Captives of the Kratzen (Hearts in Orbit)

by S. C. Mitchell

  Kathryn sat across from her, arms crossed, shivering. “Calton el Bafron was in league with Pavel all the time, just waiting for an opportunity like this. He used fear and persuasion to convince the council they needed a man on the throne during war. Behind the scenes he had his men capture and confine anyone who stood up for us. Where did you go?”

  The guards she’d left behind knew where she was going, but they’d been Calton el Bafron’s men.

  Frack.

  Tina explained where she’d gone and why. “I never suspected they were in any position to take power.”

  Kathryn sighed. “It’s not your fault. I didn’t see the depths of his corruption either. Fenrus has been pulling the strings all along, even from his prison cell. They took Tanis and me by surprise. Oh, by the gods, what are we to do now?”

  “We have to get out. Find a way to get free. This House is ours. We are the last two of the blood.”

  A half smile played across Kathryn’s face. “No, there is another.”

  Her hand traveled to her stomach, rubbing gently.

  “You mean . . .” Of all things. “When did you find out?”

  “Just yesterday.” Kathryn stood and began to pace. “I was going to tell you today, but you never showed up in the council room.”

  “Is it Tanis’s?”

  Tanis’s voice drifted in from the next cell. “It damn well better be.”

  Kathryn rolled her eyes. “Of course it is.”

  Talk about highs and lows. “Your child will not be born in prison. We’re going to get out of here.”

  Big talk. Now how was she going to pull it off?

  There were those who knew the truth. Sol, Cona, and the other guardsmen. Libby. Gods, what would happened to them?

  “My son. It’s a boy.”

  That would set the misogynistic bastards on the council on their ear. Even the most strict couldn’t deny a male heir.

  Now, how were they going to escape and take back House la Cross before the Kratzen completely wiped them out?

  She didn’t have a clue.

  ~ ~ ~

  Carter seethed. A place of safety my ass.

  She was here, somewhere. The dungeons were probably the place to begin his search.

  At the edge of his vision, Carter noted a familiar figure hiding in the shadows as he stormed out of the throne room. He paused in the hallway, waiting for her to catch up.

  “Carter? Praise the galactic gods you’ve come back.” Libby wore the dress of a House maid again and her cheek sported a purpling bruise.

  “Are you all right?” Carter’s blood boiled. Who dared to lay a hand on this gentle woman?

  It was not surprising she was no longer on the council after what he’d just witnessed, but the bruising . . .

  Libby brushed it off. “I’m fine enough, but you’d best be careful.”

  He drew her into an alcove. “Do you know where Tina is?”

  Libby nodded. “I think so, though I have never been there before. I saw the direction they took her and the rest of them. Come.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “What are you—?”

  The shout was followed by a blaster shot.

  What the hell?

  Tina rose from her cot and moved to the cell bars, placing her body in front of Kathryn. “They’ll have to go through me to get to you.”

  Keys jingled and hinges creaked. Voices remained hushed and muffled, and she couldn’t understand what was being said.

  Then Carter was in front of her, keys in hand, opening her cell door. “Tina.”

  As soon as the door opened, she threw herself into his arms. “Carter. Is it really you?”

  He held her close. “It’s me, love, but we don’t have much time. The Kratzen are coming.”

  She pulled back. “I know. Thank the gods you’re here. Was that you in that GRT-11?”

  He nodded as he moved down the hallway, opening still more cell doors.

  Trailing behind, Libby paused to give Tina a quick hug. “We have never needed you more, my queen.”

  Behind Libby, Kathryn cocked her head, and raised an eyebrow.

  Tina’s gaze traveled to Kathryn’s stomach. An idea began to percolate.

  No. You have never needed me less.

  But she kept those thoughts to herself.

  In the other cells they found Sol, Cona and the other guardsmen who’d been with her. Tanis and some of his guards were freed as well. They stopped to raid an armory, acquiring blasters for all, on their way back toward the throne room.

  Tina pulled Sol aside before they entered. “Take a ship and go find the refugees. Get them moving back here. Tell them it will be safe now.”

  She hoped she could get them safely inside the palace gates before the Kratzen swarmed.

  Pavel’s jaw dropped when she entered the throne room. Then he regained his composure. “I suppose I should have had you killed, but no matter. I sit on the throne now. I’ve informed the other Houses, and they seem not to care. I have received no censure from any of them.”

  His guards stood with weapons ready, confronting her group. Tanis and the other guards kept their blasters holstered as she’d instructed. There would be no battle for the throne this day.

  “You’re a fool, Pavel. The other Houses haven’t responded because most of them are fighting for their lives right now, or they’re already dead. An enemy is on our doorstep, and you’re playing politics with the lives of our people.” Could she make him see reason?

  “We have guards on the walls. The best fighting men in the universe. They can stop any threat.” He didn’t know. Cloistered in his throne room, reveling in his new power, he hadn’t even bothered to check the situation beyond the palace walls.

  Tanis switched on the throne room display screens, tuning them to view the lands beyond the walls. The scene focused on the mass of black roach warriors swarming toward the palace, and the supporting fighter ships in the skies above them. “Can they stop this?”

