by F. T. Lukens
The silence was oppressive. Ren was about to crack, say something, squirm, break the tension, when the back door opened and Daly appeared. She strode down the center aisle and stopped in front of VanMeerten’s desk. They engaged in a fierce whispered conversation, during which Daly pointedly looked at Ren.
Ren gulped.
Daly left. She closed the door.
VanMeerten pinned Ren with a stare, and he wondered if he was going to end back up in chains. He was trapped. His star prickled in the middle of his chest.
VanMeerten leaned forward, palms spread on the desk.
“You want to tell me what you are.”
“Is that a question?” Ren asked, voice cracking.
“He’s not answering anything,” Rowan snapped. “Not until you tell us what we’re doing here. We’ve done nothing wrong, yet we’ve been treated like criminals since the Corps came out of hiding to address what was going on here.”
VanMeerten’s face clouded.
“And you are?”
“Captain Rowan Morgan, daughter of Councilor Morgan, the woman who determines your salary.”
“Spoiled drifter trash, then.”
Asher bristled. Ren laid a hand on Asher’s forearm.
“And who are you?” Rowan countered. She tugged on her braid.
“General VanMeerten of the Phoenix Corps. Dirt-born, if that’s what you’re asking. Raised with enough common sense not to engage a hostile when hostages’ lives are at risk.”
“We saved those people,” Asher said, back stiff. “Which is more than I can say for the Corps.”
“Corporal Morgan, I assume. Daly told me about you. How you were insubordinate to her rank. How you led this group of ragtag would-be soldiers despite her orders. Weren’t you captured on a planet somewhere?”
Asher pressed his lips into a thin line, and Ren tightened his grip on Asher’s arm.
“And you,” VanMeerten looked hard at Ren, “are going to answer my question. Or do I need to hand you over to the interrogators?”
“You leave him alone,” Asher said, jumping to his feet.
Rowan was half a second behind him, on her feet, wagging her finger and yelling.
Yet it was Jakob, slowly standing, whose voice cut through the noise. “Don’t touch him,” he said, voice low and deadly. “If you so much as think of laying a hand on him, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” VanMeerten said, striding around the desk. “There is nothing you can threaten me with, boy, that would scare me. None of you.” Her gaze swept over the group. “Now, this posturing leads me to believe what Daly said is correct.”
Ren stiffened, his muscles tensing. Daly had seen him disassemble the weapon.
“And if that’s the case, then—”
The door at the back of the room flung open and banged against the wall. Ren jumped and almost fell out of his chair. VanMeerten didn’t flinch.
A woman marched in. Her blond hair wisped about her head, and her clothes were disheveled, but Ren recognized those green eyes. Despite her haggard appearance, Councilor Morgan commanded the attention of everyone in the room.
“Mom!” Asher said.
The Councilor ignored her son and stopped right in front of VanMeerten.
“What is the meaning of this?” she barked. “Why are you holding my children? What charges could you possibly have against them?”
“Councilor Morgan,” VanMeerten greeted. “It’s good to see you.”
She lifted her chin. “I’m sorry I can’t say the same.”
“Your children are being questioned in reference to the events that transpired here. They seemed to be in the thick of things.”
“What happened here was the result of an insane duster. He took over the drift with a technopath and intended to vent the levels containing all the captives, including myself. My son and his friend tried to warn me,” she smiled warmly at Asher. “I made the mistake of not believing them. I do now.”
“The girl… the technopath was controlled against her will,” Ren blurted. Everyone turned to stare at him, including Asher, who quickly shook his head. Ren stood on shaky legs. “Abiathar, the man who took over, can control people with his voice. That’s how he got her to do everything. It wasn’t her fault.”
VanMeerten arched an eyebrow. “You know this how?”
“Because we saw it,” Rowan interrupted. “We saw him do it, but we were able to break the connection. When the girl came out of it, it was obvious she had no idea where she was or what she had done.”
“That poor girl.” Councilor Morgan placed a hand over her heart. “Is she in custody? If so, you must release her immediately.”
“Not a chance, Morgan. Or did you miss the part where she vented the Corps barracks? She’s dangerous. And so is he.”
Ren stepped back under the force of VanMeerten’s glare.
Councilor Morgan scoffed. “Oh, Regina, you certainly have a skewed perception if you think that little Erden teenager is a threat. He doesn’t look strong enough to withstand a breeze from an air recycler.”
Ren tried not to take offense.
“Now,” she continued, “I will gladly provide the Corps with a statement in exchange for the release of my children and their crew. I lived through this ordeal and can relay the obvious heroism of this group better than they can themselves.”
VanMeerten narrowed her eyes. “I’m not done with them.”
“Yes, you are, for now. If you need further statements, I suggest you contact my office and we’ll arrange something.” Councilor Morgan didn’t give VanMeerten a chance to respond. She clapped her hands. “Now, everyone, come along. I have to reconnect with my children, and you all look as though you could use some rest and medical care.” She turned on her heel, and Rowan and Asher immediately followed her down the aisle like overgrown ducklings.
