Finally, after Marcus and Patrick settled in the window seat and Louisa sat in one of the chairs perpendicular to the love seat, Ciaran sat next to Bannon. He ran his hands down his thighs to his bare knees. “I’m tired of the secrecy.”
Marcus opened his mouth to protest, but Ciaran pointed at him.
“From all of ye. I’m positive we are all on the same side. But if we dinna talk….” He shook his head, and his voice grew more husky. “This enemy of ours killed my father.”
A knot formed in Marcus’s throat. He knew all too well the destruction the IN could do to one’s life. He still wanted revenge for his son’s and Mary’s deaths, so he couldn’t fault Ciaran for seeking revenge of his own, though he knew it probably wasn’t the healthiest way to deal with their losses.
“And at this verra moment, this enemy is building some sort of stronghold on the edge of MacKay lands.” Ciaran stared at Marcus, then shifted his gaze to Patrick. “The two of ye are, and always have been, hiding something, and I have a hunch it has tae do with what is going on now.”
Well, hell. So did Marcus, though neither he nor Patrick could prove it. He felt so damned helpless. Just like he had all those years ago. Instinct made Marcus stiffen up. He wanted to know what was going on too…. He was tired of hiding and playing it safe. He finally had the opportunity to fight back, and he was going to take it. He glanced at Patrick, expecting to see his usual hesitancy, but what he saw was resignation. Just like always, Patrick seemed to read his mind.
Crossing his legs at the ankles, Patrick stretched them out in front of him. “We are from Regelence. I was a lieutenant commander in the Intergalactic Navy.”
Bannon and Louisa both sucked in a breath. Bannon looked on the verge of saying something, but Ciaran grabbed his hand, patting it in reassurance. “Let him finish.”
Marcus was glad. He wasn’t sure he could take the accusations at the moment, but it also erased his doubts about whether Regelens knew something was up with the IN. Question was, how much did they know?
Patrick resumed his explanation. “While stationed in the Yarren system, I started getting reports from a few of my men that they were having to report to the lab for bloodwork and testing. The men seemed rather put out by it, since they were not due for their annual physicals. We hadn’t been anywhere, and all our vaccinations were up-to-date, so I started looking into it. I quickly discovered that the only men being tested were Regelens. It seemed strange to me. I couldn’t find any reason in their records for this, so I went directly to the lab. The head of the lab was not there, but my clearance allowed me access. I talked to a few techs and didn’t discover much. They seemed as in the dark as I was. Then the next day, I got a message from an anonymous source with what looked like DNA reports and telling me to check lab room 2A. I should have had clearance, but I couldn’t get into lab 2A, so I waited until after hours, and I went back and took Marcus with me.” His voice trailed off, and he gripped Marcus’s hand, squeezing.
A chill raced up Marcus’s spine, but he squeezed back. Damn, he could still imagine the babies in those tanks and the horror of knowing they shouldn’t be there. He’d known immediately that something was very wrong.
It got quiet, and he realized that Ciaran, Bannon, and Louisa were all watching him and waiting for an explanation.
“I’m good with computers.” He shrugged. “It’s a talent. I can hack into just about any system.” He’d always found computers fascinating. As an only child, there were times growing up when the family butler had been his only companion.
Bannon glanced at Ciaran.
Ciaran stared back at him, and they seemed to engage in some sort of silent communication. After a few seconds, Bannon motioned to Marcus. “I’m afraid I know where this is going, but please continue. Then I’ll tell you what I know.”
Patrick raised a brow at Marcus. Marcus sighed and continued relating the story. “We broke into the lab and found gestation tanks filled with fetuses in the IN base laboratory. There were no parents listed for these fetuses, and they had odd birthmarks. Similar to the Regelence Rose birthmark but in the wrong places, and….” He shook his head. “They weren’t roses. More of a blob, but the coincidence that they shared birthmarks like Regelens who are products of artificial reproduction was just too coincidental. We were pretty sure they were doing research on Regelens to try to replicate our artificial reproduction, but we couldn’t prove it.”
