Out of Orbit- The Complete Series Boxset

by Chele Cooke

  Georgianna glanced back down the corridor. “Walk me to the shield?”

  Keiran didn’t look too pleased at the idea, but this wasn’t the place where they could share looks instead of words. He turned on his heel, walking back the way he’d come, back towards the central staircase. Georgianna followed a few steps behind, if for no other reason than to stop herself reaching for his hand.

  They descended the stairs in silence, passing soldiers and other Cahlven. Georgianna gripped the handrail, sliding her hand down in front of her as far as she could reach. Keiran glanced back to ensure she was still behind him, and when they turned onto the next flight of stairs, he gripped the handrail as far back as was natural, the heel of his hand just brushing against her fingertips. That touch, small at it was, warmed Georgianna all the way up from her fingertips and into her chest.

  Out at the bottom of the stairs, Georgianna busied herself with fastening her coat and pulling on her gloves as they walked, staring down. He stayed so close that their arms brushed together, and she cursed the number of layers between them.

  “So, you came to an agreement with the Colvohan?” he said.

  Georgianna nodded. “This fight was always against the Adveni. They should be the ones who get sick.”

  “And the others? They agree with you doing this?”

  “Not entirely. But it’s not up to them.”

  He paused and licked his bottom lip. “I bet it wouldn’t matter to you who was against it. As long as you get your revenge, right?”

  “This isn’t about revenge.”

  “It’s not?”

  “It’s about justice. It’s about protecting the Veniche.”

  He glanced down at her, raising an eyebrow. “And Maarqyn? You told me that you and Dhiren had made a deal. Once he and Ehnisque were dead, you were done. After what he did to you, George?”

  She straightened up. Georgianna knew what he was getting at. Their double-speak had become almost second nature. “I’ll never forgive him for what he did. But killing him won’t change anything. We need to deal with them as a whole.”

  Keiran gave a bitter laugh. “ We? Right.”

  Georgianna jumped ahead and spun around to face him. He wavered as he stopped; surprise was one of the only emotions he let slip through the mask.

  She gazed up at him. “Yes. We.”

  “And is the rest of this ‘we’ behind you in this?”

  She drew her bottom lip between her teeth as her gaze wandered over his face. He was worried, like Alec and Dhiren. She wondered if he expected the Adveni to betray their deal, or the Cahlven. Or even both. She didn’t know if he even knew about the double deal. “They will be. But hey, if it kills me, at least the liquor will be flowing every morning. Maybe they’ll extend the shield into the Rion, make a real party of it.”

  His eyes narrowed. He was silent for a few moments before he sighed. “Goodbye, George.”

  She took a deep breath and nodded, resigned. “Goodbye, Keiran.”

  He left her at the edge of the shield and walked back towards the ship. Despite all their agreements on the subtleties of their coded communication, she had never heard it sound less like ‘I love you’, and more like ‘Goodbye’.

  The room was coated in white sheeting over the old, crumbling walls. The ceiling had been covered, with large bright lights hanging through the sheeting at regular intervals. Even the floor had been covered, and Georgianna had to change out of her clothes and into a papery sheet in a curtained-off room before being allowed to enter. Luckily, for her at least, they had also set up an electric fire: a wall of red coils which glowed and sent out enough heat to make the room feel like the freeze had already gone.

  A familiar folding bed was at the side of the room. Georgianna stared at the bindings around its legs while the Adveni bustled around her. The last time she’d been in a room with a bed like that, Maarqyn had ordered the nsiloq mark drawn into her shoulder. So far, since arriving, she’d not seen the Volsonnar. Instead, two Adveni walked her from the front door of the abandoned building, showing her where to get changed before returning to their hidden posts, and then the female attendant had pulled back the curtain to usher her into the white room.

  There were two more Adveni, a male and female, sat at a table, at the far end of the room. Numerous vials were lined up in front of them, each labelled and filled with what looked like blood. Having made daily visits to the Cahlven already, Georgianna knew the drill. She began to roll up the sleeves on the gown.

  “No,” the woman said. “On the bed. Face down.”

