by Gun Brooke
Feeling her chest constrict, Rae leaned her forehead against Kellen's shoulder for a second. "I should've realized that from my father's report."
"I inherited this sacred duty and prepared for it all my life. I know it must seem overwhelming to you to learn of it in this manner."
"I love Armeo." Rae's voice was huskier than usual. "He stole my heart the night he paged me when you were in pain. Sacred duty or not, I'll always look out for him. You..." She caressed Kellen's pale cheek. "I can't promise I'd be able to sacrifice you, if the situation arose." Her throat hurt. "You mean too much to me."
Kellen stared at her, conflicting emotions obviously fighting for power in her eyes. "It seems my concerns are also yours. We'll both have to make sure such a situation doesn't occur. I'll work on several backup plans for the approach to Gantharat."
"Good." Letting her arms circle her lover's waist, Rae nudged her toward the door. "It's late. Why don't we try to get a few hours' sleep? I have to relieve Lieutenant Grey at 0300 hours."
"All right. I know you said you'd also take over from Lieutenant D'Artansis later in the day. Why not let me do that?"
About to object, Rae changed her mind. This entire operation almost breached protocol and regulations. Letting Kellen take the helm wouldn't be such a stretch. "Okay. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."
They left the miniscule office and walked toward the aft where the sleeping compartments were located. Rae climbed inside one of them, which reminded her of an old-fashioned bunk bed, making room for Kellen to join her before they closed the leatherlike curtain. The small sleeping area went dark, and Rae moved closer to Kellen. Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around her wife.
"Thank you," she whispered, her lips only a breath away from the generous curve of Kellen's neck.
"You're welcome." Kellen pressed her lips against Rae's hairline. "Now try to get some sleep."
Rae closed her eyes, Kellen's familiar scent engulfing her, making it possible to relax for the first time all day. She felt a hand slowly massage her back, its loving movements lulling her to sleep.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"What the hell is this? Some sort of diplomatic invasion?" Admiral Jacelon strode across the mission room toward Commander Todd. "How many ships are on their way?"
"Sixteen frigates and four cruisers, sir."
"Damn." Ewan stared at the screen. The SC Council had taken him by surprise, sending a massive diplomatic delegation that represented most of the homeworlds in the union of planets. He looked at Jeremiah Todd in horror. "Can Gamma VI sustain this many people on top of all the military ships currently here?"
Todd made a face. "Let's hope they brought their own Java, sir."
The admiral huffed. "You got that right. What's their ETA?"
"Two hours, sir. They've been transmitting data continuously for the last half hour."
"Great. Here comes bureaucracy in its prime." The admiral detected movement to his left and saw his grandson approach, walking slowly as if hesitant to disturb him. "School out already, Armeo?" He extended an arm, and the boy lengthened hjs stride.
"Yes. Dorinda's with her mom. They're going to the commercial section. Mrs. de Vies says it's best to stay busy when you're worried about something." Armeo looked doubtful. "May I join them? I'll take Y'sak."
The admiral smiled inwardly at Gayle de Vies's remedy for a concerned mind. "Why don't we assign one more guard to be on the safe side? You could pick up some cigars for me, perhaps, while you're at it."
Armeo's expression brightened. "Sure! Just write down what kind you want."
The admiral placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and led him into his makeshift office. As always astounded by the strong feelings of affection this child evoked in him, he logged onto his console to reach the security department. Commander Todd had conducted careful background checks on the four security officers responsible for Armeo's safety when he was in school and out of the admiral's sight.
A sound alerted Ewan that he had a long-distance incoming subspace message. It turned out to be several. Surprised, he realized they came from the two pirate ships under his daughter's command. The Liberty and the Freedom hadn't been in contact for a while, but Ewan knew they were past the point where long-range scanners could detect them. With increasing concern he read the reports about the sabotage attempts on the Liberty.
"Is something wrong?" Armeo's voice brought the admiral back. "Is it from Kellen and Rae?"
"Yes, it is, son. Kellen left an encrypted note for you. Here, I've run it through the decoder. You can read it yourself."
