“That will save one. There are two Coros in there now,” Saskia said. Sky was surprised by her adamancy, but eager to take action.
“Carr,” she blurted out. The others looked at her and Sky jumped from her seat, motioning them to follow her down the stairs while she explained. “Carr is the Guard who saw Diana and Deivon go through a portal to Elysia. That was right before Diana was transported onto Oriana.”
“Hold on. They can send armies through space now?” Sikorsky exclaimed.
“See how it feels when your world is threatened with Elysian invasion,” Saskia smirked. Sky hadn’t realized that Saskia still thought of Terrana as her world.
“Carr said these Elysian portals had been opening all around him ever since Amanda killed his partner,” Sky continued. When she reached the bay, she went under the stairs and opened the cargo box with the Hanyu ore.
“You think he can teleport us in?” Saskia asked.
“No,” Sky said.
“Not following,” Saskia said.
“I found Lieutenant David Carr,” Chase said, trotting down the stairs. Sky felt her wrist vibrate as Chase transferred the information to the group. “He was shot by one Damien Coro and is receiving treatment in the Marble’s secure clinic. Stunner blast point blank to the chest.”
“They didn’t take him to the hospital?” Sikorsky asked. “Either he’s dead and they don’t want to announce it, or he’s not hurt at all.”
“Let’s think positive. For his husband’s sake,” Chase said.
“Husband?” Sky asked.
“Andrew Carr,” Chase read. “Works at Tamrin Lab.”
“The gravity research lab?” Sky asked. The pieces of Amanda’s ramblings were falling into place. “That makes sense. Galen’s attempts to help David Carr turned into larger windows than he intended because of the added exposure to grav-sources, and now Carr thinks he’s being stalked because little threads of spirit energy are growing to windows around him.”
“This sounds like information, not a plan,” Saskia said. “Can you turn it into a plan before Tray gets here?”
“Chase, see if Santos will meet me at Tamrin. I’m going to talk to the husband,” Sky said, leaning on the rear hatch, desperate to run. She punched the wall in frustration. “I brought grav-tech here.”
“From where?” Chase asked. “Hanyu ore is indigenous to Terrana.”
“But everyone here was too busy surviving to figure out how to make use of it,” Sky said. “I was trading Hanyu jewelry on Aquia fifty years ago.”
“I remember. I bought several pieces,” Sikorsky mused, hanging back by the stairs. “It was only after I had them that I learned I could teleport.”
Sky winced.
“The rest of you stay here until I get Tray back,” Saskia said. “Chase, you’re on Amanda watch.”
“Where is she?” Chase asked, scanning the bay.
“Throwing up poison cake, probably,” Sky said, glaring at Sikorsky. “Amanda, are you okay?” she vrang.
She exchanged a look with Saskia, her heart sinking when the silence persisted.
“Amanda?”
24
Saskia’s first thought was that Amanda had teleported to Janiya. They were on Terrana, surrounded by supernatural energy, and they had a whole shipment of Hanyu stone that had apparently ripped Sikorsky from his own finger to bring him here.
“Nolwazi, get a track on Amanda’s Virp,” Saskia ordered.
“Amanda is not onboard,” Nolwazi replied.
“You shouldn’t have told her about the carrots in the cake,” Sky said to Sikorsky.
“Amanda, answer me,” Saskia tried again.
“Sorry. I’m in the middle of something,” Amanda finally replied, breaking the tension. “On my way back now.”
“Back from where?” Saskia asked. The bay door started to open and Saskia swore. “Did you teleport?”
“I thought it would be safer to drive the Coros back here,” Amanda replied.
“You stole a truck?” Saskia realized, both delighted and horrified at the twist.
“This is perfect. Say we have a delivery for Parker and we can drive right up to the Marble, no breach plan needed,” Sky said. “We’ll get Janiya and Damien and get out.”
“After we stop Parker,” Sikorsky said.
“Are you trying to kill us all?” Chase argued. “Give up on the coup.”
“No, in this case, stopping Parker is vital,” Sky said. “He’s collapsing dimensions on each other that aren’t meant to interact. At least, that’s what the math disaster suggests.”