Ren exchanged a confused glance with Jakob, but shrugged and gestured for him to follow. Ollie, Lucas and Penelope filed out. Ren was the last to join them.
He made it two steps before VanMeerten stopped him with a claw-like grip on his shoulder. Her fingers dug in as she moved close to Ren’s back and leaned down to speak into his ear.
“I know what you are,” she said.
Ren shivered, goosebumps blossoming down his arms.
“The Corps will be watching you. I will be watching you. Don’t think for a moment I’m going to allow your kind to wreak havoc like your predecessors.”
“I’m not like them.”
“No? I have a captain of a disabled ship that says otherwise.”
Ren’s stomach churned.
“He’s wrong. I have something my ancestors didn’t.”
“What’s that?”
Ren straightened and looked over his shoulder. “An anchor to humanity.”
She looked grim. “We’ll see. I’m sure we’ll speak again. Soon.”
Shrugging off her grasp, Ren walked away quickly, hoping he appeared calmer than he felt. He burst out of the room and shut the door behind him.
Leaning against it, he took a few shuddering breaths. The Corps knew what he was. They were going to be watching him. He had a feeling he’d just gone from the frying pan into the fire.
* * *
Councilor Morgan wielded substantial power on the drift. Ren saw that not only in her confrontation with VanMeerten, but also in the suite of hotel rooms she gave the crew. His room was bigger than anything he’d experienced.
Ren had never been on a bed so comfy. He sprawled out like a starfish and sank into the blankets and the pillows. The bed was like a cloud. After a warm shower, in which Ren let the water massage the tension out of his shoulders, he was content to spend the rest of the day in bed. Since Asher was visiting his mother, and the rest of the crew were ensconced in their own rooms, Ren thought a nap was in order. On
the edge of sleep, Ren almost missed the knock on his door.
He sat up, suddenly wired, on alert, heart thumping. It amazed him how he could go from half-asleep to ready to run in the span of a breath. He missed not being afraid all the time.
Ren crossed the room, peeped through the hole in the door and let out a sigh of relief.
He opened the door.
“Jakob,” he said, “how are you doing?”
Jakob stepped inside and looked around. “Can you believe these rooms?” he asked. His arm was in a sling, and Ren spied bandages under his shirt. “I’ve never seen anything like them. I never want to leave.”
“Have you tried the bed yet?”
Jakob’s eyes widened. “Is it amazing?”
“It’s like a giant cotton ball.”
“I can’t wait. I am going to sleep for days.”
“That sounds like a good plan.”
They crossed the room and sat on the couch. Ren offered Jakob a glass of water from the tray that a staff person had brought. Ren had eaten all the food already.
“Thanks.”
“Are you all right?”
Jakob nodded. “Bruised ribs, a slight burn and exhaustion. I’ll be fine. You?”
“I’m good.”
“Good,” Jakob said. “So, I thought we should talk.” Jakob took a sip from the glass.
Ren swallowed. “Okay.”
“Look, I know I was a jerk to you when we were younger. I know if we had stayed in the village we probably wouldn’t have interacted outside my family asking your family to plow our fields or something.”
Ren rolled his eyes.
Jakob lifted the corner of his mouth in a half-smile, then continued.
“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, I’m sorry.”
Ren’s eyebrows shot up.
“For what? You shouldn’t be apologizing to me. I left you. I let Sorcha go back to the village.”
“I have it on good authority you thought I was dead. And you didn’t know Baron Vos was going to do what he did.”
“I should’ve known.”
Jakob shook his head. His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “Don’t do that to yourself, okay? You’re not clairvoyant, unless there are more things you can do than you’ve let on.”
Ren shook his head.
“Okay, then.” Jakob sat his glass on the end table. “I loved her. I always had. And whatever happened to her, she wouldn’t want me to be mad at you. It might be difficult, but I can let go of the anger I felt toward you, so you need to do the same.”
Rubbing a hand over his face, Ren sighed. “I don’t know if I can.”
“You can. You have to. Especially if I’m going to be part of Rowan’s crew. I can’t be your friend if you’re going to be a morose cog all the time.”
Looking up, Ren opened his mouth and closed it. “What?”
“You look like a fish.”
“I… what?”
“You heard me. I talked with Rowan while we were being bandaged. She said I had a spot if I wanted it. And since you and I are the last of our village, I’m not going to let you gallivant across the cluster without me.”
“Are you sure? I mean, space can be really boring. And really dangerous.”
Jakob shrugged. “I think I’ve earned a little boring. And danger? Don’t make me laugh.”
Ren huffed in amusement. “That’s true.”
“So we’re okay?”
“Yeah,” Ren said with a grin. “We’re good.”
“Good,” Jakob said, standing. “Because you need me. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that you were the one running toward the floaters while everyone else was running away.”
Ren laughed. “‘Night, Jakob.”
“‘Night,” he replied as he shut the door.
* * *
Exhausted as Ren was, he couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned amid the lush pillows, but after a few hours, gave up. He rolled out of the bed and pulled on fresh clothes, which were also courtesy of Councilor Morgan.
