Rise of Renegades, page 17
“Like Siena?” Laurik challenged. “She’s more dangerous than any of them.”
“I read about her in the report,” Erlanex said, a scowl forming on his features. “Is she really as powerful as described?”
“Indeed she is,” Ero said.
“She the one that’s developed her augments the most,” Skorn said. “And my brother is right. If we want the augments to realize their full value, we need to give them more flexibility than other harvest worlds have permitted.”
Ero smirked at Laurik, and the woman’s purple eyes narrowed. “Slaves without augments are known to fight their captors. If the augmented variety resist, we’ll have to eliminate them to prevent a rebellion.”
“Also true,” Skorn said before Ero could speak. “If any slave tries to harm either a dakorian or a krey, they must be killed as an example to the others.”
“Agreed.” Laurik smirked at Ero.
Ero disliked the triumph in the woman’s eyes, and wondered if her proposal had even more to do with Siena than he’d thought. It was almost like the krey noble had a specific reason to hate the girl. Again, Ero wondered what had happened at the negotiation table. He hadn’t talked to Siena since they had returned from the Binary Hall.
“There,” Erlanex said, pointing to a glittery lake in the midst of the trees. “That’s large enough to support a full settlement.”
“And we’re far enough away from the City of Dawn that they cannot reach us,” Laurik said.
“We’ll need to build monitoring outposts and Gates as the humans expand,” Erlanex said.
“We have already ordered a shipment of seracrete from House Kel’Ray,” Skorn said. “Much of her investment will come in the form of metal.”
“Is it Lorenwhite quality?” Laurik asked.
“Most,” Skorn said. “Enough to build our city and a number of settlements. We’ll let the slaves build their own cities. Next week Ero or I will retrieve the cargo ship and bring it here.”
“Still possessive of the location of Lumineia?” Telik sneered.
“Of course,” Ero said with a toothy smile. “As long as none of you know how to get here, I know we won’t be killed.”
“How little you trust,” Laurik said.
Ero didn’t trust any of them, least of all Laurik. The woman had temporarily sacrificed her place on Verdigris to join House Bright’Lor, a risky and yet potentially tremendous decision. If Ero and Skorn did manage to augment a harvest world of slaves, anyone involved would not just be wealthy, but extremely powerful. And if Ero and Skorn were eliminated, the reward would be significant.
The Nova reached the lake in the forest and soared above the pristine water. The ground around it was smooth and sloping, with animals starting at the ship’s appearance. Ero pictured houses on the adjacent hill, with Siena and Kensen having little augment children running around their feet. The image made him smile.
Skorn flew to the side of the lake where stone prevented tree growth, the ledge permitting an expansive view of the plains. He banked their ship to the side and lowered them onto the rock. The landing gear groaned as it extended and pressed into the stone, allowing the ship to settle into place.
“Your ship is ancient,” Erlanex said.
“Then perhaps you can build us a new one,” Skorn said.
“I’ll add it to my list,” the engineer said, “if only so I don’t have to worry about dying in this barrel of rust.”
The group exited the ship onto the hill overlooking the lake. The crystalline waters rippled with the wind and sparkled in the afternoon sun. A storm dumped rain to the south, and a breeze tugged at Ero’s hair. It was warm, but not overly hot.
Erlanex walked to the edge of the rock and bent to examine the soil. He activated his holoview and tested the composition, nodding to himself at whatever he found. Laurik walked to the lake. Telik just stood there, looking out of place outside his biosphere. Skorn joined Ero.
“Did you ever think we’d make it this far?” Skorn asked.
“You mean not dead?”
“Yes,” Skorn said, a faint smile on his features. “Ten years ago we were reduced to nothing, and now we have three powerful Houses as allies, enough glint to build a harvest world, and a product that will bring more profit than anything in the Empire.”
“It was your plan,” Ero said.
“I cannot take all the credit. You were the one who thought of creating augments in the first place and contacted Telik. Without you, we would still be on the Nova, sailing through space in the hopes of building a standard harvest world.”
