Unchained (30 page)

Even now, Plass felt the skeptical and
caustic looks aimed his way. The transition would be painful for
them, he mused, but he would thoroughly enjoy watching them convert
one at a time.

He had already viewed the holo recording
several times with Lieutenant Fiske. It was more than he had
expected, more than he could possibly have hoped for. Any doubts
were crushed. The truth screamed out with a vengeance.

The room lights darkened for the holo deck
presentation. The holo grid in the center of the table shed a
ghostly light on the men seated nearby. Major Berman’s big arms
were folded across his chest, his expression belligerent. Major
Holtz sat ramrod straight, his hands folded neatly on the table. He
watched Lieutenant Fiske intently.

“
We are ready, sir,”
Lieutenant Fiske reported.

Plass leaned back leisurely in his chair.
“Run it, Lieutenant.” He smiled in the darkness.

The holo grid sprang to life and began
revealing the demise of the Galena. All eyes were instantly glued
to the action, transfixed in surprise and confusion. Lieutenant
Fiske stated the star date and star map coordinates as the
Saurelian fighters faithfully performed their death dance. Each
officer watched in rapt fascination, grappling with the truth of
his or her own eyes.

Plass could almost hear every breath taken.
He let the action run for some time and casually turned to Major
Berman seated to his right. “Look familiar, Major?”

Major Berman leaned forward and frowned.
“That’s us. And that’s the refugee ship we destroyed ten years
ago.”

Lieutenant Fiske shook his head. “Not
according to the holo recording stats. That’s the Galena loaded
with vaccine bound for Dakru.”

All eyes turned to Major Berman. He stared
at the holo image, looking for support of his innocence. Another
Kin-sha escort blew up. The holo recording didn’t oblige. Plass
watched the heat of anger rise in the Major’s face, burning and
boiling below the surface.

“
No!” Berman snapped. “It’s
a fake. It has to be.”

Lieutenant Fiske replied calmly, “Not
possible. The ship signature matches the Universal Craft
Identification database. This is the Galena.”

The battle unfolded, taking its fateful
place in history. Plass gazed around the room at the faces. They
were drawn out, shocked, and speechless. Just the way he wanted
them. He turned back to the action with mundane interest. “Your
forces were certainly efficient, Major Berman.”

Plass watched Berman’s expression as the
Major relived the event that sealed the fate of millions of
Dakruians. His forehead glistened with sweat, his breathing
increased. He was the only one in the room who knew the ending to
this incident. As it drew nearer, the pain in his face grew.

Lieutenant Fiske continued his commentary of
the action, blow by blow to its inevitable conclusion. He had
enhanced the transport escape path for easy viewing. There was a
collective gasp as the transport hit hyperspace a split-second
before the holo image died away.

The room was heavy with silence. All eyes
remained on the holo deck as if hoping, praying for a different
ending. The lights came up. Plass stood slowly and walked to the
viewport, fully aware that all attention automatically turned to
him.

“
You have the entire
truth,” Plass said as he stared into the star-studded universe.
“Questions.”

Major Berman was the first to break the
silence. His voice was raw with emotion. “Can you prove that was
the original shipment?”

“
The date matches the
approximate delivery window for the vaccine order,” Plass replied
calmly. “The exact ship date was purged from our information
systems by Tausek to cover up the incident. Captain Stone has
offered to verify the dates by infiltrating the Avion archives and
securing the contractual agreement. I’m certain the delivery
schedule will concur. The serial numbers on the vials of vaccine
that Captain Stone retrieved from the transport on Courf match the
Galena’s manifest. Next question.”

“
How did the Stone find the
missing transport after all this time?” Major Holtz
asked.

“
Apparently, Captain Stone
has many talents besides evading capture. Next
question.”

“
Why now? Why did it take
so long for this to come out?” the officer in charge of the medical
facilities asked.

Commander Plass replied, “For ten years
Cidra Faulkner lived with Syrus Almazan, a friend of Jarid
Faulkner’s. Almazan kept the holo recording and the information
hidden. Shortly after his death, Captain Stone took Cidra Faulkner
and the evidence off Avion. I don’t know why Almazan didn’t pursue
it sooner. Next question.”

