C. J. Barry - Unearthed 01, page 13
“No,” she whispered back, her voice weak and trembling. “I don’t know.”
He clenched his teeth at the rage that ripped through him. Bastards. For the first time in his life, he wanted to kill in cold blood. He had tried not to think about what was happening to her during the abduction, too worried that it would undermine his concentration. Seeing the cruelty firsthand dragged unchecked savagery from his very core. His woman. They had hurt his woman. Nothing was going to save them now.
Tess whimpered softly and the red veil of rage subsided. He took a deep breath and blew it out while rationality returned. She didn’t need him losing control and he needed to get her out of here. But after that
Moving quickly, he shrugged off the heavy cape and liberated his weapons, dumping them in a pile on the floor. Tess watched him in detached oblivion.
He yanked off his gray shirt and showed it to her. “You can wear this,” he said softly.
She stared blankly at the shirt, then up at him. He rocked under another fist to his gut.
“Please, Tess. I’m getting you out of here.”
“Pitz shot me ” she started with a sob.
One look into those vacant eyes told him that she was suffering from the shocky aftereffects of a potent stun blast and those bastards had just left her like this. He fought to control his fury so he could give her the care she needed. Later he’d unleash that venom on the ones who had shattered her.
Gently, he took her cold hand and wrapped it in his. “Not Pitz. A clone, a look-alike. Pitz would never do anything to hurt you.”
Cohl held up the shirt in front of her eyes. “We don’t have much time.”
Tess nodded in her lethargic daze. On his knees, he helped her into the shirt, fastening the front when she swung her legs off the bed. She started to tremble, then shake violently beneath his generous shirt.
Cohl scooped her into his arms, holding her tight, trying to help her control the terror of helplessness.
When the shaking had subsided, he cupped her fragile face in his hands. Tears were running down her cheeks. Carefully, he brushed them aside. He laid his forehead against hers and spoke in a voice filled with the absolute conviction of a man who had much to lose. “I’m so sorry, Tess. I swear, they won’t touch you again. I swear it.”
He felt her head nod once.
“Not sleeping naked anymore,” she murmured.
Cohl closed his eyes as he bore the brunt of another blow. Time. They were running out of time. “We have to go now.”
He stood up and restrapped his weapons and belt around his torso. Then he tossed the detestable cloak over his shoulders. By the time he finished, Tess was standing next to him staring numbly down at her bare feet.
She looked small and fragile. There was no way she could wear the dead guard’s heavy cape.
He retrieved the ear inserts and fitted them in her ears, as well as his own.
“They’ll give you protection from the audio bursts. Don’t take them out. They block out certain frequencies, but you will still be able to hear me fine,” he told her, even though she never asked.
She didn’t respond. He frowned. What if she never came back to him? What if he’d destroyed her forever? The thought was too painful.
First, he’d get her out of here. Then, he’d find a way to heal her, no matter what it took.
He raised his laser pistol with one hand and took Tess’s hand with the other. The door opened when they approached it. He waited just inside, listening for activity. With all quiet, he leaned out farther and checked the corridor. Blessedly empty.
He squeezed Tess’s hand gently. “Stay behind me.”
She followed him as they made their way down the corridor, stepping around the lone servo-unit on its mindless mission.
They were nearly to the main walkway when the alarms blared out. Tess froze in place, sheer terror registering on her face.
“Come on, Tess.” Cohl pulled her with him as fast as he thought she could handle, down the rest of the corridor. He saw the barrage of laser blasts crisscross at the end of the corridor over the main walkway. He immediately recognized Pitz’s green laser fire amid the red return fire of the other robot. When they reached the end of the corridor, he stopped, tucked Tess behind him, and took in the sight.
Pitz and the clone were battling down the open atrium, using every weapon in their inner arsenal against each other. Laser blasts bounced off the ship’s interior as the two robots flew up and down the three levels of the walkway in tight formation.
The clash had drawn a crowd. Cohl could hear the grunts and cheers of the Traka-Nor from their hiding spots around the walkway. Even they were smart enough to stay out of the way of the two metal warriors.
