THOR - FAR HOPE SERIES - BOOK #1

CHAPTER ONE

“Captain, I’m not sure the ship can take it,” Kira’s co-pilot said from his seat to her right.

Kira didn’t take her eye off the monitor in front of her. She could see the Rengar ship coming straight towards them, but her hands didn’t flinch on the controls.

“That’s your problem, Johan,” she said calmly. “You don’t trust the ship.”

“I wouldn’t call it as much a trust issue as a practical one. The rat’s vessel is much bigger than ours.”

Referring to their targets as “rats” was not meant as a slight, rather a relatively accurate description of their appearance. Still, the description did capture the essence of the intelligent rodent race accurately. They truly were the rats of the galaxy—scheming and clever, dealing primarily with the black market, selling stolen goods and offering nefarious services in the Galactic Bazaar.

That’s what brought Kira to this moment. A group of Rengar pirates had stolen goods from a leading political officer of the Terran Alliance, and being one of the Alliance’s leading combat pilots, she was called in to track down the ship, and lead a mission to retrieve the cargo.

“That’s something we will use to our advantage,” Kira replied confidently. Reaching for the intercom, she dialed in the code linked to the bridge. “Rix,” she said, speaking directly to the ship’s engineer, “make sure the shields are up. We’re expecting contact in ten, nine…” as she counted down, she watched the image on the screen grow larger and larger.

Johan nervously clutched the throttle in his hands so tightly that his knuckles were beginning to turn white. Kira continued to count, waiting until she reached “two” before thrusting the vessel forward and sending the ship into a high-speed plummet.

The Rengar ship just nicked their right wing, but with the shields up, the pirates’ Junker did little damage to the top-of-the-line Terran Alliance fighter she was piloting. Johan held his breath as she turned the ship hard right and once again began to climb, heading directly towards the belly of the enemy ship.

Rix’s voice came over the intercom. “They’re lowering their guns, Captain,” he informed her.

“Good,” she replied, watching for the cannons to drop out below the pirate ship. “Ready the missiles,” she ordered Johan.

His hands shook slightly as he typed a command code into the console in front of him. The ship shuddered as the missiles moved to the ready position.

As they continued to get closer and closer to the pirate vessel, the air in the cockpit became electric with tension. Kira loved these moments. The adrenaline that pumped through her veins, the feeling of control that overwhelmed her, waiting for the perfect moment to give the order.

“We’re getting too close,” Johan warned, ready to reach for the controls in front of him and pull the ship back.

“Don’t even think about it,” Kira said firmly. “We’re almost there.”

"They're targeting us," Rix's voice came over the intercom again.

“They won’t have time,” Kira said, moving her hand towards the missile launch switch. “Switching to weapons only control, Johan, you have the controls – try not to panic.”

Training the cross-hairs that appeared on her screen to the slits from which the guns were lowering on the underbelly of the enemy ship, she inhaled sharply. Just as the large, cannon-sized barrels swiveled in their direction she hit the launch.

Simultaneously, she shouted to Johan to dive. “Take us down, now!” she ordered, keeping her eyes glued to the screen.

There was a blast; large enough to disrupt their flight pattern slightly, but not so large that it destroyed the Rengar ship.

“Perfect,” she said analyzing the data on her console, shooting a cocky smile to Johan. “You can radio the others and let them know the ship has been disabled. Have reinforcements sent in, and the clean-up crew sent out to retrieve what the rat’s stole this time.”

Johan made the call while she relaxed back in her seat. Radioing down to the bridge, she confirmed that the remaining members of her small crew were safe. Rix, although slightly shaken, confirmed that they were.

“No matter how many flights I take with you, Captain, I will never cease to be amazed by your tactics,” Johan said once he had finished the call.

“I think by tactics you must mean recklessness”, Kira wryly replied. “Have I ever not gotten you home safely Johan?”

She had worked with Johan on a number of occasions, although they were far from close. He was a stocky man, with the same tanned skin and dark brown eyes that were typical of almost all the Terran race. Although he was a year older than her, making him 34-years old, she was his superior, something she sensed he resented.

