“Relax, Mr. Venta,” Kale said calmly. “That will be more than enough.”
Hearing what the things were had my old body dragged to the front of the cell so I could see. Rumors of Venta’s plasmatic pulse drives had swirled around Mars when I was there, said to have the most kick of any interstellar engine ever assembled. They were going to be revealed at the year’s M-Day celebrations, if Kale didn’t do so sooner.
The boy king wrapped his arm around the scientist’s shoulders, towering over him. I could hear Javaris’s gulp all the way from my cell. He was probably thinking exactly what I was. With his work completed, what would happen to Javaris and his clan sister?
“Bring down transports and have these loaded onto the Cora immediately,” Kale ordered one of his men.
“Kale...uh...Mr. Trass,” Javaris said. “I’ve told you, this technology is not optimized to operate on a ship the Cora’s size. You’ll burn up almost immediately.”
“Oh, c’mon, doc,” I said. “Why’d you have to tell him?” My guard clanged the bars for me to be quiet. Javaris Venta was still trying to do the humane thing even in his situation, like a good scientist. I wondered why more of the brilliant people I’d had to take down for Pervenio Corp. in my day for pushing things too far couldn’t be more like him. Then I saw Kale stoop over him and make him cringe and remembered why. Weak men wound up in situations like this.
“As I’ve told you, I have no intention of using these on the Cora,” Kale said. “Take him.”
Two armored Titanborn seized him, knocking his glasses off in the process.
“You said you would let her go!” Javaris yelled. He did his best to fight them. Poor bastard. Not everyone with Earther strength grows up knowing how to use it. “Please. You gave your word.”
Kale raised a hand to stop his men. “He’s right. You’ve done everything I’ve asked of you, Mr. Venta. Your clan sister will be released back to her own people with the others, as promised.
“What others? Where are you taking me? I built your engines. Just let me go with her.”
Kale grinned. “Titan still needs you. We’re going on a ride, Mr. Venta. You, me, and our friend over there.” Kale nodded to his men, and they returned to hauling Javaris out of the room. His screams for his clan sibling echoed throughout the hollow until he was out of sight, then stopped abruptly. I could hear the woman crying in the cell next to mine. She couldn’t even get a word out, she was so distraught. Weak or strong, I was beginning to realize that nobody was built to handle a situation like this.
“I feel like I’ve seen this scene before,” I said to Kale, trying to draw attention away from her. My body creaked as I used the bars to heave myself to my feet. “That’s right. It’s just like back on Pervenio Station before I left Sodervall in charge of your crew. We all know how that ended.”
“Quiet!” My new guard hit the bars with his rifle.
Kale turned to me, a wicked smirk plastered across his face. I would’ve paid all the credits in the world for another chance to wipe it off.
“It’s okay,” he said to the guard. Kale motioned for him to back away and approached my cell himself. Just the sight of his face after what had happened had my blood boiling. The smug, pompous kid who thought the whole solar system owed him everything. I’d put down too many ambitious young men like him to count for Pervenio, but he was by far the worst.
“I think you and Sodervall would have gotten along,” I said. “You’re both insufferable, self-righteous shits. Want to know what I should’ve done after I interrogated Cora? Taken her with me myself. Could’ve given her a better life than either of you, or, you know...death.”
Kale’s expression didn’t break. Getting under Desmond’s skin was simple, but not his. Every time I saw him again, this war had made his shell a little harder. It was like Aria was the only thing left helping him cling to his humanity, and now he knew she wanted to run.
A second bout of insults stopped on the tip of my tongue when I realized who that numbness to horror reminded me of. Me. Thirty years as a Collector made me indifferent to everything, at least until Zhaff and Aria turned me inside out.
“I’m starting to love our conversations,” Kale said.
“You too?”
He looked back over his shoulder. “Let him out,” he said. “It’s time.”
