Without Hesitation, Talia Jager [warren buffett book recommendations txt] 📗

I considered the possibility. What the hell had happened down there? Why didn’t I capture her when I clearly had the chance and why had she let me go? These questions spun in my head as I made my way to the medical bay.

Bypassing the two exam beds in the middle of the room, I went straight to the shelves of equipment and supplies lining the walls. I found the sterilizing and cleansing solution and after spraying the cut, I rolled glue over it, sealing the wound and protecting it all at once. I rummaged through a drawer until I found a roll of gauze and wrapped that around the wound, too. It was a shallow cut and I had the feeling that she’d done that purposefully. A few inches deeper and she could’ve nicked my femoral artery and I would’ve bled out before I could even think of jumping back to my ship.

None of this made any sense. Why did she let me live?

Back on the bridge, I stood over the table studying the map of Valinor. I had to go back and try again.

“Hey boss,” Briar said, tapping her long fingers on the table.

“What is it?” I asked without looking up.

“Anything else you want to tell us?”

“About?”

“What happened down there?” Briar Ladetto was our navigations expert, but she was by far the smartest person on our crew. She knew something about everything and if she didn’t, she would hack any computer to figure it out.

Rolling my eyes, I said, “Nothing, Briar.”

“That’s bull,” Huxley challenged.

“What’s your problem?” I challenged.

“No problem. Just curious as to how a legendary warrior such as yourself didn’t get the job done on the very first try. I mean, this might be a first.”

“Are you trying to piss me off?” I growled.

He put up his hands and backed away, but kept the smirk on his face. “Nope.”

“Concentrate on your jobs,” I spat.

Frustrated, I took off to the weapons training room. Each of the walls was lined with weapons. Guns such as simple handguns to laser guns to grenade launchers hung on one wall. Swords of all sizes hung from the wall opposite the guns. The third wall consisted of a variety of weapons: fighting sticks, battle-axes, daggers, and bombs. I ran my fingers over the hilt of my favorite double-edged sword—a type of claymore with a jeweled cross-guard and grip. Turning from those, I grabbed a pair of hand wraps. This level of frustration required some impact. Not even a minute later, I’d worked up a good sweat while punching the heavy bag.

“Want someone to spar with?” Briar asked from the doorway.

The wound in my thigh hurt, but not so much that I would opt out of a good sparing match. Besides, I was agitated and I had to find a way to work off this energy so I could think straight. “Sure. Wrap up.”

Briar pushed her pink hair back with a headband and wrapped her hands, securing the ends nice and tight before she turned to me and squared her stance. A thrill of anticipation, not unlike the one that had coursed through me when I faced off with the empress, rushed through my body. Briar and I were about the same size and weight and she was good at hand to hand. Just not as good as me.

We circled each other for a moment, shifted into combat stance, and then she came at me. We grappled for a few tense moments, each of us straining to throw the other to the floor, but eventually I got the best of her. I threw her down on her back, face up, and mimed a killing blow before I let her up.

“Go again?” I asked.

“Sure.”

I held out my hand, offering to help her up. She took it hesitantly and I hauled her to her feet.

I took a step forward and threw a right cross. She sidestepped, twisted her body, brought her leg up, and kicked me in the stomach. Grabbing her foot, I pushed back hard, and she went flying. She had barely hit the ground before I pounced on her. Knees pinning her arms to the floor and sitting on her chest, I had her pinned in a position for another killing blow. I still had it. I could still do it. How in the world had the Empress gotten the better of me?

After the sparing session I went to my room and showered. Lying in bed attempting to sleep, the Empress’ face kept appearing in my mind’s eye. I flipped over and buried my head in the pillow, which only made it worse. I had to be honest with myself. The Empress had a weapon I had never encountered before. She was beautiful. Yes, I’d encountered beautiful women before, but I’d never been charged with kidnapping or killing them. But so what? Why did that matter? There were plenty of attractive people in the universe. Why had I let that affect me?

A low beep told me someone from the bridge was trying to contact me. “What is it?” I asked.

“Caspar is calling,” Huxley said.

I cursed under my breath. “On my way.”

The moment I stalked back into the room everyone’s eyes were on me. “Put him onscreen.”

The man who had destroyed my life appeared onscreen. When I was a kid, Caspar Regnier abducted my family along with almost a hundred others from our home. He dumped us on a planet that was barely survivable. Then, a couple years later, he took the kids from their parents—myself included—and raised us on his ship, training us to become the lethal warriors we were today. He gave us the ship and forced us to do things for him by threatening the lives of our families.

Caspar was twice my age, with a full head of black, spiked hair. His upper lip was perpetually curled up like he smelled something rotten, but that was how he always looked when we spoke. He hated the sight of me. “I don’t like to be kept waiting, Everleigh.”

