Crave - 25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Jenson resisted the urge to throw the comm pad across the room. He could feel the hard shell creak under his white-knuckled grip. Tossing it onto a chair, he continued to pace, furious after his conversation with Merrick. How dare Jorrah dirty his son’s memory. Kel would never have agreed with what his father was doing. He was a sweet, caring man who didn’t deserve the hand fate had dealt him. The door chimed, making him turn his glare on the metal portal.

“Come in.” It wasn’t easy to suppress the growl wanting to escape.

“Son.” His father stepped inside. “You wanted to see me?” The older vampire’s smile faded when he noticed Jenson’s scowl. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”

Jenson motioned for his father to sit. “I believe Merrick’s team has confirmed Jorrah Varro’s involvement.” Gone was the pang of guilt at the thought of Kel. It had been replaced by anger that Jorrah could be involved in this plot… a plot that could still get Merrick hurt.

“What’ve they learned?” His father leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Concern marred his normally smooth features. Jenson relayed the information Merrick had given him, including the name used by the Terezinian passenger. His father’s expression morphed from concerned to outraged the longer Jenson spoke.

“I’ll contact the Terezinian Ambassador immediately.” Christoph Shey’s eyes flashed with anger. He looked at his son and his expression softened. “Are you all right?” The older man reached out and took Jenson’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “This can’t be easy for you, so soon after… well after everything that’s happened.”

“Right now I’m more concerned for Merrick.” The vampire breathed deeply, searching for an elusive calm. Although he was still healing, he barely felt a twinge in his chest. It would take him weeks to be cleared for duty, but, thanks to the medical team and his naturally accelerated healing, he was nearly well enough to start physical training. “I’m worried about what’s going to happen when Jorrah’s co-conspirator realizes Merrick’s on his tail.” Jenson couldn’t sit any longer, and strode across the room. “If someone on the Counseury is involved, they have a lot to lose if they’re caught. Backing a coup would most assuredly have them and their families stripped of their land and titles.”

“I’m sure Merrick is taking extra precautions. He’s an intelligent man who knew what he would be facing.”

Jenson agreed with his father, but that didn’t stop the worry from forming a knot in his stomach. He couldn’t seem to shake the trepidation he’d felt since Merrick left. Not for the first time, he wondered if he should go to Alectera. He knew the men Merrick was interrogating. Maybe there was some insight he could give into the investigation? The senior Shey left a few minutes later, promising to let him know when Jorrah would be delivered to Anglia.

Agent Harndi’s promised report still hadn’t arrived. Instead of restlessly prowling the room, Jenson left his quarters and wandered to the bridge. His sister was on duty. In her uncanny way, she picked up on her brother’s mood the second he walked through the door. “Is something wrong?” she asked without preamble. “Is Merrick okay?”

“Yes, Audra.” Despite his tension, he felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. Leave it to his father and sister to read him so well. “Merrick’s fine. I just spoke with him a little while ago.” He gestured for her to join him in a more private corner. “He’s discovered that Jorrah might have been involved in bringing the flauros to Alect-3.”

“Kel’s father?” she whispered harshly. “Why would he do that?”

“You know he never liked me being involved with his son.”

Audra snorted. “And that’s a good reason to almost get you killed?”

Jenson looked to the ceiling. “I don’t think ‘almost’ was his objective.”

“I knew he wasn’t crazy about your relationship, but I didn’t think he hated you.” Audra’s voice softened and she reached up and gently rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry, Jens.”

“I didn’t think he hated me either. Kel told me his father hoped for an advantageous marriage for him with one of Terezin’s ruling families. He thought Kel’s education would make him a powerful political spouse. Meeting me derailed those plans. They argued about it a few times. His… injuries....” Jenson cleared his throat before continuing. “What happened ended any chance to convince Kel to go back home.”

“Please don’t tell me you think this is your fault.” Audra glared at her brother. Jenson could see her body tensing in annoyance.

“No.” Jenson smiled sadly. “I don’t think Jorrah’s actions are my fault, but I do understand his anger.”

“Jenson….” She shook her head. “There’s no excuse for this. So many of our men were killed on Alect-3. For what? Revenge over something no one could have predicted? Taking care of his son for decades when he walked away? Was he biding his time until Kel died?”

“There’s more to it than just the flauros attacks.”

“There’s more?” She stopped speaking when one of her officers approached. She took the offered comm pad and punched in her authorization code before dismissing the man. Once he was out of hearing range, she turned to her brother again. “What else has he done?”

Jenson told her about the other incidents he suspected. As he spoke, Audra became more visibly upset. The two officers who had died in the drill explosion had been part of her crew. “If I get my hands on that man, he’s dead,” she said with a snarl. “Oline was so young. It was her first mission, and Gilles’ children have to grow up without their father. It was hard enough to explain the accident to their families. Now you’re telling me they died because of some warped vendetta?”

“Audra.” Jenson put his hands on either side of his sister’s face, forcing her to look at him. “Believe me, I’m as upset about this as you are. Father’s requesting the Terezin government bring Jorrah into custody so we can question him.”

“Custody is too good for him,” Audra muttered. Jenson knew how angry she must be. She’d lost very few of her crew over the years, and now it looked like some of those losses were at the hands of one male.

“If he’s responsible for this, he will pay,” Jenson promised. “I should go back to my quarters. Merrick is going to send me a copy of the Ultec report. If there’s anything new, I’ll let you know.”

