Broken Moon Series Digital Box Set

by F. T. Lukens

  “On the drift.”

  “And how did he take control of Mykonos? I assume that is what happened here.”

  He nodded, head bobbing. “He has a technopath with him. Not nearly as powerful as yours. But she helped him. They snuck her onto the drift and she took over. Once she had control, we moved in as support.”

  “And the Baron? Is he here as well?”

  The captain shifted uneasily. “His location is unknown to us, but we assume he is nearby.”

  Asher scoffed.

  Rowan ignored him. “Why Mykonos? Nineveh is a better strategic position for movement within the Drift Alliance.”

  The captain bit his lip and for the first time seemed reticent.

  Rowan tented her fingers. “I can have my technopath get it out of you.”

  “No! He was looking for a Councilor Morgan.”

  Ren’s stomach sank. Asher’s mother. Abiathar was after Asher’s mother. And he was after her because he knew Asher and Ren would flee to her or, if Asher and Ren had parted ways, that Asher would have information about Ren’s location.

  Asher’s gasp was audible.

  It pained Ren. And he thought about his own mother. He thought about Sorcha and Jakob and the other families torn apart.

  Anger bloomed, swift and hot, and the last vestige of control Ren commanded over his star melted away in fury and hurt.

  He snapped to attention, spine straight, and turned his cold, glowing eyes on the captain.

  “The Argonaut is wanted in connection with crimes against the Drift Alliance, including the violation of protected trade routes, the unwarranted attack on a ship, aiding and abetting the criminal known as Abiathar, and the seizure of Mykonos Drift. The Argonaut, forty-four hands. The Star Stream’s capacity is fifteen total. Apprehension of adversary crew is impossible.” His voice was monotonous, far away, like an echo in his head.

  “Ren, what are you doing?” Asher asked, tentatively.

  “Ensuring justice. Sealing bulkheads.”

  The chorus of outrage from The Argonaut’s captain and the Star Stream’s crew didn’t faze Ren at all.

  “Atmospheric ventilation in four minutes.”

  “You can’t do this! We surrender!”

  “Ren, pull out. This isn’t you. This is the star.”

  Ren shuddered as Asher’s voice permeated his being, shook him to the marrow of his bones. Ren knew what he was doing wasn’t right, but he couldn’t stop. The images of Jakob, of Sorcha, of Liam flashed through his mind like a holovid. He remembered the fear and the pain and the thirst he’d felt as he and Asher stumbled over the countryside. He remembered the anxiety he’d experienced on Cass’s ship and the guilt that followed when they found the pieces of her home and family scattered across the trade route. He remembered the way Abiathar controlled him, and his helplessness when Abiathar’s voice sank into his consciousness, compelling him like a puppet on strings.

  “Atmospheric ventilation in two minutes.”

  Rowan’s voice went shrill. “Ash, sever the link!”

  “Ren!” Asher yelled. “I made a promise. I’m not going to let you do this.”

  Ren’s mouth pulled into a smirk. As if Asher could stop him. Didn’t he know Ren was a star? He was unstoppable, irreproachable. He was above them all.

  One moment, Ren mentally counted down the seconds to rendering justice, and the next, Asher wrapped his arms around Ren’s torso and they tumbled to the deck plate. Ren fought with his human body. He scrambled for purchase, turned over onto his stomach and crawled back toward the console. His hands sought out any metal he could touch and control.

  Asher yanked him back by the belt loops on his trousers, but Ren merely placed his hands on the bulkhead and remained connected to the ship, tangled in her systems. Asher grabbed Ren’s fingers and let out a cry when Ren’s star inadvertently sparked into his body, seeking the mechanism in Asher’s shoulder. Ren vaguely realized he had hurt Asher, but disconnected as he was, he didn’t care.

  Ren fought, grappling and twisting in Asher’s grip.

  “This isn’t you,” Asher gritted out. “Listen to me, Ren. Fight it.”

  “Atmospheric ventilation in sixty seconds.”

  “Ollie!” Asher yelled, as he and Ren tumbled across the bridge. “A little help!”

