There were airlocks leading to the main concourse on decks three and four. Even though it was one level farther down, the exit on deck four was farther forward, which made it closer. Raylon followed Kotto through the narrow airlock then moved up beside him as they reached the spacious walkway.
Directly across from the Crusader another ship had docked. With sleek lines and a sweptwing design, the agile covert strike ship or CSS could only be the Phantom. But this ship wasn’t supposed to go into production for at least another year.
“I’ll be damned,” Raylon muttered. “How in all of hell’s rings did Garin pull this one off?”
The airlock attached to the side of the Phantom hissed and three men immerged, Bandar, his younger brother Zilor, and Kotto’s nephew Danvier. Kotto didn’t need to wonder why Chandar’s brother had left the safety of Garin’s ship, but Kotto was dying to know how they’d gotten here in a few short hours.
After Kotto clasped arms with Danvier, Raylon repeated his question. “How was this done? Last I heard the CSS line was months away from even trial runs.”
“Some secrets Garin can share and some he can’t,” Zilor told them with a characteristic grin. “Not only is the Phantom operational, she’s one of six ships bearing the same name. She’s been equipped with a covert shield generator that works even better than the Crusader’s, bio-streaming technology, as well as a jump drive far more powerful than anything we’ve ever used before. We left Rodyte space six hours ago.”
“Unbelievable,” Kotto murmured as he stared in awe at the ship. If pushed to her limits, the Crusader could make the trip in around twenty-five hours. Generally, the trek from Rodymia to Earth was considered a two-day journey.
“The new system can’t propel anything larger than a CSS,” Zilor cautioned.
“But who needs a clunky old fighter when you can arrive in style.” Danvier allowed himself a quick smile as he looked at the Phantom. “These ships are like nothing you’ve ever flown before. Every pilot in the fleet is going to trample each other just to sit in the cockpit.”
“Are all six operational?” Raylon wanted to know.
“Four are ready now,” Zilor told him. “The other two are days away.”
“And no one but us knows about this?” Kotto glanced at Danvier then turned back to Zilor.
“Us and your crew.” Zilor motioned to the people gathering on the concourse and standing at the large viewports inset in the hull of the ship.
Kotto clasped his hands behind his back, annoyed by the subtle accusation. “Every member of my crew is already a traitor to the crown. We only survive if we keep each other’s secrets.”
“You really got here in six hours?” Raylon sounded skeptical.
“It took approximately an hour to make preparations after I received Chandar’s cry for help.” Danvier had retreated behind the stoic mask all harbingers employed. “How long ago was that?”
Sental activated Kotto’s com-bots, so he moved slightly away from the others. This is Kotto, go ahead.
The trap is ready. Shall I insert the bait? The excitement in Sental’s voice was undeniable.
You have the message Raylon and I worked out?
Of course, sir.
Kotto shook his head. It had been a foolish question. Sental was the most proactive person on the ship. Then bait the trap.
Off it goes. I’ll contact you as soon as I hear any sort of response.
Copy that.
When he returned to the others Raylon asked, “Was that Sental?”
“Yes. He just sent the message.”
“What message?” Danvier moved closer to Kotto. “Does this have to do with Chandar?”
“It does.” Kotto quickly explained what had transpired since Chandar sent out her distress call. “The private frequency Letos gave us will lead us to the Relentless, but we cannot let Akim know we’ve found him. A fast clean rescue is our only hope.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Danvier assured. “Using the Phantom for the mission will protect the Crusader. Not only is the Phantom shielded, Akim has no idea she’s operational. If something happened to the Crusader, we would lose a serious advantage. Four hundred people depend on the Crusader for survival. With the Phantom, we’ll only be risking three.”
“And you’ll not be one of them.” Zilor crossed his brawny arms over his chest and rocked back onto his boot heels. “Garin has forbidden you from being directly involved.”
Danvier had to unclench his jaw before he could speak. “It’s a ridiculous dictate. I’m her brother.”
