by Gun Brooke
There was nothing coy or martyr-like in Dwyn, merely a raw honesty, emphasized by her direct gaze and sincere voice.
“I assure you,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “that if I thought it necessary, I’d find a way to continue our mission without you. However, we can’t risk your life by leaving you behind to wait for a MEDEVAC unit with just a junior officer to ensure your safety. We don’t know how many bots are deployed to scout for you. And, as important as this mission is, we also need to figure out who’s prepared to go to such extremes to stop your survey of the Disi-Disi forest.”
“Surely the risk of losing information to the Onotharians is more important?” Dwyn shook her head. “My mission is vital to Corma, at least, but I’m not indispensible.”
Dwyn’s words cut deep, and Rae felt she had to explain. “What you don’t realize, since you don’t know my mother, is that there is no risk of any intel falling into enemy hands.”
“But—”
“None.”
“Oh.” Dwyn blinked, and Rae knew she had understood what she meant. “Your mother won’t talk. No matter what they do to her. Oh, damn.”
“Exactly. So this mission is all about rescuing her and capturing M’Ekar, if either of them is still alive, and also apprehending the mercenaries.”
“I see.” Dwyn moved her foot, and the mud underneath made a wet sound against the sole of her combat boot. “And the hostile bots?”
“Because they attacked SC personnel, we need to investigate their origin.”
“Will that mean taking my mission more seriously?” Dwyn folded her arms in front of her. “What I mean is, will the SC finally realize that we won’t have an area of space, or live planets, to go to war over, if we don’t start taking our environmental issues to heart?”
“I don’t disagree with your concerns, Dwyn,” Rae said, knowing full well that Earth had its own problems when it came to protecting its remaining wildlife. “The war with the Onotharian Empire is coming. That’s no secret. I have no idea how much you know about the Onotharians, but they’re invading other sovereign worlds primarily because they’ve poisoned their homeworld so badly it’s becoming uninhabitable.”
“And when we win the war against them, what happens to the Onotharian population? Do we evacuate them from a dying world?” Dwyn’s eyes shone like white gold as their topic energized her from within.
“Good question. And thank you for your trust in the SC military forces.” She smiled at how Dwyn had taken for granted that the SC would defeat the Onotharians. “What’s your theory on the matter?”
“My theory?” Dwyn looked slightly shocked. “I don’t presume to know anything about an operation that size. How many people live on Onotharat?”
“Approximately twenty billion.”
Dwyn’s mouth formed a perfect “o” as she whistled. “Oh, my.”
“Exactly.”
“Is their planet beyond saving?”
“I’m not the right person to ask about that, but when we get out of here—all of us—I can put you in touch with experts at the SC headquarters on Earth or Iminestria.”
“You think I can really make a difference at that level, Admiral?” Dwyn relaxed marginally and drew a deep breath. Rae could hear a faint crackling sound as she did, which reminded her of Dwyn’s serious condition. Not sure why, exactly, Rae knew that Dwyn evoked feelings of protectiveness. She oozed an integrity and strength that everyone she spoke to seemed to recognize.
“I do. Now, I can tell you’re not feeling well, so this isn’t a request. It’s an order. I don’t care if you’re in my unit or not. I still order you to conserve your energy and be candid about your health situation.”
“Hear, hear.” D’Artansis approached them. “We’re ready to continue, ma’am. Yhja and Trom have found traces of at least fifteen individuals, perhaps eighteen. Like us, they’ve been trying not to walk directly on the soggy path, but on the grassier sides of it. We found this.” She handed over a small item, glimmering in the faint light among the trees.
“A piece of a used bandage,” Rae said. “They’ve obviously got wounded people, and presumably they’ve sustained smoke-inhalation injuries too. There’s a chance we’ll find them sooner than we thought.”‘
“We just might,” D’Artansis said briskly. “Yhja and Trom told me there’s a vast clearing only a few hours from here. I asked how big, and according to them, at least a hundred meters, diagonally.”
