Disobedience

by Kaitlyn Andersen

  Finn rolled to her back and hopped to her feet just in time to see him barreling at her once again. She dove into a somersault and evaded him, jumping back up and throwing herself at his upper body.

  Her hands grabbed onto his shoulders and she used her momentum and body weight to curl her lower half just below his hips, shooting her legs down and around his knees.

  Shane fell backward . . . hard. She landed atop his midsection and aimed a fist at the space between his eyes. She held it poised in midair and waited for his reaction.

  They both panted for air, their chests surging from exertion.

  Suddenly, the aggression cleared from his expression and his lips began to widen with a growing smile.

  “That was fun.”

  TWENTY

  Finn took her time tidying up the training room, relishing the alone time, something she’d gotten precious little of since returning to Independence. Her students had been released and Enyo, Conrad, and Shane had gone off with them in search of breakfast.

  She pushed the mats up against the wall and sat down on one of the weight machines, turning abruptly when a throat cleared behind her.

  AJ stood at the room’s entrance, his dark eyes darting around and his posture uncertain.

  “I thought you were long gone, kid. Training is over for the day,” Finn told him.

  The boy looked at the ground and scuffed his shoe on the floor.

  “I know. Shane wants everyone on the bridge in five. I offered to let you know.”

  A meeting on the bridge?

  Finn’s heart sped up.

  “Thanks. I’ll be up in a minute.”

  Several seconds passed in silence and AJ’s eyes darted around the room nervously.

  “Was there something else?” she asked him.

  AJ bit his lip hesitantly.

  “Spit it out, kid.”

  His words left him in a rush.

  “It’s just that, I heard Shane and Iliana talking. The things the Reliance did to you when you were a kid . . . is all that true?”

  Finn swallowed hard past the dry lump that had formed in her throat and did her best to sound casual.

  “Depends on what you heard.”

  “They tortured you?” he asked softly.

  Tension filled the air and Finn struggled to respond. Finally, she simply nodded in affirmation.

  “Me too. Did they . . .” He hesitated slightly before the question spilled out of him. “Did they make you kill someone?”

  AJ’s hands had balled into fists and his spine straightened as he awaited an answer.

  “Is that what they made you do, AJ?” she asked him gently.

  It took him long moments, but eventually he nodded his head, tears welling in his eyes.

  “They made me use my abilities on people . . . Made me convince them to do horrible things. I didn’t want to,” he added in a rush. “They made me do it.”

  Finn’s heart ached for the boy as she remembered the Reliance brand she’d seen burned into his chest.

  “It wasn’t your fault, AJ; you never had a choice back then, but now you do.”

  “Yeah, thanks to you,” he murmured as his eyes brightened. “Training with you is . . . Well, it’s the happiest I’ve ever been. I finally feel like I’m a part of something, you know?”

  “You’ve always been a part of something,” she told him. “Shane and Conrad have given you a chance to help other people like you. Not many of us get a chance like that.”

  AJ’s eyes narrowed angrily.

  “They don’t understand what it’s like.”

  “Maybe not, but they love you. That’s got to be worth something. Besides, they’ve both suffered in their own ways. It may not be the same as what you or I went through, but it’s suffering all the same.”

  He seemed to think over what she said, his mind going to work behind those dark eyes. A tiny sparkle appeared there and he grinned with reverence.

  “I’ve never seen anyone take Shane down like that. It was incredible.”

  “Your brother is a skilled fighter.”

  Some of the light left his eyes and his smile faltered.

  “I never knew,” he admitted quietly. “I guess there’s a lot I don’t know about Shane.”

  “You should take it easy on him. He’s trying his best.” His face relaxed slightly as he gave her a sharp nod. “Good. Now go get something to eat,” she told him softly.

  She watched the boy’s exit as anger filled her. She’d done her best to keep it together during their conversation, but now that he’d departed, the rage at all he’d revealed was hitting her hard.

  The things the Reliance had put him through, and at such a young age no less, were abhorrent. But the worst part, the part that kept her up at night . . . There were so many others out there suffering the same fate.

