After checking the electric and water supply line, Hawk clicked the start button on the coffee maker a few times, then tapped the casing. When the power still didn’t come on, he reached in with his spirit fingers and coaxed the connection. There was a wire inside that kinked sometimes, and Hawk could fix it if Saskia would just let him take the machine apart. His magic touch brought the machine to life and he watched it a moment longer to make sure nothing sparked and went haywire. The first few drips of dark water came and Hawk headed downstairs to join the others.
The cargo bay door was open, the ramp leading down to the strange, gray world. Tray said it would be just like Kemah, but it was completely different. The light was softer, the air thinner, and the ground made of solid moonslate.
Of course it’s moonslate! This is Terrana!
Tray sat cross-legged at the top of the ramp, staring into the port. Worried, Hawk tapped the lock on the middeck weapons locker and grabbed a shock-dart. He tiptoed down the stairs, craning his neck to see what had Tray’s attention. The floating car outside made him smile.
“Tray? Is something wrong?”
Tray swayed slightly as he emerged from his trance. “I… thought I…” He glanced back at Hawk, then rocked to his feet, seeming to float in the light lunar gravity. “You shouldn’t be walking. Sit down.”
Hawk gripped the railing with both hands and made his way down the stairs, his stomach somersaulting with each step. Moving in one-third gravity was strange, but not difficult.
“Look at you. You’re already limping,” Tray fussed, taking Hawk by the wrists, making him sit on the bottom step. He noticed the shock-dart, but he didn’t comment on it.
“It’s not so bad,” Hawk said, massaging the ankle. He’d had both feet on the ground when they landed, and it was the jerking motion of the tow that caused him to turn his ankle. “Saskia said I should go to the passenger bay with the others.”
“She shouldn’t have done that,” Tray said, shaking his head. “We’ve only just landed. Your heart must be pounding. Are you dizzy?”
“I don’t feel weak, but I feel weird. Like all the resident hybrid energy is being channeled into my legs so I can walk,” Hawk said, rubbing his thighs, feeling them tingle in response. Shifting some of that energy toward the coffee machine had helped.
“That probably means Sikorsky is mobile, too. I had hope that we’d be unloaded and out the airlock before he could do any damage,” Tray said, glancing over his shoulder. “Where’s Saskia?”
“We made it to the bridge. She’s sitting with Chase. She said she’d move again when she smelled the coffee brewing,” Hawk said. Tray smiled softly. “She worried Morrigan might try to walk too early if I didn’t assure her the coffee was coming. In a proper cup. Should I go?”
“No, stay here. Stay,” Tray said, squeezing Hawk’s arm. “We need to stall. Danny needs time to hide Amanda. If they see us first, and then we direct them to the bridge, that gives Danny more time.”
“Tray, they’re sending a medic. If you look this paranoid, they might call the police,” Hawk suggested, prying Tray’s hand off his arm.
“My paranoia is justified,” he said, his skin going cold. “The last time I was in that port, I took the worst beating of my life. LaMark attacked, Solvere attacked. Corey died. She died.”
Hawk put an arm around Tray and Tray choked back his grief.
“I’ve never seen you cry for her before,” Hawk said, his lips brushing Tray’s temple. It was only in the last few weeks that Tray had opened himself up to being hugged for comfort.
“I couldn’t,” Tray said, pressing the heel of his hand against his cheek. “Danny was falling apart, and if I did, too… I came so close to never meeting my son. And things are so fragile with Mikayla, I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again. Now her father Disappeared to muster his Elysian army, and she’ll ask why I didn’t go with him. She thinks I’m too weak to protect Hero.”
“He might not have meant to teleport. There’s a lot of energy in this place,” Hawk said. His interactions with Sikorsky had been limited, but he’d never felt the man to be malicious—at least toward him. “He could be anywhere. He could be hurt.”
“If anyone asks, he was never on board,” Tray said, up a step to give himself breathing room. His hands looped around the stair railing and his gaze went out the door again. “Do you worry you’ll never see your kids again?”
“I try not to think about it,” Hawk confessed, touching his Virp, resisting the urge to call up the pictures of his three living children. “Ever. Makes me homesick. But when I do, my fear is that they’re like me. That they have these abilities and no one is going to explain to them what they can do.”
