by Linda Mooney
“It does. But if they manage to breach our shields… One or two ships we could manage without much worry. But not six Class R warships.”
“What if our men aren’t here by the time the other ships arrive?” Kelen inquired. It was a risky idea, but she felt they had to explore all their options, what few they had.
Kyber frowned. “You’re thinking of them boarding the Kergocian ship and leaving?”
“Yeah. Now, if not sooner.”
“What if Stek scans this outpost? He will discover the lack of Seneecian lifeforms on board.”
She smiled at him. “Oh, I have no doubt he’ll scan the outpost, but when he does, he’ll find no more Seneecians on board.”
Pfeiffer crossed his arms. “You’re thinking of going aboard the Var Yuheri and diverting their attention long enough for the rest of your crew to escape with the Kergocians.”
“Yes. If the others leave now, and we hold off going aboard that ship until the very last minute, it might work.”
“That’s going to put you and Kyber in a very perilous position.”
“It is a risk we are willing to take,” Kyber said.
“Don’t take this wrong, Colonel, but I’m guessing you’ve called for Terran reinforcements?” She hated having to question the man. Technically, she didn’t have the right or the ranking to ask him anything. If he chose to ignore her, or reprimand her, she’d deserve it. But she had a feeling he would answer her.
“Yes, but they’re not due to arrive for another sixteen hours.”
Kyber held out a hand to the officer, who took it to shake. “Thank you for your help, Colonel.”
“You’re welcome. The Hok ti Hai is docked adjacent to Bay Fifteen. I’ll notify Egok Moad and tell her your men are on their way.”
Chapter 23
Deception
The others weren’t happy with the plan.
“I don’t understand why you don’t come with us,” Jules said.
“We do not have time to argue about this,” Kyber stated. He turned to leave, pausing in front of the door. “All of you need to leave immediately. The Hok ti Hai is waiting for you. You will need to report to Egok Moad upon boarding.”
Cooter held out a hand as if to stop him. “Kyber, you can’t go back to Seneecia alone.”
Kelen moved next to Kyber. “He’s not. I’m going with him.”
“As are we,” Gaveer stated.
Kyber whirled around. “No!” he almost growled. “This is on me.” He looked directly at each of them. “While I am gone, I want you to go ahead with plans to return to Neverwylde and discover what they are trying to keep hidden. Fullgrath, Cooter, I charge you both with leading this investigation in my absence. Gaveer, Massapa, Kleesod, you know you will be absolved of all guilt when I tell them you were only following my orders.”
“How will you be able to protect Kelen?” Kleesod asked.
“She should be given clemency as my Confirmed.”
“You cannot guarantee that,” Gaveer argued. “They may think of her as Terran first.”
“He is correct. They may declare your Confirmation invalid because she is one of the enemy,” Kleesod added.
Fullgrath gasped. “If that’s the case, why should she go with you? I thought it was you they wanted, more than anything. We all know your brother and Plat have it out for you.”
“They want all of us,” Kelen explained again. “Kyber and I realize it’s not a perfect plan. It’s a stall tactic, yes, and we know it’s a long shot, but it won’t work unless everyone gives their full cooperation. If this deception doesn’t succeed, we could be putting this outpost and everyone on it in jeopardy.”
“If Duruk has this outpost scanned, which I know he will, he will find my lifeform. That alone will lead him to believe the rest of you are also present,” Kyber noted. “I know my brother all too well. If he thinks one of us is here, he will assume we all are, and he will not continue to search for any other Seneecian lifeforms. And with the number of Terrans already present on this outpost, he will not be able to distinguish which of them are you. That diversion should give you plenty of time to get out of range.”
“No, no, no!” Jules elbowed his way forward and grabbed Kelen by the arm. “You’re not going back there! Come with us, Kelen. Please!” He looked pleadingly at Kyber. “You said they won’t be able to distinguish which Terran lifeform is hers. Give her the chance to escape with us!”
