by M. R. Forbes
“Tow would have my hide if he could get his hands on it,” Erlan said. “I expect to be off Feru before he knows he’s been had.” He looked at Olus. “That’s what you promised.”
“I did,” Olus agreed.
“Wait a second,” Bastion said. “You said you’re heading back to the Driver with the pretense that you had nothing to do with any of this.”
“I did,” Olus repeated.
Bastion pointed at Erlan’s back. “So what about him?”
“Lucifer, cool it,” Abbey said. “Two ships, remember? The Fire and the Brimstone?”
“Uh, yeah, but-”
“Two ships, two pilots.”
“Ruby’s capable.”
“And she needs to stay with the Faust. Besides, unlike you assholes, he actually wants to be part of this.”
“Are you questioning my loyalty?”
“I don’t know. If I promised not to drop you, would you still be here?”
Bastion hesitated.
“My point exactly,” Abbey said.
“He doesn’t have the same training,” Bastion argued. “He doesn’t have the same experience. We were hand-picked because of what we can do. He’s just a Planetary Defense Grabber pilot on yet another Republic planet whose name I’ll quickly forget.”
“A puddle jumper pilot who’s in the process of committing treason to save your lives,” Erlan said. “I might not be on par with the lot of you, but if nothing else I’m an extra target for the bad guys to shoot at.”
“He has a point,” Pik said.
Abbey looked over at the Trover. She had thought he was sleeping. His eyes were still closed.
“Shut up,” Bastion said, looking at Abbey. “I’m not going to win this argument, am I?”
“You lost it before it started,” she replied.
Bastion grumbled as he leaned back in his seat.
“I know one thing,” Pik said. “He isn’t bunking with me.”
15
The transport stopped a second time a few minutes later.
“Feru Spaceport,” Erlan announced. “I’ve already bypassed the security checkpoint and brought us to the shuttle floor. It’s a little out of the ordinary, but not unheard of.”
“What now, Captain?” Abbey said.
“Now we get off the planet,” Olus replied. “Jester, find a shuttle pilot and see if you can make arrangements for a ride back to the Faust. Queenie, you and I need to talk. ”
“Right,” Abbey said. “Rejects, grab your gear. Jester, do what the man says. Pik, you’re in charge of the locker.”
“Okay, DQ,” Pik said.
“Be quick about it,” Olus said. “It won’t take Major Tow long to realize the transport didn’t go where it was supposed to.”
The Rejects gathered themselves and piled out of the transport, leaving Olus and Abbey alone.
“Are you okay, Lieutenant?” Olus asked her.
Abbey shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I’m changing. In a good way? I have a feeling the answer is no.”
“Don’t be too quick to judge. What seems wrong might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. The galaxy is changing, too, and the winners are the ones who change with it.”
“That sounds like something you’d get in a fortune cookie.”
“Where do you think I stole it from? In all seriousness, I’ve seen a lot over the years. What I’ve seen these last few weeks? I’m nervous about it. I’m also grateful that Gant convinced me I needed you.”
“Me, too. I’d rather be here than under Thraven’s control. Who knows what he would have made me into by now.”
“We need what he tried to make you, Abbey. As uncomfortable as you may be with it. As crazy as it seems.”
“Even if I have to resort to the same diet as Emily Eagan?”
Olus paused, his face hardening. “Yes. In the end, if that’s what it takes.” He tilted his head. “I’m volunteering if it makes you stronger.”
Abbey looked at Olus' neck. She could feel the temptation. “No. Not yet. That’s a dark road, Captain. One that I’m not convinced will leave me on the right side.”
He straightened up. “Understood.”
“Speaking of Emily Eagan,” Abbey said. “She called herself a Nephilim. Do you know what that means?”
“How’s your religious background?”
“My parents were atheists. Me? I’m more of an agnostic.”
“Quick history lesson, then. The Nephilim, in a historical sense, are the the sons of God and the daughters of men.”
“You mean angels?”
“Fallen angels. The ones who rebelled against God and were cast down from Heaven.”
“You lost me at angels.”
“Forget history, then. Emily Eagan claimed that she was part of a long-lost race of beings from another place in space-time. A parallel dimension. That her ancestors came to this one in a starship, and that the starship’s Captain was God. Or at least, some portion of God.”
Abbey opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t come up with words to adequately describe the insanity of the statement.
“My original feelings, exactly,” Olus said. “The Captain wasn’t fully God, but a piece of God. Thraven called it a shard, as though God can make as many parts of himself as he needs to. I don’t know. The point is, they went around and started spreading life in this universe until something happened and the crew rebelled. They killed the Captain, and then there was a war, and they vanished or something. I didn’t get any of the details on that. I did speak directly to Thraven though. He was going on about a Covenant, and needing to conquer or destroy the Republic, and probably the Outworlds, too, in order to return home and finish the job.”
“Finish killing God? Do you believe that bullshit?”
