by S. E. Smith
La’Rue followed the other woman, looking up at the paintings as they walked. “You talk as if they no longer exist,” she murmured.
“They exist,” Lady Roanna contradicted firmly.
“Where did they come from and where did they go?” La’Rue asked.
Lady Roanna shook her head. “No one knows for sure where they came from or where they went,” she confessed, pausing beneath one of the panels. “The records they shared and left behind were entrusted to my people before they departed. They gave us little of their own history beyond their limited time here in our galaxy and their knowledge of the gateways which allowed them to journey between the other galaxies. What you see here are the few chronicles that they shared with us and which we now protect. We were the last ones they visited before they left our galaxy.”
La’Rue stared up at the three dimensional holographic cylindrical images displayed in the space above them. One after another, an enlarged spaceship maneuvered into a position just above them and then was replaced by the next in the series. Her hand instinctively moved to the video camera on her jacket and she angled it upward again. The images of the ships were small, barely half the size of her freighter. If they were the actual size of the alien spaceships, they didn’t look large enough for deep space travel.
“What is that?” La’Rue asked, pointing up at the image of the gateway.
She could sense the other woman studying her face. “The gateways were created by the Ancient Knights. The last ones to leave said the Knights would always be here during our greatest hour of need,” Roanna quietly explained.
La’Rue thought of Sergi, Ash, Josh, and the statue of the woman still being carved. How could the return of four – possibly five Ancient Knights – defeat something as powerful the Legion forces? Dread filled her when she thought of the future of their star system.
“The woman – the sculptors are carving a new statue of a woman. Is she here?” La’Rue asked, looking at Roanna.
“Why do you search for an Ancient Knight, La’Rue? Do you seek power, profit, or – hope?” Roanna inquired.
La’Rue didn’t look away from the inquisitive eyes searching her face. If the other woman was capable of reading her mind, she would know why La’Rue was here, but she was about to answer anyway when the sound of a horn suddenly reverberated through the silence, sounding the alarm.
Turning to look through the huge front doors, she felt the ground tremble under her feet. Her gaze flew back to Roanna. The other woman’s expression remained calm, but the serene look in her eyes was no longer there.
“What is going on?” La’Rue demanded, her hand moving to the pistol by her side.
Roanna spoke in a sharp tone to several women who came hurrying forward. “Send out the order to release the bridges,” she commanded before turning to look at La’Rue. “Legion Battle Cruisers have entered our airspace and are attacking.”
“Sergi!” she breathed, turning in the direction of the massive doors.
The ground shook under their feet again. La’Rue bent her knees for balance, her heart in her throat. She held out her arms to steady herself. Turning away, she darted for the massive doors that were slowly beginning to close.
She twisted, passing through the narrowing space between the doors and out onto the landing. The sky above was filled with Legion fighters. Her gaze jerked down to the floating islands far in the distance. The bridges connecting them were falling away. Horrified, La’Rue rapidly descended the stairs and took off at a fast run toward the only bridge connecting this large island with the one where she had left Sergi and her freighter.
“Sergi, the Legion is here. The sky is filled with them. You have to get out. You have to hide,” she breathlessly ordered as she ran.
She was almost to the bridge when a Legion troop carrier rose up from beneath the edge of the island and lowered a ramp. Black clad soldiers began filing out. La’Rue didn’t stop. She ran as fast as she could past them onto the bridge. Behind her, she could hear the soldiers’ shouts for her to stop.
A cry escaped her when laser fire burst around her. She ducked and continued to run. She was less than twenty feet from the other island when the bridge suddenly disappeared from beneath her feet. A scream ripped from her throat as she felt her body falling.
Her hands shot out and she frantically grabbed for any type of hold. Her body twisted and her back hit the bridge as it bounced against the side of the island. She flipped in midair, and halfway through the turn, her hands touched one of the guide ropes that made up the railings of the bridge. She grabbed the rope, crying out again when the thick woven strands burned the palms of her sliding hands. Her legs swung down and she anchored her legs around the ropes until she slowed to a stop.
La’Rue buried her face against the rope for a moment as she tried to quiet her racing heart. Fear for Sergi and the realization that she was still in danger forced her to look up. She had to get to the top.
“Sergi, you have to hide,” she whispered, reaching over her head to grab a plank of the bridge, using it like a ladder. She began the short but precarious climb to the top. “Sergi, can you hear me?”
La’Rue paused to check the comlink attached to her ear. Her bloody fingers traced along her earlobe. The comlink was gone. She clung to the bridge and felt for the video camera attached to the front of her jacket. It was missing as well. Both must have fallen off when the bridge collapsed under her feet.
“He knows. H would have warned him,” she whispered to comfort herself, continuing to climb.
La’Rue finally reached the top. She struggled to pull herself over the edge. Rolling to the side, she watched in disbelief as Roanna’s floating island slowly descended toward the ocean below. The Legion’s troop carrier and the Legion forces that had landed on the island were being tumbled over the edge, driven back by the counter attack of Roanna’s forces. The moment the bottom of the island touched the water, a glowing sphere surrounded it. The protective shield encased the Cathedral’s island. The history of the Ancient Knights and the inhabitants of the island were protected against further Legion attack. The island slowly began to sink and disappear beneath the ocean’s surface.