“So Elysian hybrids will show up here. So what?” Chase shrugged.
“Or we show up in their dimension,” Saskia said. “These domes keeping our air in wouldn’t be in their dimension.”
“And the Hanyu ore veins that makes Terrana so dense might collapse into a more mundane substance,” Sky said.
“The moon could collapse?” Chase exclaimed.
Saskia cringed. Every bad thing she’d imagined about an Elysian invasion, Sky’s theories made worse.
“Or it could fall out of orbit or collide with Caldori,” Sky said. “We have no idea what Aquia is like in the Elysian dimension. There wasn’t a lot of terraforming that made it human ready, but there was some.”
“You talk like Elysians aren’t human,” Chase said.
A cargo truck with an enclosed rear cabin rolled into the bay. Amanda lowered the window as she pulled next to Sky. “Let’s go!”
With an eager smile, Sky climbed into the passenger side.
“This port is dead,” Sikorsky said, peering out. “You think no one will notice you stealing a truck.”
“I’m very sneaky,” Amanda snickered.
“And mentally unstable,” Sikorsky said. “Get off the truck.”
“Sky and I are going,” Saskia added. “You’re going to stay here with the Hanyu stone and if you feel an opportunity, help Janiya teleport out.”
“Why does Sky get to go?” Amanda pouted.
“Information gathering,” Saskia replied. “Sikorsky saw Janiya in the Marble.”
“Yes, I was there for that conversation. He said she was only using Moonspeak. I can talk to her,” Amanda pointed out. She spoke like she was lucid, but Saskia could see her struggle in the way her fingers twitched.
“I had no trouble speaking to Janiya,” Sikorsky said, sliding into the rear cargo area of the truck. “You’re a liability out there. You can help here.”
“You can help here and you’re going,” Amanda argued. “Jo and I did this all the time when we were kids.”
“I will bet money Johann begged you not to steal trucks,” Saskia said. “Out. We’re not going to the Marble yet.”
“You think they’re going to let us do multiple back and forths with a stolen truck?” Amanda protested. “They’re not transferring Janiya to the 5. They’re going to kill her in the Marble. All weapons at ready now. I’m going with you.”
Saskia opened her mouth and closed it again. Amanda was right. She couldn’t wait for Tray and Hawk to get back safely. She had to trust they’d get back on their own. “All weapons at ready,” she agreed. “You ride in the back. You’re still a wanted fugitive. Sky, you too. In the back.”
“My face goes a long way here. I can get us through the gate,” Sky said. “Parker and I were… friends once.”
The 3 was Hawk’s favorite of the Terranan domes so far, because it had the most machines in it, and he could tell for sure that his spirit eyes were growing back. The energy started from the continuous spread of luminators on the ceiling. The air was humid and thick with the smell of plant life and fertilizer. There were all sorts of bugs in this dome—beetles, spiders, and bees—and he loved the birds. Benedict said they were barn swallows, and that they kept the insect population in check. The beetles kept the weeds in check, and the bees pollinated the flowers. No one had to hand-pollinate the blooms, like they did in Rocan, but if they needed to, they had a machin
e for that.
Hawk laughed at the feel of the ribbed grip on the tractor gears against his palm. If he pulled the lever, the harvester turbines would raise and lower. His healing eyes gave him fuzzy images of the mechanical connections, and Benedict’s brother Alden filled in the gaps, explaining how every little gear and pulley came together to make one smooth motion. The motion was one hundred percent mechanical, but the rest of the harvesting device involved scanners, computers, and thousands of microfilaments that could locate, isolate, and extract ripe berries without disturbing the ones still growing. It could do in an hour what would take ten laborers a week.
“The machines in Rocan run on ethanol. We can grow as much fuel as we need. I can show you how to alter the engines here so you won’t be reliant on Quin,” Hawk offered.
“Why don’t you just build new engines and trade them for what your people need?” Benedict asked.
“We don’t have the resources for that,” Hawk said sadly. “Rocan hasn’t had a new engine since the domes closed. When we leave here, we’re going back to Rocan. We’re bringing engines from Quin.”
