Sofia grimaced as she removed a bloodied piece of glass from her scalp.
Quinn grimaced too, cowering down, but seemed unharmed. ‘What was that?’ He peered up at Henning. ‘Oh, we need to get you to a hospital!’
Henning clenched his jaws in pain. The blast—from a plasma rifle, he assumed—had shot away his uniform and much of his flesh, revealing his collarbone. ‘It’s all right,’ he grunted.
‘No, it’s not.’
Quinn was right. Breathing hurt. Just being hurt. But it wasn’t the first time. Now Henning didn’t faint anymore. He wouldn’t fall into shock. Instead, he would bite his tongue, and draw upon E to heal.
Sofia threw the piece of glass away and stared at Henning, wide-eyed. ‘It’s one thing to read about it…’
‘Get me something to cover this with,’ Henning said.
Sofia turned to her bag. ‘I should have a patch here.’
‘No,’ Henning said. ‘The wound’s too wide. Just get a bandage and tape it tight so it won’t touch the insides.’
Sofia gave him a look, but swapped the applicator to a bandage from her bag.
‘What is going on?’ Quinn asked.
‘I’m a soldier,’ Henning said, trying to calm Quinn down. ‘It’s not the first time I’ve been hit by a plasma bolt.'
Quinn stared at him with his mouth open as if he was going to say something, but didn’t speak.
‘We need to report back to HQ on this,’ Henning said, managing to stand up with help from Sofia.
‘When will you have it fixed?’ Quinn asked.
Henning ignored him and walked on towards the entrance. If it had been a portal to Remola, he had sent a lipstick through, and gotten a few rounds from a plasma rifle in reply. He wanted to jump right in and see what was behind the portal, but it was too risky. He also needed time to heal.
‘Hey!’ Quinn shouted, running after them. ‘I need to have an estimate.’
‘Me too,’ Henning said, ‘but there isn’t one.’
‘We’re losing money by the minute! I’m gonna escalate this!’
Sofia raised the tape and Henning went under it. He didn’t bother responding to Quinn.
Chapter Fifteen
The Dawn Alliance Central was a magnificent sight to behold. The largest space station under the Dawn, it was comprised of the gleaming new doughnut-shaped administration centre called Spire, and the patchwork of the old section they called the city. As Jill approached, the city revealed its millions of protrusions which, like ancient cities, contained small pathways with shacks as well as massive buildings and full streets, and were built of elements stacked against each other throughout the centuries.
Jill had been to the Central many times; it had a lot to offer, from its cleanliness and enviable safety record, to the variety of wellbeing and culinary options there, but there was also something off. Perhaps it was the way it was run; the Central had the strictest laws, and, upon entering, you had to consent to surrender your privacy over to the Dawn. Personally, Jill had never minded much, as she had always been there on naval business, and as an officer she had little control over her privacy, but the repercussions of the policy gave an atmosphere of hypocrisy: outside, everyone was all smiles, but inside, they knew a misstep could cost them everything.
A friendly voice explained the entry procedures as the transport ship flew towards the point between the Spire and the city, and the Central filled all the viewports. But she already knew what to expect. The agreement to enter popped up on her terminal, and she accepted it as a tourist.
After they docked, she got her robot suitcase, and was directed through a portal that completed a full body scan and identity check while inspecting the contents of her luggage. A green smiley face told her she had passed without problems.
The arrival hall was a massive sorter of people with trains shooting to hundreds of stations within the Central. Jill took the one to naval command, and in a few minutes was whizzed through to the heart of the Spire.
Sitting down with lights flashing past, she had a moment to wonder if they would take her back in the navy, if the offer still stood, how long it would take to reach the right people, and if what she was doing made any sense.
She didn’t have to wonder long. On her arrival at the navy’s doorstep, she was greeted by a familiar figure: Belinda Killock.
