Out of Orbit- The Complete Series Boxset

by Chele Cooke

  They had brought out a pot and set themselves up a cook fire, although Georgianna couldn’t smell any food. Steam billowed up from the pot, and the men crowded around it, warming their hands. As she got closer, Georgianna spotted the holes of snow scooped up from the ground. They were boiling it; not for food, but for the extra warmth of the steam.

  A soldier stepped away from the group as she approached, and when Georgianna pushed back her hood, he raised his weapon.

  “I want to see Olless,” Georgianna said, loud and clear.

  “You do not enter.”

  She smiled and tugged her sleeves down over her hands, wishing she’d made it closer to the fire and pot before being stopped. “I don’t need to go in. I need Olless. I’ll wait here.”

  The soldier eyed her, but he took a device much like Olless’ out of his pocket and tapped in something before holding it up in front of his face.

  A head-and-shoulders projection appeared above the device, facing the soldier. It wasn’t Olless. The soldier discussed something with the projection in their own language. They spoke in hushed, rapid voices, and at one point, the projection twisted to look at Georgianna. They spoke again for a few moments, and the projection vanished back within the device.

  The soldier returned to her. “You wait here.”

  Georgianna smiled and nodded. “Can I stand by your fire?”

  He glared at her, but nodded and waved her over.

  The other men around the fire had clearly been listening in on the conversation, as they had all fallen silent. Georgianna joined them, stretching out her hands over the steam. Only one looked amused by the situation, and he beamed at Georgianna and mimicked her in putting his hands over the steam, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. She met his smile, but then it disappeared, and she was left in awkward silence.

  Olless took much longer than was likely necessary to arrive at the shield. As time ticked on, the soldiers relaxed a little and returned to their quiet conversations. They kept their talk in their own language, giving Georgianna no chance to join in, or to understand what they were talking about, but the low voices around her were comforting and welcome, and they gave her time to think.

  She knew that this was dangerous and only had a slim chance of working. After their failure underneath the Cahlven shield, and being practically laughed out of the meeting between the Colvohan and Volsonnar before Dhiren turned up with Olless, they were running out of options. Either they ran and they let both the Adveni and the Cahlven walk all over them—possibly kill everyone—or she tried something dangerous.

  None of the others would understand; they would all say she was crazy, that it wouldn’t work. But, until she tried, she would never know. One thing was certain: if her family got a hint of what she was planning, Georgianna was sure they would lock her up far better than the Cahlven had imprisoned the other Veniche.

  Olless was immaculately dressed when she finally appeared at the shield. She stepped through and spoke with the soldier who jumped away from the fire to greet her. Her long red hair was back in its braid, and she looked like the perfect Cahlven again. Her face was vacant as she nodded to the soldier and turned to gaze at Georgianna.

  Georgianna offered a grateful smile to the soldiers for letting her stand by the warmth of the fire, and hurried over to Olless.

  “You wished to see me?” Olless said.

  “Yes. Thank you for agreeing.”

  “We should walk?”

  Georgianna glanced at the soldiers and nodded. “Unless you’re worried I’m going to kidnap you again?” She raised an eyebrow and let a small grin curve her lips.

  Olless surveyed her. “I have many weapons, Miss Lennox. And we will not go far.”

  They fell into step together, trudging through the snow that was getting deeper by the day. Olless clearly had no intention of being out from under the shield any longer than necessary, or walking further than was needed. The moment she was sure they were out of earshot of any guards, with a wide berth of open space around them, she stopped. “You have your family.”

  Georgianna nodded. “Yes. Thank you for telling me about them.”

  “You think us heartless?”

  Georgianna shrugged. “Some of you. Or, at least, your Colvohan.”

  “The First Colvohan has the fate of all Cahlven on his shoulders.”

  “And most of the Veniche, too, right?”

  Olless stared at her. “I will not tell you more. I am Cahlven.”

  Georgianna gulped and shook her head. “I don’t want you to. I just… I want permission to speak to someone.”

