Bartoc Secret

by Clara Woods

  CLARA WOODS

  BARTOC SECRET

  LUNARA STATION BOOK FOUR

  BARTOC SECRET

  Lunara Station, Book 4

  Copyright © 2020 by Clara Woods.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by: Paula Lavattiata Lopez, Tiffany Shand

  Proofed by: Miliana Chipaila

  For information contact :

  http://www.clarawoods.com

  Keep up to date with news, and receive the Lunara Station free prequel novella by signing up for Clara’s Newsletter.

  0 Prologue

  The swarm approached the Lion’s Heart through the empty and frozen expanse of space. Like little ghosts of death, they ascended upon the ship, somehow understanding its design and weak spots. Hundreds changed course ever so slightly, targeting each of the three outer hatches.

  They are beautiful, Carlot thought for a fleeting second before his heart rate spiked into terror. Would they reach the ship before they could test the laser bundler? Would the newly strengthened hatch mechanisms withstand the onslaught?

  The Lion’s Heart rocked and Carlot was forced to find balance against the wall.

  “Laser bundler deployed,” Serra, announced from her station across the warship’s bridge.

  Carlot let out a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding and turned toward the command matrix, the open area in the center of the bridge that showed a model of space surrounding them.

  With the speed of light, the weapon’s concentrated laser power shot toward the approaching swarm of Muha Dara, cutting through their ranks. Hundreds fell within seconds, and yet the weapon continued.

  It melted through hundreds more until a gaping hole revealed what the Lion’s Heart had really come here for. The ship’s cameras zoomed in on the Cava Dara, recording its every movement and broadcasting the information back to headquarters.

  Carlot stood stone still, staring at the gray face dominated by bright purple eyes and large gyrums. It looked similar enough to a Cassidian, which made the fact that its sole purpose was to destroy feel completely wrong. This was no peace-loving Cassidian; this thing was here to kill. Its eyes shone cold as large wings gave the creature upward momentum.

  The laser bundler hit. The sharp light stung Carlot’s eyes, and he reluctantly averted his gaze. Then, the laser moved on, and nothing was left of the evil creature.

  “It’s working!” Commander Cel’s booming voice announced throughout the bridge.

  Carlot felt the bitter taste on his tongue replaced with triumph. The commander was right. They had just killed a Cava Dara.

  When Carlot had been chosen for the mission to test out the new laser bundlers on the enemy, his first reaction had been fear. A fear that had been gnawing inside him in the days since. He’d seen the images from Astur, seen how these monsters ripped at the c-nano hulls of spaceships as if they were made of paper. And Carlot didn’t want to be turned into one of the Muha Dara. Thank the stars that the weapon was working.

  A sudden gasp traveled through the room, and Carlot’s eyes snapped back to the command matrix. Four more Cava Dara had appeared right behind the Lion’s Heart. The mass of Muha Dara opened a passageway for their masters, who closed the remaining distance within seconds. How were they so fast?

  “Move the laser! Quickly!” Commander Cel’s voice hitched slightly, cooling Carlot’s blood.

  Unable to look away, Carlot watched as the swarm came for the Lion’s Heart while the laser bundler still struggled to adjust its course.

  Carlot clutched the weapon tucked into his belt when the ship lurched again. The enemies had reached the aft hatch.

  “Now!” Commander Cel yelled, and the bright light of the laser bundler flickered. The Cava Dara dispersed, but two got caught in the powerful blast.

  The other two reappeared a few hundred meters back. The Lion’s Heart rocked harder. When the outer hatch was forced open, alarms started ringing, and Carlot pulled his weapon.

  1 Bedroom Looks

  Lenah smashed into the cargo hold’s intelisteel plating, then dropped to the ground with an ear-shattering thump. Suppressing a moan, she rose and watched with compassion her teammate peeling herself up from a similar position across the room. Once Persia was standing, Lenah focused all her attention back on her adversary.

