Starfighter Command

by Grace Goodwin

  I was going to vomit on my nice, new boots right here in the general’s office. Damn it.

  “You will attach yourselves to one of the Dark Fleet ships and hack into the ship’s comm and data networks to discover the location of the IPBM stockpile and, if possible, the location of their production facility. If we can destroy those locations, we can put the Starfighters back onto regular mission rotations. We’ve been playing defense these past weeks. It’s time to turn the tables.”

  Jamie yawned. I was about to crawl out of my skin, and Jamie was drooping, leaning into Alex like it was nap time and he was her favorite pillow. I could relate.

  “Dismissed, Starfighters. Excellent work today.”

  Jamie stood, then gave me a brilliant smile. I raised my hand for a high five. It was something we were able to do in the game to congratulate each other, and it was the first time we’d been able to do it in real life.

  “See you soon,” she said.

  “Count on it,” I replied.

  Alex bowed to the general, then nodded to me and Kass before he took Jamie’s hand as they left.

  “Here are the details of the mission,” the general said, then shared them. I paid close attention as I had during the pre-game sequence. But this wasn’t a game. By the time she was finished, I was ready to get in the real Phantom.

  “Show us what you’ve got, Starfighters,” she finished.

  “We’ll find out where they’ve got those missiles, General,” I said.

  “In stealth mode, please,” she replied. “I do not want to lose you two on your first mission.”

  I looked to Kass and he nodded. Yeah, we were going to steal everything the general needed from the Dark Fleet, and they wouldn’t even know we were there.

  6

  Kassius

  * * *

  Lieutenant Graves escorted us from General Jennix’s office to the launch bay that served the Starfighter teams aboard the Battleship Resolution. Our first stop was the mission prep area, where we were brought our flight suits. Graves waited while Mia and I changed from our standard black uniform into the sleek Starfighter space suit. The material was thin and comfortable, but I knew the suit would protect us from small laser blasts, was fireproof and, with the retractable helmet all Velerion space suits had stored in the collar, capable of keeping us alive on a spacewalk, if necessary. The uniform looked almost exactly like the standard Starfighter uniform, except the space suits had the integrated helmet and the swirl on the chest was silver, not black.

  Once we were in our flight gear, Graves walked us through the small launch area. There were two Starfighter Pilot teams serving on the Resolution, and their sleek fighting ships shone with a glowing metallic black that made me think of danger and war and death. Their larger ships were meant for combat, loaded with weapons and fuel. The MCS ships would be just as fast but smaller. Sleeker. With limited weapons and most of the interior loaded with communication and computing equipment rather than cannons.

  I was guessing, of course. I’d never seen one, only in the training simulation I’d completed with Mia. The stealthy MCS ships were so secretive that no one but the Starfighter specific mechanics’ teams were allowed anywhere near them. And that was only with permission from the Starfighter assigned to the ship. As the pilot and secondary MCS officer, I was there to serve in a support role for Mia. Make sure she arrived safely, evaded enemies and survived to fight another day.

  Although I was the pilot, The Phantom was Mia’s ship, not mine. Her position as the lead MCS officer on our team meant the ship belonged to her, as I did. Body and soul. I wished for more time alone with her. To get to know her. Inside her head. Inside her body. That would have to wait… for now. I wasn’t sure if I could hold off long. I wanted to touch her. Watch her as I made her pliant, as I made her scream.

  Mia had a spring in her step.

  “Headache gone?”

  She grinned at me. “Mostly. I can’t believe I’m going to see the Phantom. For real.”

  Her excitement was contagious, and I grinned back as we increased our pace, causing Graves to lift a brow as he hustled to remain a step ahead of us.

  I thought I was mentally prepared to meet my future head-on. However, when I saw the Phantom for the first time, my entire body went taut with a feeling of dread… and elation. The ship was a living, breathing nightmare to my senses. It was darker than deep space. Staring at the outline of the hull, I squinted as the edges blurred, moved, and reappeared in a state of constant change. Like a river of black water flowing along its banks. At night. A highly advanced network of contrasting panels made the outer hull literally shimmer like a gloomy mirage, despite the fact that Mia and I stood less than ten paces away.

