The Phoenix War (40 page)

“Shake my hand to symbolize that the debt is
repaid. That the deal we struck was agreed to.”

“Okay, fine,” Calvin reached out and shook
Grady’s hand for a second. Then he spun and raced for the door.
Calling behind him, “get the ship cleared!”

Once he emerged from Grady’s office, Calvin
gave orders to his team. “Let’s move,
now
.”

He bolted down the hall and his team hurried
to catch up.

“What is it?” asked Rafael. “What did he
say?”

“Yeah, what’s the dealio?” asked Miles.

“Our ship is in launchbay five, this way,”
said Calvin. “We have to launch ASAP.”

“Why the sudden urgency?” asked Rafael. “What
did the Rosco boss tell you?”

“The Alliance has gone dark.”

***

More of his colleagues and co-conspirators
were turning up dead. Or had gone missing—which was basically the
same thing. The only difference was whether or not the body had
been found. Guillermo wanted to stop listening, more than
anything
, he wanted to close his eyes, plug his ears, and
pretend that everything was going to be fine. That he wasn’t being
hunted like the others. That the killings had stopped. But he
couldn’t stop himself from hanging onto every scrap of news that
came he way, motivated by grim curiosity, deep paranoia, and an
obsessive sense of self-preservation. Neurotically possessed by any
information he could find.

Who are they and why are they coming after
us
? He wondered over and over. Even though he was fairly
certain he knew the answer. It was the Rahajiim. Or maybe it was
the Enclave. It could even be both. The Phoenix Ring had never been
very friendly with the Rahajiim, and the cooperation between the
two groups had only lasted long enough for the development of the
isotome weapons. But Zane had always made it clear that the
Rahajiim were a serious threat, and would need to be dealt with.
Just like how Zane feared the Enclave, and had made arrangements to
ensure their cooperation and their loyalty as well.

But in the end, Zane himself had been fooled.
Tricked and betrayed by the Enclave. Allowing the isotome weapons
to slip through his fingers. And then, somehow, in spite of his
great power and tremendous wealth, and all his many layers of
protection, they’d still gotten to him, and he’d been killed.
Murdered from inside the safety of his own sanctuary. He’d been
deeply hidden on Capital World in a secret place that was guarded
like a fortress, but in the end none of it had done him any good.
And now he was dead. The Phoenix Ring leadership was dead. And
anyone connected to the Phoenix Ring, no matter how remotely, was
winding up a corpse somewhere. Or disappearing.

Guillermo was not only the highest-ranking
Phoenix Ring member still alive that he knew of, he was also the
only remaining member. Celeste Ortega-Gasset was still alive too.
But she’d never been a member of the Phoenix Ring, not truly. More
like a paid informer. Maybe even an ally. But not a true member.
Even though, by the end, she’d had significant power within the
group and probably merited a seat at the table, Zane had never
allowed her to be fully embraced. He’d always held her at arm’s
length. And perhaps that was why she was still alive.
Maybe they
aren’t hunting for her
, thought Guillermo. But he knew that
couldn’t be true. The extermination of the Phoenix Ring had proven
both thorough and uncompromising, whoever was behind it had to be
hunting for her too. Just as much as they were hunting for
Guillermo. Celeste was only still alive for the same two reasons
Guillermo was. A little bit of luck and a whole hell of a lot of
cleverness.

We’ve stayed one step ahead
, he
thought.
For now anyway
. He stared at the bland walls of his
quarters on the nondescript, inconspicuous, tiny civilian transport
vessel Rutherford. It was the latest in a series of ships he’d
transferred to and employed to gain a little more distance from
Capital World and, hopefully, from the dangers fast on his
heels.

