"My favorite thing—staff meetings. You can't imagine how thrilled I am to be called from Shafir's bedside for this. Thank you Captain for making my day complete."
Boni Davenport stalked into mission briefing, hands balled at her sides, scowling at de Goa and those already assembled. Her shepherd Chika padded in beside her, head cocked and conveying the same irritation. As usual, Boni's kinky brown hair was pulled into a taming knot against her neck. Otherwise, she was nothing like her normal self. There were circles of exhaustion under her eyes, obvious even with her dark skin tone. Instead of looking tiny in a way most termed "delicate", she looked gaunt and wasted. The change in her threw Abriel. She'd barely seen Boni since the moleboy attack now she'd all but taken up residence at Medical Intensive. Abriel had suspected things were bad, but not this bad.
"Lieutenant Davenport," de Goa said, her frosty tone seeming to make icicles of displeasure from thin air. She sat at the head of the stone alloy table and drummed her fingers on it. "Nice of you to come after only making us wait ten minutes. Why don't you take a seat so we can begin?"
"I apologize if my issues inconvenience you, Captain," Boni answered, her salute so exact as to be insubordinate before she marched around the table. De Goa said nothing, but her eyes shot lasers.
Abriel scooted farther down the bench to make room for Boni between herself and Tague. Tague looked annoyed. Boni parked herself with a thud and blocked his scowl.
"Boni's pissed," Keko noted.
"You would be too if the man you were supposed to marry was in a coma a month before the wedding."
"Do you want me to point out I'm a shepherd, hence, I don't marry or mate for life?"
"You just did, irritating puppy."
"Seems to be the day's theme. I'm getting a sense from the other shepherds that everyone's annoyed at being summoned."
"Maybe, but you have to respect the office of Captain even if you don't like the person holding it." She reached down to where Keko lay curled on the floor and scratched between his ears. "I wonder if Braen's pulling de Goa's strings or if this is her own initiative."
"Maybe she wants to give a pep talk."
"Do you picture de Goa as a morale booster?"
"Honestly? Look at how stiff Haru is beside her. He's trying ease her nerves, but he's at the point where he's projecting her emotions."
"So she in distress?"
"Distress barely qualifies. She's terrified. Whatever she has to say, we're not going to like it."
Abriel slumped on her bench, miserable.
"Chika says Boni says to keep smiling and hold your head up," Keko sent a moment later.
Abriel smiled and met her friend, roommate, and coworker's warm brown eyes. "Tell them thanks even if I've heard that advice a million times already."
"She also said de Goa couldn't lead a pack of shepherds to lunch let alone into a firefight."
"Ah, that's my girl," was the last thought she sent before hunkering down to pay attention.
De Goa rose from her seat, pushing herself back from the only chair at the table. She paused, eyes scanning the room. "I wish we could ease ourselves through this transition within the scouts, but time is the one thing we don't have. With the devastation to Crescent, the lives we've lost, and enemies all around us, we have no time. As the only force standing between innocent lives in the Crescent and the chaos outside, Minister-general Braen has urged we assess our situation and put an action plan in place. Over the past day I've had detailed reports compiled as to our readiness status. That's why I called you all here: to discuss our preparedness and how we can regroup to combat future attacks."
De Goa looked around the table, meeting all eyes again. Abriel noted the woman only held hers a brief second before flicking away. Very irritating.
"And what is our readiness status?" Kaven van Andel asked. He managed to sound both skeptical and sarcastic in one sentence, as if de Goa was telling him something he already knew and it irritated him just to hear her.
The new Captain took a breath. "Not good. Our ranks are thinned to the point that if moleboys attacked in force, we couldn't repel them. We can't monitor the tunnels, police the Crescent, and defend against an outside assault. We don't have the manpower or the resources."
"To anyone with a brain, this isn't new information. What do you propose we do, Captain?" Helen Lynden asked, yet another failed Captain hopeful.
Abriel almost winced at the hostility in Lynden's voice. Maybe they weren't being fair to de Goa, but she was no Rex Brighton. The woman had better prove herself fast or she'd lose her team.
"With the Minister-general's aid, I have come up with a plan to—"
"Braen isn't a scout, Captain," Tague said from Boni's other side. "His office is too involved in scout business as it is. The sooner we cut ties, the better."
