Jupiter Winds

by C. J. Darlington

  * * *

  Chapter 42

  As soon as the Jeep was out of sight, Mom ran across the clearing to Dad, Grey right behind her. One of the guards cut off Dad’s restraints.

  Her parents embraced, and five years of longing turned to joy. They held each other, tears streaming down both of their faces.

  “Where were you?” Mom whispered. “We searched for weeks after the crash.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I hit the surface hard. I think I was out for two days. When I woke up, I couldn’t find you or the crew. I thought you all were dead. If I hadn’t found a group of refugees that took me, I would be too.”

  He kept hold of Mom but opened his arms to Grey. “Come here, kiddo.”

  Grey fell into his embrace too.

  “Look at you,” he said. “So tall and pretty.”

  She leaned into his chest. “I missed you, Daddy.”

  Finally, all three of them turned to Mrs. March. Her father explained how right after the first explosions hit the dome and the Mazdaar soldiers were in a panic Dana had taken him from his cell, out an underground exit, and into the woods.

  “Where’s Rinny?” he asked.

  Grey told him, and he insisted on going straight to see her. He still looked pale from the macro-shocks he’d received, and she and Mom had to support him under the arms as they slowly walked toward the cosmoship together.

  They started up the cargo ramp, but not before Grey noticed Mrs. March huddle with several of the Yien guards beside the ship. She was obviously giving orders, and they were intently listening.

  “I’ll meet you inside,” Grey said to her parents, then headed straight for her former neighbor.

  Mrs. March turned as she approached.

  “Why did you let her go?” Grey waved in the direction of the Jeep. “After what she’s done?”

  Mrs. March gave her a tight smile. “We’re not done with Evangeline. I had to give her to Dana to save your father, but I specifically did not promise her we wouldn’t follow them.” Mrs. March tried to usher Grey up into the ship. “But this is not something you need to worry about, dear. Your family needs you. Go enjoy them.”

  Grey wanted to obey her and revel in her reunited family, but she knew she could never fully enjoy it knowing General Yurkutz was still out there. As long as she was alive, her family would always be in danger.

  She jutted out her chin. “If you’re following them, I’m going with you.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  Grey stood her ground while trying to remain respectful. “Mrs. March, you taught me how to survive in the Preserve. You trusted me to get information to your operatives. I always came back safely, even when the odds were against me.”

  “Yes, and every time I worried like a mother hen. If something had happened to you I would never have forgiven myself. Grey, you have done well. Now your family needs you.”

  She followed Mrs. March up the ramp. “So do you and Jet. You know I’m a good tracker. I can help.”

  Mrs. March rolled her eyes, throwing her hands in the air. “Oh, Lord, when will I learn how persistent an Alexander can be?”

  Grey followed her to the ship’s armory in silence, knowing better than to push too far. The compact space was filled with rifles, graphene body suits, and even a mechanical robot “ox” for use in the field to carry heavy equipment.

  “I will allow you to go on three conditions,” Mrs. March finally said. “One, your parents must agree.” She ticked off a finger. “Two, you will not engage Evangeline or Dana in any way.”

  Grey was already nodding, mentally calculating how far they could’ve gotten by now. That Jeep was certainly capable of speed, but the terrain would slow them down considerably. How much fuel did it have?

  “And three, I will accompany you.”

  “What?”

  “A large party will draw attention. I had already decided to send only two. And you are right.” Mrs. March smiled. “You are a good tracker.”

  ***

  Her parents were harder to convince, but when Grey assured them she’d be with Mrs. March the whole time, they consented, though it was hard to forget the look of sad resignation on her mother’s face.

  Ten minutes later, Grey had Tram and Trif tacked up and ready to go. She handed Mrs. March Trif’s reins and led Tram out of the pen.

  “Have you ridden before?” Grey asked.

  Mrs. March laughed. “You really don’t know me, do you?”

