by Siren Allen
“I am commander Novencahl and you are being ordered by the Galaxy Patrol to stand down.”
Silver forced himself to stay calm. What the fuck did he mean stand down?
“Commander Novencahl I am confused. What do you mean, stand down? My crew and I pose no threat to you or your ship.”
“No threat,” he laughed dryly. “I know who you are. There is a bounty on your head across all the galaxies.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of a bounty.” Silver glanced down at Beta. “Have you heard of a bounty on us?”
“Never,” Beta mumbled, his eyes still on the screen.
“Everyone knows who you are. The fact that you’ve managed to stay off the radar this long is surprising. Your luck has run out. Stand down. And what I mean by stand down is, don’t try to run when we lock you into our gravitational pull.”
“What the fuck,” Beta mumbled.
Silver had never heard of a ship having a gravitational pull. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew he didn’t like it.
“I’m sorry commander. But I have an important delivery to make to King Palenzo.”
“You lie. The vampires of Qoaran don’t trade with anyone outside the KB.”
“I’m not just anyone.”
“You’re right. You’re not. You and you crew are vicious killers wanted for the murder of an entire race. Your rap sheet includes killing, thieving, raping…”
“Hey, we’ve never raped anyone.”
“That’s not what your old commander said. You must’ve done some horrible things for your own people to turn you in.”
Lies. There was no telling what commander Rhodes was accusing them of.
“Trust me,” Beta said. “Neither of us have raped anyone. It’s not our style.”
“I will never trust you. You, O’Connor Washington, are wanted for killing your entire family. It takes a sick male to wake up one morning and decide to decapitate his own family, even his nieces.”
Silver placed his hand on Beta’s shoulder, hoping it would keep the male calm. Beta’s family was a sore subject. Anyone who brought it up usually never lived to bring it up again.
“Well, gentleman, what is it going to be? I must warn you, we will accept you dead or alive, it matters not to me. If you try to flee we will fire upon you. Don’t make this a blood bath. Come quietly, and we will return you to a G.P station in this galaxy. We’ll inform that Regime of you own Galaxy Patrol of your capture and they will send a prison craft to retrieve you. You will return to your home-world where your case will be judged by your high officers.”
“Let us think on it.”
“There’s no time for that. Stand down now or…”
Beta ended the connection before the commander could finish his statement.
“Fuck shit,” Silver muttered.
“We can’t fight them. That’s a TCD craft. Even in our time, in our galaxy, that was one of the finer ships, built for battle. There’s no telling what all it can do now.”
“I know.” Silver pressed the communication device at his ear. “Gamma, Ep, did you hear that?”
“We can’t let them take us in,” Ep spoke. “I don’t trust GP, no matter what galaxy they work for. They will take the kid, Nahid, and Malia. There’s no telling what they will do to them.”
“I know.” Silver paced back and forth behind Beta’s seat.
“We can try making it to Qoaran,” Gamma chimed in. “Those fucktards won’t follow us there.”
They could try. That didn’t mean they’d make it. Damn it, he wished Striker was up and running. “Ep, we need warp drive.”
“I don’t trust the virus, Captain. We may end up somewhere we don’t want to be.”
“We’re already somewhere we don’t want to be.”
“I think we have a better chance of defeating these guys than we do Rhodes. It’s only one ship. We can take them.”
Damn it. If his mate wasn’t onboard, Silver would be ready to fight, guns blazing. With Malia present, he couldn’t think like a Galactic Raider. He had to think like a mate, a husband, a protector. Her life came before his own.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll allow them to pull us in. Gamma, Ep, you stay in the back, listening in. Beta and I will see how many are onboard.”
“You’ll need weapons,” Gamma informed him.
“That’ll be the first thing they check us for. No weapons, at first. We still have a few blasters stored in our hide spots. We’ll use those when we have too.”
“What about the guards that make it past you two?” Ep asked.
