by Tamsin Ley
“Agreed.” Qaiyaan tapped a spot below his ear. “Noatak, you’re needed on the Kinship.”
Kashatok added, “And don’t mess with her head. She’s my only engineer.”
The warmth she’d felt earlier cooled a little. Engineer. Right. That’s why he needed her safe. She’d been reading way too much into the kiss.
Noatak arrived—a big Denaidan with thick black hair kept in check with wide silver bands along its length—and after a moment of hushed discussion between him and Qaiyaan, Joy followed Tovik aboard the Hardship.
A hard lump blocked her throat as she crossed the boarding tube. She entered the much smaller cargo bay of the Hardship close on Tovik’s heels, expecting him to continue toward the stairs leading to a grated catwalk ahead. Only a few steps inside, he spun, stopping her short. “Orders, Captain?”
Qaiyaan cycled the atmosphere shield up behind them, hazing out the view into the Kinship’s bay. Joy’s stomach clenched, and not only because the gravity on this side was lower than she was used to. Kashatok might’ve been right. “What’s going on? I thought we were going to look at schematics.”
A charcoal-haired woman bounded down the catwalk stairs, spotted Joy, and slowed. Joy felt a strange desire to cringe. To turn tail and run back down the boarding tube. The woman was even more stunning in person than she’d been on the holo-screen, wearing a form-fitting tank top and black leather pants, rounded in all the right places. Her perfect, heart-shaped face and creamy skin made Joy feel absolutely swarthy. Joy brushed both palms ineffectually down the front of her shirt and onto her thighs as if that might magically change her grease-stained work clothes into a pirelux suit.
The captain held an arm out and the other woman ducked under it, wrapping her arm around his waist. He said, “Joy, meet Lisa, my mate.”
“A woman?” Awareness dawned on Lisa’s face and she scrolled her gaze down Joy’s body. “I thought you said this Kashatok fellow didn’t allow females on his ship?”
Joy glared at the woman. She’d met this type plenty of times; sexy, confident, and dismissive of those they considered beneath them. Her mother was that way. Joy stood taller, looking down at the shorter female and lacing her words with sarcasm. “A pleasure to meet you, too.”
The woman’s pale skin flushed pink and she lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just that I didn’t expect you.” She raised her eyes to meet Joy’s. “Can we start again? I’m Lisa.”
Joy nodded politely. She didn’t trust this woman any more than she currently trusted these men. “Why did you bring me over here?”
A clean-shaven Denaidan appeared at the top of the stairs and leapt down what had to be fifteen steps in a single bound. His eyes widened as he approached. “A woman?”
Lisa elbowed him. “Be polite.”
What was it with this crew and their rude introductions? Joy thrust out a hand. “I’m Joy. Interim engineer for the Kinship.”
“Mekoryuk, but you can call me Mek.” He took her hand, a smile toying with his lips. “I’m delighted to have you aboard.”
“Now that the introductions are over, I need to get back to the Kinship and finish repairs.”
“Take a breath,” Qaiyaan said. “You’re safe now, and welcome to stay. Kashatok can’t hurt you here.”
“Kashatok would never hurt me.” Joy realized as she said it how much her opinion had evolved in only a couple of days.
The three men exchanged a glance.
“What?” Joy asked.
“Kashatok has a reputation,” Qaiyaan said.
“He leaves dead women at every port!” Tovik’s green eyes went wide.
Joy’s hand fluttered to her throat. His words a short while earlier floated through her mind; they don’t trust me with women, and for good reason.
“Not dead, Tovik,” Mek said. “Comatose.”
Comatose—were they saying Kashatok was trying to mate with women in every port?
“Same thing.” Tovik scowled. “They ain’t getting up again, are they?”
Not Kashatok. She didn’t believe he was capable of such a thing, not with how he kept pushing her away. Not with how he wanted to protect her. Joy found her voice. “You must be mistaken. Kashatok would never do that.”
“You know about our mating effects?” Mek tilted his head as if reassessing her.
