Born of Legend (62 page)

“What does he want?”

“Me to help him and his Tavali brothers unseat Trajen.”

Her jaw dropped again.

“Relax. I have no intention of hurting Trajen for that piece of shit. I know better than to ever trust Nyran. But … as Tavali, he is able to come and go here. As are any of his Porturnum brethren. We can't ban them from the station.”

“No. So why did you go to Andaria?”

“I grabbed some files I had hidden as self-preservation. Recorded conversations. Some of them, I'd already turned over to WAR years ago to help overthrow my grandmother and save Talyn. But I didn't have copies until now. Others only I knew about. They're of Nyran and his brothers scheming against the Hauk family. I was thinking of leveraging them against him.”

“How so?”

“I found out Fain Hauk is also Porturnum Tavali. I'm thinking that if he finds out Nyran helped to hide his son from him, he'll kill him for me.”

“And where does that leave you in Hauk's affections?”

“Probably in the grave next to Nyran.”

“Unacceptable.”

Jullien sighed as he rubbed her hands against his chin. He had to make her understand what they were dealing with. “Baby, listen. I know my cousin. If I don't do this, he will come after everything we love. He's insane on a level you can't even begin to comprehend.”

Ushara saw true fear for the first time in his eyes. There was something more to all of this than just the backpack. Something deep and dark in Jullien's past. “What did he do to you?”

Tears filled his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. “I won't go there. They won't own another minute of my soul. I couldn't stop them in the past. There's no way I'm going to let them have your future. Or mine.”

“And before you go off half-cocked, let me give you info you don't have. Venik owns Fain Hauk. Even though he's a Rogue, Fain won't cross Venik. I don't know why or what for. But I'm telling you right now that there's something really weird about their relationship. If Nyran is Venik's son, Ven will protect him with everything he has, and Hauk will do whatever Ven says.”

“Then what do I do?”

“We pull your cousin in. Set him up, and we cut his throat. Here. Away from his father. But we do it together.”

Laughing, Jullien rose up on his knees to cup her face in his hand. “I can't believe how lucky I am to have my bloodthirsty Pavakahira.”

She nipped his chin as she lifted his shirt to brush her hands over his stomach. “Blood's not the only thing I thirst for.”

He sucked his breath in sharply.

“Basha Dagger?”

Jullien spun away from Ushara as he heard Nadya's sleepy voice. “Hey,
mia.
”

She stumbled across the floor to fall against his chest. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” But she was already asleep again.

Ushara laughed in his ear as she leaned over his shoulder to peek at the sleeping girl. “She loves you so much. She's already told the entire family that when she's old enough, she wants you to be her captain and train her for citizenship.”

“It would be my honor, provided I have
mine
by then. Though at the rate I'm going, I might still be training under her.”

Ushara laughed.

Rising with Nadya in his arms, he carried her to the guest room and put her to bed while Ushara woke Vasili. Jullien came out just in time to take over putting Vas to bed.

Like Nadya, Vas was still groggy. “You want me to carry you,
luden
?”

Vas shook his head as he stumbled into his room and fell across his bed.

Jullien tucked him under his covers and was about to turn the lights out when he noticed the troubled expression on Vasili's face. “What's wrong?”

Rubbing at his eyes in a manner freakishly similar to Ushara whenever she was tired, he frowned at Jullien. “Mum and Oxana started ordering things for the nursery today.”

“Yeah?”

“It just got me thinking.”

“About?”

Vas dropped his gaze to his hand, which he wound in the blanket. “They were arguing if they should make it ready for boys or girls. I hadn't really thought about it before now, but then I did, and I…” He pursed his lips as tears swam in his eyes. “I know that when the babies get here that you won't love me the same way anymore.”

“Whoa!” Jullien snapped as he stepped back into the room. “What? Where did
this
come from?”

