Zeven searched high and low for Aurora. He tried paging her and calling her through the intercom a few times. He would have asked someone if they’d seen her, but he appeared to be the only soul wandering about.
Leal had been spending so much time in Kassa Madri’s company that Zeven—following Ringbalin’s gentlemanly example of not asking directly—could only assume that his co-pilot’s secret desires had finally been reciprocated. There was no doubting how Lucian and Taren felt about each other, and clearly Ringbalin and Ayliscia Portus were finally consummating their feelings for one another also.
‘End of our world as we know it, and what’s everyone on board doing? Getting laid,’ Zeven muttered as he wandered out of the elevator and into the flight deck, where he had seen Rory last. ‘Whilst the object of my desire has just vanished.’ He swung around in the empty pilot seat, annoyed, not because he was missing out, but because he was getting worried.
A flashing light on Leal’s console caught his eye and Zeven approached to note the co-pilot’s monitor was indicating that a pod had been launched.
‘Please, no.’ Zeven dropped the flower as his heart sank into the pit of his stomach. A vision of finding Amie with her throat cut in a misfired pod sent the pilot bolting towards the launch bay.
Kalayna was slouched in the corner of the launch bay control room when Zeven found her. She was in a semi-catatonic state; her shaking seemed to indicate that she was traumatised. ‘How did you get here?’ He wasn’t at all pleased to see her, but felt compelled to check her vital signs. As he crouched before her, Kalayna snapped out of her trance and began hitting him.
‘You!’ she seethed through gritted teeth. ‘Get the fuck away from me.’ She kicked out at him. ‘I hate you! You self-centred, egotistical, chauvinistic, fickle, arrogant, shallow, ungrateful prick!’
Zeven didn’t attempt to reason with the girl as she was clearly hysterical. He exited quickly, locked the control room door from the outside and called for Dr Madri.
When Kassa and Leal arrived to hear Kalayna still hollering Starman’s faults, Leal had to comment: ‘Wow, she really seems to have you pegged.’
‘Thanks a lot.’ Zeven forced a smile, feeling worse because much of Kalayna’s impression of him would have come from Aurora. ‘I’m glad you’re here though. Aurora is missing and so is one of our pods.’
‘Not again,’ Kassa said despairingly. ‘Does this girl know anything about the launch?’
‘She’s in there, but I can’t stop her swearing at me long enough to find out.’ He threw his hands up in frustration.
‘Not to worry,’ Kassa said, giving him a reassuring smile. ‘I’ll sedate her and see what I can find out.’
‘I’ll retrieve the pod.’ Leal made a move to his station on the bridge.
‘I’ll help Kassa tame the savage beast here and then I’ll be right there,’ Zeven responded.
‘I’ll rouse the captain and let him know,’ Leal decided.
Kalayna was no joy to sedate, but once they had her under, Zeven carried her down to the medical chambers—he was oblivious to how long he remained gazing at the girl once he’d laid her down on the bed, until…
‘She’s very beautiful,’ Kassa said, in such a way as to empathise with Zeven’s obsessive attention. ‘I saw you together at the memorial. I thought she was a friend of yours.’
‘No. She’s a friend of Aurora’s…a lover, you might say.’
‘Oh…Oh,’ Kassa commented, wide-eyed with surprise and then concern when she recalled Zeven and Aurora in the throes of a heated moment in the pilot’s seat earlier. ‘Oh dear.’
‘Indeed,’ Zeven agreed gravely.
‘You think that she might have found out about you and Aurora and then taken revenge?’ Kassa said, knowing what Zeven was thinking.
‘I’m hoping you can tell me that.’ Zeven threw the ball back in her court.
‘Okay.’ Kassa took hold of the subject’s hand. ‘Often it is difficult to read the mind of someone who is sedated, but I—’
Zeven’s communicator gave an alert.
‘Zeven, there’re some problems with retrieving the pod,’ Leal advised via the speaker.
‘I’m on my way up,’ he answered, already on the move and saying to Kassa. ‘Let me know the second you have anything.’
She assured that him she would.
