ReDawn (Skyward, #2.2)

We emerged in a hallway of the humans’ platform immediately in front of Rig, who screamed.

“Scud!” he shouted. “That is terrifying when I’m not expecting it.”

“Shh!” FM said, and she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the nearest room. I took a look up and down the empty hall, then followed them. Into a storage closet from the look of it. There didn’t appear to be any alternate exits, but I supposed we could hyperjump out if we needed to.

“I thought you said you do that a lot,” I whispered at FM. “I didn’t expect him to be so loud.”

“Usually we arrange it beforehand,” Rig said. “Also, you told her we do that a lot?”

“It was Nedd’s fault,” FM said.

“Um, okay,” Rig said. “Well, hi. You should know there’s a warrant out for your immediate arrest. I could be held in contempt simply for talking to you.”

I’d thought Jorgen’s justifications sounded like a stretch. FM gripped Rig’s arm, and they stood close together. And I stood unfortunately close to them, because there wasn’t a lot of room between the shelves of…packaged algae strips, it looked like. We must be near their kitchen facilities.

    “We need your help on ReDawn,” FM said. “We found something. A platform that used to move around the planet but now is in disrepair. It seems similar to the ones we have here, but we don’t really know what we’re looking at. Or how to use it.”

“So you decided to pop into the middle of the hallway? In a place where you’re wanted for desertion?”

“Is it only desertion?” FM asked. “We were worried they’d charge us with defection.”

“Also grand larceny,” I said. “For stealing eight starships.”

“Nine,” FM said. “Including yours.”

“I’m not sure they’ve decided what they’re going to officially charge you with. But it seems like a problem for you to get arrested for any of it.”

This was all beside the point. “Are you willing to come to ReDawn to help us with the platform?” I asked.

Rig blinked at me. “Am I willing to—”

“Come with us to look at the platform,” FM said. “If no one sees us leave, you might be able to come back without anyone knowing you were helping us.”

“Except I’d also like to take my ship,” I reminded her.

“Right,” FM said. “Well, you could tell them we kidnapped you or something.”

“And add that to our list of crimes,” I added.

Rig stared at us with wide eyes. “I’ll help you. But you should know, there’s a lot going on here too. Cobb and Jeshua met with some representatives from the Superiority.”

    That was right. Cobb gave that as his reason for not wanting us to return to Detritus with the Independence flight. “Have they returned?” I asked.

Rig nodded. “It was a quick meeting. They used a hyperdrive to meet at a ship right outside the shield and exchanged terms. Then they came back, and they’ve been discussing what they want to do. I think they might be talking over the hypercomm to the Superiority people now.”

“Hold on,” I said, reaching into the negative realm, searching for nearby voices.

—understand your concerns— said a voice I didn’t recognize. —danger to themselves and others—learn proper safety measures to prevent disaster—send your cytonics to us for training—

“They’re asking your leaders to send your cytonics to the Superiority,” I said. “They’ve tried to get us to do the same thing on ReDawn, first by asking, and then by threatening us. I think Quilan believes he’ll have proven himself if he delivers me personally, and that if he does the Superiority will leave him and the other cytonics alone.”

“Jorgen’s parents aren’t considering that, are they?” FM asked Rig. “Turning their own son over to the Superiority?”

“My own parents argued I might be better off being trained by the Superiority,” I said. “You’d be surprised what people will believe.”

“Is it possible that would be better?” Rig asked. “We’re in the dark when it comes to cytonic potential. You can obviously do a lot more than Jorgen can, and the Superiority cytonics might know even more.”

“They do,” I said. “But they aren’t going to help you, no matter what they say.”

    “I can see the assembly considering it though,” FM said. “Believing that trading a couple of lives to end the war would be an acceptable sacrifice. Risking a few to save so many. That’s what we all signed up for, isn’t it? They might see it as no worse than letting their son join the DDF, and the potential for peace…”

I held my breath. I’d told them over and over what I thought about making peace with the Superiority. They already knew what I had to say. As I listened, I picked out another voice over the hypercomm. Jeshua Weight. —assurances that no harm will come to them—

—valuable, the alien voice said. Never be so aggressive as to—

—aggressive enough to exterminate us—

—work with us, you have nothing to fear—turn over your hyperdrives, and—

“The Superiority representatives say they won’t hurt the cytonics,” I said. Which might be true, but sending them away was still a terrible idea. “And Cobb was right. They want you to turn over the taynix too.”

“We can’t do that,” FM said. “Right?”

“Right?” Drape said, and Rig put a hand on his spines.

“They’re trying to imprison you here,” I said. “It’s what they do. Keep you isolated on your planet unless you play by their rules.”

“That’s what they’ve always done to us,” Rig said. “Ever since our fleet crashed here.”

“But this time we have the power to leave,” FM said. “We can’t give that up without risking that they’ll go back to trying to exterminate us. The shield stops them for now—”

    “But not forever,” Rig said. “That’s true.”

“And we’re not giving up the taynix,” FM said. “No matter what.”

—negotiate. We would of course need assurances that—if we are to cooperate—

Human or UrDail, politicians were all the same. “It sounds like they’re thinking about it.”