Perilous Hunt: Fallen Empire, Book 7

by Lindsay Buroker

  Alisa nearly fell over. “What?”

  Tiang laughed. If that was an indicator of the man’s sense of humor, he had a horrible one.

  “He is awake,” Tiang said.

  “And well?” Alisa demanded, still not sure what was a joke and what was true. “I find it hard to believe his first words involved my underwear.”

  “No, he requested that we help him into his combat armor. It will likely be many days before we know if the surgery was a success in regard to sexual function.”

  “I don’t care about that now, just so long as he’s all right,” Alisa said, relieved that he had wanted his armor. That didn’t necessarily mean he was well—the man would hurl himself into battle even if he were an inch from death—but it meant that his thinking was in line with the usual for him.

  “He is groggy from the sedation,” Tiang said, “but we bypassed the remaining failsafes and repaired the damage that resulted from the first ones being triggered. I would not, however, recommend that he go into battle now.” His voice grew steely, and Alisa suspected he was directing those words at Leonidas. “Is that going to be a problem, Captain?”

  “I hope not,” she grumbled, not encouraged by what the view screen showed her. The side of the warship faced the Nomad now, the stars and asteroids in the background completely blotted out by the hulking vessel. One of its several airlock hatches came into view as the pilot lined up his craft so that it could extend a tube for boarding. “Let me know if anything changes, Yumi.”

  She hopped to her feet, wanting to kick those Starseers into usefulness—if they couldn’t break the grab beam, maybe they could at least mess with the pilot’s head—and also to check on Leonidas in person. They might not have time for more than a hug, but she fully intended to give him that. She also wanted to talk to Tiang and find out why his people thought he was here against his will.

  “Admiral Tiang,” she said, swinging into sickbay.

  “Yes?” he asked, turning from his patient toward the hatchway.

  Alisa meant to get straight to business, but Leonidas lay on the exam table, his eyes open. Though he wore a glassy, almost dazed expression, those eyes turned toward her, and he smiled weakly. The monitors were gone, left behind on the station, but the device on his temple remained. Something to keep an eye on his brain?

  “You left,” he murmured.

  She swallowed, guilt and concern and other emotions she struggled to name propelling her to his side. She clasped his hand. Did he know that his heart had stopped? That he’d been dead for a moment? That he could have been dead forever?

  “The station was attacked,” she whispered. She decided not to mention that an Alliance ship had the Nomad in its grasp right now. He might try to leap into his combat armor, as Tiang had said. “I felt I should do something to try and stop it.”

  “Did you?” His eyes closed for a few seconds, and opening them again was a visible struggle.

  “No, the empire came along and blew it up. I lost… I think Stanislav may have been on the station when it was destroyed.”

  “Unfortunate. He spoke to me while I was sleeping. Dreaming.” He grimaced.

  Had he had nightmares even while sedated? She wanted to ask Tiang if the surgery would put an end to that, or at least lessen their impact, but she would wait until she got him alone. No need to worry Leonidas now.

  “What did he say?” she asked.

  “That you would be most disappointed with me if I died.”

  “He was right.”

  “I tried hard to live for you.” He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

  “That was very thoughtful. I appreciate it.”

  “Good.” His eyes drifted shut again.

  Alisa brushed her fingers down the side of his face and laid her cheek against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, steady and even. She gave herself a minute to appreciate his presence, and that he had pulled through, even though they wouldn’t have many minutes if the Starseers couldn’t do something.

  We’re working on it, Abelardus spoke into her mind. Ostberg has smoke coming out of their grab beam generator, and Martya and Nyarai are trying to convince the bridge crew that Tiang isn’t here and that there’s no point in detaining us.

  Tiang. Alisa lifted her head and faced him, clearing her throat to draw his attention from a netdisc.

  “Care to explain why the Alliance thinks we kidnapped you?” she asked.

  He tilted his head. “You did kidnap me.” He frowned thoughtfully at Leonidas. “And… I wasn’t supposed to perform that surgery, was I?”

