DarkStar Running (Living on the Run Book 2) (16 page)

From behind the bush, she peered out to make a mental note
of the Enforcer’s face. Should she and he ever meet again, it would be his turn
to be on the business end of the gun.

The Enforcer looked back to see young Jacob standing on the
doorsill, waving the autographed shard high over his head.

The officer raised his rifle and shook it as if to say,
“Power to the Confederation.” Then, wearing a malicious smile, he kicked in
their neighbor’s door. The Barrett’s door had not been locked, and Lilia
doubted old man Oberly’s was either.

Point taken.

“You did well, son.” Ed’s voice was now noticeably calm.

As the boy stepped back into his house, Lilia quietly came
around to the front of the building and saw him toss the piece of wood into the
trashcan. Apparently the kid wanted little to do with being an Enforcer. Sweet
play-acting, youngster.

Ed patted Jacob’s back. “Like a pro, son. You hid your
dislike,
and
kept your head.”

She realized that Ed, indeed, had been faking his
nervousness.
Lilia felt she couldn’t have done better herself.

But once the Enforcers were gone, Jacob looked as though he
wanted to vomit, not so much as meeting his father’s gaze.

Lilia peeked deeper in to catch Ed’s concerned expression
for his son, and decided to give them a moment together while she hurried next
door to the Oberly’s house.

Stealthily, she peered though a window.

Mr. Oberly was a pretty wise man. That he and the Mrs. had
an open Bible laid out for all to see came as quite a shock. The old man seemed
to sense her presence at the window because he made a subtle motion with his
hand for her to leave them to their fate.

The hope of eternal peace outweighed the old couple’s
physical safety; she saw
that
written in the old man’s face. With what
was sure to follow, she knew better than to stick around and watch.

Disquieted by a heart mixed with hope and tears, Lilia went
back to the Barrett’s house, all the while praying for the old couple. In this
war, everyone had his orders. Apparently Mr. and Mrs. Oberly were to be bold
and take a stand. Maybe they’d gain new ground for the Immortal Architect’s
glory. Maybe—
maybe not
—but there was always hope.

The mess the Enforcers made was daunting, but Jacob stooped
anyway to pick up the broken bits of doorjamb scattered across the floor.

Hurried footsteps padded behind him, and he turned with a
start. A strange woman rushed into their house and drew a blind over the window
that looked toward the Oberlys. She glanced at Jacob, then at his folks, and
asked if they were packed and ready.

What! What was she talking about?

As the woman went to the open door to look toward the
neighbor’s house, Jake saw she was far into her pregnancy. In spite of it, her
face mesmerized him as her long raven curls, caught by the breeze, caressed her
cheek.

Then he saw the gun.

What a study in contrasts! Pistol held high,
pregnant,
drop dead gorgeous, the lady was nothing less than extraordinary any way you
looked at it.

Who was she? Confederate citizens couldn’t possess weapons
and, by her expression, Jake knew he needn’t point out she was breaking the
law. When she looked at him again, the seriousness in her eyes snapped him back
to reality. Their situation was grave, and Jake had better get a grip. He
diverted his eyes.

“Are you Jacob?” Her soft, assured tone was calming despite
the stressful situation.

“Yes, ma’am. My friends call me Jake.”

“I’m Captain Star, Jake. Remember this, will you? When
you’re right where the Immortal Architect wants you, you’re bulletproof.”

“Captain Star?”

“Yeah, Jake?”

“Then why the gun?”

At the
sound
of
breaking
glass, she turned toward the neighbor’s house.
“Because the bad guys—
they
aren’t.”

“They aren’t what, where the Immortal Architect wants them,
or bulletproof?”

“One in the same, isn’t it?” she said before turning to
Jake’s dad to nod.

His dad pulled suitcases from behind the couch and, with one
in each hand, brushed past them and headed out.

His mom nudged Jake toward the door, but when he remembered
her mealtime efforts, he held back to glance at the table:
roast beef,
mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and biscuits
. Her best, but a knot in
his gut had replaced his appetite.

Captain Star craned her neck to see what held his attention.
“They invite themselves to dinner, but Enforcers never appreciate what you
offer or your hard work. Lousy guests, huh?”

Jake half nodded as his mom pressed him forward and through
the doorway.

A moment later, the petite gun bearer followed them out.

Ahead of them, his daddy hurried around the corner and down
the dark alley. The sun had set, but by the light of the Dalvus nebula, Jake
could still make out enough to get by. It would be nearly as bright as day when
Spirita rose; he figured that was why they hurried. His head swam with
questions and confusion, but this wasn’t the time or place to demand answers.

The next moment, Jake thought he heard a blaster pop off a
couple of rounds.

