by S. E. Smith
Jarmen shook his head, glancing back at the dining area where a duet of rumbling snores echoed. “I will not have difficulty returning to the Crystal ship,” he assured Dagger. “It will be pleasant to have quiet so that I may work on my calculations.”
“Good luck,” Dagger said, grimacing when Jordan shifted again and burrowed into his chest. “I must put my tipsy mate to bed.”
Dagger watched as Jarmen walked down the corridor and stepped into the lift. There were several things he wanted to do before he called it a night. First though, was the care of his mate.
Stepping through the open door to their room, he ordered the door to lock behind him. It didn’t take long for him to remove her clothing and settle her under the covers. He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hand down the silky strands of her hair.
“I love you, Jordan Sampson,” he whispered.
Tonight, he had seen her in a different light. She had been happy, animated in a way he had never seen before. Her eyes had continuously sought him out, and he hadn’t missed the shy smile of happiness or the teasing looks the two Frenchmen kept casting his way.
“I would have you laugh like you did tonight for the rest of your life,” he whispered before releasing a sigh and standing.
Walking over to the door, he ordered it to open. He jumped in surprise when the little robot called IQ wobbled on its wheels before blinking up at him as if it was sleepy. He knew that was impossible.
His eyebrow rose when it rolled pass him to the bed where Jordan lay sleeping. Within seconds, it had climbed up on the bed and curled into a ball next to her. Shaking his head, Dagger wondered what the hell strange world he had woken up into.
*.*.*
The next morning, he watched as Jordan came down the rear platform to where he and Jarmen were finishing up the final repairs. She was still walking very carefully and had found a pair of dark goggles in one of the panels in the bedroom.
“Bonjour, Madam Jordan,” Luc called out in a cheerful voice.
Jordan raised one hand in greeting and the other to her head. Dagger bent his head to hide the smile of amusement. He fitted the panel back in place while Jarmen used the drill to tighten it down.
“Remind me to never drink alcohol again,” Jordan whispered when she reached where they were working. “I can’t believe one glass could make me feel this way.”
Dagger chuckled. “It was more like one bottle,” he murmured, pressing a tender kiss to her temple. “Luc kept refilling your glass.”
Jordan’s eyes widened behind the dark glass and she glanced at where the two Frenchmen and Numbnuts were digging the soil out from around the last landing foot of the Lexamus IV. A sigh escaped her and she moaned when she tried to shake her head. Unwilling for her to continue the morning in pain, he called out for IQ to come to him.
“Don’t…,” Jordan hissed, pressing her trembling fingers to her forehead. “Please, don’t yell.”
“IQ, take Jordan to the medical unit and have her lay down in it,” Dagger ordered in a softer voice.
“I’ll take care of my girl,” IQ replied in an exaggerated whispered. “Come on, my beloved. Let IQ take all your pain away.”
Jordan gave Dagger a wan smile before turning and following the little robot back up the platform. He had ordered the two Frenchman this morning to take the remaining liquor back to their Starship. He didn’t think the two men could move so fast. They had been so grateful, they hadn’t complained when Jarmen ordered them to dig out around the landing feet.
“Thank you for your help,” Dagger said, turning back to Jarmen.
Jarmen shrugged. “You needed assistance, and it keeps those two and the robots out of trouble,” he replied before his eyes began to glow and his mouth tightened. “Your scanner has indicated that four Starships are approaching the planet.”
Dagger swore under his breath. “How long before they are in range?” He asked, picking up the tools and moving up the platform.
“Within the hour,” Jarmen commented. “These are the ones that you told me about last night?”
“Possibly,” Dagger replied. “I need to see what type of ships they are. I haven’t contacted any of my people for fear that the signal would be intercepted. I couldn’t risk it with the ship being damaged.”
Jarmen turned to Luc and Jon Paul. “Return to the Crystal Ship and prepare for departure,” he ordered. He turned as IQ came rolling down the platform at high speed. “The female?”
“Healed,” IQ replied before he rolled himself into a tight ball and sped toward the red ship.
