by Corin Cain
Kitos cocks his head. “You’re forgetting something, Daccia. Our eyes. I can still see the diamond in yours.” He turns to the other gunnery station. “Hadrian, yours are as brown as a mare – and I know mine are as green as fucking grass.”
My battle-brother snorts bitterly.
“Dantus might be a novice, but he’s not stupid.”
I nod. “You’re right – but I have a solution for that. Goggles.”
The eyebrows of my battle-brothers lift.
“We tell Dantus and his triad that when Allie disabled our Orb-Drive, she also ruptured the coolant circuits – and we all got hit with poisonous gas. Our eyes are burning up. It makes sense – she did fuck up some of our other systems, like our food replicator.”
Speaking of which…
“Hope you guys are happy with rations, because that’s all we’re going to eat until we steal another ship.”
“Just like old times,” grins Hadrian. It’s hard not to get nostalgic for the simplicity of our hundred years of service. Back when you didn’t expect to survive the rest of the day, you didn’t have time for tough, philosophical questions.
A wave of tortured shame suddenly transmits through the Bond from Kitos. He slams his hand down against the console.
“Fucking hell. How far have we fallen, Daccia? Stealing a ship from our own people?”
“What do you suggest?” I counter. “Where else are we going to get a fully functioning Reaver before we’re found out? We’ve lost our honor, Kitos. It’s hard to hear it, I know, but it’s already gone – and it’s not coming back. We’ve only one thing left…”
“…her.”
Hadrian finishes my sentence with his low rumble.
Kitos looks down, cowed. “Where is Allie now?”
“Sleeping. Restoring her weapons was… painful.”
I take a deep breath.
“There’s more. I’ve found the key to binding her to us – willingly. Allie has a little sister who was taken from her.” I look up. “AI – bring up everything we have on Allie’s family.”
The AI scans the Aurelian Law Enforcement database. It takes time – there are billions of active and cold cases on file.
Finally, the computer projects a single, fuzzy picture – probably extracted by a security camera. It showcases a younger-looking Allie – along with a smaller woman who appears slightly younger still.
The AI labels her as: “Lilac.”
A name. I have a name. That’s a start.
“I took a recent DNA sample today,” I tell my triad. “Our records found an initial sample with some discrepancies. Her sister shares Allie’s DNA – same mother, same father – but whoever they were, they aren’t in the system. It was just luck Allie got scanned once, when she had a medical procedure at the age of three.”
This is hardly abnormal. There are billions of humans within the dominion of Aurelian Empire-protected worlds, and generally only an arrest or some interaction with Empire administrative centers would result in a DNA sample being taken.
In Allie’s case, it was the latter.
“One of Queen Jasmine’s roaming medical centers,” I explain – referencing the free healthcare centers the human Queen had established, to provide badly-needed medical treatment to worlds where it was difficult to get access to. “I guess Queen Jasmine is doing some things right.”
Kitos stands up from his gunnery post, getting a closer look at the picture.
“So, what’s the story?”
I explain in detail what happened to Allie’s sister. Now we all understand the pain she’s been living with for the past three years.
Kitos’ eyes widen.
“I feel for her – but there’s no bloody way we’ll find her sister!”
“That’s not the attitude to have,” I warn him. “She was taken in this sector – we know that much. If anyone knows where she went, they might be on Salcus. It’s outside of direct Aurelian protection, and a haven for the likes of those space-pirates. When we land – before Dantus and his triad rendezvous with us – we’ll have a full day to conduct an investigation.”
My battle-brothers nod.
“Listen,” I tell them. “We have to do as much as we can before that triad arrives with the prisoners. Even if we don’t find Allie’s sister – or even any fucking trace of her – we still need to show Allie we give a shit about what happens to her. Understood?”
I realize I’m yelling. My voice echoes in the closed cockpit. Kitos looks down, cowed. I feel his shame at doubting our purpose.
“If there are no other objections, let’s focus. We have a plan to execute. We’re going to fucking execute it.”
We’ve lost everything.
Our careers. Our honor. Our position in the Empire.
And what we’ve gained is slipping through our fingers like sand. If we don’t make a move, Allie is going to abandon us at the first chance she gets – and make her way out into the universe, where we might never find her again.
She’s being doing very bloody well on her own so far. We need to demonstrate to her that we can make things better.
In less than twenty hours, we’ll be touching down on a hostile planet with just one shot at escaping with a fully functioning Reaver. Before that, we’ll have only a short day to start gathering leads to see where we can go next to find any clues about the fate of Allie’s sister.
16
Hadrian
Salcus. A nothing planet in a nothing sector.
As our Reaver approaches orbit, I look through the viewport with scorn.
Salcus is like a dark boil beneath us. Without the Aurelian Empire in control of it, there are few laws – especially not any environmental regulations. It’s a tale as old as humanity. A small, relatively poor planet leads to a desperate people trying to eke every last drop of wealth out of it As such, the profit of factories and industries takes precedence over the quality of air and the control of pollutants.
All planets beyond the Empire seem this way – dirty, and desperate.
