Rebellion (20 page)

“What’s the status?” Merek asked as Ria and Ty sat down to eat.

It made Ria ridiculously happy when Ty sat next to her instead of the other end of the table.

“Our underground contacted Arlo around ten p.m. last night. He had news. He was at your home yesterday, Merek, gathering the clothes you requested and came in contact with Ria’s fellow EPs.”

Ria dropped her fork. “Ian? There wasn’t any trouble, was there?”

“Quite the contrary,” Olivia said. “Father Arlo basically pleaded our case. Ian promised to take it to his father and see what they could do.”

“I told you,” Ria said. “I’m sure Rucon will be able to do something to help.”

Ty shared a look with Olivia that had her blood boiling. Which in turn made her angry with herself. She wasn’t some insecure, jealous child. “Olivia, you have to let us try and help you. Taking out the chancellor on your own isn’t going to do anything but get you in trouble.”

“What we, as Curzans, choose to do is none of your business,” Olivia snapped.

“It is now,” Ria said.

“All right, you two.” Merek held a hand up. “Ria’s right. She’s on our side now.”

Olivia fumed, but remained silent.

“What else did Arlo say?” Merek asked.

“There have been no further developments. My father warned Arlo about the rumors. He suggested that the priest lock up the church and leave.”

“The entire congregation can’t just leave,” Ty said.

“We know that. But with the church closed, they won’t be so easily found.” She chewed the inside of her cheek. “One more thing. A number of rooms at our headquarters are freeing up over the next two days. Dad would like you guys to relocate there. We’re getting closer to gaining access to Mortog and may need to strike quickly.”

“Ty. You can’t,” Ria said.

He didn’t answer her, just gave her leg a squeeze under the table.

Olivia glared at her. “If they test DNA in the schools and churches of Watersedge, how long do you think it will be until they start finding Curzans? Do you want to take responsibility for the death of hundreds? Because here on Mitah, that’s the punishment for impersonating a Mitan.”

“She’s right. We don’t have time for diplomacy.”

Ria glanced around the table. She’d stepped into a battle they’d been fighting all their lives. The empire was a different place now, changing, but it wasn’t going to be fast enough for these people. “I want to talk to Ian.”

Olivia started to protest, but Ty stopped her. “Give me one of your coms. I’ll take her far away from here and let her make the call. I’ll destroy the com and return. We’ll stay below the tree line. It won’t take long.”

* * * *

Twenty minutes later, she and Ty were touching down on the edge of the Trillion Forest.

“Can I ask you a question?” Ria turned to face him.

“Of course.”

“Olivia seems pretty upset. Did you and her… Is there a history I should know about?”

Ty turned the com over in his hand. “We’ve both made freeing Curzans a priority in our lives, but yes, our paths crossed a few times.”

Ria hated the way that made her feel. Truth was, under normal circumstances she’d probably like the woman.

“You’re not worried, are you?” Ty stroked her hair. “We’re bonded. For life.”

“I’m not worried, exactly. I just hate the thought of you with someone else. At least I understand where she’s coming from now.”

Ty handed her the com.

“I want my own back. It had personality.”

“Your com?”

“Yeah.” Ria smiled at the thought. “It had settled on the persona of an English butler, accent and all.”

Ty raised an eyebrow at her.

“Which means nothing whatsoever to you. I’ll show you when I get it back.”

“Sorry, Merek ditched it after clobbering you over the head.” Ty gave her a soul-searching look. “That seems so long ago, but it’s only been a few days.” He trailed his fingers along her jaw. “Make it quick and no names.”

Ria sent a communication request to Ian’s com. He wouldn’t recognize this device so she added an identifier that would make him take notice.
Snow White
.

“Who is this?” Ian said.

“You know who it is. I can’t talk long. All communicators on this planet are open to interception. I’m okay. Great, actually. The person you met last night spoke the truth. These people are in trouble. The person at the top is planning something that could cost dozens, maybe hundreds, of innocent lives. He has to be stopped.”

“We’re working on it. Are you safe?”

“For now. We don’t have much time.”

“We?”

“They’re my people now, too.”

