“Good. If you pass out, I’ll have more time to get myself under control.” Despite his growled words, Nako shifted so she could fill her lungs. “Damn it, woman, give a man the chance to enjoy himself before you rip climax from him.”
Desire demanded she ride him, the pulses of her spasming flesh insisting she could orgasm again, but Piper found pity for her partner. “How long since you were with a woman?” she asked.
“Fourteen years. It was also my only encounter with a woman.”
“Really? Who was she?”
“A lovely Kalquorian Matara I met in a bar, who was having her last wild night before her arranged clanning the next day.”
He grinned down at Piper. She grinned in return, strangely happy to have been his almost-first. “No wonder you’re worried about this going too fast. Sorry about the enthusiasm.”
“Oh, don’t apologize for that.” Nako laughed. “I’m glad you’re as into this as I am. Just slow down so I don’t go off faster than an adolescent boy. Let me have some semblance of pride when it’s over.”
Piper pushed to make him rise off her more. When he did, she traced over the fascinating scars on his chest. So many. It was the journal of a life lived in violence. Such a man could do real damage. The idea made her shiver.
To cover the eagerness, she told him, “Don’t be so unsure of yourself. Most the men I was with at the station didn’t have a lot of experience with women either. You’re doing just fine, Nako.”
“Good. I’ve calmed down enough to begin again.”
“Then, by all means. I’m yours for the taking. At your pace.”
His eyes widened, and he twitched inside her. “Damn it, you drive me crazy just with the things you say. What’s the quickest a man’s finished with you? Just so I can do better than him and claim I wasn’t your worst.”
Piper giggled. “You’ve already surpassed that and a couple others. Like I said, you’re doing well.”
“Thank the ancestors.” He started to draw out of her, slowly, excitingly, making her feel every inch sliding through. “Now I’ll hold off to enjoy you for longer. And hopefully, to make you come again.”
When he drove in her, Nako held Piper down, not allowing her to buck against him as before. And she very nearly did come again, the blast of passion driving her to the edge. She clawed his shoulders.
“More! Harder!”
Bless the man, he gave her what she asked for, perhaps because she’d assured Nako he wasn’t as bad as inexperience made him think he might be. He offered Piper all the forceful pounding she could beg for, heightening hurt and rapture until they blended into ecstasy.
Piper climaxed by his seventh thrust. From there, Nako proved his stamina and determination, continuing to rut her, a grunting animal, until she rose with shrieks once again. He pounded against her, inadvertently shoving them across the mat until Piper’s head hung off the far edge of it, in danger of spilling off.
Nako’s breath caught. His mouth opened wide, and his neck arched as he ground hard against her pussy. His expression suffused with euphoria, and what had been a scarred magnificence before turned into splendor. To Piper, he transformed into a tarnished angel as his cocks jolted within her, as he released to fill her with warmth.
They fell apart, gasping. Nako summoned the strength to tug Piper onto the mat so she sprawled fully supported.
“Final tally?” he panted.
“You mean in terms of longevity? I’d guess you’re in fourth place.”
“I can live with that, for now. Next time, I’m taking first in endurance.”
Piper wheezed a laugh, but she seized on the words next time. Would there be a next time? And perhaps, more liaisons after that?
Don’t wish yourself on him. He was a decent man, deserving of far better. Maybe she wouldn’t be the end of him as she’d been for Walton, Daddy or Mama, but she always ruined others’ lives.
Even if this powerful man could want a lying, murdering monster like Piper Warren, she’d find a way to destroy him. She’d devastate him, adding Captain Nako to the already insurmountable debt she owed the universe.
Chapter 8
Nako had on no occasion suffered any trouble when it came to focusing on a military objective, especially with the level of danger he faced at that moment. Yet though he stood on the bridge, his raider approaching the well-guarded com beacon, the unexpected fuck with Piper kept creeping into his consciousness. Again and again, his brain drifted from the peril of numerous destroyers patrolling the space on the main vid. He heard Piper’s excited cries ringing in his ears, watched her exultant expression as orgasm took her. He felt Piper’s arms and legs wrapped around him, and better yet, her hot, tight sleeves clutching his cocks, pulling gorgeous rapture from the depths of his loins.
