by Kyle, Celia
“Oh. My. God. You two are so cute together.”
My cheeks flush with color, and I laugh nervously.
“Can we not make this a huge deal?”
Varia and Fiona stop dead in the corridor and exchange puzzled glances. Then they turn to me in and speak in unison.
“Request denied.”
Once the laughter subsides, they catch up to me—I never stopped walking—and Varia tries to be a little less annoying.
“I’m sorry, Ilya. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but this is a big deal. Did you ever think you would be mated to a big, swaggering, sexy alien?”
“I—it’s crossed my mind. I used to date a Vakutan guy in college.”
“Vakutans are hot.” Fiona fans herself a bit, a grin spreading across her face. “So hot. But to be honest, Kilgari are a little bit hotter.”
“It’s the ‘big brother’ quality.” Varia nods to herself in agreement. “Kilgari make you feel like you’re really being taken care of.”
I don’t know what she’s talking about. I don’t have a brother, but if I did, I certainly wouldn’t want to sleep with him.
“Some say big brother. Others say…daddy.”
Varia and Fiona laugh as I start walking faster to get away from them. Unfortunately, they catch up with me anyway.
We turn into the double-wide doors of the mess hall, and right way Jax looks up and smiles warmly. The jovial and grizzled ship cook has whipped up another delicacy, something that smells sort of like Italian sausage.
I’m the first one to the counter, and I peer intently through the glass at the red saucy concoction he’s stirring.
“That smells magnificent. Is it Italian Sausage?”
“The spices are the same. Marion helped me out with that, but there’s not much in the way of pork available on the frontier.” He uses tongs to put some Alzhon rice noodles on my plate and then tops them off with a generous dollop of the chunky red sauce. Little bits of some kind of meat I don’t recognize dot the sauce.
“If not pig, what kind of meat is this?”
“Teranus sting tail larvae.”
I arch an eyebrow.
“Is that like a pig?”
“Ah, sure, it’s like a pig.” I move on down the line, and I can hear him mutter. “Pigs that are real tiny and live in holes in the ground.”
I wait while Fiona and Varia get their meals, and then we turn around to find a place to sit. The mess hall is packed, but we spot some empty chairs at Marion and Lamira’s table. They wave us over, and we take our laden trays and sidestep through the milling throng to join them.
As I slide into my seat, I notice both Lamira and Marion are looking pointedly at me, slight grins on their knowing faces. I put down my eating prongs and sigh.
“Is the entire ship aware of Swipt and me getting together?”
Marion puts an arm over my shoulders, her grin spreading wider.
“I believe couple of techs on deck 4 have no idea.”
“But pretty much everyone else knows.” Lamira chuckles and points her Kilgari fork at me. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Ilya.”
“Who says I’m embarrassed? I just don’t want people treating me differently because…”
“You’re getting the double D from Swipt?”
I turn to gape at Fiona, and Varia goes so far as to strike her on the shoulder.
“Don’t be gross, Fi.”
“We were all thinking it.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to say it out loud.”
“It doesn’t?”
I stuff my mouth with food and try to pretend I’m not turning as red as the sauce on my noodles. Whatever sting tail larvae are, they certainly pack a flavorful punch.
“Guys, leave her alone.” Marion waves a finger in admonishment. “She’s trying to eat, and if she gets any redder, she might pop.”
“Right. Welcome to the mating club, Ilya.” Varia grabs Lamira around the shoulders and gives her a hug. “It was just me and Lamira holding down the fort, so we’re glad to have you along.”
“It all seems like much ado about nothing.” Marion shrugs. “Men and women are going to hook up all over the galaxy. Sometimes, men and men or women and women, but it’s hardly cause for so much consternation.”
I arch an eyebrow at her.
“We’re on a ship surrounded by giant, gorgeous muscular alien men, and you’re telling me you’ve never even thought about the whole mating thing?”
Marion shrugs.
