A touch on her arm, far away and faint, startled her. She’d been gone too long, she expected.
She twirled around once, drank in the splendor of the sea and opened her eyes.
Caleb’s head was tilted in mild concern as he searched her face. “Are you okay? You kind of drifted off there for a minute.”
Paratyr shot her a knowing smile—a bizarre sight on his tiny, permanently pursed mouth—and she exhaled. “I guess I did. Sorry.” The tale would wait until they were back on the Siyane.
“It’s fine. I was just making sure you were all right.” He turned to Paratyr. “Why are you watching them?”
“The Galenai’s planet is located in a star-rich region of the Maffei I galaxy. It is covered entirely in water. As we speak, the Directorate is completing construction on a new gateway which will grant them easy access to Maffei I. Once it is operational, a cycle that has been repeated numerous times will begin yet again.
“They will hunt and harvest the galaxy in an attempt to sate their ravenous appetite for materials, knowledge and greater dominions. They will discover thousands of primitive species and dozens of advanced ones. Eventually, they will discover the Galenai. Tell me, Humans, what do you believe they will do with the Galenai when they find them?”
Alex swallowed heavily. “Capture a lucky few to stick in aquariums for entertainment, then drain their oceans.”
“Our assessment as well.” Paratyr extended a hand, and the swarm of images spun until the bloody battlefield overrun with arachnids centered in front of them. “I watch this scene not to monitor the species of this world, but rather the status of their Eradication. When it is complete, the Machim commander there will take his forces to Maffei I, to the sector where the Galenai reside. After the embarrassment he is currently suffering at AD-4508b, I suspect he will be eager to engage in a display of Machim supremacy of strength.”
The Kat paused, and its treble voice grew shrill. “The Galenai have been added to the priority list for relocation to the Mosaic, but in light of the current crisis all preparations toward that goal have of necessity been placed on hold.”
We succeed, and maybe there won’t be a next one. The ‘next one’ now had a face, and she had a place to save.
She nodded understanding and forced herself to turn her back on the enchanting, blissfully innocent Galenai. “Your building here is cleverly hidden, but cloaking won’t save it when a Machim fleet arrives and bombs the planet. In fact, you should leave soon, shouldn’t you? How are you going to continue this work after the attack?”
Paratyr’s tiny, pinched lips curled up. “It is apropos that you so inquire.” It blinked, slowly as there was a lot of eye to traverse. “All is in place, and the time has indeed come. I will grant you your answer.”
The air around the Kat began to glow their trademark white-blue. Pinpricks of light exploded out from its body to disappear beyond the walls of the Mirad Vigilate.
The glass floor under their feet jolted and rose. She grabbed on to Caleb to steady herself while he growled at their host. “Paratyr, what are you doing?”
The Kat didn’t respond, and it seemed to be fully engrossed in its machinations.
The building teetered at jarring angles but stayed upright, or their perception of ‘upright,’ which was to say artificial gravity kicked in. The walls were too opaque to see outside, so while it was apparent they were traveling, she couldn’t say in what direction, to where or how fast.
Caleb glared at Paratyr, and his jaw had locked into place. “I’d grab it and strangle it until I got its attention, but we might plummet to our deaths.”
She grimaced. “Agreed. Nothing we can do for the moment except hang on.”
They landed on a surface with a rough thud some two minutes later. The dots of light receded inside the walls to eddy around Paratyr’s form then fade away.
Caleb shifted into full intimidation mode the instant they stopped moving, but Alex went to the door, pulled on her breather mask in case, and opened it.
The warm, bewitching hues of the Katoikia plains stretched out before her to the horizon. Her eyes narrowed as she peered to the left then right. She retreated inside. “We didn’t go anywhere. This is still Katoikia.”
“Is it?” Paratyr inquired, a touch of whimsy discernable in its reedy voice.
