Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Dani pressed her face against the observation port, watching the blue-white marble of Earth spin slowly below. Somewhere down there, their friends were running for their lives. And all she could do was watch.
"Anything?" Solar asked from his position at the communications console.
"Nothing new," she replied, fighting the urge to punch the reinforced glass. "Just Milano forces converging on the extraction coordinates."
The command center of Galaxy Brides' ship felt more claustrophobic than ever. Bob and Gary fluttered around various controls, their oversized heads bobbing with anxiety as they monitored the situation on the surface.
"Extraction window opens in twelve minutes," Gary announced for the third time. "Harris is in position with the others."
"We should be down there," Dani muttered, her fingers clenching and unclenching. "Not floating up here like useless?—"
An alarm shrieked through the ship. Red lights began flashing across multiple consoles.
"What now?" Dani demanded, spinning toward the controls.
Bob's yellow skin had gone pale. "The extraction field... It's destabilizing."
Solar moved immediately to the sensor array, his golden light intensifying as he analyzed the data streaming across the displays. "The energy matrix is unbalanced. It requires three distinct signatures to form properly. Didn’t you tell Harris to reset it?"
"So?" Dani asked, not understanding.
"Solar's light energy is here," Bob explained frantically. "Eclipse's twilight energy is severely depleted from his captivity. The field cannot stabilize without proper triangulation."
"Can't you fix it from here?" Dani pressed.
Gary shook his head so vigorously it looked like it might detach. "Field parameters locked at surface level. Need physical presence to adjust."
Dani watched Solar's expression harden as he processed the implications. The extraction field would collapse without balance. And if it collapsed...
"The dimensional bridge is going to implode," Solar stated. "It will destroy any chance they have of coming home, and potentially damage our vessel if we're still connected to the energy stream."
"Sever the connection. We can’t let them attempt it," Dani said immediately. “Let’s fly down and get them.”
"Cannot," Bob wailed. "Extraction protocols engage automatic link with mothership. Safety feature!"
"Safety feature my ass," Dani growled. "So we're saying Eclipse can't make the extraction because he's too weak, but if he doesn't, we all die? And if Solar can’t somehow go down there and travel back up with them, we all die?"
"Not necessarily," Solar interrupted, his calm flowing over her. She could practically see his mind working through scenarios. "Lunar's shadow energy could substitute. His signature is strong enough to balance the field. He could make the trip alone."
Dani felt her heart sink. "What about Poppy?"
Through the viewport, she could see the faint glow beginning to form at the extraction coordinates. The field attempted to establish itself despite the imbalance.
"Incoming transmission," Gary announced, his fingers dancing over controls.
Harris' panicked voice filled the command center. "Problem. Big problem. Extraction field unstable. Energy matrix destabilizing!"
"Can we talk to them directly?" she asked.
"Negative," Bob replied. "Energy interference from the unstable field. Harris is barely getting through."
Solar leaned forward, his golden light pulsing with intensity. "Harris, this is Solar. Tell Lunar he must take Eclipse's position in the extraction field. I can try to supplement his energy from here. His shadow energy can stabilize the matrix."
There was static, then Harris' voice again. "Eclipse too… Lunar saying..." More static. "...must go up. Must warn about Milano."
Dani felt tears prick her eyes.
"Five minutes to extraction," Gary whispered, his usual cheer absent.
Through the sensors, they could see Milano forces closing in on the extraction site. Helicopters swept searchlights across the desert. Ground vehicles kicked up dust clouds as they raced toward the coordinates.
"They're not going to make it," Dani whispered.
Solar's hand found her shoulder, his warmth steady and reassuring. "Lunar is resourceful. He will ensure the extraction succeeds."
"But at what cost?" Dani turned to face him. "He loves Poppy. You've seen them together. And now he has to leave her behind?"
"Sometimes duty requires sacrifice," Solar said quietly, though she could hear the conflict in his voice.
Dani felt a cold chill at the thought. What would Solar have to sacrifice? What would she?
The extraction field on the surface began to pulse more rapidly, its glow visible even from orbit as the energy built to critical levels.
"Field stabilizing," Bob announced suddenly. "Shadow signature detected. Lunar is in position."
Dani pressed against the viewport again, as if she could somehow see the individual figures from orbit. All she could make out was the growing glow of the extraction field and the converging lights of Milano vehicles.
