The Colossus Collection : A Space Opera Adventure (Books 1-7 + Bonus Material)

by Nicole Grotepas

  “Go for it.” Charly handed the device to Holly.

  Holly pulled up the details on Shakti. The gas giant was the largest in the Yol system. It was a bright blue planet with faint rings, but so far as she knew, there was nothing useful about it aside from its moons. The gases weren’t the same composition as Ixion, which rendered it less useful as a planet that gave them fundamentally helpful gases and elements. There were four more planets on orbits out past Shakti, that a traveler would pass before they hit the heliopause. Past that, very little was ever discussed or seemed to be known about interstellar space. The wormhole that had brought humans to the Yol system was closer to the 6 Moons than Shakti, between the orbital paths of Ixion and Grymyce. The gap between those two planets was vast enough to accommodate the wormhole without swallowing anything that it shouldn’t.

  “It’s a long trip. The aetherway path is riddled with potential leviathan encounters. I wouldn’t be excited to run into one of those,” Holly said.

  “Did our chap Xadrian mention how much the job pays?” Shiro asked. He went to the wet bar and pulled a tall, thin ceramic mug out of the cabinet. He found a bag of tea and poured hot water from the kettle over it.

  “He didn’t give me numbers. Just said something like ‘handsomely.’”

  Darius spun in his chair. He put his hands behind his head, interlaced his fingers, and leaned back to stare up at the ceiling as he twirled. “And what did Iain say about it? Did you mention the job to him?”

  “Hmm. Why would I?” Holly looked up from the vscreen at Darius. “Because—let me guess—he’s a man? He’s tougher than me? You have a crush on him?”

  Darius shrugged. “Well, all of those, obviously. But mainly because he’s been out that far. He’s seen things none of us have. Trip has probably been out that way as well. Maybe she’s got some insights. Maybe it’s not so bad. You know? Maybe we can do it without being utterly destroyed by a leviathan—doesn’t that seem slightly outrageous? Being crushed by a leviathan? Maybe you’re being a bit silly, Drake. Have you considered that?”

  Shiro, who had returned to his spot on the couch, put his mug on the coffee table and snatched his cane up from off the cushion beside him. He pulled the scabbard off and pointed the gleaming blade at Darius. “Careful, there chap.”

  Holly laughed. “Defending my honor, Shiro?”

  “He wouldn’t be alone in doing it, Holly Drake.” Odeon said, glaring at Darius, only a faint smile touching the corners of his mouth.

  “I’m grateful, boys.” She grinned. “See that, Darius? Better not mess with me.”

  Darius stopped spinning and raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t realize I was heading into a pit of vipers. Back off, boys. Drake needs a bit of push back. If it weren’t for Charly and myself, she’d never have anyone countering her and she’d turn into an egoistical, narcissistic, over-powered cult leader. An egomaniacal super villain. Do any of us want that?”

  “He’s right,” Charly agreed. “That said, I’d fight to defend Holly to the death. Darius, I somehow think that’s not how you feel.”

  “Speak for yourself. I just don’t wear my loyalty on my sleeve like the rest of you. And for the record, I’d take this gig.”

  “You’d take any gig. So that’s not saying much.”

  Darius made a sound and then turned back to his bay of computers, shaking his head in frustration.

  “Noted, Darius,” Holly said, handing the vscreen back to Charly. “But look, I just don’t think the gig is something that we want to do. At least, not me. If you want to do it, of course I can’t stop you. The safety of the crew is important to me. The time investment in that job would be a distraction from what really matters. So I think the call I made was best.”

  “For clarification, Holly Drake, what is ‘what really matters?’” Odeon asked, moving from his spot at the window to the wet bar. The Yasoan filled a cup with kasé and then went back to the window, where he watched out the window like a sentry.

  “Making money is great. Don’t get me wrong. We just lost the earnings from our last job. So we need to replace what we lost. Gigs that don’t cost us life and limb, which I think the Shakti job would. So, let’s find some gigs. Let’s stay on George’s trail.”