  “Have your communications with Mr. Zanetti been disrupted?”

  “It’s not him. It’s Nyah Wolfe. I know she’s in the quarantine. I need to speak to her.”

  Olless stared at Georgianna, her gaze wandering over her face and down her body. Was she wary of possible concealed weapons? Or perhaps wondering if this was some kind of trick? Georgianna shifted her weight, making sure she wasn’t standing taller than Olless.

  “You come now?” Olless said.

  Georgianna nodded. The best she’d been hoping for was that Olless would tell her to come back in a few days’ time and would give her a list of requirements to fill.

  “Then we go.”

  Olless turned away and trudged back to the guard station, her head held high. Georgianna followed, keeping a respectful step behind. Olless stopped beside the soldier and said something to him in their language. When she turned back, she was holding a pair of the binding cuffs.

  “You come with me,” Olless said. “And under my control. I return you here once you are finished. Do we agree?”

  Georgianna allowed herself to be patted down for weapons. The others would think she was insane, allowing herself to be voluntarily bound by their enemy. But, if this was what she had to do to get what she needed, then so be it. And, oddly, she trusted Olless. She didn’t trust her to act against her own race, or even not to kill them all if it came to it, but she did trust her not to go back on her word of safe passage. At least for now, they seemed to have come to an arrangement of mutual respect and kindness.

  Georgianna stretched out her hands and allowed herself to be cuffed and led back into Cahlven grounds.

  “Will I be able to speak to her alone?” Georgianna said, as Olless led her along a corridor.

  Olless glanced back, her lips pursed. “Yes. I will ensure there is no monitoring, and will leave you alone.”

  “Thank you, Olless. I know this may cause you problems, so I’m very grateful.”

  Olless pulled out the same device she’d used in the tunnels. She brought up the projected keyboard and spent the next minute or so inspecting what looked like a map. From what Georgianna could see past her shoulder, it was a layout of the ship. She zoomed into one of the corridors, where a green light flashed among dots of red in almost every room. Next, she scanned away to an empty room and selected it, bringing up a long list of commands in the Cahlven symbols. She put the device away.

  Olless paused beside a door and used a card to open it. “You will be locked in. I will fetch Miss Wolfe.”

  If Olless was playing her, then it was a decent plan: make her walk into a locked cell and leave, claiming to be on the way to collect Nyah, while really going off to inform the Colvohan of her capture. She could imagine his amusement at Georgianna willingly walking into her own demise. But if she wanted to see Nyah, she really had no choice.

  Georgianna stepped inside, and turned back as Olless closed the door behind her. The lock clicked into place and she was left with nothing but a small window in the door. The walls were bare of windows or decoration of any kind. There was a slim bed, a sink and toilet, and a metal table that folded down from the wall opposite the bed. It reminded her so much of Lyndbury that the fear set in straight away. She took a seat on the bed, jumped up, began pacing.

  For every second that passed, Georgianna’s panic rose in her chest. She had left her family after on
ly just getting them back, and she hadn’t told anyone what she was doing. Would they think she had run? Would they curse her and think her a coward? Would her father ever forgive her, after telling her how proud he had been?

  The door opened and revealed Olless. She smiled, nodded, and pushed the door open further, allowing Nyah to step around her and enter.

  Georgianna wanted to throw her arms wide and hug Nyah, but she remembered the cuffs around her wrists, and stood awkwardly, but beaming.

  “You have fifteen minutes,” Olless said, and closed the door behind her.

  Nyah checked behind to ensure Olless wasn’t peering through the window, then wrapped her arms around Georgianna’s waist. “George, what are you doing here?”

  Georgianna wrestled her arms out from between them and patted Nyah on the waist. “I came to see you. Can we sit?”

  They took seats side by side on the bed, twisting to face each other.

  “Is everyone okay?” Nyah said. “We’ve been given such little information here. What’s going on?”

  “Are you sick?”

  “What?”

