Castellan Alec Daykin paced back and forth on the bridge of the Black Sparrow. His well quaffed reddish blond hair bounced with every step. Periodically, he’d stop and search the scanner display for any sign they’d been followed.
Whatever chewed on his soul was tenacious.
No other ship shadowed them on their hyperspace beacon, but they were not alone.
Margrave Shokin stressed the importance of this mission. Feyd Dahl learned that Nur Sujinn, who knew the hiding place of one of the Na-rua Stones, was on Ouhiri. Alec had to rescue her before the Feyd captured her.
This was his moment to demonstrate his prowess not only to the Margrave, but to himself.
A glance at the helm revealed their proximity to their destination..
Alec braced himself for the jump back into normal space, and didn’t lose his footing as the kaleidoscopic rainbow of hyperspace twisted into the gray, green, and blue orb of Ouhiri.
Proximity alarms sounded.
“A Shinari harrier-class carrier is emerging from hyperspace to starboard.” Captain Oron shouted over the klaxon.
“You have the bridge.” Alec nodded at Oron before turning to exit.
Feyd Dahl was on that ship. Whether she discovered the Margrave’s plan to rescue Sujinn or not, Alec had to change the plan. He didn’t have the time to scan the planet and locate her exact location. The plan had to evolve.
Alec walked into his quarters, then rifled through his desk.
“Bots, I have a mission for you.”
The wall behind him hissed open as the bots downloaded into their shells.
Alec smiled as he found the Margrave’s data chip with all the information on Sujinn.
Smiling, he turned around to address the two robots that served his family well for decades.
Psallo was a repurposed cantor bot from Sekhet-Aaru whose sleek, ornate appearance made them look more like a gold lined porcelain doll with nothing but decorative use. On their shoulder, a small charcoal colored metal crab bot extended their antennas as it ran the tests on their scanners. Light flashed from within their shell as they activated their cameras. Since their serial number ended C4G3, Alec called the bot Cage.
“Cage, I need you and Psallo to take a shuttle to the planet and find someone.”
The diminutive bot hopped off their companion’s shoulder, activated their repulsers, and floated over to Alec.
Alec handed them the chip.
“Find Sujinn and either bring them to me, or if I am bogged down with the Jalrec, get her to the Margrave.”
Cage intoned an accepting whistle.
“Are you sure we should go without you, sir?” Psallo asked.
“If Feyd Dahl is looking for me, I will be a liability.”
The ship shook.
Alec grabbed the desk behind him to keep from falling. He sighed. “Hurry, go. Get to the surface before it’s too late.”
The bots exited the room.
Closing his eyes, Alec sighed the frayed edges of his soul out and steadied himself. No one beyond his door could see any doubt or fear in him. He led them on the path of peradventure. He had to show them how to face it.
A strange chill overshadowed the room as the Feyd’s attention fell over him. He filled his mind with all the facts he learned about Ouhiri and possible relief efforts he might be able to convince the Margrave to take on.
They weren’t the richest planet in the march, but they had enough to send aid to other worlds as necessary.
The ship shook.
The hull buzzed with the familiar hum of a tractor beam tugging on it.
Alec rolled his eyes. Why were the Jalrec always searching them? He wickedly grinned.
With a sigh, he composed himself. He left his office and sauntered to the bridge.
“We are not in Shinari territory!” Oron’s voice carried down the hall.
“I do apologize,” Feyd Dahl’s said silkily through the vocoder in her mask. “Our records show that the Black Sparrow is carrying contraband, and we have been granted the authority to pursue.”
“What contraband do you think I’ve allowed on my ship?” Oron scoffed.
Alec entered the bridge and nodded respectfully at the image of Feyd Dahl on the main display.
The Khoshu woman smirked venomously at him. Her sharp, ivory skin cut deep lines on her brow and cheeks like an overzealous sculptor worked too long as her image was hewn for the hard stone. Three silver balls shown in a line down her forehead and soft blue lines of makeup traced under her eyes around the edge of her cheek.
Her soft blue cloak appeared faded from its former glory as it framed her stark white face. The hood cast a dark shadow that accentuated her carved features. She pressed two of her four hands together prayerfully over her chest while she posed majestically with the other two arms.
“Castellan Daykin,” she sneered, “at last you grace us with your presence. “Prepare to submit your ship for inspection.”
Fine lines made a difficult path to walk. If he said no, she might destroy the ship and have done with it. If he didn’t resist, she might become suspicious and notice the bots ejecting to the surface.
Alec sighed. “We are not in the Republic, dear Feyd, you have no jurisdiction here.”
The ship rocked as the familiar sound of an docking clamps seized the Black Sparrow and pressurized the passage between the ships.
“Prepare to be boarded.” Dahl huffed and shut down communications.
Alec steadied himself for the role he must play. “Oron, send a small detachment of guards to impede their entrance.”
