by Lexi Ander
Dargon cupped Zeus's face with trembling hands. "You cannot ask me to leave you. You do not understand how much you have come to mean to us."
Zeus pressed his forehead against Dargon's, their faces close enough that they breathed in each other's exhalation. He imagined that a part of Dargon's essence was blending with his own, soaking into him so that wherever he was, Dargon would be there with him.
"Your first priority is to the people on this ship. I will do my best to get back before you jump, but if I do not, I promise I will meet you on Valespia."
Dargon's lips thinned in displeasure. "If you do not, I will come for you."
Zeus kissed him roughly to keep Dargon from saying more. He would do everything in his power to return to Dargon. But Dargon needed to see to the safety of the Fal'Amoric. For that reason alone, he had to follow through and deliver the people to the crown princes. Zeus did not want to claim them as his people, but it did not lessen the fact they were probably related to him. If his sibling was indeed the Bespoken, as the DNA indicated, then he was currently the highest ranking person among them until the Bespoken returned. He stole one last kiss, not yet ready to verbally admit to the real reason he wanted to return to the Oethra 7.
When Dargon moved away, he began barking orders to his crew. Zeus ran back to the engine room and knelt next to his mechanic's case. Shifting some tools to the side revealed a green knob disguised as a screw cap. Once activated, the case began to hum and the false top popped up and then rolled back to reveal his weapons stash.
He had left his uniform jacket in Dargon's quarters. It might have looked prestigious, but the material was made from a type of lightweight armor. His case held another jacket of a lighter hyde made of chimera scales. It did not offer as much protection, but it was more than what he currently wore. He put the jacket aside to take with him, and then raided the weapons stash that had been hidden underneath it.
After belting on two swords, a couple of boot knives, and a high voltage Taser, he was almost ready to go. He tied his hair back, pulled on a pair of second-skin gloves, and strapped a couple of flash cannons to his belt.
Waiting at the airlock stood Hadon and the two growly Ursids. He had spoken to Hadon only briefly earlier, and then primarily to assess that he was being treated well. Hadon was not going to like his instructions. Zeus mentally prepared for the argument he knew would come.
"My responsibility is to you!" Hadon bellowed. His agitation had the Ursids bumping lightly into him. The bear-like brothers crowded him protectively.
"Yes, it is," Zeus agreed, "and my current responsibility is to the Galactic Imperials and the Fal'Amoric. Whoever has been trailing them across the universe has a psi-tracker. I need you to stay and shield them so their trail disappears. We are in a race to get them to Valespia, preferably without being caught first."
"Who will protect you from the psionics?" Hadon asked in desperation. The two of them had been together fourteen cycles, five solar years on Atlainticia. They had become the best of friends. What he asked of Hadon went against what he deemed to be his job. Hadon's loyalty lay with Zeus. He had been protecting Zeus for a long time, and now Zeus asked him to safeguard others while Zeus headed into danger.
"Madux," Zeus called to the psi-healer. Madux's s black skin tone with gold rosette spots stood out starkly against the gray corridor walls. The dark mane of hair was raised in agitation. Large blue eyes took in the stand-off between Zeus and Hadon. "Do your psionics affect me?"
"You are immune," Madux confirmed. "You are safe from the influence unless it is telekinetic."
"Zeus," Hadon pleaded, "you cannot go over there alone."
"Rhee will be with me, and I have requested Amlyn."
"You did what?" All four of Hadon's arms gestured wildly, silken strands of hair billowing around him. "She would rather slit your throat than help you! What were you thinking?"
Two Orion escorted Amlyn off the lift, magnetic cuffs locked her wrists in front of her to a receiver belt strapped around her waist. Matching anklets ensured she could not separate her feet far, inhibiting any running, jumping, or kicking. Hadon stood behind Zeus, his breath noisily blowing like a bull lizard ready to charge as they waited for her to be escorted to him. Amlyn cautiously regarded Zeus, eyes flicking behind him to the highly agitated Battion. The last time Zeus had seen her, she had tried to skewer him with his own blade.
"Do you know who I am?" He watched her carefully, waiting for her reply.
