Bragg detailed a relatively simple plan. Shane and his men would be aboard Shadow, the small anti-detection prototype ship, waiting for the diversion. Bragg promised a distraction so Theazians in the area would be scouting a crash site, oblivious 103
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to Shane’s landing. Once the bulk of creatures had been drawn away from the laboratory, Shane could land, breach the complex and begin the hunt for Ryker.
His main purpose would be to determine if the General and crew were worth saving. She wondered how Governance could trust an outsider to conclude the fate of its people. If Shane deemed they were sane, Efface would descend to transport groups of Ryker’s crew aboard. The Governance armada would keep the rescue efforts safe by pounding any ship trying to gain air, or any land attack attempting to thwart the rescue.
If Shane discovered Ryker and the crew had been tortured past a point of rehabilitation, the Braughmen would turn into executioners and lay them to rest. The armada would then guarantee Shane a safe retreat.
Heros or assassins, which would they be noted for? Either way, Shane was very brave and somewhat slimwitted to take on the mission. She wondered what motivated him.
Having the session draw to conclusion Shane said, “I’ll not take the lives of children regardless of their condition, Bragg. You follow me?”
“There were only five, Sir. If you must, bring them back.”
“And they’ll not be rescued for you to kill. They’re children. You’ll promise to work with them regardless of what shape they’re in.”
“You’ll destroy men and woman but not children? What possible hope could they have if the adults are deemed too far gone?”
“If a man or gal is broken of reason, their chances of a normal life are far less than that of a wee one. You’ll give them time to heal. If you don’t want them, I’ll take them to Braugh.”
“We have an accord, Sir.”
“Aye,” Shane said as he stood. “That we do, Bragg. For now. Don’t forget you and me have other business to settle when I’m back aboard.”
Bragg smiled and Jessica swallowed the lump in her throat. “Of course, Sir. I’m looking forward to it.”
She’d known Commander Bragg for many years. His confident smile and the undercurrent in his words were unmistakable. She knew the man had no intention of facing Shane. In order for him to avoid the confrontation, Shane would need to be removed from the equation. Bragg would certainly wait until after the mission on Theazia. Is that when he planned to do it, after Shane did all the dirty work?
“Jess,” Shane said, drawing her from thought. Most of the others had already left the room.
He held out his hand and she walked slowly toward him, keeping her gaze on Bragg.
“Storm,” Bragg said. She stopped short of Shane. “You’ve something you’d like to discuss?”
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She thought and stared, contemplating whether or not to voice suspicions. What good would it do if she accused him of some form of trickery? He’d simply deny it.
“No, Sir.”
“I understand your Mr. Tiernan will leave you in the safety of his men while he accomplishes this mission.”
She glanced at Shane. “So I’ve been told, Sir.”
“Is Mr. Tiernan’s company agreeable to you?”
She wasn’t up for whatever game Bragg wanted to play. “I’m not sure I understand the question, Sir.”
“It’s really quite simple, young lady. I’m asking if getting used by Tiernan is tolerable to you.”
Shane’s hands drew into fists. There wasn’t a need for him to get so riled. Bragg wanted a reaction from her, not him.
“Forgive me, Sir and let me rephrase my statement. I understood your words and meaning completely. I meant only to say that I can’t comprehend why you’d ask. You never cared how we felt when you’d pandered us before.”
Bragg pushed against the table to stand. The furious motion unsettled her. The only reason she tempted his anger was because Shane remained a short distance away. She’d never been so bold and in a way, tested her new status as a wife. She’d no right to do such a thing and regretted it.
“You’ll mourn using that mouth to hurl insults, Storm. I guarantee it.”
“Again, forgive me. As I understand it, Mr. Tiernan isn’t paying for me. I guess in this instance, you’d not been pandering. As a matter of fact, Commander, you didn’t offer me until after Mr. Tiernan took me.”
