Solar Heat

by Susan Kearney

  “The limited advance notice is an absolutely critical factor,” Taylo continued. “We don’t have time to paint the asteroid or cover it with glass beads—both approaches would make the surface more reflective and increase the thermal reactive forces produced when sunlight radiates off the surface.”

  Frustrated, Derrek really didn’t want to hear more theories that wouldn’t work. “Please, don’t tell me what we can’t do.”

  As usual, Taylo ignored his suggestion. If the man weren’t so brilliant, Derrek wouldn’t put up with what amounted to insubordination. However, he considered himself lucky to employ Taylo at any price. And if part of that price was listening to discounted theories, he’d suffer through it.

  Taylo was in lecture mode. “If we had time to launch a probe to study the structure of the incoming Katadama, our task would be easier. Because not all asteroids are solid. Some are porous, others collections of rock, gravel, and dust held loosely together by gravity.”

  “Since we don’t have time for leisurely study, how about we blow it up?” Derrek asked.

  “A small bomb won’t work, and although I’ve found a pure source of tactonium, we don’t have anyone with knowledge of tactonics.”

  “But suppose we did?” he pressed, refusing to look at Azsla, refusing to believe she was their only hope.

  “A tactonic bomb’s not a great solution, either. If Katadama is brittle, an explosion would likely generate many pieces, which could multiply the threat by creating smaller but still lethal rocks.”

  “What else is possible?” Derrek asked.

  “There’s the dock and push approach, where a spaceship lands on the asteroid and uses thrusters to push it in another direction, but we don’t have a way to dock a ship to the asteroid.”

  Derrek understood the problem as soon as Taylo explained. Every ship needed a dock to lock it in place. With no planetary gravity, if one turned on the propulsion system, the ship would just fly away. Katadama would keep on its original path.

  “If Katadama isn’t brittle, could we blow it up?” Azsla asked, ignoring Derrek’s scowl.

  He would have thought she’d have the sense to read his mood, to realize anything she said would not be welcome. He could hardly bear to look at her. Azsla’s actions could not only destroy him; she was one of the enemy seeking to obliterate this world.

  If she hadn’t been a First, he’d have barred her from this meeting. But he didn’t have the power to stop her from doing whatever she wished. If he tried, she could invade his mind, steal his will, and then he’d be totally helpless. At least for the moment, she was allowing him the appearance of autonomy. Although what he was planning to do, he didn’t know.

  “Assuming we had tactonium and someone with the skill to make it blow, then maybe we could save Zor. I’ll spare you the scientific details,” Taylo said, “but understand from what we know and guess about the asteroid’s mass, density, size, porosity, and composition, our only chance might be to send down an emergency pod, drill into the crust, plant the tactonic bomb, and blow it up before Katadama reaches a critical distance from Zor. That way the debris won’t strike our atmosphere.”

  “But?” Derrek prodded, sensing there was more.

  “The discussion is pointless. We don’t have an expert in tactonics—”

  “Yes. We do. The only question is whether we can trust her.” Derrek speared Azsla with a look.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Sauren asked, looking from one to the other.

  Azsla raised a supercilious eyebrow, clearly expecting Derrek to speak. Before he could do so, a tech ran into the room with a message. “Boss man, I hate to interrupt, but you need to see this.”

  “What?” Derrek held out his hand for the hand-held vidscreen and hit play. A news broadcast was coming in live from the capital. Derrek backed the broadcast up to the beginning, and a newscaster, her face flushed and her voice frightened, reported, “Raman Firsts have invaded Zor, landing in the suburb of Latonia.” Sweet Vigo, his ex-wife and Tish lived in Latonia, and his tight gut told him it wasn’t a coincidence. Immediately, he tried to open a link to Tish. Got nothing. Tried another to Poli. Again nothing. The news report continued. “Troops are storming the streets, and Zorans are being rounded up. Shots have been heard, and the body count is rumored to be in the hundreds. Tomar appears to be the First in charge of the invasion and—”

  “Tomar?” His aggression here was no coincidence. That same First had battled with him over Azsla and her crew. If he’d known then she was a First, he would gladly have sent her to Tomar. But now Tomar was making their confrontation personal. “Sauren, how long until we must leave Zor?”

