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  After all of that, he cried some more, though he had no idea why.

  A series of dings sounded at his door.

  He didn’t respond.

  Then came a tapping.

  “Who is it?” he asked.

  No response came.

  “You need to activate the intercom on this ship, sir. It isn’t keyed to your voice like on the Falling Rain.”

  “Oh, right. Um…how do I do that?”

  "I can do it for you, sir, or you can do it with a hand gesture from anywhere in the room."

  “You do it. I don’t want to learn the gesture.”

  The intercom activated. “Hi, Tekeru. It’s me, Oona. I was just checking to see how you were doing. Artemisia said you were awake, and the ship told her that you hadn’t left your bed.”

  “The ship knows I’m still in bed?” he asked Max.

  “Octavian activated patient recovery mode on this room, sir, to keep tabs in case you needed assistance.”

  “Are you alright?” Oona asked.

  “Oh, I’m fine,” he answered. “I’ve just been trying to—”

  “I’m an empath, you know. It’s one of the abilities that come along with being a hyperphasic messiah. So I can sense your pain. If you would like to talk…”

  Tekeru considered opening up to her, but he couldn’t bring himself to burden her. “Someday…maybe…yeah. But I don’t want to talk right now. I feel like… I feel like I just now got it under control.”

  “If you need anything, anything at all, let me know. Seneca prepared breakfast for you. It’s on the table in the galley along with a recovery drink. I should warn you, the food we have here is beyond terrible. The drinks though, they’re just a normal kind of bad.”

  “I’m used to cheap starship food.”

  Oona laughed. “These are hundred-year-old military rations.”

  “And they’re still safe to eat?”

  “Your taste buds will be assaulted, but the food won’t harm you.”

  Tekeru tried to laugh, but it came out as a cough. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Hey, before you go. I was thinking I’d replace your sister so she could rest, but if you need sleep more then—”

  “Replace Kyralla. After you eat and shower.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “The meditation I’m doing from the command chair keeps me well rested. Kyralla has been working hard for twelve hours straight. After Bishop wakes up and gets his treatments from Octavian, he can take my place in the command chair.”

  “Oona…thank you for checking on me.”

  “Of course. Just let me know if you need anything.”

  The intercom turned off.

  Tekeru rubbed his hands across his face and tried to take deep, calming breaths. He was glad Oona had come to check on him. She was trying to make him feel included like he was a part of the crew, and he appreciated it. But there was no way to make up for everything he’d lost.

  He was alone.

  The only connection he had to this crew was that they had rescued him. Theirs was a grand cause, no doubt. But it wasn’t his cause.

  Maybe it should be though. He couldn't promise that his skills as a xenobiologist would be of any use. But Oona was a genetic anomaly, and she was trying to reach an advanced research facility. None of the others had any scientific background as far as he could tell so they would be entirely dependent on their chippies once they made it there.

  If he were able to help Oona restore the Benevolence, in even the smallest way, it would be the most significant contribution he could ever make in his life. There was absolutely no denying that. Anything else he did afterward, no matter the magnitude of the discovery, would pale in comparison.

  For now, he was part of their crusade whether he wanted to be or not. He would have to help. His life depended on it. And it might be a while before that changed. In the meantime, he would try to heal and think about what he really wanted, now that the life he’d planned was over.

  Tekeru stood and walked around, loosening his tight muscles. Once he felt more limber and more confident in his strength, he went over to the small table in the corner where his clothes awaited him. He picked up his pants. They were filthy, covered in grease, smudged with soot, and smelling of smoke. His shirt and jacket looked no better. He ran a finger across a rip on his jacket.

  “Max, see if the ship has a change of clothes I could borrow.”

  “I’m sure there’s a washing and mending system onboard the ship.”

  He could cleanse the grime from the clothes, but the memories would stain them, like his heart, forever.

  “A fresh start might be better.”

