He could hear Danielle’s voice answer. “No’tok had me struck in the head, and I dropped to the floor. I think he was trying to get Lakeisha to surrender, but she didn’t.”
“He told me that you were killed attempting to escape,” K’oron replied, “and that he had your body jettisoned into space. It makes sense now. He knew if I believed you were no longer alive, I’d have no reason to be there.”
“Why lie to you?” Danielle asked perplexed. “Aren’t you all imperial officers? Which makes me wonder why are you down here in a cell like me?”
K’oron took a breath before answering. “I’m here because we serve different interests. My loyalties are to the Emperor-General. His are to some group of lunatics that wants to set all of our nations to war with each other. To what end I am still uncertain.” K’oron continued. “He knows that I will tell the Emperor everything and that the Emperor will have No’tok’s skull on a spike adorning his throne.”
Something just wasn’t adding up to Danielle. “Surely he could just discredit you? After all, I doubt many ship medics can just approach the Emperor. Let alone have the Emperor take his statement at face value without supporting facts.”
“I nursed you back to health, but I am no medic.” K’oron hesitated before continuing, considering what he was about to say. “I am the Commandant-General of the V’drellz Stragizi. I am the black cape that ordered your life spared.” Now he had told her the truth, and he would have to see how she reacted.
Danielle couldn’t believe what she was hearing! This kind man who had helped her heal and had shown such kindness to her was a black cape? Not only that, but he was the leader of them! “Why did you lie to me about who you are?” She asked the anger apparent in her tone. She didn't like being lied to. Was everything he said and did before a lie?
K’oron stood up and leaned against the wall to keep his balance. “Would you have opened up to me if you had known the truth? I highly doubt it. I wanted to get to know you better. I wanted to see if I was right about you, and I was.”
“Right about what?” She asked. Her voice still containing a trace of anger. She was angry that he lied, but after hearing his reasoning, she understood. She might have made the same decision in his place. It was a forgivable sin.
“That you have honor and loyalty. A heart of honor, if you will. I saw the way you aided those who fought alongside you. Helping them even at the cost of your own life. I admire and respect that,” he explained. “The V’drellian people have very little honor outside of our Order. Ours is a civilization based on conquest. Now, I have but one question left for you.”
“And what would that be?” Danielle inquired.
“Are you ready get out of here?” K’oron asked.
Danielle smirked. “I thought you’d never ask.”
CHAPTER 10
Gaelon had just finished a meeting with several junior ministers regarding a food shortage in a handful of drought-stricken colonies. He had exchanged pleasantries with them, even asked about their spouses. He had even made several promises to do all he could to hurry aid to this region. In truth, he couldn’t get them out of his office fast enough. Your needs don’t really matter in the grand plans of Kamseth. Whether you live or die is immaterial. It was one thing to placate the masses, after all, they were mere livestock and couldn’t be expected to understand the inner workings of the universe. Government officials, on the other hand, should have long since abandoned their ideals of aiding the weak out of kindness. He looked up and noticed Hardaath standing patiently just outside his open door. “Enter,” he instructed.
“First Minister, the Prime Minister has returned from his meeting with the Terran queen, and has asked you to come to his office,” the Androsan delivered his message.
Gaelon sighed. “Very well. Tell his office I’m on my way.” He hated the walk from his office across the Parliament building to the Prime Minister’s office on the far side, but he did understand the reasoning behind it. If some lunatic tried to attack the capital and managed to kill either the Prime Minister or the First Minister, the odds of them getting to the other Minister were non-existent. Survival of the Protectorate. He walked past the large wooden central columns of the main chamber. They were magnificently beautiful. Each came from a single tree over 300 cycles in age. It reminded him that the events of today were put into motion by events of days long past. He exited the chamber into the hallway on the opposite side. The Prime Minister’s office was at the end. When he reached the end of the hallway, an aide opened the door for him.
The Prime Minister beckoned him with a hand to sit as be finished up a conversation on his audio link. Upon ending, Hobarth turned and looked at Gaelon. “I’m glad you stayed. Things are worse than we thought. The Terran captain was blatant about his hatred of our nation, but their queen refuses to turn him over to us. Preposterous!”
Gaelon nodded. “I agree, Prime Minister. Extradition of criminals is part of our treaty. Would they risk open war over one person?”
“Their queen is young and foolish,” Hobarth stated. “I am hoping their Council of Barons can talk some sense into her. Now we must figure out what we are going to tell our people.”
“I have a few thoughts on that,” Gaelon said as leaned forward in his chair. This is the moment I have been waiting for. Now I just have to convince this fool to take my idea as his own. “We should increase our alert status. Only fitting under such circumstances. Then one of the two of us, preferably you, should address the people, and tell them why we are raising the alert level. That way our people know we are taking this matter seriously. The Terrans will also take note that we are not going to back down, and hopefully it will put pressure on them to do the honorable thing and extradite this mass murdering captain.” Now think about it, and decide that it would be better if I addressed the people, instead of you.
