by S. E. Smith
“This is no longer your Spaceport, Deppar. I will oversee the search for the human and the Trivator henceforth,” Prymorus stated.
“The Prime Ruler will…,” Deppar snarled, rising from his office chair.
Prymorus waved his hand in dismissal. “Our uncle is old and weak, Deppar. Be careful how you challenge me, half-brother. The star systems are about to change.” He turned to study Deppar’s outraged expression. “The Alliance will fall.”
Deppar gave him a skeptical look. “Just as it happened on that primitive planet? There was only a small regiment of Trivator warriors there. What about Dises V? You are the one who will fall, half-brother. You and your overweening ambitions will drag all of us down with you. If the Alliance doesn’t retaliate against us, then the Drethulans will. If I had my choice, I would choose the Alliance,” Deppar snarled.
Rage swept through Prymorus. Throwing his glass against the wall, he pulled the pistol at his waist and aimed it at his incompetent relation. Deppar’s sneer changed to wariness.
“Do not test me, Deppar,” Prymorus warned in a soft but dangerous voice. “The Trivator you allowed to escape could provide us with valuable and much needed information in the coming conflict.”
Deppar shook his head. “He would die before he would talk. Not even the drugs I gave him would loosen his tongue,” he argued.
Prymorus’s eyes narrowed. “I won’t need drugs to make him talk. I only need the human who helped him escape,” he replied, lowering his weapon and looking thoughtful.
“Why would that matter?” Deppar asked, confused.
Chapter Sixteen
Rathon:
Razor studied the information that Jordan had discovered. Once again, he appreciated that she was on the Alliance’s side. Her skills rivaled the best programmers in the coalition, but it was her tenacity and intuition to search through data others would dismiss that gave her an edge most lacked.
“I know you have men searching for Prymorus. I had a program running in the background searching for anything concerning him. I never would have connected him with Edge’s disappearance. I shouldn’t have been surprised though, considering what happened to Dagger,” Jordan said.
Razor’s gaze focused on the Spaceport in orbit around the Waxian home world. It would be suicidal to send a team to extract Edge. At the moment, they could still only guess which Trivator the Waxians claimed to be holding. If by some miracle, a team was able to infiltrate the Spaceport, they would have to locate him and then retreat through hostile territory.
“It might not be Edge. He has been missing for over two years. From the content of the transmissions, the Trivator warrior they are talking about hasn’t been in Waxian custody for very long,” Hunter observed.
“Edge is the only one who keeps coming up on my filters as a probability. What I would like to know is why would they want a Trivator warrior in the first place. I checked through all the information I could find and neither Deppar nor Prymorus have had dealings in the fight rings the way Kelman did with Dagger,” Jordan said with a perplexed expression.
Dagger frowned. “Kelman was greedy for credits. Prymorus is greedy for power. The Waxians have always dealt with the Drethulans on a business level. This is something else. The attack on Earth is evidence of that,” he said.
Hunter shot Razor a wary glance. “If you know anything you aren’t sharing, now would be a good time to divulge it. I know the Alliance Council has been convening almost daily behind closed doors in secret sessions since we returned from Dises V,” he reflected.
Razor’s jaw tightened. Yes, the council had been meeting. The increase in Drethulan forces and the attack on Earth had initially drawn the wrath of many of the council members, but since then they had quickly dismissed the hostile action as a rogue attempt at colonizing a new world and not as a threat to the Alliance.
Even the situation on Dises V was brushed off as a mutual trade agreement between the Waxians and the members of the ruling government on Dises V. There was nothing in the agreement that mentioned the Drethulans and there was no hard evidence that anything inappropriate was being done. It didn’t matter that Taylor had testified before the council after her experiences there.
