“To find her father.” Gwenodyn winced. “She left before you were made queen, didn’t even know about him dying on Niesgoo.”
Cosmos! The love of her life was dead, and security had let her daughter run away. How did the council and Alliance expect her to lead her people when her whole life had shattered?
Chapter Eleven
Katrina rushed off the shuttle and through the shuttle bay toward the main corridor of the carrier. On her journey away from Hemera, she’d overheard the news about the disaster on Niesgoo, but she didn’t for one second believe her father dead. She wanted to be part of the team sent to the planet to search for survivors. Heck, she wanted to be a Defender, and she’d do whatever it took to get Bryce back to her mother. The woman needed another adult to talk to when she left. Back on Earth, Katrina had worried about what her mother would do when she went away to university. At first, she’d believed her absence would bring her parents back together. Then, as the man she believed to be her father visited less and less, she gave up on the idea. If Bryce lived on Hemera with her mother, Katrina wouldn’t worry or feel guilty about abandoning the new queen.
Without bothering to knock, Katrina stormed into Kimba’s office. The Alliance leader glanced up at her, her short tentacles waving around, before she said goodbye to whomever she’d been talking to on her com unit.
“Well, this is a surprise.” Kimba folded her hands in front of her. “What can I do for you, Princess Katrina?”
“I want to go to Niesgoo and help the Defenders rescue Bryce’s squad and the other survivors.”
Kimba sat back. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. There are no survivors. No communication has been received from the planet at all. So, no rescue mission has been sent.”
No, no, no! “I don’t believe you,” Katrina screamed instead of charging the Alliance Leader and knocking her off her chair. She may have only known her real father for a few weeks, but she had a strong feeling he hadn’t yet expired. And her mom had always told her to trust her gut. “You’re wrong. You have to go get them.”
“Princess, calm yourself. I understand you are upset over the loss of your father, but there’s nothing I can do. They’re all dead. All one hundred Defenders I sent there.”
“No!” The leader’s acceptance of the blame didn’t work for her. She needed action. Katrina shoved the chair beside her, imagining the leader in it. “You may be responsible for sending them to Niesgoo, but you’re only responsible for their deaths if you leave them there to die.”
The Alliance leader glanced away without a response.
Why refuse to send a rescue shuttle? From all the stories she’d been told from Bryce and other Defenders, a team was always sent to search for possible survivors when communication stopped. Why had protocol been dismissed for this mission?
Shit, what would it take to convince Kimba to go there and get Bryce? She had nothing to offer but herself. “I’ll become a Defender,” she blurted out. “I’ll dedicate my life to the Alliance if you send a shuttle to search for survivors.”
“Katrina, I—”
“Please, I beg you. I’ll take a shuttle by myself if you can’t spare any Defenders, but I need to go to Niesgoo. I need to know for sure.”
Kimba glanced up at her again and rested the tips of her fingers against each other. “So, this is the bravery and determination everyone has told me about. Qualities we desire in our recruits. But logic is also important.”
“Logic tells me they are still alive. If something happened and their com system is down, they can’t communicate to tell you they’re still alive.”
The leader pressed her knuckles to her mouth then set her hands in her lap. “On Niesgoo, all squads report to base camp when the sun sets. They had started to come in when the ground shook. Then we heard an explosion right before we lost contact. They all died.”
Katrina stepped back, terror pressing down on her chest. “No. I would know if he was dead. I refuse to believe it.” She couldn’t shake the feeling no matter how hard she tried.
“Anyone who failed to make it to camp before the explosion would have frozen to death overnight. The evening temperatures dip too low for any Defender to survive.”
“Then why aren’t there Defenders on Niesgoo already?” Katrina fell to her knees, tears falling down her cheeks, all hope fading away. “Why didn’t you rescue them the second you lost communication?”
“Because I deemed the safety of Hemera until the erection of the dome to be more important. As you know, the Defenders stationed there just returned, and it’s too late to send anyone now.”
