The Entean Saga - The Complete Saga

by C B Williams

  Aiko gestured again to a tall, dark-haired man who needed a shave. “And this guy behind me is Grale. He’s a rock-pounder we picked up on Longwei.”

  “I’m a pilot,” Grale countered. “Kitten here doesn’t like the competition.”

  Mouse glanced at Akio’s expression, but said nothing, and nodded at Grale, taking in the blackened handprint on his muscular forearm. Tattoo?

  She relaxed, especially since Little Sister was allowing Mink to scratch her ears. “I’ve heard of you all,” she said. “It’s nice to put faces with the names.”

  “Come in,” said Akio. “I don’t like the way they’re looking at us.” She stepped back to allow Mouse room to enter and then closed the door.

  “And the others? Where are they?” Mouse asked as she slipped her knife away.

  Aiko frowned. “When the field let you in, we’d hoped you were Wren coming to get us. Wren, Eloch, Spider, Genji and Kalea went dirtside to negotiate with the government, or whatever you want to call Eaton Currington’s thugs. We lost contact with them three weeks ago.”

  Mouse’s heart jumped. “What’s the backup plan? Wren always has one.”

  “Staying put,” Grale growled. “It’s obvious they want to take this ship. Why, we don’t know, but they’ve tried everything to get in.”

  “If we don’t hear from them soon, I’m going to search for them,” Aiko said.

  “Wren told us to stay here,” Mink reminded her. “We know they’ll be safe with Eloch and two Nuri.”

  “Nuri?” Mouse asked.

  Aiko nodded. “Genji is now a Nuri, as is Kalea, his mate. Nuri are…” she made wide gestures with her hands, eyes big and eyebrows raised “…fire-breathing lizard things who can fly.”

  Mouse nodded. Wren had explained about the Nuri at the time. She’d forgotten.

  “They’re dragons,” Grale explained. “Kitten is afraid of them.”

  Aiko scowled at him. “I’m not afraid of them. They’re just…unexpected.”

  “That they are,” Wade said to Mouse. “And they’re tough. Your friends will be safe, even if we can’t find them.”

  Mouse nodded, again recalling what Wren had told her about the dragons. “I talked to Flick, and Spur says they’re safe,” she informed them. She turned to Aiko. “Stay here, Aiko, like Wren said. I’ll find them.”

  Aiko brightened. “Flick told you where they were?”

  Mouse shook her head. “Only that they’re safe. But I will find them.”

  “How are you going to get past the guards?” Grale asked, and nodded at the viewing panel near the door. “Looks like you’ve become a person of interest.”

  Mouse looked out. A crowd of navy uniforms was forming. “There must be another way to get off this ship,” she said looking, at Mink and Wade. “A ship this size must have several escape hatches.”

  Mink nodded. “And some aren’t guarded. It’s obvious the martials are unfamiliar with colonizer vessels.”

  Aiko nodded. “It’s how I was going to get out to look for Wren.”

  “How were you going to get dirtside?” Grale asked.

  She glared at him. “I would have thought of something.”

  He snorted.

  Mouse looked at the viewing panel again. “See that little shuttle parked out of the way, over there by those modules?”

  “The one with the green wingtips?” Grale asked.

  “That’s the one. It’s my ride. Is there a door which can get me closer to it?”

  “That shuttle isn’t parked. It’s hovering an inch above the ground.” Aiko said suddenly. “Who’s your pilot?”

  Mouse grinned. “Old friend of yours. Manabu.”

  Aiko brightened. “Manabu.” She shook her head. “Never thought I’d see that man leave Spur once he retired. How’d you get him to come?”

  Mouse shrugged. “You know Max. He’s got his ways.”

  “Will you tell Manabu the next time I see him the drink’s on me?”

  Mouse smiled. “Sure will. He’ll look forward to it. You can bet on that. Now, how do I leave here unseen?”

  “I’ll show her the way,” Wade volunteered.

  “Little Sister and I will create a distraction,” Grale volunteered with a wicked grin.

