by Liza Probz
Brook was shocked by the quick turnaround. Her heart froze in her chest when he smiled, revealing even, white teeth, and a surprising dimple on his left cheek. He was even more attractive than before.
Focus, Brook! It took a minute to follow her inner voice’s command, but she finally pulled herself together. This is absurd. I’m about to make a dangerous climb through the ship’s engine with an alien who’s clearly a maniac. What else could go wrong?
She should have known never to ask that question, even if she didn’t say the words out loud. At that moment the ship shifted, shaking back and forth and emitting a loud groan.
“The ship is trying to break the tractor lock.” Ontarii’s face turned grim, all humor lost.
“We better hope they don’t,” she said, slipping under the railing to climb down the small ladder into the engine works. “If they kick on the propulsion, it’s all over. We’ll be burned to a crisp.”
Like Alvarez. Sadness rushed through her at the thought.
“Let’s move,” the major barked.
Brook ignored the desire to snap back and simply hopped off the bottom of the ladder and onto a narrow ledge that circled the outside of the engine. Faster-than-light travel depended on a high-energy source. Her ship ran on fusion power, and although the elements that were used in the fusion process were well shielded, the energy output itself could not be, which meant that during propulsion, this entire room was essentially a ball of energy.
She was careful to tiptoe around the ledge, making sure she didn’t slip. One false step and she’d fall into the core. Although she tried not to look down, she couldn’t help herself. She blinked away from the fusion generator itself, then noticed a small piece of fabric lying next to the generator.
It was a piece of Alvarez’s uniform. Scorched around the edges, it was the only evidence left of her crewmember’s demise.
Brook bit her lip and tried to concentrate on her steps, but her limbs had started to shake. Get ahold of yourself. If you don’t calm down, you’ll never make it out of here alive.
Halfway around the circular enclosure, Brook squatted and pointed to the next step in their progress.
“There,” she said, indicating a shelf that was about two feet long and a foot wide. “We need to step there so we can swing over to that ledge.”
Ontarii frowned. “That isn’t much space.”
Brook shrugged. “It’s all we’ve got.”
She took hold of the one-inch rim around the landing and used her upper-body strength to support her as she stretched her legs out to reach the shelf. Once her feet were there, she pushed off, then slammed into the wall above the shelf.
For a scary second she thought she might slip. There was nothing to grab on to along the slick surface of the wall. But after a moment her balance kicked in and she was able to steady herself. The next part was slightly terrifying. She had to grab a bar that hung about a foot above her head, then slide along it to jump to a platform along the other wall.
As easy as the monkey bars in kindergarten, she thought wryly.
“What’s the holdup?” Ontarii asked, his face a mask of impatience.
“Just gaining my bearings.” She took a moment to wipe the sweat off her palms and onto her flight suit. She couldn’t afford to lose her grip.
Brook stared down at the danger below them. Between the fusion generators enclosure was a series of slats that could shift to funnel the energy during propulsion. Right now they were all locked in the upright position, meaning that below them was a minefield of sharp steel edges that would slice them to bits if they fell.
So don’t fall. She took a deep breath and leapt up to grab the bar. She held on tightly, starting to move hand-over-hand towards the opposite ledge.
A commotion rose behind her, and she couldn’t help but risk a glance backward.
Ontarii had made the jump from the enclosure onto the small ledge. He wobbled slightly and she held her breath.
If he falls, how are you going to explain it to his soldiers? It would create an intergalactic incident.
With surprising grace, before he’d even properly balanced, Ontarii leapt off the shelf and grabbed the bar over his head. He hung a few paces behind her and immediately started moving toward her with a speed she couldn’t match.
Brook concentrated on moving forward, one hand over the other. The trek took longer than she could have expected, and as she dangled, she regretted not training harder before the mission. Being in close quarters in space didn’t provide much exercise, and despite running on the treadmill in her cramped quarters, she wished she were in better shape.
She could feel her palms start to sweat, becoming more slippery on the cool metal bars. Just a few more feet.
Suddenly she lost her grip and started to fall. Brook closed her eyes, not wanting to see the sharp metal edges below before they cut her to pieces.
Then a hand was holding her as she swayed above certain death, Ontarii having kept her from falling.
“I’ve got you,” he grunted, then with one hand he proceeded to move himself along the bar and over to the ledge. “Just hold on and don’t look down, okay?”
“Okay.” She tried like hell to keep the terror out of her voice. Her position and pride were everything to her.
When they were close enough, Brook managed to swing herself over and land on the ledge. She scooted down to make room for the major.
He leapt off the bar, making it look easy, like he was an Olympic gymnast ready to claim his gold medal.
She looked up into his midnight eyes. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “No problem. Now, get moving.”
Chapter 9
Ontarii was frantically trying to catch his breath without letting his companion know how shook up he was.
The female had almost fallen to her death, and if he hadn’t caught her, he’d be left alone in the cursed engine room with no idea how to get back to the bridge, let alone explain to her crew what had happened.
