as you broke Kor'Vakkar, we have broken your entire species."] Her lip curled back in a vicious snarl. ["I saw it, I shall have you know. Earth. I watched it burn. This ship was one of the many who reported the location of the most inhabited areas. We gave the targeting information to our cruisers. We were the eyes that guided the spears that pierced the heart of your people."]
She nodded again. Her prisoner gestured around at the metal hull of the Madrid .
["You cower behind the Telvan. They are weak. They cannot protect you. This world will be discovered. More of us will come, when our ship's absence is noted. Avaran will have your head as he promised, and just as he said, you will die last."]
That had been Aravan's threat to her. That he would drag her to his bridge in chains, make her watch as he killed every Human that existed and then kill her too.
Liao blinked rapidly, the Toralii equivalent of a shrug.
["Mock me as you wish, Human. Torture me. Kill me. I care not. More will come; we will never stop until all of your wretched species is dust. None defy my people as you have done and escape without paying the price."]
She wanted to shoot the Toralii female dead. She wanted to line their prisoners up and, one by one, put a bullet between their eyes. Make her watch, as Avaran had threatened to do to her. The threats people used against you were often the things they, themselves, feared. She would break this Toralii commander, vent her rage and the injustices of her people, burned to ashes on Earth's roiling, charred surface.
But instead, she turned her back and left without saying a word.
The Broadsword fell into the atmosphere, flames licking up the sides of the tiny viewing portals as it descended. The speed was not strictly necessary. The reactionless drives could lower them through the atmosphere slow enough to avoid a heated re-entry, which was the protocol for damaged craft, but this way was much faster.
Liao, stuck with her thoughts once again, certainly appreciated their alacrity.
The moment the ship's loading ramp dropped into the dirt, she walked down it. The area had been mud only hours before, but the heat and sun had dried it back to dirt. She knew better than to be fooled, though. The sooner they established an all-weather landing pad, the better.
She walked back to Operations, touching her new radio as she did.
"Liao to Operations."
"Lieutenant Yung here. Welcome back, Captain."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. I'm on my way back to Operations."
"How was your mission?"
"Successful," Liao said, moving into the hangar bay. "The trade was made, and the crew of our missing ship—along with the ship itself—were returned. I also managed to pick us up something that might help us in the coming days. I was going to write a full report about it, if Commander Iraj is happy to hold down Operations for a while longer."
"Commander Iraj is off duty, Captain. The 1800 shift began two hours ago."
Liao shook her head as she made her way through the bustling corridor. "Who authorised the shift change?"
The officer on the other end hesitated as though she was testing him. "Captain, it's 2004 hours."
She stopped, squinting as she looked at her watch.
She'd been awake for nearly thirty-six hours. With limited sleep before that.
"Understood," she said. "Disregard that question. Thank you, Lieutenant."
She closed the line and changed course back towards her quarters. Upon arriving, she closed the door, the thick metal seeming heavier than it usually did, then tried to sleep.
Liao tried everything. Singing an old Chinese lullaby. Counting sheep. Lying there with her eyes closed, occasionally turning over and over in her bed. Nothing.
Eventually she dragged herself back to her feet, showered, dressed again and then sat down at her desk. If she was going to be awake, she might as well use that time productively. She pulled out her tablet, plugged in a keyboard and then began to type.
The words blurred together as
She nodded again. Her prisoner gestured around at the metal hull of the Madrid .
["You cower behind the Telvan. They are weak. They cannot protect you. This world will be discovered. More of us will come, when our ship's absence is noted. Avaran will have your head as he promised, and just as he said, you will die last."]
That had been Aravan's threat to her. That he would drag her to his bridge in chains, make her watch as he killed every Human that existed and then kill her too.
Liao blinked rapidly, the Toralii equivalent of a shrug.
["Mock me as you wish, Human. Torture me. Kill me. I care not. More will come; we will never stop until all of your wretched species is dust. None defy my people as you have done and escape without paying the price."]
She wanted to shoot the Toralii female dead. She wanted to line their prisoners up and, one by one, put a bullet between their eyes. Make her watch, as Avaran had threatened to do to her. The threats people used against you were often the things they, themselves, feared. She would break this Toralii commander, vent her rage and the injustices of her people, burned to ashes on Earth's roiling, charred surface.
But instead, she turned her back and left without saying a word.
The Broadsword fell into the atmosphere, flames licking up the sides of the tiny viewing portals as it descended. The speed was not strictly necessary. The reactionless drives could lower them through the atmosphere slow enough to avoid a heated re-entry, which was the protocol for damaged craft, but this way was much faster.
Liao, stuck with her thoughts once again, certainly appreciated their alacrity.
The moment the ship's loading ramp dropped into the dirt, she walked down it. The area had been mud only hours before, but the heat and sun had dried it back to dirt. She knew better than to be fooled, though. The sooner they established an all-weather landing pad, the better.
She walked back to Operations, touching her new radio as she did.
"Liao to Operations."
"Lieutenant Yung here. Welcome back, Captain."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. I'm on my way back to Operations."
"How was your mission?"
"Successful," Liao said, moving into the hangar bay. "The trade was made, and the crew of our missing ship—along with the ship itself—were returned. I also managed to pick us up something that might help us in the coming days. I was going to write a full report about it, if Commander Iraj is happy to hold down Operations for a while longer."
"Commander Iraj is off duty, Captain. The 1800 shift began two hours ago."
Liao shook her head as she made her way through the bustling corridor. "Who authorised the shift change?"
The officer on the other end hesitated as though she was testing him. "Captain, it's 2004 hours."
She stopped, squinting as she looked at her watch.
She'd been awake for nearly thirty-six hours. With limited sleep before that.
"Understood," she said. "Disregard that question. Thank you, Lieutenant."
She closed the line and changed course back towards her quarters. Upon arriving, she closed the door, the thick metal seeming heavier than it usually did, then tried to sleep.
Liao tried everything. Singing an old Chinese lullaby. Counting sheep. Lying there with her eyes closed, occasionally turning over and over in her bed. Nothing.
Eventually she dragged herself back to her feet, showered, dressed again and then sat down at her desk. If she was going to be awake, she might as well use that time productively. She pulled out her tablet, plugged in a keyboard and then began to type.
The words blurred together as
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