by Cheree Alsop
She reached the open door of the Metis house. The looming darkness said more than words. Devren appeared in the doorway; the glowing torch he held illuminated his pale face.
“They’re gone. The table’s turned over and a window’s broken. They didn’t go easily,” he said, his chest heaving.
Tariq appeared around the corner. “There are track marks out back. Whoever took them landed over the garden.”
“I’m going to town. Someone must know what happened,” Devren said.
The three of them hurried along the path to Echo. Liora glanced back and saw Brandis following them at a slower pace. He seemed to realize something was wrong, but he didn’t question them.
Devren and Tariq slowed. A glance ahead showed the reason why.
Echo had been leveled to the ground. Each building stood in ruin. Fragments and shrapnel showed the type of weaponry that had been used. The houses had been burned along with the church and tavern. The horn on the post in the middle of town that heralded the static producing thunder had been crushed and broken. Even the livestock lay slain in their pens.
After a few minutes of searching, they found a pile of bodies behind the church house. Several felis carcasses lay torn and mutilated with them. The sight gripped Liora’s heart in a fist.
“They’re over a week old,” Devren said with tears in his eyes.
Tariq shrugged out of his overshirt and spread it across Consul Blairia’s still face.
“Who could do this?” Brandis asked.
“Obruo,” Tariq and Liora answered at the same time.
Liora’s eyes were locked on the message scrawled across the side of the partially-burned church house in blood. Devren followed her gaze.
“I have your family.”
Below the words was a rough drawing of a blade in the Eye of Tessari. It was the same emblem the tattoo Liora bore beneath her left ear.
“I’ll kill him,” Devren growled. Tears showed in his eyes and his hands curled into fists. “He’ll pay for this.”
“Yes, he will,” Tariq replied. He put a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “We will find him and we’ll find Mrs. M and Kiari, I promise.”
Devren stared at him. “We fought Obruo on Gliese less than a week ago.”
The realization of what he was saying struck Liora hard. “Mrs. Metis and Kiari were on the ship.”
Devren slumped against the side of the church. “We almost killed them.”
“We had no way of knowing,” Liora replied. She knelt in front of Devren. “You can’t take that on yourself. They’re still out there. We’re going to find them. You can’t give up hope.”
“How do we find the Kratos?” Devren asked. He looked at Tariq. “How do we fight back when we don’t even have a ship?”
Tariq shook his head. The shock of finding the town destroyed showed in his stormy eyes.
“I need a drink,” he said.
He held out a hand to Devren. When Devren took it, Tariq pulled his friend to his feet.
Liora followed them into the wrecked remains of the tavern. Only two walls remained. The tables where they had spent nights being entertained by Tariq and Devren’s friends lay in ashes. The thought of Sveth and Granson’s bodies among those behind the church made her heart tighten even further. They deserved to be avenged.
Brandis spoke from behind her. “It’s a shame what happened here.”
Liora couldn’t stand it any longer. She grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the mantel above the empty fireplace.
“What is wrong with you? Why are you following me?” she demanded.
“Because I know your father,” he replied, his voice tight through her grip on his throat.
“Obruo isn’t my father,” she growled.
“I know, because I know who your real father is.”
Liora stared at him.
“You might want to let him down,” Tariq suggested quietly.
Liora lowered Brandis to the ground. She dropped her hands. “Why do you know that?” she demanded.
Brandis looked at her, his gaze unflinching. “Because I’m his son.”
She stared at him, willing the words to sink in.
Brandis watched Liora steadily, her fingermarks bright on his throat. “The Days own the biggest merchant fleet in the Macrocosm. If you want to find Obruo and make him pay for what he’s done, you have every weapon available at your disposal.”
“Why are you saying this?” Liora asked. Her thoughts whirled with what he was telling her.
“Because you are a Day, Liora, and it’s time to come home.”
The Girl from the Stars
Book 3- Day’s End
By Cheree L. Alsop
Chapter 1
Liora followed Devren and Tariq into the wrecked remains of the tavern on planet Verdan. After Obruo’s attack, only two walls remained. The tables where they had spent nights being entertained by Tariq and Devren’s friends lay in ashes. The thought of Sveth and Granson’s bodies among those behind the church made Liora’s heart tighten even further. They deserved to be avenged.
Devren’s mother and sister had been taken by the Damaclan chief. Liora knew what would happen to Mrs. Metis and Kiari if they didn’t find them soon enough. The only reason they weren’t with the other slain Echo citizens was because Obruo knew Liora would come after him.
But without the Kratos, there was no saying how they would track down the Damaclan intent on destroying Liora’s life before he killed her. When they left the water planet of Gliese after destroying the first orb of the Omne Occasus, the Kratos had been nowhere to be found. If it wasn’t for a rescue from Brandis’ merchant starship, they would have died in the Gull. The rescue had been too great of a coincidence for Liora’s peace of mind. The fact that he had followed them to Verdan added to her unease regarding the human.
Brandis spoke from behind her. “It’s a shame what happened here.”
Liora couldn’t stand it any longer. She grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the mantel above the empty fireplace.
