Dark. That word arose too much recently. It always came up, but lately, it consumed his mind. He rubbed his temples, looking at the bright bulb in the ceiling. It hurt his eyes but kept the dark away. Light didn’t illuminate dark, as many believed. It only masked it. He needed it masked.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Scout, Nait and Naos rushed out the door. Nait looked back at the others, waving as they left. Sora acknowledged it with a nod while Jet led the others in the opposite direction. The crew turned left, entering another narrow, blue hallway. More intricate paintings of nature and Idil took up the walls.
Fi strode to Talek’s side. She didn’t face him. “What happened in the laboratory?”
Talek suspected that these questions would arise. “Remember what I told you on the Killer. Thank you for your help, Fi.”
Talek caught her eye roll out of the corner of his own eye. “Your explanation on the ship really wasn’t an explanation. You need to stay on task. This isn’t the time for preoccupations of mythical elements and higher powers.”
Talek nodded. She had a point. “Again, I appreciate your help,” he said, smirking. This situation needed to lighten. “Fi Kal providing physical and emotional support? Things truly are changing in the nebula.”
“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t have a cold heart. I don’t want to see you lost in this abyss, Talek. Whatever abyss that is.”
She didn’t know how close she stood to the truth. How true her statement rang. “I’ve never been one to ask for help. I’ve done fine in seclusion, but I didn’t mind your help,” he said. His smirk widened into a smile. “I’ve always seen that you have a warm heart, Fi. Far from a cold heart. Just like the rest of the nebula, there’s more to you than what appears on the surface.”
Fi sealed her lips together and said nothing, walking a step ahead of Talek. He wanted to think she had the urge to smile as well.
“Talek,” Sora said. He stood a few feet ahead of Talek but stopped so Talek could catch up. The rest of the crew brushed past both, except Fi. She lingered and watched the conversation. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened down there. Are you alright?”
Talek nodded. He upheld his smile for comfort’s sake. “Of course, Sora. Just a migraine. The lights down there were too much at once.”
“Hm,” Sora said, biting his lip. He slowed his pace. “It seemed like something more. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I would not lie to you, Sora. I’m fine.”
“Talek, you’re one of the strongest men I’ve ever met,” Sora said, placing his hand on his shoulder. Talek noticed the man shiver. “I don’t know about any of this… we’re in deep here. I’m consumed by a lot, too, but we have to be honest with each other. We need each other. You’re a valued member of my crew and if something is concerning you, I will help you.”
Talek’s eyes zoomed in on Sora’s hand as it slipped away from his shoulder. Talek blinked, looking back at Sora’s face. His eyes flickered with fear a few seconds ago, but now, they seemed resolute again. “Huh.”
Sora Trok. A man filled with many surprises.
“If ever you have the capability to help me,” Talek said, sighing. He knew that would never happen. “I will keep you in mind.”
“Good. You don’t even have to ask.”
They looked forward as Jet turned left and grabbed the golden handles of two tall, green doors. The doors swung outward and Jet walked inside. Talek followed with the rest of the crew, scanning the spacious room. Two cushioned, linen chairs sat in front of a wide, black desk. A television sat behind the desk, likely used for communication purposes. A dresser with refreshments sat on the left,while a large window overlooking Idil sat on the right. The sunlight illuminated Jet’s desk.
“As you fine people witnessed, Chief Bosnan’s offer is a risky, complicated and intriguing one,” Jet said, brushing off his robe as he sat at his desk. Natalia sat in one of the chairs across from him. “Observing him these last few weeks has been terrifying and incredible. What he is doing seems ludicrous, but we may never have another opportunity like this.”
“If you were so eager for ‘Nat’ here to meet him, why haven’t you pledged your support?” Trika said, crossing her arms and plopping down in the other chair.
“I thought I’d made my uncertainties obvious enough,” Jet said, shaking his head. He glanced to the window. “However, Natalia and I both know that I cannot support him. It would endanger the peace of my people. This place is a haven and I can’t throw that away.”
“So, we do the grunt work while you lavish,” Fi said. It didn’t sound like a question.
