Chasing the Shadows (Sentinels of the Galaxy Book 2)

by Maria V. Snyder

  “How about just in the last two-hundred and thirty-three days?” he asks.

  Basically since I’ve known him. Okay fine. I sort through all that has happened, and can’t find an example. “That’s not fair. Lots has happened in those two-hundred and thirty-three days.”

  He waits.

  “Okay you made your point. What else am I supposed to do? I’m a security officer. Isn’t that part of the job? Menz died saving my life.”

  “You did it before you were an officer.”

  “Then that means I’m doing what I’m supposed to.” Huh. Never thought of it in that way before. “What’s really bothering you?”

  Niall runs his fingers through his hair, leaving behind little spikes. “The plan to open another pit and portal. You’re going to charge right on in and go through that portal. I just know it and I’m going to lose you forever. Like…” His fingers curl into fists. “My mom.”

  The last two words were almost a whisper. His grief is so raw, it’s like sandpaper scraping across my heart. Oh, Niall. I scooch in close behind him and wrap my arms around his shoulders. Pressing my cheek against his, I say, “I’m sorry. You’re right, I’m doing too much, going too fast. I’m…scared and I just want all this with Jarren and the shadow-blobs to be gone so we can just…be. I will be more careful and more considerate in the future.”

  He twists and pulls me forward. I end up in his lap, facing him. Niall hugs me, pressing me against his chest. “Thank you.”

  His embrace is warm and comforting. I close my eyes, breathing in his scent.

  “My mom…died nine hundred and eighty three Actual days ago. Before we headed to Xinji, the ship stopped at Planet Omikron to deliver supplies and drop off passengers. She went planetside with my dad to, as she liked to say, ‘refresh her creative batteries.’” He clears his throat. “There was an…incident at the port.” Every muscle in Niall’s body tenses. “A guy with colony fever demanded the shuttle pilot take him to the ship. Of course the pilot refused so he grabbed a little boy. Threatened to kill him. Mom was behind them and, according to Dad, she didn’t hesitate. She tackled the guy, knocking the boy away. But the guy had a knife and he stabbed her in the leg. Son of a bitch hit her femoral artery. Nothing my dad could do but watch.”

  “That’s terrible.” But it did explain why Niall was so upset by my behavior.

  “Captain Harrison broke the news to me. I’d volunteered to stay on the ship that first day.” Niall huffs. “Elese was climbing the walls days before we obtained orbit. I could wait another day.” He pauses. “I went down for the funeral, though. She wanted to be cremated and…”

  The silence stretches. I glance up at him.

  Niall’s gaze is on one of the paintings. “This is going to sound strange, but to me it makes perfect sense. She wished for us to mix her ashes with paint. Mom gave me a canvas with a landscape drawn on it in pencil. It’s a picture of her favorite place in the Galaxy. I’m supposed to paint that landscape with her paint.”

  Wow. No wonder Radcliff had been so against Niall using his talent—not only reminding him of his wife, but of her request. “It sounds rather morbid,” I say.

  “I know. But she always said she put her heart and soul into her paintings so why not be a painting and brighten a room, maybe make someone’s day a bit happier. Mom would say, “Better than being shoved in some ugly urn or buried in the ground and forgotten.’”

  When he put it that way… “You’re right, that does make sense.”

  “You would have loved her, Mouse.”

  “No doubt.” This earns me a brief smile.

  Then his smile fades. “I haven’t painted her landscape. It’s just too hard. And frankly, creepy.”

  “I understand.” Not that I’ve any experience with cremated remains, I imagine if it’s mixed with paint it would be thick and gritty and crumbly when dried. Like a Warrior heart! Did the aliens who built the Warriors literally put their hearts and souls in the statues? An interesting thought. Too bad there’s no way to test that theory. Just like all my ideas.

  “Do you think you’ll ever paint it?” I ask.

  “Eventually. There’s a museum on Earth that has a bunch of her paintings on display. I promised them a dozen or so more for their collection. One of those is going to be her painting. I figured she’d love it there, being with the people who appreciate her art the most.”

  “That’s lovely, Niall.”