Hawk’s chin quivered. His people had sentenced him to death for believing he’d sequestered Sky and the other women on Oriana. He hoped their departure convinced his people of the truth, but then he’d also hoarded resources to build his glider. He wasn’t sure a few engines could buy his life, but he had to do what he could for his people.
“Is your alcohol just for fuel, or do you have fun, too?” Benedict asked. He balanced on a step next to Hawk’s seat, finishing up his third beer. His priorities on this excursion were fun and fondling, and after breakfast, they added fornication to the list. They both knew this was a one-day fling.
“We have more liquors than you can name,” Hawk smiled. “We’re like your people. We don’t use money.”
“Yes, but we didn’t mean to get rid of money,” Benedict said. “It’s just that in the last ten years, it’s been getting harder and harder to convince people that Terranan marks have any value. There’s still currency floating around for things you can’t barter.”
“Does the currency literally float in this gravity?” Hawk asked.
Benedict pulled a coin from his pocket and flicked it in the air. It fell into Hawk’s lap and Benedict’s hand followed.
“I want to tear your clothes off,” Benedict whispered in Hawk’s ear.
“Here?” Hawk asked, tilting his face closer to Benedict’s, excited by the combination of the machinery and the man.
Benedict straddled Hawk’s lap, and the tractor seat tilted. Hawk looped his arm behind Benedict’s back, keeping him steady, and grabbed hold of the beer before it spilled onto the machine. Benedict was a lightweight, but Hawk didn’t mind. He drained the mug, then tried to get them both comfortable on the chair.
“It wouldn’t be the least comfortable spot I’ve ever done it,” Benedict shrugged, wriggling his hips.
“Alden’s going to come back,” Hawk said, sliding off the seat, scanning for a more private alternative.
“Let’s get out of the garage, then,” Benedict snickered, kicking the ignition. The tractor engine purred softly as it came to life. It was so much quieter than the machines in Rocan.
“Won’t we get in trouble?” Hawk asked.
“Nah!” Benedict said drunkenly. Throwing the tractor into low gear, they took off. The gravity engaged and the tractor lifted off the ground, gliding over the floor.
Alden chased after them, shouting angrily at his little brother. Alden was taller than Benedict, with less hair on his head, and more freckles on his face. The freckles looked dark against his ever-reddening skin.
“Benedict, stop! We can’t steal a resource like this!” Hawk laughed, clamping his hands over Benedict’s.
“You’re not in Rocan anymore, honey!” Benedict crowed, turning the tractor to the half-open garage door. Alden caught up and leapt onto the back of the machine, making it shake as he climbed.
Hawk could have stopped the machine with his hybrid ability, but he didn’t want to throw Alden off balance. They weren’t in any danger.
“Out of the way!” Alden growled, diving over them both, and taking the controls. The tractor idled, and then Alden turned it off.
“Off! Both of you!” he fumed.
“I’m sorry. I tried to stop him,” Hawk said. He touched the controls, but Alden swatted him off.
“Sure, dump this on me,” Benedict complained, punching Hawk in the arm, and then tumbling off the tractor. Hawk hopped down next to him, and Benedict wrapped his arms around Hawk’s waist and apologized with sloppy kisses.
“Alden, if you’re not going to let us ride into the fields, then clear out, because we’re about to get naked,” Benedict warned, sliding a hand into Hawk’s pants.
“Behave,” Alden hissed. “Guard.”
Benedict sobered up in a heartbeat, jumped away from Hawk and adjusted his clothes.
“I’ll distract him. You two get out. Not by tractor,” Alden said. Benedict didn’t question the order. The brothers nodded to each other and Benedict took Hawk’s hand, pulling him toward the back where the tractors were more densely parked.
“Are we not allowed to be in here?” Hawk whispered, worried his tour had gotten Benedict in trouble. Colonel Rhodes strode in alone, hands clasped in front. Benedict swore and checked something on his Virp. By his steadiness, he’d either been faking being drunk earlier, or his fear of Rhodes was stronger than the three beers he’d imbibed.
“Why are you hiding?” Hawk asked. “You already told him everything you know and he accepted it, right?”
Peering over the tractor, he saw Alden busily gathering tools, his back to Rhodes. Rhodes stood behind him, waiting to be noticed, but Alden didn’t turn until Rhodes tapped his shoulder.
