Rogue Warrior

by Elin Wyn

  The dark ship. What Kovor and Aryn had discovered was called The Terror.

  It had found us.

  I sent out a communication blast to Dejar and Aavat, then rushed for my office.

  Pulling open the tube five hatch, I jumped in feet first, swearing as I slid down to engineering. I was closest and knew what needed to be done.

  We’d never fully tested it, but I needed to activate the new stealth system and give it time to build up power.

  We didn’t know if it would work. But now we were out of time.

  I rushed into the room and the ship rocked hard, throwing me to my hands and knees.

  My head hit the metal leg of the workstation and for a few brief moments, all I could see were dancing lights in front of my eyes. Blinking rapidly, I lurched to my feet as my vision returned.

  Though I could begin the process of activating the system, we needed two people to get it fully started.

  Umbba.

  It was so new, we hadn’t assigned this as a crew position yet.

  Of all the…

  The power drain from the stealth system was so great it had made sense to require two points of activation in order to prevent accidental activation or deactivation.

  But now that caution might get us killed.

  I couldn’t reach the other station, to activate it.

  Both stations had to be switched on simultaneously.

  Where was anyone?

  The haze that was my constant companion focused my vision to a pinpoint. Calm, slow breaths beat it back.

  Then I heard footsteps rushing towards me and returned to the stealth controls to prime the system once again.

  Whoever it was, they better move fast.

  Lynna

  Most of the partygoers peeled off and returned to their respective duties.

  A few of us lingered in the dining hall, laughing and talking, nearly finishing off the final corner of the cake, not bothering with forks and eating with our hands.

  Dots of red icing stained my hands as I finished off the last few letters of Happy.

  “Did Valtic like his cake?” Kalyn asked.

  “I don’t know,” I replied, biting my lip. “He was really busy when I went in.”

  “Sounds about right,” Aavat replied. “He’s gotten a little obsessive since the incident with the bounty hunter and Tiatra.”

  “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Shenna asked. “It’s not like we can be too secure.” Something in one of her pockets made a squeaking sound.

  Two small fuzzy ears peeked out of her shirt pocket—I decided I wasn’t going to ask. By now, her and Aavat’s room must’ve looked like a small menagerie.

  “I’d rather him work too hard than not work hard enough,” Dejar nodded in agreement.

  “His workspace was dismal,” I recalled. “Maybe working too hard isn’t such a good thing in his case.”

  “With The Terror still out there somewhere, I’m glad Valtic is overdoing it,” Kovor chimed in. “He’s not terribly social to begin with.”

  I opened my mouth to argue. Was I the only one worried about Valtic?

  But then an ear-splitting alarm rang through the ship, a sound I’d heard once before, through drugged sleep brought on by the gas the bounty hunter had smuggled on the ship.

  A knot of apprehension formed in my belly as everyone leaped up from the table.

  “Everyone to your emergency stations,” Dejar barked.

  For most of the Persephone women, that meant the cargo bay.

  Shenna and I had different tasks, and we split up to cover more ground. We had to check the ship to make sure no one was stuck under a collapsed wall. Or more likely, sleeping in their quarters with earplugs in.

  I looked into every cabin and storage room. Thankfully, I didn’t find anyone. Everyone was where they were supposed to be or on their way there. I peeked into the showers, also empty.

  Feeling less panicked, I returned to the bridge to meet up with Shenna, who was already there waiting for me.

  “All clear?” she asked.

  “All clear.” We’d started off in the direction of the cargo bay when I stopped short. “Did you check the workshops?”

  “No,” Shenna replied. “Orrin and Maris were both with us.”

  “Valtic was in his office alone,” I said, a faint thread of worry working through my chest.

  “I’m sure he’s the one who triggered the alarm.”

  “You’re probably right, but I’m going to double check anyway.” I squeezed her shoulder. “Go down into the cargo bay, I’ll be there in a moment.”

  Shenna nodded before hurrying down the corridor.

  I made my way back through the ship to Valtic’s door. The monitors were still on, though some had lost connection and only showed static.

  “Valtic?” I called out, though the sound of the alarm overpowered my voice. I stepped farther into his office.

  The room was quite a bit deeper than I’d initially noticed. A door built into the back wall was ajar. I moved across the office and looked through the door. Valtic was inside the back room with his hand on one lever and stretching as far as he could to reach a second lever. For the first time since I’d met him, his spiky dark hair was disheveled, his rigid control drawn too tight.

  “You need to get to your position!” I called.

  I’d memorized most of the emergency protocols after the incident with the Enclave bounty hunter. However, I didn’t recall exactly where Valtic was supposed to be, but I was sure it was somewhere on the bridge. All essential personnel needed to go to the bridge.

  “I’m activating the new stealth system first,” he shouted back. He released the lever he held in order to pull the other one. The moment he let go of the first one, it snapped back into its resting position.

  “That’s not part of the protocol,” I stammered. “It’s not finished!”

  Valtic fixed me with a hard look. “The Terror found us. I have to activate the stealth systems if we’re going to have any chance of escaping them. You know Maris and Orrin are nearly done with this thing.”

