He checked the ridge, and his triumph dropped like the electrocuted mammoths, sinking into his stomach. No one was firing, meaning no one was there. Collecting the third pole, he ran across the snow.
They would never abandon their posts. Something had happened. Anxiety rose like solar flares in his chest as he stuck the third pole down and completed the triangular defense. As the cries of the mammoths receded, silence fell over the valley.
“Gemme, Tech, Luna?” he shouted, and his voice reverberated against the distant mountains.
His world stopped. What if he was the only one that survived? Thinking he put himself in the thick of the danger, he may have left his team exposed. Brentwood’s hands rose to his forehead just as the rumbling of the landrover’s engines ignited, producing the best music he’d ever heard. The vehicle crested the ridge and relief flooded his system.
Thank the Guide they’re safe.
He shut off the laser for the bottom of the triangular defense and signaled Tech to drive down the incline. The landrover pulled in the perimeter and he followed, closing the space behind them by reactivating the beam. They may have scared the mammoths off for good, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.
The hatch opened and Tech came out first, hobbling onto the snow. The man looked like he’d gone to hell and back again. Weary eyed and slumping forward, he gave Brentwood a wave. “Nicely done, sir.”
Gemme followed Tech, jumping from the hatch. She ran to him and threw her arms around him, the force pushing back her hood. Her nut-brown hair ticked his chin. She calmed him like nothing else could. He closed his eyes and soaked in the moment. The close contact triggered a longing inside him and visions of a meadow and a log cabin flashed behind his lids. Was he going crazy? Or were they somehow star-destined lovers, married in previous lives? Brentwood shook the foggy memories from his head and gripped her close.
Tech cleared his throat and Brentwood opened his eyes. The older man stood behind them, his eyes dark and hooded in warning. “It’s not time to celebrate.”
Brentwood pulled away from Gemme far enough to look into her face. “Where’s Luna?”
Gemme looked down at his chest. “She’s dead.”
Her words slapped him in the face and he pulled away in guilt. He hadn’t even thought about the biologist in his rush to hold Gemme. What kind of a lieutenant was he? A member of his team had died and here he was thinking of romance. “Dead?”
Tech’s voice was soft as he explained. “One of the mammoths spotted us on the ridge. Smart bastards, I’ll tell you that. It came barreling up and tore into our hideout, causing an avalanche. The ladies went down with the snow, but I landed on the other side by the landrover.”
He shook his head as if to ward out the memory. “I saw it all. The snow trapped Gemme, but Luna was free. Luna panicked and took off toward the landrover. The mammoth saw her and charged with its tusks. I’d been thrown from my laser, and it took me a while to find it.”
Tech ran a hand through his beard. “I tried to distract the beast by firing from the top of the landrover. I got it away from her, but I was too late.”
Still grasping what he had said, Brentwood put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Tech. It’s not your fault.”
More like my fault. Brentwood’s mind swam with guilt.
What if Tech had gone down and I stayed?
What if we’d left her in the landrover?
Second-guessing all the decisions he’d made that day, he thought of a thousand ways that may have turned out better. Luna’s death loomed over his head. He rubbed his temples, trying to straighten out his thoughts.
“I talked to her before she died.” Gemme spoke up, breaking him out of his trance. “She was trying to tell me something; something I think she’d recently figured out, or was keeping from us the whole time. I’m not sure.”
“What did she say?”
“A lot was going on. I didn’t catch everything and Luna was hard to understand with all the blood in her throat. She mentioned not letting the Seers get something.”
Brentwood hadn’t trusted the Seers since the crash, since he saw their hidden orb. The Legacys and the Seers went way back, ever since the very first Legacy asked the pair of them to drive the ship. They’d kept secrets from the rest of the crew for centuries. “Not letting the Seers get what?”
“Get out?” Tech offered. “The Seers are pretty old and shouldn’t be wandering around.”
“No.” Gemme shook her head. “Before that I’m pretty sure she said it was about Beta Prime.”
Tech shrugged. “She might have been talking gibberish. I know I couldn’t make much sense if a mammoth’s tusks poked me like a pin cushion.”
“Enough.” Brentwood put up his hand, his gut twisting with Tech’s gruesome description. “We’ll figure it out later. Right now, we need to take care of Luna’s body.”
He thought for a second. “Her family will want to see her body when we get back to the Expedition. Let’s wrap her up and have a ceremony right here, say our last words, then get started on setting up the mining drill.”
“Good idea, chief. I’ll get the body.” Tech shuffled back to the landrover.
Brentwood searched in their equipment for her thermal sleeping cocoon. When he saw her blank face dangling from Tech’s arms, his stomach clenched up. She’d died on his watch. He’d have to live with that for the rest of his life. She’d had feelings for him, and all he did was scorn her, push her away. Now he could see every move she made was to get close to him. He’d been so blind. If he’d known Luna’s feelings, he wouldn’t have approved the biologist for the team.
