As We Rise: Rogue (As We Rise Saga Book 1)

by Donnielle Tyner

  “Let me handle them,” Raiden mumbled as he took a sip of water. “Maybe we can get out of this without causing a scene.”

  “Not likely,” Jo muttered before smiling at the man who sat across from her and Raiden. “May we help you?”

  This was the first time Jo actually studied the two men. They were the very definition of brutes. Both were massive in height and thickness. Muscles strained the fabric of their black shirts bearing a mark of what looked like a massive, red-winged lizard eating his own tail on one sleeve. They certainly belong to one of the syndicates. She had seen this mark on several stores in the market. Jo eyed their massive arms and wondered if the cloth would survive intact in either a fight or general flexing.

  Although their bodies were nearly identical, their faces were opposite. The man across from Raiden had a thick nose, full lips and a large pair of deep-set brown eyes under bushy eyebrows. The bruiser across from Jo looked as if he was permanently sucking on something sour. His eyes were nothing but small slits, hiding the true color of his eyes, but Jo guessed them to be bluish-gray. His narrow nose was scrunched above pursed lips. Jo resisted the urge to laugh that bubbled in her throat. It was highly inappropriate to find such things amusing while their lives were in danger. She could do that when they were safely in open space.

  “Yes,” squishy-faced man answered in a voice dripping with disdain. “Our boss wants something you’ve been hiding on your ship.”

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Raiden answered, his voice ringing with truth. Jo ignored the pit of guilt that opened in her stomach and kept her mouth shut. Maybe he could talk them out of a confrontation.

  “I’m not talking to you,” flat face sneered. “I’m talking to the lady captain.”

  So much for letting Raiden handle it.

  “Like my friend says, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jo shifted forward and let one of her hands fall below the table, while resting her chin on the other. She smiled, waiting to see if they noticed her sly move.

  “We have vid feed of another woman removing a certain…” Squishy man cut his eyes to Raiden, who sat tall and exuded intimidating vibes. “Precious item from your ship yesterday.”

  “Really?” Jo feigned an innocent look at Raiden. “Is this your doing?”

  Raiden’s eyes widened in shock before he narrowed them at her. “No,” he growled. Jo hoped he understood she wasn’t really blaming him for this mess.

  “Are you sure it’s my ship in the feed?”

  “Yes,” flat face answered. “If you do not willingly yield your cargo, there are ways to make sure you comply.”

  The silence that followed built until it was heavy with anticipation. Jo breathed deep, making sure her breasts were heaving with each inhalation. She watched as they both stared at her chest with avid interest. Stupid men. Raiden gripped the table with a white-knuckled intensity. She had to make her move before he did something idiotic to ruin her chance. With her hand gripping the hilt of her blazer, Jo pushed back from the table and shot both men in the face with quick precision.

  Grabbing Raiden’s arm, Jo pulled him behind her as they ran through the panicked crowd, weaving between buildings. Sparks exploded around them as a holoscreen took the shot from a blazer. It seemed the syndicate didn’t appreciate it when their demands were ignored.

  Jo could see the terminal from their position and opened a comm to the ship, “Elek, get the engines running and be ready to take off at my command.”

  “Aye, Captain. What about Sky?” Jo strained to hear his voice over the volley of blazer fire.

  “She’s almost there,” Jo barked before ending the comm.

  “We’re going to have to run for it,” Raiden shouted, ducking his head as chunks of metal dropped from somewhere above them. “You go first and I’ll cover you.”

  “Okay,” Jo answered before taking off. She felt the growing fluctuations in her mechanical leg as the myomer-cables that mimicked the movements of organic muscle tissue heated and the tiny motors in her joints clicked into overdrive, forcing her organic leg to struggle to keep the blistering pace. The glass on the buildings exploded nanoseconds after she passed. She pushed her body the last few feet before diving behind the thick doors of the terminal.

  Jo breathed a sigh of relief as she scanned the empty terminal. The crowd that strangled the hallways before seemed to have disappeared. She would hate to discover that an innocent was hurt because of her, but she didn’t linger on the thought. She turned her blazer to where the shots originated and fired.

