Breaking Point

by David Alastair Hayden

  Siv was sorely tempted to demand Silky explain everything, but his mind was already dealing with enough mysteries and problems. And this knowledge wouldn’t change how they ran from or fought against Kaleeb.

  Except in one way, he realized with a jolt that ran from his heart to his stomach. Silky would be more than willing to risk their lives if he thought they had a chance at killing Kaleeb, Oona and her mission be damned.

  21

  Siv Gendin

  It took nearly twice as long to reach Titus II as it should have. Ship after ship hailed them, demanding that Oktara slow down and provide credentials, or else. Meanwhile, each one took the time to do multiple intense sensor sweeps of the fat courier ship.

  During those encounters, Siv and Mitsuki hid in the engineering room, but not in the smuggler's nook. Silky didn't think that was necessary unless they were boarded since none of those ships had the advanced capabilities Kaleeb, his sky-blade, or the Tekk Reapers possessed.

  Along with basic jamming, Silky masked Mitsuki so that sensors would think she was human instead of wakyran. Altogether, it must have worked, because they were allowed to pass without anyone else boarding the ship.

  Kaleeb’s infiltrator was nowhere to be seen. And since Silky believed he’d given away their presence before by doing long-range scanning, he stuck to short-range scans. It was better not to know where Kaleeb might be than to make him suspicious again.

  When they finally reached orbit of Titus II, and the average looking green-blue planet with its string of tiny, golden-hued moons appeared in his HUD, Siv sank against the wall with a satisfied sigh. Mitsuki pumped a fist as she let out a whooping cry of celebration.

  One by one, the planet’s orbital defense systems scanned and approved them. Finally, a government cruiser hailed them and demanded they submit to a boarding inspection before landing.

  Siv and Mitsuki again crammed themselves into the insufferably hot nook. Fortunately, the government inspectors never found the first nook and were gone after twenty minutes.

  “Were they looking for us?” Siv asked as they returned to the bridge.

  Oktara shrugged. “I have no idea. They said they were checking every vessel due to increased criminal activity and an unusual number of suspicious ships in the system.”

  “That may not be their true motive,” Mitsuki said, “but it’s not a lie. This system is full of lowlifes on armed vessels.”

  “Am I taking you down to Capital City?” Oktara asked. “Or somewhere else?”

  Mitsuki struck the heel of her palm against her forehead. “You know, we never actually discussed where we’d land.” She switched to chippy communication. “What do you think, Sivvy?”

  Siv was deep in thought and didn’t answer.

  “Hey, jerk-face!” Mitsuki said out loud. “Got an opinion?”

  Siv waved her off.

  “Is something wrong, sir?”

  He waited a few more moments before muttering aloud. “I just realized something. We’re not flying free. We’re caught in the spider’s web.”

  “Sir…what…what the hell are you talking about?”

  “What’s with the cryptic nonsense?” Mitsuki asked.

  “Sir, what’s your logic here?”

  “In a nutshell, we escaped, and Kaleeb let Oktara off too easy. It’s a hunch more than anything.”

  “I do oh so love hunches, sir,” Silky replied sarcastically. “Almost as much as when you take a gamble without checking with me first.”

  “I think Kaleeb knows we’re on this ship. He’s following us but staying just out of range of our scans. He allowed the Bumblebee to go because he knows if he follows it down to the planet, we’ll have to emerge.”

  “If he knows we’re on the ship, why didn’t he take us out when he boarded?” Mitsuki asked.

  "He knew we were here but couldn't locate us," Siv said. "He was going to have to tear the ship apart to find us, or get back in his infiltrator blow us to smithereens."

  “So why didn’t he blast us? That’s what he tried when we were in the Solace,” Mitsuki said. “Although I guess he could’ve just tortured Oktara to find out where we were.”

  Siv smiled. “Yes, he could have. And I think he told Oktara as much in the loading bay and gave him an ultimatum.” He turned to the Hydrogenist leader. “But that’s when you told him who you actually are, or at least enough of the truth that Kaleeb decided to wait us out.”

