Prophesied: Interplanetary League series

by Liz Craven

  Images of Lia lying on his bed, that mane of fiery hair spilling across his pillows, had Talon battling lust as well as fury. With considerable effort, he shoved most of his raging emotions back and concentrated on the conversation. “I’ll move her into my quarters today,” Talon decided, a thrill of pleasure curling in his stomach.

  Caden cleared his throat and to Talon’s annoyance, began shifting in his seat. His council of advisors had suggested Talon take the highest rated N’yotan graduate of the League Academy on his mission to find the Damaia. They argued that when Talon returned successful, Caden’s role in the recovery would inspire other young men to join the Academy and help solidify N’yota’s standing in the League. At the time, Talon had already decided on Thane and Vardin. The addition of a third team member had been no skin off his nose.

  Now his nose was raw and bleeding.

  “What if the Damaia objects to our presence? She is the sovereign,” the youth questioned.

  “The sovereign may not counter military orders or security commands given for her safety,” Thane paraphrased the League manual. “Talon’s orders supersede the Damaia’s when it comes to her security.”

  “Oh.” Caden didn’t sound relieved.

  A chirping sound pierced the air. Talon pressed a button on the communications panel. “First Minister responding,” he said.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt your meeting,” the captain said, his face wavering onto the small screen. “But we have a situation.”

  Talon’s heart leapt to his throat, “Lia—”

  “Still recovers in sickbay,” the captain reassured him. “We’ve picked up a distress call.”

  Somehow he managed not to curse a blue streak. “How far out of our way is the ship?”

  “We won’t even have to alter course,” the captain said. “It’s along our heading.”

  Talon was tempted to tell the captain to ignore the call, but better sense prevailed. Assistance to a floundering vessel often meant the difference between life and death.

  “How long until intercept?” he asked.

  “At present speed, half an hour.”

  Talon nodded. “I’ll join you on the bridge,” he said and cut the transmission.

  —

  Lia stepped off the lift and collided with Talon’s back. Still lightheaded and woozy, she stumbled backwards and would have fallen if Talon’s reflexes had been a second slower. He caught her by the upper arms and pulled her sharply back to her feet.

  “What is she doing out of sickbay?” he growled at his sister.

  Ilexa, who had stayed by Lia’s side, raised her hands, palms up. “They transmitted information on the distressed ship to sickbay, and Lia all but fought her way up here.”

  Regaining her equilibrium, Lia pulled her arms from Talon’s grasp. She hated it when people talked about her like she wasn’t there. “She can speak for herself,” she announced, stepping around the infuriating man.

  She didn’t get far. Talon fell into step beside her and caught her arm, pulling her to a halt.

  “I want you to return to sickbay,” he told her quietly, but with steel in his voice.

  “No.”

  “You look like you are about to pass out.”

  “I won’t.”

  He didn’t seem reassured by her promise.

  She couldn’t fault his skepticism. Staying on her feet took a great deal of effort, and she probably looked like death warmed over. The soft mattress and silken sheets in her quarters tempted her almost beyond reason…but not quite.

  She owed a debt of honor and for that reason alone, she would fight to stay on the bridge.

  Knowing she couldn’t withstand the force of Talon’s will in her current physical condition, she decided to ignore rather than engage him.

  “Captain, what is the situation on the damaged ship?” she called out.

  Talon stepped back to allow her to face the captain. The rigidity of his movements and tension in his jaw told Lia of his displeasure, but to her relief, he was unwilling to undermine her position.

  The captain rose from his chair in the center of the bridge and motioned towards it. “Lady Lia, please have a seat.”

  Talon hadn’t released her arm and immediately dragged her to the chair.

  She gave her husband a dirty look when he shoved her into the plush, leather chair. After taking a moment to settle into the seat, she turned back to the captain.

  “The ship,” she prodded.

  The captain rattled off a report. “We haven’t been able to establish contact, but long-range scans show severe damage and hull breaches. Life support is functional in less than twenty percent of the vessel.”

