by Cheree Alsop
“Why did I sign up to be a pilot?” Hyrin asked as he slowed the ship for the descent.
“You don’t live for those moments?” Devren replied. There was a hint of irony in his tone as if he already knew the answer.
“I probably lost twenty years of my life just then,” Hyrin said, giving the captain a wide-eyed look. “I’ll never get those years back.”
“You can stay on Corian. You deserve it,” Devren replied.
It looked for a moment as though the Talastan would accept his offer, but then Hyrin shook his head. “No, Captain. We’ve been this far together. I’d rather win a war under your command than watch it from the sidelines.”
“Count me in,” Zran said.
“Me, too,” O’Tule called from his other side.
“If you think I’m sitting this one out, think again,” Straham said. He leaned against the huge sniper rifle he had used to pick off the Ketulans. “I’ve got a taste for blood and I need to appease it.”
Everyone stared at the older officer.
“Today is your day, then,” Devren replied.
Straham nodded. “Yes, yes it is.”
Senior Commandant Day was as good as his word. As soon as they landed in the hangar, they were led to Nines already fueled and waiting for them. Liora’s heart gave a beat of regret at the thought of the Day’s End destroyed by Ketulans in the Triangulum Galaxy. She climbed up to a ship named simply The Hunter. She pressed the starter and it welcomed her by name.
“Ready for this?” Devren called over the helmet communicator.
“Ready,” Zran said.
“Ready,” O’Tule echoed.
“Ready for blood,” Straham said.
A smile crossed Liora’s face. “Ready, Captain.”
“Good to hear,” he replied. “Stay close, guard each other’s sixes, and don’t take unnecessary chances. We can do this if we keep our wits about us. They may be bigger and have more firepower, but we have speed and maneuverability. Use it to your advantage.”
“Good speech, Captain Metis,” a voice replied.
The sound of Zanden’s voice made Liora’s smile widen. “Glad to know you’re still up there,” she said.
“Well, you know. These Coalition officers know how to pack a lot of punch into their tiny missiles, but they often underestimate what happens when the ship they are aiming for is in front of one of their own, and then suddenly the Nine is gone and they blow themselves to smithereens. Quite entertaining, actually.”
“Yeah,” Creeden said. “You’d think they’d learn the first time. Apparently it takes several for the lesson to sink in.”
“They’re figuring it out,” Kray said. “We’ve got to change tactics.”
“That’s where we come in,” Devren said. “Are we clear?”
“Clear as it’s going to get,” Zanden replied. “We’ll defend you through the atmosphere. Once you’re on top, it’s a tarlon shoot.”
“Sounds promising,” Hyrin said. “Why did I sign up for this?”
“For the thrill of the hunt!” Straham replied.
“That’s my kind of pilot,” Tanlia said. “Get on up here. I’ll be more than happy to watch your six.”
“On my way,” Straham said.
The holding doors opened and Devren’s Shadow of Death moved forward. Liora glanced out her window as the ship’s automatic takeoff propelled her forward. Raliel was being carried from the S.S. Kratos on a stretcher. Raio walked at her side. He lifted a hand to Liora. She waved back and then the ship shot through the doors.
“We should get auto takeoff on the Kratos. Do they make auto landing?” O’Tule asked. “Things would be a whole lot less bumpy.”
“My landings are fine,” Hyrin replied. “You just don’t appreciate them.”
“I appreciate not being shaken up like one of Jarston’s jelly salads,” she shot back.
“That doesn’t even make sense,” Hyrin said. “He doesn’t shake them.”
They burst out of the atmosphere and into the dark reaches of space. Ketulans attacked first. Zran’s team shot down the machines as fast as they could, but all of the machines had left the Coalition and Damaclan ships to attack Liora’s pilots.
“They’re everywhere!” O’Tule called out. “There’s one on my wing!”
“Got it,” Zran told her.
“You have two on you,” she said with panic in her voice.
“I’ve got them,” Tanlia said. “They’re on you guys thicker than swarthans.”
Liora knew they were after her. She called into her intercom, “Chief Decerpo, Chief Annihilo, do you copy?”
“Copy.”
“Copy.”
Relief filled Liora at their gruff voices.
“The Ketulans are after me. They’re picking my team to pieces. I’m going to sweep by your ships. Can you clear them?”
Chief Decerpo was the first to reply. “We’ll do it. We’ve been taking them out all night. The Ketulans don’t stay down.”
“We have to destroy them all,” Liora replied. “Otherwise, they rebuild each other.”
“We’re on it,” Chief Annihilo said.
Liora pressed the communications button to connect her back to her team. “Devren, I’m going to fly to the Damaclans. The Ketulans will follow me. Keep the team away. We don’t need them picked off. The Damaclans can handle them.”
“I’m going with you,” Devren replied. “Otherwise you’ll be pulled apart before you reach their ships.”
A glance up showed the Damaclans moving into position while the ships from Corian kept the Coalition at bay, but the distance was greater than Liora had anticipated.
“Be careful,” she told Devren.
“You, too,” came his reply.
