Chapter 24
Surrender
Colonel Pfeiffer was in his antechamber office just off the Bridge when Kyber and Kelen exited the elevator. The officer glanced up in surprise as they stood in the doorway.
“We felt the others would have a better chance of getting away if we were on deck the next time Duruk opens communications,” Kelen explained.
Kyber continued. “If he sees me, he may assume the rest are here as well, and that would give the rest more time to get out of range.”
Pfeiffer gave a nod. “Sound strategy. But what’ll happen when he discovers the rest of your men are no longer here?”
“He will take it out on me. All you have to say is that you are unable to find them, and you are currently searching the space station. Once we go aboard Duruk’s ship, I will tell him I had them smuggled away without your knowledge.”
The colonel narrowed his eyes. “And you think they’ll believe that story?”
“Any story that demeans or impugns the mental capacities of a skint is accepted as fact,” Kyber replied straight-faced. “Duruk will be more willing to accept the idea that my men were able to escape from here without your knowing than to believe you helped by summoning the Kergocian ship in the first place.”
Pfeiffer grunted. “Let’s hope you’re right on that assumption.” He paused to give Kyber and Kelen a worried look. “Are you two going to be okay?”
“No,” Kyber bluntly replied. “Duruk, and indirectly, Plat, will seek their revenge on me, but I am prepared.”
“What about her?” The colonel motioned toward Kelen.
“They will be more lenient with her because she is my Confirmed…and because they know that if they cause harm to her, their actions will have serious intergalactic repercussions. We may be sworn enemies, Colonel, and we enjoy our brief battles, but we have no taste for an all-out war.”
“I’ve already received a reply from Central Command. They are fully aware of our situation, and they’re prepared to call a Joint Council meeting if necessary. Is there anything further that I can do?”
“You’ve done so much for us already, and at great risk,” Kelen told him. “We can’t thank you enough.”
“I do have one request,” Kyber spoke up. “Do you have a spare translator Kelen can wear?”
“I have an extra ear plug version. It’ll translate but it doesn’t interpret. Will that suffice?”
“Can it translate Seneecian?”
“I’m pretty sure it can.”
“Then it will do. Thank you.”
Pfeiffer reached behind him and pressed a panel in the wall. A small drawer slid outward. After a moment of rummaging inside, he withdrew the small object and handed it to the Seneecian, who gave it to Kelen.
“Put this in your ear. Duruk and the others will not be gracious and speak in Terranese. This will allow you to understand what is being said, but at no time let anyone know you are comprehending their conversation. You may need to take advantage of it in a future time.”
She placed the plug inside her ear canal. He gently tugged on her hair until several strands of it fell over her lobe, concealing the apparatus. “Say something in Seneecian,” she asked.
He smiled. “Eelo nok torus nor.”
You are my only one, the button in her ear stated.
Kelen returned the smile. “It works.”
“Colonel Pfeiffer.”
Pfeiffer hit the comm link on his desk. “Yes.”
“The Seneecian ship is opening communications again with us.”
“On my way.” The colonel got to his feet and silently waved for Kyber and Kelen to join him. They walked onto the Bridge and took a stance in front of the main viewscreen. Gradually, the face of D’har Duruk materialized. Kelen silently laughed at the shocked expression that came over the Seneecian’s face. Duruk quickly recovered and replaced it with a scowl.
“Why is that man not restrained?”
“He gave his word he would not flee or cause harm,” Pfeiffer replied in clipped tones.
“You would trust the word of a traitor?” Duruk growled.
“He is a Seneecian. Isn’t the word of a Seneecian considered honorable?” the colonel coolly replied.
Kelen bit her lips to keep from snickering. Duruk had walked into that one.
The D’har brushed it off. “We will be within range of you in twelve of your minutes. At that time I expect Kyber and his people to be on board the Var Yuheri.”
“Why not the Den Tirim?” Pfeiffer queried.
Kelen resisted the impulse to glance over at the officer. The colonel knew why they couldn’t take the shuttle to Duruk’s ship. He knew they had blasted their shuttle bay and damaged it to the point where it was unusable until repairs could be made. Repairs that had to be made in dry dock, and not in space. She continued to wonder what the man had up his sleeve when she remembered something Kyber had told her.
“A Seneecian does not admit defeat or weakness. To do so would cause others to consider him unable or unfit for his job. Or to command.”