He changed ships frequently, almost at every
port, as he tried to stay ahead of any potential pursuers. Never
knowing for certain how close they were, but certain his death was
only steps behind him. And that if he were to let up, or lose sight
of his caution for even a moment, it would prove a fatal mistake.
And so he’d raced across the Empire, switching from ship to ship,
as he zig-zagged his way across deep space, ever distancing himself
from Capital World while trying to make his ultimate destination
seem unpredictable. Which was the small, very obscure colony-world
of Pollux Beta Minor or
Tranquility
as the locals referred
to it. It sounded like a good place. And if there was anything
Guillermo needed right now, it was some tranquility. Some relief
from his heart-pounding race against certain death. Five more
flights until he got there. Until then he knew he had to remain
vigilant, treading lightly and keeping a low profile.

This strategy of evasion had been suggested
to him by none other than Celeste herself. Who, from her own
admission, was doing the same thing. And it was working. They were
both alive. Guillermo hoped from the bottom of his heart that they
both succeeded in escaping their pursuers, that they both got to
live out long, full lives. However, if it came down to it, and only
one of them got to escape, he would make damn sure it was him.

I have to live
, he told himself
frantically.
I just have to. I’m going to live. I will. I’m
going to beat this. Everything is going to be okay
. That was
his mantra. That was what he needed to make himself believe, even
if it meant repeating it a thousand times a day. He had to cling to
hope. But unfortunately, dreams of death tormented him at night and
constant, heart-squeezing panic tortured him during the day.

This is hell
, he thought.
Hell is
real and I’m living it
. As the hours and days passed in
alteredspace flight and he kept himself busy reading the news and
infrequently contacting Celeste for short windows of time, he felt
trapped in the terrifying uncertainty and couldn’t imagine anything
worse. Or so he’d thought until the Rutherford suddenly and
inexplicably dropped out of alteredspace…

He glanced out his window and saw stars.
I
shouldn’t see stars
, he thought in a panic.
We aren’t there
yet. We won’t be for three more hours I should see
blackness!

He bolted from his quarters and ran to the
bridge. The Rutherford was a small ship with only two decks, one
for people and one for cargo, and the vessel carried no more than
six passengers and three crew. In mere seconds Guillermo burst
through the door and found himself on the bridge. The captain, who
was also the pilot, sat at the front with a co-pilot on his
right.

“
What’s going on
?” demanded Guillermo.
“Why have we stopped?”

The captain looked too focused to acknowledge
him. He was entering commands into his computer with intensity.

“You can’t be here,” said the co-pilot,
turning his head momentarily to see Guillermo. “All passengers need
to be in their quarters. Go.
Now
.”

Guillermo did nothing of the sort. Instead he
stepped forward, trying to read the ship’s instruments for himself.
If they weren’t going to tell them what was happening, he’d make
damn certain he found out for himself.

It appeared that another ship had forced them
out of alteredspace. He caught a glimpse of it on the 3d display
and nearly hyperventilated. It was a Rahajiim ship, one of the rare
Hunter ships, a class of stealth vessels used for deep recon
missions. They were a new technology and one of the reasons,
according to Zane, why space travel was not as safe as everyone
thought it was. There weren’t many Hunter ships—at least not
yet
—but what few existed could be anywhere. Since they were
completely undetectable while in alteredspace.

“You’re still here?” asked the co-pilot,
glancing over his shoulder once again.

“
Jump
!” said Guillermo. “Run! You have
to get us out of here!”

“We’re going to power down our defenses and
come to a full stop like they’ve instructed,” explained the
captain. “I don’t want to provoke them, they have us completely
out-gunned. I’m sure they’re just pirates.”

“You fools!” yelled Guillermo, running to the
controls. “They’ll kill us!” He reached the console just as the
co-pilot was on him. Tackling him before he could try to force the
ship back into alteredspace. “They’ll kill us all!” he
screamed.

“Get him out of here,” barked the captain,
still manning his station. Guillermo wrestled with the co-pilot for
a moment, knowing that if he failed to make them jump the ship. He
was a dead man. They all were.
The Rahajiim are here!
If
only he could make them understand.

