by M. R. Forbes
“I don’t like it, either.”
“I know. I can read your mind. A little. I know you’re nice. Conflicted, but nice.”
“I promised I wouldn’t use the Meijo to kill.”
“The Gift isn’t the Meijo, silly-puss. You should know that.”
“Close enough.”
“I’m not a lawyer, but there’s a distinct difference. I think you could make a case that you didn’t break your Koosian witch doctor vow.”
“You’re saying if I use the Gift then it’s okay to kill instead of heal? Maybe in a court of law, not so much in my soul.”
“Conflicted, but nice,” Less repeated. “What’s done is done. You did it to save my life. Isn’t my life more important than a Nephilim’s?”
“That’s a whole different philosophical discussion.”
“Let me put it another way. Why is it okay for a healer to kill with a gun or a Uin, but not with the Gift? That’s dumb.”
Hayley opened her mouth to rebut the argument. Less had a point, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t looked at it from that perspective before. It was the challenge of being a witch doctor and a soldier.
“You’re right. What’s done is done. I might get exiled from Koosa.”
“Then they don’t deserve you. War is war.”
“Can we change the subject? You said we couldn’t go back to the Worldbrain. Where should we go?”
Less held out her hand. “Come on.”
Hayley stood up before taking it and letting the little girl lead her to the cockpit. Less stepped over the dead pilot with an audible “Ewww.” She dropped into his seat, having to lean way forward to reach the controls.
“First things first,” she said, tapping on the dashboard. A soft tone sounded, and then Hayley felt the gunship come out of FTL. “We don’t want to land right in Thetan’s lap, do we?” She giggled.
“You know how to fly a starship?”
“I can’t even begin to tell you the things I know,” Less replied. “I know, you look at me, and you see a little girl. That’s okay. I am a little girl. But they made me smart. Smarter than they even realized. It wasn’t easy to arrange things so you would come for me, but I hated being the stupid Oracle.”
Hayley felt her heart thump. What?
“Oh,” Less said. “Sorry, I read your mind again.” Her qi shifted to gray. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
“What did you do?” Hayley asked.
“I had to. I didn’t mean for anyone to die. I can’t control everything. I can only make suggestions.”
“What did you do?” she repeated.
“I may have fed Thetan the idea to bring the Riders to Kelvar to test the Goreshin.”
“You?”
“I can see the paths. The billions of branches of possibility filtered by the data fed into the Worldbrain every second of every day. Thetan wanted me to choose the high-potential branches, but I tricked her. I gave her a low-probability path, minor enough that she didn’t question it or realize that it could eventually help me escape. I had to, Hayley. I didn’t want to do it anymore. Their research killed my parents and made me into a freak. I want to go home. I want to be normal.”
Less was crying now, sobbing into her hands. Her qi was dark and sad.
Hayley couldn’t be mad at her. Maybe she was a super-genius, but she was still a child. She knelt down and held her arms out, and Less fell into them. She was full-on crying now, shaking as the tears flowed on Hayley’s shoulder.
“I want my mom and dad back.”
Hayley felt the tears running from her sightless eyes. She knew how that felt.
“I know you do,” Less said. “That’s why I knew you could help.”
“I thought you were going to try?” Hayley replied.
“Sorry.”
Nibia was dead because of this girl. Quark was dead because of this girl. At the same time, if Kelvar hadn’t happened, they would still have no idea what Thetan was doing, and she would be getting stronger and more powerful. An argument could be made that the Collective would still be trapped, but she doubted that. It would have found a way off the planet sooner or later.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” Hayley said. “I can’t bring your parents back, but maybe we can figure something else out.”
“Okay,” Less said.
“So, you said we couldn’t go back to the Worldbrain. But my friends are back there. We need their help if we’re going to stop Thetan from hurting more people.”
“I know. We can contact them and tell them you’re okay. We can tell them where to meet us.”
“Do you know where that is?”
Less pulled away. Her qi had lightened a little, but she was still colored with sadness. “Yes. There’s a planet. It was erased from the maps. It was erased from existence.”
“How do you know about it?”
“The Worldbrain has the data, but nobody can connect it all. Nobody except me. Have you ever heard of the Asura?”
Hayley felt her body stiffen. “Yeah. The Shifters.”
“Yes. The Seraphim accidentally set them free on a planet the Shard named Genesia. They’ve been trapped there for thousands of years.”
“The Worldbrain knows about the Seraphim and the Shard?”
“The Worldbrain knows everything. It just doesn’t always know it.”
“That makes sense.”
Less giggled again. “They set up defenses outside the planet to keep anyone from getting too close. If we go there, we can get Thetan to follow. She’ll have to get through the defenses to get to us.”
“Can she?”
“Yes, but not without losing a lot of assets. And we’ll be waiting for her.”
“With the Asura?”
“Exactly.”
“But the Asura aren’t friendly.”
“No. They’ll attack us if they can. But you can see them. I know you can. You can keep us safe from them.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“It’s the best chance we have. I’ve been working on this for some time.”
“How do you know Thetan will come for you?”
“You took something from her. Do you still have it?”