“Not yet,” he said with a slight scoff. “But I tell my wife that if I ever don’t make it home for dinner, it’s probably because I’ve been out with you.”

“God,” Kira replied, wrinkling her nose in disgust, “that could send the wrong message.”

“Hey! You’d be lucky to get a guy like me; you know that?”

“You may be right,” she said, raising an eyebrow, “at least I know you can follow orders. Men usually aren’t very good at that.”

Kira had been in a handful of relationship throughout her adult life. But, none of them stuck. Her success often seemed to intimidate. It wasn’t just her professional identity that left them feeling inferior, but her overall demeanor. She didn’t ever back down from a fight, and she rarely admitted she was wrong—because she usually wasn’t.

On the surface, she didn’t seem to be the rough-and-tumble person that she was. With a petite frame and small figure, she was often underestimated. In addition, she found that she attracted a lot of attention, more attention than she would have liked, simply because of her physical appearance. While she did share the basic qualities as the other Terran's from her home planet Earth—dark hair and tanned skin—she had blue eyes. It was a recessive trait that had almost completely disappeared from the planet generations earlier. Today, individuals with light eyes or hair were looked at as a commodity throughout the empire.

Thankfully, a strong relationship with the Telani, a race native to the planet Maelor, had somewhat quelled the fascination with the fairer Terran's. Telani were known for their bright, blue eyes and platinum blond hair. Most Terran men would jump at the chance to be with a Telani woman.

Johan’s wife was Telani, a fact he constantly bragged about. That was one of the reasons why Kira never felt the need to take it easy on her co-pilot. It was good for him to have a lesson in humility from time to time.

“Set the coordinates for the T.S.F Victory,” she ordered Johan, not giving him time to respond to her previous comment, but relishing in the satisfaction that her command simply served to prove her point.

He let out a disgruntled huff as he did as she said. Just as they pulled away from the scene of the encounter, five larger Terran Alliance ships swarmed in to complete the task they had started.

Smiling to herself, Kira settled back into her chair. Flipping the auto-pilot switch, she let the ship do the rest of the work for her, taking them back to the Terran forces’ flagship, where they would dock and debrief—the official end of their mission.

Johan still seemed tense. Perhaps he was simply upset with her earlier comment. "Relax," she said to him, kicking her feet up and closing her eyes. "In no time at all, we'll be home, and getting ready to start our three-week leave. Hopefully, that's enough time for your hands to stop shaking.”

CHAPTER TWO

“What the hell were you thinking, Kira?” her commanding officer asked her, his face slightly red.

They were seated in a debriefing room aboard the T.F.S Victory. It was a small room, with no windows. Kira always felt like she was being interrogated rather than debriefed, but then again, the military protocol did save lives. Still, she wished these conversations would normally start without the attack on her judgment.

"I was thinking about completing my rather straightforward mission in the safest way possible so I could get back to Earth and start my leave, Admiral," she said pointedly.

Admiral Artanis let out a long sigh as he slid into the chair across from her. “You can’t keep taking risks like that.”

“It wasn’t a risk. I knew what I was doing.”

Artanis crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, giving her the same look he so often did—one of disbelief with a slight hint of pride. While he was always hard on her, he had a soft spot for her as well. Over the years, they had developed an odd relationship. The only way Kira could think to describe it was that of a father and his rebellious daughter.

Admiral Artanis was usually not dealing with such trivial issues as mission debriefs, but Kira was one of a select few pilots assigned to the Admiral’s retinue that he was directly responsible for.

“Kira, you forced an encounter with a Rengar pirate ship, easily eight times the size of your own, with a significant weapons array. We had a battle plan drawn up that did not include you breaking formation and moving in without the support of the battle group.”

“I needed them to lower their guns so I could get a clear shot at disabling their engine systems.”

"That's another thing," Geoff said, leaning forward, running his fingers through his slightly graying hair. "What if you had been off target, just a little? You could have blown the entire ship, not just the engines.”

