Rogue Mate

Rogue Star: Book One

Elin Wyn

Ava York

Contents

Kalyn

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Epilogue: Kalyn

Letter from Elin

Rogue Hunt

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Given: Star Breed Book One

Vrehx: Conquered World Book One

About the Author

Kalyn

“This one’s yours, Kalyn.” The blonde with an ever-present smile and kind-looking eyes opened a bland gray door into a bland gray room.

Inside was a bland gray desk, a bland gray chair, and an empty set of shelves mounted to the wall.

There were no windows.

That was fine.

The windows would’ve had a view of the bland gray planet that was now my home.

“Great.” I forced the word out of my mouth. This place was the farthest thing from great, but I didn’t want to say that to the woman who’d opened the door for me.

She didn’t build this place. It wasn’t her fault everything was so bleak.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve forgotten your name. What was it again?”

“Lynna Forgrave.” She gave me an understanding smile. “And there’s no need to apologize. Using the Flosh drive for space travel is enough to scramble anyone’s brain. I’m just glad you were alive when I opened your transfer pod.”

“So am I,” I forced a laugh.

The mortality rate for traveling to Persephone, the single established station on Pluto, was disturbingly high. Flosh drives were a relatively new innovation.

One of every four travelers didn’t make it.

And even if you did, it hurt like hell.

“It’s good to have you here,” Lynna continued. “I looked over your history in the Space Force when they forwarded your records here. You’re exactly what we need on this station.”

“I’m glad to be of service.”

My throat felt like I’d swallowed moon gravel. I should’ve realized someone here would see my history.

Joining up was never part of my plan. After completing my primary studies, I wanted to go to the prestigious university on Mars to study anthropology. After the devastating war on Earth, I wanted to see how the planet’s wealth of unique cultures had changed.

Some of them were wiped out completely, but they still deserved to be remembered and honored. I also wanted to track the cultural shifts caused by the drastic drop in the male birth rate and what that meant for the future of our species.

It was a nice dream.

My mother, Adastria Askvig, detested the idea of me becoming an anthropologist. She said such a profession was beneath us, but never bothered to explain her reasoning. Everyone knew my mother.

She was a powerful woman on Mars, often referred to as the ideal all women should aspire to be.

In her mind, that was especially true for her daughter.

Too bad I’d proven to be a massive disappointment.

“It’ll take you a little while to get used to how things work here.” Lynna’s voice startled me from my thoughts. I tried to look like I hadn’t just been zoning out. I really hoped she hadn’t said anything too important before that.

I would’ve missed it completely.

“I’m sure it’s quite different from Mars,” I replied, stalling just a bit.

“Quite,” Lynna agreed. “Even the most minor procedure here can be dangerous. It’ll be a lot to learn.”

“Why did you come all the way out here?” I asked, then immediately bit my lip. “Of course, that’s none of my business,” I covered quickly.

Lynna gave me a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m actually here to study the effects the Flosh drive has on the human body, as well as the effects of living far out in space.”

“Learn anything significant?”

Pluto was at the very edge of the Terran system, far from our sun, cold, dark, and unfriendly.

Only fifteen years ago, it was considered unlivable. Since then, a new and incredibly powerful atmospheric converter was invented that was strong enough to use on Pluto’s thin nitrogen-and-methane-based atmosphere.

If the atmosphere wasn’t enough to keep us away, it literally snowed frozen particles of carbon monoxide.

“Besides the fact that the Flosh drive is incredibly dangerous, we’d freeze in less than a second if exposed to the outside temperature, and a single crack in the structure means death for all of us?” Lynna asked.

I nodded.

“Then no, nothing groundbreaking yet.”

Persephone Station was nothing more than a cluster of square buildings made of thick metal connected by clear tubes. The tubes were made of adamantine diamonds refined into sheets.

Both the tubes and the structures were coated in some kind of sealant that kept the worst of the cold out. It didn’t stop frost from forming, though. It was impossible to see out of the tubes, like walking through ice caverns.

A booted foot kicked open the door to my new office as a tall woman with unruly black hair haphazardly contained under a bandana scowled at me. She threw a stack of papers on my desk.

“We need these parts ordered as soon as possible,” she said gruffly.

I was taken aback.

Was this how everyone was welcomed here?

“Maris,” Lynna said sharply. “This is Commander Askvig. She arrived only a few hours ago. Commander, this is Maris Stoyer, she’s-”

“I’m the chief engineer.” Maris folded her arms across her chest. “I make sure we don’t turn into nitrogen popsicles.”

“I look forward to working with you.” I tried to smile warmly.

“That’s nice,” Maris simpered. “Doesn’t change the fact that we need those parts.”

I looked at the papers Maris had tossed my way. I knew what some of the requested items were, but others were completely foreign to me.

Next to each order was a price. The bottom line was astronomical.

“I’ll have to make sure everything is within the budget before I order it,” I said. Persephone Station wasn’t very well funded. That was to be expected for an observation station that had yet to observe anything significant, and mostly seemed to be a holding place for troublemakers, malcontents, and the useless.

Just like me.

“Okay,” Maris clapped her hands together. “Hopefully, the atmospheric converters won’t give out while we wait.”

“They won’t.”

She left without waiting for me to dismiss her.

“I wouldn’t read too much into that,” Lynna said quickly. “Maris likes to push the boundaries. She’s hard to handle if you’re not prepared for it.”

“As you can see, I’m not prepared for anything,” I sighed.

“You’ll get the hang of it,” Lynna encouraged.

I could tell she had more to say, but she was cut off by an ear-shattering alarm that nearly gave me a heart attack. A red light mounted on the wall began to flash.

“What is that?” I demanded, fearing a catastrophic system failure.

How tragic would that be? I survived the journey here just to die the first day.

Ignoring my question, Lynna pointed to a button on my desk. “Hit it! It’ll send everyone to their emergency stations!”

I slammed it without thinking twice, and then we ran.

Dejar

“Remember that run on Jendo where we nearly died crashing our ships into each other?” Aavat asked.

Aavat was my second-in-command, my biggest rival, and a total pain in my ass. “You mean the one where you cheated by planting a tracer on my ship?” I asked.

“Well, if you weren’t smart enough to find it, that wasn’t my problem,” he responded, a smirk revealing his recently filed teeth.

“Oh, really? You mean the tracer you hid in a broken garbage bin where none of my men would be willing to look?”

“That would be the one,” he answered.

With a shrug, I shared his smile. “I still can’t believe the payout for that job was barely enough to refuel us.”

“Really? I got enough to make repairs, as well.”

Of all the…this…with a shake of my head and a look of anger, I turned away from Aavat and to Qal. “How much longer before the fold is finished, Qal?”

As my primary pilot and navigator, I could trust Qal to fly the Rogue Star through a black hole and out again without damage. His bronze-colored skin, mixed with his white hair, gave him a “charming look”, if you believed his stories.

“The AI is having second thoughts. I’m arguing with her now.”

The grin broke through his attempt at a serious face. He might be a fantastic pilot, but I could also trust him to be the least serious person on my ship at the worst possible times.

Most of the bridge laughed at his attempt at humor.

I, however, did not.

“Qal. I understand your need to attempt humor, but this is not the moment.” I bared my teeth, and no one on the bridge would think it a friendly grin. “If we are off by even a fraction of a parsec, we set off the Dominion’s alarms and are hunted down and killed. So, I ask again, my soon-to-be-demoted pilot, how much longer before the fold is finished?”

He put on a serious face, one that I knew was fake. “Only a few more minutes, Captain. The ship’s AI reports that our coordinates have been properly coded. No one will know that we’re here.”

“Thank you, Qal,” Aavat said as he took his seat next to me. He leaned in close to make sure I was the only one to hear his words. “I hate having to come here.”

I grunted, then pitched my voice low to match. “I do as well, but since our last job left us far behind on credits, we don’t have much of a choice. The people of Eca will pay well for this water and ice.”

Our last job was supposed to have been an easy delivery with a big payday.

What we hadn’t anticipated was that our employer would have triple-booked the job, which turned it into a damaging race against two other teams that ended up with more than half of the cargo being destroyed.

With no other paying work directed our way at the moment, we had to do the one thing that was riskier than we felt comfortable with.

And to be honest, that was saying a lot.

We had to come out to an unevolved, protected system, to harvest the water and ice in the outer asteroids.

If we set off any sensors, the Dominion would hunt us down.

Best case scenario? They would confiscate our ship and leave us on the nearest planetoid to fend for ourselves.

With the penalties we had already acquired in our career as mostly honest cargo runners, best case seemed unlikely.

The only thing that made this job worth it would be the pay, it would be enough to set us up for nearly a year.

So, here we were. A few minutes from exiting the fold and spending a few hours to a full day harvesting water and ice.

I brought my computer screen up and double-checked the AI reports. The coordinates would place us in the middle of the asteroid belt on the outer edges of the Terran system, just far enough from the sensors to keep us hidden.

While the Terran system had a large asteroid belt between the fourth and fifth planets, we were interested in the much smaller one at the periphery.

Less ice, but hopefully less danger.

I hated using the fold.

While it sped up travel substantially, it was dangerous and used a lot of power.

I never did, and still don’t, understand how the fold works. Aavat explained it to me once, when we’d first banded together, but I struggled with the idea.

He had taken a piece of paper, drawn two points on it, then folded the paper. Instead of us having to travel the entire span of space between those two points, we would somehow “fold” space and bring those two points closer together.

Our current trip to Terran space would normally take three years to traverse, but with the fold, it only took us a few hours. It just drained our engines by nearly half, and that meant either a long recharge or an expensive refuel, and I hated wasting money and time.

Qal’s voice caught my attention. “Seven seconds to exit, Captain.”

I took a deep breath, counted slowly down to one, and let it out as we exited the fold.

Coming out of the fold was another reason to hate it.

If the viewscreen had not been dimmed, the exit from the fold would have been nearly blinding to everyone on the bridge.

As it was, I always saw spots after exiting.

Immediately alarms began blaring as a dwarf planet seemed to materialize in front of us.

“What the kopa is going on?”

“We’ve exited in front of a planet!” Aavat yelled. “Move, Qal!”

“Wish I had thought of that!” Qal yelled back as he moved us to the left and kept us out of the planet’s gravity field.

“Status!” I yelled. I wanted to know what the kopa had happened and why we were in front of a planet instead of in the asteroid field.

Aavat’s science officer, a male named Wrangell, who was much smarter than anyone I’d had on my ship before the merger, answered. “Coordinates show us inside the asteroid field! Our computers are incorrect!”

Pous, our third navigator, added information to the mix. “We’re at one of the Terran outer planetoids, sir.” A brief pause while he checked the status again. “Kout!”

“Explain.”

“AI scans show the planet has an outpost down there, we’re getting reports of at least thirty lifeforms. And it’s in trouble!”

“How did this happen?” I cursed. “We didn’t detect any life in our initial scans.”

Wrangell looked pained. “Officially, Terran life signs aren’t in the databases, so from a distance we couldn't pick it up,” he said. “But up close, it’s hard to miss.”

“How are they in danger?” I snapped. “What happened?”

Wrangell replied. “We’ve created a shockwave with our fold exit, sir. The shockwave is destroying the outpost.”

I looked over at Aavat. He immediately started shaking his head. “We have enough troubles of our own. We can’t afford a rescue mission.”

“We can’t leave them. They’ll die,” I argued. “We can’t send a shuttle for thirty people, we have to land the ship.”

“Landing this ship on a planet, even with such weak gravity, without knowing anything about it is foolhardy!” he shot back. “They’re not our responsibility!”

They are now, I thought as I stared at him.

He backed down with a curse and a glare. With a smile, I got on the ship-wide communicator.

“Attention! We’ve inadvertently arrived at a planet and caused the destruction of a Terran outpost. Thirty lives are at stake. We’re taking the ship down to the planet surface to rescue as many of them as possible, and I want that to be all thirty lives. All available crew not currently involved in keeping us in one piece are to report to hangar bay three with rescue gear,” I hesitated a moment, then finished my orders, “and weapons, just in case.”

I looked at Aavat. “You want the bridge or to join in the rescue?”

“I’ll take the bridge. If your stupid act ends up with you dead, then someone with intelligence needs to run this ship.”

I slapped him on the shoulder as I made my way off the bridge. “Always knew you hated real work.” I rushed down to the hangar bay. Twenty men waited for me. Good. I used my communicator to contact the bridge. “Get us near the outpost and keep close by.”

Qal’s and Aavat’s voices answered me as the ship began to shake. We had entered into the planet’s gravity field.

It might be weak, but it was still a shock to the structural integrity.

But that was engineering’s problem right now, not mine.

Several of us stumbled a bit as the ship made its way down, then the sudden slowdown knocked a few of us to our knees.

The ship jolted to a stop and Aavat’s voice announced over the intercom that we had landed, and the outpost was on the port side of the ship.

I suited up in an external rig designed to protect me from the harsh lack of atmosphere and took an atmospheric regulator mask from the stand next to the bay doors, as did the others.

We bolted across the crust, swearing at the intense cold. Who in their right minds would build an outpost here?

Why?

“Grab and go!” I yelled at the others as I led several men into the outpost. “Anything living comes back with us!” I switched channels. “Qal! Connect me to the ship’s AI and have it pinpoint the life signs, broadcast to all.”

“Yes, sir!” was the response.

Within seconds, the Rogue Star’s AI was pinpointing the life signs of the outpost inhabitants.

The Terrans were all gathered in a small, densely populated area. They had all passed out.

Good. They wouldn’t fight us, at least.

They were frail and weighed nearly nothing. I was able to carry two at once.

In less than a half-hour, we had everyone back on board the ship. “Lift off, we’re done!”

As I watched the outpost fall in upon itself, the Rogue Star took off and rocketed back into space.

“Dejar?” Aavat called me on our private comm.

“What is it?”

“Where do we go?”

That was a good question.

And there weren’t any good answers.

If we had set off the alarms, we were going to be hunted. Even if we hadn’t set off the alarms, where could we take the survivors?

Contact with Terrans, with any “unevolved” species, was forbidden.

Bringing a bunch onto my ship? Not exactly part of the rule book, either.

“Get us out of Terran space for now. Get us home. We’ll figure things out after that,” I finally said.

“Confirmed, Captain.”

There was a chance that the Dominion had tracked us. Which meant that we couldn’t take the women back to their home.

The Dominion’s proximity detectors for the Terran system would be on high alert for ships entering the system.

Now we had a crew full of rescued aliens from a backward system as we raced around the galaxy as potential fugitives.

So…now what?

Kalyn

Hell.

Everything hurt.

I didn’t remember much of what happened after I hit the emergency alarm, but the pieces drifted back to me, vague and foggy.

Lynna and I had run to tug on our ventilation suits to protect us from Pluto’s atmosphere.

It’s a good thing we did. The moment after I secured my personal ventilation system to my head, the floor gave out from beneath my feet.

I remember tumbling, my body slamming into metal, rock, and ice. At some point, I must have hit my head.

Every memory from there on was a tangled blur.

I opened my eyes slowly and found I was in a dimly lit room. The other women from Persephone Station were in here, too.

I saw Lynna and Maris, each still wearing their ventilation suits.

Maris sat upright with her back pressed against the dark wall. She was staring straight ahead, unmoving. At first, I feared she was dead. Then she blinked.

Lynna was checking on the other women, most of whom I didn’t recognize. I’d hardly gotten the chance to meet anyone before everything went to hell.

“What happened?” I croaked. Lynna’s head swiveled to look in my direction.

“No idea,” she said, sounding drained. “Looks like all of us who made it into this…room made it here alive, though.” That was a relief. There were a little less than thirty women in the room. Some still wore their ventilation suits. Others had removed them.

Aside from some sprains and bruises, no one looked seriously injured. Then again, it was hard to tell in the low light.

I took a moment to look around the room. It was barren, aside from what looked like old storage crates pushed into a corner. The walls were curved. The ceiling was wider than the floor. If I held perfectly still, I could detect a slight vibration.

“I think we’re on a ship,” I said.

Something clicked in my memory. I vaguely remembered the silhouette of a ship against the pinpoints of light that dotted space. I remembered something else, too, but it seemed too farfetched to be real.

A pair of golden hands reaching for me.

Saving me.

“No shit,” Maris muttered. “What else would it be?”

“If you aren’t going to be helpful, I think you should concentrate on feeling better.” I flashed the sweetest smile I could muster.

Maris glared at me, but I didn’t have time to be intimidated by her right now. I still had to figure out where we were and what needed to be done.

I was still the commander.

Even if there wasn’t a station to command.

Deep breath, I coached myself, and slowly rose to my feet. My legs were unsteady, and my back ached like a bitch.

The other women were coming around, as well. Understandably, they started to panic.

“What the fuck happened?” one whimpered.

“Help me! I think my leg is broken,” another sobbed.

“It’s not broken,” Lynna soothed. “I checked it a little while ago, remember?”

“No, I don’t remember,” the girl sobbed.

“What is this place?” someone asked. “It looks like a prison.”

“We’re on a ship! We must be,” another girl exclaimed. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Where’s Adella? I don’t see her.” One of the women stood up and started frantically looking, the panic contagious.

Chaos broke loose as women sorted out who was in the room and who was not. Finally, Adella was found, shaken and out of sorts, but alive.

I did a quick count in my mind to see that everyone who was alive at Persephone had, in fact, been transferred to wherever ‘here’ was.

Whatever had happened had been thorough.

A dark shape darted between my legs, startling me.

I yelped and skirted to the side. Pain shot up the side of my leg. I must’ve sprained something, too.

“Was that a cat?” A woman with light brown hair and a smattering of freckles across her nose stared after the dark thing that had zoomed by and immediately got up to investigate.

“Shenna, be careful,” Lynna warned. “It could be anything.”

The women huddled and stepped closer to Lynna as Shenna knelt down, facing a dark corner. She made a serious of cooing noises. A moment later, she turned around with a bundle in her arms.

“It’s the station kitty!” She buried her face in its fur and hugged it close to her. The cat, a mangy calico, appeared to barely tolerate the physical contact before wriggling away to twine at her feet.

“The damn cat survived all that?” Maris mused.

The discovery of the cat provided a distraction from the panic, creating the perfect opportunity for me to take control. Anxiety knotted in my stomach as I prepared to speak up.

They’re never going to listen to you, a wicked voice whispered in my mind. They know you’re useless. I shoved the dark thoughts down. They might be right, but I had to try. These women were my responsibility.

I owed it to them to at least try to be a decent leader.

“Listen up, everyone!” My voice cracked once, and my legs trembled beneath me. “We need to figure out what happened. Does anyone remember anything after the alarm sounded? Do we know why this happened?”

“Who the hell are you?” A redhead with a penetrating gaze looked me up and down. She had a lilt to her voice that the others didn’t have.

“Commander Kalyn Askvig,” I replied.

“Figures you’d survive,” the redhead scoffed.

“Aryn,” Lynna hissed.

“What?” the redhead, Aryn, replied. “An Askvig is the last thing we need right now.”

“Excuse me?” I demanded.

“Your mother had a say in most of our sentencing,” Aryn explained. “She’s not our favorite person. None of the higher-ups are.”

On Mars, Persephone Station was known as a rehabilitation workstation. Those who didn’t seek it out for the hazard pay were there as punishment.

It was where women were sent when the rest of the world didn’t know what to do with them. Now I was one of those women.

“You and I have that in common,” I laughed weakly. Aryn gave me a critical look.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded.

“I’ll get into my life story later if that’s what you want, but right now there are more pressing matters at hand,” I replied. “Like, what happened to the station?”

“I was on lookout,” a petite girl with dark eyes spoke up. She looked young compared to the rest of us. “I saw a ship appear out of nowhere, like it was using a much more advanced Flosh drive. It created some kind of shockwave when it appeared. That’s what hit our station.”

“Thank you,” I nodded to the young woman. She looked away, tucking herself closer to the wall.

Her information provided an unsettling revelation. From her report, it sounded as if the ship was targeting us.

“Why would someone attack Persephone?” I asked.

“There’s no reason,” Maris spoke up. “Persephone is a pile of crap held together by bubblegum and wishful thinking. We have nothing of value. We don’t even have value.”

Nice to know my mother thought a place so worthless was appropriate for me. After my joke of a graduation from the Space Force Academy, I’d spent a few less-than-shining years in the Force.

I’d received promotions I didn’t deserve because of my name. It cultivated resentment in the Force, and rightly so. My mother was accused of nepotism, the same thing Maris accused me of when she met me.

It was a scandal, and there was nothing my mother hated more than a scandal.

But instead of owning up to using her name to pave my way down a path I didn’t even want to be on, she painted herself as a generous soul trying to help her wayward daughter.

Her solution to the scandal was to ship me out to Persephone Station, where I could still honorably hold my title but not cause her any more embarrassment. I wondered if she knew what had happened. Did she care?

“That’s not true,” I said softly.

“The rest of the Terran system disagrees,” Maris said bitterly. We fell into a strained silence. My mind scrambled to come up with the right thing to say.

“Maybe it was a Space Force ship, testing a new type of engine,” Lynna offered. “Maybe they didn’t know what would happen.”

Maris snorted. “I’d have heard. I might be out of the loop, but not that far out.”

“Our first priority should be information,” was the best I could come up with.

Aryn snorted. “That’s your grand plan, is it?” she asked. “Why should we listen to you, exactly?”

“I’m your commander.”

“You’ve been here all of five minutes,” she replied. “I’m not sure you’re the best one for the job.”

A creaking noise interrupted our discussion, which was a blessing, since I didn’t have anything to say in response to Aryn. We all turned to look. A door on the far side of the room opened. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it sooner.

A tall, broad figure stood in the doorway. In the dim light, his skin shimmered gold. Thin whorls of dark covered the exposed skin of his arms. I remembered the gold hands I’d thought I imagined before falling unconscious.

I hadn’t imagined them after all.

He stepped into the room. The women collectively moved as far away from him as they could. Swallowing my fear, I placed myself between them and the golden man.

“I am Commander Kalyn Askvig of Persephone Station,” I declared with false confidence. “Don’t come any closer.”

The golden man stepped into the light. I didn’t know what he was, but he certainly wasn’t human.

Alien.

Oh hell.

Aliens.

That… was not the information I’d expected to find.

My brain froze, scrambling to process. Couldn’t this all have happened after I’d had a day to sleep off the effects of the damn Flosh drive?

How the hell was I supposed to deal with aliens when my brain was all fuzzy?

The man, the alien, looked me over and then spoke in a language I couldn’t understand.

Not a surprise.

Alien.

With what looked like sharp, pointed teeth. Lovely.

He spoke again, and when I didn’t answer, he sighed and motioned for me to follow him.

“Kalyn, don’t!” Lynna warned.

I took a deep breath and nodded to the golden man.

I needed answers.

Alien or not, following him was my only chance at getting them.

Dejar

The woman that had stepped up seemed to be the unwilling or un-liked leader of the Terran women and their furball.

That little furry thing had already scratched a few members of my crew and bitten the ear of my head mechanic.

This woman had my attention. Unless Terran body language was completely different than every other bipedal species I’d met, it looked like most of the other women didn’t like her.

And she was scared stiff.

Still, she stood up and placed herself between them and an unknown.

I was impressed.

When I motioned for her to follow, she hesitated, but came along.

Brave little thing.

I led her to my office.

Along the way, I watched her out of the corner of my eye, noticing how she did her best to take everything in.

Terrans wouldn’t know about the rest of the universe, the other worlds, cultures, people all around them.

About the Dominion.

Or its rules.

I was not looking forward to what I had to tell her.

We entered my office and I motioned for her to sit. I went to my desk, opened a small compartment, and removed a tiny device.

I motioned towards my ear, then pointed at the device.

“This will help us understand one another,” I said as reached for her.

She leaned away from me, a slight bit of fear in her eyes.

I tried, in a calmer voice, to explain to her again. “It doesn’t hurt. You just put it on your ear and it will translate for you.” This was ridiculous. She couldn’t understand me until she put on the translator. So, reassuring her about it was a waste of breath.

But still, that frightened look bothered me.

I pantomimed once more, then handed it to her.

She hesitantly put it up to her ear, then stuck it on, nose wrinkling at it attached. She said something that I didn’t understand, and that’s when I knew I was more rattled than I realized.

I didn’t know Terran, so of course I’d need a translator, as well. I held up a finger, signaling for her to wait, and went back to my desk and got another translator out of the same compartment. I quickly slid the thin film behind my ear and flashed her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

“Hello,” I said.

She answered, but the translator didn’t pick it up right away. As she kept talking, I only got a few words as the computer that the translator was connected to tried to update from its old Terran database, “…don’t…us to do…crazy…just makes no sense what happened to us and who you people are.”

I held up a hand to stop her. “Do you understand my words?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Our computer system is a bit outdated with Terran vernacular, so I didn’t understand much of what you said until the very end. Would you mind repeating yourself, starting with your name, perhaps? My name is Dejar, and you are aboard the Rogue Star.” I sat down next to her and turned my chair, so I could face her.

With a bit of exasperation, she repeated what she had said. “My name is Kalyn Askvig and I am the commander of the Persephone Station on Pluto. I was asking what happened to us, because I don’t know what that wave was that hit us. Who are you? What do you plan to do with us? What do you want us to do? And, finally, as absolutely crazy as all this is, can you tell me where the hell we are and why we’re here?”

I tried to give her a reassuring smile as I sat back in my chair. “Okay, Kalyn Askvig of the Persephone Station on Pluto. My name is Dejar Lemec and I am the captain of the Rogue Star. We are an independent cargo ship.”

That was technically true, right? Now for the tricky part.

“As for what happened to you and your people, I only wish I could tell you. We’re still trying to figure it all out ourselves.”

Her eyes narrowed, head tilted. Good to know disbelief registered the same across our species.

“What I can tell you, however,” I continued, “is that a shockwave destroyed your station, and if my crew and I had not been nearby, you would have died.”

“How did the shockwave occur?” she pressed.

I took a long pause, settling for something that was the truth, but likely not terribly informational. “We’re still trying to figure that out.”

“Did this ship have anything to do with it?” she pushed.

I shook my head. She wasn’t going to let it go. It would have been nice if this one thing had been simple, but I suspected there wasn’t going to be anything simple or easy in my life for a while.

“There may be some debate about whether or not my ship is responsible for what happened to your station,” I held up a hand as she started to interrupt, “but I want to reassure you that what happened has never happened before and we don’t think it is. As far as we do know, you’re lucky we were in the vicinity to save you.”

“What do you mean? Who the hell are you people?”

I could understand her frustration and fear. Meeting a new species can be very daunting, and if I had to admit it, she was handling this meeting very well.

My own first meeting with a different species was confusing, but I grew up knowing there were other races in existence.

If what I knew of the Terran race was true, most of them still believed they were the only sentient species in the cosmos, and the ones that might think different where thought to be mad.

Qal would think that was a funny twist, but right now, it didn’t help us at all.

“We are of the Shein race, much like you are part of the Terran race. We,” I started to continue, but she interrupted me.

“Human. We’re called humans. And you’re some kind of aliens?”

Understanding that that particular word was what they used for unknown species, I nodded.

She bit her lower lip, nodded to herself, “And we’re flying around in a spaceship?”

I nodded again.

She took in a deep breath and let it back out again. “Okay. I can handle that. Let’s keep to the basics. Are you taking us home?”

And there it was.

The question I didn’t want to answer.

“As much as I would like to say ‘yes’, I cannot.”

“What do you mean?!”

Her face paled even further, and I reached for her, afraid that the shock in addition to her injuries would prove too much.

But she pulled away from my hand. A shame. Something about her tiny fierceness intrigued me.

She was like their furry creature, all fire and spark, even in the face of the unknown.

“Our appearance at your outpost was a mistake,” I said.

This brought a scowl to her face, one that I was already enjoying looking at.

“According to our computer, we were supposed to be in the asteroid field just at the edge of your system. When we came out of the fold, our computers said that we were indeed where we were supposed to be, but it was painfully apparent that we were not. Due to our intrusion into your space, there is a very likely possibility that we are going to be chased by officials of the Dominion.”

“And? Who is this ‘Dominion’ and how are they a problem?”

I held my anger in check, knowing she was simply scared and confused as to what was happening.

“The Dominion is the governing body in what we call ‘civilized’ space. They set restrictions on travel to certain parts of the cosmos and we violated that by folding to your outpost. If we were to do that again, we would be destroyed as punishment.”

“Why would you be destroyed?” she asked. “That’s stupid. We just want to go home.”

There seemed to be a hint of actual concern in her voice, which took me a bit by surprise. This woman, currently a refugee on an unknown ship, seemed to be able to care about her rescuers.

Interesting. I wished there had been more on her species in the databanks other than old transmissions and warnings to avoid.

I took in a deep breath and answered her question. “The Dominion has very strict rules about entering protected space. It’s possible they’ve already detected our intrusion after the shockwave. Their proximity sensors will be wary of another craft trying to enter into your system.”

“Can’t we just tell them you rescued us and let you take us home, then they’d let you go?”

I shook my head. “No. You see, the Dominion is very strict. If they know about you, I suspect that you wouldn't be allowed to return home because then you’d talk, and even if your entire society doesn’t believe you, enough people might. The Dominion doesn’t want any change unless it’s beneficial for them, and on their schedule. They’d track you.” She paled further, but I had to make her understand. “They’d pinpoint exactly who you were and where you were located. They’d remove you the same way you’d remove a single animal from a herd. You and your people would be sent to some planet to live without further human contact outside of your own crew. And,” I said with a small shrug, “we would still be destroyed.”

She sat back, and I could see that she was crushed.

It was a terrible situation to put her and her people into.

We just saved their lives, but what for?

Unless they were able to find someone willing to test the Dominion, and there were some people willing to do so, they would never be able to return to their home.

And how they’d be able to make lives for themselves without attracting Dominion attention, I couldn’t imagine.

Still, we couldn’t have left them there to die.

There had to be an answer, we just hadn’t found it yet.

“We have more of the translators for your people. I can have one of my engineers make enough for everyone, my crew included, so we can all communicate more easily,” I offered. “Did you want me to explain all of this to your people?”

She looked up at me, eyes shining with the beginning of tears.

A few blinks later, she had composed herself and answered back with a shake of her head. “No. I should be the one to tell them. I was put in charge of their safety and well-being, so it’s my responsibility to let them know our current situation.”

“I understand,” I said, impressed again. “Do you want me there when you tell them? In order to answer any questions?”

She thought about it for a moment or two. “No. Let me talk to them and answer what questions I can, then if more questions arise, I can bring them back to you. Then, if there are still more questions, I’ll ask you to join me.”

I nodded and stood, offering her my hand as I did.

She paused, looking at it, then at me. As our eyes met, for a brief moment, it felt like my soul was exposed, vulnerable.

But before I could pull away, she placed her hand in mine, pale, smooth skin against my golden sheen.

Intriguing.

But for now, all I could do was lead her back to the cargo bay where the other women waited for her.

Kalyn

I tried to stop my hands from shaking as the captain stopped in front of the cargo bay door.

Was I supposed to call him captain? Or just Dejar?

Crap. Yet another thing I didn’t know - the protocol when onboard alien spaceships.

Alien.

Alien spaceships.

Dejar had given me a case filled with earpieces like the one I now wore.

I considered that to be a gesture of goodwill, right?

Well, that, and saving our lives.

My head still spun from everything he’d told me. The fact that there were other species, other systems inhabited by intelligent life, was enough to send me into shock.

Stranger still was that they knew about us, about humans and the Terran system, while we were none the wiser.

And everything Captain Dejar said about the Dominion and civilized space took it to an entirely new level.

To think we humans were so proud of our Flosh drives and we weren’t even considered a ‘civilized’ species.

To be honest, travel by Flosh drive wasn’t particularly civilized, or safe, but that probably wasn’t the point.

Captain Dejar believed the Dominion was going to be a problem. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. The punishments for accidentally crossing into forbidden territory sounded so extreme, I felt tempted to call it a bluff.

But the one thing I did believe was maybe the most important. I did believe Captain Dejar when he said he’d had no intention of destroying Persephone Station.

I might not be much of a commander, but if there was one thing I could do, it was spot a liar. That was the only useful thing my mother ever taught me.

When I was in primary school, I often attended fancy functions and galas with her, listening as she talked to the wealthy and powerful citizens of Mars.

When each conversation ended, she would whisper to me the lies they’d told her and how to identify them, how to watch for tells. Thankfully, I’d listened to her.

Captain Dejar may be an alien, but I’d have to believe that a liar was a liar and he wasn’t one.

“If it’s any consolation,” Captain Dejar spoke, briefly startling me, “I give my crew bad news all the time and I’m still alive. Surely you’ll survive this encounter with the human females.”

I detected a trace of humor in his voice, even through the translator.

I think he was trying to make me feel better.

It wasn’t working.

“Don’t be so sure.” I forced a smile. “You haven’t met them yet.”

“You stood in front of them when I entered,” he countered. “Surely they’ll see that you’re willing to put yourself in danger for them. Surely they’ll respect you for that.”

“We’ll see.” My voice was flat. We stood in awkward silence before Captain Dejar spoke again.

“In any event, I apologize for the abhorrent accommodations. We weren’t prepared to take on an extra thirty people.”

“I understand,” I replied. I couldn’t take my eyes off the door to the cargo bay, even though Dejar was a much more attractive sight.

Hell. Where had that come from?

Head injury. Going with head injury.

“Good luck.” He grabbed the lever on the door, pulling it up so that the door swung open. I entered quickly. He closed the door behind me.

I didn’t hear it lock. I wondered if it was ever locked.

Lynna ran up to me as soon as the door shut.

“Are you okay?” Her concern touched me.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I replied.

“What happened?” Aryn demanded.

“We talked,” I explained. “And he gave me these.” I held up the case of translators.

“What are they?” Lynna asked. The women moved away from the walls to stand closer to me.

“They’re some sort of translation device. It enabled me to understand him when he spoke. His name is Dejar. He’s the captain of this ship, the Rogue Star.”

“How do you know they aren’t some weird alien probe?” Aryn narrowed her eyes at the case.

“Captain Dejar put one on as well,” I replied. “And so far, he gave me no reason to suspect he had ill intentions.”

“Of course, he didn’t!” Maris exclaimed. “If you’re going to rob someone, you don’t tell them you’re about to do it.”

Something told me she spoke from personal experience.

That’d be something to explore, but not now.

“Did he tell you why he attacked us?” Lynna’s eyes were wide.

“He didn’t,” I replied. “His crew had no idea we were there when they appeared. He said nothing like the shockwave has ever happened before.”

“Bullshit,” Aryn sighed.

“Why would he bother saving us if he attacked us?” I retorted. “Why would he bother talking to me at all?”

“I don’t know why aliens do anything.” She threw her arms up in exasperation. “Up until an hour ago, I didn’t think aliens were real.”

“If the Rogue Star didn’t attack us, then will he take us back to Mars?” Lynna asked. I swallowed the dread building up in my chest.

“No.”

“What?” Lynna’s voice broke.

The others all voiced their outrage, shouting over one another.

“If you’ll allow me to explain-”

“We don’t want an explanation!” Maris yelled. “We want to go home!” Half the women in the cargo bay rallied around Maris. The other half looked lost and broken. Lynna fought back tears. Shenna held the station cat and rocked back and forth.

“We’ve got to escape!” Aryn shouted. A few women cheered her on.

“I have an idea!” A muscular blonde raised her hand. “The aliens are going to come back sooner or later. When one does, we jump him, take his weapon if he has one, and bust outta here!”

