All the Stars Left Behind

by Ashley Graham

  Taking the helm, Leda rested her hands on each of the soft, squishy semi-circles. Roar had said most Aurelis flight technology relied on a mental component. She shut her eyes, relaxed, and focused her thoughts on flying. Leda snapped her eyes open. It was like someone—or something—entered her head. She could sense the shuttle’s engines, feel them powering up. Lift she thought, and the shuttle raised off the bay floor.

  “This is so awesome,” she whispered.

  Behind her, Stein chuckled. “Good work. Now get us the hell away from this ship.”

  With pleasure.

  Leda found the bay doors and flew the shuttle toward them—but they were closing, and fast. She held her breath and kicked up the speed. The shuttle flew through the narrow opening with the doors scraping the outer hull. But they made it through, and Leda kept up speed and direction, putting space between the ship and shuttle. She could see the tactical station in her mind, the screen like a film in the corner of her eye. Most of her attention remained on her task, though she enjoyed watching Stein eliminate the other shuttles that followed them.

  After he cleared the danger, Stein came to take over at the helm. “I’d let you do this, but since you’ve never done a leap before, I’d rather not take the risk. You might put us inside a moon or something.”

  Leda shot her tongue out at him. “Where are you ‘leaping’ us to?”

  “Anywhere at first. Then we’ll get a message to Equinox, if they’re not too far out.”

  “And if they are?”

  Stein firmed his lips and it looked like he wasn’t going to answer. “Worst case scenario, I’ll take us to Liider Spaceport and we can get a proper ship to take us the rest of the way to Aurelis.”

  “So you are on board with saving Aurelis. Right?”

  He shot her a hard look. “Like I said. We all make mistakes.”

  True. Leda relinquished her seat, and Stein dropped down into it with a heavy sigh. She wasn’t in the habit of comforting idiots, but Stein was correct: anyone could make a mistake. She saw the confusion in his eyes when Tuva brought him into the torture room. He hadn’t known Leda would be put to harm, and he’d voiced his opinion on the matter. Stein had gotten mixed up with the wrong side. Now, he was attempting to make things right.

  “As long as we’re sticking to the original plan, then I’m game.”

  “Good. Now sit down and strap in. Time’s wasting.”

  She sat next to Stein, and once the harness was secure, she let herself relax for a minute. She was safe. For now.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “What do you mean we can’t be together?”

  Roar tried pushing his thoughts in the right direction. The small science ship Elder Æthelric had parked in an aft cargo bay on Equinox for emergencies was Roar’s saving grace. There was enough space on the ship for everyone he planned on taking with him, including Nils’s mother. Thankfully her pod didn’t take up much space.

  He had to stop thinking about his conversation with Arne and Rika. Maybe they thought telling him now was the right thing, like it would help him somehow, instead of messing with his head.

  Arne brings Roar to the lab where Rika stands hunched over a tablet on a lab table. He pulls her tablet away. “I need you to show him.”

  “But you told me—”

  “I know. But he has to see. Show him the blood.”

  Roar had invited too many unknown variables into the fray. Arne and Inger he could trust without question. The Woede had displaced Leda’s grandmother from her home, and almost took her family from her, and Arne wanted to see his ancestral world put to rights. Nils seemed to be on board, too.

  Rika was the wild card. The human. Granted, her medical training made her invaluable on Equinox, but what else could she bring to the table? And five was a big number when working in all the possible outcomes.

  Except the one outcome he’d never considered played on loop in his head.

  Rika places a drop of silver blood into a petri dish, then takes a drop of blood from a second vial.

  “You’ll have to stand back,” she tells Roar.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Arne touches his shoulder. “It’s better if you see.”

  Rika adds the second blood to the first. Almost instantly, it bubbles, fizzles, burns, and turns bright—like a star about to burst. He ought to look away, but he doesn’t. He has to see…

  The light fades, and when his vision clears, he sees that the blood has turned from silver to black.

  After checking that Explorer was indeed operational, Roar brought Arne and Frue Sørensen down to see it. He felt as nervous as a child, showing off this tiny ship with dated tech. Arne just nodded his head and squeezed Roar’s shoulder. It gave Roar no comfort. Not after what he’d seen.

