Relaunch Mission

by Robyn Bachar

  “We’ve done a bit of quiet digging from our current position, or as much as we can in the middle of nowhere,” Lindana amended. They’d chosen a spot in unoccupied space—no planets, no space stations, just a black void that reminded them just how very alone they were. “We learned a few things by scanning public channels. The Mombasa’s marque has been voided, and warrants have been issued for the arrest of our entire crew. We’re accused of going pirate and attacking Alliance territory, starting with the destruction of New Nairobi. You, of course, are still listed as dead.” She nodded at Sveta, who rose and stood across from Lindana, two queens on opposite sides of a chessboard.

  “But you weren’t responsible for the attack,” Kesi, the head of the Kenyan delegates, argued. “You saved our lives.”

  “Which the Alliance wasn’t expecting,” Lindana said. “Anyone else would have left the survivors behind to be picked up by Alliance aid ships. They were counting on that. They expected to eliminate any witnesses who survived the initial attack. But the Mombasa doesn’t leave anyone behind.” Lindana paused and exchanged a meaningful glance with Gabriel.

  Maria made a soft, choked sound; she had been quietly mourning Specialist Mike Jenkins, and even the rats were giving their queen a respectful distance.

  “During the initial attack, a signal was sent to the New Nairobi power plant,” Gabriel said. “It was disguised as a software update, but it was intended to cause enough system failures to trigger a meltdown. Whoever attacked the colony meant to leave it so devastated that it would be considered too dangerous to rebuild.”

  “Why would the Alliance do that?” Kesi asked.

  Gabriel shook his head. “I’m not sure that this was sanctioned by Alliance Command. It could be the work of a rogue faction in Intelligence, or there could be other factors at play here. We’re not certain yet. We need more information.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant Steele.” Lindana turned to Sveta.

  “We’ve been digging through Soviet broadcasts,” Sveta said. “The Novosibirsk is listed as lost, all hands killed in action. They’re claiming some sort of malfunction in the equipment in the cargo bay caused an explosion.”

  Sergei, the head dissident—a burly bear of a man with extremely bushy eyebrows—snorted and muttered in Ukrainian.

  “There’s more,” Lindana said. “Sveta and I have checked with our respective privateer contacts. There’s a bounty out for Red Raiya, despite the fact that she’s listed as deceased—”

  “Maybe they think I am zombie,” Sveta guessed.

  “You do look a bit undead,” Lindana agreed. “And there are bounties out on the Mombasa’s command crew. So we’re wanted by...pretty much everyone.”

  “Except the C3,” Gabriel said.

  “That we know of. We’re keeping that option open while we consider safe ports to leave our passengers at. For now the loyalist Soviet crew members are confined to quarters. We may transfer them to the brig if it looks like they’re going to revolt. The Novosibirsk was carrying enough colonial supplies to keep both ships equipped for one month. That’s our deadline to resolve this situation.”

  “How do you plan to resolve this?” Sergei asked.

  Lindana folded her hands. “First, the Alliance and the Soviet Union are after Sveta because of what she supposedly knows about this super weapon. We need to find evidence of this weapon, possibly even the weapon itself, and expose it.”

  “Any data you find now will be picked apart,” Sergei said. “No one will believe you.”

  “Which is why we’re going to steal the weapon itself.” Lindana took a deep breath, and Sveta nodded for her to continue. “We’re going to split up. The Novosibirsk is going to embark on a mission to identify and locate the super weapon. The Mombasa is going to take our guests to a safe location and then contact our allies—the few other crews we trust—to form an independent fleet.”

  “What location?” Kesi asked.

  “An independent trading post,” Lindana said.

  “A Swiss station?” Gabriel asked.

  Lindana and Sveta exchanged an uncomfortable look.

  “No. The Stryke Zone,” Sveta said.

  Ryder whistled low. “Didn’t Stryker threaten to shoot you if she saw us again, Cap?”

