“If we’re digging for the beast’s heart, Commander Nox just shot out the brain,” Tyrale explained. “I’m pretty sure that was their command center.”
Each pulse from the Triumphant began to cause real damage. “Their shields are down, men. Redouble your efforts. Let’s end this thing!”
Apparently the trackers heard the order as well as Sedrik’s bridge officers. They targeted the larger ship and pummeled it with energy blasts and explosive projectiles. Meanwhile, the Triumphant remained focused on the ship’s major systems, disabling them one by one.
The barrage only stopped when the Evonti ship hung lifeless in space. “Hail them.”
“I’ve tried, sir. There’s no response.”
Trepidation knotted Sedrik’s gut. The battle was won, but many of the Stingers were still engaged with their Evonti counterparts. “Call back our Stingers!” The uneasiness mounted until Sedrik’s ears rang and his brain buzzed. “Back us off, now.” Then over the intership link, he yelled, “Kotto get the Crusader out of—”
His warning was swallowed by a deafening boom as the Evonti ship exploded. The veiwscreeen became a fireball so bright, Sedrik had to look away. Then the small Evonti ships followed their master’s example, bursting all over the sector like sparks in the night.
“Unbelievable,” Tyrale sneered.
Sedrik agreed, but he had a greater concern. “Crusader, report.” Silence greeted the call and Sedrik forced himself to breathe. “Kotto, are you out there?” There was so much smoke and debris, it was impossible to get a visual.
He heard static and then a muted voice cutting in and out.
Hope, even more painful than his fear, doubled his already racing pulse. He looked at the com center. “Can you clean that up? Was it them?”
“I believe so, sir,” the com-chief said. “Let me try it now.”
“This is the Crusader.” Though still crackling with interference, the voice was now intelligible. “We’re a bit singed and a lot shook up, but everyone’s alive.”
Sedrik didn’t recognize the voice. “Who’s speaking?”
“Nav-apprentice Linstra, sir. The blast knocked out most of the officers, but I don’t think anyone’s hurt bad.”
“Do you need medical assistance?”
Tyrale didn’t wait for his answer. He dispatched two mobile medical teams to the Crusader.
“Commander Tarr is waking up, sir. Linstra, out.”
“You with us, Kotto?” Sedrik’s heartbeat gradually returned to normal.
“Barely, sir. If we hadn’t reversed our thrusters… Your warning came just in time.”
Warmed by the praise, yet not yet sure that all of his men had reacted as quickly. “Help is on its way, Lux out.” He turned to Tyrale. “Did we lose any Stingers?”
His stricken expression warned of bad news. “Seven, sir. I’m sorry.”
Not as sorry as he was. Each stinger operated with a two man crew. If he’d issued the warnings a few moments earlier or—he stopped himself as trepidation surged again. “Show me sector four.”
He recognized the landmass as Africa, but the sky was devoid of ships. “Where’s the Fearless and the Defender? What happened to the Evonti ship?”
“Arvik to Lux, we’re all safe,” Jakkin responded over the intership link. “Same story here, sir. The damn thing just exploded. We’re on our way to you.”
“Was anyone hurt?” This was supposed to have been little more than a demonstration and fourteen lives had been lost.
“Not a scratch, sir,” Trant Lorag chimed in. “Our wise general told us to hang back.”
“Glad to hear it.” There were no prisoners to interrogate, no captured ships to dismantle. All the portals were destroyed and they’d successfully stopped the Evonti invasion. So why didn’t this feel more like a win? “Return to Lunar Nine, or your assigned positions. This mission is officially over.”
A wave of happy cries and cheers lit up the intership link and his bridge crew took up the ruckus celebration. Sedrik smiled. That was more like it.
Tyrale slapped him on the back. “Well done, General Lux. Well done!”
Rather than joining the cheers, he let sincerity fill his voice as he said, “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Go let your mate know her world is safe,” Tyrale suggested with a wink.
“Except that we’re still at war.” He shook his head at the irony, but accepted Tyrale’s invitation to enjoy a private celebration.
Rebecca threw herself into his arms as he walked through the door to their cabin. “I was so worried about you.” She squeezed him tightly, ear pressed over his heart.
“I’m fine, love. Why are you so…” He gazed over her head and spotted the workstation across the room. It had been activated and she’d used security feeds to watch the action in the control center. The little minx had been spying on him! “Who taught you how to—my mother. It had to be my mother.”
Rebecca pushed back far enough so she could look into his eyes. “She tried to distract me, but I could sense your emotions well enough to know it had gotten really bad. So she talked me through the steps. It was no big deal.”
Only because she’d used his workstation with all of his rights and passcodes. “Well, no harm was done. But it sounds like I need to block all my mother’s coms.”
