Warriors of Phaeton: Paine and Rowe

by Leora Gonzales

  A fire started by old wiring in the basement of her childhood home had wiped out everyone she loved in one single swoop. She’d had to arrange funerals for her parents, her four brothers, and her abuela. Sleeping over at a friend’s house the night it happened had spared her from her family’s fate, but there had been times she’d wished she’d been home. Her teenage shoulders had taken on more than an adult weight, and she still felt the strain. Her life may have been spared that night, but she wasn’t spared the guilt of being the only one who lived. The counselors had said survivors’ guilt was common and tried their hand at helping, but nothing had worked. It had almost broken her.

  She’d suffered from nightmares then too. In those days, she’d had the numbness brought on by the loss on her side, making them easier to block out. Not long after, she was so busy dealing with everything that the scary dreams that had once taunted her were locked in a box and stored away.

  Her saving grace had come when she’d gotten a job at a diner making pies. She was able to bake the pies overnight and take classes during the day at the local community college. It wasn’t the four-year university her parents had planned on her attending after graduation, but Indigo had made her choice.

  A proper burial for the people she loved had come at the expense of the modest college fund her family had been pouring money into since before she’d been born.

  She had absolutely no regrets.

  She’d made do. It was hard and the schedule was grueling, but she loved what she did, and she was grateful for the reprieve the exhaustion gave her at night. There was no free time penciled into her calendar with her days starting at three thirty in the morning and ending close to midnight. Getting up before the sun rose to have fresh pies ready for the diner’s breakfast rush had been tiring but manageable. It had been the business classes that were the harder part of her day. Making pies was nothing compared to sitting in a classroom listening to her professor drone on and on. The only reason she’d managed to ace those classes was because she knew how much she needed them when it came to her future and pies.

  Thinking of pies reminded Indigo of something she’d been working on earlier. Glancing around, she tried to see if she could spot any of the cooks mingling about as she made her way to Junie. A few days ago, she’d cornered one of the cooks and begged for some of the sweeter fruits they had stored in the tunnels. A little bit of lip pouting and puppy dog eyes and she was assured they would check their supply and let her know. She’d forgotten about the fruit until just this second, and now she wanted to kick her own ass.

  Considering she was leaving tomorrow, she was out of time.

  Indigo shook that sad thought away as she snuck up behind Junie and the group of Djaromir men that surrounded her. Tucking herself beside Warlord Sparx, the warlord visiting from Hamuir, she tried to subtly get Juniper’s attention.

  “Pssst,” Indigo hissed, giving Junie a gentle nudge.

  The guys were talking in somewhat hushed tones and it looked like Juniper was trying to listen in without looking like she was listening in.

  “Go. Away.”

  Indigo’s mouth dropped open when Juniper managed to say the two words without moving her lips.

  “You never told me you were a ventriloquist!” she whisper-yelled.

  Juniper whipped her head around to glare at her before darting her eyes to the guys and back again.

  “I get it. You wanna hear what’s goin’ on,” Indigo whispered, “but you know K’hor will just tell you everything later, right?”

  Her friend made a face at her before agreeing with a nod.

  “Come on. I only have a little longer to convince you to forget the big guy and take off with me.” Indigo bit her lip to stop from laughing when Sparx—apparently doing some listening of his own—let out a barely audible chuckle.

  “Oh stop.” Juniper waved her away. “I’m trying to listen-ay.”

  “Was that supposed to be pig latin?” Indigo snorted when Juniper nodded and mouthed “duh.” “Well, it was just awful. You should be ashamed of your pig latin skills. Seriously.”

  “You’re not going to go away, are you?” her friend hissed.

  “Nope,” she whispered back. “How else am I going to find out if I can re-program you or not.”

  “Dear Lord.” Juniper tightened her smile, the effect more scary than happy.

  Indigo could see she was starting to crack.

  “You’re absolutely certain you haven’t been brainwashed?” Indigo whispered. “What about hypnotized?”

