The Starfire Wars- The Complete series Box Set

by Jenetta Penner

  “But the army hasn’t attacked yet, right?” I confirm.

  “Not from what I could tell in the summons. But he is agitated,” Javen says. “I suggest getting to him immediately.”

  It’s still a half-mile to the Rover, and the mine is on the opposite side of Primaro from our location now. “Can you transport the three of us without draining your energy too much?”

  Dad reaches into his pocket and pulls out my Starfire from the Intersection. My chest tenses at the sight. Analya said I would know when I was ready to use the Starfire again, and something inside of me tells me I’m not.

  “I know the Alku can’t normally refresh their connection to the Starfire unless they’re on the Paxon side. Javen told me,” I say.

  “In the time that you were healing,” Dad says, “Wirrin and the other Alku discovered that the Intersection crystals allow the recharging to happen anywhere.”

  “So, have they been renewing their connection with the Intersection Starfire?” I ask. Panic works its way through my chest and arms. “All of them?”

  “As the Starfire was being harvested for energy, it took over and refueled them. The process was automatic.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask.

  Dad studies me for a second. “This is a good thing.”

  “Maybe, but I’m still not sure. When I first found you in the Intersection you . . . you were affected.”

  “What do you mean?” Dad’s face scrunches into an almost offended expression.

  “You don’t remember?” I ask.

  “I admit, I did feel different when I first began studying the Starfire there. But I figured that experience was typical. My body adjusted, and everything is normal now. It’s the same as when your body adjusted.”

  “You might be right, Dad.” I look to his hand still clutching the crystal. “But Wirrin told me a story about how the Intersection Starfire can be all-consuming for the Alku.” I move my attention to Javen. “Did you sense any of this from your uncle just now?”

  He thinks for a moment. “Possibly, but it may only be his desire to save Paxon.” Javen says. “I’m going to take the risk and take us to Wirrin.”

  I open my mouth to protest, but before I can, the force of transporting hits my body as Javen squeezes my hand. I gasp when we jolt to our new location. Javen releases Dad and me, and then Dad shoves the Intersection Starfire into Javen’s hand.

  Javen’s eyes go wide, and he inhales deeply, then relaxes. He turns to me, eyes swirling a brighter blue-green than I’ve ever seen. Within seconds, his eyes return to brown. “You weren’t kidding when you said this was powerful.” He hands the crystal back to Dad. “Before we go, I need to initiate the summoning to the Alku still on Paxon.”

  Dad and I say nothing, and so Javen falls into a trance-like state, closing his eyes.

  After a moment he opens his eyes and points ahead of us. “The camp should be this way.”

  “Will they come?” I ask.

  “Many of my people are frightened about what is happening on our side. But I believe so.”

  I press down my fears. Now Javen has used the Intersection Starfire. But my greater concern is for all the Alku who entered the Intersection and used the Starfire there, as well.

  The three of us sprint in the direction Javen indicated, and after a few minutes, we reach the hidden camp among the trees. I search the faces of both the Alku and the humans. Several of the Alku bow their heads to Javen. We finally find Wirrin in the crowd. He extends his hand to Javen, though his serious expression remains.

  “Why are you here already?” Javen demands, ignoring Wirrin’s hand. “You were asked to wait.”

  Wirrin’s lips form a thin line. “The people were becoming restless.”

  “You are leading them, Wirrin,” Dad says. “And we had an agreement.”

  Analya comes up from behind. “We used the portal device on the other side and sent a few people through. We were able to get word to General Atkins’s spy. It was either act now or have no chance.” She hands the device back to Dad.

  I look around and can’t find my friends. “Where are Beda and Max? And Irene?”

  “They are part of the team who volunteered to infiltrate the mining facility,” Wirrin says. “The three are already on their way.”

  “What?” I demand. “My friends are going to get killed!”

  “Someone has to disable the Inhibitor for us to move in,” Analya says. “Irene has the skills to do what needs to be done, and Max and Beda are protecting her to ensure she gets inside. Once the device is disabled, Beda will summon us.”

