Thraix nodded in agreement. "We have bitter days ahead, my Tavali. Styrian's coming."
Jullien was impressed that Thraix knew that old Andarion phrase, given how little interaction he seemed to have with the other Andarions in the station. And the extremely dire meaning of it, because no Andarion used that phrase lightly. It basically meant to sac up and prepare for the bloodiest of wars.
Hell was coming, and with it, an army of its fiercest demons.
*
While the next few months flew by, and his daughters and Vas grew as quickly as everyone had warned him they would, Jullien learned exactly what Thraix and Trajen had meant as The League and Sentella tensions heated up, and The Tavali got caught between them.
Worse, the Andarions were being dragged into the thick of their mess as Cairistiona sided with Nykyrian in every bad decision he made against The League and its prime commander, Kyr Zemin. His brother was letting his old personal League grudges with Zemin, and that of Darling Cruel and Kyr, get him and his Sentella into all kinds of wrong situations. And there was nothing Jullien could do to spare his brother his grotesque stupidity.
They overthrew me for this?
It was adding insult to injury. Because there was no way Jullien would have allowed the Andarions and Triosans to be dragged into the thick of the political tensions and mess that Nyk dove into willingly to back his friends.
Meanwhile, Eriadne and Nyran continued to make strikes against both his mother and Nykyrian as they sought any weakness they could exploit to their advantage and try to overthrow them. Since neither Nyk nor his mother knew them as well as Jullien did, they were helpless against them. And again, were being hammered by their combined forces.
It was a dangerous game Jullien played as he tried to do as Ushara had asked, and stay out of it, and at the same time, he kept waiting for them to find out he was still alive. Either his brother or his grandmother, as both sides would kill him over his past mistakes.
There were times when he swore he could feel the clock running out on them all.
And it wasn't just that his girls were getting bigger every day, and Vasili was turning into an adult before their very eyes. Everywhere they flew, there was civil unrest as The League grew bolder, and The Sentella more defiant against its power. Mostly because his brother was a reactionary idiot, in Jullien's opinion. But then, he wasn't exactly known for his calm, rational decisions either.
Perhaps he and Nyk were more alike than either wanted to admit.
Intergalactic war was inevitable. Jullien could feel it with every innate political chromosome he possessed. Ushara was feeling the burden of her position, which locked her into the base while Jullien flew missions under her command that took him deep into Porturnum and Sentella territory.Each hated the separation, but they had no choice.
They were Tavali. The only thing that kept Jullien remotely sane was the tech that allowed them to talk and be together, no matter where his duties took him.
And the knowledge that Thraix was staying closer to the Gorturnum base, rather than returning to his isolated home, where a prolonged war would trap him with no supplies or allies. In fact, he'd moved into the condo next door to theirs after Lev decided he could no longer stand living that close to them.
And every time Jullien saw one of Kirill's or Gavin's siblings, parents, widows, or children, guilt stole more of his soul. He couldn't help feeling responsible for their deaths. It ate at him constantly.
Which heightened his fear for Ushara and their own children at home, and her fear for Jullien and his crew whenever they left for a job. Poor Thraix would often get caught between Jullien and Ushara as she ordered him to fly with Jullien as part of his crew, and Jullien ordered him to stay at the base and watch over his family.
To which Thraix would inevitably cock a brow and remind them, "Really, Andarions? You do know that I'm not Tavali, and I don't answer to either of you? So a little please, Thraix will go a long way in swaying my opinion. As will Tondarion Fire or Jullien's ale cake. Now, who's buying my loyalty first?"
Together, Thraix and Jullien kept an eye on Bastien and ran supplies to him on Oksana whenever they could. But those runs were sadly few and far between, as they required him to venture deep into enemy territory and risk running into his brother's forces.
If only Jullien could find a doctor with the ability to remove Bastien's tag, or a way to block his as easily as he'd managed to do his own. Though he'd had a few leads, he had yet to locate a surgeon whose skill-set he trusted enough not to kill or maim Bastien.