“I knew I wouldn’t miss, sir.”

“We could have lost all of that cargo Kira, and that would mean our conversation could have been very different.”

“We didn’t, plus, this would not have been necessary in the first place if Terran High Command took the necessary precautions to protect sensitive cargo.”

Geoff sighed, “It’s getting harder and harder to write these reports, skewing them in a way that keeps you out of trouble and in my employ,” he said, reaching for the tablet sitting on the table between them.

“If anyone can find a way to do it, it’s you, sir,” she replied, shooting him a thankful smile as she pushed herself up. “Is that all?”

“Yes,” he said with another sigh. “It’s easier to write this if you tell me less rather than more.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“You are officially on leave, Captain Winter,” Artanis replied. “I hope three weeks is enough time for me to forget how difficult you are to keep around,” he said wryly.

“I appreciate that sir” Kira said shooting him one last smile over her shoulder. The heavy security door closed behind her as she exited the room. Kira proceeded to head straight for the locker room. She had spent the last several hours dreaming of a nice, long, hot shower. It was her preferred way to relax after a mission—stressful or not.

As the warmth of the steam wafted around her, and the piping hot water cascaded down over her, she thought of her upcoming leave. Three weeks was a long time, although being active for six months meant it was more than deserved. She had plans to return to Earth, to meet up with some friends she hadn’t seen in ages, and to even spend an afternoon with her sister, who she hadn’t seen or spoken to in nearly a year. Hell, maybe she’d even find time for a date.

Her mind at ease and her body cleaned, she wrapped her towel around her and made her way to the locker room. To her surprise, someone was waiting for her.

“Captain Winter,” he said as she walked towards him.

“What is it?” she asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable about the fact that she was speaking to the young man while wrapped only in a towel.

“My name is Thane, I’m Colonel Grimm’s personal aide,” he introduced himself. He was slender, with dark hair and penetrating eyes.

He held out his hand for her to shake but quickly pulled back, realizing that the situation they found themselves in did not dictate physical contact, professional or otherwise.

“Grimm? I haven’t spoken to Grimm in years,” Kira said, leaning against her locker, confused.

Colonel Grimm was her commanding officer before Admiral Artanis. He had recruited and trained her right out of the academy. Grimm had encouraged her as she rose through the ranks of the Alliance Forces and gave her many opportunities that put her ahead of her peers.

But, when he got promoted five years ago, he simply dropped off the map. Rumor was that he had been assigned to lead the Arcanum—the highest-ranking military division in the Terran Federation - and completely classified.

At first, she was slightly hurt that he had so quickly tossed her to the side, but over the past five years the memory of her former mentor became more and more distant and their relationship felt like a lifetime ago.

“Yes, well he did say to apologize for that,” Thane said quickly.

“It’s so nice of him to tell you to tell me that,” Kira scoffed, pushing herself up and pulling open the door to her locker. “I’m guessing you didn’t invade my privacy to apologize by proxy for Colonel Grimm,” she said. “Surely he didn’t just send you here for that.”

“No,” the man replied, shifting his weight around nervously.

Kira turned to look at him again, impatiently waiting for him to continue. “Well, what’s the real reason you’re here?”

“He sent me with a rather sensitive and classified mission request.”

“Well, what is it?” Kira asked slightly annoyed, pulling her clothes out of her locker and slamming the door shut. “I’m supposed to be starting my leave,” Kira replied.

“Unfortunately, it will have to wait Captain. This is a top priority and highly time-sensitive,” the man urged.

“Well, it doesn’t sound like I have a choice, has Admiral Artanis signed off on this?” Kira asked, leaning back against the locker, looking suspiciously at the young man.

"Not exactly," the man replied, wringing his hand nervously in front of him.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s not an official mission. I was asked to deliver the request personally, not through official military channels.”

“Ah well that explains why you’re here in the locker room with me,” Kira noted wryly.

Thane looked at her nervously, the awkwardness of their encounter once again filling the air. She continued to hold onto the towel tightly as she stood, clutching her clothes in her free hand as she contemplated what he had said. Something about the situation seemed off to her.

