by Nick Travers
Chapter 49
A spark has left the heavens; a sun has dropped from the sky.
Nina Swift is dead.
I could have saved her. I should have saved her. But I was too far away. I cannot believe the ease with which Borker just reached through the door, took aim, and planted a bullet between Nina’s eyes: extinguishing one of the brightest stars in a rather grey and deficient universe.
There is renewed vigor to the fighting, but I am numb to it. Our support ships must have arrived. Blindly, I follow Borker’s orders.
"Everyone get up to the Blimp. Fire randomly into the Reaver ship.”
Obediently, I climb the ladder into the blimp. I fire and reload, fire and reload; again and again. Shooting at random through the fabric of the Shonti’s blimp onto the deck of the Reaver ship below.
Eventually, Borker calls for a ceasefire. Our colleagues have re-taken the Shonti Bloom. The Reaver ship limps away with the remainder of its crew. It was madness to attack us in the first place—unless they were expecting their own back-up. Time we got out of here, but Borker has other plans.
I discover no more of my original crew in the new ships than were on the Shonti Bloom before the fight. Lieutenant Borker has truly outmaneuvered me. How could I have been so naive? How could I not see this coming?
Together, with the one remaining loyal crew member, I am forced to hand over my weapon again. Borker imprisons us in a spare cabin while he gets the ships underway.
Normally, my mind would be alive, curious for ways to escape. But not today.
Today, I failed. I failed my father: I am not returning with Nina Swift alive. I failed my badge: I did not “Serve and Protect.” I let Borker kill Nina Swift.
Numbness gives way to a deep seething anger. I want to rip Borker apart with my hands, I want to strangle that big flabby neck of his, I want to…
I sink lifelessly onto a bed—for the moment I can do nothing. But I will get my revenge for this humiliation, Lieutenant Borker, just you wait and see.
He said he was saving the world—avoiding a greater evil. What did she know that was so dangerous? What secrets could Nina possibly have that warranted her death? Something about Borker? Something about my father? Something else? I desperately need to talk to Nina’s crew, to find out what they know.
Out the cabin window, I see mountains, then a rocky citadel, blended so perfectly with the rocky peak of a mountain it is virtually invisible until we are right on top of it.
Black robed figures run to cunningly concealed artillery weapons as the Shonti Bloom approaches. We anchor to an airship tower that initially resembles a weathered stack of rock. The other ships follow suit and a runner, presumably sent by Borker, descends the spiral steps of the tower to announce our arrival. The occupants of the citadel must consider Borker friendly, because the artillery crews stand down.
It is a strange procession that winds its way down the spiral staircase of the airship tower: four constables carry a large ornately decorated chest. Two more follow, carrying the corpse of Nina Swift on a stretcher, decently covered with a white sheet; a stray strand of auburn hair escapes the confines of the sheet to dance in the wind. My heart catches in my throat and I stumble on the stone steps. I have to reach out to the wall for support.
A short, but violent, scuffle breaks out as Nina’s crew realizes their captain is dead. Fernando and Izzy are forcibly restrained then urged down the steps at gunpoint—if only I could talk to them on my own. Scud throws back his head and howls, like a dog in pain. The constables leave him where he is: I think they are scared of his strange behavior. But he follows the procession anyway, like a dog that has lost its master and doesn’t know what else to do.
Finally, Trent, my one crew, and I, bring up the rear, guarded by the last of the constables. We leave the ships totally abandoned—wherever we are, Borker must be pretty sure of himself and his reception.
At the bottom of the steps, our procession is shepherded onto a vast empty cavern, open to the sky along one side, and big enough in which to dock thirty airships.
From the open side of the cavern, we are rewarded with vast, uninterrupted views, right down the valley and out into the wilderness of the desert. I bet, with a powerful enough telescope, you could see the crash site Nina was investigating. Her mother’s wrecked airship, Trent informed us on his arrest. The sunlight, shinning into the cavern, makes the rock walls glow a warm peach color.
