Ria's Visions (Hearts of ICARUS Book 6) Read online

  “Was the detached head touching the body?” Michael asked with a just a tiny smirk that Vari decided to ignore.

  “Yes, it was on top of it. In fact, the first one we attempted to transport had its head on top of its body, too.” Vari sighed. “Yes, you’re right, a disrupter in the body would prevent anything touching it from transporting as well. I should have thought of an implant, but I didn’t.”

  “Yes, well, as I mentioned before,” Lariah said, sitting down after placing the juice on the table. “Busy with other things.”

  “That’s certainly the truth,” Michael said, checking his watch. “I’m afraid I need to leave. I promised the Vulpirans I’d meet them at the research center in the garrison.”

  “Do you need a lift?” Salene asked. “Or we could call someone to speed travel you.”

  “No, Salene, but thank you. It’s not far and I’m looking forward to the walk.” He looked at Vari. “Care to walk me out?”

  “Sure,” Vari said, standing. “Aunt Lari, if Pandora tears herself away from the entertainment vid and comes looking for me, please tell her I’ll be right back.”

  “Of course,” Lariah said. Michael took a moment to thank Lariah for lunch, and then walked out with Vari.

  “The entire Clan Council has been busy as bees these past few weeks because of you, Vari,” he said with obvious pride.

  “Because of me?” Vari asked in surprise.

  “Because of your theories about the Doftles that Jay sent us,” he clarified. “Nobody, including myself, has ever given much thought to siphonophores. Of course, that’s because we’ve never heard of a sentient one before. We’re all trying to bone up before the Leaper gets here.”

  “You still have another week, I think,” Vari said innocently. “That’s plenty of time.”

  Michael laughed, remembering telling her the same thing when she complained about all the homework he assigned her. They walked a little more in silence until he was sure they were far enough from the house that they wouldn’t be overheard.

  “What’s on your mind, Vari?”

  “I have a theory I’d like to try out on you.”

  “Shoot.”

  “You know how I always wondered why I was compelled to learn so many languages and cultures,” she said. He nodded. He’d often wondered the same thing himself.

  “I think it’s because of the…I mean, because of Pithos,” she said, wondering if she’d ever get used to saying Pithos instead of Colony. Since it was her idea to come up with a code name, she figured she should start remembering to use it.

  Michael turned her idea over in his mind. He didn’t know everything about Vari, but he knew a lot. He’d long suspected there was more to her ability to soak up information than could be explained by intelligence alone.

  He considered her telepathy, her knowledge of the cultures and languages of the most advanced civilizations in the Thousand Worlds, and her inherent understanding of sentient races that stretched far beyond his own. It all added up to something that he’d never been able to put his finger on. Until now. “You think Pithos will test you.”

  “I’m not sure I’d use the word test,” Vari replied. “But I do think they’ll want to know about the people I’ll be asking them to save.”

  Michael nodded. “Not just save, but save by destroying their own kind.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I was under the impression that they’d destroy the Doftles here in the Thousand Worlds because they’re insane.”

  “That’s true,” Vari said. “But they’re curious, and as I said, they crave knowledge. Then there’s the fact that I felt as though I needed to learn all of that stuff to begin with. What else would I need it for?”

  “Do you think they’ll judge us based on their own beliefs?”

  “I think it’s possible,” Vari said, then shook her head. “I think it’s probable. I’ve rarely seen or read of a sentient species who doesn’t do that. Have you?”

  “No,” Michael agreed. He stopped walking, and waited for her to face him. “Tell me what you’re thinking, Vari.”

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Michael. I didn’t mean to make this a guessing game. It’s just…I understand now that one of the reasons Rodnil gave me his entire mind is so that Pithos will be able to see and know all that’s happened since his Tentacle was lost. Without that, we’d never even get close enough to Pithos to talk to them. Which, by the way, won’t happen anyway unless I can get through to them telepathically first. Interesting coincidence, isn’t it?”

