Page 51 of Desperate Measures

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Kila’s spyship

“They’re here.”

Weapons Commander Jado’s announcement came as if Kila couldn’t see the twenty-three Galactic Council prime defenders on the vid feed approaching Mymah.

He’s doing his job. Calm the fuck down. A hard task when the protective warrior considered the GC was threatening women and children. A monumental task.

“Hold position. Remain in phase,” he instructed his bridge crew.

Com officer Veko, his mop of long black hair obscuring his face and half his operations panel, spoke next. “They’re in com range but making no attempt to contact the orphanage.”

“Continuing to approach,” Jado growled. “They’re in weapons range.”

To fire on the orphanage was unthinkable…but the first GC group that had made contact had been willing to take hostages. Piras had been of the opinion they’d been prepared to do worse. He was certain Ydru’s rider had intended to kill Matara Cheryl.

“What are those?” Kila barked as dozens of small objects began emerging from the four lead warships on the monitor. He turned cold all over. They sure as hell weren’t shuttles or single-man fighters.

Jado’s answer was a shout. “Captain! Sensors show they’re old Earther devices…city-killers! The bastards are sending city-killers to the orphanage!”

Horrified gasps filled the air. Someone uttered a sound suspiciously like a sob.

“Impossible,” the helmsman whispered. “The city-killers were supposed to have been decommissioned at the end of the Earth-Kalquorian war.”

“Obviously, some were missed. Time to impact.” Kila’s heart thundered. He watched the burners on the devastating weapons ignite and speed them to the moon.

“Less than a minute.” Jado had stopped shouting, his voice now registering as a growl. “There’s no chance of stopping them all.”

“It’ll take just one to turn the orphanage into a crater.” Kila watched in helpless fury as the horrific devices sped to their target. “Fucking soulless monsters.”

“Twenty seconds to impact.”

“Stand by.”

Heads bowed as Jado counted the last ten seconds off. Faces were hidden in hands. Many on the bridge didn’t witness the bursts of white fiery destruction as the orphanage and its grounds were obliterated. Those surrounding Kila who did see it cried out.

“It’s only buildings and fields. The people who lived there are what’s truly important, and they’re safe,” he told the two look-alike staff members Marci and Darci and the twenty teenagers who crowded the bridge alongside his crew and the grim-faced Piras.

Every free space on the spyship was crammed by most the orphanage’s residents Kila had taken on board. The majority were in the emptied shuttle and fighter bays. The shuttles and fighters, hovering around the spyship like children sticking close to their mother, were likewise laden with the rest of the souls who’d called Open Arms Orphanage their home.

Kila and Piras had thought the incoming GC ships might fire on the orphanage, resulting in some casualties. To unleash a single city-killer was an atrocity. To have sent multiples to massacre a defenseless group of innocents was the act of sheer evil.

Jado was barely intelligible. His fangs had unhinged, adding a slur to his growl. “Are we really not firing on them, Captain? They would have—”

“But they didn’t.” Kila drew a steadying breath to still his shaking. He willed his own fangs to fold to his palate. “Every mote of my being screams for it, but we’ll remain standing down. We’ve won this battle.”

He turned his attention to the mop of hair hanging over the com station. “Report, Com Officer Veko.”

“The attack was recorded, Captain, and we continue to broadcast live to the Premu Relay Station. My readings indicate all Galactic Council member planet systems are receiving our signal.”

“Excellent.” Vengeful satisfaction swept through Kila. Let the Darks try to explain themselves now. Especially after what would come next. “Switch the feed to Shuttle Bay Two.”

A small monitor next to the larger view of the attacking armada was filled by Cheryl Taupin’s pale face.

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Cheryl was unable to quell the trembling running through her. Perhaps it was just as well. The occasion of such brutality as she’d viewed on the vid monitor in the shuttle bay deserved the horror she felt.

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