The Dark of Light (Starhawke Rising Book 1)

by Audrey Sharpe

  “Cade told me what you’ve learned,” Byrnes said as the two men joined them. “I’m afraid I can’t give you much information about the five Corps members. And they’re gone.”

  “Gone? What do you mean gone?”

  “After the search was called off, one of the Argo shuttles took them back to RC headquarters. We didn’t have anything more for them to do here.”

  She closed her eyes and cursed softly. Well, at least they were off site. But that didn’t mean the Lumians were safe.

  She turned to Cade. “I’ll contact Reanne and have the Corps members placed under surveillance. In the meantime, debrief Reynolds on exactly what occurred while the RC team was on watch with her. We’re looking for any kind of tangible evidence that will tell us what happened on that ship.”

  The intensity in Cade’s eyes gave her hope. “Understood.”

  “How can I help?” Mya asked.

  “Find Gonzalez, Drew and Jonarel, and have them do a sweep of the entire camp for incendiary devices. If they find anything, alert me immediately. I’ll see what information I can get from Reanne.”

  Slipping out of the tent, she walked down to the beach, turning her back to the water so she could see anyone who approached. She didn’t want this conversation interrupted.

  “Reanne, it’s Aurora.”

  “Aurora! I’ve been so worried ever since I received the report about the ship explosion. What happened?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to determine. I could use your help.”

  “Of course. Anything.”

  “The five RC members who worked the security detail here returned to headquarters earlier today. Have you seen them?”

  “Yes. They checked in about an hour ago. Why?”

  “Are they staying there?”

  “For now. I haven’t reassigned them yet. What’s this all about?”

  “I need you to keep them at HQ.”

  “Why?”

  “There’s a chance one of them was involved in placing explosives on the ship.”

  Reanne inhaled audibly. “What?”

  Aurora gave her a concise rundown of what they’d learned, ending with her request that Reanne keep the RC team under surveillance.

  Reanne sounded horrified. “I can’t imagine anyone from the RC doing such a thing, let alone one of our security officers. It goes against our core tenets to help those in need. There must be another explanation.”

  Unlikely, but Aurora dialed back her response, not wanting to push Reanne into a defensive posture. “It’s just a working theory. We want to cover all the potential explanations so that nothing’s overlooked. But since all five of them had unrestricted access to the ship for several days, we need to monitor them as a precautionary measure. Hopefully we’ll know more soon.”

  “I suppose that’s reasonable.” Reanne didn’t seem happy. “I can place them on rotation at the check-in stations here at HQ. That will keep them close by and visible.”

  “That’s perfect. Thanks, Reanne.”

  “You’re welcome. But just so we’re clear, I really don’t think they’re involved.”

  “I understand.” And she did. She wouldn’t react well to someone accusing a member of her crew, either. Reanne’s loyalty was admirable. “I promise to contact you as soon as I have any news to share.”

  She ended the conversation as quickly as possible, then opened a channel to Kire.

  “How can we help?” he asked. “I spoke with Jon, and Star’s already started a sweep of the camp.”

  She so owed him a drink. “Can you do a bio-scan of the island and check for any unauthorized personnel? There should be two hundred and ninety-seven Lumians and the ten members of our team. If you locate anyone else, I need to know who and where.”

  “I’m on it.”

  Three hours later the sweeps were completed and the team was gathered around a table in the main tent. No devices and no unauthorized personnel had been found. For now, the Lumians were relatively safe.

  Reynolds had given her report, though there wasn’t much to be gleaned from it. She and the RC security personnel had worked paired rotations on both the bridge and in the shuttle bay, but during off duty hours they’d been free to roam the ship and make use of the cabin facilities. Anyone could have accessed the four target areas without drawing undue attention.

  “We need to send a contingent to RC headquarters to question the security team.” Aurora glanced around the table. “Volunteers?”

  “Me.” Reynolds’s eyes were frosty and her tone matched, although her ire was directed within. She’d taken the destruction of the ship personally, especially now that it looked like someone under her command was responsible.