I didn’t respond. Didn’t apologize. Nothing.

He pursed his lips. “Where is the Empress?”

“I’ll have her soon.”

“Soon? Why don’t you have her yet?” he demanded.

“She’s very protected.”

His nostrils flared. “Do I need to remind you that I hold your family in the palm of my hand? I could crush them.” He brought his hands together like he was smashing something in them. “Maybe they won’t have any food to eat for a few days? Maybe a sickness will spread through the community?”

My hands balled into fists. “Let them be. You’ll have her soon.” I hit the end button and marched over to the map of Valinor.

Why did he need to have her? It didn’t matter. I had to get her and turn her over. I had to do it for my family. For the families of my crew.

“Do we know where she lives? Is there a castle?”

“There’s no castle. We’re not sure where she lives,” Zabe stated. Zabrador “Zabe” Torpey was the fourth member of our crew. He was the mission specialist, took care of the Nirvana, and us.

“So actually jumping into her home won’t work.” I paced the floor. “I’ll just go back again.”

“She’s not there,” Briar reported.

“Not on Valinor? I just left there.”

“She’s heading to a summit meeting for Alliance members that’s taking place tomorrow on Caipra. The leaders of twenty worlds will be there, Valinor included.”

“A summit? What kind of summit? Were we invited?”

“No, Ever. Did you not hear her? It’s a meeting for those in the Alliance. We neither have a home planet to rule nor are we part of the Alliance.” Huxley rolled his eyes.

“You’re lucky I like you or I’d lock you up for your sarcasm.”

Huxley scoffed. “I appreciate your leniency.”

I punched him on the shoulder. “Get us there. Use the cloaking device.”

Grabbing her at the summit would be easier than trying to take her on her home planet. At most she would travel with a small detachment, but I could handle that. It was the Empress herself that had me worried. I tried not to think about her. Tried not to think of her hair and how it caught the light of their setting sunstar. Those bright, blue eyes of hers. The way my heart sped up when she had me pinned to the ground.

“What’s on your mind, Ever?”

“Just plotting.”

“Like the evil villain you are.”

Laughing, I nodded, and picked up a deck of cards. “Dealer’s choice.”

I dealt a game of Loaded. Zabe and Briar sat down at the table to play, too. Hux passed around a bottle of Temptation, a colorless ninety-five proof alcohol.

Caipra, the planet they were meeting on, was discovered a hundred years ago. A battle took place between the warring occupants of the planet and destroyed so much of the land that only a few could live there now. Over time, Caipra became a sort of neutral zone for planetary meetings and discussions. A building was erected a few earthyears ago and became a neutral place for intergalactic meetings.

“I wonder what’s going on down there.”

“I could hack in,” Briar offered.

A quick nod from me was all she needed before her hands were flying over the keyboard. A few minutes later, she smiled proudly.

“You’re in?”

Huxley and I surveyed the room and took note of who was present from the video feed that Briar had patched us into. The conference room was a large and circular with a hallway that ran around it. Four corridors stemmed from it. Attached were a hotel, cafeteria, and lounge. The fourth corridor led to the docking bay.

“Any suggestions on the best way to do this?” I wished I could send one of the others, but this was my responsibility and I had never left a job incomplete.

“Lie in wait. When she’s alone, grab her and jump back. The only difference here is there’s a lot of others around,” Huxley said.

“They’re announcing everyone,” Briar said.

“Can you put it on speaker?”

With a tap of a button, a male voice filled the room as he read off names. “President Ava Debold of Naweth, King Hesh Sekoni of Tured, Empress Akacia Sparks of Valinor.”

When he finally finished, they called the meeting to order. “The first item on our agenda is to welcome Queen Elodie Maas of Treasa. They have joined the Alliance.” There was applause. “Queen Mass, please sign your name here.”

Then began the most boring earthhour of my life. I didn’t know how anyone could sit through meetings like these. People trading with each other, negotiating with one another, and discussing where the space pirates had last been seen.

“Empress Sparks.”

My ears perked up at the sound of her name.

“I am Captain Reeve of The Authority. I’d like to ask you to reconsider your decision to let us have a station on Valinor. It would be very beneficial to us.”

“I’m sure it would.”

Hearing her voice made my heart beat faster.

“I’m sorry. I must stick with the original decision. Valinor was discovered by a privately owned spacecraft, as you know. My great-great-grandmother was the commander of that spacecraft. Valinor is not obligated to let you build there, nor do we want you to. We are a simple people and would like to keep it that way.”

“Very well,” Reeve replied. “We will respect your decision.”

I snorted. “I’m sure they’re fuming.”

“I can’t imagine they get turned down often,” Briar added. “The empress has some guts.”

That she did.

“Is there a schedule of events? I don’t want to sit around and wait, but I can’t exactly