Command Decision (Project Gliese 581g #1) (15 page)

“It isn’t the ship that Andronikos wants, it was what was on board the spaceship,” Hutu stressed. “There were five emergency pods. Two have been tracked so far, only one has been found. There are three others unaccounted for. It is imperative that we locate those pods before the Legion does.”

“Why? We have more important things to do than waste our time looking for trash from a spaceship,” another man grumbled. “Our resources are low as it is. Now you want us to waste precious time chasing shadows? Those emergency pods could be anywhere.”

“Unless those pods contain a miracle, I have to concur with the others, General Hutu,” a woman said. “Since the death of the Premier of the Gallant Order, hope, and resources, continue to fade. I’m afraid I would have to vote against sending out our scouts for your missing pods.”

Josh saw Hutu glance at him and shook his head. The feelings of defeat and unease resonated through the room. Hutu would not receive any support from the other leaders.

“Very well,” Hutu said. “I will conduct the search myself.”

“General!” The voices of dissent rang out as the men and women in the room started to argue.

Josh decided that he’d had enough. Rising out of his seat, he quietly left the room. He walked down the narrow corridor that opened into the main tunnel. He had only taken a few steps down it when someone bumped into him.

“My apologies,” a young man stated, taking several steps before he turned and frowned at Josh. “That coat… That is… was my father’s coat. I would recognize it anywhere.”

Josh took a step back when grief flashed across the man’s face before it was replaced with rage. The man reached for the weapon at his waist. Josh recognized the staff a split second before the man moved into a fighting stance. His hand slipped into the pocket of the coat and he withdrew the staff that Cassa had given to him shortly before they left the vineyard.

He barely had time to extend it before the man attacked. The two staffs clashed loudly, each man stepping forward as they strained against each other. Josh pushed forward before taking a quick step to the side. The move knocked the man backwards several steps.

“That staff belongs to my family,” the man growled. “Only a Knight of the Gallant Order has the right to use it.”

“Your father gave it to me,” Josh stated, keeping his eye on the man as he circled around him. He blocked another blow. “Are you Packu?”

The man paused, looking at him with a wary expression. “Who are you?” Pack demanded in a slightly hoarse voice. “My father would never give a staff to an outsider.”

Josh blocked another blow, holding the other staff down to the ground before he released it and stepped back several feet. He retracted the staff in his hand, knowing that he was leaving himself open. Grief, rage, and uncertainty flashed across Pack’s face as he stared back at Josh.

“My name is Josh Manson,” Josh said. “Your sister, Cassa, found me. Your father did give me the staff. He was training me.”

Uncertainty warred with hatred. Josh knew that Pack’s anger came from grief at losing his father and younger brother. How he had found out so quickly, Josh didn’t know.

“He’s telling the truth, Pack,” Hutu stated, walking slowly toward the two men.

Pack slowly lowered the staff in his hands and retracted it. Josh watched as Pack drew in several deep breaths and lowered his head. When he looked back up, his eyes were hard and cold.

“Where is Cassa?” Pack demanded.

“Safe,” Hutu replied, coming to a stop next to Pack. “For now. Come, we must prepare for our mission.”

*.*.*

An hour later, they were back at Hutu’s residence. Josh quietly watched Cassa nod and sniff at something Pack said. Both of their faces were twisted in grief. He returned his attention back to packing the items Hutu was handing to him.

“As soon as I found out what happened, I made sure that Pack was informed. He was still on the planet, awaiting departure,” Hutu murmured. “Knowing Jemar, the boy has been better trained than most of the new recruits. I hope so, anyway. He will need all of those skills if things turn bad.”

“Where are we heading?” Josh asked, closing the bag he was packing.

“To find your friends,” Hutu said, glancing over his shoulder at where Cassa and Pack were gathering additional supplies. “It is going to be extremely dangerous,” he added with a grim smile.

Josh’s eyes narrowed. “Why?” He asked suspiciously.

The grin turned to amusement. “We are going to find your friend, hopefully before General Landais does, or steal him from under the General’s watchful eye. Neither task is going to be easy and I can guarantee that the General will not be happy,” Hutu chuckled dryly

Josh’s lips twitched. “You’d have fit right in back home,” he retorted.

