Justice Keepers Saga--Books 10-12, page 26
Jack put himself in front of her, resting his hands on her shoulders. The anger in her dark eyes was…Well, at the moment, she could give Anna a run for her money. “I get it,” he said. “You've got that brand new badge, and right now, you're feeling the weight of all that responsibility. Melissa, a Keeper who collapses after two steps is not going to save anyone's life.”
She sniffed.
The remainder of their journey was silent, and when they finally arrived at the Prep Room, the doors slid apart to reveal a very frazzled Larani behind the round table. The Chief Director had one lock of hair out of place, which, for her, represented a very serious lapse in decorum. “How are we holding up?” she asked.
“The eastern barricade has fallen, ma'am,” Agent Telrin shouted over the din. “We have Ragnosians in the inner city.”
“Are they headed for the Hub?”
“No, ma'am,” Telrin replied. “They seem to be coming here.”
Jack fell back against the wall, groaning at the thought of having to fight again. He covered his face with one hand, massaging his tired eyes. “Well, kid, looks like you just got your wish.”
Despite her earlier protests about lending their failing strength to the cause, Melissa did not look happy. No, she looked haunted. She did not want to go back out there; that much was plain.
At the sound of his voice, Larani spun around and watched him through narrowed eyes. “Not just yet, Agent Hunter,” she said. “There are still a dozen Keepers inside this building who are in much better condition than you. I won't send my people out to die in a futile struggle.”
Melissa was blushing and staring down at the floor. Jack was pretty sure he knew why. Hearing Larani echo his earlier sentiments would have killed any notions she had of dying in some noble last stand.
“If it comes to it,” the chief director went on, “I will send those of us who have not yet seen combat to guard your backs while you get the wounded through the SlipGate.”
“Ma'am,” Agent Sokai broke in.
“Yes?”
“The approaching fleet has entered the solar system. They'll be here in less than five minutes.”
Biting his lower lip, Jack looked up. “An approaching fleet?” he asked, eyebrows rising. “Friends?”
“We certainly hope so,” Larani muttered.
It was impossible to get any kind of detailed scan of something moving faster than light. The best you could say was that something was coming your way, and you could only discern that much by the ripple it made in SlipSpace. It was entirely possible that these newcomers were here to support the Ragnosians, and then…Well, if you were going to die for a cause, it may as well be a lost cause. More romantic that way. He felt a pang of grief from Summer. She hated it when he got somber.
“Captain Taborn has rallied the last of our Phoenix-Class cruisers,” Sokai reported. “They're moving to engage the Ragnosian fleet.”
“How many?”
“Four in total, ma'am.”
“And the Ragnosians.”
Agent Sokai looked crestfallen when she checked her screens. She steeled herself a moment later and spoke in a calm, level voice. “There are still nine Ragnosian ships in orbit,” she said. “Three more joined their fleet about two hours ago.”
Larani took a chair, crossing one leg over the other, and gripped the arms until her knuckles whitened. “No doubt those were part of the group that intercepted and waylaid our reinforcements.”
Reinforcements? It took him a moment to remember a report from Fleet Command saying that Palissa would be sending all the ships it could spare. The fact that those ships had never arrived did not bode well.
“Incoming fleet is dropping out of warp!” Sokai exclaimed, “Reading thirteen- No, make that fourteen Antauran capital ships. Message incoming on all channels.”
“Let's hear it!”
The air shimmered, and then a hologram coalesced above the round table. It was the image of a tall man with dark skin and a ring of white hair around his otherwise bald head. “This is Colonel Tharian Delvon of the Antauran warship Striganath. Alios is under our protection. We advise you to withdraw immediately.”
Another hologram appeared, resolving into the image of Telixa Ethran. Jack felt an immediate sense of anger at the sight of her, emotions that were amplified by Summer. His Nassai was quite protective of him.
