The Ashes of Worlds - Kevin J. Anderson [194]
The cargo hauler roared over the immense hive city, skimming barely above the twisted towers, the lumpy monoliths, the pockmarked black openings.
Nothing responded. Nothing came out to see them.
She circled around and made a second run. Kotto’s fingers were ready on the Siren’s transmit button, but no Klikiss showed themselves. None.
Finally, gathering her courage, Tasia landed in a swirl of powdery dust where the human colony had been, where she had fought the bugs and rescued the few remaining settlers. Once the cargo hauler was on the ground, she waited a few more tense moments, alert for any movement. Still nothing.
Finally, she opened the hatch and let the dry air and yellowish sunlight flood in. Llaro was completely silent. Completely empty.
“Shizz, where the hell have they all gone?”
* * *
134
Sarein
When Sarein was safely aboard the Blind Faith, Captain Roberts took off from the Palace District without bothering to request clearance. He flew swiftly away, ignoring outraged protests from the ground control system. With the threat of rubble bombardment and the chaos of so many scout ships trying to protect Earth, nobody had time to track a single unmarked craft anyway.
Sitting in a comfortable passenger seat, Sarein breathed in the aroma of the new ship: the upholstery, the polish on the decks and bulkheads, the air from the freshly tuned atmosphere recyclers. For her, it was the smell of freedom. “We have to time this carefully,” she said. “We want to be sure Basil has left the flagship before we announce ourselves and ask for sanctuary.”
“We’ll keep an eye on it,” Captain Roberts said.
Sarein swallowed hard. Now that she was on her way, she feared more for Deputy Cain than for herself. He was staying behind. He would have to face Basil. “No, Captain Kett, our worries are far from over.” She closed her eyes in the comfortable passenger seat, felt the ship vibrate as Roberts accelerated away from Earth. “Just get me to my sister and King Peter. They’re the ones I need to talk to.”
Pelted by the tiny rocks that continued to drift toward the planet, the Blind Faith headed out into orbit. They waited at a safe distance from General Brindle’s EDF Juggernaut, watching until Basil’s diplomatic shuttle left the Jupiter and returned to the other Juggernaut.
When they were safely clear, Captain Roberts flew toward the Confederation ships combing space, tightening the net so that no significant fragments passed through. When they approached, Rlinda tapped a transponder, waited for an acknowledgment. “This is Trade Minister Rlinda Kett. I’ve got news, and a guest, for King Peter and Queen Estarra.”
The flagship Juggernaut’s large hull doors swung apart to admit them, and Roberts masterfully guided the ship into an open hangar bay.
Sarein stepped out of the Blind Faith feeling stronger than she could remember feeling for a very long time. That was when she realized that she hadn’t left home, she was coming home.
When she walked onto the bridge, Sarein’s eyes were immediately drawn to King Peter . . . and Queen Estarra. Estarra.
She and her sister were so different. Sarein had been ambitious, excited by the prospect of power and its trappings. Estarra had always been more motivated by love for her family — both before and after her marriage to Peter — than a desire for influence, authority, or wealth.
It had taken years for Estarra to convince her that Basil was not the man Sarein thought he was; she had tried to get Sarein to escape with them during the hydrogue attack on Earth. What would have happened, Sarein wondered, if I had changed my mind that night and gone back to Theroc? Would Basil have lost his desperate hold on power before he could do more damage?
How ironic it was that Estarra, who had never craved power, was no longer a mere puppet queen, but a real queen, because she