  Cade rested his forearms on the table. “I’ll go, too. And I’d like Justin to come with us.”

  Byrnes nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “Do you want to join us?” Cade asked Aurora.

  Did she? While her empathic abilities might come in handy to spot a liar, her emotional readings were not admissible as evidence. They needed facts, not impressions, and Cade’s team was much better qualified to extract them.

  “I’ll stay here, at least for now.” And if she was just the tiniest bit nervous about leaving the Lumians, well, that was only logical.

  57

  Since they didn’t know which members of the RC they could trust, Cade asked Captain Schreiber to send one of the Argo’s shuttles to take them to RC headquarters. Reanne hadn’t been exactly thrilled with his request for a meeting with the security team, but she’d agreed to set it up.

  The Argo pilot settled the shuttle on the landing platform outside HQ and extended the exit ramp. “Do you want me to wait here, sir?”

  Cade shook his head. “It might be a while. Why don’t you come inside with us? There’s a staff lounge near the director’s office that would be a lot more comfortable.”

  She smiled in gratitude. “Thank you, sir.”

  Two sirs in a row. He’d been working with seasoned officers for so long he’d forgotten that particular habit of new Fleet cadets. It always took them a while to stop adding that moniker to every sentence they spoke to a superior. He’d be willing to bet this was her first post out of the Academy.

  The guards at the checkpoint waved them through after they showed their IDs. But as they walked down the long corridor toward the second checkpoint, shots rang out, followed by shouts from somewhere inside the building.

  Cade palmed his weapon and sprinted down the hallway, Byrnes and Reynolds beside him. The second checkpoint was empty, and it wasn’t hard to figure out why.

  In the open space that led to the Corps offices, a male security officer lay on the floor, unmoving, with a large scorch mark in the center of his chest. A female officer pressed a weapon to the temple of a hostage she held in a chokehold. Two additional officers stood opposite her with weapons drawn, though they looked unwilling to shoot and risk hitting the hostage.

  Cade had a clear line on the target, but even a perfect shot could cause the woman’s finger to squeeze the trigger, which would not end well for the hostage. He needed to reach her before she became aware of his presence.

  “You can’t get out that way,” the hostage said. “Ellis’s team is due to arrive any minute and they’ll stop you.”

  And what do you know, the female officer turned her head in his direction. So much for the element of surprise. She adjusted her stance, giving him a good look at the hostage. Thank you very much, Reanne.

  “Stay back!” the security guard snarled at him. She pushed the pistol tighter to Reanne’s head. “I’ll kill her, I swear I will.”

  Amazingly, Reanne’s voice remained completely calm, although her words indicated she might have lost her mind. “No, you won’t. You’re not going to hurt me and you’re not going to escape. It’s time to end this.”

  She was dead. No doubt about it. You didn’t tell a lunatic with a gun that she had no way out.

  And yet, the strangest thing
happened. The look on the woman’s face changed from wild anger to serene acceptance between one breath and the next. Then she did the unexpected. Lifting the weapon from Reanne’s temple, she raised it to her own and fired.

  As the security officer toppled over, she dragged Reanne with her. The woman was dead before she hit the ground.

  Reanne, however, was staring up at Cade in shock, her mouth hanging open and her eyes blinking rapidly. He clasped her hand to help her up, and she took it like a sleepwalker. She glanced behind her as she rose to her feet. “No,” she whispered, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as she stared at the dead woman. “Oh, no.”

  She repeated the denial several times as she shook her head, tears streaming down her face. She listed sideways and Byrnes wrapped an arm around her shoulders to keep her upright.

  Time to take charge of the situation.

  Cade contacted Captain Schreiber while Justin secured the area, placing additional guards at the checkpoints to prevent anyone from entering or exiting the building. Reynolds handled the removal of the two bodies and directed all personnel who had witnessed the scene to report for debriefing.