“Sure, I’ve thought about it. And I have to admit, some of the Kilgari are particularly…appealing, but I’m not going to get all bent out of shape about it, either. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. The galaxy will keep on spinning around the super massive black hole in the center, and that’s that.”
“How can you be so cavalier about the whole thing?” Fiona sighs. “I’m kind of wondering when or if it’s going to happen to me, too.”
“And how do you feel about it happening?”
Fiona turns toward me and offers a shrug.
“I’m not sure. I’m open to the idea, though. Definitely open to it.”
We turn our attention to the meal, which fully deserves it. I wind up going back for another helping, as does Varia. Fiona finishes her first plate and shoves the tray to the side so she can pick at her fancy datapad. From what I’ve been told, Fiona built it as a custom model and it’s far superior to anything you can buy off the holonet unless you want to spend six figures on a pad.
“What are you up to now, Fiona?” Varia peers over her shoulder, ever the busybody. Of course, as unofficial co-captain with Solair I guess this does sort of fall under her purview.
“I’m trying to find more leads on our spectral commander and captain, or any leads on where the Prestige may have ended up.”
Varia nods.
“That’s prudent, but do you really think you can uncover more than you already have?”
“I won’t know unless I try. Will I?”
For a time, we talk casually while Fiona pecks at her pad. I find myself wondering when Swipt will get off duty. Oh god, get off has a double meaning. I can’t believe I’m having such lewd thoughts about a guy I’ve already slept with. This whole deep connection mating thing certainly is profound.
I’m just about to take my tray to the dirty dishes rack when I hear Fiona gasp in alarm. When I turn to regard her, Fiona’s eyes are wide as dinner plates, her lips parted in shock.
“What? What have you found out? We’re not about to be attacked, are we?”
In response to my query, Fiona gives me a long, pointed look before handing over her datapad.
I look down at the screen, eyes narrowing as I take in the contents of the monitor. Then it’s my turn to gasp and look up at her with shock.
“Is—is this for real?”
Fiona nods.
“Yup.”
I can’t believe what I’m seeing. But it’s right there, plain as day.
It’s Commander Davenport’s comms archive. One of the listings of his previous command postings has a single entry that stands out.
The IHC Frontier.
The ship we were all imprisoned on.
Whatever is on Cadrinda, it holds the key to our cryosleep.
And it’s probably pretty dangerous.
Chapter Nineteen
Swipt
“Parabolic trajectory seems stable, and the thrusters’ energy isn’t spiking anymore.” Leaning back in his seat, Lokyer spins around and offers me a wide grin. “Seems like you two lovebirds did a great job with the phase converter.”
“Ilya’s talented,” I say, my hands still on the ship’s controls even though the navigational system is doing most of the flying. “Most of the women aboard the Queen are. We’re lucky we’ve come across them.”
“Lucky?” Looking straight at me, Lokyer cocks one eyebrow up. He shakes his head, and then crosses his arms over his chest. “The only l
ucky bastards in this room are you, Grantian, and the cap. You guys have found your jalshagar while the rest of us have nothing but Jax’s cooking to keep us company. I mean, he has improved a lot after the human women came on board, but still.”
“Are you really that eager to find a woman?” I ask him. Lokyer has never expressed any interest in being a part of a family before the women came aboard, so I don’t really know what to make of it. “A lot of the guys signed up with Solair and the crew precisely because they didn’t want to make such a commitment. They wanted the freedom that came with being aboard a smuggler’s ship. Now you’re telling me you’ve wanted a family all along, Lo-man? Are you mellowing out or what?”
Looking away from me, Lokyer looks at the navigational console for a long time. He drums his fingers against the armrest of his chair and then sighs heavily. When he finally turns back to face me, there’s a hesitant smile on his face.
“It’s not really about having a family,” he starts to say. “I mean, it’s not about having a traditional family.”
