by Cheree Alsop
“Are we going in?” Tariq asked.
Liora shook her head. “This is their fight. Justice is done.”
She walked back slowly toward the Cherum compound. Tariq stood for a moment longer by the yellow rocks, then joined her. Together, they crossed into the quiet building, Liora haunted by the images of the Vos she had slain, and Tariq fighting to control the urge to attack the fallen bodies around them, venting his futile rage on the corpses responsible for turning his thoughts into that of an infuriated beast instead of a human.
Chapter 10
“You really need to eat something,” Tariq said.
Liora looked up to see him watching her from the other cushion. Thanks to the Cherum’s strange body composition, there wasn’t a kitchen or mess hall on the ship; instead, there were rooms upon rooms with only cushions on the floors. Dispensers on the walls emitted a sticky gruel that was only one flavor and reminded Liora very much of the orange liquid from the swamp of Verdan.
“I don’t know if I would call this edible,” Liora replied. She realized Tariq had finished his gruel. “You seem to like it.”
Tariq turned the cup over in his hands. He studied the interior as if he had never seen it before.
“I don’t remember if I liked it or not.”
Liora gave him a curious look. “You just ate it.”
Tariq nodded, his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the blue mug he held.
“Yes, but it didn’t matter to me whether I liked it. It was sustenance, so I ate it.”
He seemed bothered by his words. Liora tried to make light of it.
“Your body needed nourishment. Eventually, any of us will eat whatever’s available to get that.”
Tariq shook his head. “It’s different.” He paused, then said, “It’s all different.” He waved a hand, indicating the room in which they sat. “The walls could be covered in O’Tule’s paintings, and I wouldn’t care.”
“That wouldn’t bother her,” Liora began.
“But it bothers me,” Tariq replied. “I love O’Tule’s paintings.” He hesitated, then said, “Or, I loved them. I don’t think I’d give them a second thought anymore.”
Liora rose to her knees and studied him. “Tariq, it’s okay if you don’t care about the flavor of your food or paintings on the walls. You’re still Tariq.”
“I’m not so sure.”
Liora’s heart ached at his words. “What do you mean?”
Tariq took her hand. Liora had missed the simple gesture more than she thought. She felt herself leaning closer just to be near him.
He met her gaze, his eyes intent. “Liora, what makes you who you are is the drive in your heart, the way you never stop fighting, and the passion with which you free oppressed creatures around you.” He brought his free hand to her cheek, his gaze filled with tumultuous emotions. “The way each time you smile looks like the first, as though you’re ready to burst out laughing, but don’t know if you should.” He sat back. “You are alive with light and energy, with drive, and with the kind of fervor that makes you a leader even if you don’t try to be.”
His words brought a small smile to her lips. “Tariq, you’re the same way.”
He shook his head and withdrew his hands, leaving her skin cold where he had touched her.
“I was the same way,” he corrected quietly.
He looked at his hands. She knew them so well, the scars as well as the strength. They were hands that could crush skulls and shoot a gun with such accuracy she had never seen their match; yet he could also caress her skin with a touch so gentle it felt as though the wing of a Venus wisp traced her face. He would stitch together skin that had been ravaged by a Zamarian’s blades, and in the next moment remove shrapnel close enough to a crew member’s heart that any wrong move could end a life.
His hands closed into fists so tight the skin on his knuckles turned white, highlighting the scars.
“I only want to kill. I don’t care about taste or colors.”
His gaze begged her to understand. The desperation in his eyes ate at her.
“I don’t feel the way I used to.”
Liora took one of his hands in hers. He resisted, but when she pulled gently, he gave in. She opened his fingers softly. The fact that she had as many scars on her hands wasn’t lost on her.
Without a word, she turned his hand and placed it over her heart.
“Do you feel that?” she asked quietly. “My heart beats because of you.”
Tariq closed his eyes and, for a moment, silence settled around them. He opened his eyes again and she saw love amid the frustration in his gaze. She leaned closer and pressed her lips against his. He moved his hand to her neck, pulling her gently to him as he kissed her back.
“I love you, Tariq,” she whispered.
He let out a breath that was more of a sigh and leaned his forehead against hers. His eyes closed and he stilled. She could feel the tension easing out of him, but he still couldn’t say the words back to her. She pushed comfort at him.
“I’ll do anything it takes to help you return to where you feel like yourself again,” she promised.
He nodded without opening his eyes.
***
The Cherum starship lifted into the sky. Liora watched the men and women of her army move about the control room. It felt like more than coincidence that some of them had come from the Holmberg II Galaxy. The planets of that galaxy were high in ore, and each had been responsible for helping to build a piece of the cylindrical ship. While her army was volatile and could snap at any moment, it was hard to remember that watching them move with ease around the vast cockpit, checking levels, their flight path, and the minutiae that came with flying a starship that had hours before been home to thousands of Cherum.
The bodies had been left on Basttist. The Vos gave the impression that they wanted the corpses to appease their gods. Liora wasn’t sure how they would do that, but she didn’t ask. The fact that the ship was no longer full of the networked Cherum minions and their four great Centers was a relief. There were enough supplies aboard to take them to Dreyer Nebulae Five Eighty-four.
