by A. B. Keuser
"What mother doesn't ask their children for favors? If mine can eradicate the fleet.... why would I not ask it of them."
"The Kindira, the Ka are not what you think."
"And you know that? When no scholar has managed to find a shred of information on them outside observations of men."
"The Ka still live. Not all of them, and not in a corporeal form, but they are still here. You don't know a thing about them, and if you try to do this, you will fail."
"I won't. Not if you are their mother."
Mack took an involuntary step backward. "Excuse me?"
"I don't mean literally. I would hate to ruin that delectable body with childbirth. I want you at my right hand. You can teach the future generations, mold them."
"Mold them into what? Mindless automatons?"
"Why not?"
"Because you don’t know anything about them! You think you can make a race of people, force them to do your bidding and wind up back in control?”
“I was given that control by the people I served. It’s my duty to do whatever is necessary to see their wishes carried out.”
“No matter how many people you have to kill in the process?”
Shrugging, Maeltar nodded. The smile that touched her lips was sickening.
“You are a monster.”
“Says the woman whose race was so horrendous they were all but wiped from the history books?”
“If any race of people is terrifying it is humans. You ravage planets and systems, and when you're done, you move on to the next. You kill each other for the stupidest of reasons, and you threaten others to keep them under your thumb."
“Here you are, disparaging my favorite qualities.”
Mack glared at her. "You are a horrible creature."
"And your brother is exactly like me."
"But I'm not." She swallowed hard, staring Maeltar down. "The Kindira of lore were undoubtedly ones like you. Like him. Or perhaps they weren't and they were only doing what they had to, to survive—a plan that clearly didn't work.”
“You’re not like them.” She said, her tone placating, patronizing. “You’ve never done anything heinous to survive, or to keep Cable alive?”
Mack swallowed the denial that stuck in her throat.
“I may not be human, and looking at you, I'm desperately glad of that fact, but I know what sacrifices feel like.”
“I don’t think you do.”
“I would do anything for the people I love. You are not one of them. And there is nothing you can offer that will make me into the monster you want me to be."
"I suppose that's a no, then.” Maeltar looked at her with a bored glance. “I do have another offer… the converse of which would clearly be utterly unappealing to you.”
Mack held perfectly still, not trusting herself to pull the knife before Maeltar could lunge for her.
“I know Cable is on Aaron’s ship. I know he’s the one wreaking havoc, and I know that he could easily be herded into the chamber I have set up to deal with your brother. Gas is a terrible way to go, but it’s the easiest to set up in advance.”
“You won’t hurt Cable.”
“You’re wrong. I won’t kill him, but I will do whatever it takes to make you do what I need you to do. And if that means I have to flay every inch of him, I will.”
Mack didn’t move. Didn’t dare to breathe. The smug satisfaction on Maeltar’s face was warning.
“I would rather strike a sweeter bargain with you….” She brushed her fingers along the top of Mack’s hand.
Still, Mack didn’t move. Her words were half a whisper. “Don’t.”
Maeltar pulled her hands away, palms up, and took a step back. “My apologies.”
Clenching her fist, Mack knew it the woman hadn’t meant it for her threats against Cable.
Movement drew Mack’s eye a moment before Maeltar reached for her.
Too late.
Mack dropped back, spinning the way Cable had taught her.
And then, Raza was there. She shoved Maeltar away and Stacy grabbed Mack as the other two women ran into the far wall.
Mack struggled to her feet in the time it took Raza to get the upper hand.
Maeltar stared at her, a flash of terror streaking through the woman’s eyes.
With a grin that tightened her whole face, Raza clamped onto her neck, determined not to let go. Maeltar dropped to her knees as Raza’s thumb pressed down on the hard lump of the woman’s trachea. Coughing and sputtering, Maeltar fought, but failed to loosen the grip.
“Raza.”
Her hand tightened around Maeltar’s throat, the woman’s face darkening as she beat her fists against Raza’s wrists. Eyes bulging, the once-queen sputtered unfinished words and lashed out anyway she could. Fists connected with Raza’s arms, ribs and hips.
“Lieutenant Crioce!”
She turned to Mack with thinned lips, her fingers didn’t loosen.
“There is no imminent threat anymore. Deal with her, and she can go back for a trial.”
His hand unlatched and Maeltar fell to the soft floor as she choked and clawed at her freed throat.
“If you’d seen what she’s done, you wouldn’t have stopped me.”
“I almost didn’t anyway,” Mack said, ignoring Stacy when she kicked Maeltar in the stomach.
The hard swift strike with her heavy boots sent her into a coughing fit that littered the floor with a spattering of blood.
“Are you alright?” Stacy asked, spinning her around and looking her over.
“Yeah, she didn’t want to hurt me.”
Raza joined in on the scrutiny. “Are you sure?”
“She needs me to fly the ships.”
They both nodded at that, and then Stacy looked at Maeltar. “What do we do with her?”
“There’s a holding cell,” Mack said, remembering her brief stay. “We can put her in there.”
Stacy rolled her eyes and stalked over to where the woman lay, face planted in the hard floor. “I’ll get her up and you can show us the way.”