“Wait here,” we are instructed by a black robed guard, “I will fetch her.” The guard heads towards a large stone building at the back of the cave. In fact, the entire rear wall of the cave is carved into a town. Stone buildings are stacked one terrace upon another from the floor to the ceiling. Walkways and steep stair-wells link all the houses to each other.
If our procession is strange, it is easily outshone by the one progressing towards us from the town. The lead figure is tall, thin, and proud, dressed in a pure white, flying suit, inlaid with intricate silver designs of plants and animals. The high neck of the suit is encrusted with silver leaves, which appear to cascade down over the rest of the body.
The figure’s face is covered with a gold mask of the goddess Gaia, held in place by a golden rod supported by the figure’s left hand. Greying blond hair cascades over the figure’s shoulders and spreads over a train of white material. This is supported by a dozen black-robed women, their faces covered, ninja-style. Each of the women is armed to the teeth: pistols, compression rifles, knives, fighting—stars, and the odd crossbow. I guess they are all prepared to sell their lives dearly for their mistress.
“The high priestess, Gaia,” announces the original guard.
On her right thigh, I notice the priestess is sporting a white pistol in a white holster. Perhaps she is not so in need of protection as I first imagined.
Through the eyes of the Gaia mask, I see piercing blue pupils appraising us. They come to rest on the stretcher. “Is this her?”
"Yes, ma’am.” Borker replies impassively.
"I thought I told you her fate would be your fate?"
"It was necessary, ma’am. She knew all there was to know about us—about you. She knew too much and was in danger of being captured by Reavers. I had no choice but to remove her as a risk."
Liar. Borker wanted Nina dead from the moment we left New Frisco. Suddenly, I remember the note I found in Borker’s cabin. How could I have thought the threat was from my father? It was from this woman, to whom Borker shows such deference.
Gaia waves to an acolyte. “Let me see.” The girl immediately jumps forward and turns back the white cloth to reveal Nina’s pale face, fringed by wild auburn hair. Her features relaxed and perfect in eternal sleep, except for the gaping hole in her forehead. “Such a waste.”
Gaia’s voice sounds vaguely familiar, but there is no reason why I should recognize it, to my knowledge I have never met this woman before.
"And you bought me another," the Priestess continues. Borker steps towards the box that contains the White Woman and raises the lid.
I have heard of her, of course. Every law enforcement agency in the world has been on the lookout. However, I am shocked when Borker reveals a girl identical to Nina, except for the blond hair. She is dressed only in underwear, with tubes protruding violently from her nose and mouth.
The Priestess steps forward to examine the corpse. “So this is the Engineer’s great experiment? For whom so many of our people have died?"
"Yes, ma’am,” Borker replies. “This is the White Woman, liberated by your Daughters at such cost, and on whom Microtough have based all their hopes."
There is a scuffle from behind me. “Leave Leanne alone.” It is Scud, still the faithful hound protecting it late mistress.
Gaia barks a laugh. “You have named her, Leanne? I like that. They are both clones you know. Engineer Smyth added genes for Nina’s auburn hair so he could tell them apart.” The Priestess leans in to get a better look at Leanne. “I think maybe, Borker, I may let you
live after all."
"As you wish, ma’am," Borker replies stiffly, “whatever the cause demands.”
“And you are so fanatically devoted to the cause, my knight in shining armor.”
The Priestess reaches out her free hand towards Leanne. “You know you have been duped, don’t you Borker.”
“Ma’am?”
Gaia reaches forward and casually rips the tubes from Leanne’s mouth and nose.
The White Woman’s eyes fly open, piercingly blue. She coughs, splutters, and gags, then sits up, clutching her head. She stares all around as if surfacing from a deep dream.
The Priestess laughs heartily and lowers her mask. “Nina Swift, I presume.”
The White Woman fixes her gaze on the Priestess. “Mother.”