Traitor Read online

  “So? Think who else we could find.” Grant slapped him on the arm, grinning. “Maybe you’ve got a sister.”

  Hoepe frowned, but he had to give the idea merit, it was possible if he had a brother he hadn’t known about, he could have a sister he wasn’t aware of either.

  Leove chuckled once. “No, we don’t have a sister.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Hoepe, blinking away his wandering thoughts. “It’s not about whether we go to rescue them or not, but it’s foolish to try to mount an operation with a ship that’s barely holding together, let alone attack the Central Army’s most powerful warship.”

  “What if the others can’t afford to wait?” argued Grant.

  Hoepe shook his head firmly. “We rushed into Junk and it was nearly a disaster.”

  “I don’t want to run and hide,” said Rami. “It’s time to fight back.”

  “The ship is too weak,” Hoepe tried. “We’re one laz-cannon hit from being blown into space. Need I remind you that of everyone here, I am the only Augment who was never captured after the war? Jumping into things unprepared is what got us into trouble on Junk, and I’m guessing is what got you taken to Junk in the first place.”

  Grant stepped up to him, a growl escaping his lips to cover the slight dilation of veins in his face and the subtle blush that followed.

  Leove stepped between them. “Everyone wants to go to the planet, even if you disagree what to do when we are there. If Isuma”—he cast a fond gaze at the pilot—“sets a course, at least we can get away from Junk. There will be plenty of time for repairs and for us to decide on our next course of action.”

  Pressing his lips together, Hoepe begrudgingly accepted the compromise.

  “No,” a small voice called from the back of the room where she stood behind the Engineering console. Sarrin shifted nervously as all eyes turned to her. She still looked unwell, too thin and grey, but at least she was out of bed.

  Grant stepped in her direction. “What, Sar?”

  She shook her head, eyebrows knitting together as though she was stringing together the words. “Gal said no.”

  His heart sank, and Hoepe silently cursed Sarrin’s unwavering belief in Gal, simply because — as Kieran had explained to him — Halud had chosen Gal’s ship for a reason, and they couldn’t give up on him.

  “There must have been a reason he said no,” she said, “for him to say it was dangerous.” Her gaze dropped to the ground, and her chest heaved as she took a breath.

  He was ready to say it didn’t make any sense, that they needed to get to safety, but Leove said it first: “The captain is deranged. No one has set foot on this planet before, or else there would be a marker.”

  She shook her head sharply once, and Hoepe caught the tremor in her gesture, the strain in her hands. She was starting to slip.

  Kieran interrupted quickly. “Gal worked for Exploration, he lead the team that mapped this sector. He knew what was on Junk. He probably knows this planet too, marked or not, and he doesn’t want us to go. There has to be a reason.”

  Beside Hoepe, Rami scowled but kept quiet.

  “With it’s wide orbital path, it’s possible it was not in this sector when Exploration was marking planets,” said Leove.

  “Then why did it seem he knew it?” argued Kieran. “The scans look good, I agree, but they can’t tell us what’s on the surface.”

  “If that cracked captain thinks there’s a hidden facility or something on this planet that he doesn’t want us to find, then that’s more reason to go,” argued Rami.

  Sarrin fidgeted, her eyes fading in and out of focus. “He said not to.”

  “Besides,” Kieran blurted, much too loud. “That planet is at least a week away if our thrusters were at a hundred percent. As it is, we have enough thruster power for one big burst, the only way to carry us there at a reasonable speed.”

  Rami glared back at him. “And?” Hoepe too frowned, wondering at the significance of it.

  Kieran scrubbed a hand over his eyes. “There’s only power for one burst. What happens if the planet shifts trajectory? We don’t know what it’s orbiting around, we don’t know where it’s going. If we miss it, we’re drifting through space — no FTL, no way to source parts, no food, no fresh O2.”

  “The warship will be back any day.” Rami put a fist on his hip, face growing dark. His anger rolled across the bridge, the intensity of it surprising and causing Hoepe to take a half step away as though he was being pushed physically. “With their jump radius, it’s three days to Etar and three days back: six days, and it’s already been seven.”

