Gendrah paled nearly to a great white, but Wyll took Daniel’s hand. After a moment, Obaj did as well.
Kathra watched the two men fall into Daniel’s mind.
“I wondered,” Raja said absently.
“If you ask him now, he will show you as well,” Kathra said. “All of my women bind with him thus regularly. We know his mind better than he does, so that we also know his soul.”
They waited.
It felt like forever, and hours might pass inside there, but only moments on the surface.
Wyll and Obaj regained themselves with starts of surprise.
Wyll turned to her now and focused both eyes on her like a hunter.
“I understand the Sept now,” he said with awe in his voice. “And the Mbaysey.”
“Then you understand everything that needs knowing, Wyll Koobitz,” she replied.
“And I was correct,” he turned to Obaj Gendrah and got a hollow, almost fearful nod out of the other Anndaing merchant. “I sent Daniel to a place on a hunch I could not explain, and I know that he did not influence that decision, because I saw the truth of it in his own mind.”
He trailed off and took a moment to catch his breath.
“The Sept are coming,” he said a moment later. “We knew that from an intellectual standpoint. The battle today just proved that they could range this far. And they will return, because Hadi Rostami is another one like Daniel, but without the gem. He will be able to find you anywhere in the galaxy once he returns in strength.”
“Oui,” Daniel said quietly. “But your solution will work on both counts, Wyll.”
“Oh?” Kathra asked, looking at both men, and everyone else.
“I sent Daniel to a secret military base to look at a vessel that once belonged to the Ovanii, Kathra Omezi,” Wyll said. “I had planned to determine if it would be a wise choice on the part of the Anndaing Merchants Guild and the Merchants Bank, were we to discuss leasing you such a vessel, so that you could go fight the Sept in their space, rather than allowing them to intrude on ours.”
“And?” Kathra asked.
“And I think it would be the wisest choice I ever made to engage you as a pirate, Commander,” Wyll said. “To send you after those salauds and let you damage them as badly as your vengeance demands. Or whoever you send in your place, as you did promise to outlive us all.”
“Daniel?” Kathra looked one way, and then the other. “Joane?”
“They were a mighty people, Kathra,” Joane spoke up. “Ancient warriors unafraid to sail into the darkness and explore the galaxy. Terrible marauders, as well, but they built glorious, beautiful machines that would let us do vengeful things in turn to the Sept. I vote in favor.”
“I see,” Kathra said as a placeholder. “Daniel?”
“Oui,” he said.
He held out a hand and she took it, becoming him for a long moment to experience everything he had seen and done since he left her side at Kanus.
Kathra opened her eyes and blinked back tears at the pain and rage that Hadi Rostami had broadcast at the galaxy as the Ishtan died. But she also agreed with Joane. Such a vessel would allow the Mbaysey to take Yagazie’s war to the Sept Empire and make it personal.
“Yes,” she said to Wyll. “We will negotiate, but those are mere details.”
The shark nodded, still a little in shock from the things he had learned.
“And,” Kathra continued, “we will call that ship SwiftStar.”
Read More!
Be sure to read all five books in the Star Tribes series.
WinterStar
SeekerStar
SeptStar
SwiftStar
MorningStar
Available from your favorite retailers!
About the Author
Blaze Ward writes science fiction in the Alexandria Station universe (Jessica Keller, The Science Officer, The Story Road, etc.) as well as several other science fiction universes, such as Star Dragon, the Dominion, and more. He also writes odd bits of high fantasy with swords and orcs. In addition, he is the Editor and Publisher of Boundary Shock Quarterly Magazine. You can find out more at his website www.blazeward.com, as well as Facebook, Goodreads, and other places.
Blaze's works are available as ebooks, paper, and audio, and can be found at a variety of online vendors. His newsletter comes out regularly, and you can also follow his blog on his website. He really enjoys interacting with fans, and looks forward to any and all questions—even ones about his books!
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Also by Blaze Ward
Star Tribes
WinterStar
SeekerStar
SeptStar
SwiftStar
MorningStar
* * *
The Handsome Rob Gigs
Can’t Shoot Straight Gang
Can’t Shoot Straight Gang Returns
Hunting Handsome Rob
* * *
The Jessica Keller Chronicles
Auberon
Last of the Immortals
Goddess of War
Flight of the Blackbird
The Red Admiral
St. Legier
Winterhome
Petron
CS-405
Queen Anne’s Revenge
Packmule
Persephone
* * *
Additional Alexandria Station Stories
The Story Road
Siren
Two Bottles of Wine With A War God
* * *
The Science Officer Series
The Science Officer
The Mind Field
The Gilded Cage
The Pleasure Dome
The Doomsday Vault
The Last Flagship
The Hammerfield Gambit
The Hammerfield Payoff
About Knotted Road Press
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SeptStar
Star Tribes, Book Three
Blaze Ward
Copyright © 2020 Blaze Ward
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Published by Knotted Road Press
www.KnottedRoadPress.com
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ISBN: 978-1-64470-139-3
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Cover art:
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Cover and interior design copyright © 2020 Knotted Road Press
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This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incide
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