Broken Moon Series Digital Box Set

by F. T. Lukens

  Thank you.

  The ship moved through the debris, and the group of technopaths moved the large pieces out of their way and otherwise kept close to the hull, acting as a shield. The Star Stream moved achingly slow to avoid attention.

  It wasn’t fast enough for Ren, and his anxiety welled within him and made his skin crawl. Even Asher’s hands on him, grounding him to the present, didn’t keep his stomach from twisting and his body breaking out in acrid sweat. He clenched his eyes shut and focused on his job.

  Lucas piloted. Asher and Ollie scanned the sensors and comms. Darby and Penelope readied for the physical assault and liberation of the prison. Ren scanned for blueprints.

  “I have a map,” he said.

  “Can you cast it on the screen.”

  Ren nodded, and, with a flick of his wrist, the layout of the block appeared. It was straightforward, with few twists and turns. Each floor had the same basic layout of hallways, except the lowest, which was the docking platform, and the top, which appeared to have larger rooms—maybe offices? Or labs for the experiments Liam had talked about? The four layers in between just small rooms next to each other with single exits into a large hallway.

  Liam was in one of those rooms.

  Ren was sure of it.

  “This looks straightforward enough,” Asher said, flipping through the pages. “I only wish we knew what room Liam was in exactly. We’ll have to open the doors to them all and hope we find him.”

  “Or he finds us,” Darby said. She moved from her spot by the outer vid screen to Asher’s console. She leaned over it and dragged her finger over the map. “If we could separate the guards from the prisoners, then we could have the prisoners all come down to the docking bay. Maybe trap the brass on the top floor?”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Asher said. “We lure the officers to the top and have Ren shut them in. Then we open all the prison doors.”

  “Two problems,” Rowan said. “One—we don’t know where the star host prisoners are versus the actual bad guys that are housed there for things other than a little pickpocketing. And two—Abiathar. He’ll have Ren or one of the others turn on us as soon as he can speak.”

  “I’ll be fine as long as Ash is with me,” Ren ground out.

  We’ll be with you as well. We’ll not allow a coercer to harm you.

  “So we’ll go door-to-door. We’ll lock most of the guards on the top floor, enter through the dock, and then work our way through. Maybe Ren will be able to access records and get us the right door.”

  “I don’t like the idea of you all being on there for a long time,” Penelope said. “The longer you stay, the higher the chances of being crunched.”

  “And I don’t like the idea of docking there long either. Don’t forget we have disembodied voices that are helping us. Who knows where their allegiances lie and what they’ll do when they get a chance.” Lucas kept a tight grip on the piloting controls and his gaze on the screen, but he grimaced as he said the words. “Did they hear that?”

  “No,” Ren said. “They’re locked out of systems right now. I put up a barrier.”

  “Smart thinking.”

  Rowan stood and came over. “That’s our plan, then? Ash, is there a Phoenix Corps code or signal that would get everyone to congregate in one place?”

  “Yes.”

  “Really?”

  Asher nodded, face grim. “Yeah. There’s a few.”

  “Great. We’re doing this.”

  “We’re doing this,” Ash agreed.

  “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Darby said, rubbing her hands together. Her dark eyes glittered. “This is the big one. The one all thieves and cons talk about and laugh that no one would be stupid enough to do.”

  “That’s… not reassuring.”

  She shrugged. “It wasn’t really meant to be.”

  “Ren?” Asher asked. “Are you ready?”

  Heart lodged in his throat and his body trembling from excitement and panic, Ren nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

  “We’re with you, Ren.”

  We’re with you.

  * * *

  They left the bridge when there were only a few meters left of the approach. The debris had peeled from the ship and spread out toward the docking bay to cover their route.

  We’ll stay as long as you need us.

  Thank you.