  Pavel paled. “This is a lie. Manufactured propaganda. Not real.”

  The guardsmen who’d stood by her at the pass shook their heads. Cona stepped forward. “It’s the truth. I have seen these creatures. They are coming.”

  Tina pointed to the mass of bugs on the screen. “We must prepare now. We must stand united against this foe. There is no time to waste on the bickering. And to show my sincerity . . . my loyalty to House la Cross in this most desperate hour . . . I will abdicate the throne, if that’s what it will take to unite us. And after this crisis, I will leave Quendor.”

  Pavel jolted, then cocked his head. “I have your word you will abdicate? You will leave?”

  Tina bowed her head. She had to sell this. “You have my word. Gather your council and witnesses, but for the gods’ sake hurry. And get our reserves to the walls.”

  Pavel turned to one of his guards. “Gather my council and the House elders, and alert the reserves.”

  Thank goodness. They needed everyone available on the walls or the next few minutes wouldn’t matter anyway.

  As the councilors and elders shuffled in, many looked surprised to see her. What had Pavel told them?

  No, that too didn’t matter.

  She waited.

  As the crowd stilled, Pavel rose from the throne. “Queen Christina has returned to us briefly, to officially abdicate her throne. You are to bear witness to this official transition of power.”

  He swept his hand in her direction, indicating she could speak.

  Tina stepped forward. “I come before the council and elders today to officially abdicate my throne . . .”

  The crowd hushed. All eyes were on her. “. . . in favor of my nephew, prince Tanisyn, firstborn son of Princess Kathryn and the ho
norable Tanis ban Orman.”

  Pavle’s mouth dropped open. “What? What? Uh, um . . . wait!”

  He held up his hands, but Tina pressed on. “He is a true prince of the blood, a male, and next in line for the throne. And I appoint Tanis ban Orman, Royal Regent until such time as the babe is ready to take his place as your king.”

  She’d done it. Her people were in the best of hands, and she was free, truly free, to be with Carter. Now they all just had to survive the next few hours.

  Tanis strode to the throne, pulling Pavel from it and throwing the suddenly powerless man to the floor. Regent Tanis ban Orman sat down like he owned the throne. Well, actually, he did now. At least until his son grew up.

  “My first order is for everyone to prepare for war. We have a battle to win. And guards, take Pavel Fenrus and Calton el Bafron into custody. I will deal with their treason later.”

  Chapter 33

  Boosters lifted the GRT-11from the landing pad, the sleek starcraft hummed with power. Once airborne, Carter focused his display on the front gates. Tina stood with Kathryn and Tanis, leadership united as a symbol of her people.

  Hopefully for the last time.

  He wanted Tina back all to himself. At least for a while.

  First, though, they had a battle to win.

  Throngs of warriors lined the battlements of the palace. Refugees intermingled with the pure-blood citizens. Why did it always take a crisis to bring people together? At least they were as ready as they possibly could be.

  Behind him, Sol lifted off in House la Cross’s one weapons-equipped fighter craft. The young pilot had shown some promise, but was wholly unskilled in air combat. Quendorian wars, for the most part, were waged on the ground.

  The Kratzen didn’t play by those rules. Even though a swarm of roaches approached the palace on foot, they had the support of fifteen fighters in the sky. Not good odds, but Carter hoped the GRT-11 could help even them.

  “Take up a position above the front gate, Sol.” There’d only been time for some quick air tactics lessons. Carter thought it best to keep him stationary. Targeting and shooting was a bit easier when you didn’t have to concentrate on flying at the same time.

  “Yes, sir.” Sol’s craft slipped into position, hovering above.

  The force dome crackled to life beneath their positions. Like the shields on a starship, the dome would protect the palace from the Kratzen ships’ plasma beams . . . for a while.

  As the Kratzen approached, Carter programmed three photon torpedoes. The torps had ranges longer than blasters on either craft, and as the target locks confirmed, he let them fly. Three explosions later and the enemy airship force was down to twelve.

  Time to move in.

  “Okay, Sol, I’m going in. Fire at will on anything that gets in range of the front gate . . . except me.”

  Boosters firing on full, Carter took the GRT-11 in. He let auto-targeting pick his next shot, but kept the firing mechanism on manual. He wanted to see what he was firing at before he pulled the trigger.

  Plasma bolts flew toward him from the enemy ships, and he zigged and zagged through them. He’d spent enough time fighting bugs in space to anticipate their maneuvers here on the ground. Kratzen were not very creative thinkers it appeared.

  Still, occasionally a shot landed.

  “Shields at fifty-seven percent.” The robotic warning took him by surprise.

  Okay, maybe they were better shots than he was giving them credit for. More zig, less zag.

  He fired his blasters continually as he passed over the Kratzen fighter ships and launched another torpedo into the massed ground forces. Would it be enough?

  Another Kratzen ship exploded to his port side, though Carter hadn’t had it targeted. Sol must have scored the hit.

  Good man.

  But they were only getting started.

