Victorious Star (35 page)

“Yes, sir.”

Ravnos nodded at Seht. “Good, let’s get you to your ship.”

Lord Syrhus shouted from behind a fallen set of cargo crates. “You’re alive!” He lunged up the corridor and grabbed Seht, wrapping him in a ferocious hug. “Thank the Mother!” He pulled back. “Did you see him? Moribund is wearing a fucking plasma cannon!”

Seht grinned. “I saw him all right. He’s lying in the tram station missing his head,
Atehf.”

Lord Syrhus’s brows shot up. “He’s dead?”

Victoria nodded. “Captain Ravnos blew his head off.”

Syrhus looked past Seht, over at Ravnos, and frowned. “Aubrey?”

Ravnos nodded curtly. “Don’t get any ideas.”

Lord Syrhus’s brows shot up. He glanced at Seht. “I see…”

“Let’s hope Moraine stays dead this time,”
Arcane
said from Victoria. “But don’t count on it.”

Lord Syrhus frowned at Victoria. “What?”

Victoria tapped her head. “That was the
Arcane.
We’re sharing space.”

Arcane’s
deep voice continued. “Moraine has a habit of dying in messy ways, then turning back up bigger and nastier than before.”

“I see…” Lord Syrhus looked over his shoulder. “Speaking of turning up… I hear this is your work,
Arcane.”

Aqua-eyed
A’syr
Khem and dour
Nehkyx
Bhenhu came around the fallen freight with a strikingly beautiful but empty-eyed Oriental female dressed in Moribund’s black uniform.

Victoria jerked as though struck. “Sakata?”

“Yeah, that’s her. I was hoping she was close by,”
Arcane
growled.

“That’s Kazi “Kamikaze” Sakata?” Ravnos hissed and his fists tightened at his sides. “What’s wrong with her?”

Seht scowled. “Her personality is gone.”

Lord Syrhus raised his brow at Ravnos. “I heard that
Arcane
wiped her.”

“He did.” Victoria closed her arms about herself. “She asked him to.”

Ravnos’s expression darkened. “He did what?”

Seht’s brows shot up. “She
asked
him to wipe her?”

Victoria nodded. “Moraine had her wiping ships and other things. She couldn’t take it.”

“Yes, I wiped her,” Arcane said from Victoria’s lips. “But she’s not gone. I have her memories safe, right here.”

“What?” All three chorused.

“Give her a kiss,
Victorious Star.”

Victoria shook her head. “A what?”

“A kiss. I need a direct connection to restore her.”

Victoria walked up to the blank Sakata and pressed her lips to the beautiful Oriental. Kazi opened her mouth and Victoria brushed her tongue against Kazi’s.

Lightning struck.

Ravnos frowned. “Sakata is back in her own head, only I don’t know if that was such a good idea.” He let Victoria slide down to stand on her feet.

Victoria groaned. That damned rib… “What’s the problem?”

Arcane
practically growled from her mouth. “Moraine fucked with her head, that’s the problem.”

Ravnos scowled. “I can’t go near her. She screams.”

Sakata was a shivering, tearstained and panicked mess cradled in
Nehkyx
Bhenhu’s arms. Her face was pressed into his shoulder. The scarred
skeldhi
looked up with astonishment. “She ran straight for me.”

Lord Syrhus sighed. “She can’t handle humans.”

Ravnos scowled. “What the hell am I supposed to do with a nav-pilot that can’t handle human contact?”

Arcane
spoke. “She needs therapy. Lot’s of therapy…”

Seht shook his head. “I’ve seen that behavior pattern before. She’s going to need care, probably for the rest of her life.”

Lord Syrhus lifted his chin. “We’ll take care of her.”

Ravnos’s brows lowered and his gaze turned frigid. “What?”

Seht nodded at Ravnos. “Syrhus is experienced in dealing with Moraine-specific trauma. Quite experienced, and one of the few who has ever been successful with them.”

Victoria reached for the sword at her side. “I’m going to have to return her sword…”

“Don’t you dare,”
Arcane
snarled. “If you show her that blade, she’ll go super-nova!”

Victoria jerked back. “What?”

“Moraine used her own sword to carve her up. She’s covered in scars from the neck down. And keep her away from mirrors, for the same reason.”

Victoria frowned at the whimpering nav-pilot. “Do you ever think she’ll be able to fly again?”

