by Gun Brooke
“Oh, good!” Briar hugged her again, this time hard and rocking back and forth. “I know everything will work out. It has to.”
Caya wasn’t so sure. She walked between Briar and Adina when they left the park, unable to disregard the long looks and whispered comments around her. People knew who she was. She’d been seen with Thea in public many times, and her face had been plastered across the view-screen transmissions many times after she helped save lives when the saboteurs were active.
Thea and the guards took them through to the presidential jumper that carried them to a set of uninhabited corridors. From there, they rode a lift up through several decks and exited into what seemed to be a small, white hallway. There were two doors, and Caya automatically searched her mind, but she received no warning signals from what she had begun to call her ‘inner scanner.” Usually the premonitions started with slight nausea and a strange taste in her mouth. She used to get really sick, faint, and have convulsions sometimes, but nowadays she could calm the strange sensations and focus on the imagery flickering through her mind. Every scene that she felt displayed on the inside of her eyelids was for her to interpret, and the way she had developed this skill amazed even her.
The guards opened the door to the left and stood back to let Thea and her guests in. As they walked inside, Briar gasped and Caya just stared. Around them, in full view as if there were no walls at all, space hurtled by at magnetar-drive speed. Silver streaks around them gave Caya a sense of actually traveling for the first time since she had boarded Pathfinder. Normally, being aboard the massive ship consisting of twenty-one individual cubes felt like being planetside. The artificial gravity and the attention to detail that the ship’s designers had taken made it almost impossible to fathom that she traveled through space. Caya walked closer to the—she wanted to call them windows but realized the walls couldn’t be made of regular glass. “Is it safe to touch?” she asked over her shoulder.
“Absolutely.” Korrian came up to her. “As you may have guessed, this is a rare component, far too expensive to use on any surfaces larger than this. We have twelve lookout quarters such as these scattered around the ship. That way, no matter how we move the cubes around, a couple of them will be turned toward our surrounding space.”
“What’s it made from?” Caya let her fingertips slide across the transparent surface.
“A rather innovative blend of transpar alloy and brace-crystalline. The latter strengthens the alloy and emphasizes its transparency. If you look really closely, you can see the facets of the crystalline-like glitter particles.”
“Your invention?” Caya looked up at the tall, dark-skinned woman who was a revered hero for her role in constructing Pathfinder.
“My invention, but not my idea. Actually, Meija came up with it. She claimed it was vital for some individuals to really grasp that we’re indeed traveling through space. Apparently, some people who aren’t used to space travel at all can’t get a sense of not living in the real world unless they witness the truth themselves.”
“It’s true,” Meija said and wrapped her arm around Caya’s shoulders. “As of now, we’ve had more than eight hundred people visit these lookouts. They need a prescription from a doctor, as this is not a tourist attraction. It’s intended for mental-health issues.”
“Except right now,” Caya said, and glanced at Thea.
“I beg to differ.” Thea motioned for her guests to take a seat around the table. “I needed some peace of mind, and I had been here only once before and thought we might just benefit from it.” She sat down at the other side of the table, straight across from Caya, who wasn’t sure she could manage a single bite if the president was going to scrutinize her like this.
“Well, I’m grateful I was able to see this at least once,” Briar said from Caya’s right. “The food looks amazing. And fresh! Is this all from the hydroponics chambers?”
“It is. We’re starting to see bigger crops finally, and I thought you might like to sample it. Having only food from the dispensers in your quarters can become a bit bland, I’m afraid.” Thea placed a napkin on her lap and gestured toward Korrian to start with the plates on her side. Vegetables, fruits, and roots were so beautifully arranged that Caya’s mouth watered.
“Oh, look! Water berries.” Briar sighed. “I never thought I’d taste those again. Remember the bushes by the brook in our garden back ho—” She blinked and gripped her utensils hard. “I mean, back on Oconodos.” Adina placed a hand on Briar’s hand.
