The Akseli, page 26
These were the men Simone considered father figures.
“No one,” she said, “can get past them. I don’t care what technology they use. Seth and David are so powerful that the rest of us look like toddlers by comparison. And everyone you see in this picture would die before they let someone kidnap Adira. Or Ami.”
She cycled through similar images. Every warrior seemed to adore the children. “Teddy bears,” she whispered as she stopped at another picture.
In this one, Simone stood in the center, smiling, with ten or twelve men clustered around her. Seth and David stood at her back, towering over her.
Janwar smiled. All of the men towered over her and looked like they were twice or thrice her weight with muscle. They also wore the black soldier garb she favored and sported multiple weapons.
A sniffle yanked his attention back to Simone.
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she flipped through more images, a tremulous smile on her lips. “Damn, I miss them.”
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he drew her closer and pressed a kiss to her hair. “You’ll see them again.”
“Only on video comms,” she replied sadly.
Janwar shook his head. “You’re forgetting how fast the Tangata is. If you want to see your brethren again after we’ve rescued your friends, I’ll take you to Earth.”
Her face lit with hope as her glowing amber gaze shot to his. “Really?”
“As often as you wish.” At least he would if she remained on the Tangata and didn’t continue to Lasara to guard her friends as she’d initially intended. If that happened, he might never see her again.
He didn’t even want to think about that possibility.
Reaching up, she cupped his jaw in her free hand and pressed a tender kiss to his lips. “Thank you.”
His pulse sped up. Did that mean she intended to stay with him?
“The Gathendien ship just appeared on long-range radar,” Elchan announced suddenly.
Janwar stiffened. “Heading toward the base or away from it?”
“Toward it.”
“How far from the moon is it?”
Elchan tapped his console. “Looks like they’re four days out at their current speed.”
Simone rested a hand on Janwar’s arm. “How far is that for us?”
“We’ll reach the ship tomorrow and the base a day after.”
She tucked her phone away. “Then I guess it’s time we choose a plan.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Two hours later, Janwar stood in Bay 3, feet planted a shoulders’ width apart, arms crossed over his chest. Simone lingered beside him, shifting restlessly as they watched preparations unfold.
After an intense discussion that had twice erupted into heated arguments, they had settled on a plan. Only two of the Tangata’s crew were content with it. T-4 bustled back and forth with the bubbling excitement of a child who’d just been told his parents were taking him to the renowned Wadjerwa Animal Sanctuary. Kova was satisfied, too, and studiously ignored his brother’s glower as he toted gear to a C-23 with an open hatch.
Simone bit her lip and looked pensive. The rest of them…
Well, they’d been here before. Many times.
He stifled a sigh. Kova always volunteered for the most dangerous operations. Janwar had never been able to determine if the younger Rakessian had a death wish or simply did it because he believed he had less to lose if bura went sideways.
As always, Srok’a was furious.
Janwar would feel the same way if Krigara perpetually volunteered for the roughest missions. A pang of guilt struck as he recalled those first few years after he and his cousin had fled their homeworld. Janwar had put his life on the line dozens of times in his efforts to keep them both fed and sheltered. He’d even fought a few times in the same arena Simone had battled the Dotharian in on Promeii 7.
Pulcra’s father had owned it then. And there had been no Dotharian, only vicious, bloody bouts between slaves and anyone desperate enough to fight them for credits. Pulcra didn’t remember it. He was too young at the time. And Janwar had been a scrawny kid with short hair, no beard, and barely enough skill to stay alive. Nothing would’ve made him stand out to the crowds that called for his defeat and cheered their favorite fighters.
Somehow, he had managed to make it through each match. But he probably would’ve died either from blood loss or infection settling into his wounds if one of the local medics—a good male swimming in a sea of bad—hadn’t hunted him down after each match and tended his injuries.
To this day, Janwar still delivered medical supplies he liberated from enemies—and others he purchased—to that same medic on Promeii 7. T had made another delivery in android form while Janwar, Simone, and Soval had met Nandara at the bar.
Janwar hated that Krigara had most likely suffered the same anxiety and anger Srok’a always did when Kova went on missions like this. But at least Krigara had known Janwar did it not out of self-loathing or because he felt he held little worth but because they would’ve starved to death if he hadn’t.
Kova strode past with more gear.
In a few minutes, he and T-4 would depart in a C-23 and sneak over to the Gathendien ship. Once they attached the stealth craft to the hull, they would cut their way in. T had selected a point of entry that would put them close to a data access room he could use to infiltrate the system—something Simone called hacking—and scramble their comms so any messages the ship tried to send wouldn’t reach their destinations. Then the two would use a combination of the ship’s specs and life-form sensors to navigate the maze of corridors and search for captives, beginning with the labs and ending with the cryo units.
Janwar kept his expression neutral, revealing no hint of the worry that soured his stomach. Usually, three of them would carry out an operation like this, with the rest on standby and T’s army of androids ready to jump in if necessary. There had even been times when five of them had infiltrated a ship with only one left behind on the Tangata to monitor their progress and send in androids if an emergency arose.
