They let each other go, and Mrs. March became a commander again.
“I tried to find him for years, but I was unsuccessful.” Mrs. March glanced out the dark cockpit windshield. “Until now. Jet has informed me he has been located.”
“That’s good news, right?” Grey said.
Mrs. March hesitated.
“Why isn’t it good news?”
“It is, it is.” Mrs. March’s gaze drifted back out the cockpit window. “Yet as much as I have changed, I fear he has too. I have been ordered to find and speak with him because they feel I’m the only one who has a chance to persuade him to help us. Once we get these civilians to safety, my new orders will take effect.”
“I thought he was a Yien supporter.”
“He was.” Mrs. March sighed. “And maybe he still is. But people change on Jupiter.”
“How can he help us?” Rin asked, and Grey thought it was a very good question.
Mrs. March seemed to weigh her words again. “The force with which Mazdaar has hit us is greater than expected. We had heavy casualties at Orion, and our reinforcements came too late. If we are to hold Jupiter we will need more than what we have.”
“But I thought the Yien Dynasty had great resources,” Grey said. “Didn’t you plan for this?”
Commander March held up her hand. “Decisions were made that were beyond my control, but I obeyed my orders. And yes, we did know the odds. You are forgetting how oppressed Earth has become.”
“And you’re forgetting I lived in an underground silo my whole life.”
“Grey, let her talk,” Mom said, and she did her best to resist the spark of irritation she felt at being told to hold back. She knew speaking out of turn was her weakness.
“It’s all right,” Mrs. March said with a smile. “Grey and I are used to lively dialogue.”
Which only brought home the fact that Mrs. March probably knew her better than her own parents. But whose fault was that? It wasn’t Mazdaar’s. Mom and Dad had been on a mission for Yien when their ship went down on Jupiter. As much as her parents tried to understand, they didn’t know—not really—what it had been like for her and Rin alone in the Preserve. How could they? Mrs. March had watched them grow up. Grey didn’t blame her mother for wanting to pick up where they’d left off, but she saw a clear difference in their personalities. While Mom might be able to obey orders, Grey was slowly realizing that would never come easily for her.
She glanced at her mother, whose disapproval seemed to radiate from her eyes. Grey wanted to please her more than anything, but she could not blindly follow anymore. Maybe Jet Yien had made a mistake in asking her to enlist, and maybe she shouldn’t have agreed.
“Jupiter’s largest moon is Ganymede,” Mrs. March continued. “It’s the largest in our solar system, in fact. Bigger than Mercury and only slightly smaller than Mars. I know it came as a surprise for all of you when you learned Jupiter is habitable and Mazdaar has been sending people here for years, but now that you know, it shouldn’t be shocking to learn that Ganymede holds secrets too.”
Grey stared at the floor, the cuts on her leg suddenly throbbing. She knew all about secrets.
“Galileo Station was a Mazdaar project on Ganymede,” Mrs. March said. “It’s a top secret base that was abandoned twenty years ago when Mazdaar’s leading security specialist defected and took all the command codes with him.”
Tanner Alexander nodded. “And that man was Benton March, your husband.”
“Mazdaar believes he’s dead. If he’s not, we need him.”
All four Alexanders talked at once, but before Mrs. March could answer their questions, a loud knock came at the cockpit door. It burst open and Corporal Lennox stepped into the room, violetflare in hand.
Chapter 17
This is what mutiny looks like, Dana thought right before they sliced the cuff from her wrist and tossed her out of the wheelchair.
“We were duped once.” The woman addressed the growing crowd surrounding Dana, egging them on. “Why should we allow anyone to fool us again? Mazdaar tried to kill us, and this one is on their side!”
Dana caught herself with her hands and pushed into a sitting position on the dusty floor as fast as she could. She glared up at the stocky woman who’d spoken. Dana could see the whites of her eyes. Her dyed hair was flattened on the side of her head as if she’d slept on it.
“If Yien isn’t going to bring justice, we will.”
Dana’s pulse throbbed in her ears, and she once again willed her legs to move with all her might. For a split second it felt like her foot responded. If she could only stand she’d take this woman down in one move. But without the ability to kick she was nearly at her mercy, and pride wouldn’t allow Dana to scream for help.
The woman swung back to punch her, but right before her blow connected Dana reached up and caught her by the wrist, jamming her fingers into tender sinews. That only produced rage, and the woman kneed her hard in the ribs, forcing her to let go as she tried to block a second kick. Her boot thudded into Dana’s thigh, sending a spasm of pain straight to her hip.
“Kill her!”
“Get rid of the stinkin’ spy!”
Dana curled into a ball to protect her face. She had no strength for fighting. No way to defend herself. If this mob wanted her dead, it was going to happen. A few feet separated her from the Jeep still tied to the floor. Could she crawl under it for protection?
“That’s enough!”
Commander March’s voice rose above the others, and Dana lifted her head to see the commander, Corporal Lennox, and Lieutenant Johansson push through the group. But the woman who’d started it all faced off with March, seemingly unfazed by her order.
“Do you know who we are?” The woman gestured to the middle-aged man with a neck the size of a tree trunk standing beside her.
