The Alien Warrior King's Accountant - Loki Renard Page 0,46
her how pleased I am to have her back in my arms, how much I missed her, how senseless even the thrill of conquest and the rush of war seemed in her absence.
“If I may intrude, sire.”
Terrible doesn’t bother to knock, or announce himself. I could be irritated, but there is nothing that could ruin my mood now. My little human came back to me, and now she, and her womb, are mine forever.
“Always, Terrible.”
“Our fleet has been obliterated.”
He says it flatly, and so calmly that for a moment or two I don’t understand the massive significance of his words.
“What?”
“It was a trap set at the front lines. DICK sent their private army and wiped every ship there out. We would have been destroyed with them if we were there.” Terrible coughs. “If not for the human, we would have been caught as they were.”
That is a hard thing to believe, let alone come to terms with.
Every single one of my warrior brethren besides those on this ship are gone.
This is a defeat. A grand defeat. A near total defeat.
I have never been defeated, not since I assumed my crown.
I find myself staring into what used to be a grand vista which was mine to command. It now seems more like a black abyss with nothing to recommend it but betrayal and villainy.
“But we complied with their regulations. We filed our taxes…”
“It was not enough, it would seem. They wanted blood, one way or another. And they took it.”
Tania is still fast asleep. I do not want to move and wake her. I want to leave her innocent for as long as she can be. I know she will be devastated by this news. I look down at her, sleeping peacefully, and I wonder if perhaps she holds the key to our salvation.
“If not for her…”
“If not for her,” Terrible agrees. “I have never liked the human, but there is no doubting that her rash, inappropriate, lying actions are the only reason we still exist.”
“She broke every rule to get what she wanted, and she didn’t care about the consequences,” I murmur, thoughtfully.
Then I look back up at Terrible.
“We need to become more human. We need to be deviant. We need to be desperate. We need to forget about the consequences if we are to avenge our fallen.”
“Just what are you thinking, sire?”
“Summon the generals. I have an idea.”
We meet in the war room. It, like most of the ship, is empty. The crew have retreated to their berths to reflect on the awful losses we have incurred. There is a pall over this ship and I know there is only one way to lift it.
“Sire.” Terrible inclines his head.
He is keeping his thoughts to himself, but I know he is devastated. As a general and warlord, landholder and leader himself he is as humiliated by this loss as I am.
But we are the Essence and we do not lose. Not for long.
“I have a plan.”
“Retreat? I have mapped out several of our secret colonies where DICK will not find us, where we might regroup or perhaps simply survive.”
Retreat might make sense, but we can’t hide from DICK. We might be able to survive for some time, but what I have in mind is so much more than simple survival. It is an act so bold, and so unexpected nobody in the universe could predict it.
“We are not going to retreat.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We are going to war with DICK.”
“With one ship?” Terrible is rightly dubious. The assembled generals also add their own individual dubious sounds. There are only twelve of them left. They will all need to be in accord with my plan for it to work.
“One ship. Our prime ship is all we need. We will avenge the deaths of our warriors, and we will reclaim the riches DICK has sucked from those around us.”
“How can we possibly do that?”
“We’re going to attack the very core of DICK.”
Terrible allows himself a harsh guffaw. “DICK would destroy us the moment we came into range.”
“They won’t.”
“Why not?”
“They’ll be busy.”
“My liege,” Terrible says. “That might just be vague enough to work.”
15 The Plan
Tania
I am going to war.
I am going to war, because Tyrant is going to war.
I may die, because Tyrant may die.
My destiny, my very existence is now inextricably linked to his.
I could have been safe at home on Earth, making an extra four hundred dollars every week. I could have maybe bought a condo. Instead, I am