Page 19
I don’t know what Eluni and Blaize are doing interrupting, but it can’t be good if they’re willing to risk their faces potentially being on the broadcasted show.
Every king and Elder will certainly ban them from Amphir’s fleet along with me.
They’ll never escape being associated with my dishonor after this. Video evidence is rarely disputable.
Part of me fears that it was how I handled the Gragoraphor in the creek. I have no doubt it made it onto the Abr show. I just couldn’t contain myself. Two males tried to take and hurt Jovie.
But she’s mine. Every ripple in my Storm calms and finds a corner of my body to rest in when I touch her. All the chaos in my mind and my soul is gone. Nothing else matters but her.
“What is it?” I join my crew in the hallway. “And what did I say about titles?”
Eluni grimaces. “Sorry, Aura .”
Blaize sighs and shows me a tablet playing a video of our people running through the halls of a ship in terror. By the woven blue and purple crests in the floor, it looked like Raiem .
“And?” I ask.
“Don’t you care?” Eluni demands.
“He does. He’s asking for details. You’re with Rogues, Eluni, not Royals.
” Blaize mutters. “The Denarso attacked our fleet about the time we arrived here. They were neutralized, but the fleet is broken. We took out three Slitherships. Only mothership Raeim was affected. A few are on limited engines and being towed.”
“Did command move them to the center?” I ask.
Blaize nods. “We have cloaks up and Rogues scouting. The Nebs are using weapons made of the Cicarron cluster on the Denarso. Denarso are getting desperate for supplies and trying to take females.”
I run a hand through my hair, frustrated that this is happening when I’m finally getting the one thing I need to keep going. I am torn between helping myself for once and returning to my people.
“The weapons that work on Denarso Slithers are called Silversprites,” Eluni rolls her eyes. “I’m building some for Allele. Don’t tell Abr. We’re not supposed to have big weapons.”
“The Denarso have been taking females from other species’ homeworlds and ships. They’re using them as bargaining chips for supplies. But the people fear that’s not all they may use them for if we don’t solidify our defenses.”
“How many were taken?” I ask.
“None this time, but they almost boarded.”
I scratch my jaw while I think. “We should go assist.” But what are we missing? How could they break Rogue Orbit and almost board? Where is the weakness in our system?
Eluni shakes her head. “Your father put out an Araxus Order on your head.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No. So every cold-hearted Amphiran is going to be looking for us and you.”
“Then we must leave and find a way to get rid of it.”
“You just got here, and you’re already going to leave?”
Alarm prickles my skin. I look down to see Jovie staring up at me like I’ve just ripped out her heart.
“I’m sorry, Jovie. My people are in danger. I can help.”
She looks around, wipes a hand down her face, then turns back to us. “Take me with you. I can help repair engines or other electrical things.”
“I doubt you know our tech,” Eluni remarks, looking her over with dissatisfaction.
“Physics is still physics. Energy moves the same across the galaxy. Have someone familiarize me with the parts. Put me on something easy. I don’t care,” Jovie insists.
She paces a circle, then looks to Eluni.
“I haven’t gotten to know Aura much, and I don’t like the idea of innocent people in danger, whatever their species.
But don’t leave me on Earth. If this is my only chance to get off-world, please take me. ”
A squad of Abr security joins us.
Blaize glowers at them as if they’ve had recent interactions. “What now?”
“You and your ship are being asked to leave.”
“Great,” I mutter.
“Not you. Just them. We are locking down the base due to Denarso sightings just beyond Mars. Part of the new male racer obligations include any capable warships they bring will be used to defend the intergalactic games and the racers. That way, it will be just Abr staff, human guards, and racers in the complex. You agreed to that prior to your arrival.”
“ Fieri did. He’s our delegate.” Blaize crosses his arms and throws me a glance.
“I figured you twats were going to pull some shit, though for a different reason.” Eluni hands me a bag. “That’s all I have left of the discharge discs. I’ll be watching closely. Best link up so you can pay attention, too.”
Not good. “We need to help our people.”
“With respect, sir .” Eluni meets my eyes. “You are safest here. If your people had a say, they would want you safe. And this situation outside of Mars is more immediate than the one back with Fleet Amphir.”
“Screw safe. If they need our help,” I retort.
“Trouble?” Sa’Tai pauses in the doorway as he’s about to pass.