  Dressed in black, hood pulled up over his head and a pulse gun strapped to his side, Ren fidgeted as the others prepared. Darby took the offered pulse gun with a reverence Ren hadn’t seen her display for anything else. She slid it in an arm holster Rowan had tightened across her back. She also had over her shoulder a bag of tricks and gadgets that she and Ollie had developed. Ren hadn’t asked, but he would wager that included explosives. Darby did have an enthusiasm for blowing things up.

  “Don’t use the pulse gun unless you absolutely have to.” Rowan patted Darby’s shoulder in a sisterly fashion. “Let Ren disable them first if he can. He’s good at it. Follow Asher’s and Ollie’s leads when it comes to shooting.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  Ollie clipped his own guns at his hip and shoulder. “Don’t shoot if you can run.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Asher said, tone flat, not at all reassuring. “If this goes right, we won’t run into anyone other than who we’re looking for. Search and rescue. Do not engage.”

  Lucas’s voice came over the comm. “We’re five minutes out at this pace. Be safe out there. Come back to the ship as soon as you can, and we’ll blast out of here.”

  Ren rolled his shoulders. “The star hosts in the debris are going to hover nearby until we’re ready to depart. And they’ll continue to cover us.”

  “Okay, Ren, send the announcement.”

  Ren took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. He focused past the hull of the Star Stream, and reached out until he met the circuits of the prison. He trickled in and stopped abruptly. A large barrier loomed in front of him. It was a wall of static and code, built upon more static and lines and bricks of programming. He poked it tentatively, and electricity bloomed out in a webbed pattern encompassing the whole of the system. Unperturbed, Ren pushed slightly harder. It resisted, and the code thickened and spread farther and wider so that it was difficult for Ren to find a way around. It was a deterrent, a way to keep the technopaths housed at the prison from taking over.

  Face scrunched, Ren pushed against the wall, and it repelled him, sent him scurrying back into his body. He gasped and took a step back and fell into Asher.

  “It’s blocked.”

  “What do you mean?” Asher asked, gripping Ren by the biceps. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine but… it’s going to take me a minute. There’s a…. wall.”

  Rowan arched an eyebrow. “A wall? Of what?”

  “Code and… I’m sure there are going to be traps and snares once I get through that. I… should’ve known. It’s meant to hold star hosts and that means technopaths too.”

  Rowan and Asher exchanged a glance. “We should pull back,” Asher said. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “No! I’ve got it.” I need help.

  What’s wrong, little one?

  There’s a wall and traps. I might not be able to get through.

  Burn, Ren. Burn as we showed you. Focus on your strongest emotions and overwhelm.

  “Ren?” Asher’s hand wrapped around the back of his neck. His thumb ran over the straining tendon. “What’s the plan?”

  “One more try. That’s all I need.”

  “Hurry. We don’t have much time to sit out here.”

  Ren dove back into Perilous Space. He encountered the wall and stopped. Gathering his power in his chest, he concentrated on his fear, and his hope, and his desire for peace. His power welled within him, and he burned.


  He’d always associated his power with blue. His vision would go blue. His eyes, he was told, would glow blue. The sparks and webs of electricity would tangle in blue lines and drip like water from his body in blue drops. The hottest stars radiated blue, but he already bathed in blue. As he drew power to him, coaxed energy from the generators and from his core, he burned darkly.

  Blue deepened to violet, then black consumed him and wrapped around his virtual self. His back arched, and his fists clenched. Ren pushed through the barrier, and it burst in a shower of sparkles of red and orange and purple like fireworks booming against the darkness of the sky. Ren broke through the barrier; code scattered like leaves on the wind. He raced into the wires, scorched out of snares and traps, and left a trail of shadow behind him.

  He sorted through the active systems. Information pounded at him from all sides, and tricks and catches awaited him. There were codes and blocks to sweep aside and break through. He slid into the communication system and found the mechanisms he needed. Using the prison’s normal computer alarm system, Ren sent claxons blaring and bathed the prison is flashing red lights.

  “Forcefield failure. Imminent pressure loss. All personnel seek emergency shelter on level five.”

