Secrets of the Horizon (The Union Stories Book 1)

by Lesa Corryn

  The spider creature wasn't there. Maybe there wasn't ever one. Maybe my ears fooled me. But the blaster shot, that was real. The blood pouring from Queba's chest, that was real.

  I ran over and dropped to my knees, my hands probing the sticky warm mess on her chest. Her beaked mouth cracked open with each breath and her eyes fluttered as my fingers found the wound. It was a close range shot, no mercy. Did Queba even have a gun? My hands moved to her belt, my fingers finding the cold handle of a gun. She hadn't charged it, not even in defense. She had no desire for confrontation.

  I made to remove my tunic. It was a gift from the Agerians since mine was used on Edel's wound. It was a fine loose fabric. It wouldn't do much, but it could stop some of the blood. Her blue hand raised up to catch my arm before the shirt even passed my elbows. Her force was weak but I bowed to her will with the slightest touch, my hands pulling back down and clasping hers tightly.

  “There's no need Jek,” said Queba, “I'm not gonna last.”

  “Don't say that Sergeant.” My fingers dug into her hands and my knuckles grew white. “We're not far from Hera I can get you back and the med techs will heal you. The wound isn't that bad.” My mouth hurt from all the lies.

  “Don't be foolish. How in the stars did you make Academy?” She smiled, but her usual humor couldn't warm the cold grief sinking into my spine. “Just moving me will kill me. No, it's over Jek.” Her large green eyes pooled with water and a tear careened down her cheek and soaked into her sleek feathers.

  “Please don't.”

  “I'm so happy you are alive. I was so worried about you, when I didn't see you in the survivor list. But then I saw the Lieutenant was also missing and I knew you'd be all right.” Her smile grew and her eyes closed tight.

  “Why? Why did you?”

  “Because it was your day off. You always go to work on that hall light processor by her office. You love sick hatchling, I knew you'd follow that woman to the ends of the galaxy and I knew she was not the type to die in a crash.”

  “Love sick?” I found myself pulling away, my head shaking, her words bouncing in my ears.

  “You are still such a child,” she laughed. “What else am I supposed to think when you keep visiting a damn processor all the time. Those stupid things only need to be fixed once ever three cycles and you were there practically every week.”

  “How did you know?”

  “I may just be a maintenance tech, but I'm good at what I do. I know that ship inside and out, I've even learned its language. It speaks to me, it tells me all the secrets.” She laughed but the force caused her to recoil, doubling up and coughing blood.

  “Sergeant.”

  “Don't worry for me Jek, you should be more worried about that monster up ahead.”

  “The spider beast? Don't worry I've fought against those things before.”

  “Ha, no. I have faith that you can swat away that insect. No I mean that Alladian. Hera, she told me his secrets too. Unfortunately, I may not be able to share them with anyone else at this rate.” Again she coughed, more blood sputtering from her lips, her hand clutching her chest, her fingers stained red.

  “You heard. You know he's a spy.” I pressed against her hands, adding more pressure to her chest. She grimaced, coughed up some more blood, but continued.

  “You know?”

  “Yes, we found out from the people here.”

  “And I thought I'd done something special for once.”

  Now my eyes watered, though I forced them to stay caught in the corner of my eye. “Don't say that. You're not just a maintenance tech.”

  She laughed. “You're right, I'm not just a maintenance tech, soon I'll be a dead maintenance tech.” Again she giggled but her eyes pained with each quick breath.

  “How did you know?”

  “I hacked Hera's system, in order to find out who hacked it in the first place. It was Nemis' code that locked the system. He covered his tracks too. Using backdoors to evade detection, but I found it, Hera showed me.”

  “But what if someone had stolen Nemis' code?”

  “I thought that too, but while in there, I found other things Nemis locked behind closed doors. Transmissions to Alladian ships. He spelled out the Lieutenant's plans. A play by play retelling with excruciating detail.” She snickered and her face pained.

  “Wait, you have an actual recording?”

