by Lee Savino
The lead soldier hesitates. “Who are you?”
We’re armored, masked. They can’t see our faces. “Not relevant,” I say tersely. “I’m going to ask nicely one more time. Drop your guns.”
She’s a soldier. She’s not stupid. I watch her assess the situation and notice the instant she realizes there’s no way out. She nods slowly. Her hand loosens the grip on her weapon…
Zabek jerks his gun up and fires four times.
One shot for each soldier.
The four Blood Heart soldiers drop to the ground. I stare at their corpses. Each of them has a laser hole in the middle of their foreheads.
Zabek hoists Danax’s unconscious body over his shoulder and steps over the corpses. “Memory wipes can fail,” he says. “Set your charges. We blow the lab up.”
This wasn’t a gunfight. This was cold-blooded murder.
Fury engulfs me.
Six minutes on the timer.
Now’s not the time. We need to get back to the Mahala. And then, Thel’s son or not, there will be a reckoning.
17
Mirak
First sends me the location of the bar he wants to meet at the very last minute. It’s an insult—we’re meeting under truce, and I’m honor-bound not to harm him—but I shrug it off. I can’t bring myself to care about his petty slights. The pirates will need an hour to get in, grab the Draekons, and get out. All that matters right now is that I keep First occupied while that is happening.
He’s already there when I arrive, seated at a table in the back. The rest of the place is empty. The only other person is the Venan bartender, who looks like he’s come face to face with death. Poor guy. I’d like to reassure him that he’s in no danger, but that would be a lie.
Can I take First in a one-on-one fight? I doubt it. I’m strong; we all are. But First was, more than any of us, created to be the perfect soldier. He can shift faster. Fly further. His flame burns hotter. His scales are impenetrable, and he’s almost impossible to kill.
I leave my comm at the bar, walk through a scanner that verifies I’m carrying no electronics, and take my seat. First raises his hand for the bartender. “Two barinths,” he orders, and then turns his attention to me. “I’m still surprised you called.”
“So you keep saying.” Ruhan told me that during their encounter, First was half-mad with bloodlust. His eyes are clear now. “Are we going to keep talking about that, or are you going to sell me your vision?”
The bartender puts our drinks on a tray and drones it over. A bright blue liquid, the color of blood, bubbles in the slav-coated glass. I take a sip and nod approvingly. “Thank you,” I call out to the bartender. “This is excellent.”
First waits for me to swallow, and then he holds out his hand for my drink. “If you don’t mind,” he says.
He thinks I’m going to poison him? Another insult I’m going to ignore. I push my drink toward him and lift the other glass. “To temporary truces,” I say mockingly.
The Mahala has docked in the main spaceport. Diana should be on her way to the laboratory right now.
First keeps his expression blank and sips the drink. “This is good,” he agrees. “Do you remember that evening in Felerin, after the battle of Tama?”
Do I ever. It had been a hard, brutal, bloody battle. The blockers had been in effect, and for the space of one night, none of us had felt the rathr. We’d sat in a bar on the edge of the deep violet ocean, and we’d proceeded to drink ourselves to oblivion. It’s not a favorite memory of mine.
“We drank barinths that night,” he continues. He sets his drink down on the table. “I assume Second has already told you my plan.”
“You want to be Emperor.”
“It is not just a desire, Fourth. It is my destiny.”
The self-delusion is set to max, I see. “Your destiny,” I say blandly. I have to strike a careful balance here. I have to remain skeptical, because First would expect that, but if I mock him too much, he might storm out, and I can’t risk that. “Do you think the Highborn of the Empire are going to step aside to let you take the Crystal Throne? Or do you intend to kill them all?”
“You doubt me; I don’t blame you. I was close the last time, but we failed.”
“The last time?”
“You didn’t know.” He sounds amused. “No, you wouldn’t. You don’t believe in causes, do you? You like to keep yourself above politics, as if you’re too high-minded for all that. There’s so much you don’t know, Fourth.”
“And you’re not going to tell me?”
