Saskia’s jaw dropped, and she thought she might throw up. She must have looked faint because she felt Hawk’s hand on her back. She distantly heard the medic asking her to sit down.
“Maybe you can help us,” Hawk said, looking imploringly at Rhodes. “I’m looking for a woman. She’s blonde. Very tall. Speaks any language fluently. We think she came here a little over a week ago. Is there a register? A guest log?”
“She came in the microcruiser that broke the embargo,” Rhodes chuckled. “We don’t tolerate criminals on Terrana. We send them to the 5. I could send you—”
“Colonel, you will not threaten my crew,” Saskia interjected. “Hawk, take Mr. James to the passenger lounge. Whatever he’s doing to you, he can finish in there and assess the other two.”
“I do need to see everyone eventually,” Benedict said, motioning upstairs where the Captain and Tray had disappeared.
“Start with the passenger lounge,” Saskia said. “Morrigan hasn’t come up for coffee yet, so she must be pretty bad off.”
Hawk motioned Benedict to follow him. He linked the man’s arm, but the blush of his cheeks told Saskia that Hawk wasn’t doing it because of the gravity. To her complete surprise, Benedict flirted back.
When they were safely through the lower deck hatch, Saskia returned her attention to the intruding Guard. “We came under threat, not by choice. Damien Coro wants his wife. That is the only reason your people have water. He forced us to fly here,” Saskia explained. “If I can’t speak to Santos—”
“You’re a sovereign ship. Handle your own criminals,” Rhodes scoffed, stalking down the ramp. Saskia crossed her arms, her jaw quivering. Her plan for getting her crew out safely hinged on the help of General Santos, the man who’d recruited her. But Solvere had won. She was head of the Guard and Santos had no power anymore.
7
The Governor’s mansion was connected to the Marble via a private walkway and had twelve executive apartments, three on each floor. The Governor floated between four of them, each connected to an escape hatch that led outside. Parker kept two units on the top floor—one for himself, and one for Diana if she ever agreed to leave her home in the 2. Diana wanted to live with Parker, not next to him. She had a sinking suspicion that he knew that, but took too much pleasure in denying her.
Her body hummed with residual pleasure from their office tryst, and she was hoping for another round in his bed before he passed out. With his hand gimped, it was the first time she could remember having the upper hand in pleasure-pain play. He leaned into her as they walked down the hall, his eyes half-closed, his lips muttering distastefully about Cheoff ruining everything by bringing Oriana here.
“Why are we here?” he murmured, tripping over his feet as he weaseled out of Diana’s grip. “We have to go to the 4.”
“Not in your condition,” she replied. Grabbing his hand, Diana pressed his palm to the biometric lock on his apartment. The door swung open, but something equally large swung back at them.
Diana dropped to the floor, but the blunt object caught Parker face on and knocked him into the wall. Fortunately, the person swinging didn’t have the strength to kill him with that blow. Diana realized she was looking at the iron-scroll frame of Parker’s headboard. A tall, blonde, naked woman was handcuffed to the frame. “Ishtar!”
The woman was an old friend of hers, from before the Revolution. They’d flirted with the idea of sex, but when Diana fell in love with Parker, Ishtar left Terrana. Then the other week, when taking a rover back from the 5, she’d been nearly blasted off the surface by Ishtar’s unexpected arrival.
Diana punched the controls of her lunar rover, skidding on the dust-covered path, sliding into a glassy-walled crater. The crater was new, still radiating heat, and the rover’s computer had automatically navigated around it, right into the path of a runway that hadn’t seen a spaceship for over three months.
Until now.
The two-seat microcruiser’s powerful rockets blasted against the lunar dust, the heat creating a molten surface that mirrored the crater.
“Solvere to control tower. We have company,” Diana called, instinctively ducking in her seat and drawing her sidearm. Her too-tight, scratchy uniform jacket cut into her neck and she flicked open the top buttons in irritation. In the last few months, she’d learned enough about alien-hybrid powers to fear being teleported into the thick of a battle. She held her breath, but the only chill she felt was the rover’s air vents reacting to her spiking adrenaline with increased circulation.
