StarShadow

by CJ CADE

  "What are you doing?" she demanded. "It's time to take off."

  "Not yet." Arek's big hands rested on the controls, but instead of manipulating them, he watched as around them, the other cruisers rose into the air in a brilliant display of light, color and motion. "Deuce, our first challenge please."

  "Sorry, Captain," the AI apologized. "I am not programmed to answer that request until we have lifted off."

  "Very well." The cruiser moved, slowly rising a scant meter off their pad, and stilled in midair. "Now, answer the question."

  "Yes, sir! Searching my data banks now."

  Mia had to admit Arek's decision to take off last might be wise. The skies above were full of the other teams, as well as a laser light show. She winced as two cruisers nearly collided, one veering sharply at the last instant, then spiraling nearly out of control toward the open walls of the arena before righting, and shooting away into the dark skies overhead.

  A thunderous explosion boomed behind them, and Mia gasped in horror. As they watched helplessly, the arena's holocams brought up a giant image of a team cruiser out of control, slamming into the arena wall, and then exploding into flames, that lit up the night.

  "Oh, no," Mia froze with the sheer horror of witnessing what had to be the deaths of whoever was in that cruiser. "Oh, Goddess save them."

  "Too late for that," Arek muttered. "Poor bastards."

  "In a tragic beginning to the Race," Suede Harrington emoted with heavy gravity, "Team Neutron did not manage takeoff. There are now only twenty teams in the Race. Let's take a moment to reflect on this tragic, tragic loss of life and enthusiasm. And a reminder to our viewing audience, the dangers facing our Teams are real. Remember to support these brave, young males and females by viewing as much of the Race as you possibly can—and by patronizing our sponsors."

  "And it looks like we have another team in trouble," he added, brightening. "Team Starry Night has not yet taken off. Captain A'Renoq, trouble with your ship controls? Or with your partner, ha-ha!"

  Mia's eyes widened, unable to believe the MC's crassness. "I can't believe he's joking after—after that team died," she mumbled, tears pressing against the back of her eyes.

  Arek said nothing, but to her shock, his big, warm hand closed over hers, and squeezed. She turned her trembling hand under his and squeezed back gratefully.

  Of course he then ruined the moment by speaking. "You going to be able to hold it together? Or do we need to hover while you fall apart?"

  Mia jerked her hand away from his and made a very rude gesture in his direction. Why had she thought, even for a sec, that he could be other than a jerk?

  Unperturbed, he raised a brow for the holocams. "No problems here, Suede," he replied. "Merely avoiding the fate that met Team Neutron. I'd hate to die before we begin the Race."

  Angry as she was at him, Mia had to admit this was well said. Arek had left unspoken that Team Neutron's deaths lay squarely on Octiron, but the viewers and the other teams couldn't fail to realize it.

  Suddenly she wanted away from here. The crowds and loud music and lasers were too loud, too bright, too false.

  "Deuce, coordinates please," she said crisply. "Team Starry Night is ready."

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  "Your first challenge," Deuce announced, "Is in honor of you, Tygress, is... Mouse."

  "Mouse?" Mia repeated blankly. What did a tiny rodent have to do with the Race, as a challenge or otherwise?

  "Coordinates," Arek barked, pulling on the joystick. The cruiser powered up, lifting them up and away from the arena, into the black night. "We are underway. I need directions, Mia—now!"

  "Right." Mia readied the nav system, and watched tensely as a bright green laser path lit up on the holomap. At the end shone a planet. "Coordinates visible. Deuce, expound please."

  "Certainly. We are bound for planet Am-ghir, in the Yestrian Republic. You may set coordinates in your nav system for a flight of approximately six hours."

  "Very well. Got it?" she asked Arek.

  "Got it." Arek worked his controls, and they lifted higher until the arena and the complex around it were nothing but a bright glow fading beneath them. "Ever flown off planet in a small craft?"

  Mia clutched the arms of her seat, and swallowed, looking from the starry night outside the windshield to him, big and capable and in control. "No," she admitted. "But don't worry about me. I'm ready." And if this was not strictly the truth, she'd never admit so to him.