Katrina pinched the bridge of her nose. The Alliance had chosen her mother’s planet over the lives of their own Defenders? “Why?”
The leader crossed her legs. “After the latest Erebus attack on Hemera, the population is ten percent of what it used to be. Whereas the lives lost on Niesgoo represented five percent of our total Defenders. It was all about the numbers.”
Katrina rose to her feet and gripped the arms of the Alliance leader’s chair, holding her in. “They’re not numbers. They’re people, and they’re still alive.”
“Fine, Princess Katrina.” Kimba pursed her lips. “If you believe they’re still alive, you can board a shuttle with one Defender. That’s all I can spare for this useless trip. And when you return after realizing they’ve all perished, you will immediately be enrolled in Defender training. If something happens and you don’t return, do not expect anyone to come after you. It will not happen.”
“When I return with my father and the other survivors....” Katrina flared her nostrils as she stared down the leader. “I will stay with Bryce until he recovers. Then I will see my parents married before I return to the carrier to continue my Defender training. I’ve already completed many of the simulations.”
“All the more reason for you to give up on this senseless mission and become an official Defender.”
“I’m going to Niesgoo, and I’m coming back with survivors.” Katrina stepped back. Somehow, she’d gotten what she wanted from Kimba. But then maybe the leader gotten what she wanted as well. “So, let’s get going. And the Defender coming with me has to be a Mingot. I don’t care who.”
Within ten minutes, Katrina had raced back down to the shuttle bay with red lights warming of a portal jump flashing all around. She strapped herself into a harness seat along the inner wall in preparation for the jump through the Vesva portal. Her empty stomach would definitely reduce the queasiness caused by another jump.
A minute later, the lights turned off, the safety seat warning over. Had they already made the jump? She clasped the buckle, but hesitated to open it. If the carrier leaped through the portal when she was loose, she could be tossed around the bay.
The door on the other side of the room opened, and a Defender strolled toward her. Must be safe to get out of her seat. Katrina unbuckled the harness and headed toward him.
“Hey.” The Defender tossed her a stack of clothing and what looked like a packaged granola bar. “Something to change into and eat before we head out. I could hear your stomach rumbling from the next floor up.”
“Thanks.” While she was grateful for the nourishment and the chance to change out of her lehenga before reaching Niesgoo, the Defender’s appearance kept her from taking advantage of any of it. He was a Mingot, but instead of the normal bald head, he had long, dark, wavy hair worn tied in the back. She recognized him from the group of Defenders who’d come to their rescue on Hemera right after the Erebus attack. Very hot for a Mingot.
“Thanks, I think, but I’m already involved with someone.”
Katrina’s cheeks burned. “I thought you weren’t supposed to read minds without permission.” If every Mingot knew her thoughts on this ship, she’d die of embarrassment.
“Then you need to learn not to broadcast your feelings so much.” He pointed to the other side of the room. “Every Defender up in the lounge can probably hear what you’re thinking without tryin
g to.”
Shit, she would never get used to everyone’s super powers.
He laughed. “You’ll learn soon enough. Name’s Jace.” He held out his hand and shook hers. “I hear we’re going to rescue a bunch of dead Defenders.”
Katrina squeezed his fingers. “They’re still alive. I know it.”
“Whoa. I’m only repeating what I was told.” He pulled his hand back and nodded at the nearby shuttle. “Best we get there soon, or they definitely won’t be.”
Katrina couldn’t get on the shuttle fast enough. Forget about changing and eating. She had to find Bryce and bring him back to her mom.
***
Katrina grasped the back of Jace’s chair and stared over his shoulder at the bright orange blob on the console. “What is it?”
“Base camp.” He magnified the view. “On fire. Cosmos, it’s no wonder we lost communication. It must have been a massive explosion for the place to still be burning.”
A lump formed in Katrina’s throat. What a horrible way to die. But they couldn’t all be dead, could they? Had she given her life to the Alliance, traveled all the way to Niesgoo for nothing? “Are there any...?”
