Balance (The Neumarian Chronicles) (2 page)

A
nother cadet sat at my station, her fingers grazing over the magnifier. Moving to her side, I tapped her on the shoulder. No way was a rookie manning my station while we fought to free Ryder. “You’re relieved of duty.”

The girl with dark hair
pulled into a tight bun, spun in her seat, and scanned my uniform. “You can’t give me orders.” She returned her attention back to the viewfinder.

“Last shuttle approaching, sir.”

For a moment, I thought about yanking her from the stool and throwing her to the ground, but that would ruin the limited rapport I’d built with the rebels. Not to mention it would confirm I was the spoiled little princess they believed me to be.

“Is there a problem
, lieutenant?” my father asked.

“She ordered me to abandon my station, sir,” the
girl said, her voice filled with indignation.

“
I see.” He signed a halo pad then returned his attention to us. “Corporal Semara Bellator, are you emotionally prepared to man your station despite the current situation?”

It wasn’t hearing my rank that unsettled me. After all, as the Triune, all three of us carried the same status, as did Penton, the rebellion’s Weapons Master. No, it was hearing my father’s last name attached to me.
Before escaping Mandesa, I’d always been referred to as Princess Semara or by Mandesa’s family name, Valderak, which was also my mother’s maiden name. Silly really to be bothered by my last name, but it was one more change in a long line to get used to.

“Yes, sir.” I straightened my shoulders and forced my gaze from my station.

“Good, then standby.”

He faced the front, but I felt his gift surge into my mind.
Stand down. You don’t want to make a scene. If she can’t handle it, I’ll give you the station. However, with you risking your life every five minutes, I need trained people on this ship
.

Seriously
?
I
opened my mouth then closed it. No one disrespected the general on the bridge, not even his only daughter.
Fine, I’ll standby, but if she screws up, I’m taking over.

I’d expect no less from my daughter
.

His words tickled the back of my mind. All those years dreaming of my father, never once had I imagined us here. He a general, me engaged to be married
. And then there was the rebellion.

“Captain Moroana confirms position of the Emperor’s ship. Captain Paulson has engaged the enemy.”

So, Mart earned the commission of captain of the
Freedom
after all and now fought as an equal by Paulson’s side. Good for her. Bad for Paulson if he wanted her heart.

“It’s time for us to stop crawling along the ocean floor. Time to debut the
SB-06
.” With a smirk, my father settled in the captain’s chair and pressed the com button. “All hands to battle stations and switch to airship mode. It’s time we rebels showed Mandesa and that Asian emperor who they’re fighting.”

A se
cond later, the silent crew—Arc trained and readied for this mission, some since they were children—assumed their positions. Beneath their cool professionalism, I felt the zing of their anticipation and understood it. This was their chance to finally implement their training, prove their worth, and avenge their murdered loved ones.

As the lieutenant lowered her face to the viewfinder, I spotted a long, white scar above the hairline
that zigged down her neck and disappeared under her collar. She wasn’t a rookie. Like all of us aboard this ship, she’d suffered injuries. Not one person on the
SB-06
had escaped the queen’s wrath. No, not queen…Mandesa. Father was right, she didn’t deserve the title.

“What’s your name
, lieutenant?”

“Scott,” she mumbled, aggravation spilling out of her.

I watched for a few minutes as she shifted in her seat, cupping the viewfinder around her eyes. Leaning closer to her ear, I said. “The view finder’s difficult to see through when your station illuminator is on. It’s something I learned on my second voyage aboard the
Freedom
while serving in your position.”

She reached above her head, flipped off the illuminator, and leaned back into the viewfinder. “Thanks. You’re right, it makes a huge difference.”

“I’m happy to help.”
Anything to rescue Ryder
. I leaned against the bulkhead behind her. My knees weakened at the thought of him dying, or worse, inhaling the blue mist.

He’ll be okay
, my father reassured me. He pressed the com button. “Engineering report.”

“All engines are go.”
The voice caught my attention. Harold. The man who helped us escape the
Freedom
when the council demanded Gordon turn us over to them.

One of my many spies
,
my father said, using his gift to read my thoughts,
who’ve watched over you and protected you all these years. I know you believe I abandoned you. Perhaps in a way I did, but I always had your back, even aboard Mandesa’s ship
.

I fought to keep my mind
clear, to ignore the twisting of grief in my chest for all the years we’d lost. Yet if I hadn’t been left behind on Mandesa’s ship, Raeth wouldn’t be alive. Forcing myself from a past I couldn’t change, I focused on now, this minute, and the rescue of Ryder.

