her throat. “We think she wants to kill all of the nulls. This was just her opening salvo.”
“That’s a hell of a first attack.”
“It is. But she’s just getting started. If she has her way, she’ll kill every single null in the universe.”
“And us?” Feria asked.
“I don’t know. She’s not entirely stable.”
“Really? I never would have guessed.”
Mercy ignored the sarcasm. “My point is, we don’t know her endgame. Maybe she wants to claim everyone. Maybe she wants to kill us.” She took a deep breath. “One of our precogs has had the same vision, over and over, for decades. Massive destruction, millions dead, worlds wiped out of all life, and us — the pirates and Veritas — fighting together against a common foe.”
Feria tilted her head, considering. “Well, I guess they got that last part right.”
“I hope not,” Mercy said, downing the last of her coffee.
Feria frowned. “I thought you were all for us working as allies?”
“I am. I just hope Vashti’s vision of that isn’t one hundred percent accurate.”
“Why?”
Mercy handed Feria her empty cup. “Because we lose.”
Chapter Three
It didn’t take Feria and Ghost long to hammer out a jump path, and they didn’t even yell at each other. Still, Mercy could sense the tension as the two of them scrolled through astrogation charts.
Are you bleeding off some of that? she asked Cannon.
What do you think?
I think it’s a good thing you’re here. He glanced at her, amusement in his green eyes. The two of them had argued pretty stridently about him coming along. Someone, Mercy had maintained, needed to stay and keep the pirates in line. Cannon had a long talk with the Core, gave Dem the deciding vote in any split decisions, and that was that.
“At our heart, we were created as soldiers,” Cannon had told her. “Whatever else is happening, this is war. You’ll find we’ll work together more effectively now, whether or not one of us is present as a guiding force.”
Mercy had acquiesced, but only because she really wanted Cannon with them. His empathic abilities could smooth the way if things got sticky.
Don’t act like that’s the only reason you want him here, granddaughter.
For the love of the Mother. Just stop, Lilith. I haven’t officially chosen any consorts yet but Reaper. Sebastian and I are still feeling our way. I’m not looking to add anyone else right now.
Certainly not Cannon. He might not be her cousin by blood, but he didn’t know that. She valued his friendship too much to screw it up with bedroom politics.
Whatever you say, Mercy.
Just stay out of my love life.
Treon is powerful, and he and Reaper get along quite well.
Shut. Up. I can still throw this bracelet out an airlock.
Wisely, Lilith went silent.
Mercy turned her attention back to the others just as Feria announced the first jump coordinate
s to Sebastian. Ghost stood beside her, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes sparked with temper and his mouth was pressed tight in an unhappy line.
“What’s wrong?” Mercy asked him. She deliberately voiced her question out loud. Best to air any grievances in front of everyone. Secrets had never done the conflict between the pirates and Veritas any good.
“One of her jump points has us coming out right next to a damn Naval star base.” Ghost glared at Feria as he spoke. “Pretty great way to get us killed.”
“And why would I want this ship dropped in the Commonwealth Navy’s lap while I’m on board?” Feria shot back.
“How would I know? Maybe you have some kind of deal with them.”
“Lovely. You either think I’m an idiot or completely without morals.” Feria looked at Ghost like she thought he was the idiot.
“Hey, take your pick.”
“Ghost,” Reaper said.
The other man sent one last glare at Feria before giving an angry shrug and subsiding.
Feria shivered and crossed her arms, hugging them to herself. “This is so warm and welcoming. I’m so glad I came to help you all.”
“Feria,” Cannon said in a mild voice.
She has a point, Mercy sent to him on a tight thread.
She could practically hear him sigh.
“Why do you have us dropping out of otherspace near a Naval base?” Cannon asked. His voice lacked its usual charm, instead sounding tired and at the end of his patience. It made Mercy wonder just how much of his Talent it required to keep everyone on an even keel during emotionally volatile interactions.
Feria huffed impatiently. “Because it’s the safest route. We have people on that base who can guarantee us smooth passage through the system.”
“If they’re on duty,” Ghost said, his tone scathing. “If no one else notices and intervenes, if it hasn’t been overtaken by some warlord’s fleet, if the Mother is with us. Nothing is guaranteed.”
Feria rolled her eyes. “You’d rather place your faith in an archaic deity than trust me when I say we have it handled?”
“In a heartbeat.”
“Enough,” Mercy said. She gave Ghost a pointed look. Seriously, she was going to go insane if this bickering continued for the entire mission. “We asked Veritas for their help, and Feria is providing us with the best information they have. We all knew we were risking a lot flying deep into Commonwealth territory, but here we are. Feria didn’t have to come when we called, but she did. I trust her.” She shifted her gaze to the other woman.
A flicker of surprise widened Feria’s green eyes. After a moment, she gave Mercy a grudging nod.
“You heard our Queen,” Cannon drawled. “Set course for the first jump.”
Ghost shot Mercy a betrayed look before turning on his heel and stomping back to the navigation console. Her task complete, Feria exited the command deck without a backward glance.
Mercy couldn’t blame her, really. The air in here was tense.
You trust her? Reaper asked. He sounded amused.
To a point, yes. Like it or not, we have a common enemy, and a common goal. I don’t think it’s in Veritas’ or Feria’s best interests to try to kill us. She widened their telepathic link to include Cannon and Sebastian. Of course, I can afford to trust her with all of you keeping an eye on things. Cannon will know her emotional state at any given time. She can’t mess with the ship without Sebastian knowing about it, and Reaper scares the shit out of her.
She aimed a wry smile at her consort.
