“What if he chooses to stay behind?”
“Then he’ll stay behind.” The burn of doubt coated her throat. What if he did choose to stay on Earth? There was no guarantee that the dream version of Joe and the real Joe would be in agreement. She might have to convince him.
“He made his choice when he defected,” Cierra continued as if Iza had spoken her doubts aloud. “That’s why he was sent to Earth. Going back for him now is reckless.”
“I’m the only captain here,” Iza said, glancing around as if taking inventory. “If what we’re doing here is too risky for you, you’re welcome to get your own ride home.” She let the threat hang in the air between them, waiting for Cierra to make up her mind.
There was a crackling to the quality of the air as Cierra gathered up the loose portions of her outfit. With her chin lifted, she left.
“Q, hang on…” Braedon half-heartedly started to protest.
Iza knew the consequences. She was putting the others in danger of being apprehended by the TSS. However, they didn’t have all the facts. They didn’t know about the dreams. She had to take them seriously. Yes, it was a risk, but it was a risk she was willing to take. Anyone who didn’t want to take that chance didn’t have to go along for the ride. That included their Healer—the stuck-up, self-righteous snob.
Iza turned to Karter. “Make the arrangements.”
—
As promised, a day later, Karter arranged for delivery of the specialty Q Maximus shuttle. It was even smaller than her own, fitting easily in the Verity’s cargo hold. She didn’t know how he got it, or who owned it, and she didn’t want to know.
“This is a loan, he emphasized.” The urgency in his tone made Iza suspect that he’d had to hand over a substantial deposit to get use of the craft. She still didn’t like the guy, but she had to admit that he wasn’t all bad.
“It’s really something.” She admired the matte black finish the craft and ultra-sleek lines. For being so small, it was impressive that it was equipped with a jump drive. “I can’t wait to see how it handles.”
“I’m going with you,” Karter said.
“No, you’re not.”
“Don’t start that again. This was my financial contribution and I’ll stick around, if you don’t mind, to see that it’s returned in one piece.”
“Whoever is coming, I suggest you leave all of your weapons and identification here. That includes your handhelds. If we are caught transmitting, we will violate Taran law,” Trix warned.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Karter asked.
It’s a little late for a change of heart now that we have the Q Maximus, isn’t it? Iza dropped her voice so that only Karter could hear her. “Yes, regardless of our—” Isa didn’t know how to finish that sentence, “contract, it seems that Joe is a part of my life. I want him on board. He’s an asset to me and my crew, and we’re not leaving him behind.”
Karter seemed to accept her explanation for the moment, though his pinched facial expression said otherwise. Despite everything he was doing to help reunite her with Joe, it seemed that part of him hadn’t gotten over the fact that she had no desire to marry him.
But she wouldn’t lose the man she loved. She loved Joe. She’d realized that after Inspector Desirae Hyttinen had hauled him away to be handed over to the TSS.
Iza had seen enough tumultuous relationships to realize that what she had with Joe was something special. The bond that kept them together had only grown in their proximity. Having him so far away was heart-wrenching in the literal sense. It’d taken her a week just to get out of bed, and another just to be able to think straight without him. From what she understood of such resonance connections between Tarans, it was two-sided. Whatever she was going through, he had to be experiencing it, as well. That gave her some comfort that he’d jump at the chance to return to the Verity with her.
“Braedon, how’s our gear coming?” Iza asked him over the comm.
“Just finishing up now. Be right there.”
He arrived a few minutes later carrying three devices that reminded her of handhelds. “All right, I think these should do the trick. I had CACI fabricate some ‘cellular phones’ in one of the popular Earth models.”
Iza took the device when he handed it to her.
“You’ll need them to communicate with each other if you get separated and if there’s a problem,” Braedon explained, handing the other two to Karter and Trix.
“Can you communicate with us on these?” Iza asked.
“Yes, but it would risk drawing unwanted attention, since any offworld calls would require relaying a signal through the shuttle. For that matter, I’d suggest limiting any communications, even to each other, unless it’s a dire emergency, because the government has been known to monitor calls.”
Iza frowned. “Noted.”
“You can use the devices for electronic payments, too—I set up a digital account with a little local currency,” Braedon continued. “I also did you the favor of adding a language translator from English to New Taran; you should be able to understand their speech, though it might be a little awkward at first. There are plenty of different languages and dialects of Earth, so if anyone tries to talk to you, using the translator on the phone won’t raise too many flags.”
Iza gave Braedon a light pat on the shoulder. He’d gone above and beyond, and she wasn’t sure exactly how to thank him. “Good work. Keep the Verity safe while I’m gone. And take care of Atano for me.”
The dog lifted his head at the sound of his name. Cierra had tended to his injured leg using her natural medicines, but it wouldn’t be completely healed for another day.
“Of course. Be careful,” Braedon cautioned. “I tried to make everything look as native Earth as I could, but our onboard fabricator used off-world materials. If the authorities on Earth find anything that leads back to us, it could put the Taran government in a tight spot. If we care about that kind of thing.” He shrugged one shoulder.