  There was so much to talk about, so much to explain, and yet she didn’t have enough time for any of it. “The Cahlven have been testing on people, making them sick.”

  “I’ve had some tests done, just blood work. It’s nothing dangerous. The Cahlven just want more information. I mean, some people have gotten sick afterwards, but they said it’s normal. Reactions and stuff. They’re housing us all separately to ensure nothing spreads. Apparently, viruses are kind of common in close quarters.”

  “So, you’re being treated well?”

  “Yes, of course, I am. What’s going on, George?”

  Georgianna wrung her hands and stared down at her fingers. “I need your help.”

  “My help? What can I do?”

  “You have information, and… and Alec would never tell me.”

  “Alec? Is he okay? I miss him so much. Don’t tell Taye, though. He wouldn’t understand. Is he okay? I know not coming under the shield must be driving him nuts.”

  Georgianna stared at her. “What?”

  Nyah looked nonplussed. “Taye is okay, isn’t he?”

  “Taye never left the shield, Nyah. He’s working for the Cahlven. He’s a soldier in their army. He was one of a group which chased me down once when I came here.”

  “No. Taye said we were going to fight. I only agreed to come here because he promised me that it’d keep me safe while he fought.”

  “He is fighting. Just… for the Cahlven. He’s staying on the ship. He’s with Keiran.”

  “Keiran didn’t leave, either?”

  She was making a hash of this. She needed to get back onto the reason for her visit. Olless had only given them fifteen minutes; it wasn’t enough time to explain everything.

  “I promise we are doing everything we can, Nyah. Keiran stayed to keep an eye on the Cahlven, to fight from the inside. I bet that’s why Taye stayed, too. So he could fight while remaining close to you.”

  “You’re not lying to me, are you, George?”

  Georgianna shook her head and reached across, placing her hands on Nyah’s knees. “We are doing everything we can. We want our home back, and that’s why I need your help.”

  “What can I do?”

  Georgianna paused. This was it. This was where her entire plan either became something, or it fell flat. “I need the codes to Maarqyn’s tsentyl.” Nyah stared at her. Georgianna wondered if she might just get up and demand to be let out of the room. “I need to contact Maarqyn directly, and privately. I need… I know you have those codes.”

  Nyah chewed on her bottom lip and looked away. “Why would you ever want to contact him?”

  “I know this is complicated, and it’s frustrating that I can’t explain it all right now. Just… Maarqyn is the Volsonnar now, and if we want to make a deal, it needs to be with him.”

  “A deal?” Nyah jumped up from her seat. “That man is a snake, George. He’ll kill you the moment he has you.”

  “I have to believe he won’t.”

  “Then you’re a fool!”

  Georgianna peeled herself off the bed. “Maybe I am. But I have to try.”

  “I won’t give them to you.”

  “Nyah, you’re the only one. Alec would never agree to it, and I’m half certain he made himself forget them out of spite. I need you to tell me.”

  “Why? So you can run off and be killed?”

  “If I don’t, Nyah, you’ll all be dead.” Georgianna balled her hands into fists. “If we don’t do something, the Cahlven are going to wipe out the Veniche.”

  Nyah’s mouth dropped open, the anger draining from her face. “You’re lying.”

  Georgianna sniffed back a sob. “I’m not. Beck is already sick, and this is what the Cahlven do. Those tests they did on you? They’re testing for common traits in the Veniche so they can target a sickness that kills all of us.”

  “But why?”

  “It’s a long story, but it’s to stop the Adveni growing in numbers. They’ve done it before.”

  Nyah stared at the floor, nodding to herself. “Get me out of here. I’ll come back with you. I’ll get Taye, and we’ll—”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “We tried, okay? We tried to get you all out and it didn’t work. I… We don’t know how advanced the Cahlven are with this testing. If people are already dying, or if it’s contagious, we’ll all be dead.”

  “So you’re running back to Maarqyn? How will that help?”

  Georgianna shrugged. “I don’t know if it will, but I can’t do anything without those codes.”

