Vall's Will (7 page)

Chapter Eight

Intent

They had barely
cleared the outer lanes of traffic when they came upon a sight that stunned
them all. It was Magnus who voiced what they all were thinking.

“Holy mother
of the universe!
Three
Objurian ships?”

Will had to
shake herself. “Hold steady! At least three, but there could be others we
don’t see at this angle.”

But there was no
denying there were three of them. Not as big as the queen’s ship, but they were
highly visible as they hovered in space, blasting the space station from
different angles. For the moment, they were too busy attacking Precorut to
notice the
Trinity
watching from their rear. Meanwhile, ships and
cruisers were abandoning the station in droves, trying to escape the onslaught.
By the station’s obvious tilt, she could tell it had already suffered serious
damage to its gyros and stabilizers.

“Think we
can take them?” Plymon whispered.

“One at a
time, most definitely. Magnus, let’s tap the nearest one on the shoulder and
say hello.” Slapping the button on her chair’s arm, Will smiled as the
battle alarm sounded.

“Shields
up!” Peersoff called out.

“Good!
Granth, let them know they’ve found who they’re searching for. Let’s see if we
can’t take this war into open space, and away from the station.”

She felt the
familiar vibration as the ship fired at the closest Objurian craft. There was a
moment of intense brightness as the plasma missile struck the ship’s protective
covering. But Nion missiles were not like other weapons. As the outer shell of
the missile disintegrated upon contact with the Objurian shields, the inner
ball of pure proton energy plunged through their defensive barrier and struck
the ship full-on. Will watched as a portion of the craft exploded outward.
Someone behind her whooped.

“Confirm
four Objurian warships, Dramsk configuring, each carrying sixty units of liquid
fire and four launching tubes of methadene torpedoes.” The weapons
master’s voice sounded from the chair’s speaker at her elbow.

Plymon turned to
look at her. “Dramsk configuration ships? That makes no sense.”

“I
agree.” She frowned as the vessel they had fired open ponderously moved
toward them. Dramsk ships weren’t battle class. More than that, although their
weaponry was impressive, it was a pitiful amount, especially against a Nion
warrior ship.

But there are
four of them,
she reminded herself.
All total, they could leave us
floating dead in space if they struck all together.

“Granth,
can you reach Commander Oglet?”

“Working on
it!”

“Why aren’t
the other ships attacking?” Plymon questioned aloud. “Didn’t we
announce our presence?” He made a good point. The one ship they had hit
was the only one responding. The others remained focused on the station.

A cold shiver
went through her. “Something’s up,” Will said. “They’re acting
like they’re after something else. Like they have a different objective other
than capturing us.”

“But they
stated they would come after you,” Plymon said. “Why are they
attacking Precorut? They should know by now we’re not there. That we’ve
left.”

She started to
reply when Oglet’s voice came over the intercom. It was audio only, and filled
with static. In the background she could hear muffled thumps from the barrage
the space station was taking from the enemy ships.

“Captain
Tayte!”

“Commander
Oglet! We’ve notified the Ben Objure of our location, but they’re continuing
with the assault!”

“They’re
not after you. Not this time,” the commander said.

“Then
what…”

She knew. The
answer came to her before Oglet replied.

“They want
‘it’ back. They want Vall!”

Fekk it!

“We’re
coming in, Commander!” she told him. “Magnus, get me on that station!
Plymon, lock onto Vall’s location.”

“Amid eight
thousand other humanoids?”

Eight thousand plus,
representing at least three thousand inhabited worlds.

Humanoids.
Creatures who shared the twelve basic commonalities, which enabled them to
coexist on over a hundred thousand planets. Not counting space stations like
Precorut.

Killjorn’s voice
overrode her thoughts.
“This man isn’t humanoid.”

Slamming her
fist on the intercom button, Will called for the physician.

“Killjorn
here.”

“Send me
your cellular readout on Vall immediately! The Ben Objure aren’t attacking
Precorut on my account. They’re after him!”

“Transferring!”

Will looked over
at her Sub-captain, who was busy at his board. “Hurry!”

“Captain.
The enemy!”

She turned to
see the Objurian craft bearing straight for them. A pair of lights erupted from
its cannons, and grew in size and intensity as they approached. Will watched,
transfixed, as the balls of methadene fill the view screen. Although the
weapons exploded harmlessly off the
Trinity’s
shields, she flinched
automatically.
Bung worms! Will I ever get over having that reaction?
“Evasive
maneuvers, Magnus. Get under her belly and fire at will.”