  “I would never tell one such as him anything about my people.” Oktara drew a hexagonal metal disc from a pocket and held it out for them to see. “But you are not far wrong. I simply showed him this. It dissuaded him from harming me or my ship.”

  Silky let out a string of curses. “Sweet mother of chippies. I never thought I’d see another one of those.”

  “What is that?” Mitsuki asked.

  “The Seal of the Benevolence,” Oktara said.

  “He’s an official emissary,” Silky said over the Bumblebee’s comm. “Wherever he goes, if the Benevolence is unavailable, for whatever reason, he is allowed to speak on its behalf.”

  “So it’s like an imperial seal?” Mitsuki asked.

  “It is exactly like that,” Oktara replied. “I was gifted this because we often operated on the fringes of the Benevolency and beyond. It gave me the right to negotiate temporary treaties and the like.”

  “Less than a thousand such seals were ever gifted,” Silky said. “It is a supreme honor.”

  “I don’t see why Kaleeb would respect that,” Siv said. “The Benevolence fell a century ago.”

  “Kaleeb may be a lot of things, sir, but do not forget he was once an android in service to the Benevolence, unable to disobey an order. He may be free to do as he wishes, but that does not mean he no longer feels some respect toward the Benevolence and its representatives.

  "Beyond that, Master Oktara could be a senator if he wishes. That makes him powerful and significant. There's no gain in killing a potential senator. In fact, there's far more to gain by allowing one to pass unharmed."

  “A senator?” Siv asked in surprise. “How is that possible? Senators are elected.”

  "A governing body was needed immediately after the Fall," Oktara said. "Everyone possessing a seal was summoned to participate in the first Senate, for a term of ten years, until the government was stabilized and elections could be held. I never served. Nevertheless, according to the Constitution of the Terran Federation, I still have the right to be a senator for ten years. If I so choose."

  “Why didn’t you serve when called?” Siv asked.

  “A DNA test is required to prove who you are and is checked against sealed records,” Oktara said. “I did not wish those records opened. And in truth, I had no interest in government.”

  “So Kaleeb allowed you to go because of the seal?” Siv asked.

  “That and I believe he was impressed that I had not taken advantage of what the seal offered,” Oktara said.

  “Why didn’t you tell us about the seal?” Siv asked.

  Oktara sighed. “I had hoped to keep some secrets.”

  “Why?” Mitsuki asked.

  “Why would I prefer that no one know that I possess critical government influence?” He laughed. “That should be obvious.”

  “You know what?” Mitsuki said. “I trust you a lot more now.”

  Oktara replied with a broad smile. “So, am I taking you down to Capital City or not? If we do not choose a course soon, I think they will get suspicious.”

  Siv’s stomach tumbled as he tapped his fingers against the armrest. They were about to get ambushed by Kaleeb and didn’t have a prayer of taking him on and surviving.

  “Mits, Silkster, we need a plan for dealing with Kaleeb, but my brain’s firing blanks.”

  “Sorry, I’ve got nothing,” Mitsuki answered.

  “Well, you’re both in luck,” Silky said. “Cause I have the perfect plan.”

  22

  Siv Gendin

  Siv checked the two an
tigrav belts strapped to his waist for the fourth time. Then he paced around the loading bay nervously. Mitsuki leaned against a wall, while Oktara finished altering the Bumblebee’s protocols. Normally, it wouldn’t allow the boarding ramp to be lowered during atmospheric flight.

  Siv pulled up the HUD to display the energy level readings for the refraction cloak as well as the antigrav unit built into his bodysuit.

  “Everything’s fine, sir. I promise.”

  “This is nuts, Silkster.”

  “I don’t see how, sir. We successfully executed the big drop at Senator Pashta’s compound. The only difference here is that Mits can use her wings to glide us down a good twenty-five kilometers away from the starport. Maybe more if we hit the winds right. We did the same sort of thing when she rescued us, remember.”

