Challenging Saber (23 page)

“Greetings, Commander… High Chancellor,” Ajaska said with a slight bow of his head.

Saber stared at the Kassisan ambassador with a growing sense of concern. This wasn’t a typical diplomatic meeting on a planet torn apart by civil unrest any more than this was a typical rebel base. There was more going on than he or the other warriors had been told.

“Can someone please tell me what in the
shewta
is going on?” Ace finally asked from behind the group.

*.*.*

Ajaska glanced at Commander Atlas and nodded his head. The commander pursed his lips before he barked out a sharp order for the room to be cleared and sealed. Within minutes, the only ones left in the room were the Kassisan, Commander Atlas, and the Trivators.

“How well do you trust the men in this room, Razor?” Ajaska asked in a quiet voice.

“With my life,” Razor replied immediately.

Ajaska chuckled. “Something tells me that is not something you would normally say,” he responded with an assessing look.

“It’s not,” Razor answered in a clipped tone.

Ajaska released a sigh and walked over to the map. He stood studying it for several long minutes before he turned. His face was cut into a hard mask, highlighting the long scar along one side of it.

“I won’t tell you everything, so don’t bother asking,” he began, looking around the group with a serious expression. “What I am going to tell you might not make sense, or even be believable, but I can assure you it is all real. Shortly after we joined the Alliance, one of our shuttles was returning from a diplomatic mission. It was overtaken by a Tearant warship…”

Saber listened as Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon outlined the initial threat against the Houses of Kassis and the unexpected alliance with Elpidios that led to the discovery of a special ship… a ship that went places and a special warrior who saw things that warned of events to come.

“If you are worried about influencing the future, why are you telling us this?” Trig asked. “Why didn’t this ‘warrior’ of yours tell you how to prevent it?”

Ajaska turned a steely gaze to Trig. “Because he understands more than anyone that such knowledge could work both ways. He was only able to obtain a limited amount of data during his mission. What information he did record made it essential that we prepare as much as possible. War is coming, the only uncertainty is the outcome.”

“If it is just the Drethulans, we can strike now,” Ace argued, standing up and glaring at Ajaska. “Why go to such extremes by building a base here? Why not just eliminate them?”

Ajaska’s lips tightened. “There are more than the Drethulans. There is another group, one that has been building up forces for centuries.”

“Who?” Hunter asked.

“Ones that we faced in a previous life,” Ajaska replied quietly. “That is all I can tell you at the moment. We are still trying to interpret what we do know. Our single most important advantage is the knowledge we have that it is going to happen. We are currently taking steps to infiltrate the enemy as much as we can in an effort to minimize the devastation.”

“The Kassisan at the fortress,” Saber murmured.

Ajaska grimaced and nodded. “He is just one of many. I have kept a low profile among the Alliance Council in an effort to keep much of what we know a secret. It was also essential to give the impression that the Kassisans are not interested in the issues going on in this star system.”

“Why are you?” Dagger asked with a raised eyebrow. He waved his hand around the control room. “I see at least a dozen technological advances that we are just working on. The power source for this base alone would take up half a mountain, yet unless you were able to build it underground without anyone ever seeing a damn thing, then I would have to say you are ahead of us in energy technology.”

A slight smile curved Ajaska’s lips. “We have a common interest, Trivator,” he assured Dagger in a quiet voice. “The safety of the star systems is paramount to the welfare of us all. The fall of one can easily lead to the fall of the entire Alliance. I don’t particularly relish seeing my planet enslaved, or worse.”

A low murmur swept around the group. Saber glanced at the Kassisan before turning to look at Razor and Hunter. His hand ran down to his leg. This mission showed that he was still capable of fighting. He would do whatever was necessary to protect Taylor and his people.

“Why here?” He asked, looking at the Kassisan. “Why Dises V?”