No. You can’t blame yourself for everything.
She’d wanted to be a lieutenant so badly, her family would have found a way to put her on Alpha Blue, even if he’d turned her down. He was the only thing she couldn’t buy with favor, especially now that the matchmaking system had crashed.
“It’s not your fault.” Gemme came up to him as he pulled down Luna’s sleeping cocoon.
“I’m a lieutenant, everything that happens on this mission is my responsibility.”
She put a hand on his arm. “We all feel at fault.”
He looked at her with a steady blue gaze. “You have nothing to feel bad about. She pushed everyone around, and you still helped her at the very end.”
Gemme shrugged. “It’s the least I could have done.”
They laid Luna’s sleeping cocoon on the snow and Gemme helped him slip her body in. Tech hefted her up and placed her in the cargo hold of the landrover. Gemme tucked her blonde hair back gently. “There, it’s done.”
The sky had clouded over during the laser fight, and now a light snow fell, covering the mammoth’s footprints with a dusting of white. Brentwood brushed the flakes off of Luna’s sleeping cocoon. He couldn’t protect her during the fight, but at least he could make sure Alpha Blue tended to her body with care. “She’ll have a formal funeral on the Expedition, but I feel like they have so many to deal with because of the crash, now might be a good time to say your good-byes.”
Tech walked up and folded his hands in front of him. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to my laser in time. Rest in peace, Ms. Legacy. You’ve served the Guide well.” Although his speech was short, his voice was sincere.
He walked away, dragging his feet through the snow and Gemme stood up next. “Luna, I know we weren’t the best of friends. I forgive you for pushing me into the recycling bin that day. I can only hope you’ve forgiven me. I wish I could have done more to save you. I hope your soul rests at peace.”
Gemme j
oined Tech as he unloaded the mining equipment, leaving Brentwood to speak in private. Mixed emotions flooded his thoughts. “Ms. Legacy, Luna, I’m sorry I couldn’t be who you wanted me to be. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to save you. In return for your sacrifice I will finish this mission. I’ll make sure Thadious Legacy’s dream lives on, and the people of the Expedition continue. If you were trying to tell Gemme something, or warn her, I’ll figure out what it was.”
He closed the lid of the back hatch and watched as she disappeared beneath the door. That night he’d have to send a notification to her family. Brentwood sighed and collected his thoughts.
So much to do, and no time to grieve.
Gemme scanned the sight with Tech’s miniscreen while Tech worked on the drill. Their faces shot up as he approached.
“Tomorrow, I’m going to the beacon’s coordinates. I’ll investigate the device linked to the orb. I have to figure out what Luna said. I must decide if we should take it back to the Seers or destroy it.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hollowness
The Expedition, 2751
Mestasis hadn’t allowed herself to roam back into those complete memories of Old Earth in hundreds of years, and now she knew why. Every fiber of the remains of her body panged in sorrow, vibrating in dissonance with her mission objectives. She couldn’t allow her mind to wander into such dangerous territory, yet her thoughts opened the forbidden door.
What if I’d stayed behind?
Using her good eye, she gazed across the control chamber at Abysme. Ever since the crash her sister hung limp and despondent from the wires attaching her to the ceiling like a blind rag doll. Abysme had left her, and Mestasis shivered as the loneliness crept in. If she wanted her sister back, she’d have to learn more about the one thing that had interested Abysme before the ship had crashed. She had to plunge into the orb, to embrace its power and learn what it was meant to do. Yes, to help Abysme, she had to go in.
The energy from the cosmic swirls called to her, stronger than before. A repeating electrical impulse resonated from its depths, the same code she’d given to James on their first date at the Techno Express. She could remember his fingertips brushing hers vividly, and in the orb, their secret communication lived on.
But was it him?
Mestasis’s mind crawled toward the orb, wary and eager at the same time. Its power had surged exponentially since they crashed, and she didn’t know if she could control herself. She steeled her nerves. The last time she could barely pull herself away, and the ship needed at least one telepath at the helm. Thousands of lives rested on her shoulders, and she needed to know she could remerge to keep them safe. Rooting a part of herself within her body, she connected to the energy and allowed her mind to slip into the depths like a diver into a bottomless pool.
§
The light blinded her as she passed through it. Shapes formed in the distance, black figures curled in dancing poses with salamanders creeping into triangles. A single blade of grass poked through dusty soil and she reached out and ran her finger along the edge, the tip so sharp it almost cut her skin. Golden swirls of sunlight fell on her skin. She stood on a floor of concrete, sleeping blankets spread out in a row of three.
A woman wearing a grubby beige uniform hummed a song, unraveling her long braids in front of the antique mirror.
“Mom?” Mestasis’s voice quivered.
She didn’t turn around when she spoke. “I have a double shift tonight. Make sure your sister eats dinner.”
“Mom.”