  “The asteroid’s mass is difficult to determine. It seems to be made up of a material with which we are unfamiliar. Taylo says to be safe we should leave within a day. Two at most.”

  “I should have just enough time to go after Tish. Get my hovercraft fueled and loaded.” Derrek strode to a cabinet, unlocked it, and started piling ammunition on the conference room table. Tish. His heart ached at the thought of losing her. He should have forced her to accompany him yesterday, and now it might be too late. She was still young. Innocent. Little more than a child. But if those soldiers got a hold of her . . . Firsts loved to play with young girls her age. If they saw her curvy body and . . . he had to swallow hard to stop the churning acid rising into his throat. He couldn’t do her any good if he couldn’t squash his fear.

  Easy.

  Tish needed him thinking on all drives. She needed him calm. Careful. Logical. But how could he think straight when every cell in his body was urging him to run out the door, floor the hovercraft, and swoop down for a rescue?

  “Where are you going?” Sauren asked.

  “After my daughter.” He didn’t know how, but he was going to find her and bring her to safety. “Tish is right in the middle of a war.”

  Sauren placed a hand on Derrek’s shoulder. “Did it ever occur to you that’s exactly what Tomar wants?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Maybe he attacked Latonia because he expects you to come in and try to stop him.”

  “Then he better be ready, because I’m not going to disappoint him.”

  “Think. If Katadama can be stopped, you’re the most likely candidate to do it. What better way to ensure the asteroid crashes into Zor than to kidnap your daughter and capture or kill you?”

  “You think I’m walking into a trap?” Derrek asked.

  “Yes.” Azsla, Sauren, and Taylo all answered at once.

  Derrek hesitated, his heart pounding too fast. He hadn’t thought ahead. How could he when he was so worried about Tish? But that was probably exactly what Tomar wanted. To keep Derrek off balance. Fearing for his daughter’s life. “I can’t leave her. I won’t.”

  “No one is saying you should,” Azsla muttered. “But to go charging in is foolish.”

  “If I wait, she could die.” If she wasn’t dead already, but he didn’t say it aloud, as if it might jinx her.

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions.” Sauren flipped on a satellite feed and zoomed in on Poli, Mavinor, and Tish’s home. “So far, they look safe enough.”

  “Pull back,” Derrek ordered, wanting to scout out the general neighborhood, a series of homes clustered together amid a wooded area.

  “There.” Sauren focused on a burning house, zoomed closer, and picked up several soldiers moving door to door, as if searching for someone in particular. Someone tried to run out the back, then fell as if shot, and didn’t move again.

  Derrek hoisted the gun onto his shoulder. “They’ll reach Tish in less than an hour. Time enough for me to hover in, rescue them and—”

  “You’ll be shot down.” Azsla frowned at him. “A sneak attack on foot would stand a better chance of success. Land in that clearing.” She pointe
d. “Use that track of trees for cover, and when you hit the street, blend with the populace so they won’t target you as anyone special.”

  Derrek scowled at her. She was making sense. And yet, how could he trust one word that came out of those beautiful lying lips?

  He looked to Sauren, and his friend nodded. Finally Derrek agreed. “All right. I’ll go in by hovercraft and finish on foot.”

  Azsla touched his arm, then jerked back as if realizing what she’d done. “Do you have a secret entrance out of here? Can you drive a less conspicuous hovercraft than the one you brought me here in?” Azsla threw questions at him, and his suspicions grew. Why would she ask about secret entrances unless she was still spying?

  The cooler head of Sauren put the pieces together. “You think if they went after Tish to get to Derrek that they’re watching his house?”

  “Tomar’s smart. Tricky. If he’s set a trap, going in covertly might be the only chance of succeeding.”