Hobarth looked as though someone had taken the weight of the planet from his shoulders. “Gaelon, that is an excellent idea, with one exception. I think you should address the people instead of me. Then our people will still know we are not going to let Terran queens dictate terms to the Protectorate, yet still keep me directly removed enough to appear approachable to the Terran queen. One leader to another.”
Gaelon shrugged. “As you wish, Prime Minister. I’ll begin working on the address immediately.” He stood and left the room, beginning the walk back to his office. This worked out better than one could have hoped. Thank you, Hobarth, you just sealed your fate and gave me the Protectorate.
***
As his ship returned to his normal patrol route, No'tok was glad to be back in friendly space. Things were going better than he had ever expected. The Triumvirate might actually be able to do all the things they promised. That was good for him, as they had promised him a great deal. The last meeting was almost disrupted by K'oron's interfering but turned out to be a boon with his capture. What a stroke of luck capturing K’oron. I knew he was spying for the Emperor. No’tok congratulated himself on having the Commandant of the V'drellz Stragizi in a cell. He still did not know how K'oron had followed him so stealthily or snuck aboard his ship. No matter, he's a prisoner now. No'tok could barely contain his glee. Now the Legion had a Terran officer and an imperial spy locked up. They were excellent commodities. They could be ‘persuaded’ to share knowledge, used as scapegoats, or even traded as hostages if it came to that point. No one would ever find them either. The derelict ship the Legion used was so far outside a trade lane that only an exploratory ship would have a chance, but still doubtful. All three governments discouraged any craft from getting close to the border out of fear of causing an intergalactic incident. It was too perfect, and it had been his idea.
He had found the old Terran derelict years ago on a scouting mission back when he was just a fighter pilot. He had been scanning the asteroids for mineral content when he picked up the metal of the old ship. He wasn't career minded about his military service back then, and so failed to report his finding
with the hopes of someday returning to salvage its contents. The events that led him to his position in the Dominion fleet and the Legion brought the memory of the old ship back to mind, and he had suggested its use when the need for a secure and private meeting place had arisen.
The panel on his desk lit up, and a voice spoke. “Commander, we have resumed our normal patrol. Continuing normal border monitoring.”
“Very well,” No’tok pressed a button and replied. Now we play the waiting game to see if the Emperor responds. He thought nervously. The other members of the Legion hid behind their anonymity, not yet revealing themselves, but his identity had been discovered by K’oron’s spying. The only question was had K’oron been able to relay that information before his capture. I’ll know soon enough, I suppose. So far, I've received no orders to return to V'drell Prime, so that is a positive sign.
“Commander,” interrupted the voice again. “You have an incoming secure transmission from Legate Th’arn. Transferring it to your quarters.” No'tok pressed a button on the console in front of him. The image of Legate Th'arn appeared.
“Commander, I trust our problem has been handled?” Th’arn inquired.
“Yes, Legate. The prisoner was detained at the joint facility.” No’tok continued. “Even if he managed to get out of his cell, he has nowhere to go. The Perseverance has no working engines, and its power core barely has enough energy to keep life support running.”
“What about the other prisoner?” Th’arn asked. “She might be more of a liability at the point. It might be time to dispose of her.”
“She might still have value,” No’tok countered. “Especially is we have to adjust our plans. She isn’t going anywhere.”
“Very well. They are your prisoners and your responsibility.” Th’arn concluded the conversation.
***
Baron Zhang Zhi enjoyed the finer things in life. He spared no expense, whether it was his home, his food, or his other indulgences. The Zhi family had been the governing barony in Rigelis since the colony was established. Originally, wealthy merchants, the family saw an opportunity for more when it was announced that a colony was to be established in the Rigelis system. Zhi’s great-grandfather volunteered to go, to help establish an economy for this new colony. The king was so pleased to have a prominent family volunteer that he decreed that the Zhi family would be appointed as the interim barony, and if the colony could be stabilized in less than five years, the barony would become permanent. They stabilized the colony, both socially and economically, in four.
Zhang was the first in his branch of the family to rule as a baron. He became baron at the age of 33 and had celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of his appointment earlier this year. Before, the ruling Zhi had been his father’s older brother. However, his uncle only had a daughter, and she fell in love with Prince Johnathan, who later became King Johnathan. So, due to his cousin marrying the king, the barony transferred to the closest male. Now her daughter was the queen of the entire Commonwealth. It didn’t bother him though. Well, perhaps a little. He disliked the way the Queen had dismissed him and Baron Stuggart when word came of an incident at the border. As a baron of the highest standing, I should have been included in discussions regarding our borders! That little girl might be the Queen, but she doesn't know what it truly takes to keep a nation running. The Council of Barons is in place to help her rule, not to be shut out like common servants! Foolish little girl! He took a breath to calm himself. Her attempt at being secretive did little for her. The palace walls have many ears, and quite a few of them were on Zhi's payroll. She wants to make all the decisions and bear all the responsibility? So be it. He would make sure that she alone bore any responsibility for any actions that negatively affected the Commonwealth.
