ReDawn (Skyward, #2.2)

FM and Jorgen looked at each other. “I agree,” Jorgen said carefully, “but I don’t have the authority to make one.”

I’d been too aggressive. Maybe humans were more like the peoples Finis had prepared me to address. “But you are a cytonic,” I said. “Surely you have some sway in what your leaders decide.”

Jorgen and FM exchanged another glance. “Is that what it’s like on your planet?” Jorgen asked. “The cytonics are in charge?”

“Not in charge,” I said. The Unity leaders weren’t cytonic, and neither was Rinakin, though he was the highest ranked Independence official. “But we are respected for our powers.”

The Unity leaders respected the cytonics who sided with them, at least.

“Things are different here,” Jorgen said. “Our people are afraid of cytonics. The Superiority has used them against us in the past.”

Of course they would, if given the opportunity. “So you see that the Superiority is not to be trusted.”

“Yes,” FM said. “We’ve been fighting them for decades. You said you were afraid we would trust them, but they haven’t even offered us peace. We are looking for allies though, and there’s a former Superiority Minister in residence here who—”

    “They are here?” I asked. The Superiority sent representatives to ReDawn of course, under the guise of checking on our progress as a people. They were like squirrel keepers checking the cages. They never came too close, in case we would bite.

“Cuna isn’t in good standing with the Superiority,” FM said quickly. “The Superiority tried to kill them, and we rescued them. We’re not looking to join the Superiority, Alanik. And we do need allies against them.”

That was good. If this Cuna had turned against the Superiority, they might have information my people could use. “Is Cuna cytonic?”

“No,” Jorgen said. “Aside from Spensa, we only have two cytonics. Spensa’s grandmother and myself.”

That was important information, and he probably shouldn’t have given it up so easily. I needed to keep them talking, see what else I might learn. If they decided not to send help, at least I’d be armed with more information. This was going much better than our last conversation, when that angry woman threatened to keep me as a prisoner.

“Spensa still hasn’t returned from Starsight?” I asked.

Jorgen took a deep breath. “She did. But she’s…gone again.”

“How did she go there without drawing attention to herself?” I asked. “She sent a message to my people saying she was pretending to be me, but her ruse should have been discovered immediately. How was she able to disguise herself?” I’d been in shock and in pain when I’d given Spensa the coordinates. I’d never been clear on the details of how she’d managed to use them.

    “We had a ship with advanced holographic technology,” Jorgen said. “Technology even the Superiority doesn’t have. Spensa was able to use a hologram to make herself look like you.”

“That is clever.” A resource like that could be used to walk right onto the Council tree and break Rinakin out without the use of cytonics.

“It was,” Jorgen said. “But the ship didn’t make it back from Starsight. We can’t use that trick anymore.”

Another broken branch.

“What are you hoping to gain from an alliance with us?” FM asked.

I set my shoulders. This was the opening Finis had taught me to look for. A direct inquiry to my intentions, an invitation to announce what I needed. Time to get to the point, to beg them to send a military force back with me. Quilan wanted to capture me first, but he wouldn’t wait forever before he transported the rest of the resistance to the Superiority. I didn’t know what they would do with us.

I also didn’t want to find out.

“Your people know very little about cytonics,” I said. “I don’t know everything, but I could offer more instruction than you have now. As for what I need—the Superiority already believes that my people are working with yours, because Spensa was discovered to be a human disguised as an UrDail. They’ve demanded we turn in our human co-conspirators, but of course we have none, so instead our government wants to turn me and other resistance members over to them instead.”

“They’re going to turn over their cytonics to the Superiority?” FM asked. “That seems unwise.”

    “They’ve already captured our faction’s High Chancellor, who champions independence for ReDawn. By turning him over to the Superiority, those who seek unification will find themselves unopposed.”

“They’re trying to use the Superiority to take out their political enemies,” Jorgen said. “Because that can’t go wrong.”

FM shook her head. “Two birds with one stone, the saying goes.”

The pin didn’t have a direct translation for that first part. “What’s a bird?” I asked.

“A flying animal,” FM said. “We don’t really have them anymore. They were a thing from Earth. You don’t have birds on ReDawn?”

“We don’t have creatures that fly,” I said. “Anything that strays too far from the trees without an atmospheric generator will choke on the miasma.”

Both Jorgen and FM blinked at me.

They clearly had no idea what I was talking about, but it was also beside the point. “As for what I hope to gain, I’m hoping that your people would be willing to help me defend mine against the Superiority.”

“We can’t promise you anything,” Jorgen said. “But if you’ll come with us to talk to our admiral—”

“Is this the woman who tried to interrogate me?” I asked. “I’d hoped to avoid involving her.”

“You’ve met Admiral Cobb, but he didn’t get to say much,” FM said. “He’s…much more reasonable than Jeshua Weight, the woman you ran from. But yes, she will probably be there, especially if you want to meet with Minister Cuna.”

    I doubted Jeshua Weight was going to want to work with me. I knew her type—always reaching for power, never wanting to extend any in return. “And if your leaders refuse an alliance?” I asked.

Jorgen and FM exchanged another look. “There’s nothing we can do for you without their permission. That’s not the way it works here.”