Armeo lit up and leaned closer to the computer screen, reading out loud, '"Please let Armeo know I am doing well and so is Rae. We miss him very much and cannot wait to be home with him again. Meo shindar beo'sh, Armeo."' He turned his glance to Ewan. "That's Gantharian. It means I love you.'"
"There, you see? They're doing fine." The admiral opened a channel to the security department and requested an additional guard. "When he arrives, you go have fun in the commercial sector. We'll have dinner in the commodore's quarters in two hours."
"I'll be back by then," Armeo said. "Are you cooking, Granddad?"
"As a matter of fact I'm a great chef, but right now I'm so busy I hardly have time to eat. However, when Rae and Kellen get back, I'll make my special pasta dish. How about that?"
"Sounds great." The boy sucked in his lower lip between his teeth for a moment, a gesture that the admiral had learned to interpret as deep worry. "Ten days. It seems like forever."
Ruffling Armeo's hair, the admiral said, "I know. I think so too."
A young ensign appeared in the doorway. "Sir, Mrs. de Vies and her daughter are at the door asking for your grandson."
"All right, Armeo, run along and be careful. If anything out of the ordinary happens, you have the device I gave you."
"Okay, sir." Armeo held up the small pager, which contained a communicator as well as an emergency beacon that would make it possible to track him. "Here it is."
"Good. Have fun."
Watching Armeo cross the mission room, the admiral grinned broadly. His new grandson had stolen his heart completely.
The Liberty reeled from a sudden explosion close to her starboard bow. Using the tachyon-mass drive, the vessel was highly susceptible to impacts. The DVAs went off-line in an instant, tossing the crew around.
"What the hell was that, Lieutenant Grey?" Rae shouted over the klaxons. "All hands, secure your stations. Damage report!"
"Ma'am, I detect an antimatter trail on our port bow. A ship is closing—"Another explosion cut Ensign S'hos's words short.
The harness that kept her in the captain's chair dug into Rae's shoulders and around her waist as the Liberty was tossed into a spin. She heard an explosion go off on one of the lower decks. "And the Freedom?"
"Long-range scanners are down. Shields at twenty percent. Deck 4 sustained damages, but so far no casualties."
"Lieutenant Grey, target the other ship's propulsion system and fire at will."
"Torpedoes away." Owena's voice was cool. "A direct hit, they're slowing down."
"What kind of ship is it?"
"Pirates, ma'am. They carry no official signatures." Owena punched commands into her console. "They're not alone, Commodore. Here come their buddies."
"Defensive pattern Epsilon Five. Liberty to the Freedom. We're under attack. Are you in range?"
A short static made her worry their communications array had been destroyed, but then she heard Alex's response. "Not yet, Commodore. We'll be close enough to take the third ship out in about four minutes. You have to hang in until then."
"Third ship? Do we have visual yet, Ensign S'hos?"
The screen nickered, and then two sleek vessels came into view. "Where's the third ship?" Rae asked. "Why hasn't the one we fired on slowed down?"
Kellen's hands flew across the console where she assisted Ensign S'hos. "The third ship is right behind us, on a parallel course. The vessel we h
it" is using an auxiliary tachyon drive to match our speed."
"Microfractures on Decks 3 and 4. We have to put the brakes on, ma'am." Owena's voice was urgent. "We're heading for a hull breach if they give another full volley!"
"Damn!" Rae raised her voice. "Liberty to the Freedom. Drop out of tachyon-mass drive. I repeat, drop out of tachyon-mass drive. We're going to maximum field-distortion drive."
"Affirmative, Commodore. Dropping to maximum field-distortion drive."
"On my mark, Lieutenant D'Artansis." Rae regarded the vessels on the screen carefully. "Where exactly is the ship behind us, Lieutenant Grey?"
"Five degrees off our port bow."
"It'll be a close call, but that'll have to do. Reduce to field-distortion drive." The Liberty lurched as the forceful propulsion system went off-line. Clutching her seat, Rae fought to remain where she sat.
An ear-deafening screech sounded as something broke on a deck below. "Damage report!" Rae yelled.
"Hull breach on Deck 3. Shields are holding, but down to thirty-five percent."
"Evasive maneuvers! Get us away from the third ship."
