The Star Captains' Daughter

by Kimber An

  “Captain Delano.” On the command deck, the tactical officer raced fingers between the console lights. “A shuttle is emerging from hyperspace.”

  “Put it on the viewscreen.” Delano shifted in his chair, too tense to be still. Anticipating the battle, he and the crew were back in helmets, but that wasn’t why he tensed up. “How long until the Maverick is within weapons range?”

  “At least two minutes, My Lord.”

  As Delano watched, a small Deep Space Fleet shuttlecraft emerged from a flash, spinning towards his ship firing all weapons. “Take out the engines!”

  “Yes, My Lord.”

  The Tryon shots struck the shuttle’s aft section. The shuttle sputtered to a stop.

  “Captain.” The officer looked up from the com station. “We’re being hailed by the shuttle pilot.”

  “Let’s hear it.” That was the order. Delano rose to his feet upon seeing his wife for the first time in seventeen years. “Olivia.” She still wore her titian hair long and draped over her shoulder, her starry eyes…dropped briefly to his loins. His body required no conscious thought to respond to the marital command.

  Make love to me now. Olivia spoke aloud, but the words didn’t quite process. “Release my daughter or I’ll blast your filthy head off.”

  “Honey, I…” The edge in her voice diverted sensible speech. “Uh…” A memory of his favorite red dress slipping from her shoulder flashed through his thoughts. He could smell her skin, feel her bare back. “Olivia…”

  Olivia glared and cut communications.

  “Tr…tractor beam!” His voice came out rough.

  “Can’t get a lock, Captain. Dampening field.”

  “Can we teleport?” Delano walked stiffly back to his command chair, sat down hard, and hoped none of his crew noticed.

  “We can teleport in, but not out.”

  “Send the five subordinate Kaiya.” Delano passed glare over his crew. “Under Menelaen law, Captain Olivia Delano is still my wife. I will carry out my Right of Revenge on anyone who harms her.”

  Junior popped out from under the communications console and leapt to her feet. “Dad!”

  “Rowan! I told you to stay out of the machinery!”

  “Dad, if you would only let me talk to Mom, I can explain things and maybe she’ll…”

  Delano grabbed his daughter by the upper arm and dragged her back to the lift. He shoved her into the arms of some waiting female security guards. “Place Lady Rowan in a maximum security cell!”

  “Dad!”

  The security guards ushered Junior into the lift. “Oh, good grief! Most parents send their daughters to their rooms!” She folded her arms with a significant harrumph. “But not mine! No! My parents are star captains! They throw me in the Brig!”

  Delano groaned.

  Inside the drifting shuttlecraft, Olivia and Isaiah stood waiting with pressure rifles leveled on the aft section.

  “Was that an officially sanctioned tactic?” Isaiah eyed Olivia. “Get your enemy all hot and bothered and then drop him like a rock?”

  Olivia glared. “I only looked at him.”

  “Mm-hmm.” Isaiah chuckled. “You all right?”

  “I‘ll manage.”

  “Sure you don’t want a cold shower first?”

  Olivia rolled eyes at him. She’d ordered him stay in the med-bay, but he insisted on coming. I ought to have tossed him in the brig.

  “If you want to re-think how you’re handling things, now’s the time.” He was Isaiah and no one tossed Isaiah in the brig. “For all you know, Junior’s crazy about her dad now and is going to hate you for this.” At least, he never disobeyed orders in front of the crew.

  “Let’s get it over with.” Olivia drew back the laser chamber on her rifle.

  “You don’t want to listen to me, fine. Three hundred years ago doctors were gods and now we’re nothing but a damn nuisance.”

  Stella, the voice of the computer, spoke. “Teleportation in progress.”

  Olivia and Isaiah shimmered in silver and vanish.

  On the Mydis command deck, Delano leaned over tactical. “There are five life signals on the shuttle! There ought to be six! What the hell is going on?”

  Junior popped a hatch on the ceiling and dropped down beside him. “Dad, I…”

  “Rowan! Stop doing that! Go to your room!”

  “But, Dad!”

  Delano nodded to the security guard standing behind his daughter.

