Van Laven Chronicles (25 page)

CHAPTER 46

“What you’re implying suggests you’ve forgotten that killing the girl is the primary objective,” Crausin said in his private quarters aboard the Retribution, the Nethicaen flagship and gem of its naval fleet. “But you will leave Comron
to me
.”

Count Recaban’s face loomed large on the holographic screen. “Oh, I’m afraid I’ve placed a rather sizeable bounty on your boy’s head, my dear Duke. Whether he’s brought in dead or alive makes no difference, I’ll pay all the same.”

“Whatever is done to him will be done to you,” Crausin replied in an ominous tone.

“We’re not on Nethic. Your threats hold no sway here,” Recaban smiled disingenuously. “That miserable little shite botched my operation, costing me millions and the favor of Thalonius. If I do find your son alive, a quick death would be a godsend compared to what I plan to do to him.”

Crausin rose up with shoulders squared as he glared at the screen. “Remember, I know about all of your hidden operations, Recaban. I’ll go straight to the authorities and lift the lid off of every sleazy business you’re running. Do you have any idea how many charges of racketeering you’ll be brought up on? You’ll go to prison for so long your grandchildren will be gray old men before you taste freedom again.” Crausin lifted his chin, casting Recaban a look of complete disdain. “I imagine those prison yards will be filled with your old acquaintances all too eager to greet you.”

Recaban clenched his jaw and cracked his knuckles. “It would be worth it to wipe the smug look off that
face
of yours,” he growled. “You’d better hope that trifling naval fleet of yours is swifter than all others, because if Thalonius’ men find him first, there will be nothing you can do to save your precious pet.”

Crausin’s mouth clamped shut as he gripped the back of his chair. He had mobilized half the Nethicaen naval forces to go in search of Comron and to kill the girl. Nothing short of killing her would reverse the unsavory position Comron had placed them in. If he could offer the girl’s head as a peace offering to Thalonius, perhaps Nethic would be spared the new Emperor’s wrath. But Recaban spoke truth. If Thalonius found them first, Comron would be lost to him…forever.

“You will find him and bring him to me alive. In return I will transfer one billion credits to the account of your choice and show you far more clever ways to launder your ill-gotten gains. Furthermore…” he closed his eyes a moment, unable to believe he was about to utter his next words, but damn it, Comron’s life was at stake. “Bring my son to me alive and House Van Laven will personally sponsor your introduction into good society. I swear it.”

Recaban’s violet eyes flickered and he wiped absently at the corner of his mouth as if salivating at the lucrative proposition. “It would be only fitting since you cost me an invitation to the Imperial Lion Palace.” But then his expression hardened. “I will let you know my answer a
fter
I’ve found him.”

CHAPTER 47

“How could you have let this happen?” griped Thalonius’ wife, a stately woman whose legendary beauty had faded but not vanished altogether. “Nearly thirty years I have stood by your side waiting for the day of your enthronement, only to have it snatched away by some lowbred bastard of your father’s.”

Supreme Prince Thalonius Hrollaugr gave his wife a look of incredulity. “God’s blood, Deidra, if she
were
merely a bastard we’d have nothing to worry about, now would we?” At seventy-six years of age, he was still of remarkable health and regal bearing. His flaxen hair had turned gray upon his head and full beard. His dark blue eyes had lost some of their luster; his tall broad shouldered frame was not as straight as it had once been. Still, he possessed the commanding presence befitting the firstborn of the late emperor, and bore a strong resemblance to his father, with a high forehead, narrow penetrating eyes, wide cheekbones and a slender nose set above a stern mouth.

“Against all counsel, your father flaunted convention and married that commoner, a mongrel no less,” said Georgin, an older, distant cousin who had patiently bided his time to become the new High Chancellor to the Emperor. “Then he had the temerity to elevate her above your mother. It was scandalous! Now we’re left to deal with the fallout of his inexplicable self-indulgence.”

“Lord Georgin is absolutely correct,” Deidra said, rubbing her temples. “Sorren’s acts were obviously the product of derangement or senility. His legal will should be stricken down and rendered void.”

Thalonius’ brow furrowed low. “That would take a rather protracted act of parliament, and there is no guarantee that they would rule in our favor.” When Deidra scoffed Thalonius looked at her. “Recall that I have many powerful enemies in the parliament who would relish the opportunity to unseat me.”

“In favor of handing the imperial crown to some low-bred usurper?” Georgin grumbled. “Preposterous.”

Thalonius gazed at the image of Vaush Bastionli upon the view screen. “This girl has just as much Hrollaugr blood running through her veins as I do and has the preeminent legal claim to the throne. That’s all that will matter to my enemies.” He moved away from them and approached the large plate glass windows overlooking the East Garden of the Lion Palace. “No, we must proceed with our own solution.”

“Preferably one that does not involve that wharf rat Recaban or the Nethicaens,” said Deidra. “Such incompetent fools the lot of them! How could they let the girl slip through their fingers?”