  He meets my gaze. “I haven’t told anyone about the museum, not even my dad. Thanks for listening to everything.”

  “Anytime.” I’m rewarded with a kiss. It’s tender and sweet and if he keeps it up, I’m gonna melt right in his arms. My birthday can’t come soon enough. And if you’re the type that believes I should wait until marriage, honey, I might not live that long!

  A harsh clearing of the throat interrupts us. Radcliff is standing in the threshold.

  Niall and I break apart.

  “We’re having a team meeting at oh-seven-hundred tomorrow. You’re both expected to be there.”

  “Yes, sir,” we say in unison.

  Radcliff hesitates, but then shoots Niall his heavy stare before leaving.

  Unaffected, Niall chuckles, but he stands. “You need your sleep, Mouse.”

  Grrr. Radcliff has rotten timing. And I don’t want Niall to leave, so I do what I used to do as a kid when I wanted my mom to stay longer. “Can I ask you a question?”

  He stills as if wary. “Sure.”

  “What is colony fever?”

  “Oh.” He blows out a breath. “It’s very rare, but occasionally a colonist realizes that he is millions of kilometers from home. And he can’t go back. Even if he manages to return, all of his friends and family that he left behind are long dead. So he snaps. Some with colony fever kill themselves, others go on a rampage. It’s a mental state and not a virus. It happens on space ships as well.”

  “Ship fever?”

  “Yeah, not very original. There’s milder cases of it. Like Elese. She was new and our trip to Omikron was the longest time she was on a ship. I doubt she would have snapped, but she was driving us all crazy with her inability to stay still.”

  “And standing guard for hours…”

  “Pure torture.”

  That I believe. I lean forward and take Niall’s hands. “I’ve one more question. It’s really important.”

  His grip tightens. “What is it?”

  “Are there any more pudding cups left?”

  He laughs. “Good night, Mouse.”

  “I’m serious!”

  He turns off the light.

  Not everyone on the security team is in the conference room the next morning. Bendix and Ho are guarding the pits. Morgan and Tora are watching detention. My parents are in the meeting along with Drs. Gage and Jeffries. Wondering if Beau purposely took the seat next to Niall, I sit in the empty one between him and Elese.

  “Yesterday at approximately seventeen hundred hours, our security officers created a breach in the blockade without tipping off Jarren.” He glances at Jeffries and Gage. “We’re now able to communicate with DES,” Radcliff says.

  A cheer rises. My parents beam at me and Beau. And my mom can’t resist smirking at Jeffries and Gage.

  When the noise settles, Radcliff continues. “I was able to talk at length with Chief Security Officer Odette Bouchet. She updated me on our status and was able to arrange a secure path to DES HQ.” Radcliff consults his portable.

  Then his serious gaze scans each of us as if he’s taking our measure and gauging our abilities to handle the news. Uh oh. I brace.

  “According to DES, our planet was reported having gone silent on 2522:139. We’re to assume all information received from DES since then is inaccurate.”

  Like the names of potential rich patrons of Jarren’s operation. Jarren probably got a laugh by sending Radcliff the names of innocent people to investigate.

  “Now we’re getting accurate information. Unfortunately, not
all the news is good. Planets Wu’an, Ulanqab, and Taishan have gone silent.”

  Shock rolls through the conference room. The air presses down on my shoulders and I hunch forward as I absorb the horrible news. Three more Warrior planets have gone silent. Does that mean they’re all dead like on Planet Xinji, or cut off like us?

  “Did they report a looter attack before their communications ceased?” Dr. Jefferies asks in a rough voice.

  “No. If they were attacked, they were prevented from reporting it to DES.”

  Just like with us, Jarren was probably monitoring their messages. But unlike us, I’d bet no one on those planets could see the shadow-blobs. Which means…

  I rest my forehead near the edge of the table as black and white spots swirl in front of me. Over a thousand people dead. Eviscerated! Beau squeezes my shoulder in support.

  Elese leans close to my ear. “Breathe.”

  But the air has turned from a gas into a solid, jamming my windpipe. The black spots converge. A loud hum sounds. Whack. A hand slams on my back. Pain radiates along my ribs. I cough, expelling the blockage before gasping.