“Well, if we don’t have to worry about Sikorsky, then all we have to do is find Janiya and be on our way,” Tray said, patting Hawk’s shoulder. “You’ll be home in a few days.”
“Knock, knock,” a wiry, young man said, poking his head through the door. Hawk brought up his shock-dart, but Tray squeezed his shoulder, so he didn’t fire. He was glad not to.
“Hello,” Hawk stammered, half-smiling. It was his first alien! The man had pale skin that picked up the neon yellow color of his reflective vest. Seeing Tray and Hawk on the stairs, he flashed a quick smile, then held up his Virp, projecting his credentials. Hawk’s Virp beeped and the projection mirrored, but the words were Terranan.
“My name is Benedict James, I’m a medic,” he said in Trade. He had the same accent as Saskia.
“Douglas Hwan, mechanic,” Hawk said, hopping off the stairs holding out a hand in greeting. Tray tugged the back of his shirt, reminding him to act like gravity affected him. Benedict graciously crossed the distance and allowed Hawk to shake his hand. Hawk nearly died from excitement. Benedict was a beautiful, gorgeous, hunk of an alien. “Would you like to get a drink with me, Benedict James?”
“Hawk!” Tray exclaimed, laughing and swatting Hawk’s shoulder.
Benedict stammered, color rising to his cheeks, giving his skin a coppery glow. “Let’s get through the medical check first, Douglas Hwan. This is your first time on Terrana?”
“Yes,” Hawk said, bouncing excitedly. “Yes! Yes! I’m on another world!”
Benedict laughed endearingly and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t get overexcited or all you’ll see is the inside of a hospital. Is everyone on the crew new to Terrana?”
“I’m not,” Tray said, leaning on Hawk to keep him grounded. “Tray Matthews. This is my ship. You’ve met Hawk. We have three newcomers to the world. And a passenger who hasn’t been here for several years.”
“Is your grav-drive broken?” Benedict asked, squatting in front of the pair of them, scanning Tray. “I don’t see many people coming through with gravity sickness. Not that we’ve had anyone since the embargo.”
“There’s a clinic here that does research on the ill effects of artificial gravity. As someone who suffers ill effects, I’ve been invited as a key specimen,” Tray said, squirming and scooting up another step. “Avoiding artificial gravity is a fact of life for me.”
Hawk could hear the shame in his voice, but Tray couldn’t help it if artificial gravity caused his arteries to disintegrate. Begging Tray’s indulgence, Benedict measured pulse, blood pressure, blood salinity, hydration, and a half dozen other things with his medical Virp. The device projected readings half-way up the man’s arm. The way Tray kept twitching, Hawk expected danger to jump out sometime soon.
“Are you nervous about being a specimen?” Benedict asked.
“I’m not excited to be here, no. Colonel Solvere murdered my last pilot,” Tray said.
“Oh,” Benedict shuddered, his gray eyes lifting. “You should stay on your ship, if you don’t want to see her. Solvere comes through port almost every day to go to the 5. I haven’t seen her today. Your arrival may have changed her routine. Colonel Rhodes is in port now. He becomes more like her every year. Do you know why Solvere targeted your pilot?”
“
Of course he knows,” said a man, striding purposefully into the bay. The stranger wore a sharp, navy blue uniform and took long, even steps. “This ship harbored a guard-murdering fugitive.”
“A fugitive did not murder my pilot. A Guard did,” Tray said.
“If Solvere had done her job properly, you’d all be dead,” the man said disdainfully.
Hawk’s throat went dry, and his hand went to his weapon, but Tray grabbed the shock-dart and fired.
6
Danny threw his body onto the middeck landing, giving himself a moment to rest. He should have been sitting still, not climbing ladders, but he needed to get to Amanda before she melted down. It felt like all the work they’d done in Quin to get her to a safe mental state had been undone by the days in micro-gravity.
Moving on elbows and knees, he inched his way toward the galley, drawn by the smell of brewing Terranan coffee. He could pour himself a cup and if Amanda stole it, he’d know she was okay. They had rituals that had helped them survive before they had access to medicine.
