moving, though he still spent a significant amount of time at her bedside. He held her hand, caressing it gently and lending support as she went through the more painful stages of her rehabilitation. Though his words were comforting, it was the information he brought that was more valuable.
“Alcent has established a ruling council for the ship,” Adam explained to her on the second day as she lay in bed. Sweat beaded on her brow as the chemicals coursed through her system, setting fire to her nerves. Her body tense from the pain, she maintained a crushing grip on his hand.
“And what…” she began through clenched teeth. Her breathing was labored, making speech painful in between gasps of air. “What does he intend to do with this council?”
Adam shrugged. “The council has yet to meet because they’re waiting for you.”
“Me?” Keryn asked, surprised. “Why does he want me?”
“They want both of us,” Adam explained. “We’re seen as beacons of the hard-earned freedom from Miller’s Glen. They don’t just want diplomats on the council; people who will get bogged down in the bureaucratic double speak that everyone is already too familiar with. What they want are people of action, and they can’t think of two people who epitomize action better than you and me.”
“And I’m assuming Alcent is on the council?”
Adam nodded, knowing what she was insinuating. “Yes, he’s on the council. Yes, it’s a position of power, which is more than a little self-serving for Alcent. But I think he’s doing the right thing.”
Keryn glowered at him. “’The right thing’? Alcent doesn’t know the meaning of that phrase.”
Shrugging, Adam explained. “A lot of people have questions right now, questions that aren’t readily available. They want to know where we’re going and why. People are afraid. Just because we’ve escaped the planet doesn’t mean we’re free yet. We still don’t know how long we’ll be able to fly before we encounter another Terran Destroyer.”
Keryn squeezed her eyes shut as frustration rolled through her body. “Haven’t we started going through the computer?”
“We have,” Adam said, sighing. “We have, but what we found isn’t very promising.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “There’s a lot of information and only a few people capable of working the systems. It’ll take time to sort through all the data.”
Standing, Adam stroked her hair and gave her a warm smile. “I’ll come back and visit you later. Get feeling better.” Keryn smiled as warmly as her body would allow before Adam turned and left the infirmary. Once he was out of sight, the smile faded from her lips. Though her body would heal, she wasn’t sure she would be feeling better about their situation any time soon. Even if she chose to ignore the fact that she was taking a group of emotionally and physically defeated survivors to a planet that guaranteed further violence between them and the Terrans, she still had to worry about the devious loyalties of Alcent. The Uligart had loyalties that extended only as far as his own financial or physical well-being. Alcent had been a good ally of opportunity when she needed help on Othus, but she didn’t think him trustworthy enough to lead a council who would make decisions that would benefit an entire ship worth of survivors. Then again he was a smuggler, a profession that based its existence on deceit and lies. Maybe that made him the most qualified politician out of the entire group.
Later in the day, Keryn was able to get out of bed and move freely around the ship. She was grateful for her freedom. Though Adam’s presence was soothing, when he wasn’t around she was left only with the company of the Voice, whose lack of patience was only surpassed by her own. Too many days of bed rest resulted in sniping comments both inside her mind and directed at anyone unfortunate enough to walk by her bed. When she left the infirmary, the nursing staff was glad to see her go.
Adam walked by her side as they made their way toward the bridge. Her rib had healed as had the injured knee, but the increased gravity from the deep space travel still took its toll on her body. They paused often, usually at the base or top of stairwells, which allowed Keryn to view the damage to the ship.
The Terrans had manned the ship with only a skeleton crew, but they had put up a significant fight as the revolutionaries hunted them throughout the corridors. Holes and scars marred the once pristinely painted walls. Near the base of the closest set of stairs, the tiles were cracked and loose and the walls around were charred and black, signs of exchanged grenades between the two forces. If they intended to remain in the
As the pair approached the bridge, a man wearing a dirty jacket approached them both.
“Excuse me,” the man said in a stern, confident voice that belied his worn appearance. “Alcent has gathered the rest of the council in the War Room and requests your presence.”
Keryn and Adam followed the messenger to the War Room, a blockish room with a U-shaped table dominating the center of the room. At the base of the U, holding a position of power, sat Alcent. As the two entered, he motioned to a pair of empty chairs on his right. No sooner had she collapsed into the chair than Alcent began his rehearsed speech.
“We are a lost people,” Alcent began. “Our homes destroyed and our land forgotten, we’re wanderers in the void of space. We have no goal, no aim, no sense of direction. The longer we drift the more we lose our sense of self. We need a purpose and a goal. For that, I defer to our saviors. Of all those who fought in the Glen, two were the voice that launched a revolution. Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you Keryn Riddell and Adam Decker, the Heroes of the Revolution!”
Applause erupted in the small room as a mixture of faces and species cheered the two sitting at the head of the table. Keryn smiled sheepishly, unsure of how to react but sure that this was Alcent’s desired reaction. As the applause slowly died away, Alcent turned to Keryn.
“Please, Keryn,” he said comfortingly. “You set us free and got us a ship. Adam even gave directions on where we were going, but did not give an explanation of why. Enlighten us.”
His last statement ended without any of the compassion she had heard moments before. Keryn quickly realized that Alcent was not fond of being kept in the dark. For someone who made his wealth off information, she could understand his position quite well.
“There’s no sense in being coy,” Keryn said matter-of-factly. “We’re heading to a Terran scientific outpost.”
She was unsure of whether or not the ruling council heard the words “scientific outpost”. The mere mention of flying from one Terran stronghold straight to another sent the council members into an uproar. They spoke over themselves as they yelled to be heard so that only small amounts of conversation could be heard.
“…insanity…”
“…a suicide mission…”
“…she should be removed immediately.”
Adam slammed his fist onto the table. In surprise, the room hushed. All faces turned to the angry Pilgrim, whose face was flush red.
“We just left Miller’s Glen and you’re already squabbling like children!” Adam yelled into the quiet room. Many of the council members flinched away from his berating. “Keryn saved every one of your lives, but do you really believe that the insignificant numbers of lives in Miller’s Glen are the only ones in danger in the entire universe?”
Keryn placed a hand on Adam’s arm and the anger drained from his face. Looking slightly embarrassed, he took his seat. In his stead, Keryn stood.
“Adam, while enthusiastic, is also correct,” she began, her voice clearly carrying in the large room. “It’s great to know that everyone that survived Miller’s Glen is now safely aboard the
Keryn moved around the table, allowing the eyes of a dozen different council members follow her. “Every one of you made your money through smuggling and trade. Who will you trade with when everyone else is dead? I know that you all can’t be so self-serving as to believe that escaping Miller’s Glen was the end of all your problems.”
She continued to walk around the table as she continued. “The bottom line is that the Terrans created this mess and have to be the only ones with the solution to the Deplitoxide that destroyed the sun. We know that the
