And of course, he was listening. “As soon as we can, I will get you to Sol-3 for safety and to the peace talks.”
She shook her head. “Do you really think there’s going to be peace now? The Terran ambassadors were shot down. On your watch.”
“By your people,” Wrathin said.
“You don’t know that,” Veta said, though the words were hollow, even to her. After all, she’d seen her own people shooting at her. And then here, they attacked.
Part of her hoped it all was some inside, extremists working to take down the peace, but that didn’t feel right. She knew most of those groups, and they had been decimated in the last few years—the Emperor did not take dissension in his ranks very well.
Wrathin stopped and faced her; his brow furrowed. “I defended your escape pod from the Terran fighters. Terrans just attacked us with the intent of killing you. It is a plausible theory that your people are behind this attack.”
Unfortunately, he was right.
Not that Veta wanted to admit it.
“It doesn’t matter. The mission remains the same. I need to know what happened to the princesses, and if they’re alive.” The last came out forcefully, and angry.
And it wasn’t true. She did need to know what this was about. And she was determined to figure out who dared to come after her.
She had Imperial protection, after all.
She was Veta. The Temptress. No one should ever dare assault her.
“All of the escape pods were followed by the Rhimodian escorts. They will be rescued,” he said.
“Can’t you just,” she waved her arm. “You know, send them a message and find out? Aren’t you all linked together?”
“Yes and no.”
“Well, explain it. I need to know what happened to the Imperial Princesses.”
“In normal circumstances, yes, I would be linked to my unit—the escorts. However, I am not now.”
“Why not?”
He gestured up.
Veta saw how huge the gas giant, Sol, the planet all the moons orbited, was in the sky. It wasn’t that big just a little while ago, was it?
Why was it getting so large? And then it dawned on her.
“Is it eclipsing the planet?”
“Yes, and when it does, we have communication issues.”
She sighed. “Of course, you do.” She ran her hand over her brow, and her body slumped. She pulled her hand back, looked at it, and then at him. “I’m not bleeding.”
He shook his head. “You are likely not fully healed, however.”
She nodded. “And what are we doing?”
He gestured off into the distance. “Caves are in the distance. We will need shelter. You need to rest.”
“I’m fine,” she said. Though she wasn’t, and she knew it. But she wasn’t about to admit that right now.
“We don’t have far to go. I am happy to carry you.”
“I’ll make it.”
