Cadwell went red in the face. “Your land? This is my land. Belonged to my great granddaddy before you were even born.”
“Who lost it to my ancestor, Arwoyn Telluria.”
“We regained control.”
“For a short while, until his son, Brand, defeated you at Rockridge Pass. It’s been part of the Democratic Union ever since.” Richard straightened in indignation.
Cadwell stepped closer until he was in Richard’s face. “And now, you’ve given it away to alien invaders. However, I’m going to kick them out and reclaim my property.”
“Do you have any idea who or what you’re dealing with?”
“Oh, I’ve been very friendly with your Terran buddies of late… just as you have been with their Commander. I think she may listen to my demands once she knows your well-being, possibly your life, is at stake.”
A wide grin appeared in the bushy rust-colored beard.
A sick sensation slammed into Richard’s stomach.
***
Staring at the wall brought Elise no revelation concerning how she was going to save Richard.
“Richard’s in great danger.”
She spun around to see Angel rising from a chair out of a dim corner.
“How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to agree with Captain Bradley that you can’t go running off to rescue him yourself. You need to send professionals.” Angel walked into the light and smiled.
“Merek isn’t a hundred percent yet.”
“Merek at fifty percent is more effective than any normal man is at a hundred. Besides, I’ll go with him.”
“I’ll need to send more than two.”
“More than two would call attention to the mission. We need to go in stealth with the advantage of surprise.”
“Where are they?”
Angel cocked his head as if he listened to something far away. “Father says they’re in the Diechwrathe Mountains, not far from the Homestead. He imaged me a rough draft of the base. Richard’s my mission but sometimes Father helps. The steep mountains will require climbing expertise, but then Merek has climbed many times around the outside of a ship in the vacuum of space. This should be a snap for him.”
“What’s Richard doing there?” she asked, exasperated.
Angel raised golden eyebrows. “He was abducted and now he’s trying to stay alive.”
Just then, Merek chimed her entrance.
“Enter.” She nodded to the guard and Merek strode in. He glanced at Elise. “Thank you, no coffee from you ever again.”
“Not offering any. But you must admit, my coffee has quite a kick. I did it for your own good, by the way.”
Merek’s face took on a remote expression as if he was remembering an unforgettable experience. “Yes, well…”
She flourished a hand in Angel’s direction, watching Merek’s eyes widen at the sight. “The Enjelise is here.”
Stepping forward, Angel said, “I’m assembling an elite team to go rescue Richard. You interested?”
“Richard’s in trouble?” Merek’s eyes snapped toward Elise.
She nodded. “Big time.”
Merek rubbed his head. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Because he’s Richard,” Elise countered.
“Come talk.” Elise pointed to a grouping of chairs with cushioned seats, a new addition to the office.
“First, we take a shuttle to Tygel Spaceport.” Angel settled in a chair. “The problem is we need a trustworthy pilot. All current pilots and Operations Center personnel are suspect. Too many were involved at the time of the attack.”
“Ahem…” Elise cleared her throat but was ignored.
Merek leaned forward and whispered to Angel, “I can’t pilot a shuttle, can you?”
“Ahem…”
Angel glanced sideways, his golden eyebrows meeting together as his mouth tightened in irritation. “No!” he said.
Elise put her hands on her hips and glared. “Piloting a shuttle to Tygel Spaceport is hardly dangerous.”
Merek straightened up. “It’s how they got in trouble in the first place. Isn’t that where Richard and Trace were headed when the spaceport lost their transmission?”
Elise said, “But their pilot was involved. He flew them to the Diechwrathe, not the spaceport. Right, Angel?”
The frown increased. “My information is still sketchy.”
“I won’t do that. I’ll head directly to the spaceport.”
Merek looked from Elise to the Enjelise. “How do we get to the Diechwrathe Mountains from the spaceport?
Angel smiled. “That’s the easy part. I’m a licensed helio pilot. I’ll fly us as close to the hideout as is safe. Then we do a little mountain climbing.”