“My reason is not for you to question,” Duruk gruffly replied. “I expect them to be waiting when I arrive.”
Kelen smiled to herself. The D’har had dodged the question, and thus saved face, especially in front of his crewmembers who were within earshot.
“I’m sorry, D’har Duruk, but there is no way the shuttle can reach the Var Yuheri in twelve minutes. It will take a minimum of thirty-one minutes—”
“Then do so,” Duruk cut in. In the next moment, the viewscreen went dark.
Pfeiffer turned to Kelen and Kyber as Kyber remarked, “We would have had no problem docking on the Var Yuheri in twelve minutes.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. But that’s another twenty minutes or so leeway your men have to get out of this sector,” the colonel answered with a grin. “It’s best you go now. I don’t know how long it’ll take before Duruk starts scanning the outpost for Seneecian lifeforms.”
Kyber and Kelen thanked him again and retreated to the elevator, taking it all the way down to Level L where Bay Fifteen was located. Once they arrived, they discovered the craft had been refueled and waiting for them. They climbed inside to buckle in, with Kelen taking the pilot seat and Kyber in navigation.
As the bay went through decompression, the immense doors slid open, and Kelen lifted the shuttle up and out into space. From where they emerged, the Var Yuheri sat like a giant black serpent in the upper left quadrant of their main screen.
“Slow and steady, Lieutenant,” Kyber murmured with a hint of humor in his tone.
“Aye, sir. Very slow and steady.”
They took their time, eating up as much of the clock as they felt they could. As they drew nearer to the Seneecian ship, Kelen felt a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. It clenched tighter and more painfully as the ship loomed closer.
“Hailing Obe Nuo. Hailing the Obe Nuo.” The voice speaking Seneecian was unfamiliar to her.
Kyber hit the comm button. “This is the Obe Nuo.”
“Obe Nuo, we detect only two lifeforms on board when there should be eleven. Where is the rest of the crew?”
“The rest of the crew is not available,” Kyber responded with a straight face.
“Obe Nuo, where is the rest of your crew?” the voice repeated with obvious irritation.
“They are not here,” he answered, then closed communications.
Kelen gave him a side eye. “Was that a wise thing to do?”
“Perhaps not, but I enjoyed it.”
“I think you just pissed them off more than they already were.”
“Duruk does not need a reason to vent his anger. I have borne the brunt of his wrath for too many years.”
“But to deliberately antagonize him?”
Kyber didn’t respond and kept his gaze averted. She couldn’t read him. She had no idea what he was thinking, much less planning. It was almost as if he was resigned to whatever punishment they would inflict upon him.
“Will they kill you?” she finally managed to ask in a small voice.
Kyber continued to stare out the viewscreen. “No. Not immediately. They will not give me that respite until Duruk has gorged himself on every last ounce of torment he can inflict upon me.”
“What about me?”
His silence extended for several more seconds. “No, they will not kill you…but I dread to think about what they could do…or will do.”
A shudder went through her.
“My one.”
Kyber’s voice broke through the haze of fear that was starting to form in her head. She glanced over to find him watching her.
“My one, I do not know what will happen when we land. I do not know what atrocities Duruk and the others will inflict upon us. But I want you to know this. My life has changed because of you. For the first time since I began my career, my time in the service is no longer my entire focus.” He undid his harness and got up from his seat, then went over to her, stopping beside her and lifting her chin to meet his gaze. The lights from the console shone on his pelt, emphasizing his otherworldly appearance. “I never believed I would have a future outside of the military. Yes, I hoped one day to find someone who would help me continue my line, but…” He gave her a soft smile. “How could I have prepared myself for someone like you? Kelen, I do not expect to survive what is to come.”
“Kyber!” She clasped his hand, but he shook his head.
“We must face that possibility, and we must be prepared for it.” He swallowed hard. “I do not know Terran rules or laws regarding life partnerships. But if I should perish, I do not want you to suffer. I want you to be happy. Do not feel guilty if you wish to take another companion—”
“Shut up with that nonsense and kiss me,” she whispered. She couldn’t remove her hands from the pressure pads without her actions affecting the shuttle’s progress. He knew that, and gave her a deep, loving kiss. When he finally lifted his lips from hers, she opened her eyes. “We’re going to get through this, my love. We may suffer for our actions, but in the end, we will prevail. We will prevail.”
His answering smile warmed her. “From your mouth to the ears of the four gods.”