Vengeance (Warships of the Spire Book 1)

by Lisa Blackwood

  “You mean he’s trying to force that endgame protocol on you?” she asked incredulously.

  “Yeah, but—”

  “But it’s not happening,” Liv insisted. “Tell him Acting Telepath Olivia Hawthorne says he can take his endgame protocol and shove it. You can also inform Captain Welner that Acting Telepath Hawthorne trumps his authority, so he can take his endgame protocol and have it tattooed on his ass if it’s so important to him.”

  Ven arched an eyebrow at her, and for a few seconds, Liv wondered if she’d ever learn to keep her damn mouth shut. But Ven’s laughter erupted from his chest, and he released her arm. “Do you want me to deliver that message verbatim?”

  “Um… maybe you should reword it a little,” she answered with a sheepish smile.

  Ven nodded then gestured toward the hallway his sentinels had just cleared. “Let’s figure out how to diffuse this situation.”

  Before he could walk away from her, she grabbed his hand and, as usual, spoke too quickly. “Ven… about Renee. I am so sorry. I can’t be her though. I just can’t.”

  “I’m not asking you to,” he quickly assured her. “You’re a good person, Olivia. You’ll see this crew safely to Teutorigos, and you’re under no obligation to me or anyone else once there.”

  “But,” Liv whispered, letting her thumb trace the back of his hand lightly, “I can offer you my friendship until then.”

  His cheeks brightened, and he dislodged his hand and stuffed it into a pocket. “Thank you. I’ll need your friendship over the coming days.”

  Liv blushed too, realizing both her actions and words had likely seemed oddly and inappropriately seductive. She’d only wanted to comfort him, not come on to him. “After we confront Welner, I’ll stay with you in medical,” she offered.

  The drone nodded and guided her away from the wall. The sentinels moved aside to let her through but quickly reformed around her. While they were shuffling around like giant pieces on a chessboard, Captain Welner, Commander Lisk, and the other senior officers were doing the same on the other side of an invisible boundary. When everyone was in position, Liv found herself facing Welner across a twenty-foot stretch of corridor. And for the first time that day, she felt completely and utterly out of her league. What did she know about negotiations or diffusing potentially volatile situations?

  It was only sheer stubborn will that allowed her to lock eyes with Captain Welner’s furious gaze.

  “Journeyman Engineer,” Welner barked. “Your report. Now.”

  “Sir,” Liv answered after a slight hesitation. She glanced at the other faces staring back at her, some of them comfortingly familiar, like Master Engineer Goodwin and Lieutenant Turner, two of the more sensible and levelheaded high-ranking persons onboard. In the wake of the disaster, the ship’s hierarchy had been thrown into disarray. Her life and role had been thrown into disarray too. With her functioning as the only telepath for Ven now, she no longer knew where she fit into the chain of command.

  “Sir,” she tried again, “both Ven and I have been following the last directive of Primary Link Renee. Ven isn’t rogue, and I haven’t betrayed my Engineer’s Oath.”

  “The safety of this crew is my responsibility,” Welner barked. “And at this moment, I’ve deemed Ven the greatest danger to this crew. He has exhibited irrational behavior and extreme emotional instability, to the point where he shut us out. And I’d very much like you to explain how Vengeance ignored a fully sanctioned Spire-issued directive.”

  Liv squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Of course Ven is emotionally compromised! He just lost his entire telepathic family. But Renee maintained consciousness long enough to help him through transit. I was with them both the entire time. Ven isn’t rogue. He’s mourning. Who among you wouldn’t mourn for the loss of your best friend and entire family?”

  Welner scowled at the sentinels and crossed his arms defiantly. “That doesn’t explain how he ignored the override.”

  “Endgame? That’s simple. It wasn’t valid,” Liv replied.

  “Not valid?” Welner repeated. Suspicion marked the captain’s expression and tone.

  Live the lie, Liv thought. You know your personnel file inside and out. Just repeat what’s there, the same lie Ven is willing to pretend is truth for you.