He could smell her on him. It hadn’t made any difference that they’d showered in the lavatory connected to her quarters. It had probably been a mistake to plow her again as soap and water ran over their bodies, but she’d been so damned incredible—and ardent with willingness. He’d not been able to score that first-place finish after all. In fact, he’d come faster than the first time.
That just meant he’d have to ask for another practice session.
An eager throb from his crotch warned Nako he’d let ardor interfere with running his ship again. Biting back a curse, he glanced around to see if anyone noticed he’d blanked out for several seconds. Terig’s narrowed gaze informed him that his Nobek was alert to his wandering mind. Not to mention, his clanmate probably scented the sex Nako’d had from his nearby subcommander’s podium. The captain would have sworn Piper’s sweet aroma continued to cling to his skin.
Nako tried not to smirk. Terig had the most experience with women among the clan and was not above bragging about it, but he’d never had an Earther.
It was past due that Nako had boasting rights over him as far as sexual adventures. Then he frowned at the thought. No, being with Matara Piper had been special. He had no wish to make it petty by crowing about it, not even to his Nobek. In fact, he didn’t wish to discuss it at all. Better to keep it close, to guard those astounding moments jealously so they couldn’t be diminished.
She’s amazing, and I want more of her.
Sesin, who had been quiet since Nako’s arrival on the bridge an hour before, spoke up and brought Nako back to the present once again. “Approaching the com beacon. The nearest destroyer shows no sign they’ve detected us.”
Nako bent over his own podium and studied the readouts. “Any indication they’re scanning for cloaking distortions?”
“Not the usual ionization sweeps. They may be using thermal detection instead.” Terig’s suspicious tone suggested he wasn’t happy with the situation.
Neither was Nako. “That’s not the most efficient method, not for watching for cloaked enemies. The Basma should be expecting a cloaked spyship to try to sneak in. Thermal has a devil of a time picking up on that. It’s almost as if the destroyers are looking out for something else.”
“This is interesting.”
Terig’s bemused tone told Nako he’d noticed something beyond merely interesting. “Report, Subcommander.”
“I’m detecting a molecular trail, however, not any I’m familiar with. A sort of disturbance from a moving power source that doesn’t lead to any vessel.”
“Did it come from a spacecraft?”
“Maybe. The signature isn’t quite right, but it might have been warped by some sort of distortion field. It’s impossible to get an accurate fix with our instruments.”
“And it leads to nothing in sensor range?”
“That’s the oddest part. It disappears close to the underside of the com beacon.”
Nako scowled at the beacon’s image in the vid. A double-sided cone shape, it twinkled reflections of starlight and the markers of the nearby destroyer. There was no sign of anything beneath it. No displacement or blurring that occasionally gave away the outlines of a poorly-cloaked vessel to the naked ey
e. And zilch on his readouts that spoke of such.
“Did you try the thermal on that area?” Maybe the enemy was onto something Nako was unfamiliar with.
“I did, but the power generated by the beacon is dissipating anything getting through, if it’s there. That’s also where the closest destroyer is concentrating its sweeps. There is wide-beam detection in place as well.” Terig met Nako’s gaze. “It might have been a piece of charged debris drifting through, some ionized particle that left a trail and disintegrated near the beacon.”
Nako scowled. The situation was off. Like Terig, he couldn’t discern any definitive answer to what probably amounted to little more than a minor mystery.
Sure. That’s why your hackles are up and your gut is telling you to fly the hell out of here. What happens when you don’t listen to your hunches, Nako?
Things got fucked up. But if he was to warn Kalquor about the death ship in time to stop it, he had no option but to try his luck at that spot.
Screwed from all directions. What else was new?
