by Liza Probz
Sylvie nodded, recalling the scene outside the lab. “What was all that commotion when I got your attention?”
The major grimaced. “They were coming to arrest the regent.”
“Arrest him? Then it's worse than I thought.” Her lips turned down as fear washed over her. “We have to come up with a plan to rescue him before it's too late.”
The crimson slashes in the major's skin pulsed violently, drawing her attention to his emotions.
“We better hurry, or the whole planet might be taken over by Hareema mimics before we can stop them.”
How right you are.
Zanthar was vulnerable, and their actions would be decisive in the struggle against the Hareema. But what seemed to worry her most was that X would be left alone with her copy and would do something he might regret. Something that would crush the fragile relationship growing between them. Or worse, something that would react with the mating frenzy and hurt him.
Or kill him.
“Before we go after him, we need a plan.” Sylvie closed her eyes and let out a sharp puff of air. Too much in too short of a span of time.
“Let's get out of the hallway before we're spotted.” The major opened the cell in front of them and walked out.
Sylvie followed him in, shivering as she once again found herself stuck in a Zantharian cell. But at least this time, she wasn't a prisoner.
If they could figure out how to save the planet, she'd be a hero, but honestly all she cared about was getting X back and ensuring that he lived.
Chapter 38
Xivthar was being led down the corridor in disgrace. There was a squadron of guards surrounding him, and his own brother was leading the group, having used the mating frenzy as an excuse to put himself into power.
This doesn’t make sense. If he'd only waited a few more days, or even hours, he could have had the title of Acting Regent without going to the council and building a case against me. If he'd waited until I was dead, there wouldn't have been a problem.
But Drake hadn't waited. He'd informed the council of Xivthar's mating frenzy, brought on by the Earthling female, and used it as leverage to get himself declared regent. Now he was taking Xivthar to a cell somewhere to rot, until he died of the frenzy or the Hareema seized the planet.
The only bright spot in all of it was the female by his side. She'd been bound like him, and was being marched to captivity as he was. The fact that she wasn’t immediately taken away gave him a bit of peace in the midst of the storm he faced.
He glanced down at her, with her golden hair, intense green eyes, and soft lips. Xivthar cursed the interruption of earlier. He'd been ready to bury himself inside her, to relieve the burning lust he couldn't seem to get rid of. To mate with his chosen female.
Instead, his brother had burst in and ruined everything.
“Where are you taking me?” he asked.
His brother Drake, former Minister of Defense and current Acting Supreme Regent, looked back over his light green shoulder.
At least he's no longer maroon. Or maybe he should be. What comfort is there in knowing that he’s completely neutral over the thought of imprisoning me? I’m his only family. Some blue would be nice.
“You've been charged with treason. You're going to be executed.”
Xivthar was stunned. “Without a trial? I don't get to face my accusers and the charges against me in front of the council?”
There was a strict adherence to the law on Zanthar, but those who'd been accused of a crime were always given a fair trial.
“No trial is necessary.” His brother's smile was snide. “Do you realize, brother, that we're at war here?”
“But that doesn't mean you can suspend all forms of justice--”
“The council doesn't agree with you.” Drake's smile widened even further. “I convinced them to pass an initiative that would help us deal more aggressively with the Hareema threat. Any Hareema agent found on Zanthar is to be immediately disposed of. Any Zantharian collaborator proved to be working with the Hareema is to be considered a traitor and to be executed posthaste.”
Drake had always been very serious in his defense of the planet, but these actions didn't sound like him. “No trial? Immediate executions? Isn't that going too far?”
“To defend the planet? I don't think so.” Drake's response was met by the squad's affirmations and head nods. Apparently others agreed with his hard-line tactics.
“You said once someone's been proven to be an enemy collaborator. What's the evidence against me that merits immediate execution?” Xivthar couldn't wait to hear his brother's response.
“There were several charges brought against you,” Drake said. “The most damning evidence was your own skin. You've gone dark, given in to the mating frenzy, all for a female who we know works for the enemy.”
“She does not,” Xivthar growled, wondering why Sylvie hadn't spoken up in her own defense. Come to think of it, she'd been very quiet. Usually she was asking questions and butting in every few seconds. Now she was walking down the hall at his side, head down, silent.
Odd.
“Her ship brought down our shields.”
“You have no proof of that,” Xivthar countered.
Sylvie remained silent.
Xivthar looked at the Earthling female again and quickly realized that his gut wasn't acting in the same way it had been. It should have been chewing him to pieces for not plunging inside her when he had the chance. It should be driving him to irrationality, attempting to rescue her from the danger and protect her. Instead it was still, quiet. Why?
Drake scowled. “We brought new evidence to light. Her ship was equipped with an embedded computer command to release a feedback pulse along the ship's shielding at the precise moment the craft entered the atmosphere.”