Caleb jogged over to her and stuck his head out the door long enough to scope out the scene, then leaned back inside and shut the door. His brow furrowed…abruptly he snorted and spun to Paratyr. “World builders. You all built an exact replica of your homeworld somewhere else in the universe.”
“Indeed.”
Obvious, in retrospect. She should have realized. “Do you plan to fully relocate here? Will the stasis chambers be moved here?”
“Perhaps, in time. For now all such matters are in flux.”
Caleb didn’t seem impressed. “And you don’t think the Directorate will find this place?”
“We orbit a lonely star in a resource-poor region of the Cetus Dwarf galaxy, a location the Directorate has already stripped of value and consigned to the scrap heap. It will have no cause to search for us and no reason to search for us here.”
She had the map of Amaranthe explored space stored in her eVi and called it up now. They were more than eight hundred kiloparsecs from where they’d been, give or take.
She crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. “Well, that’s fantastic for you, but we left our ship back in the Triangulum galaxy.”
AURORA
24
ROMANE
IDCC COLONY
* * *
NOAH COLLAPSED BESIDE KENNEDY with a contented sigh, utterly and blissfully spent. “Did we break the bed?”
She panted more than laughed. “Only the covers this time, I think.”
He nodded vaguely, still dizzy from the rush of afterglow. God their sex was spectacular. Even when it was bad it was great; when it was great it shattered galaxies. Astronomers were likely puzzling over spotting one or two right about now. “Good, ’cause I’m too wrecked to fix it tonight.”
Kennedy scooted closer to prop up half on his chest, golden curls tangled and sweaty and falling all over her face to tease his damp skin as she stretched up and placed a kiss on his lips.
She tasted like maraschino cherries…probably on account of maraschino cherries having been involved. She gave him a lopsided grin. “Marry me.”
His lips parted, and he tried to keep a casual expression in place. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I haven’t changed my mind since the last time you brought it up. I won’t be thought of as a gold-digger and apple polisher chasing after your family’s money and prestige.”
She scowled, and the afterglow abandoned him for safer environs. “Noah, don’t you realize you’re already thought of that way? The people who are inclined to jump to those conclusions adopted the opinion the first time we showed up together in proper society.”
“So I marry you and prove them right?” He cringed as soon as the words spilled out, and he wasn’t the least bit surprised when she immediately rolled away from him. It hadn’t come out right. It wasn’t what he meant. He didn’t know what he meant. He didn’t want to talk about this.
But she did. “Or prove them wrong. Or, I don’t know, maybe quit worrying so much about what other people think. Unless you’re covering for something else. Some other reason for saying no.”
He shifted onto his side and reached for her, relieved she didn’t flinch when he placed a hand on her shoulder. “I love you madly, and I’m not planning on going anywhere. Why isn’t that enough? Why is this so important to you?”
She studied him for a minute, wariness and a glint he couldn’t deny signaled hurt haunting her eyes, then sat up and moved back to prop against the headboard.
“My great-great-grandmother? The one who invented the impulse engine? She died in an accident during the construction of the first Jupiter orbital habitats. My gr
eat-great-grandfather devoted the rest of his life to carrying on her legacy. He took her dreams and her accomplishments and he nurtured them until they were so impactful they’re still benefiting us today.
“He didn’t do it for money—he was already wealthy. He did it because he loved her, and because he believed she deserved more than consignment to a footnote in history. She was the brilliant scientist, but he built my family. The reason why everyone knows its name today—their name—is the vision of her husband.”
She stared at her hands, and her voice dropped toward a whisper. “I’ve always thought that was the greatest love story I’d ever heard. And I guess I’ve always hoped if tragedy were to befall me, someone would honor what I’ve done, and keep alive what I’ve tried to do and couldn’t finish.”
He had no idea what to say. She’d poured out this soulful story, then tied it to a dream she’d nurtured since she was a child, and he had nothing. So he did what he was best at—he deflected. Again. “Honey, we don’t need a marriage certificate for any of those things to happen.”
