by Roxie Ray
“Try to hold still,” Keb said, preparing one of the injectors. “If you keep moving around and the needle breaks, I'll have to charge you for a whole other injection.”
I felt Judy's hands on my shoulders and glanced upward. Her eyes were looking down at me, filled with – what? Gratitude for saving her from Pik? Relief that my wounds had been relatively minor? Hope that I might relent in my determination to focus on the mission at the cost of our relationship, and suggest that we pick up where we left off?
I still wanted to. Of course, I wanted to. I still didn't know if that was an urge I could ever successfully contain, as long as I was in close proximity to her.
I still knew I had to try.
“This entire incident is terribly upsetting.” Bek shook his head, wringing his hands anxiously. “I had no idea Torqa would learn of your presence here. For the rest of your stay here, perhaps you should consider renting some additional security personnel for your protection? For a small fee, I can recommend several private contractors who would be more than happy to…”
“Stop trying to sell us things for a moment, and start using your head,” I snapped. My constant thoughts of being intimate with Judy and the discipline necessary to resist them were wearing me down, making me irritable. I was happy for the chance to take out my frustrations on this greedy lump of fur. “You're thinking too small. Your primary concern shouldn't be that Torqa knows we're here. It should be that she has agents among your own people. Spies and assassins. Which means she's already got plans in place to overthrow you, along with every other race in the galaxy. Just as we warned you.”
Keb plunged the injector into my leg, and the numbness started to subside.
“But-but-but she can't,” Bek stuttered. “She's a terrorist, not an economist! She doesn't know the first thing about the delicate subtleties of galactic commerce, the brokering of stocks and commodities, the rise and fall of currency values and their corresponding exchange rates… she'll run the whole damn system into the ground! It will be complete financial chaos. Anarchy!”
The second injector went into my arm, and I flexed my fingers, glad to be able to feel them again.
“Then you finally understand the stakes at hand here, and you're willing to help us stop her,” I said with a nod.
“No, no, no, we can't get involved in something like that! We're traders, not fighters.” Bek began to pace around in a circle, murmuring fretfully. “Perhaps we can make her see reason. Yes, that's it. She's an intelligent woman. I'm sure that for the right amount, a big enough bribe, she'll understand that it would be wiser to keep our system in place and leave us alone… we'll pay her tributes every moon cycle, we'll give her an honorary seat on the Supreme Board of Commerce… ”
“Don't be a fool,” Judy said firmly. “You're already involved. You've given us shelter, and your physician is healing the injuries Dhimurs sustained from Pik. And make no mistake, Bek… anyone who interferes with Torqa's plans pays the ultimate price. I should know. My people, the Macurians, assisted Dhimurs in foiling one of her schemes a while ago. As a result, most of them were slaughtered.”
There was a hard edge to her tone, and I gave her an appreciative nod, enjoying the way she stood her ground – just as a real warrior must. Once again, I was reminded of what a worthy mate she would be. Once again, I ached to claim her.
All of Bek's hair stood on end at once, and his watery brown eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He knocked the third injector out of Keb's stubby paw.
“Stop that!” Bek shrieked. “Don't help them anymore! In fact… do you have any raxatoxin? Maybe it's not too late, maybe we can just put him back the way he was…!”
I stood up menacingly. “You are welcome to try.”
Bek sighed helplessly, his shoulders slumped. “Oh, what's the use? You're right, of course. We're doomed. Once the people hear that Torqa has agents among them, there will be widespread panic, the market will crash, there will be mass suicides all across the planet just like there were during the Great Speculation Disaster twenty years ago…”
“None of that has to happen,” Judy pressed. “Not if you agree to give us your full support against Torqa. Your people may not be warriors, but they are used to fighting for what's theirs when others try to take it away.”
“Yes, I suppose that's true,” Bek mused. “Our merchants' vessels are equipped to defend themselves against Krote corsairs and the like. Very well. We'll consider it… as long as you agree to keep this incident to yourselves.”
“Agreed,” Judy said.
“Plus an additional four million rula.”
I grabbed the front of Bek's cloak hard enough to tear it, growling in his face. “Do not push your luck.”
“All right, all right… we can work out the details later.” Bek pulled away from me, smoothing out the front of his cloak (and no doubt mentally calculating the cost of fixing it). “For now, I'll tell the work crew to make sure your ship is repaired as quickly as possible so you can get off this planet. The last thing we need is more attacks like this while you're here.”
“I can assure you,” I said, “we don't want to stay here a moment longer than we need to.”
16
Judy
The Wrath was repaired in a matter of hours, and as we ascended the ramp into the ship, Bek saw us off. “Best of luck to you all! And remember to tell Akzun to expect my bill for the two million rula!”
A small smile played on Dhimurs' lips. He stopped halfway up the ramp and turned to Bek, folding his arms. “Yes. The two million. Actually, I've given that a lot of thought.”
“Oh?” Bek raised his eyebrows hopefully. “You've decided to agree to the additional four million after all?”
