“I don’t know how he did it, but I know how we can.” Letos grinned as he pushed back from the table and stood.
Mirella stood as well.
“More insider secrets?” Garin asked.
“Not at all. You’re still thinking like a Rodyte. Covert shields mask technology, not telepathy.” He looked at Mirella, affection and pride shining in his eyes. “Are they out there, my love?”
“Oh they’re definitely out there. I can sense thousands of minds.”
Garin looked at her with surprise and something resembling respect. “Again, I’m impressed.” Then he sighed and shifted his weight from one booted foot to the other. “I’m not sure I can stand this blind standoff for another four hours.”
“They have no idea we’re here, and I’ll keep scanning them,” Mirella assured him. “If I sense even the slightest change, I’ll let you know. It really will work best if we wait until two-thirds of the crew is asleep.”
“I know, but this is torture.” Clearly unhappy with the decision, Garin strode from the room.
“I’m with Garin,” Letos muttered. “This is cruel.”
They ate a light meal, lingering over the food in an attempt to pass some of the time.
“I’ve never seen a Bilarrian without phitons before,” Letos picked at his food, clearly too distracted to enjoy the meal. “Were you born this way or have your eyes been altered?”
“I have phitons, but they’re the same color as my irises. Anger me and they’ll ignite, just like yours.”
He glanced at her and smiled. “I know other, more pleasurable ways of making your phitons glow.”
“And we’ll explore them all after this mission is over.”
She thought he was finished with the subject, then he asked, “Is the anomaly common in your region?”
“Not at all. It’s unique to the royal bloodline, which means it has become quite coveted.” She pushed her plate aside and said, “Now it’s my turn to ask a question.”
“That’s only fair.”
“Why did you become a technomage?” A telling shudder raced down her spine. “I can’t imagine allowing someone to implant all sorts of machines into my body.”
The question didn’t seem to upset him. In fact, he chuckled and pressed back into his chair. “You were born with extraordinary abilities, so you can’t possibly understand the yearning that plagues most Rodytes. I’ve heard it described as a phantom limb, something that aches and itches even though it’s not really there. Besides, it didn’t happen all at once.”
“The first system worked so well that you allowed other procedures?”
He shrugged. “More or less. I was working for IG security when all this started. Com-implants are mandatory for security personnel, so I had them do olfactory and visual sensors while they were at it. My body tolerated the procedures really well—which isn’t true for everyone.”
“But wouldn’t a handheld device work just as well? Why risk damaging your eyes or your sense of smell?” She tried not to be judgmental, but it was hard to understand his motivation.
“Many weapons require both hands and integrated tech is designed to feel like a biological function. I don’t need to navigate through input screens or define parameters. I simply inhale or shift my eyes in the direction I want to analyze.”
“It’s remarkable, I admit,” she paused for a soft smile, “but it still seems dangerous.”
“Some of the procedures I underwent were. My body’s ability to accept integrated tech brought me to the attention of some very important people.”
“Like your predecessor?”
“Exactly. Javin was fascinated by how easily I mastered new implants and how completely my body accepted the tech.” His tone turned dark and he looked away as he added, “I was soon his personal test subject.”
She touched his hand and waited for his gaze to return. “I’m still not sure I understand why you allowed such a thing.”
“Javin was more powerful than any king. He could make your life paradise or destroy you in a matter of hours. No one said no to Javin Aidentar.”
Her heart constricted and her throat tensed, making it hard to speak. “I’m sorry you had to endure…how many procedures did you undergo?”
“Sixteen in a little over five years.” He cleared his throat then continued in a stronger voice, “The last surgery made me eligible for training as a technomage, an honor bestowed on very few. I know it seems extreme to you, but I don’t regret any of it.”
Unable to sit still any longer, they took a leisurely walk around the Defiant during hour three. Letos knew the ship well enough to avoid restricted areas, but there wasn’t that much to see. War ships were largely the same. Once you’d seen one, you’d seen them all.
When they returned to the officers’ mess hall, one of the officers took pity on them and explained that the small round tables along the far wall were also holo-game systems. Thrilled to have something to help pass the time, they lost themselves in one three-dimensional game after another.
By the time Garin returned the second time, they were relaxed and ready for action.
“Are you ready to get things started?” the general asked Mirella as she and Letos got up from the game table.
“I’m ready.”
“Remember the first two teams will stream in clean, but a third is iffy,” Letos cautioned.
Garin nodded. “If the first two teams achieve their objectives, stealth will no longer be an issue.”
“We need a fifteen minute head start,” Mirella said. “Surprise is imperative to my success. If so much as a timer goes off, I’m screwed.”
“Understood.”
“And I need one final thing from you.” Mirella wasn’t sure why she still felt intimidated by Garin, but tension suddenly gripped her belly. She’d never done anything like this before. Maybe the tightness in her gut had nothing to do with General Nox.
“Name it.”
“Letos mentioned that the Triumphant is identical to your ship. I need to quickly scan your mind for the ship’s layout, so I can teleport as close to Paytor’s quarters as possible.”
