by Amy DuBoff
The soldiers stopped outside a door at the end of the last hall.
“General inside,” the lead guard said to him.
Haersen nodded and inclined his head before passing through the doorway.
Tek was waiting in the center of the room.
Haersen bowed to him as he entered. “General, it is an honor to finally be in your presence.”
Tek scowled at him, his red eyes intent. “You have a lot of nerve coming here.”
Haersen’s chest tightened. That wasn’t the welcoming he had envisioned. “Why wouldn’t I? We had a deal.”
“But you failed to deliver.”
Haersen shook his head, his pulse quickening. “I did everything you asked.”
Tek evaluated him. Suddenly, burst into laughter, a sinister gleam in his eye. “You don’t know, do you?”
Haersen gulped. “Know what?”
“The Primus Elite survived.”
It wasn’t possible. Haersen fell to the floor, quivering from fear and rage. He’d shot Wil—he was bleeding out, there was no way he could have survived. But if he had…
Haersen could barely breathe, a cold chill gripped his chest. The Bakzen would never let him live after such a failure. There would be no sanctuary. He had brought himself to his death.
Unable to rise from his hands and knees, Haersen looked up to Tek. “I’ll find another way.”
“It’s too late for that. He’s already discovering his true power.” Tek took a step closer, looking down with what was almost a touch of pity. “You are no longer any use to me.”
Haersen cowered. “Please, I’ll do anything.”
Without warning, Tek gripped Haersen in a telekinetic vice and whipped him to his feet. Tek’s luminescent red eyes locked onto his captive suspended in midair.
Haersen squirmed, helpless, his toes barely brushing the ground. The vice cinched tighter around him, crushing his neck and chest. He gasped for air. “Please!”
“Why would I spare you?”
There wasn’t a compelling reason, really. Haersen searched for a reply that would keep him alive, but his mind was blank. It took all his focus just to draw a breath through the telekinetic vice. “I’ll help you get others,” he gasped.
Tek loosened the vice ever so slightly. “We have no difficulty gaining support. Why do we need you?”
“I can help you get the most out of them. I know how the TSS works.”
Tek considered the proposition, but tightened the vice again. “We already have other insiders.”
Haersen labored to breathe, feeling the end drawing near. “Then spare me because you gave me your word.”
The vice released, dropping Haersen to the ground. He stumbled, falling to his knees. He gasped for air, cradling his bruised ribs.
Tek stepped forward, towering over him. “Others may have run away in your position, but you made your way here, against all odds. Never before has someone shown such dedication.”
“I believe in what you’re doing,” Haersen said, gazing upward. “Tararia needs to fall.”
“You’ll never truly be one of us, you know,” Tek cautioned.
“I could never expect to be. I only hope to be my best.”
Tek sighed. “You’re pathetic.”
Haersen scrambled to his feet. “So make me better.”
Tek evaluated him. “It will change you.”
“I want nothing of my old self.” There was so little left, as it was. His last remaining shreds of identify had be shed over the months of weary travel.
“Don’t forget all of your old life.” Tek took him by the shoulder. “I may find some use for you yet.”
CHAPTER 22
Banks reviewed the latest report from Agents Aeronen and Merdes. Wil’s months at sea had done him good. The tone in his journal entries had become more relaxed, upbeat. He needed a break from all of this back home. I’m glad it’s been an escape for him.
More importantly, the internship was a window into Wil’s inner motivations. Banks was pleased to see that Wil was very much like his father—rallying to support the common people and to stand up to unjust authority. It was the trait Banks valued most in them. That kind of dedication would be crucial after the war.
First things first. Banks closed out of the report. He was overdue for his weekly check-in with the Priesthood.
CACI arranged the secure call.
Banks bowed his head in greeting to the Priest when the call connected. “Hello. I hope you are well.”
“Do you have any news?”
Straight to business, as always. Banks clasped his hands behind his back. “He’s still sailing with his companions, but they are close to their destination.”
“And he continues to perform well?” the Priest asked.
Banks nodded. “Yes. The internship is almost complete. Then we will be able to test his limits.”
“If we did our job correctly, he won’t have those same limits,” the Priest countered.
“Everyone has a limit.”
“Perhaps. But let’s hope he never finds his.”
* * *
Cris climbed into bed and gave Kate a kiss. “Sorry I’m late. All this final exam shite keeps stacking up.”
Kate snuggled up to him. “I know. It’ll be over soon.”
“Thankfully.” Cris put his arm around her. “Oh, and Banks said Wil should be home in time for the main graduation ceremony.”
Kate looked up at him. “Five months is pretty short for an internship.”
“I’m surprised he wasn’t done in three.”
“True,” Kate said, settling back into the crook of Cris’ arm. “I suppose there have been some travel limitations.”
“Well, extra time away isn’t a bad thing. I can’t begin to imagine what it’s going to be like after graduation.”
