On the Run (Verity Chronicles Book 3): A Cadicle Space Opera Adventure

by T. S. Valmond

  Iza spoke the question Cierra no doubt was thinking. “Trix, what’s our ETA?”

  “We’re approximately five minutes from orbit of Leveckis.”

  Karter stared at her a moment, his shock at her change of tone obvious. But, instead of raving the way Braedon had, he shrugged and lifted one eyebrow at Iza. She shrugged back at him. Trix made her own decisions; he didn’t need to know the reasons why.

  “Any sign of other ships in the area?” Karter asked.

  “None,” Trix answered.

  Iza nodded to Karter, a measured sign of respect. He didn’t have to do it, but in this case, it had helped to light a fire under Douketis to get them there before it was too late. Whether they made it or not, Karter had tried and for that, she and the rest of the crew would always be grateful.

  “We’re in visual range of the planet,” Braedon said. “You’re going to want to get a look at this.”

  Iza stood up and took a step forward. “Pull up visuals and magnify by ten.”

  Leveckis wasn’t a particularly lush planet. Most of the continents had moderate climates. Colonists with extreme preservation and naturalistic values had claimed a part of the land to grow vegetation and food to return to a more basic way of living. Those parts of the world had been tamed through backbreaking work. But, there was no sign of those decades of effort now. The only thing they could see on the magnified display were the tops of the mountain range under a thick blanket of white powder.

  “There is reason to move quickly,” Trix said.

  Cierra sneered. “Other than the fact that my parents are down there?”

  “Yes,” Trix continued as if she hadn’t been demeaned, “the entire planet is covered in snow and the ground beneath is frozen. However, that’s not our biggest problem. There’s a massive storm approaching, so in addition to the snow there will be freezing rain.”

  “That’s bad I take it,” Braedon said with a nervous look to Trix.

  “If my analysis is correct, a layer of ice over three centimeters thick will cover the top of everything in the vicinity of your parents’ home. The density of the mass of icepack on the surface of the planet has already grown twenty percent in the last thirty minutes, according to documented satellite readings,” Trix said.

  “How much time do we have?” Cierra asked.

  “There are no perceivable communications from the surface. The orbital satellites are the only things left transmitting, which means survivors will be difficult to find without infrared scanning.”

  “I’ve got a ship coming in hot,” Braedon called out.

  “Is it the Iron Dog?” Iza asked.

  “No,” Braedon swiveled in his chair. “It’s the local Enforcers.”

  “They couldn’t have worse timing,” Iza said, running a hand over her hair and wanting to tug at the ends to steady her racing thoughts. If they went for Cierra’s parents, they might draw unwanted attention to themselves, or worse they might be accused of interfering with a rescue operation. If they left, the Quetzalis could die in this. Why can’t anything ever go my way? “Are they broadcasting an open communication or messaging us?”

  “No, the Enforcer ship is not currently transmitting. They are, however, prepping to send shuttles to the surface,” Trix answered.

  “Maybe they’ll be too busy looking for survivors to worry about us,” Braedon said.

  “There’s also another ship in orbit,” Trix said. “It’s Viper. She’s heading for the surface in a shuttle.”

  “We need to hurry, Captain,” Cierra urged, gripping the back of Braedon’s chair with one hand and pressing her teeth down on her bottom lip.

  “Well, let’s go. Braedon, you’re with me and Cierra. Trix considering the effect that the spheres seem to have on you, it would be best if you stayed on the Verity.”

  “What about me?” Karter asked.

  “Someone has to deal with Douketis. I’m pretty sure he realizes now he was duped into coming here. Keep him here and don’t let him or the Enforcers anywhere near my ship.”

  Karter nodded.

  Braedon stood up to throw his arms around Cierra in support and whisper something in her hair. “No matter what happens I’ll be right there,” he said when they parted.

  “I know, I’ll find them. You’ll love my dad,” Cierra wiped at her eyes and raced off the flight deck without looking to see if anyone was following. Braedon had to run to keep up.

  “Captain?” Skyler asked.

