Protector of the Realm Read online

  "I can't imagine how you've managed to move, let alone walk, with your leg in that condition." Jacelon shook her head.

  "Ms. O'Dal shouldn't be on her feet at all until I've closed this wound. I'll admit her to the infirmary and—"

  "No," Kellen objected. "I can't be away from Armeo. I will not have him incarcerated without me."

  Commodore Jacelon looked affronted. "I've thought about your situation and... seeing this," she gestured toward the injury, "reaffirms what I've decided."

  Kellen raised an eyebrow, unable to keep sarcasm out of her voice. "Do go on, Commodore."

  "You're in SC custody and so is the boy. We'd never throw a child into the brig—and we don't do that to seriously injured people either. I will assign proper quarters for you both. Armed guards will be on duty at all times, so don't fool yourself that you can escape."

  "Why are you being so kind?" Kellen immediately regretted how she had phrased the question, afraid she might sound as if she needed compassion from this woman.

  "It may be hard for you to believe, but I'm not inhumane. A child's future is at stake, and by the looks of it, so is your health." The commodore turned to walk away. Stopping before she rounded the screen, she shot Kellen a glance. "This is a gesture of good faith on my behalf. Don't let me down, Kellen. You won't like the consequences if you do."

  "You gave that good-looking Gantharian woman her own quarters?" Rae's longtime second in command, Commander Jeremiah Todd, looked stunned. "What could possibly warrant that after she damn near blasted you out of space?"

  "We apprehended her with a child in her care." Rae cut her vegetables into smaller pieces and speared one with a fork. As usual in the mess hall the food was passable, but little more. The rations included in the SC officers' credits left a lot to be desired in texture, taste, and composition. The giant BaDalchian asparagus was decidedly thready, and chewing it provided ample time to ponder her response. Glancing around, she was grateful that the officers' mess hall was almost empty, with only a few young ensigns occupying the bar at the far end of the room.

  "A child she abducted," Jeremiah pointed out.

  "Allegedly abducted. We don't have all the facts yet."

  "What are you saying?"

  "Since we apprehended Ms. O'Dal and Armeo, I've heard from Ambassador M'Ekar's attaché regarding 'formal inquiries,' as he calls it, stating a long list of reasons for us to more or less shoot Kellen O'Dal on sight and ask questions later."

  These so-called diplomatic questions had set her on edge with their overbearing attempts to dictate her actions. She would never do anything except follow SC laws to the letter. M'Ekar seemed to disregard whose jurisdiction Kellen O'Dal and young Armeo were under. She attacked another innocent vegetable, then dropped her fork impatiently. "There's something more here than the good ambassador is leading us to believe, if you ask me."

  Jeremiah gestured at her with his glass and came dangerously close to spilling his water. "You might be heading for a diplomatic minefield, Rae. The Onotharians have governed Gantharat for almost thirty years, and the Supreme Constellations Council members are divided regarding their right to do so."

  "I know. Earth leaders, for instance, have never fully acknowledged the Onotharian right to form a cabinet on Gantharat. Theoretically we're supposed to stay apolitical in the service, but I think our Council does great harm by not making up its mind."

  "I couldn't agree more. So, what's this woman's story? I hear she's quite striking."

  Rae gave her next in command an exasperated look. Jeremiah was the best XO she had ever had, but he was an unrepentant womanizer whose affairs were legendary. Oddly enough, though, all his exes defended him if anyone dared criticize him in any way.

  "She seems extremely protective of the boy." Rae sipped her beer. "She would have skipped the infirmary altogether to stay with him if I hadn't given them their own quarters. I don't know how they do it on Gantharat, but she thought we'd throw both of them in the brig."

  "The child too?" Jeremiah sounded incredulous.

  "Yes. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Her injury was the most painful-looking thing I've seen in years. Sure, I've seen bigger wounds, but they've been clean, new. This was infected, and together with the fact that her blood is blue... it was ugly." She shuddered, then gave a regretful smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to spoil your meal."

  "I was done." He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Sounds like she's not a stranger to toughing it out."