CHAPTER 17
DAMAGE CONTROL
Up on the bridge, Lucian and Taren had joined Leal at his console.
‘What’s wrong?’ Zeven asked.
‘The tracking device on the pod is inactive,’ Leal told him, and shook his head to imply that retrieval would be impossible.
‘It’s been picked up then.’ Zeven came to the most positive conclusion first.
‘Or, the tracking system might not have been activated upon launch,’ Leal suggested.
‘Or it could have crashed.’ Zeven voiced the most dire scenario, his eyes turning to the large ice planet they were passing.
‘Whatever has become of the pod, it is no longer on our scopes,’ Leal concluded solemnly, as there was very little he could do to help the situation.
Zeven was quietly fuming inside, but he breathed deeply to calm his anger and focus on a solution. ‘If I can will this entire ship into another part of the galaxy, then surely I can transport myself to Aurora, wherever she is.’
Everyone present was shaking their head.
Lucian began the objections. ‘Too dangerous.’
‘You could find yourself stranded on an ice planet,’ Leal chimed in, ‘or drifting in open space—’
‘Then put me in a spacesuit!’ Zeven insisted. ‘If I manifest in the middle of a disaster then I can just come back!’
‘You are still untrained,’ Taren challenged. ‘Without guidance to focus, how can you be sure that you won’t just get yourself killed?’
‘It was Swithin!’ Kassa burst out of the elevator and made haste towards them. ‘He must have already been hiding on board when he phoned you, Lucian, to warn us about our impending arrest.’
‘That’s what was in it for him…’ Lucian was finally enlightened. ‘A means to escape.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Zeven was perplexed.
‘Swithin ambushed Kalayna and used her to get Aurora to cooperate in aiding him in his escape,’ Kassa clarified.
‘That explains the two-man pod,’ Leal said.
‘But Aurora doesn’t know how to launch a pod.’ Zeven was lost again.
‘Yes, but apparently Kalayna does,’ Kassa informed him. ‘Once Swithin pointed out to Kalayna that Aurora reeked of your aftershave, he didn’t have much trouble getting the emotionally distraught girl to cooperate.’
‘Shit!’ Zeven wanted to hit something; loose objects began flying and everyone present ducked down low.
‘Zeven,’ Taren appealed very nicely, ‘please focus on being constructive.’
The pilot began breathing deeply in a desperate attempt to calm himself and the objects all dropped to the ground. ‘I have to do something!’
‘Not before you calm down,’ Taren instructed, grabbing up her communicator. ‘Ringbalin, could you come to the bridge, please?’
‘I don’t need Balin to control my emotions for me,’ Zeven insisted, as loose objects began shaking and seemed ready to take flight again.
‘You are welcome to prove that,’ Taren invited his composure, and the objects around them stilled themselves.
‘We don’t have a lot of time to figure out a rescue plan,’ Kassa continued. ‘Swithin didn’t bother putting them in suits or setting a destination.’
‘Then he was expecting to be picked up,’ Leal concluded.
‘In the Frujian system, yes,’ Kassa explained.
‘But we are no longer there,’ Zeven concluded, horrified. ‘Without suits to charge the system, the pod will only last a couple of days in open space before it will shut down completely.’ His sight fell upon the exotic flower intended for Aurora, which was
already starting to wilt. ‘If you won’t let me use my Power to find her,’ Zeven said to the captain, ‘then at least let me take the recon vessel and follow the pod’s trajectory.’
Lucian wanted to see Aurora safely back on board as much as this young pilot did. Finally, with a firm nod, he gave him clearance to depart.
‘Someone should go with you.’ Taren was about to volunteer herself.
‘I’ll go with him,’ Ringbalin said, stepping into the conversation.
Everyone was shocked speechless, and Zeven most of all.
‘But what about Module C?’ The pilot could hardly believe the botanist would leave his beloved sanctuary to aid him in this.
‘Dr Portus knows what to do,’ he replied.
‘But why would—’
‘You can’t go alone, untrained, so it’s just a simple process of elimination,’ Ringbalin outlined. ‘Taren has to stay in hiding, the captain cannot go, we need Leal here in case anything happens to you and Kassa is certainly not dispensable.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence,’ Zeven said flatly, although he admired Ringbalin’s bravery.