Kate shook her head. “How do we keep him from burning out before things really get bad?”
“I hope Saera will help with that.”
“And Banks is still okay with them…?”
“He seems to be. I’d bet he’s willing to make any concession if it keeps Wil functional.”
Kate frowned. “Now even you’re talking about him like an asset.”
“I don’t think of him that way, but they do. That’s all any of us are to them.”
“I’m not convinced Banks is one of them,” Kate countered. “Some of the things he’s said haven’t been particularly glowing about the Priesthood.”
“But he’s playing along with them.”
“Aren’t we doing the same thing?”
“Fair point,” Cris conceded.
“It takes wisdom to recognize the right time to make a move. And that time isn’t now.”
“After the war.”
Kate nodded. “After the war.”
“Let’s hope we still have enough of ourselves left for one last fight.”
* * *
Just two more weeks to go. Saera was anxious for the end of the term. Maintaining her position as the top-ranked Trainee was exhausting, but she wanted to ensure the recommendation for Primus Command was confirmed. Anything that would keep her closer to Wil would help them in the years ahead.
She had just completed a practice session with the Primus girls and boys. Her roommates already had their tablets on their laps for some last-minute refreshers before the written exams, but Saera didn’t have any concerns about the tests. All that she cared about was Wil coming home. Five months was too long to be apart.
Saera sat down on her bed and grabbed her own tablet. No new messages. She sighed inwardly. When is he coming back?
“Ugh, I can’t wait for finals to be over,” Elise said as she set aside her tablet and laid down on her bunk.
“Then we’ll be Initiates!” Nadeen interjected with rare outward excitement.
Caryn shot her a sidelong glance. “If we decide to stay, that is.”
“What could they possibly tell us in the debrief to make anyone want to leave
?” Leila asked.
Whatever it is, Wil didn’t want to tell even me. Saera kept the thought to herself and clicked her tablet back into the wall.
“Well, I’m staying regardless,” Elise stated.
“Same,” Leila agreed.
Nadeen and Caryn murmured their agreement, as well.
“What about you, Saera?” Nadeen asked.
“I’m in. I can’t go back to Earth after this.”
Leila nodded with satisfaction. “So the Primus girls will remain united.”
“We already are. You finally want to join the club?” Nadeen shot back.
Leila tensed. “Yes, well, we’re a team. All of us.”
Hopefully she’ll start acting like it. Saera got up off her bed. “I’m going to take a shower.” She grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom. With everyone else in study-mode, she had the room to herself.
She took her time to relax under the hot water, savoring the gentle rhythm of the water splashing onto the tile floor.
The timer in the shower beeped with two-minute warning for automatic water shut-off. Rarely did she max out the fifteen-minute limit. She finished washing her hair and shut off the water.
With a towel wrapped around herself, Saera stepped over to the mirror to comb out her wet hair. As she gazed at herself in the mirror, a stream of water snaked down her face to the tip of her nose. A single drop dripped down.
Saera watched the drop fall. It stopped in midair an inch below her nose. Her mouth parted with surprise. The drop of water continued to hover. Am I doing that?
Her concentration broke and the drop splashed down into the sink.
She let out a giggle of happy surprise. I just levitated a drop of water! No one had witnessed the feat, but that was okay. The act itself didn’t matter—but it meant she was getting control of her abilities. A smile spread across her face. When Wil returned, he could really start training her. She couldn’t wait.
* * *
The rendezvous point was easy to spot from a distance. Wil was on watch halfway up the mast of the sailboat when he saw the giant rock peeking up from the horizon. The Tower of Aestra. Finally! Other boats were already anchored around the island.
Wil smiled down at his companions. “They came through.”
Petre looked up at him and nodded with satisfaction. “I had no doubts.”
“Now we just have to get everyone to work together.” And that’s all on me. Wil slid down the mast to the deck of the ship. A length of hair struck him in the eye and he tucked it back into the tie holding back the rest—grown out after five months at sea.
In the nearly four months since the meeting with the Northern Seafarers, Wil and his companions had visited six other villages on their south-easterly journey. All but two of the villages had promised to send soldiers to help with the conquest of the corrupt Makaris operation on Orino. But more importantly, each was sending a diplomatic representative. With the feud around inequitable supply distribution resolved, peace could once again return to the people of Orino. Getting that truce in writing was ultimately the objective of Wil’s mission. I need to keep my sight on that. These people are my friends, but this isn’t my home.
Mila scaled the vacated central mast of the boat, peering out at the land up ahead. “Land! It’s so… solid.”
Wil looked up at her with surprise. “You’ve never seen land before?”
“No. I’d never left the village until I set sail with you,” she replied, still fixated on the rock monolith before her.
My perspective is so different. No wonder they have such distaste for Tararia—the other side of the world is a distant realm, let alone a whole other planet. “On most other worlds, people only live on land.”