  He grinned, a wicked, nearly savage baring of white teeth. "Then hold on, here we go."

  He pulled back hard on the joystick, and the craft leapt forward as if from a catapult, shooting out into the night. Shoved back into her seat as if by a massive hand on her chest, Mia gritted her teeth and fought for composure, but Arek looked relaxed and intent. At least one of them wasn't about to wet their flight pants.

  The ship shuddered, and Mia gasped. "What's happening?"

  "Just accelerating out of the planet's gravity field," Arek said calmly. "It'll smooth out... about now."

  He was right, thankfully. Mia nearly whimpered with relief as they settled into a seemingly effortless glide. She checked her instruments, making sure they were set to avoid the two small moons and their gravity fields, minimal as they would be.

  "Deuce, systems report," Arek ordered.

  "All systems operational, Captain. Going to space life-support system now."

  "Do we have on-board gravity?"

  "Yes sir, calibrated for your weights. Do you wish me to activate?"

  "Anytime we're on board, yes. I don't care to float aimlessly around the ship."

  "I wouldn't have thought we had to ask for that," Mia said.

  Arek chuckled without humor. "One thing you learn working with allies who may or may not be as friendly as they claim to be—make certain all the details of the treaty are clearly stated."

  She absorbed this as they sailed silently through the night sky. "You mean that Octiron will play us if they can."

  "Looks that way to me. They're not making much effort to keep us safe, are they?"

  Mia gave him a look of dismay. "What? You don't believe this cruiser is safe? What's wrong with it?"

  He held her gaze. "Not what I meant. This is a fine craft. It's well-built, handles well, plenty of power, huge fuel cells." He gestured at the opulent cockpit. "They've given us the finest equipment available, and so far, they've treated us like holovid stars. But that takeoff—" he shook his head in disgust.

  Mia nodded. "I know—I still can't believe that two beings died back there. And all because Octiron didn't ensure safety. I mean, they could have set each ship's controls for auto-takeoff, in outward spray trajectories, so that crash couldn't happen."

  "They could have," he agreed. "But they didn't. The beings in charge of this Race are going to give us what they give us, and then they're going to sit back and watch us succeed or fail, live or die."

  He looked over at her. "So it's up to us. You going to be able to hold it together?"

  " I was understandably upset by that senseless tragedy," she said stiffly. "I may not be an ice-cold Aurelian, but I'm not some wilting hot-house bloom, either. I intend to compete as hard as you do. In fact, I intend to win."

  One side of his chiseled lips curved up. "Good. So do I."

  Mia watched him as he watched the controls. She sighed inwardly. He was a cold, controlling jerk, but he was also a soldier, and clearly an accomplished pilot. Of the males she'd met at the gala, he was no doubt one of the best partners she could have been assigned. Not that she'd ever tell him so. His enormous ego needed deflating, not the opposite.

  "And we have Deuce," she added.

  "I am here," the AI agreed. "To assist you as I have been programmed."

  Mia and Arek's gazes met. He raised a brow, and her heart sank. The AI had just reinforced Arek's earlier statement—they couldn't trust their own AI to be entirely on their side, either. The great God beyond only knew what programming Deuce
had been given.

  And this should be a reminder to her—Arek A'Renoq might be humanoid, but she didn't know his true motivations either. The only being on whom she could truly rely was herself.

  And in her whole life, she'd never been without backup of some kind—her family, her friends, her own people. Was she capable of surviving without them?

  She was about to find out.

  * * *

  "Deuce," Mia said. "What can you tell us about the first challenge?"

  "This challenge, Tygress, was selected in your honor," the AI said, in the manner of a school-child repeating a memorized fact.

  Arek smirked, and Mia crossed her arms, frowning. "I'm not sure what a rodent has to do with me, other than an ancient, overly obvious—and in extremely poor taste—joke," she stated. Feline and rodent jokes? Really?

  "Your protest has been noted," the AI said.

  "Just give us the intel on the challenge," Arek demanded. "Include background on the planet and any inhabitants."

  "Certainly. The Yestrian Republic is a large sector, dominated by the Yestria, bipedals who live in towering structures reaching as far above the ground as they do below. Their societal structure contains castes, controlled by a dominant queen. Below her range soldiers, workers and slaves.'

