by Isaac Hooke
“As it should,” Lyra said. “Jed, I want you inside my storage device, too.”
Jed came over as she set down her own pouch on the deck. Like Tane, she opened the drawstrings and spread the lip wide, forming a hole big enough to fit the Bander.
Apparently Jed had some experience traveling in this manner, because he didn’t voice a word of protest. Instead the Bander obediently stepped over the hole and promptly fell inside, vanishing.
Lyra pulled the drawstrings closed and reattached the pouch to her belt.
“Cub do you read?” Lyra tried over the comm. “Cub?”
No answer.
“I should have had Cub seal and pressurize the cabin before we left comm range,” Lyra said. “Too bad. It’s going to get windy in a second. Make sure your pouch is firmly secured, unless you want to lose Sinive.”
She tucked her pouch in behind her utility belt, and Tane did likewise, tightening the securing straps.
Lyra gazed into the empty air in front of her. “I’m not the best at making local distortion tunnels. It’s going to be small and tight.”
“That explains why you stowed Jed away,” Tane said.
“Yes,” Lyra told him. “Be careful not to clip the edges when you step through. Unless you want to cut off parts of yourself.”
“No thanks,” Tane said. “By the way, I thought the plan was to disable the engines or something? We do have the blueprints of this ship type…”
“It won’t matter,” Lyra said. “Not when the aliens have three other ships out there. Or four, including the human corvette. We’ll be pursued either way. But once we’re out there, I do have one last gambit in mind; if it fails, we’ll just have to hope they want you badly enough not to blow us out of the stars. Either way, we can’t delay: Sinive needs treatment now.”
She continued to stare in front of her, and a tiny rent formed in the fabric of spacetime. Air gushed from the cargo bay and into that hole: Tane could feel the definite pull on his spacesuit. He braced himself on the deck with one leg, as did Lyra.
The rent enlarged, and air continued streaming into the vacuum environment beyond for a few moments, until all of the atmosphere was gone. The spacetime tear slowly became a tight ellipse just big enough to fit a human in a spacesuit. Tane could see the cabin of Grizzly Cub waiting beyond, located precisely above the spot where Lyra had planted her beacon. Jed would have definitely had trouble fitting, even if he shrunk his power armor. The man was just too big.
Behind Tane and Lyra the door to the cargo bay slid open, and liquid hydrocarbons began to gush inside.
Lyra calmly stepped crabwise through the spacetime rent and into the shuttle. Tane likewise turned his bulky body sideways, and he ducked, stepping through one foot at a time, taking care not to let any parts of his suit touch the edges of the tunnel as he went through.
The spacetime tear sealed behind him, leaving a yellow, dispersing mist in its wake—all that remained of the liquid that had reached the distortion tunnel before it closed.
“Stay here,” Lyra said. She raced down the ramp.
“Where are you going?” Tane asked.
“Disabling the remaining alien shuttle!” she said. Her energy sword appeared in hand before she vanished from view.
She returned a moment later, holstering the sword hilt to her utility belt.
“Cub, shut the ramp!” Lyra dropped into one of the chairs. “Take us out of here! I’m marking off a location on the hull of the alien ship. I want you to head for that spot, and attach to their hull immediately after launching. Then cut all external emissions and heat venting. Let them think we’ve vanished.”
“We can only cut emissions for five minutes before the regulator systems begin to overheat,” Cub said.
“Five minutes is all we’ll need,” Lyra told the shuttle’s AI.
The ramp sealed silently, but Tane felt the vibrations travel up through the deck and into his boot. He took the empty seat beside Lyra and clamps secured him in place.
“I’m flooding the cabin with oxygen,” Cub said. “As per standard protocol.”
“Good, I’ll need it to work on Sinive,” Lyra said.
“Engaging artificial gravity,” Cub said. “And launching.”
The chair shook; Tane’s stomach lurched as the inertial dampeners kicked in.
“Proceeding toward hull location,” Cub said.
“How are we doing on cabin pressurization?” Lyra asked.