D'Artansis threw the ship into a maddening pattern, clearing the pirate vessel's path as well as the Freedom trailing it.
"Pirate vessels are still on tachyon-mass drive and several light years away." Ensign S'hos's voice trembled, but the young man remained by his console. Kellen was still clenching the handlebars until Leanne resumed a less turbulent course.
"The Freedom is right behind us, ma'am," Owena reported. "She's intact, no casualties. As for our ship..." She paused, reading from her computer screen. "One crew member on Deck 3 sustained minor injuries when the hull breached."
"We have a window of opportunity to regroup before the pirates return. Slow down to full-impulsion so we can launch an attack." Rae hit the open ship communication button. "All hands, prepare to deploy assault craft."
"Ma'am, we're one pilot short. Ensign Am-pah sustained a fracture to her left arm."
"Damn, we need every ship out there," Rae hissed. The pirates could return any time. Glancing over her shoulder she looked at Kellen, who returned her gaze with a nod. "Very well. Make sure Ensign Am-pah's injury is attended to. Ms. O'Dal will take her place."
Kellen was already on her way to the narrow ladder. Rae wanted to make her swear she'd be careful but knew this kind of personal remark was impossible.
Obviously relieved and impressed, the lieutenant in charge of the shuttle bay spoke again. "Understood, ma'am. Ensign Ferris will navigate for Ms. O'Dal."
Rae knew Ensign Ferris was in his late forties, seasoned from all the years he'd patrolled the SC border.
"Excellent. Be ready to launch in five minutes." Even that was a stretch. She turned to Ensign S'hos. "Anything on long-range scanners?"
"The pirate vessels have dropped out of tachyon-mass drive and are turning. Two of them are on a circular trajectory that will take them on an assault path above us. The remaining ship is backtracking, facing us directly."
"Bold moves," Rae murmured. "Any signs they're scanning us?"
"No, not yet, ma'am. I think the lead insulation the former owners of our ships installed around the shuttle bay to keep us from scanning their cargo will keep any of their sensors from penetrating us."
Rae hoped S'hos was right.
"Assault craft ready to deploy," he said.
"Good." Rae paused for a moment. "Liberty to the Freedom. Prepare to launch assault craft. Defensive pattern Beta seventy-seven."
"My thoughts exactly, Commodore," Alex replied. "Deploying now."
The shuttle bay doors hummed as they opened to allow the deadly ships to depart. Rae pictured them as they left their mother ships and turned in a narrow circle, only to slide underneath the belly of the larger vessels and hide, ready to strike.
"Pirate vessels three minutes away and closing," S'hos reported.
"Assault craft pilots, attack pattern Delta on my mark. Ensign, do we have visual?"
"In a few seconds, ma'am."
Rae looked at the view screen at the front of the bridge and saw the pirate vessel heading right for them.
"Any sign of the ones coming in from below?"
"Yes."
Dividing the screen into two parts, S'hos showed images of the three ships approaching. Black and sleek, with weapons on all sides, they approached like giant vultures.
"Jacelon to de Vies. Let's deal with these fools."
"Affirmative, Commodore."
Rae saw the Freedom break away in a sudden burst of energy, rolling past the two pirate ships that approached from below. Then she felt the Liberty mimic the movement in the opposite direction and watched Leanne's hands fly over the controls as the battered ship obeyed her commands.
"Assault craft, mark."
Rae kept her eyes on the main view screen directly ahead, watching the two-seat ships leave their hideout like two small swarms to engage the enemy. Firing at the pirates' weapons arrays and propulsion systems, they seemed to take them by surprise. Rae was pleased to see the three pirate ships now scatter as they tried to evade the torpedoes directed toward them.
"Ma'am, she's getting heavy. I can't hold her," Leanne called out. "Something's wrong with the hydraulics."
"You have to keep her together, Lieutenant. Engineering, we have problems with the hydraulics.. .we need it fixed right away."
"We're on it, Commodore. We have a silicon leak from the manifolds leading to the port nacelle. The good news is we erected aluminum walls around the hull breach."
"Good job. Be careful with the leak. We can't slow down. We'd be sitting ducks."