It must be something urgent if Colonel Grimm was going to such secretive lengths to contact her. Still, something didn’t feel right.

“Alright, I’ll at least look at it,” she said finally, the discomfort of the circumstances driving her to make a quick decision.

“Great,” Thane said, reaching into the bag draped across his shoulder and pulling out what must have been the mission brief.

He held the electronic file out to her, suddenly realizing that she had no free hands to take it from him.

“Just set it down there,” she said, shifting her gaze to the bench behind him.

“Thank you, Captain, I will let Colonel Grimm know you are reviewing the brief,” Thane replied.

He set the small table device down and turned to face her quickly. He had a look on his face as if he wanted to say something else, but decided against it. Nodding to her politely, he turned to hurry out of the room, finally leaving her in peace.

Changing into her clothes quickly, she picked up the brief and began flipping through it. The first thing she saw was the time and location of the meeting— 20:00 hours today at the Rusty, a dive bar on a small space station orbiting Mars. Kira recognized it because it was a bar she and her classmates from the academy would frequent during their basic training days.

“Why would Colonel Grimm want to meet all the way out there at that dump?” she wondered to herself as she collected her things and headed to the mess hall, realizing she had time for a quick meal before departing.

It didn’t matter. In her mind, she had already agreed to the mission, if only just to satisfy her curiosity. As she sat down to a quick meal, she scolded herself.

“You were so close to leave,” she thought. “It was right there. All you had to do was walk out the door and tell the creepy man to go away.”

As she poured over the brief she was surprised by the lack of detail. Usually, her mission briefs would give her enough information to carry out the task with no further instruction.

This one, however, was replete with blacked out sections of text that left her considerably unaware of the mission’s intent. “I guess this is what I get for talking with strange men in the women’s locker room,” Kira mused.

Kira finished up her meal and headed back to her quarters to retrieve some personal effects. While she was gathering up her things, she caught a glimpse of her Phantom M9 - her favorite plasma pistol. She stopped and thought for a moment, and then decided that it better be on her hip in the event that this went south.

Finally organized, Kira left her quarters and made her way to docking bay 32 where her personal use vessel was docked. She stopped in with the attendant and signed out her vessel.

Boarding the small craft, Kira couldn’t help but renew her skepticism - “What the hell am I doing?” she mumbled to herself. As she throttled up the vessel and crossed the barrier of docking bay 32 into open space she sighed and audibly exclaimed “if this takes up my entire leave I’m going to be pissed”.

CHAPTER THREE

The Rusty was not the sort of place Kira had expected to meet with a commanding officer of the Terran Alliance Forces, let alone the commander of the most classified division in the Alliance. Any bar would have been a strange local for these purposes, but this felt like the place you got drunk and embarrassed yourself when you were a fresh TAF recruit, at least that’s how Kira remembered it.

She walked through the door slowly, scanning her surroundings. The lights were a dim orange, and the air seemed almost stale with a haze that draped the room. The jukebox quietly played some painfully obvious lounge music from the 20^th century.

There were only four people inside. The first was clearly the bartender, a short and plump fur covered Rengar who paced back and forth as he cleaned some glassware behind his bar. He looked nervous, even for a Rengar.

Leaning against the bar were two large, muscular men with several tattoos and worn rugged faces. Even from where she stood, Kira was able to spot their cybernetic implants. “Arcanum soldiers,” she thought. They regarded her with a cold disinterest that unnerved Kira. She couldn’t help but notice that they bristled with weaponry. She swallowed hard and realized that the Phantom on her hip wouldn’t be much help if things got crazy.

While the members of the Arcanum were soldiers of the Terran Federation, they weren’t just any soldiers. They were the highest ranking, most well-disciplined, well-trained unit in the entire TAF. They lived their entire lives in full-fledged commitment to the Federation, going so far as to denounce their given names upon joining, opting instead for a call sign to which they responded.

The rumor was that they were often cybernetically and genetically enhanced in one way or another, making them stronger and more lethal opponents. Kira could now see that these were obviously not just rumors.

