Chapter 36: Chapter 36

SILIAN

Silian lay propped on one arm as he watched Amy sleeping next to him on the bed. He smiled as he followed the curve of her half-smile, committing the sight to memory.

The last hour and a half he would never forget, and he didn’t want it to end. He could lie here forever just looking at the woman who changed his life so completely.

“I love you, Amy,” he whispered, and she moved, pulling the black sheets lower and exposing her breasts.

He smiled and adjusted the sheet to cover her up so she wouldn’t get cold.

As he did so, he felt the unmistakable sensation of a jump. ~The Captain’s moved the ship.~

“Silian, you are summoned to the bridge,” Prime said in his ear. ~Damn.~

With care, he rolled off the bed so he wouldn’t wake her, speaking sub-audibly to Prime to request a uniform. He looked back at her on the bed, and an idea struck him.

He took a few quick steps to the bathroom and saw those unfamiliar red flowers she’d decorated the room with.

He grabbed one by its long stem, frowning as he felt a sharp pinprick in his fingertips. He walked back to the bed, stripping off the thorns with his fingernails before placing the flower on the pillow on his side of the bed.

He sighed and then made for the door. He felt calm now, calmer than he’d ever felt before if he was honest with himself and tried to regain his focus.

Yet images filled his mind, and he cherished them. He walked to the bridge slowly, picturing Amy’s face.

As he stepped onto the bridge, he saw Bakron’s face on the large screen. He felt the smile on his face disappear, but no burn to his eyes. All the anger he felt couldn’t burn through the other emotion that filled him.

As he stepped up to stand beside Mikhlas, Bakron glanced at him, his expression closed off and unreadable, and then back at the Captain.

“We await your arrival on Tekran 4, Captain,” Bakron said, and the screen went dead.

“So, you decided to take us to Tekran 4, after all,” he said to Mikhlas.

“Yes,” Mikhlas nodded, speaking at a level the other crew would not hear. “Silian, I know I swore to you that you’d never—”

Mikhlas stopped as Silian held up his hand. “It’s all right, Captain. I know why you are choosing this. You just want to keep Dakira Izzy and the Princes safe, and you think this is the best way. I’m fine with it.”

Mikhlas gave him a doubtful look and then leaned in close. “Why do you smell like moonflower?”

Silian smiled. “Lesson nine,” he said.

“Captain, the flyers are in position,” Iry said.

Mikhlas took his eyes off him and turned to the room, stepping away. “Good. Take us to a geosynchronous orbit at 25,000 miles from the planet. Hold at high night, in the dark.

“We will take the shuttle from there,” Mikhlas said. Iry nodded and walked away.

Silian moved to sit in his seat and bring up his instruments when he noticed Dakira Izzy nearly hidden in the third large chair. He crossed his arms on his chest before he sat and turned toward her as she cleared her throat.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked.

“We need to wait for the power core to recharge. It will take most of the night, and this ship is not safe for you or the princes when we have no weapons or shields.

“We will go to the planet’s surface in the shuttle, and Silian can dock the ship at the Anchorage and wait for the core to recharge,” Mikhlas said.

“Okay, do you need Amy there?” she asked Mikhlas before she raised one eyebrow at Silian. He held in his blush and concentrated on his instruments, the thought of how much time remaining flitting through his mind.

“No. She can stay aboard the ship. The flyers will protect the entire area, but I’d feel better if we were on the ground. There are thousands of men there, all sworn to protect the Realm and its ruler,” he said.

“I’d better go get the boys ready,” Izzy said and walked off the bridge.

Silian smiled. ~Thank you, Dakira Izzy.~

“Silian, you have command until I return. Iry will join us on the ground. Prime, how long until the power core is fully charged?”

“Fifteen hours for the core to return to optimal power levels, another nine hours for the FTL generator to charge. Twenty-four hours until the ship will be ready to jump to Homeworld.”

“Very well. We will see you in twenty-four hours,” Mikhlas said and left with Iry.

Silian turned to his instruments, and when he registered the disembarking shuttle turned to the crew. “Dock with the Anchorage,” he commanded.

“Yes, First,” Prime responded.

As he looked out the main viewport, he heard a soft step at the entrance to the bridge he recognized. He turned his chair and smiled at Amy as she walked down the ramp.

“Thank you for the rose. Where is everybody?”

He got to his feet and crossed to her, taking her hand and leading her back to the command chairs.

“Mikhlas and Iry have taken Dakira Izzy and the Princes down to the base,” he said as she sat. “We’re just docking with the Anchorage now.”

Amy turned her eyes to the viewport as the massive Anchorage came into view. The station hung above the planet like a metal spider web.

The large bulbous form of the station was at the center of a string of service access ports, with half a dozen of the small fighter planes running a perimeter patrol.

“Wow,” she said, leaning forward in the chair. “That’s massive.”

“The Anchorage can service up to a dozen battleships at once, if need be,” he said.

“Will we visit the station?” she asked.

Silian shook his head. “It’s probably not a good idea for you to leave the ship.”

“Are you sure you’re not just trying to keep me all to yourself?” she asked with a smile.

“The thought crossed my mind,” he said.