“Even though we just named our new home today, we can still recognize how much we miss our old homeplanet.” Thea spoke softly, her eyes scanning Caya’s again.
“And the ones we left behind,” Caya said. “I can’t stop thinking about what their lives are like now.” A nudge from Briar under the table said “not now, not here,” but Caya was too agitated to play nice. “I know I’m not the only one who agonizes over what the conditions are for them. I mean, I’m sure the regular population doesn’t see all the reports coming through via the beacon system, but even the ones we’re privy to tell of such hardship…” She wiped at a tear, but it escaped her and landed on her plate, blending with the pink dressing. “Orphan changer kids living on the streets…it’s insane.”
“Sweetheart,” Briar said, but stopped when Caya put up her hand, palm toward the others.
“I know. I know. I should pick my moments. The thing is,” and now she locked her gaze on Thea, “I don’t have very many moments to pick. Usually, I dine alone in my quarters, study alone, and when I do spend time with someone, I can tell it’s understood that I must cherish those moments, which clearly means I should keep it light and pleasant and not talk about anything real or important.” She lost her breath after her long sentence and gasped painfully for air.
“You have a point, Caya.” Thea nodded slowly. “We can’t share all the messages from Oconodos. It’s my responsibility to keep everybody aboard safe, whether it is one changer girl or large groups with family members who remained on Oconodos. If people fear that their friends and family left behind are in any way not faring well, we might face uproars, even a mutiny. I’m well aware that there’s an undercurrent of perpetual guilt aboard Pathfinder. If I allow it to run rampant, the entire Exodus operation will be in jeopardy.” Thea pierced a water berry with her fork. “My job is as simple as it is difficult. I need to get you to Gemocon in one piece and, once we arrive, keep the interim government going until we can have new elections.” She lowered her gaze for a moment. “And then I’m free.” She stared at the piece of fruit on her fork. “Anyway, I don’t want you to feel censored in any way when it comes to topics of conversation in your quarters, Caya.”
Caya couldn’t find the words to explain that it wasn’t just about that. Of course she realized her sister and friends might feel inclined to keep their visits bright and cheery for her sake. This tactic tended to backfire, as Caya needed to talk about the injustice she felt was done to her. Some days she even resented Briar for being free to continue with her life and her career, despite being a changer, an empath, and sometimes a mind reader. Briar’s moniker, Red Angel, protected her better than anything else, as she had helped so many people they were ready to airlock anyone who tried to hurt her. Caya didn’t have any following. She wasn’t even sure anyone but the president and her closest family and friends knew of how her ability to see the future could benefit the people on Pathfinder.
“I know,” Caya answered now, trying her best to look polite and reasonable. It took more effort than the others realized to calm the resentment and anger to something manageable. “I am grateful I’m not confined to the brig, after all.” She knew her acerbic comment was too much as soon as it left her lips. Briar looked at her with such sorrow, and Adina pressed her lips into a fine line. Oddly enough, only Thea looked at her with an open and steady gaze.
“I would never allow for you to spend so much as a second in the brig. You’re an asset to this vessel and under my personal prote
ction. I’m prepared to go quite far to stop anyone from exploiting you—or your sister, for that matter.”
Thea’s passionate words startled Caya. She hadn’t heard the president speak like that in a long time. Usually when they were in the same room, Caya kept her distance. She had been an avid admirer of Thea from the moment she first met her. Gushing about her to Briar and Adina, Caya had been ready to give her life to keep the president safe and even protect her from her abusive husband. It hadn’t dawned on her that she’d still be incarcerated at this point and that it would be Thea’s decision all along to keep her locked away from the rest of Pathfinder.