"Milano forces have reached the perimeter," Gary reported. "Weapons discharge detected."
"Eclipse," Solar said suddenly, his attention focused on a separate display showing energy signatures. "He's shielding the others. Using his remaining twilight energy to protect Rowan and Poppy."
"Can he hold it?" Dani asked.
Solar's expression was grim. "Not for long. Not in his depleted state."
The extraction field flared a brilliant white, temporarily overloading their sensors. When the displays cleared, one signature was rising rapidly from the surface.
"Extraction successful," Bob announced. "Lunar is on the dimensional bridge and clear of the atmosphere."
"What about Eclipse and the others?" Dani demanded.
Solar adjusted the sensors, scanning for the familiar energy patterns. "Eclipse created a diversion during the extraction flash. They're moving away from Milano forces."
"But they're still being pursued," Dani observed, watching the Milano signatures reorganizing and giving chase.
"Confirm Harris' pod trajectory," Solar ordered.
Gary checked his instruments. "On course. ETA seven minutes."
Seven minutes. Then Lunar would be here, alone, having left behind the woman who'd somehow cracked through his cold exterior. Dani thought about how that would feel, being ripped away from someone you'd just found, someone who understood you in ways no one else could.
Her hand found Solar's, their fingers intertwining. She couldn't imagine being separated from him now. The thought of it created a physical ache in her chest.
"Eclipse is leading them into the canyon systems," Solar reported, still monitoring the surface. "Using the terrain to break pursuit. Clever tactics for a diplomat."
"Will they escape?" Dani asked.
"Unknown. Milano's technology is sophisticated. But Eclipse knows the desert now. And he's protecting the others." A note of respect entered Solar's voice. "He fights well for one trained in peace."
The docking alert sounded. Through the forward viewport, they could see the small craft wobbling slightly as it aligned with their docking port next to a dark shadow streaking toward the ship.
"That's not a smooth approach," Dani observed.
"Harris' piloting skills are..." Solar paused, searching for a diplomatic word.
"Shit," Dani supplied. "His piloting skills are shit."
"Accurate," Solar agreed.
The small pod connected with a jarring clang that reverberated through the ship. The docking clamps engaged with a grinding sound, suggesting that something wasn't quite aligned properly.
"Successful dock," Gary announced, apparently unconcerned by the mechanical protests. "Our passengers are aboard!"
Dani was already moving toward the airlock, Solar close behind. She needed to see Lunar to understand what had happened and to know if their friends were truly safe.
The airlock opened, and Harris stumbled out. His skin suit was torn in several places, and he looked even more disheveled than usual.
"Pudding!" he announced.
“Pudding indeed,” Bob answered. “Come on, let’s fix your translator.”
Harris began chattering in a strange language, and Bob answered in kind.
Behind him, Lunar flowed into the ship’s port like a liquid shadow. His form was more condensed than usual, pulled tight with control. Even in his alien shape, Dani could read the tension, the carefully suppressed emotion.
"Lunar," she said softly. "I'm so sorry."
The shadow being's form rippled slightly. "The extraction was successful. That is what matters."
"Bullshit," Dani muttered.
The others looked at her in surprise.
"You left her behind,” she said. “You left Poppy behind because the field needed your energy. I don't count that as a successful anything."
"The mission required?—"
"Fuck the mission," Dani interrupted. "You love her."
Lunar went absolutely still. For a moment, Dani thought she'd overstepped, pushed too hard. Then his form shifted, becoming more solid. His eyes turned away, and he didn’t answer.
Solar stepped forward. "Eclipse and the others? What is their status?"
"Eclipse wants to remain, not that he had a choice. The extraction would have killed him," Lunar reported, his voice keeping its usual controlled tone. "His twilight energy was too depleted for the journey, and someone needed to protect Rowan and Poppy from Milano."
"He can do that? He can stay?" Dani asked, hopeful that Solar might want to do the same.
"The council will consider him in dereliction of duty," Lunar said, “unless we can convince them it was for the best he stayed behind.”
Solar wouldn’t meet her gaze, and she could only stare at him.
"He could not return, so you came back to report about Milano," Solar concluded.
"The threat assessment is critical," Lunar said. "The weapons they've developed, their knowledge of our physiology, their intention to expand beyond Earth… The council must be warned."
"And then what?" Dani asked. "After you make your report?"