Ajaska turned to look at Saber. “Dises V is where the Drethulans obtain the ore necessary to build up their forces. We must prevent that. The production has just started, but if it continues, it will not only give the Drethulans and their Allies the resources they need to fight, it will also cause massive environmental destruction. Dises V will be the first planet to fall, Trivator. We must make sure that does not happen.”

“The Waxian forces have taken over the Western Region. Their annihilation of the Western Council was foretold by Ajaska’s warrior. The Western council refused to acknowledge the threat by the Waxians, despite the warnings given to them. This refusal is what led to their assassination when they began to realize that the warnings given to them were valid,” Commander Atlas said, stepping up.

“Then, how was this base built?” Hunter asked with a frown. “As Dagger said, this structure would take years to build. I cannot see the military being unaware of it.”

“It wasn’t,” Commander Atlas stated. “I was the military for the Western Region. Ajaska approached me with evidence five years ago. Construction began without the Council's knowledge a few months later.”

“What about the Eastern Region? Why enslave the people from that region?” Saber asked.

“We don’t,” Commander Atlas replied. “The Eastern Council is just as corrupt as our own. The Waxian and Drethulans have purchased the council. They are using the propaganda that the West is behind the recent enslavement of their people to create unrest and explain for the massive disappearance of their people. When I proposed a military attack on those running the mines, I was labeled a traitor. I, and several other senior military officers, disappeared before we could be arrested and sent to the mines.”

“The rebel base in the mountains of the Crescent Moon,” Saber murmured.

“Yes,” Commander Atlas replied. “It is run by my Eastern counterpart, Commander Faila. Fortunately, most of the construction of this base has been completed. What is left can be done without drawing the attention to the current ruling forces, especially now that both the East and the West are under the control of the Drethulans and the Waxians.”

“Our forces…,” Hunter started to say in concern, looking at Razor.

Razor shook his head. “I contacted the Alliance Council earlier,” he replied grimly. “They have ordered the Trivator forces to leave. They believe that individual strife on a planet should be handled by the planet’s ruling governments. The ambassador to Dises V insists this is an internal matter. They have specified that all Trivator military support here to protect the medical aid is no longer necessary. The Council has agreed. All Trivator military troops have withdrawn.”

“Except us,” Dagger muttered, looking around the room. “So, where does that leave us?”

Razor turned his gaze to the small group of men. “Behind enemy lines,” he replied grimly.

Saber gazed around him with a new appreciation. Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon’s fantastical story that began in the past and moved to the future before returning to the present was difficult to wrap his mind around. The Kassisan refused to give any other details about the supposed ‘ship’ or the warrior who piloted it. All he would say was that some things were best left unexplained.

Saber wasn’t sure if he agreed with the Kassisan, but deep down, he knew the male was speaking the truth. There were just too many facts that he knew, and was able to prove when he shared recent Intel that Razor and Hunter were able to confirm as being accurate.

“What do you think?” Dagger asked, matching his stride.

“That we’d better be prepared,” Saber finally said. “The combined forces of the Waxian and Drethulan forces do not concern me. Our military is four times the size of theirs and we are better trained. Neither one of those species has ever had a military force under one rule because they are too busy either killing each other or looking for credits.”

“Until now,” Dagger pointed out, folding his arms across his chest. “The fact that they are both working together here on Dises V shows something is not right.”

“Until now,” Saber agreed, looking at Dagger when he suddenly touched his arm. “What’s wrong?” He asked when he saw the serious look in Dagger’s eyes.

“I think I know the warrior that Ajaska was talking about,” Dagger reluctantly admitted. He glanced around, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know why I didn’t piece it together at first.”

“What happened?” Saber asked.

“It was after Jordan and I escaped from the Spaceport,” Dagger muttered, his eyes dark with memories. “The starship we were in was damaged. I had to make an emergency landing on a moon that was filled with Gartaians of all things. While we were there, a strange red crystal ship appeared out of nowhere.”

Saber released a low curse. “Did you tell Hunter or Razor about this?” He asked in disbelief.