Zilor waved away his objection and went on as if the harbinger hadn’t spoken. “The final choice is up to us, but Garin suggested Raylon, Kotto and me.”
“Kotto is every bit as invested in Chandar’s rescue as am I,” Danvier objected.
“I’m not a harbinger,” Kotto returned. “Garin’s right, as usual. We can’t risk a harbinger to rescue a harbinger. It doesn’t make sense.”
“But why is Garin okay with Kotto participating when he took Keyran’s command for attempting the very same thing?” Bandar asked his brother.
“There were two females at risk before,” Zilor pointed out. “Keyran was forced to split his attention and it led to the mission’s failure. Kotto will be utterly focused on the one and only goal.”
“Besides, Keyran disobeyed a direct order,” Raylon reminded. “There will always be consequences for that.” When no one argued, Raylon went on, “Three-man team. Who would stay with the ship?”
“Me.” Zilor didn’t look pleased with the decision, but he obviously agreed. “I know the Phantom better than anyone.”
“Except for me,” Danvier muttered.
Raylon looked at Kotto. “Are you good with this? Are we finished with the hostilities?”
“I am if you are.”
Raylon shrugged, but the tension in his shoulders made his indifference hard to believe. “I know where she spent last night, so it’s water under the bridge for me.”
“This sounds interesting.” Zilor moved up next to Kotto and casually draped his arm across Kotto’s shoulders. “Fighting over a female, I presume? Can I meet her?”
“They’ve already started to bond, so you’re too late, puppy.” Only Raylon or another Nox could get away with the nickname, but it always made Kotto smile. Zilor might be the youngest, but he was also taller than his brothers and more powerfully built.
“If you’re already linked,” Zilor persisted, “then there is no reason to keep me away. Besides, I want to see the outpost.” He swept his free arm toward the other end of the concourse and the massive buildings beyond. “Show us around.”
Seeing no help for it, Kotto reluctantly started for the outpost entrance.
Zilor lowered his arm as he looked behind him. “You’re coming too,” he told Danvier. “There is nothing we can do until we locate the Relentless. Now get your ass over here.”
With a frustrated sigh, Danvier obeyed.
“Is it all right if we take a look?” Raylon called out.
Zilor paused and made a quick adjustment to the subdermal control band on the inside of his forearm. “That should get you in. If it doesn’t, I’ll take you aboard when we return.” He looked back as they reached the outpost entrance and Raylon and Bandar were nowhere in sight. “Looks like it worked.”
“Good. Then you can let me on board when we get back.” Zilor nodded, so Kotto motioned for his guests to precede him. “Welcome to Lunar 9.”
* * * * *
Feeling a bit excluded, but refusing to be useless, Raina quickly dressed and went to work. She’d check on Ashley later to make sure a few hours of sleep was all she needed. Raina was pretty sure Kotto had received the same message as Ashley, yet he’d hardly reacted at all. Or he had meticulously internalized the pain so no one else would know he was in distress. Unfortunately, the second option seemed more likely.
Their emotional link was still active. She could feel it spanning the distance between them, b
ut that was all she could sense. He was shielding his mind and emotions from her, which was further indication that Chandar’s message had upset him a whole lot more than he’d revealed outwardly.
Well, there was nothing she could do about it until he returned to her and that was likely to be hours from now. Bandar had released the workers back to their usual duties, so Raina had the jungle to herself. It was actually sort of peaceful. The inventory was complete and she had compiled a list of the things she’d need to make the jungle functional again.
The schematic diagrams and detailed documentation had helped Raina unravel the design. Despite some unfamiliar components, the jungle was a combination wick/drip system with a recovery mechanism that allowed the excess nutrient solution to be recycled. Though much more expansive than any of her projects, the concepts were basically the same.
