Rogue Pursuit: A Space Opera Adventure (Shades of Starlight Book 1), page 10
He settled for, “Lots of training for surprisingly little action.”
Perrin chewed her lip. “What was your partner like?”
“Obviously a good liar.”
Kel had always been more private than Tai, the secret-keeping coming more naturally. He’d had a girlfriend for over a year, and Tai had never learned her name. Since that fateful meeting in his mom’s office a few days ago, Tai hadn’t stopped replaying the last three years, wondering how he’d missed the signs. Three years of rooming together, since they’d entered basic training. Missions and stakeouts, an occasional double date before and after the mystery girlfriend, movies and vid games, drinks and meals. And Tai hadn’t had a clue.
But despite his anger and disgust, the moments he remembered were good ones.
“He knows how to make life fun. He’s laid-back, but charismatic. Fairly neat, except he always leaves his dirty socks at the base of the laundry recycler because he knows it drives me crazy that he refuses to lift them the final three feet.”
She snorted and fell silent. Stared at the dark vid-screen on the wall. Then nestled farther into the bed, apparently done with questions.
He spent one final minute thinking about Kel, reminding himself that despite the good times, his friend was a traitor, before he retrieved his comp-pad and turned off the lights.
The reminder of his friend’s betrayal, combined with leftover adrenaline and seeing his mom, renewed his determination. Kel had to be found. And Tai, who knew Kel better than anyone, was best qualified for the job. His earlier guilt about breaking the rules had drowned in the river.
Tai entered the symbols from the mirror into an encryption program. Then he stayed awake most of the night, hacking systems and searching outbound ships. He ruled out two of this system’s four wormholes—the one they’d arrived through, and the one leading to the central planet of the Amber Alliance. Without Agency assistance, travel to the Amber home world would be nearly impossible. He’d focus on the two that went outward, toward the colonies.
He glanced at Perrin. She might’ve claimed to be able to sleep anywhere, but based on her not-quite-even breathing and the way her shoulders failed to fully relax, he suspected she was pretending. She’d shown no signs of nerves, even after he mentioned the other agents, so what kept her awake?
Not his most pressing concern. He cross-referenced passenger and crew names, pulled up images, scrolled quickly. Exhaustion slumped his shoulders, weighted his eyelids, but he was determined to finish.
His eyes glazed as images flashed past, his mind wandering to his mom. Why had she come personally? And what would she say when she inevitably discovered his unauthorized mission?
She appreciated initiative. If he succeeded, she might be impressed.
She also appreciated people who followed orders.
When he finished his search, he’d narrowed the list to the most likely ships—a private vessel, a cargo ship, and a mining crew transport.
He reactivated his link to the Spectrum Tower’s system and scanned video footage to see when Kel had left. Tai spotted a person who’d done the best job possible dodging cameras late morning the day before, but the person hadn’t been able to avoid an arm, side, and leg being captured as he exited. Good chance the person was Kel.
Based on the time, the crew transport’s schedule fit best. The ship had been headed to a Confed colony planet, and Kel would’ve had no trouble blending in with dozens of miners.
When he closed the search, he found his encryption program had run its course with no success. Whatever code Kel used, the Confed had no record of it.
Tai caught a couple hours of sleep, and they returned to the ship at first light, down empty streets much quieter this time of day. The sky was pale gold.
He turned the ship over to Perrin and took a nap while they flew to the wormhole in the outer reaches of the solar system. Several hours on auto-pilot also gave him plenty of time to check messages.
His mother had indeed written, asking if he was enjoying the mountains, as if this were a voluntary vacation. Another message had arrived as well, from Agent Bryson, saying he had the weekend off, wondering if Tai wanted company. Shades.
He typed in a reply to Bryson. “Thanks, buddy, need time to myself. Next time. I’ll bring you a fish or two.”
Responding to his mom presented a greater challenge.
I’m fine. You’re looking well. Tell McCombs to back off. Got any spare jet wings I can borrow? None of the options were good.
He decided to put off responding for a while and rejoined Perrin in time for the wormhole passage. She was studying text on her comp-pad.
He dropped into the other seat. “What are you reading?”
“Journals. I like the logs of the First Era explorers.”
“What about them?”
“The excitement. What it must have been like to sail through a new wormhole, not knowing where you’d end up or what you’d find.”
“Or if you’d make it back.”
She shrugged.
Her interest fit with everything he’d noticed about her. He pictured her as one of those early explorers.
She must not have angered the official the day before, because they were cleared without incident. What came next was the part he hated.
This wormhole was bright yellow with thick stripes of dark green and electric blue. The same neon colors as the drinks at the aquarium bar. They had the same side effects, too—nausea, dizziness, and regret.
He didn’t want to stare, but the view screen sucked him in, forced him to watch. The hard corners of the armrests dug into his palms where he gripped the seats, the angle jamming his ring painfully into his finger.
The ship rattled, jarring his teeth and his nerves. Definitely worse than last time.
Just breathe.
“Tai? Tai?” Perrin’s voice cut through his panic in a tone that implied she’d been trying to get his attention for some time.