The deck beneath their feet vibrated, a barely perceptible change that Mercy had become so accustomed to long ago that she normally didn’t notice. But her relationship with Sebastian and occasional borrowing of his Talent had made her more aware of the ship and any subtle changes that affected it. The jump drive was active, and in the next few seconds, they would jump.
She braced herself. Being more sensitive to the ship had also made her more susceptible to jump sickness. The odd, stomach sinking sensation of a space jump never failed to unsettle her these days. Usually she did her best to ignore it, the feeling there and then gone so quickly it didn’t matter. For some reason, this time it was worse. Maybe the tension in the room. Maybe where they were headed. If something happened to them, the pirates were losing their Queen, their King, and the best chance they had to get some kind of leverage on the Alpha Queen. Anxiety only increased the queasy feeling in her stomach.
A hand brushed her arm and she looked up to find Cannon watching her.
“You know you’re statistically more likely to be struck by lightning planetside than have something go wrong during a space jump?” he asked.
“Just because it’s rare doesn’t mean it never happens,” Mercy muttered.
“The last confirmed space jump to claim lives was over twenty years ago.”
“I know.”
Reaper’s hand rested on her back as her stomach somersaulted and time seemed to stand still. In the time it took to breath in and breath out, the jump was complete. The holomap showing the stars and their position among them flickered as it adjusted itself.
“First jump complete,” Ghost said. “We’ll need about forty minutes before the drive will be ready again.”
The distance of a jump depended on the size and power of the drive, as well as the fuel reserves of a ship. The jump drive powered the jump, but fuel gave the ship propulsion. If fuel became depleted, the drive couldn’t engage. Mercy didn’t know all of the technical details, but jumping consumed the power which naturally built up in the core of the drive, and how long it took to rebuild that power varied from ship to ship, and from drive to drive. A Viking dropship could only jump a few times. It wasn’t designed for long space travel. Nemesis and most capital ships could jump many times before needing to refuel, depending on how much normal propulsion they did, of course. It just took time in between each instance for the drive to pool power again.
“Where are we?” Mercy stepped closer to the holo map. She didn’t recognize the jump point offhand, but that was no surprise. There were thousands of jump points throughout the galaxy. Even if she’d been to this one at some time in the past, that didn’t mean she’d remember it. The pattern of stars and planets looked vaguely familiar, but that was all.
“Gorron,” Sebastian said. “Still in the outer fringes of the Commonwealth.”
Now it clicked for Mercy. “Alseid Station.” A trickle of alarm moved through her. “It’s a mercenary outpost. The largest in the Commonwealth.”
Anyone wanting to hire mercs, whether ground troops or a fleet, could find what they were looking for at Alseid. She’d been through the place a couple of times, always with Wolfgang, and they never stayed for long. For the most part, mercs were decent to deal with. Just another group of soldiers. But each company was different. Some lived as rigidly as the Commonwealth Navy. Others were little more than hired thieves and killers.
Sebastian nodded. “We picked it because the jump point is always highly active. No one will notice one more frigate moving through the system — we hope. Feria agreed we’d be safe enough.”
Ghost made a noise of disagreement, but said nothing.
Mercy gave Cannon a look. And that’s with you helping regulate his emotions?
Yes. I’m not changing what he feels or preventing him from feeling it. Just keeping him from being overwhelmed so he can think before acting or speaking.
Fair enough.
“I’ve got a few contacts here,” Declan said, stepping through the doorway. Mercy turned to him, surprised. She’d honestly forgotten about him. She couldn’t recall when he’d left the room, and hadn’t noticed he’d been gone.
He gave her a brief nod. “I actually had plans to meet one of them here before you commandeered my ship—” He broke off, looking at Cannon. Mercy couldn’t see the pirate King’s face, but whatever Declan saw there had him rephrasing. “I mean, before you recruited my ship for this mission.” He hesitated. “I could rea
ch out. Get some information. We could even offload the cargo in the hold, and take on the new shipment I’d arranged for, if—”
“No,” Cannon said, interrupting him.
“If we get nothing else out of this run, at least we’d have my cargo—”
Cannon spun toward him, and the indolent posture he normally embodied vanished. All at once, Mercy was aware of how large and intimidating he could be. He took a step into Declan’s space, crowding the other man.
“This mission takes priority above all other interests. I was clear in our previous conversation, but I’ll reiterate since you seem to have forgotten. Nothing else matters. No ship, no cargo, no allies.” His voice was cool and clipped. Mercy knew him well enough to detect the thread of anger beneath it. She imagined Declan did, too. “The future of everyone, nulls and Talented alike, may rest on what we find. I won’t put our success any more at risk than it already is for some payday, and I will not repeat myself again.”
Declan remained silent. His face was expressionless, but Mercy saw the way his hands curled into fists.
Cannon’s voice dropped, his next words so soft Mercy almost didn’t hear them. “Do you need me to help you deal with that resentment and anger you’re feeling?” Rather than a solicitous question, it was clear the words were a threat.
Declan knew it, too. His face went white. “No, Captain.”
Most of the pirates addressed Cannon as “Captain” rather than any variation of “King”, per Cannon’s own preferences. Mercy understood and empathized with an aversion to royal titles.
“Get it under control, or get the fuck away from me.”
Declan turned and left the room without another word. The silence that followed was broken only by the small noises of the command deck’s equipment consoles and the faint thrum of the holo projector.
How well do you know Declan? Mercy asked Reaper after the tension in the room relaxed.
He shrugged. Not well. We don’t cross paths often. He handles smuggling cargo to and from the Commonwealth. I handle more violent matters. Why?
I’ve never seen Cannon react like that to someone before.