Home Front (Star Kingdom #7) - Lindsay Buroker Page 0,164
is it correct? We’re only reading about twenty hidden ships, and nothing as large as our warships. Is that what you get?
Yes. Casmir sent over the results from his scan of the area around the gate so Ishii could compare.
This is excellent. We’ll focus on those. Have your princess help us, since we’re the only two ships with slydar detectors.
If anything, she’s Tristan’s princess. Casmir didn’t have a princess, alas, though he still dreamed of a coffee date with Oku. Maybe this would work out for him somehow and that could happen. Ishii knew that he’d helped the Kingdom. Could one captain make a difference? He was a noble. Maybe the king and the Senate would listen to him if he spoke on Casmir’s behalf.
I don’t care. Just get that pretty Miners’ Union ship over here to blow up hidden stragglers.
“Captain Ishii of the Osprey humbly requests that we assist him in targeting the ships with slydar hulls,” Casmir said.
Nalini gave him such a flat look that Casmir wondered if his message had somehow been intercepted. “Your people are abysmal at being humble Casmir. All except you and Tristan. It’s no wonder you fled.”
“I believe Tristan was ostracized,” Casmir murmured, “and it’s possible the same will happen to me.”
She gave orders to the helmsman and the weapons officer, then turned a gentler look toward Casmir. “You have a home on Stardust Palace if you want it, though I understand you’re wanted many places now. You can build slydar detectors and crushers and bring pirate fleets to their knees with viruses. Wherever you end up, you can expect monthly kidnapping attempts as people risk life and wealth to acquire your brain.”
Casmir touched his seizure-prone skull and would have laughed, except he thought of poor Scholar Sunflyer, who’d been kidnapped for his brain. The idea of something similar happening to him was more horrifying than funny.
“No kidnappers would succeed in obtaining Casmir Dabrowski,” Zee stated. “I will always be his bodyguard and protect him.”
“Thank you, Zee.” Casmir patted his solid arm.
Zee ruffled his hair.
“If the one you made for my father ever ruffles his hair,” Nalini said, “I want to be there to see it.”
“Doesn’t he wear that turban most of the time?”
“Yes. Would that stop your crusher? Your Zee?”
“No,” Zee stated.
Casmir looked up at him. “I believe you patted my head when I was wearing my kippah for prayer.”
“This is true. I did not wish to dislodge it.”
“Crushers are considerate,” Casmir told Nalini.
“Who would have imagined?” she murmured and smiled.
“We’re going in after two armored yachts,” the helmsman said. “One of the Kingdom ships and two of our allies are following us to fire where we fire.”
“Let’s do this,” Nalini said.
“She’s only determined,” someone said, “so she can visit the planet and find real-estate deals.”
“I’m also interested in deals on their moon,” Nalini said.
The sense of gravity shifted, Casmir’s pod protecting him from the various g-forces as the Dart tore after Kingdom enemies, and his stomach protested. He’d taken an anti-nausea pill, but it didn’t seem to matter today. His whole body was on edge.
Fortunately, the battle was over in less than an hour, with little damage done to the allies he’d gathered. He had the feeling the large and impressive Kingdom Fleet had been in the process of mopping up the blockade when they’d arrived and that all they’d done was help. So, why had that fleet taken so many weeks to get organized and get out here?
Casmir was about to start scanning the local news, now that they were in the system and finally had close to real-time access to it, when Kim walked onto the bridge. The Dart wasn’t in active pursuit of any ships then, and it was relatively safe to move about. Casmir’s stomach was also less queasy than it had been earlier, thankfully.
Heard from anyone who might have beaten us here? Casmir messaged her silently as she sat down in a nearby pod. He knew the Dragon carrying Bonita, Asger, Bjarke, and Qin had slid in at the rear of the formation and was, probably to the knights’ disgruntlement, avoiding the battlefield. But that wasn’t who he had in mind.
Rache?
Who else? I was wondering—worrying—if he was already halfway to Odin and plotting Jager’s assassination. Casmir’s slydar detector would only detect the Fedallah if it was nearby.
I haven’t heard from him since he left System Stymphalia, no. I’m not sure I want to check in to find out how his plans are going.