“Are you saying I’m the smart one?”
Skorn actually chuckled. “I use my allies. I trust my brother.”
“So why won’t you tell me what happened in the negotiations?”
Skorn’s amusement faded. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
Skorn’s eyes flicked to Laurik and then returned to Ero. “Why I had to use Siena in the way that I did.”
“We both knew she had to demonstrate her augments,” Ero said, and then frowned. “Or was there more?”
“Poshikelli ordered his Bloodwall to kill Siena. They dueled, and the dakorian nearly killed her. Wylyn intervened.”
Ero had gone cold, and was surprised by the burst of anger. “Did you know Poshikelli would order his Bloodwall to kill her?”
Skorn could have denied it, but instead he shrugged. “Just showing the manipulation of liquid wasn’t going to convince them. Wylyn and Olana needed to see what an augmented slave was really capable of. Poshikelli has a mean streak, and would never let a slave make him feel inferior. Plus, I needed him to fight so I could kill him, opening the slot for Laurik. Turns out I didn’t have to, because Wylyn executed him with her own hand.”
It was a flawless plan, masterfully executed as only Skorn could. In one fell swoop, he’d created allies out of three powerful Houses. And he’d been willing to let Siena die to make the deal.
Ero grimaced and lowered his voice. “You know I need Siena.”
“She’s just a slave,” Skorn said quietly. “You need to remember that. No matter what augments she gains, or what she thinks she can do. She’s still a slave with a defiant streak. And we both know it’s going to get her killed.”
Ero wanted to argue, but couldn’t bring himself to speak the lie. His brother was right. Siena would continue to resist, and whether it was Laurik, Erlanex, Telik, or someone else, one day she would not bow.
Ero realized that perhaps Siena being nearly killed was a good thing. The girl had finally been subdued, and as long as Ero didn’t try to encourage her rebellious nature, she would continue to survive.
“The soil composition is ideal for building,” Erlanex said, rising to his feet. “This area will be perfect for the augment settlement.”
“I agree,” Laurik said. “So what do we call it?”
Ero forced a smile and gestured to the sweeping vista. “With a view like this, isn’t it obvious? We’ll call it Ilumidora.”
Chapter Eighteen
Over the next several weeks, Ero watched the humans clear trees from the City of Dawn. He made several more trips to the proposed site for Ilumidora, usually with Erlanex. The engineer had been hunted for decades, and Ero found his constant paranoia amusing. They also continued to survey the region, the boring flights above the landscape interspersed with occasional sightings of drakes. The drakes had mentioned a genetic cousin, and although they had searched for them, they had only caught fleeting glimpses. Telik named them reavers.
When Ero was not in the Nova, he was at the City of Dawn, where Laurik and the slaves supervised the clearing of the forest. The shipment of seracrete and tools from Olana’s House had yet to arrive, so much of the work at the oceanic island was backbreaking. A pair of the dakorians sliced the trunks using their hammer lances, leaving the trees to fall. The near-constant blasting of ion bolts into trunks reverberated across the island. Their work took minutes, but it took hours for the slaves to move the trunks and clear the branches.
Laurik kept crisp discipline for the slaves, and Telik recorded augmentation growth. It seemed that the sullen Telik had taken a liking to Laurik, and the two spent a great deal of time together.
Erlanex marked the trees to be removed according to the design he was creating with Skorn. Ero gave his brother free reign, mostly because planning and building were rather tedious. With little else to do, Ero would have liked to keep training with Siena, but every time he went looking for the girl, Laurik claimed she was on a task that could not be interrupted. Annoyed, Ero spent more and more time in the Nova, exploring the surface of the planet.
At the request of Erlanex, Ero began bringing back samples of stone and rock. He picked them up using the gravity coupler on the Nova, then flew them over the sea to put them where the engineer requested. As he deposited the latest samples close to the World Gate, he spotted Erlanex fixing the Gate arch. Again. It had broken almost daily.
