“Is it possible?” Kristof asked in wonder as they looked at Dorcanus and saw that the dead world did in fact resemble the corpse of Suthanara. Suthanara had not had the ring of debris, but that did not preclude the possibilities.
“The similarities are rather striking,” Stephan stated as he looked at the images over Max’s shoulder.
“I have been running probabilities in my head,” Max told them as if it were easy. “It is not outside of the scope of reason to project the planet drifting through space and picking up the debris of its own death in its own gravitational field if it continued to rotate, and then in time be caught in the gravity of the Dorcanus system’s star.”
“Meaning Dorcanus II isn’t native to the system,” Kristof said as he considered the possibility, though his tone was dark and brooding. “There’s no reason anyone would have expected anything other than the planet having been there all along. I don’t see how this helps us at all, though. Surely Cassandra is no longer there.”
“No, but maybe there’s a clue to where she went,” Anasha said suddenly, now excited by what Max may have discovered. “When I read up on the Dorcanus system before you left on…” Anasha paused as her heart broke just a little as she remembered what she had lost on Dorcanus II, then went on more somberly, “No one goes to the planet. The miners mine the asteroid ring and work on the moon, but the planet has remained untouched. At least as far as the records indicate.”
“Anasha is correct,” Max added from his place at the computer. “All attempts to land on the planet have been thwarted by unstable gravimetric disturbances whenever a ship approaches too close. Drones sent in to try and determine the cause of the disturbances were all destroyed, and eventually the miners quit trying.”
“In my youth I would talk to starship captains,” Stephan interjected, “And I seem to remember a few having ill things to say about runs through that system that passed too close to the planet because of those disturbances.”
“Something is happening there, it would seem,” Sabine agreed as she watched Kristof and Anasha. Anasha returned her look and saw Sabine’s concern, then looked to Kristof quickly and saw that his mood had gone very dark suddenly. It wasn’t hard to imagine what was going through the man’s mind when Dorcanus II came up.
Anasha rose from her seat and went to her husband and placed her hands on his cheeks so she could turn his downturned eyes up to hers. There was pain there in his eyes, the pain of loss and of guilt, as well as just the pain of a hundred memories from that fateful mission that cost Anasha’s father and many other men that had been friends their lives, and had left Kristof on the verge of death himself.
It seems Max isn’t the only one suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress, Anasha thought to herself, Max just couldn’t hide it like Kristof could. She kicked herself for not guessing it sooner. Hadn’t her father warned her of this?
“You still with us in there?” Anasha asked Kristof softly, putting all her love for him in her eyes.
Taking a deep breath, some of the tension went out of him as Kristof replied finally, “Yes,” and he even managed a weak smile for her. Anasha kissed him, then pulled him to where Sabine lounged nearby holding her stomach protectively.
“The question now is what do we do with this knowledge that we suspect?” Anasha asked at last after everyone had some time to think. “I for one don’t believe in coincidence, not when it is this up in our faces.”
“Nor do I,” Kristof said at last, and Anasha was happy to hear him speaking normally now, the ghosts of the past chased away for the moment at least. “I don’t think Cassandra is there, but Sabine is right, there may be clues. And…”
“What is it, love?” Sabine asked as Kristof paused.
Kristof looked to Anasha when he answered.
“When your father tried to warn me away from Dorcanus,” Kristof said slowly, “He told me that he had felt a tremendous feeling of joy mixed with pain, along with hatred and darkness. He thought it was directed at me, but it could be that he was picking up on…them, instead. Echoes of the past, perhaps.”
“He did say that he didn’t understand the feelings,” Anasha said, recalling their conversation at home before the mission left. “It wasn’t like him to be so unclear on something he felt so strongly.”
“Great,” Max said sullenly from his place at the computer. “We’re going back to fucking Dorcanus.” The android rose and left the room as Anasha smiled sadly, knowing the android was no more eager to return there than Kristof was.
