The Starfarer Read online

  The First Commander did not tarry, racing the Henia towards the coordinates where they planned to exploit a loophole in the Ketaari security net to slip across, without anyone being the wiser.

  “You need a medic” Zh’hir said to the Hadari’Kor male, who looked in rough shape.

  Zoran shook his head. The breach in the security net was tricky to exploit. “I need someone to get these shackles off me. Your medic can attend to me while I work on the security net.”

  The Ur’quay medic bustled into the Command Chamber to attend to the Hadari’Kor Captain, while another member of his team made a beeline for Saakshi.

  “How bad is it?” the Star Captain asked the medic.

  “They just gave me a good beating. Nothing major! You got me out in time” Zoran Hadari-Begur-Kor replied cheerfully.

  “He’s right” the medic corroborated. “There is no internal damage but the Captain has suffered some fractured bones.”

  “I can give you painkillers for the bones until you have access to regeneration tech” the medic offered to his patient.

  Zoran glanced at the Star Captain. “How far to the security net?”

  “Two hours.”

  “The painkillers can wait that long. I’ll get us through it before I take them.”

  The Star Captain acquiesced. His Hadari’Kor counterpart was a seasoned and tough soldier with a warrior’s heart. As a fellow soldier, he trusted Zoran to know the limitations of his own body. While the medic administered to him, one of the Ur’quay handed Zoran a tablet with the translated sensor readouts for the fast-approaching security net.

  Zh’hir directed his attention to his other charge. Saakshi sat perched on a make-shift seat in one corner, her eyes on the mercenary. The attending medic said something to her in a low voice but she shook her head in response. The Star Captain signaled to the medic to let her be. She had earned her place in the Command Chamber and the right to see this through.

  With everyone safe and the Henia on its way back to Alliance territory, the Star Captain turned to the matter that preoccupied him — Sila’s message.

  A short, encrypted communique was dispatched to the Alliance Commander — opening a live communication channel while flying through Empire territory would place the Henia at risk of being detected. Confident that Commander Kerovac would handle it, Zh’hir hoped Alliance ships would get to Sila’s world in time.

  Their journey back into Alliance space was fraught and the Star Captain shoved his concerns to the back of his mind while the Henia attempted to slip through the border security net without alerting the Imperial Forces.

  Once safely through, Zh’hir made haste to open a communication channel to Commander Kerovac. Now in neutral space, he was less likely to be tracked by the Ketaari.

  The Alliance Commander’s electric blue eyes pierced him through the console.

  The Ur’quay male was reminded of his first meeting with Rayeou Kerovac, the Iovac supreme commander of the Alliance Armada. Popularly referred to as Un Kieto Maal which loosely translated to ‘The Machine Male’ in the Iovac language, Kerovac was a formidable adversary.

  “Alliance ships have made it to Terra Agri 5 in time, thanks to your warning, Star Captain” Commander Kerovac said.

  “What happened?” he asked baldly, knowing that the Commander would give him a clinical report with all the relevant details.

  Zh’hir had enjoyed his dealings with the Alliance Commander — Kerovac was straightforward, blunt and never beat about the bush. During the negotiations, the Iovac had proved to be a male of his word. The Commander did not make false promises and was always very precise and unambiguous. The Star Captain had come away optimistic about the future. If anyone could bring an end to the war, it would be Rayeou Kerovac, bred for the sole purpose of leading the Alliance to a decisive victory over the Ketaari. In many ways, the male was akin to a machine with his superior physical and mental prowess. But the Commander was also a brilliant military strategist and had led the Alliance to some notable victories since taking command of the Armada.

  “A ship of Keeyori traders visited the planet with the offer of a trade partnership. The locals, suspicious of their motives, hatched a plan to foil them. A representative from the ruling Council invited his daughter and himself to the Keeyori ship for a tour. While the Keeyori were thus distracted, the Terrans quickly hid themselves in the caverns that dot their hillside. By the time the ruse was discovered, all except the representative and his daughter were beyond their reach. The Keeyori left a contingent behind on the planet, while they took off with the representative’s daughter, threatening to sell her to the slavers unless he revealed the whereabouts of the others. He refused to give his people up. The representative says that he kept his silence because he didn’t trust them to bring his daughter back and by revealing the location of the caverns, he would condemn the other Terrans to the same fate. Everyone on Terra Agri 5 is now safe but his daughter is off world. The captured Keeyori have confessed that she is on her way to Keeyor 9 Trade Sphere to be put up for auction.”