“A perfect landing site for an evacuation vessel...” Rae’s mind whirled. “We have no way of knowing if they managed to get a message to any backup crew, but it seems logical that criminals this accomplished would have not only Plan B, but also C, D, and E. Damn it.” She stood and waited a few seconds until everyone paid attention. “We need to go faster, people. I know the terrain is bad, but it’s no better for our adversaries.”
“Aye, ma’am,” Rae’s and D’Artansis’s units answered in unison before they began to hoist their back-strap security carriers and connect them to their belts. D’Artansis carried both hers and Dwyn’s as before.
“All right, people,” Rae said, as she grabbed her own gear. “Let’s get going. We’ll rest again in two hours and also contact SC HQ.” She began to walk next to Emeron, her plasma-pulse rifle in her hands.
“We need a solid plan once we reach the clearing,” D’Artansis said. “Providing they’re still there.”
“Yes. Commander O’Dal is best suited for concocting a last-minute stealth attack. That, together with Yhja and Trom’s knowledge of the terrain, should help us succeed. Why don’t you talk to her while we try to make it through this damned undergrowth?” Rae jerked some stubborn vines that blocked her way.
“Yes, ma’am. I need someone else to keep an eye on Dwyn.”
“I’ll do it.” Rae could see that her ready offer surprised D’Artansis. “I’m impressed with her courage, Emeron,” she said, using the commander’s first name deliberately. Emeron obviously had personal feelings for Dwyn and wouldn’t be able to focus entirely on hatching a plan unless she knew someone capable was looking out for her.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Join Commander O’Dal and work with her en route. I know it’s not ideal, and it has to be verbal only, but it’ll have to do. We can’t afford to stop and do it the formal way.”
“No worries, ma’am. I think best on my feet. Literally.”
Emeron stopped, Kellen caught up with her, and soon they were deep in conversation. The similarity between them, more of character than of looks, didn’t escape Rae. Cool demeanors on the surface, volcanic lava underneath. Yes, very alike.
Rae walked behind the marines and the Disian youngsters. Dwyn was three steps behind her, and every time Rae glanced back at her, she saw how Dwyn moved her lips as she walked. Eventually, her curiosity got the best of her and she waited for Dwyn to catch up.
“I have to ask. Are you singing, or praying, as you walk?”
“What?” Dwyn’s head snapped up. “Oh, no, nothing like that. It’s a trick my father taught me when I was young and we were traveling through challenging terrain on one planet or another. He told me that when you’re tired, count your steps. That way you know the next step is a new one and you won’t have to take the old one again. It’s already over and done with. Each step brings you closer.”
“That’s a new way of looking at it, at least for me.” Rae smiled. She was fascinated by Dwyn, but also constantly aware of her surroundings. She knew how quickly an ambush could occur and carried her brand-new, experimental plasma-pulse launcher in her hands.
“Well, I’ve been in this field ever since I can remember, Admiral. I’ve walked through more forests, climbed more mountains, and squeezed through more caves than you can imagine. I lived in a cooperative on a spaceship. My parents still do, and my father is the captain. My mother is the activist leader, and they’re never short of willing members for the next cause.”
No wonder Dwyn was so dedicated. S
he’d been doing her job almost from the day she was born. “Seems like we have a lot in common,” Rae said. “My father is an admiral in the SC fleet and my mother, of course, is a senior diplomat in the SC corps. I thought I rebelled when I joined the Academy, but in fact, I followed precisely in Father’s tracks.”
“About your mother, ma’am. We’ll get her back.” Dwyn’s voice was soft and she looked so convinced that Rae had no trouble believing her.
“I know. There simply is no other option.”
They walked in silence for the next hour, and Rae listened to Dwyn’s breathing become increasingly labored. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Thank you.” The answer was short, and breathless.
“You have your inhaler?”
“Yes.”
“Use it, Dwyn.”
“I’m afraid I’ll run out and not have any left when I really need it, Admiral.”