  “But maybe the Shakti job would lead to finding George,” Darius said, pointing at Holly like he’d just figured out something.

  “Not going to argue that. You could be right. But is it worth the two day trip and possibility of having our ship attacked by leviathans?”

  “I agree with Holly.” Odeon looked between the other crew members. “The universe is a dangerous place when we traverse the distances between planets.”

  “Thanks Odeon. Charly and Shiro already agreed. Darius, you’re the only one fighting me on this.”

  “If you didn’t want an argument, Drake, why’d you bring it up?”

  “Brilliant point, Darius. Next time I’ll keep it all a secret.”

  “I’ll find out, one way or another. I’m just like that. I have my means for discovery,” Darius said in a voice drenched in mirth. It was clear he was irritated that his wings were being clipped, but he remained full of humor.

  Holly sighed and stretched. Managing the crew was easier than being a teacher had been, but taking care of the different emotions, the feelings, the wants, the needs, and everything in between drained her. “What we need to be doing is searching high and low for jobs on Kota. Right? Who wants to leave the moon again? I’m ready to stay put. Just take a month or two off from going off moon. Do a fun little heist here. Something involving some old school art from Ko Lapsong or the like. Right?”

  “Ah, Ko Lapsong. That sounds exquisite. Yes, I do agree, dear Ms. Drake. Let’s find something delectable like that. A job stealing—back, stealing back, of course—an invaluable painting or a fine necklace of infinite worth. I could really sink my teeth into something of that nature at the moment. Eh, chaps?” Shiro took a cautious sip of his tea then looked around.

  “I would enjoy the chance to stay around the city for a few weeks,” Odeon agreed. “I’ve had to cancel too many performances of late. It would help me to find new venues if I stayed around for a while.”

  “Can’t complain with any of this. It would help me square away a few issues with galas and parties and a few of my longstanding accounts. Those things turn into a snarled mess when too much is going on with the jobs and such. So, I’m in.”

  “Anything else?” Holly asked. “Should we limit it to something Shiro pointed out? Stealing the object back? I don’t like to be an outright thief. I’m OK with the gray area of retrieving something wrongfully taken.”

  The crew discussed the parameters for what kind of jobs they wanted to take in the near future. As they wrapped it up, Holly left the team with explicit instructions to head out and beat the bushes looking for gigs. And she headed out to search, herself.

  * * *

  The snow had returned as Holly pushed through the doors of the Surge Club, walked out onto the sidewalk, and merged with the foot traffic. It carried her with it like a river coursing through the heart of the city. The Surge Club was at the southern edge of the Green Jade district. The area was too nice, it often seemed. Just south of Surge, the city faded into the Ice Jade district, where Meg lived, where Holly had lived for just a short time after getting out of prison.

  Large clusters of snowflakes pelted her in the face. She didn’t have an umbrella—had forgotten it. But Holly didn’t mind the snow today. The fresh smell of a clean city invigorated her. The cold plastering her cheeks and coating her pony-tail functioned like a shower or a bath. She was renewed. Knowing that her team was behind her as a leader, knowing this fundamental concept—that her crew had her back, that she had their back, and that together they’d work through financial droughts as well as major hiccups like being undermined on Ixion Mining Base #4, made her feel like her safety net had grown.

  Cooking smells wafted across her path as she made her way through
a nearby plaza area where various mobile lunch carts had been set up for the late morning working crowd. The shift was just changing from human-centric dishes to Centau cuisine. Holly’s direction would take her to the Lavender Jade district, to Analogue Alley and hopefully to Iain’s shop. She had plans to stop in to see Angelo at his shop as well. It had been weeks since she’d last seen the old man.

  As she trotted down a few steps of the plaza to the cross streets, the sight of some children up ahead caught her eye: older kids, significantly underdressed for the weather. Between them and Holly, the veil of falling snow was rather thick. As she got closer, she began to sense that she recognized one of the children. The familiarity of the teenage boy’s face pecked at the pleasant frame of mind she’d been carrying with her. He stood with two other teens at the edge of the street. Pedestrians flowed past them, brushing against the three boys.

