I nodded as he shoved the golden sponge cake of goodness into his mouth. “Exactly. We’ve bloodied their nose badly and put momentum on our side. We’ll still have to deal with the remains of the fleet eventually, but they can’t exactly use dreadnoughts to quell a planetside rebellion without taking out the whole planet.”
“Which the Matriarchy cannot afford to do,” Alyra added as she swiveled her chair away from her console to face the center of the bridge. I was actually pretty impressed. Among all of us, she was the calmest after what we had just escaped. “Destroying Leonis IV sets their focus research back a decade and their production back a century, as well as depriving them of their greatest source of phasic crystals. It is something not even the High Priestess would order, even if it could guarantee your death, my dragon.”
“Right.” I nodded to Tulip. “What’s our ETA and designated destination point in the Leonis system?”
The catwoman graced us with her Cheshire Cat smile as she pointed to the main viewscreen, now dominated by a navigation data window. “We’ll come out of hyperspace in fifty-two minutes at the edge of the system.” On the three-dimensional map of Leonis that came to life on the screen, a flashing green indicator came to life, showing our arrival point. “The Orion will pop up here, accounting for orbital paths, outside of normal planetary sensor range. We can cloak, then go full speed with our standard drive, with a touchdown on Leonis IV within ten minutes of cloaking.”
“The real question then, darlings,” Clara said, tapping her lip thoughtfully with a finger, “is how do we approach things when we get to the planet proper? Our cloak, if we utilized a rotating frequency program, will fool the planetary sensor grid for a few days, but that does little to gather this little rebellion.”
Alyra nodded, looking to Tulip, Turner, and me for guidance with a surprisingly open attitude. “Indeed. To be blunt, my zadavios, Clara and I have far more experience in quelling resurrections and revolutions than starting them. We must look to you, fighters of the Resistance, for answers.”
“Tulip, bring up the map of Leonis IV,” I said, leaning forward in my chair. “I took a look at this before we left Centaurus, and I think Tulip and Turner will agree, ladies, that we have a couple of critical factors working for us here.”
Tulip nodded in agreement as she tapped at her console, swapping the system data for the maps of Leonis IV that Clara, Alyra, and Resistance intelligence had compiled. It wouldn’t be up-to-the-minute, but it was likely to be pretty damn accurate. Of special note was that the maps also included cut-aways, showing the massive mining tunnels burrowing deep into the planet’s rocky crust.
Turner pointed at those side sections in specific as he added his two credits’ worth. “What David means is that we’ll be doing most of our work underground. The surface of Leonis IV is like the most desolate land I have ever heard of, a place on Earth known as Detroit. No sane being can survive there. Besides, what the Matriarchs are after is deep below the ground, in the mines. That’s where our army is waiting.”
“It also means that there is a vast network of mined-out tunnels to use for bases of operation, hideouts, and the like,” Tulip added. “The only reason I feel that Leonis IV hasn’t fallen yet is that there was little outside support the Resistance could add to push the situation over the edge. Any revolt would win for a time, but the research base is hardened enough to let Xara and her goons hold out until reinforcements arrived.”
I nodded with a grim smile of determination. “But now, the slaves will have us on their side, and a hold full of weapons to get them started. If we can make contact and get the flames of freedom going, those mines will go off like a bomb, while the Quibs will have to be careful and limit their counterattacks to prevent touching off the crystal deposits. While the slaves keep the general army occupied—”
Alyra’s blue eyes lit up with a surge of excitement as she caught on. “We shall drive straight into the research center’s heart, smashing down the defenses and freeing Xara from Mother’s chains. With the heart of the Matriarchy’s resistance shattered, it is we who can hold off any counterattack indefinitely.”
I stood up, walking across the bridge to the front viewscreen, hands folded behind my back. “It won’t be easy. We’ll have a lot of legwork to do, first to find the Resistance cells and arm them, then establish some way for them to coordinate actions. We might even have to risk using the Orion as a transport and messenger between mines, but we can do it.” Turning back to my squad, I smiled and nodded. “I know we can.”