“Maybe not today. But two hundred fifty years later, what remains above all is the family legacy. Without their marriage, maybe it all would’ve faded away to obscurity by the next generation.”
He reached for her more fully, trying to draw her close, but now she did pull away. “I know you think this sounds selfish and entitled and stupid. You don’t need to say it—you’ve made it perfectly clear how you feel.”
He wasn’t thinking any of those things. Instead he was thinking she’d voiced a perspective he had no frame of reference for and no clue how to fit into his own worldview so he might understand and it would be great if they could just go back to snuggling in afterglow.
“Kennedy—”
“I’m too wired to sleep. I’m going to go work for a while. Don’t wait up.” She climbed off the bed, grabbed her robe and left without so much as looking at him.
Noah fell back on the bed, kicked the wrecked covers to the floor and dragged his hands down his face. Why couldn’t one goddamn thing in this life be simple and stay that way?
25
PRESIDIO
GCDA HEADQUARTERS
* * *
“MARSHAL, I’VE PUT A MORATORIUM on the use of Dimensional Rifters in any capacity until we fully understand the ramifications of doing so. Which you know full well.”
“Despite the fact a Rifter saved your ass against Prime Minister Winslow? That must have stung.”
Nolan Bastian surveyed the manufacturing lines visible out the windows behind her as he spoke. Miriam couldn’t say if he did so out of genuine curiosity, as a reason to remain standing and loom over her in an oblique attempt at intimidation or, conversely, to provide an excuse to not look her in the eye.
She followed his gaze, but the view was the same as always: the deliberate and swift assembly of one cutting-edge ship after another after another, as rapidly as prudence allowed.
“Yes. Despite that fact. Did you travel all the way to the Presidio and into my office for some purpose beyond asking questions you clearly know the answers to? Because I fail to see what you are accomplishing by being here.”
“I’m here to review whether these new weapons upgrades and engine modifications you’re putting in your ships are safe before I decide whether to allow Federation vessels to occupy the same vicinity as AEGIS ones. If you’re doing nothing more than shoving untested, poorly understood alien tech into existing systems, the answer will be no. I’m in your office to satisfy myself that you’re devoting sufficient effort to determining the cause of the tragedy at the Lunar SSR Center.”
She stared at him deadpan. “Tell me: how much of your mouthing off did Eleni Gianno tolerate before she threw you out of her office?”
“Typically? A fair amount less than you.”
“As I thought. Marshal Bastian, I am trying to work with you, and I appreciate that, being new to your job, you are juggling a lot of things coming at you from every direction. Now, I’m not asking you to trust me because your predecessor trusted me, for I accept the necessity of earning your trust anew, as you must mine.
“I’m merely asking for a centimeter of consideration, of recognition it’s possible—possible—I know what I am doing.”
He stepped back in apparent surprise. “Oh, make no mistake, Commandant Solovy. I have no doubt you are thoroughly, even exceptionally, competent at your job. I simply reserve the right to disagree with you. On any given matter, at any given time.”
She dipped her chin. “Fine. It is certainly your prerogative to do so. Try to be more clear in the future, though, as you’ll find directness is a superior tack to getting a considered response from me. In what way, specifically, do you disagree with me today?”
“I’m not….” He glanced away, and she chalked up calling his bluff as a victory. “I have concerns about the amount of resources being thrown at AEGIS—at the entire GCDA organization—blindly and without question.”
“ ‘Concerns’ is a weasel word and something you’ll find supreme military leaders don’t have the luxury of indulging in. But since I am trying, I’ll help you out this one time—what you mean is you don’t like AEGIS working in concert with the Metigens.” She hadn’t missed his aversion-laden use of the term ‘alien tech’ earlier.
