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I burst into laughter. “You always had a way with words.”
“Maybe I’m drunk on life. We have limited time left. Do you think Father was serious?”
How many times had we had the same conversation over the last fifty years? More than I could count. “Maybe.”
“He is a showman.”
“True, but we can’t risk it. We forge on.”
He nodded and his expression changed, darkening. “Our ship was hit last night. We’re still recuperating.”
“Where the hell are you? I’ll come to your assistance.” Bristling, my gut told me the attack had been premeditated. We had far too many enemies. I’d become closer with my brother during the quest, which was undoubtedly something my father had counted on. We’d confided in each other instead of allowing our soldiers to know we were bargaining with time.
“Galtan Nebulous.”
“Jesus Christ, brother. That’s three hundred thousand lightyears away.”
“Warp speed went into overdrive, which is what the attackers were trying to do.”
They’d purposely been pushed into no-man’s land. He’d been sabotaged. I sat back, noticing I was being watched. While few in the universe knew exactly what I looked like, the firebird on my chest the only distinguishing emblem of my royalty, every Vektorian was watched closely, fearful that their worlds would come to an end. My father had done it, wiping out entire civilizations, including Earth.
That wasn’t something he’d touted to anyone, but it had been necessary. “Will you have the engines fully operational soon?”
“That’s why I’m calling. Not soon enough to meet the deadline and I seriously doubt I’m going to find my mate in the middle of nowhere.”
Fuck. The attack had been purposeful. That could mean the search was on for my ship. “Any indication of who attacked you?”
“Negative, brother. It was a cloaked effort and our systems didn’t pick up their photon blast until it was too late to the shields.”
“Damn it, brother. You’re a sitting duck.”
“I think whoever attacked me got what they wanted. Me out of the contest. I called to warn you. You’re our only hope.”
Only hope. That left a huge burden on my shoulders. “Understood.”
“Which I can translate to mean you’re no closer than I was.”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“Should we contact Father?” Ravat asked, although he knew exactly what my answer would be.
“Over my dead body. I will hunt my mate down. She exists.”
“That might be the case, but you know as I do that if we both fail, Father will remove our positions at minimum.”
“Then so be it. But I’m not ready to give up the throne.”
“I wish you good luck, brother. Be careful. Someone is out to destroy the family.”
If the unknown asshole came after me, he would learn that my wrath was brutal. I ended the communication, attempting to make a plan. The last thing I needed was to sit here and wait for two days that I didn’t have. I made another call, getting my lieutenant immediately. “I don’t give a shit what the engineer has to say. We are leaving within the hour. Do you hear me?”
Grazine exhaled. “That’s a tall order. I don’t think the engineer can make that happen.”
“Yes, he fucking will or he’ll be floating in space by the end of this day. Make certain he knows that.”
“Dare I ask what happened?”
“Not now. It’s time to continue the hunt.” Now I sat back, surveying the area. There were dozens of females, many appetizing. But as soon as I took a deep whiff, I knew for certain not one of them was suitable. At least we weren’t stuck out in the middle of nowhere.