  Ren shouted as Ollie wrested him out of Asher’s grasp and then pulled Ren to standing. Ren squirmed in Ollie’s hold, wriggled and fought, until Ollie clamped him in a bear hug and restrained Ren by holding him to his chest. Ollie grabbed Ren’s wrists, wrapped them in his large hands and pinned them by Ren’s sides. Ren’s fingers twitched. His eyes glowed, bathing his vision in blue static. Though he was no longer physically touching the ship, Ren’s star sought out the systems. Tangles of electricity crawled down his arms and dripped from his fingers. He was beyond humanity, beyond control, enslaved by the pull of the machines.

  Asher stood, rolled his shoulder and kept his distance, beyond Ren’s reach. “Ren! You have to stop. Listen to my voice. Come back to me.”

  “Twenty seconds until atmospheric—”

  Asher surged forward and kissed him.

  As in a fairy tale, the moment Asher’s lips touched his, Ren snapped back into his body. He blinked away the static, gasped into Asher’s mouth and kissed him back with fervor. When Asher broke away, Ren wilted against Ollie’s chest and pressed his face into Asher’s palm where he tenderly cupped Ren’s cheek.

  “Atmosphere ventilation averted,” Penelope said, breaking the confused silence. “In case anyone cares.”

  Asher dropped his hand, and if not for Ollie holding him up, Ren would have crumpled. As it was, his knees were weak, his lips tingled, and he was speechless.

  The captain of The Argonaut was not.

  “I told you they needed to be controlled!” he yelled. His face turned red, and his eyes bugged. Faces pale, his crew stood behind him. “Technopaths have no empathy. They are not human. Yours needs to be locked up, or better yet, destroyed before he kills someone.”

  Ren controlled his flinch, and Asher reached out to touch Ren’s wrist but halted with his fingers curling into his palm. Ren’s stomach twisted and he bit back bile at the thought of Asher afraid of him.

  The captain watched him with a frightened but shrewd gaze. Ren needed to portray strength, not the exhaustion that had started to settle in, or horror at his own actions.

  “He is an aberration. Star hosts have no right to be among us humans.”

  Ren stared at the captain defiantly.

  Rowan drummed her fingers against the arm of her chair. “Are you finished?”

  He snapped his mouth shut.

  “Good. Now tell the other ships to stand down. We know they are on the other side of the drift. So unless they want to experience the terror of facing down the cluster’s most powerful technopath, tell them to back off.”

  He nodded.

  “If any of you try to stop us, he’ll destroy you. If anyone alerts Abiathar, he will know. Do not test the wrath of my technopath. Understand?”

  “We understand.”

  “Good. Since your systems have been disabled, I’d wait patiently for a Corps regiment. We’ll put in a good word for you, since you surrendered so amicably. Morgan out.”

  The vid screen went blank.

  A tense silence settled on the bridge. Asher avoided Ren’s gaze. Ollie’s grip was like a vise on Ren’s arms. Penelope wandered close to Lucas and took his hand in a gesture of comfort and reassurance.

  Ren ached.

  “Your technopath?” Ren rasped out.

  Rowan strode across the bridge to where Ollie held Ren. Asher shuffled to the side, head bowed.

  “You’re part of my crew, human or star or stupid teenager from Erden.” She wagged a finger in his face. “But if you ever do something like that again,
I’ll pitch you out of an airlock. Am I clear?”

  Ren blinked slowly. “Yes?”

  “Good.” Her expression softened, and her voice took on a motherly tone, which Ren found disconcerting. “Now are you ready to storm the drift, save my mother, capture Abiathar and take on the other technopath, or do you need a minute with my brother?”

  Asher’s head snapped up. Ren straightened and disengaged from Ollie’s grasp. The room spun, but he was determined.

  “I need a minute and then I’ll be ready.”

  “Fine. I’ll comm you when we dock or if we run into any problems.”

  * * *

  Standing in the hallway next to the crew quarters, Ren rested heavily against the wall. Asher stood across from him, stiff and uncertain. He cleared his throat, and Ren winced.

  “I’m sorry—”

  “I shouldn’t have—”

  Ren bit his lip and chuckled. Asher blushed.

