Empire of Ashes: An Epic Space Opera Series (The Augmented Book 1)

by Ben Hale

  “We would change the value of slaves and establish our House as the leading expert on augmented slaves.”

  Ero watched Telik, who had no idea that he’d already lost. Skorn could talk a Primus into signing over his world.

  “I get credit for the discovery,” Telik finally said.

  “Of course,” Skorn said smoothly, and his eyes flicked to Ero with a look that added, if he survives to that day.

  Ero looked away so neither would see the satisfaction on his face. He prided himself on being able to tolerate most anyone, but Telik was no longer on that list. The krey deserved to die for his brutal nature, and Ero looked forward to the day he could kill him.

  At one time, Ero had counted Telik among his allies and knew of his experiments. Now, Ero found a simmering disgust whenever he stood in Telik’s presence, but he could not explain why.

  “Do we have an alliance?” Ero forced himself to ask.

  Telik looked between the two brothers, and then a smile spread across his features. “A harvest world of augments, making you rich and me a legend.”

  Ero might despise Telik, but he appreciated the plan. It would help secure freedom from their father, defy his mother, and rebuild their House—with enough glint to last lifetimes. So why did his thoughts turn to Brand, and why was he worried? He noticed a piece of glass from the broken cell where Brand had escaped, one missed by the cleaning mechs. He stooped and picked it up, rolling the broken shard over his fingers. He and his brother viewed the augments like a commodity, but he wondered if the augmented would be content as slaves.

  Or would they want to fight?

  Chapter Forty-One

  The first day the dakorians were on the ship, Siena and Kensen avoided them. They kept to their new quarters, a cleared-out storage compartment that smelled of mold. Kensen spoken little, and Siena spoken even less.

  Siena would have liked to spend the time in the holochamber or training in the empty gravity drive chamber, but wasn’t willing to test the dakorians. Especially with Ero and Skorn absent. Instead, she stayed in her quarters accessing a semifunctioning wrist holoview she’d found in one of the crates. It flickered and occasionally died, but it was enough for her to watch combat vids and study krey engineering.

  “You shouldn’t be looking at that,” Kensen said, shortly after dinner. “It’s illegal for humans to learn krey technology.”

  “You’re more obedient to krey laws than krey are,” she said.

  He flushed and turned away from her. She left him alone and continued to study how a cortex encoded information along the substrates and how a gravity drive converted energy into light. She was especially interested in how newer ships used ion propulsion instead of gravity manipulation.

  Long after Kensen fell asleep, Siena continued to study, her face lit by the flickering holo. Krey technology was both fascinating and fairly simple, at least on the surface. The chemistry and metallurgy that made it simple was far more complex.

  When she got too tired to focus, she closed the cortex and set it aside. Her eyes drooping, she rolled over on the bed and pulled the blanket up. She was still fully dressed but lapsed into slumber.

  She dreamed, oddly conscious that she was dreaming. Her entire life, she had rarely dreamed, but this time she stood on a cliff overlooking a beautiful valley. Tall trees grew in the forest of the slope below, the limbs strong and wide, the leaves fluttering in the afternoon sun. Streams wound their way from the mountains, gurgling as they passed over rocks, roots, and eddies, gradually falling their way to the lake at the base of the valley.

  Mountains rose in the distance, with more at her back. They towered in majestic peaks, the stone gray, the slopes an uneven pattern of trees, meadows, and rocky cliffs. The sun warmed the stones, filling the air with the scent of flowers and a recent rain.

  “It’s beautiful,” Siena said.

  Her voice seemed to reverberate in the dream, a haunting echo. A footstep crunched on the ground at her side, and Ero advanced to stand with her. She had only ever seen him in the artificial light of ships, and once on the world of Ironden, but even there, the light had been artificial. On this world, he stood in the light, and for the first time, she realized how regal he appeared. She found the thought disturbing. Krey were cruel and brutal. They should not appear regal.