  'Yestrians prefer temperatures higher than those tolerated by humanoids. Humanoids require breathing apparatus on Yestrian-settled planets, as CO₂ levels are so high. Yestrian worlds also boast the most impressive deep blue Aquari crystals in the Galaxy, found only in their unique combination of atmosphere and minerals."

  "Wait. So, these Yestrians aren't humanoid?" Mia asked uneasily.

  "No, Tygress. Yestrians have bulbous compound eyes and external mouth parts. Their tough skin is dark brown to black, and they have a narrow waist. The soldiers are very powerful, able to carry large weights, the other castes less so."

  Meeyowl, the Yestrians sounded like creepy, large insectoids more than anything else. This challenge was getting worse all the time.

  "Will we encounter these soldiers?" Arek wanted to know. "And if so, are they hostile? Is that part of this challenge?"

  From the look in his eyes, Mia suddenly felt less uneasy at Deuce's description of the Yestrians. She would bet on her Aurelian partner against just about anyone, even big bugs. And their team had laser weapons, she reminded herself.

  "No, Commander. Although Yestrian clusters often fight each other, they do not attack the humanoid worlds in Paragon Galaxy."

  "What about visitors from outside their worlds?"

  "They can be hostile toward intruders," Deuce admitted. "However, Octiron has graciously negotiated a pax with them. Race contestants have a guarantee of safe passage."

  Octiron had negotiated a pax with hostile giant insects? How reliable was that? Mia watched Arek to see if he looked uneasy, but he remained calm.

  "So we'll wear life-support on the ground?" he asked, as if asking if they'd need rain jackets.

  "Unnecessary," Deuce said. "Planet Am-ghyr is one of the few planets in Yestria suitable for humanoid life. You may, if you wish, wear light body armor, generously supplied by Octiron Corp."

  "I'll take a set," Mia said. If their 'hosts' had hard shells, she wanted one too.

  Arek looked her over and nodded. "Good idea, you need all the protection we can get you."

  So would he, if he continued speaking about her as if she was helpless. Mia tapped one foot on the carpeted floor, listening as Deuce went on.

  "The challenge is this: once you land on planet Am-ghyr, you must follow the directions you'll be given to find The Mouse, and rescue the prize token from it. Gain the token, and your prize points will reveal themselves."

  "How do we find this mouse?" Mia asked, her mind racing. "What clues are we to follow? Sight, scent or some kind of signal over our coms?"

  "All will be revealed," was all the AI would say.

  "Come on, Deuce," Mia asked, her voice soft. "Surely you can tell us more than that. Please?"

  "Trying to beguile a robot now?" The Aurelian raised a brow as he unfastened his safety harness. "Better save it for some sentient being."

  "Guess that lets you out," she retorted, struggling with her own restraints. "Deuce? A little help with these straps."

  "Certainly, Mia " the AI returned instantly. "Just press the gr... ee-ee...nn bbbuu-u—" His voice deepened and trailed away, leaving Mia wide-eyed.

  "Say what?" she asked, looking around her as if she could see the AI. "Deuce? Deuce!"

  A long arm reached down over her shoulder, tapping the center of the restraints. "He meant this green button."

  Mia shot out of her seat and turned, simultaneously moving away a few steps. She came up against the cruiser's console, her hip resting against the smooth cerametal. Her gaze was on the Aurelian, who raised his brows at her in ironic query over the drink tube open in his hand.

  She ignored the look and the shivers still prickling over her skin from his nearness, choosing to focus on their new problem. "Did you hear that? Something's wrong with Deuce."

  "I heard." Arek took another drink, tipping up the container to drain it. Then he crumpled the recyclable plas-wax in his big hand.

  "Well, aren't you—I mean shouldn't we do something?" Mia asked.

  He raised his brows at her. "What would you suggest we do?"

  "Contact the Race supervisors! Find out what's wrong with our AI. We can't just voyage around out here without him."

  "Very well. Take care of that, won't you? I'm going to have a meal. When you're done, I suggest you do the same. We have five hours till we reach this planet Am-ghyr. We need to do a thorough check of our gear, and then get some rest."