“Damn,” he muttered.
“There’s two of them?” he heard Tess ask behind him.
“One of them is Pitz. The one with the red laser fire abducted you.”
“Bastard,” she whispered. The anger in her voice made him feel slightly better. She was coming back to him.
Cohl scanned the level two walkway. It was at least seventy meters to the cover of the shuttle bay entrance. Run-and-gun time. He shrugged off the cape and swung the laser rifle around under his arm.
Tess watched him curiously. A good sign, he told himself. Now he just needed to get her to say more than one sentence at a time.
He handed the laser pistol to Tess. “Ever shoot a gun before?”
She took the pistol with both hands and frowned at it. “Soup cans in the backyard.”
“Good enough. Just pull the trigger. It does a lot of damage so be careful what you aim for,” Cohl said. “Can you run?”
She gazed up at him, focused, and a faint light flashed in her eyes. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get out of here.”
He nodded. Almost there.
“I’m going to shadow you. Shoot at anything with a weapon except me and Pitz. Don’t look back and keep running no matter what.”
She blinked. “Shoot them?”
He touched her cheek lightly. “If you don’t, they will shoot you.”
She stared at the pistol for a moment and nodded. Cohl hefted the rifle in one hand and activated a timed flash charge with the other. Pitz and the clone zoomed past them toward the front of the ship.
Cohl heaved the flash charge into the air toward Pitz and the clone. “Now!”
She darted out of the corridor and hit the main walkway on a dead run, her bare feet barely hitting the floor. Cohl grinned as he took off after her. Damn, she was fast.
The subsequent explosion and flash lit up the entire atrium, effectively blinding anyone looking in the general direction of Pitz and the clone. A chorus of Traka-Nor roars followed.
They had made it only twenty meters when the first laser shot sizzled by his head. He twisted the rifle around and fired behind him at the attacker on the lower level. The Traka-Nor screamed as Cohl’s shot caught him in the chest. He tumbled off the walkway and into the atrium.
Forty meters.
More shots from the level above and ahead. Tess fired her pistol at the Traka-Nor, hitting him in the leg and bringing him down. As they approached the next side corridor, Cohl sped up and ran in front of her. He blew a steady stream of ammo directly into the corridor to take care of any would-be shooters and heard a servo-unit explode.
Thirty meters.
Ahead of them, a trio of half-asleep Traka-Nors stumbled onto the walkway from the next side corridor. Cohl got one. Tess got another. The third was faster, weapon ready and pointed at Tess when he was struck by a staggering laser shot. Cohl looked up as Pitz scooted by, his metal body spinning and spitting gunfire. Immediately, Pitz reversed course and reengaged the fast-approaching clone, drawing him away from Cohl and Tess. They hurdled the three dead Traka-Nors and kept going.
Ten meters.
Amid a new spray of gunfire, they raced through the entrance to the ship’s shuttle bay section. Cohl caught up with Tess and stopped her just behind the doorway. He flattened against the wall and fired a volley of bursts back down the length of the walkway. Two more Traka-Nors reeled and collapsed.
Then he turned to check on Tess. She was resting against the wall breathing hard, her face grimaced in pain. But at least she had some color in her cheeks now.
He gripped his rifle hard to stop from taking her into his arms and holding her forever. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “My head is killing me but it beats getting shot at.”
Cohl smiled. She was back. His little fighter.
He cast one last look behind him at the battle raging. He couldn’t help Pitz. He didn’t have that level of firepower or mobility. Decision time. The shuttle bay was in the other direction. There were times when being the one in charge really sucked.
He slipped his hand around Tess’s waist and turned toward the bay. “Come on. We’re leaving.”
Tess gripped his arm, stopping him. “Aren’t you going to wait for Pitz?”
He gazed down into her concerned face. “We can’t wait, Tess. The whole place knows we’re here. Hopefully, Pitz can hold them off until we’re clear of the ship.”
She shook her head, her voice impassioned. “No. You can’t leave him here. He saved us back there.”
