“Already ordered,” Talon said. “They’re the first humanoids we’ve spotted so far. That seems strange considering how much apparent housing there is down there.”
“The pilot has turned around and is making an even lower pass,” Vari said to Ria. “Those are Nomen,” she said after a moment, her voice filled with disgust. “They’re chasing something, an animal it looks like. It’s got white fur and sticks out like a flashing sign among the greens and browns of the trees.” Then, a few moments later, Vari swore. “Rajne! Look at the bio sig. That’s a Brun they’re chasing. We have to help it, Declan.”
Ria’s finger’s tightened on her cane to the point of pain.
“I know,” Declan said. “I just don’t know how at the moment. We can’t give away our presence.”
“Transport it.”
“Cutters aren’t equipped with transporters,” Jay said.
“No,” Declan said, “but we are. Talon, tell the pilot to track the Brun and send its coordinates to us.”
“I’m afraid I must respectfully object to your proposed course of action, High Commander,” Talon said.
Ria’s heart began to race, the sound of her own blood rushing through her veins filled her ears.
“The Brun are sentient beings, Talon, and as far as we know, nearly extinct,” Declan said coldly. “We can’t allow them to kill it.”
“I understand that, and I agree that the Brun must be rescued,” Talon said. “But for the sake of safety and security we will transport the Brun onto the Hilgaria for quarantine, not the Bihotza.”
“Fine,” Declan said. “Just get it done before either the Nomen or that storm catches up with it.”
Ria’s heart seemed to turn over in her chest. She knew what she had to do. Had known from the moment Vari had said there was a Brun down there. She was okay with it, too. Excited, in fact. Until now. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t go to the Hilgaria. The risk was too great. She just couldn’t.
“We’re locked on to transport,” Talon said. “Now we just have to wait until it’s out of sight of the Nomen.”
“Vari, I need to go to Transport. Right now.”
“Why?” Vari asked, startled by the request.
“I need to be there when the Brun arrives. Please, Vari. This is important and there’s no time to explain.”
“Are you sure?” Vari asked. “Brun are intelligent, but it’s going to be scared when it suddenly finds itself in a strange place.”
“I don’t care, I need to be there,” Ria said, already walking toward the steps.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, this is mine to do.” Vari and Pandora stared at Ria in surprise.
“It’ll be faster if we transport Lady Ria from where she stands,” Talon said, obviously having heard the entire exchange through the open channel.
“Agreed,” Declan said while Jay hurried to Ria’s side and sent a ping to the Hilgaria. Then he quickly deactivated the transport disrupter bracelet on Ria’s wrist and stepped away. “Now, Talon,” Declan said at Jay’s nod.
After Ria vanished, the bridge fell silent, every eye watching the agile white form of the Brun as it wove through the trees. Unfortunately, the trees weren’t closely spaced enough to hide her progress from the Nomen.
“If it can get across that clearing up ahead of it, the forest on the other side is much denser,” Jay observed.
“It’ll have to run faster than it is now to get across before the Nomen get a clear shot,” Declan said.
The bridge fell silent, every eye on the giant white wolf as it raced for its life. When it burst into the clearing, Vari could have sworn no one dared to so much as breathe as all thoughts, prayers, and energies were projected to the solitary creature on the planet below. The Brun picked up speed, running flat out now, its tail streaming behind it, head down to keep a streamlined profile. When dark clouds began to block their view the tension rose exponentially.
They now caught only brief glimpses, intermittent and frustrating. Then a hole broke through the clouds and smiles began to break on some faces when they saw that the Brun would reach the trees in four strides, three, two…and then a thin streak of red light shot across the clearing, striking the Brun. Its legs collapsed underneath it, sending it crashing to the ground. It was up again in a heartbeat, clumsily throwing itself into the dense cover at the tree line, vanishing from the screen altogether.