  Michael nodded slowly, though he didn’t think it was a coincidence at all. If he knew Vari, (and he did), she didn’t think it was a coincidence either. “I thought Doftles weren’t psychic.”

  “The Doftles here in the Thousand Worlds aren’t psychic. The Doftles that serve at the top of the Pithos hierarchy are different in ways I don’t yet understand.”

  Michael nodded almost absently. Normally he’d be fascinated by that bit of knowledge, but he was too troubled by the worry he saw in Vari’s eyes. He mentally braced himself for the bad news he knew was coming.

  “I know that I’m going to have to let Pithos into my mind so they can access Rodnil’s memories. I also know that they’ll dig around in my memories while they’re at it. What I don’t know is if I have enough knowledge of the Thousand Worlds and its peoples.”

  “Enough for what?”

  “Enough to convince Pithos to destroy their lost Tentacle before the lost Tentacle destroys us.”

  “Damn, girl,” he said after a long moment. “When you posit a worst case scenario you don’t fool around.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” Michael said, reaching out to place one hand on her shoulder. “I don’t believe in hiding my head in the sand, and last time I checked, neither did you.”

  “Still don’t,” she said smiling a little as she reached up to pat his hand. “So, what do you think of my theory?”

  “Unfortunately, I agree with it. It makes me wonder if attempting to find Pithos is wise. We have enough Doftles trying to kill as it is. We don’t need any more.”

  “They won’t try to kill us.”

  “If they let us be destroyed without doing anything to prevent it while knowing they’re the only ones who can prevent it, then in my book, it’s the same thing as killing us.”

  Vari nodded. “Not making a choice is, in itself, a choice.”

  “Exactly,” Michael said. “With that in mind, do you still think going to find them is the right thing to do?”

  “Yes,” she replied without hesitation. “It’s the only chance we have.”

  Michael’s stomach performed an unpleasant flip that threatened his lunch. “Well, on the bright side, at least the crazy Doftles won’t be able to destroy any other galaxies either way.”

  “That’s the bright side?”

  “You got a better one?”

  Vari looked into the distance for a long moment before sighing heavily. “No, actually, I don’t.”

  Chapter 2

  One week later…

  Talon, Thornton, and Teegon Katre stood at the large view port in the Commander’s Lounge of the Jasani skyport, watching as the Hilgaria approached its designated docking station. The newest frigate out of the Jasani shipyards, the Hilgaria was designed specifically to protect other ships. She was fast, stealthy, and loaded with the latest technology and the most powerful weapons currently available in the Thousand Worlds.

  Barely two weeks had passed since the Katres had agreed to take command of the Hilgaria for a mission so secret they didn’t even know where they were going yet. All they knew was that they’d be protecting the Dracon-Bats’ Bihotza as well as an ICARUS ship called the Beacon, and that they’d be gone for at least one year and probably two.

  They’d wondered, of course. They were Katres, and curiosity was a universal trait for their Clan. But they’d served in the Jasani military for more than three hundred years. They understood procedure, protoc
ol, and the military mind set. Therefore, they had no doubt that if and when the time came that they needed to know something, then they’d know it. In the meantime, they didn’t waste what little time they had asking questions that wouldn’t be answered anyway.

  From the moment they’d agreed to take the mission they’d been running themselves ragged. The list of preparations (which filled a thirty-page bio locked electronic clipboard) had taken every waking moment for them to complete so far. And that was with neither the Beacon nor the Hilgaria present. Where the ships had been, and why, were just two more mysteries to add to the growing pile.

  “She sure is beautiful,” Thorn said. “Hilgaria is a good name for her.”

  “Lethal,” Talon translated, nodding. “She certainly looks the part.”

  “I hope this isn’t a mistake,” Tee said.

  Talon arched a brow at his youngest brother. “If it is, it's too late to back out now.”

  “Not necessarily,” Thorn said. “We’ve done all the prep work, but we still don’t know anything except that the expedition will be a long one. That’s common knowledge now. We could back out if we want.”

