Chapter 16
Maya
One day after the corporate extraction team had attempted to kidnap me from the heart of our Sola, I stood with Rykar in the atzan—a vast, cathedral-like chamber that served as the communal gathering space for anyone living aboard the ancient ship.
Currently, that was just the two of us. The organic walls curved upward in graceful arcs that reminded me of Greek architecture, if Greek architecture could grow and shift according to the needs of its inhabitants.
We were alone in the enormous space, which felt strange, considering how many people the atzan could accommodate.
Normally, it would be filled with Destrans going about their daily activities, but today everyone was either monitoring communications with the newly arrived Earth forces or tending to the seven rooted Solas in the city below.
I pressed my hand against one of the walls, feeling the subtle pulse of the Sola’s consciousness beneath my palm. Over the past twenty-four hours, she had grown perhaps a quarter larger, but sometime during the night, the expansion had stopped entirely.
“Think she’s done?” I asked, more to myself than to Rykar, but he was there, so he’d probably answer. “She’s smaller than the others, but I have a feeling she’s not going to grow as big.”
Rykar moved to stand beside me, his hand sliding over the small of my back.
It was amazing, how comfortable we’d become with each other’s touch.
Through our shared bond, I could feel his amazement at the depth of connection he now had with the Sola’s consciousness.
The full lordship he’d accepted during yesterday’s crisis had transformed him in ways that were still becoming apparent.
“The Earth-Lunar Council forces made good time,” he said, glancing toward the transparent sections of the wall that showed the landscape below.
“Twelve heavy cruisers and a stealth fighter. That’s more firepower than I expected them to commit to this situation, considering they think this is just a legal dispute. ”
I followed his gaze to where the Earth vessels had taken up positions around the Destran city.
Their sleek, angular forms looked distinctly alien compared to the organic curves of the Solas, but I had to admit their presence was reassuring.
Advanced plasma cannons, particle beam arrays, and shielding technology that could withstand most conventional weapons.
“The other lords seem confident,” I said. “Savair sounded pleased when he contacted us this morning. He said the corporate forces would have to be suicidal to attack with Earth’s advanced warships providing air support.”
Rykar’s expression was more cautious. “Maybe. But something feels off about this whole situation. LunarLink Surveys is a geology and mining corporation, not a military organization. Where did they get the resources for this kind of operation? The extraction specialists, the advanced weaponry, the willingness to commit acts of war against Earth’s own defensive forces? ”
I’d been wondering the same thing. “You think they have backing we don’t know about?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve been around a lot of merchants, warlords, organizations of all sorts in my work before this,” he replied. “The way this has escalated, the confidence they’ve shown despite being outgunned, makes me feel like they know something we don’t.”
A soft chime echoed through the atzan, followed by the Sola’s voice speaking directly into our minds. Incoming transmission for Lord Rykar and Lady Maya. Source: corporate vessels. Transmission appears to be final negotiation attempt.
Rykar and I exchanged glances. “Put it through,” he said aloud.
The air in front of us shimmered, and a holographic projection materialized, showing Captain Chen in what appeared to be the bridge of the corporate flagship.
But she wasn’t alone. Standing beside her was a figure I didn’t recognize—tall, skeletal, with grayish skin and elongated limbs that screamed ‘alien’ in ways that were distinctly unsettling.
“Dr. Chen, Lord Rykar,” Captain Chen began, her voice carrying the same flat professionalism as before. “I’m transmitting to offer one final opportunity for peaceful resolution of this matter.”
“I don’t see much room for negotiation,” I replied. “I’ve formally renounced my Earth citizenship and requested Destran asylum. Your corporate contract has no legal standing.”
The alien figure stepped forward, and when it spoke, its voice carried harmonics that made my teeth ache.
“Legal standing is a matter of perspective, human. We are Kythera Syndicate, and we have made an alliance with your Earth corporation. The awakened Sola produces enhanced lami with properties that can be altered to a substance that our people require. The ancient one will be shared between our organizations.”
My blood turned to ice. “Rykar, who are these people?”
“The Kythera Syndicate are criminals.” He said it loud enough for Captain Chen and the syndicate representative to hear, as his jaw worked back and forth.