  Finn just hoped they could reach them all in time.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Finn made her way to the bridge with steady strides. When she arrived, she found the rest of Independence’s crew waiting for her. Shane stood with the twins at the ship’s helm while Iliana, Isis, Tiri, Enyo, Conrad, Nova, Axel, and AJ sat in the crew’s seats facing them.

  The captain had cleaned the blood from his face, but a purple bruise had already begun to form at the corner of his square jaw.

  She shot a wry smile at him and hurried to take a seat in between Conrad and Enyo. Iliana noticed the exchange and shook her head, causing her loose red curls to sway with the movement.

  Finn’s smile merely widened to a grin.

  Since their most recent training session, things had shifted significantly in their relationship. She now understood Iliana in a way she’d never dreamed she would and, slowly, they were learning to trust one another.

  Shane watched them for a moment before addressing the room.

  “The ship needs fuel. We’ll be docking on Kreet shortly to refuel and restock the ship.”

  Lex let out a whoop of excitement.

  “Freedom!” she cried dramatically.

  Jax offered his sister a high-five and Shane shot them both an exasperated glare.

  Finn had no idea why the twins would be so excited to visit an Outer Rings planet, especially one as desolate as Kreet, but she supposed the energetic duo had been cooped up for so long they had to be chomping at the bit for any change of scenery.

  And Kreet would certainly be a change of scenery. The planet was nothing more than desert and rocks. The only reason it received as many visitors as it did was the giant market the upper castes had set up on the planet’s craggy surface.

  Hundreds of them gathered daily to sell their wares, which ranged from synthetic food, fuel, and secondhand clothes, to the more rare finds like stolen upper-caste jewelry and tech. The place put the Mud Pit’s black market to shame with the sheer quantity of merchandise.

  She’d been there a few times over the last cycles, but she always kept her visits short in a bid to get back to the Mud Pit.

  Shane eyed the neon-haired twins as he announced, “Not everyone will be leaving the ship.” Lex crossed her arms at her chest and began to pout. “Tiri, Enyo, Isis, AJ, Axel, and Jax, I need you to stay behind this time.”

  Lex let out another excited cheer and eyed her brother.

  “Sorry, bro. I’ll bring you back something nice.”

  “I’m sure we’ll find a way to entertain ourselves.”

  Jax ignored his sister to shoot a heated stare Axel’s way. The giant half-Khaleerian’s cheeks flushed a deep scarlet and he bit his lip nervously.

  Finn rolled her eyes and looked over the rest of the crew.

  Tiri sagged in her seat, her round eyes downcast. She fiddled with one of the ribbons around her pigtails and bit her lavender lip.

  “Don’t you worry, my child, we’ll have plenty of our own fun while they’re away,” Isis soothed, wrapping a long blue arm around the girl’s shoulder.

  On some level, Finn understood the prudence of Shane’s decision. They
needed crew to stay behind and, in Tiri’s case, the child was far too conspicuous with her lavender skin and odd markings. Still, she reacted to the sadness in the little girl’s eyes.

  Don’t worry, kid. I’ll steal you something pretty, she thought loudly.

  Tiri’s eyes shot up to meet Finn’s and she frowned.

  It’s not nice to steal things, Finn, she reprimanded.

  The child looked so indignant, Finn couldn’t help but laugh out loud, earning several stares from the surrounding crew.

  Enyo hadn’t moved at Finn’s side and she gently nudged the Sirian.

  “He’s right. It makes sense for you to stay behind,” she told the hybrid.

  Enyo’s glittering eyes flitted past Finn to Conrad.

  “You will keep N’Goza safe,” she told the big man in a harsh tone that left little room for argument.

  Conrad nodded slightly, his blue eyes assessing the Sirian. “I will.”

  Finn bit back a sigh and muttered, “N’Goza can take care of herself.”

  Belatedly, she noticed AJ had tensed in his seat. Anger seeped off him in waves, and he held his hands in tight fists on his lap.