Jet shook his head faster. “No, absolutely not. No one in the nebula is lavishing except Queen Bettina. However, you all can provide support I can’t provide and in so many ways. A ship crew can do more than a politician.”
“Jet’s right, people,” Natalia said, sighing. She turned to look at the rest of the crew. “These soldiers may be a great asset and if anyone can help this project go right, it’s us. If anyone can use it against Bettina and her injustice, it’s us.”
“You have a fair point, Senator, but the ethics behind this are lacking,” Viktor said. He folded his hands and stepped toward the front of the room. “Should we really support such a wrong and uncertain endeavor?”
“Talek,” Sora said, raising his voice. Everyone looked at the warrior. “You have not shared much of your insight. I would like to hear it.”
Talek scratched his chin. An interesting move by Sora and he didn’t see it coming. He knew that Sora valued his opinion but, after Talek’s performance downstairs, he had hoped to dwell in the background. He didn’t feel like he could provide a clear perspective after that and he figured Sora would know that. Yet, Sora still wanted to hear his perspective.
A man filled with surprises.
The itch returned. A faint scream echoed. Talek ignored it, gulping and glancing to Fi before staring at Sora. He focused on the man’s brown, curious eyes. “Many… aspects of this galaxy and the opportunities in it are unknown to us. Many people can’t be trusted, but just because we can’t trust someone does not mean they are useless to us. Something new and unknown should not be avoided merely for the sake of being new and unknown. If something is unknown, we cannot be positive of the ethics behind it. We should not squander this opportunity. The only way to know it is to explore it.”
Did Talek really believe that? He thought he did. He hoped he did. He never liked to give speeches but focusing on speaking kept his mind off the itching and crawling. He hoped their influence remained minimal.
Sora smiled. “Well said, Talek. Well said.”
A green light flashed on the television behind Jet. Seconds later, the comm on Sora’s belt beeped. Talek’s eyes shifted back and forth between the two.
Jet activated the television and a woman with blonde, curly-hair appeared. She wore a formal, red jacket with a silver blouse underneath. Her dark blue eyes honed on Jet. “Governor, I have been trying to reach you for twenty minutes. We’ve received an unexpected message from—”
Talek tuned out to eavesdrop on Sora’s conversation as he activated his comm. “Captain,” Kossk’s raspy voice said. “The bodies of myself and the Kila have encountered—”
A quake interrupted both conversations. Viktor nearly topped onto Trika while Talek and Sora both grabbed the right wall. Fi tripped and began to fall backward but caught herself on the chest. Screams followed.
Not a good sign.
“Lt. Governor!” Jet said, shooting to his feet. The woman on the other end pulled herself back up. “Are you alright down there?”
“Yes. The Consortium is safe, but the city is being thrown into chaos. We need—”
Talek ignored the rest, rushing to the window with Sora. Sunlight continued to shine over Idil, but in the middle, he saw silver bodies marching in unison. Traces of smoke rose in the background.
Light only masked the dark.
“Is th
at your security, Governor?” Viktor said, standing close to Talek.
Talek knew the answer before Jet spoke. No, not security.
The Queen’s army had arrived.
Scout thought the building shook, but music and chatter drowned out any sound to verify that thought. Maybe paranoia had taken over.
“We don’t usually serve kids,” the purple, alien waitress said as she typed their order into a pad. Scales covered her otherwise humanoid body. “No alcohol.”
“Just bring us some juice,” Scout said, tossing her a spare credit that Sora had given her on the ship. “The money’s good. We need to eat and go.”
Scout didn’t like socializing. Bettina never let them go out to eat, so a seedy, dark restaurant stood out as new territory. Scout, Nait and Naos sat around a small, circular table. Other patrons filled the long room, eating and conversing above the music. Von’s Lounge didn’t sit far from the Consortium, but it had a low-life atmosphere and dim green, red and blue lights amplified that. However, Scout didn’t have enough credits to nitpick.
She also didn’t care right now.
