Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga) (36 page)

In their powered armor, his people were invulnerable to all but the most deadly weaponry. Nothing they’d see inside the building could hurt them. And if they did, they’d deal with it like marines.

Almost immediately, Talbot had to grab a vase that the man in front of him brushed up against. With one hand, and in powered armor, he was astonished he managed to save it from destruction. He carefully set it back on the table. It was undoubtedly worth a fortune.

“Be careful of the art,” he said. “Let’s not destroy our heritage.”

The various teams began running into resistance almost immediately. They bulled through and stunned everyone in sight. Their attack was so unexpected and overwhelming that they made it to the security lifts in only five minutes.

The lift wouldn’t respond, but that was expected.

“Open it up, Corporal Riviera.”

The marine punched his hands through the armored metal and tore the doors out. “The lift is down below. On point.” He jumped down without waiting for the order.

“By the numbers, marines. Secure our people.”

They poured down the shaft, no doubt occasionally landing on one another. The armor could take it. His last squad held the lift for the retreat.

He stayed with the team up top. Someone started shooting at him from behind, but the bullets didn’t worry him. He hardly staggered when they hit him with a rocket launcher. He gave them a friendly wave and started stunning people.

If everything went according to schedule, they’d be on the way back out in just a few minutes. He wanted this area under control by then.

* * * * *

Ethan sat beside that idiot Wallace Breckenridge on the Imperial yacht. They were going up to Orbital One to relieve Admiral Yeats and put Fleet under Ethan’s thumb. After the stunt at the Palace, he couldn’t afford to have the man with a knife at his back.

Unfortunately, he could already tell Breckenridge was going to be an interim appointment. He wasn’t smart enough to fight a war. Not and win.

He’d been waiting for the news of his father’s death, so he wasn’t surprised when his com sounded. He put on a suitably somber expression and answered it. His moment of triumph was at hand.

“Yes?”

“Highness, we have a problem,” his man in the Imperial Guard said. “Heavily armed intruders have broken into the Palace. Sir, they have control of the medical center.”

“Shit! It has to be Mertz’s people. Get someone in there right now. Stop them at all costs. And
protect
my father.” His emphasis on protect should give the man the right idea. To shoot the emperor during his “rescue” attempt.

“Highness, these people are in some kind of heavy armor. We can’t get in without using a level of force that would be
guaranteed
to kill the emperor.”

So, they couldn’t attack that way. The majority of the Imperial Guard wouldn’t stand for it. He’d just have to hope his father died anyway.

“Then see to the prisoners. Personally.”

“I can’t, Highness. They sent even more people down there. We’re trying to retake the security lift, but I’m not holding out much hope.”

“Do what you can. Call me as soon as you have an idea what’s happening.”

He cut the call and looked at Breckenridge. “Mertz is making a play. He has people with the emperor now and odds are he’ll be free of his cell in short order.”

“I knew it!” the disgraced Fleet officer said. “He’s staging a coup. There’s no way we can gain control of Fleet before he’s loose, but I have a plan that will allow us to salvage the situation. It’s risky, but the odds of victory are better than letting him take us into custody.”

How could the man be so stupid? He still believed Mertz was behind everything. Unbelievable.

Still, what choice did he have? Once his enemies were free, they’d put him under lock and key. His play for the Throne had failed. Unless, of course, the emperor died. Then he’d have a chance. It would probably mean a civil war, but that was a price he was willing to pay.

“Tell me your plan,” he said.

* * * * *

Jared knew something was up when an explosion tossed him off his bunk and onto the floor. He crawled under it, just in case something came loose from the ceiling.

A check through his implants showed marines on his level. This was a rescue.

Things must really be desperate.

The door to his cell swung open and an Imperial Guardsmen’s boots stood in Jared’s line of view. Whatever the man had been about to do, someone stunned him first. He dropped like a stone.

“Admiral, are you in there?” a marine in powered armor said from outside. He couldn’t fit through the door.

“Right here.” Jared rolled out from under the bunk and stood. “What’s the situation?”

