Forsaken (23 page)

“They have three more minutes and then I’m bashing their heads together,” Raylon grumbled as he joined Kotto on the far side of the room.

Raylon’s threat so closely mirrored Kotto’s thoughts that it allowed him to relax, or at least begin to relax. “Make a decision, gentlemen. Every moment you waste is a moment Chandar is in peril.”

Sental stood and ambled toward them, leaving a red-faced Fintor alone at the table. It didn’t matter how hectic the situation became or how frantic everyone around him was, Sental remained cool and composed. “We have two possible options. One is more efficient, but has a higher probability of being detected. The second is less elegant, but there’s no way that bastard will realize what we’ve done.”

“Sneaky yet ugly works for me,” Kotto told him. “A surprise attack is our only real option.”

Sental shot Fintor a triumphant smile. Not surprisingly, the more complicated route had been proposed by Sental. “It shouldn’t take long to set up. I’ll notify you when it’s ready.”

“Com me. I’m not sure where I’ll be.”

Raylon chuckled as Sental hustled into the adjoining command center. “I know where I’d be.”

“Exactly where I’d like to be, but we’re in the middle of a crisis.”

Raylon tilted his head and glared. At least he’d been doing less of that over the past few hours. “I’m well aware of our situation.”

“I wasn’t inferring you weren’t. I was explaining why I’m not with Raina. She’s a constant temptation.”

“Undoubtedly.”

Pep talks weren’t his strong suit, especially when the person who needed encouraging had recently punched him in the face. Still, Kotto felt like he needed to say something. “According to Irron, every battle born male is likely compatible with more than one female. This isn’t the end.”

Raylon’s eyebrows arched, nearly touching his hairline. “Do I look like I’ve given up? It’s been forty-nine years since I lost my mate. I can survive a little while longer.”

Kotto had no idea what to say to that so he was relieved when Bandar pinged him.
This is Kotto. Go ahead.

Is the planning session finished?

More or less.

We have visitors.

Bandar had accessed a private link, so Kotto forwarded the exchange to Raylon rather than taking time to explain the situation.
There hasn’t been an alarm, so I’m presuming they’re friendly.

Bandar chuckled.
Their friendliness is debatable. Come down to the concourse and decide for yourself.

The ship was still docked inside Lunar 9, so whoever their visitors were knew about the outpost and possessed the skill needed to navigate the challenging entrance. More than a little curious, Kotto left the conference room with Raylon on his heels.

“Was another ship expected?” Raylon asked as they reached one of the utility ladders. They were often faster than competing with elevator traffic.

“No one’s on the schedule, but General Nox warned me that the situation was fluid.”

There were airlocks leading to the main concourse on decks three and four. Even though it was one level farther down, the exit on deck four was farther forward, which made it closer. Raylon followed Kotto through the narrow airlock then moved up beside him as they reached the spacious walkway.

Directly across from the
Crusader
another ship had docked. With sleek lines and a sweptwing design, the agile covert strike ship or CSS could only be the
Phantom
. But this ship wasn’t supposed to go into production for at least another year.

“I’ll be damned,” Raylon muttered. “How in all of hell’s rings did Garin pull this one off?”

The airlock attached to the side of the
Phantom
hissed and three men immerged, Bandar, his younger brother Zilor, and Kotto’s nephew Danvier. Kotto didn’t need to wonder why Chandar’s brother had left the safety of Garin’s ship, but Kotto was dying to know how they’d gotten here in a few short hours.

After Kotto clasped arms with Danvier, Raylon repeated his question. “How was this done? Last I heard the CSS line was months away from even trial runs.”

“Some secrets Garin can share and some he can’t,” Zilor told them with a characteristic grin. “Not only is the
Phantom
operational, she’s one of six ships bearing the same name. She’s been equipped with a covert shield generator that works even better than the
Crusader’s,
bio-streaming technology
,
as well as a jump drive far more powerful than anything we’ve ever used before. We left Rodyte space six hours ago.”

“Unbelievable,” Kotto murmured as he stared in awe at the ship. If pushed to her limits, the
Crusader
could make the trip in around twenty-five hours. Generally, the trek from Rodymia to Earth was considered a two-day journey.

“The new system can’t propel anything larger than a CSS,” Zilor cautioned.

“But who needs a clunky old fighter when you can arrive in style.” Danvier allowed himself a quick smile as he looked at the
Phantom.
“These ships are like nothing you’ve ever flown before. Every pilot in the fleet is going to trample each other just to sit in the cockpit.”

“Are all six operational?” Raylon wanted to know.

“Four are ready now,” Zilor told him. “The other two are days away.”

“And no one but us knows about this?” Kotto glanced at Danvier then turned back to Zilor.

“Us and your crew.” Zilor motioned to the people gathering on the concourse and standing at the large viewports inset in the hull of the ship.

Kotto clasped his hands behind his back, annoyed by the subtle accusation. “Every member of my crew is already a traitor to the crown. We only survive if we keep each other’s secrets.”

“You really got here in six hours?” Raylon sounded skeptical.

“It took approximately an hour to make preparations after I received Chandar’s cry for help.” Danvier had retreated behind the stoic mask all harbingers employed. “How long ago was that?”

Sental activated Kotto’s com-bots, so he moved slightly away from the others.
This is Kotto, go ahead.

The trap is ready. Shall I insert the bait?
The excitement in Sental’s voice was undeniable.

You have the message Raylon and I worked out?

Of course, sir.

Kotto shook his head. It had been a foolish question. Sental was the most proactive person on the ship.
Then bait the trap.

Off it goes. I’ll contact you as soon as I hear any sort of response.

Copy that.

When he returned to the others Raylon asked, “Was that Sental?”

