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Welcome to Stories from Among the Stars.

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You're listening to The Last Watch

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by J.S. Doos.

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Chapter 24. To

0:22

Kavalan's surprise, instead of slipping into

0:25

another vent system, Rake simply

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strode into the hallway. They'd

0:29

been so stealthy up to this point, it

0:31

felt odd to just waltz out into the

0:33

open, but he tentatively followed.

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He didn't have to worry for long when

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a couple of meters down, Rake stopped at

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another vent, similar in size and structure to

0:43

the first. She pulled off

0:45

the grate and climbed through, and Kavalan

0:47

trailed after. A

0:49

minute later, they came to a dead end

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capped by another grate, hard light

0:53

streaming in from the other side. Rake

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paused, holding a finger to her lips, as

0:58

if she had to remind him to be

1:00

quiet just in case he'd forgotten he was

1:02

in mortal danger. She

1:05

pointed to the grate and scooted to one

1:07

side. He shimmied his way

1:09

next to her, peering through the narrow

1:11

slats into the cockpit. He

1:14

squinted as his eyes adjusted to the

1:16

relative brightness of the room beyond. A

1:19

single drudger stood between the pilot

1:21

and co-pilot's chairs, watching a video

1:24

message play back over the ship's

1:26

main console. The holographic

1:28

screen cast a blue glint against

1:30

its steel gray skin. It

1:32

was older than most of the others Rake had killed.

1:35

That they'd killed. Unlike

1:38

the others had, it wore

1:40

a relatively clean, vider-issue uniform,

1:42

with badges of rank pinned

1:44

carelessly to the shoulders. Though

1:47

drudgers didn't bother much with rank

1:49

distinctions, he assumed this one must

1:51

be the ship's captain. The

1:54

drudger in the recording gargled something

1:56

Kavalin couldn't understand, and the message

1:58

ended. dismissed the

2:00

video interface and stepped aside,

2:03

revealing a display of brilliantly

2:05

bright, crisp white holographic screens.

2:08

They looked nothing like the dim, muddy

2:11

displays lined up over the cockpit terminal.

2:14

Kavalon craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the

2:16

source of the screens, a polished

2:19

gold pyramid about 30 centimeters

2:21

wide sitting on the terminal

2:23

counter. The displays

2:25

were shaped like nothing Kavalon had ever

2:28

seen, curved, equilateral

2:30

triangles with the edges bulging

2:32

out, dozens layered

2:35

atop one another, stacked and linked

2:37

in a pattern not dissimilar to

2:39

the scaled walls of the Apollo

2:41

Gate corridors. The drudger's

2:43

body and the pilot's chair obscured much

2:45

of the view, but from

2:48

the various overlaid grids he

2:50

thought it might be some

2:52

kind of structural blueprint like

2:54

a large multi-leveled building or

2:56

starship. Kavalon corked

2:59

an eyebrow at Rake and she returned

3:01

it with a clueless shrug. The

3:04

drudger captain grumbled something to

3:06

itself, reached down and the

3:08

strange displays disappeared. It

3:10

shoved the pyramid aside, then swept open

3:13

a menu from the cockpit terminal. Out

3:16

of sight on the far right of the room, another

3:19

drudger muttered a series of unintelligible

3:21

words. The drudger captain

3:23

grunted a terse response, then the

3:25

others started a long-winded reply. Rake

3:29

must have been able to understand the

3:31

thick dialect because she turned to look

3:33

at Kavalon with raised eyebrows, as if

3:35

to say, that's our cue, then

3:38

thrust her palm into the grate. It

3:41

shot halfway across the room and clattered

3:43

into the pilot's chair. Rake

3:45

pulled herself free and fired her plasma

3:47

pistol twice to the right side of

3:49

the cockpit. Kavalon

3:51

leaned out to find two additional drudgers

3:53

on that side of the room, now

3:56

very dead. The captain managed

3:58

to claw one of its taloned fingers. down

4:00

Rake's arm as she grabbed it by the

4:02

front of its jumpsuit. She

4:05

threw the captain to the ground face first,

4:07

twisting one of its arms around and pressing

4:09

a knee into the small of its back

4:11

to pin it to the floor. She

4:13

flipped her grip on the knife and held the

4:16

serrated blade to the side of the dredger's throat.

4:18

It roared and spat, but

4:21

she held firm, the

4:23

silver and copper squares on her arms

4:25

jittering. She didn't even spare

4:27

a glance at the jagged slice it had carved

4:29

down the side of her arm. Blood

4:32

flowed to her wrist and across her

4:34

knuckles, dripping onto the dredger's back at

4:36

a troubling rate. What

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are you doing out here? Rake

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barked. She leaned into the

4:43

dredger's back and it groaned in pain, but

4:46

didn't answer. Rake slid the

4:48

blade closer to its neck. A

4:51

sparse formation of imprint tattoos

4:53

slid up from under the

4:55

captain's collar. The glossy white

4:57

squares stark against its dark

4:59

gray skin. The imprint

5:01

spread thin to try and protect its

5:03

neck. Where is

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the rest of your crew? Rake

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demanded. It gave

5:10

a guttural half laugh before spitting

5:12

out a response Kavalon couldn't understand.

5:16

Rake untwisted its arm and pinned its wrist

5:18

to the ground in front of its face,

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then stabbed the back of its hand with

5:23

the knife, skewering it to the floor. A

5:25

few of its white imprints slid onto the top

5:28

of its hand, but they were far too late.

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The dredger roared and thrashed beneath her.