He shrugs. “Oh, I’ll tell you. It’s all in the distant past anyway. The Supreme Mother believed that the six of us could put her on the throne. We plotted, she and I. So many threads to weave together. So many strings to pull. The second-generation of Draekons rising up in rebellion, Fifth holding himself responsible for their crimes…”
Ice trickles down my spine. “What did you have to do with that?”
“Everything.” He leans back in his chair, a smug smile on his face. “It was all me. And it would have worked, but for the vagaries of fate.”
He’s trying to provoke you, a voice inside me insists. “You’re lying. The Supreme Mother wouldn’t confide in you. We were less than dirt to her.”
“We were her creations.” He keeps his gaze on me. “But I was more. I was her blood. She used her own genes when she made me.”
Shock punches me. “No.”
“Oh, yes. And before you ask, she didn’t lie. I found out what she’d done when I read her notes, and I confronted her with the truth.” His expression darkens. For an instant, the mask tears and the bloodlust breaks free. Only for an instant. “We made a deal. She was going to be Empress, and I was to be the Firstborn. And when she died, I was going to rule.”
He shrugs. “Anyway. All of this is in the past. It’s a new age now, Fourth. Lenox is weaker than Kannix ever was. Two people have kept him propped up in power. The scientist Brunox, who will not be a factor for very much longer, and the spymaster, Ru’vi.”
“You are going to murder them?”
“Not yet. I need an army first.”
“Which is where I come in, I assume. You want my genes. Isn’t that what you told Third in Nestri?”
“That’s one way to get an army. There are faster ways.”
“Like what?”
“That would be telling, Fourth.” He leans back. “You don’t think I’m going to reveal all of my plans, do you?”
I down my drink and signal for another. How long has it been? Has Diana got the Draekons out of there yet? “You don’t have to reveal anything. But if you want to recruit me, I suggest you start getting persuasive.”
For the next three knur, I listen to First’s relentless self-aggrandizement. He goes on and on about how brave he is, how perfect an Emperor he’d make, how clever, and how astute. I drink my way through his delusions.
“And I take care of my friends,” he finishes. “I see you as the High Commander of the Imperial Navy. What do you think, Fourth?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see an aborted comm attempt on my device, and then another, and finally, a third. The signal from Ruhan, who’s monitoring a bunch of security feeds. Diana’s back on the Mahala.
Relief shudders through me. She’s safe.
I get to my feet. “You know,” I tell him pleasantly. “Your first instincts were right. There’s nothing you can tell me to get me to join your cause. No position you can offer me. There is nothing you can do that will make me forget that you tried to kill my brothers.”
He’s no fool. The second I get to my feet he realizes he’s been played. He reaches for his comm—presumably to contact his Blood Heart soldiers—but there’s no reply.
“Did I keep you from something important?” I ask him mockingly. “Like slaughtering more defenseless Draekons? What a pity, First. A real shame.”
“We had a truce.”
“A truce I’ve honored. We both walk out of here alive.”
He jumps to his feet and glares at me. The Venan at the bar turns orange. “You double-crossed me,” First snarls, his fingers curling into fists, smoke escaping from his mouth. “The Rebellion couldn’t have got here in time.”
No, they couldn’t. Not that I’m going to tell him that. “Couldn’t they?” I let my lips curl in a smug smile. “Or did you forget about my navigational abilities?” I shake my head. “You must think we’re idiots, First. The instant you suggested Avela, we asked the most obvious question. Why would you be here? It led us to the lab. And so, while I talked to you, my associates took care of the Draekons.”
I’m not Fifth, no. But I can be a pretty convincing liar, because First buys every word that leaves my mouth.
“I should kill you for this.” He takes a deep breath and forces the madness from his eyes. “But we had a truce. I will keep it.” His voice turns cold. “I won’t forget your betrayal, Fourth.”
“I’m sure it’ll keep me up at night.”
I’ve done what I came to do. I turn away from the enraged Draekon.
Once upon a time, I called this man my brother. That was a long time ago. First is lost to us. He’s gone too far down a dark path, and there is no returning from it.
