Girl of Fire: The Expulsion Project Book One (A Science Fiction Dystopian Thriller)

by Norma Hinkens

  Buir’s eyes widen. “I guess I could suffer through one night in here.”

  “I hear some ruckus.” Ghil gestures to the hallway. “Might be the auction getting underway. I’m going to check it out if anyone wants to come with me. We could use a new engineer.”

  Buir gives me an imploring look.

  “We should go with him,” I say. “It’s not a good idea to stay here by ourselves.”

  She peers around the shadowy dormitory, pulls her shamskin tighter, and follows us out of the room.

  The auction room is filling up rapidly by the time we get back. We jostle our way to the front of the crowd and watch as several serfs and prisoners are marched in, hands bound in front of them, and secured to the posts with a noose that passes around their necks and through the iron ring. Interested bidders circle like predators. One of them wrenches a serf’s head back and inspects his teeth before letting go with a snort of disgust. “Piece of solar trash from a famine planet,” he mutters to his companion. “Don’t know why they bother picking them up.”

  “Look for anyone with mechanical experience,” Ghil says to us. “I wasn’t kidding about needing a new engineer.”

  I frown as I push my way forward. I don’t like the idea of purchasing a serf, but at least we’d be saving them from a worse fate.

  We split up when we reach the prisoners and mingle with the bidders wandering from post to post. Most of the serfs and prisoners keep their eyes downcast, but one young woman glances at me through matted hair when I go by. Her eyes pierce me with a plea so strong it makes me shiver. The description nailed to her post reads: Tanner. I look down at her bound hands. Her nails are thick and long and split like combs from many moons of tanning hides. She probably doesn’t know the first thing about engines, but maybe I can talk Ghil into bidding on her anyway. The sadness in her eyes has burned a hole in my soul. I squeeze her shoulder gently in passing, reluctant to make any promises I can’t keep, and then turn and push my way through the crowd, searching left and right for Ghil. There are more people here now than ever, and it’s increasingly hard to make any progress through the sea of sweaty bodies. Eventually, I spot Velkan and force my way past a group of loud-mouthed traders to reach him. “Have you seen Ghil anywhere?” I gasp.

  “He was by the stage a few minutes ago.” Velkan grabs my hand. “Come on, we should stick together.”

  The warmth of his hand against mine sends a shiver through me, and despite the revulsion I feel at the impending auction, I’m comforted by his touch.

  We force our way through the throng of traders until we make it all the way to the front of the room. Ghil stands off to the right, frowning at the wooden board.

  “Ghil,” I blurt out. “We need to bid on a girl. She’s scared—”

  “We’ve got bigger problems,” he interrupts. Frowning, he pulls me around to the back of the board.

  My skin prickles all over when I see what’s nailed to the wood.

  16

  My stomach churns like the eye of a storm. I stare at the lock of my hair, numb to the tips of my toes. I glance at Ghil’s grave expression and confirm what I already know in my heart. Sarth betrayed me.

  Velkan squeezes my hand until I think he’s going to crush it. “I’m going to kill her for this.”

  “Never thought she would sink this low,” Ghil growls.

  “Maybe it’s her way of avenging Nipper’s death.” My voice sounds strangely calm even though I’m unravelling inside.

  “We need to go,” Velkan says in an urgent tone. “Now!”

  Ghil nods at me. “Put your hood up and follow me.”

  “What about Buir?” I ask.

  “I’ll go back and look for her,” Ghil says. “Slip out the side door over there, and wait for me.” He points to the other end of the auction room before plunging into the crowd.

  Velkan and I push and shove our way through to the far side of the stage and make our way out the side door into a dimly lit corridor. I slump down in a dark alcove and draw my knees up to my chest. Velkan sinks down beside me. “I’m so sorry, Trattora.”

  “What for? It’s not your fault.”

  “If I hadn’t got into it with Nipper, this might never have happened.”

  I lift my head and stare at him. “If you hadn’t got into it with Nipper, I might be dead by now.” I reach out and brush my hand gently over his bruised jawbone. “Thank you for what you did.”

