The Chains of Freedom (Starhawke Rising Book 2)

by Audrey Sharpe

  Raaveen sagged against him and closed her eyes, sighing softly. He took that as his cue to satisfy his own thirst. He lifted the bowl to his lips, taking several long pulls, the liquid a balm on his parched throat.

  Paaw and Sparw still slumped on the ground, nearly comatose. They probably needed food almost as much as water.

  Justin noticed the leader and the captain watching him. They spoke in a series of barks and chatters and then the captain left, returning a few minutes later carrying a large platter. He set it on the floor within easy reach.

  The aromas that drifted up made Justin’s stomach growl. The enticing smells must have reached Sparw and Paaw, too, because they lifted their heads. They managed to pull themselves into seated positions before they each grabbed something off the platter and shoved the food into their mouths.

  Raaveen, however, was still unresponsive.

  Justin snagged some fruit he recognized. “Eat this,” he coaxed, touching the fruit to her lips.

  She had to work to open her mouth, but after the first bite she gave a little start and came to life. She snatched the fruit out of his hands and tore into it while juice dribbled down her chin.

  The next time he saw Williams, he needed to tell him that the healing session triggered intense hunger. He would want to add that information to his growing reference notes about the Suulh’s abilities.

  After a couple minutes the teens began to slow down their headlong rush for sustenance, and Justin decided he could allow himself a little as well. But as he reached toward the platter, his gaze fell onto the comband on his forearm. The Meer hadn’t taken it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CADE SANK into the captain’s chair and faced his team. “What do we know?”

  “The Meer learned a harsh lesson from the Setarips.” Williams ran a hand over his shaved head. “The fortification they’ve constructed is basic but effective. There’s no way to approach from the ground without being seen.”

  “And an approach from the air would create panic,” Reynolds said. “It could get Justin and the teens killed.”

  “In the eyes of the Meer, we’re the invaders.” Gonzo leaned back in his chair. “They may have kidnapped our people, but launching any kind of attack against them is morally wrong.”

  Cade sighed. “Agreed. We need a more diplomatic solution.” He turned to Drew at navigation. “It would help if—” He paused when her console chimed.

  She whirled around. “It’s an incoming message from Justin’s comband.” She tapped the control panel and an image appeared on the bridgescreen.

  “What the heck are we looking at?” Gonzo tilted his head to the side.

  It took Cade a few seconds to make sense of the image, too. Everything was at an odd angle. But he caught sight of two faces he recognized. “Raaveen and Sparw.”

  They were eating, their focus on the food in their hands. The image moved up and to the right and revealed a sideways view of Paaw, her blond hair falling away from her face as she lifted a bowl to her lips.

  “They’re okay.” Drew’s shoulders slumped in relief.

  The visual rotated to show the left side of Justin’s face and his raised right forearm, as though he was clasping his arms over his head. He was filthy, and his hair stuck out in all directions, but as his gaze shifted to look into the camera, Cade swore he saw a flash of amusement.

  “I’m surprised the Meer didn’t take his comband,” Drew said.

  “They wouldn’t have any idea it was a communication device.” Gonzo stroked his goatee. “But we’ll have to be careful how we talk to him. We don’t want to alert the Meer.”

  The image moved again, this time away from Justin and the teens, revealing at least eight Meer in the room with weapons strapped to their bodies. Then the image stopped, focusing on a young Meer female lying on the ground.

  Cade leaned forward. “Freeze frame.”

  “Sure.” Drew touched the control panel. The video continued to play in a smaller panel while the still image took center stage. “Why would they have a female lying in the middle of the room?”

  “Whoever she is, she’s injured,” Williams said. “You can see swelling and dried blood on the fur of her right leg.”

  Drew studied the image. “Why’s Justin focusing on her?” She glanced back at Cade and her blue eyes suddenly widened. “The Suulh.”

  Of course. It explained everything.

  Gonzo looked between them, a puzzled expression on his lean face. “What am I missing here?”

