by Bianca D'Arc
“I am no longer a commander, Mr. Rilet. Please call me Jana,” she said tiredly. It had been one hell of a day, and it wasn’t even noon yet. “I’m glad you’ve survived life in the collective, regardless of whether or not I remember you. To be truthful, much of my time in the collective is a blank to me. I don’t remember most of the people I once knew and served with. I am sorry.”
“Do not be sorry, Lady. We Plectarans remember for you, as was prophesied.” An older man stepped forward from out of the greenery on the western side of the gate and came forward. He knelt on one knee when he was about three feet from her, much to her surprise.
Rilet knelt, too. And, one by one, the rest of the platoon came out of hiding and joined them, kneeling before her. Jana wasn’t sure what to do.
They were all looking up at her with various expressions of awe on their faces, and it made her distinctly uncomfortable. Then, she recalled the older soldier’s words.
“There’s a prophecy about me?”
“Aye,” said the old soldier, standing and facing her with his hands held respectfully clasped in front of him in a show of peace. “You, who were the savior of our entire solar system. You, who survived the crystal shards.” Jana’s hand went reflexively to the crystals in her face. All the men followed her actions. “You are the Star Killer. The savior of Plectar and of all the worlds swallowed whole by the collective.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Jana objected, just on principle.
The old soldier smiled and shook his head. “It is already done, Lady. The wheels of fortune have been set in motion, and you are already playing your part, though you may not realize it. We, of Plectar, will aid you on your way. The information you carry is vital to the fulfillment of the prophecy, and we are pledged to do all in our power to help it come to pass.”
Darak picked that moment to step through the doorway of the tower chamber. Jana was relieved to see he had left the pod behind. No doubt he’d sensed what was going on and took the precaution of leaving Kol in his pod, hidden inside.
She really should’ve ‘pathed him, but she didn’t know what to say. This situation was way too strange to be able to explain quickly.
“Hello, friends,” Darak said in a jovial voice. “Can we help you?”
The old soldier smiled and shook his head at Darak. “You have already helped us, StarLord. Now, I think, it is time for you and your lady to be on your way.”
“Are you part of Kol’s protective detail?” Jana asked, knowing she couldn’t let these men leave—which amazingly, they seemed prepared to do—without warning them.
“We are, and we’ve already taken precautions. We’ll take no blame for what transpired today, though our leader will. It is no loss. Our current platoon leader is one who truly enjoys his work, in the worst possible way. He volunteered to join his mind to the collective and has been licking Kol’s boots as he climbs the ladder. He is Kol’s protégée in all things.” The old soldier grimaced. “He will not be missed.”
“Then, you know what happened?” Jana had to ask.
The old soldier nodded solemnly. “It was foretold.”
The rest of the platoon got to their feet and headed toward the gate at the old man’s nod. He lingered to talk with her a moment more.
“We will not soon forget this day, Lady. We honor your sacrifice and your courage. You will always have a place on Plectar, if you wish it.”
Jana was taken aback. Plectar was famous for its warriors—and for its history of being off limits to casual visitors and immigrants. It was a mostly closed society that didn’t really welcome outsiders. For her to be invited there was a very big deal, indeed.
“I am honored,” she said with all due gravity. “Please, tell me, Sergeant, what is your name?” She had read his rank from his insignia, but his name was nowhere on his uniform. Collective soldiers were numbers and ranks, not individuals.
“I am Balthazar of the White Rock Clan,” he said, bowing his head slightly, though he didn’t break eye contact. “Rilet is my nephew. Every member of our platoon is from White Rock, and we are all honored to have been the ones to whom fell the task of helping fulfill the prophecy. It brings great honor to ourselves and our Clan.”
“Please tell me you truly won’t pay for this?” Jana asked worriedly. “We can find room for you, if you need safe passage away from here.” She looked at Darak, and he nodded.