“Now,” Talon barked, breaking the silence. There was a low murmur of sighs and whispered hopes, but nothing louder than that as they waited. On the screen the Nomen could be seen running across the clearing, but no one really cared about them now.
“Target acquired,” Talon said with undisguised relief. The tension broke and while there were no cheers or claps, there were smiles all around.
“The Brun will need a doctor, Talon,” Vari said. “We’ll send Dr. Jula over immediately.”
“Thank you, Lady Vari,” Talon said. “Tee is on his way to Transport now. We’ll keep you informed.”
Declan caught Vari’s gaze and held it. “Thank you, Talon,” he said, then closed the connection. Vari sighed, then nodded. She’d been about to tell Talon she was coming over too, but Declan was right. She needed to stay out of this. Especially since Ria had said specifically she needed to do this alone.
***
Ria stepped off the circular pad set into the center of the Hilgaria’s transport chamber and looked around. It was difficult to make things out since the overall temperature of the room, the walls, and the equipment was close to the same. One thing she was sure of was that she was alone, which was an enormous relief.
She didn’t like being on the Katres’ ship, and she didn’t like knowing one or more of them could, and probably would, show up at any moment. She especially didn’t like knowing that she’d be forced to speak with them, even if only to say thank you. But as hard as she’d tried to resist the need to be here, she simply hadn’t been able to do it. She had to be here for the Brun. She didn't know why, either. She just knew she had to do it.
Looking around the small transport chamber, she tried to think of something to distract herself. She remembered someone on the bridge mentioning a storm closing in and wondered if the Brun would be wet when it arrived. Transport rooms were always equipped with blankets, water, first aid supplies and the like just in case they were needed, which they often were.
She looked around the small room until she spotted what she thought were cabinets along the wall behind her. She opened two before she found a stack of thick quilted blankets of a sturdy canvas-like fabric. She pulled one out and closed the cabinet, then looked around for a place to put it until the Brun arrived. Finding nothing but the control console and the transport operator’s chair, she draped the blanket over one arm and put her back to the wall. Satisfied that she was far enough from the target pad, the door, and the control console to be out of the way, she tried to relax.
Why am I here? Yes, okay, I’m here because I said I wanted to be here but why did I say I wanted to be here? Maybe it was a compulsion. Although, how would I know since I’ve never felt a compulsion before? That I know of. If you get a compulsion to do something are you supposed to know it’s a compulsion or is it hidden from you? And if it's hidden from you, how would you know what you’re supposed to do? Kólasi. I’m getting a headache.
Whatever it was, it was undeniably powerful, easily overriding my efforts to resist it. So...why am I here, then?
She didn’t really know much about the Brun other than the fact that Tonka was the only one left that they’d been able to find, they were very intelligent, communicated telepathically, and were ginormous. She’d met Tonka a couple of times, but hadn't talked to him beyond a few polite words. She'd heard him in conversation with others and was impressed with his intelligence, and his patience with small children. Her fathers liked him a lot and often invited him to run with them, but they all had a wolfish heredity in common, so that wasn’t surprisi
ng.
Ria was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of the door sliding open. She turned to face it, one hand gripping the cane, the other arm holding the blanket tightly against her body
“Oh hell,” an unfamiliar man said as he stepped inside. “Who the hell are you and what’re you doing in here? No, never mind, I don't wanna hear it. You wandered into the wrong damn room at the wrong damn time, girly. You leave now and keep your mouth shut about me being away from my post and I might not shove that cane down your throat so far it comes out your ass.”
Ria was so shocked that she almost wondered if this was some sort of sick joke. The only time she’d ever heard anyone speak this way was on the Leaper, and those were not thoughts she wanted to have at the moment. “Who are you?”
“Well, you can’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said, taking a step toward her.
Ria’s heart seemed to freeze in her chest for a long, breathless moment. Then it took off, galloping so fast it made her dizzy. She started to take a step back as something seemed to wrap around her throat and start to squeeze.