He doesn’t need to explain that one. All Kilgari are raised in a culture that places the females at the center of a family, and that concept usually translates into a woman having multiple husbands. It’s the only choice a culture like ours has, as Kilgari males outnumber the females, but a lot of Kilgari men never really accept that they won’t have a mate to call their own.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
“Do you?” he asks. “Most of the guys I’ve met seem fine with the idea of being just another husband to a wife who has a dozen of them, but me...yeah, I never saw the appeal in that. Shit, man, I know this might sound stupid, but I’d like the intimacy of having one mate. Someone I can trust, someone who’ll be there for me no matter what.”
“That’s awfully deep, coming from you.” Laughing, I finally take my hands off the controls, glancing at my second monitor to ensure the ship’s computer is doing its job properly. “Don’t worry. You’ll find someone.”
“I sure hope so.” Scratching his chin, he looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully. “I mean, what the hell. When Solair found his mate, I thought it was just a stroke of luck, nothing that could be repeated, but then there was Grantian, and now you… You know, maybe my mate is on the Ancestral Queen too.”
“Well, if she is aboard, sooner or later you’re going to find her,” I tell him. “Maybe get out of the bridge more? You’ve been working double shifts for weeks now.”
“I can’t let anyone sit on my chair. Can I? The Ancestral Queen would end up in some swamp without me plotting its course.” He offers me an amused grin, one that tells me he’s only half-serious, but I can’t help but nod. Despite his bragging, Lokyer is the best navigation officer I’ve ever worked with. You just tell him where you want to go, and he’ll figure out the math in the blink of an eye. “Seriously, though, how did you know Ilya was your mate?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, she doesn’t have some kind of tag with your name on it. Does she?” he asks me, that grin of his never leaving his face. Despite his evident amusement, I can tell he’s genuinely curious about the whole thing. “C’mon, indulge me.”
“All right.” Nodding, I purse my lips and think of what I should tell him. “You know what they say about a jalshagar. Right? That one kiss is enough for you to know if you’ve found her? Well, as crazy as it might sound, it’s true. All I needed was a kiss to know Ilya is the one.” I make a slight pause, offering Lokyer the time to ask any questions, but I continue when I realize he has none. “I don’t know if it has to do with scent, pheromones, or whatever...but it really works. Now, don’t go around kissing random women. All right? Being a creep won’t score you any points.”
“Yeah, really fucking funny,” he says, the lines on his forehead deepening as he frowns. Shaking his head, he glances at his console. Once he’s sure we remain on the right path, he returns his attention to me. Clearly, he’s not done with our conversation. “Just the kiss proves it, though? Isn’t there anything else?”
“I, huh, I’m not sure.” I take a deep breath, thinking back to the first time I saw Ilya, and immediately realize I have an answer for his question. “Well, actually, I think that there’s more to it.”
“Do share.”
“I think, even before you kiss her, you know she’s the one,” I tell him. “Something just draws you in, something so strong you just can’t help yourself.”
“Damn, you sound like a true romantic.”
“Yeah, I don’t know about that.” I laugh heartily. Solair and a few of the other crewmen turn around to look at us. Clearing my throat, I lower my voice before continuing. “If you really wanna know, I’ve never been into the many-husbands thing either. I was ready to be alone until I found Ilya.”
“Yeah, I’m the same.” He makes a slight pause, his eyes vacant, and only then does he continue. “I guess you were brought up like me, huh? A small army of half-relatives, and an absent father.”
“Yeah,” I say. “I don’t wanna raise my kid like that.”
“Already thinking of having a kid, huh? Now that’s something.”
“Come on, that’s not that what I—”
“Fuck,” he cuts me short, sitting straight on his chair as he looks at the console. “The proximity detectors. Take a look.”
Turning my chair around, I face my own terminal and instinctively reach for the controls. On the screen, a readout announces a fast-moving ship in the vicinity, probably no more than twenty minutes away from our position at the speed we’re going.
“Is this the…”
“Yeah,” I reply. “The Prestige is back.”