  Many hours later, Cade’s office was cleared of everyone except Byrnes, Reynolds and Reanne. Reanne sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, a mug of coffee gripped tightly in both hands and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Despite the summer heat that permeated the building, she’d been shaking off and on for hours. Shock could do that to you.

  “I just can’t believe it.” Her voice was hoarse, her nose and eyes both red and watery. “They used the Rescue Corps as a front to steal confidential Council information. Who does such a thing?”

  Cade kept his tone gentle. “Someone who knew it was the perfect cover. Someone who excelled at giving the appearance of goodness to hide their real purpose.”

  And boy, had they. While he and Byrnes had conducted the debriefings, Reynolds had investigated the quarters of the two guards. She’d found exactly what they’d suspected—all the information Reanne had been privy to, including files stolen from her office that contained her notes and communication records. In short, everything the Setarips needed to keep one step ahead of them and plan a counterattack.

  “It’s all my fault.” She stared into her mug. “I’m the one who trusted them. I’m the one who assigned them to their posts. I’m the one who didn’t think twice about whether anyone was listening to my communications or going through my private data.” She shook her head. “I almost cost all of you your lives.”

  Byrnes knelt beside her chair. “It’s not your fault. These were security officers who had been vetted before they were ever assigned to the Rescue Corps. You didn’t have any reason to question their motives.”

  She took a sip of her drink, the cup rattling slightly as she set it on the desk. “Thanks. But I still feel…” She shuddered, pulling the edges of the blanket tighter over her shoulders. “What do we do now?” She glanced at Cade.

  “I’ll contact the Admiral. All the evidence indicates only those two officers were involved. The Admiral will probably want a full inquiry, but for now, we can focus on protecting the Lumians.”

  “Lumians?” She frowned. “Who are the Lumians?”

  “That’s what Aurora has been calling the refugees.”

  “I thought you were calling them Necri.”

  “We were. But Lumians is a better fit now that they’re healing.”

  “I see.” Reanne’s frown deepened. “Are they in danger?”

  “Possibly.”

  “So you’ll be staying on the island with them?”

  He nodded.

  “What about Aurora?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Her crew may be needed elsewhere.”

  Reanne nodded, her gaze drifting to the door as she slid the blanket off her shoulders. “Well, you’ve spent enough time babysitting me. I’ll get out of the way.” She stood and draped the blanket over the chair. “Unless you need me for anything else?”

  He shook his head. “Not until I’ve spoken with the Admiral.”

  After she left, he leaned back in his chair and exhaled on a sigh. “Not quite the day we’d anticipated.”

  Reynolds perched on the edge of the desk. “It would have been much better if we’d been able to take them into custody. We have the evidence to prove their involvement, but we didn’t find anything that would tell us how they were keeping in contact with the Setarips or what the endgame was. We’re at another wall.” And Reynolds hated walls as much as he did.

  For now, they’d have to focus on the tasks at hand. “Give me a few minutes to send a message to the Admiral, and then we’ll plan our next move.” He glanced at Byrnes. “How’s our shuttle pilot holding up?”

  “She’s pretty shaken. Poor kid’s never been in this type of situation before, and she’s struggling. I left her in the staff lounge with one of the RC counselors. We may want to suggest to Captain Schreiber that she get some time off.”

  “Why don’t you go ahead and contact the Captain and bring him up to speed. He may want to send some personnel down here anyway before we head back to the island.” Cade turned to Reynolds. “What about the physical evidence? Is it secured?”

  She nodded. “They’re not set up for this kind of thing, but I’ve installed new security protocols on all the data sources in the HQ system, and moved the physical evidence to the Argo shuttle for now. Only the three of us and our pilot can access it.”

  “Good.” He could always count on his team. “I’ll meet you in the staff lounge as soon as I’ve contacted the Admiral.”

  58

  Aurora had always enjoyed change. It was one reason she’d wanted to join the Fleet. She never knew what each day would bring, and no two were ever the same.

