“No.” O’Connell provided the answer. “Report from the surface, sir.” She keyed up the information for the captain. “Fortunas reports that Ryan landed thirty minutes ago and demanded entrance to the dome. Fortunas prevented this.”
“How?”
“He locked-down the dome, armed several technicians, and changed the access codes. Also, I have located Lander 2. It is currently lifting off from the dome landing area.”
“One moment, Commander. Ambassador, my brother does not have possession of the child. The child remains secure inside the biological dome on the surface. Ryan Hill is currently leaving the surface in one of our craft.”
“Where is he going?”
“Ambassador, I honestly have no idea. He’s broken faith with humans, Dremikians, and Valtoza. That craft cannot take him far. He has no place to go. Would you view it as a hostile act if I intercepted him and brought him on-board my ship?”
“He is a human. You are a human. Matters between humans do not concern us, as long as the inheritor child remains secure.”
Hill bowed his head, thankful to catch a break. “Thank you, Ambassador.”
“Captain Hill, a group of my warriors will now land on Dremiks and guard the Inheritor. The Inheritor will not be removed from your possession, but her safety must be guaranteed.”
“The Inheritor is a newborn infant under close medical supervision, Ambassador. She must not be taken from Doctor Ruger’s care.”
“Understood. Notify your humans on the surface that my warriors must gain access to the building where the child is, but they will not otherwise interfere.”
He didn’t like it, but the captain didn’t feel he had much of a choice. “I will do so.” He killed the communication. He tried to relax into his chair, but was painfully reminded, again, of the still healing wounds on his back. “Status of Lander 2, Commander?”
The Hudson shifted. The decks hummed with the vibrations of the engines straining under an increased power load. O’Connell’s fingers slid over the keys—and those of the co-pilot’s controls—as she maneuvered the ship between the Valtoza craft and the fleeing lander.
“He’s running.” She slammed her hand down hard on a panel, lurched sideways to reach something on Price’s unmanned station, and sounded the collision klaxon. “Never thought we’d be using that so often.”
It was an incongruous comment. Chi glanced at the captain, frowned, and ducked his head back down to read more communications from Rhyse station.
“What are we about to hit, Commander?”
She hummed. “Everything?” A soft growl came next. “Maybe nothing, if I do this right.”
The Hudson banked sharply to starboard. The gravity well beneath the ship titled with it and clipped the wing of Ryan’s lander. It began to spin out of control.
“Take that, traitor.”
“Congratulations, Commander, but now what are you going to do with…” Captain Hill flinched from the screeching feedback that sounded from every single sensor panel on the bridge. “What the hell was that?”
“Those bastards! They just…. I think….” She was concentrating too hard to answer coherently.
Ensign Chi piped up. “I think the Valtoza shot at us with some sort of focused magnetic beam, sir. There doesn’t appear to be any permanent damage.”
“Except to our hearing. Commander, can you avoid a repeat of that?”
“No freaking idea how. Busy.” High on stimulants and doing the work of two people, she spoke in toneless fragments. “Engines fine, but shorts everywhere. Some weird energy weapon. Not an EMP, but same effect. Ow!”
The beam hit them again just as Dwax arrived. He sprawled face down on the bridge, chirping with pain. When the effect passed, he struggled upright.
“Honored Captain, what is happening?”
“Honored One, I really just don’t have the time. Find a seat.” Captain Hill called the Kigvans. “Ambassador, my ship is under attack from the Valtoza. Does that count as a hostile act against treaty members?”
“You have no treaty with the Valtoza, Captain. We have nothing to enforce.” She paused. “Captain, is that a Dremikian on your ship?”
Hill looked over his shoulder, surprised that she could see Dwax. “Yes. Honored one Dwax G’Trujkulis is a guest aboard my ship.”
“That alters the situation, Captain. The Valtoza are firing upon him as well. That is a treaty violation. Please remove your ship to a safe distance. I will handle this.”
“You heard the lady, Commander.”
“Cannot scoop up the lander if we move, Cap’n.”
“Let him go, Maggie.”
“Captain!”
“Commander! Move this ship now!“
She jerked to obey, as he’d known she would when he barked his orders. She didn’t do it quietly, though. He could hear her muttered curses. Despite the fact that the entire bridge crew observed her obvious insubordination, he ignored it.
“Lander 2 has been pulled into the Valtoza ship, sir.” Chi relayed the information from his still sparking panels.
“I see it, thank you Ensign.”
The Hudson shook from one end to the other, from top to bottom. The whole ship rang like a bell. Alarm klaxons blared, sensors chirped, and Dwax squeaked in fear. The ship yawed uncontrollably.
“Guttmann, status!”
“Engines are fine captain, but gravity is failing. Why the hell are we spinning?”
