Protector of the Realm (25 page)

Port 1 was buzzing with activity. Kellen strode toward the gates, eager to find Armeo and let him know she was safe. She saw several security guards stand at attention and guessed correctly that she had a welcoming party. At the end of the walkway, arms folded in front of her, stood her wife.

“Rae.” Kellen tried to read the expression on her face, but Rae seemed restrained.

“Kellen. Walk with me back to the mission room.” She spoke in precise sentences with short, cropped words.

Uncertain what to think, Kellen lengthened her stride to keep up with Rae’s pace. She blurted out an explanation, wanting to get the tension out of the way. “I disobeyed your orders out of necessity.”

“It was not your call to make.” Rae’s anger flared for a second.

“People were dying, Rae! We couldn’t communicate with the mission room, but I couldn’t sit idly by and play dead when I knew I could help. I’d seen blueprints of this vessel and knew its greatest weakness.”

“You what?” Rae’s voice sank an octave. “We can’t have this conversation here.” She gestured to the passing crew members. “You will be debriefed at the mission room immediately.”

Kellen opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. Her actions had ended the battle, but they had also betrayed the trust of her wife.

“I know everyone at the station is safe,” Kellen tried, “but Armeo…is he very upset?”

“He was. Right now, he’s with Ensign Y’sak and Lieutenant Grey in our quarters. It was getting late, and he needed something to eat in familiar surroundings. Lieutenant D’Artansis will join them there as soon as Gemma allows her to leave the infirmary. Her burns were worse than we initially thought. Second degree and quite extensive.”

Kellen shuddered. “They happened when the blast hit us. The console behind her exploded and burned through her suit. I’d disengaged the autopilot and couldn’t let go of the controls to help her. She screamed for me to just get us out of there.”

“Gemma assures me the lieutenant will make a full recovery.”

Kellen already knew this, but it didn’t erase the memory of the diminutive lieutenant’s muffled cries of pain when the flames began to consume her flight suit. Leanne had ordered her to fly, her voice a growl of anguish which would stay with Kellen for a long time, as would the odor of singed flesh that had nauseated her when she carefully released Leanne from the harness.

After carrying the lieutenant to the
Ajax
infirmary, Kellen had stayed with her until the doctor assured her she was out of danger. Just before the physician had sedated Leanne, the pilot squeezed Kellen’s hand and asked over and over for Owena. Kellen realized Leanne meant Lieutenant Grey and assured her she’d get word to the tactical chief. Relieved, she had watched Leanne fell unconscious, finally escaping the pain when the medication kicked in.

The security officer on guard punched in the code to open the door as Rae and Kellen reached the entrance to the mission room. “Commodore. Ma’am.” He saluted them both.

Rae shot her a knowing glance as they passed him. “Word is spreading.”

“What word?”

“Oh, don’t underestimate the grapevine. Soon the whole base will know how you saved the day.”

They walked through the mission room, where everybody stopped what they were doing for a moment. Eyes followed Kellen until she entered Rae’s office and the commodore switched the aluminum walls to zero transparency. The admiral sat in one of the visitors’ chairs, and Todd stood by the far wall.

“Kellen,” the admiral said. “Have a seat. You must be exhausted.”

“Thank you.” Kellen gratefully sank into a chair, her body aching all over. Determined not to let her pain show, she dug deep for strength.

Rae sat down behind her desk and pulled out a handheld computer. After punching in a few commands, she looked at Kellen, her face stern. “Now, return to what you said before. You once saw the blueprints of this vessel?”

“Yes, my father managed to obtain the blueprints for the prototype before he died, and I hid them and all of his other possessions in a secret vault on our estate. He showed me the ship’s weak spot--the node that, if hit by a torpedo, would relay the impact to wipe out their weapons and communications array. It stuck in my mind because it was one of the last conversations we had.” She remembered how she’d leaned over the table in the vault, looking with keen interest at the blueprints. Her father’s hand tenderly cupped the back of her neck, as was his habit when he expressed his love for her. He had noticed her interest in the blueprint of the new Devil Class ships and shown her what he regarded as their biggest flaw.