But this time, Kova would be on his own with only T-4 to aid him because the Tangata would carry the rest of them to the moon base.
Kova emerged from the C-23 and joined them. “We’re ready.”
Janwar nodded. “To victory.”
“To victory,” Kova repeated.
Simone stepped forward, her pretty face sober. “I’ve lost too many friends, Kova. I can’t lose any more.”
His friend nodded. “Understood. I’ll protect any Earthlings I find with my life.”
Janwar could practically hear Srok’a grinding his teeth.
“I wasn’t talking about Earthlings,” she said softly, holding his gaze. “I was talking about you.”
Kova went very still as he stared at her, clearly caught off guard.
“I don’t know why you might need to be told this, but in case you do… You are not expendable. You’re my friend. And I need you.” She glanced at the others. “We all do. So please be careful and return safely.”
Swallowing hard, Kova nodded. “I will.”
Closing the remaining distance between them, she hugged him.
For a moment, the gruff warrior didn’t move. Then he wrapped his arms around her and tentatively returned the embrace.
Releasing him, Simone turned away.
“Simone?” Kova said.
Halting, she glanced over her shoulder.
“I don’t have many friends.”
Tilting her head to one side, she turned to face him.
His gaze piercing, the Rakessian said, “I don’t want to lose the few I do. You be careful, too.”
“I will.” Her lips turned up in a wicked grin. “But I intend to kick a lot of ass while I do.”
He chuckled. “I look forward to hearing about it when I see you again.”
As the warrior headed for the C-23, Simone moved to stand at Janwar’s side.
Giving in to the urge, he wrapped an arm around her and—despite his concern—sighed with contentment when she leaned into him.
Kova boarded the stealth craft without another word.
“Thank you,” Srok’a murmured. A muscle worked in his jaw as the clamps holding his brother’s craft in place released it with a clunk.
“Thank you.” Simone’s gaze touched upon each one of them. “Thank all of you. You don’t have to do this… risk your lives on what amounts to little more than a hunch that these guys might be holding one or more of my friends captive.”
Soval snorted. “If your friends are anything like you, they’ll probably end up rescuing us.”
She smiled.
The stealth craft rose and rotated toward the exit. Its surface shimmered for a moment before the ship seemed to disappear.
“Wow,” Simone breathed. “That’s one of those cool things you have to see with your own eyes to believe. I knew the craft would be shielded from radar but forgot it would be hidden visually.”
Janwar smiled at the awe in her tone. “All of our craft are imbued with the most sophisticated cloaking technology on the market.”
Krigara snorted. “And some that isn’t on the market. It cost us a fortune.”
“And was worth every credit,” Janwar professed. “Most cloaking arrays only hide ships from radar. But as you just saw with the C-23—
“And with the Tangata the day we met?” she asked, her brown eyes sparkling with amusement.
He laughed, recalling her reaction to the Tangata miraculously appearing beside her. “Yes. Our cloaking arrays also allow our craft to blend seamlessly into our surroundings from every viewpoint, concealing us from anyone who might search for us the old-fashioned way.”
“With their peepers?” she asked.
He nodded, entertained as ever by Earth terms.
Now that the craft had left their sight, Srok’a turned to stalk away.
Janwar shot a hand out and caught his arm. “Wait.”
When Srok’a glared at him, he didn’t take it personally. As commander, Janwar could’ve forbidden Kova from embarking upon this mission and spared his older brother the fear currently gnawing at his gut. But this was the best plan they’d been able to concoct under the circumstances. They all knew the horrors Ava, one of the Earthlings rescued by the Segonians, had been subjected to aboard a Gathendien ship and didn’t want to bypass the one flanking them and risk leaving other females to suffer the same fate. So every one of them had agreed to this.
Unfortunately, that didn’t diminish the fury that always consumed Srok’a when his brother insisted on being the one who risked everything.
Janwar met his glare evenly. “Wait,” he repeated: a command, not a request.
His friend drew a long breath in and let it out slowly before nodding.
Giving his shoulder a pat, Janwar released him.
The door behind them that led to the rest of the ship rose, and T-7 entered.
Was it Janwar’s imagination, or was there also an extra bounce in T-7’s steps today?
He studied the android.
T’s red eyes even seemed to glow brighter.
Simone and the others watched the android advance toward them.
“Ready?” Janwar asked.
“Yes, commander.” Without breaking stride, T-7 crossed to a small but heavily armed fighter craft.
No one made a sound when the hatch opened at his approach. As soon as the ramp lowered, T-7 tromped up it and disappeared inside. A minute later, the ramp closed. The clamps holding the fighter in place clunked as they released it. Then the engine started with barely a hum. T-7 activated the cloaking array as the vessel flew out of the hangar.
When everyone cast Janwar puzzled looks, he shrugged. “A little extra backup for Kova. I’d feel better about it if I’d had more time to gauge T’s competency as a fighter pilot—”
“I am an exceptional fighter pilot,” T announced over the ship-wide speakers.
