Protector of the Realm (24 page)

Owena moved over to her console next to Rae, furiously punching in commands. “The
Infinity
is doing well. The
Ajax
sustained some damage to its starboard nacelle, but is still functioning well enough to fight. The second wave is in play.”

“Casualties?”

Jeremiah scrolled down the screen. “No mortalities. Twenty wounded. Uncertain of the Onotharian ships’ condition.”

Suddenly a blinding light on the screen exploded, making Rae flinch. “What the hell was that?” she exclaimed, dreading the news.

“We took out the weapons array of a frigate, labeled
Onotharian 3
by
the computer. From what I can see, it destroyed half the ship, ma’am,” Jeremiah reported. “We have another five Onotharian frigates on long-range sensors. God
,
Onotharian 1 and 2
are huge, since they carry vessels that big in their belly. I’m scanning as much as I can of them.”

“Excellent,” the admiral murmured from behind. “Let’s take care of them. Admiral Jacelon to Captain Doromar.” He hailed his own vessel. “Go in from grid four-two-six, attack pattern Dahlia 6.”

“Aye, Admiral.”

Rae snapped her head around and stared at her father. “You named an attack pattern after my mother?” She was incredulous.

The admiral had the grace to mimic a guilty look. “Six of them, actually. It seemed appropriate at the time. She can be infuriating.”

“I’m receiving a faint signal from the
Red Dragon
,” Owena interrupted. “They’re at the outer perimeter of the battle zone.”

“Can they hear us?”

“I’m not sure. If I trust the signal, they’re dead in the water, ma’am.” Rae detected an undercurrent in Owena’s voice that made her look inquisitively at her tactical chief. She thought Owena’s features were even more rigid than usual, but she didn’t have time to ponder it now.

“They’re on their own until one of our frigates can lock a beam on to them and reel them in.”

Hoping Kellen and Leanne were masking their signal and only playing dead, Rae focused on the task at hand. The admiral’s ships had surrounded one of the massive Onotharian ships, now firing at it in intricate patterns, the frigates moving like arrows while avoiding enemy fire.

Another searing light hurt her eyes, when what looked like the front of one of her frigates imploded before them. “Damn,” Rae whispered. “Jeremiah, casualties?”

“Four dead, sixteen wounded. Life support intact in the aft compartments. Detecting biosignatures coming to the wounded crew members’ aid.”

“Four…” Rae felt as if her blood transported ice to every part of her body. “This ends now.” She slammed her hand on the control to the secure communication system. “Commodore Jacelon to all vessels. Deploy remaining assault vessels. Attack pattern Omega 012. Fire at will.”

“Aye, Commodore.” Captain de Vies acknowledged the order. “Omega 012 in place
.
”

Looking like small deadly beetles, the assault craft swarmed the remaining three Onotharian vessels, firing nonstop. The admiral stood close to Rae, who found his presence a source of strength. “I won’t allow them to destroy this station or get their hands on Armeo.”

Not aware she’d spoken out loud, she jumped when she felt her father’s comforting hand on her shoulder. “Damn right.”

“The
Red Dragon
is moving,” Jeremiah exclaimed. “
Shi’cht
, what’s going on out there?”

“Enhance their signal on the screen,” Rae ordered. It was usually a bad sign when Jeremiah swore in his Iminestrian mother’s native tongue.

A bright red circle identified the small ship where it entered the battle zone, moving in on the largest vessel.

“Hail them! Get them out of there! What the hell is she doing?” Rae barked.

“Their communication system is down.” Lieutenant Grey had taken over the console to Rae’s left.

“She had orders to return to the station,” Rae said. “I should’ve known better than to trust her.”

“Perhaps she knows something we don’t,” the admiral mused. “You’re right in your assessment. Kellen’s a loose cannon, but she’s not stupid. Nor is she suicidal.”

“Damn it, Kellen,” Rae muttered to herself, pressing her lips to a fine line. “You gave me your word.”
What are you doing? I never should’ve let you go out there. What was I thinking?
Fear and remorse wrapped themselves like a cold, slippery entity around her heart.