  Georgianna glanced back at the folding bed and cringed, shuffling further away.

  The Adveni looked at her and gave an awkward half-smile. “I am told you’re a medic,” she said. “Veniche, yes?” Georgianna nodded. “You brought the samples we asked for?”

  “Five, yes.”

  “So few?”

  “The other people I’m with are my family. I was told you needed a varied sample.”

  The Adveni nodded. “Having samples from blood relatives would also be useful.”

  Georgianna gulped, but nodded just the same. She approached the bed, but couldn’t bring herself to touch it, let alone lie down.

  The Adveni gave a reassuring smile. “My name is Akhna. You are Georgianna?”

  “That’s right.”

  Akhna waved over to the vials on the table. “Those are from Cahlven soldiers. Blood samples. We will use the samples you have given us to compare to the Cahlven. Unfortunately, we do need one more test.”

  “What is it?”

  Akhna turned around and placed her hand against the small of her back. “The spine holds fluid. And we need some.”

  Georgianna jumped away from Akhna. “You’re going to cut me open and take a piece of my back?”

  Akhna looked confused for a moment, but gathered herself. She perched on the side of the examination bed and laid her hands in her lap. “We will not be cutting you open. But… I will not lie. The procedure is not pleasant. We will be sending needles between the vertebrae to gather small samples of fluid. The fluid cushions the cord that sends messages from your brain down to the rest of your body. We will only be taking small amounts. It is the best way to get a complete look at Veniche tletonise.”

  “No cutting?”

  Akhna shook her head. “No cutting. I forget how different your medicine is to ours.”

  Georgianna nodded, and gave a small, shy smile. Akhna got up off the bed and patted it with the tips of her fingers before stepping away. Georgianna took Akhna’s seat on the bed and lay down on her side. Once flat, she rolled onto her stomach, adjusting the paper gown so it didn’t twist around her body.

  Akhna stepped forwards. She undid the tie at the top of the gown, and then the one halfway down Georgianna’s back, opening the flimsy material and exposing her back to the air. She pushed the gown back until it slipped down Georgianna’s sides.

  Georgianna stared at the wall, as Akhna’s fingertips traced the side of the mark on her shoulders.

  “This is nsiloq,” Akhna said.

  Georgianna lifted her head and turned to face the other way, keeping Akhna in the corner of her vision. “Yes.”

  “I admit, I looked up your registration when I was given your information.” Akhna gave Georgianna a furtive smile. “You were owned by E’Troke Grystch. He did this to you?”

  Georgianna shook her head. “Guinnyr did it. To get information.”

  Akhna nodded and clasped her hands in front of her. “Was it set? No pain?”

  “No. It still hurts.”

  Akhna pursed her lips and stared at the mark. She shook herself off and met Georgianna’s gaze again.

  “Let us complete this testing, and then we’ll see what we can do about it.”

  Akhna stepped away from the examination bed and walked to a cabinet by the wall. She returned with three coils of flat rope. Georgianna’s eyes widened and she scrambled to get up.

  Akhna caught her by t
he arm. “This procedure will hurt, but it is imperative that you remain still. Any slippage of the needles, and it will damage your abilities. The bindings are for your own safety, I promise.”

  Georgianna stared at the flat ropes and their fastenings. Her breaths came short and sharp, uneven. She had to do this. She couldn’t back out now.

  She nodded and lay back down.

  Akhna adjusted Georgianna’s arms, laying them down by her sides. She grabbed two small rolls of canvas and placed one in each of Georgianna’s hands.

  “When it is painful, focus on squeezing these as hard as you can,” she said.

  Georgianna nodded.

  Akhna laid the straps across her shoulders, over the small of her back, and the tops of her thighs. She slung the far side of each strap in an arc, catching it as it swung under the bed, and fastened the ends together. She pulled each one so tight that they dug into the flesh. “Okay. Now struggle for me. Try to get free.”

  Georgianna’s eyes narrowed as she glanced back at Akhna in the bottom of her vision. She sighed and tried to wriggle. She was able to move her shoulders a little, but the moment the coarse material hit the nsiloq mark, she screeched.

