by E L Strife
Atana launched pod 125 toward the ocean. “Payload released. Fifteen seconds to impact.”
Chapter 47
YARI SLAMMED herself in the pilot’s seat and took control, blasting them out across the land, redlining the thrusters. The dash beeped as the temperature of the engines rose. “Come on. Come on. Go.”
The blast shook the cabin, light flashing from behind them as they headed out across the hazy islands of Pacific Zone Nineteen. The rear section of the pod lifted, the propulsion systems sputtering.
“Don’t give out on me yet, baby!” Yari shouted.
“It’s going to overheat,” Atana warned in her ear.
“I know—I know!” Yari smacked the button on the wall to her left, causing straps to fly out over Johna’s flaccid body. “I’m trying to get us as high as I can in case the shockwave knocks out the igniter!”
The pod screen flashed, “Safe Zone” appearing to her right with a tone as the end of an invisible wave kicked the transport forward. The main rear propulsion backfired and went out.
Yari’s stomach lifted into her throat as the pod nose-dived toward the ocean. “I wasn’t ready for this part of the plan!”
“I’m running diagnostics. Your temp’s too high. I can’t restart from here,” Atana spit over the mic. “You have to dump the coolant from the reburner and its supply lines. It will cycle it back over the engine on evacuation. Flush with air scoops, dump, flush, then reignite. Twice, copy?”
“Roger.” Yari tightened her harness with flailing arms as gravity dissipated then crawled her hands to the coolant controls. The temp gauge read 652. She switched the reburner coolant circulation to Exhaust and tapped Dump. Celedon fluid sprayed out in a spiral helix behind them. Redirecting the scoops to Exhaust, the hydraulics hummed with the repositioning sequence. The wind grew louder, and the trail of fluid spread into a cloud of mist.
Yari watched the temperature drop to 405. The ocean grew before them, the waves now discernible specks. She dumped the coolant again, the reburner grinding in protest. Its cylindrical gear icon on her screen flashed red and darkened.
“Reburner out.” When she returned the scoops to their in-flight positions, the pod wobbled and tumbled into a chaotic spin. “We’re stuck at 290!” Slung back and forth in her harness, she let out a yelp. “We’re out of control—I can’t see the pattern!”
Johna groaned behind her.
Atana popped through her speaker, her voice quiet against the torrent of air around the pod. “I’m putting you in a nose dive. I’ll lose control below the designated flight zone. You will have to pull her up, manually.”
“Copy.” The straps dug heavily into Yari’s shoulders. “Just get us out of this!”
Hydraulics hummed and thundered through the pod’s cabin. The ocean came into steady view, the pod spiraling toward it like a drill bit.
Yari thrust back in her seat, her stomach pressed into her lungs. “Fuck me! I take it back—I can’t do it!”
“Yari, you will die if you don’t. Temp count off!” Atana barked.
“I’m n-not trained for this y-yet!” Blood thrust heavily into Yari’s head from the equalizing gravity. Her eyes closed, shutting out the spinning. “Stars forgive me.”
“It’s an order, Shepherd!” The cold sternness in Atana’s voice dispersed some of her panic.
Yari’s eyes watered until they couldn’t hold back another drop from the disorientation. She silently choked out a sob and wished she was somewhere else.
“Nissa, you found me. You can do this,” Johna rasped from the back.
Yari squinted and blinked at the dash. Shame crawled up her spine. He sounded so calm and confident in spite of his condition. She couldn’t give up on him, not now. “T-two eighty, 270, 265, 260—”
“Ignite!” Atana barked in her ear.
Hyperventilating, Yari’s fingers flew over the dash as she restarted the system. Swallowing, she suppressed the urge to be sick. The main thrusters sputtered to life, launching them harder toward the ocean.
Letting out a startled screech, Yari grabbed the hand levers and pulled back as hard as she could. The pod shuddered with the force from the change of direction, the spinning reversed until the ocean was a fixed image before them again. Her boots pressed into the manual airfoil pedals, shaking from the resistance. The veins bulged in her arms as she strained to right the vessel.
