Infinity's End: Books 4-6, page 47
“I figured you’d try something stupid,” he yelled from across the room.
“He pulled me out?” Cas asked.
Evie nodded. “And Jann was the one who took care of our Diamant problem. He snatched the skin curtain right off you.”
Queasiness bubbled up in Cas’s stomach. “Can we please not call it that?” He swallowed, making sure it wasn’t coming back up. “How could he do that?”
“Oh,” Evie said, her face turning pink. “Vrij told us the membranes of the curtains can be penetrated with something sharp enough. I think you can figure out the rest.”
Cas might have figured that out if he’d had his wits about him, but he’d been on the verge of unconsciousness, so a lot of things may have escaped his notice. Still, none of it would have changed his decision. “What about the rest of the Bulaq?”
“Restrained, loaded back on their ship, and hauled to the middle of space by one of the shuttles. We weren’t taking any chances. But with Diamant gone, the fight seemed to go out of them.”
“Is everyone else okay?”
She nodded. “For the most part.” Her demeanor darkened. “But we need to talk as soon as you’re well enough. There’s a lot to fill you in on.” She turned to Xax. “When?”
“Another few hours. I want to make sure all the new organs have integrated without rejection and everything is functioning as normal. Human bodies react differently to unconscious and conscious states.”
Evie turned back to him. “As soon as you’re cleared, meet me in my quarters. The bridge is…under repair.”
Cas nodded, noting he didn’t hear any blame in her voice for what happened to the bridge, despite he’d been the one who made the order. Her eyes lingered on him a moment and then she was gone again.
“So,” Box said, approaching. “Now that you know I’ve saved your life; I think you owe me a little favor.” He held a syringe with a small bottle attached to the other end. “Spread ‘em.”
Zenfor stood at the doors to Engineering, debating whether to enter or not. She was strangely nervous to face him again after everything that had happened; she hadn’t been back since when the Bulaq had come and escorted them to the brig. She had been so full of emotions then, going off about how terrible the Coalition was and how everyone on the ship deserved what they got when in reality she was frustrated with her own performance. Or her inability to execute. She hadn’t seen the Bulaq modify the sensors so they couldn’t be seen taking the captain hostage. She hadn’t been able to set up a backup system to take them down when they took over the ship. She was a failure and she didn’t want to face the one person on the ship whose opinion actually mattered to her.
She’d never been one to back down from her failures before, but those had been different. This was something more. She felt like she’d let him down. And that was a difficult position for her to stand in.
Taking a deep breath, Zenfor walked back into Engineering, ignoring the rest of the crew. She didn’t care what they thought, and they could watch and gawk at her or not; all her attention was focused on Sesster. She reached his massive cradle and stared up at him, trying to decide how to begin.
But before she could begin the world melted away around her, and she found herself back on the plains of Thislea, even though it wasn’t quite the same. Night stretched above her in an endless sky and the purple-tinged horizon betrayed no city lights or civilization. Sesster stood in front of her, smiling. “I was wondering when you would show up,” he said.
“It’s been…difficult,” she replied. “I don’t handle failure well.”
“What failure? That you didn’t see a coup coming?”
“I saw it coming, I just thought I’d be able to stop it before it could get anywhere. But I’ve been distracted lately. I think it’s affected my performance.” He didn’t ask the obvious question because he already knew. It wasn’t like it was a secret between them or anyone else. Their minds had already connected on an intimate level. But it hadn’t been like the other couplings she’d experienced before.
“I wanted to thank you,” Sesster said, pulling her from her thoughts. “For telling me about the Coalition’s dealings regarding the Achlys. Had you never told me I might not ever have known what the humans did. And while I don’t agree with why they kept the information from me, I understand why the captain and Caspian didn’t tell me.”
“I only did what was right,” she said, still angry over the situation. “The humans don’t deserve your pity. Not after what they’ve done.”
“But they do. Their species is still young, and they need our guidance and our help. We must be patient with them, as parents are patient with children. They’ll learn one day and then, our futures will truly flourish.”
She scoffed. “You give them too much credit.”
“Maybe. But not all humans are alike. And I feel we must evaluate each on their own merit. Because of your actions, my relationships with many of the humans on this ship have already improved. I have you to thank for that.”
Zenfor smiled. “For what it’s worth, you’re welcome. I can’t tell you how…grateful I am to have a kindred spirit on this ship with me.”
“I agree,” he replied. There was a moment of silence where they just stared into each other’s eyes. Even though Zenfor knew she wasn’t really looking at his physical form, she felt as if this was his true self. His astral self as it were. And that was good enough for her. “Did the captain speak to you about her plan yet?”
Anticipation and dread arose in her, both in equal amounts. “She did.”
“I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.”