  Akhna grabbed a bandage pad and placed it over the mark, wedging the bottom beneath the strap. She tightened the strap a few extra notches and called to one of her male colleagues in Adtvenis. Akhna patted the back of Georgianna’s arm and gave her an apologetic smile.

  The colleague came over, holding his arms out. He held an object in both hands, keeping it straight. It was a long strip of material: soft and squishy, like flesh. It was flat on the bottom side, and rounded on the top, and looked like a large and slightly squished worm. As the Adveni came closer, Georgianna saw that it was also partially see-through. A series of clear pods were attached along the flat side of the worm, with a straight black needle running through the centre of each.

  He rounded the examination bed, slipping outside Georgianna’s vision. She twitched when he lay the cold worm down her spine.

  There was a squeak of wheels against the floor, and a bright, warm light flooded over the bed. There was a whirring sound, and Akhna picked up a tsentyl, and peered into it.

  They spoke to each other in Adtvenis and adjusted the worm’s position. Each adjustment had Akhna staring intently at the tsentyl before she gave another instruction. When she was finally satisfied, the other Adveni rounded the table back into her eyeline.

  “Are you ready?” Akhna said. “Speak. Don’t move.”

  Georgianna could feel her heart racketing against her ribs, pulsing against the bed frame. She took a slow breath. “Yes.”

  Akhna nodded. “Remember the grips.”

  Georgianna wanted to nod, but remembered she wasn’t meant to move. “Yes.”

  “Okay. We are going to start.”

  She didn’t feel it at first, under the warming light. But soon the worm down her spine, which had begun cold, started to heat up. It was pleasant for a few moments before it became uncomfortably warm, like standing in the mid-heat sun for too long. Her back burned, and she gripped the rolls in her hand. The pain was strong, but bearable.

  The first pinch surprised her: right at the base of her spine. She gritted her teeth as the needle slid into her skin: pushing, pushing, as if someone were trying to drive a wedge between her bones and force them apart. Her nails dug into the heel of her hand, even around the grips.

  And then the next needle pinched. And the next, and the next, and the next.

  She wanted to scream, but no sound came. It was as if the needles had punctured her vocal cords, or the worm had burned away her voice. All she could do was squeeze her eyes shut, stretch her mouth open, and lie motionless as her bones were prised apart.

  Akhna moved in front of her, pacing and watching her tsentyl. Her footsteps were too slow, her movements glacial. The time passage felt out of sync with her steps.

  She heard a knock somewhere off in the distance. More slow footsteps. Words that felt far away.

  The nsiloq was nothing compared to this. Maarqyn had held out on her.

  One by one, starting at the base of her spine, the needles began to recede. The pressure inside her bones lessened to nothing as they fixed themselves back into place. Each spot felt like a poker had been speared into her flesh; a long line of fiery holes down her spine. The heat of the worm was nothing compared to the needle pods.

  Akhna placed the tsentyl aside and beamed at her. “You did very well. There is usually lots of screaming.”

  Despite her silence, Georgianna’s throat felt raw. “I wanted to.”

  Akhna lifted the worm from her back and lay it on a table. Georgianna didn’t want to look at it, but she couldn’t help herself. Within the gelatinous form of the worm, each clear pod now swirled, half-full of liquid. One of the other Adveni came over, picked it up, and hurried over to the other end of the room. Georgianna watched as they extracted the pods. She expected Akhna to release the straps, but she picked up another device that Georgianna hadn’t noticed before.

  “I’m going to set your mark,” Akhna said, waving the small, handle-less copaq-like item. Georgianna recognised it now; it was the one the Nsiqo had used to make her mark.

  Georgianna stretched out her hands, one finger at a time, so she didn’t drop the grips, and waited for the pain to begin. Akhna leaned over, and the device began to whirr.

  But she didn’t feel anything. There was a mild pain as the head of the device pressed against the mark, but there was none of the nsiloq’s pulling, tearing agony, when the mark had originally been burned into her.