  Lia’s stomach plummeted. “Life signs?”

  “We are registering living bio-signs aboard ship, but cannot determine species or number of survivors,” Captain Artrane replied.

  “How long until we reach the ship?” Talon interjected.

  “Ten minutes.”

  “And then?” Talon asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

  “We’ll send a shuttle pod with a security detail to the ship. Barring unforeseen circumstances, we’ll ferry survivors to the Aegir.”

  Lia leaned back in the chair, worry aggravating her queasiness. She was surprised no one had yet realized the identity of the damaged vessel. The captain and crew must not be as notorious as they had been when she wound up on Tmesis.

  Her mind raced as she sought a way to help those aboard the other ship. With any luck, they’d remain unknown. But luck hadn’t been on her side of late. A sudden idea had her jerking upright in the command chair. Her action didn’t go unnoticed. Both Talon and Captain Artrane turned to face her.

  She pretended not to notice, but the two men exchanged a look of put-upon male camaraderie.

  “Lady Lia, if you’d like to retire, I can have regular updates sent to your quarters,” the captain offered.

  “Or sickbay,” Talon suggested.

  Oh no, they weren’t getting her out of that chair. “I’ll wait,” she announced with a forced smile.

  They exchanged another glance, this one clearly of male commiseration.

  Lia dismissed the two men hovering over her from her mind and concentrated on her plan. She didn’t know if it would work, but she doubted anyone else would know the legal intricacies well enough to challenge her.

  She sat in the command chair, her fingers gripping the armrests, and counted as the minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness. Her hands cramped in protest by the time the shuttle pod launched. She waited, expecting a member of the crew to suddenly shout, “Aha!” and identify the ship.

  Only vaguely aware of Talon’s concerned glances, she jumped when his large hand covered hers and began a gentle massage, subtly encouraging her to relax her grip. The unspoken reassurance worked to loosen some of the tension in her slight frame.

  The silver, egg-shaped shuttle pod zipped across the viewscreen and hovered before the foundering vessel.

  “Aegir, this is Run About,” a voice crackled over the initial static of the opening com channel.

  Captain Artrane leaned over Lia and flicked a button on his control pad. “Aegir here, go ahead.”

  “We are able to get better readings at this proximity and are transmitting the ship identification data.”

  A young ensign looked up from his station and nodded at the captain.

  “We’re receiving your transmission, Run About,” Artrane stated.

  The shuttle craft orbited slowly around the damaged ship. “It appears the safest course is to enter the port docking bay. It has the least damage.”

  “Understood. Keep us apprised. Aegir out.”

  “Captain,” the young com officer’s voice cracked, and Lia wondered how old the ensign was. “There’s something odd here.”

  “Odd?” the captain asked.

  “The ship’s registration…it seems to be transmitting five different registries.”

  A more senior officer moved to
look over the ensign’s shoulder. “He’s correct, sir. The ship is transmitting five different registries.”

  The captain nodded. “Likely forged or stolen. Damage to the ship’s system likely caused them all to be broadcast. Ensign, notify the away team the vessel may be a pirate ship and they should consider anyone aboard hostile.”

  Lia’s stomach clenched. She hoped to all the hells that didn’t mean shoot to kill.

  The first officer addressed the men at the com station. “Run the registries against the criminal database.”

  “Already running,” the lieutenant replied. After a pause, he said, “Two of the registries are believed to be aliases for the Dawn Rider.”

  Heads jerked up across the bridge, and the captain scowled. “What’s the status of the away team?”

  An officer at a post Lia couldn’t identify replied, “They’ve left the shuttle and are two decks from the bio-signs. They remain in EVA suits.”

  “Patch me through,” Artrane snapped.

  Lia wondered why he could contact the shuttle, but not the men. Anything to avoid dwelling on the situation at hand.

  “I want you to return to sickbay,” Talon told her quietly. “Ilexa will escort you.”

