Once they were safely on the ground again, Rei quietly started the process to replenish the Essence she had pulled away, using the natural Essence around them to do it. The framework for the spell was still in place, it just needed power. Thankfully, it replenished quickly. She normally wouldn’t waste time like this, but she just wanted it them to think the spell had been influenced by something inside the community. Once it reached a level she felt comfortable with, Rei gestured to Chia to start moving toward the slow trickle of people going into the main city.
Rei saw the image of herself wave from the end of the line that was still waiting to get into the community. Security took off in pursuit, leaving mass confusion in their wake.
“I told you it didn’t malfunction,” Chia hissed.
Rei shook her head and pulled her along, eager to get out of the area before their luck ran out.
~*~
When they arrived back at the Kathya, Rei led them to a side hatch to avoid anyone who might still be busy in the cargo bay. She rested against the closed door to gather her wits. Chia turned toward her, concern in her eyes.
“Don’t say anything,” Rei ordered. “I don’t want this known by anyone else—not until I decide that I want everyone to know.”
“But...” Chia trailed off. “Fine. Whatever you want, Captain.”
“Thanks.” Rei clapped her on the shoulder and walked past.
She was just about to one of the stairwells when Chia’s voice rang out behind her. “Rei... that formula. You don’t think it could have been behind...” The engineer hesitated as she turned to look at her. “Behind what happened to you?”
Rei’s shoulders slumped. “Who knows. Anything is possible.” Somehow she knew they both believed that it was.
~*~
“I thought I might find you here.” Yeke’s voice startled her out of the ocean of thought she had been drifting through and she quickly rubbed her eyes. She heard him shuffle across the metal hull of the Kathya to sit beside her, feet outstretched toward the city below. Several people took cover as guards pursued someone through the crowd below. Rei opened her mouth to tell him to leave her alone, but the words refused to come, so she accepted the company begrudgingly.
“So, how’d it go? I saw Chia and asked her, but she said if I wanted to know anything that I’d have to ask you.” Rei stayed silent despite his expectant pause. “Our end went well enough—they weren’t too impressed with the weapons, but who can blame them? They aren’t anything spectacular. I don’t understand why Chia was so damn insistent on keeping some.”
She heard him sigh and a rough hand caught a tear that snuck down her cheek without her noticing. “Did it really go that horribly?” he whispered. “It’s not like you to be like this.”
“No,” she managed at last. “It went better than I thought it would...” She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Fine.” A brisk wind blew past them. “Come inside. Chia hinted that it gets damn cold on this planet.”
Rei started toward the door, taking one last breath before going inside. As she wandered back toward her room, she felt something hit her leg and glanced down. The bag containing the papers that she left at her hideaway dangled from Yeke’s grip. She pulled her gaze away and focused on getting to her rooms where she could sleep away what she was feeling right now.
“Night.” She tried to shut her door before Yeke could enter, but he jumped inside.
“Not so fast, Captain. You’ll either brood all night or fall asleep before you get to bed” Yeke activated the lights before he set the bag on her desk. Essence pulled the blankets on the bed aside and he beckoned for her to lie down.
Rei stood still for a second before she complied, not even caring to take off her boots. Yeke shook his head, relieved her feet of the burden before covering her. He reached over to the light controls near the bed and turned them down enough to still allow him to navigate to the door safely.
“Don’t go,” Rei whispered. Her voice sounded pathetically weak to her ears, but she continued, “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
He disappeared from her vision. Her heart froze until she felt the blankets behind her move and heard the familiar beep of the computer sealing the room from the outside world. Warm arms wrapped around her body and she allowed Yeke’s soft breathing to lull her to sleep.
CHAPTER SIX
Rei paced in front of her desk the next afternoon, her gaze remained fixed on the computer as though that would make something happen. She threw herself back in her chair and wrung her hands, glad she had voice-locked the room so no one else would witness their Captain having a nervous breakdown. She tried to think of any menial tasks to do, anything that would keep her mind off what she had learned the day before.
She seized a data pad and added up the totals of what they had earned to divide up later. Yeke had been right—it was a decent haul for a load that included weapons that had little appeal. The thought of the man brought a blush to her cheeks when she remembered how she had spent the night. Part of her—
The comm’s wail jolted her out of her thoughts. She swiftly pressed the buttons to answer the call.
“I confess I’m surprised to hear from you so soon,” Gen greeted, his silver eyes didn’t betray a hint of emotion. “Did something go wrong?”
“No, I just wanted to follow up on a few things that were brought up by my visit.”
“You didn’t find your answers, then. I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t say that.” She leaned against her desk, using the object and what it signified to fuel her next question. “Where did the Federation get the idea to infuse an Essence-less person with power?”
Now Gen’s eyes widened. “We’ve been toying around with it for a while now. Essence-less always are isolated in our society and they should be able to protect themselves. This would give them that ability and make them truly feel valued.”
“They wouldn’t have to have much power to do that,” Rei argued. “And shouldn’t there be some sort of volunteer phase before you roll out the whole program?”
