The Star-Keeper Imperative

by C N Samson

  With a blank expression, Valicia walked over to the elder man and planted her mouth onto his. Rheinborne stomach churned at the sight. What had they done to her?

  “All right, that’s enough,” Prester said. Valicia disengaged from Briggston, who grinned and slapped her on the behind.

  “You’ve heard of the thought-cap, haven’t you?” Prester continued. “It lets me tell her to do things like...oh, I know! Valicia, go over there and hit your friend. You know who I mean?”

  Valicia nodded.

  “No!” Rheinborne yelled as she came up to him. The guards on either side of him kept a firm grasp on his arms. Valicia drew back her hand, delivered a hard slap to his face.

  “Do it again!” Prester said with glee.

  Valicia struck Rheinborne in the face a second time, without a trace of emotion in her expression. The blow stung his cheek, but he ignored the pain.

  “Val, listen, it’s me!” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Don’t fight them,” she said, her voice a thin whisper. “Do nothing, and you’ll survive.”

  “Okay, come back here,” Prester ordered. She returned to his side.

  Rheinborne struggled against the men holding him, furious at Valicia’s treatment. Mind control was the ultimate violation, and for a human to inflict it upon another was considered an unspeakable crime.

  “How long is it good for?” asked Briggston.

  “Four hours, just about,” Prester replied.

  “Well, let’s not waste time, then. Do your little show, so I can get to the after party.” Briggston cast a long, lascivious look at Valicia.

  Despair threatened to engulf Rheinborne. Was Valicia truly lost to him?

  Norland tapped on the interface of the mobile control console. Briggston asked if the unit was necessary for the Chythex tech’s functioning; Norland replied that the artifact was already integrated into the shuttle’s systems. The external console unit was only needed for demonstration purposes.

  “Hey, here’s a thought,” Briggston said. “What happens if you shut off the, what did you call it, the architecture field? What would happen if you turned it off while there was something still inside?”

  “We didn’t try that experiment, sir,” Norland said.

  “Try it now, then,” Briggston said. He jerked a thumb at Rheinborne. “Use him as your subject. I’ll bet he just disappears!”

  Kassyrinx let out a shrill cry.

  “Shut it, birdface!” Prester said with a snarl.

  The two guards began marching Rheinborne toward the Skylight Dawn. He resisted, his thoughts racing. The only play he had left was to disarm a guard, take his weapon and hold Briggston hostage. But no; Prester would simply put a pistol to Valicia’s head, or even use her against him.

  Kassyrinx lunged and knocked Norland’s hands away from the console. Emlyn grabbed the sidhreen, spun him to the floor of the hangar bay. She stepped hard onto his chest, pointed her sidearm at him.

  “If he tries anything else, shoot him,” said Prester.

  “Wait a sec,” Briggston said to the guards with Rheinborne. They stopped, but held fast to him.

  “Let’s make it more interesting,” the crime lord said. “Put the siddie in as well.”

  Emlyn kicked her boot heel against Kassyrinx’s chest, ordered him to stand. He trembled as he pushed himself upright.

  “Give me two seconds,” Norland said, tapping on the console. “Almost ready.”

  The shuttle’s exterior lights switched on as its engine came up to power, then the rear entrance ramp lowered. There was a shimmery flicker across the threshold of the cargo bay, like the reflection from a curtain of glass.

  “Valicia, please!” Rheinborne yelled. “Do something!”

  “She won’t listen to you,” Prester said. “Only to me. And I say...” He pulled Valicia close, said something that Rheinborne couldn’t hear.

  “Understood,” Valicia answered. She strode over to Emlyn, held out a hand.

  “Give her your gun,” Prester said. “It’s all right.”

  Emlyn glanced over at Norland, who nodded. After a moment’s hesitation, the agent handed over the weapon, a standard-issue service pistol.

  Rheinborne felt a flash of fear. Did Prester just order her to execute him?

  Instead, Valicia turned to Kassyrinx, prodded him in the back with the gun. “Into the ship,” she said.

  Every feather on Kassyrinx’s head ruffled. He emitted tiny squawking noises as he proceeded with deliberate slowness in the direction of the shuttle. Valicia kept pace behind him.