  Cassius hadn’t even broken a sweat as he turned around. He was shirtless, his muscular physique and c-nano parts in clear view. Lenah licked her lips, not for the first time wishing to get more than just a look. But ever since their fight, caused by Lenah’s own stupidity a few weeks back, Cassius had been all business. Now he treated her like he would any crewmate. And right now, that meant getting ready to launch his next attack.

  Lenah was almost certain Cassius had only ended up in this position—wedged in between her and Persia—because he was giving them a deliberate advantage. Lenah huffed, determined to show him not to underestimate them. As she approached, she was tempted to use her powers, but she shoved the idea back down.

  Cassius was right for pushing her to fight without relying on mind magic. He insisted it could be blocked too easily, leaving Lenah with only her physical capabilities to defend herself. Unfortunately, Lenah had to agree. It had happened twice in the past two weeks already, and the most recent battle with the Cassidians had cost Lenah one of her lungs. If it hadn’t been for Corinna…

  Lenah expanded her lungs with a deep intake of air. Unlike Persia, who was panting loudly, her own breath was even and controlled. Having a cybernetic lung definitely had its perks. As long as it didn’t start creaking.

  She snorted, knowing better. Corinna Cheung— commander of the Cheung Army and head of the largest corporation on her home planet Astur—had given Lenah top-notch military treatment. Cheung Army wouldn’t enhance their cyborg soldiers with equipment that would fail after only a week. Cyborgs weren’t common, but the technology had been used by militaries for centuries.

  As far as Lenah could tell, she was in the best shape of her life. Not like that would mean much against Cassius, who probably had his six-pack since he was a baby.

  Lenah caught Persia’s eye, and her friend gave an almost invisible nod. It was time to start playing dirty. The Cava Dara wouldn’t fight fair either. Lenah approached Cassius, making sure she stayed opposite of Persia. He might have given them this advantage, but Lenah would still make maximum use of it.

  Just as Cassius peeked toward Persia, Lenah launched into action. She jumped as high as she could, then soared feet first toward Cassius’s back.

  Persia engaged as well, kicking and trying to force Cassius to break his firm stance. He stepped sideways, catching Persia’s leg and tumbling her to the floor. The next second, he had turned around and pushed against Lenah’s chest with his open palm. Unable to change her course, she connected right with his outstretched arm, then landed on her back. She rubbed her burning chest.

  “You’re fighting too risky,” Cassius said as he pulled first Persia, then Lenah back into a standing position.

  “Ugh, I’m going to need a spa day after this,” Lenah muttered. “You don’t handle us very carefully.”

  “The Cava Dara won’t either,” Cassius said. “And that’s exactly why I won’t spare you a few falls.” He frowned. “What’s a spa day?”

  “It’s when rich people get someone to ma
ssage them because they pointed their finger too much during the day,” Persia provided.

  Cassius arched his eyebrows.

  “I’m not saying Lenah did that, but I’m sure she’s had hot servants giving her massages.”

  Lenah groaned. “I think Cassius got it. It was just a figure of speech. Can we continue?”

  Cassius’s lips parted. “Yes. Don’t overexert yourselves; don’t needlessly risk your lives.” His face turned stern, and Lenah felt a jolt of fear take hold of her. They were going to fight thousands of Muha Dara, an army of mindless creatures intent on killing humanity. Lenah and her crew would not have the odds on their side; that was one of the few facts she felt absolutely certain about. Her biggest hope was that it wouldn’t come to a big battle. At least, not yet. The hope was that the Muha Dara weren’t targeting the Last Inhabited Worlds (LIW), but instead going for the Saltoc sector where they would find more mind mages. And be defeated by them.

  “It’s not our fault,” Persia panted when she stood in front of Cassius. “It’s you and your shirtlessness. That’s distracting.”

  Cassius seemed to process that for a moment, then his lips spread into a slow smile. “I’m sure you can handle my shirtlessness. Last time I checked, we weren’t equipped with heaps of clothing and time to wash them; I’d rather not sweat through all my clothes before we get to the Last Inhabited Worlds. Besides, Lenah seems to handle it just fine.”