Bannon gasped.
Louisa actually brought her right hand up to her face and bit the knuckle on her index finger.
“What?”
Bannon started shaking his head very slowly side to side. The kid was very animated and… well, adorable.
“We already know they tried to steal our procreation technology. Apparently there is something in our DNA that makes us faster and stronger, but….” He glanced over at Louisa.
Louisa lowered her hand, but her expression remained tense. “The orphans.”
Bannon nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking too.” He turned back to Marcus, and his face seemed to lose its color. “My brother and brother-in-law recently started helping with orphans on Regelence. We seemed to have an influx of them lately. But I remember Dalton mentioning weird rose-like birthmarks on some of their forearms and backs of hands and in odd places.”
The hairs on the back of Marcus’s arms stood on end. Good galaxy, they were dumping these kids they considered failures on Regelence.
Patrick tightened his grip on Marcus’s hand almost to the point of pain, but Marcus made himself relax and finish the story. “We started digging and discovered that unlike planetary wars, where the governments make money off of conflict, the IN was actually losing money on the Aquarius War because they have no economy to boost. They only get enough funding to run things and the war was taking a lot of that money. They got more funding from several planets, but men are greedy and no one was getting rich. So they made plans to change that. They began implementing a long-term plan to take over the galaxy and supplant the governments of the planets it defends. Including Regelence.”
“Oh my stars!” Bannon’s face paled.
Louisa brought both her hands up, covering the lower part of her face. She looked at Bannon. “It all makes so much sense now.”
“Nae, it doesna. I’m more lost than ever.” Ciaran frowned and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “How does Skye fit intae this? We arenae with the IN.”
Sighing, Bannon nodded jerkily at Louisa. “All the pieces just fell into place. My galaxy, we have to get home to tell my father, King Steven, King-Consort Raleigh, and the admiral.”
“No!” Marcus and Patrick said at once.
Patrick even jumped to his feet.
Marcus’s heart started pounding a mile a minute, his thoughts racing as it took a moment for information to settle in his brain. Steven was now king. He wondered what happened to Steven’s parents, but another part of him was glad they were no longer in charge, even if he did mourn their deaths. Steven would be a much better leader, and if Regelence—the galaxy—was going to survive this, they needed a strong leader, because the men they were up against…. “No military.”
“Whyever not?” Louisa asked.
“Admiral Jenkins is in on this. After the IN tried to kill us, he had us marooned on Skye.”
§ § § §
Interplanetary wars, intergalactic militaries, birthmarks, artificial reproduction, computers…. It was enough to give the average Highlander a headache and make him question his place in the universe. It certainly killed the warm glow he’d had from kissing Red earlier. Fortunately, Ciaran already knew something about the artificial reproduction and computers, thanks to Marcus’s tutelage, but his mind was still spinning. He knew gold tended to be the root of all conflicts, but this was bigger than anything he’d ever imagined. “Wait! Just hold on tae ye horses!”
Everyone was staring at him with… pity? They had all spoken as though this was… well, not that it wasn�
�t a big deal, but like they were not at all surprised by the information, whereas Ciaran needed a few moments to let it soak in.
He sat back, dragging his hands down his face, trying to get his bearings. “Who is this admiral? And how do we get tae him?”
A light touch landed on his shoulder.
Turning his head, Ciaran stared into deep green eyes. Green eyes full of compassion and kindness, instead of the suspicion that normally resided there. It brought back their morning together into sharp focus. The way they’d worked together and Maggie’s interruption. He almost groaned at the thought.
“Wait!” Red jumped to his feet, his entire focus on Patrick. “How do they not know you are here? If they can track you….”
“They can’t track me,” Patrick said with confidence.
“But your dog tag….”
Patrick shook his head. “Has long since been removed and destroyed. And it was destroyed far from here, so if they have my last location, it’s on the other side of Skye.”
Ciaran threw his hands in the air as Bannon sat back down. This was almost like listening to a conversation in a foreign tongue. “I’m confused. What is a dog tag, and why can they track Patrick?”