“Let me see.” Rae took the vial attached to the inhaler and checked it. “Yes, I see what you mean. But trust me, we’re not far from our goal, and we need to keep up this pace. You have four doses left. Take one now and one when we’re in place. We’ll make sure you’re out of the way and safe before we engage the enemy, and then you’ll have two doses to hold you until I can arrange for a MEDEVAC. I’d evacuate you instantly if we had time to wait for a hovercraft, or if we could risk alerting the mercenaries that we’re in pursuit.”
“I realize that, Admiral,” Dwyn said softly. “But if they hear a hovercraft or anything else approach, they might break up into smaller groups. Then we’d never know which one of them had your mother with them.”
Rae’s admiration for Dwyn grew even stronger. “I’m glad you understand that I’m not unsympathetic to your situation.”
“I do.” Dwyn exhaled deeply, then inhaled the medication. After a moment, she drew another deep, much clearer, breath and smiled at Rae. “A lot better.”
“Very good.”
Kellen and Emeron jogged up next to them. “We have a plan. Simple, but doable,” Kellen said.
“Excellent. Fill me in.” She let Emeron and Dwyn walk a few steps in front of her and Kellen.
“We assume that the mercenaries have no clue that we’re right on top of them. They couldn’t know that a unit was in such close proximity when they crashed, or that we could obtain both fresh intel and Disian forest guides.”
Rae nodded. “I agree.”
“The surprise factor is key. We surround them, and we execute our plan perfectly. We fire at everyone around Dahlia and take them out, and also capture M’Ekar and the leader of the mercenaries alive. I have her description. The Keliera space station transmitted everything they had just before we deployed. This woman has many aliases, but she used the name Weiss Kyakh when they docked at Keliera. The vessel’s designation was the Viper. The only other name of any of her crew is the more cryptic and anonymous ‘Ms. White,’ who has quite a record despite such a bland name.”
“Ms. White.” Rae nearly stopped walking. “I’ve heard of her, but not Weiss Kyakh, though she may have changed her name recently. When I was stationed on Gamma VI, before you arrived, our main objectives were the pirates. Among them, certain names stood out and White was one of them. She’s infamous. Completely merciless. I believe she originates from a wealthy family on Audisai. She’s built a reputation for ruthlessness and for being a hired gun.”
“Have you met her?”
“I nearly captured her, or my intelligence officers did, when we were en route to negotiations not far from Iminestria. Her ship, she was her own boss then, needed repairs, and when we offered to help, she engaged her tachyon-mass-drive engine to get away. Since such propulsion systems are illegal, it wasn’t hard to figure out we were dealing with pirates or other criminals. She played cat and mouse with us for days before we could hand the chase over to local law enforcement.”
“We have another advantage now.” Kellen stayed with Rae as she scanned the surrounding forest. “Dahlia has had time to work on these individuals, and we shouldn’t underestimate her ability to drive a wedge between them. She’s also good at exasperating and angering her subjects.”
Rae had to force back a cynical laugh. Her mother was the queen bee when it came to driving people crazy. She had infuriated M’Ekar during the interrogations, and Rae’s childhood and adolescence had been full of situations where she’d clashed with her mother. What I wouldn’t give to have her rip me apart with her opinions right now.
Since Rae had married Kellen and added Armeo to the equation, their small family unit had never been closer. She knew that Dahlia had become attached to Ayahliss as well, and even if a small, petty part of her had resented that affection momentarily, Ayahliss needed a mother figure and Dahlia needed a second chance to be a mother, to get it right. Because of that and so many other factors, failure wasn’t an option.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Dalathea had moved into low orbit and Amereena Beqq stood by the view port in her study. She looked thoughtfully down at Corma, wondering how Kellen and Rae were faring deep in the Disi-Disi forest.
Reena had dined with Ewan Jacelon, Armeo, and Ayahliss, and she knew that the absent family members had been present in everyone’s mind. Armeo had alternated between chatting about mundane everyday things and being pale and quiet, and Ayahliss had eventually risen and told him it was bedtime. Reena had seen a change in Ayahliss then. She was still an intense loose cannon, who would take on the world in a heartbeat to keep Armeo safe, but now she displayed her more low-key side, nurturing and protective.
