HeartStorm (HeartFast Series Book 3) (10 page)

            "The black one? He made your black suit?" asked Disaster.

            "Yes. They wore something similar, and it didn't seem a problem for them to make me one. I was... Their caring was..." She shook her head. "I kept waiting for something bad to happen. For them to trap me, or do something to hurt me. But they didn't. Nothing bad occurred. Those people were prayers come true. I wanted to do more than thank them. That's when Bik showed me how they used a certain metal to power their little ships, but it was very difficult to mine for that source. To thank them, I found massive amounts of the metal deep below ground, and brought it to the surface where they could get to it. They were very happy and grateful, but the truth was, I was more grateful. They saved my life...and my sanity. But I wish..."

            "You wish you could have done more?"

            "Yes. I didn't want to leave them, but I knew I wasn't like them. I wasn't their species. I didn't fit in, but I knew there were others out there, beyond all the planets and moons, who were more like me."

            "Is that when you began roaming the galaxy?" Animator inquired.

            Star nodded. "I wanted to see if I could survive in the void of space. I could, although it was too cold to stay too long. That's when I decided to see if I could make short hops, like go from planet to planet. Offer the inhabitants my services in exchange for food, water, and shelter. And that's what I did...for years." Somehow, incredibly, she managed to smile. Lifting her head, she shared it with them. "And, well, that's what I was doing when I came across you guys and ended up here."

            For a long moment the room remained silent as everyone digested her story. She had glossed over most of what she had endured, but the tale's impact was too powerful not to feel her pain. Presently, Morning Fire got up from her seat and walked over to give her dear friend a hug. Seeker and Sender followed.

            "Don't take this wrong, Star, but how did you learn to read and write? I get the impression Girith wasn't the sort to provide you with lessons," Provoker questioned her.

            Star gave him a wink. "I didn't learn. Not until I became a Guardian."

            Her admission stunned them. Even her husband.

            "Say that again?" Hunter requested.

            "I said I didn't learn to read or write until I became a Guardian. Remember how you all used to tease me about staying in my room for hours on end? That's what I was doing. Crash courses, mnemonic sensors, implanted information, the works. Every chance I got, I plugged myself in and practiced. Even when I slept."

            "That's very impressive," Condemner commented.

            Deceiver stood, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Thank you, Star, for the clarification. We appreciate you letting us know, even though it brought back many unpleasant memories." He looked at her directly. "I know it must have cost you to open yourself up like that."

            She nodded but didn't reply.

            "All right. So now that we know the history, we're better prepared for whatever DiMackerlyn may have in store. Seeker, Bruiser is guiding our unwanted visitor to the dining hall. I think that would be the perfect opportunity for you to brush against him and get into his head." He glanced at Hunter. "Until we learn what this guy is up to, I suggest you stick to your wife like a second shadow."

            "I have every intention to."

            "May I comment here?" Morning Fire spoke up.

            Deceiver waved a hand in her direction. "By all means. What's on your mind?"

            Standing up, she barely rose higher than she would if she'd remained seated, but her movements got their attention. "Destiny, you've been awful quiet these past few hours. In fact, we've heard very little from you in the last couple of weeks. I'm curious. Did you know DiMackerlyn was coming?"

            The older woman who normally sat at the furthest end of the table gave them an enigmatic smile. "I know many things," she told them in a soft voice. "But you are aware that there's just so much I can tell you."

            "Yes, we know that," Challenger acknowledged. "The more you tell us, the less chance the future events you see will occur. But that doesn't answer Fire's question. Did you know Star's father would show up?"

            "Yes, I did."

            "Then why didn't you warn us?" Star demanded. "If you had, then maybe he wouldn't have shown up."

            Destiny tapped a forefinger to her lips for a few moments before replying. "Remember back when I originally auditioned to become a Guardian? I told you I could foresee three specific types of events. I think of them as the impossible, the possible, and the cataclysmic."

            "Run those three by me again," Disaster asked. "Considering I wasn't here when you were inducted."

            Sighing, Destiny stood. Her voice, although soft and mellifluous, carried throughout the room. "The impossible is something that will occur whether I intercede or not. It would be impossible for me to change what is to be. The possible is something that could go either way, depending on how I read and interpret it. The cataclysmic..." She held up her hands in surrender. "I think that one's self-explanatory."

            "So our being ejected from that wormhole was a possible event?" Hunter asked.

            At the woman's nod, Star added, "Is my father being here also a possible event?"

            This time, the woman remained mute. It was clearly obvious that she was afraid of saying anything more about DiMackerlyn's appearance.

            "Can I interject with another question?" Provoker asked, raising a hand. "Why are we hosting this man anyway? Wooly I can understand. But why not pack DiMackerlyn on the next outbound cruiser?"

            Hunter answered. "Because until we know this man's reasoning, he won't let up. He's been hunting for her this long. If we deny him, he'll keep coming back and harassing Star and bothering us until he's ready to go on his own." Getting to his feet, he walked over to stand behind Star's chair, and laid his hands on her shoulders, but he addressed her directly. "Terrin, this man claims that all he wants is for you to visit your mother one last time before she dies. Would that be a problem?"

            "Hell, yes. I don't want to be cooped up in
One
with him the entire way."

            "How about if you flew outside and he handled the throttles?" Morning Fire suggested.

            "For nine days?" Corona reacted. "Remember, Star can't move at hyperlight speed."

            "But I can," Hunter reminded them. "Terrin, what if I was to go with you? Unobserved, of course."

            "There's just one problem you haven't considered," Star remarked. "I can't leave Callaura. Not for eighteen days or even eighteen hours, which is what the round trip would take, not counting the time I'd spend with my mother."

