AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course we keep her safe.” Sherv’s jaw tightened as he looked at her. “No matter if empire desperate for Mataras to make our babies. This wrong. Don’t allow.”
“Sherv.” Irene hesitated, afraid to have the answer burning in her answered. “How much trouble did you just get into? What will your people do to you?”
“No matter.” Rusp’s face was thunderous, but his tone was gentle as he gazed at her. “We don’t give you up.”
“Can you send me home? Or somewhere I can catch a ride to return to the space station once Nil leaves? Sweet prophets, I have to contact my parents. When they hear about this, they’ll be insane with worry.” There’d been a relay station near the theater, but Irene knew they’d soon be out of its range. The ship’s com wouldn’t be able to send a message to Earth until they reached a long-distance network of such stations.
“We find a way.” Sherv wavered between uncertainty and determination. “We hide you from Kalquor military. Have to disappear for a while. We figure it out.”
“Your shows. How many will you miss?” Irene realized helping her might be costing them a lot. “If I can access my accounts without cluing in your government where I am—”
“No worry about money. We have some saved.” Jemi smiled at her, but his gaze darted to Sherv, who offered a slight shrug. Whatever savings they had wasn’t much, apparently.
“We all right to lose a few shows. Rusp, where we go? Somewhere outer reaches of Galactic Council space, I think.”
“For now, we set random course. Change heading each hour, cross through traffic channels, maybe confuse destroyer when it follow. Decide where stop later.”
Sherv nodded and spoke to Taru and Anez. The Nobeks grinned and nodded, surprising Irene by seeming delighted. Anez glanced over his shoulder to beam at Irene and jabber in Kalquorian.
Sherv’s tension eased, and he chuckled.
“What did he say?” Irene asked.
“Want to know if more Earther women we can rescue. He never have so much fun, making escape and ready to fight destroyer.”
“Is he serious?”
“Nobeks,” Jemi said, as if it explained everything. Maybe it did. Lorj was also snickering. Even Rusp appeared absurdly happy in the aftermath of their close call.
* * * *
“We need to learn exactly what’s happening in the empire.”
Rusp scowled at Sherv from his seat at the dinette. A couple hours had passed since they’d escaped the Beonid station. There’d been no sign of pursuit thus far.
His gut roiled at his clan leader’s request. “I’d rather cut off my secondary than talk to him.”
“You think I don’t know it?” Leaning on the nearby kitchen station, Sherv offered him a look that was half-sympathetic and half-exasperated. “If Earthers are breeding compatible with Kalquorians and the Imperial Clan and Royal Council have decided to kidnap women, we’re in some heavy shit.Ireneis in some heavy shit if we can’t return her to her people.”
Rusp drew a steadying breath. Sherv was right; for Irene’s sake, they had to find out what was going on. “Fine. I’ll com him.”
“Be nice and play dumb. We’ll have to answer for holding off a couple of fleet officers using their own blasters and shooting close to their fighters to boot. The more clueless we seem, as if we were trying to help a Matara in distress, the less likely we’ll spend a few months in a penal colony.”
“Got it.” The man Rusp had to com doubted he had any sense anyway. An act of ignorance wouldn’t be hard to pull off.
Rusp went to the clan’s sleeping room to talk to his father privately. He couldn’t stand Irene to see him belittled, even if she wouldn’t understand what was said.
Sherv and Jemi’s parents hadn’t been thrilled by their sons’ determination to make their livings as musicians. Like Rusp’s, they wore their disapproval openly, constantly asking when the young men would stop goofing off and settle into real careers, start building some rank.
Then there was Rusp’s Nobek father, Ezrob. A high commander of Kalquor’s ground forces soldiers, he’d held his three Nobek sons to exacting standards. Two of those sons, having risen to commander ranks themselves, had made him proud. Rusp, on the other hand…
He settled on the edge of the sleeping mat and stared morosely at the desk com, which had the power to reach Kalquor frequencies. He calculated what time it would be in the capital city of Kalquor while he inhaled the scents of love from the night before. Irene filled his senses, reminding him she needed his help and protection. He instructed the com to contact Ezrob at his office.
His father’s assistant answered, a delay he didn’t mind. “Good morning, Lieutenant Elti. It’s Rusp.”
“Yes, I recognized the frequency. We’re rather busy this morning. I could have the high commander com you back when he gets a moment.” The Dramok’s clipped tone was all business. He was usually pleasant to Rusp.
Rusp was tempted to tell him it was fine, but he had a suspicion whatever was occupying his father might have something to do with the situation putting his clan at odds with Captain Nil. “Is Kalquor kidnapping Earther Mataras? I just helped one escape a destroyer captain.”