  Iza had forgotten about her.

  “You’ll probably be of more help to me with the Enforcers than with the rescue.”

  “Take the Agent with you,” Karter said. “I can handle the Enforcers. My cousin is an Investigator, after all. Not to mention my dynastic credentials.” He smirked.

  Iza wondered if Karter didn’t want Skyler on board because he had something else to hide. What is he up to, now? She nodded to Skyler and raced toward the cargo hold.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Iza found out why Cierra had been in a hurry to get off the flight deck when they met at the shuttle in the cargo hold. Cierra had grabbed her emergency boots and had put on at least two layers of clothing, wrapping her head and face in a thicker purple cloth with gold edging. She’d also wrapped one of the long scarves around Braedon’s neck and had another ready to hand to Iza.

  “You’ll need this,” she said.

  “Thanks,” Iza said, draping the blue cloth around her neck and thinking of how much it reminded her of the color of Joe’s eyes. Arvonen would keep him alive as long as he could to get the information he needed. She had to get to him soon, but with Viper on the surface to help her parents and Braedon’s connection to the family, neither of her hackers would be working on cracking the code to reach Arvonen. Maybe Iza could convince the TSS to take a more direct approach once they located the Arvonen One.

  Iza noted Cierra carried more blankets on board the shuttle, placing them beside the bench seat. They were an array of colors like she’d never seen before. Most of the standard equipment they kept on board was the color of metal or at best black.

  “Where did you get those?” Iza asked.

  “They were gifts.” Cierra sat behind Braedon, resting one hand on his shoulder.

  Iza couldn’t fathom how Cierra had so much stored in her small cabin, but she had more pressing concerns. She sat down next to Braedon, who’d already initiated the pre-launch sequence, and Skyler took the seat behind Iza.

  Moments later, they were speeding toward the planet’s surface. Thanks to Trix, they had the proper coordinates of the Quetzalis’ original broadcasting location and didn’t have to depend on their eyes to see through the blowing white winds.

  A call came in, and Iza knew it must be the Enforcers, so she answered audio-only.

  “This is Captain Brontes to the unidentified shuttle craft preparing to touch down on the surface of Leveckis. You are interfering with an Enforcer rescue mission. I advise you to return to your ship and await further instructions.”

  Cierra’s eyes widened and she clutched Braedon’s shoulders as she stared at Iza waiting to see how she answered.

  “This is Captain Iza Sundari of the Verity. The shuttle belongs to me, and we are retrieving our people from the surface before they freeze to death. I hope that won’t be a problem for you this time, Captain Brontes.”

  “Captain Sundari, why is it whenever there’s a planet under complete transformation, you seem to be nearby?”

  “Bad luck?”

  “I doubt that. In either case, we can’t afford to have civilians getting themselves killed out here. Please, get yourselves to safety.”

  “You wouldn’t leave one of your officers behind if there was a chance to save them?” Iza pleaded. “You have my authorization to relieve yourself of any responsibility for losing us in all this white, but I’m not turning back without my people.”

  “The fact remains, the danger is too great.”

  Skyler stood up and leaned over Iza�
��s shoulder to speak into the transmitter. “Captain Brontes, this is Agent Skyler Anderson, representing the TSS on this mission. We understand your position, but I must insist that we be permitted passage. We won’t impede your rescue operations.”

  There was an awkward pause. “Noted and recorded, Agent Anderson. You are on your own, as requested. Be careful of those updrafts; they’re knocking our shuttle around all over the place, so you’ll need to compensate. Brontes out.”

  Cierra let out a sigh as if she’d been holding her breath.

  Iza nodded to Skyler. Thanks to her, they wouldn’t have to deal with the Enforcers at all. Now, to track down Cierra’s parents. “At the risk of sounding like a petulant child, are we there yet?” Iza asked.

  “I don’t recognize anything other than the mountain there in the east. We’re going the right way, but there’s nothing here.” Cierra frowned at the viewport.

