by Aline Ash
“All I’m trying to say is, I’ve never met anyone who’s made me want to jump in with both feet before. But you have, okay? I’m in. I’m all the way in. And like I said, I’ve tried not to admit it, even to myself, but... yeah. My heart is yours, S’oraj.”
A sigh of true and deep relief escapes my lungs before I know it, and it’s then that I realize that I had been worried about all that. However, that wasn’t what I was mainly after. It’s a relief, no doubt, but it also leads me closer toward what may be an alternative solution to all our problems. But now is not the time to change my focus. For now, my attention must remain on Rax and how to get B’ecky out of there.
“You have no idea how glad I am to hear it,” I say, only revealing a small fraction of what I’m thinking and feeling in this moment. “But for now, you should try to rest. And I must return to the plan to get you out of there.”
“You’re right,” she says. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
“I swear.”
“Good. I’ll see you soon, S’oraj. One way or another.”
She hangs up before I can say anything else. I stand, clean myself up, change, and head back to where I’d left my krens.
There’s work to be done.
Chapter 20
Becky
I’m not sure how long I slept, but I wake up with a start when the cell door is flung open and I’m dragged, still groggy, to my feet and shoved down the hallway back toward the command center. When I come around the corner it takes everything in my power not to tip my hand.
Fiari!
And this time it’s definitely him. As he stands beside his uncle, the king, the resemblance is freakish. Kerx literally just looks like an older, angrier version of Fiari. But what the hell is he doing here? Had there really been enough time to send him back, or had he somehow escaped from Orean on his own?
“Ah,” Fiari says placidly. “So, this is the woman? Well, I can certainly see the appeal, uncle. And after such a harrowing journey, I cannot deny there are certain... pleasures... I’ve missed. But you’ve made sure, yes? What she said about her body chemistry? It was a lie?”
“Yes, nephew, the Earth woman was trying to forestall the inevitable, but our sages have uncovered her lies.”
“Good. The last thing I’d want is to return from forced exile only to be poisoned on my wedding night.”
“Excuse me?” I shriek. “What the hell is this now?”
“I see what you mean about her tongue,” Fiari calmly chuckles. “Well, I’m sure she won’t be doing much back-talking once I get her alone. Whether she wants me to or not.”
Holy shit... What the hell is happening?
“Yes, yes, I’m sure you two will get along just fine,” the king grumbles, “but we can deal with all this after we’ve obliterated King S’oraj. I’m sure the death of her ‘fated mate’ will mellow this demon shanin some. Might even make her pliable for you, nephew.”
“Indeed, uncle. I thank you for this gift, and for the honor of witnessing your victory.”
“Oh, come now! This victory shall be yours as much as it will be mine! And now that you’ve seen your reward, someone return her to her cell. And get the weapon loaded onto my personal flagship. I think I’d like to deliver this package myself.”
“Go ahead!” I roar. “Put me anywhere you like, it won’t matter! S’oraj will destroy all of you, and I swear to God – or whatever god you fucking assholes believe in – even if my pussy doesn’t poison him, I’ll kill him one way or another. Just fucking try me!”
“Ooo, she is spirited,” Fiari beams.
This sonofabitch. He’s been planning this all along. He just used S’oraj and the rest of Orean to get himself back here so he could destroy them! And none of us saw it coming! I have to get away from him. I have to call S’oraj! If they’re bringing the weapon to Orean right now, he has to do something or tens of thousands of his people are going to be killed!
“Your Majesty, let me take her back to her cell personally. I think she and I need a moment to get acquainted before you and I depart.”
“Very well. Just make it quick. As soon as the weapon is loaded, I want to move out. This has been a long time coming and I’m impatient to watch Orean burn.”
Fiari detaches himself from Kerx and strides toward me, taking me by the upper arm and dragging me down the corridor back toward my cell. I fight against his grip, but he’s too strong to writhe free. As we leave the command center, I see High Commander Griz — wait, no; just regular Commander now that Fiari’s back. His face turns from a dejected scowl to a wolfish grin just as we round the corner and disappear from view.
There are only a few turns in the corridors before we’re back at the cell. I’ll have to act fast. As soon as we’re far enough away from the command center that no one will hear us, I flick my fingers against each other, opening a communication line to S’oraj, then without warning, spin around and slam my heel into Fiari’s shin as hard as I can. He cries out in pain and his grip loosens enough that I can wrench myself free.
I sprint down the hallway, not even sure where I’m trying to go, but away from him first. I can figure out a place to hide or a way off this ship later. For now, I just have to get away.
I hear S’oraj come onto the line, but I don’t have time to fill him in. He’ll just have to figure out what’s happening as we go. I round another corner and look all around, but there’s no obvious place to hide. Then, as if I needed another shock, Fiari surprises me.
“B’ecky — drak, that hurt — I’m trying to rescue you, blast it!”
I stop in my tracks and peek back around the corner. S’oraj stops asking what’s going on and just listens. I take a few tentative steps back toward him as he massages his shin, sitting against the wall.