  Her heart almost stopped beating when Raiden leapt from behind his hiding place and ran a slightly different path than the one she took. Fewer shots were fired than when she was running, and Jo wondered how many men Raiden taken out.

  She had an advantage from where she was hiding, and one by one she dropped the syndicate men. Time slowed as she waited for Raiden. Did it take this long for her to run the gauntlet? She didn’t think so. Jo risked a glance at Raiden. He was almost safe inside the terminal when a man hiding in an alley leaned out to take a shot. It grazed Raiden’s shoulder. The world dropped from beneath Jo at the sound of his pained cry. She dropped the target with one shot as Raiden rounded the corner.

  Jo wanted to check his injury, but more would be closing in on them. As they rounded the corner toward the Kismet’s docking station, Jo mentally thanked the stars that their hangar was located at the back of the terminal for an easy exit. They slid into the cargo hold, and Jo slammed the lever to close the hatch while simultaneously barking orders at Elek to launch.

  As Jo sank to the floor, sucking in deep breaths to slow her racing heart, a shocked scream echoed through the hull. Raiden was on his knees just in front of Jo, one hand gripping his wound. Blood oozed between his fingers and dripped on the floor in a stuttering beat. He pulled himself to stand and stumbled across the floor to where Rana stood next to Sky. Rana’s chin lifted in defiance as she warily watched the soldier approach her.

  Something broke inside Jo’s chest as she watched Raiden regain his footing and steadily march toward the chancellor’s daughter. Sky stepped in front of Rana, pulling a wicked-looking blade from one of the sheaths strapped to her thighs.

  This was it. The moment he would forget all the beautiful words he told her only a few moments earlier and turn them in to the Galactic Consulate.

  Jo stood and jogged the distance between her and Raiden. She marched in front of him and halting his progress. His eyes shifted between Rana and Jo before he landed on her. For a few fleeting moments, not a soul made a sound as Raiden’s expression shifted from shock to triumph.

  “You have her!” he exclaimed as he reached out with his uninjured arm and grabbed Jo’s hand, smearing his blood over her skin. While he peppered kisses across her forehead, his words sank in. The last remnants of Jo’s heart broke. She knew it would come to this, but in the recesses of her heart, she had hoped he would be more than she had expected.

  Jo smiled sadly at Raiden and smashed the hilt of her blazer against his temple. A strangled sob escaped her throat as he crumpled to the ground.

  Twenty-Three

  “Sky, tie him up over there,” Jo pointed to the far wall. “Make sure he cannot move.”

  “Aye, Captain,”

  Jo turned to Rana and studied her. There was no blood or any other obvious wounds, but the ache in her own chest proved there were many ways to feel pain.

  “Are you okay, Rana?”

  “Yes, Captain.” Jo noticed her clenched fists and raised a questioning eyebrow. “I’m sorry I was discovered.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Jo shrugged.

  “Captain!” Elek’s panicked voice crackled through the comm. “We’re under attack.”

  As soon as the comm clicked off, an impact shook the entire ship. Knowing Sky would take care of Rana and their prisoner without her explicit command, Jo bounded up the stairs and raced to the bridge.

  When she stepped onto the
bridge, she could feel the tension release as those who weren’t focused on their stations skimmed over her frame through narrowed eyes. Jo ignored the stares. She knew they were only checking for injuries—she’d have done the same in their place.

  “Status update,” she called to Haedus and Elek.

  “It seems the syndicates aren’t too keen on us escaping this planet with Rana on board.” Haedus scanned her body with a critical eye. He paused briefly on the scrapes she unknowingly acquired during their escape from the planet’s surface before continuing his perusal with his brows pinched together in focused worry.

  “I’m okay, Haedus.” Jo turned to the screen holding the rear video feed. Two ships clung to their tail. Jo recognized the markings on the side of the larger ship as the same insignia worn by the two men she shot at the cafe. The other was one she hadn’t seen, a roaring beast surrounded by flowers.

