by Leslie Chase
"What's going on, Ambrose?" the speaker's voice was strong and sounded almost amused. The musical tone had an accent almost like Jaranak's, Lilly noticed with some surprise.
Taking a deep breath, Cooper lowered his hand and turned towards the door. Lilly turned with him, and now it was her turn to gasp in surprise.
In the doorway stood a tall woman, her skin the same deep blue as Jaranak's. Her dark hair pulled back into a severe braid, away from a strong face with a cold smile on it. Her golden eyes didn't have a fraction the warmth of Jaranak's.
For a moment, Lilly thought that she was a prisoner too. But no, she wasn't bound and no guards were watching her. She strode forward with a quiet confidence and, to Lilly's surprise, Ambrose stepped back to meet her with a smile.
It wasn't a warm smile, either, but it showed more respect than she'd ever seen him direct towards a human.
"So you're the human that Jaranak has fixated on," the newcomer said, looking Lilly up and down with an appraising eye. "Not what I would have thought would be his type, but that doesn't matter. I am Captain Hrail. Congratulations on joining the winning side."
17
Jaranak
Jaranak woke to a feeling that something was wrong. Something he couldn't put his finger on, some sixth sense, told him that something terrible had happened.
He hadn't had enough sleep, his body ached, and he knew he wasn't at his best. But he would have to do — he couldn't let Cooper wait any longer. At least now that he had a direction to go in, things would be simpler. Once Cooper was dealt with, everything else would be easier.
And, of course, he'd be able to spend his time with Lilly. That put a smile on his face as he got up.
As he was getting out of the shower, there was a knock at the door. Hurrying out, he saw that Karnan was already answering it. The rest of the crew gathered behind him, their weapons in hand. There was no reason to take chances.
Karnan's growl was enough to tell him that the news wasn't good. Pulling the door open wide, he gestured for the others to stand back and let in their visitor. The man looked like another of Cooper's hired toughs, though with less of an air of confidence around him than the men Jaranak had faced before. Probably because he was alone, surrounded by his enemies, and he knew it.
"I've got a message for the prince," the man said, looking unsure who he ought to be addressing. Jaranak stepped forward and nodded.
"Speak, then."
Sweat beaded on the man's forehead, and he reached into his jacket with exaggerated care to pull out an envelope.
"Mr. Cooper wants to see you," he said. "This morning. You're going to bring your ship and all your gear to Mr. Cooper's laboratory for him, and arrange a nice handover."
Jaranak laughed, but the feeling that something was wrong intensified. Cooper was hardly a stupid man, and he had to have a better plan than simply demanding compliance.
"Why would I do that?" he asked. The other three circled the messenger, crowding around him, and Jaranak had to admit that the man didn't lack for courage. Most humans would have turned to run from the dangerous anger on their faces.
"You'll do it," the messenger said, swallowing his fear and holding out the envelope, "because otherwise your lady-friend might have herself an accident."
Jaranak snatched the envelope out of his hand and tore it open. Inside was a single photograph of Lilly, looking more angry than frightened and holding a copy of a newspaper up to the camera. The date was clearly visible, showing that the picture had been taken that morning.
Feeling the fires of anger rise inside him, Jaranak carefully put down the picture and looked up at the messenger. It took an effort not to leap to the attack, but no matter how much rage washed through him he couldn't risk doing something that would harm Lilly.
"If she's been hurt, then everyone involved will die," he said. The messenger paled slightly, but didn't back down.
"She's fine, and she'll stay fine as long as you do what Mr. Cooper says," he told Jaranak. "Bring your ship to his laboratory, and you'll see for yourself. There are directions on the back"
"If Cooper has any sense at all, he'll let her go. And if you aren't an idiot, you'll be nowhere near this mess."
"I'll take my chances," the messenger said. "Mr. Cooper's a generous man, the lot of you will be well looked after. As long as he gets what he wants."
