“Is this really how you want to do this, Knajyq?” Treyvon questioned quietly. “It means death for all your males.”
“You will kill us anyway,” Knajyq countered.
“No, but I will find out what you are so desperate to hide about Pontus.”
“I know nothing. I am just following orders.”
“From who?!!” Treyvon demanded. “Zaludians have no formal leader. They answer to no one but themselves for the crimes they commit.”
“You know nothing!” Knajyq spat out. “Soon we will be the most powerful race in this Empire, and you Kaliszians will be begging us for whatever scraps we deem to throw you! Now!”
With that order, Knajyq and the males to his sides dropped to the floor revealing the males behind them, blasters already aimed and firing.
Treyvon grunted when something solid struck his side, knocking him to the deck. Blaster fire filled the space where he’d just been standing, striking several Warriors that had been behind him before, they’d all taken up defensive positions.
Treyvon’s gaze went to Gulzar who was returning fire from behind the control panel he had ducked behind after knocking Treyvon down. Treyvon’s blaster had been in his hand and powered up, but he had not raised it while speaking to Knajyq and that seemed to be something that Knajyq had been anticipating. Relying on Treyvon’s sense of honor to not have it pointed at him while he negotiated.
It was not that way for the Zaludians, though, as every one of them had been aiming at Treyvon, hoping the confusion his death would cause would give them an advantage. Treyvon fired as he rolled onto his belly, but found his Warriors had already ended the threat. By the ceasing of the blaster fire behind him, it seemed the ambush Knajyq had planned was over too.
Treyvon rose to his feet, disgusted that he’d let his guard down when he’d ordered his Warriors not to. Already they were securing the area, making sure the Zaludians were dead and that their injured were treated.
“Gulzar!” He called out, and Gulzar was instantly at his side. “Take a group of six and account for every Zaludian that was supposed to be on this ship. Once that is done, I want you to scour the ship and find out what they were trying to hide.”
“Yes, General!” Gulzar gathered the number of Warriors he needed and left.
“Onp! Nroa! Get into their navigation and comm systems. Find out where this ship has been and who they’ve been communicating with!”
“Yes, General!” they instantly responded jumping into action.
Treyvon grabbed the comm from his waist and spit out, “Gryf!”
“General.”
“The Zaludians tried to kill us all. Be alert.”
“Understood.”
• • • • • •
It seemed the Zaludians on the smaller ship weren’t as ready to meet Daco as Knajyq and his crew had been. While a few had fought and died, the rest had laid down their weapons and begged for mercy. It disgusted Gryf. These males had no honor and quickly turned on one another hoping for leniency. The only being they hadn’t found was the Ganglian that sensors showed was on the ship.
“Rood!” he spit out.
“Yes, Commander?” Rood was instantly at his side.
“Go to the bridge and get the information the General wants. I’m going to find this Daco-loving Ganglian!”
“Yes, Commander.”
• • • • • •
“Onp. Nroa. What have you found?” Treyvon demanded.
“General, all navigational history except for the last three days has been erased. All it shows is the Vlokelm hiding behind Pontus’s moon and their path here.” Onp told him.
“Daco! Nroa?”
“There is even less left of the comms, General. Only ship-to-ship transmissions while inside the asteroid belt.”
“General,” Gulzar’s voice came over Treyvon’s comm.
“What is it, Gulzar?”
“Sir, there’s something in the cargo hold that I think you are going to want to see.”
“On my way.” Treyvon turned to Onp and Nroa. “Send what you’ve been able to find to the Defender. We’ll analyze it further there.” That said, he walked away.
Treyvon’s mind was still trying to figure out what the Zaludians could be up to as he worked his way down to the cargo hold. None of this made sense. The Zaludians were scavengers with no real hierarchy of leadership. Oh, they would congregate on a planet for a while, but when they had worn out their welcome or had no longer had anything of value to offer, they would be off again.
Currently, he believed they were on… Imroz. The planet where Rachana’s manno was Minister. And Rachana was on Pontus. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Reaching the cargo hold, he discovered Gulzar pulling strange items out of a container. “What have you discovered, Gulzar?”
“This, General.” Gulzar spun around to show Treyvon the brown misshapen lumps he held.
“What are they?” Treyvon asked frowning.
“I believe they are tatws, sir.”
“Tatws?” Treyvon’s frown deepened. “They don’t look like any tatws I’ve ever seen.”
“I know, General, but that is because I believe these tatws are from Earth!” Gulzar couldn’t contain his excitement.
“Earth?!!” Treyvon stepped closer. “What in the name of the Goddess makes you think these are from Earth?”
“Jen described them once when Ashe Mackenzie questioned her about ours. Jen said ours were similar to theirs, but that most are white inside while ours are purple.”
Treyvon pulled out one of the blades strapped to his arm and taking a brown lump from Gulzar cut into it. It was white.
“Jen would know for sure, sir, but while everything in these containers seems to be edible, I can’t identify a single thing.”