“Dagger, the computer said…,” Jordan called out in an urgent voice from the top of the platform.
“Get strapped in,” Dagger said, grabbing the last of the tools. “What type?”
Jarmen shook his head. “Not military,” he replied, his eyes glowed with a deep, dark red. “Interception of transmission between them is difficult due to non-compatible programming. Recalculating….” Jarmen stood frozen for a moment before he blinked. “They are using a jamming device, but I was able to pick out one name that you mentioned last night.”
Dagger could feel his muscles tighten in anticipation. His jaw clenched as he waited for Jarmen to confirm what he already felt in his gut. They had been found.
“Kelman,” Jarmen replied.
*.*.*
“Buckle in,” Dagger demanded as he slid into the pilot seat. “Red One, this is the Lexamus, you are clear for departure.”
“Red One, clear,” Jarmen’s voice responded.
Jordan watched as the Crystal Ship rose off the ground. She knew her mouth was hanging open when the platform of red crystals rose up and blended into the Starship. Closing her mouth, she watched as Dagger prepared their Starship for departure.
“Are you strapped in?” He asked, briefly glancing at her before he returned his attention to the front panel.
“Yes,” she whispered before clearing her throat. “Yes. What about the power? I know that the left thrusters were depleted.”
“I don’t know what Jarmen did, but he was able to recharge them while I worked on the electricals,” Dagger replied.
“Dagger, fighters have been dispersed and are coming in at a high rate of speed,” Jarmen reported. “I will engage them while you lift off. Be prepared for a battle.”
“Kill them,” Dagger ordered.
“Of course,” Jarmen replied before the transmission ended.
Jordan bit her thumb as they began to rise off the ground. A shadow caught her attention out of her right peripheral vision and she turned as the young bull Gartaian burst out of the wooded swamp. She gasped when it rose up and roared.
“Dagger,” she cried out, reaching out to him.
Dagger nodded grimly to let her know that he had seen the creature as well. Pressing down on the control, he pulled down on the level. There was a slight resistance as the ship pulled out of the thin layer of muck that had settled back around the landing gear. All at once, he felt the ship break free and began to rise.
The creature below had fallen forward again and was crossing the river at a rapid pace. Jordan scooted back in her seat as the image of the creature became larger the closer he approached. A low whimper of relief escaped her when the Lexamus suddenly shot forward and down the narrow meadow.
“That was close,” she murmured before she covered her mouth to keep from crying out when the trees in front of them exploded.
“Hang on,” Dagger growled, tilting the Lexamus away from the blasts that were exploding around them. “Red One….”
“I’m on him,” Jarmen replied.
Jordan leaned forward and watched as a flash of red curved around and came toward them, firing at the ship behind them. The Lexamus passed under it and continued to rise. Glancing sideways, she saw Dagger’s grim expression and knew that there were more.
“What can I do?” Jordan asked in a husky voice.
Dagger briefly glanced at her before returning his attention to the view
in front of him. “You said you were a gamer,” he replied. “How good are you at shooting things?”
Jordan’s lips curved and her eyes gleamed with determination. “The best,” she answered confidently.
Dagger’s hand flashed to a control on the screen in front of him. Jordan’s eyes widened when another screen appeared in front of her. She recognized the different weapons and the view of those chasing them. It wasn’t unlike some of the games she had played before, well, the graphics were a lot better, but she knew what to do.
“I’m on it,” she said, focusing on the screen.
Her fingers swept through the weapons. Choosing the rear pulse cannon, she locked and loaded it. It would work better on the smaller, more mobile fighters that had been sent after them. Her eyes followed the target as it swept back and forth. The moment it came into the cross arrows, she fired.
The rearview scan showed the fighter exploding. She didn’t bother celebrating, but instead focused on the next fighter that appeared. They were like a swarm of bees. She concentrated on keeping them at bay.
“Oh, no you don’t, you asshole,” Jordan bit out under her breath when she saw seven more appear on her radar. “You are so going down.”