  Junior turned to see who he made this silent order to, but as she did a spray-syringe pressed to her neck and she fell unconscious.

  Delano caught his daughter and handed her off to Naana and a female security guard. They carried her to the lift.

  “Captain! The Maverick!”

  Delano spun around to face the screen. “Is my wife on board yet?”

  “Unknown, Sir. I am unable to raise the Subordinate Kaiya on communications.”

  Delano looked at him, breathing hard, but said nothing. “Olivia’s charged after our daughter without her crew and now they’re trying to get her back. I knew this would happen.”

  “The Maverick commander is initiating contact, My Lord.”

  “Permit it.”

  Sachi’s image appeared on screen. “Captain Delano, it’s been a long time. Your abduction of Captain Olivia O’Keefe and her daughter is considered an act of war. Release them to us at once.”

  “Sachi, it’s good to see you.” Delano cleared his throat, fist to lips. “Captain Olivia Delano is on board the shuttlecraft adrift before us. If it is her choice to return to the Maverick, you may tractor it back into your hangar bay without fear of retaliation. She is not our prisoner. Under terms of the Nebo Armistice, however, my daughter‘s choice to remain with me must respected.”

  Olivia rolled out of a conduit and into the corridor outside Junior’s chamber. The guards on duty there recognized her and looked stupidly at each other.

  “Do we have permission to stun her at least?”

  “No, but we can pummel you!” Isaiah rose up behind them and smashed his pressure rifle over the first one’s head. The other one spun around, but was expertly blocked and received a smashing in the face.

  Olivia walked over to the unconscious guards. “That was easy.”

  “Told you Edward would never allow you to be harmed. In fact, I almost suggested you two get a room.”

  Olivia shot him a glare. “Come on.” She went to the door panel and ripped it off. She pulled a metallic rectangular device from her sleeve and pressed it into the open panel. “Don’t fail me now, Mr. Ashley.” The door slid open a little.

  Isaiah shoved his shoulder in and pushed the door open enough for them to squeeze through. “It’s good to have a geek on board to make little gizmos like that.”

  “Here she is!” Olivia rushed to Junior asleep on a sofa. “What did he do to her?” She took her baby’s head in one hand and stroked her cheek with the other.

  Isaiah knelt beside her and passed a medical scanner over Junior. “It’s all right. Mild sedative.” He tucked away the scanner and gathered the overgrown girl up into his arms.

  “A sedative? He sedated my daughter.” Olivia ground her teeth. “What kind of a father sedates his own child?”

  “An exasperated new father who doesn’t know any better because he didn’t make it to my new parents’ class because no one told him he was going to be daddy!”

  “Will you stop? “

  “You asked.” Isaiah shifted Junior’s head against his shoulder.

  “I’ll take out the shields now.” Olivia spied the smashed-in wall. “Looks like Junior already got started.” She pulled out her own scanner and fiddled with components. “Hear anything?”

  “Nope.” Isaiah leaned out the door.

  “Got the shields down! Signaling the Maverick! Get Junior out of here!” A second later, Olivia grabbed a chair to steady herself as the modified torpedo jammed into the Mydis’ sensor array. Her fingers flew over the com pa
nel. “I think its working!”

  Isaiah waited in the corridor with Junior. “Hurry up!” He peeked through the wedged door, lights blinking on and off all around him. “It’s working!” Emergency sirens started wailing, then whining, and then diminished into a low hum.

  In silent perfection, Delano swooped down, slamming his body into Isaiah with all of his weight.

  Isaiah flew against the wall.

  Delano grabbed his daughter.

  His size had never been a deterrent to Olivia when her emotions ran high, however. There was a barely audible swooshing of air when she brought her pressure rifle down against the base of his neck, grabbed his arm, wrenched it up behind and flipped him onto his butt. Stomp-kicking a pressure point in his arm, she grabbed Junior when this forced him to let go. She yanked and dragged her daughter away, hitting her wrist-com. “Teleport now!” She shoved Junior at Isaiah and covered them both with her body.

  Responding in that split second, Delano leapt up in time to see his bride vanish. “Olivia!” And she’d taken their baby with her too.