Then she noticed a faint area of growing warmth in the center of the room. Within moments the warm area coalesced into the form of a giant wolf lying on its stomach, head up. A second later the room was filled with the sound of rapid panting.
“What the hell!” the man roared, startling Ria and the Brun. “You’re using my transporter to fetch a damn giant dog? I hate dogs!” He stomped over to the control panel and started pushing buttons. “I’m sending that mangy mutt back to wherever the hell it came from and when I’m done I’ll be sending your ass outside to take a little walk with the stars. Hope you can hold your breath, girly.”
Ria’s fear burned to ash beneath a raging inferno of fury unlike anything she’d ever believed herself capable of. She understood with sudden clarity that this man was the reason she had to be here.
She started toward him when the Brun’s outline began to shimmer. Without thinking she turned and leapt toward the Brun just in time to vanish right along with it.
***
Tee was trying not to make a spectacle of himself as he walked toward Transport, but he knew it was a losing battle. He was grateful that he managed not to run. Luckily the Hilgaria was rather small compared to ships he was accustomed to, so it only took him a couple of minutes to get there.
The past five weeks, ever since the day of the explosion, had been hell. Thorn was in a perpetual foul mood, Talon was always so tense Tee wondered sometimes how he managed to put his shoes on without breaking himself in half, and he’d grown himself quite a temper, something he’d never had in all the long years of his life.
Tee pushed the frustrations of recent weeks aside. Ria was on the Hilgaria right this moment. He’d transported her himself from the bridge. Now he was not only going to see her, he was going to be able to speak with her for the first time.
He stopped outside the door, composed himself, then hit the panel on the wall, causing the door to slide open. Before he even stepped inside he knew something was wrong since, aside from the operator, the room was vacant.
“Where is Lady Ria? And the Brun?” he asked without actually paying much attention to the man.
“Who? Um…sorry, Admiral, Sir but no one’s been here but me.”
Tee’s head turned to face the man so fast his neck snapped. He recognized him, of course. He’d be ashamed to call himself an Admiral if he hadn't known the name and face of every one of the one hundred and seventy souls on the Hilgaria by the end of their first week out. But he couldn't put a name to the face and that was not a good sign.
“Say that again,” he said in a deceptively soft voice.
“I’m the only one here, Sir, ain't been no one else all day.”
Tee hadn't really needed the man to repeat himself. The stench of fear, lies, and something sly and dark rose off the man in waves. “Who are you?”
“I’m a..ah… Charles Newgate, Admiral Sir,” the man said unconvincingly. More lies. Tee distinctly remembered the face that went with that name. A face, he suddenly realized, that he hadn’t seen since shortly after leaving Jasan. Olchuk!
Tee’s hand shot out and grabbed the man by the throat. He bent him backward, slamming his head and shoulders down on the narrow countertop next to the transport console and held him there. He sniffed the air, looked toward the target pad, and growled deeply as he reached up and tapped his vox with his free hand.
“Talon, we have a problem. Ria and the Brun are not here. Ria’s cane is on the floor and I can smell the Brun so they were here despite what the man pretending to be our transport operator told me and I don’t have time to beat the truth out of him just now.”
Tee watched the color drain from the man’s face while he listened to Talon speak into his ear. He leaned over to look at the control panel. “This hauk seck reversed coordinates,” he growled, his katrenca prowling dangerously close to the surface. A hoarse choking squeal came from the man in his grip and he turned his head to look. He retracted the claws that had slipped through their sheaths and determined that, though the man was bleeding, he was in no danger of losing his life. Yet.
He turned his attention back to the control panel and, as Talon suggested, reset the system before initiating transport. For a moment he thought it was going to work. Then a red warning flashed across the screen.
“Initiation failure,” he said. “Either Ria’s disrupter kicked back on and she’s touching the Brun, or the storm is blocking the signal.” He listened for another moment, then bared his teeth at the man as he hit a couple of keys. “It’s clear. Go ahead.”