There are posh apartments down there – owned by the wealthy elite of this backwards world. They rest high above ground, with air filters and holo-screens instead of window views. For the rest of the population of Salcus – well, they’d draw blood from a stone if it meant food on the table.
Pollution, smog, and rampant worker abuse fills this world.
On this hellish planet, we’ll have barely a full day to search for clues as to the fate of Allie’s little sister, Lilac. The way the men of humanity abuse young women on the outskirts of the Empire makes me sick. I’ll take the balls from whoever hurt Allie’s sister – if we ever find them.
That’s the problem. I’m no fool – I know the odds of finding Lilac alive are slim to none. This will soon become a mission of revenge, pure and simple. I feel like I know Allie – even though I’ve barely spent time with her. Her aura is muted from sleep right now, but at all other times she’s broadcast the aura of a woman out for justice. A woman who’ll fight for what’s right.
She’s already decided that the laws of the Empire are sometimes incompatible with true justice – and that’s a lesson we ourselves are now learning.
If nothing else, I hope Allie will appreciate us bringing the perpetrators of the kidnapping to justice. And, by justice, I mean her.
Yes – I believe Allie herself might want to be the one that wields the executioner’s axe, if we find anybody who deserves it.
During the flight to Salcus, my battle-brothers and I have been studying the different pirate factors in this sector, trying to find anything that could match the profile of the space-pirates who attacked Allie’s mining ship.
In fact, none of us have even slept in two days – but we’re still sharp. Part of that are the combat drugs we’re all taking to keep us alert and steady.
“Look!” Kitos’ voice disrupts my thoughts. He’s pointing frantically towards the holo-screen he’d been studying.
Daccia turns to look
. “What is it?”
Kitos grins. He loves to do research – and he’s always the one who finds the key to whatever puzzles hinder our investigations.
“There,” he points proudly. “An unnamed pirate group. They fit the modus of operation for that raid. Same scam as the one Allie fell victim to. They hit a small, independent mining corporation or transport ship. Then, they make exorbitant ransom demands – asking for ridiculous sums, leading the loved ones of their victims to commit desperate crimes to try and secure the needed sums. In the rare cases that their exorbitant ransoms are actually paid, the space-pirates never actually return the prisoners.”
Yes, that definitely sounds like them.
“Nothing much is known about them,” Kitos admits, “but at least we have a record in the database.”
“Bring it up,” I grunt, and the AI focuses on the record – which is a rumor, more than anything.
“You see?” Kitos points at the screen. “Apparently they do have a contact on Salcus. It looks like a private club called The Rhino. That might be linked to them somehow. It’s a thin, thin lead, I know, but…”
Kitos trails off, turning his head toward the door. I follow his line of site.
I didn’t even feel Allie coming.
But suddenly, she’s here – even though her aura gave me no notice of her approach.
That’s bizarre. I always know where my battle brothers are – or, at least, their general location.
Allie’s aura suddenly brightens in my mind. I can feel her in this room with me. Suddenly, it’s all back to normal.
Allie points at Kitos’ screen.
“So, my little sister might be there?”
“Wait a second,” I answer, not wanting to get Allie’s hopes up – especially since they’re likely to be dashed. “This is a lead – and a thin one at that.”
I look at the expression on her face.
“We’re trying, Allie – but this is nothing more than a lead right now.” I feel her focus and determination through the Bond. “Allie - don’t get any ideas. You not going to The Rhino alone. If they do have any involvement with those space-pirates, a beautiful young thing like you is going to be snatched up and sold instantly.”
Her determination is unwavering. I know she won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
“Allie, if you go, you go with us. All four of us – together.”
Allie’s lips harden into a thin line. “I can take care of myself.”
Yesterday, I’d sensed softness from her. Vulnerability. Now, that’s gone. All I sense is a survivor in front of me. Someone who’d kill me, if I stood between her and her goals.
Allie raises her eyebrows at me. “Besides, if you three go, they’ll sniff you out in an instant. Back at Spur’s joint, I suspected you were Law Enforcement a mile away. Me going alone is a better plan.”
Anger flares up inside of me.
I respect Allie – in fact, I’d do anything for her…
…but for her to disrespect my craft? Not acceptable.
“Your former boss didn’t suspect anything,” I counter. “Be honest – you didn’t know anything for sure when we got there – and even if you did, we still got you locked away in a cell. We’ve done undercover work before, Allie – and we’ll do it again.”
I feel like I’ve been slapped when I get the realization that my words are false.
We won’t do undercover work again.
I’ve spent the last two hundred years serving Aurelian Law Enforcement. Now? Our career is over, even if nobody outside this room knows it yet. We talk about justice – but we’re about to become wanted fugitives; betrayers of the only form of justice I’d once believed existed in this universe.
Daccia is wordless. He’s sitting at the helm, concentrating on bringing us into orbit above Salcus. It’s easy enough piloting – but when you’re approaching an independent world in an Aurelian Reaver, entering orbit is the time a planet’s anti-ship defenses are most likely to ‘accidentally’ open fire, or some other incident occurs to demonstrate how the Aurelian Empire isn’t welcome on that world.
