Voyage of the Sanguine Shadow 1: Shadow Galactic (22 page)

“I’m about three seconds from having you escorted
out of this building.”

She slammed her fist on the table.  “Damn it,
Decker!  I’m not screwing around!  I just…  I just need to know that my hauler
and my crew will be safe if I turn this secret weapon over to you.”

His chair creaked as he leaned back.

“Merchant Prince Lodoxol put a hit out—”

“—on you and your starship.  Yes, I know.”

Zerki collected herself.  “I want you to strongly
suggest to Parliament that they take in the ellogons.  Make them a part of the
Union, but on the condition that Lodoxol removes the hit on me and my
starship.”

“I hardly think they’re concerned with the
wellbeing of your little hauler at this time.”

“Then they’ll be happy to comply.”  She held his
doubting gaze.  “Can you do it, or not?”

His expression darkened.  “I can, but you’d better
have one of their cannons hidden in your main hangar if I’m even going to think
about pushing pieces that big around the board.”

Zerki steadied herself.  Quietly, she asked, “Do
you know what a Wellcaster is?”

Dryden blinked.  “You were on Afskya.”

Zerki nodded.  “He’s my Navigator.”

He studied her intently.  “I’ll need a name, and
I’ll need to see how he performs in a tactical situation.  If he can use his
ability when it matters, you have a deal.”

She nodded.  “That’s reasonable.”

For a drawn moment, he considered.  “House Thayless
is an extreme political faction on K’n-yal that actively encourages rebellion
against the Union.  In the wake of recent events, they’ve strong-armed key
businesses, and they’ve started making demands.  Normally, it wouldn’t be a
problem to issue an appropriately discouraging response, but we don’t have the
starships to spare right now.”

He called up an image of the verdant world.  “Your
Navigator will join the team I’m sending to handle it.  If he performs well,
we’ll put him on a stealth corvette and pray he can make the difference.”

“I’m coming with him.”

Dryden smiled slightly, regarding her
questioningly for a moment.  “I don’t have a problem with that.”

“Wait, why K’n-yal?”  Zerki crossed her arms. 
“It’s a low-tech agriculture world, covered in nature preserves.”

Decker raised his brows.  “We count on them for
food and raw materials.  If Thayless decides to cut us off, we’re in trouble. 
We need to send a strong message, make whoever fills the power vacuum think
twice about pursuing a similar course of action.”

“Sure, that makes sense.”  Zerki puffed her
cheeks.  For a drawn moment, she watched the glow from above as it flickered
upon Decker and his desk. 
I’m sorry, Gavin.  I hope you can forgive me
… 
With a subtle nod, she drew a deep breath and said, “His name is Gavin
Santiago.”

·· • ··

The cantina was closing up for the night.  Taryn
and D’Arro boarded a taxi, going on ahead to book rooms at a nearby inn.  Filan
and Takeo followed soon after.  Gavin and Valerie stayed until the cantina’s
lights had brightened fully and everyone was asked to leave.  They wandered
outside, hand-in-hand, and they lingered near the grand building, gazing at the
stars and the silvery dunes.  Winds began to howl in the distance.

“We should catch up to the others,” said Gavin. 
“I don’t know if the taxis run when the covers are down.”

Valerie nodded.  “I bet they do.  Where’s everyone
staying?”

“At the Fly-By-Night.”

Suddenly, she doubled over, gripping the sides of
her head.  “No,” she whispered.  “No, please.”

“Are you OK?” he asked as he steadied her. 

She snorted in response, clenching her teeth.

“Valerie?”  He led her to a post and eased her
down to sit.  “Valerie, what’s wrong?”

At last, she gasped, and her eyes went wide.  “Oh,
Gavin,” she breathed, and tears welled.  She threw her arms around his neck and
held him close.  “I had a vision.”

“Are you alright?  What did you see?”

Ahead of the approaching sandstorm, the pathway
shells clamped down, shrouding them.

“I’m fine.”  With a wistful look, Valerie wiped
her eyes and whispered, “Listen to that.”  From tiny gaps in the barrier,
constant gusts whistled up and down the enclosed road and echoed softly against
the shells.  Here and there, grains of sand found their way in and gathered in
tiny mounds along the edges. 