Hill strapped himself into his seat to keep from falling out. “Chi, why are we spinning?”
“The Valtoza ship detonated a lorga bomb between themselves and the Kigvans. They are… I cannot locate them, sir.”
The captain gulped as the entire ship rocked to port. “Locate whom, Ensign?”
“The Valtoza, sir. Their ship is—” He moaned in pain. “Sorry sir, hit my head. Their ship is gone.”
He heard the engines scream to full power. O’Connell’s hands flew over the controls once more. She jerked all five fingers down a slide bar. They rocked to port again before coming to a complete stop.
The only things making sound on the bridge were the multitude of alarms. No one spoke. No one even moaned, though that was sure to change.
“I really, really, freaking hate those things.” O’Connell muttered a few more curses. “Ship is secure, Captain. The Kigvans are calling.”
“Of course they are. Get us back to orbit, Commander. We’re going to be here awhile.”
Chapter 34
Kigvan males in full battle gear were more than a little intimidating, Cassie Ruger thought. She passed the security contingent on her way out of her office. Try as she might, she couldn’t relax around the inscrutable aliens. Commander O’Connell greeted her when she entered her quarters.
“You coming to the funeral?”
The doctor nodded. “Are you coming back afterward?”
Maggie finished pulling on her dress uniform jacket. “No. We need to leave immediately if we’re going to get to Earth before news of what happened here.”
Cassie’s face showed her skepticism. “You still think that’s possible?”
“No, but I have to try. Tony’s fiancee and Robertson’s father will be demanding answers. I can’t take the bodies back to them, but I can give them some measure of closure.” She scowled. “Less so for the Senator. I doubt he’ll believe his son was a murderous traitor.” She absently rubbed the scar on her left arm. “I’m still having trouble believing it.”
“Give yourself time to grieve, Mags.” Cassie walked up and hugged her friend.
Stiffly uncomfortable, Maggie nodded. She awkwardly patted the other woman’s back. “Ok, but Marissa was a stupid bitch, Robertson was a dick, and Tony was…” She ground her teeth. “In the wrong place at the wrong time. Damn him. I didn’t even like him.”
Cassie stepped back. “That’s ok, neither did I. Isn’t it funny how a man can perform heroic acts and still be so unlikeable?”
O’Connell chewed on that thought w
hile she waited for the doctor to dress. She didn’t speak again until they were walking down the path to the central courtyard. “You ok being Ginny’s temporary guardian while the captain goes back to Earth?”
“I’m overjoyed. She’s a beautiful child, Maggie. I’ll have Ben here to help me, too.”
“Yeah, I’m still not over the ick factor of that, thanks.”
The doctor laughed. “You know he’s not really that much older than us. Fifteen years is not that big of a gap.”
“Don’t care, still gross.” The pilot shuddered with exaggerated disgust. Her eyes, though, showed a deeper level of emotion. “Still, if you two make each other happy… Well, you both deserve it. Take care of each other, ok?”
“We will. Don’t get maudlin on me—you’ll be back here soon enough.”
“Firstly, I have no idea what maudlin means. Secondly, if this mission has taught you anything, it should be to never, ever, count on a timetable.” She stopped when they reached the small rise outside the dome. Deciding that transporting the dead back to Earth was both creepy and infeasible, and that cremation might cause even more suspicion over the manner of the deaths, it had been decided that the nearest hill provided the ideal location for the first human cemetery on Dremiks. Still awkward, Maggie gave Cassie another quick hug. “I hope I do see you soon. And thanks.”
Cassie blinked away her tears. “For what?”
“Being my friend.”
Across the rise, Captain Hill, Lieutenant Guttmann, and Dr. Fortunas stood watching the women. Swede cocked his large blonde head slightly to the right. “What do you suppose that was about?”
“Absolutely no idea,” the captain answered.
“Absolutely certain I don’t need to know,” the scientist added.
Swede chuckled. He extended his hand to Ben. “I never thanked you for calling us when Price and Robertson’s chips failed. We might not have discovered the bodies in time.”
Fortunas shook his hand, but protested, “It was Cassie who noticed the medical distress beacons. Robertson must have had to re-key himself as Price to leave the Hudson. When Ryan shot him, it showed as Price being in the location, but the medic alert came from Robertson’s chip. Price’s chip was already sending independent alarms to the medical bay. I couldn’t make heads or tails of any of it, but she saw the pattern immediately.”
“Clever little pixie,” Captain Hill opined.
Ben’s eyes twinkled. “With claws. Never forget the claws.”
“You be sure never to forget them, she’s your problem now.”
“Who’s his problem, sir?” Maggie walked up beside them, Cassie trailing a few steps behind.
“Clara, Cassie and Ginny. A veritable bevy of screeling pixies, you’ve left me with.”
