by Ben Hale
“I’m sorry,” Siena said.
Ravel seemed to realize she’d spoken too much, and her face returned to that of the pretty recorder. The two regarded each other for several moments, and Siena sensed a strange kinship. They were both outcasts with power. But what did she want?
“I don’t understand why you would trust me,” Siena said.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ravel asked. “I want to bring down the Empire. And I think you can help us.”
“Us?”
“You didn’t think I was the only one that hates the Empire, did you?” She smiled. “Our members are krey, dakorian, and human. We are those who want to destroy the cancer that the Empire has become, to tear down the Houses, the nobles, the military, and replace it with something that actually deserves to exist.”
“What happens to humans?”
“Slavery is abolished,” Ravel said, her gray eyes bright. “Don’t you see? You can be more than just a slave.”
Ravel’s words hit home, and Siena was excited to learn that others felt as she did. And yet even a short time in the House of Bright’Lor had taught her that few could be trusted. Ravel could be anyone, and had been using deception her entire life. Siena had no way of knowing if she spoke the truth.
“I want to believe you,” Siena said, “but I just can’t be certain.”
“You’re far too wise for one so young.”
The woman chuckled as she reached to her wrist and unclipped her holoview. With a wince, she pulled it from her arm. Then she detached a section from beneath, a short sliver of crystal hidden under the holoview. She reinserted the device back into her arm and then offered the sliver to Siena.
“This is a micro-cortex, a prototype we developed. It’s invisible on scans, even those done by the Corps or the military, but still links to the open vid network. It will let you beamcast on our encrypted network so you can communicate when you’re ready. It will also let you access the public World Gates so you can get off this planet and connect with House Bright’Lor.”
Siena hesitantly accepted the crystal. “How do I know it’s not just a tracker?”
“At some point you’ll have to trust me.”
Siena activated her coding augment and the crystal burst to life. Symbols and code flashed so small they seemed solid. Kensen might have been able to read it, but she couldn’t. Still, taking the crystal would solve her immediate problem of getting home. And yet there was one thing more pressing.
“You said you’re the Broker, right?”
“I am.”
“Then my trust has a price,” Siena said.
Ravel grinned at her bold words. “What do you want?”
“I want to get Reklin. If you can get me on a ship belonging to the Burning Ghosts, I’ll accept this.” She held up the crystal.
The woman cocked her head to the side, then shrugged. “I can’t get you to a Ghost ship, but I think I can get you to your friend.”
Resolving she could just ask Kensen to confirm what was actually in the cortex, Siena decided she had no choice. Since her energy blade was in her right arm, she placed the sliver on the inside of her left wrist. It pierced her skin and sank into her flesh. She hissed in pain as it dropped against her bone and found a home in the marrow.
“You could have warned me,” she said.
Ravel shrugged. “Better if you don’t know.”
Siena tapped the holoview, causing it to blossom over her arm. Excitement sent prickles down her arms as she realized it was completely unrestricted, meaning she had full access to the open network. She reached out to House Bright’Lor, the beamcast accepting the code Ero had given her to connect to the private network on Lumineia. Just as she did, a warning symbol appeared, signifying a secret message. She frowned and tapped it—and saw the sender.
“Reklin sent me a message,” she said, and then her eyes widened. “I need to get to Mylttium.”
“Why?”
Siena reread the message. “It seems Reklin is going to be at Dragorn’s tribunal.”
“I’ll get you there,” Ravel said, and then smiled. “And welcome to the Titans.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ero strolled out the front entrance of the primary Ranger office on Mylttium. The sun was shining, and its heat wafted across the layers of glass on a restaurant across the street. He smiled as he spotted Skorn. His brother had Worg and Teridon, as well as Kensen and Quis. The group rose from the exterior chairs and crossed to him.
“What just happened?” Skorn demanded.
Ero turned and eyed the office. “I don’t know. But Kolas ordered them to let me go.”
