His grip on her tightened, almost too much, and then he pulled her close.
The hover started to move.
“We haven't got to the lover part yet.”
“Well, we probably won't get there tonight, either, given I can't unclench my hands.” It felt good, though, lying so close that they were entwined in each other. “But if you wake up next to me in my fancy new apartment tomorrow morning, I think we might be able to change that.”
44
“You are saying the thinking system has stolen Larga Ways?” Hoke's face told him she wasn't sure if he was joking.
Hal shifted. “Not stolen. It's still in orbit around Balco. He's just taken it over.”
“On what grounds?”
“On the grounds that it would no longer exist if he hadn't grabbed hold of it and, with Fiona's help, activated the repair function in the dome when a bomb ripped a hole in its gel wall.”
“Larga Ways is a strategic asset for the Grih nation. It has Battle Center priority security status.” Hoke stood. She'd managed to stay seated longer than he thought she would.
“It's useful, then, that Eazi has already sworn to not harm the Grih in anyway, unless in self-defense.” Hal crossed his arms. Decided to make this quick. “We can't do anything about it. Sazo won't lift a finger against Eazi, and Eazi's right, Larga Ways would be bits of debris making a new asteroid belt around Balco if he hadn't stepped in and forged new connections, and if Fiona hadn't risked her life to activate the repair function. He's going to take a monthly percentage of trade in payment for himself and Fiona, and he tells me the improvements he's making will start saving everyone money by the end of the first week.”
“What do the Balcoans think about it?”
Hal shrugged. “They're afraid of having Battle Center come down on them for the Tecran facility out in the desert, and for the obvious collusion of some of the officials on Larga Ways with the Tecran. Also, given the sophistication of the electronic explosives sniffers, someone helped that Vanad smuggle his bomb in. They failed on a lot of levels, and they know it. Right now, they're just happy that they still have Larga Ways, instead of a massive trade disaster with enormous loss of life.” He lifted his hands. “If Eazi messes up, they may start to resent him, but right now, it's almost amazing how calm things are.”
“And have you worked out what created the dead zone, and why the Vanad set the explosion?” Hoke had calmed down, herself, and Hal guessed she'd seen as quickly as he had that things could be a lot worse.
Hal rubbed the back of his neck. “The dead zone we can only guess at. Sazo, Eazi and Gerbardi, my comms engineer, all think it was another Class 5. Eazi and Fiona think the Vanad might have been abducting her for the Class 5. The dead zone happened just as she was snatched. The bomb, well, Eazi says whoever created the dead zone wiped Larga Ways' whole operating system clear. So the way station couldn’t repair itself after the bomb damaged it.”
“If it was a Class 5, there's been no sign of it?” Hoke asked.
Hal shook his head.
“Then you're staying in the Balco system. Sazo, too.” Hoke lowered herself back in her chair. “There is something going on out there. For a start, the investigative team the United Council sent to look at the Fasbe seems to have disappeared. It should have arrived in Larga Ways already, and the UC's lost all signals to it. The Tecran are also suddenly being really cooperative. They're backing down. Apologizing.”
“You don't trust it?”
Hoke shook her head. “Feels like the calm before the storm to me.”
Just before she leaned over to sign off, she stopped. Looked him straight in the eye. “You still friendly with Fiona Russell?”
Hal nodded.
“That's good.”
Hal thought about the satisfied gleam in her eye as he took a runner down to Larga Ways, and caught a glimpse of the perpetual storm, Kyber's Arm, a twist of brown on the planet below.
As he walked to Fiona's apartment, he passed the wreckage of the day before, saw they'd already made a start at clearing it up.
Fiona opened the door before he could knock. “Eazi told me you were on your way.”
She was wearing a dress which must have come from one of the stores on the station, soft and flowing in a pale orange that made her dark eyes and hair gleam.
The way she went into his arms made his heart clench.
“I have a surprise for you.” She smiled against the side of his neck.
“You've taken over Balco, now, too, and I should address you as President Russell?”
She laughed. “Maybe next week. I've set my sights a little lower this evening.” She gestured with a flourish to the dining table. “Ta da! Edible food. And I've invited Rose and Dav for dinner, because Rose is just as hungry as I am.”
“I have a surprise for you, too.”
She waited for him to tell her, her arms loose around his waist, her eyes dancing.
“I've been ordered to stay in the Balco system for now.”
“Well.” She kissed him, leaned back in his arms. “That makes me so happy, maybe I will take Balco over.” She kissed him again.
“Can you wait until tomorrow?” He ran his hands up her back.
She tilted her head and gave him a wicked grin. “If you make it worth my while.”
Dark Horse: Class 5 series, Book 1
DARK HORSE by Michelle Diener (Released June 15th, 2015)
Some secrets carry the weight of the world.
Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally--a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.
Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.
She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.
In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.
Buy Dark Horse.
Also by Michelle Diener
Science Fiction Novels
Class 5 series:
Dark Horse
Dark Deeds
* * *
Historical Fiction Novels
Susanna Horenbout and John Parker series:
In a Treacherous Court
Keeper of the King’s Secrets
In Defense of the Queen
Regency London series:
The Emperor’s Conspiracy
Banquet of Lies
A Dangerous Madness
Other historical novels:
Daughter of the Sky
* * *
Fantasy Novels by Michelle Diener
Mistress of the Wind
The Dark Forest series:
The Golden Apple
The Silver Pear
* * *
Short Paranormal Fiction
Breaking Out: Part I (Short story)
Breaking Out: Part II (Novella)
Acknowledgments
As always, a huge thank you to Edie. I don’t know what I would do without you. Jo, thank you for being such a great beta reader, and to Kim, for your honesty and big picture outlook. And a big thank you to EJR Digital Art for the amazing cover.
About the Author
Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy. From the Tudor court, to the streets of Regency London, and into magical landscapes, she's never happier than when she's building worlds and crafting suspenseful
plots and unforgettable characters.
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.
You can contact Michelle through her website or sign up to receive notification when she has a new book out on her New Release Notification page.
@michellediener
www.michellediener.com
Dark Deeds (Class 5 Series Book 2) Page 32