I can’t read Lucy’s mind, but I know what she’s thinking. Any chance of us having a normal start to our third tour just went up in smoke. It also means the mystery about the potential mission to Alkalinia is solved.
We’re going.
“You’ll be our advance team—our first diplomatic envoy, if you will—to the home planet of our new allies, the Alkalinians.”
There it is. Confirmed.
Mira’s brain bristles. Distaste. Distrust. Those are her impressions of the Alkalinians, and she has a very bad feeling about the mission. My gut says the same.
Next to me, Cole shifts from side to side. Lucy must be fuming, and I’m sure Marco’s not much happier. All of us are struggling to stay composed. It’s important that we do. As far as the admiral knows, we’ve never heard of the Alks. She has no idea we spied on the meeting where Seelok, the Alkalinian leader, gave Earth Force the coordinates of the intragalactic summit in exchange for occludium. Without those coordinates, we could never have placed the worm patch on the Youli systems.
And the admiral certainly doesn’t know that Gedney gave us a heads-up that she might send a delegation to our new allies’ home.
“The Alkalinians have invited us to visit their planet,” she says. “They asked specifically to host the pod responsible for placing the degradation patch on the Youli vessel during Operation Vermis.”
Cole straightens. “Was the patch successful?”
“Early indications point to yes,” the admiral says.
“What does that mean?” Marco asks.
“It means exactly what I said, cadet, and anything beyond that is outside of your clearance.”
“Permission to ask a question, Admiral?” Lucy says.
Admiral Eames nods.
“Why would the Alkalinians request us? How do they even know the details of Operation Vermis?”
“Those answers are also outside your clearance. But I’ll tell you this: I have other reasons why I want your pod to go. Your mission will require a bit more than diplomatic relations. We’ve agreed to bring the entire EarthBound Academy to Alkalinia for training. However, I won’t do that until I’m sure certain safety precautions are in place.”
Wait . . . what? She plans to bring all the cadets to Alkalinia? I do not want Addy going into that snake den.
The admiral nods to the officer on her right, who calls up a machine diagram on the table screen. “We believe the main settlement on Alkalinia is shielded by occludium tether technology. In other words, a certain portion of the planet is covered by a tent-like occludium shield that’s anchored to the surface. This image shows specifications for the latest occludium tether on the intragalactic market. It prevents bounding in and out of the barrier and also scrambles bounds within the barrier like the block on Gulagaven. You will need to locate the tether so that we can deactivate it, if necessary. It will be outside of the main settlement and near a major power source. Once you’ve completed your mission, we will prepare to bring the rest of the Academy to Alkalinia to finish out their training this tour.”
“You want us to deactivate their occludium tether?” Marco says. “Don’t you think that will set off like a million warning bells?”
Admiral Eames stares impassively at Marco. “I didn’t say I wanted you to deactivate it. I just need you to find it. You locate the tether and an access entry point, and you communicate the information to me. That is your mission. Understood?”
“And if we do that, you’re going to bring the other cadets to Alkalinia?” I ask, already thinking about how I might sabotage the mission and keep Addy safe at the space station.
“We’ve already agreed to bring the cadets, Mr. Adams, including your sister. You completing this mission will help keep all cadets safe.”
Geez. You can’t get anything by Admiral Eames. It’s like she has a brain patch that can read everyone’s minds.
“You’re sending us there on our own?” Lucy asks. “Just the five of us?”
“No. Officer Johnson will be accompanying you.”
Wait . . . what? Bad Breath? I open my mouth to protest but then shut it. What exactly can I say? That we hate the guy? Somehow I doubt Admiral Eames would appreciate our complaints. Plus, she promoted him through the ranks, so she obviously thinks he’s capable of something. Maybe she doesn’t want to send an aeronaut to babysit Bounders, so Chief Auxiliary Officer Wade Johnson is the next-best choice.
Bad Breath lifts his lips in a rotten grin. It was only a year ago that he shoved me into my storage bin for forgetting to call him sir when we first met. He’s going to take every chance he can to torture us on this mission. Marco cursed us with his hazing talk. Bad Breath will teach us what it really means to be hazed.
