by Rachel Aukes
Domino gave him a nod as he entered. “We have a possible hit. Someone said they saw the Honorless docked at Devil Town, getting restocked.
Critch buckled in. “Let’s go get my ship.”
Twenty-Two
New Beginnings
Nova Colony, Space Coast
“Congratulations, Seda, or should I call you, President Seda?” Reyne said, and then broke into a grin.
Seda shook his head. “Never call me that. I’ve always hated pomp and protocol.”
“Oh, I think you like it better than you let on.”
Seda pinched his fingers. “Maybe just a little, but don’t tell anyone.”
Reyne looked around the living room as he took a drink. There wasn’t much décor and furniture, but what there was looked to be of the best quality—and definitely not cheap. “You know, this is my first time in Critch’s residence. It’s exactly what I expected.”
A woman emerged from what Reyne believed to be Critch’s bedroom. She strolled in, wearing only a robe, and grabbed a glass of water. She smiled warmly at the two men as she strolled seductively through the room. She ran a hand along Seda’s shoulder as she walked by. “Coming back to bed?”
He reached out and kissed the back of her hand. “Soon, Layla. Soon.”
Reyne smirked. “And that’s not something I expected at all.”
Seda smiled but said nothing.
“So, what will you do, now that you’re the first president of the Alliance of Free Colonies?”
Seda’s humor drained from his face. “Good question. There’s so much work to do, I don’t even know where to start. This isn’t like starting a new company. We’re talking about establishing governments for four independent worlds, at the same time. And, the Collective is not going to make any of it easy. Any delays in shipments or cost overages, and we’ll be facing trouble with the CUF. Winning the war didn’t end our troubles, not by a long shot; it just opened up an entirely new set of problems. We’ve still got to get colonists back to their homes, a memorial built on every world”—Seda took a long drink—“and then there’s Critch…”
Reyne winced. “Yeah, how’d that conversation go with Etzel when you fed him the story about Heid hanging himself rather than facing shame back home?”
Seda chuckled. “He didn’t buy the story for a second. He surprised me, though, when he didn’t push it. I think he was glad he didn’t have to deal with Heid again.” Seda blew out a breath. “Critch is going to find himself back on top of the CUF’s Most Wanted listed at the rate he’s going.”
Reyne grunted. “I think Critch has had that spot nailed for twenty years and counting.”
“Cheers to that.” Seda held up his glass, and they toasted.
After they drank, Seda spoke. “So, what’s your plan after all this is done?”
“You mean, after the Matador ships?” Reyne shrugged. “I’m old. My bones ache. Maybe I’ll retire.”
Seda shot him a dubious look. “I don’t see you retiring. It’s just not in you.”
“Well, I’ve considered going back to running mail.”
Seda watched him for a moment. “Or, you could help me build the Alliance of Free Colonies. There’s plenty of work, and I need leaders I can trust.”
Reyne shook his head. “I’m not sure I’d be much good at politics.”
“We need Playa’s rilon production. We’re rebuilding Ice Port, space docks and all. You grew up at the fringe station. Here’s your chance to be a stationmaster at the new one.”
Reyne watched him for a long while as he considered Seda’s words. After a length, he spoke. “I’d consider it.”
Sixx left Reyne with Seda. They’d be safe in Critch’s residence and would be talking for hours. That gave Sixx time to take care of something he’d been putting off for far too long. He headed down Nova Colony’s tunnels, all the way down to the prison. No guards were around—he’d checked to make sure they’d be on break. Many of the cells were empty; the ones with occupants were filled with drunks sleeping it off. He stopped at the only cell that didn’t have a drunk in it.
Inside, Axos Wintsel lay on the bed, picking at his nails. Sixx pulled out a dagger. Axos had taken everything from Sixx, and the man hadn’t even known or cared. Sixx and Qelle had been married only two years when the transport she was on disappeared. The authorities had told Sixx she was dead. He had never believed them. So he’d searched for years, meeting Reyne early on when he was at a low point. He’d never given up, but life had forced him to put his search on hold. While he lived free, Qelle had suffered in that man’s house and died under his torture. She’d produced a daughter, and Sixx was thankful that at least a part of Qelle lived on in Lily.
He gripped the knife, took a deep breath, and then went to open the door.
“Sixx, don’t.”
He turned to see Bree walk toward him. “Stay out of this, Bree.”
“I can’t let you do this.” Her face was stern, and he knew Bree could be as hardheaded as they came.
“You, of all people, know he’s got to die. After what he did to you—to Qelle—to the others…”
“He can’t hurt anyone anymore,” she said quietly.
Sixx shook his head. “But what if he gets out?”
“He won’t. No one knows he’s here.”
“We can’t risk it,” Sixx said.
She stepped closer and placed a hand on his cheek. “I can’t risk what killing him will do to you.”
He grunted. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I do, and I worry about the future you have with Lily.”
He stiffened when Bree brought up the girl’s name.
Bree continued. “She needs a father, and you would make a great father to her. But, what will you say when she asks what happened to her old father? What if she learns that you killed him?”
