Home Front (Star Kingdom #7) - Lindsay Buroker Page 0,131
shouldn’t have to worry about that.
“Yes.” Seven came forward and took his place holding Qin up. “We will.”
“Good. Thank you.” Asger backed away, told five crushers to stay—they were already gathering the sisters’ weapons—and ordered the others to follow him into the airlock tube.
He hoped his father was doing all right and truly could capture the pirate vessel. Because if they didn’t succeed, Qin and all of her sisters would be back in the Druckers’ torture chamber of a ship at the end of the day.
28
“Don’t get any closer,” Nalini told her pilot, her gaze locked on the forward display showing what they believed was Dubashi’s vessel—more a warship than the yacht so many of the Miners’ Union leaders had—and the dozen ships protecting it. “We’ve seen what we needed to see. We can’t take them on.”
Casmir nodded in reluctant agreement. Their ship wouldn’t have the firepower to go up against Dubashi’s craft one on one, and if all the other mercenaries piled on, they would be dead in a second. Still, if that vessel held the virus-laden rockets that Dubashi meant to use on Odin, would it be worth a kamikaze run to try to take it out? But even if they meant to sacrifice themselves, which he would prefer not to do, he doubted they could get close before they were mowed down.
“If we could lure that ship close to the asteroid somehow…” Tristan mused.
“What’s left of Father’s base defenses might have the firepower to destroy that ship,” Nalini agreed, “but those weapons platforms are being whittled away even as we sit here.” She lifted a finger, as if to give the order to go back to helping fight the mercenaries doing that whittling, but Tork spoke first.
“I have marked several of the slydar-hulled ships. Shall I mark those craft?” He pointed at Dubashi’s ships.
Nalini snorted. “That isn’t quite what I had in mind as far as luring them back, but maybe they’ll be so pissed that they’ll chase us. Or—” she looked at Casmir, “—would they notice us doing that?”
“They would notice. The mercenaries might not have realized the ramifications yet, but Dubashi would guess right away, especially since we’re using some astroshaman technology.” Casmir waved at Tork, then shrugged. “We can be cheeky and do it anyway.”
“I’m willing to be cheeky if he’ll give chase and we can lure him back to the asteroid.”
“Sounds like a way to get ourselves killed,” Tristan said.
“We have to do something,” Nalini said. “Some of our allies are edging away from the battle. If they’ve heard that the gate is open, they might give up on us altogether.”
“Let’s tag them,” Casmir said. “Two Kingdom warships are on the way. They might have the power to deal with Dubashi and his protectors.”
“Aren’t they almost a day out?” Nalini asked.
“Yes, but—” Casmir spun toward Tork, realizing this might be the answer. Even if he couldn’t save the station, maybe he could protect the Kingdom. “How long will that tracker last?”
“For some time—days at least—if they do not remove it,” Tork said.
“Which they might be able to do.” Casmir clenched his fist. “It’s still worth trying. If the Osprey and the Eagle get here in time…”
Nalini squinted at him, probably realizing he was prioritizing getting Dubashi over finding a solution for their station. But she nodded to Tork. “Go ahead and do it. He’s my father’s mortal enemy.”
“Proceeding,” Tork said.
“I am assisting,” Zee said, “until such time as I may go into battle and excel at that which I was made to do.”
“Clubbing enemies with those big mallet fists?” Tork asked.
“Defending my people and battling nefarious foes,” Zee said.
“Clubbing enemies.” Tork nodded.
“Are your robots squabbling, Casmir?” Tristan’s eyes were tense—everybody on the bridge was tense—but he managed a quick, bemused smile.
“Yes. They do that. They’re kind of like a husband and wife. Or gender-neutral mates, I suppose you could say.” Casmir kept waiting for Zee to realize that Tork might be the mate he’d been looking for all this time.
“Tork is an inferior android,” Zee said, “not my mate. My mate will be another crusher like myself.”
“Another clubber of enemies,” Tork said. “I have no wish to have a killing machine for a mate.”
Nalini sank deeper into her pod and dropped her face into her hand.
“Maybe you can discuss it later,” Casmir told them.
“We are working as we debate,” Tork said. “I have tagged six of the twelve ships surrounding Dubashi’s. I will finish that task and also tag his vessel.”