Inherit the Stars (28 page)

“Remember what I just showed you. My mother made sacrifices so I could be here today. So have many others. Luccan Thede, Sar Redryll . . .” Kivita cleared her throat. “I can't be your queen unless I can show that same courage.”

“We still don't have the ships,” Jandeel said in a low voice. “But I will stand by you.”

Cheseia rose beside Kivita. “I will certainly stay behind.”

Though many shot the Ascali dark stares, Kivita took her hand.

Navon sighed. “We have four ships:
Frevyx
and three shuttles. In cryopods, I think one hundred could fit on
Frevyx
, and fifty on each shuttle. Of course, each ship would take some of our Vim datacores, books, and other things. Nothing would be left on
Luccan's Wish
pertaining to knowledge.”

“That's only two hundred and fifty of us!” the woman yelled again.

“I know,” Navon said. “That is why I ask for one hundred fifty adult volunteers to stay behind.”

Though a few dozen stepped forward, many backed away. Some argued.

Kivita charged into their midst before fists took the place of words. “Wait! Listen! What if we draw lots, or—”

Luccan's Wish
shook and wobbled. The floor quaked
under their feet. Alarms rang throughout the station as the intercom buzzed. “Integrity breach! Integrity breach!”

Outside the viewport, chunks of hull floated toward the gas giant below.
Luccan's Wish
trembled again and the intercom went staticky.

“What's happening?” Rhii asked.

Kivita's stomach churned for a moment, the same as it did whenever she entered a gravity flux. She pulled Basheev to her.

For a few seconds, they all floated into the air; then everyone slammed into the floor. People cried out and groaned, while some clutched broken arms or smashed kneecaps. Kivita, still holding Basheev, rose and pulled Navon to his feet.

A grinding noise reverberated from the deck above them.

Everyone fell into a deathly silence. People stared at each other or out the viewport. Several children wailed.

“Easy, everyone,” Navon said.

“Make for the transports!” someone yelled.

Navon started to speak again as dozens rushed toward the exits. Shouts, curses, and weeping filled the air in a wall of noise. The pressurized corridors opened, and people spilled through them. Navon shouted for order, yet few listened. The intercom announced something, but the frightened uproar drowned it out.

Jandeel and others in Narbas livery rushed to Kivita. “We'll escort you to
Frevyx
. Hurry, before it's taken!”

“I'll gather who I can on
Frevyx
, but I'm not leaving,” Kivita said.

“Stars flaring, miss, there's no time for that!” Rhii said. “We must leave now!”

Navon tugged on Kivita's arm. “Please. You are too important. You are our cause now.”

Kivita stared him down. “Would you leave this boy here?” She clutched Basheev close. “Yeah, well, not me.”

Jandeel gave Kivita a sorrowful look. “We will have to fight our way through.”

“Yeah? Is this what the Thedes are? Squabbling, scared cowards?” A few still left on the observation deck stopped and listened to Kivita. “Is this how we'll defeat the Inheritors—trampling over each other to escape? Not me. All of you follow me. If I can't squeeze you on
Frevyx
, then I'll stack you atop one another.”

A dull explosion sounded from the other end of the deck.
Luccan's Wish
tilted toward the gas giant as the gravity lightened.

“Run to Airlock Eight!” Kivita shouted, then pulled Basheev along as she and the rest rushed through the corridor. The hiss of decompression echoed behind them right before the circular door closed.

“How in the name of Arcuri did Redryll escape? You damned fools!” Dunaar wiped his sweaty face with a towel while hurrying to the bridge. The void take these cretins! Two of his Proselytes dead, and one crewman forced into cryostasis by a man posing as a Proselyte.

Bredine Ov was also missing.

Skeletal bitch. The favor he'd shown her, the luxuries he'd allowed her to partake of in his private chambers . . . And he'd kept her as his, despite her barren womb! What in the name of the holy Vim did Redryll want with her?

“Rector, we don't know how it happened. They could be anywhere on board,” a squad commander said.

“I want them found, imbecile. What of the Thede ship?”

“Captain Stiego has disabled it and awaits your presence on the bridge,” a Proselyte said.