  “You go first,” Asher said.

  Ren studied the deck plate. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I couldn’t stop the star. And I couldn’t stop thinking about… everything. The things we’ve been through made destroying the other ship seem like the moral choice.”

  “I know.”

  “You know?”

  Asher didn’t meet Ren’s gaze. “Your thoughts flashed on the screen. We saw everything. Your brother. Jakob. You and I in the forest. It was a montage of your darkest moments, and I understand why the star would push you to render justice.”

  Humiliation washed over Ren. Everyone had seen. They knew. That was why Rowan wanted to coddle him in the midst of an emergency. “It doesn’t excuse anything, Ash. I hurt you and I knew I had done it, and I didn’t care.”

  “It’s all right.”

  “It’s not all right! My past doesn’t justify murder.”

  Asher raised his hands, placating. “I know. I know, Ren.”

  Ren tugged on his hair. “I’m sorry for hurting you. I understand if you don’t want me to touch you again.”

  Ren couldn’t stifle the gasp of surprise when he felt Asher’s fingers tangle with his. Something inside of him snapped back into place, and Asher’s touch filled him with warmth. His humanity had never seemed more real. The points of contact where their skin met hummed, and Ren wanted to sink into the feeling.

  “I’m not scared of you,” Asher said in a low voice.

  “You should be.”

  “Afraid of a duster twig? Never.”

  Ren managed a half-hearted grin at the familiar teasing. “Thank you for stopping me.”

  “I should’ve figured out a better way to do it.” Asher finally lifted his head and met Ren’s gaze. His green eyes were warm and pierced Ren’s core, filled him in a way the star never could.

  Heat crept into Ren’s cheeks. “It was a fine way.”

  “We said we’d wait until everything was over. I should have honored that. I should have tried punching you instead.”

  Ren pulled a face. “I’d rather have the kiss.”

  “Yeah,” Asher said, rocking back on his heels. “Me, too. I’ll remember that for next time.”

  The small smile Ren wore dropped away. “I don’t want there to be a next time.”

  Asher’s grip tightened on Ren’s fingers. “I don’t want there to be a next time either. Are you okay?”

  Ren’s smile was wan. “I’m not sure. My body is a little weak. My mind is jumbled. I don’t want to lose my humanity, or you. I’m not sure I can prevent that.”

  “You can. I’ll help you. We’ll all help you. Ren, you’re incredible. We just need to figure out how to keep you grounded.”

  “Kissing helps.”

  Asher laughed. “We’ll keep that in our back pocket. Anything else?”

  Ren furrowed his brow. “Your voice. I can hear it, even when I can’t hear anything else, when it’s all static.” Ren thought about the times he had merged with machines and remembered the time on the ship, when Oz had asked him a question. He had posed a paradox, and it had forced Ren’s humanity to the surface. “You can ask me a paradox.”

  “What?”

  Ren shivered; the sheen of sweat covering him was like ice. “When I slip under, use your voice to bring me back. Ask me a paradox. When I’m in the machines, I cannot answer them.”

  “Are you certain?”

  Ren nodded, throat dry. “Yes. Yes, it will work.”

  “All right then. I’ll think of a few impossible questions to have at my disposal.”

  “Heh,” Ren said. “Let’s hope we don’t have to use them.”

  “Agreed.”

  They grinned at each other. Asher flexed his hand, gripping Ren’s fingers tightly. They stood there for a long moment. Ren’s heart fluttered, and, despite everything that had happened, he couldn’t begin to regret any of it.

  14

  Lucas had no trouble docking the ship. The automated procedures emanating from the drift repeated eerily onto the bridge as Lucas maneuvered the Star Stream closer to Mykonos. They glided into the slip and settled in, landing lightly on the extended landing pads. The doors closed behind them, the metal halves meeting smoothly, and Ren gulped at the fact they were now locked in, at the mercy of Abiathar and the other technopath.

  He could feel her, even without being connected to the ship or the drift. She hovered on the perimeter of his consciousness. She knew he was there and she was surely under Abiathar’s control. But she had allowed them to dock, and Ren wondered if this was all an elaborate trap.