"I have been told you are the Mar'Sani Prince Zeus Vondorian." She gazed squarely back at him. No fidgeting. No remorse.
"What is the penalty for an officer of the Galactic Imperial Legion who attempts to purposely harm a member of one of the Galactic Royal Houses?"
She paused. "Death, Your Highness."
"Then tell me, Amlyn, why did you try to take my life?"
She stared at him, seeming to weigh her answer. "I believed you to be human and a spy. When you stumbled onto the Fal'Amoric while we were leaving Space Station Bashker'Qa, I thought you were gathering information to send back to the humans." She did not bow her head or cower in front of him.
"You disobeyed a direct order."
"I believed the captain's judgment was impaired by his attraction for you. I knew he had no love of humans and yet he tolerated you. I could only surmise he had been compromised."
Hadon snarled behind him, the Ursids answered with trilling coos. Zeus resisted the urge to turn to see what was happening. He trusted Hadon to restrain himself. "Why did not you wait and see if I was truly a spy?"
"The Fal'Amoric royal clan is too important to the crown princes to gamble on possibilities. I made a judgment call to put them ahead of captain and crew."
"Amlyn, where is your pride, your family?" He glimpsed a deep sorrow edged with vulnerability in her eyes. He considered what he knew and had been told. The Catalani did not break eye contact, proud and sure.
"Are you willing to fight by my side?" he asked. "I believe my brothers' vessel to be under siege, possibly by the people who have been tracking this ship. Rhee and I are going over to assist my family in any way we can. If luck is with us, we will shed the blood of our enemy, free The Gorgon, and ensure the safety of the Fal'Amoric for another day. What say you?"
Amlyn looked at the five bodies laid out in the corridor. They would be jettisoned into space when the Oethra 7 disengaged from Mestor's warship. One Dire D'Noss and four deadly Quell hounds had been dispatched by Rhee. The Dire D'Noss was two and a half meters tall, powder white with long green and red antennae protruding from its brow. Extra-large, luminous yellow eyes stared blankly into space and its mouth of razor blade teeth lay slack in death. It carried two huge blades, one gripped in a three-fingered hand, too slow to draw before Rhee rained down death.
The Quell hounds were more distressing than the Dire D'Noss. They were the lavender of an early dawn, four legged with humanoid eight-fingered hands instead of hooves or paws on all four appendages. A yellow-plated exoskeleton covered the face with deep-set red eyes, an extended snout, and needle-thin teeth. Despite being called hounds, the Quell were not animals but psionics adept at creating illusions. Zeus suspected they were to act as imposters for his brothers, and he could not have been happier he was immune.
"What is your answer, Amlyn?"
She turned her palms up, her face set with steely resolve. "I would serve a Mar'Sani prince in the destruction of our mutual enemy."
With a nod of his head, the Orion unshackled Amlyn. Zeus quickly donned his jacket of chimera scales he had picked up from the engine room, tested the straps on his dual swords, and checked to make sure the Taser would slide easily from his knee-high boots. He watched Amlyn equip. Her skills were too valuable to be locked away, but even with the truce, he would be wary around her. Dargon stepped in front of him, holding a pair of soft grip-gloves used for securely grasping surfaces when climbing. Zeus tucked them into his belt.
"I expect you back within the hour." Dargon's
lip lifted slightly in challenge, baring a sharp, hooked fang.
"I will if I can." Zeus did not reach up to kiss him. Leaving Dargon and the Oethra 7 was hard enough. More physical contact would only serve to distract him. Their gaze held, silent words bouncing back and forth between them. He did not know what would happen once he stepped through the airlock. He was walking blind into the hostile situation. He worried for his brothers, for his lover, and the Fal'Amoric. Holding the gaze of those vibrant green orbs, he knew he would do whatever it took to get back to Dargon and see the mission through to the end. Breaking eye contact, his pursed lips kept him from making promises he could not keep.
Dargon grabbed Zeus's hand as he turned to walk away. Dargon loomed large over Zeus, his countenance formidable. "I will track you across the universe if you do not come back."
