Sunscapes Trilogy Book 1: Last Chance

by Michelle O'Leary

  "I am pleased to hear you say that,” Samantha said in an uninflected tone. “Cassiopeia Draegen has inquired as to your status and time of arrival in the maintenance bay."

  "Toldja she was a slave driver,” Del told his brother with a grin. Then a thought struck and he glanced up at a sensor suspiciously. “What did you tell her?"

  "I explained your condition and recommended that she allow time for you to recover."

  Del cursed and then glared at Nick when his brother laughed. “I don't know what you're laughing at. You were worse off than I was."

  Nick looked offended. “The hell you say!"

  They had a heated discussion about who was able to handle his liquor better while they made quick work of cleaning up and wolfing down a fast meal. But the prospect of seeing a Shadow vessel for the first time distracted Nick from his self-defense, and the topic settled on this as they headed out the door with a simultaneous, “Bye, Sam,” from the both of them.

  "How fast did you say she'd go?” Nick asked with barely concealed eagerness, his eyes bright as they entered the lift.

  "Faster than anything I've flown before, but it's not the speed—it's how she flies,” Del responded, feeling his brother's enthusiasm catching on. He'd been relieved to leave the Shadow yesterday, but now he couldn't wait to get back into space with her.

  "Have you named her yet?” his brother asked with a sly grin.

  Without thinking, Del answered, “Lady Shadow.” Shocked by his own reply, he shuffled his feet and looked away from Nick. “Er ... hadn't really thought about it.” Naming his slicer after the boss he was lusting after was a very, very bad idea.

  "What's that look for? You used to name all your slicers and that's a decent one. Better than the name you had for that blue X610. What was it again?"

  "Beulah,” Del said with a sudden grin of remembrance. “She wasn't pretty, but she sure was reliable."

  "Right, Beulah,” Nick murmured in amusement as the lift opened and they made their way down the short service corridor to the maintenance bay.

  The place was bustling with activity, as usual. Del caught sight of most of his fellow pilots, with the exception of Sin and a quiet fellow named Quan. Manakai was there, but he wasn't wearing the overalls that everyone else had on. His dress shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, and Del could see a cream jacket flung carelessly over a nearby tool tray.

  "Sun's blood, look at them all,” Nick rasped at his side, and Del glanced over to see his brother's covetous gaze dancing over the neat double row of Shadows.

  "They keep getting better the closer you get,” Del teased and led the way towards his own slicer. With a pleased grin, he watched Nick reverently approach the ship and run worshipful hands over the dark, gleaming skin.

  "So beautiful,” he murmured, and then looked up at Del with a hopeful question on his face. Del nodded permission for him to open her up, and Nick didn't waste any time doing so. Del leaned in as his brother settled into the pilot's seat and began making an inspection of the controls. “Del, you lucky bastard,” he said softly, and Del chuckled.

  "You think looking at her is fine; try starting her up."

  Nick didn't hesitate to comply, and the awed delight on his face when the Shadow purred to life was gratifying. “Holy heart of the Sun ... I think I'm in love,” he sighed reverently, and Del laughed.

  "Brother, you don't even know what love is yet. Try the port."

  With a look of eager anticipation, Nick reached for the connector and brought it to his data port.

  But before he could slide it in, a voice barked, “Stop!"

  Del glanced over his shoulder to see Cassie frowning at the two of them. She had one fist propped on a hip and the other hand tapped a small viewer against her thigh in an aggravated rhythm. “You have an outdated data port. You connect with a Shadow and in all likelihood the ship's systems will overwhelm your wetware. So unless you want your brains to turn to mush, I suggest you put that connector back where you found it."

  "Yes, ma'am,” Nick drawled with amusement and replaced the connector. “Let me guess,” he continued as he levered himself out of the slicer. “You must be Cassie Dragon."

  "Draegen,” she corrected with a cool look.

  "Cass, this is my brother Nick,” Del introduced, trying not to smirk as the two of them eyed each other like wary animals.

  "Pleasure,” Nick murmured and stuck out his hand.