“Help me,” she said, and she took his hands. 
Gavin supported her as she stumbled toward one of the many benches butted up
against the support posts.  It had the look of a bronze spider web.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked as she sat
down, and he brushed the hair from her ice blue eyes.

“No,” she said, practically crying.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”  He traced her cheeks with
his thumb.

She gazed upon him, a mix of longing and dread. 
“I don’t want you to go.”  She wiped at her eyes.  “I want you to stay.”

Gavin shook his head reassuringly.  “I’m not going
anywhere, I promise.”  He squeezed her hands.  “I promise.”  He grazed the tip
of his nose against hers, and he kissed her, nervously at first.  Slowly, he
pulled away and whispered, “I promise.”

Her breathing was ragged.  “Gavin, make love to
me.”

“Here?”

“Right here.”  She placed her arms around his
neck.  “No one’s coming.”

Before he could answer, she kissed him back,
deeply and passionately.  Hungrily, they shared kiss after kiss, upon her neck,
upon his chest.  Valerie removed her jacket, and Gavin did the same.  She
firmly pushed him onto his back, unbuttoning his shirt.  He lifted up her
blouse, and she hiked up her bra, exposing her bare breasts.  His breathing was
quick and heavy as he took them into his grip.  First one, and then the other,
his lips pulled in her breasts, and his tongue danced as he pressed against
her.  She moaned, quietly at first, as she rocked in fits and bursts.  Her
hands shaking, she hiked down her pants, unbuttoned his, and reached into his
boxers.  She felt him in her grip as she made the motions she hungered for.  He
groaned and whimpered, and he his legs began to straighten.  “Not yet,” she
breathed, and she tugged down his trousers.

Straddling him, she guided him inside.

Desperately, they made love, crying out at its
climax.

Gavin held the embrace, shuddering, until Valerie
pulled away.  “Thank you,” she whispered, and she stood up.  Wiping at her
tears, she trembled as she dressed herself.

“Valerie, what’s wrong?” he asked, his tone
pleading, and he shrugged back into his clothing.  “Please tell me what’s
wrong.  I don’t understand!”

“I know,” she sniffed.  She slipped back into her
jacket and kissed Gavin tenderly on the lips.  “I love you.  Whatever else
happens, hold onto that.”

“I… I love you, too.”  He offered his hand, but
Valerie shook her head.  She mustered a smile, though no words would come.

Overhead, the shroud creaked and thrummed as it
cranked open.  Stray gusts tossed Valerie’s hair, ruffled Gavin’s jacket, and
they looked to the stars.  After a moment of silence, they turned to walk the
gritty path, heading for the inn that awaited them.

Upon arriving, they spotted a dusty luxury sedan
parked in front of the drive, with two well-dressed marines standing on either
side of the back door.  Gavin and Valerie cut wide, giving the vehicle plenty
of room.  As they passed by the back of the car, the rear door opened, and
Dryden stepped out.

“Gavin Santiago!” he called out.

Gavin stopped and turned around.  “Yes?”  Valerie
tightly squeezed his hand.

Dryden wore a friendly smile as he approached, his
hand outstretched.  Gavin gripped and shook it.  “I’m Admiral Dryden Decker.”

Gavin’s eyes widened slightly, and his heart
pounded.  “
The
Dryden Decker?”

Dryden nodded.

“I thought I recognized you,” he said and laughed
nervously.  He cleared his throat.  “Wow, this is an honor, sir.  What’s the
occasion?”

“I’m sad to say it’s a rather dire one.”  He
released Gavin’s grip, and his cheer faded, though his smile remained.  “We’ve
been looking for you for a very long time, Mr. Santiago.  You’re a very
talented young man.”

Gavin crossed his arms and nodded.  “OK,” he said.

Dryden gestured toward the luxury sedan.  “Will
you join me?”

Valerie leaned in and whispered, “Gavin, don’t.”

“No, Valerie, it’s OK.”  He exhaled heavily.

“You’re Valerie Sawyer?” asked Dryden.

Suspiciously, she studied him for a moment before
answering, “I am.”

“Good!  That saves me a trip.”  With two hands, he
gestured toward his car.  “Will you both join me?”

“Why should we do that?” she snapped.

Patiently, Dryden explained, “Because the Union is
facing a threat to its very existence, and I know what Gavin can do.”  He held
her gaze.  “And I know what you can do.”

