by JC Cassels
No one moved or spoke as the imaging platform dimmed once more.
“There!” Jaden stabbed a finger at the imaging platform. “That never made any sense to any of us! Devon has to be manipulating you!”
“If Devon wanted the Black Wing, then why did the attempts on my life stop when I sent that order to the General Assembly? As long as there was no formal order of succession, my title would pass to the next in hereditary line. With Royce disqualified by allegedly murdering my father, the title would fall to Galen.”
“I swear to you, Bo, I had no idea…”
His eyes begged her forgiveness as his heartbreak played out across his features.
Bo squelched her sympathy for his pain. There was no place for sentimentalism here. Too much rode on the outcome of this meeting. Lives would be saved or lost depending on which way Jaden Barron’s loyalties swung.
“Galen murdered the Barron. He tried to murder me, too. As Barron, I can’t let this go unanswered,” she said, lifting her chin. “That’s why I need to know where your loyalty lies, Jaden. I can’t have you at my back if I can’t trust you to do what’s best for Mondhuoun.”
Her resolve cracked. Jaden had once been her best friend, her confidant, her partner in crime.
“Please, Jaden…don’t make me sentence you to share your father’s fate.” She shook her head. “Jaden, for your children. You know the law. Your babies don’t deserve that. Don’t make me order…” Her words faltered. She cleared her throat. “Don’t make me order the execution of your children.”
Taking a deep breath, he gathered the shreds of his control and nodded. His heartbreak shone in his dark eyes. “I swear to you, Barron, I had no part in my father’s schemes. I have not, nor would I ever, knowingly take any action that would bring you harm.” He sank to his knees in front of her and bowed his head. “I offer you my life as forfeit for the actions my family has taken against you, against your family, and against Mondhuoun, as is your right as Barron. I beg mercy for my wife and children.”
Some of the tension eased out of her.
“I don’t want your life,” she said. “Galen is the one who has wronged Mondhuoun. Galen is the one who must pay for his crimes. Where will you and I stand when I order his life forfeit for his crimes?”
His gaze locked with hers. “I honestly don’t know.” Jaden shook his head. “There has to be another way.”
“If there is, I promise you I’ll find it,” Bo said.
Jaden nodded.
Bo looked to the squad leader and, with a wave of her hand, ordered Jaden’s arrest.
“Take him to the brig for now,” she said. “I’ll be taking his quarters.”
The squad leader set his jaw in a grim line and nodded. Without comment, he directed two of his men to take charge of Jaden. One of them removed his blaster from its holster and passed it to the squad leader before leading him, unprotesting, out.
“Who is Gad?” Scott’s voice broke the uncomfortable silence left in the wake of Jaden’s arrest.
“Gad Rameus,” Bo said. “First Sector Commander General. He and Galen were schoolmates. Rameus has been trying to track down the heir to the House of Marin for years.”
“The heir to the…but Daavin Marin was killed decades ago!”
Bo nodded. “There’s been some confusion about that.”
Turning, Bo found several pair of eyes watching her intently.
“All will be made clear in time, gentlemen,” she said. “All will be made clear in time.”
She glanced around Jaden’s quarters, taking stock. “I want a full report on the status of The Black Wing. The vessels that accompanied me need to be accounted for. I want a full inventory of the tactical capabilities of every craft out there…except for mine.” She turned to Scott with a small smile. “My uncle Royce is aboard my ship. Put out the word that he’s not to be shot, and have your men report to him.” She drew a deep breath and continued. “Also, we have Mondhuic citizens and expats out there. Everyone has a skill. Find out what they can do and put them to work.”
“To what end, Barron?”
Bo looked past him to the squad leader. “What’s your name.”
“Rylan, ma’am.”
“You’re my personal security officer for the time being. You can stay, but I need the rest of your squad to wait outside.” She glanced at the officers who had accompanied Captain Montgomery and Wing Commander Scott. “They wait outside, too.”