  As if on cue, Mia's stomach growled. She was hungry, and thirsty as well. She could really go for a fresh veg salad heaped with gyr-fowl and creamy dressing, and a big, cold glass of tea.

  But first, she needed to quell with panic battering at her insides. And the only way to do that was with proactive action. She turned her back on him and used her com to link to the GSR headquarters.

  Behind her, the hatch to their small lav slid open and shut.

  Mia paced back and forth, her gaze on the black void of space outside, the sparkle of distant stars, and the faint, transparent scarf of a nebula flung out in the distance, pale grayish-pink.

  After a long moment, Purloo's round, cheerful face popped up in a holovid link before her. "Tygress. Greetings, how may I assist you?"

  "Our AI has malfunctioned," Mia said, waving a hand at the cabin surrounding her, as if Deuce was hiding somewhere near. "We're headed for our first challenge, with no guidance!"

  The Skorl made a sound like 'hurrrrr...'. "I perceive your problem. I will attempt to provide assistance. Farewell."

  The hololink ended, and Mia let out a growl of frustration. "They'll 'attempt' to provide assistance'," she mimicked, stalking toward the galley. "Well, they'd better, or I'm not getting off this cruiser—especially not on a planet that may contain giant insectoid soldiers."

  "Stop worrying," the Aurelian ordered, emerging from the lav. "I'll make sure we have full intel before we land on Am-ghyr."

  "If we land," she mumbled. "What if the Yestrians try to contact us, can't, and—and attack us? What if they try to shoot us down before we even land?"

  Arek moved into the galley, opening the refrigeration unit to peer inside.

  "This cruiser is clearly marked as GSR property," he said, pulling out a mealpac with a bright holoimage of a tasty pasta dish on it. "Octiron is as big as some nation states—I doubt any sentient beings are going to open a conflict with them. Now, come and eat."

  "All right, I'll eat." In the gleaming galley, however, Mia gazed at the contents of the cubbies and refrig unit with dismay. There was cold tea, at least, and fruit drinks, both favorites. But as to her usual diet... nada.

  Arek was already heating his meal. He took it out and moved to one of the foldout seats at the small table, ripped off the cover to let
out steam, and picked up his spork. A heaping bite on it, he looked to her. "Let me guess. Picky eater?"

  "No," Mia said. "But there's nothing fresh here—not even veg!"

  He took a big bite and began to chew. "Tastes good to me. But then I'm used to plain soldiers' rations."

  She eyed his dish of what looked like frozen pasta, veg and protein, and sighed as she reached for a similar mealpac. "Guess I'll get used to it for the next few weeks too."

  The Aurelian snorted, and shook his head. "Listen, princess, this is fine cuisine, compared to the protein tubes and fruit-veg gel I'm used to on missions. You'll eat, and you'll make certain you ingest enough calories. I'm not carrying your weight for you. You can't keep up, you stay on the ship."

  Mia jerked her own meal from the microwave with unnecessary force and winced as she burned her fingers on the hot container. "I'll have you know I'm extremely fit. And I am not a princess, by any means. I may not kill beings for a living, but I certainly work."

  She perched across from him, moving away when their knees bumped—his long, brawny legs took up entirely too much room under the small table. She set her bottle of tea down so she could open her meal. When he reached for her tea, she swiped it out of his reach with lightning swiftness, and smirked at him over the open top. "I'm also faster than you."

  To her astonishment, he gave a deep chuckle, his hard face relaxing a little. "I guess you are. Forewarned is forearmed, Tygress. Next time perhaps I'll slip under your guard. 'Cause I may not be faster, but I'm a seasoned soldier... which makes me craftier."

  Mia paused with her own spork in midair, caught by the wicked light in his pale, crystalline eyes. Was he actually flirting with her?

  No, of course not. Just teasing. But she wished he wouldn't, because the sheer masculine attractiveness of him at such close quarters nearly made her wish for more. Awareness shivered through her, and her nostrils quivered delicately. He might be an arrogant beast, but he was also utterly male, exuding confidence and sexual pheromones in equal measure. His scent was more delicious by far than her meal.