  However, right now she was yearning for a little mundane routine just so she could catch her breath.

  First Cade had informed her about the hostage situation and the deaths of the two security officers responsible for passing information to the Setarips. Then Kire had contacted her and told her the Admiral had ordered all Starhawke crewmembers to return to the ship as soon as Cade’s team reached the island. Oh, and she was supposed to bring Cade with her.

  Which was why she was in the process of packing her minimal belongings in preparation for departure. Celia and Mya had already finished packing and were in the main tent saying their goodbyes. Aurora had no idea when she’d be back, or why her crew was suddenly being rushed off the island. Her one consolation was that Cade’s team was staying behind to protect the Lumians. But the situation made her very uneasy.

  Jonarel entered as she was tying her bedroll. His was already looped over his shoulder. He stopped beside her. “How are you feeling?”

  Might as well give him the truth. “Upset. Worried. And more than a little confused.”

  He brushed a strand of hair out of her face with his thumb, letting his fingers trail over her cheek. “I like that answer much better than fine.”

  Yeah. And he knew as well as she did that fine was her default setting. “Good, because I’m not in the mood to gloss over things. I’m hoping once we reach the ship we’ll get some answers about what exactly is going on here.”

  “I suspect we will.”

  “Then let’s get going.”

  “Are you going to say goodbye to the Lumians?” he asked as they walked down the alley past the main tent.

  Was she? She hesitated for a moment, then kept walking. “No. Celia and Mya have already talked to them, so they know we’re leaving. I don’t know what more I could say.” And to be honest, she was a little afraid of how they might react. If they panicked, she’d be in a no-win situation. Far better to slip away quietly.

  The Lumians, however, had other plans. They were waiting for her when she reached the clearing in front of the main tent, despite the glare of the late afternoon sun that had to be hurting their eyes. Mya and Celia stood with them.

  Aurora caught Mya’s gaze, but he
r friend shook her head to indicate the gathering hadn’t been her idea.

  Aurora stopped a few feet in front of the large group, her gaze sweeping over the increasingly familiar faces. She was going to miss them. Like it or not, she was already in a no-win situation.

  Raaveen stepped forward, her head held high. Words in the Lumian language flowed with lilting grace from her lips. Aurora didn’t understand the meaning, but she got the subtext just fine when, as one, the Lumians went through the familiar gesture that ended with the term of respect they all accorded her. “Sahzade.”

  How could she deny them? She inclined her head in acknowledgement.

  But Raaveen wasn’t finished. She glanced at Mya, who nodded in encouragement. When Raaveen spoke this time, she used words Aurora understood completely. “Weee…graatiiituuude…yooou.”

  Now her throat was closing up. She had to swallow several times before she could respond. She projected her voice so that everyone in the clearing would hear her. “I am grateful for you, too.” She swept her hands out to emphasize her point.

  And then the most amazing thing happened. The Lumians surged forward, surrounding her in their version of a group hug. Their energy fields lit up, and she responded, sending energy out in a flowing wave, interweaving with theirs as a sense of peace and joy wrapped around her.

  And she’d been trying to avoid this?

  She had no idea how long the moment lasted, but as if by unspoken command, a collective sigh went through the group and the Lumians retreated, leaving a pathway to the shuttle.

  Aurora stepped forward and clasped Mya’s hands. Damp tracks marked her friend’s cheeks. Mya could probably see the same thing on hers.

  She held Mya’s gaze. “We’ll see them again.”

  It was a promise—to Mya, to the Lumians, but most of all, to herself.

  59

  Aurora’s boot connected with the solid floor of her ship for the first time in weeks. But it felt like years. She wasn’t even the same person. This ship, this reality, belonged to someone else.

  And Cade was back onboard. That seemed to be a recurring theme ever since they’d started this mission. She hitched her pack onto her shoulder as she glanced at him. “I need to stop by my cabin. Go on up to my office. We can contact the Admiral from there.”