Hawthorne thought on the words he had just heard. Lucas is right. If I was retired, I couldn't do anything to help put Connie back on her throne, but now, I can. At least within the confines of active military service. It's not much, but it is something. He walked toward the inner office door, then turned and looked back at Svenson. "Let's get moving, Lucas," Hawthorne smiled. "This office isn't going to box itself, and I've got some battle cruisers that need me."
***
The V'drellian palace had been built next to the existing Citadel, and the palace courtyard even shared a wall with the Order's ancient fortress. K'oron and Danielle quickly made the trip to the imperial throne room. Upon their arrival, Emperor Glars'n motioned to the guards to let them approach. K'oron and Danielle walked toward the Emperor and knelt down on one knee in front of the throne.
"Rise friends," Glars'n said with a lifting motion of his hand. "I summoned you here so we can discuss that kritz'ka, No'tok!" He continued his rant about the traitor for the next few moments.
"What is a 'kritz'ka'?" Danielle whispered out of the corner of her mouth to K'oron while the Emperor continued his outpouring of insults.
"A rather unsavory term for a V'drellian who would spend his time mating with water beasts. A rather crude insult," K'oron replied quietly.
The Emperor finished his verbal lashing and took a breath. "My apologies, I still get upset whenever I think about that traitorous villain. I was just informed that No'tok's ship, the Drah'jik, has been found floating in space close to the Rylan border. One of our ships tried to approach it, but the Drah'jik's weapon systems began a targeting sequence so our ship backed away to a safe distance. Since the Drah'jik did not attempt to follow, Commander Br'dar believed the Drah'jik was operating in an automated defensive mode and destroyed the engine section of the ship to shut down main power. They then attempted to board, but according to reports from the ship on site, the Drah'jik appears to have some kind of gas in the atmosphere. The on-site commander thought it might be toxic, so he didn't allow his crew to board."
"That is a possibility, considering No'tok is involved. Perhaps No'tok and some of the crew sealed themselves in a safe area to wait out the boarding party, and used the gas as a means to stop Br'dar's men from boarding?" K'oron asked rhetorically. "If so, they might be trapped, and it could give us a chance to capture No'tok, or at least gather some direct information concerning his whereabouts from anyone else."
"My thoughts exactly," agreed the Emperor. "That is why I would like the two of you to attempt to board the Drah'jik. K'oron, I know that the Order has technology that the rest of our fleet does not have, and that may give you an advantage. Take Danielle Hart with you. The two of you seem to make quite the team." Danielle smiled slightly at the compliment. K'oron nodded his approval.
"I have infiltrated No'tok's security before," K'oron stated. "The Drah'jik is an older ship. It shouldn't be difficult. The gas onboard will not pose a problem. We can be on our way immediately."
"Good," Glars'n smiled, "I knew you wouldn't let me down. You never do. Find out what you can, and take anyone you find onboard as a prisoner. Our other ship, the Strak'zar, will be standing by to assist you with whatever you might need. Go, and may Th'warzin grant you success," the Emperor said dismissing them.
As K'oron and Danielle walked back to the Citadel, K'oron noticed that Danielle's jaw was locked. Whatever she was thinking about had her visibly upset. Probably No'tok. She suffered a great deal under his hand, and I am certain that she would love the opportunity to give him a taste of what he put her through. For a moment K'oron considered asking her if she wanted to talk about it but then decided not to. She may not be ready to talk about it yet. Sometimes a warrior has to bury deep their feelings to survive the upcoming battle.
Upon entering the hallway leading from the palace courtyard to the Citadel proper Danielle stopped and turned to face K'oron. Her face held a level of hatred that K'oron had never seen before. "If we find him onboard, I can't promise that I might not kill him."
"I know that you want to," K'oron replied, "but when that moment comes, I don't believe that you will. I cannot pretend to understand how you feel or imagine the tortures that he put you through, but I know you, and you always do what is right. As I told you before when No'tok had us captive, you have a heart of honor. Don't let No'tok have too. You didn't have any choice in what he did to you onboard his ship or when you were a prisoner on the Perseverance, but if you lash out in hatred to kill him you will be giving him the one thing he couldn't take by force or violence."
Danielle snorted. "Honor? Look where that got me. I'm an outcast from own people." She then took a breath and sighed. "Maybe your right. Maybe I'll do the right thing." A sly smile crept across her face. "Or maybe I'll kill him."
They resumed their walk, and Danielle didn't speak again. K'oron did understand the desire for vengeance that she felt. He had felt it himself on several occasions and often acted on it. An act of vengeance is what put him in his current position as Commander-General of the Order of V'drellz Stragizi. He also knew that each time he had acted, he had traded a piece of his soul in exchange. Somehow being around Danielle made him feel like he might possibly be able to get back some of those pieces he had lost. One cannot commit an act of hatred and not be forever changed by it. I don't want to see you change, Danielle. You are good and decent. You have become the light that is leading me out of darkness. For both our sakes, keep you light shining.