Rylan nodded and turned to his team. They ushered the officers out into the corridor. When the hatch slid shut behind them, Bo moved to Jaden’s desk and activated his terminal. The holographic display lit up above his desk.
“Lord Scull is mobilizing an invasion force against Mondhuoun,” she said without preamble. She called up the data Edge had compiled. “Galen has done nothing to prepare a defense. Our home planet is wide open. The combination of The Black Wing and its proximity to the First Sector borders makes Mondhuoun a vital strategic asset for launching a strike against the First Sector.”
Captain Montgomery stepped closer and studied the information playing across the display. “That’s a serious accusation, Barron,” he said. “Do you have any proof?”
Bo tapped her com-implant. “Okay, Royce,” she said. “Transmit everything we’ve got.”
The display lit up with a rapid torrent of data. Bo held her silence, letting the proof that Blade and Edge had painstakingly compiled speak for her. The faces of the three men hardened as every last detail of their Sovran’s crimes, and Galen’s crimes played out in holographic detail. When the display cleared at last, silence hung heavy in the processed air.
The three men looked at one another in stunned disbelief.
“Gentlemen.” Bo waited for them to look at her. “Many good people have died trying to get this information out, my father and my brother among them. We owe it to them to succeed – or die trying.”
Bo eased into the chair and leaned forward, bracing her elbows on the edge of the desk. “I know what the vines have said. I assure you, I haven’t been out running around trying to stir up anarchy. I have forged an unbreakable alliance with the House of Marin.”
“Unbreakable?” The captain canted his head at her.
“What sort of alliance?” Scott asked.
Bo looked from one to another. By way of an answer, she held up her left hand and tapped the center of her palm three times. A yellow light flashed twice under her skin.
“I am the wife of the Sovran Heir to the First Sector, and the mother of his son.”
***
Using the HUD in his suit, Blade marked the locations of his men. The absence of alarms meant their presence remained unnoted. Keying the display for his POV, Blade scanned the darkened study once more. He had disabled all the triggers and alarms in the room. In the eerie glow of the assault suit optics, Andre sat patiently, nodding as he dozed off.
Blade smiled to himself.
He hoped that when he was First Sector Overlord, he could be as cool and calm as his father.
Of its own accord, the image of his HUD flickered, and was replaced with a feed from one of the security cams. The cam zeroed in on him standing in the shadows beside the curtained windows. A message tapped across his display.
RedMaster Blue. Acknowledge.
Edge?
Blade lifted his gaze to the cam and held up his hand in greeting. Sure enough, there in the Sentaro, Edge’s familiar Prenaha dipped and swirled along the communications relays around him.
He smiled to himself.
Another message tapped across the display.
He’s coming.
Hand on his sidearm, Blade pressed deeper into the shadows as the light in the Overlord’s study flickered on.
Lord Scull stepped inside and closed the door behind him, not looking up from the data reader in his hand. He took half-dozen steps into the room before he sensed something amiss.
The data reader fell to the thick carpet as his rheumy gaze settled
on Andre Marin, seated behind his desk as though he belonged there.
“Andre…” He said in a choked voice. “I thought you were…dead.”
“Hardly,” Marin drawled.
M’hinn Scull resembled the wizened villain from Underneath Dead Star, Blade’s first holofeature. While it had taken a great deal of special effects makeup to make the actor look like a walking cadaver, Lord Scull’s sunken cheeks and hollow eyes were entirely natural. If it hadn’t been for the incongruous fuzzy slippers on his feet, Blade might have felt a bit more awestruck.
At the moment, the Second Sector Overlord was trying not to squirm under Andre’s accusing stare.
Catching Blade’s eye, Andre subtly gestured to the fallen data reader. Taking the hint, Blade stepped from the shadows to retrieve it. Lord Scull flinched and drew back, startled to realize that he stood so close.
Blade didn’t miss the tiny flicker of amusement on his father’s face at his rival’s discomfort.
