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Bartoc Secret

Page 2

by Clara Woods


  The walls of the short corridor were covered by Persia’s stick figure paintings. Lenah noted almost all of the initial paintings were gone and replaced by equally badly done artwork. The paintings had been a precaution against the three Cassidians who had come after them with the intent to kill Lenah and Corinna. They didn’t accept any humans carrying the blood of the Cassidian Elders.

  Cassidians who are still after us, Lenah reminded herself. Two had died, but the third one, Wise Ralika, was still out there. And angry after her friends had been killed. Lenah knew that it was only a question of time until she and Corinna would have to fight her again. She just hoped it wouldn’t be anytime soon. For the time being, she would let Persia redecorate the Rambler as often as she wanted. It kept the Cassidians from warping straight onto Lenah’s bunk.

  Lenah entered the common room. As usual these days, the table was taken up by the notes and holobooks of Doctor Lund and Lorka, as well as the tiny scribbled notes in ancient Syrr Zyrakath preferred. The drone himself was already back at work, hovering over the table and reading text from two holobooks.

  The young mage, Lorka Engaard, turned when he saw her standing in the hatch. “Lenah!” He gave her the first genuine smile she’d seen all day.

  She smiled back, seeing that his leg was no longer wrapped in a bandage. “You’re fully healed?”

  “Not even a scar. Unlike you.” He pointed at Lenah’s side.

  She touched her shirt over the side of her lung. “Could be worse.”

  “Yes, young captain, you could not have a lung at all,” Zyrakath said. Lenah didn’t answer him and stepped up to the table. “Any updates?”

  “Not since you last checked in,” Doctor Lund, slightly overweight and red-faced, said with a frown that Lenah wasn’t sure how to interpret.

  It had been difficult having him on board these past days, with most of the crew alienated from the doctor because of his actions on New Earth. He’d given the Guild’s secret location away to his cult and inadvertently caused an attack on the headquarter. As captain, Lenah tried to stay neutral, but Doctor Lund hadn’t made it easy. Whenever he wasn’t researching humans in the Saltoc sector, he hung around with drooping shoulders and had even demanded to be left to sleep locked in a cell in engineering. Something Uz had violently opposed, not because she had anything against Doctor Lund getting locked up, but because she wanted to transform the space for her tree sapling. It had been up to Lenah to persuade Doctor Lund how childish his idea was and to tell him to focus all his energy on research.

  She sighed. It was difficult to accept that even with the three of them, progress was terribly slow. The Bartoc race that lived inside the closed-off Saltoc sector was so secretive, almost no one had any information about them. “Any news from the Last Inhabited Worlds?” Lenah shifted the topic on their immediate destination.

  Lorka shook his head. “They haven’t answered our comm.”

  Lenah sighed. “They might be too busy preparing for a battle to even consider our message.”

  “It’s to be expected,” Doctor Lund said more pragmatically than Lenah knew him to be. Maybe his background from an order of little respected scholars denying the existence of magic had given him a thick skin in the matter. “No one will easily believe the Muha Dara will pass the LIW and go into Saltoc. They especially won’t believe us.”

  Lenah regarded him for a moment. He was right, of course. If she were honest, would she even believe herself, a low-level family member who had just a few weeks back departed from UPL headquarters without permission and was now claiming that the Muha Dara army would fly by and disappear into Saltoc?

  They had to get to LIW in person as fast as possible. Lenah was going to meet up with Corinna, who was flying in as commander of her own army. UPL had made the anticipated battle a top priority and recruited many of the family armies in the region.

  A beep came from the cockpit, interrupting Lenah’s thoughts, and she made her way there, followed by Lorka.

  “We’re about to leave the warp bubble,” she told him when she’d turned off the timer. Lorka jumped, then hurried back into the common room.

  Lenah glided into the pilot’s seat, relishing in its familiarity. Left alone and with nothing more to do but stare at the timer that would bring them out of their warp bubble and back into the real world, her thoughts returned to their current situation.