“The data chip? Yes, but she doesn’t need it now. She has the Collective. Or rather, the Collective has her.”
“The Collective wants you, and Thetan wants me. They’ll come. I’m sure of it.”
That didn’t give Hayley much comfort. Especially with the Asura involved.
“You started with a low-probability thread. Where does that leave our chances of survival?”
“Three percent.”
“I shouldn’t have asked.”
Less giggled again. “You can do it, Hayley. You have so far.”
“You have a lot of faith in me. I’ve been struggling to have faith in myself.”
“I know. You shouldn’t. Just be yourself.”
It was simple advice that wasn’t so simple to follow.
“I’ll try.”
Less beamed with the response. “Great! Give me your communicator and an hour, and I’ll have the array reconfigured to transmit to your friends.”
Hayley reached behind her ear, pulling the small disc from her skin. It felt weird to hand it over to a five-year-old.
“Think how weird it feels for me,” Less said, taking it. “There’s a head up in berthing. You should clean yourself up. I’ll come get you when I’m done.”
“Okay,” Hayley said. “When we get to Genesia, we have to help those people.”
“Definitely!”
Less grabbed the ladder and scrambled up, laughing as she hurried away.
Genesia. The Asura.
This was going to be interesting.
30
Hayley’s heart was racing as the Chalandra fell out of FTL in front of them, the sudden burn of her sublight thrusters the only sign she had that the Riders had arrived.
The message they had sent was simple, and Less hadn’t
taken the time to reprogram the equipment to receive a reply. Either they would hear it and show up, or it would be cast out into the universe, never to be caught by anyone who could decrypt it. They would know for sure in a few hours.
Now they had their answer.
The Riders had heard.
And they had come.
“Major, this is Jil,” Jil said, her voice coming in loud and clear through the gunship’s local comm. “I’m assuming that’s you in the gunship?”
“Roger, Jil,” Hayley replied. “It is. Me and the Oracle.”
“Less,” Less said.
“Me and Less,” Hayley corrected. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Me too,” Jil said. “Where the hell are we? I checked the star maps. This is as close to the middle of nowhere as you can get inside Republic space.”
“All of the Republic’s computers are programmed to route ships around this space,” Less said. “Nobody’s ever noticed to ask why.”
Hayley smiled. That sounded just like the Republic. “We’ve got a plan to cut this thing off at the knees. Let’s get the ships linked, and we can discuss it in person.”
“Roger, Major. Sounds great to me.”
“Jil,” Hayley said, suddenly nervous. “Is Xolo?”
“Alive? Damn right, Major. He hasn’t been very happy you got separated.”
“That makes two of us,” Hayley replied, nearly collapsing from the sudden relief. “Tell him I’m fine, and I’ll see him soon. I’ll see all of you soon.”
“Roger that, Major,” Jil said.
The comm link closed. Hayley continued watching the luxury cruiser as it made its way toward them, disappearing from her view when Jil cut the thrusters.
“How long to link?” Hayley asked.
“Eight minutes, twelve seconds,” Less replied. “Give or take.”
Hayley made her way to the bottom level to wait near the airlock. She had already jettisoned the dead Nephilim through it earlier. It would be nice to have her friends coming in.
Eight minutes and twelve seconds passed quickly, the gunship shuddering slightly as the Chalandra eased up against it. Docking clamps locked the two ships together, the interconnect creating a seal and filling with air before the airlocks were available to open.
The matching hatches slid aside on synchronized hisses, the air flowing across the two ships. Hayley stood front and center, waiting for the Riders to cross.
Tibor came first, rushing across the link still in his second form. He jumped on her, knocking her to the ground.
“Hayley!” he said, baring his teeth in an awkward smile. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was worried about you.”
“I was worried about you, too,” she said, wrapping her arms around his large neck and kissing the side of his face. “I’m glad to see you alive, but why aren’t you in your first form?”
“It’s temporary,” he said. “I heal better like this, and I got my ass beat. I barely survived the fall. Bale did a little better. He would have killed me if Bastion hadn’t come back.”
“The Sentry Transport has a pair of plasma cannons mounted on its roof,” Bastion said, approaching her. “The shape that ugly mug was in, it didn’t take much to keep him down.”
“Thanks for going back for him,” Hayley said. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”
“We don’t leave anyone behind, remember?” Bastion said.
“Tibor, if you wouldn’t mind getting off me?” Hayley said.
Tibor laughed, shifting himself off her and letting her get up. He stood hunched in the gunship’s smaller confines. “How’d you manage to take the ship?”
“It’s a long story,” she replied, not ready to go into detail about what she had done. She turned and looked back, finding Less hiding behind the ladder. “It’s okay. You can come out?”
Less moved around the ladder, walking toward them. Narrl and Jil joined Bastion and Tibor, completing the group.
“Riders, this is Less. Less, these are the Riders.”
Less nodded, pointing at them in turn. “Bastion. Tibor. Jil. Narrl.” She smiled. “I can read minds. A little.”
“Uhh, I’m not so sure I like that,” Bastion said.
