Sounds Of The Hunt (Far From Home Book 3), page 20
“You don’t mean…” Aidrik couldn’t imagine the High Consular wanted Nitha. He barely remembered the girl. And that ignored the fact he went on and on about how he kept himself free of emotional connections to be available for his people. Marrying Nitha seems rather sudden. And terrifying.
“To me, yes.” Norbin nodded. “I saw the look on your face when we discussed marriage. It made me realize I may have made a mistake. Perhaps I should’ve attached myself to a woman. I can show the Olarin people I’m more like them than they realized. A mythos has formed around me, you know.”
I do know, Aidrik thought. One that makes you both terrifying and unapproachable. He had no idea how many other ministers sat at a table with Norbin alone. Probably not many. When they did, they were likely just as disturbed as he felt in the man’s presence. Probably worse depending on their department.
“But Nitha?” Aidrik asked.
“You think it a bad match?” Norbin set his utensil down. “You do not approve of me as a son-in-law?”
“It’s not that, sir,” Aidrik spoke quickly, “but rather… it’s just… well, I mean with her past… I don’t think it would be a good idea to risk your reputation…”
“Oh, my reputation can take a few blows,” Norbin said, “don’t worry about that. And I believe it will elevate your family. This is what I bring to the marriage. Nitha will be exonerated for any crimes she may have committed. Reilin’s marriage to Kayra will elevate him to Prefect within three weeks of the marriage. You will be minister for life.”
That’s… generous to say. But it can’t be true. There’s no way he can honor such a thing. If any of us makes a mistake, he’ll take away these things away. And Nitha’s stubbornness will not appeal to him. Aidrik got the sense Norbin might be an abusive spouse anyway. The kind that beat someone close to him for no other reason than it seemed proper.
“May I be honest?” Aidrik knew he had to tread carefully. He had questions he couldn’t let go. “Leaving our positions aside?”
“Of course,” Norbin said. The tone suggested he might not want the conversation to continue.
Too bad. This is my child. Just because he doesn’t understand the concept of family doesn’t mean other people will let him get away with… whatever this is without a chat.
“Why?” Aidrik shrugged. “You barely remember her. You can’t possibly have any feelings about her one way or another. So why would you want to marry her? Particularly since neither of us can know for a fact she’ll even accept the offer.”
“I thought we made it clear,” Norbin said, “this is her chance to be redeemed for her actions. Socially and otherwise. I looked her up. Saw her image. She’s a handsome enough girl. And I believe this union will draw me closer to one of the more important minister positions. Whether she agrees or not will be of little consequence.”
“Marriages against the will aren’t exactly popular.”
“Neither is running around with rebels,” Norbin replied, “but we’re making an exception for her. I believe she will do the same for us. I am taking all the risk here. It will be one of the most lopsided deals I’ve ever made. Anyway, from everything I’ve seen and read, she’s a smart girl and will know this is the best way to preserve her name.”
An underlying threat lived in those final words. Nitha wouldn’t only be saving herself. Aidrik felt it, but that drove it home. This was the redemption of the family after his issue with the Guild. Norbin made it seem positive. He played games. But ultimately, none of the Bazh family had a choice regarding their futures.
“You’re very generous, sir.” Aidrik bowed his head. What do I say? How do I tell him no? I can’t. He’s pretending I have a choice here. I do not. I’m basically at his mercy. He can literally do anything. Whether or not I say no comes down to how I’d like to be treated the rest of my life. A minister or an exile.
“So you give your consent?”
“Sir,” Aidrik leaned forward, “we are counting on things before they happen. We don’t exactly know where Nitha is yet. Nor do we have any way of recovering her. Reilin will be brought back soon enough, but my other daughter… we’re aware that she’s alive and nothing more.”
“Oh, I’ll find her.” Norbin downed his drink in one go. As he set the glass down, he smiled. “Believe me. When I make up my mind that I want something, it happens. Quickly. Remember, I’ve got eyes and ears all over the Empire. I’ll put them to use to bring her home. I’m quite taken with this idea.”