  Akhna stood, stretching her own fingers from around the device. “Finished. It should not hurt any more.”

  Georgianna tried to roll her shoulder, but the straps kept her pinned down. Akhna spotted her attempts to move. She dropped the nsiloq gun on the side and came back to undo the straps.

  The moment she was freed, Georgianna rolled onto her side and sat up, reaching over her shoulder. She touched the place where the nsiloq sat in her skin, but she could no longer feel it. There wasn’t even a raised edge that told her of the beginning and end of the colours. It was just skin.

  She beamed at Akhna.

  “Thank you so much.”

  Georgianna glanced at the device as she fastened the gown ties at the back of her neck. “Akhna. I was wondering…”

  “Yes?”

  “Would I be able to take that? Temporarily.”

  “But your mark is set. You will not need it. Unless you have another?”

  Georgianna shook her head and perched on the edge of the examination bed, stretching her toes down to reach the floor. “I know someone. He was owned by an Adveni and he has quite a few marks. None were set.”

  Akhna frowned and tucked her hands into her pockets. “I am correct in thinking he would not come here?”

  “I doubt it.”

  Akhna picked up the device and turned it over in her fingers. She nodded to herself and came to perch on the bed beside Georgianna, holding the device between them. “This is a normal nsiqol. You can create marks with it, and then set them.”

  Akhna was patient and kind, answering Georgianna’s questions, pointing out the device’s functions and the dangers. It should never be used near the eyes, for one. Georgianna listened with rapt attention, and repeated everything Akhna told her, to be certain she was correct.

  When Akhna finally handed it over, Georgianna beamed and placed her hand over the Adveni’s. “I’ll bring it back tomorrow.”

  Akhna waved her off. “It is of no use to me, and I am sure we have too many. Keep it.”

  Aside from setting Jacob’s marks, Georgianna didn’t exactly know what she’d do with a nsiqol. But she nodded anyway. “Do you need me to come back?”

  Akhna stretched up and looked over at her colleagues. “No, I do not believe so. Should we need you, or when the testing is complete, we have the methods to contact you.”

  Akhna got up off the bed and turned. Sh
e took Georgianna’s hand and squeezed it.

  “Take care.” She turned and joined her colleagues, leaving Georgianna to make her way out alone.

  She could only hope that Jacob would trust her enough to let her set his marks. But as Georgianna dressed, she realised this would mean telling them all what she’d been doing, and how she’d gotten the nsiqol in the first place.

  “I said, no!” Halden threw the journal away across the tunnel car. “This isn’t a discussion, Gianna.”

  It had gone exactly the way Georgianna had feared it would. Her father and brother had barely listened to her explanation before deciding that it wasn’t a viable plan. She had tried to get the others to leave them alone, for Lacie to take Jacob to the other car to start setting his marks, but they would have none of it; they were not going to be left out. Alec and Dhiren sat on Dhiren’s old bed—now being used by her father—and listened, not helping her explain. Clearly, the time that had passed since they’d learned about her plan had not changed their opinion on it. Even Beck had remained stoic, only breaking his silence to tell Lyle Lennox to calm down, to think.

  She was on her own.

  “And this isn’t your decision, Hal,” Georgianna said, taking deep breaths and not meeting his gaze as she tried to cling onto what little control she had left.

  “This isn’t your responsibility,” her father said, shifting to the edge of the bed, leaning over his knees. He twisted this way and that, trying to catch her eye. “You are not responsible for saving the whole Veniche race.”

  “Then who is?”

  “Not my daughter.”

  Beck fidgeted, his gaze shifting between Lacie and Jacob. He laid his hand on Lyle’s shoulder, gripping tight and holding him firm. But still, he said nothing.

  “Who is to say it would even work?” Halden continued. “As soon as they figure it out, they’ll kill the lot of us, or lock us up again.”

  Georgianna threw her hands up. “Fine! Then what’s your fantastic idea? Please. I’d love to hear it.”

  She twisted left and right, this time trying to meet each person’s gaze. Now they were the ones avoiding eye contact. They stared at nothing, or fixated down at their knees.