by Jamie Grey
Renna put out a hand to stop him. “Renna is fine. What we need to do is stop Samil before she goes any further. She’s enjoying herself too much with this. She thinks she’s smarter than all of us, and until we prove otherwise, her taunts will only get worse.” And she couldn’t live with herself if someone she cared about was the next target.
Finn slammed a hand down on the table. “I don’t care what she wants. She’s dead.”
“Captain, take a deep breath,” Jayla said, frowning at him.
“Sorry, ma’am.” Finn dropped his hands back into his lap, looking chastised, and Renna bit back a smile despite herself. Always nice to see someone else could get Finn to toe the line.
“I agree that the first step is meeting up with the Athena,” Jayla said. “We need to get Dr. Aldani working on a cure for Renna. Then we need to tell MYTH HQ what’s going on. If Dr. Samil wants to destroy us, I’d say she’s already got a good start. They need to start working on a plan to stop her. We can’t do this ourselves.”
Blake nodded. “Let someone higher up figure this one out. This isn’t on you, Finn. Or Renna.”
“What if Samil is still gunning for Myka?” she asked. “What if Dallas orders you to return to HQ? The kid’ll be in danger.”
Viktis paced between the table and the wall. “There’s no reason for them to know we have Myka or Aldani. Leave them at the safe house. They’ll be hidden there, and Aldani can continue to work. I’ll have supplies sent to him.”
“I think that’s the best bet.” Finn nodded. “I don’t want to disobey a direct order from the major if I don’t have to.”
Blake grinned at him. “Little too late for that, isn’t it, buddy?”
Finn narrowed his eyes. “Still think you’re a comedian, don’t you, Alistair?”
Blake smirked at him, and Renna cleared her throat. “I’m still not sure about this. We know Samil has spies inside MYTH. What if Dallas is one of them?”
“I can safely say that he’s one of the good guys,” Commander Jayla said. “But I understand your caution. Lieutenant, take Viktis to the comm room and set up a secure channel for him to use to connect with Dr. Aldani. We’ll set course for the rendezvous point immediately.”
Blake saluted and followed Viktis from the room, leaving Renna, Finn, and Jayla behind.
“You’re excused, Renna. I’m going to want to debrief the captain on his mission,” Jayla said. “I’m still his superior officer after all.”
Renna scowled at both of them. Why did the commander want her gone? Until this point they’d all worked together. “I’d prefer to stay if you don’t mind.”
Jayla shook her head. “I’m sorry. We’ll be discussing classified information. But I’ll have him back to you in no time.” She smiled, giving Renna no choice but to get to her feet.
“I’ll come find you when we’re done here,” Finn said reassuringly.
Renna didn’t bother to answer as she left the room. If nothing else, at least she could spend some quality time in her bunk. That hot shower was calling her name, and she had her own plans to make. As she cleared the area, she spotted a small, dark-haired woman bent over one of the consoles. Renna paused.
“Sergeant Gheewala?”
The woman looked and smiled. “Renna. Nice to see you.”
“Hey, you used my first name.” Renna grinned at the woman. It had been a joke between them on the Athena that Renna would only be considered part of the team when they remembered to call her by her first name.
“I’ve been practicing.” The woman’s shy smile made Renna’s heart glow.
“So why are you on the Eris? Did Finn reassign you?”
Gheewala’s gaze still darted anxiously around the space before she spoke, but when she finally focused on Renna, she seemed a little less stressed out. “Commander Jayla and Captain Finn agreed that my services would be most useful on the Eris where I could track your EMP signature if anything happened at Wall’s facility.”
“Oh.”
Gheewala nodded. “If we were walking into a trap, Jayla wanted to know the instant something went wrong, and reading your new signature is as good as a comm device. Did you know you transmit on the same frequency as the Athena? As most of the MYTH ships, actually.”
“Um. No. I did not.” Renna wasn’t even sure what that meant.