  Roar turned back to the ship. “So it’ll work?”

  Arne moved next to him. “It’s perfect. I’m sure we can borrow some things from Equinox and no one will be the wiser.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Roar mumbled.

  He has to ask. Part of him already knows the answer, but he needs to hear Arne say the words.

  “Whose blood is that?”

  “Leda’s,” Arne says. After a moment, he adds, “And yours.”

  As the departure date neared, Roar and the others gathered supplies and hoarded what little tech they could sneak out from under Oline’s nose. He hadn’t seen much of Petrus, except at mealtimes, and even then, sometimes Petrus didn’t show up. Like tonight. Everyone onboard Equinox had gathered for supper, except Petrus. Roar spooned the vegetable stew, studded with spices Leda had brought along and never got the chance to use, into his mouth until the bowl was empty. Then he grabbed a second bowl, filled and covered, a spoon, packed a few rolls in a bag, and carried the meal to Petrus’s cabin.

  After several knocks, Roar tried Petrus on his comm. He thought about using the tracker system to locate Petrus, but his friend probably wanted some privacy. Roar left the covered bowl and rolls outside Petrus’s cabin, and he decided to spend the next few hours prepping for the eventual split from Equinox.

  Petrus caught him sneaking down a rear access tunnel with a bag of tech and refurbished comms. He cleared his throat behind Roar, who paused a second, then turned to face his fate. Petrus had shut the hatch and stood in front of it, blocking the only exit aside from the other end, which led to the Explorer.

  Roar straightened his spine as Petrus crossed his arms. Though a few inches shorter than Roar, and built smaller, Petrus was no slouch. Roar knew from sparring with him that Petrus moved like a cobra and packed one hell of a punch. An image of the pair, Roar with a black eye while Petrus grinned, still lived on Roar’s night table.

  After a long moment of hard staring, Petrus dropped his arms and signed: “I understand you plan on leaving Equinox.”

  Though Roar knew Petrus had sussed him out, it didn’t make the statement sting any less. “I am.” Roar snapped his mouth shut. No point in giving away all the details. “How did you find out?”

  Petrus worked his fingers: “Arne told me. He wondered why I didn’t know about the plan.”

  Roar squeezed his hands into fists. Caught like an amateur. His fury cast a red haze in the room, but he forced himself to be still. Deal with the anger later. Petrus glared at Roar like he was trying to decide where to hit him first.

  After a long moment, Roar let out a breath. “It takes two, at least, to crew Equinox. If Oline shows up in Aurelite air space with a Woede, they’ll sacrifice him to save their own skins. I know that’s what we said was the plan if it came down to it, but I just can’t do it.” Leda would never forgive him. If he ever found her.

  Petrus nodded, looking thoughtful. “And none of the others know the systems well enough to stay behind.”

  “Exactly.” Roar dropped his gaze. “I wish you could come with me.” He peered under his lashes at his friend.

  “Me, too.” They were both silent for a long stretch, avoiding eye contac
t. Then Petrus signed: “Listen. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  Roar lowered his voice when he spoke next. “I don’t care what you think about Leda. Whatever your issue with her, keep it to yourself.”

  The last thing he needed was yet another person reminding him why they couldn’t be together.

  “I don’t have an issue with her, Roar. It’s the way you feel about each other…” He squeezed his eyes shut, like he was in pain. “It’s not about her.”

  “Does it have to do with Stein?”

  A flicker of surprise flashed in Petrus’s eyes. He pushed a stray lock of hair off his brow, then worked his fingers. “What do you know?”

  “Nothing,” Roar answered honestly. “He’s missing and you’re—well, you’re moping around, Petrus. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you guys had known each other a lot longer than you and I have. But I don’t think that’s the case.”

  “I wasn’t sure how you’d react.”

  “Hell, I don’t even know what’s going on. That woman on the other ship called Stein ‘Sofia’ and said he was Brage Enersen’s daughter. Which, I can’t even wrap my head around, though I do see some similarities. But how am I supposed to convince you whatever you’re worried about doesn’t bother me if I don’t all the facts?”

