“Calm down, Charley. Tin Guy is right. You’ve accessed almost all of the ship’s systems and I’ll help you with the rest.”
Charley closed her eyes. You can do this, Maxwell. You’ve clocked well over two hundred hours flying time, and lots more if you count the unofficial stuff. She didn’t want to think about flying with her Dad. Her mind reached out, feeling for the systems until she could sense them coming under her control. “Marc, I need a visual of the hangar.”
She almost wished she hadn’t asked. The giant doors were open to the night, but the floor of the hangar was littered with bodies. The propulsion system surged and bucked before stalling with a protesting groan.
“Easy, Charley, easy.” She could feel Pete’s hand. His calloused finger brushed along her knuckles. “Try it again.”
Charley began to talk herself through take off. Propulsion systems powered up. Stabilizers off. The ship moved slowly forward, passing through the hangar doors. Increase speed. Throttle Back. Doors cleared. Adjust speed. Take off. The sky came toward her at an alarming speed. Too Fast. Too Fast. Trickles of sweat slid down her spine, puddling in her lower back.
“You’re doing fine, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart. He called her sweetheart. “Pete, I forgot to tell the crew to prepare for take off.”
She heard a snort of laughter. “I think they know by now.”
The ship blazed through the night sky like a comet. Then they were through the upper atmosphere and into the inky darkness of space. Charley let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. She felt Marc’s hand resting on her shoulder.
“The autopilot system is now engaged, Charley. Navigation systems are online. The ship is under my control. Setting course for Tarsus Four.”
Charley opened her eyes. Tarsus Four. Her stomach flipped. Reality check, Maxwell, that’s the least of your worries. You’ve just helped a bunch of Vashtar mercenaries steal a top-level prototype from a military base. Every Fleet Command starship in the quadrant is going to be looking for you. She didn’t have to worry about passing her final exams. If she made it out of this alive, she could kiss her career in Fleet Command goodbye.
Chapter Seven
Charley disabled the external com link. At least they had some privacy for a while, until the Vashtar figured out how to override it. “So, what now?”
Pete cast a baleful glance at Marc. “I think that depends on Tin Man here. He kept pretty quiet about the Vashtar.”
“You are mistaken, Pete. My father said that we were leaving Earth, but I was not aware that the Vashtar were coming. I would never endanger Charley.”
“You had no problem endangering the rest of us,” Pete snapped. “What about the men on the base?”
Charley remembered her last glimpse of the base. Fleet Academy had taught them battle tactics and weaponry, but nothing prepared her for the sight of the blood-soaked bodies on the hangar floor. This was no time to fight with Marc. They needed him on their side. “Marc, has your father discussed his plans with you? Has he told you what’s going to happen when we reach Tarsus Four?”
“No, Charley. I am sorry. He just said that he wanted us to be together.”
“As if that’s going to happen, you clueless piece of junk,” Pete growled. “You’re going to be sold off to the highest bidder and Daddy is going to end up developing weapons for whatever tin-pot terrorist cartel pays the most credits.”
Marc’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. Poor Marc. He had no idea how much danger they were in, but maybe she could persuade him to help them. Charley reached for his hand. “Marc, can you monitor the ship? Try to find out how many Vashtar are on board and where they are?”
“Yes. I will do that, Charley.”
Pete scowled. “Come on, Charley, we have to go back. The Vashtar are jumpy enough as it is.”
Pete tugged his visor back to find himself surrounded by a group of interested Vashtar. Captain Tinar motioned him away from the com chair and one of his men took his place. Colored lights played over the walls, flashing warningly. Tin Man wasn’t happy about getting a new buddy. Liston’s attempts to place the visor over the soldier’s face were frustrated by the bony ridges on the soldier’s forehead. The visor didn’t fit and there were no facilities on the ship to modify it. That was the first good news he’d heard all day. The Vashtar wouldn’t be paying a visit to Marc’s world anytime soon. At least there was some place on the ship where they could talk freely. There might be some hope of getting out of this mess after all.
