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I’d be put to death.
“I won’t get caught. I’ve learned a few things. Besides, the mission is worth the risk,” I said.
“You’ll shuttle from the ship?”
“No. I’m going to land the ship. If I leave an LOP vessel in orbit, it could be spotted, identified, and repossessed before I could get back to it.” The ship would bring me commendations, maybe a promotion. I wasn’t about to give it up.
“I’ll send coordinates to a field large enough to land a big ship. It’s a bit of a distance away. You’ll have to hike up the mountain.”
“I can handle it.”
“Drones don’t surveille this area often, but they do once in a while, and an unexpected, LOP-registered spacecraft would get a lot of scrutiny if spotted,” he warned.
“I understand.”
“I’ve missed you, Dria. I wish you were coming for a visit under better circumstances.”
If not for the execution order, I would have visited. I hadn’t seen my brother in ten years. More contact equaled more risk. Even audio communication could be dangerous. We only spoke when I called him for names of possible recruits. A few times a year.
After I’d fled Mnemonia, my brother had retreated to a temple in the mountains and become a Nemoni, a psi-guide who helped people navigate the difficult passages in their lives. His new position provided the opportunity and cover for him to learn people’s deepest, darkest secrets—like who would sympathize with the GJW.
“I missed you, too, Da’an. I’m so looking forward to seeing you.”
“I worry about you,” he said. “I blame myself for your exile. If I’d been a better brother, I would have seen you were confused, rudderless. I could have prevented you from being taken in by the Gang of Four.”
I took exception to being described as confused and rudderless. I hadn’t been taken in; I’d led the Gang of Four, the name I’d chosen to pay homage to our otherness. We four were Quadran-Mnemonian hybrids, dismissed and disrespected by purebloods. Well, we’d showed them. We’d exacted revenge, getting people to abandon their families, quit lucrative jobs, and transfer financial assets to us. A few had been inspired to take their own lives. I’d been finding satisfaction by stirring turmoil before I’d ever heard of the Galactic Justice Warriors.
“What ever happened to them?” I asked. I hadn’t thought about my fellow Gang of Four members in years.
“The other three were captured and executed.”
“Well, I’d better be careful, then,” I said flippantly, but I meant it. Not just because I wished to avoid execution, but because Da’an could get into serious trouble for helping me. He truly was the only person I loved. My attachment to my big brother had deep tendrils.
With a flash of empathy, I understood Lomax. But it didn’t matter. I had to get him to perform flawlessly.
After Da’an severed the attachment to the human, I would have Lomax kill her. Then I could be sure of him.
Chapter Seventeen
Kat
Through the grate, I peered into the cabin. Hands on his horns, Lomax slumped on his bunk, his posture revealing the dejection he’d hidden from me.
I’m sorry. I felt his pain as if it were my own. I wished I could leave the duct, wrap my arms around him, and reassure him we’d find a way through this mess. Two heads were better than one, and together we’d stand, together we’d fight, together we’d beat Seeher.
But the noble lunkhead had insisted on shielding me. Insisted I stay away from him for “my own good.”
After bringing me water, food, a handheld, and an illuminator, he’d hoisted me into the air duct over my vociferous, well-reasoned protests.
“The only way to save yourself and me is to ensure you don’t get discovered, and that we don’t get caught together. Seeher knows you were in this cabin, and so does my alter ego,” he had said.
“Where should I go?”
He’d shaken his head. “I can’t tell you because I don’t want to know. Just stay far away from this cabin and the bridge. I love you, Kat.” His declaration had sounded like a final goodbye. Would we ever see each other again?
“I love you, too.”
“Go, now.” He’d waited, staring up at the duct, to ensure I left.