That makes one of us.
“You know,” Norbin continued, “when we’re joined, we may be able to make something happen with the Guild as well. Perhaps Reilin will come back with a little insight. Imagine combining our forces, turning this into a single nation, taking away the neutrality of the Guild… that’s what I hope to achieve in my lifetime.”
“Very ambitious, sir.”
“I know,” Norbin replied, “but first… we win some people over. And enjoy the next part of this meal!” He clapped his hands. “You’re going to love this next part. We can toast to my engagement with Nitha. I do hope she understands it’s what’s best for her… oh, what am I saying? She’ll be thrilled to attach herself to the High Consular.”
Don’t be so sure. Aidrik lifted his glass nevertheless. Nitha will be about as thrilled over this as she was me pushing her toward the military. It’s what ultimately pushed her to run away. When she faced something she did not want to do, she left. I can’t imagine she’d stick around here when she hears what Norbin’s got planned.
As their glasses touched, Aidrik dreaded the future.
Chapter 15
Kayra joined the others on the bridge on the verge of their arrival in the Egintal system. He had a few ideas of what to do about the Sentinel when they arrived. Their weapons and defenses had been altered to fight their enemies with hardened shields. It required some discipline with how they maneuvered, but otherwise, they were prepared for a real fight.
The Sentinel couldn’t take them down quite as quickly as it had before. That much gave him hope, though his real plan involved luring them away to a battlefield of his choosing. How he’d get them there… that was the trick. One he thought he’d worked out over the last hour as they traveled.
If they take the bait, then we’ll be one step closer to resolving our embarrassment. If Kayra reported in on each phase of their mission, he may have been pulled from the action. Likely with a reprimand. Continuing on meant the potential of stacking some successes in his corner so that the overall evaluation would come back positive.
That way he’d look resourceful instead of inept. Hendo particularly appreciated his officers to show initiative, to take care of their own problems wherever possible. Kayra planned on returning home to praise rather than scorn or criticism. His peers might second guess some of his actions, but by and large, he’d be considered a hero.
If they can get past the fact we were tricked into losing the Sentinel in the first place. That would be the hardest part to get over. Though he knew for a fact none of his peers had it in them to do better. This beast that came up with this ploy deserves some praise. Its cunning beat us.
But it was only a small part of the conflict. The next time they faced each other far from Egintal, things would be different.
“Prepare a course,” Kayra said, “and a message to be sent back to base. I want it on a sparsely coded channel. Something our friends on the Sentinel will be able to break with relative ease.” He figured they’d receive it. Anyone clever enough to steal the ship had to be paranoid enough to monitor comms in the system.
“It’s ready,” Vihda said, “you can record it whenever you’re ready.”
“I have.” Kayra sent him the message. “I’ll tell you when to transmit.” He turned to Hazh. “I suspect we may be in conflict the moment we arrive. Prepare yourself for it. Weapons and shields to maximum.”
“Against the Sentinel?” Hazh asked.
“Or the Guild,” Kayra replied, “we don’t need to win the fight. We need to survive long enough to get their attention. If they’re not there, then we can conduct an investigation. See if we can gather more intel about where they went next.” But I think we’ll find them in orbit. They thought they delayed their location. They’re confident in their practices.
“Dropping out of warp in less than three minutes,” Hazh announced. “Weapons are queued for priority power.” He turned to Kayra. “When this is over, sir… I’d like a moment of your time in private. If that will be convenient.”
“During the next warp protocol,” Kayra said, “we can have a conversation. I’d like to do the same. We have a few things to work out together.” Something about loyalty and having faith in each other. They knew each other well enough to be open and honest. At least he believed so. The fact Vihda brought it up first started a rift that needed to be closed.
If we want to get through this alive and with our reputations intact.