“But it’s only been one day since your arrest,” Skorn said. “They could have held you for four.”
“You think Siena escaped?” Kensen asked hopefully.
“Probably.” Skorn was too distracted to rebuke him. “But even without evidence, they would have held you.”
“Of course she escaped,” Ero said. “It’s Siena.”
“I can’t believe you got arrested,” Skorn hissed. “And with an augment, no less. You took too much of a risk going after the Broker.”
“Did you find out who allied with Dragorn?” Ero challenged.
“No.” Skorn ground the word out.
“Then we’re going into the tribunal blind,” Ero said.
“I suspect that’s the way Dragorn wants it,” Skorn growled.
“What about Siena?” Quis asked.
Skorn waved his hand in irritation. “If she escaped, she’s on her own.”
“She’ll make contact when she can,” Ero said to Quis and Kensen, “and you know it.”
“But it still doesn’t explain why Kolas released you,” Skorn growled.
“I’m not going to complain,” Ero said, and turned up the street. “It means I can attend the tribunal without a pair of shackles.”
They stepped off the platform and made their way into the bustling streets of the commerce planet. Millions came to Mylttium every day, mostly to shop, but also to make deals, sell products, and meet with allies. When Ero had been Primus of Kelindor, he’d been noticed and envied, but since the fall he’d gotten used to the anonymity. Apparently that was now gone.
“…that’s them,” a krey with red eyes whispered to his companion.
“…House Bright’Lor,” another said.
“…really have augmented slaves?” a third whispered.
Normally Ero would have appreciated the swirling rumors and glances cast in his and Skorn’s direction. And from the rumors, it would make the sale of augmented slaves easier. It would also make Ero and Skorn household names. But for once, he did not welcome the attention.
“I would think you’d be enjoying this,” Skorn said.
“Not this time,” Ero said.
Ero paid the fare to ride a low-altitude skimmer that would take them to the Tribunal Hall. It was faster than walking, and got them out of the crowd. The automated ship responded to Skorn’s holoview. He avoided his brother’s gaze, disliking the simmering tension.
“With the rumors of augmented slaves, the tribunal is getting a lot of attention,” Teridon said.
“They want to know if it’s true,” Ero said.
Skorn was still calculating. “Of course they do, and their own curiosity will fuel higher prices when we take our new product to market. But if we don’t figure out what Skorn is up to, we might not have a product to sell.”
Before leaving Lumineia, Skorn had made very clear they could not call the slaves augments in public. There was too high a chance they would be overheard. Bringing Kensen and Quis was a tactical risk, but a necessary one. Kensen would be able to tap into the vids in the Tribunal Hall and monitor lower frequency communications channels, such as those operated by soldiers. Quis, with his body and light augmentations, was their insurance. If things went poorly, he could be the surprise that no one expected. At just thirteen, he looked like a child, but Ero had seen him fight, and he had real talent. As sev
eral dead dakorians could testify.
Worg tapped his hammer on the edge of the skimmer as he eyed the crowd. “You think Malikin will be here?”
“He has to be,” Ero said. “He’s one of the judges on the tribunal.”
“Any word on the Kildor?” Teridon asked.
Kensen nodded. “I’m tracking a ship matching its codes that just entered orbit. If I have its trajectory right, it’s right above us.”
Ero looked up. Through the wispy clouds, small pinpricks of light dotted the heavens, the ships moving through space around the busy planet. Some were entering the planet’s atmosphere, washing their hulls in heat.
“He’s not likely to do anything at the tribunal,” Skorn said, thinking aloud. “He probably thinks Dragorn will be executed by the end of the day.”
“Unless the mysterious ally paid the Voices in secret,” Ero said.
“A possibility,” Skorn said. “But the cost alone eliminates several potential allies.”
Skorn hated being in the dark, and if there was not so much at stake, Ero would have enjoyed the spectacle. But if Dragorn’s ally had secured his release, then House Bright’Lor was about to get new ownership. Ero shuddered at the prospect of his father returning to lead their House.