His scarred aunt strode forward, emotionless. Based on the times I’d seen her before, she seemed eternally dour but not anymore. Her gaze was distant. She unlocked my cell without even looking at me, and two Titanborn swept in to grab me. I gave one good tug to break free, but my body couldn’t manage much more. If only I’d spent less time drinking back on Mars.
“How’s your sister?” I asked Maya on my way by. “Is that where he’s taking me? To put a bullet in her like the other one?” No answer. “It amazes me that she looks like her and you look like, well…”
Her fists squeezed as she continued to avoid looking directly at me. Kale stepped between us before I could get another word in. I never realized how tall he was before. Maybe he was just carrying himself differently now that he was a proper killer, but he towered over even the rest of his Ringer brethren.
“You should see her,” Kale said.
“What the hell did you do, Kale? If you killed her —”
“She’s alive, for now.”
“And my daughter?” I found the strength in my body to lunge forward and grab his arm. One of his guards nailed me in the back with the butt of his rifle almost immediately. “Where is she?!” I growled.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“She had nothing to do with that. Nothing. It was me and Mazrah. We didn’t give her a choice.”
“I didn’t see a gun to her head until I put one there,” Maya said, earning a glower from Kale that sent her shrinking back into the shadow.
“There’s a gun to her head every second she’s in this hell hole with your bastard growing inside of her. If that’s all you want, then just take him from her and let us leave.”
He leaned forward, so close our noses nearly touched. He almost looked amused. “We are leaving, Collector. Aria, you and me together... and your grandson.”
My synthetic foot found flat footing, and I begged my brain to move it. I sprang up, fist aiming straight for Kale’s pretty little head, but right before the blow struck, he clutched my forearm. The power provided to his fingers from his armor nearly broke my wrist as he wrenched it back. My feet lifted off the rocky floor.
“An Earther will never strike me again,” he said callously, his composed demeanor slipping away. “You’ll come with me, and if you don’t do exactly as I say, Aria will die the moment she delivers my child into this world. But if you act as my loyal Collector, she’ll be cared for the rest of her life. She will watch her son grow and teach him the ways of your people so that we never wind up stuffed in quarantines again.”
He released me. I blinked hard, seeing stars from the pain in my wrist. I pictured Aria, wherever she was, holding her pregnant belly and wishing she could be anywhere else in Sol. Leaving her with a nice, safe clan family after she was born seemed like the better choice now. Everything seemed like the better choice.
“I…” I coughed and gathered my breath. “I won’t kill Mazrah for you. I can’t.”
“You think that’s what this is about?” He laughed. Nobody else joined him, not even Maya. “Mazrah is no concern to us anymore. No, Malcolm Graves, you’re taking me to your master on Undina. His and Venta’s fleet are on our doorsteps, yet still he hides from me.”
“You really think you’re going to kill Luxarn Pervenio?”
“And you’re going to help me.” He strode toward Javaris Venta’s creations and slapped one of the tubes. “We’re going to give Earth an M-Day they’ll never forget!”
He was almost gleeful as the wheels of a terrible plot I couldn’t imagine churned in his head. I felt a chill run up my spine. I’d dealt with more monsters and miscreants than I cared to remem
ber. I could always guess their next move after a second in the same room as them. Not Kale.
I think that was what scared me the most. Even more than the thought of losing Aria, Mazrah, or an employer I’d dedicated my life’s work to. Luxarn had done enough to earn the hatred of Ringers. Some even thought that he and his father purposely spread sickness after the Great Reunion to take control. I’d never cared enough to ask, but he’d made his bed.
An M-Day to remember, though? Mysterious engines invented by a genius and meant for a Departure Ark. Men were usually after the simple things. Credits. Power. Revenge. The stuff that drives a sane person. Kale was after more than any of that. He’d already executed Cora’s murderer, and it wasn’t enough. And killing Luxarn wouldn’t be enough. How did you right the wrongs of half a century worth of abuse from Earthers in the head of a madman?
“What are you planning, Kale?” I asked, voice trembling. I couldn’t remember it ever doing so in such a way before.