Cohl took her firmly by the elbow and dragged her toward the shuttle bay. “I have no choice.”
They rounded the bay doors and came to an abrupt halt, face-to-lace with Logen and five of his closest and ugliest friends. And everyone had a gun.
Logen pointed his at Cohl. “Well, well. What a nice surprise. Drop the weapon, Trae Salle.”
Cohl didn’t budge.
Logen smirked and swung his pistol toward Tess. “Or I’ll kill her.”
Cohl’s rifle clattered to the floor, followed by the weapon’s belt and the plasma knife.
Logen looked at Tess. “Yours, too. Or I’ll shoot him.”
“You coward,” she said as she tossed the pistol to the floor. Logen motioned to a guard, who lumbered over and retrieved the weapons.
“Now, that’s not nice,” Logen said smoothly and gave her body a long, thorough skim. “I liked you better naked.” His smile turned wolfish and smug.
Tess heard the explosion of rage as Cohl launched himself at Logen, catching him by surprise. They tumbled to the floor in a heap, fists flying as Logen’s gun skidded across the bay. They rolled several times before Logen shoved Cohl off him using his feet. Cohl fell back, latching on to Logen’s collar and dragging him face-first into the wall with a bone-crunching thump. Blood spattered across the floor courtesy of Logen’s nose.
Tess watched in familiar horror as they fought, kicked, and beat their way around the shuttle bay with the five Traka-Nor thugs cheering them on in delight.
Damn it, she wasn’t going to stand by and do nothing. No one was paying attention to her. This might be her only chance. As she searched frantically for something to use against Logen, she felt a lump in Cohl’s pocket. Reaching in, she pulled out two smooth, metal balls. They didn’t look like much but she’d bet they packed a wallop if you nailed someone hard enough with them.
Cohl and Logen were standing again and locked together by the shoulders, each trying to push the other over. Tess wound up and hurled the ball at Logen. He twisted at the last second and it missed narrowly, bouncing harmlessly across the shuttle bay floor. No one even noticed.
She exhaled in disgust. Only one ball left. Hefting the final ball, she whipped it at Logen’s exposed back. It made the strangest sound when it struck with a thwack and stuck fast to the back of his uniform. It didn’t move even when Logen tried to swat at it. Then he froze. Cohl’s fist connected with his stomach but Logen didn’t seem to feel it.
Horrified, Tess watched as the ball started to glow and burrow through the fabric of the uniform. A guttural, primal scream emanated from Logen. Cohl backed off in confusion.
Tess covered her mouth with one hand, muffling her own cry as the ball disappeared completely into Logen’s back. The five Traka-Nors stood by like a bunch of rocks as Logen began screaming in earnest, his body twitching and jerking. Abruptly, his screaming stopped as a violent shudder tore through him, blood gushed from his mouth, and he fell to the floor.
For a moment, no one moved. Then the Traka-Nor all turned and looked at Tess.
“I didn’t know,” she whispered. She took a step back, shaking her head, her hands up in self-defense.
Suddenly, all five giants screamed and grabbed at their ears. She watched them drop one at a time to their knees, then to the floorunconscious or worse. Only she and Cohl were left standing.
“Are they dead?” she asked in absolute bewilderment, looking from one man to another.
She watched Cohl step over the guards and bend down to retrieve his confiscated weapons belt on the floor.
“No, just knocked unconscious for a while,” he answered as he strapped the weapons belt back on.
She blinked at him. How could he be so calm? “What happened?”
“I think Pitz won.”
“What?” Tess asked, even more confused.
“He initiated a ship-wide audio burst. Renders most beings unconscious.” Cohl tapped one of his ear inserts and grinned. “We were protected from the audio burst frequency.”
Tess felt the plugs in her ears. “How did these get here?”
Cohl gave her a long, concerned look.
She put a shaky hand to her head. Her gaze dropped to Logen, his bloody face frozen in abject torture. She had killed him and in a most horrible way, an image that would be in her mind for all time. Seconds later, Cohl’s big arms were wrapped around her, blocking out Logen.