T
remors rippled through the ship as its thrusters fired and the floor rumbled beneath my boots. A roar of the engines, followed by a thruster burst, launched us from beneath the waves and shot us into the sky.

“Switch view to full screen,” my father ordered.

With shaking hands, Lieutenant Scott flipped the lever and an image of the ocean materialized in front of us. Millions of bubbles and churning water covered the view.

“Switch to front v
iew,” I urged Lieutenant Scott.

The screen stuttered and rolled, refocusing on a vast ocean and sky. We winged left
then right as we sped over the cliffs of Upper Europe. In a matter of minutes, we’d be in range. Surging over forests, wreckage, and death, we reached the river. “Magnify. Check sensors.”

“Sensors not responding
, sir. Too much interference,” a man shouted from the left side of the bridge.

My father stood and moved toward the screen. “
Must be jamming us.”

Click, click, click.

Lieutenant Scott rotated the magnification nob, revealing a heavy blue layer of mist.

“Flying blind,” shouted the same voice.

Scowling, my father returned to the captain’s chair and hit the com button. “Raeth to the bridge.” He glanced at the helmsman. “Maintain distance.”

The com crackled. “Sir, she’s unable to walk at the moment,” Penton said.

“I don’t care if you have to carry her, just get her here now.” He released the button and glanced at me. “Is she as strong as they say?”

I nodded. “I’ve never seen or known anyone stronger.”

The lift doors opened and Penton carried Raeth onto the bridge. To my horror, her battered metal leg was gone.

Several people gasped. Even my father appeared momentarily surprised. “You weren’t kidding, son.
” He pointed to the pilot’s chair as the cadet who’d been manning it scrambled out of the way. “Place her at her station.”

“W-what’s going on?”
Raeth asked as Penton lowered her to the chair.

“The mist’s blocking our view and someone’s jamming our sensors. We need you to clear the mist so we can see where we’re flying and who’s hiding.”

“She can’t do that,” Penton lifted Raeth from the chair and pressed her to his chest. “The mist’s the same basic property as what zombified all those people. If she tries to alter the synthetic properties, it’ll not only handicap her powers and drain her for a while, but it almost killed her last time. I won’t let you use her like that.”

My father’s jaw clenched then
eased. “Relax, son. We won’t. There must be another way.” He scanned the bridge. His disturbingly incisive gaze paused on me, then shot back to Raeth.

“Lieutenant
Scott, you’re relieved. Corporal Bellator, take your station.”

Lieutenant Scott
rose, her chin jutting out as she eyed him.

I leaned close and murmured, “I wouldn’t do that. The general doesn’t accept challenges to his orders. Once we clear the mist, I’ll return the station to you.”

She nodded and moved to stand behind me.

I knew this wasn’t a good idea. Looking for mines was no big deal. They were metal, and even
the vast ocean couldn’t shield them from me. But this was different. We weren’t beneath the sea. We were in the air and could smash into a cliff or crash if we were flying too low. We could get hit by snipers or artillery. I licked my lips. It didn’t help. My mouth was too dry. “I’ll take it slow.”

“No. If we can’t see them, they can’t see us. We hit hard and fast, before they have a chance to pinpoint and take us down.” He leaned forward, his fists resting on the chair
’s arms. “Excluding buildings, the terrain’s flat near the river.”

“Some of the wreckage is stone and juts into the air.”

You can do it, Semara
. “Tap into your power. Anything metal, alert Corporal Arteres. She’ll alter course.” He leveled a hard look at Penton. “Can Corporal Bellator safely penetrate the mist without being affected?”

Penton settled Raeth back onto her seat, crossed his arms, and tapped his index finger to his lips. “Yes, as long as
she doesn’t attempt to change or connect with it, she’ll be fine.”

Sinking into my chair, fear curled around my spine. My bravado oozed from my body. “Sir, I’m not familiar with the terrain. I can only avoid metal, not stone.”

“It’s our only shot. If you can’t do this, we’ll have to return to safe territory and see if our contacts can reach them.”

“Ryder won’t survive that long.”

“I know,” he mumbled. “I’m no longer able to hear him.”

My nails gripped the rubber seal around the optical. “What does that mean?”

“He’s either passed out or—” His lips thinned to a knife blade and acid inched up my throat.

Chapter Two

Inhaling, I scanned all the faces on the bridge, their mouths tight with concern. I’d be risking all their lives to rescue Ryder. Was that fair? Images of my rebel family flooded into my mind, overwhelming the programmed memories of my youth. Ryder healing me. Bendar and Fallon bringing me a birthday cake. The device implanted in my brain right after Mandesa destroyed the Mining Territory. The sand surfers, sermechtapedes and spiderats, which we barely escaped utilizing my gift in its infancy to find the metal scout ship.