“Not quite. You see, while Vahmi was supervising the repairs to our ship, he used our comm system to contact the Valkred Empire. Specifically, the ledger-keepers who run the treasury. He asked them to do a full accounting of our previous deals with the Drekkir, and uncovered some rather interesting information. For example, did you know that during our conflict with the Mana, we purchased a shipment of five thousand blaster rifle batteries from you… and when they arrived, they were all ten percent short of their energy capacities?”
“Why, no,” Bek gulped nervously. “I had no idea.”
“At the time, we were too busy trying to win the war to make an issue of it, so we simply charged them the rest of the way ourselves and installed them. Looking back, though, I'd say the energy you withheld from us was worth… oh, about half a million rula, give or take. And there was the fleet of troop transports we ordered from you which didn't have any seats installed. That's at least another quarter million.”
“Well, I mean, er, I'd have to look into that to confirm those numbers…”
“And the military uniforms that were lined with imitation xehlex instead of the real thing,” Dhimurs went on relentlessly. “And the ration packs that were missing hydration pods. And…”
“All right, all right,” Bek huffed. “So based on all of your calculations, how much do you owe us?”
“As a matter of fact, the way things stand right now, I'd say you owe us about twelve thousand rula. However, we're perfectly willing to write that off, if you'll keep your promise to seriously consider helping us fight Torqa.”
Bek stared at Dhimurs for a long moment – then threw his head back, laughing uproariously.
“General, I must admit, you've impressed and delighted me with your financial acumen! Here I thought you were just another military hard case with no appreciation for the art of the deal, and you've actually out-negotiated me! Is there any chance you might consider coming to work for the Drekkir? A man of your talents and expertise would make a fine Minister of Planetary Defense. You could use your unique brand of discipline to keep tighter control over things, and naturally, we'd be willing to double whatever salary the Valkred Empire is currently paying you!”
“Perhaps,” Dhimurs said with a smirk. “I'll be happy to en
tertain your sales pitch – once Torqa has been defeated.”
“Splendid, splendid! Until then, take care of yourselves, and remember: don't take any wooden rula!” Bek rubbed his paws together, and then waved goodbye as we entered the ship and took off.
“That was amazing.” I gave Dhimurs' bicep a playful squeeze. “Good idea, having Vahmi contact the Valkred treasury.”
“Well, if I did,” Vahmi said, “it's certainly the first I've heard of it.”
I stared at Dhimurs in disbelief. “You bluffed him?”
Dhimurs didn't answer – he just gave me a wide, self-satisfied grin, and continued to make his way to the command deck.
I was astonished by his guile… not to mention extremely turned on. Just when I thought I had him all figured out, he still managed to surprise me, which was incredibly alluring. I’d wanted to remain angry with him over what had happened between us in my room, but the way he'd saved me from Pik's clutches, risking his own life to do so, made it hard to hold a grudge. And now the desire, which had never completely left me, was returned full-force. It was all I could do to maintain my distance from Dhimurs.
The Wrath's engines and systems appeared to be back to normal, which was comforting. Even so, Dhimurs asked Thezis to triple-check the weapons apparatus, just to make sure the Drekkir hadn't cheated us somehow so we'd find ourselves defenseless at the wrong moment. Thezis dutifully conducted the inspections and assured us that everything was just as it should be.
“So, we're headed to Kenexa?” Vahmi asked when we were fully underway.
“Yes,” Dhimurs replied. “That still seems to be our best lead. I only wish we had a better idea of what was waiting for us there.”
“I did all I could to determine what Torqa's plans might be, or why she would choose that system to hide out in,” Surge said, “but unfortunately, I was unable to obtain any useful information from anyone on the Drekkir home world. Perhaps if I'd been able to interrogate Pik, I'd have had better luck. Maybe instead of rushing headlong toward Torqa, we should focus on tracking him down instead? Get a sense of what she's got planned?”
Dhimurs shook his head. “Impossible. As Bek said, Pik could be on any of a hundred different trading vessels by now. Chasing them all down and searching them would take too much time and effort, especially if their captains put up resistance when we try to board them. We could end up picking fights with representatives from a dozen different worlds and trade unions. Unless, of course, Respen might be able to use his sorcery to find out which ship Pik is on?”
We all turned to look at Respen – but he remained silent. His brow was furrowed, and he was staring into space blankly, as though he hadn't heard a word we'd said. The usual glow emanating from his skin had also dimmed considerably.
“Respen?” Dhimurs snapped irritably. “Are you still with us? I said…”
“I heard every word.” Respen's voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. His eyes looked larger and darker than usual, and I realized it was because the tiny flecks of starlight that usually swirled in them were no longer there – they were black pools, and the icy terror gathering around their edges worried me.
“And? Can you track him down?”
Respen took a deep breath, as though trying to compose himself. “I fear I will be unable to assist you in that regard. Or, indeed, any other. You see, when we were on the Drekkir planet and you tasked me with using my 'magic,' as you call it, to discern Torqa's plans, I did all I could to oblige.” He fingered the amulet around his neck nervously. “But the cosmic artifacts I carry with me were of little use in terms of sensing her intentions or actions, and for some reason, my own natural abilities appear to have abandoned me completely. I can no longer channel the energies of the universe.”
I was stunned. I'd always been told what powerful mystics the Lunians were. “What could cause something like that?” I asked.