  Rheinborne watched with helpless anger as they moved up the ramp. His mind rebelled at his inaction, but what could he do at this point? And there was Valicia’s warning to consider; she had said to do nothing, but was that just something that Prester had told her to say?

  Kassyrinx hesitated at the top of the ramp, cast a pleading look at Valicia. Without a word, she gave him a savage push that toppled him into the cargo bay. The sidhreen’s body rippled, like a reflection in disturbed water, then he vanished from sight.

  Briggston gasped. “Lord damn. That’s not some holo-thing, is it?” he asked. “It’s for real?”

  “Very real, sir,” said Norland.

  “Well stomp my scrote,” Briggston said with a shake of his head. “Amazing.”

  Emlyn hurried to the bottom of the ramp, snapped her fingers and held out her hand. Valicia started down, then stopped halfway.

  “Come on, give it back!” Emlyn said, scowling.

  Valicia raised the gun. Squeezed the trigger.

  BLAM! Blood, brains, and bone sprayed out from the back of Emlyn’s head.

  Gunfire instantly erupted across the hangar bay as she fell. Out of reflex, Rheinborne threw himself flat to the floor. Why in the Great Lord’s name had Valicia done that?

  The guard on his right cried out and collapsed, landing in front of Rheinborne’s face. Blood oozed from a hole in the guard’s forehead.

  Deafening gun blasts continued to echo through the bay. Rheinborne’s view was partly obscured by the dead man, but he caught glimpses of the action. It looked like Norland’s STAR team was engaging with Prester’s men.

  A bullet ricocheted off the floor, inches from his face. Rheinborne shut his eyes. He knew Kassyrinx was safe inside the shuttle, but what about Valicia? Was she shooting it out with the rest of them?

  Cries of pain blended with gunshots, barked orders and commands. Rheinborne couldn’t tell who was winning. He lay completely still, feigning death.

  At length, Norland shouted, “Hold fire! Cease fire!”

  Everything had gone quiet. Rheinborne opened his eyes, lifted himself slightly. Through a faint haze in the air, he saw that the only ones still standing were Norland and four of his soldiers. Bodies lay scattered all across the bay. It was a horrible massacre.

  Prester was among the deceased, but Briggston himself cowered against the wall, arms wrapped around his head. Valicia was nowhere in sight.

  Norland strolled among the corpses, pistol in hand. Apparently satisfied, he looked up and shouted, “Jaslowe, status!”

  From somewhere high and distant, the soldier answered. “All designated targets, positive kill. But we lost Dwyer.”

  Rheinborne craned his neck, looked in the direction of the voice. Jaslowe, cradling a sniper rifle, stood on a service catwalk near the ceiling of the hangar bay.

  “Lord damn,” Norland said quietly.

  “I’ll see to him,” another soldier said.

  Norland acknowledged this, then ordered everyone else to shift the other bodies away from the ships and to check for spacecraft damage. Jaslowe headed down the catwalk stairs.

  As Rheinborne tried to get himself into a sitting position, Norland marched over and stared down at him. The two men locked eyes.

  “Why?” Rheinborne asked.

  Norland raised his pistol and fired.

  Rheinborne flinched. The bullet whizzed well over his head, spanged off me
tal. He swiveled around, saw Briggston crouching at the hangar bay’s main entry door.

  “Sit down and don’t move,” Norland commanded.

  Briggston raised his hands, silently lowered himself to the floor.

  “Sir!” a soldier called out. “Ten minutes!”

  “Copy that,” Norland answered. He holstered his gun, ordered someone to watch Briggston. He then unsheathed a combat knife, roughly jerked Rheinborne upright, and cut the rope that bound his wrists.

  “I promised not to kill you,” Norland said coldly, “but I’m still free to hurt you, I suppose.”

  In a flash, Rheinborne whirled and hooked a punch to the other man’s head.

  Norland wobbled back a pace, a surprised look on his face. He glanced at the knife in his hand, then hurled it aside. With a guttural cry, he charged.

  Rheinborne blocked Norland’s blow, countered with a strike at his face. Norland twisted away, then launched himself like a missile against Rheinborne, sending them both to the floor.

