Aurora Blazing

by Jessie Mihalik

  I vowed not to make that mistake.

  “You have an interesting way of showing you care,” Ian said. Even knowing what he was up to, it was good that he was currently on the ground or I might be tempted to throttle him.

  “You don’t have to track me. You can keep looking for Ferdinand while I do the same.”

  “You think Lord von Hasenberg is just going to let you gallivant across the universe when it’s being implied that you’re a traitor? You don’t know your father very well.”

  Actually, I knew Albrecht von Hasenberg better than nearly anyone. He’d want to keep me close to save face, sure, but also because he knew I was the best intelligence officer in the House. He didn’t know about my network, but he knew that I could find information no one else could, an invaluable skill to a House with secrets to hide and arms to twist.

  And also because he knew I had a trove of information that would likely cripple the Consortium if it got out—which it would if I died and couldn’t reset the auto-release timer.

  “Just because you tell Father you’re searching for me doesn’t mean you have to actually search for me. I’m tracking down a lead on Ferdinand. Once I find my brother, I’ll return.”

  “Bianca, I can’t protect you if you run,” he said, his expression taut and urgent. “Return and give me the lead. We’ll find Ferdinand faster if we work together.”

  “I can take care of myself, and I refuse to be a prisoner in my own house. Instead of hunting me, you should figure out why someone would want to frame me as a traitor. Perhaps they have useful information.”

  “I already have a team on it. I don’t need you to tell me how to run an investigation,” he said stiffly.

  I almost slipped up and let him know that his heavy-handed raid had scattered one of the best sources of information in HIVE. I clamped my lips on the words at the last second. He didn’t know I was Fenix and I preferred keeping it that way.

  “In that case, it seems we’re at an impasse. If you agree not to search for me, I’ll send you any information I find that I won’t have time to investigate.”

  “Albrecht has already demanded your capture. It’s the same priority as the search for Ferdinand. I don’t have a choice.”

  “There’s always a choice,” I murmured.

  “Not this time.” His voice was flinty.

  “I am not returning until I find Ferdinand, so if you want to find me, find him.” With that, I ended the connection.

  My head pulsed in time with my heart and my blood pressure felt dangerously high. Of all the frustrating men in the world, I had to have Ian Bishop dogging my steps. I groaned. If I’d learned anything during Ada’s time on the run, it was that Ian never gave up. Maybe I’d get lucky and he’d send a team after me, rather than coming himself. And maybe pigs would fly.

  At least I wouldn’t have to worry about the RCDF. Neither Father nor Ian would want to air our dirty laundry in front of the enforcers of the Consortium. House von Hasenberg would handle my retrieval on its own, which meant that I’d escaped, for now, because the House didn’t have anything in orbit capable of capturing Aurora.

  I headed upstairs to the flight deck. Aurora was a relatively small ship with just four levels. The flight deck, captain’s quarters, and guest suite were on the top level. Because it was my personal ship, I’d reconfigured the standard layout. Instead of crew quarters, level two held the mess hall and medbay. The crew quarters were moved to level three, and level four included the exercise room and maintenance access.

  The cargo bay was at the aft of the ship and spanned two stories from level four up to level three. Right now, it was nearly empty. The ship was kept stocked with essentials, but I’d need supplies if I planned to track down Ferdinand.

  And I knew just who to contact for the kind of supplies I needed.

  When my sister Ada had been banished from Earth, she relocated to Sedition on Alpha Phoenicis Dwarf Zero. APD Zero was a planet-wide black market, and Sedition was its largest city. It was also the first place Ian would look for me, so I couldn’t go there directly.

  But Ada was also friends with Rhys Sebastian, a well-known smuggler, and Veronica Karim, a former fence. Between the three of them, they could get me anything I needed, no matter how rare or illegal, and Rhys had the ships required to meet me anywhere in known space.

  So where could I go that would be convenient for Ada but unlikely to be the first place Ian would look?