“There’s no need for you to die today, men,” Darak said in a strong voice, backing her up. “We’ll take you with us.”
But Balthazar held up one hand, palm outward. “Your offer does you great credit, StarLord, and will not be forgotten, but we are safe. All has been foretold. But you two need to get out of here, soon, if you’re going to carry out the rest of your part of the prophecy. Do not delay. We will guard the entrance, but we cannot stay for much longer. Ten minutes is all I can promise you, Lady.”
“It will be enough,” Jana said, making a snap decision. She stepped forward to take Balthazar’s hand when he would have turned to leave. She looked up into his blue-violet eyes and felt the power of his hand in hers as she offered him a handshake—the sign of respect among soldiers. “Thank you, Balthazar of the White Rock Clan. I may not remember everything from my past, but I will never forget you.”
Daring greatly, she reached up and kissed the old soldier on the cheek. His grin lit up his face as he let go of her hand and turned to rejoin his men. Jana and Darak had found an unexpected ally in the Plectarans. Now, it was up to them to use the next ten minutes wisely and get as far away from Mithrak as fast as the Circe could take them.
Darak ran back inside and returned with the stasis pod on its sled, then hit the communicator. Jana sent the horses off with a slap to each of their rumps, and her good thoughts in their minds. They cleared the courtyard about thirty seconds before Agnor locked on to her, Darak, and Kol’s stasis pod.
The next thing she knew, she was on board the Circe, and Agnor was already breaking orbit. Darak went straight to his captain’s chair while Kol’s pod had been transferred directly to a storage hold. Jana was a bit dazed by all that had happened, but she got her bearings quickly and took her usual seat at the console off to one side.
It would take some time for her to process everything that had gone on down on the surface of Mithrak, but it looked like they had made a clean getaway. She only hoped Balthazar’s prophecy was correct, and he and his men would be safe from repercussions when it was discovered that Kol was nowhere to be found.
She assumed the other puppet masters might eventually send troops to investigate his disappearance from the collective. But then again, they were probably used to Kol being absent for extended periods. For one thing, from all he’d said and what she’d learned from his mind in those last moments, he was the only one besides the grand master who knew the location of Ipson, the crystal planet.
He dropped out of the collective routinely, when he did his runs to Ipson to pick up loads of crystal or oversee the operations there. He also liked to drop out of the collective when he wanted to play his twisted sexual games—like the ones he’d perpetrated on her. She was disgusted to realize that she hadn’t been his only victim; though, for a while there, she was apparently his favorite.
Jana did her best to put aside the disturbing thoughts as the Circe was put through her paces, racing at top speed back toward Council space. For Jana, they couldn’t reach Geneth Mar soon enough. She wanted to get rid of Kol’s information and pass it along to those who wouldn’t feel so soiled by going through his data.
Having been brutalized by Kol, Jana took no pleasure in examining his thoughts or data. She just wanted to forget it all and move on with her life.
She knew she would have to talk to the mind healer again when she got back, but she was ready. She was ready to move forward and discover whatever would come next on her journey.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Circe’s top-of-the-line engines were straining, but it didn’t
take too long to get away from Mithrak and back into Council space. Darak stayed on the bridge throughout, knowing that the information they’d obtained was too important to not give their escape his full attention.
As soon as Agnor was free, Darak asked him to send a priority message via telepathy—untraceable and impossible to intercept—to Darak’s uncle, Vizier Brandon. Darak took a few minutes to compose the message he wanted to Agnor to send and then sent it to Ag’s console. Darak saw Agnor read it, then sit up straight as if he’d received an electrical shock. Agnor then turned wide eyes on Darak, a million questions in his astute gaze as he looked from Darak to Jana and back again. Darak only nodded.
“Send the message, Ag,” Darak ‘pathed privately to his friend and first officer. “I don’t want to talk about it yet in front of Jana. She’s been through a hell of a lot, and I don’t want to add any pressure just now. I’ll tell you what I can as we fill in Uncle Brandon.”
