Home Front (Star Kingdom #7) - Lindsay Buroker Page 0,112

this, William. They need powerful ships to go back and help with the blockade. I aim for us to go back heroes. One way or another.”

“I would also rather go back a hero than in disgrace,” Asger admitted.

His father let go of him. “Just be aware that even if we go back as heroes with our honor fully restored, our people won’t accept someone like her.” He tilted his head toward Qin. “The populace would revolt if you tried to bring her home.”

“I know that. And she knows it.” Asger shook his head, hardly feeling this was the time to discuss this. “She’s not angling to be my wife and the mother of your grandchildren.” The fact that she never could be that made him angrier than it should have, given that he’d known it all along. He’d even explained it to Qin—not that she hadn’t already understood perfectly how the Kingdom viewed her. “I doubt she’d want to get married, even if I proposed. We’re just enjoying spending time together.”

Asger willed that to be enough for his father. He didn’t want to continue discussing it, nor did he want to think about how unfair it was that he was right, that he could never bring home the noble, brave, and beautiful Qin who represented everything knights and the Kingdom held dear. She wasn’t human enough.

“Okay,” his father said. “Good. She’s a nice girl and fine for… that. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to—”

“Embarrass you again?” Asger couldn’t help but interrupt. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to disturb your big plans to return a hero with a pirate warship to add to the war museum in the capital. Or maybe you could park it on the estate next to that centuries-old whaling ship that Grandfather got.”

His father lifted a hand. “Believe it or not, I wasn’t thinking of you embarrassing me. I was thinking of her. You shouldn’t take her where she’ll be ridiculed if not attacked outright. Your position in the nobility has always protected you, but let’s not pretend that our people can’t be brutal and ignorant.”

“I haven’t forgotten that. I’m well aware.”

“Good.” His father nodded and faced the airlock, as if to say the conversation was over.

That was fine with Asger. He weaved his way back through the crushers to stand at Qin’s side.

She gazed at him through her faceplate. She didn’t say anything, but he was reminded how keen her ears were.

“You hear all of that?” he murmured in a comm channel to her.

“Yes. It’s hard for me not to eavesdrop if I’m in the same room with someone else.” She shrugged and waved toward her head, though her helmet hid her pointed ears.

“I’m sorry he’s being dumb.”

She snorted softly. “It’s all right. I’m glad you explained us to him. Maybe that’s why he’s been weird lately. I didn’t think he objected to us sleeping together, but I don’t want to come between you.”

“Please, there’s been a chasm between us for a long time that has nothing to do with you.” That there was a slender bridge over that chasm now was a miracle.

Qin smiled and bumped his shoulder. “Does it have to do with the lavender robe?”

“Yes.” He smiled back, glad she wasn’t upset, though it upset him that everything his father said was true, that his people would never accept Qin as a part of their world.

A soft clank emanated from the hatch.

“Their tube is attached,” his father said quietly. “We had better hide.”

Asger gripped Qin’s shoulder before going to his chosen spot.

Qin nodded back at him. She was ready.

Time to see if Asger’s father was delusional to believe they could take over that ship—and if they were all delusional to believe they could get Qin’s sisters.

“Any chance we can talk to these mercenaries?” Casmir asked Nalini—or anyone who would listen to him.

Now that he’d finished integrating the slydar detector, he needed another way to help. He felt useless sitting in his pod as their ship whizzed around the asteroid base, firing at the now-revealed mercenary ships. Half of their fleet had gone out to confront the warships on the fringe, and the station itself, despite having lost its shields, was firing frequently. It had damaged several of the attackers, especially those daring to fly close, but the odds seemed against the station unless it could get its shields back up. Had Casmir stayed down there, he might have helped with that.

“They’re not here on a contract, right?” he added. “They’re