‘Sure. How hard can it be?’ Hawk edged his way through the crowds of adoring youngsters to kneel at the front of the line and commence his task. When Hawk realised that a little girl was the first in line to be undressed, he seemed a little awkward about disrobing her.
It amused Tory greatly when the little Leonine female raised her arms, eager to be of aid to the captain.
‘Many thanks …?’ Hawk prompted the girl for her name.
‘Meline,’ she told him, bursting into a huge smile.
‘That’s a very pretty name,’ he told her, whipping off her dirty top, and as he removed the rest of Meline’s clothes and sent her on to Tory, Tory gave him a wink of encouragement.
‘Handled like an old pro,’ she assured the captain, who appeared rather pleased with himself as he moved on to the next child.
As the last two children were dressed and sent off to the kitchen, Tory collapsed onto the bed to take five.
Hawk fell onto his stomach beside her. ‘How could something so enjoyable be so exhausting?’
‘Makes you appreciate your own parents’ efforts, doesn’t it?’ Tory gazed at the ceiling, wishing she had some recollection of her folks. After a few moments she looked to Hawk, noticing that he’d gone rather quiet. He was looking rather forlorn.
‘I don’t remember them at all,’ he explained, restraining his pent-up feelings on the matter as best he could. ‘My father was not a good subordinate, you see? He spoke his mind once too often and Nergal, the head of the Pantheon …’ he explained for her benefit, ‘… had my father and mother thrown to a Lahmuian mutant in the arena.’
Although Tory didn’t know what a Lahmuian mutant was, it certainly didn’t sound like a very enticing fate. Her heart went out to Hawk for the obvious pain the memory caused him.
‘Crow and myself were sold into slavery — he was eight years old, I was two.’ When Hawk’s attention turned from his tragic past to Tory, he was surprised to find tears streaming down her face. ‘Hey, no need to be upset. Our bondage didn’t last long.’ He forced a smile.
‘Crow got you out?’ Tory gathered this was why Hawk was so tolerant of his older brother these days.
Hawk nodded, his loyalty to his only kin written plainly on his face. ‘He kept me alive … taught me everything I know.’ The captain had trouble finishing his sentence as his emotion welled. ‘So, today’s little experience makes me appreciate his efforts all the more.’ He turned away to hide a tear that was escaping his eye.
‘Well, Crow couldn’t be all bad then.’ Tory spoke up to lighten the mood. ‘You certainly turned out alright.’ She slapped a hand down on his shoulder and gave it a rub.
‘Swan?’ Hawk wondered where her better judgement had got to. ‘I’m an outlaw.’
‘No,’ she disagreed. ‘You’re a hero.’ As Hawk rolled his eyes at her exaggeration, Tory placed a hand to his cheek and drew his attention once more. ‘If the Pantheon were not in power, you would be hailed as a Prince among men for today’s little piece of work. These children are deeply indebted to you for their lives … as am I.’
Her voice faltered. Hawk gazed at Tory, astonished by her tenderness. She truly felt for him! The revelation set his heart pounding in his chest and the thumping seemed to resound all the way up into his throat. His secret fantasy had suddenly manifested before his eyes, as he beheld the face of a woman longing for his kiss. As he ventured closer to the object of his desire, the pirate realised he was about to defy the only interstellar law he’d yet to break.
Raven meandered into the captain’s cabin, looking over his printout. ‘Got it! Nova sent us a des—’ Looking up to find the intimate scene he was interrupting, Raven immediately began to back up quietly.
Thwarted one second short of his wildest aspiration, Hawk watched Tory sit to attention as if she’d been busted misbehaving, and he felt that nothing short of killing Raven would truly make up for what he’d lost.
‘Shit, I’m sorry. Please continue,’ Raven urged in a panic as he watched his captain raise himself, the magic of the moment lost.
‘Don’t apologise, Raven, the door was open,’ Tory told him, hoping her approach might help the pilot lose his guilt and encourage Hawk to stop glaring at Raven. ‘What did Nova have to say?’ She wiped the excess of tears from her eyes and tried to sound interested as she neared him.
