by Finn Gray
Chapter 19
Crested Peak Resort
Thetis
From her suite on the top floor, Lina had a three hundred sixty degree view of the snow-capped mountains that surrounded the Crested Peak mountain resort. Just looking at them raised goosebumps on her skin and sent a shiver down her spine. They had mountains in Vatome, but none like these. Being farther from the sun than Hyperion, Thetis was, naturally, a colder planet. The summers were shorter, the winters longer and harsher, and the northern and southernmost regions were uninhabitable. On the positive side, winter sports were the norm throughout the cycle, with only the low-lying and equatorial regions experiencing full snow melt and truly warm temperatures.
“Are you ready?” Val’s voice sounded from the other side of the door. No knock, but at least her tone was polite. Not friendly, exactly, but that would have been too much to expect.
Since their fight on board the transport craft, their relationship had been frosty, interactions limited to public appearances, which Val had avoided until the swelling on her nose went down. She had spent most of her free time on her own, probably with Simon, though Lina had not actually seen the man around. Today was the first time Val had actually invited Lina to do something social together—snowboarding. Careening down a steep hill with a board strapped to her feet had never been much fun for Lina, though she’d gone boarding with Val several times in the past. Now, it seemed like the right thing to do, since Val seemed to be backpedaling on her vow to never have anything to do with her sister again. She only hoped Val wasn’t looking for the opportunity to push her off a cliff or something.
Lina opened the door. “How do I look?” She was clad in a form-fitting dark green jumpsuit with built-in heating. She knew the color looked good on her, but was concerned that it put a bit too much on display. It was quite snug.
“Turn around,” Val said, looking like an architect scrutinizing a crumbling bridge. “Not bad,” she said as Lina made a slow spin. “The guys will love it.”
“Not the girls?” Lina kidded.
“Some will, but most will hate you for looking so damn good. That’s how it works. Come on, let’s go.”
Marion led the way, with their military escort flanking them, and Carlos bringing up the rear.
“I don’t know why we need all these guards,” Val complained. “They love us here. All anyone wants is to take a snap or a vid of us. Maybe get us to acknowledge them.”
“Many of the original Thetan colonists were Memnons looking for better treatment than they received on Hyperion,” Lina said. “The Memnon War was fierce here. I doubt those who remain have forgotten, even after all this time.”
“But it’s been tame here, compared to Hyperion,” Lina said as they entered the elevator. “A few rallies. Nothing more.”
Lina nodded. Her experience had been nothing but positive here on the colony planet. Thetans had the reputation of being a breed apart—more rugged and independent than their Hyperian brothers and sisters. Maybe the Memnons here enjoyed enough freedom that they felt no need to rebel against their lawful government.
They experienced the usual applause and whistles as they made their way to the slopes. They smiled and waved, even answered a few greetings from small children.
“I don’t know which hurts more: my arm from waving or my cheeks from smiling,” Val said as they headed out onto the slope that had been closed for the day just for their benefit.
“Could be worse.” Lina sucked in a breath of icy air that burned her throat. It was a bitterly cold day. “Think of those Marines at Camp Maddux.”
Val shot her a baleful stare. “You’re really going to bring that up again?”
“I only meant because of the training they’re going through,” Lina said quickly. “And the heat and mosquitoes.”
“And that gods-awful food,” Val said, turning back to the buckle on her snowboard. “That was the worst.”
“Look, I’m sorry about what I said on the transport.”
Val waved the apology away with a flick of her hand. “I get it. Simon and I have secrets. You don’t know what they are and that makes you suspicious.”
“I wish you’d trust me,” Lina said. “We don’t always get along, but have I ever betrayed your trust? Even when things are at their worst between us I’ve never told Father any of the things you’ve gotten up to.”
Val looked at Carlos and Marion, who stood in quiet conversation, well out of earshot. Her shoulders sagged as she let out a slow breath that curled into a cloud of white mist in the frozen air. “Simon has asked me to marry him.”
