by Gun Brooke
Emeron could hardly breathe. Somehow, the air inside the shelter was thick and refused to fill her lungs. “Part of the job,” she said, her voice hoarse.
“I guess. But that doesn’t make it any easier for me.” Dwyn lay down. “My job is to help preserve our planets and ultimately help make them as habitable as possible. I simply can’t see life go to waste.”
“You’re passionate about what you do, but so am I. Don’t worry about—”
“But I do.” Dwyn rose on her elbow again and touched Emeron’s arm with her free hand. “How could I not, since all I can think of is you bleeding to death on the ground only hours ago.” Dwyn’s breath was ragged as fury and something unreadable shone from her eyes.
Dwyn’s touch burned like fire against Emeron’s skin. Gasping, she stared down at her hand, as if trying to will it away with the blaze of her glance. “Dwyn,” she said warningly.
“Oh.” Dwyn snatched it back.
She looked at Dwyn and saw something entirely unexpected. Where normally Dwyn’s eyes projected confidence and persistence, now they were filled with surprise and…innocence? Damn it. She looks terrified.
“Emeron?” Dwyn reached out again, halfway, but then her hand hovered between them. “What’s wrong?”
“A lot of things.” Something inside her snapped. She had no idea if the molten feelings had erupted because she’d barely cheated death or because she had a stunningly beautiful woman practically in her bedroll. She grabbed Dwyn’s hand and tugged her close. Dwyn ended up on her back halfway on Emeron’s bedroll, her silver-gray eyes huge. “You are wrong. The wrong woman at the wrong time and, damn it, in the wrong place.” She buried her face in Dwyn’s long hair where it had escaped the chignon.
Dwyn whimpered and grabbed her by the shoulders, digging her fingertips in. Emeron was sure Dwyn would push her away, out of anger or fear, but instead, Dwyn held on as she slid one of her hands up and touched the back of Emeron’s head.
“I thought you were dead.” Dwyn’s soft murmur deflated Emeron’s rush of emotions.
“I’m fine. Thanks to you.” Knowing she sounded far too formal, she tried to free Dwyn of her weight, but Dwyn didn’t let go.
“Yes. You are.” Dwyn allowed her to lift her head enough for their eyes to meet, but kept her hand around the back of her neck.
All the arousal rushed back, flooding her, and she couldn’t take her eyes from Dwyn’s delicate features. Her pale, curvy lips were parted slightly, and the quick glimpse of small white teeth behind them sent tremors through her.
“Emeron?” Dwyn was out of breath and still looked confused.
“Forgive me.” She moved off Dwyn with the last of her determination. “This is highly unprofessional, and it won’t happen again.”
“Isn’t it normal to feel a little rattled after a brush with death?” Dwyn reached toward her again, but she ducked.
“It is. I’m trained to ignore such emotions.”
“Oh.” Dwyn seemed not to know what to do with her hands. She was still half lying on Emeron’s bedroll. “I see.”
“I don’t know what happened just now, but you can be certain that I will not forget my position again.” She could hear how cold she sounded, but didn’t know what else to say—or do.
Dwyn’s features stiffened and her marble skin looked as cold and rigid as its color suggested. Emeron watched with fascination how an emotional shield slid down over Dwyn’s eyes, not allowing any feelings to permeate. “Of course. I appreciate that.” She slowly crawled over to her own bedroll and curled up in it. “Good night, Commander.”
Emeron winced at the pointed use of her title. She had behaved unprofessionally and lowered her guard since she assumed this was a mere babysitting job. She had also offended the person she was ordered to protect by allowing her libido to surface. She crept into her own bedroll and sighed. All in all a rather lousy day.
*
“The shuttle from the Guild Nation vessel has landed, Admirals, Lt. Commander.” An ensign gestured for Kellen, Rae, and Ewan Jacelon to follow him. After stepping into the VIP room at the shuttle-gate area, Kellen waited impatiently the two minutes it took the passengers to disembark. The door opened and her handsome boy with olive skin and dark eyes, a heritage from his father, appeared. Even though he looked mostly Onotharian, Kellen thought he looked more and more like his mother, Princess Tereya of Gantharat, her childhood friend and protégé.