  She unfisted the one from her hip and gave his a brief shake before letting go again.

  "Good eyes, to date my port from where you were standing."

  Cassie seemed to take offense to this for some reason, straightening her back. Her cool expression turned even colder. “Of course I didn't see the model, but I could tell that it was the E-series, which puts it back at least ten years. Much too simple a system for our Shadows."

  Nick seemed amused by her tone. “I stand corrected ... or at least put in my place. Anyone ever tell you that you'd make a great schoolteacher?"

  Her lips compressed, and she turned away from him altogether, resting her now icy brown gaze on Del. “We've lost good training time this morning, and we need to get you familiar with the weapon's systems today. Let me know when you're ready to get started."

  With that, she turned on her heel and marched away, her small form ramrod straight and her long plaited hair bouncing against her back. Del snorted in amusement and glanced over at his brother to see Nick still watching her go with an expression that was hard to read.

  "Did you have to call her Dragon?"

  "You just said don't call her a geek."

  "Well, thank the Suns for small favors,” Del said wryly and grinned when his brother lifted his eyebrows at him. “She said we're training on weapons today. If you'd called her a geek, I don't think you'd still have a brother by tomorrow."

  Nick flashed him a quick smile of amusement before he craned his neck to glance down the row after Cassie again. “What weapons?"

  Del nudged him to catch his attention and then pointed out the bulge in the Shadow's underbelly. “Those weapons."

  Nick's expression turned very serious and his eyes met Del's with dark intensity. “Those are illegal."

  "Not according to Sin. She says they've got sanction from the FPA."

  "How the hell..."

  Del shrugged and gave him a wry look. “Another question goes unanswered. Let me show you where the X780 is before the little dragon turns us to ash. There's a training course out over the gas giant that's got a good bite to it. You'll like it,” he said with studied nonchalance, anticipating his brother's reaction to that blistering course.

  "You sure my port's up to it?” Nick asked wryly, and Del smirked as he led the way towards the docking bay.

  "For Red, no problem. She's a much simpler girl."

  "Lucky for me,” his brother muttered with biting sarcasm, and Del snickered.

  When they entered the docking bay, Nick seemed impressed by the large and varied armada of ships docked there. It was bustling with activity, and Del pointed out the ships that were used for the regular courier service, larger vessels that could withstand the forces of a star-way.

  They got a couple of casual greetings from service personnel that recognized Del, but from the pilots who took note of them they received only cool looks. Kai had told him yesterday that there was a sense of rivalry between the regular pilots—what the off-lane crew called the normals—and the off-lane pilots. From the looks they got, Del would have called it something stronger than rivalry.

  He would have ignored them and moved on, but there was something about the attention they were getting that triggered an alarm in his head. Eyes lingered a little too long and when he met their gaze, they'd flicker away almost furtively. Del slowed, glancing around as casually as he could.

  It didn't take him long to see why the pilots were acting off kilter. Against the wall, there was an aggressive cluster of them, and Del could see flashes of Jinx's thin form as they shifted. He c
aught a glimpse of the youngster's white face before it disappeared again and swore under his breath. Changing direction abruptly, he stalked towards the group.

  "What—” Nick started to ask, but then fell silent and followed on Del's heels.

  As they reached the group, Del could hear Jinx's breathless voice say, “C'mon, guys, this ain't funny—"

  "Funny? You want funny?” one of the pilots sneered and cuffed him on the shoulder, tumbling the thin young man into another normal.

  "Watch it, junkie,” she snarled, shoving him away. “So fried, you can't stand up straight?"

  Del gritted his teeth, disgusted and weary. After all he'd seen and done, watching this pack of juvenile bullies made him sick with frustration. As if the Core wasn't enough of a cancer in their lives.

  Without a word, he shouldered the nearest pilot out of the way, ignoring the man's offended cry, and fisted a hand in Jinx's shirt, yanking the young man out of his circle of tormentors. Giving him a gentle shove towards the maintenance bay, he rasped, “Go home,” before he turned back to the normals.

  But Jinx lingered, until Nick said softly, “Off you get, kid. Only make it worse if you stay."

