Ovation (Galaxy Circus #9)

Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Lila

I stand in front of Magenta’s door, chewing on my lip as I try to decide if I’m going to risk knocking or not.

“They will be alright, my sweet blood rose.” I almost jump a mile into the air at the sound of Saxon’s voice behind me. I thought I’d been stealthy when I snuck away to check on my friend. I whirl around to face him, my cheeks heated with embarrassment. The corridors are filled with excited performers and crew who are all making their way to the circus pod for entry to Earth.

We sent out a ship-wide notification that none of us would be traveling down with the pod because of our children. Instead, we will beam down as necessary so we don’t have to leave our children alone because we feel they are too young to travel to Earth.

It’s been well received, and lots of people tell us goodbye as they pass.

I lean against the wall next to Saxon and stare at the closed door. “Doesn’t mean I don’t worry.”

He chuckles and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Magenta is way more prepared for something like this than you were, and you survived just fine. So will she. Come on, the pod is about to leave, and it’s fascinating to watch it from the bridge.”

I take one more look at my friend’s door and allow Saxon to lead me away. He’s right, the corridors are a lot less crowded. All of the performers and crew travel down with the pod. The remaining crew on the big ship, the café staff, and retail store workers, as well as housekeeping and such all treat this time as days off. Some of them also travel down with the pod to do tourist things on Earth. The cafes and stores are closed, and the entertainment venues have reduced hours because of the lack of patrons. The large dining area will be used for all meals.

It really is a skeleton crew, so I’m surprised when I get to the bridge and there is almost a full complement of crew and someone projecting their emotions like they are an electronic billboard in Times Square. I just about stumble at the impact, but I manage to keep myself steady—Saxon’s hand on my back helped too.

“What’s going on?” I ask Captain Lester, and he grunts a greeting before replying.

“None of us wanted to travel down on the ship this swing. We were there recently.”

“But can Bubby fly the pod on his own?”

“He isn’t on his own, you stupid girl. The pod has a separate crew from this one,” he snarls, and my eyebrows jump in surprise.

“Watch how you speak to her.” Saxon steps between Lester and me and stares the Skarrian man down. Lester pales considerably and steps back, but he doesn’t apologize.

This asshole is on my very last fucking nerve. He has been nothing but rude and combative with me since day one.

“Clear the bridge,” I call as Xavier and Brannock walk out from the war room and take up spots on the wall. They obviously heard our confrontation.

The crew members exchange glances but are quick to comply.

“Not you, Lester,” I say flatly as he tries to join the rest of them. He stiffens and turns back to face me, his lips turned up in a sneer.

“Look at you, growing a backbone. Well, it won’t be enough. You won’t be able to replace your grandfathers. You don’t have the balls to run this operation.”

“Whether I do or not is neither here nor there, but you won’t be here to see it. Pack your things, you’re fired.”

“But I have a contract,” he sputters, looking surprised that, yes, I do have those balls he was skeptical of.

I shrug. “I don’t care. I will have our lawyers pay it out. I’m done with this shit.”

“Who will captain this ship? Broderick Potter can’t do it on his own.”

“I don’t care. I’ll find someone,” I reply calmly, though internally I’m freaking out.

“I can do it.” Saxon moves now that Lester isn’t as confrontational. “If I can captain a Vilaxian battle cruiser, then this ship will be a piece of cake.”

“Oh snap,” Xavier mutters, and he and Brannock exchange a fist bump. I ignore their antics.

“I will arrange for a fast shuttle from Skarr to retrieve you. Until then, you are confined to your quarters for insubordination to your superior.”

“Superior?” he scoffs. “You don’t even have a ranking.”

“Maybe not, but I am the CEO, so until there is a ranking that is suitable for me, say maybe supreme and benevolent beautiful one, then I still outrank you.” All three of my guys snicker at my fabulous new title, but again, I ignore them, keeping my focus on the irate man in front of me.

He doesn’t say another word as he turns and marches out of the room. The ship begins to shake as the circus pod breaks off and starts its descent to the surface. I’m shaking with adrenaline as I move over to the viewing window and watch in silence. I feel my guys fall in behind me, but they stay quiet while I process my feelings.

I knew everyone wasn’t going to be happy with me taking over the circus, but no one has been outwardly aggressive. I’ve been working hard, and I think maybe some who were doubting me have come to change their minds. I guess Captain Lester wasn’t one of them.

I turn away from watching the pod and find that Tirrian, Zeydan, and Silac have joined us.

“I’ve been monitoring communications since Brannock sent word via the Madovian’s communicator that the orb has been located and she is working on retrieving it. There aren’t signs of any other ships in the vicinity yet.” Silac takes a seat in the vacated security officer’s chair.

“Should someone be escorting him?” Tirrian waves his hand in the direction the disgruntled captain went.

I shake my head. “No. I’m giving him enough rope to hang himself with.”

All the others gape at me with confusion, except Xavier.

“Captain Lester is quite the projector when his emotions are high,” he explains.

“Yes, the minute I walked through the door, his thoughts and emotions hit me like a slap in the face. He was giddy with excitement,” I tell them. “Apparently he received a communication informing him of the whereabouts of the orb and to be on standby to transport himself and one other to a specific location.”

“He’s the mole?” Zeydan asks, starting to follow after him, but I wave him back.

“Leave him. I want to know what he’s going to do.”

Silac’s fingers have been tapping furiously on the screens in the security officer’s station. He’s muttering to himself, but he finally looks up. The window has been turned into a giant viewing screen, and on it, we can see a transcript of his communications.