She couldn’t say she was disappointed necessarily, but it seemed like an extreme measure. At least for the time being. But things on the ship were dire and if they didn’t do something drastic, none of them might survive. “I’m on board,” Zenfor replied. “As long as we do it together.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Cas tapped the small button beside Evie’s door. Xax had discharged him not more than twenty minutes prior and he’d taken a short detour to grab fresh clothes from his quarters. When he made his way over to this side of the ship he couldn’t help but think about Vrij leading them across the hull of the ship. He’d never experienced anything quite like it.
“Come in.” The doors slid open to reveal Evie at her desk, her sword back on the wall behind her. It looked pristine as ever. “Feeling okay?” she asked, looking up.
He still felt weird. Even walking around knowing he had new organs inside him was enough to make his new skin tingle. It was almost as if all his body wasn’t his anymore, but he clamped down the feelings. “Fine. What’s the emergency?” He took the seat across from her.
“The ship is in bad shape. And even though we have all the materials we need to repair her; the repairs are going to take some time. A long time. And we’ve only got about a week of life support left.”
“What?” Cas asked, almost shooting up out of his seat.
She shook her head. “When Diamant and his men were repairing the ship, they also built in a couple of fail-safes. One blew the entire life support system to hell. Zenfor and Sesster are working on it, but it’s going to take longer to repair than we have.”
“What about the shuttles? Isolating part of the ship off? Something—”
She held up her hands. “We’ve already been over all that. We can keep minimal life support running for a while, but not for the entire crew. We’re going to have to set down somewhere until we can make repairs.”
“You mean land the ship? I don’t think—”
“No. I mean we need to find a planet where we can take refuge as we send repair crews back and forth to fix the ship.”
He slumped back in his chair. “Great, so we’ve become Diamant after all.”
“I don’t see another way around it,” she replied. “And even though we’ve gotten rid of them for now, there’s nothing saying they won’t regroup and come at us again. If there is one thing I know it’s that behind every maniacal leader there is someone ready to take his place. So our first priority is moving the ship.”
“I just don’t understand how they were so many steps ahead of us the entire time,” Cas replied.
“Vrij told me it has something to do with the way his people can determine intention. It extends beyond their own species, but someone has to be trained to recognize it for what it is and not just one’s own mind talking to itself. I’m willing to bet Diamant was an expert, and he read us as easily as someone could read a book, knowing what we wanted and how we wanted to get it.” She stood, walking over to the small table underneath her sword. “I think he found out about our ship and orchestrated the whole thing.”
Cas frowned. “Is Vrij—”
“He’s requested to stay, but I wanted your opinion. He’s an excellent builder, he could help with the repair efforts. As long as he doesn’t share his old friend’s desires. Apparently, they’d been friends since childhood.”
“Is that why he refused to shoot him?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe there was a decent person in there once. But circumstances changed him and pushed him too far. I don’t want that to happen to us.”
“It won’t. Diamant was alone. Our crew is united in this endeavor. No more lies and no more secrets.” Cas watched her carefully. She had been under a lot of pressure lately and it was his job as first officer to determine if the captain was still fit to command. He smirked. It had been the first time he’d thought of himself as the first officer in an official capacity.
“I just don’t know. In the meantime, the engines should be up and running for a short undercurrent jump. I’ve had the shuttles out searching the area for something we can use, and we found a planet a few light years away, one we hadn’t charted before.”
“Inhabited?” Cas asked.
“I’m not sure yet. Probably. But maybe we can barter for some space temporarily. Vrij told me this area is full of a variety of species.”
Cas leaned forward, placing his forearms on her desk. “Evie. What are we going to do about Andromeda? They’re still out there and they’re headed for Earth. And we have no way to get back to the Coalition.”
She sighed. “I know. I think our only hope is to fix the long-range communicator and send them what we have, not that it’s much. Depending on what Zenfor can do with the engines we might still be stuck out here for a while and if they’re still on the same course they were on when we left Cypaxia they’re due to reach the edge of Coalition space in just under eighty days. We can’t beat them back without Zenfor’s enhancements, to say nothing of developing an effective counter-measure against their time shifting.”
“What do you think they want? Really?”
She turned back to him, taking her seat again. “I honestly don’t know. But if it’s anything like what they wanted from the Bulaq; the Coalition is in big trouble. They could destroy all the inner systems in a matter of seasons if that’s their goal. If not, I don’t have a clue what they could be thinking.” She paused. “But that isn’t our primary concern at the moment. It’s my responsibility to protect this crew so that’s what I’m going to do. We need to get to the planet, set up a base camp of some kind and then begin repairs on the ship. Then we’ll worry about Andromeda.”
She was right. Any earlier reservations he had about helping Evie lead this crew had vanished. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have an official rank anymore and that he was acting in the capacity without the authority of the Coalition. Diamant’d had the full support of his people and he had been crazed, almost to the point where it was dangerous to his own kind. It hadn’t mattered that he was once a great military leader. It was his actions that defined him. And it had taken Cas seeing the man for who he truly was before realizing he’d already gained the crew’s respect and admiration. And he wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize that now.
