Escape
Page 22
“Yes. I was on a jumper with friends when what I think was some strange white garnet mix began eating away at the metal in the cars. I survived, along with one other person. Olion. We managed to pull ourselves halfway out by the tracks, and then the EVAC team came to get us.”
Thea could hardly believe her ears. “You—you were that close to cube eighteen?” she whispered, horrified. “Why?”
“Because I had a vision of it happening. I just didn’t know when.” Caya yanked Thea forward and wrapped her arms around her, holding her close. “I tried to get through to you, or anyone among your staff, but they didn’t let me. I tried Adina’s and Briar’s communicators, but I just kept getting their message service. Sometimes not even that. I didn’t get to eighteen in time. I’m so sorry.” Caya trembled and began to cry against Thea’s shoulder.
“Shh. Nothing of this was your fault. I heard about your attempts to reach me. We will all carry the guilt for not listening.” Thea buried her face in Caya’s rich, blond hair. “I’m the one who is sorry.”
Caya raised her head slightly to look at her. “What do you mean?”
“I didn’t listen to you long before the Alachleves attacked. You begged me to free you, to let you be in charge of your own destiny, but I was so certain I knew how to best keep you safe. I know now that my actions stemmed from fear. The more you pulled back, needing your space, the more I tried to tug you toward me. There’s no excuse for it.” Thea didn’t sugarcoat anything. This might be the last time she was allowed to hold Caya this way. Once Caya realized Thea had bestowed presidential pardon and protection upon her, she would be gone. Why would Caya stay with her jailer?
“My turn to hush you. You’re being too hard on yourself. Nobody aboard Pathfinder is under more stress and strain than you. Yes, I would have wished for you to give me my freedom a lot sooner, but perhaps it was meant to happen the way it did. I acted like a bratty child half the time, which of course didn’t make you have much confidence in me.
“As for the Alachleves—they would have attacked either way. What was so strange about my vision, which I couldn’t quite interpret, was the attack against the jumper system. In my vision, I knew it wasn’t over after the initial attack, but I didn’t understand until it was too late that it wasn’t the Alachleves that attacked cube eighteen. You couldn’t have foreseen or prevented either attack.”
“No, perhaps not, but if I had let you do your job and trusted you much earlier—”
“But you did. You did trust me. You trusted in my visions more than I did sometimes.”
“Yet I couldn’t save cube eighteen.” Thea knew this would haunt her for the rest of her life, but holding Caya close made it at least bearable. Or it would become bearable with time.
“We might just have to accept we weren’t meant to.” Caya drew a deep, trembling breath.
Thea sat down on a small settee by the far wall and pulled Caya with her. She kept her arms firmly around her lover, thankful to the Creator she was allowed to do so. “Can you explain what you mean?” Thea caressed Caya’s damp cheeks, smoothing the remnants of tears away.
Caya took one of Thea’s hands and kissed her palm. “Some things that happen in our lives are meant to be. I may see them in my visions, but they’re fixed—immovable. Then there are a million things that aren’t static like that, those things that can be manipulated and have varied outcomes. We have to learn from what happened to eighteen. I found new friends who ended up sacrificing their lives for me, but I can’t keep myself from learning from this awful, horrible experience just because it tears me to pieces. If I turn away from it, they will have died for nothing.”
“New friends?” Thea caressed Caya’s hair. “They sound exceptional. Who were they?”
Caya hesitated only for a second, and then she told Thea about Tomita, Aldan, and Foy and their powers. She spoke of the sleeper cells, the super-changers, and the grand superior changer.
Thea pulled back to look into Caya’s eyes. “They were changers? And there are more? We…There were always rumors of more changers, but no evidence and no intel from our security officers indicated the terrorists were part of a network—let alone any sleeper cells.” She hugged Caya closer again. “Darling, you’re going to have to work with law enforcement and the military security officers regarding this. If we don’t stop further attacks, we may never reach Gemocon.”
“As long as I’m with people I trust. Diobring showed me I can trust very few people, but I’m ready to do everything in my power to get us there—and when we do arrive, to help keep the population safe.” Caya tipped her head back. “And to me, keeping you safe is most important of all. I heard everything you said, not just to me, I might add, but to the entire ship.”
Thea’s cheeks went warm. She didn’t regret her desperate measure, not at all, but she was glad Caya had interrupted her just before she revealed her identity. “I should say I’m sorry, but I’m not.” Thea ran her thumb along Caya’s lower lip. “It was all true.”
“Well, that makes it easier.” Caya framed Thea’s face with her hands. “I love you too, Gassinthea. I have loved you since the day I met you.”
Thea could hardly breathe. If she didn’t know better, she would have suspected an oxygen leak. “You brave girl.” Thea took one of the hands Caya held against her cheeks and kissed it over and over. “You amazingly brave girl.” She didn’t mind the tears that now fell freely down her face. “I will love you till the day I die.”
