Page 71 of Alien Peacock
“She bears my Mark,” I tell him tightly. “Every Eoan will understand.”
“Will they understand that you lose the war because you miss the first battle?”
“They don’t need me to lead that battle,” I argue. “Peroena is ten times the general I am. You said yourself that I’m not a great battlefield commander.”
“Now you’re unloading the responsibility on a poor trash can,” he laments. “Such unfairness!”
“The responsibility is all mine,” I tell him. “I choose to come after Maeve and get her to safety. It’s my choice, and your protest has been noted. Anyway, Xap is close to Eo. It’s just a quick hyperjump away.”
“Battles have been won and lost with smaller margins than that,” the trash can says, making me more and more certain that I’m doing the right thing by going after Maeve.
“How much longer to Xap?” I ask. I can’t stand the knowledge that she is right now unprotected and unsafe, in enemy territory.
“Any moment now,” the robot says. “And the moment we emerge from hyperspace, we can set a new course for Eo. You will have lost only an hour.”
“No,” I tell him. “Xap Station is our destination. And we’re not leaving there without Maeve.”
“Your stubbornness will be the death of me,” Cerak sighs as we drop out of hyperspace. “Well, here we are. Setting course for Xap. You can still change your mind and go straight to Eo. Yes, I know that is what asaneperson would do. Still, it might be refreshing for you to try.”
Nothing he says can shake my determination. “No. I will not see Eo again without my love by my side.”
Cerak is quiet for a moment. “I see Xap Station on the scanners. And a big ship that looks Eoan.”
“How big?” I ask.
“Battlecruiser size. Something that you’d expect a Supreme Leader to travel in.”
Ice settles in the pit of my stomach. “Buroteo?Here?!”
“I think we should try to surprise them,” Cerak says. “As brutally as possible. If we do that, I might give you a show.”
“Uh-huh,” I reply, having no idea what he means. “I don’t follow.”
“You’ll see. Put some armor on.”
“Armor? That’s not really the Eoan way, Cerak.”
“I know you want to fight as naked as possible. But if you want to have any chance at all of getting Maeve out of this, youwillneed protection.”
I get to my feet and look down my body. I have a few more holes in me now than I did just a few days ago. “Hmm. Shedoeswant me to not take silly chances.”
19
- Maeve-
“You okay there?” Tara asks from her cage.
“I’m fine,” I reply. “Just annoyed.”
“Stay angry if you can,” she says. “It’s better than being scared.”
“Oh, I’m mad as hell,” I assure her. “First chance I get, I’ll knock them out.”
Lacking something else to do, I examine the cage very carefully, looking for weak spots. And if I’d been as strong as Arelion, I could probably have bent the bars open and flown around the station, beating everyone up. As it is, I can only kick at the bars and wish I still had my fighting stick. That thing is incredible, and it might have been possible to use it to at least damage the cage and get some frustration out.
The Mark keeps tingling. I’m sure it means it’s healing. If it worked the way Arelion said, then I’m sure it would be more a painful burn than this. Because his thoughts about me now can’t be too kind.
I glare at the lone guard, but the mindless creature just stares right back, no life in his eyes.