Not everyone likes Aurelians. Especially not Aurelians who arrive in an Empire-Class Reaver, which can only mean you’re working for the Army, Law Enforcement…
…or you’ve gone Rogue.
“Well,” Allie counters, “what if I decide to go alone? Are you going to stop me? Are you going to keep me locked up in the hotel room?” Her eyes narrow. “Tell me plainly, Hadrian. Am I still a prisoner?”
She’s challenging me.
Half of me wants to put her over my lap and turn her bottom red for that insolent tone. The other half? It knows she’s right.
Allie is no prisoner – but there’s still no way in hell I’m letting her walk into The Rhino alone and unprotected. From what I’ve read in the files the AI brought up, The Rhino is the kind of place you go to buy sex…
…and, if you like it, you can buy the woman who provided it.
Tempers always run hot in places like The Rhino, too. They’re hotbeds of bar fights and stabbings. It gets even worse when when Aurelians come into the pictures. The kind of guy who frequents establishments like The Rhino generally have chips on their shoulders. They find themselves feeling emasculated around Aureliens – and sometimes, such men can’t resist trying to prove that they’re the big dog around such parts.
They invariably fail – and it’s an ugly process when they do.
In short? I wouldn’t let Allie go into that place alone.
“Yes,” I warn her. “I will stop you. I’ll personally hold you down before I let you go into The Rhino alone.” I can’t hold back: “Are you stupid? Do you want to follow the clues the right way? Or do you only intend to find out what happened to your little sister by sharing her fate?”
Allie’s anger is suddenly like boiling magma, scalding me through our Bond.
She also reacts physically – and I let her slap hit me hard across the cheek.
I’m actually impressed. Allie is very fast for a human. I’ve got reflexes honed by a century of combat, and two-hundred years of police training. I could have stopped her if I’d wanted, but…
The second slap, a backhand, hits my other cheek. That one I didn’t have time to think about stopping.
The third slap I stop an inch from my face, grabbing her wrist tightly.
“If you’re done beating me up, Allie – let’s talk strategy.” I turn to the leader of our triad. “Daccia, we’re going to the dining hall.”
“Go,” he nods. “I can handle descent and landing. AI shows no hostile forces – and if something comes out of nowhere, I sure as hell can out-pilot them.”
There isn’t a man, woman or Toad who could claim to be Daccia’s rival behind the thrusters of a Reaver.
Allie struggles against my hand, still wrapped around her wrist.
I keep hold of her for two long seconds – just long enough to make my point – and then I let go. I leave her rubbing her wrist and head to the dining room. Kitos follows. A moment later, I hear her footsteps behind us.
17
Allie
My heart is pounding against my chest – like it wants to burst out.
I’ve heard an Aurelian expression before: The deadliest poison is hope.
In all my years on the run, I’ve begged the Gods for a sign about the fate of my sister. I’d never found one.
It didn’t help that I was barely managing to survive on my own, let alone having the resources to look for a girl who’d gone missing three years prior. I thought it was hopeless – that sign I prayed for would be like a sign to something else if it ever actually arrived…
…and then it did.
Within days of being captured by these Aurelians, I suddenly have my first real lead. I’ve now got access to the Aurelian Law Enforcement’s famed database – or, at least, I do until my triad is cast out of the Aurelian Law Enforcement service; turned from trusted agents to wanted fugitives.
The
triad.
Not my triad, Allie. You can’t think that way! Staying with these Aurelians would just be another form of captivity.
In any event, my pulse is racing as I follow behind Kitos and Hadrian, eager to enter the dining room and learn their plan.
I’ve already learned one very important thing today. I can hide my aura. Not completely – but enough to avoid detection by my Bonded mates.
I’d spent hours practicing, while I lay half-awake, half-asleep, in that hazy state of being that only painkillers can bring on.
During that period of lucidness, I experimented with the Bond – delving deep into myself to touch my own aura. While there, in the very depths of my subconscious, I found something very important. I can mute my own aura – obscuring both my emotions and my location.
The test was in sneaking up on the triad in the cockpit. If they’d been able to sense me coming, there would have been no surprise in Hadrian’s face when he’d turned and seen me in the doorway. As it was, the surprise was clear and apparent – he’d had no clue. None of them had.
I’m sure of it. The Aurelians may be good at concealing their emotions on the outside, but through the Bond it was very clear to me.
That means that when I do finally get away from these Aurelians, I can stop them from coming after me. It means I don’t need to turn them over to Law Enforcement anymore. I won’t need to get them killed, or imprisoned. All I’ll have to do is just get out of their reach. Then, they won’t be able to track me down.
It’s a huge weight off my mind – alleviating the guilt that had been eating away at me for the last day.
Finally, the three of us enter the mess-hall. Hadrian motions for me to sit at the table with an idle gesture of his hand.
Part of me rankles at being bossed around by this huge, hulking warrior – but I’ve got no reason to disobey him. I’m already cursing myself for losing control of my emotions earlier. I’d let anger take control of me in the cockpit. I played my hand too quickly. I shouldn’t have told the Aurelians I was considering investigating The Rhino on my own.