  Norland’s rage was palpable as the two men grappled. Rheinborne, on his back, felt a moment of panic when Norland got one arm behind his neck, the other arm across his face. Rheinborne bit down hard on Norland’s wrist, causing the other man to grunt with pain and loosen his hold.

  That was enough for Rheinborne to flip around and roll Norland onto his back. But before Rheinborne could make another move, steel-hard arms pulled him up and off Norland.

  Rheinborne kicked out, fought to free himself from the man restraining him. Then—

  “Blake, stop!”

  Valicia appeared before him. He drew in a sharp breath, and all the strength drained from his body. She held Emlyn’s gun, aimed directly at his chest.

  Behind her, Norland rose to his feet. He sucked at his wounded wrist as he moved to stand beside Valicia. “I thought you wanted him alive,” he remarked.

  “Put him on the second shuttle,” Valicia said.

  Norland grinned. “Well, you heard the lady,” he said.

  “Valicia, what’s going on?” Rheinborne asked, stunned and confused.

  “She’s with me now, that’s what’s going on,” Norland said with vicious glee.

  The soldier holding Rheinborne now forced him into motion. Valicia stared wordlessly at him as they moved away toward the starboard side of the hangar.

  Rheinborne marched with his head down, seeing nothing but the metal floor of the hangar and occasional streaks of blood. His mind was a fog of questions, but one possibility surfaced. Maybe she hadn’t been under Prester’s control, but Norland’s all along? Bile rose to the back of his throat, but he mastered himself.

  They arrived at the second shuttle, named Tranquility Star. Its cargo ramp was already down. Rheinborne paused at the foot of the ramp, hearing what sounded like a heated argument.

  On the other side of the hangar bay, Norland and Briggston were loudly exchanging words. Rheinborne strained to make out what they were saying, but the soldier gave him a shove, barked for him to get aboard.

  Once inside the shuttle, Rheinborne raced through the small cargo bay, through the hatch leading into the passenger compartment, then into the cockpit. He hopped into the pilot’s seat, tapped the comm interface on the control board. Nothing happened.

  He tried the other interfaces, with the same lack of response. What the drett?

  Only then did he notice an icon on one of the displays. Lord damn it! The shuttle’s controls were locked, but set for remote pilot mode. Someone else would be flying the spacecraft. And without access to the long-range comm, he couldn’t contact Gwynne.

  That reminded him of the ECM jammer in his pocket. He fished out the little device, dropped it and ground the thing beneath his heel. At once, a series of diagnostic icons flashed on and faded in his visual field. He pinged Valicia’s ECM but received an error code that indicated a refused connection.

  He then tried to access the Skyward’s infolink, but it didn’t even register as being active. That meant no channel to the GalSigNet.

  Rheinborne swore, pounded both fists on the control board. There had to be something he could do. He couldn’t let Norland win.

  A frantic chirp echoed within the shuttle, then Kassyrinx poked his head through the cockpit doorway.

  “You all right, Kass?” Rheinborne asked.

  “My condition is passable, yes,” he said. “But you absolutely must hear what I have to tell you.”

  CHAPTER 40

  AFTER VALICIA APPLIED a bandage to his wrist, Norland instructed her to get the Skylight Dawn ready for departure. While she was thus occupied, he had a little time to chat with Briggston.

  The old man stood erect, arms folded, still under the illusion that he was in charge of things. Norland dismissed the soldier guarding him.

  “I see what you’ve done,” said Briggston. “Cut out everyone else so you can ask for a bigger slice. Doesn’t mean you’re going to get it.”

  “Wrong,” Norland said. “You’ll give me everything I ask for.”

  “And why should I do that?”

  “Because I deserve it, you Lord-damned old biter!” Norland thundered, jabbing the muzzle of his pistol into Briggston’s chest. “I’m the one who infiltrated the DSI. I’m the one who kept them away from your business. And I’m the one who has the artifact!”

  Briggston slapped the gun away. “You dare disrespect me? Big mistake, boy.”

  Norland made a sound of contempt. “Yes, I did make a mistake when I told him first.” He gestured at Prester’s body, which had been rolled against the wall with the bodies of his men. “Now, my team and I are going to be fully compensated. Is that clear?”