“If we can get to the bridge, we can fly the ship ourselves!” Maris’s eyes gleamed with excitement as she spoke.

“Or we can hold them hostage and barter for their release,” Aryn offered. “We’d make some money in the process.”

“That’s better!” another woman shouted.

“Are you all insane?” I demanded.

They stopped their scheming to look at me.

None of them bothered to mask their disgust, but honestly, right then I was too angry to care.

“You’re calling us insane for wanting to get out of here?” Maris demanded.

“I’m calling you insane for thinking any of your half-baked plans stand a chance of working,” I retorted. “You have no idea what we’re up against.”

“Like you do?” Aryn challenged.

“I know more than you pretend to,” I snapped. Aryn blinked, not expecting me to bite back. “It’s illegal for the Rogue Star to enter Terran space. If they do, all of us will be destroyed. If, by some miracle, you actually got to the bridge and took control of the ship, we’d be shot down the moment we reentered Terran space.”

“Who, exactly, is going to shoot us down?” Lynna asked.

“From what I understand, a great deal of space outside of our system is run by a group called the Dominion. Captain Dejar didn’t tell me very much, just that the Dominion is the highest form of authority in the civilized systems,” I explained.

“Sounds legit,” Aryn snorted.

“Maybe the Dominion are bluffing when they threaten to shoot down ships for entering non-civilized space-”

“What the hell do you mean by non-civilized?” Maris demanded. The other women echoed her outrage.

I gave her a bland look.

“Listen to the half-assed plans you’re forming, and then ask me that again.”

Maris’s mouth dropped open in shock.

Shenna used the cat’s fur to stifle a chuckle. Aryn shot her a death glare. I kept my features still, so they wouldn’t betray my own surprise.

“The Askvig is talking down to us? There’s a surprise,” Maris rolled her eyes.

“If that’s what it takes to get you to see reason, then fine.” I feigned nonchalance, but my heart was pounding in my chest.

“Bitch,” Aryn muttered.

“Look.” I put my hands on my hips and sighed. “I get that you don’t know me. I get that you hate me because you hate my family name. But I’m still your commander. No matter how much you hate me, my first priority is ensuring your safety. I don’t want to be a bitch. Call me foolishly optimistic, but I want us to be able to work together and trust each other. But if I have to be a bitch to get you to understand that these ‘plans’ of yours are only going to get people hurt, then fine, I’ll be a bitch! I’ll be the biggest bitch in the galaxy if it keeps you alive.”

Heat rushed to my face, and my heart was beating so fast I thought it would burst right out of my chest cavity. I’d never spoken to anyone in my life like that. The women who, only moments before were planning a hostile takeover, had fallen silent.

“We don’t hate you,” Aryn said after a long pause. “We just don’t like you.” The corner of her mouth pulled up in the slightest of smiles.

I let out a breathy laugh. The other women chuckled, as well.

“Thanks for the honesty,” I sighed.

“We are going to go home eventually, right?” The petite girl with dark eyes spoke so softly I almost didn’t hear her. “Or are we accepting this as our life now?”

“No,” I assured her. “We’re going to play nice for now until we can figure out a safe way to get back to the Terran system. Without these,” I motioned to the translators, “we can’t even understand what anyone is saying, much less read a control panel. But I have to believe someone somewhere will be willing to help us out.” My answer didn’t appear to satisfy her. She nodded once before backing away again.

“Could the Dominion help us?” Lynna asked. “We didn’t enter their system on purpose. We were unconscious. Maybe they could authorize a special trip to bring us home.”

“It didn’t sound like they were nice people either, but maybe that’s our best bet for the time being,” I agreed. “Just remember, I don’t favor any plan that risks us getting blown up.”

“I can agree to that,” Maris grinned. The others nodded, as well.

I took a calming breath and tried to hide my smile.

I’d passed my first test as commander.

Dejar

“We need to do something about the women,” Aavat grumbled.

No one on the ship had seen a human before, much less a human female and we had a few members spending a little too much time “observing” them.

Sure, they were different. And interesting. And Kalyn had the most endearing look when she was being stubborn...

“You’re not wrong, Aavat. I’ve been agreeing with you for the last hour. I’ve also been wondering what your suggestions are,” I said back to him. I poured both of us a drink as we sat in my office. We were close to exiting the fold back in our tiny corner of the universe. The second fold had put us dangerously low on power, but there’d been no choice. Getting out of the Terran System had been a priority. “Hopefully, we can avoid the Dominion long enough to figure things out.”

“No scro, Dejar. That trip to the Terran system was risky enough…but necessary,” he added, stopping me before I could protest. “I didn’t argue with you over that decision.”

“Didn’t argue?” I said incredulously. “That was all you did!”

With a sideways nod of his head, he conceded my point. “Fair enough, I argued it. But not as much as I could have.”

“That’s true,” I admitted. Arguing was like a sport to him.

“You did give in fairly quickly, but I just thought it was because you knew we had to do it.”

“And we did. But now, we have thirty extra mouths to feed, a weird pet on board, and no cargo to sell. What do we do to fix that?”

I had no answer.

Well, I had ideas, but I wasn’t sure about them. I didn’t want to drop them off somewhere and make them someone else’s responsibility, but Aavat was right, we didn’t have enough supplies for them.

At the moment, we barely had enough supplies for ourselves.

Aavat swallowed his drink quickly, grimaced, and poured himself another one. “Good.” His voice was gruffer than usual, so I chuckled at him. He shot me a glance and leaned back in his chair. “The women are a problem.”

“You’ve said that already.”

He shrugged. “So I did. They’re a liability that we can’t afford.”

“You’ve said that one, too.” I poured myself another drink, not even realizing that I had already downed my first one.

Zurbanian brandy was a delight, and difficult to get without the right contacts. I was just glad my father ran a successful business that had a few delicacies as a staple. We might not be in contact, but I certainly remembered who his trading partners had been.

Family could be useful for some things.

Not many.

“And?” Aavat questioned. “What if I have? Look, I know you have some thoughts about the women and making sure we take care of them, since we destroyed their home. You’ve always been sentimental that way.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off.

“Don’t argue. You’re too soft for this, I’ve always thought so. The only reason I agreed to you being the official captain when we joined forces is because you’re smoother with the clients.” He took another shot. “And I knew that if you were colossally stupid with a decision, I would be able to take over and fix it.”

“And this is one of those ‘colossally stupid’ decisions?” I asked as I downed my drink again. I looked at my empty glass, then at the bottle, and decided against another one. My head was already feeling funny and I didn’t want to impede my thought processes.

“Get another one. If either of us is too drunk to work, Kovor can handle it,” he said as he downed his second glass. “Or don’t you want to drink with me?”

“Kout off,” I said with a smile as I slid my glass across the table to him. “Make it a good one.”

“About time,” he said as he poured my drink, nearly filling the glass. I looked at him as he set the glass down next to me, then leaned back in his seat.

“That will get me drunk enough for two.” I eyed the glass warily. I wasn’t sure if I was going to drink that much of it, even though it was very tasty.

“Don’t be a Zurbanian. The only thing those weaklings are good for are target practice and this stuff,” he raised his glass, nearly as full as mine, then downed the whole thing. I was both impressed and scared. To drink that much Zurbanian brandy in one sitting…he was inviting a terrible morning.

“What about the women? What ideas do you have?” I asked him, hoping to get an answer before he passed out.

He flashed me an evil glare for interrupting his next pour. “Either dump…them, or make them earn their plashe, place.”

“You’re drinking too much, my friend.”

“Shut your mouthff. You haven’t even touched yours.”

Because I didn’t want to be drunk and incapacitated. “What do you mean by ‘earn their place’? Make them work on the ship?” It wasn’t a bad idea and it was something that I had already been contemplating.

He nodded, took a sip, set his glass down, and looked me in the eyes. “If they want to stay on this ship, they have to work for it.”

“Where will they stay? We can’t keep them in the cargo bay.”

“Then we have the men double up, at least for now. Whoever is problematic gets dumped off on the next habitable planet we come to.” He sat back, belched, and smiled.

Yup. I was smoother with the clients. Possibly with everyone.

Just as I was opening my mouth to say something, the onboard computer came over the comms. “Exiting fold in ten seconds.”

Good. Far away from the Terran system. The ship’s vibrations altered almost imperceptibly.

If Qal was doing his job, he was putting in the coordinates to keep us away from known Dominion patrol lanes.

“The men won’t be happy giving up their rooms,” I said quietly.

Aavat shrugged. “They used to do it before when both of us were captains of our own ships. Those things were miniscule compared to this ship.” He was right. The Rogue Star was a massive vessel compared to our old ones. Three hangar bays, a med bay, a cafeteria, and enough rooms for almost everyone to have their own. Granted, we usually ran in shifts, so some of the crew only used their rooms to sleep, so sharing wasn’t an issue for some of them.

Still, the idea that the men would have to sacrifice their rooms for the women concerned me, not because I thought it was a bad idea, but because I wasn’t sure how well the men would respond to it.

“Any suggestions on what the women do on board? What kind of jobs they take on?”

Aavat’s eyes were closed, but he opened them to look at me. “That’s for you and their ‘leader’ to decide. She knows them better than we do, and it’s currently your ship. So, you get to figure it out. I’m tired.” He stood up and straightened his uniform. He pointed at my drink. “Are you going to drink that?”

I wasn’t going to let him get himself worse than he already was, so I nodded. “Yes, I will.”

“You better. Would be an umbba waste of good stuff if you didn’t.” With that, he left my office, walking amazingly steadily.

He was right, though, not about the brandy, although he was, but about the women.

It was my responsibility to figure things out for them.

I’m sure they weren’t living on that ice-ball of a planet by choice, so they must have skills that could potentially be used aboard a ship.

I would have to speak with Kalyn about it. I looked at the brandy glass, filled with enough liquid to make me forget things, and decided that I was going to let it sit there, just not all of it. I took a big swallow of it, discovered that my big swallow was nearly all of it, and decided to just finish it off.

The effects of the brandy were hitting me hard and fast, so I decided to head to my quarters to get some sleep, as well.

Kovor would be fine running the late shift, and he knew where we were going. I made a mental note to thank him for what he did, and to speak with Kalyn in the morning, maybe bring them something to eat as a sign of peace.

As I thought of what to do, I made my way to my room. I never knew how I made it into bed, I just knew my head was on a pillow, so I closed my eyes and dreamed of big paydays and a certain human woman.

Kalyn

A knock startled me out of my light doze. Around me, most of the women were still asleep, using each other as pillows. My neck ached. The floor of the cargo bay was unforgiving, and I was still sore from the collapse of Persephone. I wrapped my arms around myself and carefully stepped over sleeping bodies to get to the door.

“Uh…come in?” I called. The door creaked as it slid open, startling everyone from their sleep. They immediately jumped up into defensive positions.

Captain Dejar stood in the doorway and peered past my shoulder. There were two more of his crew behind him. There was a copper-colored alien, no Shein, with black hair, slicked back so it laid neatly against his skull, and another gold one, though his coloring wasn’t as rich as Dejar’s.

All three of them carried rough crates.

“Greetings,” Dejar grinned. “Sorry to wake you. We thought you might be hungry.” Right on cue, my stomach rumbled.

Dejar looked at my abdomen in alarm. “Are you well?” he asked.

“Yes,” I chuckled nervously. “That means I’m hungry.”

“Your insides can vocalize?” he asked, clearly perplexed.

“Sort of,” I shrugged.

“Fascinating,” the light-gold Shein said.

“Allow me to introduce Kovor Dalech. He owns the Rogue Star. And this,” he nodded to the copper-colored one, “is Aavat, my first mate.”

“You’re my first mate,” Aavat corrected.

Dejar turned back to me. “It’s a regular topic of debate for us,” he shrugged. “Anyway, I won’t keep you from your breakfast.” He strode into the cargo bay and set down the crates.

The women backed away. Some looked frightened. Others looked distrustful. Captain Dejar didn’t mind either way. He grabbed the prybar hanging off his belt and used it to open all three of them. Inside were mountains of strange objects that I didn’t recognize.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Food, of course!” Kovor grinned. His demeanor was more relaxed compared to the other two. “We just picked up extra rations for you.”

I noticed the dark-haired one, Aavat, scowling, just a bit. I’d have to ask Dejar what his problem was, but later.

“The ship was docked?” Maris blurted. She was one of the last ones I’d convinced to wear the earpiece but eventually she saw the benefit to knowing what was going on around her.

Surely, she would have seen a docked ship as an opportunity for escape. One that she’d missed since she’d been asleep for the last few hours.

“Not exactly,” Dejar explained. “There’s a traveling market that floats through Dominion space. We were able to do a little trading on credit.”

Aryn took a step closer to the crates and peered inside. “How do we know it’s safe to eat?”

“We’ve scanned the makeup of the food against what the AI knows about the biochemical processes in Terrans. There’s nothing here that isn’t safe for you,” Dejar announced proudly.

“I’m not sure,” Lynna spoke.

Dejar frowned, but Kovor was the one to answer her. “Most lifeforms that we’ve encountered in Dominion space share the same basic carbon foundation,” he said. “As such, the building blocks of how they digest food, while varied, roughly fall along the same lines. When we take out certain chemical compounds that are species-centric, we’re left with foods that your body will recognize as nourishment.” He shrugged and grinned. “At least, according to the AI. We don’t really have another way to test it.”

“I’ll try some first,” I offered.

I couldn’t remember the last meal I ate. It must have been the day I left Mars. I didn’t eat anything while on Pluto. My insides were too jumbled from the rough journey via Flosh drive.

No matter what, we all needed to eat. And if this was what their AI thought was safe, so be it.

The same AI that dumped them in the wrong location, a small voice said in the back of my head.

Ignoring it, I strode up to the crate in the middle and grabbed the first thing I touched. Without thinking about it too much, I bit into it.

Whatever I bit into was juicer and softer than I anticipated. The flavors slid over my tongue, and I shuddered and forced myself to swallow.

The others noticed my disgusted face.

“Is it poison?” someone asked.

“No,” I winced. “It tastes exactly like a tomato and I hate tomatoes.”

“Give it here!” Shenna exclaimed. “Tomatoes are my favorite.” I tossed the food into her waiting hands. She happily took a huge bite before offering some to the cat, who looked away in disinterest.

“Delicious,” she said with her mouth full. That was all the convincing the others needed. They dove at the crates, taking tiny bites of anything they grabbed to test for flavor.

“This thing tastes like an orange,” one girl said.

“We can use this as bread,” another chimed in.

“Pass it here! We can spread this over it.”

“I don’t know what this is, but it’s delicious.”

I nibbled contentedly on a bright red root that tasted similar to celery. One of the women found a spread that tasted a bit like almond paste. They made a delicious combination, and my stomach was eternally grateful.

Captain Dejar stood nearby, looking pleased.

“Thank you,” I said. “It was kind of you to provide us with so much food.”

“Well, I couldn’t let you starve to death in my cargo bay,” he grinned. “We also picked up extra supplies for sleeping arrangements. If you’d like, we can return to my office and discuss it.”

“We don’t have to stay here?” I asked.

“Of course not!” Captain Dejar laughed. “What kind of host would I be if I kept all of you in the cargo bay? Besides, not being able to use all of our bays would sort of complicate that whole delivering-of-merchandise business that keeps us in fuel.”

“I see,” I nodded, kicking myself for not thinking of that sooner. “Right, let’s go get that figured out.”

Before leaving the cargo bay, I told Lynna where I was going. She promised to save me some food for when I got back. At the moment, my stomach was struggling to handle the red ‘celery’ after not eating for so long, but I’d force myself to eat more when I returned.

Captain Dejar and I walked back through the narrow corridors of the ship. The walls were lined with exposed pipes and panels. The floor was scuffed from years of use.

I didn’t know very much about spaceships, but this looked like one that had been working for a while now.

The only “spaceships” I’d ever been on were the luxury pleasure cruisers my mother used for parties. Those didn’t go far into space, though. They just lazily drifted around the planet for a few hours before returning to their port.

When we entered Dejar’s office, he left the door open and took a seat at his chair.

“Looks like things went well since we last spoke,” he said.

“Yes,” I agreed. “I stopped them from knocking you out and hijacking your ship. It’s an improvement.”

The captain laughed.

“I’m in your debt.”

“You fed me,” I shrugged. “I’ll call it even.”

“If you insist,” he nodded. “Now, let’s talk about sleeping arrangements.” He motioned for me to move my chair next to his, so I did.

Sitting beside him, I was struck again at how much bigger he was compared to me. His biceps were almost the size of my head.

I was glad I didn’t let Maris and Aryn try to fight him or any of the crew. That battle would’ve been doomed from the start.

I found my gaze drawn to the intricate tattoos running from the backs of his hands all the way up his arms and disappearing under the short sleeves of his shirt. The black ink was stark against the metallic hues of his skin. Some of the lines were straight, connected by thin hollow circles of various sizes. Other lines were wavy and intertwined together to form patterns of amazing detail. All so fine you almost couldn’t see them until you were close.

A bright purple motif of thicker lines peeked out from the sleeve. I imagined how it would coil around his shoulder.

“They tell stories.” He’d noticed me staring. I looked away quickly, cheeks flushing.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” I said quickly.

“How is looking at my tattoos rude?” he asked.

“To humans, staring at someone you don’t know for an extended period of time is considered rude,” I explained.

“How odd. Well, I take great pride in my tattoos. All Shein do. Feel free to stare as much as you like.”

“Thanks. I think,” I replied.

The embarrassment fizzled away.

Almost.

“Sleeping arrangements?” I brought our focus back to the issue at hand.

“My crew has agreed to share cabins to make room for you and your crew,” he explained.

“I wouldn’t call them my crew.” I rubbed the bare skin of my arm.

“You are their leader, are you not?” he asked.

“Commander. But only for a little over a day now,” I admitted.

“Really?” His eyebrows shot up. I nodded.

“That shockwave…thing hit us only a few hours after I arrived at Persephone,” I explained. “I don’t know any of those women very well.”

“Yet they listened to you when you told them not to hijack the ship,” he commented.

“Barely,” I replied. “It wasn’t easy.”

“Being a leader is never easy,” Dejar said solemnly. “It takes a great deal of practice.”

“I can tell.”

“I take it you don’t want to assign bunkmates, then?” Dejar asked.

“I think they should choose their own, really,” I replied. “Please thank your crew for giving up their space for us. I’m sorry to be such an inconvenience.”

“It’s the least we could do after destroying your home.” Dejar’s voice turned somber.

“I believe you when you say you didn’t do it on purpose,” I said. The others might not, but I did.

He looked up from his desk, and my chest tightened, just a bit.

It was the first real smile I’d seen from him. Not just a casual grin, but something that reached his eyes.

“I’m glad,” he said. “My engineer and head of security are looking into the shockwave. We aren’t going to travel through a fold again if there’s a chance we could create another one.”

“That’s a good idea.” As if I had any idea what I was talking about. “Was there anything else you wanted to discuss besides sleeping arrangements?”

“Actually, yes.” He pressed the tips of his fingers together. “After discussing it with my crew, we agree that since we will be spending extra to feed and shelter you and the other females, it’s only fair that you lend us your services.”

“What, exactly, do you mean?” My spine stiffened.

Aliens. I might not know much about aliens, hell, anything about them.

But I’d watched plenty of old vids, and I knew what could happen.

“Work, maintenance around the ship, whatever your crew is qualified for.”

“Oh!” The breath I hadn’t realized I was holding whooshed out of me and I sagged in relief.

I should’ve realized.

“Yes, of course. That’s completely fair. The majority of the work on Persephone Station was maintenance and manual labor. We’ll make ourselves useful.”

“Excellent,” he grinned. “My crew has already started moving their things. I’ll give you a map of available rooms and you can prepare the human females once they’re done eating.”

I stood up, eager to share the good news, and smothered a completely inappropriate laugh.

Our station had been destroyed, we were refugees in an unknown section of space, on an alien ship, with the possibility of never returning home…

And this was still better than my day had started when Lynna pulled me out of the Flosh pod.

That was saying something.

Probably something awful, but something.

Dejar

Some of my men weren’t happy with surrendering their quarters but did so because I asked them to…and Aavat yelled at them and embarrassed them into it.

Teamwork.

Of a sort.

Meanwhile, Kalyn dealt with the issues her women presented to her.

She spoke to each of the women individually, ensuring their health and well-being. She personally led each one to their rooms, talking with them along the way.

If any of them gave her any issue, she handled it. She even sacrificed the room I’d set aside for her to a pair of the older women, taking the smallest one for herself.

Then instead of resting, she recommended certain women to help with certain jobs on the ship.

The female doctor was a breath of fresh air, as our own doctor had died months ago, and we were left with his son, whose knowledge of medicine was rudimentary, at best.

He tried, and was a quick study, but he just didn’t have the experience needed.

So, Kalyn introduced my crew to Lynna, the station’s doctor. She didn’t have experience with Shein, of course, but she’d looked eager to get started. Kovor had installed an auto-tutor, in case we ran into languages no crew member could read.

None of us used it. It hurt, having information crammed into your head.

But Lynna just gritted her teeth and asked our medic to get her hooked up. She was right, she’d need to be able to read Shein in order to learn about our physiology, but I still winced for her.

Kalyn introduced my engineering team to her engineer, as well as others of my crew to whichever of her people she thought could help the most.

She was kind, and resourceful, and listened...but she was inexperienced and didn’t know how to lead. Far too many of her people argued with her, or ignored her until they got what they wanted, but she put in an effort.

That was enough for me.

“Kalyn?” I asked. She had just finished taking one of the women to her new room and was looking a bit tired.

She jumped a bit and I put my hands up to show her I meant no harm.

“Oh, sorry. What can I do for you, Dejar?”

“Come talk with me, if you please.” With one hand at the small of her back, I guided her to the mess hall, sat her at a small table in the corner.

“Hungry again yet?”

She nodded, eyes drifting closed for a flicker.

She’d need to rest soon, no matter which of her women thought they needed a different room or had some other ridiculous complaint.

“What do you want to talk about?” she asked as I set down her plate and sat next to her. She was a sprightly little thing, and I found myself enjoying being around her.

“Tell me more about what your outpost was,” I answered.

I needed to know about her and why the women disrespected her so, but I wanted to start small.

Between mouthfuls, she explained Persephone Station was essentially a place to send the malcontents and troublemakers, only a few people volunteered to go there. Their original mission, or purpose, at Persephone was to investigate some minerals within the planet’s core, as well as observe the long-term effects the cold and ice had on various experiments.

“I barely understand most of it myself,” she admitted over a bite.

“Commanders don’t always have to understand the things they’re in charge of,” I said to her. “They just have to be able to ensure that things get done.”

With a nod and a swallow of food, she looked up from her plate at me. “Yeah, I think that’s the problem for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“You guys showed up on my first day as commander. I had just been setting up my office when things went to hell.”

Ah, she’d mentioned something about that. I hadn’t realized she meant it quite so literally.

“Is that why the ladies don’t treat you appropriately?”

She shrugged. “Part of it.” She wouldn’t elaborate further, but I needed to know what I was dealing with.

I pressed her. “Please, tell me.”

After a few moments, she finally spoke up. “I think, no, I’m pretty sure, that it’s also because of my mother. She’s one of the people in charge of our Mars colony, a very influential and powerful person. She sent me to Persephone, mostly to get me away because I was an embarrassment to her, but knowing her, she also wanted me to get used to a position of power so I could eventually take over for her.” Her lips twisted. “My mother never has only one reason.”

Ah, familial complications.

A problem for Terran people, as well. Some things seemed to be constants across the universe.

And her crew disrespected her and treated her as inferior because she was new and because she had been handed the position, not because she had earned it…at least in their eyes.

From what I had seen thus far, I felt that she would become a fine leader, just was raw and unrefined in her methods.

Aavat would argue she was too soft and sympathetic, but it was clear to me she was simply inexperienced and had not yet learned the nuances of her position.

And if her mother had been her only possible teacher, the disdain with which she referred to her didn’t bode well for whatever skills Kalyn had observed.

“Would you like some advice on how to deal with some of their issues?” I asked.

I wanted her to be better, to do better, and to be the leader that I had already seen flashes of.

When she nodded, I was elated.

Something about helping her seemed terribly important. “Very well. One of the first things that you need to be able to do is show that you deserve the position, even if it was handed to you.”

“Yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “How do I do that?”

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to explain it. I knew from my own experiences, but I had also worked my way up from gunner to captain. “You just have to work at it. I know that is an oversimplified explanation, and I know that you’re already working on it, but your people need to see that you’re willing to work just as hard or harder than they are. Wait here.”

I got up to refill our drinks, and when I returned, I continued. “If they see that you’re willing to put in the work, they’ll see that you’re not taking the job for granted. What you did today was excellent, although…,” I let the sentence hang in order to see what her response was.

“‘Although’ what?” she asked, her voice holding a bit of an edge to it. Good, I wanted her a bit defensive, it showed me that she had been confident in her actions and was ready to defend them. A good leader had to be ready to defend their decisions, even if they were wrong decisions. A good leader also had to be prepared to learn from their decisions, and that was my next point.

“When you sacrificed your quarters and took the smallest room, that can sometimes be construed as you being too soft and too willing to give in to their demands. You don’t,” I started before she interrupted me.

She was angry, defensive. “I gave her that room because she has a bad back and the bunk in the room you had assigned me was better for her. Not to mention the fact that the woman she is going to be sharing it with is her niece, so all I did was keep family together. What’s wrong with that?”

Angry and defensive, not the best combination to have as a new leader. However, her willingness to allow a crew member with an ailment to have the better accommodations in order to deal with that ailment showed true character.

I held up a hand to forestall any further argument and explained myself. “What I was attempting to say was that you don’t want to come across as easy to push around. In that case, you made the right decision.”

She sat back, a little head bob that showed me she was proud. Inexperienced, a bit naïve, and easy to manipulate with a compliment.

I had work to do. “But I want you to understand that sometimes the easier decision is to keep the bigger quarters for yourself and simply switch bunks.”

“But why would I want the bigger room? I don’t need it.”

I responded after I took a sip of my water. “How are your people supposed to speak with you in that tiny room you’ve taken? How are you supposed to accomplish any sort of administrative duties, or dole out punishment for bad behavior, or soothe a raging personality? There must be an air of command when you deal with your people, and sometimes where you deal with them adds, or in this case subtracts, from that.”

She did not like my answer. “I don’t see it that way. I see my choice to go with a smaller room sets a mood where my girls know that they can come talk to me and I won’t be that cold and distant person across the desk or across the room. I’ll be someone that gives a damn and is willing to be there for them, not just as their commander, but as their friend.”

“And what about the moments where being that person across the room or across the desk is the person you need to be?” I asked her.

She responded perfectly. “Then I’ll be that person, and I can be that person without the damn desk!”

She was fuming now, eyes sparkling, chin high.

I liked it.

I had touched a nerve, and she was defending herself, her methods, and her people all at once.

I nodded, smiled, and simply said, “Good. Now you’re acting like a leader.”

Kalyn

“I think that’s the last of it.” Lynna returned to the closet of a room we now shared.

She and I had spent the better part of the day carefully clearing out the room. Thankfully, most of the items were already in storage boxes.

The tricky part was not knowing what the boxes contained.

Could’ve been spare parts, could’ve been a substance toxic to humans.

There was no way to tell for sure that didn’t sound potentially painful.

“Got a dustpan?” I swept the last of the dust into a pile in the middle of the floor.

“I’ve got a small box,” Lynna replied, offering the shallow metal rectangle.

“That’ll do,” I shrugged.

She held it still while I swept the dust into the box. “I don’t think the Shein are very different from humans.”

“Oh?” Lynna arched her brow.

“Imagine this same ship crewed by human men. It’d be this messy, too,” I smirked.

“True!” Lynna laughed.

“Have you ever met a human man?” I asked. She shook her head.

“You?”

“I’ve seen one, but never really been introduced,” I replied.

It wasn’t uncommon. The birthrate for human males had dropped so low after the last global war that it was rare a woman encountered a man outside of a reproduction agreement.

Most of our perceptions about men stemmed from old Earth shows called sitcoms.

The women I had gone to school with had argued about how much they could be trusted as a source of actual information, but really, if it wasn’t factual, why would they have created so many of them?

“The Shein have nice manners,” Lynna commented. “Not what I expected.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I wasn’t expecting aliens at all, honestly,” Lynna laughed dryly. “If I had to expect anything, I would’ve expected skinny little green men with big heads.”

“Same here,” I replied. “Or something with big teeth that spits acid.”

“Good thing the Shein don’t do that,” Lynna remarked.

“That we know of,” I added with a quick laugh. “In all seriousness, I don’t think bunking with giant metallic space sailors is the worst thing that could’ve happened.”

“Neither do I,” Lynna agreed. “I don’t think the other women share the same mindset, though.”

Part of me secretly hoped everything would magically get better the moment we moved out of the cargo bay and into proper rooms.

Of course, that wasn’t going to happen, but a girl could dream.

The vacated rooms were small and most of the women had to bunk three to a room. Lynna and I took the smallest room and avoided a third bunkmate, though that was partially to spare anyone else from having to bunk with the commander.

I was confident no one other than Lynna was willing to do that.

I knew the other women weren’t thrilled with the new arrangements. Granted, they all admitted that it was better than the cargo bay, but I knew they missed Persephone.

I hadn’t been there long enough to see anything beyond the bleakness of it, but a lot of the women with me now had lived on Persephone for years.

It was their home.

As gray and bleak and cold as it had been, it was known.

Hell, maybe for some of them it had been comfortable in its familiarity.

And now…

“This is as good as it’s going to get,” I sighed and set the broom down.

“Time to decorate!” Lynna chimed.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t think we’ll have much to decorate with,” I mimed searching in the corners. “Have you seen extra fabric or throw pillows around?”

“Give me time. I can make any room ten times nicer with the right materials,” she said with a definite nod. “And it doesn’t have to be throw pillows. But they help.”

“You’re a doctor that dabbles in home décor?”

“It’s a hobby,” she shrugged. “It helps me deal with the stress of my job.”

“Far be it for me to judge.”

We left our shoebox room and made our way to the main deck of the Rogue Star, where Captain Dejar and a few other crew members were passing out room supplies.

“We’ve got sleeping mats, pillows, and blankets. None of it’s luxury, but it’ll get the job done.” Dejar handed me a green blanket with a smile.

I grinned back and walked over to the stack of sleeping mats. I took the most worn looking one. It wasn’t fair to leave it for whoever got there last, and honestly, anything was better than the cargo bay floor.

Lynna examined each one carefully.

“I think they’re all the same,” I prodded when a few minutes had passed, and she still hadn’t picked one.

“I know,” Lynna laughed. “I want to make one of them more supportive. Stasia has a bad back. I don’t want it to act up because the sleeping mats aren’t firm enough.” I hadn’t spoken to Stasia yet, but I knew who she was.

Getting to know each of the Persephone women should have been at the top of my list, but there was something else weighing heavily on my mind.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the shockwave that destroyed Persephone Station. Dejar had told me he’d never seen anything like it before, that they hadn’t destroyed our home on purpose.

I still believed him, but his statement evoked so many questions.

It would’ve been easier for me to believe the shockwave was caused by a freak accident, but for some reason, I couldn’t make myself believe that, either.

Something didn’t add up.

With our sleeping mats, blankets, and pillows, Lynna and I returned to our room.

“Let me set everything up,” she insisted.

“I don’t mind helping,” I replied.

“I insist.” She practically grabbed the sleeping mat from under my arm. “I’ll maximize the space. Doing this sort of thing helps me process stuff.”

I didn’t argue with her after that. There was a lot to process.

“Okay,” I agreed. “I’m going to go check in with everyone else.”

“Good idea,” Lynna smiled.

The Persephone women were spread out all over the ship. I first encountered Shenna, who looked like she was searching for something.

“Need help with anything, Shenna?” I asked.

“Have you seen Persephone?” she asked.

“I saw the pieces of it,” I said slowly.

Her eyes grew wide with alarm before she gasped. “Oh! No, I didn’t mean the station, I meant the cat. I named her Persephone. I thought it was fitting,” she explained.

“That makes more sense,” I nodded. “No, I haven’t seen the cat, but I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Thanks!” she called over her shoulder as she continued searching. I proceeded through the compact interior of the ship until I stumbled across another room. Inside was the petite girl with dark eyes. I still didn’t know her name.

“Are you settling in okay?” I asked. Her head jerked up as if she didn’t expect anyone to speak to her.

“It’s not bad,” she replied.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Manda,” she replied.

“Good to know you, Manda.” I extended my hand to her. She took it, though she looked uncomfortable. We shook hands and fell into an awkward silence.

“Let me know if you need anything,” I said. She only nodded in response. I quickly moved on. I should’ve paid more attention to my mother when she spoke to other diplomats. Maybe I would’ve developed better conversational skills.

I spotted Maris standing in front of an open panel mounted on the wall. From what I’d heard, she’d wasted no time getting to work on the ship.

Maybe she knew something about the shockwave.

Even if she was a bitch.

I sucked in a deep breath and walked over to Maris.

“Can I have a word?” I asked.

“Which one would you like?” She didn’t look away from the panel she was working on.

“No, I mean can I talk to you about something?” I corrected.

“I know what you mean.” She took the slender tool from between her teeth and jabbed it into a cluster of incomprehensible circuits.

“Cut the crap, Stoyer,” I snapped. She paused and looked at me out of the corner of her eye. She let out a single dry chuckle before turning to face me.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“I want to know about the shockwave,” I said.

“Simple,” she shrugged. “It’s a burst of pure energy.”

“I know what a shockwave is.” I was becoming annoyed now. I didn’t like Maris toying with me. “I want to know how the one that destroyed Persephone Station, and likely half of Pluto, happened.”

“Now you’re asking the right questions,” she smirked. “I’ve been wondering the same thing, actually.” She went back to tinkering with the panel as she spoke. “Now that I’ve spent some time talking with the engineers, I’ve gotten a pretty good sense of how this ship operates. Let me tell you one thing right now. This ship does not produce enough energy to create a shockwave that big.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Positive,” she replied. “This ship may be alien, but the numbers don’t lie. In fact, whatever upgraded Flosh drive replacement they use is specifically designed to minimize energy burn-off. I’m telling you, there’s no way this ship generated that shockwave.”

“Then what caused it?” I asked.

“That I can’t tell you,” Maris shrugged. “We’d have to go back to Pluto and Persephone Station for me to get an idea.”

“The moment we re-enter the Terran system, we’ll be hunted down.”

“So you think,” Maris shrugged. “So they’ve told you.”

“Even if that’s not the case, it’s not a risk I’m prepared to take,” I replied.

Dejar

Things had been going fairly well, considering.

Well, considering quite a lot.

We needed a job in order to get enough supplies to feed a double crew, or we were going to be forced to leave the women behind…or some of the men, as several of the women were proving to be quick learners.

So, I put out a ping to one of our more…interesting…contacts.

We only knew him as Job, because he was the one you contacted when you needed something quick with good pay, which usually meant it wasn’t the most appealing, or legitimate, of tasks.

While I waited for a response from my message, I had called Kalyn and Aavat into my office.

“How are the men dealing with the change, Aavat?”

“As expected. There have been grumblings, complaints, yelling, screaming, threats of mutiny, and general plans for the utter destruction of everything you hold dear. How do you think they’ve dealt with it?” He was in one of those moods.

With a deep sigh, and a look at Kalyn in hopes that she would learn from my experience, I gave Aavat a get-your-act-together look and waited.

He matched my stare, then gave in. “There have been some complaints, but the men have handled it accordingly, sir.”