Not anymore.
18
Diana
I’m still boiling with rage when we pull up at the Mahala. The team—with the exception of Zabek—load the still-sedated Draekons into the sickbay.
I linger behind when they’re done to talk to Odrien. “Be honest with me, Healer. Can they recover?”
“Physically, yes.” Odrien’s voice is grim as he moves between the stretchers, trying to triage the patients that need the most urgent care. “I can put them in stasis and slow the damage until I heal them.” He looks at me. “The butcher that did this is on board the ship, isn’t he, Diana?”
Odrien tended to my wounds when I came on board the ship. When he calls me Diana, it’s a sign of affection, not insubordination. I grit my teeth at the fresh reminder of what Zabek did. I’ve stayed quiet too long. As soon as I’m done here, I’m going to deal with him, once and for all. I am still the Second-in-Command. If Thel doesn’t like that I’m going to yell at his idiot son, he can fire me.
“He is.”
I get out of the healer’s way as he works. He sprays a festering wound with a green liquid, and gestures to me. “Here, hold this gauze over the wound,” he says with a frown. “Why isn’t he dead, Diana?”
“He’s a Zorahn scientist. They’re geneticists. I thought that maybe he could—”
“Cure the Captain.”
I nod. “Am I being foolish, Odrien? Am I deluding myself here?”
His face softens. “You have a kind heart.” He sprays the green liquid on a different wound, and I obediently hold another pad of gauze in place. “The Zorahn are geneticists, it’s true. But the Captain’s condition is degenerative. He will never be cured. At best, the scientist could slow the progression.”
I know that.
“Back to your original question. These men can recover physically. Mentally, on the other hand? They have been tortured for years. They will be unstable. Violent, even. We can’t keep them on the Mahala, Diana. This isn’t something that can be mind-wiped away. You need specialist healers for this.”
“I was thinking of taking them to the Rebellion.”
“Good.” He pats me on the back. “You look exhausted. Want me to give you something?”
“I’ll be okay.” I give him a fond gaze. “Don’t stay up all day and all night working on them, Odrien. That’s an order. You’re our only healer. We’ll be lost without you. Put them in stasis and make sure to get some rest.”
He gives me a wryly amused look. “Yes, Chief Officer. Do you know when we’ll rendezvous with the Rebellion?”
“They have some people in the Rompthik sector. Using stable wormholes, we’ll be there in a week.” I choke back my curse. Parani would have got us there in four days, max. But of course, Parani isn’t part of the Mahala crew any longer. She left the moment we touched down on the Heca Exchange. Thanks for nothing, Zabek.
All the Ektons can do some amount of navigation; it’s embedded in their DNA. But raw ability isn’t enough. Even the Ektons need to be taught.
Parani was our only trained navigator. I’d intended to look for her replacement in the Heca Exchange, but we dropped everything to get to Avela before Blood Heart, which means we’re stuck using the stable wormholes.
I leave Odrien to his work and head in search of Zabek. Exhaustion swamps me. Right now, I’d kill to roll back the clock, to be on my date with Mirak again. When I was with the Draekon, I felt alive. Instead, I’m going to have to deal with Zabek’s insubordination. Lovely.
Zabek is nowhere to be found. I look in his quarters, in the common areas, and then finally, I think to try Thel’s chamber, and sure enough, there he is.
Thel sees me first. “Diana,” he booms, a beaming smile on his face. “Come on in, child. Zabek was filling me in on the mission.”
“Was he now?” I enter the room and take a seat next to the pirate captain. “How’s the leg, Thel?”
“Good, good.” His eyes glitter with emotion. “You and Zabek brought back a Zorahn scientist.” He places his hand over mine. “Diana, I don’t know what to say. I’m so touched by your actions.”
Damn it to all hell. Thel’s brimming with pride that his son gave a damn about him, and I don’t have it in me to burst his bubble. How can I tell the pirate that his son killed four soldiers in cold blood, four soldiers who had been on the verge of surrendering?
