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.I could not leave them here, Commander Talan is very cruel and would have taken his revenge on them if he found they helped us escape." Her heart ached at the thought of what would have happened to the children if they were left behind."Could you please call for them? I have not seen any children in ages!" Tiana didn't like the look in Vickie's eyes, it reminded her of a predator on the hunt.but she found she trusted the woman, knowing that she meant no harm.she was just lonely."Ok.Gil'Da, could you bring the children up here and make sure to stay with them." She quickly glanced at Vickie, unable to keep a smile from flashing on her lips."I trust you, Lady Vickie, will control yourself.I did not free them from one torture so they would have to endure another!" her words were playful and Vickie's openly shocked face, which was obviously being faked, made her certain she would have to keep an eye on her."My Lady Tiana! I would never do such things with anyone under the age of 16!" Tiana knew there was some honesty in her words, even the most lecherous of the paramour women would not engage in inappropriate relations with anyone too young.But that wouldn't stop them from some of the other, less scrupulous, activities.Tiana was suddenly reminded of when she visited a Tileenia regeneration spa with her mother and watched the young boys massaging oils into the older noble's naked skin.It just seemed wrong.and the memory still made her shiver.but it was better than some of the alternatives."I will take my leave of you now.I trust you to use discretion and not share what we have discussed with any of your friends." Vickie's face suddenly returned to the look of disgust."Til'Ma is my only friend, Lady Tiana.The Hulk'Zif nobility can burn in the Emperor's fire for all I care.In fact, I'll even provide you with access codes to their secure channels, just as long as you allow me to participate in the removal of Sir Simwa's head!" Tiana cringed at the thought, but knew Vickie's words were completely true.She curtsied, promising to return once she checked on the bridge, and followed Gil'Da down the stairs.The shuttle door had been sealed and the preflight preparations appeared to be underway.Tiana entered the bridge to check on the progress, finding Tomi at the engineering station and Yaz at the helm.The bridge was setup in a diamond formation, with the helm at the front, about two meters from the main projected viewscreen, and the engineering and communication/sensor stations a couple meters behind.Near the back of the bridge, raised higher than the other stations, was the Captain's chair, a small CID set in the floor to its front.Tiana hesitated at first, but decided it wouldn't hurt to take a seat."How are the preparations progressing?" Tomi and Yaz turned their heads in surprise, having been so engrossed in their work that they didn't notice Tiana as she entered."Good, My Lady, I managed to completely lock out Commander Talan from the base systems.even if he knew about us leaving, he wouldn't be able to stop us." Tiana smiled at the thought of the older man being unable to access the most basic functions of the station."We're ready to launch on your command." Tiana stared to Tomi, then Yaz, both obviously nervous, but hiding it well, and took a deep breath.Their plan was simple, they would manually fly through the narrow starship lanes in the asteroid belt, then travel slowly towards Earth to avoid detection.Tomi assured her that Yaz was the best pilot in the TSB, even though he was only 15 and had never actually flown a real starship before, only simulations.She again had to resolve herself to the fact that she was relying on the words of these young trainees, even if they were only one year younger then herself.It would be much easier to give in and be handed over to the Duke, but she knew that was unacceptable.she had to save Sasha.she had to help her friend."Launch!" she shouted while she stood, her long blond hair falling across her face.Again, she felt childish when she tried to act with authority, like a child playing captain.The only response was the sight of the docking bay door opening and the shuttle slowing moving out into the cold darkness of space [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]