“Where are we?” Rin was looking all around at the cockpit.
“We just passed through the Tagunska tunnel,” Benton said.
Grey slumped back against the wall as if she’d been sucker-punched, understanding why he’d taken them against their will. He must have somehow guessed the truth. They wouldn’t easily agree to go back to Earth when Mrs. March had asked them to go to Ganymede.
Benton pulled Rin’s hunting knife from his own belt and knelt down in front of Grey. “Swear you will not be foolish.”
“If you tell me where we’re going.”
He sighed and sliced through the ropes on her hands and legs then did the same for Rin. Grey pulled Rin close as Benton March returned to the pilot’s chair.
“Earth,” he finally said.
She had guessed as much.
“Where are our zorses?” Rin’s eyes were already welling up.
Benton March chuckled. “Tasted a little like chicken.”
“You son of a—” Rin lunged for Benton March and probably would have clawed out his eyes if Grey hadn’t held her back.
Benton took one look at Rin and all humor left his face. “Sorry. Bad joke. They’re in the hold.”
Rin burst into tears and ran out of the cockpit before Grey could stop her. It was probably better that way. At least Grey knew she’d be safe with Tram and Trif if she had to do something about Benton March.
“She loves those animals,” Grey said.
“Well they were sure buggers to get in here.”
“Thank you.”
“I knew you would fight me,” Benton said. “That’s why I had to do it this way.”
“So you’re completely ignoring your wife’s message, even though she begged you for help?”
Rubbing his eyes, in that moment Benton looked older than he probably was.
“Fleur is the only reason we are here.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Before you arrived I picked up a transmission from Earth.” He reached toward one of the buttons on the ship’s console and pressed it. A holographic image materialized in front of Grey. It was fuzzy and a strange tinge of green, but she recognized the man on the screen as Tyrone Abkar, one of Mazdaar’s most famous news anchormen. Rumor had it he’d bought his way to the top, but he had become the face of Mazdaar news to many.
Breaking News scrolled behind Abkar who stood in front of what appeared to be a live feed of Mazdaar City’s skyline.
“This just in from the Jupiter front line,” Abkar began. “Word has reached us from a trusted source that one of Mazdaar’s most wanted terrorists has been apprehended.”
A picture of Mrs. March in Yien uniform flashed across the screen. She was scowling, and it made her look like a cranky old hag, no doubt their intention.
“Fleur March, who has eluded capture for decades, will finally be brought to justice. In fact, the official statement declares she will stand trial before the Mazdaar High Council within forty-eight hours. Her fate will be in their very capable hands, and we trust she will receive the verdict she deserves. Stay tuned as we report live from—”
The transmission cut out. Grey could only stare at the empty space as tears pushed into her eyes.
“They’ll kill her,” she whispered.
Benton March didn’t disagree. “Which is why Ganymede can wait.”
“But how can we possibly help her? I’ve been there. It’s a fortress.”
He tapped his head. “Thinking.”
“Well you better think fast.”
Chapter 39
The last time Dana Yurkutz had been in the Great Hall of Justice she was sixteen years old and sure as a peacock, striding down the corridors and barely giving the drone guards a second glance. She was Evangeline Yurkutz’s daughter. She could tread the floors without fear.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Marie said, pushing Dana’s wheelchair past men and women in silk suits who parted for them.
“Of course,” Dana responded.
In a few hours the fate of at least one person would be sealed, and she would have to live with it.
“You know, I used to see you here when you were a child.” Marie smiled. “I always wanted to meet you. Maybe I suspected our connection subconsciously.”
This would have been where Evangeline and Nathaniel first met, he as a captain of the guard and she a rising officer being groomed to replace Mazdaar’s soon-to-retire council member.
“It will broadcast live, right?”
“Indeed,” Marie said. “The world needs to know the truth.”
Yes, they do.
They passed the ornate double doors carved with snakes and gargoyles surrounding the Mazdaar star with the triple spiral at its center. The council deemed it important the doors remain as they had been for a hundred years, with the antique design to remind everyone who entered how long Mazdaar had held power.
Dana wasn’t to enter through the doors today. Marie guided her to a small alcove off the main council chamber. Most hearings had no witnesses. All briefs and arguments were submitted prior to the hearing. If a defendant could even afford representation. In rare, high profile cases like March’s they would only call on witnesses who would corroborate the evidence against the defendant. Dana had only ever seen one such trial, and every witness had been Mazdaar’s. The verdict was unanimously guilty.
“They’ll swear you in first,” Marie said. “Just do what they tell you.”
Everything was moving so quickly. She hadn’t slept last night, tossing and turning on the plush bed. She hadn’t enjoyed accommodations this luxurious since leaving Mazdaar City. But instead of sleeping, she spent the night practicing standing and even taking a few steps. If she wasn’t so exhausted she would have been encouraged.
Dana touched the Mazdaar star embroidered on her green tunic. It felt rough under her fingers. Marie had asked her over and over whose side she was on, and last night Dana had made her choice. But was it the right one?
# # #
Benton March slapped the rolled-up map he’d scavenged from a downed ship onto the table in the officers’ quarters and hastily unfurled it. “We have one chance,” he said.