Treyvon’s gaze moved over the dozens of containers that were secured in the hold. If Gulzar was right, then the Zaludians had somehow found a new food source. Whether it was because they were trading for it with the Ganglians or because they had been to Earth themselves.
It would explain why their navigational history had been wiped, and why so many were willing to die to keep the secret. There were those that would give a great deal if the Zaludians were able to deliver a steady stream of food supplies. It would shift the balance of power, just as Knajyq had suggested, for whoever controlled the food supply could rule the Empire.
“Seal these up, Gulzar, and say nothing about this until Jennifer can confirm they are from Earth.”
Jennifer… Treyvon had been hard pressed to keep his thoughts from going to her before, wondering how she was faring and knowing he had no right to inquire. But now, concern for her filled his mind.
How was she?
Was Luol able to heal her?
Was she even alive?!!
His heart pounded at the thought of losing her before he’d ever even had her. No! She had to be alive, Luol or Nikhil would have contacted him if she had gone to meet the Goddess. He had to believe that, or he knew something inside him would die. Unknowingly he reached up, rolling his Ashe and True Mate beads between his fingers.
Gulzar’s, “Yes, General!” had him quickly realizing what he was doing and he dropped his hand.
“Once that is done, seal the door to this room, and report back to the transport.” Treyvon slipped one of the brown lumps into a pocket.
“Yes, General.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Rachana made a harrumphing sound loud enough for all to hear as she jabbed at what she’d been given for Last Meal. A food packet! For her? A Minister’s daughter? She knew there were fresh food stores here… somewhere. But no one here seemed to be willing to prepare them.
How was that possible? Better yet, why wouldn’t Liron allow her to return to the Monarch? At least there she knew she would be receiving a decent Last Meal. One befitting her position. Still, she ate what was provided and once she’d eaten every speck, rose leaving the remnants of the meal behind.
Parla
n watched her leave and after a few moments rose and followed.
“Rachana,” he hissed, catching up and pulling her into a darkened corridor.
“Take your hands off…” she trailed off realizing who it was. “Parlan.”
“What the fuck is going on, Rachana?!!” he demanded.
“How am I supposed to know?” she fired back.
“You’re the one with the connection to the Zaludians. The one that’s been relaying the information I’ve been giving you. How can you not know?!!”
“Shhh!” Rachana hissed, looking around wildly. “Someone might hear you!”
“There’s no one here to hear me! I shouldn’t even be here! I should be out defending the Emperor against this unprovoked attack, gaining more beads and status as a result! That’s what was promised to me, by you, for my assistance. Instead, I’m stuck here walking a wall!”
“You are walking a wall because of your own actions. That has nothing to do with me. If you couldn't find a way to get onto one of those transports, then maybe you are not the Warrior you think you are!”
“Don’t test me,” Parlan growled. Encircling her throat with one of his hands, he squeezed. “You wouldn’t like the results.”
Rachana’s eyes widened in shock. Never in a million cycles would she have thought Parlan would dare threaten her. No one threatened her. But she could see the truth in his glowing eyes. He would hurt her, and he’d enjoy doing it.
“I wasn’t testing you,” she got out when he finally relaxed his grip but didn’t remove it completely.
“Why are the Zaludians trying to kill the Earth female?” he demanded.
“I don’t know! Truth!" she quickly said as she felt his fingers start to tighten again. "All I was told was that they wanted me to stay close to Liron so I could gather more information for them.”
“As if either Liron or Treyvon would speak of anything important in front of you.”
“You have no idea what I can get a male to tell me,” she said slyly.
“When giving them your friendship, maybe, but you'll never get either of those two to accept yours.”
“Treyvon already has!” she exclaimed angrily.
“Not since before we left to fight the Ratak. It’s well known that he refuses your advances. Now I, on the other hand, would welcome your friendship and you will give it to me freely.”
“Freely! Has walking the wall caused you to lose your mind? Why would I give it to you freely when others compensate me so well for it?”
“Because if you don’t, I will go to the Emperor and tell him how you and your manno are working with the Zaludians. Not only to disrupt the food supply, but also to take over the throne.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” But she paled even as she argued with him. “You would have to implicate yourself.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I would only have to say I have my suspicions. No proof. Because of conversations we have had and what occurred after. He will make of it what he will and trust me. He will investigate and find out everything. Specifically, where you got the Earth female’s jewels.”
“Alright!” Rachana hissed. “As soon as you return to Imroz…”
“No, now!”
“Now?”
“Do you know how long I have been without female friendship?” His hand that had been around her throat moved punishingly to her arm and dragged her down the corridor. “There is a storage room just down the way….”
• • • • • •
“You have that much confidence in Gulzar’s opinion?” Liron asked, sitting back in Treyvon’s chair in his private office.
“Yes, all I need is for Jennifer to verify he is correct.” Treyvon held up the brown lump so Liron could see it on the comm.
“That will be hard for her to do,” Liron said quietly.
“What do you mean?” Treyvon felt his heart stutter.
“She is still in the deep repair unit and has yet to wake.”
“She is still in the unit?!!” Treyvon couldn't hide his shock.