“Now let’s talk specifics. . . .” The admiral turns the meeting over to the other officers at the table, who brief us on the nuts and bolts of the mission. They talk so quickly I can hardly process what all of this means, what they’re actually asking of us. Tomorrow the Alks will supply us with bounding coordinates for their planet. (Doesn’t sound like too tight of an alliance if the Alks haven’t even told us where they live yet.) Captain Han will pilot the bounding ship to the coordinates. Once we’ve arrived safely, Bad Breath will transmit additional details about the destination via advanced GPS technology back to Earth Force.
“What if they intercept the transmission?” Cole asks.
“Excellent question,” one of the officers replies. “That brings us to the tech you’ll be taking.” The officer shows us a small, clear disk and asks Bad Breath to hand over his tablet. The disk adheres directly to the screen and is barely visible. With a finger swipe, the officer activates it.
“This is a sound inclusion moat with paralinear encryption,” he says.
“A sound inclusion what?” Lucy asks.
“We call it a SIMPLE for short,” he continues. “The SIMPLE will shield and encrypt communications. This one has been custom-designed to get around any Alkalinian com blockers. Officer Johnson is under orders to provide progress reports directly to the admiral, with your pod’s input, of course.”
“About that,” Lucy says. “How exactly do you expect us to make any progress? I kind of doubt the Alkalinians are going to let us search their planet for the occludium tether.”
“I’m sure that’s true,” the admiral says, “but I believe we have a work-around. Seelok, the Alkalinian leader, has assured us that you’ll be able to train while you’re there. That means they will need to transport you outside the shield range to practice bounding. We suspect your training zone will be in close proximity to the tether.”
“You suspect?” Marco asks.
The admiral looks at Marco and lifts an eyebrow. “Yes, Mr. Romero. Information beyond that is outside your clearance.”
I guess almost everything is outside our clearance. “I’m just an Earth Force pawn.” Those were Addy’s words in the basement storage room of our apartment building. I tried to assure her that we were more than that, that we had an important role to play in the defense of Earth, that Bounders were special. But as I consider what Admiral Eames is asking us to do, the risks she’s expecting us to take on faith, I wonder whether Addy was right. Earth might be worth fighting for, but maybe Earth Force isn’t.
Admiral Eames signals to the officer at the end of the table, who stands and opens the door to the briefing room. “Now, if you’ll excuse us,” she says, “we have urgent matters to discuss prior to the oath ceremony. Rest up, cadets. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
We quickly shuffle out of the room. Lucky for us, the guards who brought us here are no longer around. We can walk back to the hangar without anyone breathing down our necks. Which is good, because we definitely need to debrief from the briefing.
“I hate snakes,” Marco says as soon as the door closes.
“I can’t believe this is happening again,” Lucy says as we set off down the hall, following the platinum stripe that marks the path of the mini spider robots.
“It was bad enough last tour when we had to miss the beginning. But again? We don’t even have a full twenty-four hours before we have to leave, and most of the time we’ll be in bed. I barely got a chance to tell anyone about my summer.”
“Or to find out about their summers,” Marco mumbles.
“I heard that, Marco Romero,” Lucy snarls. “You know what I meant. And in case you didn’t, let me make it even more clear: this stinks!”
“I don’t see why you’re so surprised,” Cole says. “Gedney practically told us last tour to expect this. I think it could be quite interesting. After all, it sounds like we’ll be among the first humans to see the Alkalinian planet, if not the very first.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?” Lucy says. “Don’t you think it sounds a bit dangerous to send kids to a planet we know almost nothing about?”
“Since when does Earth Force care about our safety?” Marco asks.
“Guys,” I say. “Can we cut the arguing for a second? I have an even bigger problem. My sister. I can’t just leave without talking to her, but I’m sure we’ll be dismissed to our bunks immediately after the ceremony. What should I do?”
