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Library of Congress Control Number 2018968197 First Edition December 2018
ISBN 978-1-7329992-0-6 Paperback
ISBN 978-1-7322800-9-0 E-book
To all the geek girls out there - keep rocking it!
You will be the change the world needs.
1
Diversion
I push the small needle through the skin, puckering the intricate tattoo that was severed in half. My stitches are perfectly straight despite the constant squirming.
"You know this would go faster if you stayed still."
"It hurts."
I try hard not to laugh as I tie off the thread and lean back to admire my work. The burly mechanic sitting on the stretcher could probably throw me across the ship without straining a muscle. "You're a big guy, a little pain shouldn't bother you."
"Doc usually gives me more pain meds first." He winces as he pulls his shirt back over his head.
I grin at him while I push the instrument tray away and take my gloves off. "Then maybe you shouldn't have punched out the doc."
He ducks his head as he finishes getting dressed. One button at a time. Amongst the dark grease smears are bruises and scrapes that will continue to swell on the big man's face and hands. Looks like Doc went down swinging.
"I know. I'm sorry about that. Will he be all right?"
I glance across the room. There are only two beds in the small ship's infirmary. Doctor Robert Norby is sprawled out with limbs hanging over the edge of the other small bed, a large bag of ice teetering on his forehead.
"Yes, he'll be fine. You didn't break anything, just knocked him out. He's going to wake up with a wicked headache and anger burning in his belly for you." I laugh at the horrified look on the mechanic's face.
"Bren?"
I pivot in the small space toward the familiar voice. Derek stands in the doorway looking like he just dragged himself out of bed. Only Derek Paz could make bed head and exhaustion look handsome. "Morning, Derek."
"What are you doing?" Derek yawns and leans against the doorjamb, his tan security shirt wrinkled but still fitting nicely over his muscled chest. My body warms just watching him standing there.
The mechanic next to me has finally figured out how to button his shirt with swollen fingers. "Stitching him up.” I shrug and I point at the limp form on the other bed. "And monitoring his concussion."
The mechanic lets out an exaggerated groan as he stands up. I reach out and steady him as he wobbles, although he's probably got over fifty pounds of muscle on me.
"He's got a concussion? Hades' maidens he's going to be mad isn't he?" He swings his large head in my direction.
"Yes, I already warned you. You might also have a slight concussion as well. Go get some coffee and breakfast. You'll need to have someone else work your shift tonight." I point to the stitches. They're inside his elbow, so I'm pretty sure Doc will need to stitch them up again when they get ripped open. Can't be without the ship's mechanic too long.
Derek moves out of the doorway to allow the big man to shuffle past. I clean up as he watches me with a grin.
"Couldn't just rest, could you, Bren?"
"I did sleep some. I'm so anxious to get to Mars that I couldn't stay still for long."
I finish feeding the instruments into the sanitizer and scrub and dry my hands. The antiseptic smell of the room reminds me of home on Delta station and I frown.
Derek walks the few steps to reach me and gathers me up in his arms. Despite the strange situation we're in, I melt into him. He's comfort and safety and calmness. I hug him tightly back, our bodies warm. "Thanks for coming with me, Derek," I whisper.
"I told you I would do anything for you." His chuckle resonates deep in his chest. "Apparently, that includes crossing the galaxy to help you try to stop the scariest group of political deviants in history, who are planning to attack the oldest and most secure mining operation known to man."
The doc groans behind us and I reluctantly let go of Derek, planting a quick kiss on his cheek.
Doc is trying to sit up, one hand on his head. I gently push his shoulders back down to the bed. "Doc, you need to lie still for a bit longer." I check his pupils as he looks up at me. His bright red hair is sticking up at all angles, some pieces still matted with blood.
"And who are you again?"
I slip another pain tab into his mouth. "I'm Brenna Teves with Delta station. Remember? Captain Fukuda asked me to help you." I'm not nervous about this crew knowing who I am anymore, even though I'm on the galactic command's most wanted watch list. Red has known this captain and his crew for a long time and trusts them. And I trust Red. Captain Fukuda was also a friend of my mom, although I don't remember him.
It strikes me as I sit here on a strange starship that I don't remember any of mom's friends. For me there was only Mom and Dad and my own friends. There's a lot I don't seem remember from my childhood.
I bite the inside of my cheek. This revelation really bothers me. My job is looking for and memorizing details, and it seems I've missed a whole lot in my own life.
Doc stirs beside me and I see when the recognition registers in his green eyes. "Ah yes, Aubrianna's girl. Studied medicine like your momma." He relaxes back into the bed and I stand up. Every time someone mentions knowing my mom I feel defensive and angry. I'm not sure why, and I don't like feeling that way.
I try to think of something to say to Doc that's not snarky because I know he means well. Just like all of my mom's other friends I've met the last few weeks. There has to be some reason Mom kept secrets from me.
A warning alarm saves me from having to comment to the doc. I'm relieved at first, but then my skin goes cold as I realize it's the all-ship alarm. I look to Derek who is already hurrying out the door. I take one last look at Doc who has fallen back asleep, and I follow after Derek.