“You didn’t know, Tess. It’s not your fault,” he said into her hair.
Her voice shook. “I just wanted to distract him. What were those things?”
“I found them in the weapons cache on board but I’ve never seen them before. Apparently, they only activate on contact with a heat source.”
She pressed her cheek to his bare chest, his heartbeat, so soothing and strong. His bare skin, warm and smooth. He had come back for her. She knew he would. For the first time since she’d been brought here, she felt safe. She clung to him like a lifeline to sanity.
He tightened his embrace and whispered, “I’m sorry, Tess.”
She clung to him. “I know. It’s not your fault.”
His body tensed and he abruptly kissed the top of her head. “I need to restrain these guys before they wake up.”
She let him go, baffled by his sudden withdrawal. He moved silently from man to man, securing their hands with thin rings that looked like handcuffs. He had just finished when Pitz zipped in.
Cohl eyed him with amusement. “Hey, what took you so long?”
Pitz halted abruptly with a puff of smoke. Scorch marks scarred his body and his engines were whining dreadfully. “I encountered some minor trouble.”
Cohl smiled wide. “I hope there’s nothing left of that clone.”
Pitz snorted. “An inferior imposter.” He turned to Tess. “So nice to see you safe.”
Tess gave him an affectionate smile. How did you hug a robot? “You, too.”
Cohl cleared his throat loudly. “Well, now that we are one big, happy family again, I suggest we finish restraining the rest of the crew.” He tossed Pitz the second clip of restraints. “We have about an hour before they revive?”
“Yes, sir. And Speculator is on the way.”
Cohl nodded. “Good job, Pitz.”
The robot’s lights flashed an uneven pattern. “Thank you, sir. I will secure the crew on the bridge.” Pitz puffed away in a cloud of smoke.
Tess stepped up to Cohl and extended a hand toward the third clip. “I’ll help, too.”
Cohl’s eyebrows lifted. “Are you sure you are up to it?”
She took the clip from him and turned toward the exit as he fell in step beside her. “I can handle it. Of course, they may wake up with a few new bruises.”
She glanced over and caught him grinning at her.
Cohl paced in his office on Speculator on an incensed rampage with Pitz watching every step. Just knowing that Rommol was on the other end of the communications link was enough to do it.
“Listen, you son of a bitch. If you want that amulet, you better make damn sure you stay the hell out of my way,” Cohl snapped with barely controlled fury.
Rommol barked back, “I didn’t authorize Krahel to”
“You can’t control your own people,” Cohl interrupted. “I’ve got enough to handle without worrying about them, too.”
Rommol roared over the comm link, “I don’t want excuses. I want the amulet or your father will die.”
Cohl stopped pacing and stared at the comm unit. “Maybe he has already. How do I know he’s still alive?”
The comm unit was silent, then clicked sharply. Rommol snapped, “Speak to him yourself.”
“Cohlman?”
Cohl’s breath caught. He’d recognize that voice anywhere. The years rushed back. “Are you all right?”
His father snorted on the other end. “As well as can be expected. These barbarians stink to high heaven. My nose will never be the same.”
Cohl smiled. “Glad to hear you still have all your faculties.”
There was a short pause. “How is your mother?”
“She’s holding up well.”
Another pause. “Protect her and Yre Gault at all costs”
Rommol’s voice interrupted. “Enough. I want the amulet in seven days, Trae Salle.”
Cohl grumbled. “Seven days? Like hell. Ten days or you’ll never see your crewmen from the ship again.”
Rommol laughed, then came back. “Do you think I care? Kill the traitors. It will save me the effort. Where is my ship?”
“I destroyed it,” Cohl answered and silenced Pitz with a hand. “It was a piece of junk.”
“Damn you! I needed that ship!” Rommol swore viciously.
Cohl smirked. “Consider it fair retribution. Keep your ugly bastards out of my way.”
“Seven days, Trae Salle, or your father dies.” The communications broke off.