“That’s why we have you guys. When we give the signal, you attack.”
“What will the signal be?” Gamma questioned.
“Attack.”
“Oh, that works.”
“Bring it back up,” Silver instructed Beta.
The male hesitated. “You sure this is the right choice?”
“Hell no. If it was just the crew on board. I would say let’s fight. But my mate is here. The kid and Nahid are here. I can’t risk any of them being hurt. If things go south, we all admit that those three had nothing to do with this.”
He could feel the tears forming in his eyes. He needed to get this shit over with before he broke down like a babe in front of his crew.
“Bring it back,” he instructed again.
“Alright.”
A few seconds later Novencahl reappeared on the screen. “You idiots discon…”
“We’re standing down.”
A smile replaced the commander’s frown. “Good. You’ve made the smart choice. Brace yourself, the G-Pull can be a bumpy ride. Call the rest of your crew to the flight deck. I need a visual of you all standing together, arms in the air, weaponless, before I allow my males to board your ship.”
“There is only O’Connor and I.”
“Really? The report states there were four of you onboard.”
“We parted ways with the others years ago. What you see is what you get.”
Novencahl’s eyebrow lifted. “We’ll see.”
Silver nodded. This time it was Novencahl who severed the connection. Silver pressed the comm behind his ear. “I must check on my mate and the kid. Ep move Nahid to her own cryo and place her in the cargo hold.”
“I have already detached my stasis chamber from its panel and placed it in the cargo hold.”
“Don’t you think they’ll notice that one chamber is missing and go looking for it?”
“I wasn’t… I was not thinking correctly.”
Silver understood perfectly what his friend was going through. “What’s done is done. Remain hidden. Beta, check each secret weapon hold, make sure there’s a blaster in each one. I’m going to check on my mate.”
Silver had only taken one step forward when the ship jolted.
“It’s the G-Pull,” Beta told him. “They have their hold on us. There’s no going back now.”
Silver knew Beta was unhappy with his decision. Beta didn’t have a mate to protect. Silver jogged across the deck. When he reached his room he found his mate and the kid sitting on the bed. Malia was attempting to get the child to play a video game. Frost was too busy staring at the door.
“People are going to die,” Frost told him.
“He won’t quit saying that,” Malia cried. It broke his heart to see her face stained with tears. “I told him things would be okay. You tell him. Tell him everything is going to be okay.”
The kid was a Time-Dweller. He’d spent all of his life in a lab. He could probably predict the future, not just see bits and pieces of it like normal Time-Dwellers could.
“Kid, have you seen something?”
“What?” Malia yelled. “What could he have possibly seen? He’s been with me the whole time.”
“Kid, what did you see?”
From the corner of his eye, he could see his mate pacing, hear her mumbling to herself.
“People are going to die,” Frost repeated.
“You saw this?”
Frost nodded.
“Who will die?”
“I just see blood. So much blood. I don’t know whose blood it is.”
“Oh my gosh,” Malia yelled. “What is he? A psychic? What are you, Silver?”
Silver stood up. Now was not the time for secrets. “We’re Time-Dwellers.”
Her eyes widened. “Fuck this.” She stumbled back until her legs connected with the bed. She sat down, her hands going to her head. “This is so fucked up. I’m on a ship full of my enemies. They fucking tried to destroy my planet.”
“That was years ago,” Silver told her. “You weren’t even born yet.”
She raised her head, voice low, “That doesn’t make it better.”
She sounded so broken, so betrayed. He’d rather have her yell at him, throw things. This, he couldn’t take. The ship jolted again. Damn, he had things to do.
“We’re about to be boarded.”
Frost shook his head. “Don’t let them on.”
“I have no choice.”
“People will die.”
“I know.” Hopefully it would be his enemies and not his own people. Malia’s sobs broke his heart. Silver steered Frost to the bed.
“Stay with her. I’m leaving her in your charge.”
Frost nodded, eyes too wise for one of his age.