March looked them up and down. “I don’t care who you are.”
“When Mazdaar finds out you have kidnapped Beatrice and Charles Schuman, you will regret it.”
“In case you forgot, Mazdaar was the one who kidnapped you. We rescued you.”
Beatrice’s nostrils flared. “We demand you free us.”
Commander March’s left hand hovered over her holstered violetflare, the other gestured toward the door. “No one forced you on this ship. You are free already.”
Beatrice and Charles shared a glance. “And what’s to stop you from putting a beam through our backs?”
“My word,” Commander March said.
The couple remained motionless, as did the others.
“But I warn you,” March added, glancing at Dana then returning her focus to the virulent couple. “If you travel beyond those doors, your life will be in your own hands.”
“That’s what we want!”
“Are you sure?” March tilted her head. “Can you find food, water? Do you know how far the nearest settlement is from here? Does this canyon end or will you forever be looking for a way out?”
Beatrice started to answer, but March wasn’t finished.
“Think long and hard, Mr. and Mrs. Schuman, because your money will get you nowhere here.” March closed the gap between them, pointing her finger directly at Beatrice’s chest. “And if I ever catch you assaulting someone in my charge again, I’ll throw you out those doors myself.”
Charles pulled his wife by the arm, but she yanked free from him as if ready to fight then and there. Charles seemed to sense what Dana already knew. You did not cross Commander Fleur March and expect to win.
“Are you all right?” Lieutenant Johansson knelt down beside Dana.
She spit out gritty dirt and nodded, touching her ribs with a wince. Johansson took Dana’s arm and wrapped it around her own neck in an attempt to support her.
“Can you stand?”
Grey Alexander was suddenly at Dana’s other side. The two pulled Dana up.
“I’m fine,” Dana said.
The young man she’d seen with the Mazdaar haircut righted th
e wheelchair and brought it over. “Idiots,” he muttered, jerking his head toward the retreating backs of the Schumans. “Think they can buy their way out of everything.”
“They probably could in Mazdaar City,” Grey said.
Commander March came over once Dana was seated. “I’m sorry. That won’t happen again.” Then to Johansson she said, “I want someone guarding her at all times.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“See to it.” March stood and placed two fingers in her mouth, letting off a shrill whistle that made every head turn. “The rest of you, listen to me!”
Voices mumbled, but all eyes turned toward the Yien commander. March walked over to the Jeep and with the grace of a gazelle climbed onto its hood to stand above everyone, the hold’s ceiling only a few inches above her white head.
“Dawn is nearly here,” March said. “At which time we will leave this canyon. It is too dangerous to return to Orion. If we had not left as we did, most of you would probably be dead.”
Dana had to agree she was right. Mazdaar would not have spared civilians. If anything, they might have targeted them.
“As I told the Schumans, all of you are free to leave at any time.” March waved toward the door. “But it is at your own risk. Can I guarantee your safety from here? No. But I promise I will protect you to the best of my ability. We are facing odds beyond what any of us anticipated. Does that mean we cannot survive and win this war? No, my friends, it does not.”
The young man who righted Dana’s wheelchair raised his hand. “No offense, but Mazdaar lied to us. How do we know you aren’t doing the same?”
Commander March focused on him. Dana remembered when just one minute of March’s undivided attention left her encouraged, empowered. She’d been like a sponge soaking up the maternal affection she’d lacked her whole life. Is that what had blinded her? Because her own mother had ignored her, she followed anyone who pretended to care? RedStar sure thought so and told her again and again that March couldn’t be trusted.
“What’s your name?” Commander March asked the man.
“Paul Alvarez.”
“Look at the facts, Paul.” March waved at the ceiling. “Mazdaar imprisoned you, we did not. You were given the choice to board this ship or stay at Orion. You can walk out even now.”
“Some choice!” another person yelled. “You’ve got the guns.”
Commander March seemed to weigh this comment, and Dana saw Corporal Lennox edge closer to his commanding officer, rifle across his chest.
“Come up here, Paul.” March waved him over.
He glanced at those around him, including the Schumans who stood off to the side glaring. The crowd parted for him, and Paul stepped over to the Jeep. March gestured for Corporal Lennox to approach, and when he did she told him to give her his blueflare.
“Commander?”
“Your rifle,” March said.
“But—”
“I said give me your rifle.”
He passed it up with the reluctance of a child asked to give up a prized toy.
“Where are you from?” March asked Paul, resting the butt of the rifle on the Jeep’s hood while holding the barrel safely away.
“Mazdaar City . . . Commander.”
“Why did you come to Jupiter?”
Paul cleared his throat. “I had some problems on Earth. I wanted to escape them. An intergalactic adventure seemed like a good way to do that.”
Lieutenant Johansson leaned closer to Dana. “What is she doing?”
“Being brilliant,” Grey whispered back with a smile.
“We’re in this together, Paul.” Commander March picked up the rifle and handed it down to the young man.
Paul stared straight up into March’s face and without hesitation took the weapon, his nod almost imperceptive. Had he ever held a gun in his life? Weapons were outlawed in Mazdaar City for everyone but military and police. March was either amazingly foolish or the mastermind Grey seemed to think she was.