She belted out a yell, and something about it sparked a fire in her blood, strengthening her. The water shifted to one side, the nose of the pod still pointing at the water.
“You’re going to skip!” Atana shouted.
“I feel it.” Yari listened to the forces on her body. Releasing pressure in the controls, she felt them dip closer. Please don’t break on me, baby.
“Nissa?” Johna sounded frantic.
“Trust me.” Her grip tightened around the controls, and growling, her adrenaline spiking through her muscles, she tugged them to their max.
The pod flopped over, swaying side to side as the ocean ripped by underneath and sent spray up into the air. Yari’s arms fell limp in relief, permitting the levers back to their neutral position. She slumped in her seat with a sigh, gently lifting them up into the sky once again.
“Nice job, Yari,” Atana said.
“Thank you for your help, ma’am.” Slapping the button on the wall to her left, the straps freed from Johna’s body. Yari checked the temperature gauge one last time before engaging autopilot and squeezing into the back to check on Johna.
The screen on the back of the seat popped on, Sergeant Bennett’s face appearing beside Atana’s. “How bad is it?”
Yari shifted the fabric aside. “A through-and-through not near a major artery. No sign of infection.”
“Any metal inside not a bullet?” Atana asked.
She grimaced, readying her fingers. “Sorry, sir, I have to check.”
“Do it.” Johna clenched his teeth.
She palpated around the torn flesh and shook her head. “No metal.”
Yari bandaged him up, wrapping the gauze tight to his dark skin. Reaching into the pocket on the back side of the seat, she pulled out a blanket, unfolding its dappled, recycled fabric. Laying it out over his body, she checked the vitals readout on his wristband.
“They wanted the ship in the sky, Agutra something or other,” Johna said through a dry throat.
Yari hushed him. Pulling a cleaning wipe from the kit, she began removing the dirt and blood from his face.
“Want Agutra? Why?” Bennett asked.
Johna shook his head. “Mad at Lin-lin—” He licked his chapped lips.
“Linétens?” Yari asked.
“No. Linétens jealous, feud with Lina-Lin—”
“Linoans,” Bennett offered.
Johna lifted a finger in the air. “Linétens are jealous of Linoans.”
Yari gestured a pouch of water to his lips, encouraging him to drink. The only Linoans she knew were from the crashed ship. Blue Bomb had killed them. Atana and her team. She’d overheard pieces on her radio and from visitors she’d causally stalked at the border’s nightclub.
He took a sip and swallowed with a wary glance up at her. “They had tons of retired UP equipment, a couple wristbands, and many black-market munitions. Pac. Nineteen had something they wanted to take. That was their initial focus. They ambushed our team during the chaos of the invasion. The Linétens shot the others—Ceilia, Trope, and Beck—without hesitation when they figured out which of us was the munitions technician. Two personal transport pods were knocked out of the sky. No one else came.” Johna picked up his bloodied arm where a lighter patch of skin matched the shape of a wristband. “The Linétens cut the tracker out. I thought they were diseased humans at first. The longer I studied them, the more I started to think they were the invaders.”
Yari shook her head. “They are from here, Earth.”
She could see him still processing the concept in the back of his mind as he continued.
&nb
sp; “The Linétens tried to make me rewire the navigation systems for several missiles. I overheard them arguing down the hall about a speech given by UP and whether the aliens on earth were Linoans or not. They started talking about different zones and H.Co. facilities and bases, something about us getting in the way of their ticket off this planet. Whatever they mean, it’s located in Pac. Nineteen.”
An unidentifiable voice came through the pod’s speakers, hushed and distant. “H.Co., Pac Nineteen Base, and three villages are gone. Another twenty-three thousand.”
Atana’s shoulders slumped on the screen.
“Thank you, Sergeant Tanner.” Bennett covered his face with a hand. “Guess they changed their plan.”
“They seem to do that a lot.” Johna tipped his head, and Yari watched him trace the length of her body. “Tried to torture me into working, stopped feeding me, kept me locked up. I was being transferred to another facility, one with equipment that would make me work.”