5:34

Rake growled. This can

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be easy or hard, dredger. Easy,

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easy, Legionnaire. It

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pleaded in a horrific approximation of

5:45

the human tongue. The

5:47

obviously unfamiliar language gnarled on

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its lips. I

5:52

coupe, Rake. Rake

5:54

Let out a gruff breath and yanked the knife

5:56

free from its hand. thou

6:00

the drugs years, imprints surged. it's

6:02

twisted out from under her knees,

6:04

throwing an elbow as it spawns.

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She blocked it with her free arm

6:09

was slicing the nice cleanly into it's

6:11

chest with the other. The

6:13

captain spluttered a mouthful of

6:15

blood and it's eyes rolled

6:17

back as itself limp. Fucking.

6:21

Treasures. Rate muttered

6:23

under her breath and stood seeding

6:25

her nice. She. Headed straight

6:27

for the main terminal and began

6:29

sliding through menus. blood dripping down

6:31

her arm. Void.

6:34

Rake. Travel and pulled

6:36

himself out of the ducting.

6:38

Glanced around the primary flight

6:40

console set flanked by two

6:42

smaller catchall terminals sitting behind

6:44

the pilot and copilot chairs

6:46

facing each of the sidewalls.

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He went from station to

6:50

station, scouring the filthy cockpit

6:52

for something know disgusting to

6:54

stones from bleeding with. Cavs.

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It's fine, Rake. Assured. He

7:01

glanced back or imprints glided around.

7:03

cut in the flow of blood,

7:05

cease to see, sealed up the

7:07

wound. Moments. Later it's scammed

7:09

over like it had been healing for days.

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Break. Absent mindedly swabs the excess blood

7:14

off with the back of her hand

7:17

been wiped it on her pant leg,

7:19

was staring at the terminal. Don't.

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You get tired. Kevlar. Not

7:24

is it or imprint says. They proceeded

7:26

from her wounded arm and reset themselves.

7:29

Yes, She said simply scratching

7:31

at the fair skin. I

7:34

could never use mine as much as you

7:36

have in the last half hour. I'd have

7:38

dropped dead by now. You. Have

7:40

to treat them like a muscle she

7:42

said continues to swipe to the screens.

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Exercise them. Freely.

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The. More you use them, the more your body gets

7:50

used to it. You won't get tired as quickly.

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Will. Kind of regimen are we talking. She

7:55

glared. Must we talk about

7:58

this right now. Okay,

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He held up his hands in submission. Sorry

8:04

sir. Camel An added

8:06

that to the list of points to question

8:08

her on. Later, her eyes darted back to

8:10

the display and he walked over to the

8:12

terminal. He. Picked up the strange

8:15

golden pyramid the dredger had been using.

8:17

It was heavy for its size and

8:19

oddly were. A. Series of

8:22

etchings ran along each of

8:24

the for facets in an

8:26

uninterrupted geometric designs. He.

8:28

Turned it over in his hands,

8:30

running his fingers along the asymmetrical

8:32

grooves or could find no way

8:34

to activate to display. He

8:37

said a bag down, then went to hover

8:39

over rate shoulder. We

8:41

do. He asked. Checking

8:43

their logs to see where they've been, Fans.

8:47

And. The thing she

8:50

said shaking her head. They've

8:52

traveled a good distance the last two

8:54

days. Stopped at a couple of random

8:57

coordinates know where I recognize is being

8:59

anywhere. But. I mostly concerned

9:01

about where they just came from and

9:03

where those other twenty treasures are. Is

9:06

there even any they to get to? and

9:08

only a couple of hours? Other.

9:11

Than the Argus know. Their last

9:13

trip put them literally on the

9:15

edge of nowhere, halfway between the

9:17

Argus and the next buoy, but

9:19

a few hundred thousand clicks inward?

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There's nothing there. May

9:24

be so loot drop. Be. No

9:26

secret places this-contraband between

9:29

runs. Is. She.

9:32

Stared vacantly at the screen, With

9:35

watch their message it was played. He

9:37

suggested maybe it'll give us a clue where the

9:39

rest of them with. She. Raised

9:41

her eyebrows. Good. Idea.

9:44

Again, she seemed a bit too surprised

9:46

for his liking. Great.

9:49

Closed the ships logs and opened the

9:51

com's menu. Only one video message sent

9:53

in the queue and she swept it

9:56

onto the larger view screen. She.

9:58

pressed play and the record The

10:00

drudger's image appeared, its shadowed

10:02

face glared from the screen as it spoke,

10:04

its words strikingly crisp

10:06

compared to the garbage disposal version

10:09

he'd just heard from the others.

10:12

He took a step closer and squinted at the

10:15

video, because something else wasn't right.

10:18

The lines of the drudger's neck

10:20

and face and shoulders were too

10:22

sharp, too rigid. Its

10:24

skin was a deep, charcoal

10:26

black with a dull matte

10:29

finish, no glinting metallic shine.

10:31

The eyes he'd thought had been in

10:34

shadow were in fact pools of inky,

10:36

empty black. And

10:39

there were not two eyes before.

10:42

His breath conned. Raker.

10:46

She shushed him with a silent

10:48

hand wave, staring at the screen,

10:50

brow creased in contemplation, but

10:52

not surprised. She seemed

10:54

stern, if anything, maybe

10:57

worried. Kavalan's

10:59

heart beat hard and a feverish chill

11:01

washed through him. It had

11:03

to be a trick, or some kind of

11:05

mistake, because if that

11:07

drudger had four black eyes,

11:10

then it was not a drudger, and

11:13

the alternative was impossible. Rake

11:16

pressed play and the message looped. She

11:19

watched it carefully, then played it a third

11:21

time, and it froze on the

11:23

end frame when it finished. She

11:25

crossed her arms and didn't replay it again. Kavalan

11:29

stared at her. You understand their

11:31

language, don't you? She

11:34

nodded slowly, not taking her eyes from

11:36

the screen. What did

11:38

it say? It wasn't

11:40

sure she intended to respond at

11:42

first, but after a few long

11:44

moments, she answered quietly. It

11:47

said, first you must… Something.

