by Rachel Clark
“I don’t understand. How does he ‘have’ us? We’re still moving.”
“True, but—” His explanation was cut off by the outer door being opened.
G’baena’s finger was on the trigger of the stun pistol, but Kam’s warm hand wrapped over hers and gently removed the weapon from her grip. And then Devlin was there, his strong arms wrapping them both as she tried to understand where he’d come from.
She started to cry, her relief and confusion conspiring to turn her into a blubbering female. Goddess, she hated that.
“It’s all right, baby girl,” Devlin whispered into her ear. “We’re almost home.”
She nodded, rubbing her cheek against the soft material of his shirt, inhaling his familiar scent. “I’m sorry,” she managed to mumble, as she swiped at the tears with the back of her hands.
“It’s been a rough few days,” he said, as she pulled from his embrace. “I think you’re entitled to a few tears.” She sniffed, trying to control the urge to throw herself into his embrace again and never let go.
“What do we need to do?” she asked, feeling proud that the words were at least clear.
He nodded, and she could feel his genuine approval, but she needed to stay strong, not to please him, but to be true to the person she wanted to be, the person her freedom gave her the choice to be.
“I need you and Kam to get Flynn and the girls and as many supplies as you can into the forward compartment. The ship has a few minor problems, so it’s going to be a cramped trip.” She nodded, not really caring if she had to sit on the floor under the pilot’s console as long as she was close to Devlin and Kam. Sharing space with her mother, sisters, and the two men she’d once been betrothed to paled in significance when compared to what could’ve happened.
She hugged Devlin quickly and then turned to reassure her sisters. She felt, rather than saw, Kam and Devlin embrace, and then Devlin was gone. She sucked in a huge, determined breath and then bent to check on her mother, determined to get everything done as quickly as possible.
* * * *
“Keep us on this heading,” Devlin said, as he walked back onto the bridge. He ducked under the console to the left, undid the panel, and found the problem. Such a small little connection, but enough to keep them practically crawling. He fixed the connection, reset the diagnostic program, and waited. As soon as it beeped the all clear, he reset the inertial modifiers, and immediately, all feeling of motion stopped.
“We’re spaceworthy,” he said, wishing he had more time to work on the environmental systems, but knowing they risked discovery every moment they stayed in G’trobia’s atmosphere.
“No worries,” Trey said, sounding more like an excited human than a G’trobian prince. “Plotting our course now. We should make the rendezvous coordinates in a little over four hundred hours.” Devlin quickly converted it in his head. Just seventeen more days and they’d be back on the ship.
He wouldn’t relax until he had his family safely ensconced on the much larger, better equipped, and heavily armored pirate ship, but at least they seemed to have left their G’trobian problems behind for now.
* * * *
“Cannot!”
“Can too!”
Cabin fever was setting in. G’baena dropped her head forward, mentally preparing to intervene in her sisters’ fighting yet again. They’d been sharing the cramped space for nearly twelve full Earth days, and the pressure was starting to get to everyone. Unfortunately, G’darlee and G’deece weren’t the only ones beginning to crack under the stress.
“G’darlee, your sister can learn anything she wants to learn. That’s part of being free to decide the course of your own life. If G’deece wants to be an engineer, who are you to tell her she can’t?” G’baena glanced at her mother, barely believing her ears. Over the last few days, Flynn had surprised her more than once. G’baena had always admired her mother’s ability to adapt to any situation, but now she was seeing the true strength of the woman underneath.
As soon as she was able to move a little more freely, Flynn had insisted on taking over the small makeshift galley and preparing all the meals. She didn’t move quickly, yet she seemed content. But she was probably the only one.
Ben and Trey argued more and more each day, the monotony and cramped conditions combined with them both missing Tee-ani making them more and more irritated.
Devlin spent almost every moment working and maintaining the ship’s critical systems. He hadn’t slept more than a few hours here and there, and the strain was beginning to show. Ben and Trey helped as much as they could, but neither was a trained engineer. The majority of the work fell to Devlin, so he kept pushing himself even harder.