  11

  Siv Gendin

  Oktara swept down the aisle of the Hydrogenists’ starship. His face remained passive, but he walked quickly. Stopping in front of Mitsuki and Siv, he made a half bow.

  He caught Siv’s eyes and whispered, “I need you both to come with me, quickly please.”

  Mitsuki tensed beside Siv, her hand edging toward the disruptor she’d hidden in her clothes. Siv didn’t move. He acted confused, trying to buy some time without appearing suspicious.

  “Excuse me?” he asked.

  “Silkster? What’s going on?”

  “It is a matter of grave concern,” Oktara said.

  “I’ll boost the sensor array to a level five scan again, sir… Ah, well that’s a right stinky skunk fart.”

  “It’s a what?”

  “Skunk fart, sir.”

  “What’s a skunk?”

  “Forget it, sir. The important thing is that Vega Kaleeb’s ship is in pursuit. It’s burning the engines at fifty over max on an intercept course. Unless this ship accelerates, his infiltrator will catch us well before we reach the hard break.”

  Despite being stunned that Kaleeb was still alive, Siv kept staring at the Hydrogenist leader blankly.

  “We do not mean either of you any harm,” Oktara said. “I can assure you of that.”

  “Sir, get your head back in the game.”

  “Of course,” Siv replied as he stood and stepped out into the aisle.

  Mitsuki opened a channel to Siv as she followed. “Are you sure about this, Siv?”

  “No, but we’re outnumbered. And I know what this is about. Tell her, Silkster.”

  Silky relayed the information to her as they followed Oktara toward the ship’s bridge. The creepy stares of the other members followed them through each section.

  Mitsuki cursed. “But we killed Kaleeb!”

  “Did you see a body?” Silky asked. “Cause I sure didn’t. Trust me, unless you can verify that your enemies are dead, you have to assume they aren’t.”

  “Then we should have checked,” Mitsuki said.

  “Batwings, if there had been any way that we could’ve gotten back into that building to put a plasma bolt into his heart to make certain he was nothing more than a mass of scrap parts, then I would’ve insisted upon it.”

  “You could’ve let me kill him,” Mitsuki responded.

  “The sky-blade was moments away from becoming fully operational,” Silky said. “And I had no way of predicting exactly how many moments. Siv has a cut on his leg because it had recovered enough to make a weak attack. Another few moments and you could have both been sliced and diced. Besides, I did expect the massive explosion to take him out, what with him wounded and all.”

  “You expected wrong,” she replied.

  “I did the best I could, Droppings. Remember, without my intervention, you were done for.”

  Mitsuki sighed. "I know, I know. You made the best call you could in the heat of battle. That said, call me droppings again, and it'll be the last call you ever make."

  It was a real shame they hadn’t been able to seize Kaleeb’s ship. With its small size, speed, and cloaking technology, it would’ve been the perfect way for them to get to Titus II and then get back off again. But by the time Silky had finally located
the interceptor, they’d realized there was no way to reach it. Five antigrav units strapped together and over-maxed could not have gotten them up to the altitude it was circling, and they only had two available.

  Oktara swiped a hand over an entry pad, and a door dilated open, allowing them access to the front of the ship. The three of them entered a more austere hallway, lacking any decoration.

  There were two doors on each side and one at the end. According to Siv's locator, the door on the end led directly onto the bridge. Siv expected Oktara to take them there. Instead, he opened the last door on the right and gestured for Siv and Mitsuki to enter. Siv went first, stepping inside cautiously, even though the locator showed no one inside.

  The small room had a large window, a storage chest, and, conveniently, three meditation cushions. He suspected the large, floor-level drawer to one side pulled out to reveal a bed. Otherwise, the room was empty and completely lacking in décor.

  Oktara gestured to the two cushions side-by-side. “Please, take a seat.”

  Siv and Mitsuki sat cross-legged on their cushions, and Oktara mirrored them on the third.

  As soon as he sat down, Oktara asked, “Could you please tell me who is pursuing us?”

