Reavers (Book 3) (36 page)

“Valerie was attacked along with us,” Ronald said as he put a hand on his sister’s shoulder.  “I didn’t feel safe leaving her in the hands of the Protectorate.”

Mr. Springate and Penny instantly saluted.

“I beg pardon,” Penny said quickly.  “We would have shown our respects if we had realized who you were, Division Leader.”

“There’s no need for that,” Valerie said with a faint blush.  “I’m not a division leader any more.  Our academy days are all long behind us.  In fact, I believe you two outrank
me
now.”

“They know one another?” Erin whispered.

“Don’t be dense; they were all in the SW division back in the academy together,” Marie said.

“Valerie was nice enough to let us have them in our squad,” Liz said thankfully.  “Penny is a great sniper too even if Mr. Springate is a little better at stealth.”

Penny punched his shoulder.

“I prefer his nickname,” Cain said with a grin.  “Mr. Sneaky here doesn’t make that big of an impression.”

“What is it with you people!” Penny fumed.  “I get it already; he’s sneakier than I am.  Can we drop it?”

“There’s a fine line between sneaky and anti-social,” Rhea said as she eyed Humphrey.

“Don’t drag me into this,” he mumbled.  “
I
remembered who he was.  How could I forget it when he was the one who knocked over the wall to our barracks back on Deriso?”

“Hah!”  Penny beamed with newfound pride.  “So much for stealth.  Looks like you’re not as subtle as you hope,
Mr. Sneaky
.”

“Three years and new assignments later and we are still the same old squad,” Angela said with a content smile.

“Not that I don’t enjoy seeing everyone back together, but I have to ask why,” Tyra said, locking her gaze on Cain.  “I somehow doubt that even
you
would go to the trouble of having your PSF drag us here for a simple reunion.”

“Quite right,” he said with a pleased smile.  “I do miss working with intelligent people.  I’d trade half the administrative staff back home for you guys.”

“They’re not
that
bad,” Angela said as she nudged him.  “They just keep you in line is all.”

“So that explains the new waistline,” Doug said.  “Thought I was hungover and imaging it up until now.”

“Hold on,” Liz asked in alarm, “you get so drunk that you have
hallucinations
?”

“Come on, even I’m not that bad,” he said with a smile.  “Just couldn’t think of anything else that would explain how he dropped a few dress sizes.”

“People change,” Tyra said.

“You make it sound like he wanted this,” Angela said with a slight chuckle.  “You should have heard him complain.  You’d think they asked him to . . .”

Abruptly, the livestock transporter ground to a halt.  Half the troopers lost their footing and were knocked off balance.  The other half were supported by Ronald as he stood firm, seemingly unaffected by the sudden jerk.

“Looks like we got back just in time,” Cain said as he leaped out the back of the vehicle.

As he rushed over to the second transport and started to help unload the stretcher, the other troopers slowly got off - rubbing their sore muscles from the less-than-pleasant ride.  The heavy gravity had made each bump feel like an artillery strike.  Idle thoughts of soreness vanished as Doug let out a long whistle.  It quickly became obvious what impressed him.

They had arrived at a lavish estate.  The enormous house stood as an impressive testament to the local real estate values.  Without any nearby structures, it was difficult to gauge the true size of the mansion.  Easily standing at least three stories, the front face of the building was covered in elaborate molding and detail that was hard to find even on a core world.  Reaching out from two massive doors was a long walkway, rimmed with gorgeous trees and well-groomed shrubs.  The estate was surrounded by a lush green lawn that wasn’t marred by a single imperfection.

All it needed was a prince and a fairy godmother to be the perfect replica of any fantasy 3P.  As the troopers marveled at the sight, a single figure emerged and approached them.  Before she had noticed the figure, Marie felt Liz release her and watched as the girl quickly ran toward the mansion.  Just as she was about to run into the man, Liz jumped at him and enveloped him in a tight hug.

“Brent!” she shouted.  “It’s been forever.”

“It’s good to see you, too,” he said as he attempted to keep his balance.  “I trust Marie is nearby.”

“Among others,” Tyra said with a wide grin.

“I knew Cain said he was expecting company, but I never thought he meant all of you.”

“Who else would he mean?” Rhea asked.  “I can’t imagine there are many who can endure him like we can.”

“Already picking on Cain?” Humphrey mumbled as he threw up his hands in exasperation.  “Can’t you go one single day without picking a fight?”

“So much for your ‘people change’ idea.”  Angela nudged Tyra.

“Well, maybe not everyone - but
some
do.”  Tyra winked at Ronald.

Angela burst into laughter as he blushed ever so slightly under the heavy gravity.

“Who’ve you got there?” Brent asked as he hobbled toward them against Liz’s clinging to him.

“What?” Ronald asked, still recovering.  “Oh, you mean Valerie.  I’d wager you remember her.”

Valerie tried to hide behind her brother as he approached, but Ronald pushed her out from behind him.

“It’s been a while,” she said sheepishly.

Liz looked anxiously between the two as Brent silently studied her.  Finally, he let out a long sigh.

“I thought I told you to not let things bother you,” he said.

“What?” Valerie asked in surprise.

“It was a mistake.”  A gentle smile filled his face.  “I’ve told you a hundred times that I’ve forgiven you.”

“But . . .”

“No buts.  You went overboard; I got hurt.  That’s it.  I’m safe and sound now.  Nothing to punish yourself over.”

“I can’t just pretend it never happened!”

Brent’s smile increased slightly, and he put his right arm on her shoulder.  As she stared at him, a sense of calm filled her.

“I’ve forgiven you.  Time to forgive yourself.”

