by Leslie Chase
I leaned forward, lowered my voice. “If you resist, Captain, then you will not survive today.”
His green skin paled and his eyes darted to the side. I wondered who else was listening to this call. The Feast’s bridge crew might listen even if he didn’t — one memorable call like this had ended when a ship’s first officer had slit the captain’s neck on camera and accepted my offer rather than face a boarding party.
“No deal,” he croaked, false bravado cracking under pressure. “Come aboard and I’ll kill you myself. End transmission.”
The connection closed and I cursed. Where the Jester had been easy prey, this was a cartel ship. The crew, at least some of them, would be hardened criminals and used to fighting. Likely they did some piracy of their own when they spotted a vulnerable target. This was a fight I’d rather have avoided.
But the choice was out of my hands now. “Launch fighters.”
“Fighters away.” The holodisplay at the center of the bridge showed Vissa and Trin as green dots, zooming away from the Revenge. Three red dots separated from the Feast, racing out to meet them. This one would be a real fight.
“Happy hunting,” I said into the fighter’s channel. The only reply was Trin’s happy laugh. Our xil pilots didn’t get enough actual challenges, and a chance to test themselves against other pilots was rare.
The distance between the ships closed. Time for me to get to the airlock and join my boarding crew. “Raxa, you have the bridge. You know what to do.”
“Aye, Captain,” she said absently. With her arm plugged into the Revenge, she and the ship were practically one now, and she had little attention to spare for me. I didn’t mind that as long as she did her job.
My drone displayed the main screen as a hologram while I made my way down to the airlock, checking my boarding gear as I went. The others would be there already, under Zarr’s watchful eye — he might be a threat to my authority, but he wouldn’t risk a boarding action going wrong. He’d be in as much danger as anyone else, and besides, he’d catch the blame.
The fighters engaged, their smooth trajectories turning into complicated knots on the display, paths tangling with each other. One by one the red dots blinked out as Vissa and Trin showed why xil were so prized as pilots.
The Antarans should have known better than to challenge them. But as soon as they’d decided to resist, they’d sealed their fates.
“The enemy’s fighter cover’s down,” I said as I strode into the large airlock, and everyone turned toward me. “Our turn next, so let’s—”
My mouth snapped shut and I bit back an oath. There, standing amongst the raiders, was Marcie. My human, about to throw herself across the void of space and attack an enemy ship. What in the Red Sun’s hells possessed her to risk that?
She’d borrowed a gun belt and a pistol from somewhere, and I recognized one of Trin’s knives at her hip. She’d come equipped for a fight, but hardly prepared. Her face was paler than before, eyes sunken. I might not know her species, but I knew a hangover when I saw one. Wonderful.
I stood frozen for what felt like an eternity, staring at her and considering ordering her back to her quarters. But there was no need to do that in front of everyone. Drawing a sharp breath, I finished. “Let’s get ready. Recheck your partner’s gear.”
A murmur of agreement from the crew, and they turned away to work. Zarr took a moment longer than the rest, his hooded eyes gleaming as they watched my reaction. I refused to give him the satisfaction, turning away from him and grabbing Marcie by the elbow.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, glaring down at her. How dare she risk herself like this? She was weak, soft, beautiful. Not a warrior. I didn’t want to see her hurt.
Her green eyes flashed as she looked up at me, pulling her arm out of my hands. “What does it look like? I’m getting ready for the raid.”
“You are not,” I hissed. “Get back to your bunk now. I will not have you getting yourself killed.”
She muttered something that the translators didn’t catch. From her tone, that was just as well.
“I’m going,” she said louder, hands on hips. “I promised the crew I would.”
“Don’t be foolish, you aren’t trained for this,” I said, trying reason where an order had failed. “You don’t know what you’re doing, and you don’t know the risks. Keep yourself safe.”
“No. I made a promise and I’ll never fit in here if I back down from it.” Her tone was flat, forbidding any argument. Red Sun, what gods had I offended to deserve being saddled with this female?