11:51

She mumbled a few incoherent syllables.

11:54

Restart, I think. Yeah,

11:57

restart. First you must

11:59

restart the screen. station marked on the

12:01

Atlas. Restart

12:04

the station? He

12:06

asked, voice thin. Like

12:08

the gate? No, they

12:11

have another word they use for the gates, archinteal.

12:15

It said something more akin to station

12:18

or sector, node

12:20

even. What else did it

12:22

say? Then it said, you

12:24

have the supplies, I

12:27

think, or components, maybe?

12:29

Then, I'll forward the remainder

12:31

of the instructions shortly. Instructions,

12:35

like orders? Her

12:37

expression tightened, lines furrowing her

12:39

brow. Her gaze remained

12:42

focused on the screen, deep in

12:44

contemplation. No, it

12:47

was instructions, she assured. There

12:50

are different words for orders or demands.

12:53

It meant, like directions,

12:55

steps to follow. Either

12:58

way, that sounds fucking nefarious. Yeah,

13:01

Kavalan crossed his arms and stared at her.

13:04

You do not seem appropriately shocked.

13:07

This message could be decades old. We don't

13:09

know when it was recorded, she

13:12

said, voice steady. Yeah,

13:14

we do. He pointed to

13:16

the timestamp in the corner of the

13:18

screen mere days ago. Her

13:21

lips twitched as she glared at the evidence. Timestamps

13:25

can be altered, he scoffed. Why

13:28

would they bother to do that? She

13:30

didn't respond, continuing to stare at the

13:32

frozen frame of the vid message. How

13:35

are you not freaking out? Relax,

13:38

Mercer, she said, voice

13:40

suddenly harsh. Not

13:42

everyone jumps to the absolute worst case

13:44

scenario and starts panicking. They

13:46

do. His head rocked

13:49

fervently, chin bobbing to his chest

13:51

in an exaggerated nod. They

13:53

do about vieters, and what about

13:55

that weird? He flicked his fingers

13:58

at the gold pyramid. The

14:00

ring he was looking at. That looked

14:02

like schematics or a map. Is

14:04

that the Atlas it mentioned? She

14:07

let out a sharp breath through her nose. This

14:10

is not our concern. What?

14:13

He gaped, wide-eyed. He literally could not

14:16

believe those words had just come out

14:18

of her mouth. Rakes

14:20

eyes sharpened into an impatient glare.

14:23

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but we're in

14:26

a bit of a life and death situation out

14:28

here at the moment. We need

14:30

to confirm all the drudgers aboard

14:32

Karan have been eliminated, get the

14:34

gate operational, and get everyone safely

14:36

back to Legion HQ, and that's

14:38

it. Really?

14:41

He said, unable to temper the incredulity

14:43

in his tone. We've

14:46

got drudgers at the Divide,

14:48

armed with weird maps and

14:50

instructions from real, live, breathing

14:52

viters. And it's not our

14:54

concern? Isn't this your-?

14:57

She stopped and took a deep breath, letting

14:59

the panic in his voice subside. Isn't

15:02

this our whole point? As

15:04

sentinels, what if another round of viters

15:06

has come, from wherever they came to

15:08

start with? She shook

15:10

her head. After thousands of

15:12

years? Well, they

15:15

were all dead as of five years ago. You

15:18

should know, the resurgence, Paxis,

15:21

that was all you. Her

15:23

jaw clenched, then she reached out

15:25

and grabbed the strange pyramid-shaped device.

15:28

We'll take this back to Mesa and see

15:30

what she thinks. She shoved

15:33

it into his chest, lifting a finger to

15:35

point at him, then narrowed her eyes. But

15:38

don't breathe a word of this

15:40

to anyone. He

15:43

nodded fervently, and a cool

15:45

tingle of relief washed through him. She'd

15:48

found a sliver of her sanity back, at

15:50

least. Yes, sir. few

16:00

steps ahead of Kavalon as they marched their

16:02

way back to the other side of the

16:04

gate in silence. She

16:06

turned the oddly warm artifact over

16:08

in her hands, studying each of

16:11

the four facets for some indication

16:13

of how to activate its displays,

16:16

but found nothing. When they arrived

16:18

at the portside control room, Jackon

16:20

stood hunched over his terminal frantically

16:22

typing in commands. Mesa

16:25

and Puck hovered on either side of

16:27

him, staring down at the screens in

16:29

anxious anticipation. Puck's

16:31

fingers twitched against the grip of his

16:33

holstered pistol. Attiquin

16:36

walked up behind them and cleared her throat.

16:39

Jackon jumped, turning to face her. Void,

16:41

Rake, where have you been? He let

16:44

out a sharp breath. The mainframe

16:46

just popped back up a second ago.

16:49

A ship's dock starboard. We know, Attiquin

16:51

said. We took care of it. Attiquin

16:55

looked her up and down, eyeing the

16:57

blood splattered across her uniform. His

17:00

gaze slid to Kavalon. We?

17:04

Kavalon frowned grumpily but said nothing.

17:07

Yes, we, Attiquin said.

17:10

Puck? Sir? Get

17:13

a team together to do a quick sweep

17:15

of the drudger ship. Confirm they've all been

17:17

eliminated. There's twenty more somewhere.