“If I may speak freely in the company of Vihda,” Hazh said, “then I’d like to point out I’m somewhat concerned about Zella. I’m not overly—”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Kayra interrupted. “When we’re not about to hop into an unknown situation with potential enemies. I’ll need you focused if we have to face the Sentinel again.”
“Yes, sir.” Hazh turned back to his station, but he did little to hide his irritation.
I can’t believe he thought now was the time. Maybe he thought I’d relent quickly since we’re on the verge of distraction. Kayra thought he was better acquainted with his friend, that they knew each other’s habits and limits. I’ll establish them again. We’ll come to terms with one another. Or he’ll be transferred out.
The thought made his heart sink. He didn’t want to get rid of Hazh. Not after all they’d been through together. Kayra long believed he’d have the opportunity to bring the two men up with him, to promote them behind him as he rose with his union to Reilin. If they didn’t trust him, he worried about what that might mean for command structure later.
“Dropping out of warp protocol,” Hazh announced, “now.”
The ship trembled, deck vibrating for a brief moment as they slowed.
Vihda called out, “Weapon systems and defenses are already online. The recalibration has worked. We’re ready. Scanning the system now.”
Are you here? Kayra leaned forward, waiting for the screen to go live. As it flickered on, he narrowed his eyes at a white streak off to the right. “What is that?” He pointed. “Hazh? Thoughts?”
“Some kind of starship,” Hazh replied, “moving fast and coming this way. Tactical is online. I’m getting a reading on them right now.”
“Thank you.” Kayra sat back to engage the rest of his safety harness.
“I’ve got it,” Vihda said. “We’d call it a destroyer class ship. Decent weapons. Hardened shields. There’s a reactor leak inside, but it hasn’t limited their offensive capabilities. They are powered up for violence.” He paused. “Their warp drive seems to be offline. Considering what they’re running from, I’m not surprised.”
“Time to us?” Kayra asked.
Hazh replied, “They’re at medium range and closing. Weapons are powering up.”
They don’t seriously mean to attack us? Kayra frowned. “Hail them, Vihda. Find out—”
“They’re opening fire,” Hazh interrupted.
“Return fire,” Kayra said, “hit them with everything we’ve got.”
Maneuvering thrusters fired, tilting their nose toward the incoming ship. Lights flickered over the front of the vessel as beams danced away from them. They scored a direct hit, but the tactical showed their shield adjustments paid off. They went down by one percent from the blast.
“Firing,” Hazh announced. Their cannons let fly, empowered by their adjustments. The hardened shields of the enemy burst instantly upon contact. That one assault brought them down to thirty percent. “Unleashing turrets… firing secondary cannons a second time during recharge.”
The enemy ship climbed, firing at them again. It seemed they realized they could not impact the Olarin vessel as much as they thought. Fleeing wasn’t an option though. They already came too close. Hazh got them back in their sights and blasted them a second time. The barrage tore through their flank.
Shields went down completely. Armor turned to slag. More systems went critical aboard. The reactor was on the verge of detonation. Tactical showed they had less than thirty seconds before the entire vessel exploded.
“They’ve shut down all power,” Vihda announced. “I don’t think it’ll be enough. They’re going to blow.”
Kayra shook his head. “Get me information before they do. Who are they? What’s going on here?”
Vihda replied, “Registration is… blank. Systems appear to be military grade, particularly those shields. Signature… aha! There we go. They’ve got a secure connection to the satellites in the area. Guild codes.” He turned in his seat. “Sir, that ship belongs to one of the Guilds. I’d stake my life on it.”
“What?” Kayra frowned. “How? They don’t have ships like that.”
“They do now,” Hazh muttered. “Out here though? What were they doing?”
The ship detonated as they spoke, a small white oval that quickly darkened.
Kayra said, “We’ll worry about that later. System scan. What else is out there?”
“Sentinel,” Vihda said, “in orbit around the planet. Some kind of conflict has raged down there as well. I’m reading a lot of interference, probably from heavy weapons. Furthermore, I’ve got debris from a second ship like the one we just blew up. They must’ve had more than one.”