Mila grinned. “They’re missing out.”
Petre directed the sailboat toward a natural jetty along the southern edge of the rock. The escort boat sent from the Northern Seafarers followed through the choppy water swirling around the monolith. Half a dozen other boats slightly larger than their own were moored in the shallow bay. A crescent-shaped black sand beach curved along the inner face of the rock. Gray rock spires that suggested the location’s name stretched a hundred meters toward the overcast sky—pitted columns separated by vertical crevasses lost in shadow.
They dropped anchor in the center of the bay. Based solely on the beach, it was difficult to determine the fluctuation in tides, and they didn’t want to become trapped at low tide—if there was one.
Along the shore, a group of people were beginning to congregate. Most were young men around Tiro’s age, but several elders were among them.
“Swim ashore?” Wil asked Petre.
“That’s the way of it.”
The four of them dove off the bow of the boat into the murky water, churning with sand and silt.
Wil’s breath caught in the sudden chill of the water. Shaking off the initial shock, he took up an even stroke and followed the others toward the shore.
Eight meters from the shoreline, the water was shallow enough to stand. They waded the rest of the way to the beach under the scrutinizing eye of the strangers.
Wil took the lead as they exited the water, thankful to feel the warming rays of the sun on his back. “Hello. I am the representative from the TSS.”
One of the elders stepped forward. “I am Samuel. I am here on behalf of the Sunwatcher village of the south.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Wil replied. “Have you spoken with the other representatives?”
Samuel nodded. “Some. We have been awaiting leadership. It looks like that has now arrived.”
“I’ll do my best,” Wil said, looking around the group. “Now, let’s see who’s here.”
The younger members of the group on the shore scattered to gather representatives from each of the villages.
“Come, dry yourselves.” Samuel beckoned Wil toward an inviting fire high up the beach adjacent to a rock overhang.
Two dozen bedrolls were laid out around the campsite—a mixture of tanned hides from the native sea creatures on the planet and Baellas-branded items from the inner colonies. Primitive spears and bows made of bone and sharpened metal were piled next to some of the bedrolls. Wil took inventory of the items as he passed by. The weapons would be no match for the blast guns and incendiary cannons scouts from other tribes had spotted at the Makaris station, but they would have numbers on their side. Several dozen people could easily overwhelm the small Makaris installation, especially with a surprise strike. The key would be to capture the facility before the guards could call for reinforcements. If Wil could proactively explain the corruption to Makaris before Akka had a chance to speak his case, the people of Orino were far more likely to have a favorable outcome.
Wil dried his clothes for fifteen minutes next to the fire while he waited for the village representatives to arrive. He was surprised how strange it felt to once again have solid ground under foot. Petre, Mila and Tiro were visibly uncomfortable on the rock, stepping cautiously as though they expected the land to give way at any moment. He smiled to himself, remembering the same look on Saera’s face when he first started working with her in freefall. His heart leaped. I’ll be home soon.
The last of the village representatives took their seats around the fire as the sky tinted orange with the approach of dusk. Each person gazed at Wil with their full attention.
“Thank you for coming,” Wil began, looking around the circle. “We are here together now because Orino is in trouble. Only as a united front can we make sure that your people aren’t ever in this same situation again.”
“I know many of you don’t trust the TSS,” Petre stated. “But Wil has proven himself to be an advocate and ally. My village had it worse than many—”
“You think you had it bad?” one of the young men cut in. “I watched people starve so I could live!”
Mila jumped to her feet. “You think we didn’t? My mother—”
The crowd burst into cacophonous shouts.
Wil climbed up on a rock to stand above the crowd. “We’re here to make things better, remember?” he shouted. I need to bring them together, to end these feuds. No one should have to live in fear.
With a few final spats, the crowd fell silent. “Now,” Wil continued when he had their attention, “Akka is our target at the Makaris outpost. What do we know about the facility?”
The group refocused on the objective, providing Wil with the details he would need to formulate a solid plan of attack. What they told him fueled his motivation. Having everyone together and hearing the different sides of their experience with Makaris, Wil started to see what had been going on all along. Akka definitely had to go.
Wil was confident in their ability to overtake the Makaris station, but the willingness for the different villages to work as one remained to be seen. It they were successful in their mission, perhaps it would be enough to show that a peace treaty was the best path forward.
With Wil acting as facilitator, the group agreed to a tentative organizational structure for the attack force. Wil would serve as the commander until the mission concluded.
“Anything else for tonight?” Samuel asked when the conversation wound down.
“No,” Wil replied as he stood. “We should go retrieve our gear. It’s going to be a cold swim.”
Samuel shook his head. “We have a canoe for ferrying supplies from the boats. We will help you.”
Petre’s face lit up. “Thank you, that is very kind.”
