AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There were just too many ships. And the warship wasn’t really participating yet. It was letting the fighters soften the target before it finally made the kill. Jobek understood the strategy, because it was exactly what he would have done.
Suddenly massive bolts of energy tore through space and two of the fighters exploded. Jobek shook his head, thrilled for the assist yet dreading the complications. There was only one ship with weapons that powerful. Cylex’s ship. Apparently, he hadn’t listened to his mate and he’d come running to the rescue. But why would he risk the conduits by flying into a battle?
Another column of energy took out the last small ship.
He engaged the camouflage shields as he exited hyperspace,Ansley explained.If they’d scanned you and departed as they said they would, they never would have known he was there.
Neloff moved off to one side. He knew damn well he was no match for the warships and the last thing Cylex needed was to have an ally ship in the crossfire. Verbet utilized much the same strategy as Neloff had, pairing each burst of weapons’ fire with an erratic maneuver making their ship harder to target.
Cylex’s crew wasn’t impressed. They exchanged fire three times, giving the Torretians plenty of time to retreat and then launched a combination barrage powerful enough to incapacitate the ship.
The barrage flew toward Verbet’s ship like a blanket of destructive energy. From bow to stern, there was not a millimeter of the hull that was not touched by a weapon’s fire. Jobek finally allowed himself to smile. It was no more than the arrogant bastard deserved.
Suddenly, the ship exploded in a blinding flash of light. The soundwave hit a few seconds later, rocking theMadelleviolently. Debris showered down on the ship, some of the pieces large enough to cause little aftershocks.
“Damage report,” Neloff ordered, sounding utterly shocked. “Are there any survivors? What the hell just happened?”
“Minor damage only,” Tandor reported. Then with obvious regret, “There are no life signs in the wreckage. There is not much of anything.”
They all just stood in stunned silence staring at the main display.
“That was not what Cylex was trying to do,” Jobek insisted. “Even if he didn’t realize who Verbet was, he would not have taken out the entire crew.”
Cylex commed a few minutes later. “Is everyone all right?”
“Yes,” Neloff assured him. “We were rocked, but our shields withstood the debris.”
Cylex released a deep sigh of frustration, but guilt and regret were clear in his gaze. “I was trying to shut them down, not obliterate them. We are trying to calm Jevara down, not infuriate him, and now I just murdered his half-brother.” He shook his head and scrubbed the lower portion of his face with his hand. “He will never believe I did not do it intentionally.”
“It does not matter what he believes. We all know the truth,” Tandor insisted. “One of your pulses hit a concentrated energy source. On any other ship, that would not have been a kill shot. Their ship was utilizing several systems I had never seen before.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Cylex said firmly. “We need to get the conduits to safety. We can analyze your scans when we reach the Citadel.”
CHAPTER8
Verbet drifted in and out of consciousness. There were moments of blinding pain as well as the strangest sense of tranquility. And chanting, endless musical chanting.
“Where am I?” It hurt to speak. It hurt to breathe. But why the fuck was he still alive? He distinctly remembered his ship blowing up. How had he escaped that fireball? And more important, was anyone else still alive?
“I’ll get Mistress Air,” a young-sounding female offered and he heard footsteps retreating.
Mistress Air? Was he on Pyron? That made no sense. None of this made sense.
Maybe he hadn’t survived the explosion after all. Maybe this was the afterlife and all this pain was simply his punishment for being such a selfish bastard his entire life.
Her energy touched him before her warm palm lightly pressed against his forehead. He blinked repeatedly and managed to open his eyes, but his vision was still blurry. The room felt big, sound echoed, and the air was cool. He knew little about Pyron and even less about the afterlife. He’d never believed in a benevolent creator or even some omniscient entity.
“Your will to live is remarkable. Few can survive the sort of damage that was done to your body and even fewer can fight their way out of one of my healing thralls.”
Now that made sense. He was too damn stubborn to die. “Pyron?”
“Yes, you’re on Pyron.” Her voice was low and melodious, soothing.
“How?”
“One of your crewmembers could teleport. He likely had Pyronese blood.”
That wasn’t possible. He’d personally selected every member of his crew. They were all battle tested and loyal to the crown. “Why bring me here? I have no ties to Pyron.”