  Aiko rolled her eyes, then put a hand on Mouse’s shoulder. “Good luck, Mouse. Hopefully we will see you soon, and we’ll all be together again.”

  “Thanks and likewise.” She nodded at Grale. “And thanks for the diversion.”

  He grinned, “Think nothing of it. I could use a good laugh.”

  Mouse nodded and joined Wade, who was waiting for her off to the side.

  They walked for five minutes in silence down a wide, half-lit corridor. Mouse shivered, feeling the urge to turn around again and again, only to find nothing behind her. “Why do I feel like I’m being watched?” she finally asked Wade.

  “The ship’s computer constantly monitors everything that goes on.” He glanced at her. “Used to make me really uneasy, too, until I got used to it. Now it’s comforting, especially since this vessel is so massive and we’re so few.”

  Mouse shook her head. “I still can’t wrap my mind how large this ship is, even now I’m on it. Wren was telling me she ran its corridors for exercise and it took her about forty-five minutes to complete a circuit.”

  Wade nodded. “And she’s fast. But I swear, she knows this ship better than either Mink or I, and we’ve been on it for over a thousand years.”

  Mouse stopped and stared at him—trim and athletic, with short, dark hair. He looked to be in his early forties. “A thousand years?”

  He grinned at her expression. “Well, most of the time we were in a cryogenic state, but still.”

  They moved on.

  “Wren told me you were thinking about selling off some of The Valiant’s modules?” Mouse asked.

  Wade nodded. “To pay for the repairs and maintenance, yes. Grale knows lots of miners. They’re always looking for modules because they’re rare. Even better, there’s a huge a demand for colonizer modules. Not only are they rare, they’re also well built. Should bring in a good sum.”

  “So you were one of the original colonizers. Wasn’t Longwei the first planet to be colonized?”

  He barked out a laugh. “We never colonized Longwei. In reality, it was the other way around. But yes, we were the very first to attempt to colonize a planet.”

  “Then you never knew about the other colonies.”

  “And I’m looking forward to getting dirtside and finding out more.”

  “You won’t find Talamh much different from Spur,” she told him. “It’s one giant, walled city, only the buildings are taller because Talamh won’t let the people from Spur expand beyond a certain point.”

  “Interesting,” Wade said as he halted in front of a small arched doorway with a wheel in the center. “Here we are.”

  “So this leads to the outside,” Mouse said, peering at it. “I thought all escape hatches led into life pods.”

  “Since this vessel was designed to become a series of modular homes for the colonizers, we’ve got both.” He turned the wheel, and it hissed as the seal broke. “I’m going to shut off the lights so when this door opens, you can slip out unnoticed.”

  Mouse nodded. “Do you know anything about the field surrounding the ship? Will I have trouble getting out?”

  “If you didn’t have trouble getting in, then you won’t have trouble getting out. Eloch said he created it to allow known entities in.” He shuddered. “That man makes me nervous. It’s like he knew someone would need to enter.”

  Mouse nodded. “I know what you mean. All that knack. He made me nervous, too, until I got to know him a little before he and Wren went to Longwei. He’s a man of great integrity.” She flashed him a grin. “And he conjures a terrific ale.”

  Wade laughed. “He does indeed! It was nice meeting you, Mouse. Wren talks about you often, so you don’t feel like a stranger to us.” He touched her arm. “
Good luck. Please keep us informed.”

  “I will do my best. And don’t worry about whatever the reasons are you’re being held here. Max and I are working to fix that.”

  He killed the lights and opened the door. “Wait for the diversion,” he whispered.

  Mouse waited a few moments for her eyes to adjust, then slipped out the opening. The door closed with a soft thump and the lock clinked into place. It sounded loud to her in the stillness. She quickly squatted with her back against the ship’s hull, searching for Manabu’s shuttle and ignoring her lurching stomach. She spied it a couple hundred yards from where she was huddled. The area between was flat and open, but shadowed. If she was lucky, she’d be able to cross it undetected.

