Unchained (29 page)

“
What is that?” Coon
asked.

Decker smiled smugly. “That is Captain
Stone. More specifically, his personal comm signal.”

Coon’s mouth dropped. “We’re too far away.
His personal comm unit isn’t that strong.”

“
It is if it passes through
a signal booster. I planted a high-power relay aboard the K12. As
long as he’s within range of the K12, we can pick him up across the
galaxy,” Decker said proudly.

Coon shook his head. “Forget it. The d’Hont
will find it in a minute.”

Decker laughed. “Not this one. It’s one of a
kind. My own creation. Get to work on those repairs. I want to be
ready when they move.”

“
What happens if the signal
suddenly dies?” Coon glanced up at him. Without answering, Decker
turned and walked off the bridge.

Grey’s first thought was that someone was
poking him full of holes. His second thought was that his brain had
become too big for his skull. Consciousness floated back bit by
bit. Needle-like pain radiated in all directions inside his head
with every heartbeat. He began to dread each steady beat. He was
lying down on what felt like a bed. Where? The last thing he
remembered was standing in the landing bay with Cidra.

Cidra
. He reached around with his hands for her. She wasn’t
there.

Another hard poke jabbed into his
shoulder.

Grey forced himself to open his eyes and was
greeted by the business end of a high-caliber laser rifle.

A voice spoke from
somewhere behind the guard pointing the rifle in his face. “Welcome
aboard
Expunger
,
Captain Stone. I am Commander Plass.”

Plass
. The big gun himself. Well at least the man had manners. He
glanced over the barrel of the laser rifle to the guard holding it.
This one looked a long way from polite.

“
You won’t get many
visitors if you greet them like this.” Grey winced as the sound of
his own voice ricocheted through his head. “What did you do to
us?”

The guard with the gun moved away and was
replaced by the figure of the man impeccably dressed with perfect
posture. His black hair was shot with gray and expertly cut. Dark
black eyes were bright with intense perception and intelligence. He
carried himself with the bearing and character of a man very much
in control. Grey knew immediately that this was the man who tracked
them down through all the diversions. This was the mind behind
their ultimate capture. Although Grey was impressed, it didn’t make
him feel any better that Commander Plass was a worthy
adversary.

With a heavy groan, Grey rolled to a sitting
position on the edge of the large bed and shook off the stabbing
pain that shot between his ears. He cradled his head between his
hands, resting his elbows on his knees. With a laser rifle trained
on him, he felt completely vulnerable. There was no way he could
even defend himself in this condition. And where was Cidra?

“
You were incapacitated
with auditory stun bursts. It will take some time until the
residual pain diminishes, but there will be no permanent damage,”
Plass explained with little sympathy.

Grey grunted. It sure felt permanent. He
raised his eyes to Plass. Although he should have been, Grey didn’t
feel threatened by him. It took his foggy mind a few tries to
figure out why. Commander Plass didn’t have the eyes of a killer.
They were too clear. Grey should have been comforted by that
revelation, but it only meant the man probably would order someone
else to do his killing for him.

Plass widened his stance and locked his
hands behind his back. “You left quite a mess in the landing
bay.”

Grey forced a wide smile. “I guess they just
don’t make landing bay doors like they used to.”

“
And caused the deaths of
thirteen good men,” Plass continued, ignoring the
sarcasm.

Grey narrowed his eyes. “Thirteen stupid
men. I gave them time to get out.” He shrugged. “It’s not my fault
they didn’t use that time wisely.”

Plass stared at him for a few long moments.
“Cidra Faulkner is your companion.”

“
She works for me,” Grey
sidestepped. “Where is she?”

Commander Plass knew better than to believe
the Captain’s cool, detached concern. She was more than another
crew member. When the guards found them unconscious on the floor in
the bay, the Captain’s body was wrapped around hers like a shield.
Plass knew exactly how to get his answers.

“
In a separate detention
room. She has yet to regain consciousness. I decided to begin with
you.”