“
All war
is based on deception.
” –Sun Tzu

Positioned one ring closer
to Gudrun than her sister world, K’n-yal was known as the Green Star by those
who lived on Ry’lyeh.  Vast oceans of emerald surrounded patchwork masses of vividly
colored land, giving the shorelines an appearance of glowing green outlines. 
Flocks of great flying beasts winged through the air.  Clouds ever heavy with
rain trudged through the troposphere.

During a forgotten time, under the rule of the
long disbanded Kwercian Forest of Planets, K’n-yal had been a jewel of civilization,
a witness to the balance that could be achieved between sentience and the
natural order.  The tree-like kwercians had reached for the stars on the backs
of colossal living starships, and for millennia had spread like moss and ivy
across the vast reaches of the central galaxy.

It was their meeting with the humans of Earth that
gave birth to the first interstellar alliance, laying the groundwork for what
would later become the Galactic Union of Allied Worlds.  Driven by their desire
for greatness, the kwercians exchanged their way of life for the secrets of
electronics and synthetics, and the natural balance they tended was lost.  Made
to dock in spaceports alongside starships made of plastic and steel, their
living starships no longer recognized the people they once ferried, and one
day, their extraordinary vessels simply
left
.  Stories of the great
kwercian longships faded into the mists of folklore and myth, found now in
texts of questionable scientific value and sold alongside incense, charms and talismans. 

Their heads filled with visions of Earth’s great
metropolises, the kwercians returned to K’n-yal, intent on surpassing their
human allies.  Great cities stretched from shore to shore, but the byproducts
of advanced industry strangled K’n-yal’s skies and poisoned her seas.  Years
passed, and she could no longer sustain life.  The people that had called her
home abandoned her to an endless, gray winter.

Decades passed, and a Union remediation fleet
found its way to K’n-yal.  To the surprise of the reclamation crews, K’n-yal
had returned to its natural glory.  Great scientific minds flocked to the
mysteriously resurrected planet.  While the reasons for nature’s return could
not be isolated, Union environmentalists nonetheless seized the chance to establish
nature preserves, transplanting many of the galaxy’s endangered species to
regions where they could thrive.  The kwercians exercised the right of imminent
domain to assume custodianship of K’n-yal, and once again the planet shone as a
gemstone in the dark.  Food grew abundantly, and rich veins of rare metals and
minerals abounded.  Although Ry’lyeh was hardly inhabitable at the time, its
proximity to K’n-yal made it an appealing candidate for terraforming.  It was
reformed and established as the seat of the Union Navy’s Star Fleet.

Upon Ry’lyeh’s surface, deep in the Union’s
Command Center, Gavin and Valerie sat and waited, quietly talking to each
other.  “Hey, guys,” said Zerki, as she stepped inside.  It was a large room,
brightly lit, crowded with computer stations and holographic displays.  Near
the back, where Gavin and Valerie sat, several rows of chairs faced a large
glass screen.  Presently, it displayed an image of a brown and blue planet with
no visible cloud cover, slowly rotating in place.

Gavin looked surprised.  “Captain, what are you
doing here?”

Valerie’s expression was suddenly furious, and she
stood up as Zerki drew near.  “Captain, you’re blocking me, again!  You’ve been
blocking me since we were on Varuna!”  She watched Zerki sit down at her side
and lean back in her chair.  “Why?”

“I’m sorry, Val.  I really am.  I’ll explain it
all, one day, I promise.”  She regarded Valerie calmly, following with her eyes
as she sat back down.

Gavin leaned forward.  “What’s up, Captain?  How
come you’re here?”

“Did you think I’d let you go on an adventure
without me?”  Playfully, she squinted.  “It could be bad for morale.”

At that moment, Dryden entered and crossed to the
glass board.  “The Union’s great hope,” he said with a friendly smile.  “I’m going
to show you some things.”  He called up images of city-wide devastation.  Bones
of the countless dead littered the streets, framed by buildings that felt
enormous.  The metropolis was dense with ornate buttresses and bridges.  “This
is Thasad, the ellogon home world,” Dryden stated.  “The same fate awaits
Earth, if the ithirals aren’t stopped.”

He looked to Gavin.  “What you can do is
extraordinary, make no mistake.  You could turn the tide of this war, but you
aren’t battle tested.  We need to know that you can use this power of yours
when it counts.  Prove that, and you’ve booked yourself an officership aboard
the
Wraithfin
, the Union’s most decorated stealth-capable corvette.” 
With a wry smile, he added, “If you want it.”