  “I’m sure.” Juniper spoke through the frozen smile she had pasted on her face.

  “You’re sure you have been? Or you’re sure you haven’t been?” Indigo whispered obnoxiously loud.

  “I’m sure I haven’t been,” Juniper repeated, obviously struggling to maintain a straight face.

  Juniper tried to shoo her away again.

  No way, Jose.

  Indigo jerked her chin, gesturing for Juniper to follow her.

  Her friend shook her head.

  “Yes,” Indigo mouthed silently.

  “No,” Juniper mouthed back just as quietly.

  Indigo glared at her before crossing her eyes and sticking out her tongue.

  Juniper crossed her arms.

  Indigo moved a little until she was partially hidden behind Sparx’s back.

  Juniper frowned at her.

  Using his body as a shield, Indigo began making faces. Not just any faces; no, these were the most hideous faces she could think of. At one point she even had drool streaming out of her mouth showcasing her commitment to the portrayal of a real-life zombie—err as accurate as she could be while still breathing.

  She managed to keep this up for about two minutes without anyone noticing. Each time one of the men would move as if to see what she was doing, Indigo instantly stopped and acted normal. It took a whole lot to get the timing right and not to drip spit down the front of her dress, but she was pulling it off miraculously.

  A snort followed by a giggle followed by a strange choking sound, and then all of a sudden, Juniper was trying so hard not to laugh that Indigo started to worry her friend was going to piss herself.

  “What if he’s fed you some type of…psychedelic or injected you with something that’s made you compliant like a robot—” Indigo clutched her chest and made a horrified face, trying to think of what might tip her friend over the edge. “Is that even you anymore, Junie? Am I looking at a pod person or worse…a Stepford wife?!”

  Sparx shot a startled look over his shoulder at Indigo’s dramatic performance. K’hor and Matrix looked at them as well, all conversation stopping as they gave varying looks of amusement.

  “Sorry,” Indigo said with a wave, only slight embarrassed to have made a spectacle out of herself. “Don’t mind me.”

  Juniper snorted.

  “Excuse me,” Juniper said to the men.

  Indigo jumped when Juniper grabbed her arm and started pulling her away.

  “I can’t believe you called me a Stepford wife.” Juniper shivered. “Just the thought of that weird, vapid smile and perfectly pressed apron gives me chills.”

  Indigo cackled as she allowed herself to be led to a trestle table farther away from the crowd. “I couldn’t get you to come with me, and I need to talk to you before you disappear with DHT.”

  Juniper bumped her shoulder as they sat down. “He hates when you call him that.”

  “I know, but it’s all your fault.” Indigo poked Juniper in the side playfully. “You’re the one that had to point it out, and now it’s the only thing I can see. Especially the similarity in the one movie where his hair is darker looking and short.”

  Her friend had totally scored a dead ringer for a “dark-haired Thor.” Looking back at the guys they’d just left, Indigo couldn’t help but be a teensy bit wistful that she hadn’t found her own DHT in the bunch.

  “I know, right? That’s exactly what I thought the first time I saw him. Now, he gets
all huffy when I mention it. He’s basically put the kibosh on anything Marvel, and you know how much I love my guys,” Juniper complained, keeping a grin on her face. “I thought it would get better if I gave him a new nickname, but he shoots down all the ones I suggest.”

  “I still think you somehow need to incorporate his amazing ass into it. How about Mr. FantAsstic.” Indigo wiggled her eyebrows.

  “Pfttt,” Juniper snorted. “Hard pass.”

  “I think it’s a suggestion that deserves a second thought, but I’ll drop it for now because I have something important I want to talk about,” Indigo announced, her breath catching in her chest as she thought of everything that had happened. “God, it seemed like it was just the other day we were being told we had to wait a month. Then I blinked and it’s time to go.”

  “I know.” Juniper leaned into her, wrapping an arm around Indigo’s shoulders. “What’s going on?”

  “I—” she started, shaking her head. “I think it’s just that I didn’t expect to be sad about leaving. I mean, I’m pissed off that I made a really rad friend and she lives in space now. Why couldn’t we have met back on Earth and been friends then?”

