Captives in Obscurity: Sons of the Starfarers, Book V Read online

  Isaac’s eyes widened. “Are you insane? You can’t be—”

  “Just fly.”

  * * * * *

  Reva was the first to spot the Temujin over the horizon. It appeared as a tiny point of light that hovered over the red-green curtains of the aurora. She pointed it out to Isaac, who nodded.

  “I see it. They’re going to hail us in a few moments. What should I do?”

  “Ignore them and start the autodocking procedure.”

  He frowned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? When we don’t respond, it’s bound to raise suspicion.”

  “Not as much as saying the wrong thing will. This was supposed to be a simple retrieval, with no real chance of going wrong. For all they know, you and I are prisoners now, and the others don’t feel especially chatty.”

  “All right, but when we dock, they—”

  “Leave that to me.”

  She rose from her chair and walked back into the cabin, where the dozen or so pirates still lay sprawled across the floor. Their thoughts were choppy and incoherent, their unconscious minds misfiring as the collective consciousness held them down.

  Awake, she ordered.

  Immediately, the pirates began to stir. Some moaned in pain as they worked out their aching limbs. Others froze in panic as they struggled to orient themselves. Their jumbled thoughts grew from a tiny trickle to a roaring cascade.

  Who is that inside my head?

  The bitch—what did she do to us?

  The hell is going on?

  “Listen to me,” she said, reaching out her hand. Listen with your minds as well as your ears.

  That got their attention. Their heads all turned to face her, and their churning, confused thoughts became punctuated with violence and rage.

  It’s the bitch! She’s the one who did this to us!

  Did what? What’s going on?

  It’s her—kill her!

  The young man known as Levan stood up and attempted to draw his pistol. Reva gave him a sharp look, and he froze like a statue. His eyes widened as he realized that she had complete control over him, and his thoughts turned from rage to panic.

  What is she doing? Why can’t I move my arms?

  She’s got Levan!

  No, she’s got all of us!

  “Calm yourselves,” she ordered. “I have no desire to use force on you, but I will if I must.”

  ETA in five minutes, Isaac thought to her. She didn’t know if the pirates could hear him.

  What do you want? the one known as Jebe asked telepathically. He stared at her with dark, vicious eyes that would have concealed his terror if she hadn’t been able to see right through him.

  “I am Reva,” she answered. “I am the rightful captain of the Temujin. Wolf was a traitor who sought in his jealousy to destroy me. Gulchina always intended for me to be her heir.”

  She felt the men probe into her mind, examining her memories. It made her cringe to have her deepest thoughts exposed to so many strangers, but if she tried to shut them out, it would compromise her ability to control them. The vast alien consciousness flowed through them like a river, and she intuitively knew that obstructing any part of it would cause that power to withdraw.

  She’s right, Jebe thought. Wolf betrayed her.

  No, he didn’t, the one known as Olug remarked. I know Gulchina. I’ve served under her for fifteen standard years. This has all of the hallmarks of one of her tests.

  “And have I failed?” Reva asked.

  Not all of the pirates were interested in reasoning with her. Many of them struggled as hard as they could against Reva’s control. It took great effort for her to stop them—effort that only encouraged them to try harder. Like men who wake suddenly only to find themselves caught in temporary sleep paralysis, their panic and terror gave them strength.

  Two minutes to docking, Isaac told her.

  “I don’t care what you intended to do with me,” Reva said aloud. “All that is in the past. You are mine now. Gulchina may be your god, but I am your mother.” And I take care of my own.

  What do you intend?

  She searched their minds until she had a complete floor plan of the Temujin. Each deck had its entrances and exits, its nooks and hidden spaces, its choke points and defenses against boarders. In the space of three seconds, she also compiled a complete list of the Temujin’s crew and the locations where they were most likely to be found.

  Holy shit! Levan exclaimed telepathically, his heartbeat accelerating. She’s going to take over the whole damn ship!

