Vall's Will

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Vall's Will Page 5

by Linda Mooney


  Gayt lowered her voice. “What’s this all about, Captain?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m not reading anything. Are you?”

  “No.”

  “Keep Vall safe while I’m gone. I hope this won’t take long.”

  Throwing Vall another smile, Will re-entered the inner office. This time, Oglet was seated behind his desk and reading a report beamed onto his desktop.

  “I just received the details behind your fight with the Ben Objure. You do know you attacked a queen ship, don’t you?”

  “Yes, we were aware of that.”

  “I don’t think you do.” Resting his elbows on the desk, Oglet templed his fingers in front of his face. “That wasn’t any queen. It was the queen. The queen mother, you could say. The uppermost hierarchy of the Objurian species.”

  Will crossed her arms under her breasts. “In most cases, I would think we would get major congratulations for a job well done, but somehow I’m not getting those vibes from you.”

  “An hour before you arrived, we received a transmission from Ben Fil Dera Objure. They say you murdered their Mother of Mothers, and they’re calling for your arrest. They want you delivered to them immediately, or they promise to start an all-out war on every outpost and colony supported by the Regency.”

  “Tell the Objure to go fekk themselves. You know our supreme oath. You know we swear not to kill. We didn’t kill their precious queen mother. They did. They detonated their own ship,” Will informed him sharply. “It’s only because of our natural armor that I and my crew managed to survive the blast.”

  “Your own vessel tells a slightly different version,” Oglet countered. He tapped the desk’s surface where the report still reflected. “It says you were on that vessel a good twenty-eight minutes before it blew. If what you say is true, twenty-eight minutes passed until, somewhere, somehow, you or one of your crew either tripped something, or planted a device, which caused the explosion.”

  “I am not lying,” Will insisted. “My crew and I are innocent of the charges. We did not outright kill the queen mother. Immobilized her, yes.”

  “Where were you, Captain, when it all went down?”

  Will nearly turned to look at the doorway leading to the bridge. “We had just rescued Vall.”

  “The young man in the robes?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  Oglet leaned back in his chair as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Curious.”

  “I agree.”

  He glanced back down at the report. “By the time you reached the young man, you had already freed other prisoners?”

  “Most of them, yes, sir. We reached the Anglites first. The next cell contained Kordorphats. Vall was our third attempt.” A thought crossed her mind, which Oglet noticed.

  “What?”

  “Unlike the Anglites and Kordorphats, his cell was locked. On the outside.”

  “Locked?” The commander looked as perplexed as she was. “Why would they lock him in?”

  She shook her head. “I have no idea. None of us did. It wasn’t until we removed Vall from his cell that we were told of the impending explosion. In all, we were given less than a handful of seconds before the ship detonated.”

  “You were still on the ship?”

  “Yes, but we knew our auras would hold.”

  “How did Vall survive?”

  “I threw myself on him and held him in my arms. My shield protected us both.”

  Oglet’s eyes widened. “I’ve heard of that happening, that a Nion can manage to encapsulate two bodies, but it’s uncommon.”

  “In this case, it was. But we females have an extra bit of give in our auras. It’s to give us the ability to protect our offspring.”

  “You were lucky on that account. So, in other words, we can assume that by releasing the young man, your actions may have caused the Objurian ship to explode, correct?”

  She had to admit to that probability. “It would appear that way.”

  “Hmm.” The commander pondered for a moment.

  “We did not plant any kind of explosive on that ship that would totally decimate it,” Will stated again. “It would go against Nion law.”

  “I believe you, but it’s obvious that when you released the prisoner, you caused the explosive they themselves had rigged to go live. Had you not rescued him, the queen mother might still be alive.”

  “We had to rescue him,” Will argued. “You should have seen the condition of his cell. It was filthy and unsanitary, and he was nothing more than a sack of bones.” She leaned forward and placed her hands on the edge of the desk. “He’s been a prisoner since he was nine years old, Commander!” She had tears in her eyes, and no fekking idea why. Quickly, she blinked to disburse them, and hoped the man hadn’t noticed.

  After a moment, Oglet asked, “Is it normal procedure to board an Objurian craft after you’ve defeated it?”

  “Yes. The crew needs to be contained as soon as possible, to prevent them from doing further harm, either to themselves, or to others.”

  “And what of their prisoners?”

  “In many cases, the Ben Objure are heartless toward their prisoners. We often find them without proper food or water. There’s never any regard to their comfort, or needs. If we are aware of prisoners being on board, we bring them back to our ship and care for them until we reach an outpost or settlement where they can be released and returned to their home world.”

  “And what of the Objurian ship? You turn the Ben Objure over to the authorities for detention?”

  “Correct. They’re kept in stasis until then.”

  “But it’s not standard procedure to destroy an Objurian ship?”

  Will bit back a sharp retort. The Commander was of Old Earth Prime stock, and his background consisted of thousands of years of brutal, bloody history. Men like him often had difficulty understanding how Nions, especially the elite warriors, could control such incredible power, yet remain passively aggressive.

