question. “Do you
have the coordinates?”
As the man stood to
attention, Jackson could practically hear the snap of his back. “I have the
general area, but not close enough for guaranteed accuracy.”
Jackson looked at Cordan
and nodded. They would take whatever chance they needed to. Neither of them ever
wanted to feel along the bond again what they felt when Lena died. “We go,” he
said grimly.
Cordan nodded. The captain
started to argue and the rest of the men looked alarmed. “Sir, if you teleport
in without the correct coordinates you could end up inside solid rock. Even an
immortal would not survive such a thing, even if we had a way of getting you
back out again, which we would not when your com unit rematerializes and is destroyed
along with you.”
Cordan smiled at the man
with a show of sharp teeth. “Then I trust you will see that anyone trying to
leave that moon after I am dead will follow me.”
The captain opened his
mouth, looking equally grim, Jackson assumed to argue again. Cordan spoke
first.
“My Pletar is among
enemies.” The words were simple and hard, but the captain snapped his mouth
closed and jerked to attention just as the other warrior had done. The rest of
the crew followed suit soon after.
The captain bared his own
teeth, his back ramrod straight. “If you do not survive, my Commander, you
have my vow we will see that your enemies follow to their death.”
Cordan nodded, and then
as one, he and Jackson headed for the transporter room. Word must have gone
ahead, because every hall was lined with warriors standing at attention. It
was a fitting salute, Jackson thought, with an inner grimace, when men were
going off to probably die horribly for love. Of course, when he thought it
straight out like that it sounded fucking ridiculous. He blew out a breath
when they reached the transporter room.
The plain fact was that Lena
had already died once; he had no idea how she was back, but he would do just
about anything to not feel that loss ever again. And she was stone cold and in
the presence of enemies. They would get to her or die trying.
Cordan turned to face
him, and something of Jackson’s thoughts must have come down the link because
he spoke. “We will not die today,” he said stepping up on the transporter pad
behind Jackson. “Visions I have seen have not yet come to pass.”
Jackson grunted. “That
would be more reassuring if I believed in that shit,” he muttered. Cordan
motioned the go ahead to his warriors and they were gone.
***
Lena stepped up to the
altar aware that every gun was pointed at her back as she did so. She took a
deep breath and whispered quietly inside her own head. Whoever spoke to me
before, if you have the ability to do more than talk, now would be a good time.
She grabbed the stone.
Lena opened the eyes she
had closed anticipating another explosion of pain that didn’t come. She looked
down at the benign softly glowing stone cradled in her hand, and felt a subtle
warmth seeping into her skin, and that was it. After taking the first stone like
a blast to the heart, and then dying from a literal blast to the heart, it was
anticlimactic. She turned to find the mercenaries had moved closer while she
stood there. The Collector was almost within touching distance. They had all
left their lights behind so they stood in darker shadows. The only man still
standing further back was the shadow man, who was ironically in the brightest
part of the cave while everyone else had approached the darkness.
Lena held up the stone so
The Collector could see it. Then she tossed it as far into the darkness as she
could and threw herself behind the altar in the other direction while they
watched the stone’s ark. The Collector yelled and everyone opened fire on the
place where she had been. Without the glow of the stone to light the area, the
altar and Lena beyond it disappeared into
have the coordinates?”
As the man stood to
attention, Jackson could practically hear the snap of his back. “I have the
general area, but not close enough for guaranteed accuracy.”
Jackson looked at Cordan
and nodded. They would take whatever chance they needed to. Neither of them ever
wanted to feel along the bond again what they felt when Lena died. “We go,” he
said grimly.
Cordan nodded. The captain
started to argue and the rest of the men looked alarmed. “Sir, if you teleport
in without the correct coordinates you could end up inside solid rock. Even an
immortal would not survive such a thing, even if we had a way of getting you
back out again, which we would not when your com unit rematerializes and is destroyed
along with you.”
Cordan smiled at the man
with a show of sharp teeth. “Then I trust you will see that anyone trying to
leave that moon after I am dead will follow me.”
The captain opened his
mouth, looking equally grim, Jackson assumed to argue again. Cordan spoke
first.
“My Pletar is among
enemies.” The words were simple and hard, but the captain snapped his mouth
closed and jerked to attention just as the other warrior had done. The rest of
the crew followed suit soon after.
The captain bared his own
teeth, his back ramrod straight. “If you do not survive, my Commander, you
have my vow we will see that your enemies follow to their death.”
Cordan nodded, and then
as one, he and Jackson headed for the transporter room. Word must have gone
ahead, because every hall was lined with warriors standing at attention. It
was a fitting salute, Jackson thought, with an inner grimace, when men were
going off to probably die horribly for love. Of course, when he thought it
straight out like that it sounded fucking ridiculous. He blew out a breath
when they reached the transporter room.
The plain fact was that Lena
had already died once; he had no idea how she was back, but he would do just
about anything to not feel that loss ever again. And she was stone cold and in
the presence of enemies. They would get to her or die trying.
Cordan turned to face
him, and something of Jackson’s thoughts must have come down the link because
he spoke. “We will not die today,” he said stepping up on the transporter pad
behind Jackson. “Visions I have seen have not yet come to pass.”
Jackson grunted. “That
would be more reassuring if I believed in that shit,” he muttered. Cordan
motioned the go ahead to his warriors and they were gone.
***
Lena stepped up to the
altar aware that every gun was pointed at her back as she did so. She took a
deep breath and whispered quietly inside her own head. Whoever spoke to me
before, if you have the ability to do more than talk, now would be a good time.
She grabbed the stone.
Lena opened the eyes she
had closed anticipating another explosion of pain that didn’t come. She looked
down at the benign softly glowing stone cradled in her hand, and felt a subtle
warmth seeping into her skin, and that was it. After taking the first stone like
a blast to the heart, and then dying from a literal blast to the heart, it was
anticlimactic. She turned to find the mercenaries had moved closer while she
stood there. The Collector was almost within touching distance. They had all
left their lights behind so they stood in darker shadows. The only man still
standing further back was the shadow man, who was ironically in the brightest
part of the cave while everyone else had approached the darkness.
Lena held up the stone so
The Collector could see it. Then she tossed it as far into the darkness as she
could and threw herself behind the altar in the other direction while they
watched the stone’s ark. The Collector yelled and everyone opened fire on the
place where she had been. Without the glow of the stone to light the area, the
altar and Lena beyond it disappeared into
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