‘Who better than me to keep you calm and focused?’
‘Who indeed?’ Zeven appreciated the offer, but cocked an eye, unsure. ‘Have you ever even been in a small spacecraft before, Balin?’
‘Ah, no, but I don’t see this as a problem. You have and you’re still here so…it can’t be that bad.’ The look of doubt on everyone’s face did nothing to reassure him. ‘Can it?’
As Aurora stirred from her slumped position in the front of the pod, it took a second to recollect her situation. The back of her head was throbbing and her eyes wouldn’t open due to all the light. The interior of a pod is not this bright. She struggled against her own eyelids to perceive the brightly lit hangar bay roof—but it was not AMIE’s loading bay that the pod was now resting in. She heard voices and stilled herself to listen.
‘I have no idea how they did it,’ Swithin was saying. ‘But the tracking beacon is obviously still working so, no sweat, we haven’t lost Anselm’s precious daughter.’
Anselm’s daughter?
Aurora was stunned to learn the Chairman of the USS had a daughter, much less that she was on board AMIE.
‘She’s being nailed by my brother, but probably best to keep that out of the president’s brief, I reckon,’ Swithin added with dark humour.
Aurora gasped when she realised he could only be referring to Taren Lennox. That’s why the USS and the MSS want her back so badly.
‘And now she is headed for Phemoria, which is exactly what we were hoping to avoid.’
Aurora did not know this voice and peeked her head over the pod rim to see if she could get a glimpse. Her eyes parted wide when she beheld Anselm’s viceroy, Khalid Mansur.
This man had not reached his high station by being charismatic, as Anselm had, but rather with his dark looks, dress and moods he had intimidated his way to the top. Despite his slight build and height, there wasn’t a man in the USS who would choose to get on his bad side for those who did vanished without a trace.
The only man Khalid had ever served, besides himself, was Anselm—no one knew why they had such a bond, but the United Star System’s press machine was always rife with unfounded rumours and theories. Aurora had never given the question a second thought, until this second.
‘Your little friend is awake.’ The viceroy’s eyes shot straight to Aurora.
She ducked back down in reflex, but as they knew she was present now she thought she may as well stand and state her mind. ‘Swithin, you backstabbing, double-crossing snitch!’
‘Ha, ha.’ Swithin was glad to see her awake, ‘It seems you were telling the truth about the quantum leap AMIE took. I like that…so I think I’ll let you live for now.’
‘That’s not a good idea,’ commented the viceroy openly, and his candour in ordering her execution made Aurora’s blood run cold. He wasn’t just trying to scare her, he meant what he said.
Swithin winced, as he didn’t quite agree. ‘My brother and his crew are very fond of this young lady, and she has no Powers, so she’s a lowmaintenance hostage as well.’
‘No woman is low maintenance,’ Khalid Mansur chided, as he eyed Aurora with distaste. ‘If you must keep her, keep her on a leash…you know where detention is.’
Aurora was offended, but didn’t dare let loose at the man who was famed to be both morally and mentally reprehensible.
‘I need to report.’ He turned on his heel and departed.
Swithin turned back to Aurora and grinned. ‘See, I told you there was nothing to worry about.’
‘How could you do this to us?’ Aurora climbed out of the pod.
‘Do what?’ he said rather aggressively. ‘These are the good guys.’
‘What?’ Aurora couldn’t believe it. She was lucky to be alive. ‘Have you gone completely insane?’
‘You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, Aurora. Women and politics just don’t mix. You’ll just have to trust that I’m doing you and AMIE a favour. Believe me, you don’t want to be taking sides with the Phemorians. Anselm and the USS might be sneaky, underhanded bastards, but at least they are open about it. The Phemorians will blindside you with love and kindness, and you’ll be their prisoner and slave without even knowing it!’
Aurora didn’t really know enough about Phemorians to dispute his claim, but the one Phemorian she did know was lovely. ‘Dr Portus—’
‘—is a fucking spy, Aurora. Wake up!’ Swithin hollered at her. ‘Why am I bothering to reason with you?’