“Twenty-five percent,” Cub said.
“Notify me when it’s complete,” Lyra said. “By the way, what star system are we in at the moment?”
“We’re still in Iridium,” Cub said.
“Are you certain?” Lyra said.
“I’m still receiving intermittent pings from the system’s postal node,” the shuttle’s AI said. “And the star maps correlate with Iridium. So yes, I am certain.”
“Why haven’t they jumped?” Lyra said softly.
31
The news surprised Tane, because it didn’t make sense that the aliens hadn’t jumped. Even so he was kind of glad, as it made things easier for the escapees. Sort of.
Tane’s seat shook again.
“I’ve successfully attached to the designated hull location,” Cub said.
“The aliens won’t find us?” Tane asked.
“Eventually they will, yes,” Lyra said. “But we’ll be on the move before then.”
Lyra deactivated the seat clamps and placed her pouch on the floor. Then she reached inside and stood, hauling out Jed.
“Took you long enough,” Jed said.
“Sorry to leave you hanging,” Lyra said.
“I was, literally.” Jed’s armor shrunk slightly, and he took a seat across from them. All of the damaged areas of his armor had regenerated by then, except for the rune along his right rib area.
“Tane?” Lyra said. “Can you put Sinive on the floor? I want her ready to go when the cabin pressurizes.”
Tane deactivated the seat clamps and stood to set down his pouch. He accessed the inventory user interface, selected the spacesuit that represented Sinive, and reached inside the infinite blackness to grab her. He experienced a moment’s panic when he couldn’t find anything. He never really did trust the storage device, especially since he had received it as a “gift.” And now it had finally eaten one of his items, perhaps the most precious item of all. A friend who had fought at his side. A—
No. I refuse to believe she’s gone.
He took a deep breath and reached farther, up to his his shoulder.
Still nothing.
He swung his arm around, finally contacting something solid, and exhaled in relief. He wrapped his hand around what felt like an underarm area, and yanked. Not an underarm, but the crook of a boot.
With Jed’s help he hauled the rest of the spacesuit out. Underneath the faceplate he could see Sinive’s disease-blackened features, her eyes still closed. Her limbs hung lifelessly as Tane and Jed set her down, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was already dead. If not, she was certainly close.
Was this all for nothing?
Tane closed the drawstring and somberly collected his storage device.
“You did well back there, Tane,” Jed said.
It was the first time the Bander had called him by any other name than Farmer. It felt good, somehow, to have the man’s approval.
Tane nodded distractingly, too worried about Sinive to properly respond.
“Cabin is fully pressurized,” Cub announced.
“And now it begins,” Lyra said grimly. She glanced at Tane. “Help me.”
Tane knelt beside her and began the process of doffing Sinive’s protective suit. Lyra joined in, starting with the helmet.
“What pieces do you want to take off?” Tane asked.
“Everything,” Sinive said. “I’ll need to gauge the progress of my healing. If even a pinhead of darkness remains on her flesh, the corruption will remain, only to rebound over the next few days, and she�
�ll have to be cleansed again.”
Tane stripped off Sinive’s right glove, and then her arm assembly. The skin underneath was black, almost mummified. His heart went out to the poor girl.
“Well this is interesting,” Cub announced.
“What now?” Lyra asked, tugging on Sinive’s opposite arm assembly.
“TSN ships have just jumped into the system,” Cub replied. “When the human vessels fled the system, obviously the TSN took the reports they must have made about alien aggressors seriously, because these warships have jumped to within weapons range.”
“A lucky jump on their part?” Tane said.
“Not lucky,” Lyra said. “The TSN has good jump drive tech. How many are there, Cub?”
“I’m only reading four heat signatures,” the shuttle’s AI said. “I don’t have enough data to estimate ship classes yet, but the thermals sigs are rather... lackluster.”
“The TSN took the threat seriously,” Jed said. “But not seriously enough.”
“Apparently so,” Cub agreed.