  I pondered the question as I entered the flight deck. In the center of the room, the captain’s chair stood in front of a half-circle console made of sleek glass. The tactical and navigation stations flanked the captain’s chair on the left and right, respectively. I’d kept them more for tradition than need; I could control the entire ship from my console.

  I slipped into my chair and logged in. The window shutters were closed for launch, but the video screens showed Earth falling away and the darkness of space opening up in front of the ship.

  Thanks to its excellent computers, Aurora was capable of jumping nearly three thousand light-years at a time on its own, but getting far enough away that Ian couldn’t track me down in a matter of hours would require the help of a gate. Gates were giant supercomputers that could plot safe jump points millions of light-years away.

  Gates usually operated in sets of two or more. The second gate wasn’t required, but if you jumped into deep space with no gate to calculate your return trip, then you’d have to risk jumping back using bad data. No one would voluntarily jump with bad data if it could be avoided.

  I owned a small hotel in Atlantia, the fifth-largest city on the popular resort planet of Gamma Carinae Dwarf One. I’d purchased the property through a series of subsidiary and shell companies. The paper trail was so convoluted that it was highly unlikely anyone could ever link the building back to me. GCD One had a nearby gate and a constant stream of traffic—two more ships wouldn’t even register.

  I plotted a course for Atlantia and routed it through two gates, just in case Ian managed to talk the RCDF into giving him my first jump coordinates. It added a six-hour cooldown for the FTL drive, but it would take Ada time to gather supplies anyway.

  Earth’s gate was one of the fastest available, so although I was forty-ninth in the queue, my estimated wait time was only five minutes. I dashed off a quick message to Ada while I waited and encrypted it with our shared secret key: pegasaurus. We’d made up the creature as children then promptly forgotten about it until we had needed a secure, hard to guess but easy to remember key.

  It was very early morning on APD Zero. I felt a little bad about flagging the message as an emergency because it would cause a ridiculous alarm on her end, but this was technically an emergency. Ada could catch up on her beauty sleep later.

  Aurora chimed as the ship got a jump point from the gate. A few seconds later, the sound of the engine changed as the FTL drive engaged. The screen flickered as the ship switched to auxiliary power, then the engine noise reached a peak and fell silent.

  The window shutters retracted. I’d chosen a gate outside a busy space station, but you’d never know it from looking. Even at just fifteen minutes away, the station was a faint light against the inky darkness of deep space. I’d like to visit but that was asking for trouble. If Ian followed me, he would assume the station was my final destination. It was safer for me to stay on Aurora and wait out the FTL cooldown, even if sitting on my hands for six hours felt like an eternity.

  The main engine restarted and I directed the ship away from the pull of the lights. Aurora automatically tracked and avoided the dozens of ships around us. Without a nearby star, visual reconnaissance was worthless. There was, however, a neighboring asteroid field brimming with valuable resources for those brave enough to mine them—hence the station.

  The proximity to the gate meant that communication was nearly as fast as on Earth. Ada’s message, when it arrived, came with a truly astonishing number of expletives. Ian wasn’t her favorite person to begin wit
h and he wasn’t winning any more points with this latest stunt. Neither was Father.

  She promised to get the supplies I needed and meet me on GCD One in a few hours. Now that I had more time, I sent her the coordinates and access codes she’d need in case she got there first. I also added a few things to my supplies list. I didn’t know what I’d be facing, so better to be overprepared than underprepared. Though, knowing Ada, she’d show up with an armory in tow. The real trick would be convincing her to remain behind while I went in search of Silva.

  Perhaps what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

  Chapter 7

  I’d spent six hours looking for information on the Syndicate with little success. There were persistent rumors of an upcoming event, but no one had any details to share. The Syndicate’s anything-goes events had taken on near-mythical status. They were one night only and the Silva family usually waited until the very last minute to announce a location. The secrecy prevented any undesirables, like the RCDF, from showing up and ruining the atmosphere.

  The event could be tomorrow or in two months and only one of those worked for me. For now, I would have to assume it was too far in the future and keep searching for information on their current location.

