The Alliance Boxset Books 4-6

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Six days later, Saber stood on Dises V. He turned as Razor approached. They had landed in a desolate area north of where the Trivator forces had set up their headquarters. Razor had been keeping them posted on what was happening.

“Razor,” Saber said, nodding to him when he stopped in front of him.

“She and four other Trivator warriors have been tried and found guilty,” Razor replied in response.

Saber hid the fact that he felt like Razor had just punched him. He could feel the nerve in his jaw pulsing. His hand wrapped around the knife at his waist.

“Where is she?” he asked in a deceptively quiet voice.

Saber didn’t miss Razor’s glance at the other men standing around them. Each warrior was poised and ready. The only thing they needed was a location.

“Let’s take this inside,” Razor replied, waving his hand to a temporary structure that had been set up. “A global field disrupter has been set up in orbit, but I don’t want to take a chance.”

Saber nodded and strode toward the large tent. The field disrupter was used to prevent their enemies from using the satellite or drone systems to lock on their location and movements. It was an excellent system, but required constant monitoring so that it wasn’t hacked by their enemies and used against them.

He waited as Razor nodded to the table set up in the center room. Walking over, he sat down and stared at the holographic map of the planet floating in the center of the table. It was a rugged, mountainous planet.

“Earlier today, the Western sector sent a vidcom of a mock trial. They made sure that Taylor and the other four warriors were visible,” Razor started to explain, tapping the console in front of him to display the video.

“The ruling sector of Dises V finds each of you guilty of treason,” a voice off-screen said. “Each warrior is sentenced to fight in the death rings.”

Saber’s jaw tightened as the image flashed to each warrior’s face. They all stared back at the front of the room in silence, their heads held high. For a brief moment, the video turned, showing five men standing up at the front of the room. Every man wore a cover over their face so that only their eyes showed. What they didn’t know was that the eyes were the key to a man’s soul. He would take the time later to study each one carefully.

He sat forward when the image turned to where Taylor was sitting off to the side. She was wearing a white shirt and a pair of dark tan pants. Her long hair was braided and the bruises on her face were healed. She looked incredibly young and fragile.

His gut twisted at the sight of her. He knew the men holding her were using her delicate appearance as a way to push their buttons. They wanted Razor to see that they could ruthlessly crush her if they wanted. She was a symbol of the Eastern sector… and the Trivators, powerless to stop their cruelty.

“State your name, traitor,” the man demanded, stepping down from where he had been standing behind the table.

Taylor raised a delicate eyebrow and stared back at the man in defiance. A tug of amusement pulled at the corner of Saber’s lips even as he wanted to strangle Taylor for being so stubborn. She might look delicate and fragile, but he knew she had the heart of a warrior.

“My name is not traitor, jackass. It is Taylor Sampson,” she stated calmly, looking at the man. “You know only cowards feel a need to hide their faces, don’t you?”

“You will only answer the questions,” the man said in a harsh voice, taking a step closer to where she was sitting. “You are under the protection of the Trivator known as Hunter, the brother of the one called Razor who has attacked our planet, are you not?”

“Actually, Hunter is my brother-in-law,” Taylor replied with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Razor is going to kick your asses.”

Saber’s hands curled into tight fists when the male stepped forward and slapped Taylor across the face. He heard Hunter and the others swiftly inhale their breath. That male was dead.

“Kill them if they move again,” the man said, turning to look at where the four Trivator prisoners were straining to break free.

“It’s okay, guys. Asswipe hits like a girl,” Taylor said with a trembling smile. “I’ve got this.”

“That female needs to be protected from herself,” Sword muttered with a shake of his head. “Why would she say things that she knows will get her beaten?”

“Watch,” Razor replied with a strangely calm demeanor.

Taylor turned back and stared at the man with a serene smile. A sense of unease built inside Saber. When Taylor looked like that, it usually meant trouble.

“I’m not the traitor to your people, you are,” Taylor said in a quiet voice. “You enslave them and work them until they die for your own greed. You and those that follow you are the scum of this planet. You are nothing more than parasites. If the people knew just how few of you there were, they’d squish you like the bugs you are.”

“I told you to answer only the questions you were asked!” The male said, raising his hand to strike her again.

Taylor took advantage of his closeness and kicked out, catching the man in the groin with a powerful kick. At the same time, she reached out and snatched off the cloth covering his face. The man twisted around, showing his full face clearly to the video. Two other men hurried forward and held Taylor by her arms.

“Answer that, you jerk-off!” she snapped before glancing up at the camera. “Now that you know what he looks like, kill the bastard for me, please.”

The male on the ground hissed in pain as he struggled to sit up. He slowly rose, glaring at Taylor, who sat still, her head held high, waiting for his response. It didn’t take long. He swung out, striking her in the jaw. Her head snapped back and she slumped in the chair, unconscious.