“Denarso have attacked some of our motherships,” I tell him.
He inhales deeply. “They left my planet last week.”
“What did they want?” Blaize asks.
“You won’t believe it.” Sa’Tai shakes his head. “Food. They stole weapons from a Sol Federation outpost and killed everyone there. I don’t know why they don’t just ask instead of trying to destroy us.”
Jovie tilts her head and rubs an arm like she’s cold. “They’re afraid you’ll say no. Then, they’ll have lost their element of surprise because you now know they want something and what it is. So you’ll be on alert for them and guard those things more closely.
“That direct ask tactic only works if they actually want something else and can send someone different to get it while you give them what you think they want. Then it’s a distraction.”
We all stare at her for a moment.
“What?” Jovie shrugs. “My ex cheated on me with my sister and crews at the shipyard can be pretty catty when it comes to territory and reputation. Never buy a tool to help with your work unless that thing is merged with your augments, and you’re willing to die to keep it.”
“Are things really that bad on Earth?” I ask her.
“If you’re not born into money, yes. It’s very difficult to work toward a better life when everything is for the war or survival.
We engineer what we need, not what we want.
It’d be nice if we could spit acid or fart magical bombs, but all we’ve got are a few mutant freaks, augmented grunts, salt and grain humans, and the rich. ”
“Salt and grain?” Eluni asks.
Jovie wipes the sweat from her glass, looks at the water on her fingers, then licks them.
Blaize gives me an odd look, like I picked a crazy one.
“Clean water isn’t free where I’m from.” Jovie squints at Blaize.
“It is precious to me. And for the other thing— A salt and grain human is a good human that will be harvested by the system so that others can live. Generally, it’s what we call the people who work hard and die so the next generation can work hard and die.
The grain seeds itself, but it can never become anything other than grain without the hands of another to mill it, mix it with other ingredients, and turn it into food.
They are just the grain that reseeds the fields.
“My father was a farmer. My mother was a piece of shit whore. She left us when we were kids for a younger guy who was always high and lived in a van. Came from a long line of gypsies.”
“Your father?” I ask.
“Died a few years back.” Jovie looks away like she doesn’t want to talk about it. “Anyway, I’d like to help if I can.”
Blaize squints down the hallway. “Ah, damn it.”
Fieri appears beside Eluni. Jorusk isn’t far behind but fidgets with the Abr-branded band around his wings.
“Allele kicked us off the ship and departed with the others,” Fieri reports.
“You’re kidding,” Eluni gasps.
I ignore them as I pull out my chip case and apologize to Jovie. “I am sorry our first night together has turned out this way.”
“Most excitement I’ve had in a long time.
” Jovie shrugs. “What the hell would we talk about if not the war? How you get so muscled? Or how your heart doesn’t stop when you have lightning shooting from your fingers?
I would like to know what your family is like and what you’d expect of me if we last the week.
But seriously, I feel less awkward working than sitting and trying to figure out what to talk about. ”
She has questions for me, and I want to answer them, but I have to sort out this situation first.
An orange male with brown plates of armor over his shoulders eyes Jovie from the bar. I corral her closer and give him a death glare. “We will talk soon. I just need to check on something.”
“Okay.” Jovie notices the male watching her and eases a step further behind the shield of my body.
My Storm tingles in my spine with validation. My female feels safe with me. I don’t think she understands the importance of her small gesture.
I slide the chip back into my augment. Allele, what’s going on?
I want you to stay. You have found your mate. But you must have your guards, Prince Aurelius.
Allele, this seems a bit extreme. I am a Rogue. I should be protecting my people, yet you take off and leave us stranded?
I’m in orbit, running long-range scans. I cannot complete them inside.
Fieri is not listening to me. He argues.
But he cannot interpret the data the way I can.
He says the Denarso want to destroy us. That they are working with the Nebulous Empire.
But I know the Nebs have attacked the Denarso, recently.
And there’s something special about the three vessels they attacked.
They’re science-focused motherships, where we primarily make and store our medicines.
Allele, I think you’re onto something. A friend I just made said his people were attacked over food. We need to call them, the Denarso, and make an offer.
You are in no position of authority. We have all been blocked from access to the fleet.
Table of Contents
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- Page 18
- Page 19 (Reading here)
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