Page 49 of Neverwylde 6
Chapter 22
Ultimatum
Her body continued to sing from the aftermath of her last orgasm. She would swear she could feel her blood racing through her blood vessels, leaving her toes and the tips of her fingers tingling.
Kelen breathed in Kyber’s musky scent and burrowed her nose deeper into the soft, short curls covering his chest. She noted that his pelt was no longer coarse. Since their rescue, they had begun their recovery. Along with ample food, rest, and no longer being stressed with trying to survive on a minute-by-minute basis, they were healing mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Yes, she knew it wasn’t over. There remained the problem with Kyber and his crew reporting back to Seneecia. Eventually, they would have to face whatever consequences remained because they dared to declare a truce between themselves and the Terran survivors without the permission of the Seneecian Triumvirate.
As for herself and the remaining crew of theManta,at some point they would need to be debriefed. Then, inevitably, they would be reassigned to a new ship. If any of them were lucky, a couple of them might discover themselves placed on the same docket, but chances were still slim, considering the number of warships in the fleet.
“You are no longer relaxed,” a voice lovingly accused. “All that work for nothing.”
She laughed softly as he kissed the top of her head. “I was thinking about the fate of the crew. What’s awaiting them. What’ll happen to them once all this is over.”
“You are thinking about us all being split up, correct?”
Tilting her head back, she looked up into his green gaze. “We’ve been through more together these past few months than most crews do in a lifetime of service. We work well together. We mesh. We have each other’s back, no matter how much crap is thrown at us. I just hate…” She shook her head and tried to stifle the tears that threatened to come.
Kyber kissed her forehead. “You detest the thought of having to split up. I can commiserate. At least they are being given a short reprieve from that when they go back to investigate Neverwylde.”
She agreed. “That’s something to be grateful for.”
“D’har Kyber.” It was a voice they didn’t recognize.
Kyber reached overhead to hit the comm button. “Kyber here.”
“Colonel Pfeiffer needs you and Lieutenant Chambliss on the Bridge ASAP.”
“On our way.”
They untangled themselves, quickly re-dressing before heading for the elevators. Along the way, Kelen combed through her hair with her fingers and quickly re-braided it.
When they exited onto the Main Bridge, they were immediately surrounded by what Kelen always thought of as organized chaos—a flurry of activity soaked in tension and purpose. Colonel Pfeiffer stood in the center of the room. They joined him in facing the huge viewscreen and the enormous Seneecian warship that hovered in its center. Kelen glanced up at Kyber.
“That doesn’t look like theDen Tirim.”
“It is theVar Yuheri,” he told her.
“And captained by D’har Stek,” the colonel informed them, turning to face them. “I just cut communications with them before you arrived. We may have a situation on our hands.”
“Has theDen Tirimarrived?” Kelen asked.
Pfeiffer shook his head. “No, but theAju Abalishas. It’s hovering on our northern pole.”
“What is the problem?” Kyber requested.
“D’har Stek is demanding, not requesting,demandingyour immediate return to his ship, including your men.” He looked at Kelen. “And also the Terran crewmembers who associated with you. We were even given a list of your names.”
“They have no legal jurisprudence over us while we’re here,” Kelen noted. “Do they?”
“We are neutral ground,” Pfeiffer told her. “Under the terms of our treaty with the Bakkite Grand Council, we can only turn you over to Terran authorities.” He eyed Kyber. “Same goes for you and your men, Kyber. We can only turn you over to Seneecian authorities.”
“Then why are they demandingourreturn?” Kelen inquired. “Have you told them you can’t hand us over to them without an okay from Terran officials?”
“It would seem they don’t care about the treaty. They’ve given us forty-two minutes to comply.”
“Before what?” Kyber requested.