  “I’ve thought the same thing. I wish you were staying. Hell, I wish you could have found a mate here, Indy,” Juniper whispered, looking as if she might cry. “Are you sure you want to leave? There’s still a chance that you have a match living in one of the other cities. You haven’t even met a fraction of the miners here. I’m positive that if you stayed, we’d find the one for you.”

  “That’s not it either, Junie. I’m actually relieved that none of these guys flipped my switch.” Indigo bit her lip at the truth bomb she was about to drop. “I never planned on staying. Never.”

  “I’m not following you.”

  Juniper sounded as confused as Indigo felt.

  “I only signed up to get the stipend,” Indigo admitted on one breath. “I figured for all that cash for thirty days of my time on some fancy spaceship—” She snorted and shrugged. “If life has taught me anything, it’s that you have to take a chance when you see one. So, I did. I took my chance. I thought it was going to be easy. Sign up, avoid the guy for a month, and then head home with enough money to do what I want to do.” Indigo tapped her fingernails on the table, as she looked around the room. “That’s karma though. I tried to take the easy way, and now I’m paying for it.”

  “What were your plans for the money?” Juniper asked, her expression curious. “Did you want to go to school? Buy a house?”

  Indigo bit her lip, her expression cautious. “I wanted to open up my own bakery,” she said softly.

  “A bakery? Like cakes and stuff?” Juniper’s mouth fell open in surprise.

  “Yep. I worked at a little place before I left, and my pies were their number-one seller. My own recipe, of course,” Indigo added, her voice filled with pride. “I’m not lying when I say that the only reason that place was as busy as it was, was because of me. I can make the best damn cherry pie you’ve ever eaten.”

  “I love pie,” Juniper sighed, her eyes dreamy.

  The look on Juniper’s face made Indigo laugh.

  “Everyone loves pie, but my pie is the best.” Indigo laughed. “I wanted my own place but couldn’t qualify for a loan and had no collateral to put down. I’d heard about the stipend from a friend who’d considered signing up, so I knew there was a guaranteed payoff if I could somehow get through it. The Pact was my ticket to get enough start-up to make pies for myself.”

  “So…you’re just going back to Earth? Just like that?” Juniper asked. “What are you going to tell the Phaetons?”

  “That I couldn’t get a loan and applied under false pretenses?” she suggested with more than a little sarcasm still feeling the weight of the guilt. “It would probably work in my favor to add that since we were kidnapped, I should still get the money for all of the potential pain and suffering I’ve endured.”

  Juniper gave her the look.

  “I’m kidding. I’m kidding.” Indigo held up her hands.

  Kind of.

  No stipend meant she had no way of supporting herself once her feet were back on solid ground, but that was something she refused to worry about right now. Her head was already too busy simply trying to get her through the day running on as little sleep as she was. The last thing she wanted weighing her down even further was thoughts of the reality of her future, so she tried to keep it light.

  “I guess I’ll just tell them that I want to go home. That this was a stupid idea and I’m punching the eject button before something crazier happens.” She snorted. “I’ve taken some risks before, but this is the first time it’s gotten me almost-kidnapped—to my knowledge at least.”

  Juniper gave her a strange look. “You’re so odd.”

  “Don’t look at me like that. Ride share apps are super scary. I’ve known people who know people who have cousins that almost get kidnapped all the time,” Indigo said with a shrug. “I know it’s probably stupid, but I have my fingers crossed that I can still somehow get the stipend, but if not, I don’t even fucking care anymore. I’m just happy some space mercenary isn’t out there raping and pillaging the galaxy while wearing an Indigo suit.”

  Indigo shivered at the mental image her own words evoked.

  “Wowza, I just creeped myself out.”

  Juniper shook her head. “Your mind goes to the strangest places.”

  “Try living inside it.” Indigo smirked. “Anyhoo, the place I was at before I had this dumb idea in the first place will probably take me back.”