“I wish this was all over,” Sabine said sadly from beside them, and Anasha lay her head in the tiny woman’s lap. Sabine absently stroked Anasha’s hair as they both found themselves thinking of things to come. Kristof watched them and smiled, but his thoughts too were of things to come.
“If there is anything I can do to assist,” Stephan said quietly as he watched the three of them with a trace of pain in his eyes, “Then I will of course make myself available to you.”
Anasha rose on impulse and went to Sabine’s former seneschal and pulled him into a hug. Stephan seemed shocked at first, since he knew of Anasha’s distrust of him, but after a moment he broke down in tears as the pain of losing his bride just moments after their wedding broke free. She held him tightly so that he wouldn’t fall, and she saw the look of gratitude in Sabine’s face as the man wept in her arms.
In time, Anasha led Stephan to one of the suite’s bedrooms and laid Stephan out, where he promptly fell asleep. The distrust she’d felt for him was gone now, she found. She covered him in a blanket and looked down at him for a moment, before returning to the main room and her loves.
“You never cease to amaze me,” Kristof said as he met her and pulled her into a kiss.
“I do try,” Anasha replied with a wink and a smile. “I’m not as cold hearted as I might seem, you know.”
“You’re not?” Kristof said teasingly and kissed her again as she tried to push away in mock shock.
“Thank you,” Sabine said as she also pulled Anasha in for a kiss.
“Now we need to just end this war so we can all live happily ever after,” Anasha said wishfully.
~18~
Korvan gloated at the images on his data pad of the devastation on Purannis and the other worlds of the Protectorate. When he had witnessed the orbital station over Purannis take a hit from one of the mass launchers, he had thought Purannis was done for. Had the hit been a little more true, and there not been two enemy dreadnaughts to interfere, the station would have likely fallen into the atmosphere and wreaked catastrophic damage.
Hoping Karina would be pleased with the attack, Korvan had brought the images with him. His sister never left the Temple now, at least as far as he knew. Once he had returned from the attacks, Korvan had inquired about her and received no useful information. His spies refused to try and enter the temple, and nothing he could threaten or entice them with would make them go anywhere near the place.
So it was that Korvan now made his way through the tunnel connecting the palace and the temple, data pad in hand, and hoping that Karina was in a better mood than the last time he was here. He still had burns on his calves from the lightning that had reached up from the floor and struck him. It wasn’t an experience he wished to relive any time soon.
The main chamber of the temple was empty when Korvan arrived. The black pool beneath the altar was still as he approached, and once again he wondered what it was that she saw in its depths when Karina looked into it. The memory of her disappearing into that pool as she smiled maniacally still haunted his dreams.
“You dare return here after your miserable failure?” came Karina’s voice from seemingly everywhere at once.
“I did not fail,” Korvan objected just a little shrilly. “I attacked the Protectorate as you commanded, and Purannis and Durani suffered significant damage as a result. We have also conducted extensive raids throughout their space and inflicted heavy damages.”
“I told you I wante
d Durani reduced to dust,” Karina’s voice hissed. “I care nothing about the rest of the Protectorate. Yet Durani still stands and now our brother has found the path to the answers he needs to defeat us. You have failed me, brother.”
“I…” Korvan began and got no farther as the black lightning once again erupted from the floor, only this time instead of just his legs, his entire body was now engulfed. The data pad in his hand exploded in a shower of sparks as it slipped from his fingers.
The pain was monstrously huge, rolling over him like huge tidal waves as he writhed upon the temple floor. He could not even plea for mercy, since the lightning stole his voice at every breath. When at the last, when he felt he must finally perish from the pain, the lightning stopped as suddenly as it had begun.
Korvan’s clothing smoked as he felt the burns on his skin begin to welt up and break open, which only added to his pain as he struggled to his hands and knees. A shadow fell over him as he fought with his stomach not to be sick, and he did not need to look up to know whose shadow it was.