  “You sound like you admire him,” Derrek accused, then recalled the First had tried to kill her while she was on board Beta Five. “Did Tomar know you were on my ship when he fired at us?”

  “He’s military. I trained in the Corps. And the two forces don’t always communicate.”

  “A slave was in the Corps?” Sauren’s eyes flashed to Azsla, full of questions.

  “We don’t have time for this.” Derrek cut off any response she might make and spoke directly to Sauren. “When Tad wakes up, don’t let him out of the building, and explain to him what’s happened.”

  “I’m going with you.” Sauren picked up a weapon from the stash.

  “No. I am.” Azsla pushed back from the table and stood, her gaze defiant. “I know the enemy better than you do and have ways to counter their pursuit.”

  Sauren looked from one to the other and waited for Derrek to make up his mind and issue instructions. Since he didn’t know she was a First and could possibly counter Derrek falling prey to another First’s Quait, no wonder he looked confused. But Derrek understood all too well, and he didn’t like it that he needed her.

  “Would you please excuse us?” Derrek said to Sauren and Taylo. After his friend left and the vidscreen went dark, he faced down Azsla. “You can protect me from another First’s Quait?”

  She bit her lower lip, then raised her chin. “Yes.”

  “But you have to place me under your will?”

  “Yes. For your own protection.” She raised her hands, palms up, in entreaty. “Your decision.”

  His daughter’s life might depend on this decision. But he didn’t have to make it now. The idea of volunteering to yield his will to hers violated everything he was and stood for. Free will.

  And she didn’t have to ask. She could take away his autonomy any time she wished. The fact that she had said it was his decision only gave him the appearance of control, didn’t it? Because any time she disagreed, she could overpower him. That’s why his scalp had broken into a cold sweat; that’s why when he pushed down his rage, he felt numb. Or as if he’d been clubbed on the head. The true horror of what she could so easily do would overwhelm him if he stopped and thought about it for very long.

  Perhaps if he’d never been a slave, never had his mind wiped, he might accept her explanation. But he was . . . made from his experiences. Bad experiences. Life-altering ones. And acted accordingly to defend himself.

  So he didn’t trust her. Would never trust her.

  Yet, he couldn’t afford to throw her offer back in her face, either. Because, one, he might need her help to rescue Tish. And two, if he left Azsla behind and he annoyed her by his decision, she might stop him from leaving, too. Derrek had to place Tish’s safety before his own preference—which was never to see Azsla again. To ship her back to her people. To forget their lovemaking . . . hah. What had occurred between them in the bedroom really scalded and burned straight to his core. He’d mated with a flipping First.

  And now he needed her help.

  “All right.” He opened his link to Sauren. “Azsla’s with me. Have you heard how Taylo’s coming with the tactonium?”

  “He says he has it under control.”

  “Good.” The best thing about wealth was that it allowed him to work with top-notch people he trusted. If anyone could figure out how to make a tactonium bomb, it was Taylo. “Keep us informed of the invasion status. If you reach Poli or Tish, link us up. And try to worm more intel out of Laurie and tap into . . .” He could no longer speak freely in front of Azsla. And she didn’t need to know his connections. “Tap into any other sources we have.”

  “Understood.”

  Sauren was a good man. He could take care of the entire operation without detailed instructions, allowing Derrek to put his efforts into rescuing his daughter. If only he could forget Azsla’s First status.

  But trying not to think about her Quait was like trying not to think about the asteroid bearing down on them. Both were threatening. Potentially lethal. And needed to be handled with the utmost care for fear of explosion.

  Although Azsla had kept herself together with very minor hitches, he figured her behavior since he’d learned the truth was a closer look at her real character. He should have realized that no underfirst had such a healthy, toned body. He should have known the Ramans wouldn’t allow anyone to escape. It had happened once during the revolution, but then they’d shut down the portal, and it wouldn’t happen again. Not in a hundred years. Not in a thousand or ten thousand. Firsts hadn’t attained and maintained their positions of superiority without intelligence, wariness, and ruthlessness.