  The Commander paused his slightly mechanical recounting of pertinent events to contemplate the Star Captain. Kerovac suspected that what he was about to say next would be unwelcome news. The Ur’quay had come into the negotiations with a detailed list of planetoids rich in the rock resource they desired, asking the Alliance to identify the ones that fell under their purview. For inhabited worlds without any space-faring civilizations, they had asked for outright control, but for the others, the Ur’quay had requested Alliance assistance in negotiating mining rights and help with operating the mines. Terra Agri 5 had always stood out from the list the Ur’quay had presented to him. For one, the Star Captain had made it clear that Terra Agri 5 was a non-negotiable part of any agreement between the Alliance and his people. And though the Terrans were space-faring, albeit with the help of borrowed technology, the Ur’quay had been firm in asking for control of this particular world in a deviation from their demands for similar planets. It had puzzled him but the Commander had given in — Terra Agri 5 held no value to the Alliance. But the urgent communique from the Star Captain about slavers who posed no threat to the supply of the rock resource had laid that particular theory to rest for Kerovac. Not for the first time, he wondered idly why the Ur’quay were so interested in the agrarian planet.

  “The bad news is that the ship carrying the representative’s daughter is already in space we have no jurisdiction over” the Commander admitted.

  The Star Captain said nothing, inscrutable as always, but his concern for Sila ratcheted up. He understood what the Commander was being careful to not explicitly state. The Alliance had driven the slavers from Terra Agri 5 and would stand guard to ensure no repeat of the situation. The girl, however, had already been removed from Alliance territory and Commander Kerovac did not intend to expend his limited resources in a potentially costly attempt to free one captive from the clutches of slavers.

  He was on his own to rescue Sila. Zh’hir knew in his heart that the representative’s daughter was Sila masquerading as her. To transmit a message to him, Sila would have to find an excuse to board the Keeyori ship. The abettor he had given her was a helper device that required proximity to a long-range communication technology and the Keeyori ship had been her only option. He took a deep breath. Sila had sacrificed herself to a horrible fate to ensure that her people did not suffer the same, while she put her faith in him, trusting him to keep his word. He knew not if he might exert himself to assist one of her people under the same circumstances, but Zh’hir would not abandon his little Terran to the slavers.

  “We are on our way to rendezvous with you, Commander. After, the Henia will be unavailable for some time” he stated, making sure Kerovac understood him.

  “We will be back in time for the run to Budheyasta in twenty days. While I cannot guarantee that whispers of Ur’quay presence will not leak, I give you my word that no hint of our new partnership with the Alliance will be revealed�
�� he pledged. Zh’hir knew how strongly the Commander felt about keeping their new pact a secret, in order to effectively and strategically use it against the Empire.

  There was a short silence.

  “You plan on going after the captured Terran?” the Commander inquired.

  The Star Captain merely inclined his head in response.

  Commander Kerovac’s cobalt blue eyes contemplated the Ur’quay Captain.

  “Zoran Hadari-Begur-Kor has a ship, is familiar with the Keeyori station and makes a powerful ally” he remarked.

  It was a good suggestion, despite the Commander’s ulterior motive in making it. Using the Hadari’Kor ship and mercenaries would vastly reduce the likelihood of exposing the Ur’quay. Zh’hir knew that while the Ur’quay had the fire power, the technology and the warriors to mount a rescue, they were hampered by their lack of knowledge of this slice of space. Time was of the essence. Once Sila was taken off the Trade Sphere, they would have no way to track her whereabouts. The Hadari’Kor, nomads and mercenaries, knew their backyard and all its players like the back of their hands. No one, not even the Alliance, would be better at freeing Sila from the slavers than the Hadari’Kor. And Zoran with his knowledge, skills and experience would make for a fantastic partner. Most importantly, the Star Captain trusted Zoran Hadari-Begur-Kor.