“What do you mean? You just said—”
“Yes, I know what I said! I had to put on that act to be sure that Kerx would still trust me after all this time. But just listen to me.” He pulls himself back to his feet. “We don’t have much time. My men are planting bombs all around this base as we speak. My plan was to destroy the base with the weapon still in it, but we’re out of time. Kerx knows that Orean has no defense against it – I don’t know how he found out, but he was the one who sent some men to rescue me from the dungeon and bring me home.”
“He already knew that when I was first brought here. I tried to convince him that we’d fed him that lie so that he wouldn’t find out about a more powerful weapon in Orean’s arsenal, but I didn’t know if it would work.”
“Well, he didn’t buy it,” Fiari continues. “He knows Orean is defenseless and he plans to take out Orajal and S’oraj along with it. However G’rava and K’orx have been getting their information, they’ve done a blasted good job of it.”
My head is still spinning, but he doesn’t give me time to catch up. “Listen to me. He’s taking me with him on his personal flagship to debut this weapon himself. I managed to convince him that you’d be better kept here rather than with us, so I’m going to have to get you back in your cell, but that also means that Kerx will be off-world for some time starting very soon. There’s also not a ton of time before we’ll need to detonate the bombs. If S’oraj is planning a rescue, he’d better move now.”
“But why is he trying to give me to you? Why not keep me for himself? He doesn’t exactly seem like the loving uncle type.”
“Because he was lying. His sages don’t have a clue about S’ulin Karas. He probably believes you and is trying to rid himself of his only legitimate rival. He can feel his power slipping through his fingers like sand, but with me out of the way he’d be able to hold on to his rule a while longer. But there are more rebels around than those who were with me on Mon Alto. He knows his reign is ending and he’s thrashing about to try to retain it.”
“Which is why he’s hand-delivering this blow to Orean.”
“Exactly—”
Just then, a small group of soldiers stomp by at the end of th
e corridor and, without missing a beat, Fiari slams me up against the wall and pretends to force his mouth on mine. He really just blocks their view with the back of his head, getting his face up against my cheek, but the struggle I put up against him is real. I hear the soldiers hoot and applaud before carrying on their way. As soon as they are out of earshot, he pulls away.
“What the fuck?” I snap, shoving him off me.
“Now they’ll all really buy it,” he says plainly. “We’re out of time. I have to get back. Just get in your cell and wait for S’oraj. He must be ready to make his move, and as soon as he sees the flagship leaving, I bet you he will. Once I know the two of you are out of here, blow this place. I’ll leave the detonator underneath the surveillance array in the command center. Now, come on; we’ve got to move.”
He gets me back into my cage and locks the door. I think about explaining that S’oraj was listening to everything that just happened, but there isn’t enough time. He wishes me luck and vanishes back down the hallway toward the command center.
“S’oraj?” I ask into the lonely air.
“We’re on our way.”
Chapter 21
S’oraj
I leave the line with B’ecky open as I hail X’oran where he is on the low-orbit station.
“Your Majesty.”
“Kerx is coming with a full fleet and the new weapon. Scramble every available warship and defensive protocol. Consider this an all-out offensive heading straight for Orajal. No time to explain further, just inform V’orin and get every commander and ship between Orean and the incoming fleet.”
“Please confirm, sir: not a drill?”
“Not a drill.”
“Understood.” Oraj bless that kren. I’m sure Jenny gets annoyed with his stoicism, but it’s such a bounty to have a soldier like him in command of so many of my forces.
I turn to the men I brought with me and fill them in. “Everyone, listen up! We’re moving out and taking Rax’s primary military base. It seems that King Kerx, accompanied by our agent, is loading this new experimental weapon onto his own ship and leading a force against our home. The other commanders will have to handle him. Our task is simple. The base will be more or less deserted save for a few remaining troops; only those necessary to keep it operational. We will move in, subdue the Raxian forces in the base, extract the Palian, blow the base using the charges Fiari left behind for us, and get out of there. Watch each other’s backs, keep your eyes up, and don’t let a single Raxian soldier get away. We have to be in and out before anyone can alert any other base. Is that understood?”
My krens shout their assent.
“Good. The fate of our entire world – all our families – our planet itself– rests on this operation. Mount up!”
I turn away as they scramble to load the ship and arm themselves to the teeth. “B’ecky, did you hear all that?”
“‘The Palian?’” she asks snidely.
“Forgive the impersonality of that,” I apologize. “We’ve run out of time for—”
“S’oraj, I’m kidding,” she says. “Just get here fast. I don’t know how long it’ll be before Kerx and Fiari are out of orbit, but they’re moving quickly. And don’t die.”
“You either.”
I end the transmission in order to focus more fully. I double check each piece of my equipment – body armor, blaster, rifle, helmet, everything – and pile in with the rest of my men, taking the co-pilot seat myself. Within moments, we’re off the moon and using the planet’s gravitational pull to drag us toward the base without putting off any energy signature. The closer we can get before making any noise, the less likely it is that anyone will notice us.
As we descend toward the atmosphere, the pilot powers up the ship again and fires reverse thrusters to slow our landing to a safe speed. Not smooth, but safe, at least. On our approach, my jaw drops open as I see the force leaving Raxian airspace.