I glanced around. Half the boarding crew was watching to see how I’d react. I snarled and they turned away, giving me the illusion of privacy.
She had a point. If I sent her away now, the crew would call her a coward. And it would be clear I favored her over the rest of them, that I’d send them into danger and keep her safe. Which was a fair accusation — I’d rather die than see her hurt.
But she wouldn’t go, and there wasn’t time. The holodisplay showed the Feast almost in range, and if I dragged her away I’d miss the attack myself. The stubborn look in her eyes told me she wouldn’t forgive me for taking her away, either.
That wouldn’t have been enough to stop me, except for Zarr. He watched carefully, waiting for one of us to show weakness, and I wasn’t going to give him the chance to call Marcie a coward. Myself, sure — though I’d kill him for the insult. But the human woman? No.
“Fine. I will check your gear,” I said abruptly, turning her around to inspect her. Running my fingers along the web of wires that would protect her from the vacuum of space, I made sure the connections were solid and the spacing right.
I’d done this before, a thousand times or more. It was as easy as breathing, and as important, but this time it was different. Under the wires lay the soft, smooth skin of Marcie’s arms, the curves of her body, and I felt myself respond as I ran my fingers over them. Her breath caught and her skin heated, a flush spreading as I checked the connections.
My pulse raced as I finished, and not just from the impending battle. Marcie’s body was so close to mine, and her scent filled my senses. For a brief moment I considered picking her up and carrying her to my cabin, letting Zarr lead the attack while I devoted myself to showing the human the pleasure of mating.
No. My crew needed me too, and I would not abandon them to Zarr’s leadership. Growling with frustration, I triple-checked Marcie’s airshield and stepped back.
I barely finished in time. The airlock light flashed red, my men leaped to their feet, and then the door blew open, sending us tumbling into the darkness of space.
9
Marcie
Arrax’s touch made me tremble and tingle and I found myself wishing that there wasn’t a net of wires between his fingers and my skin. I bit my lip, trying to hide my reaction and staring ahead at the door. But my body’s response wasn’t easy to hide and I wondered what he made of it.
Then the door flew open and the attack was on. A gale-force wind picked me up and threw me out into the void along with the rest of the crew, and the darkness swallowed my scream. All around me, pirates tumbled past, wrapped in the faint glows of their forcefields.
And in front of us, the Crimson Feast hung against the backdrop of the nebula like a floating metal brick. In the silence it looked almost peaceful despite the holes bored through the turrets.
I fell towards it, trying to get my balance, to stop the wild tumbling. It seemed impossible, though all around me the rest of the boarding crew had themselves under control. Flapping my arms wildly did nothing, and then the Feast rushed up to meet me like a gigantic fist.
I tucked into a ball instinctively, and the impact wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. The forcefield an inch from my skin did more than stop the air from escaping, it protected me from the fall. But it didn’t stop me bouncing back into space and I grabbed desperately for any hold on the hull.
My fingers glanced off a protrusion and I scream
ed in fear and frustration. Before I could drift off into space again, a powerful hand closed on my wrist. Arrax, his face taut and angry, glared at me as he pulled me back down. This time the magnets in my boots caught hold.
Arrax brought his face down to mine, the forcefields around our heads merging so we could talk.
“Stay back, stay behind me,” he said, voice stern. “If I cannot keep you from being here, I will keep you safe from harm.”
I wanted to stand defiantly, to tell him I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but all around us large and dangerous men worked with speed and precision — and I’d nearly floated off into deep space. Yeah, I was out of my depth here.
And here was the biggest, baddest pirate of them all offering to look after me. Why the hell was I even hesitating? Was it that important to show my independence? I nodded, and his grip on my arm relaxed a fraction.
“When we breach the hull things will move fast. Don’t shoot at anyone, don’t draw your gun, and for the Red Sun’s sake don’t get into a sword fight,” he told me. “Stay back, stay calm, and you’ll be fine.”
