by Jaleta Clegg
"What station?" I threw it in his face. "I'm unsuited to marry Vance. Let me go, Georges. I'll walk out the door and never come back."
"It's too late for that," Lady Candyce said behind me.
I shook off George's hand. Lady Candyce was in the hallway that led deeper into the house.
"Vance insists on marrying you, despite your shortcomings. However unsuitable you may be, I cannot change his mind."
"And do I have a choice in the matter?"
"No." It was flat, final.
I lifted my chin. "I'll leave. You'll never see or hear from me again."
"I can't trust you to keep that promise. I will not allow you to embarrass my son further. You will stay and marry him. It is too late to change your mind." She turned away.
"Then I want my family at the wedding."
She turned deliberately back around to face me. "If that was your family, I think not. I will find you a much more suitable family if you wish one at your wedding."
She swept away down the hall. I stared after her in disbelief. Her sheer arrogance stunned me, although it shouldn't have. I wondered briefly how she would deal with the fact that I couldn't have children. She'd find a baby somewhere and make it mine.
Except I wasn't supposed to live that long. I shuddered as Georges took my arm again.
"You're distraught," he said. "You should lie down and rest."
It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order. His hand was like iron around my arm. I could fight him off and run after Jasyn. I could leave with her. I twisted in his grip.
The flitter lifted outside. I gave up. I would never be free. Georges's grip didn't loosen. He dragged me up the stairs and locked me into my rooms.
I ran into the bedroom, past the profusion of pink flowers. I stared out the window, straining for a glimpse of the flitter. My window faced the wrong direction. I collapsed slowly to my knees in front of the window.
They'd come to find me. I closed my eyes, trying to banish the questioning look I'd seen in Jasyn's eyes. It had been too long. Maybe I had changed too much. She hadn't recognized me at first. But I'd known her. And Darus. My father had come for me. And he'd turned away from me. They'd left me here. I pressed my cheek to the glass of the window. Tears slipped free, blurring my vision.
They believed I was marrying Vance. They believed I had chosen this life. And if they believed it, there was no hope Tayvis wouldn't believe it. I'd been trapped into living a lie that had somehow turned into truth. I'd lost everything and gained nothing but pain.
Vance's mother wasn't involved in anything. There was no evidence to find. I'd been used. I was a decoy. I was expendable. No one would come for me. No one would believe this wasn't my choice.
And when I died in an accident arranged by Georges, no one would question it.
Even at the darkest, there had always been hope before. I had always had the knowledge that somewhere there were people who believed in me and trusted me. Not now. I was alone.
I slumped against the window and gave in to despair.
Chapter 53
The reentry alarm sounded. The ship's crew were already in position. Paltronis sat with her team in the galley. Tayvis lounged in a corner, stripping down his rifle and cleaning it. Again. She resisted the impulse to check her own weapons.
"We've picked up the station," the com tech said. "Two other ships just downshifted. Everything looks normal." His voice was routed through the ship so everyone could hear. The words did nothing to lessen the tension.
"They're sending a cruiser to intercept us. Stand by for scanning."
The galley door slid shut. Those crowded inside sat still. The galley was shielded from most scanning frequencies. If they were detected, the whole operation would be over before it began. Paltronis mentally crossed her fingers.
Time crawled past. Paltronis glanced over her team. They were all veterans of fighting. They were good, but she didn't know them the way she wanted. She watched Tayvis assemble his blast rifle and set it across his lap. His eyes stayed down, fixed on the weapon he held. She didn't know him anymore. Had he offered to join her team because he wanted the danger? He'd insisted on taking point when they moved into the station. She wasn't sure she wanted him there. She didn't trust him to want to live enough to be careful.
"We're clear for docking," the com tech said.
There was a general shuffling in the room. Some of the tension passed. One of the men told a joke. The laughter was subdued and strained. Paltronis relaxed marginally. It was just prebattle tension now. She crossed the room and crouched down next to Tayvis.
"Just like old times, isn't it?" he said quietly.
"Nothing like old times. The only time I went into action with you, you were in charge. Tayvis," she hesitated, unsure of what she wanted to say to him.
"What? You want to tell me I'm an idiot again?"
"Don't get yourself killed. Or any of the rest of us."
"It's always dangerous, ten against several dozen. Someone will get hurt, Paltronis." He looked back down at his rifle, running his hand down the gleaming barrel.
"You're an idiot, Malcolm." She stood, turning away from him.
"Ten minutes," the com tech announced.
She tightened the buckles on her body armor and checked the charges on her weapons. The people on her team moved quietly, readying themselves.
"The other ships are cleared," the com tech said. "All teams are green."
Tayvis stood, slinging his rifle over one shoulder. His face was a mask of stone, no emotion showing.
"We've got an hour after we dock," Paltronis said quietly. "Stay ready, just in case."
An hour, if all went as planned. Less if they were detected or if something else went wrong.
"This room is too small," someone muttered.
There was a general shifting through the small space. It stopped as the sound of the station grapples echoed through the ship. They waited in silence through docking.
The lights overhead flashed once.