“—but something is better than nothing,” Janwar finished.
“Does Kova know?” Simone asked.
“No.” Janwar usually only brought T into things if an operation figuratively—or literally—blew up in their faces and they ended up backed into a corner, furiously fighting for their lives. He nodded after the craft. “Keep looking.”
As one, they returned their attention to the view beyond the bay’s massive entrance. Had they not paid attention, they would’ve missed the faint flickering of the stars beyond.
“What was that?” Simone asked, her brow puckering. “It looked like…” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I thought I saw the stars move a tiny bit.”
“The stars didn’t move,” he told her. “Ten cloaked drones just flew past.”
Her face lit with a combination of relief and excitement. “You sent drones, too?”
He nodded and addressed them all. “T is operating them and—”
“I am an extraordinary drone operator,” T interrupted smugly.
Janwar ignored him. “If Kova gets into trouble, the drones will attack the ship and hopefully create enough of a diversion for him to get his ass—and that of anyone he finds—out of there safely.”
The big bay door began to close, blocking out the stars.
Some of the tension melted from Srok’a’s form as he thrust out a hand. “Thank you.”
Janwar clasped his forearm and drew him in for a rough hug. “No thanks necessary, brother. We look out for our own.” Smiling, he stepped back. “And if we can’t handle whatever we find at the Gathendien facility with Simone the Dotharian Conqueror, ten androids, and the rest of the drones at our backs, then I doubt the backup I sent with Kova would’ve made a difference.”
“Ooh, I like that,” Simone said with a grin. “Not the whole we’d die even if we did have the missing backup thing, but the Simone the Dotharian Conqueror.” She said the latter in a dramatic, artificially deep voice, then returned to her own. “I’m going to have to see if the clothing replicator can make me a T-shirt with that printed on it.”
The others laughed as they headed for the door.
Janwar did, too. Vuan, he loved her.
His eyes widened. Wait. He loved her?
“What’s wrong?” Simone asked.
He didn’t realize until then that he’d stopped walking.
The others filed out and left them alone, their minds already on tomorrow’s mission.
Janwar considered it.
He had never been in love before. He hadn’t had the time, really, or the opportunity. The life he’d led wasn’t exactly conducive to courting women and forming long-term relationships. He didn’t even have a favorite pleasure worker he liked to visit again and again when they docked at ports and stations.
The last time he’d had anything close to a relationship was back when his parents were still alive and he couldn’t grow much of a beard. He’d been physically attracted to the Akseli female more than anything else. Neska had been breathtakingly beautiful, and he’d been young enough to like that she’d chosen him over all the other boys. She’d been his first and only lover before life had started kicking his ass. And she’d turned her back on him as soon as the smear campaign designed to cover up the government’s role in his parents’ murders had begun, even though she knew it was all lies.
“Janwar?” Simone asked softly. Her pretty features full of concern, she rested a hand on his chest and peered up at him.
He covered her hand with his, holding it close to his racing heart.
For years, he’d thought what he felt for Neska was typical of most relationships. Maybe even typical of lifemates. But the time he’d spent with Taelon and Lisa, watching their interactions, had made him question that and remember the close bond his parents had shared.
He stared down at the fascinating Earth woman who had come into his life.
How wrong he had been. There was so much more to what he felt for Simone than mere lust and physical attraction. She was his friend. As much his friend as Krigara, and his cousin knew him better than anyone.
Yet Janwar craved her company more. Simone made him laugh, challenged him, and was so vuan fun to be with, even during the quiet moments. The pensive moments when she worried about survivors of the Kandovar. The moments of sadness she sometimes slipped into when she thought of the friends and the family she’d left behind on Earth. The everyday moments when the two of them shared a meal, jogged, and sparred together. Or when she combed his hair after a shower and rebraided it, carefully adding the beads in the exact pattern he always did.
Every moment with her felt different.
She brought him happiness, comfort, and contentment.
She brought him peace.
And he hadn’t felt that in many years.
Janwar could never seem to get enough time with her. And her touch…
He craved that, too, and found more pleasure in her arms than he’d ever believed possible. He’d had no idea how great a difference having a close emotional bond with a female would make, how much that would magnify the ecstasy they found in each other’s arms, and was still dazed by the discovery.
He even loved the tranquil moments afterward. The cuddling, as she called it. He’d never desired that before, always eager to leave once his need had been sated. But with Simone…
With Simone, he wanted it all. Everything he’d thought he could never have.
Her eyes began to glow as the silence stretched.
“Do you feel that?” Janwar asked, his voice barely above a whisper. She was an empath, after all. And he didn’t attempt to hide his feelings from her.
“Yes,” she whispered back, her luminous gaze mesmerizing.
“I’m falling in love with you.” His heart still pounded over the admission as he awaited her response.
Her lips parted. Her pupils dilated as the amber glow of her irises brightened. The hand on his chest fisted around the fabric of his shirt. “I’ve already fallen in love with you,” she confessed.