“Send the message,” Kayra ordered, “get it out on the channel like I told you.”
“Yes, sir.” Vihda complied.
“What’s that all about?” Hazh asked. “If I may ask?”
“I’ll explain when we have our private conversation,” Kayra said, “right now, get us to that planet. How long to arrive at best possible speed?”
“One hour, thirty minutes,” Hazh replied. “And that’s pushing it.”
“Do what you can to get us there as quickly as possible.” Kayra pointed at Vihda. “Amend the message that we are going to check on the Egintal system to ensure they do not require assistance after a suspected terrorist attack.” Let them think we’re doing our security duty.
They began racing toward the planet at maximum speed. Kayra gripped the arms of his chair tightly. The time to get there wasn’t long in the grand scheme of things, but so much could happen before they arrived. I only hope they’re listening to the chatter like I hope. If not, it’ll be harder to get them in position.
“Message away,” Vihda said. “As you requested.”
“Thank you.” Kayra kept his eyes on the screen. “Continue your scans. Get me all the data you can.”
Did the Sentinel attack Egintal? Were those two vessels defensive ships? Or do they have something to do with the violence on the planet’s surface? Too many questions, too few answers. Kayra doubted the Guild would be forthcoming when he arrived. It’s worth a try. Maybe they’ll welcome our arrival. Sing our praises for saving them.
Somehow he knew not to hold his breath. They weren’t the type to be appreciate uninvited visitors. Even if those people saved their lives.
***
“Nitha?” Mezani shouted. “We have a major problem!”
“I’m right here,” Nitha muttered, “you don’t have to… what is it? What happened?”
“I think my program to delay our registration failed. That Olarin ship we dealt with back at the prison?” Mezani brought it up on the screen. “It’s here. And it’s coming in pretty fast. I’m calculating the time it’ll take to get here. And get this, they took out the other vessel that tried to get away.”
“We can take them,” Nitha replied, “right?”
Sentinel said, “Approaching Olarin ship has adjusted offensive and defensive capabilities. We will not be able to damage them as easily though we still hold the advantage.”
Is that all for us? Nitha thought about sending a message to them. I don’t know what I’d say to them. “We need to get Seth and Erva back here. Do we have any chance of letting them know what’s going on? How close are you to getting into those satellites?”
“We’ve got our own ready to deploy,” Mezani said, “we’ll launch it right now. That should get us temporary comms with the surface. Before the other satellites, you know… blow the thing up since they’ll consider it a threat. Or at least, I think so. I’ve never dealt with Guild defenses before.”
“Make it happen right now,” Nitha said. “If they don’t leave soon, it’ll be really close to get out of here.”
“Wait.” Mezani held up his hand. “I’m getting a signal from that ship. A message they sent. Ugh, I wish the system beacon was closer to the planet. I could’ve bounced comms off of it. Anyway, they tried to send it on a coded channel. I’ve recorded it. We can listen to what they’re saying soon.”
“Will it help us get our people aboard?” Nitha asked. “That was rhetorical. I know it won’t. Hurry!”
“Satellite deployed,” Sentinel said, “online in twenty seconds.”
Mezani added, “I’ll keep jamming the guns to buy us more time. But we should record a message now for Seth.”
“You know what to say,” Nitha replied. “Make it short though. Emphasize the fact they should return to the ship immediately.”
If they aren’t done though, this is going to be tricky. Nitha turned her attention to the tactical map on the screen. I wonder if we really could bring them down. Sentinel was dangerous. It had plenty of combat maneuvers and protocols, but what if the Olarins figured out a way to shut down the AI?
They might have the keys. Mezani’s good, but not infallible. If we try to fight, I might not have the advantage. Nitha didn’t have a trained tactical mind. Whatever Primus commanded that vessel had years of education. Possibly experience fighting others. We caught them off guard last time. That won’t happen again, I bet.