  “I know.” Kieran sat up stiffly, his jaw clenching.

  Grant sighed heavily, throwing his head back so he stared up at the ceiling. “Fine. We won’t go.”

  “What?” Rami snapped.

  “I don’t want to spin out into space, hoping to bump into something that is preferably not a UEC ship. If Kieran says we can’t make it to the planet, then we shouldn’t go until we know we can.”

  Rami pushed past Hoepe, right into Grant. “Are you kidding?”

  Grant’s jaw clenched. “No.”

  “I still say our odds are better trying for the planet than waiting here,” Leove said, and Hoepe turned to him in surprise, trying to send a message with a brief shake of his head. If Sarrin — who could know things before they happened — said no, and Kieran — who could do things he had never seen anyone else do — agreed they couldn’t go, then it was decided. They would wait and face the warship. But Leove met his eyes with a frown, and he shook his own head.

  “We can’t go,” blurted Hoepe. His heart thumped in his chest as he watched Leove’s reaction and the disappointed that bloomed across his brothers face. They were brothers, twins, and while they were still getting to know each other, he’d never openly disagreed with him before.

  “Why are we listening to this”—Rami gestured angrily at Kieran—“common?”

  “Because he’s the chief engineer,” said Grant, exasperated, “and if he says the ship can’t make it to the planet, I’m inclined to believe him.”

  “He’s a common, and a UEC soldier. He had things he wanted before all of this happened. For all we know, he wants the ship to stay here so the warship knows where to find us.” Rami lurched forwards, advancing on the engineering console and the pale, green eyed engineer behind it.

  Sarrin moved faster than Hoepe’s eyes could track, appearing directly between Rami and Kieran, her pupils fully dilated, entire body coiled and prepared to fight. Hoepe reached a long arm to Rami’s shoulder, pulling him back before he triggered Sarrin’s destructive instinct — she might be getting better, but seeing Kieran pull the auto-injector full of sedative from his pocket convinced Hoepe that he wasn’t wrong.

  “If it weren’t for Kieran, the warship would have finished us a long time ago. He’s saved my life and yours,” said Grant. “We listen to him because Sarrin says we can trust Kieran.”

  Rami blinked, his gaze fixed on Sarrin, curious.

  “If Twenty-seven says for us to stay here, then that’s what I’ll do,” called a tall Augment from the far side of the room. Thomas bowed his head, even as the Augments around him started to stir. “Sorry, Rami. There’s repairs to do, and we’re wasting time.”

  Rami only blinked as the Augments filed efficiently from the room.

  Looking between Hoepe and Sarrin and Kieran, Leove bit his lip, and Hoepe’s heart pounded in his chest as he watched his brother uncertainly. But Leove merely put a hand on his shoulder as he moved past. “I’ll see you in the infirmary, brother.”

  * * *

  Grant felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him as he went to follow the last of the Augments from the bridge. He turned to see Rami looking up at him.

  “Was that really Twenty-seven?” he asked.

  Grant shrugged staring at the floor, uncertain how much he could share. “Yeah, I guess. People have always called her that, but she doesn’t like it.”
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br />   “Why not?”

  He shook his head to say he didn’t know.

  “I was there, you know, when it happened,” said Rami, a reverence he hadn’t seen from the Augment before shining through. “I saw her scale the wall and smash into the observation tower.”

  Grant had only heard about it, his squadron being in the classrooms during that particular war-games. Sarrin had always been a good fighter, able to match him whenever they trained together during the war, no matter what they were doing, but he knew now she had held back. When she had lost control of herself sparring in the cargo bay, Grant had witnessed the sheer raw power she possessed, and the devastation she felt afterwards. He could only imagine the scene in the observation tower, or the remorse she felt after.