"You're out of order, Howard!" Hazina shouted, Lieutenant of the third squad. The elderly woman slammed her hand down on the table and her shepherd Misumi barked in unison. She'd always been a de Goa supporter, having once served as her second.
"Out of order?" Tague retorted, a harsh laugh in his voice. His shepherd Peke nipped him, but he ignored it. "I'll show you out of order, lady!"
"Enough!" Zhi shouted, Lieutenant of the fourth squad. For a tiny, soft spoken woman of more than fifty, her voice could rattle a stalactite when pushed. "We've had enough turmoil in Urbine's Crescent. We need to present a united front. Without us, where will the people look for guidance and leadership?"
"I think Braen and his goons would have different answer to that one," Tague replied in the same heated voice. "They already think we have too much influence. Whatever takes the scouts down a peg will make them ecstatic. No one's saying it, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're thrilled the Captain's dead! He opposed almost all Braen's policies. With the Captain dead—"
Abriel stood in a movement so swift, it nearly toppled the entire bench. Keko rose with her. She fixed her gaze on Tague who quivered with suppressed outrage. "Shut it."
"I'm sorry Abriel. I didn't mean to—"
"I know, but I still want you to shut it." She sat back down and turned to de Goa. "While you were making all your charts, did you find time to question the prisoner I captured?"
De Goa's lips thinned into an angry line. "So far, he has been uncooperative. I haven't had time to assign anyone to follow up with the interrogation."
"Lymin is Meshodi's point-man. He'll know that bastard's plans regarding future attacks. That makes questioning him a priority," Abriel said, trying not to sound exasperated. "The shepherds are telepathic. It will only take a few hours for them to crack him open. If protecting the Crescent is a priority, you need to assign someone."
"I said I didn't have time," de Goa answered curtly. The woman's dark brown eyes seemed to take up half her face, the whites blazing with outrage.
"Then learn how to allocate your resources."
"I've already volunteered for the job," van Andel remarked, eyes traveling between the two women. "My request was denied."
The woman scowled. "Van Andel, I am not sending you to work over a prisoner you're itching to get your hands on. I want information, not a dead moleboy. When I have the right interrogator selected, I'll send him or her."
"I'd trust van Andel to do the job. My father did too," Abriel goaded.
"With all respect to Captain Brighton, his methods aren't mine. I learned from the best, but we do things my way."
Abriel's eyes narrowed. "And what way is that?
"Captain, you don't need to justify yourself," Hazina interrupted. "Brighton's out of line."
"If you can't take criticism, don't set yourself up for it, Captain," Abriel said, eyes never leaving de Goa. At their sides, their shepherds sat at attention, waiting with them. For a moment, she felt sick to her stomach. I shouldn't be doing this. It isn't my place to speak out. You don't challenge the Captain. But de Goa wasn't a Captain she could recognize. "Well? Let's hear it."
Chandi held her stare, and as if speaking to Abriel alone, said, "We need to stop monitoring all but the most essential tunnels, create a scout-civilian outreach program to aid in policing the Crescent, and start recruiting new scouts."
"What about the shepherd shortage? What about the shepherds you wanted put down?"
The woman didn't even flinch at Abriel's allegations. "If we can't rehabilitate the eight we have, then we approach the nomadic shepherd community and canvas for any who might want to join the ranks."
Fuck. That's what I would have done. Abriel shut her mouth and made a pyramid of her fingers. She had nothing left to fight with, and she watched the smug smile bloom on de Goa's face. Her hand itched to slap it off.
"Now, if you're finished, perhaps we can get this meeting back on track."
"I have a bad feeling," Keko sent. "Haru is practically bouncing. De Goa's planning something nasty."
"To begin again, with myself as Captain, the position of Premier Lieutenant is vacant," de Goa said. She gestured to the man beside her, Olin Berrena, Lieutenant of the second squad. An older man, his rich ebony skin was darker than even de Goa's. Most in the Crescent were a light mocha mix with few as light as Abriel. It was rare to find any as dark as Olin. "My choice is Lieutenant Berrena. All in favor, raise their hand."
