He activates the hologram function on his Connect, and Irene’s face pops up over the screen. Javen tips the image to me.
“Cassi!” Irene’s eyes light up.
“We’re coming to you,” I say as we jog. “We’re almost there.”
“You sure? I know you probably need to recuperate.”
Peering up at Javen, my lips twist into a grin. I bring my attention back to the hologram and say, “I’m fine. As far as I can tell, completely healed.”
“Then I’ll see you soon,” she offered.
I nod and Javen taps the face of his Connect.
“Getting used to tech?” I chuckle.
“It is the perfect way to summon with humans.”
My stomach twinges at his answer because it sends me back to reality. “Only Irene knows about me being Alku.”
“Irene knows, and I didn’t?” Javen presses his lips together.
All of this is so complicated. Apparently, Javen still doesn’t know I’m the Protector either, or I’m sure he would have mentioned it. “I needed her to understand how to help me build the modified Connects. Telling her about who I am was part of that. My dad doesn’t know, either. I needed him to stay focused on the portal and getting to Earth. I think if he knew what was going on with me, it would have worried him too much.”
Javen’s gaze falls to the ground, and he kicks his shoe into the dirt. After a moment, his attention returns to me. “No more secrets. Please.”
I’m the new Protector! I want to blurt the words out and tell him everything. But I don’t. Javen wants to keep me from any danger. If he knows I have a sworn duty to the Starfire that may put me in more danger, he won’t be able to focus on the things he needs to for his people. I hate keeping anything from him, but I also need to keep him safe. My mind allowed him to realize I was Alku . . . but not the part about me being a Protector. That must have been for a reason.
“Okay,” I answer simply.
Javen and I find our way to the camp’s edge, and I spot Irene’s figure outside of a small dwelling created by the Starfire. Her curly dark hair is lit by the moonlight. Squeezing Javen’s hand, I release him and dash to my friend, relieved to see her in person again.
“Cassi!” she shouts as I jog toward her. When I get to Irene, I throw my arms around her and squeeze. She returns the embrace with equal enthusiasm.
She releases me only when Javen catches up to us.
Irene eyes me up and down. “No permanent damage?”
I pat my chest and arms. “I guess I can’t know for sure, but I don’t think so.” I do feel totally healthy, and with the Starfire’s power functioning again . . .
Irene’s lips stretch into a wide smile. “I was so worried for you.” Her attention shifts from me to Javen, and then she gestures to the dwelling behind her. “Come inside. We have a lot to catch you up on. Howard and I have been able to build two more portable portal devices.”
“Really?” I practically squeal. Additional devices will be extremely helpful.
“Yes. And you need to fill us in on what happened while Hammond had you in custody.” Irene arches an eyebrow at me before stepping inside the already open door.
We follow and my hand reaches for Javen’s again, happy to be back with him. The inside is lit, and several people are gathered around a table: Kate Morris, Wirren, and Commander Tucker. They’re all deep in conversation, not seeming to notice us.
“Are the others back at the lab?” I ask Irene in a whisper.
“Some of them. Most are getting a little rest. Saving their strength.”
I gulp. We all need to save our strength for what’s ahead.
Irene clears her throat loudly to get the others’ attention. “Cassi’s here.”
Dr. Morris lifts her head our way before pushing back on her chair and standing. Her eyes settle on me first. “Please join us.”
Irene, Javen, and I find seats around the table, and Dr. Morris sits again.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Commander Tucker,” I say to the ginger-haired man with dark circles under his eyes. “General Atkins was a brave woman.”
Tucker tips his head to me but says nothing.
“All of us are grieving too many losses,” Wirren adds.
He has no idea whether his brother, Vihann, will return from Earth, and I don’t even ask about Dad. I know from what Javen said that no news has come.
“Why don’t you start by telling us everything that happened to you, Cassi?” Dr. Morris asks.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, I try to tell them everything I remember—that Hammond somehow knows about my connection to the Starfire and the powers it provides me.