That phrase earned Grey’s full attention. He
watched with growing dismay as the Commander began to pace the
small room, his hands still locked behind his back deep in thought.
It dawned on Grey that the Commander was stalling. Why? Then Plass
pulled out his laser pistol. Grey froze.

Then Plass dismissed the single guard,
leaving them alone in the room. Grey wondered how fast he could
reach Plass before he could pull the trigger. His head protested
immediately. He needed more time to recover and he doubted he was
going to get it.

Plass stood in the center of the room with
the weapon pointed at Grey. “I have come a long way to capture the
daughter of Jarid Faulkner. My men are very anxious to kill the
last Faulkner.”

Grey didn’t say anything. The blood was
pounding through his veins, clearing his head with amazing speed.
He didn’t like the direction of the conversation.

“
Unfortunately, she is not
our real enemy.” Plass stepped toward Grey. “Is she?”

Stunned, Grey stared Plass down for a few
long moments. Then it hit him. He knew the reason why they were
still alive. Equal parts of relief and anger rolled over him. Grey
spat out through clenched teeth, “You know.”

Plass said nothing, revealed nothing.

Grey stood to his full height, ignoring the
pain it brought, ignoring the laser pistol pointed at him. He
turned his back to Plass, trying to bring himself under
control.

“
You know about Tausek. You
know about the shipment he sabotaged.” Grey swung around to face
him, rage surfacing. “How long have you known?”

Plass remained calm.
“I
know
nothing. I
have suspicions. I am optimistic that you can supply me with
additional information.”

Grey narrowed his eyes at the man with
combination of disgust and disbelief. “Let me get this straight.
You want us to tell you what we know? Then what? Then you kill us?
Then you destroy all the evidence we have and forget it once and
for all? That bastard killed millions of people. Millions. He
should rot for that.”

Plass’ voice was quiet in contrast to Grey’s
angry words. “I agree.”

It took Grey several heartbeats to recover.
“You agree?” he hissed softly. “What kind of game are you
playing?”

“
No game,” Plass explained.
“You are correct. If Tausek did destroy that shipment, I want him
dead.”

Grey laughed cynically and shook his head.
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you. I know how you d’Hont stick
together.”

“
Yes. Especially when we’ve
been betrayed.”

Grey regarded his adversary warily. The eyes
that met his never wavered, never flinched. “What about your crew?
Don’t they know the truth? Why do they still want Cidra dead?”

Plass sighed deeply. “They are a different
matter. Tausek has hard core loyalty from the d’Hont, due mostly to
the incident ten years ago. I need irrefutable evidence. And even
then, it will be difficult to persuade them to turn against their
leader.” Plass met Grey’s eyes. “But I give you my word that I will
do everything to bring Tausek to justice. It is not only your lives
at stake here.”

Grey absorbed the final statement. For the
first time he realized Plass’ predicament. He was turning against
his ruler—alone. He may be a d’Hont, but he had integrity and guts.
A guarded respect surfaced as Grey struggled with the changing
dynamics of the situation. His choices were severely limited.

“
I want Cidra. In here.
With me,” Grey demanded firmly. “Then I’ll give you all the
evidence you’ll ever need.”

Plass studied him for a few long moments and
nodded once. “Acceptable.” He turned sharply toward the door.

Ten minutes later one burly guard carried an
unconscious Cidra into Grey’s detention room, followed by Plass.
After the guard deposited her on the bed and left the room, Grey
gave her a cursory exam. To his immense relief, she appeared
unharmed. Her breathing was deep and even.

“
Why hasn’t she regained
consciousness yet?” Grey grilled Plass.

“
She should be coming
around shortly. Better to let her rest. She will awaken in less
discomfort.”

Grey stared at the Commander, not believing
his ears. “Why do you care what happens to her?”

Plass met his eyes. “Because if Tausek is
guilty, she is innocent.”

“
Her father was innocent,
too.”

“
You said you have
evidence,” Plass replied. “We don’t have much time.”

Grey nodded and looked down at Cidra. “I
hope the K12 is intact.”