“Your alliance with the Leyrians is new,” Telixa said. “Why die for people that you called bitter enemies only one year ago? Ragnos has no interest in your territory. Remove yourselves from this conflict, and we will overlook this incident.”
Jack was afraid that the colonel might accept her offer, but any chance of that went up in smoke when the man laughed in her face. “Take a look around you, lady,” he said. “You are severely outnumbered. Your troops are exhausted and battle-worn. You pick this fight, and you will lose.”
“We shall see.”
Both holograms vanished.
“What's going on up there?” Larani shouted.
A sphere of darkness popped into existence above the table, growing until it was large enough for Jack to stand in. It took a moment for him to notice that it was dotted with little white flecks. Stars.
Then ships were rushing back and forth through the blackness. The Antauran vessels weren't as sleek as their Ragnosian counterparts. They were fatter, blockier, but still armed with enough firepower to pulverize a city.
One of those fatter ships unleashed a pair of bright, blue particle beams from its rounded nose, particle beams that struck a Ragnosian battlecruiser but failed to penetrate its shields. The battlecruiser responded with its own particle beams, and soon the whole thing was just a mess of bright colours.
The image changed.
A squad of Antauran fighters, each one shaped very much like a boomerang, flew low over the dorsal hull of a Ragnosian vessel. They all released streams of blue plasma from the tips of their wings, and some of those shots eventually went through the shields, damaging the emitters underneath.
Swarms of automated fighters were attacking the Antaurans. One ship was taking so many hits that its shields were constantly active, making it look more like a star than a man-made vehicle.
All it took was one to break through.
A hundred drones flew through the gap, and the Antauran dreadnought crumpled like a soda can in the fist of an angry teenager. Where was Telixa? It sickened him to realize it, but a part of him was hoping that she would die here. Or at least that she would be taken as a prisoner of war. Summer felt terrible sadness at that. There were times when Jack honestly wondered how the Nassai could love him when she was privy to his thoughts.
He approached the table with a grim expression, breathing slowly to remain calm. “Can you show me which ship the admiral was broadcasting from?”
Agent Sokai turned just enough to make eye-contact and then nodded once. She began tapping commands into her console.
Once again, the image flickered.
Jack saw a huge Ragnosian battlecruiser against the darkness of space, a behemoth that fired green particle beams at its fleeing enemies. Suddenly, one of those fat Antauran ships came into view and let loose a storm of plasma bolts.
They hammered the battlecruiser's starboard hull, sending chunks of debris flying off into space. And then, for reasons that he could not understand, Jack felt pity for the woman who had held him captive. Yes, on some level, he hated her. Yes, some ugly part of him wanted payback, but he realized now that he would find no satisfaction in Telixa's death. The last thirty-six hours had been a colossal waste of life. Too many dead on both sides. And that disgusted him.
Summer was proud of him; he could feel it like warm sunlight shining down. Jack had the distinct impression that if his Nassai could speak directly to him, she would be saying, “This is why I love you.”
“The Ragnosian ships are leaving,” Sokai exclaimed.
Jack fell into an empty chair, throwing his head back and letting out a long breath. “It's done,” he whispered. “Thank God…”
Melissa came over to stand beside him with a smile on her face. She gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Thank you,” she said. “I don't think I would have gotten through this without you.”
“I'm afraid your celebrations are premature,” Larani said. “We still have Ragnosian armies in our cities.”
“Armies without support,” Jack interjected.
“They don't know that yet.”
The sound of footsteps distracted him, and Jack turned around to find his girlfriend striding into the room with her left arm in a sling. Her face lit up as soon as she saw him. “Maybe,” she said. “It's time we told them.”
Turning away from the charred SlipGate, Cassi watched as some of Bosama's men went back around the corner to join their fellows. Anna gone, Rajel gone. Ragnosians all over the place. Needless to say, she was not in a pleasant mood.
