Star Kissed (34 page)

“The energy crisis will continue, but it is not your responsibility to resolve. We will double our efforts to find a secondary source,” Akkalon continued. “You may continue to lead the operations. I have full faith in your ability to execute your duties.”

Akkadi almost breathed a sigh of relief.

“I will inform Hichele’s family that the betrothal is broken. They do not need to know why, when it comes from their king,” his father added. “You will inform your mother and our family of your intent to take Mandy as your mate.” As he spoke, he moved to the communications corner and flicked the device on.

“Of course. Thank you,” Akkadi murmured, surprised his father hadn’t disowned him for being less than dutiful. Breaking the agreement with Hichele was a blemish on the family’s honor. Akkadi planned on taking the backlash as his own and separating himself from the family.

“The reason I called you to the command bridge.” His father motioned him forward.

A hologram of Urik appeared. Akkadi moved forward, at once concerned something had happened. Urik risked much by contacting them via the open communications channel rather than the clandestine one they normally used. He had never contacted Akkalon in all the time Akkadi knew him.

“Akkadi,” Urik said.

“Urik,” Akkadi greeted him. “What has happened?”

Urik wiped blood from his head, glanced at it then focused on Akkadi. His cousin was bloodied and panting, and the sounds of battle were loud behind him.

“Slight problem,” Urik said. “I’m not sure where to start.”

“Tell him what you relayed to me,” Akkalon advised. “Akkadi needs to hear this.” The Naki king crossed his arms in a sign that made Akkadi uneasy.

“Long story short. I told Mandy and Cesar if they brought me energy, I’d open the star gate for them,” Urik began.

“You mean you deceived them,” Akkadi stated.

“No more than you have,” Urik snapped. “Mandy brought me energy cells. Pretty sure she stole them from you.”

Akkadi listened, heat creeping up his neck. A glance at his father revealed this wasn’t new information to him. Why had his father agreed to let Akkadi break off the engagement with Hichele to form one with Mandy?

“Go on,” he managed.

“The cells – or what she thought were cells – were a blood borne pathogen,” Urik continued. “We figured it out and accidentally triggered the release. Half the city is gone, wiped out by whatever toxin this is. We managed to evacuate the Naki hospitals but …” Urik drew a deep breath. “We can’t contain the toxin. What weapons and energy resources we had are covered in toxic fog. The healers tell me we can be reprogrammed, that the toxin is nothing like the shit you all made a thousand years ago. We don’t have the equipment, and the Ishta are either fleeing or picking us off as we flee.”

Akkadi listened, astounded. When Urik ceased speaking, Akkadi shifted, quickly digesting all he’d been told. Mandy had stolen the cells from him, unknowingly removing a poison that might’ve otherwise wiped out the space station on one of the rare days when all the royal family was present.

 If two cells had caused an entire deck to be evacuated, forty of them would’ve been unstoppable.

“Why did you need the energy?” he asked warily. “I supply all you’ve ever asked for.”

“We can fight it out another time, Akkadi,” Urik said. “You might be interested to know all the humans are accounted for, except one.”

“Which one is missing?”

“Mandy.”

 Fear gripped Akkadi’s heart.

“I’m pretty sure she’s safe, or was. I had a run in with a couple of guards.” Urik touched his head again. “I have reports that she was taken on a ship off the planet but nothing else. You might need to rescue her again. I have no ability to reach her.”

Akkadi glanced at his father again, who was grim.

“We’ll send everything we have to the planet immediately,” Akkadi said, his Naki discipline kicking in. “Containment, supplies, and healers. Send Akkasha a report of where and damage estimates.”

“The Ishta-”

“I’ll take care of them,” Akkadi said firmly. “I need to know more about the ship that took Mandy. Size, description, any markers that might indicate whose it is.”

“She’s got everyone in the galaxy after her. The entire planet knows she’s purebred,” Urik said. “I didn’t see the ship, and my reports only indicate it was a small cargo ship. I’ve got nothing to offer there. Before I was knocked on my ass, I saw the two guards.”

“What colors were their cloaks?” Akkalon asked, nearing the podium.