“Initiating
evasive moves.”

“Found him,
Captain,” Plymon called out. “Level sixty-eight. Quadrant
three.”

A holographic
image of the exact location formed in front of her. Will glanced at the station
through the view screen moments before the
Trinity
ducked beneath the
Objurian ship. She watched as they fired at the vessel’s most vulnerable areas,
knocking out their cannons and weapons bays. No longer able to fight, the
Objurian ship veered off and disappeared into hyper light.

“How long
before more ships arrive?”

“Fifty-three
minutes, Captain.”

She glanced back
at Granth, who added a nod. Fifty-three minutes, and those arriving ships would
be the big Objurian warships, nearly the same size as the queen mother’s.

“Get me on
Precorut.”

“I strongly
urge you to stay aboard, Captain,” Plymon said. “Peersoff and his men
are fully capable of bringing the Vall back to the ship.”

Will gritted her
teeth. Hearing her second in command refer to Vall as an object more than
irritated. Her respect for the man slid down another notch.

“You’re
right. Peersoff is head of security. But Vall will not go with him voluntarily,
and it’s crucial we get on that station, find him, and be away before those
warships arrive.” She leaped from her chair to head for the transport
tube. “I’ll be waiting in the bay.”

Peersoff was
already present when she arrived. With him were all eleven of his security
squad. They nodded when she stepped out of the tube.

“Magnus,
what’s our position?”

“Slipping
into engine bay fourteen, Captain.”

Everyone froze
in their tracks. Will shook her head in disbelief. “Magnus, did you just
say we’re docking in an engine bay?”

“It was
disabled by Objurian fire, Captain. You said you wanted to get on board as soon
as possible. Consider it a short cut.”

They slipped on
their armor just as the
Trinity
jerked to a halt. Felderen lowered the
walkway before Will could order it done.

“Captain!”

Will paused
halfway down the gangplank. “Yes, Peersoff?”

“Let me take
the lead. I’ve downloaded Vall’s exact coordinates.”

She stood aside,
and the security officer hurried past her. She followed close behind, along
with the rest of the men.

It was an eerie
feeling to be inside the space station’s immense engine bay. It was one of six
that not only powered Precorut, but also kept it anchored to this section of
space.

Will knew that
she and her men were miniscule specks of light within the massive black cavern.
Every so often a flash of light from an outside source would illuminate the
still hot interior.

Magnus had done
a great job of getting the
Trinity
as far inside the bay as possible.
The distance to the nearest doorway was less than a hundred meters. As they
climbed over chunks of still smoldering metal, one of the security guards spoke
up.

“I don’t
get it, Captain. Why fire on the station in order to get to one man, and risk
killing him in the process?”

She and Peersoff
glanced in each other’s direction. It was the same question that had been
rolling around in her mind ever since they came upon the scene.

“Good
question. Any ideas, Peersoff?”

She caught the
sparkle in the older man’s eyes, even through his body shield. “I thought
you’d already figured that one out, Captain.”

“Enlighten
me. I’m focused more on the mission at hand.”

“The Ben
Objure aren’t trying to destroy the space station. This is just a diversionary
tactic.”

Understanding
burst inside her with incandescent clarity. “That’s why they’re not using
warships! The weapons on the warships would wipe out Precorut!”

The security
chief nodded, but his sub-chief needed further explanation. “What kind of
diversionary tactic are we looking at, sir?”

Rather than
answer, they hurried to reach the airlock used by engineers. Peersoff paused
once he reached the portal. His soft grumble did not bode well. “We have
problems, Captain. The airlock is fried. We can’t get inside unless we cut open
a hatch, but then we risk losing the atmosphere inside.”

“And
suffocating everyone inside,” Will finished for him, and glanced around.
“Is there a second airlock?”

“On the
opposite side,” Peersoff told her.

There was no way
they would have enough time to reach it and get Vall off the station before
Objurian reinforcements arrived.

She turned to
observe the men standing nearby. “Then we’ll have to seal it
ourselves.” Pointing to two of his stoutest men, she said, “We’ll cut
our way in. You two will remain in place to prevent the air from escaping, and
keep our exit open.”

Motioning to one
of his men, they quickly sliced a narrow opening through the airlock. As soon
as they were all inside, two men adhered their backs to the slit. As soon as
the airlock pressurized, Will and the others dashed through the narrow
corridor, and found themselves inside the main control room overlooking all six
engines. Peersoff checked their coordinates, then pointed to a catwalk
overhead.