But worse than that, he would have had to watch the female be sliced apart by the wicked metal frames below them. Although she annoyed and frustrated him, and although they’d only known each other for less than an hour, the thought of watching the human female’s death was more unsettling than he could have predicted possible.
What was it about her that got under his skin? He wasn’t sure, but regardless, he wanted her alive and with him for the moment. He never would have thought that he would have found a human woman attractive, but something about Captain Brooklyn made his blood run hot. At first he’d thought it was anger. Now he wasn’t so sure.
“You’ve gone red.”
He blinked at her statement. “What?”
“Your skin.” She pointed to his arm. “It’s red.”
Ontarii looked down to where she was pointing. She was right. He’d turned a deep maroon color due to his anxiety.
“Never mind that right now. We need to get out of this chamber and back to the bridge.”
She nodded, then carefully turned herself and slid along the wall to the ventilation panel. Slowly removing the panel, she set it aside on the ledge and then climbed into the hole it revealed.
The opening was small, and Ontarii had to delicately maneuver himself into the gap. Once inside, there was very little room to move.
In front of him, the human captain was already crawling forward on her hands and knees. This afforded Ontarii with a prime view of her rounded bottom. He wasn’t expecting the reaction it invoked. A tendril of pleasure shot through his body and forced him to arousal.
You’re being ridiculous. This shit is dangerous and you’re a moment away from the chance of death, and all you can think about is the human female’s body. Focus!
He chalked his unexpected lust up to the adrenaline caused by her near-death experience. The major had seen many humans, in holographic form, and his body had never had a reaction like this one. He forced himself to shrug it off.
Ontarii started forw
ard again, almost having to squeeze himself through the narrow confines of the ventilation shaft.
“It gets really tight at this juncture here,” she said, pushing around the corner.
Ontarii took a deep breath. He started bending, trying to shift his broad shoulders around the corner. It seemed to be working, or maybe not.
He was stuck, half his body around the curve, the other half trapped behind him.
“Wait,” he called to the captain who was already several feet down the shaft. “I’m stuck.”
She carefully maneuvered her body to turn around and headed back to him. She was very flexible, and the realization didn’t help the swelling that was currently taking place under his uniform.
“Can you move at all?” she asked, inspecting his position in the shaft.
Ontarii attempted to push himself forward, then backwards. Nothing happened. “No.”
“Well, I don’t have anything to grease you down with to make it easier,” she said, biting her lip as she studied the situation.
Her words, combined with the way she chewed her lip, made his heart beat harder in his chest. When she moved closer to try and tug on his left shoulder to free it, he had to force his breathing to settle.
Where she touched him, electric shivers pulsed through him at the contact.
“You’re wedged in there good,” she said, licking her lips in concentration.
“Stop licking your damn lips, female,” he growled and narrowed his eyes at her.
“What?” She locked onto his gaze with confusion in her eyes. “Stop bitching at me about my habits or get yourself unstuck.”
He ignored her and concentrated on not groaning at the sight of her pretty pink tongue. Why the hint of her little tongue seemed so erotic was beyond him, but the dull ache inside of him and the full erection between his thighs was proof of her power.
Get your head on straight.
He ignored the desire coursing through his veins and tried to hold his breath, pushing his shoulder a little here and there.
She moved closer and her scent rolled over him. It was fresh and clean, something he wasn’t quite familiar with, something entirely exotic and uniquely hers. Concentrate on freeing yourself and think inappropriate thoughts about the woman later!
There was a sudden banging noise, and the sound of an alarm echoed through the ventilation shaft.
“Oh no,” Captain Brooklyn said, her face turning white. “Oh no, no, no!”
“What is it?”
“That’s the propulsion alarm. Someone’s plotted a course and the engines are beginning to cycle. We have less than a minute to get out of this shaft or we’ll be burned faster than an ant under a magnifying glass.”
Ontarii wasn’t sure what an ant was, but he knew the chances of survival were terribly bad for them.
“We’ve got to get you out of here.” She pulled hard against his shoulder.
Ontarii pushed, trying to help her, but he didn’t move an inch.
“Leave me,” he said through gritted teeth. “Save yourself.”
“No one gets left behind on my crew,” she said, pulling with all of her might.
“I’m not a part of your crew. You owe me nothing. Now get out of here!”
The captain’s eyes narrowed and her face took on a stubborn cast.
“Think small thoughts and shift your hips to one side,” she told him, then proceeded to squeeze through the space between his legs and shoulder. Once behind him, she laid on the shaft floor and put her feet on his back.
“Okay, here we go.” She pushed with her legs. Her legs were apparently stronger than her arms, and when Ontarii added his force to hers, he finally popped free and slumped around the corner.
“Get moving,” she yelled from behind him, pressing against his backside to push him forward. He ignored the jolt of energy he felt at her touch and started crawling forward as fast as he could.