“Josh,” Cassa interrupted. “We have everything.”

Pack’s face was tight with frustration, but also resignation. It was clear that whatever conversation Cassa and Pack had, it hadn’t gone the way Pack wanted. Josh’s lips twitched in amusement. From the steely determination in Cassa’s eyes, he had a pretty good idea what Pack had been wanting – Cassa to remain behind.

“We’re ready as well,” he responded.

A sudden knock on the door drew their attention. Hutu motioned for all of them to move to the back room and remain quiet. He peered down at the digital readout in his hand. Walking over to the door, he cracked it.

“Legion troops are heading this way,” a man murmured before disappearing.

Hutu turned, his face grim. “Let’s go,” he muttered, grabbing one of the heavy bags.

Josh took up the rear, making sure that he kept Cassa shielded as they hurried out of the back door. They kept to the shadows. On several occasions they paused and waited when Legion soldiers hurried past them.

“This way,” Hutu muttered, nodding to a section of repair bays.

The small group slipped inside when the double doors slid open. Josh’s eyes widened when he saw a spaceship inside. Hutu hurried over to the ship and pressed a device to its side. A section underneath began to descend. He turned and glanced at Josh and Cassa.

“You two get the supplies on board,” Hutu instructed, dropping the large bags he was carrying. “Pack, you get the locks on that side.”

Pack nodded and handed his bag to Josh. Josh bent and grabbed a fourth bag while Cassa carried two up the back platform. He quickly followed her and set them down before retrieving the other two that Hutu had dropped.

The sound of shouting outside of the repair bay drew his attention. He handed one of the bags to Cassa when she returned and drew one of the hand blasters that Hutu had given him.

“Pack, I need you to help me get the engines going,” Hutu yelled, running to the platform. “It is time to go.”

“This lock is stuck,” Pack replied, working the lever back and forth.

“Go help Hutu. I’ve got this,” Josh said, thrusting the bag he was holding at Pack and kneeling down next to the lock. There was a piece of metal jammed in the gears.

Josh swore, glancing over his shoulder. The pounding on the doors spurred him into action. Glancing around, he saw a long metal rod. It looked like what had been jammed into the locking mechanism.

Someone doesn’t want anyone leaving,
Josh thought grimly as he rose and hurried over to it.

Grabbing the end of the pipe, he returned to the locking mechanism and hooked it in between the two sections and pressed down on the piece trying to work it free. His jaw clenched as he worked it back and forth.

“Let me help,” Cassa said, grabbing the end piece.

Josh glanced up at her. “Work the controls back and forth,” he suggested. “It is wedged in too tight to work it free.”

Josh strained on the bar while Cassa worked the controls back and forth. His gaze kept flickering to the double doors. They were re-enforced to help protect the outer structure in case of a mishap while the ships were being repaired. He had seen the same thing while at the training compound in Dallas. Still, the doors wouldn’t last much longer. His fear was proven right when a dark red line formed along the edge.

“Now,” Cassa cried, slamming her hand down on the control again.

The gears jerked for a moment before the piece of metal flew out and the lock released. Josh threw the bar to the side and pulled the blaster at his side. Reaching for Cassa’s hand, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist and began pulling her toward the spaceship. The loud boom of the door exploding inward made them flinch. Josh’s hand rose and he fired several shots at the soldiers trying to squeeze through the narrow entrance.

Cassa ran to the ship and up the platform, firing as well. He heard Cassa yell to Hutu and Pack to get them out of here even as she slammed her hand against the control panel. Josh backed away, continuing to fire until he could no longer see the soldiers.

“We have to get buckled in,” Cassa said in an urgent voice, grabbing his arm.

Josh followed Cassa as she ran down a long corridor. He could feel his stomach shift as the spaceship rose at a high rate of speed. Realizing that they weren’t going to make it to the cockpit, he caught Cassa’s arm and pulled her into a small alcove where a ladder lead to the upper level. He pinned her between his body and the ladder and wrapped his arms around both of them.

“Hold on to me,” he ordered quietly in her ear.

Cassa wound her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly against her as the ship shot upward. For a moment, Josh felt weightless. A soft chuckle echoed in his ear.