Tears fell from his eyes. “It's what everyone says about stepkids. I know I'm not your blood son. And—”

“Stop right there.” Jullien braced his arms on each side of Vasili and stared down at him. “
Mi tana,
how could you
ever
think for even a nanosecond that I wouldn't love you as much? Boy, girl, mutant rabbit, I don't care. I will love whatever your mother gifts me with, but you will
always
be my firstborn child that she allowed me to love.”

Vas started to roll his eyes, but Jullien caught his chin and forced him to meet his gaze.

“Listen to me,
akam.
Fathers normally give their sons life. You, Vasili, gave me mine. Do you understand that? Do you think a single day goes by that I don't look at you and feel an overwhelming love and gratitude for everything you've given me?”

Tenderly, he brushed away Vas's tears. “I was dying in that bar, that day. I wouldn't have lived another hour. Now, because of
you,
I have a home and an unbelievable family.” He chucked him on the chin. “And the most incredible son, who fills me with absolute fatherly pride every time I look at him. I love you, Vasili. I do.”

Jullien pulled his knife from his boot. “And if it's the blood that bothers you…” He laid the blade against his palm and cut it, then took Vasili's hand and made a smaller slice on his. Placing them together, he allowed their blood to mingle. “There now. You are blood of my blood. My true son.”

Vas sat up with a sob and hugged him. “I love you, Paka.”

“Love you, too. No matter how many other sons and daughters we have. I will always love
you.
And you will always be my firstborn.” He kissed him on the head.

When Vas pulled back, Jullien saw the dark shadow in his eyes.

“What else is on your mind?”

He glanced at the door before he lowered his voice to a whisper. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course.”

Vas swallowed hard before he spoke again. “On the night my father died, he almost killed me.”

Jullien went cold. “What?”

He nodded. “I've never told anyone that. Please don't tell Matarra. It's why I didn't speak for the longest time. Why I've been withdrawn for so long. My paran held a blaster pointed at me and threatened to kill me. Those are my last memories of my own father. That's why I saved you in the bar. 'Cause you had no reason to stand up for me. But you did. You did what my own father refused to do.”

Jullien silently cursed that Vas still had the memory Trajen had meant to erase from the child. “I'll never let anyone hurt you, Vas.”

“I know. And I'm glad you're my paka.”

Jullien hugged him again before he tucked him back into bed and turned out the light.

Honestly, he didn't know what disturbed him most. The fact that Vas remembered that night when he shouldn't, or that Trajen's powers weren't as well-honed as Trajen and everyone else thought they were.

It meant that their fearless leader could be defeated. Not that he had any ambitions in that area. Far from it.

And speaking of …

Trajen was waiting for him in the hallway.

Jullien pulled up short as he caught sight of him. “Should I ask what brings
you
here?”

“Sure. Heard you were planning to unseat me. So I'm here to kill you.”

 

C
HAPTER
23

Jullien stepped back, ready to fight.

Trajen burst out laughing. “Wow … you took me seriously. Damn, boy, you really do have some severe trust issues.”

“Titana tu, tu cocúpün caxam—
”

“Hey now, simmer down. I cannot believe you kiss my vice admiral with that mouth. Why so hostile over a joke?”

Jullien glared at him. “You're lucky I didn't shoot you just then.”

“Yeah. Glad the wife makes you disarm when you come in the door. Otherwise, she'd be cleaning stains off the wall and I'd be friendless again. Though I'm not sure what we have qualifies as friendship … since it's been too long since I had one, and you have no experience whatsoever in that department to draw on.”

“Yeah, and I'm beginning to understand why I'm a solitary beast. Friends like you? I don't need them.”

“Ah now, that's just hurtful. Careful or your wife'll force us to kiss and make up.”

“What is going on out here?” Ushara arched a brow as she joined them. “You sound like two toddlers fighting. Do I need to separate you?”

Trajen tucked his hands into his pockets. “I was trying to tease your mate, but he's in a foul little mood. You should have warned me to bring a rabies shot and muzzle.”