“She was trying to extract the crystal’s connection from me. She believes Earth is deteriorating faster than predicted and is willing to save it by any means necessary,” I explain.
“My wife Analya and several other Alku with modified Connects have returned to Paxon to ready our people,” Wirren says.
I glance at Javen in surprise. “You didn’t tell me your people had already left for Paxon.”
They left yesterday, his voice comes back to my mind.
“They will guide the people in the right direction,” Wirren says, “readying them for the potential battle.”
“Will the rest of the Alku come to Arcadia?” I ask.
Javen nods. “When the time comes. And I may be leading them, if my father hasn’t returned.”
The thought sends a shiver down my spine. I don’t want anyone to die, especially Javen, and I know full well that there will be death.
“We believe that, with the help of Kole Harris, we can begin the Renewal process on Earth with a relatively small amount of Starfire from the Intersection,” Tucker says. “But if Hammond continues mining the crystals from Arcadia, we’re not sure what will happen.”
“It could collapse the dimension on Paxon and even affect us here if too much is removed too quickly,” Irene adds, looking to me. “I’ve been running scenarios on the Earthscape program.”
“And we can’t tell Hammond about the Intersection,” Tucker says. “There’s too much power in the Mother Starfire.”
I sigh. “Hammond mentioned that Renewal only has a twenty percent chance at success. That the Earth’s atmosphere is collapsing as we speak. She’s convinced that her plan has a much higher chance of working.”
Dr. Morris’s fist slams onto the table, and I flinch. “Of course she would say that. If Hammond’s the savior, it gives her ultimate power: she will have saved the human race.”
Billions of lives versus a few hundred thousand.
The words roll through my head. “Does using the Mother Starfire for Renewal increase our odds of success?”
“We don’t know,” Morris admits. “There’s a possibility it could be less.”
“And do you think Hammond’s calculations are right?” My concerned gaze roams over their faces. “That her method really has an eighty percent chance of success to save everyone on Earth?”
Everyone became silent.
From my side, I sense Javen’s questioning stare, but I block his thoughts for a moment.
Wirren finally answers me. “Strip mining the Starfire from Arcadia and destroying Paxon has the strongest likelihood to save Earth before the humans’ planet is destroyed.”
CHAPTER 6
“So, we know that Earth’s ecosystem may collapse at any time, and Renewal may not work at all?” I stand and run my hands through my hair. “Hammond is right?”
Next to me, Irene’s mouth falls open. She must not have known either.
My heart pounds as I stare at everyone around the table.
Cassi, you need to calm down, Javen urges in my mind.
My narrowed gaze flicks to his. “This is huge, Javen! I don’t want to calm down.”
Irene leans back, slumping into her chair. Her hands lift to her eyes, and by the trembling of her body, I can tell that she’s crying. Her aunt and cousins are still on Earth. The
y’re the only family she has left.
I’ve never seen Irene fall apart in this way.
Dr. Morris sighs. “We don’t know. The Starfire is a new tool for us. Nothing has been tested before. All of our calculations could be wrong.”
My stomach twists into nauseating knots.
“So, stopping Hammond might kill the entire human race, unless they’re lucky enough to be on Arcadia already?” I ask.
“And not stopping Hammond will decimate the Alku,” Wirrin adds.
I expect anger in his face, in his tone, but it’s not there. Instead, his eyes are filled with sadness and compassion. He wants to survive. I know he does because, from the very beginning, he was the one who stood up to Vihann when his brother wasn’t defending the Alku from Hammond.
My attention falls onto Javen, who is leaning forward with elbows on the table and his head resting on his hands. His eyes are closed, and I can imagine the thoughts running through his mind. These are his people. He’s their future Luminary . . . my future Luminary, and he wants to do his best for them.
“We must find a way to increase the odds of success for both the Alku and Earth,” I say.