  "Yeah. Still, it's hard to achieve that kind of self-control. I don't trust her." Rae raised her hand as Jeremiah opened his mouth to speak. "No, don't get me wrong. She's probably an honorable person deep down, but as long as that child's in danger of being handed over to the Onotharians, she's a loose cannon."

  Jeremiah still looked doubtful. "Did she appreciate being given special quarters?"

  Rae folded her hands under her chin, leaning her elbows against the table. "She seems very suspicious of our motives, as if she sees hidden agendas everywhere. Who knows? Perhaps for good reason."

  "You like her." Her XO's voice softened, becoming personal.

  Rae flinched, nailing him with her eyes. "What do you mean? I'm trying to stay objective despite the fact that she almost blew us up. You know me. I don't let personal feelings affect my actions."

  "Kind of hard to stay objective when a child's involved and it's one woman against the entire Onotharian fleet." Jeremiah's face darkened. "From what I've heard, they aren't exactly famous for being big on mercy. And I find another fact curious. The latest tactical report says long-range sensors picked up twelve vessels heading our way. I don't like it."

  "I know. Overkill, if their sole intention is to reclaim a little boy. They maintain they have the law on their side, so why send a whole flotilla? Speaking of laws, we'll know soon enough if they'll stick to the treaty they signed with the SC." Rae doubted it, thinking of the obvious arrogance in the messages she had received. "They will need to downsize to two ships if they want permission to approach."

  Gamma VI, one often space stations located in the outer perimeter of SC space, boasted an extensive firepower and a vast fleet of ships. Together with six Betas and three Alphas located in three rings around Earth and the thirty-four other Supreme Constellations home planets, the installations protected Supreme Constellations space. However, as the final outposts between the SC homeworlds and intergalactic space, the Gamma stations were vulnerable. No more than two ships from any planet outside the SC were allowed within a two-light-year radius of the space stations without the station commodore's authorization.

  "And I take it there'll be no exceptions to policy?"

  "Damn straight, there won't."

  "All right, then." Jeremiah grinned, raising his beer. "Here's to policy."

  "To policy." Rae lifted her glass and met his in a toast. She knew her strict adherence to regulations and protocol was renowned, and she guessed Jeremiah looked forward to rejecting the Onotharians if they insisted on approaching Gamma VI unlawfully.

  "By the way," Jeremiah asked, "what kind of quarters did you give Ms. O'Dal and the boy? It'd be tough to keep security tight enough around our regular guest quarters."

  "I thought of that, so I put them in one of the VIP suites. It's fully monitored. Besides knocking out the around-the-clock security officer, she'd need a verified handprint and retina scan to leave the corridor."

  "Do you expect her to try something? You have that cautious look on your face."

  "I do?" Rae let her finger trace the rim of the glass as she thought about the mysterious alien. "You know what? She seems exhausted, despite her determination to keep the boy safe. As long as she believes we won't merely hand the child over, she might just behave."

  "And when she realizes she and the boy have become pawns in a diplomatic chess game?"

  Rae didn't hesitate. "That's when we'll see the true nature of Kellen O'Dal."

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kellen moved restlessly on the bed, tossi
ng off the covers since they felt too heavy on her injury. The CMO had been to see her a few hours ago, but the pain relief had worn off and her leg felt worse than ever.

  Pressing her lips together, she tried to stay calm and quiet. Armeo was asleep in the next room, also used as the sitting room, and she didn't want to disturb him. He had been through enough the last few weeks and needed to rest.

  She forced back a moan and tried to shift onto her uninjured side. The new position worked for a while, but eventually the throbbing ache became unbearable. As she sat up in bed, an unexpected movement in the doorway startled her.

  "Are you all right, Kellen?" Armeo asked.

  She knew the anguish was visible in her face. Had it been anyone other than Armeo, she would have made every effort to mask her pain. "Actually, I'm in agony. Maybe the doctor would give me something more for the pain if we paged her. I'm keeping both of us awake."

  "Let me call her. I can use the communication console on the desk next to my couch." Without waiting for permission, Armeo hurried off.

  Kellen tried to rise from the bed. If the CMO had to be called, she'd rather do it herself so she could make her condition sound less serious than it was. But the pain was severe, and she sank back down with a groan.