“Yes. He just sent the message.”

“What message?” Danvier moved closer to Kotto. “Does this have to do with Chandar?”

“It does.” Kotto quickly explained what had transpired since Chandar sent out her distress call. “The private frequency Letos gave us will lead us to the
Relentless
, but we cannot let Akim know we’ve found him. A fast clean rescue is our only hope.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Danvier assured. “Using the
Phantom
for the mission will protect the
Crusader
. Not only is the
Phantom
shielded, Akim has no idea she’s operational. If something happened to the
Crusader
, we would lose a serious advantage. Four hundred people depend on the
Crusader
for survival. With the
Phantom
, we’ll only be risking three.”

“And you’ll not be one of them.” Zilor crossed his brawny arms over his chest and rocked back onto his boot heels. “Garin has forbidden you from being directly involved.”

Danvier had to unclench his jaw before he could speak. “It’s a ridiculous dictate. I’m her brother.”

Zilor waved away his objection and went on as if the harbinger hadn’t spoken. “The final choice is up to us, but Garin suggested Raylon, Kotto and me.”

“Kotto is every bit as invested in Chandar’s rescue as am I,” Danvier objected.

“I’m not a harbinger,” Kotto returned. “Garin’s right, as usual. We can’t risk a harbinger to rescue a harbinger. It doesn’t make sense.”

“But why is Garin okay with Kotto participating when he took Keyran’s command for attempting the very same thing?” Bandar asked his brother.

“There were two females at risk before,” Zilor pointed out. “Keyran was forced to split his attention and it led to the mission’s failure. Kotto will be utterly focused on the one and only goal.”

“Besides, Keyran disobeyed a direct order,” Raylon reminded. “There will always be consequences for that.” When no one argued, Raylon went on, “Three-man team. Who would stay with the ship?”

“Me.” Zilor didn’t look pleased with the decision, but he obviously agreed. “I know the
Phantom
better than anyone.”

“Except for me,” Danvier muttered.

Raylon looked at Kotto. “Are you good with this? Are we finished with the hostilities?”

“I am if you are.”

Raylon shrugged, but the tension in his shoulders made his indifference hard to believe. “I know where she spent last night, so it’s water under the bridge for me.”

“This sounds interesting.” Zilor moved up next to Kotto and casually draped his arm across Kotto’s shoulders. “Fighting over a female, I presume? Can I meet her?”

“They’ve already started to bond, so you’re too late, puppy.” Only Raylon or another Nox could get away with the nickname, but it always made Kotto smile. Zilor might be the youngest, but he was also taller than his brothers and more powerfully built.

“If you’re already linked,” Zilor persisted, “then there is no reason to keep me away. Besides, I want to see the outpost.” He swept his free arm toward the other end of the concourse and the massive buildings beyond. “Show us around.”

Seeing no help for it, Kotto reluctantly started for the outpost entrance.

Zilor lowered his arm as he looked behind him. “You’re coming too,” he told Danvier. “There is nothing we can do until we locate the
Relentless
. Now get your ass over here.”

With a frustrated sigh, Danvier obeyed.

“Is it all right if we take a look?” Raylon called out.

Zilor paused and made a quick adjustment to the subdermal control band on the inside of his forearm. “That should get you in. If it doesn’t, I’ll take you aboard when we return.” He looked back as they reached the outpost entrance and Raylon and Bandar were nowhere in sight. “Looks like it worked.”

“Good. Then you can let me on board when we get back.” Zilor nodded, so Kotto motioned for his guests to precede him. “Welcome to Lunar 9.”

* * * * *

Feeling a bit excluded, but refusing to be useless, Raina quickly dressed and went to work. She’d check on Ashley later to make sure a few hours of sleep was all she needed. Raina was pretty sure Kotto had received the same message as Ashley, yet he’d hardly reacted at all. Or he had meticulously internalized the pain so no one else would know he was in distress. Unfortunately, the second option seemed more likely.

Their emotional link was still active. She could feel it spanning the distance between them, but that was all she could sense. He was shielding his mind and emotions from her, which was further indication that Chandar’s message had upset him a whole lot more than he’d revealed outwardly.

Well, there was nothing she could do about it until he returned to her and that was likely to be hours from now. Bandar had released the workers back to their usual duties, so Raina had the jungle to herself. It was actually sort of peaceful. The inventory was complete and she had compiled a list of the things she’d need to make the jungle functional again.

The schematic diagrams and detailed documentation had helped Raina unravel the design. Despite some unfamiliar components, the jungle was a combination wick/drip system with a recovery mechanism that allowed the excess nutrient solution to be recycled. Though much more expansive than any of her projects, the concepts were basically the same.

Toward the end of the day yesterday, she’d noticed an unmarked lever on the corner of each plant tray. She tried moving several, but they all seemed jammed or perhaps rusted shut. Curious about what the lever controlled, she knelt at the corner of one of the trays, hoping to discover its secret. This tray appeared newer than the others, as if it had been replaced. She pushed on the lever, but it wouldn’t budge, so she pulled on it instead. The lever gave just a little and the entire tray rocked. How strange. She tried again and something below the tray gave off a deep, metallic groan.

“They definitely do something.” Energized by the partial progress, she went to the storeroom and found a can of spray lubricant. She wasn’t sure it would help, but it couldn’t hurt. After lubricating the mechanism as best she could, she crossed her fingers then tried again.

The horrible groaning/scraping grew so loud she almost let go of the lever. But then the plant tray rose from its base, dragging three additional plant trays with it. “Holy crap.” She stared up at the stacked plant trays and shook her head in wonder. Lighting fixtures were inset in the bottom of each tray along with several drain tubes to accommodate runoff of the nutrient solution. “Why didn’t I think of this?”