  Cade cleared his throat. “If the Meer witnessed Paaw’s fall and recovery at the grove, they’d assume, correctly, that the teens have healing abilities.” He nodded toward the screen. “Whatever’s wrong with this female, she’s probably the reason they were kidnapped.”

  Gonzo frowned. “But what about Justin? He doesn’t have that ability.”

  “They wouldn’t know that. At least not for sure.” This changed things considerably. “But they’ve probably figured it out by now. The question is, what are their long-range plans? Assuming they have any.” Cade glanced around the room. “Thoughts?”

  “We have to get Justin and the teens back,” Reynolds said. “But we can’t leave the rest of the Suulh here alone. We’re shorthanded for a rescue mission.”

  Gonzo nodded. “Good point. We’re limited to four people for the rescue. And only one stealth pod.”

  “I could stay behind,” Drew offered. “But if anything went wrong, you wouldn’t have backup.”

  Which was a major problem. With their limited transportation, just getting to the location would be tricky. Getting away safely would be even tougher.

  Williams spoke up. “I have a thought, but you might not like it.”

  Any ideas were welcome at this point. “Shoot.”

  “Contact Captain Hawke.”

  Contact Aurora? The idea hadn’t even occurred to him, but it didn’t take long to realize the benefits. Her crew could provide additional transportation options and take charge of the Suulh while his team got Justin and the kids out. And if Aurora joined the rescue team, her presence would virtually guarantee that no one would get hurt, including any of the Meer.

  But there were cons, too. She’d have to halt work on the settlement, causing further delays. And she’d be making the trip to fetch the Suulh before everything was in place. This situation would cost her, one way or another, and that knowledge stung.

  He was supposed to be helping her. Instead, he’d ended up sabotaging her. Jonarel Clarek would have a field day eviscerating him. His ego rebelled, but he wasn’t about to let his ego make the decision. “Any objections?” he asked the team.

  Drew shook her head.

  “Hell, no,” Gonzo said. “We could use the extra muscle.”

  Reynolds nodded. “It would solve our transportation issue, too.”

  Cade pulled up the communications panel on his console. “Then let’s see how quickly they can get here.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “DID you have to pick the heaviest tree on the island for your focal point?” Kire asked.

  Keeping a firm grip on the tree’s base, Aurora glanced over her shoulder.

  Sweat rolled down Kire’s face as he hefted the trunk of the palm-like tree on his shoulder. He sounded grumpy, but the teasing light in his eyes gave him away.

  They’d been working on one of the green spaces in the central room of the main house since early this morning. “It’s not the heaviest. It’s the prettiest. Besides, this kind of work builds character.”

  “I already have lots of character.”

  “No, you are a character. Different thing.” She laughed when he stuck his tongue out at her.

  She shifted the root ball to her other shoulder so that she was facing him and prepared to back up the stairs. She halted when her comband chimed. “Saved by the bell.” She gently eased the tree to the ground.

  Kire set his end down with an audible groan.

  Aurora opened the ch
annel to the ship. “Go ahead, Star.”

  The Nirunoc sounded concerned. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, Captain, but you just received an urgent message from Commander Ellis.”

  An urgent message from Cade? That wasn’t a good sign. Her pulse sped up. “Forward it to me.”

  The message appeared a moment later.

  A-

  Issue with local tribe. Justin, Raaveen, Paaw and Sparw taken. Need transport and crew backup ASAP. Burrow.

  C-

  Cade had taken the Lumians to Burrow?

  Aurora had been with the Excelsior at the time of the Setarip attack against the research station. Her ship hadn’t been called in, but she’d read the official reports. Most of the scientists hadn’t survived, and at least one of the Meer tribes had been caught in the resulting battle.

  Every member of the Fleet had been informed that the planet was strictly off limits. Which, of course, made it the perfect place to hide a ship and three hundred refugees that weren’t supposed to exist. But apparently the Meer had found them.