  He takes my hand in his and places his other hand on the small of my back, pulling me closer. Before I have time to process what’s happening, his lips brush mine, and then he’s kissing me gently. The horror of everything I’ve seen in Diretus, and the terror I felt at Sarth’s betrayal, melts from my mind until all that’s left is this moment between Velkan and me.

  “Got her!” Ghil announces.

  Velkan and I pull apart, startled out of an embrace that I wasn’t ready to end. I scramble to my feet and step out of the alcove.

  “We need to make a plan to get out of here,” Ghil says, striding up to us.

  “I already have one,” I say. “We’re taking the Zebulux and leaving Sarth behind.”

  Velkan frowns. “Crank will send the Dreadnought after us. We won’t make it out of the atmosphere.”

  “Then we’ll have to sabotage the warship before we leave,” I say.

  Ghil runs a hand along the sheath of his knife. “I can handle that if I can find a way on board.”

  “You’re Crank’s brother,” I say. “How hard can it be?”

  “No one boards the warship without clearance from Crank.” Ghil rumples his brow and studies me for a minute. “But we might be able to pull it off if you’re willing to play along with me.”

  He turns to Velkan and Buir. “Fetch Meldus and wait for us at the docking station.”

  Ten minutes later, Ghil and I stagger like two drunks up to the guard stationed at the boarding ramp to the warship. Ghil takes a swig out of the bottle in his hand and waves it in front of the sentry’s face. “You luk like you could use a drink.”

  “Evening, Ghil,” the guard says. He reaches for the bottle. “Don’t mind if I do.” He glugs back a few mouthfuls and then hands the bottle back to Ghil before turning his attention to me. I peer up at him from beneath my lashes and flash him a coy smile.

  Ghil turns to me and jabs a crooked finger in the direction of the warship. “This here’s the beauty that saved our hides from that maggot patrol.”

  I widen my eyes. “Can I see inside?”

  The guard gives an apologetic shake of his head. “Not without clearance from Crank.”

  “Crank’s brother don’t need no clearance!” Ghil says with a dismissive wave of his hand.

  The guard looks uncomfortable. “It’s just that … you haven’t been here in a long time, Ghil. I need to run it by Crank first.”

  I bat my eyelashes at the guard. “How about you show me around?”

  Ghil yanks me hard against his body. “Hey! You’re with me, remember?” He bends over and pretends to whisper something in my ear.

  I laugh and nestle into him.

  Ghil winks at the guard and offers him the bottle one more time. “How about you let us have some private time on board, and I’ll let you take the pretty lady on a tour afterward.”

  The guard moves his jaw side to side as he weighs the offer. He runs his eyes over me, and I give him my best approximation of a drunken wink.

  “All right.” He casts an uneasy glance over his shoulder. “Fifteen minutes.”

  “That’s my man!” Ghil thrusts the bottle to the guard’s chest. “Drink up!”

  Once on board, we head straight down to the engine room and Ghil moves into action. “I’ll cut the fuel and coolant lines and damage a few of the gaskets. It should trigger enough warning lights to keep them busy until we’re far enough away to lose them.”

  I keep watch by the engine room door. My heart trips in my chest at every sound wafting our way, but to my relief no one interrupts
us. When he’s done, Ghil gives me a curt nod. “Let’s go.”

  A flicker of apprehension goes through me as we make our way back up to the cargo bay. “Give me one of your knives,” I mutter. “Just in case the guard doesn’t take kindly to me telling him I’ve changed my mind.”

  Ghil grins and pulls out a menacing-looking dagger. “How’s this?”

  I take it and slip it beneath my shamskin. “Adequate. I’ve speared plenty of shams with less.” I don’t tell him I’ve never hurt another human being before. I’m hoping I’ll only need the dagger as a deterrent.

  The guard straightens up when he sees us, a mixture of relief and anticipation flooding his face. I stride past him without a second glance.

  “Hey!” he calls out, grabbing me by the arm. Quick as a flash I whip around and point the tip of the dagger at his throat. “Take your filthy hands off me.”

  He reaches down and fumbles for his laser gun in his holster, but Ghil snatches it first and stashes it inside his jacket.