  Sighing, she tried to cool her rising anger. “We are Nion warriors. Our credo is to save and serve, not to harm. Our mission is to keep the peace, and to help those in need. The Ben Objure have no qualms about overtaking vessels and kidnapping the crews, and forcing them to serve as slave laborers or, in many instances, as a food source.”

  “But you can kill.” It was a statement of face the commander already knew the answer to. Will assumed he needed her verbal confession, as their meeting was being documented.

  “Yes, we can kill,” she admitted. “But it has to be under extreme circumstances. Look, Commander, we had contained the Objurian crew and queen. We were rescuing the prisoners when, for some reason we haven’t figure out yet, the ship programmed itself to explode. Have you ever heard of the Objurians doing such a thing?”

  Oglet had to admit he hadn’t. “This is the first time anyone has ever heard of them doing that, which is why I was ordered to investigate the matter.” He tapped his desk. “Your ship confirms what you’ve told me. Neither you nor any of your crew used your vessel to rig the Objurian ship to blow. Nor is there any record of you taking explosives onto the ship when you boarded it.” He scratched his chin again, his eyes gazing out at the panorama of space, although his vision was focused inward. “Captain, it’s obvious that, by releasing the prisoners, you caused the ship to trip its kill switch.”

  Will agreed. It was the only reasonable answer.

  “Or, maybe, it was because you tripped the lock on Vall’s cell.”

  “You think the lock was what triggered the explosion?”

  “It’s very possible. Which leads to the question, why him? What is so special, or shall we say terrifying about Vall that the Objurians felt they needed the extra protection? You said the lock was on the outside of the cell?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then they meant to protect themselves from him escaping.” Oglet’s eyes went to the doorway. “What are your plans for the young man?”

  “I was hoping to leave him her
e. You have access to information and analysis we don’t. You might be able to unravel the mystery of what species he belongs to, and subsequently notify his home world.”

  The commander turned back to her. “What are your plans once you leave Precorut?”

  “We’ll resume our sweep of this sector until we’re summoned to our next mission, and whatever it entails.”

  “You would leave a potentially dangerous entity alone and unguarded on my space station?”

  “In the short time he’s been on my ship, Vall has never shown any sign of being a danger, either to himself or to others. If he had, my innate sensors would have tripped.” She came close to confiding the fact that she had spent the night in the man’s arms on the observation deck, and would have passed along that information to the commander if the guards had not been around to hear.

  Oglet nodded, understanding. The Nion were well known and highly respected throughout many solar systems and galaxies. Their word was irrefutable, as was their power. If Will felt the strange young man was not a danger to the space station, her word was as good as a promise of protection.

  “All right.” He got to his feet and waved away the guards, who exited through a second doorway she had missed spotting earlier. Once they were gone, he walked around the desk to face her directly. “I’m convinced you are innocent of the charges, but you understand you’re still responsible. If you had not interfered, that ship would still be around, and their beloved queen mother would still be alive.”

  “And Vall and the Anglites would still be suffering in near-starving conditions,” she retorted, meeting him eye to eye.

  The man sighed. “We are at an impasse,” he admitted.

  “We are. What do you think should be our next priority?”

  “I will give the order to allow Vall limited access to this station until we find out what he is. However, I must ask that you and your crew leave immediately. The Ben Objure are not to be trifled with. And their threats are never hollow.”

  “You’re afraid they’ll attack Precorut if we’re here?”

  “I don’t know what they’ll do. But if you’re not here, it lessens the chance we’ll be targeted. I’m sorry, Captain, but I can’t take the risk of you remaining on board.”

  She took a step back. “I understand. I’ll notify my ship. We’ll leave within the hour.”

  “Try to make it less than an hour,” Oglet suggested.

  Will nodded but didn’t reply.

  Re-entering the bridge, she noticed Vall hadn’t moved from where she’d left him. Meanwhile, Killjorn had joined him and Gayt. They all turned around when she stepped inside. Motioning for them to follow her, Will led them out into the narrow corridor.

  Translate off.

  She flashed a smile as she ordered them to kill their interpreting ability. “I don’t know how well Vall might take the news that we’re having to leave him here, but we’ve been ordered off the station, effective immediately.”

  Gayt’s eyes widened as Killjorn whispered, “For what reason?”

  “That Objurian ship that exploded contained the queen mother, their holiest of holies. The Ben Objure have declared total war on me and all crew members of the Trinity of Hope, and threaten to destroy all Regency-held bases and bases hosting Regency agents until I’m turned over to them. Commander Oglet believes they’ll carry out that threat, which is why he doesn’t want us on Precorut.”

  “What do you need us to do?” Killjorn asked.

  “Both of you go back to the ship. Inform them we have to leave within the hour, if not sooner.”

  “What about―”

  “I’ll take care of him myself.” Will looked up to see Vall intently watching her. Somehow, she could tell from his worried expression that he knew something was about to happen. “Go. I’ll join you shortly.”

  The two women hurried away, leaving Will alone with the young man. Taking his hand, she started in the direction of the tubes as her mind raced. She already had a vague idea how Vall would take her desertion, but would he understand why she had to leave him?