As a precaution to keep his family as safe as possible, Jullien remained blond and wore the clear contacts, which really screwed everyone up when they saw them with his fangs. Since there was only one Fyreblood family that carried the stralen gene and the Samaris had been virtually extinct for decades, no one--Andarion or otherwise--was used to seeing a blond, red-eyed Andarion.
The reactions of those who first noted his fangs and put them together with his eyes were hysterical. Most were nervous or dumbstruck. A few openly rude and insulting. The rest ran as if they'd met their devil incarnate. Especially since Jullien had dispensed of his former names entirely, and only Samari or Dagger Ixur marked any of his gear or official forms. People and Andarions acted as if he really were the Dagger Ixur summoned from the bowels of Tophet to take their souls.
His grandmother and her cronies believed him to be Edon Samari's ghost, haunting her from the grave. Something he used to his advantage whenever he could. It was nice to be the one doing the mind-fucking for once, and not receiving it.
For that matter, with the exception of their immediate family, along with Zellen, Thraix, Trajen, and Jupiter, no one remembered Jullien had ever borne another name. Not even Chayden knew of his real birth name. As far as the universe was concerned or knew, Jullien had always been Jules Dagger Ixur Samari, son of Unira Samari. Fyreblood Andarion and Tavali pirate. Husband of Ushara Altaan Samari, and Trajen's active field admiral.
He now wore nothing other than Tavali battlegear at all times, and kept his grandfather's Warsword strapped across his back whenever he acted in any official capacity. With an outlaw swagger and predator's glare, there was no trace whatsoever of the royal Andarion tiziran he'd once been.
Jullien eton Anatole was officially dead and buried.
If he'd had any doubts about that fact, they were adequately laid to rest when he, Thraix, Mary, and Oxana flew a humanitarian mission into Caronese territory through a League blockade, at Ryn Cruel's behest. They'd landed a few hours ago in the main hangar bay of the capital city to offload supplies for Darling's people, who were being hammered by The League.
Apparently, Darling had gone into some kind of suicidal rampage against The League and the CDS--the representatives of the Caronese people who hated Darling and resented the fact that though his uncle had been an unreasonable tyrant, Darling had murdered him in cold blood so that he could ascend the throne.
Personally, Jullien was glad that Darling had finally stood up to the brutal bastard who'd rivaled Eriadne for cruelty. While Darling was still a child, Arturo Cruel had killed Darling's father so that he could wrongfully seize power, and then Arturo had spent the next eighteen years terrorizing the entire Caronese royal family to the point that Darling had been left with no choice except to put Arturo out of all their miseries before he sent Darling and his siblings to their graves.
Sadly, The League didn't agree and had placed the Caronese Empire under martial law. Darling's people were in an uproar as The League arrested their delegates without trial and bombed the shit out of them. Anyone who could bypass League cruisers with supplies for the Caronese was being paid premium prices to bring them in, and while Ushara didn't like the fact Jullien was doing this, she couldn't argue the creds it was worth.
Nor the fact that her sisters were going to make the run with or without him. And they were much safer with Jullien and Thraix flying cover for them than they were flying solo or with Davel or Axl as t
heir point.
Yet that being said, he was more than ready to go home. He hadn't seen Ushara, Vas, or his girls in almost three weeks. At least, nowhere other than on his link feed. And every minute they were here, he ran the risk of being recognized by one of his brother's Sentella members or the Andarions who were swarming all around them so thick, he couldn't sneeze without contaminating eight of them. He'd had no idea when they landed just how many of his brother's people would be in this place. But they were crawling all over the bay, giving him hives.
It was why he'd kept his Tavali mask securely in place. Unfortunately, he had to lower it and expose his face to speak with the hangar staff. Otherwise, they might mistake him for one of the bandits who kept stealing their supplies and shoot him on sight.
"How much longer?" he asked the worker who was making notes about his cargo for payment.
"We're almost done. Then we have the Fire Kiss to unload, and you'll be free to go."
Cursing in frustrated aggravation, Jullien headed toward Mary's ship while he texted her to let her know they had yet to even start unloading her hold. Three steps later, he collided with someone else who was rushing through the bay.