  She eased herself up on one elbow and retrieved a pod from her satchel. Blood poured out of her chest as she gasped for air and her face grew pale. Her elbow quaked and I got her before she fell to the ground again.

  “It's on this data pod. I never had a chance to tell him I had it. I got as far as 'Commander we need to talk' and he shot me. That scaly bastard didn't even bother to talk to me.” Then Queba laughed, her mouth curling into a wide smile. “You should have seen his face when that spider thing came out and rammed right into him. Fantastic display of karma. That piece of shit flew right into a tree, looked about ready to wet himself. I could have hugged that spindly legged monster if it wasn't for the fact my chest had just been shot open.” Again she laughed and her eyes grew dim. “I'm really glad you are okay Jek. I'll miss bailing you out of the brig. Do me a favor.”

  “Yes, anything,” I said.

  “Find that son of a bitch and kick his ass for me. Just because I was a maintenance tech, doesn't mean I'm not worth talking to. The stupid prick.” I laughed, though I didn't want to. “That's what I like to see. I'm sorry Jek, I have one more favor. Try not to get in trouble again, I don't want to see you in there anymore. I want you to show them how great a soldier you are. Okay?”

  “Of course, Sergeant.” She smiled one last time, before her eyes faded away.

  Chapter 33

  Soldier

  Her body cold in my arms, tears streaming down my face now that she could no longer see them. How? Out of all the people on Hera, out of the whole crew, why was it her who had to die? Her feathers brushed my skin as my body shook with sobs. I saw her office, her trinkets crammed tightly against the walls. Did they survive the crash? The little bits of Hera that she collected and treasured, were they gone, cleaned up because they were thought to be debris. Those trinkets were just as much a part of Queba as they were Hera. Pieces precious but forgotten. Broken but ignored. Her fragile body, just another broken part of Hera, waiting to be claimed by someone and treasured.

  “I won't leave you here Sergeant, but I have to stop Nemis.” I rested my forehead against hers and pulled her body close. “I'll be back, I promise. You won't be discarded.” I laid her down, her blue crowned head etched bright against the orange leaves. I pocketed the pod and took her gun. My hand gripped hers tight before I headed off to where the spider creature had thrown Nemis.

  I didn't have to travel far to find them. The beast sprawled along the ground, his face mutilated by blaster fire. I hadn't even noticed the fight. The gun fire never touching my ears as Queba laid dying in my arms.

  Nemis lay against a tree, his side slashed open and his body riddled with cuts. His gun hung loose in his hand, blood trickling over his fingers. His chest rose and fell in quick breaths, his eyes shut.

  I stepped closer, my feet searching for quiet spots to step, but my lack of training gave me away.

  “I know someone's there. Someone extremely stupid, I might add, to think they could sneak up like that in these woods.” His eyes opened into thin slits and I felt his gaze wash over me. “The grease monkey, the little spy, how in the stars did you have the misfortune of coming across me?”

  My arm tensed as my fingers wrapped around the butt of the gun. Not now, I thought, don't lock up on me.

  “You were the spy, Nemis,” I stuttered. I thought of the marks in the brig on Hera. Was that him? Was he the one that scarred Hera? What could he do to me?

  “Oh, the boy's grown some balls. Welcome to the big league. But I assure you, you little punk, that even in this condition, I can shoot you down.” He raised his arm and lined the sight bet
ween my eyes, but his hand shook and soon his arm gave. “All right fine, I can't shoot you thanks to that stupid beast, but there is more than one way to kill a man.” He pulled himself up onto his feet, his hand guiding him up the tree trunk. His steps were uneasy, but it didn't take him long to stand before me face to face.

  “You can kill me, but you are as good as dead.”

  “Oh, fantastic, shall we chat before I kill you. I didn't listen to her, why in the stars should I give her lackey the time of day?” He raised his clawed hand, but I swung my arm up. It stood stiff against his palm, just like when I charged the Bunchankar. “Well you're a bit of a freak.”

  “Fuck off.”

  “Gladly, but first I got to make sure you don't run off to tell that little pussycat what I've done.”