It had been almost an hour since Anna had taken off in pursuit of Slade, and so far, they had heard nothing. Either she was dead, or she was maintaining radio silence for some reason. Cassi had thought about calling to check in, but every time the idea popped into her head, she dismissed it. The city was crawling with enemies. Ragnosians troops had broken through some of the other barricades. If Anna was maintaining radio silence, there was a damn good reason why.
In all that time, no one had come through the SlipGate. Cassi was fairly certain that it was inoperable. Still, she had been keeping an eye on it just in case.
Keli leaned against a building with her arms folded, frowning at the soldiers' backs. “So, with our fearless leader off fighting Slade,” she began. “Who's in charge?”
Corovin had his visor up, and he replied to that with a sly little smile. “ That,” he said, “is a very good question.”
“I'm in charge,” Cassi said without hesitation.
They both looked at her.
Were they expecting some sort of explanation? Someone had to provide order in the midst of all this chaos, and the Bleakness would take her before she trusted that job to an unstable telepath or a treacherous assassin. “Keli,” she barked. “What do you sense from the Ragnosians.”
The other woman shut her eyes and concentrated. “They're afraid,” she said. “The mood has changed somehow.”
Cassi's multi-tool beeped. “I suspect we're about to learn the answer.”
With a quick swipe of her finger, she answered the call and found herself looking at a very dishevelled Larani Tal. “Agent Seyrus,” the other woman said. “I'm glad to see that you're all right. A fleet of Antauran ships has come to our aid. The Ragnosians are fleeing the system.”
“I'm glad to hear it, ma'am.”
“How is your team?”
Cassi took a moment to inspect her people. Corovin and Keli were both watching her. “A little banged up, but otherwise fine,” she replied. “Those of us who are still here, anyway. Operative Lenai left to pursue Grecken Slade. I don't know her condition.”
“She made it back to Keeper HQ,” Larani assured her. “She's wounded, but she will make a full recovery. The threat posed by Grecken Slade has been neutralized.”
Cassi nodded. “Operative Aydrius is also-”
A flicker of motion in her spatial awareness made her look up, and she found Rajel jogging toward them. He was breathing hard, but so far as she could tell, he was just fine. “Scratch that,” she said. “Rajel is here.”
“Good,” Larani said. “We're broadcasting messages to the Ragnosian commanders. We'll be playing them over loudspeakers in a moment. We hope that being cut off from their support ships will be enough to make them surrender.”
“Your instructions, ma'am?”
Exhausted, Larani looked away from the camera and let out a breath. “Remain with Captain Bosama until you are certain that the danger has passed,” she said. “Then return here for your next assignment.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
The call ended just in time for her to see Rajel approaching her with concern on his face. “I wasn't able to find Anna,” he lamented. “But I did find Slade's corpse lying in the middle of Releth street. It was clear that there had been a struggle. One of them had used a grenade.”
“Rajel-”
“There were a couple Ragnosian drones inspecting the body.” he went on. “I dealt with them.”
“Rajel,” she broke in. “Anna's fine-”
Corovin shouldered his way in between them, turning his back on her and clapping a hand onto Rajel's shoulder. “We won, Justice Keeper!” he shouted. “Your people came and scared mine away.”
Cassi stepped up beside him with her arms crossed. She gave the assassin a glare and then returned her attention to Rajel. “As I was saying, Anna was wounded and went back to HQ. We're to help Captain Bosama deal with any remaining troublemakers.”
“An easy task,” Corovin scoffed.
“But one that we should take seriously.”
“And then,” he said with a wink for Rajel. “Perhaps you would like to join me in a celebration.”
For a second, Rajel looked confused, but he quickly recovered, eyebrows rising above the rims of his sunglasses. “I suppose that will depend on exactly what you had in mind.”
Cassi left them to flirt. She was in no mood to listen to it. She liked Rajel, but she was done chasing men who set their sights on someone else. On the adjoining street, she found Bosama and her officers gathered around the barricade. Many of them were staying low for fear that some enterprising Ragnosian might take a cheap shot. Cassi couldn't say that she blamed them.