  “And whose fault is that?” Grey said it with a grin, but a small part of her wished she’d been old enough for these Yien officers to trust her and Rin with their secrets back in the Preserve. Maybe it had protected them not to know, but she felt like she was only now meeting the real Mrs. March, the same way she’d only just met her real parents.

  They mounted and rode off without fanfare. Commander March would keep in contact with Jet and the base via a radio plug in her ear. Until Yien could get satellites orbiting, everyone would have to rely on old-fashioned methods for long-range communications. To the connected it would feel backwards, but Grey didn’t have any trouble adapting.

  She had opted to ride with a removable ocelli implant like the one she’d used back home. It didn’t require the long distance signals other equipment needed, and she could activate it with a bracelet controller just like her old one.

  Side by side on the zorses, a pang of longing for the Preserve hit her.

  “Can we ever go back home?” Grey asked.

  “Do you want to?”

  She urged Tram into a trot with a small squeeze of her calves. “I’m not sure.”

  “When we took off, they were bombing the Preserve,” Mrs. March said. “I don’t know how much is even left.”

  “The silo?”

  “You would never be safe there again.”

  Regret washed over her. The only home she’d ever known was gone, probably destroyed. Grey stared at the distorted Jupiter trees, the swirling orange clouds and multi-colored dirt. There was a beauty here she couldn’t deny, but Earth was still in her blood.

  “What do we do when we find them?” Grey felt herself relaxing on Tram’s familiar back.

  “We need to track where they go.” Mrs. March kept up on Trif, seemingly as at ease on a zorse as she was in a cockpit. “That’s it.”

  “I don’t understand why we don’t just capture them.”

  “I gave my word.”

  “But this is war. That’s different.”

  “To some.”

  Grey and Mrs. March followed the Jeep’s tracks easily in the powdery soil. The tracks showed that Dana had had to drive around the forest since the space between the trees wouldn’t allow for a vehicle that size.

  “We should cut through the woods,” Grey said. “We’ll shave off time.”

  Mrs. March nodded. “Lead on.”

  “Give Trif free rein, and he’ll follow me.” Grey touched Tram’s sides with her heels. “Go, boy!”

  He immediately jumped into a lope, dashing through the trees. She gave him his head and trusted him to carry her through the forest without smacking her into any branches. She could hear Trif’s hooves following close behind. At this rate, they might be able to cut the pair off on the other side.

  Mrs. March had given Grey strict orders not to engage, and she’d learned her lesson about going rogue. She wasn’t risking Mrs. March’s life on an impulse for revenge, though fire still burned inside her when she thought about seeing Yurkutz again, even at a distance.

  They wove their way through the trees, slowing to cross a stream that shimmered like silver. This must be the water Mom had talked about, the stuff that fueled the lanterns. As they passed through the shallow water, Tram spooked at a huge shadowy figure under the surface that looked like the biggest scorpion Grey had ever seen. It darted away before she could even ask Mrs. March what it was.

  As the trees thinned and Grey could see the sky in front of them, she slowed Tram to a walk, and Mrs. March mirrored h
er on Trif. The zorses were sweating and breathing hard, but she knew they loved the exercise. They were happiest when they were doing something. Just like her.

  “How can anyone be so evil?” Grey whispered.

  “She is deceived.”

  Grey pulled up gently on her reins before they left the safety of the forest. She dismounted, tying Tram to one of the low-hanging branches. Mrs. March did the same with Trif.

  Grey tapped at her bracelet controller, switching to the ocelli’s panoramic view. She hoped they’d arrived in time to beat the Jeep.

  “See anything?” Mrs. March asked.

  “Maybe.” Grey crept toward the clearing. There were now only a few trunks protecting her from view. They had to tread carefully from here.

  She scanned the meadow with the curly, angel-hair grass in front of them and the buttes beyond. They probably weren’t far from Mom’s old camp now. Grey pointed to an object on the edge of the woods about a hundred yards to their left. “There.”

  It was the Jeep.

  * * *

  Chapter 43

  Grey zoomed in on the Jeep with the ocelli, but she saw no signs of General Yurkutz or Dana. Had they abandoned the vehicle or ran out of fuel? Maybe they’d tried to push through the brush and the tires had gotten caught on something.