His mother stopped short to look across the backyard fences.
“Oh, my!” she said under her breath. Concern for their neighbors’ safety was
written all over her face.

Dad didn’t stop. Jake didn’t want to stop either but, like
his mom, he had to look. Was it the Oberlys’ house or the one beyond?

Captain Star caught and clutched the
arms of Jake and his mother to press them forward. “Don’t stop! Keep
going!”

Jake could hear his dad huff and puff as he hurried down the
alley. The canvas suitcases, filled to the max, bulged at the seams.

His dad glanced back from time to time to see if the others
kept up.

Jacob hurried to his side to take a suitcase, which nearly
yanked his arm off as soon as he caught the full weight of it.
What’s this
thing filled with,
he thought,
Mom’s cast iron skillets?
Well,
now I know why Dad’s struggling.

As Captain Star caught up to Jake, movement behind a fence
caught his eye. A whimpering mutt watched them but otherwise sat quietly. Next,
they passed a Doberman, but it didn’t so much as snarl.

“Would you look at that?” Jake said to the Captain as his
mom padded up behind them.

“Evidence, Mr. Barrett. It’s evidence,” Captain Star said.
Clearly distracted, she kept glancing over her shoulder.

“Evidence of what?”

“Of
whom
, Jacob. Evidence of
whom
. Keep your
eyes open. There
will
be more.”

Jake glanced back. “But dogs normally bark at the slightest
sound. What’s with this?”

His mom patted his shoulder to set his mind at rest. “You’ll
understand in time, son. Just praise the Immortal Architect they’re silent
tonight.”

Jacob tried not to stare as he looked at Captain Star’s
weapon; although it was small, it seemed mean enough. “You ever kill anyone?”

“Jacob!”

His mom was right. The moment the words left his mouth he
felt bad about it.

“Sorry, ma’am.”

Alert to any possible danger, Captain Star glanced back over
her shoulder once more before tucking her pistol away. But she stayed by his
side and whispered, “I’ve seen my share of firefights, Jake. Been in one or
two. It’s a dangerous place, this universe of ours.”

“Yes, this ‘verse is a dangerous place, but that didn’t
answer my question.”

“And you see this alley as the place to press the issue?”

Despite her answer, he liked her. He liked the sound of her
voice, and he liked the way she talked to him. Conversing with her as an equal
made him feel like an adult.

“I think my teacher suspected I was a follower. If someone
called the cops on us, it would have been her.”

“That seems like a stretch, Jake. So what happened? Did she
see you treat someone with respect and take note?”

“Then why are we on the run?”

She shrugged. “Things happen.”

After crossing a few side streets, they arrived at Hedrick
High. In the schoolyard, to Jake’s surprise, sat two old space-freighters.

On its rear were traces of its name, “
Reliant
,” or
some such thing. Years of neglect had worn some of the letters faint. On the
other, “
Dangerous Haul
” read more clearly, but only barely.

Spirita had risen high enough to reflect the sun’s light.
The magnificent gas giant exposed their escape. Out of time and out of options,
Jake’s parents ran for the ship, but Jake noticed Captain Star—
Mrs. Past-due
—struggled
to keep pace, so he held back.

He recognized others from his church nearer the ships. Shepherd
hurried toward them from another direction, followed by other families.

As the gathering people lined up at the ramp of each ship,
Captain Star waited off to one side, maybe to catch her breath perhaps . . .
or perhaps . . .
she wouldn’t be going into labor, would she?

Her behavior seemed very strange, almost trance-like. She
slowly drew the gun from her fanny pack.

What is she doing?
he asked himself.

Jake’s Shepherd called out and pointed to an Enforcer coming
their way.

He sees us,
Jake thought.

The officer shouted and started running toward the ship.

Captain Star turned, took careful aim, and fired. The
officer flew backward and crashed to the ground in a heap.

Jacob’s stomach clenched as if he, too, had been hit. He had
never seen a man die before, hoped he never would, but he knew what
Zithion-charged bullets could do to flesh. He had seen it demonstrated on a
side of beef once. Sickened, he jerked away.

Startled, the folks ahead of Jake clamored up the ramp and
into the ship. A man, and the families he led, came running down the street
from a different direction. He directed his followers toward the other ship,
and as they scrambled up the ramp, he stopped, put his hands on his hips and
frowned at the Barrett’s lady escort as if she’d done something wrong. Was it
about the guy she shot, or something else?

Jake entered the ship, found a seat, and peered out at
Captain Star as she fell into the man’s arms.

He kissed her forehead, and then they hurried up the ramp.

Her smile, though faint, seemed out of place in contrast to
the officer there on the ground, unmoving.