  My friends are putting themselves into so much danger and I’m not able to help them. My body stiffens and I fidget with my Connect, wanting to contact Max or Irene, but I’m too late.

  “And the modified refugee ships?” Dad looks around, but they’re not here. Not that we would be able to see them from our hidden position anyway.

  “The portal is ready when we need the ships to come,” Wirrin says. “You can use your device and open the portal for them. The ships should be able to exit directly over the mining site.”

  My mind returns to the Emergency Alert in Primaro. “But if the army hasn’t attacked yet,” I ask Dad and Javen, “then why the alarms? Why have everyone return to their homes?”

  “That would be our diversion,” Wirrin says. “General Atkins had false intel sent to Hammond, alerting her that the three missing refugee ships were sighted and then re-cloaked. This is, of course, untrue. However, our story sounds plausible enough after the way you evacuated them to the Intersection. If Hammond believes the ships will attack the city, then her focus may not be on the mine.”

  Analya goes into a brief trance. “Beda’s team has disabled the Starfire Inhibitor. We must move now.”

  Wirrin straightens, and his hand glows blue-green. All the Alku turn his way, including Javen. Their hands illuminate as well, as if a cyan fire were lit in the forest. Wirrin waves them forward. To war. And this time I can’t save them.

  Chapter 23

  Javen turns to me while I watch the Alku charge. Then, to my surprise, at least a hundred more Alku appear around us, the ones who have decided to follow Javen. Pride fills me with his willingness to be the leader he was born to be. Javen yells for them to follow Wirrin, and without question, the army obeys. Behind us, the crackle and roar of a giant portal sounds. Javen’s face lights up cyan from the glow and his eyes gleam.

  Javen clutches my arm, and I flinch from the energy radiating from his Starfire energy. “I don’t know if this is the beginning or the end.” Without another word, his mouth collides with mine. Fire curls through my veins as his breath becomes mine. I nearly drop my mom’s journal but somehow hold it tight in one hand. His touch unravels me until the world spins away for a few heartbeats of time. Here, only Javen and I exist. I return his kiss with more fervor than I have ever expressed before. This need, this fear, his presence—it’s everything. So much so, that when he finally pulls away, the sense of loss is devastating.

  “Javen, you are my beginning and end.” I can barely get the words out. A sob knots in my throat and tears prick the back of my eyes. He folds me into his strong arms and holds me tight to his chest as if he’ll never let go. Then he does, and I heave in a ragged breath as he races to join the rest of his people. He can’t leave them to fight on their own.

  “That boy is in love with you,” Dad says softly from behind. “I’ve seen the look before.”

  I twist around to him, and he holds the Starfire out to me. Any embarrassment I might have had for sharing such an intense, intimate kiss with Javen in front of Dad is gone. In the next hour, many of us will likely die. And right now, Dad is trying to give me the Starfire.

  I glance at the crystal and back to his face. “I’m not sure if I should take it. I might not be ready.”

  “Something tells me you are.”

  Gingerly, I pluck the gem from his palm and suppress the urge to welcome a flood of
the crystal’s energy into my body. Barely looking at the Starfire, I grab the necklace and pull the chain over my head.

  Dad’s eyes well up with tears and I fall into his arms. “This wasn’t what Arcadia was supposed to be like, Daddy,” I cry into his neck. A blast sounds from behind and I flinch. “How can one planet’s salvation be the another’s doom? It’s not fair.”

  Dad pulls back from me and then places his hands on my shoulders. He doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he gently squeezes my upper arms before his hands fall back to his sides.

  He steps away from me, but I grab his hand. “How do you know Javen loves me?”

  Dad’s lips quirk into a sad smile. “Because the look in his eyes is the same one I gave your mom every morning when I was privileged enough to share my life with hers.”

  The words make my breath hitch.

  “I want to send you far from here, Cassi. But nowhere is safe. Not Earth, not Primaro, and you can’t hide in the Intersection forever. You’ve made a connection to this planet and its people I don’t entirely understand. All I know is that you are a key to setting things right again.”