Abriel looked around the table. She caught Boni and Tague's eyes. Caught Kaven's across from her. All offered her pensive looks. She tried to gauge the other lieutenants' expressions as well, but few gave anything away. Olin himself looked so unsurprised, Abriel suspected he and de Goa had planned this earlier. He'd been a scout before she'd been born. Though he did little active field duty anymore, as Premier Lieutenant, it would be his role to provide guidance and council the Captain. He was as good a choice as any, though a bit too conservative. De Goa was already cautious enough as it was. Abriel raised her hand, unable to come up with a better objection. Most of the scouts did the same.
"Scout Olin Berrena, you have been nominated and found worthy by your peers. Do you accept?"
"I do."
De Goa smiled. "Good. I now confer on you the title of Premier Lieutenant with all the duties and privileges it holds." Then she looked around the table a second time, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. "With the transfer of title, the position of Lieutenant of the second squad is now vacant. In addition to this, we do not at present have the scout personnel to continue with fifteen full squads. As a result, twelfth through fifteenth squads will be dissolved and the remaining members reassigned. Joel Prestor, the Lieutenant of the former fourteenth squad, I assign you as new acting Lieutenant of the second squad. Tague Howard, I assign you as new acting Lieutenant of the sixth squad. Boni Davenport, you will be the new acting Lieutenant of the tenth squad. Abriel Brighton, you will be demoted to regular duty scout and reassigned to the seventh squad. Once the roster is full again, all roles will be reevaluated and reinstated in the best interests of the scouts."
For long moments, Abriel sat uncomprehending, not sure what had happened. Not even Keko could break through the fog in her head. Then the reality hit, and the words unraveled her.
In one fell swoop, de Goa had taken it away. Everything that meant anything. The only thing she had left. All that training and bonding to form a perfect team with Poe, Rylee, Cami, Rowan, Anna, and Noel... Wasted. Gone. The work they'd done together... The good they'd accomplished... Damn it, they'd been the best squad in the Crescent! She looked up at de Goa. What was she seeing in the woman's face? Satisfaction? Pleasure? Righteous fury? Jealousy?
Abriel stood for a second time. Shouts came from all sides as each lieutenant wanted to be heard. Over that came the roar of barking and growling from the shepherds. Keko and Haru were claw-to-claw, ready to fall on each other and scrap it out.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, de Goa?" Boni shouted, grabbing Abriel's arm to yank her back to the table. "Is your first act as new Captain to instigate mutiny? Not only do you demote Abriel, you discount Shafir and throw me into his position! Do you have any idea how cold-blooded you sound?"
"What I'm doing is for our survival!" de Goa shouted, trying to be heard over all the other voices. "I'm sorry, but these are the measures I've decided on. If you don't want to follow them, you shouldn't have elected me Captain."
"That's the funny thing," Boni pressed on. "I didn't elect you."
"Neither did I," Tague chimed in. He looked around the table as if challenging the others.
"I voted for myself," Helen Lynden added. "I'm sure van Andel did the same."
"Actually, I'd be interested seeing the election results," Kaven said. "I'm curious to know how the numbers add up."
"Looks like we all have questions, Captain. Maybe, you'll find you didn't win the victory you imaged," Abriel finished. Her heart was beating hard in her chest. It hurt. Everything hurt too much right now and if she stayed a moment longer, tears would come next. There was no way she would let de Goa see her cry. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave the fate of the Crescent to the people who obviously care more than I do."
She turned on her heel and left. Shouts followed. Boni. Tague. Even Kaven and some of the other scouts. She didn't turn back. Couldn't. She didn't have any fight left. Not for the Crescent. Not for herself. Not even for her father.
*
"Abriel, where are we going?" Keko asked, not for the first time as he trotted beside her in the winding, deserted tunnel. Then he stopped, his clicking claws falling silent against the rough floor. "Why did we stop at the supply depot? What's in the shoulder pack?" His tone wasn't so much worried as it was apprehensive. "Are we going where I think we're going?"
"I'm getting my shuntbeetle," she said aloud.
"Don't you think there might be more pressing issues to focus on instead?"
"Maybe, but I want my shuntbeetle."
"And where are you putting it? Under the bed?"
"Doesn't matter. I want it, even if it is just to push the damn thing under my bed. At least, I'll have it. I'd like to take something from them for once."
"What about questioning Lymin? I thought he was high on the list of your priorities."