  Uh oh. With Stanislav gone, was he remembering his original thoughts about that? Would he figure out he had been manipulated? Better to get him focused on something else.

  “Why are you here, Admiral?” Alisa asked. “I appreciate how you’ve helped, but if you’ll recall, I tried to drop you off with Admiral Hawk and everybody else in that junkyard on Arkadius. You said you wanted to spend your leave with us.”

  “Yes, that’s true.”

  “I assumed Hawk told you to stay behind and spy on us, or perhaps to keep trying to convince Leonidas to join the Alliance.”

  “I—no. Hawk didn’t know I was staying.”

  “Why not?” Alisa tugged on her braid. How was it possible that Hawk hadn’t missed Tiang until after the Nomad had taken off? Just because there had been Starseer refugees, soldiers, and a CargoExpress man milling around didn’t mean he should have lost track of a fellow admiral—or his soon-to-be father-in-law.

  “I didn’t tell him.” Tiang shrugged. “I wished to hunt for the Staff of Lore with you, so I could study it when it’s found. With all the Starseers assisting you, you seemed the most likely to find it first.”

  “And you didn’t tell any of your people that you were leaving of your own accord?”

  “I didn’t believe they would give me permission to go if I spoke to high command. I’m not—admirals aren’t supposed to do field work or go on covert missions, you know. Especially research admirals with little combat experience.”

  “Are you saying we’re being pursued by a fleet of Alliance ships because you didn’t want to ask for permission and get turned down?”

  “I didn’t believe there would be any repercussions. I had been approved for leave for my daughter’s wedding. Since the wedding was delayed, I thought I would use my leave in another way. I’m perplexed that they were keeping such close tabs on me. I didn’t think anyone would miss me unless I was gone more than three weeks and didn’t report in the day after my leave ended.”

  “You didn’t think Hawk would tell someone that you’d disappeared along with a ship full of notorious criminals?”

  “I don’t believe you’re a notorious criminal, Captain.”

  “Would you please tell them that?” She waved her hand in the direction of the warship. “In fact, let’s go to NavCom. I need you to tell them everything.”

  Tiang sighed. “Very well, Captain.”

  “Alejandro?” Alisa called, leaning into the corridor since she wasn’t sure where he was. “Come keep an eye on Leonidas, please. I’m kidnapping the admiral. Again.”

  “See,” Tiang said, “you admit to the kidnapping.”

  “It was more of a rescue.” She wasn’t sure why he didn’t think she was a criminal. Maybe he only objected to the idea of her being a notorious one.

  Still, he smiled at her proclamation.

  Alejandro appeared, and after resting her hand on Leonidas’s chest for a few seconds, Alisa reluctantly headed toward NavCom while towing Tiang behind her. She allowed herself to feel an iota of hope, that having Tiang talk to that stuffy Admiral Agosti might result in the Nomad being let go. Given all the other trouble she had created for herself with the Alliance, that might be a deluded hope.

  They’ve released us, Abelardus informed her as she walked.

  A faint reverberation went through the ship at the same time, and Alisa could feel them moving. She hadn’t turned off
the engines fully when they had been captured. She turned her walk into a run, but as she stepped over the threshold into NavCom, a flash of bluish white energy appeared on the view screen.

  “Are they firing?” she demanded, lunging to check the shield controls. She didn’t think she had lowered them, but doubt flickered in her mind.

  An e-cannon blast hammered into the Nomad’s side. The freighter shuddered slightly, but nothing more alarming happened. That answered her question about the shields, but if the warship opened up on them with everything it had, they wouldn’t last long.

  “I’ve been monitoring them,” Yumi said from the sensor station. “They seem confused.”

  “I thought they wanted Tiang back. Presumably alive.” Alisa waved Tiang to the co-pilot’s seat as another blast slammed into the side of the ship.

  Growling, she navigated them toward the asteroids she had targeted earlier. The field was dense behind them. If she could slip into that area and dart in and out of the boulders, she might be able to avoid the warship.

  “Yumi, comm them, will you?” Alisa asked, not wanting to take her hands from the controls. “Admiral Tiang is going to chat with Admiral Agosti, or whoever is in charge of that ship.”