The corridors are filled with crew rushing to their duty stations. I grab Derek's hand and pull him away from the lifts.
"Bren, we need to get to the bridge to see what's going on." Derek tries to resist.
"I know but the lifts will be too crowded, it'll take us too long. This way." I point to an access hatch a few meters from us. Derek nods in understanding.
We push against the sea of bodies to get to the maintenance hatch. I unlatch it and crawl in. I stand next to the metal rung ladder as I wait for Derek to climb in and close the hatch. It's immediately much quieter.
"Let's go," I say as I start up the ladder. Thankfully, this ship is small so it only has four decks and a cargo bay. We only have to climb up three floors.
I push open the hatch at the bridge level and wait crouched, slightly panting, for Derek to pull his lanky body through the opening. We take off at a sprint toward the bridge, following the glowing lines on the wall. At the secure double door I wave my implant over the bio scanner and after a heart-stopping pause, the door finally slides open.
The bridge is in total chaos. I didn't realize so many crewmembers could fit in here. Derek and I step in far enough to allow the door to close behind us as we try to figure out what's going on.
Derek points up at the main vid screen. I follow his gesture just in time to see an odd-shaped starship speed through the Mars defensive line around the planet. The defense right now only consists of a handful of private courier and supply ships. I frown, as there isn't a galactic security ship in sight.
They didn't take our warning seriously. My heart races as I watch the rogue ship race toward the Martian surface.
A high-pitched scream can be heard over the noise on the bridge as the invading ship fires its weapons. The target is the habitat domes that cover the underground mining operations on the planet. After looking around I realize the scream came from me and I cover my mouth with my hand. Derek wraps one arm around my waist and takes my hand away from my mouth, entwining our hands together in front of our bodies. I stare at his lighter hand
entwined with my smaller, darker one, which is now shaking. My ears feel muffled and I quickly realize I'm going into shock.
It's really happening. The space pirates are attacking my home planet.
I tear myself away from Derek and push through the crowd until I get to the railing that separates the upper and lower levels of the bridge. I wrap my hands around the cool metal and focus on the front vid as I take deep breaths. Soon my hearing clears as well as my thoughts and I'm able to register what is happening around me. I look sideways at Derek who is now standing next to me. He’s staring at me with his mouth drawn into a thin line.
"I'm fine now, Derek." I turn back to the screen as he steps closer.
I study the attack on Mars as it unfolds in front of us. There are finally galactic cruisers and large private security ships visible from the direction of Earth. They are pitifully few and are concentrated on the main area of attack. Dozens of pirate ships are unloading all their weapons into the newcomers, and pirate ships have gotten through to attack the domes below. I squint as I recognize which domes they're attacking.
"This is all wrong," I say.
"It's horrible, but we expected the attack." Derek looks at me like I'm the one with a concussion.
"No, I mean the location. There's nothing here of value. And the one they're attacking is a fully operational mine. There aren't any empty spaces in this mine where they could've setup one of their AI machines to test." I look around for Red and the captain.
"What do you mean, Bren?"
I hurry over to where Red and the captain are staring down at a nav computer.
"Red, we've got a problem," I say, still a bit out of breath.
Red looks up at me, dark circles under his eyes showing that he couldn't sleep either. "You mean besides the obvious attack on Mars?"
"Yes. This attack is horrible, but this isn't what they're after. This is just a diversion. Look." I point down at the map of Mars they have open on the nav computer. "They're attacking an active mine. Worthless to them, from what we've seen at the other sites."
"No dead ends, no empty spaces at this one." Red frowns.
"Right." My heart beats faster. I'm relieved Red knows Mars so well. "And with our previous theory of the Earth Purist League using Mars to make their final move, this location really makes no sense. It's not the main mine; there are no research facilities here, and only a small spaceport. This is the kind of mine the EPL wants to keep open for our future. Old school mining of everyday materials. No bio star fuel here, and no schools or universities here. They wouldn’t want to destroy this one."
"She's right." Red looks over at the captain. "Even though they're attacking, they're not really causing much damage down on the surface."
The captain sends me a quick glare, but then looks back up to the main vid. He gives a command to split the screen and then brings up vids to show 3D live stream of everything around Mars.
"So what are they doing, then?" The captain demands as he waves toward the frantic action around the planet.
I look at Red. "The heart. They're after the heart of Mars." I remember being on Captain Parson's ship and holding the cube containing the bright red rock, the most pure red to come out of Mars in centuries.
"The main mine? But it's almost all mined out." The captain's eyebrows knit together as he directs the computer to bring the main domes up on the vid. "When they discovered that pure red vein they went crazy to get it mined out of there."
"I'm sure Ash Corp has their reasons for doing their research in the main mine. But that's not why the EPL is there." I step forward, my heart feeling like it's going to beat out of my chest. "Even though Ash Corp wants the red minerals, the EPL doesn’t care about what's in the mine, they just want to shut down Mars Colony." My home.
"Why?" The captain's frown deepens as he looks between Red and me.
I hesitate, studying Red to see if he'll answer. Red just frowns, his eyes large.
