by Calista Skye
“You’re on the right track,” said Ja’al. “But it goes a little deeper than that. It’s probably no surprise to you that when the Empire took over, the people weren’t exactly keen on it.”
“You don’t say,” said Kira.
“Some of those people were more vocal about their displeasure than others. Sakaj has been trying to organize them. For years, he’s wanted nothing more than to fight back. He wants Tarksis to be free.”
“So do the rest of us.”
“Yes, and so do the Raiders, Lana. Over the years, we’ve done what we could to help him organize. We’ve been trying to provide him with information about the Kamaran military. We’ve been supplying him, helping him prepare. Materials, intelligence, weapons shipments. Anything that would be helpful.”
Lana saw the lights flicker in Kira’s eyes. “Of course,” she said. “It all makes perfect sense.”
“But what’s with the speech? Why now?”
“Whatever you said to him was the catalyst. Adaar came to the decision not long after you left that what we were doing wasn’t good enough. That the people needed more than supplies and weapons. Tarksis has been primed to explode for quite some time now. And Adaar realized that the reason they hadn’t was because they needed a leader.”
“Gods, what have I done? I don’t want this blood on my hands.”
“This was Adaar’s decision.”
“But this wasn’t what I wanted.”
“You don’t want your people to be free?”
Lana stared, at a loss for words.
Ja’al placed his comm on the table in front of them and turned on the display. “The people of Tarksis aren’t pushovers, Lana. No one survives this place with learning how to handle themselves. It has made them strong. And the Empire made them angry. They just needed a spark.”
He waved his hand above the device, zooming in on a map of the city. “Tonight’s storm wasn’t an accident, Lana.”
“Don’t tell me you can control the weather,” said Kira.
“That’s not the storm I meant. Although the weather certainly helped us tonight. With no one out on the streets, the Raiders and the citizens encountered virtually no resistance. Even inside the palace, security would be rather lax on a night like this. And the Empire here had grown complacent anyway.”
“They’re going to storm the palace?” said Kira.
“They already have,” he said. He tapped a button on the side of the unit. The display switched from the tactical map to a live feed from inside. “After Tyrus disable their security systems, Adaar and Sakaj led a strike team through the palace. He asked me to come here. To make sure you were safe. And to give you any help you require in getting safely off of this planet.”
“Why?”
The look on Ja’al’s face told her all she needed to know. “He’s ready to put his life on the line for this cause. And for you, Lana. Whether you want anything to do with him or not.”
Lana looked at the holo, watching as Adaar led the strike team through the opulent palace corridors with a natural calm and grace. He was in his element. Doing at last what he had always been called to do. “He was made for this.”
“He’s a leader, Lana. He is a prince. The prince. It took you to show him the man he could become.”
“We have to help him. What can we do?”
“Adaar will have the palace under control soon enough.” He paused, looking to Lana. “But the Empire will retaliate. The mines are too valuable. And we’ll need more people on our side if we’re going to survive. The wheels of change have been set in motion, but the Empire’s reach is broad. Word of what we’ve done here will spread quickly. We’ll need to rally and organize the defectors.”
“Of course,” she said. “I want to come with you.”
“It’s not safe, Lana. Adaar would never forgive me for allowing you to come to harm.”
Lana folded her arms. “What do you expect us to do? Where are we supposed to go?”
Ja’al looked around to each of them in turn. He shrugged his massive shoulders as his brow lifted and a wide smile drew across his face. “He’s going to kill me for this, but it wouldn’t be a rebellion without you. If you’re in, there’s no turning back. You’ll probably never see this place again.”
Lana looked around their small clay home. They had grown used to living with nothing but the essentials. There was nothing to keep them there.
“Well, I’m in,” said Kira. She slung her leather pack over her shoulder. “Can’t wait to get the hell off this gods forsaken rock. When do we leave?”
Lana looked at her brother. “Tanner? What do you say we have a little adventure?”
“Can Onni come?”