“It has done all it can, but Luol refuses to remove her from it, especially as no one else is in need of it.”
“And she hasn’t awakened?”
“No, and while frustrated, Luol does not seem overly concerned. It seems it took her a long time to wake the last time she was injured.”
“Nearly a moon cycle,” Treyvon whispered remembering how he would visit her every night when sleep wouldn’t claim him.
“Yes, so we’ll have to wait until she wakes unless Nikhil’s Ashe could verify it.”
“I’m sure Mackenzie could.”
“Good, now what else do you have for me?”
Treyvon went on to tell him how the Zaludians had deleted their navigational and comm history just like the Ganglians. What Knajyq had said, and that he was waiting to hear back on whether Gryf had found the Ganglian on the second ship.
“You will be bringing both ships back to Pontus?”
“If possible, that is my plan. Both were damaged before going into the asteroid belt, but are worse now. We may need to tow them.”
“I’ll trust your judgment on this. Do whatever is necessary, then get back here. I want some answers.”
“Yes, Majesty.”
• • • • • •
Treyvon knew there were other things he should be doing. Other things he should see to, but he found his fingers entering Luol’s code.
“I've been wondering when you were going to contact me,” Luol said in the way of a greeting.
“How is she?” he asked instead of answering.
"She is doing well, Treyvon. I'd be happier if she were awake, but with the severity of her injuries, I'll take what I can get."
"Why is she not awake, Luol?"
"I don't know. Just as I don't know why she took so long to wake after the first attack. It could have something to do with what the repair unit induces into her system. Maybe her body doesn't metabolize it the same way ours does."
"But wouldn't Mackenzie have reacted the same way?" Treyvon demanded.
"Not necessarily. You know everyone reacts differently to the unit. That said, for Jen, this attack turned out to be a blessing from the Goddess."
"Blessing?!!" Treyvon didn't try to hide his disbelief or his anger. "She was nearly completely broken!"
"Yes, and because of that, I was able to repair what I couldn't before."
Luol's quietly spoken words cut through Treyvon's rage and had him looking at Luol in shock.
"Explain," Treyvon whispered.
"You spoke truth. Nearly every bone in Jennifer's body was either broken or fractured, including her damaged ankle. Because of that," Luol spoke quickly knowing Treyvon wanted to interrupt, "the deep repair unit was able to repair it when it couldn't before."
"You are saying…"
"That she will now be pain-free." Luol's voice dropped. "As well as scar-free."
"You repaired her scars…"
"It was not my intention. I understand why she refused to allow me to heal her before." Trevon could hear the guilt in Luol's voice. "I was so focused on making sure her ankle was properly healed that I didn't realize the unit had begun repairing the non-life-threatening injuries. By the time I did, her face was nearly completely healed, and I made the decision to let it finish."
"Both sides…"
"Yes. And while I knew Jennifer was beautiful, even with her scars, I had no idea she would rival the Goddess."
"I knew," Treyvon whispered and disconnected his comm.
• • • • • •
"You do not look anything like me."
Jen recognized the melodic voice from somewhere. It had her jackknifing up. "What?"
"I said you do not look anything like me."
Her gaze flew around the white room she found herself in until she found where the voice was coming from. It belonged to the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She was tall. Taller than Jen, with long, dark hair that seemed to move on its o
wn and change colors in the light.
"You're the Goddess," Jen said frowning.
"Yes."
"Why would you think we look alike?" Jen asked.
"Someone mentioned it, and I thought I should see if it were true."
"They were wrong." Jen found herself standing up. "You are amazingly beautiful and I… I am not."
"There are those that think differently."
"They would be wrong."
"What do you believe makes someone beautiful, Jennifer Teel-Neibaur?" the Goddess asked raising one eyebrow. "Who they are on the inside or how they appear on the outside?"
"What do you mean?"
"There are those that are looked down upon, even shunned, who are some of my most worthy. Then there are those that hide their 'ugliness' behind a beautiful face and smile. Which are you, Jennifer Teel-Neibaur?"
"I guess I would say I am more the second," Jen admitted quietly.
"And why would you say that?" the Goddess questioned softly, tipping her head to the side slightly. "Did you abandon your younger sister at the death of your parents?"
"Of course not!" she denied hotly then her voice lost its heat. "But that doesn't mean the thought never crossed my mind."
"Did you leave your Dasho when you discovered he had told you untruths? Many untruths."
"No, but I felt betrayed."
"So was it because of that betrayal that when your Dasho was attacked, you chose to do nothing?"
"You know that isn't true!"
"I do," the Goddess admitted, "but do you? One’s thoughts and feelings, while they may shape a person, it is their actions that define them. You judge yourself too harshly, Jennifer."
"Shouldn't I? Didn't you judge Aadi just as harshly?"
"I judged Aadi on his actions! He looked away when he could have stopped it! You did not!"
"Because he was my husband!" Jen fired back. "Would I have done the same if it had been anyone else?" Undeniable pain filled her question. "I don't know. What does that say about me? How does that make me any different than Aadi?!!"