“I’ve reached your father,” Korgutan announced. He had stepped into the role of the unspoken leader of the warriors. Though he was younger than many of them, they listened to him. Liora respected the quiet way he instructed the men and women at her command without ordering them to do anything he wouldn’t do.
At Liora’s nod, Senior Commandant Day’s image appeared on the screen. It was fuzzy, but the relief in his eyes at seeing her was clear.
“Oh, thank goodness!” he exclaimed. “Pilot Zanden said you had been attacked by Ketulans. He shouldn’t have left your side.”
Liora shook her head. “I told them to make the jump. Tariq’s ship was being torn apart, and I didn’t want more casualties. They did what they were supposed to do.”
Her father’s brow furrowed. “He said when he went back, only a few scraps of the Nines had been left behind.” His gaze shifted to the ship around her. “Where are you?”
“We were rescued by a race I’ve never seen before,” Liora replied. She didn’t want to go into the details. “I’ll tell you about it later. What’s important is that we have a ship now and an army to free Brandis.”
“An army?” her dad repeated.
Liora gave him a smile. His concern for her showed through even the bad reception. “Dad, I’m fine. Honest. We’re on our way to the Dreyer Galaxy. We’ll meet up with Zanden and the others and free Brandis. I’ll let you know when we’re on our way home.”
An answering smile brushed the commandant’s lips, but it faded. He met her gaze and for a moment, it felt like it was just her and her father talking alone in the room.
“Liora, I worry about you every moment you’re not here. I shouldn’t have let you go on this mission. It’s too dangerous. Pilot Zanden was afraid you and Tariq had both been killed.” He took a breath, then said, “Is it too much to ask for you to come home and
let the others save your brother?”
There was a catch in her father’s voice. He was afraid of losing both of his children.
“We might not know each other too well yet,” Liora began, “But you know I have a stubborn streak.”
“That’s for sure,” Tariq said at her side.
Her father nodded with a small smile. “I’m afraid you may have gotten that from me.”
Liora knew he would never command her to come home; he knew her well enough to not try anything like that. Yet the want to do so showed on his face.
“Dad, I will bring Brandis home, I promise.” She gestured to indicate the ship in which they stood. “I have a good crew, an army, and a plan. I just ask that you trust me.”
Her father was quiet for a few moments. The concern of a father that showed in his eyes gripped Liora’s heart. He finally gave in.
“Please be careful.”
She nodded. “I will, and I’ll let you know as soon as Brandis is safe.”
“Let me know when both of you are on your way home,” her father replied.
Liora nodded and the screen went dark. She took a breath to push away the warm ache in her heart at the thought of the concern her father felt for her. The sensation was still foreign, yet she welcomed it very much. She let out the breath and looked around the room.
There was loss and want on the eyes that lingered on her. The warriors she commanded had parents who had sold them to the clutches of the greedy Cherum. Whether their mothers and fathers knew what would happen to them wasn’t the point. They were children once who had been happy and playing within a home where hopefully love abounded. Now, they were microchipped, violent warriors sold from the families they had loved. They were misplaced in a Macrocosm that had no use for them. What would they give to have a father ask them to come home the way Liora’s had?
She would give them what they needed.
Pressing her hand to the intercom so that the men and women in the other parts of the starship could hear, she said, “Warriors of the Basttist army, we go to war against the beings that took my brother and are holding him captive in their attempt to capture me. I fly into their trap knowingly.” She looked around at those in the cockpit. “I promise you that if you help me free my brother, you will find a home and a job protecting the planet of Corian and the Day Merchant Fleet.” Relief showed in the gazes that looked up at where she stood on the raised dais in the middle of the control room.
She met each of them in turn. “I have no doubt this is going to be difficult. The beings have plotted to attack the Milky Way Galaxy and annihilate the millions of lives there. When we reach the Dreyer Galaxy, a battle is certain and the outcome has the impact to affect the lives of even the families from which you came. Fight beside me to protect the ones you have loved and left behind. Help me free my brother and end those who threaten to destroy everything in their path with even more malicious intent than the Cherum. Fight beside me and I promise you that after it is over, each of you will have a home and a position of honor as a peacekeeper of the planet Corian in the Tucana Dwarf Galaxy.”
A cheer went through the control room. She could hear it down the hallways and see the warriors on the monitors of the engine room and armory talking excitedly to each other.
She took her hand away and couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face.
“That was smart,” Tariq said quietly from her side.
Liora looked at him. “I meant every word of it.”
He nodded. “Of course you did. It’s what you do.”
“What do I do?” she asked.
He smiled down at her. “You take caged, lost souls and free them.”
“They weren’t caged,” Liora replied.
Tariq nodded at the men and women below them who had turned back to their positions in the room. There was a different light to the fire in their eyes and a straightening of shoulders. Tariq put a hand to the back of his head and rubbed the place where the microchip had been implanted.
“They were caged, trust me.” The look of frustration in Tariq’s eyes said he knew exactly what he was talking about. “At least I always know who I’m fighting for.”