She didn't have time to continue examining them, though, because, in the far, dimly lit corner of the room she spotted Colonel Grimm puffing slowly on a large cigar. She recognized him immediately. His tall, muscular frame and silver hair were unmistakable. He was a middle-aged man with black eyes, a tightly trimmed beard, and a rather commanding presence that caused a slight shiver to run down her spine as she approached him.

“Colonel,” she said respectfully as she inched closer to his table.

“Captain Winter,” he replied in his trademark deep voice, looking up at her quickly. He took another puff from his cigar, as he motioned for her to take a seat across from him. “It’s so good to see you again, I wasn’t sure you would come.”

As she did, he waved to the bartender. “Another Bandurian whiskey,” he ordered. The bartender’s fur-covered face flitted quickly in their direction, and without a word, he went to work preparing the Colonel’s drink.

“Would you like a drink, Captain?” the Colonel asked her.

“No thanks sir,” she said shaking her head. “I have to fly home tonight and I dock better when my depth perception is intact.”

“Such a responsible pilot,” Grimm said, stroking his beard with his thumb.

“That’s not what most people would say,” she replied with a chuckle. “But, I appreciate the sentiment.”

He let out a half-laugh as he contemplated her words. “I suppose you’re right,” he said with a nod. “You have developed a reputation as something of a risk-taker. But you always seem to get the job done, don’t you?”

“Given the risks I usually take, if I didn’t get the job done, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now,” Kira replied, raising her eyebrow. “Which leads me to ask, why am I sitting here with you right now, Colonel?”

The bartender scurried over with the Colonel’s drink in his hand, visibly agitated at the Arcanum soldier’s presence. “Here you go,” the Rengar said quickly as he set the glass down on the table. “Can I get you anything else? Perhaps another cigar? I may have some stashed away somewhere—the good ones, too. I’d be willing to dive into my personal stash for you, for a price, of course.”

“No,” Grimm said, waving his hand in the air.

“Are you sure? I think it’s the least you can do for commandeering my bar for an evening.”

“I’m quite certain,” Grimm replied.

The bartender shrugged before turning to walk away in a huff.

“The Rengar can be pushy at times,” Kira said as she turned back to face the Colonel. “You just have to be firm with them, and they’ll leave you alone. I’m assuming you wanted to be alone, given the place you chose to meet me. So, again, Colonel, I ask: why have you called me here tonight?”

"Straight to the point, I always enjoyed that about you, Captain," Grimm said, taking a sip from his drink followed by a puff of his cigar. His eyes narrowed and he continued “I find myself in an unusual position, one that makes me generally uncomfortable.” Grimm seemed to choke on his next words “I find myself in need of help.”

“Recently, I came to be in possession of a man that, while extremely dangerous to the pursuits of the Terran Federation, is still entitled to his life,” Grimm continued. “As such, I find myself in need of a pilot that is capable of transporting this prisoner to the high-security prison Jaantu 7 in Bandurian space.”

“Jaantu 7?” Kira responded. “They call it the black hole – prisoners go in, but they don’t come out.”

“Indeed,” Grimm said with a dark scowl and Kira noted the anger that seemed to burn in his eyes.

“Okay, so it’s a simple transport mission, that still doesn’t explain why you decided I was the best person for this job, or why this mission isn’t officially credentialed,” Kira replied.

“Given our past relationship and my high regard for your ability to carry out this task, I thought of you first,” Grimm said.

“Truthfully, I needed someone I can trust to complete this mission and uphold its classification. That is the reason my shortlist is only one person long.”

Kira wasn’t sure if she should allow herself to be flattered, or indulge the nagging feeling that she was being manipulated.

“Alright, we’re two for three now Colonel. That just leaves the question of why this mission isn’t credentialed through Terran High Command,” Kira said.

“I’m afraid that is the chapter of this story that must remain in secrecy,” Grimm responded.

