Solar Heat

by Susan Kearney

  People shouted, screamed. A blaster fired. Another fired back. Then the crowd surged and seemed to focus all that roiling anger on them.

  Regardless of the crowd’s hostility, they had no choice but to run toward it. The smell of burning fuel sped them on the way. Just as the hovercraft exploded, Derrek pulled them to the ground. Before the flying debris had floated back to the pavement, he was yanking them both up, urging them to run toward Sauren’s craft, which was coming down between them and the crowd.

  As if sensing their prey was about to escape, the mob surged forward, heedless of the danger of being run over by Sauren. A few threw rocks. Luckily none reached them.

  Azsla didn’t get it. Alone, her Quait wasn’t powerful enough to stop them all. But if they’d all been Firsts, they could use their Quait to stop the crowd. If they weren’t Firsts, the Zorans were attacking their own people. They must be too panicked to realize that she, Derrek, and Tish had nothing to do with the burning city or the asteroid. These people had lost their ability to reason, needing to take out their frustration on anyone in their path. Or maybe these scared Zorans guessed Azsla, Derrek, and Tish were about to be saved and resented their own fates.

  Sauren skidded and slowed, and they dived into his hovercraft as the vehicle slid sideways. He accelerated into the skid and revved the engines. Azsla straightened in her seat and peered over the side. The steady purr sounded like angel music as they left the crowd behind.

  “Everyone okay?” Derrek asked, checking Tish for injuries, then his gaze doing the same number on Azsla. But no, not exactly the same.

  “Your arm?”

  He’d noticed her burn.

  “I’m fine.”

  When Derrek looked at Azsla, she saw concern. And she hoped that maybe, just maybe, he might believe that she was what and who she claimed.

  The wall of ice she’d built to protect herself melted, and she could no longer deny that she had never stopped wanting him—even when he’d been furious, even when she thought she’d accepted that he was so turned off by her that he couldn’t get past it. Deep down, she hadn’t forgotten that waking dream or her hope that they might one day make that dream a reality.

  “What?” he asked.

  “That was fun,” she muttered.

  Sauren frowned. “You almost died.”

  “But we didn’t,” Derrek replied with a smile, then slung an arm over Tish’s shoulder. “You can see your brother soon.” He turned to Sauren. “Where is Tad?”

  “Safe on the ship and waiting for us to arrive.”

  “Good.” Derrek hadn’t forgotten his promise to Tish, either. “Sauren, send out several search parties to look for Poli and Mavinor. We got separated.”

  “That would be impossible, boss man. Every one of our people has evacuated for the asteroid mines. We are the last to leave.”

  “We can refuel and go back,” Tish suggested, and Azsla felt her pain. The ripping agony of losing family. At least the girl still had her father.

  “Laurie has closed the spaceport.” Sauren gave them more bad news. “He’s sending troops to stop us. It’s going to be difficult enough for us to get away as it is. We can’t wait.”

  “I’m sorry.” Derrek hugged Tish, and she buried her face in his chest.

  Tish didn’t cry like last time. While Derrek did his best to console his daughter, Azsla thanked Sauren, who had stayed behind to help his boss. Another man, a lesser man, would have left while the going was good. That Sauren would risk his life to save Derrek said much about the loyalty Derrek inspired in those who knew him best.

  She placed a hand on Sauren’s shoulder. “Waiting for us endangered your life. Thank you.”

  “No problem.” Sauren looked fondly at Derrek as he flew toward the spaceport. “He’s saved my life three times now.”

  “Four,” Derrek contradicted. “Don’t forget that fight on Asa Fee.”

  “I didn’t ask you to jump in. I had them covered.”

  “That’s not the way I remember it. There was this huge miner who didn’t like authority figures. He and his boys ganged up on Sauren. I had to pull rank and threaten to fire them all if they came to blows.”

  “Doesn’t count,” Sauren argued.

  “If you say so.”

