Caelum Lex Pt. 3 Chapter 25: Making Plans

Knock knock knock.

The sound echoed through the Beacon’s empty command deck. Corra let her knuckles fall from the door as she waited. You better answer, she thought, half in threat and half out of worry that he would not. Sure, it was very late at night (or very early in the morning), but when they’d shared a ship, Finn had always kept odd hours.

Fortunately, the door slid open. A disheveled, yawning man greeting her on the other side. His hair stuck up at all angles, his eyes were squinting into the light of the hallway and his shirt was nowhere to be found. Clearly, she’d woken him.

Before she could even spare a word of half-hearted apology, Finn blinked himself into waking and said, “Well. This is surreal. When was the last time I found you outside my door in the middle of the night?” which made her laugh.

“Been a while, true,” she admitted, brushing past him to enter his room. It hadn’t changed much since she’d been here last, years ago as that was. There were an extra few layers of mess. More mostly-emptied bottles than was healthy. A pile of laundry that probably hadn’t been touched in far too long. But the smell was the same. Comforting, Corra thought. But now wasn’t the best time for reminiscing.

“Not that kind of visit though,” she added, a touch more harshly than she intended.

But Finn just laughed. “I would never have presumed as much.” Hitting the button to slide the door shut, he turned back into the room. “So what can I really do for ya, cap’n?”

Captain. The word made Corra outwardly cringe as she lowered herself onto a couch.

“Well, we can start with that. I thought I made it clear that I’m only here temporarily to figure out this Transmission business.”

“Crystal,” Finn agreed, sitting down across from her.

“Then how come the crew seems to believe that I’m their returning prodigal captain? Here to save them from their troubles?” She rose a brow at him, quite sure she knew where the rumor had come from. She noticed he didn’t deny it. “Which I guess is my second point. This ship. Is a mess. I’ve been here all of twenty four hours and most of that time has been spent listening to everyone’s griping. There’s not one person on this boat who’s not pissed at somebody else. What the hell happened?”

“Eh.” Finn leaned back, sliding his palms behind his neck. “Depends who you ask.”

“That much I got,” Corra mused. “Cai blames Alyx, Alyx blames you, Daelen blames everyone. What’s your take? Just so I have a, y’know, well-rounded view.”

“Well, I s’pose I’ll take my fair share of the responsibility.” Finn grinned and added, “Though for the sake of argument, I might point out it was you who left your devoted flock to fend for themselves.”

Corra let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. “Fair enough. It’s not just the ship either. Cy and Addy are a wreck just waiting to happen. Oh — and Leta! I just got off a call with her. In my absence, she’s apparently taken up murdering Society Councillors in the middle of Carthian ballrooms.”

“No kidding?” Finn raised his eyebrows, intrigued. “Like I said. We’re all a mess without you.”

“Clearly. But I can’t clean it up this time.” She fixed her eyes on him, far more seriously this time. “I really can’t. I’ve already been away long enough. I have people relying on me, people who are genuinely suffering who need my help. I need to get back to them. So.” She sat up straight and dropped her palms on her knees decisively. “The real reason I came by. Let’s talk about the Transmitter.”

“Right. The Transmitter. The mystery device you want to hunt down.” Corra couldn’t help but notice his tone of disbelief.

“You said you wanted to help me find it,” she reminded with a note of warning.

“Of course, and we absolutely will,” Finn agreed. “I just think it’s a bit odd, that’s all. That you’re so interested in this bizarre legend.”

She’d had this conversation already. First with Addy, though she hadn’t pressed it. Then with Cyrus, who had. Corra was prepared for the questioning, but not from Finn. “It’s more than a legend. It exists. The Transmission I have proves it.”

“Sure, it probably exists, but you don’t know what either of those things are or what they do,” Finn pointed out.

“The names say all I need to know,” Corra countered at once. “They transmit.” Before he could ask, she jumped in herself, “What, where and why? Who knows? But if the Transmission is worth a slew of bounty hunters after me and the Transmitter has the Society after it, it’s probably a good idea to figure it out first, don’t you think?”

Finn did not look convinced. “To add to your arsenal?”

“To keep out of everyone else’s.”

Finn paused, surveying her through narrowed eyes. He sounded curious, not judgemental, when he asked, “Why, though? Don’t you have enough to worry about?”

“Plenty,” Corra agreed. “But this is part of that. God only knows what Callahan’s people want with it, but considering their business, I doubt it’s good. The last thing I want is more power in the hands of slavers, no matter what that power is. As for the Society? They hold Ellegy and Ellegy is still the center of the ally market. Don’t really want them to have it either.”

Finn looked suddenly intrigued. “If you want the Society out of Ellegy, why not help out Carthis then? I hear that’s their plan. Enemy of my enemy and all that.”

