Shiver and Bright Read online

“They are mates, but they are not officially mated by our laws. I bear my mother’s family name and there is nothing to connect me to my father except my eyes.” She smiled and extended her hand, trying to move the contents of the beaker from a distance.

  “You are fine with that?”

  “It is my life. I can’t change it and it kept me safe, until now.” She focused and crooked her fingers, trying to tickle the solution into movement from twenty feet away.

  The beaker began to register movement, but so did the platform. Nat exhaled and closed her eyes for a moment. “What about your family? How were you raised?”

  “I am the third of four children and the only male. I grew up knowing that my skills could be useful; I was quite the babysitter. With every new niece or nephew, I honed my skills at dealing with children who could be hypnotized to sleep.”

  Nat opened one eye. “That is cheating.”

  He grinned. “My sisters did not complain. All they wanted was a quiet night now and then.”

  “So, you can hypnotize? I thought you just had bright eyes.”

  “I can induce a strobe effect that allows me to control the waking state. I literally made the children sleepy and happy to be in bed.”

  She chuckled and looked at the beaker. It was quivering in place and rocking violently. “What does the computer say?”

  Worvin grinned. “It says that you are bringing on the movement without moving yourself. Well done, Nathaly.”

  She focused on the amused feeling and sent the signal through to the other beakers around the room. It was amusement that let her work the separated effect.

  “You are doing it!”

  She laughed and the beakers shattered, the gels were suspended above their stations and still quivering wildly.

  She coaxed them high into towers of shuddering blue and concentrated on what she was doing with the air pressure and the substance itself.

  When Kaylee floated through the floor in front of her, Nat’s control wobbled, but she held it until she could slowly let the gels relax on their shattered bases.

  Nat looked up and she smiled. “Good morning, Kaylee.”

  “Morning, Nathaly. Morning, Worvin. You two are up early.”

  Nat relaxed, and she squatted on her lightly balanced platform. “It sort of just happened.”

  Worvin came to the edge of her perch. “Are you all right?”

  She looked up and nodded. “Yes. Just fine. Resting in between jobs. I get the feeling that Kaylee has something else planned for today.”

  “Oh, you might be a precog. I do indeed have one more thing planned.” Kaylee settled on the platform and became solid.

  Worvin frowned. “She was exhausted from her first experiment.”

  “Worvin, you know as well as I do that there is no picking the times that we are called to duty. If she is tired, she will still need control, and it is better to use the skills you need when your mind is tired. It keeps you able to do what is necessary.” Kaylee smiled.

  Worvin scowled. His wrist unit chirped and there was a light snarl in his expression.

  Kaylee sighed. “You can stay to supervise, but she is going into the blast dome for this one, so there won’t be much to see.”

  Nathaly stood up straight. “Blast dome?”

  Worvin looked around. “That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

  “Don’t look for Dirven to override this order. He and I discussed it last night. He knows all about it.” Kaylee chuckled. “This way, Nathaly. I will explain what I think you can do with a drop of water.”

  Nat smiled at Worvin and patted him on the arm. “It will be fine. I am sure that Kaylee wouldn’t put the station in jeopardy.”

  He raised his eyebrows and nodded at her logic. “Fair enough. I will attend to what I need to work on and then get back here as soon as I can.”

  She chuckled and nodded. “Work first. Staring at me behind glass comes second.”

  Kaylee grinned and showed her the way along a series of suspended walkways and to a globe that was near the outer wall of the station, briefing her the entire way. The narrow walkway was designed for one person only.

  Kaylee handed her the vial and nodded. “So, you think you can do this?”

  “I think so. The worst thing that happens is that I get wet.”

  “Good attitude. Your parents are still confined, but they are alive and well. You don’t need to worry about them today.”

  Nathaly sighed. “That does help. Now, off to play with water. Do excuse me.”

  Nat headed along the narrow walk and into the sphere. She sealed the only exit behind her and took the vial to the center of the room.

  The idea behind what Kaylee wanted her to do was ludicrous but plausible. If Nat could separate the water into hydrogen and oxygen, that would be one thing, but if she could vibrate it into ignition, she would have a weapon that was readily available nearly everywhere, including living beings.

  That last idea freaked her out a little, but she put a drop of water in her palm and started to work with it.

  The first drop absorbed into her skin before she could do what she wanted, but when she got the second drop on the floor to work with her, she coalesced the gas in her palm and worked them into a frenzy that made her jump with a squeal when they exploded.

  Her ears rang, and she laughed uncontrollably. With an urge to see if she could do it again, she poured another tiny drop on the ground and repeated her work. She shook the water into allowing the heat to separate the molecules, and once they were viable chemicals, she shook them until they blew.

  The sharp bark of the explosion made her jump, but with two successful attempts, she was ready for lunch.

  She capped the vial and made her way out of the sphere. “Well, that is that.”

  Kaylee grinned. “You still need practice but congratulations, Master Nathaly Welling. A few signatures and you will be a master of the Citadel.”

  “After the signatures, can I eat?”

  Kaylee chuckled. “Yes. Yes, you can.”