  “Either you are with me or you are not,” Reva said as the docking clamps attached to the hull with a muffled clang. “Those who are with me will be free to act for themselves. Those who are not…”

  She left the thought unspoken.

  I am with you, Jebe said. His turn of allegiance was unexpected, not only to Reva, but to the others as well.

  The hell are you doing? Levan all but mentally screamed. How can you side with that bitch?

  Because she’s going to win, said Jebe.

  Good point, Olug thought. I’m with you as well.

  I never signed up for any of this, the one known as Timur said, his resolve surprisingly strong. If it means being free of Gulchina, I swear I’ll serve under you for the rest of my days.

  Reva took a deep breath and let the three of them go. Their arms and legs twitched, and they staggered to their feet.

  Traitors! Levan screamed at them.

  “I don’t know how you’re controlling my men,” said Jebe, “but if you want to accomplish this takeover without bloodshed, I’m going to need my squad.”

  Reva nodded. Arise.

  The other pirates stood up like puppets, slack-jawed and stiff. Their movements were not quite natural, as if their arms and legs were attached to strings. Against their protestations, Reva moved them into a line according to rank, exactly as if Jebe had ordered them to.

  “Hot damn,” said Olug, as much out of admiration as anything else.

  Isaac stepped in from the cockpit. “We’re docked,” he said. “They’re expecting us on the other side, and I think they’ve assembled a team to meet us.” It won’t take them long to realize that something is wrong.

  “Bind us,” Reva ordered. She held out her wrists, and motioned for Isaac to do the same.

  “You’ve got some balls,” Olug muttered as he took out the prisoner restraints. He gave one to Timur, who clasped them on Isaac’s wrists while Olug did the same to Reva. When they were done, it looked as if the two of them had been taken prisoner.

  “Now clasp your hands on me.”

  The three men hesitated, so Reva ordered the other pirates to step forward. They pressed their hands on her shoulders, her arms, her chest and back—anywhere they could make direct physical contact. As soon as they touched her, the blue alien lights pulsated up their arms until each man had absorbed almost a dozen of them.

  Get them off of me! Levan telepathically screamed. He wasn’t the only one who was terrified by what he saw.

  “It is not with weapons that we fight, but with the link that binds us together,” Reva explained. “We do not seek to kill our enemies, but to make them our brothers.”

  She’s gone batshit crazy!

  “No, she hasn’t,” said Jebe. “I’d much rather do it her way than turn on my own friends.”

  He placed his hand on Reva’s chest and received the light. It made his skin tingle as the little blue flashes ran up into his chest, but he held his breath until they were fully absorbed.

  “To hell with it,” said Olug. He did the same, though Reva could tell he dreaded it more.

  Timur was the last. He touched the tips of his fingers to her shoulder as the others began to withdraw. The alien lights flew up his arm, giving him chills that shot to the tips of his toes. Still, he stayed in contact with her until the job was done.

  I won’t fail you, he promised.

  “We’d better get moving,” said Isaac.

  Jeb
e nodded and turned to Reva. “Have the men assemble an escort for each of you.” In his mind, he showed her how it was to be done.

  The men assembled on either side of her and Isaac, exactly as Jebe had instructed. A few still tried to resist, though most of them had given up. Their bodies were like marionettes, and though she could feel her control over them slipping, they were hers to command for at least the next few minutes.

  That was all the time she needed.

  * * * * *

  Isaac watched through Jebe’s eyes as the airlock hissed open. A squad of soldiers waited for them on the other side, dressed in light armor but still ready for combat. It was clear that their radio silence had raised suspicions on board the Temujin.

  “Commander Sartaq,” said Jebe as he stepped through the airlock. “You’ve assembled quite a welcoming party, I see.”

  “Why didn’t you respond to our hails?”

  “You’ll have to ask Naran,” said Jebe as the mind-controlled soldiers began to file out. “Said we had something of a malfunction.”

  Sartaq sighed and holstered his weapon. “You got off lucky, Sergeant. When you didn’t answer us, some of the officers wanted to blow you out of the sky.”