“You were dying,” he pointed out. “We had to move fast.”
“And the tech you had back then could have patched me up in no time at all. You could even have kept me knocked out until everything was done and I’d be none the wiser. So, Gen, what was so special about me? Why did you drag me into your world?” Rei’s fingers dug into the wooden surface so hard her nails embedded themselves.
He considered his answer. “I don’t know why the President thought you would be a good candidate for our project. All I know is that in our general surveillance we found you, brought you on the ship to heal, and then...” He waved a hand nonchalantly. “Well, you know what they say.”
“And none of you questioned it?” Rei exclaimed. “The scientists I spoke with raised a good point: non-Essence-based ways are poor compared to Essence-based ways of doing things. So why did the Federation even put you on a surveillance mission of an Essence-barren planet? Even if your President were trying to bring them into the fold, a program like this would never be accepted. It’s still unproven unless they can get me to be their poster girl and Essence-less will always mistrust those who wield the power.”
“We are the stewards of the galaxy. We provide protection from the chaos and power they fear while they offer us valuable resources. And though they might not accept the power, they do have minds that can be put to use toward understanding it.” Gen leaned toward the monitor. “But onto business. You’re still undertaking this mission, are you not?
“We’ll be on our way soon.”
“Good. The fighting over whether or not to undertake the search of these objects has reached critical mass. Now we have both the Parliament and nobility weighing in.”
“They don’t want to rush out and uncover the mysteries of Essence?”
“They do, but you know government. The expenses of the trip must be justified, given troubles.” Rei raised an eyebrow. “Nothing that isn
’t usually going on, but it’s making some anxious.”
“I can’t say I’m disappointed.”
“Nor I... though it’s made people more insistent than normal. I don’t know how long my significant credentials can hold them off.” He reached for something on the screen. “I’ll keep in touch if anything changes, but I hope the next time I hear from you it will be with news of your success. And remember, not a word to your crew.”
“Of course.” The screen went back to its desktop display. “So, we’re now to the point that you’re going to hide behind your precious President, Gen? I’m starting to think this relationship of ours has run its course.”
The computer flickered off and she headed for the bridge, eager to put her mind to work on something far removed from her parents.
“Anyone up for another hand?” Rei heard Foniac ask as the bridge door shut behind her. She climbed the staircase and paused. Most of her senior crew and Grandma sat around a makeshift table someone had set up. Kuv was the only one who didn’t appear to approve what was taking place, observing the others from a nearby console.
“The Captain would not approve of you doing this on the bridge,” he said, though Foniac ignored him and started to deal. “And each hand brings you closer to discovery.”
“Relax, Kuv,” Chia snapped, her gaze locked on her cards as they arrived. “Our official business is done. We’re running a skeleton crew up here and this planet, overall, has very little left to offer us.”
“And it doesn’t you?”
“Anything worthwhile is done where I can’t get to now. Even my friends can’t get me in there.”
“Are you all right, Grandma?” Aede asked.
“Sixty credits!” she shouted as she jumped in her seat. Those around the table laughed softly, even Kuv. “What?” she asked. Her head whirled around to each of them in turn. “No one meet?”
“We’re not betting yet,” Yeke explained calmly.
“I see,” she plunged her head back down to study her hand.
“Besides, Kuv,” Foniac said, continuing their discussion, “we shooed everyone away to get some downtime, so technically we’re the only ones working.”
“You realize you’re making your argument weaker, correct?” he asked.
Foniac shrugged. “Honestly, I wanted to be up here because I wanted to know what’s our next step, but didn’t want to intrude on the Captain.”
“And she thanks you for that.” Rei made her presence known. She tried to school her expression as she closed the distance between them with her arms crossed across her chest. Their faces morphed into various degrees of guilt, except for Grandma, who continued to study her cards. “What’s going on here?”
“Cards. Want us to... um... deal you in?” Foniac replied.
“Why are they on the bridge?”
“Because it was close enough to be on hand when you finally came out to give us information?”
“I see.” Rei lowered her hands to her hips, fighting back a large smile. “As a matter of fact, I do have some info for you. Or should I say choice?”
“Choice?” Yeke frowned.
“Iteata or Selatta.”
“Wait, we’re finally going after that?” Chia asked.
Rei shrugged. “Don’t see why not. We’ve finished the business here and have else besides drinking our credits away planetside or in the Drunken Inventor.”
“I imagine our client is getting antsy too,” Kuv added.
“How are they handling our delay?” Aede asked.
Rei shrugged and wondered how the other woman was feeling about being shut out of these negotiations. “They’re handling it.”
“I’d suggest that we make our way to Iteata,” Kuv suggested. A holographic map appeared above the table. “We can get there within two weeks.”
“Two weeks!” Chia protested. “Are you going to be keeping the engines going if we’re pushing them that hard? I shouldn’t have to remind all you people that this ship might run well, but it’s still old.”