  This was a ship that dealt in secrets. Shadows.

  Death. And I’d hacked into the systems to be here.

  “Oh my God.” Mia seemed hypnotized by Phantom, her whispered words sending a chill from the base of my skull to my chest. She recognized the importance of this moment as much as I. She’d worked hard to be here. Not just in the training program but in her life skills, her Earth job. She was brilliant, and it would pay off while we were fighting the Dark Fleet.

  Graves motioned the two mechanics in the area over to us. One male, one female, they appeared to be young but walked with confidence. “Starfighters Mia and Kassius, meet your pair-bonded mechs, Vintis and Arria. Mechs, meet our newest Starfighter MCS bonded pair, Mia Becker of Earth and Kassius Remeas, former shuttle pilot at Eos Station.”

  The two looked like twins in their dark blue uniforms, the silver Starfighter insignia swirling bright on each of their chests.

  Mia held out her hand, thumb pointed toward the ceiling. “I’m Mia. Nice to meet you.”

  The two stared at her offered hand for a few seconds, confused. Finally Arria held out her hand in turn. Mia grabbed Arria’s hand, squeezed, and lifted her hand up, then pulled it down several times before releasing her.

  “It’s an honor, Starfighters.” Arria’s wide smile held no hint of deception while she studied Mia as if looking at a goddess in the flesh. I was awestruck, so it was no wonder others were too. As long as I was the one taking her to my bed, I would share.

  Done staring, Arria turned to me and touched two fingers to her temple in a standard Velerion salute. I responded in kind as Mia grabbed Vintis’s hand and followed the same odd sequence of events with the much larger male.

  “Vintis,” she said by way of greeting.

  “Proud to be part of your team, Starfighter.”

  “As am I. We will keep your ship in perfect shape, sirs,” Arria assured us. “Vintis handles the heavy lifting, and I squeeze into the tight spaces. We’re the best mechs on the Resolution.”

  Vintis scoffed. “Best on Velerion.”

  I liked their attitude.

  Graves took the opportunity to clear his throat. I had completely forgotten he was there. “Buy your new mechs a drink when you return alive from your mission, Starfighters. The target vessel will be passing through Velerion space in a few hours. You need to move.”

  Vintis looked disappointed but knew his job. “You’re ready to go. Fuel and power backups are at full capacity. Weapons loaded and armed. The entire system has been inspected three times over since we got her on board. The Phantom is ready to fly.”

  Mia glanced over her shoulder at me, her eyes glowing with excitement. “Kass?”

  I wanted to grab her, kiss her, make her whimper with need.

  So I did.

  Grabbing her upper arms, I tugged her close, fused my mouth to hers. She was surprised for a split second, then opened for me. Our tongues tangled, heads slanted to take the kiss deeper. More. More. My cock throbbed with the need for more.

  Instead I pulled back. Grinned when she blinked her eyes open.

  “This is it, my pair bond. Let’s go.”

  Mia licked her lips and I groaned. She left me behind to run her hand over the outer shell of our ship as she made her way to th
e ramp. “She’s beautiful. I can’t believe this is real. It’s like I’m in an episode of Star Trek or something. No red shirt, either.”

  I had no idea what she was talking about, but after I adjusted my cock so it was more comfortable in my uniform pants, I led the way inside. “Let us begin our trek to the stars, my Mia.”

  “Glad you hacked your way here?” she asked.

  I grinned. “Hell, yeah.”

  With a leap covering the final few steps, Mia smashed her hand down on the portal controls to retract the ramp and close the doors. I wondered for a second how she knew to do that, then realized we’d both watched this sequence of events hundreds of times in the training program. She walked inside and craned her neck, looked in every direction.

  “This is exactly like the game. Even the flat bolts on the floor paneling. This is unreal.”

  I grabbed her hips, pulled her close for a quick kiss, and forced myself to step back. “I can’t wait to fly her. Come on.”