She nodded firmly. “Kashatok told me all about how you can’t be with women and how the nanites are supposed to fix that.”
Qaiyaan crossed his arms. “Asked you to get them, did he? Probably wants a toy with a longer battery life.”
Joy gritted her teeth. “I’m not a toy. And no, he didn’t ask me.”
The captain’s cocky attitude turned to confusion. “He didn’t?”
“He told me to stay away. Wants me off his ship as soon as possible. If he didn’t fear you’d infect me with nanites against my will, he’d ask you to take me off his hands for good.”
Mek held both palms out. “Let’s be clear here, the nanites are not an infection.”
“And we’d never do anything against your will!” Tovik insisted.
All the men started talking at once, until Lisa put her fingers in her mouth and emitted a sharp whistle. Joy’s assessment of her improved another notch. “All of you, be quiet.”
The men grumbled but quieted.
Lisa put her hands on her hips. “What’s important here is what Joy wants.” Lisa turned to look Joy in the eye. “So let her speak.”
Joy’s throat went suddenly dry. What did she want? These pirates had stumbled upon top-secret Syndicorp tech that could allow them to hack into galactic banks or steal military secrets, and yet all they wanted to do with it was create mates. If she was honest with herself, she no longer cared about the exposé. She hadn’t even turned her camera back on after talking to Kashatok. She honestly wanted to fix the Kinship and make Kashatok value her enough to keep her aboard. And maybe, just maybe, explore this mating ritual thing.
But to do that, she’d need the nanites.
Her pulse thundered in her ears as she said, “I’d like to know a little more about those nanites, please.”
Chapter Nine
Kashatok paced the big bay, pretending to catalog non-existent cargo while he waited for Joy to return. At the back of the cavernous space, his crew sat around a cargo-container-turned-card-table playing the slowest game of Ongaru flip Kashatok’d ever seen.
The Hardship’s first mate had fit in among the men as easily as if he was one of them rather than what amounted to a hostage. The thick bands of silver in his long hair made him stand out among the slightly rougher crew, who seemed to hang on his every word while he spoke animatedly about the nanites. “It took me awhile to believe it, too, and I was right there. But believe me, if you could hear the noise coming from the captain’s quarters every night, you’d believe it’s possible, too.”
Chignik tilted his head back and groaned. “Ellam Cua, to experience a woman again.”
Nodding agreement, Ekwok leaned forward. “Noatak, please will you give the nanites to our female?”
Kashatok bristled at the term “our.” This was just what he’d feared; the crew wanted her. Were already plotting to have her. She’s mine. The thought rose up inside him in a primal wave, and he clenched his fists at his sides, trying to squash it down. He was no better than they were if he thought like that. He needed to keep himself and his crew in check. Perhaps he should ask Captain Qaiyaan to keep her aboard the Hardship and avoid the whole thing. But once again that primal possessiveness rose inside him. Mine.
Noatak continued, “The choice is up to her. I doubt she’d want them if she’s not attached to a Denaidan.”
Jhikik appeared out of nowhere, digging his claws into Kashatok’s pant leg and scurrying to his shoulder. The little tunrak must’ve escaped through the vents again, but for once, Kashatok was glad. He needed the little guy’s calming effect. He stroked the soft tail as it hugged his neck. “Don’t
worry, Jhik. She’ll be back.”
Jhikik made a high pitched noise and settled into a crouch.
At the game table, Cooper slapped a card on the center pile, waving away the bottle being passed around. “I’m glad I don’t have to rely on some damned microcomputers to get lucky. Wonder if the captain will let her stay on board awhile?”
Moore snorted and shuffled his hand. “I’ll wait for the next brothel, thank you. I prefer my bed partners to look like women.”
A few of the men laughed. Chignik shook his head. “She’s not that bad.”
“You have obviously not been around women much,” Manopup said, his tentacles waggling suggestively.
“One more thing,” Noatak said, playing his turn. “Not every woman’s brain structure will be suitable. The nanites could be deadly.”
Aleknagik finished a long swig of rum and thrust the bottle at Moore. “I don’t care a damn about her brain structure, as long as her girly parts are in the right place.”