Kellen had loved and cared for Armeo since he was born, and when his mother was assassinated when Armeo was five, Kellen became his sole guardian. Now she wrapped her arms around him and felt him go rigid for a few seconds before he clung to her waist. She knew he might be embarrassed later, but she needed to feel the beat of his heart and listen to him breathe. “Gods of Gantharat. You’re safe,” she murmured, and tipped his chin up to examine his face.
Armeo was now nearly thirteen human years old, but looked younger since Gantharians’ average life span exceeded humans’ by thirty-some years.
Rae said huskily, “Let me look at you, son,” and stood by Kellen’s side. Without thinking, Kellen wrapped one arm around them both and held them tight. This was her life, her family. Without them, she was nothing.
At first, Rae’s affection for Armeo had been the only redeeming quality of a woman who had held both of them captive. Now, Rae’s love for them, her willingness to risk her life, not only for Armeo, but for the freedom of his and Kellen’s homeworld, Gantharat, was only one reason Kellen loved her.
“Hey, Kellen, you’re crushing us,” Armeo objected, and blushed as he looked at Ewan Jacelon. “Save me, Granddad.”
Ewan came over and hugged the boy briefly, a man-to-man kind of hug that apparently Armeo approved of. A moment later, his eyes darkened. “Granddad, I’m so sorry.” He cast his eyes downward, but just as quickly raised his gaze again, looking both afraid and brave as he spoke. “I wanted to save her from the kidnappers. I tried.”
“Shh, son. It wasn’t your fault.”
“People at the space station whispered that M’Ekar has escaped. Is it true? Is it him?” Armeo’s voice cracked at the end of the sentence.
“We don’t know, not for sure, but it’s likely, Armeo,” Rae answered in her father’s place. She still stood in Kellen’s embrace.
Kellen winced at the pain and fury on Armeo’s face. “I hate that man. I hate being related to him. I despise what he’s done in the past and what he’s doing to Grandma now.” Armeo’s eyes glowed like scorching rings of fire.
“I know, Armeo, we all feel the same way.” Kellen knew this wasn’t the time to hug him, no matter how much she wanted to wrap him in her arms and shield him from life’s harsh truth. “We will find your grandmother.”
Armeo nodded, jaws clenched. “They hurt Ayahliss. After they took Grandma away, Ayahliss took several of the bad guys out, even when our guards tried to restrain her. She used her gan’thet skills, and the bad guys had to shoot her to stop her. Even when she was bleeding, she limped after them. Then they fired at her again, and she didn’t get up a second time.” Armeo’s voice was monotonous as he retold the horrible event. “She’s doing a little better now.”
“A lot better, kid,” a youthful voice said from the doorway. Ayahliss, pale and obviously in pain, stood proudly without holding on for support. Behind her, a medic watched her closely.
“Ayahliss,” Kellen said as she approached her.
“I beg your forgiveness. In my effort to keep Armeo safe, I failed Ms. Dahlia. I tried to…I tried.” Ayahliss’s face contorted, and for a moment Kellen thought she would see her cry for the first time, but she jutted out her chin and straightened where she stood.
“You and Armeo are not at fault,” Rae said behind Kellen. “You’re going to fall over any second, Ayahliss. Come here.”
Ayahliss looked truly surprised as Rae guided her to a couch. Kellen understood Ayahliss’s consternation. Until now Rae had kept her distance from her. Reluctant to trust the volatile yo
ung person, she had been suspicious about her friendship with Armeo. Now she helped Ayahliss sit down and joined her. She looked at Rae as if she were an imposter, her expression almost humorous, despite the serious situation they were all facing.
“Ma’am. Uhm, Admiral…” she began.
“Call me Rae.”
Her mouth fell open before she tried again. “Rae. Once I see the physicians and they perform the last procedure, I’ll be able to join the hunt for this tremasht.”
Rae briefly touched her arm and looked over at Armeo. “You two have an even more important mission,” she said gravely. “Until Armeo is of age he can’t join an armed team, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t valuable. When it comes to you, Ayahliss, keeping Armeo safe is the most important thing, and I’ve realized you’re totally dedicated to this task. When you’re well again, I trust you to stay close to him, no matter what happens. You’ll have your own security detail, as before, but you’re more than his mere bodyguard.” She looked steadily at Ayahliss. “You’re his friend. Nobody can be a better companion for him.”