He stared at her sharply even as his tone softened. “Are you going to force me to add ‘perceptive’ to ‘competent,’ Commandant? The colony I grew up on, Dair, was wiped out in the Metigen War. The invaders killed millions and left behind a wasteland we had no choice but to abandon. So, no, I don’t ‘like’ you working with the Metigens.”
“I understand, Marshal. I don’t particularly care for it, either.”
“Is that so? You seem a bit cozy with them to me.”
“Cozy?” She almost laughed. “Should you keep your position for a while, one day you will grasp the absurdity of what you just said. No, Marshal, I am not ‘cozy’ with the aliens who killed over fifty million people in a bid to annihilate us.
“What I am is a realist, and this is our reality: an alien species far more numerous, armed and ill-tempered than the Metigens will discover us soon. When they do they will crush us out of existence unless we are strong enough to stop them.
“The work we’re doing here at the Presidio? The ships, the tech, the research, the training? We’re doing it because if we don’t, one day in the not so distant future, we all die. The sooner you come to terms with this reality, the sooner you can stop obstructing and start helping.”
Miriam closed the door after Bastian left. He’d departed properly cowed, but it hadn’t been an easy win.
She never resented working with an equal, and while she wasn’t yet ready to accept him as such given she’d never seen him maneuver through a true crisis, she conceded it was possible he’d ultimately make the cut. But when one had become accustomed to issuing orders free from challenge, encountering dogged resistance to them could be a mite exhausting.
Humility demanded she welcome it. Vanity left her ruing it.
In some ways, Bastian reminded her a little of David: all hotheaded fire and righteous zeal. She was far from convinced the man had the temperance of judgment to go with the traits needed to make him a great military leader, but only time and crises would tell.
Her too-brief solitude came to an end when Malcolm Jenner arrived. Considering she’d summoned him, she couldn’t fault the interruption. He’d be sorry he came in any event, once he heard what she had to tell him.
She refilled a teacup which had long ago gone cold and welcomed him in. “Brigadier Jenner, thank you for coming on short notice.”
“Of course, Commandant.” He sat across from her. “Is there news from…beyond the portal?”
If only there were. “Not as of yet. I don’t want to keep you when I know you’re as busy as I am, so let me get straight to the point. I’ve received some unfortunate news. Two of your former squadmates, Captains Paredes and Devore, were killed in
a training accident on Arcadia yesterday.”
He blinked then swallowed as the words penetrated. “A training accident? What does that mean?”
“Honestly? It means the investigators don’t know what happened. Not yet. Since there are no active hostilities ongoing and there was not an overt hostile attack in the vicinity, it’s an accident until it’s determined otherwise.”
“They were top-notch Marines. People with their skills don’t have accidents.”
“Sometimes they do, Brigadier. No one is infallible.”
He shook his head distractedly. “Yes, ma’am. I wish to be granted access to the on-scene report and be added to the investigation update distribution.”
His rank permitted it. “I’ll see to it. And please, take any leave you need to attend their funerals.”
“Thank you.” He saluted, turned on a heel and left. The departure was unusually curt for him, and also completely understandable.
Before she could so much as consider what was next on her plate, Richard appeared at her doorway to provide a new answer.
Richard nodded a greeting to Malcolm as they passed outside Miriam’s office but didn’t take the time to stop and speak. He didn’t have spare time to give away, and the man didn’t look to be in a chatting mood.
The door to her office closed behind him, and he entered a code on the panel to activate the surveillance shielding then spun to face her. “You have a leak in the ASCEND team tasked with studying the Anaden’s body. Or you had one at a minimum—it may have taken care of itself.”
“What?”
He opened an aural and sent it over to her. “Dr. Weil Symansi, a biomedical scientist on loan from Hemiska Research. He sold a copy of a portion of the Anaden’s cybernetic coding to an unknown party for Ͻ800,000.”
“Since you’re standing here, I assume you’ve already arrested him and locked him down in an interrogation room.”
Relativity: Aurora Resonant Book One (Aurora Rhapsody 7) Page 16