Reena turned and walked toward her desk. She was about to resume working on a contractual issue for a conglomerate of entrepreneurs on Corma when the computer alerted her that someone was at the door.
“Enter.”
The door opened as Reena walked into the living area. A slightly disheveled Ayahliss stood just outside, her hands clenched.
“Ayahliss?” Reena strode up to her. “Is something wrong? Armeo?”
“No. I mean, yes. Armeo’s fine.”
“Come in.” Reena gestured toward the couches just beneath the panoramic view port at the other end of the living room, but Ayahliss remained where she was, her hands opening and closing repeatedly. “Please. You look like you need to talk and have something hot to drink. Tea?”
Ayahliss slowly stepped inside far enough for the door to close behind her. Standing motionless for a moment, she softly cleared her voice. “I can’t stay here.”
Frowning, Reena took Ayahliss’s arm and led her to the couch. “Tea. You definitely need tea.” She stepped over to the sideboard and poured a mug of Cormanian silk tea. After handing it to Ayahliss, she sat down next to her. “Drink.”
Ayahliss sipped the hot beverage, her eyes a cloudy midnight blue. She clung to the mug and stared into it, as if trying to read her future in the golden liquid. “I have to do something. I didn’t know it would be so hard to sit idly by on this luxurious vessel while Kellen and Rae are on a dangerous mission. That, and the fact that my countrymen are either incarcerated, in camps, or fighting a losing battle.” Blue tears of obvious fury rose in her eyes and she swiped at them with angry, jerky movements. “I know it’s been only two days, but I’m well now, and it’s driving me crazy.”
“Oh,” Reena said, her heart aching for the anguish on Ayahliss’s face. “But you’re needed here—”
“I love Armeo. I’d give my life for him, but he’s safe here. He’s aboard the safest ship in the whole SC sector.” Ayahliss drank more tea. “I can’t babysit a boy forever while the fight goes on without me. I can’t believe Kellen intended this when she took me to Earth.”
“Probably not, but she didn’t know this would happen. You’re more than a mere babysitter. You’re like Armeo’s sister, someone he can trust and rely on, no matter how physically safe he is aboard the Dalathea. He needs the stability you provide.”
“He has his grandfather.” Ayahliss spoke starkly, placing the mug on th
e ledge behind the couch. “He has his family, his real family. I’m not part of that.”
“What brought this on? You’re fiercely protective of that boy, I know that. You said you’d die for him, if necessary.”
“I would.” Ayahliss flung her hands in the air. “I would die for him, but instead I’m stuck here playing games and eating food that none of my countrymen have ever tasted and never will. I’m living this cushioned existence, but the monks reared me to be a warrior.”
Reena knew then what was wrong. Ayahliss was more like Kellen than she’d realized. The same fire burned in their blue blood, but whereas years of training had harnessed Kellen’s zeal, Ayahliss’s restraint was new and quickly wore thin. Now, as she sat opposite Reena, her slender body seemed about to rip apart at the seams if she didn’t find an outlet for the energy trapped inside.
“Tell me about it,” she suggested, hoping this would take Ayahliss’s mind off her frustration. “What was it like?”
“It was home.” Ayahliss drew a trembling breath. “The monks, all men, took children they found abandoned or orphaned during their travels to a magical place within secret caves hidden at the end of a chain of mountains. We lived there, in seclusion, and the monks taught us everything they knew about a wide variety of topics. I was the only one they taught the art of gan’thet.” She rubbed her forehead. “I didn’t know how rare this type of martial arts is until Kellen explained its tradition to me. When we were on the way to Earth from Gantharat, she trained me further and said I’m a natural. She finds this curious, since this affinity is usually passed down through protector dynasties.”
“Do you know anything about your birth family?” Reena leaned sideways against the backrest, not taking her eyes off Ayahliss.
“No. I was very young when the monks took charge of me. They told me they found me just in time. During the first years after the occupation, Onotharian mine owners sometimes ravaged the orphanages like the one I belonged to, trying to find cheap labor.”
“That’s beyond terrible,” Reena said, outraged. “Child labor?”