"That's the signal," Paltronis whispered. "Forty five minutes and counting." She clicked the marker on her watch. "Communications equipment off, now."
The pulse would be sent soon, to disable the station systems. Paltronis hoped the shielding in the room worked the way it was supposed to. Their hand weapons wouldn't be affected but their tracking equipment and armor would if it didn't.
Time crawled past.
The lights flickered again. She glanced up, waiting for them to stabilize. The fixtures buzzed, the light a dim gray. They brightened and the buzzing stopped.
"Weapons check," she whispered. She flipped her com back on and powered up her equipment. Everything was green.
"Green," her second reported.
One by one the others reported in.
"Wait a minute," the explosives tech said. She bent over her bag. She shook her head. "The timers are shot. We'll have to hand detonate them."
"Then let's hope we don't have to blow the station," Paltronis said.
"We've got a backup," the other explosives tech offered. "Manual switches, but we need time to rig them."
"If we need them, we'll buy you the time," Paltronis said. "Ten minutes."
They shifted positions again. Paltronis glanced around the room. Some had their eyes closed, meditating. Others checked their weapons a final time. Tayvis moved quietly to stand next to her.
"I don't want you on point," she said to him.
"I'm the best you have and you know it," he answered. "Don't let your feelings sway you."
"Don't let yours."
He smiled, a twist of his lips that didn't touch the darkness in his eyes. "I'm better than that."
"And so is Dace."
His smile disappeared. "Now isn't the time, Paltronis."
"No, it isn't. Final check," she told the room at large.
Minutes passed, tense and silent. Her watch vibrated, telling her time was up. She stood next to the door, waiting for the signal.
"They're late," someone muttered.
"We wait," Paltronis said.
The minutes crawled past.
Her com buzzed in her ear. "Go." The command came, quiet and tense.
She opened the door, her team at her heels. The crew of the ship, the few who would fly it free, watched them leave.
The station was bathed in red lights. Alarms bleated. The faint smell of smoke hung in the air.
Tayvis took point without her signal. He moved swiftly ahead of them, his rifle ready as he ghosted into the maze of corridors and hallways. She signaled three others after him, taking her position in the middle with the explosives techs. The others followed, two taking rear guard, dropping back to cover their path of retreat.
They moved silently through the station. It was huge, a sprawling complex made to build a dozen ships at once. They moved towards the central core. She waited at each corner for the all clear before moving out again.
It was almost too easy. The hallways were deserted. There was no sign of the station personnel. Those who were working with them would know enough to get out of the way, but there should have been others. Not all of them would be off fighting the fires in the storage bays.
She nudged her com unit on. "Status report, infiltration team up to alpha point. No resistance." She waited for an acknowledgment.
"Infiltration team, hold your position." The voice was urgent in her ear. "We have a complication. They just depressurized the storage bay. You've lost your distraction."
"Then we'll make our own," Paltronis answered.
The sirens cut off abruptly. The lights were still red, at half power.
"Power conduit." Paltronis pointed overhead at the exposed length of cable.
The tech pulled a small knob of black from her pack. She knelt, adjusting tiny wires on the knob.
Paltronis stepped back, surveying her team's position. Tayvis was at one end, his attention focused on the hall beyond. The rear guard tightened their position, watching behind them as they moved closer. The others had weapons ready, waiting. All were alert. She'd chosen well.
The tech finished. The other tech crouched down, his hands clasped in front of him. He lifted her in one smooth motion. She caught the lip of metal near the conduit. She reached up with her other hand and clipped the black knob onto the exposed conduit. She dropped back to the floor. The knob hummed as it slid along the conduit, passing out of sight.
"Five," the explosives tech signaled with her hand.
Paltronis nodded. She jerked her hands towards Tayvis. He slid around the corner, out of sight. The others hurried after him.
She counted down in her head. They ran through the empty halls, silent and deadly. The explosion came as they reached another corner.
The sound was deafening. The lights flickered wildly. The floor shook. Smoke billowed out of the air vents. The alarms shrieked again.
"We've got company!" The shout echoed through the smoky hallway. The sound of blaster fire erupted from beyond the corner.
"We're almost halfway," Paltronis said. "Pin them down. Take the alternate route."
The front three were already around the corner. The flash of blasters lit the smoky air. The explosives techs turned down another hall. She hesitated only a moment. She had a job to do, and so did Tayvis. He would hold his position as long as he could. She could trust him on that. She just had to believe he wouldn't kill himself doing it.
They made it only three more hallways before they ran into another armed group. They retreated into a dark hallway. The smoke was spreading. Three of her people took up positions at the corner, keeping the hostiles at bay.
"Air ducts," she said. It was unnecessary. They knew the plan as well as she did. The explosives techs were already popping off the access hatches.
"Alpha Base," she called on her com. "It looks like we're going to have to blow the station. You've got fifteen minutes."
"Understood. Good luck."
"Thanks."
The techs crawled swiftly down the ducts towards the central core. She crawled in after them, taking the rear guard position. They moved as quickly as they could in the smoky space. She blinked watering eyes, trying to keep them clear.
