by Rebecca Rode
“Begin,” the instructor said, her voice echoing through a speaker overhead.
The other flicker immediately attacked, but Ember wasn’t in the mood for a fight just now. She swerved the shuttle aside as she reached out to make an inner connection, but a thick shield blocked her.
She tried to reach behind it, to grip it and move it aside, but it was no use. Who was the other flicker? This person’s shield was nearly as strong as Commander Kane’s.
“Fine,” she snapped at the controls. “We’ll do this another way.”
Ember feinted toward the hull and then pulled up at the last second. She gave the other flicker’s shield another tug. It held.
The other flicker didn’t hesitate, sending a series of shots toward Ember’s wing, nearly ripping it clean off. None of it was real, of course, but it still jerked Ember out of her thoughts.
“All right,” she muttered. “Let’s have some fun.”
She began to hum. The sound began to soothe her, calming her nerves as she tried once again. This time the shield was slightly weaker. She pounded on it, then reached back and smashed into it when the shield momentarily flickered.
It was all Ember needed. She reached in, searching for the wispy future of her foe, then groaned. Eris. When had she arrived?
A quick comb of Eris’s memories held the answer. Eris had been knocked out by her attacker, failing phase three. But her rich parents had stepped in and saved her, insisting the test was rigged against her because she was from a higher family. The officers had eventually relented and, in an effort to calm her parents, sent her to accelerated training here. She had just arrived this morning.
Eris seemed to sense that Ember’s attention was elsewhere because she diverted all power to her weapons and began her final attack. Ember tried to weave and shoot back, but it was too late. The other wing went out immediately, followed by the rear, where her power core was situated. Her ship blew up in an instant. An angry beeping sounded from the controls beneath Ember’s hands.
“You lose, gypsy,” the instructor said from overhead. “Eris, nice work. I can tell you’ve been practicing.”
By the time Ember emerged, Eris had already joined the group, grinning and seeming to enjoy the pats on the back.
“Never look at your opponent’s past,” the instructor snapped at Ember. “Never. It will only distract you. Always look to the future and stay there.”
“Right,” Ember said, frowning. Did Stefan know Eris was here? Ember brushed her cheek where Stefan had touched her, then let her hand drop.
It didn’t matter, because Stefan wasn’t hers.
“Gypsy,” the instructor said. “Here’s your consolation question. Name three basic defensive maneuvers.”
“For which ship?”
Her mouth twitched. “A freighter.”
The rest of the class laughed. Ember resisted the urge to roll her eyes. A freighter had no chance in a battle. It was ridiculous to waste time on such things. “Most freighters have thrusters on three sides, so it’s easy for them to move forward and backward. When faced with the enemy, they’ll usually try putting distance between them. Or if they have the mass advantage, they’ll thrust forward and collide with the offending ship on the ramming side. The third maneuver is usually dangerous because of the weight-distribution issue. Freighters carry their cargo in the back, with passengers and pilots positioned near the front. The rear thrusters can rotate downward and quickly propel the craft upward at a forty-five-degree angle, exposing the shielded side to the enemy and forcing them to move backward to prevent a collision.”
“I didn’t ask you to describe them. I asked what they are called.”
Ember opened her mouth, then shut it again. She couldn’t remember the terms.
“We’ve gone over this several times, gypsy.”
“Point, Shield, and the Felding Loop, ma’am,” Eris called out.
“Very good, Eris.” The instructor gave Ember a pointed look. Irritation welled up inside Ember, but she bit her lip to keep from snapping back. Everyone else in the room was called by their name, not race. Why was she any different? And she’d answered the question in far greater detail than Eris. This type of thing was exactly why she’d quit school at age twelve.
“Cutter and Zain, you’re up next.”
When the class finally ended, Ember was first out the door, feeling her cheeks continue to heat up. Her guard strode behind her like a shadow as she headed to her next class. She was almost tempted to skip dinner and go straight to her quarters just so she could punch the life out of her pillow.
Someone grabbed her arm, pulling her to a halt in the crowded hallway. She yanked her arm free before realizing who it was. A guard, a woman with extremely short black hair.
“Amai?” Ember asked cautiously. The woman’s hair was a different color, and she looked more somber than Ember remembered.
“I distracted your guard, but he’ll find you eventually. We need to talk.” She grabbed Ember’s arm again and pulled her along behind her.
Ember yanked her arm free for the second time. “Well? Have you found Dai?”
“Yes.” She strode down the corridor, forcing Ember to trot in order to catch up.
“Wait. You found him? Is he alive?”
“It’s not safe to talk here. Follow me.” Amai crossed the corridor and entered a set of doors labeled “Locker Room.” The room was full of benches and metal doors built into the walls. Several people in various stages of undress glared at them as they walked past. Both men and women seemed to be using this room. Ember shivered at the thought.
Amai brought her all the way to the back, then opened a huge door and shoved Ember in. A wall of heat slammed into Ember, and she choked.
“The steam room,” Amai explained. She motioned to where a small black hole in the ceiling glared back at them. “There’s still a camera, but the steam did a number on it. Hasn’t functioned in years. They just pretend it still works.”
