Starlaw (18 page)

“Greetings, Council Char,” Darius acknowledged. “What service can I offer?”

“Please, Commander Starlaw, it is I who offer services to you,” the man replied quickly.

“How so?”

“While your crew refuels your vessel, perhaps you would take advantage of my hospitality this evening? As I'm sure you'll admit our ale and women are among the finest in the galaxy.”

Something wasn't right. Char had never made such a gesture before. Indeed, previous refueling stops had barely purchased any interest at all.

“I'm afraid my crew is anxious to begin their shore leave on Luster, Council. We'll be taking off as soon as we possibly can,” Darius prevaricated.

“
Please
, Commander Starlaw. I have … urgent business … I'd like to discuss with you. It will only take an hour. We can meet at my residence as I'm sure you know where it is. Your crew can't possibly have your vessel ready in that time.”

“May I ask the nature of such a meeting?”

“I've … well … I've had a change of heart concerning neutrality. I believe, as do my advisors, that alignment with the League may now be in our best interests. But this is something I wish to discuss with you privately. Please, Commander, I promise to be succinct.”

Darius considered the man's announcement. Civility required his presence even if he couldn't technically speak for his home world in any ambassadorial capacity. “Very well, Council. I'll call at your residence within the half hour.” He ended the transmission and turned to face his second-in-command.

“Darius,” Barst began while temporarily dropping titles, “after all the time ambassadors have spent trying to convince that man to align with our cause, I find it highly suspicious he'd want to do so now. His timing is a bit too coincidental. I don't like it!”

“I agree. But on the off chance he's sincere I'd be insane to pass up the opportunity. Besides, diplomats and my own superiors would find me lacking in manners if I didn't at least listen. I can't afford to cause an incident.”

“You
will
go armed?” Barst insisted.

“I'll go armed and
traceable
.” Darius smiled and sharply slapped Barst's broad back. “Come on, I'll need your help.”

Ten minutes later, Darius stood on the ship's gangway giving orders to Barst and Gemma. If anything untoward happened, his last orders were firm. He ignored his crew's insistence that one of them be allowed to accompany him.

“The invitation was personal,” he said, denying their requests yet again. “You both have orders. If I'm not back within an hour … leave. I want Goll back on Luster as soon as you can get him there. The tracking device I'm wearing will allow you to find me, assuming a return rescue mission is even needed.”

“That's if there's anything left to find,” Gemma sourly declared. “Sir, I protest. Council Char isn't overly fond of League officers and never has been. Can't you at least take—”

“No. Let Arjus's refueling staff do their work with all hands safely aboard. Don't open the outer hatch for anyone but me,” he commanded as looked into their faces.

He noted their concern and tried to act as if nothing was amiss. In that effort, he pasted on the best smile he could. “Don't worry. We could be wrong. I might find myself enjoying a fine meal, and signing up a new League planet.”

He strode away with a decided chill crawling up his spine.

No one was buying this. Not his crew and not him.

If Char wanted to barter for League membership, the commander of an enforcer vessel was not the proper authority. Still, he had to yield to Char's simple request or risk open, diplomatic criticism of the entire crew.

Perhaps they were all on edge due to the length of the mission, and their need to return home to see Goll finally stand trial. Maybe this was nothing more than a simple, informational consultation and Char was being melodramatic as he so often had been in the past. If that was so, why were members of his own crew—consistent with his own instinct—on full alert?

• • •

“Please, come this way, Commander.”

The female servant at the front door to Char's gray, stone and castle-like residence led him inside to a large chamber. Darius took no more note of it than he had the bland streets or thoroughfares, so like those on Chamron. One after another, refueling planetoids seemed to mimic each other in almost everything.

“The council leader will be with you in a moment,” the woman said as she bowed and left.

For several quiet moments he stood where he was. Surely, if the meeting was so urgent, Char should have met him by now. He was about to leave when the door behind him opened. He turned to greet his host, pasting on a smile as he did so.

