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Rei Phoenix stepped onto the gravel drive and stared at the house in front of her. She swallowed hard. Of all the places she thought she’d end up when she started to travel the universe, this was the last. The paint on the siding was dulled by exposure and more than a few limbs had fallen near the house. Oddly, no doors or windows had been broken in her absence. Then again, anything worth taking had been removed from the house even before she left it.
“You okay?” Yeke Kimain, her second in command asked as he joined her. His dark hair was kept short in a military grade cut. Aqua eyes indicated his alien heritage despite the fact he looked just as human as she did.
“I’m fine,” she snapped. “Let’s just get this over with so we can confirm how much of a wild goose chase this is.”
“No arguments from me,” he said. He froze next to the front bumper of the car, then scooped down and frantically tried to rub something out of the metal with the hem of his shirt.
“Got a mark on your new toy, Yeke?” Rei asked.
“There’s something here.” Yeke rubbed the spot with more enthusiasm. “And I don’t need Chia pissed at me for scuffing the car she just finished rebuilding. Then you’ll be pissed because Chia’ll complain to you about my supposed incompetence.”
Rei let out a soft chuckle; the engineer’s rage over having to clean up after crew accidents was infamous on the ship. “Well, maybe you guys shouldn’t decide to hold a race night in the cargo bays.”
Yeke muttered something rude in response but Rei let it slide and started toward the house. The path to the door was like stepping through a wild field. Solid walls were made where the lower branches of the fruit trees in the yard met grass. She felt wetness on her cheeks and carefully wiped it away. Goosebumps rose along her arms and legs as she turned the door handle. It swung inward with a loud creaking noise that echoed in the silence.
Rei peeked down the entrance hall; the interior was dark and unwelcoming with long cobwebs visible at the edge of the ring of light from the door.
“Looks like something that gives kids nightmares,” Yeke commented dryly from behind her.
“For some of us, the nightmares are there for other reasons,” she said, then led the way inside. Their feet cast little puffs of dust into the air as they went.
“Where do we start?” Yeke asked, looking around.
“Your guess is as good as mine. Unfortunately, my information isn’t that specific.” She looked around the hall. “I’ll take the back rooms; you start up here. And remember, I want this done fast, but not half-assed.”
Yeke gave her a mock salute, then set to work.
Rei continued down the hall. Turning the corner, her left hand became smothered in something stingy and sticky. She bit back a scream and frantically tried to shake off the thick coat of cobwebbing.
Once the hand was clean enough, she stepped in the nearest room. Her old bedroom was just how she left it, complete with dust-covered piles of laundry. Her sister’s side was a bit neater, but hadn’t escaped unscathed. Rei made her way to the closest dresser, then paused.
There’s probably just a diary hidden in here, but still... She yanked open the top drawer and rifled through the stack of folded shirts. Her hand swept over the bottom before she shoved it closed and moved on.
Coming up empty, she walked over to the bed behind it and lifted the mattress. Underneath was a notebook and a bulging office envelope. She picked up both before dropping the mattress back down. The cloud of dust that rose made her cough as she flicked through the notebook. A diary, just like I thought. She tossed it back onto the mattress where it was joined by the contents of the envelope. Old notes from friends, some random information from classes, a couple of photos of a smiling group of girls dressed in formal wear... She touched the pictures like they were about to crumble, before leaving the room.
Rei eventually found herself in her parent’s study. A large desk sat against a wall littered with writing utensils and knickknacks. A computer with a broken screen sat in the far corner. Rei stepped over a chair that had been thrown into the center of the room to kneel by one of the side tables. A small safe on the shelf beneath the tabletop. She fiddled with the lock, trying a few different combinations with no luck.
Footsteps behind her made Rei’s hand instinctively go for the gun she had secured to her thigh. She whipped around, Essence flowing into the chamber until it was teeming with brilliant blue energy.
Yeke calmly put his hands up despite the gun aimed at his chest. “Easy there.”
Rei lowered the gun; the glow vanished instantly. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on people?”
“Sorry, must’ve missed that class in basic training. Have you found anything yet? The front rooms were already ransacked so the search was easy for me.”
She glowered at the safe and considered the gun in her hand for a moment before shoving it in the holster. “This safe is the most promising thing I’ve found.”