  “That’s why I’m not going.” Lindana smiled thinly. “But she has no love for the Alliance, and she’ll listen to reason. They’ll be safe there.” Or at least as safe as anyone could be in a den of thieves in the middle of an asteroid belt could be. It wasn’t a perfect solution.

  “I guess that works, but an independent fleet?” Ryder frowned. “No offense, but why would anyone sign up for that? There’s no profit in it.”

  “I don’t expect that we’ll convert many people to our cause, but most privateers were soldiers once, like you and me. We believed in what we were fighting for, enough that we kept fighting for it under the marque. No one profits from murdering innocents. We don’t let this stand.”

  Gabriel’s head tilted, and he steepled his fingers to hide his expression. Lindana made a mental note to ask him about it later. Item one hundred and fifty-seven on her To Do list...

  “I don’t need to tell you how dangerous this is,” Sveta said. “My ship was destroyed and my crew was murdered. The few who escaped were tortured to death. As far as I know, I am the only survivor. I intend to see that those responsible are punished.”

  The New Nairobi contingent nodded in agreement. “Our people deserve justice.”

  Lindana licked her lips as her stomach churned. “I am so sorry for what happened—”

  Kesi held her hand up to silence further apology. “We know that they came for us in order to harm you. We do not blame you for that. We blame them. You and your brother are heroes to our children. We are alive because you treated us like family when the Alliance, who should have protected us, treated our home like target practice. They wished to silence us. We will not be silent.”

  Lindana swallowed and nodded. “Thank you.”

  “Is there dessert?” Ryder asked.

  Lindana laughed, the sound bursting forth in a wave of relief. “Yes, there’s dessert.”

  * * *

  Lindana and Tomas eyed each other, both struggling to keep a stiff upper lip. “Stay out of the engine room. I won’t be here to protect you if the queen says off with your head.”

  “Ryder promised he’d protect me if the rats mutiny.” Tomas managed a weak smile. “I should go with you.”

  “Do I think you’re capable of handling this mission? Yes, I do. But you’re the only one I trust to captain Mama Mo while I’m gone.”

  “Except for Jiang.”

  “Except for Jiang,” Lindana agreed, “but she’s coming with us. She’s our Soviet captain, after all. And you’re the only one I trust to find us solid allies. You always were a better judge of character than me.”

  Tomas snorted. “Ain’t that the truth? I don’t like that you’re taking Gabriel with you.”

  “I know. But you’d space him the second after I left, and I’m sort of attached to him.”

  “I still think he’s bad news, but I respect your decision.”

  Lindana hugged him tight. “I’ll see you soon. I love you. You’re my favorite big brother.”

  “And you’re my favorite little sister. I love you, too.” He drew away and rubbed her head for luck, and they parted.

  Lindana stepped through the airlock into the Novosibirsk and sealed it behind her. She placed a hand against the chill, foreign metal and swallowed hard, blinking away tears. She cleared her throat and activated the comm. “Main airlock sealed. Ready to detach on your mark.”

  “Acknowledged, Captain,” Jiang answered. “Detaching now.”

  The ship shuddered as it accelerated away. Lindana caught a flicker of movement in her pe
riphery, and she turned to spot Gabriel waiting a discreet distance away. “Something on your mind, Lieutenant?”

  Gabriel nodded. “Yes.”

  “Is it lascivious? I could use some lascivious right now.”

  He smiled, and her heart fluttered. “You always inspire lascivious thoughts in me. This, however, is official business. If I might speak with you in private?”

  “Of course. I have quarters...somewhere. I hope your Russian is better than mine.”

  “My Russian is impeccable.”

  Lindana sighed. “Of course it is. Lead on, then.”

  The design differences between a former military vessel like the Novosibirsk and a former civilian vessel like the Mombasa were subtle, unless you knew where to look. The Soviet design was harsher, the lines harder and the cabins smaller (communists put little value on personal space). Comfort had been at the bottom of the list in designing the Novosibirsk, and as they ducked into Lindana’s quarters she immediately missed her room aboard the Mombasa. Lindana and Gabriel squeezed into opposite ends of her bunk and sat facing each other, her feet resting atop his lap. Not the most professional position for a discussion, but it would do.

