Hathor Legacy: Outcast

Hathor Legacy: Outcast

Book One of the Hathor Legacy
Series

Deborah A Bailey

Bright Street Books

PISCATAWAY
, NJ

Copyright © 2013 by Deborah A Bailey.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the website below.

Deborah A Bailey/Bright Street Books™

Piscataway
, NJ 

www.
BrightStreetBooks.com

Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

Book Layout ©2013 BookDesignTemplates.com

Cover design by Steph's Cover Design

http://www.stephscoverdesign.com/

Ordering Information:

Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corpor
ations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the website above.

Hathor Legacy: Outcast/ Deborah A Bailey. -- 1st ed.

ISBN
978-0-9842926-3-9

Acknowledgements

Thanks to
Kelli Wilkins, Kat Duncan, Amy Swencak and my mom, Ruth Bailey for your feedback and support.

"Your real jo
b in the world is to be you."

―India.Arie

1
The Explosion

Nova
City, Hathor – Morning

Nadira was a little girl again, clutching her mother, Minona's hand. As usual, she felt her mother's soft, warm energy flowing through their physical connection. Perched on a mound of thick, steel grey sand, they sat watching the sapphire waves roll up on the shore.

Shielding her eyes from the bright sunshine, Nadira watched a bird swoop over the sea, then soar back up into the bright blue sky. "Mommy, look!" She pointed, directing her mother to follow the bird's progress as it glided above the waves.

Her mother's lips were pressed together in a tight line. Why didn't she smile anymore? What was wrong? Nadira reached up, tracing her mother's full lips with her fingers. Minona smiled, her gold-flecked, brown eyes lighting up at her daughter's touch. But her joy quickly faded.

"They're coming, Nadira."

Now she remembered why they were waiting here on the beach. She wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. Soon the Guardians would come to take her away. Please don't let them take me.

She could hear the aircars approaching, their engines rumbling like thunder. Don't let go, Mommy. Don't let go. As her mother's arms slid around her, Nadira squeezed her tight.

"I love you, Nadira," her mother whispered. "Don't forget."

She wouldn't forget. Never. Determined, she held on to her mother, trying to r
esist as firm hands grabbed her from behind. But they were too strong for her and yanked her away.

"No!" Nadira sprang up, gasping for breath. Instead of being on a beach with her mother, she was in her apartment in
Nova City.

Twenty solar years ago they'd hidden in various seaside towns in the North, eluding the Guardians who relentlessly tracked them. But Nadira's abilities to read people's thoughts and em
otions were too strong to remain undetected. When they'd found her, they took her away to be trained as one of them.

If only she and her mother had been able to leave Hathor. But no one with abilities could leave the planet and survive. 

Buzzing from the communications unit broke into her musings. Turning off the auto answer had seemed like a good idea last night. Now she'd have to get up and find out who it was.

"Lights up 50%," she called out.  Panels of light in the ceiling illuminated the room in a soft white glow.

Nadira threw back the covers. Running her hand over her short-cropped hair, she padded over to get something to put on. On a set of shelves next to the com unit, she kept her company-issued clothing in neatly folded stacks. Grey jackets on top, grey pants below.

Well, at least she had some discretion over the shirt color. Should she choose the off-white or the light grey? Or maybe dark blue?

"Buzz--buzz--buzz"

Whoever was trying to reach her was not giving up. She pulled out a blue shirt and shrugged it on. Now she was ready. 

Her apartment had been built decades before and she'd refused to update any of the built-in appliances--including the old com unit. Sometimes the video didn't work, other times it was the audio. She tapped the screen. It stayed blank, but she could hear breathing through the tinny speakers. 

"Nadira," a man's gruff voice blared. "Do you have the vid turned off again?"

Nothing like getting a call from, Brant, the Guardian Sentry Leader first thing in the morning. "Com unit's acting up."

"Get a new unit."

"We're Guardians, why do we need communicators?" Nadira couldn't resist asking the question. Using their heightened senses, Guardians could connect with each other without using man-made devices. Though communicating with Brant wasn't something she looked forward to.

There was silence, followed by a sigh. "We have an alert about an explosion and theft at the mine on Demeter. Several workers were killed."

It was the highest-producing mine in the solar system, just three days away by interplanetary shuttle. Lots of security. Hard to believe someone from the outside would try to steal from it. "How did they get through the checkpoints?"

"They were probably helped by someone on the inside. The CEO of the mine is missing along with a sizable amount of crystal. He might be involved."

