Page 19

“Regent Kaara.”

When they remained silent, Nerx asked, “Are you lost? From where do you travel?”

The regent laughed, his black eyes crinkling around the edges. “We are where we planned to be.”

Behind him was a wall of lights, though the symbols denoting their purpose were unknown. Mechanical noises and chatter droned in the background. The purple armor he wore didn’t reveal much either.

“Welcome, Regent Kaara.” Nerx bowed. “It is not often I meet such a high-ranking personage.”

“Flattery? How quaint.” Kaara held up a thin finger, black rings as jewelry rested below each knuckle.

So much for diplomacy, though Nerx had never claimed to be good at it. “How may we assist?”

“I grow weary of this conversation,” the regent said. “Prepare to be boarded.”

Nerx scowled. “For what purpose?”

The display vid went black.

“This is not promising.” Aldur held the blaster to his chest.

That was an understatement. What could Nerx do? To deny them access could start a war with an unknown species and their untested capabilities. But to allow them entry might endanger Britta and Lily.

He rubbed a hand across his face. “Send the hatch co-ordinates, Edon.”

“Wise. A narrow entry point and far from the engine room.” Aldur nudged his head at the common. “I will wait in medical.”

A speck shot out of a lit slit, aiming for the scimitar’s port side.

“If we run, where to?” Nerx gripped the back of Edon’s comfy.

“An asteroid belt is not too far. We might lose them there. A battleship cannot navigate through it.”

“Unless they launch fighter craft.” Pain pulsed up Nerx’s neck to throb behind his eye. “No nearby planet?”

“The gas giant Aberdus is close enough. Though flying into its volatile atmosphere may not be wise.”

“All right. First chance we get, bolt for the asteroid belt. Perhaps we will be out of range of their comm dampener and can call for aid.” He stepped into the passage.

“Seal yourself inside the comm room. And activate all sec vids. If the ship survives and we do not, then whoever finds it will know why.”

Striding to the common felt like a sentencing, with a waiting Adviser Kanzo sharpening his sword to slice off a foot of Nerx’s hair.

His boots thumped when his approach should have been silent.

Not knowing what to expect cinched his chest tight.

He couldn’t plan, couldn’t anticipate, which meant dealing with this blindsided.

They didn’t train for this, and should he survive, he’d suggest a change to the curriculum on Gikaet.

Facing the external hatch in the common, he spread his legs, clasped his hands behind his back, and waited.

His hearing prickled, picking up every sound: the steady hum of the engines, the movement of air along the ducting, and Aldur’s faint inhalations.

The clunk from the outside of the scimitar boomed in his ears. He didn’t flinch.

The hatch slid open to the bright white interior of a shuttle of some sort.

Soft benches lined each side; the smooth surface of the floor and the padded bulkhead said luxury.

Still, four blue-suited individuals filed into the common to circle him.

Their features were hidden behind tinted helmets, elongated in the back to connect to a pack at the base of what he would imagine was their spines.

Two legs and two arms made their physiology seem similar to Etterians.

They were almost as tall, yet far too slender.

He said nothing, hoping to appear unbothered by their intrusion.

“This is what they fear,” a cloaked male strode into the common and spun to grimace at the interior. “Way too primitive for my tastes.”

“Welcome,” Nerx gritted out, then frowned at the fruity fragrance tickling his nose.

“Supreme Commander, is it not?” Purple armor accentuated a body hardened by war or the preparation of it.

Yet his face was too…soft, as if he had yet to reach malehood.

That they sent their youngins into battle said much about their mindset.

“Primary Shioll, though my name should be of no consequence to one such as you.”

“How may I assist, Primary Shioll?” Nerx asked, forcing his shoulders to relax.

“I have been tasked to ‘introduce’ your people to mine.” The smile he offered Nerx curled with enough venom to confirm his instincts had been correct.

He glanced at the warriors, their odd-shaped blasters no doubt lethal. Dipping his head in a bow, he said, “I am Etterian and, on behalf of the Global Council, welcome you to our universe.”

“ Your universe?” Again, derision drenched Shioll’s almost-lyrical voice.

