by Stella Cassy
They paid me to hold off on sounding the alarm.”
He threw his head back and a growl that sounded like he really could breathe fire rolled out. If that could happen, would the flames come through his nose, his mouth, or both?
“Just say it,” I said. “I’m just a prisoner at the moment, right?”
He looked me straight in the eyes. “A…family member died. I needed the money to bring her back.”
“That shit is possible?”
“A clone is. The procedure only has a twenty-five percent success rate and the cost is more than I would make in many rotations.”
“I see,” I said, even though I didn’t. A clone would never be the same as the original. “I’m assuming this procedure didn’t work.”
“No.”
“So, you’ll try again.”
“No, there was only enough of her genetic material left to try one time.”
Her. His girlfriend or wife, most likely.
What did I say to that? I had never had a husband to lose. I could not compare my relationship with Lognx to the loss of a wife. Questions bumped around in my head: How long were you together? Do you have a picture of her? How long ago did you lose her? Instead, I laid my head on his chest.
“I did not think Thirren would be taken. The Drakon have always defeated the Pax. We’ve been long-time enemies but have always outsmarted them. I thought our fleet would get there in time to protect Thirren. I did not expect the Pax to be so technologically advanced. We had only ever had small skirmishes in space, all of which were quickly defeated.”
“I’m sorry you were put in that position, Moddoc.” I rubbed circles over his chest.
“I should have—”
“If you had a do-over, would you still have tried to clone her?”
“Yes,” he whispered. The fierceness in his tone sent a pang through my chest. Who would ever clone me?
What did his dead wife have to do with me? I needed to get my ship and crew back. “What can we do to get out of this situation? Who do we need to negotiate with? The black Drakon, by the way, what’s his name?”
“Dashel,” he said. “He is not the problem.”
“Who is the problem? Is he here on the ship?”
“No. It is Commander Tarion who we’ll need to negotiate with.”
“What does he want?” I asked.
“War requires as many ships and resources as possible.”
“Which he’s already stolen.” I undid his shirt and traced the scales on his chest. They were mesmerizing, an ombre running down his torso fading from silver to pale, iridescent white. Despite their rough exterior, they were surprisingly soft to the touch.
“I wished you had more.”
I rolled my eyes at that. He wished I’d had more ships to steal? If I had, I would have blown that whole Drakon fleet out of the verse. Then again, if I had, I wouldn’t be here now, with my hands running over his smooth dragon chest, would I?
“I have a whole database of contacts and favors owed. You asked how I managed to survive out here. That is how.”
“That would be useful.”
“Can I have my clothes now?”
“Yes, after we cleanse, Essie.”
No one on earth or in the omniverse had ever called me Essie before him. Why did I like it? “I heard you do that earlier.”
He removed the thin blanket the lay over my chest and kissed his way down to my navel, pushing me onto my back.
His eyes and scent had some kind of hold over me that made me want to roll over and pant. I put a foot up on his chest. “Let’s do that later. After we talk to your commander.”
He continued kissing, his sharp teeth nipping against my hip. “I need a boost before I face the commander of all of the Hielsrane.”
“The Commander of a whole empire of fire breathers...”
“Yes.” He grimaced.
“We should get it over with then.”
“We will not see him in person.”
“Perfect.”
He swiped his wrist over a panel on the wall and came back with a black shirt. I brought it to my nose. No smell at all, just the absence of bodily contact.
He hauled me to the end of the bed.
“Connect to Commander Tarion Hielsrane,” he said to the dark blank wall. Dotted gray circles danced across it.
I blew out a big breath and he squeezed my shoulder, then dropped his hand when the circles disappeared. The commander. His expression was firesome, his golden eyes reduced to slits of anger. His coloring only added to the effect, with scales ranging from blood red to bright crimson. His hair, so black it looked dyed against his brilliant skin, was pulled back into a severe ponytail. He drew closer to the screen and I had to force myself not to lean away. His sharp eyes bore into me.
“What in all the fucking verse is the prisoner doing in your quarters? Did she take you hostage again?” His bellow made me flinch, but I quelled it by grabbing a fistful of the mattress, which was hard to compress fully with a single hand.
“We—I—have a proposition,” Moddoc said. “I think you will be interested in implementing it, sir—”
“Why in the black holes of any verse would I hear anything an insignificant pirate, who has diverted us from more pressing matters, has to say? And you, Moddoc—”
“Commander, if you would—"
I hopped to my feet, then sat back down when I realized I was only half dressed. “Listen, mister—”
Moddoc touched my shoulder. “Essie, let me introduce the matter—”
“Fine, but if he—”
A sharp static sound drew our attention away from one another and we looked toward the screen. It was completely black.
“Good gods, what a prick!” I jumped to my feet. “He didn’t even listen to a word we said, Moddoc.”
“I should have talked to him alone first,” he said.
“Let’s try once more together.” To his skeptical look, I hurriedly added, “I’ll control myself, I promise.”
He nodded, reconnecting the video call. Gritting my teeth, I gripped the mattress. I was usually a better negotiator. My instincts told me that letting Moddoc take the lead with his commander was the right one, however.
