by Regine Abel
Hoseas flinched. I couldn’t say which part of Xevius’s tirade had struck the chord, maybe all of it. Either way, I didn’t care.
“You will leave immediately and cease all pursuit of the Korletheans who have chosen to leave,” I said in a tone the brooked no argument. “They have requested Sanctuary which we have granted. Persist, and we will blow your ship to pieces. I promised Thaddeus’s daughter that I’d bring her father back safe and sound. Make a liar out of me, and the Goddess as my witness, I’ll bring your head back to Valena instead.”
Hoseas flinched again. This time, it was clearly at the mention of the father-daughter link between our respective people. Despite their edict, Xevius has admitted that many were torn over that specific issue as the bond of family was otherwise held sacred by the Korletheans.
“You’ve seen how easily we’ve taken down your shield,” I continued. “Leave quietly with your life or die an oath breaker. And for your information, a log of this conversation will be sent to the Galactic Council. Violate the Galactic Accord of Minrath and the so-called ‘traitors’ will be the least of Korlethea’s concerns when the Alliance descends upon you.”
The Enforcer pinched his lips, and his emerald eyes shifted to my mate burning with resentment and barely contained anger. “I hope you remember your own oath to the people as one of their Hands of Fate, Thanis.”
“Always,” Xevius answered, lifting his chin.
“My Hunters will escort you out of the nebula,” I said with fake courtesy. “We wouldn’t want you to get lost on your way back home. Now leave.” I ended the communication and signaled for Ashara to forward it to the Galactic Council. As the Korletheans would no doubt file a complaint, I wanted our version of events to be heard first. “Genovia, take us to the other two frigates.”
According to our radar, our Hunters had already reached Thaddeus and were escorting him back to us. Thanks to our greater speed, we arrived at their location at the same time as one of the frigates. We hailed them once, then immediately pummeled their shield when they delayed answering. It collapsed disturbingly fast due to the high level of static discharge in the area. After giving them a similar speech as to the one I’d given to Hoseas, and seeing themselves both outgunned and outnumbered, they turned tail just as the last Korlethean frigate came looming in the distance.
Although the Guldan ship lurked a little too close for comfort, it didn’t represent a major threat to us. Still, it had the firepower to make a non-negligible dent in our hull that we could definitely live without. But just as Thaddeus was completing his approach into our hangar, we received an unidentified hail on an encrypted channel.
“On screen,” I said, exchanging a confused look with Ashara.
“Greetings, Veredians,” said the handsome Guldan male on screen. “I am Tevek Sidik, a friend.”
“Sidik?” I hissed. “As in related to Doruk Sidik? That sadistic son of Gharah who served as Gruuk’s right hand?”
The male’s face closed off as his stunning blue eyes, framed by silver-white hair, bore into me. “I am not here to discuss the endless list of my sire’s wrongdoings. There is little time, and I may not have another chance,” he said in a slightly clipped tone. “Do not let the frigates attempt to leave the nebula alone, or they will be destroyed.”
“Is that a threat, Guldan?” Xevius said, taking a threatening step forward.
“Relax, Korlethean,” Tevek said, with a dismissive gesture. “I’m trying to save them.” Turning back to me, he continued, “Our communication is clear despite the nebula’s static discharges. That means I’m very close to you. And yet, you do not see me.”
I felt my blood drain from my face, grateful that my brown complexion would hide it. Hoping my wretchedly expressive features didn’t give away how much that freaked me out, I cast a sideways glance at Ashara. The look she gave me said it all; we had no clue where he was. The way her fingers flew over the keys, she was clearly scanning all frequencies in an effort to verify the truth of his words.
His gaze followed mine, landing on Ashara. He did a double take, his eyes widening as his lips slightly parted. Quickly recovering, he visibly forced himself to look back at me. A cold rage rose within me that he would dare covet a Veredian after what his people had done to us.
“There are five more Guldan ships closing in on this position,” he said before I could give him a tongue lashing. “Scan this frequency.”