I wasn’t sure what his issue was this morning, but if he kept at it, it would become problematic.

However, before I could discuss it with him, Kalyn intervened. “Is everything alright, Aavat? You seem particularly grumpy this morning.”

“What’s grumpy?” he growled at her. The translators did a reasonable job, but the more we spoke with the women, the more I realized there were still holes in the database, missing concepts.

Someone would have to spend some quality time updating and cross-checking, but that wouldn’t be a priority. Not for a while.

“Well,” she said sweetly. I liked it when she used her sweet voice, wrapping around the words until they were as soft as she was. “It’s how you’re acting right now. You’re combative, you’re cross, and you just generally seem to be in a bad mood.”

He looked at her with what I recognized as his “kout off” glare, but she just continued to look at him with concern.

He backed down.

He actually chuckled.

Huh.

Maybe there were a few things I could learn from Kalyn about dealing with others.

“Fine, I’m grumpy, or whatever you call it,” he said with a wave. He turned back to me and gave me a more appropriate answer. “The men are doing what is needed, but we’re struggling with supplies and it’s creating an issue. At this rate, we’ll be without food in four days.”

That was worse than I had anticipated. “Scro. How are we on fuel?”

“We can’t fold again without draining our fuel cells, otherwise we’re good until recharge.”

“And how much longer for recharge?” I ask. I knew the answer, but I wanted Kalyn to understand, as well.

“Same as the food, four days at our current rate of movement. If we dock, a few hours, but we would have to find someplace where these ones,” he pointed at Kalyn, “wouldn’t stick out and give us away.”

“And,” I started, “since no outpost like that exists, we’d have to leave the women on board, hide them, or disguise them.”

Not the best of ideas, and now that I thought about it, that created a bit of an issue with our eventual meeting with Job.

However, first things first. I turned to Kalyn. “How are the women holding up?”

Kalyn cocked her head to the side. “As well as could be expected, I guess. There are complaints about the rations, but I think it’s more along the lines of still not knowing what they’re eating than the amount they have to eat.”

“I can understand that. I…” I was interrupted by my private comm channel beeping. Clicking on the answer tab, Job’s partially masked face showed up on my screen.

As I pushed another button and sent the image to the viewscreen on the wall, Aavat had Kalyn move to the side of the room where Job wouldn’t see her. She moved quickly, but reluctantly.

“Ho, Job.”

“Ho, Dejar. I hear you’re looking for work.” Job’s voice sounded like gravel rubbing together. There was a lot of debate about whether or not his voice was real or the product of a synthesizer.

My vote was for the third option… I didn’t care as long as I got work and didn’t make him angry.

Most people voted for that option.

As for why his face was partially masked, that was, supposedly, due to a factory accident that ruined the right side of his face. Rumor had it that when he didn’t wear the mask, you could see the skull and the remnants of the muscles that worked that side of his face.

I had never seen him without a mask and wasn’t really that curious.

“You are correct, my friend. We were hoping for something under sensor range,” I said.

“I have job for you, but you might not like it.”

Aavat cut in before me. “What does it pay?”

“Ho, Aavat. Still not polite, I see.”

“My apologies, Job. Now, what does it pay?” Aavat always was more to the point, even when he needed to be polite.

Job glanced between the two of us, then looked away. I could hear some keys being tapped and then my computer pinged as a file arrived. “This job pays seventy-five thousand credits.”

Aavat spit out his drink and I nearly choked. “Tha…sev…uh…”

“Do you want job or no?” he asked.

As he wiped his mouth, Aavat choked out a “Yes, yes, we do. We want the job.”

“I need hear from him,” Job pointed at me.

With a quick and enthusiastic nod, I agreed to the job. “Yes, yes, of course. We’ll take the job.” Job nodded and ended the communication.

“Holy mother! That many credits?” Aavat was beside himself. I was, too, to be honest. That much pay meant months of supplies, repairs to the ship, and the whole crew getting double their normal share.

“Is that a lot?”

I had forgotten about Kalyn. “What did you say?”

“Is that a lot of money? That doesn’t seem like a lot of money,” she said. In the shadow of my office, her blonde, as she called it, hair stood out.

“Is that not a lot of money where you come from?” I asked.

“Not really,” she said. “As Commander of Persephone Outpost, my yearly pay was nearly three-hundred-thousand dollars.”

Aavat’s eyes grew large. “Wait, what’s a ‘dollar’?”

The ship’s AI interrupted us. “According to the Dominion conversion chart in my files, that amount of dollars would be the rough equivalent of eight hundred of our credits.”

Aavat snorted. “That’s not even what my cut would be on a small job.”

“Why would you have our currency in a conversion table,” Kalyn frowned, “if contact with our system is prohibited?”

“That is odd,” I wondered, then shrugged. “The central databanks have information from any number of worlds. Most of them broadcast their information out into space for years and years before they were accepted into the Dominion. Probably some overeager archivist compiled it, tagged it, and promptly forgot all about it.”

“Maybe.” She didn’t look convinced.

“Who cares?” Aavat said. “What matters right now is getting this little chore done and getting paid.”

Kalyn got a look in her eye, a tilt to her head, and a purse to her lips, which suddenly had me interested in ways I hadn’t anticipated. “True. And if your contact is paying this much for a job, it’s probably illegal. Right?”

Both Aavat and I nodded.

“Almost certainly illegal, and if it’s not illegal, then it’s desperate. Did he send you the file?” Aavat asked.

“Yes, he did.” I opened the file and displayed it on the viewscreen. We were to pick up a few crates and deliver them to some company facility.

That seemed… easy.

Far too easy.

“We can help.” Kalyn nodded, face stern.

“How?”

“However you need us to. Besides, I suspect that some of the women may have untapped talents. And we need to earn credits, as well.”

Aavat looked at me, I looked at him, then he shrugged and smirked. “If they can help, they should. I have no problem with it.”

“Very well,” I said. I looked at Kalyn and saw her bright blue eyes sparkling. “You and your ladies are in. We’ll work through the logistics and figure out a way for you to help, but most of your crew will have to stay out of sight, at least until we can figure out a plausible explanation for you.”

“Or a reasonable disguise,” Aavat added. I nodded at him as Kalyn smiled. That smile was beautiful.

“We won’t let you down, I promise,” Kalyn said. “So, what are we getting?”

“It doesn’t say, and there are explicit instructions not to look into it. For that price tag, I’ll deliver nearly anything without question.”

Aavat relayed the coordinates for our pickup to Qal, and then we spent the next hour or so discussing how we were going to deal with the shipment, what role the women would play in it, and how long the job would take.

Aavat was calm and businesslike. Kalyn was enthusiastic and more than willing to give ideas and take criticism. I found myself smiling.

We had a job, and we had a new partner.

Kalyn

“I want to know what it is,” Aryn sighed.

We’d been exiled to the small mess hall while Dejar picked up whatever it was he was to deliver.

“The contract didn’t say anything about what they’re shipping?” Lynna asked me for the third time.

“Nothing,” I replied. “In fact, it strongly suggested we don’t try to find out what it is.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Manda said quietly.

“Obviously, it’s something illegal or they wouldn’t be hiding it. Things could get really rough for us if they’re caught carrying contraband cargo,” Maris said.

“I think you’re forgetting that we’re contraband cargo,” I interjected.

“You’d think they’d want our help pulling off a minor crime,” Aryn mused. “Most of us have experience in that department.”

“Not all of us,” Lynna said defensively.

“Yes, we all know you’re a beacon of goodness amongst us ruffians,” Maris chuckled. Lynna rolled her eyes but didn’t hide her smile.

“Ruffians or not, I want to know what we’re transporting.” Aryn pushed herself off the counter she sat on and made for the door.

“Bad idea.” I slid in front of the door to block her path.

“This could affect us!” she argued. “I thought you were concerned about our safety.” She arched her brow.

“I am, but you’re as subtle as the shockwave that landed us in this position. Sit,” I ordered. “I’ll go see if I can find out what’s on board.”

“I think I have more experience sneaking around than you do,” Aryn shot back.

“Sit down or I’ll find a month’s worth of unpleasant duties to give you,” I warned. That was another tip from Dejar, know when to use a firm hand. It worked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Aryn grumbled. She strode back to the counter she’d sat on earlier and hauled herself up.

“I’ll be back soon.” I slowly opened the door to the mess hall, careful not to let it creak. I peeked into the hallway and listened.

When I didn’t hear anything, I cautiously stepped into the corridor and slowly closed the door.

As I stalked through the hallways, I realized just how far I was willing to go to prove to the other women that I was on their side. I wondered what Dejar would say about this.

Hopefully, I wouldn’t find out.

I heard voices up ahead, near the loading doors. I pressed myself flat against the wall and slowly crept forward until I saw figures dressed in dark clothing carrying large crates in the direction of the cargo bay. I couldn’t see their features.

Were they Shein, too, or something else entirely?

Dejar leaned against the wall, supervising. I leaned forward, anxious to see more. His eyes snapped to mine.

Shit.

His eyes widened, and he made a subtle gesture with his hand as if to ask me what the hell I thought I was doing. I lifted one finger to my mouth and pressed it to my lips.

It occurred to me that he might not know what that gesture meant. One of the dark-clad beings approached Dejar, drawing his attention away from me.

“That’s everything,” he said gruffly. “I trust you will honor the contingencies of the delivery contract.”

“Of course,” Dejar replied. The being nodded and moved to leave, but Dejar stopped him. “You haven’t given me a packing slip or a transfer permit.”

“You’re not getting one,” the figure replied.

“I don’t know how you expect me to deliver to a public port without one,” Dejar protested.

“Figure something out,” the being said before pushing past Dejar. With impressive speed, Dejar grasped the being by the arm and held him in place.

“I need papers if you want your delivery completed.” His voice was calm, but I could see how hard he was gripping the being’s arm.

“If you cannot provide the service requested, I am not opposed to canceling the contract,” the being hissed.

Dejar contemplated for a moment before releasing the being’s arm.

“We’ll handle it,” he growled. “Now get off my ship.” The being snarled before collecting his companions and exiting the ship. When I was certain they’d left, I stepped out from my hiding place.

“That didn’t sound good,” I winced.

“I told you to stay out of sight,” Dejar sighed.

“Technically, I did,” I shrugged. “They didn’t see me.” I knew he wanted to argue. I could see it all over his face.

“True.” He gave me a begrudging look.

“What papers did they refuse to give you?” I asked.

“Standard declaration papers,” he explained. “Whenever a ship comes into a public port, the cargo bay has to be inspected, and each piece of cargo has to come with a delivery slip. They’re stamped and authorized before the cargo is loaded. Usually.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“Tell the truth?” Dejar scrubbed at his short hair. “We don’t have the spare credits for a bribe. The dockmasters are going to figure out that we’re carrying something illegal the moment we arrive without paperwork. Upfront honesty might be our best option.”

“You’re just going to tell them you’re carrying illegal cargo?” I was aghast. “Have you never done anything like this before?”

“We’re a reputable delivery company,” he said in self-defense. “Mostly.”

“You won’t get paid if you do that,” I reminded him.

“True. But now I’m not as worried about getting paid as I am about having the ship confiscated or landing in jail.”

“We can fix this,” I blurted. He looked at me in surprise. “You need to get paid to make up for the money invested in me and the women. It’s only fair.”

“Have you done something like this before?” I could tell he found the idea amusing.

“Not on this scale,” I admitted. “But I’m a professional at sneaking around my mother. It was no easy feat."

“What do you need to pull this off?” he asked.

I mulled it over for a moment. “Is there any way to get inside a crate, see what’s in there?”

He shook his head. “The seals are bio-locked. Won’t open for anyone but the addressee.”

I chewed my lip, thinking. “I might have an idea,” I grinned. “Do you have any slips from past deliveries?”

“I do,” Dejar nodded.

“Bring them to the mess hall,” I said. “It’d be best if they were from the same port as the one we’re going to, and for something that looks about the same size as those crates.” Dejar gave me a skeptical look but agreed. I made my way back to the mess hall where the women were eagerly waiting for me.

“Did you see anything?” Aryn asked immediately.

“No, but I have a question for all of you.” They looked at me with curious expressions. “Is anyone good at making counterfeit documents?” I wasn’t terribly surprised when nine women, including Aryn, said they could.

A moment later, Dejar appeared in the doorway with a stack of thin sheets of some sort of film.

“Perfect!” I gushed. “Do you have a pen?” Dejar produced one from a pocket. “Write today’s date on the back here and show me where it goes on the form.”

“I think I know where you’re going with this,” he muttered as he scribbled a series of characters on the back of one of the films. I passed the stack to Aryn.

“Make this one look like it was created today,” I ordered.

She nodded, apparently excited to be a part of something sneaky. “I’m going to need…” she ran her fingers over the film, thought a moment, “something a little acidic from the kitchen. Not too strong.”

One of the others ran to find some options, and Dejar and I waited for Aryn to finish her work.

When she finished, I showed the paper to Dejar for approval.

“It looks legitimate,” he said, clearly impressed. “What now?”

“Set course for the port and let me talk to the dockmaster when we get there,” I replied.

“You want to talk to the dockmaster?” Dejar balked.

“Of course,” I said.

“Not like that, you aren’t.” Dejar shook his head. He pulled out his comm unit and told the navigator to head for the delivery port and then called Aavat and told him to bring a cloak and a tin of pitch.

“What’s that for?” I asked.

“You’ll see.” A few minutes later, Aavat appeared with a dark hood and a small tin of thick, black liquid that smelled terrible.

“What is that?” I asked. Dejar flung the cloak around my shoulders and tied it around my neck.

“Your new tattoos,” he grinned. “If you’re going to talk to the dockmaster, we have to try to make you blend in. And your current look, lovely as it is, isn’t going to do it.”

“Is that stuff safe to use on human skin?” I asked.

“We’re going to find out!” Dejar beamed.

He dipped the end of his pen into the tin. He lifted it to my cheeks and carefully etched out markings like the ones Aavat sported down his arms. The pitch had the consistency of sap.

“Not as stupid as I thought it was going to look,” Aavat said as he surveyed Dejar’s work.

“I think it’ll work if she keeps the hood up and gloves on,” Dejar winked at me.

We reached the port a few hours later. Dejar touched up my false tattoos before I stepped off onto the dock, keeping my hood pulled down low.

“Captain Dejar?” the dockmaster, a thin, bright-blue creature with an extra set of arms, asked. I could hear the suspicion in his voice.

I didn’t dare look at him.

“No,” I replied. “The captain and much of the crew have taken ill. I’ve brought our delivery slips for you to inspect. Of course, if you must search the cargo bay, I understand, but speaking as a friend, I’d advise against it.”

“It’s standard procedure,” the dockmaster replied, looking through the slips I handed to him.

“Yes, of course,” I nodded. “However, you should know that the washrooms are in a disastrous state, if you catch my meaning. I would hate for you or your workers to be exposed to such an…explosive illness.”

The dockmaster remained silent for what felt like an eternity.

I was certain that he was going to go inspect the cargo. Or he’d tell me to take off my hood.

He’d find I was a human.

We’d be rounded up and deposited somewhere. Dejar would lose his ship and crew.

All because of this stupid plan!

And that’s when the dockmaster handed me back the papers. His inspection was apparently concluded before it began based on my warning of an ‘explosive illness’.

“Carry on.”

Dejar

Kalyn had been fantastic.

She managed to get us past the dockmaster without incident, and that’s something that I normally couldn’t say, without spending a large sum of credits to ease the way.

It felt good to have food, fuel, supplies, a working ship, and credits again.

To celebrate, we purchased an extra ration of ambrosia and extra food for a party. Several of the women put in a requisition for certain supplies and decided to make “baked goods,” whatever those were.

In the nearly two weeks that we’d had the women on board, they’d managed to prove themselves worthy of being there. I liked having them on board, so did the men.

Even Aavat, in his surly sort of way, was accepting the women.

In order to thank Kalyn for what she and her people had done for us, I invited her to my quarters for dinner. I prepared a private meal for us of Thenonian steak, Bregarn soup, Charkesien wine, and various vegetables.

I wasn’t sure how well the meal would go, but Kalyn seemed willing to try our foods, so I was hoping this meal from my home-world would seem good to her. I seared the steak long enough to give it a satisfying crunch while keeping it moist and chewy in the center. The Bregarn soup was cooked using some of the juices from the cooking steaks, adding to its flavor, all while I cooked the vegetables in butter.

I made sure everything was cooked just right, then took it to my quarters. I was just barely finished setting the table when there was a knock at my door.

“Just a minute,” I called out.

When I opened the door, she took my breath away, all thoughts of the dinner long gone.

All of the women had purchased new clothes, as well as other necessities, from the station’s online systems, and we’d marked the whole batch of it as incoming cargo.

It was no more of a stretch than most things we’d done lately, it seemed.

Finally able to get rid of her old uniform, Kalyn was glorious in a simple blouse and slacks, the soft jewel tones bringing out the deep color of her eyes, the cut of the silky fabric skimming just over her curves.

My hands twitched at my sides, eager to touch her, see if her skin was even smoother than the fabric that draped over her so becomingly.

“Can I come in?” She cocked her head, and I shook off my daze.

“Of course,” I stuttered, and cursed myself. What the hell was the matter with me? “Let me take that for you.”

With a smile, she surrendered a platter of small things, each decorated, and all smelling sweet.

But not nearly as sweet as she did.

“Come in. You look magnificent,” I said, stepping aside to give her room. She entered my quarters and looked around.

Seeing her there, in my space, sent a small thrill of victory through me.

I liked it.

Far too much.

“Thirsty?”

At her nod, I set the tray of sweets to the side and poured us each a glass of wine and pulled myself together.

“Here, sit,” I said as I pulled her chair out for her. I brought the food over to the table, setting each dish within her reach.

“What’s the occasion for such a feast?”

“I enjoy cooking, actually. And I wanted to thank you personally for your role in this last job. Without you, we may have either failed that delivery or had it cost us a tremendous amount of the payout,” I replied, watching the lovely pink color rise on her cheeks. “You and your ladies have certainly earned a place on board the Rogue Star.”

She looked down, just a little awkward. Had I said something wrong?

“Thank you, Captain.”

“Please. Just Dejar.”

A quick smile eased my worry, just a bit. “All we wanted was to feel as though we belonged somewhere, that we’re contributing members. You’ve given us that chance.” Her eyes sparkled in the light as she took a sip of her wine.

“You’ve always deserved that chance, Kalyn. Whatever your mother was embarrassed by was due to her own prejudiced thinking. You are very much a leader, maybe you just needed a fresh start.”

And now I’d said too much.

Or not enough, or the wrong thing altogether.

As we ate, I described each dish, where it came from, how it’d been prepared.

But while I talked, I watched her mouth, the tiny gasps of pleasure when she tasted something she enjoyed, the teasing flick of her tongue over her lips.

The more we ate, the more my hunger grew.

She finally pushed away from the table and cleared the dishes, laughing over my protests.

“It was all wonderful, but it’s time for dessert!”

She brought over the platter and waited expectantly. “They’re just cakes and pastries, nothing special.”

“What is a pastry?”

She began to chuckle, then stopped. “You’re serious, aren’t you? Got to be a translator error.”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

With a shake of her head and a smile that enchanted me, she answered. “Nothing, nothing. What do you call things that are sweet to eat?” Her eyes widened, and she bit her lip. “Unless you don’t like sweets, some people don’t, and I didn’t think…”

I folded her hand in mine and rubbed my thumb over the back to try to calm her.

“We do, I do. We call them gorahns. Little puffs with sugars on them, or in them.”

She let out a little squeal. “That’s it, that’s what these are, just human-style.” She picked one up. “This is a cupcake.” She handed it to me. It was a dark-colored thing in a paper wrapper, with a similar-colored something on top.

She must have seen the look on my face because she laughed again, picked one up for herself, and peeled off the wrapper.

I imitated her, then when she took a bite, I did, as well.

The explosion of taste in my mouth was wonderful. The moist flakiness of the bottom mixed with the silky smoothness of the stuff on top…it was amazing. “Ooh,” I said with a mouthful of cupcake. “Mmm. What is this?”

“Chocolate cupcake with hazelnut chocolate icing on top,” she answered, a small crumb stuck with icing in the corner of her lips. “Well, not real chocolate or hazelnut, but it’s pretty damn close in its taste.”

“I suppose someone had to sit there and taste all the food and categorize it to what humans call it?” I asked with a smile.

“Trust me,” she laughed. “Once the girls realized the food was safe, they were more than willing to do it. In the name of science, of course.”

“Of course,” I said as I reached over and gently wiped the cupcake crumb from her lips, hesitating a moment before taking my hand away.

She might have she moved her head just a fraction to keep my hand there, but maybe I imagined it.

I couldn’t be sure, not when my own desires were complicating the matter.

I cleared my throat and looked away for a moment. “This is amazing. What else do you have?”

“Uh, um, oh, we have some turnovers, a jelly-filled doughnut, and some vanilla-hazelnut cake.”

She explained to me what each one was, and I made the comparison to similar delicacies I’ve experienced throughout my travels. “So, which one is your favorite?” she asked me between bites of the doughnut.

“Hmm.” I was forced to think about it. While the vanilla-hazelnut cake was fabulous, its simple flavor accented by the crushed nuts, the choice was hard. “I would have to say the cupcake is, although the cake is a very strong challenger.”

“Aw, I was hoping the cake would win out. It was my grandmother’s recipe, just pretty heavily modified by the fact that I’m somewhere she couldn’t imagine.” The disappointment in her statement was countered by the playful smile on her face.

And yet, I felt bad to have failed her somehow.

“Perhaps it was because the chocolate has such a powerful flavor that it sits within my memory, especially since it was the first one you presented to me,” I offered as an explanation.

She shook her head. “It’s okay. Chocolate’s my favorite, too, so I understand the feeling.”

We chatted about food from our homes, as I poured us each another glass of wine.

She told me of a place called Alaska and how the cold weather and snow prepared her for Pluto, which made her laugh because Pluto was also a character for a “cartoon” franchise.

I didn’t know what a cartoon was, but I did find it funny that a planet was named for a character meant for children. Apparently, there was quite a lot about Terran - human - culture that even our databanks could make no sense of.

Every story, every motion she made, sent sparks through me. There was no crumb this time, no excuse, but still I ran my hand over the curve of her jaw, brushed the delicate line of her neck, no longer hearing her words, just lost in the sound of her voice.

“Dejar…” Her eyes widened, mouth fell softly open, as I traced the outline of her collar bone.

My name on her lips sent fire through my veins. With complete clarity, I imagined sweeping the table with my arm, laying her across it, feasting on her, driving into her as she called my name again and again.

I pulled away, the hooded look of her eyes beckoning me back to her side.

“It’s late,” I said as I stood, offering a hand to help her rise, hoping she couldn’t see how close to the edge I had come. “Let me walk you back to your quarters.”

When she was safely delivered to Lynna, I returned to my cabin, finished the wine by myself, and tried not to look at the table.

I failed.

Kalyn

After our successful venture into the world of smuggling and document forging, Dejar began to invite me to the office to talk about upcoming deliveries.

To his credit, he chose legal jobs as often as he could.

However, shady jobs paid significantly more. And with a larger crew, well… the right decision wasn’t always the ‘right’ one.

We settled into a sort of routine. By and large, most of the women were reasonably happy with it.

It wasn’t home.

But honestly, most of us might never have gotten off Persephone Station. The casualty rate on the station was high, and if they’d served out their time, the only way back was by Flosh drive.

Dead-end job at a dead-end station, or a ride home that had too high a chance of killing you. Somehow, a life of adventure in the stars held a bit more appeal. The murmurs of wanting to go back died down.

“We don’t need to take another job right away,” Aavat argued, again.

“We shouldn’t go too long without income,” Dejar replied, again. This had been going on for the entire morning.

“We could coast for weeks off the profits we’ve made so far,” Aavat snapped. “I say the crew has earned a break. What do you think, Kalyn?”

“I think you should take a few more jobs before slowing down,” I told him, running through the numbers that I’d almost, almost started to get a handle on understanding. “You never know when the next emergency will come along and financially drain us.”

“I think it worked out well last time,” Dejar grinned at me.

“If you’re both going to be practical about it, I don’t see why you need my input.” Aavat rolled his eyes.

“To make you feel useful, of course,” Dejar quipped.

Aavat smirked and shoved Dejar’s shoulder.

“Pick an interesting job this time,” Aavat said. “Any illegal arms dealers hiring?”

“If they were, I don’t think they’d be posting job offers on the main channels,” Dejar replied.

“Maybe not,” Aavat allowed. “At least pick something better than the iron delivery to Pax. That was the most boring week of my life.”

Pax was a tiny planet in the middle of empty space. It was covered in warehouses and factories that manufactured construction tools. From what I gathered, it was the dullest place in Dominion space.

The women and I had stayed hidden the entire week we were there, since workers from the factories came to inspect and unload each bit of metal.

“It was pretty awful,” I added.

Dejar looked at me in amusement.

“You’ve just learned there are whole systems you didn’t know existed and you’re already bored?” he laughed.

“I’m not bored with the systems,” I replied. “I’m simply agreeing with Aavat that Pax was a boring job.”

“As any being with a lick of sense would,” Aavat nodded.

“Oh, I see.” Dejar leaned forward on his desk, closer to me. “You’ve committed a minor smuggling job, now you’re hungry for more adventure.”

“I consider myself a proper swashbuckler now,” I preened. “My standards are much higher.”

“A what?” Aavat snorted. He tapped his translator unit. “I’m just hearing nonsense noises.”

“I think it’s a human word for criminal,” Dejar replied.

“A criminal with class and charisma,” I corrected.

“I think the term suits you.” Dejar’s smile brought a blush to my cheeks. I looked away, overcome with sudden shyness.

Aavat looked from Dejar to me and back again. With a sigh of feigned annoyance, he stood up from his seat.

“I’ll leave you to…whatever it is that you two are doing,” he said as he walked out of the room.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dejar called after him.

“Figure it out.” Aavat let the door fall shut behind him.

“What did he mean by that?” I wondered.

“Who knows with him.” Dejar’s laugh sounded forced.

We sat in silence for a few moments. Dejar pretended to look at the delivery contracts on his desk. I examined my fingernails with exacting scrutiny.

“Anyway-”

“I want to-”

We laughed awkwardly. I felt my cheeks flush again.

What was it about Dejar that made me blush whenever I was around him? Now that I’d become accustomed to his metallic gold skin and his abundance of tattoos, it wasn’t that different from talking to a human.

A man.

Dejar was the first male I’d ever gotten to know. I’d even call him my friend.

And maybe...

“You go first,” I insisted.

“It’s nice having you here.” Dejar’s words caught me off guard. “A voice of reason, that even Aavat listens to. Sometimes.”

“Thanks for not leaving us to die in space,” I laughed dryly.

He watched me with a smile on his face, but it was different from his usual, easy smile. This one was soft and made my stomach do a funny flip. I opened my mouth to speak but couldn’t find any words.

His eyes flickered to my lips for the briefest of moments before meeting my gaze once more.

For a moment, I thought about touching him, sliding my hand down the strong planes of his face, learning--

The console on his desk beeped, breaking the spell.

“Looks like another job.” He turned his attention to the console.

I felt like I’d been splashed with cold water.

“A good one?” I asked, just because I felt like I needed to say something.

“A lucrative one,” he replied. I leaned closer to him to look at the screen. Our shoulders touched, his skin radiating warmth. I was gripped with the urge to touch his arm. Of all the times I’d touched his hand, I didn’t know what his skin felt like anywhere else. Was it smooth? Slightly scaled, like I suspected?

His words pulled me back to reality. “Doesn’t give many details, though.”

“I think Aavat would consider that exciting, don’t you think?” I chuckled.

“It’s probably something illegal or morally questionable, so I’m sure he’ll like it. I’ll accept the contract.”

Dejar hit a few keys on the console. The moment he accepted the offer, a chill ran down my spine and I shivered.

“Still cold?” Dejar asked.

My only complaint about living on the Rogue Star was how cold it always was, but I hadn’t shivered because of that.

“No,” I replied. “I just had a strange feeling. I’m sure it was nothing.”

“Humans are strange.” Dejar laughed and shook his head. “Looks like the pickup point is only a few hours from where we are now. I’ll go tell Qal to adjust our course.”

“I’ll go tell the women there’s more work coming their way.” Together, we left the office and parted in the hallway.

The other women were excited about the new job. Even if they didn’t directly help with the delivery, I knew they felt better when the ship was turning a profit.

We all did. It was a certain security in what had become our strange new life.

I stood on the bridge with Dejar, Aavat, and Kovor when we arrived at the designated location. The coordinates provided didn’t match up with any planet in the system, so Dejar assumed we were going to a drifting space station.

Instead, there was just a single ship, three times the size of the Rogue Star, but it looked as if it was made from three smaller ships strapped together.

“Is this a normal occurrence?” I asked Dejar.

“Occasionally, a single ship will hire a delivery vessel for time-sensitive deliveries off their current course,” Dejar explained. “However, nothing in the offer said anything about time sensitivity and those kinds of deliveries are usually placed by a company.”

“Is this ship not part of a company?” I asked.

“If I had to guess, I’d say this vessel was built from commandeered ships,” Aavat commented.

“They could’ve been salvaged from a scrapyard,” Kovor suggested.

“It looks too nice to be scrap,” Dejar said.

“Odd,” I murmured.

“What are the chances that this is a trap and we are about to be commandeered?” Kovor asked.

“I’d say fifty-fifty,” Aavat shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it, boss. I’ve been yearning for a good fight.”

“Strangely enough, that doesn’t make me feel better,” Kovor snorted. “If we are commandeered, any expenses for repairs are coming out of your pay.”

“Noted,” Aavat chuckled.

Despite the lightness in their voices, I was nervous. There was a feeling in my gut screaming for me to abandon this job, but it wasn’t my call.

Dejar and the crew were only taking these jobs to pay for the burden of supporting me and the other women from Persephone, so I tried to ignore the feeling.

When the Rogue Star was properly aligned with the other ship, a docking passage extended, connecting the two at a smaller loading bay. Dejar flicked the cameras for me to watch from the safety of the bridge while the three of them went to meet our new clients.

After an interminable wait, the airlock doors opened, and two orange-skinned aliens appeared, one of them holding a large crate.

“Welcome aboard. We’re delighted to assist you.” Kovor offered a friendly gesture. They ignored it.

“Delivery?” the one holding the crate grunted.

“Yes,” Dejar said slowly.

“Delivery.” the alien grunted again. He thrust the crate forward.

“Allow me,” Aavat offered, barely disguising his annoyance. He took the crate from the client. The crate shifted lightly in his hands. “I expected this to be heavier.” The client said nothing. The other one turned to Dejar and handed him a small stack of documents. The pair disembarked, and the doors slid shut behind them.

“That was…efficient,” I said through the ship’s comms.

Dejar looked through the papers. “Everything’s in order,” he replied. “That’s a nice change, at least.”

“I want to know what’s in the crate,” Aavat said. “It weighs nothing.”

“Not so fast,” Dejar warned. “There’s a confidentiality order in here, and another one of those bio-locks. We can’t look.”

“Who’s going to know?” Aavat asked.

“We must maintain our professional standards,” Kovor insisted.

Aavat rolled his eyes before handing the crate off to be stored in the cargo bay. I wanted to see what was in the crate as much as Aavat did.

I told myself it was nothing, but the twisted feeling in my gut still remained.

Dejar

Kalyn didn’t feel good about our latest pickup, and I was forced to admit that I wasn’t terribly happy with it, either.

Everything about it worried me.

However, the pay was worth it.

When we had left the pickup point, there was nothing on our scanners, and that was the only thing that made me feel better.

With no Dominion ships in the region, our only concerns were arriving on time and avoiding pirates, and most of the pirates already knew better.

Aavat’s temper was a hassle, but occasionally useful.

Just a smooth, easy trip, deliver the troublesome package, and maybe it was time for that break.

“We’re being followed, sir.” Qal rushed onto the bridge, out of breath, teeth bared.

We checked our instruments, but nothing registered.

I gave him a stern look. “This is not the time for one of your jokes, Qal. We…” I started.

“And this wouldn’t be one of them, sir. Something is out there, and it’s following us.” The strain on his face was enough to convince me. Of course it wasn’t going to be easy.

I motioned him to his console. “Can you get me a visual?”

“Faster than you can say Calixotradinsic, Captain.”

There was the Qal I knew. He took over his piloting station, clicked a few keys on his screen, and brought up a visual outside the ship. It took a few moments, but he eventually found what he was looking for, a blockage of the stars. “That’s it, right there.”

I looked, and while a darkness in the stars was odd, it didn’t look like a ship to me. “Are you sure?”

Without saying a word, Qal quickly pivoted the Rogue Star. It gave us a better view of the blockage, and I saw the ship design before it moved to match our new positioning.

“Kout! You were right, Qal. My apologies for not believing you,” I acknowledged. What disturbed me was that nothing showed up on our sensors.

I called Aavat up to the bridge.

When he finally arrived, we had already increased speed and adjusted course again, but it was still there. “Suggestions?” I asked when he had been briefed.

“We could try to fold, but since the fold takes time to build up, it would leave us vulnerable if it decides to attack,” he answered. The look on his face showed that he was just as concerned about our sensors not working as I was.

“Agreed. A fold leaves us too vulnerable.” The process of making a fold happen was complicated, but the short version involved us slowing down considerably as our engines built up the needed power for a fold, leaving us with little to no movement capabilities. While our shields would still be up, they would also be slightly drained by the power build-up. “So, options.”

He continued to stare at his screen as he answered, his voice agitated. “We run, we fight, we ignore. Those are the only three options I see.”

He didn’t see my nod, but we had worked together long enough that he knew I heard him. “Qal, adjust course and increase speed again. See if you can shake it.”

“Aye, aye.” For the next hour, Qal did everything he could to throw off our stalker, but to no avail. They matched us in movements, speed, and even when Qal tried some crazy maneuvers, they were there.

“The only thing we haven’t tried yet is a pre-fold,” Aavat stated when Qal looked back at us and shrugged in disbelief. A pre-fold was what his crew called the sudden jump in speed associated with folding, without actually folding.

“That could cause an engine failure if done wrong,” I shot back.

“Good thing it’s my engineer in charge then.”

I hated him at that moment, but his suggestion was all we had left other than fight, because it was terribly apparent we weren’t going to be able to ignore or run.

“Do it,” I said, failing to hide the resignation in my decision. Aavat signaled Qal to push it, and with slightly raised eyebrows, he followed orders.

The ship jumped with tremendous speed, creating streaks across the viewscreen as the stars shot by. Unfortunately, the dark ship was still there, further behind than before, thanks to the sudden burst of speed, but still on our trail.

“I’m going to have to pull us out of this soon, Captain. Engines can’t handle the stress,” Qal called back to us. He was right. This sort of action taxed the engines more than a fold did and wiped out our fuel resources just as fast.

“Do it,” I ordered. Qal slowed us down, then immediately shifted us on a hard course change. The dark ship passed us, then turned faster than I’d ever seen a ship of that size turn.

It was roughly two-thirds the size of the Rogue Star, and the design was something I had never seen before. It was long, yet compact, and sleek. It was as if there were no edges to it. It turned towards us and began to change. “Wings” opened from its sides, then opened again into three sets.

I wasn’t sure about the rest of the bridge crew, but I knew that my eyes were open wide in shock. I glanced down at my screen, and the sensors still showed nothing there. How could our highly sensitive sensors miss something that was right in front of our eyes?

