Page 120 of Stars on Fire

‘Hellooo?’ Rina interjected after a moment. ‘Selene and I would love to be part of this conversation too.’

‘Apologies, force of habit,’ Kainan said. ‘We were just saying that the only possible option is that Ki’Remi, our sixth Rider, somehow recorded Sheba’s message and broadcast it from his node.’

Kage nodded. ‘He must have used a random pattern, one less likely to attract attention. But he knew that if everyday techs missed, his fellow Riders wouldn’t. He also laced it with white noise, making it much harder to detect. The signal also contains encrypted data in a tiny fixed packet structure that proves his identity and provides his current coordinates. He then used a spread spectrum sent directly to our nodes. That only we six have access to. It’s definitely him.’

‘So they’re together?’ Selene hypothesised.

‘Most likely,’ Kage said emphatically.

Kainan nodded. ‘Agreed. She’s a medic too, right?’

‘Correct,’ Selene confirmed. ‘She was on The Haven Mercy, a large medical relief cruiser the size of a battleship. A charitable alliance of Rhesian, Dunian and Galician medics run it. So what’s Ki’Remi’s ship called?’

‘The Umbra,’ Kainan replied. ‘Mirage, check to see if we have any data about those two ships meeting at any time in the last few months.’

‘Khosi,’ Mirage said quietly.

Seconds later, she piped up. ‘I’ve found something. A shuttle from The Haven Mercy docked on Theia 171’s refuelling station at the same time as The Umbra. Three months ago.’

‘Makes sense,’ Kage said. ‘The Haven Mercy, being a large interplanetary craft, won’t have wanted to descend into the moon’s gravity well. So instead, they most likely sent a shuttlecraft to the station to refuel and exchange personnel or cargo.’

‘That’s not a coincidence we can ignore,’ Kainan said quietly. ‘It’s also likely that the Haven Mercy’s crew somehow crossed paths with Ki’Remi and maybe even recruited him to join their mission. I can see him doing that. That would explain why he’d have been on the same ship as Sheba when she was captured.’

‘Damn,’ Selene said.

‘How do we tackle this?’ Rina asked the group.

‘Simple. We rescue her,’ Xion said, leaning back in his chair.

‘It’s a big rescue job,’ Zane called out. ‘Who’s going to pony up the schills?’

Kainan crossed his hands over his chest. ‘We are. The Sable Group.’

Zane scowled. ‘Brother, not advisable. We’ve got the coffers but also have a strict budget.’

‘We have to. Ki’Remi is out there too, remember?’ said his leader. ‘We’ve also got a valid reason to get in deep on this one.’

The Riders again fell into their sub-vocal conversation while Selene and Rina exchanged worried looks.

After a time, Kainan spoke out loud. ‘Have we agreed it’s our best chance?’

‘Tis the time,’ a silver-haired Riv added coolly, his eyes strangely lit with a rare white glow.

‘What time?’ Selene interjected impatiently. ‘What are you talking about?

‘The moment the Riders have been waiting for,’ Riv told her. ‘A strike back at The Technocracy.’

Selene’s head whipped so fast around to face Kainan that her curls bounced. ‘You’re saying you want to use my sister’s rescue to exact your revenge?’

He raised his hands in surrender. ‘Hear me out, Selene. We can’t get your sister out of the crats’ clutches without bringing in the big guns. Otherwise, no one will come out of this alive. We also can’t leave The Technocracy standing. They’ll just keep coming back. And we’ve been planning a hit on the crats for years. It just so happens that we’re at a juncture where we’re ready, and they’re accessible. We have the teeth now to bite and inflict as much damage as possible. So why not combine our two goals for the good of us all?’

Selene took a deep breath. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, taking a moment to think.

Presently she opened them to look at the faces of the gathered group. ‘Fine. I don’t want to be unreasonable. If this is the best way that the biggest badasses of this System think they can get my sister back and meet their goals, then so be it.’

Rina still needed clarification. ‘Look, Riders, Selene and I appreciate everything you’re offering to do, but I still don’t understand what you’re proposing.’

Kainan shot her a quick glance. ‘I’ll save you the misery. Please light up the coordinates from the radio message, Mirage.’

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