  Talon turned to face his brothers fully. “You’ve changed your minds?”

  “Not exactly,” Tee said, while Thorn remained silent.

  “What then?”

  “One year is a long time, Talon, let alone two.”

  Talon bit back a growl of frustration. Getting angry wasn’t going to help this situation and he knew it. Needing a moment to contain his emotions, he headed for the small chiller in the corner of the room and removed three bottles of water. He tossed one to each of his brothers and twisted one open for himself, downing half of it in a single gulp. He glanced through the view port at the Hilgaria, and considered backing out. He shook his head slightly, his broad shoulders hunching just a fraction before he could stop them.

  It wasn’t about rank, or honor, or reputation. It wasn’t about boredom, or a craving for adventure, or a need to do something with a real purpose, either. There was a little of those needs and desires mixed in. He’d be a liar if he said otherwise. But they weren’t the biggest or most important reasons why he simply could not walk away from this.

  “I want to find our berezi and have a family of our own every bit as much as you,” he said, eyes still fixed on the Hilgaria. “Every single day for ten years we went to the Hidden City to test the pheromone samples from Arima House. For the past two years we ventured off world on brief assignments, never going too far in case a sample went unclaimed, just so we could hurry back to test it ourselves.” He shifted his eyes and met his brothers’ gazes steadily. “You say one year is a long time, Tee. I say twelve years is a long time. Too long. It’s time to stop waiting and start living again.”

  “What if our berezi comes to Jasan while we’re gone?” Tee asked.

  “What if she never comes to Jasan?” he countered. “What if she’s out there somewhere waiting for us to find her?”

  “What if, what if, what if,” Thorn said heavily, one hand rubbing at the thick scar tissue that covered the left side of his cheek, jaw, and neck. “To be honest, I’m not sure I can handle this guilt much longer.”

  “Guilt?” Tee asked.

  “If not for me,” Thorn said, looking up at Tee before pointing one finger at his own face, “if not for this, you two could have found a human woman and begun a family years ago.”

  “Any woman who would reject you for that is not a woman we want,” Talon said. “We’ve been all over this, Thorn. Many times. We will wait until we find our berezi. Whoever she is, she will not care about such trivialities.”

  “I hope you’re right about that,” Thorn said. “Cause this whole thing is about to drive me crazy.”

  “It’s about to drive all of us crazy,” Talon agreed, suddenly weary to his soul. He finished his water and placed the bottle in the recycle chute. “This is not intended to be a threat, but I’m not backing out of this mission. If one of you, or both of you, wish to remain here, I’ll understand.”

  “You would go without us?” Tee asked in surprise.

  “I don’t want to,” Talon said. “We’ve never been apart from each other for more than a day or two in four hundred years, and I don’t know what’ll happen to us if we try. But I can’t live this way any longer and still retain my sanity, nor can I force either of you to go if you don’t want to. Tell me, Tee, what else am I to do?” Tee scrambled for an answer, but as Talon already knew, there wasn’t one.

  “You’re right, Talon,” Thorn said into the growing silence. “We’ve done this long enough and, in truth, I no longer have even the faintest hope that we’ll find our berezi this way. We’ve just been doing it for so long that not going to the Hidden City every day feels wrong. Like something is missing. It’s become a habit to all of us.”

  “I feel exactly the same way,” Talon said. “But it’s a habit we need to break before it breaks us.”

  Thorn nodded his agreement, and Talon felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. “Tee?”

  “I don't believe we’ll find her this way either,” he admitted reluctantly. “If I did, I wouldn’t be here right now. But I don't want to give up looking for her, either.”

  “We won’t,” Talon said forcefully. “We’ll never give up searching for the one woman made for us. We’re just going to give up waiting for her to come to Arima House.”

  Tee nodded. “I ask that you be a little patient with me, Brothers. It's like you said, Thorn. It's become a habit, and I’m having a difficult time breaking it.”