  We jogged to the cockpit, which took all of ten steps, and I slipped into the pilot’s seat as she took up position in the copilot’s chair. Once we reached our target, her seat would slide into the direction facing opposite mine where she would have access to a large array of surveillance and hacking equipment and the more advanced mission control systems while I flew the ship and handled shielding and weapons. Which, if we were good at our job, we would rarely need.

  Ensuring we were both wearing our flight harnesses, I started the engines and requested clearance for takeoff.

  Mia rubbed her hands together and stared at the display screen. “Let’s go, Kass. I can’t wait to see one of the Dark Fleet ships up close.”

  “They’re dangerous, Mia. This isn’t a game. The ones we’re going after are real.”

  Was she going to take risks she shouldn’t because of the way she’d been trained? I hadn’t considered that possibility until this moment. She was a touch reckless. Wild. Just like me. Together, it could be a problem if we weren’t careful.

  “Oh, I know,” she commented. “But that bitch queen tried to kill my best friend and wipe out your entire planet. If what General Jennix said is true, if they wipe out Velerion, Earth will be next on their list of conquests just because Jamie came from there. Me, too. I am not going to let that happen.” She shifted in her seat and tilted her head to look at me. Her eyes narrowed, and I was aroused by her vehemence. No one fucked with my pair bond or anyone she cared about. “Not happening. Got it? That bitch is going down.”

  “So, bonded one, you are not reckless, simply bloodthirsty?” I asked as our ship shot out of the launch area and into open space.

  My words made her laugh. “Exactly. Wahooooooo!” she shouted as the G’s pushed us into our seats.

  She was magnificent. Perfect. Mine. Bloodthirsty, I could work with.

  We flew at near top speed on a wide arc toward our target coordinates. Surveillance had tracked a Dark Fleet vessel passing through this area at regular intervals for several days. We would proceed with caution. The regularity of the ship’s appearance reeked of a trap. Today, if we were lucky, we’d be close by when they flew through Velerion-controlled space and manage to remain undetected. We would discover what this Dark Fleet ship was doing out here and gather the data General Jennix needed with the Dark Fleet none the wiser.

  Mia stared at distant stars, at the darkness of space, and we’d sat in companionable silence for long minutes when she broke the quiet with an unexpected question.

  “What’s the purpose behind the pair-bonding thing? In the game I thought it was romantic and fun. But I had no idea other people on Velerion pair bonded as well. Like the mechanics—or mechs, you called them? Vintis and Arria? They’re a pair bond, too, right? What does that mean on Velerion? Are we married? Engaged? Do we have some kind of work contract?” Mia’s hands flew over her control panel as if she were purposely avoiding eye contact. How she could talk and work proved her insane abilities and complex mind.

  I covered her hand with my own and stopped her movement. “Mia, you are mine and I am yours. We worked together, trained together, learned together. We fit one another in skills and temperament. We have common goals and shared work. Pair-bonded Velerion teams are stronger than those who struggle to work alone. Do you not have bonded mates on Earth?”

  Mia shrugged. “We do, but it’s not like that.”

  “Then what is your pair bonding like?”

  We drifted close to a slowly rotating asteroid, and I placed us in a matching roll so we would look like we were part of the rock.

  “Well, humans go out on dates to get to know each other. If they get along and have good chemistry—”

  “Chemistry? Between humans? How does this occur? Can you shed your skin? Exchange fluids?”

  Mia burst into laughter, but I was serious.

  “This is not a joke, Mia. If humans have these types of biological needs for survival, our science and medical teams must be notified. Interpersonal chemical reactions are not in your species reports.”

  Mia was still smiling as she flipped her hand over so her palm was facing mine. I nearly groaned in contentment as she laced her fingers through mine and bound us into one being. “No. I’m sorry. That is a slang term.”

  “Slang?”

  “Never mind. God, why is this so hard?”

  I could give her something hard.

