Page 54 of Captured
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rakir
Darhk stands at my side as the small shuttle flies to the looming shape of the Pearl, the crown jewel of the Drakian fleet. Its black surface reflects the light from the twin suns, basking like a fat cat in the void of space. It’s impossibly large and sleek, a cruiser ship so powerful, there is no equivalent in the Galaxy.
Even the Black Star can’t hope to measure up to the Pearl, especially when my brother commands it.
We’re alone in the shuttle, Darhk, Juliet, and me. She’s nestled against me, the warmth in her body seeping through to mine. I can feel the steady, strong pulse of her heartbeat against my chest, her life flowing inside her veins.
The life I fully intend to tie to mine in an irreversible, absolute way. Only the official title of Amara will do for the depth of my devotion to her.
Juliet’s breathing is slow and even as I hold her close. She’s sleeping the heavy slumber of one who has exhausted all her resources and then some. I look upon her face, so peaceful in her sleep. The rules of the universe have converged to place her on my path. No matter what happens next, I regret nothing. Finding her was worth it.
Breaking the strange peace of the moment, Darhk speaks into the communication device on his wrist, low and hurried, then turns to me.
“Our scans are all turning up empty. There’s no trace of the Black Star Command ship anywhere.” Darhk shakes his head, a somber expression on his face. “The Pearl’s reputation as a warship precedes her.”
“I figured as much.” I nod, but there is no comfort in what Darhk told me. The Black Star Command ship is gone, but it means no victory for the Rebellion. “They won’t give up the List so easily. They know we have the List, they held it in their hands.”
“General Jarrahdal is not a man used to failure,” Darhk says.
“It wasn’t Jarrahdal.” I shake my head and my brother lifts his brows. “It was someone else. Someone who had no idea that Sara was the key to the data frame.”
Darhk looks at me, blinking a few times as this new information settles in. His ward, Sara, has been kept safely aboard the Pearl ever since she came under the protection of the Drakian people. Her DNA - her living DNA - is the key to opening the data frame and retrieving the List. Neither he nor I have any doubt that General Jarrahdal kept this information as secret as the location of the data frame itself.
“Jarrahdal doesn’t lack in enemies, that much is true,” Darhk finally says. “Whoever it is, they don’t lack power - or money.”
Darhk is right. Jarrahdal is the most powerful man in the Senator’s organization and has poised himself as successor for President of the Human Alliance. This much power is bound to generate more than petty jealousy.
“Jarrahdal’s enemies know he lost the List and they’re on the prowl for it. Whoever owns it owns the Senators.”
Silence falls between Darhk and me as the implications of what I’m saying are settling.
“The Senators are about to start a civil war.”
Their organization is about to implode into violence and drag the entire Human Alliance down with them. Countless lives, lost in a fight for power as factions vie for dominance. There’s no telling how far this will go and what will become of the Rebellion.
But that is the future. What matters is the present.
“We have bigger problems than finding out who Jarrahdal’s enemies are and who wants him dead. We’ve been betrayed.”
Darhk nods, his face becoming even grimmer. Rage lines his features, painting his face in harsh lines decades older than his true age.
“The leak cannot come from our side.” He pinches his mouth into a thin, cruel line. “Only our brothers knew of your exact location, no one else.”
And brothers are above suspicion. Loyalty runs as deep as bones in a Drakian family.
“The betrayal comes from the Rebellion.” I nod. “It doesn’t make things easier.”
Darhk shakes his head.
“It does not. The humans do not fully trust us, no matter how many years we have worked together.”
As we do not fully trust them.
“Have you contacted the Rebellion? Do they know of the attack from the Black Star?”
“The Freedom is on its way.” Darhk nods. “They have no knowledge of the Black Star attack.”