“Malia,” Silver gripped her shoulders. She jerked away from him. “Mate, don’t do this, not right now.”
“Mate? I cannot mate with a Time Dweller.”
“You’ve already mated with a Time Dweller.” Tears spilled down her cheeks, crushing him. “We will talk about this later. Right now I need you to listen to me. Stay here. Do not leave this room. No matter what you hear. And if somehow the GP does find their way in here, don’t fight them.”
“Why would I fight the GP? They protect us.”
“I protect you,” Silver told her. “They do not.” Silence was his answer. “If they get into this room, do not tell them we’re mated. I don’t want you punished for the things I’ve done.”
“Trust me,” she wiped her eyes. “I have no intention of telling anyone we’re mated.”
Silver swallowed back tears. “Mate, I’m sorry…”
The ship jerked backwards then stilled.
“Just go.” She turned her back on him and wrapped her arms around Frost.
Silver wanted to hold her. He wanted to kiss her and tell her he loved her. He knew doing so right now would likely get him slapped. Instead he stood, ruffled the kid’s hair then turned and walked to the door.
He pressed his hand to the control panel and waited on the door to open. He was about to let the GP on his ship. If he and his crew couldn’t overpower them, they would be arrested and charged for the murder of a whole race.
As the door slid open Silver envisioned his future, one where he was put to death for his crimes, leaving behind a mate he would never get to hold again, never get a chance to tell how he felt.
Silver stared over his shoulder. Her back was still to him. Her silence was like a dagger to his heart. Still, he couldn’t leave without her knowing. To hell with it. Silver stormed back over to her. The sound of his boots stomping on the floor caused her to glance his way.
“Silver, what…”
He pulled her into his embrace. “Hate me later. But I won’t die without you knowing that I love you.” He pressed his lips to hers. For a moment she was unresponsive. Then her fingers gripped the back of his head and held him close.
He didn’t want to let her go. He did not want to leave. He poured every ounce of love he felt for her into that kiss, knowing it might be the last one they ever shared. He didn’t pull away until Beta whispered into the comm device.
“I’m staring through the port hole. I can see them walking across the bridge to our ship. Should I open the door?”
Silver pulled back. “I love you.” He told her again, hoping she’d say the words back. He needed to hear them. Needed to know.
She opened her mouth. The words she uttered surprised him. “I’m sorry, Silver.”
“For what?”
“For what is happening. For what is going to happen.”
“None of this is your fault.”
More tears fell from her eyes. Silver stroked her cheek, wiping them away.
“When I return, I will tell you everything. We will start over.”
A sob escaped, but she nodded before whispering, “Goodbye, Sebastian.”
“My name is Silver. My mate gave me that name. And this isn’t goodbye. I’ll see you later, love.”
Turning and walking away was the hardest thing he’d ever done. He forced himself to stare straight ahead. If he looked back he might change his mind and instead of taking a chance at defeating the GP onboard, he might try to run. That would put his mate at too great a risk.
Silver hoped he was making the right decision.
Chapter Eighteen
Silver strode to the bridge where Beta was waiting.
Through the port hole he could see the GP guards waiting to be allowed in.
“Remember,” Silver came to stand next to Beta. “We wait until they are on board and we’ve determined their numbers. Then we mist.”
“We mist to our weapons and we fight and take over their ship. Then we use their ship to haul ours the rest of the way to Qoaran where we trade their ship for Palenzo’s aid. I know the plan.”
“Good.” Here goes everything. Silver moved to the door separating his crew from theirs. He pressed his thumb to the screen and stood back. He raised his hands, surrendering, as GP guards swarmed the ship.
He counted ten. They could defeat ten. Two guards grabbed Silver, forcing his arms behind his back. He didn’t struggle. It wasn’t time yet. They had to wait, time this perfectly. They’d only get one chance.