Liora took his hand. She wanted to ease the anger she saw in his gaze. He had been altered against his will, implanted without having the chance to fight back.
“You gave them something worth fighting for, a way to channel at least some of this hostility that never seems to fade,” Tariq continued. “They can’t go back home; they can’t hope to live a normal life. They wouldn’t be welcome there anyway, not like this, so you gave them the chance at another life.”
“We all need second chances,” Liora said. She wanted to erase the haunted look in his gaze. She missed the mischievous cast in his eyes and the smile that brushed his lips when he glanced in her direction. She would do anything to bring that back.
A ghost of that smile touched the corners of his mouth. “At least now we have a chance.”
She smiled back at him. “We always had a chance.”
“I’ve reached Pilot Zanden,” Korgutan called over his shoulder.
“Pull him up,” Liora replied.
“You must have a dozen lives,” Zanden said as soon as his face appeared on the main screen. “I thought we lost both of you back there.”
“It was a close thing,” Liora told him. “But you followed my orders. You would have had no fault if we hadn’t survived.”
“I don’t think your father would agree. He’d probably strand us all on Corithol,” Zanden said. “As it was, we’ve been waiting here hoping beyond hope that you would contact us so we don’t get reassigned to freeze to death or be eaten by goroths.”
“I hope he would have a little more patience than leaving you on that ice planet,” Liora replied with a small chuckle. “Just the same, I’m happy we’re alive. We’re getting ready to make the jump to Dreyer. Tell me what we can expect.”
Zanden’s expression tightened. “There are Ketulans everywhere,” he reported. “If whatever order they are waiting for goes through, we’re fodder for a Gaulded. But they haven’t attacked. It’s like they know you haven’t arrived yet.”
“I’m sure that’s exactly what it is,” Liora replied. “I have a feeling things are going to change very quickly. Do you have any indication of where they’re keeping Brandis?”
“Without a doubt.” Zanden’s gaze moved to one of his windows. “There are a billion planets in this galaxy, yet only one with its own private Ketulan army. I’ve named it Ovo because of its oblong shape. It also has three moons which appear to be very well guarded. I wouldn’t be surprised if they turn out to be Ketulans themselves.”
Liora glanced at Tariq. He looked as ready as she did to get out of the Triangulum Galaxy. She had no doubt the Basttist warriors felt the same way.
“Tell the others to be ready,” Liora told Zanden. “I need a path cut to Ovo. This army needs to be on the ground to fight. The sooner we can land on the planet where they’re holding Brandis, the better.”
“You have an army?” Zanden replied with confusion showing on his face. “How did you have time for that?”
Liora shook her head. “Long story. I’ll tell you later if we survive.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” Zanden said. “Ready when you are, Warden.”
Liora looked around the control room. Even with the amount of warriors she knew filled the halls beyond, she had seen what the Ketulans could do. She didn’t want to make the same mistake as the Cherum and throw away lives so easily.
Korgutan met her gaze, his blue eyes bright with anticipation. “We’re ready when you are, Warden.”
She let out a breath and nodded. “Right. Let’s go.”
The ship jumped forward and Liora’s breath caught at the wash of cold. As soon as the screens cleared, they could make out the Nines firing at Ketulans that closed in from every side. Liora’s heartbeat slowed at the sight of the oblong planet. Red and blue rings encircled i
t, just like in the memory Tariq had shown her from the day they defeated the Nameless Ones. It had to be the right place.
“Get us to the oblong planet,” Liora instructed Korgutan’s team. “Do whatever is necessary to land on Ovo.”
“Yes, Warden,” several men and women replied at the same time.
The ship shook as it was attacked on every side. She could see the Nines fighting desperately to clear the machines away, but others took their places as soon as they were destroyed. The monitors showed the great Cherum ship being taken apart piece by piece faster than the Nines could react.
“We’ve lost the shielding on the starboard side,” Korgutan called out.
“Power is being drained from the main lines,” a woman with purple leaves instead of hair said over her shoulder.
Liora kept silent. The warriors knew the ship better than she. If they couldn’t land it, she wouldn’t have a chance.
“The planet is surrounded by Ketulans,” another said. “We’ll have to crash our way through.”
“Head straight into them,” Liora commanded.
A creature whose gender Liora couldn’t identify through the thick green fur that covered its body put a hand to the control screen and announced over the communications system, “Brace for impact.”
They hit a wall of Ketulans thick enough to jar even the massive ship. Tariq held onto Liora to keep her upright. She watched in the monitors as huge holes appeared in the sides of the Cherum craft where the Ketulans attacked in response.
Screams and shouts came over the system.
“They’re inside,” a warrior informed them from deeper in the ship.
“Fight with everything you’ve got,” Korgutan ordered over the communications system.
The debris cleared and Liora saw the surface of the oblong planet. Mountains of dark, hardened liquid gave way to valleys so deep they weren’t penetrated by the light of the nearest star. Liora knew without a doubt that the scent of the vapor that rose into the air from the valleys was one of sulfur.
