Destination Alara Read online

  "You don't really believe that."

  "Yes I do. We were desperate. This galaxy was just close enough for us to make it and we wouldn't have gotten any farther. We may have helped save the Andromeda planets from invaders, but make no mistake, we would have taken them ourselves if we'd had to."

  He chose not to comment on that information, and said instead, "The Meryans are the wealthiest family in the Coalition and they've been around a long time. They're also royalty."

  "And Cade Meryan is the heir to the empire. She's a military commander but she's also a politician. I don't trust politicians."

  Paul smiled and the scar tracking from his right eye to his lips turned white. "You don't trust anyone, Van."

  A jolt informed them that a jump ship had just connected with the outer doors of the loading bay. Seconds later the decompression cycle began and the doors opened to reveal four armed soldiers swarming into her ship. Two took up immediate flanking positions just inside the hatch and two more came straight for the command officers. They wore the familiar padded gray uniforms, but with riot helmets in place, Van couldn't identify gender or species.

  "You'll come with us," a female voice ordered brusquely, drawing a glare from Van that most people had told her would peel paint. Through the face shield, she couldn't tell if it had been effective.

  "This is still a Coalition vessel and I am still captain. I'll thank you to remember that, Lieutenant." Van enunciated the soldier's title with all deliberation, attempting to drive home the point.

  The second soldier raised his face shield and she saw a neutral expression on the man's face. "Apologies, Captain. Admiral Meryan sent us to retrieve you. If you'll accompany us, Ma'am?" Although he was polite, it was obvious that he hadn't made a request.

  Van didn't speak to Paul on the quick ride over. The weapons held by their escort weren't normal fare and neither were the riot helmets. Four officers in addition to the pilot sent to retrieve Falcon's captain seemed excessive. Something was going on and she didn't think it was just about her having destroyed a few pirate vessels.

  As soon as they landed in Gauntlet's loading bay, the officers shuffled them off and led them through several long corridors. The Coalition flagship was an older model, obviously in service for several years. Still, Van relished air untainted with the smell of burnt circuitry. She recognized the design and wasn't surprised when they were ushered into a conference room moments later.

  "Commander Byra, you will remain here. Captain Swann, please come with me." It was the same officer that requested they accompany him onto the jump ship.

  "Wait a minute." Her temper flared and a bit of panic swam in her stomach. "Admiral Meryan said I could bring my exec with me."

  "She said you could bring him. She didn't say he would be there when she spoke to you. Sorry, Captain." He stepped aside and indicated she should move along.

  "What's your name, anyway?" Van asked as soon as they started walking.

  "Lieutenant Argante."

  Not much of a talker.

  "You're Thuban, aren't you?"

  Rather than ask what gave his species away, he looked at her with a sidelong glance and grasped his rifle tighter with three of his arms. The fourth swung relaxed at his side.

  Thuban citizens weren't technically part of the Andromeda family, nor were they official members of the Coalition. The planet, Thuba, was independent and located out past the wastelands of the Lantass Asteroid Belt. They shared precious metals such as copper, lead, and trinium with Andromeda and the Coalition in exchange for protection from anyone wanting a piece of their small planet.

  Lieutenant Argante stopped next to an unmarked door and pressed the chime.

  "Come in."

  A second later, Van stood at attention in front of Vice Admiral Cade Meryan and she was very much alone. Lieutenant Argante wisely stayed in the corridor. Meryan ignored her for several seconds. She perused documents on her computer and pushed a few reports around. Van didn't know if she was really busy or just pretending to be. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Van took in the stylishly appointed office. Silver and blue seemed to be the theme. All the furniture gleamed with a utilitarian quality that seemed cold, emotionless. The only other color was the green of enormous potted plants strategically placed in the corners of the room.

  Subtle.

  Plants were expensive in space and hard to come by. Such a casual display hinted that she had money and class. Van was already bored.

  "You've been busy, Captain Swann."

