Daring Read Free Page A

you don’t show up at home with your whole squadron.”
    Kris nodded. “You have a good point,” she admitted to Grampa Trouble, before rounding on Grampa Ray.
    â€œI completed your mission,” she spat.
    â€œAlready?” came from the king in what sounded like a royal yelp.
    Have I really surprised him?
    â€œDone, completed, finished,” Kris said. “You ordered me to take care of the budding pirate problem out on the Rim of Peterwald space without getting any complaints from the newly crowned Emperor Harry.”
    The newly officialized King Raymond nodded.
    â€œI captured three pirate schooners, one freighter, and a skiff. I liberated one potential pirate refuge and took down a main base. I also put out of business fifteen thousand hectares of drug plantations and liberated twenty-five thousand slaves. Oh, and you didn’t get one whimper from your new, neighboring emperor, did you?”
    Kris eyed Field Marshal Mac.
    â€œNot a word from him,” he said.
    â€œI’m just guessing on this, but I think we’ll split the two planets. Kaskatos will likely apply for membership in United Society. The Greenfeld Empire will get Port Royal, and they are welcome to it,” Kris said.
    â€œAll that in three months?” Grampa Trouble whispered. There might have even been a touch of respectful awe hidden in there.
    Kris kept her eyes locked on Grampa Ray. “I’m sick and tired of draining swamps and dodging alligators. I want to get on to something important.”
    â€œUm,” the king said. Exactly what Kris considered “important” was too classified to discuss among even this small group. From the glance around that Field Marshal Mac gave the others, even he apparently hadn’t been read into this one.
    Mac opened his mouth to say something, then froze.
    He struggled for a long moment to keep a look of horror off his face. When he finally got words out, they were full of horror. “Two. No three. Make that four super battleships just jumped into our system, using Jump Point Gamma.”
    The last time six super dreadnoughts jumped in system using that jump point, they’d threatened to blast Wardhaven down to bedrock if it didn’t surrender.
    â€œWhat are they squawking?” Grampa Trouble asked, standing bolt upright like an old fire horse who heard the alarm bell and couldn’t stay out to pasture.
    â€œThey’re Greenfeld,” Mac said.
    King Ray and Grampa Trouble paled. There was much bad blood between the Longknifes and the Peterwalds. Neither one breathed, waiting for the next shoe to drop.
    â€œOh, good,” Kris said, clapping her hands with all the joy of any four-year-old presented with a tall stack of birthday presents. “Vicky Peterwald talked her dad into letting her come, too.”
    All four of Kris’s team now rolled their eyes at the ceiling.
    Four sets of very senior eyes locked onto Kris as their mouths dropped open.

3
    King Raymond, being the legend that he was, recovered first. He was half out of his seat as he shouted, “You told Vicky Peterwald about our meeting with the Iteeche!”
    â€œWhat?” said Mac. The field marshal apparently was the only one in the room who didn’t know about that very secret meeting.
    He turned to Crossie, the intel chief, who whispered, “I’ll explain it later.”
    Kris didn’t dare wait to defend herself but jumped right in, talking over them. “I did not,” she snapped, keeping her seat.
    â€œThen what’s Henry Peterwald’s daughter doing riding four battleships into Wardhaven space?” the king demanded. Halfup, half-down, he was clearly torn between his options.
    With reservations, he settled back in his chair.
    â€œShe wants to come with me to find out what’s gobbling up Iteeche scout ships and not spitting back so much as an atom,” Kris said.
    â€œYou told her!” Grampa Ray repeated the