Krac's Firebrand (6 page)

“Krac! Get your ass up here. Level 26,” Kordon’s voice furiously shouted out in his comlink, breaking his concentration. “We’ve got trouble.”

Krac turned and slapped his hand over the control panel to the lift even as he disconnected from the tablet. His eyes flew upward as it rapidly descended. The passengers inside gripped the railing on the inside in a panic as it descended faster than normal.

He slowed the compartment at the last moment and sent an override for the doors to open before it stopped. The five passengers inside tumbled out as he swept past them. The moment he was inside, he sent another command for the doors to close and the lift to rise.

“What is the situation?” he asked calmly into the comlink, ignoring the sounds of laser fire over it.

“The guards are down,” Kordon responded. “The nurse is working with the rebels. I’m not sure how many there are. My senior guard was able to alert me before he went down. We are barricaded in the healer’s office. Take a right out of the lift. Go down the corridor and last room on the left. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold them.”

“I will be there in forty-three seconds,” Krac replied. “Do whatever you have to do to keep your family safe.”

“What the fuck do you think I’m doing?” Kordon retorted.

Krac cursed silently when he heard Violet’s scared voice in the background telling her mommy that daddy had ‘cursed.’ The muted cries of Adam could be heard as well as Gracie frantically trying to comfort both of her children.

His hands were already between the door of the lift and the side as it began to open. He pushed against the smooth metal, ignoring the sound of crunching as the gears inside were stripped as he shoved it out of the way. He rolled as laser fire filled the interior. His own laser pistol was in his hand as he came up and fired. A dark hole appeared through the center of the male’s forehead. The male jerked back in surprise before falling forward over the counter of the reception area.

Krac turned as another male fired from down the long corridor. He suppressed the dark rage building in him when he heard the sound of a small explosion followed by a loud scream and the terrified cries of Violet and Adam. He focused on the male who had pulled back around the corner again.

He stepped forward cautiously, waiting patiently for the male to reappear. He cursed when he saw a different male reappear holding a tall, slender female wearing a medical uniform in front of him.

Two other men appeared behind him. One held the stiff body of Gracie. Her arms were empty and silent tears of grief dampened her cheeks. The splattering of dark blood stained her hands and the front of her shirt. Krac paused when one of the men jerked Violet’s head back by her curls and held his pistol against her temple. 

“I wouldn’t come any closer,” the tall man holding Gracie said. “My friend here doesn’t like kids. You come any closer and he’ll kill her.”

“Gracie?” Krac asked without taking his eyes off of the male holding Violet.

“They shot Kordon,” she whispered. “He needs immediate medical attention. Please, let the healer help him. Please!” She begged the man holding her.

“I’m afraid that letting him live is not part of the plan, princess,” Harden replied. “Let’s go. The window’s closing. Take the kid and kill the bitch.”

“No!” Gracie cried out.

“Mommy!” Violet screamed.

Krac watched as Violet threw her head back, connecting with the nose of the large male holding her while her tiny feet kicked wildly to get free. Gracie and the healer reacted at the same time, turning on their captors. The healer brought her hand around, hitting her captor in the mouth while Gracie slammed her heel into the male holding her and jerked forward. She reached for Violet at the same time as Krac let out a shot from his pistol at the male who had been holding the healer.

A loud roar sounded from the larger male as he grabbed the wounded man around the waist and threw him over his shoulder while pulling Violet’s struggling body up in his other arm. Krac ignored the stinging as multiple shots struck him in the chest, arm and leg as he continued firing at the three males. Gracie cried out as the healer wrapped her arms around her and pulled her away from the men.

“NO!” Gracie screamed, fighting to break free as the men pushed through another door. “Violet! NO!”

Krac ignored the burning from the numerous wounds on his body as he ran the rest of the way down the narrow corridor. His only thought was to get to Violet. He grabbed Gracie around her waist, turning as he did, and slammed his shoulder into the heavy metal door. He released Gracie and slammed into it again. The metal groaned under the force of the impact.

“Take care of Kordon,” he growled through gritted teeth before slamming into the door again. “Now!”

