“I wouldn’t exactly call them non-essential, but they were parts that had redundant systems, or wouldn’t compromise the integrity of the whole ship if they suddenly went missing.” Philip swipes his hands over the console again and a simulation of what happened to the Kagawa in flight plays in slow motion overhead.
“He knew exactly what he was doing.” I look over at Kai.
He lowers his gaze to mine, his expression mirroring the horror that fills my gut. Grateful that I’m sitting, I turn around to face the others.
“I think this means my father wasn’t try to kill me. But why would he want to make it look like we were going to crash?”
“To keep the Purists from killing you.”
I jump out of my seat, startled by the voice. We turn to see my father standing in the doorway.
I hear a squeal from Katrina. Or it could’ve been Philip.
“What are you doing here?” I blurt. My heart races, and I feel like a lightning bolt is making its way through my chest.
He stands with his hands behind his back. His graying red hair is longer than the last time I saw him. His eyes are locked on mine.
Rand and Kai both step beside me.
“He’s with us.” The general appears behind my father and pushes him farther into the room. I see now that my father’s hands are tied behind him. A chain leads from his waist to shackles around his ankles.
I frown. “General? What’s going on?”
“I hoped to be able to explain after the commander got down here.” He pushes my father into one of the seats, the chains clanking. Two security guards remain behind him, and more flank the doorway.
I grit my teeth as the general stands in front of me. Rand straightens.
“Explain what?”
“With everything going on in the world right now we’ve had to take drastic measures. Your father is part of those measures.”
I meet the general’s gaze. “You know we haven’t been given enough information to understand exactly what is going on out there.”
His gaze skitters away for a moment but comes right back to me. “Although I still believe it’s not beneficial for you to know more, it seems we have need to tell you.”
“Because of him?” I nod toward my father.
The general shakes his head. “Not exactly. Things outside have escalated faster than we ever thought possible.”
I stare at him, my jaw grinding. The room is silent except for the soft sound of air circulating. I glance to my right to see Kai’s shoulders tense and his expression rock hard.
“And?” I focus back on the general.
“Short story is that after the Dragon Wall was built, the other nations grew jealous of our relationship with the Chinese. There’s been fighting and political unrest for years. But we’ve always been able to contain it. Until now.”
“Wait, this is all because the Chinese took our land?” Rand surprises me with his sharp tone.
I turn to see his face flushed. I frown. He’s always respected the general.
“They didn’t take our land. Our country benefited from it, Rand.” I put a hand on his arm. He doesn’t flinch, so I continue. “Yes, being removed from our homes was hard, but the outside world didn’t see it that way.”
I turn back to the general, letting my hand fall to my side. “The outside world never saw how destructive the treaty was to our people, did they? All we’ve gone through the last few years has been kept quiet. And now all the other nations see is two superpowers enjoying a close relationship.”
“Yes. And there’s been a few issues over the years near the other space academies and space launch centers. It’s just been kept quiet.”
“Why the space academies and launch centers? Why not attack the governments they’re angry with?” asks Kai.
The general relaxes. “Some of the countries haven’t allowed their populations to work in space. They’ve even tried to slow down the advance of space tech. When we made that deal with the Chinese these countries felt we were trying to control the space council and had too much power with our interests in space.”
I clasp Kai’s hand. “Is that why the Pure Earthers got involved?”
The general glances over at my father. “Yes. If it wasn’t for them, we would’ve been able to keep the world at peace. The same countries that believe we shouldn’t live in space, partnered with the Purists. Their tactics have escalated over the years in ways we hadn’t counted on.”
“Like destroying the very nature they’re trying to protect?” Sean’s voice sounds an octave higher than usual. I glance at him to see his face scrunched in anguish.
The general nods, frowning.
I look at my father. “And what about him? What does he have to do with this?”
“He’s been part of the Pure Earthers for years. When he got sentenced to Starlight Max, the group escalated their attacks.”
I feel as if I’ve been slapped. “He’s really one of them?” I point to the man who used to take me for walks on the beach and help me collect seashells. Before he left.
The general gives one quick nod. His eyes are wide, and I’m sure he’s afraid I’m going to fall apart.
But I’ve known for a long time there was something wrong with my father. I take a few cleansing breaths and squeeze Kai’s hand before I speak again.
“So, you admit those really are bombs, and not earthquakes we’re experiencing?” I hold my breath as I watch the general.
He hesitates. As if making some sort of internal decision, he clasps his hands behind his back and steps toward me. “While living in the moon colonies, your father developed a cheap, three ingredient explosive. The leaders of the Purists found out and helped him escape so he could give them his recipe.”
My body goes cold. “Escape? Like a few months ago when he tried to kidnap Cam?”
The general looks over at my father, who just stares at the ground. “No, this was a few years ago, when he escaped the first time. When we finally caught him, our government thought it would appease the group if we just sent your father back to the moon. There he was confined to one of the smaller domes.”
“Instead of at Starlight Max?”
The general looks uncomfortable and stays quiet.
“If he had just been sent to Starlight Max my brother and I would never had been in danger.”