Grey and Rin stared down at the ancient paper. They were no strangers to these relics. They’d smuggled many of them across the border to Jet Yien back when they thought he was just an elite Mazdaar citizen collecting rare antiquities. They had no idea he was gathering the maps and books they sold him into a library for future generations on Jupiter.
“We have to try and contact Jet,” Grey said. “He’ll help us.”
“If he’s still alive. And not on Jupiter.” Benton placed both hands on the table and stared her down. “And how will we know who we can trust down there? I’ve been gone forty years, and you lived out in the Preserve.”
“There has to be a way.”
“I have one contact,” Benton said. “I’ll try to hail him when we land, but if he’s gone, we do this alone.”
Grey had to agree. They’d managed to evade Mazdaar on re-entry using the ship’s cloaking shields. Though dated, they were still functional, just like Benton’s flying knowledge. It was a good thing the ship came with an advanced autopilot function.
Benton tapped at the map. “There’s an underground passage connecting the Hall of Justice with the prison. If we can intercept them when they are transferring Fleur from the hall to the prison, we have a minuscule possibility of rescuing her.”
“What about our parents?”
“You don’t even know where they are,” Benton said.
There had been no mention of the elder Alexanders on the newscast. Grey could only hope they’d been captured with Mrs. March, but she would be a fool to ignore the possibility they had already been killed. She glanced at Rin whose focus was on the map. It was still her responsibility to protect her younger sister, whether Rin wanted that or not. Mom’s last words were cemented in Grey’s mind.
But they couldn’t abandon Mrs. March e
ither. Was there a chance the Yien Dynasty was already working to free her? Grey had no way to contact any of the leadership.
“How are we going to land without them noticing?” Rin turned her focus to Benton, looking as earnest as Grey had ever seen her. “And then what? We can’t overpower all the guards.”
“No, but Thing 1 and 2 might be able to.”
Grey looked at the crazy old man like he’d suggested they land on top of the building itself.
He scowled at her. “My drones. The one you nearly destroyed and the one that nearly destroyed you.”
“You brought them?”
“If you’re gonna bring along those two dirty zorses, I’m gonna bring my two most faithful companions.”
She held back a grin, holding up her hands in surrender. “Aren’t they obsolete models?”
“No more than me, and I got us here.” Benton March held the bridge of his nose and stared down at the map. “For your information, I helped install the security protocols for the Hall of Justice. They may have changed, but I know that place well.”
“Great. Now all we gotta do is get there.”
As if on cue, the ship dropped into its descent like they knew it would. They must be approaching Persia Island, a small community off the coast and only ten miles from Mazdaar City. Back in Benton March’s day it had been a resort destination devoid of military presence. They were running on blind faith that they could find a safe place to land.
“Time to buckle up,” Benton said.
There were two seats behind Benton, and they snapped themselves into flight harnesses.
“I hope Tram and Trif don’t freak out,” Rin whispered.
If the zorses made it through an intergalactic tunnel twice, Grey wasn’t too worried. She’d have to make sure they were taken care of somehow when they landed.
Benton slipped an auris plug into his ear, listening for any radio chatter.
“Someone’s hailing me,” he said.
“What are you going to say?”
Benton held up his hand. “I hear you loud and clear,” he said into his microphone. “What do you mean we’re not registered? I filed everything before we left. Why don’t I set this bird down and we’ll talk about it?” Benton glanced back at the girls.
Rin leaned toward her. “I sure hope he knows what he’s doing.”
Chapter 40
They seated Dana, Marie, and several other Mazdaar officials in the gallery behind the dais. Dana had a clear view of the backs of the seven white chairs the High Council would soon fill. She glanced up at the glass ceiling thirty feet above them. Not a cloud marred the brilliant sky. It was a perfect day for anything but this.
Several rows of benches faced the council seats where normally prisoners would queue before facing the council. Today they were empty. Members of the press would’ve paid a king’s ransom to be inside while the proceedings ran their course, but they would watch a live feed outside.
The lack of an audience created the stillness of a crypt. How many prisoners had been sentenced to death in this room? The High Council was known for its harsh verdicts. You weren’t sent to the council for a fair trial, and Dana knew it.
If she’d still been connected, she might be aware of when the council members were approaching, but instead the silence rung in her ears. Dana felt her hand trembling in her lap and shoved it under her leg.
Three fist-sized, cylindrical hovercams dropped from the ceiling and methodically orbited the room. Dana eyed one with disgust when it passed within six feet of her face. They would tell this story to the world.
A side door flew open, causing Dana to jump, and two stoic drone guards escorted Commander Fleur March inside and directly in front of the panel where they pushed her onto the front row bench facing Dana. All three hovercams spun toward the defendant, then separated to get different angles. Mazdaar had allowed March to change into a fresh, black Yien uniform. The bruise Dana had seen on her cheek was no longer visible, probably covered with makeup rather than healed with light therapy. They had taken off the shock cuffs, and her sleeves covered the marks while the world was watching.
The tired-looking woman immediately noticed Dana and made eye contact just as another door opened and the seven council members strode in. Their burgundy robes swished together, but the carpeted flooring muffled their steps.