  “Wait,” Mrs. March mouthed, and Grey agreed with a quick nod. They needed to make sure Dana and her mother were definitely no longer in the area before they approached.

  After staking it out for fifteen minutes, they were convinced the Mazdaar women had deserted the vehicle. Grey carefully picked her way through the trees toward the Jeep, Mrs. March right beside her. Each of them now firmly held the blueflare rifles they’d slung across their backs while riding.

  How far could Dana and her wounded mother possibly have gone? Jupiter’s night would be coming in just a few hours, and they’d have to travel between lightning flashes or take cover somewhere safe in the forest before the winds came again and the animals began hunting. Grey got more nervous with each step toward the Jeep. If they were on foot, she and Mrs. March could catch up with them on Tram and Trif. Maybe she could talk Mrs. March into taking the women as prisoners after all.

  She glided the final yards through the trees to the vehicle. Mrs. March signaled for Grey to approach from the passenger side while she approached the driver’s side. A quick check confirmed the Jeep was empty.

  Mrs. March opened the door and seemed to be checking the vehicle’s gauges. “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “What?” Grey peered inside too.

  “The fuel gauge says there’s still half a tank.”

  “They broke down?”

  “These vehicles were in pristine condition,” Mrs. March said.

  Examining the tires, which showed no signs of damage, Grey had to agree there didn’t seem to be anything wrong on the outside of the Jeep. But she knew nothing of autos. Pristine or not, something as old as this could break at any time, right? Standing side-by-side, their backs to the forest, they stared at the vehicle.

  “What should we do?”

  A sickening thud answered her, and Mrs. March dropped to the ground.

  Grey whirled to see Dana poised over the commander, a branch the size of her arm raised and ready to strike again.

  “No! Stop!” Grey aimed her rifle.

  Laser fire sizzled through the air, and before Grey could pull the trigger the rifle flew from her hands, its muzzle twisted into a gnarled, smoking hunk of metal.

  The Mazdaar general limped from the trees, aiming a violetflare straight at Grey’s heart.

  “What did I tell you?” Yurkutz called to her daughter. “I knew they’d follow us.”

  Dana still had her club raised but didn’t strike Mrs. March again. Had she killed her? No. Grey saw the old woman’s hand twitch.

  Yurkutz pursed her lips. “How many others are coming?”

  Grey thought about lying and promising a whole squadron was right behind them, but she didn’t know if that would make this better or worse.

  At her silence, the woman swung the weapon toward Mrs. March. “I said how many others?”

  “None,” Grey muttered.

  The Mazdaar general’s yellow eyes narrowed.

  “It’s just us.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  She shrugged, trying to pretend she didn’t care. Was this how it was all going to end? After escaping the general’s grasp the first time, was she going to die at her hand now?

  Grey tried to stay calm. She had just been reunited with her family. She should’ve listened to Mrs. March and stayed with them. They needed her, and now she wasn’t going to be able to help them at all.

  “Tie her up,” Yurkutz ordered her daughter with a nod at Mrs. March’s still form. “I saw some rope in the back of the Jeep.”

  Grey knew better than to try and fight them both. Even with Yurkutz’s wounded leg, the two would overpower her, and she’d be putting Mrs. March’s life at risk. It was better to wait.

  Dana flipped Mrs. March onto her back, roughly wrapping rope around her hands. She tied the woman’s ankles too, cinching the rope tight. It was all Grey could do to keep from punching Dana.

  “What are you going to do with her?”

  With a chuckle, Yurkutz hobbled closer. “And I thought you were valuable.” She kicked at Mrs. March’s foot. “Help Dana put her in the Jeep. If you try anything, I will kill her and enjoy it.”

  Grey moved toward Mrs. March. If she grabbed the old woman’s radio, could she transmit something before they noticed? Grey scooped Mrs. March up in her arms by herself. At least she could carry her gently over to the Jeep.