“I don’t believe that we’d have to,” Kuv argued, then traced the most direct route between their current position, adjusting their speed to something that resembled their typical traveling speed. “See? We should be fine unless we are delayed somehow.”
“It’s lightyears away from the nearest shipping lanes, so it’s not likely,” Aede pointed out.
“Good, no competition,” Yeke clapped his hands together.
“Didn’t you say that they wouldn’t be interested in this?” Chia asked.
“I said mercs didn’t want to touch, but I won’t rule out other pirates or bandits,” he clarified.
Rei rubbed her hands together. “Now that’s settled, back to this business here.”
Instantly, the guilty looks were back. “Sixty!” yelled Grandma.
“I should chew you all out—you know the rules...” She eyed each of them in turn. “But I suppose I feel generous today, so you’re off the hook as long as you deal me in.”
~*~
Rei felt the rumble of the engines lifting them into the atmosphere as she circled the punching bag. She had intended on hiding away in her room, but everywhere she looked she was reminded of the night before.
One night... that’s all it took for him to become a part of the fabric of the place.
She was aware of the door opening on the other side of the room, rescuing her from going down that dangerous path of desires and loneliness. She took a few experimental punches while she waited for whoever it was to approach.
“What do I owe this late-night pleasure?” she asked, changing her stance to bring her leg up and kick.
Yeke stopped between her and the punching bag without answering. Rei’s muscles protested with how sudden she ended the attack.
“What the hell?” she asked.
“What aren’t you telling us, Rei?” he asked.
Her eyes went wide at the question. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb, I know there’s something that you aren’t saying and I want to know what it is. I know the others have their questions about everything too, but they won’t say anything, not out loud anyway. But we’ve known each other for way too long for things like rank to get in the way of questions.”
“Do you now?” Rei asked. “Don’t you think I have my reasons for keeping quiet?”
“What are they, then?”
“I can’t say. It’s... complicated to say the least. You know that I wouldn’t keep you in the dark on purpose.”
He threw his hands up in the air. “Do I? I’ve helped keep the whereabouts of someone I know the Federation would love to have back a secret without a second thought. Why the hell am I suddenly in the group of people who can’t be trusted with even something as simple as an explanation?”
Rei sighed, sadness filling her eyes. “I wish I could tell you everything, but I can’t. Honestly, Yeke.”
“What’s with you lately? Let’s put this aside for a moment. What about last night?” Rei looked down—here it was at last. “You were so upset about what you uncovered on that planet and you even convinced Chia to keep quiet about it. Then you leave like a madwoman this morning and lock yourself away in your office before anyone can stop you.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is you’re scaring the crap out of everyone and it’s time to let us in or at least a few of us.” He ran a hand over the top of his head. “I went to your office to see you needed anything before I joined everyone up on the bridge. The door wasn’t locked, but you were too busy arguing with whoever you were on the comm with to notice.”
Rei stumbled backward. “I did what?”
“You weren’t thinking clearly,” he replied. “Besides, like I said I’m the only one brave enough to barge in without warning.”
“How much did you hear?”
“Enough to know that whoever it was has ties to the facility. Who are they, Rei? And why do you trust them?”
Rei’s eyes closed tight to keep her warring emotions from showing, though she knew Yeke could tell exactly what she was doing. “You’ve trusted me so far, Yeke. All I’m asking is for you to do it a bit longer. I know I’ve been off lately, but given that they’re hunting me again, and then this with my family...”
“All the more reason to let me in. Who’s to say this person isn’t just going to turn you over when you’re not useful anymore. I do trust you, but—”
“But what?”
“But what if your emotions for your family are still clouding your judgment? You’re the only one this guy has contact with and it’s clear there’s a reason for it.”
“You honestly think that I would lead this ship and people into danger blindly—or willingly?”
“I never said that.”
“Oh really? You just said my judgment was clouded,” Rei stood, her eyes glowing a dim blue. “Maybe you should go. Before either of us say something irreversible.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” He spun on his heel and strode out of the room.
Rei reached for the punching bag and tried to bring her power back to normal levels. Her fists stuck out, pummeling the inanimate object with no mercy. Damn him—why couldn’t he just let it go?
The bag exploded in a shower of debris; her Essence-aided blow having been driven right through it. Rei sank slowly to the ground. She hadn’t directly lied to him or anyone on the ship, she had just left out her sources. Gen’s warning made it clear what her options were. Her head lifted as a wave of horror washed over her. Maybe it was getting to that time. Things were getting too heated and instead of just one or two crew members in danger, there were so much more. That was what a Captain did, wasn’t it? They protected their crew and kept them flying. No matter the cost.
Yeke will never let you do it. He might be pissed at you right now, but he takes his responsibility as second-in-command just as seriously as you do yours as Captain. Really, Rei, quit being stupid. If you want to solve this, all you have to do is let him in and tell him what Gen told you. Then you can plan for whatever he or the Federation throw at you. Tears ran down her face. But why, what good will come of it?
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