“I… don’t know. He used to be an imperial officer, right? If he flip-flopped that easily, he’s probably not that loyal to anyone.”
Of course, if she went along on his kidnapping mission, she could get herself in trouble with the Alliance. Again. She strongly believed Tomich’s involvement was the only reason she had been allowed to fly away from Alcyone Station. If she ever ran into any of the officers who had been involved in the attack on the Starseer temple, they would likely shoot her on sight.
“He’s loyal to his research,” Leonidas said. “Some people don’t care who’s in charge, so long as they can pursue their passions.”
“Then when they realize they can’t pursue those passions, it’s too late to do anything,” she grumbled.
She reached out and laid a finger on the staff. Once again, the orb lit with a soft glow. She sneered at it. Had it been a fluke when it lit up at her touch before, she would have been happier. She wouldn’t need to be wondering about her heritage now or worrying that Jelena would become a pawn in some power struggle. She just wanted to find her little girl. Was that too much to ask? She already felt like a horrible mother for traipsing around the system when she had no idea where her daughter was or even if she was all right. It frustrated her that she barely knew where to start looking. Would Cleon Moon lead to anything? Or was it simply a place that her daughter’s kidnapper may have visited months ago?
Growing aware of Leonidas gazing at her, Alisa pulled her finger back. The orb on the top of the staff went dark again. All of her concerns about him condemning her for having Starseer genes came back to her, and she cursed her thoughtless gesture.
“Apparently, this mighty artifact’s main use is as a nightlight.” She waved dismissively, hoping he would forget what he had seen—and also that she had been the one to open that door.
“For you.”
“So it seems.”
“How long have you known you have Starseer genes?” he asked, his tone neutral.
She shrank into herself, now wishing she had chosen to sit on the opposite side of the table. Then she could more easily climb under it and hide from his sight.
“Not long,” she said. “A few days. When you brought that blood back for Alejandro to analyze, his DNA sequencer was already set up, so I stuck a drop of my own blood in there. Something Abelardus said had made me wonder.”
“Abelardus,” Leonidas said, growling into his coffee mug.
“Yeah. Did you attack him spontaneously back in that airlock?” she asked, pleased to change the subject. “Or was it his idea?”
“He told me to. For veracity. I didn’t mind going along.”
“I imagine not.”
Alisa clasped her hands around the warm mug. She could understand why he disliked Abelardus, and he had little reason to like any of the Starseers he had met in their temple, but would he consider her… tainted?
“Does it matter?” she asked softly.
“What?”
“That my father might have worn some of those black robes.”
Leonidas tilted his head. “Did you know him?”
“Not in the least. Whatever role he played in my mother’s life, he was gone before I was born.”
“He may have simply carried the genes without having any talents. That’s how it is for most people with the mutations.”
“Yes, that’s true.” She eyed him sidelong. “But if he did have those kinds of talents… would it matter?”
“To whom?” He frowned slightly, truly seeming puzzled.
“You.”
“Why would it?”
“You’ve made it clear that Starseers and cyborgs are mortal enemies.”
“The empire and the Alliance are mortal enemies too,” he said dryly.
And he was still sipping coffee with her. Right. She supposed that had been a foolish concern. She might have laughed that she had worried about it, but she found her thoughts distracted. He was smiling slightly, his eyes drooped to half-mast as he regarded her.
“If I didn’t know you better,” she said, “I would consider that a come-hither look.”
“A what?”
“You know, a silent way of telling me that you want to relocate to your cabin for hot sex.”
His eyes flew open in surprise.
“How young did you say you were when you signed up for the military?” Alisa asked, suddenly wondering if she was having coffee with a forty-year-old virgin cyborg.
“Not that young,” he said, catching her drift. “I was actually a precocious youth, if you must know, but it’s been so long since I’ve even…” He lifted one hand, groping in the air for a word or a way to explain. “It’s just hard to remember what it was even like. Noticing innuendos. Or caring about sex.” He lowered his gaze to the table, and she thought she caught a hint of shame in his eyes.