She jerked her arm from his grasp. “I have to, Jules. He’s my husband, and I’m standing by him no matter what.”
There was a small parting of the waves as Dox elbowed a path through the group to put his arms around her waist. “Be careful,” he whispered.
Kelen ran her fingers through his thick mop of hair. He needed a haircut, but it would have to be his decision before he’d subject himself to the ordeal. “I’ll be fine,” she promised. “Kyber will protect me.” Lifting his face to meet him eye to eye, she smiled. “You be careful going back to Neverwylde. Tell Five I hope he has a nice reunion with his people.”
Dox managed a tremulous smile and nodded, then retreated back to stand beside Mellori.
Kleesod went up and clapped a hand on Kyber’s shoulder. “May the four gods favor you,” he said in their language. Gaveer and Massapa also gave Kyber their blessing. Then the three of them saluted their D’har. Kyber saluted back, and they left the apartment.
Down in Bay Fifteen, Fullgrath and the others shook Kyber’s hand and gave Kelen farewell hugs. Dox didn’t try to hide the tears rolling down his cheeks. Five peeped dejectedly and nuzzled her nose with his.
Massapa peered out the small viewing window at where the Kergocian ship sat at the end of the connecting tube. “We are fortunate the Hok ti Hai is docked on the other side of the outpost, out of visual and scanning range of the other ships.”
“We call that happenstance,” Kelen informed him.
“Call it luck or good fortune, it isn’t going to be worth shit if we don’t get our backsides on that ship,” Fullgrath groused. He gave Kelen one final hug, patting her back. “We hope we get good news from this. Both from you and Kyber, and from our investigation.” Wagging a finger in her face, he mock ordered, “You stay safe, you hear me?”
She promised with a nod and a smile. Massapa hit the airlock, opening the inner hatchway door leading into the tube. One by one, the others walked into the connecting tunnel. The last one to enter was Fullgrath, who gave her and Kyber one final look, along with a thumbs-up, then punched the panel to close the hatch.
Moving over to the access window, she and Kyber watched until the Kergocian ship detached itself from the tube. As the corridor withdrew back to the outpost, the craft drifted away, eventually igniting its engines once it was clear, and quickly sped away.
Kyber wasted no time remaining at the landing bay. “Come.” He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. “Let us return to the Bridge. We should be present when Duruk’s ship arrives. As long as he has a visual, it will give the others time to increase their distance from here.”
“And when he does finally realize the deception, they’ll be too far away for him to detect.” She hugged her husband. This next half hour would be critical. Worse, there was no telling what Duruk would do once he discovered he’d been duped. Whatever his reaction, she knew it would be vengeful and most likely fatal.
She may not lose her life over this incident. Duruk may be cruel and vindictive, but neither he nor the Seneecian Triumvirate would dare risk creating an interstellar incident and instigating another war. But that didn’t mean Kyber’s life was safe. Chances were they would use him as an example in the worst way.
Yes, she was his Confirmed. But other than that, she had no rights. She expected to be given the barest leniency, and no more, before her and Kyber’s fates were revealed.
Time would tell how this would all play out in the end.
Chapter 24
Surrender
Colonel Pfeiffer was in his antechamber off
ice just off the Bridge when Kyber and Kelen exited the elevator. The officer glanced up in surprise as they stood in the doorway.
“We felt the others would have a better chance of getting away if we were on deck the next time Duruk opens communications,” Kelen explained.
Kyber continued. “If he sees me, he may assume the rest are here as well, and that would give the rest more time to get out of range.”
Pfeiffer gave a nod. “Sound strategy. But what’ll happen when he discovers the rest of your men are no longer here?”
“He will take it out on me. All you have to say is that you are unable to find them, and you are currently searching the space station. Once we go aboard Duruk’s ship, I will tell him I had them smuggled away without your knowledge.”
The colonel narrowed his eyes. “And you think they’ll believe that story?”