*.*.*
Dagger didn’t take his eyes off the screen. While the Lexamus was larger than the fighters and not quite as mobile, it was more powerful. Sweeping up over the ledge of rock where the cave was that he originally hoped to use was located; he banked before dropping down into a wide canyon. The maneuver forced the fighters behind them into a single formation.
In the corner of his eye, he saw another fighter break apart. Jordan was damn good as a weapons officer. She wasn’t lying when she said she was the best. He knew few warriors that could do as well.
“We need to get out of here,” he said. “Red One, I’m reading six fighters.”
“Three,” Jarmen replied as multiple explosions took out the last three in the line following them. “I am still learning the controls of the Crystal ship.”
“I’m taking us up and out,” Dagger said, not responding to Jarmen’s comment. “There will be the four ships waiting for us to break through. Expect more fighters.”
“Affirmative,” Jarmen responded.
Dagger glanced at the screen as another fighter disintegrated. Jordan had struck again. A flash showed the shields were at ninety-eight percent and holding.
“Uh, Dagger,” Jordan said, glancing up as the huge red wall of rock in front of them came closer and closer. “There’s a wall.”
“I know,” he said.
Dagger’s eyes flickered to the two fighters behind them before glancing back up. The pilots of the fighters were weaving back and forth, staying just far enough that pulse cannons wouldn’t work on them. Gritting his teeth, he counted down until he was close enough to pull up and glide over the plateau at the top.
At the top, the Lexamus swept past the Jarmen’s Crystal ship. The fighters, not expecting the other ship to be waiting, were defenseless when it opened fire on them. Both fighters exploded and fell back into the canyon in a raging ball of fire.
“What now?” Jordan asked, glancing at the weapons and trying to decide which would be the best.
“Now, we see just how fast this ship can go,” Dagger replied grimly. “Computer, maximum shields.”
“Shields at maximum,” the computer responded.
The Lexamus surged forward, breaking through the thin atmosphere of the planet. Four Starships were positioned off the small planet waiting for them. Dagger increased the speed of Lexamus as they opened fire. They had strategically positioned themselves in an effort to block Dagger from escaping.
Dagger’s eyes widened when the red Crystal ship exploded past the Lexamus. A loud curse tore from his lips when he saw it shimmer for a moment. He was vaguely aware of Jordan’s low cry of dismay as Jarmen aimed his ship at the largest Starship.
Fighters had begun to pour out of the massive ship, but didn’t get far as the Crystal ship passed directly through the body of the huge modified Warship. Within seconds, the Crystal ship appeared on the other side, undamaged. It left behind a huge gaping hole in the mercenary’s largest ship.
It took a few seconds for it to register what had happened, once it did, Dagger knew that the ship would implode. The force would be devastating to anything close to it. Swiping his hand over the control, he pushed the Lexamus engines to the max in an effort to get as far away as possible as the attack ship imploded sending rippling shocks waves and millions of pieces of debris outward.
“How did he do that?” Jordan whispered, her hand going to her throat.
“I don’t know,” Dagger replied, punching in the coordinates for a jump to light speed. “Red One, this is Lexamus IV, status report.”
The sound of cursing, in French, was very loud in the background. From the sound of it, everyone aboard the Crystal ship was alive and well. Well, at least for a short period, if Jarmen’s growl for the men to shut up was anything to go by.
“The largest attack ship has been destroyed along with the fighters. Two of the other ships were severely damaged in the explosion from the readings I have so far. I will destroy the last ship before I depart,” Jarmen responded.
“I don’t know how you did that and survived, but I sure as hell wish I had a ship like that,” Dagger muttered. “Thank you again for your help, Jarmen.”
“I need a drink,” Luc groaned in the background. “I am definitely a lover and not a fighter.”
Jordan giggled as the transmission ended. She looked at Dagger with bright, shining eyes and grinned. Hope and relief battled in them, as well, as she stared at him.
“Can we go home?” She asked in a husky voice.