Kellen blinked. She hadn’t been aware that Rae had given Ayahliss so much credit for keeping Armeo safe on the Keliera space station.
“Thank you. I won’t fail you, ma’am—Rae.” Ayahliss paled further and pressed a trembling hand against her midsection. “I have to confess, though, that I’m in pain.”
“We need to get you into bed. Father, we need a gurney. She can’t walk all the way to the hovercraft.”
“Of course.” Ewan moved toward the door on the other side of the room. In passing, he smiled at Ayahliss. Soon, he had summoned the ensign that helped them earlier and informed him of the situation.
“Is the young lady going to the hospital?” the man asked.
“Her location will be classified information.” Ewan frowned. “I need a vehicle, but I’ll pilot it myself.”
*
Weiss ran to the bridge, ducking at every bulkhead opening in the corridor with measured dips of her head.
“What the hell’s going on?” she yelled, and held on to the railing that led down a short flight of stairs to her captain’s chair. The Viper lurched under her feet and sparks erupted from two computer consoles.
“All our systems are malfunctioning and I have no clue why. Probably a series of burned relays and melted gel manifolds,” Weiss’s next-in-command yelled.
“We need to land, Captain. I can’t hold her.” The woman at the helm struggled with the console, furiously entering commands.
“Nearest habitable planet?” Weiss snapped her head around toward her ops officer.
“Corma.”
“Damn. Set her down, as remotely as possible, if possible.”
“Aye, ma’am.” The helmswoman frowned as she entered the new coordinates. “I need more power.”
“Redirect from any system necessary. Even life support, if that’s what it takes.” Weiss kept her voice calm as she clung to the armrests of her chair.
“Captain Kyakh. What are you saying? We can’t land within SC space,” M’Ekar shouted over the blaring alarm klaxons. “Can’t this woman get us to the border?”
“If you mean my helmswoman, you’ll have to settle for her being able to get us down in one piece at all. Don’t worry. I have contingency plans for most scenarios.” Weiss was confident because she spoke the truth. She’d been untouchable in this business of mercenaries and space pirates for many years. As the Viper bucked and lurched its way toward Corma, she fought an annoying little voice that had become more insistent lately. The longer it is before you get caught, the more likely it is that you will.
She shook her head and grabbed her armrests harder as they approached Corma. If they could break orbit and find a remote area, they had every chance of escaping the authorities and making the last little jump over the SC border into intergalactic space.
“How much longer?” she asked.
“We reach orbit in less than five minutes. Our success depends on whether I can maintain a correct angle. If not, we’ll become space debris.”
“That’s not an option. Not a very fitting end for the esteemed ambassador,” Weiss said. “Get us down in one piece. We can worry about the rest later.”
*
It took some effort to help an increasingly pasty-pale Ayahliss into the hovercraft. It was an elongated version, lean and black, and once they were all inside, Ewan pulled out into traffic.
“Father, are you comfortable driving in these conditions? Traffic is horrible.” Rae spoke quietly. She knew her father was exhausted from worry as well as all the intel he’d sorted through since the kidnapping.
“I’m fine. Make sure the kids are all right.” Her father sounded gruff, but Rae knew this was only stress talking.
“They’re fine—”
“Headquarters to Admiral Rae Jacelon. Headquarters to Admiral Ewan Jacelon. Please report on secure audio channels ASAP.” The metallic voice echoed throughout the vehicle.
“We’re almost there.” Ewan punched in new commands on the console before him. “Take over the controls, Commander O’Dal.”
The formality of how he spoke was alarming. Kellen nodded briskly at Rae and moved forward between the seats and took the co-driver’s seat. “I have the controls.”
“Good. Are we secure?” Ewan asked Rae.
“Getting there. Kellen, please erect a privacy wall.” An opaque wall rose soundlessly between them and the back area of the hovercraft. Rae cleared her voice, suddenly nervous. “Secure channel Alpha-Alpha-Jacelon-6. Admirals Jacelon and Jacelon present. We are safe to talk.”
