She leaned in hard, bumping his jaw as she landed a kiss. He couldn’t manage to complain. His hands ran up her back to her neck, pulling her closer.
The floor of the Monarch rattled.
“Touching down within the Hound’s Paw now,” Larana announced over the ship’s comms, and they both pulled away as if someone were watching.
Talon heard Elisha giggling in the background while the transmission was open. It made his chest feel tight. Couldn’t he just take this ship now and run away with her? Find some distant Vergent colony to disappear in? Sail out toward some star light-years away that they’d never reach, but at least they’d be together.
“I’ll be waiting right here for when you get back,” Sage said, drawing his focus back as it broke slightly. He didn’t think her voice could do that. “Don’t trust any of them, Talon.”
Talon gulped down a mouthful of air, then cleared his throat. Her kiss had left him breathless. “You just make sure Elisha is safe,” he said. “I’ll handle the Circuit.”
He hit the controls to the ship’s exit ramp. As it folded open, he flashed Sage a smirk. She was about to say something in response, but before she could, Talon was greeted by a host of heavily armed guards belonging to the Morastus clan.
Two grabbed him and patted him down while the others formed a line in front of the ship’s exit. He almost felt like he was back on the Ascendant.
19
Chapter Nineteen—Talon
“This way,” one of the Morastus guards said, leading Talon across the wide hangar. They were headed to the Hound’s Paw’s command deck, and Talon couldn’t help but sneer as he observed his surroundings.
Compared to the Ascendant, the best ship his people had to offer looked like it was thrown together with scrap metal by a couple of faulty androids. The idea that they were going to take on this new Tribunal fleet in total war was almost comical.
A long hall led them to the command deck—a circular two-level room filled with all manner of consoles and holoscreens. Engineers sat at stations throughout, and a projected map of the Circuit rotated slowly over a holotable at the center of the main floor. Talon recognized most of the people standing around it—some of the highest members of Ceresian society.
Leaders from all the relevant Ceresians’ clans, young and old, pretending like their opinions mattered. Only Zaimur Morastus and Yara Lakura’s did, and they stood side by side at the far end. It was always strange to see Zaimur beside a woman who wasn’t a servant begging for his scraps.
“Talon Rayne!” Zaimur exclaimed, clapping his hands. His hair was perfectly coiffed, and his face bright with youthful enthusiasm. “By the Ancients, for a man damned to die, you are exceedingly resilient.”
Talon took a moment to gather his breath after the long walk, and then continued forward. He only made it a few steps before he was startled by Zaimur’s pet hound hopping down from a catwalk to his right. It snarled and bared its fangs.
“It’s good to see you again too, Zaimur,” Talon replied, ensuring the dog remained in his peripheries as he approached. “And you, Madam Lakura.”
She lowered her head deferentially. “The Hero of Eureka always has a place at my side.”
“Now, now, Yara, as allies we must learn to share,” Zaimur said. “My father would’ve been proud of raiding the Ascendant.”
“I’d hope any Ceresian would do the same for the good of our people,” Talon answered with a harsh edge.
Zaimur’s smile faded. “Everyone go and prepare your vessels for departure,” he demanded.
All the other clan leaders looked at him, confused.
“Out!” he barked.
This time the entire room listened. The clan leaders shuffled past Talon, scanning him head to toe like he was an alien. The engineering crew sitting at the ship’s controls along the catwalks departed as well. Even the guards left. Until Yara was the only person who remained behind with Zaimur.
“May I speak with my man alone?” he asked, feigning a politeness that Talon knew he wasn’t capable of. Pampered sons of kings didn’t come with that gene.
“No more secret missions, Zaimur,” she replied. “Half those ships out there are mine.”
Zaimur bit his lip, then exhaled. “Fine.”
“I’m guessing she doesn’t know why I’m here?” Talon asked. He went to get closer to them, but Zaimur’s hound immediately placed itself in his path and growled.
“There are no secrets between us anymore.”
“Somehow I doubt that. No way would a Lakura get in bed with him, and if she did, you’ll both share the blame when whatever you and that monster are planning gets us all killed.”