“They can’t,” Patrick assured him. “The IN implants a device in its soldiers when they enlist that has all the soldier’s information on it. Blood type, place of residence, that sort of thing. They can update it to list a soldier’s rank and vital statistics related to their service.”
“But it can also locate the soldier,” Bannon said.
Patrick nodded. “Which is something we found out when Marcus started digging into their computer system. However, there are no satellites around Skye, so it’s unlikely they tracked me here. But if they did, we took measures to try and throw them off our trail.”
Louisa made a whistling sound. “We just learned this. If we’d had the two of you before now….”
Everyone was quiet for several moments, and then Ciaran decided to get them back on subject. “This is as much my fight as it is yers. These men murdered my father and my clansmen, and I mean tae kill every last one of them.”
Red sucked in a breath. “I am so sorry.”
“Ciaran is right. We will all have to fight. Not only is the IN trying to take over the galaxy, they have killed innocents, and they will just keep on killing until they’ve accomplished their goal.” Patrick’s voice cracked a little, making Ciaran and Red turn toward him.
Marcus leaned closer to Patrick, his hand flexing where it rested on Patrick’s leg, his eyes shiny with moisture. “They killed your father, both our clansmen, and… they killed our son.”
Shock raced through Ciaran. They had a son? Ah, but of course they did. They’d never said, but there had been hints. The care they both gave Ciaran and Ram. The time Douglas and Agnes’s new baby got croup and Patrick knew just what to do. Ciaran would never forget watching the big man with a sword strapped to his back, cradling the tiny infant and rocking him. Babies and small children never made them uncomfortable like they did Ciaran. Ciaran never knew quite what to do or how to act with small children, but Marcus and Patrick did. Like Ciaran’s father and the other warriors with family, they always seemed to have an infinite amount of patience. It all made sense now.
Sharing a look with both men who’d helped raise him, Ciaran gave them a slow nod. Even if the bastards hadn’t killed his father, and even if they weren’t invading his planet and threatening his clan, he’d fight with Marcus and Patrick.
They seemed to understand. Both of them nodded back.
Red squeezed his shoulder, then dropped his hand away as he too realized Ciaran’s conviction.
“Tell me about this admiral. He sounds like a guid place tae start. I need tae ken who we are up against,” Ciaran said.
Marcus looked right at him, but it was Patrick who answered. “He is the fleet admiral for Regelence. It’s not just him, of course. It is all the admirals, or at least the majority of them, and the IN’s representative on the IN Council. For all we know, it could be other members who represent the planets in the IN. The only one I’m positive is not involved is Regelence’s IN Councilman. Assuming the Duke of Eversleigh is still the IN Councilman. I know him, and he’s a good man and loyal to Regelence.”
Red stiffened beside him and sat straighter. “Eversleigh is still Regelence’s IN Councilman.” His voice filled with pride, and he beamed at Patrick and Marcus.
“Oh my galaxy!” Marcus pointed right at Red. “That is where I’ve seen those eyes before. You’re Warren and Pierce’s son.” Marcus chuckled. “Nice to meet you, my lord. Forgive me, but I don’t remember, are you Redding, Eversleigh’s heir? Or the second born?”
“I’m the spare. My brother, Blaise, is Redding, but you have me at a disadvantage. Who are you?”
It was like watching a chess match.
Red was the son of a duke? Ciaran glanced over at him. Yes, yes, he could see that. Red did have a certain proud arrogance about him. He knew his place in the world. It wasn’t just him wanting to protect his family. He saw it as a duty, much like Ciaran did.
Marcus and Patrick looked at each other for several long moments, then back at Red. Marcus opened his mouth to speak, but Ciaran stopped him.
“We can get intae who ye are in a moment. I want tae ken more about this IN Council.”
Red frowned at him, quirked his mouth to the side, and promptly ignored him. “How do you know my father so well? I know as a Regelen you’d be familiar with him because of his role as Councilman, but you have more than a passing acquaintance, don’t you?”