  Armeo returned a moment later wearing a familiar broad grin. This was how he looked when he thought he might be in trouble. "I thought I pressed the correct commands on the machine. I'm not sure what I did wrong."

  "What did you do, Armeo?"

  "I pressed the command for sick bay, and then I don't know what happened, but the commodore responded." He shrugged, obviously trying to look casual. "She told me not to worry. She would take care of things. She didn't seem angry. She was nice."

  Kellen tried to remain calm. She couldn't afford to let Commodore Jacelon see her succumb to pain. Granted, the commodore knew about the wound, but so far, Kellen had remained unfazed by it in Jacelon's presence. "Did you tell her I need more medication?" Slowly she sat up, breathing evenly so she could remain in control and not show just how bad it was. I have endured pain before, and I can do it now. Some more of the medication and I'll be fine.

  "I did. She said she knew you must be in pain. Do you think she's a doctor as well?"

  "I wouldn't be surprised," Kellen muttered, unable to stop her sarcastic comment.

  The door in the outer room hissed open, and Kellen could hear voices talking quietly before it closed. Putting a hand on her knee, she tried to will her leg to stop trembling.

  Commodore Jacelon stepped into the bedroom, squeezing Armeo's shoulder as she passed him. "Good job, kid. You did the right thing to page sick bay," she said.

  "So I did do it the right way," the boy exclaimed. "Are you a doctor too, ma'am?"

  The commodore gave a wry smile. "No. We had several casualties tonight. Since Dr. Meyer is busy taking care of them with her staff, I answered your call."

  "Will they be okay? The people that were hurt?"

  "Eventually. Gemma is a very good doctor. We're just lucky the trader made it here in time."

  "Pirates?" Kellen asked, her voice husky from pain.

  "Yes." Jacelon approached her, placing a bag on the small nightstand. Blue-gray eyes examined Kellen thoroughly while she pulled out an imbulizer. "Here, roll up your sleeve for me." Jacelon loaded a small metallic vial into the device, and it sank into place with a low hiss.

  "It isn't necessary. I think Armeo may have overreacted a little. I'm quite fine," Kellen said in a low voice, out of earshot of Armeo, who lingered by the door. She looked straight at the commodore, determined to not let any of the almost unbearable pain show.

  "I'm sure you're a resilient woman," Jacelon said in an objective tone. "But since I'm here, why risk it becoming worse?"

  "I said it isn't necessary..." Kellen's eyes landed on Armeo, who had begun to look concerned. "Really. I can manage without your expensive SC medication." She forced her voice to be strong, not about to show her weakness in front of the other woman.

  "But, Kellen..." Armeo approached the bed. "You were in so much pain just before the commodore came. You almost had tears in your eyes." His eyes grew moist and his chin trembled.

  Jacelon remained silent, waiting with the vial containing the pain relief in her hand and a faintly mystified expression on her face.

  "Very well. Since you're already here." Kellen gave in as the injured muscle began to spasm beneath the bed sheets. "It'll calm Armeo down. He's worried about me, about our situation." She felt the commodore's warm hand cup her elbow and press the cold imbulizer against the inside of it.

  The quick, stinging sensation when the drug entered her vein was nothing. Instead, the strong hands adjusting her soft thinlinnen shirt unsettled Kellen for some reason she couldn't understand. "Thank you. Armeo was very concerned, or I wouldn't have allowed him to disturb the doctor." Kellen was determined to keep her voice from trembling. Pain was one thing, weakness another. She didn't trust anyone here, and certainly not the one who sat on all the power.

  "I know. And he didn't disturb me." Jacelon reached for the bag. "Gemma asked me to check the wound while I was here. She's concerned about it."

  Kellen looked pointedly toward Armeo, who still stood just inside the doorway. Jacelon followed her glance. "You must be tired, Armeo. Why don't you go back to bed? Tomorrow, I'll personally introduce you to our teacher. I thought while you're on the space station, you should attend school. Several of the kids who live here are your age."

  Armeo's eye brightened. "Really? I can go outside the quarters?"

  "With an... escort accompanying you at all times, yes," the commodore cautioned.