  “Tell me, when did that Emlyn woman stop being part of your team?” Briggston asked. “Was it when you first clapped eyes on that delicious Valicia? I don’t blame you. How’d you get her to do it?”

  “I made her see reason,” Norland answered. “Now get yourself aboard your ship.”

  Briggston gave a derisive laugh and said, “Cock off, you little squat-catcher!”

  In response, Norland clubbed the older man in the head with the butt of his gun. Briggston screeched and fell to his knees.

  Norland grabbed the man by the hair, yanked back hard to make Briggston face the ceiling.

  “You’re going to give up everything. Your stashes of hardcash, access to your accounts, all of it.”

  “Can’t make me,” Briggston wheezed.

  “I have something that says I can.” Norland jammed his weapon into its holster, then reached into his pocket and drew out a round plastic case. He flicked the latch, allowed the cover to spring open. Inside lay a metal disc, with thick wires radiating out from its edge.

  “Oh what, is it that thought-cap thing Prester used on the woman? It didn’t work. I saw her shoot him!”

  “It’ll work on you, once it’s fixed.” Norland let go of Briggston, called for someone to escort the old man onto the Highfire.

  Yes, the ancient fool would give up his wealth, and when he did, Norland would shower Valicia with gifts beyond measure. She would be his forever, and he couldn’t wait for it to happen.

  CHAPTER 41

  IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT of the Tranquility Star, Rheinborne digested what Kassyrinx had told him. The sidhreen had been inside the virtual space within the Skylight Dawn’s cargo bay, waiting for Rheinborne to turn up, but Valicia entered instead. She had told him of the firefight in the hangar bay and warned him to stay put until it was safe.

  Kassyrinx had tried to ask her if Rheinborne was okay, but she had cut him off. Before she exited the virtual space, she had said that she wasn’t under Prester’s control and that she had agreed to run away with Norland, on the condition that Kassyrinx and Rheinborne were allowed to live.

  “Were those her exact words, ‘run away’?” Rheinborne asked.

  “Yes, sadly so,” Kassyrinx confirmed.

  “Could she have been under Norland’s control?”

  “That was not the i
mpression that I received. But then again, it isn’t as if I’ve had many, or any, dealings with those whose minds weren’t their own.”

  “Did she say anything about Gwynne?”

  “Not a cheep.”

  Rheinborne smacked a fist into his palm. “She hasn’t sold us out. She’s got to have a plan.”

  The shuttle’s cargo bay door began to rise and a faint hum resonated throughout the compartment, the sound of the engines powering up.

  Norland’s voice came over the shuttle’s speakers. “Your attention, spaceboy and birdface! Better strap yourselves in, we’re going to be leaving in a big hurry!”

  Rheinborne returned to the cockpit and leaped into the pilot’s chair. Out the side window, he saw the Highfire already hovering. Overhead, the hangar bay doors yawned open.

  “Strap in!” he told Kassyrinx as he buckled himself into the chair’s harness.

  The Skylight Dawn launched straight up, angled into space. Next went the Highfire on a slightly different trajectory. Seconds later, the Tranquility Star ascended. The main thrusters engaged, boosting the shuttle away from the Skyward.

  Rheinborne tried the controls, still found them unresponsive. Either Norland or one of his team had to be remotely piloting the shuttle.

  The cockpit window blanked, switched over to computer display mode. The screen showed the Skyward, appearing to diminish in size.

  A heartbeat later, the ship exploded.

  Rheinborne shut his eyes against the sudden whiteness of the viewscreen. The shuttle rocked slightly, buffeted by the shockwave.

  Behind him, Kassyrinx made an ululating cry. “By the Great Lord God! What happened?” the sidhreen asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.

  Rheinborne opened his eyes, saw that the viewscreen now showed a cloud of debris where the Skyward had been.

  “Murderer,” was all Rheinborne could say.

  He had assumed that the countdown in the hangar was the amount of time before the crew broke in.

  But no.

  It was the amount of time they’d had left to live.

  “What a show, huh?” Norland said over the shuttle’s comm.

  “You evil piece of filth!” Rheinborne screamed, smashing a fist on the console.