  “Really? You’re going back to make pies like none of this ever happened?” she asked.

  “Somebody’s got to make amazing pies for the masses, amirite?” Indigo joked. “Plus, considering I was responsible for their number-one seller, they’d probably agree to give me more money too.” Indigo shrugged. “I’m sorry, Junie. I don’t mean to be such a buzzkill, but you have to see that we were here for different reasons. You signed up looking for your other half and you found it. You even landed one of the guys in charge for fuck’s sake. Your title is Lady Juniper. You have a title. How surreal is that? This entire mess turned out to be an ah-mazing experience for you.”

  “It did, didn’t it,” she acknowledged with a dreamy look on her face.

  “Yeah, it did. My story is different though.” Indigo reached over to squeeze her hand. “I signed up looking for a way to finance my business and got kidnapped. The end.”

  She almost winced at the look of pity she could see in Juniper’s eyes.

  “Give me a hug,” Indigo ordered, holding her arms out. She was going to put on a happy face if it killed her. “I’m going to say a quick adios to Lottie, and then I’m going to crash. Tomorrow’s gonna be a doozie.”

  “Get some sleep.” Juniper sniffed, squeezing her close.

  The pair rocked back and forth a few times, holding each other tight.

  “I love ya, bitch,” Indigo whispered. Taking a deep breath, she let go. Looking over Juniper’s shoulder, she winked. “Do me a favor and make him mad every now and then. I think he’s sexier when he’s a little pissed off.”

  Waving as she walked away, Indigo realized she didn’t have the heart to say good-bye to anyone else tonight. She was not only tired as hell, she was in a weird mood and didn’t want her last memories to be clouded by that.

  Hopefully, her head would cooperate tonight and let her get some much-needed sleep.

  Chapter Six

  Paine paced before the large view screen that framed their view of Djaromir. The violent-looking static storm that had previously covered the planet’s surface had cleared a bit. Not much, but it was enough for him to notice the slight improvement from earlier.

  “How much longer?” he asked. His impatience couldn’t be contained any longer.

  Rowe looked up from the displays in front of him. “The readings have not changed since the last time you asked me, brother, and that was barely ten minutes a
go.” Raising his brow, he gave Paine a look. “The system has projected it will take a few more hours to completely stabilize, but it has already been decided that we shall wait until morning.”

  “Why?” Paine asked, tapping his finger against the railing of the flight deck. “I don’t see why we cannot land as soon as the storms clear. They know we’re here waiting for over a month now.”

  Rowe leaned back, his posture relaxed as he watched Paine pace. “Then waiting a little while longer will not be an issue.”

  “Our bride is down there,” Paine growled, pointing at the view of the planet below.

  Rowe chuckled. “I know she’s down there, Paine. What I don’t understand is your inability to—how would Poppy say it? Oh yes, chill the fuck out.”

  “I cannot,” he moaned, covering his face with his hands before moving them to his hair, giving it a tug of frustration. “I am on edge, Rowe. I’ve been on edge since the moment we arrived, and those fucking storms have kept us here hovering.”

  “Don’t take your anger at the situation out on me, Paine. I’m just as anxious as you,” Rowe said, nodding to one of the screens. “Do you think I like watching this for fun? I can tell you exactly how far that static storm has moved in the last hour, including how my own projections differ from what the model shows.”

  “What?” Paine braced himself, worried his heart might stop if his brother said it would be even longer before they were able to land. He’d barely managed to hang on this long, and if Rowe said it was going to be even more time…well, he didn’t know what he’d end up doing.

  “All of the readings are showing that landing wouldn’t be possible for at least five more hours. Since that would be in the middle of their sleep cycle, it was decided that we wait until morning. They even gave us a specific time to arrive.”

  Paine waved his hand, not interested in that part of the matter. “How is your projection different?”

  “I see it clearing up well before then. Most likely within the next hour.”

  “Well then what are we waiting for?” Paine jumped up and clapped his hands. “We still have time tonight to get our bride.”