Sixx’s jaw tightened. “But I made a promise to avenge Qelle.”
Her chin lifted. “Then you’ll have to decide what’s more important: vengeance or Lily.”
Sixx scowled.
Bree wrapped her hand over the one that held the blade. She gently pried it from his hand. With her other hand, she cupped his cheek, stepped on tiptoes, and kissed him. “Please,” she said. “Sleep on it tonight; that’s all I ask.”
“It’s that important to you?” he asked quietly.
She gave a small nod. “Lily needs a father; a good father.”
He leaned his forehead against hers for a moment. He pulled back. “Tomorrow, then.”
“Tomorrow,” she echoed.
She stood there as he walked away.
She didn’t follow, and he didn’t stop, even though he knew why. He didn’t even stop when he heard a cell door open. As the distance grew between them, he took the tunnels back up to the main thoroughfare and ended up at the Uneven Bar.
Reyne found him nursing a drink at a corner table.
“Well, it turns out Seda thinks I’d make a halfway decent stationmaster,” Reyne said.
Sixx lifted a brow. “Oh? And what’d you say?”
“That I’d think on it.” Reyne watched him for a length. His brow furrowed before he scowled. “You killed Axos.”
Sixx shook his head and answered before taking a drink. “No.”
Reyne looked confused. “So he’s still alive?”
Sixx stared at his drink while he thought of Bree and of the knife she’d taken from him. A slow, sad smile emerged. “No.”
Since the Matador had been reported to the CUF as being ‘in pieces,’ Reyne couldn’t have it dock at any of the fringe stations, and it couldn’t travel through the asteroid belt to dock at Nova Colony. That left it to sit in a sector the CUF rarely ventured out to, hidden and waiting for its new mission.
Transport ships were docked at nearly every one of its landing bays, each unloading dozens of colonists and all the possessions they were taking for the new journey.
Reyne stood on the bridge. Boden and Sixx had joine
d him as they waited for the ship’s new captain and crew to arrive. A familiar sense of loss began building in Reyne’s heart, the same he’d felt when Throttle took on her own ship. It was the worst feeling he’d ever experienced, and he never thought he’d have to endure it twice.
Throttle and Birk entered the bridge. Throttle’s smile brightened Reyne’s spirits, and he crossed the floor to embrace his daughter. “It’s good to see you.” He held her against him.
“You too, Dad.”
He hated letting her go, but he did. He took a step back to give Sixx and Boden access to their former crew mate and family in all ways that mattered.
“Hey Kiddo,” Sixx said before hugging her.
Boden was a bit awkward, but he then embraced her long and hard. And Reyne realized then that Boden knew he’d let the best thing that had ever happened to him get away.
“Hey, that’s enough, big guy,” Birk said, pulling the pair apart.
Throttle looked at the three men, focusing mostly on Reyne. “You know, it’s still not too late for you to join us. And we’ve got room for the Gryphon in one of the landing bays.”
Reyne forced a smile. “I’m too old to make the trip. No one needs to deal with my funeral out there.”
Throttle’s expression grew sad, and he could see she was fighting back tears.
“I’d go, but someone’s got to keep your old man out of trouble,” Sixx said. “Did you hear, he’s going to take on the stationmaster job at Ice Port?”
Birk looked confused. “But there’s no Ice Port.”
“That makes it the easiest stationmaster job around then,” Reyne said with a smile.
Boden opened his mouth, but Throttle shot up her hand. “Sorry, Boden. I love you to pieces, but we both know there’s no good to come of you joining this crew.”
Boden lowered his head in what may have been a nod.
“So, are you all ready for the trip?” Reyne asked quickly.
“Yeah,” Throttle said, relieved for the change in topic. “We have our first twelve jumps programmed in. After that, it’s all uncharted territory. Our juice will run out about two-thirds of the way into the trip, and then we’ll coast on solar sails from there.”
Sixx blew out a breath. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that.”
“It’s really not so scary. I mean, think of all the satellites the Collective’s been sending out for the past seven hundred or so years. We have a ton of data to work from. We have over two hundred habitable worlds mapped, and we’re heading for the closest planet that’s guaranteed to support life—that’s forty light years out. Since we don’t have the fuel for a return trip, we have to make the first one count.”
“You have a name figured out for the new planet yet?”
“We have a few years to come up with that,” Birk joked.
Reyne swallowed. “Send comm messages whenever you can. I know, without waypoints, there’ll be lags, but still…”
“I’ll send messages,” she said quickly. “Just because I’m out of the system doesn’t mean I’m gone forever.”
It sure felt like she already was.
Reyne turned to Birk to change the subject. “You say goodbye to Critch yet?”
Birk nodded. “He wanted to see us off, but he couldn’t make it. He was in the middle of a chase. He’s hell-bent on getting the Honorless back. You know, priorities.”
Reyne smirked. “It’s his ship. I can understand.” He paused to look around. “And, now this is your ship. What are you going to do with the Scorpia?”
Throttle and Birk looked at each other. Birk spoke first. “It was a gift from Critch, so we’re keeping it. Taking it along.” He motioned to the ship around them. “This one’s such a beast, we figured the Scorpia might come in handy.”