“Never had the opportunity to climb many mountains before this. It sounds like fun,” drawled Merek.
“Oh, it is. It truly is,” Angel responded.
***
Trace, Richard and Jacoby were marched back to the cell.
Trace fingered his bruised eye. “This seemed a better idea when I was comfortably seated in my office.”
“Going to have a beaut of a shiner there, Trace.” Richard rubbed a hand through his hair absentmindedly. “Sorry. Didn’t see that one coming.”
Trace shifted about. “As long as that’s the worst they have to offer. I want to get out of this alive, by the way.”
Richard eyed their barred door. “You complained of not being able to find Theo Cadwell or know who was behind recent events. Well, now those questions are better answered, wouldn’t you say?”
Jacoby sat up sharply. “You meant to get captured?”
Trace bent his head at Richard. “His idea. Blame him.”
“You’re such a tasty piece of bait,” crooned Richard.
Twisting around, Jacoby choked, “You planned this?”
“Shush! Keep your voice low.” Richard patted the air. “He overdid the threats.” Richard nodded at Trace. “He took the interrogation too far. It really riled up Braithe. You’re to blame if they get violent, Trace.”
Trace grimaced. “Well, you wanted him frightened enough to call for help. Then I compromised the shuttle by arranging for that particular pilot to fly it.”
“You what?” A choking noise came from Jacoby.
Trace lowered his voice. “Calm down, Jacoby. Keep your eyes open. I need to know who is involved here and with what other groups they’re aligned. Use that eidetic memory of yours and record every detail of this place.”
“You expect to get out of this alive?” Jacoby croaked.
Richard smiled a fake smile. “That’s my favorite option. I would hope you’re on board with the idea.”
“What? Staying alive?” Jacoby gazed in disbelief at Trace. “Yeah, sure. I like that plan.”
“Good.” Richard gathered himself. “Now, let’s hope Elise plays along and doesn’t do anything dramatic.”
“They acted like they might kill us.” Jacoby stood up and peered nervously out through the bars.
“No one kills valuable hostages that could get them what they want,” said Trace, glancing at Richard.
Richard nodded. “That’s what I’m hoping.”
“I wasn’t expecting a black eye,” Trace grumbled.
“Price you pay,” Richard murmured. “Let’s hope that’s all they do. Torture is so unpleasant.”
Trace’s face firmed with resolve while Jacoby swung around to stare at them, his face draining of color.
“Are they coming back?” Richard leaned forward as Jacoby spun back around to peer between the bars.
Chapter 29
An attempted rescue
“You have got to be kidding!” Merek dropped his face into his hands and shook his head.
Angel shrugged while Elise hid a small smile. This was serious business, but she couldn’t help herself.
Merek raised his head, staring in disbelief. “You’re saying the only way inside their base is through a sewer?”
/>
Angel nodded. “They don’t have windows inside a mountain, and the shuttlebay is too dangerous. Too much exposure there. We’d have to avoid guards, pilots, maintenance crews—who knows what? The sewer is our safer bet.”
Elise tried to ease Merek’s discomfort. “Black insulated suits will protect you from the intense cold and, er, any matter you might encounter.”
“Won’t it stink?”
Angel regarded Elise. “We’ll have filtered face masks.”
“And nose plugs.” Elise stood up, brushing her pants. “So, are we ready? The longer we fool around here, the quicker the whole situation can turn precarious. I’ll organize the shuttle and let President Armstrong know we’re coming.”
***
Captain James Bradley wasn’t entirely in agreement with the idea, but then it wasn’t his call. To appease his worry, Mika would come along as her bodyguard. Curious to get to know the alien commander better, President Armstrong invited Elise to stay in a guest suite at the palace, which had strong security. Elise accepted because she wanted to meet the powerful Democratic Union President and father of the infamous Trace Walker.
Before she left, Carter stopped by. He’d investigated the tractor beam situation and anything related to the cloaking device. He wanted to report back.