If Bragg ever got her alone, she’d require a week in medical. She’d never seen him more enraged. When she focused on Shane, she swiftly walked the slight distance and grabbed hold of his arm to stop him from going after Bragg. Who was she kidding?
She’d never stop him. “Finn, Reilly!” she called. They quickly entered the room. “Shane needs to leave now. Right now.”
It took a full minute for him to loosen up. His hand cupped the back of her head before drawing her close. He kissed her forehead, turned and took her from the room, gently rubbing her back to keep her moving. She’d handled the situation poorly.
“What was that about?” Reilly asked.
“My fault. I’m sorry. I targeted Bragg, not you,” she said, looking up at Shane.
He didn’t reply, just squeezed her shoulder and brought her closer as they walked.
Zoe zipped around Finn to walk backward so she could talk. “What did you say to him, Jessica?”
“Nothing appropriate, I’m afraid.”
“At least we won’t pay for it this time.”
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“You don’t think so, huh?”
Zoe smiled, which was rare. “I know so. Finn told me on Braugh they don’t beat, stab, maim or otherwise intentionally hurt women. He promised.”
“You’ve been asked to go?”
“Yes,” she replied, beaming with delight.
“You’ve agreed?”
“Yes. Angela too.”
Jessica would be going to Blue alone. Quite happy for her friends, she couldn’t stop the equally distasteful sadness that descended.
Spinning to walk beside her, Zoe lifted Jessica’s arm and slipped beneath, placing the arm across her shoulder. “Are you angry? I know you wanted us to go home too.”
“Of course not.” Jessica was amply accustomed to never having situations turn out as she wished.
“Don’t worry, Zoe,” Finn said. “Jess will get used to Braugh fast with you and Angela there.”
“I’m going to Blue,” Jessica said.
“Braugh,” Shane and Finn said in unison.
She planted her feet and her escorts stopped to stare. Glancing from one to the other, she said very slowly, “Blue. Home.”
Finn’s mouth fell open as he looked at Shane. Shane stared at her and said quietly,
“Get to quarters.” He never glanced away to see if the others followed his order. When they left, he held her gaze as he grasped her upper arms. “Your place is with me now.
You go where I go.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Zoe and Angela were asked and allowed to make a decision, but I’m not offered the same courtesy?”
“Nay.”
“Why?”
“I’ll ask your opinion on many things in the future, Jess, but I’ve been too long from home. After a time, I’ll take you to Blue to see your fam.”
“Thank you so much for the promise of future generosity.”
“You’ll need to stop speaking in that manner. You say one thing and mean another.”
“By all means then, let me say it slowly so you’ll understand. I do not have to go where you go, Tiernan. Is it clear now?”
“Aye,” he said, walking her slowly backward until she bumped into a wall. “I hear what you say but don’t agree. The hold on you stems from me claim as your husband.”
“Pardon?”
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“I’ll be patient with you and explain as these things come up. Yo
u’ll get the hang of it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“We’ll be together which means you’ll go where I go. As your husband, I won’t tolerate anything less.”
“Damn it!” she yelled. She knew of military marriages where a husband served on one vessel while the wife served on another. Spouses also lived on different planets if necessary. She’d never really thought she’d ever step foot on Braugh! If having a husband meant going to his home…
“You don’t want me for a wife after all, Tiernan! Think about it for two seconds.”
She’d laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation if it wasn’t so tragic.
“It’s done, Jess. Over. Settled. I wanted you, you accepted me and we’re wed.”
He wasn’t a youth. He was man-sized, full grown and showed intelligence every once in a while. God, how and why would he let this happen!
“And you want me to go to Braugh and—what? Meet your family?”
“Aye.”
Tears filled her eyes because of the thoughts running through her head. If he lived to make it off Theazia, she’d explain why he wouldn’t want to ruin the rest of his life.
“And I’ll meet your mother.”
“Aye, all of me fam. Is that what’s worrying you?”
