Zemos had pride in his men. Whatever happened from this point, his fellow Kalquorians deserved their glory.
Behind these bulwarks of strength stood Miragin and Elisa. Zemos felt a renewed rush of gratification as he viewed his gentle Imdiko. Through all the trials, Miragin had kept his optimistic viewpoint, his steadfast humor, and unwavering support for his clanmates. More than that, he’d never lost an instant of faith in Zemos and Oret, an act that spurred them to be stronger than they might have been without him. After over a hundred years as the man’s Dramok, Zemos never felt more grateful to have Miragin as his lifelong companion.
His gaze settled on Elisa. The poor woman once more looked lost and uncertain, the glow of coupling having faded too soon. Zemos didn’t blame her for being afraid. He could imagine her concerns increasing as the escape attempt developed, as men around her died in the coming struggle.
There had been a few instances when he’d thought she had looked at him and his clanmates with the same warmth they felt for her. He had hopes those moments had arisen not just because they’d woken her body a few times. Zemos dared to dream Elisa might love him back, though he doubted a tender little Earther female could respond with the kind of fierce regard he held for her. Still, being the recipient of her gentler adoration would fill his being.
Would watching Zemos kill members of her own kind drown those tiny bright flares he and his clanmates had sparked in her heart? Would their ferocious struggle to live destroy the bit of regard she had for him, and thus one of his best reasons to fight for survival?
Zemos was determined to keep Elisa, to make her his clan’s Matara. Yet he was in the middle of the worst possible scenario to win her love. All he could do was hope she would see past the coming violence, to see into his heart and how much he cared for her.
For now, winning his and his crew’s freedom was the priority. Clanning Elisa was an impossibility until that happened.
Zemos concentrated on those whose loyalty he did own. To the dark and determined faces surrounding him, he said, “The time has come. The search for us is five levels away from Engineering and at the other end of the ship. We will have no better opportunity to capture this vessel than now.”
Next to him, Oret told the crew, “There is a small force guarding that area, perhaps because they believe we might strike there. You have been divided into two teams. We will approach from opposite sides to trap the Earther crew in a vise.”
Zemos again: “After that, we will hold Engineering for as long as possible in order to get a message to the Empire’s fleet as to where we are. We are only days from Bi’isil space, so there should be two or three patrols within a days’ journey of wherever our exact location is. Either destroyers, spyships, or raiders might come to our aid.”
Oret gave the crew a vicious smile, showing his fangs. “I would like to offer my congratulations to those of you who will fall in glorious battle today. Your names will not be forgotten. I will see to that personally if I do not join you and our ancestors in the afterlife.”
Pleased growls greeted his words. Other Nobeks grinned back, also flashing fangs in anticipation. Zemos saw Elisa glancing around at the display, her eyes widened and face pale. They’d been speaking Kalquorian, so she had no idea what the fierce expressions and growls were about.
Her peace of mind had no place in his thoughts right now, as much as Zemos would have liked to calm her. He set aside his worries over how she felt.
“First Team, you have the farthest to go to reach the aft end of Engineering. I will join you, but First Lieutenant Kwes will lead. We leave now. Oret and Second Team will leave two minutes after ours. Good fortune and glory to us all.”
Nobek Kwes was a fierce fighter who’d been instrumental in protecting the few Imdikos that had survived the destroyer’s capture. He barked orders to the men converging on his position. “Ship boarding pattern, Captain Zemos and I take point. The rest of you know your places. Go!”
The group broke into a long line, two and three men abreast. Just before taking his place at Kwes’ side, Zemos stole a moment to go to Miragin and Elisa.
He said nothing, content to touch their faces. Miragin nodded, grasped his shoulder, and squeezed. Elisa looked up at Zemos, her big brown eyes still wide and frightened. Zemos thought she might speak, but she did not. She only looked at him. For an instant, she rubbed her cheek against his palm. Her lips trembled.
Zemos turned his back on them and took his place with his men. He told himself he’d see them both again soon enough, whether in this life or the next.
Kwes jerked a nod to him and gave the command. “March!”
Moments later, Zemos was out in the corridor. He trotted at Kwes’ side, those he loved falling behind.
* * * *
Two minutes after Zemos left with half the Kalquorians, the rest formed their attack party under Oret’s command. The security officer put Elisa and Miragin near the rear of the line, keeping a group of Nobeks around them. They set off, Elisa having to jog to keep up with the long, quick strides of the Kalquorians.
They used the large cargo lift to transport the entire party. From there, they moved down the corridors towards the main entrance to engineering, getting to the final bend in the hall without confronting anyone. There they halted. Oret whispered to his men at the front of the column, and then moved back to speak to Miragin and Elisa.
“All right, you two,” he muttered so low that Elisa had to strain to hear. “Stay behind right here while the rest of us deal with those guards. I’ll call the all clear when it’s time for you to come. Keep yourself and her safe, my Imdiko.”
Miragin nodded and checked the blaster he’d been given, taking it off the locked position so that it would fire. “I will. Good fortune and great glory to you, my Nobek.”
Oret nodded. “For honor and Empire.”
