Remembrance Page 22

  “Asama. Jade Asama,” Raiden’s voice held an air of disbelief.

  “Councilwoman Asama? What about her?” Knox asked as Raiden sat the plex down shaking his head.

  “Every message encrypted on here is to her. That has to be who he’s in league with.”

  “The voice we heard while in the core?” Gwelle asked, disbelief coloring her words as she spoke.

  “It has to be.”

  “But…”

  “Rix is her son.” The four friends starred in silence a moment letting the accusation sink in and just what it meant. If they were right, Jade Asama tried having her son killed. Something about it didn’t add up for Gwelle.

  “What did the messages say?” Lark asked in a hushed tone, almost afraid to speak should they be found out.

  “They were locked. I haven’t broken the passcode yet, but there’s hundreds of them. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.”

  “None to anyone else?”

  “Should I knock first, or should I worry I wasn’t invited to the party in my own home?” Each of them spun, the object of their conversation standing in the office doorway, one brow raised as if taunting them. Raiden stepped in front of Gwelle and the others, his hand hovering over the pistol on his hip. His actions didn’t faze the older man who rested one shoulder against the door frame.

  “Commander, I believe it’s time for you to explain yourself.”

  “Raiden, Gwelle, I’ve been expecting you. But I have to admit I’m a bit surprised to see the two of you even though I really shouldn’t be, should I, Knox, Lark?” His deep, calm voice accentuated his relaxed exterior as he looked around the room before his eyes landed on the plex on the desk. “Did you find what you were searching for?”

  “I believe we did,” Raiden answered, his voice smooth and flat.

  Gwelle could tell despite how hard he tried, the younger man wasn’t as composed as the commander who still leaned casually just inside the doorway. Raiden’s fingers twitched closer to the weapon at his side, but he kept his face as passive as possible. Even still, there was no doubt he’d pull it if the commander made a move. But he didn’t. The older man continued to stare at them, glancing from face to face until he landed on hers. His blue-grey eyes locking on hers, holding her in his trance. A slow heat curled inside her fanning out beneath her skin tugging up memories from her childhood. Happy memories of riding on Corsin’s shoulders as they jogged after her dad down the long metal corridors of Deliverance. Shaking her head, she dragged her eyes away breaking the trance.

  “And what is it you think you found?” Corsin asked with an aloof coolness.

  “We know what you’ve been doing. All of us,” Knox spoke up from where he stood beside Raiden. Lark’s hand slipped into hers where she’d slid next to her while Corsin spoke. Giving it a squeeze, she squared her shoulders. She wasn’t going to cower and let Corsin get away with this. There were too many people counting on her whether they knew it or not.

  “What happened to Raiden wasn’t my fault. There are some things beyond even my control.”

  “This isn’t about Raiden. Well, it is but we know the rest. We know you were responsible for sending us out to a known dire lyx territory. Changing Raiden’s patrol so he’d be on the one that blew up, not to mention all the innocent lives taken while trying to get to us. It’s over. We’re going to the council and you’re confessing,” Gwelle’s voice carried in the room. Each person in the room, surprised by the authority which carried in her tone.

  “As well as the deaths of Neill Airda and my Uncle Jefferson,” Raiden added, leaving out details of his uncle’s current whereabouts for the time being. Corsin’s mouth opened, shut, then hung there halfway. Shock shown on his features, not fabricated, or contrived. True, genuine shock at Raiden’s words. But the shock didn’t last.

  She’d never seen Corsin angry. Upset, frustrated? Yes. But not angry. Not full-on, uncontrollable rage, angry. Not the always composed commander of Nova-Zera. The man standing in front of them now was not that man. He was real, honest, and open. No more hiding behind a pleasant mask. He was wrath incarnate. Red bloomed over his features, eyes narrowing as the older man pushed himself from the door crossing the space between him and Raiden in two quick strides. But Raiden was just as quick, the laser pistol pulled and pointed directly at Corsin’s chest before he finished moving.