“All right. Take us in, Helm. Sesin, Terig, keep an eye on things. Warn the crew to remain on alert for trouble. Tell the fighters to stand by for deployment. And watch the readings where that odd signal disappeared, since that’s where we’ll end up.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Nako watched his own computer, evaluating the analyses it offered of sensor reports. As Terig had informed him, the beacon’s power signature masked many of the sensors. Yet, as they slid into the spot the com officer had pinpointed as their best placement, Nako saw a spike in his indicators.
“What was that?”
“The same molecular disturbance we saw leading into the area. It’s gone now,” Terig said after evaluation. “We’re in position and ready to link in.”
“Status of that destroyer?”
“Still no reaction,” Sesin answered. “The beacon’s energy discharge is hiding us.”
“That might change when we start transmitting. Atar, open a frequency and send our message and the file.”
Two seconds later, Sesin gave him the bad news. “The destroyer is heading our way, Captain. Others on the move, in a surround-and-intercept pattern. They know we’re here.”
“How long until they can fire on us?”
“Ten seconds on plasma cannons, thirty with percussion blasts—if they don’t mind taking out the com station along with us.”
“I doubt they do. Com, how long to complete that transmission?”
Atar banged his podium. “Something’s wrong with the beacon. Sensors say it’s working, but it’s not. The damned thing’s been taken completely offline, and a false signal programmed to make it appear operational.”
“So none of our message got through?”
“I sent it to fucking no one, apparently.”
Unfortunately, Nako was out of time to come up with a backup plan. A streak of plasma fire lit up the vid monitor, turning the bridge glaring white for an instant. “Helm, fly us the hell out of here! Now!”
The raider took off, skittering in a haphazard pattern to avoid the nearest destroyer’s fire.
“That parted our hair,” Atar muttered. “They aren’t even hailing us. Just firing.”
“And following.” Sesin’s usual lethargy had been replaced by sharp-eyed attention. “They’ve locked onto our trail.”
The next twenty minutes were tense. The bridge was almost silent as Nako’s raider flew to escape. Though the only pursuit was from the destroyer that had fired on them and they soon left the rest of Maf’s fleet behind, Nako knew they were in serious trouble.
“They’re closing within firing range,” Terig said. “They’ve switched to ionization detectors to catch our power output. I’m deploying our fighters to give us some wiggle room.”
“Pursuing destroyer is also sending out fighters,” Sesin added.
Nako grabbed for whatever hope he could find. “How many?”
“Twelve, single-man ships like ours.”
Terig glanced at Nako long enough to show a fanged grin. “Only a dozen. The rebellion isn’t so well staffed, is it? We can annihilate twelve.”
“But we can’t beat a destroyer that’s only half-manned. Or outrun it,” Nako reminded him.
“We’ll have to make it not worth their while to blow us into the realm of the ancestors then.”
“Agreed. Helm, move us to heading five-seven-eight, as fast as we can run. Pattern tez-amog-edat-uta, adjust as necessary to keep that destroyer’s weapons off us. Sesin, Terig, piss off our flyboys and help them eliminate those fighters.”
“I’ll take port and aft,” Terig told Sesin.
“Check, I’ll handle bow and starboard.”
The raider shuddered, and Nako braced his feet as the destroyer scored its first hit. “Helm?”
“Minor hull damage only. Reading two fighters coming up on the port.”
“Let the weapons section deal with them, Girek. You and I will mind that destroyer and do our best to avoid being blown apart.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Terig’s triumphant growl vibrated the air. “I’ve locked on one fighter. And he’s history. Come on up, next contestant.”
“Percussion blast coming in, wide pattern! Brace for impact!”
The raider shook from the hit, but Terig whooped with glee. “Two fighters down!”
“Make it three. And ours are beating the hell out of the rest. The Basma’s boys fly like first-year cadets.” Sesin chortled.
Nako didn’t join in on the weapons officers’ enjoyment. “Destroyer almost on top of us. We’re going to take a big hit, crew. It’s firing!”
He staggered as the floor bucked beneath him. Alarms went off, warning of lethal proximity to the destroyer’s weapons.