“Up there.
Through that exit.”

“Somebody
keep me informed as to how much time we have left!” Will called out.
“Five minute increments!”

“You have
forty minutes, Captain,” Plymon informed them.

They reached the
catwalk, which emptied into a sub-level deck. Peersoff led them to the nearest
transport tube and pointed up. “Good news is, level sixty-eight is only
eight levels up.”

“What’s the
bad news?” Will asked, knowing there had to be a down side.

“We got
company. Bettis! Take the lead!”

A guard stepped
forward, weapons arm already set to stun, and disappeared inside the tube.
Peersoff followed after him. Will went third.

They encountered
their first Objurian the moment they stepped into the corridor. Four of the
creatures quickly advanced on them with ear-splitting shrieks. Will ducked
beneath security’s covering fire and ran in the direction Peersoff pointed. She
had heard of this kind of diversionary tactic, but she had never encountered it
personally until now. With hundreds of souls hastily deserting the space
station, the Ben Objure were able to search for Vall with little or no
interference.

She came across three
unconscious guards from Precorut’s security team. A quick sweep showed they
weren’t seriously injured. Stepping over them, she kept running.

“Where am I
going, Peersoff?”

“End of the
corridor.”

Which lay
directly in front of her. For a moment, she paused and stared at the blank
wall.

“Thirty-five
minutes, Captain.”

She whirled
around, but she was surrounded by wall on all three sides. Taking a deep
breath, she examined the plain gray plating.
Peersoff said end of the
corridor. He didn’t say door at the end. He knew there wouldn’t be one here.

Raising her arm,
she mentally armed herself with her highest caliber and aimed at the wall’s
direct center. Two blasts blew through the plating, melting them and the
support beams. Before she had the chance to push aside the soft, dripping
material, a harsh white light shot through the opening, nearly blinding her.

Chapter Nine

Light

Will’s shield
automatically darkened to prevent the light from blinding her. It was a stark,
brilliant light, and it intensified as she pushed through the hole, into the
next room. She sensed heat and pressure from it, but her aura prevented her
from being affected by whatever it contained.

She found
herself inside a passenger cabin, although she couldn’t tell the actual size.
The light was emanating from the far corner, pulsating like a small sun. Its
location reminded her of the first time she’d seen Vall trying to retreat as
far as he could, away from the strangers entering his cell.

She straightened
just as Magnus reminded her. “Thirty minutes.”

“Vall?”

The glow
immediately decreased. It took her eyes a moment to adjust before she caught
sight of the young man standing less than five meters away. A small ball of
light appeared to be rotating in front of him. She started to reach out for him
when the orb vanished inside his chest.

Will hesitated,
her gaze focused on the area where the light had disappeared. A soft sound drew
her attention up to his face, to find him staring intently at her. He
recognized the armor. He just couldn’t see through the shell to see who was
inside.

“Uli.”

Will almost
gasped in surprise. A word. Vall had finally broken his silence.

She dropped her
helmet and lifted her arm. “Vall!”

The man’s face
erupted into a relief-filled smile. Will hurried over to grab his hand, and led
him back to the hole.
Translate.
“Hurry! We have to get out of
here!”

He didn’t
resist, and allowed her to draw him back through the opening in the wall. When
they emerged on the other side, Peersoff and his men were running toward them.

“Twenty-five
minutes, Captain.”

Wordlessly,
they hurried back down the corridor for the tubes. From the tube, they returned
to the main engine room without any further incidents. It wasn’t until they
reached the air lock that Will realized they were faced with another dilemma.

“Everyone!
Look around. See if you can find a containment suit.”

“Twenty
minutes, Captain.”

Two
men rushed off to check outlying areas, but soon returned, shaking their heads.
It was soon apparent what she had to do. Dropping her outer shell, Will turned
to face Vall.

“We’re
going to have to get close together again,” she told him, letting the
others know what she intended. “But it’s going to be a bit different.
You’re riding horizontal this time.”

Floating
in free space was one thing. The first time Will had shared her armor with
Vall, it was a simple matter of having another warrior hook up to her and guide
them into the ship. This time, however, in addition to the gravitational field,
there was a minefield of sharp metal and the boiling aftermath of the destroyed
engine bay. If it was just herself, she was invulnerable to any puncture or rip
in the armor. But adding Vall was going to stretch the armor in ways it was
never meant to be. Not with someone his size. Which meant her aura’s natural
ability would be severely compromised.

