Daughter of Ethos: Price of Power Book 3

by L M Lacee

  ‘She is well loved.’ Helen warned him, she smiled at Janet and said before she wandered off. ‘I will cater the joining party.’

  Janet and Ward looked after her as Janet hurriedly explained the term joining party to Ward. When she had finished, he stared at Helen as she talked to several other Warriors. ‘Why would she think I am not able to care for you? I will make sure no harm comes to you?’

  Janet looked blandly at Peyton, who stuffed food into her mouth, so she would not laugh at anyone offering to care for Janet.

  Hawk answered instead. ‘Chef Helen is issuing a warning from the females of Maikonia. Helen just told you that Janet is loved and valued and you must treat her with love and respect.’ They all looked at him with amazement, frowning he said. ‘I do not understand your amazement. I listen. I may not have my own mate but I know what is wanted and needed by our females.’

  Peyton gave his hand a pat, swallowing fast. ‘She is here Hawk, do not give up, you will find her.’

  ‘Of that I have no doubt, but it is not finding her that is my concern…’ He stopped talking and by the closed look on his face, she knew he would not say anything else. Peyton sighed as the melancholy from earlier returned in a rush, causing her to lose her appetite.

  ‘I think we all worry about certain things that we think our mates will find uncomfortable or muddled about us.’

  ‘Is that a word?’ Janet asked suspiciously. Everyone knew Peyton was very good at making up new words. Then slipping them into ordinary conversations as though they were words used all the time. Janet knew her sisters were trying to cure her of this, so she challenged the word as she felt Ward tense beside her, especially when Peyton narrowed her eyes at her and huffed. ‘I stand by the word.’

  ‘Which does not answer the question.’ Kerol smirked at her. Peyton sniffed and passed over her uneaten portion of steak to Hawk. Surprised he thanked her, Peyton nodded as loneliness assailed her to mix with the heavy heart she already carried. As she watched him and Kerol devour the meat between them, she saw their conversation had not caused them to lose their appetites. Males!

  With a fresh cup of coffee, she sat and made an effort to join in the following hours of hilarity. Melody and Netta arrived thirty minutes later and joined their table and were introduced to Ward. They both congratulated Janet and him on their mating, and when Helen and Darby joined them bringing with her the Graynite Warriors. Darby introduced them to everyone and confirmed they were indeed on the new team she was creating. ‘Madam Peyton, I would like to introduce you to Captain Kinn Brada and his squad, Lonn Grason, Ferrian Watsor and Saffri Folark.’

  ‘Warriors welcome home. May you excel in your new endeavors with Lady Darby?’

  ‘We thank you Madam.’ Replied Captain Kinn, for such a large male he had soft almost caressing voice. It wrapped around the females causing a feeling of security to blanket them.

  Peyton asked. ‘Is that an ability you were created with or something you have learned?’

  Kinn, like his squad, was unsurprised the Star Daughter could feel their powers. ‘We hypothesized that as we are so intimidating, we were created with this ability to give comfort and security.’

  ‘I see and have you found it useful?’

  ‘Yes Madam, often.’

  Melody smiled and told them. ‘The female you end up mating with, will not be happy if you use it on other females, you should be aware of that before you meet you mate.’

  All four nodded with thoughtful looks on their faces as Lonn asked. ‘Commander, do you think there will be females who will wish to mate with one’s like us?’

  Netta grinned as she assured them. ‘They will be lining up to meet you. Warriors, you are every Terrans fantasy of a male.’

  They all beamed with pleasure at her words, Darby said. ‘But not until we have you trained alright?’

  ‘Yes Lady Darby.’

  The next few hours was spent in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, helped along by the Terran females trying to explain Terran expressions to all the new Warriors. Eventually everyone in the room became involved in explaining idioms from worlds they had visited. The release of tension in the form of laughter helped those that were new to the ship relax, at least enough to be able to sleep deeply in freedom for the first time in their long lives.

  THIRTEEN:

  The call came in the small hours of the morning, Peyton, Melody and Darby had been called to the operations unit by Kinn one of Darby’s new team members. They were overseeing the planet and the communication systems as Willian was having the night off.