  “Bring us down as close to the signal’s coordinates as you can manage, but mind the structures; I don’t want to collapse a house by accident,” Iza said as she unstrapped and moved to the back of the shuttle. It jolted to one side, and she was thrown against the hull. “Hold her steady.”

  “I’m doing the best I can,” Braedon called out. “The winds are picking up and that snow is mixed with hail. The hull’s going to get pummeled unless we keep the shield up.”

  As if on cue, large pieces of thumb-sized hail pelted the shield of the hull.

  “There!” Cierra said pointing to something out the viewport. “That shuttle there. It’s Viper.”

  “Who’s Viper?” Skyler asked in a low whisper.

  Iza answered, “Cierra’s sister, and one of the best hackers in the Taran Empire.”

  “Hey!” Braedon complained.

  “Well, didn’t she beat you once?” Iza smiled, knowing it would get him riled up. She needed him alert and ready for anything.

  All around them was a barren and frozen wasteland. Where the civilizations and gardens had been, there was now only snow covering everything and blowing all around them. None of the lush green trees, forests, or grass showed through the sheet of ice. The trees that remained were now weighed down with snow and icicles, bending near their breaking point.

  “Grab whatever you can to help us get through the ice,” Iza instructed.

  “You’ve got it, Iz,” Braedon said, climbing out of the pilot’s seat.

  Frigid wind whipped into the shuttle the moment the hatch opened. Iza shielded her face from it with her arm, thankful for Cierra’s warm scarf. She stomped forward into the ice-covered snow, breaking through the top surface with each exhausting step, sinking in up past her knees.

  They were forging a path to the house when the other shuttle landed nearby. Its hatch opened and out jumped Viper. Her black jacket was sealed up to the neck and she wore a cap that came down to her ears but didn’t hide the jagged green haircut underneath. She began her own trudge through the snow toward the house.

  Iza clutched her scarf to her face and wished she had enough fabric to wrap her entire body as the snow and ice beat against her head and shoulders.

  “Hurry!” Cierra yelled above the storm.

  When their path intersected with Viper’s, Cierra and Viper clutched each other and pushed forward together. They were walking headfirst into the wind, inhibiting to their forward progress. Iza had her head tilted so far forward she didn’t notice when they came to a complete stop until she ran into Cierra’s back.

  The small house was barely visible in front of them, with only bits of yellow and green peeking through the snow. They got to work using their boots to stamp down the snowdrift at the door while the hail bounced off their backs.

  Iza’s teeth were already chattering underneath her scarf. The thing was drenched from the hail and freezing rain. Any longer in the wind, and it would be too stiff to move as it would be frozen to her face.

  From the outside, the house looked a lot like the size and shape of the small cottage where Cierra had lived. More of the green and yellow of the door showed through after they’d brushed the snow off. There was a wreath frozen to the front and small flower boxes on the windowsills It might’ve been warm and cozy once, though it was hard to tell with everything covered in ice and snow.

  “Do we have anything that can break through this ice?” Iza asked.

  Viper immediately pulled the glove off of her mechanical hand and placed it on the door handle then ripped it off, leaving a gaping hole.

  “You’re modified,” Skyler said, her mouth hanging open.

  “Good observation, Agent Obvious,” Viper said, then turned to Iza. “Where did you get this one?”

  The door was stuck at the hinges. Skylar stepped in to use her abilities to melt away the ice enough to telekinetically swing it open. The faint, lingering scent of a fire wafted out through the open doorway. The kitchen table and chairs had been broken to bits and placed int the middle of the dining room to make a small fire. Iza’s eyes were burning from the smoke and she coughed to clear her throat. But in the room, there was no one bundled next to the pile of burning debris.

  Cierra and Viper ran around the entire house looking for their parents.

  “Where are they?” Braedon asked, still turning in a circle.

  “They’re here,” Cierra said with certainty.

  “Close, but not in any of the rooms,” Viper said.

  “There’s someone above us,” Skyler said pointing to the ceiling.

  “I didn’t see any stairs,” Braedon said, coming back from the kitchen and rubbing his hands together.

