by Elin Wyn
Rogue Warrior
Rogue Star: Book Five
Elin Wyn
Ava York
Contents
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Lynna
Valtic
Epilogue – Lynna
Letter from Elin
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Given: Star Breed Book One
Vrehx: Conquered World Book One
About the Author
Lynna
I missed duct tape.
I suppressed my frustration as the bulb attachment belonging to one of the Rogue Star’s pieces of medical equipment fell onto the floor for the third time that day.
This time, the fragile bulb cracked.
I picked it up and examined it. It should work just fine if I screwed it back in, however, I had nothing to stop it from falling out all over again.
I’d recently learned how to use everything in the Rogue Star’s med bay, sometimes in crisis mode. Despite long hours with the auto-tutor, I didn’t know the technical names for all of the equipment, but even I could tell that everything was in dire need of replacement.
It was a good thing I didn’t have any patients to tend to at the moment.
The Rogue Star was en route back to Katzul. Unless someone was particularly stupid, I wasn’t going to be patching anyone up until we’d made port.
Considering that we were wanted criminals and all, we’d been lucky in terms of injuries.
Kalyn’s leg wound had been bad, but the worst had been Orrin when he was shot close range by a bounty hunter. If it weren’t for Zayn, the Rogue Star’s medic, I wouldn’t have known what to do.
It still made me shudder.
I didn’t think Zayn would like me when Captain Dejar asked me to take on some of the doctorly duties.
Turned out, Zayn had had no issues with letting me have free rein in the med bay. He came in every once in a while to check supply levels but, for the most part, he seemed to enjoy taking a break.
It made me wonder what the Rogue Star crew had gotten up to before I and the other human women ended up here.
“Lynna!” Kalyn burst into the med bay, startling me so I lost my grip on the bulb.
This time it shattered. I pressed my lips together to hide my annoyance.
“Sorry!” she gasped. “I shouldn’t have burst in like that.”
“It’s okay.” I managed a smile. “It was already cracked. It was going to break sooner or later. Is everything all right?”
“I need you to come with me.” she exclaimed, and extended her hand, practically vibrating with excitement.
“Why?” I swept up the shards of broken bulb and tossed them.
“You’ll see!” she squealed, never before so animated. Humoring her, I let her drag me out of the med bay and through the ship’s narrow corridors.
“The dining hall?” I asked when we approached the double doors. “If you wanted to get lunch, you could’ve just said so.” Kalyn grinned, saying nothing, and pushed both doors open with a flourish.
The lights came on to reveal the other human women standing around a table. On the table was a square white cake with Happy Birthday Lynna! written in sloppy red cursive.
“Surprise!” everyone exclaimed. “Happy Birthday!”
My hand flew to my chest and my eyes widened. “It’s not my birthday, is it?” I looked at Kalyn.
“It is,” she confirmed. “I’m your commander. It’s my job to know these things.”
“I must’ve lost track of Terran days.” Now that we weren’t in Terran space, I found it difficult to stick to the old calendar.
Kalyn held up her watch, which still reflected the Terran day and time. She was right, it was my birthday.
“Thank you, everyone,” I said. “You really didn’t need to go to all this trouble.”
“You would’ve done the same for us.” Kalyn nudged me gently.
That was true. Back on Persephone Station, I loved organizing things like this. It brightened up the monotonous day-to-day life on the station.
“Sorry there aren’t any candles on the cake,” Kalyn said. “I couldn’t find anything safe enough to light on fire, and we can’t waste the oxygen, anyway.”
“Understandable,” I laughed.
“Speaking of cake, let’s cut into this one,” Maris said, rubbing her hands together. “I’m starving.”
“It’s still not exactly the kind of cake we’re used to,” Shenna said, sounding apologetic. “Sars and I got it as close as we could, though. We’re getting better.”
“If it’s anything like the stuff we made on Valentine’s Day, I’ll be happy,” Maris declared.
Kalyn glanced at the doors. “We have to wait for the others to get here.”
“Others?” I asked.
“I invited Dejar and the rest of the crew.” Kalyn shrugged. “They’re family now, after all.”
“Yes, they should be here,” I agreed, faint amusement making me smile. If we’d stayed on Persephone Station, it wouldn’t be much of a family. And to think Kalyn, of all people, had been the first to…well, integrate so well with the Shein.
“If they aren’t here soon, I’m calling for a free for all on the cake,” Aryn said, swiping icing off the side of the cake with her finger.
Shenna smacked her hand away, but Aryn grinned, sucking the icing off her finger.
“Are we late for the party?” Dejar asked as he strode into the dining hall with Aavat and Orrin in tow. Other crewmembers filed in behind them.
