In a heartbeat, Oona’s awareness left the skimmer car. She found herself standing in a formless place facing an almost familiar, alien woman of excruciating beauty.
“My apologies,” the woman said in an oddly accented, lyrical voice, “but I have need of you, child.”
Oona slumped over, unconscious.
Chapter Forty-Five
Kyralla Vim
Kyralla had blocked out every sound, every thought, and every sensation except for the tunnel ahead, the course guide in her HUD, and Silky’s voice. The latter was the hardest part to deal with. How Siv could put up with Silky’s constant chatter and terrible jokes was beyond her. And she was not going to take him when Siv died. No way. Silky and Mitsuki were the ones who clearly deserved one another.
Realizing her mind had wandered, she closed off her thoughts about how annoying Silky was. And not a moment too soon. A split second early, she “saw” the debris in the tunnel. Before the car’s lights even hit the rocks ahead, she spun the wheel, and the car slid up along the wall. Running at a ninety-degree angle, with the ground below to her right, they passed over the debris pile so narrowly that their force field dislodged the topmost rocks.
She righted the car and released the breath she’d been holding in. Whew. That was too close.
“Oona?” Bishop asked in the back. “Oona!”
“What’s wrong?” Mitsuki asked.
“She slumped over onto me when we went sideways, then she only half-slumped back.”
“Maybe she’s asleep,” Mitsuki said.
“I shook her,” Bishop replied. “But she’s not responding. She’s out, completely unconscious.”
Kyralla nearly missed a sharp turn. She cut the wheel sharp and the car banked hard around a corner, fishtailing so that the back end bumped and scraped against the wall. She hit the brakes and brought the car to a stop.
She turned around and touched her sister’s leg. “Oona? Oona, talk to me!”
She didn’t respond.
“Rosie?”
“Madam, Artemisia says Oona is breathing and her vitals all look good,” Rosie responded. “I asked Silky to scan her.”
Please not the awakening. Not now. Not while they were trying to escape, not under stress. Oona’s odds of making it were bad enough in a pristine environment. But on the run like this, with everyone chasing them, and with Siv, a near guardian, dying beside her, that was the worst possible scenario.
“I have completed a level five scan,” Silky said, patching through to Kyralla via Rosie. “Her brainwaves are indicative of an empathic or telepathic state.”
“And how would you know that?” Kyralla asked.
“I served forty-seven years with an agent in Empathic Services. And Gav once went through a similar experience. In fact, the brainwave anomalies I’m detecting, though similar to what would show in an empath, are basically identical to what Gav went through.”
“And he was okay afterward?”
“It wasn’t what killed him, I can tell you that. Also, Siv’s amulet appears to be active, warm with a faint trace of hyperphasic energy. That happened then, too.”
“What was Gav’s experience at the time?”
“I cannot say.”
“Why not?”
“Because the information is locked away, and even if I could access it, I would not.”
“Why?”
“Fear.”
Chippies weren’t supposed to experience fear. Silky was so ridiculously complicated. “Based on your previous experiences, do you think she’s okay?”
“I believe so, Kyralla.”
“You’re sentient, aren’t you? With emotions and desires like us.”
“I believe I am partially sentient. There’s a difference.”
“Could you keep Oona monitored for me?”
“I would prefer to keep all my processing devoted to mapping the way ahead. These tunnels are tricky, and I’ve never been through here before. All I have is notes from Gav’s old chippy Torus, and he wasn’t as advanced as I am, nor as thorough in his recordings. Artemisia and Rosie can both monitor her, though. If anything out of the ordinary happens, they’ll let me know. The alternative is to travel slowly, and we can’t afford to waste time.”
Kyralla reached back and took one of Oona’s hands, squeezing it gently. “Be well, sweet sister.” She glanced at Siv, his head still draped across Oona’s lap. “How is he?”
“I think he’s enjoying the last peace he’ll have before the end,” Silky replied. “He won’t survive another round of withdrawal symptoms. Really, he’s lucky Kompel only strikes the nervous system in distinct waves with some calm periods. Naturally, that’s on purpose. It gives the addict a chance to return to their master.”
“We need to keep moving,” Mitsuki said. “Trust the others see to Oona.”
Kyralla shifted the skimmer into drive and sped forward, though not as fast as before. She throttled back about twenty percent, knowing her reactions wouldn’t be as fast while her mind constantly drifted back to Oona, and occasionally Siv as well.
“Pick up the speed,” Mitsuki said.
Kyralla shook her head. A little late, she noticed that a curve was sharper than what Silky had expected. She swerved around, braking then speeding again. The back corner on the right side of the car banged against the wall. She slowed a little more.
“We lost five percent of our shields on that,” Silky said over the comm. “And this reduced speed is going to make the trip take at least an extra hour, possibly more.”
“I’m doing the best I can.”
“Like hell you are,” Mitsuki said. “Kick it in gear.”
“Damn it, my sister may be dying back there!”
“And if we don’t escape, she’ll be dead for sure,” Mitsuki replied. “Focus on what matters.”
“Easy for you to say,” Kyralla snapped.