            "Can't Hunter take the baby with him?" Corona suggested.

            "No one is going anywhere without my authorization, least of all a woman who's just given birth and a barely week-old infant," another voice announced from the back of the room.

            All eyes turned to find Devorah standing in the doorway leading to the clinic. The woman stood with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.

            "Now, who wants to tell me why we have two strange people roaming around Guardian Command?"

Chapter Eleven

Observations

            "There must be thousands of awards in this room," DiMackerlyn commented.

            "A couple hundred thousands, actually," Bruiser replied.

            DiMackerlyn threw a look at the big man, hoping he'd interpret it as one of awestruck wonder. Turning his attention back to the display cases filled with all sorts of paraphernalia, he tried to conceal his growing agitation. They were taking too damn long with their "emergency meeting". If he didn't know better, he'd swear the Guardians were deliberately stalling, and he wanted to know why.

            "When I heard there was the possibility that my daughter was one of you, I did a little research. I found out that this place has regular daily tours that come through here, is that right?"

            Bruiser nodded slowly but didn't answer aloud.

            "Do they get to come in here?"

            "Yeah. This is one of the regular stops."

            DiMackerlyn guessed all the other places the big guy had taken him were also part of the tour route. A diversionary tactic, pure and simple.

            He was about to ask the Guardian where they were going next, when an affidavit suspended next to a small vid screen caught his attention. The name StarLight popped up. Curious, he peered closer as the news feature flashed in front of him, but there was no sound. He punched the button on the panel, and a small door lifted to eject a disposable audio bud. Quickly, he placed the device in his ear to listen.

            "...Light for her tremendous sacrifice she gave to save the planet of Synaria from total destruction by the Ombitra. If not for the quick action by fellow Guardian, Master Hunter, the people responsible for this catastrophic event would never have been found and brought to justice."

            There was more, but DiMackerlyn's eyes were glued to the vid and form of the man dressed in brown who stood with his arm around Terrin's waist. A man he recognized as the same man who'd stood behind her in the docking bay.

            Pulling the bud from his ear, he jerked a thumb at the vid screen. "That must have been a pretty bad time when the Ombitra attacked."

            "Damn near destroyed the city. If it weren't for StarLight, we'd all be dead."

            "What happened to the people who caused it?"

            "Hunter caught them. They were found guilty by the judging counsel and shipped to Arga Minor Four where they're each sitting out a life sentence," Bruiser informed him.

            "The vid says my daughter almost died."

            Bruiser's eyes glanced at the display, then back at DiMackerlyn. "She came as close to dying as a person can and still survive."

            "Is that why she's indisposed?"

            "Indisposed?"

            "Yeah. Back at the police station, I was told she couldn't see me because she was indisposed. Is it because she's still recovering from the attack?"

            "No. She's recovered from that. She just had a baby."

            DiMackerlyn forced himself to appear unaffected by the news. A baby? Terrin had a baby? He slowly licked his lips, his mouth suddenly gone dry.

            "Was her husband also injured in the Ombitra attack?" he managed to ask.

            "Hunter? We were light years away on a mission when the mother ship landed. Star had remained behind at Command. She faced those grod eaters by herself, and she defeated them. It's a miracle she survived."

            "Yes, it was."

            He ran a hand over his face. Terrin had a baby. The guy in the brown uniform, the one called Hunter, was her husband. She was married and a mother.
And that puts a whole new slant on this, doesn't it?

            A baby. Was it a boy or girl?

           
Does it matter?

           
"Are you ready to move on?" the Guardian asked impatiently.

            "I need to use your facilities, and then I'd like something to drink. I don't suppose you got a place around here where I can get a cup of jocko, do you?"

            Bruiser pointed over his shoulder. "The public facilities are outside, beyond the defense parameters. The closest restroom in here is on the other side of the concourse. The dining hall is adjacent to it."

            As they left the building and walked across the plaza, DiMackerlyn noted there were no guards, although he'd spotted an intricate series of security cams in the areas where the Guardian had taken him. Which made him wonder if the same held for the inner parts of the building where the public wasn't allowed.

            Chances were the answer was no. Why would the Guardians need to keep cameras in the areas where they lived?

            So far, other than the landing bay, he'd been kept to the public places, the routes taken by the tour groups. But sooner or later, he'd find a way into the private sections. Somehow, he'd get a definite answer to his question.

            It was just a matter of time...and patience.

Chapter Twelve

Induction

            "I forbid StarLight from traveling anywhere for any length of time. Not until I am certain she's well enough to resume this job at one hundred percent efficiency." Devorah's pronouncement was firm and final. "In addition to the fact that she continues to recover from giving birth, might I remind you that she's still recovering from what she enduring from the Ombitra. There's just so much a body can take, even those as unique as all of yours. None of you get enough rest, and don't get me started about the stress. No. Until I am satisfied she's fit and ready, not to mention the fact that the baby is and should be her primary concern, she's not leaving Command."

            "But what about her mother?" Animator asked.

            The physician nodded in StarLight's direction. "I will check to see if there's a way some sort of video conferencing can be arranged. I'm sorry, Star."

            Star sighed, but didn't respond. She understood the doctor's reasoning, yet inwardly she was relieved to know the woman was giving her a way out of this situation.

            "If you want me to, I can explain why you're not leaving here to travel there with your father."

            "No. Please don't. As it stands right now, he doesn't know I'm married, much less given birth to his...granddaughter." Star winced. She hated to admit it, but DiMackerlyn was a grandfather. Worse, the idea of letting him find out, and the mental image of him holding the baby, left a bitter taste in her mouth. There was no way he would learn about the child, if she could help it.