Bruen pulled his head up; his hip hurt him, his bruised head was livid in the white sunlight. "I, too, will surrender. This was all my doing."
"Rysta?" Staffa continued. "The Seddi leader, Magister Bruen, will surrender. Just don't kill your own people!" The muscles in his chest and shoulders bunched as he slammed a palm into the comm. "Damn it, you don't shoot after a surrender! Section fifty-four, paragraph eight of the Regan Military Field Manual orders you to cease fire!"
He searched the skies, wondering.
"Nothing," MacRuder said softly. "Nothing is coming in. Not from above anyway."
"Rysta?" Staffa gritted. "If you want begging, all right, I'm begging! Whatever you want, you get." He closed his eyes, feeling his face go hot. That it should come to this, the Lord Commander begging.
He thrust the mike at MacRuder. "You try. They're your people."
As MacRuder's quavering voice beseeched the skies, Staffa walked off several steps and shook his head, waiting for that brief moment when the world turned upside down into oblivion.
He felt a hand touch the hardened armor of his shoulder. "You tried, Lord Commander," Kaylla told him.
He snorted sourly. "Looks like this time Tuff didn't come through, doesn't
it?"
"You've been seeking atonement. Maybe you've made more progress than you.know. Perhaps you have achieved your grace."
He met her knowing gaze and smiled wistfully. "You know what I did. Perhaps if I had managed to break the Forbidden Borders, left humanity in better condition than I found it. "
For the first time she looked awkward, deprived of her everpresent poise. "God will know. Only when that consciousness is finally shared, can you judge."
MacRuder ceased transmitting, looking up numbly, eyes stricken. "Sink, you can't do this to us. Sink, we're here. You can't let us down… just run off and leave us without trying.
Staffa moved to reach out with a reassuring hand. "He didn't. He made every effort. It was Tybalt's order-not Fist's. As much as I would like to blame it on him, the fault lies with the Empire… and the Seddi."
Mac closed his eyes, swallowing hard.
"Damn it!" someone growled. "Why are they taking so long? If they want to kill us, Rotted Gods, get it over with!" "Maybe they're talking it over," Bruen mumbled, settling himself by the comm, shifting his weight.
Staffa picked up the mike again. "They might be charging the system. Takes a while before a full power discharge." "Great," Kaylla muttered hopelessly.
"Here it comes!" MacRuder cried as a glaring light filled the sky.
Staffa averted'his eyes from the flash and reached an arm around Kaylla, pulling her close. She buried her head against his shoulder.
I am at peace with myself. I did my best. He hugged her tighter as the comm began to crackle.
"Commander?" The Comm First's careful voice cut the silence. "I have the Lord Commander on comm."
Rysta shifted in the command chair. "I don't want to hear it. Cut him off. We've got our orders. Staffa's threats are meaningless now."
:'Yes, ma'am. Channel clear."
'Uh, ma'am?" the Comm First continued hesitantly. "What now?" Rysta's voice echoed across the bridge as the hum of power surged through the ship. She turned to throw her meanest glare.
"We have transmissions coming in." The Comm First bent over the monitor. "Early warning system indicates ships are inbound." Another crisp call caused her to freeze. "They're coming from out of the sun. ETA, five minutes." Rysta called, "Weapons, how long?"
"Another thirty seconds, Commander."
"Hold that. Out of the sun?" Options raced through her mind. "Rotted Gods, you don't suppose that's Ily Takka sneaking back for a last look?" She sneered at the monitor. "Comm, put it through. Let's see who this is. "
The main screen flickered, filling with a woman's features.
"Rotted Gods," Rysta whispered. "Weapons! Battle stations! All hands!"
"That won't be necessary, Rysta," Skyla Lyma's voice brought all eyes to the screen, riveting their attention. "We've got you dead to rights. You're powered up for planetary discharge. If we shoot now, every system on that ship will fry when your shielding overloads."
Rysta's eyes slitted, thoughts racing desperately, hating the truth of their situation. "What do you want?"
Skyla said coolly. "Roll ninety degrees and dump every erg you've got. Blow it into space." Her ice-blue eyes narrowed. "If you don't, Chrysla is going to blast Gyton into a mini nova. Think you're up to that?"
Rysta searched for an out. "The Lord Commander is on Targa. Back off and clear the system, Skyla, or we turn him into-"
"Then you're dead," Skyla stated uncompromisingly.
"And after Gyton, we're hitting Rega. You decide, Rysta. Do we get to pull Staffa off that planet and go home quietly? Or do we avenge ourselves on the heartland of the Regan Empire?"
Curse the Rotted Gods, Lyma and the Companions would go berserk if she blasted the planet-and long before then, Gyton would be gutted space junk. Anger
washed away with defeat. Wearily, she ordered, "Roll ninety and dump!" Suddenly, she felt very, very old.
Static faded along with the brilliant flare of light that streaked across the sky. Staffa lifted a hand to shield his eyes and shook his head. "I don't understand. Rysta? What the hell is going on?"
A coolly possessed voice came from the comm box: "Lord Commander? We heard your transmission. Please reply. If we do not hear from you immediately, we will destroy Gyton and assume all Regan forces on Targa to be hostile. "
Staffa chuckled, releasing Kaylla and lifting the mike. "Cutting it a bit close, don't you think, Wing Commander?" Her voice remained aloof and professional. "Certain pre-
cautions were necessary prior to entering the Targan system. This is hostile space, Lord Commander."
Warmth spread through Staffa. "Very good, Wing Commander. I take it you've neutralized the threat from above?"
"We have Gyton centered in the forward batteries. Two Regan Assault Transports are also in orbit. Jinx Mistress, Simva Ast, and Viktrix are closing in support. Sabot and Slap are in covering positions."
"Sounds like you brought the whole fleet."
"We considered it necessary," Skyla declared dryly. "Your record wasn't exactly impeccable on Etaria, Lord Commander."
He paused. "Yes, well, there were mitigating circumstances." He winced, knowing people were watching. "What about us?" Mac's worried voice rasped.
Staffa straightened and looked at the ring of nervous
Regan faces. "You're all safe. In fact, you might consider coming with us to the Itreatic Asteroids. We've always got a place for people with your talent and initiative-and no emperor orders Companions to leave their fellows to die in the dark. "
Glances flashed back and forth among the Regans. "Wing Commander?" Staffa turned his attention back to the mike. "We'll need evacuation for almost seven hundred people."
"Affirmative. Special Tactics Officer Ryman Ark has several squads in the assault craft. Should he expect hostilities?"
"Negative. I think it's all under control here."
"We have your transmission source pinpointed. Expect Ark in… seventeen minutes. "
"Affirmative." Staffa pursed his lips and stared up at the darkening sky. "Bruen, I'm afraid you'll have to evacuate with us." The Seddi took their turn shuffling feet and shooting nervous glances at each other.
"You'll have a safe haven in the Itreatic Asteroids." Staffa pushed his hair over his shoulder where the wind teased it. "You can't stop now. You all have work to Tursue. I'll need your help and your intelligence resources to see if we can sidetrack this war between Rega and Sassa."
Bruen-looking like a shrunken skeleton-rubbed a knobby hand over his face. "Evacuate with you to the Itreatic Asteroids? Who would have thought it? Especially after all these years, after all the plans ……