  But there was a matter that puzzled him mightily. “Was Terra Agri 5 not protected by Alliance ships, Commander?” he asked. The planet was unguarded by a security net — that is how Sila’s destiny had accidently intermingled with that of an Ur’quay starship.

  “It has no resources the Empire covets and was considered unlikely to tempt the Ketaari” the Alliance Commander explained.

  Zh’hir frowned. “Are there more worlds on the Ur’quay list left unguarded, Commander?”

  “The Armada is stretched too thin, Star Captain” Commander Kerovac admitted to his new ally. “Where the risk of Ketaari invasion is low, we have to make the call to deploy elsewhere, to protect our more vulnerable members.”

  Zh’hir sighed. The Alliance had eagerly welcomed an agreement with the Ur’quay — the myth of their legendary starfaring ancestors still thrived in Sector Araloka. It had taken the Star Captain no time to realize that the Armada was stretched thin as more worlds joined the Alliance and the battleground expanded. It was why Commander Kerovac had not attempted to drive a hard bargain. The Alliance might push the Empire back every now and then, but to win a decisive and conclusive battle, the Armada needed the powerful Ur’quay on their side.

  The Commander, as usual, was blunt with his words, despite his excruciatingly polished mien. Rayeou Kerovac was noble-born, a scion of Iovac aristocracy, and it showed in his address. Zh’hir decided to be as plain-spoken.

  “The Ur’quay will not stand by if more shtoal-rich planets come under attack, Commander.”

  “There will be no repeat of Terra Agri” Commander Kerovac assured him, without emotion. “Alliance ships have been dispatched to all the worlds guaranteed to the Ur’quay.”

  Zh’hir knew that with ships diverted to protect Ur’quay assets, the Alliance might have to concede strategic territory to the Imperial Forces. That would serve no purpose — either to the Alliance or to the Ur’quay. But he could offer the Alliance Commander a solution to the issue.

  “The Ur’quay Fleet stands ready to assist, Commander.”

  This time, Commander Kerovac showed some emotion. “Your ships and warriors will reshape the war, Star Captain. That is why I would like to reserve them for when the time is right to strike. I have requested a threat assessment of all Alliance worlds outside our security net, vulnerable not just to Ketaari invasion but also to slavers and pirates. Our larger fleets have been asked to provide more ships and personnel, and I hope to plug the holes soon.”

  The Armada was a coalition of fleets from the many worlds that were part of the Alliance. For now, it seemed that Commander Kerovac had the matter of security well in hand. Terra Agri 5 and other planets promised to the Ur’quay would be protected from further incursions, the Star Captain realized. Only Sila, caught in a web beyond her control, would pay the price for this incident. Not if he had anything to say about it, Zh’hir vowed.

  “Captain Hadari-Begur-Kor was successful on Budheyasta, Commander” he said to Kerovac. “He will share the details at the rendezvous.”

  Commander Kerovac looked pleased, as he signed off on the communicator. “That is good news.”

  The Star Captain strode into the Command Chamber some minutes later to find Zoran holding court with a few Ur’quay to explain the intricacies of the border security net he had helped to breach. There was no sign of the Budheya girl. After a quiet word with his First Commander, Zh’hir asked to speak to the Hadari’Kor Captain in private.

  In a small room off the Command Chamber, the two Captains faced each other, the Hadari’Kor still disguised as an overly large Budheya in the clothes of a peasant. Zoran noted that like the rest of their Spartan starship, the room was austere and sparsely furnished, with minimal seating. Sore from his injuries on Budheyasta, he made a beeline for the only seat.

  The Star Captain fixed his unblinking gold eyes on the mercenary. “I have a favor to ask of you.”

  “Of course.” Zoran’s response was prompt and without hesitation. “Anything in my power.”

  The Ur’quay Captain looked mildly amused. “You don’t know yet what I will ask of you”.