  Holly planned to approach them and ask if they were lost, if they needed anything. The closer she got, the more certain she became that she recognized one of the boys. It was him, the one who had asked her a question at the demonstration at Elan’s school. He’d asked about defending himself to the point of killing someone. Such a morbid question. Holly knew that many of the kids had endured terrible circumstances. How could she convince them or teach them that there was a lot of good in the world when they’d seen so many awful things?

  She’d formed her ideas into solid concepts, and readied them to deliver to the kids as she got closer. But out of the slow-moving vehicle traffic, a black automobile with opaque windows emerged and stopped at the edge of the street near them. A door opened. A Constellation with short hair stood up in the open door and motioned to the group of teens.

  Holly stopped dead in her tracks. People walking behind her bumped into her. She was vaguely aware of them muttering apologies and then skirting around her to continue on. Some of the things a few of them said weren’t nice at all. But Holly wasn’t paying attention. She was focused on the Constie and whatever he was doing. The kids spoke with him as though they knew him. He gestured to them, then indicated that they should get in the car.

  Holly was rooted to the ground. Her booted feet felt as heavy as boulders. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t shout at them. The sensation was the kind that haunts a nightmare, where she knew exactly what she must do, but her body wouldn’t obey.

  The Constellation glanced around, the Shadow Coalition cephalopod tattoo was visible on his neck as he scanned the crowd, as though he was suddenly on high alert. Holly dropped back deeper into the flood of foot-traffic, hiding herself. She was certain one of the boys was from Elan’s school. She knew the boy. What had he been called? Kade? Kash? Kwan? She looked back at the vehicle. The Constie had vanished and the vehicle was pulling away, entering back into the stream of auto traffic.

  Holly looked around for an escape. Her body was on fire with adrenaline. Her breath was coming in quick short bursts. She was ready to run and fight. She pushed through pedestrians on a cross-stream pathway, and entered a shop to get out of the snow, out of the loud commotion of the city. There was too much happening. She needed to think.

  The shop she’d entered had something to do with shoes. She didn’t pay attention. She waved away the working associate who came to ask her if she needed anything and pressed her gloved fingers into her temples. This can’t be happening. She paced, dimly aware of one or two other customers and the inventory of shoes lining the walls.

  What had she just witnessed? What was happening? And if she stayed out of it, would it go away? Or did she have an obligation to intervene? To do something? How many other people would do something if she didn’t?

  She could step aside and let it happen.

  Or she could get involved.

  There was only one thing that she could even remotely grasp that took her immediately and quickly into the middle of it all.

  Step into the darkness. Follow the path that she knew would lead into that darkness.

  Her hands were shaking as she fumbled in her pockets for her communicator ear-piece. She attached it to hear ear and switched it on. She pulled out the handheld communicator unit and flipped it on.

  She waited for it to come online. She jotted out a quick message to her team. Got their replies slowly, one after another.

  Then she called a familiar number.

  “HD, what is it? Time is money and you said you don’t want any,” Xadrian said into her ear.

  Her lips trembled as she smiled. Her fingers quivered. The shoe store salesperson was trying to get her attention. Still, she felt a strange peace as she relayed her news to Xadrian. “Hey, we’re in. OK. I hate to say it, but we’re in. You still have that job?”

  “Of course. I was waiting for you to come around. Calm down,” he said, before she could protest, “I know how you work, HD.”

  “Lovely.” She sighed. “Shakti, here we come.”

  9

  “I’m afraid I can’t mince words HD,” Xadrian said. “You will most definitely want to equip yourself with a device that will broadcast to the military that you’re a friend as you approach the outpost. Just so you don’t alarm them, I recommend this tool.” Xadrian flicked a switch on a flat, rectangular panel that he held in his palm. A 3D hologram popped off the surface in full color. Otherwise the object was nothing impressive. A non-descript cubed device with small glowing lights lining the edges.