  Jinx seemed to see the logic in that and sprinted away.

  Looking into the sullen, aggressive eyes of the group in front of him, Del bared his teeth in a humorless grin. He was almost hoping they'd follow up on the violence he could see in their tense forms, so he'd have an excuse to beat them bloody. “Playtime's over. Back to work,” he growled.

  A couple of them dropped their eyes, submitting to the warning authority in his deep voice, but the female pilot sneered and one brawny man stepped forward with stiff defiance. “Who the hell are you to order us around?"

  "Don't try my patience. Move your ass, before I move it for you,” Del gritted through clenched teeth.

  The man bristled. “You think you two can take us all on?"

  Nick's low laugh made the pilot's face flush. “Hell, I'm just here to watch,” his brother drawled. “Haven't seen my brother kick ass in a while. Should be fun,” he mused in a thoughtful tone.

  The big pilot's gaze flickered between the brothers, assessing. Del locked eyes with him, allowing the other man to see what the Core had managed to forge in him over ten long years of brutality. With a menacing tilt of his head, he silently warned the man not to force him to demonstrate.

  The pilot's gaze faltered, and fear sagged into the hollows of his face. With a quick glance at his cohorts, he blustered, “You ain't worth it.” Giving the brothers a sneer of contempt, he shoved past Del and strode away.

  Del reined in the urge to lunge after him, breathing deeply to control his anger as the rest of the group followed the first man. He was mollified by the fact that none of the others would look him in the eye. When the last of them was out of reach, he spun on his heel and stalked away.

  Nick paced him, and Del glanced over to see his brother studying him with a cynical glint in his eyes. “What?” Del snapped, still feeling the burn of unused aggression.

  A faint smile touched his brother's face with humor. “You turned into a scary bastard, bro.” Then he clapped a hand on Del's shoulder and grinned. “I'm so proud."

  Del snorted, his anger ebbing to a more manageable level. “Enjoyed yourself?” he asked with his own brand of cynicism as he eyed Nick's grin.

  Nick sighed, his expression turning pensive, but humor still lit the depths of his eyes. “Damned disappointing, them backing off. What fun is that?"

  Del shook his head, but couldn't hide his rumble of amusement. “Maybe next time,” he said dryly, aware that his brother was making a calculated effort to diffuse his anger, and equally aware that it was working.

  "Something to look forward to,” Nick responded with a smirk, before he turned his attention to the row of docked slicers they were nearing. “This must be Red,” Nick said, his smirk widening into a grin of anticipation as they approached the crimson X780.

  Del was relieved to feel the familiar pride and affection as he looked at his old slicer. She was no Shadow, but she was still a beautiful ship and she'd served him well over the years. “Got it in one,” he answered and opened her up for his brother.

  Nick slid inside with remarkable grace for such a large man and made the same inspection of Red that he had with Del's Shadow. Though there was no reverence in his touch, the eagerness and admiration were the same. “She's a flare and a half, Del. When can I take her out?"

  Del chuckled and leaned in to turn her on. “No time like the present."

  With a delighted grin, Nick snagged the connector and slid it into his port. Del watched him carefully, mindful of Cassie's warnings about an aging port, but though Nick's eyes unfocused for a long moment as he adjusted to the rush of information, he seemed to be okay otherwise. He let out a long sigh and the expression of bliss on his face when he glanced over at his brother made Del laugh.

  "How the hell did I stay away for so long?"

  "Beats me. I couldn't do it. You gonna be okay without a flying partner?"

  Nick shot him a faintly contemptuous look. “I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

  With a grin and a light punch on his brother's shoulder, Del stepped back from the slicer. “Have fun with her."

  "Oh, I plan on it,” Nick drawled with a wicked grin, adding before he closed the slicer, “I promise I'll bring her back in one piece."

  Del knew the momentary alarm he felt was exactly what Nick had been trying for with that comment and snorted. Brothers. Stepping away from the landing pad, he gave a short salute as the slicer lifted and spun around with a flirt of her ruby tail.