  “Silkster, I need a lie!”

  “I don’t think it’s worth the bother, sir. Keep your identity safe, by all means, but be honest about the danger they are facing. They deserve to know.”

  “The Infiltrator-class ship pursuing us belongs to a bounty hunter named Vega Kaleeb.”

  Oktara’s smile disappeared. “I am not happy to hear that name.”

  “So you know who he is?” Mitsuki asked, surprised.

  “We move from system to system, year after year,” Oktara said. “We learn many things along the way.”

  "We thought we'd killed him in an explosion," Siv explained, "but apparently he survived. Either that or he has a partner that's after us."

  Oktara stared seriously at them for a few moments, saying nothing.

  “We’re very sorry,” Mitsuki said.

  “So am I,” Oktara said, standing and heading to the door. “Please remain here.”

  On his locator, Siv watched him rush onto the ship’s bridge, which had a crew of five.

  Mitsuki glanced at Siv, an eyebrow raised. “What do you think they’re going to do?”

  “For now?” Siv replied. “Save themselves.”

  “By selling us out?” she asked. “Or running?”

  Siv shrugged. “Either way, I’m certain they’ll dump us the first chance they get, to keep themselves safe. It’s what we’d do.”

  “As long as they dump us in the Titus system but don’t turn us over, then I guess it’s okay,” Mitsuki replied. “Not that there’s much we can do about it.”

  “We could storm the bridge and take the ship hostage,” Siv suggested. “It’s just a few steps away from here. Silkster what do you think?”

  “The bridge door is locked, sir, but I could get it open easily enough. The only armed crew member is Oktara. They do have weapons on the bridge, hidden in lockers, so you’d have to act fast.”

  Siv fidgeted with his sleeves then cursed. “Damn it. I hate to say this, but I think we should wait and see what they do. Mits?”

  She rubbed her face. “I agree.”

  “Seriously?” Silky snapped. “You’re not going to ask my opinion? So rude.”

  “Well?” Siv groaned.

  “We should wait, sir.”

  Siv rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath.

  “I don’t like the idea of hijacking an entire ship, sir. And if it goes wrong, we’re way outnumbered here, and they do have access to some serious weaponry.”

  “Have you made progress in defeating their scrambling frequencies?” Siv asked.

  "Almost there, sir. Almost there. I've broken through two levels of screening, and I'm processing some interesting data as we speak."

  “I can’t believe it’s taken you this long,” Mitsuki said.

  “I have some good news, sir. And some bad news. The ship has begun accelerating and will soon reach its not too impressive maximum. It’s going to be close, but it’s not going be enough. Kaleeb’s ship will still catch up.”

  “Well,” Siv said. "At least they're not going to turn us over to Kaleeb or whoever's actually on that ship."

  “I have additional news, sir, but I’m not sure if it’s good or bad. It’s certainly weird. I just finished breaking through their cleverly disguised jamming and did another level 5 scan. First, I analyzed Oktara’s DNA and body composition—you know, like you do.”

  “And?”

  “Sir, he may look Terran standard on the outside, silly colorful tattoos aside, but he has an additional internal organ I can’t identify. Much like a second heart on the right side of the chest. The energy readings I’m getting from this unknown organ are nothing less than astounding.”

  “How much energy are we talking?” Siv asked.

  "Imagine taking all of the bioelectric power within the human body, doubling it, and concentrating it into one heart-sized area. That's what we're talking about. A tendril of fibers links this organ to an area of the brain associated with empathic ability."

  “What in the ‘Nevolence are we dealing with here?” Mitsuki asked. “Is he a genetically altered human, a related uplift like my kind, or a completely alien species, like the Ancients, that just happens to closely resemble humans?”

  “I’m fairly certain he’s of Terran origin,” Silky said, “but I can’t match his DNA profile to any records. And thanks to having worked in special forces, I have data on a lot more aliens, hybrids, and genetically altered humans than you could ever discover doing a net search. Also, I think the tattoos are genetic skin patterns.”