“I find educating you is not as fun as it used to be,” Karina said lowly, her voice dripping with malice. “Fail me again in even the smallest way and you will learn what true pain is.”
Korvan lost his battle with his stomach as he tried to imagine how he could feel any worse than he already did. Karina did not seem to notice as she slowly walked away to gaze into the blackness of the pool.
“Our brother has found the beginning of the path, thanks to your failure,” Karina said after a time, once Korvan had regain control of himself and struggled to his feet. “Luckily for you, our Master has decided that this is not necessarily a bad thing. He greatly wishes to find someone he lost, and Kristof may be able to help him do that now.”
Korvan began to feel somewhat relieved, but Karina sent a stare full of venom his way as if having sensed his relief. He feared another volley of lightning, but it did not come.
“Do not allow your reprieve from our Master to somehow lead you to think that he approves of your failure,” Karina warned Korvan with a smile. The smile was more chilling than her anger. “Our Master has simply chosen to seize upon the opportunity that has presented itself.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Korvan said weakly, the fight beaten from him totally now.
“Our brother will soon travel to the Dorcanus system,” Karina said, her eyes once more lost in the inky pool before her. “You will prepare the fleet to meet him.”
“As you wish, Mistress,” Korvan responded without any life in his voice.
“I will be accompanying you,” Karina added with a smile, enjoying the look of dread that crossed Korvan’s face at her pronouncement. “It is time I was reacquainted with our dear brother. He was so uncommunicative the last time I saw him, after all.”
Korvan knew that Kristof had been an unconscious, burnt and bleeding mess the last time Karina had seen him when Korvan had returned their brother to Clovani Prime for trial. But Korvan didn’t like to think about Clovani Prime. The nightmares of the planet’s death still haunted him.
“It is a three day journey to the Dorcanus system from here,” Korvan told Karina, no longer feeling anything inside.
“We will leave tomorrow,” Karina told him. “I want our brother to have time to uncover what our Master seeks before we take it from him.”
“As you command,” Korvan said and bowed before he turned and left the temple as fast as he could.
“Korvan,” Karina called before he had made his escape. “Remember, brother that our Master commands here as well as in the Underworld. I do so hope you don’t plan to do anything…foolish, to yourself.” Korvan fled to the sounds of Karina’s laughter as his final plan of escape was snatched from him. A tear escaped the corner of his eye as he ran, no longer caring who saw him.
~19~
Prime Minister Rossada was not happy, to say the least. With Clovani attacks still occurring sporadically across the Protectorate, he did not feel it was an appropriate time for the Queen to run back and forth across the sector. So when Sabine told him of their mission to Dorcanus II, the Prime Minister went ballistic. His language became most eloquent as he regaled the Queen with statistics and death tolls and the need for the people to have their Queen safe and leading the people.
Sabine allowed the man some leeway in his rant. He’d earned it, she thought to herself, through his loyal and dedicated service. So long as he didn’t intend to make a habit of it, anyway. The man had saved her throne from the members of the Duranis family that had assassinated her mother, after all. She now waited for the man to pause for a breath so she could get a word in.
“Prime Minister,” Sabine finally said forcefully. “Thomas,” she added, a little less formally, “I understand your concerns, both for myself and for the people. What we are doing here is extremely important in the long term survival of the Protectorate and beyond. I am sorry I cannot tell you the details of this mission, as they are highly sensitive and this is not the securest channel, but you must understand that this mission is vital, and that my part in it is equally vital.”
“This is still very irregular, Your Majesty,” the Prime Minister said. “This is not how the royal family is supposed to behave, and the people take note of such things.”
“I’m sure you have noticed long before now that I am not like my mother or any royals of the past,” Sabine said with a smile. “As for the people, I would think that they appreciate a Queen who will fight and bleed in their defense when it is necessary. I do not do this lightly, Thomas, especially with my baby’s life also in danger. It is, however, necessary.”