  Aurora chimed a one-minute jump warning. The FTL drive was ready and the gate had provided our next jump coordinates. There had been no sign of Ian, but I had received a blistering message from Father ordering me home in no uncertain terms. My response had been a single sentence: I will return once I find Ferdinand.

  Staying ahead of Ian when I wasn’t home to monitor his progress would be a challenge. I would have to keep my head down because I didn’t believe for a second that he’d actually stop looking for me, no matter how much sense it made. Ian was tenacious, and I’d made him look incompetent. He’d come after me with a vengeance.

  The jump to GCD One was uneventful. The window shutters didn’t retract since we’d be entering the atmosphere soon, but on the vid screens the planet sparkled, sapphire, under the blue-white light of GCD.

  The main engine restarted and Aurora continued on course to Atlantia. My hotel had a private hangar for the penthouse residence, which was one of the reasons I’d bought it. In the last few years I’d sent more than one woman there who had needed an escape, whether temporary or permanent, but it was currently unoccupied.

  GCD One was known for its beautiful pink sand beaches and clear turquoise water. The mild light of GCD rarely caused sunburns, allowing visitors to spend more time outside. And the days were longer than Universal Standard Time, the time used on Earth, so time seemed to pass more slowly. The local calendar had only six days in a week, and the tourist board had run a very successful ad campaign about their lack of Mondays.

  Atlantia was nestled in a protected cove between a nature preserve and the sea. Many of the wealthy tourists skipped it because of the lack of high-end shopping and dining. I enjoyed the peace and quiet, plus if Consortium types avoided the area, then both I and the women I sent here were less likely to be recognized. Win-win.

  “Beginning atmospheric entry,” Aurora announced.

  The ship picked up a subtle vibration as we descended. The compensators muted the worst of the turbulence but they couldn’t completely eliminate all of the signs that the ship was essentially slamming into the thickening atmosphere.

  Aurora descended until I could see the shape of the city. In the far distance, the buildings of Perousa reached for the sky. GCD One’s largest city housed over a million full-time residents and nearly as many tourists in the peak season.

  Some of my anxiety bled away. Atlantia had always been a sanctuary for me. I didn’t visit often, but no bad memories lingered here. Only sun and sea and peace.

  On the ground, an unfamiliar ship that could’ve been Aurora’s twin sat in the hangar’s second berth. It was in excellent condition. The cargo ramp was down, but the door was closed. No one was visible.

  I called Ada’s com voice-only. Her contact information showed on my smart glasses along with the connection status. I was 90 percent sure it was her ship, or at least one she’d borrowed, but there was no sense in walking into a trap if it wasn’t.

  Ada picked up on the second ring. “Are you here?”

  “I’m here,” I confirmed. “Is this your ship in my hangar?”

  “Jester belongs to Rhys. Captain Hargrove was kind enough to give us a lift,” Ada said, a strange inflection in her voice.

  “Should I bail?”

  “What? No!” She laughed and lowered her voice. “Scarlett Hargrove and I don’t see eye to eye, that’s all. You’ll understand when you meet her. She’s on the ship if you need them to move or something.”

  “No, the ship is fine where it is. I’ll see you in a few minutes. Are you in the penthouse?”

  “Yes. I brought Marcus, Rhys, and Veronica. We’re admiring the view and raiding your kitchen. I think Veronica has Rhys fixing brunch. Brace yourself.”

  I laughed and disconnected the call. We were on opposite time schedules but brunch for dinner sounded lovely. Mostly I was just happy I’d get to spend a few hours with Ada, though I’d need to sneak in some sleep or I would be worthless tomorrow.

  I’d never met Veronica in person, but I had worked online with her and Rhys when we were trying to dig up information on the Genesis Project. The Genesis Project was a secret Consortium genetic manipulation experiment that had attempted to turn Ada’s soul mate, Marcus Loch, into a supersoldier.