“Caya knows this, Thea,” Briar said quietly. “The thing is, she was cooped up with me for the longest time while I homeschooled her on Oconodos. We were so scared people would find out she was a changer; we were doing…what you’re doing now. Keeping her locked up for her safety.” She turned to Caya, and tears filled her eyes. “You were just coming into your own with friends and the last year of school after boarding Pathfinder. You went jumper-cruising with your friends and you were free. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” Briar’s voice broke, and she extended her hand.
Caya stood slowly, knowing if she gave in now, if she took Briar’s hand, she would break down and cry…and she feared she might not be able to stop. “I don’t think I can—I mean, I want to go back to my quarters now. I’m just bringing everyone down, when this meal and these surroundings should be a celebration. We finally have a name for the planet that will be our home. You all can’t wait to reach our destination and begin your new life. I’m not as confident as you that I will find it as wonderful or exciting. I may just switch to new quarters to be confined to, for all I know.”
“Caya!” Thea stood also, her shoulders pushed back and with fire in her eyes. “I have never said I’d keep you in protective custody forever. On Gemocon you will most likely be free to carry on with your life and fend for yourself.” She looked furious, which made Caya wonder about her wording in the beginning—“most likely.” It was a far stretch between “most likely” and “absolutely.”
“This discussion is quickly getting old, and it goes on in circles every time without anyone actually listening.” Caya bent and kissed Briar’s cheek and then Adina’s. Glancing briefly at Briar she said, “Thank you for the meal and the view.” She raised her hand in a limp sort of wave and left the lookout with her head high, but with tears burning behind her eyelids.
“Caya…” Briar called out but was interrupted by Adina.
“She’s upset. Give her some time.”
Caya shook her head at the well-meant words. She had all the time in the world, and still her thoughts wouldn’t line up enough for her to be able to think things through logically. Perhaps if she refused to have company for a few weeks she might be able to come up with a plan to make life more tolerable.
More worth living.
Chapter Three
“What proof do you have that this intel of yours is factual and not just speculation, Lieutenant?” Thea sat among the ministers and high-ranking officials, her entire focus on the gangly man in the center of the semicircle.
Lieutenant Diobring squared his shoulders and placed his hands behind his back in the customary stance of a soldier briefing a superior officer. “Sir.” He nodded toward Thea. “My team of seven and I have been undercover in disguise for eight weeks. We have covered cubes four, eight, and ten, as some of the law-enforcement officers had heard through reliable sources that something may happen there soon.”
“Did they reveal their reliable sources?” Korrian asked. She sat next to her wife, hands folded before her.
“No, Admiral. Not then. They offered.” Diobring looked seriously at Korrian and then shifted his gaze back to Thea. “I trust my team with my life, but we still thought it prudent to contain information to a need-to-know basis only. I asked Commander Vantressa to construct a non-connected computer for us to use for this type of intel. The team leaders involved with our operation are the only ones who can access the information, and it takes a joined command of at least two of us to access it.”
“I’m glad you approached Commander Vantressa.” Thea knew Adina’s integrity was beyond reproach. She had stood by Caya and Briar throughout the media’s gauntlet and public outcry. Now she was Thea’s most trusted advisor when it came to technological and electronic-engineering issues. “So, in short, you’re of the opinion that several teams of terrorists can be operating aboard Pathfinder?”
“Yes, sir.” Diobring pulled out a small device and used it to switch on a set of twelve holographic lights between him and the men and women around the semicircle. A three-dimensional view of Pathfinder in blueprint mode appeared and pivoted slowly. “Everywhere you spot a small green light on the blueprint represents a sighting. They are not confirmed, but they’re probable. I found this evidence credible enough to bring before you, sir.”
“I see.” Thea rose from her chair in the center of the table and circled it to stand next to Diobring. She bent forward and scrutinized the blueprint. All the cubes were represented, and none of them were without small glowing green dots. Thea could see how the green dots congregated in three cubes especially. “Don’t tell me. Cubes four, eight, and ten.”
“Correct, Madam President.”
“And now you want to escalate the surveillance, perhaps even go after these terrorists directly.”