  I gape at him, not wholly believing his words but also knowing them to be the truth.

  “Are you coming?” he asks.

  I want to say yes, but apparently my feet refuse to move. “I need a moment.”

  Dad nods. “I love you, Cassi.”

  “I love you too, Daddy.”

  He exhales a quick breath and then sprints toward a group of armed refugees who haven’t joined the fight yet. He taps on the portal device and I whip around just in time for the two modified refugee ships to appear overhead and take off toward the mining site.

  Alone and the last to leave the area, I collapse in a heap on the forest floor. I wipe away the river of tears spilling down my cheeks.

  My mom’s journal rests solidly in my hands. I turn the small book over and study the plain leather. I trace along the lock, my brows furrowed. Then, as if compelled, I take my necklace off and hold the crystal to the locked front.

  The gem pulses and illuminates. I hold my breath, waiting. Hoping. And then it happens. The lock clicks open. My breath hitches.

  An explosion rumbles from behind me. I snap my gaze toward it, but I don’t see anything. So, I push up to my feet and scan the area.

  “I don’t have time to deal with this.” I bury the journal under fern-like foliage growing beneath a tree. Then I tap my Connect and mark this spot so I can make it back if—when—this is over. I throw a few more handfuls of underbrush on top of the book for good measure and then race to the overlook. Once there, I feel for my pistol; it’s there. But it’s not the best solution, anyway. I’ve never fired one of those things and would probably be dead in a flash if I tried. I fumble for my Starfire, my only hope.

  I hold the crystal in my hand and curl my fingers around it. But I’m just not able to focus, so instead I look below the ridge and watch the chaos. The Starfire Inhibitor has been either destroyed or stopped. Dotted bursts of light illuminate the site sporadically. But to hold back the Alku, soldier bots have been released to protect the mine. From the south, Hammond’s ships approach. Shots are fired from one of the upgraded refugee hovers. Despite the Starfire power source upgrades, I’m not sure if our two upgraded escape ships will be powerful enough to control Hammond’s ten other ships.

  The refugee ships shoot bolts of cyan lasers at the enemy, but Hammond’s vessels return the fire in full force. On the ground, several refugees and Alku are already down.

  Fear gallops through my body and sends ice shards up my spine. I have no idea what to do or whether there’s anything I can do with the Starfire to help. Just stopping the battle won’t solve the problem. If Hammond’s forces are not destroyed, this will continue. And I can’t hide the Alku forever in the Intersection. It’s not meant for them to live there anyway. I’m sure of that.

  Another explosion rips from below and jolts me from my thoughts. I clench the Starfire and let my body open as a vessel. If I die, then I die. But I can’t stand by and let all these people kill each other if nothing can be solved by their sacrifices. And if this battle gets out of control, the mine may be damaged further, making it impossible to stop Paxon’s destruction. I need to transport the Alku out of here since the bots have probably already transmitted the feed. Just when I think my pounding heart can’t handle another rush of panic, the crystal’s warm energy fills me, and any fear remaining falls through my fingers as I let myself go.

  A blast of light erupts from me, and I grit my teeth against the caustic sensation of being ripped into a galaxy of a billion stars. Pain travels my entire body and my mind reels. This could be the end—of me, of the Alku, Paxon, Arcadia, perhaps even Earth. My jaw aches as I clench it even harder, a relieved whimper escaping my chapped lips when the pain finally subsides. I draw in a much-needed breath. My chest and limbs tingle as if blood has pushed through my once-constricted veins. My mind swirls in a cyan haze.

  With a loud crack, the world comes back to me full force and my thoughts buzz with the Alku. It’s as if I’m not only summoning them but also hearing their thoughts and intentions. Through the buzz of communication, I make out Wirrin and Javen issuing battle instructions to the fighting Alku. Responses come through, and I struggle to make sense of their replies. I drop to my knees and throw my hands to my ears, but of course, the voices persist because the sound is in my head. And what I hear gives me pause. All the voices have turned from a position of defense to one of overthrowing. Something has changed. Using the Starfire from the Intersection has shifted the Alku’s thoughts.