Tucker releases a sigh. “That is precisely what we hope to do.”
I open my mouth to speak, but as I do, Connects buzz around the table. It's a message from Howard.
The portal has activated.
No sooner do I see the words on the screen than I race from the dwelling. Closing my eyes, I envision myself at the portal, and when my lids open, I’m ten feet from the giant device. The opening is on fire with cyan energy, as if it were lightning contained.
Javen appears beside me. He must have ported, too. He takes my hand and laces his fingers with mine. An unsteady breath releases from my lungs, relieved that he isn’t angry at me for questioning our attempts to save both Earth and the Alku.
You are doing your best, he says in my mind. Just as I am.
The portal crackles then, making a sound like the roar of ocean waves. Shadowy figures appear as they step through the energy.
Vihann is the first face I can make out, and then Dad’s. They step a few feet from the opening, where the energy forms a swirling pattern. With a pop, it disappears.
But no Max. My heart sinks into my stomach. Earth might be destroyed, and Max is still there.
“Dad!” I yell, releasing Javen’s hand. I race toward them but stop a few feet away. Dad bends, dropping his hands to his knees, holding one hand out to stop me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
I glance over my shoulder to see Javen’s mother Zarah, Wirren, Kate Morris, Howard, and several others approaching, and then return my attention to Dad and Vihann. They’re out of breath. Dad’s clothes are torn in several spots, and his shirt is stained with blood.
Panic rises in my chest at the sight of the stains, and I grab for his arm, willing the Starfire’s healing power into him. When I finish, I study his face, which remains tense. But he straightens his back as though feeling renewed. I reach for Vihann, taking his wrist and offering the Starfire’s healing as well.
The others finally reach us. Dad turns his attention to them and pants, “We have an update.”
***
We awaken the Senate members. They join the meeting, but I can barely think.
My mind reels. Max didn’t come back with Dad and Vihann. He said he was going to stay on Earth, and Max doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean. Dad paces the room at the refugee camp, apparently unable to calm the nervous energy coursing through him.
He runs his hand over his face. “There’s good news and bad news.”
“Obviously you didn’t leave on friendly terms,” Senator Simmons points out, bringing my attention back to the blood stains on Dad’s shirt.
My eyes widen as I look back and forth between Dad and Vihann. I didn’t even bother to ask. How did they get injured? Who was after them? Maybe it wasn’t Max’s choice to stay on Earth, after all.
“Before we left,” Vihann explains, “Richard and I discussed a potential backup plan to meeting with Kole Harris.”
“Being on the Board and designing the settlement on Arcadia has helped me develop useful connections throughout the years. The first thing I did after we arrived on Earth was to contact representatives of Britain, Spain, and Australia through a private line. They trust me, and I explained what was going on. Honestly, they were in shock but willing to help. Each has a small fleet they are willing to provide and enough fuel to get those ships through a portal opening we will create”—Dad glances at his Connect—“in a few hours. I promised them Starfire retrofits to their ships once they are here. Part of the deal.”
Zarah reaches for her husband and grasps his hand.
“But what about Harris?” Senator Gray asks. “Those countries’ resources are small. Harris is the one we need.”
Dad purses his lips. “The meeting with Harris didn’t go so well.”
Dr. Morris drags her fingers through her hair.
“Harris is the one who attacked us,” Dad says. “We barely made it out of there alive.”
“What about Max?” I blurt out, unable to contain myself anymore.
Dad fixes his gaze on me for a moment and then studies the tabletop. “We don’t know. Before long, Max had changed his tune about staying. He wasn’t so sure anymore after seeing how bad it had gotten on the news. LA is nearly destroyed.”
“Then why isn’t he here?” I demand. Tension continues to build in my chest as I think about both Max’s and Irene’s families who are still in LA.
Dad looks around at the group. “We arrived at the rendezvous with Harris this morning. It was one of his secret operations. The man greeted us with enthusiasm, but his reaction to seeing Max was unexpected.”
