Prime Selection (9 page)

Nadia led her team down the hall. When she reached the door, she motioned for her men to stay back. “Let me get into the room about halfway before following me.”

She entered the door code Bram had provided; the lights on the security panel went from red to green and the door slid silently into the walls. She strode into the room as if she owned it. The two men who lounged in front of the main communications control panel jerked upright in their chairs and swore in Prime.

“You two need to get away from the controls and surrender your weapons. The Alliance is taking over this facility.” She spoke in Prime and hoped she hadn’t asked for directions to the nearest restaurant.

The man to her left stood as the other reached for a control on the panel. She pulled her laser and stunned the man who’d reached for what she suspected was an alarm. She couldn’t have that, even if Bram’s changing door codes had secured part of the enemy in locked rooms, there would still be roaming guards who could respond.

The other man ran toward her, yelling a battle cry. He had a knife in his hand. Before she could stun him, the whine of a fully charged laser sounded loudly in the room. Her would-be attacker dropped to the floor; his body convulsed for a few seconds as his nervous system shut down—and then nothing. He was dead, every neuron in his body fried.

A’tem moved quickly toward the control panel. He secured the stunned man who writhed in pain on the floor with flex cuffs. “This one will live to talk.”

“Good.” She went back to the door and shut it, locking them inside. In her peripheral vision, she observed Bram move to stand over the man he’d killed. He spat on the dead Prime before going to the control panel. He sat and entered several commands.

After a few seconds, Bram grunted. “It’s done.”

Nadia wasn’t sure whether he was referring to the death or the re-establishment of communications.

Bram turned away from the controls. He looked at her, a blank expression on his face, but the mixture of emotions underneath his skin threatened to overwhelm her once more.

“Bram, could you shield more, please?” She looked at the dead Prime. His battle blade was still clasped in his lifeless hand. “I’m sorry about your cousin.”

“He would have killed you.” A pained expression appeared briefly in Bram’s golden eyes, and then his control strengthened, easing her discomfort. But not before she discovered grief tasted like ashes and felt like a gelid wind.

“I know. Thank you for acting so quickly.” Nadia approached the communications array. “My jacket?”

A’tem handed it over.

Nadia shrugged it on and looked at Bram. “So? We’re in control now?”

“Yes, Commander. All communications going in and out of the facility are under our control. With a little effort, I will be able to block the mercenaries’ internal communications. I have programmed a search for their frequency.” Bram’s tone was brisk and all business. “What messages do you want sent and to whom?” He sat in the seat his cousin had used, awaiting her orders.

“Advise both Prime and Alliance commands of the current situation. Tell them we’re in control of Tarn’s communications now. Advise them any Alliance ships approaching Tarn to assist us should hold outside the laser cannons’ range. We’ll verify when we’ve shut them down.”

Nadia looked at A’tem. “A’tem, can you handle the flow of communications and question this
apayebo,
” she pointed to the bound man on the floor, “to get us a head count on the enemy and find out where they imprisoned the Prime military contingent?

Then inform Alliance and Prime military commands of such.”

“Easily, Nadia. You
are
taking Bram with you to shut down the laser cannons.” It wasn’t a question. A’tem took a seat at the control panel.

“Of course. Bram knows the facility the best. We’ll let you know where to meet us.”

Nadia turned back to Bram. “Messages sent?”

“Yes, Commander. I also informed Commander Ard we’re safe and that he can now contact Captains Wulf and Melina.”

“Excellent. Let’s go shut down some ship killers.” Nadia retrieved her laser rifle from beside the doorway where A’tem had leaned it. Bram was on her heels. “A’tem, if you don’t hear from us,” she looked at her chronometer, “in twenty standard minutes, get the hell out of here.”

Twenty minutes might be pushing it. But she figured the enemy had already realized something was wrong. With any luck, the majority of them had been trapped behind the coded locks. Those who weren't trapped behind secured doors would need some time to regroup and begin a floor-by-floor search.