“Really?” Lina looked speculatively at her sister.
“I know what you’re going to say. He’s an Artusan. Our families hate one another.” Val buried her face in her hands. “At first I was only interested in him because I knew it would upset Father and Mother, but I’ve grown to care for him. That’s why we sneak around. As long as Father thinks we’re only hooking up to get his goat, he won’t take it seriously. If he knows the relationship actually means something to me, he’ll take steps.”
Lina nodded. The conversation she’d overheard between her sister and the young fleet officer now made sense. It was a big thing Simon was asking of Val, something she wasn’t sure she could do for him. Impulsively, Lina wrapped her arms around her sister and squeezed her tight.
“I don’t have any advice for you, but I love you.” She felt Val tense for a moment, then relax.
“Thanks,” Val said. “It feels good to be able to tell someone about this.”
“Do you know what you’re going to do?”
Val shook her head. “He says he’ll wait but not forever.”
“I hope it works out for you.” Lina was surprised to realize she truly meant it. Marrying a fleet officer might actually settle her sister down a bit. Also, the union might warm the frosty relationship with the Artusans.
The slope they boarded down was the resort’s longest. It would take hours to reach the bottom, where a military transport awaited them. Carlos and Marion came along. Both were skilled snowboarders and had no trouble keeping pace with the sisters. Though she hadn’t loved the idea at first, Lina soon found herself caught up in the thrill of racing down the mountain at breakneck speed. The cold breeze invigorated her, lifting her spirits, as did the knowledge that she had managed to break the ice between herself and Val. She needed the energy. After rounding the globe on Hyperion, then traveling to another planet, her body was spent. She was fairly certain it was evening back home, maybe approaching night. But for the first time since they’d left, she didn’t feel the malaise that came from traveling long distances. Laughing and joking, they slipped, slid, and flew along the broad white band of snow that wound through the thick forests of dark green.
After an hour, they took a break at the bottom of a long, gentle slope. They sat on snow-covered boulders and sipped water from flasks. On such a cold day, Lina would have thought a hot drink would be in order, but physical exertion coupled with the suit’s insulation and internal heater had her dripping sweat.
“Is there any way to turn this thing off?” she asked, looking down at the suit.
“You don’t want to do that,” Carlos said. “At least, not all the way off. You’ll freeze.”
“Pull up the flap on your left wrist and you’ll see a thermostat.” With a sharp rip as adhesive strips parted, Marion uncovered the controls on her own suit. “Red is the highest temperature, blue the lowest. Firmly swipe one direction or the other until you get the temperature you like.”
Lina turned the suit’s heater down until she could feel a touch of the cold outside, then bumped it back up a notch. “Better. Are we ready to go?” As she looked around at the other, something caught her eye. A figure at the top of the slope. “Who is that?”
The others turned to see someone, mounted on skis, rapidly descending the hill.
“This slope is supposed to be closed,” Marion said.
“Maybe it’s o
ne of our military escorts?” Val offered.
“No one’s called in. They would have notified us” Carlos tapped his earpiece and spoke quietly. “No one’s answering. I’m not sure I’m even getting through. It’s like I’m jammed.”
Marion tried with her own comm. No joy.
“Marion, you take the girls on down the slope. I’ll deal with whoever this is.”
“No,” Marion said. “Let me. You’re better on the board. If they need to make a run for it, they’re better off with you.”
Carlos knew sense when he heard it and didn’t waste time arguing. “Let’s go, ladies.” It was a measure of his concern that he’d dropped the imperial form of address.
Heart racing, Lina took off down the slope with Val by her side and Carlos a few meters back. Her earlier words about Memnons on Thetis came back to her. I doubt those who remain have forgotten.
“It’s important that you stay on your feet,” Carlos shouted from behind them. “Try not to fall, even if that means going less than full-speed. Our escort will be waiting for us at the bottom.”