  “It’s not valid because he has me,” she explained. “It’s all there in my personnel file. My grandmother was a telepath so I carry the gene, but it’s always been latent. Somehow, during the attack, it awoke, and I managed to help Link Renee with the transit. She vetted me and instructed Vengeance to allow me to serve as Acting Telepath until we reach Teutorigos and he can have a full telepathic crew restored to him, as well as a link-level telepath. I can help us transit safely to the Spire.”

  Liv extended her arm to show the small glowing mark to Welner and Lisk, and the other officers crowded around them to see as well.

  “That doesn’t prove Vengeance is in a sound and sane state of mind. Or that he isn’t about to self-terminate,” Welner countered.

  The drone standing at Liv’s shoulder stepped forward and addressed Welner directly. “Acting Telepath Hawthorne is correct in her assessment. I have not gone rogue, and while I am emotionally compromised, I’m not in danger of self-terminating or harming my crew, either willfully or accidentally. To ease your mind, I am surrendering control of half my sentinels to you and instructing the rest to assist the drudges in repairs. Weapons systems are being turned over to your people and control of other critical systems, like life support, are being transferred to engineers as we speak. Does that satisfy you?”

  Welner gave the drone a sharp nod. “That’s a start.”

  Welner didn’t relax. Even with her telepathic gift sealed up tight, she could feel his turbulent emotions bombarding her. Some humans were better at controlling their thoughts, and right now, she was grateful Welner wasn’t one of them because she preferred to know where she stood with him.

  She cleared her throat, and Welner’s attention snapped back to her. “Ven will be keeping a complement of sentinels stationed in a security perimeter around his primary core, of course.”

  Welner’s dark expression shifted from Liv to Ven’s sentinels then back to Liv.

  “As my Acting Telepath commands,” Ven instructed. She thought she detected a hint of amusement in his voice. The sentinels began to separate, heading in the different directions as they’d been ordered.

  The Captain remained silent, but continued to scowl unhappily.

  “Captain Welner, I should also inform you that all communication channels are still down, though repairs to arrays three and five are nearing completion,” Ven said, taking advantage of the momentary silence “But other Spire vessels will have received Trinity-Nine’s emergency dispatch about the rogue battle cruisers. I estimate rescue ships will find us within a day at most. Once they do, I’ll request one of the ships lend me a triad of telepaths so I’m transit worthy. Goodwin, if you would personally oversee the repairs to my transit drives.”

  “I’ll help as well,” Liv said, but didn’t mention that she thought he was being too optimistic about another ship lending him three telepaths. And that was assuming three telepaths would volunteer since his primary core still needed to be examined so he could be deemed fit for service.

  “Good,” Welner grunted and started tapping away at a mobile energy web. “Goodwin, as she’s also your Journeyman Engineer, get something that resembles an official report from her and have it on my desk in fifteen minutes. Then I want you both in briefing room C for a full report. Same for the rest of you. Emergency meeting in twenty minutes. I want to know if our asses are out of the fire or if we’re still sitting on the coals.”

  Liv glared at his back as Captain Welner stormed down the hall, fielding questions and scanning reports as he walked.

  “Asshole,” Liv mumbled.

  Ven’s drone shifted his weight, and she glanced up at him, realizing he’d heard her. But his amused smile told her he
most likely agreed with her.

  Master Engineer Goodwin looked Liv over and asked, “How are you holding up?”

  “Rogue sentinel got in a good shot. I survived. He didn’t. We’ll get through this, and even the scars will fade with time. We’re just going to do with little or no sleep for the next three days.” She estimated it would take at least that long to get the worst of the damages patched up. As for Ven, it was going to take a lot longer for him to heal.

  “How are bridge repairs going?” Goodwin asked the sentinel.

  “Two drudges and a crew of engineers are seeing to repairs.”

  Goodwin rubbed his eyes and sighed. “I should be supervising. Instead, I’ll be sitting through an emergency meeting after I waste my time getting a full report from you.”

  “Right,” Liv agreed. “Ven, I’ll go with you to medical as soon—”

  But Ven waved her off and nodded toward Engineer Goodwin. “Go. I’ll find you to give you an update later… when your emergency meeting is over.”