What followed was a solid hour of Agnor acting as telepathic go-between for Darak with his uncle back on Geneth Mar.
Darak told his uncle everything he’d learned about Ipson and the structure of the collective, but knew he didn’t know half the story. Jana would have to be debriefed in detail, but he would put that off until they returned to Geneth Mar. She would need time to come to terms with everything that happened, and Darak would do all in his power to give it to her.
Toward the end of his conversation with Vizier Brandon through Agnor, Jana seemed to sit up and finally take notice of things on the bridge. She sent Agnor a suspicious look, probably noting his glazed-over eyes, which indicated a deep ‘path.
Jana turned her astute gaze on Darak, and he caught his breath at her beauty once again. She was still wearing the ragged clothing of Mithrak, and smudge of dirt graced her left cheek, but she had never been lovelier to him.
She sent him a message through his console, apparently wanting to keep her questions private.
Is Agnor ‘pathing the Council? she asked via a text message. He simply looked at her and nodded. She turned back to her console and spent a moment composing a new message, then sent it to him. It contained a set of coordinates.
He sent back a one-word query. Ipson?
This time, Jana nodded.
Darak wasted no time in sending the coordinates to Agnor’s console so he could append them to his next message. The location of Ipson was all-important. If something happened to prevent them from reaching Geneth Mar, at least they would have this vital piece of intel.
Darak didn’t breathe easy until he had Agnor’s acknowledgment that the coordinates of the crystal planet had been sent and received with the utmost seriousness by Darak’s uncle. Agnor also passed along the message that Brandon was arranging for a priority-docking slot for the Circe and immediate debriefs for her crew—especially those who had been down on the planet.
The others would be questioned, too. In fact, Agnor had taken his time stealthed in orbit to record numerous observations about the way the collective used their ships. He’d also taken detailed notes on ship design, capabilities and anything he had seen them do. Being so close to a planetary operation by the collective was something that had never been done before. The Circe’s refitted stealth system had made it all possible, and Agnor had taken full advantage to learn whatever he could about the way the collective operated in space.
Those who’d been on the ground could tell the Council more about the personnel, and Jana had a great deal of intel stored on just one of her blue crystals. They would have to figure out a way to transfer that without causing her harm, but first, he insisted on her being allowed to speak with the mind healer, if she wanted.
Darak made sure to get Brandon’s assurances of that provision before he let Agnor end the conversation. Although Agnor’s expanded abilities allowed him to ‘path across stay systems, it was also rather taxing on his personal energy. By the time everything had been settled, Agnor was slumping in his seat, his normally rigid posture suffering the effects of his mental fatigue.
“Are you all right, Ag?” Darak asked aloud, breaking the intense silence of the bridge.
“Just a little tired. I’ll be fine in a few minutes,” Agnor assured his captain and friend.
Jana surprised him by getting up and going over to Agnor. The bemused Specitar watched her walk toward him with a look of weary concern on his face.
And then, Jana touched Agnor’s forehead with her right index finger, and the crystals along her arm glowed softly. It looked, though he could hardly believe it, that the power of those crystals was flowing through Jana, down her arm to her fingertip, and into Agnor.
She released him a moment later, and Agnor sat up straight, reinvigorated. Darak had never seen anything like it.
Jana turned and walked over to Darak, a slightly smug smile on her face.
“It seems…” she bent to whisper near his ear, “…that there are other ways to amplify and restore power other than sharing sex.”
He liked her playful mood and snagged her around the waist, pulling her down to sit on his lap. She went willingly, smiling at him as she put her arms around his neck. He dipped his head to kiss her.
“But it’s not nearly as much fun,” he whispered just before taking her mouth in a joyful, playful, wonderful kiss.
* * *
With Agnor reenergized, he was able to man the bridge while Darak and Jana finally took a few minutes to shower and change. They were still covered in the dust of Mithrak, and their clothing smelled of horse, which wasn’t exactly appropriate attire for the bridge of a starship the caliber of the Circe.
