Chapter 17
BALECK
Iwoke Iris when the first hint of light filtered down through cracks in the ceiling far above us. She came alert immediately, no grogginess or confusion. Just one moment asleep, the next fully awake and assessing. A soldier’s reflexes.
We ate the remaining food from my pack and drank the last of the water. No point carrying extra weight when speed might save our lives. I kept my zavat and blade. Iris kept the blaster.
“Ready to see what we’re dealing with?” she asked.
I nodded, and we made our way back through the passage to the barricaded doorway. We moved the debris carefully, quietly, then climbed the stone staircase. At the top, I pressed myself against the wall while Iris moved to the opening that led to the tower’s base.
She scanned the area with her enhanced eye, then gestured for me to follow. We slipped out into the tower’s base, staying in the shadows. A narrow gap in the crumbling wall gave us a view of the ruins and the sky beyond.
The sun was high and bright, exactly what we needed. I could see the Brakken ship still hovering over the city, but its searchlights were off. They’d be useless in full daylight anyway.
We crept back down, rebuilt our barricade to cover our tracks, and prepared to leave.
“No pack,” I said, slinging it into a dark corner. “We travel light.”
Iris checked her weapon one more time, her movements economical and practiced. Then she looked at me, and something in her expression made my chest tight. Trust. She was trusting me to get us out of this.
“Stay close,” she said. “I’ll guide us around any patrols I spot.”
“Lead the way.”
We made our way through the underground passages, navigating by the Iris’ illuminated sleeves. They were beginning to lose their glow when we emerged into another section of the ruins. Here, sunlight was piercing to the eyes after the dimness below.
I blinked hard, letting my eyes adjust. The ruins stretched out before us, a maze of collapsed buildings and shadowed passages. In the harsh daylight, I could see just how vast this ancient city had been. Thousands must have lived here before the storms came.
Iris moved ahead, her cybernetic eye scanning constantly. She held up a fist and I froze. After a moment, she gestured left and we skirted around a partially standing wall.
I heard them before I saw them. Harsh Brakken voices, closer than I’d like. My skin rippled with camouflage browns and grays to blend in and stay hidden. Too bad my clothing lacked that feature.
Iris pressed her back against a wall and I did the same. Through a gap in the stonework, I spotted two Brakken soldiers picking through debris. They moved with purpose, searching methodically.
We waited, barely breathing, until they moved on. Then Iris led us in the opposite direction, weaving through the ruins with the confidence of someone who could see threats before they materialized.
We encountered three more patrols over the next hour. Each time, Iris spotted them first and guided us around. Her enhanced eye was invaluable, giving us seconds of warning that made all the difference.
“How many do you think there are?” I whispered as we crouched behind a fallen pillar.
“I’ve counted eighteen distinct individuals so far. Maybe two dozen total.” She peered around the pillar, then pulled back. “Not a lot for a city this size. That’s probably why they didn’t find us last night.”
“They’re spread too thin.”
“Exactly.” She glanced at me. “I think they believe we already escaped. That we made it out before they arrived and they’re just doing a sweep to be thorough.”
That made sense. The Brakken wouldn’t expect us to hide underground in the ruins themselves. They’d assume we ran for open ground, tried to put distance between ourselves and the city.
We moved through another section of ruins, staying low. I noticed dark shapes on the ground ahead and my stomach tightened.
Bodies. D’tran bodies.
We approached cautiously. Two males, both wearing the dark clothing Vax’s group had favored. Their eyes were still open, staring sightlessly at the sky. Plasma burns marked their chests.
“Vax’s men?” I asked quietly.
Iris nodded and crouched beside one, checking for any signs of life even though it was clearly pointless.
“The Brakken killed them. I warned Vax this would happen.” Her voice was flat, emotionless, but I saw the tension in her shoulders.
“He didn’t listen. Thought he could make a deal with them.
Use them to secure power.” She stood, her gaze scanning the area. “No sign of Vax himself, though.”
“Either he’s dead somewhere else, or he escaped when he realized his allies were slaughtering his people.”
“Smart money’s on dead.” She moved past the bodies without looking back. “Come on. We’re almost to the eastern ridge.”
We continued through the ruins, the sprawling city gradually giving way to open ground. I could see the ridge ahead, a rocky outcropping where I’d hidden the Raycer behind a cluster of boulders.