  “Yeah, right.” Persia shot Lenah a leveled look. “All I’m saying is that,” she waved her hand at Cassius’s chest, ”that is distracting me, and I can’t go through my normal moves.”

  Cassius at least had the decency to look embarrassed as Persia licked her lips.

  A flash of confusion, then anger burst through Lenah. What the stars were these two doing? Flirting? Now? Here? Was Lenah the only one still hoping to make full amends with Cassius? They’d had an ugly fight, yes, and much of it had been Lenah’s fault. She had suggested they have some fun when he had clearly been looking for something more serious. Lenah understood now Cassius wasn’t like that, surprising, given how little interaction he’d had with the opposite sex since undergoing his cyborg surgeries over a decade ago. He looked like an easygoing sort, but Lenah couldn’t deny she found it attractive how he had wanted to take their relationship to a serious level. Had. Past tense, because apparently now it was fine for him to flirt with Lenah’s crewmate.

  “You can’t make any moves that don’t involve your hammer anyway,” Lenah muttered under her breath before turning away. Footsteps approached from the engine room, and, right now, anything was better than discussing Cassius’s chest with him and Persia.

  The drone Zyrakath appeared first, holding a laser gun almost as big as himself and moving his wings rapidly to sustain the extra weight. Martello Lombardi, Cassius’s grandfather, followed behind, moving easily for someone his age. If Lenah didn’t know, she would have never guessed he was one hundred-and-nineteen-years old. He walked with the vigor of someone decades younger and only his thin build, most likely caused by two months spent in the galaxy’s most famed prison, gave away his age. But in the few days he’d been with them on the Star Rambler, he’d recovered at an impressive rate.

  Lenah was glad. She liked Martello, something she couldn’t say about the rest of Cassius’s family. His father and brother had turned out more than traitorous and did not shy away from violence. And it had been nice to see Cassius so happy at having his grandfather back.

  “When you shoot you have to go quickly on your target.” Martello gestured with his outstretched finger toward the drone. “You’re small, so they will have a harder time hitting you. That’s great.”

  “Yes, young Martello,” Zyr answered. “It is indeed an advantage to be difficult to hit. But I struggle to match the speed of a human. At least when wielding such large weapons.”

  “Yes, yes. You’ll have to make sure you aim well from the beginning,” Martello said patiently, ignoring the irony of being called young at his advanced age. “Just use your foresight to anticipate their movement, and you’ll be in a good position.”

  “I am a student of wisdom, not a soldier. Such thinking will take some adjustment.”

  Martello raised an eyebrow at Lenah. “You’ll get it with time.”

  “Time we don’t have.” Zyrakath’s stony forehead wrinkled.

  Lenah perfectly understood. They’d all been doing what they could to prepare for the upcoming battle, yet it felt inadequate compared to the challenge.

  She shook herself out of her musings. “Going alright, then?”

  “It is acceptable,” Zyrakath answered gravely. “I shall now go back to my studies.” He nodded to Martello, who waved him on.

  “Curious little thing,” Martello said as he looked after Zyrakath.

  “I’m pretty sure he’d be offended being called a thing, Granddad.” Cassius stepped next to Lenah.

  “Well, he kind of is.” Martello clapped his grandson on the shoulder. “You’ve been charming the ladies of the ship, I see?”

  “Err.” Cassius lowered his brows.

  “So modest, isn’t he, girls?”

  “Not at all.” Persia patted Cassius on his pectoral muscle.

  Lenah had to keep herself from growling. What was Persia up to? Barely able to keep her voice steady, Lenah asked, “Is Uz still in the engine room?”

  Martello nodded. “She is.” All humor left his face. “You shouldn’t let her keep it.”

  “Why not?” Lenah asked, feeling heaviness weigh down on her chest. “The secret that she took a sapling is out. Why care now? The Cassidians want to kill us anyway.”