“Did they mention where or which bases they were interested in?” Atana asked.
“No.” Johna reached a trembling hand for the water pouch again, and Yari put the straw to his lips. After a long draw, he choked out, “Something about underwater ports.” His eyes rolled shut. “If only I’d—”
“Don’t do that to yourself, sir.” Yari raked her fingers through his coal-black hair, freeing it of sand. “You couldn’t have. You have too many injuries, and you’re far too dehydrated. Linétens are fast. You rest, and we will talk about everything later, okay?”
He looked up at her. “Yari, what’s going on? What were you doing out there? I told you to stay at the base.”
She rested the water pouch in her lap. The ocean rushed by beneath, uncaring and steady, like the shepherd she knew she should be. She didn’t want to answer his questions. She had acted on impulse, on instinct, not on the rules designed to regulate her actions. Atana and others were listening.
The bloodied knuckles of his right hand lifted, brushing the cargo pocket on her thigh. “Nissa?”
“Sergeant Atana?” She turned to the screen to stare at the woman’s scar-flecked face. Beside her sat Sergeant Bennett, one of the top Team Leaders in UP. Both were staring at her. Embarrassment heated Yari’s cheeks. They’d come to her rescue, and she felt unworthy. “I wish to operate under counseling protocol twenty-one.”
Atana sat forward in her seat looking at Bennett. He shrugged. “Freedom of speech granted for extenuating rescue circumstances.” She tapped her keyboard. “Recording ended.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Yari grabbed an electrolyte pouch and cracked it open, resting the nozzle to Johna’s lips. He hummed as he drank it empty, his shaking hands steadying as he braced the arms feeding him. Giving him another long sip of water, she sat back.
“I’m trained as a Field Guard. It’s my job to protect my specialty sergeant, myself being an R1 Assistant or not. I’m due for the Pairing Process next month. I figured my skills acceptable enough to search when Johna went missing. They assigned me a security post at one pillar close to Pac Nineteen’s north village. The two other shepherds didn’t acknowledge my existence.” Yari beamed down at her instructor. “I left to do something with purpose, to find you.”
His eyes widened. “They will discharge you for insubordination.”
“Maybe.” She clenched her jaw, hoping they wouldn’t, or she’d never see him again. If they did, at least she would know he was safe. “It’ll be worth it.”
Home Station’s peak appeared in the distance, signaling a soft tone from the controls.
“Command told the world about the Earth’s different ancestral, alien backgrounds. Even shepherds are not all humans.” She extended a hand toward Atana and Bennett’s faces on the screen. “The teams who fought the invaders aren’t allowed on serum. I’m not on serum anymore.”
“What?” Lifting his bloodied hands, the tips of Johna’s fingers graced the sides of her face. “Nissa, why aren’t you on serum?”
Her eyes closed, feeling his rough skin against hers. “I researched Sergeant Atana because I want to be skilled like her and found out I am like her. I went off serum, and my brain came back online. Everything and everyone is different.”
“You’re making it sound like you’re not human.”
“I’m not. I am half Xahu’ré from planet Vioras and half Mirramor from Lizra. Command sent our information digitally since we were on field patrol.”
Johna covered his face with a hand. “I’m human, right? I mean, wouldn’t I know if I wasn’t?”
Atana cut in. “Command used H.Co to track everyone. Before the Shepherds United formed, UP’s predecessor, they used Mirramor to make sure we all looked human.”
“What am I then?”
“You’re, um—” Yari hesitated. “You are full-blood Xahu’ré.” Which is one reason I found you.
His hand slid back through his dark hair, his eyes searching for an explanation. “Come again?”
“You’re like me!” a voice boomed so loud and deep over the video that it popped. “I am Xahu’ré. My name is Azure. I look forward to meeting you.”
Johna and Yari stared at the gray man with navy stripes and bright blue eyes tilting into the frame.
“Uh, hi.” Johna gave a half-hearted wave.
Azure lifted a hand in response.
He is part of Sergeant Atana and Bennett’s team. He is from Agutra. Command made him a shepherd, like us. Her eyes darted to the looming shadow in the sky through the transparent roof.