  “Doesn't matter, they already know. The Sergeant left behind a little present.” I hoped my skill at lying would work better on Nemis than it did Queba.

  “Oh?” His hand remained on my arm, his other still clutching his side. He leaned forward, pushing my arm away from my face so that our noses nearly touched. “What kind of present?”

  “A recording of your transmissions detailing Hera battle plans. They are already in the Captain's hands. Go ahead and kill me. You've taken away, Queba, why should I go on anyways?”

  “I might as well kill you just for thinking that woman was worth living for. Pathetic little bird. She was a glorified janitor, just like you.”

  I whipped my arm, twisting my wrist so that it clasped on to Nemis'. Once I had a hold of him, I forced my arm to stiffen so he couldn't rip from my grip. I urged my body to whip him down to the ground with all my might. He fell, his body crashing into a broken stump. My arm eased and I reached for my pistol. But he caught my leg and pulled me down to the ground. He began to pull himself up but I stiffened my arm and struck against his cheek. His hand released my leg and he stumbled backwards. But he quickly regained his composure, stepping forward to glare down at me, his clawed hands menacing.

  “Worthless little shit,” he growled.

  “This is for Queba.” My foot kicked upward and collided with the slash across his side. He screamed out in pain, falling backward, his hands clenching his side. I got up and stepped towards him. He made attempts to meet me, but shrieked in pain before he made it an inch off the ground.

  “I may be a janitor in your eyes, but I'm more a soldier than you'll ever be,” I said, staring down at him.

  “How many have you killed? Huh? Our race thrives on the blood of others. We will never know peace, nor would we want it. You cannot tie us down, our hunger cannot be tamed. You cannot match that. We live and breath war, blood, and death, little boy. I'd slain hundreds of your kind before you even knew how to hold a gun. What makes you think you can kill me?”

  “I murdered the woman I loved. That beats your mindless killings any day.” With that I raised the gun and struck him hard against his temple. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slouched down against a tree. “Fortunately for you, that woman still loved me despite that and wouldn't let me pull the trigger. So I guess, you're right, I'm just a glorified janitor.”

  “No, you're not.”

  “Yanda.” My heart skipped a beat. Her voice like the wind in the autumn leaves, promising that spring would surely come someday.

  I turned. It was Allouette. Her eyes big and her face pale. “You are not just a janitor, you are not just a maintenance tech, you are not just a soldier. You are a human being Jek. One that has saved my life multiple times. Who has risen above and beyond the call of duty. And who has survived the worst of life's tragedies.” She paused and looked behind her. From the trees poured in a troop of rangers and melees, along with some of Edel's soldiers. They moved past us, not taking notice of us, their eyes on Nemis. We moved in slow motion, caught in a breath. The rest sped by as unnoticeable as white noise. She shook her head and stepped forward, taking the gun from my hand. “I'm sure you've made both of them proud.”

  “Both of them, you found...”

  “We found her body before we found you. Gith is organizing a group to carry her back to Hera as we speak. I'm sorry for your loss.”

  I shook my head. “It's not just my loss, but all of Hera's. She was a part of that ship.”

  “I'm sorry, you're right. Then let's head back. Hera will need to be comforted.” She smiled, not to mock or patronize, but in a way I'd never seen her smile before. Her face lit in a dull gold, her eyes large, and her hair glittering in the sun. “Come on, Jek, let's go back.”

  “You called me Jek.”

  “It's about time, I did. You kept calling me Allouette, it only seemed fair.” Again she smiled. She took my hand and guided me back to the ship.

  Chapter 34

  Horizon

  “I'm sorry for your loss.”

  Queba's body a pinprick amongst the stars, her burial ship coasting away, its fuel fading, and she became black against space. My ceremonial uniform felt stiff with starch against my skin and the collar cinched into my throat, biting at my neck. The hall emptied, only a few of us remained, hoping to catch a glimpse of her casket passing past a star, but she was gone.

  “Thank you, Teshe.” I stared forward, Teshe sitting in the corner of my eye. It was easier for both of us that way.