  The good news was that Burrow was relatively close. They could probably get there in less than two days if they pushed the Starhawke’s limits. And her crew wouldn’t be going alone. Cade wanted backup, and she would tuck an ace up her sleeve.

  She met Kire’s gaze. “Gather the crew.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  AURORA WAS ON HER WAY.

  Cade braced his forearms on the console and stared at the brief message.

  C-

  Bringing backup. Estimate forty-six hours to arrival.

  A-

  He ignored the tingle of anticipation that danced over his skin. After months of separation, he couldn’t stop his instinctive response to the idea of seeing her again. Unfortunately, her opinion of him would drop to an all-time low as a result of his failure to protect her people. He expected a wall of disappointment from her. And an avalanche of hostility from Jonarel Clarek. That would be challenging.

  The timetable she’d given meant Justin and the teens would be stuck with their captors for another two days. Not ideal, but at least the Meer were taking care of them.

  Justin had confirmed that the Meer had pressed the teens into service to heal the injured female. Drew had sent Morse code messages to him using a pulse signal that tapped on the inside of his forearm. He could respond to yes or no questions by turning on the video feed and rotating his arm left for yes and right for no.

  The Suulh hadn’t needed any encouragement to return to the ship after learning of the abduction of the three teens. However, Zelle and Maanee, Paaw’s mother and younger sister, had been frantic. They probably would have stolen the remaining stealth pod to go after Paaw if they’d had any idea how to operate it. Williams and Reynolds had spent most of the afternoon trying to calm them down.

  Raaveen’s father and Sparw’s parents were a different story. Ever since they’d been freed from captivity on Gaia, they’d existed in a catatonic state, unresponsive even with their own children. They had no idea who their kids were, let alone that they were in trouble. Sadly, that made this situation a lot easier.

  Cade left the bridge and headed to the med bay. The hum of conversation flipped off like a switch as he stepped into the room. The Suulh had gathered into a tight cluster at the center of the open space, with Reynolds seated next to Maanee and Zelle. Their expressions revealed a heavy dose of fear and anxiety.

  He turned on his translator. “Aurora and Mya are on their way.”

  He didn’t have Aurora’s gift for sensing emotions in others, but even he could feel the wave of relief that swept through the room. Knowing their Guardian and Healer were coming to help would decrease the Suulh’s stress level enormously.

  Reynolds pushed to her feet. “How soon will they be here?”

  “About forty-six hours.”

  Reynolds frowned. “That means two more nights for Justin and the kids with the Meer.”

  Cade nodded. “I know. But it’s the best we can do.”

  Zelle reached out to clutch Reynolds’s hand, her blue eyes pleading. Reynolds knelt and murmured something that seemed to soothe her. She relaxed her grip, but her gaze followed them as they joined Gonzo, Williams and Drew around one of the lab tables on the far side of the room.

  Cade studied the projected surveillance images. “What have you come up with?”

  “The structures within the fortifications are comprised mostly of stone and packed dirt,” Gonzo said. “Scans indicate one low-profile entrance for each building. Getting inside will be a challenge.”

  “I used the images from Justin’s comband to calculate the dimensions and layout for the room where they’re being held,” Drew said. “We believe it’s here.” She pointed to a small structure at the back of the settlement, right next to the wall that ran along the edge of the drop-off.

  “Something else came up in the scans,” Williams said. “The Meer have created underground tunnels that connect the fortress with concealed entrances in the hills beyond. They can enter and exit without crossing the cleared area.”

  Cade studied the map. “Could we use the tunnels as access points?”

  Williams shook his head. “They’re designed for Meer, not humans. You and I wouldn’t fit. And even if we could, we’d be sitting ducks until we reached the outer wall.”

  “So they can’t use the tunnels to get the teens or Justin out, either.”

  “Correct. They must have brought them through the main gate.” He pointed to a stone arch with a wooden gate that looked like something from a medieval castle. “Also, the room they’re holding them in isn’t connected to the tunnel system. That might be why they chose it—to isolate their prisoners from the rest of the tribe.”