  “It does not matter.” The Hadari’Kor’s dark eyes held his gaze. “Budheyasta would have been a riskier proposition without you, Star Captain. Anything in my power” he reiterated again.

  The Star Captain inclined his head, a curiously formal gesture of acknowledgement.

  “Our agreement with the Alliance offers us mining rights to a set of planetoids rich in a resource we want” he said.

  Zoran was intrigued. It wasn’t hard to guess why the Alliance had been eager to come to terms, but the Ur’quay’s inexplicable interest in a war-ravaged corner of the galaxy they had abandoned a long time ago roused his curiosity.

  “One of the planets was raided by slavers a few hours ago” the Star Captain continued. “Alliance ships dispatched to protect it were unable to prevent the abduction of a young female. She is currently on a ship bound for a Keeyori station. The Alliance has no jurisdiction in neutral space and Commander Kerovac is loath to send his soldiers to retrieve one person.”

  Zoran’s arrested eyes flashed to his Ur’quay counterpart. He had assumed that the Alliance would rush to the aid of a citizen, especially one who faced the threat of being sold into slavery. With his ears to the ground, the mercenary had heard the rampant whispers of trouble but had dismissed them. Now, he realized that they had some truth to them. The Alliance had opened up too many battlefronts against the Ketaari! This was not good. Once the news reached its ears, the Imperial Forces would take advantage of it. As would every thug and privateer in Sector Araloka. Zoran, who had his own reasons for wanting to decimate the Empire, did not like the sound of it.

  He arched an eyebrow. “The Alliance cannot spare one ship to rescue a citizen?”

  The Ur’quay male said nothing.

  Zoran’s eyes took in the Star Captain’s expression. The Ur’quay were an inscrutable race. Even for the uneffusive Hadari’Kor, the warriors were hard to read.

  “You intend to go after her?” he inquired after a short pause.

  “Yes.” It was stated baldly.

  Curiosity flashed across the mercenary’s face as Zoran wondered at the Ur’quay’s interest in a rustic world. But it was a worthy cause.

  “Which Keeyori station are they headed for?” he asked.

  “Keeyor 9.”

  Zoran looked pleased. “The Trade Sphere?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s an unexpected stroke of luck. I have spent time on the station.”

  “So have I” the Ur’quay chimed in unexpectedly. “Though it was a short visit.”

  His Hadari
’Kor counterpart looked intrigued by the Star Captain’s words. Zoran knew little about the Ur’quay’s latest expedition to Sector Araloka.

  “Commander Kerovac suggests that I ask for your assistance” the Star Captain said, holding the other male’s gaze.

  Kerovac did not want anyone to know about his new allies — neither his own people nor the Ketaari. Zoran understood why. The Alliance needed not only a major military victory against the Empire, but its citizens needed something to cheer for. Though Un Kieto Maal had led the Armada to some notable victories as its Commander, the two decade old war was at a stalemate.

  “I’ll help you rescue her” Zoran offered without hesitation. “Do you mean to capture the Keeyori ship and its crew?”

  “No.” The Star Captain shook his head. He had given it some thought. “We do not have much time to spare — we must both make the journey to Budheyasta soon. The ship raided an Alliance planet. The next time it enters their jurisdiction, the Alliance will capture and punish the crew.”

  Zoran leaned back in his seat to ponder the matter, while the Star Captain waited patiently.

  “We should take my ship” he suggested. “It has docked at Keeyor 9 before while yours runs the risk of drawing stares. And my mercs can help. That way, we have a better shot at keeping the secret Commander Kerovac desires.”

  The Star Captain inclined his head. “Thank you, Zoran Hadari-Begur-Kor.”

  “You’re welcome. I will direct the Juntafeyore to meet us at the rendezvous point.”

  FOUR

  Sila made a valiant attempt to open her eyes as a loud clanging permeated the air. She felt woozy, her head heavy and her body lethargic. Under her, the floor was rough and abrasive. Sila struggled to investigate further, but it was an effort to move. Something jangled beside her. She opened her eyes just a smidgeon, to observe a female being shoved into the cage with her.