“So says the dead man.”
“Who is he talking about?” Yara cut in.
Zaimur strolled forward leisurely. He knelt beside his dog and scratched it behind the ear. “I’m growing tired of these little exchanges, Rayne. You’ve done enough to earn this meeting, so stop the banter and tell me exactly what you came here to say before I get irritated.”
“There was no prototype gravitum bomb on the Ascendant, Zaimur, because Cassius Vale had it all along,” Talon stated categorically.
“The blue death must truly be crippling your mind, Talon. Yara and I were only just reviewing the schematics for the bomb after you helped steal it from the Ascendant, as I commanded.”
“No, you were reviewing the schematics for the weapon that Vale used to destroy Kalliope and all the Ceresians stationed there. The man you’ve put all your faith into planned this war from the start, from stealing Tribunal freighters and an ark filled with gravitum, to whatever he’s convinced you to do with this fleet.”
Zaimur’s eyes widened nervously as he looked up from his pet. Behind him, Yara’s brow knitted, half in surprise, half in fury.
“Cassius Vale is dead,” she said.
“He’s not,” Talon replied. “Zaimur helped him fake his death, and they’ve been working together to win this war ever since. I’ve come here to beg him not to listen to any more of Cassius’ lies before it’s too late.”
“That’s quite an accusation.” Zaimur laughed, but his usual sense of blitheness was absent. Talon had caught him unprepared. “Do you have any proof of this insanity?”
Talon froze. He hadn’t expected Yara to remain in the room with them and force Zaimur into a corner. Their alliance had been built upon Cassius’ execution, a long-awaited vengeance for the Lutetia massacre. That was a strong bond. A monumental achievement that a fighter like Yara would throw all her trust and energy behind.
And here Talon was, with no physical evidence except Elisha. Only a series of coincidences and a feeling in his gut he grew surer of with each passing moment.
Zaimur burst into laughter, this time genuine. “So you have none, then? Yes, you caught me. I’ve been skulking around with the ghost of Cassius Vale in the shadows, plotting and scheming. I killed him right in front of you, Yara, remember?”
“You know that wasn’t him!” Talon shouted. The hound snarled at him, but he ignored it and stormed forward, getting as close to Zaimur as he could get before he risked getting an arm torn off by razor-sharp fangs.
“Yara, listen to me,” he appealed to her. “That wasn’t Cassius.”
Zaimur clicked his tongue. “Sad. I fear that the blue death has finally driven you to madness.” He turned to Yara, pretending to be concerned. “Don’t worry, I’ll have him detained immediately.”
Zaimur snapped his finger at his hound. She barked loudly twice and backed away from Talon. Four Morastus henchman instantly swept into the room from behind him and rushed toward Talon. They restrained his arms and he didn’t fight them. Not that he could have done much against four grown men.
Yara stared straight into Talon’s eyes, her expression as hard as the rock of Ceres. “Let him finish what he came here to say.”
Zaimur waved his hand in dismissal. “We have no time to listen to this drivel.”
“Just let him. We ow
e him that at least for Eureka… I owe him that.”
Talon shook the henchmen off, enjoying every second of it. Considering who he was to Zargo, and what he’d done for the family, he was tired of being thrown away by Morastus men. It was Talon teach Zaimur a bit of respect. No more rolling over and playing nice. What could Zaimur do to him anyway? A dying man.
He slowly approached Yara, holding her gaze, making sure she knew he was serious. “Cassius has an android that can camouflage itself in the image of any man, Yara,” Talon said. “It could be the Zaimur you see right now, and it was the Cassius you watched die.”
“As I said, Yara, lunacy,” Zaimur scoffed. “There are no androids capable of something like that, and I assure you, I am entirely human.”
He reached toward Yara and gestured to her knife. She handed it over and he used it to cut his finger. Then he held has hand up toward Talon as if presenting a prize, and let a tiny drop of blood fall at his feet.
“See?” he said. “These are merely the unfortunate delusions of a diseased man. I’m so sorry, Talon. I hate seeing this happen.”