  “What about the rest of them?” Siv asked.

  “Still working on that, sir, but the eight I have scanned so far all have Terran divergent genetics as well. However, only one other matches Oktara’s profile.”

  Restraining a scream, Siv rubbed his hands over his face. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Had the universe not thrown enough challenges at him already?

  “So are there any actual normal human converts aboard this ship?” Mitsuki asked.

  Silky paused before responding. “All of them have at least a few basic genetic modifications. Nothing extensive. I think maybe twenty-five percent have this second heart like Oktara does.”

  “So their religion is just a cover?” Siv asked.

  “Maybe. But that begs a more important question: A cover for what? All they do is travel around studying gas giants. I’ve checked every bit of history I could find on them. No records of violence or crime. They’re known for being nonviolent, for helping out the needy, and for being incredibly strange. That’s it.”

  “They had to be getting something from Wang,” Mitsuki said.

  “That’s not unusual,” Silky said. “You can always get two things from a Wang.”

  Siv didn’t laugh, and neither did Mitsuki.

  “Come on, you two! That’s hardcore funny!”

  “What I meant was Wang must have given them more than money,” Mitsuki said with some irritation. “Maybe he traded them weapons and gear.”

  “I see no evidence or any history that would indicate a smuggling operation,” Silky said. “If you claim interest, pass their test, and pay for passage, they’ll take you along. That’s it.”

  “Are we in greater danger because of any of this?” Siv asked.

  “As far as I can tell, no,” Silky replied. “Unless this unknown organ gives them telepathy or super reflexes. And that’s assuming they want to harm us.”

  A new window popped open in Siv’s HUD, revealing a star system locator showing the position of the Solace and the pursuing infiltrator. The Solace was thirty-two minutes away from the breakpoint. The infiltrator was only twenty-nine minutes away from catching them.

  “This ship doesn’t have any hidden armaments of its own, does it?”
Siv asked.

  “It does, sir. A bay of twelve plasma missiles.”

  “That’s better than the dual laser cannon on the infiltrator,” Mitsuki said with a tint of hope in her voice.

  “Except it’s not, I’m afraid. The infiltrator can jam any missiles this junker fires. And any that it fails to jam, it can outmaneuver and destroy with its flak cannon. Its dual laser cannon can also overcharge. Don’t underestimate it. Plus, we’re nearly into accurate range for those lasers. He will begin firing them soon.”

  “What about the shields on this ship?” Siv asked.

  “Average for a vessel of this class, sir. Less than half the strength of the Outworld Ranger’s. Three direct hits from the lasers and the shields are finished.”

  They watched in tense silence as the infiltrator drew closer and closer.

  Siv hated depending on someone else to get them out of trouble and not being able to do a damned thing to affect the outcome.

  “Is there anything you can do, Silkster?”

  “I could try to jam the targeting system for the laser cannon once they’re close enough, sir. But if Kaleeb or the sky-blade are piloting the ship, they could take over that task, and I can’t jam them.”

  “Might be worth trying,” Mitsuki said. “If this ship can absorb a couple of shots, and if you can buy us a few extra moments…”

  “They’ll likely take out this ship’s shields long before I’m within jamming distance.”

  As if on cue, the infiltrator opened fire. The Solace rolled, and the dual laser shots glanced across the bottom of the ship.

  “Shields down to sixty percent, sir.”

  The Solace lurched, and a tremendous rumble shook the floor beneath them. Siv exchanged a worried look with Mitsuki. What the hell was happening?

  Suddenly, along with their cushions, they slid toward the back of the room, the drastic increase in g-force making their insides quiver.

  “Sir, the ship just extended and ignited a secondary engine.”

  Siv was pressed against the wall, Mitsuki alongside him. “You don’t say?”

  “I do say, sir. The inertial dampeners can’t handle the speed increase.”