Rising from the ground, La’Rue turned to run to her freighter when she felt the ground under her feet begin to shake. Her stomach dropped as she felt the movement of the island. She had only taken a few steps before a sleek fighter appeared. The fighter rotated in place, facing her before it landed between herself and her freighter.
Her heart dropped when the platform lowered mere seconds later and a tall man strode down it, his troops filing out after him. La’Rue stumbled backwards, but there was nowhere for her to go. Legion soldiers were forming a living wall on each side of her and the edge of the island was behind her.
La’Rue’s gaze flickered over the face of the Legion Officer walking toward her. She knew who he was – everyone in the galaxy knew who General Coleridge Landais was and what he was capable of doing. Fear for Sergi threatened to choke her. Her eyes immediately moved to her freighter before moving back to the general.
She straightened and waited, trembling when he slowed to a stop in front of her. Her bloody hands twitched and impulsively moved toward the blasters at her hips. She stiffened when she felt two sets of hands reach out and grab her upper arms – preventing her from drawing her weapons.
“Sir, this island is beginning to sink,” one of the younger officers said.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” General Landais demanded.
La’Rue swallowed and lifted her chin. “La’Rue Gant, captain of the Star Runner. I am an independent freighter pilot,” she replied, sticking to the truth without elaborating.
“What have you seen?” Landais demanded.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Besides the Legion attacking a peaceful planet? Nothing. I arrived less than an hour ago,” she replied.
Pain exploded through her right cheek. The unexpected blow would have sent her to the gro
und if the soldiers on each side of her hadn’t still been gripping her arms. She touched her tongue to her split lip and tasted blood. She turned her head to look back at Landais through narrowed eyes.
“Sir! We found something,” a soldier said, hurrying forward.
La’Rue’s eyes widened when she saw the soldier walking toward her carrying an item that she had all but forgotten about – Sergi’s spacesuit. The fear she had been feeling increased to pure terror. They didn’t find Sergi, she told herself. Breathe. They searched the freighter, and found the suit, but not Sergi. It wasn’t really helping to lessen her terror.
“Where is the Ancient Knight?” he demanded, his expression hard.
“I only found that suit. The pod was empty when I located it on Turbinta,” she truthfully responded.
Landais raised his hand to strike her again, but stopped. His cold eyes narrowed and his expression grew thoughtful. She was surprised when he suddenly turned on his heel.
“Take her to my Battle Cruiser – and destroy her freighter,” he ordered.
La’Rue’s eyes widened in shock. “No! You can’t!” she shouted, fighting to break free. “Sergi!”
Landais paused and turned to look back at her, a smug expression on his face. La’Rue wished she could gouge the man’s eyes out.
“So, another one has arrived,” Landais said. He turned to look at the young officer following closely behind him. “Have the freighter taken to the ship as well. I want it thoroughly searched. I don’t care if you have to take it apart piece by piece. Find the Ancient Knight,” he instructed.
“Yes, General Landais,” the officer replied.
Tears burned La’Rue’s eyes, but she refused to give in to them. She wouldn’t show the bastard any weakness. Instead, she would try to find a way to escape – hopefully before Landais discovered where Sergi was hiding.
La’Rue stumbled forward when the soldier on her left pushed her. She had no way of knowing if Sergi had even heard her message or if he was hiding on board in one of the secret compartments. With the right detection equipment, it wouldn’t take the Legion search crew long to find them. That was why she had never been into running illegal cargo. There were just too many risks involved.
A soldier stepped forward and removed her laser pistols before he stepped back and nodded. La’Rue stumbled a bit when the soldier on her left pushed her again. The soldier on her right side gripped and steadied her. She angrily jerked her arm free. She turned to glare at the man only to have her heart skip a beat when she locked gazes with a pair of very familiar blue eyes. He grabbed her arm again and gently squeezed it before motioning for her to enter the troop transport.
La’Rue stumbled up the ramp and onto the ship. Sergi maintained his guarding position beside her. She sank down on the seat and fumbled for the restraining straps when the young officer who’d disarmed her before stopped in front of her two guards.
“Take her to the main detention block after we board the General’s Battle Cruiser,” the officer ordered.
Sergi bowed his head in acknowledgement while the soldier on her other side answered.
“Yes, sir,” the soldier replied as he turned to snap a restraining wrist cuff around each of her wrists, linking them in front of her.
La’Rue sat back and leaned her head against the bulkhead. She was terrified to look at Sergi. Instead, she sat quietly, drawing comfort from the way his leg pressed ever so slightly against hers. Her fingers fisted against her ravaged palms when the troop transport began to rise off the sinking island.
She stared at the row of soldiers across from her. Sergi was dressed identically to them. Each wore the black Legion colors and full body protective gear. Their black helmets covered their heads while a face shield covered them from nose to chin. Only their eyes were visible. While Sergi’s eyes were unusual, there was a chance he could be mistaken for another species – as long as he didn’t take off his helmet.