“It wasn’t her fault. I insisted.”
He just shook his head. Their rapidly forming alliance was going to cause him all sorts of trouble. Still, he let it go with a laugh. The last thing in the universe he wanted right now was to argue with his mate.
“I promised I’d be back for dinner and here I am.”
“And what would you like for ‘dinner’?” She grinned, obviously guessing where this was leading.
He swept her off her feet and headed for the bedroom. “You, my love. Always you.”
Epilogue
Two weeks later
Sedrik sat at the small round table in his office. Garin Nox was seated across from him and Morgan Hoyt was on his left. She’d requested the meeting and asked that they both be there in person. Garin hadn’t visited Earth-space for several months so he agreed to make the trip from Rodymia. Morgan had instigated the meeting, so Sedrik waited for her to begin.
“Thank you for coming, Garin. I just felt this needed to be done in person.”
Sedrik tensed at her familiarity, but Garin didn’t seem offended.
“It’s nice to see you again.” Garin even managed to smile at her. “Is Nazerel with you?” That was right. Morgan was mated to one of Garin’s cousins. Sedrik had forgotten about the connection.
“I’m sorry. He’s not, but he told me to say hello for him.”
Garin seemed genuinely disappointed. “Maybe I’ll drop by the Bunker before I head home. It’s been too long.”
“We’d both enjoy that.”
Sedrik was dying to know why Morgan had requested the meeting, so he prompted, “Was this why you asked him here?” He kept his tone just light enough that it didn’t sound too sarcastic.
“This battle born adventure began with Garin,” she said. “He was the driving force behind the rebellion. You, on the other hand, have brought it to a close. I wanted to make sure Garin was satisfied with the conclusion because it was his baby from the beginning.”
“What conclusion?” Garin challenged. “It was my understanding that the United Nations refused to rescind the declaration of war.”
“They have been arguing for the past two weeks and have still failed to come to a consensus on how to resolve the issue. However, the U.S. ambassador was able to negotiate her way to a partial resolution.” She reached into her leather briefcase and withdrew an official-looking document. “This is an official complaint from the United Nations regarding the conduct of the battle born before the Evonti invasion. Obviously they have no quarrel with your actions since. The complaint replaces the declaration of war.”
“The United Nations can complain all they like. They have
no jurisdiction over us,” Garin objected. “Do they even realize we’re not human?”
Morgan laughed and shook her head. “If they did nothing, they would look weak.”
“Well, this makes them look foolish,” Sedrik concluded.
“I happen to agree. However, there is a bright side. The United States has taken a much different stand than the U.N.” She returned to her briefcase and pulled out another document. “This, gentlemen is a proposed alliance between the United States Government and the Rodyte Planetary Defense Force. It extols your defense of Earth against the Evonti invaders and offers to assist and support the transformation program in any way possible. The offered services include, but are not limited to, recruitment of compatible females and expediting applications. America is grateful and we’d like to demonstrate our appreciation.”
Garin pressed back in his chair and indulged in a full-on belly laugh. “Oh this is rich. If I’d known scaring the living shit out of your bosses was the best strategy, I would have tried it when I first arrived.”
Morgan looked embarrassed, but all she said was, “Do you have any objections to the proposed alliance?”
“Of course we don’t,” Garin stressed. “It’s exactly what we’ve wanted all along.”
“They did have a front-row seat for the action,” Sedrik reminded. “Sector two was centered over the U.S.”
Morgan looked at Sedrik and flashed a tentative smile. “Has the volunteer rate improved? I was told the ridiculous declaration of war had an adverse effect on your efforts.”
“To say the least.” He sighed. Morgan hadn’t been responsible for that nonsense and it was over now, so there was no reason to make her feel even worse than she already felt. “And yes, we suddenly have more applications than we know what to do with. Everyone wants to help out Earth’s new heroes.”
“You can’t blame them. If you hadn’t been here, Earth would now be under Evonti control.”
She was right. It was just frustrating that honesty and logic hadn’t been enough to sway them. “The alliance is wonderful. I appreciate your efforts.”
“I’m just the messenger girl.”
Both generals laughed. “We know better,” Garin said. “We might not always agree, but you’ve always been our advocate. Those who know how hard you fight behind the scenes are thankful that you’re on our side.”
“Thank you.” She fastened her briefcase and pushed back her chair. “I won’t keep you. If you want changes to the U.S. document, let me know. With the U.N. ‘citation’ I really am just the messenger.”
They all stood and shook hands, then Sedrik told his assistant to escort her back to her shuttle.
“I didn’t realize you knew her that well,” Sedrik said after she’d gone.