  “And I'm not just sorry about the Sergeant, but about Cadet Magname.” He paused and joined my gaze forward. “I don't think I ever said that.”

  “You didn't,” I said in a flat voice. He shifted his weight, but didn't respond. “But you didn't have to. We were your patients. You healed us or at least tried to, that's all that is required of you.”

  “No it's not.” He dropped his head, and shook it slowly back and forth. “My obligation is to do no harm and I'm pretty certain my... hands off approach, can leave different kinds of scars.”

  “Or just a bitter taste,” I mumbled.

  “Gin,” Teshe continued, ignoring my comment, “Gin has physically recovered, but she hasn't talked since we got back from Ageria.”

  “Miscarriages aren't exactly a walk in the park.”

  “She didn't care about that baby,” he scoffed, “no, she only had eyes for me and when she needed me most I turned from her.”

  “I'd be upset too if my lover just ignored the fact that she lost our child.” I turned to him and Teshe gazed at me from the corner of his eye.

  “Perhaps.”

  “Do you love her?” It seemed awkward to ask Teshe such a question, but with Queba's body drifting somewhere beyond the stars, I didn't seem to give a damn anymore.

  “Well, yes of course, I wouldn't have made all these sacrifices if I didn't love her. I would have just stayed on Athena.”

  “Have you told her?”

  “You think?” He swung his head over at me and cocked his eyebrow.

  “Don't be an ass. The tension between you two can be felt a lightyear away. If you really loved each other, that baby wouldn't have been lost so easily.”

  “Excuse me,” said Teshe, facing me. “Are you telling me how to respect her?”

  “In fact I am, Teshe. Because despite how it ended, me and Yanda had a good relationship. We talked to each other. Our relationship was open and honest. Unfortunately we were a little too trusting.” I stopped and looked back out the domed windows of Hera. “Perhaps I could've been a little more like you, and Yanda would still be here.”

  Teshe looked me over and turned back to the windows before responding. “Fine, we're both screw ups, can we agree to that?”

  “Yeah,” I sighed.

  “Good, finally something we can both agree on.” I turned and for a moment caught a smile on Teshe's face. “Well, Thurman, I'll see you around. Don't give me any more reasons to dislike you.” With that he gave me a short nod and headed out into the main corridor. Dislike, I thought, well at least it's not hate.

  After Teshe left, Flik entered into the observatory still clad in his ceremonial uniform.

  “Sorry couldn't st
ay longer, they needed me to plot course for peace ships. I appear to be only one who can nav through. Sergeant is very impressed,” he said. He threw on an awkward smile, his face almost twitching.

  “I think your Galactic is getting better,” I said.

  “Really? Thank you.” His shoulders relaxed a little but his small frame still quaked. “Really, I'm sorry.”

  “It's okay Flik, I've done this all before,” I said. “Well, not exactly, Yanda was sent home for burial, but I've dealt with the whole death thing.”

  “I know, but, again you take it all alone.” His body relaxed and his sad eyes looked up at me, magnified by the wave goggles. He was right, no one but Teshe was here to support me. Flik had been pulled out to nav the peace leaders and Allouette, Edel, and Gith were still proceeding over Nemis' case.

  “Well, I'm not alone now,” I said. I looked back at Flik and smiled.

  “Yes, of course. I always here and really I wish I could have been at funeral. I know Lieutenant and Captain Edelweiss would have want to be too.” He paused and looked at where Queba's ship had disappeared into the black, maybe his violet eyes could still see her. “They are back by the way.”

  “Oh?”

  “They arrived while I on deck. They say Senate has agreed to try Alladians and Bendalurians. Alladian leaders already held in containment due to Sergeant Queba's data pod. If not for her, war would have broke. She save Union, you know?” He said it with a big smile as if to raise my spirits, but they only fell further.

  “And how many people will remember her for it? How many people will only see the Senate's courageous effort to track down the Alladian revolutionists and the Bendalurian defectors? How many will know it was a maintenance tech that kept peace in our galaxy?”