She palmed the hatch when the readings reported vacuum and stepped out into the void. Frost SWiTIS of stars shimmered in a haze through the Forbidden Borders-now no more than six light-years distant. Vega lay no more than fifty meters away, the flickering light of the Twin Titans giving the dusty hull a surreal appearance. Against the star-gray background, Skyla could see the feeble glow of the clearance lights-an indication that power had begun to ebb.
“Cover me,” Skyla ordered as she energized the pods, and drifted forward.
“Wish you’d let us go first, Wing Commander,” Lily called.
“Who put her butt on the line to infiltrate Myklene?” she asked. “Remember who the Nab was who broke Staffa out of Ily’s hands? And how about the time at Maika, when I saved your butt from being shot off? Back off, people.” She paused. “Besides, Tyklat trusts me. If he sees a stranger out front, he might panic.”
Skyla maintained her attitude through long practice, killing her inertia on bent legs as she landed on Vega’s hull and stabilized against it with the downward thrust of her pods. She made her way to the lock by a series of bunny hops and checked the status. The lock gauges still registered a full atmosphere on the inside. Skyla glanced at the dissipating fog lacing out from the ship’s rear and sighed as she activated the lock. Enough power remained to cycle the system and the hatch opened.
Lily landed easily beside her and shined suit lights into the interior. “Looks clean. Got room for four people. Acre, you and Steel go first, secure the lock. The rest of us will follow on your all clear.”
“Roger.” The two ST personnel dropped and turned, killing their momentum with the pods as they entered the lock. “We’re set.”
The hatch closed and Skyla waited impatiently while the gauge marked the building pressure. At one atmosphere, the display went red, indicating the internal hatch had been opened.
“Acre, Steel, talk to us,” Skyla called into her COMM.
“Roger, Wing Commander. We’re in the ready room. Light’s a little dim, but we’ve got a full atmosphere in here. Acre’s taking readings on his pocket comm. He’s nodding that it’s all right.”
“Stick with procedure, keep your helmet fields energized, and use the rebreather. If it’s a trap, the preferred method of incapacitation would be gas. Any sign of Tyklat, or maybe the pilot?”
“Negative. What next, Wing Commander?”
‘ Given your location, what are the chances of ambush?”
“From here, they’d have to have a full Section. We’ve got both corridors covered with the heavy stuff Floor, ceiling, and compartment walls look sturdy and intact. I’d call it a go.
Skyla tapped the lock activation, watching as the pressure dropped. When the hatch finally opened, the two of them moved inside. Skyla watched the pressure rise until the light went green and she opened the internal hatch.
Acre and Steel had assumed battle stance, their blasters covering each direction of the corridor where it branched off the ready room. Suit lockers lined the compartment walls, all ripped open by Acre’s and Steel’s rapid but thorough search.
Lily rapped out, “You know the drill. Cover this bucket from top to bottom. Take no chances. Spread and go. Thirty second check in with description. Acre, Steel, move. “
The two started smartly down their corridors. Skyla fell in behind Acre, who headed forward. In a Marta class cruiser, the bridge should be straight down the corridor, then left to the central corridor and right, squarely amidships.
Skyla followed Acre’s broad back, hearing Steel’s voice, “Proceeding aft in lateral corridor. Checking compartment doors. Nothing looks amiss.”
“Taking first right,” Lily called. “Proceeding to central corridor. “
One by one they chattered to each other as Skyla peeled off from Acre and reached the central corridor, her pistol ready, safety off. “Turning toward the bridge in central corridor. No sign of trouble.”
Skyla paused long enough to open compartment doors on the way, checking the contents of the cabins which would have carried crew or passengers. When Tyklat stole the ship, he’d taken one with curiously tidy occupants. Duffels had been neatly stored in the acceleration loops at the foot of each bed. The captain must have been a stickler for protocol. Not even an empty stassa cup had been left to spill.
“Reached the bridge,” Skyla called. “I’m undogging the bulkhead.” Not even a spilled stassa cup? “Report!” Lily called. “Steel? Report!”
Skyla shoved the bridge hatch open. Tyklat lay slumped over the controls.
“Here!” Steel called. “Just checked engineering. Looks clean.”