“Your aim was dead-on. You burned every circuit in their weapons array and destroyed the shield.” Rae read from her computer. “They sustained a hull breach that reached across ten decks.”

“I had to be sure,” Kellen said. “I fired two torpedoes into the node.”

“So you had long-range scanners but no way of communicating. How did you persuade Lieutenant D’Artansis to go along with the plan?” the admiral asked.

Kellen couldn’t judge if he was pleased or shared his daughter’s point of view. “I suggested this course of action, and she questioned me to see if I knew what I was talking about. She decided to trust my ability to fly the assault craft and target the node. We waited for the right opportunity, and shortly after the
Emerald
was severely damaged, she made the call. Lieutenant D’Artansis knew if we failed, the Onotharian ship would probably break through our shields.”

“You did some brilliant maneuvering out there,” Todd added. “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone, except possibly D’Artansis, fly like that. You must have disengaged the computer to make your escape.”

“Yes, I did. The computer wouldn’t have allowed such a flight pattern.” Kellen looked at Rae, exhaustion burning inside every bone of her body. “Please, may I go see Armeo?”

“One more question, and then you may leave.” Rae placed the computer on the desk and leaned forward on her elbows, her fingers laced together.

Kellen did not avoid Rae’s penetrating eyes. Instead she tried to shake off the fatigue that threatened to disable her. Absentmindedly she wondered if the medication she was still on was causing this extreme reaction.

“How did your father, a farmer and family man, have access to these blueprints?”

Glancing at Commander Todd and the admiral, Kellen hesitated, knowing her answer wouldn’t go down well. “I can’t share this information.”

“You can and you will. It’s vital. I need to explain to the Council how you, in their eyes a mere fugitive, can possess classified information.”

Kellen ignored her sore muscles and shot up from the chair, sending it flying backward. Clasping her hands behind her back, she glared at Rae. “I’m bound by honor. I’m not going to compromise it.”

“You are going to talk, Kellen. You don’t have any other choice.” Rae pressed her hands onto the desk and rose slowly from her chair. “Listen to me. This situation will continue to blow up in our face unless we have all the information we need to deal with M’Ekar and the Onotharians. We can’t act blindly and expect to win!”

“And I can’t betray my vows!” Kellen felt her nails dig into her cold, sweaty palms. “You expect me to go back on my word, to dishonor a sacred duty. You have no idea what you’re asking. I cannot commit treason, Rae.”
Please.
As much as Kellen wished Rae would relent, a part of her knew her spouse wouldn’t give in. How could she make her understand?

“I’m not asking to you commit treason!” Rae exclaimed. “Damn it, Kellen. Listen to me. If you don’t level with us, the Council will accuse you of espionage and demand we incarcerate you, maybe even extradite you. You’d be separated from Armeo, the very thing you’re here to avoid!”

Kellen tensed. She had no way to explain, no valid reason to give them why her secrets must remain just that, secrets. Realizing she was holding her breath, she let it out slowly, wracking her exhausted mind for a way out. “This goes against everything I’ve lived by. For so many years, I kept my father’s secret, knowing we were doomed if anyone found out the truth.”

Rae’s expression softened. “Your father is dead. You and Armeo are no longer on Gantharat. Would anyone back there be in danger if you revealed the secret?”

“Not immediately. Most of my father’s associates were killed along with him when he went on his last mission. They were betrayed.”

The admiral rose, took Kellen by the shoulders, and guided her back to the chair. “Please, take a seat. You were swaying,” he explained. “Go on.”

Kellen knew she had lost. She would never risk being extradited. Her mouth dry, she forced herself to speak, knowing she couldn’t turn back. “My father was one of the leaders of the resistance. He led many successful missions against our oppressors.”

Rae squinted, as if judging the truth behind Kellen’s words. “Bondar O’Dal was a resistance leader?”