  This can’t be happening.

  I reach out to summon Javen, but nothing returns. It’s as if he’s blocking any contact from me. I close my eyes and focus on quieting the noise. Wary, I look down to the still-churning chaos, and a shadow passes across the ground below. Several gigantic battle cruisers glide through the sky. Cruisers that were not there before. Hammond’s new incoming forces must be coming through the TSF, close to the planet’s atmosphere.

  If the Alku’s goal has changed, what are the consequences for the humans fighting with them? Are they enemies now, too? I peer around the ridge and suck in a sharp breath. Where is everyone? Did everyone already join the fight below, including Dad? I tap my Connect and use the voice function.

  “Dad,” I say. Nothing comes back through, so I change gears.

  “Irene,” I say. “Are you there?” No reply.

  I try again.

  “Cassi.” Irene’s shaky voice finally comes through. “Where are you?”

  “I’m still on the ridge. What’s going on down there?” My breath picks up as I speak.

  The hologram function activates, and I can see Irene with Max behind her. “We’re pinned down near the mine entrance. After we took out the Inhibitor, Beda got this weird look in her eyes and abandoned us. Then everything went nuts.”

  Behind Irene and Max, a blast of cyan light illuminates the mine’s walls. Max fires a few laser shots in return.

  “Are the Alku attacking you?” I yell.

  “I think the army turned on anyone from Earth.”

  My chest tenses at the confirmation. But there is no way Javen would do this. I know him.

  I look at the mine entrance. I have to get down there.

  A war cruiser lands and an army of soldiers pours out of the ship within seconds. I feel the sudden, furious urge to destroy the vessel with my Starfire energy. But I resist falling into the Alku’s now-aggressive energy. Stopping them is one thing; wiping them out is another.

  “I’m coming to you,” I say to Irene and then click off the Connect without waiting for her reply. If I leave them, they will die, and for nothing. When I get there, I’ll figure out where Dad is.

  I focus on the entrance of the mine and visualize myself there. When my eyes open, I quickly duck behind a wall and activate my Connect again. “Send me your exact coordinates,” I say to Irene.

  The d
irections come through, and I display them on the map. Max and Irene are around a nearby bend. I close my eyes and reappear next to Max. My heart fills with joy to see them both still alive. But it’s quickly suppressed when a ball of light explodes in front of us. The sound of laser weapons echoes up above. Hammond’s army must be closing in.

  “I need to summon Javen,” I say. “We must work together, or this will fail. I never should have brought the Alku into the Intersection. I knew that place was dangerous for them. Their access was blocked for a reason to ensure Javen’s race didn’t use the dimension’s Starfire.” I look to Max and Irene. “But first, I should get you to safety. And the Intersection is my only option right now.”

  “Cassi,” Irene says. “There’s no time. It’s a bloodbath out there. If there’s a way to stop the battle now, we should do that instead.”

  I look to Max, and he agrees. “Do it. We’ve got your back.”

  I squeeze the Starfire in my palm and focus on its energy, then push it outward to stop the madness. A cyan burst starts at my core and reverberates out like a giant wave of energy. I have no idea what is going to happen. All I want is to stop the killing.

  With a zap, I come to, and all around me is a cyan glow. The world seems to be in ultra-slow motion or underwater. Except for me. Max and Irene are nearly frozen except for micro movements. I reach for Irene and tap her on the shoulder. I inhale deeply and unlock her from her transfixed state. When I do, she breaks from the trance and her breath comes in erratic pants. She looks around as I do the same to Max.

  “What’s going on?” Max asks.

  “I don’t know yet,” I say, but the only sound I can hear around us is the slight buzzing of Starfire energy. With caution, I emerge from our hiding place. Outside and as far as I can see, everything looks the same. Nearly frozen. A cyan blast from an angry Alku’s hand is suspended in mid-air. Hammond’s soldiers stand with weapons pointed high. One of the gigantic ships is frozen in the air, mid-explosion.

  “I have to find Javen,” I say. “He can help me stop this battle.”