Star Brigade: Ascendant (SB4)

by C. C. Ekeke

  The woman cocked her head to one side. “Dead. As is your son.”

  The bloodless reply landed so bluntly, Praece immediately knew it to be true. He staggered back, breathing suddenly difficult. As was staying upright. A universe without Saerece made no sense, stabbing him in the chest a million times. And his son, an innocent… Praece should call security or any help. But the senator couldn’t catch his breath. “Why?” he gasped out.

  “Consider this a message from Tomoriq Fel.”

  Praece never saw her move, or detected the rapid-fire blows coming. Only after the Ttaunz lay on the floor, bleeding from multiple wounds, did he realize what happened. The woman loomed over him imperiously, her eyes gleaming like jagged purple starbursts.

  “Oh,” Praece wheezed, blood pooling around his dying body. Darkness swept over him quickly—a small mercy.

  ***

  An orv later, residents of a secluded Muunica community were rudely jarred from their slumber. Not by internal alarms imbedded in their optical nerves or by their bothersome spouses. Not even by nanny-mechs who cared for their offspring.

  These highborn Ttaunz woke to the sound of an explosion so potent, the aftershocks could be felt within a ten-mile radius. Looking out their gilded viewports, the sight greeting these startled Ttaunz was the flaming ruin of Senator Praece’s palatial estate. What hadn’t been destroyed by the initial explosion was getting devoured by angry orange flames leaping into the heavens.

  By then, Antila Grace was long gone from the scene of the crime.

  Chapter 51

  The stench of burned flesh tickled Tharydane’s nostrils, rudely awaking her. She was momentarily confused by her surroundings and the gross smell. Then Tharydane remembered.

  The Conuropolis sewer. Loroorol’s betrayal. The human assassin…

  The osvowraith! The Korvenite sat up as if electroshocked. Panicking, her gaze swept over the casualties.

  Loroorol? Dead. The Ikarian lay near the entrance to his safe house. Tharyn cringed. He looked shriveled up like those sundried tomatoes from one of Habraum’s amazing recipes.

  Kingston Reyes? Positively dead and inside the safe house. She’d seen that Miranda psycho shoot his face off.

  The osvowraith? Charred, gooey remains strewn over the shadow of a carcass. Tharyn closed her eyes and exhaled, totally forgetting about Miranda. In fact, she couldn’t remember feeling so relieved.

  The Korvenite winced, quickly remembering such a time on Bimnorii, after Hugrask’s murder. Memories of the dark, ungovernable power inside her sprang to mind. She hugged her knees and shuddered. “I did this?”

  Not alone.

  Tharyn shrieked, scrambling from the voice. The same voice she’d heard before the osvowraith almost killed her. She whirled around.

  Five Korvenites greeted her. The one in front was thickly built with jets of curly purple hair and alabaster-white skin. His warm presence offset his rough features. Three females and another male Korvenite trailed him warily, partly covered in shadows. Or was that a telepathic trick?

  “What the…?” Tharyn kept her distance from these Korvenites. She sensed no hostility, but they were strangers. Then she sensed this group’s Unilinked thoughts. Tharyn straightened up in recognition. “You’re real. That psychic boost…to kill that?” She pointed a shaky finger at the osvowraith’s gooey remains. “Came from you?”

  The leader nodded gently. “We were searching these tunnels for lost Korvenites,” he spoke in their native Korcei dialect, “and came as soon as we sensed your distress. I am Vycho.”

  Tharyn grabbed her head, trying to process all that. It was oddly refreshing to speak with a Korvenite that didn’t hate her for “betraying” Maelstrom. “Wait. Why are Korvenites hiding in these tunnels?”

  “When the Amalgam battle station that Maelstrom stole was destroyed,” Vycho approached Tharyn until they were face-to-face, “he employed a failsafe to transmat as many of Amalgam’s Korvenites as possible below Terra Sollus’s surface.”

  “We’ve rescued several Korvenites from the Children of Earth,” one of the females answered. She veered on the pudgy side, with crewcut lilac hair and a sour look. “Thank Korvan we found you in time. After your actions.”

  Tharyn flinched from her. “What actions?” And here it comes…

  The male Korvenite glanced at his companions, then back to Tharyn. “You saved our species,” he responded. “If you hadn’t stopped Maelstrom’s attack on Terra Sollus, we would’ve been exterminated. If not by the Union or the Kedri Imperium. Ignore any sheep who say otherwise.”