“We have control of this section of the Palace. We’re taking you back up to the medical center.”

Another marine opened Kelsey’s door and she came out spoiling for trouble. “Where’s Ethan?”

The marine managed a shrug in his heavy armor. “Sorry, Highness, I don’t know. We have a line to take you back up. Major Talbot is waiting.”

She smiled. “You found him! Excellent. Let’s go.”

The marines lifted the two of them back up to the main level with a line. Kelsey threw her arms around her lover. “Thank God you’re okay.”

She frowned. “Why are you favoring your arm?”

“It’s busted. Come on. We need to make our way to the medical center. We’ve cleared the area, but I don’t want to chance someone doing something rash.”

His sister’s expression told Jared she intended to do something rash to whoever hurt Talbot.

Jared stayed in the middle of the cluster of marines as they moved to the medical center. Whatever resistance they’d encountered getting in had pulled back, though some people with white bands around their arms were carrying out the bodies of Imperial Guardsmen. Stunned, he hoped.

“How much trouble are we in, Talbot?” he asked. “What’s the penalty for breaking us out of custody?”

The marine grinned. “That depends on who wins, sir. If we got to the emperor in time, maybe nothing. We’ll see.”

The first thing Jared saw as they entered the medical center was Carl Owlet assembling some kind of device. One he’d never seen before.

“Mister Owlet.”

The boy looked up. “Admiral! Good to see you again, sir.”

“Did you arrange our breakout?”

“I may have played some small part in it. Princess Elise did more.”

Jared looked around and saw her sitting in a chair off to the side. Her leg had a bandage around it below the knee. He rushed over to her side.

“Elise, are you okay?”

Her smile glowed like the sun. “Thank God you’re safe. I’m not standing up. Come give me a hug.”

He did and then looked pointedly at her leg. “How did you get hurt?”

“Doing what needed doing. The doctor said I’d be fine. He’s working on Senator Breckenridge now.”

“Breckenridge? What is he doing here?”

“His part to make up for his nephew. The emperor is responding to the treatment. Doctor Stone is on her way down and she’s cautiously optimistic.”

Jared looked around them pointedly. “I doubt she’s going to get landing permission.”

“Probably not, but she doesn’t need it.”

Carl stepped back from his equipment and the flat surface turned silvery. Moments later, Lily Stone stepped through.

“Well, well. That
is
a surprise,” Jared said in wonder. “Remind me never to count that young man out.”

He looked over at where Kelsey was standing beside her father. “I hope we did enough to make a difference. Any idea where Prince Ethan is?”

“Not a clue. He’ll turn up, I’m sure.”

* * * * *

Kelsey watched Lily run the medical scanner over her father with her heart in her throat. “How is he?”

Stone smiled. “The drug is slowing the poison down and the nanites are starting to repair the damage. He’s not out of the woods just yet, but he has a fighting chance now. Call it 60/40. If he makes it, I foresee a complete recovery.”

“Will moving him lower his chances?”

“Not appreciably. And I think we’d all be happier if we can get him up to
Invincible
. If he has a complication, I’ll be better able to work on him.”

The doctor glanced over at the Imperial physician. “It looks like he has things wrapped up with Senator Breckenridge. We’ll take everyone up. Talbot! Call the pinnaces in to the university. We’re leaving.”

“Aye, ma’am. Everyone, make sure to keep things together as we pull out. No slipups at the last moment. The outer perimeter will pull back in to extract as soon as we’re clear.”

“What is that thing?” Kelsey asked Stone.

“A kind of point-to-point transfer device Carl got from Omega. I have to say it came in very handy.”

“We need to hurry. I want to know where my brother is. We have to stop him.”

Stone looked up from where she was preparing to move the emperor to a gurney. “I know that one. They spotted the Imperial yacht leaving orbit just as I was landing. I guess he was on his way to Orbital One and changed his mind.”

“He can’t run fast enough to stop me from kicking his ass,” Kelsey said grimly.

She walked over to Talbot. “I need to get to
Invincible
as soon as possible.”