“The pilot is asking for you, General,” Jacey Donovan, the tower operator reported. “She says you call her Ishtar.”
“Ishtar,” Diana whispered, her heart pitter-pattering. “You came back.”
“What the hell is she doing here? You said she left Terrana!” Diana cried, looking accusingly at her lover. Parker cradled his nose with one hand and tried to sit.
Ishtar leapt over them, struggling to make it down the hall with the headboard in tow. Her wrists were cuffed to the center section, forcing her to gallop sideways.
“Ishtar!” Diana hollered, chasing the woman to the stairwell.
“That’s not my name anymore!” Ishtar screeched. Their reunion the other week had been lovely, but brief. Did Parker keep her here because he was jealous?
“Hello, Diana,” Ishtar greeted her with a soft embrace.
“Ishtar,” Diana shuddered, her breath coming in short puffs. She had a reputation for being strong and ruthless, but that reputation hadn’t emerged until after she and Ishtar parted ways.
“Call me Sky,” Ishtar said. “That name went stale decades ago.”
“Gravity has been kind to you. I think you got younger,” Diana said, cradling Sky’s chin, her fingers trembling as she touched a piece of her past. “Naturally you’d be the one to violate the embargo, dear traveler. Did you even come from Quin?”
“I don’t like to advertise my presence. Not since Miguel got married,” Sky shrugged. “It creates such a stir, being referred to as his mistress. Another reason to drop the old name.”
“I like it. More of you for me,” Diana smirked. “I have such a tale to tell you. I finally went off world!”
“You went to Aquia?” she asked.
“Low orbit, but close enough to feel the gravity,” Diana acknowledged. “But it’s nothing I can speak about in the open air. Or in private. Or even to a therapist who is supposed to listen without judgment.”
“I’ll listen,” Sky hummed, her body warm against Diana’s. “Can we go someplace more private?”
Diana nodded, her face getting white at the notion of sharing the truth of her trip on Oriana. She pointed back to the rover. “I have to get to the 5—”
“No!” Sky cried.
“That was not an invitation,” Diana laughed, smacking Sky’s shoulder. “That place is not as bad as everyone thinks. Here is much worse. Are you passing through, or were you planning to stay the night on Terrana?”
“I’ll stay as long as it takes to get what I came for,” she said.
Diana nodded, having expected nothing more specific. “If you’re still here tonight, meet me in the Main Plaza garden.”
“I’ll stay just for you,” Sky promised. She leaned in to kiss Diana on the cheek, but the other woman pulled back.
“Save that for this evening. I can’t go to the 5 in a soft mood,” she smirked.
“You’ll never make it past security!” Diana warned, but Sky kept running. “Don’t make me shoot you.”
Sky whipped around, holding the bed frame up as a shield. The metal scroll would amplify a stunner blast. “Let me go. I have to go,” Sky begged, her face red and splotched from crying. Her body had a few bruises, but it didn’t look as though she’d suffered in the way of beatings.
“You’re not dressed,” Diana said. Sky brought out a softness in her that no other prisoner or victim could. But then her face flushed at the realization of Parker’s betrayal. “Oh, Zive. How long has
he had you chained to his bed? He told me you left!”
“I tried to leave,” Sky whimpered, her tears falling on the metal cuffs that bound her hands to the bed. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“I know, Ishtar—Sky. I know you,” Diana said gently, holding out her hands. “Let me help.”
“No. Just let me go,” Sky screeched, jerking away. She tripped on the next step and tumbled down the stairs, but the headboard caught on the railing, breaking her fall and yanking her cuffed hands. “No!” she wailed, twisting against the restraint. Diana had never seen her so distraught.
“Only Deivon can unlock this,” Diana said, pulling Sky’s body back to her side of the wedged headboard, taking the pressure off her wrists.
“Then break the chain,” Sky hiccupped.
Diana adjusted the settings on her stunner, but she couldn’t fire at any part of the restraint or the frame without injuring her friend. “How far do you think you’ll get with no clothes?”
“You’re going to give me yours,” Sky sniffled. “You were about to take them off for him anyway.”