This time her mother did turn around. Her dark eyes shone like brown velvet from the halo of her wavy hair, and her skin looked sleek and vibrant, high cheekbones carved into her heart-shaped face with thick lips and teeth white as pearls. Her mother’s beauty captivated her and she stared, brimming with unshed tears. Here was another chance to tell her everything she’d neglected on Old Earth.
“I’m sorry I didn’t visit you, Mom. I was working so hard, I thought I could give you a better home, I thought I could save you.”
“My dear Metsy.”
She rose from the crate and Mestasis’s heart pounded, longing for her mother’s arms to envelop her, to feel her love.
Her mother put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I know I can count on you.”
Mestasis paused. Count on her for what? To save the people aboard the Expedition? “What are you talking about, Mom?”
“I know you’ll look after Bysme. I’ll be home at 5:30 tomorrow night.”
“But?” Mestasis felt oddly mute. Here she was opening her heart with everything she’d ever wished to tell her for centuries, and her mother spoke as if she’d see her the next day.
She kissed her on the cheek, her lips soft against Metsy’s skin. Warmth spread throughout her face and neck. She could have stood in that moment forever, but her mom pulled her hand away. She shuffled to the kitchen and packed three soybean wafers into her old work bag.
With a wink, she took out an old plastic box and set it on the cracked plastic countertop. “Something for you and your sister to keep busy with.”
“What is it?”
She smiled as she slipped out the door. “Have fun.”
Mestasis remembered the box. She relived the night they’d opened the container to find a whole set of chess pieces. They’d stayed up into the next day designing a makeshift board with chalk on their floor and playing against each other until their brains felt like mush. It was one of the happier nights of her young life.
She yearned to open the container and sit with Abysme. The red coat of the king poked up underneath a crack in the lid. She reached for it, fingers dangling in the air before she jerked her arm away.
It was only a memory. Her mom had said exactly what she’d said that night, ages ago. Nothing more. Her heart tore open when she realized her words would never get through, never reach the true soul that had been her mother. But everything seemed so real. The cool countertop underneath her fingers had all the right cracks in it, her mom’s hand felt just right on her shoulder. Just as she remembered it.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it?
A thumping sound came from the back room. Mestasis turned to see a ten-year-old Abysme pop up from the blankets. “Did I miss Mom?”
“Yes.” The sudden urge to play the night out again rose up inside her, but she squelched it down. Her sister walked by, ratty pajamas two sizes too big trailing behind her. She opened the lid, the chess pieces falling on the floor. “What’s this?”
Mestasis knew her line even after all these years. “Mom left it for us.”
“What is it?” She rubbed her eyes.
“A chess set.”
The longer she spent in the memory, the more energy it took to remind herself of reality. She needed to find a way to get Abysme back, not play with her memory. She knew of only one way to test the boundaries of the orb, to find out what it wanted. To do so, she’d have to risk her heart being torn open all again. Mestasis closed her eyes and thought of James.
§
A young teen boy brushed by her as she held her steaming cup of synthetic coffee. She watched him disappear between an old woman and her bodyguard as they waited for their coffee.
“Such a plain choice for someone so special.”
Mestasis whirled around, and the liquid in her cup burned the back of her hand, creating golden swirls. The pain seared hot as the day it had happened. But she didn’t care.
James stood behind her holding his own dark beverage. His presence provided sustenance for her starving soul. She s
oaked in his silver eyes, feeling as though she could lose herself staring into them. And she almost did.
He waited for her answer. People pushed by them, unaware of their statue figures, locked in a moment of time.
She knew what her line was, but this time, she tried something else. She dropped her cup, the coffee splattering across the floor, splashing against the feet of the other people in line. They stepped forward unaware, like ghosts.
Mestasis wrapped her arms around James and pressed her lips to his. He tasted like salt and spice, the all too familiar sensations overloading her senses. She didn’t care about the Expedition, the crew, or Abysme. She wanted to live in this moment forever. To relive it time and time again: the heat of his skin pressed against hers, the curve of his lips. The orb held her paradise. She never thought she’d find it again. How could she give it up a second time?
Mestasis’s heart gripped in her chest as she realized where Abysme was. Her sister must have attached her mind to the orb. Craving her memories, the orb trapped her in a neverland within its depths.
If she searched deep enough inside herself, she found a hollowness in the atmosphere. A blurriness at the edges of her sight she hadn’t noticed before. The orb wasn’t big enough to hold her there forever, to make each memory live on as real flesh and blood. But the dimensions of the beacon calling to it on Tundra 37 was.
Mestasis pulled away and looked into his face. “James, you have to help me. Abysme is gone and I don’t know how to get her back. She’s stuck in this orb.”
James gave her a quirky smile and gestured over his shoulder. “I found us a table in the back.”
“No.” She pulled on his arm as he brought her to the same place they’d sat before. The seat that had once excited her now felt like a prison. James looked at her as if she’d commented on the weather. This vision was a shadow of his true self. No one surrounding her had a soul. Her heart broke all over again as she reminded herself he was gone.
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