  “Breathe,” Elese orders.

  And I do. Eventually my lungs work on their own, my vision clears, and I straighten. Only to wish I could slide under the table. Everyone is staring at me.

  “We’re trying to stay optimistic,” Radcliff finally says.

  Unlike me. I skipped right to the worst-case scenario.

  “Did any of those planets report finding anything unusual?” Mom asks.

  “No. All the reports were normal. If they did discover anything, Jarren must have blocked it.”

  “So we’re assuming Jarren and his looters are responsible?” Dr. Jefferies asks.

  “For the time being. Until we receive more information.”

  “How did Jarren get to these planets when he was here only sixty plus days ago?” Dr. Gage demands.

  He’s somehow using the Warriors to travel. But I’m smart enough not to say it out loud. Not because Radcliff shoots me a warning look. Sheesh.

  “He’s obviously working with other groups,” Radcliff says. “He probably organized a coordinated attack. The good news is that the Protector Class ships are still enroute to all the active Warrior planets and DES has launched a few more to check on the closed Warrior planets as well.”

  “What about Jarren? Are they searching for him?” Mom asks.

  “Now that they know about him, they’re forming a team to locate him.”

  I huff. Good luck with that. Beau and I exchange a significant glance. If DES couldn’t get through to us, they’re not going to find him.

  “We’re sending DES all the information we have on Jarren and also on the HoLFs.” Radcliff frowns. “Seems they’re skeptical about the HoLFs’ existence. But they promised to have their engineers work on a design for that null wave emitter. Dr. Zhang gave me access to her notes.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Dad says. “Did they say when it’ll be done?”

  “No, but they’re aware it’s an urgent matter.”

  “What should we do while we’re waiting for the Protector Class ship to arrive?” Mom asks.

  “Nothing. At this point we are to wait for orders from DES. They made it clear that we are not to do anything.” He glances at my mother, but she raises her chin at him in defiance. “I know it’s frustrating, but at least DES knows we’re alive.”

  Small comfort. How long before Jarren figures out we contacted DES? They’d have to assign their top people who are most skilled with navigating the Q-net in order not to alert him. But I can’t even be that optimistic. I’d say we have a couple days at most before they tip him off. Scary. Could we find him? It would be difficult, but we have a better chance.

  “No,” Mom says. “I’m not sitting here waiting for orders. They’re skeptical about the HoLFs, which means they’ll debate it to death—our death most likely. No. We’re boots on the ground, in the thick of things, and have the most at stake. Drs. Carson and Zhang will continue to construct the null weapon and we’re still going to the other pits.”

  Go Mom! Radcliff opens his mouth to, no doubt, protest, except the rest of the room agrees with my mother. Especially the officers.

  The meeting breaks up soon after that and most everyone files out.

  “Get your ass to training, Recruit,” Elese says before leaving.

  But Beau and I remain behind with Niall, hovering halfway between the door and the table.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Beau asks.

  “That DES will botch the job, alert Jarren that we breached his blockade, and we’ll be neck deep in looters within seven days?”

  “Yup.”

  Niall returns to the table. “You’re not thinking of doing something rash?” He’s really asking me, although he addresses us both.

  “Don’t worry, Junior. We’ll clear it with the boss first,” Beau says.

  “What’s it?”

  “Your girl here is leagues above what any DES expert can do. Now that we can get past the blockade, we can find Jarren’s physical location for them and send them the info.”

  “Can you really?” Niall asks me.

  “We can. And this is going to sound like I’m bragging, but we can also reconnect those other Warrior planets to DES.” If anyone is still alive.

  Beau bangs his fist on the table. “Damn straight.” Then he hops to his feet. “I’ll talk to Radcliff, see if we can start this afternoon.” He bolts.

  But Niall is still frowning.

  “I remember my promise,” I say to him. “Actually, it’s safer for us if we search for Jarren. I really don’t think DES fully understands just how skilled he is. He’s managed to fool them for so long. And his alarms are almost impossible to spot.” And because worry lines crease his forehead, I add, “I won’t do too much in one session. There won’t be a need to carry me back to my room.”