Cohl let out a long breath and dropped into a chair. “Damn. That didn’t go well.”
He clenched his teeth at the rage that ripped through him. Bastards. For the first time in his life, he wanted to kill in cold blood. He had tried not to think about what was happening to her during the abduction, too worried that it would undermine his concentration. Seeing the cruelty firsthand dragged unchecked savagery from his very core. His woman. They had hurt his woman. Nothing was going to save them now.
Tess whimpered softly and the red veil of rage subsided. He took a deep breath and blew it out while rationality returned. She didn’t need him losing control and he needed to get her out of here. But after that
Moving quickly, he shrugged off the heavy cape and liberated his weapons, dumping them in a pile on the floor. Tess watched him in detached oblivion.
He yanked off his gray shirt and showed it to her. “You can wear this,” he said softly.
She stared blankly at the shirt, then up at him. He rocked under another fist to his gut.
“Please, Tess. I’m getting you out of here.”
“Pitz shot me ” she started with a sob.
One look into those vacant eyes told him that she was suffering from the shocky aftereffects of a potent stun blast and those bastards had just left her like this. He fought to control his fury so he could give her the care she needed. Later he’d unleash that venom on the ones who had shattered her.
Gently, he took her cold hand and wrapped it in his. “Not Pitz. A clone, a look-alike. Pitz would never do anything to hurt you.”
Cohl held up the shirt in front of her eyes. “We don’t have much time.”
Tess nodded in her lethargic daze. On his knees, he helped her into the shirt, fastening the front when she swung her legs off the bed. She started to tremble, then shake violently beneath his generous shirt.
Cohl scooped her into his arms, holding her tight, trying to help her control the terror of helplessness.
When the shaking had subsided, he cupped her fragile face in his hands. Tears were running down her cheeks. Carefully, he brushed them aside. He laid his forehead against hers and spoke in a voice filled with the absolute conviction of a man who had much to lose. “I’m so sorry, Tess. I swear, they won’t touch you again. I swear it.”
He felt her head nod once.
“Not sleeping naked anymore,” she murmured.
Cohl closed his eyes as he bore the brunt of another blow. Time. They were running out of time. “We have to go now.”
He stood up and restrapped his weapons and belt around his torso. Then he tossed the detestable cloak over his shoulders. By the time he finished, Tess was standing next to him staring numbly down at her bare feet.
She looked small and fragile. There was no way she could wear the dead guard’s heavy cape.
He retrieved the ear inserts and fitted them in her ears, as well as his own.
“They’ll give you protection from the audio bursts. Don’t take them out. They block out certain frequencies, but you will still be able to hear me fine,” he told her, even though she never asked.
She didn’t respond. He frowned. What if she never came back to him? What if he’d destroyed her forever? The thought was too painful.
First, he’d get her out of here. Then, he’d find a way to heal her, no matter what it took.
He raised his laser pistol with one hand and took Tess’s hand with the other. The door opened when they approached it. He waited just inside, listening for activity. With all quiet, he leaned out farther and checked the corridor. Blessedly empty.
He squeezed Tess’s hand gently. “Stay behind me.”
She followed him as they made their way down the corridor, stepping around the lone servo-unit on its mindless mission.
They were nearly to the main walkway when the alarms blared out. Tess froze in place, sheer terror registering on her face.
“Come on, Tess.” Cohl pulled her with him as fast as he thought she could handle, down the rest of the corridor. He saw the barrage of laser blasts crisscross at the end of the corridor over the main walkway. He immediately recognized Pitz’s green laser fire amid the red return fire of the other robot. When they reached the end of the corridor, he stopped, tucked Tess behind him, and took in the sight.
Pitz and the clone were battling down the open atrium, using every weapon in their inner arsenal against each other. Laser blasts bounced off the ship’s interior as the two robots flew up and down the three levels of the walkway in tight formation.
The clash had drawn a crowd. Cohl could hear the grunts and cheers of the Traka-Nor from their hiding spots around the walkway. Even they were smart enough to stay out of the way of the two metal warriors.