The healer nodded and stumbled up and into the other room where Kordon lay motionless on the floor. Blood pooled around his body. Krac ignored all of that as the door finally gave way. He stumbled before running for the open window.

His eyes quickly scanned the area, but there was no sign of the transport the men had used to get away. His eyes lowered to the ground twenty-six floors below. Life below remained untouched by the violence happening high above them.

He turned, his hand already running through the information on scheduled departures at the same time as he sent a level five alert with information about the abduction of High Councilman Kordon Jefe’s daughter and the attack on him and his family to Rorrak and other members of the council Rorrak assured him could be trusted.

“What is his condition?” Bazteen Jefe demanded immediately over the connection. “Additional guards are on their way.”

“Lock down all departures,” Krac responded. “I was able to kill one of the attackers. The healer is working on Kordon.”

He paused inside the door of the healer’s office. Gracie sat on the floor next to Kordon’s head. She was gently stroking his hair and face with one hand while Adam’s small body was tucked against her with the other. The healer was speaking quietly into her comlink while placing a stabilizer over the large wound to his chest.

“Krac?” Gracie whispered, looking up at him with eyes filled with a quiet grief. “Is she…? Is she…?”

“No,” Krac interrupted harshly. “They took her. They will not harm her, Gracie. They wanted you. They will use her to get to you. They cannot do that if they harm her. Will he live?” He asked the healer.

“Yes,” the healer replied with determination. “I will not lose him. I have an emergency team that should be here any moment.”

The sound of running feet echoed before her words finished leaving her lips. Krac turned immediately and scanned those coming in. He stood to the side as Kordon was lifted onto a stretcher and a portable life support was attached to him. One of the medics who came in bent and carefully helped Gracie up.

“Krac, find her for us,” Gracie whispered as she watched their healer nod for the group to move toward the lift. “Please… please find her and bring her ho… home.”

“I will find her, Gracie,” Krac promised. “I will find her and I will kill every one of those responsible for this.”

“I can’t… I can’t lose them,” Gracie choked out, holding Adam closer against her. “I can’t. Not after losing everything else. Even Murphy can’t be that cruel.”

“Murphy?” Krac asked, puzzled.

“Murphy’s Law,” Gracie mumbled. “I have to go with him. I love him so much. Find Violet, Krac. I’m trusting you. You are the only one right now that I can trust to find her and bring her home safely.”

Krac watched as Gracie hurried after the small group who surrounded Kordon. Bazteen and Saffron, Kordon’s younger brother, had appeared and quickly wrapped Gracie safely between them. He would look for clues here before anyone else could disrupt the scene. He would start with the male he had killed and then the nurse who had betrayed them. He hoped she was still alive, at least until he was finished with her.

Chapter 7

Two weeks later: Pyrus
Spaceport

“I swear I’m going to kill her,” Froget muttered as he searched another crowded bar. “If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well have a good reason for it. Maybe I’ll be lucky and Ti’Death will just shoot me.”

“What’s that, Frog?” The huge yellow and black bartender asked. “I didn’t hear what you wanted.”

“My name is Froget! Not Frog, Froget!” Froget growled as he hopped up onto the tall stool. “Have you seen Skeeter?”

Hornet’s antennas flickered madly for several seconds before he shook his head. “Gods no! I haven’t seen her since she was here a few weeks back. It took me that long to get the rest of the tables repaired. What are you doing with Skeeter?” He asked innocently, not wanting Froget to know he had been the one to recommend him to Ti’Death.

“I need a Reptilian Runner,” Froget sighed loudly. “I’m her new co-pilot. Or I was as of yesterday. I’m probably going to be dead tomorrow if I don’t find her.”

Hornet set a large glass with blue flames burning on the top of it in front of Froget with a look of sympathy. He slapped at a small spill of the flaming liquid with the damp cloth he pulled from his waist before leaning on the bar and looking at Froget with his multiple eyes. He watched as the small green creature blew out the flames and took a long, depressing drink.

“Okay, tell me what she’s done now,” Hornet said. “You know the life expectancy of her co-pilots have not been long. Well, except for the human one. I think he is still alive.”

