Page 76 of Splintered Shadow
“We failed because we underestimated Lady Cassana,” Kenth said. “I take full responsibility for that. Palace security—”
“Enough,” Vekele said. Anger kept him upright and alert, but soon that would fade and exhaustion would have him. The last two days had been extraordinarily taxing. His front eyes hurt, overexposed to harsh light and not rested. He waved to the screen. “And turn that off. We have learned all we can from it.”
A male sitting at the console fumbled with the controls until the screens went blank.
“Do we have an ID on the ship?” Vekele asked.
“It is registered to the House of Starshade,” Kenth said.
So much for the king’s plan for peace between the houses.
He scanned the crowd of guards, all watching him and ready for orders. They were exhausted, and it showed. Their work started with the attack at the signing ceremony and had not ceased. While Vekele had removed his mate from danger, the palace guards remained to fight the assault. They had been locked out of their own network and their defenses used against them. They suffered the loss of friends and comrades.
Bloodied and bruised, they were ready for new orders, despite swaying on their feet.
“What we know is that the Starshades did not negotiate in good faith with the king. They conspired with Lady Cassana to compromise the palace’s security and orchestrate yesterday’s attack. Now they have captured the king and are removing him from Arcos to, presumably, a location in Starshade territory,” Vekele said.
Unease shifted through the guards. The facts were uncomfortable but had to be faced.
“First, your performance yesterday was exceptional,” Vekele continued. “The Starshades’ assault could have been much more deadly. Should have been. I suspect the traitors behind the attack are disappointed at how many lives you saved. Well done.”
The guards visibly perked, straightening their shoulders and lifting their chins.
“Several things must happen now,” Vekele said. “We need a medic. Contact Harol and tell him to be ready to depart in an hour. Yes, I know there are palace medics ready now, but I trust Harol, and I am not inclined to put my faith in someone I do not trust at the moment.”
A murmur of agreement rippled through the guards.
It felt good to have a mission and a purpose again. Familiar. Time away to recover and adjust to his injuries and new state of being had been necessary. Hiding himself away like he was a blight had been a mistake. Baris tried to tell him this in his heavy-handed, well-meaning way. It only took a second failed assassination attempt and abduction for Vekele to understand.
“We will rescue the king. Failure is unacceptable. This is the fastest ship in the kingdom. The Starshade ship is old and slow. It uses a tunnel drive.” He looked to Luca for confirmation.
“We have a jump drive. We’re three times as fast,” Luca said.
“Wherever the Starshades go, we will be there. They cannot escape us.” Even with their head start. Vekele had a working knowledge of the ship and understood some of the limitations. He would rely on the engineer and mechanic for the specifics. “This ship is long-range and faster, but the drive requires a long cooldown between jumps. We get one chance to intercept the Starshades. They must be headed to their territory in the outer reaches.”
The navigator spoke. “There is an asteroid belt surrounding the Starshade home world. Jumping there would be risky. Without detailed maps and readings, we would risk landing in the wrong spot and the ship would be torn apart.”
“How recently were our maps updated?” Vekele asked.
“Not recent enough for my liking,” the navigator said. Such information was closely guarded while the houses warred with one another.
“Then we intercept them along their route. Give me locations.”
Eyes fixed on screens, calculating the most likely scenarios. They would have the answer soon.
“They will desire to travel undetected,” Kenth said.
“Black Space,” Vekele said, having an entire conversation with Kenth with a handful of words.
“What’s that?” Sarah asked.
“Unmarked territory. No network relays. No markers. If your navigation fails, you can be lost. Permanently,” Kenth said. “Space is massive. It is easy to forget that when you have star charts.”
To emphasize her point, she wiped away the screen with a wave of her hand and called up a chart.
“Here,” she said. “It is a disused station. There is no traffic, but the station’s network relay may still be operational. Using that as a marker is perfect for a vessel needing to travel undetected.”
“I concur,” the navigator said.