  Yawning, Peyton reached for her cup of coffee as she and Melody got ready to read the two sister’s conversation, as it was being transcribed by Darby.

  ‘Why do we have to read it?’ Moaned Melody, who Peyton saw did not yawn.

  ‘Because Darby said it was all jumbled or something.’

  ‘I said it is encoded, and that this is the quickest way for the comp’ to transcribe it, rather than have to wait until it buffers the voices.’

  Melody nodded wisely and asked. ‘Oh, so the comp’ is doing this?’

  ‘Yes, why would you think I would?’

  ‘Yes, Melody, why would you think that?’ Peyton asked with a smirk.

  Melody squirmed and sent her a death glare and said. ‘Well.’

  Darby arched her perfect eyebrows and asked.

  ‘Well, what?’

  ‘Nothing, just you know?’

  ‘No, what?’

  Peyton asked again. ‘Yeah, what Melody?’

  Melody hissed. ‘You help me or mat training tomorrow.’

  Peyton paled knowing she meant it and quickly pointed to the comp’ and asked. ‘Darby are those words?’

  Darby swiveled around and faced her comp, then cursed. ‘Dayam it… Dayam comp.’

  Melody whispered. ‘Lucky you.’

  ‘Yeah, mean sister.’

  ‘Tell it to the choir, Lady.’

  ‘The… what now?’

  ‘Shut it, words coming.’

  Eddea: Sennha, we are in difficulties. You must come home immediately.

  Sennha: Sister, you may wish to rephrase that last statement. I am not yours to command, if you remember?

  Eddea: Sennha, this is bigger than you being First Sister or my trying to take your position. The planet is under siege and we are shut down, there is no production. We have a short communication time, so I suggest you shut the hayda up and listen.

  Sennha: Eddea who dares to do this? Who has shut my planet down? How can you have let this happen? I leave for a few wekens.

  Eddea: Wekens. (Screeching heard) You have been gone luneras. I have not allowed anything. They came in the night with gunships and as you are First Sister (snarky) and have the only ship with guns, we could hardly stop them.

  Sennha: Who has come? Who has dared to close my world? SPEAK!

  Eddea: (sobbing heard, then a deep breath drawn in.) It is the Star Daughter she came here days ago and demanded her Warriors. She says they belong to a world called Maikonia and that we must hand them over. She took the ones we had here but wants all the Warriors sent to Oraintarre returned to her. Sennha, people searched the world, and they took our servants as well.

  (Paused)

  Peyton raised an eyebrow at the lie as Melody and Darby laughed. Melody said admiringly. ‘This software is amazing it even writes personality, like sobbing and snarky, good work Darby, it is funny.’

  Darby nodded, not wanting to say that the programming was another anomaly she and Jean were finding on the ships and at home. They still could not trace where it originated from, but they had noticed in the last luneras it was becoming more active, if that was the right word. She and Jean were puzzled, but determined to trace it down. Now with the Graynite Warriors and Willian she may have a better chance of doing so. But for the time being there was no danger, so she decided not to say anything. Perhaps when the tech was upgraded, the answer would reveal itself.

  ‘Thanks, we
are ready again.’

  Peyton nodded and Darby tapped her comp, then did it again harder and cursed. The words started scrolling again.

  Sennha: Maikonia. I have not heard of this world. Where is it, did you ask her, and are you sure she is the Star Daughter? Did you make her prove it?

  Eddea: No, I did not have to. She made the pets disappear, and she glowed, then burst into flame. She is disturbingly frightening and very strange looking. I could not place her species. It must be a small planet she is like a very short pale child. Sennha we are in dire need, we have no food or power. Sennha, what do we do?

  Sennha: So you do not know for sure she is the Star Daughter. She turned off the power and closed my world and took the Warriors. Is this what you are saying to me, Eddea?

  Eddea: (sobbing again) Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. She is scary you must come home? She says she will take the world a part, piece by piece.

