by K. B. Wagers
Breakfast was a quiet affair with Alba, Jia, and Caterina. Gita stood by the door, arms crossed over her chest. My chamberlain, with her still-healing arm, had returned to running my time as though we were in the palace. I was grateful for it and for the fact that she was still with me.
“Supplies are sorted for the next leg of the journey, ma’am,” Alba said, ticking off a box on the list the four of us were sharing over our smatis. “I let Hao coordinate most of it, but I was able to find a tea merchant in the marketplace who sells your favorite chai.”
“Remind me to give you a raise when we get home,” I said with a grin. “So what’s the news on Matriarch Tobin?”
“After dinner last night, Nakula and I were able to get in touch with someone in his network,” Jia replied. “According to them, the matriarchs made it safely off Red Cliff and rendezvoused with Admiral Hassan two days ago. The details of how are still a little fuzzy, but I figured since we were talking to the admiral later this morning we’d be able to ask them directly.”
I exhaled and tapped my fist lightly on the tabletop. The safety of the other two matriarchs had been weighing on me since the moment we’d fled from Red Cliff. “I am glad we can let that worry go,” I said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Caterina agreed. “We received a message from Caspel that Matriarch Hassan and her children were able to make it to an Upjas safe house early this morning. With the exception of Matriarch Desai, all my fellow matriarchs are accounted for and safe or have gone to temple.”
I touched my hand to my heart, lips, and forehead. The three women echoed the gesture and we sat in silence for a long moment.
I cleared my throat. “What’s the news saying, Alba?”
“Once the initial shock of the attack on Red Cliff died out, the intergalactic stations aren’t covering much of the situation on Indrana. I see scattered reports and some think pieces about what it means for stability in the region, but not much else. What I don’t know is if that’s because Phanin has the official news stations on lockdown or because no one is talking.”
At least one of the royal stations had suffered “catastrophic equipment failure” and gone off the air permanently—which was to say Phanin had blown the building up when they refused to stop broadcasting a message of support for me.
“If the Solarians are interested they are keeping it very quiet at the moment.”
“Oh, they’re interested. Trust me.” I pointed a finger at Caterina. “I want you to write three press releases for me. The first one detailing our outrage at the senseless violence inflicted on us and on a Solarian negotiation planet by the Saxon Alliance. The second one needs to condemn Eha Phanin’s illegal takeover of the Indranan government and his barbaric murders of the members of the Matriarch Council.”
Caterina nodded as she logged the information into her smati. “And the third?”
“You’ll want to talk with Johar about this one; she can walk you through how to do it. I want a bounty on Phanin’s head, for forty-five million. Alive is optional, his head is required.”
Caterina paled. “Majesty, the empire cannot—”
“That’s not for the empire. I’m paying the bounty out of my own pocket.” I smiled slowly. “Use Cressen Stone on the notice if it helps ease your mind; for once we can get something out of the fact that I used to be another person.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.” I tapped my knuckles on the tabletop again. “We’re done here then. You can all go. I need to speak with Emmory, and then I believe Nakula and I have a call with Caspel. Jia, if you’ll let him know to head this way?”
“I will, Majesty,” she said with a smile.
The three women left me alone with my Ekam, and I got up to pace the floor as I debated how to broach the subject of the Canafey ships to him.
Why I even bothered I don’t know, as my Ekam once again proved he could read me better than most.
“We’ll go after the Vajrayana ships, Majesty?” Emmory sighed when I stared at him. “It’s the best plan we could have. Phanin’s got three already. I’ve been reading up on the specs for them. Even if only half are intact it will be enough to defeat 2nd Fleet and give the Saxons pause in their plans to go to war.”
I laughed. “I owe you an apology, Emmy.”
“For thinking I’m just another pretty face?” He grinned at me but then sobered. “It’s going to be bloody, Majesty. The Saxons won’t give up Canafey without a fight.”
“That’s all right. I’m kind of spoiling for a fight.”