Including someone I didn’t expect to see.
Valtic, the head of ship security, towered in the doorway, his arms folded over his wide chest.
I looked away quickly, my cheeks warm because so many people were close by.
That was it.
Really.
I liked to say that I considered everyone on the Rogue Star a friend, even the deck hands and cabin workers.
Valtic, on the other hand, was still a mystery to me. I rarely saw him and didn’t know where he spent his time. He had to have an office somewhere.
To my embarrassment, I’d only learned his name a week or so ago. Since then, I’d decided to make an effort to get to know him, but that was proving to be a difficult task.
Especially since every time I saw him, something in me fluttered.
“Of course you’re not late!” Kalyn exclaimed. “There’s still cake.” The crewmembers stepped into the dining hall and helped themselves to pieces of cake Shenna had cut.
Dejar lifted Kalyn, kissing her deeply before turning to me, one arm still wrapped around her waist.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand the occasion,” he confessed. “Kalyn just said cake.”
“Lynna was born thirty-one years ago today by the Terran calendar,” Kalyn explained. “Humans celebrate their birth annually with a gathering of friends, cake, and an exchange of gifts.”
“Please tell me you didn’t get me anything,” I said.
“Okay. I won’t tell you.” Kalyn grinned shamelessly, then turned to Dejar. “Traditionally, the guests wish the birthday gir
l happy birthday.”
“Happy Birthday?” he said hesitantly.
“Well done,” I grinned. “And thank you. Go help yourself to some cake.”
“I’m supposed to be the hostess,” Kalyn chided. “You just focus on enjoying yourself.”
“Done and done.”
Kalyn and Dejar laced their fingers together and moved off toward the cake table. Taking a moment to survey all of the wonderful friends I’d made, contentment bloomed in my chest.
Someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned.
Valtic’s deep bronze eyes stared down at me, his expression blank. My stomach clenched.
I cleared my throat. “Would you like some cake?” Smooth, Lynna.
“No,” he said. “I came to give you the traditional well-wishes and depart. I have work to do.”
Oh.
“Are you sure you can’t stay for a little while?” I asked. “It’s a party, after all.”
“Unfortunately, no,” he replied, though he didn’t look at all regretful. “Happy Birthday.” He nodded and left the dining hall.
“Don’t take it personally.” Kovor appeared at my side. “Lighthearted fun has never been his forte.”
“Parties aren’t for everyone,” I shrugged, trying to push off my disappointment. “Has Aryn eaten all of my birthday cake?”
Kovor chuckled. “She’s had three slices.”
“I better get in there before it’s all gone,” I laughed. I made my way through the packed room, accepting birthday wishes left and right.
I had plenty of friends here, I reminded myself. Even if someone was determined to be difficult.
The cake was half gone by the time I reached the table. Kalyn presented me with a piece she’d put to the side just for me. It had some of the icing that read my name.
“Can you put a second piece to the side?” I asked. Even as I said the words, I was a little nervous about the plan that had just sprung to mind.
“Of course! You’re the birthday girl. You get to eat as much cake as you want.”
“It’s not for me.” Kalyn gave me a curious look. “It’s for Valtic.”
Kalyn looked more confused. “I don’t think he likes cake.”
“Maybe not.” I shrugged, trying for casual. “But he left to go back to work. I want him to know his absence was noticed.”
Kalyn furrowed her brow but didn’t say anything more. She cut an extra piece of cake as asked. I felt like I was missing a piece of information, but I didn’t know how to ask for it.
I went around the room, making sure to say hello to everyone. Kalyn and the other women presented me with a hand-knit scarf they’d all taken turns working on. It was messy and filled with small holes.
Perfect.
As the party wound down, I gathered my nerve.
“Be right back!” I waved to the room, taking the slice of cake that’d been set aside.
I knew where Orrin’s workspace was. I remembered Maris saying that Valtic’s office was nearby.
I tried three doors near Orrin’s workspace until I found him.
The only light in the room came from four monitors. Valtic sat at his desk, flipping through the same pieces of footage over and over, but nothing looked out of the ordinary.
“Have a minute?” I asked.
“What can I do for you?” Valtic replied without turning around. He wasn’t rude, just focused.
Distant.
“Nothing.” I stepped into the dark room. “I brought you some cake from the party.”
I set the plate down on the desk next to him.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because you didn’t get any. And you should know that your presence was missed.”
Valtic looked at the cake with a blank expression, then to me, then back to his monitors. “I have a lot of footage to look through.”
I pursed my lips. “Right. Well, enjoy the cake.” I backed out of his office and closed the door quietly.