  As they waited for pressurization, the crew gathered at the bay door. Asher stood close to Ren, their shoulders brushing, and Ren tried to focus on anything but the heat of him.

  “Ollie, you are with Ren and Asher and me. Lucas and Penelope, I want you two to stay with the ship. Protect it and be ready in case we have to flee.”

  Penelope nodded and Lucas gave Rowan a jaunty salute.

  Rowan unlocked a metal cage attached to the wall. The door creaked open and revealed a veritable stockade of weapons. She surveyed it critically for a moment before pulling out a small pulser about the length of her hand and passing it to Penelope.

  “It should be fully charged. No one but us comes aboard.”

  Penelope smiled bravely. “I can do that.”

  Rowan handed Ollie a large weapon that reminded Ren of the stunners back on Erden. Asher took a pulser, and Lucas did as well.

  Rowan looked at Ren, and he felt like a worm on a hook. She raised an eyebrow and picked up one of the guns and offered it to him.

  “No,” he blurted. He flushed as the others looked at him. “No. I mean, you’ve seen what I can do with systems. What if… my star… I don’t want to hurt anyone. I could, accidentally, if you give me a weapon.”

  She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  “What’s the plan, Cap?” Ollie asked, hefting the large weapon on his shoulder.

  “We go in. We assess. We find Mother. We do what we need to until the Corps arrives and then we step back. Understood?” She pinned Asher with her gaze. “Don’t do anything heroic or stupid.”

  “Why are you directing that at me?” Asher said. He slid his gun into the holster strapped to his thigh. “I’m the only one here with actual military experience.”

  “Do you really have to ask? I grew up with you, cog. I know what you’re like. I know what your promises get you into.”

  Asher blushed and looked away. Ren wanted to know what Asher’s reaction meant, but he filed it away for later. Now was not the time.

  “Are we ready?”

  “Ladies first,” Ollie said, with a gesture.

  Rowan made a rude gesture, but turned to the door. She took a breath, squared her shoulders, and opened it.

  Everyone stood at the ready. Ren tensed, his pulse thrumming, his palms sweaty.


  The door creaked on its hinges, and Rowan winced as the sound echoed through the slip. She continued to pull, and slowly the door opened to reveal… nothing.

  Nervous laughter bubbled from Ren’s throat. Rowan arched an eyebrow, and with Asher leading, his hands gripping his weapon tightly, they funneled out of the ship. Ollie closed the door behind them after one last wave to his sister.

  The fact that there wasn’t a platoon of Abiathar’s soldiers there to greet them wasn’t the only thing that pinged wrong. The entire drift was vacant. Mykonos housed thousands of people, and even more visited daily, but all the inhabitants were gone or in hiding. The boards were lit, blasting ads and information. Music blared, jarring in the otherwise silence. Lights blinked and blinded, baring their movements to the cameras mounted in the ceiling.

  Asher crouched low, silent as he looked around their immediate area. He held a finger to his lips, pointed at Rowan and Ollie, and the two fanned out on either side, weapons at the ready.

  Ren was impressed that they knew what to do though Asher hadn’t uttered a word. He was also mesmerized by the way Asher took control. Ren had seen it before, when they escaped and when they stumbled across the countryside. Ren hadn’t been able to appreciate it then, but now he admired Asher’s efficiency of movement and his tactical prowess as he led the group from the slip and onto the main floor of the drift level.

  “We’re sitting ducks with those cameras and this light.” Asher looked to Ren. “Can you shut off the lights and cameras?”

  “Yes.”

  Asher nodded. “Do it then.”

  Ren placed his hand on the bulkhead, fingers splayed, metal cool under his palm. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His power raced out and he sensed the presence of the other technopath in the system. She was much stronger there than when he felt her from the Star Stream, but she was distracted by other duties. She tolerated him in her space, and he took advantage of that.

  Ren found the route from the power supply to the lights and severed it with a thought. Next, he found the video feeds. He rerouted them, tangled the stream in a mess of circuits. It would take time for the other technopath to detangle them, and Ren hoped that by then, they’d be either safe or long gone.