“You should be worried about it!”
“Why?”
“Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Tiernan,” she began, flipping her hand over as if conversing with his mother. “Yes, yes, I have many fine qualities.”
She placed her hand on her heart as if responding to someone talking. “Oh by the heavens, no, I don’t know a thing about what a normal being does on the day-to-day. I can however, tell you how to go down on a man.”
“Jess!”
“Or the many vast ways in which to kill a man.”
“Stop, Jess!”
“Why would your son want me? Let me detail my experiences with all the men before him.”
“Jessica!” He shook her before bringing her hard against his chest. He accomplished it just in time to muffle the sob that escaped. “Shh, sweet. Stop now.”
“Bastard!” she whispered, letting the nightmare unfold in her mind.
A big, warm hand rubbed her back as he bent so his breath filled her ear. “They’ll not judge you. I’ll tell me Ma and Da when they need to know.”
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“They’ll be so proud of you.” She couldn’t cry. She’d gone from Bragg to Tiernan without even a morn between. She’d traded one life of disgrace to enter another where she could also feel shame on a daily basis. “From bad to worse.”
“What’s worse?”
“Let me go now before you hate me.”
“I’ll keep you, I think. And I’ll never hate you.” When he tried to kiss her, she turned away. “Nay, Jess, don’t make this eve one of anger. I need to know you’re settled and have things right in your head.”
She shuddered, realizing he’d risk his life in the morn. More than that, his tribesmen would count on him to make good decisions and keep them all safe. He asked she not take his mind from the upcoming mission. He needed a quiet eve so he could face what lay ahead. She cared very much for him, even though he wasn’t too shiny sometimes. Besides, she could be a widow by noon on the morrow.
Stroking his face, she said, “I’m sorry. You’re right. We’ll speak when you’re back aboard.”
“Aye,” he said, smiling, “we’ve a lifetime for such talks.”
“When will you be shown how to pilot the Shadow?” She brushed hair from his forehead but it fell right back into his eyes. He had that boyish quality again.
“Early. You’re all right now, sweet?”
She nodded. At that exact moment she felt more in control.
“Promise?” he asked.
She looked down and tried to do it—make a promise but couldn’t. Nothing seemed right. Something deep inside gnawed and turned her stomach. She didn’t want to lie.
His fingertip touched the tip of her nose. “I forgot you don’t make promises.
Forgive me for asking. In time you’ll do it.”
He kissed her gently before placing his arm across her shoulders. Crewmembers of Efface glanced in their direction as they maneuvered corridors. Many had seen her previously but never with a man. They all knew how Bragg sometimes used her. She hung her head so she wouldn’t see any of the strange expressions they gave Shane. She hated to bring questioning looks upon him because they walked together. He might not understand then, but he would in time. A Braugh warrior doesn’t marry a throwback.
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Chapter Nine
“You’re really quite a woman, Storm,” Bragg said.
Jessica’s eyes flew open as she sat up in the bed. She remembered Shane leaving her a short time ago and couldn’t fathom how Bragg wound up in the cabin.
He spoke loudly from across the room. “I can’t believe you cast a spell on a man like Tiernan and he actually took you as a wife.”
Two crewmen walked in carrying Zoe and Angela. The men dumped her crew on the floor. Jessica threw the covers back and knelt down to check them over. Both were alive but unconscious. The two guards returned with Reilly between them. His eyes were barely open and he couldn’t walk by himself. He was thrown on the floor at Bragg’s feet.
Jessica ran to him and rolled him partially onto his side before one of Bragg’s boots caught her in the shoulder and shoved. She lay sprawled and unmoving as Bragg stepped close to stand over her.
“You’ll need to dress and ready yourself,” he said
“Tell me what you did to my crew and the Braughmen.”
“As you get ready.”
Reilly moved slightly before grabbing Bragg’s ankle. He couldn’t get Bragg off balance. He appeared very weak. Bragg took his gun from the holster and shot Reilly in the back.