  From over the horizon, Carter noted more bug ships streaking their way.

  “Shields at thirty-seven percent.”

  Time to pull back. He couldn’t do it all himself.

  ~ ~ ~

  Tina pointed her blaster through the crenellation toward the swarm of roaches charging across the fields at her. She didn’t need to aim. The bugs were massed so tightly she really couldn’t miss.

  But did her House forces have enough firepower to repel the attack?

  “Hold your fire until they’re in range.” Tanis directed the battle.

  He’d fallen right into command. His swift decision-making and confidence quickly won any doubters to his side. He’d be a great regent. House la Cross would prosper.

  If it survived this day. This battle.

  “Fire.”

  Blaster beams sizzled from the wall, cutting into the first ranks of the roach warriors. Blue plasma bolts arced up from the ground as the enemy returned fire.

  So many bugs. And they didn’t seem to care if they died, as long as the swarm advanced.

  ~ ~ ~

  Twenty minutes later the Kratzen reached the base of the palace defenses. Somehow finding purchase, they began to climb straight up the slick plascrete walls.

  Tina took a chance, leaning over the side, to spray blaster fire down on them. A beam hit the crenellation next to her and she pulled back behind it.

  She’d pushed them back a bit, but they kept gaining ground.

  For the defenders, every loss hurt. Less firepower. Fewer eyes.

  And they had no replacement forces. Every able-bodied fighter in the palace was already here. Even some who would otherwise be deemed unfit, elderly, children, wounded, grabbed blasters and took up positions, filling holes that appeared as defenders went down.

  Above, Carter made passes, blasting continuously into the bugs, but they refused to break and run. And now he didn’t dare venture out too far. Blaster shot damage began to appear all along the hull. The ship’s shields must be completely gone.

  Sol had been hit and forced to land his crippled craft. But he’d found a blaster and now taken up a position down the wall from her.

  Still the damn bugs kept advancing. Could anything stop them?

  ~ ~ ~

  From his vantage point above, Carter noted the new mass of figures emerging from the forests onto the battlefield before the palace walls. More Kratzen?

  Frack. It was doubtful they could beat back the swarm they were dealing with now. Some of the roaches had managed to climb within meters of the top of the wall. If they climbed over, established a foothold on the walls, the Quendarians would lose.

  He’d strafed as many off the walls as he could, but his ship was running low on power and with its shields down to zero, had already sustained some damage.

  As the new forces approached, their ray beams struck the back ranks of the Kratzen. Attacking the bugs.

  Carter focused one of his long-range cameras to see Quanderian ground forces. And in the air above, a few fighter craft. Someone had come to the rescue of House la Cross.

  Chapter 34

  Tina edged her way toward the doorway of the throne room. She cast her gaze around the grand chamber one last time. So much the same, yet so different from when she’d been a child.

  “House de Longue and House Baringer offer an alliance to rid our world of these horrors, King . . .?” The tall Quendorian bowed slightly to Tanis.

  “Regent Tanis ban Orman,” Tanis answered from the throne.

  Yes. It was time for Tina to leave Quendor. Tanis had everything well in hand. She certainly wasn’t needed here anymore.

  And Carter waited for her in the GRT-11. He’d have the ship repaired, fueled up, and ready to go by now.

  He had to leave, report back to The Starboard Mist.

  With or without her.

  He hadn’t pressed, bless his he
art, but she’d seen the urgency in his eyes.

  Never the less, she was ready to go.

  Kathryn confronted her as she rounded the doorframe. “You’re really leaving? You know you don’t have to now.”

  Tina smiled. Her cousin had been one of the good things to come out of her visit home.

  “Yes, but I promise to visit. I can’t wait to meet your son.”

  Kathryn hugged her. “Carter is a good man. We owe you both so much. You will always be welcome.”

  She would visit, but not often. This really wasn’t home anymore.

  ~ ~ ~

  Tina slid into the copilot’s seat on the GRT-11. “Let’s go.”

  Carter took her hand gently. “I’ve missed you.”

  Something inside melted. “I’ve missed you too. We have a lot to catch up on.”

  He gave her hand a light squeeze then let it go. “Let’s see if you still know how to navigate. I put The Starboard Mist’s last known coordinates up on your screen. Plot us a course home.

  Easy. The computer could have done it. But she loved that he thought to give the task to her.

  They lifted off and she didn’t even look back. There was nothing on Quendor for her anyway. It was the future, what lay ahead, that mattered. And that future included Carter, so it was good.

  ~ ~ ~

  Scans showed the Kratzen motherships were no longer orbiting Quendar. In fact, no signs of bugs anywhere. Had the attacks been simply a distraction?

  And if so, what were the Kratzen really up to?

  The Starboard Mist and the ships that had arrived here through the wormhole would still be working hard on repairs. The additional support they’d requested from Fleet and the Galactic Marshals probably wouldn’t have had time to arrive yet.

  Carter mused long and hard. Something didn’t feel right. “I wonder what Kristin Devenport is up to? Kirtl says they’re using her as some kind of conduit, using her mind and memories to create wormholes wherever they want them to go.”