  “What the hell do you mean by that?” Holly asked. “Alarm the military? That sounds dangerous.”

  “Relax, HD. This is standard operating procedures for those who regularly take ships out to the further outposts. It’s not that much different from the other transponders on ships.” Xadrian sat across from her at the Glassini. Odeon played on the stage as they conspired. She glanced over the top of Xadrian to check on Odeon—he appeared to be absorbed in his music.

  Xadrian noticed her gaze tracking toward her Yasoan friend. “Haven’t heard him play in quite some time. He used to be a regular feature here. I suspect, HD, that you’ve been a bad influence on him.”

  “Yes, it’s all my fault. Most things are. I’m a bad influence on you as well. Haven’t you noticed? And Dave.”

  “Now that you own the rebellious role I’ve assigned you, it’s no longer fun to tease you about it.”

  “Drat.” Holly grinned. “That was not my goal at all.”

  “So, you’ll want to get one of these.” He gestured at the glowing device. “Once you have this on your ship broadcasting signal, you’ll at least have a fighting chance to declare who you are and avoid being immediately obliterated.” He smiled and put the panel away.

  “I’m beginning to question my decision to take this ridiculous job. And I still don’t even know what it is.”

  “Wait for it. Patience is a virtue.”

  “I don’t think it is.”

  “I have more details for you before I give you full insights into what you’ll be doing.”

  “On with it.”

  Odeon’s music continued to play. Holly let her gaze drift to him often. He was one with his music. That was something she’d always loved about hearing him play—how it was akin to inviting him into her heart. The sounds he made were like his voice, but better, because they were wordless noises and in some way much more fundamental to him and who he was. Where words had layers of meaning, the sounds of the music that Odeon created were naked truths. Joy. Grief. Abstract emotions fully speaking without guile or concealment.

  “Aside from being prepared to how the military outpost will react to your ship, I have heard that there have been several behemoth sightings along the current aetherway trajectory heading in the direction of Shakti.”

  Holly stared at him, waiting for him to confess that he was joking.

  It amounted to a staring contest as neither of them broke the silence.

  “What is it?” Xadrian finally asked.

  “Then it’s not a joke?”

  “Not at all. Why would I joke about something
like that? That’s so morose. Hardly my style to joke of such serious things, HD.”

  “It’s unfortunate, then because that’s the one thing that could keep me away now. Behemoths. Leviathans. I can’t go near them.”

  Xadrian blinked, studying her face. “And you’re serious?”

  “Completely. Cold stone serious.”

  “Just run cold, HD. Honestly, how do you not know these things?”

  “Run cold?”

  “Get a simple tool that masks your heat signatures. That’s how the creatures track you.”

  “Where the hell do I get something like that?”

  “Use your sources. They’re around.”

  “What’s the job? Tell me that. I’m teetering on the edge of changing my mind.”

  “May I ask what made you change it in the first place?”

  “I saw some things. And the only way to puzzle them out is to go where the bad guys go. Which, if my instincts are right, XT, well, you always lead me to the bad guys.”

  “I do have a way of bringing out the baddies, don’t I? Essentially it’s a courier job. You’ll be taking the passenger out to the station. That passenger will exchange some items, and then come back.”

  “Are these items legal?”

  Xadrian leaned across the table and made a show of play-slapping her arm. “How could you even suggest that I would engage in transport of illegal goods?”

  “Just a hunch.”

  “Of course it’s legal.”

  “Then it’s not legal. One hundred percent not legal. Very questionable. If I get caught it could be rather bad. Do I understand you correctly now?”

  Xadrian indulged in a knowing smile, his dark eyes gleaming, and nodded. “Just be prepared, HD. Not that I have to tell you. You always over-prepare.”

  She considered confessing that that wasn’t precisely how it felt from her position, especially when she was in the midst of fighting her way out of a chaotic situation where everything that could go wrong went wrong. She kept it to herself. No sense in making Xadrian think she felt anything less than over-prepared.