"I am counting on it," Zeus whispered, voice full of gravel. Straightening his shoulders, he walked over to the airlock. "Rhee, Amlyn, it is time," he barked.
The three of them entered the compartment. Zeus refused to glance back before the doors closed. He let all of his thoughts and emotion fall away, centering his mind. Years of discipline allowed him to slip into the warrior's head space, his body naturally taking up the stance of loose-kneed defense. His hands automatically checked the ties and latches to make sure all was secure.
The airlock cycled down, the all clear chimed before the door opened to a vacant corridor. He had been on Mestor's warship, The Gorgon, before. As heir apparent, when Azaes traveled offworld, his protection was number one priority. Designed for the royal family, the interior of The Gorgon had an appearance fitting their station. His father used the ship to meet ambassadors and for long range travel. Equipped with a host of safety measures for protection, the ship also provided a higher level of comfort for guests. The Legion's star crafts for the warlords were starker and plainer in the common areas, the comfort saved for personal quarters. The corridor appeared normal. The murals of scenes from home would have lent a calming quality but for the fact the ship was too quiet.
Stepping off the airlock, Amlyn disengaged the plank so the Oethra 7 could safely pull away. Zeus closed his eyes, lifted his nose, and inhaled. The sea air and scale scent of the Mar'Sani was strong and predominant. Overlaying it were the more recent additions of three, no four other species. Two of the scents he knew, the Dire D'Noss and Quell hounds, but the other two he could not identify.
He laid his palm flat on the interior wall, letting all his senses with the exception of touch, become muted for the moment. He focused on the cool surface under his hand. He trusted Rhee and Amlyn to safeguard him while he read the vibrations. He looked for echoes of conflict, wading through and disregarding the noise of the ship's engines and other vibrations common to normal operations. The filtering did not come as easy as it had when he had been blind. When he found what he needed, he pulled back, opening his eyes. Rhee and Amlyn were facing away from him, tense and ready for action.
"Most of the movement is toward the bridge. I hope that means the ship is not under another's command yet." The game plan would change to rescue and retreat if that happened.
Silently, they ghosted down the corridor. Zeus and Amlyn hugged the wall and Rhee slinked across the ceiling. The closer they got to the bridge, the more activity could be heard. They hid the bodies of those unfortunate enough to cross their path, picking up a handful of Mar'Sani soldiers along the way. Rhee's attachment to the ceiling was deadlier than Zeus had hoped for. The enemy targets focused on Zeus or those with him, oblivious to the danger lurking overhead.
At the cross corridor, the sounds of conflict became a roar to Zeus's sensitive ears. Peering around the corner, the hallway was a jumble of bodies, both wounded and dying. Mestor and Warlord Sohm'lan, along with a dozen soldiers, stood in front of the bridge doors, denying the intruders easy access to control of the ship and the Mar'Sani heir apparent.
Zeus counted those of the opposing force. Three times the number of his brother's troops. He did not think his contribution would do much damage, but at the very least it would divide the enemy and disrupt their attack. Pulling back, he allowed Amlyn to take his place and peek at the melee. Zeus's face was a mask of grim determination as he looked at his small rag-tag band of fighters. Amlyn double-checked her own weapons.
Zeus drew both swords. "Stealth and surprise is our only advantage," he whispered. "Strength to your sword arm." He and the Mar'Sani hissed a soft warrior's prayer in the old tongue. The soldiers saluted him before he turned the corner and dashed into the fray on quiet feet.
Sprinting up and off the wall, he vaulted over the heads of the Dire D'Noss and Quell hounds, landing crouched in their midst. He attacked before they could comprehend his presence. The deadly whir of his blades the only noise that could be heard until the bodies hit the floor.
The defending Mar'Sani sent up a short battle cry that rallied their flagging strength. Zeus did not dare look for Mestor. His presence had been identified, and the enemy pressed in on him from all sides. He lost a sword and pulled knife from his boot top. Sweat stung his eyes, his arms burned with exertion, and his lungs gasped for precious air. But no thought disturbed the calm waters of his mind. Only the ingrained reactions honed from years of training occupied him as Zeus fought for his life.