17:19

Let's make sure they're not here. Then

17:22

get the ship docked on this side and do

17:24

a full search, including inventory. I want to know

17:26

what they're up to. Scappi,

17:29

sir. Puck activated his nexus and began

17:31

summoning other soldiers. Jackon

17:34

stared at the red scab running

17:36

down Attiquin's left arm. What

17:38

happened? She held up a

17:41

finger, then turned to Mesa and past her

17:43

the pyramid. The savant

17:45

took it with a raised eyebrow. Attiquin

17:48

opened her mouth to explain but got

17:50

cut short by pretty much the last

17:52

noise she ever expected to hear, a

17:55

voice crackling over the gate's comms.

17:58

Car, this- Is, Jacken

18:01

froze, hands floating over the

18:03

display. He gated down at

18:05

it in disbelief, like if he bumped it,

18:08

he might lose the connection forever. A

18:11

tingling warmth radiated through Attoquan's

18:13

limbs, rebooting the mainframe

18:15

and comms had actually worked. This

18:18

was a long overdue miracle. The

18:21

voice returned moments later, still

18:23

crackling and almost incomprehensible.

18:26

Gate, this Legion command

18:29

so to. Attoquan

18:31

stepped forward as Jacken carefully typed

18:33

in a few slow commands, narrowing

18:35

in on the signal. He

18:38

backed away, then she sat and pressed

18:40

the link. This is

18:42

Exuberant Attoquan Rake with the SCS Argus

18:44

hailing from Car and Gate. Copy,

18:47

sir. A male voice

18:49

responded, loud and clear. Sorry,

18:52

sir, did you say the Argus? Yes,

18:55

who am I speaking with? Oculus

18:58

Rio Murphy, sir, he

19:00

said, his youthful voice wavering.

19:04

Where are you Murphy? Attoquan asked.

19:07

The drift belt, sir, soteria

19:09

cluster point gate. Attoquan

19:12

scooted closer to the edge of her chair. Soldier,

19:15

we were forced to evacuate our

19:17

post aboard the SCS Argus, stationed

19:19

at the divide. We've regrouped

19:22

at Car and Gate, but it's been

19:24

abandoned. Do you know what happened to

19:26

the troops that should be stationed here? Sir,

19:30

sorry, sir, Murphy said

19:32

quickly. But the

19:35

SCL has withdrawn from the divide,

19:37

including Car and Gate. Eris

19:40

and Zellis too, and some others,

19:43

Jacken scoffed. Did they

19:45

plan to tell us that? Attoquan

19:47

pressed the link again. Oculus,

19:50

are forces being summoned elsewhere?

19:54

No, sir. Then why

19:56

are we withdrawing? Sir,

19:58

that information is- This is a very

20:00

scatious level delta, sir. I

20:03

have alpha clearance. But

20:05

I don't, he said. I

20:07

don't have that information, sir. Is

20:10

there someone there who does? Where's your CO?

20:13

Off-site, sir. We're on

20:16

skeleton crews here. And

20:18

you know nothing about why we're withdrawing? Well,

20:22

he cleared his throat and hesitated. Speak

20:25

freely, soldier, she encouraged.

20:29

Nothing official, but there's been talk.

20:32

The withdrawal order came down right

20:34

after the LPWA passed. She

20:37

glared at the calm link in confusion.

20:39

She had no idea what that meant. Fucking

20:43

goddamn, a gruff

20:45

voice began a tirade of exasperated

20:48

cursing. An adequate turned around to

20:50

find Kavalon gripping his hair with

20:52

both hands. Oculus,

20:55

she warned. Sorry,

20:58

he said, releasing his head. He

21:00

lowered his voice. That's Augustus'

21:03

doing. Explain.

21:06

LPWA, Legion Personnel

21:09

Welfare Act. He

21:11

gritted his teeth, the guardians.

21:15

Jacken crossed his arms. Excuse

21:17

me? Adequent

21:19

side. They intend

21:22

to start replacing Legion soldiers

21:24

with cloned drudgers. Vaguely

21:26

aware of a clamor of hushed voices

21:29

rising up behind her, Adequent

21:31

tried to stay focused on Jacken as

21:33

his brow furrowed. You're

21:36

saying these guardians are supposed to

21:38

come replace the sentinels? He

21:40

asked. Kavalon shrugged.

21:44

Maybe, or at least to start,

21:46

probably some kind of trial run. But

21:49

why pull us away before sending replacements?

21:52

Adequent asked. Jacken

21:54

scowled. More importantly, why'd

21:56

we never get a withdrawal order?

22:00

Adequan turned back to the comms screen and

22:02

pressed the link. Murphy,

22:04

we never received an order to withdraw.

22:08

Sorry, sir, I can't

22:10

speak as to why that, then

22:12

give me someone that can, she

22:14

snapped back. The why of

22:16

it didn't matter, but this kid was useless.

22:19

She needed someone with enough authority to give

22:21

them some guidance, tell them what they should

22:24

be doing next, or even just how

22:26

to turn the gate on so they could get back to

22:28

the core. I

22:30

can try to call

22:33

my CO, I guess. She

22:35

shook her head. I wanna

22:37

talk to Lujan, Murphy's

22:40

voice wavered. Prater

22:42

Lujan, I can't make

22:44

a summons like that, sir. I'm

22:47

invoking the Titan Prius statute. I order

22:49

you to connect me directly to Prater

22:51

Reneth Lujan. Murphy

22:54

hesitated, more than likely having never

22:56

heard that directive enacted before. He

22:59

came back on moments later. It's

23:02

two in the morning here, sir. You

23:05

think I give a fuck? She barked.