Plass answered every question patiently,
cutting away the resistance and chipping away the doubt until the
truth stood alone. Eventually the questions ceased, replaced by
acceptance and anger.

Major Berman buried his head in his hands.
“This is ludicrous. I can’t believe Tausek would betray us. I can’t
believe he would kill millions simply to become the ruler of
Dakru.”

“
Believe it, Major,” Plass
replied matter-of-factly. “We have been lied to and used. Our lives
manipulated. Our families sacrificed. Our world devastated. Can you
think of anyone else who had the power and motive to do
this?”

There was an agreeable silence. Then the
murmurs began, getting louder as the officers began to turn against
Tausek one by one.

Plass waited until the increasing anger was
palpable. Now he could harness that rage and use it against the
traitor. He turned around to face the group. “We have a decision to
make. I will not make it for you.”

Major Holtz said it first. “Tausek must
pay.”

The agreement was unanimous and
enthusiastic. Even Major Berman conceded. Plass surmised the burly
Major would be his strongest supporter.

“
How are we going to
apprehend him?” asked Major Holtz.

“
I would recommend a
decisive and lethal assault on his main tower chambers,” the female
Chief Battle Station officer voiced bitterly.

Plass shook his head. “It won’t be that
easy. My sources on Dakru tell me that Tausek has already convicted
me and all of you by association. He has rebuilt his personal
protection structure around himself with new bodies. Stoll has
succeeded me. We have all been replaced by Tausek’s own private
force. No more d’Hont.” Plass swung around the face the group.
“From this point onward, the d’Hont will be nothing more than his
personal weapon.”

The officers stared back at him, stunned.
Plass continued, his voice low. “We alone know the truth. And we
are on our own.”

“
Then how do we get to
him?” Major Berman demanded.

“
I have a plan.” Plass
smiled. “Cidra Faulkner will be our bait.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“
That’s your
plan?”

Cidra jumped at the anger in Grey’s voice as
he shot out of his chair and practically leapt over Plass’ desk.
She clenched her hands together in the chair next to his, still
stunned at the scheme Plass had just outlined. A scheme that would
bring down Tausek. A scheme that could cost her and Grey their
lives.

The young blond Lieutenant standing behind
them pressed a hand to Grey’s shoulder to pacify him. Grey swatted
the hand off like an insect and glared at Plass. Fury radiated from
every muscle in his body.

“
What kind of plan is
that?” he raged at Plass. “Haven’t we given you enough already? We
practically put Tausek in your lap. Do we have to pull the trigger,
too?”

Unruffled, Plass steepled his fingers in
front of his face. “Tausek is well insulated. A direct assault on
him will not work. Besides, we want him alive. In his case, instant
death is not punishment enough. I won’t force you to help. I can
only ask.”

Grey lip curled into a
snarl. “Well, that’s good because the answer is
no
.”

“
It is a sound plan.” Plass
regarded Grey with a cool, placid expression. “And the only way to
get a confession from Tausek.”

“
I wouldn’t call leaving us
unarmed with that madman a sound plan,” Grey snapped. “We won’t be
your bait.”

Plass shook his head slowly. “I know Tausek.
He will not turn down the opportunity to gloat about his successful
deception. Especially if he believes the confession will die with
you. It is the perfect trap.”

“
You can’t guarantee our
safety,” Grey charged. “You can barely keep Cidra safe from your
own men.”

“
My crew and I will do
everything within our power to protect you,” Plass
offered.

Grey’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me. Does Tausek
know you’re on to him?”

The only answer from Plass was the steady
drumming of his fingers together.

Grey nodded. “That’s what I thought. You
can’t even protect yourself.” Grey reached over and tried to pull
Cidra out of her chair. “Forget it.”

“
No.” Cidra pushed his hand
aside. Grey stared at her in confusion.

She raised her gaze to Plass. “I’ll do
it.”