  Tharyn gulped. Hearing such gratitude from another Korvenite was…astounding. “Thank you…” The Korvenite teen couldn’t calm her thundering heartbeat, and she had so many questions. “If you’re rescuing Korvenites, where in Korvan’s name would they be safe on Terra Sollus? This hasn’t been our home in over twenty-five years!”

  The five Korvenites exchanged a look, then burst out laughing. All of them. Tharyn scowled, not sure what was so hilarious.

  “We have a community, hidden from prying eyes,” the leader explained, spreading his hands out disarmingly, “Korvenites living with non-Korvenites in harmony. That’s where we take any whom Maelstrom shepherded to our homeworld.”

  Now Tharydane was amused, openly snickering. “Sounds like some earthborn fairytale.”

  Vycho took no offense. “I’ll show you.” He stretched his mind out, connecting with Tharyn. Images and memories flooded her consciousness like a turbulent river. Korvenites, on Terra Sollan soil for many years. Humans, Galdorians, and other species side by side with Korvenites, living, laughing, and loving one another. The mayor, an earthborn woman with powder-blue hair and married to a Korvenite for over two decades. She’d recently allowed countless Korvenite refugees into this community somewhere in the open plains. The name and location remained hidden from Tharydane.

  When the male Korvenite withdrew from Tharyn’s mind, tears rolled down her cheeks. “Sweet Korvan above!” the teenager whispered.

  As she wiped away the tears, her gaze found a motionless body at the Korvenites’ feet. The human woman’s skin was grey and corpselike, her eyes dead and staring at nothing. Then Tharyn saw strawberry-blonde hair pooled around the woman’s head and stiffened. “Did the osvowraith kill her?” she asked coldly.

  Vycho shook his head. “Almost. But, with time and care, Miranda Stark will survive.”

  Tharyn frowned. Mercy was admirable, but for a coldblooded killer like Miranda? “Then what?”

  A homely female Korvenite stepped into the dim lights. “Her skillset will be useful.”

  Before Tharyn could press further, the male Korvenite extended a hand. “Come with us. You’ll be safe. You’ll belong.”

  Tharydane gawked, overcome. The offer was enticing, especially after experiencing that wonderful community. Yet Tharyn’s ache to accept wasn’t overwhelming. Not like with Sam and Lethe. “I already have a home.”

  “Among non-Korvenites,” the female Korvenite disputed curtly. “Who do not understand how powerful you will become.”

  “You should be among your own,” another female Korvenite in the shadows insisted.

  Tharyn scowled, shielding her mind hastily. “My own who read minds without permission?”

  Vycho raised his hands contritely. “An overreach. My apologies.” His expression hardened as his gold-on-black eyes glanced over Tharyn’s shoulder. “We have company.”

  Tharyn frowned and looked around, seeing only murky tunnels looming ahead. Then she stretched out telepathically, and surprisingly ran into a psychic wall. The teen realized these Korvenites had psychically cloaked the gathering. And a familiar presence just beyond was searching its length.

  “Jhori,” Tharyn exclaimed. He was alive. If Jhori was here, Sam and Lethe weren’t far behind.

  “He knows we’re here,” the homely female warned. She hoisted Miranda’s limp, slim body over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Our shield won’t hold much
longer.”

  Vycho nodded, gazing at Tharyn imploringly. “Come with us. Live on your homeworld, hidden away, among your brethren.”

  The teenager beheld these Korvenites. What they offered sounded like heaven, until she remembered the sacrifice. “But if your sanctuary is hidden, then you aren’t truly free.”

  Tharyn straightened in posture, zero doubt in her decision. “My thanks for saving me, but I won’t hide.”

  Displeasure rippled through the other Korvenites. The homely female clenched both fists, her anger a boiling cauldron. Tharyn instinctively stepped back.

  Vycho silenced them with a look, turning back to Tharyn. “Should you change your mind, return here and use this signal.” He connected his mind to hers, bearing gifts. Tharyn gasped and stumbled back. Symbols in ancient Korcei script flashed before her eyes, then burrowed deep within, away from potential psychic scans.

  She shook her head, recovering enough to offer a hand wave. “Goodbye.”