“Make sure you stay on the calculated trajectory,” Leanne yelled. Friendly fire had taken out both internal and external communications.

“Yes, Lieutenant.” Kellen grabbed the stick and pushed it forward, while she blinked sweat from her eyes not to miss any of the coordinates flickering in the eyepiece attached to her helmet.

Watching the mark appear in the corner of her eye, she threw the
Red Dragon
into a roll, flying belly up against the massive ship above them. She knew they were called Devil Class ships, and the Onotharian fleet possessed only three of them. Her father had managed to obtain blueprints of the prototype, and Kellen was now betting not only her own life, but also Leanne’s, that they had been correct.

Seeing a familiar pattern appear in her eyepiece, Kellen ripped the controls toward her, moving in closer to the ship.

“Damn it, Kellen, we’re too close,” Leanne shouted. “We’re going to hit their shields. Our own are down to fifty-five percent.”

“I know. Trust me.” Kellen scanned the information, feeling a jolt of exhilaration mixed with dread when she spotted what she was looking for--a flaw in the design.
I must be right. It’s our only chance.
“Leanne, it’s coming up,” she yelled. “Hold on!”

The
Red Dragon
might not be able to sustain the blast, but Kellen knew this was it. Firing her two torpedoes at the target, a barely visible node, she shoved the controls as far to the right as they would go. “Let’s get out of here!” Kellen punched in commands to take full control of the small ship away from the computer. There was no room for any autopilot safety net now.

“Will the other Gamma vessels make it?” Leanne shouted. “We don’t have any way to warn them!”

“Rae must be monitoring us from the mission room. She’ll alert the other ships, and their shields will protect them.” Kellen prayed she was right. A blinding light lit up behind them. “Hold on, Leanne! We can’t outrun the shock wave. We have to ride it!”

*

“They’re firing at
Onotharian 1
!” Lieutenant Grey exclaimed. “Now they’re turning away from the enemy ship like a bat out of hell.”

“What the hell did she…Damn! Jacelon to all Gamma vessels. Stay clear of
Onotharian 1
. I repeat, move away from
Onotharian 1
!”

“Aye, ma’am,” Alex de Vies’s calm voice sounded over the comm system. “Are my readings deceiving me, Commodore, or do I have one assault craft too many out here
?
”

“You’re correct. The
Red Dragon
has gone maverick on us. Lieutenant D’Artansis is navigating.” She couldn’t disclose Kellen’s presence on the
Red Dragon
, in case the Onotharians were monitoring the comm channels.

During the brief pause, Rae knew Alex’s mind was scrambling to understand.

“Got you, ma’am.”

As he spoke, another blast lit up the space between the station and the battle zone. The shock wave traveled toward them and rocked the station enough for the klaxons to go off. “Shut down the damn noise,” Rae yelled over the blaring alarm. “Report!”

“Minor damages, no casualties aboard the station.” Jeremiah seemed relieved as he read from his screen. “As for
Onotharian 1
…They’re dead in the water, ma’am. I don’t know what the
Red Dragon
fired at, but it turned the ambassador’s ship into a sitting duck.”

“What? What about the fleet?”

“Minor damages from the shock wave. Two assault craft are incapacitated. The crews weren’t injured.”

“The
Red Dragon
?”

“Still operational, it seems. Making its way to the
Ajax
, ma’am.”

Rae steeled herself, trying to control her fury. “Commodore Jacelon to Ambassador M’Ekar. I think this is a suitable moment for me to accept your surrender. I see on long-range scanners that my remaining frigates are only minutes away. Now that we know what to look for, we don’t see any other cloaked Onotharian vessels about to come to your aid.”

“Commodore Jacelon, this is Deputy M’Indo. The Ambassador requests you allow him to transfer to one of our other ships.”

“Our readings show your ship has functional life support. Request denied. I will now tend to my own fleet first, making sure the people you injured through this violation get the care they need before I allow you to move a muscle. Take your weapons off-line, lower your shields, and prepared to be boarded. Jacelon out.”