  “What are you doing?” the guard protests. “We had a deal.”

  Ghil leans into his face. “That was a test, you moron! Crank’s not going to be happy about how lax you are on patrol duty.”

  The guard’s face pales. His eyes flit from Ghil to my dagger and then back to Ghil. “Please don’t tell him. He’ll kill me. I was just trying to do you a favor.”

  Ghil shoves the guard against the hull of the ship. “This is the one and only break you get,” he says striding off in the direction of the tunnel. “Next time I’ll feed you to the face-eating monkeys myself.”

  “Wait!” the guard calls out. “My gun!”

  “You’d better figure out how to explain that one,” Ghil yells back to him. “Maybe you’ll think twice before you override Crank’s security protocol again.”

  “That was clever,” I say, falling in beside Ghil.

  “Let’s hope he keeps his mouth shut long enough for us to move out of range of any land-based firepower,” Ghil says.

  We slip back into the tunnel and make our way to the far side of the docking station where Velkan, Buir, and Meldus are waiting for us. They jump to their feet when they see us.

  “It’s done,” I say. “Time to go.”

  I throw a quick look around. The Zebulux is parked in a small bay alongside a smaller vessel. A couple of traders stroll by deep in conversation, scarcely giving us a second glance. A lone mechanic is bent over one of the access gates in front of the Zebulux, adjusting the locking mechanism. He looks up when he hears us coming. “You the crew?”

  Ghil gives a curt nod.

  The mechanic straightens up and wipes his hands on his overalls. “You’re Crank’s brother, right? I’ve heard some crazy stories about you.”

  Ghil scowls. “They’re all true, and then some.”

  The mechanic scratches his ear as if digesting the implications. “Yeah, well, holler if you need anything.”

  Ghil dismisses him with a grunt and we continue up the loading ramp and into the cargo bay of the Zebulux.

  “We can’t take off with that mechanic hanging around,” I say once we’re inside.

  “You stay here in the cargo bay and keep an eye on him,” Ghil says to Velkan. “As soon as he leaves, pull up the loading ramp and radio up to the control room,” He turns to Meldus. “Go down to the engine room. Do exactly what Nipper showed you. Velkan will be down there to help you as soon as he can.”

  “I’ll prep for liftoff,” I say.

  Ghil nods distractedly as he peers around the cargo door at the mechanic. “Looks like he’s wrapping up. I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Are we really going to steal Sarth’s ship?” Buir asks in a hushed tone as we climb the stairway to the flight deck.

  I arch a brow at her. “If that’s what it takes to save us from Sarth’s evil purposes, and me from the auction block.”

  Buir frowns. “I don’t understand why Sarth would be willing to sell you all of a sudden. She’ll never get mining rights on Cwelt without you. Maybe she doesn’t believe we can oust the Maulers.”

  I grimace. “Or maybe Crank made it worth her while.”

  The doors to the control room slide apart with a familiar whoosh, and I quickly set about prepping for departure. Within minutes, Velkan’s voice comes over the intercom. “All clear. Closing cargo bay.”

  I flick on the ignition just as Ghil walks in. He slides into the bucket seat behind me. “I can’t promise you we’ll make it out. We’re rolling the dice on this one.”

  Buir lays a hand on his shoulder. “If we do make it out of here alive, it’ll be because of you. I don’t know why you’re helping us escape from your brother, but we’re all grateful.”

  After a long pause, Ghil responds. “There’s nothing left in him but darkness. I don’t want to join him in that place.”

  “You’re nothing like him, Ghil,” Buir says.

  He looks at her with the eyes of a startled child. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of.”

  “But you still have a conscience,” Buir replies. “It’s not too late for you.”

  His face softens. “Well, that’s something, seeing you think my cooking’s a lost cause.”

  Buir laughs, and my heart warms at the sound. Everything that’s happened since we left Cwelt has been so traumatic, and I’ve been worried she might crack under the strain.

  The hull shudders as the Zebulux lifts off from the docking station. One of the thrusters is still not operating up to par, but I blast it up to maximum power regardless. If we can make it out of here, we can worry about maintenance later.