For the safety of the rebel bases hidden on Dises V and the rebels still fighting for control, some information was being withheld. Razor, Hunter, and Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon, the new Kassisan ambassador to the Alliance, thought it best to keep the sensitive information to themselves. It was all too obvious that there were some on the council who did not have the best interests of the Alliance at heart. Razor and Ajaska would work on uncovering what was going on inside the council. Hunter’s assistance outside the circle of those looking over Razor and Ajaska’s shoulders was invaluable.
“We must get Edge out. I was instructed by the council to clear any mission orders through them first. They are concerned that any troop movements toward the Waxian or Drethulan borders might be interpreted as military aggression,” Razor dryly replied.
The corner of Hunter’s lips lifted into a smirk. “It is fortunate that I do not have the same constraints. Thunder and Vice are the two with the best chance of getting in and out under the Waxians’ noses and crazy enough to volunteer for the mission. I won’t order them to go. This will have to be a strictly voluntary mission,” he warned.
“But… how will they get close enough to the Spaceport without being seen?” Jordan asked with a frown. “A freighter would be too slow. A fighter would be too obvious. You’d need something that was fast, yet not obvious.”
“Or something invisible,” Dagger said with a growing grin.
“Ajaska…,” Hunter murmured under his breath.
Jordan looked thoughtful before she nodded. “The cloaking device he uses on his spaceship would work,” she agreed, surprising the three men.
Razor frowned. “How did you know about the cloaking device?” he demanded, looking at Dagger with a raised eyebrow.
“I didn’t tell her,” Dagger swore, raising his hands in the air.
Jordan smiled and wrapped her arm around Dagger’s waist. Razor watched as the delicate-looking young woman tilted her head. Her eyes brimmed with mischief.
“Did you forget that Taylor was on board?” she reminded them. “She thought it might be useful information to have so I could develop a program that can track a concealed ship—as a security measure,” she quickly added.
Razor chuckled and shook his head. “I didn’t think she had been aware of the ship’s capabilities,” he admitted.
“Taylor notices everything. It was important if we wanted to survive. Even then, there were no guarantees and we still came close to dying many, many times,” Jordan said.
Razor didn’t miss the haunted expression in Jordan’s eyes or the way Dagger’s arm tightened around her slender body. His thoughts turned to his own mate. Memories of the dangers Kali had lived through – barely – swept through his mind.
“I will contact Ajaska. Hunter…,” Razor said, looking at his brother.
Hunter nodded. “I’ll contact Thunder and Vice and let you know by this evening,” he replied.
“Jordan, continue monitoring any other communications dealing with Prymorus. I want to know what that bastard is up to,” Razor requested.
Jordan nodded. Razor bit back a chuckle when he heard Dagger mutter that she had already done enough. Razor agreed, but Jordan’s unique expertise was needed, and he would use any resource he could to save one of his men.
“We meet again tonight,” Razor announced.
Hunter chuckled. “I’ll tell Charma to expect extra company for dinner,” he said.
“Make sure Kali and Ami come. Taylor will be so bummed out to miss this. She and Saber are still on vacation,” Jordan added with a sigh.
“I will. Ami loves playing with Lyon, Leila, and Helena. She likes that there are more girls than boys,” he chuckled.
“Not for long,” Jordan said without thinking.
Dagger st
iffened beside her. His surprised eyes locked on her face. Jordan’s face flushed a charming rosy color and she bit her lip, looking up at Dagger with an excited expression.
“Excuse us,” Dagger muttered, turning Jordan toward the door.
With an expression of amusement, Razor watched the two disappear through the doorway. He heard Hunter’s chuckle. Returning his attention to the screens, he took a deep breath.
“My gut tells me there is more to what is happening than the council is willing to see or acknowledge,” Razor murmured.
Hunter turned to look at the screens as well. “The cryptic messages from the red crystal ship, the attacks on Earth, Ajaska’s insistence that Destin be protected, and now this. Why would he want Edge, if he is their captive, that is? Who helped him escape, and where are they all now?” Hunter mused.
