The Marine's Queen (22 page)

Callie didn’t break eye contact. “I think it would be quite noble of you to clear their names. It seems a shame that a group of men who gave so much to the Galactic Alliance should be unfairly maligned even in death.”

Drant sipped his ice water, her gaze growing quizzical. “I could take a closer look at it. Those soldiers were amazing weapons. I could use them if they still lived.”

“
Weapons?”

“
Weapons, your highness. Guns with brains.”

“
Weapons are disposable and replaceable. Men are not. A weapon can’t be tried for treason. If a trial was held for these men, then wouldn’t you say the Galactic Alliance admitted they were men and had the same rights as all men do?”

Drant smiled and lifted his water in a mock toast. “Very good, your highness. Too bad you weren’t their advocate when they needed one.”

“
Sometimes one loses an opportunity and is fortunate enough to get another chance to do the right thing, General Drant. Why don’t we both do that?”

* * * *

Captain Edow was a tall, handsome man, serious in his duties, but kind to Callie. She spent most of the four days needed to travel to Giroux in the small cabin provided for her.

After lunch of the fourth day, Edow informed her they would arrive on Giroux shortly after dark. Callie dressed in a comfortable knee length gold tunic with black leggings and warm boots.

She packed her bags, pushing the earring microphones to the bottom. She had no idea how to turn them off, and she didn’t want Joe to hear the unpleasant encounter she was likely to have with Dania Cresbol when she landed. Joe might make a hasty mistake. Hopefully, Callie could avoid her until the next morning.

“
Your highness, the shuttle is ready.”

“
Thank you, captain,” Callie answered into the wall communication unit. “Would you send a man for my bags, please?”

“
Certainly. I’ll be there shortly to escort you to the shuttle hangar.”

Callie liked Edow. She trusted him to get her home, though she wouldn’t trust anyone in the army with Joe’s life. Not yet.

As they walked toward the shuttle, Callie explained her plans to the captain. “I thank you for the ride. I know the general ordered you to see to my safety, and my trip has been very peaceful.”

“
It’s been my pleasure, your highness.”

“
I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I must reestablish my rule as quickly as possible. There are a few on my council who will have used my absence to try and take control of Giroux.”

“
We’ll rout them out for you,” Edow promised.

“
I’m sure you could in a very efficient manner, but I must ask that you don’t.”

“
Your highness?”

“
You’re a leader of men, captain, so I’m sure you understand the importance of appearing strong and capable in front of those you command. I must do this myself or my people will think I can only hold my throne with the help of the Galactic Military.”

Edow frowned. “But doesn’t the economy of Giroux depend on your elixir?”

“
Of course, but I could become nothing more than a figurehead in making decisions. I must insist I take care of this myself. You can deliver me to my own guard captain.”

“
I see your reasoning, you highness, but I’m uneasy with this. The general ordered me to see you settled securely.”

They arrived at the shuttle. Edow helped her board and about a dozen men joined them. The captain signaled the pilot and soon they were hurdling toward the blue and gold globe of Giroux.

Callie blinked back tears of joy. Home! Now if only she could get rid of Edow so she could have Joe beside her. Edow himself came up with the solution.

“
How about I give you a hyperspace communicator turned directly to my ship. You can call if you need help. No one besides you will even know we’re still here, and I won’t be disobeying my orders to assist you.”

“
Very clever, sir. Thank you.”

Edow spoke with the royal guard operating the communications center for Giroux and demanded a private meeting with Captain Sontu on the palace landing zone. They hoped to keep Callie’s arrival a secret for the moment.

“
Your Captain Sontu gave General Drant a dressing down when it was discovered you were missing, your highness,” Edow said as the shuttle slowed for their approach.

“
He’s quite loyal to my family.”

They didn’t speak further as the shuttle engines whined with the stress of landing. The door opened, and the clean, cool air of Giroux filled the shuttle.

Callie thought she would be able to maintain her royal aloofness, but the moment her foot touched the ground, her throat closed and her eyes teared.

“
Your highness!” Captain Sontu trotted toward her. His wrinkled face sported a wide grin, and unheeded tears ran down his cheeks. He started to kneel in front of her.

Callie would have none of it. She threw herself into the arms of the man who had been her father’s personal bodyguard and was now her trusted advisor. “I’m home, Jak.”

Sontu hugged her tight for only a moment before backing away. “I’ve kept your return a secret, my queen, but we’d best get off the tarmac or the news will be out.”

Callie turned to Captain Edow. “Thank you for your kindness, sir.”

“
My pleasure, your highness. Remember I’m only a call away.” Edow handed her a small electronic device. He nodded to Sontu and then gathered his men back into the shuttle.

Jak hustled Callie into one of the guard entrances instead of the one reserved for her use. She followed him through narrow halls, all of them dark and silent in the sleepy hours.

After a few twists and turns, Callie wondered if she might be lost in her own home. Finally, she recognized the steep stairway designed as an emergency exit.