“Let me see if I have this straight Colonel – you have a prisoner that you’re honor bound not to kill that you want to deposit into one of the worst places imaginable and, most importantly, you don’t want your own fingerprints on this,” Kira said with a bemused look.

“Perceptive,” Grimm replied. “That was another quality I admired.”

“Your admirations aside, this is a big ask Colonel. You’re really stretching the definition of a favor here.” Kira responded. She thought she noticed the Arcanum soldiers at the bar shift uneasily in their stances when she said this.

Grimm seemed mildly annoyed at the amount of effort that he was expending. Kira figured he was not used to asking for much at this point in his career.

“Alright,” Kira sighed. “If I did agree to this, what would it look like?”

Grimm smiled slightly in relief. “Two Arcanum soldiers will accompany you to secure the prisoner. You will be in an unmarked vessel with a specially fitted brig to contain the prisoner – you will have no interaction.” Grimm explained.

“You will rendezvous with a third party that will complete the transfer to Jaantu 7 – that should ensure you are never connected with this mission. I’ve arranged for a meeting in a remote area of space near the facility, where a bounty hunter will wait for you. Nico Rax is one of the best in the business, Captain. He will take the prisoner the rest of the way, shielding your involvement with the mission completely.”

“So, all I have to do is fly this prisoner to an isolated location in space and wait for the bounty hunter to pick him up?” she repeated, creasing her brow. Something about the plan continued to strike her wrong—something was definitely off.

“Precisely,” Grimm replied, not noting the skepticism on her voice.

“Why not send a military escort?” Kira asked.

“We don’t want to divert too many resources and we can’t risk the publicity,” Grimm replied quickly.

Kira thought for a moment, stealing a glance at the Arcanum soldiers. She sighed deeply and said, “Alright, I’m on board, but I have conditions.”

“The best way for me to keep my head above water here is to know as little as possible. Basically, I’m telling you to keep me in the dark. I’ll run your mission as a personal favor and a thank you for everything you did for me at the Academy, but after this, whatever debt you feel I might owe you from our past has to be considered paid.”

“Consider your debt transferred to me when this is all over, I’ll be the one who owes you something,” Grimm responded.

“I’m not asking for that,” Kira responded. “You put me in a position to succeed early in my career and because of that, I’m where I am today. That’s the only reason I’m saying yes right now.”

“Fair enough,” Grimm said. “Kira, please know that I’m asking you to do something in the best interest of the Federation. I wouldn’t dare be reckless with you or your life unless it was of great importance.”

“You have my trust Colonel,” Kira replied. “I’ll make sure this gets done. What are the next steps?”

“After departing here I’ll arrange for secure communication that will lead you to the unmarked vessel,” Grimm said. “From there, you will proceed to the rendezvous and upon arrival, my men will make sure your vessel is looked after. After that, it’s a simple flight path to drop off the prisoner. We don’t expect any issues.”

“Do I have time to return to my quarters to pack a few personal items? Kira asked.

“I’ll be notifying the crew immediately after your departure. You should expect coordinates within the next two hours,” Grimm replied.

“Feel free to return to grab anything you might need, round trip you’re looking at about two weeks. However, I must insist that you say nothing of our meeting to anyone, and your departure should remain quiet.”

Kira stood to leave, “I’ll make sure this gets done sir, despite my hesitations I’m happy to help a friend in need.”

“Thank you, Captain, that means a great deal,” Grimm responded.

Kira walked out of the bar, but not before stopping at the bar to transfer a few galactic credits to him for his trouble. The Rengar looked somewhat pleased.

Grimm watched in silence as she boarded her ship and departed from the station, cigar smoke rising around him. One of the Arcanum guards slowly walked over to him and said, “Are you sure she can be trusted, sir?”

“No, but it doesn’t matter. She’ll serve her purpose.” Grimm replied as he stood to leave and snuffed out his cigar.

The other Arcanum soldier calmly pulled his sidearm from its holster and turned the weapon on the Rengar bartender firing two quick shots before re-holstering the weapon and joining the others as they departed.