"Van Andel wants to do it. Let him."
"You know he won't get the truth."
Abriel stopped in the tunnel and glared at her shepherd. She was mad now. Mad enough to be angry with everyone, even those she loved best in the world. She wanted to kick every boulder and put her fist through every wall. "Why should I care what happens to the Crescent anymore? Who cares if it all rots?"
Keko sat back on his haunches. "I'm angry too, but you won't always feel that way."
"How do you know what I feel?"
"Don't be dense. I'm your bonded telepath."
"Oh, ha ha. Too funny." Abriel paced in the tunnel. This particular tunnel saw little regular foot-traffic so it was narrow and dark, and her optic spheres were turned up full. Even still, she kept tripping in the ground ruts which made her angrier. "They've taken it all away! How far do they think they can push me? Do they want to see me break? I'm losing everything!"
Keko butted her hard enough that her right knee gave. She landed in a crouch, and found herself backed into the wall, the shepherd pressing his full weight on her. Under ninety pounds of animal, she toppled. Wet nose brushed against her cheek and ear, and a muzzle was tangled in her hair.
"Lost ancestors, I miss him Keko. I miss Dad so much!"
"I know. You haven't lost everything. I'm here and I'm not leaving. We're bonded for life, for however long that is, and I will always be by your side. You need to start living. If you keep on this path, you'll hurt yourself. Your father wouldn't have wanted to see you like this."
She grabbed Keko hard, wrapping her arms around him. Angry tears fell faster than she could stop. "It's all been kicked out from under me. They're tearing me down piece by piece."
"Then kick back. You can do it Abriel. I know you and there is no one else I would rather be paired with."
Love washed over her, hitting her with a much needed warmth. How could she fight and win against a telepath? She couldn't, not when he was right. She wasn't alone. She could survive this if she let herself.
Gradually, she made the long crawl up from despair and pulled herself together to as close to normal as she could reach. Minutes, or maybe hours later, she released Keko from her death grip. The tears were dealt with by the back of her gloved hand. No more. There would be no more crying over this.
She pushed Keko from her lap with a grunt and rose to her feet. "I need to put you on a diet," she commented as she dusted herself off. Then she scratched behind his ears. Keko shook himself happily, nearly knocking her over again. "Thanks, puppy."
"Don't mention it. Now tell me again, where are we going?"
"I still want my shuntbeetle. I know it's creepy as all hell, but we need to understand what it means. Maybe I'm being foolish, but I think it something worth investigating, and right now, de Goa's pretty much stripped me of the ability to do anything else. Let's finish the job before she bounces me completely."
"All well and good, but mind telling me why you're checking your pistol charges?"
Abriel grinned. "If we're going to get into trouble along the way, I may as well do it up right. I want answers, even if I have to drag in the gen lab boys by their necks. And since I'm already in de Goa's bad books, I want to make sure I'm underlined with a star beside my name."
Keko did one of his mind sighs. His thoughts sounded resigned, yet proud. "Alright. Let's go blow shit up."
*
The shuntbeetle was where they left it. A little dustier, almost all the blinking lights extinguished, and the green acidic ooze had dried into a hard sludge, but still intact. With much complaining and very poor grace, Keko allowed Abriel to harness him to the body again. Ideally, she should have brought a trolley to transport the remains, although with all the grooves in the tunnel floor, it would have been a wasted effort. Instead she'd settled on the leather harness and cord of rope—much easier to get her hands on than a trolley.
Keko took a few experimental steps, whining as his claws clicked over the rocks and ruts. The shuntbeetle bumped along the uneven ground after him.
"How are you?"
"Uncomfortable."
She snorted a laugh. "Sounds rough. Can you get it back to the High Pass lab?"
Keko whined again, but kept pulling. "Probably. Come on. I don't want to lose my momentum. You owe me. I'm not sure what you'll owe me, but it's going to be awesome."
Abriel laughed again. "Belly scratches and all the bones you can gnaw for a month."
"Sounds promising, but not awesome enough. Keep trying."
As they bartered services back and forth, they worked the shuntbeetle over the tunnel ruts. They were still in the old, abandoned tunnel system so the pathways were narrow and progress slow. At one point, they had to go around a nesting ground of double winged nastas. The stench made Abriel's eyes water and seemed to coat her skin and throat. Worse, the eerie warbling gave her the shivers. Thankfully, the nests were built high along ridges in the ceiling so she didn't have to see them in all their nastiness.