  “Reklin has spotted one of the indigenous life-forms, a sentient flying creature with thick, armorlike scales,” Ero said. “This world appears beautiful, but its indigenous occupants are hostile. We should be cautious.”

  “Are you concerned about my life now?” she teased.

  Ero grinned and cast her a sidelong look. “You are a slave, very replaceable.”

  His amused tone brought a smile to her lips. Whatever had happened, she found she trusted Ero, not as a krey, not as an owner, but as a friend. She looked away, unwilling to acknowledge the disturbing thought. Krey did not have friends, least of all a slave.

  “You don’t even know my name,” she said with a wry smile. “That does make me easier to replace.”

  He chuckled, the sound conveying a touch of regret. “I suppose I cannot keep calling you Brand.”

  “You actually want to know my name?”

  “I cannot promise I will remember it.” Ero tapped his chin. “I was never good at remembering names.”

  She laughed and, despite her previous thoughts, answered, “Siena.”

  “Much better than Brand.”

  The dream was so real that Siena could feel her heart beating in her chest and the sunlight warming her face. Where was she? Certainly not on Verdigris, and not on any planet she recognized.

  She heard herself ask, “Is that what you called me?” She’d known the answer, of course, but asked the question anyway.

  “It’s better than ferox.”

  “True.”

  Ero abruptly frowned. “Does this mean I have to know the other one’s name?”

  “It’s Kensen.”

  “Are you sure? I thought it was Kendil.”

  “Positive.”

  He grinned and swept a hand at the world. “This world needs a name too.”

  She wondered if the krey would actually call her by her name. “It deserves a name of beauty.”

  “What do you suggest?” He turned to face her, causing her to shift uncomfortably.

  “You want me to name your harvest world?”

  “Why not?” He seemed to like the idea of her naming the world.

  She hesitated and then a name came to mind, as if she’d heard it before. “Lumineia.”

  He smiled. “It is fitting . . .”

  “Siena!”

  The word snapped her awake, and she registered the tension in Kensen’s voice. She groaned, annoyed that he’d disrupted the dream. She rarely dreamed, and this one had been so vivid.

  “What do you want?” she muttered.

  “The krey are still gone, and I don’t think they will be returning soon. The dakorians are not watching the Gate. Now is our chance.”

  “You still think we should escape?” Siena cracked one eye and fixed him with a glare. He flushed, the red brightening his skin in the confines of their room.

  “I thought by now you would have come to your senses,” he replied.

  “You want to go? Then go.” She yawned and pointed to the door. “I’m not going to stop you.”

  “Siena.” His voice was pleading. “Listen to reason. The krey will not protect you, and you are training to fight with a weapon—without a permit. You will be executed.”

  “Ero taught me to pilot.”

  His countenance turned ashen, and she privately enjoyed the spectacle. In the small room that had become their new quarters, there was just enough space for two beds, a handful of crates, and the door. It was hardly more than a closet, but Kensen had one knee on the floor, close enough to touch. In the subdued light, he looked terrified.

  “You really deserve that brand,” he said.

  Stung, she pointed to him. �
��At least I have courage.”

  He retreated and stood, anger heating his voice. “Have you completely lost your mind?” He glanced about the room as if there would be recording crystals, a valid concern, but Ero was not the type to listen to the conversations of his slaves. Laurik would certainly have stooped to such a level, but not Ero.

  “Where would we even go?” she demanded, rising to stand in his face. “No world would take us, and if we were caught, we would be punished as runaways.”

  “There has to be somewhere.”

  His stubbornness leaked onto his face, his jaw setting in a firm line. But it was fear that drove his actions, not courage or conviction, and she took a step forward, so close she could see the stubble on his chin.

  “I’m staying.” Siena left no room for argument.

  She turned and stooped to collect a set of clean clothes from her trunk and shoved them into a pile, intent on going to the sonic shower. She decided in that moment that Kensen was not who she’d assumed. He released an explosive breath.