  At the sound of that dreaded ship’s name, my stomach tightened. “What can I do to help?”

  “You can get yourself somewhere safe,” Valtic growled.

  “You clearly can’t activate the stealth system alone. Let me help.”

  I crossed the room and stood by one of the levers, waiting.

  A muscle jumped in his jaw, but he nodded. Stubborn? Yes. An idiot? No.

  “Okay,” he sighed. “Pull this lever at the same time I pull mine. Ready?”

  I nodded, then he counted down from three and we snapped our levers into the downward position.

  “Is that it?” I asked.

  “No. We each have to enter a code. See the keypad to your right?” I did. It was a twelve-digit keypad and I recognized the characters from learning to read Shein.

  “You’re going to hit the top middle, bottom left, and center right keys exactly when I do,” Valtic instructed.

  Valtic counted each key as he pressed it. Our fingertips hit the keys at the same time. To the left of our levers, a green light flickered on.

  “Press that next?” I asked. Valtic nodded. He counted down once more. We pushed the button at the same time.

  And nothing happened.

  At least, nothing that I could sense.

  “Did it work?” I asked.

  “I hope so.” He stalked out of the room. “You should get to your position, somewhere safe.”

  “Right now I think I’m safest with you.”

  He froze, just for a second, then kept walking.

  “Besides, I want to make sure the stealth system worked. I’m going to the bridge,” I said. “Why is it so complicated to activate it?”

  “It draws a massive amount of power,” Valtic explained, not looking at me. “Dejar and Kovor only want it used in case of an emergency. The activation process requires two individuals in order to prevent accidental activat
ion.”

  When we reached the bridge, Dejar, Aavat, Orrin, Kalyn, and Maris were there.

  “Why aren’t you in the cargo bay?” Kalyn asked me. “And where have you been?” she asked Valtic.

  “I took the liberty of activating the new stealth system,” Valtic explained. “Think of this as a final field test.”

  “Is it really The Terror that’s coming after us?” I asked.

  Kalyn nodded. “It doesn’t show up on any of our scanners. Luckily for us, Valtic spotted it on a camera.”

  I looked at Valtic, my eyebrows raised in surprise. He hadn’t mentioned that he had been the one who found The Terror.

  “Qal’s moving the ship out of the area as fast as it can go. From what we can tell, the stealth system worked beautifully,” Dejar said. “It looks like The Terror can’t see us on its sensors anymore.”

  “The stealth system only hides us from sensors and scanners. If The Terror has real-time cameras or if a crewmember looks out the right window, they could still see us,” Maris reminded us.

  “Speaking of cameras, if I’m not needed, I’d like to return to my office and monitor the situation,” Valtic requested.

  “Go ahead,” Dejar said. He tapped a few buttons on the main control console and the emergency alarm fell silent.

  “I’ll go make sure everyone in the cargo bay is okay,” I suggested.

  Kalyn nodded her approval.

  I walked away at the same time as Valtic. For a short moment, before the corridors diverged, we walked side by side.

  “Thank you for your assistance,” Valtic said jerkily. He didn’t look at me when he spoke.

  “You’re welcome,” I replied. “I still don’t understand why you tried to activate the stealth system alone, especially when you knew it was designed to need two people.”

  “There was no time to wait. Besides, I prefer to do things on my own,” Valtic replied. “That way I can be sure they are done right.”

  “Commendable. I’m the same way,” I nodded. “However, I know the value of asking for help when I need it.”

  Valtic’s cheek twitched at the word help. He must’ve had far more self-pride than I realized. Typical male.

  “Asking for help doesn’t make you less competent,” I pressed.

  “Of course not,” Valtic scoffed.

  “Then why—”

  “Thank you, again,” Valtic said curtly before turning sharply down another corridor.

  Clearly, I’d hit a nerve.

  I frowned at his back as he stalked away, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d always been this way.

  Or if something had happened to him.

  Valtic

  I needed to be more vigilant.

  It was because I had been tempted, wasted time at her party, that I had been behind schedule in my rounds.

  If I had not been late, I would have seen The Terror on the cameras long before they got within range of us.

  I would not allow that to happen again. I kept an eye on the monitors, searching for anything that seemed out of place within the stars, and the space between the stars.

  Hours passed, until I was interrupted by a knock at my door. I let out a small growl of irritation.

  No one knocked at my door. Ever.

  If Captain Dejar or Aavat wanted me, they sent a message. No one else bothered me.

  I opened the door to see Lynna standing there, a plate in her hands.

  With another slice of cake.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, voice rougher than I intended.

  A whip-edge of shame lashed me as she flinched a bit at the tone of my voice. She kept her smile intact, chin up. Brave, bright little thing.

  “Well,” she shifted from foot to foot as she spoke. “You left so fast after the stealth system was turned on, you didn’t wait to check in with anyone else.”

  “I’m sure they’ll send me a comm if they need anything,” I replied, my voice as monotone as I could make it. Something smelled delicious. And it wasn’t the cake. “What did you need?”

  I needed to keep my distance from her. There was nothing wrong with me.

  I didn’t need a doctor.