Skyla puffed a hardy sigh of relief.
“Got a person!” Acre’s voice called out. “Little guy. He’s tied up and out cold. Looks like he’s been beat up. I’m going to check him out.
“Careful,” Lily warned.
Skyla studied the bridge. Neat as a pin, nothing out of place. Tyklat’s shoulders moved with deep breathing. Asleep?
“Tyklat?” Skyla glanced warily around, noting the second seat where the pilot must have sat. She gave him an ungentle shove. No reaction.
Skyla reached out and pulled him out of the chair. Tyklat rolled limply onto the floor, moaning. A nasty cut had swollen on his forehead. “Tyklat appears to have been beaten pretty badly, too. Looks like the pilot and Tyklat got into it. People, this is appearing to be just what we hoped. Meet me back at the lock. Let’s get these guys suited up and back to my yacht. Give me a minute to see what shape this bucket is really in. If it’ll space, we’ll send it toward home. If not, we’ll see if we can’t send a crew to come get it. A ship’s a ship, people.”
“Affirmative, Wing Commander,” Lily called. “We’re heading for the main lock. See you when you get there. “
Skyla slipped into the pilot’s chair and ran the preflight diagnostic. Her fingers danced across the boards, system after system coming to life. The fans in the atmosphere plant began to hum. Skyla peered curiously at the readings on the monitors.
“Rot it, the ship’s fine, Tyklat. What happened? You buy that bastard pilot’s story that you were out of fuel?”
She shook her head. “Very well, looks like the Companions are a ship richer. Tyklat, you come bearing great gifts.”
From behind her down the corridor came a muffled bang as Lily’s people did something. lifting Tyklat on Skyla sighed and braced herself, her shoulders in a battlefield carry. She maneuvered out the hatch and started down the corridor. She made the turn and slowed, something nagging at the back of her mind. Neat as a pin? She craned her head, glancing at Tyklat’s slack features-and thought about docked ships and the way Vega would have spaced from the Regan Orbital Terminal. Skyla turned the corner and hesitated. “Steel? Acre?”
Silence.
“Lily? You there?”
Skyla allowed Tyklat to slip from her shoulder as she started warily forward, blaster in hand. Rot it, she’d had to turn every system on? Why would Tyklat shut them down? Skyla reached the main lock, sliding along the plating, as she braced to fire, knees bent, blaster in an isosceles hold. Lily and the rest lay in a tangled heap.
“Staffa! It’s a trap!” she screamed as a body hurled at her from one of the suit lockers. Skyla pivoted at the hips, her shot taking the man in the middle. She whirled as another man flew at her, shot him, and was turning as yet another fell on her, grappling for the pistol. Skyla moved with him, used her center of gravity as a fulcrum, and threw him. She paused only long enough to kick him full in the face and whirled as more assailants tackled her.
She lost the pistol, twisting, striking, and wrenching free. Four very large men ringed her, desperation in their eyes as they charged. Skyla whirled, struck, and darted, her blows debilitating or lethal.
She hammered an elbow to one man’s temple, shot stiff fingers into yet another’s eye as she closed on the last, bouncing, driving a hard heel into the man’s throat. She used a rusher’s momentum to fling him full tilt into the loc
kers, hearing the snap of bone. Tripping over a corpse, she recovered, whirled, and dropped to a crouch. One of the men moaned as he tried to crawl away, a hand pressed to a bloody eye. Another clawed at his throat as he choked on the floor, his color going pale.
“You’re very good.” a sensual female voice brought Skyla spinning around.
A woman stood at the juncture of the corridor and ready room, a deadly blaster pointed at, Skyla’s guts. In her other hand, a stun rod extended like a whip.
In that brief instant, Skyla froze, not believing what she saw.
“Chrysla,” she whispered. “You’re dead!”
The hesitation cost her. With a speed worthy of her own, the amber-eyed woman lashed out like a fencer, the stun rod jolting Skyla witless even as she began her block.
Staffa paced anxiously before the monitor, his only view that from the sensors on Skyla’s yacht. He and Kaylla had been listening to the chatter as his team searched the ship. Then Skyla had called out to her team-then silence. The ominous wait had begun to weigh on him as Staffa shot a worried glance at Kaylla, who sat to one side, biting her lip as she stared at the image of Vega filling the screen.