By the time Dunaar reached the bridge, his yellow robe was damp with sweat. Through the viewport, a feudal-era cruiser orbited a turquoise gas giant at an odd angle.

Luccan's Wish
, just like Cheseia had described it to him.

“Have you hailed them yet?” Dunaar tapped the Scepter on the floor. Hope formed in his breast, despite the complications plaguing their entry into the uncharted system. No matter what Sar or Bredine did, the Vim's punishment for those foul heretics would still be meted out.

“No, Rector,” Stiego said. “We have enfiladed their engine module with a single kinetic barrage, per your orders. The signal emanating from the Vim derelict has hindered communication, but the beacon signal from
Frevyx
has stopped.”

Dunaar smiled. Cheseia may have been discovered and killed, but he cared not. Like her sister Zhara, that Ascali whore had served her purpose well. “And Kivita Vondir?”

“A signal we believe may be her is emanating from the craft,” Stiego replied.

“The Vim have granted us a boon. The infidels must not have even realized what struck them. Captain, set an intercept course for that cruiser, and prepare a battalion of soldiers for a boarding action—lightly equipped, so they can search faster. Arm each platoon with brain-pulse analyzers.” Dunaar wiped his chin.

“Rector, their gravity and atmosphere will be compromised by now,” Stiego said. “The search may take some time.”

“What is time but a gift of the Vim? They cannot escape.” Stroking the Scepter, Dunaar gazed out the viewport. Bredine had warned him about enemies from blackest void, but it mattered not. The Vim had chosen him.

“
Fanged Pauper
requests permission to leave
Arcuri's Glory
,” the security officer said.

“Granted. The sooner Shekelor Thal is gone, the better.” Dunaar tapped a ringed finger against his lips. “Send this order to the platoon commanders: Kivita Vondir is to be taken alive. All others are to be exterminated. Let no Thede survive.”

•   •   •

Sar waited in the shuttle cockpit, its viewport still closed. He'd buckled himself in right after waking from cryostasis. Bredine sat in the opposite navigator seat, counting her fingers and mumbling. Muted sounds reverberated in the airlock bay outside: voices, footsteps, fusion engines starting up. He checked the lock status of the shuttle's hatch again.

He would have to escape this battleship, and soon.

Rubbing his jaw, lips, and temples, he was thankful for the cryosleep. All minor bruises and scrapes had healed, due to an extended rest coupled with medication. More than enough large bruises still made him grimace.

“The Rector will cleanse. Hmm? Cleanse, cleanse. Like Susuron, Tahe, Freen, Bellerion.” Scowling, Bredine popped her knuckles. “Cleansing to create ugliness. Redryll?”

Her words chilled his spine. No doubt she'd seen many Inheritor atrocities and invasions. Hell, maybe she'd even commanded some, based on what Broujel said earlier.

“Want to tell me who you are?” Sar stared at her.

“Ov lineage. Hmm. I captained
Arcuri's Glory
for Father. Captained, flew, decoded datacores. Redryll, Redryll. They hid my bloodline. Hmm? Yes, hid it to use it. But Rhyer convinced me. Soon, Rhyer's ally. I was caught and placed in void black cell.”

Sar studied her. Though beaten, scarred, and enslaved, Bredine had harbored a great conviction. Why she'd chosen his presence as an opportunity to escape bothered him.

“Why'd you help me? You seem to know Kiv, too.”

“Rhyer was brave, so brave. Kivita hadn't started sending then. Rhyer saved other Savants from void-black cold. Poisoned by radiation. Hmm? Poisoned to save more like Kivita.”

Sar lurched from his seat. “Kiv's father? You knew him?”

Bredine's face smoothed over in fond remembrance. “Seneschal, swordsman, pilot, general. He raised the princess on Haldon Prime. Raised until she could send the queen's message. Hmm? Ov family distracted prophets and protected Rhyer. Oh, Redryll, Redryll. Gushing hot love for a princess, a queen.”

“What message?” Sar leaned toward her.

“Vim signal, yes? Expecting a reply. Expecting someone like Kivita to send. Hmm? But she sent it to everyone. Now all are here to hear the Vim. Thedes, Rector. Maybe Sarrhdtuu.” Bredine shrank back in her seat.

