Starburst Page 23

  Chowd breathed shallowly, his eyes watchful as three...four...no, five rogues traveled with him. They formed into two groups of three, Crick and two taking the front while three stood guard on the rear.

  The back three never saw the attack coming. Grayson and Chowd moved fast and in perfect unison, gripping the nearest guards, each overpowering them with a quick movement. The third spied Grayson much too late, as his arms wound around his neck and gave a sudden jerk. Chowd checked the others on the floor. He nodded quickly, silently informing Grayson that they were indeed dead.

  They dragged the bodies into the alcoves, not wanting anyone from the shuttle to find them and raise the alarm. Then they moved swiftly on silent feet once more. They had left their shoes behind in the alcoves in order to avoid a betraying rattle or clank. They caught sight at the door of the holograph disappearing into the secure room. The two guards moved in first.

  Barsha! He tapped the comm. “Guards are entering. Crick outside.” His stomach clenched. He could take Crick, but that would alert the guards. He wasn’t prepared to risk that. Meredith waited in the secured room, and he felt helpless. She’ll have to protect herself.

  * * * *

  A quiet whisper caught Meredith’s attention. “Guards are entering. Crick outside.”

  From her position by the door, she waved her arms at Duvall. “We have a problem. Crick is sending his guards in first. We need to do something.”

  Duvall nodded silently. He pointed to the corner, out of sight, then made a shooing motion.

  She felt a brief flash of irritation at his actions. I’m his little sister, but I actually know how to defend myself. Meredith rolled her eyes, moved back, and gripped her laser. Her hands were slippery with sweat, and she had to work on controlling her breathing.

  Bent down behind one of the empty consoles, Duvall watched, his face tense as he eyed the door. The guards entered, looking here and there, moving forward slowly.

  She waited. Just a little closer. Then they were in. She hurled herself from her hidey-hole just as Duvall sprang up.

  The whine of a laser split the silence, and for just an instant, she looked away. Hands grabbed her hard, and she cried out. From the corner of her eye, she could see Duvall bobbing down behind the console again. The fzzt of the laser fire only dimly entered her consciousness as she grappled with the angry warrior who tried to control her.

  Meredith kicked backward, her feet missing anything useful, and she moved and bobbed, the fingers pulling on the cloth of her uniform. She reached a hand up and sank her nails in. When in doubt, fight like a girl.

  She grimaced for an instant, but the movement beneath her hand drew her attention. She sank her teeth into the grasping hand. While the rogue cried out in pain, she whipped up her laser and fired at point-blank range. The rogue slumped to the floor, and she moved back. The smell of burning flesh made her feel sick. My first kill.

  The thought should have left her a little hysterical, but she stopped, turning to see that Duvall finally had his assailant on the ground and stood watching her.

  “What was that? You bit him and used your nails? After being trained in a range of combat maneuvers?” His harsh words made her smile as she rubbed her shoulder. She knew he was just running on the adrenalin.

  “Any port in a storm? Anyway, it worked. Now let’s get this sucker and get out of here before it’s too late,” she whispered to him, then moved to the door. “Remember what to do?”

  Her brother grimaced before moving forward and calling out, “You want me, Crick?”

  * * * *

  Chowd watched from behind the wall.

  “You want me, Crick?” Duvall asked.

  Chowd breathed a sigh of relief at hearing his voice. Thank heavens...they had survived the guards.

  Crick moved into the room. Chowd refused to think of him as his father. No familial connection existed between them, just the need to get rid of this one Ru’Edan who had terrorized and brought nothing but death to so many. He watched as the wizened Ru’Edan entered the room, knowing that Duvall and Meredith would have already sealed it from the other side, then Grayson pushed the corridor door shut, engaging the lockdown.

  “Done here,” Grayson rasped into the communicator.

  “Same here.” Meredith’s breathless voice, although it sounded strained, filled him with exultation.

  “What are you doing?” Crick Sur Banden turned slowly, moved in the direction of the sealed door, and placed both hands flat against the plasglass viewing window inside it.

  Chowd nodded to Grayson, who disappeared around the corner.

  “What had to be done. You can’t be allowed to continue your reign of terror. This is the end. You lose, we win.” Chowd stepped backward.

  “You’re my heir. This can all be yours.”

  Chowd turned away as Crick yelled at him. He didn’t need or want what was offered and deep inside, he felt sadness and guilt that he needed to take this final step.

  Regret ballooned, knowing that the only relationship with this man would have had to include more death and destruction, something he abhorred. Guilt filled him that Crick felt no remorse for his actions.

  “No. I don’t want what you’re offering.” He refused to give Crick anything more of himself and moved swiftly away from the door that held the screaming figure.

  The others waited for him just around the corner. “They have a shuttle. We can either choose that or a life capsule. I vote the shuttle.” Duvall looked closely at him, and Chowd nodded.

  Together the four entered the shuttle. Only the pilot remained on board, and once he saw the four of them, he rose, lifting both hands in a sign of surrender and moving from the controls.

  Grayson closed the airlock. Speed now important, Chowd moved into the pilot’s seat. Duvall took responsibility for the prisoner, securing him, and Meredith moved toward the communications unit.

