He waited until they passed the damaged pirate ships they’d targeted and then took over the helm, controlling their speed himself. He’d had it with Veller, and didn’t want his authority questioned again.
“Mark on zero,” he announced. “Three, two, one.” He didn’t go to full burn at first, but instead increased power to the thrusters steadily, until they were at maximum capacity.
Yammer reported reaching the engine room and wasn’t seeing any signs of pressure leaks. Stag hoped that news remained the same. Minutes later, Maze contacted him.
“We have one minor leak. I’m attempting to seal it.”
“I’m sending Parqel to assist you.”
He woke the other crew member and studied the long-range sensors. They were leaving the pirate ships behind, and only a few new ships tried to intercept them. He changed course when the screen cleared and headed toward the asteroid belt.
Hellion cleared his throat. “The abandoned mining core sample?”
His crew knew him well. “Yes.”
“The heavy metals inside the largest rock will mess with our sensors but it will hide us from theirs too.” A wide smile spread across Hellion’s face. “They won’t look there. It’s a bitch to maneuver that far into the belt without being smashed apart by the smaller chunks. We can easily do it, but they can’t.”
He nodded. “I doubt they are aware that Earth Government took core samples twenty years ago. That sector was too monitored at the time by patrol ships.”
“I disagree,” Veller stated. “Earth stopped having that sector patrolled as soon as they decided there wasn’t anything they wanted there any longer. The pirates have had at least a decade to get to know that belt. We should keep at this speed and return home, not find a hole to hide in.”
The cyborg got on Stag’s last nerve. “We also have a leak in engine two, which could take that engine down if more open up. I’m not willing to risk it. We going to find a safe spot and do patches. What is your problem? You’re pissing me off!”
“You’re not the only one feeling anger. I’m excellent at repairs, yet you made me sit for five shifts in a row watching readings. What have I done to raise your contempt or make you believe I’m incompetent?”
Stag tried to hide his surprise.
“You’ve always allowed me to head repairs. I must have done something to lose your trust. I know you appreciate strong males who have excellent leadership skills. Perhaps I’ve grown lax in my duty. I’m attempting to show you that’s not so.”
Stag held his gaze. He hadn’t meant for Veller to take it that way. He glanced at his crew in Control. All of them were watching him. They’d spent years together, were a tight group, and he had to admit his recent behavior might have been taken wrong.
“I needed the distraction. It had nothing to do with you, Veller. I have been avoiding spending much time in my quarters,” he admitted. “I left you in charge of Control because I trust you that much.”
Veller’s tense expression cleared. “The Earther.”
“Yes. I apologize. I should have stated that right off.”
“Only you wouldn’t.” Hellion had the nerve to chuckle. “You don’t like to share your feelings. Nala is getting to you, isn’t she?”
“I refuse to discuss this. We’re on alert right now. Focus on the problems at hand.” Stag lowered his gaze to the screen. “We’re clear of pirates.” He adjusted course again. “Let’s get lost while we’re out of sight of them.”
“She is hot. I would let her pretend I was a sex bot and take any orders she gave if it meant getting her naked in my bed.” Hellion made a low growling sound. “I don’t blame you for finally realizing she’s appealing and distancing yourself. I’d be all over her in your place.”
Kelis snorted. “Yes, you would, but the rest of us have more control over our body functions.”
Stag refused to look away from his pad, memories of Nala naked in his bed filling his thoughts. Most of his crew would be disappointed if they ever learned he’d been unable to resist the Earther’s sex appeal. He was supposed to set an example for them, and he’d failed.
He really needed to reach Garden so he could hand her over to the council.
Chapter Twelve
Stag targeted a chunk of rock, tethering the last cable to the side wall of the inner core of the massive asteroid. There was slight gravity inside but not enough for the shuttle to remain in one place without the lines. They’d made it inside without any exterior damage. It had been a tight fit to back into the huge circular hole some mining operation had blasted tens of thousands of feet deep into the slow-spinning mountain of rock.
“I’ve got weapons targeted and ready to fire if anything shows up at the opening,” Kelis stated.
“Just make certain you fire at them before they enter.” Hellion shuddered. “I don’t want to be buried if the walls collapse. There’s no exit. That’s the only way in or out of this cavern.”
“Stow your emotions,” Stag ordered.
Hellion turned in his seat. “Am I the only one who hates being in a big dark hole? We could block the opening by accident if another vessel slams into it, and become trapped. The heavy metals not only block sensors but we’d be unable to call for help. Coms don’t work in here except ship-wide.”
A headache began to form. Stag reached up and rubbed his temple. He used his other hand to form a link with both engine rooms. “Parqel? Status.”
“We only suffered the one leak and it was minor. We’ve resealed it and it’s holding now that the engines are powered down.”
“I’ve already cleaned up the slight spillage,” Maze added.
“Good.” Stag sighed. “Yammer? Report.”
“All readings are fine. I’ve visually inspected everything. No leaks. The pressure reads a little high on one line but it held.”
“Will it last until we reach Garden? Best assessment.”