Ashara inputted the numbers Tevek had transferred. Staring at the radar, my blood froze at the sight of the three additional Guldan battleships and two frigates well ahead of the one Guldan ship we’d been tracking since the beginning. As per his warning, they seemed to be chasing the Enforcers, and they didn’t appear to be decoys.
“We don’t see you,” I said.
“Of course not,” he replied smugly. “I’m not that suicidal.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked suspiciously.
His face hardened again, a glimmer of hate flashing through his eyes. “My mother was my sire’s slave until he tired of her and sold her off as a pleasure worker. I’ve been looking for her ever since. I’d hoped snagging Gruuk’s client list from Doruk would allow me to find her, but no.”
My heart leapt in my chest. “You have Gruuk’s client list?” I asked, kicking myself for the excessive eagerness in my voice that my voice modulator would have previously hidden.
Tevek smirked. “I do.”
“How did your father get it when Varrek should have had it?” I asked, my suspicions rising another notch.
Tevek snorted and gave me a look as if I’d said something cute. That irritated me.
“If you’d ever met Varrek, you’d know he was above those petty needs. He had an eidetic memory,” the Guldan said while tapping on the console of his navigation board. “Enjoy. I have no more use for it.”
The incoming transmission beeped. After a quick scan, Ashara displayed the first page of the file. My heart constricted in my chest at the sight of the comprehensive list: names, addresses, coordinates, com, payment methods, and ‘merchandise’ acquired. We were finally going to find our missing Sisters that had been sold so long ago… including Maheva’s twin daughters.
“You’re welcome,” Tevek said mockingly. “Now leave before it’s too late. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
His eyes flicked to Ashara as he spoke these last words, and then he ended the com.
“I’m going in,” Xevius said.
I opened my mouth to argue, selfishly wanting him safe by my side. But my mate was no novice, and these were his people, despite everything.
“Aim true,” I said.
“Always,” he replied with a smile before marching off the bridge.
“Is Thaddeus secured?” I asked, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand rather than worrying about my mate.
“The hangar doors are closing. We’re free to go,” said our pilot, Genovia.
“Enter stealth mode,” I ordered.
“Acknowledged,” Genovia responded, activating our cloaking shield.
But seconds after we resumed chasing after the Enforcers, a volley of photon torpedoes rocked their ship hard as the Guldan vessels decloaked. With us having destroyed their shield, a few more hits would leave them in a critical state. Xevius’s chaser flew straight for the Guldan ships.
“Genovia, get us in range of the Guldans. Ashara, as soon as you have a clean shot, hit the battleships with the virus.” Without waiting for their response, I hailed our smaller ships already out and around the Enforcer vessel. “Hunters, shield the Korletheans. The others, take down the battleships’ defenses.”
In a blink, our Hunters positioned themselves at the four corners of the frigate, then an electric beam appeared to connect them, creating a screen-like, iridescent energy field between them. The next volley of torpedoes crashed against it, causing the shield to collapse. Despite the static discharges, the Hunters quickly rebuilt it. But the Guldans, harassed by Xevius and the other Hun
ters, thankfully didn’t send another round.
“Coming out of stealth,” Genovia said.
“All battle stations, FIRE!” I said.
The red gas of the nebula looked like it had been set on fire as it reflected the bright lights of the torpedoes obliterating the shields of the Guldans’ battleships. Lightning fast, Xevius skirted around their ships, targeting their propulsion and weapon systems. The Guldan frigates couldn’t seem to decide between firing at the Tempest and trying to take out our Hunters.
We had no such qualms.
As soon as their shields collapsed, Ashara launched the virus loaded torpedoes at the battleships, also targeting their propulsions. Unfortunately, the disturbance created by the static slightly offset her attack, with two torpedoes striking the same ship, and the third hitting its proper mark, leaving the last battleship unscathed. Within seconds, the lights of the Guldan vessel, which had received a double dose of the virus, began flickering as its systems shut down at an exponential rate.