“Of course,” said Ja’al. “I’ll bet Tyrus can help you fix him right up. The captain keeps plenty of spare parts.”
“Thank you, Ja’al,” said Lana. “That means more than you know.”
The Kamaran smiled. “And if I’m not mistaken, Lana, he has something for you, too.”
“The moon lilies.”
“Go to him. We’ll meet you at the ship.”
Chapter 19
The streets of Tarksis shimmered, the clay slick with rain as Lana raced through the empty city on her magnecycle. She wouldn’t miss this place. There was no nostalgia. Nothing left for her there. Everything she needed and everyone she loved would be gone before the storm was over.
Except for Sakaj Namat. But the Artruvian didn’t need her help; he could take care of himself. He’d have his work cut out for him filling the hole left by Empire, sabotaging their attempts to rebuild, and managing his contingent of rebels against their efforts to reestablish control. Maybe they’d even put him in charge. Sakaj always had a talent for managing people. Lana smiled at the thought.
She whipped her cycle around the corner into the Royeuax district, the dense hovels of the city opening up into the luxurious, walled garden of the nobles. No one manned the security checkpoint. The twisted steel wreckage of the gate lay strewn about the damp ground.
The palace lay dead ahead. Its towering spires glistened, reflecting the eerie glow of the lightning. It was beautiful once, a testament to the brilliance of the human craftsmen that labored to design and build it. Perhaps now it would become the symbol of hope it was always meant to be.
Adaar had given the people a chance to start over.
He had given her a chance to start over.
Her heart raced as she flew through the courtyard toward the palace steps. He would be waiting.
As she leaned into the throttle, her magnecycle choked and sputtered. The engine ground to a halt. The rebels must not have disabled the disruptor fields. Looks like I’m going on foot, she thought.
Then, a deafening rumble erupted from behind the palace, shaking the ground around her. A brilliant glowing orange hue lit the night sky as an Imperial cruiser crested the palace. The last of the fleeing Imperials. They were the true cowards.
Illuminated by the ship’s fiery glow, she saw Adaar’s silhouette emerge on the palace steps. Relief washed over her. She broke into a sprint, running as fast as her feet would carry her.
He stretched his arms wide, embracing her as she crashed into him. The rain streamed down his face, his cerulean eyes glowing in the darkness. “Lana,” he said. “I thought I’d never…”
Her mouth was on him before he could finish.
He wrapped his arms around her, parting her lips as he kissed her fiercely.
Lana relaxed into his embrace, a wave of pleasure coursing down her spine.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean any of it.”
“Yes, you did,” said Adaar as he pulled her body against him. “And you were right.” He ran his hands through her hair, staring deep into her eyes. “I needed to hear it. And you had the courage to tell me.”
“You didn’t give me much choice.”
“That’s true,” he said. “I’m as stubborn as they come.”
Adaar laid his lips on her. “Still haven’t learned any social graces. It’s a shame. A woman as beautiful as you…”
She kissed him again. “Doesn’t need a lecture from a pirate.”
“Clearly,” he said. He pulled her in close and kissed her slowly.
“I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“This isn’t going to be easy, Lana. Being a Raider was always dangerous. But this? Starting a rebellion…things are going to get messy. It’s not too late for you to walk away.”
She shook her head. “I’m not leaving your side. You’re nothing but trouble. And you need me.”
“I can take care of myself. Don’t you trust me yet?”
“Yes, Adaar. I trust you.” She smiled and kissed him. “As long as I’m there to save you.”
***
When the Vendetta breached the outer atmosphere of Tarksis, Trax set a course for Gamma. Growing the rebellion would require careful planning, and the Imperials would do everything in their power to squash the insurgents. Hiding among the asteroids of the Dennegar belt would allow them time to plot their next move while the fire to spread the distant corners of the galaxy.
But Lana wasn’t concerned with politics or tactics. At least not yet. She waited with bated breath for the artificial gravity aboard the ship to stabilize so she could visit Tanner in the medical bay.