Dagger shook his head, staring blankly down the hallway as if he was still locked in his memories. “No, I wasn’t in a ‘good place’, as Jordan would call it, for almost a year, if you remember,” he replied with a bitter twist of his lips.

“Yes, I remember,” Saber murmured. “What happened?”

Dagger’s lips twitched. “I met some of the strangest creatures I have ever seen in my life,” he chuckled with a shake of his head. “Two bumbling Frenchmen from Earth who drank too much, two service bots that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, and a man who was more machine than living tissue.”

Saber stared at Dagger with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. A snarl escaped him when his friend didn’t say anything. Dagger jerked, as if he was lost in that time instead of standing next to Saber.

“Well?” Saber finally asked.

Dagger shook his head. “His name was Jarmen,” he replied in a quiet voice. “He was searching for someone, according to the two Frenchmen.” Dagger looked back at Saber. “He helped me repair the starship, and he saved our lives when we were attacked. Then he, his unusual crew, and the red crystal ship just vanished,” he finished quietly before he turned and started walking again.

*.*.*

Saber didn’t miss Dagger’s use of phrases like ‘appeared out of nowhere’ and ‘vanished’. He released a deep breath and paused in the hallway to look around. They were back in the landing bay.

It was three times the size of the landing bay aboard the typical Trivator warship. The hanger was filled with a wide variety of fighters, from old to new, from Dises V models to more advanced ones that he was not familiar with. His gaze scanned the workers. They were just as diverse as the fighters. He jerked in surprise when he saw a familiar figure sitting at one of the benches.

“Taylor,” Saber muttered.

Dagger turned and glanced over to where Taylor was sitting at a workbench. Small flashes of light showed that she was working intently on something. She was a lot like her sister, Jordan, and yet different.

“I’ll leave you for now. I think I’ll go see if I can get any more information out of Hunter and let him know what I just told you. Trig and Ace have gone off exploring. They will report what they have found later this evening,” Dagger said.

“I’ll find out what Taylor knows as well,” Saber muttered, not looking at Dagger.

Dagger’s soft chuckle followed him as he strode across the hanger. He paused when a service bot crossed in front of him with a muttered apology before continuing. It was only when he was almost to the bench that he saw his leg brace.

“Taylor,” Saber called in a soft voice.

Taylor’s head jerked up and she glanced around. A chuckle escaped Saber when he saw that she was wearing a magnifying headset. Her beautiful brown eyes looked huge in the optical lenses. She blinked several times before she grinned up at him.

“Hey, you were gone again!” She said in a slightly accusing tone. “One of these days I’d like to wake up and have you still there beside me.”

Saber could see the slight reserve that came into her eyes as she spoke. He knew what she was thinking, that he would reject her again like he had the last time. Reaching out, he gently removed the headset and set it down on the bench before bending and capturing her lips.

He felt her surprise before she relaxed into him and returned his kiss. She slowly rose off the stool she was sitting on and wound her arms around his neck. His hands slid down her back to her ass and he lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his hips.

Several minutes later, they were both breathless as they stared at each other. Taylor tenderly ran her fingers down over his cheek before rubbing her thumb over his bottom lip. She smiled when he carefully lowered her back to the stool.

“What are you doing?” He asked, glancing down at the circular device she was working on.

Taylor released a sigh and turned back to the bench to pick up the watch-size controller. He reached for it when she handed it to him. Turning it over, he saw the steady glow.

“You recharged the controller,” he murmured, turning it back over and studying it with a frown. “What is that?”

Taylor glanced at what he was pointing to. “An Elpidiosian red crystal,” she said. “It took a few tries to understand how to tap into its energy without burning out the motherboard, but with the help of Commander Rue, I was able to do it. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it going dead for at least a few centuries or more. The power inside just a tiny piece of these crystals is amazing!”

“Almost as amazing as you,” Saber murmured, staring down at the glowing crystal that was no bigger than a granule of sand.

“I think you want some,” Taylor replied with a happy sigh as she propped her chin up on the palm of her hand.