***
Zachary Ridgeway sat on a cot in the small cell that had been his home since his imprisonment by Queen Constance over four months ago. This would be his last day in this room. The new Prime Minister of the Rylan Protectorate and Regent Zhi had worked out the details of his transfer, which would be occurring tomorrow. The lieutenant in charge of his confinement had offered him a choice for his last dinner meal because everyone was certain that the Rylans would waste no time in executing him.
He had asked if he could have one last chance to see his wife and child, but they had disappeared sometime after the trial. Ridgeway wasn't surprised. I'm sure that being married to the worst mass murderer in the history of the Commonwealth has been brutal for them. Probably moved to some remote colony and changed their names. I don't blame them. Still, he thought it would have been nice to see them one last time.
Ridgeway was not holding out hope for anything short of execution if the reaction that his own people had toward him was any indication of what the Rylans thought of him. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him, his mind once again returning to the memories of that day on the bridge of the Dauntless. The day he ordered his ship to fire on a Rylan passenger vessel. He had gone over those events so many times since that day. He had recited every detail to the FJO that had been assigned to his case after the Queen had him arrested. The Fleet Justice Officer, Commander Ian Cunningham, had made Ridgeway recite his story of events over and over. During the trial his defense representative had him tell the story for the jury. The alien prosecutor, Zorgash, had also made him tell it, only Zorgash tried to twist the facts to make it look like he had intentionally killed those people. No matter how many times he went over it, he still could not figure out how the sensors could make that kind of mistake, then autocorrect immediately after his ship fired. Sensor arrays don't just change their mind. Yet, somehow the one on the Dauntless did just that. One minute they were targeting a target drone made to mimic a V'drellian ship, and yet immediately after firing, they picked up the distress beacon of a Rylan passenger ship. Things like that just don't happen, and yet it did.
His was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps in the hallway outside his cell. He looked up as his jailor approached his cell. A second man was with him. It was Second Lt. Simon Baxby, his science officer from the Dauntless, although the man looked like only a shell of his former self. "Visitor for you, Ridgeway," the lieutenant announced. "I'll be back in ten." The lieutenant then walked back down the hallw
ay leaving Baxby alone in front of Ridgeway's cell.
"Hello, Captain," Baxby spoke quietly.
"It's good to see a familiar face, Lieutenant," Ridgeway offered a weak smile. "What brings you to a place like this?"
"There is something I needed to tell you," Baxby began. "Something I should have said before the trial, but..." The lieutenant had a look of fear in his eyes. Whatever he had come to discuss seemed to be eating away at his very soul. He took a breath and started again. "There wasn't a sensor malfunction on the Dauntless. The signal we picked up was that of a V'drellian ship. Before we launched the sensor probes, I downloaded a copy of the V'drellian engine signature onto them. I had told you it was so that they would know what to look for, but actually, I programmed one of them to emit the signature instead. I had already noticed the Rylan Starburst on long-range scan, so I programmed the probe to fly close to the Rylan Starburst, emit the signature, and jam their communications."
Ridgway was in shock. He always knew that there had to be a reason for the sensor anomaly, but this was beyond imagination. "You intentionally made that passenger ship look like a target drone? Why?"
"They threatened me," pleaded Baxby. "I didn't want to do it, but they said that they would kill me and my wife. I just couldn't risk her life. I'm so sorry!"
"They who?" Ridgeway asked. "Who would want to set me up for something so brutal?"
"I don't know their names," replied Baxby. "They were waiting outside my house the morning we were to report to the shipyard for departure. They had pictures of my wife on the street, at the store, even at work. They said that the Dauntless would be involved in a war game exercise simulating an attack from ships in the QZ. When the exercise started, I needed to make sure that a Rylan ship was 'accidentally' targeted and destroyed. Otherwise, my wife would be dead before I returned to Mars, and that I would have an 'accident' of my own. The pictures and the tone of their voices made me believe them."
"Do you have any proof?" Ridgeway asked. For the first time in a very long while, a glimmer of hope was stirring in him.
"Yes. They gave me a data chip that contained the code to block the Rylan communication signals. I have here it in my pocket." Baxby seemed more relieved now than afraid. The truth was a liberating force. "When I leave here, I'm going directly to your defense counsel, Cmdr. Bridger. I'm going to turn the chip over to him. I hope it's not too late. I should have done something sooner, but I was just too afraid."
"I appreciate it, Simon. Are you and your wife going to be okay?" Ridgeway asked. As much as he wanted to go free, he didn't want someone else's death to take his place.
"Anna died last week," Baxby answered softly. "She fell down the stairs at her office. The police said it was an accident. I don't think these people would have killed her and lost leverage over me."
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Ridgeway offered his sympathies.
"Thank you, Captain," Baxby acknowledged. "I don't care what they do to me at this point. Knowing what happened and not being able to do anything about it is killing me anyway. At least the truth will finally come out, and you can see your family again."
Ridgeway considered his last words. I'll have to find them first. Maybe if I am released and cleared they would come home. Wouldn't they? He was actually excited at the thought of being released. He had forgotten what hope felt like until now, and he was embracing it fully. "Thank you for this, Simon. I'll never be able to repay you."
"Enjoy your freedom, Captain," Baxby said with a weak smile. "Make the most of it." He then turned and walked down the hallway towards the door that led to the office area. The door opened and he was gone.