“I told you he’s worse than Solvere. That man put our parents in the 5. He did it, and he won’t tell us why. He looks right through me; he destroyed my family and he doesn’t even know who I am,” Benedict said, tugging Hawk’s arm again, pointing him toward a window.
“If he’s looking for me, your brother should not be caught in the middle,” Hawk said, kissing Benedict’s hand to reassure him. Hawk climbed on top of the tractor, looking for a way to casually be there without getting Alden in trouble. Fortunately Benedict sprung up a moment later and filled in the story, letting out a fake chuckle as he zipped his pants. Hawk added his own laugh, putting his attention on Benedict and pretending not to notice Rhodes.
“So he is here,” Rhodes said, giving Alden a pointed glower.
“I thought you’d left,” Alden said, motioning Benedict and Hawk behind him. His tone and posture were confrontational, and the way he positioned himself, Hawk knew he was worried.
“Sorry, Alden, we got distracted,” Hawk laughed, looking bashfully at Benedict. “Hello, Colonel. Are we interrupting?”
“Not at all. I was looking for you, Hawk,” Rhodes smirked. “Please, come with me.”
“Why?” Hawk asked. “Is there news about Tray? Is it bad?”
“No, justice has been served for Mr. Matthews. General Solvere will not hurt anyone again,” Rhodes gloated. “But your ship has been implicated in an incident and we have some questions about your passengers.”
“His name is Coro. And he won’t eat beans,” Hawk said.
“And Sky,” Benedict blurted out, sending Rhodes the picture. “They had a new one named Sky.”
“But she’s not a passenger,” Hawk said.
“And the brown-haired woman you saw? Who was she?” Rhodes prompted.
Benedict looked the Hawk for help, but Hawk didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t recall if he’d ever been told an alias for Amanda, but he knew better than to say her name.
“Would you prefer to answer my questions at the Marble?” Rhodes challenged.
“Oh, Zive. Just tell him who she is,” Benedict whispered, stepping on Hawk’s foot. His face paled and he looked at Alden as if they would never see
each other again. Alden backed toward his tool shelf, but Hawk didn’t want him to get in trouble by starting a fight. He knew the brothers had a younger sister to protect.
“I prefer to answer questions on the tractor. Have you ridden one?” Hawk asked, climbing up the tractor behind him. He’d meant it as a sign of innocence, but Rhodes saw a threat and raised his stunner.
“Step away from the vehicle,” Rhodes ordered.
Hawk climbed down slowly, hands raised, and placed himself between Rhodes and Benedict. “There’s food in the garden. I can answer questions there.”
“Marble, Hawk,” Rhodes said, motioning to the door. “You stepped off your ship. You’re in my jurisdiction now.”
“You said he wasn’t dangerous, Colonel,” Benedict said, backing away. “Am I in danger?”
“That’s up to you, citizen,” Rhodes sneered.
“I’m cooperating,” Benedict said, his voice quaking with fear.
Hawk could see the flow of purple energy through the device when Rhodes raised it, and he jammed the trigger with his spirit fingers. The spirit energy was strong here, though, and several machines in the room responded. Rhodes’ stunner gave him a shock, and Hawk felt a buzz on his hand as his own Virp shorted out.
“What!” Rhodes cried, ripping his fried stunner from the finger mount and drawing a replacement from his boot. Hawk hesitated, not wanting to ruin the farm equipment by manipulating spirit energy again. Rhodes was on edge, and Hawk needed him calm.
“I’ll go with you, but Benedict stays here,” Hawk said.
“Your terms are not accepted,” Rhodes said.
“Then he stays with me,” Hawk said, taking Benedict’s elbow and walking to the door.
25
Sky rubbed her chest, feeling the tingles ease as they left the ship. Ever since Amanda had pulled Sikorsky onto Oriana, Spirit hadn’t settled. The stolen truck glided smoothly through the port, and Saskia kept her eyes forward.
“I thought you were Santos’ former mistress,” Saskia said. “Now it’s you and Parker?”
The Confluence: A Space Opera Adventure Series (The New Dawn Book 6) Page 18