“This is my job,” Mitsuki growled, “so I know what I’m talking about.”
“Maybe so, but it’s a lot easier when you don’t really care about the people you’re rescuing.”
“Every time I extract a mark, I prove again that I can save myself from the Empire.”
“See, it’s all about you.”
“And every time I save myself, I prove that if I had been a little older, I could have saved my mother from the pit of flames they threw her into on Saxeti.”
Kyralla slowed. “Mitsuki, I…I’m sorry, I had no idea that—”
“They killed my mother for not believing in Empress Qan, their hyperphasic messiah. And yet, here I am, saving your sister. Because she deserves better than being taken against her will.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need an apology, I need you to drive fast. You need to drive fast. Because whether your sister dies today or in a year, you won’t stop being her champion. The outcome is irrelevant. She is your purpose. Only your purpose matters.”
Kyralla hated to admit that Mitsuki was right, but she knew she was. So she kicked the car back into the highest gear and focused her will.
I am a guardian. And I will not fail my sister.
She let go of everything she couldn't control and throttled the speed up even higher than before.
It didn’t matter what happened. All that counted was doing the best she could for Oona. And right now that meant driving like a hound charging from hell.
Chapter Forty-Six
Siv Gendin
Siv walked through his orchard of zii fruit. Chirping birds fluttered through the branches. A soft breeze washed over him. The mountains towered in the distance, the sun setting behind them.
“This is a nice place to meet death.”
“Such a morbid thought for such a lovely place, Gav Gendin.”
Siv spun around to face the speaker. She seemed spun of gossamer, moss, and jade. Her features were exotic, and clearly alien, judging by the odd curling shape of her almond eyes and the two antennas, one sprouting from each of her temples.
> He had never seen anyone like her before, nor someone so enchanting. He couldn’t have looked away if he wanted. Maybe this ethereal beauty was here to take him to some sort of paradise. He did’t deserve such an honor, but he certainly didn’t mind.
She frowned. “You…are not Gav.”
Siv shook his head. “Gav was my father.”
This was starting to seem more like a dream than his entry into the land of death.
“But…but I felt his presence.”
“I don’t know how,” Siv replied. “My dad died over a hundred years ago.”
“Ah,” she said with a mournful sigh. “I am greatly saddened to hear that. I had so hoped to see him again.”
“Dad was murdered. After his last expedition.”
“I was afraid that might happen.”
“You were?”
She sauntered toward him. “I fear I am the reason your father is dead.”
Siv scowled at her, and every muscle in his body tensed. “How so?”
“I did not directly cause his death,” she said sympathetically.
“Explain,” Siv snapped.
“Gav ventured to my ship telepathically, from one of our sentinel outposts. My ship was trapped in hyperspace, and I was unable to reboot the system. Gav fixed it. Months later, he found my ship on the planet where it crashed after dropping out of hyperspace.
“Then, for a second time, he rescued me. I think there must have been a battle because my ship was destroyed and Gav was forced to flee with me to safety. I tried to speak to him, but he could not hear me. About a week later, we arrived on this world, and he disappeared.”
Siv shook his head. If any of that was true, it was news to him. “I don't know anything about his last expedition. But my dad did show up in a rush after he returned, saying we had to run away. Then he was murdered before I could even pack my bags. I was ten years old then.”
“A few weeks ago, I sensed him again along with the presence of another chosen one. But the chosen one was not of my people, the Numenaia, but yours. I guess I mistook you for your father.” The alien woman wilted. “It was wishful thinking.”
“You’re an Ancient, aren’t you?” Siv asked.
“I am High Priestess Lyoolee Syryss of the Numenaia, whom your people call the Ancients.”
He had no idea whether what he was hearing was the truth, or whether his mind, as he approached death, had concocted a story to explain everything that had happened.
He raked a hand through his hair. “This really is an odd dream.”
“It is not a dream,” a resonant, male voice said. “Not in the traditional sense.”
“Gav,” the alien woman murmured. “You are… Ah, I understand now why I sensed your presence through the chosen girl.”
Siv whirled around to see the ghostly form of his dad standing behind him. He rushed over to take him into a hug, but his arms passed through him, as if he weren’t there.
“I am but a ghost, son. A memory, nothing more.”
Siv smiled into his father’s face. Ghost or not, he was overjoyed to see Gav again. He hadn’t forgotten a single detail, from the salt and pepper streaks in his dad’s beard to the tiny mole above his left eye to the scar on his neck where a pirate’s force axe had nearly taken his head.
“You’re just a memory?”
“A perfect copy of the mind and spirit of your father, stored in the sentinel amulet you wear,” the Ancient woman said. “If you were Numenaian, you would be able to consult with your father’s memory anytime you needed advice.” She stroked her cheek with her long fingers. “It never occurred to me that in rescuing me your father would actually become a sentinel.”
“Is that why I’ve seen him recently?”
“Not exactly, because you are merely human. But when this chosen child awakened a few weeks ago, she boosted hyperphasic energies throughout the area.”