She felt the temperature in the room dropped
several degrees before Grey responded, “No, you won’t.”

Cidra refused Grey’s hand again, keeping her
gaze on Plass. “Commander Plass is right. It’s the only way.”

“
We are not going to do
this, Cidra. We’ve done more than enough already,” Grey
said.

She could feel the burning heat of his eyes
on her, but she pressed on. “This is the one peaceful option.
Broadcasting the confession is the perfect way to communicate the
truth to all the people and the d’Hont at the same time. Otherwise,
sides will be taken, blood will be spilled.”

Grey’s fury bore down on
her. He spun her chair around to face him and planted his hands on
the chair arms. His face lowered to inches from hers, his voice
hissed low and deliberate. “I don’t care how many people die on
Dakru. Let them deal with their own problems.
Our
mission is complete,
Cidra.”

“
And what happens when
Tausek’s forces crush the truth. No one, on or off Dakru, will defy
him. Certainly not Avion. He will never be stopped or
punished.”

Grey shot Plass a murderous look. Then he
turned his sights back to Cidra. “It’s suicide and you know it.” He
pointed to Plass. “He knows it.”

She realized it at that moment. A line had
been drawn. The sudden insight choked her even though she’d always
known that at some point this would happen. He was going to make
her choose between him and her mission. Make her choose between
righting the wrongs of the past and her future with him. He didn’t
understand that they were one and the same. She couldn’t have a
future without rectifying the past. What kind of future would they
have if Tausek continued to rule? The answer was easy. The choice
was not.

Cidra reached out and stroked his cheek with
her fingertips and uttered the words that would cost her the most
important thing in her life. “I’d rather die this way than be
hunted down again. The rest of my days won’t be spent on the run.”
Then she drew a breath, dropped her hand and released him. “You
needn’t worry. I won’t drag you into it. I am perfectly capable of
taking care of myself.”

Cidra saw the flash of fire in his eyes
before they turned cold as ice. She had done something that could
never be undone. He might never forgive her for this.

Grey spoke in a quiet voice. “Then I won’t
stand in your way.” He straightened and walked out.

Plass nodded at Fiske to follow Grey.

Cidra didn’t dare move for fear her tenuous
grip on control would break. She had never seen that much anger in
him, deep anger. Hurt and betrayal. Not even a glimmer of mercy. He
didn’t understand her decision, didn’t realize it was a need as
great as her need for him. The way he saw it, she had chosen the
mission over him. She had betrayed his trust. A crush of pain and
emptiness filled her.

In silence, Plass regarded her. The daughter
of Jarid Faulkner continued to impress him. Under all that classic
beauty was the heart of a saint and the courage of a warrior.
Although he wasn’t entirely sure of what had just happened, he
could tell by the look on her face that she had just made a painful
decision. Of all the people involved in this mess, she had
sacrificed the most and deserved it the least.

“
Everything he said was
true. I may not be able to protect you. You owe nothing to Dakru,”
Plass spoke solemnly.

Cidra met his gaze, her voice hard. “I owe
it to the Kin-sha, to my father, and my family. To millions who
died for Tausek’s power and greed. And myself. That’s enough for
me.”

Plass flicked his eyes to the door. “Will
you go alone?”

Cidra paused. “If I have to.” Then she
raised her chin. “You are.”

“
Yes, I am,” he replied
solemnly, but the thought of Cidra alone with Tausek plagued his
mind. He didn’t doubt she could draw a confession from Tausek, but
her safety afterward was a different issue. Plass decided to work
on Captain Stone. She didn’t have a chance without him. Despite
what just happened, he believed Stone was the one man who would
protect her to the death.

“
Why?”

Her question startled him. “Why am I doing
this?” Plass asked. She was assessing his motives and he hadn’t
given them conscious thought. It took him a minute to analyze all
the complex emotions and principles that guided him to this point.
Then he spoke reverently, “Tausek took something away from each of
us. Some more than others, but we’ve all suffered. I have committed
myself to making sure he pays for that.”