Cromian Conspiracy (Celestial Empires Book 1)

by Raymond Cooper

  His eyes widened slightly before narrowing, the look of pure hate on his face strong enough to curdle milk.

  “So, is it down to just you and me now?” I asked. “Or is there anybody else I can kill before you and I do our thing?”

  He drove the butt of his rifle down into my midsection. My body exploded in pain and I literally saw stars behind my eyes. I coughed and choked, my mouth filling with the coppery taste of blood.

  “You're gonna pay for that, bitch,” he said. “Take out my whole unit? Yeah, I'm gonna kill you nice and slow. You're gonna be beggin' for me to end it.”

  “I think having to listen to you prattle on is enough for me to beg you to end it,” I laughed, my voice coming out in choked wheezes.

  I wanted to antagonize him. Get him really pissed off and seeing red. The more pissed off he was, the more liable he was to be distracted – which would give me the opening I needed to make my play. And the fact that he'd confirmed for me, that we were down to just the two of us, gave me some small shred of hope that I could win this fight.

  It was slim. A long shot. But it was still better than no shot.

  “Where's Kysos?” he asked, his voice dripping with venom.

  I shrugged. “I don't know,” I said. “Last I saw, he was in the kitchen making some tea for everybody. Though – I guess he's only going to need three cups now, right?”

  The man raised his rifle and pressed the barrel against my forehead. His face was dark with rage and I actually thought he might pull the trigger then and there. But then he smiled and shook his head. He stood back up, taking the weapon away from my head and surprising me by slinging it over his shoulder casually.

  “You're good,” he said. “I'll give you that much. You're pretty damn good.”

  “Are you gonna keep talking for a while?” I asked. “Because, if you are, I'd really like to go pee first.”

  He chuckled and shook his head as he withdrew a long, curved dagger from the sheath on his belt. He twirled it around in his hand, the sunlight streaming through the window glinting off the blade.

  “Before I kill you,” he said. “You're gonna tell me where I can find Kysos. Tell me now, and I'll make your death quick and as painless as possible. Drag this out and refuse to answer me, and you're gonna be in a whole world of hurt, little girl.”

  Pity for him that he only saw me as a little girl. As somebody beneath him. Weaker than him. As somebody who was less than. Like most people, this arrogant son of a bitch was underestimating me. And it was going to be his downfall. I was going to make him pay for it.

  “So, I'm gonna ask you real nice like,” he said. “Please tell me where I can find Kysos.”

  I sighed dramatically. “By now, he's probably halfway to Earth,” I said. “I called a car to take him to the spaceport a while ago. If we'd known you were coming – ”

  He kicked me in the leg, his boot driving one of the long, wooden splinters I'd taken from his grenade deeper into my leg. I cried out as pain tore through my body. It took me a moment to get my breathing back under control, but I finally managed – not that it lessened the pain any.

  “Where can I find Kysos?” he asked, his voice a little colder.

  I held up my hand and shook my head. “Okay, fine,” I cried. “You win. You win. I'll tell you.”

  “So, get on with it then, little girl,” he said. “Where is that son of a bitch?”

  “He's out the back,” I said, pointing behind me. “Out in a shed in the gardens out back.”

  The soldier wasn't buying what I was selling and rolled his eyes, rage darkening his face. He took in a deep breath and let it out before staring up at the ceiling, trying to get himself under control. He was distracted – which was what I'd been waiting for.

  In one swift, smooth movement, I flicked my wrist, releasing the dagger from its sheath. The soldier didn't quite process what was happening fast enough – which was to my advantage. I drove the point of my dagger straight through the top of his foot, bringing it down so hard, I felt the blade bite into the wooden flooring.

  The soldier howled in pain – it was a scream unlike anything I'd ever heard before. I watched as he struggled to unsling his rifle – very likely intending to blow my head off. I was quicker on the draw. Rolling to my right, I picked up the rifle I'd dropped. And when I rolled onto my back again, I brought the rifle up to bear.

  I squeezed the trigger once, twice, three times – each shot hitting its mark. I watched as the blood erupted from the soldier's chest, throat, and finally his head. He fell backward, the weight and momentum of his body tearing the dagger free from the floor where I'd pinned him. He hit the ground with a hard, wet thud and was still. Motionless. Dead.

  Slowly – and agonizingly – I got to my feet. I looked down at him just to verify he was dead – and he was. Turning, I limped my way back down to the library where Kysos was hiding. He stepped out of the doorway as I approached, a look of absolute concern on his face.

  “I told you not to come out,” I said.

  “I watched everything on the security cameras,” he replied. “I knew it was safe. Are you okay?”

  I shrugged. “Hurts like a son of a bitch,” I replied bluntly. “And Boygan is still out there. He wasn't here for this. He's not going to stop coming for you.”

  Kysos shrugged. “Once I actually win this election, his options for disposing of me are going to shrink,” he said. “Being as public as I will be is going to make it harder for him to kill me. And once I win, it will be fairly pointless for him to kill me anyway. The goal was to take me out and install his puppet. But since I'm still alive – ”

  “Don't get cocky, Kysos,” I said. “Just because it may not make sense to you doesn't mean he's not going to try again.”

  He nodded. “And I shall be vigilant,” he said. “Not to mention the fact that I am going to put together an interplanetary task force aimed at finding and stopping him.”

  I nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  I was feeling lightheaded and weak again, my legs threatening to give out. Kysos helped me back into his library and sat me down in one of the plushest, nicest feeling chairs I'd ever sat in. He moved over to his comm device and called for help. After he'd called for help, he sat in the chair across from me, leaning over with his elbows resting against his knees.