  “Chowd, we’re down to two minutes. We have to get out of here now, or it will be too late.” She moved quickly, opening her personal palm screen. On it he could see the image of Crick moving slowly, looking for an exit. His stomach clenched.

  Grayson crawled into the copilot’s seat as Chowd maneuvered away from the Elector, hitting the thrusters.

  Duvall looked at his ship then looked away, pain and loss clear in his eyes. “She was the best.”

  For all of them, it had been so much more than a ship.

  “Do you want me to turn on the countdown for the self-destruct? I found my way into the schematics and patched myself in so we could make a video of the death of Crick.” She cast sorrowful and apologetic eyes at Chowd, and he understood. They needed proof, not for them, but for the dissenters and disbelievers.

  “Yeah. I want him to know,” Duvall muttered, and her fingers moved again.

  “Self-destruct in sixty seconds.” The words were melodious, and Crick looked shocked on the tiny viewscreen in Meredith’s hands

  “What have you done?” he screamed before he slumped. “It wasn’t meant to end like this!”

  The countdown continued, and time slowed for Chowd. Self-destruct in ten seconds...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...

  A sound of pain filled the cabin of the small shuttle. Life capsules littered his view, and he slowed to avoid a collision.

  He clicked on the stern viewing screen. Three...two...one...

  Lights filtered along the edges of the Elector, the feed finally breaking down to static. The ship ripped itself apart. They watched, stunned, as the bird that had carried them safely finally died.

  “I’d better patch into Jemma’s ship, I think.” Meredith’s voice was thick with tears as she worked in silence, opening the communicator to the frequency Jemma would use.

  “No!” The cry of Jemma’s pain-filled voice filled the cabin, an emotion they all shared for different reasons.

  “Jemma, it’s okay. We got away. All of us.” Meredith sniffled as she shared the news. “But the Elector’s gone. We are heading f
or Otega. Duvall will prepare a report to send to the Admiralty once we land and clean up any further resistance.”

  She glanced at Duvall who took the communicator. “Head on down now.”

  Epilogue

  They reclined in the mess hall on the Star of Ishtar, waiting for the shuttle to return them to the Admiralty base on Aenna. The entire crew of the Elector had been treated like heroes, yet none of them wanted that tag. They’d done their job, protecting the Empire from Crick Sur Banden.

  Chowd watched as the team members finally moved forward. In the three weeks since they had liberated the base on Otega, Meredith had often held his hand, walking with him when they finally found out what had become of the remains of his mother. Instead of dealing with the dead, the Ru’Edan had dumped the bodies of those who had met similar fates on one of the moon installations, so they hadn’t decayed. But nothing had remained of his mother. One of the female cooks, his informant, told him that little more than ash had remained after the thrusters had caught both her and Crick that day. They’d then disposed her remains. Chowd had accepted Meredith’s embrace dry eyed.

  On Otega, they found the evidence they needed to prove their actions were the only option. Videos of the experiments chilled them as they watched men, women, and children tortured. He wouldn’t ever forget those images anytime soon.

  “So what’s next, I wonder?” Elara stood, hefting her small bag of possessions, returned after they arrived on the Ishtar. “It seems weird coming back to Aenna on this old bird.” She patted the seat affectionately as an officer called their names and indicated it was their turn to make the short journey to the base.

  As one group, the nine, including Jod, headed toward the shuttle bay. Only Meredith had never served upon this ship, yet somehow, the gravity of the occasion had enveloped her too.

  They waited quietly then were ushered into the captain’s private shuttle to make the transfer, each sitting in silence. Once the ship had spun away, Chowd refused to look back.

  Now, with peace assured, he could look forward to seeing his uncle, and his communion with the woman he loved. Of course, pockets of resistance remained, but finally a respite from war had been achieved. Life really couldn’t get better.

  “I wonder where they’ll send us now that it’s all over?” Meredith voiced what the others thought, and several nodded wearily. The small shuttle entered the hangar where most of them had assembled so long ago before they first stepped onto the Elector.

  This time, their arrival was minus the ship. The massed workers stopped moving as they stepped down onto the plascrete. A ragged cheer rose, and he felt himself flushing, wanting to be anywhere but there. He wasn’t a hero. Far from it.

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  As if Duvall’s words had cast a magical spell, they moved, heading quickly toward the reception desk. Entering what they had previously considered a quiet and plush area, Chowd felt amazement at the scene before him.

  A harried-looking blonde woman took in their arrival, a smile on her face. “The Admiral is waiting for you. Please come this way.”

  They moved down the carpeted corridor, the wooden doors replaced with one of brushed metal, and unlike their previous visits before the battle for the Alpha Star Colony, a code unit waited.

  Chowd looked to the woman as she opened the cover of the unit. “Why has this changed?” He indicated to the door and keypad.

  She glanced at him. “There was an attack on the Admiral.”

  “The Admiral?”

  “He’s fine. It was dealt with quickly.” The woman keyed in a combination, and they entered the wood-furnished waiting area.