“How’s it going?” He poked his head into her office.
She looked up. “Hey, Carter. Did you find out anything?” Waving him to a seat, she moved aside her paperwork.
“Well…” He appeared uneasy and fiddled with positioning the chair as if trying to figure out the right words to say. “Most any of the engineers can repurpose the tractor beams. That’s not difficult. However, the cloaking device is another matter. I did work on a cloaking device at one point but passed it on to someone else.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Who?”
“Lei Takata took over the project.”
“Jeng Chen’s son from the Shangri-La?”
“The son said he was keen to work on it. Besides, I got busy with a more critical project.” Carter appeared abashed at the disclosure.
“What’s the political climate on the Shangri-La?”
He clasped and unclasped his hands. “They’re at the bottom of the list for transfer onto the space station and not very happy about the fact. I’ve heard rumblings they plan to skip the station decontamination process completely. Perhaps, land a shuttle on Alysia. They keep insisting they’re not contaminated.”
“Pretty arrogant of them.” Elise tapped the desk with her index finger. “Have you found any connection between the Shangri–La and the Alysians?”
Carter pursed his lips and stared off into the distance. “Trace would know better as he has the records, but several Asians on the Shangri-La were sponsored by people from the Diechwrathe. I assumed Elija had arranged it, but now I wonder…”
“What do you plan to do next, Carter?”
He looked nonplussed. “I’m involved in projects across the entire fleet. Everyone from the ships knows and respects my work. The Bright Dream and The Storage Locker need urgent repairs to their jump drives. After hundreds of years, the patches are weakening, and the drives need an overhaul. I’m working with Jimbo to provide technical assistance. There’s a lot to do right here. If I go to Alysia, I’ll be constantly supervised by hostile strangers who have no idea of my capabilities.”
“But you recently finished a huge air cleaning project.”
He shifted around. “And they acted like I was responsible for the mess. I didn’t cause the damn comet to hit their moon.”
“No, you merely helped them recover from it.” She sighed. “I’ll tell Captain Bradley that the Shangri-La may be involved in the kidnapping. He’ll need to investigate.”
Carter leaned forward. “I’ll bet that the Shangri-La isn’t the only ship involved. In fact, several ships are talking about finishing repairs and leaving to continue space exploration. As if the situation wasn’t complicated enough, Braden Steele, Captain of the Alysian ship The Seeker, has been encouraging a group to go back into space with him.”
“Really?” Elise’s eyes narrowed. “Richard’s brother?”
Carter nodded. “Jimbo sent a team over to the Alysian space station to install a jump engine and gravimeter in The Seeker. It was payback for Captain Steele giving us so much help in the Operations Center after the attack. The Alysian space station also helped in other ways. A few got friendly. That’s when several ships developed an interest in going back out.”
“Braden!” She sat upright.
Carter shifted uneasily. “He’s not trying to start a rebellion. He merely wants to go exploring and believes it’s safer with more ships.” Carter quirked his lips. “He feels the more the merrier, so he encouraged the idea.”
Shrugging, she admitted, “He’s right there. Let me call Captain Bradley and tell him.”
“Oh, Captain Bradley already knows about Braden Steele. He likes the fellow. I imagine he’s even tempted to go out exploring space with him.”
“James never informed me that he wanted to leave.”
“He wouldn’t say it to you because of his position. But think about it. If he sticks around, there’s nothing here for him. What? Endlessly circling this planet or trying to adapt to alien life on Alysia, no matter how human they appear? If he takes a convoy out, then he might become fleet commander if you don’t go. The fleet would elect him in a heartbeat.”
Her comm beeped and Mika said, “Commander, we need to go. I’ve got the shuttle ready. Merek and Angel are already on board, waiting.”
Elise looked up at Carter. “Keep your ears and eyes open. Let me know of any further developments. And thanks.” She rose and came around to escort him out.