“Commander … thank you for coming,” Char said as he moved forward to clasp Darius's hand. “I'm sorry. So very, very sorry!”

Darius briefly clasped Char's hand in greeting, noting the extensive contrition on the man's face as he did so. Another chill went up his spine but he guarded his expression, posture, and tone of voice.

“Council … why would you … ”

He stopped in mid-sentence when several vamphieres and a Gloxynian wizard entered the gray stone room. Each had weapons drawn and aimed at
him
.

“I see the reason for your apology,” Darius said as he rounded on Char. The man still wore a remorseful expression, though it was clear he'd helped orchestrate what was clearly a kidnapping.

“Please understand that I wanted no part of this,” Char explained. “These gentlemen, as I'm sure you're aware, are members of the Warlord faction. You must understand … they have my family, my advisors, and
their
families held hostage here. Every one of them was to die if I didn't cooperate. Please,
please
forgive me?” The man hung his head in despair.

Though none of what was happening came as any surprise, Darius was still concerned to see a Gloxynian wizard among the vamphieres. These wizards were known for their ability to extract information from their hostages in creative ways.

One of the vamphieres stepped forward. A look of utter contempt was pasted all over the gaunt man's face.

“We'll take your weapon,” the vamphiere leader warned as his fangs elongated.

Darius slowly raised his hands to shoulder level. One of the other vamphieres quickly removed his sidearm while another produced a length of rope and proceeded to bind his hands behind his back.

“We want Goll. If he isn't delivered to us in an hour, we will make good on our promise to kill the Council and the other hostages. And you will die as well,” the leader advised.

Darius shrugged. “I don't know what you're talking about. We were on patrol in this quadrant and stopped for fuel. Who is Goll?”

The vamphiere leader struck Darius hard across the face.

He recovered quickly, spat out a bit of blood mingling with the saliva on his tongue, and slowly faced his tormentor again.

“Don't waste my time, Starlaw! You have my brother and I want him back.” The leader of the captors then turned and walked toward Char. “Open communications between yourself and Starlaw's crew. I want them to see what will happen to their commander if they fail to meet my demands within the allotted time.”

Char raised shaking hands in a supplicating gesture. “I-I'll do as you a-ask. But please don't harm the c-commander or any of the other hostages. I'm sure there'll be no problem with compliance.”

Darius shook his head in denial. “I wouldn't, Council. They're going to kill us anyway. They won't leave witnesses behind. Without us to say otherwise, they'll claim pirates landed on your world and committed the murders.”

The vamphiere leader quickly walked to Darius and struck him again. Darius simply glared back at the man, daring him to strike one more time. His attacker moved very close.

“I want my brother. I'll not stop at killing hostages. I will destroy everyone on this backward world if I have to.” The leader snarled then turned to Char again. “Now … make the call to Starlaw's ship or die!”

Char nervously nodded and turned to his communications console. In a matter of moments, he established contact with the
Titan
.

Darius breathed slowly, trying to control rage at having been so duped. And when Barst's face appeared on Char's large holo-screen, he remained silent. Orders had been given. They would be followed.

“Crew of the
Titan
… I am called Garron,” the vamphiere leader announced as he took a pretentious stance before the two-way viewer and gazed into the faces of his enemies aboard the enforcer ship. “I am brother to Goll.”

Darius saw Barst's chin go up and an angry expression entered his second-in-command's dark eyes. Several other bridge staff took a stance behind Barst. Their expressions were equally hostile. But his best friend and current the commander of the vessel in his stead said nothing, and waited for the vamphiere to continue with his demands.

“We have your commanding officer, Char, and other members of the populace under our direct control.” The lanky vamphiere put his hands on his thin hips and threw back his shoulders. The gesture only enhanced the man's hollow chest.

Darius rolled his eyes. Why hadn't he just refused and accepted the consequences for poor diplomacy? But then, there
were
the other hostages to consider. Garron would kill them anyway, no matter what he'd done.