  Materializing in the Maverick teleportment bay, Olivia hit her wrist-com again. “Sachi, get us the hell out of here!”

  Sachi’s voice came over come. “Yes, Captain, getting us the hell out.”

  Isaiah gathered Junior back up in his arms, bound for the med-bay.

  Seconds later, Olivia dashed from the lift onto the Bridge of her starship and fell into her command chair. “Status!”

  “The flank ships are in immediate pursuit, Captain. The flagship has neutralized Typhoid Mary and is now in pursuit, as well. We’re at Mark Four and they are gaining.” Satchi dashed back to tactical.

  Mir glanced around from the helm. “The Mydis can make at least Mark Six. It will soon overtake the flank destroyers and be right on top of us.”

  Junior sprinted out of the lift. “A Defensive Fleet battle group is here!”

  “It’s Admiral Jackson!” Ashley shouted from com.

  “Junior, return to med-bay!” Captain O’Keefe stood forward of her command chair and watched the five much larger Defensive Fleet vessels fly over the Maverick. “Oh, shmutz,” she growled under her breath.

  The gleaming white, torpedo-shaped Defensive Fleet starships descended on the short Menelaen battle group, blasting away. The Mydis and his flankships careened away and retreated. Admiral Jackson’s starships gave chase, hammering them with all weapons.

  Junior lunged forward. “No!”

  Olivia grabbed her daughter. “Junior!”

  “My father’s on board that ship! And Naana! And Beling!”

  “They’re on the wrong side of the DMZ. Now, sit down.” Olivia tried pulling her back.

  “No, Mom!” Junior twisted out of her mother’s grasp. She hurdled the communication console and smacked a palm down on it. “Dad! Jackson’s ships fly on cirillian-based energy! Flood his burners with ion particles and you can escape! Daddy…”

  “Junior!” Just as Olivia grabbed both her arms, she looked to see Delano’s battleships releasing the sparkling ion particles.

  Jackson’s ships stalled in the wake as Delano’s ships leapt into hyperspace, disappearing in a flash.

  “Poor Dad. Now, he’s all alone again.”

  Olivia looked at her daughter through haunted eyes. “All stop. Hail the flagship. Ask Admiral Jackson if he requires assistance.”

  “Aye, Captain.” Lieutenant Ashley chimed in with Lieutenant Mir.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about my father?” Junior now demanded, ignoring bridge protocol completely. “Why didn’t you tell my father about me?”

  “Sachi, you have the Bridge. Come on, Baby.” Olivia dragged her into the ready room. The doors closed behind them.

  Chapter 9

  I’ve been ratted out. Olivia faced her daughter and folded her arms. “Junior, we were at war. Edward Delano committed war crimes, resisted arrest, and defected to the Empire with the help of Menelaen conspirators. The Intari were upset by the incident. Admiral Codetalker worried if Edward knew about you; whatever action he took would destabilize an already volatile situation. We were so close to achieving armistice and no one wanted to threaten that. You must understand billions of lives were at stake.”

  “Mom!” The incredulousness shook Junior’s reddened face. “Dad defected because you divorced him! He was planning on turning himself in, but when the divorce decree came through without you even trying to talk to him…”

  “I did try! He never replied to my communiqués!”

  “He never received your communiqués!” Junior’s voice hit a new octave. “When you divorced him, he didn’t think anyone would believe him if his own wife didn’t! He gave up.” She paced away, hands on hips and looking very much like her father. “Admiral Park rescued Dad because he’s a man of honor and Dad had shown mercy to his crew during battle. He even adopted Dad. Admiral Park is my grandfather now, just as much as Isaiah.” She did an about-face. “Did you act against orders to come after me?”

  “I didn’t even ask permission.” Olivia released breath and took a step away.

  “I told Daddy you wouldn’t.” Junior folded her arms.

  “That man is not your ‘Daddy! That man is nothing but sperm donor and a war criminal!”

  Junior’s lower lip quivered. “My dad is a good man! An honorable man! How can you say such horrible things about him?”

  Olivia caught the hurt expression. “I’m…sorry.” She paced, rubbing her forehead. “But…you had a ‘Daddy.’ When I explained everything to your father, to Malcolm, I mean, he accepted it and agreed to claim you as his own. He raised you and you adored him.”