23:07

You wanna be on a Titan shit

23:09

list, Oculus? No,

23:11

sir, the kid sputtered. Then

23:14

get me Lujan, now. Okay,

23:18

sorry, sir. I'll need

23:20

to rouse our comms tech. Then

23:22

we'll have to call around to find the

23:24

Prater, but I'll call you back. Do

23:27

not break this connection, she

23:29

warned. I won't, sir, he

23:32

assured. I'm locking it in, I'll

23:34

be back. He

23:36

clicked off and left only a stream

23:38

of steady static behind. Adequan

23:41

fixated on the comm link

23:43

and waited in the heavy

23:45

silence of the room, unmoving,

23:47

her heart pounding loudly against

23:50

her ribs. She

23:52

didn't even know where to start. If

23:55

the Legion had purposefully abandoned Carin

23:57

and fully withdrawn from the device.

23:59

then their negligence in not telling

24:02

her was unheard of. She

24:04

had no idea how to react. But

24:07

that'd just be the icing on the

24:09

proverbial cake of shit that had been

24:11

the Legion's behavior toward them since she'd

24:14

arrived at the Argus five years ago.

24:17

Getting anything beyond the essentials to

24:19

survive was like pulling teeth. Now

24:22

they'd all but gone radio silent, abandoned

24:24

them to their fate at the edge

24:26

of the universe. Her

24:28

initial instinct was righteous indignation.

24:31

She wanted to march straight to Loojin and

24:33

demand an answer. But

24:36

she knew it wouldn't be that easy. She

24:38

might always technically have the prerogative of

24:41

having been a titan, but in sending

24:43

her to the Sentinels, they'd made it

24:45

clear they didn't intend to extend those

24:48

privileges. But Loojin

24:50

had trusted her implicitly, once. She'd

24:54

been his strategist, his right hand.

24:57

If anyone would send aid, be willing

24:59

to help them, it was him. But

25:02

she didn't know what, if any, sway

25:04

she'd have with the Praetor anymore. He'd

25:07

sent her here after all. Jackin's

25:10

calm voice broke through her thoughts.

25:13

I wouldn't hold your breath, boss. She

25:17

let out a sigh, pulling her eyes away

25:19

from the silent calm link. Over

25:22

Jackin's shoulder, Puck stood with Warner

25:24

and the other soldiers he'd summoned.

25:27

She didn't know when they'd arrived, but by

25:29

the looks on their faces, they'd heard quite

25:31

a bit. Puck

25:33

and Warner's expressions were wary, but

25:35

the others were tight, angry,

25:38

confused. Oddly,

25:41

they mostly glared at Kavalon.

25:44

How do you know about that act? One

25:46

of the circuiters turned to face him,

25:48

a man with thinning black hair

25:50

named Snyder. That LPWA.

25:55

Kavalon's mouth dropped open, but nothing

25:57

came out. He pulled at his collar.

26:01

I read about it in

26:03

the news. And

26:05

Augustus, Snyder

26:07

growled. How is

26:10

it you're on a first name basis

26:12

with Augustus Mercer? Warner

26:14

walked up beside Snyder. Cool

26:17

it, guys, why does it matter? Wait

26:20

a minute, I recognize you. Another

26:23

Oculus shuffled forward, ignoring Warner

26:26

and pointing at Kavalon. You

26:29

were in the vids a few years back.

26:32

They thought you were involved in that

26:34

Ivory Hall stuff on Elysia. Those

26:37

college kids using veterans as

26:39

drug mules, but it all got

26:41

buried, disappeared from the news. Kavalon's

26:45

face went bright red, and he

26:47

glanced anxiously at Attiquin. Snyder

26:50

stepped forward face to face

26:52

with Kavalon, who met the

26:54

challenge head on, jaw tight.

26:56

You're not just any Mercer, are

26:58

you? You're the

27:00

heir. Snyder's

27:03

shoulders swelled. You

27:05

know your granddad's little heritage,

27:08

Edict, forced my entire family

27:10

off Virdis. We've been

27:12

there for five generations. Kavalon

27:15

groped. Then,

27:17

when they tried to get

27:19

the mutation corrected, Snyder continued,

27:21

they were refused treatment since they

27:24

were no longer core citizens in

27:26

good standing. That's quite a

27:28

fucking loophole. That

27:31

sent them all into an uproar, and

27:33

they began slinging a host of other

27:35

accusations at Kavalon. Attiquin

27:37

expected him to jump on the defensive,

27:40

but he stood his ground and remained silent.

27:43

She didn't know how he could tolerate letting them rail

27:45

on him like that. All

27:48

they saw was a name. They had no

27:50

idea how sympathetic he was. Attiquin

27:53

watched the anger circulating through the

27:56

small group of soldiers, thinking

27:58

back to their conversation. before the

28:00

drudger's arrival. He'd

28:03

called the timing of the resurgence

28:05

convenient. He thought the SC

28:07

had instigated the war in order to

28:09

cover up this kind of unrest. It

28:12

had sounded so far-fetched at the time.

28:15

But the longer it sat with her, the

28:17

more sense it made. Fielding

28:20

the newly exposed Viator fleet

28:22

had required a decisive and

28:24

unified offensive. The

28:27

Legion had long since been split

28:29

into duty zones by planets or

28:31

systems or sectors. But

28:34

after that day, for the first time in

28:36

200 years, the

28:38

first had been reunited in order to move

28:40

against the new foe. And

28:43

a sweeping galactic wide sense of

28:45

patriotism had come along with it.