  At the thought of finally being separated, Will felt a hard tug at her heart, and tears threatened to fill her eyes once more. A sudden pressure around her fingers told her he was aware of her distress. Glancing up at him, she smiled again and tried to remain calm. But the simple truth was, for some reason she couldn’t fathom, this was going to be the most difficult thing she had ever done in her life.

  I hope you don’t come to hate me, Vall, for what I’m about to do. Please be aware this is for your own good, and for the good of everyone here on Precorut. Please forgive me, but I have no other choice.

  There was another squeeze of her hand. Keeping her smile pasted on her face, Will led him to the nearest observation deck to say her good-byes.

  Chapter Seven

  Attack

  Unlike being on board the Trinity, people stared openly at her and Vall as they made their way, hand in hand, through the corridors. Many recognized her. A few knew her by name. Everyone identified the uniform and neck tattoo of a Nion Warrior.

  Will ignored them all as she and Vall made their way to the observation deck. Unlike the one on her ship, this deck was huge and multi-tiered. At any given time, a large number of people were present. When they entered via the second level, Will quickly estimated at least two dozen observers were on that level alone.

  She turned and headed for a secluded alcove, or some place that would provide them with a bit of privacy. She finally found a couple of seats in a far corner, out of the direct line of sight from the doorway. Taking one of the seats, she released his hand and waited for him to sit. Vall gave the chair a brief glance, then perched on the edge of the seat. His actions gave her the impression he wouldn’t hesitate to lunge for her if she tried to leave.

  Translate.

  There wasn’t time to be gentle. She had to be blunt. If it hurt his feelings, maybe that would be a good thing. Maybe if she made him angry enough, he wouldn’t mind seeing her go, although the thought of parting on such terms didn’t sit well with her.

  She turned to face him and put on her sternest expression. “Vall, this is where we part company. You will stay here, but I must go.”

  She watched his eyes widen, but he never moved or gestured.

  “I am a Nion warrior. I have to leave. My mission is to protect this part of the galaxy. That’s how we ran across the Objurian ship, and found you.” She tried to smile, but failed. His face had gone paler than usual.

  “Vall, while you’re here, their scientists are going to run more tests on you. Hopefully, they’ll discover what species you are. If they do, they’ll notify your home world. Wouldn’t you like that? To be back among others of your kind? You might even find your family. Maybe even discover you have a brother or sister. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

  Vall continued to stare at her in obvious disbelief. Slowly, he started to reach for her, but Will backed away, keeping deliberate distance between them.

  “I’ll keep in contact, Vall. I’ve left orders to be kept abreast of your status.” She gave what she’d hoped would be a chuckle, but it sounded strangled instead. “Maybe, if we’re out in this direction, and you’ve found where you belong, we can return you to your world.”

  It was an empty hope, but he didn’t need to know that. Right now, they both had to go through this separation, no matter how much it hurt. And it hurt so terribly bad right now, she was fighting the tears.

  Vall lifted a hand in her direction. Despite her moving away, he managed to reach out and trace the edge of her face with his fingertips. His hand lowered until it touched the side of her neck and her insignia. At the feel of the raised flesh, he paused to give her a puzzled look.

  “It’s my rank. All warriors have one.”

  His hand lowered until it rested on her lap, on top of her wrists. She felt helpless and unable to continue retreating. His touch was like a healing salve, sending warmth and calmness into her bloodstream.
What she wouldn’t give to close her eyes and let him caress away all the stress and worry floating within her soul like flotsam.

  Sadly, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I must go now, Vall, but we’ll see each other again soon. You have my word.”

  Slowly, she rose from her seat, never taking her eyes off the young man. Behind her back, she kept her other hand ready for what she knew he would eventually do. She didn’t have to wait long.

  She had barely straightened up and started to turn around to leave, when Vall leaped to his feet, his arms outstretched to stop her. Bringing her hand around, she shot him point blank with a light, stunning pulse. Vall collapsed unconscious into the seat, where he would sleep for about an hour. By the time he awoke, the Trinity would be gone. Giving him one final look, she inhaled a shuddering breath and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  Will hurried to the landing bay where the ship was readying for departure. As she ran up the gangplank, she ordered for immediate liftoff. By the time she reached the bridge, the ship was clearing the pad.

  “Any communication from the Regency?”

  “None,” Granth answered.

  “There will be. Magnus, plot a course toward the Anurza system.”

  “Captain?” By his confused tone, she could tell he didn’t understand why they were heading into an almost starless void toward a solar system with less than a handful of habitable planets. Looking around the bridge, the rest of her crew appeared to be just as clueless.

  “Just do it.”

  The navigator bent over his console. “Plotting a course, Captain.”

  She waited until they were well clear of all navigational routes before she hit the intercom button to address the entire ship’s crew.

  “This is Captain Tayte. As you are all aware, we are entering open space and heading toward the Anurza system. We are not under orders to go there. It is solely my decision, and I will explain why. You know we recently attacked an Objurian ship. What you don’t know is that the ship contained their queen mother. During our rescue of their prisoners, the ship self-detonated. Although we didn’t directly kill her, the Ben Objure hold me responsible for the queen’s death. Inasmuch, they have sworn a vendetta against me, against this ship, and against the Regency.”

 

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