‘Um …’ Raven hesitated. He’d never been on the receiving end of Hawk’s anger before and it was very unnerving. ‘Tarazean is a safe haven. Apparently …’ Raven seemed reluctant to mention it now, considering how attached his captain had become to their immortal guest. ‘… many of the Chosen Ones fled there.’
‘What?’ The information rocked Tory and she glanced aside at Hawk as he came to stand beside her. She was just starting to fit in here — she liked the pirate life and wasn’t sure if she even wanted to know who she’d been before Hawk had found her. ‘May I see?’ Raven handed over the printout and backed up to the hatchway. ‘How long will it take us to reach Tarazean?’
Raven seemed even more reluctant to answer. ‘Lunchtime tomorrow.’ He looked from Tory to Hawk and back again. ‘Sorry, friends.’ He left them alone.
Tory read the printout and handed it to Hawk. ‘I suppose it’s good news for the kids.’ She tried to find a bright side.
‘And good news for you.’ Hawk looked at the printout, although he was too distraught to read it. ‘You’ll finally be where you belong, Swan.’
‘I feel I belong here,’ Tory ventured, taking his comment the wrong way.
Inside, Hawk wanted to tell her that she was the miracle of his life, but he also knew that he had no right to claim her. Undoubtedly, such a treasure belonged to a man who was far more deserving. ‘I know you don’t belong here,’ he told her, truthfully, in a rather jovial but callous fashion, all the while struggling to contain the tears of denial that were forming a lump in his throat.
‘Seagull said we’re ready for bed now.’
The couple looked down to find a pack of youngsters, who had been designated to sleep in the captain’s bed.
‘I’ll see to it.’ Tory repressed her hurt feelings, and put on a happy face for the children.
‘I’ll leave you to it then.’ Hawk made a quick exit to seek a place to stabilise his scattered sensibilities. There was a small technician’s room just behind the flight deck that wasn’t too far afoot, and Hawk made haste to enter it and lock himself within.
Nova’s broadcasts were something of an event for the little underground community of Su — the good news he bore, and the hope the pirate DJ gave them, was the highlight of their whole existence. Every inhabitant of the hidden burrow crammed into the operations room to see if their phantom broadcaster would make contact and bring them up to date with the state of the galaxy.
‘Shield wall deactivated, receiver open for by-directional linkup,’ announced the operator, ‘awaiting down-link.’
Adair had recorded a memo, requesting Nova to make contact with him to discuss a sensitive issue.
As the identity of their Governor’s number one fan was unknown to Rhun, he didn’t want the DJ to know that Lahmu was on Nugia in case he blew their cover. All Rhun was hoping to establish via their communication was some idea of the DJ’s identity, or perhaps arrange a meeting. In reality, he couldn’t see the phantom DJ agreeing to that, as Rhun felt sure the Pantheon had already tried to lure Nova out of hiding with the promise of a meeting with Lahmu. Nova would surely think they were baiting him. But Rhun needed to find out how extensive the DJ’s following was, and thus, how large his Governor’s following was.
Talynn finally reported back with Thais and Kesla.
‘Where are Cadwell and Neriada?’ Rhun asked.
‘They found safe accommodation and are staying put,’ she replied, fully expecting an objection.
‘I don’t think so,’ protested Rhun. ‘I know what that son of mine has in mind —’
‘It was my idea,’ Talynn admitted, glancing at Adai
r warily. ‘If I do not contact them regularly with an update, they shall call in additional forces and come seek us out.’
Rhun thought Talynn’s measures unnecessary, but then, she was so good at her job that the instance never arose when he was alarmed about security. Rhun figured he could afford to be blasé when Talynn was on the job.
‘Fair enough,’ Rhun conceded with a smile, at last.
‘I think you misjudge us.’ Adair took offence to Talynn’s motive.
Rhun turned to the young man, still smiling broadly. ‘You can neither be too careful, nor too confident where the Pantheon are concerned.’ Rhun let Adair know that the precaution was to their mutual benefit.
‘I’m sure you’re right, Lord,’ Adair backed down. He still seemed rather out of sorts with Talynn, though.
‘Please don’t take it personally.’ Talynn managed a smile to explain: ‘It is my job to suspect everyone, and to anticipate that which is most unexpected.’