“To free my people,” he replied. “You and your daughter helped spark our revolution from this very cave. Now, it’s time we finish it, once and for all.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
KALE TRASS
The entire cockpit of the Cora, parked in a Darien hangar, was wrapped in screens displaying the vicinity of Saturn, tuned in to feeds from Pervenio Station, Enceladus, and Pandora. From all the moons in the cosmic archipelago of which Titan was the heart.
The Earthers had arrived. Only two months after Madame Venta and Luxarn Pervenio merged and orchestrated the assassination of the entire Red Wing Company Ruling Board, a fleet more massive than any of us could imagine surrounded our ringed planet. They were prepared to end our insurrection forcefully, clearly even before the USF approved of it. Ships of every shape and size—transports and passenger liners converted into warships, fighters, and defense frigates—they bore the logos of the three most powerful corporations in Sol, now as one. The combined might of Venta Co., Pervenio Corp., and Red Wing Co. was arrayed before us.
“We barely have half that amount,” Maya said, eyes wide. We stood alone in the Cora, my aunt and I, the last living members of a bloodline I’d just learned died off more than three centuries ago. A part of me knew for sure that Mazrah wasn’t lying when she told me.
“All because your sister wasn’t able to handle a protest until we returned,” I replied. The plan was set to stop their invasion, but nobody could’ve predicted how much Earth would send.
“A dozen more ships wouldn’t have helped.”
“You’re afraid?”
“You aren’t?”
I turned to her. She’d been irritated after Mazrah was punished. I was too. It was one thing she’d never taught me about leading: that you’d inevitably be betrayed by some of the people closest to you and have to manage to keep fighting.
It didn’t matter. She could hate me for what I was forced to do, but now Titan needed us.
“You’ve been preparing for this your entire life, Maya,” I said. “A chance to make them cower. These are the people who did that to your face. Who beat you. Raped you.”
“I didn’t even know who Madame Venta was when that happened. I shouldn’t be here. I should be with you when you look Luxarn Pervenio in the eyes.”
“Without Mazrah, you know I need you here defending our homeworld.”
“Well, if you hadn’t crippled her—”
“I still wouldn’t trust her,” I interrupted, stopping her before her one intact cheek flushed too pink. “It’s done, Maya. You’re the only person they’ll believe is in charge.”
“While you trust a Pervenio Collector to deliver you to Luxarn unharmed? It’s too risky.”
“You said it yourself. We can’t beat them in a straight-on battle.”
“And we don’t need to use Undina to fill Earth with terror. Sol is filled with small asteroids. With Javaris’s engines and the Cora’s weapons systems, they won’t be able to stop it in time.”
“This is our one chance to finally get him, and you want to spare him?”
“I want you to live!” She clutched me by the arms, finally dropping the somber facade she’d been wearing since Mazrah lost her hands. She regarded me with that same zeal she had when she recruited me. When she believed that I was the Trass who could lead us to freedom.
“We took his power,” she said. “Took his gas trade and his station. Why do you think he’s hiding while he sends Madame Venta to handle us? He’s already afraid, Kale. He’s already lost.”
“‘My father should’ve let these inbred Ringers die off when we had the chance.’”
“What?”
“Those were Luxarn’s words before he gave the order to kill Cora and the others. Like we weren’t even human. We’ll never be free until he’s gone, don’t you see? Until I can look into the eyes of my people and tell them that the man responsible for decades of struggle is gone, there will always be a part of us that still fears them.”
Maya reached up slowly and ran her fingers through my hair, like my mother used to when I was young. In some ways, she had become more like my mom than my real one.
“Killing him won’t bring Cora back,” she said. “It won’t change anything. Trust me. I’ve killed enough men for all of Titan.”
“I never thought I’d see this day. We have them right where we want them, and you want to show mercy?”
“It’s not about mercy. Kale, listen to me.”
“I’m done listening!” I shoved her away. “This is what you wanted. No matter what the cost, that was what you taught me.” I paused when I noticed one of my men standing in the entrance of the cockpit. “What!” I yelled to him.