Dana did not know all their names, but she knew the woman with the long blonde hair they called Lady Kern. She had been a friend of her mother’s. When she saw Colonel Nathaniel Hutchison lower himself into the ergonomic seat beside Lady Kern, Dana realized who had replaced General Evangeline Yurkutz on the High Council.
“Let it be stated Council is now in session,” a voice boomed.
Lady Kern took in a deep breath, her eyes flicking back and forth, the typical nystagmus of the connected. “Since the accused is not enlightened, today we will forego technology and proceed with verbal arguments.” Lady Kern raised her chin and found the nearest hovercam. “The case of Fleur March is thus called.”
# # #
Grey pulled at the collar of the musty, dark-green Mazdaar uniform Benton March had given her to wear. She tried not to cringe at the despicable red star on her sleeve.
“When in Rome,” Benton March said, patting her on the back.
“What?”
He chuckled. “Way before your time, girl.”
“Did you get through to your contact?”
“They’ll meet us outside the Hall if we make it.”
Their story was that he was a Mazdaar flight trainer, and they were his trainees. They had received some anomalous readings during their flight, and they decided to land and make repairs. But first they’d need to get to the mainland for supplies and would need to charter a hovercraft. The radio operator seemed to have bought the story and guided them to land on a field where they had set down a half hour ago.
Rin didn’t like the idea of leaving Tram and Trif behind, but they had decided it was the safest plan. They’d return for the zorses when and if they got out of this alive. If they did not, Benton seemed to think the locals would put them in a zoo or something where they could live out their days in peace.
Grey wasn’t so sure about that, but she didn’t tell her sister. They had no choice. She eyed the silvery drone standing beside her, so close she felt its metallic arm brush her own, and resisted the urge to push it away. Somehow Benton had repaired Thing 2, as he called it. Both drones would accompany them. In the Preserve it would’ve made them stick out like a whale in the desert, but apparently it was not unusual in Mazdaar City.
Those who were connected controlled drones through their Dot implants, but Benton had programmed his to respond to verbal commands, though they were autonomous enough to move and interact without his input.
Grey refused to speak to them, but Rin seemed to find it amusing to try and converse with the machines.
“What’s your favorite color?” she asked Thing 1, the larger of the drones with a face mask.
“What is yours?” Thing 1 responded.
Rin didn’t hesitate. “Blue.”
Rolling her eyes, Grey focused instead on what they would do once they reached Mazdaar City. She shifted her blueflare rifle to her other shoulder.
Benton gave the go-ahead, and the vessel’s door rolled up. Grey stood transfixed, blinking in the brilliant sunlight of Earth. She thought she was going to die on Jupiter, never to see her beloved planet again. Maybe she’d die on Earth after all.
# # #
Dana watched Commander March rise to her feet, and she didn’t miss the slight sway of her body. Electroshocks could take days to recover from. Some prisoners never did.
A councilman with a goatee who was sitting next to Nathaniel spoke first. “Let the record state March has waived the right to council.”
Had the Yien Dynasty been blocked from the proceedings? She couldn’t imagine them abandoning one of their own. Dana remembered when Grey Alexander had stood before this very gr
oup and Jet Yien himself had spoken up for her. But he no doubt was on the most-wanted list himself now.
“Do you understand the charges brought against you?” the man asked.
March cleared her throat. “Yes, I do.”
“Conspiracy, acts of terror, aiding and abetting the enemy. The list is forty years long, but your recruitment and coercion of one of our own young people gives us the greatest concern.” Lady Kern tapped at the table with her pointed white fingernail, and one of the hovercams glided closer to her. “We do not take it lightly.”
Dana felt Marie’s hand on her arm. She probably meant it as reassurance, but it only increased Dana’s nerves. How many times had Marie, acting as RedStar, told her March was using her?
Colonel Nathaniel Hutchison folded his hands in front of him. “It is a story worth sharing with the world.” He gestured toward the nearest hovercam. “Six years ago a great woman, General Evangeline Yurkutz, lost her daughter to the seduction of the Yien Dynasty. That young woman’s name is Dana Yurkutz. She was coerced by a man who was justifiably executed for his crime, but you were the one who masterminded her defection, were you not, Fleur March?”
March’s chest slowly rose and fell. “I was.”
“What right did you have?” Nathaniel’s fist pounded against the table, his face reddening. “To abduct a girl from her family, her home, to deceive her and fill her mind with your twisted lies. It is unspeakable.”
“But I spoke only the truth, as did James Ferris.”
The mention of the guard’s name reminded Dana how many had suffered to help her. Did she think their blood was worthless? Is that why she betrayed them?
“Lies!” Colonel Hutchison looked like he was ready to jump off the stage.
“Peace, Nathaniel,” Lady Kern said. “Justice will prevail.”
He responded with a nod. “I have kept silent for six years.”
Lady Kern seemed to understand and waved for him to continue.
“I did not know it at the time, but I will state it for the record now.” Nathaniel Hutchison glanced in Dana’s direction then focused back on Fleur March. “Dana Yurkutz is my daughter.”
Jupiter Storm (Jupiter Winds series Book 2) Page 17