Xivthar shook his head. “A feedback pulse from a craft that size wouldn't be able to knock out our shields.”
“The scientists disagree,” his brother shot back. “And since we now know that she's working for the Hareema… that means she's the enemy. Seeing that you’re in bed with her, that makes you a collaborator.”
“This is all shark shit,” Xivthar barked as rage pierced the center of him. “You have no real evidence.”
“What I have is enough to destroy you, which is all I need.”
Chapter 39
The plan they'd worked out had gotten them into the chamber with her ship, but she wasn't sure how much farther it would take them.
While they'd been planning in the lab, the major had pulled up a planet-wide bulletin on the console display. Xivthar had been arrested for treason and was on his way to being executed.
His brother, Drak'Karren Rasveen, was Acting Supreme Regent and was apparently the one overseeing his own brother's execution. The Earthling female, who was currently a Sylvie-look-alike, was to be killed along with the former regent. The broadcast alleged that she'd been working with the Hareema to take down the planetary defense shield the whole time.
“They say they found something on my ship to prove I took down the shields. The thing is, I don't think that command exists. We need to get back to my ship so I can talk to Magnis.”
“Who's Magnis?” the major asked, confused.
“Magnis is the ship's computer. He should be able to tell me if the so-called command exists or if someone is manipulating us.”
“What about the regent? If they're going to execute him immediately, we don't have much time.”
“I'm supposed to be executed as well. If they catch me wandering the halls, they'll think I'm Hareema for sure and zap me to death.”
“If you get zapped, then they'll know the female by the regent's side is Hareema.”
The major made a good point.
“That will just cement further in everyone's minds that he's working with the enemy. We have to keep me out of sight.” She rubbed her wrists, glad to finally be free of her cursed restraints. “I still think getting to my ship is most important. If we c
an figure out a way to get it out of the lab, we can use it to rescue the regent. Somehow.”
She'd come up with something on the fly, surely.
“But how do we sneak you into the lab?” The major turned and crossed his thick arms over his chest.
“Let's take a play from the Hareema playbook?” She smirked, unable to help herself.
The major requisitioned a tinted sample case, which came on a cart just like the one the Hareema agent had impersonated. Sylvie had squeezed herself into the sample case, trying to keep calm while she was wheeled down the hallway toward her ship.
They'd met resistance in the hallway outside the chamber where her ship was kept, but it was almost expected at some point. The guards had demanded an energy exchange, then had questioned the major about the equipment and his purpose for entering the lab.
The major played dumb. He was simply following orders. He was supposed to take the cart inside and to pack up some of the ship's equipment in the sample case. That was all he knew.
Luckily, the guards must have been used to responses of this type because they let him in with little hassle.
The chamber holding her ship was deserted as most of the scientists were distracted by the unfolding events.
“Where is everyone?” Sylvie glanced around as she crawled out from her hiding place.
“Most everyone turns out for an execution. They're rare, but well-attended. The scientists are probably all hustling to get good seats. This one is sure to be a really big deal. Never has a regent been sentenced to death before.”
Public executions seemed to be a bit primitive for such an advanced people. But as this trip was teaching her, advanced technology did not necessarily entail advanced moral fiber.
Still, it had worked to their advantage because now they were here, inside her ship, where the cameras couldn't see. Sylvie made her way to the main console and whispered to the green display.
“Magnis, I'm back and I need your help.”
The computer's voice was as monotone as ever. “Please explain.”
“The Zantharians said they've found a code embedded inside you that created a feedback pulse from our shields when we hit the atmosphere. Is this true?”
“I have no such record of a code.”
Sylvie frowned. “Could such a code exist without you having a record of it?”
“Unknown. I do not have enough training in philosophy to answer such a question.”
Fair enough. How was the computer to know if something was hidden, if it wasn't supposed to know it?
“If such a code existed, would a feedback pulse from our ship's shields be able to cause a malfunction in the shielding around Zanthar?”
“Limited data,” Magnis replied. “Assuming the intense level of shielding that would be required for a planetary-scale defense shield, it seems highly unlikely that our limited shielding could cause such a failure.”
“Highly unlikely?” the major asked.
“The odds are 1 in 500,000,000,000,” Magnis replied.
“That's pretty unlikely,” the major mumbled. “So what the ship is saying is that someone is lying?”
“Right. I didn't think it was possible. My ship just isn't equipped to do that kind of damage.” Sylvie leaned against the nearest wall and let out a long breath.
“But it could provide a convenient excuse. Even if the story didn't hold water in a thorough investigation, it would be plausible enough to let the real Hareema agents sneak onto the surface and start taking over.” The major shook his head.
“And by the time anyone discovered it, it would have been too late.”
“It almost is,” he said, his face dark.
“We can't give up now. We have to find a way to convince everyone that Xivthar isn't a traitor, and that Hareema agents have infiltrated the highest levels of the government.”