“I believe that Thraven believes it, and a lot of others do, too. I believe something exists that they call the Covenant. I saw part of it before Emily caught me. The Fire and Brimstone aren’t normal ships. They’re based on technology supposedly from the time of the rebellion against God. Why here? Why now? I don’t know. And then there’s the Gift. The Blood of Life, as you called it. That’s nothing I’ve ever heard of or seen before, and I would think if there was a power like that in this part of the universe, there would at least be myths and legends about it.”
"Maybe there are? Have you queried the WorldBrain?"
"Not yet. I intend to when I get back to Earth."
“Either way, that doesn’t mean they’re from a parallel universe if such a thing exists. There’s plenty of unexplored space left out there.”
“All beyond the range of our starships at the moment,” Olus said. “Whether or not any of what they say is true, they still think it is. But even if they’re from a distant part of the galaxy, there has to be a connection between them and us. It can’t be a coincidence that our blood is valuable to them.”
“You’re suggesting that the Nephilim aren’t new to our corner of the universe?”
Olus nodded. “I think they’ve been here in one form or another in the past. Whether they remained throughout history is questionable, but the link seems too strong to be an unhappy accident.”
“Well, wherever they came from, however long they’ve been here, it seems they intend to do harm, regardless of the backstory.”
“I can’t argue with that assessment.”
“If they want to harm us, then I want to harm them back.”
“I can’t argue with that either. At the same time, we need to know as much as we can about what we’re up against.”
“Sun-Tzu?”
“Know your enemy, yes.”
“I’ll add hacking Thraven’s data storage to my to-do list.”
“Thanks. I’ll see if I can dig anything up from my end, too.”
“What about the codes?”
“Codes?”
“To cancel the broadcast that will activate the virus you dumped in our heads.”
Olus bit his lip.
“You said you would-” Abbey paused, staring at him. “You’re fragging kidding me, right?”
“It’s right out of the HSOC training manual,” he replied, trying to fight off a smile. “I thought you would have caught on earlier.”
“I’ve been a little busy. Besides, I felt the insertion.”
Olus kept staring at her in silence.
“You’re a piece of shit, aren’t you, Captain?” she asked.
“I fight dirty if that’s what you mean. I have to. You’ll have to, also. The bright side is that you can physically make good on the threat if needed.”
“How do you know I won’t go out and tell them there’s no implant? No virus?”
“Because you need them as much as I do. You know how this ends if we ignore it, Abbey. Also, I believe you.”
“About what?”
“About your innocence. I believed you the second you told me. That means you’re one of the good ones. The real good ones.”
“Maybe once,” Abbey said. “I’m with you in this, Captain, but I’m not good. Not anymore. I told you. I’m changing.”
“I’ll take what I can get. I’ll stay in contact with Ruby. If anything else happens to me, don’t come save me.”
“Trust me; I won’t.”
Olus put his hand out. “Good hunting, DQ.”
She took it. “Good hunting, Killshot.”
Abbey turned and headed out of the transport, leaving Olus behind.
16
“Queenie,” Jester said.
Abbey found the Rejects assembled near one of the two dozen shuttles spread across a wide stretch of tarmac on the eastern end of Feru City. The settlement’s skyline was visible to her right, an unimpressive arrangement of low-slung apartments and storefronts that surrounded Eagan Heavyworks’ surface-based headquarters. She briefly wondered what would become of the corporation, and Feru, now that the Eagan family line had ended before settling her attention on a shorter than usual Atmo; a narrow, green-skinned female in a stylish jumpsuit with a high collar that accentuated the length of her slim neck. A crystal pin in the shape of a crescent moon was affixed to the inside of the collar, signaling her status as a member of the Crescent Haulers.
Had Olus already known there was a Hauler here? Is that why he had been so certain he could get them off Feru?
“This is Adjunct Captain Nilin,” Jester said, “of the starship Destructor.”
Destructor? That had to be a translator error.
“A pleasure,” she said, looking at Nilin.
The Captain tried to mimic a human smile before noticing the brand on Abbey’s neck. Her large, dark eyes grew larger, and she shifted her attention to Benhil. The rest of the Reject’s brands were hidden beneath the collars of their suits, disguising their origins.
“Now I understand why your offer was so high,” she said. “Please, hurry on board. I am taking a serious risk here.”
“Serious risk for serious reward,” Benhil said.
Nilin moved back to the shuttle, a standard Republic orbital lander with the Hauler's crescent moon painted on the side. She waved the Rejects in. “I’ll request launch clearance immediately. Are you certain they don’t know you’re here?”
“So far, so good,” Abbey said. “But you know how quickly things like that can change.”
Nilin shook her fingers, a visual gesture Abbey knew was agreement. Then the Atmo vanished into the ship, leaving them to make their own way on.
“How much is this trip going to cost us?” Abbey said, moving in close to Benhil. She could guess, but she wanted to hear him say it.
“The disterium canisters,” he replied.
“All of them?”
“Yeah.”
“You could have gotten her to do it for one.”
“If I wanted to haggle for an hour. I thought we were in a hurry?”
“Did you find out why she was here?”
“No. It didn’t come up. What does it matter?”
“You know who the Crescent Haulers are?”
“Of course. That’s why I booked with her. So?”