He heard no complaints coming from behind him. Thank the stars Beta was sticking to the plan. Once the guards had Silver on his knees with his head bent, one of them spoke.
“They’ve been subdued. You can enter now.”
The sound of hard footfalls reached his ears. Novencahl. His bitch ass must’ve been too scared to enter the ship until Silver and Beta had been subdued.
“Well, well, look at what we have here.”
That voice. It didn’t belong to Novencahl. It belonged to… Commander Rhodes.
“Fuck,” Silver misted.
His actions shocked the two guards holding him. Their moment of confusion gave him the opening he need. Silver stood up. Throwing his arms wide, he shoved them both away from him.
Their eyes widened in fear and shock. Silver drifted to the panel on the wall next to the controls where he’d hidden his blaster. He grabbed it and started shooting. Three guards down, seven to go. Make that five to go.
Beta had already gotten rid of two. The other five where retreating to their ship, despite Rhodes’ protest that they stand their ground. Silver followed them. The plan was going exactly how he’d pictured it, excluding Rhodes’ presence.
It didn’t surprise him that Rhodes was working with the GP. He’d always known the authorities were a shady lot. Gun trained on Rhodes, Silver resumed his physical form. Rhodes held his hands up.
“It’s good to see two of my favorite comrades once again.” Rhodes grinned as he backed away.
Silver stalked him. Wanting to end him right now. But that wouldn’t be smart. No, he couldn’t kill the bastard yet. But soon, very soon.
“What are you doing with the GP?” Silver asked, still moving forward, his eyes darting from one corner to the next. Something wasn’t right. Where were Rhodes’ goons? He never left his ship without a wall of Galactic Raiders surrounding him.
“The GP of this galaxy contacted me. You see, I couldn’t find you, but I had my scientists pinpoint the most probable place you’d landed. I knew you’d surface one day. Isn’t it amazing how organized the GP are? They are able to monitor crime in all the galaxies. It fascinates me. So when
they hailed, I was ecstatic by their news. They said they’d found your ship lurking close to the Kuiper Belt. Good thing I was already in the area.”
“So you came running to rescue us?”
“No, I came to retrieve the items you’ve stolen from me.”
“Not happening.”
“Yeah,” Rhodes nodded. “It will happen.” His eyes stared right. It was a brief glance to something in the corner. But Silver noticed it.
“Fall back,” Silver yelled, backtracking to his ship. “This is a set up.”
“Kill them,” Rhodes yelled.
Silver fell back. He pressed the button to seal the doors of his ship shut. It didn’t work. Rhodes’ males raced forward, guns blazing.
“Don’t destroy the ship,” Rhodes ordered. “I plan to keep it as a souvenir.”
Silver raced to the third console. Underneath it was another blaster. He saw Beta retrieving another weapon also. They shot back, killing many. Those they killed were replaced by more guards in GP uniforms. Silver continued firing. Where the hell had Rhodes gone?
“There’s too many,” Beta yelled.
Silver pressed his comm device. “Gamma, Ep, attack.”
Help was on the way. It wouldn’t be enough. The odds were against them. Silver blasted a guard that was trying to sneak past them to the bridge that led to the cargo hold. More ventured that way. He couldn’t kill them all.
“Incoming, Gamma and Ep.”
Silver blasted as many as he could. Gamma and Epsilon would have to finish off the others. One of his guns were out of ammo. He tossed it aside. Raising the other, he moved forward.
Bodies fell. Blood splattered. Frost was right. There was blood everywhere. Silver felt a sharp pain rip through his arm. No time to look down, he kept moving forward. He knew he was shot. It would heal, eventually.
The only way to kill the snake and end this was to cut off its head. Commander Rhodes had to die. With him dead, they would no longer be able to turn him over to the authorities to clear their name.
That was the price they’d have to pay to protect the precious cargo onboard The Striker. Plus, the GP probably wouldn’t believe them anyway seeing as how they contacted Rhodes the moment The Striker was noticed.