Zeus was so focused on the battle that when the last combatant fell and he was suddenly without a target, he whirled a couple of times searching for the next enemy to engage. There were none standing. He slowly straightened to his full height, standing tall and alone in his section of the corridor. Adrenaline zipped through his veins, making his body vibrate in need of an outlet.
Amlyn leaned again the wall, injured and panting hard. Rhee was between them, still hanging from above with two of his tentacles laying among the bodies. Small grayish puddles of his aluminum blood surrounded the severed limbs. Orion blood clotted extremely fast so Zeus did not worry about Rhee dying from blood loss.
By the bridge entryway, the Mar'Sani were giving cries of victory, alternating between chanting "Vondorian" and "Striker." Zeus would have joined them had he not caught sight of movement in his periphery.
Turning just in time, he sighted a flutter of crimson robes retreating around the corner. Without conscious thought, he gave pursuit, racing down the hall to the intersection. Whoever it was moved quickly, darting down another corridor. Zeus ran full out, feet light even though he was pushing himself past exhaustion. When he rounded the corner, he slammed into a large, thick metal rod and doubled over as all the air left his body from the force of the blow.
He could not dodge the next swing of the baton. A swift, resounding crack from his upper arm told him the bone broke. Zeus reflexively dropped the sword as everything went numb from the shoulder down. An explosion of pain bloomed on the back of his skull, pulling a curtain of black over his sight.
Blinded by the pain, he was not sure how long he had been unconscious, but it could not have been long. A hand twisted painfully in his hair, pulling some out of the orderly braid as they dragged his limp body along behind them. He took a precious moment to push the pain down so he could concentrate on what had happened.
"All of this time," a clicking voice intoned behind him. "All of this time we were looking in the wrong place for the Bespoken." Sharp, angry clicks tattooed a peculiar rhythm.
"How were we to know they hid him among the lizards?"
The chittering sounded again, but he quit listening. Cracking his lids open, he tried to figure out his exact location. One eye would not cooperate, but the view revealed they were entering the shuttle hanger.
"We have him now. We will control the Galactic Assemblage when the imperial houses fall without their Bespoken."
Abruptly he was released and his head hit the launch platform. Stars burst across his vision, and he desperately clung to consciousness. He could not let them take him away. If they did, then he had a feeling he would not see his family again.
Glancing through a slitted
lid, he studied the person in the crimson robes, recognizing a T'Sali. At just over two meters tall, the T'Sali had a thick armored orange hide spotted with blue. Heavy jewelry adorned his neck and the hem of his robes—only males wore jewels to attract the females of the species. His feet were decorated with delicate spyder silk slippers. In agitation, he used all four of his arms to gesture wildly, the three-clawed fingers clicking together in a rata-tat-tat-tat. His chest was small with a distended abdomen arching backward onto two sets of hind legs. The T'Sali's eyes were huge, green, and protruded from the side of his skull above a face that formed a sharp V tipped with mandibles instead of a chin and mouth.
It was not the sight of the T'Sali that had startled Zeus, but the V'Saar who accompanied him. He had not been paying attention, but the two argued heatedly as they moved toward one of the half-dozen shuttles that haphazardly littered the bay floor. He could only guess that these were the ships they had used to board the warship, which implied they had somehow obtained The Gorgon's access codes. If they had arrived without setting off the alarm then they would be able to leave without the bridge's knowledge.
Taking a quick inventory of his injuries, Zeus knew an arm had been broken and possibly a couple of his ribs, considering how it hurt to breathe. He was not sure he could move without making noise, but the vibrations through the floor told him help was on the way if he could stall them long enough.
Glancing back at the V'Saar and the T'Sali, he made sure they were occupied. Zeus clamped his teeth together, rolling to his knees and his one good hand. His broken arm hung uselessly, the knuckles striking the launch platform. He could not hold back the whimper as his vision blurred to a hazy white, the pain pinging through his body. Gorge rose in his throat, and perspiration broke out across his body as he quickly swallowed several times to push down the bile. In the end, he was left panting in quick short breaths as he rose to his feet.