  It wasn’t only the upcoming conflict with the UPL and the Cava Dara that had everyone turn restlessly on their bunks at night. They’d only narrowly escaped the attacking Cassidians on their home planet. When would they come for Lenah and Corinna again? And now for Uz, since she had taken a sapling of the holy Cascra tree? They’d done their best to further modify the look of the ship so the Cassidians wouldn’t be able to warp in, but the looming threat made Lenah’s skin itch. It also doubled her urgency to find more mind mages. With billions of humans everywhere, it couldn’t be that only two of them were mind mages. Unfortunately, it seemed that their best bet lay inside the Saltoc sector where Doctor Lund had found records of the mysterious Striker family; a whole clan of mind mages who had left their homeworld of Thorlo centuries ago to live in the Saltoc sector alongside the Bartoc.

  The ship rocked, and Lenah felt the familiar sensation of displacement in her gut. All around her, the swirls of rainbow-colored warp bubble were replaced by endless blackness. She straightened, gaping at what she saw through the front window.

  Two enormous battle flagships hung motionless in front of her, their black hulls reflecting the distant sunlight and their oval shape giving them elegance despite their size. They were surrounded by hundreds of smaller fighters. In the background shone the brown surface of Juan’s World, the most advanced terraforming effort of the Last Inhabited Worlds.

  “Wow,” Persia whispered from the hatch, and Lenah jumped, having been too engrossed in the view to notice her entrance. “Now, compare that to what we saw on Astur.” Persia sat down into the copilot’s seat.

  Lenah nodded absently. There had been no battleships and only a fraction of smaller ships, all coming from Cheung Army. Nothing compared to this. She kept staring ahead. “Are you done bonding with your trainer?” It was out before she could think.

  Lenah felt Persia’s gaze snap toward her but kept her own eyes fixed on the view out front.

  “Um, Lenah?” Persia asked after several moments of silence. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Lenah shrugged, trying to sound lighthearted. If Persia wanted to deny she’d been flirting with Cassius, then Lenah didn’t have the time to consider it right now. Then why the stars did you bring it up, a small voice in her head asked.

  “Oh, that tone of voice is not nothing.”

  Lenah finally looked at Persia. “Then why’d you do it?”

  “Do what?” Persia raised her palms in a gesture of innocence and her forehead crinkled in confusion.

  “Don’t make me say it.”

  “Lenah? Say what?” Persia dropped her hands. “Stars, you’re jealous, aren’t you?”

  Lenah bit her tongue and didn’t say anything.

  “Oh, come on!” Persia stared at her. “The cyborg is yours. I know how much you want him; besides, he’s not my type. My friends’ friends are never my type.” She slowly exhaled.

  Lenah gripped the flight stick. “You two seemed to be getting on so well.”

  Persia’s face softened. “That’s just me trying not to be nervous about arriving here.” She gave Lenah a hard stare. “I think the problem is you and Cassius haven’t really talked about your fight.”

  Lenah shifted her tense shoulders. “Yeah,” she said, realizing how miserable that sounded. “He’s always with his grandfather. I don’t think he wants to talk to me.”

  “But he also still gives you those looks.”

  That got Lenah’s attention. “Looks?”

  Persia nodded vigorously. “The bedroom looks.”

  Lenah shook her head. “Persia, he told me he didn’t wa
nt to do bedroom stuff. That’s the whole problem.”

  “I thought he wanted to get to know you better before doing any bedroom stuff. That’s way different!” Lenah huffed out a loud breath. “Lenah, you see how that is different, right?” Persia shook her on the shoulder.

  “I guess,” Lenah grumbled.

  “Excuse me, I didn’t hear you.”

  Lenah glared at Persia. Her friend was barely able to hide her grin. “Yes, I see how it’s different,” Lenah finally said.

  Persia grinned. “See? That wasn’t so hard. And now you should go and tell him.”

  2 Buntus

  Lenah carefully steered the Star Rambler toward the King Arthur’s hailing beam. The ship jerked without Lenah’s doing and was pulled toward the other ship’s enormous landing bay. Lenah turned off the forward pull when Martello’s head appeared in the cockpit’s hatch.

  “You sure we have to go there?” the old man asked, and his usually friendly face was clouded with worry.