“Wonder why they didn’t notice it.”
She pulled it out just enough where she could lift it to see underneath. “Damn it—of course there’s no sticker with the combination on it.” She closed her eyes with a sigh. Blue energy concentrated around the lock which rapidly spun around as she tried different combinations. “Come on,” she muttered, keeping her eyes closed. “Come on.” Rei’s eyes flew open just in time to see it come to a sudden stop. “Damn! Why the hell won’t you open?”
“Finally found a lock that proves to be a match for you,” Yeke chuckled.
Rei glared at him. “Shooting you is still an option.” She tried not to smile as he put on an innocent look. “Load it up. We’ll take it back for Grandma to look at.”
Yeke frowned.“She’s unreliable.”
“She’s more reliable than you think. Only her hold on the present is affected by her condition. Her abilities are still as strong as ever.” Rei stood, wiped off her knees, then walked to the door. “I’m going to have a quick look at these last few rooms.”
“Fine,” Yeke replied.
The next room Rei came across was the laundry room and pantry. Most of the shelves were already bare, but she gave it a quick search before moving on. The final room was another bedroom. This one was much larger than the one she had shared with her sister, but no less dust-covered. The light fixtures on the walls looked like tied back curtains with the amount of cobwebbing on them. Clothes were strewn across the floor and the wardrobe was half open. Cosmetics littered the top of the dresser, and the mirror was cracked and caked with splashes of makeup. A wooden box caught her eye a second before it sailed into her grasp. She carefully turned it around until she found the locked latch. Her fingers traced the intricate carvings in the wood before she turned her attention back to the lock. Essence flooded the lock. Despite her valiant efforts, it stubbornly remained secured. Rei set the box among the wreckage on the bureau and pulled her old-fashioned lock pick from her back pocket. For a while, it seemed she was making progress until the tool slipped and chipped the design. Rei leaned against the dresser while she tried to calm down. Don’t know why I figured that would work in the first place, my Essence certainly didn’t.
Regardless of her failure, she tucked the box under her and strode from the room. She used the walk to block the current state of these rooms from her memory. She carried the pain of her family’s loss with her every day and didn’t need this brutal reminder to stick the knife in further.
Yeke was re-examining the scuff on the bumper when she put the box in the trunk beside the safe.
“Ready?” he asked.
Rei nodded, not trusting her voice to remain neutral. Yeke simply nodded before making his way to the driver’s side. Rei shut the trunk and moments later the car was hovering off the ground. Rei focused on the trees that flashed past the window. She sniffled quickly, her mouth twisting with the effort to hold back the flood of tears that felt like they were seconds from falling.
~*~
A curtain of rain greeted them as they arrived back at the docks. Most of the ships were water-going vessels that their ship towered over. With the sight of their home, Rei felt her balance begin to return. The Kathya. An ancient ship that, like her, had been liberated from Federation scientists. Now her crew was only a couple hundred strong, but they managed to keep the ship, their home, running. Yeke guided their car into the cargo bay and set down. Docking clamps moved into position to secure the car in place. Rei tapped her fingers against her thigh as she waited for them to be able to exit
Immediately after the mechanisms stopped, the doors popped open and Rei almost leapt out, startling one of the engineers as he came up to check on the vehicle.
“Are we ready to leave?” she asked, his confusion the least of her concerns.
“Almost. Chia wanted to upgrade something while we were waiting since we didn’t get a chance last stop.”
“Where’s she at?”
“In her workshop.”
Rei glanced over her shoulder hearing the storage area of the vehicle open. She left the engineer to his work and grabbed the jewelry box out of it. “Take that to my office. We’ll have Grandma look at it as soon as possible. I’m taking this to Chia to see if she might be able to figure out how to get the damn thing open.”
“Are you sure you wanna do that?” Yeke asked.
“Even if I was as afraid of Chia as you are, I’ll have to risk it. I want to get off this planet today and if I don’t harass her, she’ll keep finding things to upgrade.”