Iris held up her fist again. I stopped, watching as she used her enhanced vision to scan the area ahead.
“Two Brakken between us and the Raycer,” she whispered. “Guarding the perimeter.”
“Can we go around?”
“Not without being exposed for at least thirty meters.” She studied the terrain, her tactical mind working. “We need a distraction.”
I looked around, an idea forming. There was a section of wall to our right, already unstable from centuries of storm damage. “If that wall collapsed, the sound would draw them over.”
“Can you make it collapse without bringing half the ruins down on us?”
“Only one way to find out.”
I crept toward the wall, moving as quietly as I could. Up close, I could see the cracks running through the ancient stone. I braced myself and pushed hard against a key structural point.
The wall groaned. Then, with a crash that seemed impossibly loud, a section tumbled down in a cloud of dust and debris.
I ran back to Iris, who was already moving toward the Raycer. I heard Brakken voices shouting, then the sound of running footsteps heading toward the collapsed wall.
We sprinted the last fifty meters to the ridge. The Raycer was exactly where I’d left it, the rollerballs half-buried in sand to keep it stable. I jumped on and Iris slid on behind me, her arms coming around my waist.
I activated the energy shield and punched the controls. The Raycer shot forward, away from the ruins and the Brakken patrols. I didn’t look back. We were already too far away, moving too fast.
The ride back to the valley was tense but uneventful. I kept the Raycer at maximum speed, both of us watching for any signs of pursuit. But the Brakken didn’t follow. Either they hadn’t realized we were there, or they’d decided two escapees weren’t worth chasing into unfamiliar territory.
As we approached the valley, I noticed something that made me slow the Raycer.
A large ship hung in the air above the D’tran settlement. Not Brakken. This one was sleek and clearly designed by humans. An Earth vessel. It looked like the same one that had been here only ten cycles earlier. The one Cleo and Mierva had left on.
“What the hell?” Iris murmured behind me.
I navigated through the tunnel into the valley, my mind racing. What was an Earth ship doing here? Had Sophie called for reinforcements when Iris went missing?
We emerged into the valley and made our way to the village, which was shadowed by the large ship that hung in the sky. We returned the Raycer to its charger and walked to the village center. The sight that greeted us made me want to let out a laugh of joy.
In the open area near the settlement’s center, a crowd had gathered. I spotted Cleo immediately, her distinctive features unmistakable even at a distance. And wrapped around her, holding her like she might disappear, was Rezor.
The D’tran leader’s face was pressed into Cleo’s hair, his whole body shaking.
Cleo was crying, her arms tight around his neck. She was saying something I couldn’t hear, but the emotion was clear even from here.
“Oh,” Iris said softly.
I watched Rezor pull back just enough to cup Cleo’s face in his hands. Even from this distance, I could see the emotion pouring from the two of them. The mate bond, complete and undeniable. It made my heart swell and my mouth smile. “We’re not interrupting that,” I said.
Iris nodded. “We’re not dropping our Brakken problem on them right now. Not when Rezor’s just got her back. He had no idea any of this was happening, anyway.”
We backed up slowly and edged away from the crowd before anyone noticed us. We then hurried to the guest quarters, and I was about to suggest we find Sophie when I spotted her walking toward the commotion.
“Sophie,” Iris called out.
The diplomat turned, and her face lit up with relief. “Iris! Thank the stars.” She hurried over, her gaze sweeping over both of us. “Where were you?”
“It’s a long story,” Iris said. “And we need to talk. Privately. Is Vash here?”
Sophie’s expression shifted from relief to concern. “Yes. What’s wrong?”
“Everything,” I said grimly. “We need to brief you both immediately.”
Sophie nodded, her professional composure sliding into place. “Follow me.”
We found Vash in his quarters, reviewing something on a portable screen. He looked up when we entered, his frown deepening when he saw our expressions.
“Lock the door,” Sophie said, and I did.
The four of us stood in the small room, tension thick in the air.
“Tell us,” Sophie said.
Iris started with being ambushed and kidnapped by Vax. I picked up the narrative when I began searching for her, explaining about the tracker and the Raycer, even though Anker had likely already told her that part. Then Iris detailed her captivity, Vax’s conspiracy, and the Brakken alliance.