Ridgeway sat again staring blankly at the wall. This time was different though. This time he wasn't lost in despair. This time he had hope. He noticed the clock in the hallway outside his cell. Almost dinner. Good, I'm starving. He was looking forward to the fried chicken meal he had asked for. What was to have been his last decent meal, was now looking like it would be the first of many to come.
CHAPTER 3
Gaelon sat at his desk doing something he rarely did. He was physically writing a message. Printed messages were little used in the Protectorate with the myriad of communication methods available. There was nothing usual about the message or its recipient. It had to be worded carefully to avoid suspicion, as it was intended for a citizen of the Commonwealth which meant that a new level of scrutiny was possible. Even though the intended was a member of the Legion, Gaelon didn't trust the network he normally used to relay orders throughout the Legion's members. The message had to be clear, but not suspicious.
Lt. Johnson,
I am pleased that you survived your ordeal in the Dominion and returned safely. You have done the universe a great favor by exposing the return of the V'drellian people and their barbarous ways. If you should ever find yourself in the Protectorate, more specifically Rylos, I would be honored to have you as my guest in the capital. Our people would love to celebrate and bestow gifts on such a hero as yourself.
Deepest regards,
Gaelon, Prime Minister of the Rylan Protectorate
Gaelon read over the message several times. Yes, that should suffice. If anyone comes across it in her possession, I can easily fend off questions by explaining that I would like to ask her about her time in the Dominion to help place our defenses. He smiled. She would know that the message was actually instructions for her to find a way to come to Rylos to discuss matters with him in person. He folded the piece of piece of parchment and placed it inside an envelope. He then affixed an official seal to close it. Using a seal of his office would guarantee that no one in the Protectorate would try and read the message. Now all he needed was to have it delivered.
"Hardaath," he called out. "Would you please come here." The door opened and the Androsan that served as his personal aide entered the room and walked towards the desk. Hardaath gave a deep bow before Gaelon and silently waited for the Prime Minister's instructions.
Gaelon handed him the envelope. "We are about to leave for the Commonwealth. Once we arrive, I need you to deliver that message to Lt. Lakeisha Johnson in the Royal Guard. I will tell Zhi that you are coordinating my security with his Guard if the question arises. I am counting on you, Hardaath. This message is of the utmost importance. You may go now. Finish the preparations for our journey." Hardaath again bowed then left the room, closing the door behind him.
Soon all the universe will bow before the will of Kamseth and will bow before me.
***
Danielle sat in the pilot seat of K'oron's ship. Her hands gliding across the console interface, the pads of her fingers lightly touching the console to make subtle course corrections and adjustments. K'oron sat in the co-pilot seat beside her, watching her every move. K'oron had been teaching her how to fly using V'drellian control systems and was letting her fly from V'drell Prime to the Rylan border where the Drah'jik had been found. She pressed the console a bit too hard on her last adjustment, and the ship listed to the side. She quickly readjusted and brought the ship back level.
"Use as light a touch as you can," K'oron reminded her. "You can always tap again if you need more adjustment, but you cannot undo a heavy tap."
"I know," she replied. "So much for impressing the teacher, huh?"
"Well, considering you've learned enough of the V'drellian language to read the console and enter information into the system in V'drellian, I would say you've already impressed your teacher," K'oron remarked with a smile. "Those translation nanobots I originally injected you with have long since lost power. They only last about thirty high suns. Since then your communication has been on your own. Your brain stored what it learned while the nanobots were functioning, which gave you a head start, but now you are learning like anyone else would. Like your fighting skills, I have been impressed by the speed in which you learn new things."
"Yeah, I noticed as they started shutting down," she said. "Before I thought you were speaking Terran to me when they wer
e translating, now I hear V'drellian and just know what most of the words mean."
"I'm certain that your V'drellian is much better than my Terran," he conceded. "As it should be since you are living on a planet where V'drellian is the primary language. If the situation was reversed, I hope I could learn Terran as well as you have learned my language."
A green dot started flashing on the console in front of them. K'oron reached and tapped the dot. A portion of the front screen was now showing a V'drellian man's face. "Commandant-General K'oron, we are picking your ship up on our sensors. We took minor damage from the Drah'jik's weapons when we first arrived on the scene which has made our primary hangar deck inoperable. You may use the fighter launch deck when you are ready to board."
"Commander Br'dar, it is good to see you as well," K'oron replied. "I want to circle the Drah'jik first and take a look at her before joining you. Has there been any change onboard the Drah'jik since your last communication?"
"Negative, General," the image said shaking his head. "We still read no signs of life and no signs of power since we targeted their engines. I do not know what kind of gas is in the air onboard, so I'm not certain how you are going to board her to investigate. We had thought to use our deep space suits that our maintenance personnel use when repairing items outside the ship, but the suits are too large to get through the inner airlock door."
"That was my first idea of approach, Commander," K'oron acknowledged. "We will have to come up with a different plan then. We'll see if any other ideas come to mind while we are looking her over. Then Major Hart and I will join you onboard the Strak'zar."
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