“What is wrong with you? Why are you following me?” she demanded.
“Because I know your father,” he replied, his voice tight through her grip on his throat.
“Obruo isn’t my father,” she growled.
“I know, because I know who your real father is.”
Liora stared at him.
“You might want to let him down,” Tariq suggested quietly.
Liora lowered Brandis to the ground. She dropped her hands. “Why do you know that?” she demanded.
Brandis looked at her, his gaze unflinching. “Because I’m his son.”
She stared at him, willing the words to sink in.
Brandis watched Liora steadily, her fingermarks bright on his throat. “The Days own the biggest merchant fleet in the Macrocosm. If you want to find Obruo and make him pay for what he’s done, you have every weapon available at your disposal.”
“Why are you saying this?” Liora asked. Her thoughts whirled with the implications.
“Because you are a Day, Liora, and it’s time to come home.”
“Brandis Day.” Hyrin spoke from the door of the destroyed tavern. “I should have put two and two together.” The skinny Talastan blinked his sideways eyelids. “Why else would the owner of the biggest fleet of system-to-system merchant ships give the orders to pick up a Gull far out of the way of any delivery route, let alone one in Mirach’s Ghost? You weren’t there by any coincidence.”
Brandis nodded at the accusation in the Talastan’s tone. “You’re correct. I’ve been searching for Liora for quite some time. I saw the surveillance videos on Titus and had my men follow you here. After the Coalition ship picked up the Kratos, I knew you would be stranded.”
“The perfect time to swoop in and play the hero big brother,” Tariq said. His gaze hadn’t left Brandis since he first started talking. The distrust on Tariq’s face was clear.
“It’s not like that,” Brandis d
enied. He must have felt that everyone was ganging up on him, because he turned to Liora. “Give me one chance. I’ve searched for you this long; don’t make it all in vain.”
Liora couldn’t face the pleading in his dark eyes that were so like her own. There was something about him she couldn’t deny, something familiar. She had never met him before their rescue, but being around him felt comfortable instead of setting her on edge as most people did. But Obruo was on her trail; how could she choose to be a part of a family he would only target to hurt her?
“I can’t have anyone else in my life right now,” she said. “Obruo will just kill you and everyone you love. He’s merciless and he won’t stop until he destroys everything I care about.” She shook her head, hoping he would understand. “I can’t let more people get hurt because of me.”
Brandis watched her for a moment, then she saw it, the tightening of the jaw and the minute tilt of the head. It was a reaction so close to home because it was the same mark of her own stubbornness.
“I’m not leaving without you, Liora.”
When Tariq and Devren started to argue, Brandis held up a hand.
“I have searched every homestead ship, every planet, and every system in the Macrocosm looking for you since the day I found out about your existence.” Brandis crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I told our father that I would find my little sister and bring her home, and I don’t break my promises. You vanished once, and I’m not going to let it happen again.” A slight smile touched his lips. “Besides, you have no way off Verdan without me. If you want to find Obruo and rescue Devren’s family, you’re going to have a hard time doing it stuck here.”
Tariq let out a noncommittal grunt.
Devren gave a little snort. When Liora looked at him, he shrugged with a hint of amusement in his expression. “What? He’s got a point. We’re kind-of at his mercy here.”
Liora glanced at Tariq. He held her gaze, his eyes searching her face.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he said quietly as if they were the only two people in the room.
His words brought the ghost of a smile to Liora’s lips. “I’m a whole lot harder to hurt than this.” She turned back to Brandis. “Fine, but if things get too dangerous, we’re parting ways.”
“Deal,” Brandis told her.
“What are you smiling about?” she asked.
Brandis lifted his shoulders. “You’re more like Dad than you know. It was something I didn’t expect.”
“What? He’s stubborn to the point of bantaheadedness?” Tariq asked.
Liora elbowed him in the ribs. He winced and she suddenly remembered his injury.
“No,” Brandis answered. “Well, yes, but that’s not what I mean.” His head tipped to the side again and he studied her. “It’s the steel. When I started out, I thought I would be rescuing a cowering little human girl from a clan of angry Damaclans. I lost her for a long time.” His voice tightened, telling of how hard that had been. He swallowed and continued, “Then, after I had long given up the search as futile, I began hearing stories about a Damaclan half-blood causing more trouble than four Gauls in an Isonoe crystal shop. I told myself it couldn’t be my sister, but the closer I got, the more I realized Liora was still out there. It gave me hope that I could find her again.”
Liora felt everyone’s eyes on her. It was unnerving to be the center of a discussion, yet not really a part of it. She felt overwhelmed by all that had happened. Finding Verdan burned to the ground and the citizens killed, losing the Kratos, and now realizing she had a half-brother and also a father somewhere who didn’t want to kill her, was almost inconceivable. Claustrophobia in the small, half-burned tavern made it hard to breathe.
“I’m going for a walk,” she announced.
She hurried out the door before anyone could stop her.
“Liora?” Brandis called.
“Give her some space. She’s been through a lot,” she heard Tariq reply.
