The Fringe Wars

2.4

Frozen Dreams

"Excuse me, captain? Where do I put these?"

Gabriela Heid turned to find a young man with his arms full of cables. "What are they?"

"Power couplers from the Matador," he answered succinctly.

"Take them to Nolin at the slingshot systems," she said. "Maybe he can use them."

When the man moved on, another took his place. "I have a new tribe of Playans at the gate. Where can I put them?"

"See if there's still room on level Three."

"Level Three is already over capacity."

She sighed. "Start using the warehouse space on level Two then."

"It's freezing on that level."

"They're Playans. It'll be far warmer than what they've just come in from. Give them extra blankets and food. That should help."

Nolin came jogging up. "I can't work on these systems. They're older than I am."

Heid gripped his shoulder. "Please, just try."

He frowned and then nodded tightly. "Okay."

"Thank you," she said, forcing a thin smile and turning away. She walked down the hall. When she saw more headed her way, she sprung around the corner and found a dark nook. She slid down the wall. She rested her throbbing head on her knees and rubbed her neck.

A year ago, she was a senior CUF officer in charge of one of the armada's newest warships. Back then, she never would've imagined that in just one year, she'd have run off with her warship, hijacked a CUF supply ship, set up a torrent base on a fringe world, and betrayed her father. She was the highest profile citizen traitor to the Collective, and number one on the CUF's most-wanted list, but that didn't bother her nearly as much as knowing her father was on the hunt for her.

Gabriel Heid was Alluvia's highest-ranking magistrate. What only a very elite few knew was that he was also known as Mason, one of the three leaders of the Founders. He was a brilliant man who'd become the most powerful man in the Collective by pulling strings and working deals behind the scenes. He touted that his aims were altruistic, but his actions showed his motives to be far different.

She'd watched as he morphed the Founders into a clandestine organization serving his own needs rather than the needs of the Collective. He could design intricate strategies for shaping the Collective, and incorporate a multitude of variables into those strategies. However, the one variable that he'd taken for granted was that his daughter would always follow him, without question. When she'd betrayed him, she knew she would draw the full depths of his vengeance.

The other Founders also sought vengeance for her betrayal of them, but she didn't see her actions as betrayal. The secret organization had been established to ensure power was distributed equally across the Collective, yet much of what they were doing was only preserving the unfair authority Myr and Alluvia held over the Collective's remaining four planets in the fringe. Every action she'd taken was to work toward the Founders' initial goal, though she suspected she was on borrowed time. Because if there was one thing the Founders excelled at, it was removing anyone deemed a risk to their plans.

For now, she hid where Mason's spies couldn't reach her. But she couldn't remain in hiding forever. At some point she'd have to face her demon, and a part of her looked forward to that day. He had trained her to be strong and relentless, and she planned to show him that she'd learned her lessons well.

First things first.

The torrents needed her more than she needed to stop Mason. Once Tulan Base was running at full capacity, then she could focus on taking her father down, slice by slice.

"There you are."

Heid looked up to find Sylvian, a tech who served on the Arcadia's command deck. Heid smiled weakly and raised her hands in surrender. "You found me."

"I have a few forms for you to approve."

Heid sighed, pushed to her feet, and accepted the tablet. She stared down at it for a moment and then looked at the tech standing before her. "I need you to help me with something, something just between the two of us. Can you do that?"

"Of course," the woman replied.

Heid pulled out a gray tablet from her cargo pocket and held it out. "I've lost my access on this."

Sylvian frowned as she looked at it. "This isn't CUF technology."

"No, it's not. It will take a bit more finesse to break, I believe. Can you break through its protocols without losing the files?"

"You need it hacked."

"Yes. Can you work on it?"

The tech sighed. "That's not my expertise, but I know the hacker who helped broadcast news of the fungicide last year. She's known to be one of the best out there."

Heid nodded. "Thank you. Be very careful. This tablet can bring trouble to our door if we're not careful."

Sylvian swallowed before nodding. "Understood, captain."

Heid imprinted her approvals on the other tablet and handed it back, and Sylvian moved on. When Heid stepped back into the hallway, she saw more people headed her way. How she wished Sebin were here. He could've organized Tulan Base without breaking a sweat.

As soon as she thought of him, she chided herself. She couldn't think of him. After all, she was the one who'd killed him.