“Save your sympathy,” Talon spat. “I don’t care if she believes me. You have to put a stop to this. Wherever these ships are going, you’ll all be his pawns. This is his vengeance, Zaimur, not your triumph. Your father—”
“My father lost his war!” Zaimur stomped forward. Talon felt the man’s breath against his cheeks, but he didn’t give ground. “There is nothing I won’t do to win this one, but Cassius Vale is dead.”
“He’s right,” Yara said. “We all saw him die.”
Zaimur again looked to her with that bullshit expression of concern. “My father went through similar spells before he passed. It’s terrible.”
“Zaimur, I’m begging you!” Talon insisted. “We weren’t sent to the Ascendant for a bomb. We were there to save my daughter. She’s on the Monarch right now if you don’t believe me. She saw Vale’s android on Kalliope.”
Zaimur placed his hand on Talon’s shoulder and shook his head solemnly. “My poor, old friend.” He turned to Yara. “He lost his daughter and closest friend to that place when the Tribune blew it. This is what happens. Faulty memory. Delusion. We should’ve sent him to the Keepers a long time ago. Maybe they can help him before the end.”
“I’ve already been there, and you know that. Vale destroyed Kalliope, and now he’s going to do the same to the rest of us. Whatever promises he’s made to you, he won’t honor them. You’re dooming us all.”
Zaimur sighed. “You of all people don’t deserve to have this happen to you. You did so much for my father. But take solace that before you die, we’ll have taken Earth from the Tribune and forced them into surrender.”
“Earth?” Talon questioned. “Are you insane? The Tribune will send everything they’ve got at you!”
“They will. And when they arrive, we’ll threaten to use the weapon you stole from the Ascendant to hold their precious gravitum mines hostage. You’ll have your vengeance for what they did to your daughter.”
“She’s not dead.”
Zaimur regarded Yara once more. The fake look on his face almost made Talon snap. “Is that enough from him now, Yara?” he asked her. “It’s time we move out.”
She nodded slowly, breathing out through her teeth. “Yeah, that’s enough. Have him escorted to my wing. I’ll keep him comfortable until the end, as payment for saving my life. And offer the Vergents safe passage back to Ceres until this conflict is over.”
Zaimur bowed his head. “Of course. Don’t worry, we’re going to end this once and for all, Talon. The Tribune will never think about raising another gun toward Ceres again. Take him.”
Zaimur’s henchman grabbed Talon again. This time he fought back, but as suspected, his disease-ridden arms and legs were no match for them.
“He used me too!” Talon yelled as they started to drag him. “I should’ve tried to talk you out of this as soon as I found out, but I was blinded by hope for Elisha. That’s my fault, Zaimur. Don’t do this. Think about Kalliope. You have to know it was him!”
Zaimur raised his hand for his men to stop dragging, then got close enough to Talon to whisper so that Yara couldn’t hear. “I’m saving us from a war we could never win. Even if you’re right, what’s one worthless mining colony compared to the entire belt?”
Julius flashed through Talon’s thoughts, wearing that same goofy grin he always used to whenever Vera brushed against him. Then Vellish. And Ulson, barely able to move, maybe never walk again. He pictured days in the mines, palling around with them and the rest of the crew. Not a memorable last leg to his life, but an enjoyable one.
All of it was taken away by Cassius Vale’s machinations. Playing the Tribune, playing Ceres—playing everyone.
Without thinking, Talon threw himself at Zaimur. Rage overtook him. His hands wrapped around Zaimur’s neck and squeezed. As his windpipe crunched, Magda sank her razor-sharp teeth into Talon’s leg.
He howled in pain, his knees buckling. Only then did he notice that Zaimur had also taken Yara’s knife and plunged it straight into his chest down to the handle. Blood gushed out as Talon toppled onto his side, the blade slipping out from between his ribs.
Zaimur staggered backward, acting like he was out of breath and in shock. “He came at me…” he panted. “I didn’t mean to…”
“Dammit, Zaimur!” Yara yelled. She ran over and held up Talon’s head.
“I swear I didn’t mean to.”
