The Catherine Kimbridge Chronicles #4, Retribution (28 page)

A buzz came over the com. Someone wanted to talk to him.

“That the Officers of Order again?” he inquired, with mild curiosity, still plunking in a series of complex codes.

“Yes. Would you like to speak to them?”

“Are we in position?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Let’s get this over with then. Go ahead and patch them through. Visual, if you would.” A moment later Joseph was face to face with the feline Officer of Order. “Greetings, sir. Can I help you?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.

The cat was not happy. “We have been trying to contact you since you flew past the station. You need to fix your communicator,” he said, in irritation.

Joseph smiled slightly. “I’ll get right on that. Anything else?”

In an annoyed tone, the officer continued. “Your name—and, for your safety, we request that you change your course. In case your viewer is
also
broken, you are headed right toward the sun.” Joseph could tell the man did not believe that the viewer was broken. High marks for him and his observational skills.

Joseph sat straighter in his chair and smiled at the officer. “I am Lord Joseph Raven of Bresol,” he answered, before cutting the transmission on the officer’s surprised face. Then he touched the ignition button and prayed that God would be with him; prayed that the coding would work. As he settled back in his lowered chair, he mentally shrugged. It really didn’t matter at this point. Either way, Joseph Raven, the minor son of the Bresol noble family, a Shade, would die in a spectacular way. Only God would know if this desperate plan would actually work.

***

Year 2865 Spectral Empire

Lenti-solum System

Colony Lenti

“Get
down!!
” Her hushed command was a whiplash that cracked over our heads. The others dropped so fast it was like they had lost all control of their legs. I thought it funny. I guess a gang leader’s humor had rubbed off on me. As the others dropped, I saw what they didn’t. Dread whispered. Strangely, it heightened my need to
do
something. Something exceedingly stupid. But I had to do it. I knew what would happen if I didn’t.

I had no desire to be a hero. I knew the group I was with well enough. I would get no praise from them… nor did I want it. At the time, I wasn’t even thinking about any of this. I did the first thing that came to mind. I didn’t have much time to come up with something better.

It was such a stupid plan, but it was the right thing to do.

“Rylynn!” Valencia called, but I ignored her. I hopped up and down to get the Telmicks’ attention. I called them every obscenity I could think of. Even used some that I made up on the spot, so of course they made no sense. But that wasn’t the point. I made noise. They saw me. I had their attention.
That
was the point.

Without looking at Valencia or any of the others, I backed away from the prowling Telmicks, leading them away from the others huddling in the debris and raggedy vegetation. Though I did not look, I did catch the cat-like gleam of Valencia’s jade eyes. I couldn’t even spare the time to consider all the horrible things she planned to do to me once I was safe again.
If
I was safe again. The thought seemed to resonate with something, because I was suddenly sure that ‘safe’ was one of those words that depended heavily upon one’s perspective.

The Telmicks are nine-foot-tall giants with the leg lengths that go with the height. They didn’t look like they were coming toward me that quickly, but they were. I needed to go and go as quickly as physically possible. Perhaps even faster. Shouting one last parting taunt, I took off at a run. I was small and I was fast. The question was, would I be fast enough?

Who cares?
I thought.
I just need to give the others time. It doesn’t matter what happens to me.
As fatalistic as that thought might sound, it was incredibly freeing. I didn’t have to worry about complications or relationships. I didn’t have to worry about worrying. All I had to do was run—and I love running.

It’s a phrase used perhaps way too much, but perhaps it is the only way humanity can express true running. I was
flying
, only touching the ground when I had to, and only for a moment. I leapt over plants and small debris. I dodged around fallen walls and lean-tos. My muscles burned. My lungs stung. My throat was worn raw by the exertion. My heart hurt, and if I had one of those fancy Medi-comps the Primary Citizens enjoyed it would have been screaming at me. Probably better I didn’t have one. That would just be annoying and pointless, because
none
of
that
mattered
. My entire existence narrowed to only one goal: running.

I could hear the thudding of my pursuers. I didn’t look back, that would only throw me off balance and defeat my new-found purpose. Blazes of light glittered around me in brilliant displays of red.
Huh, they mean to stun me. Lovely. So pretty.
I thought inanely. Everything was surreal. I was too focused on my task to find any of it alarming.

What was alarming was the ten-foot-thick wall that surrounded the city was coming up with no gate in sight. Nor could I see anything I could use to climb up. Being short didn’t matter this time, as there was absolutely
nothing
my taller companions could grab onto, either.

I was at the end.

I closed my eyes, thinking that perhaps if I hit the wall hard enough and in just the right way, the Telmicks wouldn’t be able to enjoy the fruits of their hunt.

That is when something I hadn’t expected turned my life into something I couldn’t recognize. Energy sizzled over my skin. Light blazed around me, blinding me. My black hair rose on an unseen wind that I couldn’t figure out. I couldn’t see the wall any more. Had I hit the wall already and somehow just hadn’t felt it? Time slowed, and I could no longer make sense of anything… anything except for the pain that replaced the energy sizzle.

Everything blacked out eventually.