  Sennha: Hush Eddea, you know that is not possible. She is a raider who has joined with a few renegade Warriors. I have been told of these types of people. The whole Capital can talk of nothing else. She is obviously an Impoef who is very good at illusions. She has no power, all will be well. (Small pause.) How many Warriors does she say she waits for?

  Eddea: All of them. She says we have eighty-five unaccounted for and she wants them immediately.

  Sennha: I see, well I have forty with me and there are forty-five on the moon KarSar. We will retrieve those bodies ourselves once I arrive, or maybe before I arrive. I will think on it. Whatever you do, you and the others must not allow them to go to KarSar.

  Eddea: I am not stupid Sennha (a snort) I know they must not go there. They may find the forty- five who are sure to be dead by now, and I truly fear what she will do if she knew of them, and how they died.

  Sennha: (sigh) Yes... yes, she is terrifying. I am sure that is of a concern. Do think Eddea, what is of more concern. More important?

  Eddea: (sulky voice now) I do not know… what?

  Sennha: (sighing loudly this time) what is more important is that they do not find the 2000 hidden Warriors. So when I get rid of this Impoef who calls herself Star Daughter. We get to use the new pets when we wake them. Is that not important?

  (Paused)

  Melody hissed. ‘They have sleepers.’ She looked at Darby, who was muttering. ‘Trying to find them now keep reading.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Eddea: Oh Sennha, that is good… very good, we can have some new pets. When will you return?

  Sennha: I will be there in two days. Do nothing until I arrive. I will return soon.

  Eddea: We await your return, Sister.

  (End)

  Peyton placed her cup carefully on the table as she murmured. ‘Well, isn’t that interesting?’

  ‘Pets! They called our Warriors pets and wish for more pets. They say they are dead. Like furin hayda they are.’ Darby’s voice rose an octave, almost into the screeching range as she thumped on her comp. Already she was plotting a course for the moon, muttering. ‘Pets, dead, our Warriors. I will show you dead, you bitcherywhorebitchslagitch!’

  She looked over at Peyton, who was snickering as she told her. ‘Darby stop please. You are the worse at cursing.’

  ‘Oh yeah, at least I don’t glow.’ Darby quipped back.

  Peyton looked down. ‘Dayam.’ Then she grinned at Melody, it was always funny when Darby cursed. Melody grinned back, then quirked up her top lip as she said. ‘Can that sister Eddea be any dumber, her sister basically said you were real and yet she never picked up on it?’

  Peyton shook her head. ‘I know, how she is still alive astounds me.’

  ‘Well, you scared them.’

  Peyton shared a grin with Melody and Darby. ‘I know, so cool. Darby shut the comms’ down now.’

  ‘But you said morn?’

  ‘It is 02:00 hours, is it not?’

  ‘Oh yeah. Lonn, lock it down please.’

  Nodding his head, Lonn replied. ‘As you order, Lady Darby.’ Then he proceeded to tap away at his console.

  Peyton shared a smile with Melody as the large Warrior deferred to small Darby, who announced.

  ‘I will have coordinates for the moon in a few mins. We should be good to go, but I am going to need a cruiser. It is going to take us more time to locate the sleepers.’ She then emphasized. ‘The forty-five Warriors who will be alive, will be located by the time you are down on the moon. We will have triangulated where they are or as close to them by then.’ She looked at Peyton. ‘We have this.’

  Peyton nodded and started to move. ‘I know, alright people, operation Moon Recovery is a go. Let’s go get our people.’

  Melody frowned at Peyton, who asked her. ‘What… did I forget something?’

  ‘Yes. It was my turn to name the operation. Darby called it last time.’

  Peyton smirked. ‘You snooze, you lose.’

  Darby chortled as Melody stomped from the room, calling back. ‘Moon recovery is a name for children.’

  ‘Is not!’ Yelled Peyton as she walked into the passageway just as Melody’s back disappeared around the corner, she turned back to Darby. ‘It’s not right?’

  Darby shrugged. ‘Blah.’ Then slipped around her and was off, heading to her ship.

