HeartbeatofSilence (6 page)

“We both have adjusting to do. I have the easier portion. I am regaining a life I thought lost, you have to share yours.”

Stanik kissed her. “I do not regret it, and I will try to make sure that you do not as well.”

Veera sighed and returned the kiss, moving closer to him as he put his arms around her. They kissed and enjoyed the simple contact with each other until a cool breeze swept across the lake to chill her.

Without a word, Stanik stood up and shifted to his other form, kneeling to ease her climb up his back. She settled, and when she was ready, she squeezed him with her thighs, setting him in motion.

Having her own riding beast was an excellent bonus to the package that was Stanik. She hoped that he was content with his side of the bargain.

Chapter Nine

Two weeks of bonding time to hone her skills and learn to swim passed as if time were standing still.

The support staff moved into the Citadel and dinner was now a public event. Everyone who wasn’t working had a seat and socialized around the tables, and after weeks of practice, she didn’t pick their brains every time she was in the vicinity.

When she was discussing possible dessert items with the cook, her first call came in. Stanik came up behind her and whispered in her ear. “Get your go bag. We have a call.”

She nodded and excused herself from the conversation about cake and fruit. “Really? We have a call?”

“Yes. Now, get your go bag and meet me in the front courtyard. A shuttle is coming for us.”

She sprang into action, running up the stairs and to their quarters. She opened her wardrobe and grabbed the bag at the bottom, verified the contents and changed to one of her vid-equipped suits and a set of serviceable boots.

Veera was back downstairs in ten minutes, and the shuttle was just setting down. Stanik extended his hand, and she took it. Her mind was trembling with eagerness at the thought of being an actual Citadel agent. It was the first time she had set off on something that was so important.

“Pets? You want me to find a pet?” Veera blinked rapidly as the head researcher of Iradu Colony Research swallowed nervously.

The assistant at the research facility spoke up. “They are not simply pets, they are genetically evolved Yaluthu with the ability to spur healing in others.”

Veera smiled. “I am not complaining, I just need all the information that you have and any pictures you have of the…Yaluthu?”

The assistant nodded and offered a data station, bringing up a series of images. The Yaluthu were cute, adorably so. They were a mix of all pastel colours, about eighteen inches tall and twelve inches wide. Small wings flapped and little feet with fuzzy knuckles protruded just under their soft bellies.

Their small faces screamed neoteny. Huge eyes, innocent rounded beaks and fluffy pointed ear buds made her ask the question, “Are these adults?”

“Yes, they begin about an inch tall, but they maintain those characteristics throughout their life until they reach the final cycle at ten years old. From there, they become an avian predator for the next twenty years.”

“How many were taken?”

“All of them. One hundred twenty-four.” The assistant looked very unhappy.

“Who took them?”

“An assistant who it now seems was infiltrating our facility for the purpose of getting access to the Yaluthu.”

A quick search of the young woman’s thoughts and Veera saw the traces of psychic seduction. Veera put her hand on the woman’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about it. You could not have resisted if you had tried.”

The young woman looked at her with hope. “Are you sure? He got the code from me.”

The researcher gasped. “You betrayed the codes?”

The assistant was horrified and mired in a spiral of self-blame.

Veera faced the researcher and found the same psychic traces in his mind. “She was not the only one to fall for the seduction of the interloper. Stop playing the accusation game and tell me if there is anything else that I can use to find them.”

The researcher coloured darkly as he met her knowing gaze. “Would having the prototype help?”

Veera felt Stanik’s agreement. He was interviewing the security force, and they had been seduced as well.

“Yes, please. I will be able to key myself to them more easily if I can see their mental structure.” She had never done anything like it before, but it wouldn’t hurt to know exactly what she was looking for.

The researcher led her to a green space in the centre of the research station, and as they walked through the coded archway, a light trill greeted them. Veera looked toward the sound and watched a small, fluffy body making its way to them at speed. It smacked into her and frantically hopped up and down with its stubby wings outstretched.

“It wants you to pick it up.” The researcher was amazed.

Veera leaned down and lifted the small, warm creature up into her arms. “Hello, cutie.”

The creature started to rumble low, and the noise soothed Veera to the point of complete relaxation.

The researcher blinked. “It likes you. It really likes you.”

Veera looked into the wide golden eyes in the powder blue fur, and she nodded. “I like it too. Can I take it with me?”

“Of course. Please return it when you have found the others. It was our first successful attempt at increasing the size of the original species.”

She cuddled the creature in her arms and smiled. “Was that all you did?”

“Yes. We needed them in a larger size. The smaller creatures are effective, but they do not enable us to make use of them. You can’t hold something that small.” He held up his hand and measured a three-inch span between his fingers.

“Well, I have what I need. Me and Fixit here will meet up with Guardian Stanik and we will be on our way.”

“Fixit?”

Veera blinked and looked down at the innocent face batting long lashes at her. “Yes, its name is Fixit.”

“That was what the original discoverer called the species. We named them after her, the Yaluthu, but I suppose that in their minds, they still remember Fixit.”

She could feel the researcher’s mind working on exploring the generational mind of the Yaluthu while he gave her information on feeding the creature. Shrugging, she took her new companion and carried him through to the security office.

Stanik was waiting, his black uniform very formal and lightly armoured for their conversations with the staff. He nodded and smiled slightly at the creature in her arms.

They had what they needed, so they left to return to the shuttle and the pilot waiting for them.

Captain Haglan Orvin fired up the engines and lifted off. “Where are we going?”

Veera sat just behind him with Fixit in her lap. “We are going to get reinforcements. The Yaluthu are being used to treat the injured on a mobile gladiatorial arena.”