  Derrek’s story had given Tish time to settle and pull herself together. She seemed resigned to the situation, accepting that nothing could be done for her loved ones, at least not at the moment.

  As they reached the perimeter of the spaceport, Azsla noted troop movement on the ground. Several cannon blasters were almost in position to fire at Derrek’s spaceship. The former bustling facility was now devoid of any other craft. No hovercrafts, no light flitters, no military spaceships. Everyone was gone.

  Anyone who could beg, buy, or steal a spot had already taken off to escape Katadama. Obviously Laurie or his generals wanted to stop Derrek’s ship from leaving, even if it meant damaging it so no one else could fly out.

  “Even if we manage to get into the ship and blast off, if they fire at us, we’ll be toast,” Azsla said.

  Tish flinched, and Azsla wondered if she should have kept the thought to herself. As if reading her mind, Tish straightened. “I’m almost an adult. I’ll be fine.”

  “That’s my girl,” Derrek said, then frowned at the buildup of troops, tanks, and hovercraft slowly closing in a circle around the ship. “Let’s worry about how to blast off later.”

  Sauren drove the hovercraft right up to the spaceship’s bay door. Timed perfectly, the door opened, and he steered inside. The door slammed shut behind them. The huge cargo bay was stuffed with crates of dry goods, containers with provisions, pallets of food, and a variety of tools and mining equipment.

  Sauren and Derrek headed for Beta Five’s bridge at a fast run. Azsla took Tish’s hand and followed at a slower pace. She’d seen most of the ship the first time she’d been on it. As they moved through engineering, past cabins and gathering areas, it seemed more crowded now with families, supplies, and crew on board. Clearly, Sauren had taken Derrek at his word, loading everything they could carry onto it.

  She prayed it wasn’t too heavy to take off, but surely the engineers had weighed the cargo and knew what they were doing. Still, at the sight of caged chickens in the hallway next to pet felines, she smiled, glad that people had been allowed to take their pets.

  Tish held tight to Azsla’s hand. “This is awesome. But scary.”

  “Your dad has the best ship I’ve ever seen. He’ll get us out of here.”

  “But those troops—”

  “Let’s go to the bridge and watch him deal with it,” Azsla suggested, leading her down the corridor and trying not to disturb the strapped and stored cargo that rose from the floor to the ceiling deck and that narrowed the corridor by half.

  An announcement wafted over the com system. “Emergency takeoff. Prepare for emergency takeoff. Emergency takeoff. Emergency countdown begins now. Ten. Nine. Eight.”

  Azsla grabbed Tish and plastered her against a wall, gripping a handhold, wishing they could web in, but there was no time. “Hang on.”

  “Seven. Six.”

  “What about going to the bridge?” Tish gasped.

  “We won’t make it.”

  “Five.”

  “Even if we run?”

  “Four.”

  “No.” Azsla showed Tish where to grip and kept a tight grasp on her as well as the handhold.

  “Three. Two.”

  She squeezed down on Tish’s hand beside the portal frame. “We may go weightless.”

  “One.”

  “Oh, my Stars.” Tish began to shake. Or maybe it was the entire spacecraft launching into space that shook. A roar filled their ears and buffeted them. Forces from liftoff pressed them down with the weight of acc
eleration. Azsla’s legs trembled. No one in his right mind wouldn’t have given people time to prepare unless they’d had no choice.

  The military must be attacking, the troops firing. Nothing else would justify this kind of risk. Lifting off without preparation was highly dangerous. People could suffer broken bones, head injuries. Azsla shuddered as she recalled that children were on board.

  “Blasting off.”

  For one second they went weightless. The cargo shifted, but the straps held. The artificial grav kicked in, and everything settled—only not exactly where it had been. Chickens squawked. Babies cried. But no one screamed. Azsla had no idea how many people were housed in the cabins to either side of the hallway, but no one came out into the corridor. Perhaps they’d webbed in, but she feared there might be injuries. Death.

  “Is it safe to let go?” Tish asked.