‘Down-link established.’ The operator kept them up to date with the proceedings. ‘Receiving and translating data now … looks like it’s all audio,’ he advised, switching on the loudspeakers.
‘What! No visual?’ Rhun objected. ‘We don’t get to see him?’
‘Nova only ever sends visual when he’s got incriminating footage to air and has certainly never broadcast pictures of himself,’ Adair explained, and as Rhun wallowed in his disappointment, Adair thought it a good time to beg his leave. ‘Perhaps I should go see what has become of my mother and Lahmu?’
Rhun gave a vague nod in response and Adair departed.
As the young Leonine male headed towards his mother’s chambers, he had horrid visions of finding her in the throes of passion with the God. Adair felt that if this were the case, the Lord would fall greatly short of his expectations. Lahmu would be taking advantage of the volatile emotions of a lonely woman, who missed her husband desperately.
Adair boldly burst into the room without knocking, to find that he’d been rudely mistaken about what was taking place within.
Lahmu sat across the room from Samara. She was calm and at peace in the wake of what had clearly been nothing more than a discussion.
‘What is it, Adair?’ Samara asked, not perturbed in the slightest that he hadn’t bothered to knock.
‘We have a report from Nova,’ he advised, without withdrawing.
As his mother and Lahmu raised themselves to make for the operations room, Samara wore a smile of sheer happiness, the like of which Adair had not seen adorn her face since his father’s departure. What was more confusing was that her joy was not directed at the Lord, but seemed to stem from an inward pleasure.
‘Nova could tell me nothing more wondrous than that I have just heard,’ Samara commented in a breezy fashion on her way past her son, and then turned back to address Brian. ‘Thank you for sharing the truth with me, Lahmu. I realise you didn’t have to.’
‘It was for the best,’ Brian advised.
Although she wondered at the meaning of his odd response, Samara kept her smile and moved off down the corridor.
‘Forgive me, Lord.’ Adair spoke up to gain Brian’s attention before he departed. ‘It seems I have misjudged you several times in one day.’
Brian found Adair’s confession most amusing and laughed out loud. He’d thought it rather odd that the lad had burst into his mother’s chamber without warning just now. ‘Your mother is a very attractive woman. Don’t think I wasn’t tempted by her attention,’ Brian did a little confessing of his own. ‘But the love she craves is not mine,’ he concluded, slapping a hand on Adair’s shoulder. ‘We must fetch her true love back and set her heart to rights, ay?’
Adair was deeply moved by Brian’s lighthearted manner. ‘That is my greatest wish, Lord,’ he acknowledged in all seriousness.
‘And my destiny,’ Brian confirmed, beginning to take his quest more seriously.
Samara had already told him that the mining ventures on Nugia were all underground, and very hard to penetrate, as there was usually only one very heavily guarded entrance. The mining operations were also numerous. Although they’d heard rumours of what had become of Tyrus-Leon, the truth was he could be anywhere, if he was still alive at all.
‘We will get your father out,’ Brian said convincingly. ‘I have a plan.’
‘You do?’ Adair asked, surprised and excited.
Sort of, thought Brian, ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘But before we discuss it, let me first address the enigma of DJ Nova.’
Greetings, interstellar trouble seekers, Nova commenced his audio broadcast. It seems you have all been hard at work since last we beamed, for I have many good tidings to convey.
‘I don’t recognise the voice,’ Rhun commented aside to his Governor.
‘You wouldn’t,’ Samara uttered, quietly. ‘Nova uses a myriad of different voices, but never his own.’
‘Dammit,’ Rhun cursed. ‘The man is elusive.’
‘Or woman?’ Samara suggested and Brian nodded to agree that she may well be right.
The latest word in from my agent on Kila is that Nergal is being thwarted on every front in his attempt to wreak destruction and force Lahmu out of hiding there … and I mean every front!
‘What does he mean “his agent on Kila”?’ Rhun wondered. ‘It couldn’t be one of our people.’
Brian waved his Vice to silence to hear the rest of the transmission.