  Derrek picked up several belts of ammunition and said nothing when Azsla did the same and then reached for a weapon. Although his instinct was to knock it from her hand, he knew better. Slavery had taught him to think first and to act very cautiously.

  She had no difficulty keeping pace with his long strides through the basement to an underground entrance. While he hated showing her even one escape route, he had others. And it made sense to take every precaution. He could rebuild the house if necessary. He couldn’t ever replace Tish.

  They exited the tunnel into a large parking facility. Bypassing his elegant and recognizable hovercraft for a less showy vehicle, he lifted the canopy and slid into the seat of a model he used when his was in the shop. “Hang on,” he warned her and gunned the engine.

  The hovercraft might appear ordinary on the outside, but inside she was all high-tech engine, with motors tuned by the best mechanics in the business. The machine roared to life, and he floored it, skidding through the garage door opening, knowing every second might count.

  In the darkness, the engine purred. Azsla didn’t chatter, having the good sense not to irritate him further and allow him to adjust to her status—if such a thing was possible.

  The night seemed peaceful until he gained altitude and spied orange flames shooting into the black sky in the Latonia District. They hadn’t much time. The fire would spread quickly in the dry air, and he doubted emergency vehicles came out during an invasion. Now it was a toss-up if the flames or the soldiers would harm his daughter first. While he was supposed to land in secret in the woods, he now wondered if they trekked in, if Tish’s bedroom would be up in a blaze before he reached it.

  Putting off a final landing spot decision until later, he focused on taking advantage of every wind current. Sensing he could pick up a tail wind, he adjusted his vector, while maintaining sight of the burning city.

  While he flew, Azsla programmed the route into the nav system. “We need to find the clearing to land and . . .” She looked over her shoulder. “We’ve picked up a tail. Three hovercrafts.”

  “Tomar’s people?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Looks like Zoran military. We need to lose them.”

  “Yeah.” He still hadn’t decided if Laurie
was a conspirator or a tranqed First, but either way he was dangerous. Derrek couldn’t land in secret with three military hovercrafts lighting him up. Swerving right around a skyscraper, then left over a lake, he went for altitude and less drag. Luckily this early in the morning darkness, he didn’t have to worry about traffic.

  With his superior speed, they soon appeared to have the sky to themselves as they left the military far behind.

  But the radar in front of Azsla sent warning beeps. “We’ve lost the Zorans, but I’m spotting lots of hovercraft heading right at us.”

  He figured those who got out of the city were fleeing and again tried to open a link to his ex or Tish, but they still didn’t answer. “I’m taking us higher. Do Firsts have jamming abilities?”

  “I don’t know. I was only privy to the equipment necessary to my mission’s success. But if your com unit is down, I’d have to say yes. Can you still reach Sauren?”

  Derrek tried, but couldn’t complete that link. Damn it. “We’re on our own.”

  Derrek fumed. He had the government militia behind him and Tomar before him and a woman at his back whom he didn’t trust. Not exactly the ideal combat situation. But he would make do. Just like always.

  He prayed Mavinor had had the sense to make Tish and Poli flee at the very first hint of trouble. But he’d experienced just yesterday how stubborn Poli and his daughter could be. Then again, they weren’t half as stubborn as the woman with him.

  Azsla had inserted herself into this mission, and he didn’t know why. Even if she acted the perfect partner and watched his back, he still wouldn’t trust her. Because she might simply be waiting to report, to inform the others of his plans. Yet he had to risk taking her with him. Taylo could build the tactonium bomb to blow up the asteroid, but he required Azsla’s technical expertise on key details.

  If she helped, he’d suspect her of treachery. Ditto if she didn’t. Talk about a lose-lose situation.

  But with Tish’s life at risk, Derrek did his best to relegate his bitterness and heavy heart to the back of his mind. When a house up ahead burst into flames, he veered around it, and when he looked back, he saw no sign of Laurie’s military guys.