  Pleased, Ren set the message on repeat, then returned, retreating in waves. He checked the vid feeds. Corps guards and officers headed to the top floor scrambling for the lifts and stairs.

  Secure in his body, he grinned at the others. His vision was shadowed. “Message delivered. Everyone is fleeing from the imminent forcefield failure.”

  “You are entirely too pleased with yourself,” Darby said. She knocked his shoulder. “I like it.”

  “Did you hear that, Lucas? The dock should be deserted. Take us in.”

  “I hear you, and we are almost there. Okay, Ren, can you get that forcefield down?”

  Ren checked the security cameras and confirmed that the dock was deserted. He sensed the field at the forefront of his star sense. He powered it down, and Lucas slid the ship into the empty slip with precision. As soon as they passed the threshold, Ren flipped the field back on.

  “Pressurization achieved. Good luck.”

  Asher nodded to the group. “Let’s go. Darby, stay behind Rowan and Ollie. Ren, you’re with me. Liam is priority. Anyone else is a bonus. Understood?”

  They nodded. “Good. Anything weird, head back to the ship.”

  Asher yanked the door open. They slid out, one by one. Asher, Ollie, and Rowan had their weapons drawn and ready. “This way.” Asher gestured, following the blueprint Ren had downloaded.

  Ren’s message bleated overhead. He resisted the urge to silence it because that would be suspicious. He tugged his hood closer, though the fabric did nothing to block the noise.

  “How’s it looking?”

  Ren checked the feeds. Everyone had evacuated to the top floor. There were several people in a single, large room. “They’re all on the top floor. All of them.”

  “Are they locked in?”

  Ren cocked his head. “No. There is something going on. Other than us. They… they have someone up there. They have… someone important.”

  “Millicent?”

  Ren shook his head. “No.” Peering through the security channels, Ren saw the familiar form of the man who left him to bleed on Crei. He saw the man who had taunted him in a hologram in the citadel. He saw the man responsible for setting all the wheels in motion. “They have Vos.”

  “Vos? That’s why VanMeerten was so smug. She thought she had the leader.”

  Ollie shouldered close. “What’s the plan now?”

  “The same. Find Liam. We can leave Vos to rot. Ren.”

  Ren snapped his head toward Asher, his vision no longer blue but a mixture of shadow and light. “Yes?”

  “Lock them in.”

  Ren flashed like a crack of lightning from the sky and sizzled through the circuits. Finding the locks, he took satisfaction in engaging them all. The doors that were open swung closed, and the bolts slid home. He singed the relays and the protectors. No one would be able to undo what he’d done, unless they were a technopath.

  “Done,” Ren said, his voice monotone.

  “Ren? What’s a man who knows everything but admits he knows nothing?”

  “A paradox,” Ren answered. “Don’t worry, Ash. I’m here.”

  “Your eyes are black. But you’re right. I’ll be worried later. Where’s Liam?”

  Ren was searching through the information, sorting through files, looking for his brother’s name or his power. He flipped through code and tossed lines aside, until only notes on Liam and his missions remained. While looking for his location, Ren sent the pertinent information to the Star Stream through the tenuous connection the ship shared with the prison.

  “We need to go up. Second floor, third door on the left. Nadie is next to him. Abiathar is down the hall. There are others as well. Several others. I can’t open the doors. They’re not on the system. They’re not electronic locks.”

  Asher placed his hand on Ren’s arm. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. But we need to hurry.” Asher ushered them to the stairs. “Do you have the comms?”

  Ren nodded. He held out his palm, and energy dripped from the whirlpool of power in his hand. “Right here.”

  Asher inched closer; his breath seared the skin of Ren’s fingers. “You’re hot and scary at the same time. We’ll talk more about this later.”

  Ren blushed and shrugged. Taking control of the communications, he fed everything to the physical comms they all carried. They’d all be able to hear what was said through the prison’s communication system. Right now, the channel was silent.