  Somehow, he managed to make his tone sound even as he locked eyes with Shane.

  “I’d like to go to Kreet,” he told his brother through clenched teeth.

  Shane observed the boy warily.

  “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, AJ.”

  Rather than explode as she and most likely everyone else expected, AJ forced himself to take a deep breath.

  “I’ve been working hard, Shane. I can handle this.”

  The captain’s brows shot up in surprise as he took his younger brother in. She could see the wheels spinning in his head as he weighed his options. Finally, his gaze moved to Conrad first, then Finn. She gave him a subtle nod of encouragement.

  Releasing a deep breath, Shane’s features softened and he relented. “Okay, AJ, you can come to Kreet.” Shooting a stern look at the rest of the crew, he commanded, “We dock in an hour. Be ready to leave.”

  TWENTY-TWO

  Finn stood in the cargo hold between Iliana and Conrad as the ship’s doors opened to reveal the planet of Kreet. They had all changed in preparation for the arid climate. Iliana had slipped into a magenta hooded sari draping her shoulders and waist. She wore a pair of rose gold wraparounds over her eyes. The captain, Conrad, and AJ sported sleek black wraparounds, and Shane looked rugged in a pair of tan cargo pants and matching shirt.

  All three men wore scarves over their noses and mouths.

  The women wore saris or capes and varying styles of wraparounds.

  Finn smoothed a wrinkle in the silk blouse she’d borrowed from Iliana and secured the hood of her cape over her head and around her mouth as she took in the rocky cliffs and sandy hills as far as the eye could see.

  Endless rows of tents the same shade of tan as the sand had been set up, and hundreds of passersby shuffled between merchants and peddlers, their high-volume haggling filling the space with a delightful din.

  The scent of countless spices and various meats smoking over a fire filled Finn’s nostrils and her mouth watered.

  Adjusting her gloves, Finn watched Lex practically vibrate in place with her excitement.

  “I bet they have that special sugar bread you can’t find anywhere else,” Lex told no one in particular.

  “Everybody meets back at the ship in an hour, got it?” Shane pointed to his watch as he looked the group over. “We stay in pairs so nobody goes wandering off too far. Conrad’s with me, Iliana and Finn are together, and AJ, Nova, and Lex . . . stay together . . . and stay out of trouble.”

  Shane eyed Lex sternly as he finished his command. The pilot tossed him a distracted wave and an innocent smile, locking arms with AJ and Nova as she dragged them out of the ship.

  Shane ran a hand through his hair in vexation.

  “Let’s get this over with,” he muttered.

  Finn bit her lip in an attempt to hide her smile at the poor man’s obvious anxiety. Conrad leaned down low to whisper in her ear.

  “Be good. I’ll find you out there as soon as I get a chance to get away.”

  Finn lost the fight and grinned up at him.

  “When am I ever not good?”

  The corners of Conrad’s lips turned up in a smile. He lifted his gloved hand slightly to squeeze hers and then followed Shane out of the ship.

  Iliana sidled closer to her sister, her eyes shining with humor.

  “That seems to be going well,” she teased sardonically.

  Finn shoved her shoulder lightly and headed for the doors.

  “Wait,” Iliana called. “Leave the gloves behind. I have something I want to try with you.”

  Finn turned and eyed her warily.

  “There are tons of people out there. I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

  “Do you trust me?” Iliana asked with uncharacteristic vulnerability.

  They’d certainly come a long way together in the short time she’d been back on Independence, but Finn never went anywhere without her gloves. Even when she removed them for their training sessions, she felt exposed in a way that had her breaking into a cold sweat.

  “Finn,” Iliana repeated quietly, “do you trust me?”

  Finn sighed and tore the gloves free from her hands dramatically.

  “Fine, have it your way.” She shoved them in her pocket and glared at her sister. “Now can we go?”

  Iliana’s answering smile was resplendent as she whispered, “Yes.”

  Iliana steered them into a corner between two tents selling brightly patterned rugs and dishware respectively.