“Slow and steady wins the race?” Lina shouted.
“Downplay the slow part and focus on steady,” he called back.
“Can our escort come up and get us?” Val asked.
“I’m still trying to hail them. Nobody’s...”
From behind them, the sound of gunfire cut him off.
“Oh gods! Marion!” Val yelled.
“I’m sure she’s all right,” Lina said. “Try not to worry.” Easier said than done, she thought.
“Can you at least call her?” Val shouted over her shoulder to Carlos.
Lina glanced back. Carlos held one hand over his earpiece and his lips were moving. She couldn’t make out his words, but she was certain he was trying to hail the other security officer.
“Look out!” Val shouted.
Lina whipped her head around to see she had gone off-course and was hurtling toward the tree line. She leaned back, kicking up a wall of snow as she cut in the other direction. But now she had overcorrected and now found herself hurtling toward the forest on the opposite side of the slope.
“Bloody hells,” she cursed. Leaning in the opposite direction now, praying she wouldn’t fall, she cut a gentler angle, trying to regain control of her descent. A massive spruce loomed up in front of her, seeming to grow impossibly large as she flew toward it. Would she make it? Something struck her hard in the face, and for a split-second she was sure she had collided with the tree. Her face stung and the taste of blood filled her mouth, along with the bitter tang of evergreen. But after a second she realized the wind still blew in her face, and she realized she was still moving. A low-hanging branch had swatted her, that was all. She found herself about ten meters behind Val and Carlos, but that was better than being wrapped around a tree.
“Nice recovery!” Carlos called over his shoulder. “Don’t do that again.”
Lina gave him a thumbs-up as she regained the center of the slope. She was now several meters behind Val and Carlos, but she was still on her feet and moving. Her knees burned, her ankles shrieked, and her back felt as though it would seize up at any moment.
If I get out of this I’m never snowboarding again. Or at least stick to the bunny slopes.
More shots rang out. One struck Carlos in the head and Lina screamed her friend’s name as she flew through a curtain of red mist. She didn’t know from which direction the bullets had come and she didn’t dare look around for fear she’d lose control again. Oh Gods! Carlos!
“Lina, what is that?” Val cried, pointing down the slope.
Something like a giant spider web stretched out across the slope just ahead of them. A net! There was no time to slow down or change direction. In an instant they were entangled in a fine mesh, tumbling down the hill in a big ball. Contrary to what many believed, snow did not always provide a soft landing surface, especially on a ski slope. Lina felt as if she were being struck by a hundred sledgehammers as she thudded along, slowly losing steam. She felt her ankle snap, the snowboard coming loose a moment too late. Somewhere in the blur of moving objects that filled her field of vision, Val cursed and cried out in pain.
Finally, blessedly, they skidded to a halt. Lina lay there, gasping for breath, her body feeling like one big bruise.
“Can you move?” she rasped.
“I don’t know,” Val wheezed. “I think my arm’s out of socket.”
“I don’t suppose you brought a knife with you?” Lina asked ruefully. “I don’t think we’ll be chewing our way out of this net any time soon.”
“No need. We’ll get you out.” The voice was familiar.
Lina looked up to see Marion looking down at her.
“You’re all right,” Val said. Her tone indicated she wasn’t quite sure if she was happy about that.
“I was never in any danger.” Marion bared her teeth in an icy smile. Behind her, several gray-clad men bearing rifles came marching up. As they formed a ring behind the security guard, Lina suddenly understood.
“You’re in on it!”
“Always quick on the uptake, Highness. You really shouldn’t change guards so frequently. It increases the odds you’ll end up with the wrong sort.”
A thousand thoughts whirled through Lina’s mind; the most prominent was utter disbelief at discovering Marion was a traitor! She wanted to rage, to scream, to tear through this net and rip the woman apart, but all she could manage was an icy declaration. “You killed Carlos.”