Chapter 2 - Captain Wingstar

Imperial System

The Spectral Empire

Watching Prima Imperium grow out of the darkness of space invoked in me feelings similar to what I imagine a gerbil feels when trapped in a Giant Aracre’s web as the webmaster stalked ever closer. Beautiful, but ultimately terrifying. I slouched against the wall near the window and wondered how my life had changed so drastically. I can’t really explain what had happened a week before, back on Colony Lenti, when I had been running to my death.

I know that I hadn’t made it to the wall. I know that I had felt trapped. I know that I had been hurting.

I couldn’t tell you anything more than that. Those moments between one stride and being transported to the LFH starship, the
Hail Mary,
are beyond my reach. I only know for sure what they told me in the medical bay. Or more accurately, what they didn’t say. Their smiles and scanners couldn’t hide the fact that I had woken a full twenty-four hours later unable to move thanks to field restraints. Eventually they told me that when they had brought me onboard I had been suffering from a seizure. One that, for whatever reason, they couldn’t nullify nor could they identify its cause. I have this feeling that I would have been made into a kind of test subject if it hadn’t been for Valencia stalking in ahead of an LF officer. At the time I had no idea of what his rank was. I just knew the uniform was Legion Fleet, and above enlisted swine. A gold star was on his collar.

“You are an idiot and a coward! Why the hell did you run? Especially since I told you to get down!” Valencia had begun shouting as soon as she saw that I was awake. Thankfully, the restraints had been removed and I had been able to put the bed between us. I had only been with Valencia for a few weeks after leaving the gang, but I knew that she had a mean hand when angry. I kept wary eyes on her through my lashes, my head bowed before her tirade.

When she had finally run out of breath, I had asked, “Are the others with you? Are they safe?”

Valencia had been surprised by the question, but had been quick to recover. “Yes, and no thanks to you. If you had just followed my order the Telmicks would have passed us by. Then we were only a block away from the pick-up point,” she informed me, acridly.

I blinked. I hadn’t know that we were going to be picked up. I had assumed that we had been going to a safe house before slipping out of the city and away from the devastation. Despite that, I knew she had been mistaken about the Telmicks. I know what I saw. The Telmicks had been aware that we were in the area. I had seen the hunting glint in their eyes. They would have searched until they found us. There would have been no way to sneak past them, because they would have sensed it. My running and noise making had focused their entire attention on me. The very fact that Valencia was here and the news that the others were also was a good indication that my plan had worked. There had been such a wonderful sense of relief in knowing that.

None of my thoughts had been given a voice, though. Not with the medical staff and Legion Fleet officer observing. Valencia was a leader. One did not critique a leader before others, because that would be embarrassing and they would not listen to what was being said. They would only think about how you had been embarrassed them in front of others. In my admittedly small experience, retribution was quick to follow. In the end, nothing would change.

So I had bowed my head and kept my thoughts to myself. Valencia had turned to the officer and murmured something to him before leaving. I had looked up expecting to find myself alone with the medical staff—but I hadn’t been. The officer had stayed behind. His gray eyes had been thoughtful as he considered me. I had looked down again, aware that, compared to his navy blue uniform with its Legion Fleet insignia and gold star, I was dingy at best. My clothes had been same ones I had worn since the day my aunt’s house had burned—the exact day before the Telmicks had come. The cloth was worn from the constant wear and attempted washings. My mismatched footwear had been removed at some point, leaving me barefoot and feeling very vulnerable. My toes curled into the metal floor.

“Your name is Rylynn, yes?” the dark-haired officer had asked.

I had nodded, managing to add a faint “Yes, sir,” that I’m fairly sure was unintelligible.

“I am Captain Braeden Wingstar of this ship, the
Hail Mary
,” Captain Wingstar introduced himself.

My transparent reflection in the window flickered briefly with my wry smile. Boy, had that introduction caught me completely off guard! I had stood there and stared at him for several moments before my brain shuddered past its shock. It than scrambled for some appropriate response. Eventually the one that fell out was, “Thank you, sir, for coming and saving us from the Telmicks.” I was still surprised at how even my voice had been. Surprised that had been the first thing to fall out. Impressed that it hadn’t been a garbled mess. “Can I ask why you even came?” I had continued, before I could stop myself. I, like every colonist, knew that Prime Worlds didn’t care about colonies, as long as their interests were fine. They wouldn’t send a Legion Fleet starship to save some lowlife colonists. We are not citizens.

Captain Wingstar had tilted his head at my question, before nodding to himself. I hadn’t been able to tell what he was thinking. He was very good at hiding his thoughts behind a civil expression. He gestured one of the orderlies to him. He had said something, and the orderly had sprung to do his bidding. The young man returned with a pile of white cloth, which he had handed to me.

“Fresh clothes, lass,” the orderly said.

“Get changed, and then we will talk,” the captain said.

The orderly had gestured to a cleansing unit, and I had taken my soft burden in. I closed the hatch and washed my face. Then I changed into the loose white pants and shirt. They were a tad bit big, but they were clean, and they were the softest things I had ever worn.

I met the captain just outside the medical bay and he took me to a small conference room down the hall. “Would you like some water?” he had asked after indicating that I should sit.

“Please.” I had watched him pour the water. I had wanted to ask so many things, but I hadn’t wanted to distract him from his thoughts.