Page 53 of Neverwylde 6
“Why is that man not restrained?”
“He gave his word he would not flee or cause harm,” Pfeiffer replied in clipped tones.
“You would trust the word of a traitor?” Duruk growled.
“He is a Seneecian. Isn’t the word of a Seneecian considered honorable?” the colonel coolly replied.
Kelen bit her lips to keep from snickering. Duruk had walked into that one.
The D’har brushed it off. “We will be within range of you in twelve of your minutes. At that time I expect Kyber and his people to be on board theVar Yuheri.”
“Why not theDen Tirim?” Pfeiffer queried.
Kelen resisted the impulse to glance over at the officer. The colonel knew why they couldn’t take the shuttle to Duruk’s ship. He knew they had blasted their shuttle bay and damaged it to the point where it was unusable until repairs could be made. Repairs that had to be made in dry dock, and not in space. She continued to wonder what the man had up his sleeve when she remembered something Kyber had told her.
“A Seneecian does not admit defeat or weakness. To do so would cause others to consider him unable or unfit for his job. Or to command.”
“My reason is not for you to question,” Duruk gruffly replied. “I expect them to be waiting when I arrive.”
Kelen smiled to herself. The D’har had dodged the question, and thus saved face, especially in front of his crewmembers who were within earshot.
“I’m sorry, D’har Duruk, but there is no way the shuttle can reach theVar Yuheriin twelve minutes. It will take a minimum of thirty-one minutes—”
“Then do so,” Duruk cut in. In the next moment, the viewscreen went dark.
Pfeiffer turned to Kelen and Kyber as Kyber remarked, “We would have had no problem docking on theVar Yuheriin twelve minutes.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. But that’s another twenty minutes or so leeway your men have to get out of this sector,” the colonel answered with a grin. “It’s best you go now. I don’t know how long it’ll take before Duruk starts scanning the outpost for Seneecian lifeforms.”
Kyber and Kelen thanked him again and retreated to the elevator, taking it all the way down to Level L where Bay Fifteen was located. Once they arrived, they discovered the craft had been refueled and waiting for them. They climbed inside to buckle in, with Kelen taking the pilot seat and Kyber in navigation.
As the bay went through decompression, the immense doors slid open, and Kelen lifted the shuttle up and out into space. From where they emerged, theVar Yuherisat like a giant black serpent in the upper left quadrant of their main screen.
“Slow and steady, Lieutenant,” Kyber murmured with a hint of humor in his tone.
“Aye, sir. Very slow and steady.”
They took their time, eating up as much of the clock as they felt they could. As they drew nearer to the Seneecian ship, Kelen felt a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. It clenched tighter and more painfully as the ship loomed closer.
“HailingObe Nuo.Hailing theObe Nuo.” The voice speaking Seneecian was unfamiliar to her.
Kyber hit the comm button. “This is theObe Nuo.”
“Obe Nuo,we detect only two lifeforms on board when there should be eleven. Where is the rest of the crew?”
“The rest of the crew is not available,” Kyber responded with a straight face.
“Obe Nuo,where is the rest of your crew?” the voice repeated with obvious irritation.
“They are not here,” he answered, then closed communications.
Kelen gave him a side eye. “Was that a wise thing to do?”
“Perhaps not, but I enjoyed it.”
“I think you just pissed them off more than they already were.”
“Duruk does not need a reason to vent his anger. I have borne the brunt of his wrath for too many years.”
