134
Morgan Hawke
Anger flashed up the back of Ravnos’s skull. That suicidal idiot! He fisted his hand on his chair. What is he thinking, flying alone into unknown territory? His lips pulled back from his teeth. He needs to be taught a lesson. “Can we outrun it?”
The man snorted. “Easily, sir.”
Ravnos took a deep breath and smiled. “Good, don’t.”
“Don’t?”
Ravnos tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “Correct. Don’t outrun it. Stay just out of weapon’s range and lead it straight to the ship. Communicate to the Hellsbreath, use the electromagnet to capture the ship and pull it into an unused hangar.
Once there, seal it from entry or exit.”
“Shall we leave it in vacuum, sir?”
“No. Full atmosphere and gravity at human temperature.” Ravnos smiled even as a low growl rumbled deep in his chest. That foolish Skeldhi prince would finally learn whom he was truly dealing with. “No one goes in or out of that dock but me, understood?”
“Yes, s-sir! R-right away, sir!”
Ravnos blinked. Had the man just stuttered?
A voice spoke softly at Ravnos’s side. “You really shouldn’t growl at the staff, sir.”
Ravnos turned to find his lieutenant at his elbow, his hands filled with his fresh uniform.
The lieutenant stood perfectly straight, his blue gaze perfectly steady, but there was a fine sheen of sweat on his upper lip. “Believe me, you’re already intimidating enough.”
Ravnos snorted. “Is that so?”
The lieutenant grinned. “It’s a good thing they don’t see you when you haven’t yet had your morning coffee.”
Ravnos rolled his eyes. He waved at the clothes in his lieutenant’s hands. “Never mind those, they’ll only be destroyed.”
“Eh?” The lieutenant flinched back, cradling the uniform protectively in his hands.
“Destroyed?”
Ravnos stood up to shrug out of his coat and vest. “Take this too.” He handed the only slightly rumpled vest to his lieutenant. “It should still be salvageable.” He strapped his sword-belt around his hips and slid the coat back on without bothering to button it over his bare chest. “Have a fresh uniform and coat ready for me once I deal with our uninvited guest.” He sat back down.
“Deal with…” The lieutenant’s eyes widened. “By yourself, sir?”
Ravnos turned and narrowed his gaze on him. “You wouldn’t be implying that I am incapable of handling one man, would you?”
The lieutenant stiffened and swallowed visibly. “N-no, sir. Not at all, sir!”
Interstellar Service & Discipline: Lost Star
135
“Excellent.” Ravnos smiled tightly. “You’re dismissed, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir.” The lieutenant lifted his hand to his brow in a smart salute, turned on his heel, and strode from the captain’s cabin with dignified haste.
* * * * *
Ravnos departed the gig, strode calmly across the deck of the shuttle bay, and entered the lift. Once he stepped free of the lift and into the long, steel-lined hallway, he broke into a flat-out run through corridor after corridor. His open coat winged out behind him.
At the edges of his mind, the ship’s consciousness murmured a welcome to her captain, but her focus was elsewhere. She was very busy with the task of bringing a difficult and unruly spacecraft safely into its assigned hangar bay. However, she took it upon herself to open the doors to corridors empty of personnel while locking others to keep people out just long enough to allow her captain the freedom go where he pleased in perfect privacy.
An agonizing number of minutes later, Ravnos arrived at the huge round pressure door that marked the entry to the hangar bay in question. He stared up at the blank steel surface, shaking with the urge to throw the door open and dreading the purpose behind doing so.
Seht was on the other side of that door.
His blood surged with a near-violent craving to see the silver-haired Skeldhi prince once more. At the same time, the cold sweat of despair slid along the base of his spine with what he would have to do once he had. Somehow, he had to convince the prince to go back and never pursue him again. He could not afford to let Seht stand in the way of his mission to destroy Moribund. Every day that monster remained breathing, people and ships would die for no reason other than profit.
He closed his eyes and bowed his head. Please…don’t make me kill you. He took a deep breath, raised his head, and asked the ship to open the door.
The bay was empty but for a single sleek and elegant craft of unrelieved, highly reflective silver with backswept wings for atmospheric flight. It crouched on four legs in the very center of the expansive empty bay, steaming and dripping from the ice melting on its hull. On its side, a door spiraled open and a staircase oozed into being.
Ravnos took a deep breath and drew his live-steel sword and the parrying dagger from behind him.
Seht stepped from his craft, bare-chested, in only his trousers and boots with a sword in his right hand. His long white mane had been pulled back into a snug tail. He bared his teeth and loosed a liquid snarl. “Ravnos…”
Ravnos lifted his chin. “Captain Ravnos of the demon-class dreadnaught Hellsbreath, chartered with the Republic of the Caribbean Stars. I do not wish to start a war with the Skeldhi. Please return to your ship and go.”
136
Morgan Hawke
Seht stared at Ravnos with his eyes narrowed and his jaw tight. “I am not leaving without you.” He twitched his left hand and uncoiled a whip.
Ravnos slid one foot back, angling his body into a casual fighting stance, his weapons held loosely in his hands. “Yes, you are.” Something from the depth of his memory suddenly surfaced. “I deny your claim to me.”
Seht’s eyes widened, and his body stiffened as though struck.
Ravnos kept himself from wincing, but it wasn’t easy. Damn, he looks like he’s about to cry.
Abruptly, Seht’s chin lifted, his gaze narrowed, and he bared his teeth.