  “I’m sure. This is Martius Buntus from CPL Corp calling us for a meeting.”

  “Calling you,” Martello said, then looked at the ceiling as if it held an answer. “I’ll be in the engine room.” His head disappeared, and Lenah heard his retracting footsteps. Poor man. The hardened smuggler was more fazed about being pulled into a UPL warship than about being imprisoned in the galaxy’s most secure prison.

  Lenah returned her attention to the front window where the King Arthur’s bay had come into view. Hundreds of small fighters stood in neat rows, each of them painted in the dark blue color of CPL, the galaxy’s most powerful corporation.

  The hailing beam let go of the Star Rambler, and a light indicated their allocated parking spot next to a silver and white Cheung Corp shuttle.

  Lenah adjusted her bun in the reflection of the front screen, then made her way through the ship. All she encountered was closed hatches. It seemed that everyone was sharing Martello’s unease. Just as well, she thought. The invitation had been for her only. For once, everyone seemed to take that literally. If Lenah could, she’d skip this meeting with UPL’s most famous war strategist too.

  Martius Buntus was famous for two things: his good looks and his talent to anticipate enemy moves. Though head of his own corporation, CPL, he had been nominated as general of the UPL war effort. He would lead the UPL force into battle against the Cava Dara. There hadn’t been a true war in decades, and this would be his first big battle. Lenah hoped he would turn out as brilliant as anticipated. She certainly wouldn’t want to be in Buntus’s shoes. Recent events had proven to Lenah that she wasn’t making the right decisions for her group. Thankfully, now all she’d have to do was fight with her magic, but she’d do so under Buntus’s command.

  Corinna was waiting for Lenah when she climbed down the hatch. The other woman looked as flawless as ever. She’d dyed her black hair a platinum-blond and wore it tied in her signature topknot. Her lips were painted a dark red, giving her a fierce look accentuated further by a form-fitting military uniform. “I never thought I’d say this, but it’s good to see you, Callo,” Corinna said when Lenah came to a stop in front of her.

  “Likewise.” Lenah grinned. “Listen, Corinna, I never got the chance to thank you for—”

  Corinna interrupted Lenah with a dismissive wave of her hand. “If you’re talking about the lung, don’t even mention it. At the very minimum, it’s in my best interest to have you by my side in this war.”

  “Huh, so it’s the fact I’m the only other mind mage,” Lenah said. “I think that must be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Miss Cheung.”

  She was rewarded with a big eye role that cracked some of Corinna’s hard corporate shell.

  Lenah grinned even wider.

  “Focus, Callo. We’re not here to become friends.” Corinna looked around.

  Lenah took a deep breath. “Right.” She let her gaze roam across the large hold. “This is bigger than all of UPL Station.”

  “Not quite,” Corinna said dryly. “But it comes close. Three hundred and twenty fighters, a crew of over five hundred.”

  “Nothing Cheung Army could compete with?” Lenah asked.

  Corinna pressed her lips into a thin line. “Not yet, no. And not for a while if this war keeps me away from my company.”

  A thin man in a dark blue CPL Corp uniform approached. He saluted. “Lieutenant Howard Cornell.”

  “Corinna Cheung and Lenah Callo,” Corinna stretched out her hand instead of saluting back.

  The lieutenant took her hand after a slight hesitation.

  “You’re here to lead us to our meeting?”

  He gave a curt nod and broke into a brisk walk toward a hatch at the far end of the ship bay. For the first time, Lenah realized the buzzing activity all around her. Engineers were revising ships, and pilots climbed into their cockpits. The constant chatter of dozens of voices reverberated off the walls. Everyone was working with grim determination. The feeling was contagious, and Lenah found herself stiffening, focusing on the task ahead and wordlessly following the young lieutenant to their destination, the meeting with Commander Buntus.

  After several silent minutes, they climbed out of a service elevator and made straight for the only door ahead. Lieutenant Cornell waved them through.

  The automatic door of the command bridge shut behind Lenah, cutting out the noise from the corridor behind. The warship had been a place of business and yells, but in here, there was a serene and almost uncomfortable silence.