When Charley swung her legs over the side of the chair, Lieutenant Kirez stepped forward to assist her. Pete didn’t like the way that guy was looking at her. A human female would be highly exotic to the Vashtar, especially one as pretty as her. “Woman, come here.”
Charley’s mouth set in a mutinous line at Pete’s rough tone, but she came and stood obediently beside him.
“The ship is now on autopilot. My female needs to rest before she takes the helm again. She’s the only one who can fly this ship.”
Tinar gestured to his lieutenant. “Find quarters for them and some of their human food.”
Food. Why hadn’t he thought of that before now? The Vashtar were carnivorous. They ate live food, or as live as they could get it. Tarsus Four was two weeks from here. That meant there would be at least one stop along the way so that they could hunt.
Kirez brought them back to the coms room where they had set up camp a few days earlier. Mattresses and thermo-blankets lay in an untidy pile in the corner. From the look of things, the communications console had been disconnected. Pete watched as the lieutenant hovered in the doorway. He was far too interested in Charley and didn’t look as if he was leaving anytime soon. It was time to play caveman again, and Charley was going to be seriously pissed off.
“Woman, make my bed and fetch me some food.”
If looks could kill, his head would be splattered across the walls. Charley caught his warning glance toward the doorway and went to fetch the bedding. Pete raised an eyebrow when she set up two separate beds and she moved them together quickly.
A soldier arrived with a carton of MREs. “Tinar wants you back on the bridge, Lieutenant.”
With a last glance at Charley, Kirez reluctantly departed.
Charley delved inside the carton, eyeing the packages dubiously. Whoever named these things Meals Ready to Eat had a vivid imagination. “It looks as if we’re going to be living on chicken or pasta for the next few weeks.”
“Pity, I prefer the chili flavor.”
“You’ve actually eaten these things?”
“Sure,” Pete responded. “The guys used to call them Mr. E’s, you know, mysteries. But they’re not so bad when they’re heated up.”
The guard paced up and down the corridor as they consumed a barely edible meal in silence. They had to get rid of him. Pete stretched his arms and yawned loudly. “Woman, I want to rest now.”
When he pulled off his tunic and reached for the fastening on his pants, Charley flushed scarlet and fled to the bathroom. He dimmed the lights and waited for her to return. For all their chauvinistic blustering, the Vashtar were secretive about mating, and that might be one way to get rid of the guard. Charley slid into bed beside him. She had goose bumps on her arms.
“Hey, you’re cold. Come here.”
“Is that another order? It’s a wonder you didn’t make me take off your boots and clean them.”
Pete wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him to warm her. “Maybe tomorrow. But only if you ask nicely first.”
He felt a swift elbow in the ribs. Charley wasn’t going to play nice. Fine, they could do it the other way. Pete released her and rolled onto his stomach. “Woman,” he said loudly. “I need a back massage.”
With a muffled oath, Charley sat up and began to rub his shoulders, roughly at first, but then becoming gentle. She had good hands and he relaxed under her touch. Pete sighed with pleasure. This wasn’t part of the plan and he could still hear the sol
dier pacing outside the open doorway. They weren’t upsetting him enough. It was time to up the ante. Pete rolled over again and reached for Charley. “I think we’re disturbing the guard,” he whispered, “how would you like to disturb him some more?”
A flicker of shock crossed her face. What was she afraid of? It wasn’t as if they hadn’t kissed before. Hell, they had done a lot more than that. “I don’t mean for real, Charley,” he whispered. “The Vashtar hate public displays of affection. We need to get rid of him so that I can fix the com.”
When she nodded her agreement, he cupped his hand behind her neck. Slowly, he brushed his mouth against hers in a teasing kiss. Charley gave a soft whimper and parted her lips. The sound of it reminded him of the night at his apartment and his traitorous cock woke up. Damn, that wasn’t what he had intended. This was supposed to be a show for the Vashtar, not a seduction. He opened one eye. The soldier was still watching them.