Diana’s lip curled, and she shot at the restraint on impulse. The cuffs absorbed the blast and Sky winced. “He’ll be lucky if I don’t kill him for this,” Diana muttered.
“I didn’t have sex with him,” Sky whispered.
“But he stripped you,” Diana pointed out.
“To threaten Janiya,” Sky says. “He tells her he’ll hurt me if she doesn’t cooperate. She’s a prisoner, too. That’s what he tells me. I can’t be a prisoner.”
“Then come with me. I need his thumb to get you out,” Diana said.
“I won’t go back,” Sky grunted.
“I’ll get your clothes,” Diana offered. “You know me, Sky.”
“I knew you. Before he tainted you,” Sky spat. “I’ve seen what you do to your prisoners now.”
The rage surfaced again, and Diana grabbed Sky’s bruised wrists. Sky fought back, kicking and screaming. Then another stunner blast hit both their legs.
“Lt. Carr!” Diana hollered at the young officer, angry at him for interrupting, then at Parker again, then at Sky.
“Stay away from me,” Sky moaned, her legs trembling as she tried to get them to work. Her fear was directed toward Carr.
“Did you know she was here?” Diana demanded.
The young man stammered and scratched his head, his stunner hanging lamely from two fingers. “Um. Well, um. Mr. Parker may have asked me to keep an eye.”
“He ordered you to keep me from finding her,” Diana realized.
“Colonel Rhodes sent me,” Carr stuttered, his cheeks flushing.
“Is Cheoff’s black market water here?” Parker asked, striding down the hall, cradling his gimped hand. His face was lined with thermal strips, and dark purple bruises showed beneath.
“Yes,” Carr replied.
“And there’s trouble?” Parker prompted. He’d learned to tolerate the man, because Carr was the only Guard to have witnessed Galen’s presence on the surface. It helped having someone around who believed Elysia was real, especially when dealing with a rumored Panoptica, like Janiya Coro.”
“Maybe,” Carr said, relaxing slightly as he eased into his prepared report. “Damien Coro has control of Oriana.”
Sky whimpered. “Oriana,” she repeated, as though praying for help.
“And he’s looking for his wife,” Parker leered. “I know.”
“This obviously isn’t her,” Diana said. “Deivon. Restraints.”
Parker made a face, but squatted down and triggered the release. Either Sky was smart enough not to fight, or the stunner blast had zapped more of her strength than Diana’s. Had she even been properly fed in captivity?
“I need to get back to the Marble. Lt. Carr, secure the prisoner,” Parker ordered. Sky whined and kicked, but she’d run out of strength to fight.
“Parker—” Diana was cut off by his glower. It wasn’t just her job he controlled, but her life. Carr dutifully lifted the prisoner onto his shoulders and headed back to the apartment.
“Not here!” Parker carped.
“Yes, take her in there!” Diana countered. “Get her dressed. I can’t have you carrying a naked woman through the city.”
Carr wasn’t that great a fighter and out of restraints, Sky stood a chance of getting free. Diana grabbed Parker’s hand, triggering the pain response. She wanted him to suffer. “You’d better have a good reason for hiding her from me.”
“Not now, Diana,” he grumbled. “Go to the 5 and find a body that fits Janiya Coro’s physique. Coro will leave if we give him a corpse. I want Oriana off my moon!”
8
Vladimir “Sikorsky” Valentino passed through the dark portal and found himself in some sort of record room. His legs gave out and his heart felt like it would explode. He’d been traveling from Aquia to Terrana long before grav-drives were commonplace in transports, and he’d anticipated gravity sickness, but nothing this severe. He was not as young as he used to be. The ease with which he was able to teleport was new, but he didn’t choose his destinations. Options presented themselves in the form of translucent holes in space, and he walked into them.
The room activated, either in response to his presence or someone else’s. The screens came to life, and a pleasant voice asked in guttural Terranan whether he needed help. Sikorsky waited a beat, and then he heard Governor Cheoff reply. The Governor had a distinctive lisp in his voice that no one else seemed to hear.
“You’re leaving?” Garrett Cheoff whispered timidly. He tugged Sikorsky’s elbow-length glove, like a child vying for the attention of a parent.