  I scan the viewer for any indication of rockets headed our way. Hopefully, everyone is preoccupied with the auction, and by the time they realize what’s happening we’ll be well out of range. My only regret is that I couldn’t save the girl whose eyes pierced me with her pain.

  We endure several minutes of strained silence, startling at every flash of the navigation lights. I’m half-expecting a laser blast to hit the ship and rip her apart at any minute, but the Zebulux ploughs steadily on, and the only hazards we encounter are the streams of debris I navigate around with ease—remnants of the Syndicate patrol ship perhaps? After a bit, I relax my shoulders and let out a long breath. “You did it, Ghil,” I say, setting a course for Aristozonex. “We made it out alive.”

  “And ditched Sarth!” Buir adds. “I never want to set eyes on that evil woman again.”

  “She’s not gonna give up the Zebulux that easily,” Ghil says.

  “It’s not like she can report it stolen,” I retort. “Not with the dargonite on board. They’d arrest her too.”

  “That’s exactly why we need to watch our backs,” Ghil says in an ominous tone. “When Sarth strikes, it will be swift and unexpected. Maybe at some lone port months from now. I’ll have Velkan change the entry code on the cargo door, just to be safe.”

  “You may be right about Sarth, but we’ve had enough doom and gloom for now,” I say. “Time to celebrate. And we’re all starving, so let’s start with a feast. Buir, you want to whip us up something to eat? That morsel I had on Diretus didn’t do much to stave off the hunger pangs.”

  “Monkey brains,” Ghil mutters.

  I grip the controller tighter. “What did you say?”

  “Monkey brains. That’s what you ate. Made quite an impression on the body poachers. Apparently, it’s an acquired taste. I never could bring myself to try it.”

  For a moment, my vision blurs and I think I’m going to throw up all over the console. I tighten my stomach muscles and set the controls to auto. “I’ll see you all down in the dining room,” I say weakly. I stagger out of my seat and totter down the utility hallway to the lav. Inside, I palm the wall panel to activate the toilet bowl and watch it rise from the floor, willing it to move faster. The room spins with alarming velocity. I’m not sure if I’m going to retch or pass out first, but I clutch the toilet bowl and hang my head over it anyway.

  T
en minutes later, I stagger to my feet, still nauseous, but empty of the hideous contents of my stomach. I wash my mouth out at the basin and slowly make my way down to the dining room, vowing never to badmouth Ghil’s mash again.

  “Are you okay?” Buir asks when I step through the door.

  Before I can respond, a loud beeping comes over the intercom and the ship pitches. A moment later, the lights flicker and die, plunging us into darkness.

  17

  The ship shudders again and I’m thrown against the wall. Seconds later, the contents of the table crash to the floor.

  “We need to get to the control room,” Ghil yells. I hear him fumbling around for something, and then a beam of light searches out the door. “Crawl if you have to!”

  “We’re going to crash!” Buir wails.

  “Not if we don’t lose too much power.” Ghil yanks the door open. “Let’s go!”

  We half-stagger, half-crawl along the hallway toward the control room.

  “What about Velkan and Meldus?” I ask.

  “Still down in engineering,” Ghil calls back to me. “I’ll try and touch base with them on the emergency comm.”

  To my relief, we make it all the way to the control room without losing any more altitude. The lights flicker once briefly, and my hope soars, but they don’t come back on. Once inside, Ghil runs through some tests and then radios down to Meldus and Velkan on the emergency comm. It crackles briefly and then Velkan’s voice comes over the line. “Mains are out, we can’t get any power back.”

  “What about auxiliaries?” Ghil demands.

  “We’re working on it. Nipper didn’t maintain anything properly down here. What’s our vector?”

  “Screens are all out,” Ghil says. “I have nothing. Keep working on the auxiliaries. We need to stabilize our trajectory.”

  “I’ll keep you posted—” Velkan’s voice cuts out abruptly.

  I take a deep breath, my mind racing to digest everything that’s happened in the past few hours. It’s a miracle we’re still alive, but for how much longer?