"Van, I was kidding. If you pull a spoon out of your pocket, I swear I'm going to punch you."
Instead of a spoon, Van retrieved the curved piece of black plastic Paul had given her before she left Pandora. She wasn't quite sure how it worked, but remembered he had told her it fit around her ear. Crossing her fingers that there wasn't a dampening field in here, Van slipped it into place.
"What's that?"
Van tapped the front of the communications device, praying that it worked the same way as an ear bud. She let out her breath when she heard the beep of an open line. "Paul, you there?" She kept her voice low so the guards wouldn't hear.
Empty air responded, but then suddenly she heard, "Hell yes, about time you called. You all right?"
"Yes. We're guests of the Gothoans at their headquarters facility."
"We? Ozal reported Bjorg and Yugi were taken out."
"No time. Relay our coordinates to the lifeboat. Tell Ozal to fly in here cloaked."
"And then what? The rescue crew isn't large enough to take the facility and get you out of there."
He sounded confused, but Van was already three steps ahead. "They don't need to either. Paul, I have a crazy idea."
"Uh oh."
The expression on Cade's face mirrored her first officer's concern.
"Have her use the experimental matrix to transport us out. She can lock onto this device to get a fix."
"Captain, it's called experimental for a reason. There's no guarantee—"
"Do it. I'd rather have my atoms scattered than be tortured for information by Mentis and his goons."
"Right, I'll contact you when they're in position."
Van pulled her hair over the device to hide it from the Gothoans. For the first time she was glad she kept it a little longer than regulation.
"How long until they get here?"
"Unknown," Van admitted.
Footsteps interrupted them and Van cursed herself for not remembering the tiny transmitter. The approaching guards could only mean that Mentis was ready for the first round of interrogations. It would take at least a couple of minutes for Ozal to fly the Pemberton into position. She looked toward the cell door, noticing that Cade didn't attempt to stand. Apparently, Yugi's kick had further damaged the wound.
Two guards entered the cell. One of them kept a blast rifle trained on the women while the other opened the door. "Get up," the man with the key ordered.
"I can't," Cade responded. "You may have noticed the leg injury."
He hesitated and then gestured for his partner to help the admiral. Van abruptly caught on to Cade's plan as they made eye contact. The second Gothoan dropped his two-handed grip on the rifle and tramped toward Cade. Both of them had carelessly turned their backs on Van. Intuition told her this was the only chance they'd get. Being shorter than average, she used the key-bearing soldier's weight against him. She drove her foot into the side of his knee, either dislocating the joint or breaking the limb. Van didn't care which, only that the soldier cried out and dropped to the floor. At the same time, Cade swept her uninjured leg sideways and cut the other Gothoan's feet out from under him. When he hit the ground, the rifle went spinning away. Van had it trained on both soldiers before they could regroup.
Her finger had already tightened on the trigger when she stopped herself. She thought of Lieutenant Bjorg lying lifeless on the Gothoan terrain and couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. She reversed the weapon and struck one of the guards with the butt of the rifle. Although she struck him hard, the helmet would absorb most of the shock. It was enough to render him unconscious. The second guard had clambered to his knees and held his hands up in surrender.
"Take off your helmet."
He hesitated in surprise before complying with Van's order. She didn't really care to see his face, more concerned that the soldier had a communications device inside the headgear. She found herself looking into the face of a young, frightened woman.
"What are you going to do to me?"
"Turn around," Van ordered harshly.
The woman opened her mouth to argue, thought better of it and seemed to steel herself for what would come next. Van had to hand it to her for bravery. The soldier probably thought she was about to die, but refused to beg for her life.
"Tie her up."
Cade moved quickly, searching the unconscious guard for restraints. She used what she found to secure the woman's hands behind her back and attach them to her feet. Though restrained, she could still cry out for help and Van's plan rested on catching the Gothoans unaware. Cade tore off the other sleeve of her jacket. She'd be really cold now, but Van didn't plan for her to be on Gothos Prime much longer. She waited patiently while Cade tied the strip of cloth around the soldier's mouth.