“Survivors?” Jace shook his head. “No, not here. There’s no way anyone could have lived through that.”
Katrina’s knees weakened, and she gripped the chair harder to stay on her feet. Her stomach twisted. How could she have been so wrong?
“Wait.” He raised his head, no longer focused on the screen. “I can hear something. It’s so faint, I’m not sure what it is, but it’s worth checking out.”
She sucked in a deep breath, hoping he heard survivors. “What about Erebus? Could it be you’re picking up a group of them?”
“No.” He switched on the thermal imager. “I can sense Erebus thoughts, but they’re scattered, unintelligible. I’m picking up actual words here. They’re just very faint.”
Hallelujah! There were survivors. Now, they had to find them. Katrina prayed Bryce was among them, wherever their location.
“Target!” Jace pointed to the imager screen. “I’m picking up heat signatures here, here, and here. Buckle up, and we’ll land on the other side of this chasm.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. The sooner they reached the surface, the better chance they had to bring back Defenders alive.
The shuttle headed toward the surface a little faster than Katrina expected. They hit the ground and bounced, the ship leaning to the left. It landed again and stayed on the surface. Hopefully, it would get them back to the carrier in one piece.
Katrina had to convince her fingers to let go of the arm of her chair. “What the hell was that?”
“Sorry.” Jace turned to face her and gulped. “It was my first landing outside of the simulator. No one ever let me fly before.”
What? Kimba had sent her with an inexperienced pilot? Maybe the leader didn’t want her to return and become a Defender after all.
Katrina unbuckled her harness and left the shuttle ahead of Jace. They had no time to waste. Even from across the chasm, the fire blinded her. It radiated so much heat, which might have proved a blessing in keeping the Defenders alive.
Blinking away the bright spots from her vision, Katrina searched for the source of the heat signatures.
“Tents.” Jace walked up behind her. “They’re in tents. You take the first. I’ll take the next one. Call if you need me.”
Her feet raced across the ground before the message reached her brain. She heard faint cries and mumbles from within before opening the zipper. Inside, she found six Defenders curled up in a mound. They were covered in grime and blood, but she couldn’t spot any specific wounds. The smell from within reminded her of the boy’s locker room, though not of death.
“Hello?” She feared moving any of them until she knew if they had any injuries. Thank goodness for her first aid training. Who knew it would prove useful on another planet?
One of the people in the tent, a Warwa, rolled away from the group and squinted up at her. “Who are you?” she said in a croaky voice.
“I’m Katrina, Bryce’s daughter.” She stepped inside and kneeled in front of the woman. “I’m here with Jace. We’ve come to rescue you.”
Another Warwa, probably her brother, parted from the bundle of Defenders. “They sent a Hemera princess and a trainee to rescue us? Nice to know we matter.”
Katrina’s gut ached. She and Jace may be inexperienced, but the Defenders had no one else to help them. “Kimba believes you’re all dead.”
“Well, we’re not.” Another Defender sat up, a Kalaren, like Bryce, though not her father. She had to find him, yet she couldn’t leave these Defenders until she got them safely onto the shuttle.
One by one, she helped them on board, tending to any cuts and broken bones that couldn’t wait until they reached the carrier. Every time she passed Jace, she glanced at him, wondering if he’d found Bryce, but he shook his head. While she tried to remain upbeat as they helped the survivors, she couldn’t avoid the sense of dread weighing on her shoulders.
Jace finished with his last rescue at the same time as her, and they scrambled to the third tent together. He unzipped the tent and as soon as he opened the flap, the putrid stench of dead bodies hit her like a brick wall. She turned away and bent over, gagging. Fuck! She wiped her eyes. If they’d arrived earlier, if Kimba had sent a team sooner, these Defenders wouldn’t be dead.
“Bryce is inside.”
Katrina felt Jace’s hand on her back before she fell to her knees, tears blurring her vision. She’d come all this way, and he’d died because Kimba hadn’t believed.
“Katrina, get up.”
