Reavers (Book 3) (28 page)

“I’m sorry,” Octavia said quickly.  “I lied to you, Brent.”

“So you knew then?” he asked with a smile.

She nodded as she turned her attention to the floor, attempting not to make eye contact with him.

“Was I the only person in the galaxy who had no idea my wife was pregnant?” he asked as he got up.

Octavia recoiled as he walked over to her.

“Thank you,” he said warmly as he patted her head.  “Thank you for protecting my wife’s secret, even from me.  Now, when can I go home?”

Third glanced at Octavia.

“I see!” Brent shouted as he reevaluated the room.  “So this is where you stay when you’re not at the house.  So how big is your base, Octavia?  Subterranean I suppose.”

“How did you . . .”

“Third looked at you like he was asking permission.  The only reason he’d do that is if this place belonged to you.  I’ve been wondering where you’ve been disappearing to over the years.”

“I try to sleep along with the students as much as I can,” Octavia said defensively.  “It just doesn’t
feel
right.”

“Living with these filthy organics?”  Third shuddered violently at the thought.  “I don’t see how she had any other choice.”

“I’m not mad,” Brent said as he peeked around one of the various entrances to the chamber.  “In fact, I’m quite impressed.  I’m guessing this place is pretty big and that no one has a clue it’s here.”

Octavia’s face seemed to glow with pride at the compliment.  Third seemed to still be upset by the notion of spending several hours in a room filled with sleeping organics.

“Anyway, how do we get out of here?  I really should see Cassandra.  After two weeks I bet she is worried sick.”

“She is . . .
managing
,” Octavia said as she gestured for him to follow.

The sun felt wonderful.  While he had only been aware of the passing of a few hours, his body hadn’t felt the warmth of the giant orb in sixteen entire days.  Compared to the dark labyrinth of Octavia’s base, the light was blinding.  As his eyes adjusted a thought occurred to him.

“Tell me Third.”  Brent paused as he realized he was on the surface now, there was the chance of being overheard.  “
Henry
.  Why are all Shard bases so dark and foreboding?”

“Foreboding?” Octavia asked, sounding a little surprised.

“I know they feel like home to the Forged,” he said diplomatically. “However, to me they feel sort of like dingy caves that have never experienced the light of day.”

“Dingy?” Third asked resentfully.  “I will have you know our bases are cleaner than your organic medical facilities.”

“He doesn’t mean dingy as in dirty,” Octavia said with a grin.  “He means they are dark and dull.”

“They perform their purpose with optimal efficiency,” Third said as he studied Brent.  “It would be inefficient to expend the additional power to illuminate them to wasteful levels organics maintain within their structures.”

“Do you ever get lost in one another’s bases?” he asked with a grin.

“Occasionally,” Octavia said, mirroring his grin.  “But it’s always been that way.”

Third marched off.

“Don’t pout,” she said as she joined him.  “He didn’t mean it insultingly.  Your designs are very efficient.”

Brent glanced over his shoulder before he joined them.  There was no longer
any
evidence of the entrance to be found.  Compared to the rolling hills and gentle grasslands above, the dark tunnels hidden deep underneath were almost unimaginable.  To think something so sinister and powerful slept beneath was almost disconcerting.  While his body enjoyed the trip through the countryside, his mind continued to ponder what exactly was beneath him.

His apprehension quickly faded as Octavia started to run toward the mansion.  She wasn’t some dark evil monster, just a gentle young girl.  Although, he had to admit “young” applied only to her appearance.  He had surmised she was well over a thousand years old, perhaps closer to two thousand.  Naturally, he never asked for specifics.  It was beyond rude to ask a woman her age, and that was when the maximum was limited to three digits.

Before Brent had even reached the end of the driveway, a dozen or so students rushed out of the front door.  They quickly reached him and together bowed like the tripods.  He scratched the back of his head.  Cassandra constantly told him not to bow like that in public, and only once or twice had he forgotten.

Regrettably, a few of the students had seen him bow like the Slashers, and a few days later the entire staff working at the mansion had learned it.  Brent wasn’t entirely sure why they had chosen to adopt his bad habit.  Maybe the bow united them as students on a world that had nothing but contempt for such things.  Whatever the reason, the damage had been done.  About a month later, every single student at the university greeted him in that fashion - a few of the instructors too.

Before he could react further, three students grabbed him and started pulling him into the house.  They were pulling with such haste that it was hard for him to keep his balance against their incredibly strength.  The rest quickly fled back inside, no doubt alerting the others to his return.  The house was spotless, not even a hint of dust.  The students must have been working overtime to keep things in order. 

Before he could marvel at the condition of the entryway, the three students started dragging him toward the dining room.  Before they made it, another group of students descended on him and wrestled him free from the first three.  He could only stare in confusion as the students started bickering.  A gentle tugging on his sleeve broke his fascination with the ranting of the students.  Glancing down, he found Octavia holding a finger to her mouth.  Nodding, Brent silently followed after her.

“What’s all the trouble over?” he whispered when Octavia gave the all clear.

“Cain and Angela have been taking care of the house in your absence, and the students are warring over who they should take you to first.”

Brent chuckled.  He had caused so much trouble.  He was still certain his fight with Rupert had been the right thing to do even though he hadn’t foreseen this.  Pausing a moment to get a bearing on the location of the students and their emotions, he started toward Cassandra.  With the excitement of his return, the students were incredibly simple to keep track of.

