The look he turned on his teammate was bleak. “And I want her back.”
“I understand the need to avenge, but why is she like this?” he asked, genuinely curious, and in Dreth fashion, he had no qualms about digging at the truth until he understood it.
Lars took a deep breath but paused for a moment. “I guess it’s simple, really. They hurt her friend. She looked at his battered face and saw his pain—all his pain, not only the physical—and she cares more deeply than any being I have ever met.”
Avery walked up, rubbing his freshly shaven head, and handed each of them a bottle of water from the fridge as they had cleared everything out in the palace quarters. “You’ve only really seen her when she is Stephanie and focused on something she can deal with. Now, we have Morgana.”
“Yes, but...” Vishlog paused, caught the looks on their faces, and hoped he didn’t sound disrespectful. It took effort to finish the question. “Will she be ready?”
He was asking if she would be ready for the operation and was relieved when they understood. When they chuckled, however, he was a little disturbed. Their smiles were tight and warlike.
“Oh, yes,” Lars replied. “She will be ready, and we must be ready when she calls.”
In the tiny cabin she shared with the cats, Stephanie looked in the mirror. The face that looked back at her was blank and frozen. All emotion had left long before she’d started putting on her battle gear.
She’d gone over the information the Navy had sent and then she’d gone over the information she’d had Frog pull from their systems. The revolutionaries who had demolished Todd’s team had no idea of the hell that was on the way to them.
These thoughts ran through her mind as she stood in front of the mirror, braided her hair to one side, and roped a tie around the end of it. This braid was tighter than the ones she’d worn in the past.
To her, it was a symbol, a tightening of her soul as she took hold of the reality of life and stepped into her place in the vast heavens. She was taking her place as a protector.
Her magic could no longer be fun and games, no longer a way to get through a battle by the skin of her teeth. She had to realize her own power and understand how to wield it.
She stooped and wiped her hand across the toe of her boot, then straightened and walked resolutely to the door. When she opened it, her cats leapt from the bed and followed her out, one on either side.
In the adjoining section, the guys stopped and stared. They all noticed immediately that the girl they’d been hired to protect now carried herself like a leader—one they’d follow into the depths of hell if need be.
She stalked through the common room they shared on the station, dressed in combat pants and shirt, the dark-grey and blue cam pattern designed more for ship or urban warfare than anything planetside.
On the left side of the shirt over her heart was a patch that displayed a sigil consisting of a flower over thorns, stitched in purple and gold. The talons of a bird of prey curled beneath it. It was the only trace of brightness on the dark cloth.
Her boots matched the uniform, made more for kicking ass and taking names than a night out on the town. The only thing that looked less than functional was the cape. It hung to her waist and cloaked her shoulders in dark grey-blue wool. Lars frowned, his gaze intrigued by the way it hung. As he studied it, he realized it was more functional than it looked.
He wondered exactly how many weapons she’d concealed in its lining—and how she’d sourced them without asking him. It was something he decided to talk to her about. Later.
Much later, he decided as she swept past him. Bumblebee and Zeekat matched her stride for stride.
“Let’s go,” she commanded, her voice somewhat distant but very mature. “It is time to reveal what I am.”
Uh oh. The team leader swallowed and quick-stepped to walk slightly to her left and behind her. Marcus mirrored him on the right, and the others fell in behind them. Vishlog brought up the rear. She didn’t stop but continued to the door.
Stephanie slowed long enough to step out into the station corridor and the cats moved with her, remaining flawlessly at her side. “It’s time to reveal Morgana to the universe.”
They all stood a little straighter, proud to walk with her, even if they only had a vague idea where she was headed. She didn’t look back as the Dreth closed the door behind them and took three huge strides to catch up.
It was as though she expected them to keep up with her or had complete faith that they were with her every step of the way. Either way, she needn’t have worried. There was no way any of them would let her do this alone.
None of them wanted to see Morgana unleashed on the universe, but more importantly, they all wanted their Stephanie back and intended to be there when she returned. Even if that meant fighting at Morgana’s side.
Lars observed her from the corner of his eye but also scanned the corridor ahead as they progressed. While Morgana was deadly, she was still Stephanie and he was tasked with her protection. He glanced at her again and corrected himself.
She was no longer the girl they’d first met on Earth but a grown-up version. A woman of stature and strength, one who would become a pillar of safety for all living beings.
Without hesitation, she led them to the hangar bay where the shuttle was being prepped to take them to the operation and punched in an access code she shouldn’t have had. He might have wondered where she got it from, but she tossed Frog a solemn nod of thanks before she swept through.
They stepped out with her, glad they’d been able to source matching uniforms and had found the time to sew the sigil to their chests. Apart from the Federation’s president, they were the only humans in the universe to be citizens of every world.
And they were definitely the only humans or Dreth to serve the Federation witch. They wore her uniform with pride, glad to serve at her side.
The doors opened to the hanger bay where the back door to the shuttle stood open. All movement ceased, and there was a gasp from the personnel working around it.