The door chimed and Emmory moved to let Nakula in as I headed for the com and punched Caspel’s contact information in. Nakula murmured a greeting as he sat next to me.
“Your Majesty.” Caspel’s one good eye flicked to my right where Nakula sat. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Caspel. I know who he is,” I said with a smile and nod in Nakula’s direction. “We have the lock codes. Governor Ashwari is safe. He did good, Director.”
“I’m pleased to hear it.”
“If we survive this I’m going to have to think of something suitably embarrassing to do as a thank-you—like knight him.”
Nakula looked horrified, but Caspel laughed in delight. “It would be fitting, Your Majesty, I’ve been trying to promote him and bring him back to Pashati for years. Now that you have the codes, what is your plan?”
“I’m still working on that,” I hedged, unwilling to say anything more about it over the channel, no matter how secure it was. “Any word on Clara?”
“Still no word on Matriarch Desai, Majesty. I am sorry.”
“Find her, Caspel. Please.” I rubbed a hand over my forehead. “What about Leena and Taran?”
“They came in about an hour ago with a squad of her mother’s guards. Her sister managed to hide them before Phanin’s men got there and they were able to escape. We’re moving them to a safer location in the morning.”
“Good. Thank you. Tell them—” I stopped and swallowed, unable to find the words.
“I will, Majesty,” Caspel said.
We talked for several more minutes about the situation at home. Then Nakula excused himself and I turned back to Caspel.
“I need to speak with Bina if she’s there.”
“She is, ma’am. Hang on. I’ll connect you.”
The connection blacked out for a moment and then returned.
“Yes, Majesty?” Lieutenant Bina Neem had the same distinctive elfin features and red hair as Fasé, but she was older, and her hair was cut short, just above her pointed chin. “What can I do for you?”
“Lieutenant. We have one of your—” I broke off, at a loss as to what I was supposed to call Fasé. People sounded very rude and countrywoman wasn’t quite right either. I cleared my throat. “Are you familiar with Sergeant Fasé Terass?”
“I am, ma’am. We’re linked, distantly, but it’s there.” Bina frowned. “You are obviously concerned, Majesty. What it is?”
“She was unconscious for a while after Red Cliff. She woke last night, but her behavior is odd. I’m worried about her. We don’t really know how to help.”
“What happened?”
“Emmory had been shot. She was able to patch him together enough for us to move him, but then we had to move him again and… he died.”
“You mean she kept him from dying?”
I remembered the flatline in my head and the scream that had issued from Zin and shook my head. “No. He was dead. He was gone. I was going to try to restart his heart, but she pushed me aside and—”
Bina’s eyes went wide and I watched as her golden eyes flicked over my left shoulder where Emmory stood. “She brought him back,” she whispered.
I didn’t think it was possible for Farians to get paler, but the news somehow drained what little color there was out of Bina’s face.
“We have some rudimentary medical facilities and she seems to be all right physically. She said she wasn’t glad to be awake. We’ll be meeting with A
dmiral Hassan and there are Farians stationed on board the Vajra, I just—”
“She shouldn’t have been able to bring him back.” Bina interrupted me. The Farian looked around her, swallowed, and dropped her head. “Forgive me, Majesty. This is not common. I will contact the Farians with Admiral Hassan. You must not talk with Fasé about this. It will only make things worse. Wait until you get to the admiral for my kin to take over. There is nothing you can do to help her.”
“She saved a life, Bina. I don’t understand.”
“It is forbidden.” Bina’s voice dropped even lower. “We do not kill. We do not give life. We heal. Only heal. We cannot bring back that which is dead. Most of us couldn’t even if it wasn’t forbidden. Fasé is in a crisis of faith, but more than her own troubles, there will be a reckoning. I do not know what they will do. They might take her home, they might extinguish her.”
“What?”
“It is the law, Majesty. These are extenuating circumstances and Fasé is much loved, but I do not know what is going to happen.” Tears appeared in Bina’s eyes. “Please tell her I love her.”