But Darak wasn’t one to stand on ceremony. He simply lifted Jana in his arms as he stood from his captain’s chair and whisked her away to his cabin. As long as they were together, all would be well. He just had to keep believing that.
Thankfully, Jana didn’t try to shut him out. She let him undress her in his cabin and didn’t protest as he squeezed them both into the tiny shower stall. They bathed in the tight quarters, spending more time kissing and nibbling on interesting bits of each other’s bodies than actually getting clean, but somehow, they managed.
Lying in bed with her after they had cleaned up and decided to take a short rest before rejoining the others, Darak traced the gems that wound their way up her arm and down the right side of her body. He loved the way she sparkled, but he had been concerned about the crystal’s effect on Jana’s mind and health for a long time. It seemed, finally, that she’d gained some mastery over the crystal that was now part of her, and he couldn’t be more pleased.
“You’ve come a long way since the battle above Liata,” he said softly, still tracing patterns on her skin.
“I’ve learned a lot in the past few days about who I was and what I am now,” she answered in a contemplative tone. “I also know more about who I want to be. But there are more blanks in my past that I need to fill in before I know for certain what the future may hold.”
“Then, you don’t believe everything is predestined like your Plectaran friends?” He smiled as he dipped his head to kiss his way slowly down her right arm.
“I don’t know what to believe about all that, honestly, but it was handy that they believed it, at the time. We could’ve been in a whole lot of trouble if they hadn’t let us go.”
Darak stilled, meeting her gaze. “They wouldn’t have been able to stop us, Jana. You know that. But it would have gotten messy.”
Nodding slowly, she finally agreed. “I guess I have to get used to the power these crystals have given me. I was what I believe must have been a mid-level Talent before Liata. Now…I don’t know what I am. I don’t think Kol could even comprehend the amount of crystal in my body. And he only saw my hand and my face. What about all the rest?” She gestured down her right side where some of the largest of the chunks had lodged.
“Does that worry you?” Darak asked in all seriousness.
“A little,” she replied. “But, if it was going to kill me,
I think it would have already done so. For whatever reason, my mind and body have reached some kind of balance with the crystal, and it seems content to stay where it is, for now.”
“You speak of it almost as if it were alive,” he observed.
Jana tilted her head, considering. “Maybe it is, in a way. It’s certainly nothing like any other crystal I’ve ever encountered, though I’m no mineralogist. But it works a bit like a data crystal, only with way more capacity. And it meshes with my mind and amplifies my Talent. It feels as if it’s accepted me. In the early days, it felt like it was weighing me and waiting to see if I was worthy or something. As I remembered my past and learned about what I had done through the Plectaran reports, it seemed to finally accept me more fully. And then, it started to open up to me and show me things…”
“What sort of things?” Darak prompted when she didn’t continue right away.
“I can’t really put it into words, but it was like the crystal revealed how it all worked to my inner mind when I needed it. Like it had consciously decided to cooperate with me or something.” She looked down, shaking her head. “Or maybe I’m just imagining it all, and they’re nothing but chunks of sparkly rock.” A small laugh accompanied her words, but Darak knew there was some significance to her ideas.
“It’s not for me to judge, but I think you might want to discuss some of this with Agnor. He has the most scientific mind I know, and I’m certain he’s fascinated by the crystal. He’s talked about it with me many times, positing theories on how your scepter might have worked before it blew up in your hands. I think he’d be willing to listen to anything you had to say on the topic. As would many of the other Speicitars when we get back home.” He leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose. “You’re going to be a very popular girl when we get back to Geneth Mar.”
Jana groaned. “Do I have to?”
Her whining complaint was comical, but also truthful. She didn’t really want to be the center of all kinds of fuss again. Jana wanted a quiet life from now on, but she suspected she might not get it.
