Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)(16)

“Emergency transmission. Request immediate assistance at Chancellor Razor’s dwelling,” she stated in a cool voice that belied her fear.

“State your emergency,” a voice immediately responded.

“There is an unknown transport on the beach and I heard the sounds of laser fire and an explosion coming from the direction of Chancellor Razor’s dwelling,” Sula responded.

“Emergency personnel have been dispatched. Please remain connected until they arrive,” the voice ordered.

Sula glanced back toward the opening, looking in the direction of the transport she had seen earlier. She shook her head and refocused on the control panel of her own transport. If the Chancellor was in danger, she was sworn to do everything in her power to help.

“Negative,” she replied in a clipped tone. “This is Councilor Jersula Ikera of the Usoleum council. I will assist Chancellor Razor.”

Sula gripped the baton in her left hand. With her right hand, she released the fastening of her outer cover. It slid off her shoulders and she tossed it onto the seat of the transport. She closed the door and pressed in the code to lock it, then retraced her steps to the narrow tunnel between the rocks. The first thing she would do is make sure that the other transport was disabled, and then she would do what she could to assist the Chancellor.



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Destin paused in front of the doorway leading out into the back courtyard. In the far left corner of the garden, the gate that led to the path he had used this morning was open. Faint sparks still flickered from the destroyed locking device. Near the center of the garden, the shadowy figure of one of the intruders warily scanned his surroundings while moving toward the wall. Destin silently moved away from the door to the window.

A grim smile curved Destin’s lips when he saw a brief glimpse of Razor. The Trivator rose from behind some shrubs near the wall. In seconds, both Razor and the man had disappeared behind one of the trees. Destin saw four more shapes moving in the darkness. It wasn’t that difficult to see them considering the second full moon was beginning to rise.

Note to self, check the moon phases if you are going to try to attack at night on an alien planet, he thought as the man became clearly visible when he stepped up onto the covered patio area.

Palming the knife, he decided not to risk throwing it. He had no idea if the man was wearing any protective gear. If he was, Destin didn’t want to lose the only weapon he had. Instead, he moved further back into the shadows near the door. He would take the man out when he stepped inside.

Destin remained motionless, controlling his breathing and waiting. With the light from the moons, he would only get one chance to kill the man and get out of view from the others moving through the garden. He stared at the entrance, willing the man to look the other way when he entered.

A surge of adrenaline pulsed through him the second the man cleared the doorway. Destin reached out and pulled sharply on the arm that was holding the weapon. He kicked just above the man’s ankle and twisted him around. Destin and the other man both raised their free hand, Destin’s gripping his knife, and the man’s moving to intercept the blade. A line of laser fire from the man’s comrades cut a path across the man’s chest.

Well, I don’t have to worry about killing the bastard. Good thing he’s about five inches taller than me, Destin thought.

The man’s dead weight threw them both off center and backwards. Destin grunted when the corpse fell partially on top of him. Once again the knife in his hand slid free and spun across the floor. A muttered curse escaped Destin and he awkwardly thrust the man’s dead weight off his legs.

Razor must have seen what had happened, because suddenly the interspersed shots Destin had been hearing became the rapid staccato of cover fire. Out of the four men left, Razor struck two. The move gave Destin time to grab the laser gun from his dead attacker’s hand and roll to where the knife had slid.

“I’ll be damned,” he muttered when he found the first knife he’d dropped as well. He quickly picked it up and slid it back into his boot, then gripped the other one in his hand. “Now that the odds are a bit more even, let’s see what they’ve got.”

Rising to his feet, he checked the pistol he had picked up. It was different from anything he had fired before, but similar enough that it didn’t take him long to figure out how to make it work. He slid the knife he’d taken from the kitchen between his jeans and belt, gripped the pistol, and moved into position beside the doorway. He leaned to the side to glance outside again, but jerked back when a blast cut through the opening.

Dropping to a knee, he swung around and fired in the direction the blast had come from. The light from the blasts lit up the area. His eyes widened when he saw a small figure with a white halo of long hair cautiously enter through the gate. He pulled back, pressed his back against the wall, and drew in a deep breath. The silky white hair could only belong to one person – Sula.

Behind him, he could hear a burst of laser fire. Razor was trapped between the trees and the wall. In his mind, Destin mapped out the covered patio area. There was a table and chairs set up to the side and a brick planter along one edge. He could use it as cover, but he would be limited. If he went through the house and back around the way he had originally come, he could use the wall to access the roof and come from above.