Dreadnought (Lost Colonies Trilogy Book 2) by B. V. Larson Page A

especially not for a rules-stickler like you. Now that hostilities have ceased, you must bend to my authority again. I’ll be leading this diplomatic mission, as I’m the diplomat!”
    We stared at one another, and both of us knew the truth of it. She had me.
    Nodding my head, I reached up and grasped the hatch by the ring that served as a door handle.
    “Very well, Ambassador Grantholm. I will await your return.”
    So saying, I slammed the hatch closed.

-11-
     
    I managed to take a dozen angry steps across the hangar deck before the pinnace hatch creaked open behind me again.
    “Sparhawk?” Grantholm called. “I haven’t dismissed you. Please return and attend me immediately.”
    Halting in irritation, it took an effort of will to turn around and face her without shouting profanity.
    It was one thing, after all, to accept her authority as a non-military official over what was essentially a military mission. To have her ordering me around like a cabin boy was something quite different.
    All that aside, however, she did have the authority to command any diplomatic effort, which was what we were clearly embarked upon now.
    Reluctantly, I returned to the pinnace and gave her a wry grimace.
    “You can’t abandon your role in this effort now,” she said. “Is this a fit of pique? If so, it’s quite unprofessional.”
    “Madam Ambassador, I’m returning to the command deck. Someone must prepare for any upcoming battle your visit may instigate.”
    She made a snorting sound. “Now who’s insulting whom? Look William, let’s cooperate. The people on this station spoke to you before, and you promised you would meet them in person. Why you did so is still beyond me—but that’s done now. The point is they expect Captain Sparhawk to step onto their station.”
    “I will command the away-team,” I said. “You must listen to me if things go badly. You can talk to their leaders after I introduce you. Agreed?”
    She laughed. “The away-team? You mean yourself and this giantess? Fine. If things go badly, I would assume we’ll all be swiftly killed anyway.”
    With ill-grace, I boarded the pinnace and moved forward to sit beside Zye.
    The hangar was depressurized, and a blast shield rolled away to reveal a black rectangle of open space.
    Off to the lower left the station was visible. Zye lofted the pinnace, and we glided out into the void. The view was magnificent. Up close, the station resembled a multi-faceted silver ornament. As it spun, the fire of the orange star nearby lit up the facets and sent brilliant flashes of color in every direction.
    “There, see the damage you did?” Lady Grantholm exclaimed, pointing at a blackened facet that looked like a burnt out triangular hole in the hull.
    “I do indeed,” I said. “Recall that if I hadn’t punctured their pretty station, they’d have attacked us with their fighters.”
    Her face twisted up in irritation. “Your crewmen are constantly telling me how smart you are. Perhaps in this case you were in the right, but you shouldn’t let things like this go to your head, William. Speaking of the fighters… where are they now?”
    “Following us cautiously. They have yet to return to the station.”
    “Perhaps they can’t because you destroyed their launch deck.”
    I shrugged. “It’s possible.”
    We said little else as we followed a landing signal toward the station. A section of the shield flickered out, and we entered the inner zone near the hull. At the last moment, when we were barely crawling, our guests finally saw fit to open another facet. The opening behind it was pitch-black.
    Zye eased the craft into this massive region. Up close, the station was more impressive than I’d realized. Earth had never built anything so large. The station had to be the size of a small moon, at least five kilometers in diameter.
    It felt as if we were being swallowed as we entered the station. The door slid shut behind us, and the chamber beyond lit up.
    I’d