  Peyton yelled after her. ‘What kind of answer is Blah?’ She received no answer, which made her grin. Hawk walked up behind her, and without turning, she said. ‘Assemble the Warriors, we head out as soon as you are ready. Fully loaded and do not look at me like that, you needed to sleep and I would have called you when it looked like it was a go.’ She addressed the Warrior standing next to him, still without turning around. ‘Lonn call the healers and get them mobilized. Well done by the way, you must be good if Lady Darby is leaving you here to oversee the ship already.’

  He looked at Hawk, who smiled at the stunned look on his face. He gave the males shoulder a squeeze in acknowledgment. It was hard for the Warriors, even the ones who had been with the Terran females longer, to believe in the praise they gave willingly. But this male would learn, as they all were, that when it came to being appreciated the females of Maikonia did not hold back.

  Unaware of what she had done, Peyton continued issuing requests, never orders. She hated to think anyone thought she was issuing orders, when she really believed they were requests.

  ‘Lonn after you have woken the healers, monitor the planet please. I don’t trust those sisters to not do something sneaky. I am off to get kitted up and before you say anything Commander Hawk, I am going.’

  ‘As you wish, Madam.’ They both replied as she walked away. Peyton was almost at her quarters when she ran into Willian coming from the other direction.

  ‘Greetings this morn Willian, could you wake Rage and his people please, we will need them.’

  ‘As you wish, Madam.’

  Willian sighed and hung his head as he watched her move pass him. He wanted to ask her if he too could go to the moon, but he was not on any squad yet. Since coming off medical leave, he trained and still worked with Lady Darby, but he had not requested to join a squad or been assigned a squad. Even though he knew he was as good as most other Warriors, he was not sure that the Commanders or Madam, or in fact any of the Warriors, trusted him or had confidence in his abilities anymore. Even though he was doing a full work out now with sword and hand to hand combat training. It was not that he wanted to belong to a squad, he loved his work with Lady Darby. It was the thought that he was not trusted that concerned him.

  Before she turned into her passageway that led to her cabin, Peyton called to the young Warrior.

  ‘Willian, after you have informed the Turqualls we need them, go and get kitted out, fully loaded, we leave as soon as the Commanders tell us.’ She looked at him in time to catch the wide, excited grin on his face, which he wiped away fast when he saw her looking. Except he could do little about the smile in his eyes.

  His subdued. ‘As you wish, Madam.’ Had Peyton swallowing a giggle. She la
ughed quietly to herself as she made her cabin.

  Netta walking along the passageway was almost run down by a fast walking Willian. He shuffled to the side with a quick smile and skipped around her, not stopping to say hello. Smiling, she walked in behind Peyton as she entered her bedroom and said. ‘Just saw Willian, I am guessing you told him?’

  A muffled reply sounded through the door. ‘Yep.’

  ‘Thought so, that would explain the smiling eyes.’

  Peyton coming out of her room dressed in her combat uniform with a long coat nodded. ‘Yep, Netta, you will watch out for him?’

  ‘You know I will.’

  FOURTEEN:

  Together they left the cabin and made their way to the shuttle bay. The Warbird was gigantic, there were as many lower levels as there were midsection levels as well as top levels where the bridge and other things lived. Peyton so far stayed away from those levels, or more truthfully she had been asked ever so politely to remain off the higher levels. She felt that was fair; she had the rest of the ship to explore. Well, except for those levels that no one was allowed in, like the engineering levels.

  Her attention was caught by Turqualls and Warriors streaming into the docking bay. The healers, led by Dinas, and Patty walked in behind them. Patty grinned at Peyton, who was standing with Netta watching people board their shuttles. They were in what was called the holding bay where the shuttles awaited permission to leave the hold.

  ‘We are all set, I was told you are with us, in the non-combatants shuttle, Red Nose.’

  ‘Who named them?’ Peyton asked as they headed toward the shuttle. These were not the standard shuttles, these were more sleek and shiny, they looked like silver bullets that when in flight were designed to expand and become larger. They were all fitted with a new kind of drive that increased power outage and made them almost silent. This was a trial, ordered by Commander Kolin, who was hoping they would be able to be installed on all the Warships, if all went well. That way when they started to raid pleasure planets, it would help to keep them undetected.