Leanne struggled with the controls, but it was obvious the Liberty was in trouble, her flight path increasingly irregular.
"You're not looking too good, Commodore." Captain de Vies's voice came across the comm system. "Watch out. You have a pirate on your tail now."
"Surprise, surprise," Owena muttered. "Assault Craft 1, return to—"
"I'm here, Commodore," a familiar voice interrupted before the screen lit up with a blinding light, making Rae's eyes sting as the Liberty reeled from an explosion. When it cleared, she saw debris hurdling through space around them.
"Kellen, what's your status?" Rae held her breath, panic erupting in her midsection.
"Assault Craft 1 here, Commodore." Kellen's voice was calm. "One of the pirate ships destroyed."
"Thank you," Rae said, pressing her palms hard against the armrests. "Now go help the others."
Rae watched how the complete destruction of the lead pirate vessel seemed to discourage the other two. Facing the eight assault craft along with the two larger ships, the pirates circled them twice, engaged their tachyon-mass drives, and left the SC-manned ships behind. Relief surging through her, Rae lowered her tense shoulders and noticed for the first time just how painfully the harness dug into her upper body.
"Their flight path suggests they're heading for the Onotharian Empire." Ensign S'hos looked up at the commodore. "If they tell the Onotharians we have SC assault craft aboard, ma'am..."
"They're pirates and not likely to volunteer information to any authority that would throw them in jail," Owena said.
"Unless they sell the information." Rae rubbed her temples. "We might face a welcome party once we reach Gantharat. I think we've lost the element of surprise."
"The assault craft are returning to the shuttle bays, Commodore," Ensign S'hos reported.
"Good. Prepare for tachyon-mass drive. Lieutenant D'Artansis, resume our initial course, but only for the first thirty minutes. Then turn to the alternative trajectory Ms. O'Dal calculated earlier. We need a different approach to Gantharat."
Ewan walked through the gate that led to Port 1. About to greet the man whom he disdainfully referred to as "the head honcho" of the diplomatic delegation, Admiral Jacelon stopped in mid-stride, making the two lieutenants walking a few steps behind him almost trip over their commanding officer.
"Dahlia!" he ex
claimed. "What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to finally take some time off."
The tall, slender woman before him placed a hand on her hip, obviously enjoying the moment. "You'd think I wasn't welcome, Ewan. Is that how you greet your wife?"
Ewan groaned inwardly, yet he gazed appreciatively at his wife of more than forty-five years. Dahlia wore her light auburn hair in a low, intricately braided bun and was impeccably dressed in a twill-mix black pantsuit, its coattail reaching the back of her knees, over a crisp, retrospun white shirt. Her features were more defined with age than the first time he saw her in his parents' house at a dinner function, and reflected her dynamism. If anyone ever mistook her finely shaped nose and elegant high cheekbones for fragility, Dahlia's clear gray eyes would make them rethink that assessment. She now met his gaze, unblinking as she awaited his reply.
"Of course I'm delighted, but surprised, to see you, darling." He stepped closer and kissed her cheek. "I take it you're part of the diplomatic delegation?"
"Yes. The SC council needed high-ranking diplomats to help deal with the mess. It was a chance to combine business and pleasure."
"And the pleasure part in it?"
Dahlia Jacelon winked at her husband. "Seeing you and Rae.. .and I understand I have a new grandson. I can't fathom the idea Rae is married. Not to mention having a stepchild. Are they around?"
"Rae and Kellen deployed on a mission three days ago. I'm taking care of Armeo."
Leaning down for her leather briefcase, Dahlia shot him a glance. "You are? How's that working out? Normally you're not very fond of children."
He didn't deny it. "Armeo has a way of getting under your skin." Ewan offered no other explanation, but he could see his wife's piqued interest.
"I'll be in charge of the diplomatic negotiations with the Onotharians until the SC Council determines which path to take. Is M'Ekar still in your custody? I need a conference room to conduct these talks."
"And you'll have it. First things first. Let me show you our quarters. You can freshen up before you dig your subtle claws into the ambassador." Motioning toward the exit, he reached for her large suitcase. "This all you're bringing?" Dahlia was famous for traveling in style.