“Rae, Ewan, we have news regarding Dahlia,” a familiar voice said over the communicator.
“Alex. When did you get here?” Rae exclaimed, relieved and surprised.
Alex de Vies, captain of the flagship while Rae was in command of the Gamma VI space station, was also one of her best friends. Alex’s wife Gayle had been wonderful to Kellen from the start, and Dorinda, their daughter, was Armeo’s best friend.
“I got in an hour ago. When I heard the news I asked the command group for an express transfer. I’m so sorry about Dahlia.” Alex paused. “As I said, we have news.”
“Ewan here, Alex. Report.”
“Sir, Cormanian sensors show that a small vessel, identical to the one escaping from the Keliera station, has crashed into the Disi-Disi forest.”
“Crashed.” Rae mouthed the word but couldn’t make a sound.
“Its status?” Ewan asked, his voice steady in contrast to his white lips.
“Disabled is our best estimate, sir,” Alex said. “Corma doesn’t allow for extensive scans of the area, so we have no way of knowing precisely. You know this forest is protected by an ancient pact—”
“My mother might be injured, or worse. I don’t give a damn about any ancient pacts.” Rae found her voice and thundered on. “We’re going to make sure the children are safe, and then I want to talk to the Foreign Minister. Make that happen, Alex.”
“I’m on it. But be careful, Rae. The Thousand Year Pact isn’t just any document. It stretches back into Cormanian history and right up to modern day. Just so you know what you’re up against with the minister.”
“Thanks. See you soon. Jacelon out.” Rae closed her eyes briefly, then looked at her father.
“At least there aren’t any hard surfaces in the jungle, or are there? No tall buildings or…” Rae had to swallow twice to be able to continue. “Kellen. ETA at the hotel?”
“Two minutes.” Kellen spoke calmly, but Rae, who was familiar with every nuance of Kellen’s voice, knew she was ready to explode into action.
Rae sat straight, breathing in the relaxation pattern that usually worked. Mother. Be all right. You have to. You simply have to.
Chapter Nine
They had hiked for hours, going much farther into the Disi-Disi forest than their application to enter had stated. Emeron remained in the rear, convinced if the bots attacked again, they would come f
rom the rear. Dwyn had started out behind Mogghy, but had gradually fallen back and was now walking in front of her.
“Are you getting tired? Do we need to rest?” She tapped Dwyn’s shoulder. Dwyn jumped, obviously having been lost in thought. “Sorry.”
“No. I’m fine.” Dwyn looked stubborn rather than defeated, and Emeron knew she wasn’t used to the pace they’d kept to get as far away as they could from potential bots.
“All right, but we could all use a break and, what’s more important, something to drink.” It was humid this deep into the vegetation beneath the tall trees, despite their temperature-sustaining underwear.
“If you insist.” Dwyn looked like she was doing Emeron a favor as they all formed a circle and sat down on their carriers.
Emeron pulled out a box from her med kit and passed it around. “Grab a capsule each, people. We need to make sure we’re in good shape if we run into those bots again.”
“What are they?” Dwyn asked, wrinkling her nose. She held the yellow capsule as if it were poison.
“It’s a multivitamin and also contains the equivalent of a day’s worth of minerals, glucose, and salts. Don’t worry. It’s designed to suit multiple species.” She placed her capsule in her mouth, pulled the hose from her carrier that held her water, and took a sip. “There.”
“All right.” Dwyn did the same, then bent forward, her elbows on her knees. “How far before we can get back on track? I need to reach my coordinates as soon as possible to get my last readings of the soil and observe the forest’s perimeter for signs of—”
A loud, repetitive beep interrupted her. “Incoming emergency message.” Oches pulled out the communication antenna. He punched in a few commands and nodded to Emeron. “You’re ready to proceed, ma’am.”
“Thanks.” Emeron rose and walked far enough into the vegetation to be out of sight and earshot. The signal had been unmistakable. The message was urgent and confidential. She plugged an earpiece into her communicator and pressed the sensor that linked it via a satellite scrambler to the antenna in Oches’s back-strap carrier. “D’Artansis here. Go ahead.” A slight crackle of static, then Captain Zeger’s voice came through.