Ciaran gave him a frown of his own, which very obviously had no effect on Red. No surprise there. Red did not get intimidated. For good measure, he gave Marcus a frown too, and again saw no repentance, so Ciaran sighed and gave up. He’d let them get the introductions out of the way, then get them all back on track.
“Your parents are… were close personal friends.” Marcus paused for a moment, then dipped his head. “The Marquess”—he placed a hand to his chest, then gestured to Patrick—“and Marquess-Consort of Winstol. At your service.”
Red and Louisa sucked in a breath at the same time and seemed to rob the entire room of air, or perhaps it was Ciaran’s own shock.
His lungs seemed to quit working, as did his mouth. He gawked. Marcus and Patrick were titled nobility? Hell, they outranked him. “I’m nae sure how many more surprises I can take today.”
“I raised ye tae be stronger than that, laddie,” Marcus said with perfect brogue, the teasing making his nobility even more obvious. He winked at Ciaran.
Ciaran smiled and shook his head. As he turned, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.
Red and Louisa were sharing some sort of silent communication. Her eyes flared wide, but then Red shook his head at her. They turned and noticed him watching, and both turned away to focus back on Marcus and Patrick.
What was that about? Before he could ask, Marcus interrupted, dragging all their attention back to him.
“The IN Council is the governing body of the IN. Each planet that has a treaty with the IN has a councilman on the council, and all the admirals in the IN have a seat. Administrative and fleet admirals.”
“The admirals outnumber the planetary representatives,” Red added as though he hadn’t been acting strange only seconds ago.
Ciaran decided to let it go for now. “But what do these admirals want with Skye?”
Marcus, Patrick, Red, and Louisa all shook their heads.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Kilts are more fun to look at than to actually wear.”
—Timothy on fashion yet again.
May 27, 4831: Blae Mountain Pass
“I don’t care what you say, leaving a letter for Captain Kindros in French was a good idea.” Bannon rode up on Louie’s left side, close enough to reach out and touch her. They’d been riding for fifteen minutes now. Out to check on the building that Patrick was convinced was for the IN,
to check the progress and check in with the men sent to keep an eye on the site, and see if Bannon and Louie could spot something different than what Patrick had seen. Something that would tell them that the building was definitely IN.
“Except for the fact that longitude and latitude in French are spelled exactly the same in English. You’d know that if you hadn’t bribed me to do all your French homework.”
Bannon stuck his tongue out at her. He had done some of his French homework.
Technically that was art history, not linguistics.
Not that it mattered. Marcus and Patrick had nixed the idea of leaving a message at the crash site, and since they were the ones going there…. “Do you think Marcus will be able to recover enough stuff from the crash to be able to construct something to contact home?”
They’d given Marcus the com-pad yesterday. The com-pad, with the blue rhinestone-encrusted back, could only have been Prissy’s, so on a whim Louie had them try George Gordon—aka Lord Byron, Prissy’s hero—as a password, and it had worked. Marcus thought that with some spare parts he might be able to build a small satellite dish and contact a passing ship or maybe even a nearby planet.
“I don’t know, but it’s more hopeful than leaving our coordinates at the site and praying it’s Captain Kindros who shows up at Lochwood Castle to rescue us.”
“For the last time, I would have spelled out the coordinates!”
Several of the other riders turned to look at them.
Egads, he might have said that a tad bit louder than he’d intended, but Louie was infuriating sometimes.
“The IN can read French, and even if they can’t, they have computers that can.” She sighed and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now, and besides, you have other things to worry about.” She gave him a pointed look. “Mainly telling Marcus and Patrick about Trouble.”
Ugh! Leave it to Louie to bring up the one thing he really didn’t want to think about right now. He’d been thinking about it all night. And the only thing he was sure about in regards to it was that he’d made things harder for himself by not telling them immediately. “Why me? You could tell them, you know.”
My Highland Laird: Sci-Regency Book 5 Page 13