“I believe so. We’ll just have to watch it closely.”
“Thank you, Yammer. All of you may return to quarters until your shifts start.” He closed coms and stood, stretching after being in his seat for too long. “Now we wait it out to make certain the pirates haven’t managed to track us.”
“What if they did?” Hellion scowled at him.
“They have to come at us head-on, one at a time. That opening isn’t large enough to fit two vessels.” Stag shrugged. “It makes them easier to kill. Besides, a lot of them would be taken out in the asteroid belt just to get this deep. They don’t have the hull shielding we do and some of those small fragments hit us. We didn’t suffer damage but they won’t be able to claim the same.”
“It was a logical choice,” Veller stated.
Stag flashed him a look but said nothing. At least the male wasn’t questioning his every move now. That made things a bit easier and less infuriating.
“You appear tired. Do you want me to take your chair while you get some rest? Nothing is going to happen over the next few hours. It would take that long for the pirates to catch up, if they were able to track us.”
Stag appreciated the concern Veller showed now that they’d resolved their issue, but he shook his head. Resting would mean returning to his quarters—and Nala. Or worse, borrowing a bunk from one of the men in Control while they were on shift. He hoped Hellion hadn’t noticed he’d taken one of his uniforms. The male didn’t call him on if he had.
“I’m good.”
“The chances of the pirates finding us are—”
Stag wanted to punch him. “Stow it, Hellion! Slim to none. Let’s leave it at that. They may do a search pattern and will give up within two days. We’ll stay here, then venture out a bit to read sensors once we’re clear of the belt.”
“I’ll be glad when this mission is over. I still believe this is the worst one yet. Now we’ve had to run from pirates. I’ll take dead body cleanup any day over feeling as if I’m a coward.”
Stag clenched his teeth. “Hellion…”
“
I know. Stow it and stop being emotional.” Hellion sighed, facing forward. “This is going to be boring. I almost wish I were still doing repairs. At least the time flew by.”
Stag’s headache grew worse. It was a combination of lack of sleep, stress, physical exhaustion, and he hadn’t eaten a full meal in days. He retook his seat, staring at the screen. They were in a dark mass with the opening ahead. Large chunks of rocks floated by, the belt always moving them in rotation. It encircled an inhabitable planet.
His thoughts returned to Nala. She always lingered in the back of his mind, and it annoyed him. Part of him wanted nothing more than to go spend time with her. His dick responded by getting semi erect.
He closed his eyes, rubbed his temple again, and tried to forget what it felt like to be inside her.
He’d had sex with females plenty of times when he’d been auditioning to join a family unit. It had been right after they’d reached Garden and begun to build the city. None of those women had responded to him the way the Earther did. Cyborgs could be cold, remote, and they easily masked their emotions. They didn’t moan and thrash under him, nor dig their fingernails into his skin. He had to admit, it made sex more intense and pleasurable.
“Odd.”
Kelis’s soft murmur drew him from his thoughts. Stag opened his eyes and placed his hand on the pad, trying to figure out what was wrong. He detected an alarm going off on one of the docking doors located in cargo hold two. The other sensors didn’t detect another ship, which mean the seal might be compromised.
“A malfunction? Perhaps one of the debris hits we took did damage after all.” Veller stood. “I’ll go check it out.”
“Put on a suit before entering the cargo hold,” Stag ordered. “In case of a rupture. Do an exterior examination. The crates we took onboard have been stowed. They won’t float if you exit that hatch.”
“Are you reading this?” Hellion’s voice deepened with stressed. “The oxygen levels in cargo two have increased.”
Stag did, almost coming out of his chair. The oxygen levels were higher than normal. He instantly turned on the warning system to go ship-wide and opened all coms. “We’re being breached. Red alert! Arm yourselves.”
“It has to be a sensor error.” Veller rushed to the weapons panel though, collecting laser pistols, stunners, and the high-voltage weapons for each crew member. He passed them out with haste.
“Increased oxygen levels mean the motion sensors were triggered. We purposely shut down those areas if nothing alive is inside. Those sensors are reading bodies—moving ones.” Stag stood, holstering the weapons to his uniform belt. “Where the hell did they come from?”
“They had to already be inside the crater and we weren’t aware of the other ship. Our sensors are blind but they must have seen us.” Kelis paused by the door. “Life signs onboard?”
“Fifteen,” Hellion rasped. “That’s seven more than there should be. We have been boarded.”
Stag contacted Maze. “Get to my quarters. Protect Nala. We have seven intruders. Origins unknown.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Don’t hesitate to fire on them,” Stag snarled. “Do you hear me? They are hostile, or they wouldn’t have boarded us without permission.”
The medic took a second too long to answer. “Understood.”
“Yammer? Parqel? Report. Did you hear the alarm?”
“Yes,” both of them replied. Then Yammer continued, “We’re armed. Orders?”
“Seven hostels. They entered by cargo two. Locate and take them out. We’re on our way.”