  “Put the gun down, Raiden.” Corsin ground out the words through clenched teeth, his fists curling at his sides.

  “I can’t do that, Commander.”

  “Then I’ll have to make you.” Corsin leapt across the space separating him and Raiden. A fist flew through the air as the pistol clattered and spun towards the opposite side of the room. Tightness pulled at Gwelle’s chest as the two protectors exchanged blows. She couldn’t hear the words being exchanged over the shuffle of feet and crunch of knuckles meeting skin, but she didn’t need to. Something wasn’t right. Something didn’t feel right, inside. It wasn’t fear or pain. More. It was a knowing. She knew!

  “Stop!” Neither man heard her or if they did, ignored her. She repeated herself two or three more times, before the urgency grew. She needed to make them stop now before it was too late. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for help, anything to stop them before they landed on the discarded pistol.

  Before she could change her mind or Lark could stop her, she dove across the floor for the gun, grabbing it up. She didn’t have to say stop again. The distinct whirring of the particle fields heating up inside the weapon caused two sets of eyes to swing her direction where they were met by a very steady hand holding Raiden’s laser pistol.

  “Gwelle, I didn't kill them.” The words tore from Corsin’s throat, rough, hurting as his shoulders sagged in resignation.

  “I know you didn’t kill dad and Uncle Jeff. Now it’s time to talk.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Can’t Stand By and Do Nothing

  “What did you say?” Raiden’s head whipped in Gwelle’s direction.

  “He didn’t kill them. I don’t know how, but I know.” The gun trembled, still clutched in her hands as the commander’s shoulders sagged. The fight was gone from both men, at least for the moment. Two sets of eyes watched her, weighing her words. One full of disbelief, the other relief.

  “But… he said. He said commander,” Raiden whispered to Gwelle.

  “I know what he said, but something isn’t right. I feel it.” Gwelle stressed the word feel, trying to send him a message without saying it outright. Raiden shook his head, raking a hand through his dark hair before staring at her a moment longer.

  “How could you think I’d ever harm my best friends?” Corsin asked, speaking up for the first time since being accused.

  “So you deny it?”

  “Your uncle and Neill died in an airlock acciden…”

  “No,” Raiden shouted before repeating himself quieter, calmer. “No. No, they didn’t. It’s time for the lies to stop. We know the truth.” Corsin seemed to weigh the outburst a moment before motioning towards the door.

  “I think we may have something to talk about. Why don’t we sit and do it a bit more civil?”

  Gwelle looked down to where her hand clutched the weapon, knuckles white. Corsin motioned again, a gentleness in his motions as if he were trying to tame a wild stryx instead of talking to a couple kids he’d known all their lives. She lowered the gun, taking a step towards Raiden. He watched her as she placed the weapon back in his hands. He was the protector here. She trusted him not to lose his cool and to do the right thing should it be needed. Much more so than she trusted herself. Plus, it sent an indirect message to the commander that he still had many things to answer for and wasn’t fully trusted, yet.

  “You wanted to talk. Why don’t you start by telling us what really happened when Dad and Uncle Jefferson died?”

  Gwelle glanced to where Corsin now perched on the edge of the sofa. Knox and Lark sat straight-backed across from her nearer the comm
ander while she and Raiden sat on the edge of the chairs, not quite as comfortable as she’d hoped this would be once they moved rooms to sit down. While she believed Corsin didn’t kill her dad, something else was going on. Something he knew about, and they needed to get to the bottom of it.

  “You’re right. They weren’t killed aboard Deliverance in an airlock malfunction. That was a cover story spread since their mission was top secret. Not even I knew why they were on that mission. But when they didn’t return…”

  “Wait! Weren’t you with them?” Gwelle interrupted.

  “No, I was still in training about to take over post as commander, so it was decided I wouldn’t go but rather Commander Breton, sort of like a final mission I suppose. Whatever happened out there died with him. Well, sort of.”

  “What do you mean sort of?” Lark asked, now fully interested in the commander’s tale. Knox sat beside her leaning forward to hear more as well.