  "Did you hear that, Kellen? I can go out and—" He suddenly stopped and swung around. "But you can't. You'll be here all alone when you're sick."

  "I'll be fine." Kellen pushed herself farther up onto the pillows, the pain thankfully starting to ease. "I can rest while you're in school. Now do as the commodore says and go get some sleep."

  "That's right," Jacelon said. "Hop into bed and I'll take care of Kellen, all right?"

  "Yes. Good night, ma'am." He all but saluted the commodore, and Kellen easily interpreted the look of reluctant admiration on his face.

  Armeo hugged Kellen, and she kissed the top of his head. "Night, Armeo." Her lips felt numb. Is it the medication? The pain reliever was definitely making her dizzy. Fighting against an overwhelming urge to reach out for support, she pressed her palms onto the bed to steady herself.

  "Okay, lie back down on the bed," Jacelon suggested. "Let's have a look at that leg of yours."

  "Why do you persist in being so nice to us?" Kellen lay down, flinching when she tried to raise her leg back up on the bed.

  The commodore assisted her with gentle hands, somehow easing the pain by her mere touch, and began loosening the bandage. "You'd rather I treated you harshly?" When Kellen did not reply, she continued, "You're hard to figure out, Ms. O'Dal. But I don't punish children for the peculiarities of adults, so you will be well treated while you are on my station. However, I don't trust you. You might decide to grab Armeo and run, and even if I might sympathize with your situation, I cannot allow that."

  Jacelon examined the injury carefully before she dressed it again with a clean bandage. "It doesn't look worse, at least. The interactive antibacterial suspension sometimes takes time to kick in, especially when the patient isn't within the normal demographic for this method. Hopefully by tomorrow you'll start seeing an improvement." She pulled the covers up. "Want to tell me how it happened?"

  Kellen looked up into sharp, intelligent eyes. Their calm, unwavering expression made her think for a moment it might be possible to trust Jacelon, and she detected nothing but honest interest in the husky voice. The medication took the pain away, and with it, a little of her resolve to remain aloof.

  "Take your time." Jacelon sat down on the edge of the bed.

  Kellen knew the details she disclosed would be superficial, easy to check. She would
still be safe. "Three weeks ago, several Onotharian men came to the estate and told me they had come to get Armeo, to take him to Ganath, our capital city," she said, finding she spoke more slowly than usual since her tongue did not quite cooperate. "They tried to emulate civil servants, but I could see they were OECS."

  "What does OECS stand for?"

  "Onotharian Empire Clandestine Service. Armeo's father was half Onotharian, but I had not heard from his relatives since his mother, my friend Tereya, died. I thought they weren't interested in him."

  "Are you related to Armeo at all?"

  "Not by blood. His mother, Tereya, was my adopted sister, my best friend all through school and later at the Gantharian Academy of Pilots. That's where she met Armeo's father. Zax was a wonderful person, and despite all our hatred and prejudice against the Onotharians, we adored him. Tereya and Zax fell in love, and the three of us shared a great friendship. We were the best pilots in our squadron."

  "So you served in the Onotharian space force?"

  Kellen made a face, wincing at the question. I only joined for one reason, and I'm not about to tell you that, Commodore. Armeo's heritage, and the information regarding my sacred duty, cannot fall into the hands of strangers, no matter how benevolent. The day I have healed and can move more freely and protect Armeo, we will escape. "No, it didn't turn out that way. We graduated, and when it turned out Tereya was pregnant, the two of us resigned. I had to stay with her... her pregnancy was not an easy one. Zax stayed on to fulfill his contract."

  "What happened to him?"

  Kellen swallowed. "He was killed six lunar cycles later. Tereya went into labor when they notified us. I was there when Armeo was born. I helped raise him and, when Tereya lay dying in my arms five years later, I promised her he'd always have a home with me. I'm all he knows."

  Jacelon nodded slowly. "And how did you provide for the boy all alone during the past seven years?"

  Kellen made sure she sounded calm and matter-of-fact. "I possess two skills. I'm a pilot for hire and I write music."

  Jacelon looked surprised, then gave a broad smile. "Music? What kind of music?"