Turner laughed, slapping his gut as he rocked back in his chair. “Well, David Briggs, you don’t have to tell me twice. Of course, I knew we could do it before we even left base, but that is because I’ve not only seen the might of the dragon, I know that each of your lovely ladies is almost as much of a badass honorable warrior as myself. And that, I dare say, is a combined force that will rock the worst tyrants in the galaxy to their knees!”
“Almost?” Alyra sniffed and cast a questioning look at the Bolderian. “We have almost an hour, shall we take this to the Projected Reality chamber and put your assertation to the test?”
Tulip giggled, her tail swishing with amusement. “I’d love to see that! Maybe we can all join in, have a bit of a tussle to work out some pent-up tension?” She winked at me knowingly. “One of the best workouts I ever had started in the PR room, after all!”
I only flushed a hint. I mean, I was getting used to this galactic free love thing, and to be honest, I couldn’t get enough of it. “Me too, honey,” I quipped back with a smile. “And if you guys want to shoot it up some, you have some time.”
“I believe I’ll sit this one out, darlings,” Clara cooed. “You three should go have fun though. I believe I would wish to discuss a thing or two with David before we are thrust into existential danger once more.” She gave Tulip and Alyra both a quick little nod, some unspoken communication between them, before flashing a perfect smile at me.
She was about to say something more but suddenly stiffened. Clara raised a finger, tilting her head to one side, her other hand to her ear. Her eyes widened as we all focused our attention on the angelic healer, her feathered wings bristling at whatever it was she was receiving.
Tulip was up out of her chair, her hands rubbing Clara’s shoulders soothingly. She wasn’t alone, I was by her side in a moment, and Turner and Alyra weren’t far behind. The medic’s lips curled into a surprisingly fierce snarl as she looked up from the transmission.
“What is it, Clara?” I asked with concern deep in my voice. “Whatever it is, play it back for us.”
“Oh, indeed, David,” she said with a fierce nod. “We all need to hear this. It would seem our former sister has some strident words for you, darling. For all of us.” She patted Tulip’s hand as Clara half-turned to tap her console. “Look.”
The main viewscreen flashed from the map of Leonis IV to a view of what I guessed was a Matriarchy research laboratory, with its white, curved walls and spindly robotic arms working away on some kind of elaborate bronze and crystal device. Of course, I couldn’t see that much of it, not with most of the view dominated by an emerald-skinned woman, black raven wings tucked close to her body.
No doubt this was Xara Lilana, the Illuminator and mistress of Leonis IV. As with every Matriarch I had seen or encountered, she was beautiful, with high cheekbones, a perfectly defined chin, and lush lips of a darker shade of green than her skin. Strangely primitive pince nez glasses were perched on her aquiline nose, with her raven-black hair tied into braided buns. From what I could see of the rest of her, she had the build I would associate with a martial artist, a warrior, finely delineated muscles that didn’t detract from her perfect curves, all plain to see under her bronze power suit, as form-fitting as any Matriarch’s.
“I know you are listening, dragon of legend,” she began, her voice having a cultured air that sounded almost British to my Earthly ears. “There is no reason for you to lay waste to a measly facility
such as Exo personally … not unless you had your eyes set on larger goals. No doubt you think you can crash down onto my planet, twist the workers here into believing your foolish prophecy, and turn them into the instruments of my downfall. After all, you have managed to enslave two of my sisters already with your vile magics.”
Alyra was bristling now too, and a low growl rumbled in Tulip’s throat, one that was echoed by the dragon spirit inside me.
“I don’t know how you will come, and I cannot be sure when, but know this, David Briggs. I will be ready for you. The Mother and the High Priestess have granted me certain favors to deal with you, should you ever darken my door, and I will not hesitate to use them.” Xara’s lips curled into a vicious smile. “Even if they had not, I’m stronger than both of my sisters combined, in ways even they cannot begin to understand. So, beware, dragon. Turn back now, before I hunt you down, tear the teeth from your snout, and rescue my lost sisters!”
Xara leaned close to the camera, pointing at it, her hands covered in what looked like much elegant, bronze-and-gold Cestari. “This is my one and only warning.”