Dagger nodded. “Yes, my brave warrior,” he replied, turning back to the controls. “Yes, we will return to Rathon and our home; but, there is someplace I need to take you to first.”
Chapter 17
“Report,” Kelman demanded, staring out at the remains of his attack ships.
“There were no survivors,” the man standing behind him reported. “Whatever did this made sure of that. We do have a track on the energy signature that jumped to light speed. Do you want us to follow it?”
“Yes,” Kelman replied.
He ignored the man as he turned and departed the small room that Kelman used off the bridge of the warship he had commandeered from a Tearnat shortly after the war ended between them and the Kassisans. His eyes swept over the area of space littered with a good size chunk of his wealth. He had ordered the other warships to move ahead after they had searched the last planet.
Kelman’s hand rose to rub the smooth stone at his neck. He would have been on his flagship if not for the delay at the mining colony. It was one of his and he had discovered while he was there that the warden of the operations was stealing from him. He made a practice of personally handling anyone that stole from him. That decision had saved his life.
“You will go home,” Kelman whispered to himself. A slow, menacing smile curved his lips. “It will be challenging, but not impossible.”
Turning, he stepped up to the console on the center of the desk. Tapping out a command, he waited for a response. It took only a minute before it came through.
‘Yes,’ was all the message said.
Satisfied, he turned back to the window as the warship picked up speed, leaving the debris behind. The Trivator named Dagger owed him. Kelman had to call in a debt, something he didn’t like having to do. People tended to think they didn’t owe him anything else once he did that. What they didn’t know was that he owned them for the rest of their lives.
“Yes, you owe me,” Kelman whispered. “Not just in lost revenue and for the destruction of my property, but for thinking you could escape me. You have a weakness, my fighter, a weakness that will be your downfall.”
The female would be a prize that he would cherish. She would keep the large Trivator under his control. He wouldn’t kill her, but th
at didn’t mean that she was immune to what would happen if the Trivator tried to rebel. In his mind, he could still see the haunted look and the anger burning in the Trivator’s eyes when he tenderly picked the wounded female up off the ground back on Bruttus.
“Yes, you have a weakness, and I plan to use it against you,” Kelman murmured thoughtfully.
*.*.*
Jordan bit her lip and looked at Dagger’s stony face. They had made the jump into light speed over an hour ago and were heading toward the outer regions of the star system where Dagger said a Jump Gate was located. She watched as he waited for his brother to answer the signal he had sent out. Now that the Lexamus was back in tiptop condition, Dagger told her that he felt more confident about using the communications system to contact his brother.
“Where are you?” Trig demanded. “Is Jordan alright?”
Dagger’s face darkened at the reminder that Trig had been the one responsible for bringing Jordan to Bruttus. His hand curled into a fist when he remembered everything that had happened and how close he had come to losing her. The fact that she had been the one to free him wasn’t forgotten, but neither was the fact that she had been in the position to do so.
“I’m going to kill you,” Dagger quietly told his brother. “You should never have taken her with you.”
“Dagger,” Jordan reproached in a soft voice.
“You are safe,” Trig’s relieved voice sounded over the console. “Where are you?”
“Hi, Trig,” Jordan responded. “Yes, I’m safe. I’m with Dagger and I have no clue where we are.”
“What happened?” Trig asked.
Dagger’s fist that had started to relax clenched again. “I’ll tell you what happened, Jordan almost died,” he bit out in a harsh voice. “What were you thinking, taking her to Bruttus. You know better than anyone what could have happened to her.”
Silence greeted his statement. “I’m sorry, brother,” Trig finally replied. “I should have protected her better.”
“I didn’t give you much of a choice,” Jordan pointed out, turning in her seat to look at Dagger. “I didn’t, Dagger. You should know that by now. I told Trig that I would find another way to get to you, and I would have. Trig did everything he could to protect me, including calling for assistance. Without the help of Kali and the other Trivators, I would never have been able to get you out. Did… Is Kali, Sword, and the others… Did they make it out safely?”