He opened the hatch to the galley and heard a clattering behind the counters. “Do you need help, sweetheart?” he called. He’d expected her to beat him here.
“No thanks, pumpkin,” Chase said, levering himself up and peering over the counter.
“You shouldn’t be walking,” Danny laughed, standing to help Chase.
With an indifferent nod, Chase fumbled for a mug and filled it with water from the sink. “Saskia left. Trouble downstairs,” he said, alternately sipping and clearing his throat. The transition from micro-gravity to gravity had a dehydrating effect, and Danny craved water, too.
“Tray’s distraction must be getting out of hand,” Danny said. “Keep watch on that door.”
“Where is she?” Chase asked.
“The lift,” he replied, pointing to the freight lift leading to food stores on the lower deck. It wasn’t meant for people, but Amanda couldn’t climb up here on her own strength.
“It hasn’t opened,” Chase said, nudging the hatch with his boot. Amanda launched from the tiny space, knife first. Danny barely managed to pull Chase clear in time. Catching Amanda, he knocked her to the floor and pinned her down, whispering in Terranan while plucking the knife from her hands and tucking it into the sheath in his boot.
“Screaming,” Amanda whispered, getting eerily quiet.
“Your meds are in our room. That’s where you’re going. Remember?” Danny said, pressing her face to his.
“No, screaming,” Chase said. “I hear Tray screaming.”
“Follow me,” Danny said, pushing Amanda toward his quarters, motioning Chase to follow.
“It smells in here,” Chase commented, fanning under his nose.
“Maybe you can freshen it up while I handle the mess Tray is making,” Danny said, finding Amanda’s meds in the bedside drawer. He shook out one of the dissolvable strips, but she scampered toward the closet and threw a boot at his face. Ducking out of the way, Danny dove for the floor, wrestling her down again.
“This will help. Open,” he ordered, forcing the strip under her lips. The advantage to the delivery system was that it just had to dissolve, and he didn’t have to work past her teeth. He clamped a hand over the mouth, keeping the medicine in. She struggled, but didn’t scream.
“Easy, Danny,” Chase admonished.
“There’s no time to do this gently,” Danny said, releasing Amanda after a few seconds. If she was as dehydrated as the rest of them, she might not have enough saliva to dissolve the tab.
“Be good. Don’t stab Chase, okay?” Danny said, taking one of the canteens from the nightstand and offering her water.
“I didn’t kill her. Galen did it,” Amanda said ominously. “He wants vengeance because he thinks I killed her. But I didn’t.”
“Who wants vengeance?” Danny asked.
“The Guard. He’s here!” Amanda whined. When they’d escaped Terrana, Amanda was wanted for murdering a Guard. Her mental state was such that she had no idea what she was doing. He knew water hauls meant Guard escorts, and he’d been planning to lay low and let Coro handle the business. Just the sight of a Guard uniform could trigger his past trauma.
“I need to help Tray,” he said, focusing his mind on protecting his brother. “You stay here. Stay hidden. I won’t let the Guard find you.”
“Sikorsky says Galen’s coming. He’s coming. He killed her,” Amanda panted.
“Write it down, okay,” Danny said, handing her a Virclutch, hoping she’d journal something coherent. “Send me the news.”
“What’s the news, Danny?” she whispered. The ritual worked better now that she had access to meds.
“Tell me what you’re sensing. Trust the weird instincts,” Danny advised. “Keep Chase safe.”
She licked the inside of her lips, tasting the residual medicine. “He should lie down.”
“You should, too. Want me to put you in bed?” Danny asked.
She sniffled and wiped her cheeks, but then activated the Virclutch and started scribbling. It was a start.
“How about you?” Danny asked, going back to Chase. Chase had sunk into one of the chairs at Danny’s tea table, and his water cup had run dry. “Want me to put you in bed?”
“Are you going to be in it?” Chase teased, a twinkle in his eye. Danny licked his lips and smiled.
“Tray. Screaming. Guard,” Amanda reminded him.
With a resigned nod, Danny hustled out. He’d brought Amanda in here to hide, which meant he’d have to get Chase out again to be inventoried.