Alisa winced. She hadn’t wanted to embarrass him or hurt his feelings.
“Then it’s settled,” she said, hoping to distract him from the discomfort she had caused.
“What is?” He regarded her warily.
“The kidnapping scheme. First, we find my daughter, and then we go and kidnap your admiral.”
“Technically, I believe he’s your admiral now.”
“Something I’ll appreciate you not pointing out to him while you’re doing the kidnapping. But I’ll hold the rifle on him while he performs whatever surgery you need. To make sure he doesn’t do anything shifty while you’re unconscious.”
“I would appreciate that,” he said.
He slid his arm around her waist. She smiled and leaned closer to him. That was nice. It would do for now.
As he took another sip from his mug, Beck and Mica walked into the mess hall from the direction of the cargo hold. Judging by their clothing and the sheens of sweat on their foreheads, they had been exercising.
Alisa thought about leaning away from Leonidas and striving for a modicum of professionalism, but he did not lower his arm. She supposed a freighter captain could fraternize with her crew. This wasn’t a military ship.
Beck stumbled a little when he noticed them sitting together. Mica didn’t bat an eyelash as she veered toward the coffee dispenser.
“I think he’s getting his thigh touched again,” Beck whispered, grabbing two dented mugs from a cabinet.
“Are you still bitter that nobody touched yours?” Mica asked.
“It was more the implication that my thigh wasn’t useful that embittered me.”
“Not every limb can be as versatile as an oscillating multitool.”
“I can oscillate.”
“You really know how to woo the women, Beck,” Mica said, taking her mug and sitting across the table from Alisa and Leonidas. “Are we still heading to Cleon Moon, Captain?”
“We are.”
“Good. There are a ton of moons orbiting Aldrin, some with substantial populations. Someone’s sure to have challenging and rewarding work for an engineer. I have my résumé ready.”
“You’re leaving us?” Beck asked, bringing his coffee to the table to join her. “Isn’t the pay good enough?”
“There’s pay?”
“Uhm.” Beck looked at Alisa.
“We never did discuss your payment rate for security officers,” Leonidas said.
Alisa poked a finger into her coffee. “I’ve heard of this before, that uncomfortable moment when your employees compare salaries. Did you know that some of the people on this ship pay for the honor to ride on such a fine craft as the Star Nomad?”
“I wonder if there are any culinary angel investors on those moons,” Beck said, his expression turning wistful.
“You better wonder if there are any White Dragon operatives,” Leonidas said.
Beck groaned. “Can’t the captain wave her new staff and magic them away? It glows for her.”
Alisa eyed the staff distastefully. “I don’t believe it works that way. And it’s not mine. You’ll have better luck asking your new colleague for he
lp.”
“My new what?”
“Your fellow security officer.” Alisa laid a hand on Leonidas’s biceps. “Were you not there when we made it official?”
“I—what?”
“I outrank him, right?” Leonidas asked.
“What?” Beck set his coffee mug down with a clunk.
“We’ll figure it out along the way to Cleon Moon.” Alisa’s gaze fell to the staff again. “We have a lot to figure out.”
THE END
Afterword
I hope you enjoyed Relic of Sorrows. I plan to have the fifth book in the Fallen Empire series out in August 2016.
If you’re looking for something else to read in the meantime, you could try my Emperor’s Edge or Dragon Blood fantasy novels. The first book in each series is free. If you want more space adventures, and don’t mind stories with naughty bits along with the jokes and adventures, I also write science fiction romance under the pen name Ruby Lionsdrake. Mercenary Instinct is the first book in the Mandrake Company series.
Lastly, if you haven’t already, please sign up for the Fallen Empire newsletter to get the free short story, “Saranth Three” and the Leonidas prequel novella, Last Command.
You can also follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Thanks for reading!
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Title Page
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Afterword
Lindsay Buroker, Relic of Sorrows
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