I was pretty sure the majority of the D’tran would not care for any of this. Most D’tran I’d been in contact with, and observed, were cautious about the big changes that were happening on their planet. But I saw no evidence that they would allow Rezor to be deposed. At all. He was a popular leader, even now, as he mourned the departure of his mate. Informing Vax of this would not get me anywhere, however, and I wanted to keep him cordial for as long as I could. “Where are we?” I asked, to keep him talking. The more I learned about my situation, the better my chances of finding a way out of it.
“That’s none of your concern.”
“These look like ancient ruins.” I glanced around the small chamber, making a show of examining the walls. “Pre-storm construction, I’d guess. Your ancestors built this?”
Vax hesitated, then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Soon this place will be leveled. The Brakken intend to build an outpost here once the outsiders are gone.”
I laughed. I thought this guy was gullible, but that was an understatement.
Vax’s eyes narrowed. “You find something amusing?”
“Not funny. Pretty tragic, though.” I shifted, sitting up straighter despite the awkward position of my bound hands. I simply couldn’t hold back the reality of what he was setting his people up for. “This location can’t be too far from the valley, which means the Brakken are planning to establish themselves right on your doorstep. And you actually believe they’ll honor their promises to you when you’re no longer useful to them?”
“They have no interest in the D’tran,” Vax snapped. “They want the Destrans. The humans. We’re not their enemies.”
“You don’t know anything about them, do you?” I shook my head. “The Brakken and the Destrans fought a war. A horrible, devastating war on a different planet, all because the Brakken wanted to steal the Destrans’ lami supply. They were addictedto it. Driven mad by their need for it. They killed thousands, destroyed entire communities, committed atrocities that still haunt the survivors.”
Vax’s expression flickered, uncertainty crossing his features for the first time. The male with him, who still stood nearby holding that bowl of gruel, shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
“You’re fools if you believe the Brakken you’re dealing with will actually leave the D’tran in peace,” I continued. “At best, you’ll be turned into slaves, your resources stripped, your people worked to death in service of their needs. At worst?” I met his eyes steadily. “Slaughtered. Every last one of you. The Brakken who are seeking revenge on the Destrans don’t have honor, and they certainly don’t care about your precious traditions.”
“Be quiet.” Vax’s voice had gone hard, his eyes blazed red. “You know nothing of our agreement.”
“You’ve made a deal with monsters, Vax. And when they’re done using you?—”
“I said be quiet!” He turned sharply and strode through the door, his companion following. The makeshift barrier scraped shut behind them, cutting off the light and leaving me alone in the darkness.
I waited until their footsteps faded. Then I resumed working on the bindings around my wrists. Well, I’d planted the seeds of doubt, at least. The other guard had clearly been shaken, and once Vax had a moment to think, he might be, too.
At least I had more information now. The Brakken were coming. They wanted me as a hostage. And Vax, the fool, had handed them exactly what they needed to destabilize the entire diplomatic mission.
My fingers found the edge of a knot, and I began to pick at it methodically.
I wished I’d opened that probe when we found it. The scans had shown standard mechanisms, nothing unusual, but now Isuspected there was more to it than we realized. If the Brakken had deployed one probe, they’d likely deployed others. All over the planet, probably. Scattered across the landscape during the chaos of the storms, waiting to be activated.
The hostile renegade group that Admiral Cillon had mentioned. Fewer than five hundred individuals, she’d said. Not enough for an invasion.
But enough for a blockade, with the right equipment. Enough to cut off communications. Enough to isolate a planet and pick off its defenders one by one.
They’d probably been here since the storms ended. Hiding. Planning. Plotting. Making contact with disgruntled D’tran like Vax, setting up the pieces for whatever game they intended to play.
There wouldn’t be enough time to recall the big ships, even if we could reach them. If my hunch was right, and it usually was, those probes were designed to block communications when activated. Once the signal was sent, they’d send out a field to cut Destrani off from the rest of the galaxy. To leave the people here helpless and alone.
The knot loosened slightly under my persistent fingers. Progress. Slow, but progress.
I needed to get free before the Brakken arrived to collect me. Before they rolled out whatever plan they’d been crafting in the shadows. Before Vax’s shortsighted treachery brought destruction down on the D’tran people he claimed to be protecting.
Baleck was out there somewhere. Looking for me. I was certain of it.
But I couldn’t count on a swift rescue. Couldn’t afford to wait and hope. I had to get myself out of this, warn the others, and stop whatever was coming.
CHAPTER 13
BALECK
The Raycer flew across the rocky terrain, its rollerballs adapting to every obstacle with a smoothness that still amazed me. I’d been traveling for hours now, the landscape blurring past in shades of brown and green.
The scanner was attached to the Raycer’s interface screen, its display glowing with topographical data and the pulsing indicator that tracked Iris’s chip. Or rather, that would track it once I got close enough. For now, the screen showed only terrain, no signal, no sign of the woman I was searching for.
