Star Runners: Mission Wraith (#3) (5 page)

“Maybe.” He wrapped his bulging arms around Austin, squeezing hard enough to cause Austin to lose his breath. “They aren’t calling me a hero, though.”

“Yeah,” Austin coughed trying to take in the air. “Who said that?”

“Everyone,” Skylar said, walking toward Austin. She ran the last couple steps, throwing herself into his arms. “Hey you!”

She pressed against him and held him close for a moment. Austin hugged her back and laughed. “I just saw you on Atlantis yesterday.”

She parted, their eyes locking. “I missed you.”
 

“Ah, yeah, so anyway,” Bear interrupted, his weight shifting from one foot to the other, “I keep hearing about how you saved the day, man, like we had nothing to do with it.”

“When has the scuttlebutt ever been right?” Austin asked.
 

“True ‘nough.” Bear smiled, placing his hands on his hips. “You did a hell of a thing back there, man, seriously. I know the Tyral Pirates fly like dumb animals, but they outnumbered you like what—forty to one?”

Austin remembered the sky igniting in laser bolts over the Pacific Ocean, the pressing feeling of dread filling his conscious. The F-18s from the United States Navy had saved him, saved all of them. How many pilots had died that day saving Atlantis, saving a place they didn’t even know existed? How many families would receive vague notification of how their loved one had perished? A sick feeling twisted in his gut with the way Bear looked at him.
 

He wasn’t a hero. He simply survived. And he didn’t think he did anything to earn the silver medal hanging around his neck.
 

“I’d rather not think about it,” he whispered, his mouth suddenly dry. “I—I don’t know.”

Bear stood in silence for a moment before placing his hand on Austin’s shoulder. “I understand, brother. I do. I’m, well, I’m proud to say you’re my friend.”

“Thanks.” Austin smiled. “Congratulations on graduating flight school.”
 

“Congratulations on earning that,” Bear said, pointing at the medal. “Come a long way, man.”

“Yes,” Austin said, his eyes flickering to Skylar. “We have.”

Bear held his gaze a moment longer. “Anyway, my freighter’s heading for home in a bit. Gotta enjoy my leave while I get it right? Hope mine’s a little less eventful than yours.” He looked at Skylar. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Skylar watched Bear leave. She turned back to Austin, her grin revealing her flawless teeth. She wore bright red lipstick and a touch of makeup. Her blond hair was pulled back tightly in a perfect ponytail slightly touching the top of her collar. She had pressed her dress Tizona blues to the point there was not a wrinkle in sight. She looked professional and impressive, but also beautiful.
 

Austin sighed and avoided eye contact. “Congratulations to you, Sky.”

“I can’t believe we’re done.” She peered out at the nebula. “We are Star Runners. I can’t even sit still. Do you know I woke up six times last night? I don’t think I slept longer than thirty minutes.”
 

She took a step closer to the viewport, her hands clasped behind her back. Austin watched her, remembering the girl who ran faster than anyone else at the Tizona Academy. He swallowed, his stomach turning. His nerves rattled at her presence. He knew she waited for him to say something.

“I know it’ll be dangerous,” she continued, “but I’m having trouble reminding myself of that. It’s all so exciting. I never thought this would happen when I was first recruited. We’ll get stationed on another planet or maybe a carrier. It’s all so crazy.”

“It is.” He looked out at the nebula, watching as two patrolling Trident fighters passed by the viewport.
 

“Austin?” she asked, stepping toward him.

“Hmm.” He stared at the Tridents, the position lights twinkling as the fighters prepared to land on Tarton’s Junction.
 

Skylar gently pulled his chin to face her, her fingertips feeling smooth on his skin. She looked at him, her eyes taking in his entire face.
 

“Have you decided?” she asked.
 

Austin’s pulse quickened. “Decided?” he asked, even though he knew what she meant. He felt like a coward.

She sighed. “Where are you going? For leave. You can come with me. I promise we can do whatever you want. After all we’ve been through, I thought you’d like to see my home. We could swim in the ocean, make each day last a lifetime. If I have learned anything since I arrived at Tizona, it is that life is too short.” She placed her hands on both sides of his face. “We might be transferred to other sides of the galaxy, so I thought this would be fun for both of us.”

Austin softly pulled her hands off his face. He squeezed her hands. “You know you mean the world to me, right?”

The expression drained from her face, the muscles falling flat. “Okay.”

He swallowed. “I couldn’t have made it through the academy without you, without your friendship. I wouldn’t have made it through Tarton’s Junction without you.” He looked at her. “When I heard your voice in my earpiece during the Battle of Atlantis, I have never been happier.”

She bit down on her lip. “Then why won’t you come with me?”

“I just … I can’t. We have to follow the path in front of us, right?”

Skylar looked at him, her eyes losing the sense of caring they had just a moment before. Her eyes now flared, her face scowling. “She’s very pretty, Austin. But she’s not one of us.”

Austin blinked.

“If that’s your choice, I can’t stop you. But she will never know you the way I do. She’ll never care the way I do. She’s a career officer—that’s all that matters to her.” She touched her face, covering her mouth with her hand for a moment.

Austin’s stomach soured. “I think you’re wrong about her.”

Skylar pressed her lips, shaking her head slightly. “I’m not.” She leaned forward and kissed Austin’s cheek. “I’ve loved you since I first saw you outside the window … arriving late to the academy. I love you still.”