  “I don’t know. Let’s wait a bit and see if—” Azsla swore and kept her arms around Tish and the door frame. Something weird was happening. The engines sounded different, as if they were about to blow.

  And then Azsla knew—because her hearing had sharpened, and her eyes saw everything in painful detail—that they’d entered a portal. Hyperspace increased sensation. But there were no portals this close to a planet’s surface.

  However, Derrek had told her once that his new ship could open a portal anytime, anywhere. Obviously, he’d created a portal to escape Zor. Because they were most definitely in hyperspace.

  She started to breathe normally again and noted a crewman already heading down the corridor, checking on the occupants of each cabin. Everyone appeared to be fine.

  When he neared them, he clearly recognized Azsla and Tish. “I’m supposed to take you to your cabins.” He gazed at her burned arm. “You want to see the doctor?”

  “Thanks. I’m okay.” Azsla would have preferred to go to the bridge to find out what was going on, but Tish looked wiped out, her skin pale, dark circles under her eyes. The poor kid needed a bunk and sleep. Azsla would settle her in and then go hit up Derrek for news.

  She hadn’t expected Derrek and Tad to meet them in Tish’s cabin. Brother and sister hugged and exchanged news of Poli and Mavinor. They clung to one another, as if realizing they might be the last two surviving members of the family they’d known.

  Derrek gestured to the cabin. “I hope you two don’t mind sharing quarters. It’s a little cramped—”

  “This is perfect,” Tish assured him with a maturity beyond her years. “So many others aren’t going to live at all.” Tish was obviously thinking of her mother and Mavinor. Tad was a contradiction of happy and sad. Happy to see his father and sister but regretful about the others.

  “The plan is to offload civilians. Then we stop the asteroid,” Derrek told them. “If we stop Katadama, your mom should be fine.”

  Tish didn’t say anything, but Azsla wondered if she was recalling the mob scene, the burning city, the lack of social structure they’d left behind. Her mother was so ill-equipped to deal with regular life, never mind a global emergency. But Tish remained quiet, thoughtful.

  “You can stop the asteroid?” Tad asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

  Derrek ruffled his son’s hair. “We’re going to give it a try. We have plans to make, so if you two wouldn’t mind—”

  “Go.” Tish shooed him out the door. “Tad and I have some catching up to do.”

  “All right. There’s food in the galley,” Derrek directed. “It’s just down the corridor, and if you need anything, use the com link.”

  Azsla and Derrek departed as his kids took down the bunk beds and prepared to sleep. Shutting the door firmly behind him, Derrek took a step and then stopped, his gaze locked on hers. “As I mentioned earlier, the ship is overcrowded. There’s room for you to bunk in the single women’s dorm . . . or you can stay with me.”

  Stars. His offer rocked her back on her heels. Zinged an electric shock of sheer pleasure through her system and healed her sore heart. After her lie about who she was, despite the fact he knew she was a First, he wanted her.

  “What changed your mind?” she asked.

  “You did.”

  Her heart pounded her ribs with hope. “Could you be a little more explicit?”

  “You saved Tish’s life. And you saved mine when you stunned me.”

  She’d underestimated him. He’d understood exactly why she’d shot him. And then he’d rescued her from Tomar. “You saved me, too.”

  “I couldn’t lose you,” he admitted with surprising ease that sent happy heat through her.

  And it wasn’t as if he’d made an impulse decision. It wasn’t just chemistry. He’d thought about her actions long and hard before he’d come to this decision. And she went all soft and mushy inside.

  He wanted her.

  At the renewed heat in his eyes, her breath caught in her throat. Apparently not only did Derrek realize he’d accepted her, he was way ahead of her, the invitation in his expression blatant.

  She grinned as happiness curled in her heart and warmed her all the way to her toes. “I think I’d prefer the owner’s quarters.” Then she moved into his arms. “It has certain advantages.”

  “That it does.” Derrek dipped his head to kiss her. “Including lots of privacy.”