  “No.” She couldn’t help her biting tone. She’d worry about hurting his feelings later.

  The captain turned to her and she knew he’d heard their exchange, which would require better hearing than humans had. Now she could focus on figuring out his species rather than the crew of the Dawn Rider.

  “Lady Lia, that ship belongs to a ruthless pirate named Brisby. His reputation is legendary. He and his crew are extremely dangerous. It might be best if you were off the bridge during this…incident.”

  In her exhausted state, she felt lightheaded when she stood. The men thought she’d capitulated, but she knew she’d project better on her feet.

  “Captain, this is Lieutenant Commander Alvers.” A new voice crackled through the com accompanied by the strange hiss of the EVA suits.

  “Commander, we have reason to believe you have boarded a pirate ship.”

  “Understood,” came the disembodied reply.

  “Commander, this is Lady Lia acting as representative of League authority. Under no circumstances are you to harm anyone aboard that vessel. Am I understood?”

  There was a pause and the static crackled loudly in the silence. “Understood ma’am.”

  She felt Talon’s anger. His disbelief. Murmurs of surprise and worry for the away team raced across the bridge.

  Lia held her breath, waiting. Would Talon countermand her order? If he did, who would the crew obey? Her position was “hereditary”, but N’yota had elected Talon to its highest government station. He was also a League soldier and the military always preferred their own.

  Talon’s gaze met hers and though his face remained impassive, she almost flinched at the fury burning like molten silver in his eyes. A lone muscle jumped in his jaw before he turned back to stare at the viewscreen.

  She let out her breath slowly. He hadn’t challenged her authority. At least, not in front of the others, but she didn’t doubt he wouldn’t keep silent when they were alone. The idea of him being angry with her hurt more than it should.

  Lying in sickbay, she had recalled the pendant hanging from Talon’s neck. She had given it to him—or rather had it sent to him—for his birthday the year she disappeared. It had been the first gift she’d been allowed to choose. Actually, she had been given a choice of “appropriate gifts”, and she had chosen the simple pendant engraved with runes of protection. She had also taken the gift to the High Priestess for a blessing. Seeing him wearing the gift she had chosen for him made her heart flip with an embarrassing girlish glee.

  Prophets and gods, she hoped trusting the pirate didn’t backfire. A lot might have changed over the years. What if the crew was correct and she had put the away team in danger? Would Talon forgive her if that happened or would he take off the pendant? Guilt and worry rose up to choke her, and she desperately fought not to let it show.

  An eternity crawled by in silence while Lia’s heartbeat pounded loudly in her ears.

  Finally, Commander Alver’s voice broke through on the com panel. “Captain, we have secured the individuals aboard ship. They are a little malnourished, but other than that, they are fine.”

  “Were any of the away team injured?” the captain asked.

  “Negative. The pirates have been most accommodating. Permission to return to Aegir?”

  “Permission granted. Aegir out,” Artrane replied, before turning to the ship’s chief of security.

  “I have a security team standing by to escort our guests to the brig,” Commander Tiberius responded to the unspoken question.

  “I would like Captain Brisby brought directly to the bridge,” Lia interjected.

  “Lady Lia—” The captain began.

  “That is not a request,” she snapped.

  The captain nodded at the security officer and a cold silence fell across the bridge.

  Chapter Eleven

  Whatever Talon had expected the infamous pirate to look like, this was not it.

  The man tottered onto the bridge in a pair of high-heeled knee boots and carried himself with the melodramatic air of an actor. The great pirate Brisby was as wide as he was tall, making his balance on the thin heels precarious at best. His hair—what was left of it—encircled a bald spot that took up most of his head. Watery blue eyes bulged from sockets that appeared too small to hold them. Fat cheeks overwhelmed his virtually non-existent nose and chin. The pirate had a large bottom lip and no discernable upper lip, which made him appear to be pouting.

  Hell, for all Talon could tell, the man was pouting.