“Gold or yellow. It was hard to see. I was more focused on getting Mandy away from the toxin and avoiding the Ishta, when they cornered us.”

Akkadi exchanged a look with his father.

“Does that mean anything to you?” Urik grunted.

“Tell Akkasha,” Akkadi’s father directed.

Akkadi left, ignoring the sound of Urik, who continued to talk. He went to his sister, eyes trained on the screens monitoring the movement of anyone into or out of the galaxy. He saw two things that made his urgency double.

The ship belonging to Hichele’s family was headed out of the galaxy, on a course far too close to the incoming Kini ship for Akkadi’s comfort. Quickly, he relayed the orders to Akkasha to support Urik on the planet, eyes never leaving the screen concerning him.

“Lastly, contact the Kini. Get them away from Vinid’s ship,” Akkadi finished. “Issue a command for any Naki ships not involved in the containment mission to Earth to prevent Vinid from leaving our side of the galaxy.” He spoke the last few words in motion, headed towards the door.

He darted through the station to the space bay where his private craft was kept. Always ready for him, the loitering navigator snapped to attention and trotted to the ship. Akkadi beat him on board and sat, waiting with barely contained patience. The navigator had barely stepped on board when Akkadi closed the ramp to the ship and issued an order for the space bay to be opened.

“Akkasha sent the location,” Akkadi said.

“Yes, my prince.” The navigator’s hands flew over the controls.

They took flight. Their pace was slower than Akkadi preferred, but the navigator was faced with weaving through the influx of ships docking and leaving the station caused by the containment mission to support Urik.

When they broke free of the Earth’s orbit, Akkadi leaned forward, apprehensively waiting to see Vinid’s ship come into view.

“Status,” his father’s voice came over the device in his neck.

“On target,” Akkadi replied. Restless, he rose and paced, aware it would take several minutes to reach their destination. He had time to catch up with the thoughts troubling him. “You knew about the energy cells when I came to you about Hichele.”

“I did,” his father confirmed.

“Would you have supported my intent without knowing this?” Akkadi found himself wanting to roll his eyes like Mandy did.

There was a pause Akkadi took to be a negative response. He leaned over and gazed out the windows into space. He never suspected Hichele capable – or willing – to wipe out the family she spent years trying to marry into. What possessed her to do so? She had been on the verge of having everything anyone could ever want: influence, power, a royal bloodline.

He didn’t understand her motivation but sensed it didn’t matter at this point. Her disgraced family would be stripped of its influence and standing in the Naki empire.

“I married your mother because I loved her.” His father’s quiet words jarred him. “Yes, I would’ve supported you, Akkadi.”

Akkadi froze, never expecting to hear any kind of emotional sentiment from his father at all, even one about his mother. He began to think he didn’t know his father, a man his mother claimed had two sides. Akkadi had only ever seen the dutiful, honorable Naki leader. That his father, too, was capable of being
human
filled Akkadi with a different kind of warmth. One that made him proud.

The sight of Vinid’s ship listing in space wrenched Akkadi’s attention back to his mission. Markings from weapons fire blackened the hull of the large space ship, and the Kini ship continued to fire on them with lasers. The Kini ship appeared untouched, hovering nearby.

“Akkadi, you are five minutes ahead of the rest of the fleet,” Akkasha directed him. “Stand down.”

“Thank you, Akkasha. I can handle this,” he replied.

“Akkadi, you-”

He touched the back of his neck, and her voice was silenced. For a moment, Akkadi assessed how to handle the Kini, who were clearly in charge of the mess in front of him.

“Contact the Kini,” Akkadi directed the navigator. “Tell them Akkadi will blow their ship out of the galaxy if they don’t respond then fire a laser over their bow.”

The navigator gave him a long look, turned and obeyed.

Akkadi waited, fists clenched, praying his hunch about the Kini was accurate. He’d tried diplomacy the first time around and failed miserably. This time, he’d do something purely human, something he hoped would get their attention.

Chapter Twenty

“Test results are favorable,” the healer said, pleased.

Strapped to the hospital bed, Mandy rolled her eyes.

“This next test won’t be as painless,” the healer said. “It’ll be brief, though.”

The ceiling opened, and what looked like a casket lined with needles descended.