CHAPTER FOUR

Kira returned to the T.F.S. Victory, still disgruntled that she would be leaving for another mission. It wasn’t just that she would be leaving for another mission that bothered her, though; it was that she was expected to leave so quickly.

She had just enough time to collect a few things before her Communicator let out a high-pitched alert. It was a message from an unknown sender, although she didn’t have to wonder who had sent it. The message contained a long string of coordinates, belonging to a remote section of Terran space—the rendezvous where she would transfer to the unmarked vessel containing her classified cargo.

She couldn’t help but wonder who this unnamed prisoner was. A Vorion militant leader, set on overthrowing the Federation? A Rengar thief who pushed his luck one time too many? The lack of information given to her about who this person was only made her imagination run wild as she considered the options and possibilities.

Regardless, this person had the full attention of one of the most powerful men in the Terran Federation.

There were seven major races living within the Milky Way Galaxy and countless minor ones. The only one that she quickly dismissed as having any potential for her mysterious "cargo" were the Zel'Dar. While the sentient insectoid race did prove to be a constant galactic nuisance, it was impossible that one of the over-sized bugs would be picked up and taken to Jaantu 7. Usually, the best way to deal with the Zel'Dar was to simply kill on sight.

It was with these insect-like aliens that Earth had its first contact with extraterrestrial life. The event, now called the First Contact Event, marked a quick and drastic change for the once war-ridden planet. The Zel'Darian forces attacked several Chinese mining vessels on a remote asteroid belt in the year 2124 and set into motion the chain of events that would lead humanity into the future. For once, countries that had been in a constant state of combat came together for a common cause—strengthening Earth's interstellar capabilities and protecting themselves from further aggressions and unknown galactic threats.

Over the next 150 years, humanity prospered and the Terran Federation was formed, casting out the "Old Earth" organization known historically as the United Nations. Through further investigation and exploration, they came into contact with the other races living and prospering in the Galaxy.

Alliances were formed with the Telani, the diplomatic humanoid race from Maelor. In addition, trade agreements were signed with the Arkadians, a humanoid race from Arkadia identifiable by their green skin, hairless bodies, and immense size.

To Kira's knowledge, the only race Earth had any real hostility with, besides the Zel'Dar, was the Vorion. The Vorion formed a militant, aggressive empire that was known to instigate conflicts with anyone and everyone else sharing the galaxy with them. The reptilian humanoids have long been targeting Terran and Telani economic interests, intent on gaining control of resource-rich star systems for themselves.

A shiver ran down her spine as she continued to consider the possibilities for who the prisoner could be. Whoever he was, one thing was certain, it was someone dangerous.

Her thoughts continued to hover around the question of her “cargo’s” identity as she made her way to the dock. She would be taking her private ship to the rendezvous spot. It was a small vessel, but it got the job done. She spent her life flying the top-of-the-line spacecraft at work. She didn’t need anything fancy on her down time.

She strapped herself into the pilot’s seat, waiting for clearance to take off. The cockpit was slightly cramped, and Kira often wondered how the manufacturer had the audacity to call this model a two-seater.

As she waited for the go-ahead, she began to input the coordinates for her destination into the console. Just as she finished, a chirp rang out from her ship’s message board. Someone had left her a personal message – the alert stating “D. Marner”.

“Marner?” Kira thought out loud.

She reached down to the control panel to initialize the message.

“Captain Winter,” an unfamiliar voice said through the audio system, “this is Dr. Dario Marner. I was hoping that I would be able to reach you before…” his voice trailed off for a second as though he was concealing his conversation. “It is important that we speak, things are not as they seem and you may be in danger…” again his voice trailed off.

“Dario Marner?” Kira muttered to herself as she reached for her bag in the seat sitting next to her. She pulled out a small tablet and opened up the military’s civilian database. “Marner,” she said again as she typed in his name.

Her query was met with a result of “No Record.” “Interesting,” Kira thought, “if he wasn’t in the database it must be an alias.” Kira racked her brain again, but to no avail, she had no idea who Dr. Marner was.