  Goodwin pointed at Ven’s drone and lifted an eyebrow at her. “So he’s a smartass now. This is new.”

  Liv laughed and shook her head. “Not nearly as new as you’d think.” She offered Ven a sympathetic smile and touched his arm, forcing him to promise her he’d come for her if there was any news about Renee.

  “You have my word, Acting Telepath Olivia.”

  Goose bumps broke out on her arms, and she shivered as she let her gaze fall to the floor, ashamed that after all he’d suffered in this excruciatingly long day, she still wanted to run. And worst of all, she already knew he would let her, even though she held the keys to his salvation.

  She couldn’t hide from the truth any longer. He loved her and had for some time now. It had been impossible to miss when they were linked during transit. And his love for her could end up killing him.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Welner’s meeting had dragged on for almost three hours, but she’d finally convinced him that Vengeance hadn’t been infected by the rogues and that she and Renee had helped him transit safely.

  During the meeting, the first of the rescue ships reached them. Citadel, a fellow Neit Class warship, who was normally sociable for an AI, seemed far more somber than normal. And while he offered fifty of his drudges to help with repairs, he didn’t send any of his telepaths. The Spire warships Valor, Dispatch, Acheron, Broadsword, Raven, and Chieftain were due to arrive within hours to aid with Vengeance’s repairs and escort them back to Teutorigos.

  Now, Liv nervously wrung her hands as she walked the path around the lake, waiting for Ven to show up with news about Renee. Two dozen sentinels watched her as she slowly lapped the lake, their presence intended to protect her and keep the senior staff away from her. After the long ordeal of Welner’s emergency meeting, she couldn’t answer any other questions. It was all in Goodwin’s official report anyway. They could each spare her another interrogation by just reading the damn thing.

  Ven’s tall drone emerged from the line of fruit trees near the gazebo, his face drawn and worried, and she stopped her nervous movements. As soon as he was close enough to hear her, she asked, “Renee?”

  Ven glanced over his shoulder toward the medical unit and sighed. “It’s… only a matter of time.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Liv whispered.

  Ven’s dark brown eyes studied her for a few moments, but she no longer cared about what questions he had. Basilisk had followed them because he was after her, which meant the blood of everyone who’d died in the battle was on her hands. If she hadn’t joined Vengeance’s crew seven months ago, they’d all still be alive.

  “Liv, we haven’t really had time to talk… about Nualla. Renee knew more than she ever told me,” he said.

  Liv shook her head slowly. “You already know though. I’m a telepath.”

  Ven grunted at her and rubbed a hand over his eyes as if he were physically and emotionally exhausted. Maybe he was. She’d thought their friendship from her childhood had taught her so much about AIs, but he often proved how little she actually knew.

  “But Basilisk… you made a comment that he’d found you, and then he followed us to the spaceport. Why?”

  Liv inhaled slowly and let her gaze wander over the surface of the lake. What could she possibly tell him? He’d shut off his memories of her, entrapped them safely behind the Spire Archive where they could no longer harm him. Did she have the right to bring those painful memories back when she couldn’t be the link he needed? She didn’t want to lie to him anymore either, though.

  “Like you guessed, I was part of the Telepath Breeding Program on Nualla, but during the attack, I was kidnapped by Basilisk before the planet was destroyed. He tried to force me to become his link. I escaped after a couple of months, but I never wanted an AI in my mind again.”

  “Liv…” He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants and sighed. “And yet, you let me link with you though… to save everyone aboard this ship.”

  Liv lifted a shoulder as if it were no big deal, but truthfully, it had terrified her, even if the AI she’d allowed inside her mind was one she trusted. “Renee couldn’t do it alone, and your other telepaths were dead. What else was I supposed to do?”

  “You’re no ordinary telepath, Liv. I mean, I could sense it… how much power you have. And Basilisk knows this. He won’t stop.”

  “I know,” she admitted. “Which is why you should bring me somewhere. Anywhere. For your own safety.”