  “Captain, I won’t be able to break atmosphere with them firing on us,” Elek grunted. Sweat dripped from his chin as he banked a hard right, throwing Jo into her chair.

  She sank into her seat, pulling up the holomap and opening a ship-wide comm. “Ashe, man the cannons. Everybody else get strapped in.”

  “Follow your own advice, Captain,” Haedus growled from somewhere behind her.

  Jo softly cursed as the ship shuddered from the strain of another round of evasive maneuvers. As soon as they were settled, she strapped herself in and began to study the surrounding terrain.

  “Elek, two warring syndicate ships are following us. Let’s get their focus off us and on to each other.”

  “Aye,” he groaned as he barrel-rolled the ship. The Kismet’s hull was used to the weightlessness of space, and Jo worried that she wouldn’t be able to handle the stress of gravity.

  “Head starboard. We’ve been flying over a canyon, and there appears to be a series of land bridges large enough for the Kismet. I want you to weave through them.”

  Elek studied the map at his station. His distraction earned the Kismet another direct hit.

  “Shields at 60%,” the AI announced.

  “Aye, Captain,” he agreed cautiously before adjusting his course.

  “Ashe, target the smallest ship with heavy fire and let the other follow us down into the ravine.”

  “Aye,” they grunted in unison.

  Jo watched the rear camera display as the men focused all fire on the smaller ship. It fell behind and didn’t follow as they sank lower into the canyon. The other ship followed close as the Kismet weaved between the land bridges and evaded their cannons.

  “Captain, the second ship is adjusting course—I think it will try to intercept us,” Haedus announced.

  “Good. Ashe, when we come about this next pillar, fire at both ships. Right after that, Elek, drop the Kismet as close to the ground as you can without scraping the shields.

  “Aye!”

  “I hope this works,” Jo mumbled. If it didn’t, Jo had put the Kismet in the vulnerable position of being exposed and trapped underneath two hostiles with no room for maneuverability. Her plan hinged on the hope that the syndicates would rather fight each other. As the cannons roared, Jo gripped the armrests as she leaned forward, her eyes riveted on the holoscreen displaying the aft cameras.

  Jo pushed out a slow breath as the two syndicate ships fired in retaliation, but the Kismet had already begun to sink deeper into the cannon. The smaller ship’s shot was a direct hit on the larger. As the flare of light from the cannon fire dissipated, every soul on Jo’s bridge froze. The moment stretched until Jo was certain that she had spent a lifetime waiting with whitened knuckles and lungs filled with air. Her eyes burned as she stared at the screen while the Kismet’s engines rumbled gently beneath her feet, the mechanical purr offering Jo a small measure of comfort. Her crew was ready with evasive maneuvers if this ploy failed. Anticipation gnawed at Jo’s insides, building until she wanted to scream at the enemy ships. She opened her mouth, but snapped it shut as the larger ship adjusted its thrusters and engaged the smaller, forgetting about the Kismet.

  “Elek, get us off this damned planet.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “Captain. Your boy toy is awake and requesting an audience,” Sky’s impassive voice crackled through Jo’s UAB as the Kismet broke through the atmosphere.

  Jo pulled the harness release and sat forward, resting her arms on her thighs, and hung her head between her knees. The telltale tightness in her neck and back foretold the beginnings of a tension headache.

  She just wanted one second to breathe.

  So much had happened since she woke up that morning, and there hadn’t been a single moment to process it all. If things continued the way they had been, she would never find the time to even attempt to try. Jo wondered how long it would take for the Galactic Consulate to be informed of her notorious, much desired passenger and how much time after that their ships to come for her. As daunting as the might of the Galactic Consulate was, Jo’s immediate worry was tied to a post in her cargo bay.

  When it came to the matters of Jo’s heart, there had never been an issue. She kept a wall between her and all others except for her father. Even the crew, who she loved, were separated by a small barrier. Her father had been the only man she loved, but Raiden stormed into her life and began chipping away at that wall. If she wasn’t careful, it would crumble under the weight of broken expectations.

