Shades of Gray by Lisanne Norman Read Free Book Online Page A

especially now we have six weeks, would be foolish,” said M’zynal.
    “We don’t have ...” began Kusac and Kezule in unison, both stopping when they realized the other was also speaking.
    As Kusac deferred to him, with the ghost of a smile, Kezule continued. “We don’t have six weeks, and we don’t need more intel. What our young Emperor is managing to get for us is enough.” He glanced back to Kusac. “You realize that the City is built on a hill comprised of sand and limestone?”
    “It’s porous, I know. How else could the tunnels have originated or been so easily expanded to your ancestors’ purpose?”
    “It also means that if we create the electrical storms, we disrupt communications between the Orbital and the ships, and those tunnels will be flooded.”
    “Our battle suits can handle that,” he said confidently.
    “We set traps in the tunnels,” said Zhookoh. “Some of them will still be active despite flooding.”
    “Then I’ll take a couple of you with me to deactivate them,” Kusac said more calmly than he felt. He sensed Zayshul bringing analgesics for him and began to swear under his breath, knowing she’d picked up his discomfort. Drawing attention to the pain he was still suffering was not something he wanted right now.
    “With respect, Captain,” said M’zynal, as the General’s wife entered and went over to him, wordlessly handing him a charged hypo. “I don’t think you’re yet fit to go on such a mission, let alone lead it.”
    With little grace, he accepted the hypo, but he stuffed it into one of his belt retainers. “I’m fit. The armor is powered anyway. It takes very little effort to move in it.” He shot the Doctor a glance that dared her to say anything, but she left without a word. “Besides, we should meet very little resistance.”
    “Your plan is good,” said Kezule, turning the holo image round slowly to study it again from every angle. “I can see only one major flaw. Only Zsurtul can turn off the Orbital’s safety devices and operate the Command Center. It needs to take a retinal scan from him.”
    “I planned on including him with my team. He’s with Kaid on the Touiban ship.”
    Exclamations of disbelief, ignored by both Kezule and Kusac, rippled round the table.
    “Yet you don’t want to wait for the Couana to arrive,” said Kezule.
    “The Couana’s on their battleship, the Tooshu , right now. They plan to leave it at the outer limits of the Prime system. We tell them to include Prince Zsurtul, then make for K’oish’ik, not here,” he said. “They wait out of scanner range, possibly masked by one of your ships using its chameleon shielding, for a signal from us saying we’ve taken the Orbital. Meanwhile, the rest of the Prime fleet will be picking up the asteroids on their sensors, and, hopefully, they’ll be moving away from the planet to intercept them.”
    “That should draw at least the two smaller cruisers away from K’oish’ik,” said M’kou thoughtfully.
    “Then Zsurtul contacts the Kz’adul on the private frequency I mentioned and finds out for us what the situation there is like. It may be that the crew can isolate any of K’hedduk’s people they have on board without violence and take back control of the ship,” said Kusac. “If not, we do it. I’m sure they can manage to conceal us docking with them. Finally, the Couana joins us on the Orbital, and Zsurtul deactivates the safety features. The regular crew can then take over from him, creating massive electrical storms and leaving him free to go downside with me.”
    “If those on the Orbital or the Kz’adul are members of the implanted Palace Guard, then they can be rendered unconscious without a shot being fired,” M’kou reminded. “All we need is a remote tuned to their frequency, and we know that.”
    “That’s true,” agreed Kezule. “If you have fifteen people when you land on K’oish’ik ...”
    “Too many,” interrupted Kusac. “Ten, maximum,