That evening, no one argued when I wanted to take a walk, but I wasn’t permitted to go alone. Kaoti was near, and he was one of the last people I wanted close to me. He meant too much to me to risk. Breathing in the clean air, I did my best to center and clear my mind in anticipation of what Felix might demand of me for his cooperation. We were less than a mile from my house. A whirl of sound took me by surprise as drones burned through the webs directly above me. Green scanning lasers covered the surrounding area like a virtual blanket. Then, they attacked. Robot soldiers dropped down from above in blurs of white like plasti lightning to strike the forest floor.
Kaoti was surrounded. His blades moved in a blur causing sparks to flare when he severed a robot’s power source. I watched in horror as Kaoti’s blades flashed around him, striking off the heads of the bipedal, plasti-covered machines with their glowing yellow eyes.
“Behind you!” I yelled while fumbling for my blaster.
Kaoti pivoted, dropped, and sliced the arm from a robot that had been intent on gutting him. I lost sight of my bodyguard as the AIs converged on him. Suddenly, Nico was there. He took a robot by its ankles and swung it like a club into two others.
Metal chains whipped down and around my upper arms, knocking my blaster from my hands before I could get a clear shot at anything. I was yanked up into the sky above my forest with such force that I couldn’t lift my chin from my chest. My arms started to go numb. Tightening my stomach muscles, I tried to lift my legs up to kick at either of the drones, but I hung suspended too far below them. They flew low over densely forested areas out of sight of any towns before plummeting into the camouflage of the treetops. As I was lowered to my feet, the chains released and wound back inside of the drones.
“I thought it would be wise to take precautions,” Felix said as he approached from out of the darkness.
“Where are the boys, Felix?” My arms hung numbly at my sides. I wanted to wrap my hands around Felix’s throat.
“Is that any way to greet an old friend?”
“You killed my husband. Luca didn’t have to die. I might have forgiven you for what you did to me, but not that.”
“Teagan, come now. Don’t be so sentimental.”
“I didn’t tell. Now, give me the boys and go. If you hurry, you may be able to get away before my guards capture you.”
“Shall I take that to mean we won’t be working together, Princess?”
Smiling sweetly, I said, “One day, I will work a blade’s edge slowly over every inch of your skin. I’ll start with your feet so that your blood doesn’t obscure my work.”
I heard clapping from the background and saw a large male step forward into the light provided by the drones above. “Well said, Princess. Well said.”
Chills covered my flesh at the sound of his voice. He no longer looked like Yukihyo. The cold, dead eyes of Inquisitor Flavian appraised both of us. I took a step back. Angry red scars crossed Flavian’s face.
“You should have accepted my offer, Teagan. I always have other options. If not yours, I will have the support of the opposing faction,” Felix said.
“Take her,” Flavian ordered.
“Damn it! You, vile bastard! Where is my team?”
Flavian gave me a cold smile that Felix didn’t see since he was busy grabbing me and sticking me with an injector. I regained consciousness on a ship in a cargo hold. Cedrenus, Binder, and Ross watched me through swollen eyes. Cedrenus’ mouth was bloodied, and Ross’ nose looked broken.
“You have the girl. May I trust upon your support?” Felix asked.
“Flavian, you traitorous bastard! Arrest him!” I screamed. “He killed Luca!”
Flavian smiled coldly at me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Clark shifting from foot to foot. His team members, Stayton and Levi, were with him. Each of them had blasters aimed at us.
“To whom should I pass along information that I deem of interest to you?” Flavian asked Felix. He bent down and brushed my braided hair back with his fingers. A slow grin stretched his face into a rictus of a smile.
Felix tapped away at a vid-screen. “All you need to know is here. Remember, you wouldn’t have gotten your hands on her without my assistance.”
“Oh, I’ve had my hands on her before. Isn’t that right, Princess?”
Realizing I wasn’t bound, I scrambled away. “Felix, don’t do this,” I begged.
Flavian took the data chip from Felix and secured it in a pocket. Felix said, “She has a chip in her possession that contains rather sensitive information. I wasn’t certain of your cooperation.”