  The Korvenites retreated into the shadows, until they became shadow. “Farewell, Tharydane,” Vycho’s voice faded. “Until you come home.”

  Tharyn telepathically reached into the shadows. They were gone.

  “We’ll see,” she whispered sadly.

  Before the Korvenite could contemplate further, a presence filled her mind. Tharyn spun around, bright and happy as a rising sun. “Jhori.”

  The Korvenite male stood gaping at her as if she’d appeared out of nowhere. For him, Tharydane probably did, after the psychic cloak dropped.

  Tharyn? Jhori asked, taking a tentative step toward her.

  Tharyn smiled wider. “Hi.” Who knew she’d be so happy to see him of all beings?

  A new cluster of shadows appeared behind Jhori. “Tharydane? Tharydane!” cried a familiar husky voice, ragged with emotion.

  Tharyn’s heart nearly burst. “Samantha!” She tore past Jhori. “I’m here!”

  Sam ran full speed to her. “Oh my God! Come here!” She gathered her adopted daughter up in a fierce hug that made Tharyn’s ribs creak.

  The hug went on and on for what felt like years. Tharyn didn’t care. She never wanted to let go.

  Finally Sam pulled back and grasped Tharyn’s face, awash with worry as she studied her adoptive daughter. She wore that red field uniform with the central white stripe, her hair up in a tight topknot. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? If they did anything to you…” Sam’s rapid-fire questions continued as she seemed to vibrate with emotion, a rarity. Usually Tharyn sensed only static from the human.

  “I’m fine. I swear.” The Korvenite nodded. Tears sprang freely from both Tharyn and her adoptive mother.

  Sam pulled her into another crushing embrace. “We’ll get you looked over—”

  “No, Jhori!” Tharyn shouted harshly after seeing him trail after the other Korvenites. “Leave them be.”

  The teen detached from Sam again and spoke in gentler tones. “Please. They saved my life.”

  Looking from Tharyn to Jhori, Sam shook her head and he ceased his psychic scan. “But they’ll be ripe for capture by other anti-Korvenite groups,” Sam countered, wiping away the teenager’s tears with attentive fingers.

  “Not really,” Tharyn countered. “Apparently there’s a hidden Korvenite community somewhere on Terra Sollus. And they didn’t tell me where,” she added as Sam opened her mouth to ask.

  The other shadowy figures stepped into the lights. Tharyn was surprised to see Sam’s combat team. Stronghold, Surje, Jan’Hax, Addison Raichoudry, and the massive Bevrolor zo Azelten were all present in civilian garb, greeting her warmly. Even Addison showed relief, an expression besides looking like she had sniffed sour cow milk.

  Tharyn’s amazement faded as Lethe stepped ahead of CT-2, fiddling his long, spindly fingers. “Tharydane.” The Kudoban spread his arms out.

  The Korvenite immediately ran to him.

  “When I could not sense you, it terrified me,” he whispered. She felt the fear in his voice, reverberating from his mind. Tharyn said nothing, knowing she’d break into a million pieces if she tried.

  Around her, the Korvenite heard CT-2 casing the scene and casualties.

  “Found Loroorol’s body.” Jan’Hax, tall and long-limbed, knelt beside the Ikarian’s desiccated corpse. The Ciphereen’s duck-billed mouth crinkled in distaste. “By the Maker, it’s like someone desiccated him!”

  Tharyn gazed at the corpse with brief pity, which died as quickly as she recalled Loroorol’s true nature.

  Addison stared at the osvowraith’s gooey remains, holding her large nose. “What the hell was this?”

  Stronghold stood in the safe house with Kingston Reyes’s body. “Pulse blast to the head,” he announced in a digitized voice like Khrome’s. “A fifth being was here. A human woman.”

  Tharydane gaped at the Ubruqite. “Spot-on.” She turned to Sam in disbelief. “Is he accessing the safe house’s holovideo feeds?”

  Sam shook her head and smiled. “Psychometry.” The human rubbed dotingly on Tharyn’s shoulders. “Can you tell us what happened? And how you survived?”

  Tharyn swiftly summarized the whole kidnapping and massacre for her audience. “The other Korvenites took Miranda when they left,” the Korvenite concluded. “She was nearly dead after the osvowraith fed on her.”

  Tharyn felt Addison’s eyes on her. “You’re sure it was an osvowraith?”