Just as she saw Cade finish, Van felt a sharp tingling sensation crawling over her skin. "Get over here!" she said urgently.
Cade's eyes widened and she lunged for Van. Her hand extended and Van thought she reached out, but she couldn't feel anything. Ozal had locked onto Paul's device and was pulling her away.
"Cade!"
She thought she cried out, felt the word leave her throat. Blackness swirled and the brig faded. Seconds took an eternity. Slowly, her vision cleared. Van stood inside the reduced transport hub aboard Pemberton. She discovered Cade's arms wrapped around her neck and she had an up-close view of smudged cleavage.
"Admiral Meryan."
The voice belonged to Lieutenant Commander Ozal. It was the first time Van could remember the woman sounding surprised. She quickly disengaged from Cade and turned to her tactical officer. "Admiral Meryan needs medical assistance. Get us back to Pandora as fast as you can Ozal. I need a comm channel open, now."
Her remaining crew rushed to obey her commands. Lieutenant Osborne reached out to assist Cade into a seat while Ozal jumped back into the pilot's chair and began punching buttons. Pemberton streaked upward toward the atmosphere.
"Channel open, ma'am."
Van leaped into the unoccupied chair beside Ozal and spoke quickly. "Swann to Byra. The Gothoans are planning an invasion. Alert Coalition Headquarters and have all available vessels converge on Alara. If the ghosts take the capital planet, they'll own the sector."
"Understood. Transmitting message as we speak." She heard the urgency in his voice. "Status on your mission?"
Van shook her head. He still didn't think Cade was there. "Successful. Admiral Meryan is aboard." She regretted that she couldn't say the same for Bjorg, but she'd make up for that soon.
"Commander Byra, target all markers on the planet and lay out a full spread of octanitro torpedoes. Concentrate fire on the center of the buoys, which should take care of their fleet."
In response, Van watched ruby light streak past the Pemberton, headed for the surface. Seconds later, a massive explosion issued from the planet below. It wasn't as large as she expected and Van realized her team had never accessed the armory. She knew from the scans she'd taken earlier that the building contained a dampening field that would protect it from the force of the current explosion. Unsure of the extent of the damage, she could safely say the Gothoan armory still existed, regardless of the damage done to their fleet.
"We still don't know how many vessels they already had on scene."
Van looked over her shoulder, surprised to find Cade standing there. "All we can do is hope we warned them in time. You should sit down."
"At least Mentis and Yugi aren't a threat anymore."
Rather than point out they had no proof the two were dead, she said, "We still don't know who's behind all this. You're still in danger, Cade."
Chapter Twenty-two
"HER THIGH WAS badly infected. For a while, I thought she would lose the limb, but she has responded well to the battery of antibiotics. I was able to repair the blast wound without too much trouble, although she may be stuck with a bit of a limp. Admiral Meryan is dehydrated and suffering from malnutrition in addition to a slight case of hypothermia. Ala
rans weren't meant for an extended stay on such a cold planet."
"Prognosis?"
"She needs rest and some decent food, but she'll make a full recovery. At least physically."
"What does that mean?" Van asked sharply.
Doctor Juntao sighed and frowned, a perpetual expression for the older Thuban. "She's been through a prolonged trauma. I'd recommend psychotherapy for post traumatic stress, if I thought she might actually listen to me."
"Can I see her?"
Cade's eyes closed involuntarily. Exhausted by her ordeal, she lost her struggle to remain awake. When she awakened again, she had the feeling that a lot of time had passed. She heard a familiar voice and wondered if Van had ever left sickbay.