Lieutenant Johansson cursed under her breath, and Dana watched Corporal Lennox stare up at March as if his eyes were blueflare beams themselves.
Chapter 18
Rin rested her forehead on Trif’s neck, closing her eyes for one last reprieve before takeoff. She touched the cross under her tunic. Mrs. March’s speech had calmed most of the passengers, but Rin’s stomach felt like a den of rattlesnakes. What if she really was going crazy? Isn’t that what had happened to some of the convicts abandoned on this planet? Maybe Jupiter’s supposed breathable atmosphere was really poisoning her, causing these hallucinations and delusions.
She opened her eyes. But there had been a deadly cat. Tram and Trif could’ve smelled it before anyone and tried to warn her. And she hadn’t told Grey what she’d seen right after the meganeura swarm.
“Hey, you better lock down.”
Rin turned toward Paul. He’d slung the blueflare rifle Mrs. March gave him over his shoulder, and it hadn’t been lost on her that he’d introduced himself to the commander minus the “third” designation.
She nodded, giving Trif one last hug and hoping he wouldn’t panic during the flight. She would’ve camped out right next to the zorses if Dad hadn’t made her stay with Grey.
“Let’s hope your mom flies this thing a little smoother this time,” Paul said with a grin.
Rin returned it. “And no Mazdaar jets show up.”
They’d spent the hour before dawn securing the cargo and themselves so even if Captain Sue Alexander took them for a wild ride through the heavens they wouldn’t have any more injuries to deal with.
Rin hunkered down in front of the Jeep with Grey, ready for takeoff. They’d each tied a rope around their waists and lashed themselves to the floor rings. Dana Yurkutz sat across from them against the other wall, guarded by Lieutenant Johansson on one side with the Schumans and Paul on the other. She wondered if he’d purposely positioned himself nearby in case they tried something again.
The others were scattered about the hold in groups. Mom, Dad, Mrs. March, and Corporal Lennox—who had insisted he squeeze into the gunner’s station—were all up in the cockpit.
Grey patted her on the shoulder, not meeting her eyes. Rin waited for her to say something, but she didn’t.
“What?” Rin asked.
“Nothing.”
“We promised not to lie to each other.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Withholding is the same thing.”
Her sister sighed. “Something came up during the preflight.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you really want to know?”
She gave Grey a practiced little-sister glare. “Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you have to carry everything by yourself.”
Grey’s face was stone, which caused the phantom snakes in Rin’s stomach to writhe even more. Like they needed something else to go wrong.
Her sister finally leaned closer. “Rin, we don’t have shields.”
# # #
“Your mother was General Yurkutz,” Lieutenant Marie Johansson said.
Dana gritted her teeth against another muscle spasm in her thigh where that Schuman woman had kicked her. She didn’t feel like talking, especially to a Yien soldier.
“Brilliant deduction, Lieutenant.”
“I’m sorry she’s dead.”
Dana glanced over at Johansson to see if she was mocking.
“Enemy or not,” the Lieutenant said, “she was a brilliant military strategist.”
And her body was probably being dissected in some Yien laboratory, if it had even been preserved. Dana didn’t want to picture what a tiger ripping out her throat looked like.
The light shines in the darkness . . .
A curse came to Dana’s lips at the way that stupid verse kept infringing on her thoughts. March was a fraud. Everything she said had to be discarded, and everything she did had to be questioned. Dana just wished the commander would do something to make that easier,
because the woman kept looking out for her as if she still deserved it.
“I understand why you did what you did,” Johansson added.
“Bold words for a Yien soldier.”
“But truth.”
Dana eyed the soldier again. She was braced against the metal wall, her rifle resting across her lap. “Why are you being nice to me?”
Lieutenant Johansson smiled. “Why do you think?”
“If I knew I wouldn’t ask.”
“Who am I to say what’s right and wrong for someone else? I’ve seen a lot of awful things in this conflict. The line between the good guys and the bad blurs far too often.”
Something about her words tickled the back of Dana’s mind, but she wasn’t sure why.
“Just remember,” Johansson said. “Not everything is as it seems.”
# # #
Grey grabbed Rin’s hand and squeezed. No shields meant they were completely vulnerable. One cannon blast could take them down. And Mazdaar would surely still be looking for them.
The floor jolted and began to vibrate. Engines on.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Rin said.
Grey swallowed hard. For as long as she could remember she had been the big sister with all the answers. She was the one who kept them safe, made the hard calls, and did everything in her power to keep Rin alive. But that was before they got their parents back and ended up on Jupiter.
“I’m sorry,” Grey said.
“For what?”
“I don’t want you to see me like this.”
“Are you kidding?” Rin twisted around to face her.
The vibrations increased along with Grey’s pulse.
“I am not a good soldier,” Grey said. “And I’m disappointing Mom too.”
“You mean when you saved her life?”
“I don’t know if I can toe the line like she does.”
“Mrs. March understood. You said what needed to be said.”
“But did you catch the look Mom gave me?”
“We’re all stressed out, Grey.”
She pulled her legs up underneath herself. That wasn’t everything though.
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