Thunder Struck (3 page)

“Your family is coming for a visit. I have had your bots doing housekeeping in the city so that they will have comfortable quarters.”

Ked sat up, delighted. “That’s wonderful. Why now?”

“Because your birthday is coming. This year it is time for something special.”

Kedna blinked. “Why?”

“You sound like you did when you first came here. I will tell you, but your family has only been given the sketchiest of briefings.”

Kedna sat up straight. “You have my full attention.”

“
Since the Sector Guard project was first considered, I have been dwelling on the possibility of hosting a base, but dealing with those new species has not been something that I have excelled at. You have a knack for dealing with the new races that I deeply admire.
”

Ked blinked as it dawned on her what was being said. “You are going to be Sector Guard Base Iskan?”

“
Guard base and Citadel training world. This space will be crawling with talented people in need of a home and you are their leader.
”

Ked rubbed her eyes. “Me? In charge? Has Halwis been standing too close to volcano fumes again?”

The Avatar laughed. “
Very funny. No, I want you to know that you always have a place here and putting you in charge is my way of doing that.
”

“So, my gift is being responsible for an entire base?”

Halwis-Iskan beckoned her over. “
Come with me.
”

They walked down to the main floor and out to the empty gardens. Just beyond the garden wall was a flat plane and on that plane were a shuttle and a personal skimmer. Both were wearing a tag that said
Thunder Struck
.

Ked looked to the Avatar. “They are for me?”

“
I don’t know of anyone else who matches that description.
”

Absently she said, “Technically, it was lightning.”

She was suddenly so excited, she didn’t know what to do, so she hugged her friend with as much strength as she could muster and ran to the machines. “Can I?”

“They are yours, take them for a spin.”

Grinning with glee, Ked stepped into the small skimmer and settled in. As her hand touched it, the vehicle sprang to life and lifted inches off the ground. She grabbed the controls and zipped around the city before settling it back next to its big sister.

The shuttle wasn’t for flying in space, but it would do just fine for cruising around the planet. Again, the machine came to life with a touch of her hand. Biometrics were lovely things.

The shuttle wobbled a little until she got the hang of it, but it took her to the volcano fields, the ice fields and over the ocean before she returned to the city and she settled it neatly on its original parking pad.

The moment the engines were quiet, she left the shuttle and ran to Halwis-Iskan once again. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou.”

“You are welcome, little storm. Raising a daughter has been quite the adventure at my age, but I have truly enjoyed it. This is just a sign of my affection.”

“I love you too, Halwis-Iskan.” She smiled and there were tears in her eyes.

They both got their composure back together and started discussing the bases. From personal experience, Ked said, “I am going to need a lot of domes.”

“Why?”

“Horticultural talents mean well, but they very often lose control of their plants when they are learning. Weather talents do well in a confined space as well, as you know.”

Halwis chuckled. “It did help you get under control when you were a little wild.”

“It did. I am just lucky my lightning was just strong static.” She fought the urge to rub her butt in memory.

“Right. Domes. I think that the Kalwer plains would be a good place to put them.”

They returned to the library and opened a world map, pointing out areas that would be ideal for the situation that was coming upon them. The designs and the list of required materials were forwarded to the Sector Guard and the Citadel respectively.

A week after the announcement, Ked’s family arrived and everything was ready for them.

She hugged her parents in turn and then swung Lira up and around before greeting her older siblings. Hugs of welcome were standard amongst their people, but Kedna had never felt the welcome coming out of her more than she was feeling at this moment.

She sniffled. “I am so happy you are all here. Halwis-Iskan, this is my family. Everybody, this is the Avatar of this world.”

Her mother embraced Halwis and her father did the same. Her siblings introduced themselves one by one and Kedna couldn’t stop smiling.

Halwis finally inclined her head. “I will leave you with Kedna. I have matters to attend to and I will join you for dinner.”

They waved farewell as Halwis simply rose in the air to fly off over the city walls.