Cade resisted the urge to smile. She was surprised at the warmth Van's concern generated. Desire surged through her veins and she struggled not to rein it in. On the planet, fighting for survival, she hadn't allowed emotions to come into play. Now, she couldn't seem to prevent the yearning she felt for the woman who had saved her life for the second time. The most touching part was that Van acted like it was all in a day's work. She never reminded Cade of her bravery or seemed to expect anything in return. It was that nonchalant gallantry as much as anything else that appealed to her. It had been two hours since arriving back aboard Pandora and it felt like she hadn't seen Van for much longer.
"Only for a moment. She needs to sleep."
Van briefly rested a hand on the man's shoulder, already walking across the medical bay. "I promise."
Van made eye contact with her and Cade felt it to her core. She was aware of the doctor as he puttered in his office. If not for his presence, Cade was afraid she'd pull Van down onto the bed and keep her there.
"How are you feeling?"
Considering the question, Cade stayed with safe. "Better. My leg is already starting to itch. Doctor Juntao tells me that's a good sign. How long was I out?"
"A couple of hours. You had me pretty scared."
"Any word on survivors from the planet?"
Van flushed slightly, Cade assumed in anger. "We never finished planting the markers so we didn't get the armory, but the fleet is history. Most of the surrounding structures were vaporized by the blast."
"Most?"
"Yeah. Apparently, some sections of R&D were heavily shielded along with segments of their headquarters. We don't know if Mentis was able to order a strike on the Coalition, but it will take time before we receive a response."
As impressive as it was, twenty-fifth century technology still had limitations. The speed of light was one of them. Their message to headquarters would take about two days. If the rebel military already had ships inside the sector, the warning would be far too late to do any good. They should soon know the Coalition's status. It chaffed that Cade was restricted to this bed when her people needed her.
"I assume we're traveling at full sub-light?"
Van squirmed a little and her response seemed uncomfortable. "We're not at sub-light. We're at jump speed. My orders. I take full responsibility if anything happens."
Of course she did.
Jump speed inside a system was ill advised. The ship's velocity required precise timing, the reason the Coalition used sanctioned jump points but restricted them to outside the solar system. If Pandora's timing was off in the slightest, they could emerge inside the planet.
"ETA?"
"A few more days. The upside is that we managed to hail the Scorpion team and have them abort the mission."
"Scorpion team?" Cade of course knew what a Scorpion assault team was but had understood that Van acted alone in coming to her rescue.
"Oops, guess I forgot to tell you about that. Coalition Headquarters sent a team to investigate rumors that you were on Gothos Prime, but we were closer. I was afraid that by the time they arrived, it would be too late."
Cade had no issues with Van making a preemptive strike. She wouldn't have lasted much longer on the planet. "Trust me, Van, I appreciate your initiative."
Smiling, Van stepped nearer to her bedside and their fingers brushed. "I was so worried about you." Her voice had softened and the moment felt much more intimate than it had a few seconds ago.
"Did I tell you that I knew you'd come?"
"You may have mentioned it."
Van leaned nearer and would have kissed her, but Cade yawned. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm pretty wiped out."
"That's all right. Why don't you get some rest? Doc says you'll need some time to get your strength back."
"Well, I'm not doing that from here." Feeling suddenly wide awake, Cade prepared herself for a duel with the Thuban doctor.
"Oh yes you are. I'm not having you keel over as you're sauntering through the ship. It would be bad for morale after we just got you back."
"I don't saunter."
Van squeezed her hand and her eyes narrowed. "You do, magnificently by the way, even if you do smell like antiseptic at the moment."
The desire was back. Breathless, all Cade wanted was to kiss every inch of Van's body. Instead, she gave in to the doctor's orders. She'd need all her strength for what she wanted to do with Van. Aside from that, she had a lot to think about and decisions to make. Cade remembered the news about her mother and all thoughts of being with Van disappeared.
"I'll let you know when we're close enough to speak with Coalition HQ directly," Van assured her, mistaking Cade's silence. "By the time we reach Alara, you'll be standing on the bridge."
"All right, you win."
Van offered her another reassuring smile and then left Cade to her thoughts.