The heat was heavy on Ember’s lungs. “Tell me he’s still alive. Please.”
“He’s alive. Mostly. Although we’re still trying to get your friend out. She’s a little tougher since there’s other family involved.”
Relief and fear warred inside Ember. Dai was all right. There was still a chance. “Did you transport him to a hospital?”
“Of course not. The Empire swarms those kinds of places. But we aren’t cavemen, you know. We have medics looking after him, and he’s safe for now. It’s just that we can’t figure out what his illness is.”
“Why not?”
Amai snorted. “Do you realize how hard it is to keep up on every illness for every species on every planet? And we don’t have access to the Empire’s mainframe right now. Anyway, we’re doing what we can. He keeps asking for you when he’s awake, which isn’t often.”
That was him, all right. Ember wiped her forehead with one arm, tempted to remove her jacket. She was already bathed in sweat. “And what did you tell him?”
“That I was coming to bring you back. It’s a little sooner than planned, but we’ve gotten word that this ship is mobilizing. We figured this would be a good time to send it to kingdom come.”
A chill settled over Ember. “You’re going to destroy the ship.”
“No other way to get you out. It’s not like we can waltz into the cargo bay and demand a shuttle. Your escape will require a huge distraction, and what better way than a series of system failures followed by a big explosion?”
“No,” Ember said, shaking her head firmly. “Absolutely not. I will not agree to that. There are thousands of people on this ship.”
“Thousands of soldiers, which means they’re people who are trained and ready to kill innocents. And this isn’t up for negotiation.”
The other flickers, the workers. Commander Kane. Stefan. The medic who bandaged her up after classes. Her defensive-strategy instructor. The chefs who prepared her food, the soldiers who trained for war, her personal guard.
> They would all die. It would be a major victory for the Union but at a terrible cost—and she would live her entire life knowing she could have stopped it. Was the Union really the more honorable side? Because from what she was seeing, it wasn’t much different from the Empire. “I refuse to cooperate.”
Amai sat forward, her dark eyes glittering dangerously. “Excuse me?”
“I’m not going if that’s the plan.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Amai snorted. “Tonight’s fireworks have taken months to prepare. I have sixteen people working with me on it, plus the escape pilots. I had to pay that couple a ridiculous amount of money to take the risk.”
Ember paused. “Months? But I thought you set all this up to get me out.”
“Fine, I’ve been stationed here for a long time. It was lucky they sent you here, that’s all. But none of that matters. You wanted to get back to your dad, and we’re making that happen. We’ll handle all the details.”
Amai’s answer was too quick. A feeling of dread began to swell inside of Ember. Something wasn’t quite right.
Ember gritted her teeth. What choice did she have? Nobody else was offering her a way off the ship. The Union had Dai. That was all she needed to know. If she could get Dai and escape the Union somehow, they could be free of this war forever.
But.
She held thousands of lives in her hands right now. How could she exchange them for a trip to Earth? How did that make her any less evil than Commander Kane or the emperor? Where would it all end?
Stefan’s face came to her mind. The way he’d examined her, reading her in a way that had nothing to do with light. The warmth in his eyes. She couldn’t do it. No matter what his future held, she could never place him in the Union’s hands. To them, he was just another dangerous flicker who needed to be destroyed.
What is he to you, Ember?
Amai sat back. “You’re blushing now. There’s a man, isn’t there?”
Ember ignored the comment. “There has to be another way. Something more humane. Something that won’t result in such catastrophic loss.”
“Catastrophic loss? We’re in the middle of a war here. If this ship is mobilizing, that means they’ve found our latest hidden base and they’re going to destroy it, along with tens of thousands of innocent people. Now that’s catastrophic loss.” Amai got right in Ember’s face. “We had a deal, and I’ve fulfilled my end of it. Now you get to fulfill yours.”
“I am,” Ember found herself saying. “I’ll take the ship down myself.”
Amai took a step backward, eyeing Ember suspiciously. “You’ll do what?”
“Let me stay a little longer. I’ll gather intelligence and try to prevent as many Union deaths as possible. If the ship gets too close, I’ll shut it down my way.” Her throat was dry, and sweat dripped down her forehead. Her insides felt like they were being baked. She couldn’t wait to get out of this stiflingly hot room.
Amai’s face was expressionless. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
Ember had no clue how to disable a ship, particularly one so large and heavily monitored. But she needed time. Desperately. “You’ll just have to trust me. Tell the Union to prepare a shuttle for me when we arrive at the battle site. I’ll wreak havoc here and disarm the ship so you can take your prisoners, then we’ll be off.”
Amai studied her for a long moment. “The Daughter isn’t going to like this. I should hit you over the head right now and drag you out.”
“Except you know I’d never help you that way. It’s got to be on my terms.”
“So it seems.” Amai gave a heavy sigh. “But I’m keeping my team on call. If you fail, the ship goes up, and you with it.”
“I won’t fail. I swear it.” She paused. “And tell my father I’ll see him soon.”
22
Ember woke to pounding on the wall outside her door. “Get up, gypsy,” her guard called out. “You’ve been ordered to Commander Kane’s office.”