  Her eyes came back to the front and she wondered how long the admiral had been watching her. At least Admiral Meryan knew her name now. The fifteen minutes of delay must have been to give her time to pull up Van's record. Since she didn't know exactly how much trouble she was in, Van stayed quiet. Meryan stood slowly and walked around to the front corner of her desk, less than a foot away from where Van waited. She perched one hip against the curved edge and folded her arms. Meryan towered over her, placing her somewhere in the neighborhood of six feet. Van masked a discreet visual inspection of the admiral's figure with a blink. The close-fitting garments looked good on her. The low-slung blast pistol strapped to Meryan's upper thigh made Van wonder if someone had turned off the environmental controls.

  She struggled not to gulp in nervousness. She focused on the wall in front of her but her skin sang with the heat of the admiral's proximity. The scent of cinnamon and cloves teased her nostrils and her libido stirred. Van wondered if she was out of her mind.

  Here she was about to receive the dressing down of her military career and she was lusting after the person about to deliver it. Van could feel sweat begin to break out on her forehead as Meryan studied her. Then the admiral began reciting her service record.

  "Thirty-two years old and a veteran of the Tokar Perimeter Wars. Twice decorated with the Silver Medal of Valor and a Coalition Citation of Honor. Impressive. Please tell me how you go from that to destroying a Scout class vessel less than six months out of space dock."

  Her voice was deceptively calm; a tone Van was very familiar with having used it herself on occasion. She chose not to respond and apparently, that was the right answer.

  "You are Vanessa Swann, aren't you? I don't mean to sound unsure, but you just don't seem to be the person I've read about in your service jacket. That person single-handedly held off a squad of Gothos invaders on Tokar after seeing the rest of her team slaughtered. Was that really you?"

  Meryan was baiting her and it was working. Desire vanished. Anger and grief swirled in Van's gut making her clench her jaws together so hard they ached. She was fully aware of how people saw her. Van was short and well tanned with clipped auburn hair and possessed a quality frequently referred to as elfish. She was often underestimated and Tokar was a sore subject even eight years after the fact.

  "Explain, Captain. Tell me how such an officer manages to recklessly cripple her vessel so quickly."

  Van frowned thinking the answer should have been self-explanatory. "We were attacked by pirates, Admiral."

  "That much I figured out." Admiral Meryan was shouting now. "Gauntlet does have sensors, Captain Swann. Surely, you had weapons that could have dealt with the smugglers. You did have a fully functional ship, didn't you?"

  "Yes ma'am, but one of the vessels was going to ram us. I...we...I didn't have time to formulate a battle plan. We only had seconds to respond."

  "And you decided that firing hydrogen-based engines in the direct proximity of other space craft was a good idea? The explosion from those ships could have vaporized the Falcon and your own crew."

  She was right but Van couldn't tell her Yugi had frozen at the helm and that she'd taken over. She couldn't bear to witness the end of the Alaran's career before it really got started. Better for Meryan to think her crew was just following orders.

  Standing up straight she said, "I accept full responsibility for my actions, Admiral."

  "Well, your actions have caused me a lot of trouble, Captain
. You're lucky the Gauntlet happened to be here or you'd be left drifting in space."

  Why was Gauntlet in the area? The Coalition flagship should be patrolling Alara or shuttling dignitaries to fancy meetings, not wandering around the outer perimeter of the galaxy.

  She took a deep breath. "If you could just tow us to the nearest star port you could get back to your mission, Admiral."

  Meryan paused and chuckled a beat later. "Nice try, Captain. Don't worry. I'm going to tell you exactly what we're doing here since you've just become a part of my crew."

  "Excuse me? Our orders are to patrol this sector. To my knowledge they haven't changed."

  "Consider yourself duly informed. Our mission is time critical and we don't have the luxury of towing a damaged ship to port. Gauntlet will set course for Tokar. You should be familiar with the planet. We'll scuttle the Falcon. "

  "It's a brand new ship." The shock of such a proposition finally propelled Van to look the admiral in the eye. It was a breach of military protocol, but Meryan didn't seem to mind. Or at least she didn't kill Van on the spot.