Kai squeezes my hand. I take a deep breath to try to relax my painfully tense muscles.
“Yes.”
I purse my lips together as I try to push my emotions down to clear my head. “So, this time, did he really break out? Or was this another one of our government’s games?”
“It was a joint decision.” The commander steps into the room and stops next to the general.
“Commander?” Instead of his academy uniform, he’s wearing a military uniform.
Beside me, Rand’s perfect at ease pose falters. I hear Alex and Sean whisper behind me.
“With the worldwide attacks the Pure Earthers are creating and the closure of the space academies, the commanders either can join the military or take a position in one of the space stations or new habitat ships,” the general explains.
“Closure of the space academies?” whispers Philip behind me.
My jaw hurts from so much grinding. “So, you’ve joined the military? If what you say is true and we all have to move to space habitats, then what will you do? There is no military in space.” All these years avoiding politics and military, and now I’m faced with both. In the one place I thought I’d be safe from it all.
The commander and the general exchange a glance. The general unclasps his hands. “There is now. We’re combining the security forces with our military.”
Alex pushes past me. “Seriously? The whole point of the space charter is living in and promoting peace. We’ve never had a reason to need any sort of military interference.”
Alex’s face and neck are red, matching his hair.
“These are unusual times, son,” the general says quiet
ly. “With Earth’s population relocating to space habitats, our current problems won’t just go away. They’re going to follow us up there. We’ll need the military forces to help keep peace.”
That hits me hard. Both the truth that we’re truly abandoning our planet, and the reality that my whole ideal, peaceful space society has just been blown to pieces. I stumble backwards to sit down hard in one of the console’s seats. I let Kai’s hand fall and cover my face with my hands.
Kai’s warm breath washes over me. I lower my hands to find Kai’s dark brown eyes drilling into me. “Talk to me, Anja,” he whispers.
My heart seems to hiccup in my chest as I look into his face. Words and images swirl in my mind as I lose myself in the depth of his gaze. I feel the warmth of his arms wrap around me as the world tilts. I close my eyes and lean forward until our foreheads touch.
I wish I could stay like this forever. I want to forget the world outside of the academy, my father, and our screwed-up future.
“Anja?” I open my eyes and pull slowly away from Kai.
“I wanted to know the truth, but it’s just so big.”
Kai kisses my forehead and helps me to my feet. “We can get through this together.” He grins.
I clasp his hand and turn back to the general and commander. Alex takes a step backward to stand next to Rand. He looks ready for a fight. Rand looks strangely calm.
And my father’s now watching me.
I swallow. My throat is sore from holding back tears. “Thank you for the update. What do we do now, and why is my father here? At the academy?”
“Your father has agreed to work with us to neutralize the tactics of the Pure Earthers in exchange for certain freedoms.” The general sounds as if he’s reading from a script.
I narrow my eyes. “Certain freedoms?”
“He’ll be allowed to stay out of Starlight Max as long as he works with us.”
Anger pools deep in my gut. “And then what? When this is over?” I let go of Kai’s hand and step forward.
The general and the commander exchange glances again. I mentally roll my eyes. The commander obviously loses the battle of wills. He sighs. “Our situation is changing daily down here and up in the habitats. But the tension and conflict won’t ever really be over. There’s too much hatred and distrust among humanity.”
I try to swallow but something gets stuck in my throat.
Rand puts a strong hand on my shoulder. “I know you’ve had this hope that the space council will have built a better world for us up there, but the bottom line is that we’re the same people whether we live on our planet or in space.” His gaze strays behind me to where Katrina stands. “We don’t change just because we move away or take new jobs.”
12
Big Picture
Rand’s vulnerability calms the anger boiling inside me. I know it took quite a bit for him to admit that. Most gathered here won’t know how much he just revealed to me. At the same time a seed of anger blossoms in my belly. I’m frustrated with the whole situation.
“It doesn’t mean we give up trying to make things better,” I whisper.
He blinks and removes his hand. He nods but doesn’t move away.
I turn back to the commander and general. “Just because you believe humanity won’t change at all once we’ve lost everything down here, doesn’t mean you can just let him go. He needs psychiatric care and my brother deserves to not be worried about his safety.”
The commander takes a step forward. “You don’t believe we should give him any leniency?”
I sigh. I think about Josh for a brief second and wonder if the commander knows we’re hiding him. “I’m not saying that. I believe everyone should get a second chance. It’s just—” I step forward and point at my friends gathered in front of the Kagawa’s console. “None of us would be friends right now if there weren’t second chances given. Rand couldn’t accept Kai in the beginning because he was bussed across the Wall for school. And most of us had a hard time with Rand’s anger.” I look at Rand, whose face turns a light shade of pink.
“But all that changed once we had to work together against a common enemy. We got to know each other, and we sacrificed everything for one another. Now we’re friends and we appreciate our differences.”
I turn back to the commander and grab both Kai and Rand’s hands. “But the difference between us giving each other a second chance and you giving my father a second chance is that he hasn’t sacrificed anything for anyone other than himself. Whereas my friends just had differences and anger to get over, he’s just angry because he got caught.” My eyes drill into my father.