“Fools?” Thalonius replied, “Or ambitious upstarts.”

Deidra snorted at the implication. “They’re from the minor houses. Surely, they wouldn’t dare reach so high.”

Thalonius leaned his shoulder against the window. “Consider all that they nearly accomplished during the reign of Emperor Sellusion.”

“What in the name of the blessed hosts are you talking about?” Deidra asked in a peevish tone.

Lord Georgin turned to her. “Nethic, alongside Ti-Laros, stopped Sellusion’s expansion campaign dead in its tracks.”

Deidra frowned. “But they are part of the empire.”

“Because Sellusion succeeded in dividing the two powerful allies,” Thalonius answered. “Only then did he conquer that sector.”

Lord Georgin nodded. “Then Sellusion proceeded to pound Nethic into the ground so that they might serve as an object lesson to any who might seek to oppose him.”

“And yet, over time,” Thalonius added, “Nethic managed to emerge from the rubble to become a formidable banking house most notably under the reign of its current ruler, the Duke of Nethic, Crausin Van Laven.” Thalonius levelled them with a cold stare. “Perhaps the clever bastard has revenge in mind. What better way to serve his sweet revenge than to partner with his former ally – House Bastionli. Perhaps it was the plan from the very beginning.”

Deidra’s narrow brows pinched together. “I don’t like the sound of this.” She crossed the room to her husband. “Your first act as Emperor should be to finish what Sellusion started.”

Lord Georgin joined them. “The word is that while pretending to support us, Van Laven travels with the girl, seeking to present her to Novoxos, which would certainly support your hypothesis.” He glanced at Deidra. “They are a resilient, crafty lot with an enormous axe to grind. Hardly the incompetent fools that you would have them to be.”

Thalonius slammed his fist down on the window sill. “I am Sorren’s firstborn. I have spent my entire life preparing to take the reins of this empire. I will not be undone by this girl or Van Laven!” He glared at Georgin. “Assemble the third regiment as reinforcements to the gold brigade. When they’re through with the girl, I’ll send them on to Nethic to teach them a lesson they’ll never forget.”

CHAPTER 48

“By the gates! They know,” Comron said from within cockpit of the transport. “I thought that we’d have more time.”

Vaush emerged from the cabin. “Three hours is all the lead we get?”

Comron nodded, never taking his eyes off the screen. “Recaban has placed a bounty on both our heads,” he said, listening to the message being broadcast along the network. “It’s fifty million credits.” He glanced at her. “They’ll be crawling out of the woodwork to hunt us down.”

“That’s encouraging,” she replied dryly, slipping into the co-pilot’s seat. “Recaban just bought us fifty million more enemies.”

“The good news is, they’ve no idea where we are. He’s spreading his net out over half the galaxy. With any luck, we’ll be able to fly right through it.”

“But what if we are detected?” she asked pessimistically.

“We’ll improvise.”

She looked about the ship once more with a greater appreciation for the militaristic, utilitarian feel of it. “How much fire power does she have?”

“Enough to handle whatever comes our way,” he answered confidently, having lifted it off the black market, no questions had been asked, and there would be no way to trace it back to him.

She examined the navigation charts. “We’ve entered the Emul sector.” She frowned. “A bit out of our way, isn’t it?”

“The alternative is Brecca Minor, a stronghold of Recaban’s. My guess is we should steer clear of it.”

“But everyone knows Recaban’s seat of operation is on Curbon in the Tetrili sector.”

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Trust me on this one.”

The subtly wasn’t lost on Vaush. “Just how troubled should I be that my husband has insider knowledge of an infamous crime lord’s operations?”

“Not at all if that knowledge turns out to save your life.”

“Point taken,” she said and sat back in her chair. “As monumentally disorienting as this all has been, at least things are beginning to make sense.” She glanced at him. “Even your heated reaction back at Ketherton Sound. I thought you were going mad.”

His look was apologetic. “I was going mad. I thought I was going to lose you and that Nethic was going to be destroyed. I couldn’t let you leave, but I couldn’t hurt you either.”

“As terrified as I was…I think I understand. But once again, if you’d been honest with me from the beginning, we could’ve avoided this pain.”

“The lesson is learned, Vaush,” he said curtly. “You will have nothing but honesty from me…whatever it costs me.”

“Cost you? Darling, I’m your wife. As long as I have your complete honesty and fidelity, you’ll always have me. And together we’ll face whatever life throws at us.”

A faint smile touched his lips. “Those words sound an awful lot like marriage vows and this time you’ve said them as Vaush Hrollaugr.”

“Knowledge of my heredity did nothing to diminish my feelings for you,” she said. Her hazel eyes glowed warmly. “And nothing ever will, my love.”

“I intend to hold you to that promise…Your Excellency.”

She smirked. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got a long road ahead of us before any such—” she paused seeing Comron worried expression as his hands froze over the controls. “What’s wrong?”

He sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes as if the weight of the world was upon him.

“Com, you’re scaring me.”

“It’s Crausin. He’s trying to hail me through my private link.”

“What does he say?”

He sighed heavily. “They all know we’re together. Thalonius and Recaban mean to kill us both.” He turned to her. “Crausin’s offering to help us if we’ll agree to talk to him.”

She chortled. “What? Does he think we’re daft?”

When he made no reply, Vaush was reminded that Crausin still exerted a great deal of influence over Comron, and with their prospects looking increasingly bleak, would he be tempted to compromise their position by enlisting Crausin’s help?

“So…what will you tell him?” she pressed.

“Nothing. I won’t risk a communication that could give away our position.”

It was precisely the answer she’d hoped for, nonetheless, she could see that it disturbed him greatly to be at odds with Crausin. When the crisis was all over, she would do what she could to help them reconcile, if such was possible.

“Besides, I don’t believe for one second that his intentions have—”

His words were cut off when the proximity alarms sounded. Comron immediately engaged the defense system and the dark cabin lit up with holographic images of the star field and incoming ships. He recognized their markings.

“Forrel Raiders,” he said apathetically, “Nothing but a bunch of second-rate henchmen on Recaban’s payroll.”

“Well, they’re hailing us.” Vaush motioned at the com-panel.

“Too bad, I’m not in the mood for conversation.”

Vaush stared at the screen, her body tensed. From the images, she could see that the Forrel Raiders were closing in fast. It seemed to be Comron’s intention to outrun them. From the little she knew of the Raiders, they were the self-proclaimed law in the outlands. If Comron failed to acknowledge them, it would only rouse their suspicion.

Another sensor went off. “They’ve targeted us for fire.” Comron manipulated the computer controls, bringing up their shields. Suddenly, Vaush was thrust back into her seat as the ship lurched forward, flying at breakneck speed. “I’ll try to shake them.”

Nauseous and frazzled she sat helplessly as he initiated evasive maneuvers, turning the ship at impossible angles, flipping it repeatedly to avoid missile fire. Despite his impressive piloting skills, the raiders kept up the pursuit, firing all the while. Somehow, in the midst of the maneuvers, he managed to squeeze off a few shots at them. Two of the ships were immediately hit, leaving the three that quickly raised their shields. They seemed to fall behind in a cautious move, while maintaining their pursuit.

“I’ve got to jam their communications before they can call for back-up,” Comron muttered, once again working the controls. “There.”

“They’re hailing us again,” Vaush announced.

“That’s fine as long as they cannot make long range transmission.”

Vaush noted a blue light flashing erratically. “What is that?”

Comron looked at it for a moment before discerning its meaning. “Damn it! They’re scanning us.” Instantly, Comron slung the ship around so they were now traveling in a head-on collision course with the three ships.

“What are you doing?” she asked with wide eyes.

“They’ve likely discovered who’s aboard. We can’t let them get away with that information.” He began firing missiles and soon made a direct hit on one, but the other two dispersed, making a beeline back to their stations. Again Vaush was thrust back in her seat as Comron picked up speed for the pursuit. She watched him; his jaw was clenched and his eyes narrowed on his target, and she knew that his killer instinct had taken over with the single-minded objective of destroying the ships.

In a dazzling display, they exchanged fire as they blazed after the Forrel fighters. Their ship rocked violently from the impact of a missile. Though the shields held, the ship sustained heavy damage. That only fueled his determination to destroy them. Unleashing another volley of missiles, he took out one more of the raiders.

A twisted grin touched his lips as he bore down on the final raider. This one flew with more skill than his comrades, making it difficult for Comron to lock onto his ship. Quickly closing in, Comron finally got a lock. But at that very moment, their ship shook violently, setting off red lights and sirens in the cabin.

“We’re hit!” Vaush declared as the computer began announcing the imminent danger.

Comron was like ice as he let loose a final volley of fire, hitting the raider dead on, blowing the ship into oblivion. Finally, he turned his attention to their plight and instantly began plotting a course to the nearest life-sustaining planet.

“We’ll land on Anchorii,” he shouted over the alarms. “It’s just ahead.”

Total engine failure in six minutes, announced the computer.

Vaush thought her heart would pound out of her chest. “Can we make it in time?”

“We’ll enter Anchorii’s atmosphere in two minutes,” he replied confidently. “That should give us enough time to land safely.”

“With only four minutes left?”

“The ship has gliding capability,” he informed her. “We’ll have the engines long enough to stabilize us in the lower stratosphere, enabling us to navigate safely.”

His assurance wasn’t enough and her expression said so. He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

He held her gaze and she felt his confidence infusing her with courage. It didn’t matter what happened next. They were together, sustained by a powerful connection that transcended everything else. Even if these were the last few moments of her life, she’d die content and very much loved.

“Now strap yourself in tight,” Comron ordered. “It’s going to get a little rough.”