After a brief hesitation, Garin said, “I’ll allow it.”
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, an impulse of which her tutors had never quite cured her. Garin didn’t resist, an indication that he was familiar with metaphysical interaction. Letos had mentioned that the general was recently mated. Was his mate able to manipulate magic?
Shaking away the distraction, she focused on her goal. Teleporting to unfamiliar locations could be dangerous and the Triumphant was enormous. She quickly sorted through images, delving deeper until she found what she needed. Garin knew every corridor, every hidden corner of his ship, and his ship was identical to Paytor’s. She found an image of Garin’s cabin then followed one memory after another as he left or returned to the cabin. It took longer than she’d hoped, but she soon had a clear understanding of her target location.
She eased out of his mind and opened her eyes. “Thank you. That will really help.”
He inclined his head and stepped back as Letos moved to her side.
“The shield modulator is ready,” Garin said. “I’ll activate it on your mark.”
She looked at Letos then nodded to Garin. “I’m ready.”
Letos drew his pulse pistol with one hand and entwined his other with Mirella’s as she teleported them onto the Triumphant. The resulting disorientation was similar to bio-streaming yet even more intense. He wobbled on his feet for a second as his body processed the vertigo.
The rumble of approaching voices urged him into action. He pulled Mirella into a nearby doorway and shielded her with his body. They remained still and quiet until the crewmembers passed. Then he looked out into the corridor, keeping most of his body hidden until he determined that their way was clear.
He reluctantly motioned her onward. It felt unnatural to let her take the lead. Not because he didn’t trust her abilities, but protecting his mate was a
n instinctual drive within every Rodyte male.
She crept down the corridor, staying near the wall. He followed close behind, scanning both visually and with his optical implants that detected heat signatures and chemical emissions. Three quick turns led them to the corridor leading to the officer cabins. She’d nearly reached their destination when she stopped short and spun to face him.
“There are too many doors,” she cried in a soft yet urgent voice. “We must be on the wrong level.”
He nodded and drew her back the way they’d come. They’d passed a lift two turns back, so he quickly retraced their steps. The elevator didn’t indicate which deck they were on, but he knew which level they needed. He issued the verbal command and waited impatiently for the elevator to deliver them to the correct level. She’d only been one deck off.
She looked tense and unsure, though her mind was carefully shielded. He sent soothing warmth across their link and she looked at him with a smile.
“I’m okay,” she assured, but her voice sounded shaky.
The elevator door parted and he quickly moved forward, blocking her way. He checked the corridor before allowing her out of the lift. Fewer crewmembers were assigned to third shift, which was why they’d chosen to attack now. She didn’t object but moved in front of him as they hurried down the hallway.
Rather than going directly to Paytor’s cabin, they ducked inside the utility access room half a corridor away. She stilled, her eyes drifting shut as she projected her attention outward.
A pleased smile gradually parted her lips. “He’s in bed, sound asleep.”
The discovery calmed her, which calmed Letos. “I wish you could take me with you. I feel so damn useless.”
“Our souls are linked, silly man. We can’t be separated by something as simple as an energy net or a wall.”
Which only meant he’d feel her fear and panic if anything went wrong, but he’d be unable to help her until she deactivated the energy net, so he could open the door. He kept the pessimistic thought to himself and kissed her instead. “You’ll be amazing.”
Clearly pleased by the praise, she took several deep breaths, centering her being and silencing her mind as she gathered elemental energy from all over her body.
Letos clenched his fists, unwilling to distract her in any way. Even having seen it before, he was awed when her physical body disintegrated and his mate became a puddle on the floor. He could still detect her, though there were no specific thoughts, only a sense of urgency.
He quickly found the pipe containing recycled water and cut off the flow at the nearest valve. Then he opened the maintenance access and looked helplessly at the puddle Mirella had become. She never told him how to get her into the pipe. Did he mop her up and squeeze her into the opening? The thought was so surreal he shook his head.
Before he could come up with a viable solution, the puddle began to move. It swirled, the rotation speeding until a shimmering column arose from the churning pool. He watched in wonder as the column suddenly curved, projecting itself into the opening. The puddle became smaller and smaller as the water flowed into the pipe. Letos looked back at the floor, shocked to find the surface dry.
“Wow,” he whispered then gave himself a firm mental shake and closed the maintenance access.
He could sense her flowing along the pipe, then manipulating a valve so she could empty into the shower stall inside Paytor’s cabin. An agonizing moment passed as he felt nothing but a vague sense of her being. Then her signal grew stronger, her emotions more distinct.
I’m in, love. We’re almost there.
A nearly painful rush of joy surged through him, but one word echoed through his mind. Almost. She was almost out of danger.
He held his breath, wishing he could see her as he waited for her to locate the control panel and deactivate the energy net.
Found it. Meet me at the door.
Happy to comply, he eased open the door to the utility room and checked the hallway, then hurried to Paytor’s door. Using his magnetic field generator, he manipulated the physical lock while his datalink hacked the biometric functions. The door soon parted and he stepped into the cabin. His relieved exhalation was slightly premature. As the door swished shut behind him, a single chime sounded, the noise shockingly loud in the silent room.