  Surje clutched his skull. “I’m still on the Loroorol body swapping.”

  “Yes, it was an osvowraith.” The Korvenite teen pointed at the charred remains several feet away. “It’s dead, thanks to what Jhori taught me.” He smiled at her fellow Korvenite with the shaved head. “And those other Korvenites.”

  “See?!” Addison stabbed triumphant fingers at her teammates. “I told you osvowraiths exist!”

  Sam gave her a barbed look. “You wanna cupcake with your self-high-five?” That wiped the smugness off Addison’s face, making Tharyn giggle. “Pull all the data from that safe house.”

  As Raichoudry trudged toward Loroorol’s safe house like a sullen toddler, Sam called after her. “And send a trackerbat to locate that Korvenite community.”

  That struck Tharyn hard. She nearly objected before Lethe cut in. “A Korvenite community on Terra Sollus that no one is aware of,” he stated, craning his long neck down. “Better for us to find it before another UComm branch. And no one wants another Maelstrom incident.”

  The Kudoban had a point, she realized. Still, Tharyn had no liking for such a beautiful community being disrupted or destroyed. She looked to Jhori, his alabaster face a vacant mask.

  “We’ll monitor only,” Sam added, approaching them. “Unless you want to connect…or they become a threat.”

  Tharyn could live with that. Though she doubted that Sam would’ve given her a choice. The human then addressed her combat team. “Prep those corpses for transport back to Hollus for examination. I want to know everything about them by the time I return later today.”

  She looked to Jhori and nodded down the tunnel. He advanced obediently. “I’m taking one of the Shadowlancers. Unless it’s urgent, Commander zo Azelten’s in charge.” Sam draped a lazy arm around Tharydane and guided her away.

  “Where are you heading?” Bevrolor asked in surprise, massive hands on hips.

  “Couple of errands,” Sam called over her shoulder, “like returning Jhori to Calliste.” Her attention landed on Tharyn. “Then you and I are having a talk.”

  An icy jolt raced down Tharyn’s spine. “Urm…what kind of talk?” Was Sam going to disown her due to all this hassle?

  Sam grinned and held her daughter closer. “The kind we should’ve had months ago.”

  Chapter 52

  “Your name is pretty!” a young Korvenite girl declared after Tharydane told the four-year-old her full name. “Just like your face!”

  Tharydane laughed melodically at the compliments. “You are just as pretty, Thaenys.”

  She sat cross-legged amid this clas
sroom of rowdy toddlers on Calliste’s Korvenite living station. It was today’s first snack time. Some frolicked in packs while others played with the learning holograms adorning the schoolroom. They had stopped on Calliste to drop Jhori off and for Sam to meet briefly with Ari Bogosian.

  While they waited, Jhori had shown Tharydane around the living station. Despite her hesitance, he led her to this classroom to meet the children.

  They were all respectful, adorable, and so smart. While Tharyn had approached most of the other children, Thaenys with all her sass had walked straight up to the teenager with her kind words.

  This adorable alabaster-white child with her delicious cheeks, big, bouncy, mauve curls and massive gold-on-black eyes came up to Tharyn’s waist. But her personality was tall as a starscraper.

  “What are they teaching you today?”

  Thaenys jabbed a pudgy little finger at the shifting star chart on the ceiling. “Planets! And stars!”

  Tharyn looked up with wide eyes. “Show me everything you’ve learned!” After little Thaenys gave her an exhaustive list of all the stars she knew, it was time for class to resume.

  “[This is wonderful,]” Tharyn marveled in Korcei. She hung at the rear of the classroom watching the seventeen students listen to their Kudoban teacher. Their surface thoughts buzzed with questions and enthusiasm. Tharyn was captivated. The last Korvenite Unilink she’d been a part of was facilitated by the terrorist Maelstrom. Thank the Maker that wasn’t the case here. “[They’re all way smarter than me at the same age.]”

  Jhori stood beside her, golden irises gleaming. Aren’t you glad you finally visited a living station again?

  Tharyn rolled her eyes at his smugness. “Yes.”

  As the students began going over Union Space history, images of all the chaos these past few days rushed through her mind. She zeroed in on the good parts. “You know, those Korvenites in the sewer asked me to join their community.” She glanced down, shaking her long, lazy violet curls in disbelief. “And I almost considered it.”