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Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast...I reminded myself.
I knew I had to find her. I also needed to check the shuttle port. Many of the wedding guests were likely already returning to their ships. My father might be waiting for me to bid them farewell, eager to slip in one final jab about my human marriage. His sharp wit only got sharper as he indulged in drink.
Krafina celebrations tended to be intense, often lasting just a few hours. After such a party, we always needed some rest to gear up for the next day’s games.
I hesitated over the terminal at Jasmine’s desk. She didn’t have much access, but I could bypass the lock-out and send out the alert. Was my pause because the affection in my heart for her was overwhelming? Or was it because I didn’t want to disrupt what had turned into a joyful occasion despite the prejudice of my own kind? Maybe it was the knowledge that my father would somehow find a way to blame me for acquiring the one human from the auction capable of concocting a scheme that might endanger us?
Just the thought was ridiculous. A human couldn’t do anything to hurt us.
And yet… Jasmine had found more than one way to surprise me.
She may have had a logical reason to have the blaster. Perhaps she hadn’t killed Vishin. Maybe we could live happily ever after.
My hand hovered over the ship-wide alert codes. Instead, I entered a signal to Tulla, my sparring partner and loyal soldier. I typed quickly.
“Your eyes only. Find Jasmine. Advise me of her whereabouts immediately. Heading to shuttle port.”
I locked out the terminal again and shook back my shoulders. I could trust Tulla to be discreet. Tulla also didn’t drink, so she would be swift and insightful in seeking out Jasmine. Regardless of what I discovered of my bride’s intentions, I had to face it with the training and ruthlessness of a Prexis Commander.
It might not be wise to try to find her and give her a chance to explain herself, but I just couldn’t bring myself to honestly believe she meant me harm.
There was no way she could fake that look in her eyes… Humans couldn’t be that good of liars. More than that, I would never have fallen for someone like I had for her if I sensed anything nefarious.
If I had, maybe that made her all the more worthy of my love.
19
Jasmine
The code on the screen blinked a foreboding green. Its glow lit up the otherwise dark alcove. I was having trouble breathing, and my fingers were shaking. I sat back in the chair in the engineering bay and took a few deep breaths, steadying myself as I turned anxiety into motivation for the end of my mission. I glanced at the clock on the side of the terminal.
As I swiftly stashed the munitions in the battery compartments of the Prexis shuttles, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Braxl would wake soon. The absence of alarms from his ship suggested he hadn’t yet.
Or maybe I’d just done an excellent job of not arousing suspicion. He might assume I’d left our love-tangled bed to tend to some bridal duties.
Maybe.
The wedding guests were in various states of inebriation; some loud, and others passed out. A handful of shuttles had already departed. From my engineering hideout, I had a view of the shuttle port on the screens. I was in a secluded side room, shielded from prying eyes. The engineering crew had been given the night off and had made the most of it at the party. The GloryDaze was effectively on autopilot. More than a few individuals were being escorted, or rather, guided sloppily to their quarters or onto the shuttles.
The code was ready for the final commands. The way I’d rigged the explosives, they would be triggered with the final programming, engineered to overload all the shuttle batteries. Such a power surge would typically activate a failsafe, immobilizing the shuttles until the issue was resolved. But I’d circumvent that safety feature. Instead, the surge would pass through to the attached munitions firing caps, then...boom.
Fireworks.
I hadn’t seen Braxl’s father return to the shuttle port yet. I was hopeful that enough shuttles would pull away together so that I could maximize the deaths of the various Commanders and warlords but limit damage to the Prexis ships. I didn’t need there to be mass casualties of the regular soldiers. I just needed to overthrow the current regime.
The plan had taken an unexpected turn as I moved stealthily between the shuttles, setting up the explosives. It shifted further as I tasted Braxl on my lips and felt his love in my heart. Even while I placed the charges that spelled doom for his empire, I couldn’t help but consider ways to safeguard him.
What if the entire leadership was wiped out, leaving a void for Braxl to step into naturally? He’d still need a loyal army beneath him, and perhaps Braxl’s exceptional leadership could bring about positive changes in the Prexis Prime Empire and its relationships with Earth and other planets.
Wouldn’t it be wiser to establish a new Highest Supreme Entity? Maybe my mission had never intended for anything other than toppling the current regime, Braxl included. This might delay further aggression and the devastation of weaker planets. Actions that would likely trigger Prexis’ vengeful plotting. If I waited to overload the shuttles until they were back on their home ships, as per the original plan, perhaps some Warlords would escape. They could end up vying for control over Braxl, potentially resulting in even more bloodshed of Earthlings and other species.
But, if I could prompt a transition of leadership… basically stage a coup against Kressel and the Old Guard, maybe it would benefit Braxl and maybe… just maybe, he would forgive me?
I grunted. That was highly unlikely.
How could anyone forgive their new betrothed for such a betrayal?
Regardless of our bond, I would be the reason for destroying so much of Prexis’s military resources.
