Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)(57)

“I love her,” he finally murmured, turning back to look at the two men he considered to be friends. “She… She’s strong and loyal… and has an incredible sense of humor when you get to know her.” Tim sat back, his face reflecting his shock. Destin glanced over at Mason. The big man surprised him. Mason had a crooked grin on his face. “What are you grinning at?” Destin demanded, frowning at the big man.

“I kind of thought you might have fallen for her when you came close to whipping my ass earlier in the conference room. You deserve love, Destin. If the blue lady makes you happy, I’ll stand by you,” Mason promised.

Destin pressed his lips together and nodded. He saw Tim give him a nod in agreement as well. Destin refocused on the scene outside the window. They were beginning their descent over the base. He could see the markings of the landing pad. His left hand clenched on the small tote bag that Troy had given him. He unzipped it and began removing the weapons inside, checking each, and fitting them around his body. As far as he was concerned, whoever in the hell had attacked Sula and Beth had made a critical error. It was personal now.

..*





* * *



Prymorus stared at the report coming in from the vidcom attached to one of the men on the team. As if in slow motion, he saw the human woman with her arms raised, a weapon held firmly between her hands. A moment later, the man wearing the recorder fell back and Prymorus could only see the dark sky and the flashes of light from the Trivator transports. With a press of a button, the vidcom shut down and the circuits dissolved when he activated the self-destruct sequence programmed into it. He had assigned the men to retrieve the Usoleum Councilor, and once again, an elite team had been defeated as if they were unskilled civilians.

Earlier in the day, he had instructed the Raftian to install a surveillance module in the Councilor’s living quarters when the male told him he would be on the Trivator base doing some electrical repairs. Rising out of his seat, he walked around the desk. Retris stood at attention. Prymorus walked by him and out of the building they were using. If Retris hadn’t been so good at what he did, Prymorus would have taken his frustration out on the man. Instead, he drew in a deep breath and stared up at the stars.

Retris silently followed him, standing a short distance away. Prymorus didn’t know if Retris instinctively knew to give him the space he needed, or if it was because the other male realized it would be safer. In the distance, Prymorus could hear the sounds of construction continuing throughout the city.

“Find the Raftian and the Jawtaw. Bring them to me,” Prymorus ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Retris replied, turning to order one of his men to complete the task.

“Personally, Retris,” Prymorus stated. “I want you to find them and bring them here.”

“Sir… Your safety,” Retris began, remaining still when Prymorus swirled with an unexpected savagery. The male next to Retris raised his hand to touch the long blade protruding from his throat, a low gurgling sound escaping him before he collapsed on the ground next to Retris. “I’ll leave immediately.”

“See that you do,” Prymorus replied, walking over and pulling the blade from the dead male’s throat as he passed.

The sense that time was running out struck him hard. It had taken a very long time, and a great deal of coordination, to join the Waxian and Drethulan forces together. While the Drethulans had been the ones to approach the Warlords, he was the only one that had recognized the full potential of them becoming allies.

The Drethulans were to enter this part of the galaxy within hours from the opposite side of the sun, using the huge mass and the radiation from it to help cover their arrival. It was one reason he had sent the team in. He wanted Ikera and Parks alive. Once the Drethulans arrived, there was no guarantee they would survive the invasion. Unfortunately, the dead bodies of his team would alert the Trivators to the fact that a Waxian force was on the planet.

There was a tremendous amount weighing on the success of taking this planet. It would be the first test of the pods made from the unique ore mined on Dises V. If the metal proved to be impenetrable to the Trivator’s weapons, it would allow the Drethulan and Waxian forces a superior edge in the battle against the Alliance forces. Even if the warships’ shields failed, the hulls would not.

Prymorus had hired the former Usoleum Councilor, Badrick, recognizing the other male’s weaknesses and using them against him. The Usoleum was instrumental in negotiating with the Disesians. The Disesians had wanted additional protection for their mining colony when a new ore had been discovered. Prymorus had realized the ore was instrumental if he wanted to negotiate with the Drethulans.

He had discovered the Drethulans’ plans to seize control of the Alliance – and Prymorus wanted to be a part of it. The Waxians had brought weapons, ships, and their mercenary services to the table, but they couldn’t build enough without more ore, and no mining colony currently possessed a sufficient quantity to meet their needs unless he took over the running of the mines.

Getting enough ore to build the Drethulan pods had taken several years, in large part because of the resistance of several former military personnel on Dises V, including Commander Atlas, the former leader of the Western Region and the suspected leader of the rebel group on Dises V.

But the Drethulans needed more than just ore, mercenaries, weapons, and ships to take on the Alliance, they needed to learn the Trivators’ weaknesses, and Prymorus was determined to make himself invaluable in this aspect, too. He was going to be a very important man in the new order.