Sikorsky smiled at the young journalist. Cheoff was an idealist, and he could spin captivating speeches about his dreams for a self-sufficient Terrana. All Sikorsky had to do was feed his hope and provide the financial backing to buy victories that couldn’t be won with words. The public believed Cheoff had negotiated a deal with Quin to secure new luminators for their Farm Dome. They called him the Unlikely Ambassador. Even Cheoff believed he’d won, offering a pittance of Hanyu ore in Trade. He won the negotiations that Sikorsky wanted him to win.
“I told you I couldn’t stay on Terrana. I’m having a baby,” Sikorsky replied, shouldering his small duffle and striding toward the departing passenger ships.
“Oh,” Cheoff said, his shoulders slumping, his dark hair falling messily over his face. He bounced nervously, taking tiny steps so that he could keep pace with Sikorsky and dispel his nervous energy. “I thought your wife left because you two had a fight.”
“We did. About whether I should go with her,” Sikorsky smirked. “We have too much invested in Quin to have a luna-born child.”
His child’s birth was a convenient excuse to leave. The Head of the Guard had grown suspicious of Sikorsky’s influence over the council, so Sikorsky had decided to exert it from a distance for a while.
“That was… five months ago?” Cheoff recalled.
“Six,” he said. “She suffered a complication and went in for surgery yesterday.”
“Then you definitely can’t stay,” Cheoff said predictably. “And I can’t finish this campaign without you.”
“Garrett, of course you can,” Sikorsky encouraged, putting a hand on Cheoff’s shoulder. The move didn’t settle the man’s twitters, but Sikorsky had learned his young journalist was never still. Sikorsky had chosen him for his charisma, and it was too late to buy a politician with fewer quirks.
“Talk to that man I hired last week, Deivon Parker,” Sikorsky advised. “I hired him because I knew I would be leaving. He’ll help you until I return.”
Cheoff took a deep, shuddering breath. “I don’t trust him, Vlad. I just don’t.”
“You said the same thing about me when I first offered to assist your campaign,” Sikorsky smiled. “Now look at you. On your way to being a Councilman.”
Sikorsky had bought Cheoff’s council seat, but Parker had stolen the trusting, young man. He of
ten wondered if Parker’s power of manipulation was a hybrid ability, but he’d met a fair share of shrewd businesspeople who could get what they wanted without superhuman power.
Moving gingerly, Sikorsky pushed himself to sitting and scooted for the nearest bench. The energy he’d felt during landing had sucked him into the Marble. He kept moving to avoid notice, but every teleport drained his energy. Governor Cheoff scurried past, his nose buried in a Virclutch. He passed again, moving to a different console, tapping in a few things, transferring them to his Virclutch. The man never stopped. Until Sikorsky’s stomach growled.
Cheoff pressed his hand to his heart, sandwiching his Virclutch against his chest. “Vlad,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “I must say, I thought you’d be back much sooner. Decades sooner.”
“I thought I would too,” Sikorsky said. He watched for any sign that the man had called for security. It didn’t matter. He could leave whenever he wanted. If he could stay conscious. Sitting was difficult. “A lot of things changed in Quin after you and I stopped the Panoptica Raids. It took vigilance to keep the Vimbai in check.”
Forty years ago, the Vimbai family found a way to extract hybrid power and sell it in small doses. They’d orchestrated raids of the Terranan tunnels, where Panoptica were rumored to hide, and people like Janiya were brought as prisoners to Quin. In his fight to stop the Vimbai, Sikorsky had fed critical information to a young reporter—Cheoff.
“Was your wife even pregnant?” Cheoff asked, retreating to the far side of the room, tapping on his Virclutch, then moving to another console. He’d decided Sikorsky wasn’t a threat and was already getting distracted by the task he’d come here to complete.
“We had a daughter,” Sikorsky said, hoping the small talk would win him trust. They’d lost the first child, and Mikayla was born many years later, but it was true enough. “Then my wife divorced me and I watched her raise my daughter with someone else. I have a grandson now. The kid is obsessed with bugs. If I took him to the 3, he’d never leave again.”
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