Ty caressed her with his psi.
“Times up.”

“I have to go. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. Trust the priest and those he’s working with.” Ria disconnected and handed the device over to Ty. He got out of the cruiser and tossed the com to the ground before aiming his laser. Within seconds, the device was a molten pile of plastic and metal. Covering it with dirt, he returned to the cruiser and they went back to the lodge.

When they entered, they found the others hovering over the table in an excited state.

“You did it,” Bella said, calling them over.

“What did you find?” Ty asked.

“You found it, boy.” Merek picked up Ty’s notes and waived them about. “The keys are matching up. We have a lot of words to identify, but the correlation is too high to be pure chance. We’re on our way to reading these.”

The excitement in the room was palpable. Trin beamed as she left the room for more drinks.

Ria joined Bella, and they started dissecting the journal. It was tedious and slow going but they figured out it belonged to a Curzan engineer. Things seemed to tumble into place after that, and they made good progress.

An hour later, the group was silent.

“I don’t believe it,” Ty said.

“We’re not a hundred percent sure yet,” Olivia said.

“It all fits.” Bella tapped a notepad with her pen. “If this word means ‘psi,’ this is proof. Curzans had psi when this planet was deeded to Salvator.”

“It’s interesting, though,” Merek said. “This implies that only some portion of the planet had psi. Perhaps that’s why they were able to hide it. It would have been easy enough to pull from the non-psi segment for any verification.”

Ty nodded. “A planet with a native population that was divided between those with psi and those without. That could be why they turned against each other.”

“This is really important stuff,” Ria said. “Not only does it mean some Curzans had psi, it means the whole population was suppressed from the first. You had nuclear power. Why hasn’t anyone asked that question? If Curzans have such low intelligence, how could they have had such an advanced society? Think about that underground. That took advanced technology. The whole thing is appalling.” Ria felt sick at the generations of Curzans struggling to make it here. “They had to know what they were doing. We need to get this in front of Supreme Commander Anantha. The GTO can sort this out.”

“We’ll work this from every angle.” Merek rubbed his hands together. “We photograph and document what we need for proof. Do you think Rucon Cavacent can get this to the GTO Commander?”

“I’m sure he can,” Ria said.

“We should do more than that.” Ty tapped the table.

“What are you thinking?” Trin entered the room with two pitchers of the lemonade-like drink that was favored on Mitah.

“We release a vid. Send it planet-wide.”

“Can you do that?” Ria asked.

“We can try,” Olivia said. “We have people in two of the major networks. They’ll have to go underground afterward, but it could be worth it. We need to get back to our base. We can make the copies and record the vid there. I’ll call my father and arrange for our return.”

When Olivia returned, Ria was alone in the dining room. “They’re upstairs packing.”

“I should get my things, as well.”

“Can you wait a sec?” Ria put the last journal into the box and closed the lid.

“What do you want?” Olivia eyed her suspiciously.

Ria stepped around the table and approached. “I want to apologize.”

Olivia’s eyebrows shot up.

“I’ve been a bitch, and you don’t deserve it.” Of course, Olivia had been a bitch, too, but she could understand why. “This thing with Ty… It really threw me. And I know you guys have some history. The thought of you with him made me crazy.” She shoved her hands into her back pockets. “I’m sorry.”

Olivia let out a heavy sigh. “You weren’t the only bitch.”

Ria smiled. “I was going to say that, but…”

Olivia laughed. “I can’t believe you tried to escape in that forest with no repellers and no weapons.”

“I can’t believe you walked into the Starfall police station dressed as a security agent.” Ria extended her hand. “Start over?”

“Sure.”

They shook hands. Olivia was beautiful. Classic dark hair and skin. But Ty was hers now. There was no need for jealousy.

* * * *

Dani waited anxiously for Ian to finish the call. He’d signaled her as soon as he connected with Ria.

When he was done, he changed direction and walked back the way they’d come.

She whirled around and rushed to catch up. “Well? What did she say?”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “She said they were her people now.”

“He
is
her psi-mate! Did she sound happy? Is she okay? Where are they?”

“Cease, woman.”
Ian teased.