Bram called out. “A’tem, if we do not make it back, the door to the escape tunnel for this section is at the end of this hallway and down a level. It is marked as AA567. Use the door codes I provided. The mercenaries should not know about the tunnel…” he scowled at the bound Prime soldier, “…unless one of the other traitors told them. My cousin,” he spat the word, “and this one did not have the clearance to know of such. But I cannot guarantee there aren’t other traitors who might have.”

A’tem nodded. “I’ll be fine. Now … go.”

Nadia led the way out of the room and then allowed Bram to take the lead once more. “Where’s the control room for the weaponry systems?”

“Three levels down, directly under the communications room. We go this way.”

Bram entered a door code into a key pad by a red door which led into a stairwell. “Allow me to clear the way, Commander.”

“On your heels, Bram.” She followed him down the stairs. When he stopped at another red door, she made a note that stairwell doors were all red in this facility. She hung back a second as he went through the door and followed at his hand motion.

“Bram.” She whispered subvocally into her headset so as not to be overheard in an area probably rife with pissed-off mercenaries and traitors.

“Yes, Commander?” He replied in the same manner.

“If something happens to me, you get A’tem and get the hell out of here. That’s an order.”

Her reasoning was the mercenaries would be less likely to kill a woman. They could sell her and make a profit. She wouldn’t think about what they’d do to her before they sold her.

“Sorry, Commander. Both Commander Ard and Commander A’tem told me you would say such at some point. They ordered me not to leave you or they would remove my reproductive organs. I am choosing to follow their instructions.” Bram reached back and stopped her with a hand to her arm. “There are men ahead.” His voice was a mere whisper across her headset. He signaled to retreat.

They drew back several meters and took refuge in a short side hallway dead-ending at a green door.

Nadia lowered her shields. Bram’s emotions while simmering along the edges of her empathic senses weren’t painful. She then sought outward and gasped. “Yes. Five of them. One is Prime. His emotions are the strongest. You sensed them … how?”

“My Prime battle senses are elevated for battle. I am trying to shield you and that has worked to our advantage since it has kept the traitorous Prime from reading my approach.” He looked over his shoulder. “Are you in pain?”

“What you’re doing is working. I sense you as a low boil and the enemy ahead as fearful, angry, and frustrated.” This whole situation had already taught her to be more in control while working on a team with Prime, probably the best thing to come out of this clusterfuck.

She also suspected and couldn’t admit to Bram that her stronger shields were also a result of drawing on Huw’s strength as the
Galanti
came closer to Tarn.

“Huw! Don’t get too close to Tarn. Tell Wulf and Mel—we haven’t shut down the
ship killers. Don’t approach.”

Bram gasped. “You are in communication with another Prime warrior. I feel the telepathic energy. It is very strong. You are a
gemate
… a battle-mate?”

So much for keeping her ability to contact Huw a secret. She’d forgotten Prime warriors could sense not only emotions but other psi energy when in close quarters.

Dumb, Nadia, really dumb. The Prime traitors will sense you also.
She tested the men ahead and found their emotions were holding steady. She let out the breath she’d been holding and shielded herself even more.

“No … no … just empathic and telepathic,”
or so it seemed
, “I’m not Prime. I have no
gemat.
”

“As you say, Commander.” He didn’t sound or looked convinced. “How shall we proceed?”

Nadia sighed in relief. Bram was back to the business at hand. But she knew the topic wasn’t closed. If they survived the next few minutes, the word of her abilities would get around. She’d deal with the fallout later. She handed him her rifle and then took off her jacket, tying it around her waist.

Sex as a distraction had worked the last couple of times; it would work again.

“We stroll in there arm in arm with our laser pistols hidden behind each other’s backs. And in the short time they’re in shock from our sudden appearance, we move apart and take them all out. Kill, not stun. We don’t have time to mess with prisoners.”

Bram smiled, a wicked twist of his lips. “My thoughts exactly. And since the entry to weapons control is what they are guarding, we are right on your schedule.”