“Sir?” Qal’s voice had a twinge of fear to it. I looked up. Each tip of the wings began to light up. Kout. I recognized that glow.

“GET US OUT OF HERE!” I ordered while I signaled a red alert. Qal didn’t hesitate, but still wasn’t fast enough. As he turned us to the left, we were struck by two of the blasts that rocked us hard. “Evasive maneuvers. Get us turned so we can fire back.”

Qal was magnificent as a pilot and was capable of making ships move in ways you wouldn’t think they could, even in the vast emptiness of space.

Whoever piloted the dark ship was just as good. We traded shots back and forth. Aavat had taken over weapon controls, as he had been a better gunner than a captain, and he was a good captain.

Between Qal and Aavat, we put up an incredible fight, but we were taking heavy damage.

“We need to get away from it,” I managed to get out as we took another blow that shook the ship.

Aavat shot me a look as he fired again, striking the dark ship in one of the wings. “We’ve tried everything already.”

He shot again, striking that same wing. With that strike, the wing broke. “Do that again,” Qal yelled, and Aavat obliged.

He targeted another of the wings and managed to cause some serious damage before the dark ship turned and left. As members of the bridge crew shouted in celebration, I got on the comms and called for damage reports.

It took some time, but structural reports came in and while they weren’t good, they weren’t life-threatening, either.

“Talk to me, people. How could that thing hide from our sensors?” I asked.

No one had answers, but everyone had ideas. Several minutes went by before Aavat tapped me on the shoulder and pointed behind us.

“What is it, Shar?”

“Injury report, Captain.” His voice was gruff and shaking.

With a breath, I ordered him to proceed.

“Nearly two dozen injured, sir. Only three seriously, the rest are bumps, bruises, and a few sprains, from preliminary reports. It…” he stopped talking, his voice breaking.

I got up from my seat and approached him. “Just breathe. No matter how bad the news, I need to know it, and I need you to tell me.”

He looked up at me and I could see the tears in his eyes. “Three of the women are dead, sir, as well as six of our own, including my brother, Tambo.”

“How?”

“When section six was hit… it took substantial damage.” He took a deep breath. “No hull breach, but a corridor collapsed, and there was an explosion along the maintenance passage.” He straightened back up. “The fire is out now.”

Kout.

Shar and his brother had been part of my crew from the beginning, so I knew how close they were. I put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry about Tambo, I really am. There wasn’t a more caring member on this crew. We’ll make sure to care for his body properly, a true warrior’s burial.”

It was the best I could do, and it wasn’t nearly enough.

“Thank you, sir.” He fought the tears as best he could, but I couldn’t fault him for losing that battle.

“Mi tamba zum li cron, Shar. Moka nar Tambo.” It was an ancient saying from their tribe, honoring the family of the deceased and praising the lost.

Shar nodded, and we grasped one another’s forearms and touched heads.

He left the bridge and I turned around, fury wrapping my words. “Whatever that was, hurt us and hurt us deeply. I want to know how it stayed hidden, and I want to know now.”

I pushed the button for the ship-wide communication system. “Repair crews begin work at once. We need to make sure nothing else is wrong with the ship…and we need a funeral detail organized. We will honor those we lost.”

Kalyn

Idensa. Daria. Neera.

I don’t think I’d exchanged more than a few words with any of them. I only had known two of them by name.

I didn’t know what they did on Persephone Station when someone passed away. Considering how dangerous the station was, it had to have been a common occurrence. When I asked Lynna about it, she told me they had a big drill. They would cut deep into the icy crust of the planet, place the woman inside, and cover her with ice so she would never decay.

“What makes you think you have any right to decide what happens to them?” Maris snapped when I asked Dejar what our burial options were.

Her face was drawn and pale, her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot.

“I don’t,” I replied. “There are decisions that have to be made. I’d rather make them than force any of you to be pushed further into grief.”

“That’s because you aren’t grieving,” Aryn snapped. “You didn’t know them. You didn’t care about them.”

“Of course I did!” I gasped.

“You didn’t know Neera’s name,” Maris shot back.

I didn’t have anything to say. They were right.

I cared, but not enough. I felt a warm hand press against my back. Dejar had stepped closer without me noticing.

“I understand that all of you are in pain,” he began. The women of Persephone Station turned their attention to him.

Some glared at him with eyes like hot coals. Other stared at him, their sleepless night apparent in the dark circles under their eyes.

“May I share what the Shein do to honor the death of a fallen friend?”

I kept very still. It wasn’t my question to answer.

“Yes,” Lynna said quietly. Some of the other women looked at her as angrily as they looked at Dejar. It wasn’t her question to answer, either, apparently.

The other women liked Lynna, much more than they liked me, but Lynna was different, too. She went to Persephone voluntarily for research purposes.

She wasn’t sentenced to exile on the station as a laborer. I feared I’d never understand the social complexities of Persephone, especially now.

“We release them into space, then set them ablaze until they are nothing more than ash,” Dejar explained. “Their ashes will drift together into the void, where they become part of the cosmos.”

“That’s lovely,” I heard myself say, my voice so quiet, only Dejar would’ve been able to hear me clearly.

“That will be acceptable,” Maris said. A few others murmured their agreement, but most stayed silent.

“I will make arrangements.” Dejar bowed his head. “It’s up to you whether you want to attend the burning or not.” On that note, the women dispersed. I stood in place. I couldn’t will my legs to move.

“It isn’t your fault. You know that, don’t you?” Dejar said softly, his mouth only inches from my ear.

“But it is,” I whispered back. “The moment you accepted the job, I felt wrong. I didn’t say anything when I could’ve and look what happened. You lost some of your crew. I lost three women I should’ve gotten to know when I had the chance.”

“No one could’ve predicted that ship’s attack,” Dejar assured me, his strong hand rubbing small, gentle circles, easing muscles that were screaming at me. “It didn’t leave a trace on the sensors, not even a heat signature. Qal’s going blind reviewing the records. It’s impossible for a ship not to leave a heat signature. Whoever attacked us was incredibly sophisticated. Even if we had seen them coming, we would’ve never been prepared.”

“I should’ve spoken against taking that job,” I insisted.

“I would’ve taken it even if you had,” Dejar admitted. “I had the same bad feeling in my gut as you did, but I pushed forward. If anyone is to blame for what happened, it’s me. I’m the captain.”

“Don’t say that.” Without thinking, I reached out and touched his arm. For a brief moment, we were suspended in time. The skin of my fingertips resting against the warm skin of his forearm. Our eyes met, something electric crackled in the air around us. Then, just like that, it passed. Feeling breathless, I retracted my hand.

“I need to be alone for a moment,” I stammered. “There’s a lot I need to think about.”

“Use my office,” Dejar offered. “No one will bother you there.” I nodded my thanks and hurried off down the hall. I was so distracted that I ended up on the wrong end of the ship. When I finally made it to Dejar’s office, I let the door slide closed and put my back against the cool metal.

Maybe I would’ve felt better if I forced myself to cry. I wanted to. I was sad enough to weep, but the tears wouldn’t come. Years of hearing my mother describe tears as a weakness trained me to hold them in at all costs.

I knew she sent me up to Persephone to avoid a scandal, but did she honestly think I could do this job?

I wondered if she’d heard about the station being obliterated. It’s likely she would’ve been one of the first people to know. Did she send a team to Pluto to investigate, or did she write it off as an elegant solution to her problems? She’d always detested the station, but she detested the thought of its residents rejoining ‘decent society’ even more. Did she mean for me to die there all along?

Not even the thought of my own mother wanting me dead brought tears to my eyes.

I still believed it was some sort of miracle that Dejar picked us up and allowed us to stay on his ship, but I had been foolish to let myself get comfortable. Of course, this wasn’t a permanent solution.

I was so content to play pirate and trick myself into believing I was good at something that I allowed the women in my charge to be put in danger.

Blindly, I stared around the office, until a blinking dot caught my eye. One large wall screen displayed the map of our current location, updating as the ship’s position changed.

The course we were meant to be on was plotted along the map in red.

We were so far away from where we were meant to be. Using my fingers, I zoomed in on our location. We were close to a small planet of some kind. It was labeled, but I still couldn’t easily read the writing.

Dejar had been kind enough to add a feature to most of the ship’s displays that changed the labels to Terran when toggled. I activated the feature.

Dominion Outpost Nine.

I hadn’t forgotten what Dejar told me about the Dominion, but surely, they had to be the best chance of getting back home.

And off the Rogue Star.

I’d made the decision. It was the right one, but still, my heart cracked just a bit further. Stiffening my spine, I took a few deep breaths and left Dejar’s office.

He wasn’t on the main deck anymore. I checked the mess hall first but left immediately after meeting several hostile glares from the women who’d convened there.

Qal finally told me Dejar was in the med bay, the last place I wanted to be.

I tried not to look at the shrouded bodies when I entered the med bay, but I failed.

“Kalyn, you shouldn’t be seeing this.” Dejar stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the room.

“We’re near a Dominion outpost,” I said in response.

“Yes,” he nodded. “We’re going to avoid it as best we can. Hopefully, that dark ship didn’t attract too much attention.”

“I need you to take us there.” My voice didn’t sound like my own. It was as if I’d turned into an efficient, emotionless droid.

Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

“I don’t understand.” Dejar’s brow furrowed. “No place run by the Dominion is safe.”

“I have to appeal to the Dominion and get them to take us home,” I explained. “We don’t belong in a galaxy like this. It’s far too dangerous. We shouldn’t be here in the first place.”

“The Dominion are likely hunting for this ship as we speak,” Dejar stressed.

“You wouldn’t have to stay on the planet,” I said. “Just long enough for us to disembark and then leave before anyone realizes we came from the Rogue Star.” I bit my lips, the pain a welcome distraction from the churning in my stomach. “We won’t say anything to betray you, I promise.”

“I can’t leave you somewhere where you’ll be in danger,” Dejar argued.

“I’m in danger now,” I insisted. “All of us are. Going to the outpost is my best chance of getting the other women home where they’ll be safe. I can’t sit here and wait for more of them to die under my command.”

Dejar stared at me for a long time, his expression pained, searching, as if he was trying to come up with an alternative plan of any kind.

Eventually, he sighed and hung his head in defeat.

“If that’s what you truly want, we’ll take you to the outpost.”

I could tell he didn’t like the idea. I doubted the rest of his crew would, either.

But it needed to be done.

Dejar

I didn’t want them to go.

Fine.

I didn’t want Kalyn to go, and the rest of the women had been useful, even interesting to have around.

But I would have traded them all for her.

I stared at the door to her quarters. Every argument I tried had failed. And I couldn’t, wouldn’t, refuse her.

Finally, I knocked.

“Come in,” was the response.

I drew in a deep breath, let it out, and opened the door. Kalyn looked up from her desk and smiled, just a ghost of her usual radiance. “Hi, Captain.”

Captain.

The word was like a kick to the gut.

Not Dejar.

“Kalyn,” I said as I closed the door behind me. “I wanted to let you know that we’re about to dock at Outpost Nine.”

“Thank you. I was just finishing up a little bit of paperwork for the three women that…” she stopped talking and took in a shuddering breath. “Drafting letters to their families. In case we get a chance to send them, I’d like them to know how they died.”

I knew how she felt. “Don’t give in to the loss. Death is an inevitable part of life, and it cannot be stopped. What you cannot do is let it consume you.”

She looked up at me, her eyes wet but not yet dropping tears. “They were my responsibility. They shouldn’t have died.”

“So were the six men that I lost. And you’re right, they shouldn’t have died, none of them. However, you can’t let it consume who you are. What would you have done if they had died at Persephone Station?” I asked.

“But they didn’t die there, they died out here, and I’m the one that…”

“That what?” I interrupted. “Brought them here? No, you didn’t. Made them stay on board the ship? Again, no, you didn’t. Unless you brought the dark ship to attack us…did you do that?” I fixed her with a stare and looked into her blue eyes, silently challenging her to argue my point.

She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and closed it with a shake of her head.

I knelt down next to her and grabbed her hands, turning her towards me. “Don’t go. Don’t leave the ship.”

Her eyes shone with sadness as she looked away. “I have to. I have to make sure my girls are safe, and the only way to do that is to get them back home to Earth. I don’t want to leave, but I have to. They’re my responsibility.” Her voice broke a little as she spoke, and her hands squeezed mine, but she didn’t look at me.

I put my hand on her cheek, cupping it gently. I ever so gently moved her face, so she could look at me. “Stay. I want you to stay here, with me.”

I leaned in and brushed my lips over hers. Not the demanding, hungry kiss I’d dreamed of, but a silent plea.

For a moment she leaned into me, returning my touch, her lips yielding to mine as I tasted the salt of her tears.

Just as I thought that she might stay, she pulled away.

“I can’t. I’m sorry. I have to take care of them.”

With that, she stood up and walked out of the room.

Aavat was already in the hangar bay with the other women, while Kovor ran the bridge.

After a few minutes, I received word that the women had left the ship.

I stayed in the room, sitting on her bed, until the ship left port.

* * *

I went to the bridge to concentrate, but Kalyn’s ghost was everywhere. We’d done as she asked, staying only long enough for them to leave, with another job already lined up, far away.

Later that evening, as my shift was ending, Aavat came to speak with me. Leaving Qal in charge, which drew stares from several crew members, Aavat and I went to my office. “What is it, old friend?”

“The little one, Shenna, was looking all over the ship for her cat,” Aavat said to me, or rather, to a point on the wall over my head. “She couldn’t find it. I told her if I found it, I’d find a way to get it back to her.”

“And?” I asked, curious as to why he refused to meet my eyes.

“I found the cat.”

“And you want to go back?” I asked, incredulous. “To drop off a cat?”

“Maybe,” Aavat replied before trailing off.

I sat in silence waiting for him to continue.

“There have been some issues with work quality since we’ve left the outpost,” he answered me, changing the subject.

“Really? You bring me something this trivial? First, a cat and then work quality?” I shook my head at him.

He only snorted in derision, plopping into the opposite chair. Kalyn’s chair.

“Do you have anything else to say?” I snapped.

With a shake of his head and a smirk on his face, he just looked at me. “No, not really. You’re a very funny Shein. Did you know that?”

“Excuse me? How am I being funny?”

“The women have been gone a few hours, and the men are already complaining about the extra work they have to do, and how boring it is around here now.” He raised his eyebrows. “I think they got a little spoiled.”

“And how does that make me the funny one, exactly?”

He looked at me, leaned back in his chair, folded his arms and kicked his feet up on my desk. “You got spoiled, too. You want Kalyn back. It’s as plain on your face as the tattoos on Shar’s head. You miss her, you want her, and you’re acting like a petulant teenager that just had his favorite whatever revoked by his parents. You’re acting out, you’re angry, and you’re being a general pain in the kouting hurg.” He smiled a smug little smile that essentially dared me to punch him in the face, or say he was wrong.

He wasn’t wrong.

And I probably shouldn’t punch him.

“Oh, I am? And since when do you think you have the right to put your feet on my desk?”

“See?” he said with a laugh. “Petulant teenager. Just admit that you miss the woman and that you want her back already.”

“And what if I do?” I said as I threw my hands in the air. “What am I supposed to do about it?” The ship rocked a bit as we entered the fold to deliver our cargo. “It’s not as if we can turn around and go back.”

“True,” he said with a shrug. “But we can always fold back after we deliver the package. Convince her to come back. Hell, convince them all to come back. The men miss the women already. I miss the women. It felt good to have a competent crew on board.”

He rose from the chair and poured himself a drink from the decanter at the far side of the office.

He didn’t fool me. We already had a good crew. The women just made us better.

“What if she doesn’t want to come back?” I asked him, keeping an edge in my voice.

He took a deep drink, let out a big sigh as he swirled the rest of the drink in his glass, and leaned against the wall. “Forget her and move on. Or,” he said as he finished his drink. He poured himself another glass and offered me one, which I declined.

He walked over to the far wall to look out the window at the nothingness of the fold. He was milking the drama, letting it draw out before he finished his thought.

I hated him. “Or,” he finally continued, “if you can’t forget her and move on, you can always resign, give me back my ship, and go chase after her.”

“Your ship?” I asked with a grin. “Since when was this your ship?”

“It was my idea to combine forces and go to Kovor, if you remember correctly,” he responded, then downed his drink. He looked over at the decanter, shook his head, then placed the empty glass on my desk.

“I was the one that knew Kovor in the first place. If I hadn’t suggested his name, you would never have known about him.”

It was a favorite argument of ours, one that both of us enjoyed having. Truth be told, it was Aavat’s idea to combine forces, but the ship was Kovor’s. He owned it, he just let us fly it.

“So?”

I looked at Aavat quizzically. “What?”

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “What are you going to do, idiot? Are you going to give her up or are you going to go back for her?”

“Of course, I’m going to go back for her. We’re just in the middle of the fold already, so we might as well finish this delivery first,” I said back to him.

“What if she doesn’t want to come back? What if the Dominion is willing to take her home?”

“Since when has the Dominion been willing to actually do something for anyone just on request?” I asked back sarcastically.

He gave a slight nod. “Good point. Still didn’t answer my first question, however.”

“If she doesn’t want to come back,” the thought stabbed at me, “I’ll do my best to change her mind, and if she still doesn’t, then I’ll let her go. I’ll still invite the women to return if they want but won’t stop the ones that want to go home, including her. We’ll have to sneak around the Dominion, but it won’t be the first time.”

He smiled at me and headed to the door but stopped just in front of it. “About time you made a choice.”

“Get out,” I snapped, then turned to stare at the map.

Soon, we’d be done with this delivery.

Soon, I’d get her back.

Kalyn

“Pass the cheese, will you?” Maris lifted a lazy hand.

“We don’t know that this is cheese for sure,” Lynna cautioned as she passed Maris a block of black and gray marbled substance.

“It tastes enough like cheese for me to call it cheese.” Maris tore off a piece of the block and popped it in her mouth.

Light from the planet’s two suns streamed in through the massive glass windows that took up the far wall of our common area. Wispy curtains of gold, red, and purple fluttered with the gentle breeze. Our common room was stuffed with oversized pillows, plush lounges, and so much food that we’d yet to make a dent in it.

If my mother could see this place, she’d die of jealousy.

My worries about finding a Dominion official to help us seemed absurd now.

Within moments of the Rogue Star leaving port, we were approached by two males with twin black bands tied over their brows.

One was nearly eight feet tall and looked as if he were made of stone. The other was only a few inches taller than me, with skin the color of the inside of a lime. They spoke slowly, eyes fixed on our translators by our ears, and moved as if they were afraid to startle us.

When the pair identified themselves as Dominion officials, I took the opportunity to tell them who we were and explain our situation.

To my relief, they weren’t angry with us.

In fact, they explained they’d been searching for us ever since they heard a ship from Dominion space had accidentally destroyed Persephone.

Despite everything Dejar had warned us about, they were as eager to send us home as we were to leave.

However, the next authorized transport vessel couldn’t collect us until next week. They offered us their best accommodations, leading us to a giant villa that rivaled even the finest homes on Mars that was to be our temporary home.

I wasn’t sure what the other women did but I marched into the first room I saw, collapsed on the bed, and slept for sixteen hours.

When I awoke, clothing was laid out on the dresser for me. Blue silk pants that suited the warm climate of the planet and a matching sleeveless top. The chest of drawers in the room had been filled with similar pieces in a rainbow of colors. The clothing I arrived in and had stripped off as I collapse had been cleaned and folded neatly on the chair in the room.

After wandering around for a little while, I found the common area. Most of the women were already there, enjoying the tableful of food. No one greeted me when I entered, though Lynna smiled. Maris focused intently on her imitation cheese. Everyone else became engrossed with one thing or another.

“How did everyone sleep?” I asked.

“Best sleep I’ve had in my life,” Shenna answered me only after a few moments of excruciating silence passed.

“I’m glad to hear it,” I smiled.

No one said anything else. I was tempted to take a few pieces of fruit, but my appetite had faded. I couldn’t keep standing there forever. “I’m going to locate the officials we met yesterday. I’d like more information on how we’re going to get home.” The other women brightened at the idea, some of them even gave me encouraging nods.

“I’ll report back when I learn something useful.” I ducked out of the room, glad to be free of the tension.

I didn’t have any idea of how to find those officials again. When I spoke to them yesterday, I’d noticed a design sewn into the material of their headbands, something like a miniature map of a cluster of solar systems enclosed in a thin circle.

Maybe it represented Dominion space.

Or was a random drawing.

Hell, it could have been a religious order, or a sign about their mating cycle, or anything else in this weird, alien universe.

But it was all I had to go on, so I looked for anyone wearing that same design.

No luck.

The villa was larger than I’d realized, filled with winding stairways and branching halls.

I should’ve paid more attention when we were brought here yesterday, but I was so tired. As much as I liked the Rogue Star, I’d never once gotten a good night’s sleep. After the attack, I’d barely tried.

I must’ve gone down too far. Before I realized it, there was no more natural light and the rooms felt several degrees colder. I shivered in my thin clothing.

I was about to turn around try again when I heard voices.

“How many are there?” a male asked.

“Twenty-six,” another replied.

“That’s an excellent sampling,” the first replied. “Not like the last group we were given.”

“The last group barely withstood any of our tests,” the second said.

“Perhaps humans will prove to be more resilient. They already survived the loss of their station,” the first said.

“It’s too bad they didn’t show up sooner,” the second mused. “It’ll take time to prepare the facility once more.”

“They started experimenting with those little furry things found on Xaltix Twelve,” the first commented.

“I wonder how they differentiated the males and the females. They all look the same at first glance,” the second wondered.

“You’re disgusting,” the first sniffed.

“What? It’s a genuine question! Males are useless to them,” the second said defensively.

I heard the shuffling of footfalls and a door open. Without looking back, I bolted up the stairs and didn’t stop until I reached the common area.

“That was quick,” Aryn observed. She looked me over and gave me a quizzical look. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“We need to leave,” I rasped, out of breath from running up all of those stairs. Bizarrely, my brain focused on the fact that I hadn’t really exercising since before I left Mars.

I should do something about that.

But probably not now.

“What are you talking about?” Maris demanded through a mouthful of something juicy. “This place is amazing!”

“I don’t think they were being honest with us when they said they’d take us back to the Terran system,” I confessed.

The women exchanged looks varying from uneasy to skeptical.

“What makes you say that?” Lynna asked.

“I was trying to find the front door. Instead, I ended up underground. I heard people talking about experiments and how they only have use for females. They were talking about us specifically, too. They knew about Persephone Station,” I explained.

“Are you sure?” Shenna asked.

“Yes,” I insisted. “They were talking about some kind of facility. It sounded like this is something they’ve done before.”

“Why would they put us up like royalty then?” Aryn asked.

“Earn our trust? Get us to relax?” I suggested.

“I think you’re paranoid because you want to be the one to save us.” Maris looked at me through narrowed eyes.

“That’s not true!” I snapped. Pain pressed itself against my temples. I only felt this kind of headache when I dealt with my mother.

“If what you’re saying is true, how would we get out of here?” Lynna asked. “They know what we look like. It’s not like we don’t stand out.”

“We can find a way to comm the Rogue Star,” I suggested. “Captain Dejar didn’t feel right about leaving us here. He warned us about the Dominion from the beginning, remember?”

“Of course, he’d be wary of the Dominion. He’s a criminal! We aren’t,” Aryn exclaimed.

I arched my brow.

“Well, we aren’t criminals in this system,” she amended.

“Explain what I heard then,” I challenged. “If you’re all so against listening to me, give me one reasonable alternative.” Another wave of pain crashed through my skull. At this point, I knew the only thing that would soothe it was lying down in the dark for a while.

The women looked at each other, trying to come up with an alternate explanation. After a minute of silence, I let loose a sigh.

“Don’t put yourselves in danger just because you’re angry with me,” I said. “I know you blame me for the deaths of the others. If you need someone to blame, go ahead and blame me. But don’t let anger and grief make you stupid. Please excuse me.” I turned on my heel and strode out of the room. My head was throbbing.

As soon as I entered my room, I closed the curtains. Someone had already been in to change the sheets and place a pitcher of cold water on the nightstand. I took a long gulp straight from the pitcher, ignoring the crystal cup.

I needed a better argument if I was going to convince the others that I was right. I replayed the conversation over and over in my head, despite the pain. I closed my eyes, savoring the darkness. Within a few moments, I dozed off.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when someone jostled me awake. I opened my eyes to find Maris, Aryn, Lynna, and Shenna gathered in my room.

“If you’re here to insult me, please write them down and leave them on my dresser so I can read them in the morning,” I muttered.

“We aren’t here to insult you,” Lynna assured me. “In fact, Maris has something she wants to say.”

I turned my gaze to Maris. She looked uncomfortable.

“Look,” she started. “The more I think about it, the more suspicious I am of everything about this place. It’s too easy.” Her lips twisted. “I know perfectly well nothing comes easy, and the others agree. If you think that escaping is the right thing to do, we’re willing to work with you.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” I offered a smile, but she didn’t return it.

Oh well. It was a start.

Or the beginning of a start.

“We still have some time before the transport vessel arrives. I say we take a day, maybe two, to gather supplies. Clothes, food, and so on. We’ll talk about the details tomorrow.”

And then we’d be on our own.

Dejar

Even with folding, it had been three days before we were back at Outpost Nine.

Three long days, and anything could have happened to the women.

To Kalyn.

And the delivery hadn’t sat well with me. They’d wanted to transfer the credits, back and forth through a series of accounts, until it finally arrived with us.

Something about it felt wrong, too tricky, and we finally agreed to a smaller payout, as long as it was cold, hard, physical credits.

“I don’t like it,” Kovor said one evening as he and I dined together.

“Neither do I,” I assured him as I took a bite of Krranian fowl dipped in sauce. “That’s why we agreed to the smaller payout.”

“That’s what I don’t like,” he said over a glass of Mentahsik milk. “The whole thing smelled badly from the beginning but taking a smaller payout…that reeks of bad business.”

“I’m not disagreeing with you, Kovor. I’m really not. I just wasn’t comfortable with giving them more information than originally agreed to. That could have turned out worse.”

He waved it off and changed the subject, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how wrong the entire job felt. Kovor, Aavat, and I had already agreed to never deal with those people again if we could help it.

“Sir?”

I looked up to see one of the crew, Docu I believe, since his twin, Nocu, was supposed to be on duty in the engine room, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. “Yes?”

“Commander Aavat wanted me to tell you that we’re about to exit the fold, then we will be within sight of Outpost Nine, sir.”

“Thank you, Docu,” I was pleased to see that I’d guessed correctly. “Let Aavat know that I will be there shortly.”

“Affirmative, sir.” He saluted, turned on his heel, and left the mess hall. I turned back to Kovor to see him grinning.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Just him. He is far too serious to be part of whatever it is that we are. He and his brother should both be part of a real army.”

I agreed with him, but since the twins didn’t seem to mind, it wasn’t my concern.

Finishing off my own glass of milk, I asked our cook to make sure the rest of my food made its way to my quarters. No sense in angering Sars, not when he was responsible for what went into my stomach.

I then made my way to the bridge, to see us finalizing docking procedures.

Aavat looked back at me and acknowledged me with a lift of the chin. I returned the gesture with a nod and made my way to my chair. “Report.”

“Nothing to it. We’re docking and waiting for word on which outpost official will be greeting us.”

A quick blip from the ship AI told us we were being contacted.

“This is Official Third Class Raud,” a bored, precise voice came through the comms.

“I will meet you at docking to examine your papers.”

He clicked off, not waiting for an answer.

Aavat and I looked at one another, then headed down towards the hangar bay.

“Any word on the women?” I asked on our way down.

“Not like I can come right out and ask,” he shot me a look. “We’ll have to get some information on the ground. Unless you want us locked up immediately for contraband?”

I knew it, just was anxious. What if they’d already left?

What if…I gritted my teeth and focused on reality, not possibilities.

“Ever dealt with this Raud character?”

He scoffed. “Never heard of him. Not exactly surprising.”

True, but a little information would have been nice.

Only major officials were known, their faces and voices plastered all over the universal net to better further their political ambitions. It was rare to know who a lower-ranking official was.

We arrived at the hangar bay just as we finished docking procedures. As Aavat opened the small door set into the main hangar door, Official Third Class Raud was already waiting for us.

I had no idea what race he was, but his four spindly arms matched his four oversized eyes and his four tentacle-like legs.

“I am Dominion Official Third Class Raud. May I have your reason for arrival?” Off the comm, his voice sounded almost bubbly. It was hard to keep the smile from my face. To laugh at a Dominion official was bad business.

I dialed up my most innocent and professional voice. “We would like to refuel and recharge, perhaps purchase some additional supplies. Would we be permitted to do so?”

He looked us up and down, then stepped back a few paces and did a visual inspection of the ship. He tapped something on his oversized folding tablet, nodded, then came back to us. “I see no reason to deny your request. You are permitted to refuel and to refresh. Would there be anything else that I could help you with?”

I decided to take a chance. “Actually, there is. We heard a rumor that a group of women were dropped off here a few days ago. A friend might have been traveling with them. Would you happen to know where they have gone?”

“And what women would you be speaking of? The women of Phaetus 8” he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

I shook my own head in response. “No, sir. The women that I speak of are Terran.” I remembered Kalyn’s insistence on her preferred word. “Human.”

His face blanked. “I have no knowledge of any Terran women ever having come to Outpost Nine. Such an arrival would surely have made an impression on all Dominion officials on this outpost.” With that, he turned his back on us and walked away.

“Well, that’s a load of…” Aavat started, but I interrupted him with a look.

We walked back onto the ship and closed the door.

“We both know he’s lying,” I said. “Not like we expected them to cooperate, or just hand the women back to us.”

“So, what was the point of asking?”

I tapped my fingers on the wall, thinking. “While the Dominion doesn’t want members of uncontacted species to know about the rest of us, there’s no reason to hide the presence of the humans now that they’re here.” I thought more. “But he did anyway. Which can’t mean anything good.”

Aavat’s scowl answered for him. Time for a new plan.

Aavat would stay aboard the ship, while Kovor and I each took a team onto the station under the premise that we were shopping.

We would look for the women and try to get them back on board the Rogue Star.

Most of the locals didn’t know who we were talking about, but finally we had a lead.

A merchant pointed to a tall building in the far corner of the city.

“They were taken there,” he waved. “Very nice. Very fancy. Dominion guests only.”

Well, that would be nice, if I trusted the Dominion.

We made our way towards the building, keeping up the ruse of purchasing supplies along the way, finding a few more merchants who confirmed the women’s location. We met up with Kovor’s group as we got closer. “What’s the word?” he asked when I finished negotiating the price on some converters we actually needed.

“Officials still deny they’re here, locals say they’re in there,” I answered as I nodded towards the building.

“On our way there?” he asked, a bit of anticipation in his voice.

“Of course,” I answered, matching his tone.

He smiled in a way that I’d never liked. Kovar was usually the most laid-back of Shein, but sometimes someone else seemed to come to the surface.

It was a smile that spelled trouble, and it was trouble we wanted to avoid if possible.

“Easy,” I warned him. “Remember, we don’t want issues with the Dominion.”

“Scro, like I didn’t know that,” he snapped back sarcastically. We quickly bought more supplies, sent most of the crew back with said supplies, and nine of us made our way towards the ‘resort.’

On the way, Kovor spotted something before I did.

“Look,” he pointed towards the main entrance. Walking up to the building was a small team of four Dominion soldiers escorting what looked to be a very highly ranked, high-powered official.

It looked like it was time for them to go home.

“Well, scro,” I cursed. “This is an umbba problem.”

“What do we do?” Kovor asked.

I wasn’t sure, but we’d come too close for me to let Kalyn go without talking to her one more time.

And I wanted an answer to the question that had been bothering me all day.

Why had Dominion Official Third Class Raud, with his bubbly voice and cheerful demeanor, lied?

“We follow, stick close, but stay out of sight.” With a nod, we broke up into teams of three and separately made our ways into the building.

We quietly searched the building, looking for any of the women, playing a game of cat and mouse as we avoided the official and his guards.

Their rooms were empty, and no one we questioned remembered seeing where the women had gone.

“Where in the kopa did they go?” I muttered.

“Sir.”

At the crew member’s quiet word, I looked up to see the official and his four guards leaving through a side door.

“Find the others, now.” I headed towards the side door, ignoring one of the people working at the resort.

It wasn’t long, maybe a minute, when the others arrived. I pointed out the side door. “They went that way, we’re going that way. Questions?”

“None,” Kovor responded, revealing that dangerous smile again.

This time, I matched it.

Kalyn

We stood in a cluster in the bustling market square between the villa and the port. For a change, the women looked to me for direction.

The escape had been the easy part. After spending another day and a half within the confines of the villa, we realized how little we were supervised.

It made sense when given some thought. Why would we want to leave a place of comfort and luxury? As far as anyone knew, we still believed we were waiting for the transport unit to take us home.

The day before, I tested our escape plan, though 'escape plan' was a generous phrase. We weren’t doing anything more than walking out the front door.

I left the villa, walked to the end of the street and walked back. No one approached me, no one questioned me upon arrival.

I didn’t see another living soul.

We agreed that it would be less conspicuous if we left in pairs and groups of three, staggered throughout the day.

The only obstacle that required extra planning was our appearance. The Dominion officials knew what we looked like. We had to find some way to alter our appearances so we wouldn’t be recognized.

“Are there any cosmetic products in the bathrooms?” Lynna had asked in the hours before we put our plan into action.

“No,” Aryn said quickly. “I looked.”

We all gave her a quizzical look.

“What?” she’d demanded. “Just because I could kick all of your asses, it doesn’t mean I don’t like to fancy myself up.”

“I think I have an idea.” Maris distracted everyone from thinking too much about Aryn’s cosmetic preferences.

In Maris’s hand was a handful of purple berries. Her hands were tinted with juice. “We can stain our skin with these and make hoods out of the curtains.”

“Not a bad idea,” I nodded. I’d walked over to the table of food and grabbed a handful of berries, smashing them between my palms. Sticky juice dripped down my hands, staining my skin pale purple. Using my fingers, I’d smeared it over my face. “How do I look?”

“Insane,” Aryn snorted. “But less human.”

“I’ll take it.” I smeared more berry juice on my face and urged the others to do the same. Maris and I were the first to finish tinting our skin, so we’d started tearing the curtains down.

The thin fabric was easy to rip. Maris showed me how to wear the fabric so it fell in a hood over my eyes. Part of me felt guilty for destroying such fine fabric. It was far better than the highest quality fabric on Mars. I bet a yard of that fabric would’ve kept us fed on Persephone for a week. Extra clothing from the dressers padded out our shapes, made us look rounder.

Alien.

Hopefully, alien enough.

“Pair up,” I’d instructed everyone once the hoods were made. “Don’t leave your partner, no matter what. When you leave the house, go straight to the market we passed between here and the port. Stick to crowded areas where you’ll blend in more.”

I’d sent Shenna and another woman, Ada, out first. After ten minutes passed and nothing happened, I sent the next pair out. Maris and I were the last to leave.

Maris and I hadn’t spoken as we walked and found the others quickly.

I winced.

Our large group, even with our false purple skin and colorful headwraps, stood out.

“We need to stay split up,” I urged. “Pair off again and pretend to shop while I look for a comm. Just try to keep an eye on each other.”

“Even if you did find a comm, you wouldn’t know how to work it,” Maris scoffed. “Let me go find a comm.”

“You’re not going alone,” I insisted. “I know the call codes for the Rogue Star just as well as you do.”

I nodded to Lynna to break up the group while I continued discussing options with Maris.

“I’m scarier than any of those officials,” Maris insisted.