“You did not just call me ‘woman.’”

He blasted her with pleasure so intense she stumbled, but he caught her by the waist and kept her moving. Being psi-mates had its advantages.

“She couldn’t talk long,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “She sounded happy. I have no idea where they are. She said to trust the priest and the people he’s working with. It’s time we find out who those people are.”

Night was falling, but the double moons shone bright in the sky and would keep it twilight for hours. They found Father Arlo in the back room of his church, packing a bag. He greeted them warmly when they entered. “Ah, excellent, I was going to call you when I was away from here. The underground contacted me last night. I told them about you, and they wish to meet.”

“Good,” Ian said. “We just heard from Ria, and we’d like to meet with them, as well.”

The priest stopped what he was doing. “She contacted you?”

“It was a brief call, but yes.”

“And she is well?”

Dani snorted. “More than well from what we understand.”

Arlo looked confused but resumed packing. “I’m glad to hear it. I don’t know what that boy was thinking when he took her.”

“I do.” Dani swung her arms back and forth.
“I can’t wait to talk to her and get the story.”

Ian cleared his throat. “He probably didn’t either. Are you leaving for good?”

“Gods forbid,” Arlo said. “There are some disturbing rumors circulating. The underground felt it best to disappear and close the church for a time.” His grief was palpable. “It is not my choice, but I fear for the safety of my congregation. If you would come with me, I’m meeting with my contact. Perhaps we can arrange your introduction.”

“Sounds good.”

“Is it just you two? Where is your tall friend?”

“He’s researching on his own.” They’d decided to keep Armond back at Darl’s place. He’d be near the portal if anything happened and more able to assist.

“You should call your dad,” Dani said. “Let him know our plans.”

Ian nodded and stepped aside to call his father. He was back a moment later. “That’s the second message I’ve left.” He addressed the priest. “Would you excuse us a moment? We’ll be right back.”

“Of course. I’ll finish packing and lock up.”

“What are we doing?”
Dani asked.

“Checking in with Armond. I’m worried about my father.”
Ian led the way outside and around the side of the church. “
Get your focal point and leave it on the ground here.”

She dropped the tiny device and took his hand before he pressed his own focal point. A moment later, they found themselves standing next to a puzzled-looking Armond.

“Is something wrong?” Armond stood to greet them.

“Possibly,” Ian said. “Have you seen my father since yesterday?”

“No, I have not.”

That ruled out his using the portal. “Has anyone used the portal since we got here?”

“No. It is not like your father to be unresponsive.”

“As of now, he is to be considered missing. Contact our Captain at the spaceport and see if he’s heard or seen anything.”

“Tell him about Ria,” Dani said, anxious to get back to the priest.

“She called me,” Ian said. “She’s safe for now. Dani and I are going to meet with the people that have her. It sounds like they aren’t the bad guys in this scenario. She said coms aren’t secure on Mitah. From now on, assume you’re being listened to. I want you to take the portal back to Earth and explain to my mother what’s going on. She needs to contact Supreme Commander Anantha. He and my father are close. She’ll have his number. She needs to impress upon him that the acting PR is corrupt, a large population of psi-abled beings are about to be murdered and Rucon is missing.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you have an ETA for Balastar?”

“They should be arriving on Earth in approximately four hours.”

“Good. Stay there until they arrive, then come back with Marco. Leave the portal open so I can contact you if needed. And make sure Mordo stays there. We should not have left Earth without a direct descendant. We should not have risked our clan being stranded on Earth without a leader and without rights.”

“Mordo will not wish to stay behind.”

“I know. Repeat what I just said to him. He should see the truth of it.”

“I will see it done. I will also make sure everyone has a focal point from now on.”

“Good. What’s the ETA of our second ship? We can’t make ourselves known to the authorities until it arrives.”

Armond took a minute to look up the ship’s location. “That won’t be for another twelve hours. I’ll have the captain contact you when the shuttle lands planet-side.”

“Sounds good. Given the lack of security on the coms, we won’t contact you unless it’s an emergency. Use your judgment. We need to get Anantha to the PR’s palace and stop Mortog.”