It had been the first time I’d sensed metal. That initial tickle and strange burn in my brain and on my skin. In that instant, fear fled. Running my fingertips across the metal console, a zap of current connected me to the machine. It was as if we were one.

“I know what to do,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. “Perhaps, I can also detect things close to the metal.”

The lift doors swished open, but I didn’t turn.

“Meaning?” my father asked.

“If I can sense the outer edges of the ship, I simply avoid contact with anything. If something draws close, I can sense it. In theory anyway.”

“It’s true. You’ve come a long way, Semara. Your mother would be so proud,” Fallon said, his soft, deep voice carrying from the lift area.

I heard the click of the com button, then his calm, steady voice, “Raeth and Semara will navigate
SB-06
through the blue mist. We’ll come out the other side in a frenzy worse than invading a sermectapede nest. Fire upon acquiring a target. It’s time to drive the emperor back to Asia and send Mandesa a message. Get out and stay out of our territory.” He cut the com link. “Corporals Bellator and Arteres, when you’re ready.”

I swallowed and pressed one hand to the console, and the other to the
bulkhead by my side. My palms glowed. Thankfully, no molten metal flowed from the surface to the floor. The walls shook. We rose an infinitesimal amount. Engines roared inside my head. The ship’s metallic flavor coated my tongue. A taste I’d become accustomed to and almost enjoyed. I closed my eyes, yet saw through the viewfinder. I touched the exterior skin of the ship. My breath merged with the life support system. I zapped along wires and twisted through the gears and churning parts of the engine.

The wing panels shifted. Wind blasted pressure into my joints.

Nodding to Raeth, without breaking my concentration, the ship surged into the bluish hell below. I focused on the exterior of the ship. Damp air caressed me as I ignored the vibration from the roar of the engines.

“That’s my girl,” Father murmured. His voice almost shattered my connection. Only my fierce
purpose prevented anything from severing my bond with the ship. Instead, I remained embedded in every molecule. An object slithered close and almost raked my wing, as if a feather tickled sensitive hair on my arm. “Ascend fifteen degrees.”

The ship corrected. My toenails warmed as the exhaust heat increased. A quiver shot through my spine. “Up, now!”

The ship banked left and shot high into the sky.

Something hard and sharp slashed my belly.

“Haul breach, sector seven,” a voice boomed over the com.

“Seal off cargo hold four and five,” a girl commanded.

With clear view through the wormhole of clouds as we broke through “Dive.” Mist caressed yet burned my sides. “Engage.”

“Return command of the ship,
Corporal Bellator.”

I disengaged our merge and licked excess metallic residue from my lips,
the flavor more robust than bitter. My eyes fluttered open, revealing a world of destruction. The tower clock lay in a pile of stone. Ships whizzed pass in all directions.

“Fire at will,” Father ordered.

Fallon clutched my shoulder. “You did well.”

I patted his hand then snagged the viewfinder. Flicking the switch to
separate the full view screen from my station, I connected the viewfinder to the cameras at the front of the ship. With a few clicks, the magnifier enlarged the area by the channel. Smoke, debris, and tendrils of blue mist clawing at the shoreline, blocking a clear view. But filled with hope I rotated the knob further.

I glanced up from my viewfinder and looked at my father.
Do you hear him
?

Except for shaking his head, he sat immobile and refused to look at me. As I stared at him, I wondered how long it had taken him to learn
to blank his expression, a trait he’d become so known for as the infamous General Ballator.

“Sir, Captain Moroana requests assistance,” the com officer said.

I stared at the screen and saw Mart’s ship under heavy fire. My heart sank. The emperor had concentrated the majority of his fleet on the
Freedom
and it was going down. It had been tough living underwater for months, but it was also the first time I shared a room, and with my best friend Raeth no less.

I saw Raeth rocking in her seat
, though not humming. Unlike seven months ago, she seldom retreated into that other world of hers.

Father bent forward.
“Direct all fire power on the emperor’s main torpedo bay.”

Ignoring the frantic action on the bridge, I redirected my attention to the weeds along the channel. Anxiety that I couldn’t spot
anything from this altitude turned to dread. I rubbed my hands down my pants, then pulled on my fingerless gloves. “Sir, shouldn’t the council be assisting our wounded on the ground by now?”