  “I recall it all too well. And I think you’ve forgotten how we almost died then and how nothing good came out of dropping into the senator’s compound.”

  “Your life had to change eventually, sir. And without you, Oona and Kyralla—”

  “Yes, yes, I know. It’s just that we’ve had nothing but—”

  “Sir, get over this stupid bad fortune wallowing and get your head in the game. This has nothing to do with luck or fate or any other nonsense. It’s just a life invested in doing what needs doing.”

  Siv sighed. “It’s easy for you.”

  “Because I’m a machine? Sir, embracing logic instead of pointless worry is a good policy, regardless of your construction.”

  “It doesn’t help that you got me freaked out about Kaleeb’s dark presence and how taking him out might be more important than our lives.”

  “If you knew what I know, sir, you’d be a whole lot more freaked out. But there’s nothing to be done about it right now. Let it go.”

  Mitsuki stretched out her wings then did shoulder rotations and toe touches. She was also wearing two extra antigrav belts. Oktara had graciously gifted them four of the five belts stored in the Bumblebee. Otherwise, Siv wouldn’t have attempted this, regardless of Silky's belief that it would be doable with just two. Mitsuki's wings weren't that strong.

  “I’m ready,” she announced.

  Naturally, there wasn’t a hint of trepidation in her voice. She was deeply in love with this idea. She had already lamented the loss of her jetpack five times in as many minutes, even though its heat signature would have made them trackable.

  “We are nearing the drop point,” Oktara said.

  Not wanting to stay in orbit any longer than they had to, they had taken their descent into the atmosphere slowly so they would have time to prepare.

  “We could use a way back off Titus II when we’re done,” Siv said. “So if you’re still here…”

  With an apologetic grin, Oktara shook his head. "As truly grateful as I am for all that you did, I do not plan on hanging around any longer than necessary. I deeply hope you succeed in your quest, but I do not share your death wish."

  Mitsuki glared at him. Siv knew she was thinking that Oktara owed them more than he was giving. Since finding a ship that could take them off-world safely wasn’t going to be easy, Siv considered begging Oktara, but he knew there was no point. Oktara had taken this much risk, but he wasn’t going to take more. Not now that he’d gotten the chance to restore his people.

  Besides, while the Bumblebee was good for traveling incognito, it wasn’t going to outrun anything if trouble found them first. And Siv was pretty sure that extracting Ambassador Vim was going to bring far more attention than sneaking onto the planet had so far.

  Oktara placed his hands on Mitsuki’s shoulders. “I wish you well in your pursuits. Keep conquering the pain of your past and stay true to that which guides you.”

  She muttered a weak thank you. “I’d be a lot more grateful if he gave us more help.”

  “Don’t sweat it, Batwings. It’s all good. I own his ass.”

  “I don’t see how,” Siv said.

  “Because you cannot see the things I see or know the things I know. That he could be a senator makes it all so much better.”

  “You’re not sharing the information, are you?” Siv asked.

  “Let me have my fun, sir. Besides, I’m still working on my scheme.”

  “So when you say you own his ass,” Mitsuki said, “what you really mean is that you see an avenue to purchasing it.”

  “Yes, yes,” Silky huffed.

  When Oktara placed his hands on Siv’s shoulders, he winced and recoiled. “Mr. Gendin, you…you are a very sick man. Sicker than I had thought.”

  “What do you mean?” Siv asked, confused.

  Oktara’s brow furrowed as he rubbed his chin, then a disappointed frown crinkled his face. “You’re dying.”

  “I guess that’s accurate,” Siv replied. “The disease caused by Kompel is killing me, and I’m extraordinarily lucky to have lived through withdrawal this long.”

  Oktara cocked an eyebrow. “Why can’t you take more Kompel to keep going? That would seem more than wise given the challenges you face.”

  “The Shadowslip use a special type, and I haven’t been able to figure out how it’s made or track down their supplier.”