  “Breton made it back but was close to dead. Said something about an accident, lost life support on the journey back. But no one was able to get out of him exactly what type of accident before he died a few days later. I took over command and had a maintenance crew pull that shuttle apart, but it was like the memory core had been fried. Electrocuted. No trace of coordinates, no logs, no vid footage of the trip.” Corsin raked a hand through his hair walking from where he’d been perched to a window to stare out a moment.

  “But Jefferson said the commander shoved them out…”

  “What did you say?” Corsin spun around, his blue-grey eyes pinning Raiden’s in a steely gaze. Raiden’s hand paused midair where he’d been about to rake it down his stubbled chin. Gwelle hadn’t even caught the slip before Corsin turned. Raiden’s eyes widened as he turned to the girl at his side.

  Something in his gaze tugged deep into her heart. He was asking her what to do. Her! The impulsive, jump in before looking girl he’d always followed blindly. But there was more in that look now. A knowing. He was asking for her wisdom, not just her stubborn impetuousness. Turning, she looked at Corsin.

  “Commander, did you or did you not delete files dealing with missions around Varax dating back to the naissance parties?”

  “No!”

  “Did you order Raiden on the patrol in order to kill him and in turn the innocent protectors with him?”

  “No, I did not.”

  “Did you place us together on my first overnight expi sending us to a dangerous area in hopes nature would take care of us, so you wouldn’t have to do the deed?”

  “Never! Gwelle, I would never harm either of you. When I arrested Raiden, it was to hold him until I could prove his innocence. I knew he couldn’t have done that but realized soon after viewing the footage it had been tampered with. Several minutes of security vid footage after that was looped blank. It didn’t make sense… Wait! All these incidents have involved you and Raiden somehow. Someone’s trying to hurt you.” Shock registered in Corsin’s voice, but there was more than just shock in his words. There was truth. Truth that he had nothing to do with any of the incidents. She could hear it as loud as if it was shouted at her. They could trust him.

  “I believe you. From what we’ve figured out someone is out to get us. We’ve just got to figure out why and who.”

  “What about Jade Asama? We know you two were in the core the day of the founding festival. You two said something about fixing it and making sure Kana and Rix didn’t wake up?” Raiden leveled a steady gaze at his commander daring him to deny what he’d heard himself.

  “Why were you in… No, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.” Corsin shook his head as he looked between Raiden and Gwelle. “Councilwoman Asama and I have long suspected something happening in the core with the files. We’ve been digging into the glitches we found and thought we’d found something substantial which was why we met in private to discuss it. And the private conversation you overheard pieces of was that I would fix the leaks in security. There weren’t supposed to be anyone hurt by all this. We knew the expi had something to do with what was happening but had no way before then how to tie it together. I promised the councilwoman there’d be no more casualties and we’d get to the bottom of things.” Corsin raised a brow in silent question to see what Gwelle and Raiden had to say. Did they believe him?

  “Alright. I admit we were too far to hear the whole conversation, so we’ll take you at your word, but why did you pair Gwelle and I up for the expi? You knew we weren’t getting along much at the time.” Gwelle shot Raiden a look he didn’t notice as his eyes hadn’t left the commander’s face. Leave it to him to bring up their past at a moment like this!

  “I didn’t pair you together. I was told Gwelle requested it and thought you two worked things out.”

  “Yeah, right,” Knox chuckled under his breath but hushed when Lark nudged him in the ribs.

  “I did no such thing!” Gwelle exclaimed.

  “Don’t say it like it’s a horrible thing!” Raiden teased lightening the mood a bit. Even Corsin wore the slight trace of a grin on his face at their antics before it slipped away.

  “Are either of you going to tell me what you meant now? What did you mean, Jefferson said?” Raiden released a deep huff of air opening his mouth to answer Corsin when Gwelle spoke up instead.