“It is difficult to say. Such instances are extremely rare. When I attempted to reach out to my brethren on Yuluna, to determine whether any of them were experiencing something similar, I was unable to establish a link with them. Since we are relatively close to Kenexa, it is possible that our proximity to the fierce plasma storms there is disrupting my bond with the universal core.”
But from the sound of his voice, it didn't seem as though he fully believed this himself.
“Go on, Dhimurs,” Respen added softly. “I don't need my psychic abilities to know how eager you must be to point out my apparent uselessness on this journey once more. By all means, indulge yourself. Hurl any insult that readily comes to mind.”
I looked at Dhimurs, expecting him to do exactly that – but instead, he remained quiet. If anything, based on the expression on his face, he seemed to feel genuine pity for the Lunian.
Finally, he said, “I don't know why you're here, Respen, but I am convinced there is a reason. If there's one thing that your race shares with my own, it's a belief in fate. I have every confidence you'll prove your usefulness before this mission is over.”
Respen nodded gratefully.
I found myself astonished by Dhimurs' sudden tone of understanding and compassion. So he did have a softer and more yielding side – one he was willing to show, albeit rarely. In time, I hoped he would show me more of that side. I hoped that once the mission was over and we were no longer in danger, he would allow himself to explore it with me. I'd be happy with him growling and snarling and snapping at the entire rest of the universe, as long as he saved his tenderness for me alone.
“Still, that leaves us back at square one,” Surge said, pounding his fist on the nearest console in frustration. “We can't take the time to retreat from Kenexa, or to go to Yuluna and investigate why your link to your people has been severed… every moment we leave Ekaid and Lidea in Torqa's hands puts them in greater danger. All we can do is keep moving toward what's almost certainly a trap. Dammit, we've been playing defense for far too long, letting that gruesome bitch herd us wherever she will! There must be something we can do to seize control of this situation!”
“Perhaps there is,” Dhimurs mused. “We could always give her exactly what she wants.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Vahmi asked.
“Torqa may have grand plans for galactic conquest,” Dhimurs went on slowly, “but as we've seen, her petty and vindictive nature also compels her to avenge personal grudges. I've seen this pattern of behavior from her before, when she was a spymaster for the Valkred Empire. She's methodical… she never loses sight of her larger goals, but that doesn't mean she won't put them on hold to settle scores and show everyone how dangerous it is to cross her even slightly. She paused her scheme of taking over the universe just long enough to travel to Macur, butcher most of its population, and make off with Judy and her parents.”
The memory still stung me with grief and rage, but I tried not to let it show. “Go on.”
Dhimurs gave me a small nod, clearly appreciative of my ability to control my emotions. In his eyes, I was becoming a worthy warrior after all. Knowing that – seeing that respect and admiration when he looked at me, even in the midst of all we’ve had to face in our journey so far – made my heart feel like it was glowing far brighter than any Lunian.
“She wants to watch you suffer,” Surge said, starting to understand. “You specifically, since you were the one who thwarted her on Macur. To her, you'd make an even greater prize than Ekaid and Lidea. Especially since the rest of Valkred would see that she was able to capture their most celebrated military hero. It would help break their spirits in advance of her bid for conquest.”
“Precisely,” Dhimurs agreed. “We can set our own trap, and I'll be the bait. I'll offer to exchange myself for Ekaid and Lidea. That way, we can turn the tables on her. Steer her where we want her to go.”
“Why would she fall for it?” Vahmi sounded skeptical. “Why would she honestly believe we would trade a respected general for a couple of primitive tribal elders from some backwater plane
t? No offense,” he added, glancing at me.
“Some taken,” I replied stonily.
“Thanks to Torqa's act of near-genocide,” Respen said, “the Macurians are now on the brink of extinction. If their race has any real chance at coming back from that, they will require the leadership of the two most influential tribe members who survived her assault. Sacrificing the life of one Valkredian general to preserve the continued existence of an entire culture would be seen as a logical course of action. Or at the very least, a believable one in her eyes.”
“It could work,” I spoke up, “but only if you include me as bait, too.”
The rest of the crew stared at me, dumbfounded.
17
Dhimurs
“Out of the question!” I roared. “I may have agreed to allow your presence on this mission, but I will not place you in direct danger.”
“Perhaps we should continue this discussion in private,” Judy suggested coolly.
“Very well.” I marched off the command deck and into a nearby guest cabin, listening to her footsteps behind me as she struggled to keep up.
When the door closed behind us, Judy spoke, poking me in the chest with her index finger for emphasis. “First of all, as I remember it, you didn't 'agree to my presence on this mission.' We both made our case to Akzun, and he decided that my proposed course of action was more appropriate than yours.”
“That doesn't mean…”
“Second,” she went on implacably, “offering me up as additional bait will sweeten the deal, and make it harder for Torqa to resist. If she's as big on personal grudges – and showing everyone she's not to be crossed – as you've said she is, then she'll relish the chance to reclaim me as a prisoner and prove to everyone that no one can escape her for long. She's probably already executed the guard who left the door to my cell open, not to mention the tactical officer who didn't do more to retrieve my pod, right?”