The skimmer glided between two towering buildings and then passed over the waterfront before turning north. In the distance, a pyramidal structure sat on an island just off the coast. Waves crashed against its smooth white walls, and the light reflected off the diamond set at the top of the building. On each of the four sides, the slanted walls of the pyramid were recessed to an opening flanked by twin statues of robed krey. A handful of skimmers glided in and out of the openings. Their skimmer entered the southern access point.
The inside of the pyramid was open from base to peak, with seawater flowing in and out the grand entrances. The top diamond reflected light throughout the interior. Hundreds of balconies extended from the walls, each with a trio of skimmer ports. For security purposes, there were no Gates in the building, and detectors on the entrances ensured no one brought a pocket device. Each tribunal chamber was also self-contained, with no stairs or access to the others.
The skimmer glided upward into the top of the pyramid and socketed into a bay six hundred feet above the water. Ero and Skorn stepped off and were greeted by a pair of burly dakorians and a krey with a scanner.
“Step onto the holoscanner,” the krey commanded.
Ero entered a circle on the floor and a ring of holographic symbols rose up his body. Golden light coalesced around both the crystal in his wrist and the one embedded in his ear. He tensed when the holo passed over his right forearm, but it did not detect the subdermal energy blade. Then he stepped off. While Skorn was being cleared, Worg and Teridon placed their weapons in the reserved brackets, including hammer lances, energy blade daggers, seracrete daggers, and at least three hand plasma launchers.
Ero grinned as they disarmed themselves and passed over the scanners. “Don’t you think you have enough weapons?” he drawled.
Worg smirked. “Never.”
The holo brightened and began to swirl around the two dakorians, rising up their bodies. Almost immediately, the red light turned angry over Worg’s right ankle, and a dozen armed dakorians appeared.
“No weapons allowed in the tribunal chamber,” the krey snapped.
“Are you always this uptight?” Worg reached down and pulled a thin seracrete knife hidden in the bone of his ankle. “A soldier can forget how many weapons they carry, you know.”
He held the small knife aloft and then expertly flicked it into a spin that buried it in the bracket next to his hammer lance. The holo resumed without incident, but Ero noticed at least one bone that seemed out of place. It was a slightly different color, and rested at an odd angle on his thigh, where it was wedged between two other exoskeleton bones. A bone blade? Ero caught Worg’s gaze, and his eyes flicked to the secret weapon. The dakorian merely grinned as the holo passed over his head and beeped.
“The humans too,” the krey said, the sneer suggesting an ulterior motive.
“Kensen,” Ero prompted.
The human set his jaw and stepped onto the holoscanner. The krey officer tapped his holoview and the scanner changed from gold to a deep crimson before surveying Kensen’s body. The additional soldiers drifted forward, and the krey leaned in with unbridled eagerness. It gradually changed to disbelief, and then anger, when the scan reached the top of Kensen and extinguished.
“The other one,” the krey said nastily.
“You think the kid is carrying a hammer lance in his pocket?” Ero scoffed.
“It’s protocol,” the krey snarled, and shoved Quis onto the platform.
The crimson light appeared again. Kensen stood next to Ero, mumbling under his breath as he manipulated the cortex’s code. Ero exchanged a look with Skorn, and his brother smiled faintly. Ero didn’t bother to hide his delight.
“You were right,” Ero said to Skorn. “They must have altered the scan to test for an augmented genetic code.”
The usually dour Teridon rumbled a laugh. “You’ll find no augments here.”
The krey’s cheeks reddened and he abruptly extinguished the holoscanner. He pointed to the grand doors at the other end of the ledge. “Your tribunal starts soon. I suggest you prepare for the worst.”
“I always do,” Skorn said.
“Better luck next time,” Ero called.