  Obviously, something big was happening. Border skirmishes were common, but this had the earmarks of something much more serious and Van was enough of a seasoned officer to recognize it. Still, that didn't mean she was going to fold her crew into this one.

  "Look, Admiral, I'm sure all we need is fuel. Falcon can make it to a maintenance hub in a few weeks as long as we have hydrogen."

  The admiral looked stunned by the suggestion. "You're not a scientist, are you Swann?"

  The honest curiosity compelled her to answer fully, not as a military officer but as someone who'd seen entirely too much violence for one lifetime.

  "No, I'm a warrior. I know my ship and what makes it run, but I leave logistics to scientists. I fight. Those Gothoans you spoke of? They killed everyone that ever meant anything to me. I froze on that ice-ball for months and the Coalition never bothered to send any reinforcements even though they knew we were outnumbered. Well, I survived and I killed every fucking one of them that I could. I made it off Tokar and I'm not going back."

  Meryan studied her through narrowed lids while the words echoed in the air. When she spoke again, her tone was conversational, low and measured. "Nice speech. However, you are still a military officer and you will follow orders. We're going to Tokar."

  "Then I hereby resign my commission. Please leave me at the Sector Six mining outpost as you continue with your mission, Admiral." Van was about to find out just how good a poker player Meryan was. And if she'd call her bluff.

  "All right, if you want to take your ball and go home that's up to you but I won't jeopardize our schedule to appease your temper. I'll drop you off after we complete our mission. Sit back and relax, Captain, because until this is over you're a part of Gauntlet's crew whether you want to be or not."

  Damn. Van really hated being cold.

  Van could see from the twinkle in her eyes that Meryan knew she'd been bluffing. "Do you think we could at least get breakfast?"

  The admiral smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'll see what we can do. Lieutenant Argante will take you back to the Falcon and set up the schedule for transferring your people over here. I'll try to let you know before we have to trigger the self-destruct."

  "You'll try?"

  Meryan started at the hint of a growl in Van's throat. Although this woman outranked her, Van was still a captain and had the ego to go with it. She saw a hint of respect in the midnight eyes. "I'll make sure."

  She started to leave but the admiral stopped her once more. "Captain Swann, you could have just told me that your navigator froze."

  "How did you..."

  "I may be a Meryan, but I have been in the military my entire life. Our sensors indicated you rerouted helm control to the command console. You took over seconds before you would have been destroyed."

  "Then why the interrogation?"

  Her eyes softened. "I wanted to see if you would defend your crew. I can't have an executive officer who doesn't protect her own."

  "Don't you have a second?" Van asked.

  "I told you we have to integrate the two crews. You're a captain and I can't see you taking orders from my exec."

  A grin tugged at the corners of Van's lips. "How does your exec feel about it?"

  "Commander Bosk actually follows orders, Captain."

  Her ears burned again for the second time in less than an hour when she heard Meryan's husky laugh as the door slid closed.

  Chapter Two

  FALCON EXPLODED AND Van felt the shockwave on the observation deck five thousand kilometers away. The sight was visible via the overhead view screen, courtesy of Gauntlet's long-range sensors. If one ignored the significance of the blast, it was even pretty. Multicolored bits of blue, yellow, and red showered outward from a single point, a breathtaking pyrotechnic display.

  "And so, another fine career comes to a close." Van heard Paul snort but Admiral Meryan didn't share his appreciation for her humor.

  "Your career is hardly over, Captain, merely sidetracked. You know we can't let technology fall into enemy hands."

  She could have replied that she fully understood the destruction, but the words stuck in her throat. Falcon had been her first ship. "Do you mind if we get on with the briefing, Admiral?"

  Their eyes met and Van felt her temper rise. What was it about this woman that so effectively got under her skin? She pushed the question away, considering the vacuum-packed split pea soup had done little for her mood.