Arcane sighed. “Highly doubtful. Moraine did a thorough job on her. I doubt she’ll ever willingly touch a sword again.”

Seht held Ravnos’s gaze. “As a
rehkyt
she’d lose her scars.”

Ravnos scoured Seht with a frigid glance. “I do not turn humans over to be enslaved.”

Lord Syrhus’s gaze chilled. “I think you are missing a very valid point here. She’s not yours to turn over. We already have her.”

Ravnos lowered his brows. “I can’t let you take her.”

Lord Syrhus bared his long teeth. “You can’t stop us.”

“Not to interrupt your squabble,” the
Arcane
said dryly. “But I think Commander Seht is right. I have been poking around in Victoria’s memories, and from what I have seen, Lord Syrhus is a good option.”

Ravnos curled his lip. “You’re Imperial and you want me to let them take her?”

Arcane
snorted. “I’ve been in a lot of heads, Captain, and seen a lot of things. Sakata will never be able to function as an individual again. Trust me on this one. She needs an experienced keeper that’s not going to lock her in a sanitarium, drug her to the gills and leave her there, because that’s what the Imperium will do with her.”

Lord Syrhus nodded at Ravnos. “I have an entire staff that does nothing but attend to my pets’ needs. She will have the care she needs, for as long as she lives.”

Nehkyx
Bhenhu tightened his hold on Kazi and bared his long teeth. “I’ll see to her care personally.”

Arcane
sighed. “I honestly think she’d be happier with the
skeldhi.”

Ravnos stared at the whimpering Kazi. He dropped his head. “Fine. Take her.” He glared at Syrhus. “Do not make me regret this.”

Lord Syrhus nodded. “I’ll send you reports on her progress.”

Ravnos nodded. “Do that.” He shot a look at Seht and Victoria. “It’s time.”

Seht nodded grimly and looked over at Lord Syrhus. “Fair journey, cousin. I need to go.”

“Fair journey…” Lord Syrhus wrapped Seht in a sudden embrace. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind about coming home?” His voice was barely a whisper.

Seht shook his head. “I made my decision.”

Lord Syrhus sighed. “Then I will leave you. Could you at least drop by for a visit? The family misses you, Seht.”

Seht gently disentangled himself from Lord Syrhus’s embrace. “I’ll see what arrangements I can make, Syrhus.”

Lord Syrhus nodded. “You do that, and soon.” He nodded at the
skeldhi
around him. They all scrambled into lines around
Nehkyx
Bhenhu and Kazi.

Victoria watched the line of
skeldhi
jog into the corridors.

Ravnos’s gaze raked over Seht. “I’ll deal with you both when we get back to the ship.” He turned on his heel and marched back into the corridor flanked by his armored crewmen.

Seht grimly activated the blast doors that led to the
Raptor.

Seht sent a transmission to the station as it faded behind him.

“This is the stationmaster, what do you want?”

“This is Seht…”

“Oh, hey Seht, you’re still alive? How about the pretty girl?”

“I’m in one piece and not fried,” Victoria called out.

“What happened?” Static hissed on the intercom. “I got worried when the ship rolled off the station…”

“I’m right here, you hunk of junk,” the
Arcane
spat.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you Seht, for getting that crazy-assed sneaky bastard off my station!”

“What the hell are you babbling about?”
Arcane
sneered. “Moraine is still on it! Of course, he’s missing his head, but we both know that won’t last long. Did you find Moraine’s security breach?”

“I found this one.” Static exploded from the intercom.

“What about this one here, you antique pile of crap.” Victoria gagged and white noise exploded from her throat.

“That son of a bitch!”

“I’ve been saying that for years…” The
Arcane’s
voice was smug.

“Mother-fucker, the hole is a damned mile wide! I love you, Seht, but I got to go!”

Seht smiled. “We have to go too. I just wanted to let you know that we made it.”

“And I’m glad! Glad! Do you hear me? Say hi to Ravnos, and kiss the
Victorious Star
for me.”

Victoria gasped. “You know who I am?”

Electronic laughter gabbled across the intercom. “I was in your head, remember? Among other places… Bye!” There was a static-burst of humor and then he cut off.

Seht switched off the link, then rose from the couch to disappear somewhere in the back of the ship. He returned without his armor and sword. With a small sad smile, he leaned over Victoria, propped one knee on her couch and wordlessly removed the chain around her throat. He pressed his lips to her brow. “You were a very good pet.”