  The woman the Elector had rescued from the Alpha Star Colony—he racked his brains...Kera—waited inside. As they entered, she stood and extended her hand.

  “Welcome. Gustav will be pleased to see you. Please take a seat.” She indicated the chairs against the wall and returned to the desk, hailing the Admiral.

  The door slid open, and a smiling Gustav Elphin stood before them. He looked curiously happier than Chowd had ever seen him.

  “Chowd, Duvall, Grayson. I’ve never been happier to see a crew than I am to see you all well. Come into my office. Kera, join us?”

  Chowd wondered at this development. His uncle had called the security officer by name. The door slid shut behind them, and the Admiral took a seat, Kera Aarens standing behind the chair, one proprietary hand resting on his shoulder while she grinned.

  His uncle glanced at the man who stood out behind them.

  “Jod Svan’Er,” the Ru’Edan introduced himself, bowing formally.

  “Right, Duvall. Let’s get the business out of the way first. I have your report, and I am pleased to have such comprehensive detail. I’m authorized to inform you that each of you is either receiving a promotion or being increased in grade. Now, where do I start?” He opened the file in front of him. “Duvall, for your service, you are being transferred to the Admiralty, where you will take command of my flagship, the Star of Ishtar. Mellissa, your transfer is also effective immediately. We won’t ask that you be separated given what you’ve both already given up.”

  Chowd could see the surprise on Duvall’s face, though he considered it a well-deserved promotion.

  His uncle continued, “Congratulations, Flag Captain McCord. Grayson, for exceptional service, you’re also being awarded with your own command. The Star of Morning will be here in the next few days. You will assume your position there. Elara, you will of course be transferred as Chief SurgiTech. She’s an older ship, but worthy of you both.”

  Elara and Grayson embraced quickly. He was pleased for them. Grayson had always acted as second to Duvall for as long as he had known them. Now he’d be his own man.

  “Chowd. For you, we have had a special request from the Senate. With your gift of languages and your ability to move between the two worlds, the Admiralty would like to offer you a position as the roving ambassador. There’s much work to be done, and the Senate has also promoted Jod Svan’Er and has requested that you work together. Is that agreeable to you?”

  “What? Me? But...I’m...” How do I tell someone, especially my uncle, that I could never and would never have expected such an honored position? “I...er...can I have a moment?” He turned to Meredith. “Well?”

  “If you want it, go for it.” Her words lacked hesitancy, and just the feel of her hand in his told him that she would stand beside him whatever decision he made.

  He looked back to this uncle. “Not without Meredith. Where I go, she goes too.” He said the words clearly, making sure his uncle understood.

  “I’m sure that can be arranged. Though I have to say, it’s unfair of you to take my best cryptologist away. So I take it that’s a yes?”

  He nodded, his heart full to bursting.

  “Jemma Cardnew and Raven Fraser. The new ambassador is going to need a pilot and his own engineer to keep his personal craft in order. That is to be your new posting.” He turned back to Meredith. “So, Meredith?” She met the question in his tone with her smile, and Chowd wanted to laugh out loud. “It seems I should welcome you to the family. Before we go any further, though, I too have an announcement. Kera and I will be communing.”

  Shock filtered through Chowd’s system until he saw the rightness of the two together. He smiled as his uncle continued.

  “Maybe we should make it a double celebration?” the Admiral suggested.

  Meredith looked at Chowd. What could he say? “That sounds about right.”

  Laughter broke out around the room as congratulations flowed.

  Once the room became silent again, Gustav smiled. “Then we need to get the ladies into organizing themselves. I have arranged it for tomorrow, and I guess you are going to want your family to attend?”

  Meredith nodded furiously, dashing away tears.

  “Leave it to me.”

  They stood, the voices loud and celebratory. Chowd took a look at the faces before him. His family.
Every one of them made up his family. Surely life couldn’t get much sweeter.

  About Imogene Nix

  Imogene is published in a range of romance genres including paranormal, science fiction, and contemporary. She is mainly published in the UK and USA due to the nature of her tales.

  In 2011, Imogene Nix was born at the Bondi ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Association) Conference. Returning from the conference enthused, Imogene sat down and worked tirelessly for three months culminating in the book Starline. This book became the first in the “Warriors of the Elector” series. In fact, she has completed six entire series. Imogene has successfully been contracted for twenty-five titles and self-published three others under this pseudonym. She has also completed another three and is, like many of her contemporaries, seeking homes for these books—with at least one likely to be self-published once ready.

  Imogene is a member of a range of professional organizations, including Romance Writers of Australia, Australian Romance Readers Association (ARRA), Science Fiction Romance Brigade (SFRB), Dark Siders Down Under (the Australian Paranormal, Fantasy and Futuristic Chapter of RWA), Erotic Writers of Australia, Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), Queensland Writers Centre, and most recently Romance Writers of New Zealand.

  Imogene’s Website:

  www.imogenenix.net

  Reader eMail:

  imogene@imogenenix.net

  About the Warriors of the Elector Series

  Book 1: The Star of Ishtar

  Available Now

  Book 2: Starline

  Available Now

  Book 3: Starfire

  Available Now