“Easy,” Marco says. “Sneak out after curfew and meet up somewhere.”
“That’s not easy for me, let alone Addy,” I say. “She just got here. She doesn’t even know how to use the suction chutes.”
“So have someone bring her,” Lucy says.
That’s not a bad idea, but it would have to be someone from the girls’ dormitory. “Are you volunteering?”
Lucy recoils. “Uh, no. Did you hear what I said a few minutes ago? We’re leaving the space station first thing tomorrow morning. Sorry, Jasper, but I’m not going to spend my time chaperoning your sister.”
It probably isn’t fair to ask. Plus, Lucy and Addy didn’t exactly hit it off at the aeroport.
“Real nice, Drama Queen,” Marco says to Lucy. “Just see what happens the next time you need a favor from one of us.”
Lucy plants her feet and puts her hands on her hips. “Does this involve you, Marco? No, it doesn’t. But like with everything else, you think you need to insert your macho self right into the middle, especially when it has to do with some new girl . . .”
I’ll do it.
Mira’s words reach me, distracting me from Lucy’s tirade. Is she serious?
It might be my best and only option.
I stop and turn to Mira. Thanks. Where?
An image of the piano behind the sensory gym fills my mind.
I interrupt Lucy, who’s still shouting at Marco. “Mira will sneak my sister out after curfew. Help me catch Addy after the ceremony. I need to give her a quick heads-up.”
5
WHEN WE ENTER THE HANGAR, I scan the rows of cadets for Addy. There she is, front row left. Her eyes find mine instantly. She must have been watching for me. She shifts her gaze and raises her eyebrows: What on earth is going on?
I nod and smile, trying to let her know that everything is going to be okay, which is really ridiculous because I have no idea whether everything is going to be okay.
Officers greet our pod and escort us into formation. A few minutes later the admiral and her honor guard enter the hangar. Just like on my first tour, the admiral walks along the line of cadets, carefully assessing each of us, and then takes her place at the podium.
“Welcome, Bounders,” she starts, spreading her arms wide. “I am so pleased to stand before this promising new class of cadets and invite you into our ranks. You are the future of Earth Force, and we need you now more than ever.”
That’s the truth. Earth Force may lie about a lot, but there’s no debating that their need for the Bounders—for us—is real. When we talked in the storage room, Addy said she always thought we were special. Well, the truth is we are special. Earth Force needs us. Earth needs us. I sneak a glance at Addy. I wish I could make her understand that the magnitude of our responsibility to our planet makes the Earth Force lies seem trivial. At least, that’s how I see it.
Another truth: what makes us special also puts us right in the line of fire.
I should never have promised Mom and Dad that I’d watch out for Addy. I mean, I want to watch out for her, but how am I supposed to do that from another planet?
I can’t even promise that I’ll be okay. Who knows what we’ll find on Alkalinia? With Bad Breath as our chaperone, we may be in trouble before we even make it to that snake den.
Plus, that’s not the worst of it. Out there, beyond the hangar doors, the Youli are waiting for their revenge. I’m sure they’ve managed to trace their systems issues back to us, and they’ll be looking for payback. Ultio.
Voices rise around me. I must have missed the admiral’s remarks. We’re already at the oath. In the row ahead, the new cadets have raised their hands and are repeating back the vows.
“. . . and to serve at all times with honor in Earth Force.”
“Congratulations!” the admiral says. “The future of Earth Force is yours!”
With these words, applause swells, and our formation falls apart. I need to move. I have to reach Addy before they whisk us off to the dormitories.
I duck and dodge through the rows of cadets until I spot her. She’s in the middle of a herd of juniors, the twins she was sitting with on the passenger craft plus a few others. My mind flashes with the memory of celebrating with Cole and Lucy after being sworn in last year. I shake my head. I don’t have time to get lost in the past.
I dart forward and grab Addy’s wrist.
She spins to face me. “Jasper! Hey! Everyone, this is my brother!” Addy pellets me with names. She’s excited, happy even. Addy’s always the center of attention, and she enjoys it.
