Ivy’s grin was pure mischief. “You know it. Earth girls don’t put up with bullshit, so please let me talk to Zara.”
Zara moved forward. “I’m fine, Ivy. I promise. Thank you for wanting to come to my rescue. It means more than you’ll ever know.”
Ivy whistled. “Whoa, woman. You’ve gone full native with that outfit.”
Zara smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s temporary. Once Bertok is taken care of, Isaak is heading your way. He’s got more tech to hunt.”
She frowned. “What?”
“He’s going back to being a space pirate, and I’ll be going home.”
It was Zenos’ turn to frown. “To Earth?”
I looked away from the screen and to watch Zara. She nodded. “Yes. I can’t stay here.”
She was stating the impossible. No female from the Bride Program could return to her home planet. My father was correct. She was under Naron’s brother’s protection. She would go to live with them.
The urge to reach for her and pull her into my arms was strong, but there wasn’t time. I would deal with the attack on Bakkarholt, take care of Bertok, and once Zara and my father’s people were safe, I would speak with the stubborn female. She belonged on Trion. Her response to me was proof of that. The way she reveled in the Trion culture was something she needed, something the testing pulled from her and showed her. Even if she wasn’t with me.
Zenos’s deep, no-nonsense voice penetrated the fog in my mind. “Forty-nine minutes, Isaak.”
“What is going on?”
I spun on my heel and faced my father. “Bertok killed Zara’s mate and traded her to Cerberus. In exchange, Cerberus legion is on their way here to blow up the entire city of Bakkarholt.”
Mother gasped, and Father’s jaw clenched at the words.
“Cerberus doesn’t care if the blame falls on him. He’s known for worse crimes. Cerberus wants an Earth female. Bertok wants control of another region. Bertok heard of Naron’s match and found exactly what Cerberus wanted, took her. Sold her. Cerberus staging the attack will only make him more ruthless and infamous across the galaxy.”
Father blinked, processed my words. Realized the implications. With Trion being so remote, the planet didn’t have much interaction with others. The fact that Cerberus from distant Rogue 5 wanted to destroy an entire city was difficult to comprehend. It was solely because of Zara, really. If she’d been matched to a different planet, perhaps Viken, then it was possible she’d have been sold to Cerberus just the same, but there would have been no bargain to wreak devastation on Trion. Even so, she was innocent. Father had to see that it was Bertok who was the true villain in this.
“Do you have a stealth ship I can borrow?” I asked. “I can’t keep trying to get you to believe me. I don’t even care if you don’t. I’m not going to let Bakkarholt be destroyed and tens of thousands of Trion people die.”
He shook his head. “No. Your ship is where you left it, as is your brother’s. Captain Erick?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Get your men on Malik’s ship,” Father ordered. “Isaak and I will take the other fighter. We will send you coordinates as soon as we are on board.”
My mother placed her hand on Father’s shoulder. “I will take the remaining guards and go to Outpost None. I will hold your seat at the council meeting until you arrive. Hopefully, you will return with the proof we need to prosecute Bertok and eliminate the threat to our people.”
My mother believed me. Fark.
I turned to Zara. “You will go with my mother, Zara. Remain out of sight, gara, and stay with the guards until I arrive.” It was a command, nothing less. I knew what she was capable of. The Omega Dome was one thing, but Trion another entirely. Women were revered and cherished, but they also didn’t behave as Zara would in a dangerous situation. But at least Outpost Nine should be safe. The tent city moved around the planet to host meetings among the High Councilors of the various Trion regions. The Outpost was always heavily guarded and rarely in the same place twice.
Zara tilted her head, and I had no idea if she would obey me or not. I was not her master. She had made that very clear. “Fine. But I’m keeping the cattle prod.”
I nodded. It was a wise idea. She was skilled with the titan stick, and I would feel better knowing she was armed.
“Good luck, friends,” Zenos said from the screen. “I look forward to seeing Cerberus’ plans defeated and a traitor on your planet brought to justice.”
“Tell Astra I’m taking down this Cerberus ship for her. Tell her she owes me one.”
Zenos chuckled, the deep rumble easing a mood that had begun to feel suffocating. “I like the way you bargain, pirate. Consider it done.”
A few quick commands on the comm system, and I transferred the data Zenos and Ivy had sent me to my old ship, relieved to discover that my father had told the truth.
My ship and its command codes were intact, exactly as I had left it. We just had to go to the landing bay to climb aboard.