  Only four of the Falcon's crew was present in the conference room, Captain Swann, Lieutenant Commander Byra, Lieutenant Yugi, and the weapons officer, Lieutenant Commander Barnit Ozal. The former executive, Uther Bosk, and Lieutenant Argante attended Meryan. Of course Bosk was still technically Meryan's second. Van's position as executive officer aboard Gauntlet was merely a courtesy in deference to her rank. Van was the only pure Human that she knew of though she suspected Commander Bosk but it was hard to tell. His iron gray buzz cut and stubby, once muscular body reminded her of an ancient toy she'd seen on a computer data disc. She thought it had been called a G. I. Joe.

  Meryan was half Human and half Alaran though there was nothing of the light, angelic features Lieutenant Yugi sported. Yugi, of course, was a full-blooded Alaran. Argante was Thuban, complete with the olive complexion and he was a multiped. The junior commander, Ozal, was half-Thuban. She had the coloring and two really cute little antennae above her eyebrow ridges, but only two arms. Sometimes Van felt she was missing out on a rich cultural background by being so boringly Human.

  "Fine. Have a seat."

  Van was aware of more than one person grinding their teeth as they settled at the large conference table. Commander Bosk did indeed follow orders but that didn't mean he liked it.

  "We're going to Tokar because the Coalition has received intelligence that a rebel attack is going to be launched from there. We're not sure yet where their allegiances might lie."

  For an instant, there was stunned silence before sounds of disbelief sputtered from the Falcon's officers. Van didn't join in with the others. Meryan would be disappointed if she expected her to react.

  "Settle down," Van said quietly, not releasing the admiral's gaze. Her crew complied quickly and waited for her to ask the questions she knew they would have. "Tokar is a frozen planet with no nearby trade routes, no natural resources and is so far from the nearest outpost that it would be foolhardy to plan an extended stay."

  Meryan's eyes narrowed as Van deliberately paused.

  "Sounds like the perfect place to establish a resistance cell of some sort." Her crew reacted again, caught off guard by the unexpected response.

  "My thoughts exactly," Meryan said once the murmurs died down.

  "Who's the target?"

  Van's palms were flat against the conference table's simulated wood grain surface. She felt like she and the admiral were engaged in a subtle game of chess, each exchange a play on the tact
ical battlefield. Arousal began again, a low burn in the pit of her stomach. War always had that effect. The push and pull, each exchange a sensual dance that was almost erotic.

  "The Royal Senate."

  Her breath escaped in a rush. So much for the dance. "Then what the hell are you doing here?"

  "Watch your tone, Captain."

  She looked at Bosk in surprise. "So he can speak. I was beginning to wonder." Van turned back to Cade, the former first officer already forgotten. "The point is that you are a member of the royal family."

  "Very good," Bosk smirked. "You picked up on the family name."

  She was really beginning to dislike this person. Fortunately, Admiral Meryan came down on him before Van had the chance.

  "That's enough, Commander. You're being insubordinate and I won't tolerate it, regardless of the circumstances. Understood?"

  "Yes ma'am." Bosk turned to Van without any sign of resentment. "My apologies, Captain Swann. It won't happen again."

  That was unexpected. Apparently, Meryan ran a tight crew with a strict adherence to protocol and if Bosk was big enough to admit he was wrong, Van could be gracious.

  "No problem, Commander. I'm not sure I could be as understanding if our positions were reversed."

  Paul made a noise and leaned forward. "Not to interrupt, but she makes a valid point, Admiral. As a member of the royal family it stands to reason you might be a target."

  Meryan shook her head, momentarily distracting Van by the highlights in her hair. Just a touch of red. She wondered if Cade would be a fireball in the rack.

  "Indications are that the threat is against the Senate. They are the ones who hold the planetary alliances together. If the Senate falls the result would be chaos, rioting."

  "What about the Council? Surely they would take over," Paul offered.

  Van looked at him and frowned, her mind back on business. "They're just the law-givers. The Council doesn't represent individual planetary issues. If the Senate falls it could mean civil war since it's made up of all the ruling queens from each individual planet."