Belinda’s blonde curls dropped to the shoulders of her navy uniform, and she smiled through shining red lips as she stepped forward. ‘Jill Faith, I have to say I didn’t expect to see you, but when the port of entry pinged me of your arrival, I made sure to meet you here.’
Jill all but failed to hide a grimace before she pasted on a smile. She didn’t know what to say. Their last encounter had been difficult. Henning said she should get close to Killock, but she couldn’t be too forward about it, not yet. An overly amiable approach would arouse suspicion.
‘I wasn’t expecting to see you either,’ she said.
Standing a metre from Jill, Belinda chuckled, but the smile disappeared quickly. ‘I’m sorry for what happened the last time we met. It was a stressful time for me. I shouldn’t have…’
‘Hit me in the face?’
‘I’m sorry. I hope we can leave the past behind and start afresh.’
It was difficult to see how things would suddenly be different, but Jill had to play along. ‘I can’t promise you anything.’
‘That’s fine. You’re here, aren’t you?’
‘I am here,’ Jill said, flashing a smile. ‘I’m hoping to use my skills for the benefit of humanity.’
Belinda responded with a smile. ‘What made you change your mind?’
‘I was given a gift, which I want to understand better, and use it to fulfil my potential as a human being and as part of something bigger. Besides, Nanira is boring.’
Belinda locked eyes with her for a long moment, as if evaluating her response, then said, ‘For me it’s great news, and I sincerely hope we can start from a clean slate.’
‘I hope so, too. Only by working together can we stand against the likes of Remola.’
‘Currently, Remola is not an issue,’ Belinda said. ‘Since we threw the Grangar in, there has been nothing to indicate the Remolans have survived. We don’t know the exact mechanism of the Remolans’ destruction, but we are quite certain their world was wiped out.’
While it was good to hear that the Remolan threat hadn’t resurfaced, Jill was sure that they would return sooner or later. In addition, the humanity’s defences were low with Nenetl in control of the Shades, but she couldn’t talk about that with Belinda. ‘What about the black discs?’
Belinda took a deep breath. ‘You think they’re Remolan?’
‘I don’t know. What do you think?’
‘There is so much we don’t know about them, so yes, there’s a chance,’ she said, fiddling with a strand of her curly blonde hair. ‘You ask the right questions, and I’m glad you’re here—you will be a great asset in building our defence.’
‘I’ll do my best.’
‘There’s so much to talk about, but …’ Belinda glanced at Jill’s robot suitcase, ‘… you’ve just arrived. Let’s get you set up.’
The first thing Jill did after entering her room in Dawn Central Spire was to turn the walls into a lush forest view. The second was to kick off her shoes, then lean on the comfy chair and let out a long breath. The robot suitcase could wait.
Rejoining the navy was a surprisingly easy procedure. They had even retained all her files from when she had been an officer. The uniforms would be there in a few days, but her last name was still Conrad—a stinging reminder of Rogg’s name, which she had used when she first joined the navy—even though she had submitted a change request.
To her surprise, she had kept her old rank of commodore, though she didn’t expect she’d have a lot of room to manoeuvre. Not at first, but she would change that; commodore was a great platform to build upon.
In addition to her old files, Bel
inda had shared with her a lot of material to read up on concerning the research they had done on deep energy. And in addition, she had to do all the induction and compliance training again. Those, she could’ve done without. She’d look into them after a good night’s sleep.
She felt bad for leaving Tredd. He was as stubborn as a hoola—once he made up his mind about something, he was going to see it to the end—but so was she. They just had different goals. She had feelings for him, and now in the evening, inside the galaxy’s biggest space station, she felt lonely.
She grabbed her handheld terminal. Tredd wasn’t online, so she recorded a short message, telling him she had arrived safely and asking him to reconsider joining her.
Henning wasn’t online either, so she sent a short message to him, too.
