Beyond the Empyreal Stars

21.

21.

Under the cover of darkness, Odette was merely another aero engineer in the hangar. She'd stolen a uniform, putting it on over her Paragon attire, and tried to blend in as best she could.

There weren't many Terrians working, but she still slipped silently past all of the status screens perched in front of each ship's platform. She was headed for the Acer they'd taken to Earth just a few months before, repaired from its hits from Whispian gunships when leaving the planet and ready for flight once more. She could override the flight system lock and be out of the hangar within thirty seconds. It would only be a matter of time before someone realized the ship had been stolen.

Because while Diana had practically given up on saving Earth, Odette had not.

Voices sounded from the main hangar doors as they slid open. The lead aero engineer and one of the techs checked off the statuses of each ship before leaving for the night. Odette quietly slid behind a metal pillar beside the Acer's platform and waited while they continued their task.

A soft ping sounded in front of her. Her comm bracelet glowed dimly. After checking to see where the engineer and tech were, she swiped her hand over the crystal. There were twelve comms, all from Nova, Bas, and Padric, asking why Diana wanted them to stay with her, where she was, and what was going on.

Another ten minutes of hiding and the engineer and tech still hadn't gone. Odette was starting to grow impatient, checking every few moments to see where they were.

A shuffling sound from behind a second pillar made her shift closer to hers and into the shadows it created. There was no hiding when she felt someone come up behind her and close their hand over her mouth.

"It's just me," Padric whispered in her ear as she began to fight him.

She spun around, moving his hand. "What are you doing here?" she growled.

He smiled in the darkness. "Finding you. Put a tracking sequence in that last comm and found you here. Diana said to keep an eye on you...and now I know why. What the hell are you doing?"

"Do you plan on stealing a ship?" Bas whispered as he and Nova appeared. They were the ones behind the other pillar.

"What are you thinking?" Nova asked quietly then.

"You should ask that question to the Alliance leaders," Odette hissed, peeking around the pillar once more. "They are the ones who want to destroy everything."

"Destroy?" Padric repeated. "What...?"

Odette held up a hand, shushing him as the engineer and tech shut down their screens, completing their maintenance checks. They headed for the hangar doors, shutting off most of the lights, leaving only a few on. She waited for five breaths before rounding the pillar and headed for the Acer.

"Odette!" Nova whisper-yelled.

She paused, turning on the spot. "The Alliance is voting in less than two days to sanitize Earth. Diana is against it, but she cannot change their minds. Every single human on the planet, every plant and animal, will be gone in the blink of an eye. Duke and the others survived the D.C. attack...but they lost contact with the probes. They could still be alive. I cannot let them die. Not Duke...and not my father."

All eyes widened as they looked at her, not understanding what she meant.

Padric spoke then. "Your father...?"

But Odette wouldn't let him finish. She didn't have the time to explain everything. She needed to go.

"I cannot get into this right now," she said, and looked between the three of them. "I am going to Earth...so are you coming with me or not?"