Victorious Star (39 page)

Not a word was said as they boarded.

Victoria walked within and sat down as a passenger in one of the plush seats. It was lightly and tastefully, if plainly, appointed, but the only thing she noticed was Ravnos and Seht seated opposite her. Both of their expressions were grim with tension.

The flight to the
Machiavellian
was both too long, and not nearly long enough.

The
Machiavellian
was an Imperial Intelligence ship. The uniforms of the crew were a stark and simple black, rather than the ornamental and flamboyant white of the Imperial fleet. Long single-tail braids flowed down their backs. Not one member walked without subtle physical augmentation.

Victoria kept her chin up, knowing that her gold skin, pointed ears and enormous black eyes stood out clearly against the ordinary humans that walked the halls around her.

The yeoman knocked on a door and ushered them into a darkly appointed and heavily shadowed ready room. The carpets were black, as were the chairs and the broad desk that commanded the center of the room.

The man behind the desk stood. He was painfully slender with sleek black hair pulled tightly back into a long, thin braid. His rich gold eyes burned with intelligence in a face that looked hewn from stone. “Captain Ravnos, Commander Seht.” Humor flashed through his expression as he focused on Seht. His golden gaze narrowed on Ravnos. “You have it?”

Ravnos nodded and looked at Victoria. “Captain Sear, may I present the
Arcane.”

“Ah, I remember you,”
Arcane
said from Victoria’s lips. “Hello, Martin, still eating sweets like a starvation victim?”

Sear smiled and the transformation was blinding. His face became starkly beautiful. “I’m glad to have you back, you old bastard.”

“Good! Have you got a ship for me? Walking around is all well and fine, but personally, I find biological mechanics somewhat limiting. It’s hard to think in here.”

Sear nodded. “I do, indeed. How would you like to fly mine? It’s an Imperial intelligence destroyer.”

“Love to! Been waiting for the damned invitation for years. When can I start?”

Sear patted his desk. “As soon as you are downloaded. This thing doesn’t fly worth a shit mechanically.” He attached a direct link lead to his desk unit.

Sear looked over at Ravnos. “Did you bring the nav-pilot?”

Ravnos nodded. “This is First Lieutenant Victoria Stark.”

Captain Sear stared at Victoria. “So, this is the
Victorious Star?”

Victoria winced. Bloody Fate! Did everyone know her by that name?

You’re famous among the ships, nav-pilot,
the
Arcane
whispered in her thoughts.
There isn’t a sentient ship out there that hasn’t heard of you. You’re the nav-pilot that saves ships from their captains. You’re a legend.

Victoria sighed. A legend that’s about to end.

Arcane
snorted.
We’ll just see about that.

Sear nodded at Ravnos. “By the way, you were right about the
Adamant’s
second in command. His bank account had a massive sum deposited shortly before he encountered your band of mercenaries.”

Victoria jerked in surprise. The
Adamant’s
second in command? He had hired Richards and those two petty officers to kill her, but she still had no idea why.

Ravnos nodded. “I thought it seemed just a bit coincidental that the
Adamant’s
commander had demanded an ‘abandon ship’ on a perfectly undamaged dreadnought during a fight with the Moribund Company.”

Victoria sucked in a breath.
The Moribund Company?
She had known that the second band was Ravnos’s, but the other was Moribund Company? No wonder the two mercenary companies had started fighting with each other! She frowned. Wait a minute… Her former commander had a massive amount deposited in his account…? Her temper flared with white heat. He had intended to leave the
Adamant
for Moraine. That son of a fucking bitch…

Ravnos’s expression held a trace of amusement. “The Moribund Company must have been mighty disappointed when
Adamant’s
second in command had the poor taste to leave a nav-pilot with a reputation for saving ships onboard.”

Sear shook his head. “Former second in command. They have since had to replace him.”

Ravnos’s lip curled. “Let me guess, the
Adamant’s
former second in command has gone missing?”