“If we don’t stop them, we won’t reach Gemocon in one piece. That’s my honest opinion, sir.” Diobring clenched his jaw, and it wasn’t hard for Thea to see how he was ready and motivated to stop the ones who’d had caused so much pain and suffering since they left Oconodos.
“I hear you, Lieutenant.” Thea stood silent for a moment while she considered what her next move would be. No matter what, ultimately the responsibility was hers. “Lieutenant. Give us the room and wait in the common area outside my office. I’m going to confer with my advisors and the members of the cabinet. If they agree with me, I’ll need you to accompany me shortly, so stay within earshot.”
Diobring stood at attention. “Aye, sir. I’ll be outside.” He saluted, hand to chin, and then left the room.
“What are your thoughts, Madam President?” Korrian raised an eyebrow at Thea, as if the seasoned admiral couldn’t guess already. “Am I assuming too much when I think you want to run his intel by a certain clairvoyant young woman?”
Glowering at Korrian, Thea nodded briskly. “Very astute, Admiral. We won’t get much better intel than the lieutenant provided. The next step is to give Caya Lindemay a chance to verify—or perhaps even add to Lieutenant Diobring’s facts. She may also advise against it.”
“And no matter what this girl says, will you let her have the last say?” one of the ministers, a frail-looking middle-aged woman, asked.
“I have learned to listen to Caya, yes.” Thea turned slowly and narrowed her eyes deliberately as she challenged the woman to contradict her. “I believe you were in these halls when the Lindemay sisters saved all of us by issuing warnings and, in Briar Lindemay’s case, physically dragging two people to safety while risking her life. Since then, Caya has given us advice several times, which has all been true and thus saved both lives and resources.”
“I still find it disconcerting that you are at the mercy of a changer, Madam President,” the female minister said. To her credit, she sounded sincere, albeit overbearing enough to make Thea grind her teeth.
“Let me reassure you—all of you—that I’m at nobody’s mercy.” Giving them her broadest smile, the one she knew made younger assembly members tremble, Thea accepted her official cloak from her assistant, who knew by now exactly when her boss meant to leave. “I know we have more talking points to address, but let’s do that tomorrow, or perhaps tonight via communication links. Thank you. Leave in heavenly splendor.”
Thea strode out the door, followed by her usual entourage of presidential guards, assistants, and personal secretary. She spotted Lieutenant D
iobring at the far end of the corridor and waved for him to join her. He trotted up next to her, about to salute again, but she gestured dismissively.
“No need. We’re on our way to visit a person that I hope will be able to add to your intel. This person is somewhat special, and you might not entirely believe in her methods or in my listening to her, but I ask you to bear with me. Can you do that, Lieutenant?” Thea glanced up at the tall man next to her. He was good-looking and in his late twenties, hardened to some degree by his profession, but also with an honest expression.
“Yes, sir. I try to keep all options open to a degree.”
“Good to know.”
They rode the lift up to the corridor where Thea’s private quarters were located, along with the most prominent ministers’. She stopped outside Caya’s door, which used to be the president’s guest quarters. Now Caya called it a luxurious prison, which wasn’t fair. She wasn’t a prisoner but kept in protective custody, though Thea didn’t know how to convince her of the difference.
“I will enter with Lieutenant Diobring,” Thea informed her guards. “Remain here until we’re done.” She turned to her assistants. “Continue to the workstation at the far end and make sure the computer has transcribed the notes from today’s briefings properly. The last few had serious mistakes.”
“Yes, sir.” The two assistants hurried down the corridor just as Caya’s door opened.
Thea nearly gasped out loud but managed to restrain herself. Caya stood there, dressed all in white silk and lace, her hair billowing around her shoulders and down to the small of her back. A white headband kept it out of her face, which made her disdainful expression all the more readily visible.
“Madam President. What a surprise.” Caya spoke in a low, menacing voice. “And you brought a guest.”