He came to her side, his laser pistol in his hand. He pulled her to him with one strong arm around her waist and waited until she had her pistol in hand and hidden it behind his back. “I hope your
gemat
never finds out I touched his woman’s naked waist and back— or saw your breasts, uncovered as they are. I would be
dheu mete
.”

Even though Bram had the wrong idea about her connection to Huw, Nadia had to smile as she translated his words as “dead sustenance” or “dead meat.”

“It’ll be our secret,” she reassured him. Bram’s snort had her choking back a laugh.

“Let’s do this. I want to get back to our people.”

“Yes, Commander.” He squeezed her waist. “Let me take out the traitorous Prime.”

“So ordered.” Nadia understood his need for vengeance was mixed in with his sense of honor. She’d grant him that boon.

Bottom line, none of the five men would leave the hallway alive.

They walked into the main corridor and moved down the hallway in tandem. Bram’s touch irritated her skin, but wasn’t painful for which she was thankful. She didn’t need the distraction. When they turned the corner leading toward weapons control, she spotted the group of five blocking a huge door.

The large Prime noticed them first; he seemed puzzled as he tried to place Bram. His gaze when it swept over her narrowed.

Nadia nudged Bram. He dove to the right as she went left. They both fired. The enemy hadn’t had time to react. Five laser blasts, all kill shots, and it was over.

Well, not quite. Bram, trained as an Elite soldier, walked over and fired another lethal blast first into the Prime’s brain and then into the other four’s.

Nadia stepped over the dead Prime. She shuddered, suddenly so cold she clenched her teeth to keep them from chattering. She’d killed before and would again. No soldiers, if they were honest with themselves, ever got used to taking lives. She hadn’t and had the nightmares to prove it. She and Bram were alive and that was what counted in the long run. Time enough later to deal with the emotions she’d buried deep inside her and encased in ice. There was still a job to do—and possibly even more lives to take before the night was over.

She approached the door and used the code to activate the monitor attached to the door code entry pad. The room appeared to be empty. She dropped her psychic shields a bit and found no emotions inside the room. The mercenaries had placed the guard only on the outside. Mistake on their parts. She entered the unlocking code and walked in as the door slid into the walls.

She ran toward what looked to be the main control panel. The monitor showed ships holding just beyond the ship killers range. Gold was here! Relief made her weak at the knees, and she held onto the control panel array to keep from falling.

The door swooshed shut behind her. “Bram. Our help is in a holding pattern. We need to get this system shut down, but I’m not familiar with all the Prime symbols yet.

Which are the ship killers?” She waved a hand over the glowing symbols on the board’s touch pads.

“Allow me, Commander.” Bram came to her side, touched a sequence of pads, and keyed in several lines of code, which streamed over the monitors.

The facility went dark and silent. For a very long second, she stood frozen. Fear niggled in the primitive part of her brain and icy fingers walked up and down her spine.

Her limbic system told her to run, but her higher brain told her the infinite darkness was momentary, that she was safe. Still, she breathed a sigh of relief when the emergency lights came on with a low whir.

“What did you do?” she asked the hulking shadow outlined in the orange glow of the dimly lit room. His eyes gleamed like a bonfire in the shadowy near-darkness.

“Shut down the power to the entire planet’s weaponry system as you asked.” Bram leaned over and looked into her eyes. “That is what you wished, is it not?”

Nadia laughed. “Yeah, that’ll do. Let’s get the hell out of here and meet A’tem at the escape tunnel.”

“Gladly, Commander. Follow me.” Bram walked back to the door, checked the corridor on the monitor, and then entered the door code.

Obviously, whatever power he’d cut off hadn’t affected the security of the facilities’

doors. The trapped enemy would still be trapped, but those wandering about would be more dangerous than ever. She, A’tem, and Bram were still not home free.

Nadia hit a combo of codes on her headset and connected directly to A’tem.