The alarm wailed behind them, setting his teeth on edge. He scrambled forward, moving as rapidly as he could, and yet it didn’t feel nearly fast enough.
“We’ve got twenty seconds at the most,” the human shouted from behind him.
“Almost there, I think,” he said, and reached the end of the shaft. There was a panel that resembled the one they’d taken off in the engine room and he immediately set about removing it.
Captain Brooklyn shuffled up beside him and helped. Her hands were shaking hard as she pushed against the corner of the panel. At last it popped free and the two of them jumped down from the shaft and into the cargo bay.
“We’ve got to get this panel back in place,” she said, holding it back into position and motioning him to help. “If the engine blasts off, the energy pulse will blow down the shaft and right out of this open panel. We’ll still be fried.”
They worked quickly, Ontarii making sure that the sections were back in place. The alarm cut off suddenly and there was a hard jolt against the ship.
“That’s the engine. Someone is trying to move the ship.”
Ontarii turned to face the captain.
Her expression was grim, her hands at her sides and curled into tight fists.
“Let’s go find out what’s happening.” He jerked his head to indicate that she should lead the way.
She began jogging across the cargo bay toward the exit, her long legs carrying her away from him quickly. The fact that she was in shape and able to keep up with him turned him on far more than he expected it to.
Ontarii followed, trying to keep a lid on his thoughts and failing miserably. He was furious that she’d risked her life to free him. She should have left him and taken care of herself.
But she’d stayed, and she’d saved his life. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it.
They rushed out of the cargo bay and into the adjoining corridor, Captain Brooklyn leading the way to the bridge. There was another loud sound, the screech of metal on metal, and then the feeling of movement.
“We’re heading somewhere.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “I wonder where.”
“We shouldn’t be heading anywhere,” he responded through clenched teeth. “There’s no way your ship could have broken the tractor lock by itself.”
Before she could answer they were through the door and into the corridor outside the bridge. It was empty and eerily quiet. The human captain ran to the bridge door and hit the button to open it.
Nothing happened.
She banged on the door with her fist. “Open up in there!”
Still nothing.
Turning back to him with wide eyes, she shook her head. “What the hell is going on?”
Ontarii frowned. I wish I knew.
Chapter 10
Brook didn’t understand what had happened. An hour ago they’d been calmly headed towards JL-398. In the last hour she’d made first contact with an alien species, been zapped by bioelectricity, watched her crewmember plunge to his death, and narrowly avoided joining him on the other side.
What a difference an hour makes.
Now she was locked out of the bridge, and her ship was headed into the unknown, having broken free of the Zantharian flagship that had held it. How had the ship detached itself? And could she expect a retaliation blast from the flagship?
“This is Major Ontarii,” she heard, turning her head to watch the alien commander as he spoke into a device that must have been tied into the intricate knot on his right shoulder. “Report.”
No reply.
He fussed with the knot, repeating himself. “This is Major Ontarii to the Zantharian flagship. Come in.”
The alien’s face was bleak. “Communications are out.”
“Great,” Brook muttered and turned back to the door to pound against it. Once again she got no response.
Moving to the panel beside the door, she worked to get the covering off. “I’ll pop the manual override. Hopefully we’ll have better luck here than in the engine room.”
“We need to re-establish communications
with my ship as soon as possible.” The major’s voice was firm and demanding.
“Of course, boss,” she said, not bothering to hide the annoyance in her tone. “I’ll get right on top of that.”
Brook fiddled around in the panel compartment until she found the lever for the manual release. She tugged it upwards and the door slid outwards an inch so that she was able to grab the edge.
Ontarii beat her to it, putting his large hands on the edge and yanking the door open.
Brook pushed past him and into the chamber that served as her ship's bridge, finding it completely empty.
"Where is everybody?" she asked, half to herself. She hurried to the navigation console. A course had been set, apparently towards JL-398, or Zanthar, as her companion had named it.
Ontarii scowled at the empty bridge. "Bring up your external display."
Brook rankled at his tone but punched in the command to bring the exterior view on the screen. She focused on the emptiness before her, confused. They seemed to be alone in space.
She changed the display from the front view to the rear. Since they'd just disengaged from the flagship, it should be visible on the display screen. But there was nothing there.
Ontarii moved up beside her. "Where are the controls for your sensors?"
Brook pointed, pulling up the ship's log and leaving the major to figure out the sensor controls on his own. "According to the log, the coordinates were set, propulsion was engaged, and then...nothing."
The small escape pod had not been launched. None of the external hatches had been opened. According to the log, her crew should still be there. Somewhere.
"If I'm reading your primitive device correctly, there is not another ship within two astronomical units. Which makes no sense, because our defense perimeter requires that our ships be within one AU of each other."
Ontarii's face was a battlefield. Anger and frustration warred with concern, and his color was changing again, becoming a sort of mustard yellow with stripes of red appearing here and there.