She dropped to a crouch next to the Captain, frowning as she took stock of the situation. “They haven't pressed their attack?”
Bosama shot a glance in her direction and then blinked in confusion. It seemed the woman wasn't expecting to see Cassi. “They haven't fired a shot in over ten minutes,” she said. “I think they know-”
She was cut off by the sound of a deep, authoritative voice coming through the loudspeakers on either side of the road. Those had been installed as part of an emergency alert system that could be used to direct an evacuation. When you lived on the Fringe, the possibility of an attack was a daily reality. That fear should have died a quick death now that the Antaurans were their allies, but it seemed Ragnos was eager to start a war.
The words were Vanasku. Cassi couldn't understand any of them, but she was fairly certain that she knew the gist of the message. “Your support ships are gone. Surrender or die.” Well…essentially that but phrased more tactfully.
Several gray-clad Ragnosians stepped into the open from an adjoining street two blocks away. Each one was unarmed, and they all had their hands in the air. Behind them, the broken remains of a hover tank littered the ground.
“Well,” Cassi whispered. “That went better than expected.”
18
Two hours later, Anna sat on a bed in the medical centre. She looked almost demure with her knees together and her eyes downcast. Not an adjective that Jack would ever have used to describe her, but there it was.
He sat in a chair with his elbow on the armrest, half his face covered by the palm of his hand. “Oh, God,” he groaned. “I could sleep for a week.”
“Me too.”
“What happened?”
The question made Anna wince as if recalling the events brought a new surge of pain. “An encounter with Slade,” she answered. Jack was immediately on edge. Hearing that name sent adrenaline flying through his system. “He decided to capitalize on all the chaos. He was going for the Prime Council.”
“And he stabbed you?”
Gingerly, Anna touched her left shoulder. Even that fleeting contact made her hiss. “I'm getting sick of knives,” she said. “Frankly, the only foreign object I want penetrating my body is you.”
Several nurses smirked at her comment.
Jack was frozen in place with his mouth hanging open, his face burning with the heat of a thousand suns. “Really?” he stammered. “In front of everybody?”
“Eh…You knew I had a big mouth when you married me.”
“I haven't married you yet.”
“Aha!” Anna snapped her fingers. “'Yet!'”
Slouching to the point where he was almost falling out of his chair, Jack let his head loll. “I've never been a praying man,” he muttered. “But I'm gonna have to start if I want to get through this with my sanity intact.”
Anna hopped off the bed, standing over him with an impish grin. She bent forward, took his face in both hands and kissed him softly on the lips. “I'll let you in on a secret,” she whispered. “I just like to watch you squirm.”
“Well, I hope I gave a good performance.”
“Always.”
She sat in his lap as if no one was watching, slipped an arm around the back of his neck and snuggled up. “So, I hear you guys had quite an adventure,” she murmured. “Is Melissa holding up okay?”
“I think so,” he said. “You should have seen her out there, An. She was incredible.”
“She had a good teacher.”
Jack looked up to hold her gaze for a very long while and then allowed himself the barest hint of a smile. “Well, I had a good teacher too,” he replied. “In fact, I had the best teacher a guy could ask for.”
“Aww.”
“And I hate to ruin this wonderful moment we're having,” he said. “But Slade? Did you bring him in?”
With a heavy sigh, Anna stood up, turned her back on him and went back to the bed. She waited just long enough for Jack to worry. “I killed him,” she said. “Put a bullet right through his chest. Two, actually.”
Standing up was difficult, but Jack forced his limbs to move. He approached her from behind, wrapped his arms around her tummy and held her close. “I'm so sorry,” he whispered, “That can't have been easy for you.”
“You're not disappointed in me?”
“Never,” he insisted. “Maybe, with any luck, this time, it'll stick.”
“I don't think so…Right after I put him down, this old woman appeared to me and said I would never be able to destroy him. And something about a white snake?”