Tarion’s scowling face filled the screen again. Before he could get out a word, Moddoc said, “She has an extended network she is willing to share to help us fight the Pax.”
Tarion cut his eyes at me then turned back to Moddoc. “Why would we trust her? She’s a looter and an abductor.”
“And you retaliated, earning your revenge,” I said coldly before Moddoc could respond. The image of Lognx’s face surfaced in my mind. The loss of my engineer still didn’t seem real.
“I did as was my right.” Tarion reared back in his chair, not a hint of remorse in him. He would not trust me without cause.
“Commander Tarion,” I said. “Every battle has its losses.” I would never accept Lognx’s death, but for the moment I needed to play along. Not just for my sake, but for everyone who worked with me. “Although our operation is small and unknown and cannot compare in size to the Hielsrane fleet, I have influence with many of the smaller—”
“I have heard of everyone who trades in this galaxy.” His lips thinned and he tapped a sharp talon on the shiny black surface in front of him.
He may have heard of them, but that didn’t mean he knew them, not like I did. And surely he was aware that there was a captain out there who’d taken out a Drakon? There was no need for me to boast about that, however; if he found out it was me, he’d surely have me clapped in iron so fast I wouldn’t have a chance to blink. Tarion remained silent a moment, in thought.
“Why should I not sell you as a slave and simply commandeer your ships?”
“While you could do that, it would be a foolish mistake.”
Tarion gave me an inscrutable look through the screen. I had the impression that I was on the verge of either utter annihilation. There was nothing to do but press forward. �
��I know every last one of my ships like the back of my hand, as do my crew. We can use them far more effectively than any new commander could. Without my team, my fleet will be of little use to you. With them, however, we are a formidable force.”
Tarion continued to stare at me through the screen. He gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod for me to continue. I felt Moddoc’s grip on my leg tighten. He knew I was on the verge of success or failure.
“When you are a small operation, you must be stealthy and nimble. Something I am well versed in. My primary goal is to procure goods. That would be the price for my aid. I would require one of the Pax’s prime ships as payment. But,” I paused to give Tarion a meaningful look. “Combined with my little black book of contacts, I could call in favors and offer payment to add another eight dozen ships to my fleet to help reconquer your home planet. I believe the fleet I could muster could be pivotal in your upcoming victory. So, Commander, what’s it to be? Enslave me and my crew and gain a few ships? Or work together and bring down the might of my power on the Pax?”
Tarion continued tapping on the console in front of him, his face unchanged. Moddoc’s thigh was rigid next to mine. “It sounds like a reasonable offer sir.” Moddoc’s voice was tense with strain.
Tarion gave me one final glare, which I returned without a blink, then he pointed at Moddoc. “I will speak to you alone, Captain.” The screen went black.
Moddoc blew out a breath, raising the temperature in the room by five degrees. “He didn’t say no. I think he’s considering it.” He smiled. “Cleanse. I will talk with him further, and then I will be on the bridge. Meet me up there. Do you know the way?” he asked with an actual grin.
“I can find it.” I got my pants from the same closet he grabbed my shirt and took them with me to his cleansing cube.
I took the fastest steam bath ever. The dryer switched on and I heard voices coming from his room. Cracking the door, I listened while I dressed.
“Why should I negotiate with someone who has stolen from us and killed one of our own?”
How could I not have been prepared for that? Tarion didn’t sign off in a huff. He was researching, verifying information about me. I snuck a peek at Moddoc, who stood in front of the screen with a stupefied expression. Of course Moddoc hadn’t known about that. I hadn’t had a chance to tell him, and I doubt I would have anyway. The Drakon we’d killed had been mere collateral damage, but they were a proud people who could take even an accidental death of one of their own as a mortal insult.
“He was an escaped prisoner,” Moddoc said.
“That’s irrelevant. He was a Drakon. She overstepped.” Tarion’s harsh scowl was the only thing that could be seen before the screen went black again.
“I will return,” he said without looking me in the eyes. He marched to the door as I stepped into the room.
I followed him. “I should go with you. We can—”
He glanced back but kept walking. “It is best that I speak to him on my own again.”
I needed to focus on what was important, not the almost stricken look on Moddoc’s face, or what felt like heartburn in my chest.
“Fine, do it.” I flopped onto the mattress with my back to him as the door opened and closed. What else could I do?
I was in a much better position. There was hope for me and my crew. Why did I feel worse than I had since I had captured him?
A rumpled mess, I got up and smoothed my clothes down. Was the door locked? I went to it pressed the button on the access panel. To my surprise, it slid open, and I stepped into the hall.
The short puffball stood there sucking on a flask of fruit water. I jumped and slapped a hand on my chest. “What in the freaking multiverse are you doing out there? I had forgotten about you for a minute.” A lot of things had flown out of my mind while Moddoc had chased me around his ship. If diversion was his intention, it had worked too well. I squatted. “You know where the bridge is, don’t you, Puff?”
The small creature gave me a happy little nod and began to trot off down the hall. I followed the fluffy alien to what I recognized as the short hallway to the cockpit. Where I’d shot at Moddoc. Puff darted ahead of me and I followed slowly.