The next day, she stepped into a private room Belinda Killock had reserved for them. She had said she would do two things: return Jill’s powers back to her control and read her energy pattern for the new system. The room was like an infirmary, with one motorised bed in the middle, surrounded by equipment and screens.
‘How do we do this?’
‘We’ll use the Re-Stem tool,’ Belinda said. ‘I’ve reprogrammed one for this purpose. It’s really quite simple. The only thing for you to do is lie down on this bed. It needs connection with your skin, so ideally you’d be in your underwear.’
‘All right.’ Jill took off her jacket and placed it on the hanger. ‘What’s the Re-Stem unit?’
‘It’s a custom-made body manipulation device,’ Belinda said, bending over to open a container beside the wall on the side. ‘A versatile tool for both analysis and treatment.’
She held a metallic box with a number of coils curled around it like a dead spider’s legs. The sight made Jill wince.
‘I know, it looks awful. But it feels good on you. I also use it personally for maintaining my health.’
Jill reached out to touch the unit. The cold, hard surface told the opposite story. ‘Really?’
‘Don’t you trust me?’ Belinda asked.
‘I trust you,’ she lied, pulling the zipper from the side of her neck and over the collarbone. She wanted her powers back, and if this was the way to do it, so be it.
She removed her black boots, and pulled the shirt over her head. She stepped out of her trousers and took off her socks, putting them on the rack. In nothing but her underwear, the chill of the room made the hair on her arms rise.
‘Jane, increase the temperature by five degrees,’ Belinda said.
‘Jane?’
‘It’s my AI. I thought you’d like it warmer.’
‘Thanks.’
Jill sat on the bed and lifted her legs up together. She pulled off her hair clip and let her hair fall down before setting her head on the pillow. While the air had become warmer, the sheet was still cool and made her shiver. The bed whirred as it raised itself about half a metre.
‘Hands at your sides.’ Belinda placed the Re-Stem unit on Jill’s bare stomach.
She did as she was told, now completely vulnerable under Killock’s control.
‘Everything good and comfortable?’ Belinda asked.
The unit was chilly and looked suspicious, but Jill met her eyes for a moment and nodded. She would have to play along if she wanted her powers back.
‘Remember to keep still and relax.’
Belinda pressed a button on the unit, and it released its legs—more like tentacles—from which emerged more. They contoured over Jill’s body, tickling as they went, quickly encasing her completely.
Jill heeded Belinda’s advice to relax and closed her eyes. The machine felt good now—exactly as Belinda had said it would—and a low thrum filled her ears. She yawned, and before she knew it, she was asleep.
She woke up to a bright room and recalled going under in the machine with Belinda Killock. Belinda was now gone, and the Re-Stem unit was replaced by a blanket that covered her body.
She took a deep breath to savour the moment, feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, and also somewhat surprised. For some reason she had expected something else; what was it? That something bad would happen? On the contrary: she felt better than ever. Maybe she had been wrong about Belinda Killock.
Rising to sit, she held the blanket against her chest. She was alone, and the room was still in private mode. One of the screens was on and showed a short message in blue.
Jill—I was needed elsewhere. Take all the time you need. Love, Belinda
She found her clothes on the rack, just where she had left them. She dressed, grabbed the hairpins, and moved in front of a mirror by the small sink in the corner.
A pin in her mouth, she pulled the strands of her hair back into a tight knot and fixed it in place. She smiled at her reflection and noticed something. Leaning forward, she smiled again. The crow’s feet had disappeared from the corners of her eyes.
She looked away to confirm her vision was all right. It was. She looked again. The machine had really rejuvenated her. The machine didn’t only make her feel good, it also made her look good. Now she understood how Killock had recovered from the accident with Berossus on Vice Admiral Block’s ship.
Her tingle was back, too. She raised her hands in front of her, twenty centimetres apart, and directed energy to her index fingers. A crackling blue and white beam emerged between them. She widened her arms and increased the flow of energy. The beam brightened and stabilised. She smiled.