“Oh, he’s alive, just not all in one piece,” Froget replied in a discouraged voice. “Five weeks with her and I’m ready to slit my own throat and save her father the trouble.”

Hornet threw his head back and a loud buzzing laugh filled the crowded bar. From the look on the small creature’s face, he was going to need something a little stronger before the night was over. He knew Ti’Death’s reputation, especially when it came to his unusual daughter. While she was human, she was the strangest one he had ever met before. She almost always caused a riot whenever she came in and was totally clueless to the fact she was the cause of it.

The last time she had come in was a little over two weeks before. She had joined in a game of Battle Beasts with a couple of cutthroat pirates from the outer rim that had more credits than brains between the two of them. They had thought the curvy redhead with the innocent smile and flashing eyes would be an easy target in more ways than one.

Hornet had heard the two males talk about taking more than her credits. They planned to enjoy her and thought of ransoming her back to Ti’Death which was suicide in the first place. By the end of the game, she had taken everything but their underclothes.

Enraged, they had accused her of cheating. When one of the men jumped up, so had Skeeter. Unfortunately, one of the males had just ordered a Reptilian Runner. When she swept her arms forward to gather her winnings, her hand hit the tall glass of flaming liquid igniting the front of the pirate’s long leg coverings setting them on fire.

In his panic, the pirate had turned and knocked a serving platter of food onto a group of Bulltian miners. Food covered the thick, massive creatures who surged up in fury. Hornet had watched as Skeeter stuffed the credits down her shirt as the other pirate tried to grab them. She had fallen back into her chair which tipped into another barmaid carrying a pitcher of icy Frozen Moon which flew over a group of Zion warriors. All the Zion warriors saw was the pirate with his hands out as Skeeter was now on the floor.

Hornet had watched as she had crawled under the tables until she made it to the door where she stood up, wiped her hands on her dark blue pants, fluffed her hair and straightened her shoulders leaving a battlefield of flying fists and bodies behind her. A smile curved his lips when he remembered seeing her turn and peek back inside the bar, biting her lower lip before giving him a small apologetic smile. The only thing he could do was call for security to come break up the fighting mass of bodies and clean up the mess. Technically, she hadn’t done a thing but beat a couple of pirates at their own game.

“So, what has she done?” Hornet asked, nodding to the other bartender to take over the orders coming in. “Is she in trouble?”

“Is she…,” Froget asked in disbelief. “SHE
is
trouble. In three weeks, we have gone to four Spaceports. She has managed to hit one Zion Warship, which she painted a huge pink line down, hit four space markers, rammed one pirate ship and almost crashed into four asteroids. She doesn’t have a clue how to fix more than the basics on the
Lulu Belle
. Her idea of repairing something is to take it out and make a sculpture out of it or paint it some awful color. I have had to tape together the thrusters, the navigation module is shot and I have red and black bugs all over my cabin that I want to eat so bad my tongue hurts from trying to taste them!”

“So, where is she now?” Hornet asked, unsure of what to say about the rest.

He remembered Ti’Death’s own experience with Skeeter’s piloting skills. He had come in more than once the past couple of years and downed half of his supply after taking Skeeter out for ‘lessons’ when she announced she wanted to work for his freighter line so she could learn the business.

“The girl can’t pilot worth a damn. We’re on our second freighter in a month,” Ti’Death had slurred at him. “She scares the hell out of me. Can’t talk and navigate at the same time and forget backing up or docking the damn things.”

Hornet had just poured his old friend another drink. He had promised him that he would do what he could to keep Skeeter safe while she was on the Spaceport. He felt a tinge of guilt that he had been the one to suggest Froget as a replacement for Skeeter’s last co-pilot, but he thought the small amphibian creature could handle it. Now, he wasn’t so sure it had been a fair thing to do to the other male.

Skeeter’s last co-pilot had plotted to sell the curvy girl to a brothel. Luckily, Skeeter had mentioned where Druss planned to take her as a surprise to her dad. Ti’Death had been furious and the male had disappeared on his way to the bathroom.