The students who had dragged him into the house were still arguing when he reached his room.  He chuckled as he wondered how long it would take them to realize they had lost him.  Entering their room, he could feel the familiar worry coming from his wife.  Even though the emotions were negative, he found them reassuring.

“I’m not in the mood for company,” Cassandra said in a halfhearted voice.  “Come back later.”

“Are you sure?” he asked as he sat next to her.  “I’m not sure I could break away again.”

“Brent!” She shouted as she wrapped her arms around him.

In an instant her worry faded.  A gentle warmth flooded over him as Cassandra held him tightly.

“You had to break free of Henry?” she asked in surprise as she suddenly remembered his words.

“No, no.  I meant the students.  They wanted everyone to know I’d returned.”

“What took you so long?” she demanded.

“I just said I had to free myself from the students.”

“I didn’t mean that!  You’ve been gone for days.  I was worried you might not come back.”

“Ye of little faith.”  Brent kissed her forehead and smiled.  “You should know I won’t let anything come between us.”

Cassandra returned his smile as a serenity filled her.  Suddenly, her eyes widened just a bit and she chuckled faintly.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Here, feel this,” she said warmly.

Taking his hand, she rested it on her stomach.  As far as Brent could remember, she had
just
started showing the pregnancy.  The belly his hand now rested on was several times larger than he remembered.  Had it happened all in two weeks, or had he simply not noticed the gradual change?  Abruptly, all those thoughts seemed beyond trivial.  Under his hand came a gentle sensation.  It was a kind of vibration that needed no explanation.

“Is that?” he asked in awe.

“They are kicking.”

“
They
?”

“We’re having twins,” she said as happy tears started to fall down her cheeks.

Words escaped him.  He couldn’t think of anything that could express what he was feeling.  Kissing her tenderly, he felt another kick.  All sense and logic failed him as he struggled to compose his thoughts against the joy he couldn’t express.

“There is one thing,” she said, sounding more than a little playful.

Brent could only nod.

“Dad cut you off.  What were you about to call me?” Cassandra asked behind a mischievous smile.  “A sweet piece . . .”

Rhea lifted her feet onto the desk and started rubbing her soles.  The office wasn’t very large, but thankfully it was private.  When Grand Executive Catala had suggested a position for her, she hadn’t considered how exhausting it would be.  At the time, all she could think of was the prestige and status of the position.

Life in the military was always moving, running, or marching.  In the Independent Traders Union there were incredibly long stretches of stillness.  Standing still for hours for the various conferences and news feeds was taking its toll on her feet.  She couldn’t really complain though.  She was working for the ITU, a corporation she had idolized since before she could remember.  Sadly, it wasn’t near as magnificent as it had been. 

The Shard had tricked and manipulated the corporation three years ago.  While the public knew that fact, they still felt resentment.  The ITU had done a great deal of damage on behalf of its puppet master, and there were few who didn’t blame the corporation directly.  It all made sense.  They needed someone to blame for the mess, and they didn’t dare accuse the Shard - as if even whispering their name would break the spell, and the horde of metallic death would descend over the Commonwealth again.

On the plus side, being the left hand of death had spared most of the ITU’s ships.  Even though people resented the corporation, they still needed supplies and goods.  Lofty ideals and morality took a back seat when there wasn’t anything to eat.  With a begrudging thankfulness, the various worlds had renewed their trade contracts with the ITU.

They simply had no choice in the matter.  For the corporation it all amounted to little more than a public relations nightmare.  Rhea was confident that, in the fullness of time, people would forgive the mistake the ITU had made.  A gentle tapping on her door interrupted her impromptu massage.

“Come in,” Rhea called out as she quickly sat up properly.

As the door slid open, she recognized a familiar face she hadn’t seen in a long while.

“Douglas?” she asked in surprise.

“Don’t call me that,” he mumbled with a slight cringe.

“Sorry!  I haven’t seen you in . . . how long has it been?”

“At least six months,” he said in his characteristic mumble.  “Probably longer.”

In all the time she’d known Humphrey, he never
once
spoke at full volume.  Even in fits of rage, he barely reached the level of normal speech.

“So, what brings you to Reloas?” Rhea asked, trying to conceal her delight at his surprise visit.

“New assignment,” he mumbled.

“Oh?”

“I’m the new liaison between the military and the ITU.”

“
What
?” she asked in shock, nearly falling out of her chair.

“No one else would take the position.”  He shrugged.  “Sounded like an easy assignment - good pay, too.”

Rhea sighed.  It had been a long while since she had seen anyone from her old squad, and she had hoped for a social visit or something
pleasant
.  She and Humphrey had never really gotten along, and the prospect of working with him was daunting, to say the least.

“Oh, and by the way,” he mumbled as he looked over her office.

“Yes?”

“We’re taking away your Private Security Force.  The military finally decided it was too dangerous to leave an armed force in your care.”

She jumped out from her desk.  The military had been threatening to reduce the size of the PSF, not outright take it away.  She had gotten used to the idea that it wouldn’t actually happen.  The military was just tossing around an empty threat.

Without a PSF, the corporation wouldn’t be able to protect its trade lanes.  This was a death sentence for the ITU.  Abruptly, Humphrey pulled something out of his pocket, and the room was filled in a momentary flash of light.  As Rhea rubbed her eyes, she could hear Humphrey chuckling.

“You should have seen the look on your face,” he taunted.

“That was . . . a
joke
?”  she shouted angrily as her eyes readjusted.