  Cierra and Viper made eye contact, and sometime during the ten-second silent conversation, they remembered something. They moved to what looked like a small storage door in the middle of the largest wall. Viper pulled it open, revealing a crawl space. Cierra went through first, and before long, Iza could hear the distinct sound of climbing.

  Viper went in next, her boots clomping heavily against the stairs as she climbed. Braedon waited for Iza to go next, still waving a hand in front of his watering eyes. Iza slipped in and found the small crawl space opened up into the wall and a set of small stairs. It looked like a place for children as there were still toys strewn about. The space was too short to stand in, forcing an adult to climb on hands and knees to take the stairs.

  Above her head, she heard Cierra let out an exclamation. Iza wasn’t sure if it was relief or grief until she reached the top of the stairs where a hidden room filled with children’s toys and things remained almost untouched. In one corner was a bundle of blankets and sheets where her mother and father had gathered themselves to feel the heat from the floor below but not be engulfed by the smoke. Overall the room was warmer but without someone to tend to the fire in the dining room it had died out, leaving them almost blue with cold, but they were alive.

  Iza imagined if they hadn’t come straight away, they might not have made it.

  “I thought they grew up on an Aesir space station,” Iza said under her breath to Braedon who was standing awkwardly at her side.

  “They lived here during a few of their summers,” he answered, his voice lowered in respect.

  “We need to get them back to the ship, right away,” Cierra said as she worked to re-wrap and tie clothing around her mother’s feet. Neither of them wore shoes, as was their custom here.

  Cierra and Viper helped their parents out of their attic and down the stairs of their home. The thick smoke on the main floor made it difficult to breathe. Iza rewrapped her shawl and took a hold of Braedon’s arm as he stood at the door ready to lead them out. She could feel Skyler’s hand on her back as she grabbed onto her while the girls sandwiched their parents between them. As one, they shuffled out the door and toward the shuttles. Iza dared not even look up to check their positioning.

  She heard Braedon mumble something.

  “What is it?” Iza asked.

  “The bomaxed shuttles are gone. We have to go back to the house.”

  “Tha
t’s impossible,” she stared in disbelief over his shoulder, even as he turned to move them backward. Iza saw the faint green of the flattened grass underneath the snow-covered area where the shuttles had been. The drift would soon hide any trace of them. It wouldn’t be long before their tracks were indistinguishable from everything else around them. She gripped the boiling anger inside to keep warm as she turned back the snow clinging to her hair and face.

  “What’s going on?” Viper asked.

  “No shuttles. We have to go back.”

  Viper roared over the storm. She screamed curses into the wind that made them all cringe before her mother pulled her close, muttering something in her ear. Whatever she said calmed her down enough to be guided back to the house.

  “I should have known. Why else would Reis insist on coming with us?”

  “Reis came down in the shuttle with you?” Iza asked.

  “Yes, her and Mack. You don’t need more than two, but she acted like she had to come,” Viper beat at the snow on her shoulders with one gloved hand, dropping it onto the tiled kitchen floor.

  “That means that bomaxed dog-faced Douketis has my shuttle,” Iza said.

  “Why would someone take your shuttle?” Mr. Quetzali asked.

  “Revenge. I should have seen it coming. He’s been biding his time to get back at me for what happened on Phiris. I’ll deal with him later. For now, we have to get more of this smoke out.”

  Braedon used the shovel he’d brought—normally for handling livestock manure on the Verity—and went to work putting out the smoking fire with snow. As soon as he was finished, he used the wrap around his neck against the bottom edge of the door.

  “That’s the last of our fire, we’ll freeze to death,” Cierra’s father looked ready to pummel him and for a minute Iza wondered if Viper hadn’t inherited a little more than just his straight hair and fair skin.

  “We’ll suffocate long before we freeze to death if we don’t get rid of this smoke.” Braedon walked to the kitchen then returned, going through the few things left on the floor and then putting them back down. He walked to the door to the attic and swung it on its hinges a few times. “Viper, can you give me a hand with this?”