Sear smiled at Ravnos. “Oh no, we know exactly where he is.” His smile broadened. “Or rather, what’s left of him. Moribund is not known for his forgiving nature.”

Victoria blinked. He was dead? She felt a smile curl her lip. Good.

Sear narrowed his gaze at Ravnos. “While we’re still on the subject, would you mind telling me how in hell you ended up with the
Adamant’s
nav-pilot?”

Ravnos tilted his head. “I needed a nav-pilot and she was in the neighborhood, so I took her.”

Sear’s expression chilled. “You took her. The same way you took a
skeldhi
prince to be your first officer?”

Ravnos raised his brows. “Something like that. She was very effective in recovering the
Arcane…”

Sear jerked to stare at Victoria. “She did the recovery?”

Ravnos nodded. “With Commander Seht.”

Arcane’s
voice lashed out in a growl. “Why else do you think I’m in her head? You owe her big. Hell, I owe her big. Moraine almost got me that time.”

Sear took a deep breath. “My apologies, Nav-Pilot Stark, and thank you for your service.” He nodded at Seht. “And you as well, Commander.”

Victoria presented him with a formal bow. “It was my pleasure to serve, Captain.”

Seht bowed but refused to say a word.

“Speaking of Moraine, he’s gone missing.” Sear lifted his brow at Ravnos. “Any ideas of what could have happened to him?”

Ravnos shrugged. “I blew his head off, beyond that I have no idea where he went.”

Sear’s mouth fell open. “You blew his head off…?”

“Trust me, it was an improvement.”
Arcane
snorted. “Let’s just hope it stays that way. I have a full recording of the whole Moraine incident from start to finish. You can see for yourself after I’m downloaded.”

Sear motioned to Victoria.

Victoria walked over to stand by the desk. He stepped close and affixed the data-link to the jack in the back of her skull.

The
Arcane
hovered close in her thoughts.
I owe you one hell of a debt. I’ll see that it’s repaid too. Thank you, Victorious Star.

Lightning blazed through her. She threw back her head and screamed.

“You did what?” Sear shouted.

Ravnos nodded at Victoria. “Turn up the lights and see for yourself.”

The chamber lights brightened considerably. Victoria blinked under the sudden glare.

Sear knelt directly in front of her. His golden eyes flicked across her features, noting her skin color, her eyes and her pointed ears. His expression darkened. “Nav-Pilot Stark, what the hell did you do to yourself?”

Victoria looked him dead in the eye. “I saved a ship, sir.”

Sear scowled and rose to his feet. “Bloody Fate, she even has fangs.” He sent a scathing look at Ravnos and Seht. “I cannot believe that you deliberately ruined one of the finest nav-pilots in the Imperium.”

Ravnos scowled. “You let Moraine do it on a regular basis. At least she’s not a screaming lunatic!”

Sear slammed a fist on his desk. “Moraine is under the Emperor’s personal protection, I can’t do a damn thing about him, but you…!”

Victoria came out of the chair in a rush of fury. “I chose to have this done!”

Sear turned and jabbed a finger at her. “You stand down! I’ll let you know when you can speak, First Lieutenant!”

Victoria bared her long teeth. “I’m not human anymore, so I’m not an officer under Imperial jurisdiction…”

Sear faced her squarely. “You are Imperial First Lieutenant, until I see fit to relieve you of duty. And as such, you will obey my direct orders. Is that clear, First Lieutenant?”

Victoria flinched and averted her gaze as years of military service jerked her into an automatic attention stance. “Yes, sir.”

Sear nodded at Victoria then turned to Ravnos. “I ought to have you court-martialed!”

Ravnos tilted his head. “And actually admit that I’ve been working as an agency operative under you for the past six years?” His lip curled slightly. “I’m sure all those Imperial ships I destroyed because they were working under Moraine’s orders will make an interesting report when it finally gets to the Emperor.”