Gavin stared on uncertainly.  “I… I don’t know.”

“I need an answer, Gavin.  It’s us or them.”

He stared into space for a moment.  “Uh, us, I
guess.”

“Good.  So here’s what’s happening.”  Dryden
tapped a few buttons on the glass screen, and the images shifted to a verdant world,
its vibrant surface broken up by dozens of oceans.  “This is K’n-yal, our
sister planet.  She supplies us here on Ry’lyeh with more than half the food we
use, as well as the bulk of minerals we need for starship maintenance.”  He
went on to detail House Thayless’s rise to prominence.

Following that, he described the strike team that
had been assembled to deal with their demands.  He showed Gavin and Zerki how
they would be participating, the gear that would be assigned to them, and who
they would be reporting to.  He looked to Valerie.  “Ms. Sawyer, it seems that
adding a psychic to any boarding action could be used to devastating effect. 
Your time might be better spent here briefing the psychics.”

Valerie said, “After I get back from K’n-yal.”

“Look, I appreciate your loyalty and tenacity;
they’re two traits we value highly in the Union Armed Forces.  But Captain
Ibarra’s ex-military, and Mr. Santiago’s the prototype we’re testing.”  He
regarded her sternly.  “You’d be there as an observer, one more thing for
everyone else to worry about.  They’ll be facing kwercians, mostly, and their
minds are read-only.  What are you hoping to gain by this?”

The last moments I’ll have with Gavin
, she
thought, but her expression remained unchanged.  “Captain counts on me, and
it’s my job as first mate to make sure Gavin isn’t mistreated.”

Dryden frowned slightly.  “You’re not his first
mate.  Not anymore.”

“He hasn’t turned in his resignation.”

“The
Sanguine Shadow
doesn’t run on
formalities, Ms. Sawyer.”

Gavin raised his arm.  “Admiral, if I’m going to
do this, I’d like her to come.  Valerie’s got a knack for sniffing out
snipers.  I’d feel a lot safer if she came with us.”

“As an observer.”

“That’s fine.”

Dryden looked to Zerki, nodding as he asked,
“Captain Ibarra, do you have any objections?”

Zerki shook her head.  “Not at all.  I’ll take
full responsibility for her safety.”

“So be it.”  He displayed several targets,
buildings and diagrams of K’n-yal’s exotic flora.  Dryden detailed the plan of
attack.  When he had finished, he sent them to the quartermaster for their
gear.

·· • ··

 Zerki, Gavin and Valerie met the strike team at
the foot of a boarding ramp.  Called the
Eridanis
, their starship was
long, painted white with brick red detailing.  Toward the fore, her hull flared
out to provide housings for two blaster turrets.  A small, circular bridge rose
from the starship’s centerline, seated toward a pair of large warp engines, and
two storage pods jutted out from under the bridge station.  Armored plates
protected the hull, giving the starship a layered appearance.  She rested upon
a trio of landing skids, her skin decorated with Union badges and warning
placards.

Their pilot ran the preflight routine while the
strike team members boarded.  As the engines warmed, they emitted a
high-pitched pulsing warble that made Gavin feel like he was dizzy with every
crescendo.  It took some time for him to adjust to the sound.

The
Eridanis
disengaged from the clamps,
rocketing up and out into the dark.

Zerki, Gavin and Valerie traveled with eight
others.  The heart of the team was Special Operations Chief Jared Fletcher, and
he answered to Lieutenant Flynn Brucker.  They all wore adaptive camouflage
suits, sturdy packs, survival gear and linked targeting goggles that had been fastened
to their helmets.  The soldiers carried an assortment of explosives, automatic
blasters and long-range rifles.

Gazing out the porthole, Gavin watched the stars
turn bright blue as the warp drive engaged.  He fought back a wave of nausea. 
Hunched over his knees, he concentrated on his breathing, and he jumped
slightly at feeling a hand upon his shoulder.  “You get used to it,” said the
woman sitting next to him.  Her name was Haley Lei, and she was one of the
snipers.

Gavin merely nodded and groaned in response.

Valerie leaned over.  “You OK?”

Again, he nodded and managed to whisper, “I think
it’s the warp drive.  Motion sickness, or vertigo.  Not sure.”