“The Republic wouldn’t let a Hauler onto Feru unless they were hauling for the Republic.”
“They’ve been here,” Erlan said, catching the conversation. “Collecting the debris from the star dock and bringing it in for recycling.”
Abbey was surprised. Space junk wasn’t the type of collecting the Haulers normally did. “That’s even more of a reason to worry. Who are they really picking the mess up for?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Benhil said. “You know the Haulers. They’re neutral, and their lips are tight. Even if they’re working with Thraven, they won’t tell him about us.”
“Not intentionally.”
“I don’t think we have much of a choice.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Sorry, Queenie.” Benhil smiled. “Say, you got the codes from Captain Mann, right?”
Abbey kept his gaze, her face flat. She had no intention of telling any of them the virus was a ruse. “Yes. And no, I’m not going to let you leave.”
He shrugged. “Just figured I’d ask.”
The hatch closed behind Pik as he pulled the locker up and into the ship. Nilin reappeared, pointing to a maglock in the corner. “You can secure that thing over there,” she said. “We have clearance to head out. There’s going to be a short delay when we reach the Destructor. I’m the Adjunct Captain. Captain Trillisin is currently meeting with representatives from Eagan Heavyworks to negotiate another cargo transfer. I’m going to bring you up and then circle back to retrieve him. Once he’s on board, we’ll rendezvous with your ship, you’ll make the payment, and we’ll go our separate ways.”
Abbey nodded. She wanted to ask what kind of cargo transfer they were negotiating, but she knew Nilin would never tell. Crescent Haulers had a long history of trust and a reputation to consider.
“Thank you, Adjunct,” she said.
Nilin didn’t respond, turning and heading back to the shuttle’s cockpit. Abbey made her way to the seat beside Airi, claiming it and strapping herself in. Airi turned her head away, refusing to engage her. The hatch on the shuttle closed, and the reactor hummed to life.
“Airi,” Abbey said.
She had decided to let the episode with the sword slide. It had worked out in the end, and she would rather forgive and forget than hold a grudge against one of her own.
“You’ve made your position clear already, Queenie,” Airi said. “We have nothing to talk about.”
The shuttle jerked slightly as it lifted into the air, the hiss of muffled thrusters increasing in amplitude before its anti-gravity coils reached full charge and eased some of the weight.
“Not in terms of an apology, no,” Abbey said. “But I still want you to know that I understand why you don’t agree with the decision, for whatever that’s worth.”
Airi didn’t say anything and still didn’t look at her. The shuttle continued to rise, rocking gently as it cut through the atmosphere.
“We’re still a team,” Abbey said. “We have to work together, like it or not.”
“I know that,” Airi said. “I’m not an idiot. I’m not a child. I’ve hated my CO before and still followed orders.” She turned her head, looking at Abbey. “Just because you’re in charge, just because you have the Gift, it doesn’t mean you need to be arrogant and condescending. I know how to do my job. We’re an uneven number now. I’d like to bunk with Erlan if that’s acceptable to you.”
Abbey tried to hold her anger. She had been accused of being arrogant before. She couldn’t deny she was on occasion. But Airi’s reaction was pissing her off. She couldn't stay quiet.
"You know how to do your job?" she hissed, keeping her voice low. "I came over here to make nice, even though there's no reason in the fragging galaxy why I should be. You refused to give your weapon to me. You failed to follow a direct order. You let your personal opinion and history affect the entire uni
t in the middle of a fight. You could have gotten all of us killed."
Airi opened her mouth to speak. Abbey shook her head.
"Don't even try," she snapped. "I'm sorry for what happened to you. I'm sorry you wound up in Hell. It's a shitty situation, but guess what? I'm in a shitty situation of my own. I didn't do anything to end up there, except be the idiot Breaker who grabbed one of General Kett's mainframes. The one that Thraven really, really wants to get into. Do you see me sitting here bitching and whining about it, or do you see me doing my damned job?"
Airi stared at her. Abbey could tell her words were only making Fury more furious, but so what? She needed to be put in her place, and she needed the other Rejects to hear it. She was getting sick of their bullshit.
"This is your one warning. The next time you pull a stunt like that, I will dig my teeth into your neck, and I won't let go until you're dead." She unstrapped herself from the seat and stood up. “If you don’t want to be treated like a child, you should do your damnedest to stop acting like one.”
She headed forward to an empty seat beside Bastion. The shuttle had cleared the planet’s gravity and was vectoring smoothly toward a massive, flat starship a few thousand kilometers distant. A matching crescent moon logo was painted on the side of it, just below the bridge.
“I know it’s been a bad day when I sit next to you on purpose,” she said as she gained the seat.
Bastion looked at her and laughed. “You’re full of compliments today, aren’t you, Queenie?” He looked over his shoulder. “Nice chew-out.”
“I never asked to be in charge of this outfit.”
“You kind of did. You challenged me for command, remember?”
“Because you were going to frag everything up.” She paused. “Do you think I’m arrogant?”
Bastion laughed again. “Sort of, yeah.”
Abbey laughed, too. “Do you respect me?”