  How are you holding up? Isaac asked Reva as she walked through just ahead of him. He could feel how much of a strain the mind control was putting on her, and knew that she couldn’t hold out much longer.

  Sweat ran down the back of Reva’s neck as she struggled to maintain concentration. The minds of the soldiers rebelled against her every command, but through the sheer strength of the alien collective, she was able to compel them forward.

  I’m holding just fine, she told Isaac. It won’t be much longer.

  “Well, well, well,” said Commander Sartaq, grinning from ear to ear as Reva stepped aboard. “Looks like your squad has been busy.”

  Jebe laughed, clasping a hand on Sartaq’s shoulder. “You have no idea.”

  In less than a second, a blue light pulsed down the length of Jebe’s arm and into Sartaq’s armor. His eyes went wide, and he opened his mouth to scream, but before he could make any noise he collapsed to the floor.

  The other men shouted and raised their weapons, but the mind-controlled squad was already upon them. Alien lights flashed throughout the hold, some darting across the floor, others passing straight to their targets through direct physical contact. Like the mechanical jaws of a powerful steel trap, the mind-controlled soldiers fell upon their designated targets and made quick work of them. The entire pirate squad was knocked unconscious in seconds, without a single weapon discharged.

  “Good work,” Reva said. “Now move!”

  The mind controlled soldiers quickly dispersed to every hatchway and door that led out of the main shuttle bay. Isaac, Jebe, Olug, and Timur followed as well, though voluntarily and not out of force. It was strange: Isaac could simultaneously “see” through all of their eyes at once, yet his mind still processed it just fine. It was as if he were a combat drone operator, surrounded by numerous displays showing the perspective of each drone in the swarm.

  Except he wasn’t the operator—Reva was.

  The first of the mind-controlled soldiers made contact with the pirates in the lower level engine room. The ship’s engineer opened his mouth to speak, but the soldier grabbed his face. He fell to the ground twitching as the alien energy embedded itself in his body.

  Spread out, Reva’s orders came into his mind. Take every corner of the ship. Let no one pass you by.

  In the main hallway, three men stopped about ten paces down from the nearest of Reva’s men. At her command, he slapped his hand against the bulkhead, and three lights darted across the floor. The men screamed as the lights traveled up their legs and into their chests, knocking them unconscious to the floor as they tried to run.

  Reva was getting desperate. With each successful capture, the pirates were catching on to them. Those screams in the hallway alone may have cost them the element of surprise. They would have to move quickly—as quickly as they possibly could.

  I must get to the bridge, she thought. Take me there.

  At least a dozen pirates were in the mess hall. Isaac watched through Timur’s eyes as he and three of Reva’s soldiers burst upon them.

  The men were already on their feet. They were all from the second shift—Timur didn’t recognize any of them. When he saw that one of them had a knife, though, his eyes went wide.

  “The hell?” one of them said. “What’s the new guy doing—”

  His words were cut short as the blue lights shot across the floor and up the men’s boots. Screaming broke out, and the man with the knife dove onto a nearby table. He rolled and leaped to his feet, slashing wildly. Timur leaped back, barely out of reach.

  I’m going to die, I’m going to die, Timur thought. Then he saw the man’s face, and realized that the man was just as afraid as he was.

  Something within him snapped. He shouted and charged, catching his assailant completely by surprise. They tumbled to the ground, just as the lights came darting back. Dari’s body went stiff, and his knife fell from rigid hands. He was down.

  Isaac hurried back toward the shuttle bay just in time to catch Reva walking out the door. The blood had drained from her dark olive cheeks, leaving them a sickly gray. There was more color in her henna tattoos than in her skin.

  “Reva,” said Isaac, rushing to her side. “Are you—”

  The strain was too much for her. The ship wasn’t clear yet, but she was quickly losing her grip on the men. Levan was the worst, so she guided him to the nearest corner and knocked him out. Inadvertently, she also brought down two of the other soldiers, one of them clear on the other side of the ship.