With our anti-missiles rendered mostly useless by the nebula’s effects, a few of the Guldan frigates’ torpedoes managed to hit us, depleting our shield at an alarming rate. We needed to end this quickly.
The virus-free battleship suddenly warped out of the nebula; a bold—if not completely reckless—move under the circumstances. The Goddess only knew what that would do to their engines. The Guldan vessel with only one shot of the virus attempted to do the same, but after the relentless fire of our Hunters, and Xevius’s strategic strikes, their engines failed to meet their needs. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, the two Guldan frigates also recklessly warped out of there, leaving their battleships dead in the water.
For a moment, I considered obliterating the Guldan ships. It would be easy, and no one in my crew would say a word. But we weren’t murderers. We were better than that. I had no qualms taking a life in self-defense, but this would simply be a slaughter.
Plus, I had far better things to do, like taking that list home.
I recalled our ships and sent a message to the Galactic Alliance Peacekeepers to have them pick up the Guldans to face justice for piracy. We then escorted the Korletheans out of the nebula. Once cleared, and as we turned around to rejoin the rescue fleet, Hoseas hailed us.
“We thank you for this… unexpected assistance. But why did you?” Hoseas asked.
“Because we dislike you less than the Guldans,” I said, sarcastically. He snorted and bowed his head. Then I looked at my Sisters on the bridge, and at my mate by my side, before turning back to the Korlethean. “And because the fathers of my Sisters and my mate once called all of you friends. Remember this day the next time you’re asked to hunt down one of your own.”
CHAPTER 21
Xevius
I stood nervously by my mate, my eyes glued to my brothers, lined up outside of their vessel on the landing pad of the Praghan residence. The brunt of the Exiled had settled in temporary housings Khel had prepared the minute my aunt had revealed the impending exodus. En route back to Xelix Prime, I’d seized the opportunity to drill into both Thaddeus and Febus that submitting to Valena’s touch wasn’t an option but a necessity. While Febus had taken much convincing, Thaddeus had shown no resistance. He intended to embrace his child for the first time in thirty years. If she chose to read his mind then, there would be no preventing it.
Khel, Ghan, Sohr, and about fifty elite warriors, evenly split between the Tuureans and the First Division, surrounded my fifteen brothers and sisters sent to speak on behalf of all the Korlethean Exiled. Amalia remained inside the house with the children. They wouldn’t come out until Valena had confirmed the absence of evil intent from my people.
Despite the tension emanating from everyone around me, I couldn’t help a sense of pride staring at the finest former Agents and Enforcers standing before me. Clad in the dark uniform of their respective department, they stood at attention, hands clasped behind their backs, their long hair flowing freely on their shoulders. A mere look at them gave away the Enforcers with the luminous tattoos on their foreheads while the other agents, like me, hadn’t been allowed that privilege.
Losing Febus, Thaddeus, and Killian had been a massive blow to the Korlethean Empire. As much as I hated how relentlessly the Enforcers had pursued the first two men, I understood their motivations. As top-ranking officers, Febus and Thaddeus had been privy to some of the most sensitive political and security information of our people.
Although his expression remained stoic, the powerful surge of emotion from Thaddeus told me his daughter was coming. Looking over my shoulder, I watched Valena approach, her knuckles whitening from hanging on so tightly to her mate’s hand. Zhul stared sternly at his woman’s father, easily recognizable by his uncanny aqua eyes that his daughter had inherited from him. Valena pressed her free hand over her chest, no doubt feeling the pull of the blood bond psionic people always felt when in the presence of a blood relative. Thaddeus’s own fingers twitched, probably from resisting the urge to clutch at his heart.
Valena stopped next to Khel, although her eyes remained glued to her father. Khel looked at her, his face taking on the gentle expression he usually reserved for his daughter.
“If you are not comfortable doing this, you only have a word to say,” Khel said in a soft voice.