“Well, we do share it with many species and cultures. You will find we are quite diverse and at peace, for the most part.”

Shioll’s laugh sounded like sucking noises instead of huffs. “Peace we despise for it does not force change, Supreme Commander.”

“True, but to constantly battle cannot build the might of an empire.” Nerx relaxed his arms by his sides, close enough to reach for his blaster. “War needs warriors, does it not?”

Shioll jerked back. “You still birth your young?”

Nerx clenched his fists, the only outward sign of his irritation. This male had yet to attend to his imperial task, and the sooner he did so, the quicker he could leave the scimitar. “And you are?”

“Viqrian.” Shioll clasped his left forearm, below the elbow, then released it in some sort of salute. “On behalf of Regent Kaara, the ruler of the Bronvol , we demand you submit to our superiority and give us your planet.”

As he struggled to focus, anger burned Nerx’s nostrils. He choked down the retort curling his tongue. “I am a supreme commander,” he managed. “You will need to address your demands with my king.”

“I see, then escort us to your king.”

What madness is this? “Why would I lead you to my homeworld?”

“For my regent to negotiate with your king.” Shioll shrugged.

“No, when a comm will do.” What firepower did this battleship have? No, he refused to endanger his Etteria.

“We expected you to resist.” Shioll flicked out his cloak in a mini-tantrum Nerx had seen the children do. “I am to insist by leaving a message only Etterians will understand.” He raised a finger with fewer black rings adorning it.

His Viqrian males closed in on Nerx, who shook his head when Aldur tapped the red of his blaster.

Two Viqrians grabbed Nerx. He hesitated before letting them twist his arms behind his back.

They forced him to kneel. He didn’t fight them, unworried about dying, as long these males never ventured into the engine room.

Shioll unsheathed a dagger from his boot and approached. “Something as silly as your hair has importance to you?” He scoffed. “For us, the shorter it is, the higher the rank. Surely as supreme commander, yours should reflect as much.”

Nerx stilled, heat sliding down his spine at the threat.

He clenched his jaw, not willing to offer any information.

Besides, Shioll had revealed how much he knew of Etteria and their culture.

When he’d been sent to introduce his kind?

Wanted to negotiate with King Xeus? The sentences implied diplomacy yet something seemed… off.

Shioll tugged on Nerx’s braid, tucking the shimmering blue dagger under it.

Aldur roared a battle cry any battle-bond would be proud of.

The remaining two Viqrians turned as one.

Despite Aldur’s blaster shot nicking one Viqrian’s shoulder, they fired, forcing Aldur to dive behind the med-E.D.

A gasp and his slumped body sucked the air from Nerx’s lungs.

No, his soul cried out. Aldur couldn’t die, not when he’d just discovered his Dar Eth.

He tried to focus on Aldur’s breathing, his heartbeat, but with so many males around him, his attempts were futile. A Viqrian ventured into medical to nudge Aldur with his boot.

“Why?” Nerx demanded, shifting on his knees to make it easier to lunge at Shioll. “You have no right—"

“Search this ship,” Shioll commanded his males except for the two still holding Nerx.

Fear seized his chest. He roared, wrenching his arms free.

With a slash of the dagger, the glint on its steel the only warning, his braid pooled on the floor.

He stared, unable to believe it. No. He couldn’t deal with that now.

Not when he had to stop them from finding the females.

He wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his greatsword sheathed down his back.

With one lunge, he cleaved two Viqrians in half.

He held the tip of the blade to Shioll’s throat but kept his focus on the remaining warriors. They had their blasters aimed at him.

With one command from Shioll, Nerx would die. He’d take Shioll with him, but that left those in his command and his females at the mercy of these Viqrians. Think. Could he take Shioll hostage? Force them to leave the scimitar? He was outnumbered.

Movement to his left snapped his gaze. Horror, pure fear, and sorrow gripped him, far surpassing the loss of his hair. He shook his head, even as anger flooded his veins. These potent emotions bombarded him, stiffening his body while time slowed.

Britta marched into the common with the blaster yellow and ready.