  “I’ve been thinking about your comment that no one profits from the murder of innocents,” Gabriel began. “That isn’t entirely accurate. Many groups profit from war. Ship builders, weapons designers, fuel companies. War is good for the economy, as it were, but only as long as it’s a manageable size. It’s one reason why the Alliance was so quick to attack the seceding colonies. Fighting the rebels was considered a safer war to fight than attacking the Soviet Union.”

  “You think someone with an interest in maintaining conflict sold us out?”

  “It is possible. Someone within Alliance Intelligence knew that we were assigned to the ship carrying Raiya, and wished to stop us from finding her.”

  “But wouldn’t they want us to find her? Exposing the existence of a Soviet super weapon would mean a new call to arms. Hit them before they can hit us.”

  Gabriel nodded. “The mole could be a Soviet agent, trying to cover up the existence of the weapon by labeling us as the enemy. An Intel agent could have convinced that Alliance patrol to fire on New Nairobi, and written the code that took down the power plant.”

  Lindana quirked a brow. “Is it something you could have accomplished?”

  “Is it within my skill set? Yes. I like to believe that I would have rejected following such murderous orders, but I know there are other agents who would not have hesitated.”

  “That’s terrifying. So how do we find the mole?”

  “From here? I have no idea.” He grimaced and rubbed his eyes wearily. “I can’t contact them again without revealing our position. I’m not even certain who I would contact. As you’ve said, intelligence officers aren’t known for their trustworthiness. Whoever betrayed us is a high-ranking officer, and my contacts might not believe me due to my past with you.”

  “Intelligence knows about our sordid past?” Lindana scowled. “Of course they do, don’t answer that. For what it’s worth, I trust you.”

  “Do you?” Gabriel quirked a brow, seeming intrigued. “I seem to remember you claiming to hate me.”

  “I hate what you do to me. It would’ve been easier if I hated you. If I could despise you as much as you deserved. But I didn’t. I still loved you, even after you destroyed me. That made it so much worse,” she admitted.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t need you to be sorry, not anymore. I need you to be here for me from now on. And to be honest with me. Completely honest.”

  “I love you.”

  Lindana winced. “Maybe not that honest.”

  “Is it so terrible?” Gabriel reached for the laces of her boots as if to untie them. Lindana moved her feet out of his reach, curled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

  “Terrible isn’t the word I’d use. Complicated. We need to set some ground rules.”

  “Oh?”

  “First, I really have no desire to be the lady of your manor should you decide to settle down. I haven’t lived dirtside in years. I don’t intend to start now.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Agreed. I’m rather used to traveling as well. I would be happy to continue flying with you aboard the Mombasa.”

  Lindana blinked in surprise, and then nodded slowly. “Okay. Good...what are you looking for out of this?”

  He quirked a grin. “I want you to rescue me, so we can live happily ever after.”

  “Cute. Well, we’ll have to defeat the ultimate evil and save the kingdom first.”

  “Of course. In the meantime...” Gabriel trailed off and his grin turned into a come-hither smolder.

  She pointed a finger at him in warning. “We’re supposed to be on the bridge.”

  “Why? You’re not the captain of this ship.”

  Lindana snorted. “I’m not going to be caught naked, midcoitus when the ship enters hyperspace. That’s asking for sprains in places we don’t want.”

  “An excellent point,” he agreed. “But later...”

  “Later.” Lindana nodded and rose. She held out a hand to help him—he was so damn tall, he’d probably hit his head on the doorways in the Novosibirsk if he wasn’t careful.

  Gabriel uncurled languidly like a cat waking after a long slumber, and he drew her into his arms. He held her close as she buried her face in his chest, taking solace in his strength. God, she’d missed this. Lindana felt a strange sense of belonging when wrapped in Gabriel’s arms, as though she had been made to fit against him. A perfect match.