As he gripped the manuals, fear gnawed at Sar's mind. Kivita had been preserved, perhaps even groomed, for a higher purpose. Even if he rescued her and they escaped, he doubted she'd ever take him back. Under Navon and Jandeel's tutelage, she would've learned more from the datacores, as well as other things. She would not be the same person as before.

In his racing thoughts, Caitrynn's visage melded with Kivita's. His sister had died long ago. The woman he loved could still be saved from the blinding Inheritor sun. Even if it burned him to ashes.

Sar activated the console scanner, but the hull of
Arcuri's Glory
limited the signal. It still showed the faint outlines of a gas giant,
Luccan's Wish
, and a huge Vim derelict. Sar tried to fine-tune the frequency as the shuttle and airlock bay shuddered. Bredine floated off her seat a few inches, then fell back into it.

“Redryll? Hmm. I'll strap in.” Bredine buckled the restraints and tapped her fingers on the console. “Black void. Cold, cold. Ready?”

The scanner flickered and beeped, while readouts on the terminal lit up. Studying the information, Sar frowned. The scanner beeped again.

Luccan's Wish
had been hit, with the Inheritor battleship closing in.

“Hmm. Sarrhdtuu? Maybe they are doing something.” Bredine drummed her fingers louder on the console.

The chill spread from Sar's spine to his stomach. The Sarrhdtuu's plan still baffled him. “Dunaar, you bastard.”

Bredine pointed at him. “Redryll? Do something!”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Shut up a minute. Can't act until—”

The readouts indicated that shuttles had left
Arcuri's Glory
, bound for
Luccan's Wish
.

“Hell with this.” He activated the shuttle's main systems. The cockpit viewport opened and the engine came online.

Outside the viewport, Inheritor soldiers in polysuits boarded the other shuttles, lamps reflecting off their yellow-tinted faceplates. Sar's throat constricted. Hundreds of soldiers had been wakened from cryostasis. The Thedes would be lucky to have fifty armed defenders aboard
Luccan's Wish
.

Across the bay, Shekelor Thal entered
Fanged Pauper
and turned around before its airlock shut. Despite the distance, his eyes met Sar's. A smirk spread over Shekelor's face. Then he pointed and shouted.

“Shit,” Sar muttered.

“Redryll? Hmm?” Bredine's eyes widened.

Sar clicked on full engine control and steered the manuals. Their shuttle turned on the landing pad toward the nearest airlock doors.

Shekelor shouted again. Soldiers rushed across the floor, weapons drawn. The bay's lamps flashed red.

“Redryll? You will do something?” Bredine stopped tapping her fingers and stared at the approaching soldiers. Shekelor exited
Fanged Pauper
, aiming a beam rifle.

“As much as I can.” Sar clicked the airlock relay on his console and fired the thrusters. Something exploded behind the shuttle, but Sar pushed the manuals forward. The airlock bay doors slid open.

“Yes, something. Yes, yes.” Bredine peeked from the viewport, then recoiled as kinetic shots pinged off the shuttle's armored hull. A fine green beam sliced across the shuttle's nose from Shekelor's rifle. The airlock doors started sliding shut.

Dunaar's voice came over the console speaker. “Redryll? You sacrilegious offal! I will have you shot down as soon as you exit my ship!”

Sar concentrated on the view outside the opening airlock.

“You are too late to be a martyr for your cause,” Dunaar continued, mirth in his voice. “Kivita Vondir is already mine—”

Sar punched the mute button, then fired both
starboard and port-side thrusters. The airlock doors blackened, and warning alarms blasted Sar's ears. Bredine tapped his shoulder and yelled unintelligible sentences.

Kivita's hazel eyes and easy smile beckoned him over the threshold.

As the shuttle shot into space, Sar stabilized its flight path, just as the battleship's starboard K-gun battery fired. The shuttle's hull creaked as he dove. G-forces shoved him back into the seat and made his head throb. Bredine gasped, eyelids fluttering.

Sar pushed the manuals to their lower limit. The shuttle's proximity alarm resounded in the cockpit, tremors rocked the shuttle, and the star field outside blurred.