Sontu ducked into the kitchen for a tray and then led the way up to the third floor. Her floor, and then they walked into her rooms.

Callie sank wearily into her favorite overstuffed chair while Jak poured them tea from the tray with the skill of an experienced serving woman. She took it with a grateful smile. Giroux black tea. She closed her eyes and savored the flavor.

“
You must have quite a tale, Callie.” Jak took the chair near her he always sat in when they discussed the day.

Callie told him everything except the intimate details of her relationship with Joe.

Jak shook his head when she finished. “Only you could take a potential disaster and turn it to our advantage. You find riches beyond our greatest hopes and a body guard unmatched in skill.”

“
If I can keep him.”

“
Keep him? You make it sound like he’s a pet.”

Callie’s face heated. “I meant if I can keep them from taking him away.”

“
General Drant is a thorough man. He might be able to find the truth.”

“
I understand you’ve had some conversations with him.”

Jak snorted. “Just doing my job and making sure he’s doing his.”

“
Give me the bad news.”

Jak didn’t pretend he didn’t know what she meant. “Minister Cresbol has been trying to take the reins. Most of the council are at their land holdings, directing the harvest and preparing for winter so there’s none to gainsay her. She’s been giving orders around here like the crown is sitting on her conniving head.”

“
I expected as much.”

“
There’s more.” Jak set his tea cup on the marble table sitting between them. “That Hadrason bastard has been here twice to visit her.”

The hot tea curdled in Callie’s stomach. “Hadrason here, on Giroux?”

“
I didn’t have specific orders from you to keep him away, though I knew you didn’t want him on our world.”

“
When was he here?”

“
Last time was two days ago. The first time was the very day we expected you back. He brought the news of your disappearance though it took me going behind Cresbol’s back to get the army looking for you. Makes a lot of sense now that I know what caused your crash.”

“
But we have no proof. I guess I’ll start in the morning with Dania and remind her of her place.”

“
She’s brought in a couple of men to work for her. Don’t know their official job title, but they look like soldiers. I’ll rest easier when your marine gets here.”

Callie gave Jak another hug before he left. He promised no one would enter her hallway tonight.

Callie felt a bit guilty about her friends still on Crevan Four as she filled her bath. She soaked neck-deep in the sudsy warmth anyway.

Her bed enfolded her like the arms of a favorite nursemaid. She should have fallen asleep immediately, but she remembered telling Joe he would share this bed with her. The familiar comfort now seemed too big and very empty.

* * * *

Getting by the Galactic warship took all Joe’s skill and the shadow of the third Giroux moon, but he was confident no one spotted his cruiser when he landed shortly after the army shuttle set down.

Joe fiddled with the communications enhancers he and Vin had installed. Did the Galactic Military have any idea how easy it was to monitor their radio messages? He studied the holographic display of landscape features and selected a dense forest to hide his ship. A few branches scarped the sides of the sleek cruiser, as he guided it into a small clearing. He checked the scanners once more for signs of human life. All clear for at least two square miles.

He shut down the electronics and strapped on all the weapons he could carry without losing mobility. The tiny hover scooter he powered up gave up some of its speed in exchange for a nearly silent propulsion system.

Thanks to his excellent vision and reflexes, he could travel without lights. He skimmed to top of the grass once he arrived at open fields, rising over fences and livestock. Giroux likely didn’t posses the technology to perceive his approach, but he hugged the terrain as if they did.

An impatient hour passed before he spotted the first lights of Zelltown, Giroux’s capital city. The largest of Giroux’s three moons sat just above the tip of a tall, sharp spire. Callie’s castle. The four days spent separate from her seemed like months.

He hid the scooter in an abandoned garage on the edge of the city. Setting one weapon on stun, Joe proceeded on foot. He hoped to avoid all contact with Callie’s guardsmen. He didn’t want to hurt any of them, but nothing would keep him from her for another night.

* * * *

Callie could smell him. Though she knew she dreamed, she didn’t try to wake. Her life back on Giroux seemed so strange, so … alien.

Being marooned had transformed her. Before she’d been focused on her own difficulties with Hadrason, but now she saw her situation comprised only a small part of the widespread corruption in the ruling body of the galactic government.

She leaned against Joe’s warmth, careful not to wake up and ruin her dream. Trouble awaited her at daylight, but not now.

He kissed her hair. His breath feathered across her forehead. No dream had ever felt so real. She curled closer to his hard body, inhaling his clean, masculine scent.

“
Callie,” he whispered.

“
I miss you,” Callie tried to say.

“
Should I stay?”

Callie blinked, noticing a lightening in the squares of sky she could see through the ceiling windows. A dark shadow loomed over her. Caught between dream and wakefulness, Callie struggled to sit up.

“
Callie?”

She froze. “Joe? Are you here?” She reached out and touched his face. The familiar contours of his square jaw and smooth cheeks were warm beneath her fingers.

“
Your guardsmen should be executed for incompetence.”

Callie smiled, but tears welled up in her eyes. A sob clogged her throat, then another so they spilled out together.