  Lindana tilted her head up for a scorching kiss that fried her senses like an overloaded circuit. He was just too much. The first time she saw him at the Academy Lindana thought that Gabriel Steele was physical perfection—tall, handsome, dashing—but then she also learned that he was gifted with a clever mind, a quick wit, and the refined manners of a privileged upbringing. He was Prince Charming, and she was Cinderella without the benefit of a fairy godmother. And yet, for every moment of self-doubt that she had in his presence, Gabriel always made her feel beautiful. He watched her like she was the only woman in the room—in the entire galaxy. The only woman he wanted.

  “Damn you,” she said. “Fine. Five minutes.”

  “Oh?” Gabriel’s eyes widened in surprise as Lindana dropped to her knees. She stroked his hard length through his trousers and he groaned. “Ten minutes.”

  Lindana grinned as she freed his cock and took his sex into her mouth.

  Gabriel growled and braced himself against the desk. “Dear God, yes.”

  She stroked his shaft as she teased the tip with her lips and tongue, and he lolled back as he moaned his appreciation. He cupped the back of her head. “I do miss your hair. There’s nothing here to grab.”

  “That’s the idea. You’re almost asking for me to pull your hair.”

  “Please do.” He grinned, and she ended further banter by lavishing attention on his cock. She split her focus between pleasuring her lover and watching his reaction. There was a thrill in seeing how she affected him as his composure unraveled at her touch. She stroked, rolled, squeezed and teased until he cried out in warning.

  Lindana paused and leaned back. “That’s not ten minutes.”

  “True. I have plans for the rest of those minutes.” Gabriel held a hand out to help her to her feet. She rose and nuzzled his neck, and he reached between them to unfasten her pants.

  “Do those plans involve this desk?” she asked.

  “I had thought up against the wall, but I could be convinced to bend you over this desk.”

  Lindana grinned wickedly. “Save the against-the-wall sex for when you’re completely healed.”

  “I’m convinced.” Gabriel spun her around, tugged her pants do
wn and nudged her thighs apart. Her sex was already hot and wet, aching with arousal. His cock entered her sex in one swift thrust, and then pounded her without mercy. She gripped the desk and held on tightly as sensation exploded through her. She came with a gasp, but he didn’t slow.

  “Again, darling,” he purred against her ear. Lindana moaned and gasped, hurtling toward a second climax. Too much—the angle, his thick length, his hard, fast pace, it was all too much, pushing her forward.

  “Gabriel, please.”

  He came with a shout, pulling her back against him and clutching her to his chest as his cock pulsed within her. He brushed tender kisses against her hair as they both shook and struggled to catch their breath.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” he murmured.

  “No, I did. Best to jump you now in case all hell breaks out later. Plus it’s entertaining when you lose your composure.”

  “What composure?” Gabriel asked. “Just being around you makes it hard for me to breathe, like you steal all the air.”

  “Mmm, good answer.”

  They put themselves back to rights, then she took his hand and led him out of the room. “Bridge. Now.”

  “Aye, Captain. But later...”

  “You’re insatiable, Lieutenant.”

  “You bring that out in me.”

  Lindana grinned—she did, didn’t she. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Gabriel paused in the corridor and tugged her to a stop. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be than with you.”

  Lindana swallowed hard as her heart somersaulted—how could something so simple hit her so hard?

  * * *

  Gabriel lay in the darkness of the cramped Soviet quarters and felt completely content. Lindana stirred in his arms but didn’t wake, murmuring something incoherent yet strained, and Gabriel stroked her back. She snuggled closer, and he smiled.

  He didn’t deserve this—the warm comfort of his lover pressed against him, at peace in his embrace. The blame for New Nairobi’s destruction lay at his feet. If he had trusted her, if he had ignored his orders and shared the mission details with her, if they had warned the colony...