“He made a deal with the renegade Brakken faction,” she said, her voice clipped and professional. “Promised them land for a base in exchange for help removing outsiders and deposing Rezor. They wanted me as a hostage to use as leverage.”
Vash’s skin shifted through shades of angry red. He’d fought in the Brakken war too. The look he gave me held volumes of unspoken history.
“The Brakken have likely deployed probes all over the planet. It’s possible they’re there to block communications,” I added. “When I found Iris, a ship arrived overhead. We had to hide in the ruins overnight.”
“I estimate about two dozen Brakken soldiers occupying the ancient city,” Iris continued.
“We escaped this morning. Two of Vax’s D’tran co-conspirators are dead.
The Brakken killed them. I warned him,” she added, meeting Sophie’s gaze steadily.
“I told him the Brakken would betray them. Use them and dispose of them. I dislike being right about that.”
Sophie absorbed this information with remarkable calm, though her jaw was tight. “How many D’tran were involved in this conspiracy?”
“Vax mentioned finding like-minded individuals,” Iris said. “But there were likely no more than the four individuals I saw.”
“The only D’tran we saw were the ones killed in the ruins,” I added. “No sign of Vax himself.”
Vash spoke for the first time, his voice heavy. “This is worse than we thought. A Brakken presence on Destrani, communication jamming, internal D’tran unrest.” He looked at Sophie. “The Destran lords and your admiral need to know.”
“That ship outside,” Sophie said slowly. “It’s the same destroyer-class vessel that left with Dr. Vasquez some ten cycles ago.” Her gaze sharpened. “I’m glad it’s here. We’ll direct the captain of the vessel to deal with the Brakken.”
“Can it?” I asked. “Two dozen soldiers isn’t much, but if they’ve established a base somewhere on the planet—”
“That ship has the firepower to handle a small Brakken outpost and the ship they have here,” Vash interrupted. “And to search for probe deployments.” He straightened, his skin settling into determined orange tones. “It’s time Rezor is informed of what’s been happening in his territory.”
Sophie held up a hand. “I agree he needs to know. But not today. He just got his mate back. Let them have tonight.” Her expression softened fractionally.
“Tomorrow morning, we’ll brief him. The Wellington’s crew can begin dealing with the Brakken immediately.
Rezor’s cooperation would be helpful, but it’s not essential for the first phase. ”
Vash considered this, then nodded reluctantly. “Tomorrow, then. First light.”
Sophie turned to us, and something in her expression shifted.
Pride, maybe. Or gratitude. “You two just saved lives. If those Brakken had been allowed to establish a foothold here, if we hadn’t learned about the probes jamming communications, if Vax’s conspiracy had gone undetected…
” She shook her head. “The consequences could have been catastrophic. Well done, both of you.”
Iris nodded curtly, but I saw the slight tremor in her hands. She wasn’t used to praise.
I felt Iris shift beside me, uncomfortable with the attention. I touched her elbow gently, a silent offer of support.
“Is there anything else we need to know right now?” Sophie asked.
I thought about the mate bond. The marks that hadn’t appeared yet but would, I was certain. The fact that Iris and I had crossed a line in that underground room that couldn’t be uncrossed.
But that was ours. Not theirs.
“No,” I said. “We’ve told you everything relevant to the situation.”
“Then get some rest,” Sophie said. “You’ve both earned it. We’ll handle things from here.”
Iris and I left Vash’s quarters, stepping out into the late afternoon sun.
The valley was settling into evening routines, but I could still see the crowd gathered around Cleo and Rezor.
The D’tran leader had his mate tucked against his side, his arm around her waist like he was afraid she’d vanish if he let go.
I understood that feeling completely.
I turned to Iris. She looked exhausted, dust-streaked, and absolutely beautiful. Her dark eyes met mine, and I saw everything I felt reflected back at me. The fear. The relief. The certainty that something fundamental had shifted between us.
“The time has come for us to live our own lives,” I said quietly.
I held out my hand. She took it without hesitation, her scarred fingers lacing through mine.
I led her away from the guest quarters, away from the crowd and the diplomats and the celebrations. Away from everyone and everything except us. My small hut sat on the edge of the settlement, modest and private.
When we reached the door, I paused and looked at her. “Is this okay?”
Her answer was to kiss me, soft and certain, before pulling me inside and closing the door behind us.