“Maybe. But you’re not scarier than their weapons. They’re all armed,” I replied. “We’re going together. That’s final.”

“Is that an order, Commander?” Maris asked.

“Yes,” I replied. I held her gaze until she blinked and looked away. The corner of my mouth curled up. “Now, if you were a comm, where would you be?”

“A command center of some kind,” Maris replied.

“Like a port?” I asked.

“Exactly like a port,” she grinned.

I looked around the marketplace one last time to make sure the other women were blending in. Now that we weren’t standing in a group, the other market goers hardly spared any of us a second glance. Maris and I pulled our colorful hoods down and made our way towards the port.

“Have you ever done anything like this before?” I asked her.

“Not exactly,” she replied. “I’ve done my fair share of sneaking about, but nothing on this scale. I don’t have to ask if you’ve done anything like this.”

“Why not?” I demanded.

“You’re an Askvig. Why would you need to do anything like this?” she scoffed.

“Have you met my mother?” I replied. “I used to sneak out all the time. It was the only way to see my friends or do anything fun.”

“Yeah, I can imagine your mom being a hardass,” Maris agreed.

“You don’t know the half of it,” I sighed. “I worked harder to sneak out of her house than I did to escape the villa. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

“Yes, but as long as it’s working in our favor, I’m not going to think about it,” Maris replied.

“Commander!” A piercing shout grabbed my attention, and I whirled to look back toward the marketplace.

Someone dressed in all black held Lynna tightly by the arm.

And held what looked like a particularly nasty gun pressed to her side.

* * *

“Shit!” I hissed. “Maris, we’ve got a problem.”

She followed my gaze back to the marketplace and swore.

“What should we do?” she asked.

“I’ll go help them,” I decided. “You need to get to the comm and call for help.”

“Why would you need help?” A voice behind me made my insides go slick.

Before I could turn to see who it was, they grasped my arm and yanked it behind my back. Whoever it was pointed a gun at Maris’s face.

“Follow,” he demanded. He shoved me forward.

Maris, silent and pale, followed behind. He brought us back to the marketplace where the rest of the women had been gathered. The person that held me released his grip and shoved me into the group. Lynna reached out to catch me as I stumbled forward.

“What’s going on?” I whispered.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “They came out of nowhere.”

I turned to get a look at our attackers.

There were four of them dressed all in black, each a different species of alien.

All wore a black band across their foreheads with what I had guessed was the Dominion’s insignia.

Of more immediate importance, each of them was armed to the teeth with guns, blades, and extra ammunition.

If any of us tried to run, I had no doubt they would shoot us down.

“What’s the meaning of this?” A deep voice rumbled through the crowd. I reached out and touched the sleeves of the women closest to me.

Something about that voice made me want to shrink away into nothing. Instinctively, we huddled closer together.

A tall figure appeared before us. His voice was male, but the heavy black cloak and hood he wore obscured any distinguishing features. On the right side of his chest was the Dominion insignia.

“This is all of them, sir,” one of the armed officials reported.

“Excellent. Return them to the villa. Lock the doors,” the hooded figure instructed.

“We no longer require your help,” I blurted before I could stop myself. “We’re fine.”

The other women looked at me in shock.

“You are not from Dominion space,” the hooded figure replied. “You need to be returned to your corner of the universe. Now move.”

The armed officials pointed their guns at us and urged us forward. Herded together like cattle, we had no choice but to follow the hooded figure back toward the villa.

This was bad.

We’d never get another chance to escape. Perhaps they would take us to locked cells instead of luxurious rooms.

And I knew in my gut they had no intention of taking us ‘back to our corner of the universe’.

I gritted my teeth as I walked. I wasn’t going to let my team down yet again.

I didn’t know what the Dominion wanted with us, but I was certain if we stayed with them, we’d never get back home.

I scanned our surroundings, looking for anything or anyone to help us.

All of the market goers avoided my gaze, altering their path the moment they saw the hooded figure. They knew not to interfere. I wondered how many times they’d seen something like this.

A flash of gold caught my eye. I rose up on the tips of my toes as I walked, hoping to get another glimpse. Through the shifting crowd, I saw a gold arm with dark tattoos.

I tried not to get my hopes up. It could be any Shein.

Still, I kept my eye on that part of the marketplace, hoping to get a glimpse of his face. Just before we exited the market, I saw him.

“Dejar!”

Dejar

It didn’t take us long to see which direction the Dominion official and his guards went. They didn’t seem to be terribly worried about hiding their trail.

Of course, they never had a reason to.

People hid from them, not the other way around.

For several minutes, we followed their tracks. When we finally found them, they had the women surrounded, weapons drawn to keep them in line.

We ducked down to stay out of sight behind the small crowd of people on our little rise to assess the situation.

Yes, we outnumbered them, but they had us outgunned. Not that we were unarmed, we just weren’t armed as well as the guards.

“How do you want to do this?” Kovor whispered.

I looked at the situation, as a small child stared at me like I was the most unusual thing around.

We had to make sure to keep things simple in order to ensure the women stayed safe, and we had to make sure we were able to get away without too much of a scene.

If any more Dominion soldiers arrived, we would be in more trouble than we could handle.

“We have to be as careful as possible. We can’t risk a shootout, because the women could be caught in the crossfire, but it’s unlikely we’ll be able to sneak up on them, either.”

“Divide and conquer?”

I nodded. It seemed to be the best bet. If we could make them believe they were surrounded and outmanned, they might simply surrender, or at least not put up as much of a fight.

The Dominion wouldn’t want to risk a shootout in a crowded market, either.

Surely a handful of humans couldn’t mean that much to them, right?

Kovor took four of the men with him and they quietly made their way around the scene ahead of us.

As we got close to the agreed time to attack, the guards started the women moving.

They were taking them back to the building we had just left.

Maybe, just maybe, we could get out of this without a single shot fired.

I quickly motioned for the men to disperse, to find a place to hide.

The men moved quickly and silently, but as I stood up to move, Kalyn must have spotted me and called out.

“Kalyn! There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” I tried to keep my voice calm, yet worried.

I looked at the Dominion official and extended my hand out to him. “Thank you so very much, sir. You have no idea how worried I was for her. Thank you for finding her for me.” Another Shein. Maybe he’d have some brother-species feeling, give us a little leeway.

Or not. “You are the captain that brought them here three days ago, are you not?”

Scro.

Apparently, we hadn’t been as careful when the women disembarked as I had thought.

“Yes, yes, I am. The ladies wanted a nice place to relax and vacation for a few days, so we brought them here.” I shook my head, forced a sad, disapproving glare at Kalyn. “Then, when I’m supposed to come pick them up, they’re not ready. Needed to do another round of shopping, my dear?”

She looked at me in shock but didn’t answer.

Probably for the best, since I wasn’t sure what she’d say.

He looked me up and down, his eyes narrowed into a glare as his bronze-colored skin reflected the sunlight.

“You are lying, Captain. Why have you returned?”

“Well, like I said, we just wanted to let the ladies have some time off the ship, see the sights...”

Where were Kovor and the others? This was about to go bad.

“I am Dominion Official Menta Slarc, and you will tell me the truth,” he drew a snub-nosed, ugly-looking hand blaster and pointed it at Kalyn’s head, “or I will shoot this one.”

Scro!

As I opened my mouth to answer, the crew came screaming out of hiding.

As Menta Slarc turned to see what was happening, Kalyn smacked the weapon from her head and I charged.

I tackled Slarc to the ground, wrestling for control of the weapon. He managed to pull the trigger once, narrowly missing Kovor as he kicked the guard he was fighting.

“Take care of him,” he shouted at me, then went back to fighting his own guard.

“I’m trying,” I grunted back at him. Slarc managed to elbow me in the side of the head, knocking me off him.

We got to our feet at the same time. Kalyn had already started leading the women away, but two of them slammed into him, knocking the pistol to the ground.

I rushed him again, going in low so I could wrap my arms around him. He pounded on my back as I wrapped him up and shoved him. Having enough of my back being pounded on, I lifted him up and slammed him onto the ground. The air whooshed from his lungs and his eyes glazed over a bit. Not willing to let the advantage disappear, I straddled him and bounced his head off the ground until he was unconscious.

My breathing heavy, I looked around to see the other guards down, too. The women followed Kovor, running back towards the ship, while two of the crew carried a third member between them.

Kalyn ran over and reached out for me.

“Hurry up,” she said as she pulled me to my feet. Her face was dirty and, for some reason purple, but I didn’t care, she was beautiful to see again.

There were shouts coming from behind us as more guards and locals were showing up to see what had happened, and we tore through the crowd, ducking and weaving as shouts followed us.

And then Kalyn screamed.

She fell, her hand wrenched away from mine.

“Kalyn!” I roared. If I didn’t have her, if she didn’t make it back with us, none of it mattered.

Blood.

There was blood on her leg.

Swearing, I picked her up, cradled her to me.

“Hold on.” I sprang to my feet as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

And I ran.

The Rogue Star sat in dock a few hundred yards ahead of me. All I could hear was my own breath and her quiet whimpers, muffled against my chest.

Our crew, Shein men guarding the human women, were almost all through the open hangar bay doors.

Kovar stood at the foot of the boarding ramp, pointing behind me, yelling over the crowd.

A blast of light struck the building next to me, the impact sending small particles of debris flying.

I hunched over Kalyn, desperate to shield her.

She wasn’t whimpering anymore.

She wasn’t making any sound at all.

Fifty paces left to the ramp, and it was all open.

Not a bit of cover.

The scent of Kalyn’s blood, her still form in my arms, was all the spur I needed.

Shots flew by us, but the gap closed. Kovar waved wildly, and through the pounding of my boots I could hear the Rogue Star’s engines start.

Twenty paces.

We’d be in the air as soon as I hit the ramp.

I just had to get there.

Ten.

Another blast grazed my arm, but it didn’t matter.

Five paces.

And with a leap, we were on the ramp.

“Go! Go!” I shouted as I tore the rest of the way into the hangar, but Kovar had already hit the button, and shouted commands to the bridge.

They’d handle it.

They’d have to, because at the moment the ship could burn.

The women swarmed, chattering in their concern and worry, but I barreled through them.

“Lynna!” Kalyn was so still.

“Med bay, now!”

Kalyn

My body felt light and floaty, like I was made of clouds and stardust.

Behind my closed eyelids, whorls of colors swirled and flickered in the blackness. I tried to follow one snap of purple light with my eyes but each time my gaze shifted, the little dancing light moved farther into the corner of my eye.

“Kalyn, can you hear me?" I knew that voice.

Soft, nice, and never, ever said mean things...

Lynna!

I tried to talk, but only a weird grunt came out. “Good enough," Lynna chuckled. I felt something large and warm squeeze my hand.

“I think I might've given her too big a dose," a voice I didn't recognize spoke next.

“Her vitals are in the normal range, so I wouldn't worry about it," Lynna said. "She's probably having the time of her life in her head right now."

Everyone's voice sounded like music. I wanted to wake up and tell everyone how pretty they sounded to me.

I tried to lift my head, but nothing happened.

“I think she's trying to move," another voice said.

That one I recognized immediately.

Dejar.

He’d saved my life again. Something squeezed my hand again. I tried my hardest to squeeze back.

“Don't push yourself." His voice was closer now, and softer. I felt his breath against my skin. I wanted to talk back but I couldn't make my mouth work.

“We should give her a touch of stimulant," the voice I didn't know suggested.

“Okay, but just enough to get her conscious for a few minutes. I don't want her to be in pain if she doesn't have to be," Lynna agreed. I heard shuffling and the quiet tinkling of glass touching glass.

“That should do it," the stranger said. I wasn't sure what he meant until the fog started to clear from my mind. The floaty feeling dissolved into a daze.

I opened my eyes.

Lynna, Dejar, and a copper-skinned Shein I'd seen before but never spoken to were gathered around me. I became aware of the bed I was lying on and the stiff sheets covering my body. The lights were far too bright. I closed my eyes immediately.

“Dim the lights," Dejar snapped.

From behind closed lids, the light faded. When I opened my eyes again, the overhead light was shut off completely.

A few bedside `lamps illuminated the room that I recognized as the med bay. My mind instantly went to the three women lost on this ship. They were laid to rest in this very room, perhaps this very bed.

The thought brought tears to my eyes. I lifted a clumsy hand to my face, but I couldn't make my fingers work the way I wanted them to.

“Can't move," I croaked.

“You've been given some strong painkiller," Dejar told me. I swiveled my neck so that I could look at him. His skin glowed in the dim light.

“Pretty," I mumbled. A smile broke out over his face. I giggled without meaning to.

“Are you in any pain, Kalyn?” the copper Shein asked. I knew his name, but I couldn’t sort it out in my head. My thoughts felt like they were hidden in a labyrinth I had to weave through in order to retrieve them.

“I don’t think so.” My tongue felt too big for my mouth.

“Good,” Lynna nodded. “You’ve been here for almost a day. We’ve fixed most of the damage to your leg, but you’re going to have to take it easy for a little while.”

“Oh,” was the only word I could conjure. My brain scrambled to untangle her meaning. I remember my leg hurting so bad before. I couldn’t feel it now.

“This med bay is amazing,” Lynna gushed. “The work we did on your leg only took a few hours.” Her face paled. “I’m not sure if we could have saved it, otherwise. It… it was pretty bad.”

“I don’t want to lose my leg,” I whimpered. “I need it. I can’t feel it, where did it go?”

Dejar’s hand came up to rest on my cheek. “You won’t,” he said gently. “Your leg is exactly where it’s supposed to be, and it’ll be good as new before you know it.”

“Promise?” I whispered.

“Promise.”

"Let's give them a moment to chat." Lynna urged the other Shein out of the room. I remembered now that he was called Zayn. I would find him later and thank him for his help.

If I remembered.

“What happened?" I asked Dejar once we were alone.

“The Dominion chased us," he explained. “One of their blasts took a chunk of your leg. It shattered the bone, nicked one of the arteries.” His hand tightened on mine. “You lost a lot of blood.”

I remembered that part, vaguely. I lifted one hand to examine it. It was still stained with the purple juice of the berries, but the pigment was faded. The curtain I'd used as a headscarf was folded on a chair next to my bed.

“Yes." Memories took shape in my mind’s eye. "We escaped. I saw you in the crowd when they had us surrounded. Why were you there?"

“Shortly after we dropped you off at the outpost, I had the most horrible feeling that I'd made a mistake," Dejar explained. “Once I knew it was the right thing to do, we turned the ship around. I'm sorry we didn't get there sooner." His hand caressed mine. I worked my fingers to get a better grip on him.

“I'm glad you showed up when you did," I said. "I was out of ideas at that point."

“What were you trying to do?" Dejar asked.

“Maris and I were looking for a comm. I wanted to call you and ask you to come back for us," I answered, the thoughts getting harder to articulate, the fog settling over my mind again.

Dejar looked taken aback but I didn't understand why. It was only natural that I wanted him to come back, wasn't it? He was so kind and so handsome. Who wouldn't want him around?

“I wish I'd gotten there sooner," Dejar sighed heavily. “You might not have gotten injured if I hadn't taken so long."

“I should've listened to you in the first place," I mumbled. "You were right not to trust the Dominion. They have bad staircases.”

He cocked his head, and I wondered if that made sense.

“What were they going to do to you?" Dejar asked.

“I have no idea." I shook my head. The movement made the room swish back and forth. I giggled until I forced myself to stop moving.

Dejar stared at me with a look of concerned amusement. I'd never seen him look so perplexed in all the time I'd known him.

How long was that?

I couldn't remember, exactly. It felt like I'd known him for years. A sudden fear took over me so thoroughly that it knocked the giddiness right out of my mind.

“You're real, right?" I asked. “This isn't a symptom of the pain meds?"

Dejar laughed and gave my hand a good squeeze.

“I'm really here," he said.

“Very good," I sighed in relief. “It's hard to be sure. You're sexy enough for me to imagine on pain meds."

“What does that mean?" Dejar chuckled.

I burst into uncontrollable giggles.

“It means you're attractive, silly rabbit!" I exclaimed. "If it turns out you aren't real, props to me for coming up with you."

“I'm real, Kalyn," Dejar laughed. "I wouldn't lie about that."

“You better not." I shook a clumsy finger at him. "I'm going to be mad if you're lying."

“The last thing I want is to cause you distress,” he said. “And, for what it’s worth, I think you’re sexy, too.” I tried to hold in my laughter, but it didn’t work.

“It sounds weird when you say it,” I cackled.

“Why?”

“Because I’m in a hospital bed covered in berry juice,” I explained. “There’s no way I’m sexy.”

“I think you’re attractive, despite the berry juice and messy hair,” Dejar assured me.

“What’s wrong with my hair?” My hand flew to the crown of my head. Apparently, something was still wrong, because I smacked myself in the forehead, instead.

“Yes. After being chased, injured, and operated on, your hair got a little messy,” Dejar explained.

“I was operated on?” I gasped.

“Lynna and Zayn had to fix the hole in your leg,” Dejar reminded me. “Keeping your hair immaculate wasn’t their priority.”

“Shut up, you’re not even real,” I insisted.

“If I’m not real, then why did you say my skin is pretty?”

“I never said that,” I declared.

“You said it ten minutes ago when you first woke up.” He looked smug. He shouldn’t be allowed to look so handsome and so smug at the same time. I had a witty remark on the tip of my tongue, but before I could say it, shooting pain stabbed up my leg.

“Ow,” I winced.

“Looks like it’s time for some more painkiller.” Dejar stroked my hair and called Lynna and Zayn back into the room.

“Is everything okay?” Lynna asked.

“Her pain meds wore off,” he explained. “But she’s still a little loopy.”

“No, I’m not!” I mumbled, but no one seemed to pay attention.

“Try to rest now,” Dejar murmured to me. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“I still don’t think you’re real,” I muttered before sinking back into unconscious bliss.

Dejar

“Morning. What are you doing off in Wonderland?”

I snapped out of my doldrums to see Kalyn smiling at me.

A magnificent smile, a beautiful smile, a smile I never wanted to see leave her face again.

I could wake up to that smile every morning for the rest of existence.

And because I’d been too slow to come back for her, failed to protect her, she’d nearly died.

“What’s this ‘Wonderland’ I’ve visited?”

“Huh?” she said absent-mindedly. “Oh, it’s just a saying from Earth. It basically means that your mind is elsewhere, wandering.”

“Ahh,” I said. Not entirely accurate. My mind never seemed to wander far from her anymore.

“Hungry?” I held up her breakfast platter, so she could see what I had brought.

“Ooh. Gimme, gimme.” Her fingers opened and closed quickly in a mob of ‘come hither’ movements.

I laughed and set the plates down, then helped her sit up. Once the tray was set up between us, there weren’t a lot of words for the next few minutes as she devoured breakfast. I’d piled it high with all the protein and fruit I could get. Lynna said Kalyn was healing well, but surely more food would help.

I found myself mesmerized by her. I ate my own breakfast silently, reading ship reports and searching the universal net for any reports about our ship on my tablet, but still my eyes kept drifting to her face.

“So, I’ve noticed you’re spending most of your time in here,” Kalyn mentioned as she bit into a slice of meat.

I gave her a one-shoulder shrug. “Eh, I needed to make sure Lynna and Zayn were getting along and not destroying my med bay.”

“Hey,” Lynna protested from the other side of the med bay. “I do have a clue, you know. Zayn’s the one that needs help.”

“You realize,” Zayn said from behind me, “that I’m standing right here, don’t you?”

We all shared a quick laugh as I looked back at Kalyn.

“I like the view here better than in my office, that’s all.”

“Aww, that’s so cute,” Lynna cooed.

I turned to glare at Lynna.

“Uh, Zayn?” she started.

“Yes?”

“Let’s go check on the other women, shall we?”

“But they’re not in here to…” he started.

“Just come with me,” Lynna commanded as she grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the med bay.

I looked back at Kalyn and the look on her face made me struggle to keep my composure. We both burst out laughing, only stopping when she winced in pain.

“Are you alright?” I asked, my hand finding hers.

She nodded slowly and squeezed my hand. “Yeah. Just a minor twinge in my leg. Guess I can’t laugh too hard for a little bit.”

“I guess not, unless you want your pain meds again, then you can laugh and giggle and say the most interesting things all over again.” I sat back and smirked at her.

She hit me with a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”

“Oh. You don’t remember thinking I was part of your imagination? Or calling me ‘sexy’?”

She blushed. “I did not say that. Did I?”

“And so many other things.” I chuckled.

“That’s not fair!” she pouted playfully. “You can’t say that I did something like that and not tell me what it was.”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes!”

So, I told her. We spent the next half hour laughing and enjoying one another’s company as I regaled her with her uninhibited mumblings.

“It’s not fair, you know,” she fussed. “You know all my deepest secrets, and I don’t know a thing about you.”

I froze.

“People got hurt. I needed to leave.”

She didn’t say anything, just traced gentle patterns on my arm with her fingers.

Like Kalyn had.

I’d failed to protect her, and she got hurt.

But she didn’t blame me. She’d shared her stories of her terrible mother, her fears and worries about leadership, her dreams of studying lost cultures.

I didn’t want to tell her anything. But I wouldn’t fail her again. She deserved more.

I took a deep breath, tried to decide where to start. “I was not the most well-behaved child. I got into trouble, often.” I sat back in my chair, pulled out old memories I’d tucked away. “I wasn’t involved with the wrong crowd, as such, but I wasn’t exactly around the best people, either. I ended up doing things that my parents became embarrassed by.”

“Like what?” she asked quietly when I hadn’t spoken again for a few moments.

With a deep, deep sigh that seemed to come from the bottom of my toes, I looked at who I’d been then. “I was reckless, enjoyed anything that gave me an adrenaline rush. I jumped across buildings, I ran from authorities, I stole vehicles, got into fights with people that I wouldn’t fight with now as a sane adult.” I shook my head. “I made my parents’ lives a nightmare.”

“And even then, the thrill wasn’t enough. I decided to join some friends of mine in trying to rob a major corporate office. It seemed fair, because everyone knew they were stealing from their customers. We’d be the good guys, or something.” The memories were bitter, no matter how old. “Really, we were just idiots. I wasn’t caught by the authorities, but I was caught on surveillance.” I stopped, remembering that stupid, stupid decision. “It was a bad situation.”

“Why was it so bad?” Sweet Kalyn. Not a bit of judgment, just concern. I laced my fingers with hers, let her steady me.

“My father, while not a politician, was a very powerful member of the community, and my actions were disrupting some of his business dealings. Basically, if I continued being what I was, I was going to cost him a tremendous amount of money and respect. They gave me a choice.”

“What was it?”

“I could either straighten up and become the upstanding citizen that my parents wanted me to be, or I could be sent away.”

She looked at me, worried for my well-being. “Where would they send you?”

“There was a ‘special’ school in the outer regions where a—what was the word you used before, malcontent? —would be sent to be properly trained in how to behave, or else they suffered the consequences.”

Her eyes went wide. I could see her mind trying to come up with ideas about the consequences. I saved her from having to think too hard.

“If we didn’t act right, we would be beaten until we did. If we were killed, it meant we weren’t strong enough to make the proper changes.”

She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “I’m so sorry. How did you make it out of there?”

“Who says I went?”

“I just assumed, based on what you told me…um,” she dropped her eyes and looked embarrassed by her words.

I put my finger on her chin and gently lifted her face up to mine. I leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. “It’s okay. I chose to behave, but it didn’t last long. I wasn’t able to live by their rules. I joined the first group of space-runners that came to the area. I tried contacting home a few months later, but I was answered by a member of my father’s staff. He politely told me that I was no longer a member of the family. That was it.”

“I’m so sorry.” It looked like she wanted to say more, but Lynna and Zayn returned.

“I should get some work done,” I said, and reached for my tablet.

I expected to feel raw, exposed, talking about my past.

But for the first time, there was nothing, not anymore.

I was far more concerned about my future.

And hers.

Kalyn

Within a few days of returning to the Rogue Star, I was allowed to leave the med bay for a few hours at a time.

Lynna gave me a set of crutches to help me get around, but she also encouraged me to start using my leg again.

I still experienced some pain, but not as much as I’d expected to. Lynna had showed me where I’d been hit, but it still seemed unbelievable. Surely, I couldn’t have been that badly injured, and then better so quickly?

But the images on the screens were awful. And the haunted look in Dejar’s eyes made me decide to stop asking questions.

The demeanor of the Persephone women had changed toward me. They didn't glare at me when I entered a room anymore.

Now, they asked me how I was recovering. Some of them went as far as to include me in their conversations. If I'd known taking a literal bullet for them was what it took to earn their respect, I would've shot myself in the foot long ago.

The downside to all of this was how useless I felt. Whenever I offered to help anyone, human or Shein, I was denied.

Everyone wanted me to focus on recovering.

Not exactly exciting work.

One night, after talking to almost everyone on the ship and feeling particularly useless, I retired to the med bay early.

Tonight was the first night Lynna was going to let me sleep without the aid of painkillers. My leg ached when I hauled myself onto the bed, but it wasn't too bad. I’d used it more than I should've today. Now I paid the price.

Not long after I made myself comfortable, I heard a knock on the med bay door.

"Come in," I called. Dejar poked his head in and smiled.

"I just want to see if you're doing okay," he said.

"A bit sore, but otherwise I'm doing great." I motioned for him to enter. He stepped inside and let the door close behind him. He’d come by every morning and every night before.

Far too quickly, his visits had become the favorite parts of my day.

And that probably wasn’t something I should spend too much time thinking about.

"I saw you walking around a lot without the crutches today," he said. "I think you pushed yourself too hard."

"I'm trying to get my strength back," I replied. "I hate feeling so useless."

"You are many things, Kalyn, but you are not useless," he assured me. "As soon as we feel like we can take on deliveries again, you'll be the first one I consult with."

"Even before Aavat?" I asked.

"You're nicer to talk to than Aavat," Dejar winked. "Do you have everything you need? I can get you something from the mess hall before I turn in for the night."

"I already ate," I smiled at him. "But before you go, can I talk to you about something?" He reached forward and took my hand in his. He held my hand often now. It felt comfortable and natural. Sometimes I felt tempted to reach for his hand when we were amongst the crew, but I refrained.

Not until I knew what this meant, whatever I was feeling between us.

"You can talk to me about anything," he said.

"It's about the Dominion and what happened on the outpost," I said. He tilted his head and furrowed his brow.

"Go on," he urged.

"When you dropped us off, it only took the Dominion a few moments to find us. Your ship was still in sight," I said.

As time passed, I remembered more details from our time on the outpost. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that some of those details didn’t add up.

At first, I thought I was just paranoid. I’d been in shock for a while. Shock does things to a person’s mind and body. I tried to put it out of my mind, but there was always an alarm going off in the back of my head as if to say something wasn’t right.

Long days with nothing to do had given me plenty of time to start compiling a list of things that were out of place… and the list was getting too long.

"The Dominion likely saw us coming," Dejar replied. "They have eyes everywhere."

"Then why didn't they arrest you or secure the ship the moment you came into port?" I asked. Dejar thought for a moment before he spoke.

"I don't know," he answered. "Maybe the Dominion decided to prioritize you and the other human females when they saw you arrive on the outpost.”

"Exactly, but I think it’s more than that," I nodded. "They were oddly prepared to stumble upon us that day. When they took us to the villa, they had exactly enough beds for all of us. They had clothes that fit everyone. The food was already laid out like they'd been waiting for us to arrive."

"The villa could've been prepared for elite visitors," Dejar suggested, though I could tell he didn't fully believe his own words.

"That had the same body shape? Number of arms, average height, everything? And there's something else I found odd," I continued. "When that ship attacked, it seemed to also be herding us. The way it approached us on the side forced you to steer the Rogue Star toward the outpost. The ship was faster than us. It overtook us so quickly. Why would it attack at the exact moment the delivery route put us close to the outpost?"

"Their attack was methodical." Dejar rubbed his chin as he recalled the details of the attack. "They attacked efficiently and retreated efficiently. Even in the moment, I thought it was too well-planned to be a spontaneous attack. The ship was too nice to be a pirate ship."

"You agree with me, then?" I asked. "Something isn't right about all this."

"Everything thus far has been extremely coincidental," he nodded.

"Even the shockwave that destroyed Persephone doesn't make sense," I added. "Maris is convinced this ship couldn't make that big of a shockwave on its own."

"The tech we use to make those jumps through the fold is built to minimize energy bursts like that," Dejar said. "If it was malfunctioning, the Rogue Star would've been hit by the energy burst, too."

"There's more," I said. "When I was walking around the villa, I heard someone talking about experiments."

"What kind of experiments?" Dejar’s jaw tightened.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Whoever it was said something about a facility that had already started experimenting on creatures found on a planet. Something Twelve?"

"None of the planets in Dominion space end in twelve. Other than the twelfth outpost, that is. Were they talking about that?" he asked.

"No, they definitely didn't mention an outpost," I said confidently. "They also said something about human resilience and only needing females for the experiments."

"And these were Dominion officials you heard talking?"

"No," I admitted. "I never saw who was speaking."

“In that case, it could’ve been anyone,” Dejar said. “Every once in a while, the Dominion discovers a group of scientists performing unethical experiments for various reasons. Usually for medical research. It’s possible another one of those groups emerged and decided to target you and the other women.”

“Maybe,” I frowned. I wasn’t satisfied with that explanation. “But that would mean whoever I heard talking had something to do with the shockwave, the dark ship, and the two officials that brought us to the villa in the first place. That isn’t plausible.”

“No, but it’s not impossible,” Dejar shrugged. “It would explain why that high-ranking official we saw was there.”

“But not why he was so desperate to send us back to the villa,” I interjected. “If he was there to break up an unethical group of scientists, why would he want to take us back to where they were?”

Dejar and I sat in silence as we struggled to come up with an explanation. Anything that would fit.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” he said after a few minutes. “There’s certainly something strange going on, but I don’t see a clear motivation. All the Dominion knew for certain was that my ship crossed into forbidden space. They couldn’t have known you or any of the human females were on board until you stepped off at the outpost.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “They were so prepared for us.”

“After everything that’s happened, I’m not sure about anything anymore,” Dejar sighed. “Whatever the case, you’re back on the ship, where you belong. We’re going to lay low for a while.”

“Where I belong,” I repeated in a whisper.

The words brought a smile to my face, a strange, warm glow to my chest.

“I mean where you can be looked after,” Dejar stuttered. “You’re safe on the Rogue Star.”

“Thanks to you.” I ran my thumb over the back of his hand.

His expression softened. “I don’t want you to worry about this anymore,” he instructed. “If there’s anything to be alarmed about, let me take care of it.”

“Absolutely not. You’ve got enough to handle,” I insisted.

“It’s my job to handle things,” he shrugged. “I don’t get a choice in the matter. But I do have a choice in this matter and I choose to take the burden off your shoulders. Especially while you’re recovering,” he added.

“Fine, but that means I’m going to take some of your burdens later on.” I shook my head. I couldn’t contain my smile as I looked at him.

“We’ll see about that.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss onto my forehead. “Go to sleep now. No more worrying.”

It might not have been his intention, but the touch of his lips kept me awake thinking about completely different things.

Dejar

We were being used.

But I didn’t know how or why, or by whom. What was happening out there?

I headed to my office.

I needed to figure this out, and the only person I could talk to without biased opinion wasn’t a living being. I sat at my desk, brought up my viewscreen, and called up the ship’s AI.

“How can I help you, Captain Dejar?”

Umbba Qal.

He’d changed the voice again.

Now, instead of the older male voice that I had gotten used to, it was a sensual female voice that had been adjusted to sound similar to Kalyn’s.

Far, far too much like Kalyn’s.

“Captain?”

I must have been sitting there, silently cursing Qal, for too long. “I need some information, and I need it sent to my viewscreen in the clearest way possible.”

“Very well. What information are you looking for, sir?”

I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and thought about what Kalyn had told me, about how the Dominion was ready for them to arrive.

“Can you find anything on any of the universal nets regarding women, of any species, that have been taken or have disappeared? Any stories, reports, anything at all.”

“Do you mean to include what happened to the female members of the crew in your search?”

“Of course. Thank you,” I said. While the AI searched the different universal nets, I did some searching of my own.

I looked into other Dominion locations where the outposts were essentially high-end rest stops and who they were in business with. It wasn’t hard to do, the Dominion made sure everyone knew they were involved in everything they could get their hands on.

So, the question was, what were their hands on?

I spent over an hour searching, collating, and trying to understand what it was that I was seeing. I was looking for connections between Outpost Nine and whatever else was out there.

“I have found the information you requested, Captain.”

“Put it on the wall for me,” I said. I looked away from my little screen to see page after page, tab after tab of information, stories, and news reports of women and girls disappearing. “By the All-World…how many?”

“How many women or how many stories?”

“How many women.”

“There are more than two-hundred and twenty accounts of missing females reported across the nets at this moment. Each account has a varying number of females involved.”

“Estimated total?”

I did not like the answer.

“Over three thousand, Captain. That would be in recent years. Would you like me to go back further in time?”

Three thousand?

“Give me a breakdown of races, locations, dates, and whether or not they were ever found.”

“Affirmative, Captain.”

While the AI compiled the report for me, I looked over the news reports and stories that were already available for me to read.

I read for the next hour, and spent that hour disgusted, horrified, and angry. Most of the reports I read were from the outer regions, and several of them involved young girls just disappearing, never to be seen or heard from again.

I couldn’t find a connection.

“Reports ready. Would you like them on the wall again, Captain?” the AI asked.

“Please,” I responded. The AI had color-coded the reports for me and I have never been angrier at color. “Wait. What are these, here?” I asked as I stood up and pointed.

“Those are the races that have reported the most missing incidents.”

I studied the list of races.

I hadn’t heard of most of them, and the ones that I had heard of, I had no idea what they looked like. I’m not sure I had ever seen any of them, or if I had, I had never learned what they were.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Captain?”

“Yes, please. Change your voice protocols.”

“Is there a problem with this setting?” the AI asked.

I had to be honest, even to an artificial intelligence. “While the voice is pleasing, it is also distracting. Please choose a different voice setting.”

While the AI went through its voice protocols, I kept looking at the report.

The numbers from the outer regions all went through a similar pattern. The number of reports went through spurts over the course of a few months or a few years, then stopped, as if no one disappeared anymore.

The reports from the inner regions were different, and smaller in number.

“My voice parameters have been changed, Captain. Is this voice more to your approval?”

Still a female voice, but professional instead of sultry. And nothing like Kalyn’s.

Good.

“It is,” I said with a nod. “Lock to this setting, please, and set me a reminder to discipline Qal for adjusting your programming.”

“Affirmative, Captain.”

“Thank you. Now, tell me what these numbers mean.” I indicated the numbers I had noticed earlier with the outer regions.

“The number of females taken from the outer-region planets is significantly higher than normal reports, but for only a short period of time.” She highlighted the numbers of the outer regions in yellow and then highlighted the reports from everywhere else in blue. The yellow outnumbered the blue by nearly four-to-one. “Then, the reports either stop or reduce significantly.” She displayed new reports highlighted in the same colors, and this time the blue outnumbered the yellow, but not by much.

“Can you explain?” I asked. I was missing something.

“The number of missing females returned to average, or lesser, occurrences.”

“After how long?”

“The average time of the heightened number of reports is six months between first report and final report of multiple females disappearing. There are still reports, but rarely is it ever anything more than a pair or trio of young females, which is a return to ‘normal’ numbers,” she answered.

The fact that anyone disappeared could ever be counted as ‘normal’ was wrong, but I understood the choice of words. “Is there anything special about these planets?”