  Petrus stared at him, dazed. “Are you saying that you don’t care if I’m…?” His hands stilled.

  Roar grabbed Petrus’s right hand in his hand and made a fist. “I wouldn’t care if you wanted to turn yourself into an amoeba, Petrus. You’re my brother. You’re all I’ve got.”

  After he said the words, Roar looked down out of habit. He wasn’t used to talking about emotions. The Elders were strict when it came to frivolous topics, and feelings were among the top five things to avoid.

  Petrus worked his fingers. “You’d better get those supplies onboard Explorer.”

  Shock stilled his muscles. “You’re not going to rat us out to Oline?”

  “No. I happen to agree with you. But I want a promise, Roar.”

  “Anything.”

  “If you can’t find her, you’ll go straight home.”

  “After how long?”

  Petrus shut his eyes, a long, slow, blink. When he opened them again, Roar knew he thought Stein was on that ship with Leda, and leaving Leda behind meant leaving Stein behind. “One Universal month,” he answered. “After that, go to Aurelis. Once the Woede have been taken care of, we can both go looking for them. Together. I promise.” He held out a hand to seal the deal.

  Since Petrus never broke his promises, Roar accepted his friend’s hand and shook on it. “We will find them,” Roar said, though he wasn’t entirely convinced.

  He didn’t admit that though—everyone knew if they didn’t find Leda, Aurelis was so screwed.

  Huddled in a chair on a space shuttle wasn’t a good position for sleep. Leda tried. And tried. But she couldn’t get past the “drifting off” stage.

  A few feet away, Stein lay sprawled in his chair with his boots up on the wall. How did he sleep like that?

  Her butt had gone numb a while ago. Not a good sign. She shifted in her seat, for all the good it did. A little exercise would definitely help bring the feeling back, but she’d gone way past tired and dropped straight into exhaustion. When was the last time she’d had a really good night’s sleep?

  Before she met Roar. Before she moved to Norway. Before Dad died.

  When will things be…normal again?

  Or was this the new normal? Spaceships and stun guns and evil alien overlords. Her life had become a video game. That reminded her of Nils. Was he okay? She leaned back and shut her eyes, thinking of everyone back on Equinox—

  A shrill alarm pierced the silence. What the…?

  She jumped up and grabbed the RomTek suit she’d discarded earlier. Getting the thing on took much less time now that she’d suited up a few times now. Stein beat her, though. She reached his side just as the viewscreen flashed to life and revealed a ship. Boxy and black and surrounded by several smaller vessels of similar build. She hadn’t seen any ships like these. Were they friendly? Or not so friendly?

  Sensors in her suit blared another warning. Leda pulled up the info screen in her helmet just as the biggest ship opened fire. She felt the blast through the shuttle’s stabilizers, and the ones in her suit.

  So they’re not friendly.

  Stein cursed. “It’s a Woede convoy. A couple of cargo ships.” He tried some fancy maneuvers to avoid the next rally.

  “Maybe I’m mistaken, but aren’t cargo ships supposed to be neutral or something?”

  “Not if they’re Woede. Wait a minute. Are you seeing this?” He pointed to the screen. “They’re leaving. They fired at us, and now they’re leaving.”

  He barely finished the sentence when something hit the shuttle so hard the metal groaned and vibrated. The floor rolled sideways under her feet, and the gravity flickered a moment before evening out, slamming Leda into the door.

  “Careful,” Stein said unnecessarily. “You should strap in.”

  As the suit helped Leda right herself, she scowled at the back of Stein’s head. But no sooner was she on her feet, Leda hustled to the nearest chair and strapped her harness on. She glanced at tactical, wondering if she should try to figure things out here while Stein piloted the ship.

  How hard can it be?

  The floor rattled with another volley of fire from the Woede ship.

  Stein pulled up radar. “They didn’t all leave.”

  Focusing on the screen, Leda hit the buttons for her gloves to retract, removed her helmet, and pulled up the manual for tactical. A quick read through told her the basics. The station worked much the same as any video game she’d played. Lock onto a target, aim, and fire.