Pete slid his hand along her waist and cruised along her hip. With a little sigh, Charley deepened the kiss, stroking her tongue against his. Pete raised his head to meet hers, fisting his hand in her hair. His body felt as if it was on fire. With a low growl, Pete rolled, pinning her beneath him.
His kisses became harder, more urgent. They were no longer pretending. Charley gave a little moan of pleasure. Pete tore his mouth away from hers and he nuzzled against her neck, nipping and biting lightly. His fingers found the buttons on her tunic and he opened one button and then another, all the while kissing her neck and throat. His fingers found the lacy edge of her bra and he pushed the fabric aside, fastening his mouth against her nipple. She wound her fingers in his hair and said his name in a breathy whisper that made his cock throb.
Her hands caressed the broad planes of his back, running her nails lightly against his muscles. His mouth returned to take hers again, his breath coming in ragged gasps. How had he ever thought that this was a good idea? If he didn’t stop this now, he would end up making love to her on the floor of the coms room and he didn’t care if a dozen Vashtar were watching them. Pete rolled onto his back, breathing heavily and Charley crawled into his arms. Her eyes were full of mischief. “I like this plan. Do you think we should try something else?”
She pulled the thermo blanket over their heads. In between bouts of giggling, she made noises that would make a porn star blush. Pete gritted his teeth in frustration. Where the hell had she learned that stuff? Making out with Charley was bad enough, but if she didn’t stop that soon, he was going to have to leave. He took a quick peek above the blanket. The soldier was gone and the corridor was empty.
“I think that’s enough for now.” He rolled away from her, trying to calm his racing heart. How did she do this to him? One kiss from Charley was enough to set him on fire, and despite her recent coolness toward him, he knew that she felt the same. He needed to find out what was up with her. Until then, he had to concentrate on keeping her alive and that meant keeping his hands off her.
Pete checked the damage to the com console. The mercenaries had done a neat job of wrecking the control panel, but it wasn’t beyond repair. If they could get a message to Karl Hayes that they were still alive, maybe Fleet Command wouldn’t destroy the Pegasus. Pete patted the floor beside him, searching for his tools, and Charley handed him a laser-knife.
She looked cute sitting there wearing a tunic that barely covered her thighs. He wanted to lean over and kiss her again. Instead, he concentrated on removing the cover panel on the console. When this was over, he and Charley had some serious talking to do.
Charley kept watch on the corridor while Pete tried to repair the communications system. How could she have reacted like that to him? A single kiss was all it had taken for her treacherous body to forget that Pete was off limits. They had been kidnapped by a bunch of mercenaries. The ship was in danger of been blown apart by Fleet Command at any second and all she could think about was the feel of his hands, the taste of his mouth. Snap out of it, Maxwell, you have enough troubles.
From the occasional expletive, Pete’s repair job obviously wasn’t going well. Eventually he crawled out from under the console. “It’s no good, they’ve smashed the power coupling and I can’t re-route it. There’s a small black box in my kit bag, Charley. Can you fetch it?”
She delved into his bag until her hand fastened on a smooth metallic case. “This one?” Charley asked, waving it at him.
Pete reached for the case and flipped it open. It looked like a small medi-kit, with fine needles and cables. “You may want to look away now.”
“Why?”
“Because the console may be out of power, but I’m not.” With deft fingers, Pete linked the micro-cable to the broken console. “Sure you want to see this?”
Charley nodded. She knew that Pete was tech-enhanced, but to see him like this felt strangely intimate. He brushed his dark hair away from his right ear before inserting the cable into a small jack behind his ear. The lights on the console flickered and then came on.
“Does it hurt?”
“Nah, it just makes me a little dizzy. It’s a temporary fix. We’ll be lucky to get ten minutes out of it before my brain fries.”
Pete looked at her shocked face and grinned. “I’m joking, Charley.”
Despite the damaged com unit, Karl Hayes’ voice came through crisp and clear, and very relieved. “Thank God you’re okay, Pete. The base looks like a battlefield. How are the others?”