That might even be true, Jaranak thought. Compared to the profit Cooper could expect from their technology, the cost of supporting him and his crew would be negligible. Of course, he might not mean it. Once Cooper had access to the ship's systems, he wouldn't need them anymore, and he didn't seem like the kind of man to leave loose ends lying around.
In some ways, though, it didn't matter what Cooper planned to do. Jaranak was confident of one thing — if Cooper wasn't satisfied that he was getting what he wanted, Lilly would die. And he couldn't risk that.
"Alright," he snarled at the thug. "You've delivered your message. Go back to your boss and tell him I've heard it."
"You've got till noon to get there," the man said before turning and leaving. Parvak swung the door shut behind him, and they listened to the man hurry away down the hall.
Jaranak turned the photo over and looked at the directions, remembering Hennessey talking about Cooper's facility the night before. The old sea captain's warnings came back to him, and he shook his head. Maybe I shouldn't have rested before doing something about Cooper, but what could I have done?
Even now he felt tired and slow. Without sleep, he wouldn't have been able to plan. But I wouldn't have left Lilly in danger, the part of his mind that wanted to blame everything on himself said. He could have sent her to safety rather than leaving her at home, no matter what she said.
It didn't matter. None of it mattered. Lilly was in danger, and that was that — working out who to blame could wait until he'd saved her.
There was one question that did matter, though. How could Cooper have known how much Lilly mattered to him? That shouldn't have been obvious, not from what they'd seen. From what he'd seen of humans, they coupled easily and casually. Admittedly, Hennessey was the only real example he'd seen. Perhaps the captain's attitudes to sex weren't typical, but it would be odd for a human to assume Jaranak cared more for a female than they did. Cooper either knew more than he ought to, or he'd just guessed and guessed well.
He put that question aside, looking up to the rest of his crew for advice.
"We can't give him what he wants," Parvak objected immediately. "I know that you care for the human female, Jaranak, and I know that the Far Hunter is your ship. But we can't."
Karnan scowled, looking undecided, but eventually he nodded. "He's right. If the humans get transstar technology now, well, they could tear their planet apart before they work out the details. Aside from the fact they'd kill themselves, we'd be stranded here while they did it!"
Jaranak glared, but he couldn't argue. Keeping the dangers of their technology away from the humans had always been a priority, and Lilly's life was only one against the many who might suffer if Cooper got hold of it. Jaranak wasn't about to trust to Cooper to use sensible safety precautions.
But he wasn't willing to sacrifice Lilly, either. That was unthinkable. There had to be another way.
In the end it was Orshar who broke the silence. "Oh come on, the answer's easy. We go to their meeting, trade the transstar for your female, and once she's safe we kill every single one of them."
Everyone looked at him in shocked surprise, and he shrugged. "What? You want to get your girl back, I want to kill something, and we've all sworn to work together. We can all get what we need here."
Jaranak managed to nod his thanks for the support, for all that it came from an unexpected direction. 'Kill everyone' suited his mood, he had to admit. Anyone and everyone who'd threatened his woman would die. Orshar might only be in this for the chance to satisfy his sadistic urges, but that would do.
And Orshar's motives didn't really matter.
Right now Jaranak needed whatever support he could get.
"Okay then," he said. "Fine. Get the kit together, we're going to make a deal."
"You can't trust the humans," Karnan objected. "Cooper will stab us in the back as soon as he has what he wants. He'll expect a double cross."
"I don't have any other option," Jaranak snarled back, regretting his tone instantly. Softening his voice as much as he could, he continued. "Are you coming, or is it just going to be me and Orshar?"
Parvak and Karnan looked at each other, shrugged helplessly, and then nodded. Karnan spoke for both of them. "We're with you to the end, Jaranak. You know that. If we're going to do this, then let's get it done."