18
Moddoc
Even before Alm tottered onto the bridge, my wings fluttered in anticipation of Esmerelda. She had deliberately withheld information from me after we had come to an amicable arrangement. Was this what celibacy did to Drakon physiology? I looked back twice before I gave up and waited for her to appear. She peeked around the door, then stepped into full view when she locked onto my gaze.
“I found my way here.” Esmerelda stood in the doorway and chewed the left side of her bottom lip.
“You had a guide.” I nodded toward Alm who was at her second favorite spot, the top of three steps I’d built in the corner for her to stare out at the stars. “They are never in the same place,” Almordae had complained many times.
Esmerelda grabbed hold of the wall and bumped her shoulder into it repeatedly. “You sent it — him —”
“Her,” I corrected. “I did.”
“Hey, what is little thing anyway? You called her an Almorday?” She waved at Alm. I ignored what she asked.
“Where did you get her?” I asked the question I’d wanted to pose to her since I first saw Alm.
“My last haul from a Nmeck ship.” She hovered on the threshold, her eyes questioning, and as soft as they were when she was in my arms. “So she is an Almorday. I’ve never heard of one of those before.”
“Not an Almorday. She is Almordae. My daughter. I… feel it. She knows my ship. She has my daughter’s eyes. I…”
Esmeralda peered at me suspiciously, like she was trying to judge my mental health. Perhaps she was right to do so. Maybe banging my head against the bars of the prison cell had caused more harm than I thought. How could my daughter have returned, in this new form?
I stared at the fluffy little creature, and it returned the look with big, brown innocent eyes. Eyes that held no deceit, no secrets, no lies. Just curiosity and love. What kind of creature was she anyway?
“I have never seen a being like her outside of the pages of a book,” I say finally. “Youngling’s fiction.”
“So, Almordae was your daughter?” Her question was asked gently. I couldn’t help but notice she used the past tense. She didn’t really believe this was Almordae — my Almordae. How could she? How could I?
I exhaled heavily. I should be able to answer a simple question about her. I swallowed down a moan or a growl, I didn’t know which, and said in one breath, “Yes. My daughter. She is—was—a Hielsrane, a future commander. She would have been one of the finest fleet captains the Drakon have ever seen.”
“I see,” she said quietly. “Moddoc...I should have mentioned that I killed one of your Drakon after you confided in me. I didn’t think about it then. I knew he wasn’t a Hielsrane. You said he was a prisoner.”
“Yes, a traitor.” Like me. I blew out a long breath. “The commander has agreed to your plan. He wants us to report as soon as we have finalized the logistics with your allies. You can begin contacting them at once.”
She hurried to my side, a small smile playing at her lips. “He agreed?”
Thanks to the spirits, she was attuned enough to my moods to drop the subject of Almordae. “Yes—”
“I can have my ships and my crew back?”
“Yes—”
“And I get to raid one of the bigger Pax ships afterward?”
“Yes,” I said. “You sound as if we have already won.”
“We will.” Her eyes shone with the fierceness I had seen in them when she first captured me. She grabbed my hands and squeezed them. “I have to get back over to my ship.” She turned to leave, but I put a hand on her shoulder.
“The commander agreed but there is one stipulation...”
Her face lost all its light. “What is it?” I guided her to the co-pilot’s chair and sat her down.
&nb
sp; “You have to use one of our ships.”
“This one?” She waved a hand around the ship contemptuously. “Is he serious? Moddoc, my ship is triple the size of this one.”
“You will have access to one larger than yours. One of Lehar’s. You will command all of your fleet from there.”
“My contacts are only in debt to me. They won’t listen to anyone else. They, like me, survive by working within a trusted network.”
“You will have complete command with me as your co-captain.”
“Why does he want me on one of your ships?”
“Let’s just say he doesn’t completely trust you. As fleet commander, he can destroy any Hielsrane ship at the flick of a button. So, if you tried to do anything that he didn’t approve of…” I made the gesture of an explosion by putting my hands together and then opening them up, splaying the talons wide.
After a pause, she rubbed the armrest and she stared out at the stars for so long that I thought she might puncture the fabric. Then a slow smile spread across her face. “Let’s do it. I’ll start contacting everyone I know as soon as I have briefed my crew. This is gonna be fun.”
It was my turn to smile, as if the Pax had already been sent back to their planet. “We have to wait until Commander Tarion talks to you, but that will just be a formality, then you may inform your crew.”
“In person,” she said. “They might think I’m still your prisoner no matter what I say.”
“Agreed. Then we will move to the other ship.”
“After we kick the Pax’s asses off Thirren, we’ll all be richer.” Her voice, high with excitement, and her eyes, lit with fire, stirred my warrior spirit. It was part of me I thought had died long ago. I hadn’t had the power to shift to my dragon form since the loss of my family, my inner dragon lying dormant, along with my warrior spirit.
“Our victory is inevitable,” I said.
“Give me my comms device so I can make the initial contacts.”
I went to the bridge’s lockbox by the door and retrieved a unit, attaching it to her arm. She pulled my face down to hers and pressed her lips against mine with a hot, wet kiss.