The gasp was followed by complete silence and Stephanie walked forward at the head of her team, the rest spread behind and beside her. The two cats flanked her and ignored the stunned attention of the sailors around them.
While they had expected her, she was early, and she’d let herself into the hangar. They’d planned to wait for her and not let her into the hangar until they were ready. Instead, there she was, striding toward them, regal and deadly.
They stepped aside and gaped as she led her team into the shuttle before she appeared at the front entry hatch.
The crewmen hastened to finish loading, then cleared the launch bay, moved back into the observation chamber, and sealed the door to the bay.
When the hangar was clear, she clicked the com connected to the viewing room.
“We have it from here,” she told them and used magic to shut and latch the ramp behind them.
She took the front right seat, Lars beside her” “You’re up, Johnny.”
The team leader moved over and let Johnny slide into the pilot’s seat. He buckled in as the hangar bay doors opened and his teammate eased the shuttle out into the dark
Once they’d left the station behind, Lars looked at her. “Are you ready?”
She was silent for a moment before she returned his gaze. “More ready than ever before.”
The trip was long but not as long as it had taken Todd and his team to get there originally. Instead of being dropped off several orbits out, they flew to a rendezvous point and the shuttle was taken aboard a Naval frigate.
The station had been too far out of its flight path for a deviation, but it was able to collect them on the way if they could reach it on time. Johnny flew hard and made it with a half-hour to spare. The captain hadn’t been impressed at having to slow to collect them, but they’d made it so he’d had no choice.
He refused to slow when they reached the drop point, and Johnny launched while the frigate was
under power. It had required a precise exit trajectory, but he had matched it without breaking a sweat.
“Piece of cake,” he said with a grin that had more to do with adrenaline than high spirits. “Let’s go kick some rebel ass.”
The colony was rough and ready and had no protection to speak of. There were no enemy fighters to sneak past, no anti-aircraft batteries, and no early warning system.
Its inhabitants rebelled against the Federation’s authority, but they weren’t an army in their own right. It was only them, and Stephanie wanted them to know she meant business.
“Don’t land on the outskirts,” she said as they descended toward the outpost. “I want you to land smack dab in the middle of the colony. I want them to see me, not simply hear a rumor.”
Lars grinned and Johnny had a childlike smirk on his face as he nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Right in the middle, it is.”
He flew low over the outpost, the landing flaps down and engines howling in the dirtiest fly-over he could manage without stalling and plummeting from the sky. When he reached the open center of the settlement, he whipped the shuttle around so FEDERATION NAVY displayed clearly in large black letters down its dark gray sides.
A large open area sprawled around a satellite dish, and he set the shuttle down slowly beside it—giving people time to get out from under it—and pointed the exhaust at a blank section of wall. People scrambled frantically but no one was hurt.
The entire population stopped. Not a single colonist moved as the hulking gray beast settled to the hard-packed earth in the middle of their town. Some pointed at the Navy markings emblazoned down each side, while others saw them and spat to show their disdain.
Several snarled insults in their direction. but one, a man with three gold teeth in the front, growled as he stopped in clear view of the shuttle’s cockpit.
He spat at the base of the shuttle and tilted his head back to utter a wheezing laugh. Several more inhabitants came to stand beside him, and Stephanie recognized some of them.
She’d seen their faces on the recordings transmitted by the body cameras worn by Todd’s team. They’d been involved in the most recent fight with the Federation Navy. The shuttle’s external pick up carried their voices to her when a tall skinny man with thinning hair, blackened teeth, and a long, oversized trench coat hurried up to the first colonist. “It looks like we’ll have a second chance to kick the Navy’s ass.”
The first man laughed. “They always send a second squad. You can start counting your lucky stars when they send a third in for revenge.” He made a provocative gesture toward the cockpit.
His companion sneered up at the ship. “Or an ass-kicking,” he added and studied the dark-gray shuttle. “This time, no one gets away.”
Their faces sobered as they stared at the ship, still in prime position although more colonists had gathered around the edge of the town center.
The shuttle’s engines shut down slowly and the men raised their weapons when the lights along its sides and around the rear hatch blinked. The resounding click as the hatch unlocked drew their attention and they moved to position themselves for a better line of fire.
“Do you think they’re ready for this?” the second man asked and nudged his comrade as he raised the blunt muzzle of his Tempkin’s Howler.
The revolutionary shook his head and drew his blaster. “They’re never ready.” He spat again, his gaze fixed on the rear hatch as it descended slowly. It shuddered as it hit the ground before the inner doors slid open.
There was utter silence as they parted. No one moved as they waited for the first of the Navy operatives to emerge. What they got was entirely unexpected.
Twin roars shook the air and reverberated around the town center. The colonists took a step back and some lowered their weapons in surprise. They raised them again quickly enough when Bumblebee and Zeekat emerged.
The two cats surveyed the waiting humans and roared again, then moved to stand on either side of the exit ramp. They stopped and some of the colonists relaxed. Others snapped their rifles to their shoulders when they glimpsed movement from inside the shuttle.