“Remove her,” the man ordered. “I look forward to killing her slowly, after I break her. Take them to the High Fortress. She is sentenced to death. I’ll return her body to Razor one piece at a time. In the meantime, she can enjoy watching each of the Trivator warriors fight to their death.”

Saber sat back in his seat, stunned. Taylor, his Taylor, was still rebellious in the face of her captors. It reminded him of the way she had fought against him when she and her sisters had first been found. His hand rose to touch his ear, remembering her bite as if it was yesterday.

“I am surprised they sent that video,” Hunter said in a quiet voice.

“They didn’t… at first,” Razor replied. “The first one we received was edited and did not contain this footage. This one arrived several hours later on a rarely used frequency. It would appear that either someone was sympathetic to Taylor or…”

“There is an ally among the new Western Council,” Saber murmured, staring at the twisted face of the male that had hit Taylor.

He wasn’t a Disesian. The milky white complexion and bald head were proof of that. Saber glanced at Dagger to see his reaction. Dagger’s face had paled, but the fury burning deep inside him radiated outward. The Waxian, a mercenary species known for their greed and savagery, were trying to take over another planet.

“Where is the High Fortress?” Saber asked in a voice devoid of emotion.

Razor sighed and turned to look at the men. He shook his head and touched the console in front of him. A large mountain appeared in the center of the screen.

“This is the fortress we believe the Waxian was talking about,” Razor said, pointing to the huge structure on the side of the mountain. “It is an ancient fortress built into the side of the mountain. We’ve been monitoring the increased traffic to it over the last several months.”

“Why didn’t you take it out?” Thunder asked, sitting back in his seat.

Razor’s lips thinned in anger. “The council felt it would jeopardize the treaty that was under negotiation,” he replied.

“Why the Waxians? How did they get a foothold into the Western Council?” Sword asked, leaning forward.

“The Western Council probably thought they would get additional support and weapons,” Dagger said in a calm voice. He looked at each man at the table, pausing on Saber. “They would have taken over almost immediately, probably by taking the families of the council hostage and killing one or more of them as a warning. He meant what he said. He’ll send pieces of Taylor to Razor just to show that he can. They are probably after the ore that is being mined. The unrest between the two regions, and the Alliance intervening, gave them an opportunity to steal it.”

Razor nodded. “We believe the Waxians have struck a deal with a select group of Disesians to supply the Drethulans with the ore necessary to manufacture weapons. The Drethulans are not happy with the expansion of the Alliance into their territories. The Alliance Council believes that the Drethulans are building up their military,” he explained.

“All-out war?” Dagger asked.

Razor glanced at all the men, pausing on Hunter who nodded. “None of this leaves this room,” Razor said. “We’ve been working with a new species on the outer rim of the galaxy that recently joined the Alliance. They were the first to warn us of the Drethulans’ military expansion. The Drethulans are not aware that we are working with the Kassisans. I suspect that the video we received came from one of their men. I suspect one of them has infiltrated the Drethulans’ inner circle.”

“I didn’t think the Drethulans trusted anyone,” Dagger retorted, leaning back in his seat.

Razor glanced at him before drawing in a deep breath. “They don’t. I didn’t ask how the Kassisan was able to gain their trust, I’m just glad he is on our side,” he responded.

“Do you have a blueprint of the fortress?” Saber asked.

He had been silent while the rage that had started smoldering inside of him six days ago exploded, blazing inside him. Watching the Waxian strike Taylor had been the last straw. He would kill the bastard once he knew Taylor was safe.

“Saber, this is more than just Taylor,” Razor started to say.

“No, it’s not,” Hunter interjected, watching warily as Saber rose from his seat. “This is Taylor, Razor. My Amate’s sister.”

“And mine,” Dagger said, rising as well. “This is personal.”

“Do you have a blueprint of the fortress?” Saber repeated in a cold voice.

Razor sighed and shook his head. “No, the Waxian was very careful about making sure all the recorders were destroyed. We have a basic diagram, and research from the time period the structure was built has given us additional probabilities on the layout.”

“There will only be the six of us,” Razor warned.

“Ten,” Thunder said, pushing his chair back and standing. “Once we release the other four warriors.”

“Plus the Kassisan,” Sword added.

“Eleven, if we are lucky, against a hundred or more,” Razor pointed out. “I’ve refused the Alliance Council’s orders to send in the destroyers. There are too many civilians being held as hostages. Normally that wouldn’t be an issue, but in this case, it is.”

“Why?” Hunter asked with a raised eyebrow.

Razor grimaced. “Because this time it is personal,” he admitted. “Jesse and Jordan both contacted me shortly before you arrived and made me swear to bring Taylor, and you two, home safe. I think Jordan hacked into your system again,” he added dryly, glancing at Hunter.

“Shewta!” Hunter and Dagger muttered at the same time.