A moment later two figures shimmered into view on the pad before coalescing into Declan and Vari.
The gold flecks in Vari’s eyes glowed with barely restrained fury as she stalked toward the man. Tee pulled him upright, but kept his hand on the man’s throat.
“What did you do to my sister?” she hissed.
“Nothing,” the man gasped. “I don't know what you’re talking about.”
Before the man finished speaking a strange expression came over Vari’s face. Then her mouth twisted into disgust.
“He was away from his post, rifling through crewmen’s lockers. He came in to find Ria here and threatened her. He said…,” Vari trailed off. “Never mind what he said. If I tell you, you’ll kill him and we need to find Ria first.”
Tee’s hand tightened just from knowing he’d threatened Ria. He had to struggle just to let the man breathe. Vari waited until he had control, then continued.
“When the Brun arrived, he sent it back, then told Ria he was going to send her out into space to walk with the stars. When he reversed the transporter Ria leapt for the Brun and they both got sent back to that planet.”
Vari’s head tilted slightly as she stared into the man’s shocked eyes. “This person was not hired for this expedition.” She waited for her words to spark the right memory in the man’s mind. “He’s a stowaway. He murdered the real operator the second day out by hitting him over the head and transporting him into space. Just like he intended to do to Ria.”
“I would kill him right now, but he does not deserve an easy death,” Tee growled. “I’ll save him for Thorn. He’ll enjoy skinning him alive with his claws.”
The doors slid open and two hulking men entered. “Secure this filth and let no serious harm come to him until we have a chance to get some answers from him. He’s been going through crewmen’s belongings when he’s supposed to be on duty. Find out who’s missing things, and launch a search for his stash.”
“Aye, Admiral,” one of the men said angrily. “We can start with a few items I’ve been unable to find myself.”
“He’s all yours, just don’t kill him,” Tee said, tossing the man toward the guard who caught him easily.
“Don’t worry Admiral, we’ll be really careful.”
Tee watched the men leave, but before he could even think about what to do next, his vox rang. He tapped it. �
��Talon,” he said. Then the blood drained from his face so fast that Declan hurried forward to steady him with a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be right up.” After he disconnected he turned his gaze to Declan, who braced himself at the expression in Tee’s eyes.
“The cutter just entered the storm and went dark.”
Chapter 15
The disorienting sensation of transporting was all Ria needed to know for sure that she’d been transported. That made it easier for her to grasp the situation when she suddenly found herself lying partially over a huge furry body among closely spaced trees and the sound of deep voices in the near distance. Voices that were growing louder by the moment. She remembered Vari saying that the Brun was white, so she unfolded the blanket she still held and used it to cover the Brun as quickly and as quietly as she could.
She’d seen the blankets in transport rooms many times and they were usually a mix of tan, brown and green earth tones. There was a chance the one she was using was neon yellow, a good chance considering her luck lately, but it was a chance she had to take.
She stayed low as she spread the blanket over the red and yellow wolf shaped form. Then she crawled toward the Brun’s head which was far too high off the ground and far too easy to spot. Hoping it wouldn’t take her hand off at the elbow, she reached up, placed her fingers on its muzzle, and pressed downward. The Brun understood immediately and lowered its head to the ground. Ria tugged the blanket up a little higher, covering the Brun’s neck up to and over its ears, then lowered herself flat to the ground, her face inches from the Brun’s. Without even thinking about what she was doing she dug her fingers into the thick ruff around the Brun’s neck and massaged gently. When she saw the Nomen’s heat signatures through the trees not twenty feet away she went completely still.
She could tell that the Brun was trying to quiet it's panting, but the wind was already blowing and picking up fast. Between the Nomen’s own voices and the sound of the branches and leaves being tossed around by the wind, she didn’t think the panting would matter. Being seen was by far the greater danger.
Ria's Visions (Hearts of ICARUS Book 6) Page 20