“Hi. Congrats,” I say weakly to the juniors before bending to Addy. “I need to talk to you!”
“About why those officers whisked you off the craft?”
I nod.
She steps away from her new friends and mouths, Sorry. As we veer away from the group, Captains Ridders and Suarez start rounding up the cadets to head to the dorms.
“I’ll explain everything tonight, after curfew,” I tell her. “Mira will bring you to the sensory gym. We can talk there.”
Addy steps back and narrows her eyes at me. “I’m up for sneaking out, J, but I’m surprised you think it’s a good idea with all your ‘follow orders’ and ‘fall in line’ advice. Plus, in case you forgot, your girlfriend wasn’t exactly friendly at the aeroport.”
“She’s not . . . forget it, just go with Mira. It’s important, Addy.” I’m not sure if I’m convincing enough, so I add, “I’m leaving on a mission tomorrow.”
“What? I don’t understand. How can you be . . .” My sister’s eyes widen, and she abruptly stops talking.
A hand clamps down on my shoulder. “Cadet, we meet again.”
I glance up to face the impeccably coiffed Maximilian Sheek. Ugh.
“And who is this?” he asks, flashing an unnaturally white smile at Addy.
“Hi! I’m Adeline Adams,” Addy squeaks. “So nice to make your acquaintance, Captain Sheek.”
“Of course it is,” Sheek says. “Hello and welcome and congratulations and all of that. Now run along.” He waves his hands in a dismissive flutter like a medieval lord waving off his servants.
Even so, Addy beams.
The cadets congregate in two groups by the hangar doors—one to march to the boys’ dorm, the other to the girls’. I squeeze Addy’s hand and lean close. “Promise me, Addy!”
She makes an annoyed face, nods, then heads to the girls’ group.
Thank goodness. Hopefully, she won’t change her mind.
I jog over to where Ridders has rounded up the boys and fall in line next to Cole.
As we walk out of the hangar, Marco steps between us and places his hands on Cole’s and my shoulders to slow us down.
“What’s up?” I ask Marco as we let some new cadets pass.
“Notice anyone missing fr
om the ceremony?” he whispers.
“Regis.” When I say his name out loud, it’s like a giant boulder I’ve been balancing on my back crashes to the ground and turns to dust. I can’t believe he’s not here. I can’t believe how much I care that he’s not here. I’m ashamed to admit it, but if I had to choose between seeing Regis and facing the Youli, I’m not 100 percent sure which I’d pick.
“Covered and confirmed, Fly Guy. Regis was booted. Who else?”
“Waters,” Cole says.
“Obviously. He’s long gone. There’s no coming back for Jon Boy after the stunt he pulled on Gulaga. But where’s his partner in crime?”
“You mean Gedney?” Cole asks.
“Bingo. Aren’t you worried the reason Geds wasn’t part of the oath ceremony is because he’s not working at the EarthBound Academy anymore, either?”
I hadn’t thought about that. In fact, with all the drama since we landed, I’ve hardly thought about Gedney at all, which is pretty stupid, since he’s basically the only adult in Earth Force who has our back, even though as a civilian scientist, he’s not technically in Earth Force.
“Well, what do you suggest?” I ask. “Wandering the halls aimlessly looking for him?”
“I’m open to any and all great ideas,” Marco says.
“We should go to the pod room,” Cole says. “He might be there. If he’s not, at least we’ll know whether the room looks the same, which would be pretty good evidence that Gedney’s still around.”
“Good thinking, Sherlock,” Marco says.
“How do we ditch?” I ask.
“Leave that to the master,” Marco says.
We trail after Ridders and the horde of other boys. Every few steps we hang back a bit more, opening up a gap between us and the rest, biding our time until we can turn a corner and conveniently disappear. When we’re two turns from the chute that will take us to the dorms, Marco gives the signal. At the next corner we’ll split.
A junior at the back of the pack keeps glancing behind him and muttering. He’s skinny, with brown skin and black hair buzzed close to his scalp.
The Forgotten Shrine Page 4