Austin swallowed. “I don’t know what to say, Sky.”

She looked at him, her eyebrows raised. She backed away from him. “Then don’t say anything at all,” she whispered. She frowned, releasing his hands.

She turned sharply and hurried toward the mess hall hatch. Just before she turned the corner, Austin saw Skylar place her hand over her face. She disappeared down the corridor to the sea of Star Runners and Legion staff.
 

He turned back to the nebula one last time, a lump forming in his throat.
 

Lieutenant Austin Stone leaned back in the cushioned chair, focusing his attention on the screen installed in the back of the seat in front of him. A news feed of some kind—the first Austin had seen from a Legion core world—played across the display. After docking with a massive starport orbiting the planet,
 
Oma, Austin had run for his connecting shuttle scheduled to depart for the planet’s surface to a city called Seaside. He had hurried onto the connecting shuttle. The view of Oma had transitioned quickly as the shuttle took a steep approach to the planet. The black of space switched to blue then bright fire as the shields battled against the atmosphere. After about an hour of watching the newsfeed, Austin had wondered if he would ever get to Seaside.

He turned back to the news program. A young woman delivered the stories. Her hair bounced as she spoke with excitement. She wore a golden band across her porcelain forehead. A bright purple eye shadow surrounded her sparkling aqua-colored eyes.
 

“Legion officials have dispatched agents to investigate the claim the Zahl Empire was behind the recent terrorist attacks on the dark world known as Earth,” the newscaster said in a surprisingly low voice despite her energetic appearance. “Although the Zahl Empire has vehemently denied being behind the incidents, Legion officials have repeatedly assured the general public they would fully investigate the matter.”
 

Austin steepled his fingers together and stared at the back of the seat. The Battle of Atlantis—or so Admiral Gist named it when he received his award—had been nothing more than a blip on the news program. The newscaster didn’t even give it a name. Captain Ty Braddock had said as much after the incident when Austin still felt like he would never be able to fly a Trident fighter again. Braddock had said the Atlantis incident would barely register to the rest of the Legion; a minor skirmish on a backwater planet better left forgotten. The planet he had nearly died to protect.
 

Austin smiled. He didn’t care about the news, about the fame or recognition. The backwater planet was home, and Mom and Kadyn had survived.
 

He winced.
 

The hunt by the mercenaries known as Phantoms had pushed his old friend to the limit, breaking Kadyn down during the fierce firefight in the woods. Austin had recurring nightmares of the incident, vibrant dreams full of fire and terror. Closing his eyes, he said a silent prayer for Kadyn, wishing she had never been forced to go through such an incident.
 

“In other news around the stars regarding Legion-Zahl relations,” the newscaster continued, her voice rising in pitch, “Zahlian representatives have stated they have caught and killed Legion extremists on Claria. Two individuals, a man and a woman, were caught trying to destroy local infrastructure in Zone Ninety in the name of the Legion. A Zahlian spokesman said it was unknown whether the two individuals were working for the Legion government at the time of the incident. Local news sources say the pair were delusional, erratic and psychotic, having recently eluded local authorities following a routine traffic stop. The Zahl government has repeatedly warned Legion officials to keep any known—”

Austin switched off the news program, his patience dying after the length of this flight.

He glanced around the relatively empty cabin. Once his passenger freighter from Tarton’s Junction had entered Oma space, the pilot had sounded noticeably relaxed—much different from the many pilots who had flown him in and out of Tarton’s Junction. Austin had seen no escort fighters flying in with the freighter. In fact, he witnessed no military presence at all.
   

“We are on our final approach,” the pilot announced as if he could feel Austin’s impatience. “Please fasten all safety restraints and prepare for the landing procedure.”
 

Austin found he had trouble sitting still. He rocked in his seat. After a detour including fighting off deadly mercenaries and dogfighting alongside the U.S. Navy, his leave was about to begin. Ryker Zyan had finished rehabilitation and would be waiting for him at the Seaside landing pad. He breathed, closing his eyes. In her text message, she had said they would go to dinner and then hit the town of Seaside, ending the night at the Glistening Orb … whatever that meant. He didn’t care. He only wanted to see her again. He imagined her standing there in her Tizona uniform, almond skin, waiting for him to debark.
 

Wait.
 

She wouldn’t be wearing a uniform on the landing pad. They were going out.
 

He looked down at the Tizona blues he had worn during the graduation. You idiot, he thought. You should have changed.
 

The shuttle broke through the clouds, a massive expanse of ocean stretching out into infinity. Directly below them, at least a dozen circular craft floated on the surface—they had to be the size of a baseball field. Austin pressed against the window, studying the strange craft that looked like white lily pads rocking on the water’s surface. He squinted. As the shuttle lowered, he saw people dotting the top of the vessels. Many wore very little clothing at all.
 

He smiled. Floating beaches.
 

Other air traffic filled his view as the shuttle descended to Seaside. Silver walkways stretched between tall buildings shaped like lighthouses. The buildings extended into the visible distance. Sporadic shuttle traffic moved in different directions in the fading light. The planet’s star was setting leaving a golden light flickering off the ocean, spilling orange and yellow light between the buildings. Instead of highways, water canals stretched through the city like a space-aged Venice.