  “I have never witnessed the effects of Kompel withdrawal firsthand, so I will take your word that the disease I sense within you is that alone.” Oktara moved back toward the entrance to the loading bay. “I have, however, seen a blind man with good eyes before.”

  “Huh?” Siv asked.

  “And it seems I am looking at one again.”

  “We’re nearly over our target, sir. You need to get ready.”

  Siv took a step toward Oktara. “What are you talking about?”

  “Ask yourself this, Siv Gendin: How is it that a man with your expertise and resources cannot track down a Kompel supplier?”

  “Are you suggesting I haven’t tried? Because I have, many times.”

  “Sir, we’ve got thirty-five seconds,” Silky said urgently.

  “You have battled Vega Kaleeb and survived. And you figured out that my Solace and her passengers are more than they seem. Yet you cannot figure out where the Shadowslip gets their special blend of Kompel or how it is made?”

  “I’ve spent hundreds of hours and thousands of credits searching for it. It’s hard enough to find suppliers for more common Kompel strains.”

  Mitsuki grabbed Siv by the waist and pulled him close. “We need to go, Sivvy.”

  “Twenty seconds, sir!”

  Oktara shrugged as he stepped through the doorway into the corridor leading back to the bridge. “If you say so, Siv Gendin. But I personally know of two suppliers of Kompel, and I do not think either of them would be difficult to find.”

  “Where?” Siv shouted. “Tell me how to find them!”

  “Mr. Gendin, you must first find the answers to your disease within yourself. Otherwise, the knowledge I possess will do you no good.”

  Siv continued toward him, but Mitsuki threw a harness around his chest and fastened it, securing him to the front of her body.

  Oktara triggered the door. “May the good fortune of our blessed Jovian gods fall upon you both.”

  Siv lunged at him, but Mitsuki's weight tethered him in place. "Tell me where I can get it! Tell me!”

  The door leading back into the ship closed, and then the loading bay doors opened.

  “Now, Wings,” Silky said.

  Mitsuki wrenched Siv around and started toward the back of the bay, but he dug his heels in and fought her.

  “We can’t leave!” The craving surged back into him. “We have to find out what he knows!”

  “Siv, we have to go!” Mitsuki shouted as she plowed forward. He’d never realized how much stronger than him she was.

  “No!” he yelled. “No!”

  “Sir…” Silky sighed. “I can tell you what you want to know.”

  “Wh-what?”

  “I know how it’s made and where you can get it, sir. I’ve known for a long time.”

 
“I’m not falling for that,” Siv seethed. “I’m not leaving yet. Not until Oktara talks.”

  “It’s not a trick, sir. It’s the truth. I swear on Eyana’s grave.”

  “You…you swear…on Eyana?”

  “I do, sir.”

  Silky practically worshiped his first companion, Empathic Services agent Eyana Ora. If he swore on her then…then it was true. Siv’s knees went weak, and he sagged against Mitsuki. She took the opportunity to surge the last few steps and leap out of the Bumblebee.

  23

  Siv Gendin

  They tumbled uncontrollably through the ship’s wake, rapidly losing altitude despite having all of their antigrav units maxed.

  Siv didn’t even react to the rapid spinning, despite the acid racing up into his esophagus, the building vertigo, and the darkening of his vision.

  He numbly watched the readouts in his HUD as Silky deployed their refraction cloak, extending the effect to cover both of them. While the weakened field couldn’t keep Siv and Mitsuki both invisible, it could render their forms hazy and indistinct. From this height, against the night sky, that should be more than sufficient.

  Using her arms and twisting her body weight, Mitsuki finally leveled them. Then she snapped her wings out. The wind caught them, and not only did their descent halt, they actually climbed as she weaved into a current.

  Now that they could focus on the ground, they could see Titus II’s bustling Capital City, which was little more than a bright splotch on the night-darkened land below them.

  “Silkster, start talking. And do not leave out anything. That’s an order. Assuming that means something to you.”

  “Sir…you are dying.”

  “No duh.”

  “I’m not talking about the Kompel withdrawal disease.”