  "Back in one piece,” he scoffed as he headed back towards the maintenance bay and called Nick something unfriendly.

  Manakai greeted him on his return, eyeing Del's baleful expression with lifted eyebrows. “Something bothering you?"

  "My brother thinks he's a comedian,” Del answered as he headed towards his slicer.

  Manakai followed with a sound of disapproval. “Inconsiderate. He should have more care for your delicate condition."

  "My what?” Del exclaimed, stopping short to stare at the other man. The twinkle in Kai's green eyes wasn't comforting, and the bland innocence on his face made Del deeply suspicious. With good reason, it turned out.

  "We heard that you weren't feeling well this morning. Dog stinkin’ sick, actually. You sure you don't need to sit down?” Sin's brother asked with mock solicitousness and a decidedly evil smirk.

  Del gave him a look of utter disgust. “Did Cassie tell you or did the damned AI tell the whole station?"

  Kai grinned at him with a complete lack of sympathy. “Got that from the genius herself. She wanted to know if we should give you the day off."

  After Cassie's attitude earlier, Del was surprised that she'd given him that kind of consideration. “Thanks, but I'm fine now,” he retorted as he continued towards his Shadow. “Remind me to kill you later, though."

  He caught sight of Jinx out of the corner of his eye and glanced over to see the young man smile with a hint of hero worship, his head bobbing in a nod of thanks. Del returned it, but didn't slow.

  "Will do,” Kai answered him in a bland tone as he followed Del to his slicer. “Got a reason?"

  "Got four of ‘em,” Del said,opening the Shadow and levered himself inside. “At least I think it was four. Hard to remember now."

  "Care to share?” Kai asked absently as he leaned in to inspect the controls.

  Del paused long enough to catch the other man's eye before saying with a wry twist of his mouth, “Supernovas.” Then he sat back with a sigh and waited for Kai to stop laughing. It took a while.

  Cassie showed up before Kai was finished and elbowed him out of the way with a disgruntled look. “What's wrong with him?"

  "If I had to guess, I'd say he was mentally unbalanced."

  "Well sure, but what's wrong with him today?” Cassie responded without missing a beat, and Kai paused long enoug
h in his chortling to protest.

  "Hey! I resemble that remark.” He followed this with a grin and a yank of Cassie's plait.

  With a sigh of long-suffering patience, she turned a level gaze on her employer. “Manny, we're behind as it is today. Can you please go harass somebody else for a while?"

  He clapped a hand to his chest, his expression one of exaggerated hurt and betrayal. “Cass, I'm crushed! How can I not be near your—"

  "Manakai Ezekiel Shay!"

  Del was amused to see Kai flinch as the distant shout resounded throughout the maintenance bay. His green eyes went wide with horror and he clutched at Cassie as he whispered, “Save me!"

  She snickered and brushed off his hands without mercy. “You're on your own, pal."

  Before he could continue with his act, Sin came into view, walking with impatient strides and face set in lines of dark discontent. She caught sight of her brother and stopped with a scowl, hands on hips. “Damn it, Kai! We're late!"

  Kai answered with something that could have been an excuse, but Del didn't hear it. He levered himself slowly out of the Shadow, feeling like somebody had sucker punched him in the gut. He was grateful for the scowl on her face or her beauty might have actually killed him in that moment. The black silk of her hair had been pulled back from her face, leaving a profusion of curls to fall in dark kisses around her bare neck and shoulders. She was wearing a creamy sleeveless dress, falling in demure folds from the points of her shoulders across her chest and accentuating her curves with subtle sophistication. It ended in a feminine flare around her knees and should not have been the kind of dress to provoke instant lust, except for the narrow panels that ran down the sides. These looked sheer, except for some pattern that could have been lace. Below this was skin and only skin. He could see no evidence that she was wearing anything under that dress.

  Seemingly unaware that she'd stopped his heart, she continued to berate her brother while Kai found his jacket and shrugged into it. “It's not like I actually want to go to this damned luncheon, but we can't back out. You know how important it is for us to make an appearance, and it doesn't look good for us to be late."