And Kam seemed almost lost at times. His skills with a weapon weren’t really required at the moment, and since that was really the only ability he’d had time to develop since leaving G’trobia, he seemed to get more and more restless. His protective instincts were as strong as Devlin’s, so when Kam wasn’t hovering over the radar console, he was hovering over the women. G’baena could feel her mother’s patience straining and half expected Flynn to yell at him if Kam told her one more time not to overdo it. The girls had nothing to occupy them, so they bickered almost constantly.
G’baena shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle. Kam and Devlin hadn’t even slept at the same time since boarding the ship, and she desperately missed the warmth and love she felt sleeping between them.
She’d barely finished the thought when Kam’s arms wrapped around her.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said as she turned and snuggled into him. He walked her backward to the lounge that doubled as a bed whenever one of her men took a moment to sleep. It wasn’t often occupied.
Kam sat and pulled G’baena onto his lap, and she curled into his strength. He held her, his hands slowly smoothing up and down her spine, the gentle, rhythmic movement relaxing them both. She was almost asleep when she felt it.
Her eyes flew open at the same time her mother called her name, sudden fear making Flynn’s voice sound raw and tight.
“I feel it, too,” G’baena confirmed as she tried to wriggle out of Kam’s arms.
“Feel what?” he said, setting her on her feet and striding to the computer console.
“A G’trobian male, maybe two.”
“Where?” Kam asked, as he quickly flicked through the scans and screens. “I can’t find anything on radar or visual.” He glanced at G’baena, over to Flynn, and then pressed the comms button. “Trey, we’ve got a problem. Bae and Flynn are sensing at least one G’trobian male nearby. I can’t find anything on the scans, but I trust their skills.”
“So do I,” Trey replied.
As the G’trobian presence got closer, G’baena felt the man’s anger and greed. Whoever he was, he wasn’t here to help.
* * * *
Devlin turned to the converted weapons console. This ship was originally a small cargo freighter designed for short journeys, so it hadn’t come with weapons, but he’d been able to rig up a couple of feedback loops that would act like plasma cannons if needed. They were only for use in a desperate, last stand type of situation, but could well be the difference between life and death.
He just hoped he didn’t burn out the radar and communications at the same time. Surviving an attack only to die floating blind in space was not really in his plans for the future.
“Thought you might need a hand,” a G’trobian voice said through the comms as one of the pirate ship’s small raiding vessels dropped its cloaking field directly in front of them.
“G’tarvey?” Trey asked through the ship’s communicator. He sounded confused. Devlin was right there with him.
“Yes, Sire,” G’tarvey said, sounding suspiciously respectful. “Captain Jordan thought you might like some help getting home.”
Devlin didn’t know what to make of the situation. G’tarvey was new to the crew, as new as Kam, and Devlin knew that Jordan wouldn’t have sent the man on any mis
sion without sending a more experienced crewman as well. He rarely sent anyone on a solo mission.
He glanced over his shoulder to see G’baena at the doorway to the bridge. She was shaking her head. “He is not to be trusted. Something is very, very wrong,” she whispered, as she moved closer.
Devlin nodded in agreement. G’baena’s skills were only confirming what his instincts were screaming at him, but hell, he’d designed and built the raiding vessels himself, so he knew exactly what they were capable of. His jury-rigged plasma cannons were no match.
“Trey,” he said, but stopped when he realized he didn’t need to explain. The brothers had already reached all of the same conclusions.
“Thank you, G’tarvey. We appreciate the company,” Trey said into the comms.
“My pleasure,” G’tarvey said. “How about I land in the cargo bay, and I’ll give you a hand with the ship’s systems. Sure looks like a hunk of junk from out here.”
Devlin forced a laugh as he replied. “That it is. I sure would appreciate your help, but the environmental systems in the cargo bay failed even before we left the planet. I have no way of getting you on board.”