“Any story that demeans or impugns the mental capacities of a skint is accepted as fact,” Kyber replied straight-faced. “Duruk will be more willing to accept the idea that my men were able to escape from here without your knowing than to believe you helped by summoning the Kergocian ship in the first place.”
Pfeiffer grunted. “Let’s hope you’re right on that assumption.” He paused to give Kyber and Kelen a worried look. “Are you two going to be okay?”
“No,” Kyber bluntly replied. “Duruk, and indirectly, Plat, will seek their revenge on me, but I am prepared.”
“What about her?” The colonel motioned toward Kelen.
“They will be more lenient with her because she is my Confirmed…and because they know that if they cause harm to her, their actions will have serious intergalactic repercussions. We may be sworn enemies, Colonel, and we enjoy our brief battles, but we have no taste for an all-out war.”
“I’ve already received a reply from Central Command. They are fully aware of our situation, and they’re prepared to call a Joint Council meeting if necessary. Is there anything further that I can do?”
“You’ve done so much for us already, and at great risk,” Kelen told him. “We can’t thank you enough.”
“I do have one request,” Kyber spoke up. “Do you have a spare translator Kelen can wear?”
“I have an extra ear plug version. It’ll translate but it doesn’t interpret. Will that suffice?”
“Can it translate Seneecian?”
“I’m pretty sure it can.”
“Then it will do. Thank you.”
Pfeiffer reached behind him and pressed a panel in the wall. A small drawer slid outward. After a moment of rummaging inside, he withdrew the small object and handed it to the Seneecian, who gave it to Kelen.
“Put this in your ear. Duruk and the others will not be gracious and speak in Terranese. This will allow you to understand what is being said, but at no time let anyone know you are comprehending their conversation. You may need to take advantage of it in a future time.”
She placed the plug inside her ear canal. He gently tugged on her hair until several strands of it fell over her lobe, concealing the apparatus. “Say something in Seneecian,” she asked.
He smiled. “Eelo nok torus nor.”
You are my only one, the button in her ear stated.
Kelen returned the smile. “It works.”
“Colonel Pfeiffer.”
Pfeiffer hit the comm link on his desk. “Yes.”
“The Seneecian ship is opening communications again with us.”
“On my way.” The colonel got to his feet and silently waved for Kyber and Kelen to join him. They walked onto the Bridge and took a stance in front of the main viewscreen. Gradually, the face of D’har Duruk materialized. Kelen silently laughed at the shocked expression that came over the Seneecian’s face. Duruk quickly recovered and replaced it with a scowl.
“Why is that man not restrained?”
“He gave his word he would not flee or cause harm,” Pfeiffer replied in clipped tones.
“You would trust the word of a traitor?” Duruk growled.
“He is a Seneecian. Isn’t the word of a Seneecian considered honorable?” the colonel coolly replied.
Kelen bit her lips to keep from snickering. Duruk had walked into that one.
The D’har brushed it off. “We will be within range of you in twelve of your minutes. At that time I expect Kyber and his people to be on board the Var Yuheri.”
“Why not the Den Tirim?” Pfeiffer queried.
Kelen resisted the impulse to glance over at the officer. The colonel knew why they couldn’t take the shuttle to Duruk’s ship. He knew they had blasted their shuttle bay and damaged it to the point where it was unusable until repairs could be made. Repairs that had to be made in dry dock, and not in space. She continued to wonder what the man had up his sleeve when she remembered something Kyber had told her.
“A Seneecian does not admit defeat or weakness. To do so would cause others to consider him unable or unfit for his job. Or to command.”
“My reason is not for you to question,” Duruk gruffly replied. “I expect them to be waiting when I arrive.”
Kelen smiled to herself. The D’har had dodged the question, and thus saved face, especially in front of his crewmembers who were within earshot.
“I’m sorry, D’har Duruk, but there is no way the shuttle can reach the Var Yuheri in twelve minutes. It will take a minimum of thirty-one minutes—”
“Then do so,” Duruk cut in. In the next moment, the viewscreen went dark.