“If my brother isn't released to me … unharmed … I will slaughter the hostages beginning with your commander. You have one hour.”

Garron motioned to the two vamphieres standing on either side of him. They tried to push him into line of sight with the viewer so his crew could see him.

Darius resisted until he saw one of the vamphieres raise a laser short rifle to Char's head. To keep the other man from being slaughtered then and there, he ceased struggling and grudgingly moved as his captors bid.

“So you know I am serious, I will give you a sample of what will happen if Goll isn't released,” Garron asserted. Then he turned and motioned the wizard forward.

Darius couldn't imagine what Barst was thinking, but he hoped his friend would realize the captives were doomed. Vamphieres wouldn't leave them alive. It was likely their blood would be drained, then their flesh torn from their bodies. Matters didn't improve when he saw Gemma's concerned, pretty face enter the view point on the
Titan
's bridge. Obviously, one of the bridge crew had alerted her to his physical danger. As a med-tech—but more as a friend—she'd joined other concerned members of the crew who were gathering on the bridge. Each of their faces displayed anger, outrage, and concern. He barely nodded in acknowledgement. They still had their orders.

The Gloxynian wizard moved in front of him and raised one be-robed arm. In the elderly, bearded man's hand, a clear crystal shard sparkled from the light of an overhead chandelier. The sparkling quickly morphed into a bright glow.

Darius said nothing but put his full attention back on Barst. He stared at his friend and attempted to communicate—with nothing more than his insistent expression—that his last orders should be strictly obeyed.

As the midnight blue-clad wizard began to chant and slowly walk around him in a circle, nothing happened. Darius opened his mouth to utter a sarcastic remark concerning the failed magical properties of a cheap, open-market crystal but the words never came.

The room began to spin. His blood heated.

Soon, every cell in his body felt as if it was being utterly torn and disrupted. It took all the strength and concentration he could muster not to cry out with the onslaught of sudden, immense pain.

He dropped his head back as the agony wound its way like a snake into his very bones and outward to his flesh. Darkness closed in. And though he fought it, he knew he'd eventually lose.

“Release our commander immediately!” Barst shouted.

Darius heard the rallying cry and clung to it as the last friendly voice he'd likely ever hear.

“Give me my brother and I'll see that your commander is returned,” Garron shouted back. “Fail to meet my demands and you'll find pieces of Starlaw and the others all over the surface of this planet … and that's
after
my wizard has a chance to practice his special talents on them. You have one hour. No more!”

Garron passed one hand over Char's communication console, effectively cutting off the transmission and the conversation.

“Garron, the commander is in terrible pain,” Char advised.

From the place on the floor where he'd fallen, Darius tried to speak but the attempt only hastened unconsciousness. He heard Char's plea on his behalf and felt sorry for the man.

“You gave your word that nothing would happen if your brother was returned to you,” Char anxiously insisted.

Garron laughed cruelly as he faced the council leader. “You're a fool, Char. Starlaw was right! You and your family will die … it's just a matter of
how
.”

“But you promised—”

“If you cooperate, you'll be quickly incinerated,” Garron said. “But if you resist, I'll let the wizard have you. One look at the commander should tell you how horribly one
might
die.”

“The commander's crew won't let you get away with this,” Char warned. “The Constellation League will send every enforcer in the galaxy after you!”

“It's as Starlaw said. With all witnesses killed, there'll be no proof. And proof is what League justice demands before taking action.”

Darius was vaguely aware of the wizard moving away. Though he couldn't speak, the pain diminished, but only slightly. He was meant to lie there, unable to fight back or even advise Char.

All he could think about—besides the daunting, horrific, and electrical quality of the pain in his body—was how easily this entire scenario had been coordinated. He was glad to pay the price for stupidity, but Barst and his crew should not. They had to remain aboard the
Titan
.