Nodding, Mack glanced at Raza, still studying her.
“You sure you’re alright? Cable might kill me if something happened to you.”
“I’m fine. And if Cable tries to come after you, send him to me and I’ll reassure him of the fact.”
Raza looked like she wanted to ask about particular methods of reassurance, but Stacy let out a horrendous groan. “Goddess, she’s heavier than she looks.”
Raza went to help without a word, and Mack watched.
She leaned against the console, but the Ka didn’t bring her into their consciousness. Either they had nothing to say, or her adrenaline was still too high. Not that she knew if that held any bearing.
She watched as Raza and Stacy shared a brief, jeering joke, and then Raza swung her gun around, stooping to reach for the prostrate form.
Maeltar lashed out, elbow catching Stacy in the gut a moment before she shoved her backward. Without looking at her, Maeltar swung around, kicking Raza’s feet out from underneath her.
She didn’t bother to check that the other two were incapacitated. She stalked across the room, determination written in the line of her scowl.
“You and I need to have a little chat about what constitutes loyalty to your race.” Maeltar grabbed her by her upper arms.
"Fuck you."
Frantically working at the zipper of her coat, she ignored her laugh.
She surged back toward her and she pulled the knife from its hiding place. It arced over her, and caught in Maeltar's soft flesh.
Sliced.
Came free.
Blood sprayed from Maeltar’s half-slit throat as she stumbled backward. Eyes wide, she stared at Mack as though she as some sort of demon and opened her mouth as if to call for help. All that came was a pitiful gurgle.
The color drained from her almost as quickly as the blood from her neck, and she retrieved the blade sending another cascade down the front of her.
“Sometimes, people have to do bad things because of the situation in which they’re put. I didn’t want to kill you.”
She sputtered something that sounded like a curse.
Red stained her once-clean shirtfront, and Maeltar clutched at her throat, tearing at her shirt. Sher ripped it off and stuffed the fabric at her throat.
She tried to say something, and then, she stumbled, shuffling. She all but fell out the hatch, and Mack let her go. She could die in peace.
Somewhere else.
Using her jacket to wipe the blood from her face, she threw it away. If she needed the leather protections again, it wouldn’t be from Nrog.
She moved to where Raza lay, blinking up at the ceiling as though he wasn’t really there.
“Hey, Kenzie?” Raza asked, and the odd softness in her voice kept Mack from correcting her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Will you check…” she swallowed and flexed her jaw. “I can’t feel my legs.”
She stayed unnaturally still, and Mack studied her, but nothing looked broken. Mack poked her, hard, and Raza sucked in a hard breath.
“See, not paralyzed.”
“Thank goddess.” She tried to move and frowned. “The floor won’t let me stand up, and it’s…. tingly.”
“The Kazahan won’t hurt you.” She hoped. “Hang on a second and I’m sure KaDen will release you. It caught me once before too.”
“As long as I don’t wind up with a back like Cable’s arm…. I guess I can hang out for a bit.”
She pressed her hand to the console and slipped into the Ka minds, only for a second, just long enough to learn, and scold.
KaDen let her go.
“You had a broken vessel they thought was life threatening.”
“And they fixed it?” Raza asked, not yet moving.
“Apparently, they can do that.” She shrugged. “You should be fine.
Raza sat bold upright, gun at the ready. “Where is she?”
“Maeltar? She crawled off to die in some dark corner.”
“The Ka didn’t tell you where to find her?”
“I didn’t ask. You’re more important than a dying woman.”
Stacy stood by the open door, not looking at them. “Look at that, Raz. If cable dies, you might actually have a chance.”
Mack flinched, but when she turned to Stacy, the woman had pulled up her gun, finger on the trigger.
“Speaking of our illustrious leader. Let’s get you back to the other ship.”
“No. You two stay here.” When they looked as though they were about to protest, Kenzie held up her hand. “Deal with Maeltar, get ahold of the fleet. Do whatever you can to make sure we can get out of here once I get Cable back.” And deal with her brother.
They looked as though they wanted to argue, as though they were calculating their options to coerce her.
“I’m the ranking officer on this ship.”
They grimaced, but she didn’t let them say anything else. She ran.
Bouncing across the darkness between the Kazahans, she pulled the gun she’d stolen from Maeltar, and stalked through the halls as though she was on a mission to steal things.
The ship was in chaos.
If chaos could be empty.
Alone in the hallways, she made her way toward the command center Aaron had set up. The bastardization of the thing he claimed he wanted to revitalize. She snorted in spite of herself.
Her brother had done a lot of stupid things in the past. This… this didn’t even register on that scale.
She crept up to the hatch Aaron had welded into the ship and grimaced at the scars that abomination had created.
It was open, and she peeked inside. Empty.
Stepping over the hatch tread, she swept the room.
Bezzon’s body was crumpled against the wall. The bastardized console blinked a stuttering pulse. And….
She froze, nose to muzzle. And held her breath.
The gun disappeared, and Cable drew her forward, crushing the air from her lungs .
“What the hell are you doing over here?”
When he released her, and she could finally breathe again, she said, “I’m here to get you.”