Data reader in hand, Blade tapped the center of his palm, activating his Sovran chip. A rapid stream of data flashed across the screen as Edge hacked into the device.
“How dare you! That is highly classified…” Lord Scull broke off as the bigger question dawned on him. “Who are you? How did you…?”
“I’m sorry, M’hinn,” Andre said. “Allow me to introduce my son and First Sector Heir.”
Blade’s lips twitched.
Theatrics.
It must run in the family.
Reaching up, he pulled off the cowl that covered his face and ran his hand through his hair, smoothing it into a semblance of order.
Lord Scull drew back and his pupils widened in shock. “What sort of sick joke is this?” He looked to Marin. “You would hire an actor to play your son?”
Blade lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing. This was his father’s scene, and he was little more than set dressing at the moment.
“No, M’hinn,” Andre said. “I would allow my son to play an actor. You don’t think I invested in all of those holofeatures because I’d suddenly become interested in entertainment, do you?”
He held out his hand to Blade. Taking the hint, Blade moved to his side and handed him the data reader.
Marin glanced at the screen. His eyes narrowed and he pursed his lips. “You’ve been very busy, M’hinn, and very patient.” He tsked. “Tell me, when you attacked Kah Lahtrec and started the Trade Wars, did you know that Cantrell was a Marin?”
Lord Scull’s throat convulsed as he swallowed nervously. “I don’t know…”
“Don’t insult me by pretending you didn’t have anything to do with it,” Andre said. “You’ve been setting this up for quite some time. I know about Rameus and the Mondhuic Regent’s involvement. I also know you had my wife murdered.” He held up a data card. “I have spent decades putting together enough evidence to bring down your regime.”
Lord Scull’s Prenaha strobed with guilt and fear. Outwardly, he held himself with Sovran arrogance.
A muscle ticked in Blade’s jaw as he fought the urge to pummel the man.
Andre maintained his icy calm. “Come and sit. It’s past time we discussed a few changes in policy.”
Lord Scull eased into the chair across the desk from Andre. “What…what changes?”
“It has come to my attention that you are interfering in planetary politics in direct violation of the Dothan Alliance treaty,” Andre leaned back in his seat. “As that nullifies the Second Sector’s contract with Mondhuoun, I propose a new agreement, releasing the system and, consequently, The Black Wing, from your service, allowing for their peaceful secession from the Second Sector.”
“You want the Black Wing for yourself!” Scull accused. “Don’t you wield enough influence already, Andre? Must you take military superiority for yourself as well?”
Unmoved, Andre met his angry stare. “I don’t see why not,” he said, “considering it’s exactly what you’d planned. Destroy the House of Marin, seize command of the Black Wing and take the First Sector for yourself. If I were you, I’d be thankful I’m not pressing to take the Second Sector from you as well.”
Scull drew a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “I’m afraid I cannot barter away that system without a duly authorized representative of Mondhuic interests present to speak on their behalf.”
“I have one,” Andre said.
Recognizing his cue, Blade stripped off his gauntlet, revealing his wedding ring. He held up his hand.
“I’m not just the Sovran Heir,” he said. “I’m also the Barron Consort and a duly authorized representative of Mondhuic interests by the authority of my wife, The Barron. I am also her named successor, recognized and ratified by the Mondhuic General Assembly. I speak for Mondhuoun.”
Andre smiled. “It’s a pity my daughter-in-law couldn’t be here herself to negotiate this, but she is otherwise occupied dealing with the traitors in her administration who were working with you.” He looked at the chrono on his wrist. “I believe there will be a series of unexpected deaths among the Mondhuic leadership and their families very soon. I understand the penalty for treason is death for the entire family line, is it not?”
He looked to Blade for confirmation.
“It is, My Lord,” Blade said. “And as a representative of Mondhuic interests, it falls to me to ensure that Mondhuic justice likewise be served on the House of Scull…provided My Lord finds evidence of treasonous activities, of course.”
“Of course,” Andre said.
“You wouldn’t dare threaten my family!”