Before she knew what had happened, she was outside the commander’s office door, bleary-eyed and confused. The guard ushered her in and closed the door behind her.
Kane didn’t look tired at all. In fact, he looked almost giddy. His hair was gelled flat to his head, his uniform even more pristine than usual. He paced the floor with an uncharacteristic nervousness.
“There you are,” he snapped. “Get into position.”
“Sir?”
“By the window.”
She made her way over and gasped. A small convoy of ships sat outside. No, a cluster of smaller Empire patrollers with a single passenger transport between them. They’d captured a ship during the night. It looked like a typical Empire shuttle, the type Ember had seen transporting tourists on Earth. It had no other distinguishing features.
She pressed her hands against the glass, immediately scanning the ship. Two passengers—a young couple.
Amai’s words from last night came back. I have sixteen people working with me, plus the escape pilots. I had to pay that couple a ridiculous amount of money to take the risk.
With a sick feeling, Ember plunged into the woman’s light. Then she pulled out, stunned.
It was them. These were the people charged with helping her escape.
They’d come to get her as planned, but she hadn’t shown up. The couple had waited too long and gotten caught as she’d snoozed away in her bed. Amai hadn’t been able to stop it. Or maybe she just hadn’t bothered to try.
Now they sat in the cockpit, quietly discussing their options, hiding the terror they felt inside.
This was her fault.
She turned to the commander, trying desperately to smooth her face. “You need me to read them, sir?”
“My flicker team has already retrieved any intelligence of worth. The emperor is ready for his demonstration, gypsy girl. He wants to see what our proud flare is capable of. I trust Talon’s training is now sufficient to the task.”
Stars. The commander had chosen tonight for his demonstration, of all nights. He was going to make her kill the couple who had been hired to save her. Her stomach twisted so sharply she wondered if she could keep her dinner down. She took a step backward and ran into the window, the cold penetrating her back.
Something beeped on the commander’s desk screen, and he suddenly looked nervous. “Stay against the window. You are not worthy to see his face.” Then he hit the button and bowed, his voice sickeningly sweet. “Your Eminence. What a pleasure this is. How wonderful to see you looking so well.”
“And you, Commander,” a frail voice said. The emperor himself. Ember longed to look over Kane’s shoulder and catch a glimpse of the man who ruled the universe. His voice sounded surprisingly human, with an edge of pain. Much like her father did on his bad days. “Is my flare ready for action?”
“She is, High One. My men are hacking into the intruder ship’s security feed now.”
The window behind Ember buzzed and cackled with static electricity. She stumbled away to find its surface had changed. The glass shimmered, then changed to show a man and woman sitting in the cockpit of a cramped ship. They were even younger than Ember had realized, perhaps in their early twenties.
“The signal should reach you in a few seconds, Your Eminence.”
“I see them. Proceed.”
Kane turned to Ember, his voice strangely tight. “Take them out, flare. The woman first.”
The man reached for his wife and pulled her closer to him. She was trembling as she stared out the window at the massive Empire carrier looming above them. Did she know? They couldn’t hear or see the Empire ship’s deliberations, but they must have had a sense of what was about to happen.
Ember bit her lip to keep herself from crying out. She couldn’t do this. Not when that couple was here for her. It should have been her on the other side of that screen. She was the one who deserved to die.
Kane tapped the trigger, sending a zap down Ember’s spine. She gasped but managed to remain on her fee
t. Before she had time to think about it, she reached easily into the woman’s soul, feeling the warmth of the light within. The woman on the screen flinched as if she felt Ember’s touch. Maybe she did.
“Remember my warning,” Kane murmured. “My soldiers await instructions on Earth. I’ll have them start with the young ones. That girl from last time, perhaps.”
Ember shuffled through the woman’s memories before she could stop herself. Lillya, orphaned by a bloody Empire battle on Carene Two. She’d married her best friend and joined the Union just months before. The money from this job was supposed to buy them a new home.
Kane stepped closer, his mouth tight. She knew what his next words would be.
It was simple for everyone else. Two enemy soldiers, complete strangers, versus a child Ember had watched grow up from infancy. Anyone in their right mind would choose the child. But they didn’t understand that Ember could see so much more than that. She became those she touched. For one brief moment there was no separation. And she pulled out just a little bit changed. The person she had just read was no longer a stranger.
Although, Talon had said her resistance wasn’t saving anyone, that Kane would just kill his victims another way. Surely that was true in this case as well. If Ember failed to murder them, the fighters would just fire on the ship. Either way the couple wouldn’t make it out alive. She knew it was true.
Why had the stars given her this curse? Why couldn’t she live her life innocently, not holding any lives in her hands but her own?
Kane motioned to the soldier at the door. “Tell Captain Wymore on Earth to initiate.”
“No,” Ember said quickly. Her throat was so tight she could barely say the words. “I’ll do it.”
Ember forced her eyes to stay open as she grasped the woman’s light. Ember would watch this. She owed the poor woman that much.
The couple stared into the camera, stiff and waiting, as if sensing what was about to happen.
Stars, I’m sorry.