“It could only be at her home. There won’t be anything left when I’m done with it,” Flavian said.
Panic sliced through me. “No! No! No! You can’t! My babies are there! I’ll give it to you. Please, don’t hurt my babies!” I rushed at Flavian. He shoved me hard knocking me down to skid into Clark’s legs.
Felix said, “I don’t see how harming innocent children accomplishes anything. There is always another way.”
Clark said, “Father, he’s right. You can’t mean to….”
“Shut up!” Flavian roared. He turned to Felix.
I turned to look up at Clark. With tears in my eyes, I begged. “Please, please, don’t let him hurt my children. Please, warn my family. I know you hate me, but save my babies.”
Flavian laughed. “You won’t have any family left to warn. See this?” He aimed his vid-screen at the hull and projected an image upon it. After a moment, I realized what I was looking at. An explosive device had been hidden on Tora. “I attached sensors to it. If they touch it, it will detonate.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked in a choked voice.
“Females do not belong in the Warrior Caste. Had you been raised properly, you would know that. With you for a mother, young Niklos might make additional changes to our way of life. We had thought to get rid of your influence by giving you to Felix. He could have made use of you in the Talpa Sector and become a powerful ally to our faction. However, after sampling what you have between your thighs, I’ve made other plans, and they involve you getting pregnant with a new heir. You’ll be in desperate need of comfort after losing your entire family.”
A change came over Felix. “How did you get those fresh scars on your face?” he asked coldly.
“Felix, please, don’t let him do this. Please!”
Felix didn’t take his eyes off Flavian, but he asked, “Teagan, what has he done to make you so afraid of him?” When I didn’t answer, Felix yelled, “What has he done?”
Startled at never having heard Felix raise his voice, I screamed, “He raped me!” Then, I hid my face and cried. Inquisitor Flavian planned to take everything from me. I heard blasters charging up behind me and trembled from where I sat huddled at Clark’s feet. I looked up at him in fear.
Hate had transformed his face, and his blaster was aimed at his father. “Those cuts weren’t caused by the explosion, they were from punishment. You raped the Princess, were arrested, and her husbands had begun their punishment of you. We watched as you killed Inquisitor Rovek and took our classmates prisoner. You said we were helping to preserve our way of life, but you forced a female to take you? Now, you plan to kill our future emperor?”
“Remember whose side you are on, boy,” Flavian said hatefully.
“Oh, I have.” Clark blasted his father.
Flavian returned fire. Stayton grabbed me and hauled me behind Cedrenus while firing at Inquisitor Maxim as he stepped from the lift. Stayton brought a knife down through the plasti bindings on Cedrenus’ wrists and handed him the blade hilt first. “Protect the Princess,” he yelled as he took aim at Maxim.
“Stand down, Clark!” Flavian ordered.
“You’re a traitor!”
“Son, you’re making a mistake.”
“My mistake was believing in you! I disavow you! I’m not your son!”
Cedrenus covered me with his body as blaster fire filled the cargo hold. I watched from beneath him as Felix opened the hatch and slid free of the ship, dropping out of sight. “He’s getting away!” I yelled while squirming out from under Cedrenus to follow.
My team scrambled after me as I jumped from the still lowering ramp. The hard ground fast approached, but a pair of strong arms grabbed me mid-air. I met Farowyn’s eyes. He looked out of breath. “We followed you here through the trees.”
“Arrest the men in that ship! They are traitors! They plan to kill my family! We have to catch that man!” I pointed after Felix who was racing away in a transport.
Clark fired rapidly into the cargo hold before jumping down with the others. Farowyn nodded at his men. They leapt onto the ramp and into the ship.
“Teagan!” Binder yelled. He was stealing a land port roller. We piled on it and followed Felix.
“He’s boarding a ship! He’s going to escape!” I yelled.
Clark pointed. “There!” It was a small stealth ship.
Binder tore across the land port while Clark remotely lowered his ship’s ramp. Farowyn held me tightly on his lap to keep me from falling off the roller. Binder sped up the ramp that Clark immediately sealed behind us. We hurried after Levi to crowd into the lift.