Caya’s mouth fell open. “Oh.”
Unable to resist, Thea pressed her lips to Caya’s and kissed her.
*
Caya clung to Thea, arms around her neck. Her mouth feverishly invited Thea’s tongue to join hers, and it was as arousing as it was poignant. Her still-rather-sore body ached when Thea ran her hands up and down her back, but she didn’t care. She was back in Thea’s arms, and she had told Caya she loved her several times.
“I can’t get enough of you,” Thea murmured as she kissed her way down Caya’s neck. “You’re here. You’re safe. As long as you’re safe, I won’t ask for anything else.”
“That’s exactly how I feel. When I crawled through that tunnel, praying for you to be all right, I hated myself for never telling you how I feel. I’ve loved you for so long.”
Thea raised her head and stared at her, motionless and with dilated pupils darkening her eyes. “Caya…”
“I love you.” Caya took Thea’s left hand and pressed it between her breasts. “Here. Can you feel my heart racing? Every single beat is for you. The way you hold me, kiss me…and look at me now. I don’t ever want to leave you ever again. You told me you will love me till the day you die.” She leaned close for a soft kiss. “That’s exactly how I feel. I will always love you. But can you endure spending your life with a—”
“A changer? Yes. Without a doubt. We belong together, darling.” Thea held her tighter and kissed her again, hungry, devouring, and so full of passion that Caya whimpered into her mouth. “We can’t do this here,” Thea said and pulled back enough to look into Caya’s eyes. “I want you so much, all of you, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to take you on top of my desk.”
Caya had to laugh through some residual tears. “Something about that sounds very sexy, but not very presidential.”
“I’m glad you agree.” Thea sighed and smoothed down Caya’s hair. “I think.”
“Will I go with you to your quarters later? Or…do I go home with Briar? I’d rather not live in the guest quarters anymore.” Caya prayed Thea would understand.
Thea kept stroking Caya’s hair. “I would love for you to stay with me in my quarters. If you can see yourself living with me from now on, you’ll make me very happy.” As calm and brave as Thea sounded, Caya could tell she was nervous.
“I want to be with you,” Caya said. “But it may not go down so well with some of your Assembly delegates and the more reactionary passengers.”
“I’m not about to run for reelection,
but even if I were, I wouldn’t care. I need you in my life, and you are what matters. Besides, it’s about time everyone aboard Pathfinder knows about you and your gift—and how you’ve saved us so many times. I wish I could have met your new friends.” Thea rested her head against Caya’s shoulder.
“There are more of us out there, and by us I mean benevolent changers that can be of great use and of service to the Gemoconians if we’re not tossed in the brig or air-locked.” Caya was joking, but she could easily spot the signs that Thea didn’t find her comment funny as she pressed her lips together and shook her shoulders gently.
“Nobody will touch you. You have a presidential pardon and protection logged into your official record. You will not fault me for doing that. You’ll have your freedom, but that means I have to find alternative ways to try to keep you safe.”
“As you did it in such a great way, which doesn’t infringe on my privacy or personal freedom, far be it for me to protest.” Caya had bent close for another kiss when Thea’s communicator beeped.
“Tylio here. Go ahead.”
“Madam President, Fleet Admiral Vayand here. I think I have given you enough time to sort, hmm, the matter that needed sorting, judging from your shipwide transmission earlier. I have arranged for a briefing in fifteen minutes with the generals, admirals, and your cabinet. I want to reassure you that you have my and Admiral Heigel’s full support in regard to your personal happiness, but some ruffled feathers need smoothing among some of the others.”
“I understand very well, Orien. I’m on my way. After the briefing, we need to bring a smaller group of leaders together. It’s important.”
“Yes, Madam President.”
“Very well. See you shortly. Tylio out.”
Caya could hardly bear to watch Thea walk out of her office and had to remind herself that it wasn’t a good start to their relationship to appear clingy. Then she felt strong arms around her neck, pulling her in for a tight embrace.
“I loathe leaving you here.” Thea kissed her with such passion they both whimpered. “Promise me you’ll be safe.”
Tilting her head and scanning Thea’s immediate future, Caya detected nothing to cause concern. She nodded and smiled. “Trust me, Madam President. I’m going to be very, very safe.”
“That’s so good to know.” Thea kissed her softly on the lips. “I won’t be long.”
“And I’ll still miss you.”
Caya would never forget Thea’s expression of utter love as she stopped and turned in the doorway. “And I you.”
Caya wanted to tell Thea about the orb, but it was too soon to share its existence. Shortly she would venture out to Tomita, Aldan, and Foy’s quarters and retrieve the orb and what was left of Aldan’s potions. These things would be her secrets for now. Later, once she’d mastered them, she would use them to become the true oracle Gemocon required to flourish. She had seen enough to know the attacks from the sleeper cells and terrorists were only the beginning. Pathfinder was bringing a storm with it to Gemocon. Caya wiped at a single quivering tear among her eyelashes. “Dear Tomita, Aldan, and Foy,” she whispered. “The Creator will bless you and remain by your side on your journey to the far beyond, my dear friends. I will miss you.”
