her. In the ensuing escape, Parisa had been shot in the arm with a blast that masked the injection of the chip. She was bleeding, but not so much as to keep her from fleeing.
She hadn’t even tried to save her sons during her escape. All her attention had been on her own freedom.
That said it all about their family.
Lorens frowned as they traced her headings. He double-checked to make sure it was correct. “That’s Tavali territory she’s entering.”
Yes, it was.
Talyn cursed as he realized what it had to mean. “So all this time, Eriadne was working with them against our people?” There was no other reason for Eriadne to be hiding there. Given the decades they’d been at war with each other, the Andarion queen would have never gone to the Tavali for shelter.
Unless they’d been secret allies.
Otherwise, the Tavali would have murdered her on sight.
With a stunned expression, Lorens met his gaze. “She had to have been. Shit. What do we do now? There’s no way to extract her from a Tavali portbase. They’ll annihilate us.”
“Nice optimism.” Talyn considered their options for a few minutes.
Most ended in utter destruction. But the more he thought about it, the more a radical idea began to take form.
A slow smile spread across Lorens’s face. “I know that look. You have a plan.”
“Yeah, I do. Hang on and let me check on something.” Talyn headed back toward the prime commander’s lounge, which was actually a small condo set aside for the PC’s use whenever they were under threat, such as now.
He opened the door and froze as he found Felicia teaching Qory how to bake in the small kitchen area. What the hell? The giant had flour smeared all over his face while she patiently instructed him. Had the moment been less dire, he’d have laughed his ass off at the sight.
As it was, Morra laughed at Talyn’s expression. “I looked the same way a few minutes ago when I first got here and saw them.”
Qory made a rude gesture at Morra that Talyn didn’t need to have translated.
Lorens pulled up short behind him and burst out laughing.
Felicia glared at her brother. “At least he’s trying to learn. You’d starve if you didn’t have someone to cook for you.”
Lorens held his hands up in surrender and wisely checked his tongue.
Talyn closed the distance between them. “Qorach? Didn’t you tell me that you had friends in the Tavali?”
He nodded.
“Close friends?”
He gestured a response.
“Like a brother,” Felicia translated. “Why?”
“Is he a member of the Porturnum group?”
Qory let out a sound of scornful amusement.
“That would be a serious negatory.” Morra was the one who translated his words this time. “Neither he nor Chayden are welcome among the Porturnum Nation. Their leader hates their branch and, in particular, their Tavali father.”
So much for his plan. But Talyn wasn’t quite defeated. “Do they have any allies among the Porturnum? Or someone who can deal with them? One who can get me and a small team inside their Port StarStation base?”
Qory made a quick gestured response.
“Maybe.” Felicia narrowed an irritated glare at Talyn. “You’re not thinking of doing something stupid, are you?”
By that tone, he knew a yes would get him severely cock-blocked. “Um… no. I would never do something stupid.”
Felicia rolled her eyes. “At least you don’t try to lie to me so that I don’t know you’re actually lying.” She sighed heavily. Cleaning off her hands, she came around the kitchen island to glare up at Talyn. “Qory… Go with him and beat him as I would if he does anything too stupid.”
Qory smiled at the thought and gestured to Morra.
“He says your terms are acceptable.”
Talyn shook his head. “I’m not leaving you without protection.”
Felicia arched a brow at him. “I’m in the middle of the armada’s command center, with my older brother sitting on top of me like a rabid lorina with its sole-surviving kitten. I assure you, I will be fine.”
Even so, Talyn wasn’t convinced. He had a bad feeling in his gut. And it wasn’t over his mission. “I don’t like this.”
“Guess no one’s happy, then. You think it thrills me to have you go into the heart of beings I know have already shot you down and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again?”
Talyn offered her the charming grin that had gotten him out of much trouble with his mother while growing up. “If I guess correctly, do I get a bonus?”
Growling, she shook her head. “You’re so impossible. I have no idea