“I’ve got walk equipment. Maybe I could fix the environmental controls from inside the cargo bay.”
“Thanks for the offer, G’tarvey,” Devlin said, “but I think it would be best if you shadowed us instead. I’d rather have your craft moving if we come under attack.”
“Sure you would,” G’tarvey replied sarcastically. “Why don’t we stop messing around and get to the point. Hand over the women. You know that’s why I’m here. Just give them to me and I’ll be on my way. Those sweet little slaves are my retirement plan. I hear G’trobian females are in great demand.”
Devlin felt his blood boil. This man was supposed to have passed G’ntriel’s scrutiny. How could he end up being a slave trader?
“No use ignoring me,” G’tarvey added smugly. “Either you hand over the females or you all end up crispy bits floating in space.”
“Listen, asshole,” Devlin said, speaking like he was out of patience. “Even if I wanted to hand them over, I still have no environmental systems working in the cargo bay.”
“Land, then. There is a planet with an oxygen-nitrogen environment about seven light-years from here. I’ll even escort you there.” Devlin ground his teeth as the man cackled into the comms. “Land or die. Quite simply really,” he added amiably.
Devlin activated the portable privacy shield he always carried with him. He had no idea how much G’tarvey knew about the raiding ship he piloted, but he had no wish to fall prey to his own eavesdropper devices. G’tarvey had his ship close enough to have connected the small tube needed to run between the vessels to make the device work, so Devlin wouldn’t chance it.
“Plot a course, stay at this speed. The last thing we need is for G’tarvey to get antsy and start using the weapons. A couple of well-placed shots and we could be in very serious trouble.” He turned to G’baena. “Can you sense his plan? Any idea what he’s going to do once we get to the planet?”
* * * *
G’baena shook her head, feeling like she was letting him down. “I’m not sure, but his confidence is very high. He believes he has the advantage.”
“Is there anyone else on board?” Devlin asked, as he moved back to one of the consoles.
“I don’t think there is another, but I sense something. The emotions are less intense, so I think I’m sensing an echo of G’tarvey’s full-blown arrogant personality.”
“But two at the most? No more?”
“No, no more,” she said, trusting her senses. Her skills had increased and become more accurate since she’d begun using them freely. She certainly wasn’t up to G’ntriel’s skill level, but she felt more confident every day.
“We can work with that,” Ben said, a plan obviously forming in his mind as he smiled. He quickly turned back to the console when the radar beeped alarmingly. “Fuck, another ship is approaching. Dev?”
“I’m on it,” Dev said, as he ducked under the console to fiddle with something she couldn’t see. “Cloak is active. G’tarvey is still close enough to see us, but we should be hidden from the larger ship.”
Chapter Fifteen
Dev held his breath, hoping the cloaking technology wouldn’t fail him now. It had burned out so many times in the past few days that he’d lost count. He watched the larger ship’s approach, half hoping G’tarvey would engage his cloak so they were both hidden, or do something truly stupid like attack the larger vessel. But G’tarvey surprised him by banking sharply and taking off, heading away from them and the larger vessel. After a moment, the small ship shimmered but didn’t disappear from radar. G’tarvey had obviously tried to engage the jump drive in an effort to evade the larger ship, but he seemed to be having trouble.
The larger vessel moved off in pursuit, the two blips on the radar screen merging soon after.
A moment later, a familiar voice came through the comms.
“If I’d known you were going to fly home in that piece of crap, I would’ve made you stay on board.” Tee-ani’s threat was hollow, and it was obvious she was very happy to see them.
“I love you, too, g’bani,” Ben said, a wealth of emotion in his musical voice. “Permission to come aboard, Captain?”
“Of course he gives you permission. Just get your asses home.”
* * * *
Kam was relieved that Del was there to greet them, the young man’s nervous excitement seemingly contagious. Tee-ani ran to her mates, hugging them both close before she wrinkled her nose and took two steps back.