  Nat followed Kaylee to her office, and she filed her official registration with the Citadel as a Master in good standing. The Sector Guard absorbed her training fees, and she was ready to formulate a plan for her return home.

  Chapter Five

  The plan of attack, as described by Dirven and Kaylee, was not to attack. The key was to reactivate the outpost, which was not a useable option. It was also to rebuild it using a kit that Worvin had been dying to use.

  They sat around the table and looked at a map of the Miikor capitol and the surrounding area.

  Worvin pointed at the outpost two miles from Nat’s home. “That is where I landed.”

  Kaylee grinned, and she would have flashed fangs if she could. “Good. We own that area. In the old days, planets like Miikor would give the Alliance rights to a specific patch of soil for a protective outpost to be manned in times of crisis. We still own it, and I think that Miikor needs a Citadel.”

  Dirven nodded. “Agreed. Worvin has the structure pack. Will you travel with her to set it up?”

  Worvin sat up. “Really? You know it requires maintenance.”

  “And you will need to requisition supplies. Who better to start a new Citadel than our finest quartermaster?” Dirven clapped him on the shoulder.

  Nat blinked. “Wait, what?”

  Kaylee chuckled. “We are starting a new Citadel on Miikor, and we have the proof of ownership of the property. They can’t deny us or threaten us.”

  Dirven asked, “Are there other talents on Miikor?”

  Nat shrugged. “I have heard of a few. If they have somewhere to go, they will come just to feel like they belong. Miikor is pretty peaceful, but if someone doesn’t act, that is going to change soon.”

  Dirven pitched in, “Change is good for most worlds.”

  Nat took in a calming breath before exhaling. “Yes, but not when they are on the verge of having their government take over all their citizens. This is not good
. We need to stop it.”

  Those around the table stared at her.

  Kaylee cleared her throat. “What if it is the will of the people?”

  “We live in an oligarchy. There is no will of the people. There is the ruling class and everyone else.” Nat sighed.

  Dirven smiled. “Which is how we were able to gain the control over those few acres. They were an offer from a previous regime.”

  Nathaly watched the schematic grow in front of her, the digital display rooted a Citadel and it spiralled upward.

  “How does that work?”

  “Avari nanites. They use the local materials to build a predetermined design, and then, they simply become part of the self-healing structure.”

  Nat cocked her head. “So, it grows a building?”

  Worvin smiled. “It does. I have only seen it used once, but it was very impressive.”

  Kaylee grinned. “Now, we just have to finish fitting you with appropriate clothing. Your dress is great, but you need the robes of a Citadel head.”

  Worvin smiled. “I have made the arrangements, and the robes should have finished with their generation by now.”

  “Just like that?” Nat was surprised at how fast things were moving.

  Kaylee put her hand on Nat’s shoulder. “We started things in motion when Lupik sent the first message for help. The Citadel is wanting to seed as many planets with outposts as they can. Even if you don’t have enough experience to train them, you keep them safe and summon the training that they need.”

  Worvin nodded. “We have all the monitors and terminals we need; the design of the tower is full of them. All we need is a basic connection and a link to a relay and we will be in full communication. It should only be a few days without links to the Alliance, but we can manage it if you are willing to keep us safe.”

  She stood straight. “If I am given a code name so my parents aren’t in danger, yes.”

  Dirven smiled. “Shiver. It is a solid name and only hints at what you can actually do. Strobe will be with you.”

  Nat made a face. “I am not a fan of the name Strobe. I think Bright would suit him better.”

  Worvin smiled slowly. “I wouldn’t mind a change. Being Strobe has not brought me luck, so perhaps Bright would be a better choice for my future.”

  Kaylee shrugged. “Bright it is then. Shiver and Bright will be the administration of the new Citadel Miikor until the building is up and more instructors can be brought in.”

  Dirven nodded. “So, Nathaly, are you sure of how you are going in?”

  She inclined her head. “We are there to reclaim what belongs to the Alliance. We will have the treaties, the witness statements and the declarations of the rest of the planets in the system that an outpost once was stationed on Miikor.”

  Worvin smiled. “We are merely reclaiming the outpost and building a new base. Once it is built, we will transfer the ownership to the Citadel.”

  Kaylee nodded. “And as the Citadel works with the local classes, you can demand representatives from the government and the local population for your liaisons. That is how you will get your parents out of their situation, Nathaly.”

  Nat nodded and smiled. “Do we really think this will work?”

  Dirven chuckled. “She has had stranger ideas that were harder to execute. Just remember that as a member of the Citadel, Shiver can use her talent to defend herself at any time.”

  “It will seem strange to use it on Miikor. I am not sure that I am ready for it. I have spent my life not drawing attention to myself.”

  Dirven nodded. “That is over. You are going to stand with head high and order your people around.”

  “So, no one will notice who I am if I call attention to myself?”

  Kaylee tried to smack her on the shoulder but her arm went right through Nathaly’s body. “That is the spirit. No one realizes I am just a researcher with her head up her own butt most of the time because I can walk through walls. It is a fair trade.”

  Dirven sighed. “Go and rest, Kaylee. I will manage the rest of this. The shuttle is already loaded.”