Toward the end of the day yesterday, she’d noticed an unmarked lever on the corner of each plant tray. She tried moving several, but they all seemed jammed or perhaps rusted shut. Curious about what the lever controlled, she knelt at the corner of one of the trays, hoping to discover its secret. This tray appeared newer than the others, as if it had been replaced. She pushed on the lever, but it wouldn’t budge, so she pulled on it instead. The lever gave just a little and the entire tray rocked. How strange. She tried again and something below the tray gave off a deep, metallic groan.
“They definitely do something.” Energized by the partial progress, she went to the storeroom and found a can of spray lubricant. She wasn’t sure it would help, but it couldn’t hurt. After lubricating the mechanism as best she could, she crossed her fingers then tried again.
The horrible groaning/scraping grew so loud she almost let go of the lever. But then the plant tray rose from its base, dragging three additional plant trays with it. “Holy crap.” She stared up at the stacked plant trays and shook her head in wonder. Lighting fixtures were inset in the bottom of each tray along with several drain tubes to accommodate runoff of the nutrient solution. “Why didn’t I think of this?”
If each of the plant trays was actually four, she needed to rethink her inventory. She tried three more levers before she found another tray that was willing to expand, but then she found six more that were still functional. If she could eventually open all the trays, she had just quadrupled the capacity of the jungle.
She made some notes on her datapad then sat in her office and poured over the documentation. There was no mention of the multilevel plant trays. Was the practice so common it wasn’t worth noting or did the documentation predate a multi-level modification?
Scrolling through article after article, she found numerous references to “the reservoirs in the grotto”. The entire room was sort of cavernous, but she had yet to find reservoirs large enough to service the entire operation. Which led her to believe she had yet to find the grotto.
Well, she had time to kill and not much to do until her supplies arrived, and they had yet to be ordered, or scavenged, or stolen. She wasn’t sure how the rebels would deliver the goods without setting off alarms, but Kotto assured her that she would have everything she needed. So she started at the front door and worked her way around to the right, opening every door and examining every room that was adjacent to the jungle.
It took the better part of four hours, but her tenacity finally paid off. She opened an unmarked door in the back of one of the storerooms and found a staircase that led to the lower level. She spent the next two hours exploring the new territory, but she’d forgotten to grab her datapad before she started her search, so she returned to the upper level to retrieve it.
She was headed back downstairs when the main door to the jungle opened and Kotto ushered two strangers inside. Using Kotto’s descriptions as reference, she concluded that the man on his right was a harbinger. Was this Chandar’s brother? It made sense that Danvier would come running, but how had he gotten here so quickly. Harbingers couldn’t teleport, could they?
After wiping her hands on her jeans, she reworked her ponytail and prayed she didn’t smell too much like sweat. Perspiration was basically unavoidable in this warm, humid environment.
“This is Danvier Evon, my nephew.” Kotto confirmed her supposition.
With his long silver hair pulled back into a thick braid and sculpted features, Danvier looked like a resident of Rivendell or one of the other elven cities in Middle Earth. All he lacked was pointed ears. He was tall and lean, not nearly as muscular as the battle born soldiers. Danvier looked at her for the first time and she felt deeply uncomfortable. He hadn’t done or said anything threatening. It was just the intensity of his penetrating stare. His eyes were sky blue and the rings glistened like polished silver. Without speaking or acknowledging her in any way, he simply walked off down one of the aisles. How rude.
“He’s not much of a conversationalist on a good day and this day is far from good.”
The comment drew Raina’s gaze toward the other guest. She felt her eyes round, but managed to keep her jaw from dropping. Holy Mother Mary. Who is this?
“‘This’ is Zilor Nox. Bandar’s younger brother.” Kotto’s gruff tone warned that he’d heard her mental outburst.
And she’d thought Bandar was handsome. Zilor was half a head taller than the other men and she’d never seen shoulders that broad. She swallowed past the sudden dryness in her throat and gave herself a firm mental shake. She would not make a fool of herself just because Zilor Nox was easily the best-looking male she’d ever seen in her life.