It was clear where he landed on the subject. The Lower Dynasty heir of a madman, he had made his choice quite clear. Braedon cared nothing of governments or their actions. He had his agenda, and he was happy to be helping where there was a need. He didn’t care what it took.
“What about her?” Karter asked with a nod toward Trix.
“What do you mean?” Iza questioned.
“She can’t come. She stands out as an android. They do have synthetic AI on Earth, but nothing as advanced as her. If they discovered Trix, that’s a whole other can of worms.”
The expression sounded strange to her ears. “Are you trying to sound like Joe?”
“No, only adopting some of their common speech.”
“Why would anybody want a can of worms?” Iza asked. “Doesn’t matter. She’ll stay on the shuttle to pilot it. If there’s any trouble, I want her to be able to get the ship out of view and away from the authorities.”
Karter didn’t look convinced, but he inclined his head.
Iza headed for the Q Maximus shuttle. “Let’s go play among the Earthlings.”
— — —
The Arvonen One made its last jump, dropping out from subspace near Venus. The planet would offer cover for the large ship, though there was still the risk of a TSS patrol stumbling upon them. They had to work fast. After the debacle on Uephus, they had some catching up to do.
Victor barked out orders to the crew while Raquel waited patiently behind him. She’d been troubled after they’d arrived at Uephus and found what the Gatekeepers had done to the planet. Victor was intrigued. He now knew the sphere’s power as a Gate had even more possibilities. Transforming Taran planets from one climate to another hadn’t occurred to him, but the financial potential was astronomical. A planet with no potential for crops could become a farming community. A lush planet with a local government that refused to bend to his will could quickly become a barren rock.
He had no idea he’d been smiling until Raquel mentioned
it.
“Something funny, sir?”
Victor waved a hand in dismissal. “No, nothing. I was just daydreaming. Where are we on the location of the rogue Agent?”
“We have the information you requested. however, I have to emphasize that retrieving him in this manner will draw attention from the TSS. Even if they don’t want him back, it is unlikely they will just let him go with us.”
Victor nodded as he continued to constrain the excitement. “No, we won’t be here long. Crew deck, prepare for immediate departure. I want to leave the engines running and as soon as the man is on board. We will leave this uncivilized system and its people behind.”
“We could wait until nightfall; it might be less conspicuous,” said the pilot.
Victor turned a glare on him that could melt metal. He had no intention of waiting for anything. The people of Earth were hardly advanced, and the TSS wouldn’t be expecting him to show up on their doorstep after all the trouble he’d gone into hiding from them.
“No. Prepare the shuttle and take him with you.” Victor pointed at one of the other crewmembers.
The large man inclined his head before leaving. Victor liked the deference, and he couldn’t wait for the rest of the Tarans to bestow him the same respect. He’d earned it, after all. He’d done so much to bring his family’s name to a place of dignity and to ensure his grandchildren would have the name and recognition they all deserved. However, his youngest continued to disappoint.
There was a time, many years ago, when Devyn had bounded into his office and declared he’d do more for the dynasty than his older brother, his light eyes set and his lips in a thin line of determination. He’d only been five years old, but it felt like yesterday. He’d ignored his father’s busy scheduled and marched in, climbing onto Victor’s lap to state his intentions. Where had those days gone? Would the boy ever learn to embrace his station instead of dragging the Arvonen name down? His eldest would take the reins, but Victor wished that Devyn’s energy and charisma had been bestowed on his older, more obedient son. Instead, he simply followed after his father, sniveling all the way.
Devyn, meanwhile, had turned away from his dynastic purpose with relish, instead focusing his time, money, and attention on black market games. It was ludicrous, but he’d continued to stay on his father’s radar as long as he ran with the crew of the Verity. He’d taken the ship with the Gate generator in the first place, making a mess of everything. However, uniting the Gate with the key had been, at the time, a happy coincidence. Now, Victor knew better. Iza was different; in some way, she was connected to the Gatekeepers. Perhaps, like himself, it was her destiny to find the Gate and go through, showing him how it was done. She’d been the first to venture through the Gate and return whole. After so many failed attempts, she’d solved the mystery he’d been trying to find. If he wanted to secure the Gate’s power for himself, he’d need her genetic code. Until he could replicate the component of her genetics that allowed her to interface with the Gatekeeper technology, he would need Iza to serve as his key to operate the Gate.
It was unfortunate they hadn’t been able to retrieve the sphere that had appeared on Uephus; that would have been the answer to at least one of their problems. They’d done everything they could to set themselves up for its retrieval, upon identifying its presence—disabled the distress beacon and then had made quick work of getting to the surface. Unfortunately, when they arrived, they’d made the frustrating discovery that the Gate was under water. Without anything to counteract the effects of the active portal, they had been unable to retrieve it. And, the mystery remained of how it got there and why it was activated in the first place; Victor has been unaware of any other Gate generators, aside from the sphere that had been seized by the TSS three months before.
However, all was not lost. If everything went according to plan, he’d have another Gate generator and the key in short order. This time, Iza was going to come to him, and he’d be waiting for her.