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out,” Razor said, suddenly turning. “Contact Thunder and Vice, see if they are willing to volunteer for this mission and if so, when they can return to Rathon. In the meantime, I will speak with Ajaska.”
Hunter nodded. “I know they are already on their way back to Rathon. I spoke to Vice earlier this morning. He said they had located all but six of the missing women on an Armatrux slave ship bound for one of their mining operations. They rescued the women they found and decided it was best to return to Rathon for the time being since it was closer than Earth. Several of the women were ill,” he replied.
Razor’s lips tightened. He would issue a formal complaint to the Armatrux council. They will also need additional sanctions and patrols to ensure that they remain in compliance with the Alliance accord that they had recently signed. Trafficking of humanoid species was against Alliance law.
“I’ll see you later tonight,” Razor murmured.
Striding through the house, he briefly glanced through the window out into the garden. Dagger was sitting on the swing under the tree, holding Jordan. Razor paused when he saw the pleased smile on Dagger’s face.
His focus moved to Jesse and his parents when they stepped out of the playroom onto the veranda with Lyon, Leila, and Helena. The children squealed with delight when their grandfather playfully growled at them and began chasing them all.
His thoughts moved to his own mate, Kali, and their young daughter, Ami. A sudden need to see them and hold them swept through him. Refocusing on his mission, he decided he could contact Ajaska from the secure line at his home just as well. This way, he could take care of his obligations to his people and the desire of his heart.
Later that night, the small group sat in Jordan’s office. They had enjoyed a boisterous dinner with the family before quietly excusing themselves. Razor waited for Dagger to close the door before he looked over at Hunter.
“Ajaska is sending a cloaking device. Due to the delicate nature of the Kassisans’ new membership in the Alliance, we both agreed that it was better to keep any link between the Kassisans and what we are doing now limited to our core group. Until the council concludes that the Waxians are working with the Drethulans on a larger scale than they are currently admitting, our hands are tied. As Chancellor, I am assuming responsibility for this mission in accordance with our treaty with Earth to provide protection,” Razor said.
“Thunder and Vice have agreed to go,” Hunter said with a nod.
“They’ll need support to handle a ship large enough to travel that far, yet small enough to get in and out with a crew,” Dagger added.
Hunter nodded. “Jag will command the Nebula One, a new Class V warship that is smaller and sleeker, yet can handle greater distances. He has been working with Thunder, Vice, and a small but trusted crew to hunt down the missing Earth women,” he explained.
“Now all we need to find is the location of our missing warrior. It’s going to be nearly impossible for Thunder and Vice to get on the Spaceport without getting caught. If we could pinpoint the warrior’s location, it would help tremendously,” Razor said, turning his gaze to Jordan.
“I’ll have it by the time they get close enough to need it,” Jordan said, a look of determination on her face.
“I know you will, Jordan. If anyone can do it, you can,” Razor chuckled.
“Just ask my brother Trig,” Dagger muttered under his breath. He grunted when Jordan elbowed him. “What? It’s true.”
Jordan leaned to the side and brushed a kiss across his lips. “You were worth every second of driving your brother crazy,” she said.
“When will the cloaking device arrive, Razor?” Hunter asked.
“Tomorrow night,” Razor replied. “I already have the schematics for Jag’s engineer. He can begin preparations for the installation and make the necessary modifications. They will finish it all here once the Kassisan transport arrives. I want them to head back out as soon as the warship is ready.”
“Jordan, go over everything you’ve discovered so far. I want to be able to debrief Jag, Thunder, and Vice as soon as possible,” Razor instructed.
Jordan nodded and turned to the screens. “This is what I’ve found out so far….,” she began.
Chapter Seventeen
Waxian Spaceport - Oculus IX:
“What are you doing up?” Edge growled.
Lina teetered for a moment before she fell back against the pillow with a groan of frustration. She needed to use the bathroom and she was ready to do it without Bailey’s help and a bedpan. Struggling to sit up again, she gritted her teeth to keep the moan of pain from slipping out. Sweat beaded on her brow and black dots danced before her eyes. She blinked.