“Not that I have been able to find at the moment, Captain. There are still thousands upon thousands of reports to sift through.”

“Very well. Continue to go through them and update these reports as best as you can,” I said. I returned to my desk to figure things out.

What was happening? Why the anomalies in disappearing females for months on end that suddenly stopped?

Why had the Dominion been ready for Kalyn and the others?

What did the Dominion have to do with any of this?

Too many questions to answer and still not enough information to answer them. I wasn’t sure where to go to find the information we needed, and I wasn’t sure if anyone else on board had an idea either.

We had to figure this out.

Also…if the Dominion was truly involved in this…I wasn’t sure how to use that information.

All I knew was that our little scuffle on Outpost Nine meant we were most likely fugitives now and a lot of our jobs were going to be cut off.

Scro.

Kalyn

"I don't understand why all of you are making such a big deal out of this." I looked up at Lynna and Dejar, who stood beside my bed with huge smiles on their faces.

"You're basically healed! It's a big deal," Lynna squealed.

"I've been walking around on my own almost every day," I said with a dismissive shake of my head.

"Yes, but now you'll be cleared to perform your duties," Dejar jumped in. "Aren't you happy to be able to work again?"

"Of course I am," I replied. "I hate not being able to help anyone."

"That's why we're making a big deal out of this," Lynna explained. "Something good is happening to you and we're happy for you. That isn’t a complicated concept to grasp."

I didn't consider this an accomplishment, exactly. If anything, it was all from Lynna's skill and work. She was the one who’d patched me up. I still had two legs, thanks to her and Zayn.

"No, but it's your medical genius," I replied. "I should be throwing a party for you."

"I barely did anything," Lynna said demurely. "The tech in the med bay practically runs itself."

"Don't sell yourself short," Dejar said to Lynna. "Even Zayn admits you have talent. He rarely gives compliments.”

"In any event, I'm excited to have a roommate again! It's not fun sleeping in that little closet all alone," Lynna said.

"You say that now, but when you're sick of me tossing and turning, you'll be saying something else," I replied. Lynna rolled her eyes in response.

"Let's get you out of the bed," she said. She and Dejar reached to help me up, but I waved them off. I gingerly swung my bad leg over the edge of the bed. There was a little stiffness, but no pain.

Dejar grinned from ear to ear when I stood on my own two feet.

"Stop!" I hid my face behind my hands, my face burning red and my smile unequivocal. "You're making it seem like I'm doing something amazing."

"Surviving a serious injury is amazing," Dejar insisted. Lynna examined my leg while I stood. Aside from my weakened muscles, my leg was as good as new.

“Everything looks good. You’re cleared to return to your duties,” she grinned.

"What's your first move now that you're back on duty?" Dejar asked.

"I'd like to go see the other women," I said. "I want to know what they think about everything."

Up until the encounter on the Dominion outpost, the end goal was to return home. No longer sure if that was possible, I wanted to know what they thought.

"I'll gather them in the mess hall," Lynna offered. "Take your time getting there! Don't push yourself."

"I told you I can walk!" I called after her as she left the med bay. "I can walk," I repeated to Dejar.

"I know," he nodded. "Lynna and I hated seeing you injured. Forgive us for not wanting to see that again."

"You're not forgiven," I teased.

"We care about you. You're going to have to get used to it sooner or later," Dejar winked. My heart fluttered beneath my ribs.

"I should go speak to the girls." My voice came out a whisper.

"Come by my office later," Dejar said. "We can get back to work today."

"Will do." I nodded and left the room as quickly as my leg would allow me. Now, it wasn't the injury that caused strain, but weakened muscles.

By the time I reached the mess hall, my bad leg was trembling from exertion. I'd talk to Lynna later about developing an exercise plan to get my strength back.

I opened the door to the mess hall and was greeted by a gaggle of cheering women. It was so overwhelming that I took a step back into the hall.

"Surprise!" Lynna trilled. "Everyone is so thrilled with your recovery. We wanted to do something nice for you." Lynna stepped to the side, revealing a large, misshapen rectangle with the word HOORAY carved into what looked like white icing.

"Is that a cake?" I asked.

"It's as close to a cake as Sars has ever made, so yes." Shenna approached me and wrapped me up in a hug. I was so stunned by the sudden affection that it took me a moment to hug her back.

"You didn't have to do this," I assured them. I couldn't stop smiling.

"Of course we did!" Aryn shouted. "You took a bullet through the leg for us. Laser blast. Whatever!"

"Any of you would've done the same," I replied.

"Stop harping and eat your cake." Maris shoved a plate heavy with a huge slice of cake into my hands. I tentatively took a bite.

"It tastes just like birthday cake!" I laughed in delight. "What's in it?"

"Don't ask that question, because none of us know the answer," Lynna answered. The ship’s cat, Persephone, hopped onto the table and made a dash for the cake.

“Bad kitty!” Shenna admonished the furry creature as she swooped the cat into her arms and dropped her outside of the mess hall doors. The cat meowed in indignation.

“Before we get too far into celebrating, I have to ask all of you something.” The room fell silent, all eyes on me. “What do you want to do now?”

“It’s safe to say asking the Dominion for a ride home is off the table, right?” Aryn asked.

I nodded, wishing I had something more to say, but I just didn’t.

“In that case, I see no problem with staying here.”

“Neither do I,” Lynna replied. Most of the girls echoed their sentiments. I sighed with relief.

“I’m glad to hear that,” I admitted. “I didn’t have a backup plan.” Laughter rippled around the room.

“The captain and crew are decent people,” Maris nodded. “And the money is way better than anything we’d make on Persephone.”

“True,” Aryn agreed. “It’s not like the Terran system wants us back, anyway.” Others murmured in agreement.

“That settles it. We’re staying on the Rogue Star.” Words couldn’t describe how glad I was that everyone was in agreement.

Even the women who didn’t appear happy about the situation agreed that the Rogue Star was the safest option.

To be honest, I was glad I wouldn’t have to leave Dejar, either.

He was… a good friend.

The glow I felt around him was just that, right?

I forced myself to sit still and finish my slice of cake. Conversation turned to idle chatter. Shenna let the cat back into the mess hall to lick up the crumbs we’d dropped.

“I should tell the captain we’ve decided to stay aboard.” I stood up and grinned at the other women.

“He’ll let us stay, won’t he?” Manda asked. “Take him cake as a bribe!”

“I’m sure he will.” With one last round of thank-yous, I wrapped up the final slice and hurried to Dejar’s office. He was sitting at his desk, scrolling through his monitor.

“The women and I want to stay on the Rogue Star,” I announced.

He looked up at me and grinned.

“I didn’t realize you were debating otherwise.” He motioned for me to join him at his desk.

“Not really,” I shrugged. “But I didn’t want to assume they wanted what I wanted.”

“I’m glad everyone wants to stay,” Dejar said. “The crew likes you and the Persephone women. All of you fit in well.”

“I think we do, too.” I leaned forward to look over his shoulder at the screen.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a list of job offers.” He rubbed his eyes and I noticed he looked tired. “Slightly different than before.”

There was something in his voice, something he wasn’t saying.

“What happened?”

“It’s nothing for you to be bothered about.” He waved towards the screen to turn it off, but I caught his wrist.

Dejar froze, even though he could have easily moved me.

“Let me read it.” I squinted at the screen, the words still strange, even after endless hours with the auto-tutor stamping the Shein language into my brain.

“This header here…” I pointed. “It says jobs for non-sanctioned ships, right?”

“Yes,” he sighed, shifting in his seat uncomfortably.

“Why are you non-sanctioned?”

“Well, it’s not really important,” he started, then I realized.

“Because you came back for us,” I whispered. “You lost something important, because you came back, because of what happened on Outpost Nine.”

“Kalyn, stop it.”

His hand cupped my cheek, gently guided my gaze away from the screen, into his eyes.

“It doesn’t mean anything. Ships work without official sanction all the time. Besides,” Dejar chuckled dryly. “They have all of Dominion space to monitor and control. I doubt they’re going to hassle one little cargo ship."

"If you say so," I replied, but nerves ate at my belly. Dejar, the whole crew of the Rogue Star, were being punished for helping us.

How could that be right?

"Hey," Dejar said softly. He turned in his seat to face me. "You don't have anything to worry about anymore. Let me worry about the Dominion from now on. You've been through enough at their hands."

"I appreciate what you're trying to do." I let my hand rest on his broad shoulder. "Worrying is in my nature."

"Will it ease your nature if I promise to only take legal jobs from now on?" he asked.

"That'll help," I admitted with a smirk.

"Consider it done."

"Will legitimate jobs, even if they’re on the non-sanctioned list, earn enough to support the Rogue Star?" Looking through the job offerings on the console, I could see that the shadier jobs paid an average of three times as much as a legitimate job and that there were far more shady jobs than legal ones.

"We just talked about this. Let me worry about that."

Dejar gave me a reassuring smile, but I wasn't convinced.

Dejar

“Captain?”

I was sitting in my office, looking at potential jobs, when the ship’s AI contacted me. “Yes?”

“During my continued search into missing women, I have come across a new bulletin regarding the Rogue Star.”

Well, umbba.

“Show me.” The report was displayed on the wall. It was as expected, but it still hurt to see it.

There was a general order for the Rogue Star to be detained, and the crew to be questioned.

The reward for information was actually substantial, which was a bit impressive.

For just a moment I wondered how we could cash in on it...

No. More trouble than it was worth.

Probably.

“Thank you,” I said. “Call a meeting between senior staff, include Kalyn and whoever she wishes to bring along.”

“Affirmative, Captain.”

“Also, please notify Qal that I want to change course. Have him take us to sector twenty-nine, area twelve.”

Within a few minutes, my office was filled.

Aavat had been the first to arrive since he had been on the bridge. Kovor, Orrin—my engineer, Zayn, Kalyn, Lynna, and Maris soon joined us.

“What’s going on, Captain?” Kalyn asked as she took her seat, Lynna and Maris to her right. The men stood against the far wall.

I pointed at the screen and there was a collective ‘oh.’

“We’re fugitives.” Aavat was quick to the point.

“Correct. The Dominion has officially revoked our license. That means that all of these jobs I was just looking at,” I swiped the list from my screen to the wall, “are no longer available to us. We are now shut down. Officially, at least.”

Maris spoke up. I hadn’t had much of an opportunity to get to know her, but I knew she was one of Kalyn’s biggest antagonists amongst the women. Her curly black hair and gray eyes seemed to match her mood, at least the mood she displayed when first aboard the ship. Her dark-colored skin—olive-toned as Kalyn had once told me, whatever an olive was—gave her the darkest complexion of all the women, and some of my men couldn’t seem to stop staring at her because of it. She stood a full head taller than most of the women, and some of my men.

With a bit of honesty, I had to admit she was slightly intimidating.

“So? Why can’t we find something else?” she asked brusquely.

Surprisingly, Orrin was the one to answer. “The Dominion has a very far-reaching hand. They’ve been known to disrupt the economy of an entire planet for the simplest of slights. It’s one thing for us to work without sanction - that’s just a fancy way to say we get to compete for classier jobs in exchange for higher tithes back to them. It’s something else to work without a license altogether.”

Maris turned to look at Orrin, her expression a mixture of resentment and respect. “Oh, so they’re basically our Martian government outside of Earth. Dressed-up thieves, but thieves all the same. Understood,” she said.

While I wasn’t completely sure what she was talking about, Lynna and Kalyn both nodded in agreement.

Right, then.

“Options?” I asked the room. I partially paid attention to the ideas that they all had, but my concentration was elsewhere. Easy enough until they came to some sort of conclusion.

I had a few ideas, but none would pay as well as what we had been getting lately, and most of them wouldn’t be enough to provide for a crew of over fifty.

This mess had created a situation where we could conceivably be forced to let members of the crew go or be forced to become criminals in order to survive.

I didn’t particularly care for either path.

We’d already taken a few…interesting jobs. Some with a bit more danger than easy courier runs.

The jobs left on the screen weren’t Dominion sanctioned or endorsed, but they were either extremely dangerous, or didn’t pay enough.

Things hadn’t resorted to argument quite yet, although Maris certainly was the more easily agitated of the women. She reminded me very strongly of Aavat, her primary opponent, or proponent, to some of her ideas.

Sometimes it was good to let the crew figure things out amongst themselves, it helped to show me who the leaders were, and who the arguers were.

It also let me see who thought things through before saying something.

Amongst the three women, Lynna was the quiet one. She only responded when someone directed a comment or question at her. Her answers were always well thought-out, but she was the type that seemed to not want to insult anyone, so if she chose a side, she apologized to the other side first.

Kalyn sat back and watched. She had her own ideas, and sometimes tried to reel Maris in when she got a bit exuberant, otherwise she sat back and listened.

She was calculating, listening, learning…I was proud of her.

The part that made me even more proud were those moments when Maris began to get too animated, Kalyn reminded her to calm down, and she listened.

Something about their dynamic must have changed on Outpost Nine.

Interesting. I’d have to ask.

“Captain?” Everyone stopped talking as the AI tried to get my attention.

“What is it?”

“Pilot Qal wishes to tell you that we have entered the fold and will arrive at the chosen destination within two hours.”

“Thank you. Instruct Qal to keep all sensors and visual components, on full scan once we exit the fold.” I looked at the team and forced a smile. “I’m trying to get us out of Dominion space for a spell, give us an opportunity to figure things out and breathe without having to look over our shoulders every second of the day.”

My men simply acknowledged the decision, the women reacted differently.

Kalyn gave me a reassuring smile.

Lynna looked to be processing the information.

Maris seemed agitated. “Where are we going?” she asked.

I scrubbed my hands through my short hair. Maybe we were already on one of those paths. “It’s a sector of space known to be a quiet haven for smugglers and pirates,” I explained. “The Dominion shouldn’t be able to find us there.”

“Can we get parts there?” Her voice had a bit of an excited rise to it.

I tilted my head and looked at her in curiosity. “What did you have in mind?”

Her eyes lit up as she answered. “I think, with Orrin’s help, and whoever else is good with tools, that I can change up the Rogue Star’s signature a bit. Make her look a little different, run a little different. Maybe even change her registration. Might throw the Dominion off for a little bit.”

Kovor, who had been leaning on the wall, stood up straight and walked into Maris’s view. “You can do all that?”

She shrugged. “If I get the right parts and help, yeah.”

“How?”

Her expression was filled with pride, but I thought I detected a bit of embarrassment as well. “Why do you think I was on Persephone Station? I was given a choice, use my particular talents for building whatever was needed out of scrap to keep PS running, or go to prison.”

The look on Kalyn’s face forced me to turn away to hide my smile.

She hadn’t known about that.

Then again, Kalyn had just started her job when we arrived, so she hadn’t had time to learn about her people.

“Would you care to explain?” Orrin asked.

Another shrug. “I had taken apart, retrofitted, and rebuilt the engine of the vehicle of a particular state official that had passed laws in my home that hurt the people there. Mister ‘I never get into trouble’ was busted for obliterating his own imposed speed limits, smog restrictions, and noise restrictions. It was hilarious until my so-called partner turned me in. When they didn’t believe that I could do it, I lost my temper, challenged them to let me prove it.” She leaned back against the wall. “Maybe not my brightest move. Now, one of my engine designs is used by the military and I’m flying out here in space with a bunch of smugglers instead of re-designing everything at Persephone.”

She sat back in her chair, arms folded, her pride in her skills beaming.

“I like it,” I said before Orrin could speak. He looked at me, his eyes nearly popping from his head.

“Sorry?” he said.

I looked at him, then at Maris. “I said I like it. If we can change our registration and our looks, without destroying the ship, it should allow us to find work and continue to eat.”

“Wait a minute, if you please, Captain. You’re suggesting that we let…her…tear apart my ship and try to rebuild it?” He turned to Maris. “Do you even know how to work on this ship?”

Before anyone could say anything, Maris had jumped to her feet and put herself in Orrin’s face. “I’ve put myself through your damn auto-tutor every night to learn to read your script. I’ve studied this ship from top to bottom, every manual, every bit of spec. I am one-hundred percent confident that I can make the modifications needed without harming your precious ship.”

He looked at me, obvious disbelief and distrust on his face.

I shrugged. “If you don’t trust her, help her. We need work, and you see the jobs that are available. Unless we convince some of the outer empires to take us on, we won’t make enough to survive. Do you want that?”

He shook his head.

“I didn’t think so,” I responded. “Well, seems as if we have a plan. Aavat, as soon as we exit the fold, take us…”

“Yep. I know where. They won’t be happy to see us,” he growled.

“They’ll get over it, especially when they see the color of our credits.”

“Yeah.” He left the office, and that apparently signaled the end of the meeting, as Kovor, Orrin, and Zayn followed suit.

“You get to prove yourself again,” I said to Maris. She smiled, just a little feral, and stomped away, Lynna behind her.

“Do you think it’s wise?” Kalyn murmured, a crease marking her forehead between her eyebrows.

“Orrin will watch her and argue every step of the way.” I crossed over to sit next to her, taking one pale hand in mine. “Between the two of them battling ideas, they’ll have the bugs worked out before any changes are made.”

She smiled, and a spark hit me in the gut.

My Kalyn. My gorgeous little human, with her strange soft skin. I’d do anything to keep her happy, and to...

Koso. I’d been so busy watching her lush lips move, I hadn’t paid enough attention to her words.

“-they’ll tear the ship apart.”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m teasing, silly.” She leaned against me, comfortable with my presence.

Comfortable wasn’t all that I wanted, but I’d take anything that gave me more contact with her.

Anything.

Kalyn

Dejar and the crew of the Rogue Star worked non-stop to complete enough deliveries to make enough money to support day-to-day operations.

When the ship needed to refuel, we had to make port at the few fuel stations that operated outside of the Dominion’s control.

And despite everything, we still didn’t have enough to afford the parts we’d need to refit the ship.

I sat in Dejar’s office, looking over finances and job offers, rubbing my head.

The auto-tutor had stamped the Shein language into my brain, and I was happy to be able to help, but there were still times the letters squirmed before me, making my eyes ache.

It didn’t make things better when Aavat stormed in.

“Scro!”

“It’s nice to see you, too,” I chuckled, admittedly happy for a bit of distraction.

“What’s the matter, Aavat?” Dejar asked.

“We’ve been blacklisted, that’s what’s the matter.” Aavat threw a stack of films onto the desk, scattering the ones I had been pouring over.

“Hey!” I grumbled. I picked up sheets Aavat tossed. There was a picture of the Rogue Star taken at the port on Dominion Outpost Nine.

“What does this mean?” I asked as I handed the sheet to Dejar. “How is this any different from having our license revoked?”

“The Dominion has forbidden anyone to do business with us,” he explained, rocking back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. “Aavat, this can’t be a surprise.”

“It’s not but it’s going to make things even harder for us now.” Aavat nodded to the console screen.

I looked at the list of jobs I’d been pondering. One by one, they disappeared until only a handful of listings remained.

“Shit,” I muttered. “Dejar, I thought you said people were always looking for services cheaper than what the Dominion offered.”

“I did,” Dejar nodded. “And it’s true. But dealing with a non-sanctioned service is very different from dealing with a blacklisted service. Clients that sought us out when we were simply non-sanctioned ran a small risk of being fined. Using a blacklisted service risks becoming blacklisted yourself. No one is going to want to risk that to save a bit of money on a delivery.”

“What about the ones who are willing to risk it?” I peered at the remaining jobs on the console.

“It’s likely that they’re blacklisted as well,” Aavat explained. “That third job down is from a known pirate horde.”

“Pirates?” I gasped. “Pirates post public job adverts?”

“Only the cocky ones,” Dejar smirked. “The ones that have enough ships and weapons to make the Dominion think twice about going after them.”

“Isn’t the Dominion the most powerful coalition in this part of the universe?” I asked.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to go head to head in a fight against a pirate horde,” Aavat smirked. “We should take that job. If they like our work, they’ll accept us into the horde.”

“You want to bring a ship full of beautiful, exotic, human females into a pirate fleet?” Dejar pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead.

“Where I come from, pirates aren’t known for doing honest business. Is it the same out here?” I asked.

“Yes. If we accept the job, they’ll likely pay us in full only to kill us and take the money off our dead bodies,” Dejar replied.

“I’d like to see them try,” Aavat scoffed.

“We need to have a serious talk about your adrenaline issues.” Dejar gave Aavat a long, weary stare.

“What can I say? I like to feel alive.” Aavat spread his coppery arms dramatically. I didn’t hold in my laughter. I’d gotten used to Aavat’s strange sense of humor.

“Don’t encourage him,” Dejar smirked.

Aavat made a rude gesture.

“I’m going to tell the crew we’re blacklisted,” he said. “Qal should be able to take us to parts of the galaxy Dominion ships don’t often travel through.”

“Don’t bring up the pirate horde,” Dejar sighed.

“I’m absolutely going to bring up the pirates,” Aavat called over his shoulder as he left the office.

“It’s fun to watch you two together,” I giggled. “You’re like brothers.”

“I want to punch him in the face half the time,” Dejar chuckled. “But I couldn’t ask for a better right hand in all of this.”

“Exactly. Brothers,” I repeated.

“I suppose you’re right.” A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “But we’re still not joining a pirate horde.”

“You’re no fun,” I teased.

Dejar and I turned our attention back to the console. “What are we going to do about this?” I asked.

“I had a few thoughts on that,” Dejar replied. “These jobs are for interplanetary deliveries. Local delivery jobs are only posted on the planet where the delivery takes place.”

“Can the Rogue Star make port on any planet anymore?” I asked.

“There’s one planet, Katzul. It’s home to the wealthiest citizens in Dominion space. The Dominion’s influence is almost nonexistent,” Dejar explained.

“They’re wealthy enough to make their own laws,” I nodded knowingly.

“That’s right. Every once in a while, a Dominion official arrives on the planet pretending to enforce regulations, but they collect bribes and leave after a few days,” Dejar said.

“That sounds like our best bet for work,” I replied.

“You should know, I don’t know how safe it will be for us,” Dejar continued. “The planet is breathtaking, one of the most beautiful places in Dominion space. It’s easy to forget that it’s a lawless place where the wealthy have free reign.”

“Sounds like my mother's house,” I muttered.

“I’m serious, Kalyn.” Dejar reached for my hand. “I don’t know how well I can protect you and the others during a job.”

I placed my hand over his, a gesture meant to be reassuring.

“There’s no use worrying about that until we get there,” I told him.

“Didn’t you once tell me worrying was in your nature?” he teased, lifting a brow.

“That was before you started worrying enough for the both of us,” I replied. “Besides, I’ve been blown up, kidnapped, and nearly lost a leg. After that, there’s only a few things that can cause me worry and I know you’ll protect me from every single one of them.”

“You’re putting a lot of faith in me,” Dejar smiled.

“I think you can handle it,” I winked.

Dejar squeezed my hand as his smile softened.

My eyes flickered down to his lips. Heat rushed to my face as a wave of desire I wasn’t prepared for washed over me.

“Tell me more about Katzul,” I quickly changed the subject. The room felt hot all of a sudden. My heart fluttered in my chest. My stomach flipped in a way that was pleasurable and painful at the same time.

Dejar gave me a sly smile and I practically melted on the spot.

“Most of the planet is empty,” he explained. “Everyone lives in one sprawling city. The wealthiest homes are on giant slabs of land nearly suspended in the air.”

“Floating homes?” I gasped.

“More like floating kingdoms,” he corrected. “There are huge buildings, too. Some of them reach higher than the floating residences. The outsides are mirrored so the city can reflect its beauty infinitely.”

“Wow,” I sighed. “I’m excited to see it. Have you been many times?”

“I’ve been only once,” he explained. “There’s an observatory on the highest floor of the tallest building. I’ve always wanted to go.”

“I’m sure you’ll find the time once we get there,” I said brightly. “We’ll be there for a while.”

“If everything works out the way we need it to,” Dejar added, “I’d like to take you to see it.”

“What?” I sputtered.

“There’s a district packed with the most amazing restaurants in all of Dominion space. We could go to one, whichever one you want. Afterward, we can go up to the observatory.” Dejar looked excited.

My stomach twisted again.

“I would like that very much.” I forced myself to say. It was true. Dejar’s proposal sounded perfect. I couldn’t think of anything I’d want to do more. The fear that accompanied all of the pleasant sensations I felt when I was around Dejar didn’t make sense.

“I’m glad.” He leaned forward. His eyes briefly flickered to my lips.

My body was torn with the deep desire to lean into him and the urge to flee the room. Panic surged through me when he was too close for me to run away.

The moment his lips touched mine, the panic evaporated. The urge to run was replaced with the desire to never move again. His mouth was warm and firm. A soft sensation took over my body.

Just like that, he pulled away. I wanted to pull him back to me. Instead, I sat as if I’d been turned to stone.

“Are you alright?” Dejar’s face was a mask of concern.

“Yes,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry, you surprised me. That was lovely. Thank you.”

What the fuck was wrong with me?

I needed to get a grip. Dejar kissed me and it was amazing. I wanted to kiss him again, but I didn’t know how to do this.

Courting was never something human females were prepared for. It was something only found in history books.

We were told that romance wasn’t an option for us. We were partnered with males for the purpose of creating a viable offspring and nothing more. The survival of the species had to be the first priority. There wasn’t room for affection.

I’d told Dejar I trusted him to protect me from the few things I still feared.

I’d been thinking along the lines of torture and death. You know, the usual stuff, now that we were stranded in an alien galaxy.

Now, I had something else to worry about, something Dejar couldn’t protect me from.

Falling in love.

Dejar

Finally, we had the credits we needed.

We arrived at Zolla-T, an interesting little planetoid where the dregs of the cosmos, and those looking for different experiences, went to “hide” from the authorities.

Hooray for interesting.

Most importantly for me, it was the one place where the Dominion had no power because the people here didn’t care.

Zolla, the owner of Zolla-T, wasn’t happy to see us.

Then again, that crotchety old woman was never happy to see anyone, until we showed her our credits, then we became like the children she’d never had.

When we arrived, we made sure to let Zolla know we were coming to buy and that we had the credits to afford it.

I let Maris deal with Zolla, to give her the full experience of what that woman was like.

“I like her,” she told me when she returned. “She’s a sweetheart. Loves me.”

Orrin, who had gone with her, acknowledged that. “She’s not lying. Zolla absolutely adored her, even gave her a discount on half the stuff she requested.”

My eyes bugged out. Zolla didn’t love anyone, and certainly didn’t offer discounts. Maris surprised me more and more every day.

When I talked to Kalyn about it, she was at a loss, as well. “Maybe they’re kindred spirits,” she said, shrugging.

“She doesn’t even love her own children,” I argued.

Kalyn just kissed me on the cheek and went to talk to Lynna.

I looked at Orrin, who shook his head in disbelief. “I was there, and I still don’t know how things happened. I have work to do if we’re going to change the registry,” and with that, he walked away, leaving me to wonder how Maris got Zolla to like her.

And how soft Kalyn’s lips had felt.

We were going to be sitting here, changing the ship, for nearly a week…it would take four days for a new engine core regulator to arrive, and another day to install it.

During that time, we had to fix up and clean up the Rogue Star…she was going to need to look new, sleek, and expensive if we wanted any clients on Katzul.

Two days into the refit, Kalyn walked in where I was working.

“Hey, I thought we were going to paint this room a light blue to elicit calm feelings in our passengers.”

I stopped painting and looked at her. “No, this room was supposed to be this off-white and green combination. The blue was for the med bay.”

“No, I just came from the med bay. Lynna wants the green and white in there. We’ve been looking for it all morning.” She stifled a laugh as she explained.

I glanced down at my arms. I was covered in paint, little spots everywhere. I looked like I was suffering from some unusual, overly colorful form of Philaxian pox. I dropped my head and shook it.

When I looked back up, she was looking away from me, her hand over her mouth as she tried not to laugh. “Sorry,” she blurted out, her voice at a high pitch.

It was my turn to turn away from her and fight a grin. The squeak in her voice was hilarious and it took everything I had not to laugh.

And then I failed. I started laughing so hard I snorted, then hiccupped, which caused her to start laughing.

Which started me up again. I ended up laughing so hard that my sides hurt. After catching my breath and doing my best not to laugh every time I looked at her, I finally managed to ask my question. “Are you sure about the paint color?”

“Mmm-hmm.” She was still smirking, and I had trouble keeping my composure with how she looked.

“How about blue and white in the med bay and we make this the green room?” I asked.

She shook her head, like I knew she would.

I dropped my head, let out a mock sob, and surrendered to defeat.

Kalyn put her hand on my arm. “Let me help you.”

“Okay,” I said sheepishly. I knelt down to pick up the paint tray, put my finger in the paint, and put my finger on her nose.

Her jaw dropped, eyes wide.

“Wha…how…but…you son of a bitch!” she stuttered then yelled at me. She grabbed a paint brush, dipped it into the paint pan, and chased me around the room. I made a break for it once I was close to the door and ran.

But not too fast.

I looked behind me and the paint brush landed in my face.

She’d thrown it.

I fell to the floor and rolled down the hall a bit, her laughter trailing me all the way. Several of the crew, men and women, looked away from whatever they were working on to watch us.

My gold skin got a bit darker as I grabbed the brush and ducked back into the room with Kalyn, laughing the entire way.

I held her as we laughed, and when my face ended up close to hers, I leaned in for a kiss.

When my lips touched hers, the world was perfect.

“Come on,” she broke away awkwardly, eyes on the floor. “Let’s get this fixed.”

We repainted the first room, then helped with the med bay, but all through the rest of the day, I felt her eyes on me.

I couldn’t be the only one that felt the sparks every time our hands brushed against each other.

Finally, the long, frustrating day ended.

“Meet you in the mess hall?” Lynna called over to Kalyn as she scrubbed at her hands and face.

“Actually,” I jumped in, “I was wondering if you’d care to join me for dinner in my quarters.”

We’d eaten together before.

Nothing had happened.

Nothing much, at least.

That didn’t explain why the soft look in Kalyn’s eyes, the slight opening of her mouth, set me on fire.

Lynna laughed and headed out with the others. “We’ll see you later.”

“Maybe,” Maris added, but I didn’t care.

I don’t remember what Sars sent up for dinner. All I could think of was the sound of her voice, the brief taste of her lips she’d granted me earlier.

All too soon, she pushed away from the table.

“Thank you, but I should be going.”

I reached for her hand, drawing one finger up and down her lower arm until her breath became soft and ragged.

“Stay.”

She kept her gaze locked on me for a long time before giving a shaky, tentative sort of nod. The darting glances to the side made it more than obvious that she wanted to look away.

Almost as if working through a skittering fear, she held my gaze with a fierce sort of determination.

I'd never seen her quite so apprehensive, but the glowing crimson of her cheeks and pounding of her heart made it clear that nervousness wasn't the only thing she was feeling.

I turned to face her straight on, and she slid her hand into mine, our fingers intertwining. I thought about asking her if it would be alright to kiss her, but the slight pursing of her lips and incline of her head were all the indication I needed.

I leaned down to press my lips to hers, marveling all over again at how soft and warm they were. Just as much as they yielded to mine, they seemed to claim them.

I flicked my tongue between the seam of her lips, coaxing. Hesitantly, sweetly, she opened for me.

My tongue dipped in for the first taste of her, teasing her to meet me, to taste me back.

Gently moaning against my mouth, Kalyn seemed to be driven to press her body tight to me, until I eased her back and away, placing a hand at each of her shoulders.

"Don't you think you should get a little more... comfortable before we get that close?" I shot her a little grin, which seemed to break her oddly stoic resolve.

She looked away, the blush intensifying as she gave a slight nod. When she didn't begin undressing on her own, I brought my hands up to unclasp and remove piece after piece until she was left bare above the waist.

I couldn't help but marvel at the loveliness of her chest. Her breasts were as pale as the rest of her—maybe even more so—terminating at the fore in a beautiful pinkish hue, though even the tight nubs seemed pale when compared to the deep flush that spread over her upper chest.

I cupped them both, indulging a little moan that slipped from my lips as I felt the intensely soft warmth.

Despite her nervousness, she pressed her chest toward me a little at that, even moaning a bit as I shifted my attention to her tight, rosy buds. The adorable little noises of pleasure she made drove me on as I began lightly stroking and squeezing there, pinching a bit in response to her eagerness.

She was totally out of her depth, but her body seemed right at home beneath my attentions. Still, I was just as new to this as she was—or, at least, new to the strange beauty of humans and what gave them pleasure.

I took my time and lingered there, listening to her moans, as both the pace and intensity of her breaths picked up, giving me the cues I needed.

It seemed to take quite a bit of effort to overcome the shyness, shame, or whatever happened to be holding her back from it, but she finally made a request, breaking the tense silence.

"You could... kiss, or… maybe suck them, if you wanted..."

I gave a final squeeze to them both before indicating the bed behind her. Kalyn nodded, and with shaking steps made her way over to it.

Grinning, I made my way over to her and urged her further up the bed. As I eased her down, she brought both arms up and rested her hands behind her head, almost seeming to put herself on display for me.

I leaned down and eagerly took one of the now-hard rose nubs between my lips. She mewled and twisted where she laid, and as I suckled more eagerly and took more of that intoxicating, yielding flesh, I made a point to be conscious of my sharpened teeth.

Even a little nibble would be no good, I thought, no matter how intense the urge might be.

Instead, I focused on sliding my tongue over her, each ridge seeming to renew and escalate her enjoyment. As I pulled back and focused the tip of my tongue there, flickering and flitting, her hips raised from the bed in a wanton display of need—one I was all too eager to oblige.

After I'd gotten her pants unclasped and removed, she guided my hand to where it needed to be.

It became all too clear what she so desperately wanted the moment my finger came into contact with the firm nub at the top of her slit. She cried out and pushed her hips against my hand before giving a hard, encouraging nod.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide and staring, as I circled and gently flicked at it, the bucking of her hips increasing with each touch.

The urge to return to those breasts was too strong to ignore, and I settled in beside her once more, idly suckling and lavishing as I stroked at the sensitive spot. Soon, I let my hand wander, her silken heat enveloping my fingers as I slipped lower, driving in and out of her tightness.

Everything about this woman was so infinitely inviting, so utterly intoxicating, that I could hardly figure out what to do with myself.

I found the urge to taste her rising rapidly as a throbbing hunger, but just as much as I wanted to drag things out and watch her luxuriating in the pleasure I was giving her, I wanted to take it slow enough that she wasn't overwhelmed.

Besides, I'd see her overwhelmed soon enough if I had my way.

Her scent drew me upward, and I found myself dragging my tongue up from her side to the crook of her neck, passing beneath her arm and over her collarbone on the way. Every bit of her seemed enticing in its own way.

My kissing and suckling near her throat seemed to drive her pleasure immeasurably higher, and she turned her head away to give me better access.

It wasn't as if I hadn't thought about being with her before, but it was far different than I’d thought it would be. I expected her to guide me with words, or protest little things, or simply talk more, but her body seemed more than capable of doing all the communication that was required. Every motion was purposeful, whether it was to guide me or intensify her own enjoyment, and I found myself wondering if she even realized what she was doing.

Kalyn seemed totally lost in the moment, no doubt having surrendered to the intensity of it and its power to push back any apprehensions she might have had coming into it. My thoughts were dissipating, too, more and more, the longer I remained in the hypnotic haze surrounding her. Something about the heat radiating from every inch of her, her wonderful scent... I could feel the hunger for her rising quickly above my own restraint.

I pulled back from her neck just long enough to bring my fingers up to my lips, darting my tongue out to slide over and between them.