  Heart pounding, blood racing, she leaned into him. The moment their lips touched, the kids’ door opened. She would have jumped back, but Derrek kept an arm around her waist, not the least disturbed by the curiosity of his children.

  “Yes?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Tad.

  “It can wait.” Tish grinned, grabbed Tad, and closed the door.

  Azsla laughed. “Perhaps you might want to escort me to the privacy of your quarters? That is, if you aren’t needed elsewhere?”

  “Sauren has everything under control.”

  By the satisfied look on Derrek’s face, she suspected Sauren wasn’t the only one who had things under control. He looked pleased. And sexy as hell. She shouldn’t still want Derrek after the way he’d rejected her for being a First, but she did. And when he locked gazes with her, the fierce gleam in his eyes shot heat through her.

  Azsla might have a hundred questions about their heading to the asteroids, the situation on Zor, the radioactive materials needed to make a tactonic bomb to stop Katadama. But they were safe. For the moment. The mission was risky, deadly, and the chance of surviving wasn’t all that great. She’d never set off a tactonic weapon. Didn’t know if the ship could flee in time to escape the blast.

  She didn’t know if Derrek would ever get over the fact that she’d lied to him. But she didn’t want to wait one more micronbit for another of Derrek’s kisses.

  22

  AZSLA HAD EXPECTED the owner’s quarters to be larger than the cabins she’d already seen, but when Derrek opened the door, she was stunned by the huge space and luxurious decor. Talk about extravagant. She gasped at his majestic view of space, which rivaled the one on the bridge. From here she could see the hyperspace ripples that streamed by, distorting space and time. In contrast to the darkness outside, the inside of the cabin had plush white carpets, and his headboard displayed holographic designs of a pinkish white planet with emerald and sapphire water. She heard the lapping waves, smelled the salt of the sea, and his large bed appeared to be under a golden sun shaded by a palm frond hut.

  “We would have used my quarters to save more people, but we couldn’t lift off with any more payload than what’s already aboard.” Derrek sounded apologetic, as if he saw the space in terms of lives he could save, but obviously that hadn’t been possible.

  “This . . . is . . . fabulous.” She wanted to swan dive into the bed, but she was covered with dirt, sweat, and grease from two days in the forest. “Where’s the fresher?”

  “Over there.” He pointed to a door. “Have you ever take
n a bath in hyperspace?”

  “Can’t say I have. Why?” She’d taken two steps toward the fresher and stopped as he slipped open a different pocket door than where she’d been heading. At the sight of the glorious white marbellite tub, her lower jaw dropped. “Is that—”

  “Yeah. We recycle the water. The engines keep it at my preferred temperature.”

  “And that would be?”

  “Hot.” His eyes burned into hers.

  A hot bath with wet flesh and nudity might just be the perfect setting for what she had in mind. “Okay, first I’m hitting the fresher. Then the tub. I wouldn’t want to get that beauty dirty.” She unbuttoned her stained shirt as she walked across the carpet. “Your fresher is big enough for two,” she teased.

  He nodded. “It is.”

  “I’ll wash your back if you do mine.”

  “I’ll do more than your back,” he promised, his voice husky and making her shiver in anticipation.

  “I’m counting on it.” And then she peeled off her shirt and bra in one move, eager to rid herself of dirt and grime and the stink of old sweat before she contaminated his pristine quarters.

  When she stood naked, the dirty clothes in her hands, she didn’t know where to put them since every surface was clean and shiny. He took them from her and shoved them into a wall bin. “We have auto laundry. By the time you need them, they’ll be washed, dried, and pressed.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “That will take hours.”

  “Exactly.” He shot her a predatory grin that made her heart shimmy. Even if the heat in his eyes hadn’t told her what he was thinking, there was no disguising his arousal. Besides the obvious erection, his nostrils flared, a pulse at his neck beat double time, and his pupils dilated. Oh, yeah. Her man was all heated up and ready to go.

  “If you don’t hurry into that fresher, I’m going to have you right here,” he growled.