She found him sleeping, splayed out across the bed with his eyes still sealed shut. The blazing sun of the Tarksis system burned behind him, its light creeping onto his face. But it wouldn’t wake him. If he could sleep through the take-off of the Vendetta, he could sleep through anything.
Lana smiled to herself. He wouldn’t need to hide from the pain anymore.
“Are we ready?” she asked Ganar.
The doctor nodded. “Of course. I’ve double checked the integrity of the serum in our molecular scanner. Everything is as it should be. He’ll be good as new in no time.”
Kira laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder.
“Go ahead,” said Adaar.
Lana reached out to her brother. “Tanner,” she said.
The boy didn’t stir.
“Tanner,” she said again, louder.
Still nothing.
“Try the bot,” said Kira.
Lana flipped the power switch and Onni whirred to life, his eyes flashing as his servos cycled through their power checks with a series of piercing beeps.
Tanner’s eyes shot open. “What is it? What’s going on?”
“It’s okay, Tanner,” said Lana. “Sorry to wake you, but this couldn’t wait. I have something for you. A surprise.”
“What is it?” he asked. “What could be better than this?”
“Something we’ve been hoping for. For a long time,” said Lana.
“I believe this is what you’re looking for,” said Kira. She popped the metal chest open and handed Lana a small, glowing blue vial.
Tanner’s eyes grew wide. “Is that…” he wheezed. “How did you get that?”
“It’s a long story, Tanner.” She looked up at Adaar and saw him smiling back at her, his golden skin glowing. “What matters is that we have it now. Are you ready?” asked Lana. She could sense the hesitation in his eyes. He was very young, but he still remembered what happened when they gave the faulty serum to their mother.
“Well…yeah. What do I need to do?”
“Lie down.” She tried to remember what her father had told her. The treatment was supposed to be easy. Painless. He said the effects would be felt right away. A miracle, he’d called it, though he may have just been trying to ease his young daughter’s fears.
Lana hadn’t forgotten what happened to their mother, either. Sakaj was fond reminding her of how much she took after her father. He trusted the Kamaran gangsters to deliver the serum, and their duplicity cost their mother her life. Never trust a Kamaran. She shook her head.
It was a philosophy she no longer needed.
Adaar was unlike any man she’d ever known. And he had proved, time and time again, that he deserved her trust. Kamaran or not, he had courage. Honor. Strength. And it was only because of him that she held the serum now in her quivering hands.
“I’m going to give you an injection,” she said. “But it will only hurt for a second. You’re going to be brave, right?”
“I’m not a kid, Lana.”
She looked him over. He’d suffered more in his seven years than most people suffered in a lifetime. “No,” she said firmly. “You’re not.”
Onni buzzed and whirred, his eyes flickering white.
“Lana?” said Adaar as he pulled the moon lily from his pocket. “Would you like to do the honors?”
Lana took the flower, spinning the stem in her hand, its radiant purple leaves glistening in the light. She drew a deep breath and closed her eyes, paying a silent tribute to her parents and everything they had been through.
And then, she crushed the bulb between her fingers, swirling its essence into the glowing blue liquid. The vial fizzled with light as the compound reacted, turning a vivid shade of violet as the lily dissolved.
“Okay,” she said. “Are you ready?”
She loaded the vial into the pistol-like jet injector and pressed the tip against her brother’s arm.
Tanner grabbed her hand and nodded.
She squeezed the trigger. The mixture vanished into his arm.
“How do you feel?” said Ganar.
Tanner looked around at each of them, his complexion returning to normal already. “I’m starving,” he said. “When do we eat?”
***
Lana gazed out the window as the Vendetta raced away, leaving her old life behind her. She had dreamed about this moment for longer than she could remember. But never in any of those dreams did she picture it like this. Surrounded by her new family. A crew of pirates. A brave band of rebels. And the Kamaran man she loved standing by her side.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Gamma Raiders: The Space Pirate Prince!
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Happy Reading,
Calista
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