I nodded, my heart racing. “Tell the director I will speak with him later. And Bina, thank you.”
“Keep her safe, Majesty. I know why she did it, but I wish she hadn’t. It is a dangerous road to walk down even were it not a likely death sentence. Tasting that kind of power usually leads to madness. Tell my ahblensha I will pray she is strong enough to withstand.” Bina made a mudra with her right hand and touched her ring finger to her temple.
I shared a look with Emmory before I rubbed my hand over my eyes. “Because we don’t have enough problems,” I muttered.
“We’ll handle it, Majesty,” Emmory said. “Will you be all right here for a while?”
“I’ll be fine. I need to talk with Admiral Hassan, and Rai wanted to have lunch before we left. Go.” I waved a hand at the door and turned back to the com link. I typed in the address Caspel had given me for Admiral Hassan and leaned back in my chair as I waited for a response.
“Breathe, Majesty,” Gita said as she took Emmory’s spot.
“Your Majesty.” Admiral Hassan’s face appeared on the screen.
“You look exhausted.”
“So do you, ma’am.”
I laughed. “How are you holding up, Inana?”
“We’re okay. Running low on supplies, ma’am, but spirits are good. We’ll need to get somewhere safe to replenish water and food within the week.”
“I can do better than that, I’ll take you right to supplies. Send me your coordinates, encode them. We’re leaving here in a few hours.”
“Yes, ma’am. Admiral Shul brought most of 2nd Fleet to Pashati. I ordered the remainder of Home Fleet to run when he showed up.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, ma’am. It seemed the best solution. He had the Vajrayana ships locked up as soon as we left the system.”
“Caspel told me. It was best. They could have made a stand, but they were outnumbered. I’d rather have the ships, Admiral. We’ll get the planet back.”
“Admiral Fon is in charge. She’s headed our way, but they did take some damage in the escape.”
“We’ll deal with it as we need to. We can move personnel around once we’re all together. I’ve got the lock codes for the Vajrayana ships, Admiral. Start picking crew members.”
Hassan’s eyes lit up. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Inana, your mother and your sisters are safe. I don’t know if Caspel had a chance to tell you.”
Admiral Hassan’s eyes filled with tears and she pressed two trembling fingers to her lips. “I am relieved to hear it, Majesty.”
“I’m sending you a message for the ranking Farian with you. Lieutenant Bina Neem will be contacting them also, but I wanted them to hear it from me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Curiosity was thick in Inana’s voice, but I shook my head.
“I’ll tell you more when I see you.” I signed off and pushed out of my seat.
Brushing the wrinkles out of my blue shirt, I tipped my head at Cas as I crossed the room. “Let’s go. I’d like to talk with Rai before lunch. Indula, you and Iza get us packed and let Emmory know you’re headed back to the ship. Hao, Nakula, and Jia are with us.”
We headed out from our quarters. The idea that had sprung to life with Jia’s appearance grew with every second and every little piece that fell into place. I’d know better once we met up with the admiral and saw what kind of fleet she had, but for now I hoped we had a shot at securing the Vajrayana ships.
The door to the dining room slid open before Cas could move to clear the room and I nearly collided with the man exiting.
“I’m sor—” My apology died on my lips when I met the eyes of the silver-haired Saxon I’d shot back on Red Cliff.
He grabbed me by the hair, shoving me sideways into Cas and knocking my Dve into Nakula. I saw a flash of metal and just barely got my right arm up in time before the garrote closed around my neck.
Gita rushed at him, right into a kick that probably broke most of her ribs. She dropped to the floor with an awful sound. My attacker dragged me back into the room and the doors closed behind us.
“Let’s have a private chat, Your Majesty.” His voice was shards of glass driving through the air. He jerked his gun free and shot out the door panel.
I reached up with my free hand, digging my thumb into his shoulder where I hoped a gunshot wound was still healing. His wince of pain confirmed it and I used the distraction to slam us both into the wall. His Winchester 77 spun off across the polished floor. I spun in his grip and two quick punches to the kidney loosened his hold on the garrote but he nailed me with an elbow to the solar plexus and knocked all the air from my lungs.