He stepped back before I had a chance to respond, and I hurried after him, careful to stay close. The hull of the Feast didn’t offer many places to get lost, but I didn’t want to take any chances. We rejoined the breaching party just in time — one of them passed a controller to Arrax with a grin and he hit the button.
The explosion tore a hole in the Crimson Feast’s hull, air howling out in a miniature hurricane. Before the ship’s shields cut in, Arrax launched himself through the gap and into the ship. The rest of the boarding party followed before I’d even started to move. The edge of the hole glowed red hot, jagged edges menacing, and I took a deep breath before throwing myself through.
On the far side, chaos reigned. Smoke filled the air and loud klaxons blared, announcing our attack. Somewhere up ahead I heard weapons fire, and I pulled out my blaster pistol. Whatever Arrax said, I wasn’t about to go unarmed.
My forcefield kept the smoke away from me aside from a faint acrid tang I tasted on the air, but it didn’t help me see. I followed the sound of the fighting, hoping that would take me back to the rest of the raiders.
The gunfire, the clash of steel on steel wasn’t far ahead, and I approached carefully. A body lay on the ground ahead of me, chest burning where a blaster had punched a hole through him. I gulped but made myself look.
Not one of ours, thank goodness. An Antaran, dead and still. I stared for a moment then tore myself away and hurried on.
Around the next corner I ran into the pirates, crouched behind a makeshift barricade. Blaster fire chewed at the top of it and I ducked with a squeak as a bolt struck the wall above my head. Arrax glanced back when I turned the corner and I saw the relief in his eyes as he spotted me.
“Bridge is up ahead,” he said, addressing the group though I knew his words were meant for me. The rest of the pirates already knew the plan and looked impatient to get on with it. “We force our way in, then switch to swords. Once we have control here, we stabilize the ship and wait for the Revenge to dock. The crew get the escape pods, we take the ship as a prize.”
There was a ragged cheer from the pirates, and I joined it. Arrax’s eyes met mine, his steely will clear. He didn’t want me here, didn’t want me exposed to this danger. And I wished, more than anything, that I was somewhere else. Safe on the Revenge, watching the raid unfold. Or back home on Earth, not knowing about any of this.
But I’m here now, I’m part of this, and I can’t just let him take all the risks for me. As much as I wanted to hide, I refused to be a coward. Not in front of the pirates and especially not in front of Arrax. I edged forward, pistol grip slick in my sweaty hand.
Arrax didn’t want me to fight. And I didn’t want to, either. But if I didn’t, the rest of the crew would never see me as anything other than his floozy.
My thumb hit the charging switch and the pistol hummed in my hand. I closed my eyes, looking for a moment of peace. A moment of quiet, where my hands might stop shaking. I tried to think of home, of the lake I’d visited as a girl, the calm water and the birds flying overhead.
But all that came to mind was Arrax’s face, inches from my own. Stern but concerned, rough but somehow kind. The depths of his starry eyes, the swirl of golden flecks floating in the dark.
And somehow that was enough. My hands steadied, my breathing slowed. I felt ready to face anything.
“Go.” His voice startled me and my eyes snapped open. The pirates leaped into action around me, and I popped up with them, firing down the corridor at the Antarans defending the door at the far end.
Counterfire rained back around us, but none of it found its mark. Two Antarans dropped while others pulled back fast, and then we charged over the barricade. Caught up in the rush, I followed the pirates, but Arrax outpaced us all. He ran, long coat billowing around him, roaring a challenge and firing at the enemy.
We were close behind him, jumping over the corpses of the guards. I swallowed and didn’t look down. My own wild shots had probably gone wide, but perhaps not. For all I knew, I’d killed someone for the first time today.
I took comfort in the fact that I’d never fired this pistol before. Odds were I’d hit nothing but the wall.