  As Yumi leaned forward to do so, the Nomad swooped between the trio of asteroids. Alisa felt like she was threading a needle with a piece of yarn, but the ship responded to her touch, and she guided them past without nudging the rocks with her shields.

  An e-cannon blast slammed into one of the three asteroids, and the back end sheared off, tumbling toward the warship. It became an obstacle, and the Alliance vessel had to fire at it to break it up before chasing after the Nomad. Whatever delayed them was fine with Alisa.

  The ship disappeared from their rear cameras as they swooped and dove, curling around more asteroids, heading into the thick of the field.

  “This is Commander Gunter,” came an exasperated voice over the comm. “What are you doing to my ship and my people, Marchenko?”

  Uh, she wasn’t sure. Whatever Abelardus and his buddies were doing. Confusing them, she hoped.

  Instead of answering, she waved for Tiang to do so.

  He took a deep breath and leaned toward the comm. “Commander Gunter? This is Admiral Tiang. I am aboard the freighter and would appreciate it if you stopped firing.”

  “You are there, Admiral,” Gunter said, relief in his voice. Had the Alliance thought Tiang had been caught on the station when it exploded? Maybe they had been trying to confirm that while holding the Nomad. “Wait. I want visual. Marchenko?”

  “What’s he think?” Alisa muttered. “That I’m doing an impersonation?”

  Nevertheless, she turned on the video, so the Alliance could see Tiang sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, not injured or bound in any way. Gunter’s face appeared in turn on the monitor on the control console. A man with a huge bald head, he must have been leaning close to the camera because his red face filled the screen. He reminded Alisa of the blocky asteroids tumbling past outside.

  “Admiral,” Gunter said. “Sir. Have you been there all along?”

  “I was briefly on the station, performing a—” Tiang scratched his head, that puzzled expression returning. “That’s not important. I am here now.”

  “We have orders to rescue you, sir.”

  Tiang lifted his eyebrows toward Alisa. “It’s odd how often people want to rescue me these days.”

  Alisa found it encouraging that he was including her in the dialogue, in a manner of speaking.

  Gunter only appeared flummoxed. “Sir, weren’t you kidnapped?” He glared at Alisa.

  “No, I’m here of my own volition. I am on leave, Commander. This is where I’m choosing to spend it.”

  “But… why, sir?” Gunter squinted at them, giving a particularly long squint to Alisa.

  “He’s not drugged if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said. “He does like my chef’s cookies.”

  The squint did not lessen.

  “I’d like to send a team over to assess you, sir,” Gunter said. “And a doctor.”

  “I don’t need anyone to assess me,” Tiang snapped, in a rare fit of pique.

  Gunter scowled. “Let me talk to Admiral Agosti. Stay there.”

  The channel closed.

  Alisa kept swirling deeper into the asteroid field and farther away from the warship. Stay there. Right.

  “Abelardus?” Alisa asked over the internal comm. “Is there any chance you can convince Commander Gunter that Admiral Tiang is indeed a willing guest?”

  We’ve moved out of my range, Abelardus replied silently. I could try if you want to swing back and snuggle up to the warship.

  No, I don’t.

  Still saving your snuggles for cyborgs, eh? Such a selfish woman. You should be more sharing.

  “Admiral,” Alisa said, ignoring Abelardus. “Perhaps it would be better for all if you let them come and pick you up.”

  “I want to stay here until you’ve found the staff.”

  “We’re not looking for the staff. We’re looking for my daughter.”

  “The Starseers seek the staff, whether you believe it or not.”

  “I don’t care what they seek. They’re not driving.” Alisa dove the Nomad between two asteroids and glanced back at the sensors. The warship wasn’t following them. She didn’t know if that was because they were waiting for orders from their admiral or if they didn’t think they could navigate between all the tightly spaced asteroids.

  “If you let them come aboard to take me,” Tiang said, rising to his feet, “they will likely take all of you, throw you in their brig, and tow the ship back to Alliance space.”