  The wave of relief that crashed into Talon was so powerful that it nearly took him to his knees. He knew that his brothers could feel the strength of his emotions, but he still fought to prevent himself from displaying any outward sign of them. When he was sure he could speak without his voice shaking, he said, “We’ll all have to be patient with each other. It’s not going to be easy for any of us, but I think that the further we get from Jasan, the more involved we get in this new mission, or expedition, whatever it is, the easier it will get.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Thorn said.

  Talon decided they’d discussed the subject long enough. “We still have a lot of work to do,” he said, gesturing toward the binder that sat on a small table, “and not much time left to do it. Both the Beacon and the Hilgaria are supposed to have been fully serviced, but we still have to inspect both ships, oversee refueling of both, as well as provisioning the Hilgaria. It’s going to take us every minute of the next three days to get it done.”

  “Where do we start?” Tee asked.

  Talon nodded toward the view port. “First, we take formal command of the Hilgaria.”

  ***

  Ria sat at the top of a pile of immense boulders, so deep in thought that she barely noticed the spectacular view of Dracon Ranch spread out below her. She’d been home for a grand total of two hours, and she was already trying to figure out where to go next, and how soon she could leave. Before she could do anything else though, she had to face Vari. And her Rami.

  Facing Vari would be difficult because of how embarrassed and ashamed she felt. Not for the reasons her parents thought, but the feelings were the same so it made no difference. Facing Vari’s Rami would be equally embarrassing. And terrifying. Again, not for the reasons her parents thought and, also again, it made no difference.

  She’d left the house nearly an hour earlier with the intention of going straight to River House where her sister and the Dracon-Bats were staying. Half way there she realized that she didn’t have any idea what to say to them. Which was why she was sitting on a pile of boulders in the middle of a cow pasture with her head in her hands.

  Suddenly she heard the faint sound of a few tiny stones clattering behind her. She leapt to her feet and spun around, instinctively trying to open herself to the feelings of whoever was sneaking up on her, forgetting for the moment that her empathic ability no longer worked. Her heart began pounding so h
ard it made her dizzy, and a tight, choking sensation squeezed her throat.

  A pure white katrenca with a tear drop shaped patch of pale green fur on its forehead stepped into view. Ria bent over, one hand clutching her chest as she gasped for air. Despite the fact that the katrenca was about six feet high at the shoulder, and armed with a wicked set of claws to go with its long, razor sharp teeth, Ria wasn’t afraid.

  “Hello Riley,” she said when she’d caught her breath.

  The katrenca blurred slightly as it shrank and changed form. A moment later a young woman with long, white blond hair, turquoise eyes, and a braided lock of pale green hair at her temple, stood in the katrenca’s place.

  “Hi Ria,” Riley Bearen said, her eyes, duplicates of her mother’s, filled with concern. “I’m so sorry I startled you. Are you all right?”

  Nope, not in any way, shape, or form, am I all right. “I’m fine,” she said, waving one hand dismissively.

  Riley looked unconvinced as she approached Ria to give her a hug. Like her fathers Jackson, Clark, and Rob Bearen, Riley was gentle, kind, and prone to spontaneously hugging those she cared about. Also like her fathers, she had an icy temper in the face of injustice, cruelty, and any threat toward those she cared about.

  Ria accepted Riley’s hug, and forced a smile that she didn’t really feel. “Your katrenca has grown over the summer.”

  “Nearly a foot,” Riley agreed. “You should see Rikki’s bearenca. She’s as tall as my katrenca on all fours, and Rose’s gryphon tops both of us. Why is your hair black?”

  Ria didn’t even blink at the sudden change in subject. She was used to that from Riley. “My parents insisted that I use a false name for my job on the Leaper, what with the Doftles causing so much trouble. I colored my hair too, since blue hair isn't exactly common. I just got home a couple of hours ago and haven’t had a chance to change it back yet.”

  “Using a false identity was a good idea, but your natural color looks better on you.” Riley looked into the distance. “If you want to talk, I hope you know you can trust me.”