“Holy hell, you stink,” she said, laughing and gasping for fresh air at the same time. “When was the last time you cleansed?”
They both turned to Devlin, who threw his hands in the air and laughed. “Don’t blame me, you couldn’t get the portable sonic shower fixed either.”
“Yes, but we are warriors, not brilliant engineers.” Trey’s words were delivered with a devilish smile and an obvious humor.
“Yeah, well, this brilliant engineer was busy keeping that tin can you called a spaceship from falling apart,” Devlin countered.
Kam watched the exchange, noticing the genuine respect that Ben and Trey had for Devlin’s skills. Unfortunately, the observation just made him feel more wretched. He’d felt useless for most of the trip home. The only skills he possessed weren’t even required, so he’d spent his time trying to help wherever possible but without getting in the way. He’d spent more time holding G’baena in his arms than he should’ve, simply because he’d needed to. He hadn’t been fulfilling her emotional needs. He’d been catering to his own.
Her soft hand slid into his, and he almost groaned at the realization that she was sensing his disquiet. The last thing he wanted was to worry her. He glanced over to see a concerned expression on Flynn’s face as well.
“I need a shower,” he mumbled, without really meaning to say the words aloud.
“Me, too,” G’baena said, smiling up at him.
“Kam,” Devlin said. “Can you show Flynn and the girls to my quarters? There should be enough room for the three of them. I’ll clear my stuff out later.” Kam nodded, relieved to have something to do. He was about to leave the docking bay when a strong hand wrapped around his arm and pulled him back. Devlin hauled him into his embrace, kissing him fiercely before whispering, “Whatever it is, we’ll work it out. I love you.”
Kam could feel tears threatening to form, and he blinked rapidly to stave them off. Goddess, he truly loved this man. Even without empathic skills, Devlin knew him, actually saw his faults and insecurities and loved him anyway.
Kam nodded. “I’ll meet you at G’baena’s quarters?” He’d meant to say the words as a confident statement, but to his own ears, it sounded more like an insecure question. Devlin kissed him again and then winked as he stepped away.
Feeling a little lighter, Kam left G’baena with Del and led Flynn, G’darlee, and G�
��deece to their living quarters on their new home.
* * * *
“I can’t even see where the old one was. Tee-ani did a wonderful job.” G’baena smiled as Del nodded. He seemed more relaxed now than she’d ever known him, and she had no idea if it was thanks to her return on board or something that had happened in her absence. Whatever the cause, G’baena was glad to see Del acting closer to the youth that he was rather than the slave he’d been. He practically bounced with good humor.
“So anything interesting happen while I was away?” she asked, smiling wider at his exaggerated huff.
“I helped Tee-ani for some of the time. She says I’ve got a good aptitude for medicine. She’s going to teach me some stuff, you know, like first aid and field medic stuff that’ll come in handy, but I’m not sure if I want to be a doctor. Too much misery, you know.”
She nodded in agreement. Del would make a wonderful doctor. His compassion and protectiveness would adapt well, but she understood his need to step back from the pain of dealing with the dead and the dying. Medicine was quite advanced, and Tee-ani was well equipped, but still, not everyone made a recovery. G’baena tried to find a change of subject.
“Did you have meals with anyone?” She’d worried that Del would sit alone rather than seek out the company of people he didn’t know, but he surprised her yet again. He blushed, his cobalt blue skin flushing a deep purple across his cheekbones.
“I spent some time with Abby. She’s kind of nice, ya know?” Well, that explained the change in speech pattern. Abby was one of the human slaves Ben and Trey and the other pirates had rescued from the disabled slave transport where they’d found Tee-ani. Abby had only just been abducted, so she spoke with the typical human vernacular used by the youth on Earth, where she’d grown up. G’baena tried to hide her smile and wondered if Del even noticed he was copying the young woman’s habits.