His dad nodded. “And when you came close to death, your mind was more open and I was able to speak with you.”
“So I’m dying again now?”
“You will be dead soon,” his dad answered. “But I believe there’s hope. If you can reach the Outworld Ranger, Octavian can help you.”
“Octavian?” Siv asked. He remembered his father’s fussy ship cog. As a kid, he’d found the thing terrifying. “He can save me?”
“Going to strange, alien worlds, I had to be prepared for all manner of illnesses, so Octavian has access to a number of powerful drugs and medical procedures, things now absent in your time. He may not be able to cure you from the disease the Kompel created within you, but I am certain he can dampen the symptoms and delay the inevitable.”
Siv sighed. “I won’t last long enough to reach the ship.”
“That’s why I called out to High Priestess Syryss,” Gav replied. “I think she can help you.”
“I could do so,” she said, “by channeling life force from myself to you, Siv, through the awakened girl.”
He spun back toward the Ancient woman, who was only a couple of steps away from him now. “Through Oona?”
“Yes.”
“Will it harm her?”
“Not in any way,” the priestess answered.
“Please be careful. She’s very fragile. None of the other hyperphasic messiahs have survived their… Wait, you both said that she’s already awakened.”
“Several weeks ago,” Gav replied.
“But Oona said her awakening would be a big ordeal and that she wouldn’t likely survive, so either she’s lying or she doesn’t realize she’s awakened already.”
The priestess frowned, “What she is dreading is not the Moment of the Awakened Mind. It is the Trial of Corruption, during which her soul must face the darkness within the hypermind.”
“The what?”
“It is a complex topic for another time,” the priestess said.
“Sure,” Siv said, feeling even more overwhelmed.
“For a human, I would think surviving the trial with any sanity remaining would be nearly impossible,” the priestess said. “But if you can get her to me, perhaps I can help her through this transition. Under my instruction, her chances would improve greatly.”
“And Octavian has medicines that can help you, son,” Gav added. “So all you need to do is make it to the Outworld Ranger, to save yourself and Oona.”
Gav, Lyoolee Syryss, and the orchard all flickered away for a moment.
“The connection is failing,” the priestess said. “We must act now.”
She stepped up to Siv and placed a thumb on each temple with the rest of her fingers spread out across the back of his head. A pleasantly warm pulse emanated from her fingers.
“I am sorry for this,” she said.
“Sorry for—”
A sudden bolt of energy struck him like a white hot knife driven between his eyes.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Siv Gendin
Siv woke, screaming.
“Sir, calm down.”
“Siv!” Mitsuki nearly jumped into the backseat. “Are you okay?!”
He stopped screaming and sat up. The pain he’d felt in the dream was gone. “Yeah…I’m fine.”
“Sir, your heart’s racing at an alarming rate.”
“Yeah?” Panting, Siv wiped sweat from his brow. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“What’s wrong?” Bishop asked with worry.
“Nothing,” he answered. “Actually, I’m a little better than before. I got a boost of energy…”
“From the amulet,” Oona said, stirring awake.
Kyralla slowed the car. “Oona! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. It’s just…” She met Siv’s eyes and frowned. “I saw an alien woman and…and she used me to speak with Siv, and then she channeled energy through me.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Mitsuki asked.
Siv told them about the dream or vision or whatever it was, but he left out all the information about Oona.
“So the woman I saw,” Oona said, “the alien priestess, she’s real?”
“Yes,” Siv said. “And I think Silky can confirm it.”
“I cannot,” Silky replied. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“So the amulet has bought you more time?” Mitsuki asked.
“Enough to reach the Outworld Ranger,” Siv replied. “Maybe.”
“Well, thank the Benevolence for that,” Bishop said. “Some good news at last.”
“I wouldn’t count your blessings just yet,” Siv said. “We’ve still got a long way to go.”
Light appeared in the tunnel ahead. They had reached the exit. Kyralla pulled to a stop, keeping them hidden just inside the tunnel.
Mitsuki leaned forward and whistled. “The trip down’s going to be interesting. That’s a very steep drop.”
“It appears the road leading down collapsed,” Silky said. “But I think the car can handle it.”
“I think we should keep the shimmer veil active and the force field ready,” Bishop said, “but otherwise pour everything we’ve got into the engines and push them to the breaking point.”
“And if we burn them out, what then?” Kyralla asked.
“I installed a governor that should prevent that,” Bishop responded. “But there is a risk.”
“We should take that risk,” Mitsuki said.
“I agree,” Siv said. “I don’t have a lot of time left.”
Bishop hopped out of the car and began tinkering. “Give me a minute.”
The rest of them sat in exhausted silence while they waited. They had been through so much, with so much thrown at them. Siv wondered if they all felt as numb as he did.
“You learned something about me, didn’t you?” Oona asked suddenly.
He sighed. It wasn’t easy hiding things from an empath. “Yes, I did.”
“Spill it,” Kyralla said. “I know you’re tired. I get that. But if you know something about her, you need to tell us because…”
Rogue Starship: The Benevolency Universe (Outworld Ranger Book 1) Page 30