Jacob felt disgusted by Captain Star’s callused action.
Catching her arm as they passed by, he stopped her, hardly able to get the
words out. “Ma’am, why’d you kill that man?”

Why did he ask when he knew the answer? Given half a chance,
he would have done the same, but didn’t believe he would have enjoyed it as
much as she seemed to. Or worse, maybe he would have enjoyed it more.

Letting the man go on without her, she eased onto the
cushioned bench and placed a gentle hand on Jake’s shoulder. Her dark brown
eyes bore deep concern, her voice, compassion.

“In a war, people die, Mr. Barrett. None of us enjoy taking
life, but sometimes, to save others or yourself, you must. However, when we
can . . .” She tapped the glass and pointed to the man on the
ground. “Watch.”

Right then the officer’s body jerked back to life.
Struggling to his feet, and teetering like a drunk, he staggered toward the
ship just as it sealed up.

She smiled and spoke without taking her eyes from the
Enforcer. “. . . electro-charged rubber bullets. He’s okay, but
he’ll have a nasty, prickly feeling in every fiber of his body for the next few
hours. Knowing
that
brings a smile to my face.” She cocked her head and
winked at the boy next to her. “Call me mean, Jake, but that’s less than he
deserves, don’t you think?”

Simple truth was, given that the officer was a heartless,
murdering Enforcer, Jake had to agree. He fantasized about taking revenge
himself for all the hardship aimed at him over the years.

Even as the ship lifted off, he felt a tug from Atheron. A
desire to go back and set the score straight wouldn’t let go.

“Where are we heading?”

The smile in her eyes glinted with hope. “Away from here,”
she said, adding no more.

Jake believed the Oberlys met the same end assigned every follower
discovered by the Confederates. “Captain Star, I don’t see hiding or running
away as fighting back. The Enforcers should’ve been stopped before they . . .”
Jake looked away.

A gentle finger under his chin, Captain Star turned his head
so he’d meet her eye to eye. “Sam and Clara Oberly?”

Holding back a flood of emotion, he shrugged halfheartedly.
“If
I
had a gun . . .”

“There are ways to overcome the enemy without shedding
blood.”

“Yeah, well,” he mumbled, “drawing blood is all they
understand.”

“Perhaps. But we followers aren’t them.”

He turned his attention to the city lights beyond the
window. “I can’t help it. I want to settle the score.”

She ran gentle fingers through his hair. “I understand what
you’re saying, Jacob. But there are other ways—
constructive ways
—to
settle the score.”

What made her an expert on how to settle things? Even though
she had an answer to everything, he couldn’t get a handle on her. But she had
just saved his family’s lives. That in itself needed some show of appreciation.

“Ma’am?”

“Yeah, hon?”

“Thank you for rescuing us.”

When she smiled and winked at him, in spite of himself, his
spirits rose, almost matching the upward thrust of their craft. They other
craft,
Dangerous Haul
, passed them and headed skyward.

Her right brow arched slightly, as if to disclose a secret.
“You will rescue me one day, mighty man of the Immortal Architect.”

By all accounts, it was a big ‘verse, so the odds against
his ever meeting her again were beyond numbers, weren’t they? To see himself
one day rescuing her was just absurd. Jake studied her dark eyes. Even while
pregnant, she seemed able to face any obstacle and deal with it handily, but
how could she know what the future held when she couldn’t see what was right in
front of her? He was no man of the Immortal Architect. But then, that was his
secret, wasn’t it?

Nearly halfway across town, he spotted his house growing
smaller by the millisecond and pointed it out to change the subject. “I hope
Mom turned off the oven.”

She chuckled. “And that matters?” Then, as the ship crested
the next hill, Jake saw her expression change.

Nestled in the next valley was the hulking remains of the
Emperor’s
Princess
. Overgrown with weed and vine, the onetime luxury liner was no
more than the ship’s midsection lying on its side.

Beyond it were the Seychelles village lights. Captain Star
rested her fingers on the window as though she were touching the village or
someone she loved there, and as she stared, her lower lip began to quiver and
tears filled her eyes. Abruptly, without a word, she rose and hurried past the
other passengers to another part of the ship.

He wanted to stop her and ask about her tie to Seychelles,
but he didn’t know what to say.

He stared back out at the ship’s ruins. Maybe
that
was the connection. Maybe Captain Star had reasons for revenge all her own.
Perhaps one day he would learn who his rescuer really was and discover her
relationship to the
Emperor’s Princess
or Seychelles. Then again, maybe
not. It
was
a big universe after all, and Atheron certainly didn’t
account for much of it.

He watched the ground fade as they rocketed up and away, and
got a sense that the future held far more than he might imagine.