Corra lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “Carthis doesn’t have allies themselves, but they’ve made no indication they’re outright opposed to them either. If they want to take Ellegy and, more importantly, hold Ellegy, they’re gonna have to leave some things alone to appease its people. What easier thing to leave than the centuries old system of power and abuse they love so much?” Finn opened his mouth again, but Corra cut him off, “And no, Fiear’s supporting the Ellegian rebels who want to keep the place exactly as is sans Society control. There are a lot of sides in this conflict, but none of them care about my side.”

Finn propped his head in his hand and frowned thoughtfully at her. “Y’know, for someone who’s been gone five years, you sure as hell know a lot about what you missed.”

Corra just chuckled. “I wasn’t around, but I wasn’t gone. This territory war isn’t my concern, but the human impact is. And my friends’ lives are. I’ve helped out where I could.”

“Helped? Raisa said you were buried deep in the ally trade, getting yourself sold and bought by top-shelf assholes.”

“I was. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t slip some intel the Dionysian’s way here or there. Or that I couldn’t convince a contact to send some work to the Beacon.” Her small smile spread into a grin. “Or have Leta convince Fiear to attack the absolute perfect diversion for my own missions.”

Finn returned her grin. “Devious. I like it.”

Corra released a long sigh and leaned back against the couch. “I mean, you can’t just abandon your flock entirely. Who knows what they’d get up to without you?”

“S’pose that’s true. When I left Fiear alone, he started a war.”

Corra grimaced. “That he did.” A moment of silence fell before she finally mustered up enough courage to ask, “You two doing okay?”

Finn looked amused. “You make us sound like a bickering married couple.”

“Aren’t you?”

“We’re fine, as far as I know.”

Corra leaned forward and rested her chin in her hand. “He doesn’t mind your –uh– less than enthusiastic feelings about that war you mentioned? Couldn’t help but notice this ship’s steered pretty clear of any battlefronts.”

“Being able to do so is a luxury I’m not willing to sacrifice,” Finn muttered. “Besides, this boat is a mess, you said it yourself. What help would we be to the great Soliveré fleet?” He let out a laugh that Corra got the feeling held a tinge of bitterness, but whether or not that bitterness was aimed at the fleet or the state of the ship, she couldn’t begin to guess.

“We’re still friends, if that’s what you’re asking,” he went on. “We talk, occasionally meet up, though less than we used to. Busy man and all. But does he hate me for wanting to keep my nose out of it all? I don’t think so. He asked us if we were interested in helping exactly once, many years ago.”

“And what’d you tell him?”

“That I’ve lost my taste for violence.” Finn smirked darkly.

Corra couldn’t ignore the lump that formed quite suddenly in her throat. She didn’t need to hear him say why. She knew why. The day still played out in perfect recollection in her own head every so often, just as it was now. The day Archeti fell, at the time, felt like a blur, but years later every detail was in focus. Every mistake she had made. And everything she could have done to change the outcome.

She forced herself to swallow the lump, but when she spoke, all she managed was, “That’s understandable,” and even those words came out dry and brittle.

Finn’s face flashed momentary realization and for a second she thought she saw a hint of apology, but he hurried onward, “But really, how much good could we do, anyway? The Beacon’s barely afloat as it is.”

“Yeah,” Corra agreed instantly, nodding perhaps a little too enthusiastically. “Definitely.” An awkward silence hung in the air as Corra tried to recompose herself. She could feel Finn watching her with interest, but she couldn’t meet his stare, instead locking her eyes on her own hand, tense and clenched at her side.

Finally, at last, she drew a deep breath. “Well. I did a little research on this archive and the Transmitter and all. Want to help me draw out a plan of attack?”

She could have sworn she saw brief disappointment cross his face, but Finn smiled and leaned forward in his chair. “Let’s do it. Tell me what you got.” The smile grew a little wider. “I gotta say, cap’n. I’m lookin’ forward to working with you again.”

Corra regarded him curiously, but then a mischeivous smile formed on her own face. “Yeah? Let’s get through this briefing and see how you feel after, hm?”

—————

Addy trotted down the stairs to the lower deck, purpose in her step. She was full of energy, more than she had been in weeks — months, even. For the first time in ages, she was excited for something. Something that wasn’t just another boring budget meeting or planning committee negotiation or even the grand opening of a new business which was, pathetically, the most exciting event that happened on Archeti as of late.

No, for once, she was excited for something different. An adventure, like the old days. Corra had just finished laying it out to her: the Beacon would be touching down on the very moon they’d only escaped from days previous, though fortunately the other end of it. Finn and Corra themselves would seek out the mysterious archive Eriaas had mentioned to search for the artifact the Society had been so interested in. But as they did that, they needed someone to scour the archive itself, the books, for clues.

Addy had said yes before Corra had even finished asking.

Finally, she reached her quarters and slid open the door. She’d only be gone for the day so there wasn’t much packing to be done. She threw a bag onto the bed and started to gather what little she needed. A few snacks, a supply of water, a tablet to reference what she found, she could probably borrow a gun from Corra. And of course, before she left, she’d have to make sure everything for Kalli was squared away.

Currently, the little girl was across the hall with Cyrus. Cyrus, who was a whole other can of worms right now. Fleetingly, Addy paused to look out into the hallway and the closed door, a knot in her chest.