A wheezing hack pulled them both around to the door. Cable leveled his gun on her brother’s pale, drawn face.
“Cable? What are you doing here, man? Detrus is going to be pissed you snuck out of the barracks again.”
“Detrus?” Mack asked angling beside him.
“Our CO in boot camp… years ago.”
She watched Aaron struggle to work his way through the hatch. Her brother laughed as he caught sight of Bezzon’s body.
“Serves that bastard right.” He swung sideways and shook himself as though clearing away mental cobwebs. “You know he actually thought I’d give him Kenzie? As if he was fit to lick her boots.”
He spit on Bezzon, and looked up with a crooked smile Mack had almost forgotten.
His words were slurred. A thick bandage was taped to the back of his skull, and dark wetness stained his hair. Maeltar’s people might have patched him up, but they didn’t take care of him.
Aaron oriented on her and clucked his tongue before turning back to Cable with a disgusted leer.
“Did you search every corner of the known systems to find a prosti that looked like my sister?” Eyes narrowed, he cocked his head far enough to the side she thought he might fall over. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. When you can’t bang the one you love… gotta bang the one you can imagine is the one you love.”
He snorted a laugh, and Cable shifted beside her. Aaron had always be crass, but he’d usually reserved it for when she wasn’t around to hear it.
“It is so tragic, isn’t it?” Aaron caught himself on the control console. “How long have you been panting after her?”
He didn’t give Cable a chance to speak—not, that she needed to hear the answer.
“We look a lot alike, don’t you know. Even if I’d let you near her, everyone would have wondered… wondered if you didn’t feel that way about me too.”
His eyes were closed and he swayed ever so slightly.
“Maybe I did.”
Aaron’s face changed in a flicker. Eyes open to slits, jaw tense; he leaned forward, pressing all his weight onto the console. “Don’t be disgusting.”
Mack pulled back at the venom in those words.
Wincing, Aaron grasped his head for a moment, and then his smile was back.
“What is wrong with you?” Mack asked, but he ignored her.
“I know it’s not her. You won’t touch her as long as I’m alive.”
Glancing between them, Mack took a step forward, to intervene, but Cable stopped her.
“If that’s all that’s standing in my way.” Cable brought his gun up and leveled it between Aaron’s eyes.
He only laughed and swatted it away. “You know, she’d never have you if you killed me.”
“You might be surprised.” Cable swallowed, the muscles in his arms straining.
“Is your finger was stuck?” Aaron asked, brows raised as he leaned forward placing his forehead against the muzzle. “You’ve got me here with your finger hovering over that damned trigger. Second chance, and you still can’t do it.”
He laughed, reeling away and something dark flashed in his eyes… if only for a moment.
“Let me help you, Aaron.” She stepped forward, catching him before he fell against the console.
“Kenzie… always trying to play the middle ground between us.”
She saw it a moment too late. He was perfectly lucid, and playing them.
With a twist, he’d locked her arm to the console with a pair of electric cuffs she hadn’t seen. In the same move, he plucked the gun from her hand.
He didn’t bother to slip behind her. Gun to her temple, he smiled at Cable—a languid, faltering expression.
“Throw the gun away.”
Cable hesitated. “You woul
dn’t kill your sister.”
“Wouldn’t I? She’s just as eager to betray me as you were.” He depressed the trigger and the high pitch of the energy coil spooling sang against her ears.
It was broken by the clatter of Cable’s gun on the floor.
“So predictable.” He turned the gun on Cable and took a step forward—not close enough to risk Cable’s reach, but far enough away, Mack couldn’t get at him either. “Now, you and I are going for a walk.”
“Where to?”
With a sly glance at Mack, he said a single word that would have curdled her blood. “Imadaha.”
Cable glanced at her. “What is that?”
“Oh, you’ll see.” Aaron turned back to her, “I will deal with you when this is done.”
He barked commands and then left her.
As soon as silence fell in the corridor, she pulled at the cuffs. Hot energy sizzled against her skin, and she didn’t have a code key hidden away in her pocket. The cuffs were supposed to be unbreakable, unhackable… unescapable.
But there was an option… she looked at the patch wires feeding into the console like parasitic vines. It was a stupid one, but in the end, stupid might be what saved her.
Now, if she could just reach them.
Thirty-Seven
Cable moved where Aaron directed him, ignoring KaDen’s attempts to turn him aside. When he turned the wrong way, he paid for it. And he needed to stay in control of his wits if he was going to get the upper hand on Aaron and back to where he’d Trapped Kenzie.
“If you let me help you—”
“Help me?” Aaron spit the words. “Were you helping me when you left me to die on that planet?”
“So I should have killed you?”
“No.” Aaron’s words were almost inaudible. “No, you should have come with me. You should have chosen me over the damned fleet.”
“You gave me no choice.”
“Everyone has a choice.”
“The people on Denzio didn’t have a choice. If they had, I’m sure they would have chosen to not die by those missiles you sold Maeltar’s people. Hell, the planet is barely habitable anymore.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“No, you’re right. It’s not.”
The lack of remorse was too familiar. It had been over six months, and Aarons words were still imprinted on his memory. The surety of a righteous murderer grated at him.