At his orders, the other ships fell back. Liora and Devren hit their thrusters. The ships launched forward. Every Ketulan in the system fell in on each side. Liora and Devren were hard-pressed to shoot the Ketulans off each other’s wings and hulls. By the time they reached the Damaclans, Liora was grateful Devren had come along.
They hit the line of ships and surged through. The Damaclans fired the moment they passed and the Ketulans lit up with small explosions that vanished immediately in the inhospitable void of space. The Ketulans couldn’t clear the mass of ships. Their cloud was picked apart one by one by the Damaclans’ careful aiming until the last one was destroyed.
“That was amazing!” Zran shouted when they cleared the ships.
“Incredible,” O’Tule breathed.
Liora wanted to celebrate their near escape with death, but someone else had anticipated their actions. While the Damaclans were occupied with destroying the Ketulans, and the other Nines were on the other end of the system, Liora and Devren had come through the fray only to end up face to face with five Coalition Iridium Ospreys with missiles aimed at them from every direction.
Her communicator buzzed.
“Liora Day, this is General Stratus. How fortunate to see you again.”
Liora calmed her thundering heartbeat.
“General Stratus, the pleasure is mine. How have you been?”
The General’s voice darkened at her banter. “You are under arrest yet again for the deaths of numerous Coalition officers. There will be a trial and you will face justice equivalent to the extent of your wrongdoings.”
“I won’t,” Liora replied.
The General’s voice carried annoyance when he asked, “And why is that?”
“If I committed these murders, as you suggest, how do you intend to make me pay for them?” she asked. “In order for justice to be truly allocated, you must take into consideration that the acts I’ve committed were in defense of the Omne Occasus, a bomb with such magnitude it would have taken out an entire galaxy if used properly as the Coalition wished. In destroying the Omne Occasus, which is what I was attempting to do when your officers tried to stop me, I prevented the loss of millions lives that would have been forfeit had the bomb been in your possession.
”
She paused, then said, “In truth, General, perhaps I should be rewarded for saving millions in the name of the Coalition instead of suffering for the few lives it cost to keep you from being a mass murderer yourself.”
“That’s all supposition…,” the General began.
“Is it?” Liora shot back. “We have a recording from Officer Metis where he was instructed to bring the Omne Occasus to the Coalition. When he refused, Colonel Lefkin gave the order for his death and sent out mercenaries to kill the Kratos crew, an act which, if morality is in question, was entirely against the justice system which you so wholeheartedly support. Furthermore, you have brought an entire fleet across the Macrocosm to bring me in, and in doing so, you have endangered the lives of all the people on the planet Corian. Was it your intention to cause such fear and reckless endangerment just to bring me to Titus?”
The General sputtered.
Liora sat back in her seat. “General, I can promise you several things. First, that if you attempt to bring me in, many more Coalition lives will be lost because I no longer have faith in the Coalition justice system and I will fight with every considerable skill I have to keep from ever being in your clutches again.”
She heard the General’s intake of breath and pressed on. “Second, if any of your Coalition officers so much as attempts to set a foot on Corian, I have a Damaclan army and a merchant fleet ready to take this battle to the Milky Way Galaxy. I don’t think you would like this waged on your own home turf. Think of the lives at risk. Given that Damaclans are known to fight to their last dying breath and also that my father’s men and women are fighting for their homes, I would consider this a losing battle on your part both in the cost of waging a long-distance war and the lives placed on the line because of some vendetta against a single girl.”
The Damaclan ships, finished with wiping out the Ketulans, turned and positioned themselves as she spoke. A glance in the monitor that showed the area behind her ship revealed more than a dozen Damaclan crafts lined up and ready to defend her. The Corian fleet waited above and below them, a considerable army that would challenge the Coalition ships the General had brought.
Silence fell.
After a moment, the General broke it with, “Is there anything else?”
Liora couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face. “Yes, General. I know of two young couples who would like to get married on Isonoe. I am asking for safe passage for their wedding, security, and the chance to leave again without altercations.”
“Who’s getting married?” she heard O’Tule ask.
“We are, for one,” Zran replied.
O’Tule squealed with happiness.
“Brandis is, for another,” Tanlia said. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but he asked Malie yesterday. They are so cute together!”
Liora’s heart pounded as she waited for the General’s reply. Everything hinged on his ability to be rational. She was counting on the fact that he hadn’t become the Coalition General lightly. It wasn’t an easy position to carry. After what she had seen her father do for Corian, she could sympathize with an overwhelmed man working to keep his people safe and justice system in place. She hoped he was rational enough to not let one single girl upend his entire organization.
“There will come a time when you will pay for your actions, Liora Day.”
Liora knew the acceptance in his tone for what it was, a dismissal. “As there will be for yours,” she replied.
“Until that time, the Coalition fleet will return to Titus. Should I hear word of a Damaclan girl causing havoc and death in the Macrocosm, you will be the first on my list.”
“I promise to not give you reason to write down my name,” Liora replied.
There were several breathless moments when Liora and Devren stared at the Iridium Ospreys wondering if the General would go against his system of justice and command his ships to shoot them to pieces before the other ships had a chance to fight back.