  Ven rolled his eyes and pulled his hands from his pockets so he could cross his arms in defiance of her suggestion. “I’m not dumping you somewhere so he can get his hands on you again. You obviously care about the wellbeing of everyone here so you have to realize how dangerous that could be for us all.”

  “But me being here is dangerous, too!” Liv exclaimed. “And you don’t even have a link-level telepath right now.”

  “Yes. Renee is dying,” Ven agreed. His voice cracked over that word—dying—but he held her gaze. “You’re the only link I have. I won’t ask you to make any permanent decisions, but if Basilisk finds us again, I will need you. But I suspect you already know that.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” Liv protested. “Before, we were in the middle of a battle…”

  “Liv, there’s a good chance we’ll make it to Teutorigos without incident. Just… be prepared for the worst.”

  “The worst,” Liv repeated. “Does everyone even know about Renee?”

  Ven exhaled slowly and collapsed onto a bench looking out over the lake. “I haven’t told the crew yet because I don’t want them to panic.”

  “Oh, Ven,” Liv breathed. She sat next to him and without thinking, put her hand over his.

  He stared at their hands before swallowing and saying her name, too, his voice thick with heartache. “Liv, about the other night in the gazebo. I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I suspected you were a Nuallan telepath, but I didn’t know what had happened to you. I’d never force you to do anything you didn’t want to—physically or mentally.”

  Liv squeezed his fingers. “Don’t apologize. I know why you thought I freaked out, but it wasn’t you. Not exactly. Or at least not for the reason you thought. It was this secret, not wanting you to know I’m telepathic. And if I slipped, which seemed so easy to do, how could you not find out? Even now, I’m terrified.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because we both know the safest thing for you to do is to bring me to Spire headquarters. And they’ll force me back into service. I know how rare link-level telepaths are and how much we’re needed, but they have no idea what it was like… the closest thing I can compare it to is being raped.”

  Ven flinched, and his grip reflexively tightened on her hand so she quickly assured him, “I haven’t been sexually assaulted. But mentally? Yeah… that’s exactly what happened to us.”

  “Us?” As soon as the words were out, realization seemed to dawn on him. “There are more survivors
than just you and Harper, aren’t there?”

  “Yes,” Liv admitted. “And Harper’s still angry at me for working on a warship. She was my best friend, and now… I’m dead to her.”

  Ven traced his thumb lightly along the back of her hand, and she held her breath. Her mind slowed while her heart accelerated, and she was certain if Bas attacked right now, she wouldn’t even notice. Part of her wanted to ask him to stop just so she could think again, but a much bigger part of her never wanted him to stop.

  “I suppose we’re both losing people we care very much about,” he sighed.

  “Harper will live, at least. When I was a child, Renee was like the loving aunt I never had. I’ll miss her. And you’ve been close for so long.”

  He tilted his head at her, and his eyes turned thoughtful. “Renee only ever visited Nualla when I went there.”

  “I know,” she said. She couldn’t even think of a halfway decent lie, not with him still holding her hand and looking at her like that, and why did he have to smell so good?

  “Liv, did you know me? Were you supposed to be my link?”

  Liv closed her eyes, defeated. Truthfully, part of her was glad he’d finally just asked. She was so tired of the lies. “Yes. My name was Hayley, and you were my best friend, Ven. I loved you and Renee so much.”

  “I’m sure she loved you too.”

  “Ven, I am so sorry.” She seemed to be saying that all the time now.

  He lifted his eyes, and for the first time, Liv noticed they were wet, as if he were struggling to keep tears contained.

  But he turned away from her and pointed to the lake. “Bradan are indigenous to Nualla. When you first mentioned them… I suspected, but couldn’t face accessing the Archive and having my hopes crushed if my theories were wrong.”

  Liv glanced at their hands again, still clasped together, and stopped biting her lip. There would be no more attempts to run away, to hide from him or her past. She understood that now. She would always return to him because she belonged to him, just as he belonged to her, and no rogue AI could break the bond that had been formed between them twenty-seven years before.