No, black chest hair, not dots, she silently groaned in frustration.
“I need to use the bathroom,” she bit out.
“Bailey…,” he started to say, stopping when she shook her head.
“No! I am not using a damn bedpan again. Now, either help me up or get the hell out of my way,” she snapped, gripping the front of his vest.
Edge grunted, but he didn’t argue with her. She had woken up in a bad mood. While she might be a good wounded patient, she was a bitch of a patient when she was healing. A hiss escaped her when she was gently lifted. She raised her arm and wrapped it around his neck.
She allowed her head the luxury of resting against his shoulder. If she were to be honest, she was exhausted from her attempts to get up. If it hadn’t been for her protesting bladder, she would have said to hell with it.
Her lips twisted when all of the other women turned to look at them. It was obvious from the amused expressions on their faces that they had heard the conversation. Lina decided that curtains made lousy walls.
“I could have helped you, Lina,” Bailey said.
Lina grimaced. “I know. You’ve done enough and I need to get on my feet,” she said as Edge carried her to the bathroom.
She breathed a sigh of relief when he placed her feet on the floor. She sighed again, this time with aggravation, when Edge started to close the door—with him still inside the room. Holding a hand to her side, she raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at him.
“You’re on the wrong side of the door,” she stated.
He had the nerve to shake his head at her. “No. You should have someone in here with you,” he replied.
Lina ignored the pain in both her side and her bladder. She lifted her hand and gripped the edge of the door frame. There was no way in hell she was going to give in.
“Out! Now!” she ordered, pointing to the door.
She ignored the way his jaw tightened. He was going to try to argue with her. She wasn’t in the mood to negotiate. The pain in her bladder was beginning to overshadow the one in her side.
“You are a frustrating woman,” Edge replied with a scowl.
“Yeah, well, just keep remembering that,” she retorted with a wiggle of her fingers. “If I need you, I’ll holler.”
He opened his mouth to respond before snapping it shut and stepping out of the room. A rueful smile lifted her lips when he closed the door while muttering under his breath. Drawing
in a deep breath, she stared at the door for a moment. She could hear the teasing comments the women were giving Edge.
“That man is going to drive me crazy,” she whispered with an amused shake of her head.
An hour later, Lina sat on a crate and rested her head against the wall as she watched Mechelle and Bailey quiz Edge about life on Rathon, the Trivator home world. She hoped Edge didn’t realize that they were also asking pertinent questions to help them understand if the risk they had taken was the right one. Deep down, Lina’s gut told her it was right despite the complexity of the situation between them.
“So, you know how to fly spaceships?” Mechelle asked. “Like all kinds of spaceships or just Trivator ones?”
Edge frowned. “I can fly anything that has been made. The dynamics of most ships are the same,” he replied.
“What is life like on Rathon? I mean, do all the women have to bow down to the men or do they have some say in what goes on?” Bailey asked.
Lina’s lips twitched at Edge’s startled expression. “If you ask my father, he would say my mother has more say than most. Why should a woman feel she must bow to a man? She is what balances him. Without her, he only has half a soul.” Lina sucked in a breath when Edge turned his glittering gaze to her. “Finding our Amate is a gift from the Goddess. It is her way of showing a warrior that he is worthy,” he said.
She flushed when Mechelle looked at her with wide eyes while Bailey fanned herself. Mirela’s soft ‘What the fuck?’ rang in her ear. Lina bowed her head and tried to pretend she didn’t understand what Edge was publicly telling her. She wasn’t up to dealing with the emotions he was causing inside her.
“Somebody definitely has the hots for you. I think it is more than a one-night stand kind, too,” Mirela murmured.
Lina scowled and shot Mirela a warning look. “He’ll get over it. It’s survivor’s emotions. Once he’s out of here and back on his world, he’ll find some poor Trivator girl and shower her with his affection,” she retorted.