  “Haedus, take the bridge while I take care of Raiden,” Jo stood, massaging her temples. For the first time in her life, she was tempted to let others take her burden. She never fooled herself that Raiden was more than a soldier in the Galactic Consulate’s army, but a small hope had taken root and bloomed under the warmth of his recent behavior.

  Jo felt like an idiot.

  “Aye, Captain.” Haedus unclipped his harness and stood over Jo. She could feel the pity pouring off of him. His large hands landed on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Look at me.”

  Jo lifted her gaze to the man who was more like an uncle to her than an XO. A small smile tugged at his lips as he studied her. His penetrating gaze felt like he was reading the secrets marked on her soul, and for the first time, Jo wished she could be that exposed. For someone to notice the raw emotion that built until she couldn’t see the way to the other side.

  “Jo,” he whispered. “I’m not your biological father. I’ve never had a child of my own, but like Chitra, I see you as mine.”

  She smiled at him as he shifted, obviously uncomfortable with opening up to her. Jo understood his anguish.

  “You’ve always been headstrong, independent, closed off…” he shifted a final time before resolution strengthened his features. “None of that is a bad thing, but you tend to pass judgement without considering the other side of things. What I’m trying to say is, when you go down to talk with Raiden, listen to him. He may have more to say than you expect.”

  “He’s the enemy,” Jo spat out.

  “But what if he’s not?” Haedus removed his hands from her shoulders and crossed them casually over his massive chest as if he didn’t throw a flash-bang inside Jo’s mind.

  With a slight nod, Jo turned away from her XO and left the bridge without uttering another command. The crew could run the ship without her. Her thoughts swirled with Haedus’s words. What if Raiden wasn’t the enemy? He certainly alluded to being more than a soldier, and he was adamant in his assertion that he was on her side. Whatever that meant. Jo didn’t even know if she had a side, much less one that Raiden would choose to be on.

  She stomped down the stairs to the cargo bay, still lost inside her own mind, but somewhere along the way she decided to heed Haedus’s advice. Maybe it was because while on Lycus, Raiden had promised to uncover the mysteries surrounding him once they were on board the Kismet. Maybe a deep part of her craved for Raiden to be more than she expected.

  Maybe she wanted to avoid a broken heart.

  Sky and Rana stood opposite the post Raiden had been tied to. The
y whispered to each other while shooting questioning gazes at their prisoner, completely ignorant of Jo’s arrival. Raiden ignored the women, his attention devoted solely to Jo. She felt the urge to squirm under his stare, but wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he unnerved her.

  “Care to include me in this conversation?” Jo inquired as she stepped between the two women.

  “Hello, Captain.” Rana dipped her chin and bowed her shoulders slightly in a modest, yet respectful nod. Jo raised a questioning brow at the woman. This was the first time Rana had shown Jo any form of respect. When she rose, a small smile graced her lips. She was beautiful. Even though you couldn’t read anything from her cybernetic eyes, it was nice to see a reaction besides trepidation or submission. “We were discussing the repercussions of the copious reward attached to my photograph and it being shared across the system.”

  “Repercussions? I thought you wanted to go home.”

  “I do, eventually, but I don’t think it would be wise to return until I discover the truth behind my attempted murder.” Rana’s smile melted into a flat line as she clenched her fists so tight, her knuckles went deathly pale against her already creamy skin.

  “Did you get a chance to read the entire broadcast?” Sky asked.

  “No, I was more concerned with getting back to my ship with my body free from blazer holes.”

  “The feed across the bottom stated that she is to be returned to the military corporation for debriefing.”

  “Ahhh.” It seemed Eltanin and his ilk knew Rana hadn’t been disintegrated along with the corpses. Uneasiness for Rana’s future and what it would mean if Jo allowed her to stay aboard the Kismet warred with her pragmatic side. If she hadn’t grown to like the woman, Jo would be tempted to drop her at the nearest colony and forget she existed.

  “She cannot be returned to the Elitians,” Raiden called, his voice coated with desperation.

  “Oh?” Jo turned to the man. “Why is that? I would assume as a military employee, you would want to obey their every command.”