The door to the bedroom was open and they both stared at the opening, watching and listening for movement inside the adjoining room. For a long, tense moment he heard nothing, then a muffled curse cut through the silence.
They needed no other prompting. Mirella flew toward the doorway, Letos on her heels.
Go now, Garin! Letos urged. Paytor’s awake. We’re about to lose the element of surprise!
Garin didn’t respond, so Letos wasn’t sure he’d received the message. But they had bigger problems to deal with right now.
Pulse pistol clasped in both hands, he made it to the doorway just in time to see Paytor lunge for Mirella. She agilely evaded his first attempt, but he caught a fistful of her long hair and jerked her toward him. A sharp cry tore from her throat as Paytor twisted her head to an unnatural angle.
Letos’s heart lurched as he watched his mate fly backward into Paytor’s waiting arms. Worse, she was inadvertently blocking his shot!
She cried out again and raised her free hand to Paytor’s wrist, trying to minimize the pain.
“How did you get in here?”
The general was so engrossed in subduing her that he hadn’t noticed Letos. It was likely the only advantage Letos would get. He carefully sighted down the barrel of the pistol. Garin wanted Paytor alive, but Letos’s only chance was a fatal head shot.
He covered the trigger, preparing to make the shot, then Paytor groaned and swayed.
Mirella twisted free and spun around, facing the teetering man.
“What are you… I feel so…” Then like magic, he crumpled to the deck at Mirella’s feet.
She raised her hand to her head and rubbed the abused section of scalp. “I don’t think he sounded an alarm, but Garin needs to move now just in case.”
“I already told him.” Letos pinged Garin again, still not sure if he’d received the message.
“We’re in,” Garin responded. “Get Paytor off the ship!”
Not willing to risk Mirella’s safety any longer than necessary, Letos dragged Paytor to his feet. “Get us out of here.”
Mirella moved to his other side, wrapped her arm around his waist then teleported all three of them to the detention level of the Defiant.
Epilogue
“We did it.” Mirella had to say the words out loud before her mind would accept the statement. “Paytor is no longer a threat and the battle born control the Triumphant.”
Garin, and several hundred of his men, were still aboard the massive ship, dealing with small pockets of resistance. But the mission had been accomplished without loss of life, which was remarkable.
“I did very little,” Letos insisted. “Paytor’s capture was all you.”
“Word of this will spread through the fleet like wildfire.”
Bandar’s deep voice drew Mirella’s attention toward the archway separating the officers’ mess from the main corridor. “I thought you’d be over there helping your brother.” She motioned toward the section of the Triumphant now visible in the viewports.
Bandar shrugged as he strode toward them. It was the middle of the night, so they had the room to themselves. “Garin has things under control, as usual. Besides, I’m a diplomat now. Haven’t you heard?”
“You sound disappointed,” she pointed out as he joined them at one of the tables.
“Not at all. Having a mate has changed my attitude about a lot of things. I no longer feel the need to rush headlong into battle. Most days I’d rather rush home to her.”
“It’s hard to argue with that,” Letos said with a secretive smile.
A few minutes passed in silence as they absorbed the possibilities created by what they’d accomplished tonight
.
Bandar was the first to speak. “This should go a long way toward solidifying the Triad as the new power structure on Rodymia.”
“Putting it to a vote would send a stronger message.” Mirella made the suggestion without looking at either of the men. It wasn’t really her place to criticize their decisions, but the security of being bonded was making her bold.
“She’s right,” Letos said. “We can’t represent people who didn’t choose us to lead. We’ve balanced dictatorial power, but we’re still dictators.”
Having Letos back her was only natural, but Bandar nodded as well. “We’ll need to let Haven know what we intend, but two of us is already a majority.” Bandar shifted his gaze to her, his intense dark eyes assessing. “So what are we going to do with you? Mating with Letos doesn’t erase your claim to the throne. If anything, it strengthens it.”
“I have no interest in ruling the planet,” she assured him. “I too am a diplomat, remember?”
That didn’t seem to satisfy him. “Do you want a seat at the table? Many would argue that it’s the least we could do for Pern Keire’s daughter.”
She shook her head. “I need to be free to move between worlds. I am Rodyte, but I am also Bilarrian. That will never change. No matter how much I love my mate, a part of me will always belong to Bilarri.”
Bandar finally smiled. “Who am I to argue if you two are content with the outcome?”
“I’m content.” She looked at Letos, holding back her smile. “Are you content?”
“Content, and then some.” He smiled at her and the rest of the universe dimmed. There was only Letos and the love they shared.
Bandar chuckled as he stood. “That’s my cue to get lost. Who knows how long Garin will be over there. Would you like to borrow my cabin? I’m too keyed up to sleep.”
“We would,” Letos insisted, not giving her an opportunity to decline.
Bandar told Letos the cabin number then left them alone in the officers’ mess.
“There’s one thing I need to do before I can give you my undivided attention,” she warned.
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