“Damn,” he muttered.
“There’s two of them?” he heard Tess ask behind him.
“One of them is Pitz. The one with the red laser fire abducted you.”
“Bastard,” she whispered. The anger in her voice made him feel slightly better. She was coming back to him.
Cohl scanned the level two walkway. It was at least seventy meters to the cover of the shuttle bay entrance. Run-and-gun time. He shrugged off the cape and swung the laser rifle around under his arm.
Tess watched him curiously. A good sign, he told himself. Now he just needed to get her to say more than one sentence at a time.
He handed the laser pistol to Tess. “Ever shoot a gun before?”
She took the pistol with both hands and frowned at it. “Soup cans in the backyard.”
“Good enough. Just pull the trigger. It does a lot of damage so be careful what you aim for,” Cohl said. “Can you run?”
She gazed up at him, focused, and a faint light flashed in her eyes. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get out of here.”
He nodded. Almost there.
“I’m going to shadow you. Shoot at anything with a weapon except me and Pitz. Don’t look back and keep running no matter what.”
She blinked. “Shoot them?”
He touched her cheek lightly. “If you don’t, they will shoot you.”
She stared at the pistol for a moment and nodded. Cohl hefted the rifle in one hand and activated a timed flash charge with the other. Pitz and the clone zoomed past them toward the front of the ship.
Cohl heaved the flash charge into the air toward Pitz and the clone. “Now!”
She darted out of the corridor and hit the main walkway on a dead run, her bare feet barely hitting the floor. Cohl grinned as he took off after her. Damn, she was fast.
The subsequent explosion and flash lit up the entire atrium, effectively blinding anyone looking in the general direction of Pitz and the clone. A chorus of Traka-Nor roars followed.
They had made it only twenty meters when the first laser shot sizzled by his head. He twisted the rifle around and fired behind him at the attacker on the lower level. The Traka-Nor screamed as Cohl’s shot caught him in the chest. He tumbled off the walkway and into the atrium.
Forty meters.
More shots from the level above and ahead. Tess fired her pistol at the Traka-Nor, hitting him in the leg and bringing him down. As they approached the next side corridor, Cohl sped up and ran in front of her. He blew a steady stream of ammo directly into the corridor to take care of any would-be shooters and heard a servo-unit explode.
Thirty meters.
Ahead of them, a trio of half-asleep Traka-Nors stumbled onto the walkway from the next side corridor. Cohl got one. Tess got another. The third was faster, weapon ready and pointed at Tess when he was struck by a staggering laser shot. Cohl looked up as Pitz scooted by, his metal body spinning and spitting gunfire. Immediately, Pitz reversed course and reengaged the fast-approaching clone, drawing him away from Cohl and Tess. They hurdled the three dead Traka-Nors and kept going.
Ten meters.
Amid a new spray of gunfire, they raced through the entrance to the ship’s shuttle bay section. Cohl caught up with Tess and stopped her just behind the doorway. He flattened against the wall and fired a volley of bursts back down the length of the walkway. Two more Traka-Nors reeled and collapsed.
Then he turned to check on Tess. She was resting against the wall breathing hard, her face grimaced in pain. But at least she had some color in her cheeks now.
He gripped his rifle hard to stop from taking her into his arms and holding her forever. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “My head is killing me but it beats getting shot at.”
Cohl smiled. She was back. His little fighter.
He cast one last look behind him at the battle raging. He couldn’t help Pitz. He didn’t have that level of firepower or mobility. Decision time. The shuttle bay was in the other direction. There were times when being the one in charge really sucked.
He slipped his hand around Tess’s waist and turned toward the bay. “Come on. We’re leaving.”
Tess gripped his arm, stopping him. “Aren’t you going to wait for Pitz?”
He gazed down into her concerned face. “We can’t wait, Tess. The whole place knows we’re here. Hopefully, Pitz can hold them off until we’re clear of the ship.”
She shook her head, her voice impassioned. “No. You can’t leave him here. He saved us back there.”