  Reva staggered and fell to the floor. Isaac barely caught her.

  “Whoa there! Stay with me, Reva.”

  “The bridge,” she muttered, partially regaining her strength. “Take me… to the bridge.”

  Alarms sounded all around them—the pirates knew they were here. Isaac shuffled as quickly as he could with Reva in tow, unsure what they would do now that the element of surprise was gone.

  Jebe knew exactly where to find most of the crew—the ones who were awake at any rate. He burst into the lounge just as the alarms went off.

  “Hurry!” he shouted. “They’re in the shuttle bay!”

  The men jumped to their feet and ran to the door, eager for a good fight. As they ran past him, he put his hand against the bulkhead and let the lights shoot out. The men fell screaming in a heap in the hall, never knowing what hit them.

  “How many left?” Isaac asked.

  “Ten,” Reva answered. “Three in the bridge, seven in the bunkrooms.”

  Isaac was about to ask how she knew, but then he remembered that she’d orchestrated it all. With a map of the ship’s layout and a list of all their targets in her head, she was playing the men as if they were pieces in a game of chess.

  As they rounded the last corner with the door to the bridge in sight, Isaac watched as the mind-controlled soldiers burst into the bunkrooms. The pirates were stumbling from their bunks in response to the alarms, and in no position to put up a fight. When it was over, Reva ordered her men to go to sleep, lifting the heavy burden of controlling them against their wills. As the last of them went down, she took a deep breath and stood up straight.

  “Let me take the bridge, ma’am,” Olug said as he walked up behind them.

  “No,” said Reva, shaking her head. “It should be me.”

  She strode to the door and palmed the access panel. When it refused to open, she entered Gulchina’s keycode and tried again.

  “Wait!” said Isaac, running after her. “You can’t just walk in if they know you’re—”

  Three pirate officers were waiting behind the doors. They had taken cover behind the chairs, their energy pistols drawn. Reva walked in as confidently as if she were the captain of the Temujin herself—which, of course, she now was.

  “The hell?” the
nearest one said, staring at her from behind his cover. He and the others hesitated just long enough for her to send the lights out and take them down.

  From the looks on their faces, Isaac could tell that they’d expected a forced entry, not someone with Gulchina’s keycodes to unlock the door. And of all the threats they’d expected to face, a fully-nude woman with no visible weapon was certainly not on the list.

  That was when he heard the hum of an energy pistol charging.

  “Stupid bitch,” said Olug. He raised his gun and leveled it at Reva.

  The crack of the shot split the air in the narrow hallway, followed closely by the sizzle of the energy bolt. Timur held his pistol steady and watched as Olug collapsed to the floor, his own shot glancing off a bulkhead. The ozone smell of electric energy was soon replaced by the odor of burnt flesh.

  “You,” said Olug, his eyes almost as wide as Reva’s. He struggled to rise, but the hole from Timur’s shot had burned clean through his chest. He glanced up at Isaac as if to beg for help, then fell on his face and died.

  In that instant, Isaac’s vision telescoped outward until he felt as if he were falling backwards through a long tunnel. His head buzzed, and sweat began to pool behind his ears. His legs went numb and his muscles turned to water, and for a while he felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

  So this is what death feels like.

  Reva felt it, too. The only thing that kept her standing was the sudden adrenaline rush of having a gun pulled on her. She glanced at Timur, still holding the energy pistol in his shaky hands, and realized that he’d saved her life.

  Still, it was all too much for her. As she tottered on the edge of consciousness, her body weak and her mind lightheaded, she issued a final order:

  Sleep.

  “Wait!” said Isaac, lifting a hand.

  But it was too late. The churning ocean of the alien consciousness surged over the walls of his mental fortress, completely overwhelming him. He was already weak from experiencing Olug’s death, and didn’t have the strength to resist. With Jebe and Timur, he collapsed to the floor.