“It will have to be something big. Something that a lot of people can see at once. If it isn't, the Hareema will be able to cover it up. We have to out them in front of a crowd so we can insure that others believe us.”
“And I think I have an idea on how to do that.” Sylvie forced a tight smile as her heart fluttered.
Please let X be okay. Please.
Chapter 40
Executions on Zanthar were rare occasions, which meant that they drew huge crowds. The news had spread immediately around the planet, and all those who could get to the central colony in time had hurried there from what he could tell.
The sound of the masses was nearly deafening, and it set Xivthar's teeth on edge. How could the people he had served so diligently turn on him so quickly?
“I'm sorry, little one.” He leaned close to Sylvie to speak into her ear. “I never intended for all this to happen.”
She glanced up at him and shrugged, her expression neutral.
“What's going on with you?” He couldn’t help but question her.
Maybe the events of the last hour had put her into shock. Still, she wasn't acting like herself at all.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her face blank.
“Your reaction. You're a fighter. You've never once given up. Why are you so ready to quit now?”
Her smile was sardonic. “Take a look around you, Xivthar.”
“They were about to cut you open when you got here, Sylvie,” he countered, “and pull out your organs one by one. You didn't give up then. You fought like hell if I remember it right.”
Another shoulder shrug and silence.
“People of Zanthar,” a voice boomed over the audio amplifiers stationed around the perimeter. “We are gathered here on this most solemn occasion in which we will see justice being served.”
The crowd erupted into roaring applause. It was ironic that such a “solemn” occasion would warrant such a boisterous response. The announcer went on to list the crimes against him, but he tuned him out, concentrating on his companion.
“I should have let you go on the transport. I shouldn't have called you back. I regret it more than anything else in my life.”
If he hadn't called the transport back, she could be safe on Earth now instead of awaiting her demise with him.
“Thanks, Xivthar. I can see how much it bothers you, but I’m good. Shit happens, right?”
That's twice she's used my full name. Sylvie had always called him 'X’, so much so that he'd wondered if she even remembered his real name. Something was off… terribly so. Was she in shock?
His Sylvie wasn't this bitter. She'd never been this apathetic toward him, even when he'd locked her back up after she'd sworn she wasn't an enemy agent. And his gut. His gut was no longer clenching. His emotions were flat. He was irritated about the execution and his brother's betrayal, and upset that Sylvie was being dragged into it with him, but his moods had been calm, like they used to be before he'd met the Earthling female.
He only had a few more moments to live. Best to stop pondering what ifs and use his time wisely. He'd tried apologizing to her and it had gone over like a lead balloon. There was one more thing left to try.
His hands were bound behind his back as hers were, but he could still lean into her and press his lips against hers. It was to be their final kiss, the last time they would come together before their lives ended.
The crowd gave more of a reaction than the woman he loved. They screamed, they hissed, they booed their disapproval.
Sylvie just stood there. Her lips were warm and still.
She didn't even close her eyes.
“You're not Sylvie,” he growled, horror grabbing hold of his heart.
The female smiled. “About time you caught on. For a Supreme Regent, you sure are slow.”
A Hareema agent. It had to be. That meant his Sylvie was out there somewhere, without him. Where was she? Was she safe?
His gut constricted immediately with pain so vicious he almost fell to his knees. Now that he'd realized this thing wasn't his mate, his need to be with the real Sylvie felt like a thousand knives stabb
ing into his stomach.
How did I not notice before?
Xivthar hung his head. He'd failed her. She was out there, left to her own devices, alone and probably scared. When he'd thought she was by his side, his emotions had been tame. But now that he'd realized he was without his mate, his feelings were running riot. Fear. Rage. Regret.
His wild emotions washed over him, making him shake. I need my mate. It was the only thing he wanted as death loomed ahead. I need one more minute with her.
Chapter 41
The ship sailed smoothly over the expanse of the purple ocean. The color reminded Sylvie of X's skin when he was aroused. She bit her lip as fear surged through her heart.
“We're almost there,” the major said a few seconds before Magnis informed them that they were approaching their target. “Let's go over the plan one more time.”
They'd put the scheme together on the fly while they were consulting with the ship's computer. The laboratory where the ship was lodged had a large door that connected to a cargo elevator. The elevator ran the length of the colony, and the highest floor was actually the small bit of the structure that was exposed to the air and not covered in water.
They'd gotten Magnis to carefully maneuver the ship into the elevator and then taken off from the top of the structure. They were lucky. Since nearly everyone had gone to the execution, no one was likely to be watching the camera feed. Or answering proximity alarms. At least, not until after they were already gone.
Their plan was simple. They were going to fly over the execution, somehow make it past the defenses surrounding the arena, and then rescue the regent.
The only part of the plan that was certain was flying over the event. The major had no idea how to make it past the defenses in an Earth ship that had no weapons. As for the rescue, they'd think of something. If they made it to that step.