  The bridge had two distinct parts, the working stations and a large empty area—the command matrix. Right in the middle of it stood UPL’s most powerful man—one of the most powerful humans currently alive.

  “The mind mages, Corinna Cheung and Lenah Callo,” Lieutenant Cornell announced. His voice rang loudly off the metal plating on the floor and walls, yet Commander Buntus didn’t turn around, didn’t even acknowledge them.

  He kept staring into the empty command matrix that during a battle would be transformed into 3-D holos of all participating ships and entities. Cornell hesitated a moment before making a few resolute steps forward, motioning for Lenah and Corinna to come with him. Still, Buntus didn’t move, but the arrival of the newcomers hadn’t gone unnoticed.

  Almost every one of the twenty people who sat behind the control stations looked up and stared. When Lenah tried to meet their eyes, most quickly looked way. The exception was a wiry, tall man, leaning comfortably against a counter in the middle of the room. He looked to be well past forty, but his dark-brown eyes shone with the energy of someone half his age. Soft crow’s feet gave him the appearance of someone who laughed a lot, contrasting with his hardened physique. He looked like someone whose talents were wasted standing inside the command room of a warship. Lenah instantly liked him.

  “Jones, I don’t like your plan,” Buntus said in a deep voice that echoed. He waved for Lenah and Corinna to stay back as he spun inside the empty matrix. Was he using an optical implant to see a simulation?

  Still leaning against the counter, the wiry man spoke. “You can’t even see it.”

  Buntus was silent for several seconds, contemplating the area. “I do see it.” He tapped the side of his head with a long and elegant finger. “It’s all about the power of the human mind. About imagination. Something a practical man like you probably doesn’t have. Only fools rely on visual crutches to win battles.”

  “A statement our mages would surely agree with,” said the other.

  The comment made Buntus turn to face Lenah and Corinna finally. Lenah was surprised to see he was every bit as roguishly handsome in real life as he looked in the media. His reddish-brown hair shone in the light and was arranged in an even cut that framed a perfectly angular face, strong jaw, and straight nose. He was wearing a tight combat suit made by CPL Corp that encased his thick shoulders and muscular legs. Martius Buntus was powerful and by the demanding look in his icy-blue eyes, he knew it.

  Corinna approached him with an
outstretched hand, which he hesitantly took. A hesitation that appeared deliberate. When they finally shook hands, Corinna cringed under the pressure. “Corinna Cheung, a pleasure to meet you,” she said, her voice slightly strained.

  Lenah approached too, holding out her own hand. She steeled herself and was ready not to flinch when the handshake—firm as a pair of big pliers—came. “Lenah Callo, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  Commander Buntus just nodded. He didn’t feel the need to introduce himself. “How much longer?” He looked sideways, toward the men and women sitting in the first row of stations.

  “The initial swarm will reach the Last Inhabited Worlds at exactly 14:11 Cassidian Standard time tomorrow, assuming it stays straight on course.” A young woman blurted out, as if she’d been waiting to provide the information. Buntus didn’t acknowledge her but turned back to the wiry man. “You have your defenses ready, Jones?”

  “As ready as they were yesterday, Commander. This is the Last Inhabited Worlds, we’re always ready for an attack,” the man said, and his eyes seemed to laugh, even though his tone didn’t give anything away but complete professionalism. He straightened and approached Lenah and Corinna. “Thuat Jones, Overseer of the Development Force for the Last Inhabited Worlds, mostly referred to as LIW here.” He shook both Corinna’s and Lenah’s hands with just the right pressure to be firm but not cause pain.

  “Let’s have that bloody meeting now that we’re all here,” Buntus growled. Lenah wasn’t sure if he was generally displeased or if he didn’t like the friendly greeting Thuat Jones had given them, but they all followed Buntus into an adjacent meeting room.

  A large screen showed Lenah and Corinna standing on a pagoda roof on Astur fighting hundreds of Muha Dara all at once. They carried an absent look on their exhausted faces as groups of Muha Dara attacked each other, commanded by their mind magic.

  “This is what you can do?” Buntus gestured for everyone to sit down.

  Lenah nodded.

  “You’ll need to scale this up considerably.”

 

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