  She tried for a small dart-like ship first and got a direct hit. Who says video games can’t save your life?

  “Nice one!” Stein jerked in the pilot’s chair as he dodged incoming fire.

  Leda’s stomach gave a little jolt with the ship. “Not too shabby yourself.”

  He laughed. “Maybe we’ll make it out of this alive after all.”

  She made several more hits, narrowly missing one before correcting the aim and firing again. Then the shuttle shook like it had just been spat out of a volcano. Leda’s head crashed into the screen. A warm trickle dripped from her temple.

  “Boarding pod,” Stein said with a scowl. “Get your helmet on.”

  He didn’t need to tell her twice. She’d never done anything so quickly in her life. From a utility pocket on the suit, Leda took the small oval-shaped coin and tapped it twice. When it was fully grown, she shoved the helmet on and blinked through the neural link hook-up. Into the mic, she said, “What’s a boarding pod?”

  Stein adjusted their trajectory with a shove of his palm into the jelly pad of his armrest. On the screen, the Woede missile veered off course and hit one of the darts. “A boarding pod is filled with Woede infiltrators. Slimy little suckers attach themselves to the brains of the shuttle—or ship, or whatever—and take over. They’ll cut off life support, kill everyone inside, and feed on the bodies.”

  Leda shuddered as the images filtered in her mind. “Are they easy to kill?”

  “Fortunately. The Woede didn’t spend too much time or money on the suckers since they breed like toukiin and are easily contented.”

  A dart veered to one side, aiming for the shuttle. Leda headed them off with rapid succession fire. The remains of the dart scattered on the radar. “What’s a toukiin?”

  “Uh, the best explanation I can come up with is, they’re kind of like your maggots.”

  “Oh.” Gross.

  The boarding pod’s pounding vibrated through the entire shuttle now, the squeal of ripping metal like a scream inside Leda’s head. The hull breached with a roar that made the speakers in Leda’s helmet whine, and the shuttle rocked as the boarding pod punched the newly cut chunk of shuttle door. An audible pop came ne
xt, the vacuum seal between the two ships mixing. A slithering black snake wiggled through the hole.

  They were in.

  Leda jumped back, her thighs bumping the chair at tactical, and reached for the gun at her hip. Just as Stein showed her during the journey out here, she hit the switch to charge the plasma, and the weapon whistled to life in seconds. For a second, Leda doubted her ability to use the gun in real life. Video games were one thing, and this was another.

  Don’t freak out!

  Though her nerves were shot and her body ached from sleeping in a chair, Leda steadied her thoughts. A deep, cleansing breath later, she popped her neck. She took aim at the gaping hole, filled with greasy tentacles, and fired. The first offensive broke in a splatter of black slime and high-pitched screeches. Leda shoved her hands to her ears, but the helmet was in the way.

  “Stay back!” Stein called. “Don’t let them touch your suit.”

  Leda got behind Stein as he continued where she’d left off, sending wave after wave of Woede creatures into a screaming panic. The plasma exploded on contact. They flailed and sprayed and fell to the floor. Leda raised her weapon and took aim once more. A metallic screech filled her ears, but she ignored it, and kept firing. Soon the creatures stopped coming and the floor was a black river of goo around her feet.

  Adrenalin pounded in her veins. Leda turned to Stein and saw him leaning on the pilot’s chair for support. For the first time, she realized he was just as shaken. The bravado, the prickly exterior, they were masks. When it all came down to the wire, she and Stein were the same.

  She glanced back at the hole in the shuttle. Part of her expected another round of those things to come through. “Is it over?”

  Hearing her voice shook Stein from his stupor. “I don’t know. I mean, I studied all of this in the comfort of my father’s mansions. I still can’t believe…”

  Shock. He was in shock. Leda danced around the carcasses on the floor to Stein’s side. When she reached him, she shoved him into the co-pilot’s chair and strapped him in. At first he struggled, but in the suit, Leda was just as strong as him. She held down his arms and pressed her visor close to his, forcing him to be still. He seemed a little calmer then. She whispered soothing words through the mic, making eye contact with him.