His skin changed to dark mottled grays and purples.
“They’re a shadow cartel that operated in the outer rim territories, known for their technological sophistication and complete disregard for interspecies law.
” He lowered his voice. “If LunarLink had made a deal with them, this situation has just become infinitely more dangerous.”
“We need to notify everyone else,” I whispered back. “Tell the Sola to record this discussion.”
He nodded, and hopefully was able to send a mental message to the Sola. “The Sola isn’t property to be shared,” Rykar said, his voice hard with anger. “She’s a sentient being with the right to choose her own destiny.”
“Sentience is philosophical concept,” the Kythera representative replied with what might have been amusement. “Value is practical reality. Your cooperation would be…appreciated. But it is not required.”
Captain Chen stepped forward again. “You have one hour to consider our offer. Dr. Chen will be returned to corporate custody for decontamination and debriefing. The alien entity will be transferred to joint custody for study and exploitation. You may join your mate or stay with your people, Lord Rykar. These terms are nonnegotiable.”
“Then we have nothing to discuss,” I said firmly. “Find another source for your enhanced lami.”
The hologram flickered and disappeared, leaving Rykar and me alone in the sudden silence of the atzan.
“Kythera technology,” Rykar muttered, running a hand through his hair. “No wonder they’ve been so confident. The syndicate has access to weapons and systems that most civilizations can’t even conceive of.”
I was already moving toward the communication console that the Sola had grown near one wall of the atzan. “We need to warn the Earth and Destran forces immediately. If the corporate vessels have been retrofitted with Kythera tech—”
My words were cut off by a sound like thunder rolling across the landscape.
Through the transparent sections of the wall, I watched in horror as one by one, the Earth warships began to go dark.
Their running lights flickered and died, their engines fell silent, and their defensive shields collapsed like soap bubbles.
“What the hell?” I breathed. I tapped the comm behind my ear, but there was no response from any Earth vessel, no acknowledgment of our transmission attempts.
“Ah, they’re draining the ships’ power.” Rykar fiddled with the device hooked onto his own ear. “Destran city, this is Lord Rykar requiring immediate reply.”
“Will the Sola be affected?” I asked urgently.
“Doesn’t look like it.” He began to pace as he impatiently waited for a reply from the city. “Living consciousnesses cannot be drained the same way machines can. But our Earth allies are defenseless.”
Through the hull windows, I could see the corporate vessels moving into attack formation. The Earth cruisers, which had been the cornerstone of our defensive strategy, hung in space like dead weight. Ships that had seemed so formidable an hour ago were now nothing more than expensive debris.
“Are the people on those ships in trouble?” I asked, worried about exactly how much power was being drained.
“I hope not. They likely have some backup power. Savair, Scaron, come in,” Rykar snapped into his communication device. “All lords, respond.”
After a few moments, Savair’s voice crackled through, distorted and weak. “Communication systems unstable. A power drain is affecting all technology. Our Solas are safe, but defensive weapons are limited to biological capabilities only. What is going on up there?”
I felt a chill run down my spine. The seven Solas in the city below were powerful in their own right, but they’d grown deep roots into the moon’s surface over the past eight years.
They were settled, established, focused on growth and community rather than combat.
Against advanced Kythera weaponry, they would be sitting targets.
“I’m sending you a recording now,” Rykar said, poking at his device with a frown. “When I figure out how.”
“We have an extra player,” I said, my mind racing through possibilities. “A cartel is teaming up with LunarLink Survey to take control of the Sola. They want the lami.”
I heard a stream of Destran cursing that my translator would not, or could not, put into my language, before Scaron came on the line.
“The Earth forces have managed a shortwave transmission to us, on the ground. They are suggesting negotiation to limit casualties, but if we surrender now, they win. They get to torture and corrupt the Sola for her lami production and ancient knowledge, and you two never see the light of day again.”
Rykar’s expression was grim. “The other lords can’t mount an effective counter-attack from their positions. Your Solas are too rooted, with no weaponry.”