  Yet, here she was.

  In my doorway.

  Edging into my office.

  She looked down at the cake, then back up at me. “I was wanting to make sure that you were okay, maybe give you another piece of cake.”

  She held it out to me, her head tilted to the side a bit as she kept that ridiculous, lovely smile on her face.

  Scro.

  I took the cake from her hands and placed it on the table next to the door. “Thank you. Is there anything else?”

  She peered over my shoulder, then back up at me as I stepped to the side to block her view. “I see you ate the other slice of cake I gave you.”

  “Affirmative. It was. . .” I tried to search for the proper word. Something positive, but not encouraging. “. . .edible,” I finished.

  I wasn’t sure how to read her face, but it seemed as though she looked a bit deflated. It didn’t last long, as she took a deep breath and smiled again. “So, how are you doing?”

  “How am I doing what?”

  She laughed, lightly. “It’s an expression, a way of asking how you are.”

  “Ah, I understand. I…am adequately well. I have no medical issues that require your assistance at this time.”

  She giggled again, and in her attempt to stifle it, she let out a snort. “I’m not asking as a doctor. I’m asking as a friend.”

  “Don’t,” I said, pushing my way out of the doorway into the hall and closing the door behind me.

  “Don’t what?” she asked, moving to the side.

  “Don’t ask as a ‘friend’. It’s not something you should do.” I tried to make my way past her, but she stepped in my way.

  “Why not? Why don’t you want to talk to me?”

  I didn’t answer. I stood there, my most intimidating stance and glower directed at her.

  She didn’t move, however. She kept staring up at me, adjusting her own stance to show she was going to stay.

  I couldn’t understand why she was so interested in talking to me, in getting to know me. I was simply the security on board the ship, there was nothing special about me that should have interested her.

  I had given her no reason to pay attention to me, so why was she trying so hard?

  “Well?” she asked impatiently.

  I shook my head, spun around, and began to head in the other direction, away from her. I wanted nothing to do with her and this conversation she was trying to start. I made only a few paces down the hall when her running footsteps brought her past me.

  She stopped in front of me, tiny body barely blocking the hall, her arms spread wide.

  “I don’t think so. You’re not avoiding me that easily,” she said breathlessly. “Why won’t you talk to me?”

  “I’m not in the mood for this,” I snarled at her. Everyone else stayed away from me. Why wouldn’t she?

  “You’re never in the mood. Why is that? Why are you so shut off from everything?” she demanded of me.

  I shook my head and hissed at her. “You need to leave me alone. I’m not worth your effort, so walk away from me.”

  “What do you mean? How could you say something like that?” Her voice was tight, fraught with emotion.

  She shouldn’t have felt that way, not for me.

  I wasn’t worth the concern, the care.

  I had a function, and I needed to perform it. That was all.

  I threw up my hands in frustration. “Because I’m not. It’s as simple as that. You don’t need to spend your effort trying to get to know me because I won’t let you. Concentrate your efforts on someone else, Doctor.”

  With that, I turned away from her again, stalked back to my door, and stopped in front of it.

  “As much as I appreciate your efforts, Doctor, they’re unwanted. Go about your life and leave mine alone.” I open
ed the door, walked into my office, and closed it behind me.

  I heard her footsteps march away. I sat back down at my desk and began watching the vids again, but something nagged at me in the back of my mind.

  It wasn’t guilt.

  Of course not.

  She was better staying away from me.

  Safer.

  That flicker of hurt in her eyes at my words was a small price to pay to keep her safe.

  I sat at my desk, my eyes on the vids, but paying no attention to them. In frustration, I moved away from my desk in order to think.

  I reached for the cake, a growl in my chest, and nearly threw it into the trash, but I stopped. Something prevented me from disposing of this gift from the doctor.

  It was sweet, delicate. Filled with tempting scents.

  Like her.

  I reviewed the vids again, savoring every bite.

  Refusing to think of her.

  Lynna

  “Maris, you promised!” I felt like a small child as I pleaded with Maris over her plate of mush that kind of looked like scrambled eggs, but not quite.

  “I didn’t promise I would skip breakfast,” Maris replied. “I promised that Orrin and I would help you with repairs.”

  “Breakfast was served hours ago. What you’re eating is four hours old at this point.” I pointed to her plate of food.

  “I had a late night in the workshop. I’m trying to figure out how to modify the stealth system so that it doesn’t use as much power. I’d sleep better if I knew we were always cloaked, but right now, it just can’t happen.”

  “You and me both,” I muttered as I slumped into the seat across from her. “Where’s Orrin?”

  “He was still sleeping when I left him. He’s not a late sleeper, so I expect he’ll be here any minute. Scone?” Maris offered me a hunk of baked dough speckled with pieces of some kind of fruit native to the Shein homeworld.

  They tasted kind of like cranberries. The creation tasted kind of like a scone.

  Enough like a scone that I grabbed it.

  “I’m going to get some coffee. Do you want some?” I asked after I finished the scone. Maris nodded, her mouth filled with eggs. By the time I returned to the table with two cups of coffee and another scone, Orrin had arrived.