He stood up and blushed as she stepped up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Your Elise would be proud of you. I know I am.” Then, she headed for the shuttlebay and saving Richard.
***
President Armstrong watched as Elise hopped out of the shuttle followed by three more Terrans. Two of them from the group immediately split off and headed for a waiting helio, already warming up on the helipad. The third one stuck with her, obviously scanning the area for any threats.
In order to size her up in person, Armstrong decided to go to the spaceport himself and greet her. He’d never met an alien face to face before, so he was interested in the prospect. Curiosity thrummed through his body, putting him on edge. But as she approached, he soon realized that size was not a consideration in her case. The most powerful woman in the alien fleet barely came up to his shoulders.
As she stood before him, he gazed down on short-cropped auburn hair, noting startling violet eyes that rose to meet his. Lush lashes fluttered and a smile broke out. “So kind of you to provide a place for me to stay and a helio for the rescue team.” She extended a hand in what he understood was the Terran style of greeting.
He held out his own and carefully shook hers. Then he bowed as she introduced the other Terran as Mika Sojourn. He roughly understood the Commander’s Unis, and her low, breathy voice required that he bend over to listen carefully to her words. But she spoke his language adequately enough. He’d worried that they wouldn’t be able to communicate, but that concern was now put to rest.
“They insisted they needed a helio to rescue Trace,” he said.
“… And Richard.”
The way she said the man’s name revealed an unexpected affection for the rascal. Not a side of her that he’d expected. Well, he felt deeply attached to the unique and trouble-prone idiot, himself. “If your people leave immediately, they should be near the suspected base in a matter of hours. Come with me to the palace and let me offer you hospitality while we wait for word. How was the trip?” He noted the bright eyes and flushed face.
“Oh, it was what we Terrans call ‘a blast.’” Elise flashed a grin. “I piloted the shuttle myself. It’s been too long since I’ve had a chance to fly.”
And, with that amazing state
ment, she stepped past him, out of the spaceport, and into his limousine. The athletic bodyguard, Mika, followed right behind her.
At first, he couldn’t figure out the sex of the Terran bodyguard. Along with the neutral name, it had an androgynous appearance with military short, black hair, regular features, and a tight fitting black uniform. Taller than her commander, Mika still stood shorter than most Alysians. In addition, the guard radiated competence and moved with grace and precision. Slight curves, accented by the form-fitting uniform, made Armstrong decide that the guard must be female. He decided that he would be better off to have her on his side in any dangerous confrontation. But right now, he needn’t worry as everyone wore only pleasant smiles.
Arriving at the palace, they entered his east facing suite on the second floor. Plush furniture offered comfortable seating, portraits of ancient Alysians decorated the walls, and a large glossy wood desk sat in a corner. A deep-piled rug caressed his feet. He considered it one of his more favorite spots.
Elise surveyed the area with wide eyes. “It’s so big.” She exchanged glances with her bodyguard who raised her eyebrows in astonishment.
“Really big,” Mika responded, stretching out her arms.
John considered the cramped spaces in a Terran ship and regarded his surroundings with a new appreciation. He gestured them to their seats, signaled for refreshments, and then they sat down to small talk as they waited on word of the rescue.
***
“Eiyai!” Merek let out a yell as the helio canted sharply and dove almost sideways through a narrow canyon, high in the Diechwrathe Mountains. They spun through a patch of mist that obscured his view and caused him to lose his breath. He closed his eyes, waiting for the crash.
At the controls, Angel hummed under his breath and stared intently ahead. “I’m trying to keep away from any scanners they might have,” he explained as he glanced sideways at a pale Merek. “So, I’m flying low and tight.”
Twisting in his seat, Merek eyed Angel. “At this rate, I won’t be concerned with stepping through any shit. I’ll have my own supply right inside this very uncomfortable suit.”
“Quiet, I’m trying to concentrate and your noises are distracting me.” Angel’s eyes returned to the windshield.
Somewhat Alien: The Station (Terran Trilogy Book 2) Page 21