I just can’t.
Zabek disobeyed a direct order. Insubordination is a serious charge. I have witnesses that saw what he did. I’d be well within my rights to demand that the Ekton leave the Mahala.
You think Thel will back you up? Over his son?
I can’t even look at Zabek, I’m so furious right now. “Yeah,” I mutter. “It was nothing.”
Thel’s holding out a glass. It’s Vabrian, which reminds me again of Mirak. I gulp it down and shake my head when he offers me another. “I have to go.”
Azeer is waiting for me outside. “If you’re going to tell me that Zabek did the right thing, I don’t want to hear it.”
“No, Chief Officer.” His face is serious. “May I walk with you?”
There’s no good way to say no. I rub my temples, willing the throbbing headache to go away. I don’t get stressed about the battles, but give me interpersonal conflict, and I want to crawl into a hole and die. “Sure thing.”
“What Zabek did today was insubordination,” he says. “You are the Second-in-Command. You cannot condone this behavior. You must not let Zabek stay on the ship. He must leave.”
I give the Ekton a sidelong look. “You don’t like me, Azeer. Why the support?”
He frowns. “Do you know why the Captain picked you to be in charge?”
“I see we’re answering questions with questions,” I say dryly. “How very fun. No, I have no idea why Thel chose me.”
“Because you are exactly like him,” Azeer responds. “In the things that truly matter, you are much more like Theldre than Zabek will ever be.”
“Azeer, I have no idea what you’re talking about. My head is going to burst. Now is not the time for subtlety.”
“I’ve been part of Theldre’s crew since the start,” he responds. “In the beginning, we were raiders who didn’t have enough money to fuel our ship. We had to rob docks for power cells. We smuggled contraband. Tech mostly, from the Adrashian Federation to the Zorahn Empire. I’ve lost track of how many times we almost got caught. Even back then, the Captain had his preferred targets. Rich and powerful corporations like Docarro.”
In the six months I’ve been on board, I’ve never heard Azeer reminisce about the past. I’m not even sure I knew he was one of the original crew.
“The Captain doesn’t do this for money any longer,” he continues. “Now, he uses his
power and his wealth to right injustices.”
“Like Docarro?”
“Docarro, yes. But also, smaller things. For example, six months ago, we heard a rumor that some Zorahn scientists were experimenting on sentients on a spacer.”
I stop in my tracks. “That’s why you were there? Thel never said.”
“He wouldn’t. Theldre loved your defiance and your nerve, right from the start. But do you know when he chose you to succeed him? I remember it well. He’d received word that Blood Heart had located an underground laboratory filled with Draekons. You immediately insisted on alerting the Rebellion.”
“That’s why he made me Second-in-Command?” I gape at Azeer. “I always thought he hated that I put my life in danger.”
“He does. He also admires you for your willingness to do so anyway. The Captain came to me that day. He talked to me. He made me promise that I would watch out for you.” Azeer eyes me steadily. “I keep my promises, Chief Officer. Soren, Krep, Ganni, and Maz all heard Zabek disobey a direct order. You cannot let your crew believe that they can do so without consequences. You cannot let anyone undermine your authority that way. You must deal with Zabek.”
I close my eyes. “I will break Thel’s heart.”
“The Captain knows his son,” Azeer says. “And he knows you.”
Lisa and Azeer all think this isn’t a big deal. They’re all confident that Thel will back me up. Not just the two of them. Mirak had pretty much said the same thing to me during our date.
I wish I shared their faith.
“I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
Azeer starts to say something, and then reconsiders. “Of course, Chief Officer.” He pays attention to the direction we’re walking. “Are you headed to the bridge?”
“Yeah. We didn’t get a chance to hire a navigator in the Heca Exchange. Can you and Lisa handle navigation until we find a replacement?”
Back on Earth, Lisa was an astrophysicist. Parani was teaching her to be a navigator. Azeer has the instinct but not the training; Lisa has the training but not the instinct. Between the two of them, we’ll get one competent navigator.