“I can pick you out of any electrical reading instantly. It’s quite fascinating to see. Your implant has a distinct subfrequency that seems to be in harmony with the Athena’s. I was able to recognize it when your implant took control of the ship yesterday. Luckily Captain Finn believed me.”
“Of course.” Renna chewed her lip before asking the next question. “So if my implant now has a ship’s frequency, can I communicate with other ships?”
Gheewala frowned. “I’m not sure. Obviously you can with the Athena. You will have to try with the other ships. It seems likely, especially if your implant has morphed into a communication-based relay system.”
Renna chuckled. “Care to explain? You forget I don’t talk empath.”
Gheewala giggled. “Right. I forget you don’t see things the same way. Since I’m a tech empath—specifically engines, drive cores, and communication devices—I can read those things. Some ships use dark matter to communicate with each other and with other planets; others use a relay system based on connections set up between ships. So only ships within the same fleet can talk to each other. It makes for a secure comm line. Unless I’m around.”
“So you’re a technical spy,” Renna said, eyebrows rising.
“I suppose so, yes.” Gheewala continued. “Your case is interesting in that you seem to be able to do both—send and receive communications between networked ships, as well as non-networked. It’s strange. You’re like a conduit.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Renna smiled. “But what does it mean?”
“I’m not sure. Nothing for now. Just an interesting skill to be able to copilot a ship from across a star system.”
“Interesting and freaky as hell. I still have no idea how I did it.”
“Well, if you can learn to control it, I’m sure MYTH would never let you go.”
A shiver of dread curled around Renna’s heart. Was that Samil’s plan, too?
“Can we keep that between the two of us for now?” she asked. “I’d like some time to do some of my own research before bringing it to anyone’s attention.”
Gheewala looked troubled, but eventually she nodded. “I won’t say anything unless someone questions me directly.”
Renna squeezed the woman’s arm. “Thank you, I really appreciate it. I’ll let you get back to your monitoring.”
“Renna, it was good to see you. I know this is all difficult for you, but if you need to talk, I’m around. I know how it is to be… different.”
Renna smiled gratefully, surprised at the woman’s kindness. “I know you do. I’m glad you’re aboard, Sergeant. I feel better knowing you’re here.”
TWENTY-FOUR
Renna set down her tablet as Finn stepped into her room. “Everything all right with the commander?” she asked.
His face was strangely pale, but he nodded. “Fine. Just had to go over some MYTH business. Necessary evil.”
“If you say so.” She pointed to a chair. “Sit down before you fall down. You look exhausted.”
Finn sank into the seat. “I’ve felt better. But we’ll be docking at Forever Station in thirty minutes. I’ll be fine once we’re settled. Didn’t think I’d be back here so soon.”
“Oh?”
“Viktis and I were here less than two weeks ago. Took out Kitty Cordoza.”
“That was you?” She shook her head. “How the hell did I not know that?”
Finn smiled tiredly. “We’ve been a little busy with other things. I promise I’ll tell you the whole story soon. You’ll get a kick out of it. Viktis won another ship.”
She chuckled. “Can’t wait to hear that story. Have you talked to Viktis
by the way? Did he contact Dr. Aldani?”
“Yes. They’re safe and secure. Viktis assures me no one will ever find them if something happens to all of us.”
Renna got to her feet, relief flooding through her. “Good. I have a bad feeling about this, Finn. Really bad.”
“About what?”
“Everything. It’s all gone wrong from the moment I stepped foot on the Athena to save Myka. Samil has been pulling strings we didn’t know even existed. What else does she have planned?”
“Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together.” Finn took her hand and pulled her toward him. “It’s going to be okay.”
Renna straddled his legs and rested her forehead against his. “Is it? I’m not so sure any more. If we’re going to fight this woman, we may have to start using her tactics. She’s ruthless, Finn.”
Finn brushed her hair back from her face, tracing her cheekbone. “So are we. And I’ve got too much to lose if we don’t stop her, so I’m not even entertaining other options. Besides, I owe you a long vacation somewhere.”