Getting the ship ready to leave didn't take Jaranak and his crew long. One of the advantages of their fake ship was that they didn't rely on the wind and could make what speed they wanted. The battery-powered motor they'd installed pushed them north along the Hudson, towards whatever grim welcome Cooper had planned for them. Jaranak was only mostly certain that they'd survive their arrival at his compound — killing them on sight would be foolish, but not impossibly so. Cooper had already tried to hack into the control systems once.
If the crew were all dead, he could take his time and get in at his leisure. It would take time and work, and it could still go wrong for him, but Jaranak couldn't rule out the possibility that Cooper wouldn't care.
Lilly's life is on the line, he reminded himself. His own didn't seem so important in that context, but he regretted the risk to the rest of the crew. This wasn't their problem, in a lot of ways.
The wooden ship vibrated with the power of their improvised engine, traveling at a steady speed and ignoring the wind tugging at the sails. There wasn't anything else for him to do until they arrived, which left him time to brood.
Behind him, the others emerged onto the deck and approached, waiting quietly until he acknowledged them. To his surprise, it was Orshar who spoke first.
"Before we get there," Orshar said, "there is one more thing we need to sort out. We're walking into danger, into what is almost certainly a trap, and we're all going to be in danger. I'm fine with that, or I wouldn't have suggested this plan. What I'm not fine with is us getting stranded here if something happens to you, Jaranak."
The others shared a look and reluctantly nodded. Jaranak could see their point. The Far Hunter was his ship, and some systems would only respond to him — but that put the others at risk if he got himself killed. And that outcome looked distressingly likely.
"If I die, Karnan gets access," he pointed out. "He's my second in command."
"Yes, but..." Karnan started, then trailed off. Looking Jaranak in the eye, he tried again. "We're walking into a trap, and any of us might die. We both might die. And then what? I can't leave Parvak and Orshar stranded here."
"You could—"
"No," Karnan interrupted before he could finish the thought. "I'm not going to stay safe while the rest of you walk into the fire. Four of us are outnumbered enough, three would be even worse. And if you have to go for your Lilly's sake, you can't keep me from trying to find Hrail. If she's anywhere on this damned mudball, Cooper will know."
Orshar spoke up again. "Look, boss, the plan is for you to give the human scum the control codes to the ship, right? That's the only way he'll let us walk out with your female. If they are going to have the codes, why shouldn't we?"
"You're right," he admitted. It wasn't easy to hand share control like this, but there was no other way to keep the rest of them safe from his choices. "Fine. Before we go, I'll give you all emergency override access to the Far Hunter's systems."
"Thank you, sir," Orshar said, more formally than any of them had been in a long time. "I hope that we don't need to use it."
Parvak bowed too. This was a big deal amongst the crew of an explorer ship. The controls were almost a sacred trust, and sharing the access codes was a huge step — usually only the captain would have this level of access. That kept down the chance of a mutiny or an accident, but sometimes you had to take one risk in order to protect against another.
Jaranak grimaced as he reset the security systems. The ship was part of his family in a very real way, and he was leaving her vulnerable. Now any of them would be able to take control away from him. And it left the ship vulnerable to remote hacking again, the thought of which made him twitch.
Once it was done, though, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Now his own death wouldn't doom his crew, at least.
Turning back to them, he nodded. "You have access," he told them. "Don't go changing the music playlists."
It wasn't much of a joke, but it got a laugh nonetheless. The tension in the air was palpable.
"I have a plan," Jaranak said, once the laughter died. "I don't think you're going to like it, Karnan. You and Parvak will stay aboard the Far Hunter when we arrive."
Karnan opened his mouth to object, but Jaranak talked over him. "I'm not doing this to try to keep you safe, don't worry. But if we all go out at once, then they've got us. With you two in reserve, they can't kill us all in one go."
"They wouldn't dare," Parvak started. But then he frowned, uncomfortable. "Okay, maybe. Cooper hasn't exactly been the most reasonable man so far."
"So Orshar and I will go and get Lilly," Jaranak said with a nod. "You two keep the ship safe until the exchange is arranged."