28:49

For the first time, Adequan had

28:51

seen the real value of the system

28:53

collective. The reason so many

28:56

on her homeworld had worked so

28:58

hard and sacrificed so much to

29:00

gain full citizenship. That

29:03

pride, that sense of unity,

29:05

had fed her confidence in

29:07

the early days of the war and

29:09

her resolve as the years dragged on. She

29:13

couldn't stomach the thought of it all being

29:15

orchestrated. Snyder's

29:17

fists clenched and he took a threatening

29:19

step toward Kavalan. Adequan

29:21

moved to intercede. Soldiers,

29:24

she burped. They

29:26

fell silent and looked at her. Not

29:29

that I should have to justify a goddamn thing

29:31

to any of you, but this kid's more than

29:33

pulled his weight in the last 36 hours. So

29:36

why don't you cut him some slack? Bullshit,

29:39

Snyder shouted. What use

29:42

is an entitled prince? Never mind a

29:44

Mercer. Adequan grabbed

29:46

the circuiter by the front of his vest and

29:48

pushed him to the wall beside the door. Blood

29:51

rushed through her veins, fueled by

29:53

rage, and her head pounded in protest.

29:57

She kept him pinned with one hand and

29:59

pinched the bridge. of her nose with the other, then

30:02

took a deep, slow breath and

30:04

fixed her glare on Snyder's

30:06

wide eyes. She

30:09

unclenched her teeth, keeping her voice

30:11

low and calm. I'm

30:14

just now remembering your file, Snyder.

30:16

Conspiracy and solicitation right,

30:19

blackmailing superior officers, aggravated

30:22

assault, and a whole handful of

30:24

counts of being drunk at your

30:27

post. Snyder's

30:29

cheeks darkened. He

30:31

may have fucked up too, adequate

30:33

continued. But he's the

30:36

reason we had enough fuel in the warp core

30:38

to escape the divide. He's helped

30:40

fight off drudgers twice, and he repaired

30:42

the hull of the Hermes, so we

30:44

weren't all stranded in space forever. How

30:47

many times have you saved our lives in the

30:49

last 24 hours, Snyder? His

30:52

Adam's apple bobbed a few times before he

30:54

found his voice back. Zero,

30:58

sir. She gave

31:00

him a few slow, deliberate nods. His

31:03

head bounced as he followed her eyes. Zero,

31:08

she shoved him against the wall again, then let go.

31:12

So shut up. He

31:14

nodded quickly. Yes,

31:17

sir, sorry, sir. Puck,

31:20

she growled, gesturing to the doorway.

31:24

With me, soldiers. Puck

31:26

called out, spinning one finger in a

31:28

circle and heading for the door. Snyder

31:31

and the others fell in line behind him

31:33

and disappeared into the hallway, leaving

31:36

Attiquin in the control room with Jack

31:38

and Mesa and Kavalon. Attiquin

31:41

looked at Kavalon. His

31:43

cheeks were beet red, glower

31:45

focused on his feet, either

31:47

embarrassed, mad, or some of

31:49

both. But she didn't care. Her

31:52

reserve of patience was dwindling very,

31:55

very quickly. Mesa?

31:58

Yes, Exuberter. Adoquine

32:00

nodded at the Golden Pyramid in the savant's

32:03

hands. Please take whoever

32:05

you need and look into that. It

32:08

would help if I knew more about its origins. Probably

32:11

Viator Tech, that's pretty much all I

32:13

know. Mesa glanced down

32:16

at the device. It

32:18

certainly appears that way, but where did

32:20

you obtain it? Adoquine

32:23

hesitated only briefly, too tired

32:25

for subtlety. The

32:27

drudger ship, the captain was reviewing the

32:29

data on it after receiving a recorded

32:31

video message from a Viator. Jacken

32:34

leaped to his feet, but she held up

32:37

her hand to shush him, continuing to stare

32:39

at Mesa. The

32:41

savant's mouth dropped open. It

32:44

produces a holographic interface, Adoquine

32:46

explained. It looked like

32:48

schematics. Please just see if you can

32:50

unlock it. Mesa's large

32:53

eyes blinked rapidly a few times,

32:55

then her shoulders drew back. Very

32:59

well, Exupator. She stepped

33:01

to the doorway, then stopped to

33:03

look back. Kavalon?

33:06

Kavalon snapped from his reverie and looked at

33:08

her. Yeah,

33:11

with me, please. She

33:14

sauntered through the doorway, disappearing into the

33:16

hall. Kavalon looked

33:18

at Adoquine, eyebrows high. She

33:21

nodded her assent and he followed

33:23

Mesa, leaving Adoquine alone with Jacken.

33:27

Rake, Jacken said,

33:29

voice wavering. She

33:31

put her hands on her hips and looked at

33:34

her boots, not turning to face him. Jack,

33:38

care to give me a quick sitrep on what

33:40

the fuck is going on? She

33:43

took a deep breath and turned to look at him.

33:46

There was a video message, instructions sent

33:48

to the drudgers on how to do

33:50

something. I don't know what. Sent

33:53

from a vider? It

33:56

appears so, yes. Appears

33:58

so or is so? So it

34:01

was a recorded message. There's no way to know

34:04

for certain. Jackins

34:06

eyebrows sunk low over his dark

34:08

brown eyes. I'm getting

34:10

really sick of hearing that shit come out of

34:13

your mouth. Watch yourself,

34:15

she warned. Wake

34:17

up, rake, he yelled. The time

34:19

for delusions is over. Her

34:22

cheeks burned and she clenched her fist,

34:24

then looked away to keep from punching

34:26

him. The Legion

34:28

abandoned this gate and at

34:30

least two others without telling

34:32

us. He continued, voice

34:35

harsh. They withdrew

34:37

from the divide without telling us.