  This earns me a half-smile. “I don’t know about that. You’re already late for training. Elese is going to run you into the ground.”

  I groan.

  “Get moving, Recruit. Chop chop.” Niall hits his palm with the edge of his other hand, making a chopping sound.

  “You’ll pay for this later, Toad.” I sprint past him.

  “Looking forward to it, Mouse.”

  Every muscle in my body is sore by the time I report to Beau’s office. Niall wasn’t kidding—Elese made me pay for being late. Neither Radcliff nor Morgan are around, which is unusual, but not oh-my-stars alarming. As soon as I enter the back room, Beau shakes his head.

  “Radcliff said no. We can’t search for Jarren.”

  I plop into my chair. The room smells of lemon and pine—a major improvement over yesterday. There’s a shiny new trash can in the corner.

  “What about helping the other silent planets?” I ask.

  “That’s a no as well.” Beau rubs his face. “He said, and I quote, ‘That we are all employed by DES. They own the base and we will abide by their decision.’”

  Steepling my fingers, I lean back. “Did he also add something uncomplimentary about my mother?”

  Beau waves away my question. “There might have been some other comments. It’s not relevant.”

  “Uh huh. So what are we supposed to do?”

  “You’ll like this. We’re supposed to keep testing Jarren’s blockade so he thinks we didn’t find a way through.”

  “Oh joy.”

  Beau presses a hand to his chest. “My stars, girl, contain your enthusiasm.” Then he peers at me. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking Radcliff is going to need to be convinced.”

  “I know one way you can do that.”

  “Really, how?”

  “Take him with you into the Q-net. Show him the maze of Jarren’s programs you navigated to reach DES. If that doesn’t change his mind, nothing will.”

  It’s worth a shot.

  Except Radcliff is too busy sending informat
ion to DES to “waste his time” worming with me. My frustration builds with each day. And my fear. Any little noise sends me to the ceiling, convinced Jarren is attacking the base.

  But there is some good news. Four days after we reestablish communication with DES, they message us diagrams for the null wave emitter. The design is easy to read and uses supplies we have on hand—double bonus. Drs. Carson and Zhang along with Jim McGinnis excitedly promise a prototype to test in a couple days.

  The problem is, I’m worried we don’t have a couple days. DES hasn’t found any signs of Jarren. Not in the Q-net or his physical location. It’s not a surprise his hideout is…well, hidden. DES only has access to satellites and messages from people living on the colony planets—all of which can be wormed. But I’d hoped they’d spot the clusters he’s been using.

  I use my extra time—'cause let’s face it, it doesn’t take Beau and me long to test the barricade—to train extra hard. When Jarren attacks, I’m not going to worry about my aim. Oh no. Mr. Orange Light is mine.

  You’d think with all the physical activity, I’d sleep well at night. But I toss and turn. Each night gets worse. It’s all my fault. I’m the one who said to Beau that we’d be neck deep in looters in seven days. So here it is, the night before day seven. Exhausted, I stare at the ceiling, willing myself to sleep.

  Except my heart is acting like I just ate four pudding cups. It’s thumping out: Gotta be ready. Gotta be ready. Gotta be ready. In double time.

  The desire to crawl into bed with my parents pulses through me. When I was little and something scared me at night, I’d sneak in under their covers. I doubt Radcliff would appreciate a midnight visitor. Imagining his reaction, I huff in amusement. Then I give up and go into the kitchen. Maybe a warm drink will help. I brew a cup of one of those flowery weedy type teas that are supposed to make you sleepy. I take a sip. Ugh. Needs sugar. Lots of sugar.

  Sitting on the couch, I spot Radcliff’s portable on the table. I access the chapters on how to deal with a combative prisoner—yet another fact-filled assignment from my training officer. I wonder just how much of these lessons will stick with me. Once a situation goes sideways and the adrenaline kicks in, I find it hard to believe I’ll be able to maintain a clinical detachment. Sipping my tea, I spend the next couple hours reading. And the dry protocols do what the tea could not: I fall asleep on the couch.