Her mother asked, “Does she do that often?”

Kedna grinned. “Often enough. Wouldn’t you if you could? Now, on with the tour.”

She showed them the main square, the gardens and, finally, their quarters.

Lira looked around. “Where do you sleep?”

Ked pointed through the open window to the old city hall. “Over there. That is where we will be having our meals as well.”

“It looks like you did well for yourself.” Lira’s tone was a little snide.

Ked gave her a narrow look. “I was dropped here, just as you were with the Citadel. The difference is that there was no one to help me get a grip on my talent. I had to be somewhere I couldn’t hurt anyone. It has just been me and Halwis-Iskan here this whole time. No one has been visiting, no one else lives here.”

Lira’s eyes widened and Ked felt a push on her mind. Out of reflex, she pushed back and Lira stumbled into the wall. The wind died down in an instant.

“Lira, we have outgrown that. Do not make the mistake of thinking I am the sister you used to push around. I will push back and you won’t like it.”

Kedna was a little sad that Lira was still a bully. She left her sister to nurse the bruises to her ego and her shoulders and spoke to her mother, explaining where she was going to be when they wanted to come and see where she lived.

She walked to the open window, and with Lira watching her, she stepped off the edge and let the wind carry her over to her home.

Her mother came up next to her during the tour. “So, Lira says you can fly now?”

Ked shook her head. “Of course not. I just heat the air under me and use a following wind to propel me. I travel on the wind. I don’t fly. I can’t get unlimited height.”

“That is impressive.”

“No, that is part of my talent.” She shrugged. It made her uncomfortable to discuss the one thing that had separated her from her family to begin with.

“Be proud of what you have achieved. You are going to be the youngest base manager in history.”

Ked nodded. “Have you agreed to the contract?”

“Yes. Your father and I will be delighted to move here to Iskan. I believe Lira will remain at Thoola until she has completed her training.”

Ked looked at her mother and was amused by how similar they looked. Her mother did not look old enough to have her eldest child thirty-five years old.

“When do you think you will make the move?”

Keeba Kencort grinned. “When will our facilities be ready?”

“The research domes are on their way. They should be ready in the next sixty days. We also have to lay in commuter vehicles and temporary housing near the research points.”

Her father, Weller, came in to the library. “Is this where you do your research?”

Kedna smiled at the familiar and worn features of the Master Healer that she had been lucky enough to be born to. “Homework. This is my library. Iskan is insistent that every moment of every day be spent doing something useful or informative. I have a number of degrees in everything from cooking to jump engine design.”

Weller frowned. “You didn’t mention that on your visits.”

She sighed. “I was still getting used to being around other people, even my family. Here I am with Halwis-Iskan and no one else.”

Keeba had a peculiar expression on her features. “I hear that you have been doing missions for the Citadel.”

Ked shook her head. “No, I have been doing them for the Sector Guard.”

Weller paled. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

She shrugged. “They send me out with a Minder for ballast while I am working. It used to be a Minder-Healer combo, but I gained control over my power-supply issues.”

Halwis came in, robes swinging. “Please pardon my intrusion but I need to speak with Kedna.”

Ked excused herself and followed Halwis out to the fountain square. “What is it?”

“There is a Sector Guard ship on its way here. They need your assistance sorting a planet with a chronic drought issue. I will entertain your family until you get back.”

Kedna wanted to say no, she wanted to flatly refuse, but this was the reason for her training and the pains Iskan had taken with her education.

“I know you wanted to spend this time with your family, but I promise you can have them back anytime you wish. They all have clearance. That said, I am hoping you are back quickly.”

Ked wasn’t optimistic. Changing weather patterns was difficult and time consuming. Her birthday was going to be spent with her mind in a foreign planet’s sky.

“I will go and tell them that I have to leave.” She sent her mind skyward and felt the ripple in the atmosphere. “And I will be quick.”