  She leaned her head back against the seat. “If the two humans are attracted to one another, they will continue to meet. If they like each other enough, they’ll have sex. And if that’s good, and they fall in love, they get married, settle down, have a few children, get the house and the dog and the cat and the white picket fence. Go to work, grow old, grow apart, kick the baby out of the house, and fight like injured wolves for the rest of their lives.”

  I took my time processing what she described. “That sounds horrible.”

  She laughed again. “It is.”

  “You meet and talk, then have sex. Then commit to a life bond and begin to procreate? What about sharing common interests and goals? Working together? Becoming stronger as a team? Vintis and Arria are stronger together because they have shared knowledge and work. They help one another solve difficult problems, empathize with one another, understand the challenges each faces. How do your human pair bonds maintain strong relationships if they do not work and learn and strive together?”

  “They don’t.” Mia let go of my hand and sat forward in her seat, inspecting her control panel. “The divorce rate is at least fifty percent.”

  “What is divorce?”

  “The reason I’m not married and never want kids.” The bitterness in her voice left me with many unanswered questions, but Mia was correct in her shift of attention. The target vessel had just pinged our ship’s sensors and was approaching. I confirmed we were in stealth mode and would never be seen. Still, I had to make one fact clear.

  “You are mine, Mia,” I said. She would not doubt. Not with me. “You will not pair bond with a human now. We are joined, and I do not share my mate with other males.”

  Whatever my Mia might be, she was not shy. She turned to look at me, her eyes dark with desire. “I don’t share either, flyboy. Just so we’re clear.”

  “I desire no other. The kiss should have made it obvious.”

  “Good.” She turned away from me and pressed the command to slide her seat into MCS mode. “Now let’s get going on one of those common goals you were talking about and hack into this asshole’s ship systems.”

  “Agreed. Fight now, fuck later.” I waited for the perfect moment to move away from the asteroid and into the passing ship’s plasma trail. The Phantom’s stealth system was designed to perfectly mimic the frequency of the interstellar plasma flow around it, the quiet hum that would blur our ship into the universe and allow us to evade their sensors.

  Mia lifted her gaze to mine, as I’d been expecting, and I slipped Phantom to rest within a groove of the Dark Fleet’s warship. I’d been
expecting something small, a smuggler’s shuttle or Scythe fighter on patrol. Instead we were dealing with one of Queen Raya’s warships. The ship was massive, larger by half again than the battleship we’d left behind. I’d seen these ships from afar as I lifted troops from battle zones or dropped them off. But I’d never been this close.

  Well, not outside of the training simulation.

  “It’s like a little fish sticking with a whale,” she murmured.

  I glanced at Mia. Her hands flew over her controls with ease. Her shoulders were relaxed, her gaze focused. I knew the moment she’d accessed their systems by the slight curl at the corner of her lips. When she turned to me, her eyes alight with excitement, I was ready.

  “How long do you need?” I whispered. Her response was equally quiet.

  “Two minutes. The data transfer is even faster than in the game.”

  “Of course. Earth’s technology is childlike and slow.”

  “Then why don’t you share?” she hissed back.

  That was a serious question. “What would your people do with more advanced technology?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “That’s easy. Kill each other with greater efficiency.”

  “You have answered your own question.”

  She turned her head and studied her monitors, hands moving to adjust as the data transfer ebbed and flowed. The silence in the cockpit made me glance over my shoulder. I could not divert my attention from the pilot’s controls for long. I had to manually hold us in our current position. Any break and we would be in danger of giving away our location or colliding with their much larger ship.

  We worked in silence for long minutes as I used every ounce of skill I possessed to keep us properly aligned with the groove in the giant warship. They were beginning a roll maneuver that I suspected was in preparation for a high-speed exit from the area. We could not be this close to the ship when it decided to go. We’d be destroyed by their engines when they passed by.

  “Mia, we have to go.”

  “I know. I’m almost there.” Her entire body buzzed with energy as she leaned forward, fingers and optical controls moving as fast as I’d ever seen her move. Faster than I’d seen in our training simulations.