Jenson left his sister and went back to his room. He found the report waiting for him and quickly read it through. When he finished, any lingering doubts over Jorrah’s involvement vanished. There were too many coincidences. After a few moments’ hesitation, he clicked on the picture from the security footage. The image was grainy and he looked significantly older than the last time Jenson saw the male, but it was Jorrah Varro. His obvious aging meant he was close to dying. Jenson knew the species was similar to his own, and stopped visibly maturing in their thirtieth year. However, unlike vampires, who aged gradually, Terezinians appeared youthful until about a year before the end of their lifespan. His impending death might explain why Jorrah would risk going to Ultec himself. It would be the last chance to see his revenge plot to completion.

The vampire felt anger flare again as he thought of Kel. The Terezinian was a gentle soul who would have been horrified to know his father was hurting people in his name. He was surprised to find thinking of his former lover didn’t make him feel the usual crippling guilt and shame. Jenson wondered if Kel finally being free of the limbo he’d been trapped in helped to alleviate the guilt of being its cause.

He wanted to talk to Merrick. According to the time, the younger man didn’t have a meeting scheduled for half an hour. Jenson was surprised when his call went unanswered. After another failed attempt, he sent Merrick a message to contact him as soon as possible. In order to pass the time, he checked his correspondence and caught up on the paperwork he’d been neglecting. The distraction was effective and he didn’t realize how much time had passed until his father appeared at his door again. Several hours had gone by since he’d messaged Merrick. The uncharacteristic lack of response increased the vampire’s feeling of unease.

Jenson let his father into the room before sending a message to Merrick’s second in command. Maybe Sergeant Varallo could tell him what the hell was going on.

“I’m sure everything’s fine.” His father tried to reassure him, reclaiming the chair he’d used earlier. “Someone from Alectera would let us know if anything was wrong. Maybe they found something and their interrogations have started sooner than scheduled?”

“Perhaps.” Jenson wasn’t convinced, but there wasn’t much he could do until someone from the planet made contact. “How did things go with the Terezin government?” he asked, setting his comm pad on the table.

“Better than expected.” The elder Shey leaned back in his chair with a tired sigh. “They’ve agreed to deliver Jorrah for questioning. Unfortunately, we’re the closest ship to Terezin.”

Jenson was briefly torn between wanting to go to Terezin, and staying to make sure Merrick was all right. His concern for Merrick was stronger. “We can’t leave while Merrick is on Alectera.”

“I knew you’d feel that way. We’ve decided to ask Earth to send one of their ships instead. I believe the Starjumper is closest to that sector.” His father scrubbed his face with his hands. The older man’s fatigue was starting to show. Jenson wondered how much sleep he’d allowed himself since arriving on Alect-3.

“You should get some sleep,” Jenson admonished the senior Shey. “Now that Jorrah’s been detained and I’m on the mend, you need to allow yourself some time to rest.”

The older man smiled at his son. “Is that your roundabout way of telling me I’m getting too old for this?”

Jenson laughed. “I wouldn’t dare.”

The comm pad buzzed at his elbow, startling both men. Jenson hurriedly picked it up, expecting to hear from Merrick at last. His brow furrowed when he saw it wasn’t Merrick, but someone from the Alecteran government. He answered the call and was shocked when Maser Luda appeared on the screen. The Alecteran leader never contacted outsiders. It just wasn’t done.

“Maser Luda?” Jenson felt his stomach tighten. “How can I help you?”

“Envoy Shey.” The leader’s voice was strained. “I have some bad news.”

“Bad news?” Jenson could hear the worry in his own voice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father straighten in his seat, all trace of fatigue gone. “Where’s Merrick? Commander Weir?”

The Maser hesitated for a moment… like he was trying to decide what to say. “Commander Weir was discovered a short time ago with an electrophase injury. He was alive but unresponsive when he was found.”

Jenson felt his heart clench painfully. “What? How is he? Where was he found? What happened to him?” The vampire’s voice rose until he was shouting at the Alecteran.

“He was found in the office he was given for the investigation,” Maser Luda responded. “One of my personal guards was in the room with him… with a fatal phaser wound to the head. Commander Weir is stable, but hasn’t regained consciousness. This type of injury has the effect of short circuiting the nervous system, and is extremely painful, but not usually fatal. It can take up to twenty-four hours to awaken.” The maser visibly swallowed a few times before continuing. “Senator Elsan is missing. When I last saw him, he was going to investigate a shuttle accident. He never arrived at the site.”

“Could he…,” Jenson choked on the words, his mind not wanting to acknowledge them. “Could he have anything to do with Merrick being shot?”

“I don’t know.” The Alecteran’s voice cracked. Pain was clearly written on his face. “I don’t know why Aevhan would do this. I lo… he’s my most trusted advisor.”

“I’m coming down there.” Jenson stood, looking to his father, who nodded in agreement.

The Maser took a deep breath, and his calm façade settled back over him. “Of course. I’ve already sent a shuttle for you. It should be there shortly.”

“What about the rest of his team?” Jenson suddenly remembered Merrick wasn’t alone on the planet. “Are they all right?”

“Yes. They weren’t with Commander Weir when he was injured. Both Sergeant Varallo and Officer Maltoran are with him now. I told them I would contact you personally.”

“Thank you for calling me. I’ll see you shortly.” Jenson put down the comm pad and closed his eyes. His chest ached and his head was pounding. If anything happened to Merrick… if he didn’t survive… no corner of this or any other universe was going to be remote enough to hide. The vampire ground his teeth, feeling rage building inside, threatening to swamp him.

“Jenson….” His father’s voice filtered through the red haze that dominated his mind. “Go and take care of him. Bring Merrick home.”

Jenson nodded, and started gathering his things. Merrick needed him now… knowing this, he could keep the rage at bay. Make sure he was okay… bring him home… then, once he knew his Merrick was safe and recovering… then he would make someone pay.

Gary, thank you for all of your help.    You make me strive to be a better writer.  Thank you to everyone who reads and supports the story.