“
It is.”

Grey gave Plass a hard sidelong glance.
“Will she be safe here alone?”

“
For now.” Plass waved his
laser pistol toward the door. “After you.”

By the time Grey returned to his detention
room, Cidra had begun to stir.

Alone at last, he slid onto the bed and
gathered her into his arms. She sighed and burrowed her head into
his shoulder, still firmly entrenched in her peaceful dream-like
world.

Grey lay there wide-awake, stroking her
hair. The trip back to the K12 had energized him. The little craft
was in perfect condition, but the bay was indeed a mess. It gave
him enormous satisfaction to watch the faces of the guards
performing the repairs and clean up. Somehow he got the feeling
they had learned a valuable lesson.

He chuckled softly recalling the amazement
on Plass’ face when he had simply entered the K12 and yanked out
the transport’s active memory core. Plass’ guards had checked every
square inch of the ship looking for evidence. They had recovered
the vaccine shipment, but had missed the memory core. It never
occurred to them that the K12’s original core had been substituted
by that of the downed transport on Courf.

Unfortunately, Grey never had a chance to
view the contents of that memory core. He could only hope it
contained the original file transfer of the Galena ambush. If the
recording wasn’t in the core, there was no hope for them. Even if
his instincts held true and the recording existed, there was no
guarantee that he or Cidra would live to see another day. All he
had was Plass’ word. And a ship full of d’Hont who wanted Cidra
dead.

He had given Plass the core and outlined the
entire story from beginning to end. It was a desperate gamble, but
Commander Plass was now their only shot at survival. All they could
do was wait. It seemed ludicrous that their enemy should become
their savior. Grey breathed in deeply and closed his eyes, trying
to have faith in the Commander’s conviction and his powers of
persuasion.

Cidra shifted. Grey dropped soft kisses on
her upturned face and down her throat. He slipped his fingers
through her thick hair, inhaling the sweet scent of it. He would
never get enough of her. Never. Just the thought of holding her for
the rest of his life sent passion raging through him. Heat only
Cidra could bring forth.

She stirred against him, the length of her
body melting into his. With deep kisses, he drew her back to
consciousness. She blossomed under his hands, waking fully aroused
and ready.

Cidra moaned softly against his mouth and
murmured, “Where?”

Grey smiled. Her complete trust amazed and
humbled him. She didn’t ask about her safety, didn’t worry about
her situation, didn’t even open her eyes. He didn’t want to yank
her out of her sensual awakening by telling her how dire the
situation really was. “Safe.”

She slid her arms around his neck, searching
and finding his mouth with her own. Grey shifted on top of her,
parting her legs with his thighs and settling himself there. He
loved the way she felt under him, the way her form fit perfectly to
his, the way the fire built between them. His kisses were soft and
gentle, lingering and long. With a single movement she arched
against him and shot his slow, easy pace all to hell.

Grey thought about the guards standing
outside, about Plass’ imminent meeting and a very possible
interruption of their lovemaking. Then he shook it off and ground
his hips into her. He couldn’t think of any other place he’d rather
be.

The situation was critical. His life was in
the balance. The future of the d’Hont was in jeopardy. He was about
to change history forever. Plass couldn’t be happier.

His executive quarters
brimmed with
Expunger
’s highest-ranking personnel. Majors Holtz and Berman were
seated on either side of him at the large holo deck table along
with Lieutenant Fiske who was operating the holo deck controls on
the opposite side. In a semi-circle behind them, stood eight junior
officers in charge of
Expunger
’s various systems. They had
all been briefed on Plass’ suspicions of Tausek and the amazing
scenario of events that began with the Avion shipment and ended
with the recovery of the memory core and missing
vaccine.

Plass knew that not a single crew member in
this room believed the account. What he proposed would shake the
fundamental goals and foundation of the d’Hont. A foundation built
on hate and revenge, on the resolution to never again be
vulnerable. The wreckage of the past united the d’Hont into the
force they were today. Changing that past meant changing the
present and the future.