  “Jefferson is alive. We’ve just been to see him.” Corsin’s face turned from blank impatience to shock in the matter of seconds, his eyes growing wide before narrowing in confusion at Gwelle’s words. Whether it was her place to inform him of the Zanareens or not, she wasn’t sure, but it was her place to protect Varax. She accepted that as fact now she was back in Nova-Zera, and once she did things clicked into place inside her. She felt a tug, a thin invisible thread running from her heart to the planet itself. This felt right. Corsin needed to know in order to help put a stop to whatever was happening.

  “Alive? And… he’s… he’s here?” Gwelle nodded watching as the stoic commander lowered himself into a chair, his hands shaking. She never thought she’d see the day the composed commander would lose control, and now she’d seen it twice in the matter of minutes. “Where?” he asked his eyes darting between the four friends.

  The next few minutes were spent answering Corsin’s questions about the Eather plane, the Zanareens, and everything Raiden and Gwelle took turns sharing with him. If she had any doubts about him knowing about Jexxa and her people before, they were dismissed now. Every shock and awe emotion pouring from the commander was written plainly on his face for all to see. This was the man he’d been when she was a child, not the closed-off, composed commander.

  “I’d like to meet her, this princess,” he finally replied after his endless supply of questions ran out.

  “That can be arranged. But we need to make sure not just our people but all of Varax, including the Zanareens are safe. We have to find out who’s behind the attacks,” Gwelle replied fairly certain Jexxa and her people would be more open to meeting the commander now than prior to her calling. Silence filled the small house for several minutes, each of the five people present lost in thought, contemplating the facts laid before them.

  “Both times Raiden escorted you Maxon sent word you’d requested him personally,” Corsin spoke up breaking the silence. “He knew I would grant it because it came from you, or so I thought seeing you and your mom has always held a special place in my heart.” The commander’s words scurried through her. He cared. All this time he’d been closed off, he’d still cared. Suddenly she realized she wasn’t the only one to push others away to deal with pain and loss. On the tail end of the revelation something else struck her and struck hard. Gwelle gasped, air rushing from her lungs.

  “Wyn? Wyn Maxon requested it both times?”

  “What are you thinking, Gwelle?”

  “Where’s my mom? I need to talk to my mom.” Gwelle jumped up the words tumbling from her lips as she did. Cold fear curled through her, pushing her forward even as two sets of firm hands reached for her. In the end
it was Raiden’s who caught her before she rushed out the door.

  “Gwelle! What is it?”

  “It’s Wyn. Wyn’s behind this. He placed us together. He made sure mom said yes, I could go on the expeditions. He’s always scouting out new areas to research, always off on overnight trips.”

  “That doesn’t make him guilty, Gwelle. That’s part of his job,” Knox spoke up from behind them.

  “True, but if she says it’s him, then she has to know something, feel something,” Lark defended, Gwelle’s friends now gathered where she, Raiden, and the commander stood nearer the front door.

  “I know that,” Knox blurted in frustration. “But we need proof.”

  “Why Maxon? That doesn’t make sense. Only the former commander, Breton, knew about the Zanareens. Nothing connects,” Raiden questioned as he tried to hurriedly figure out the connection as he watched Gwelle grow more agitated where she paced between the door and her friends.

  “There has to be a reason.”

  “There is. I’d forgotten until now.” All eyes swung to where Corsin stood waiting for him to continue. “Maxon is Commander Breton’s grandson.”

  ‘Huh?” Knox grunted.

  “I didn’t know Breton had children let alone grandchildren,” Lark whispered, thinking aloud.

  “Breton didn’t make it known to many, but he had a daughter when he was very young, not long after Deliverance left Earth, but he and the mother didn’t see eye to eye and chose to live apart. He had little to do with his daughter while she was growing up.”

  “Even though they lived on the ship together all those years?” Raiden asked not able to imagine family not being close.

  “Yeah, it seems like it. They did their own thing, rarely speaking or seeing each other. It was only in his later years did he even acknowledge Wyn as his grandson. Come to think of it, Wyn visited him a lot during those last few days he was alive,” Corsin’s deep voice confirmed all Gwelle’s fears.

  “I need to find Mom and get her thoughts before we confront Wyn.”