The hall was quiet as she entered it. She imagined most of the crew were enjoying the time while they were docked and taking in the fresh air and new sights. She rounded several corners and bypassed the lift that went to the areas such as personal quarters for nonessential crewmembers. Near the front sections of the ship she paused outside another lift, shook her head and started up the stairs nearby. She wasn’t in the mood to risk sharing such an enclosed space yet, even though she didn’t have far to go.
A few levels up, movement outside the small window caught her eye and she paused to look out. Two little children, a boy and a girl, stared up at their vessel in awe. Both could barely have been more than ten years old. She watched them with a slight smile before she tore her gaze away and resumed her journey, climbing a few more levels until she emerged into another corridor. Mechanical chaos echoed somewhere up ahead. Rei walked toward it and peeked around the doorway to see a cascade of sparks erupting from the center of the room. She edged in, careful to avoid any strays.
A large device was materializing on a workbench. The shower of sparks stopped as the tips of reddish-brown furred ears appeared above it. Rei walked around while it was safe, examining the device while her field of vision was clear. Tangles of wire hung off half-assembled control panels.
“Chia,” Rei greeted.
“What brings you here?” Chia wiped her hands on the leather apron she wore, leaving dark streaks behind. She tossed the mask from atop her head on the table beside the sphere. “I thought you’d be searching your parents’ home for a while still.”
It was an almost apology for interfering with any plans Rei might have had. “How long, Chia?”
“A couple of hours at the most. This piece is almost done, and my assistants should have the rest installed.”
Rei tapped her foot. “And exactly why couldn’t it wait?”
“It’s for the engines.” Chia flitted around as she grabbed more parts. “This will make them run at higher efficiency and give us more speed. Both of which will come in handy with those amazing escapes you like to pull off.” She considered two separate wire gauges before throwing the other back in the bin. “I’d have had it done already, but we’ve been flying around so much I didn’t dare take everything offline until today.” Her tail flicked in annoyance.
“You say it like it’s my fault we had to keep moving so we wouldn’t get caught.”
“Regardless, we’re on schedule for the repairs. But you could have gotten that update from anyone. Which leads us back to my first question—why are you here?”
“This.” Rei hoisted the jewelry box on the table beside the control panel. Chia joined her, ears twitching as she studied the box. “I tried all I could think of to open it without breaking it, so I brought it to you so that one of your machines might try.”
“Let’s see.” Chia hopped up so she was even with the table. She rotated the box in her palms. “Seems easy, but no wonder you couldn’t get it... how much Essence are you wasting right now?”
Rei frowned. “I’m using no more than usual. How does my using Essence effect opening the damn thing?”
Chia sighed. “It’s an Essence pressure-based lock. It uses the connection of the power you try to open it with to sense how much you have in reserve. If you’re above the benchmark, then it won’t open. Not exactly the most foolproof design, but it works.”
“So how much will open it?”
“I can’t tell without experimenting.” The lock alternated between glowing a bright orange and normal as Chia continued to fiddle with it. A sensor on the side of the lock appeared. “Great, DNA scanner.”
“What? We had nothing that high tech for common use on that planet when I left.”
“Well, they got their hands on it somehow. Drop your spells and illusions. You’re going to be operating the DNA scanner while I use my Essence to open the lock and we don’t need any cross-contamination. We’ll just have to cross our fingers that your parents planned for you to find it.”
Rei concentrated on pulling her active Essence back into her reservoir. As it withdrew, the web of silvery scars along the right side of her body became visible, standing out against her tan skin. What appeared to be normal nails at the ends of her long fingers became golden claws. She caught a glimpse of herself in the metal containers that lined Chia’s walls. The blue of her Essence overwhelmed her brown eyes, growing steadily brighter until it cast light over her face.
“Ready?” Chia asked, hand hovering over one side of the lock.
Rei nodded, her gaze focused on the side of the lock. Her right thumb grazed the scanner as Chia’s Essence coated the outline of the keyhole. She held her breath as the scanner worked. It let out a shrill alarm, not stopping until Rei removed her hand. Chia let out a string of curses in Ornian that Rei chose not to translate.
“That should have worked!” she exclaimed in Banal, the shared language all colonized planets spoke. Her ears and tail twitched as she pulled the box back into her grasp. She continued to rant as she turned it over in her hands. “It should have... There has to be a way to get it open... Maybe...” Chia’s eyes slid to Rei’s and she returned the gaze, silently daring the woman to blame her for the failure. The glow in the depths of her eyes grew until even her pupils took on a bluish hue.