On the bridge, I yelled, “Hurry!” Clark was fumbling to power on the ship.
“Let me,” Farowyn ordered.
Clark conceded the captain’s chair to Farowyn. “Does he know what he’s doing?”
“Yes, he’s an admiral for fuck’s sake. He grew up on a bridge,” I said.
“Clear,” Farowyn said as he took us up. Felix’s ship showed up on our sensor readings, and it was quickly putting distance between us.
“Hail my ship! Captain Ricimer can catch him!”
Clark activated a console. “My father deactivated our communications. He said our mission was secret. He just didn’t want us knowing the truth.”
“Fire a shot at the Empress! Do it!” I screamed.
Clark aimed and fired a shot at my ship as we darted off after Felix. It worked. Captain Ricimer lifted the Empress into orbit and pursued us. Unfortunately, we had no way of telling him who we were. Farowyn began evasive actions.
“Teagan, take the vid-screen from my pocket and use it. Quickly,” Farowyn commanded. I felt his chest. “The lower one, my Queen.” He blushed as I reached into his pocket and finally grabbed the right thing.
Frantically, I called my ship. A deadly serious Lieutenant Commander Glous answered my call. “Don’t shoot us! We had to get your attention. We are pursuing Felix Jiri! He’s getting away! My family is in danger! Inquisitor Flavian plans to destroy my home with my children inside! Please!”
I heard Captain Ricimer barking orders. I held the vid-screen toward Clark so he could tell them Felix’s coordinates. Suddenly, another ship loomed in our path and began firing at the Empress. It was a Galaxic Militia ship which was quickly joined by the second one that had been docked.
Captain Ricimer ordered, “Admiral Farowyn, do not, I repeat, do not lose Jiri. I will track you after this is cleared up.”
“My babies!” I cried out before we were cut off forcefully by the Galaxic Militia’s communications officers. I stared in horror at Farowyn. “We have to go back. I have to get to my children. Nothing matters more than them.”
Farowyn had a hard expression on his face. “There is not a commanding officer alive of any race who would disobey an order such as the one Captain Ricimer gave to me. I know him from our travels, but not as well as I know my men. They will not allow those males to harm the little ones. Peter, Niklos, and Neema will be safe. I swear this on my life to you.”
I paced back and forth across the bridge with eyes too blurry to see. Hours later, Felix’s ship was a small blip on our sensors. The Militia had so effectively scrambled our communications that I couldn’t get Farowyn’s vid-screen to work. Binder couldn’t fix it either. We had debriefed each other on all we knew. A sick feeling had pervaded my heart when Clark had told us that someone very close to me was a traitor. He just didn’t know the traitor’s identity.
“Teagan, Teagan,” Cedrenus said. “Let me see to your injuries. You’ve been pacing for hours.”
Helpless to return to my family, I had fixated on Felix. “He can’t get away, not after all he has done.”
Farowyn said, “He will not escape me. I will gift you with his entrails. We will take his ship, and we will prevent harm from coming to those aboard Tora. Do as the young one suggests. Clear your mind and call out to your Omnes Videntes,” Farowyn said calmly.
“Oh, stars. How could I be so stupid?”
“You are not stupid. You are in shock,” Cedrenus said. He held his hand out to me. I placed my hand in his and let him lead me into the small habitation area behind the bridge.
Sitting where Cedrenus indicated, I concentrated with all of my will to push my fears and anxiety away. Telepathically, I cried out to Zared, who clamped onto my mind with ferocity. He sped through my mind, sifting through my thoughts. He said, “The children are safe. We will come for you.”
“Tora?” I asked. My question went unanswered, and my surroundings came back to me. My children were safe.
Stayton had set Ross’ nose and was packing it with gauze. Binder was doing his best to assist Levi, who was in the medical unit. A blast had scorched his side.
“I’m fine,” I assured him.
“I don’t think so,” Cedrenus argued. He got me to sit on the couch. “Please, remove your sweater.” Confused, I looked at what I was wearing and shrugged out of it. The yarn was snagged and torn. “You’re bleeding. Remove your shirt.”