What are we going to do? she couldn’t help but wonder.
Chapter Twenty
The troop transport landed amid a long row of Legion transports. It wasn’t until the bay doors had been sealed that the interior light flashed from red to green. Several soldiers opened the hatches and they began to file out. The soldier on the other side of La’Rue waited until the others had disembarked before he moved forward. Sergi followed suit, and filed after the other soldier as he led La’Rue out.
He followed the man out of the transport bay and into a long corridor. The other soldier maintained the lead with La’Rue in the middle and Sergi trailing in the rear. They had only walked a few hundred feet when they came to a four-way intersection. They were waiting for a formation of soldiers from another troop transport to pass.
The sound of an angry voice drew his attention. A soft curse swept through his mind when he saw a group of soldiers surrounding two figures. The angry voice came from General Coleridge Landais. He was glaring at the tall, dark haired man standing next to a woman he knew all too well – Julia Marksdale.
“You disappoint me, Roan. Andri feared you might betray us. I told him if you did, then I would take care of you myself,” Coleridge was saying.
The man named Roan remained tight-lipped. Sergi didn’t miss the way he stood close next to Julia. There was a protectiveness to his stance that went beyond normal duty. If he had any doubt that there was something going on between the man and Julia, it vanished when General Landais struck the younger man.
“Stop! There is no need for violence,” Julia snapped, stepping between General Landais and Roan.
“Julia,” Roan warned, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back against his body.
Sergi didn’t miss the suddenly considering expression on Coleridge’s face as he stared at Julia and Roan. He had seen the same expression far too many times before on some of the most brutal men in power back on Earth. Coleridge would use Julia for his own purposes and the Legion’s.
“Take them away,” Coleridge coldly instructed.
Making a split second decision, Sergi lifted his hand and removed the tracking device he had planted on La’Rue earlier. He had been able to use it to help him locate her after the video camera failed. Now, he would use it again – to track Julia.
He waited until the second group of guards proceeded closer to them. Just as they were about to pass by them, he stepped to the side of La’Rue. She shot him a confused look at first before understanding dawned on her. He needed a distraction.
“I told you to quit pushing me! I can walk on my own,” La’Rue growled, pushing the soldier in front of her into the path of Julia and Roan.
Sergi stepped forward as if to grab La’Rue. Instead, he brushed against Julia. He clipped the tracking device to the underside of her shirt that was hanging loose before he stepped in front of La’Rue and guided her away from the other guards. He winked at her to let her know that he thought she was amazing.
He moved behind her once again, placing his hand on her shoulder as if he was restraining her. His gaze briefly connected with Julia’s startled eyes. A confused frown swept over her face when she looked at La’Rue before she lifted her eyes to look at him again. Her lips parted in a soft gasp as recognition hit her.
“Move out,” a soldier ordered behind them, roughly shoving both Julia and Roan.
Sergi noted that the soldier purposely kept a wary distance between Roan and himself. He didn’t know who this Roan was, but it was obvious the soldiers were leery of him. His eyes followed Julia as she was marched away in the opposite direction he was going with La’Rue.
A short time later, he was standing just inside of La’Rue’s detention cell behind the lead guard. He had two options at the moment. He could knock the soldier out and free La’Rue only to get them both captured. Or, he could leave her here, find out where Julia was and work out a plan for them all to escape this ship – preferably without getting them all blown up in the process.
“This is for pushing me, Tesla trash,” the g
uard said, raising his hand to strike La’Rue.
Sergi might have gone with the second option if the guard hadn’t physically threatened La’Rue. Now there was only the first and now lethal option for him. He wrapped his fingers around the man’s forearm and twisted it behind the man’s back. Turning him, he slammed the guard’s forehead into the wall. The guard struggled to break free, kicking out at Sergi.
Sergi wrapped his other arm around the guard’s neck. Applying controlled pressure, he held on to the guard until he lost consciousness and grew limp. He released the man, letting him fall to the floor. Once he made sure the man was unconscious, he removed his helmet.
“Why did you do that? Now General Landais will know you are on board,” La’Rue whispered, glancing at the open cell door with a worried frown.
“Help me get his clothes off. We’ll put him in the bed. You dress as a soldier in his uniform. We need to find Julia, disable this Battle Cruiser, and get the hell off of it without getting ourselves blown up or killed,” Sergi said, pulling the key from the guard’s belt and releasing the wrist restraints securing her.
“What if someone comes in?” La’Rue worried aloud, biting her lip as she knelt next to the guard and began stripping him of his uniform. “What if he wakes up?”
“I’ll make sure that he doesn’t,” Sergi said.
“How… Oh… Maybe there is another way,” she muttered.
Sergi could tell when she bowed her head that she was trying not to think of the intention behind his words. He hadn’t wanted to kill the man in front of La’Rue. She might be used to the violence and she was perfectly capable of protecting herself, but Sergi still felt a need to shield her from the darker side of reality. As far as Sergi was concerned, the soldier had forfeited any chance of living when he had raised his hand to strike La’Rue.
“Get dressed, dusha moya, I would like to get out of here before anyone else comes in,” he encouraged.