 “Can we talk about this?” she asked uneasily, staring wide-eyed at the dome lowering from the ceiling.

The room bucked suddenly, throwing the two healers to the ground. The guard caught himself against the wall. Mandy strained to sit then dropped back. Another jolt knocked the guard flat, too.

Was there turbulence in space?

She frowned. Securely strapped to the bed, she was unaffected by the bumps. A third came, and a strange wail filled the air. Mandy winced at the blaring sound, unable to determine where it came from. A fourth then fifth bump kept the three on the floor while she tugged at her wrists. The needle-filled casket above her wobbled but held. Even so, she wasn’t comfortable with a thousand needles dangling over her while the space ship went through turbulence.

“Is this normal?” she asked after the sixth and worst jolt yet.

One of the healers made it to his feet and stumbled out of the door.

The turbulence stopped. Mandy rested back on the bed, assuming whatever space storm they flown through was over. The guard and remaining healer climbed to their feet. The guard left while the healer took a tool from the table and ran it over his body. He shook his head.

Mandy sighed, not understanding the world.

“What
is
that sound?” she asked, irritated by the high-pitched wail.

“Attack alert.”

“Attack?” Her heart soared at the though that maybe Akkadi was alive and coming after her. “Who is it?”

The healer shakily opened a storage box and took out a spray-can-sized weapon she recognized from Urik’s arsenal.

“Kini,” he said unsteadily.

“Oh. Is he a Naki?” she asked, puzzled.

The healer said nothing else but held the can out and closed his eyes. Seconds later, red splattered Mandy. She opened her eyes and screamed.

Half the healer was gone, disintegrated into red spray that dripped off the walls and ceiling.

Mandy spit the blood out of her mouth and squeezed her eyes closed, willing herself not to vomit when she was stuck on a table. Seconds later, someone snapped one wristband open.

She peeked through her eyelashes. The other healer had returned and was freeing her.

She rolled off the bed and threw up, disgusted by the feeling of someone else’s blood all over her.

“Come. We must make it to the escape pod,” the second healer said, pulling her to her feet. “This will help you.” He pressed something to the plug at the base of her neck.

Mandy felt nothing but suddenly, the spinning world stabilized and her heart began to race unnaturally. She grew too aware of everything, as if someone had turned up the intensity of her world. She had the urge to run far and fast, to release the burst of energy roaring through her blood.

“What is that?” she demanded, touching the plug.

“Adrenaline.”

He took her arm and tugged her through the door past the sitting area and into the hallways. The scent of fried metal filled her nostrils, and she thought for a moment she could see through walls, if she tried hard enough. Mandy wiped her face, sweating. Willing herself not to throw up, she found the sensations of her surroundings overwhelming.

The healer stopped suddenly, and she ran into him. Mandy caught her balance and followed his gaze.

Two squat, rough looking men stood in the hallway, armed to the teeth with weapons she didn’t recognize. The healer trembled and held up his hands to surrender. He went to his knees.

The two men laughed at the move and put their weapons away, trading them for shackles.

Mandy refused to kneel, partially because her body was raging with pent up energy that left her wanting to run. She waited for them to approach. The first went to the healer, who was completely cooperative and submissive. Sick of being passed around from alien to alien, Mandy assessed whether or not she could take one of the little men. After her beat down with Hichele’s guard the other day, she figured she had a better chance of fighting a dwarf than she did a giant, especially with the adrenaline racing in her blood. 

The second man reached for her hands. She made a show of holding them out until he was close enough. Then she kicked him in the crotch with all the strength she could muster. He dropped. She punched him in the nose then kicked him again, turned and fled. She’d taken basic self-defense long ago but didn’t know enough to stay and fight.

Mandy raced through the halls, heart pounding in her ears and lungs soon burning. Acrid smoke rolled out of some rooms, and she covered her mouth with her shirt as she barreled past. She had no idea where she was going, but she wasn’t going to stop until some knocked her flat or she was off the spaceship or the adrenaline wore off.

She cleared one smoky hallway only to run into another of the men who didn’t reach her shoulder. He grabbed her. She kicked and flayed wildly until he released her then raced on.