Aurora felt bewildered, naive and very put in her place. Swithin grabbed her by the arm and hauled her out of the launch bay to a detention cell.
‘What’s going to become of me?’ she asked as she was tossed into the cell.
‘Let’s just wait and see how this all pans out, shall we?’ Swithin closed and locked the door.
The second she was alone, Aurora began shaking violently. Shock and fear took her in waves and she broke into tears. Head bowed low, she caught a whiff of Zeven’s aftershave on herself and she gripped her shirt and held it close to her nose to breathe in deep. Just the smell of him made her feel safer. How she wished she’d never left the pilot’s seat. If she had just waited there as he’d asked, she imagined she’d be making love to him right now, which caused her tears to flood anew.
‘No,’ she told herself, finding her courage and raising herself upright. I have discovered information that I never would have if I had not been dragged away from AMIE…now I just have to figure out how best to get the information and myself back to base. I know Zeven will come for me. There was no doubt in her mind about that. She had witnessed first-hand his amazing new Powers that no one in the USS knew about, and when she imagined her rescue it brought a confident smile to her face.
‘This isn’t so bad,’ Ringbalin grimaced. His knuckles were white as he gripped the seat. In truth Balin hated anything artificial—his Power only gave him influence over the natural world—and looking around the cockpit the botanist could not imagine a more artificial environment.
‘You’re doing great,’ Zeven encouraged, not game to pull any stunts, as Ringbalin was clearly on edge.
Ringbalin looked at Zeven, envying how very relaxed he was. ‘To conquer my fear, I rehearsed in my mind how this rescue would go…that’s a very powerful technique for influencing outcomes that Taren discovered,’ Ringbalin informed Zeven. ‘Athletes who ran a race in their minds before the fact, performed outstandingly and the more detail you include in your imagined pre-run the more profound your effect on causality can be once you are actually in the situation.’
Zeven was intrigued by this. Although he might not have been very good when it came to meditating, he wasn’t bad at visualising—precisely the technique he’d used to move AMIE. The idea of rehearsing his plans before he actually executed them was very appealing.
‘I convinced myself I would feel safe and
secure throughout the rescue.’
‘And is it working?’ This was a rhetorical question for the answer was plain to see.
‘Maybe…’ Ringbalin was feeling calmer suddenly, but then their craft began to vibrate quite violently. ‘…not! What’s happening?’
‘Feels like we’re caught in a tracker beam,’ Zeven advised, perplexed to find no vessels registering on his screens. ‘In which case, it has to be a USS base cruiser hauling us in. They’re the only transport with complete cloaking capability.’ The pilot smiled, happy to be hauled closer to his destination. ‘That explains who picked up the pod.’
The violent vibrating of their craft was starting to get to Ringbalin. ‘I think I’m going to be sick.’
‘Oh no, you don’t.’ Zeven placed both hands on Ringbalin and concentrated all his will on returning them to AMIE’s flight deck.
With a rush of energy, Zeven felt himself freed from the confines of his craft as he was pulled back through space to the bridge on AMIE, where he deposited Ringbalin safely. ‘There you go…safe and secure.’
‘Thank heavens!’ The botanist, badly shaken, lost his legs and landed in a heap on the floor.
‘No time to explain.’ Zeven backed up a few paces. ‘I’ve found my focus…I’ll do this alone. The USS has Aurora, and I’m going to get her back.’ The pilot was gone before anyone could argue with him.
‘What, in the name of heroism, do you think you’re doing?’ Leal demanded through the recon vessel’s intercom as Zeven returned to the seat of his flailing craft.
‘Ask Balin for an update of the situation. Communications are now off.’ The pilot sat back to focus on using his Power to a different end. ‘Reel me in, baby.’
With Aurora as his heart’s motivation, Zeven felt his will had strengthened and that his psychic skill was far more responsive. Just as Ringbalin had claimed, love was more powerful than desire. His concern for Aurora’s safety had made his own fears dissolve. Zeven was now prepared to embrace his power and use his supernatural gifts to fight those who would try to oppress him and those he cared about.