The ship would be down in minutes, so she had to get ready. She gave Halwis a quick hug and headed back to her quarters.

Lira was in her room, looking around. “Excuse me, Lira. You can rifle through my stuff when I am gone.”

“Gone? Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. A Guard ship is coming in to take me to my assignment.”

Lira cocked her head and then snorted. “Must be nice being chauffeured around.”

As she stuffed bodysuits and robes into her bag, she snorted. “Not hardly. I can fly myself but I am not allowed.”

“Why not?”

“Two reasons. The first is that I am too large an asset to risk me being captured or killed on assignment. The second is that since using my talent repetitively comes close to killing me, I can land but taking off is a little dodgy.”

Lira paused. “Kills you?”

“Sure. That is why Dad had to fit me with the bio-bracelet. Since I was the only one without mental shielding, you made me into a toy and kept using me to entertain you. Dad thought I was doing it out of my own will, so he came running when the alarm went off telling him that I was nearly dead.”

She closed her bag and went past her stunned sister. “You can resume pillaging.”

Her parents were understanding, as were Niiko and Keeza. Lira was quiet and in the background.

With everyone briefed, she stayed with them until the Guard shuttle landed beyond the city.

“See you later.” She waved farewell and walked to the low balcony, jumping into the air and using the wind to carry her to the landing site.

To her surprise, she recognized the Guardsman who came out to greet her.

Haedock’s shock was apparent in his expression as well. “Kedna?”

She nodded and stepped toward the ship. In reflex, he stepped back and let her pass. Out of habit, she stowed her bag and settled into the navigator seat, bringing up the mission specs and reading about what they needed her to do.

“You have changed, Kedna.”

She chuckled. “I grew up, Haedock, or is it Tend now?”

“Haedock is fine until we land. I have to say, I never imagined that you would look like this when you reached maturity.”

She looked down at herself and back up at him. “Why not? What is wrong?”

He settled in the pilot’s seat and fired up the engines. “Nothing is wrong but my means of expressing myself. You look lovely and it tongue-tied me.”

“Oh.” She focused on the diagrams of the planet and tried to come to grips with being thought pretty. Most of her other handlers were women so the compliments had never come up.

She felt the delicate feathering of his mind on her shields. “I have learned to defend my mind against intruders, Haedock.”

He lifted off and cleared his throat. “Apologies. I just wanted to know if I had offended you.”

“Not offended. I just don’t know what to do. You merely observed a physical change in my body, so I do not thank you, but I haven’t dealt with many men, so I am a little out of my depth here.”

“Understandable. Well, how about we begin again?”

She chuckled. “Fine. Hello, Haedock. Nice to see you again.”

“Hello, Kedna. Using your talent certainly seems to be agreeing with you.”

“It is. It is. Have you heard the news about Iskan?”

He blinked. “No, what is going on?

“Apparently, the last few years of work that Iskan has been doing has been leading up to him opening up that planet as a Guard and Citadel training centre.”

He looked at her in surprise. “Really?”

“Iskan is an ideal location. It is empty and the perfect situation for world-wreckers like myself. Halwis and I have divided the world into different training areas depending on the talent of the individual involved.”

“So, the plans are underway?”

She laughed. “They are. As Iskan said when I questioned him,
His planet, his rules.
”

Haedock inhaled and then exhaled sharply. “Well, that is certainly true.”

“He feels your people had enough time to work their way out from planetary dependence and you didn’t do it, so he forced your kind off.”

Haedock chuckled. “That is certainly blunt. I apologise for our first meeting. I was labouring under the opinions of my parents and hadn’t actually looked into the situation myself. I educated myself the moment we parted.”

“Understandable. I have done the same with the exodus of the Iskanoi.”

He nodded. “Iskan did what he could before he sent us off.”

“It has been three hundred years. Are your folk still obsessed with getting back on the surface?”

“Only a small faction, mostly descendants of Halwis. They consider Iskan family property.”