  When she heard shouts and then the deep growls and howls of a sniffer, she took off running toward the energy field. As she sped through, she barely noticed the cold fire marking Eloch’s barrier. Within minutes, she was tapping on the shuttle’s door. It slid open and she was greeted with Manabu’s smile.

  “Quite a ruckus over there,” he commented. “Strap in. We should leave while it’s still going on.”

  She did as she was told, and the little shuttle rose to the opposite end of the dock where the central buildings hid it from the sight lines of the martials, and anyone else watching Grale’s diversion.

  Manabu radioed for release and was instructed to go into a departure bay.

  Then he glanced at her. “This time the ping means to stay put.”

  “I figured that one out myself. Aiko says ‘hello.’”

  His face lit. “How is Aiko?”

  “Good. Told me to tell you the drink’s on her.”

  Manabu laughed. “She’d always tell me that whenever she wanted me to fly with her on the long missions requiring two pilots. Aiko,” he said, still smiling. “Sure miss the girl.”

  Mouse didn’t know Aiko very well. Mostly she thought of her as the one who took Spider from her. But it wasn’t true. Spider just wanted the adventure. Manabu loved Aiko, and Mouse respected Manabu. Wren spoke highly of her, too. And if it weren’t for Aiko, Eloch would have had quite a different experience when he first arrived on Spur.

  Perhaps it now was a good time to get to know the woman. Then she remembered something, and wanted to laugh. “I met Aiko’s second pilot for this mission. Don’t think she likes him much. Should have seen the look she gave him when he called her ‘kitten.’”

  Manabu chuckled. “The man sure knows the right buttons to push.”

  When the all-clear signal chimed, Mouse yelped and clapped her hands over her ears. “Why does it have to be so damned shrill?”

  Manabu lifted the shuttle off the platform. After adjusting his coordinates, he guided the little ship down through the layers of Talamh’s atmosphere.

  “Beautiful,” Mouse breathed and leaned back to enjoy the descent. She didn’t mind heights, just empty space.

  “Very beautiful,” Manabu agreed. “What did you learn?”

  “Nothing we didn’t already know. The ship is being held for some unspecified reason. Wren, Eloch, and three others went down to negotiate, and those remaining onboard were instructed to remain there. Eloch put a force field around the ship that is impenetrable, but let me easily in and out.”

  “I saw blue sparks when you walked through.”

  “Felt like cold fire. Didn’t hurt, really, partly because it was so brief.”

  “Interesting.”

  “I don’t think we’re going to learn much until Max wraps this thing up with Currington.”

  “I agree. I’ve exhausted nearly all my resources. And those I’ve questioned seemed nervous.”

  Mouse thought for a moment, then turned to look at Manabu. “I think you’ve poked around enough. It could get dangerous if you keep looking. Perhaps we should lie low a little while. I’m sure Flick will notify me if things change and they’re in any kind of danger.

  “Frustrating, though,” she added after a moment.

  Max looked up when Mouse and Manabu came in. Taking in her greys, he frowned. “What have you two been up to? I woke this morning and no one was here. The note you left told me nothing.” He studied them silently then abruptly changed the subject. “There’s a meeting in twenty minutes and I need you here, Mouse.”

  She frowned. “Did Talamh visit you last night?”

  “Yes, she did. It worked out satisfactorily, and after the meeting I’ll give you both all the details. So, again, where have you been?”

  “Can’t you read our minds?”

  He sighed and put down the paperwork he’d been studying. “You know it doesn’t work that way. Neither of you wish to harm me, Spur, or any of her Sisters, or have any malicious designs so, no, I cannot read your minds.”

  Mouse beamed at him. “See? You’re not as power-mad as you thought.”

  “Are you stalling, Mouse?” He turned to Manabu. “Is she stalling?”

  Manabu shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “We went up to Dock 4 to see if we could find Wren,” Mouse blurted.

  Max clenched his jaw and counted to five. “And did you find Wren?”

  Mouse shook her head. “No,” she said mournfully. “But I found Aiko and Little Sister and three others on board who don’t know where Wren is either.” She smoothed her braid. “I think we’re going to have to wait until you’ve regained control before we actually know what’s become of them,” she said with a sigh. “If The Valiant is such a prize, then I’m betting they’re being held somewhere.”

