Istare at the door. I want to be on the other side of it. I want to be with my Gillian. Only she doesn’t want to be with me.
I thought being envenomated by a female was the worst which could happen to a Sarkarnii male.
I was wrong.
The room is silent now, empty of her, and with her absence, my heart seems ever louder in my chest. I press my forehead against the cold metal.
“Gillian.”
There is no answer. She may as well not be in there. She could be on another planet, she seems so far away.
She should speak to me. I am a Sarkarnii warlord. I am her Sarkarnii warlord.
“Gillian.”
I put more power into my voice. She needs to know I command her.
There is no response. It does not matter who I am, and it cuts me to the quick.
I’d have preferred envenomation.
All I can do, all I have left, is to arrange the flyer to take us to the second continent and to the ship she spotted. I growl into mycomm as I exit her quarters, stomping through my sector until I reach the control room.
“What do we have available?” I snarl at my quartermaster.
“We have three functional flyers, none of which will reach the second continent and return with the mapping system without some intervention from our ancestors.”
“Nev,” I growl, smoke escaping and filling the air around us.
“Lord Darax has a ship which would suit our needs,” the warrior says, not looking at me. “Unfortunately all others which would suffice and are held by Lords Driok and Dante are off world.” He raises his eyes from his console. “Unless you wish to wait, my Lord.”
I lift my lips in a snarl. It’s impressive he even asked the question. I do not wait.
“Lord Darax’s ship is in his hangar?”
“It is, my Lord.”
“Fully fueled?”
“Lord Dexx delivered star fuel to all the warlords last nova-week, including Lord Darax, who had some additional supplies to those we received.”
Nev Darax. What is he up to?
“We believe the additional supplies are because one of his patrols captured a swift flyer from a rogue pirate group and are presently towing it back to Vorostor,” the warrior adds.
Darax is adding to his wealth and influence. Of course he is.
“Then he’s not going to miss the flyer we need, is he?” I grin at the quartermaster.
I’m well aware my grin is almost as welcome as my snarl to my warriors.
“No, my Lord.”
Which is the correct answer.
“Send the details of the vessel to my comm.” I pat him on the shoulder. He sags. “And get me some higher res scans of the areaaround sector delta-four-two on the second continent. I give the control room the benefit of my pleasure. “I will be back shortly.”
I may not have pleased my female with my breeding, but I can at least give her what she says she wants.