  Alisa scowled, largely because he was right. She needed to get in touch with Admiral Hawk and have Tiang explain things to him. He might be the only one with the sway to make sure this fleet didn’t bother her further.

  Tiang walked out, apparently done talking with the Alliance.

  She couldn’t blame him for not wanting to deal with them, but it didn’t put her in a good situation. What if, despite his proclamations of being here of his own free will, they kept coming after him?

  She wondered if Mica would be distressed to lose her new spacesuit—Alisa could put Tiang in it and plop him down on an asteroid, where he could wait for pickup. Except… she owed him for Leonidas’s surgery, especially since he had been tricked into doing that surgery. How could she kick him off after that?

  A clunk sounded behind her. To her surprise, Leonidas came through the hatchway, bumping a shoulder against it. To her greater surprise, he wore his armor, but only part of it. The torso pieces were on, but one sleeve and both gauntlets were missing. His leg pieces were nowhere to be seen, nor was he wearing anything except his underwear down there. However, one boot had found its way on.

  “It’s good to see you up,” Alisa said, even though he looked disoriented and like someone who shouldn’t be wandering around. “But, ah, did you dress yourself?”

  “Yes. Should I not have?” Leonidas slumped into the recently vacated co-pilot seat and looked down at his bare legs.

  “Perhaps not.”

  “I’m usually capable of it. But there was swelling, and, uhm, I wasn’t sure if I should squish things.”

  “The inflammation kind of swelling, right?” She grinned at him, but he only returned a puzzled look. “Never mind. In a week, you’ll get that.”

  “I felt the ship being hit and did my best to prepare.” Leonidas waved at his single boot while studying the view screen. “Did we escape?”

  “For the time being.”

  “Good.”

  “Yes, but I’m afraid they’ll be after us again,” Alisa said. “The Alliance thinks we kidnapped Admiral Tiang. Again.”

  “Didn’t we think he was planted here as a spy?”

  “Yes, but apparently, he planted himself as a nosy staff researcher and neglected to tell anyone back home what he was doing with his leave.”

  “Where are
we going now?” Leonidas asked, fastening his harness as Alisa spun sideways to sweep between two ponderous asteroids almost close enough to kiss.

  “You don’t think you should go back to sickbay?”

  “No. I’ll be fine once the drugs wear off. They can do that here as well as back there.”

  “Can’t bear to be parted from my company any longer, eh?” She grinned at him.

  “Naturally. Also, if I stay back there, Alejandro may want to check my balls again. His touch seemed overly personal.”

  “You are the only one out here who doesn’t think he’s a twerp. Maybe he’s fondly disposed toward you.”

  Leonidas arched an eyebrow.

  “And your balls,” Alisa added.

  “I think he’s a twerp too. We’re just… after the same thing.”

  “Mm.” Alisa didn’t want to contemplate that.

  “Do you have any ideas now about where the children were taken?” Leonidas asked.

  Alisa dug out her netdisc and pulled up the map Yumi had sent. “We’ve narrowed it down to two hundred asteroids.”

  “That’s a lot.”

  “We started with over a hundred thousand.”

  “Two hundred sounds reasonable then.”

  “I thought so.” She grinned again and would have leaned over to kiss him, but she was too busy avoiding those thousands of asteroids. Later, she promised herself. “Want to pick our first destination?” she asked, extending her hand toward the holo map. “Since the Alliance ships may be distracted with the imperials right now, we might as well try to get out of their sensor range and begin our search.”

  Leonidas zoomed into the area around the Nomad and pointed at one of the closest asteroids. “That big orange one looks nice.”

  “Big Orange it is,” Alisa said, setting a course instead of randomly flying. “There’s a video on there that you might want to see. Mica was able to pull it off the shuttle bay camera in the station. Thorian is there.”

  He nodded solemnly. “I will look at it.”

  Alisa didn’t know whether she wanted to watch it again or not. She might break down into tears if she did. Was this the time for that? Or should she try to put emotion out of her mind and keep looking with the dogged determinedness of a robot?