Later, Cade learned that six warships had attacked the Coalition; their target was the Alaran home world. The Pandora's warning made it through within minutes of the assault and the military managed to bring four vessels into play. Although the vessels weren't a match for the heavily armed raiders, they gave it everything they had and were destroyed in the process. Suffering heavy damage, the warships were still fully capable of obliterating the royal castle. Yet, just on the cusp of victory, the assailants unaccountably ceased fire and bolted out of the sector.
Cade figured that the invaders received word of Mentis's destruction and abandoned their task as a lost cause. If only. There had to be more to it than that, but she couldn't imagine what it might be. Regardless, someone had called off the attack and for that she was thankful. By the time Cade discovered what happened, it was long over, but it solidified her decision.
COMMODORE ERIKA GRIER'S eyes kept tracking to Captain Swann and from her barely concealed frustration, Cade guessed the two had a history. It was all the commodore could do to finish reporting to Cade about the situation on Alara. Even through the artificial communication provided by the view screen, Cade could sense the woman's ire.
"I was the officer on scene, Ma'am. We launched everything we had on the planet; there wasn't time for anything else. They had us and then they just stopped firing and left. We don't know why."
Standing on Pandora's bridge, Cade clenched her hands behind her back and tried to ignore the trembling in her knees. She still felt very weak but didn't plan to show it to anyone. The call had come in that someone attacked the Alaran home world and Cade felt sick. She tried to focus on the details as the ship zoomed through space headed for the Andromeda sector.
"Any question of the attacker's identity?" Cade asked.
Grier shrugged, "None, but the Gothoan High Council is disavowing all knowledge and condemning the attack. They have proclaimed Mentis a terrorist and issued indictments against him as a war criminal. Council member Faux issued a writ of apprehension as soon as the shooting stopped."
"Tell him they can find Mentis scattered all over their secret military post on Gothos Prime. As large as that facility was, I find it hard to believe the Gothoan government didn't know about it or the planned invasion."
"Yet we have no proof, Admiral."
"Damage to Alara?"
"Confined to the northern area, concentrated around
the castle. Fortunately, we received your warning before the bombardment started. The electromagnetic barrier went up in time. Damage was minimal."
"And the...royal burial grounds?" Cade's voice shook a little.
"Untouched." Into the heavy silence, Grier added, "My condolences, Admiral. Queen Dorma was an incredible woman."
"Thank you, Commodore. There will never be another like her."
Cade's voice sounded harsh to her own ears. She cleared her throat and concentrated on business, sure that if she gave into her grief she wouldn't be able to stop. She watched Grier shoot Van another dirty look and felt irritation wash over her. Whatever the story was with the two of them now wasn't the time for Grier to indulge her temper.
"We'll be there within the hour. Please inform Coalition Headquarters I'll meet with them right after I've seen the queen's advisors. Have the advisors standing by in the conference room."
"At the Coalition substation?"
Cade was momentarily confused. "Why would the queen's advisors need to report to the substation? I want them at the castle. In the meantime, beef up our forces throughout the sector if you haven't already. The Pandora will remain on station around Alara in case of any more uninvited guests."
"Understood, Admiral." Grier looked at Swann again and this time she spoke. "Captain, you and I need to have a conversation as soon as this is over."
"Belay that, Commodore," Cade interrupted, impatient with her behavior. "Clearly there's something going on here that I don't understand, but that doesn't matter right now. Commodore Grier, if I find out that your covert operations contributed to any of this, you'll spend the rest of your career as an ensign cleaning out waste reclamation units in the armpit of the galaxy."
Grier opened her mouth to respond, but Cade was past caring. She signaled Ozal to end the transmission.
"Come with me, Captain."
Leading the way into Van's office, Cade was very aware of the woman following. She was annoyed that Van was apparently keeping secrets, and further irritated that the knowledge didn't seem to dampen her desire. Cade sank into the captain's chair and looked at Van.
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