Blaster fire zipped down the duct. She flattened herself as far as she could. Heat washed over her head. She pushed her way up, shoving the explosives techs to the side. She stayed as low as she could.
The man at the front screamed. He moaned as she crouched behind him. She rested her rifle across his legs, aiming at the shadowy shapes further up the duct.
She squeezed the trigger. A blast of light shot down the duct. The attacker went down with a scream. She fired again. And again. The shadows were gone. She shifted her rifle off her injured man.
"Get back to the ship," she told him as she crawled past.
The smoke was gradually thinning out. She heard the occasional shout from the vents they passed. She risked a single glance out. Armed troops ran past, away from the central core.
They were close enough. She kicked the vent free and dropped into the empty hallway. She signaled the techs down. They followed as she ran along the hall.
She stopped at the corner. She risked a quick glance around. The doors to the central core were fifty feet away. They were closed, sealed tightly. She saw no guards in the hall.
"We're clear," she told the techs.
They darted around the corner and ran for the doors. Paltronis moved behind them, watching the way they'd come. She had a blaster in each hand, ready for trouble. She took up her position ten feet in front of the doors. She waited, every second feeling like hours.
"Got it," the man announced. The doors slid open.
Blaster fire shot out through the partially opened door. The tech crumpled to the floor, his body smoking. The woman tech crouched back, out of the way. Paltronis threw herself to one side, shooting blindly through the doors with both blasters. Someone inside screamed. Smoke poured through the door. It ground to a halt, halfway open.
She ran forward, guns at the ready. She flattened herself to one side as more blaster fire flickered past. The woman tech was pale, but she was fitting her explosives with detonators. Paltronis had to buy her the chance to plant them. She took a deep breath.
She ducked through the partly open door, firing blindly with both hands. A shot glanced past her shoulder. Her armor buzzed as it dissipated the energy. She rolled to the side, where a bulky piece of equipment offered shelter. Shots ricocheted off the side of the equipment. The lights in the room flickered and went out completely. The only light came from emergency lights near the back of the room.
Paltronis strained to hear over the noise of the alarms still ringing through the station. They had less than ten minutes before the ships tore their way free. She didn't have time to wait.
She rolled out from behind the cabinet, blasters at the ready. She saw no one. She moved forward cautiously. The room was a maze of equipment, tall cabinets and banks of automated controls. The emergency lights barely outlined the equipment. The tech moved up behind her.
"Where?" she asked.
"That bank." The tech pointed over her shoulder.
She nodded. A flicker of movement caught her eye. She pushed the tech behind her and fired blindly into the dark. Sparks showered from a bank of controls. Someone crawled rapidly away into the shadows. She shot again.
"Go!" she told the tech.
The woman didn't hesitate. She ran for the wide control panel. Paltronis followed, ready to shoot anything that moved. Any techs unfortunate enough to still be in the control room stayed hidden. Nothing moved in the shadows.
"Done," the tech announced. "I just need to run this wire."
The shot came from the shadows overhead. The tech crumpled to the floor. Paltronis shot too late. The shadow was gone. She felt too exposed. She shot the emergency lights. The room plunged into darkness. Only the occasional shower of sparks lit anything.
Paltronis crouched down and felt along the body
of the tech. She found the control wires in one hand and the detonator in her other hand. Paltronis knew enough about explosives to connect the detonator. She switched it on. The lights blinked steadily, counting down to detonation. She placed the detonator carefully on the floor.
The tech groaned. Paltronis scooped her up over one shoulder and ran for the door. She blundered in the dark. Shots scorched the floor near her feet. She fired blindly behind her.
She ran into a bank of equipment. It wasn't where she expected it to be. She was lost in the maze. Time was counting down.
"All teams, we're clear!" The shout came over her com.
"Explosives set," she answered, "You got five minutes."
She moved as shots targeted her hiding spot. They followed the sound of her feet. She used the light of the blaster shots to find her way. She ran towards the door. Shots followed her, blasting equipment on all sides. She stumbled over a shattered chair. The tech groaned again. Her weight on Paltronis's shoulder dragged her down. One leg was on fire. She had to keep going.
Shots came from the door, streaking into the darkness behind her. She dropped to the floor, scuttling behind another bank of controls.
"Paltronis!" It was Tayvis.
"Here!" she shouted back.
"You're covered. Move!"
She gathered up the tech and ran for the door. Shots poured around her. She threw herself through the door. She landed in a heap in the hall outside. Someone took the tech from her. Tayvis grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.
"It's set to blow," she said. "Three minutes."
"Then we'd better run," he said.
She took off down the dark hallway at a dead run, Tayvis behind her. Someone shot at them. She shot back without breaking stride.
They broke out into the docking bay. The ring of lights around the open hatch beckoned her. There were shots behind her. She turned to fire back. Her blaster clicked, the charge depleted. She dropped it and ran for the hatch.
Pain erupted in her shoulder. She stumbled and kept running. Her armor sparked, overloaded. She pushed herself, reaching for the hatch. She staggered through. It closed almost on her heels. She felt the emergency bolts firing, blowing them away from the station.