“Good. I am all yours now. What would you like to do?” she asked, and the smile she gave him made his insides churn. He shifted in his seat and leaned closer to her.

“Again?” he whispered.

“Maybe. You never know your luck. We still have a little time, I know,” she said and stood. “Meet me in the observation room. Half an hour?” she asked.

“I have a better idea. When you are ready, I would like to take you to Infinity,” he said.

“And beyond?” she asked, but Silian frowned at that. She laughed a little and shook her head.

“Never mind. Observation deck, half an hour,” she said and walked away. Silian watched her leave and then leaned back in his seat and smiled.

***

~Half an hour never felt so long before~.

After docking with the Anchorage, he checked and rechecked all the systems on the ship, he paced the bridge for a few minutes, but when he started getting strange looks from the crew, he decided to sit down again.

“Is there a problem, First?”

“No problem, Miran, thank you,” he said.

After five more minutes, his leg began to bounce in its spot and his fingers tapped the arm of his chair.

~Maybe if I walk slowly, I can pass the next four minutes. ~Standing up, he turned to Miran to inform her she had the comm. As he opened his mouth to speak to her, Prime interrupted him.

“Silian, I have a maintenance crew from the Anchorage requesting entry to the ship.”

~Maintenance crew? We don’t require any maintenance, just time for the core to recharge.~

“What is their reason for wanting to board?”

“They said they just wanted to—Silian! Six Fleet destroyers have just jumped to the other side of the planet,” Prime said, and Silian stopped in his tracks.

~I don’t like this,~ he thought as the short hairs on his neck rose.

“Set alert status throughout the ship and disengage from the Anchorage,” he said turning back to the main viewport.

“Prime, do we know the identity of the ships?”

“Justice Command.”

“What? Battle stations!” he barked.

“First! We are still connected to the Anchorage. The port locks will not disengage,” sent Miran.

“Give me visual.”

On the main screen, he saw a group of ten men, all Homeworlders, outside the port docking locks.

“Captain, we have a problem,” he said, but there was no answer.

“Prime, contact Captain Mikhlas,” he commanded.

“I cannot get a signal through. Something is blocking me.”

~Nanite jammers! ~His eyes turned to the main screen which showed the ten men remove a large device from within a carry case. ~No!~

“Prime, blow the port airlock, now!”

“I can’t get access to that part of the ship, Silian,” her voice sounded weak and confused.

“Manual Override. Release the controls, Prime!”

As parts of the controls warmed up, he moved close, watching the screen the whole time as the men stepped forward with the nanite jammer held in front of them, as more men pulled hidden weapons.

~They’re going to board.~

The group pushed forward and the nanites pulled back, allowing them an opening that they rushed through, the nanite skin closing behind them in a liquid wave.

Finally, the manual controls came online, and he blew the locks. He steadied himself as the ship moved away from the Anchorage, blown outward from the station.

“Helm, evasive maneuvers, get us as far away from those destroyers as you can. Fire control, keep those fighters off our backs,” he said, rushing for the door and hearing Miran follow him up the wide ramp.

“What are you doing, Miran?”

“We must repel boarders first. Prime will not operate with that jammer onboard, meaning she cannot defend the ship. You’ll need all the help you can get.”

He nodded at her, and her small mouth curled in a smile. “It’s been a long time since I’ve hunted.”

“Seal the bridge behind us,” he yelled as he ran out with Miran at his side.

“Prime, blades,” he closed his hands on empty air expecting his nanite blades to form and shocked that Prime appeared to be completely incapacitated by the jammer.

~I need weapons~, he thought, when he suddenly realized that a pair of Cantian force projectors were still lying on the floor in Amy’s room.

~Amy! She’s in the observation deck.~ His hearts leaped and red rage clouded his vision at the thought of what the invaders might do on the ship. Might do to her.

He pelted down the corridor toward midship, his long legs easily outpacing Miran. As he turned the corner toward the emergency stairs, two men stepped out from a side corridor. They raised blades and rushed him.

He ducked the first swing, twisting his body away and felt the blade pass over his head.

The second attacker tried to adjust his line, but before he could stab him, he’d wrapped one hand around the hilt, and straightened into a solid headbutt.

He felt the man’s jaw break on the top of his head, gripped him hard in the underarm and spun, dragging his opponent’s body around as the first attacker swung back toward him.

He shoved his off-balance opponent into the first, ripping the blade away from his hand as they tumbled to the deck in a tangle of bodies.

He roared and drove the blade down with both hands, punching through the back of one of the men, and stabbing into the chest of the first.

He leaned on the weapon, and the blade scraped against the metal deck before he felt the tip of the weapon snap off.

In his fury he kicked the dying men in their throats, hearing bones break before he retrieved the remaining blade.

“Two down, eight to go,” Miran said as she arrived. She knelt, placing her hands on the heads of the two dying men. They stiffened, going pale as she drew all the electrical activity out of their brains, and they breathed their last.

“We need to get that jammer,” Silian said.

“I can feel some of them. There are four on level above us, and two are heading for the engine room, but I can’t tell who has the jammer.”

Silian stood at the edge of the stairs before pointing and handing Miran the sword. “You head to the engine room, I’ll take the four above.” ~But where are the other two?~