Chapter Twenty
Ilya
“What the hell is going on?” I ask, rushing into the Queen’s bridge as if I had every right to do so. Truth be told, the last thing Solair needs right now is a grease girl on his deck. The atmosphere is so thick with tension you could slice it with a knife. Everyone’s on edge.
“It’s the Prestige,” Grantian replies. Standing in front of the main console, his narrowed eyes focused on the holographic map on display there, he doesn’t even glance at me. “These bastards are hot on our tail.”
“How the hell did they manage to find us?” Leaning forward, Solair places his hands on the console, his golden knuckles slowly turning white. Varia, who’s standing beside him, lays a hand on his shoulder, but he barely notices. He looks as if he’s about to rip the entire console off the deck and hurl it across the room. Raising his voice, he turns on his heels and glances at Swipt. “How long before they’re on us?”
Turning around on his chair, Swipt is about to reply when he notices me standing beside the main console. A small smile spreads across his lips but then, probably remembering how dire the situation is, he clears his throat and looks at Solair.
“The Prestige will intercept the Queen in approximately seven minutes,” he says, his deep voice echoing throughout the bridge. Everyone’s silent as he speaks. “After that, we’ll be within weapons range. We can push the engine and try to buy a few more minutes, but it won’t change much. That IHC cruiser is gaining on us at an impressive speed, and we can only postpone the inevitable.”
“If we can’t outrun them, we need to fight back,” I find myself saying, and everyone on the bridge turns to look at me. Suddenly, I feel as if I’ve been placed under the spotlight. Solair looks at me with a surprised expression, almost as if he wasn’t expecting to find me on the bridge, but then he just sighs and shakes his head. He has never really cared for protocol, and the fact that some random grease girl is on his deck has never really upset him.
“We can’t do that,” he says. “We’re outgunned. There’s no way the Ancestral Queen will be able to take on an IHC cruiser like the Prestige. We go up against them, we’ll end up as floating debris.”
“There has to be something we can do,” Varia says, and now she’s the one under the spotlight as everyone forgets about me. That’s enough for
me to breathe out with relief. As much as I want to help out, I’d rather not have everyone expecting me to save their collective assess. I usually thrive under pressure, but only when facing a bunch of faulty circuitry and a looming deadline. “C’mon,” Varia continues, looking around the bridge. Most of the crewmen shift uncomfortably under her gaze. “One of you must have an idea, and now’s not the time to be shy.”
For a moment, no one says a thing.
Then, it’s as if an explosion of sound has taken over the bridge. Everyone starts pitching in with ideas and suggestions, some of them completely harebrained. I just look around the bridge, watching as chaos takes over the crew, and run one hand through my hair.
Holy shit, this isn’t good.
Everyone’s freaking losing it.
Taking a deep breath, I cross the length of the bridge and make my way toward Swipt. He doesn’t notice me coming, his entire focus devoted to the Queen’s controls, and only looks back at me when I tap him on the shoulder.
“Ilya, you should find a seat and strap in,” he says. “This is going to be a bumpy ride, and I don’t want you to—”
“Never mind that,” I cut him short. “We have to figure out a way out this mess.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Can you pull up a map of the system?” I ask him. After shrugging, he does what I’ve asked. A zoomed-out map of the entire sector takes over his third screen, and I hold my breath as I look at it. I’m not exactly an expert when it comes to gravitational math and orbital mechanics, but the holographic map at the center of the bridge got me thinking. Reaching over Swipt’s right shoulder, I tap one finger on screen, right above the primary star in the Harkana system. “See this?”
“What? The system’s main star?” He looks at me with knitted eyebrows, having no idea what I’m getting at, but then his eyes widen all of a sudden. “Fuck, that’s good. I should’ve seen that before.” Torn between looking at me and his screen, he rakes one hand over his face and smiles. “Is there anything else I should know about you? I mean, you’re a circuits expert, and apparently you’re a master tactician as well.”