  Mrs. March moaned as she placed her on the back seat.

  “It’ll be okay,” Grey whispered, her fingers brushing the radio plug. Before she could grab it, Dana yanked her away from Mrs. March, and for a second the two girls faced each other.

  If it had been just the two of them, Grey would’ve fought without hesitation. But she’d be no good to Mrs. March dead, and that’s exactly what she’d be if she struck Yurkutz’s daughter.

  Grey backed away from the auto, facing Yurkutz again. The Mazdaar general’s normally-spiked hair lay flat on her head, dried blood clumping the strands on her temple.

  “You can kill me, but you’re still not gonna win,” Grey said softly, suddenly catching a whiff of an iron-tinged smell that somehow seemed familiar.

  Yurkutz raised the violetflare. “Neither are you, Alexander.”

  “Wait, what are you doing?” Dana stepped forward. “We got March; that’s what you wanted.”

  Shaking her head, Yurkutz shifted off her wounded leg. “No one crosses me and lives. Or have you forgotten that too?”

  The metallic scent grew stronger. Grey had smelled it before, but where? Certainly not here on Jupiter.

  “But you said we’d keep them both alive!” Dana glanced at Grey with bloodshot eyes.

  The corner of the general’s mouth twisted. “I lied.”

  She swung the laser back to Grey, straightening her arm. And Grey knew it was over. There was no one to rescue her this time. She was going to die.

  I’m yours now, God. I guess I always have been, haven’t I?

  “Mother, no!”

  The barrel of the weapon flashed just as Dana threw herself between Grey and Yurkutz. Laser beam met flesh, and Dana fell to the mossy forest floor and lay still.

  Grey froze, taking in her fallen body. Was she dead?

  Yurkutz stepped over to her daughter and knelt down, and the metallic odor wafted to Grey’s nose again, only stronger. She remembered where she’d smelled it before. Grey surreptitiously brushed her bracelet controller with her finger, and the ocelli responded instantly.

  She scanned the trees and spotted a flash of orange fur. But Mazdaar General Evangeline Yurkutz did not. As she stood and aimed to fire again at Grey, a low growl reverberated through the trees. Yurkutz’s eyes flicked to the side a moment too la
te as the tiger lunged from behind its cover of brush. Her eyes widened in terror as the tiger leapt at her. The general collapsed to the ground under the massive animal’s body, and with one snap of its jaws, her scream cut off in a gurgle.

  Grey reached down and picked up Yurkutz’s weapon. She carefully backed away, her eyes never leaving the gigantic feline. It stood over Yurkutz in triumph, paws planted on her chest.

  Slowly, Grey dropped down and pressed her fingers to Dana’s wrist, surprised to feel a faint pulse. The tiger’s ears twitched, and it backed off Yurkutz’s body and lay down beside her.

  That’s when Kildare Rooley emerged from the trees.

  Kildare gave Grey a slight nod, but she could only stare at the lifeless body of the Mazdaar general.

  * * *

  Chapter 44

  You sure you’re up for this?” Grey supported Rin, helping her navigate the cosmoship’s narrow corridor.

  “You don’t exactly say no to the emperor’s son,” Rin said.

  “He’d understand.”

  “I’m fine, Grey.”

  “You shouldn’t even be out of bed.”

  Her little sister smiled up at her. “You know I’m never letting you out of my sight again, right?”

  Grey patted Rin on the head as if she was five, and her sister ducked out from under her, laughing. For the first time since arriving on Jupiter everything felt right, and Grey allowed herself to just enjoy being with her sister again. Rin was safe. Mom and Dad were alive, and so was Mrs. March. She’d suffered a mild concussion from Dana’s blow but was already back to work against doctor’s orders.

  Dana hadn’t been so lucky. She was still hanging on to life this morning but lay unconscious in the intensive care unit. Grey might never know why, after her traitorous defection from Mrs. March, she had tried to save her. Rin had spent an hour by the girl’s bedside this morning, even though she herself was still weak.

  “Tram and Trif are okay?” Rin asked.