"Because the EPL wants to stop all outward mining. They think by destroying the very first mine, and all of its history and literature that is embedded in the culture, that it'll make the Sol government listen to their threats."
"Just by destroying all that? And why do they think they can destroy it? It looks like only a few vessels got through. And they're all over here." The captain waves at the screen where most of the space pirates are now indeed surrounded by dozens of large, bug-like galactic security vessels.
I swallow. "I know the EPL is already down there, sir. And I think it's more than just about destroying all of that," I point to the large dome that fills up at least a quarter of the planet. "They're trying to destroy their illegal research, just like on the other planets and asteroids where attacks took place. Covering their tracks so their partners get the blame."
The captain looks horrified. "How are they already down there?"
"I can answer that, Andrew." Red steps toward his friend. "Just like you don't have e-tags, neither do the ships the space pirates or the EPL uses. They probably flew down to the main domes unnoticed while everyone was concentrating on the attacks over here." He points up at the carnage to the smaller domes on the surface of the red planet.
"A diversion?" the captain asks.
I shiver and cross my arms.
Red spreads out his hands. "We've been known to do something similar to get supplies in the past, have we not?"
The captain's face pinks a bit and his eyes flick between Red and the crew around us. "Yes, but that was for a good reason."
"But we still found a way to sneak onto many planets and asteroids without anyone knowing. That's what the EPL has done." Red looks at me for confirmation.
I nod.
"And you think they're going to not only destroy the largest mining colony in the galaxy, but also this research you talk about?" The horrified expression remains on the captain's face as he turns fully toward me, squaring his shoulders. "And you expect me to take you down in the middle of that so you can find out?" His voice is several octaves higher now and I cringe.
"Yes," Red answers evenly.
"No. There's no way I'm risking my shipping license or my crew's lives going after the EPL."
My shoulders sag. But I really can't blame him. The EPL is one of the oldest and most dangerous groups in Sol history. And if I'm right, they're the manipulators of this whole research conspiracy. The EPL is now powerful enough to use corrupt galactic commanders and space pirates in a sick and twisted plan to end human expansion outside of Sol system.
My stomach clenches tightly as I realize that we have two problems here, the dangerous research, and the EPL's secret agenda.
Red's angry voice surprises me and brings me out of my thoughts. He's stepped in front of the captain and is gesturing wildly with his hands. "We don't have a choice, Andrew. We're already here, and you know as well as I do we expected this. We can't let the EPL take over. Aubrie warned us both about this years ago, but we didn't listen. And now look what's happened."
My chest tightens at the mention of my mom's name. Again.
The captain brushes his hand over his bald head, as if he's forgotten he no longer has hair. "You really think this is the same thing, Red?"
"Yes. This is exactly what Aubrie told us would happen if we didn't do something. And we didn't do anything back then. Now all Hades has broken loose and it's all our fault."
2
Aubrie's Secret
I glare at the two men as the pain in my chest spreads. I feel like I want hit something. Or throw up.
Instead, I slap the nearest console, getting the attention of every eyeball on the bridge.
I duck my head and shake the pain out of my hand as I stalk over to where Red is standing.
"Someone needs to start explaining what on Titan's moons you both are talking about and what all this has to do with my mom." My tone matches the dark lump in my stomach. I push on Red's chest. "Earlier you told me you weren't sure what this had to do with her, and now you both sound l
ike you know exactly what is going on."
Derek tries to pull me back but I stand my ground. I feel a deep burning inside me that I refuse to let go of. I need answers. "Well?" I yell again. Red stays quiet, but even he has taken a step away from me.
I turn my anger toward the captain. He goes white as a ghost. I narrow my eyes at him and he shakes his head. "Honestly, we only know that she warned us something like this would happen." He turns toward the vid screen showing angry ships circling the red planet.
"She knew that someday Mars would be attacked? What did she want you to do? Red just said my mom wanted you guys to do something before and you didn't." I try to lower my voice this time, but I'm shaking too much with anger and the sound comes out loud and gravelly. This does nothing to assure the captain and he takes a step back away from me too.
I would laugh out loud except I'm too tense.
"Brenna." Red steps between the captain and I and grabs my shoulders so I'm forced to look at him.
"Talk," I say through gritted teeth.
Red takes a deep breath and hesitates as he glances over my shoulder. I can feel Derek's warm presence at my back.
I smile.
Red closes his eyes. "Not only was I supposed to watch out for you, I was also ordered to keep you away from all this."
His eyes fly open and he glances quickly at the captain before focusing on me. "We honestly don't know any details about what 'this' is though. She only gave us this vague warning a few weeks before she died. We were all supposed to meet up so she could let us know what her warning meant. We never got the chance to meet up." Red's face droops and his eyes dart away.
Vibrating with anger straight from the core of my being I push his hands off of me and hiss through my teeth, "Who is 'we' exactly, Red?"
Red regains his balance and has the good sense to look guilty. The bridge noises that had started up again after my initial outburst have quieted once more. Most of the crew nearby are staring at us. I don't even care.
Delta Fringe Series Boxset: Books 1-3 Page 36
