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And how do you intend to do that? Your rig could hardly support the infantile arrays you boasted last
time.
Last time we hadn t had five years to imagine this moment. He hit the intercom button to his side.
Barth, target their engines and fire at will!
With pleasure, Captain. On screen, they watched six blue beads of light tagging their torpedoes as
they darted towards the Ethervold. The ship tried to veer aside, but each one connected. The first two
shredded the shields into electromagnetic tatters and the rest of the salvo slammed home with devastating
force. The other ship barely cleared the blast zone, trailing atmosphere and debris. Ezvorkian began
desperately shouting at the crew, all rapidly buzzing into action behind him.
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Christine Price
How? Ezvorkian screamed.
We ve been dealing with private contracts since the end of the war, corpse-feeler. We bought some
new toys. He leaned forward. I owed you that. And I m prepared to give you what Ellis owes you as
well.
Go ahead, then, Captain Gaspar. Ezvorkian s voice lowered to a whisper. I welcome the pain that
my death will bring you.
Julian was about to give the order when the doors to the bridge slid open and Kaelem stepped out. The
Airthir moved to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. A wave of calm flooded Julian s mind,
tempering his anger.
You could destroy him, Kaelem s voice whispered. But it would be the death of your lover.
Julian s mind was suddenly at war. They didn t even know if Ellis was going to make it to Airtha
alive, and even the thought of destroying the Ethervold was unprecedentedly pleasing. During the war, he
had never taken a life pettily and it galled him that he was considering it. But if they left Ezvorkian here
and carried on their way, the Ethervold might make the necessary repairs and disappear into space, never to
be found.
How sure are you?
The soul rings take time to devour a life, and that life is retrievable as long as the bond exists.
Destroy the matching ring Ezvorkian wears and Ellis will not survive.
The Zzesstari continued to scream orders at his crew. They had delivered four crippling shots& The
Ethervold was as good as done for unless Ezvorkian s engineering team could work miracles. They could
go to Airtha and have Kaelem s people try to help Ellis, but the chance that Ezvorkian would abandon ship
or somehow restore engine functionality remained and Julian risked forever losing his chance for revenge.
Was revenge more important than the meager hope that Ellis might live?
With an angry jerk of his arm, Julian closed the communication relay. Mark these coordinates for our
return course. He regarded his pilot. Let s get to Airtha. Full speed.
Aye, Captain.
They pulled away from the other ship, jumping to their top speed in less than a second. Julian silently
vowed that they would return and finish what they started with Ellis either standing at his side or in his
coffin waiting to be put to rest.
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Chapter Fifteen
Airtha Space, two hours from planetfall
Coalition Standard Date 113-234.5
Small luxuries disappeared from the ship with increasing frequency, but they reached Airtha space
faster than Julian anticipated. All around him, crew members were scurrying to complete their tasks
wrapped in thermal blankets because the heating conduits of the ship had been rerouted to engine. It all
seemed worth it as the planet came into view from the room he and Ellis shared.
Airtha Prime s beauty was lost on Julian; dangerous gases made the planet purple with wisps of white
clouds threading through volatile skies. The surface was inhospitable to human visitors. The gaseous clouds
surrounding the volcanic rock were deadly without breathing apparatuses or proper inoculation. To
accommodate the Coalition s numerous visitors, a large space station had been set up in the upper
stratosphere of the planet. They were escorted past it by the two flagships that had intercepted them upon
their entrance to Airtha space. Jensen had conducted the greetings with aplomb and diplomatic flair; far
better than Julian could have done in his current state of mind.
Every minute they drew closer to Airtha, Julian spent an increasing amount of time in his cabin. Ellis
was wasting away by inches. Barth was in and out, but Kaelem was more persistent. He would stand with a
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