“We’ve sometimes had a sort of love/hate relationship, but ultimately she’s one of the good guys.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, each lost in thought. “It’s been a long time coming, but we just might pull this off.” Joy surged through Sedrik as he heard his own words.
“I hate to put a damper on our victory, but there is still a loose end we need to discuss,” Garin cautioned.
“The Outcasts?” Sedrik sighed. He’d been strategizing since their mass exodus and had come up with exactly nothing that he could do.
“No. We’ll respond to the Outcasts when and if information regarding them develops. I meant Abaddon. If he was on Earth when the portals were destroyed, he could still be out there.”
Sedrik shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way with the Evonti. He was either in their dimension when the battle took place or he’s dead.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Because of Jim Dayton. One of his memory fragments revealed that Evonti operatives are expected to vaporize themselves rather than risk being captured.”
Garin thought for a moment then nodded. “Makes sense. They made damn sure no other evidence of their existence survived. Why should their operatives be any different?” He nodded again, apparently satisfied with the answer. “If we finally have the U.S.’s full cooperation, the transformations will go fast.”
“And then what? Our battle born brethren will finally feel whole, but what becomes of them then?”
“The future is whatever they want it to be. Some will stay here on Earth, others will return to Rodymia, and still others will move on with their mates and find something entirely new. We’ve opened the cage and given them the tools they need to succeed. What they choose to do with opportunity is up to them.”
Sedrik smiled and slapped his friend on the back. “That’s why you’re the apex general, because you’re so damn smart.”
Garin laughed and returned the affectionate slap. “Are you going to introduce me to this mate of yours, or are you hiding her from me?”
“She’s anxious to meet you. Come on. She’s in our quarters, probably working out with my mother.” He motioned toward the door.
“Working out with your mother?”
Sedrik told him about the ghost guide program as they walked to the residential section of the ship.
“Sounds like Skyla,” Garin said once he’d heard the entire story. “Now I’m really curious about Rebecca.”
“They are getting along much too well. It makes me really nervous.”
Garin waved away his concern. “Your mother might be obscenely powerful, but she’s harmless.”
“My father would disagree.”
“I’m not going to stay,” Garin told him as they neared the door. “I have too many people to see while I’m here.”
“Like Zilor?” Sedrik guessed. “Have you seen the feed of his maneuvers during the fight? Your little brother is fearless.”
“My little brother is reckless, the primary reason I need to see him.” Sedrik reached for the scanner, but Garin stopped him. “You’ve done an amazing job of bringing this all together. You’ve more than lived up to my confidence in you.”
Sedrik tensed, unsure where the praise was leading. “Is this where you tell me I’ve been recalled and you’re appointing someone else in my place?”
“Good gods, no. Earth-space is your territory. It’s just nice that humans have finally accepted the fact.”
“At least the humans living in the U.S.” Sedrik laughed and scanned open the door.
True to his word, Garin didn’t tarry. He shook hands with Rebecca, asked her a few questions, then took his leave.
“So that’s Apex General Nox.” She made a face. “I thought he’d be taller.”
Sedrik found the comment hilarious. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly in between peals of laughter.
“You’re in a good mood. What was the meeting about? Why did AG Nox need to be there in person?”
He told her about the proposal and the U.N.’s “complaint”.
“Unbelievable,” she grumbled.
“Which part? The proposal or the complaint?”
“The complaint. Talk about ingratitude. But the proposal sounds wonderful. Do you think they’ll follow through with it?”
“I’m cautiously optimistic.” He rested his chin on top of her head and released a slow sigh. “I guess this only leaves locating the Outcasts and rescuing their captive brides.”
She eased away from him and tilted her head back until their eyes met. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. I had the strangest dream. I’m not sure it was a vision, but it was different than any dream I’ve ever had before.”
“What did you see?”
“One of your ships found the Outcasts. They had settled on this wild planet and were working hard to build a home for themselves.”
“Did we rescue the women?”
“That’s the strange part. I know this was in the future, but I’m not sure how long. Anyway, by the time we found them there were only four women who wanted to be rescued. All the others chose to stay—”
“With their mates?” he guessed.
“
The dream wasn’t that detailed, but that would be my guess.”
He thought of several possible meanings for the dream, unsure which made the most sense. “Are you saying we don’t need to search for them, or that they’re in trouble and we need to hurry?”
“I’m not even sure it was a psychic dream.”
“I don’t believe you.” He lifted her off her feet so he could kiss her mouth. “Did you see Thea in the dream? What about Lily?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t see any of the females. All I know is my fear is gone. I honestly think the majority of those women are right where they belong.”
“Like you?” Hooking his arm beneath her knees, he cradled her in his arms.
“Like us,” she stressed, then ended the conversation with a passionate kiss.
THE END
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