She snatched the knife out of Zaimur’s hand and sheathed it. “Keep pressure on the wound,” she ordered one of the Morastus guards. “I’ll call for a medic.”
She sprinted toward the communications console, and as she did, Zaimur’s look of shock vanished. He knelt beside Talon, thanking Magda before grinning wickedly.
One of Zaimur’s guards pressed down on Talon’s chest as instructed, but Zaimur pushed the man’s hand away.
“Leave him and have the Monarch and its crew detained,” he said. “Be discreet. Then tell all command deck techs to return and prepare for departure.”
Talon gasped, his lung punctured. He struggled to form words.
“Unfortunately, I can’t allow you or your friends to leave, considering what you know,” Zaimur addressed Talon as the guard headed out of the command deck. He whispered instructions in another guard’s ear, and the man bent down and laid his hands over Talon’s wound. But he didn’t apply any pressure, just pretended.
“Elisha…” Talon forced out. He was trying to scream, but all it did was make the veins in his neck bulge. “Run…”
“A shame.” Zaimur wiped his hands on Talon’s leg, breathed out slowly, and stood. His hound lovingly nestled against his leg. “Come, girl,” he said to her. “It’s time to end this. Earth awaits.”
20
Chapter Twenty—Sage
Sage struggled not to grow overly frustrated while she watched the Hound’s Paw’s hangar. A line of armed Morastus and Lakura henchman were expectedly posted outside. None of them paid much attention to anything beyond their own conversations.
She then noticed an entourage of Ceresians exiting the command deck and crossing the hangar. First came ship techs and guards, who stuck around to mingle with those already in the room. Then came men and women in garish, heavy outfits designed for warmth in the cold of an asteroid colony. Much of Ceresian culture remained a mystery to her, but there was no doubt these people were important.
A few minutes later, all the guards posted in the hangar headed to the exits, and the ship techs jogged back toward the command deck, leaving Sage, the Monarch and its crew completely alone. Something is wrong. She poked her head out of the ship first and then cautiously stepped down the ramp. It was completely silent. The only sound she could hear was the buzzing of old air recyclers.
Then she heard shouting in the distance. She edged slowly across the hangar until she heard a horde of footsteps growing nearer and louder. Morastus gunmen came pouring into the ro
om, only they weren’t holding their rifles slack. They were armed and aiming at the Monarch.
Talon! Sage thought. She ran back up the Monarch’s ramp before anyone could spot her.
“What’s out there?” a Vergent crew member called out.
“Tell your captain to start the ship!”
“The hangar is sealed.”
“Just tell her!”
Sage whipped around and took a moment to gather her bearings. I knew he couldn’t be trusted. Whatever Talon had said, Zaimur had turned on him quicker than even she’d imagined. She should have known. She’d looked into the man’s eyes, and he was far from trustworthy. He was hungry, greedy—in love with power. The worst kind of man.
Sage instinctually reached for her hip, but her artificial arm took double the amount of time it usually did to reach it. She also realized that she didn’t even have a gun on her. The shadows of the approaching soldiers danced along the metal deck of the Monarch’s ramp and she had nothing.
“Take them quietly,” a Morastus man ordered outside, keeping his voice low. “The boss’ orders.”
Crouching down by the corner, Sage attempted to use her human hand to fish out her wrist-blade. That was when she noticed the combat mech sitting in the center of the cargo bay. The exterior was scratched and burned, but it was in decent shape. And she knew how to operate Tribunal tech well enough.
Sage rushed over to the hulking metal construction, then climbed up the side and signaled the cockpit to open. As she waited, she noticed Kitt and a crowd of confused Vergents watching from the entrance of the cargo bay.
“Get back!” she hollered. She used her artificial arm to yank open the cockpit faster and tucked herself inside.
She switched on the mech, her limbs syncing into the manual limb controls. Then she swung the lumbering mech’s arm, and as the front line of the Morastus soldiers peeked over the rim of the Monarch’s ramp, she unloaded its machine gun. High-caliber bullets tore through them, ripping off a leg, then an arm. The survivors scrambled to figure out what had hit them.
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