Fortunately,
a female Nion was gifted with a shield with the ability to stretch. Having that
little bit of give was vital in order to protect her offspring. Will had taken
that risk before, knowing Vall was larger than a child, but hoped his thin body
would not push her aura past its limits.

It
had worked last time. She hoped it would work again.

To
her surprise, Vall stepped toward her first and wrapped his arms around her,
bowing his head so that his face brushed her shoulder. Will enclosed them both
and waited. They were lifted together, a man at both ends and a third holding
them aloft in the middle. Despite the space station’s lighter pull of gravity,
Will felt Vall’s weight pressing down on her. It made breathing difficult, but
this arrangement would only be temporary, until they were back on the
Trinity
.

He
moved slightly. She started to tell him to remain absolutely still, when she
felt his lips on her skin.

No.
On her insignia. On the military tattoo on the side of her neck.

He
nuzzled it. His lips lightly kissed her sweaty skin. Only his mouth moved,
until he brought his tongue into play. To her surprise, she found herself
becoming aroused by his touch. Her vaginal muscles clenched involuntarily,
sending prickles of desire rushing beneath her skin.

Her
body became aware of the slightest shift in gravity. They were inside the
remains of the engine room. Here, the men had to move more carefully to
preserve their human package.

“Ten
minutes, Captain.”

Vall’s
breath was warm on her skin. It puffed like a gentle breeze. Like a beckoning.
She realized her mouth was near his ear, and that his hair tickled her cheek.
She closed her eyes, letting herself enjoy the sweet moment, while also
condemning herself for her weakness when she should be watching their progress
back to the
Trinity
.

A
large bulge was evident between her legs. His weight pressed it against the
fabric of her uniform to where she could feel its heat and hardness.
Fleetingly, she wondered what it would be like to have him inside her. Moving
inside her. A mental image formed in her mind’s eye, and her womb almost
clenched in anticipation.

He
smelled of ozone and something less distinct. It wasn’t any residue from his
clothing. It wasn’t caused by any perfumed smoke or bath freshener. Unable to
pinpoint the elusive scent, she drew her arms tighter around him. His long,
thin legs, which had been resting on top of hers, started to drape over their
sides. Quickly, she admonished him with gritted teeth.

“Don’t
move!”

He
froze. His legs didn’t return to their original position, but neither did they
resume their prior movement.

“Five
minutes, Captain.”

She
started to ask how much further they were from the ship when she felt another
miniscule shift in gravity. A moment later, she was being lifted upward. They
were on the walkway. As they ascended, the staircase was closing into the
Trinity
.

There
was a sudden, unexpected jolt as a methadene bomb exploded inside the engine
bay. Will felt the impact all the way to her bones. A metallic scream
immediately filled the ship, letting them know one section had been breached.
The Objurians had discovered their hiding place. Unable to fit inside the
engine bay, the alien craft hovered outside the hole in the space station and
fired into the hold. If the
Trinity
remained here much longer, the other
Objurian vessels would soon join the fight. Under the combined firepower,
Trinity’s
shields would eventually fall, and they would be blasted into atoms. Their
only chance was to flee.

“Magnus,
get us out of here!”

“Starting
evasive maneuvers, Captain!”

The
ship literally leaped out of the destroyed engine room and back into space,
flying a zigzag course past the lumbering vessel, but not before another
methadene blast struck their underbelly and rattled every inch of the
Trinity
.
Will had prepared herself for the abrupt acceleration, but not for the
explosion that threw the ship into a sudden, tight spiral. As
Trinity
spun
out of control, they lost their grip on each other. Vall flew away from her,
bursting through her shield as he vaulted head over heels across the cargo bay.
She screamed as her armor and every inch of her skin was ripped from her body.

Dimly,
she was aware of stage one claxons blaring in the distance, but everything else
was swallowed up by the unrelenting agony frying her from the inside out. She
couldn’t move; she could barely breathe. Even the beating of her heart was too
painful to withstand.

Somehow,
she managed to open her eyes in time to see a white cloth being lowered over
her. As it initially touched her raw and fragmented musculature, she screamed
again. Yet, once it settled and adhered to her body, she felt a cold numbness
seep into her exposed tissues.

Will
struggled to remain awake and cognizant, but it was impossible to fight the
medicated second skin. She needed to tell them where to head. She needed to
make sure Vall was all right. She needed to let them know about the strange
white light that had emanated from him.

She needed to
remember to do all that when she awakened from her drugged sleep, but she had
no memory once she slipped into unconsciousness.