They hadn’t fought about staying aboard the Beacon for the time-being instead of returning to Archeti. They hadn’t even talked about it. Gods, they’d barely talked at all since that one awful fight back at Eriaas’ mansion, except about their daughter. Kalli, as always, was the one safe subject, the topic they always agreed on and understood entirely. It only became so blindingly apparent when they agreed on absolutely nothing else.

Neither of them had said anything about how long they would be staying. Neither of them had brought up the fact that Cyrus had quietly chosen quarters separate from hers. Neither of them had commented that they had seemed to be taking their meals at different times. They spoke for over an hour while trying to find Kalli’s lost purple dragon toy, but neither Cyrus nor Addy seemed willing to address the fact that their relationship was quietly falling apart.

Addy was still frozen in place, staring at Cyrus’ door when that very door suddenly slid open and Cyrus emerged from inside. Quickly, she looked away, but not quite quickly enough for him not to notice.

“We got a landspout,” he said, leaning in the doorway. Code for when their tiny tornado had worn herself out into a far lesser threat. Kalli was asleep. Addy smiled.

“What did you two get up to this morning?”

Cyrus shrugged and meandered a few steps into the room, his fingers still trailing on the doorframe. “A spaceship landed on a remote planet covered in dirty laundry and was eaten by a three-headed monster. We avenged it.”

“The usual, then.”

“The usual,” Cyrus agreed, but then his eyes traveled down to where her hand was still halfway in the bag she was packing. “You, uh, going somewhere?”

“Uh, yeah,” Addy answered, hesitantly closing the bag. “Corra’s got this mission, I’m gonna help out a bit.” Cyrus eyed the bag, then her and nodded slowly, his lips held a little too tight to be natural. He was hiding something. Not very well, when did he ever? But there was something he was holding back. Something he was doing a lot lately. Anger, maybe. Frustration? Disappointment? It made Addy’s heart wrench more than she’d anticipated, seeing whatever words and feelings he held go unspoken, unaddressed. And suddenly she did something she wasn’t expecting.

“I was actually going to ask if you wanted to come too.”

Cyrus looked up at her, surprised as she was at the invitation. “Come with you?”

“Yeah,” she said, sticking to it regardless. “It’s a simple thing. Just reading some old books, digging for information, the likes. Nothing all that dangerous, just research.” She let out a chuckle. “All us nerds are good for.”

Cyrus returned the laugh half-heartedly, but shook his head. “I should stay here and look after Kalli.”

Of course he should, that was Addy’s plan after all. In the end, there was no better babysitter than Kalli’s own father while she was away. But without thinking, she shook her head and said, “Alyx can watch her.”

He was now eying her warily. “I don’t know, she might be a bit much for Alyx…”

“Well there’s Daelen or Cai–”

“She’s a bit much for anyone who’s not used to her.”

“Then they can trade off.” Addy dropped the bag back on the bed and walked over to him. “Come on. Come with me. It’ll be fun.”

He wasn’t looking at her at all anymore. Instead, he was staring at her bag with a slight crease in his brow. Finally, he glanced her way and asked, “Do you really want me to come with you?” in the kind of tone that implied he couldn’t possibly believe that she did.

The question drove a spike of pain through her chest. They truly were falling apart. And as little as she’d recognized it lately and as little as she’d allowed herself to care, suddenly she cared. She cared a lot. Cyrus was by no means perfect and as of late, he’d been so far and distant from her, she had started to forget how deep that caring went. Once upon a time they’d been two happy fools falling madly in love as they ventured across the Span, facing danger at every turn. It seemed so long ago now, but for the first time, it occurred to her that maybe she didn’t want to have an adventure in order to get away from Cyrus. Maybe she wanted an adventure to try and get Cyrus, the one she’d fallen for, back.

Carefully, she stepped towards him and took both his wrists in hers. “I do,” she told him, meeting his stare. “I really do.”

She tried not to smile as his cheeks turned a shade of pink she hadn’t seen in years and he looked down at his feet. “I dunno, Adds, it could be dangerous, I mean–”

“A library?” She scoffed. “Dangerous? Cy.” She lifted a hand to his cheek. “What happened to the fearless ‘terror of the Span’ who used to call me from the middle of secret anti-Society missions? Or write me messages from the far edges of space? Or take me on dates to dangerous gang-ridden areas of town?”

Cyrus sputtered his indignation. “That was an accident!”

Addy laughed and cupped his other cheek. “Please, Cy. Come with me. On this daring trip to the library. Please.” The smile dropped a little from her face as she said, “We need this…”

He still looked reluctant. He definitely didn’t look happy. He didn’t even look like he agreed. But finally, to Addy’s great relief, he slipped his arms delicately around her waist and kissed her forehead. “Alright. If it’s that important to you, I’ll come.” She grinned and was about to pull his face towards hers for a real kiss, when he grinned mischievously and added, “But you get to break the tornado warning to Alyx.”