And with that, the transmission went dead.
Despite the Matriarch’s aura of menace and her threats, I didn’t feel a drop of fear across the bridge, and I didn’t feel a bit of it inside me. Caution? Sure. Xara was an unknown, and I knew that no matter how hard our fight with Alyra had been, there were those stronger than her. But fear? Nope.
Clara’s golden eyes shone with protectiveness, Alyra’s hands clenched into fists of rage, while Tulip’s growl calmed as her face filled with fierce resolve. Turner, though, said it best as he hooked his thumbs into his belt, “As a great Earth scientist once said, this chick is toast!”
11
Xara’s threat changed the entire mood on the bridge from light-hearted ribbing and joking about the PR chamber to serious, hardcore planning. She didn’t know it then, but the Matriarch had made a serious mistake when she laid down her intentions. We were already motivated to free Leonis IV and shut down the Matriarchy magitech research, but now, she had decided to make it personal.
What followed was a twenty-minute discussion, dissecting every bit of information and examining the major mines and clusters of workers across Leonis IV. We parsed the dossiers on the Resistance cell leaders, looked what we knew of Matriarchy troop distributions, and speculated on Xara’s reactions to the moves we considered. In the end, we refined our initial plan into something a bit more daring, a bit riskier, but a lot more likely to succeed.
With Xara knowing we were coming, we would have to do things faster than we expected. So, we’d have to do the thing none of us wanted, not in this situation.
We’d have to split the squad.
“So, that’s how it has to be,” I concluded, rubbing my temples to ward off the faint headache that absorbing all the information caused. “Xara isn’t just expecting us, she knows we’re coming and has been prepared for it. That takes away some element of our surprise and a bit of our time advantage as well.” I nodded to Turner. “With that being the case, you and Clara will be on the move, taking the cloaked Orion from cell to cell, getting as many operations going at the same time. Seeing as you’re the engineer here and Clara is our best expert on the cloaking technology, our best bet to keep your movements undetected, it’s the best split I could come up with.”
Turner nodded slowly. “And while we’re moving the masses, the rest of you will be supporting the biggest Resistance cell, trying to make the most direct push towards the research base as possible. That’s why you and Alyra will be there, our heaviest hitters, with Tulip handling the whole covert end of things. It will not be easy, David Briggs, but if I wanted easy, I’d be taking care of the children, eh?”
“With how many children you Bolderians sire,” Alyra snorted, “I would argue which task is the harder!”
Tulip rubbed her ear thoughtfully, her tail swishing with agitation. “While Alyra’s not wrong, we can’t take this lightly.” She grinned at Alyra. “Not saying you are, but …”
The ex-Matriarch nodded slowly. “Indeed. We face an unknown foe with mystical and technological resources beyond our comprehension, but we will succeed. We must succeed.”
“And we will,” I agreed. “We’re going to be leaning a lot on your expertise, guys,” – I nodded towards Tulip and Turner – “being the folks who have actually started revolutions here.”
I nodded, glancing at my chronometer. “Okay, people, we have a little over a half an hour to get ready. Turner, take Tulip and divvy up the weapons and gear we requisitioned from Exo.” I mulled something over a moment and added, “Leave us one of the exoframes and take the other two with you. That might help even the odds a little on your end.”
“Sure thing.” Turner pushed to his feet and headed for the door, Tulip right behind him. “I’m actually excited to see what those old suits can do!”
As she passed me, Tulip gave me a quick hug, her tail wrapping around my waist, and a burning hot kiss. “I’ll meet you and Alyra at the deployment bay soon, okay?”
“You got it,” I said with a smile, letting her go after a quick scratch behind her ear. Turning as the pair departed for the cargo bay, I glanced at Alyra, who was now standing at rigid attention by my side.
I quirked an eyebrow at that, but let it go with a grin. “Head to the armory and galley. We won’t have access to the Orion for who knows how long, so grab what you think we might need in terms of grenades, field rations, medical gear, that sort of thing. Remember, we won’t have Clara either, and no doubt these slaves are going to need things beyond bullets to get into fighting shape.”