Stag pointed to Kelis. “You have Control. Watch the entrance so we don’t have more company. Fire if you see any ships. Hellion, guard the door. Seal it once we’re out.” He spun, storming to the exit. “You’re with me, Veller.”
“This is the worst mission,” Hellion called out.
* * * * *
Nala lay on the bed facing the wall when the doors slid open. “It’s about time!” She rolled, expecting to give Stag a piece of her mind.
Maze entered her room and the doors sealed behind him. He slapped his palm on the pad next to it. She took note of the weapon in his hand. That was a first. He usually only carried a tray of food or his medical kit.
She sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed, swinging her legs off. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ve been boarded.”
That shocked her into silence.
“Seven new life signs are aboard the Varnish. We’re not certain if they are human, pirates, or Markus Models.”
Her surprise turned to terror and she got to her feet. “Skin droids? Do you have a spare weapon?”
He turned his head, peering at her. “I only have the one, and it wouldn’t do much good even if we fired upon them. They are difficult to damage. I don’t have the right kind of weapon.”
“What does that mean?”
“They can only be killed by high voltages of electricity. I don’t exactly keep that kind of weapon inside my quarters. Control has them though. I just have my laser.”
That didn’t sound good at all. “Can you track the signals? Do you have monitoring equipment?”
“No vid monitoring. We can track life signs. They have passed through cargo hold two and have entered the shuttle. They have broken into two teams of two, and one of three.” He paused. “They are splitting up, two going to engine room one, the three-man team is accessing the lift to reach Control…” His eyes widened. “Two life signs are heading this way, toward crew quarters.”
Nala tried not to panic. “Life signs. That means they aren’t skin droids. I mean, we didn’t pick up any extras on our ship when they attacked us.” She tensed, lifting one arm and holding out her hand. “We can handle pirates. Give me the weapon.”
He shook his head.
“Come on! You’re big and strong. You can totally kick pirate ass. You deck one, I’ll shoot the other. That’s a good plan.”
He released the panel and backed away from the door. “Find cover.”
She glanced around the small area. “There is none.” Her attention focused on the cleansing unit.
Maze followed her gaze. “I don’t want you to be where I am. They won’t fire on you if they are pirates. They’ll want to keep you alive. But they may accidently hit you in battle if you’re too close to me. Get on the other side of the bed and crouch down.”
“It’s a bunk. They are totally going to see me.”
He accessed the cleansing unit, stepped inside, and kept the door open. Part of the wall shielded his body. “I’m aware. You will distract them.”
“Great.” She did as she was told, going to the far side of the bunk and crouching. She could see over the top and kept her eyes trained on the door.
“Stag and the crew are on their way. We just need to hold on long enough for them to eliminate the threat.”
“The bad guys may not be able to breach that door.”
Maze dashed her hopes. “They’ve already breached two crew quarters.”
“How do you know?”
“I kept my link with the computer.” He suddenly gasped and the lights in the room went out.
“What was that?” She couldn’t see a thing.
“I believe they just sabotaged something in engine room one and knocked out power. My link is broken.”
Emergency lighting came on but it was faint and gave a weird, eerie red tinge to the room. A popping noise sounded by the door, and Nala gripped the edge of the bunk as metal groaned and the doors began to open. Whoever was out there had some kind of tool that slowly pried them open. She could see well enough to make out the weapon, gloved hand, and uniform of the person who attempted to enter the room.
The uniform colors were instantly identifiable.
Maze fired his weapon and hit his target. The soldier’s body flew backward, out of sight into the hallway with a loud thud.
A piercing whine sounded and Nala threw her hands over her ears, shoved her chin down again
st her chest, and closed her eyes.
The huge boom and bright flash that came a second later threw her painfully against the wall, knocking the air from her lungs on impact. Her bent legs gave out under her and she landed on her butt.
It took her precious seconds to remember how to breathe before she opened her eyes, lifted her head, and released her ears. The second soldier had entered the room and had his weapon shifting from her to the damaged cleansing unit.
“Don’t shoot!” She raised her hands, palms showing, and spread her fingers apart. “I’m unarmed.”
The soldier held her gaze and then stepped closer to the cleansing unit. A stream of light illuminated the inside when he flicked on that feature of his weapon.
“Shit!” Nala glanced at the damaged unit and couldn’t see how Maze would have survived. She’d thought a stun grenade had been launched, that whining sound normally a warning of one, but there was massive damage to the cleansing unit walls. They were bent inward, as if something had attached to them and blown.
“Who are you?” He kept his weapon and the beam of light on the cleansing unit.
“Captain Nala Vestria of the Pride.”
“This is the Varnish.” He pulled a second weapon, pointing it at her. “What in the hell is going on here? Why are you with cyborgs? That is a cyborg, isn’t it?”
“My freighter was attacked.” She decided to fudge the truth. The uniform he wore was the same one her father had sported for twenty years in the military.
They weren’t pirates. They worked for Earth Government.
“I woke up and found myself locked inside this room. That’s the first one I’ve seen. He showed up about a minute before you arrived. We didn’t exactly speak. I huddled down here, terrified, and then you breached the door.”