Not one of them fired as two figures emerged, one human and one Dreth. Both left the shelter of the shuttle to stand beside the animals. Neither were in Naval uniform, even though they wore military-styled cams.
The colonists stared and noted that they carried their weapons at the ready. Several of them raised their rifles again to cover the pair, but they allowed their muzzles to dip when they caught sight of what followed next.
The woman was stunning with her silver hair and her dark gray-blue uniform. She carried no rifle, but that wasn’t what made them stare. What caught and held their attention was the electricity that arced around her like scarlet lightning.
She raised pitch-black eyes and surveyed the waiting crowd. When she spoke, she didn’t shout, but her voice carried to the buildings and echoed down the streets beyond. “This colony has made a mistake,” she announced, and her clear, calm tones rolled over them.
Stephanie turned her head from side to side and slowly scanned the crowd. She wasn’t sure if it was the mood or her intuition, but she identified several people among them who were not worthy of her grace.
The sound of boots on the plating behind her told her the rest of the team had stepped into view. She touched on the magic she knew was hers. It was there, a steady stream of gMU that swirled beneath the bubbling and bitter anger filling her chest.
She took a moment to control her outrage before she continued. “There is a war coming, and some have already sided with the enemy. That labels them traitors to the three worlds of the Federation. They will come with me, or they and anyone who tries to stop me will die.”
Her words triggered movement in the crowd and several men who’d stood farther back wound their way through their fellow citizens. She watched them come and Lars tutted quietly under his breath.
“Dumb asses.”
Over the team comms, he heard Frog mutter, “Close the hatch, Johnny. That’s a grenade launcher.”
His teammate wasn’t impressed. “You need to get your asses out of it, first.”
“Hold fast,” Lars ordered and kept his voice low. “Morgana’s only getting started.”
They complied and raised their weapons slightly. Each chose one of the men who pushed to stand at the front of the crowd. Lars kept his weapon muzzle low and peered over it to observe the crowd.
The man with the grenade launcher raised it, and the team leader readied his weapon and sighted on the man’s head since the compact, big-barreled weapon the rebel aimed obscured his chest.
“I’ve got him, boss,” Marcus told him. He probably had a better angle from the elevation of the ramp.
Lars let his rifle drop to the ready position and scanned the others. Most carried machine guns, but there were at least another two grenade launchers. If any of them fired, the team was in serious trouble. He glanced at Stephanie Morgana as the first man with the launcher spoke.
“You and what other Navy?” He snugged the launcher against his chest and pointed at them with one hand. “You ain’t brought enough.”
Vishlog snarled and the sound echoed over the comms.
“Easy, Vish,” the team leader told him. “These people will learn soon enough that Morgana is not the one to be crossed.”
“And Vishlog will crush their tiny bones in his hands,” the Dreth rumbled.
The man raised an eyebrow but remained focused on the crowd. “Remind me not to shake your hand later.”
As the warrior subsided, Lars glanced at Stephanie. One of them had to make their move soon. The red lightning flared around her, but her face was thoughtful, and judging by the look on her face, those thoughts weren’t comforting.
“Get ready,” he warned the team. “Our job is to only make sure no one surprises her. Don’t get in her way.”
She didn’t look at him, but she did focus on the man who challenged her. His taunt had reminded he
r of something Todd had said way back when they used to walk to school together.
Way back when she hadn’t been the Morgana the universe needed. He’d taken her lunch box and she’d threatened to kick his ass if he didn’t give it back. He’d laughed at her. “You and whose army?”
She’d been furious while he held the box over his head and out of her reach. “You’re not tall enough.” He’d laughed and resisted all her attempts to bring his hand down within reach by dragging on his arm. In the end, she’d resorted to tickling, and he’d called her a cheat.
But only because she’d won and he’d been curled up on the sidewalk, almost crying with laughter as she tickled him helpless. Helpless...
Her mind slid sideways to Todd in hospital and his throat working as he fought to stop the tears. She’d seen them shimmer in his eyes as he’d told her what had happened—shimmering because he didn’t want her to see them fall.
He hadn’t been able to stop them trickling down his cheeks as he’d slept, though, and she’d watched them soak the pillow beneath his head before she’d left quietly to prepare for this operation.
Todd represented one of the key reasons why she had embraced her new life as a protector. She was determined that she would no longer allow her friends to face what he and others like him had faced.
It was time someone drew the line and said, “enough”—and that time was now. She raised her head and her eyes turned pitch-black.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
The colony seemed to hold a collective breath in the moment before it began. Stephanie raced down the ramp, her hands out, and exploded energy at those who wielded the heavy weapons. She unerringly targeted those who would attack her and her people.
As she stepped into the open, magic flared around her and formed a solid shield. She moved so fast, the team was almost left behind. Groans and shrieks erupted as the magic found its targets and felled all those who raised a weapon against her. Those who ran, or hit the ground, or relinquished their weapons and hid were left alone.
Witch Of The Federation (Federal Histories Book 2) Page 63