Girek confirmed his findings. “Two of our engines are offline, Captain. We’re losing velocity.”
“I’m reading fluctuations in the cloak. Another hit, and we’ll lose it—not that it’s doing us a hell of a lot of good with them using wide-pattern firing. Divert power from cloak to the engines, Helm.”
“Enemy fighters are gone, Captain. At least they won’t bother us,” Terig called.
“Two more shots from the destroyer, and nothing will ever bother us again. Helm, change our heading to coordinates four-three-two, pattern edat-paha-krim-amog. Shit, destroyer firing! Brace!”
This time, Nako and Sesin were knocked off their feet. Both jumped up with defiant howls and returned to fighting for their lives.
There wasn’t much left to work with. Girek, always the voice of doom, called out the final report. “Three engines completely down, and the last is failing.”
It was over. They’d lost. With their destruction, the empire would fall too, never having learned of the plague coming for it. Nako slammed his fist on his podium, adding its last dent.
He calmed almost immediately. “All right, turn us toward that fucker. Weapons, throw everything we have at the destroyer. Helm, stuff us down their damned throats. May they choke on my ass.”
Snarls answered him, the last defiant cries of the warriors heading for glorious death. With a fang-baring grin, Nako stared at the destroyer filling the vid.
At least he would go down in a righteous fight, taking out traitors to the Kalquorian Empire. He and his clan would die with honor.
It took him a full three seconds for his brain to acknowledge the five ships that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. One moment it was just his vessel and the pursuing destroyer. The next, his foe was surrounded by four other raiders and a behemoth Earther battlecruiser.
“Shit!” Terig’s cry was the loudest of the bridge crew at the sight. “Where the fuck did they come from?”
“More importantly, who the fuck are they?” Nako shouted as the five newcomers fired on the destroyer.
Terig’s fingers flew over his computer. “These identifiers—those raiders were formally decommissioned, all supposedly junked at the Boneyard. Don’t even ask about t
hat ‘cruiser. I’ll be fucked if I know where that monstrosity came from.”
“Destroyer is trying to disengage. Ooh, that’s gonna leave a mark,” Girek said cheerfully as the ‘cruiser scored a shot at the other craft’s engine area. “Confirmed. The destroyer is disabled. Energy readings suggest only life support systems remain operational. Our mystery friends have crippled it.”
Sesin was standing at his station, not doing anything but staring at the vid filled with unexpected rescuers. “I guess they snuck up cloaked while the Basma’s destroyer was attacking us.”
“That was no de-cloaking I just saw. And that battlecruiser’s configuration wouldn’t support the technology.” Nako’s heart pounded, and he held onto his computer console to steady himself. “Those bastards literally came out of nowhere.”
The question begged to be asked again: who the fuck were they? And why had they saved Nako’s raider?
Chapter 9
Nako, Terig, Sesin, and three security guards stood in the bay, watching as the shuttle from one of the raiders set down. Sesin scowled as its engines cut off. “I don’t like that we don’t know who we’re dealing with. Why the audio-only com to set this meeting up?”
Nako wasn’t crazy about the situation either, but the new arrivals had saved his ass. “I’m betting on this being a contingent of spies from the fleet. They play things close. We’ll find out soon enough.”
The hatch of the shuttle opened. Nako gasped with the rest as the first of the craft’s occupants stepped out.
Over the past few months, the bearded Nobek who emerged had become a familiar face via the news vids Nako occasionally picked up. His sneering smile was the most recognizable thing about him. Terig and the rest of the security detachment automatically gripped the blasters holstered on their hips. Sesin started to pull his free.
The newcomer and Nako locked gazes. The captain told his weapons commander, “Put the weapon away. Let’s find out what they have to say.”
“Sir, he’s a traitor to the empire!”
“And we’re deserters, only a couple steps above him. I want answers, Commander, and I won’t hear them from dead men. Put the damned blaster away.” To emphasize his determination, Nako stepped in front of Sesin, blocking him from taking a shot.
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