Zilor stepped forward and shook her hand.
Much to her mortification she blushed to the roots of her hair. “Raina Solano.” Her voice sounded mousy. She was all but soul bonded to Kotto. What was wrong with her?
“It’s nice to meet you.” Zilor bowed as he let go of her hand and hurried after Danvier.
“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.” Kotto reached down and pinched her ass. “Zilor has that effect on everyone. And he’s right. Danvier’s not himself right now. We’re all worried about Chandar, but he’s torturing himself with guilt.”
“None of this is his fault.”
“I know, and so does he, but knowing and accepting are two different things.”
Zilor and Danvier meandered around for a few minutes then made their way toward the door. “We’re going to head back. Danvier needs to meditate.”
Kotto nodded. “If you need anything, com.”
“All I need is for Akim to activate that frequency.” Danvier took off without making eye contact with anyone.
“Nice to meet you,” Zilor said then hurried after the harbinger.
A millisecond after the door closed, Kotto pressed in close behind her and lightly cupped her breasts. “I’ve come to ravish you.” He spoke the words against the side of her neck as his warm breath caressed her skin.
“And if I’m not in the mood to be ravished?” She arched her neck, offering him more skin to nibble.
“Then I’m not doing it right.”
“Good answer.” She turned to face him then looped her arms around his neck. “Can I show you something first or are you desperate for me?”
“I’m always desperate for you.” He demonstrated his desperation with a lingering kiss. She started to melt into his embrace then he nipped her lower lip. “You better show me now. Once I get you naked, I intend to keep you that way until tomorrow morning.”
“But we haven’t even had dinner yet.”
“We can eat naked.” He flashed a wolfish grin.
She brushed off her knees and tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear. No doubt she was a mess, but he didn’t seem to care. He insisted that physical appearance wasn’t important to him, and she was starting to believe him. She had no doubt that he found her attractive. And he was the only one that mattered.
“The documents kept referring to the ‘reservoirs in the grotto’. According to the original plans, that’s the best place to alter pH levels or adjust various nutrients to produce the desir
ed result. The problem was no one I talked to knew anything about holding tanks or where I could find the grotto. So this afternoon, while everyone was gone, I opened every door and entered every room that branches off from this one.”
“And you found the grotto?”
She grinned and pushed her excitement across their link. She needed him to understand how important this was to her. “I found the grotto.” She took his hand and led him into the dingy store room. All of the shelves were empty and it looked as if one of the workers had started scrubbing decades’ worth of grime off one set of shelves then either ran out of time or gave up.
Beyond the last set of shelves, in the back corner of the room, was a nondescript door. It wasn’t labeled, but a security scanner activated as soon as she stood directly in front of the barrier. A beam swept her face and then the door clicked as the locking mechanism disengaged. She opened the door and motioned him inside.
He stepped through the threshold and onto a small metal landing. They seemed suspended in midair. A closer look revealed a nesting staircase directly below them that led from the landing to the floor. It was cooler here, but equally humid. He grasped the railing and started down. She quietly followed. The stairs turned back on themselves three times before they reached the bottom.
Raina was close behind, a smile still curving her lips. She took his hand again and led him around a corner on their right and into the “grotto”. Long narrow pools stretched out before them like ribbons of light. The liquid shone with greenish-gold luminescence, but there was no detectable light source.
“Where is the light coming from?” He bent and turned his head, peering down into the liquid.
“I haven’t figured it out yet and I’m not sure if it has a purpose other than keeping people like me from ending up in the reservoirs.”
Shadows and shimmers reflected all around them, dancing on the rough-hewn walls and ceiling. “It’s beautiful,” he whispered.
“And this isn’t even the best part.” She motioned him onward as she led him to the far side of the room. They walked along one of the long narrow tanks, the walkway forcing them to continue single file.
Forsaken Page 22