Victoria felt her heart turn over in her chest and the ache of a loss she couldn’t quite grasp.

Seht moved back over to his couch and slumped into it. He crossed his legs, folded his arms over his chest and closed his eyes.

Victoria could feel the hum of resignation through their telepathic link.

Several hours later, Victoria scooted around the edge of the moon and activated the jump drive. She shimmied through the field that covered the
Hellsbreath.
A little while later, the
Raptor
settled back into its place in the
Hellsbreath’s
hold.

A yeoman was waiting for them when they stepped off the
Raptor.
Both of them were to report to the bridge for immediate departure. Seht marched silently at her side as they proceeded to the bridge. Determination and tension sang through her telepathic link.

Still dressed in her flight-suit, Victoria assumed the nav-pilot’s chair.

“Take us out, nav-pilot.” Ravnos’s voice was perfectly calm. He passed her his jump coordinates.

Not a sound came from the station as they reappeared in real-space, and then disappeared into jumpspace.

Four course-eight jumps later, Victoria stepped from the chair with a splitting headache. It had been one hell of a ride with two ships literally occupying her mind. The
Hellsbreath
and the
Arcane
had flirted the entire time.

Ravnos sent a private communication to her. “Report to my quarters for dinner when you are appropriately dressed.” He left the bridge with Seht at his heel.

Victoria dashed into her quarters for a shower and a change of clothes. A yeoman had left a freshly pressed uniform out for her, with breeches. She touched the breeches with a finger, then balled her hand into a fist.

“We’re scheduled to rendezvous with the
Machiavellian
tomorrow at oh-nine hundred hours.” Ravnos looked up at Victoria. “They are coming for the
Arcane,
and for you.”

Victoria set down her fork.
One day to say good-bye…
It was over, and time to readjust to her old life. But that was gone, too. She couldn’t imagine what it was going to be like, to be a civilian, to never fly a battleship again. She closed her eyes against the breathless pain clenching around her heart. Bloody Fate, it hurt. She shoved her plate away. She couldn’t eat another bite.

An agonizing hour later, the yeomen cleared the table of dishes, leaving a carafe of white wine and a carafe of water for Victoria.

Ravnos toyed with his wineglass. “Did you bring them?” He looked over at Seht. His gaze was cool and calculating, but feral heat shimmered behind it.

Seht swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes, Captain.”

Victoria looked up. Seht’s mouth was set in a tight, thin line and his hand trembled on his wineglass. The tiniest tremor of fear and anticipation shivered across their telepathic link. In that moment, she realized that he had been hiding his thoughts from her for several hours. And he was afraid.

Ravnos held out his hand to Seht. “Give them to me.”

Seht reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a rubber ball with straps attached to it, and the coil of his whip. His hand shook as he passed them to Ravnos.

Ravnos took them and laid them on the table. He looked over at Victoria, giving her the same icy hot gaze. “How is the rib?”

Victoria swallowed. She did not like the look in his eye. “Much better, sir. It aches a little. Most of my bruises are gone, and the marks on my back are fading.”

“Good.” Ravnos smiled.

For no good reason, Victoria felt her heart begin to pound in her chest, and her panties dampen.

Ravnos took a swallow of wine. “First Lieutenant Victoria Stark, also known as Nav-Pilot Chaste, you have accomplished your mission with distinction, in the face of personal risk and in spite of the loss of your status as a human.” His gaze raked Seht.

Seht clenched his jaw but held Ravnos’s gaze.

Ravnos focused back on Victoria. “Which makes you no longer fit for Imperial duty.”

Victoria flinched.
Damn it, he didn’t have to say it so baldly.

Ravnos lifted his chin.
“Arcane,
are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here, you heartless bastard,”
Arcane
spat from Victoria’s lips.

Ravnos pursed his lips. “Good. Pay attention…” He barked out a short stream of code.

“What the fuck…?”
Arcane
was cut off in mid-sentence.

Victoria searched but couldn’t find
Arcane
anywhere within her mind. “What did you do with him?”

Ravnos set his glass down. “You still have him, but he’s in lockdown. He has too much access to this ship while he’s occupying your mind.” He smiled briefly. “And I want no interference.”

Victoria felt her mouth go dry.
Interference for what…?