By the time I reached the door, the bridge was in chaos. On the Jester’s Last Laugh, the resistance had been short lived. The Crimson Feast’s officers were made of sterner stuff, and swords clashed as the pirates fought for control. I fumbled to holster my pistol and drew my blade — shooting the controls would be a disaster.
Dark metal gleamed, a wavy pattern in the blade caught the light. The balance was perfect, the blade felt almost eager to be used. And I had no idea what to do with it.
I swallowed, considered backing out of the room, but one of the Antarans saw me and took the choice out of my hands.
With a roar, he rushed at me, his blade raised high. I stabbed wildly in his direction. No hope of connecting, but it put the point between us and made him slow down. His attack whistled past my head, missing by a fraction of an inch, and I realized how optimistic I’d been to think I knew what to do in a knife fight. Pointy end goes in the bad guy sounded simple until I tried to actually do it.
I thrust, he parried. Trin’s knife seemed to guide me, and that was all that saved me from a vicious cut to the wrist that might have taken off my hand.
“I’ll kill you,” he hissed, hacking at my knife with his and knocking it aside. I scrambled back, just managing to get out of the way of a cut to my head.
Panicking, I cut at his arm. A flick of his wrist was all he needed to parry the attack, and then he advanced. His strikes became more confident as he realized how unskilled I was and I backed up fast. As soon as I stopped moving, he’d run me through.
Even if I didn’t stop, it wouldn’t take long. His attacks pressed me back, and I scrambled away, praying someone would come to my rescue.
My heel caught on one of the fallen Antarans and I tumbled to the deck. That saved my life — a vicious thrust passed over me as I fell. He’d have buried his blade in my throat if I hadn’t fallen.
I landed hard on my back, Trin’s knife flying from my hand. The Antaran stood over me, a nasty smile on his face. He snarled something, aiming his sword at my heart and bracing himself for the thrust that would pin me to the deck like a butterfly.
Desperate, I reached for my blaster, but I froze as my fingers touched the grip. Firing it on the bridge would fry the delicate circuits of the hyperdrive — even if it saved my life, it would make the raid pointless.
It was too late anyway. I’d never get the pistol out in time. The shining blade drove down, time seemed to stretch, and I watched death approach.
A blinding line of light struck through the center of my attacker’s chest, dazzling me. His thrust faltered as the impact threw him aside, and instead of running me through, the blade struck the deck an inch to my left.
Smoke poured from the conso
le behind him, sparks flying where the blaster beam cut deep into the ship’s controls, and the lights flickered above us. I blinked away the after images of the shot and sat up to see Arrax aiming his blaster pistol.
His eyes blazed with a rage that should have frightened me and he fired again. This shot disintegrated the Antaran’s head and exploded another console.
The Crimson Feast lurched, fresh alarms blared, and the displays went dark. The ship’s fragile computers died, but I got to live. I drew in a deep breath of smoke-filled air, coughing and relishing every sensation.
A moment later and the Antaran would have killed me. Arrax had saved me, wrecking the ship he planned to take as a prize to do it. The reality of the situation hit me like a hammer — I nearly died, I would have died if not for him.
Tears filled my eyes and I shook uncontrollably. And then he was there, Arrax, my savior, my pirate. His strong arms lifted me and held me as he told me everything would be okay.
10
Arrax
Nothing would be alright. I knew that deep in my soul, even as I held Marcie in my arms. Around me the Antarans gave up the fight, surrendering to my crew, but what should have been a joyful victory turned to ashes.
My shot had killed the ship. The delicate, intricate hyperdrive computer was a wreck and fixing it would take far too long — if we stayed to work on it, the Crimson Feast’s allies would find us before we finished. We’d have to abandon the ship now, and with it most of the wealth my crew had risked their lives for.
I didn’t care. Marcie lived, and I’d trade any amount of wealth for that. But the crew wouldn’t see it the same way, and they had no reason to. Harsh eyes glared at Marcie, my crew’s anger focusing on her. And on me.