Pfeiffer turned to Kelen and Kyber as Kyber remarked, “We would have had no problem docking on the Var Yuheri in twelve minutes.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. But that’s another twenty minutes or so leeway your men have to get out of this sector,” the colonel answered with a grin. “It’s best you go now. I don’t know how long it’ll take before Duruk starts scanning the outpost for Seneecian lifeforms.”
Kyber and Kelen thanked him again and retreated to the elevator, taking it all the way down to Level L where Bay Fifteen was located. Once they arrived, they discovered the craft had been refueled and waiting for them. They climbed inside to buckle in, with Kelen taking the pilot seat and Kyber in navigation.
As the bay went through decompression, the immense doors slid open, and Kelen lifted the shuttle up and out into space. From where they emerged, the Var Yuheri sat like a giant black serpent in the upper left quadrant of their main screen.
“Slow and steady, Lieutenant,” Kyber murmured with a hint of humor in his tone.
“Aye, sir. Very slow and steady.”
They took their time, eating up as much of the clock as they felt they could. As they drew nearer to the Seneecian ship, Kelen felt a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. It clenched tighter and more painfully as the ship loomed closer.
“Hailing Obe Nuo. Hailing the Obe Nuo.” The voice speaking Seneecian was unfamiliar to her.
Kyber hit the comm button. “This is the Obe Nuo.”
“Obe Nuo, we detect only two lifeforms on board when there should be eleven. Where is the rest of the crew?”
“The rest of the crew is not available,” Kyber responded with a straight face.
“Obe Nuo, where is the rest of your crew?” the voice repeated with obvious irritation.
“They are not here,” he answered, then closed communications.
Kelen gave him a side eye. “Was that a wise thing to do?”
“Perhaps not, but I enjoyed it.”
“I think you just pissed them off more than they already were.”
“Duruk does not need a reason to vent his anger. I have borne the brunt of his wrath for too many years.”
“But to deliberately antagonize him?”
Kyber didn’t respond and kept his gaze averted. She couldn’t read him. She had no idea what he was thinking, much less planning. It was almost as if he was resigned to whatever punishment they would inflict upon him.
“Will they kill you?” she finally managed to ask in a small voice.
Kyber
continued to stare out the viewscreen. “No. Not immediately. They will not give me that respite until Duruk has gorged himself on every last ounce of torment he can inflict upon me.”
“What about me?”
His silence extended for several more seconds. “No, they will not kill you…but I dread to think about what they could do…or will do.”
A shudder went through her.
“My one.”
Kyber’s voice broke through the haze of fear that was starting to form in her head. She glanced over to find him watching her.
“My one, I do not know what will happen when we land. I do not know what atrocities Duruk and the others will inflict upon us. But I want you to know this. My life has changed because of you. For the first time since I began my career, my time in the service is no longer my entire focus.” He undid his harness and got up from his seat, then went over to her, stopping beside her and lifting her chin to meet his gaze. The lights from the console shone on his pelt, emphasizing his otherworldly appearance. “I never believed I would have a future outside of the military. Yes, I hoped one day to find someone who would help me continue my line, but…” He gave her a soft smile. “How could I have prepared myself for someone like you? Kelen, I do not expect to survive what is to come.”
“Kyber!” She clasped his hand, but he shook his head.
“We must face that possibility, and we must be prepared for it.” He swallowed hard. “I do not know Terran rules or laws regarding life partnerships. But if I should perish, I do not want you to suffer. I want you to be happy. Do not feel guilty if you wish to take another companion—”
“Shut up with that nonsense and kiss me,” she whispered. She couldn’t remove her hands from the pressure pads without her actions affecting the shuttle’s progress. He knew that, and gave her a deep, loving kiss. When he finally lifted his lips from hers, she opened her eyes. “We’re going to get through this, my love. We may suffer for our actions, but in the end, we will prevail. We will prevail.”
His answering smile warmed her. “From your mouth to the ears of the four gods.”