  She took a seat on the bed, staring at her knees. Georgianna watched, shifting her weight awkwardly as she waited for Nyah to make her decision. She’d given her all the information she could, and there was nothing else that could convince her. It was up to Nyah to decide.

  A knock at the door made Nyah look up. “Do you have a pencil? Paper?”

  Georgianna nodded and tried to unbutton her coat; Nyah helped her get it open.

  “Inside, on the left. My left,” Georgianna said.

  Nyah reached into the pocket and pulled out a short, stubby pencil, and a square of torn paper. Georgianna hadn’t wanted to risk bringing her journal, or anything else that would be bulky or found easily. Nyah went to the small fold-down table and pushed it flat. She leaned over and scribbled the codes. She folded the piece of paper and was just tucking it back into Georgianna’s pocket when the door opened and Olless stood on the other side. Nyah covered the moment with a tight hug. “Be safe, George. Just remember to be safe.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  “Come, Miss Wolfe. I will return you to your room. Miss Lennox will remain here for now.”

  Nyah didn’t look back as she walked out of the room, but as she turned to head down the corridor, Georgianna thought she saw a tear roll down her cheek.

  Georgianna sat down and just about managed to button up her coat. There was nothing left but wait. And worry.

  Georgianna ignored Dhiren’s suspicious glares as she dug into their belongings, searching for what she needed. He’d made frequent attempts to question her about her supposed meeting with Keiran that morning: what they’d discussed, and why she’d left without waking anyone. She informed him, in a clipped manner, that she had told Alec where she was going, and she’d wanted to leave him to sleep, since he’d been doing so much recently. Of course, when it came to discussing the actual meeting with Keiran, she’d had to lie, and, as Edtroka had once told her, she wasn’t very good at lying. She kept the answers short, and vague. She said that they’d argued again, and that Keiran wasn’t willing to risk getting rid of the monitoring systems the Cahlven had put on him the removal of the Cahlven monitoring systems in order to have a proper conversation, since the Cahlven were clearly suspicious of him.

  All of this did little to minimise Dhiren’s suspicion, and he’d
practically followed her around the camp as she tried to look normal while searching for the tsentyls Dhiren or Alec had put away. She couldn’t ask them where they were, since she wasn’t supposed to be using them.

  The other problem was smaller but just as difficult to shake. Braedon had taken to following Dhiren around as his new hero. He was copying the way he stood, the way he spoke, and when Dhiren questioned Georgianna about where she’d been, Braedon repeated him in a little echo.

  “What are you looking for?” Dhiren said again.

  Georgianna shrugged. “Who says I’m looking for anything specific? We’ve got more people here now, so it’ll be good to have a better count.”

  “Like the count you did a week ago while you fretted over something or other?”

  Georgianna ignored him and moved onto the next bag. She tore it open, digging her hands in, trying not to look too urgent. When her hand settled on a sharp cube, she acted natural, and slid it to one end of the bag, right in the corner. She moved on to the rest of the items, counting under her breath. Dhiren hovered, taking a seat on the bed beside the bag. He watched her with unnatural interest, until Braedon climbed up onto the bed beside him, wriggling onto his lap.

  Georgianna grabbed the moment of distraction and snatched up the tsentyl, shoving it up her sleeve. She zipped the bag closed, and as she pushed it back under the bed, transferred the tsentyl to her pocket.

  She then wasted another twenty minutes looking through the rest of the bags, to make her excuse look a little more credible.

  “You didn’t take notes,” Dhiren said as she put the last bag away.

  “What?”

  Dhiren grinned, covered Braedon’s eyes with his hands, and let the small boy try to wrestle them away. “Whenever you do a count, you take notes in that little book of yours.”

  “I wasn’t doing a proper count. I was just getting a look at what we have.”

  “Uhuh.”

  Georgianna turned away from him, grabbing her coat and jumping down from the tunnel car. Behind her, she heard the rustle of Dhiren putting Braedon aside.