At least here in his own barony, he didn't have to worry about her opinions. Mars was a long way from Rigelis, and here he ruled how he saw fit. He had five planets in his barony, while most barons only had one. The Zhi estate on Rigelis Beta was the largest residence on the entire planet and was larger than a small township in land coverage. The Zhi family was one of the richest in the entire Commonwealth, which afforded him many comforts that others didn't enjoy. Right now, he was about to enjoy one of those comforts. His estate had a bathing chamber that was built around a hot spring. It meant that he could enjoy a hot bath anytime he felt like it, without the wait for servants to heat water and fill a tub. He slipped into the warm water of the bathing spring, the warm made his stiff joints feel better. He relaxed and let out a sigh, enjoying one of the finer things that unlimited wealth could buy. “There’s nothing better than lots of money,” he spoke aloud in the empty bathing chamber.
“What about power?” asked a female voice. "Surely you would find that to be better than money."
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” demanded Zhi. He looked around the chamber but saw no one. He jumped out of the water and ran naked and dripping to a nearby table. He grabbed a robe from the table and was about to call for his guards when the voice spoke again.
“Calm yourself, Baron,” the voice instructed. “I'm a friend, and I’ve come to offer you something that you desire more than money. Absolute power.”
“Power?” laughed Zhi. “I am the baron of one of the largest barony systems in the Commonwealth. What in the universe could you possibly offer me that I don’t already have?”
The voice chuckled. "Everything."
***
K’oron looked around the cell he was in. There has to be something I can use to open the door. He checked the metal frame cot, but it was bolted to the floor. The only other object in the cell was the prison style metal latrine. It too was bolted down.
“Having any luck?” Danielle asked from the adjoining cell. “I couldn’t find anything that wasn’t fastened down.”
“Same here,” he replied. “There has to be a way out. I’ve broken out of worse places than this, and I’m not about to let that little fat man beat me.”
They heard the sound of the air exchanger starting up. It gave a few loud rattles then they could feel the draft as the air starting to move. K’oron looked around for the air vent. He found it on the back wall, but it was too small to get through. He kept hearing a soft vibration coming from inside the vent. He pried the cover off and looked inside the dark hole. He could make out the faint outline of some object farther back inside. He took his hand and carefully felt around inside the vent. The object was metallic and flat. He gripped it and wiggled it free. Once loose, he removed the object from the vent. When he could get a better look at the object he realized immediately what it was.
“I keep hearing you bumping and banging around over there,” Danielle said. “Did you find something?”
“Indeed,” he responded. “I found out why the air exchanger performs so pitifully. At least one of the blades broke off its primary fan.”
“How does that help us?” she asked.
“I’m holding a piece of the broken blade,” he replied. "Yes, this should do nicely." He took the blade and went to work at the hinges.
Within minutes Danielle heard the sound of something small and metal hitting the floor. Another minute or two passed, and she heard the sound again, followed by a loud grating sound “Are you okay over there?” She asked, a bit of concern in her voice.
“Never better,” K’oron replied smiling as he stepped into view in front of her cell. “Now let’s see if we can get you out.”
“You’re actually going to help me?” Danielle asked, her head tilted slightly in disbelief.
“Well,” he said, “I can leave you here if you want, or you can come with me and we can stop the fanatics that locked us up and want to destroy our respective nations.” He popped the pins from her door with the fan blade piece and pulled it off the hinges. “This place is so old the doors still use hinges. It appears to be an old Terran craft?”
“It’s called the Perseverance, and it predates the Commonwealth by about fifty years,” she explained.
“It was launched by the former United States of America on Earth to be a long-range exploration ship. That was before the war destroyed every living thing on Earth.” She continued, “Perseverance was caught in an asteroid field, took heavy damage, and had to be evacuated. It was the last interplanetary vessel launched from Earth. No records actually list its final location. I didn’t think it still existed.”
“That explains a lot. It was simple to sneak aboard,” K’oron admitted. “I suppose age would account for that. It’s amazing that still has power. Most of our craft need to have the power core replenished every twenty years or so.” He was amazed at how old the ship was, yet it was still functioning. These Terrans are a formidable race. To have engineered something that has lasted this long is a testament to their
“I believe it uses a fusion-fission hybrid reactor if I remember my history correctly,” Danielle recalled. “In theory, it could maintain power for centuries. The Commonwealth briefly toyed with the concept, but the potential cost was higher than going with an ion drive. Earth had a lot more resources to work with than Mars does.”
“Well,” he said, “let’s get out of here, and we can discuss engine designs later.” She nodded, and he led them down the corridor. “I doubt they found my ship,” he told her. “It has a much-improved version of our shielding technology. It’s practically impossible to detect unless you know how. It was developed within the V’drellz Stragizi, so no one outside of our group knows of its existence, much less how to detect it, not even the Emperor.”
They entered a ladder space and climbed to the top, then exited into another corridor. At the end of the corridor, they stopped at a door. “My ship is just beyond,” he said. “We’ll be safe once inside. Then we can travel to V’drell Prime and warn the Emperor. You can send a message to your queen as well if you wish.”
“So, then I’ll go from being their prisoner to yours?” Danielle asked hesitantly.
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