She squeezed his forearm.  “Well, let me know if
you’re going to throw up.”

He chuckled.  “I’ll do my best.”

Chief Fletcher reviewed the mission parameters
with the strike team.  They discussed primary and secondary objectives, while
Zerki, Valerie and Gavin listened intently.  It wasn’t long before the
Eridanis
dropped out of warp, and K’n-yal drew near with alarming speed.  Brucker called
everyone to the boarding ramp as their starship began to descend.

Moments later, she touched down in a field ringed
with motley spore trees, and her passengers disembarked.  Her engines whined as
the
Eridanis
lifted off and vanished into the clouds.  Zerki, Gavin and
Valerie joined the strike team as they hustled into the vibrant expanse, where
their camouflaged suits rendered them nearly invisible.  All around, densely
packed spore clusters rocked and creaked in the breeze, each one twice as tall
as a man.  Mounds of red and yellow vegetation constantly swelled and ebbed.  The
clicking and popping sounds of the plants and animals filled the air.

Brucker leaned into the huddle and whispered, “Bad
weather’s coming.  We need to double time it.  Stay close to me.”  He glanced
toward the horizon.  “We should engage our targets before sundown if we can
hold the pace.  Haley, you’re on overwatch.  Gavin, I want you on overwatch
with her.  Sawyer, you need to fall way back from their pos.  Zerki, you’re
covering Ajax while he sets up the mower.  Everyone clear?”

“Roger that,” said Haley, and her response was
echoed throughout the squad.

 “Good,” said Brucker, and he led his team through
the overgrowth.  All through the afternoon and into the night they traveled, as
the clouds steadily thickened and darkened.  Frustrated, Brucker called for a
stop and instructed his companions to climb into the surrounding spore tree
husks to get some rest.  Haley took first watch.

“Where are they?” asked Zerki as she stepped
close.

Brucker shook his head.  “Something’s off.  Either
we got bad intel, or our targets are on the move.”

Fletcher joined them.  “They’re mobile.  I’ve been
reviewing Eagle One’s feed.  It just did a flyover on the Thayless estate. 
It’s got minimal guards, but full occupancy.  Risky move, with the other houses
looking to make a play.”  He set down his pack.  “My guess, they’re moving
something they’re not supposed to.”

“Please explain your reasoning,” said Zerki.

Fletcher regarded her.  “No other reason not to
hire some guns to do it, unless they can’t take the risk of word getting out.”

“Let’s find out what they’re hiding,” said
Brucker.  “If it’s big enough, it could become the primary.  Plus, if we take
out their goons, we can leave Thayless to the dogs.  Without their muscle, they
won’t last another week.”

The downpour finally moved in.  As it drenched the
spore wood, Zerki joined Gavin and Valerie within their husk.  Safe under the brittle
canopy of a yellow pod, they listened to the cloudburst driving down around
them.  In the distance, they heard trees crushed underfoot.  Throaty cries of
long-necked giants pierced the roar of the storm as they wandered the shadows.

Membranous globes the size of baseballs drifted up
from nearby branches, their gas-filled bodies softly aglow with golden light. 
Broad, gossamer tails swooped slowly up and down, and cascades of
filament-thick tentacles hung from the edges of their bellies.  They
congregated, a luminous flock overhead.  However, they winked out and instantly
dispersed when Valerie shifted and caused her shelter to crinkle.  In time,
they returned.  Gavin, Valerie and Zerki gazed in silent wonder.

Cold air cooled further as the night marched on. 
Determined gusts sent sheets of rain steeply against their shelters.  Except
for Haley, the storm lulled the others to sleep.

·· • ··

Sunrise shone against the back of the storm’s
thick gray mantle, brightening it only slightly.  Fletcher called the strike
team together within a clutter of slicked flora.  Over the rushing deluge, he
explained, “A lot of the plants around here rely on the rain to make their
animal traps work.  They aren’t lethal to us, but taking a bath in a potent
numbing agent will make travel pretty tough until it wears off.  Try to be on
the lookout for sinkholes.”

Brucker held up his hand.  “Thanks, Chief. 
There’s been a change of plans.”  He glanced around, squinting as water ran
down from the lip of his helmet.  “We’re going to wait it out, right here.  I
still need eyes, and that’s not happening until the weather clears up.  Everyone
get back in your holes until we see some sun.”