“Yes. He died when I was sixteen.”

“I know. It’s in your file. You’ve been on your own for a long time.”

“Not all alone. I had Tereya. She was the reason my father had to take so many precautions.” Kellen rubbed her aching temples.

“What was so special about Tereya?” Rae sat down again as well, still nailing Kellen with her resolute gaze.

“My father carried an ancient title, part of our family for a long time, now passed down to me.”

“What are you talking about?” Rae asked, new lines around her eyes making her look as tired as Kellen felt.

“My father was a Protector of the Realm, a duty and honor I’ve tried to fulfill since his death.” Kellen was surprised at the relief that flooded her system after she disclosed her long-kept secret. She could see the confusion on Rae’s face and the understanding that slowly dawned in the admiral’s eyes. Almost nauseated from unburdening her secret, whether the others understood the magnitude of it or not, she slumped back in the chair. She searched Rae’s eyes for a reaction, but the commodore looked over at her father, who seemed stunned.

“Oh, my God,” Ewan Jacelon inhaled. “Armeo. I should have realized…”

Kellen nodded. She knew it was time to tell the rest and experienced both dread and relief. If nothing else, this would make everyone see how important it was that Armeo remain with her. Wouldn’t it? “Yes. He’s the reason…the only reason, ever since his mother died.”

“And you’re the only one left of your kind, of your dynasty, aren’t you?” the admiral mused out loud. “Your adamant protection of Armeo. It all fits.”

“What are you talking about?” Rae demanded, her eyes now a stormy gray.

“Rae, I ask you…may I go to him now?” Kellen whispered. She barely managed to remain erect in her chair. “I need to reassure him.”

“Of course.” The admiral stopped his daughter when Rae looked as if she was about to say something. “Commander Todd, I need to talk to the commodore. Would you escort Ms. O’Dal to her quarters?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Thank you,” Kellen whispered, unable to read the set features of her wife. “Until later, then,” she said.

“Yes.” Rae looked discontented. “I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

Experiencing a feeling of defeat, Kellen walked toward the door. She gripped the door frame with an ice-cold hand and looked back over her shoulder, unable to resist a last glance at Rae, who didn’t meet her eyes. Instead she was leaning over her computer, punching in commands at a furious pace.

Kellen left the commodore’s office and tried not to limp too badly on her way to the elevator. Her bodyguard followed at a respectful distance, and for once, she was grateful for his presence, since she wasn’t sure she’d make it all the way to their quarters.

*

Rae could see from her father’s expression that something out of the ordinary had occurred. “All right, can you tell me what all that was about?”

He was silent for a moment, as if assembling his thoughts. Then he said, “Over the centuries Kellen’s title, Protector of the Realm, has belonged to those who shielded the Gantharian royal family in times of trouble. Only my interest in the history of alien worlds made me recognize its significance. If her father bore it before her, and lived a clandestine life as a mere farmer, he was protecting someone at the time.”

It didn’t take Rae long to understand. “Tereya.” She stared at her father.

“She must have been the last of the O’Saral dynasty. Presumably they all perished during the first year of the occupation.”

“And now, Kellen protects Armeo,” Rae murmured. “Damn.”

“It’s her sacred duty. These families lived clandestine lives. Nobody knew exactly who they were, and they became almost mythical figures in the Gantharian lore. A Protector was almost as illustrious, almost as fairy-tale inspiring, as the O’Saral Royales themselves. It is important that we keep Kellen’s secret at the top-level security clearance.”

“I see. She must have been thinking of that today,” Rae murmured. “To be away from him during a fierce battle, aware if we lost, she might lose him as well.” Rae thought of Kellen’s exhausted appearance earlier.
The last of the Protectors. How utterly alone you’ve been for so many years, Kellen.
To think that Kellen was only sixteen when she shouldered the enormous responsibility, with no one to turn to, was mind-boggling.
How can I make you see that you have me now? Will I ever earn your trust?