Dreadnought by Charles R. Case

Author:Charles R. Case [Case, Charles R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Case By Case Publishing
Published: 2018-05-30T23:00:00+00:00

23

Grimms walked down the corridor, his face tight with concern. He had his hands clasped behind his back, and his shoulders were stiff as he mulled privately. Sir Reitus walked beside him, keeping quiet as Grimms swam through the muddy thoughts of his next action.

“Will the prince be amenable to answering questions?” Grimms asked the tall Elif suddenly, after a few minutes of walking in silence.

“Yes, he wants to help,” Sir Reitus said, then added, “but be aware that my prince is very young, despite his appearance. He is not yet twenty of your years old. In my people’s time, that is barely out of childhood.”

Grimms nodded. “Thank you for the warning. After the interview, I would like to talk with you again.”

“I am at your disposal, Colonel,” he said, bowing slightly as they walked.

Grimms had spoken with Cora earlier, in the ready room, once the Raven had escaped into warp. So far, they had not detected any Aether bursts to give away their location, or direction of travel. However, both he and Cora agreed that it was rather suspicious that the prince had been able to escape at all. The entire planet of Effrit, including the space above it, was crawling with Teifen at the time, and the yacht had no means of defense or evasion, beyond a few PDCs.

Cora decided she would not make her presence known to the prince, instead staying silent. That way she could monitor him and his guards to see if they let anything slip. Grimms planned on having Sir Reitus with him after the interview to be sure the prince stayed unaware of Cora’s monitoring.

They turned at the next corridor intersection, coming to the room they had set aside for the prince. Two Elif soldiers stood guard outside the door, both in battlesuits after having been told they must leave their Aetheric armor in the cargo bay. Grimms and Cora didn't want an armored force not under their control freely roaming their ship. Grimms had gone so far as to have a squad of his Marines, led by Specialist Gonders, fully kitted for battle and placed on standby, just in case.

The soldiers slapped their fists to their hearts, coming to attention. Sir Reitus saluted them back with a tap of his fist to his own heart. “We will see the prince. Stay out here and make sure we are not disturbed.”

“Yes, sir,” the one on the left said, his voice much more sing-song than Grimms would have guessed from his imposing stature.

The door slid open, revealing a small guest cabin, where the prince was pacing back and forth and vigorously tugging at his ear tip—a sure sign of nervousness. He spun to the door as Sir Reitus and Grimms stepped into the room.

The prince was short for an Elif, maybe only a few centimeters taller than Grimms’ stocky build. He had golden blonde hair that hung to his shoulders, and blue eyes that were red and puffy from crying. If Grimms were to

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