Heart of Iron (Heart of Iron #1)(17)

“I can explain!”

“I’m sure you can, darling.” The captain took a cigar out from her desk drawer and lit it, the smoldering orange end matching the fiber optics in her hair.

“I know how to fix Di’s memory core, Captain. Here—the coordinates.” She fished out the small square chip from her borrowed Valerio uniform pocket. “To Lord Rasovant’s lost fleetship, the Tsarina.”

“Mokuba’s coordinates,” the captain said flatly. “Ana, I told you not to go after them. We have no business—”

“No business? Rasovant’s ship could save Di and that’s not our business?”

“That ship is dangerous.”

“But we do danger every day!” Ana argued. “Why is this any different? If there’s a chance we can save D09? I’ll risk—I’ll risk everything.”

“I know,” Siege replied, massaging the bridge of her nose. “But what would you have done if you were arrested? If D09 were arrested? Jax?”

“They wanted to come—”

“I’m sure they’d follow you to the ends of the stars,” the woman replied wryly, “but that doesn’t mean you take them there.”

She bit the inside of her cheek. “I know, Captain, but I had to try. If anything can tell us how to fix Di’s memory core, or point us in the right direction, it’s that ship. I know it.”

The captain sat forward in her chair, cigar wedged into the corner of her lips. “There’s lots of rumors about that ship, darling—unsanctioned Metal projects, missing tech, long-lost kingdom secrets—but in my experience, rumors aren’t true and that ship’s nothing more than a death trap.”

“But what if you’re wrong? Wouldn’t you do anything to save me?”

She puffed on her cigar, chewing on the end. “How did you even get the money Mokuba was asking for it? No—don’t tell me. The Ironblood bought it and you improvised.”

Ana gave a half shrug, not quite disagreeing, and held out the small green chip to the captain. “Can we at least see where these coordinates point? Please. I’ve never asked for anything before.”

She’d never needed to—and she’d been so thankful for that.

But now she was asking.

The captain’s hair shimmered a deep orange—the color Ana knew well as “no.” But then Siege leaned forward and took the chip out of Ana’s outstretched hand. “On one condition,” the captain said. “You do what I say whenever I say it—no matter what. Do we have a deal?”

“That’s a terrible deal—is this because I didn’t tell you I was going to meet Mokuba?”

“Do we have a deal?” repeated the captain.

Ana chewed on the inside of her cheek. If she said yes, she wouldn’t have any power if the captain decided to go—but at least they’d be going, right?

If it was to save Di, she’d do anything.

“Fine,” she agreed.

“Good.” The captain inserted the chip into the holo-pad sitting on her desk. The glass screen flickered to life, swirling into a map of the solar system. It zeroed in on a small pinpoint at the edge of the kingdom. Near Cerces.

Ana’s chest tightened. Oh no.

Palavar.

Desperately, she said, “Please. Reprimand me, ground me, take my wages—I don’t care. We have to go. I can’t lose Di. I—”

The small intercom box lit up, and Jax’s voice punched through the receiver. “Captain,” he said, and there was something strange in his voice. It put Ana on edge. “We’re being followed.”





Jax


Careless. He’d gotten too careless.

Eros took up most of the starshield, a blue-and-green planet wrapped in layers and layers of bone-white clouds. In the corner of the starshield was a small video feed he kept his eye on, relaying the space behind them. Nevaeh floated against the backdrop of infinite space like a bulb about to bloom, and from it pursued an Artem-1S schooner. Bright silver, solar rocket propulsion. One of the first ships not to rely on solar sails. It was fast, and it was trouble.

He was good at losing Messiers. They had a one-track mind, and all he had to do was be unpredictable—but he’d never had the privilege of losing the Royal Guard before.

The captain burst into the cockpit like a firestorm.

“Report,” she said, resting a hand on the back of his chair. “Flying any colors?”

“Purple and silver, the Royal Guard,” he replied tightly as Ana eased through the doorway to the cockpit, staring wide-eyed at the pursuing ship on the screen.

“What did you do on Nevaeh, darling?” the captain asked Ana.

“We . . .” Ana, for the first time, was at a loss for words. “I . . .”

Jax tapped his thumbs on the controls, watching the rear screen. Something was wrong. The Artem-1S schooner was still a good distance away, and he knew it could be a lot closer by now. Why was it waiting?

“We might’ve caught the attention of the Royal Captain,” Jax filled in when Ana didn’t answer. “The Carnelian one.”

“Viera Carnelian. Good,” the captain said, clearly believing the opposite. “This is good. Perhaps she just wants to be invited aboard for cup of tea.”