  Kaylee kissed him, or that is what it looked like as she passed through him face to face and Dirven shivered.

  When Dirven collected himself, he raised his eyebrows and looked at the map as if seeing it again for the first time. “Right. So...”

  They went through the briefing a second time, and when everyone knew what was planned, Nathaly and Worvin were dismissed to retrieve her Citadel robes and board the ship.

  Worvin managed the controls and Nathaly sat stiffly in the seat next to him. “Are you nervous?”

  “Yes. I don’t know what I thought would happen, but this wasn’t it.”

  He chuckled. “Life rarely turns out the way you expect it. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. That is my motto.”

  “I had no frame of reference to prepare for this.”

  “No, but you are adapting wonderfully.”

  She looked over at him, and he glanced back at her and smiled.

  “You really think I can do this?”

  Worvin nodded. “I know you can. Your parents raised you with as much unity and education as they could manage. That much love carries an obligation to do the best you can with whatever situation you find yourself in. They prepared you for greatness, now take it.”

  Nathaly blinked at the firm tone in his voice. “Um. All right. I will do what I can.”

  “Good. Lady Lupik is breaking the news of the treaty to the government, and I am preparing to meet with resistance when we drop through the atmosphere.”

  “Right. What should I do?”

  “Have a meal and take a nap. We will arrive in two hours and you might want to be as fresh as you can.”

  She nodded. “Can I get you anything?”

  “Some caf. I have to remain here to monitor the chatter on their com systems.”

  Nat got to her feet and moved through the shuttle with her robes swaying heavily around her. The fabric was lightweight but had a solid feel. Worvin had told her it was armoured, but she didn’t want to test it. It also hid her obvious similarities to the Miikor. The mask across her eyes and down her cheeks was comfortable but would take getting used to.

  She was swathed and hidden. Nathaly Welling was gone and Shiver was standing where she had been.

  A nap was impossible, so she grabbed a snack bar and two cups of caf, returning to the cockpit and her seat next to Bright.

  She kept her breathing calm as her world filled the forward screen. They were taking direct action. They were going to begin the construction of the Citadel before meeting with the local government.

  It was a bold move and probably a stupid one, but it was the best way to get them into position so that the chancellor could not remove them.

  When they entered the atmosphere, she held her breath and Worvin’s eyes glowed bright. It was time to make their move, and it was going to be a big one.

  The aircraft that flanked them through the atmosphere had peeled off when they were over their official grounds.

  The moment they were down, Shiver got up, headed to the hold and grabbed the unit containing the pop-up Citadel.

  By vibrating the unit, she could drag it onto the bedrock half a kilometer from the ship. She dropped the unit to one side with the very large button facing upward. A quick glance showed that Bright was waiting next to the ship, so she pressed the button, waited for the light to begin its count down and she ran for it.

  Bright caught her in his arms as they waited for the thirty seconds to elapse. The light grew more intense and flared as the unit sent a beacon skyward and a matching anchor into the rock under it.

  “I can’t believe that we are growing a Citadel.” She stood with her arms around him, and he didn’t seem to mind.

  “Keep watching, it is starting.” His arm around her back moved in a soothing motion.

  She smiled. Hugging him had been an impulse, but continuing the embrace was taking a lot of ne
rve. His hand on her back told her that the contact was not unwanted.

  With her family structure the way it was, she had no prospects as far as gentlemen were concerned. Bright was smart, handsome and had a flare for keeping track of her that she was beginning to appreciate.

  As she watched, the nanites did their job and the tower spiralled upward. “Oh, my.”

  They sat and watched as hours passed and the stone beneath the new base was turned into the extruded grid of the towers and eventually thin but tough films of windows.

  “Wow. I didn’t think it would actually work.” Shiver chuckled and watched the outbuildings rise from the ground in a spiralling wave.

  Bright smiled. “Frankly, neither did I. I had heard of the Teklan experiment, but the Avari’s technology is so powerful, it is nearly mythological. That they are willing to part with any of it is entirely due to the new Alliance Ambassador. She has married one of their elders, and now, as long as the tech disables itself after its programmed duty, they are willing to sell us instant bases.”

  “I am not going to ask what she does to get that agreement.”

  He chuckled. “Neither am I, but I am guessing she does it very well.”

  A chime rang out, and Shiver moved out of the very comfortable embrace, returning to the shuttle and grabbing rolls of endless, fine cable.

  Bright followed her and carried his own burden. The spindles projected from the front of the building, and when the cable was threaded in place, they activated the sensors and the spools began to unravel.

  Wires moved into the structure and were connected to each floor, each room and each terminal.

  The Avari had been very precise with their instructions for building the structure. The plumbing was worked out via a complex ground water and filtration system. The gardens growing behind the tower would use up the water after the tower had its way with it.

  After another hour of watching, Bright brought out meals for them as the sun went down.

  He smiled. “So, when do you think the Miikor will arrive?”

  “They are ten minutes out. I can feel their vehicles. The local area is too rocky for most aircraft. The vertical takeoff is a necessity.” Shiver ate her sandwich and sipped her soup from a cup.