  The pirate gave an exaggerated bow, and Talon’s incredulous eyes continued to take in the man’s appearance. If the heels weren’t bad enough, the man wore pantaloons that billowed out from the boots, a snowy white open-necked shirt edged with lace and a waist-length purple velvet cape tied around his neck.

  A smile twitched at the corners of Talon’s lips, and he struggled to keep his face impassive.

  Lia experienced no such difficulty. Her vivid eyes welled with tears, and she nearly knocked the man off his heels when she flung out her arms and grabbed the pirate’s hands.

  “Captain B,” she cried with a genuine fondness Talon had never seen her display before. He felt a surprising twinge of jealousy.

  “Here now,” the strange-looking man said, pulling his hands back and adjusting his cape. His strange bug-eyes narrowed—a feat in and of itself—at her. “Bright Eyes?”

  “Hi Cap’n,” she said with a feeble smile.

  “We thought you were dead. Is Maia with you?”

  Lia’s smile faded. “We crashed on a Mining Guild moon. Maia died on impact.”

  The pirate gave a solemn nod. “What brings you aboard this League ship?”

  Brisby all but spat the word “League”, rankling Talon’s nerves.

  “I’m a dignitary in transport,” Lia replied.

  The pirate snorted with laughter. “That’s a good one, girl. What’d they pinch you for?”

  Lia hesitated. Her gaze met Talon’s and quickly skittered away. Wariness settled in his stomach. She was up to something, and he knew he wasn’t going to like it.

  “Captain Artrane, as sovereign of a League planet, my staff and I have diplomatic immunity in interstellar space, correct?” she asked quietly, not revealing herself to the rest of the crew.

  The ship’s captain looked suspicious and worried. “That’s correct, Lady Lia.”

  It was like watching a transport collision. Talon saw it about to happen, but could do nothing to stop it.

  “I am formally logging Captain Brisby and his crew as my advisory staff. They undertook their responsibilities sometime ago. I must insist you release the rest of my advisors from the brig.”

  Talon heard a grating noise and realized he was grinding his teeth. Captain Artrane turned to
him, clearly uncertain how to handle her bizarre declaration.

  Talon wanted to grab his unpredictable wife and shake her senseless. Not that it would serve a purpose. She’d clearly lost what little sense she’d had. Assuming she’d ever had any.

  He debated countering her command, but decided against it. She was exerting her authority, which meant some level of acceptance of her position. Challenging her for taking her rightful role as the Damaia would only cause problems down the road.

  But he wasn’t about to allow a group of notorious criminals to run free aboard the Aegir. He turned to Captain Artrane, who looked as though Lia had suggested he strip naked and dance about the bridge. “Captain, given the important status of our new guests, perhaps you would consider assigning them a security detail?”

  Relief flashed in the captain’s eyes. “Agreed. Commander Tiberius, please arrange security for our new diplomats and assign them quarters on E Deck.”

  Commander Tiberius moved from his post after entering several commands into the ship’s computer. “Captain Brisby, would you accompany me to your quarters?”

  Talon felt grim satisfaction at the clear order. For all intents and purposes, Brisby and his crew were prisoners, just not confined to the brig.

  Lia appeared relieved rather than upset by the orders issued. He didn’t have time to dwell on her reaction. She began to sway on her feet. Her already pale face turned as white as the snow atop Mount Kilima.

  He reached out and closed his hand around her upper arm in a grip that was none to gentle. His patience gone, Talon let his voice ring out when he declared coldly, “I’ll escort you to your quarters.”

  To his surprise, Lia turned grateful eyes to him. Deciding not to risk a return of her rebellion, he dragged her to the lift opposite the one Brisby boarded.

  They rode in silence, but Talon noticed the lines of strain around her mouth. He quelled the worry he felt. She owed him an explanation for that stunt on the bridge.

  When she turned to enter her quarters, Talon pulled her past the door. She stumbled, but he didn’t slow his pace.