  “You have forgotten that you’re a slave,” he said.

  She whirled to face him. “I don’t want to be a slave.”

  The vehemence in her voice rocked him on his heels, and he stared at her with wide eyes. She reached up and poked him in the chest, driving him backward until his legs hit the side of his bed, forcing him to sit. Standing over him, she trembled in anger.

  “Do you like this life?” she asked. “Of scurrying around at the beck and whim of a krey master? Always in fear of getting burned? We could be sold at any moment, or tortured, or killed. Is this what you want to be?”

  “It is the only life we have.”

  “It’s not living!” She hurled the words at him. “They own our lives, and we are merely objects. Whether it was his intention or not, Ero showed me what it’s like to be free. I’m not going back.”

  Shock twisted Kensen’s features, and she realized he would probably never understand. He’d been conditioned his whole life to be a slave, to be a servant, to relinquish his will. He’d been forged into a slave, and he would never lift his eyes above his station. Siena’s eyes filled with pity.

  “How can you not see it?” she asked.

  “It’s not like I have a choice.”

  “We always have a choice,” she said. “We can accept what we have or try to change our fates.”

  “And if it gets us killed?”

  “Better dead and free than living in a cage. Or have you forgotten what I am? I’m an augment. If the Empire knew what I was, they would tear me apart.”

  “Maybe they’ll spare you for bringing them Ero.”

  “They won’t,” she said flatly.

  She collected her clothes and stepped to the door, her fingers sliding across the crystal that activated the portal. It opened, the hiss unusually loud and grating. She grimaced, instinctively tilting her head.

  “Are you okay?” Kensen asked.

  She grunted when his voice reverberated in her ears, the shout digging into her brain like a needle. He took a step toward her, but all she heard was the deafening scrape of his boot. She retreated and dropped her clothes on the floor, putting her hands over her ears and glaring at Kensen.

  “Stop shouting!”

  “I’m not shouting,” he said.

  She grimaced against the sound, even louder than before. As sounds assailed her, she dropped on the bed and dug her fingers into her ears, but they failed to muffle the chaos of the ship.

  The drone of the gravity drive, the vibration of the power converters, even the brush of fabric against Kensen’s skin. It all assaulted her ears, a cacophony of sounds that demanded attention. She scrunched her face up, as much in fear as pain.

  “What’s happening?” she cried.

  “I don’t know.”

  It was evident Kensen sought to whisper, the confusion threading into his voice, but his words still sounded like shouts. She could hear the air brushing against his vocal cords.

  Siena struggled to speak, to focus, and finally managed to mutter a response. “Everything is louder than it should be. You are shouting, and the gravity drive is too loud.”

  “You can hear the gravity drive?” he demanded.

  She groaned and shot him a look.

  He lowered his voice again. “Sorry. Try focusing on my voice.”

  The sounds continued to attack, clawing at her eardrums like tiny beasts wanting to rip into her skull. She wanted to fight, but they were just sounds, and fear spiked in her chest.

  What is happening to me?

  The mental scream momentarily overpowered the cacophony from the ship. She instinctively knew it had something to do with Telik’s experiment. It was the only answer, even if she did not understand.

  “Please, Siena, focus on my voice.”

  Kensen’s voice was just a whisper, and she heard his desperate worry. She clenched her hands on the side of her head and strained to focus on a single voice, but instead of Kensen’s, she heard another.

  “Skorn and Ero still haven’t returned.”

  The voice was dakorian and coming through the bulkhead, where the speaker stood in the cargo bay with the other three soldiers, one of which was standing by the door. Siena could tell the speaker was the female by the rhythmic thumping of the dakorian’s hearts. Could she really hear their hearts?

  “Teridon, have you completed the inspection of the ship’s core? I want to know where it has been, and any beamcast logs.”

  “And if it’s coded?” came the reply.

  “Don’t push past the coding for now. We don’t want to trip any alarms.”

  “Shouldn’t we report to our superiors?” the female asked.