There was also the possibility of encountering moleboys. It wasn't a guaranteed threat, but these tunnels were mostly unused and lost ancestors only knew how the moleboys slunk about behind the scenes. Scouts and shepherds could only do so much to track their movements; their abilities weren't limitless. Although, they'd been falling down on even that basic task. De Goa was right, even though Abriel didn't like admitting it even to herself.
"I think we're almost at the lab. I can hear the runoff from Lac du Triste," Keko sent, his breath coming in short pants. He stopped and collapsed on his haunches, exhausted.
Abriel stretched her back muscles, straining to catch the sound of running water. "I think you're right. Minister Chelsen and his boys aren't going to like us sneaking in the back way."
"They're not going to like us being here at all."
"I agree. Let's unhook here and see if we can entice some of the lab stiffs this way. I don't want to push this carcass any farther if we don't have to."
"Good idea. You have my full support. Now hurry up so I can properly collapse."
She unhooked Keko, though he didn't collapse as promised. Instead, they continued into the tunnel—exhausted and sweaty—and to the High Pass lab. The noise level increased until it was deafening. Another five hundred meters and they'd be out of the tunnel and into the cavern housing the lab.
"What squad's on lab duty this shift?" she sent to Keko.
"Seventh," he returned a beat later.
"Oh great, our brand new teammates. Enjoy the irony. Better alert them we're here before they arrest us."
"Already done."
They reached the High Pass lab cavern proper. All sound disappeared—everything but the ear-shattering runoff from the Lac du Triste as it passed under the land-bridge separating the lab from the Crescent. The sound was enough to deafen a person, or drive them insane. Scouts and shepherd on duty always wore ear protection. Thank the lost ancestors for the shepherds' telepathy or the guards would have been reduced to hand gestures and flashing signal lights. As the tunnel brightened, Abriel turned down her optic spheres. The cavern was lit with glow rocks—naturally occurring stones embedded into the cavern walls that cast a murky white light.
Then they cleared the tunnel and were face-to-face with scouts Ndulu and Guinevere and shepherds Oko and Dai—pistols up, but ready. Abriel made sure her hands were well clear of her pistols.
"They want to know why we're here, and why we're using a purposely closed off tunnel," Keko sent.
Why indeed. "Tell them I have a shuntbeetle find I'm bringing to the lab. I think everyone will want to see it."
"A bit melodramatic."
"Don't forget, I want my name underlined with a star beside it."
She heard Keko relay the message, but not the responses. She waited, considering the unassuming figure the lab cut, carved as it was into the wall-face and precariously close to the water's edge. Unassuming but vital, and a scout squad was on duty at all hours. High Pass lab protected their way of life. Embryo cross fertilization. DNA enhancement and refining. First generation incubation and insertion—or at least those were the tasks when they'd had first generation cargos. Any sort of genetic analysis and reconstruction, be it human, plant, or animal, the High Pass lab was responsible for it all.
Too much time passed. Why wasn't Keko given clearance? "They're not backing down. What's going on?"
She could sense Keko's consternation. "Don't know. I'm not getting the right response from the lab. It's chaotic. I can't read it. Oko and Dai sense it too."
She looked toward the lab and the two scout-shepherd pairs posted at the entrance. Both were reacting as well, as if something was rotten in the air and they'd just noticed. The lighting and the distance made it difficult to see, but given his size and the way he moved, one of the pairs looked like Poe Turney. He must be covering the scout shortfall.
"Send to Turney. Tell him to ensure the lab is secure."
"Done."
Abriel started running. Keko broadcast broken mental flashes he received from the two scout-shepherd pairs inside the lab. Pairs who should have been sending more coherent images.
The ground shook. At first, she thought it was vibrations from the water. It took a heartbeat too long to understand it was something other—the ground shock of an explosion. With her next heartbeat, she saw Turney whirl toward the lab, pivoting hard and drawing both his pistols. Lastly, or it could have been first because it happened simultaneously, Keko's telepathic warning sliced through her brain.
"Get down! We're under attack!"
And she watched in horror as moleboys poured from the lab.