Liora didn’t go far. The thought of the bodies behind the church house kept her from heading in that direction. She had seen plenty of death, but she had never made friends and fought beside citizens only to see them slain because of her. Obruo’s vengeance etched scars in her soul. She would do anything to see him stopped.
Her steps slowed. Now there was a half-brother to consider. Family. It was a foreign word, something for other people to worry about; a word that would never apply to her. Yet Brandis was her brother, and the Days owned the merchant fleet, which meant there were more of them out there. More family. More people for Obruo to hurt. Did he know she was related to them? Was he about to make them pay the way he had Gaulded Zero Twenty-one and the citizens of Echo?
Footsteps came up behind her. Liora knew them as well as she knew the beating of her own heart.
“Liora?”
She turned.
“We’ve got to stop him, Tariq. We’ve got to do anything we can to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
Tariq put his hands on her arms. “We will,” he promised. His gaze traveled around the square, taking in the destroyed houses and the horn that sat broken on the cobblestones. “We will make him pay.”
“Then we go with Brandis.”
Tariq watched her closely. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “It's the only way we'll find the Kratos and have any hope of destroying the Omne Occasus before Obruo gets his hands on it. I thought the Coalition was the worst case scenario, but if Obruo gets it, he won't have any reason to hold back." Her plan solidified as she spoke. "We use Brandis to get the Kratos back, track down Obruo, and free Devren's family.”
“And after that?” Tariq asked.
Liora lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. “I've been so long without family that I don't even know how to deal with it. The Days own the biggest merchant fleet in the Macrocosm. I can't imagine a Damaclan is going to fit in well with that crowd. I plan to just disappear and let Brandis get on with his life. He's wasted enough of it looking for me.”
She glanced up to see Brandis watching her from the corner of the church. He was quieter than she gave him credit for. She didn't know how much he had overheard of the conversation. His expression gave nothing away.
Brandis tipped his head toward the Gull. “We should probably get going. The Coalition would take the Kratos back to Titus. Our hope is to get there before they tear it apart in search of whatever bomb you’re hiding.”
He walked away without waiting for them to reply.
“There's one thing I've noticed,” Tariq said.
Liora wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear it. “What?”
“He's as quiet as you are. It must run in the family.”
There was something in Tariq’s gaze that surprised Liora. As Tariq watched Liora’s older brother make his way to the ship, she saw respect flicker in his eyes. Given Tariq’s natural suspicion regarding people in general, the emotion surprised her.
“Do you trust him?” Liora asked.
Tariq was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his tone was thoughtful. “Yes, I do. I’m not sure why, but there’s an honesty about Brandis that’s hard to find these days.” He looked at her. “How about you?”
Liora ran her fingers across the scar on her palm. “I’m not sure. It’s all so sudden and new. I’m not really sure what to think.”
“We have time,” Tariq reassured her. He glanced at the church house, then looked away. “So, back to Titus?”
The thought of returning to Saturn’s largest moon wasn’t a pleasant one. “Let’s get it over with,” she replied.
Gaining entrance to the Coalition’s headquarters was much easier with Brandis’ sway. The Golden Condor was too big to land, even on Titus’ huge docks, so Brandis manned a space-to-land craft and received docking clearance without any problems.
“I’ve contacted the Hyperion,” Captain Hart told him over the intercom. “Captain Breg will handle the run to the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy. That should get us
back on track if we don’t linger too long here.” The annoyance the Eos Captain felt at the delay to her delivery schedule showed in her tone. The fact that Brandis had not given a reason for their deviation no doubt annoyed the captain further.
“We’ll keep our visit brief,” Brandis replied. “Be ready to leave as soon as we arrive.”
“Always am,” Captain Hart said. Her com link clicked off.
Brandis gave Liora an apologetic look. “Captain Hart is very schedule driven. I appreciate that about her, but it gives little leeway for these sort of excursions.”
Liora watched him from the copilot seat. “Do you take these excursions often?”
Brandis thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “Never.” He chuckled. “I guess I’m as much of a stickler for keeping to our agenda as she is. That’s probably why she’s so irritated.”
“Here’s your cards along with those for your other crew members,” Kosi said. The small Pasian with pink skin handed out plastic squares to the Kratos crew.
“Are these encrypted?” Hyrin asked with a surprised expression.
Kosi nodded. “Your faces and names will show up on the guards’ holograms, but they won’t trigger the computers. I’ve upgraded the cards with primary security authorization, so you’ll be able to access the holding cells and shipyard. You should be able to get in and out without a confrontation unless any of you are recognized in person.”
“With the millions entering Titus every day, I doubt that will happen,” Devren replied. “Thank you for your help.”
Brandis’ second nodded. “You’re very welcome. Good luck.”
Liora didn’t know how much Brandis had told Kosi about their mission, but the small woman appeared calm and collected. She noticed the smile the tiny woman gave Hyrin when she handed the Talastan his card.
“Captain, we need to update our equipment,” she overheard Hyrin tell Devren on their way to the gates. “The Eos’ technology makes the Kratos look archaic.”