“Awww,” Less said, looking at Tibor. “He loves you, Hayley.”
Tibor looked at the ground, his qi emphasizing his sudden embarrassment.
“Why are you embarrassed?” Hayley asked. “I love you too, idiot.”
Tibor looked up. “You do?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I?”
Tibor’s qi shifted, bright with joy. “I wanted to say it, but I didn’t know how.”
“Well, now a little girl said it for you, big man,” Bastion said. “Nice job.”
Hayley laughed. Tibor looked at the ground again. Less giggled excitedly.
“Less, try not to read everyone’s mind, okay?” Hayley said.
“I’m trying,” Less replied.
“So,” Bastion said. “What’s the plan to stop the psycho bitch and the hive mind from taking over the universe?”
31
“Have I mentioned yet how much I hate this plan?” Bastion said.
“Did you always complain this much to my mother about her plans?” Hayley asked.
“All the time. You can ask your AI if you don’t believe me.”
“All the time,” Gant said.
“How’s the transfer coming?” Hayley asked.
“Ninety-eight percent complete. I am almost ready.”
“Good. So are we.”
Bastion and Hayley were the only Riders left on the Chalandra. The others were already aboard the gunship, waiting to go.
They were going to leave the luxury cruiser behind, tucked behind a large asteroid that was orbiting a dwarf star. The ship wasn’t going to be much help to them where they were headed, not without weapons, and they needed it available in case they had to try to make a quick escape.
Gant was transferring to the Hornet, inserting his code into the gunship’s mainframe and taking over its systems. Having the AI on board would free both Bastion and Jil up to participate in the ground war.
Once they reached the ground.
Assuming they reached the ground.
Genesia was defended by Seraphim weapons systems, old and powerful and ready to blow the crap out of anything that got too close. They didn’t want anyone landing on the surface. They didn’t want anyone falling prey to the Asura, or worse, helping the Asura off the planet. Hayley was a bit worried about that part. Her track record of keeping dangerous entities stranded was as good as her record of keeping her teammates alive.
“One hundred percent,” Gant said. “I’m deleting the Chalandra copy now.”
The lights on the ship flickered as the AI erased one version for another.
“That’s it then,” Bastion said. “Time to go to work. Honestly, I think we’re all going to die.”
“That’s the spirit,” Hayley said. “According to Less, we have a three percent chance of survival.”
“Shit. That’s three hundred percent better than zero.”
“Technically, it’s infinitely better than zero.”
He smiled. “Don’t start. I got enough of that from your mom.”
The two of them left the Chalandra’s bridge, heading to the interlink between the two vessels. When they reached it, Bastion closed the Chalandra’s airlock and then sealed the hatch on the outer hull. They crossed over to the Hornet, and he did the same, sealing the gunship off from the pleasure boat.
“There’s still time to change your mind,” Bastion said.
“No there isn’t. We’re committed.”
She smiled, leading him to the ladder and climbing up to the second deck. The Riders were waiting at the drop station. Narrl, Jil, and Tibor were already locked and loaded, the Trover and the Curlatin both wearing heavy battlesuits. They were expecting trouble, and they were ready for it.
Tibor waved at her as she entered, and she flashed him
a smile. She was glad to have him back and worried she would lose him again. Judging by his qi, he felt the same way.
She stayed with Bastion, following him to the gunship’s cockpit. He and Jil had gotten into a fight over who would pilot the Hornet to the surface, and in the end, they had settled the matter over a game of poker. Bastion was a better player than Jil, and he had won the right to fly them past the Seraphim defenses.
It was a victory Hayley wondered if he might wind up regretting. Less had only given them a twenty percent chance of making it to the surface.
Then again, Less was basing the calculation on an average pilot, and Bastion was self-assured that he was way above average.
He jumped into the pilot’s seat, giving a quick look at the controls.
“Hornet class. I piloted one of these things back when I was in the Academy. They’re agile as frag, but not very heavily armored. One good shot up the wazoo and-” He made a crashing motion with his hand. “Boom.”
“Better watch our wazoo then,” Hayley said, taking the co-pilot seat. She activated her comm so she could talk to all of the Riders. “This is your Major speaking. The Chalandra is loose, and we’re ready to go. Remember what I told you about the Asura. I can see them, so follow my lead, and we should be fine.”
“Roger,” Tibor replied. “We’ve got this.”
“Less, are you on the channel?” Hayley asked.
“Affirmative,” the Oracle replied. She was staying up in berthing. Apparently, the battlesuits frightened her.
“Gant, how about you?”
“I’m here, Witchy,” the AI replied. “Ready for action.”
“Freak-monkey!” Bastion shouted.
The AI growled lightly. “You know I hate it when you call me that. One more time and I’ll ensure this is a very short trip.”
“Oh, you wouldn’t do that to Hayley,” Bastion said.
“No. I’ll wait until she has disembarked.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Hayley said. “Worm, get us moving.”
“Roger,” Bastion said. “Here we go.”
He tapped a few controls on the dashboard and then grabbed the control yoke in front of him. He adjusted the throttle, and the gunship started moving through space.