Zhi turned back to Queen Constance, who was shattered by the revelation of Danielle's involvement in these events. "What say you, Your Majesty? Would you willingly step aside and take a much-needed rest?" She nodded her acceptance, and turned and walked back toward the palace, with her security detail in tow.
Zhi faced the media again. "On behalf of the Crown and the Council of Barons, I hereby declare Danielle Hart stripped of all ranks and honors, and a traitor to the Crown and the Commonwealth. If found, she should be taken into custody or killed. The same applies to her V'drellian companion."
***
Danielle sat in the co-pilot's seat letting Lakeisha's recent revelations sink in. "She was never really my friend," Danielle mumbled. "She was just using me. She would have killed me back there if it wasn't for you."
"I will always be there for you," K'oron looked at her and smiled. "As long as I draw breath, it will be for you." They cleared the atmosphere and he put the camouflaged ship into a high orbit.
Danielle looked at him and managed a smile. "I know. You've helped me find the strength to survive things that I didn't know I had."
K'oron looked at his display, and his mood became focused. "We are going to have to figure out how to get away from Martian orbit. I'm certain by now that their fleet has been notified to be looking for us. We've got to get back to Dominion space before we are found."
"I have an idea," she offered. "It will either be something they never expect or get us killed in a hurry."
"If we don't do something we're going to be dead anyway," he reminded her. "What are you thinking?"
"We steal the Odyssey," she said.
"Yes," he agreed, "that would probably get us killed. We would have to board one of their maintenance platforms and get the ship out without getting caught."
"No pain, no gain," she responded.
"An odd phrase," he said, "but if we fail there will definitely be pain. Let's hope the hangar bay is still open."
They approached the Odyssey which was docked in the orbiting shipyard, just as Lt. Commander Paige had told them. Much to their surprise, the hangar doors were open. K'oron eased their ship into the hangar bay and set it down gently. They shut down the engines and exited the ship.
"I wish I had taken the tour of the bridge now," Danielle chuckled.
"That can be arranged," a woman said stepping out from behind from some storage containers. It was Lt. Commander Paige. "I heard that you caused quite a stir down on the surface. I heard that someone killed the Rylan Prime Minister. Word going through the fleet is that you were involved." She looked at K'oron. "You were involved too, I assume?"
"We didn't kill the Prime Minister," Danielle objected.
"I don't think you did," Paige replied, "If I thought that you were responsible, you'd be speaking to my security team. I also heard that a disappearing purple man might have actually saved the Queen." She turned back to K'oron. "You have my gratitude for saving her life."
"I only wish we could have saved them both," K'oron said.
"I expected you would be coming to see me," the Lt. Commander acknowledged. "I knew you'd need to get back to the border, and that I had the fastest ship."
"We assumed that your crew would have disembarked already," K'oron told the Odyssey's commanding officer. "An empty ship is much easier to steal."
"They have, except a skeleton crew that I hand-picked," Paige replied. "They are loyal to the Queen, and to me. When do we leave?"
"We?" Danielle asked. "You're not going with us. We've been labeled as traitors and fugitives. If you were to help us at all, you'd be fugitives too."
"My crew and I already talked about that before you got here," Paige informed them. "Baron Zhi has assumed power and made the Queen step down. Our loyalty is to the Queen and the Commonwealth, not to politicians. Your loyalty is the same as ours, and we cannot help our Queen if we are serving the man that usurped her throne. Besides, there is no way the two of you can fly a ship this size by yourself. You're going to need a crew and a first officer. May I offer my services, Captain?"
"Captain?" Danielle looked confused. "I'm a lieutenant, not a Captain."
"Technically, you're nothing now," the Lt. Commander told Danielle. "Zhi had you stripped of rank when he declared you a traitor."
"I hate to interrupt such a riveting discourse," K'oron broke into the conversation, "but we need to get out of here, now. They will be locking the planet down soon if they haven't already. Then they will blockade all ships from leaving orbit in an effort to keep anyone from leaving while they are searching for us."
"Lt. Commander," Danielle said, "take us to the Dominion. Maximum speed."
"Aye, Captain," Paige replied with a nod and returned to the bridge.
Danielle watched Mars get smaller and smaller as the Odyssey left the shipyard and got underway. It wasn't the first time that she had seen the red planet disappear into the distance as she left, but somehow this time it seemed more emotional. K'oron seemed to sense that it was weighing on her, and he walked over to where she was standing and placed an arm around her.
"You'll be back, I promise," K'oron told her. "I will not rest until we have cleared your name."
She leaned her head against his chest. "When we get back to V'drell Prime, I want to start training with the V'drellz Stragizi. I need to be more than a Sovereign Angel now If I'm going to take down the Legion."
"I will train you personally in every weapon and combat style we use," K'oron promised. "If you need to be more than a Sovereign Angel, what is that you need to be?"
Danielle watched as Mars finally disappeared from view, then she turned and looked at him. There was a fire of hatred burning in her eyes. "Vengeance."
Hart Of Honor: A Danielle Hart Novel Page 20