Without thinking, Kashatok all but leapt across the bay to the table, looming over the players. The chatter cut off. “There will be no more talk of Joy’s girly parts and she’s not going to take the nanites, so get her out of your mind.”
The astonished faces broke eye contact with him one by one. All but Aleknagik. “Interesting that you gave her the option for a solo bunk room, captain.”
Kashatok’s dual hearts slammed hard against his ribcage while his crew exchanged questioning and suspicious glances. Hadn’t Aleknagik offered her that deal? Kashatok honestly couldn’t remember. He took a menacing step toward his first mate. “Just what are you suggesting?”
“Difficult to respect a captain who breaks his own rules.”
“Hey, now, hey!” Noatak rose from his seat, making calming motions with his hands.
Just then a hiss indicated the boarding tube shield had dilated.
Joy stepped into the bay.
Joy’s mind buzzed with nanite activity. That was the only way to describe the sensation in her head. They were having a party along her optic nerve, right where her camera interfaced with her cerebral cortex. After she’d learned more about the nanites, the mechanic in her was even more fascinated. The things were supposed to allow her to hack into computer systems, of all things. Imagine how easy diagnostics could be with that kind of tech in her head? Not only that, she wanted to see if that kiss Kashatok had given her meant anything. If it hadn’t, she’d at least be helping these men increase their supply of nanites and doing something to make up for the damage Syndicorp had done to these people. Not that they could ever know she was in any way affiliated with the ‘corp. That was one secret she needed to keep fully and completely.
Because of her cybernetic implant, Mek had been able to streamline the synaptic insertion. He’d wanted to keep her aboard the Hardship for observation, since she’d just received one of the two remaining nanite samples in their possession. But Joy knew Kashatok was probably blowing a gasket by now, so she’d made a deal to bring Tovik along so he could keep an eye on her.
She stepped off the boarding tube and into the Kinship, leaving Tovik to maneuver the hover container carrying specialty parts across the walkway. The moment she emerged, Jhikik came bounding across the deck and leapt into her arms. “Hey, little guy. I missed you, too.”
Looking up, she met Kashatok’s concerned gaze across the wide bay. Behind him, his men had risen from their seats around a cargo container. Several game cards fluttered to the floor.
In a burst of motion, Kashatok strode over, his face once more bearing his usual scowl. “Well?”
She’d meant to tell him she’d taken the nanites, but hadn’t pictured an audience. Instead, she indicated behind her, where Tovik was emerging from the boarding tube. “Tovik wants to install a burn harness, but I’m nervous about trying without Gassy’s help.” More than nervous, actually. A ship that got caught in another ship’s burn wake could be flung to an unknown location, even another galaxy—and not always in one piece. The harness would create an invisible field that aligned each ship’s frequency and in effect turn the two ships into a single unit, at least for purposes of the burn. “I’m not an engineer. What if I mess something up?”
Tovik stopped beside her, his bare feet and easy smile out of place among the crew. But the kid seemed to have eyes only for her. “Aw, you got this, Joy. I’m here every step of the way.”
“I appreciate that.” She smiled back gently. Tovik was obviously in puppy-love, and just as obviously had little experience with women. She wanted to tread carefully around him.
Kashatok wasn’t as gentle. “She and I can handle it. Dismissed.”
Tovik’s face fell. “But you need to pilot the ship.”
“Aleknagik can handle it.”
“Damn straight,” his first mate agreed.
Tovik’s eyes darted nervously between the two men. “I’m also supposed to stick close to her in case the nanites go haywire.”
As if with one breath, the surrounding crew seemed to gasp. “She took ‘em.”
“I thought they were dangerous?”
“What happens now?”
Joy’s gut clenched, and she bit down hard on her lower lip. This was not how she’d wanted Kashatok to find out. And it’d definitely not been her intention to tell the entire crew.
Kashatok met her gaze, his eyes roiling with a maelstrom of horror, anger, and… hope? “I told you the nanites were dangerous. Why would you take them?”