  “It was incredible. It inspired me,” continued Rami. “Before, I felt powerless — my squadron leader always ordered me to guard the perimeter because I was the youngest and he didn’t want me in the fighting. But when Twenty-seven scaled that tower, she showed me the power we had. Because of her, because of that day when she attacked, they never ran another war games again.”

  Grant frowned. “No, they found worse things.”

  But Rami was undeterred. “She, more than any of us, understood what the UECs were trying to teach us: fight is might. We have to attack first to survive.”

  He thought of Sarrin, thought of her haunted eyes as she fell into the trap on Junk, and thought of her broken when they pulled her from the wrecked facility that she had destroyed single-handedly. “I don’t think you’ve got it quite right, Rami. Sarrin isn’t like that.”

  “She is though. We need someone like her to be bold and aggressive. That’s the only way we’re going to see our freedom, Grant.”

  In principle, he agreed, Grant had always known they would have to fight the UECs with their own games, but it sat so completely wrong, he found himself stuck, unable to form an argument.

  “She must be planning to attack the warship outright. We’ll just sit here, the same as she did in that arena, and say, ‘we’re here, and we’re going to tear you into pieces’.” Rami grinned, nearly vibrating in anticipation. “I can’t wait, Grant. I’m excited. All we’ve ever wanted is to keep all of our friends safe, and she… she can do it.”

  Grant found his mouth hanging open and forced it closed. “Rami, I don’t think….”

  Rami slammed one fist into an open palm. “I’ll see you down there. I’m going to find out what the plan is.”

  Stunned, Grant blinked twice. “Rami, wait.” But the other Augment was already half-way to the door. He flung up an arm in a half-wave and exited the bridge, stomping after the others. And Grant stood dumbfounded in the centre of the deck.

  * * *

  Gal pressed through the sea of demons that crowded the hallway, tripping into the door. He slapped his hand over the biosensor, and in start later the door opened and he stumbled into his quarters. Aaron sat on the bed, waiting with his arms crossed.

  “What?” Gal snapped. He stalked across the room, demons scattering out of his path, and reached into the cubby at the top of his closet where he kept his JinJiu. There was, of course, nothing — hadn’t been for weeks — but it didn’t stop him from hoping a stray bottle had rolled all the way to the back.

  “Why not go?” Aaron shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a beautiful planet, lush, serene, quiet. Everything you’ve ever wanted, right?”

  Gal groaned, climbing up to reach further into the back of the closet. “Go away.”

  “I can’t. I’m with you, a demon, a memory trapped in your mind circling around and around. Forever.”

  There was nothing in the cubby. Gal’s fingers scraped along each filthy, empty, grey corner. He jumped down, finding the mug on his nightstand. It was as empty as the closet, but he tipped it completely upside down, just in case. A drop of bitter tea rolled onto his tongue — a far substitute from his beloved JinJiu, but it at least mitigated the hallucinations.

  He tossed the mug to the side. “The hallucinations are getting worse when Hoepe said they would get better. Why?”

  Aaron shrugged again. “The answer’s not the tea, Gal. You need to fix it.”

  “Fix what?”

  “All of it.”

  He sighed, throwing up his hands. Real Aaron had never been this complicated.

  Gal dropped onto the bed, legs unable to support him. “It’s all happening again.”

  “What’s happening?”

  “Why was I ever so stupid?” He buried his face in his hands.

  “I never thought you were stupid.”

  “Look what happened to you, you’re dead.”

  “There are worse things.”

  “You thought I was going to protect you, but now you’re dead.”

  Aaron sat down on the bed beside him, the apparition causing a subtle disturbance in the thin mattress. “Gal, who’s Cornelius?”

  Gal started, turning wide eyes onto his old friend.

  “Don’t be so surprised. I’m in your head.” Aaron shrugged. “You’ve been practically screaming his name over and over again. I assume it’s a person. A memory.”

  Gal groaned. He didn’t want to remember. He’d managed to block it out all the years running freight in the Deep Black. He never should have visited the planet, never should have tried to make the deal, never should have tried to convince anyone it was good idea. Demons, he never should have even told the Speakers in the first place, just lied on his report and told them it was uninhabitable.