“It was probably all they could scramble in time,” Lyra said. “I’m sure they weren’t expecting to find the dwellers still hanging around. Whether or not they actually defeat the aliens doesn’t matter. We can use this. Potentially get away in the crossfire. Cub, any sign that we’ve been detected by the dwellers yet?”
“Negative,” Cub replied.
“Good,” Lyra said.
Tane and Lyra finished removing the last of Sinive’s spacesuit.
“Her dress, too?” Tane asked.
Lyra shook her head. “No. Jed will be able to readily scan through the dress when I’m done, and I only need to touch a part of her skin.”
The Volur removed her own gloves, the Chrysalium rings shining brightly on her fingers. She reached into the storage pouch at her belt, retrieving another Chrysalium artifact, this one carved into the shape of a robed woman seated cross-legged with her palms pressed together as if meditating.
She sat on the cabin floor in her spacesuit, beside Sinive’s blackened body, and placed the artifact down beside her. She rested one hand atop the artifact, and the other over Sinive’s blackened forehead.
The deck shook.
“An Essence lance from one of the TSN warships just struck the alien vessel we’re attached to,” Cub announced. “The hull impact wasn’t far from our location.”
Lyra ignored the AI and closed her eyes.
Tane apparently had access to the external cameras because he was able to access the video feeds. Tane cycled through them until he found one that offered a good view of the battle. Cub had already set it up with the optimal zoom.
Dweller ships were firing dark balls of energy at the TSN vessels, which were shaped like big, gray torpedoes in the distance. The TSN spacecraft meanwhile fired white beams of light from their Essence lances in return. One of the TSN ships, which appeared far smaller than the others, lingered off to the side as if having no intention of taking part in the fighting.
Tane dismissed the video feed, wanting to watch Lyra work instead.
The Volur remained motionless, one hand on the artifact, the other on her patient’s forehead. Tane hadn’t missed anything: Sinive’s condition hadn’t changed in the least.
The bulkhead moaned behind Tane.
“Another nearby impact,” Cub said.
Lyra gave no indication that she heard. The woman seemed to be ignoring the outside world entirely. All of her being was concentrated on Sinive.
Tane looked at Jed, but the Bander also appeared unconcerned. His helmet was open, and he lifted a thickly gloved finger to his lips as if to say: “Shh.”
The artifact underneath Sinive’s hand began to glow. Red at first, then blue, and finally white. It became almost blinding to look at. Still there was no change in Sinive.
“There’s too many of them,” Lyra said suddenly. “I can’t hold them off!”
The hand that touched Sinive’s tainted forehead shook violently, and dark veins began to creep up Lyra’s flesh. Her fingernails blackened, and then the fingertips, up to the first knuckles.
Now Jed was starting to seem very, very concerned.
Lyra’s eyelids shot open and she looked at Tane. There was an uncharacteristic panic in her expression. “I need to link with you.”
“I don’t know how—” Tane began.
“Touch my hand!” Lyra said. “Quickly!”
Tane depressurized the suit and stripped off his gloves. He could smell the rot immediately, no doubt emanating from Sinive, and it nearly overpowered him. He didn’t know how Jed or Lyra could stand it. Doing his best to ignore the scent, he knelt beside Lyra. She hadn’t said which hand to touch, and he assumed she meant the one gripping the artifact because he really didn’t want anything to do with the other, blackening limb. He extended his arms toward the artifact and hesitated only a moment before setting down both of his palms on top of her hand.
He felt a strange intrusion, as if someone was reaching inside of his being, trying to grab his very core. He instinctively recoiled, mentally, and almost withdrew his touch.
“Let me in!” Lyra said. The hand she touched to Sinive’s forehead had turned completely black by then.
Tane surrendered to her and he gasped when the Essence ripped through his body, colder than ever. He felt like a bystander as he was torn down that raging river, unable to steer the flow or create any Branches, because the Essence that erupted from his body coursed directly into Lyra.
He saw it then: the incredible Branchwork Lyra had created. He was a little surprised, because according to the memories he had purchased, only the wielder could see the worked Essence. Apparently that rule didn’t apply when linked to someone who was doing the working.