The level of danger was near critical levels, but Rei broke it off, accepting the hard truth. Even if her parents had planned on the box being found, she wasn’t going to register as the same woman they had anticipated finding it. “Just figure it out,” she ordered. Chia opened her mouth to protest as she continued, “Make it your priority as soon as your repairs are done. We have the haul to cash in, so it’ll give you plenty of time.”
Chia closed her mouth and nodded in agreement. “I’ll blast it off if I have to.”
Rei nodded and strode from the room. She paused just outside the door, leaned back against the cool metal of the wall. Her frustration abated as skin smoothed and claws melded into normal nails again. That had been too close. With her old wounds open, the leash she kept on herself was dangerously frayed. Rei cast a side-long look back at the doorway.
Definitely need to keep my distance until I’m a bit steadier.
Rei pushed off the wall and started toward the stairs. As she went up, the stairway became a bit more crowded, but those she passed were too intent on their own destinations to give her more than a passing salute or nod. The doors to the top deck opened to the glass-enclosed walkway she preferred to use to go to the bridge and her office. Protocol and common courtesy said she should check in on the bridge, but she ignored both and went into her office. Inside, Yeke waited with the safe at his feet. An older woman with a crown of silvering blonde hair stood next to him. Her murky blue eyes darted around the room, as though searching for something.
“Good, you’re both here,” she greeted. “How are you today, Grandma?”
“Fine, fine.” Her clouded eyes focused near Rei. “You agitated, dear.”
Rei bit back a wince. “Something didn’t go as planned, is all.”
“Maybe,” Grandma replied. “But bring more adventure than thought possible.”
Rei exchanged a look with Yeke. “Can you possibly look at this?” She guided the older woman toward the safe, holding out her hand so she could grasp it on her own. As Grandma began to examine it of her own accord, Rei withdrew to wait beside Yeke. Grandma’s hands searched faster and faster. A white glow blossomed in the depths of her eyes, growing bright and brighter until it bled out the cloudiness. “Is this important?”
“Possibly very.”
“I see now—it is. You want answers of your past, but are you ready for it to affect your future?” The old woman turned to the pair.
“I’d like to think so, but how can anyone be sure that they’re ready?”
“Wise words, but you’re not.” The glow faded. “But I can’t.”
“Why not?” Yeke asked.
“Aede... must find... granddaughter.”
“I’ll take you to her soon, Grandma,” Rei said. “She’s asleep because she worked late. She’s fine, though.”
“No, no one fine... none of us fine...”
Yeke shot Rei a pointed look that she turned away from. She gently took Grandma’s hands in hopes of bringing her back to the present. “We are fine, Grandma. We’re all safe and fine.”
“No, not yet... long way...”
“Feel my hands in yours. We’re here on the ship—safe.”
Rei felt her heartbeat in her throat as she waited for Grandma to acknowledge what she said. Grandma’s rumblings turned silent. The glow returned to her eyes as she pulled her hands free so they could hover over the safe. Her face went slack, though her brow furrowed in concentration.
“Nerves. 8... 8... 30... 16... 17,” she said. Yeke rushed over to her desk to take them down before they were lost to memory. “Can’t see what is inside...more...”
Grandma blinked as the glow vanished. She stepped back, her arms reaching out in search of a seat. Rei quickly took her arm and shot a glare at the safe. “I’ll take you to Aede.”
The door chimed and a tan, willowy woman entered. Her black hair was braided tight to her head and wound into a bun. “Aede!” Grandma exclaimed, and Rei found herself questioning how limited her ability to see was again. “You fine?”
“I’m fine, Grandma.” She took her from Rei as the older woman embraced her tightly. “Sorry for just coming in, but Kuv told me she was here.” As she pulled Grandma gently away purple eyes met the cloudy ones. “What were you doing, Grammie?”
“She was helping me figure out the combination to this safe,” Rei answered quickly.
Aede sighed. “How many pit stops are we going to have to take to investigate this?”
“No idea, but let’s find out,” Yeke said. He walked over and set the combination on the top of the safe. “With our Captain’s permission, of course.”