“Come on,” Staffa growled, smacking a fist into his palm. “Talk, Skyla. Blessed Gods, speak!”
“She said it looked all right,” Kaylla added thoughtfully. “I mean it’s obvious, the pilot jumped Tyklat, trying to take the ship back. Tyklat fought, incapacitated the man, and finally passed out over the controls.”
“And it means Ily does indeed have an agent among the Seddi. Nyklos is cooperating?”
Kaylla nodded. “We ran him through every test we could devise. He’s not Ily’s agent.”
“Damnation. It would have been easier if…..”
“Staffa, it’s a trap!” exploded from the speakers, galvanizing him to leap for the monitor, as if he could physically pull himself into the action.
“Skyla!” he roared, bending down, staring hopefully at the peaceful image. Vega hung silent in a mist of boiled atmosphere. Meanwhile, the speaker caught the rip of blaster fire, then the grunts of exertion. Grunts? Skyla fighting hand to hand. He’d heard it often enough.
Several smacking sounds came through as Skyla articulated the fury of her attack. A chance ... an ever so thin chance that she’d take her assailants.
Staffa’s fingers bruised as he gripped the monitor and moaned at the image.
Then Skyla could be heard panting and- slurred words came from beyond the battle comm pickup. “Chrysla ... you’re dead!” The cryptic words stunned him for a brief moment, then a piercing shriek was followed by silence.
Staffa gaped. A red haze dimmed his vision. Chrysla? What ...how? Had he heard right? Impossible! Chrysla was dead-dead at his hands off Myklene!
He could feel Kaylla pulling at him, trying to drag him back from the monitor.
“Staffa!” Kaylla gritted in his ear. “Stop it! We’ve got to think. Damn you, Staffa!”
But the monitor had gone shimmery as his gaze silvered with tears of fear and rage.
“I’ll kill you Ily! I’LL GUT YOUR PUS-RIDDEN CORPSE!”
“Illy has returned, and she brings news of hope, along with a most wondrous gift-a Seddi assassin, Arta Fera by name. The woman is magnificent. As Emperor, I’ve had my choice of women-at least so long as Mareeah didn’t find out. Of them all, Ily has been the most interesting, and the most skilled with her sexual gymnastics, but this Arta Fera! What a challenge. The Seddi have trained her to kill men who love her, and what a devious trap that was! For she is a sexual magnet, beautiful, with long auburn hair, the most incredible amber eyes, and a body like a Blessed Goddess come to life. In the collar, however, I control her-and I will have her!
“But enough of my burning lust. Ily has found a way for us to save the Empire. Staffa kar Therma is bottled up in Makarta Mountain, and I have given the order for Gyton to blast him from orbit. At the same time, I have reviewed the tapes and listened to Ily’s enthusiasm for Sinklar Fist. At Ily’s urging, I have conferred upon this assassin’s son a full Lordship-and let the aristocracy howl. With Fist, I can smash the Sassans, and the Companions, too. How odd that Ily herself executed Fist’s parents, and now she brings me their son as a savior. Where last night I drowned in sorrow, today I revel in hope. I can save my people!
“Ah, Ily, how I’ve missed you these long months. How foolish of me to have feared you and your limitless ambition. You bring me the military genius to place all of Free Space under my rule, and you give me Arta Fera! Even as I stripped you and took you on my office floor, I couldn’t keep my mind off Fera. Will she bring me to as much ecstasy as you do? Ily ... Ily, if only you were my wife! You are worthy of me.
· Excerpt from Tybaft the Imperial Seventh’s personal Journal
CHAPTER 18
Ily knew the moment Sinklar stepped out of the shuttle capsule below the Ministry. She knew that look of his, the frown, the hard set of the jaw, and the way those oddly colored eyes glowered at his surroundings as he stalked across the platform for the lift.
Anger? At what? He couldn’t possibly know about Rokard Neru. She was just about to wash the last of his spattered remains from her hair.