The branches of the translucent tree Lyra had created were spread throughout the cabin, some extending beyond the walls and into deep space beyond. The complexity of the work was overwhelming. If there was artwork in the realm of the Essence, he was witnessing it. He didn’t think he would ever be able to form something that intricate, that big.
His Essence joined hers, and as he watched the tree became larger still, fresh Branchworks expanding to displace the previous, until the entire cabin interior was knotted with the ethereal creation.
And then all of a sudden the complex work was contracting, shrinking, the Branchwork descending into the still body of Sinive, until it vanished inside of her entirely.
Almost at the same time, the blackness covering her skin began to fade. It started as a small circle of uninfected skin at her forehead, emanating from Lyra’s hand. That circle grew, expanding outward, until Sinive’s entire face was clear of the blackness. She looked serene. At peace.
Lyra slumped, releasing her hold on his inner core.
Tane collapsed as well, feeling exhausted. He noticed that the artifact had crumbled to dust under Lyra’s hand.
“What did you do?” Tane said, gasping.
New skill learned.
Essence Link. Level 0. You understand how to open your mind to another Essenceworker, and can thus link with them so they can draw upon your Essence to feed their designs. You cannot yet initiate a link of your own.
Oh.
“Never mind,” Tane said. He returned his attention to Sinive. He watched the cleansing wave pass under her dress and onto her bare arms, clearing away the corruption. After a moment it emerged from underneath the hem and passed down her calves, to her bare feet, and finally her toes, freeing the last part of her from the dark infection.
The rancid smell in the air faded.
Tane glanced at the hand Lyra had touched Sinive with and was relieved to see it was clear of corruption as well.
“The bandage,” Lyra told her Bander.
Remaining seated, Jed leaned forward and slid down the collar of Sinive’s dress. He ripped off the bandage, which had remained in place all this time, to reveal a puckering scar. Though it was an ugly pink, it was free of blackness.
“She’ll have to get that cosmetically touched up at some point,” Lyra said. “Scan her, please.”
Jed extended his palm and scanned Sinive with a triangular red beam from his glove. He directed the scan up and down her body before deactivating it.
“She’s purged,” Jed said. “No sign of microcrillia.”
“You did it,” Tane told Lyra. “Thank you.”
Still seated on the floor, Lyra leaned back, resting against the seat behind her. “She’s not out of the woods yet. I’ve done all I can, and it’s up to her now. She has to fight.”
Tane nodded. “She will.”
“Good.” Lyra lay back. “I need to rest.” She closed her eyes.
“An unarmed alien drone is approaching,” Cub said. “If we haven’t been detected yet, we will be shortly.”
“Damn,” Lyra said. She was blinking rapidly, as if she had almost fallen asleep. “I’d hoped for more time. Is there a nearby planetoid or other celestial object we can head to for some cover?”
“There’s Remus,” Cub said.
“Remus.” Her voice was soft. “What is it about that planet again?” Her features suddenly darkened.
“What?” Tane said.
“It’s not important,” Lyra said. “Cub, set a course for Remus. Detach from the hull, resume heat venting, and engage.”
“Detaching,” Cub said. A moment later: “We’ve been spotted. The alien ship is pursuing.”
“Evasive maneuvers,” Lyra said. “Don’t let them hit us with a grappling hook. Tane, link with me again.”
Tane was about to protest, considering how weak he felt, but he gave her his hand anyway and surrendered to Lyra, allowing the frigid flow of the Essence to tear through his insides. It felt colder and more painful than ever before, so much so that he couldn’t help but gasp.
He saw the strange work emanate from her. It wasn’t nearly as complex as the healing Branchwork, but it still wasn’t something he could easily duplicate. The translucent Branches settled into the surrounding hull, fading away. A maintenance stream emanated from Lyra’s chest, tethering her to the ceiling via the Essence. It was similar to the stream that had appeared when Tane had created Persistent Flame, though it was much thicker.
