Page 14
Story: Star Fated Alpha
On the ballroom floor, dancing partners whirled, glasses were tipped, couples kissed, and music swelled.
Abby leaned in, her breath hot against Savvine’s ear as she whispered, ‘An attack. Don’t look now, but it’s blazing through the starboard view.’
Savvine froze. All sound became distant as static buzzed at the edge of her senses.
‘Where now?’ she muttered.
‘Mid-sector. OnTheOdalon,which just got bombed inside the perimeter. Tis the Lombardis. I just received a distress call from our comms officer on board, who claims the bastards used aHades-level shield-piercing kinetic detonation. The hull is cracking like a walnut.’
Savvine’s body locked, her breath hitched in her throat.
‘The crew?’
‘Evacuating as we speak.’
‘Damn.’
‘The blast wave’s coming,’ Abby continued, voice tight. ‘The explosion’s shock front will reach us in five minutes. It won’t break the dome, but it’ll rattle us hard enough to send people flying if they’re not ready.’
Savvine swore, then took a deep breath.
Fokk, the gunship she chanced on earlier, must have been a scout for the bigger attack.
‘It appears that the wedding of the year was the distraction our enemies used to creep closer and take out one of our most weaponized vessels.SanteAbby, I’ll make the general and Eugene aware.’
‘One more thing,’ Abby whispered as Savvine’s eyes focused on the blooming inferno in the distance.
Abby didn’t smile. ‘I hacked the Lombardis’ comms arrays. Pulled some deep-cored archive from last week. Pull up a bar stool, you might want to sit for this.’
‘I’m wearing a tight and strapless bridesmaid dress. Not ideal for collapsing. We don’t have the time for it either. Speak, woman.’
Abby snorted, but it was humorless. ‘I’ve got footage of a clandestine meet between a Lombardicapoand a high-ranking Signet operative. One of their strong guard. Possibly Kaal Essen or Santiago Alvarro, but it’s grainy as hell. I can’t even be sure given those Signetfokkerskeep their IDs secret and locked down.’
Savvine’s heart punched her ribs. ‘That bomb on theOdalon.’
Abby nodded grimly. ‘Might’ve come from Signet. Money was exchanged. Plus packages.’
‘Do we have proof?’
Abby shrugged, her expression dark. ‘Not hard. Not yet. But a parcel handed off less than a day before this explosion? I don’t believe in coincidences, and neither should you.’
Savvine stared past the holo, into the sea of candlelight and joy behind her. Her stomach turned cold.
She bit her cheek, confident that Eugene would make her a scapegoat for the security breach.
Perhaps even attempt to make her pay for the slip-up, even if she was not the one who orchestrated the hit.
She glanced up at the dome above, shimmering with gold decorations, casting the illusion of serenity. Beyond it, the frigate burned.
She cursed, hoping its few hundred crew members all managed to get away.
Her soul felt gutted, as she was again reminded that on this flotilla, every moment of joy had to be guarded with a blade.
Laleh and Dorian danced on, oblivious, while laughter spiraled around the tables.
She inhaled, set her worries about Eugene aside, and prioritized ensuring the entire ship and her extended family remained safe.
‘I need to make sure everyone stays calm,’ she said, turning to Abby while tapping into her neural link and dispatching silent codes to her team. ‘I’ll get Leiko and the team to handle the doors if anyone panics, then I’ll brief the General. Meantime, get me a direct line to Captain Therros onThe Odalon, if he’s still breathing.’
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210