Some Falcon sympathisers with Lahmu’s cause have taken out my award for ‘humanitarianism in political sabotage’, for they have intercepted a cargo of children bound for torture on Kila. And, as I can fully appreciate how annoyed my dear Lord Nergal is going to be by this event, I’ve arranged a real warm welcome where my feathered friends are bound.
Nova went on to explain how the children had been of various tribes and all under age ten. Everyone present in the operations room gave a standing ovation to the bravery of the foreign human breed who had come to the rescue of some of their own kind.
So who is the lucky Nefilim who gets to front up to Nergal and explain this bungle? The queen of pain herself, the beautiful, the deadly, Tashmet. The DJ broke into hysterical laughter.
The riotous reaction this news roused in the Leonine gathering bordered on euphoric frenzy. Tashmet had ruled their planet with an iron fist for eons. It was music to their ears that she was to get a taste of her own medicine.
Brian found himself enchanted by the broadcaster. Nova was uniting the races by getting them rooting for one another against their common enemy. Even if the information was false, which Brian doubted, he still had to love the phantom for the great job he was doing in human relations. Brian also found it interesting that Nova’s announcement implied that Nabu was the only immortal residing in the Su Palace at present. A smile formed on his face as he considered that conquering this planet might be a whole lot easier than he thought — if the news was legitimate.
Those Centaurs on Karleashian finally got their shit together, and yes, Nergal, that means you have yet another resistance force to contend with.
Shocked to learn of the existence of a colony of Centaurs, Brian looked to Thais who looked completely floored by the news.
As far as Thais had known, he and his mate, Hero, were the sole remnants of his breed. They’d never had children for fear that once grown, their offspring could never hope to find a suitable mate. The news was both horrendous and heartwarming to Thais — he’d just discovered his distant kindred, but they were a race enslaved and abused.
But, not to worry my stallion friends, Nergal thinks I’m full of lies and why bother looking for another rebel force that obviously doesn’t exist … how could it? When all are slaves or righteous supporters of the Pantheon. Still, I fear my Lord’s dear wife, Ereshkigal, will have a few unexplained happenings to report from Karleashian in the near future.
As Thais approached, Brian knew just what he was thinking.
‘I must investigate.’ Thais proved predictable.
‘One planet at a time, Thais.’ Brian encouraged him to have a little patience and faith. ‘Today we’ll hand Nugia back to the Leonines, and tomorrow we shall reclaim Karleashian for your people.’
‘Let me go ahead alone,’ Thais begged.
‘Sorry.’ Brian hated to deny Thais, but he had other plans. ‘I need you to come with me right now, but I promise our errand won’t take long.’
‘Where are you going?’ Adair wanted to know. ‘What if Nova calls back?’
‘Patch his call through to my new residence,’ Brian requested, as the Chosen Ones present gathered around to accompany the Governor to his new destination.
‘And where might that be?’ Adair needed an address if it was to be at all possible.
‘I’ll be staying at the Su Palace,’ Brian boasted. ‘You must come visit me there soon.’
As the Governor and his party vanished, the Leonines didn’t know what to make of his claim.
‘Surely he doesn’t mean to confront Nabu on his own ground?’ Samara found herself fretting for her husband’s lookalike.
Adair smiled at this. ‘I think Lahmu means everything he says.’
Once all the children were asleep in their designated beds, Tory headed for the flight deck, hoping to find Hawk.
She felt sure he hadn’t meant what he’d said, about her not belonging on his crew. After she’d saved all their butts on their last misadventure? But then, why would he lie?
Tory was alarmed to find a steady stream of smoke rising from the pilot’s seat and she approached quickly to see what was on fire. ‘Oh Raven,’ she exclaimed, relieved to find the smoke emanating from a long paper tube he held in his hand. ‘I thought we had an alert.’ She waved away the smoke and collapsed into the co-pilot’s seat.
Raven shook his head, placing the offending item in his mouth and puffing away madly. ‘To the contrary, things are very chilly here, my dear,’ he grinned, high as a kite. ‘Do you indulge?’ He offered the smoke to her.
‘I don’t think so,’ she decided, as the smoke drifted into her eye and stung like mad. ‘Although, the smell does seem vaguely familiar.’