“Of course, my dragon. I shall prepare supplies for the three of us.” Alyra gave a snappy salute, turned on her heel … then, with a hint of a blush, spun back around to lean up, giving me a quick kiss. “Until deployment.” Before I could say a word, she was gone, scampering more like a blushing school girl than the hard-ass she usually was.
Rubbing the back of my head, I watched Alyra go, the click-clack of Clara’s heels on the deck floor coming up on my other side. “You know, darling, I don’t think I ever could have imagined the Left Hand of the High Priestess ever being this way.” As I turned towards the beautiful healer, I found myself staring into her golden eyes as she looked up at me. “You’ve managed to slowly turn her bitterness into happiness and her anger into joy. If you weren’t, well, you, I’d think she was playing us, faking it somehow, that’s how impossible that seems to me.”
“I’m glad Alyra’s turning around, finally breaking through her shell, but I can’t take all the credit,” I said with a shrug and a smile. “Just like with you, a lot of what was really her was chained up, locked away to be molded into what the Matriarchy wanted out of her. Alyra deserves as much credit as I do.”
Clara shook her head slowly, stepping in close, fitting her lithe dancer’s body against mine. “You’re too humble, my dearest. Yes, some of it comes from within her, but she was also someone who willingly cast her lot with the enemy, under duress or not.” I had thought I was the only one who knew that fact, but I didn’t question Clara about it. How could I, with her delicate fingers working up my chest? I could feel her heat, matched by the fire in my heart rising to meet it. “And while we have all tried to help Alyra, you have done by far the most to heal her wounded soul, and give her a place to belong, a place that brings others up instead of putting the rest of the galaxy down.”
I slipped my arms around Clara’s waist, one hand resting on the small of her back, the other just under the junction of her feathery wings. “I’m just doing what’s right.”
“And that, David Briggs, is why I have grown to love you.” Clara’s perfect lips moved to meet mine, and I turned into the kiss, our mouths working passionately. As we parted for a moment, Clara gasped softly, her cheeks flush. “By the many sparks of Zoa’s light, I don’t want to be apart from you,” she admitted. “Not with you being in danger. Who knows what will happen
when my healing light isn’t close by? You could be hurt, maybe permanently, even—”
I cut her off with another kiss, a long, slow one, as I pulled her even closer. Clara practically melted into me, the tension of her worry fading as her hands began to roam over my body. Pulling back, we were both breathless for a moment as I gazed into her eyes, my voice soft and comforting as I said, “That isn’t going to happen.”
That made Clara blink, and as her mouth opened to question, I cut her off. “Hey now. You trust Tulip. And no matter how much you and Alyra snark on each other, you wouldn’t have said everything you just did if you didn’t trust her the same as Tulip.” I grinned. “You know I’m right.”
Clara rolled her eyes but relented. “Of course, you’re right, darling.”
My grin grew wider. “Then trust them to watch my back while you’re keeping Turner from blowing himself into a million pieces, okay?”
When she favored me with a nod, I smiled and turned, pulling Clara around with me before pushing her forward into the captain’s chair. Letting her out of my grasp as I did so, I wound up leaning over the angelic beauty, arms braced on the chair to either side of Clara’s head. Her gasp of surprise from the sudden maneuver turned into a lustful grin as I leaned closer to her.
“Oh, you cheeky dragon, you!” Clara giggled. “Wish to give me a parting gift, do you?”
“We are going to be apart for a while, and while I don’t pretend to understand that crazy schedule you ladies have, you did seem to be hinting that you were due.” I kissed her gently on the forehead as her hands were already moving up to the pressure stud on the collar of my power suit. “Besides, we haven’t properly christened the captain’s chair yet, have we?”
The hiss of air accompanied Clara’s quick fingers as she pulled away at my suit. “Oh, no, darling, but we had better work fast.” Her hands still on the now-loose suit, she pulled herself upward, her wings coming around me like a second set of arms as she kissed me hungrily. “Because I mean to get every little bit of you that I can, and we only have a short time to do it in!”
Star Conqueror: Recompense: An Epic Space Harem Adventure Page 9