“As soon as the seracrete arrives,” Erlanex spoke in disgust, his voice coming through Ero’s holoview, “I’m going to replace this Gate. It looks like it could crumble at any moment.”
“Starship girders are not ideal for building a World Gate,” Ero agreed as he spun the Nova and settled onto a stretch of ground next to the Gate.
He powered down the ship and exited. Erlanex was already working to repair a few cracks in the Gate, muttering to himself as he labored. He didn’t even notice as Ero walked by, and Ero privately decided that the brilliant engineer was just as taciturn as Telik.
Descending the hill, Ero spotted a group of humans rolling a log down the slope to the pile. They were using scrap seracrete as levers to maneuver the tree trunks, which were held aloft by the PEGG. Kensen disengaged the generator and let the log bounce down the slope to collide with the others. He wiped the sweat from his brow and paused for a drink, but Laurik activated the burning rod.
“Water is given to those who finish their work,” she snapped.
Kensen had fallen to the ground, and he grimaced as he rose and got back to work. The others did the same, speaking only when necessary to complete the work. Ero noticed that all were lathered in sweat, their clothing muddy and torn. Some were bleeding from where branches had torn into flesh.
Irritated at the woman, Ero approached and motioned up the hill. “You’ve done enough for today, Laurik. I’ll take over for an hour or two.”
“The slaves are my responsibility.” Laurik glared at Thren, the burly human male. The man had paused to help Quis up from where he’d fallen.
“It wasn’t a request.”
Laurik’s glare shifted to him, and Ero returned a placid smile. Laurik sneered and stomped away, leaving Ero with the group of slaves. Making sure Laurik could hear him, he raised his voice. “Put down the tools. It’s time for a break.”
The slaves wearily dropped what they carried and stumbled to the tub of water drawn from a nearby brook. Kensen put down the PEGG, leaving the heavy mech to sink into the dirt. He straightened with a groan.
“This is not how an alliance operates,” Laurik paused to snap.
“Really?” Ero feigned puzzlement. “I guess I’m doing it all wrong.”
Laurik released a sound that was half growl, half snarl, and then left.
Ero promptly dismissed her from his thoughts and pointed the group of augmented slaves to the water. “Get a drink while you can.”
“I know you did that to spite her, and not for us,” Lyn said. “But we’re still grateful.”
“You know me so well,” Ero said.
“Did you have to ally with the meanest krey in the galaxy?” Kensen asked in an undertone.
Ero grinned. “Wasn’t my choice. Where’s Siena?”
Kensen motioned to the beach. “Laurik took her to the beach. She’s been down there for a while.”
“Why?” Ero asked.
“She won’t say.” Kensen held his gaze. “We only see her when she trudges in at night and collapses into her bed.”
Ero fleetingly realized that Kensen was not afraid to look him in the eye. A welcome change, as Ero disliked sniveling subservience in humans. They might be slaves, but if they looked him in the eye they were less likely to spit in his meal—which he’d seen one do to Laurik’s food when she wasn’t looking. Then Ero noticed the baleful glances from the other slaves and realized it might be time to prepare his own meals.
“Take the rest of the day off,” Ero said.
“What?” Lyn asked.
“Practice your augments or something,” Ero said, turning away. “And if Laurik comes back, tell her I gave the order.”
As Ero stepped onto the path leading to the beach, he heard one of the two redheaded boys mutter, “Every time he does this, Laurik makes it worse for us after.”
Ero glanced in his direction. It was Begle or Bort—Ero could never tell which was which. Some of the other slaves were nodding in agreement. Curious, Ero paused behind a boulder, just out of sight but within hearing range.
“Stop complaining,” Lyn said. “Without Ero, one of us would be dead from lack of water.”
“Well he’s the one that brought Laurik,” Thren growled. “And I’ve never seen a krey be so vile. It’s almost as if she wants us to fight back.”
“Maybe she does,” Begle said. “Quis overheard her talking about killing any augment that disobeys.”
The boy agreed, saying, “That’s what I heard.”
