Nick James - Crimson rising

Eva shrugs. “There are a couple storage ships just south of the Canadian border.”

“No.” I ball my fist. “It needs to be one of the larger ones, but nothing with a heavy Tribunal presence.”

“Then Altair,” she replies. “Skyship Altair. Southeast of here.”

“What are you thinking, Jesse?” Avery’s eyes narrow.

Cassius smiles. “He’s thinking we need to steal some Pearls.”

“We’ve got two options,” I say. “Break into a Chosen or find a storage facility on one of the Skyships. We can’t just stand here waiting for Pearls to come to us. We need a lot of them, and quick.”

Eva frowns. “And what about Theo?”

Cassius curses under his breath. He clutches his bracelet and meets my eyes. “I’ll handle Theo. At least until you can break the Pearls.”

Sem moves to Talan’s side. “And we will do what we can to help. Unfortunately I don’t think I will be able to enjoy the benefits of flight for much longer. We’ll require use of your shuttle. But we can help organize any freed Drifters. We can make sure your efforts aren’t in vain.”

I nod. “Then let’s get this over with.”

Eva points back to the hill we’d come over. “Shuttle’s just past that point.”

Sem meets my eyes. “Lead the way, Pearlbreaker.”

– Two hours after dawn.

Skyship Altair hovers over the Idaho/Montana border. It’s far enough from either coast to be much of a government stronghold. Eva says she’s heard it’s mainly a recreation and business center. Not a lot of money stored onboard, but given its size, it’ll need a plentiful amount of Pearls to keep it airborne. This will be our target.

The sun beams in every window of our shuttle. The Fringes are bound to be baking, even this early in the morning.

Cassius sits in the pilot’s seat. “So that room we saw, with Matigo and his lieutenant. That was a memory?”

Sem nods. “A reconstruction. Important events are stored in senso-cubes on Haven. The Authority controls all of the planet’s history. I suspect that particular cube was stolen.”

“I found it in Ryel’s pocket,” I say.

Sem’s brows raise. “If he was indeed a pilot with the Authority, I suppose he would have had the opportunity to grab a cube before joining the Resistance. Usually they’re simple to trigger, but Matigo likely had security in place on that cube. You were lucky it managed to activate in the air. Perhaps due to the vast amount of Ridium above it.”

Cassius brings us back level. “Any tips on Theo?”

The Drifter frowns. “Don’t underestimate him.”

“Yeah,” Cassius says. “I think I’ve got that.” He turns to me. “As soon as the officials on Altair see this Academy shuttle land in the docking bay, they’ll likely send people after you.”

I grit my teeth. He’s right. Unless Alkine’s pulled off some sort of diplomatic miracle while I’ve been gone, everybody onboard the Academy are still fugitives from the Skyship Community.

“I won’t stay long,” Cassius continues. “Just a quick drop off. Use the others to create a distraction.”

“Yeah,” I say. “We’ll do what we can.”

Sem nods. “We need to be on the offensive. We can’t drag this out.”

“Good thing,” Cassius responds. “Because we’re almost there.”

– My knees shake with nervous energy. I think about last spring, when I was a simple Skyship trainee floundering in a program that, at the time, seemed too big and too difficult to bear. Now, only four months later, I’m planning an assault against a Skyship.

I think back to what Morse said in the Fringes before Theo killed him. I could be the trigger for this invasion. Has it already happened? If I would’ve stayed back at the Academy like Captain Alkine wanted, would we have had more time to prepare?

There’s no chance to second guess myself, now. We stand in the docking bay of Altair, watching the ship pull away. I don’t know what Cassius thinks he’s doing, going after Theo on his own. I’ve learned not to question him, but it doesn’t sit easy with me.

Before leaving the ship, I grabbed a pistol and tucked it in the waist of my pants. The cold metal is a constant reminder of the risk I’m about to take. It should raise my confidence. Maybe I’d feel better if I was a good aim.

“Find the main security center and keep watch.” I turn to the others. “If something happens, I’m counting on you guys to throw them off track. Create a diversion… or something.”

Eva crosses her arms. “That’s very vague, Jesse.” “I know,” I reply. “But if the Pearls are stored on the lower levels, I won’t be able to see what’s happening in the city. If they’ve got a security patrol after me, I’m blind against them.”

Avery shakes her head. “You’re not doing this alone, Jesse.”

“The fewer of us that go, the less obvious it will be.”

“You need a backup,” she says.

Sem nods. “The girl is right. Talan and I will scout. If necessary, we may be able to provide the distraction you need.”

I meet Avery’s eyes. I try not to let my heart make a stupid decision, but even weighing the pros and cons leads me to the same response. “Okay, Avery. You’re coming with me.”

Eva glances at a shuttle full of commuters in the distance. “Don’t feel too secure, people. Once Jesse starts breaking Pearls, it’s going to be like the Academy times a hundred. People will feel it. The entire ship will.”

I take a deep breath, turning to Avery and grabbing her hand. “You really wanna do this?”

“Do you?” She squeezes my fingers.

I don’t answer. Instead, I clutch the pistol under my shirt, say a few prayers, and hope for the best.

After ascending twelve levels, Avery and I arrive in a broad, low-ceilinged plaza just below the domed city at the very top of Skyship Altair. It’s an underground shopping center, reeking of perfume samples. The light overhead is impossibly bright, the faux-marble tiles polished and gleaming below our feet. Slow, hypnotic music plays softly in the background. It calms my rollicking heartbeat, if only for a moment.

I watch shoppers as they pass by. Even this early in the day, the wide plaza is crammed with activity. “The more people, the better chance we have of blending in.” I step forward. “We need to find a ship directory.”

We push through the crowd, past holographic advertisements and decorative fixtures. Fountains, indoor gardens, the latest gaming pavilions.

And then he catches my eye. He emerges from around the corner of an electronics store, still covered in his dark bodysuit. The red energy has completely faded, but I recognize his face immediately. It’s the face that I hoped was my father’s. The face in the swarm.

I grab Avery’s arm and pull her close. We flatten against the wall. “It’s the Drifter, from the red Pearl.”

She cranes her neck, but the Drifter’s quickly swallowed by the crowd. “Where?”

“Not far.” My bracelet buzzes. He’s getting closer. “This isn’t good.”

I scan the shopping center, searching for escape routes. I can’t see the Drifter anymore, but I’m sure it was him. The trembling of the Ridium confirms it.

“There!” Avery points to an exit on the other side of the plaza, in between a pair of clothing stores. We’ll have to cut through the crowd to reach it, and risk running right into the Drifter, but there aren’t any other options.

I stand on my toes and try to gauge the Drifter’s whereabouts. “Do you see him?”

“No, but it’s so crowded.”

“We’re gonna have to chance it. Follow me.”

We take off at a sprint across the plaza. The Drifter spots us immediately.