Raquel approached Victor on the right of his periphery. “Sir, I have news.” She hadn’t quite been the same since their visit to her home planet. She seemed more driven somehow—not that it mattered. She’d be of use until she wasn’t.
“What is it? Have you found him yet?”
“Oh, yes, he’s gone to work for the day, but we have his schedule. As soon as he crosses the threshold, we’ll have him. But this is about something else. I’ve discovered there may be another with the same gene sequence as Captain Sundari,” Raquel said, speaking rapidly and waving her hands. “At first I didn’t think it was possible, but then, suddenly, there it was right in front of me! The same unique markers.”
The contagious excitement in her eyes was enough to force Victor to clear his throat. “Another key? Who?”
“A blood relative. I believe he is a cousin. Do you want to pursue him?”
“No, not yet. Track him, but I want to put this plan into action first. He’s no use to us without it, anyway.” Victor turned his attention to the two brutes who did the heavy lifting for him; they were larger than life and looked almost as intimidating as they were. “Prepare the shuttle to go down to Earth.”
CHAPTER TEN
The alarm beside his bed startled Joe awake before dawn on Thursday morning. He groaned and turned it off before he planted two feet on the floor, digging his toes into the plush rug he’d purchased. It had been the same routine every weekday morning since he’d gone back home to Earth.
He’d arrived at the end of fall, the perfect time to find an apartment as the rents were cheap and finding work during the school year seemed to be easier than in the summer months. Now, nearly three months into winter, he was glad he’d rented an apartment with central heating in the St. Anthony district near downtown Minneapolis.
The city was as it had been when he’d left to join the TSS: quiet, unassuming, and the kind of place no one much cared to visit in the winter. There had been minimal advancements in technology, medicine, or social economics during his decade-long absence. It was like going back in time. He couldn’t imagine a worse place to live out the rest of his boring days.
The news for the last three mornings had been continuing coverage on another series of riots. He had forgotten how violent Earth had been. It was no wonder the government leaders weren’t ready to admit they were not alone in the universe. There were still far too many things to deal with in their own backyard. Introducing not only more people, but more laws and rules that people would break, would be an overwhelming task. Joe slipped into his street clothes, a pair of blue jeans and a navy-blue button-down shirt. The shirt had been a gift from his adoptive aunt and uncle, who thought they’d never see him again. They’d become close friends of his parents when they’d gone down for their undercover TSS assignment on Earth. Technically, they were his godmother and godfather, but he and his sister had grown up calling them ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’. When they’d asked about where he’d been, he’d evade the question, saying that he had been in the military and the details were classified.
Though his aunt and uncle had done their best in the absence of his parents, in the end, he’d resented them more than he could ever love them. Their initial reunion had been short, but he’d kept to his promise to come for dinners every Sunday, and that seemed to appease them. They were all the family he had left, after all. He was forbidden to contact any of his TSS friends or family. Not that he had any means of contacting them even if he wanted to, since his handheld had been confiscated before his exile to the planet.
Gone were the days of being an elite TSS Agent. He couldn’t even use his Gifts. Stars, how he missed using telekinesis.
Their most recent Sunday meal had been a repeat of the others, as routine as his tedious workdays. After the obligatory greeting hugs, they asked him about his week, like they always did. As usual, he had nothing interesting to say. Thankfully, the food was ready, and they’d ushered him to the table for the meal without asking about his dating prospects again.
>
They made small-talk throughout the meal. He tried to give them real answers when he could, but the truth was that talking about the weather made him want to throw himself out an airlock—if only he had access to one. At this rate, stargazing on a mountaintop was the closest he’d ever get to space again.
“Being back here can’t be all that bad,” his uncle said as he reached for the butter to accompany the final bites of his roll.
Joe made a noise in the back of his throat akin to agreement as he chewed the last of his meatloaf.
“I hope you left room,” his aunt said, leaping up from the table. “I made your favorite.”
She came back with a rectangular glass dish with what smelled like apple pie and looked like apple crisp. It wasn’t his favorite. It was Skyler’s, but he didn’t correct her as she’d gone to the trouble. Instead, he smiled and took the plate she dished up for him.
“I know you can’t talk about everything that happened while you were deployed, but did you meet any interesting people?” his uncle asked.
Joe had to swallow hard to get past the apple crisp and the lump in his throat. Why can’t I stop thinking about her? He stabbed at another piece of the crumble but didn’t lift it to his mouth.
“I did, I met some interesting characters.”
“What were they like?” questioned his aunt. “You don’t have to give us names just describe them to us.”
“Well, I met a young pilot from a wealthy family who reminded me a lot of Robin Hood. He had a tendency to get into trouble, but it was usually for a good cause.”
“Sounds like a good kid. Must have come from good parents like you,” his uncle said.
Joe didn’t have to pretend to smile as both his aunt and uncle were looking down at their plates. They didn’t know the half of it. If they knew what he’d been through with Braedon’s father, they’d wonder if the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.
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