The sabot rounds darted past the shuttle's viewport.

Sar righted the shuttle and flew toward
Luccan's Wish
. The familiar shape of
Frevyx
, docked to Airlock Eight, caught his eye. Why no one had used it to escape deepened his anxieties.

As he drew near,
Luccan's Wish
tilted toward the gas giant. Debris and bodies floated into the eternal cold.

Sar's body sagged, and he lost his breath. Damn Dunaar to the deepest depths, damn him to—

Bredine gripped his arm. “No void black for Kivita yet. She still sends.”

Sar slammed the manuals forward.

•   •   •

While
Aldaar
's hangar filled with Troopers for the boarding action, Seul cradled her helmet. On a nearby flat display, Vuul stared back at her.

“Despite interference from the Vim signal, we have concluded the damaged human ship has not been evacuated,” Vuul said. “No beacon trajectories have exited this system. The fact that the Inheritor battleship
remains reveals the presence of Kivita Vondir. Find her. We will hold off that battleship as long as we can.”

“It is done, Commander Vuul.” The possibility of a Vim rendezvous made Seul feel lighter than cryo exhaust. Above all, she would find her red-haired friend.

“The human craft has been damaged and breached, so stay in tight formation,” Seul called. “Each squad's officer will have a brain-pulse analyzer in his or her polyarmor. Understood?”

Dozens of Shock Troopers spoke in unison. “Yes, Captain Jaah.” Their voices echoed in the hangar.

Seul stepped away from the boarding ramp. “Officer Kael, a word.”

Kael paused while Shock Troopers loaded onto the shuttle. “Yes, Captain Jaah?”

Taking his hand in her polygauntlet, Seul's cryoports tightened. Though everyone aboard
Aldaar
had woken from cryostasis half an hour before exiting the light jump, she'd been too busy to see him until now. Her excitement gave way to yearning.

“Remember what we discussed in the Medical Ward. . . . I don't want you to remember me this way.” She touched her polycuirass.

Kael frowned. “We'll make it through this, Captain Jaah. Why are you acting like this?”

Biting back emotions, Seul wanted to just tell him. Say the words, verbalize her feelings. Touch Kael and make him see. All the Shock Troopers in the airlock bay, all the flat displays where Vuul might be watching, buried the words in her heart.

“Promise . . . promise me you'll do what needs to be done. Don't wait for me if something goes wrong.” Seul squeezed his hand.

“As you command, Captain Jaah,” he whispered.

Warmth rose in her chest as her cryoports clamped. Seul pursed her lips, then kissed Kael's mouth so quickly, he blinked in surprise. Her polyboots bumped into his as she drew away.

“As you were, Officer Kael.” Seul shut her faceplate, unable to look him in the eye. What a clumsy, fleeting kiss. She almost wished she slept in Niaaq Aldaar's cryo chamber.

After striding aboard, Seul locked herself into a launch tube. Her heart hadn't beat with such painful rapidness since her first combat mission. How foolish of her to strain her combat effectiveness—the mission mattered most, not her personal wishes. No matter how much she repeated it to herself, though, Seul's heart grew heavier.

Aldaar
wouldn't last long in this fight, but the Vim may be coming to save them. The Inheritors would be brutal, after coming so far for whatever prize the system held. All depended on saving Kivita from them and the Sarrhdtuu.

Saving a daughter who remained ignorant of her mother.

The shuttle departed
Aldaar
and made for the crippled starship. Its bulk would shield them from the Inheritor battleship's guns for a short time, since they wanted Kivita, too.

The vessel resembled an ancient human-colony ship, with multiple decks and a bridge tapering into a cone from the bow. Two precise sabot hits had struck near the aft engines and an airlock. Chunks of hull, crates, and bodies floated toward the blue-green gas giant and its ice rings below. Seul turned away from the humanoid forms.

Vuul's voice came over the cockpit speaker. “Enter through those two punctures, Captain Jaah. I want two shuttles to infiltrate each. So far, our analyzers show that no datacores or Savants have exited the hull's breaches. Kivita and the Juxj Star are still inside.”