"Sorry," he mumbled as he dropped his link, then froze as he met the disgruntled gaze of his twin brother, Nykyrian.
Too late, he remembered his face was still exposed.
Staring him dead in the eyes, Nykyrian cleared his throat gruffly. "It's all right. I wasn't paying attention, either. Sorry about that." He leaned over to pick up his own link, which he'd dropped when they collided. He grabbed Jullien's and handed it to him, but not before he glanced down to see the lock screen that held a photo of Vasili and the twins. "Cute kids. Yours?"
"Yeah.... Thanks."
"Hey, Nyk?"
Jullien held his breath as Dancer Hauk came running over to them. While his brother had never spent much time around him, that wasn't true of Dancer.
Yet like Nyk before him, Dancer looked Jullien straight in the eyes, and there was no recognition at all. Inclining his head to Jullien as an acknowledgment and to excuse them, he pulled Nyk back a step. "We have a huge problem. Have you seen the news? We have to get to Darling. Immediately."
They ran off without so much as a backward glance.
"Titana rael," Jullien breathed. Neither one had known him. Not even a hint of recognition had darkened their gazes. Now, that was screwed up.
All of a sudden, activity picked up in the bay. Fighters began launching. Alarms sounded.
Jullien ran to Mary's ship and ascended the ramp to find her inside with Ana and Thraix. "Hey, what's going on?"
"The League just reported that they've killed Darling Cruel's fiancee during their interrogation. It's why the Caronese are scrambling. They're expecting renewed League attacks."
Jullien winced in sympathetic pain. "We need to get out of here, then."
Mary gasped indignantly. "What about my cargo and payment?"
"Can't spend cred if you're dead. Let's cut our losses and go."
Thraix nodded. "Yeah, I agree with Admiral Paranoia."
Jullien used his powers to turn her ship on. "Get your launch codes. I want both of you out and headed home immediately."
"Gah, I hate it when you do that. It's unnerving." Mary shivered and scowled at him. "I thought you weren't supposed to be able to do that to any ship but your own?"
Jullien passed an amused smirk to Thraix. They had no idea why Jullien could do that when no one else had ever developed the ability before.
Chalk it up to screwy hybrid genes.
Oxana hesitated by Jullien's side. "What about you?"
"I'll be in your shadows, the whole way. We need to get out before The League locks this entire sector down." He nudged her forward. "Go! Your kids need you home."
"Ouch! Unfair." But Oxana listened and did as he said while Mary went through her prelaunch checks.
Thraix and Jullien left her bridge to head for their ships. But as Jullien crossed the bay, he overheard some of the Caronese and other Tavali talking about a counterstrike Darling and The Sentella were planning.
Slowing down, he faltered.
Thraix glared at him in a way that said he knew exactly what Jullien was thinking. "Are you crazy?"
"Yeah, I am," Jullien said with a laugh. "Has there ever been any doubt?"
Thraix shook his head. "Don't do it. Don't even think about it. Your wife will kill you."
"Why? It's a full pardon. You heard them."
"Only for Caronese territory."
Jullien shook his head in denial. "Their allies will respect it, too. You know they will." And their allies included Andaria and Triosa. As well as Exeter and Gouran ... and others. More than that, it was a large chunk of the shipping routes, territories, and sectors that the Gorturnum flew through and controlled.
If Jullien flew with the Caronese strike team as a Tavali, he could get at least part of The League warrant off his back in those systems and empires.
A full pardon.
Thraix cursed at him. "Dagger..."
But Jullien wasn't listening to his warnings. "Are you speaking to me as a Tris with precog, or a worried friend?"
"I'm speaking as your wingman whose CO is your wife. She'll de-nut us both if you do this."
Jullien cupped Thraix's ear in his hand and grinned at him. "It's only my balls on the chopping block. Get my sisters home. I have to do this, Thraix. C'mon, it's the only way I'll ever have any kind of pardon. You know that. Some protection's better than none."
"And if someone recognizes you as who you used to be?"
"I have to take this chance."