Both women looked at Ben as if he’d gone mad. He indulged them by waggling his eyebrows.
“Do try for some gravity, doctor. We have a funeral to attend.”
***
“Captain Hill, my Ambassador will accompany you to your home planet.”
Brett nodded to the camera. “In order to finalize a new treaty for the settlement of Dremiks, I understand.”
Khanaa clicked twice. “No, Captain. As the Inheritor’s guardian, you are the only human who can legally ratify this agreement. Teriwyn travels with you to ensure your safety and to learn more of your people. I will be personally insulted if my ambassador is not returned to me, Captain. “
“I will not insult you, Majesty.”
“Good journey to you, Captain. Please bring yourself and your lady back to Kigva for a visit. We have much to discuss.”
“You will let me know if you find my brother?”
Khanaa jerked her head back. The computer did not try to translate her clicks, but it did do a fine job with her words. “I will. Those Valtoza damaged my ship. They offended me. It is not wise to offend me.”
“I should think not.” Brett smiled. “I look forward to visiting you again, Queen Khanaa. Farewell.” Captain Hill terminated the connection and looked over at Commander O’Connell. She leaned against the wall of his office, chewing her lip. He cocked a brow at that, then, jerked his chin over his shoulder.
“Come on then, Maggie.”
They rode the lift to the bridge, each absorbed in thought. She snuck a glance at his face. He resumed his typical stoic expression. She knew, now, that his lack of visible emotion denoted a deep well of pain and guilt. She wanted to reach up and stroke his jaw, but knew he would flinch at such a public display of affection. With an uncertain future and an uneasy crew, they had to be coldly professional.
“What now?”
Brett rubbed a hand over his tired face. “After I check in with the chief and Swede, I’m going to quarters for four hours sleep. I’ll relieve you on the bridge after that. In the next few days, we’ll work up a schedule for pilot rotations. I believe it’s high time Ensign Chi received his flight certification.”
She nodded in agreement. “I’ll examine those charts Khanaa gave us. We can probably shave some time off the trip using their jump nodes.”
The captain nodded. “Just be sure to—”
A wry smile appeared on her face as she interrupted him. “I know, sir. We’ll follow all safety regulations. No rule breaking, I promise.”
Brett’s smile lit up his face and made his eyes dance, much to his second-in-command’s consternation. As the door of the lift slid open, and the entire bridge crew turned to look, he stepped closer to Maggie. One hand gently lifted her chin. He bent his head and kissed her softly on the lips. Smiling at her stunned expression, he whispered:
“Let’s make our own rules.”
Acknowledgements
The very existence of this acknowledgement section would be in doubt were it not for my loving family, supportive friends, and tireless editors. If you found this book to be enjoyable, well written, and well formatted, you need to know that the following individuals made that possible. If, conversely, you hate the very existence of this book, you can only blame the author.
For reading multiple drafts of this book and being patient enough to give feedback even when they most likely wanted to ignore me for life, my eternal gratitude to Ed Albrecht, Jon Potts, Teresa Hardesty, Connie Huddleston, and Mark Davis.
For reading the first draft way back in 2005 and saying, politely, “You can do better”, special thanks to Sean McDaniel.
For their constant affirmation, years of friendship, and lending me their names, thanks go to the Call of Fate sisterhood
For spending countless hours formatting the e-book and print versions, and always being there to listen, credit goes to Maridean “Kigva” Maples.
Jon Potts and Kirk Lunsford put up with my obnoxious requests for cover art and produced two very exciting covers. Although I chose Kirk’s work, Jon’s was every bit as impressive.
My mother taught me to read, constantly begs me to take up writing professionally, and is—through her strength, perseverance, and intelligence—a constant inspiration. I’m grateful too, for my father goading me into action by telling me I couldn’t do it. (Yes, Daddy, I know you do it on purpose.)
Finally, all my love and gratitude to my husband, Mark Davis. He never gets jealous when the voices in my head drown him out, takes care of the kids when I “just have to get this chapter finished”, and gently points out the plot flaws in my disjointed ramblings (Which way is “up” in space?). Wherever we go, darling, we make our own rules.
About the Author
Cassandra Davis (Amy to her friends and family) was raised an army brat: constantly traveling, making new friends every four years, and surrounded by a unique military culture. In the seventh grade, she complained to her English teacher that she’d read every fiction book in the library. The teacher handed Cassandra a blank notebook and told her to write her own stories.
After working as a US Senate aide for four years, Mrs. Davis became a stay-at-home mom and author. She now lives on the Northern California coast
with her husband and two sons.
You can follow her on Twitter (aCassandraDavis), Facebook Cassandra Davis, Author, and the web at www.cassandradavis-author.com
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Dremiks Page 44