“Okay, Blondie, what’s the big deal?” she said, sipping on her water. Naos’ big fit got him the attention he wanted. She hadn’t missed that part of him.
“Scout, hear me out. Nait, help me out here,” Naos said, elbowing the older teen to his left. “I know I’ve complained a lot since the cabin, but this is really weird. Since when do scientists make people? How is that reliable?”
“I get it,” Nait said, patting Naos’ arm. “I do, but I don’t want to count it out just yet. Where else would we go? No more running and grasping at straws. This is our chance to be a part of something bigger. Even if it goes bad, we’re skilled enough to handle of it.”
Good, Nait’s confidence stood as the strong argument against Naos’ concerns. That boded well.
A week ago, Bosnan and his army would have seemed crazy to Scout. She would have had the same reaction as Naos. She just wouldn’t sound as whiny. After everything that had happened, her tune had changed.
Scout had to stop her. She needed to avenge herself. She needed to avenge Nait, Naos, Jaskia and Natalia. Bettina owed them.
So, the army didn’t seem that crazy. Not crazier than her mentor turning her world upside down. It seemed like a safer bet than Felicia Malone because Bosnan hadn’t asked her to kill any friends yet.
“Bettina’s never going to stop, Naos. She came for Nait and almost got him, she almost got me. She was coming for you and Senator Valie, too,” Scout said, circling the top of the glass with her finger. “No matter how far we run, things are going to keep getting more complicated. Haven’t the last several days shown you that?”
“I get why you want to fight back,” Naos said, frowning. He looked at the floor. “I do. I just don’t know if its feasible. I don’t know if this is feasible.”
He didn’t get anything. He couldn’t. He didn’t know Bettina like Scout did.
“Nothing is feasible, Blondie,” Scout said. She snorted. “Feasible is what you make it. It didn’t seem feasible to swing into Puntan on a freighter and grab you but we did, right?”
“Yeah,” Naos said. He scratched the back of his head and looked up, gazing at Scout. “I’m just scared. We all should be. All of this has a big question mark on it.”
“The great Naos Redgrave scared?” Scout said, laughing again. She smirked. “That’s why you’ve got me, Blondie. We’ll be fine.”
“Unlike my notoriously brave sister,” Nait said, glaring in her direction. “I’m scared, too, Naos, but we have each other now. We have your back and we need to know that you have ours, too, if this does go south.”
Naos smiled, chuckling. “I do, I do, I promise. It’s not you guys, it’s the situation. None of this sits well with me. It doesn’t feel right.”
The table rattled. Scout’s head snapped to the side, looking around the room. She definitely didn’t imagine that. She saw several patrons running for the exit. “You guys felt that, right?”
Before they could answer, a crash came from the back of the lounge. Scout turned in the opposite direction to see plates shattering and their waitress lying on the ground. Three red-jacket, armed men walked past her. As customers witnessed this, they started to run.
“Still doesn’t explain the shaking,” Nait said. Scout barely heard his whispering voice. He grabbed the edge of the table, scooting toward Naos.
Scout stared at the armed men. A shadow appeared behind them and strolled between the two center men.
Felicia Malone approached the teens’ table, ignoring the frightened citizens and chaotic restaurant. Her face no longer held that smile and charm. Now, it looked frozen and serious. “My dear, Tian, you and I have some unfinished business.”
10
“How did they find us?” Trika said, shoving her way past Viktor and pressing her hands to the window. Sora noticed her scowl as she glanced back to Jet. “Did you rat us out?”
Jet’s face turned white. He looked beyond Trika, ignoring the woman on the television. “No, of course not! The Queen’s soldiers have never been here. I have no idea how they would know you all are here.”
Sora still gripped the comm in his right hand. He had to think and move fast. First, they needed to make sure the soldiers had come for them and not some other reason. He held the comm to his mouth again. “Kossk, are there soldiers at the Killer?”
“Yes, Captain, three silver bodies are guarding the docking bay,” Kossk said. Sora didn’t hear much noise in the background, which he considered a good sign. “Their bodies have yet to enter the ship. Their minds are unaware of our bodies’ presence onboard.”
