Starfall (BOOK 1)

Chapter 23

JAMES

"The code is incomplete," Aaron remarked as they stood with the projection of Rayan with tangled code running between them. "I noticed a couple of patterns." He pointed at a trail of code. "One word caught my interest: EDEN. I'm wondering if it's some sort of acronym." Aaron folded his arms as the words skittered across the screens.

"Did you break through it?" Rayan questioned.

James twitched at his deviation from priorities. "If you can't get a complete code, I don't see how useful the information would be to finding the vats from a... possible acronym that spells out 'EDEN'."

Aaron studied him. "Is it familiar?"

"No."

"If it's incomplete, that means there's another part to it," Rayan argued and swiped the code in front of him. "We'd just need to find the other half of it. We could break it."

"Can we focus on why we're here?" James interjected the rebels, one who found themselves on his ship; the other, so close, but so far away. Both of them switched their attention to him. "I want the vats so I can send them to the Sanctum and we don't have to deal with this — putting the code to the side for a minute." He waved it out of the center, and Rayan dropped his arms to the side and never wavered. "Here's my plan. I send Keren and Nyra onto the smuggling ship, and they wait to go to their base of operations. I doubt they'll be holding the edevium vats on their ship, it's been too long already. They'll have moved it." He studied the rebel's expressions, though Rayan's was nothing but layered steel. "We interject them when they land, and storm the base."

Rayan closed his eyes and folded his arms again, but then eyed Aaron. "You think they went to one of the outer planets? Someplace like Rekka? Seeto mentioned it once or twice."

James jolted at the observation, but before he could question further, Aaron shrugged. "Maybe? Nowhere else is safe for them since the Sanctum cleaned house on Eteran."

He kept his questions close to his soul as Rayan sighed. "I'll take this code with me. James is right, we need these vats. Odaport is in a rough spot, and we can't afford the Sanctum crushing us further underneath their heel." He rubbed the back of his neck with a stretch. "Have you thought about what happens when we find where they're holding the stolen edevium?" He gazed at him without the fear of death, while Aaron pinched his cheek and poked the code. "They may be scattered, but we should be careful."

James raised an eyebrow. "Never thought I'd hear that from you of all people."

Rayan's lips parted, but he folded his arms with a huff. "I'm just tired of having to deal with them."

"Then what do you suggest?" James pressed.

"You cause a distraction when we intercept them," Rayan pointed out. "I'll send you coordinates to the edevium vats if I find them, whether they're processed or not, and then we get it and ourselves out." He swung his hand forward in one fluid motion. "I have a funny feeling where they're processing it, but..." He shrugged his lean shoulders. "We can't say for sure."

"Captain, the route lit up," Evelyn called from the navigational array. "It's almost time."

Rayan huffed and rolled up his sleeves. "Let's get to work then. I'll be in contact with you once we start."

"Be sure to follow behind," James said as Rayan reached for his prismtooth. "This could get dangerous."

Rayan nodded, and then his pixels fell apart in his hands, nothing more than bloody embers skittering across his skin. He layered steel over his heart, and protected the metal tag which choked his neck. "Is your disconnecter ready, Lexin?"