He dragged his gaze away from the swirling colors of death.
“I need you to adjust the shields while I vary the frequency on the deflectors.” She pointed to the console to his left.
“Oh. Right.” He hurried to comply as if the faster he worked, the less likely she was to notice his fear.
For the next few minutes, he followed her instructions until the rattling reached a bearable level. The movement still made his teeth clatter and a loose panel under the deck clack with annoying regularity.
Perrin settled into her seat, gaze on the console but hands resting in her lap. “Why are you afraid of them?”
He crossed his arms. “Who says I’m afraid?”
“Please.” She tapped her foot. “Do you want to know why this one’s shakier? It still has three analogous colors like the last one, giving it the vibration. But this one has two primaries, yellow and blue, which adds the up-and-down jostling. Lucky for you, I’m awesome at this. You’re safe with me.”
He sniffed.
“What’s your deal?”
“Who says I have a deal?”
“The way you’re clinging to that chair like a spaced man to an oxygen tank. And the expression on your face that says you might hurl on me any second.”
Hurling was a distinct possibility.
He didn’t owe her such a personal answer, but if he explained, his fear would sound less unreasonable. Steeling himself against the expected surge of memories, he asked, “Have you ever seen a full-spectrum wormhole?”
“My dad said we went through one when I was young. I don’t remember it, but I’ve seen vid footage. It was amazing. They’re really rare. Quads are fairly common among the colonies. Even a couple with five colors for the newest planets. But a true full spectrum, I don’t know if any exist besides the Opal. And that one, well. Everyone knows about that one.”
“Exactly.”
“What do you—oh.” Her eyes widened, face stricken. “Did you, I mean…?”
Tai kept his gaze on the console. “My dad. He’s not exactly gone. He was—is—a pilot. He was part of the team that…”
He didn’t need to finish. She was right—everyone had heard of the Opal Incident, when the wormhole collapsed. Folded. With a science ship on the wrong side. The team managed to send one final message through, assuring the galaxy they were alive, but they’d never be coming home. The planet they’d been exploring wasn’t totally barren, and his dad had been flying a team of incredibly smart people. There was hope they’d found a way to survive.
At the time, Tai hadn’t been sure he would.
Perrin remained quiet a moment. “How old were you? Six or seven?”
“We found out the day before my seventh birthday. I was supposed to have a party at this anti-grav obstacle gym. And caramel cake. Funny the things you remember.”
“I’m sorry.” Her voice was quiet, gentle. “Someone might find a way to reach them one day. We still don’t know much about the wormholes. Opal could reopen. Or there could be another way to reach that world. I wish—”
“What?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
“This ship is a mutual sharing zone,” he said to lighten the mood. And because he found himself intrigued by her and wanted to know her thoughts. “I told you something about myself. Now it’s your turn, or I’ll have to lock you in the brig. Protocol.”
She laughed softly. Her hands had gone from still to tapping the console, not entering commands, just playing across the surface. Restless, like her. “I wish I could be like those explorers. The ones who found the first wormholes, established the early colonies, mapped the galaxy. Imagine the possibilities. All the colony worlds. Lots of those systems must have wormholes we haven’t found yet, but no one has looked because so few ships make it there. In a hundred years, I bet we find dozens more planets.” Her voice grew more and more animated, and her eyes sparkled.
“You want to make sure one is named after you?”
“Pshaw. One? I want entire solar systems.” She grinned.
Big surprise. “What’s stopping you?” There were no laws against exploring, nothing to prevent someone from setting off for planets unknown except self-preservation and common sense.
Her smile faded. “I told you. It’s stupid.”
“Why? Most people agree with you. There’s a whole galaxy to explore. You have the skills for it.”
“Maybe one day.”
He considered what he knew of her. “Is it the business?”
“Looks like we’re near the end. The exit will be bumpy. Reset that shield variance.” She pointed and faced her screen.
The colors spun into a funnel and exploded open, revealing black space beyond. The ship sailed toward it, shuddering like it fought to break free of a giant fist. The hull groaned. Then they burst out and all was still.
Perrin made more adjustments he didn’t understand while he transmitted their flight plan to the array on this side. This system contained a Confed colony, but they were coming from an Amber world, and once again Perrin’s licenses eased their way.
He set a course for the inhabited planet in the system and decided to prove she wasn’t the only one with a talent for observation. “The wormholes don’t make you claustrophobic?”
“Why would they?” Her voice was higher than normal.
He waited.
She sighed. “It’s not claustrophobia. Not exactly. It’s places I have no escape from. Tight spaces are fine if I’m fixing an engine or something.” She shrugged. “Last night was a no-escape situation. Just made me a little nervous.”
That was an understatement.
The hint of vulnerability was a welcome crack in her usually self-assured shell. It made her more accessible, somehow, like his fear of wormholes was okay.
The planet appeared on the screen, its surface patches of gray and pale blue streaked with thin layers of cloud. Desert covered most of the land masses, but the sensors showed several sizable cities. Tai aimed for the one Kel’s ship was due to land in.