“He needs to leave before they lockdown the ship,” Talek said, walking closer to Sora’s comm.
Sora nodded. “Talek’s right, Kossk. Tell Chok to take off as soon as possible. You can come to the Consortium but wait for my signal. Evade her forces until then.”
“What about the bodies of soldiers currently present?”
Sora sighed. He wondered if he had grown too used to fighting and killing. “Take them out if you need to, but if you can leave without causing a scene, do it.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The comm clicked off. Sora and Talek looked to see Jet conversing with the woman on the screen again. She remained composed, while Jet’s worry showed in his wide eyes. “Renee, what happened?”
“There was a report sent out to all planets giving the details of the ship that Senator Valie was travelling on,” Renee said. She frowned. “The security at docking control noticed it when they arrived and sent a report to the Bombard.”
Sora remembered the man’s uncertainty upon seeing the Killer in the docking bay. It made sense and Sora felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. How did the government know the Killer had Senator Valie? The only evidence that the Queen had of the Killer would have come from Con.
Unless someone else tipped her off. Felicia.
She hated Bettina. Why would she help her?
“Questions for later,” Sora said beneath his breath. “We do need to go.”
“How did I not know of this when they arrived, Lt. Governor Haltzilakas?” Jet said, crossing his arms.
“I only found out once the royal army entered the system, sir,” Haltzilakas said. She grimaced. “Captain Nelson approved the report without consulting either of us.”
“Figures,” Trika said with a scoff.
“Miss Haltzilakas, do your best to hold them off. I need to get these people to safety,” he said, flipping the television off. He whirled around and gazed at Natalia. “Quickly, I can hide you.”
“No. You need to stay in the Queen’s good graces and I was too open in coming here,” Natalia said. She touched his shoulders. “I’ve sent your planet into chaos. I’m so sorry.”
Jet touched her hands. Sora’s questions about their relationship swarmed his mind again but he knew that he didn’t have time for that. “I have no regrets, Nat. This w
as inevitable with the Catalanians here.”
“Your lieutenant governor will not be able to stall these soldiers. They have orders to find me no matter what,” Natalia said, removing her hands from his shoulders and backing away. She glanced to the crew. “We cannot let them raid the Consortium and find Bosnan. It will make all of this for nothing.”
“Are you suggesting that we take on Bettina’s army, Senator?” Fi said, raising an eyebrow. “They will not be as easy to combat as security officers or thugs.”
Natalia nodded. She narrowed her eyes at Sora. “We have no choice. We have to hold them off until we can get the kids back, get the Killer here and get Bosnan onboard.”
“Every part of that is a tall task, Senator,” Talek said, shaking his head. “I believe in our capability to fight the soldiers, but we can only do it for so long.”
“This situation will entice Bosnan to join us,” Natalia said. “First, we just have to get the ship to the Consortium’s landing pad.”
Natalia motioned to the window. Sora could still see the smoke that rose from whatever these soldiers had already done. “These people are in danger because of us. We owe it to them to fight back.”
The civilians. The innocent. Families and children. Children like Sora and his siblings. Children like Scout, Nait and Naos. Kind people like Talek, Fi and Viktor. They did not deserve this. That reasoning caused Sora to help Scout in the first place. “Natalia’s right, people. Let’s go.”
He activated his comm again, keying in the Killer’s frequency. Seconds later, he heard the noise of turret fire and gunfire booming through the comm. Kossk had picked up so that showed they hadn’t been taken out. “Kossk, bring the Killer to the landing pad on the side of the Consortium as soon as you can.”
“Yes, Captain. Our bodies have encountered some resistance but the ship’s defenses are aiding us. However, it may take our bodies some time.”
“Just stay safe.”
The comm clicked off again. Sora looked up to see Natalia approaching Jet again. “For all of our sakes, you need to act like this wasn’t your decision. We forced our way in here. Chief Bosnan was never here, at least to your knowledge. I’m sorry about this, Jet. It’s the only way.”
Survival, Dark Times Page 14