In the months since Ero had purchased the boy with Siena, he’d lost much of his timidity. Ero guessed that was due to his body augment. Being strong enough to lift a tree trunk tended to make one more confident.
“We just need to remember what matters most,” Lyn said. “Stay obedient, stay alive. When there are more slaves like us, then Laurik won’t be giving us so much personal attention.”
“And Ero won’t be making it worse,” Begle muttered.
Abruptly not wanting to hear more, Ero turned and followed the trail down to the beach. The sloping ground was dotted with brush and trees, some in neat lines where Erlanex had marked the trees to remain. The foliage would keep the island cool in the heat and add beauty to the streets, not unlike Ero’s first home of Kelindor.
Ero found himself irritated, but not at the humans. It wasn’t their fault that they had to endure Laurik’s constant cruelty. The woman had come from managing hundreds of slaves and assisting the management of a planet, and was now tasked with just a handful of augments. Rather than soften the woman, it seemed the shift had caused her to consolidate her vileness onto the nine slaves in House Bright’Lor.
The path wound down the slope to the beach. Pristine sand, washed smooth by the ocean waves, stretched around this side of the island. Large boulders, some as tall as a dakorian, dotted the beach, probably broken off from the escarpment that abutted the beach. Ero jumped down from the ridge and walked along the water, the waves lapping at his ankles.
Some of the boulders had been moved and rolled into the water, where waves burst against them. They were deep enough in the water that they would stop a ship from landing, but when had they been moved? He found the answer when he found Siena.
Rounding a curve on the beach, Ero encountered the girl at the side of a large stone, her arms wrapped around it like she was trying to lift the behemoth. She growled and shoved, but it was half-submerged in the sand. And it was huge. Impossibly, it began to rise.
Her hands grasped the ridges of the stone, hard enough to draw blood. With her hair dotted with sand and salt and her face pressed into the rock, she shoved against the immovable object until it tipped. It rose several inches and then fell, settling back into its hole. With a growl, Siena crouched lower and heaved. Again, the rock rose inch by inch from the sucking sand.
Ero came to a halt, shocked by the display. The rock was large enough to give multiple dakorians trouble. The shimmer of brown light on Siena’s body indicated she was using her augment, but even with it, the girl was surpassing what Ero thought was her limit.
Gasping for breath, her clothing and skin torn, she wrestled the boulder up and out of the hole. Again she grabbed beneath, heaving and grunting, shoving and cursing. Foot by foot she rolled the boulder until the water lapped against the stone. Then the water began to rise.
Rising and shaping into small arms, the ocean grasped the sides of the boulder and pulled, helping Siena push the boulder into the sea. A surprise, since Ero hadn’t known she had a water augmentation. When had she gained that one?
Siena pushed without regard for anything or anyone, as if the boulder were her personal nemesis. The water lapped at her ankles and then her knees, and still she pushed, using every augment she possessed to force the unwieldy rock off the beach and into the ocean. When the water was to her chest, she gave a final heave and then retreated a few steps.
Breathing hard, she wiped at her face. Her arm came away bloody where the stone had gouged her cheek. She stretched her back and turned before trudging through the surf, her head down. When she reached the shore, she looked up and spotted Ero.
She stopped, and for several moments they stood apart. The girl looked terrible. Scrapes on her cheeks and neck, her clothing sodden, ripped, and crusted with sand. The sun had scorched her arms, and the skin on her fingers was torn.
Ero finally motioned to the boulder. “Do you have any idea how heavy that stone is?”
“I don’t really care,” Siena said. “I was told to move them and so I am.”
“We haven’t practiced blades in a while,” Ero said. “You want to sneak into the forest and go a few rounds?”
Siena regarded him with a look of pity mixed with anger. “I can’t.” She turned and walked towards the next boulder in line, one bigger than the previous one, with a jagged top.
Ero, confused by her response, caught up to her. “Why not?”
“Because Laurik destroyed my energy blade.”
Ero stumbled in the sand. “What? When?”
She paused and turned to face him, the fire in her eyes laced with judgment. “At the Binary Hall.”