As soon as they descended through the atmosphere, any trace of clouds vanished. Rolling black dunes spread as far as they could see, with a distant ice-blue sea that matched the sky.
Why had Kel come here? It was a profitable mining world but didn’t have much else to offer. He needed to figure out where this system led.
“What—?” Perrin stopped herself.
“Go ahead.”
“I was wondering… If your friend was trying to run away, he picked a strange way to do it. If I wanted to escape, I’d go to big cities. Planets with lots of ships and wormholes. Or at least go through several of those before coming somewhere like this.”
Tai had been thinking the same thing and was impressed she reached the same conclusion so quickly. “Unless he’s not simply running away. He’s running to.”
She nodded. “If he had a specific destination in mind, he’d still try to throw off followers, but he’d be more limited in his options because he has a goal. Seems like he’s in a hurry.”
“We’re still central enough that we can’t narrow it down much at this point, though.”
“True. I can name a dozen planets this path could lead to.”
“I knew I brought you along for a reason.”
“Any idea what he might be after?”
“Sorry, that’s—”
“Classified. I know, I know.” She rolled her eyes.
Also, he had no idea what Kel’s goal might be. He wished he did. That would make this a faster trip.
The city had no port, just landing platforms built on the sand, and he aimed for them. “Ready to go?”
“Almost.” She darted from the bridge and returned wearing a stunner in her thigh holster and a plasma knife on her belt. He suspected if he searched her, he’d find hidden weapons as well.
“You realize this is a Confed colony, which means a nonlethal open carry policy? If it can kill someone, leave it here.”
“When you say kill someone, do you mean the energy bolts?” She ran a finger over the gun on her leg. “Because this is a standard stunner, not lethal at all. Technically, can’t anything be used to kill? I could use it for a blunt-force blow. It’s made of plexi-steel. If I hit someone right, it’d be lethal. I bet you know a dozen ways to make a nonlethal weapon deadly.”
“Don’t be insulting.” He raised an eyebrow. “I know at least fifty.”
“Can you teach me?”
“That’s concerning. What’s with you and the gun?”
“My dad gave it to me. Said it would help if I got in trouble, and carrying it with confidence might keep me out of trouble in the first place. When the cargo bays were empty, we spent hours in there practicing.” Her gaze grew distant as if she were remembering.
He set the ship down on a platform with barely a bump, the action raising memories of his own dad teaching him to fly, before Tai was tall enough to see over the console.
Air from the thrusters kicked up clouds of black sand that swirled around the ship. They waited for it to settle before opening the hatch. An immediate blast of hot air gusted toward them, lifting Perrin’s hair and hitting him square in the face with the scent of dust. The dry air burned his nostrils.
Three other ships sat on landing pads, including the crew transport from Naxus. An attendant manned a small booth at the edge of the row of platforms. He confirmed no ships had left recently, and he hadn’t seen Kel, but no one was on duty at night to know for certain. The way the middle-aged man watched Perrin made Tai’s skin crawl.
He and Perrin agreed to head to town.
No paths connected the landing area to the city several hundred yards away, which blended into the hills in the distance, constructed of the same black as the desert. Around the town stretched miles and miles of sand, glittering black dunes shimmering with heat waves. Occasional metallic glints flickered on the expanse.
They trudged through the sand in midday heat. Sweat beaded immediately on his back and face, and the wind swirled sand around until soon they were both covered in a fine charcoal film.
He ran a sleeve across his forehead. “Nice place.”
“Imagine hauling mining equipment across this.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Once or twice.”
Perrin’s voice sounded more subdued than usual. Could’ve been the heat. If they passed a vat of ice water, he wouldn’t hesitate to plunge his head in.
The town rose out of a rocky hill, square black sandstone buildings stacked up the hillside with spires and towers jutting up here and there. An occasional wall reflected the sun, and he suspected they were the pre-fab panels popular in many colonies. A few water wells pierced the ground, and a large squat building in the hills outside of town had to be the mine.
They passed through a square gate in the city wall and climbed a road paved in black brick toward the town center. If Tai lived in the desert, he wouldn’t have gone with black. The walls, the street, everything radiated heat, compounded by the bright sun reflecting off the shiny pre-fab panels and windows. But then, people here didn’t have much else to work with.
Arched doorways had been carved from stone. Solar panels covered flat rooftops, and he spotted a single bio-dome for growing crops. Shops lined the main street.
Strange symbols were sketched on several buildings with white chalk. When he rubbed one, dust clung to his fingers.
“Local language?” he asked. “Do they advertise what’s sold inside?”
“I guess so,” she said.
“They remind me of the drawings on Kel’s mirror.” No exact matches, but the shapes felt familiar. He took pictures of them with his comp-pad.
“What’s our cover story this time?”
“You don’t want to think of one? You were doing pretty well before.”
“It’s your job.” She wiped sweat from her face. “I’m not doing it for you.”
“You were earlier.”
“That was before I knew you were an expert.” Her teasing lacked its usual enthusiasm.
“What do you know about this world? Could we say we’re chasing a smuggler?”