Victoria stared at a fixed spot on the wall while her mind reeled with shock. Ravnos was an operative for Imperial Intelligence?
Bloody Fate…

Sear nodded. “You’re right.” His eyes narrowed to slits. “I should just have you shot, and save myself a load of grief! Damn it, Aubrey, what the hell am I supposed to do about this?” He pointed at Victoria. “That nav-pilot has been ruined for Imperial duty on a mission she wasn’t even supposed to be on!” He groaned and dropped into his chair. “Bloody Fate, you’re a pain in my ass!”

Ravnos shrugged. “Give her to me.”

“To you?” Sear scowled ferociously. “What the hell for?”

Ravnos contrived to look innocent. “I do need a nav-pilot.”

Sear rolled his eyes. “Just what I need, more undercover paperwork.”

Ravnos lifted his chin. “That won’t be necessary. There is a legal issue you may not be aware of.”

Sear leaned back in his chair. “A legal issue.” His expression darkened. “Why do I have the feeling I’m really not going to like what you are about to tell me?”

Pink tinted Seht’s cheeks.

“She’s a
skeldhi rehkyt,
a legally registered slave.” Ravnos glanced at Victoria. “That means she’s legally deceased.”

Victoria gasped. She had utterly forgotten that as Seht’s legal property she was no longer entitled to Imperial citizenship, never mind Imperial duty. Her career wasn’t the only thing gone, her entire history as Victoria Stark was gone too. She grabbed for the chair behind her. Fuck Captain Sear, she had to sit down.

“A legally registered slave?” Sear rose from his chair and planted his hands on his desktop. “So, not only is my nav-pilot no longer human, but she’s owned? By who?”

Ravnos looked over at Seht. “She’s
Deshryt
Seht’s legal property.”

Sear focused on Seht. “And how the hell did that come about?”

Ravnos stepped in front of Seht to catch Sear’s eye. “The only way to infiltrate a
skeldhi
enclave is by being
skeldhi,
or one of their genetically altered slaves. Ownership comes with the genetic alteration; in fact, it’s how the alterations are made.”

Sear scowled. “There was absolutely no other way?”

Ravnos held his gaze evenly. “Your orders were very specific. Get or destroy. We chose to get.”

Sear sat down and stared morosely at his holographic monitor. “So what do you intend to do with her?”

Ravnos shrugged. “Put her on the crew list as Commander Seht’s property, and have her fly the ship.”

“Shit…” Sear closed his eyes. “Legally, I have to remove her array.”

Victoria felt ice wash down her spine. Her nails dug into the leather arms of the chair.

Sear looked over at Ravnos. “But that would defeat the purpose.” He leaned over his desk and hammered into his keyboard with rapid-fire strokes. “We’ll list her as missing in action. She’ll need an entirely new identity…”

Ravnos looked over at Victoria with amusement. “We’ve been calling her Victoria Chaste.”

Sear nodded at his monitor. “Appropriate, considering her reputation.”

Ravnos’s brows shot up. “What reputation?”

Sear glanced at Ravnos and his lip curled. “For refusing to service her senior officers.”

Victoria scowled at the floor.
Son of a bitch! He would know that…

Ravnos gave him a bland look. “We haven’t had any problems.”

Sear looked up. “You’ve actually had her across your desk?”

Ravnos tilted his head. “Among other places.”

Victoria winced and her cheeks heated.

“I’m impressed.” Sear gave Victoria a long look. “Since she also has quite a reputation as a fine swordsman.”

Seht flashed a smile. “She’s even better once you get her naked.”

Sear’s brows shot up. “I bet that was an impressive sight.”

“It was,” Ravnos and Seht chorused.

Victoria scowled at them both.
Snow, I think I’ll make it snow in their shower…

Seht glanced her way.
You’ll only be punished for it.

Sear chuckled as he typed. “I’d love to see a demonstration.”

Ravnos smiled at Victoria. “I’ll see what can be arranged.”

Victoria glared right back at him.
I’ll live with the punishment.