“It should be back in orbit. Once things went down, Admiral Yeats called most of our ships back in. There are pinnaces right on the other side of that transport ring.”

“Excellent. Come with me.”

He shook his head. “Not until all my people are clear. You go ahead.”

“Be careful.” She kissed him hard.

Kelsey fell in behind the gurney as it headed for the ring and grabbed Jared by the arm. “Ethan is in orbit. We’re going up right now to catch his ass.”

He grinned coldly. “Let’s go end this.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Jared found the trip through the ring surreal. One moment he was in the Imperial Palace and the next, he was in the fusion plant at Imperial University. Almost eighty kilometers traveled in the blink of an eye.

The marines would withdraw from the Palace and take the rings with them. Now that the emperor was safe, Talbot said they’d move back to the emperor’s suite and set up the ring one last time to extract everyone. Carl and Angela would disassemble the large ring, pass it through a smaller one, and escape.

They’d disabled the internal security monitors, so the remaining Imperial Guards wouldn’t know they’d relocated. That would give them enough time to get away safely. No doubt they’d wonder how the attack took place at all.

Hopefully, the emperor would be in a forgiving mood when he woke up. Jared refused to believe the man would die after everything they’d risked.

Once the emperor and Senator Breckenridge were aboard the pinnace, he joined Kelsey and Elise inside. He sat next to his girlfriend and hugged her as the pinnace lifted.

“This might just turn out okay after all.”

“Not if Ethan escapes,” she said. “We’ve both seen how even a failed coup can damage society. Imagine a civil war. The man is insane and he won’t hesitate to rip the Empire apart to slake his thirst for power.”

Kelsey nodded sadly. “We have to stop him, Jared. If he gets away, he’ll turn people that would otherwise be loyal citizens against the Empire. We cannot afford a civil war while fighting the Rebel Empire.”

“Even if that means killing him?”

She sighed. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

The flight up went smoothly and they docked with
Invincible
a few minutes later. Someone had found him a uniform to replace his prison clothes, so he took a few minutes to change before heading for the bridge. He wanted to project the right image, both for his people and Ethan Bandar.

The flag bridge was a hive of activity as he arrived. Kelsey was already standing beside his command console. She hadn’t bothered changing.

“Give me a status,” Jared said, as he tapped into the implant feeds and looked for himself.

Commander Jade Winslow, his chief of staff, turned to face him. “A number of cutters left Orbital One and docked with
New York
half an hour ago. Apparently, Captain Breckenridge hijacked it. Most of her officers and crew were off the ship, so they couldn’t resist marine boarding parties.

“It took us a while to realize that was what had happened. It and the Imperial yacht are already quite a distance away. Only our destroyers or fighters have a chance of catching them.”

The officer shook her head. “And they made a really bad call. We don’t need to chase them that fast. They’re running for the Nova system flip point, sir.”

* * * * *

Wallace Breckenridge sat in the command chair of his new ship. A destroyer was a big step down for him, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

His arrival on board
New York
had surprised the skeleton crew and his men had managed to seize control. He wished he’d had enough people to grab something bigger, but she would do. After all, he’d be able to replace her with something much more modern very shortly.

“Lieutenant Keller, what is the status of the Fleet vessels still in orbit?” he asked his lead man.

The officer turned from the helm controls. “No change, sir. They’re still sitting there with those battle screens of theirs down. The Imperial yacht and we are too far away for them to catch us short of the new flip point. From there, we should be able to get to the flip point heading for Harrison’s World.”

Breckenridge nodded with satisfaction. One of his spies had gotten a heading and distance from this flip point to the other one. They’d be able to make the trip quickly enough to arrive before Mertz. And once there, the heir would be able to leverage his rank into a new headquarters that the Bastard wouldn’t be able to budge him from.

Honestly, he thought it was a brilliant plan and was quite pleased with it.

“How long on the timer?” he asked.

“Three minutes and twenty-two seconds.”

He smiled wolfishly. The Bastard would be getting a big surprise. He wished he could see his face when the universe fell on him.”