  Martello didn’t answer, so she pushed by him to make her way into the engine room, fully understanding why Uz was choosing to spend her time there instead with the others. They were all on edge, and the closer they got to exiting the warp bubble at the Last Inhabited Worlds, the more nervous they became.

  Lenah could feel it herself when she woke up in the middle of the night, sweating in her hot cabin, her heart pounding, or when she talked to any of the others and received brusque answers. Or when Persia started flirting with Cassius. She ducked through the hatch with a grimace.

  Uz crouched on the floor inside the engine room. The prior owners had prison cells installed on two of the walls; cells that Uz and Doctor Lund had been locked in for weeks. Now, Uz, sweat dripping off her green skin, was hunched behind the same bars Lenah had originally found her, but the tools scattered all around spoke more of her being an engineer than of a prisoner.

  “How is it going?” Lenah asked when she closed the hatch behind her.

  “Oh, it’s you.” Uz rolled her eyes and wiped sweat off her forehead marred with the scars of her cut gyrums.

  “That bad?” Lenah asked.

  “It’s good.” Uz paused. “I thought it might be Martello again.”

  “You two really aren’t getting along well, huh?” Lenah knelt on the floor close to Uz. Her engineer had cut open the metal flooring, and one arm was stuck almost to the elbow inside the hole. “Did you cut that?”

  Uz sighed. “I did. These cells are bolted like nothing I’ve ever seen. Not even a Craff cyborg could move these things.”

  “Tells you something about those smugglers’ priorities,” Lenah murmured, looking at the walls of the aged ship with new eyes.

  “True,” Uz said. “And about Martello. He’s probably nice, but I’m done hearing him lecture me about, well, about what I’m doing.”

  “If it helps, he means well,” Lenah tried to soothe. “Don’t forget that he’s lead a smuggler crew for almost a century. You don’t get to do that if you give in to the whims of your crew.”

  “You think this is a whim of mine too?” Lenah could hear the hurt in Uz’s voice.

  Lenah shook her head. “No, Uz. I understand perfectly why you collected the tree sapling in the first place and why you want to keep it now. You lost your home, and this is a way to get part of it back.” She shi
fted her shoulders. “I can’t wait for you to finish your greenhouse here.”

  “You’re just grumpy because you have to sleep next to my cabin with the heating turned up.”

  “Hey, it gets really hot on my bunk. And I don’t mean the good kind of hot.” Lenah grunted, then rolled her eyes at herself. She should just go and talk to Persia instead of behaving like a teenager. “What I mean is Martello and I might have different styles of leadership.”

  Uz smiled weakly, then turned back to the hole in the floor. “I’m sorry, Lenah. I didn’t mean to criticize you.”

  “I know you didn’t.” Lenah paused. “Do you think you’ll finish this before we reach the LIW?”

  Uz sat back on her haunches, regarding her work. It didn’t look like much yet, even though she’d been furiously working on setting up the greenhouse for several days. “I’m almost ready to start installing the plating behind the engine. But these cells really are putting up a fight.”

  “I can help you out,” Lenah offered. “I’ve been wanting a distraction from all of this anyway.”

  “I thought you were training with Cassius and Persia?” Uz looked up and scrutinized Lenah’s face.

  “They might be better off by themselves,” Lenah murmured, struggling to forget the two of them flirting.

  “Uh-oh.” Uz then fell silent.

  Lenah, not in the mood to discuss the topic further, got up to test the semi-disassembled cell panel. It didn’t budge a millimeter, even as she pressed at it with her full strength. “Oh, wow.”

  Uz gave her a told-you-so look.

  “Has Cassius looked at this? He should be able to move them.”

  “He has. He can bend the bars but not move the panels.” Uz made a face of disgust before putting her arm back into the hole, a small screwdriver in hand.

  “I’ll come back to help you later. I have to check on our researchers first,” Lenah said, and Uz grunted a response.

  Lenah turned and made her way back through the cargo hold where Cassius and Persia were now fighting with Martello.