Cohl took her firmly by the elbow and dragged her toward the shuttle bay. “I have no choice.”
They rounded the bay doors and came to an abrupt halt, face-to-lace with Logen and five of his closest and ugliest friends. And everyone had a gun.
Logen pointed his at Cohl. “Well, well. What a nice surprise. Drop the weapon, Trae Salle.”
Cohl didn’t budge.
Logen smirked and swung his pistol toward Tess. “Or I’ll kill her.”
Cohl’s rifle clattered to the floor, followed by the weapon’s belt and the plasma knife.
Logen looked at Tess. “Yours, too. Or I’ll shoot him.”
“You coward,” she said as she tossed the pistol to the floor. Logen motioned to a guard, who lumbered over and retrieved the weapons.
“Now, that’s not nice,” Logen said smoothly and gave her body a long, thorough skim. “I liked you better naked.” His smile turned wolfish and smug.
Tess heard the explosion of rage as Cohl launched himself at Logen, catching him by surprise. They tumbled to the floor in a heap, fists flying as Logen’s gun skidded across the bay. They rolled several times before Logen shoved Cohl off him using his feet. Cohl fell back, latching on to Logen’s collar and dragging him face-first into the wall with a bone-crunching thump. Blood spattered across the floor courtesy of Logen’s nose.
Tess watched in familiar horror as they fought, kicked, and beat their way around the shuttle bay with the five Traka-Nor thugs cheering them on in delight.
Damn it, she wasn’t going to stand by and do nothing. No one was paying attention to her. This might be her only chance. As she searched frantically for something to use against Logen, she felt a lump in Cohl’s pocket. Reaching in, she pulled out two smooth, metal balls. They didn’t look like much but she’d bet they packed a wallop if you nailed someone hard enough with them.
Cohl and Logen were standing again and locked together by the shoulders, each trying to push the other over. Tess wound up and hurled the ball at Logen. He twisted at the last second and it missed narrowly, bouncing harmlessly across the shuttle bay floor. No one even noticed.
She exhaled in disgust. Only one ball left. Hefting the final ball, she whipped it at Logen’s exposed back. It made the strangest sound when it struck with a thwack and stuck fast to the back of his uniform. It didn’t move even when Logen tried to swat at it. Then he froze. Cohl’s fist connected with his stomach but Logen didn’t seem to feel it.
Horrified, Tess watched as the ball started to glow and burrow through the fabric of the uniform. A guttural, primal scream emanated from Logen. Cohl backed off in confusion.
Tess covered her mouth with one hand, muffling her own cry as the ball disappeared completely into Logen’s back. The five Traka-Nors stood by like a bunch of rocks as Logen began screaming in earnest, his body twitching and jerking. Abruptly, his screaming stopped as a violent shudder tore through him, blood gushed from his mouth, and he fell to the floor.
For a moment, no one moved. Then the Traka-Nor all turned and looked at Tess.
“I didn’t know,” she whispered. She took a step back, shaking her head, her hands up in self-defense.
Suddenly, all five giants screamed and grabbed at their ears. She watched them drop one at a time to their knees, then to the floorunconscious or worse. Only she and Cohl were left standing.
“Are they dead?” she asked in absolute bewilderment, looking from one man to another.
She watched Cohl step over the guards and bend down to retrieve his confiscated weapons belt on the floor.
“No, just knocked unconscious for a while,” he answered as he strapped the weapons belt back on.
She blinked at him. How could he be so calm? “What happened?”
“I think Pitz won.”
“What?” Tess asked, even more confused.
“He initiated a ship-wide audio burst. Renders most beings unconscious.” Cohl tapped one of his ear inserts and grinned. “We were protected from the audio burst frequency.”
Tess felt the plugs in her ears. “How did these get here?”
Cohl gave her a long, concerned look.
She put a shaky hand to her head. Her gaze dropped to Logen, his bloody face frozen in abject torture. She had killed him and in a most horrible way, an image that would be in her mind for all time. Seconds later, Cohl’s big arms were wrapped around her, blocking out Logen.