Leaning against the console, Rae took drew a trembling breath. Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure the ones standing next to her could hear it. The thought of
Gamma VI
’s losses were still too fresh to really have an impact. “Final verdict, Jeremiah,” she asked in a low voice.
Count the dead, gather the wounded. Notify next of kin. Mourn again.
Staccato words simmered in her mind. She’d been here before. Gone through this more times than she cared to remember, and still she handled it badly.

Outwardly, she stood ramrod straight, full of sympathy for the people who lost a loved one, always the leader, the fearless commodore. Inside, she bled for every one of them.
I’m never as lonely as I am now, when I have to face my responsibility.
She tried to keep the feeling of utter desolation from her voice. “Jeremiah?”

“Eight dead. Twenty-four injured. Among them, four in critical condition. One frigate, the
Emerald,
is severely damaged and needs towing. The
Ajax
has deployed medical aid to the frigates.” Jeremiah stated the facts professionally, but his hollow voice gave him away.

“Eight dead.” Rae turned around and looked at the admiral. “I failed to keep them safe.”
What could I have done differently? What did I miss? Damn it, eight of them. Eight!
Repressing a shudder, she stared at the handheld computer Jeremiah gave her. The numbers and names scrolled across the screen, and she placed a hand over it for a moment.
They were under my command, and I sent them to their deaths.

“Don’t, Commodore.” Her father looked stern, but his eyes held a soft expression that she knew was meant just for her. “You have work to do.”

Trust Father to be to the point.
Still, Ewan’s words, spoken with a completely new tone of compassion, helped Rae get a grip on herself. “Hail the
Ajax
.”

“Captain DarTancor here, ma’am,” the Raggazarorder captain responded.

“You have the
Red Dragon
crew aboard. What’s their condition?”

“The navigator is in the infirmary for minor burns. The pilot is there for a checkup but seems uninjured
.
”

Relieved, Rae turned to her father, coughing to clear her voice. “I’ll go to Armeo and let him know his mother is all right.”

“Of course. I have the conn while you talk to him.”

“Lieutenant Grey, could you…” Rae faltered. The tall woman standing next her stood motionless, as if she had not heard her commanding officer. “Lieutenant? Owena?”

Owena jerked. “Ma’am?” To Rae’s surprise, she saw tears in the other woman’s eyelashes.
I’ve never seen her cry before. Ever.

“Owena? Are you all right?” A chilling sensation pierced her midsection. “Did you lose someone in the battle?”
Please, no.

“No, ma’am. I heard the captain. She’s in the infirmary.”
Owena’s stark voice betrayed her distress.

Leanne and Owena? Of course.
Normally oblivious to such signs, Rae realized she should have known. They always sat together in the officers’ mess hall, and Leanne’s face was usually an open book.
I’m so oblivious sometimes. The way Owena looks this instant…like someone given reprieve from certain torture.
“Just minor burns, Lieutenant. She’ll be fine.” Rae wanted to place a reassuring hand on Owena’s arm, but the stark look on her face didn’t permit such familiarity.

Rae was still numb. She still hadn’t fully realized in her heart that Kellen was all right. It still pounded out of control, the only sign of her fear.

Straightening up, Rae walked toward her office. Armeo stood instantly, his hands flat against the desk. Ensign Y’sak snapped to attention, only relaxing when Rae motioned for him to do so. “As you were, Ensign.” Turning to Armeo, she saw he was trembling but kept his chin up, meeting her eyes without wavering. “Kellen’s all right. She’s safe aboard the
Ajax.
”

“You promise?” Blue tears rose in Armeo’s eyes. “Is it the truth, Rae?”

“It is absolutely the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Armeo held his own for another five seconds. When the first tear ran down his cheek, he threw himself at Rae, wrapping thin, wiry arms around her waist. Holding the boy tight, Rae let her own tears flow as she rocked him. She knew up till now she’d managed to convince herself that her heart wasn’t involved. Witnessing Kellen risk her life to save Armeo and
Gamma VI
, and now, holding this boy who clung to her like a child in need of his parents’ consolation, had changed everything.