As Sinklar entered the lift, Ily stepped into her shower, playing the warm water over her skin, increasing the heat until the steam brought a red flush to her fine skin. The last of the Power Authority engineer swirled down the drain. And Sinklar? What would he do? Stand abashed in the lift as he tried to decide whether he ought to enter her quarters? Or did whatever angered him drive him to barge right in?
Ily laughed to herself, guessing Sinklar would charge in. And if he were truly that angry, she was in a perfect position to disarm him. Yes, play off his youthful inexperience and curious sense of honor.
As she expected, he didn’t appear immediately. Suffering indecision in the security room. She twirled around in the water, enjoying his discomfort. How long? Two minutes, three? Would he turn around, go back?
No, here he came. She caught his movement through the wavering water sheeting down the. energy fields, and made the best of it, adopting a sensual pose as the water cascaded down her tingling flesh.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him stop short and begin to back away. That’s when she turned, made a startled jump, as if surprised, and called, “Sinklar?”
“Whhh ... uh, yes’ Sorry, I ... I .... “
He continued to back away and she leaned forward, poking her head through the drying field and giving him a warm smile. “I was hoping I’d see you. I heard the exercises went well. You posted the assignments for tomorrow morning?”
The expression on his flushing face was priceless! The anger, whatever had possessed him, had drained away like the last of the tortured engineer’s blood.
“Just a second.” Ily pulled her head back, smiled victoriously into the stream of hot water, and shut the flow off. She lingered, as she stepped through the drying field, as if savoring the caress of the force field against her skin. She gave him a smile as she turned her neck against the gentle pull off the field, her hair settling behind her in a black shining wave.
“I. . . .” He gaped at her, taking in the charms of her perfect nakedness, rosy now from the heat.
She walked proudly up to him, allowing her lips to part as he stared anxiously into her eyes. “I’ve missed you,” she told him in a husky whisper and reached up to lay her hot hands against his cheeks.
“We need to talk,”’ he managed hoarsely.
“You have an appointment?” she asked, searching his eyes. “I have a couple of hours. Maybe we could relax a little ... and I have missed you so much. “ She bent forward, kissing him gently, giddy at the resentment she sensed within him. Then she backed away a step, one eyebrow raised questioningly. “Or is it all business this time?”
He swallowed hard, trying to turn away, losing the battle as she walked languidly to her closet and pulled out a gauzy robe and let it slide over her flesh. She turned then, drawing
it tight about her narrow waist and giving him a happy smile. “There. All right, to business. What do we need to discuss?”
She walked across the room, allowing the robe’s slit to expose her leg as she settled on the bed.
He nerved himself and challenged, “You put me in the palace, Ily. You didn’t tell me that’s where I was. Blessed Gods, I mean ....
She gave him a blank look. “Lord Fist, where else would you be? I mean, my word, you are the government! The comm- equipment is all there. As we place new government officials, that’s where they will keep their offices. Mac is going to be the Minister of Defense, isn’t he? All the command control runs out of Defense’s headquarters-and that’s just down the hall from your rooms.”
“But the palace? What are my people going to say? I can’t become what we’re fighting against! It’s a betrayal!” he cried, raising his hands. “It.... It’s not. . . . “
“Right?” she finished for him, and placed fing on her chin, frowning and slowly shaking her head. “Come here. Sit down beside me and let’s talk. I think we need to air some things between us. “
Oh, he hated it-even though he wanted to settle beside her more than anything. In self-punishment, he forced himself to look at the floor.
Ily began, “I know how hard the transition is, Sinklar. I realize that you’ve had to undertake everything at once. The fate of the entire Empire-of all of humanity-rests on your shoulders now. You’ve been working nonstop, wearing yourself ragged to reshape the army. And you’re doing it. I’ve got some reports I’ll route to your comm. And that’s another reason I put you in the palace. The communications between here and there are secure, as secure as you can get in all of Free Space.”
“But I’m not ... not.
“Not Tybalt?” She chuckled, eyes dancing with amusement as he looked miserably up at her. “Thank the Blessed Gods for that!”
He lowered his eyes then. “Ily. Who lived in my quarters before?”
She reached out, gentle fingers turning him to look at her. “I put you in the Emperor’s offices. Not his house, Sinklar. His office.”
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