“As you wish, your Majesty,” the Prime Minister relented. “How may I be of assistance, then?”
“General Mannis is sending elements of the Home Fleet to join the Queen’s Honor, so you can rest a little easier about my safety,” Sabine said as she decided to set the man’s mind somewhat at ease. “What I need from you is what I always need, your loyal and expert service to me and to our people. You run the government far better than I ever could, it is you who are irreplaceable to our people more than me.”
“You do me great honor,” Thomas said and finally smiled for Sabine.
“The honor is mine, Thomas,” Sabine said with genuine affection. “Let the Tunani Republic know that our presence at Dorcanus is no threat to them, as well. Other than that, hold the fort for me while I am gone.”
“Your people wish you a safe journey and a quick return, my Queen,” Thomas said as the screen went dark.
“That went better than I would have expected,” Kristof said from behind the camera where the Prime Minister wouldn’t see him. “I expected him to go on for at least another thirty minutes.”
“Oh hush,” Sabine said with a smile, “He’s not that bad.”
Kristof shrugged noncommittally as he laid out his blaster and armor that he would wear on Dorcanus II, or rather Suthanara if they were correct. Much as the Prime Minister had not been happy that the Queen was running off to what was technically Clovani space, Sabine was unhappy that Kristof had insisted on going down to the planet surface when they got there. The world already held too much of his blood on its moon, she didn’t relish the idea of any more possibly being spilled on the planet itself.
“I’m no more thrilled with the idea than you,” Kristof had told her, “But most likely whatever is there for us won’t reveal itself to just anyone.”
Anasha planned to accompany him, which only doubled Sabine’s anxiety. Anasha had also laid out armor and blasters. The planet’s atmosphere was gone, so they would also need to rely on life support gear that they would don aboard the Phantom while it landed.
“How long is it going to take General Mannis’s reinforcements to get here?” Anasha asked from her place near the door to their bedroom aboard the Honor, sounding just a bit impatient to be on their way.
“Thirty six hours, he said,” Sabine replied and saw the impatience in Kristof’s face as well. “I know you hate
the delay, my loves, but even though the Queen’s Honor is one of the toughest ships in the galaxy right now, it doesn’t mean it is invincible. If we run into trouble, we will need the support.”
“I know,” Kristof sighed as he tossed his gun belt down on the table beside him. “Have we had any word from Max since he went down to the ship’s main computer?”
“Not so far,” Anasha answered. “There are countless images of Dorcanus to go through, even for an android. Since we’re not even sure what we are looking for, it could take some time. The thirty six hour delay may actually save us more trouble in the long run as far as the search goes. If there’s anything in the satellite images, Max will find it.”
“Since we have the time, then,” Sabine said with some regret, “I suppose I should go see the ship’s doctor and make sure everything is going well with this passenger here.” She rubbed her stomach lovingly as she said it, feeling the baby move inside. The others hadn’t been able to feel him move, yet, but they were eager for the day.
Sabine always felt sad when she thought of their son and that they most likely would lose him to a higher destiny once he was born. She wondered if she would ever see him again afterwards. As if in response, the baby reached out to touch her mind briefly, and Sabine laughed in joy.
“What’s so funny?” Anasha asked with a smile.
“I was just feeling sad about possibly losing the baby after he is born,” Sabine said as she smiled again, “And he reached out to touch my mind and make me feel better.”
Anasha came and knelt before Anasha and kissed her stomach, while whispering I love you to the baby. Sabine felt the baby reach out to touch Anasha’s mind as well.
“That is truly amazing,” Anasha said in wonder as Sabine caressed the woman’s cheek. The baby reached out to Kristof next, and Sabine felt the sense of reassurance that their son sent to his father, and she watched Kristof’s eyes and face brighten in amazement.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that,” Kristof said after a moment.
The Smuggler's Ascension: The Ties That Died Page 11