Cas nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Evie walked into engineering to find Cas, Zenfor and Box all there, while Vrij stood off to the side near the corner. Sesster was in his cradle operating the various systems that had propelled them into the undercurrent. He’d warned Evie it might damage the ship further, but if they stayed out in open space things would only get worse. At least inside a system they could harvest energy from the star using the energy collector and would have a place for refuge while Tempest was repaired.
She didn’t think it was an order Greene would have made, and while once that might have frightened her, today it only gave her more resolve. This was the right decision. And just because it wasn’t one he wouldn’t have made didn’t make it wrong or dangerous. She was going to get this ship out of this situation, no matter what it took.
“Where are we?” she asked, tightening the loop on the sheath strapped to her back. She’d begun taking her sword with her everywhere over the past few days. Not because she felt paranoid or like she needed it for protection, but because this was a new era and that was what she’d decided to do. And if when they got back to the Coalition and someone wanted to report her for carrying a deadly weapon around the ship, then that’s just what they’d have to do. To her, this was more important.
“Just dropping out of the undercurrent,” Cas said, staring at one of the screens near the master systems display in Engineering. With the bridge out of commission it had become the ship’s temporary command center.
“Hey,” Laura whispered, indicating Evie over to the side of Engineering. She smirked and went over to her. “Have I told you how much I’m liking this?” Laura ran her hand down the strap across Evie’s front. “Makes you look badass.”
“I am badass,” Evie replied, not hiding the smile on her own face.
“I know. Now everyone else knows it too. If we meet anyone down there, they’ll think twice before tangling with you.” Laura reached up placing a lingering kiss on Evie’s lips that promised more in the future. “I am so proud of you.”
“Thanks,” Evie whispered back, her heart suddenly fluttering.
“Hey, females,” Box yelled, breaking the moment. “Do you want to see this planet or not?” Evie smirked and rolled her eyes, as they both walked over to the primary monitor. “I can’t wait to get back on solid ground for a while. It’s been years.”
“You were just on that asteroid a few seasons ago,” Laura said.
“That doesn’t count. Asteroids are like planet larvae. They wanna be planets someday, and maybe they will. Or maybe they’ll just be swallowed up by the next gas giant they run into.”
“Ignore him,” Cas said. “He’s expanded his studies to include the entire biological spectrum now.”
“Did you know,” Box began, “that a larva is often adapted to completely different environments than their fully-grown adult forms?”
“Yes, Box. Everyone already knew that,” Cas said, exasperated.
“Well, excuse the hell out of me. I’m just trying to raise the collective—”
“Shut up,” Zenfor replied. “We’re here.” She indicated the screen before them.
At first Evie thought she was hallucinating. But as she moved closer to the image and it didn’t change, all of a sudden her heart started beating rapidly.
“Evie, sweetie, what’s wrong? What is it?” Laura asked, taking her arm. The room had become deathly still. She glanced up at Sesster, had he recognized it as well?
“What’s going on?” Cas asked.
“The planet,” Evie said once she’d found her breath. “It’s the same one I’ve seen in my visions. It’s the same one with the creatures.”
“What creatures?”
She stared him right in the eye. “Andromeda.”
Thank you for reading SECRETS PAST!
Continue reading for the next chapter of the adventure: PLANETFALL.
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PLANETFALL
Chapter One
As Caspian Robeaux stared at the emerald planet in the distance, he realized he was looking through something other than the viewscreen. He was looking through himself. The smoky image reflected a person he didn’t recognize, and someone who would have been foreign to him just a few short seasons ago. His face betrayed none of the discomfort or pain which he’d become accustomed to long ago. Cas had to give himself credit; he’d made big strides. There had been a time when stepping back on a shuttle had seemed like an impossibility, but he’d managed this mission without any trouble. Though, when twenty-five percent of your body wasn’t your own, it tended to change one’s perspective on things.
Cas had always prided himself on his resilience, and this often included his physical characteristics. He’d managed to survive childhood without breaking any bones or needing the removal of errant or malfunctioning organs. He’d had perfect eyesight and straight teeth for as long as he could remember, and he’d never needed any artificial augmentation. So maybe he didn’t hit the gym much, but that hardly mattered. The point was, his body had always been reliable. He’d never worried about it shutting down on him.
But all that had changed because of Diamant. Four days ago, he’d woken up in sickbay having been informed three major organs had been regrown and new skin had been grafted onto dead tissue. Doctor Xax had done an excellent job; he couldn’t see a difference at all. But he could feel the difference. And for the first time in his life, he didn’t quite feel like himself. Maybe that was where he found the willpower to continue to go on shuttle missions again and again. Maybe it came from the other him. The new him. Or maybe he no longer had anything to protect.