  “Okay,” Iliana whispered as she eyed the crowd. Between the yells of merchants, their customers’ chatter, and the pods and ships passing overhead, Finn had to strain to hear her over the hubbub. “I want you to start by picking an object. It can be anything. Practice staying present as you siphon from it.”

  “Okay,” Finn breathed. “That sounds easy enough.”

  She unscrewed the top of Conrad’s hair wax inside her pocket and dabbed a little on her finger. She rubbed the wax above her upper lip, just below her nostrils, and inhaled.

  Her eyes scanned the tents past rows of spices, racks of red-and-gold clothing, and countless other odd commodities. Finally, her gaze landed on a tent selling wooden jewelry; carved within the beads were runic markings similar to the ones on Conrad’s shoulders and back.

  Keeping her hands close to her sides, Finn worked her way through the crowd until she made it to her desired destination.

  Her eyes locked on a black, wooden bead bracelet with a small runic totem attached. She reached out and grasped the thing between her fingers, inhaling Conrad’s scent as she did. Images flashed in her mind, but she was able to sort through them easily, keeping focus on the crowds bustling around her.

  A small, older woman bends over a rectangular table covered in wooden beads. She holds a small laser the size of a pen in her hand and uses it to burn carvings into the beads. Her eyes narrow and her tongue dips out between her lips as she carefully strings them together one by one. Finn leans closer to study the woman’s movements. As she does, she can see the bright blue runic markings covering her face and hands.

  Finn held the bracelet tightly in her hands as she searched the interior of the tent. Sure enough, she found the old woman watching her.

  “You’re Merlidian?” Finn asked her. The old woman nodded, but said nothing. “How much?” she asked, motioning toward the bracelet.

  The woman held up two fingers and Finn dug around in her pocket for the remaining stash of gold she’d stuffed there, tossing two pieces to the old woman.

  Finn shoved the bracelet into her pocket and ignored the trace of memory remnants left behind from the Merlidian woman’s touch.

  She got distracted on her way back to Iliana as she passed a tent with a small wooden structure in front of it. Its rectangular shape had been painted a d
eep shade of red and four yellow wheels had been mounted to the bottom.

  Small curtains had been pulled aside from the structure’s center revealing a small window-like space where several marionette puppets danced and twirled haphazardly.

  Two of the puppets sported bald heads, red button eyes, and shimmering gold bodies. They were flanked by brutish-looking soldier puppets as they toppled wooden props and sent the other marionettes running in the opposite direction.

  Finn finally tore her attention from the odd spectacle and returned to Iliana’s side.

  “That was good,” Iliana praised her as she sidled up next to her sister.

  “What’s next?” Finn asked.

  “Now you choose someone.”

  “Choose someone?”

  “Yes, you’re going to practice siphoning from a person who isn’t me,” Iliana murmured.

  Finn’s stomach dropped and her palms began to sweat.

  In the distance, she spotted Lex’s pink braids—the girl still dragging a dazed AJ around—as she stopped at a tent billowing smoke from the fresh bread baking there in a stone oven.

  Where the hell was Nova?

  Lex said something to the vendor and squealed with delight at whatever the man said. AJ recoiled at the sound, but Lex was oblivious to the boy as she handed the seller a piece of gold in exchange for a loaf of bread covered in glittering sugar crystals piled so high they looked like mountains.

  Finn’s eyes darted through the crowd once again, but Nova was nowhere to be found. Seeming to sense her disquiet, Iliana leaned close to whisper, “What is it? Is something wrong?”

  She did her best to shrug off her concern. Nova probably snuck off to find some customers of her own. Kreet was as good a place as any for the doxie to earn her gold.

  “Nothing,” she told Iliana, “I’m just looking for my next victim.”

  Across the way, she spotted a male vendor with a wrinkled face and white hair. He stood proudly next to several hanging racks of bright-yellow, synthetic coats. Finn made her way over to him, pretending to be distracted by the jackets as she bumped into the old man and grabbed his hand to steady herself.