“There is a transmission from Madame Venta’s ship, the Aphrodite,” he said.
“It’s about time.” I turned back to Maya. “Patch her through, and make it seem like I’m gone. This is it, Maya. They’ll finally get what they deserve. If you fail here, it will all be for nothing. Don’t.”
I left while her tongue fidgeted behind the hole in her cheek, searching for a response. I hated seeing Maya appear anxious like my mother always did. Mazrah’s fate had her rattled, but I needed my aunt. The moment I was around the corner and she opened coms, however, she started to snap back into form like I knew she would. Even if she was drawing on me for her anger, it worked. Nobody had endured Earther cruelty more than she had.
I stopped so I could overhear their conversation. This was all part of our plan. Madame Venta would think I was missing; then Malcolm would contact Luxarn saying he’d captured me. He’d deliver me right to his doorstep, and once I was there, I’d give Earth and their corporations no choice but to give us everything I demanded back on Mars. Aria would see how foolish it was to think they’d chat around a table with my kind like they thought we were equals.
“Madame Venta, I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon,” Maya said. I could hear her trademark poise returning with every word.
“You?” Madame Venta questioned.
“Maya Trass.”
“Yes, his aunt, I remember. Where is your king?”
“Busy.”
Madame Venta guffawed. “We arrive and he runs and hides. I must say I’m disappointed. I knew his confidence on Mars was all an act, but this?”
“You can deal with me.”
“Oh, I plan to. I assume you’ve seen the blockade being established around the Ring? I’m here in the name of the United Sol Federation to end this insurrection. You will lay down your arms, return your captives alive, including Javaris Venta, and relinquish control of the Ring. You tell your king that if you don’t, we will have no choice but to take it by force.”
“Is that all?”
“You murdered my sons! You’re lucky the USF wants the Ring intact, or that frozen husk of a moon you call your world would already be dust.”
“They had it coming, just like you do.”
There was my venomous aunt again. I never thought I’d want to thank Madame Venta for hel
ping pull her out of her grief. We needed Maya today. The real Maya.
“You damn Ringers think this is a game, don’t you?” Madame Venta snarled. “Release your captives and stand down, or you’ll be begging to be ashes.”
“You want them back that bad, do you? We didn’t realize. Prepare your ships; we’ll send them right over.” She cut coms and left the cockpit. She glared at me on her way by, eyes fuming. “I don’t have to agree with you, but never doubt me. If you want to go chasing Luxarn across Sol, I’ll make sure Titan stands, but you damn well better come back.”
She continued by. I turned my head to conceal a grin.
“Are you coming?” she asked. “It’s time for one last speech.”
I took a moment to fill my lungs and focus my thoughts, then followed her out of the Cora. Hundreds of Titanborn filled the hangar outside, crammed into the space between ships in our own fleet. They were jerry-rigged warships, slapped together from gas harvesters and ice haulers. Each one had a shipping container mag-latched to its belly, except for the Cora. The tubes holding Javaris’s plasmatic pulse drives were attached to it instead and prepped to be installed on Undina.
Captive Earthers were being marched into half of the containers, faces marked by dread. This time they all wore the sanitary masks to keep us safe from any germs they might be carrying and not the other way around. The other containers carried bombs, something the Children of Titan were quite adept at crafting out of spare parts.
All over Titan it was the same. In every hangar, in every colony block. Our thousands of hostages were being loaded up to be returned to Madame Venta in waves. Enough to fill as many Pervenio shipping containers as we had from the days when they owned the docks.
I stood at the top of the ramp and gazed down upon my people. All the warriors who rose to take back the Ring from our oppressors. No camera was aimed at me, only audio receivers that would project my words throughout Titan. After Mazrah’s and Aria’s betrayal, we couldn’t risk anyone dispersing footage of me. This time, I got to speak directly to my people. No posturing. No lies.
“Titanborn!” I bellowed. They erupted into cheers, hoisting guns into the air. The Earthers being shuffled into containers cringed and lowered their heads in fear.
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