“You didn’t know, Tess. It’s not your fault,” he said into her hair.
Her voice shook. “I just wanted to distract him. What were those things?”
“I found them in the weapons cache on board but I’ve never seen them before. Apparently, they only activate on contact with a heat source.”
She pressed her cheek to his bare chest, his heartbeat, so soothing and strong. His bare skin, warm and smooth. He had come back for her. She knew he would. For the first time since she’d been brought here, she felt safe. She clung to him like a lifeline to sanity.
He tightened his embrace and whispered, “I’m sorry, Tess.”
She clung to him. “I know. It’s not your fault.”
His body tensed and he abruptly kissed the top of her head. “I need to restrain these guys before they wake up.”
She let him go, baffled by his sudden withdrawal. He moved silently from man to man, securing their hands with thin rings that looked like handcuffs. He had just finished when Pitz zipped in.
Cohl eyed him with amusement. “Hey, what took you so long?”
Pitz halted abruptly with a puff of smoke. Scorch marks scarred his body and his engines were whining dreadfully. “I encountered some minor trouble.”
Cohl smiled wide. “I hope there’s nothing left of that clone.”
Pitz snorted. “An inferior imposter.” He turned to Tess. “So nice to see you safe.”
Tess gave him an affectionate smile. How did you hug a robot? “You, too.”
Cohl cleared his throat loudly. “Well, now that we are one big, happy family again, I suggest we finish restraining the rest of the crew.” He tossed Pitz the second clip of restraints. “We have about an hour before they revive?”
“Yes, sir. And Speculator is on the way.”
Cohl nodded. “Good job, Pitz.”
The robot’s lights flashed an uneven pattern. “Thank you, sir. I will secure the crew on the bridge.” Pitz puffed away in a cloud of smoke.
Tess stepped up to Cohl and extended a hand toward the third clip. “I’ll help, too.”
Cohl’s eyebrows lifted. “Are you sure you are up to it?”
She took the clip from him and turned toward the exit as he fell in step beside her. “I can handle it. Of course, they may wake up with a few new bruises.”
She glanced over and caught him grinning at her.
Cohl paced in his office on Speculator on an incensed rampage with Pitz watching every step. Just knowing that Rommol was on the other end of the communications link was enough to do it.
“Listen, you son of a bitch. If you want that amulet, you better make damn sure you stay the hell out of my way,” Cohl snapped with barely controlled fury.
Rommol barked back, “I didn’t authorize Krahel to”
“You can’t control your own people,” Cohl interrupted. “I’ve got enough to handle without worrying about them, too.”
Rommol roared over the comm link, “I don’t want excuses. I want the amulet or your father will die.”
Cohl stopped pacing and stared at the comm unit. “Maybe he has already. How do I know he’s still alive?”
The comm unit was silent, then clicked sharply. Rommol snapped, “Speak to him yourself.”
“Cohlman?”
Cohl’s breath caught. He’d recognize that voice anywhere. The years rushed back. “Are you all right?”
His father snorted on the other end. “As well as can be expected. These barbarians stink to high heaven. My nose will never be the same.”
Cohl smiled. “Glad to hear you still have all your faculties.”
There was a short pause. “How is your mother?”
“She’s holding up well.”
Another pause. “Protect her and Yre Gault at all costs”
Rommol’s voice interrupted. “Enough. I want the amulet in seven days, Trae Salle.”
Cohl grumbled. “Seven days? Like hell. Ten days or you’ll never see your crewmen from the ship again.”
Rommol laughed, then came back. “Do you think I care? Kill the traitors. It will save me the effort. Where is my ship?”
“I destroyed it,” Cohl answered and silenced Pitz with a hand. “It was a piece of junk.”
“Damn you! I needed that ship!” Rommol swore viciously.
Cohl smirked. “Consider it fair retribution. Keep your ugly bastards out of my way.”
“Seven days, Trae Salle, or your father dies.” The communications broke off.
Cohl let out a long breath and dropped into a chair. “Damn. That didn’t go well.”