He nodded to the com officer and the
message was relayed. I returned to the viewfinder, searching for any sign of movement.

Nothing.

I glanced back at the front screen in enough time to see two fighter planes on a collision course for our bridge.

Orders
were shouted.

SB
-06
dove.

Sending out my gift,
I pinpointed the fighters’ engines and melted the brackets connecting the fans. Once loose, blades slashed into the fuel tanks, and the planes exploded.

The
SB-06
shook.

Father bolted out of his chair
. “Report,” he barked, pacing between Raeth’s station and the front screen. “We’ll not lose the
SB-06
.” He reached the helmsmen. “Avoid the Kamikaze pilots. Aim for the emperor’s ship. Rain hell down on him.”

Crew scrambled around. Sir
ens blared. Red lights flashed. As we neared the emperor’s vessel, it continued to pound the
Freedom
.

“We’re smaller than the e
mperor’s vessel. Bring us alongside it, just above its wings. We’ll piggyback his ship and turn our side cannons on him.”

As we moved closer, we watched in horrified silence as the
Freedom
wavered in the sky attempting to flee the battle.

“
Freedom
reports extensive damage. She’s going down,” the com officer reported.

“Mart
. I’m here to save you, luv,” Captain Paulson’s voice said over the speaker.

“I’d rather fry
me ship than take ye assist, but as long as ye’re here…”

Father grabbed a headset with mic and nodded to the com officer. “Put me on the open general channel.” A second later, he issued orders to the fleet. “Captain,
Moroana, you will accept help. Focus your fire on fighters near you. Captain Paulson, protect the
Freedom
. Concentrate your fire on the emperor’s tail and fuel tanks. We’re riding his left wing. Don’t shoot us down.”

I shifted in my seat and, half listening, scanned the ground, magnifying the viewfinder. I spun the dial out and back, searching every sector between the tower and the end of the channel again.

There.

My heart soared. Beside a large debris pile at the corner of the tower, the busted clock hung from a fraying cable about ten meters
off the ground. Wearing gas masks, four people raced from the pile into the reeds. My nails dug into the rubber cover of the viewfinder’s lever, and I willed the rescuers to find my love.
Please help him. He’s helpless, bleeding, and collared like an animal somewhere below.

Stop screaming in my head
, Father hissed.

Sorry, I can’t help it.

Semara, this is greater than one person, even one we love.

No, it
isn’t. Ryder’s a third of the Triune. And if you want to win this war, you’ll need him.
I heard my father’s growl in my mind and aloud, causing nervous looks from the cadets around me.

Before he could say a
nything, I screamed,
I see something
. Focusing the viewfinder on something winking among the reeds, I magnified it twenty times and discovered a light flashing.

I shot from my chair. “Sir, a signal.”

“Split screen.”

I did as ordered and merged my view with the
front screen.

The bridge fell silent even
as the explosions continued to pound various parts of the ship. A flurry of action filled the left side of the screen. On the right, reeds waved from the wind generated by planes flying close to the ground.

I swear I saw a light blinking in a code. Are you sure you can’t connect with them?

I think it has less to do with their condition and more to do with the mist.

Refusing to tear my attention from the viewfinder I continued to search  until I spotted a
light blinking several more times. “There they are.”

“Send an encrypted message to the council. Give them the coordinates,” Father said.

Raeth turned from her console to the com officer. “I’ve s-sent them to your h-halo pad.”

I bit back a scream when the
four rescuers took off in the wrong direction. The com officer and chief encryption officer set to work while, I gnawed my fingernails and watched, unable to help.

“In
coming!” The words had barely come over the com line when a Kamikaze plane plowed into the side of our ship.

Sparks flew.

Screams echoed.

The
SB-06
shifted.

Bodies flew across the bridge. Penton held tight to Raeth
keeping her in her station. Fallon and I clung to mine. Father was ejected from the captain’s chair and slammed into Lieutenant Scott.

Ignoring the crushing impact, Raeth’s fingers flew over her controls.

“Blue mist!” I yelled, pointing to where it seeped in through a fissure at the back of the bridge. If it wasn’t sealed immediately, the ship would be our coffin. The crewman charged with damage control was laying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding from his ear. Given the extent of the ship’s damage and the continued assault of suicide pilots, evacuation of the bridge and staying alive was problematic. If the mist didn’t get us here, it would on the ground.

I loosened my grasp of
the viewfinder lever and slid across the floor to the center controller station, my arm slamming into the post securing the station to the floor. With a moan, I shifted my weight to my hip and clawed the floor until I reached the edge of the navigation station.