“But ours isn’t,” I said, the realization hitting me like lightning. “She never put down roots. She’s still mobile. Come on.” I grabbed his arm and we dashed for the heart chamber. Once there, I moved to the console that the Sola had created specifically for my use.
“What are you doing?” Rykar asked. He peered over my shoulder at the interface that allowed me to communicate with her technological systems in ways that transcended normal user protocols.
“I’m seeing what else she can do.” My hands moved over the organic controls, and immediately I was flooded with information that made my scientific mind reel with possibilities.
The survey equipment that had been integrated into the Sola during our bonding process hadn’t simply been absorbed—it had been repurposed, transformed, enhanced beyond anything its original manufacturers had intended.
“Holy shit,” I whispered, my eyes widening as data scrolled across the display. “Rykar, look at this. She’s been very busy.”
The Sola’s internal structure appeared on the screen in three-dimensional detail.
What I saw was no longer just a living ship optimized for growth and community.
She had reorganized herself into something that more closely resembled a warship—defensive shields generated by bioelectric fields, scanning arrays that could penetrate Kythera stealth technology, and weapons systems that blended Destran biotechnology with principles derived from my geological equipment.
“No wonder she didn’t get as big as the others. She’s been putting her energy elsewhere, preparing for this,” Rykar said in amazement. “Since the moment the corporate forces arrived, she’s been turning herself into something that could fight them.”
I looked at Rykar, seeing my own determination reflected in his eyes. “And we’re her crew.”
“We are her crew,” he agreed. “Although a few more would have been helpful.”
I settled into the interface seat that had formed beneath me, feeling the neural connections that would allow me to coordinate with the Sola’s navigation and weapons systems. But I wouldn’t be working alone.
“I’m opening a channel to Cleo and Zara down in Scaron’s Sola,” I said to Rykar. “If we’re going to take on Kythera technology, I need all the technical expertise I can get.”
Within minutes, Dr. Cleo Vasquez and Dr. Zara Rivers were patched through to our communication system, their voices tense but determined.
“Maya, the situation down here is bad,” Cleo reported. “The Earth forces are completely dead in the water. Some of the officers are talking about surrender to prevent total annihilation.”
“We’re aware,” I muttered. “I need you two to listen carefully. The Kythera power-drain system is more sophisticated than anything in our databases, but it has to have exploitable weaknesses.”
“What are you thinking?” Zara asked, and I could hear the excitement creeping into her voice, despite the desperate circumstances.
“I’m thinking that if we can identify the frequency patterns and energy signatures the Kythera are using to drain mechanical systems, we might be able to reverse the effect. Create a counter-signal that not only protects our systems but actively disrupts their technology.”
“That’s…theoretically possible,” Cleo said slowly. “But it would require precise coordination, and you know I’ve left my hacking days behind. I’m a respectable engineer these days.”
“Well, brush off those old skills, Cleo. You can leave the equipment problem to me, but we need to get into that ship’s systems and see what the Kythera did to enhance it,” I said, my fingers moving fast over the bio-organic controls.
I heard human cursing this time. “I don’t even have decent computing power,” she complained, but I could hear the excitement in her voice.
Cleo presented as levelheaded and logical—and most people did when they were around Zara—but underneath her hard-earned title, Cleo liked nothing more than a high-stakes challenge.
Preferably one with potential to end in an explosion.
“The Sola’s systems are biological, not mechanical.
She can serve as a platform for any technical work you need to do,” I went on.
“But I need you to work fast—the corporate forces are moving into attack position.”
“I’ve got you, Cleo,” Zara put in. “I’m no hacker, but I can route as much power your way as I can and help process data. I’m very good at that.”
Through the Sola’s enhanced scanning systems, I could see the enemy vessels spreading out. The corporate ships were moving to engage the rooted Solas in the city below, while the Kythera vessels were positioning themselves to eliminate any resistance from the paralyzed Earth forces.
“Rykar, I need you to interface with the Sola’s navigation systems and be her pilot.” I glanced at the screen. “Are you up for another adventure?” I asked the Sola.
AFFIRMATIVE.
Well, there was our answer. For better or worse, this was happening. Somehow, I was at the center of it.