“Oh no?” Andre leaned forward, a hard glint in his eye. “Wouldn’t I? You despicable little toad! You yourself have set out to destroy my family – my line! You dare to think I wouldn’t repay you in kind?”
He smashed the data reader on the desk in front of him, shattering it and sending pieces flying. “My wife… my brother… my son!” He pointed to Blade. “He has spent his life in exile, narrowly escaping one assassination attempt after another, by the Maker’s grace alone, and you wonder why I allowed him to train as a Predator?” He paused, letting that information sink in. “And you, you arrogant prick! What do you do? You place a contract on his son? The question you should be asking yourself is not how I dare to threaten your line, M’hinn, but why I have not wiped you all from history before now?”
Blade looked to his father.
Andre’s lips pursed as he visibly struggled for control over his anger.
He wasn’t the only one.
Closing his eyes, Blade reached deep into the recesses of his Prenaha and released the monster he kept under tight rein. He aimed it at the man responsible for the threats against Chase and Dash, for Niall’s death, the deaths of Bo’s father and his mother, and for his childhood in exile. In a wave of heat and tingling cold, it clawed its way to the surface.
When he opened his eyes again, he waited for Lord Scull to look up at him. His glare pinned the man in place. He all but vibrated with contained fury. A muscle ticked in Blade’s jaw as he rested a reassuring hand on his father’s shoulder.
“My Lord, you will sign the treaty releasing Mondhuoun and The Black Wing from your service, and relinquishing all claims to Mondhuic colonies, holdings, or resources,” Blade said. “You will also exonerate The Barron of any and all involvement in the Frostfire massacre. You will surrender any evidence implicating Gad Rameus and Galen Barron. You will grant Royce Barron a full pardon and pension.” He held the man’s stare. “Once Mondhuic independence has been achieved, you will announce your abdication and retirement, citing health concerns. I strongly suggest that you have a long talk with your Heir so I don’t have to return and do it for you. If I have to come back here, I promise I will see Mondhuic justice served.”
Lord Scull’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you to command me? I’m an Overlord!” He drew a deep breath to launch into another round, but fell still and silent when a knife suddenly buried itself to the hilt in the overstuffed chair, just millimeters from
his neck.
What little color Scull had drained from his face. His eyes widened in fear as Blade’s thin veneer of civility cracked and fell away, leaving only the cold-blooded assassin.
Blade casually stalked around the desk. Slowly, deliberately, he leaned over the terrified man, bracing one hand on the back of the chair beside Scull’s head, his other hand closed around the hilt of the knife he had just thrown.
He willed Scull to look at him.
“Who am I?” he said. His soft voice dripped with menace. “I am what you created when you declared war on the House of Marin and Barron Clan.”
His fingers tightened around the knife hilt and he leaned closer.
“Either this war ends here with you doing exactly as you’re told, or I swear to you I will finish it and the only things left of the House of Scull will be smoke and ash.”
Blade pulled the knife slowly from its resting place and drew the tip lightly along the Overlord’s throat, nicking the skin and drawing tiny beads of blood to the surface. Straightening, he tucked the knife back into its sheath inside his jacket.
“Do we understand each other?”
Swallowing hard, Scull nodded.
“Good.”
Blade returned to his father’s side.
“We just need your signatures on these treaties, and we’ll be on our way,” Andre said.
He nudged a stack of flimsies toward Scull, who scrambled to comply.
***
“Captain, we have permission to enter within the moon’s orbit.”
“Bring us in, steady as she goes.”
“We are receiving a message from Mondhuic Control, sir.”
“Go ahead.”
The familiar bridge chatter washed over her and receded into background noise as they entered Mondhuic orbit.
“Welcome home, Barron,” Royce said from behind her.
“Pretty planet,” Chase offered.
Bo’s mouth worked as she struggled to hold back a tide of emotion. On the forward screen, the blue and green planet hove into view. She stood stiffly, at rigid attention, studying the home she loved so much.