  “But they’re safe,” Manabu reminded her.

  “Yeah. At least we’ve been assured by Spur that they’re safe.”

  “Cheer up, Mouse. You’re distressing me, and I dislike feeling that way.” Max said, “Go change and freshen up. After today’s meeting, we’re well on our way to finding our resourceful friend Wren. By my calculations, we will have complete control of this city within forty-eight hours.”

  Mouse turned to leave, but when Max called her name, she turned and waited.

  “I wish you wouldn’t sneak off like you did without consulting me. You’re not alone here, Mouse. I wish you would remember that. You’ve got me, and I’m quite a handy asset.”

  Mouse nodded. “I thought you’d object.”

  “Oh, I most likely would have objected, but I can be reasoned with, and perhaps I could have paved the way for you. I meant what I said. You’re not alone.” He smiled with what he hoped was a winning smile.

  “Thank you,” was all she said before she went into their room to change.

  Max stared at the door a few moments, feeling disappointed. He had hoped to get a different reaction. What kind, he wasn’t sure.

  He sighed and went back to what he was doing, but noticed Manabu watching him, one brow raised. “You,” he said, pointing at the man, “I don’t want to hear one word from you.”

  He spun his chair around to the desk, picked up his stylus and pretended to work.

  Chapter 19

  “What’s the plan, Max?” Mouse asked, blocking the doorway. “Surely you’ve got a plan.”

  “I have plenty of plans,” Max told her. “I was up half the night making future plans, creating different ways of merging the two communities. But first I need to find the fox in his lair.”

  She propped her hands on her hips. “So you’re saying we’re just going to march right in there.”

  “No, not we. Me. I am going to march right in there. Currington will have barricaded himself in with his martials, and is most likely urinating in his boots by now. A trigger-happy scenario. Too dangerous.”

  She shook her head, not understanding. “But that’s why you need me. That’s why I’ve been here all this time. Why I left Spur. To protect you.”

  “But Talamh fixed that, don’t you see? I’m now indestructible, and you no longer need to risk your life to protect my meager hide.”

  “But we don’t know exactly what she meant, Max. She’s a spirit. She doesn’t hav
e a body. What if being indestructible to Her means your body can die, but you will remain here to complete your agreement as a spirit? I simply won’t risk that. I am your bodyguard. I guard your body, and keep it alive.”

  He started to protest, but she cut him off. “And you know I can take care of myself, so you needn’t worry about me. And maybe your meager hide is worth the risk.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently. She thought he was about say something, but then he shrugged and smiled one of his I’m-hiding-behind-this-mask smiles. “Very well, Mouse. I recommend you strap on extra knives and whatever else you’ve got. This could get bloody.”

  It got bloody.

  There was a guard on every staircase, and two at each landing. There were five flights of stairs. That meant twenty-five guards.

  She was counting.

  “Why couldn’t we have taken a lift?” she puffed as she wiped her blade on the last fallen martial’s uni, and pocketed his weapon while she was at it.

  “We needed to make our presence known, of course,” Max answered. “But I doubt any of the lifts were running anyway.”

  She stood, pausing to catch her breath. She’d been having to work fast to take out as many martials as she could before they fired their lasers. She was covered with blood—some of it her own, she discovered when she wiped the sweat off her face—and she hurt. But apparently her new long brocade vest was also body armor. Yanagi was a very thorough stylist, Mouse decided.

  The building was silent, and beginning to take on the sweet, coppery smell of death, a smell which never failed to trigger feelings of despair. But when she looked at Max, who was unscathed, she felt gratified. “I hope this is the last time I need to kill, Max,” she told him while they took cover in a doorway. “I don’t know if I can take it much longer.”

  For once he did not reply with something witty. Instead he reached out, pulled her close and kneaded the knots in her neck and shoulders. His chin resting on the top of her head made her feel safe. Funny, she thought, that it did. They were in the middle of a confrontation, wedged into a doorway, yet she felt safe.