"Why Orshar?" Karnan asked, looking disappointed in the choice.
"Because he's the deadliest of you," Jaranak answered. It was true, but it wasn't the real reason. If the humans simply killed them both, Orshar was the one he would least mind having led to his death. It wasn't a pleasant thing to think about a member of his crew, but he had to choose someone.
Orshar grinned, taking the compliment at face value. Karnan looked a little dubious, but nodded. "Fine, then. We'll stay on guard, ready to come rescue you if things go wrong."
"As to that, I've got an idea," Jaranak said, feeling his lips stretch into a feral smile. "Come below, and let's get set up. You did bring the costumes from the hotel, right?"
Karnan nodded, looking confused, and Jaranak grinned. Leaving Orshar and Parvak to watch their approach to Cooper's lair, the two of them went below to prepare. At least it's all out in the open now, Jaranak thought. There can't be many more surprises waiting for us. But I might just have one for Cooper.
18
Lilly
Lilly stared in shock at the alien woman looking down at her. At her side, she could feel Margaret's confusion, and for once neither of them knew what to say.
Cooper barked a laugh and the cold smirk on Hrail's face widened. It was clear that she wasn't a prisoner, or even a guest. She had an air of command that rivaled Cooper's, and no one challenged her as she walked over to look Lilly up and down.
"She's not going to cooperate," Hrail said after a moment, turning to Cooper. "And we can't afford to take any chances. Let's get her locked up somewhere safe; we've got work to do before Jaranak and his ship arrive."
Cooper nodded, waving to Michael who looked unhappy as he stepped forward. He didn't let that stop him leading them through to the back of the building. Lilly followed in a daze, not knowing what to say. She hadn't considered the possibility that one of the aliens might be in league with Cooper. It was small comfort to know that Jaranak hadn't taken it into account, either.
Once they were in the sealed-off back of the building, they were alone. For a brief moment, Lilly considered trying to take advantage of that. But Michael wasn't quite stupid enough to give them the chance to rush him. Pulling a pistol out of his pocket, he pointed it at them and gestured for them to go ahead of him. The gun suited him perfectly, a small and delicate thing. Doubtless he'd paid a fortune for it, and equally doubtless it was useless in a fight. But at this range it would do just fine.
He might not be a great shot, but he could hardly miss. And with all the guards around, even he did it would be the end of any escape attempt. The noise would bring reinf
orcements running, and that would be the end of them.
So they walked on in silence until Michael stopped them at a heavy metal door.
"I'm sorry about this, ladies," he said as he pulled out a key and unlocked it. "I tried to talk father out of this plan."
"You're not sorry enough to let us go, though," Lilly said, letting her contempt through. He winced again.
"It's not that simple—"
"Yes, it is," Lilly said with a snarl. "You know that this is wrong, but you're doing it anyway. It's as simple as it gets."
"You could sneak us out of here," Margaret added. "No one's watching, and we'd promise not to tell anyone."
"Father would kill me," Michael said nervously. "That's not a figure of speech, either. He's had I don't know how many people killed already. Anyone who was going to get in his way."
"All the more reason to stop him," Lilly said. She had no patience for his cowardice. "How many more people will he kill, Michael? Do you think he's going to let us go? If you care about me at all, you'd help me get out of here."
Michael glared at her, but she thought that she could see something else under the anger in his eyes. Had she hit a sore point? She hoped so. Talking to her captor like this might be a stupid plan, but it was all she had.
But then the fire in his eyes went out and he looked away, shaking his head.
"I'll make sure you're safe after this," he said. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself instead of her. "My father knows I like you, Lilly. He won't do anything to upset me. And anyway, after this works out it's not going to matter what you say. We're going to be so rich that we can buy our way out of any trouble. Once he and Hrail have the ship, it'll make everything okay."
He pushed open the door and gestured for them to go inside. "Just... keep quiet and you'll be fine, okay? I'll sort it all out, I promise. This really is better for everyone."