Throttle and Birk’s wrist comms chimed at the same time. “Looks like the rest of the crew is on their way up. We’ll have to go over some things with them before we make our spiel to the passengers.”
“We’ll leave you to it then,” Reyne said, already feeling his feet become heavy.
“Wait, I got you a going away present,” Sixx said. He turned around and grabbed a large box he had sitting on a chair. He brought it over and held it out. Birk took it with a frown. “What is it?”
Throttle’s eyes grew wide. “Sixx, that’s your biome kit.”
Sixx shrugged. “I was saving it for my retirement on Spate or somewhere, but I figured you guys could probably find a use for it.”
“I’ve never seen one of these before,” Birk said in awe. “Does it seriously terraform an entire area?”
“It doesn’t cover a planet, but it’d better get you a few good acres of edible food,” Sixx said. “Otherwise, I went to a lot of trouble stealing that for nothing.”
Throttle grinned. “Thanks, Sixx.”
As people entered the bridge, Reyne knew the time had come. He grabbed Throttle once more and gave her a hug that he hoped conveyed all the love he felt for her. “Take care of yourself.”
“I will. I love you, Dad,” she said.
Reyne walked away and didn’t care he was crying.
When Reyne, Sixx, and Boden reached the Gryphon, no one spoke. Reyne knew their hearts were breaking, too, and each took his own space.
Reyne backed the Gryphon out of the landing bay. Several of the transports had unloaded and had also detached from the colony ship. He reversed slowly to avoid a collision. As he passed the name, he paused.
“Well, would you look at that,” Sixx said.
Reyne turned to see his friend join him on the bridge. He looked back at the name that had been painted over the old one: GABRIELA.
“You know, they named it because changing the Matador into a colony ship was her idea,” Reyne said.
Sixx nodded. “It’s a good name for a good ship and crew.”
Reyne gave the colony ship one final look before he turned the Gryphon and prepped it for jump. He turned to Sixx. “Ready for our next adventure?”
Sixx grinned. “Hell, yes.”
Epilogue
Barrett Anders awoke with the feeling he was being watched. He reached to turn on the light, but a hand grabbed his wrist. He swung out with his other hand, only to be blocked.
“Don’t fight,” a male voice said.
The pressure released from his wrist, and Barrett pulled his hands back. The light came on, and he found a man covered in black from head to toe, save for his eyes. His irises were as dark as the assassin’s garb he wore, and focused intently on Barrett.
Barrett sat up. “You’re here to kill me,” he said matter-of-factly.
The man watched him for a brief moment before saying, “No.”
Barrett’s gaze narrowed. “Why are you here, then?”
“I’m called Ranger.” He pulled off his face mask. “I’m here to talk with you about the Founders…”
END OF BOOK 4
Fringe Legacy
Fringe Series, Book 5
One
For the Free
First City, Alluvia
Corps General Barrett Anders stood in the underground chamber deep below the streets of First City. He was surrounded by a dozen faces—a few new to him, a few who were famous, and a few good friends. Before him rose the latest round of initiates, the only people in the assembly room not wearing hooded capes to conceal their faces. The war with the fringe had depleted the organization’s ranks, which had led to Barrett learning of the Founders and being invited to become its new leader.
He took a breath and spoke loudly. “I, Mason of Alluvia, hereby induct you into the Secret Order of the Founders. Your role will be to help expand humankind across the galaxy. Do you accept?”
“I accept,” the five initiates replied as one.
“Bare your arms,” Barrett ordered. As they pulled off their shirts, he lifted a metal device resembling a giant chess piece. Beginning at the first initiate, he pressed the tip of the metal against the inner part of her bicep. The skin sizzled,
and she sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. He continued on to the next initiate and the next, until he’d branded all five.
Before Barrett was invited to join, the Founders had three leaders. Of the three, only Seda Faulk still lived, but he’d broken away from the clandestine group to lead the fringe rebellion. The war had splintered the Founders, and the group had nearly dissolved. But enough members remained, and they knew the group needed to evolve if it was to continue to make a difference, let alone survive.
Barrett’s predecessor, Gabriel Heid, had been shortsighted. Heid had believed the Collective was strongest when ruling the colonies with an iron fist. Heid had treated the colonies like children, failing to understand that they’d grown up and needed to go out on their own to thrive. Barrett and the rest of the members in the chamber believed that freedom—not limitation—strengthened humankind.
Whereas the Founders had once focused on controlling the Collective, they now had a new vision: Allow the Collective and the Alliance to manage themselves, and form a third entity focused on establishing new colonies.
As Corps General of the Collective Unified Forces, he led the military forces of both Alluvia and Myr. With the support of the Founders, he would take control of a significant portion of the CUF armada, morphing it from a peacekeeping force into an exploratory force. But the colonization fleet would be essentially dead in space without fuel from Terra, rilon from Playa, blue tea from Spate, and food from Darios…four colonies none too keen on working with anyone associated with the Collective.
It fell on Barrett’s shoulders to win them over.
Two
House Politics
Tulan Port, Playa