Valerie opened her mouth to protest but found nothing to say.  As Brent looked her in the eyes, it almost felt as if she could feel his concern for her.  There was no hate or malice in it, just a pure desire for her to be happy.  She had never felt anything like it before, and it overwhelmed her.

As a soft misting of tears started to fill her eyes, Brent took her close and hugged her gently.  Valerie let the tears and fears drain out of her as she finally accepted his forgiveness.  Abruptly, she felt a sudden weight on her left side.  Swiping the water out of her eyes, Valerie found Liz hugging her as well - a warm smile on her face.

“That’s better,” Tyra said as she patted Valerie on the head.  “Can’t have one of us down in the dumps.  Destroys squad morale.”

“But I’m not . . .” she stammered.

“Nonsense!” Cain bellowed.  “Family to Ronald is family to us!  More than that, we did serve under the SW for a while.  It might have only been a few days, but you’ll always be one of us.”

Valerie couldn’t tell if it was the gravity of the world or the surprise she had received that made her want to collapse to the ground.  A firm hand helped her keep her footing.  Ronald had closed to her side and was discreetly holding her up.  The embarrassment was too much, and she took a step away and tried to steady herself without his assistance.  To her surprise she had managed to separate herself from Brent and Ronald but not Liz.

“The more the merrier,” Humphrey mumbled.  “Just don’t insult Rhea or ask Doug to join you for a drink and you’ll be fine.”

“Are you insinuating I have a temper?” Rhea asked.

“Insinuating?  You make a natural disaster seem pleasant!”

“You know what they say about playing with fire,” she seethed.

As Humphrey and Rhea continued to bicker, Brent felt a tugging on his sleeve.  Turning, he found Cain silently motioning for him to follow.  While they left the others behind, he could hear the others attempting to defuse the conflict.

“What’s wrong?” Brent asked when they entered the house.

“I didn’t want to alarm everyone,” Cain said in an obviously troubled voice.  “Not all of us made it here safely.”

“What’s the damage?”

“Owen is deep in a coma.  The doctors did everything they could for him, but he was in a bad way by the time they got to him.  Mahoney, Sanderson, Kindra
and
Dante are unaccounted for.”

“Unaccounted?  I’d expect more from you.”

Cain paused momentarily.

“Mahoney’s dead.”  His shoulders sunk.

Brent stumbled a step.

“Are you sure?” he asked slowly.

“He was out on a remote mining asteroid.  Reports indicate his ship was destroyed while he was on it.”

“Could he have survived?”

“There’s nothing in the report, so I had my own people look into the matter.  Apparently Mahoney used his own explosives.  The explosion was on the same level as an orbital bombardment payload.  No way he could have survived that.  The miners only found debris.  Largest piece was smaller than a balled fist.”

“So, are Sanderson and Kindra gone too?” Brent asked in a hollow voice.

“I doubt that,” Cain said, a small point of hope returning.  “They
were
attacked by a Weaver, but they disappeared.”

“That’s a good sign?”

“From the way the Weaver disregards everyone around him, I’d wager that if they were dead we would have found the bodies by now.  It’s more likely they are just laying low.”

“Can you be sure?”

“That’s the other half,” Cain said as a small smile appeared on his face.  “The more I looked into it, the less I found.”

“You’re smiling . . . why is that a good thing?”

“There are very few people who can hide things from me or my dad.  Some deranged Weaver isn’t one of them.  Most likely Military Intelligence has stuck its oversized nose into this.”

“Then I’ll just hope for the best.  What about Dante?” Brent asked, obviously anxious.

“Nothing at all.  He’s been missing for quite a while.  Although, it’s not looking like foul play.”

“Oh?”

“Apparently it’s standard procedure for the investigation units.  They work their troopers hard, but turn a blind eye when they
disappear
for personal vacations.  Last anyone heard of Dante, he was staying at a popular retreat on one of the core worlds.”

“Vacations?”

“Hearing how they work made me glad to be working for a corporation.  Operations, as they call them, can last half a year or longer.  Hours are listed as ‘when it gets done.’  No breaks or leave until after the current operation is completed.  Basically they work like slaves for most of the year, then disappear so they can recharge before returning for more.  Why Dante would be interested in that kind of duty assignment is beyond me.”

“What exactly passes for an
operation
?”

“Ranges, everything from finding a quartermaster who is . . . liberal with his stock to investigating
strange
occurrences.  Everything from the dull to the dangerous.”

“Hard to think of him relaxing off somewhere while his friends are being targeted.  However, if that’s the case, I suppose no news is good news at this point,” Brent said thoughtfully.

“My thoughts exactly.”

“So where are you taking me?”

“I had the doctor set up Owen in one of the more private areas of your mansion.”

“
My mansion
?  You make me sound like some kind of governor.  Hold on, what doctor?”

“You don’t even know exactly how many rooms are in this place.  I wouldn’t be so quick to downplay this
house
of yours.  Anyway, it’s the doctor who treated him when Hiroko first brought him in.  She hasn’t left his side any longer than Hiroko has.”

“Didn’t think doctors were so free to roam.”

“Normally they’re not.  But she made it clear that she wouldn’t let Owen out of her sight.  Naturally, if we didn’t take Owen then Hiroko wouldn’t leave either and . . .”

“And you didn’t feel comfortable leaving the two of them where the Weaver could easily get to them again.”

“Does Cassandra mind when you finish her sentences?” Cain asked with a wide grin.

“I let
her
finish,” he said, mirroring the grin.

Cain let out a thunderous roar of laughter as he opened the door for him.  Brent was forced to pause as he walked through the open door.  In the room was Owen on a white bed, dozens of wires and machines hooked up to him.  However, that wasn’t what startled him - he recognized the doctor.  He knew he had seen her before, but for the life of him couldn’t place where or when.  He had the vague feeling she had been important.