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“Galen, you there?” Juniper raced along the hall, not sure she was going in the right direction.
“Of course, I’m always here.”
“Any idea where Prior is?”
“Yes, he’s out front trying to get into the sand skimmer.”
She exhaled in relief — the balcony overlooking the entrance was just ahead. “Trying?” she asked as she slammed into the door. This one gave way.
“There’s an argument,” he responded as she reached the railing. “Between Prior and Vera Jakes.”
Looking down, it was clear Vera had won. Thaddeus Prior lay flattened on the ground, his jumpsuit coated in dust and the taqlib flung out of reach. Meanwhile, Vera sat in the pilot’s seat, the artefact in the seat beside her. And the skimmer was lifting off.
Juniper considered the stairs for a second, but there was no way she’d get down in time. The craft rose higher, and she judged the distance. With barely a thought, she scrambled over the railing. The drop seemed further from this side.
“What are you doing, Juniper Keys?” she muttered to herself. The craft jerked forward then stopped then lurched again. She inhaled then jumped before Vera could pull away.
She hit the back of the skimmer hard, her injured head spinning.
Vera glanced at her, causing the skimmer to rock. Juniper scrambled to keep hold when the vehicle fishtailed left and right as it shot forward.
Juniper got an arm hooked into the rack on the rear, her shoulder and elbow screaming. Her legs flung free as Vera zigzagged the craft back and forth before speeding ahead.
“Arg!” She powered her other arm over and grabbed the rack. With a groan, she hauled herself up, ignoring the burning in her shoulder … it felt as if fire worms had built a nest in it.
The skimmer veered left, and that’s when Juniper saw Vera only had one hand on the steering wheel. The other held a blaster, which she was trying to aim at Juniper. Luckily, she couldn’t drive at speed with only one hand.
Juniper considered jumping off — the cube wasn’t worth her life — but the skimmer was going too fast. She’d be as likely to hurt herself by diving off as by staying on.
She pulled herself toward the front, despite the momentum of the craft dragging her back. She didn’t want to rely on Vera’s bad driving to save her.
Vera changed tactics, and Juniper was flung forward when her ex-student slammed on the brakes.
She tumbled towards the front of the skimmer. But before she could grab the cube and flee, they were already moving again.
Juniper grabbed Vera around the neck with one hand while throwing the other over her eyes.
“Let go!” the student yelled.
In response, Juniper used her hold on Vera to haul herself closer, eliciting a grunt from the other woman. She reached her right hand towards the passenger seat, and the artefact. The vehicle swerved as Vera struggled to get free, throwing her sideways.
The craft veered back the other way, and Juniper’s fingers finally grasped the cube.
Except the skimmer kept spinning and then tumbled nose over tail as it hit a rock. Juniper was thrown out of the vehicle. She turned an awkward somersault in the air before landing hard on her back, her breath knocked out of her.
She coughed as she lifted her head. The world spun as she took stock. She was still alive. Nothing felt broken. And she held the cube.
A smile split her face, and she laughed. She rolled over and shoved herself to standing, the ground tilting as she did.
Then she heard the whine of a blaster charging behind her.
“Hands up.”
Juniper put her hands up.
“Turn around.”
She turned. Vera pointed her weapon at Juniper’s chest. Bloody abrasions marked her cheek and chin. She limped as she stepped closer, and her free hand clutched her side. Her fiery hair had escaped her braid. But her jaw was set.
“Put the cube down on that rock.” She waved the blaster to her right.
Juniper’s gaze slid sideways, noting the flat-topped rock, but didn’t move. “Why?” she asked instead.
“Because I’m the one with the gun.”
“I mean, why steal it?”
Vera snorted. “Because Thaddeus offered me an unreasonable amount of money for anything interesting from the dig.”
Juniper shook her head and continued. “You could have been part of one of the greatest discoveries in ages.” Maybe if she kept Vera talking, she’d have time to figure a way out of this.
Her student squinted and shook her head. “Give me that stupid artefact. Now.” Her arm tensed as she prepared to shoot. Juniper inhaled sharply, then a shot sounded, and she ducked.
Vera screamed, and the blaster went skittering across the ground, coming to rest at Juniper’s feet.
Juniper patted herself down with her free hand, but she hadn’t been shot. Her forehead furrowed as she tried to make sense of what had happened. Then Phil emerged out of the shimmering heat, a pulse rifle in her hand, followed by Fennick at the wheel of the other Cat.
Vera scrambled towards her blaster.
“Don’t.” Phil aimed her rifle again as Juniper put her foot down on the weapon.
The younger woman froze. Juniper saw the moment when Vera gave up, all the tension leaving her muscles.
“Nice shot.” Juniper eyed Phil as she picked up the blaster with her free hand.
“I missed. I was aiming for her head,” Phil said, but Juniper didn’t believe her. “You got it?” she continued.
“Yeah.” Juniper examined the cube as best she could one-handed. It appeared to be undamaged. And Fennick was right—it was almost like she could see a field of stars inside if only she squinted hard enough.
Juniper stared up at the night sky, glaring at the rapidly retreating shuttle that carried the cube to the Imperial Destroyer Medea — one of the Emperor’s own — in orbit around Acheron. The Imperial Antiquities Authority, including Professor Selwyn, had wasted no time getting to Acheron and taking possession of the artefact while the Dominion police had taken custody of Vera.
But they hadn’t taken Juniper with them. Selwyn assured her she’d be credited with the find … as a junior archaeologist.
Juniper frowned. She expected she’d get no mention at all in the end, not even a footnote. “I should have gone to Telltasema. The finds they’re pulling out hit the Connect on a weekly basis.”
“Or Tem Cylla,” Phil said, from where she stood beside her, leaning against the Cat, arms crossed over her chest.
“Or Cinnebar,” Betty chirped from where she rested in mostly cube form.
“Thraxa.” Fennick offered. He’d been fidgety and grumpy after returning from Prior’s compound but otherwise fine. “Just last week they revealed a whole ancient city beneath the sands.”
There was a pause, and the only sound was a rock hopper rubbing its hind legs together. Above, the ship was gone, revealing the unnamed constellations of the Desolation and the pinpoints of light from the Wall that separated Dominion space from the unknown beyond.
“But we’re all here, in the Badlands on the edge of the Desolation, for a reason,” Phil said, breaking the silence.
Juniper turned to look at her, but Phil stared at the stars, an unexpected awe softening her expression.
After a few moments, Phil turned to Juniper, her eyes black in the night. “The same reason, I think.” She shifted off the Cat. “Which means we should get some rest so we can start back to work tomorrow.” She headed towards her pod.
Juniper stared after her for a few long seconds. It was true. That’s why she wasn’t angrier about Selwyn leaving her behind, she realized. And why she wasn’t higher in the Authority. Sure, the artefact was a career-making find, but instead of her career, her thoughts were on what else was out here in the Badlands. Or the Desolation beyond. And the cube had guaranteed her funding for the next season wherever she chose to dig. She followed Phil’s lead, heading towards her own pod.
“Wait, what reason?” Fennick said, his voice far behind.
She turned back to peer at him, his eyes shining in the dark.
“Aliens,” she said but didn’t wait for his reaction.
Thanks for joining us. I hope you enjoyed this story. If you do, we’d love it if you’d share or give it a like—it helps us spread the word. You can grab book 1 in The Lyra Cycle for free on your favourite online bookstores (or ask your library for it) or on our own shop.
Excellent ending!