“What do you mean by that?” Wirren asks.
“He didn’t act like a man whose son had traveled the stars and then returned home,” Vihann adds. “I noticed his behavior too.”
“Harris was much more interested in the Starfire than anything else,” Dad says. “He wanted to run tests with the samples we brought, and before we could say no, they were already gone with Harris. Max was called from the room, and Vihann and I were left by ourselves. We didn’t even get to the part about the portal, or how I had brought a device to activate it.”
“We decided to go after Max not long after and quickly learned that the facility we were in was empty,” Vihann says. “The guards were even gone.”
“We ran outside and saw a caravan leaving, and moments later a remnant of the guard attacked us,” Dad confesses.
“How did you escape?” Wirrin asks.
“Vihann was able to transport us a short distance, which gave me enough time to activate the portal.”
“But Max?” My heart pounds in my ears.
Dad hangs his head. “All I can guess is Harris took him.”
I lean back in my seat, rubbing my temple.
“So, what kind of danger does this pose to us?” Dr. Morris asks. “It’s obvious with Harris stealing the Starfire that he’s not our friend. Could he get here?”
The room bursts into an argument.
Unable to process this news, I stride toward the door.
Javen catches my arm, stopping me. Concern fills his eyes.
I’ll be back, I say to his mind. I need some air.
Nodding, he returns to his conversation with his father and uncle.
It doesn’t take long before Dad appears in the doorway and comes to my side. Overhead, the sun has begun to lighten the sky, and the moons and stars disappear.
“I’m sorry about Max,” Dad offers.
My hands tighten into fists as he speaks. “What was Earth like?” I ask, trying to change the subject.
“Worse than I expected. We were shocked. The temperature has risen across the globe, and the news is full of stories of mass riots. Many countries are threatening each other instead of working together.” He looks away. “The whole southeast US was hit
with a massive storm that basically wiped it off the map. Two weeks ago, the LA area had a 9.5 earthquake that killed at least twenty thousand people. I couldn’t even listen to the death toll anymore.” He wipes his eyes.
My mind immediately moves to Irene’s family in Los Angeles, but I don’t even know what to say. Should I tell her?
“There have been transports through the Turner Space Fold, moving people to Arcadia . . . but only the rich. And only so many ships are available.”
“Will they bring passengers to the surface? With a war going on here?”
Dad shrugs. “I have no idea, but you can live on vessels like that for months, if necessary.” He twists his head toward the portal. “In a few hours, war ships will arrive. We arranged the coordinates with Britain, Spain, and Australia so we can open the portal. We’ll have a small army to fight a war. Still, I need to go back in there and tell everyone that I’m not sure it’s even possible to move fast enough to save Earth anymore.”
CHAPTER 7
“You just left Max there?” I finally ask. Guilt pulls at me, especially because I feel it’s my fault Max even went back to Earth. I hurt him and he was trying to escape me.
Regret fills Dad’s eyes and his brows pull together. He reaches for my upper arm. “It’s not like we had much of a choice. If we had a visual, Vihann could have ported him, but we didn’t. And his Connect was disabled. Everything happened so fast.”
I twist away from him in frustration. “Do you think Kole Harris is going to use the Starfire to get off Earth, or as a weapon?”
“Honestly, Cassi, I have no idea. Our conversation with him was much shorter than I anticipated, and he gave few clues about his plan until it happened.”
“Are you sure the other ships will come through?” I ask. “What if he struck a deal with them, too?”
Dad looks to the ground and kicks the dirt with his shoe. “Then, we tried our best.” He fiddles with Mom’s wedding ring on his pinky and removes it.
“You keep that,” I insist.
He places the gold circle in my palm and then closes my fingers over it. “It brought me back, and I want you to wear it again.”
The Starfire Wars- The Complete series Box Set Page 53