  “I know, but he died two years ago. Now, I find out I have another father and, Mom, I’m so much like him! He’s helped me so much. I can stop myself from getting hysterical now. I can breathe when I laugh. Mom, I need him.”

  “Junior…” Olivia reached out and rubbed her arm a bit. “When I married your father, he was a good man and I loved him very dearly. But…war is hell in so many ways. Sometimes it changes people on a fundamental level. Baby, Edward Delano is a star captain in the Menelaen Empire now. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t feel an attachment to him, but the truth is you can never see him again. Its standing orders throughout the Fleet that he’s to be arrested and brought back to Earth to stand trial if he’s ever apprehended.”

  “That is unacceptable.” Junior narrowed his, face set like stone. “My father is a good man and we need him. We have to find a way to clear his name and bring him home.”

  “There’s no way Admiral Jackson…

  “Admiral Jackson’s a two-faced toad!” Junior grabbed her hand. “Mom…” she let go a breath “…Daddy loves you.”

  “Junior, please, don’t cling to this fantasy. You must accept the truth.”

  “I have accepted the truth! Why can’t you? This mess is as much your fault as Dad’s.”

  “Bridge to Captain,” said Sachi over inter-ship communications.

  “O’Keefe here.” Olivia clenched her jaw and swallowed.

  “Admiral Jackson orders you and Junior to teleport directly to his office for debriefing.”

  “Understood.” Olivia looked at Junior, face so tense it hurt. “You must keep yourself under control.”

  “I told you Dad’s taught me how to do that.”

  Ariez paced inside Jackson’s persona, shoulders shifting inside the old admiral’s itchy uniform. The cosmetic surgery stung his face. A shimmering sensation stopped his pacing.

  The Holy Bennu materialized before him, the Sacred Mother at her side. “You ruined my father’s life, you stupid son of bitch!” She launched at him and the force of her anger struck his spirit.

  “Junior!” Olivia grabbed her daughter by both arms before she could physically touch him.

  Horror churned his stomach and his face heated with burning. “Listen to the sound of my voice! You must know me!”

  “Yes, I know you! You’re the jackass admira
l who ruined my father’s life!” Only her mother’s love prevented her from breaking free and destroying him.

  “I…I was trying to rescue you from that monster!” His face crawled with tiny, invisible flames and would soon bubble and burst if she did not back down.

  “My father is an honorable man.” Junior thrust her finger at his nose. “You are the monster unmasked!”

  “No…no, it’s not…” It was the risk all Menelaen males took in finding a mate.

  “Admiral.” Olivia shoved her daughter back and held on tight. “My daughter has ADHD and she’s been off her medication for three days. I thought she was all right, but clearly she’s not.” She tapped wrist-com. “Sachi, emergency teleport to med-bay!”

  The Holy Bennu vanished with the Sacred Mother in shimmering energy.

  Ariez grabbed Jackson’s face in all ten fingers and dug in his nails. “No!” If he could have ripped off the mask of Jackson, he would have. “The Intari…tricked me!” He took two strides to the computer interface’s reflective surface and saw the burns, dark red with blisters.

  Olivia materialized with her daughter in the Maverick med-bay. “What the hell did you think you were doing?”

  “Sticking up for my father!” Junior jerked her arm free.

  Isaiah came out of his office. “What’s going on?”

  Olivia didn’t make time to answer him. “The way you behaved in front of Admiral Jackson just now was completely inappropriate!”

  “No! I’ll tell you what’s inappropriate! Jackson swaggering around like an admiral while Dad’s stuck on the other side of the DMZ away from his wife and daughter! That’s what’s inappropriate here! Dad loves you, Mom! And I know you still love him too. My dad is a good man. I know he is.” Junior turned to leave. “Deep down, you know it too. You’re just afraid.” And then she walked out.

  Olivia blew out a breath just as Sachi walked in.

  Isaiah handed over a silver rectangle. “Junior dropped this. Maybe you should give it back to her and explain why her daddy’s kept it all these years.”

  Olivia opened the silver photo-holder and saw their wedding picture for the first time in seventeen years.