The co-pilot proved much stronger and in
better health; he managed to pin Guillermo, get him to his feet,
and escort him off the bridge. Guillermo fought and wriggled all
the way, desperate to get free, but it was no use. Arriving at the
door, he was thrown from the bridge with a hard shove. By the time
he’d regained his feet, the co-pilot had sealed the door shut.
Guillermo tested the switch, it was locked tight. He banged on the
door for a moment but it was no use. They weren’t about to open the
door and see reason. And he couldn’t breach the door with his bare
hands.

Damn it all
, he thought. Using what
would surely prove to be his last moments of life, he raced back to
his room in conflagration of intense panic and bitter despair.
I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m a dead man
.

He decided to use what time he had left to
warn Celeste. Fortunately the ship’s kataspace connector was still
online. He connected the call, maximum priority, encrypting it with
the same coded sequence he and Celeste had relied on to communicate
back and forth since they’d plunged headlong into space, deciding
to take their chances among the stars.

“Hello,” said Celeste’s voice.

“
Celeste
,” said Guillermo urgently. He
had to pause to catch his breath, his anxiety had reached such
levels he wasn’t getting enough oxygen.

“Is this about the prison? I told you I am in
the process of burying the evidence,” said Celeste, sounding more
annoyed than apologetic. “Our critical personnel have begun leaving
and dismantling things. The rest will be swept away in—”

“I don’t care about any of that,” said
Guillermo, interrupting her the instant he had sufficient breath.
“Listen, I don’t have much time. The Rahajiim… they found me! I
don’t know
how
but they found me!”

Guillermo expected to hear a shocked reaction
from the other end, or at the very least some sympathy, but all he
heard was silence. “Celeste?” he asked, wondering if she’d been
disconnected.

“So they’re there now?” she asked.

“Yes! They’ve stopped the ship. I don’t know
what they’re going to do but… it won’t be good.”

“I’m really sorry about that. Truly, I am.”
She disconnected.

What
? Thought Guillermo. And then
suddenly he realized how the Rahajiim had found him, how they’d
found so many of the others, and why Celeste was still alive. In an
instant it all clicked together.

That bitch
! He felt a wave of rage
crash through him.
She sold us out! She betrayed us
! At that
moment a bright flash of light shined through the window.

It was the last thing Guillermo ever saw.

***

Dawn was breaking. The sun was nowhere to be
seen, hidden behind mountains and trees, but there was a faint
orange light. It would be day soon.

Nimoux looked up from where he lay sprawled
out on the ground. His body ached all over, and his head throbbed,
and for a moment he couldn’t remember where he was or how he’d
gotten there. Then it all came back in a flood.

I was walking, as fast as I could. Walking
toward the mountain
…

He got to his feet, painful as the experience
was with every muscle in his body protesting, and he took stock of
his situation.

Though the details were cloudy, it seemed
he’d managed to get to the base of the mountain. Where he’d
collapsed and lost consciousness. I’m lucky I didn’t die, he
realized with a shiver. It wasn’t as cold here, the mountain did a
good job of blocking the wind, but it was only warm enough by a few
degrees for him not to have frozen to death. Or so it felt.

They’ll be after me soon, if they aren’t
already
, he thought. He knew the dead guards would’ve been
spotted by now and the prison searched. They knew he was outside
the compound.

I need to keep moving
.

It was hard. His muscles ached and his body
felt stiff, some of his extremities even seemed numb. He shook
them, doing what he could to get the blood pumping. He jogged in
place for a minute, trying to get his heart-rate up and warm his
body.

He doubted he’d slept more than an hour. It
would have been almost dawn by the time he reached the foot of the
mountain, so he couldn’t have slept for long. He wished more than
anything he could crawl into bed somewhere, underneath some warm
covers, and sleep for days. But unfortunately there was no such
option, and he knew if he didn’t get moving he wouldn’t last.
Either they’d find him or he’d freeze to death, or—if he was really
lucky—maybe he’d be eaten by some kind of strange alien
wildlife.

He picked up the pedestrian transmitter and,
after strapping it to his back, continued onward. Although dim, it
was now light enough that he could begin to ascend the mountain
without risk that he’d unknowingly step off the edge of some cliff
and fall to his swift demise.