“My station is getting really crowded,” Atana muttered, releasing a timid laugh through the speakers. “Yari, we’re going to dock the UAVs. You okay to return on your own?”
Yari peered around the back of her seat at the temp and fuel gauges. “Yes, ma’am. Should arrive in five minutes.”
“Copy. Atana out.” The screen flickered off.
Our kind are—telepathic? Johna asked.
Yari closed up the med kit and slipped it into the storage compartment. Yes. I can feel you from a mile away.
He grabbed her arm with surprising strength and tugged her toward him. Her body toppled over onto his, hands planting on the metal floor. Sliding his arms around her back, he hugged her tight.
“Thank you.” Johna drew in a deep choppy breath. I was about to lose it out there.
Yari felt a wet drop slip between their cheeks. It left her heart churning with pain.
Lying crushed against him evoked a pleasant tingle in her lower stomach. “Doing my job, sir,” she said into his sandy tactical vest.
He gently lifted her by the shoulders. “This was way above your designated grade, Nissa.”
“It was nothing, sir.” Her stripes betrayed her words, seeping through her skin. She tried to rub them away until his hands latched on, stopping her.
His cobalt eyes deepened in color, a finger grazing the edges of a fading line on her hand. His touch was intolerably light. Goosebumps crept up her arm. “It means everything.”
A neutral voice sprang from the dash. “Manual docking required. Please return to your seat.”
She slipped his grasp, sliding herself into the pilot’s chair. Latching her harness, she contacted dispatch and received permission to dock in the medical bay. Resting them on a landing pad with a soft bump, she shut off the propulsion systems and yanked herself free of the restraints.
Johna pushed himself upright as the door whistled and lifted. Yari helped him out with an arm around his back and one of his over her shoulders. After a hobbling step, he gave her a bashful smile that made the last week of hell worth every minute.
“Assistant Shepherd Nissa Yari.” A team of Home Station security sergeants stormed in her direction. “You need to come with us.”
She and Johna froze in the middle of the floor. Security had tracked her wristband’s locations and activities. CENA reports would’ve surely been the deciding factor. Her heart slammed into her throat, choking her weary sob.
&
nbsp; No, they can’t take you. Anger bloomed in Johna’s eyes, his arm pulling her close. “Leave her alone. She did her job!”
I’ve broken so many codes. Yari looked helplessly at him. I left my post. I went off serum by choice. I—
Azure burst through the doors. “Yari, Johna! Glad you are back!”
The security team slowed to look back at him. A Command member in ashen robes followed, summoning the security detail to the side.
“Asiivé, Instructor Johna.” Azure pounded a fist to his chest and bowed, stopping before them. “I am R3 Azure of Semilath Agutra and Vioras. I’d like to train your shepherd to fly Linoan collectors.”
Me? Yari asked. “Collectors?”
Azure nodded sharply at her, hooking a thumb over his shoulder at the bulbous-bellied, spiked ships in the main hangar behind him.
She felt her eyes bulge and opened her mouth to form a strict objection.
A gurney wheeled over in the hands of two nurses, distracting her. Together, they helped Johna take a seat. He waved the others away, asking for five minutes.
After a deep sigh, Johna glanced askance at her. “I don’t know if she’s mine, per se. You’ll have to ask her.”
“You sure?” Azure’s nose twitched, amusement wavering his voice.
“Is that what I’m—smelling?” Johna shifted further back on the cushion with a grimace. “I never really acknowledged it before, but I’ve always liked that about you, Nissa.”
Azure grinned. You’ve been off serum too long.
“It’s not intentional.” She dropped her gaze to swipe at some invisible dirt with a boot. Both were staring at her with unnerving focus.
“Permission granted.”
Yari looked up to see Johna wink. Her nostrils flared at the sudden rush of pungent metal slag and musk she picked up. It sent her stomach twirling. “Thank you, sir.”
Azure pointed at Johna. “Sergeant Cutter has requested you for the munitions team, helping us modify the collectors for when we fight the Kyras next week.”