  Cade looked at Gonzo. “How do we get in?”

  “One option is an aerial approach from the canyon on the far side of the drop-off. If we used one of the Starhawke shuttles, its stealth capabilities would make it virtually invisible to the Meer. We’d just need to wait for the right moment to exit the shuttle and make our way over the wall.”

  “Do you think we can get in and out without being noticed?”

  “Getting in, yes. Getting out will be a lot harder, especially since we don’t want to hurt any of the Meer. They’re keeping Justin and the teens heavily guarded.”

  “What about using an inhalant to knock them out like we did with the Necri and Setarips on Gaia?” Not that it had worked the way they’d planned, but it might be more effective here.

  Gonzo shook his head. “Those fortifications are an open air maze. We’d have to hit a hundred different spots at exactly the same time to provide full coverage. And even if we could, the Meer physiology is radically different from our own. An inhalant that is safe for us might accidentally kill them. We don’t want to harm them if we can help it.”

  True. With the Necri and Setarips, they’d been dealing with a hostile invasion. The risk was acceptable. This situation was very different.

  “But I have a suggestion.” Drew pulled up several images from the video feed. “The Meer leader and all the guards we’ve seen are male. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. The injured Meer is the only female who’s been allowed in the building, and they’re fiercely protective of her, especially with Justin. I think we can use that to our advantage.”

  “How?”

  She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “By sending an all female team to the front gate to negotiate with the Meer.”

  Cade blinked. “Negotiate? But we don’t have a translation for their language.”

  Drew arched one brow. “We didn’t have one for the Suulh, either. That didn’t prevent us from communicating with the children when we found them locked in their cells.”

  Cade frowned. She had a point.

  “And Justin and the teens seem to be doing fine. The Meer exhibit a lot of the same body language cues we do. I think it would work.”

  “I like this.” Reynolds’s brown eyes gleamed with anticip
ation. “Who were you thinking for the team?”

  “Lieutenant Cardiff for sure. Her non-verbal communication skills are off the charts. I figured you and I would go too, and Captain Hawke.”

  “Works for me,” Reynolds said.

  “So you’re hoping they’ll allow you inside the fortress?” Cade asked.

  Drew nodded. “Or they’ll bring Justin and the teens out. At the very least it should give the infiltration team better odds for getting in and out unnoticed. All attention will be on us.”

  “And what if the Meer attack you instead?”

  “Then we’ll defend ourselves. But I don’t see that happening. They aren’t likely to view four passive, unarmed females as a serious threat. If anything, it might be a relief. They’ve probably been anticipating a counterattack ever since they took Justin and the teens.”

  “And we’ll take concealed weapons,” Reynolds added. “The Meer don’t wear clothes, so they probably won’t search us.”

  Cade glanced at Gonzo. “Who did you have in mind for the infiltration team?”

  Gonzo and Williams exchanged a look. “That depends on whether you want to work with Clarek.”

  Ah, yes. The fly in the ointment. Guaranteed Jonarel Clarek would insist on being on the shuttle, either as the pilot or part of the infiltration team, especially if Aurora led the negotiations. “Unless Aurora objects, I’ll be on the shuttle.”

  The corner of Gonzo’s mouth turned up in a knowing smile. “Figured that. And we were both planning to join you.”

  “Then who’s staying with the Suulh?”

  “We were thinking Dr. Forrest and Emoto,” Gonzo said. “She can keep them calm and he can oversee communications between the two teams.”

  Cade nodded. It was a solid plan that would play to everyone’s strengths. “Let’s hope the Starhawke crew agrees.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  AS PRISONS WENT, the Meer fortress wasn’t terrible, but Justin’s patience with the continued confinement was wearing thin.

  He really shouldn’t complain. The Meer treated them well. In addition to the food and water, they’d been given the opportunity to clean up and wash out their clothes.