“I am fine,” Valena said, lifting her chin with an air of determination. “I personally intend to make sure all of our children are safe.”
A barely perceptible smile laced with pride stretched Thaddeus’s lips. Khel made no effort to hide his. Since mating Amalia, he’d pretty much adopted all Veredians as sisters or daughters.
“Who’s first?” Valena asked in a commanding voice, her gaze roaming over the Korletheans before us.
To my surprise, Thaddeus didn’t volunteer. Killian stepped forward, the only one of my brothers wearing a dhalla, his single long braid, giving him away a Priest of Fate, the highest rank achievable for a Seer.
An odd mix of disappointment, sense of rejection, and yet relief coursed through Valena. Zhul gently squeezed his mate’s hand and smiled encouragingly before releasing her. Breathtaking in her short, Veredian dress, whose aqua color made her eyes pop and beautifully exposed her markings, she walked with regal grace towards Killian, her thigh length brown hair swaying with each step. Although subtle, none of my brothers missed the Xelixian Warriors and Tuureans moving their hands closer to their weapons. I didn’t fear any of them turning trigger happy, but they wanted to be ready to defend Valena at the first sign of trouble—not that there would be any.
I hoped…
Valena stopped in front of Killian who gave her his usual irreverent smirk.
“I will ask you three questions,” Valena said, ignoring his taunting expression. “You do not need to speak the answer. Your mind will tell me the truth of your feelings. Do not try to hide your thoughts or resist; it would be futile. But I will not probe your mind beyond this.”
“Go ahead,” Killian, said with the same bratty smile that always made me want to kick his ass.
Valena carefully placed her palm on Killian’s face. “Do you wish to harm any of the Veredian Titans?” she asked as a surge of psionic energy rose around her. A couple of seconds passed before she asked another. “Do you wish to harm any Veredian, our families, or new home world?” Another pause. “If we let you join us, what are your intentions?”
Less than a few more seconds later, Valena made to remove her hand but, lighting fast, Killian wrapped his fingers around her wrist, prolonging her touch on his cheek.
“Stop!” I shouted, raising both palms in an arresting gesture when both Xelixians and Tuureans trained their weapons on Killian.
“Relax, brother. They won’t hurt me,” Killian said to me, his gaze never straying from Valena. “Read me,” he commanded her.
Valena’s eyes widened. Lips parted, her head jerked towards Kamala and me, before turning back to Killian.
What the fuck just happened?
“You might have doubted. Plus, one of the Fates already confirmed that I survive this day unscathed,” Killian said with a careless shrug.
“That didn’t mean you wouldn’t get your sorry ass shot for being a fool before a Veredian healer patched you back up,” Khel snapped.
“It didn’t happen,” Killian said smugly.
“It still can,” Khel deadpanned.
“Touché,” Killian wisely conceded with a bow of his head.
“He’s no threat,” Valena said, glaring at Killian. “Except maybe to himself,” she muttered while moving towards Febus who had taken a step forward.
I wanted to ask Valena what the brat had mentally communicated to her. Clearly, it involved either my mate or me, or maybe even both. It had been a shock but, thankfully, I felt no distress from her.
As she raised her hand to touch Febus’s face, he stiffened, worry flicking through his eyes. Valena paused and tilted her head to the side, examining his features.
“Trust is a two-way street,” she said in a soft voice. “Whatever knowledge you may have, I could have stolen from Xevius. We are not conquerors; just mothers wanting to keep our children safe from people who have expressed the desire to harm them.”
Febus’s eyes flicked towards me, uncertainty and worry shining within.
“Trust me. Trust her. Valena will not violate her word. You will feel it if she does,” I telepathically said to him.
“For all our sakes, I hope you are right, brother,” Febus replied before reluctantly submitting to Valena.
She repeated the process with each of my brothers and sisters, giving a pass to all of them. I finally realized why Thaddeus had deliberately chosen to go after everyone else when she stood before him, at long last.