Much as Zemos had done, he caressed their faces before turning away and resuming his place at the head of the attack party ... the most dangerous place to fight from, Elisa thought.
Her heart had climbed up in her throat, as if it would lodge there and choke her with dread. Her cheek tingled where Oret had stroked. She knew he and Zemos were doing what they had to. Even though they would kill Earther men, she couldn’t help but want them to survive. Damn it, if it had to be this way, why did they have to lead the fight? If she must turn her back on her own because she loved Zemos and Oret so much, why did it have to be them in front, most likely to be killed?
Miragin tugged Elisa back, placing them behind all the rest. He pulled her down to huddle with him on the floor. He positioned himself so she crouched within the cradle of his body, his bent legs bracketing her, one arm wrapped around her shoulders and chest, the other holding the percussion blaster ready to fire at anyone who would threaten her. His breath sounded harsh in her ear, and she felt his minute tremble. Even this gentle soul, as afraid as he was for his clanmates, was ready to die defending her. Rather than making Elisa feel better, it somehow made things worse. Her safety was a small thing compared to the dreadful danger Miragin and his clan faced.
Oret yelled, and the attack party rushed around the corner into the other corridor where the Earther guards patrolled. Elisa winced at the thunderous sound of blasters firing, of shouts, screams, and howls. Men were dying right now. Men she probably knew. Maybe men she loved.
Oret could be falling to the floor now, his body torn and bloody, his eyes glazing over. The same might be happening to Zemos in another corridor.
Elisa shuddered with emotion as the cacophony went on and on. It sounded as if the world was ending.
Calling so he could be heard over the deafening sounds, Miragin said, “Easy, little one. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” He looked back and forth, watching for any trouble that might be approaching.
He was ready to protect her, but she had no means to return the favor. Elisa knew that if reinforcements showed up and found them here, they would kill Miragin without pause. Her presen
ce would mean nothing to them; she must be marked for death as surely as the Kalquorians simply for being in their presence.
Her faith in a higher being had long been a tremulous thing, but she prayed anyway. She huddled in the fragile cover of Miragin’s body and prayed for the shooting to stop, for no one to kill the man trying to protect her, for the madness to end.
A few seconds later, Elisa thought her prayers would be at least partially answered. The sounds of fighting went on, but they were diminishing. The constant barrage became heavy bursts. Then the shots became sporadic and more distant.
When Miragin spoke again, he was able to do so at normal volume. “I think Oret’s men have gotten into Engineering. They’re trying to take control.”
On the heels of that, the firing dropped to one or two shots, small sounds in the ringing silence. Then in English came desperate cries of ‘surrender’. The blasting ended.
Seconds of quiet ticked by. Miragin continued to hold Elisa to his chest. He said, “I think Oret and Zemos must have won. They’ve taken over Engineering.”
Elisa stared at the corner where Oret had led his men. “Why don’t they come get us then? Surely Captain Walker is sending help right now. We’ll be caught out in the open.”
“It’s only been two or three of your Earth minutes since the fighting began,” Miragin said. “They must have not believed we’d try to attack this level. Otherwise, they would have guarded it better.”
Elisa couldn’t believe it. Only two or three minutes had elapsed? It had felt like an eternity.
Miragin continued. “If I know my clanmates, they are placing the bodies where you and I don’t have to see them. They would prefer we remain as untouched by this horror as possible.”
She twisted so she could look the Imdiko in the face. Terrible things had happened, were undoubtedly still happening, yet the clan tried to protect her from it as much as they could. Miragin’s worried regard told her the truth of it.
Elisa was horrified that such violence was happening, but she was touched by the concern of the men committing it. They cared. Perhaps they did not love her as she loved them, but they did care.
More of her terror must have been showing than the warmth that invaded her heart, because Miragin averted his gaze. “I’m sorry, Elisa. If there had been any other way—”
She touched his lips with trembling fingertips to silence him. “I know.”
His eyes went to her face once more, and this time the Imdiko saw that she did not hold him responsible for what had happened. His lips found hers, and Elisa clung to him, kissing back without reluctance. When they parted, his smile beamed.
Then his gaze lifted. Elisa looked up and was startled to see Oret standing over them. She had a bare instant to register the savage triumph on his face before the Nobek wiped his expression clean.
She appreciated he would not celebrate the deaths of others in her presence. In his own way, Oret held her in high regard.
He told them, “Come with me to the engineering department. It’s safe for you now.”
He and Miragin helped Elisa to her feet. They wrapped their arms around her as they guided her through the blood-splashed corridor. There were no bodies to step over, but the evidence of carnage was enough to make her stomach rock unsteadily. She was very aware of and grateful for the supportive arms circling her waist and shoulders as the two men escorted her into Engineering.
Chapter13
Elisa had never been in Engineering before. This section was better lit than most of the ship since it was a priority area. Power was not rationed here. There were banks of computers down the center of the main part of it. The computers were set on a large console with many chairs pulled up to it. Vids hovered over them, showing various ship functions and readouts.