“Oraj defend us,” I can’t help but gasp. The pilot beside me gapes as well, and several other soldiers behind me can see through the cabin door and out the windshield. Hundreds – no, likely thousands – of ships are following behind one enormous ship with what looks like a menacing tumor stuck to the bottom.
“So that’s it?” the pilot asks in awe.
“That’s it,” I confirm. “Now, come on. Get us down there. They’re on the move. This is our one chance, so let’s not waste it.”
The pilot shakes off his shock and brings us down into the atmosphere. Flames surround the hull as we’re buffeted back and forth in the turbulence. He’s a good kren, this pilot. Captain L’efyen if I remember rightly. X’oran recommended him personally and I can see why. I’ve made plenty of high speed atmo drops, but never have I seen a pilot handle one with such finesse. It feels like no time at all before our forward thrusters are back online and we’re rocketing toward the base barely above the surface of the planet, well underneath scanner range.
“Everyone, get ready!” I call back to my krens. Rifles’ safety latches are clicked off as they all make final checks of their armor. “Remember: eliminate any resistance. Subdue or take out every soldier you encounter. No one gets away. Our objectives are the brig and the command center. We’re in and out of there before any word can get out about our presence. Now let’s do this!”
The krens in the hold holler their battle cries as L’efyen brings the shuttle to a standstill just a few strides from the open hangar door. One more short push brings us inside and up against our first hurdle. Fortunately, the onboard weapons on this shuttle are plenty to deal with this first wave. The few remaining Raxians manning the shuttle bay gape in disbelief at the sight of our ship for just long enough for L’efyen to target them perfectly. In the blink of an eye, he blasts the handful of guards out of our way, slams the landing gear down, and opens our bay doors.
We pile out in a hurry, immediately splitting into two squadrons. Another captain takes half of my krens left, while I take the other half right toward the brig. Our coms continuously chatter with updates. The group making their way to the command center immediately encounters resistance but puts it down rapidly and continues onward. It takes a few turns through the hallways before we hit our next hurdle, but when we do, the krens with me don’t even give me the opportunity to fire once before they deal with the guards ahead of us.
They still don’t know we’re here. We’ve got the element of surprise.
“Don’t let up,” I whisper over the coms. “Keep up the pace.”
We round another corner and I immediately pull everyone back. Three guards block the door to the high security wing of the brig. Even with only a short glance at them, I can see that, while one of them has been in the service a while and has the jaded attitude to prove it, the other two are young and fresh and eager. A bad combination in a soldier.
I signal to the soldiers I have with me exactly what I saw. Two of them creep forward and peek around the corner quickly, confirming the locations of each of the three guards. “Quietly,” I urge them. They nod, then position themselves. One takes a knee while the other stands behind him. The lower one reaches up and taps the standing one on the belly; he looks down. The kneeling soldier signals, “I’ll take the two on the left, you take the one on the right.” The standing one nods again and awaits the signal.
The lead counts down on his fingers; three... two... one...
In a flash of blaster fire and crackling air, it’s over before I can wince. We pile around the corner and, while a pair of soldiers pull the Raxian bodies out of the way, my technician steals a keycard from the more senior officer’s body and opens the brig door. We run into the secured corridor as a team and, painfully, ignoring B’ecky for a moment, plow through to the other end of the hallway where we slide open the door and eliminate the threat on that end as well.
Only then does one of my captains whisper, “Clear!”
I run back to the cell, swipe the key card, and embrace B’ecky before another moment goes by.
“Come on,” I breathe. “We don’t have much time.”
How I would love to have a moment to spare in this instant... How I would love to hold her and have her here and now. How I would love to soothe her and calm her and care for her, but there simply isn’t time. It breaks my heart in pieces to have to hurry along like this. Kerx, you will pay for it. I will see to that.
I hail to my squadron to form up on me in the little corridor outside her cell. “Split up,” I order. “You three take point and get us to the command center this way. You three make your way back toward the hanger and make sure L’efyen has no interference. Once we retrieve the detonator, we’ll be coming fast. We won’t have time to deal with any additional troops. You have your orders. Move!”
The team I sent back toward the hangar hustles off while B’ecky and I fall in behind the team who’ll lead us to the command center. As we turn through corridor after corridor, the bodies of the soldiers who got in our other squadron’s way make B’ecky flinch and recoil.
“This isn’t what I wanted...” she whispers.
“This isn’t what any of us wanted,” I assure her. “But Kerx has forced our hand. Come on. We’re almost through here.”
We run around yet another bend in our path with my three krens ahead of us when, taking us all off guard, a Raxian soldier leaps out from some storage room or other and fires a round, nearly taking my head off. I duck and raise my rifle to return fire, but before the muzzle is even up, B’ecky has activated the subdermal tranquilizer dart in her arm and subdued him. His body falls to the ground, fast asleep in an instant. I gape at her quick thinking, and as I turn toward her, I see that the rest of my krens are equally impressed.
“Well, well,” I chuckle. “Nice shot, my little commander.”
She smiles at the compliment but shakes her head. “Mm... I prefer it when you call me your ‘queen.’” She throws me a little wink, then nods us forward. We make the final sprint to the command center, meeting up with the other squad.