He grabbed for the garrote, yanking it into the air, and I gagged as the heel of my hand got shoved into my throat. The wire cutting into my wrist was still better than the alternative, and adrenaline surged through me with the sharp stinging pain.
I kicked high, pleased at the wheezing exhale when my boot met some kind of soft target, and felt the garrote loosen. Kicking again, I managed to yank the wire off my head and sent it spinning after the gun.
Go, baby, move in. Portis’s order echoed in my head.
I lunged. He was bent over, and I rammed my knee into his head with all the force I could muster, grabbing his head at the same time to steady him. His knees collapsed and he went down. I followed, punching him in the side of the head.
“Hail!” Several pairs of hands grabbed me from behind and dragged me away from the unconscious Saxon. “He’s out.” One of them grunted when I shoved an elbow into his gut, but held on. “You’re okay. It’s okay.”
“Is she hurt?” Rai barely slowed to hear Hao’s response as he bore down on the Saxon. “I am shamed. In my own home.” He kicked the man twice and pulled a very nasty-looking knife from his belt.
“Don’t kill him!”
Rai glared at my order, but stopped. “You have fifteen seconds, my dear.”
“I need longer. He’s Shock Corps. He’ll have intelligence I need.” I held up my hand, streaked with blood. “You owe me.”
“Fine.” Rai kicked the man again and walked away. “Johar, find out what mangy piss stain let this man ride on their ship through the belt, and I want to know why Port Authority didn’t tag him the second he set foot on the dock.”
I sagged in Hao’s and Nakula’s grip, and they lowered me the rest of the way to the floor as Emmory and Zin bolted through the pried-open doors.
“She’s all right,” Hao said to Emmory as my Ekam went down on a knee at my side.
I coughed. “Water.”
Zin took a glass from Alba and passed it along to Emmory, who scanned it and handed it to me. I drank it all, coughed again, and grabbed for Hao as I sat upright.
“I’m all right,” I said, my voice rasping in my abused throat. “Help me up.”
I leaned on Emmory as we crossed back to where Rai was stripping my Saxon attacker of every
thing on his person.
“Is he clean?”
Rai nodded sharply. I looked over the pile of things he’d taken off the man as I mulled over my options.
Saxon Shock Corps Marines were well-trained, disciplined warriors. If we were going to have any shot at breaking him, it was going to be in the first few minutes of our encounter. If he had time to get his defenses in order, it was going to be easier to put a blast through his heart and recover what we could from his smati.
Then I spied it: a small gold locket buried among the weapons. Reaching down, I pulled it loose and flipped it open to reveal a miniature digital of a little girl with jet-black hair.
I looked around. “We’ve got one shot at this. Everyone follow my lead—if you think you can’t do that, get out.”
There was a chorus of assents.
I leaned down and slapped the man until he opened his eyes. They were pretty, deep-blue eyes that darted around, not quite focusing properly.
“Wake up,” I said, slapping him again.
He tried to scramble away, but the wall blocked his escape and the whining charge of his own Winchester filled the air. Rai was pointing it over my shoulder.
“Nowhere to run.” Dropping into a crouch, I shook my head. “You should have brought your whole team.”
“I thought I could handle it.” He eyed me, wiping the blood from his face with the hem of his gray shirt. “I figured the stories about you were exaggerated.”
I shrugged. “Oh, no. They’re all true. What’s your name?”
“Captain Earnest.”
“You got a first name? Or am I really going to call you Earnest this whole time?”
He studied me carefully, eyes betraying his confusion. “Preston, ma’am.”
The respect was good. The kid was younger than me, probably closer to Cas’s age. The girl in the locket couldn’t have been more than three or four, so I was guessing she was his younger sister, though his daughter was also a possibility.
“Good, Preston. That’s good. How many other Shock teams did they send to kill me?”