  “Where did it all go wrong, Gal?” Aaron interrupted.

  He closed his eyes. If only he knew, maybe he could fix it. But he’d been born stupid, and it seemed he was going to die stupid. He had three dozen Augments running around his ship for Gods’sakes.

  Aaron sat patiently. “Tell me about the planet. I wasn’t around for that one.”

  No, Aaron had been long dead. So had John P.

  “Cornelius….” He gazed out his porthole at the dusty planet below. “The planet was gorgeous, green and blue, something the Artist Laureate would draw as a dream. But it wasn’t the we thought. Then… they attacked… he died!”

  “Who?”

  “Cornelius!”

  “I’m sorry, Gal.” Aaron reached a hand out. But it felt far away, Gal’s memories dragging him under.

  He was suddenly in the office of the First Speaker, his mind reconstructing it around him.

  Gal stood alone, waiting. Hap Lansford — Speaker of Strength and the leader of the Five Speakers — entered through the single door. He walked the length of the wedge-shaped room, seeming to move slowly, intentionally highlighting each vivid scene in the gory mural painted on the East wall. A history of blood and death displayed proudly.

  Gal pushed a smile on his face.

  “Galiant, my old friend!” Hap greeted him, the same as he always did. “They tell me you’ve found something very special. Special enough to meet me in person.”

  In his mind, he screamed for his younger self to stop, but the memory rolled on like a pre-recorded vid, and the words came tumbling out of his mouth.

  Hap’s reply echoed around him, even as the hallucination faded, and he was back in his dull, grey quarters: “It’s too dangerous.”

  The chime sounded, tearing away the last of the memory. Gal jumped, pressing himself into the corner where bed met wall, pulling the thin blanket up to his chin.

  The door buzzed again. “Gal!” the muffled call came through the thin plastic. A minute later, the door opened on its own as Rayne overrode the lock. She strode in, shoulders pulled up in a way that made her more imposing than most security officers and most Augments, but her expression softened instantly.

  Gal pulled the blanket up over his head. Of course this wasn’t normal behaviour, of course he was cracked, he knew it. But what could he do?

  Across the room, Aaron shifted as he settled into the chair.

  “Oh, Gal,” Rayne breathed. The door closed, her feet padding gentl
y across the floor, until the bed shifted with her weight. She adjusted his blanket, pulling to down so that he could see her face just in front of his. “Are you cold?”

  He nodded; it was always cold in space. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

  “You’re going to get better.” She patted him on the leg. “This was just a set back, nothing we can’t handle, okay.”

  Below, the grey planet rotated. Hap Lansford’s voice echoed in his ear, It’s too dangerous.

  “The readings on this planet are perfect. I thought you would have been excited.”

  “I won’t put us, I won’t put you, in danger.”

  “We’re already in danger.”

  He shook his head. “Not like this.” Didn’t she know some planet were habitable and some were not, and it was never easy to tell the difference?

  Sighing, she stood, suddenly farther away from him, and his heart cried out. She busied herself by going to his closet and riffling in the top shelf. For a minute, he thought she was hunting for his JinJiu stash, about to dump it all into the waste receptacle, but she returned with another blanket.

  Tears sprung into his eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve put you through all this. You don’t deserve it.”

  She interrupted him, “Do you remember when we were on that planet in the Desousa system? What did they call it?”

  “Yates.” He did smile once, a real smile. “I don’t know where they come up with these names.”

  She laughed. A near perfect sound.

  “Second planet from the orbital star, base temperature twenty-three-point-six centigrade. Oxygen thirty-five percent, Nitrogen thirty-six percent,” he recalled.

  “Sharp as ever,” she smiled at him. “What happened to it?”

  Aaron sat up in his chair, suddenly interested.

  Gal looked away. He shouldn’t have brought it up. The demon’s watched him intently.

  “It was so beautiful there, I thought for sure it would be the next colonized world,” she said.