Page 70 of Lhora
“Thenwhere the plug are you firing?” The Sarpi struggled to reach the navigation console, when the ship suddenly jerked more than ninety degrees sideways. “All ships! Fire at will! Fire at will!”
“We’re going down!” Plur struggled with the wheel to keep them from going into a tailspin, but it was clear his attempts were useless.
“What about the other ships?” Sov hollered. “Order all of our ships to fire!”
Diad gave a little cry of frustration. “There’s no communication! Our grid is down! We can’t relay or receive any messages!”
“Are they firing?”
“Radar’s out! We can’t read anything!”
“We’re headed for the water!” Pra let them know. “Lowering sails to ready for splashdown!”
A loudwhomp!vibrated through the ship. At the same time, everyone felt their descent slowing to a halt.
“What’s stopping us?” Diad yelled.
“Sarpi!” Vadris Pra’s face paled as he stared at his readout. “Boarding tubes are breaching our hull! We’re being invaded!”
“By whom!” Sov demanded to know, finally getting back onto his feet. When the Vadris didn’t reply, he limped over to the man’s station. “By whom?”
32
Renounced
“Sarpi, we’ve been boarded!” Goruu flipped the toggle on his board. The sound of yelling and confusion filtered into the bridge.
Sov raced to the ladder. “All hands to the lower deck!” He heard the command go out via the ship’s tubes as he hustled down to where the fighting was taking place.
He wasn’t expecting the confrontation to be over by the time he got there.
Sov stared at the sight of his son standing near the armory, sword drawn. What confused him was seeing his own crew standing around him, acting as if nothing had occurred. In fact, they were making it almost appear as if they were defending him.
“What’s going on here?” he demanded.
“Come join us, Father! We’re having a little conversation, and there are a few questions we’d like to ask you.” Lifting his blade, Duren rested it across the back of his neck. A smug smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
“Questions? What questions?”
“Is it true we’re surrounded by Tra’Mellian battleships?” one man inquired.
“And are they here because you made a deal with them?” another crew member added.
Sov glared at his son. “What lies have you been telling them?”
“What lies? All they have to do is look out any porthole and see the Tra’Mell hovering within range of our telescopes,” Duren stated nonchalantly.
The Sarpi held his ground. “Yes, I asked them here. With their assistance, we’re going to destroy the Beinight fleet and depose the Esstika once and for all!”
“At what price, Father?” Duren cut in. “Tell us. What did you promise the Tra’Mell in exchange for their assistance?”
“I promised them nothing!”
“And I say you’re a liar!” Duren shot back. “Who else in your inner circle knows about this so-called agreement you made with them?Who?” He jerked his head up to where the speakers were located in the upper decking. “How about you, Vadris Pra? Do you know about it? Vadris Plur! You’re one of the Sapri’s closest confidants! What sort of deal did my father make with the enemy?”
“Thereis…no…deal!” Sov exclaimed through gritted teeth.
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