Caya had to let her friends go. She was blessed in so many ways, and now that she knew Thea loved her—she had one more reason to remain strong.
Epilogue
“Twenty minutes to reaching high orbit. Escorting assault craft establishing trajectory. Pathfinder is aligned to initiate separation phase in two minutes. Prepare cubes eight, four, and six for separation.”
The computer droned the information from the bridge over ship-wide communicators. The tall woman stood among the crowd in Caydoc Park and watched the view from the external cameras on the major screen. Above them the faux sky gave the impression of a beautiful summer’s day. Down on the planet they were about to orbit, Gemocon, it was early fall on the northern hemisphere. The advance team had worked tirelessly in preparation for Pathfinder’s arrival. The woman had eagerly followed every report from Gemocon regarding their progress. They had gone through their fair share of setbacks but somehow managed to use the last two years to draw up plans for infrastructure and housing.
Every time the woman had seen her daughter’s name in any of the reports, her heart had ached. It had been so long. Too long. Every time she looked at herself in the mirror, she knew nobody would recognize her. Her black curls were now gunmetal black and her once-flawless complexion weathered and scarred. That, combined with an eyepatch covering her empty right eye socket, made her into a whole other person. Considering how the last twenty years had been, she wasn’t the same when it came to her soul either. Gone were the doting mother, the fleet-officer career woman, and the once-loving wife.
Her son was aboard Pathfinder with his wife and little boy. She hadn’t seen them in person, but the passenger manifest was easy enough to hack into, as was the surveillance system where she could watch them go about their daily routine. Her daughter, successful in her chosen profession despite her mother’s absence, waited for the young family on Gemocon.
“Eleven minutes to high orbit around Gemocon. Commencing chain separation sequence. Separating cubes eight, four, and six. Prepare cubes twelve, nine, and two.”
The computer interrupted the woman’s thoughts, and she gazed transfixed at the cubes as they appeared on the screen. The last time they had separated it was an emergency action while being under attack and nobody had an outside view of that happening. Now Pathfinder dislodged the cubes one by one, placing them like a string of pearls in orbit around Gemocon. Each cube had its own bridge to control it independently. Around them, freighters joined the assault craft, helping the bridge crews estimate the trajectory.
“Excuse me?” A man just behind her tried to pass, and she stepped aside. He glanced at her and did a double take at the sight of her eyepatch. No doubt he was astonished, wondering why she hadn’t simply had her eye replaced. She fully intended to have it done eventually. There simply hadn’t been time before Pathfinder departed.
“High orbit achieved for all cubes. One hour until departure of the first 16,800 passengers. Estimated time of arrival planet-side at the shuttle landing sites in ninety minutes.”
The computer kept delivering messages to each cube, making sure the passengers knew when to report to their respective shuttle bays. The tall woman knew it would about fifty days until the cubes were empty of civilians. Some, like the president and her cabinet, would disembark first in order to assume the offices prepared for them on the planet. The twenty-seven shuttles that had been attached to the outside of the shuttle bays could ferry six hundred passengers at a time. The schedule estimated three runs per day until it was time for the remaining crewmembers to land the cubes. Each cube would become the hub of a new city, except for cubes one, eleven, and eight. Cube one held the governmental structures, cube eleven the university hospital with all the best specialists, and cube eight harbored all the main universities and agricultural research facilities. Together they would form the embryo of the new Gemoconian capital, which had yet to receive a name.
The woman had to remain aboard cube one for another three weeks until it was her time to disembark, if the schedule held up. She didn’t mind. This would give her time to make a final decision regarding her future. She watched how people around her cheered as the first shuttles left their respective cubes and headed for the planet’s surface. So far, the woman took comfort in being a face among many, but eventually she would decide if she would remain incognito or once again become Lieutenant Commander Pamas Seclan, long-lost mother of Commander Aniwyn “Spinner” Seclan, CAG of the Advance Team and her younger brother Pherry.
Pamas watched the Gemoconian scenery come toward them on the big screen. The cube-one shuttle camera showed the web of landing sites and gates as it landed. The roaring shouts spread throughout the crowd in Caydoc Park, echoed by the cheers from the ground crew on Gemocon. Pam
as wiped at a tear running down her cheek.
Pathfinder had made it. They had actually arrived at Gemocon.
About the Author
Gun Brooke resides in the countryside in Sweden with her very patient family. A retired neonatal intensive care nurse, she now writes full time, only rarely taking a break to create web sites for herself or others and to do computer graphics. Gun writes both romances and sci-fi.
Gun can be contacted at fiction@gbrooke-fiction.com
Web site http://www.gbrooke-fiction.com
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