Tasting her sweet juices on my fingers set my veins burning. The hunger was in control, and nothing could have been more important in that moment than tasting her.

After leaning in to give a kiss to the lobe of her ear, I worked my way down her chest and over her belly, tongue and lips traveling in a teasing trail over her sensitive flesh.

Kalyn hadn't turned her head back or opened her eyes, but her hand drifted down to lay atop my head, urging me down as she gave a little whimper of need. Had she been anything but totally overwhelmed, she probably would have been mortified at being so eager and forward about it, but she was just as lost as I was then.

I settled in between her legs, placing a hand behind each of her knees to urge her legs up and apart. I could only take in the sight of her for a moment before my hunger impelled me forward, and before I knew it, my tongue was flashing and flicking over her nub. My eyes settled on her face, and I watched as she worked her eyes open and looked down at me.

She was panting hard already, but her breath quickened as she watched, her hands tightening and twisting in the sheets as I pleasured her. After a few failed attempts at speech, she fell quiet, aside from the intensifying moans and heavy breaths.

I had to taste her more.

Deeper.

Her body tightened up for a long moment as I slid the ridged length of my tongue inside, pushing forward until I was absolutely enveloped in her slick heat.

Delicious.

Kalyn called out my name as she bucked hard against me, every signal of pleasure from her driving my hunger higher and higher, desperate to see her in the deepest depths of pleasure. She seemed to try to hold on at the precipice of climax, her breath coming to a sudden, hitching halt.

All at once, she threw her head back, screaming my name once more as her motions became erratic. She thrashed hard as the orgasm sent chaotic waves through her body, leaving only her hands twisted up in the sheets, holding on tight even as they trembled.

I kept her in the throes of pleasure for as long as I could, but when her hand shot down to push me away, I let it.

It was the absolute height of bliss to watch her even as she came down, and I retook my place beside her in bed to tease her with little trills of pleasure, trailing my fingertips over her thighs and lavishing her with short, small kisses at her neck.

"How was that, beautiful?"

She managed a quick, shaky nod before turning her head to look at me. "I don’t know… Absolutely... unbelievable.” She panted, curling into my chest.

Wrapping my arms around her, I felt her drift into sleep, watched her gentle breathing until I faded away beside her, her taste still on my tongue.

* * *

In the morning, I reached for her hip and rolled her toward me.

The taste of her neck, the softness of her shoulders was irresistible.

“Good morning,” she nuzzled my chest and I breathed in the scent of her.

“I’ve got some ideas on how to make it better,” I promised, letting my hand knead the small of her back.

She arched into me, delightful sounds spurring me on.

BANG.

A knock on her door interrupted us.

“Dammit,” I heard her whisper. “Pretend we’re not here.” She began kissing me again, but the knocking continued.

I broke off our kiss. “We have to answer it.” I hated myself for saying it, but I had to. For the first time, I wished Aavat was the ummbo captain.

With a string of curses uttered under my breath, I cleared my throat and answered. “Yes?”

“Captain?”

One of the women. I couldn’t tell which. Maybe I would have known if I hadn’t been quite so delightfully distracted, but as things were…

“Would you happen to know where Commander Kalyn is? The new regulator is here, and Maris wants her to go over the details of the installation.”

“I’ll let her know.”

Whoever it was left.

And in that time, Kalyn had already rolled out of bed, begun putting on her clothes that we’d scattered about last night.

I sat up to watch her, worry pooling in my gut. “Everything alright?”

“Of course,” she said brightly. Too brightly. “Just time to get back at it.” She flashed a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I’ll see you out there!”

And with that, she slipped away.

But not for long.

Kalyn

I woke up in the middle of the night panting.

I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t think of anything but Dejar.

I’d spent the day running from one job to the next, anxious to help, to stay busy.

To keep from thinking of him.

How his touch had felt.

How he’d made me shatter.

How much I’d wanted more.

And then I’d ruined it, run away like a child.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I stood up from my sleeping mat and left the room.

With a shaking hand, I knocked on the door to his cabin. He answered the door, groggy and wearing nothing but a loose pair of pants.

“Kalyn?” He blinked in surprise. “Are you okay?”

“I have to tell you something,” I blurted, making sure I looked into his eyes and not at the broad expanse of his chest.

“I’m listening.” Dejar’s smile was as easy as ever. He invited me into the room and closed the door behind us. He sat down on the edge of his bed. “I’m listening,” he prompted when I didn’t speak right away.

“I want to kiss you.”

“You have my permission,” Dejar laughed.

“No,” I sighed. “What I mean is, I want to kiss you and touch you and be with you, but I don’t know how to do that.” I sounded like an idiot, an absolute moron. I should just go back to my room and pretend this never happened.

“I don’t understand.” He stood up and walked across the room to stand in front of me. He took my hands in his. “You’re touching me now. You’re with me most of the day. You know how to do it. You’re very good at it, actually.”

“Not like that.” I shook my head. “I mean in the way men and women were together before the male birthrate dropped to almost zero.”

“How was that?” he asked. His smile was indulgent and filled with laughter. Butterflies erupted in my stomach. I couldn’t think straight with him looking at me like that.

“Having breakfast together,” I blurted. He tilted his head to one side.

“You…want to have breakfast with me?” he asked slowly. I took a deep breath to unscramble my thoughts. I should’ve prepared a speech or something. I was terrible at improv.

“Breakfast after waking up beside each other,” I explained. “Holding hands, kissing each other, and planning a future together. Being together because we want to be together, not because the survival of a species depends on systematic breeding.”

“What the kopa is going on in the Terran system?”

“A lot of messed up shit, but that’s not the point,” I stressed. “My point is I want to be with someone because I love them, not because of duty.”

“You love me?” Dejar’s eyes narrowed.

Realizing what I’d just said, I felt the color drain from my face. My mouth ran dry. I couldn’t turn back now.

“You’re a giant alien with golden skin from a universe I only just found out existed, you try to take on too many burdens at once, and you work too hard, but yes! I’m in love with you.” I spoke so quickly I worried Dejar didn’t understand anything I said.

“Oh, Kalyn,” he sighed. He reached out, wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me against his chest. He rested his cheek on the top of my head and held me so tightly I didn’t have to worry about my wobbly legs holding me up.

I thought telling him would be the scariest part, but I was wrong. It was one thing to confess feelings to someone. Asking how they felt in return was a new beast to battle altogether.

“Do you love me?” My voice was muffled against his chest.

“You’re a little neurotic, you either worry too much or not enough, and you second guess yourself too often,” he murmured into my hair, “but yes. I love you, too.”

He was right, of course.

I could only remember one time in my life where I wasn't worried about one thing or another.

When he was beside me, touching me, making me feel such wonderful things, I couldn't think of anything but him and that moment.

Remembering that night, I felt a little jolt of expectation shoot through me. I could feel my face flushing, my breath quickening.

Dejar must have noticed, because he pulled back to look down at me before placing one of those all-too-skilled hands beneath my chin.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine in a kiss that washed my concerns away just as quickly as they'd come.

His presence was always absorbing in a lot of ways, but something about connecting with him like that made everything else fall away like nothing else.

I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist and leaned up into the kiss, my body telling me more and more insistently what I already knew—I needed him, badly.

He deepened the kiss, demanding entrance, and I gladly opened to him. His tongue, so strange, so alien, felt amazing as I twined against it with mine, copying his touches, letting him drive us on.

Before I broke away completely, I gave a gentle nip at his lower lip and shot him a mischievous grin. "I think... I might be ready."

His face absolutely lit up, but it didn't seem to be at the prospect of his own enjoyment. He was glad for me, and eager to experience it with me. The look in his eyes spoke clearly, though he remained silent for the moment.

With a gentle nudge, he urged me in the direction of the bed. As I made my way there, I stripped off my top and bra, pants and panties soon following.

A low, rumbling sort of moan sounded from behind me, and I looked over my shoulder as I stepped out of my panties, still bent over at the waist.

His eyes were absolutely fixed on my backside, hands flexing at his sides as he watched me. The thought of teasing him a little, making him wait, really building it up, only served to excite me further.

I lingered as I was for a long moment, even giving a little wiggle of my ass in his direction, an irrepressible giggle accompanying it.

Dejar closed the distance between us and placed a hand on each of my hips, squeezing firmly before sliding up to my lower back, pulling my body back against him, a hard heat pressed tight between us as he rocked his hips against mine.

Oh. My.

I straightened up to press my back to his chest, and he slipped out of his shirt just before coming to rest skin-to-skin with me.

The feeling of his hands cupping my breasts again brought me immediately back to the moment I'd first felt those strong hands on me and the intensity of that expectation. It stacked atop the intense need that was already swelling within me.

His hands moved with a surprising gentleness and ease, pinching my nipples in just the right way that the sensations flew on hot wires, straight down to my core. Every inch of my skin was overwhelmingly sensitive, and he seemed more than happy to stay there just as long as I'd let him.

With every touch, every caress, I melted more against him.

Then again, no matter how wonderful those hands were, there was nothing quite like the feeling of his full lips around my nipples and the heavenly sensation of his tongue sliding over them.

I wouldn't be able to hold out against the insistence of that memory for long.

I reached up to ease his hands down and away with the intention of getting into bed, but when I turned around, I found him towering over me and already urging me onto my back as he had before.

I loved being guided, because I knew it came from that place of deep hunger I'd gotten a peek at only once.

I wanted to see so much more of it—so much more of him.

I found my thoughts concentrated on the hard length I now found pressed to my side as he took his place alongside me, but I was soon pulled back to the moment by the sudden feeling of slick, burning-hot attention at my nipple.

That tongue, stiffer than I’d expected, seemed be lined with ridges, the strange texture amplifying each gentle lick against my already sensitive nipples until I gasped, arching from the bed. He switched attention to the other breast, one hand kneading the one he’d just left, the sparks still rolling through me at his touch.

It wasn't long before he had a hand situated between my legs, gently stroking at my clit, teasing at the slick folds, one finger dipping in and out of my core, just enough to drive any sort of thought from my mind.

As my breathing grew more ragged, he penetrated deeper, driving into me while the heel of his hand rubbed circles over my aching mound.

Nothing had prepared me for this.

For him.

Too much, too many sensations.

They all mixed, pulled, and crested in me, until I rocked my hips against him, my eyes drifting closed and I was pulled into that vortex of pleasure where nothing but the immediacy of our passion existed.

The speed, the intensity of his touch increased until everything I had responded to him, belonged to him.

And I shattered again at his touch, light bursting behind my eyes as I came, shuddering around him.

He held me, dotting kisses across my face as I came down,

I felt more in sync with him in that moment than I ever had, both of us simply enjoying being together and the wonderful feelings that came with it, though I had plenty of wonderful feelings I intended to give him, too.

Even as I imagined myself riding atop him, my reverie was broken over and over by the intensity of the combined sensations, my whole body awash in it. So many images flashed through my mind that it was hard to keep track of them, and the infinite variations of things I so desperately wanted to do with him seemed to play on a flashing sort of repeat along with the present moment.

Once I caught my breath, I rolled to face him and motioned for him to lay back as I had.

I sat up properly and looked down over his beautiful chest, running a hand over that shining golden strength-made-flesh before settling at his waist. My hands trembled with anticipation as I unfastened his pants, but the moment I'd gotten them loose, my body seemed to move on its own.

My captain.

My Dejar.

Rather than any kind of nervousness, he seemed to be almost cocky, propping himself up against a few pillows with his hands folded over his abs, waiting for me to look back down.

The smirk was evident even in his voice. "Hmm? A little nervous to look, are we?"

I returned the smile and shook my head. "Nuh-uh. Just... dragging it out a little longer. My mind's been spinning on this for a while now, you know."

He nodded and leaned up to give me a small, affectionate sort of kiss before settling back into place.

After a deep, steadying breath, I turned my gaze downward, immediately struck still and silent by the strange beauty of what was so proudly presented there.

His cock was almost shockingly thick, ridged in the same wonderful sort of way his tongue was. My mind immediately leapt forward to the image of it sliding deep inside me as I straddled him, but it was quickly pulled back as I noticed a second appendage slightly to the front.

My brow shot up in surprise as I looked it over, absentmindedly bringing a hand to it to slide my fingertips over the length. It was smaller than the other and didn't have the same sorts of ridges or definition, but, instead, seemed flexible.

Definitely not what I’d been taught I would see at the breeding facility.

Like everything else about him, I was sure this would be better.

It was sensitive, too, if Dejar's sudden gasp and the rising of his hips was to be believed. I stroked along the length with the tip of my thumb, every twitch of his muscles, every tightly suppressed groan adding to the heat between my legs.

I pulled my hand away as his breath quickened. It wouldn't do to have him getting off so quickly. Not until I’d tried everything I had in mind.

Instead, I wrapped my hand around the thick length situated just beneath it and gripped more firmly than I had before. This prompted a low, rumbling sort of growl from him, and he slowly began rocking his hips to pump the slick length through my grasp.

I was totally transfixed by the sight, and slowly pulsed the pressure around him as he moved. "It's lovely. You're lovely."

Dejar gave a halting, gasping sort of laugh as his hips slowed. "Not something I usually hear, but glad you think so.” Another low moan. “Was a little worried about this part."

As I shifted my weight, preparing to straddle his hips, he flipped, pinning me beneath him, grinding his hard length against my mound until my back arched, nails digging into his broad shoulders.

Dejar pulled back, then with delicate control, pushed his hips forward to slide the now-throbbing length over my clit one more time, before pulling back to position himself properly. The tip pressed just slightly inside, but even that much was enough to send a wave of pleasure through my core.

I brought my hands to rest at his hips before giving what I hoped was a reassuring sort of nod.

"I'm ready."

He leaned down to kiss me deeply before he began easing forward, pushing the thick length into me. Every ridge that slipped inside pushed me closer and closer to some kind of celestial bliss, the overwhelming sensation of being so completely filled like nothing I'd ever imagined, let alone felt.

For so long, I’d imagined this moment would be something clinical, soulless, disconnected, and even lonely. Then again, this wasn’t “reproduction” as I’d heard for so long, talked about along with other duties and expectations like some kind of work. This was an outgrowth of the love we felt for each other, and an expression unlike any other.

I’d completely given myself over to him, laid my safety and happiness and pleasure squarely in his hands, feeling nothing but confidence that he’d do exactly what needed to be done. Just as much as I loved him, I believed in him.

Looking up into his eyes, full of just as much kindness as fierceness, I bit my bottom lip and gave a final nod of encouragement.

He began pumping his hips slowly then, working a bit more of the thick length into me every time he pushed forward until every inch of it was buried deep inside. I could feel the slender secondary appendage sliding over my clit with every motion, setting my body and mind alight with a melting sort of pleasure.

By the time the thick base of his cock pressed against me, I was so far beyond any purposeful movement or words that I couldn’t even begin to tell him how incredible it all felt. All I could do was buck my hips against him, urging him on, doing my best to take absolutely everything he had to give.

My eagerness seemed to embolden him, and before long, he was pumping into me more roughly. The love in his eyes was still there, but it had been joined by an equal measure of raw, animalistic lust, a low growl beginning deep in his chest as he picked up the pace.

All I could do was drape my arms over his back and hold on as he pressed his chest to mine, burying his face at the crook of my neck and shoulder. He kissed and suckled there almost hungrily as he pounded up into me, his breaths coming hot and quick.

I wrapped my legs around his waist firmly, locking our bodies together in the mind-erasing bliss of our joining, wrapping more tightly every time he pumped forward to push him as deep as I possibly could.

I wanted to feel every one of those ridges as they slid inside, each thrust a staccato burst of pleasure from their presence along with the ecstasy of being so thoroughly stretched.

His pace slowed, and I felt a hard shudder run through his body, his back flexing tight beneath my fingertips as he fought to regain control.

I wanted something, something I couldn’t name, but control wasn’t it. I turned my head, whispering. “Dejar… please.”

That seemed to be all he needed to hear, because the moment I finished speaking, he immediately resumed the rough clip he’d settled into before, pounding into me, claiming me.

I felt my own climax building, a strange sort of panicked pleasure glowing and flaring from my core, some part of me knowing full well that it was going to be more intense than anything I’d ever felt.

The kind of thing I could completely lose myself in.

The kind of thing that could consume me.

I wanted it more than anything.

With every thrust, I urged him on, our ragged breaths and moans filling the room around us. I tightened down around him in rhythm with his motions, my body knowing full well what it wanted—what it so desperately needed.

Dejar roared out, his face buried in the pillow beside me. I could feel the sudden, hammering throb of his length, wave after wave filling me to bursting. The suddenness of it sent me careening over the edge, my body tensing just a moment before I completely lost myself to the ecstasy of it all.

The orgasm seemed to last both an eternity and a vanishingly small instant, the world blurring around me and leaving us in a perfect vortex of love and pleasure. The only thing that existed for me was that feeling, and the love expressed through it.

All at once, I fell slack, the world snapping back into sharp focus along with the immensity of the orgasm that still thundered through me, arcing and sparking through every synapse and nerve.

Eventually my breathing evened, the pounding of my heart slowed, and bit by bit, my limbs came back under my control.

Dejar pressed a sweet kiss to my temple, then slid out of bed against my protests.

Before I could process his movements, a warm, soft cloth cleaned my folds.

Of course. He was caring for me.

My heart hitched again.

He would always care for me.

“Can I stay here tonight?” I curled into his side.

“Stay here every night,” he murmured.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“I intend to do that every night. Possibly every morning. And throughout the day. For efficiency’s sake, you should just sleep here.” He nuzzled my neck.

“Oh, if it’s for the sake of efficiency, then I must move in immediately,” I joked.

“Welcome home, Kalyn.”

Dejar

I took a tour of the new-and-improved Rogue Star, taking inventory of the changes we had made to it. I made my way to the new mess hall. Gone was what the women called the buffet line. In its place was a proper kitchen with two cooking stations, multiple cooling units, and proper storage for all of our eating implements. The floor had been cleaned, patched up, and several rugs had been salvaged from a derelict cruiser we’d raided months ago.

I left the mess hall and made my way through the living quarters. Each room had been cleaned, painted, and reassigned to make sure everyone had the right accommodations. There were several rooms currently occupied by the women that could be quickly and easily vacated to make room for passengers.

After the living area, I made my way to what the women had deemed the “rec room.” It was where the men spent most of their free time. The games had been either repaired, replaced, or replenished. The worn-out couch had been moved…it was a sentimental favorite to many of the men who refused to get rid of it when the women suggested a replacement…and a “new” one put in its place.

A couch had been found on the same cruiser the rugs had come from and some of the women, I needed to learn their names, had reupholstered it. Same with the three chairs in there. The entertainment system had been modified.

Next was the med bay, which had a new coat of paint to it and was better organized.

The biggest change to the interior of the ship’s layout was the office that the women had insisted we build in the hangar bay. They said that if we were to take on any passengers, the office would be used to welcome them to the ship and process them.

It made sense. Aavat, Kovor, and I had even questioned why we had never thought of that.

Maris, in her infinite lack of tact, said it was because we were men and men were stupid until a woman showed them the way. The look on her face when she said it made us wonder if she was being serious or sarcastic. It didn’t help that many of the women had been echoing her statements during the refitting.

I did admit, openly, that the women had made us more organized and more efficient, but there were many things we had done well before their arrival. Maris waved us off as being “silly men”, whatever that meant.

I decided to go outside to look at what was being finished on the exterior. What had originally been a steel-blue ship was now gray and red, and the engines had been modified, or replaced outright, with the cruiser’s. We had used it so much, some of the crew had dubbed it Rogue’s Sacrifice. It was a fitting name, and a surprisingly well-maintained vessel for being abandoned.

All of the changes to the ship, to our crew, to my life…it made me think of how things had changed since I was a young and impressionable idiot.

I was a troublemaker. I was a malcontent. I was a problem child.

I became a smuggler. I was a gunner on a ship and shot at, or down, anyone that tried to stop us. I never knew how many people were dead because of me pushing a button, or pulling a trigger, or plunging down a knife.

I grew to become a captain. I grew to become a trusted friend. I grew to become someone to be respected…and feared.

But what I had never been throughout everything I’d ever done, I had never been in love. I had loved people…I loved my family, still loved my family…and I had loved being with a woman, but I had never loved just one woman.

All of that changed all those weeks ago.

We had not meant to go anywhere near Persephone Station, and when we did, we’d ended up being partially responsible for its destruction.

Now, thanks to our rescue of the women, we were fugitives trying to find a way to survive.

But, thanks to the women, we were a complete crew.

We were a family, a family none of us knew we needed until we’d had it and lost it.

The women, these human women that we could have never, not in our wildest imaginations, have thought of meeting…they’d improved us. They’ve made us better than what we were before. We would never have transformed the Rogue Star to fit in with the upper-class society. Most of the men cleaned themselves, when they remembered to, now most of them took a shower every day, or at least every other day, even if it was with recycled water.

The women had taught the men how to cook…meals had improved at least a hundred-fold. Medical care had improved. Ship maintenance had improved. Aavat had improved. He was politer than he used to be.

It was all because of the women.

It was all because of Kalyn. I found myself struggling with being away from her. My duties were important, but I wanted to make sure I was able to spend as much time with her as I possibly could.

She was beautiful in ways that I could not compare a Shein woman to. I had actually brought up pictures of my own species and found the women lacking something when I looked at them. They were…they were inferior to this woman.

I wanted to make things right for her and I wouldn’t stop until I did. I wouldn’t stop until I found out why the Dominion had tried to take her.

I wouldn’t stop until I had made sure she was safe.

I wanted to make sure that she had a reason to smile, and laugh, and be happy every single day until existence ended, and then I’d find a way to make her smile and laugh beyond that.

Kalyn, sweet Kalyn, had become so much more than I could have imagined.

I’d finally found my mate, and nothing would take her away from me.

Epilogue: Kalyn

Dejar and I had breakfast together every morning, no matter how many times I told him he didn’t need to.

“When you showed up to my room like the wanton woman you are,” he winked, “you said you wanted to have breakfast with me.”

“I wasn’t being wanton. I was a nervous wreck.” I rolled my eyes and stabbed some kind of meat with my fork.

“A wanton nervous wreck,” he smirked.

“The breakfast thing was just nervous babble,” I said for the third time that morning.

“If you don’t want to have breakfast with me, I’ll go sit at another table,” Dejar offered with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“That’s not what I want and you know it,” I replied. “I don’t like keeping you from your work, that’s all.”

“There’s nothing happening in my office that’s more important than starting my day with you,” he insisted.

“What about finding a delivery contract?” I asked.

“There’s no rush,” he shrugged. “Once we get within Katzul’s orbit, I’ll have access to all of the local listings. It’s unlikely anything is going to come up while we’re still in open space.”

“If you insist,” I sighed.

“Yes, I do,” he winked. I reached my hand across the table to hold his while I finished eating. I almost always finished my food before he did, but he ate twice as much as I did. When I set down my fork after my final bite of what I could only describe as a savory fruit, Dejar still had half a plateful left.

“I watched you eat dinner last night,” I mused. “How can you be this hungry?”

“I spent the better part of my night working off my dinner with you,” he grinned. “Or did you forget?”

“How could I?” I winked.

“Captain.” Qal’s voice crackled through the intercom speakers. “We’ve reached the coordinates you requested.”

“Perfect timing.” Dejar polished off the last of his breakfast.

“We’ve reached Katzul already?” I asked. From the maps in Dejar’s office, Katzul was far across Dominion space from where we were yesterday. I didn’t think the Rogue Star could travel that fast without folding.

“No, we won’t be there for at least a week.” He stood and extended a hand to me. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

“What is it?” Dejar pulled me out of my seat and led me out of the mess hall. “We left our plates out! That’s rude.”

“I’ll go back and clean up after this,” he assured me. He practically dragged me through the corridors of the Rogue Star until we reached the doors to the small observation deck. I’d never been up there before. I hadn’t felt the need.

“Close your eyes,” Dejar urged. I did as I was told, but at the first hint of noise, one eyelid twitched open. “You can’t look. It’ll ruin the surprise.”

“Sorry,” I winced. “I’m bad at keeping my eyes closed when I know something’s happening around me.”

“Cover them with your hands, then,” Dejar suggested. I pressed my palms against my lids. It took conscious effort not to lower them when I heard Dejar laugh.

“What?” I demanded.

“You look ridiculous,” he chuckled.

“Just open the door already.” I stomped impatiently. I heard Dejar laughing as the door opened.

“Walk forward,” he instructed.

“Am I going to hit something?” I asked.

“Why would I ask you to walk forward if you’re going to hit something?” he asked.

“I don’t know!” I exclaimed. I heard Dejar’s footfalls as he walked back to me. I flinched when he took my arm.

“And here we have one of the bravest, most capable women I’ve ever met reduced to a jumpy pile of nerves when she can’t see,” he muttered.

“Humans like being able to see,” I replied. He led me approximately the length of a room before stopping me.

“You can uncover your eyes now,” he said.

“Thank you,” I sighed dramatically. I lowered my hands. My entire field of vision was engulfed by the breathtaking sight of more stars than I’d ever seen in my life. My mouth fell open. I thought of a flower field in full bloom. If every flower were replaced by a glittering star and all of the stalks, stems, and grass were replaced with iridescent space dust, that still wouldn’t compare to the beauty of what I saw.

“This is the Elaysian Star Field,” Dejar explained. “No planets, cities, or space stations. Just stars.”

“I’ve never seen something so beautiful,” I gasped. It was so beautiful, it almost hurt to look at. A longing ache I couldn’t fully explain formed in my heart.

“There used to be a race who worshipped the stars,” Dejar explained. “They’d travel here in groups of hundreds for ceremonies throughout the year.”

“What happened to them?”

“They wanted to travel to all the star fields, not just this one. The Dominion forbade it, so they left Dominion space.”

“Oh.” I don’t know why, but the thought made me sad. Something out in the star field caught my eye. Because of its silver coloration, it was hard to differentiate it from the celestial clusters. I thought I’d imagined it, but then I saw another. And another. The whole starfield was filled with them.

“What are those?” I pointed excitedly to the large silver shapes gracefully weaving between pools of starlight.

“They’re called Celestriads,” Dejar explained. “They’re not intelligent, you can’t speak to one. They live their whole lives in open space. Every year, they migrate from here to another star field just outside of Dominion space to have their young.”

“Like whales,” I replied.

“What?” Dejar asked.

“Whales are huge animals that live in the oceans of Earth. They spend their whole lives drifting through the open ocean, like Celestriads do in space.”

“Do they ever come out of the water?”

“They aren’t supposed to. Sometimes they end up on the shore by mistake. If enough people find them quickly enough, they can be pushed back into the ocean,” I explained.

“If a Celestriad breaches a planet’s atmosphere, it’ll likely die,” Dejar replied. “That’s only happened a handful of times. These out there will be fine.”

As if it heard us talking about it, a Celestriad larger than comprehension drifted past the ship. For a moment, its huge eye swiveled in my direction. I swear it looked right at me.

“Captain, we’ve got to move,” Qal said through the intercom. “The Celestriads are going to think we’re a new playmate if we hang around much longer.” Dejar walked to the back of the room and pushed the intercom button.

“Do what you need to do, Qal,” he said.

“Yes, Captain.”

“They must be in their mating season,” Dejar said when he returned to my side. “They usually don’t care about passing ships.”

“Being in the mood made them want to play,” I laughed.

“Isn’t that how it is for most lifeforms?” Dejar winked and I blushed. The ship shifted as Qal distanced us from the frolicking Celestriads and the star field.

“We’re like the Celestriads now,” I mused.

“Oh?”

“They can go wherever they want. They don’t take orders from anyone,” I explained. “We can do that, too.”

“Lucky for the Celestriads, no one’s hunting them,” Dejar said dryly. “But you’re right, in a way. As long as we continue to evade the Dominion, we can do whatever we want. Truth be told, I’m glad to be out from under the Dominion’s thumb.”

“Even if it means work will be harder to come by?” I asked.

“That’s a downside,” he admitted. “But living a Dominion-sanctioned life isn’t what I wanted. Most of the crew don’t want it, either. We put up with it because it was the easiest and safest way to earn a living, but now we don’t have to. We can make our own rules now.”

“Maybe one day we can follow the Celestriads to the other star field,” I suggested. Dejar turned to smile at me.

“Maybe.”

“Though I think the crew might be angry if you stopped feeding them in order to chase space whales.” I nudged his shoulder.

“True. However, if Katzul is as lucrative as I imagine it will be, there’s always the possibility of a vacation.” Dejar waggled his brows at me.

“Really? Where do Shein like to vacation?” I stepped closer to him so he could tuck me under his arm.

“There’s a planet with a crust composed entirely of rubies,” he described. “The locals carved their buildings down into the crust. Everything looks like it’s been set ablaze when the sun sets.”

“That sounds incredible.” I let my head rest on his shoulder.

“There’s also a planet completely covered in water. The locals wear special breathing masks and their ships can function underwater,” he continued. “Dominion space is vast. There are hundreds of unique planets. We’d never run out of places to explore.”

“If we don’t get arrested, that is,” I added.

“As Aavat would say, that just makes it more exciting,” Dejar chuckled.

“We could only visit the dullest places in Dominion space and I would still love every minute of it because I’d be with you.” I smiled up at him.

Dejar pressed a kiss into my forehead.

“You’re my favorite adventure yet,” he grinned.

The Rogue Star drifted away from the shimmering star field, revealing the wide expanse of space.

We were hiding, stranded in an alien galaxy.

We had hidden enemies, and didn’t know why.

I’d never go home again.

And for the first time in my life, I looked forward to the future.

“I love you, Captain Dejar.”

“I love you, too, Commander Kalyn.”

Letter from Elin

Buckle up, because the ride on the Rogue Star is going to be a bit bumpy!

This has been such a fun new world to play in, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Keep reading for a sneak peek of Rogue Hunt, or grab your copy now!

XOXO,

Elin

P.S. I’ve just added the first chapter from Given, the first book of my Star Breed series, and Vrehx, the first of Conquered World.

Give them a try and let me know what you think! You can always reach me at elin@elinwynbooks.com

Rogue Hunt

Aavat

“I don’t think Katzul is the answer to our problems,” I announced to Dejar as I entered the office.

I’d never seen the point in dressing things up. It was a waste of my time and the time of the person I was talking to. If I had something to say, I said it.

“I’m aware,” Dejar nodded and turned his attention back to his pad.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why?”

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” he chuckled.

“Don’t be an hurg,” I rolled my eyes. “It doesn’t suit you.”

“It doesn’t suit you either, yet here we are.” He looked up again, and we stared each other down for another moment before he broke away, laughing.

“You almost had me going there,” I chuckled.

“You looked ready to stage a mutiny,” he grinned.

“The thought crossed my mind,” I admitted.

“Have a seat.” He gestured to the chair opposite him.

“You’re inviting me to sit in my own office? How generous.”

“Could’ve fooled me. I’ve never seen you in here for longer than five minutes,” he replied. I strode over to the chair but didn’t sit down.

“Katzul-”

“I know,” Dejar sighed. “It’s dangerous, unpredictable, and we’ll have no allies. You’ve said it all before.”

“Then why doesn’t it concern you?” I asked.

“It does,” he admitted. “But I still believe it’s our best option.”

“Our situation can’t be so dire that Katzul is the best option,” I scoffed. “That place is despicable.”

“I thought it was nice when I last went,” Dejar shrugged.

“That’s because you didn’t really go into Katzul. You vacationed on the glittering surface,” I replied.

“It’s a planet for the ridiculously wealthy,” Dejar objected. “The entire thing is the glittering surface.”

“Tell that to all of the people who live there as servants,” I replied. “Spend a day with them and then tell me how glittering Katzul is.”

“We’re not going to evaluate work conditions.” Dejar threw his hands up. “We’re looking for jobs off the Dominion’s radar. Tell me there’s a better place.”

“Yes, it’s a hub of unofficial trade,” I agreed. “But there’s no enforcement whatsoever.”

“Isn’t that the point?” Dejar asked.

“Without the Dominion backing the contract, chances are high we’ll have people backing out of payment.” I really, really didn’t like this. Even if I didn’t have another option in mind, I didn’t like it.

”We’ll have to go by the honor system,“ Dejar said, “And insist on some of the payment up front.”

”You think a planet filled with the wealthiest citizens of Dominion Space use the honor system? Dejar, you strike me as many things but naive isn’t one of them,“ I barked a laugh.

”I’ve considered the risks,“ he insisted. ”Why do you think I’m holed up in the office all the time? I’m in here trying to sort out our futures. Someone has to do it since you can’t be bothered.“

”I’m busy managing the day to day operations of the Rogue Star so you’re able to sit here and fret,“ I replied.

”You’re right,“ Dejar admitted. ”But can I ask you one question?“

”What?“

”You never really minded the shady jobs. In fact, you showed an obvious preference for them. If that’s all that Katzul is, why the sudden hesitation?“

”That should tell you there’s something seriously wrong with Katzul if I’m shying away from it,“ I replied.

”That doesn’t answer my question,“ Dejar pressed.

”Katzul is nothing more than a bunch of wealthy citizens who believe they are above any law. Should we make a wrong move, every single one of them has the power to destroy us. Hell, one of the wealthy could murder us and no one would bat an eye,“ I grumbled. “No, they’d just order it done. None of them would get their hands dirty.”

”I doubt it would ever come to that. We aren’t going to Katzul to make trouble,“ Dejar replied.

”Has Kovor even heard my argument?“ I asked. ”He’s the owner of the Rogue Star, after all. He should know about all possible outcomes regarding the safety of his ship.“

”He knows the risks.” Dejar leaned back in the chair, eyes closed. “We all do.”

“Bring him in,” I insisted. “I want to make sure he knows exactly what he’s sending us into.”

With a sigh, Dejar pushed himself away from his desk and strode over to the intercom.

“Kovor, have you got a moment?” he asked.

“Always,” Kovor’s chipper voice crackled through the intercom speaker. The wires for the intercom system would need replacing soon.

Fantastic. Another expense to add to the growing pile.

Kovor swept into the room moments later.

“Is there a problem?” Kovor never looked bothered by anything. In that regard, I was envious of him.

“Aavat is expressing concerns about Katzul that he thinks you should hear,” Dejar explained. I shot him a look.

“I’m listening,” Kovor grinned. I quickly explained the same points I previously discussed with Dejar. Kovor was silent for a few moments, pondering everything.

“Can you think of a better solution that will guarantee income?” Kovor turned to me with an expectant look on his face.

“We can pick up jobs anywhere,” I replied.

“From pirates and smugglers,” Dejar added.

“You say that like we’re law-abiding citizens,” I shot back.

“I don’t want to add anything more to the bounty already on our heads,” Dejar replied.

“I think that’s wise,” Kovor nodded. “Katzul isn’t ideal, but if something goes wrong it won’t be reported to the Dominion. It’s the best course of action for now.”

And that was that.

It wasn’t often that Kovor pulled rank on us. He usually signed off on whatever we thought was best without giving it a second thought.

He trusted us that much.

And as much as I wanted to argue, I knew a direction from the ship’s owner was something you couldn’t oppose.

Under most circumstances, I liked Kovor. He was always good for a laugh and a drink. However, sometimes he behaved like he knew more about the ship and its condition than Dejar or I did. Kovor lacked the experience we did. To his credit, he was learning quickly.

But when he got high and mighty about things, it took restraint on my end to keep my temper under control.

“We’ll be there in a few hours. Taking Aavat’s concerns into consideration, we shouldn’t dock until we have a job set up,” Dejar said.