“But he’s helping us to end this political onslaught. We’re making headway against the Pure Earther’s dangerous attacks.” The general steps back, pointing at my father hunkered down in his seat.
“But he isn’t doing this to make things right or help humanity. He’s just doing it so he doesn’t get locked back up at Starlight. His motivation is wrong.”
“Anja, I don’t think—” the commander starts to say.
I hold up my hand. “You heard our recorded conversation. You know I’m right. All he wants is not to be locked up again. And I understand why he feels that way, but he’s hurt a lot of people. How can you stand there and try to justify making a deal with him when you know he’s helped tear our planet and civilization apart?”
The commander opens his mouth to argue when the whole room shifts sideways.
I’m sandwiched between Kai and Rand as the three of us crouch down. The floor continues to roll, and the scream of ripping metal fills the air.
“Outside, everyone outside,” yells the general. The guards grab my father and push him roughly out the tilting doorway.
We follow, hanging on to the walls as they ripple.
“One of the damaged struts sounds like it’s going to break,” Philip yells over the noise.
A loud crash behind us makes us sprint for the door. As I turn into the corridor, I see behind me the vid screen has fallen onto the console. I blink. Below the console lies Katrina.
I scream her name. Rand whips his head around and sees her. He lets go of my hand and runs back into the room that’s tearing itself apart. Kai wraps his arms around me as I try to follow Rand. I struggle, but Kai holds me firmly.
Rand scoops up the unconscious Katrina in his arms and hurries toward us. Kai pulls me along and we hurry out of the ship.
We hunker down with the others at the edge of the dock. I sit with my back against the cold wall feeling the tremors fade. The Kagawa sits at an even more unnatural angle on four struts now instead of six. Two have buckled completely underneath it.
“I thought the mechanics fixed it,” I say numbly staring at the damaged ship.
“Only temporary fixes.” Philip’s voice sounds strangled.
I look over at him. He’s pale, hugging his knees to his chest. Alex sits on the other side of him, his arm around Sean who has tears running down his face as he stares at Katrina.
Katrina is lying limply in Rand’s arms. His face is red, and his jaw is tight as he looks down at her. He pushes the hair out of her face gently.
I take a deep breath and stand up. Kai scrambles up with me. I turn to the general, who is sitting on a storage tote. “That didn’t feel like you’ve got things handled. Now that we know these aren’t earthquakes, we need to know the truth. How much danger are we in holed up inside this glass building?” I wave my arms wildly. Outside the observation windows is just a deep darkness.
The general taps his ear bud and stands up. He runs a hand down his face. “That attack was close to our security perimeter. My guys aren’t sure how they got that close.” He glances over at my father, who has blood running down his face from a cut on his head.
Alex gets to his feet and stands next to me. “Security perimeter? What does that mean exactly? Do you have military surrounding the academy?”
I feel like the wind has been knocked out of me. Every time I think I�
��ve adjusted to a new normal, another problem comes crashing in around me. The academy is located out in the desert away from everything else. It hovers halfway between Earth and space. But there are dozens of cities within a short drive. I hold my breath as I wait for an answer.
“Yes. Every academy is being protected by military and security personnel.”
The general’s by-the-book answer lights a fire inside me. “Wait a minute. What about the cities around us? The base? The migrant camps?” My voice trails off as I realize I hadn’t thought about the people back home for a while now. My body tingles with shame.
He can’t look at me. Instead, the general looks at the commander as he answers. “We’ve had to clear the cities around us. Including the camps.”
“And what does ‘clear the cities’ mean?” asks Rand. He’s still holding Katrina, but she’s awake now and watching us.
“We evacuated them to shelters around space launch center Charlie.” He taps his earpiece again and tilts his head, listening.
“Won’t that just make all those people easy targets?” I ask. I look over at Kai, a sudden pain shooting through my chest as I think about Cam and Kai’s parents.
“We have plenty of troops to keep them safe. Now that they aren’t all spread out,” answers the commander.
My vision gets gray and fuzzy around the edges. I ball my hands into fists and take deep breaths. I break out of Kai’s grip and stalk over to my father. I kneel in front of him, forcing him to look at me.
“The only reason you’re still here is they think you can help end all this.” I swallow as my vision starts to clear. “You need to do something. Now.” I lower my voice. “You’ve been manipulating people for your own selfish reasons. Now is the time for you to finally do something for others. Stop. This. Violence.”
My body trembles. I feel Kai’s warm hand on my back, and I straighten, keeping my gaze locked on my father.
He just looks at me with an ugly smug expression, making my blood boil all over again.
The security guards pull him to his feet and lead him out of the dock. Kai wraps his arm around me, and I concentrate on getting my body to stop shaking. Detached slightly from reality, I watch as Katrina is loaded onto an anti-grav stretcher, still holding onto Rand’s hand. Alex and Sean follow them out.
Earthlight Space Academy Boxset Page 48