  Asher pushed open the door to the stairwell and, with pulse gun raised, he peeked around the frame. He waved them all in, and the door closed behind them, leaving them in relative darkness. Ren switched on the lights with a blink, keeping them dim. Crouching, Asher lead the group up the stairs. They didn’t meet another soul, and, on the first-floor landing, Asher paused.

  “Ren, can you lock this door?”

  Pushing past the webs of code that wanted to ensnare him, Ren engaged the automatic lock.

  “Done.”

  “Good.” Asher relaxed. “Darby and Rowan will stay here and guard our exit. With no one at the dock and with this door locked, the only attack will come from above. Stay on the comms, and let us know if you hear anything.”

  Rowan swept her braid from her shoulder. “I’m not staying behind.”

  “You’re not,” Asher agreed. “You’re protecting our exit. And you have Darby with you in case we need any kind of fancy explosion to aid in our escape.”

  Darby rubbed her knuckles on her shirt. “You know me so well.”

  “And if we get pinched, you can come save us,” Ollie said, with a sly smile.

  “Fine,” Rowan said. “But I’m not happy about it.”

  “You never are,” Asher muttered. He looked at Ollie and Ren. “Ready?”

  The three of them crept up the second set of stairs. Ren kept one part of himself in the prison systems and the other alert in his body. Spread thin, he had less control over his anxiety, and his blood pounded. Panic crawled in his veins but did not take root, not yet. He remembered he needed to breathe, evenly and deeply, to keep everything under control, but his exhalations were staccato, as his concentration focused on not hitting a trap in the system.

  “Second floor,” Asher whispered. “There will be a long hallway and then a cross corridor. Ollie, you’ll hide around that corner and protect our flank and our way back out.”

  “Got it, Ash.”

  “Ren, you’ll get Liam.”

  Ren closed his eyes. Something was going on. Something… a warning pinged in his chest. The locks! Ren raced to the top floor but the locks he’d previously engaged were now encased in cod
e. They were open.

  “Ren?” Asher said forcefully. “Everything okay?”

  Ren bit his tongue. “Yeah, but we need to hurry. Something is weird upstairs.”

  Asher read the lie in Ren’s face, but didn’t call him out. He shook his head and frowning. Instead of pushing the door open slightly, Asher kicked it open with force. The door swung outward so hard it hit the inner wall.

  Asher and Ollie jumped out, back-to-back, weapons raised. But there was no one. No exchange of fire. They moved silently, and Ren followed Asher down the corridor. Ollie broke off as Asher had instructed.

  After a few feet, Ren counted one door. Then two. Then three—

  “This one,” Ren said. “This one. This is it.” He peered through the small window blocked by a shaky forcefield but couldn’t see through the static with his human eyes. He pressed his palm flat next to the door and concentrated. He looked, but there was no electronic mechanism on the door, and, parsing through the circuits and systems, he could find no power source. He powered down the forcefield, but he couldn’t open the door. No, no, no! They were so close. His brother should be in there. Liam was in there.

  He snapped back into his body. “Ash,” he said, his voice desperate, twisting Asher’s name into a plea. Excitement and panic made him tremble, and he touched the door. He tugged on the handle; his palm was slick with sweat, and his fingers trembled. “I can’t open it. I can’t.”

  Asher waved to Ollie and kept his pulse gun raised as Ollie crossed from the last intersection to where they stood. Asher covered his movement.

  “Ren, calm down. Ollie, it looks like the lock is manual.”

  Ren had missed the obvious—a large metal bar sheathed in a metal container crossed the face of the door. Ollie studied it before grabbing a knob. He pulled, his muscles strained beneath his dark skin, and the bar screeched until it crossed the crease of the wall. Ren grabbed the handle, and they pulled the door open. It scraped across the floor, and Ren winced at the sound.

  It slowly swung open, and, when the space was big enough, Ren slipped into the room.

  A figure lay on the bed, unmoving, and Ren raced to the bunk. His shin smacked into the bed frame, and he shook the body’s shoulder. Oh, please. Oh, please. Oh, please.