When Jessica tried crawling to him, Bragg pointed the gun at Zoe. “Now, Storm.
Hurry.”
She stood, grabbed clothes and began pulling them on. “Why?”
“You’ve been quite a handful of late and your misbehavior last eve gave me an idea.”
“It’d be a first, Sir.”
“Best you silence that mouth of yours and do as I say if you’d like little Cross and Drew to remain alive. It depends solely on you.”
As she dressed, she asked, “Why are you doing this?”
“I won’t lose you. Let me explain what Tiernan will be told and you’ll see how I’ll keep you.”
His image blurred and she shook her head.
Bragg’s hands rested on his hips. “Cross and Drew followed your orders. They drugged the Braughmen so you could take your ship to Blue. I’d wager Tiernan won’t look favorably upon your actions, running off the second his back’s turned. When 109
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Reilly here fought the drug and tried to stop you, you shot him in the back. I believe your husband will be most displeased. Don’t you agree?”
“He won’t believe it.”
“The other Braughmen left on board won’t remember exactly what happened, so they won’t be able to corroborate a thing. That’s when I’ll explain that I monitored the ruckus in this area and sent men to check it out. He’ll be most surprised to find out you shot a private while escaping. Shooting a Governance soldier supersedes any claim a husband might assert.”
“You’ll let Zoe and Angela live?”
“Yes, I’ll keep the three of you.”
“They’ll tell what happened. They won’t go along with it, Sir.”
“Again,” he said, sighing, “you’re wrong. You know better. As for the other Braughmen—do you think they’ll want Cross or Drew after drugging their kinsman? I think not.”
Tucking in her shirt, she couldn’t stop her hands from shaking. “What next? If Tiernan believes you, he’ll most certainly want nothing to do with any of us. Will you also have me stand trial for killi
ng a Governance soldier and one of Tiernan’s crew?”
“Of course not. Once we deposit Tiernan and his men back on Braugh, if they make it back to Efface, I would imagine life would go on much as it has in the past.”
She thought seriously about killing Bragg just then. She wouldn’t go back to being used. A court-marshal and hanging would be preferable to being given out by Bragg to men he wished to gain favor with.
He held out his hand. “Come with me now, Storm. We have to hurry.”
She walked beside him, stepped over the fallen crewman in the hall as the two soldiers followed, weapons drawn and targeting her. “Where to?”
“Your ship. Tiernan and the others are hovering over Theazia. I promised a diversion and you’ll provide it. Your ship’s been programmed to crash at the predetermined location. I’ll apprise Tiernan of your escape and he’ll be able to monitor your progress. I’ll explain to him what havoc you wreaked here prior to stealing the ship. And of course you didn’t know we planned to use your vessel for the diversion prior to you absconding with it. I’ll transport you back to Efface safely before impact.
The display should convince Mr. Tiernan of your treachery.”
“You’re quite the schemer, Sir. Well done.”
“You surprise me. No debate on the matter?”
“You have Braughmen and my crew at your whim. I wish to have this over so Tiernan and his landing party can complete their mission and come safely back aboard.
I’ll comply.”
“Good girl.”
She immediately began processing options. The first order of business would be to get shields up on the ancient vessel to deflect Governance transport. She’d have more 110
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than thirty minutes to make adjustments prior to impact. Wiring schematics clouded her thoughts as they entered the docking bays.
Before long, Jessica found herself alone on the ship and in space. The first hail from Bragg came over the speaker. Tiernan had probably already heard the lies and would be monitoring what happened. They’d taken her ability to communicate so that prior to impact, she wouldn’t be able to make a plea to Tiernan. To fix communications would waste precious time. She focused on getting shields up.
Ripping a chunk of wiring from under a console, she heard Bragg say, “Storm, you won’t be able to divert the course that’s been set. Transport back to Efface immediately.”
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