“The ship's gravity will kick in momentarily,” Cassa murmured.

Josh’s eyes glittered and he grinned. “This is a little different from back home,” he commented.

“What’s different about it?” Cassa whispered.

The smile on Josh’s lips faded and his gaze grew serious. The sadness still haunted Cassa’s eyes, but it had dimmed a little. He knew seeing her brother, Pack, had helped a great deal.

“Think of being in a can with enough explosives to shoot you into space and that about sums it up,” he replied, his gaze moving down to her lips. “I’m going to kiss you again.”

Cassa’s lips parted and her eyes darkened. Her hands splayed across his back and she rose onto her toes. Josh knew that she was just as affected by him as he was with her.

Their lips met in a harsh, desperate kiss. He silently cursed his need to keep them steady. All he wanted to do was run his hands over her, caress her, and wipe the fear and pain away.

It took several long minutes for him to realize that a voice was calling his name. He reluctantly pulled back, pressing several smaller kisses to her lips before he released a sigh. Her gaze reflected her own disappointment.

“I guess we’d better answer them,” he murmured.

Cassa nodded, her cheeks flushed from their kiss and the excitement of their escape from the planet. He tested his footing before he stepped back. She had been right – the ship's artificial gravity was working.

“Hey, we need to jump to light speed,” Pack yelled. “You two need to be strapped in. We’ve got Legion fighters coming at us.”

“Damn it,” Josh growled, grabbing her hand. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 15

Andri Andronikos stood gazing out of the headquarters on Jeslean. His eyes were narrowed in thought. All but one of the Knights of the Gallant Order were now dead. Andri clenched his fist. The last one had slipped through the fingers of the Legion commander sent to Tesla Terra.

“Enter,” Andri ordered when he heard the quiet knock on the outer door.

“Lord Andronikos, the Commander on Tesla Terra is reporting in,” his assistant stated with a bow.

Andri turned and nodded. “Send it through,” he ordered, returning to his desk.

“Yes, sir,” the man replied and stepped back out of the room.

A moment later, the image of the new Commander of the Battle Cruiser he had sent to Tesla Terra faced him. His lips tightened at the man’s grim expression. In the background, he could see a haze of smoke in the air and hear the sound of alarms.

“Shut off the alarms,” the Commander ordered before returning his attention to Andri. “My apologies, Lord Andronikos.”

“What happened?” Andri demanded.

“An empty pod was found, my Lord,” the man replied grimly. “Commander Cota decided to investigate it personally. He suspected that whoever was in it might have received help from some peasants in a nearby valley. Shortly afterwards, all contact with Commander Cota and the troops with him were severed. I immediately sent a team to investigate – they were all dead.”

Andri’s eyes flash with cold rage. His fists clenched again before he relaxed them. This was one of the most blatant attacks to date against the Legion and could not go unpunished.

“What of the peasants?” He asked harshly. “Where they questioned?”

“The vineyards were burned to the ground, though fresh graves were discovered,” the man continued. “The vineyards belonged to Jemar de Rola. His name was on one of the fresh graves.”

A muscle ticked in Andri’s cheek. He knew all too well who Jemar de Rola was. He was silent for several seconds before he spoke again.

“Did you find any evidence of who may have been in the pod that was discovered?” Andri finally hissed.

The man shook his head. “No, but we suspect whoever was in it is with Hutu Gomerant, a trade merchant from the Spaceport. We tracked him and several others to a repair hanger. They lifted off before we could stop them. I ordered the Battle Cruiser to pursue them.”

“And…,” Andri asked with a cold glare.

The man nervously swallowed. “We engaged them, but they escaped. The transport they were on contained a modified weapons system that we were not expecting. They escaped into hyperspace before we could prevent it.”

“Find out where they went and send me all the items that were recovered,” Andri ordered, ending the message. He stared down at his desk for several long seconds before he pressed the communications console once again.

“Yes, my Lord,” Roan Landais answered.

Andri stared at the cool mask on the face of one of his deadliest Generals. Roan’s father had been in his service from the beginning. His father had trained Roan from a small boy to serve the causes of the Legion.