  “Not yet. The beamcasts will certainly be tracked, and we don’t want to give anything away . . .”

  “What about the two slaves?” another asked.

  “I’ll speak to them,” the officer said.

  Siena decided in that moment they had to be a government unit. They were too organized to be otherwise. But they didn’t act like reckoners, which always paired a krey with a dakorian as partners.

  The dakorian leader was still speaking. “Ero claimed the female was learning how to wield an energy blade. I’ll determine if they are a threat.”

  “Reklin,” one said. “Are you sure . . .”

  The sound popped like a bubble, and Siena gasped in shock, both at the ending of the sound and the use of the name. She’d heard the same name just a few minutes ago.

  In her dream.

  She couldn’t focus on the significance. The groan of the engines, the hum of the power inverters—all of the ship’s unusually grating sounds disappeared like water washing off her skin, leaving a dull ache in her ears but no other sign of their presence.

  Kensen’s face resolved into focus, his expression tight and eyes fearful. He was speaking, muttering in low tones, begging her to focus on his voice, saying that he cared about her, that he was sorry. Tears glistened on his cheeks. Had he been speaking the whole time?

  “I’m sorry,” he continued. “I’m so sorry. This is so far outside of what slaves are supposed to deal with, I just didn’t know how to react. No matter what happens, I’m staying with you.”

  “Took you long enough to say that,” she muttered.

  He stared at her—and then engulfed her in an embrace, his strong arms wrapping around her shoulders. “Siena! I thought you were dying.”

  “Not dying,” she said. “But we should be ready for a visitor.”

  “How can you know that?” he leaned and watched her like she was sick.

  “Because I heard the dakorians talking.” She tapped the bulkhead that separated their storage chamber from the cargo bay. “One is coming to find out if we are a threat. His name is Reklin.”

  He shook his head, obviously doubtful. “How could you possibly know that?”

  “Because I heard his name in my dream an hour ago.”

  The door swished open, and a towering dako
rian stood in the doorway. Kensen stood and turned, partially shielding her from the soldier’s sudden appearance. The dakorian’s eyes scanned the room before settling on the two of them.

  “As I’m sure you’ve figured out, House Bright’Lor has purchased the contracts of myself and my companions. My name is Reklin. I will speak to the girl first.”

  He motioned for her to follow him from the room, and she stood. She gave Kensen a look as she passed, silently saying, I told you his name.

  Kensen watched her depart, his expression stunned. Then she passed him and entered the hallway. The dakorian, an older male with severed horns, pointed to the cargo bay.

  “Ero claimed he was teaching you to fight,” Reklin said. “I would like to see what you can do . . .”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Siena followed Reklin toward the cargo bay, grappling with the new augmentation she’d just experienced. It was common for new dakorians to assess slaves for existing threats to their new employers. For slaves, that usually included an examination of the slave quarters, including a thorough check for hidden weapons and a more extensive vetting of the stronger males, those deemed most likely to cause unrest. Siena had endured such inspections before, but never with a weapon in her hand, and never when she had so many secrets to hide.

  She entered the cargo bay to find the other dakorians absent. She quickly put distance between herself and the large soldier. The krey used inflictors to inflict pain. Dakorians did not need the rod and preferred to strike with their hands, allowing the bones on their body to teach a painful lesson.

  Reklin regarded her from his place at the door. “Are you enjoying your blade training?”

  “I am learning how to use an energy blade at Ero’s command.”

  He cocked his head to the side and examined her, obviously curious. “I have known krey that taught slaves to fight, but only so the slaves could earn more glint in the Crucible or in other, less-than-legal fights. I do not believe that is Ero’s intent with you.”

  “I serve my owner.”

  She kept her tone demure, her eyes on the floor. The dakorian continued to regard her, and she wondered what he expected from the conversation. Did he want her to draw her blade? To fight? She recalled her blade piercing the chest of the dakorian on Ironden. The image elicited a shudder.