“He could never have been turned,” Marion said in a bored voice. “He was too loyal to you.” She raised her voice, addressing the men behind her. “There’s no time to hide Carlos’ body. We’ll have to leave it where it lies. Untangle the princesses and get them to the transport. We’ve got two hours before they are missed at the bottom of the mountain. I want to be well away by then.”
“What are you going to do with us?” Val asked.
Again, Marion smiled. “Hopefully nothing, Highness. But we’ll see.”
Chapter 20
Camp Maddux
Hyperion
The Island was located deep in the marsh, a long way from Camp Maddux. Beneath the setting sun, its white sand beaches shone with golden light. It was small and covered with palm trees that waved gently in the breeze. As they drew closer, a wash of the transport’s rotors stirred up choppy waves in the brackish water below.
“This recruit doesn’t see landing pad, sir,” Rory said.
“There isn’t one,” Sergeant Lester, who was piloting the craft, said over his shoulder. “I’ll drop you close to shore and you all will have to swim the rest of the way.” Rory thought the man was kidding, but true to his word, the sergeant slowed the craft about twenty meters from shore. “This is where you get off.”
“You’re kidding,” Jones said, staring down at the dark water, its surface roiling under the wash of the transport’s vertical thrusters.
“If you want what’s waiting for you on the Island, you’ll swim,” Lester grinned.
“What do you mean?” asked Monk, a thin, dark-skinned girl.
“Only one way to find out. Now get your narrow asses out of my bird.” Lester flipped a switch, opening the hell hole, the hatch through which marines jumped or rappelled when exiting the transport.
A blast of hot air hit Rory full in the face, ruffling what little of his hair had grown back. He looked down at the water and winced. They likely weren’t more than ten meters above the surface but it seemed so much farther.
“You first, squad leader Plowboy.” Cassidy put a hand on the small of his back and, before he could react, gave him a shove.
Rory let out a cry that he didn’t quite manage to turn into a curse before he plunged feet-first into the water. It was warm, but after the heat inside the transport, it felt pleasant. His feet struck the muddy bottom and he pushed off and began to swim.
I hope the others don’t land on top of me, he thought, striking out hard for the shor
e.
Fortunately, his fellow recruits seem to have enough sense not to pile on top of one another. One at a time, a few seconds apart, body after body plunged into the water. By the time the last person jumped, Rory was wading through knee-deep water, the soft mud sucking at his boots.
He clambered up onto the sand and fell onto his back, arms and legs splayed out. He lay there, breathing hard, soaking up the last rays of the afternoon sun. For the first time since arriving at Camp Maddux, he felt free.
“None of that,” a voice said. He opened his eyes to see Jemma smiling down at him. “We’re going to do a little exploring. Find whatever surprises are lying in wait for us.” She offered her hand and he allowed her to haul him to his feet.
When he stood, he thought about continuing to hold onto Jemma’s hand, but he saw Cassidy staring at him and let go.
“All right,” he said. “Let’s check this place out.”
It didn’t take long to get the lay of the land. A white sand beach ringed the small island. A thick palm grove grew in the middle, rising up a gentle slope that led to a primitive hut at the island’s center. Hammocks, enough for the entire squad, were strung from posts supporting the thatched roof.
“It’s like something out of a vid,” Jones marveled. “I’m going to lie in one of these and pretend I’m in the tropics.”
“There is no way one of these will hold up your big ass,” Cassidy said, poking her finger through the holes in a nearby hammock.
“I don’t care. I’ll sleep out on the beach. That sand looks softer than my rack.”
“Your head is softer than your rack,” added Phillips, the only other farm boy in Rory’s squad.
“Oh my gods!” Cassidy hurried over to a stainless steel box. “It’s a cooler!” She looked at the others, eyes wide with excitement. “What you think is inside?”
“Your brain?” Rory said.
“Your heart?” Jones added.
Cassidy ignored them. Slowly, grinning excitedly, she opened the cooler. “No way.”