Sealing the hatch to the galley, Danny emerged at the middeck catwalk, and drew a weapon when he saw Tray fighting. Tray’s fists flailed as he fought with a lean, middle aged guard. Hawk had two weapons in hand trained on the pair, one a shock-dart, the other a stunner.
“Tray! Stop!” Danny hollered, fighting momentum to keep from falling down the stairs.
“You wanted Solvere to kill us! She cut Corey to pieces, burner her, mutilated her, even when Corey worked on her side!” Tray shrieked, kicking and punching. The guard deflected the blows, and delivered a sharp punch to Tray’s gut.
Saskia leapt into the fight, tackling Tray away from the Guard. The two rolled several times before Saskia landed on top, keeping Tray pinned. Tray’s body curled, and he screamed in pain. The Guard’s arrogance made Danny’s blood boil.
“Morrigan, please be sitting up,” Danny murmured, wrestling his brother from Saskia’s pin. Tray toppled against Danny, clutching his weaker side.
“I could sedate him,” a medic offered, pulling out a hypodermic jet, but keeping his distance. “Benedict James, medic.”
The medic had a busted lip. The guard had a bruised jaw. Of all the distractions, Tray chose a fist fight?
“I’d prefer you let our doctor handle him, Mr. James,” Saskia said, blocking the man’s path. She took the two weapons from Hawk, and didn’t return the stunner to the guard.
“What’s your name, sir?” Danny asked, backing up to sit on the stairs with his brother.
“Colonel Rhodes,” he said. “Your crewman assaulted me without cause.
“You’re trespassing on a sovereign ship and your remarks have upset my boss,” Saskia countered. “You will return to the port. You have no jurisdiction here, Colonel.”
Danny nodded, but he lacked Saskia’s conviction. They needed the Guard’s help to get Coro off their backs, and this was not the way to get on General Santos’ good side. “If you’re here about the cargo, we will handle business after we have been medically cleared.”
Rhodes sneered and started to circle the tank, but Saskia blocked him again.
“This tank is only half full,” he said.
“Salt water is heavier than fresh,” Danny said, feeling his mouth go dry.
“Salt water!” Rhodes exclaimed.
“Order black marker water; get black market quality,” Tray spat, clenching his bleeding knuckles.
“Governor Cheoff agreed it c
ould be purified here,” Danny said, tightening his grip on Tray and hauling him to his feet. “Medic James, tend to my first timers before they get impatient and hurt themselves. There’s two in the passenger lounge on the lower deck. Saskia, Hawk, keep an eye on Colonel Rhodes. If he goes anywhere, I want him going out that door.”
“Yes, sir,” Saskia agreed.
“Stay with me, brother,” Danny said, holding Tray tightly as they walked. Tray’s shoulders hunched, and he favored his right side.
“A bit more of a distraction than I was expecting,” Danny said when they were in the galley and safely out of earshot. “Did you have to assault a Guard?”
“He said Corey deserved to die. We all should have,” Tray said, smoldering anger radiating from his expression. “I want to kill him. If I were strong enough to kill, Mikayla would trust me with Hero.”
“Brother, it is good that you aren’t,” Danny assured. He’d killed before, and even when done in self-defense, it was a soul-crushing act. He wet a rag and tossed it to Tray, but the rag hit Tray’s chest and fell to the ground, unnoticed. Danny picked up the rag and nursed his brother’s wounds.
Saskia tested the weight of Colonel Rhodes’ stunner in her hand. His weapon was light as a feather and fit over two fingers, the design streamlined through decades of development. Saskia’s had a military-grade power source pressed it into an older gun-shaped design that was popular in street weapons. The gun shapes were meant to be visible; Rhodes’ weapon was meant to be invisible.
“Will General Santos be in port today?” Saskia asked.
Rhodes snorted derisively, not at all intimidated that she held his weapon. She figured he had three more on his person. “I doubt he goes anywhere these days.”
“Is he dead?” Saskia asked, her shoulders tightening at the thought.
Rhodes smirked, his eyes glistening with evil superiority. “Retired. General Solvere is Head of the Guard now.”
The Confluence: A Space Opera Adventure Series (The New Dawn Book 6) Page 4