  The Consortium scientists had been far more successful than they ever could have hoped, right up until the point when Loch had decided to go rogue during the Fornax Rebellion. The Consortium claimed the rest of Loch’s squad had died during the mission, but my brief research hinted otherwise. Both Ada and Loch had refused to answer any of my carefully worded fishing attempts, so all I had was guesswork and conjecture.

  I unclipped from my seat and exited Aurora. I double-checked that the cargo bay door was closed and locked. I didn’t need anyone poking around in my ship while I wasn’t here.

  The penthouse had a private elevator with an entrance right off the hangar. I swiped my identity chip over the panel and the light turned green. Nerves fluttered in my belly as the elevator ascended. The last time I’d seen Ada she had been leaving Earth because Father had banished her. Now I appeared to be following in her footsteps, though I hadn’t been officially banished—yet.

  The elevator opened directly into the foyer. White marble floors anchored pale blue walls. An entry table held a vase with a bouquet of fresh, colorful flowers. They added a floral note to the scent of warm baked dough floating through the air.

  The living room had the same dark, delicate furniture I had in my suite at home, but the real draw was the view. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the balcony, and beyond that were nothing but clear blue water and deep blue skies.

  From here, the penthouse felt like it was the only thing for kilometers. Even the number of wireless signals was bearable thanks to some light shielding. My head still throbbed from earlier, but it wasn’t getting any worse. Thank goodness for small miracles.

  Ada and Loch were on the balcony, leaning against the railing and looking over the sea. Ada’s dark hair was tousled from the wind and she had on a pair of black pants and a bright coral shirt. She was smiling up at Loch, who had planted himself beside her. He sported his usual shaved head, dark clothes, and don’t-fuck-with-me look, but as I watched, his serious expression broke. He grinned at Ada as she dissolved into laughter.

  I moved farther into the room and Loch glanced at me through the open balcony door. He nudged Ada and she spun around. “Bianca!” She hurried inside and pulled me into a hug. “Are you okay?”

  “After you left, the neighborhood went to shit,” I teased, “but I’m fine. I can’t stay long. Director Bishop is searching for me, and I have to find Ferdinand before he catches up to me.”

  “Do you have any leads?”

  “A few.”

  When I
didn’t elaborate, Ada rolled her eyes and sighed. “Did you think I would accept that as an answer?”

  “It was worth a shot,” I said.

  “Let’s see if Rhys has destroyed the kitchen yet and then you can tell us what you know.”

  Despite the fact that the penthouse was equipped with a very nice food synthesizer, the kitchen was also kept stocked with essentials even when I wasn’t here. I never knew when someone might need a place to stay, and cooking was far more soothing than punching a button. Unused supplies were rotated out to a local food bank before their expirations.

  Rhys and Veronica were putting this week’s supplies to use. Rhys Sebastian must’ve started the day perfectly turned out in a navy suit, but he’d taken off the jacket and rolled his sleeves to the elbow. He was carefully stirring something in a large bowl. Rhys was classically handsome with tan skin, close-cropped blond hair, and light eyes.

  Next to Rhys, Veronica Karim was supervising his work. Tall and slender, with warm brown skin and long black hair, she was beautiful. If she and Rhys ever decided to have a baby, the universe would probably implode from the cuteness overload. She had on loose charcoal pants and a deep violet blouse. She caught sight of us first.

  “Lady Bianca, I hope you don’t mind that we’re using your kitchen,” she said with a smile. Her voice was low and melodious.

  “That depends. Do I get to sample whatever you’re making?”

  She laughed. “Of course.”

  “In that case, carry on. And it’s just Bianca.”

  Ada held out an arm toward Rhys and Veronica. “Bianca, meet Rhys and Veronica. I know you’ve worked together before but I don’t think you’ve met in person.”

  “It’s lovely to finally meet you,” Veronica said.

  “Likewise,” I said.

  “Sorry, I would greet you properly but if I mess up this strawberry whipped cream I’m afraid Veronica won’t let me have any of the shortcake she made, and her food is not to be missed,” Rhys said with a charming grin.