"But what can the Guardians do about it?" she asked. The mine had its own security force. Besides, she was here on Hathor, what could she do? As a Sentry she had the strongest abilities of all the Guardians. But still, she didn't have the power to do anything about a theft millions of kilometers away.

"We do not ignore direct requests from Novacorp. If the thieves come here, we must appr
ehend them. I don't need to remind you of your duty, do I? We Guardians are responsible for protecting this planet."

And now he was going into one of his long-winded speeches. Hadn't she a
lways done her duty? Even after being taken from her mother she'd served Novacorp. For years she'd turned her back on her own desires to do what they wanted.

"But why would they risk coming here?" Novacorp's headqua
rters was here on Hathor.

"They risked stealing from the mine, they might risk much more. Novacorp knows best and we will follow their directives. Do you understand?" His tone cut off further discussion.

Of course she did. It had been drilled into her since she was eight years old: the age she'd been taken from her mother.

"Yes, I understand," Nadira replied. Please let this conversation be over now.

"I will contact you later with further instructions."

"Fine." She punched the com unit and disconnected. Their calls usually ended this way.

After dealing with the Sentry Leader, she was in no mood to go back to bed. Brant was prone to exaggerate, but he might be right this time.

If the thieves were coming to Hathor, it would be up to the Guardians to stop them.

*****

Mining
Port City, Astarte – Morning

"Jonathan! Come here, Jon!"

Half asleep, Jonathan responded to his father's voice. "I'll be right there."

Might as well get up and see what his father wanted--wait a minute. Jon slowly opened his eyes, surveying his surroundings. He was in his bed alone. Or was he? Out of the corner of his eye he made out a cloud of bright red hair and the curve of a feminine shoulder. What was her name again? Lina…no, it was Lela. That's right. Lela something or other.

His father's voice had been so clear. Great. Now he was hearing things that weren't there. Jon burrowed deeper into his pillow. But what did he expect after only a couple of hours sleep?  The party he'd hosted last night had gone on into the early hours of the mor
ning.

Easing his hand out from under the covers, he tapped on the surface of the bedside table. Might as well check out the news alerts. The wall in front of him glowed blue before it di
splayed the attractive face of a woman with short brown hair. Not wanting to wake his companion, he kept the sound low.

Now they were showing the mining installation on the neighboring moon, Demeter. He hadn't been there in months. And when he'd gone it was only because his father, the mine CEO, had asked him to come. Jonathan had given in to his father's request. Unfortunately, he'd been unable to fake an interest in his father's work.

Suddenly the bottom of the screen was flashing red, accompanied by scenes of wrecked equipment and caved in mineshafts. What the hell? He turned up the volume in time to hear the words: "blast," "accident," "killed." Mining officials were being interviewed. Jonathan jumped out of bed and ran into the main living area. Was his father supposed to be at the mine today?

He picked up his tablet, his hand shaking. "Contact Brandon Keel on Dem
eter."

A moment later the long, tired face of a man he didn't reco
gnize filled the screen. He frowned like he'd just smelled something sour. "Demeter mining installation 12-100--CEO's office."

"Where is he? Put him on."

"Who is this?"

"His son, Jonathan. Who are you?"

Jon heard someone talking in the background. The man got up, and his father's second-in-command, Catherine Mantee sat down. "Jonathan, there's no need to worry."

"Cat! Where's my father?" He noticed she was paler than usual, and her blue eyes were bloo
dshot.

"We don't know yet. Brandon told me he was leaving on the shuttle for Hathor this morning." She sighed, absently rubbing her forehead. "We're trying to contact him now."

"What caused the explosion?"

"We're not sure. But it looks like it was a diversion to cover the theft. Look, we'll know more in a few hours," she answered in a shaky voice.

"A theft? Then it wasn't an accident? I'll be there as soon as I can to help look for my father."

"No, Jonathan! We're still picking up the pieces here."

"But my father is missing." Jon ran his fingers through his hair, but couldn't keep a curl from falling back against his forehead. "You can't expect me just to wait here and do nothing."

"You can't get here. Company and private shuttles are on loc
kdown. I've given the order. No one is coming or going right now."

"I have to do something." He paced the floor, his feet slapping the stone tiles. "You have to find him."

"Jonathan, I swear we will." More muffled voices in the background. Cat's frown deepened. "There was another cave in.  I've got to go."

"What about my father? Cat, what's going on?"

The screen went blank.