The krey’s eyes—a distinct green, marking him a member of Malikin’s own House—narrowed at Ero and Skorn. As they walked away, Ero couldn’t stop the grin from spreading on his features, an expression matched by the frown on his brother’s face.
“Do you have to bait them?” Skorn muttered. “You practically shouted the truth in their faces.”
“Where’s the fun in winning if you can’t rub it in their faces?”
Worg grunted in amusement. “He has a point.”
“I didn’t ask,” Skorn said, and then lowered his voice to Ero. “For once in your life, can you not be you?”
“Who would you like me to be?” Ero retorted.
Kensen looked back at the glowering krey and lowered his voice. “That scanner had been modified with a class-nine genetic identifier. It could have registered either one of us.”
Ero noticed the sweat on his forehead. “We knew you had it handled.”
Kensen swallowed and glanced over his shoulder again. Ero privately wished the boy had more of Siena’s courage. The boy was undeniably intelligent, but his augmentation hadn’t come with a backbone. And he sorely needed one.
“Any luck finding Siena?” Ero asked.
Kensen shook his head, and Worg rolled his eyes. “If the girl is alive, she’s more than capable of taking care of herself.”
“Praise from a dakorian?” Quis asked, a smile on his face.
“Don’t make me eat you,” Worg said.
The boy and the dakorian grinned. Ero had seen the two training extensively over the last few months, and they’d formed a strange kindship. Quis was one of the few body augments they’d discovered, and he was too strong and fast to train with any of the other humans except Siena. Skorn had asked the dakorians to take him on, and the boy had flourished.
They passed under the giant arched doorway and entered the triangular tribunal chamber. On the opposite end of the room a long series of chairs were set high above the floor. Eleven seats for a capital crime. Most of the Emperor’s Voices had already arrived, and the red-robed group stood behind the raised bench, talking in low tones.
A single platform rose in the center of the triangular chamber, while the rest of the room was full of seats for the visitors. To Ero’s surprise, the seats were packed, with dozens of krey and dakorians in attendance. Ero recognized most of them as Dragorn’s enemies.
Belorix and Frenia, the yellow-eyed pair that headed the powerful House Kel’Ray. Drana, Head of House Zeltil’Dor, and even Rathnor, head of House Jek’Orus. There were
a smattering of others that would have been the most powerful person in the room without the Heads of Houses, and even a few black-eyed krey from the Imperial line. All regarded Ero and Skorn with everything from curiosity to outright disgust.
A handful of Rangers were in attendance, as was required for the sake of potential testifying in the hearing. Ero recognized them from his interrogations after Kelindor had been destroyed. But then he spotted an arrival he had not expected. Ero veered away from the others and dropped into a seat on the second row next to a red-haired woman with bright gray eyes.
“Ravel Aly’Ara,” he greeted, “you are as beautiful in person as you are in your eviscerating reports.”
The beautiful recorder smiled. “Did you really think I’d miss the chance to record such a momentous event? Your father is the first Head of House to be officially brought to tribunal in the history of the Empire.”
“I always said he was lucky.”
The woman laughed, the sound light and pleasant, even though it drew dozens of glares. Ero couldn’t blame them. Ravel had infiltrated all the top krey Houses and recorded corruption that led to hundreds of investigations. Those in the room had lost billions of glint because of her reports, and several had been executed for their crimes. They probably hated her as much as they did Dragorn. As Skorn and the others claimed the seats reserved for them, Ravel motioned to the tribunal.
“My sources say you don’t have the glint to influence your father’s freedom.”
“So?”
Ravel’s gray eyes sparkled with mischief and she lowered her voice. “Or has a certain House sold certain forbidden new products?”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course not,” Ravel said. “Just like you wouldn’t know anything about a recent arrest of a human girl by Captain Kolas on Xenttium.”
“Do you?” he asked.
“I know that Captain Kolas returned empty-handed—and that most of the TOR team that was sent as reinforcements disappeared. The report indicates that the TOR team was employed by an outside faction, and they are now wanted by the Rangers.”