Joy nibbled her lip, stopping self-consciously as his eyes followed the movement. “I already had a cybernetic implant, so my brain’s used to interfacing. Mek says he thinks it’ll be easy for me.”
The Hardship’s doctor had also pointed out that since she’d be surrounded by Denaidans, the nanites would protect her if someone got “a little rowdy,” as he put it. He’d also given her a small pulse pistol which she now wore at her belt.
Kashatok let out a string of curses in that guttural language the Denaidans spoke. She thought she heard both Qaiyaan’s and Mek’s names squished in there.
Chignik moved toward her almost reverently, causing Jhikik to scurry from her arms and perch on her shoulder. The netorpok bared his blunt teeth and Chignik halted, his gaze never leaving Joy’s face. “How do you feel?”
Tuliak, usually so quiet he was forgotten, murmured, “Hopefully horny.”
The burst of laughter from the crew cut off as Kashatok rounded on the group behind him. “Anyone who touches Joy without her permission will get worse than space-locked.”
Tovik’s eyes were nearly bugging from his head. “What could be worse than space-locking?”
Leaning close, Kashatok nearly breathed fire with his next words. “You don’t want to find out.”
Joy made a cutting motion between Kashatok and the young engineer. The tension was making the slight headache from the nanites worse. “No one’s touching me and no one’s getting space-locked. We have much bigger issues at hand.” She grabbed the handhold at one corner of the hover container. “Qaiyaan detected a Trooper ship back in the area, so we need to get this thing installed and burn out of here before they find us.”
Kashatok’s snarl relaxed enough to be called a scowl once again. “Uminaq. Fine. You two get to work. I’m going to have a word with Qaiyaan.” He bored into Tovik with a gaze that could cut through hull plating. “I’ll be back soon.”
To his credit, Tovik stood his ground.
The Denaidan who’d stayed aboard the Kinship stepped forward. “I’ll escort you over.” The big man slowed as he passed Joy, his gaze curious. “Got to say, you’re one ballsy woman, coming back here. I’d keep a blaster close if I were you.”
Joy didn’t answer him. She wasn’t sure if she was ballsy or just plain stupid.
Kashatok focused on Joy before he headed toward the docking tube. “You’re my mechanic. Remember that. Do not put up with any anaq from the others.”
This time, the way he called her “my mechanic�
�� filled her with a new flutter of hope. His words felt possessive. Personal. A lightness seemed to blossom right below her heart, filling her stomach with butterflies. Unable to help herself, she beamed at him and pulled the hover container between the surrounding crew toward engineering.
Entering the familiar space, she paused. The room seemed full of motion, even though there were no moving parts within view. Was it the nanites increasing her awareness? Lisa had told her she might begin to sense computer systems as the nanites populated her synapses, but she shouldn’t expect any immediate changes. Like her camera implant, it would take time to train her brain to use the nanites once they began working. She tried to focus on the console across the room but received nothing out of the ordinary, so she moved toward the workbench and helped Tovik unload the elaborate contraption of metal and flux tubing he called a harness. He stroked a palm over the part’s shiny metal face. “We’ll need to splice this into your main burn drive. Is the power supply off?”
She turned to the nearby console. Without even calling up the information, she knew the circuit to the burn drive was disconnected. Excited, she swept her gaze over the controls and received a reading from the gravity generator telling her all systems were within acceptable parameters. Wow. These nanites were going to be useful.
Still unsure it was all real, she tapped the controls and manually reassured herself that the system powering the burn drive was off. “Ready.”
Together, they manipulated the harness between the mess of pipes in the jungle. Halfway through securing the harness, she had a new understanding of why Gassy called it a jungle. Both she and Tovik had to invent new ways to bend and twist to access the connections, while Jhikik clambered among the conduits overhead, seemingly unwilling to let her out of his sight. Currently, she lay on her back on the floor beneath a large duct, stretching one arm overhead toward one cable while holding two other cables near her belly button to keep them from escaping. She couldn’t quite reach her target. “Damn it, I could use a third arm in here.”