I froze. “No, I’m fine.” There was fear in my voice, and everyone heard it.
Clark’s eyes filled, and his face scrunched up before he went down to his knees before me and lowered his head. “I am shamed, Princess Probus. My life is yours. I was blind and a fool. I renounce House Flavian and pledge my life to you.”
“Clark?” I asked, completely baffled by his extreme reaction.
“Princess Probus, do you accept or decline?” Cedrenus asked in a quiet tone that felt heavy with importance.
With eyes full of sorrow, the other members of Clark’s team, Stayton, and Tyler joined him on the carpet at my feet and repeated their own pledges to me. Levi echoed them from the emergency medical unit. My team was silent and grim. Stayton was crying as he stared at the tan carpet. His behavior puzzled me, and I felt a sense of déjà vu that I knew his name from somewhere.
“I accept,” I said with uncertainty, not understanding what was happening.
Clark, Stayton, and Tyler looked up at me with an unsettling fervor. Then, Clark stood and went to the back of the habitation deck, returning with a blanket. He held it up in front of me. With a blush in my cheeks, I began removing my shirt, or trying to. I hissed in a breath.
“Teagan, will you let me help you?” Cedrenus asked.
“Fine.” I took the blanket from Clark and held it to my aching chest. “What I wouldn’t do for a breast pump,” I grumbled. Binder’s face turned red. “There is a hungry baby waiting for his mother at home. Unless….” What if Zared had been hiding the truth from me yet again? My eyes filled.
Clark said, “The traitors are using fear to control you. Believe nothing they say. Anything they tell you could be a lie to manipulate you down a desired path to achieve a planned result.”
From the bridge, Farowyn calmly stated, “My Queen, my men will not allow them to escape. Your children are safe, surrounded by spiders, and a defensive shield protects your home.”
I wiped my eyes on the blanket. Cedrenus had begun cutting my shirt away. The chains from the drones had cut into my skin, and the fabric was stuck in my dried blood. Clark’s eyes became a bit deader. “Teagan, why don’t you take a shower? Then, I’ll bandage you up,” Cedrenus suggested.
“Alright.” I stood, clutching the blanket and locked myself in the small bathroom. After my shower, I searched the bathroom and started cussing.
“Princess, what’s wrong?” Ross asked.
Through a crack in the door, I said, “There aren’t any…um… lady protection items in here.”
Ross looked confused. Levi whispered in his ear. Ross turned red. I was handed a large stack of bandages and a set of clean clothes. What had survived of my attire went into the cleaning unit. Cedrenus tended to my torn, bruised flesh. Then, I heated up food for Farowyn and myself and went to the bridge. Later, I asked Cedrenus what the significance was of what had happened between me, Clark, Levi, Stayton, and Tyler.
“Had you declined, they would have sought honor in their own deaths.”
My eyes grew wide and my palms damp. I whispered, “As in killed themselves?”
He nodded. “They conspired to commit treason, but even more duplicitous and dishonorable is association with the rape of a female.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Parvac males are known and feared throughout the galaxies for stealing and raping women.”
“Stealing, yes, but never taking a female by force. Taking a woman and wooing her into submission, and accepting and respecting her choice of husbands may be disagreeable to some cultures, but the females are never abused. Never. They are prized and cherished. We become their faithful and willing servants. Hurting one intentionally is inconceivable.” He moved to the back of the ship and turned down one of the bunks. “Please, come rest. I’m certain Captain Ricimer will be here soon.”
Admittedly, I was tired. The adrenaline had long ago worn off and left me feeling exhausted. “So, you’re sure it’s safe to sleep, what with the other team and all? Will you watch Farowyn’s back for me?”
Cedrenus smiled and covered me with an extra blanket. “They have pledged their lives to you. They will never betray you, nor will I. If I didn’t think you would laugh in amusement, I would offer myself to you as a husband.”
Terrified, I sat up. “Oh, stars! Where is Izaac?”
Cedrenus’ eyes locked onto mine. “He was not captured with us. I do not know.” Gently, he pushed me back down to the bunk and dimmed the light. “You are safe. Do not be afraid.”