How could she? The sole reason she’d come to Niesgoo was the bring her father back alive. Now, that wouldn’t happen.
“But he is alive.” Jace hooked his hands under her arms and yanked her to her feet. “He’s alive, Katrina. Let’s get him on the shuttle.”
Alive? Was he telling her the truth? She ducked behind him into the tent, unsure what to believe. But, there lay Bryce with what resembled a plastic bag taped to his chest. The bag rose and fell as he breathed. He still lived.
“I’m guessing he has a punctured lung.” Jace set a hand on her shoulder. “We need to get him back now.”
Katrina moved along in a fog during the last few trips to and from the shuttle. She’d found Bryce, but couldn’t process anything. Her emotions shut off, and she worked like a robot, getting the last of the surviving Defenders from the third tent onto the ship. Though, she nearly broke the facade in carrying Rebnaan back to the shuttle. The Nevad screamed out for her dead lover, slashing all four arms around, not wanting to leave Rebreg behind.
After Katrina and Jace had strapped everyone in, she took her seat and sobbed. They’d done it, brought back survivors, including her father. But, fifteen survivors out of the one hundred sent there were not good results. So many more would turn to dust on the surface of Niesgoo. She hadn’t been able to help them.
Chapter Twelve
Bryce rubbed his hands together. He was all set, waiting for the princess to arrive for their first official date. Well, not official since the king had no knowledge of his daughter leaving the palace to spend her time with a Defender. But, it was the first time Lalia had planned to meet him rather than simply looking for an escape from one of the few arrogant suitors her father had lined up for her to consider for marriage.
A date, with the woman he loved. Cosmos, he’d joined the Defenders because it was expected of him, but he’d never thought he’d ever love anyone. His father hadn’t stuck around, probably impregnated females all over Kalara. Maybe other planets, too, as expected of his kind. More babies equaled more Defenders to serve the Alliance. But, with Lalia, he wanted to stick around.
His squad gave him a hard time, called him soft. Yet, they’d helped him to arrange the date, agreed to keep the king from learning of Lalia’s absence. They saw her contrary views, too. No one from Hemera had ever enrolle
d in Defender training. Never. And yet they were stationed here to provide security up until and during the Allorama ceremony. A ceremony to remind the people of Hemera of the riches belonging to the royal family and how poor everyone else remained. Lalia yearned to end the divide. “Share the riches,” she’d said. She told tales of sneaking from the palace as a child to play with the village children but claimed the task to be harder with her father now looking to marry her off.
A knock on the barracks door snapped him from his thoughts. Archer, a Defender from his squad, peeked in the doorway then ducked out of the way to allow Lalia inside. The door closed behind her, leaving him alone with the woman who had made him question his entire life. Dressed in Defender blues, her hair braided behind her, she could be any humanoid woman he’d trained and worked with. Except she wasn’t.
Bryce scrambled to meet her. He’d planned a nice dinner with intimate conversation, yet he could think of nothing but touching her again. Not one night had passed since he’d first met her where he didn’t imagine what it would be like to make love to her. His hands shook with intense need. Too impatient to wait, he undid the snaps of her jumper and reached under her clothing to brush his palms across her soft belly. He clasped her hips and pulled her closer, leaning down to claim her mouth. She was his, regardless of who her father wanted her to marry.
Lalia gripped his shirt, holding him as close as he held her. No objection to his improper lust. But, with her, he couldn’t help himself. She moaned into the kiss, feeding his hunger.
Not daring to break contact, he shuffled backward until he reached his bunk. Or maybe someone else’s. He didn’t care.
He spun around and laid Lalia on the crisp white sheet. Cosmos, he’d fantasized about having her under him since the first time she’d run off on her parents, but never thought it would be possible.
With caution, he slipped the Defender uniform from her precious body. He didn’t want the moment to end, to scare her away. When she wrapped her arms around him and arched her body up to his, he suspected she craved the same connection. The deepest one in all the universe.
BRYCE (Galactic Defenders Book 1) Page 10