34:40

And now we have a vieter giving orders

34:42

to drudgers and, yeah, he

34:45

added, Riley. The universe is

34:47

shrinking. You gonna come up with

34:49

a reason how that might not be real too? None

34:52

of that follows though, Jack, she yelled

34:54

back. None of it, I

34:57

can't connect them, it makes no sense. Why

35:00

do they need to be connected? He growled,

35:03

it's shitty thing A, B, and C. Let's

35:05

not pretend like any or all of them

35:08

won't get us killed, together or separate. B

35:11

and C might get us killed, yes, but

35:13

there's got to be an explanation for A.

35:16

The Legion wouldn't just leave, void

35:18

rake, he spat, his anger

35:21

flaring again. What

35:23

don't you get about this? I'm

35:25

so sick of tiptoeing around this

35:27

blind devotion. A

35:29

swell of sudden determination hardened his

35:31

expression and he pointed a stiff

35:34

finger at his flank. These

35:36

scars, and yeah, I saw you

35:38

worrying on them earlier. Heat

35:41

rose to her face, but she kept her glare

35:43

locked on him. Where do you

35:45

think they came from? Vieters, drudgers?

35:49

I was safely tucked away on a capital

35:52

ship the entire war rake. How

35:54

am I supposed to know where the fuck they came

35:56

from, Jack? You've never told me a damn thing about

35:59

what you did before- the war. Do

36:01

you know how many times I've tried to get you to

36:03

even tell me why you're here?" His

36:06

scowl deepened, voice lowering.

36:09

"'I can't tell you why I'm here. That's

36:11

the whole damn point. What?

36:15

If I did and they found out I told

36:17

you. Who? Then

36:20

they'd know I'd give a shit about you and

36:22

you'd be next.'" "'Next

36:24

for what?' she said. But

36:27

her question went unheard as Jackin's haunted

36:29

gaze drifted toward the door. "'Especially

36:32

now,' he mumbled, with

36:35

that kid here. It's a

36:37

good thing I never told you. "'Cavalon?

36:40

What the hell does he have to do with this?' "'I

36:43

hope nothing. I really

36:45

fucking hope nothing.' "'What?

36:49

You think he's a spy for the Allied

36:51

monarchies?' "'I wouldn't put

36:53

anything past Augustus Mercer Rake,' he

36:56

said. "'And you shouldn't either.' A

36:59

hard lump rose to the back of her

37:01

throat as she stared at the fury in

37:03

her optiose eyes. But

37:05

it wasn't the blind lack of sleep

37:08

anger it had first appeared to be. Jackin

37:10

was scared. "'The

37:12

noble Legion you're so devoted to?'

37:15

Jackin continued. "'They don't give

37:17

a shit about us. "'The sooner

37:19

you wrap your head around that, the better

37:22

off we'll all be.' She

37:24

stood silently for a few long

37:26

minutes. "'Jack, I...'

37:30

She looked down. "'I'm

37:32

sorry for what happened to you, and

37:34

I understand if you can't tell me.' He

37:37

stared vacantly at the console,

37:39

head bobbing slowly. "'Just

37:42

know that, if you ever

37:44

need it, you have my confidence. Always,

37:47

you can trust me.' His

37:50

blood-shot eyes darted over, urgent to

37:53

meet hers, but he remained

37:55

silent, the muscles in his

37:57

jaw twitching with unsaid words. After

38:00

a time, he cleared his throat. I'm

38:03

sorry for yelling, boss. I'm

38:05

a bit sleep deprived. Oh,

38:08

no. But don't be sorry. You're

38:10

right. I've been on the extreme side of

38:13

caution with all this. It's just

38:15

a lot to take in. Oh,

38:17

no. We've got

38:19

the drudger ship now, at least. If we can

38:21

get the gate turned on, we can get everyone

38:23

back to the core. Then we'll worry

38:26

about this... Viator

38:28

situation later. Do

38:30

you know how to restart the gate? He

38:32

dragged his fingers through his short beard

38:34

and groaned. No fucking

38:37

clue. They don't exactly get

38:39

shut off on a regular basis, or

38:41

ever. Just see what

38:44

you can do. Don't be. He

38:47

sat at the terminal and opened

38:49

new menus, punching out commands with

38:51

sharp impatience. You

38:53

might as well take a breather, boss. I'm

38:55

sure that kid will have some hoops to jump through

38:58

before he gets a hold of Lujan. This

39:00

could take a while. Adequan

39:02

dropped into the chair beside Jackin, and

39:04

he reached over to grip her shoulder

39:06

before returning to work. She

39:09

stared at the flashing holographic displays

39:11

for a few silent minutes, and

39:14

soon found herself slouching into the padded

39:16

chair. Her eyes

39:18

drooped, and though she tried to hold

39:20

on to consciousness, she eventually gave in

39:23

and let sleep take her. Griffith

39:27

smiles, warm eyes glinting

39:29

in the moonlight. Where'd

39:31

you learn to shoot like that? Adequan

39:34

stands and slings the sniper rifle over

39:36

her back. I

39:38

had a decent teacher. Oya,

39:41

bet he's a great guy. She

39:44

shrugs, just some old man. His

39:48

amused grin persists, but he shakes his

39:50

head in size. Will

39:52

this spot work? If the

39:54

intel's right, and if it's wrong,

39:57

he asks, scratching his beard with one

39:59

hand. And they really

40:02

are on Hodden Four, or way

40:04

off somewhere in the perimeter veil, not

40:06

Paxis. Then we're

40:08

alone on this planet, she says, then

40:11

lets out a listless breath. And

40:14

that's just fine. A

40:17

small ovoid drone with spindly arms flies up

40:19

to hover in front of them. It drops

40:22

the carcass of a fat, juicy, carnous

40:24

hawk at their feet, shot

40:26

through the forehead with a single plasma bolt.