“Do it,” Rei ordered.
Yeke set to work entering the combination. Rei’s breath caught in her throat as she wondered what was inside to make Grandma say such things. To her, objects like the box and the safe were key to her questions about how it went so wrong all those years ago. They were relics of the past, that was all. Still, she leaned forward as Yeke locked the last number in, conscious that the other occupants of the room were doing the same. She sent a silent prayer to whatever power might be inclined to listen that more surprises weren’t in store. Yeke retreated as the door swung open, allowing his captain unimpeded access.
Rei darted forward. As she reached inside the Essence on her hands flickered, revealing their true nature hidden beneath, but only for a moment. Several boxes rested atop a pile of papers and folders. Rei eased the entirety out of the safe before starting to sort through the boxes. Each contained jewelry that was about fifty years old. They were likely family heirlooms, waiting to be passed down. Rei handed these to Yeke to deal with until she could secure them, then turned her attention to the paper. Most were old documents that were deemed important enough to be kept for her parents’ records. Old newspaper clippings of family achievements were scattered throughout. She carefully set these atop the safe and moved her attention to the folders. Data chips that rivaled anything she had seen since acquiring the Kathya were tucked in the right pocket of the first one. Rei’s eyes widened at the sight and she frantically flipped through the papers stored in the other side of the folder.
“What are they?” Yeke broke the silence.
Rei set the folder down and shifted the papers in one hand. “This mentions Essence... But my planet didn’t discover it existed until deep space opened to us shortly after I was abducted. And that was a few years after... everything.”
“Then how did these get there?” Aede asked.
“It’s not like we’re strangers to governments keeping secrets. Maybe someone had a tie to a secret program...” Yeke quickly trailed off.
“They—my parents—worked for an independent laboratory. It did routine blood work for doctors. As far as I know, the only government tie it had was dealing with governmental regulations and insurance companies. Besides, it wasn’t equipped to do anything more intensive than the basics. My parents always complained about having to wait for more complex results to come in because they had to be sent out to the larger facilities. This is so technical. It’s worse than reading one of Chia’s ship modification proposals.” Rei continued to flick through the documents.
Grandma wandered over and picked up the papers Rei had discarded. “Can just ask?” she suggested and tossed it down in disgust.
“Yes, let’s ask them about what is likely a top-secret program. They’d be more interested in this ship given how advanced it is and then shut us up for asking,” Yeke snapped.
“Stop, Yeke,” Rei ordered. “But I agree, I doubt we’d get anywhere.” She sighed and tossed the rest aside as though they offended her. “We’re going to have to do this backward.”
“What are you thinking?” Aede asked.
“Bruatin,” Rei replied. “You can’t find better experts on Essence than the scientists there. At least, none better on the planets that I feel safe asking around on.”
“I hope you have some idea on how to ask around without giving them the full story,” Yeke muttered.
“I have a few ideas.”
“Do you plan on making this stop before or after we do our drop off on Vantani?” Aede asked. “You know they need at least a week to clear us.”
“Make it after,” Rei said. “We’re running behind since Chia’s grounded us for the moment and I want that stuff off our ship as soon as possible.”
“I’ll let Chia know her timetable. Maybe she’ll be able to get us a connection on Bruatin,” Yeke said and strode out. Rei exchanged a look with Aede who nodded gracefully in acceptance of her silent dismissal. With a gentle hand, she led Grandma from the room.
Left alone, Rei flopped down in the chair she kept in front of the large window to look at the passing stars. Her illusion-less right hand rose and she stared at it with an unfocused gaze. She vividly remembered being forced to listen to the broadcasts of the panic on her homeworld when an Essence-wielding universe was discovered. Her captors had tried to use it to convince her that she had nowhere to turn. That she was an abomination by her people’s standards.
Those papers turned even that upside down. Essence being uncovered years before anyone thought it had. Maybe Grandma was right and she wasn’t ready for all the answers the safe held, but when would she be? Rei secured the folders and papers in the safe behind her desk. Sitting down, a message from Aede already waited for her on her computer. Each target was ranked in terms of best to worst. Settling in, Rei put it to the back of her mind and focused on deciding on something she could do something about, her crew’s future.