  “You saved my life,” he said. “I don't know how I will ever thank – or repay – you.”

  I smiled through the pain. “Just take care of your people,” I said. “Be that light on the hill they will want to follow. And make all of this goddamn pain I'm in worth it.”

  He looked at me and nodded. “I will,” he said. “I give you my word.”

  “Good,” I said, a smile touching my lips. “Then it will make everything worth it.”

  I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. It wasn't long before I heard sirens – and was then being transported out of Kysos' home. Boygan was still out there, but at least he didn't get what he wanted – Kysos was alive and well. And hopefully would be for a very long time to come.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “So is today the day?” Kysos asked as Xavix and I installed the final few parts and put the finishing touches on theUmbra.

  “Yeah, I think so,” I said. “I think we're all set and ready to make the trek home.”

  “We will be once I calibrate the pressure modulators,” Xavix reminded me. “Unless you want to explode once we enter the upper atmosphere.”

  I grinned and looked over at Kysos, shaking my head. “He's such a perfectionist,” I said.

  “And for that, I'm glad,” Kysos replied. “The last thing I want is for you to explode when you hit the upper atmosphere.”

  “Believe me,” Xavix chimed in. “It is the last thing I want either.”

  I wiped the sweat from my brow and stared at my belovedUmbra. We'd gone through so much over the last few years, had endured so many hardships and crushing blows. But finally, I was t
aking her home. Finally, after what felt like an eternity spent in Purgatory, we were going to be heading back to Earth. I was going home. I was going to see my mother. My friends. I was going to once again, get to indulge – or rather, overindulge – in all those things I loved. All those things I'd been denied out here in the shitty, backwards outers systems.

  “I can't thank you enough, Ms. Sage – ”

  “Gemma,” I corrected him. “Please, call me Gemma.”

  “Fine,” Kysos said with a smile. “As long as you call me Hugo. You saved my life. And that's something I don't take lightly. Believe me.”

  I grimaced and shook my head a bit. It would be hard considering everyone – and I meant everyone – called him by his last name. It was the Acrovian way of doing things. To Acrovians, it was a badge of honor. A sign of respect. And it was one he deserved after winning the election – in a landslide, of course.

  “I'm just glad I was able to do the right thing in the end,” I said. “I'm just sorry that everything came down the way it did and that your life was even in danger in the first place. Especially from me.”

  “You're one tough woman. Smart. Resourceful,” he said. “You know, we could really use someone like you around here. I could really use – ”

  I shook my head. “Nah, I belong back on Earth. I have family back there,” I said. “But, thank you. I appreciate the offer and I'm very flattered. But I really want to get back to my family.”

  At least, I hoped I still had family back on Earth. The last I'd heard, my mom was very ill. Practically on death's door. Honestly, she was all that I really had back home. The only one I truly valued with my entire heart. And I needed to see her one last time. I needed to let her know I was alright out here – even if I had failed to get her medical issues taken care of.

  She needed to know her daughter didn't just up and abandon her like everyone else in the world had once she got sick. I needed her to know that I loved her and was doing my best to help this whole time – not just avoiding her.

  “I know, I know,” Kysos said. “And you deserve to go back to them. But just know, if you ever need any work, I could use someone like you. Someone with integrity and a strong spirit. Not to mention, we also would love to track down the men who dragged you out here in the first place – find out what they were up to. And I have a feeling that somebody with your tenacity wouldn't stop until you found them.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I said. I'd give anything to find them. I'd love to have a few very pointed words with them. And believe me, I'd love to get a little bit of payback for them promising me a job in a market that didn't even exist. But I can't be worrying about that right now. Not with my mom back home being as ill as she is.”

  “Well, please tell her – for me – that she has every reason to be proud of her daughter,” he said, patting me on the back. Because Gemma, believe it or not, you may have just saved humankind and helped seal intergalactic peace.”

  “Nah. It's very nice of you to say, Kys – Hugo. And I appreciate it,” I said. “But really, I'm not responsible for all that.”

  “Yes, you are,” Kysos said, nodding at me.

  “I mean, Jenco Boygan got away,” I said with a shrug. “So you may still have a battle – if not all out war – could still be coming. The job isn't done and you may very well still be in danger, so I'm not really responsible for any peace or saving humankind.”

  “I'm sure I do,” he said. “But that's the problem with politics, ain't it? Once you win one battle, there are several more that are just beginning. It's a never-ending battle, Gemma. Somebody is always trying to knock you off the throne. Which is why you always have work and a place to live if you decide to come back here one day.”

  “Thank you, Kysos – ”

  “Hugo,” he corrected me with a wink and a smile.

  “Thank you, Hugo,” I said. “I genuinely appreciate it. And everything else you've done for me.”

  We said our goodbyes, but before he left, he turned and gave me a small smile.

  “And if your mother ever needs anything,” he said, “anything at all, do not hesitate, Gemma. She's as welcome here as you are.”

  “I'm not sure there's anything anyone can do for her, but I appreciate it,” I said. “I appreciate it very much.”

  “You never know, Gemma,” he said. “But it's always a possibility, so don't completely close the door on us just yet.”

  “I won't rule anything out,” I said. “I give you my word.”

  He gave me one last smile before he turned and walked away, leaving just me and Xavix who was finishing up the final pre-flight inspections.

  “We look to be good to go, Gemma,” he said. “Finally.”

  Home. I was going home. It was still hard to believe that after all those years, after being left at the far edge of the galaxy by some evil, greedy, son of a bitch, I'd finally get to see my mother again. I just hoped and prayed she'd hang on until I got there.

  I looked around the Acrovian spaceport one last time before turning and heading up the ramp and into my ship.