“Damn straight you do.” Renna grinned down at him. She shifted on his lap, and his eyes widened as she ground her hips against him. “But in the meantime, I think we could find a little relaxation here to tide us over.” Renna cupped his cheeks in her hands as she lowered her lips to his.
Finn melted into the kiss, pulling her closer. She kissed him again, nibbling at his lips, teasing him with her tongue, and when he moaned, the sound sent liquid fire through her.
Finn yanked her head back down, kissing her greedily. His hands slipped beneath her shirt, traveling up her ribs, and she shivered as his rough skin brushed hers. With a quick twist, he had her bra off and dropped it to the floor. He gently cupped her breasts, thumbs gently caressing her ribcage between them. Just far enough away that her nipples ached for his touch.
She shifted again, feeling him grow hard against her. Her hands traveled down to unbuckle his belt, and she skimmed them over his flat stomach.
Finn sucked in a breath at her touch, then stroked his thumbs over her nipples.
“Oh, gods,” she whispered, arching her back as the wave of sensation rushed through her. She could only sit frozen as he gently caressed and fondled her breasts. And when he tugged her shirt up, she quickly pulled it over her head.
“You are so beautiful,” he said, gazing at her before lowering his lips to her breast. He stroked her gently with his tongue, and pure heat shot through her midsection. She gasped, pulling him closer.
His tongue teased her, flicking against her nipple and making her moan with pleasure. She buried her hands in his soft, dark hair and let him explore her with his mouth until she thought she’d explode.
Finn’s hands drifted lower until he slid one into her pants, brushing her soft curls. Gently he stroked a finger there, just over her slit until she couldn’t stand it.
“Nick, I want you,” she whispered. She wanted all of him. Now.
His finger slowed, and in one movement he rose to his feet, bringing her with him. A moment later they were both naked, trousers in a pile on the floor. Renna wrapped her legs around his waist and devoured him with her mouth, her whole body throbbing with the feel of his skin against hers.
Finn slipped a finger inside her and groaned. “Gods, you’re so wet.” She felt him harden against her as he sank back down on his chair and positioned her over him.
Renna smiled down at him as she slid onto his member. Her eyes fluttered shut at the rush of pleasure she felt with him inside her, but Finn cupped her cheeks and she opened her eyes.
He kissed her again, and Renna began to rock against him until they were both gasping.
The pressure built inside her until it felt like pure starlight thrummed through her veins. She pulled her lips away from his and stared into his eyes. Her breath came in gasps, but she didn’t break his gaze until the final thrust pushed her over the edge.
“Oh, gods. Nick!” She shuddered and trembled as she came, her whole body a flood of feelings.
Finn groaned and thrust into her one last time. Their eyes met, and she realized with a shock she felt closer to him than she’d ever felt with anyone.
With a deep chuckle, Finn picked her up and carried her to the bed, curling himself around her. “Damn,” he said, his breath hot in her ear. “I think I’m still having aftershocks.” His whole body shuddered again as if to punctuate his words. “Renna, you do things to me I never thought I’d feel.”
Renna smiled into her pillow. “The feeling is mutual.”
TWENTY-FIVE
“Nice to see Forever Station never changes,” Renna said as she and Finn left the Eris and headed toward the main dock. The spacer landing area was as dirty and seedy as she remembered, with worn cargo crates stacked in corners and flickering hololights casting their strange fake glow over the space.
“Well, we did park in Cheapside. The government docks are quite a bit nicer,” Finn said, stepping gingerly around a wet pile of…something.
Renna grinned. “I wouldn’t know. The only way I’d have seen one of those docks was on a prison ship, and I did everything I could to avoid that fate.” They made their way toward the door. “So what are we doing here then?”
“The Athena is waiting for us in the next bay. Jayla wants to contact Dallas from there. Says it’s a gesture of good faith from me.” He grimaced as they cleared the hangar and headed down the corridor to the other bay. “I keep forgetting he thinks I’m the traitor.”