40:30

Adequent swipes across her nexus screen to

40:32

dismiss the drone back to camp and

40:34

it speeds away. She

40:37

kneels and picks up the garnet-feathered

40:39

bird, then looks to Griffith. I

40:42

caught it, you cook it. The

40:44

corners of his eyes wrinkle. Deal.

40:48

They turn back toward camp, walking along

40:51

the edge of the embankment, which falls

40:53

away steeply into a wooded valley. You

40:56

know, Griffith says, your

40:59

teacher might be an old man, but

41:01

with age comes wisdom. She

41:04

grins. With age comes

41:06

being tired a lot. His

41:09

voice falls to a low, serious

41:11

rumble. You tired

41:13

quinn? Aren't you? He sighs

41:16

a weary, heavy sigh that says more

41:19

than any words could. It'll

41:22

be over soon. She

41:24

tries to look at him but can't. His

41:26

edges aren't clear, aren't

41:28

sharp. He's there but

41:31

not. If she

41:33

tries to reach out and touch him, she

41:35

sure her hand will pass right through. They

41:38

pause and look out across the valley

41:40

toward the foot of the mountain, where

41:43

a placid river snakes through uncut wilderness.

41:46

Tomorrow it will burn. All of

41:49

it. Sir?

41:53

Adequan shot awake so quickly she almost slid

41:55

off the front of her chair. Woah,

41:58

boss, Jackin said. still hovered

42:00

over his terminal. It's

42:02

just Puck on your nexus. She

42:05

looked down and saw her comm link flashing,

42:08

then tapped to open it. Go

42:10

for rake, she said, her

42:12

voice gravelly from disuse. She

42:15

checked the time in the corner of the

42:17

screen, relieved to see she'd only been asleep

42:19

for 40 minutes. We've

42:21

swept the drudger's ship and have it

42:24

docked at P4. Puck

42:27

began, his voice hesitant.

42:30

But, she prompted, well,

42:34

sir, you're going to want

42:36

to seize it. I'll

42:38

be right there. Adequin

42:40

stood and shook out her tired

42:42

limbs, slightly sore from

42:45

using her imprints, but very

42:47

sore from sleep deprivation. Jack,

42:50

keep an eye out for Loojin's call, or

42:52

anyone else's for that matter. Patch them through

42:54

to my nexus. You got it.

42:58

Adequin made her way down the

43:00

corridor to the port side airlocks

43:02

and through the drudger ship's hatch,

43:04

where Puck stood waiting, wringing his

43:06

hands nervously. Her

43:08

chest tightened. What is it?

43:11

His response came as a curt

43:14

nod over his shoulder, indicating she

43:16

should follow. They

43:18

headed down the hall, then took a lift down

43:20

into the belly of the ship. The

43:23

door slid open, revealing a large

43:25

cargo area packed haphazardly with crates.

43:28

A few soldiers stood around taking

43:30

inventory. Adequin stepped

43:32

out of the lift to follow Puck, who

43:34

entered the maze of crates and pallets and

43:37

led her to the far side of the

43:39

expansive area. We

43:41

found all kinds of shit down here

43:43

so far, Puck explained. Weird

43:46

shit, there's cases upon

43:48

cases of chemicals, meta materials,

43:50

a half dozen slabs of

43:52

raw aerosteel, some metals and

43:54

alloys. I don't even know the names of.

43:57

It's like a chem lab down here. For

44:00

what, explosives? Puck

44:03

shook his head. No idea,

44:05

there's no casings or detonators, at

44:07

least that we've found so far.

44:10

Just a lot of raw materials. She

44:13

chewed her lip. This was not what

44:15

he brought her down to show her. What

44:18

else? Puck sighed.

44:21

Well, other than loads,

44:24

and I mean loads of Viator

44:26

tech, these guys also

44:28

have loads of, well, he

44:33

stopped at an open bay door that led

44:35

into a secondary hold. The

44:38

space sat packed wall to

44:40

wall with Legion issue equipment

44:42

and supplies. Adequan

44:44

stared at it for a few seconds, then

44:47

looked up at Puck with a furrowed brow.

44:50

Where'd they get all this? I

44:52

wondered the same thing. Puck

44:55

walked over to a stack of crates that

44:57

had been secured to the floor with a

44:59

taut canvas tarp. He lifted

45:01

the cover up. Brandished

45:03

across the side of the crate

45:05

was the sentinel logo above the

45:08

words SCS Tempeth. Adequan's

45:11

heart stopped briefly, then slammed hard

45:13

against her chest to catch back up.

45:16

She swallowed and stepped forward, running

45:18

her fingers along the etched words.

45:22

Its sharp edges were cold and

45:24

solid. It was real, not

45:27

an illusion. Heat crept

45:29

up her neck, but she steadied her

45:31

voice and focused all her efforts on

45:33

remaining calm. Puck? Yes,

45:36

sir. Get the

45:38

coordinates from the ship's logs. I want their

45:40

last location. That's

45:50

all for now. Thank you for listening.

45:52

Make sure to follow Stories from Among the

45:54

Stars on your preferred podcast app to get

45:56

the next episode, or if you

45:59

just can't wait, you. and find the

46:01

last watch and its sequel, The

46:03

Exiled Fleet, wherever books or audiobooks

46:05

are sold. Thank you.