Chapter 22
Ultimatum
Her body continued to sing from the aftermath of her last orgasm. She would swear she could feel her blood racing through her blood vessels, leaving her toes and the tips of her fingers tingling.
Kelen breathed in Kyber’s musky scent and burrowed her nose deeper into the soft, short curls covering his chest. She noted that his pelt was no longer coarse. Since their rescue, they had begun their recovery. Along with ample food, rest, and no longer being stressed with trying to survive on a minute-by-minute basis, they were healing mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Yes, she knew it wasn’t over. There remained the problem with Kyber and his crew reporting back to Seneecia. Eventually, they would have to face whatever consequences remained because they dared to declare a truce between themselves and the Terran survivors without the permission of the Seneecian Triumvirate.
As for herself and the remaining crew of the Manta, at some point they would need to be debriefed. Then, inevitably, they would be reassigned to a new ship. If any of them were lucky, a couple of them might discover themselves placed on the same docket, but chances were still slim, considering the number of warships in the fleet.
“You are no longer relaxed,” a voice lovingly accused. “All that work for nothing.”
She laughed softly as he kissed the top of her head. “I was thinking about the fate of the crew. What’s awaiting them. What’ll happen to them once all this is over.”
“You are thinking about us all being split up, correct?”
Tilting her head back, she looked up into his green gaze. “We’ve been through more together these past few months than most crews do in a lifetime of service. We work well together. We mesh. We have each other’s back, no matter how much crap is thrown at us. I just hate…” She shook her head and tried to stifle the tears that threatened to come.
Kyber kissed her forehead. “You detest the thought of having to split up. I can commiserate. At least they are being given a short reprieve from that when they go back to investigate Neverwylde.”
She agreed. “That’s something to be grateful for.”
“D’har Kyber.” It was a voice they didn’t recognize.
Kyber reached overhead to hit the comm button. “Kyber here.”
“Colonel Pfeiffer needs you and Lieutenant Chambliss on the Bridge ASAP.”
“On our way.”
They untangled themselves, quickly re-dressing before heading for the elevators. Along the way, Kelen combed through her hair with her fingers and quickly re-braided it.
When they exited onto the Main Bridge, they were immediately surrounded by what Kelen always thought of as organized chaos—a flurry of activity soaked in tension and purpose. Colonel Pfeiffer stood in the center of the room. They joined him in facing the huge viewscreen and the enormous Seneecian warship that hovered in its center. Kelen glanced up at Kyber.
“That doesn’t look like the Den Tirim.”
“It is the Var Yuheri,” he told her.
“And captained by D’har Stek,” the colonel informed them, turning to face them. “I just cut communications with them before you arrived. We may have a situation on our hands.”
“Has the Den Tirim arrived?” Kelen asked.
Pfeiffer shook his head. “No, but the Aju Abalis has. It’s hovering on our northern pole.”
“What is the problem?” Kyber requested.
“D’har Stek is demanding, not requesting, demanding your immediate return to his ship, including your men.” He looked at Kelen. “And also the Terran crewmembers who associated with you. We were even given a list of your names.”
“They have no legal jurisprudence over us while we’re here,” Kelen noted. “Do they?”
“We are neutral ground,” Pfeiffer told her. “Under the terms of our treaty with the Bakkite Grand Council, we can only turn you over to Terran authorities.” He eyed Kyber. “Same goes for you and your men, Kyber. We can only turn you over to Seneecian authorities.”
“Then why are they demanding our return?” Kelen inquired. “Have you told them you can’t hand us over to them without an okay from Terran officials?”
“It would seem they don’t care about the treaty. They’ve given us forty-two minutes to comply.”
“Before what?” Kyber requested.
“By that time the other four warships, including the Den Tirim, will have arrived. And from what we can gather…” The colonel called out to one of his men. “Corporal Beedem, throw up that diagram on the main screen again.”
The viewscreen went blank and was replaced by a representation of Outpost Delta Six. Sitting almost directly above it was a bright red dot. Another red dot hovered off port, approximately in the middle. But what got their attention were four more blinking red dots that appeared to be converging on the space station. From their trajectory, once they arrived, a ship would be at the south end, with the other three surrounding them. In effect, the outpost would be completely surrounded.
“Did D’har Stek say what they would do if you refused to obey?” Kyber questioned.
“All he said was that I would be held responsible for the penalty.”
Kelen grimaced. “In short, they’re going to fire on the outpost. They can’t do that!”
“Obviously, they believe they can, if they have the Triumvirate’s permission,” Kyber countered.
“But that’s against intergalactic law!”
Pfeiffer gave her a worried look. “We are within two parsecs of Seneecian space. They could fire on us, inflicting so much damage to this outpost that all lives could be lost, and be back in their home territory before any troops arrive to aide us. And if we send our warships over to their sector, they could meet us—”
“Initiating an all-out war,” Kyber finished “What is the latest on the Kergocian ship? Has it arrived?”
“It docked less than half an hour ago. I was on my way to greet Egok Moad when I was summoned here.” The colonel glanced at them both. “I told D’har Stek I was willing to hand you and Kelen over, as official representatives of both races, but he refused. It’s all of you, or else. I’m sorry.”
Kyber sighed heavily. “I cannot risk the lives of your people, Colonel. I will discuss this with the rest of our crewmembers.”
“Colonel Pfeiffer, doesn’t this outpost have enough firepower to counter the Seneecians’ attack?” Kelen questioned.
“It does. But if they manage to breach our shields… One or two ships we could manage without much worry. But not six Class R warships.”
“What if our men aren’t here by the time the other ships arrive?” Kelen inquired. It was a risky idea, but she felt they had to explore all their options, what few they had.
Kyber frowned. “You’re thinking of them boarding the Kergocian ship and leaving?”
“Yeah. Now, if not sooner.”
“What if Stek scans this outpost? He will discover the lack of Seneecian lifeforms on board.”
She smiled at him. “Oh, I have no doubt he’ll scan the outpost, but when he does, he’ll find no more Seneecians on board.”
Pfeiffer crossed his arms. “You’re thinking of going aboard the Var Yuheri and diverting their attention long enough for the rest of your crew to escape with the Kergocians.”
“Yes. If the others leave now, and we hold off going aboard that ship until the very last minute, it might work.”
“That’s going to put you and Kyber in a very perilous position.”
“It is a risk we are willing to take,” Kyber said.
“Don’t take this wrong, Colonel, but I’m guessing you’ve called for Terran reinforcements?” She hated having to question the man. Technically, she didn’t have the right or the ranking to ask him anything. If he chose to ignore her, or reprimand her, she’d deserve it. But she had a feeling he would answer her.
“Yes, but they’re not due to arrive for another sixteen hours.”
Kyber held out a hand to the officer, who took it to shake. “Thank you for your help, Colonel.”
“You’re welcome. The Hok ti Hai is docked adjacent to Bay Fifteen. I’ll notify Egok Moad and tell her your men are on their way.”