To Liora’s relief, the Ospreys reversed their thrusters. Seconds later, she and Devren were left looking at the black void of space they used to occupy.
Zanden gave a whistle.
“Who would have thought you could talk down an entire Coalition fleet? That takes some pretty solid guts,” he said.
“Speaking of guts, I might have thrown up in here,” Hyrin replied. “I thought we were all goners.”
“You get to clean out your own ship,” Kray said.
“Disgusting,” Creeden muttered.
Chapter 18
Three months later, Liora stood next to her father on the moon Isonoe. The entire interior of the moon had been carved out in such intricate detail that everywhere she looked was a work of art. The beautiful white stone pillars of the wedding room arched from the floor to the very high ceiling; the pillars were crafted with flowers and vines on every inch of space available.
The pews in which the wedding parties sat ran halfway across the floor with an aisle in between for the couple to walk. The benches with wide, sweeping backs had also been carved from the interior of the moon and etched with intricate, happy scenes. White, soft silk pillows lined the benches for added comfort.
Overhead, green living vines covered the ceiling with flowers of white and silver. They flowed down the columns and around the pews in delicate swirls that gave off a heady, tantalizing scent. It looked as though the entire room and the whole interior moon was a garden for the rare vines that thrived in the unusual Isonoe atmosphere. The effect softened the white and added to the beauty of the stone craftsmanship.
“Hey, look,” Devren whispered from Liora’s side.
She followed his gaze to the carvings on the back of the bench in front of them. Two furry little creatures with flippers and soft-looking noses swam beside each other.
“Those are from Earth,” her father said. “I saw them once. They’re very happy.”
Devren’s fingers slipped into Liora’s. Warmth ran up her arm. She squeezed his hand and he smiled at her. Her father smiled at them both before turning to the woman on his other side.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” Liora heard him whisper.
Raliel’s cheeks brushed with pink and she leaned against him. Her fingers tangled in his.
Liora’s father was right. She looked breathtaking in the silver gown that matched her hair and her eyes. Little white flowers had been woven in her hair and along her dress.
Next to Raliel, Raio watched the proceedings in silence but with a look of joy on his face. Liora appreciated the way he met each situation with such positivity. It felt as if the creature with gray skin and black eyes she had fought on the Sadarin’s planet had vanished and her half-brother took its place.
“Here they come,” Devren whispered.
Everyone rose when intricate music flowed from the walls and columns.
Liora felt self-conscious in the black and gold dress she wore; the shoes Shathryn had picked out felt tight on her feet. She couldn’t help fidgeting with the hem of her dress when she stood up.
“You know you look absolutely ravishing,” Devren whispered in her ear. His lips brushed her skin when he spoke; it sent a tingle along the back of her neck.
“I feel out of place,” she whispered back.
The smile on Devren’s face deepened. “You’d be more comfortable fighting hordes or brawling in a tavern on one of the Gaulded than wearing a dress.”
“Definitely,” she replied.
“That’s why I love you,” he said.
Liora stared at him. It was the first time either of them had said the words. The feelings and attraction between them had deepened to something Liora held very dear, but besides a few kisses when no one was looking or holding hands in the dark, they hadn’t addressed it out loud. Both of them wanted to respect Tariq’s memory, and they each hurt in their own way at his loss.
To hear Devren say the words made Liora want to cry both out of happiness and heartbreak. Losing Tariq had been the harde
st thing she had ever experienced in her entire life; yet beside her stood the man who had slowly been winning her heart with kindness, acceptance, and perseverance. She loved him. There was no denying that. For the first time, she felt she could be true to the memory of Tariq and still allow herself to live, breathe, and accept how much Devren meant to her.
“I love you, too,” she replied.
The joy that filled Devren’s face made his dark eyes glow.
“They look so beautiful,” Raliel said.
Gasps and exclamations filled the air as Brandis and Malie entered the room. A few steps behind them, Zran and O’Tule followed.
Brandis and Malie wore the robes of Cree. Brandis’ were Corian colors of blue and silver while Malie’s robes were lacey and delicate in flowing greens and blues. O’Tule wore a flowing white dress with a high waist and a blue sash around it. Zran was dressed in a tuxedo with a dark blue overcoat that set off the blue streaks that ran across his hands and face in the markings of his people.
“They look so gorgeous,” Shathryn said to Tramareaus.
The couple stood behind Liora and Devren. It warmed Liora’s heart to see them so happy together.
The betrothed couples walked to the dais at the end of the white room. Vines wrapped around the stand, shrouding it in flowers.
Straham stood on top in a black suit. There was a very pleased expression on his face when the couples approached him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have gathered here as witnesses to support the joining of these two beautiful couples in matrimony.” Straham’s gaze ran over the crowd. He smiled at Liora and Devren before returning to his speech. “The promise of one heart to another is something I take very seriously. I, myself, lost my wife of ten years way back before I joined the Coalition and the S.S. Kratos under the senior Captain Metis. While there was nothing I could do about the sickness that took her away from me, the years we had together were something I have cherished for the rest of my life.”