“You still think it’s safe to talk to him?” she asked. “What if he doesn’t believe us?”
Finn draped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him. “You worry too much. I’m sure everything will be fine. And if it’s not, we’ll come up with a plan. We’re not going to let Samil get away with this.”
Renna smiled up at his cheerful expression. She wished she could believe him, but her senses twitched in a way she was more than familiar with. It was the same feeling she got when a job was about to go bad. Only this time the feeling screamed a warning at her as loud as an angry Trezian battlemaster.
Jayla, Blake, and Viktis had already boarded the Athena and were waiting with Lieutenant Keva in the comm room. Finn saluted Jayla as they entered and then slipped into a seat at the head of the table. Renna took the one beside him.
“Everything safe, Viktis?” she asked, noticing he was sitting a bit closer to Lieutenant Keva than was proper.
He nodded. “Safe as stars.”
She bit back a smile at the old code they’d used so many years ago. “So what’s the plan?” she asked Jayla. “Have we heard from Major Dallas?”
The commander glanced away from Renna, looking troubled. “He’s been trying to contact the Eris for about an hour now, but I wanted us all together when we spoke with him.”
Blake leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind neck. “The old man must have a wasp in his britches from the admirals. It’s four hours past Renna’s check in time. If we don’t touchbase soon, they’ll be so freaked out they might initiate the Eris’s self-destruct sequence.”
Renna frowned. “Damn. I’d forgotten all about that. But with everything going on at HQ, would they really care?”
Jayla switched on the holocom. “I guess we’re about to find out.”
A fuzzy image of Dallas solidified into his virtual presence. He paced in front of the comm monitor, a frown creasing his face. “Commander Jayla. Report.”
“Yes, sir. We’ve found the Athena, sir. Captain Finn and his crew are safe and sound with us.”
Dallas’s shoulders visibly relaxed, and he turned to the screen to stare at them. “Welcome back, Finn. I trust you’ll have a tale to tell. But first I want to review some disturbing information we recently received.”
“Sir, I’d like to report…” Finn started.
Dallas held up his hand, his voice going cold. “Let me finish, Captain.” He turned his steely gaze to Renna. “We know the truth. We know you’v
e been working with the traitor all along.”
“What?” Renna demanded. “That’s impossible. Dr. Samil is the traitor! She’s been working inside MYTH to bring it down for years. She drugged me and tried to kill me. Why the hell would I work with her?”
“I’m sure that’s what you want us to believe. But I have proof that you’ve been working with Dr. Samil for months.”
Renna’s gaze darted around the room. Jayla’s eyebrows touched her hairline, and Blake’s brown eyes were wide and shocked. Even Finn’s jaw had dropped.
“That’s not true, sir. I only met Samil a few days ago.”
Dallas frowned into the holo. “You’ve lied to us from the beginning, Renna. You knew about the traitor inside MYTH. You knew she’d been plotting against us for years.”
Renna jumped to her feet. This couldn’t be happening. “No! I swear, sir. We only learned about the existence of the traitor Pallas at Navang’s facility.”
“That’s enough of your lies, girl,” Dallas roared. “I have the proof.” He hit a button and his image was replaced with the same grainy video Renna had seen at Wall’s.
“But, sir, Renna said she had permission to search those files,” Finn said, interrupting the playback. “She was looking for a way to stop Pallas.” He squeezed her hand under the table.
Dread curled like a snake in Renna’s stomach as she waited to see what Samil had done this time.
“She did not have permission to do this,” Dallas said. The screen cut out again, this time to an image of the black market on Lenue. Renna recognized it from when she’d first met Wall.
Oh, gods. No. She’d intended to sell the communicator chips she’d stolen from Dr. Aldani’s facility but had stumbled across Viktis first. She’d decided to hold on to them, to help MYTH. She’d chosen the right path. But now, here on the screen, she watched as her holo-self stopped at one of the booths and passed something over to a vendor.
“That doesn’t prove anything,” Viktis said. “She could have been buying a sandwich.”