“It’ll only look suspicious if we take up space at the port and then stay on the ship,” I said.

Kovor nodded, then looked thoughtful. “And what about the women?”

“What about them?”

“Their unusual appearance is bound to attract attention,” he said. “Surely some of the citizens here know about what happened at Outpost Nine.”

“No one on Katzul cares about anything happening off-world,” I scoffed.

“You’re probably right but I don’t want to take that chance. At the moment, we’re quite low on options.”

“I’d actually realized that,” I snapped.

Dejar shot me a warning look and I took a steadying breath.

My temper was my biggest flaw. Years of living in open space made a Shein a little rough around the edges.

Maybe more than a little.

Kovor looked at me with one lifted brow.

“Well, if we’ve reached a decision then you no longer need me.” He nodded to both of us before exiting the office.

“I think you offended him,” Dejar said.

“How could I have? He knows we know how strained we are,” I replied. “He’s likely eager to get back to playing cards and flirting with the females.”

“He did raise a good point,” Dejar admitted. “We can’t have them walking around the way they are. They’ll attract attention as an unknown species, even if no one knows about what happened on Dominion Outpost Nine.”

“There’s no reason for the females to be walking around in public,” I replied. “No one would see them unless they came into the ship and we would stop them before they saw anything.”

“We can’t confine the women to shipboard every time the Rogue Star docks.” Dejar shook his head. “None of the crew would put up with it.”

“If the alternative is drawing attention to our operation, they’ll see they don’t have a choice,” I replied.

“Have you bothered to meet any of them?” Dejar demanded. “If you thought about them as crew members, instead of inconvenient cargo, you’d realize you’re being unreasonable.”

“I speak to Kalyn all the time.”

Dejar rolled his eyes. “Any of the others?”

“I’m going to speak to them when I give them their permanent work assignments.”

Aside from Lynna and Maris, most of the females didn’t have specialized skills. Dejar granted me the ‘honor’ of figuring out what to do with them.

“Directing them isn’t getting to know them,” Dejar laughed. “They’re part of the crew now.”

“Yes. And I’m glad for the extra hands. We’re going to have to do most of the upkeep ourselves now since no shipyard will have us,” I nodded.

“Get to know them,” Dejar repeated. “You might be surprised.”

Shenna

“Thanks for letting me take Kalyn’s old bunk,” I said. “I think Maris was getting ready to exile Persephone to the galley.”

Upon hearing her name, the skinny calico chirped at my feet. I reached down and gave her a pat.

“What about Aryn?” Lynna asked.

“Aryn’s hardly ever in the room. I don’t know where she goes,” I explained. “Though, I don’t think she’s fond of the cat either.”

“No need to thank me. I like cats,” Lynna extended her hand for Persephone to sniff. “I’m so used to bunking with roommates, it’s difficult for me to sleep in a room alone now.”

“I know what you mean,” I nodded. “I haven’t had a room to myself in my entire life.”

My sister, Alista, and I had shared a room since we were little. Even when we had the option to sleep in separate rooms, we declined.

On Persephone Station, all of the lower level workers like me slept in one long room filled with bunk beds. If I were to have a room completely to myself, I think the silence would keep me awake. I’ve grown too used to the sounds of another person breathing and shifting in their sleep.

“That’s not your bed, silly,” Lynna cooed to Persephone who’d curled up in a ball on Lynna’s pillow.

“Sorry!” I quickly lifted Persephone into my arms. “She’s got it into her head that the entire Rogue Star belongs to her now.”

“It’s fine,” Lynna smiled. “As I said, I like cats.”

“I still have no idea how she survived on the station for as long as she did,” I marveled.

“I still can’t believe she survived the shockwave,” Lynna added.

“Don’t cats have nine lives?” I lifted Persephone so we were eye to eye. She wiggled in indignation.

“If that’s true, then Persephone is down at least two. Three, since she must have traveled via Flosh Drive to get to the station. A human can barely withstand that journey, let alone a cat.”

“I didn’t think I was going to live through it,” I recalled.

“You were unconscious for a full two days after your arrival,” Lynna said.

“I’m glad we don’t have to worry about that anymore.” I ran my palm down the length of Persephone’s back. She purred contently.

“Me too,” Lynna replied. “That was the worst part of the job for me. I dreaded opening the travel pods knowing that there was a good chance the person inside didn’t survive the journey.”

“How did you handle it?” I asked.

“I don’t think I did,” Lynna confessed. “I’ve sort of...blocked out that part of the job.”

“Whatever works,” I shrugged. All of us from Persephone Station had stuff we wanted to block out. If our lives were peachy and perfect, we wouldn’t have been on the station to begin with.

“Now we’ve got the Dominion to worry about though,” Lynna said.

“Do you really think they’re a threat?” I asked.

“You don’t?”

“I’m not sure.” I chewed on my bottom lip and tucked a strand of brown hair behind my ear. “After what happened on Dominion Outpost Nine, I definitely want to avoid them but I don’t fully understand why they’re after us.”

“We’re in their system illegally,” Lynna replied. “But from what Kalyn overheard about experiments, there’s more to it than that.”

“Do you think it’s true?” I bit my lip. “Not that I don’t believe her, but maybe she misheard something? The translators might have messed something up, you know?”

“I think the Dominion officials really didn’t want us to leave the Outpost,” Lynna said. “I don’t believe they had any intention of taking us home.”

“Me either,” I confessed. “Maris seems to think that everything that’s happened to us since the shockwave has been part of one huge conspiracy.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Lynna chuckled. “I’m sure she and Aryn stay up all night coming up with theories.”

“What do you think?” I asked. Persephone dozed off, trapping my arm under her body.

“Everything lined up too perfectly for it to be a coincidence,” Lynna replied. “The shockwave, the ship that attacked us, and everything that happened on the Outpost feels staged. However, no one can figure out why the Dominion would do something like that, especially the shockwave.”

“Maris is certain the Rogue Star didn’t cause it,” I said.

“I’d trust Maris on that,” Lynna nodded.

“But it doesn’t explain why anyone would do that to us on purpose,” I replied. “Why would a governing force of an interstellar system want to take down a tiny station in a system outside of their jurisdiction?”

“That’s what Dejar and Kalyn have been asking themselves since we left the Outpost.” Lynna fluffed her pillow, shaking loose all of the hair Persephone left behind. “There’s no sense in it.”

“I feel like we’re missing a giant piece of the puzzle,” I sighed.

“More like we have only three pieces of a three-hundred-piece puzzle,” Lynna replied.

“I can’t stop thinking about that dark ship that attacked us. It was so fast! It came out of nowhere. What if it’s trailing us right now? Would we even know?”

“We aren’t carrying anything valuable. No one has any reason to bother us,” Lynna soothed.

“Except for the fact that we’re fugitives,” I replied.

“That’s why we’re going to Katzul,” Lynna said. “No one there is going to care that we’re fugitives. I doubt anyone will find out now that the ship’s registration has been altered.”

“I just wish we knew more.” I ran my fingers through Persephone’s fur. “I think I could handle just about anything so long as I knew all the information.”

“Try not to let it stress you out,” Lynna advised.

“Everything about this is stressful,” I laughed. “But at least we didn’t die in the void of space. And, I always wanted to travel.”

“There you go,” Lynna beamed. “Now you have the chance to see things people only dreamed about back in the Terran System.”

“The Terran System wasn’t that great anyway,” I shrugged. “I was going to spend the rest of my life on Persephone Station anyway. Pretty much anything is better than that.”

Persephone, the cat, started kneading my arm with her paws. Her little claws rhythmically dug into my skin. It was uncomfortable, but I knew perfectly well if I tried to move Persephone now, she’d only dig her claws in deeper.

“You don’t think you would’ve returned to your family?” Lynna tilted her head to one side.

Many of the women stationed at Persephone were convicted of crimes and were there to serve their punishments. My case was slightly different.

“No.” I let the silence hang between us.

My family wasn’t something I liked to talk about. Thankfully, Lynna didn’t press the topic.

“Aavat is supposed to give everyone proper jobs tomorrow,” she said brightly. “Are you looking forward to that?”

“I like the idea of having regular work,” I nodded. “I know I’m not trained for much. I’ll probably receive a job similar to what I was doing on Persephone Station.”

“I could always take you under my wing as a medical apprentice,” Lynna offered.

I gave her my most sincere smile. “Thanks, but I don’t have the stomach for that.”

“Didn’t you once tell me you wanted to become a vet?” Lynna asked, puzzled.

“I did,” I replied. “To be honest, I don’t think I have the stomach for that either. I wish I was born a few decades ago when zoos were still a thing on Earth. Taking care of animals in a zoo is the best job I can imagine.”

“Maybe they have zoos somewhere in Dominion Space,” Lynna said.

“Maybe.” I stroked Persephone’s fur absentmindedly. “I don’t think they’d hire me since I’m an illegal species and all.”

“Good point,” Lynna laughed.

“Aside from the space whales we saw a few days ago, I haven’t seen any non-intelligent life forms,” I said thoughtfully. “What if every planetary lifeform in this system has evolved to be intelligent?”

“It’s possible,” Lynna allowed.

“At this point, I’d consider anything to be possible.” I picked up Persephone, disturbing her nap, to hold her in front of my face. “You and the space whales could be the only animals in Dominion Space. How cool is that?”

Her expression revealed to me that she did not, in fact, think it was cool. I set her back down on my lap. She threw me a rueful glare as she climbed out of my lap and went to lay on my pillow.

“She looks like she’s planning to kill you in your sleep,” Lynna chuckled.

“That’s accurate,” I shrugged. “That’s half the reason Maris didn’t like having a cat in the room.”

“Only half?” Lynna raised one brow.

“The other half was because Persephone thought Maris’ curls were the world’s best toy,” I laughed.

“Maris never did strike me as an animal lover,” Lynna giggled.

“I think she likes animals. Just not that one.” I pointed to Persephone. Persephone stretched forward to push her nose into the tip of my finger before ignoring me once more.

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Given: Star Breed Book One

Kara

It was all Juda’s fault.

I kicked him out of my bed three weeks ago for cheating on me, but apparently, he wasn’t done screwing me over.

I crouched low on the roof of the abandoned gambling den across the street from Sary’s “general store” and cursed the limp-dicked bastard all over again.

There wasn’t a lot of traffic at this time of day. Not that that meant much in Ghelfi; the thieves’ city never truly slept. There was no point in waiting for night, like in the old vids Mom used to watch over and over. Like all sealed cities on the surface of Neurea, lighting in Ghelfi varied throughout the day’s cycle, but never to a true night.

I saw real night, once. I stowed away on the back of a surface crawler that was heading to Lashell. I don’t know why, somehow I’d thought it would be better if I got out of Ghelfi, started over somewhere else.

The velvet sky, studded with stars, shone clean and cold. Perfect. Not like the barely organized chaos of the cities.

But halfway there, the crawler broke down, had to be towed back. I realized then that there was no way out. Not for me.

In the old vids, everything always turned out alright, something swooped in at the last minute to save the day.

That’s how you knew they were only lies.

So here I was, half-hidden among old wires and debris that had been kicked up to the top of the store years ago, long forgotten. Watching time slip away on the chrono, crossing my fingers to old gods I didn’t believe in.

“What’cha doing?”

I jumped, furious with myself.

Bani crouched next to me. His dark brown hair hung down in his face, but I could still see the twinkle in his eye. Snuck up on me and was proud of it, little bastard.

I socked him gently in the arm, just enough to let him know I cared.

“Everybody’s looking for you, Kara,” he said under his breath. He didn’t look at me but instead kept his eyes scanning across the street, trying to see what I was interested in. Smart kid.

I ran my hand through my own tangle of hair. It was past time to cut it, but things had been a little busy lately.

“How mad is Xavis?” I really didn’t want to know the answer.

Bani shrugged one bony shoulder. “He’s playing it down a little bit, but I think he’s pretty steamed. If you, of all people, don’t show up by the end of the tithe, he’s gonna lose a lot of face.”

A light crackled, the burnt smell of frying wires wafted by. But I wasn’t paying attention to the noise or to the stink of ozone that permeated the air of Ghelfi. If Xavis really was mad, I was in trouble.

I shoved the thought far to the back of my head. Nothing to do about it but keep moving.

A shuffling sound below surprised me, and I risked another glance over the ledge. A miner, wrapped in rags so filthy there was no telling the gender, half-staggered down the street. He, she, whatever, paused in front of Sary’s storefront, then stumbled inside.

Ice gripped my spine. Rings willing, he’d be quick. Claim whatever he came to trade, and get out. Not stay there, spinning stories of life in the Waste, screwing my timetable.

“Is that the job?” Bani’s wide eyes fixed me. “A snatch and grab on the miners after they bring in the dust?”

I rolled my eyes. “They’re just trying to get by, same as us.” Besides, credits were no good to me, not with so little time to clean them. But the antonium dust the miners brought in was untraceable. ‘Dust knows no provenance’ was the saying. I just needed to get enough of it.

Agonizing minutes passed until he left. I glanced at my chrono again. If she didn’t show up today, I didn’t have a backup plan. This was my backup plan. No more nets to catch my fall.

I closed my eyes to try to find the calm, cold center within that had kept me alive so far on the streets of Ghelfi, and waited. I didn’t need to see, didn’t need to check the time. I could only wait and listen.

Finally, the sound came. The sharp click of stiletto heels across the permasteel walkway. I opened my eyes and leaned forward ever so slightly to peer down the street.

There she was. Charro’s secret indulgence. Silver hair teased into a high fall down her back, her face paint marked her as one of Sary’s working girls. When I first found out about Charro’s extracurricular activities, I’d half thought of sending a note to Sary, stir up the nest a bit. Then I started thinking long term. That’d been almost two years ago.

Two years of planning and waiting brought to a crash by that bastard Juda. I should have gutted him like a fish instead of just kicking him out.

Bani glanced at her and then looked up at me, frowning.

“That’s your mark?” He risked another look but I pulled him back sharply by the collar of his jacket.

He glared at me, with all the scorn a preteen could manage. “I know her. She works the landing pad. Even if she did have the sort of money you’re going to need to get out of trouble with Xavis, she isn’t gonna be carrying it with her on a job.” His eyes narrowed. “So what are you really up to?”

I grinned. I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t pleased to have to use this job to get out of the hole Juda left me in, but it was pretty brilliant.

“Just keep your eye on the alley, kid, okay?”

I checked my chrono again, but I didn’t need to. I’d timed this pattern so often. Like clockwork, the shadows of Charro’s two goons came into focus on the tinted plex of the storefront. Just like every other time I’d watched, they paced back and forth, no doubt joking about their boss and his hobby.

“They’re supposed to be guarding the back room, but he always kicks them out when she visits.” I checked the time again, stupid habit. Couldn’t help it. “He might be there, but he’s more than a little distracted right now.”

I worked my way across the roof, down to the collection of rubble in the back alley that had let me gain my vantage point.

Bani followed me and I glared at him.

“Stay up here,” I snarled. “I don’t know how this is going to turn out.”

“Then you’ll need a second pair of hands.”

The kid had a point, but I’d be damned if I was going to let him have it.

“No, I need a second pair of eyes.” His shoulders sagged a little. But I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t follow me anyway.

“Besides, I don't know if I can trust you on this job.” His white face told me my words hit their mark. Hated to do it, but I didn’t want to be worried about him. I was in enough trouble as it was.

His face slid out of sight as I worked my way down the trash heap.

Even before I crossed the street, the bitter stench of the acid bombs I’d planted clawed at my throat. The air recirculators only worked intermittently in this neighborhood, and in the alley, the smell almost forced me to my knees.

That the miner walked by without flinching, I could understand. I’d heard too much time in an environmental suit would have you smelling nothing but rubber. But the silver-haired doxy must have been high on something to not notice something was wrong.

No time to linger in the alley. Microcams swept every ninety seconds, watching, waiting for anything out of the ordinary.

I dashed to the hiding space I’d carved out of the fallen wall that backed up to Sary’s, and held my breath, trying to hear over the drumming of my heartbeat. The rushing in my ears slowed, and I poked my head out. Still all clear.

Nobody in their right mind would take on Sary, he ran half the games in town, and word in the pits said he wanted to take control of the city over from Xavis. Unlikely, but still, not someone I really wanted after me. But if the choice was Sary or Xavis himself….well, it was a sucky choice.

I counted, waiting for the next clear moment to check on the results of the clustered acid bombs, then ran back around the corner.

Ninety seconds is a long time.

Ninety seconds is long enough to make one chip in the wall a day until a section can be lifted away and replaced seamlessly.

Ninety seconds is long enough to plant one small acid bomb at a time, then wait for a few days for the smell to dissipate, for the interior wall that led to the vault to weaken, bit by bit, day by day.

Ninety seconds is long enough to die in the Waste, outside of the protection of the domes.

And if I didn’t get my tithe to Xavis by tonight, that’s where I’d end up.

Davien

Really, everything would be so much easier if I just snapped the fat fool’s neck. Only the endless lessons in control back on the ship kept my hands still at my sides, fingers barely flexing. The tips of my claws ran across my palms, bringing me back to focus.

“Davien, are you even listening to me?” Xavis rumbled.

And he wasn’t a fool, even if I despised him. Xavis had clawed his way to the top of the dirtiest pile to run Ghelfi. The trip to the top had been over the broken bodies of plenty of enemies. He’d stayed on his perch for over twenty Imperial years. I didn’t have to do much research to know his methods hadn’t changed.

Prime example: he’d hired me.

I focused on Xavis, only too aware I’d started to slip away into the hunt. Every moment here, stuck on this rock, was a delay I couldn’t afford. Xavis, bastard though he might be, was my fastest way out of here. Well, the fastest way without an unacceptably high casualty count.

Xavis lounged in his hover chair, fingers tapping in annoyance well away from the control pad. The chair was as much affectation as convenience - he could walk just fine. Just liked to be able to loom over people.

“She’s late,” he growled. “She’s never late.”

I didn’t need to ask who he meant. He’d been on a tear about his precious Kara for hours, first calling her his brightest find, then cursing her ingratitude.

The large room I’d come to think of as the receiving hall was mostly empty now, just the regular workers at their terminals around the edges, cleaning credits, shifting funds until they could be transferred into the most secure banks in the Empire. Repetitive, mind-numbing, but crucial to any modern criminal enterprise. The low drone as they worked filled the otherwise quiet room.

The last traces of the dark festivities of the last day had almost been erased. All day and night long, denizens of Ghelfi’s underworld had streamed in, bringing their tribute to the acknowledged boss of the city, doing their best, or worst, to please a capricious overlord. The whole affair had been boring, and stupidly inefficient.

But the archaic ritual soothed his ego and had been an opening to a job. At the last tithing, some idiot with more guts than brains had tried to take Xavis out. He’d failed to account for the force shield over the hover chair, but his explosives did thin out Xavis’ bodyguards considerably.

Bad luck for them, perfect timing for me. When Doc had commanded we all enter the escape pods, she’d made it clear we were to jump as randomly as possible. It should have worked, should have drawn the attackers away from the Daedalus, but it had been six standard weeks since I’d crashed here, and I hadn’t had a signal from her or any of my brothers.

If I was on my own, I needed credits. And I needed a lot of them.

Six weeks had been enough to battle my way up the ranks of Xavis’ enforcers. Not that they were slouches, but they didn’t have my, shall we say, advantages.

A commotion at the entrance to the room drew my attention, and I angled for a better position at the front of Xavis’s chair. The dais we stood on served as an excellent vantage point for the room, allowing me to take in any suspicious movements at a glance. I’d argued to get rid of the scarlet drapery behind us, observing it provided too obvious of a hiding place. He’d refused. Like the dais, it was all about show.

The scuffle at the doorway turned out to be two enforcers dragging a third man between them. Beneath the new scrapes and swelling around his eye, I recognized him. Marcus, Martin, something like that. A low-level hustler who worked the dive bars near the station. Rigged games of chance, targeting travelers who wouldn’t be around long enough to make a fuss.

Xavis waved me back into place, and I relaxed, just a tad. This wasn’t a threat to his authority, just another loser trapped here.

The enforcers tossed the poor sap onto the lowest level of the dais and stepped back, waiting for orders.

“Malik,” Xavis coaxed the hover chair to the edge of the dais, watching the human wreck below take shuddering breaths. “You didn’t appear for the tithing last night.” He floated down, a pale mass of malevolence, eyes narrowed.

I stepped behind him. I didn’t expect trouble from Malik, but there’d be hell to pay if I wasn’t where Xavis expected me, especially when he was in this mood.

“Well?” Xavis’s low voice was almost pleasant, but a thread of malice wound through it, unmistakable. “We’ve known each other for so long, I’m surprised that you’ve disappointed me.”

“I’m sorry, Lord Xavis,” the man mumbled. Probably had lost a few teeth. “My youngest has been down with the Batdu pox, the medicine was so much…” He gulped. “I thought I could make it up before the tithing.”

“Oh?” Xavis’s eyes glittered. “How is the poor thing doing now?”

“Better now, Lord Xavis. Thank you.”

“You should have told me, I would have lent you the money.”

Sure he would have. At rates that would mean he’d own the service of the entire family.

“But, as it is, we have a problem that needs to be sorted out.” Xavis made a show of tapping his fingers, as if considering, but that sharp brain had already decided on the punishment, I was sure. This was just to terrorize the hustler, and send a message to everyone else in the room.

“I’d forgotten about your lovely family,” he purred. “The oldest is twelve now, as I recall?”

The man shifted uneasily. “Yes, my lord. But she’s not very strong…”

“I’m sure a more active life will be good for her. She’ll have her own tithe to pay, starting next cycle.”

“What?” The man pushed himself to his feet, protesting.

Idiot.

Xavis flicked a finger, and I sprang to the front of the chair to grab the beaten hustler by the front of his jacket. I lifted him off the floor and shook him until his head snapped back.

He pushed feebly against my grip.

“I wouldn’t try it,” I growled, and he froze.

I’m not sure what it is about my voice. On the ship, with my brothers, no one had a problem with it. In all the training vids we watched, I never thought I sounded that different. But here, on this worthless rock at the fringe of the Empire, all I had to do was speak, and the humans cowered.

Weak.

Prey.

I snarled, and the acrid scent of urine assaulted me. The fucker had wet himself. Apparently, he hadn’t liked the points of my teeth, either.

“I suggest you comply, little man. What choice do you have?”

He stared at me, face pale beneath the marks of the beating, but finally nodded. It wasn’t much of a motivational speech, but it was the truth. No one on Neurea had a lot of choices.

“I think you can release him now, Davien.” The smug tone of Xavis’s voice told me he’d gotten what he wanted. He hadn’t had to send a usually reliable worker to the Wastes, and he’d picked up extra leverage at the same time.

I lowered the man back to his feet. His legs buckled, but he scrambled away from me on hands and knees. Idiot. I wasn’t the worst monster in the room.

The rest of the negotiations were predictably short and one-sided. The hustler left, and the business in the room resumed its quiet drone.

“I’ve decided.” Xavis’s voice cracked like a whip as he floated back to the top of the dais. “An example must be made.”

I waited below for orders.

“Find Kara Shimshi. Bring her to me.”

Despite my better instincts, I grinned.

The hunt was on.

Click here to keep reading Given!

Vrehx: Conquered World Book One

Vrehx

Streaks of plasma lit the blackness as a squadron of Valorni fighters swooped in dizzying spirals, blasting at the massive Xathi ship that filled the screens of the Vengeance.

We were so close it was the size of a planet. Like two steel ziggurats smashed and welded together. Not practical for space flight, but efficient enough to tear through several worlds.

Designed to intimidate.

Designed to destroy.

And we were going to stop it.

We crept closer, waiting. I sucked in my breath, geared for the inevitable.

I gritted my teeth as the bridge shook, and Karzin let out an undignified whoop from his station on the far curve of the bridge. The purple stripes on his shoulders rippled, and his excited eyes darted back and forth as if cheering on his favorite sport.

Barbarian. His crude Valorni traits got on my last nerve—not that he gave a rat’s ass. Like the lot of them, he had no empathy for others. He barely listened to commands and forget anyone who didn’t at least match his rank.

“You green motherfuckers aren’t supposed to be hitting us, just laying cover for our approach,” I snarled. “They can remember that much, can’t they?”

They had only begun venturing into space when we took them into the alliance, but surely they weren’t that stupid.

I hoped not.

“Fuck you,” the Valorni drawled. The stretched-out sounds of his abominable accent were like bristles to my red Skotan scales. “Not their fault we’re cloaked all to hell.”

What an asshole. Valorni couldn’t even be bothered to speak accurately. Their drawl made it nearly impossible to understand them, and they had idiotic slang for everything.

“They were informed of our flight path before the battle.” The lights of Sk’lar’s implants flickered in the dim light of the bridge. “It should have been simple for them to avoid it.”

I smiled just a little, glad I wasn’t the only one with some common sense. Sk’lar wasn’t much better than Karzin, but he was more tolerable. My biggest problem was his implants.

His artificial augmentation was just creepy and wrong. You could see them light up in biohazard green against his shiny black skin. He looked like a fucking motherboard.

The strike team leaders were chosen for their specific talents and leadership, but Sk’lar’s was not stealth outside the ship.

Karzin made it a point to butt heads with all of us. That usually distracted the rest of us from being at each other’s throats.

Maybe that was his intention. Whatever. He was an asshole.

Karzin shrugged off the K’ver’s barely concealed criticism. “Not gonna matter in a few minutes, is it?”

The sarcasm warranted him a disapproving side-eye from Sk’lar, which he ignored. I hated to admit it, but the jackass was right. In a few minutes, we would probably all be dead.

“Gentlemen,” Rouhr’s quiet word from the command station silenced the chatter, “are you prepared?”

The scar that ran down the left side of his face rippled as he clenched his jaw. He was annoyed.

Of course, we were prepared.

We shut up anyway. Rouhr was very diplomatic. That’s why he was in charge.

We straightened ourselves and regained our concentration.

Tension and anger clogged the air, but there was no fear. Fear had died when our families did, when our worlds had burned under the Xathi attacks.

Around the half circle, each of us activated the new weapons panels, the long seconds drawing out as they lit up and hummed. Every battle had this moment—the waiting before the storm.

But this would be different.

We owned the storm.

“Let’s blow a hole in those bastards,” I growled, eyes fixed on the sickly green hull, thinking of the swarms inside.

They waited for the go ahead to surge through over the squadrons like locusts.

Nothing had been able to penetrate a Xathi hiveship before. They just plowed through and destroyed whatever they wanted, the swarms mopping up whatever the hiveship missed.

The Valorni, as annoying as they were, were inducted into the alliance for one reason. The Sugavians had worked with K’ver scientists using codialite, a mineral from the Valorni homeworld, to make one last attempt.

Just enough had been mined for this last-ditch effort—an experimental weapon that had a shot at penetrating that hull. It was rare, and we were on the losing end of this fight. We only had one shot.

We’d better make it count.

Every Skotan, K’ver, and Valorni warrior on the Vengeance had volunteered in the knowledge that it was a one-way trip. If this worked, the three strike teams below would board the Xathi and battle until there was nothing left.

If it didn’t, we’d all die—just sooner.

Either way, the recorder satellites would beam the results of the experiment back to the scientists and engineers. We’d succeed, or they’d build a better weapon next time. That was the most important part of the mission, and we all understood how expendable we were.

The three of us locked focus on our stations as we crept closer.

“We are now in firing range, Captain,” Sk’lar reported.

“Fire at will,” was the only response.

Karzin sent the signal to the Valorni ships, and I started a slow count.

One.

His comrades had fought stupidly but bravely. There was no discernable pattern to the attack.

I was worried more would take friendly fire than would hit the Xathi, but they somehow made sense of the chaos, dodging fire from their comrades. If any survived the battle, they deserved to escape.

Two.

More likely the crazy bastards would follow us into the breach, but they’d earned the choice.

Three.

I activated the launch panel and braced, eyes fixed on the monitors. The adrenaline rushed through me in anticipation of the blow.

Nothing.

Not a bang or a pop or a whine. Just the hum of the engines, and the wall of the Xathi ship growing larger on the screens.

The anticipation deflated as I looked at the panel in confusion. The damn thing was experimental, but it should at least fire. The engineers weren’t brain-dead.

With a snarl, I slapped it again.

And then the universe turned inside out.

Jeneva

I was in my element.

I was where I belonged.

Completely alone in the silence, except for the gigantic bipedal tree creature with an affinity for spewing poison.

Home sweet home.

A glob of the foul stuff hissed as it ate away the earth beneath me. It was only inches from my boot, but I didn’t flinch or try to move out of the way.

A rapid movement around a sorvuc was far more dangerous than its projectile poison. Its damn branches were covered in tiny neural fibers, capable of detecting incredibly small movements. The fibers were illuminated purple.

The sorvuc searched for me.

Under different circumstances, I would have found it beautiful, but at that moment, it was just a pain in my ass.

The humidity made my short hair damp and scratchy. It clung to the curve of my neck. I longed to brush it away, but a movement like that would be a death sentence.

The luminescent purple faded away to a tranquil pink. I realized I was holding my breath.

Slowly, so slowly, I crept closer to the wide trunk of the sorvuc. I had already made an incision in its trunk. That’s what pissed it off in the first place.

A necessary risk, but I only needed a few more drops of the thick scarlet fluid that seeped from the incision. The right person would pay a small fortune for its sap—or is it blood? Hell if I know.

As I slid my vial into place, ready to collect the liquid the sale of which would keep me comfortable for months, shouts erupted from somewhere nearby.

Damn it.

The sorvuc shrieked, its neural fibers flaring purple once again. It pivoted, razor-sharp leaves dangerously close to me. I rolled away, camouflaging my own movements in its rustling.

The hulking creature lumbered off in the direction the shouts came from—sort of. Its neural fibers must have picked up the sound vibrations, but with so many trees, it would have been difficult for the creature to determine the exact direction.

It’s a good thing sorvuc had those fibers. They were as deaf as, well, a tree—at least, the sort of trees our ancestors brought over on their generation ship. But those trees sure as hell didn’t fling poison or walk.

Walking plants were something the dense forest of Ankau had in excess. Even so, I’d take a hostile tree giant over people any day. At least they left me in peace.

Another round of shouts echoed through the trees. I clenched my teeth.

Speaking of peace.

I moved quickly and quietly through the dense forest, mindful not to disturb any of the thick vines that crisscrossed the forest floor. It was difficult to tell which ones were looking for a snack.

I spied a small herd of luurizi grazing between the roots of the docile Lenaus trees.

Their coats of lilac, sage, and pearl shimmered when they caught the mottled light bleeding through the canopy. Their silvery horns shone like jewels. It was easy to forget how deadly they were.

I was sure they could smell me.

Ordinarily, they would attack the moment they sensed an intruder. But this particular herd had become accustomed to my scent after so many years. It was an uneasy truce, but I still knew better than to take my eye off them.

Another bout of shouting brought me back to the present. It was louder this time. And stupider.

Clearly, whoever it was had a death wish, which was fine. I’d just prefer to be farther away when it happened.

The trees gave way to a small clearing. Two women, who I can only assume are the shouting morons, stood inches away from each other, their faces red with anger. They didn’t notice my intrusion.

“You’re not even trying anymore!” One woman, blonde and petite, hissed at the other. Her voice was tight, like she was trying to stay in control.

Sharp would have been the only way to describe her—sharp cheekbones, sharp chin, and sharp shoulders. Even her mouth was a sharp slash across her face.

I winced at her words, a headache throbbing at my temples. I almost wished something would come along and kill them.

“What more do you want me to do?” The other woman, dark-haired and softer than the other, answered wearily. “If I had known you were going to bring this up, I never would have agreed to meet you!”

Though they were different in coloring, they had the same nose and face shape. I guessed they were sisters—not that I cared.

“What other reason would there be to meet up?” the blonde snapped, her gray-green eyes narrowing. “What else do we have anymore?”

There was more poison in those words than there was in a fully grown sorvuc.

“I hate to interrupt,” I said, startling both women.

I wanted to sound as annoyed as I felt, but my voice was brittle and raspy with disuse. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had spoken aloud.

“But you really should shut up,” I continued.

The blonde pivoted to face me. I was at least a head taller than her, but she somehow seemed bigger than she actually was. And the glare on her face would have made a narrisiri hesitate.

“This is none of your business,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Nope, it isn’t. I don’t want to know about it. I don’t care about it. But you really should find somewhere else to finish your screaming match,” I replied.

“Do you think we’re idiots? We have a howler with us,” the blonde smugly fished a small black device from her pocket.

I hated those damn things. They emitted a high-pitched sound above the threshold of human hearing. It was meant to repel the creatures that stalked the forest, but I always thought it was a scam.

First of all, the people living in the cities and towns hardly knew anything about the creatures that lived out here in the forest. Second, how would anyone know for a fact that a howler was working? No one could hear it.

“Yes, I do think you’re idiots if you think that carrying a howler into the middle of aramirion territory during nesting season is a good idea,” I snapped, fighting the urge to give the blonde a smug smile. “If they can hear that thing, you’re screwed.”

The dark-haired woman paled as she put her hand on the blonde’s shoulder. The blonde stiffened at her touch.

“Leena, is that true?” the dark-haired woman whispered. Her eyes, the same color as the blonde’s, nervously scanned the surrounding forest.

“How the hell would I know, Mariella? You’re the one who moved all the way out to the middle of freaking nowhere!” the blonde, Leena, grumbled.

I turned to leave. Obviously, they had no intention of listening to me. Perhaps the dark-haired one, Mariella, might have seen reason, but Leena had some sort of chip on her shoulder—a chip the size of a damn ravine.

Fine. Whatever. They were adults.

I’d tried my best to warn them. It’s not my fault if they chose not to listen to me.

What would I know, right? I’ve only been living out here for fifteen years. They would come to their senses and leave, or they would keep at it until one beast or another silenced them.

Either way, I got my forest and my silence back.

I could still feel their flurries of emotion as I marched through the undergrowth. If I was going to find another sorvuc to fill my vial, I needed to concentrate, but I couldn’t do that with the feelings of two idiots in my head. I should turn back, try even harder to get them to leave.

A horrible screech unlike anything I had ever heard tore through the air. The sheer force of it drove me to my knees.

I tried to protect my ears with my hands, but it was useless. My vision blurred, stars danced behind my eyelids. I could practically feel my brain thrashing, desperate to escape that terrible sound.

Those idiots either did something to their howler, or the damn thing was malfunctioning. That had to be it.

As soon as I could get back on my feet, I staggered back to the clearing where I’d left the arguing pair. I would tear their stupid howler apart with my bare hands if I had to—anything to stop the noise.

“What the hell did you do?” I yelled.

Again, they didn’t notice me when I entered the clearing, but, this time, they weren’t distracted by an argument.

They stood side by side, looking up at the sky. Their faces were pale and their mouths were open in terror and confusion. I followed their gaze.

A jagged scar of pitch marred the once pristine stretch of endless blue.

The sky, my sky, had been torn open.

There was a beat of silence as if the whole planet had drawn in a collective breath of shock.

Then the forest erupted into chaos.

Click here to keep reading Vrehx!

About the Author

I love old movies – To Catch a Thief, Notorious, All About Eve — and anything with Katherine Hepburn in it. Clever, elegant people doing clever, elegant things.

I’m a hopeless romantic.

And I love science fiction and the promise of space.

So it makes perfect sense to me to try to merge all of those loves into a new science fiction world, where dashing heroes and lovely ladies have adventures, get into trouble, and find their true love in the stars!

Copyright © 2019 by Elin Wyn

All rights reserved. These books or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the Author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.