“I found these in his inbox. They were encrypted, but I managed to break the encryption.”

Sure enough, in black and white, there are the exact instructions he received signed with a stylish S.

“It doesn’t mention how they are going to transport. No teleporting machine is powerful enough to teleport across the galaxy,” Saxon murmurs as Silac brings up another communication. This one was sent by Captain Lester last night.

Can confirm Madovian agent is on the ship. I saw her with my own eyes. Will attempt to make contact and ascertain the whereabouts of the orb.

The response is harsh.

Stand down. If you attempt to interfere with their mission, you will be terminated. I’m sure you wouldn’t like to be the Madovian’s next incubator. Your job is transport only. It’s why you were activated in the first place.

“He’s obviously a low man in the Syndicate,” I remark. “I wonder how long he’s been working for them or if it’s recent.”

“I can’t find any more messages to him prior to the circus breaking up. They must have tapped him while he was on hiatus.” Silac leans back in his chair, switching the image from the messages to cameras that track Lester as he moves through the ship.

We’re all silent as we watch him go into his room. There are no cameras in there, but it doesn’t take long for him to reappear with a backpack on his shoulder.

“He obviously already had that packed,” Xavier says, pointing at the screen.

“A bugout bag,” I murmur.

“Where is he going?” Brannock asks. “I would have expected him to head to the space dock.”

The cameras track him back to the elevator, and he gets on it. We have to wait until he makes his descent or ascent before the cameras will pick him up again.

Instead of the space dock, the lift opens one deck below where we are currently standing. On the bridge deck, there is only the bridge and our suite now, as well as the war/conference room. The teleport room was shifted one deck down at the same time my grandpas moved their suite down a deck to free up space for me and my family.

“Is he ignoring instructions and going after the orb? Does he think it’s in your grandpas’ rooms? Did they leave any of their belongings there?” Zeydan asks me, and I shake my head.

“No, I don’t think so. Maybe some clothes, but they took all their personal items home with them.”

We watch him walk straight past my grandpas’ suite to the teleporting bay.

“What is he doing now?” Tirrian points as he activates the teleporter. “Can you see what his destination is?”

Silac frowns but leans forward and starts typing again. “Maybe.” His brow furrows in concentration, and his lips purse. He looks up. “He isn’t going anywhere. There is an incoming transport.”

We watch in stunned amazement as Smith appears on the teleporting platform, gun in hand, looking around in awe.

They say something to each other, which we can’t hear, before they leave the transport room and head back to the elevator.

“Should we stop them?” Saxon asks me, and I look at my Aaz’axian mate, seeing the pure fury in his eyes as he looks at the man who has held his daughter’s safety over his head for so many months. Smith is right within Brannock’s reach. I could let him take his revenge now.

Just as I’m about to give the go ahead, my warlock speaks up.

“If we get rid of Smith now, it may tip off the Syndicate to this being a setup.”

I heave out a sigh and nod. I hate seeing the disappointment on Brannock’s face, so I go over to him and give him a kiss on the lips before wrapping my arms around him.

“Xavier is right,” I tell him, even though I hate to say those words out loud.

He sags at my touch but nods. “Yes, I know, but it doesn’t mean I don’t hate it.”

“Me too, baby, but I promise you will get your pound of flesh,” I whisper into his ear.

“And entrails and organs. I like to rip out their heart while it’s still beating,” Zeydan says, and when I turn to look at my deity mate in shock, his eyes flash red and he glows green, his god powers pulsing.

“Whoa. Slow your roll, big guy. Evisceration is so messy. Getting body fluids out of fabric is tedious.”

I gape at my mates talking so casually about murder. Yeah, I am more blasé about it now, and I’ll do anything to protect my family, but this seems a little extreme, almost like they enjoy it.

“Oh, don’t look so shocked. You know we don’t work with the same stunted morals as Earthlings,” Saxon tells me, and I gulp in a big breath of air before turning my attention to the screen.

Smith and Lester just exited the elevator in the spaceport. I watch as they hurry toward the closest shuttle. It’s my grandpas’ personal one, which they left on board for my use. It’s how I planned to get the orb to the Syndicate meeting.

“Don’t let them steal my ship,” I tell Silac.

“It’s secure and can only be accessed by you or one of us,” he assures me.

We watch as Lester is approached by one of the spaceport crew. He seems to be the only one around, but before he can say anything, Smith lifts his gun and shoots him.

I scream and clamp a hand over my mouth. “Oh my god!”

“Fuck, they really mean business,” Xavier growls.

“We’re lucky he’s a shitty shot.” Zeydan points at the crew member. He’s down, but it looks like he was only hit in the shoulder. The other two keep moving to the next shuttle. This one is smaller and not as fast as my grandpas’ vessel. “As soon as they leave, you can get down there and heal him.”

“That’s going to take forever to get where they need to go,” I murmur as they are more successful this time. The door opens, and the two of them run up the ramp.

“Actually, it won’t. My aunt upgraded the technology on those crafts too.” Saxon nods at mine and the other three in the hangar. “They all have subsonic capabilities and are probably faster than this ship now. They are small and light and travel at a faster pace.”

We’re all silent as the shuttle lights up and slowly moves down the hangar, the big bay doors opening, and then it glides out into space. We switch the view so we are now watching it live as it crosses in front of the bridge viewing window. It doesn’t get very far before it jumps to warp speed and disappears.

“They are gone,” Brannock says flatly, and I squeeze him.

“That was always the plan.”

“Come on, man, cheer up.” Xavier slaps him on the back and heads for the exit to the bridge, whistling. “Let’s go get your daughter.”