Thraix shoved him back. "You're an idiot. But Chay and Jory will be in the fighting. I'll have them cover you."
"Thanks."
"Thank me by not getting hurt." Thraix growled low in his throat. "Remember, my balls are in your hand."
Laughing, Jullien screwed his face up. "Don't say shit like that in public. Folks'll get the wrong idea about us."
That only encouraged Thraix to worsen it by giving him a light kiss before he headed for his ship. Had anyone else done that, Jullien would have gutted them.
But Thraix was Thraix.
Unique unto himself. And Jullien treasured their friendship, weird though it could be. Amused and irritated by his friend, he turned to catch one of the staff sneering at him.
Arching his brow in confrontation, Jullien unholstered his blaster, intending to shoot at him. But as he went to pull the trigger, someone lifted his arm up and tickled his armpit.
Jullien started to punch his attacker until he saw Jory laughing in his face. "Idydrian! What are you doing?"
"Saving you from your own stupidity, boyo. You can't go around shooting up the Caronese. Remember, you'll blow your pardon before you even get it."
He holstered his blaster. Maybe, but it might have been worth it. "Where's Psycho Bunny?"
"Already in flight. He's riding point for Precious Cargo and is at the head of all this with me sister to his right. I'll take you in as me wingman. You fueled?"
"Not yet." Jullien glanced over to check their progress. "They should be about done, though."
"Good. Our job's to keep Mack safe in battle for Ryn."
"Babysitting? Really?"
"Yeah, piss-poor waste of me talents. But what can I do? Besides, the way she flies and fights, we'll see more than our fair share of action. Mack won't be holding back."
That was true.
And with that thought, Jullien headed for the Pet Hate and made ready to launch. The battle plan was that Darling and The Sentella would lead them in. They were to hang back until Darling and Dancer could blow them an opening. Once The Sentella had the prison's shields down and control of The League's defenses, The Tavali were to get as many of the Caronese political prisoners as they could out of there and to safety.
Jullien's specific assignment was to provide air cover support for the transports and Sentella.
By the time he
was grouped and in position with his Tavali team, his link started buzzing. His gut tightened automatically as he recognized Ushara's tone.
I am in serious trouble now.
But he knew better than to ignore her call. With a deep breath and prayer for divine mercy, he answered it. "Hey, munatara. How's my--?"
"Don't you even take that tone with me. My sisters have already ratted you out. What are you thinking?"
That your sisters might keep a secret, for once. He should have known better. "It's a full pardon, mia."
"Dagger..."
"You know I need to do this. Trust me."
She turned on the video feed to show him an image of her holding Viv while Mira played beside them on the floor of their condo with Vasili. "I do trust you."
"Paka!" Both twins started laughing and slapping at the link to say hi to him the instant they saw his face.
Their happiness choked him. "Hey, my girls. Paka loves you."
They blew him sloppy kisses before they ran off, giggling.
Vasili inclined his head to him. "Hey, Paka. Stay safe. We miss you." Then he ran after his sisters, pretending to be a beast out to scare them. They shrieked and laughed in the background as they sought to escape their big brother.
He growled at Ushara, who was wearing a way-too-tight top that she knew drove him to distraction, and if he were home, would have him dragging her off to their bedroom. "You're playing dirty, kimu."
"I use what I have."
He stared at her beautiful face, which was marred only by a worried frown. For him. "I'm not going to leave you or them. I'll be home soon and in your arms."
"You better."
His alarms started going off to warn him they were about to be under fire.
Tears welled in Ushara's eyes as she cut the transmission so that he could focus on his battle.
With a ragged breath, Jullien pulled his headset on and put his head in the battle as he followed Mack and Jory straight into the worst of the fighting. Yeah, it was thick. Most of The Sentella forces were already in the prison.
The Tavali ships stayed back to cover the Sentella as they landed, taking out as many of the exterior ion cannons and ground-to-air weapons as they could.
Since Jullien was left solo after Jory went to render aid to another pilot, he flew over to drop a missile. When he came up over the side, two fighters were waiting for him. He banked hard and rolled away, clearing them.