It was dangerous to spend too much time in isolation, I knew that better than anyone.
Valtic was about to have a special friend, whether he liked it or not.
Valtic
I was not pleased with the crew holding this…party…when we had so many other things that needed to be dealt with.
Despite everything that happened the last time we let our guard down, now the crew was doing it again.
Asinine fools.
Granted, it was a celebration of the day Lynna was born. That would be worth celebrating, at any time.
For the Shein, a commencement day was an acknowledgement of our birth, but it was normally the mother that was celebrated while her child, grown or young, gave a gift commemorating their mother’s life.
It was how the Shein honored the one that bore them to life.
I had attended the party only to better understand the confusing sounds of an unscheduled gathering that had come through my monitors.
When Lynna made an attempt to socialize with me, I remained dedicated to my duties instead of falling into conversation with her.
I had to maintain vigilance, especially since I had failed so badly before.
It was the only way to keep us safe.
I should have been aware of that man, the bounty hunter named Hurd…I should have seen him for what he was.
I’d had my concerns about him, about that entire job, but I hadn’t followed through, and it had cost us.
I was not going to let something like that happen again, no matter how tempting it was to spend just a few more minutes in her company.
I left the party to resume my rounds of the ship, beginning with the system Orrin and Maris had installed in the hangar bay, running the required diagnostics.
They both growled when I ran extra checks on their system. But I needed to know, to be sure.
The system was tolerable.
Actually, it was a brilliant piece of engineering by the two of them.
It was, once they’d finished modifying it, something that was capable of doing something that I had failed at.
Keeping us safe.
After running diagnostics on the system in the hangar bay, I moved on to the weapons bay, then the engine room, the med bay, the living area, the bridge, and finally back to the hangar bay.
Everything was optimal, as it should be.
I had found Aryn’s little escape hatch and put a small strip of tape both inside and outside the hatch. It was a simple, yet effective, technique. Neither had been disturbed between her and Kovor’s return and when we left Qasar.
Next on my rounds were the service tubes. I worked my way through service tube two, half listening to the sounds of the party. The women were teaching the others a child’s song, gathering dates for future parties.
More of this madness.
At the top of the service tube, I opened the hatch, stepping onto the bridge. I was delighted to see that the crew on the bridge already had their weapons drawn on me, as they should.
“Good work. Routine check complete,” I complimented them.
Their weapons lowered but not holstered, the crew nodded and waited for me to leave. They performed exactly as instructed, although the night crew were the only ones to do as I wanted.
Captain Dejar’s, as well as Commander Aavat’s, bridge crews rarely acted accordingly. Any time I brought it up, both of them essentially shrugged me off, telling me that they trusted I would never betray them.
It was true, but it was a breach in necessary protocol to ensure the ship’s, and crew’s, safety.
Commander Kovor’s night crew was the only one to take me seriously. Odd, considering I’d never seen Kovor himself take anything seriously.
I made my way to another tube, doing my best to make sure I didn’t put myself into a predictable pattern with the service tubes, or with my rounds.
A routine could be another weakness.
Only constant vigilance could keep us safe.
As I lowered myself into tube
six and closed the hatch behind me, the raucous sounds of the party echoed up to me. Perhaps I should join them.
Lynna had been very polite to me, something I didn’t deserve, but appreciated. Her hair cascaded down her head like waves, and her deep green eyes sparkled more than a Halandian emerald.
She possessed a gentle manner and always seemed to be smiling, as if she truly enjoyed making people feel better.
Lynna was everything goodness and light.
When she’d brought the cake to my office, she’d brought her own light with her. I hadn’t dared look at her for too long.
She was a distraction. Even now I was thinking of her, her lovely soft form.
I should stay far away.
Make sure nothing threatened the crew, threatened her.
Three steps from tube ten, the ship’s red alert went off, the blaring alarm a hot blade cutting through my thoughts.
The crisp and clear voice of Sper, the overnight pilot, came on the overhead speaker system. “Proximity alarm has been triggered. I repeat, proximity alarm has been triggered. All personnel to assigned stations.”
I brought up the exterior cameras on my tablet and searched, but it was hard to see on such a small screen. Rushing to the wall-screen in the science lab, I swiped what was on my tablet onto the wall-screen.
I cycled through the different camera angles until I saw it.
Rather, I didn’t see the stars that should have been there.
Something dark, almost impossible to see, was approaching.
I opened up a sub-routine in the defense system, activated exterior spotlights, and maneuvered them in the direction of the darkness. It might be invisible to our sensors, but not our eyes.
There it was.