For once, the clothes fit. The trousers were of a fine, dark fabric, and the shirt was a vibrant blue. Ren felt overdressed for a quick walk, but he needed to escape the lonely confines of his room, if only for a few moments.
The hallway was softly lit, drift time being the wee hours of the morning, and Ren gently shut the door behind him. There was a nondescript door across from his, with a number in the center, and others on either side. Ren wasn’t sure who had what room, and though he knew, despite the hour, he’d be welcome in Asher’s or Jakob’s or even Rowan’s, Ren didn’t knock.
Hands in his pockets, Ren wandered down the hall, so lost in his head he didn’t realize he’d stopped in front of one of the other doors until he felt a flicker of power that wasn’t his own. The sensation was familiar, an echo of what Ren had felt before, but this time it didn’t try to hurt him.
Millicent.
She’d been released.
Without hesitation, Ren knocked on the door.
He waited long enough to consider that maybe she wasn’t awake and the spark he’d felt was a figment of his imagination, but as Ren turned to walk away, the locks disengaged. The door inched inward, revealing a sliver of light and a curtain of dark hair.
The first time Ren had seen her, she had been lost in the drift, her irises blazing blue. Now, she looked up, strands of hair falling down her forehead and alongside her nose, and Ren noted that her eyes were hazel. She had a round face and delicate features, and lines of exhaustion near the corners of her mouth and dark circles under her eyes. She wore a long formless dress that brushed the tops of her bare feet, and she appeared anything but frightening.
“You,” she said softly, not accusingly, but not as a question either. A statement.
Ren nodded. “You,” he replied.
She clenched her jaw and lifted her chin. When Ren had seen her last, she had been led away by Bravo squad with her hands in cuffs and her head down. She’d looked so small and scared, and she did still. She stood in the small crack she allowed between the doorframe and the door’s edge, hands gripping the frame so hard her knuckles turned white. But she met his gaze and didn’t flinch.
Ren admired that.
“My name is Ren. I wanted to check that you were okay,” he said, gently.
She pushed her hair out of her face. “I’m Millicent, which I think you already know. Do you want to come in?” Her gaze flickered down the hallway. “And talk privately?”
Ren swallowed. She’d hurt him, but it was while under Abiathar’s control. He didn’t think she was dangerous now, and he’d vouched for her innocence, but he didn’t know. On the other hand, she might have some answers, and Ren had discovered those were precious in this world.
“Sure.”
She opened the door and Ren stepped into the room. It was the same as his, lavish and impractical. She settled on the couch in the sitting area, and Ren opted to sit in the armchair across from her, wary of sharing the same space.
“I’m fine,” she said without preamble. “I’m confused and upset over what I’ve apparently done, but I’m fine.”
Ren thought she said this for her own benefit, to convince herself that it was true.
“I’m glad.” Ren clasped his hands and placed his elbows on his knees. “What do you remember?”
She shrugged and chewed her bottom lip. “Not much. I remember my home and being in the cell in the citadel and traveling in a few ships and then here.”
Millicent’s voice was soothing, with a lilt Ren couldn’t place. It put Ren at ease, and he relaxed in the chair, fairly assured he was safe. Especially since it seemed they shared similar journeys, though hers was experienced mostly under Abiathar’s influence.
“How long have you been gone?”
“I don’
t know,” she said. “A while, I guess.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she said.
Ren stared at the intricate carpet on the floor. “No, I mean.” He wiggled his fingers, as Asher and Rowan had both done before to him.
“Oh! You mean my star gift? It’s like it’s always been.”
“It’s under control?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
Ren snapped his head up. Millicent studied him, her eyebrows drawn down in confusion.
“It’s not erratic? You don’t get…” Ren searched for a word. “Lost?”
“Sometimes, when I was younger, but not anymore. You still do?”
Ren sighed and rubbed a weary hand over his brow. “I only discovered I am a technopath not long ago. I’m still learning.”
She nodded. “You’re powerful, though. More than I am. It’s probably easier for me since I don’t have much power and I’ve been practicing all my life.”
Ren recognized that Millicent was attempting to be comforting, but it only served to make him feel pathetic and naive.
“Maybe we can talk more about it when it’s not so late?”
“I’d like that,” she said softly, the first hint of a smile curling her lips. “If they allow me.”
Ren didn’t have to guess who she was referring to. The Phoenix Corps. “You’ve been released.”
“Only because of you and your friend. The handsome one with the unanswerable questions.” She blushed at that, and Ren bit his tongue. “But I’m certain I won’t be able to just go home.”
“I’m sorry,” Ren offered.
“Don’t be. I did horrible things.” She wiped a tear from her cheek.
“But you were under his control.”
“I know.” She looked off in the distance and shivered. She hugged her arms across her body, and Ren wasn’t going to push. He could see it wasn’t the time. There would be more questions and answers later, but Millicent was still recovering. She needed a friend, not an interrogator.
And he could only imagine what it had all been like for her. He was lucky. He’d escaped. He had someone who anchored him and friends who protected him. She was alone, and Ren couldn’t begin to imagine how different his own journey would have been if not for Asher.