Joy is a small price to pay for greatness, the Voice said playfully. We returned from that mission a hero. They couldn’t throw enough medals on you for destroying so many of the enemy.
“But you’re not me,” Keryn said firmly. “I have managed great things without you and always, always, without the pleasure that you take in killing!”
You didn’t seem to have so many issues with me when you were faced with your own impending death, the Voice said angrily. I made you great. What happened after the battle? They made you the Squadron Commander. Your own Squadron to command! You never could have managed that without me!
The Voice’s words struck a chord within Keryn. She felt her resolve strengthen and a calm smile spread across her lips. “I’ve never relied on anyone before, and I’ll never again find myself relying on you. So why don’t you just shut up for a while?”
Looking over the balcony, Keryn drank in the sights and sounds of Miller’s Glenn, letting the merchants’ yells and the engines of flying craft drown out the Voice within. She let the mental techniques she had learned during her time together with Yen wash over her and finish pushing the Voice from her mind. Gradually, the Voice faded into the background before disappearing all together.
She leaned against the balcony railing and sighed heavily. The Voice was persistent and dangerous, but was still under control. Reaching to her throat, Keryn activated the microphone. “Talon Base this is Talon Six, over.”
“This is Talon Base,” Cerise replied over the shortwave radio.
“The package has been delivered and is being… unwrapped.” She smiled, in spite of herself, at the verbiage. The smile disappeared as Keryn started to wonder if that was a result of the Voice or her own sick humor.
“Roger,” came Cerise’s curt reply, her dialect elongating the vowels.
Keryn dropped the military pretext before continuing. “How is everything back at the ship?”
There was a short pause in the transmission. “We are both doing well. Things are dreadfully uneventful here.”
Keryn caught herself nodding, quickly stopping when she realized Cerise couldn’t see the movement. “How is McLaughlin?” she asked bluntly, dropping even the codenames they normally used.
“He’s…” The signal stopped and Keryn waiting for a reply. She had asked a difficult question, especially for Cerise, who had feelings for the Pilgrim. “He’s the same,” Cerise finally replied. “He’s stable, but all I can do is make sure he’s comfortable right now. The quicker you can get done with the package, the quicker we can bring him back to his old self.”
Keryn smiled, still surprised by the tender emotions the Avalon showed toward someone of Terran descent. “We’ll be done shortly, Cerise, and then be back at your location. Sit tight for just a little while longer. Talon Six, out.”
Though it was early afternoon by her account, the sun still blazed brightly in the sky. Keryn started to wonder how long a day lasted on Othus, never having time to do research on the planet before their arrival. Judging from the crowded streets and packed booths, she assumed there were still quite a few hours before the sun set on the horizon.
The two vendors directly below her balcony vied for the attention of passers by, one selling fruit and the other exotic pottery. From her balcony, pieces of conversation reached her ears.
“…lovely pottery, m’lady,” one yelled at a woman passing the booths. “This is the finest quality…”
“…grown right here on Othus,” said the fruit dealer.
The pottery dealer held up a kiln-blasted vase, its surface heavy with a dark lacquer. He smiled broadly at a young couple that stopped by to view his wares. The man and woman, decked in colorful robes, were blatant tourists new to this part of space. The merchant’s shoulders relaxed as he began his sales pitch, spinning a wild yarn about the rarity of the pottery and the uniqueness of the specific pattern painted on its surface. Keryn laughed to herself as she watched. From her high vantage point, she could see the box at the vendor’s feet, pushed under the heavy shade of the booth’s table. From the top of the box, Keryn could see at least three other vases just like the one in the vendor’s hand.
The door behind her cracked open and she turned at the sound. Adam’s familiar blond hair and strong Terran features were all that was exposed through the thin opening of the door. Even trying to cover the rest of his body, Keryn could see a splatter of blood smeared across his cheek. As Adam stepped out of the way, she entered the cramped hotel room.
Adam stood, his chest bare as he tried futilely to wipe away the blood that coated his muscular forearms and hands. Pointing at her own cheek, she let him know about the smear that had made its way to his face. He scrubbed furiously as Keryn looked around the rest of the room. On an end table next to the sofa, the bloody, serrated scalpel had been dropped arbitrarily as Adam passed through the room toward the front door.
Finally wiping away the majority of the gore on his arms and face, Adam looked at her sternly. “He told us everything we wanted to know,” he said matter-of-factly. “Deplitoxide is a derivative from a plant growing in the swamps of Beracus, in the Falitan Galaxy.”
Keryn recalled what she could of the Falitan Galaxy. It was a galaxy off the main trade routes, damning it to relative obscurity. Try as she might, she couldn’t recall anything of importance about the small galaxy except that it only had two or three planets in orbit around its tiny red sun. She had to assume that Beracus was the only inhabitable planet among the few planets in orbit. It wasn’t hard to see why it would have been unexplored before Cardax arrived and found Deplitoxide among its flora.
“Penchant is cleaning up the room as we speak,” Adam continued flatly. He paused, the look of concern returning to his face. “He’s still alive back there, but he’s in bad shape. If you wanted to speak to him…” His voice trailed off, leaving the sentence incomplete.
“No,” Keryn replied, shaking her head. She had no intention of giving the Voice more reason to creep back into her thoughts. “Go wash yourself while Penchant finishes in the back. I’ll head back onto the porch and make sure we’re not interrupted until everything is finished.”
Adam stepped toward the single bathroom, but paused in mid step. “We did the right thing here,” he said, without turning around to look at her. “The ends truly do justify the means here.” When she didn’t immediately reply, he walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
“I know,” she whispered to the closed door. Turning, she went back outside and closed the door behind her. She was glad to be back outside; Keryn had always been amazed at how easy it was to feel alone when there were so many people around her. The noise surrounded her like a cocoon, enveloping her with so many sounds and distractions that they merged into a single hum of activity, each lacking distinction from the next.
Closing her eyes, she took in the sounds and smells of Miller’s Glen. City living had always been an escape for Keryn; a world so unlike that of her home that she was easily able to forget the pressures of her race and the Voice it carried. Night after night during her time at the Academy, she and her friends had slipped away into the city, losing themselves in pulsing beats of clubs and potent drinks at the bars. It seemed fitting that she found herself in another city, losing herself once more among the sights and sounds.
Keryn shivered as a cold wind blew over her body. She opened her violet eyes, surprised to feel a breeze on such a warm planet. Glancing at the crowd, she found that she was not the only one surprised. Many of the patrons and vendors on the street passing in front of the hotel had stopped their bartering and glanced around, confused.