Ninguen leapt over the rail and landed on the lower floor. After three similar acrobatic jumps, she reached the ground and ran out on the street. Glancing at the map displayed on her LiqWatch, she went deeper into another maze amongst the skyscrapers. Crossing it, she swerved into a square where a few light ships stood.
From her LiqWatch issued a young, male voice, “Chandri, why are you moving away from the target?”
“They’re chasing me,” the Kehrian woman explained. “Open the hatch!”
“Chandri?” asked a bewildered Cerridwen, opening her eyes wider, “you said your name is Ninguen!”
“Nadee Chandri. I couldn’t tell you my real name when we first met,” interposed the Kehrian woman and jumped into the ship that began to lift up.
Being right behind her, Cerridwen gripped a doorstep and climbed up on board. She leaned against a shaking wall of the narrow corridor. She closed her eyes and after a while, breathing the dense air in with great effort, she slurred, “Explain this.”
The Kehrian woman remained silent, thinking of how to make her lie sound coherent.
“What’s going on here? Where are we?” The Celestian girl did not give up. Her voice gradually changed from a weak gasp to an irritated growl. “I can’t stay here. I need to go home.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” said Nadee and walked to the cockpit hatch. She pointed to the floor. “Did you see those bastards? They were firing at you, not me. I’ve no idea what they wanted, but they definitely did not want to kill you. Probably something worse.” She flicked her sweaty hair away from her face. “They used needles loaded with a soporific. They were desperate. You won’t be safe down there.”
The door slid open. Nadee stepped inside and leaned over the control panel. She was not alone, but her companion remained silent.
Only then Cerridwen noticed a seventeen years old, pale white Celestian with ruffled, sandy-yellow hair. A tousled, oversized cloak in dingy brown colour covered his back, and splotches of dry mud stained his grey trousers and heavy boots.
“What’s going on, Chandri?” he asked in a hoarse voice, turning around. At the sight of Cerridwen, he sprang up from his seat and took a gun out.
“Who is this? What she’s doing here?” he growled.
The Celestian girl stepped back and opened her eyes wide. She looked around the room. She could not spot an escape route, and her chance in combat did not exceed zero. A rapid surge of adrenaline filled her veins, making her irrational and defying all her survival instincts. She became an animal in the cage that had nothing to lose and was ready to rush at the stronger opponent to break free. She started defending in the only possible way.
“Don’t do it,” she barked, raising her hands and falling back, “my father is a famous politician and scientist. And as soon as he finds out what have you done to me…”
“Really?” broke in the stranger with a disdainful smile. “I have no reason to believe you.”
“You don’t believe me, that’s ok.” She shrugged. “But if you don’t want a fair fortune…”
He narrowed his emerald eyes. His allies never passed up any opportunity to gain easy money, so they frequently hijacked poorly guarded cargo ships that hauled supplies for worlds damaged by war. They also kidnapped the rich people or members of their families who were significant for the Union.
“Chandri, lock her in the hold,” he ordered after a while. “If she seriously is a daughter of someone important, she may be valuable for us.” He turned towards Cerridwen. “I hope after a session of one-to-one with you, we’ll find out something interesting.”
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“But I know nothing!” Cerridwen frowned.
“Are you sure?” The Celestian sized her up in his contemptuous sight. He sat down, still aiming at the intruder. He licked a corner of his lips. “We have ways of getting our information, and most of them aren’t pleasant.” He glanced at the ceiling. “Drowning in a warmed-up fuel tank is the best thing that can happen to you. And now, you go to the hold and keep your mouth shut.”
Cerridwen could barely move her numb legs. All her bravery and confidence disappeared. She was drenched in sweat, and her clothes stuck to her trembling body. She took a few steps back without letting the Celestian out of her sight.
Remaining calm, Nadee stood up and came closer to her. “Put this on,” said the Kehrian woman, giving her magnetic bands and crampons that would help her move in zero gravity, “and do whatever he tells you.”
Cerridwen bent to put on the crampons and fastened the bands above her knees. Then she raised her head to look at the Kehrian woman with fear but also gratitude in her eyes. A gentle, vague smile stretched Nadee’s mouth. Her face was free of violence and aggression. She did not remind Cerridwen of an oppressor, unlike that Celestian.
“Hurry up there!” he called.
The Celestian girl entered the cramped hold, and the pilot remotely locked the door. Inside were several flat, long chests. Cerridwen lay down on one of them. The metal was cold and tough, and she did not care much for it. All her limbs shivered, and her muscles hurt from exertion. Her heart hammered and despite all the learnt techniques, she could not calm down in any way. She tried to figure out a plan, an escape route or a way to negotiate with the kidnappers, but the only thing that appeared in her messed-up mind were visions of the gun pointing to her head, her assailants pursuing and waiting for her and an anxious and concern-ridden Delian.
Delian. The only person she wanted to be close to. Despite his normal crumpled and dirty clothes, she loved falling asleep with her face snuggled into his chest when she was a baby. Even his slow breaths worked on her like a warm, comfortable and soft living cradle, unlike the case she was lying on now.
Nadee returned to the cockpit and sat in the second pilot’s seat. The Celestian turned towards her and said in a pretentious tone, “Again, you brought another child in need here? It was supposed to be a top-secret mission!” He spread his arms, pointing to the illuminator. “You went there to find this guy from SynthBreed Project and what? You came back handholding the Union’s bastard.” He put his hand to his forehead and gripped his shoulder-length hair while taking a heavy breath.
“Calm down, Quirinus,” broke in the Kehrian woman. “She just found herself in the wrong place and ran after me. I didn’t even notice it.”
“Yeah,” he snorted, crossing his arms. “And you led her directly to our ship.” He clenched his fist and hit the armrest. “Seriously, do I need to explain to you what a top-secret mission means?”
“What was I supposed to do?” interrupted Nadee, narrowing her eyes. “Leave her when three men armed to the teeth were chasing us?”
“Antares would do it. And we should do the same.”
The Kehrian woman was going to reply curtly to all allegations, but she held her tongue. She tightened her lips, looking with hostility at her companion. She would rather not say unfavourable things about their leader in front of Quirinus.
“Fine,” she began, “at the first opportunity, we’ll drop her off to some safe place.” Then she figured that there were no safe places in the area where they were heading.
“Now it’s too late, Chandri,” he muttered. He gripped the armrest and bent over to look into the Kehrian woman’ eyes. “This Celestian girl knows too much.” He straightened back. “Okay, I won’t kill her because we can get a fine ransom out of her or get some information but now, you’re responsible for her. You mustn’t let her leave the hold until we decide what to do with her.” He squinted and said in a low voice, “If they discover us, I have no idea what Antares will do with you. But I will help him.” “I got it,” Nadee mumbled and lowered her eyes.
“I hope you do.”
The Celestian leaned against the backrest and gazed at the darkening sky behind the glass. The anger faded away from his eyes, and his voice became impassive. “You, from outside the Zetherion, will never understand the concept of duty… but I don’t mind. That’s because no one taught you.”
Nadee gently tilted her ears backwards and said in a placid tone as she mustered up her courage, “Don’t bring your philosophies up again.”
“We were taught by the dead wastelands, the impassable mountains and frozen desert,” continued Quirinus.
Nadee rolled her eyes at his mockery. She got up and informed him, “I’m gonna fix the wires you told me about.” She shrugged and left when the Celestian did not answer.
He’d spaced out as his sullen memories returned to him and made him brood about his lost world again.