Stanik nodded as he got the details from her mind. “We need to contact Relay on Morganti and get something in place.”

Captain Orvin placed the call, and Stanik gave the details to Relay.

Veera was sitting and cuddling with Fixit, their minds connected easily, and Veera could feel her range expanding.

“Stop that, Fixit. Too much too soon, sweetie.” She stroked Fixit gently, and the beast snuggled against her to sleep.

Stanik finished his conversation with Relay, and Captain Orvin set a course for Morganti. “Should I be jealous?”

“No. Fixit is exhausted with worry for its companions. He can feel their distress at this distance.” She stroked him softly.

“Well, I am the only male allowed to curl up against you when you are naked. I set that rule down right now.” He leaned over and kissed her.

“How long until they can gather a large-enough force?” She licked her lips to get the last taste of him.

“Fourteen hours.”

“Why are we heading to Morganti?”

He chuckled and slipped into the seat next to her. “You need some weaponry. You are not going into a situation like this without a weapon. You may not be able to get Masuo, but there are reinforcements to your suit that can make you safer.”

She leaned against him. “I thought that was your job.”

“I can’t be everywhere at once, and I am acting as your guardian by making sure that you are as protected as I can make you.” He put his arm around her, and they sat together as the good captain took them to Morganti.

It was time to get her ready for battle, but she had no idea what she was going to do when she got there.

Chapter Ten

“It feels funny. Does it look funny, Fixit?” She twisted in her new suit as the Sector Guard and Alliance ships gathered in the staging area.

Stanik was testing the weapons that had been loaded into his suit, and he looked over at her with a grin. “You don’t want my opinion?”

“I know your opinion. I can feel your opinion every time you get a look at my backside. Fixit likes the pink in my suit and when my hair flows down my back. He likes the colours, you like the shape. Two opinions are more reassuring than one.” She chuckled and twisted again.

Her suit was loaded with blades, and she had proved to Fixer that she knew how to use them. Fixit had cheered her on as she lunged and twisted through the obstacle course that Fixer had ready.

The Moreski woman grinned and congratulated her on being the best blades woman that she had seen to date. Fixit was also the subject of admiration. Fixer had her son with her, and the child and the critter had a lovely time together while Veera was going through her paces.

Now, her happy trio was on the shuttle and waiting for the go signal to make the jump into position around the station. Surrounding it was the only way to make sure that those who had been captured had a chance at escape.

Captain Orvin sent a ping through their suit coms. It was time for the final jump, and after that, they would be depending on her direction via the nine receiving telepaths in the fleet.

She reached up and gripped the overhead rungs in the stern of the shuttle. Fixit huddled between her ankles, and Stanik did a partial shift into beast mode.

Veera shivered as they jumped, and she hooked her mind into her eight contacts and fed them the locations of the minds that were on the station under duress or kidnapped.

The locations of the Yaluthu were in large clumps over the station. They were Veera and Stanik’s priority. Everyone else was on a rescue mission for the larger sentients.

Fixit was going to help gather his people, and they were going to help him.

After the jump, they ran silent, everyone moving into position until Guardian and Pax made the call.

When the small chirp came, Orvin locked them to the station hull, and the ship opened a hole to let them drop through the emergency hatch.

We are good. Hop up, Fixit.

She lifted Fixit, and he popped onto her shoulder, hooking his feet into the saddle that Fixer installed for him. He might only be with her for one mission, but he was going to travel in style.

They dropped silently into the station, and Stanik kept himself half shifted and ready for anything.

Fixit raised his head and chirped. Veera wanted to hush him, but he was intent on finding his people. She couldn’t fault him for that.

Answering murmurs came at them on the psychic plane. As the restrained sentients were freed, the Yaluthu were coming to them.

Stanik growled as a pair of guards rushed at them. His suit absorbed the shots, and their armour was no match for his claws and teeth. It was short and savage, but Fixit was enthused by the violence.

Veera stroked her new friend to keep him calm as the surge of minds grew closer to them. Stanik was linked with them as he led them deeper into the station toward the Yaluthu.

She felt the occasional flick of aggression from the beasties as they approached on their stubby legs.

They entered an open space, and the battle raged all around them. Freed fighters took on the guards, and the Yaluthu were waddling through the gore.

It would have been cute if it weren’t so brutal.

Fixit chirped and his kind moved toward him at speed. She waded carefully through the fluffy bodies as they headed for the path to the shuttle and continued until she reached the minds that were still trapped.

A dozen of the little beasts were in a medical bay with damaged men and women curled around them.

“Oh, damn.”

Fixit contacted his kin and they refused to leave their charges. The people needed healing, and the Yaluthu were doing it.

Stanik, can someone come and take these people? The Yaluthu won’t leave them.

I am sending the request. Have you located all the personnel?

As far as I know. I can’t see any other minds that are in distress on this station. After this medical bay, we have them all, though I would like to take a quick run through the station. There are blank spots. Can you see them?

I can.
Nothing
is always more suspicious than
something
.

She waited while he ran their plan to tour through the circuit of Sector Guard. Veera was amazed that she could see the communications but didn’t have to be part of them. A total of ten minds were using her to speak, and she didn’t feel a thing.

Stanik finished his briefing and shifted to full beast.

Veera asked Fixit if he wanted to stay with his people, but he wanted to go with her instead.

She climbed onto Stanik’s back and held tight as he moved to the first of the dead zones.

They passed armoured men and women helping to tidy up the residue of the strike. The first dead zone fought her, but Fixit rubbed his head along hers, and the psychic barricade shattered.

Three women were on the other side of a door, and each one was pregnant.

Stanik tore through the tech that barred the door, and as it slid open, Veera left his back to walk in with Fixit on her shoulder.