She clapped her hands together and the beam disappeared, making the room seem dark. But the smile on her face remained. She was herself again.
Chapter Sixteen
The planet Tabou filled the big screen in the passenger compartment of the small spaceship carrying Berossus and Efia. A grey mass of rock with only a few blotches of deep blue, and dark clouds with sparks of lightning, it was as if the planet was telling him to keep out. Learning who his father really was, and the possibility of him still being alive, changed everything for Berossus. He had left the safety of Gemma Central for an uncertain journey in the hopes of seeing his father and getting rid of his own curse.
Just then he realised they were about to go down to the planet, and as the thought registered, the familiar tingle was back. His heart jumped, and with a gasp, he turned to Efia.
Unfazed, she raised an eyebrow. ‘Something wrong?’
His heart beat faster inside his chest and the tingle turned to a burning sensation in the muscles of his forearms as he clenched his fists. ‘I can’t go down to a planet!’
‘Oh,’ Efia said. ‘I completely forgot.’
‘How could you forget?’ His breath quickened and he knew that in a moment he would lose control. ‘We have to turn back!’
‘Relax.’
Berossus gasped for air.
Efia pushed her hands forward, and gently touched his shoulders with her palms. She closed her eyes.
Her touch was like a placid stream that ran down from his shoulders, cooling his blood, his muscles, and his mind.
She opened her eyes and took her hands down. ‘You won’t turn now.’
He was panting. A droplet of sweat broke on his temple. They hadn’t changed course. They were still about to land, but his transformation had stopped.
‘What did you do?’
‘I promised I’d fix you.’
‘That was it?’ Berossus asked. He had expected something else, something more elaborate.
‘That was it. For now. I can control the symptoms, but removing the cause is more difficult.’
‘How long will it last?’ Berossus asked, still unsure about stepping onto a planet.
‘Don’t worry, as long as you’re with me, you’ll be all right.’
As the planet grew larger before them and the ship rumbled in the atmosphere, he found himself biting his finger, still nervous about landing. His heart was beating fast, but the tingle was gone. He had a hard time believing Efia could’ve stopped him from changing just like that. But when the lander touched down on the surface
of Tabou, and he didn’t even twitch, his doubts subsided.
The interplanetary spaceport at Jugnaria on Tabou was quiet like a gigawool factory. It only took a few minutes for Berossus and Efia to pass through and grab a local taxi. Efia moved as if she was a normal human being, but her long green dress with the S-shaped corset and ornate hat made her stand out from the crowd. Berossus stood out for a different reason, towering over the normal-sized Andron people.
Efia gave some coordinates to the robot-piloted taxi, and they streamed away from the spaceport and the village of Jugnaria. Soon they were heading over blue forests unlike any Berossus had seen before and towards a black mountain range, which looked as if it stretched forever.
‘Where are we headed?’
‘Wait and see, I’ve only got the coordinates,’ she said. ‘But I do know he’s turned into quite a recluse.’
Soon the taxi began a descent towards a high peak that looked like it had jagged edges and no place to land, but as they neared, a clearing emerged. Closer up, a smooth surface became visible on the mountainside, complete with a door and a small window: a dwelling. Berossus wondered how anyone could live in a place so removed from everything.
A gust of chill, moist wind hit his skin as he stepped out of the taxi. The gun-metal shade of the building’s wall and moss-covered eaves made it blend in with the mountain. There was no sign of life outside or inside the building.
Efia followed him. In the barren landscape, her long dress and hat stood out even more, as if she were going to a costume party. ‘The taxi will wait for us.’
Berossus looked around and said, ‘Maybe he’s gone fishing.’
‘I don’t believe there is a pool within a hundred kilometres of here.’
‘I’m just saying he’s not here.’
Berossus stepped onto the compact patio, and knocked on the heavy metal door.
There was no answer. Efia peered in through the small round window. There was no light inside.
With a clunk, the heavy door opened.
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