More computer interfaces lined the walls on the end of the room she entered through. On the opposite end were pieces of some of the hardware that ran the ship. For the most part, it was a confusing mass of machinery and control panels that Elisa couldn’t make sense of, but she recognized the pulsing light-filled fusion energy tubes, along with the power tanks that fed them.
The place smelled of lubricants and oils, blood and sweat. Machinery hummed, like some great contented beast. The ship’s heartbeat continued as if men hadn’t just died right here.
Elisa’s gaze found Zemos right away, as if drawn to him. He and a couple members of his crew clustered around the large computer bank. As little as Elisa knew about the actual operation of the ship, she saw enough to realize they worked to override navigation and helm. Zemos was trying to snatch control of the ship from the bridge.
She stopped a few feet inside the room, having a good look around. Besides herself, there were only Kalquorians in this part of Engineering.
She stared up at Oret. “What did you do with the crew? Did you end up killing them all?”
He didn’t flinch. “Most of the security detail assigned to protect this area died during the fight. We placed their bodies out of sight so you would not have to look at them. The majority of the engineering crew surrendered without a fight. We locked them in that storage compartment over there, beyond the computer banks. They will not be harmed as long as they remain quiet.”
She searched the Nobek’s face for the least sign of remorse. Oret only stared back.
Feeling a surge of anger, Elisa said, “I suppose that as long as I don’t see my people dead or imprisoned, you think you’re being merciful.”
Oret’s tone was as strong and steady as ever, but she thought she detected a note of sympathy in it. “We are fighting for our freedom and our lives, Elisa. That means men will fall. We killed no one we didn’t have to, and yes, we hid them so you wouldn’t be too upset.”
She said nothing but continued to glare at him.
He shrugged, apparently resigned to her being dismayed with him. “As for the prisoners being hidden away, it’s for your benefit in more ways than one. Keeping other Earthers from seeing you with us will make you seem more innocent of any wrongdoing. That’s important should our escape not succeed.”
Elisa didn’t want to feel gratitude. It tried to worm its way in however. Oret and Zemos cared enough about her to attempt to spare her the worst of the horror. She also knew the Kalquorians were being generous to allow any of her shipmates to live. They had every right to vengeance after being captured by the Earthers. They had every reason to try to escape.
Oret didn’t try to explain any further. He left Elisa with Miragin, joining Zemos at the computers. Zemos had looked up briefly to acknowledge Elisa and Miragin’s entrance. He and others working on Engineering’s mainframe conversed in rapid-fire bursts of their language, tapping frenzied commands into the system.
“How are they doing?” she asked Miragin.
Miragin listened to the conversation going on between the Kalquorian officers. After a few moments he said, “Zemos needs extra time to get past the security codes and transfer helm, navigation, and weaponry to these computers. To gain some of that time and to keep the ship’s crew from fighting back, he has gotten control of life support and shut it down on the bridge.”
Elisa immediately thought of kind Captain Walker. She stared in horror at Miragin. Was he saying that Zemos had just murdered him as well as others?
Apparently divining some of her terror, Miragin hastened to explain, “Shutting down life support doesn’t instantly kill people in the affected section. They have enough air and heat to make it out in time. As the bridge crew evacuates, Zemos is shutting down life support behind them, cutting their avenue back to the bridge off. They’ll be stuck far away from the ship’s major systems.”
Elisa relaxed a little. She’d never thought Zemos, or even Oret, would be coldblooded killers if they could find another way to win the battle. However, this was a fight to survive. She knew full well what her own crew would do, led by men like First Officer Chase and Lieutenant Commander Robards. They would have killed outright without mercy.
&nb
sp; Miragin continued to listen to what was going on and report. “Oret is monitoring the situation on the bridge. He says that it is being evacuated right now. With no one manning the security station there, Zemos is overriding the codes that will give us control of the ship. We can run it from here.”
He paused to listen again. “Oh, good. We now have access to long range communications. A call is being sent out to the Empire explaining our situation and coordinates. Hopefully someone will answer and come to our rescue.”
“I’ll be taken prisoner with the rest,” Elisa said. “I’ll be put on trial.” Her stomach rolled.
Miragin shook his head as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You are a dietician, not combat personnel. You will be cleared of wrongdoing early on, especially if you consent to join our clan.” When she said nothing to that, he gave her a steady look. “Earth is over and done with, little one. It is time for you to live the life you want. If it happens to be as our Matara, we would be more delighted than you can possibly imagine.”
Elisa knew he was right in that it was time to surrender. Moreover, she wanted to be their clanmate. She still couldn’t help the feelings of guilt that came with going along with that option.
“I feel like a traitor. Everything I was ever taught says I shouldn’t want you over my own kind.”
Miragin gave her a sympathetic look. “I can only imagine the turmoil going on in your head right now. But if I may give you a little direction, what does your heart say?”
Elisa dropped her gaze from his. Her heart had indeed made its choice, one it was very clear about.
* * * *
Joseph sat tall in his chair at the desk in his personal quarters, keeping his expression as grave and demanding as possible. He pretended he didn’t quake inside. He acted as if he had strength to see this through. He could not show the least bit of weakness now, not when he had lost control over the ship.
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