“Eric was injured, but he’ll live. We don’t have much time, Karl. Professor Liston is alive and we’re headed for Tarsus Four with a party of Vashtar mercenaries. There may be a stop along the way for food. They haven’t brought dinner with them.”
“Understood. I’ll contact Fleet Command and let them know. You can probably expect trouble within a day or two. How are the others bearing up?”
The door at the far end of the corridor opened. “Kirez is back,” Charley hissed.
“I have to go, Karl.” Pete unplugged the cable and dimmed the lights.
Charley lay down on the mattress and Pete threw a possessive arm across her. Lieutenant Kirez stood in the center of the doorway, casting a shadow across the makeshift bed. Charley shut her eyes tight, terrified to move. After a few moments, they heard footsteps in the corridor again and the sound of a door opening and closing. Charley let out a deep breath.
Pete returned to the console and Charley watched as he carefully packed the black case. “Let’s get some sleep, Charley. Tomorrow we start fighting back.”
* * * * *
Breakfast was another MRE, which tasted scarily similar to the one from the previous night. Pete polished his off quickly, while Charley grumbled as she tried to finish hers. “I don’t know how I’m going to eat this stuff for a whole week.”
“Maybe you won’t have to. Fleet Command will have every starship in the quadrant looking for us, but we need to find a way of helping them.”
“What do you suggest?”
Pete took a sip of bottled water. “If we’re ever getting off this ship alive, we need Tin Man on our side.”
“Marc wouldn’t harm us,” she protested. “He knew nothing about the Vashtar.”
“But his father did, Charley. Liston’s already sold out to them.”
He didn’t want to think about what would happen to Charley when they got to Tarsus Four. The Vashtar would probably sell the ship and pilot as a package. Much as he hated to admit it, he needed the Array to protect her. “Besides, he has a crush on you.”
Two pink spots flared on Charley’s face. “Don’t be silly, Pete. He may have some of Marc Liston’s consciousness, but—”
“No buts. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. If anything happens to me, I want you stay with him until Fleet Command gets the ship back.”
Charley put her MRE down. She wasn’t going to finish it anyway and now she felt sick. Memories of the bloodstained hangar floor flooded her brain.
Pete squeezed hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.
Fleet Command won’t let them keep you. They’ll want to hang on to someone with your skills. ‘“
Pete released her hand when he heard footsteps in the corridor outside. Kirez was back.
“Tinar wants your female on the bridge.”
Charley followed them along the corridor, ignoring the curious stares of the crew. Pete had turned caveman again and he was busy glaring at anyone who looked in her direction. It was all just a show. Despite the heated kisses of the previous night, Pete hadn’t laid a finger on her. When Kirez was gone, he had just rolled over and went to sleep, leaving her confused and frustrated. Pete had just told her that she was useful to Fleet Command and he was her protector until they got home. So why was she feeling so miserable?
Liston was already waiting for them when they reached the bridge. “Good morning, Ensign Maxwell, you’re just in time. We appear to be having a little difficulty with the Array.”
“His name is Marc,” Charley responded grumpily. She lay down in her chair and pulled the visor down.
“Not yet, Ensign. Captain Tinar wants the AV channel repaired and routed back to the bridge, but the Array, I mean Marc, is refusing to cooperate.” Liston glanced apologetically at Tinar. “He always was such a stubborn boy.”
Charley caught an anxious look from Pete. Damn. If Liston got his way, Tinar would hear everything they said, but she didn’t dare refuse him outright. “I’ll speak to him about it.”
She pulled the visor down and found herself back on the beach again. Marc stood at the edge of the water, staring out to sea. The sky was slate gray and it matched her mood perfectly. Marc seemed different today. Distant. As if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Hi, Marc, how are you?”
Charley rubbed her hands lightly along the pale cable-knit sweater he was wearing, feeling the rough wool under her fingertips. The sensory enhancement program he had designed was amazing.
“My father says that from now on I must respond to Captain Tinar’s commands. He wants to be able to see and hear everything that goes on here.”
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