Jullien snorted irritably. “I'm always in a foul
minsid
mood. Haven't you noticed that the crews I deal with all leave sweets on my desk like frightened villagers making an offering to a vengeful god?”

“You know, they make meds for Irritable Bitch Syndrome. Maybe you should consider seeing a doctor about that?” Trajen said with a hint of laughter in his tone, which caused Jullien to roll his eyes. “And now that you say that, Sheila has mentioned it to me. And the fact that she pays tribute to you with pastries and coffee herself, which given her charming personality says a lot about
yours.
Anyway—” Trajen cleared his throat as he glanced to Ushara. “—you summoned me from the bowels of my pit, mistress?”

She gestured toward the living room. “Is what I suggested to you doable at all?”

Trajen led the way. “No.”

“Why not?”

“He's hybrid. There's not a doctor in the universe who would touch him. We've no idea how his genetics would react to it. Or what to do for him if there were any complications.”

Jullien glanced between them, curious about this new line of discussion about his body and well-being, that neither one had seen fit to include him in on. “What are you talking about?”

“Ushara wanted to make you a Rogue. Which we can't do anyway unless you're a Canted citizen. Besides—” Trajen returned his attention to Ushara. “—you know the stats for survival on mentally stable, well-adjusted Rogues are slim. You really want to chance that with Captain Happy over there?”

Jullien made an obscene gesture at him.

“And thus my earlier point over the IBS was duly illustrated with juvenile glee.”

Ushara ignored the two of them as she struggled to keep them on point. Some days, her job as Trajen's VA was more like herding squirrels with ADD through busy intersections. And Trajen could be the king of squirrelly squirrels. “So what do we do?”

“I have a suggestion, but you—” Trajen gave her a pointed stare. “—are not going to like it. Not sure our Jules will be any happier with it.”

“What?” they asked in unison.

“Teterrimous.”

She scowled. “Bless you.”

Trajen snorted at her.

But Jullien knew exactly what he meant. “I thought that was a myth.”

He shook his head. “No.
We
had the tech. Remember, the Tris are the ones who invented space travel, Verkehrs, AI, intergalactic communications, modern robotics,
and
time travel. We didn't just have the tech. We made the tech that made the tech possible.”

Ushara felt completely lost in their conversation. “What specific tech are you talking about, though? I've never heard of this.”

Jullien sat with his elbows braced on his knees and stroked his whiskers with his thumb while he considered it. “To merge consciousness with machines.”

Now she was even more confused. “You mean AI?”

Trajen shook his head. “And by the look on Jullien's face, I think he's seen what I'm talking about. Although I have no idea how, since we keep a vicious guard on who gets our tech these days. And there's less than a dozen of us left alive who know how to do it, or even that it exists.”

Jullien dropped his hand from his face. “Jupiter Hinto. His ship runs on it, doesn't it? It's how he flies the way he does.”

Trajen nodded.

“I knew there was something weird about the
Ship of Fools
 … so what all does it entail? How do you do it?”

“With our powers, and
I
can't do it. But I know who can.”

Ushara bit her lip as fear cramped her stomach. “Is it safe?”

“If Jullien goes through the training and does what he's told, yes. But if he fights it and doesn't listen, there's always a chance it could fry his brain and leave him a vegetable.”

She scoffed at his words. “Well, then, that's not an option.”

“What
exactly
do they do?”

Ushara turned an angry glare toward the maniac. “No, Jules, I don't like the way this sounds.”

“Shara…”

She growled at him. “Have you met yourself? There's no way you're going to obey anyone and not fight whatever they say. Just because they said it, you won't do it. You're hardwired for rebellion. You can't help yourself.”

Trajen didn't respond to her comment as he answered Jullien's question. “There's a small implant they'll have to make. Similar to being chipped, but it won't interact with your body. It's a booster for your brain's electrical impulses that will allow you to communicate with certain devices, and you'll have to wire your ship. Think of it like a networking signal.”