“Captain Winter,” a voice came over the comm installed in her console, “this is control center. You’re clear for departure, safe travels.”

“Understood control,” she said, quickly returning her tablet to her bag and focusing her attention back on the task at hand.

Whoever Dario Marner was, he was going to have to wait. She had other things on her mind, and despite the desperate tone in Dr. Marner’s voice, he did not out-rank the potentially dangerous situation she was about to thrust herself into. She needed to focus.

The journey to the rendezvous point was just over four hours. Kira felt uneasy about the entire situation and wanted more time to process everything; the call from Marner only served to heighten her sense of anxiety.

She found herself unable to think of much other than the prisoner, wondering who it would be and what they had done. She also found herself questioning Grimm’s motives for recruiting her for this mission. She had never known her former Commander to do things off the books. “Maybe I should be humbled that he chose me for this highly illegal mission,” Kira pondered sarcastically.

She wasn’t, though, no matter how hard she tried. “Damn Kira…what have we gotten involved with here,” she thought.

Nearing the rendezvous point her sensors lit up, identifying the ship. “Well, at least there really is a ship,” Kira mused. As she approached the vessel its outline appeared on her view screen – she hoped that she might find better answers once on board.

As the ship came into view, Kira recognized it as an unmarked Terran Freighter, probably thirty years old given the design. It was bigger than Kira expected and probably had regular crew component of twenty or so.

“Good,” Kira muttered to herself as she piloted her small vessel to dock with the air-locked hatch, “that’s more space I can put between me and the meat-heads on this tin can.”

Once inside, she waited for the hatch door behind her to close, and the air to be oxygenated – a green light signified all clear to proceed. Collecting up her personal items, she emerged from her vessel. To her surprise, no one was there to greet her. She paused for a moment and let her hand fall to her hip to graze her Phantom, reassuring herself it was still with her. The only door was to her right; Kira took a deep breath and started through it.

As the door opened, she immediately recognized the two men glaring in her direction. They were Grimm’s personal guard that accompanied him to the meeting with Kira.

They stared blankly in her direction, emotionless eyes fixated on her. Kira had never felt more like prey than at that very moment.

They were nearly identical in size and appearance, with their hair cropped short and their interchangeable dark, brown eyes. They were both massive in size, with arms the size of her thighs. The only unique identifier Kira could see were their tattoos. One had a large snake tattoo curling up his left arm. The other had a lizard sprawled across the right side of his neck all the way onto the side of his head.

“Well isn’t this a lovely surprise,” she said as she pushed past them. “It’s always great to see familiar faces.”

They continued to stare at her with those empty eyes.

“I have to say, I really appreciate the warm welcome,” she continued. Still, they remained silent and the pause was excruciating. “Well, since we’re clearly becoming fast friends, why don’t you tell me your names,” she added.

“No names,” the one with the snake tattoo replied.

“Alright, what if I find myself in need of room service? What do I do? Call out for Thing 1 and Thing 2?”

They were clearly not amused by her comment.

“If you need us, we will be there,” the man with the snake tattoo said. As he spoke, the other shoved his way past Kira and into the airlock.

“Where is he going?” Kira asked, moving over to the airlock window to look back at her private ship.

As she expected, the man with the snake tattoo didn’t answer her. He simply stood behind her with arms crossed and looked on over her shoulder. His partner pulled a small case from the storage shelf in the airlock and assembled a suit of jet black combat armor.

“Oh look, a costume party, see I knew you guys had something special planned for me,” Kira quipped. The other guard didn’t even acknowledge her. Kira turned back feeling more awkward, and again she found her hand gliding down to graze her Phantom to calm her nerves.

In seconds, the guard in the airlock had himself ensconced in the armor and was locking the slim helmet down onto the neck collar of the suit. He then reached down and entered some information into the wrist-mounted control panel. The headlamp on the suit beamed to life and a small audible hiss was emitted around the collar. Kira recognized the hiss as the suit pressurizing. “Whoa, he’s going out?” Kira said. The other guard continued to ignore her.

The guard in the airlock reached back into the case and pulled out three small metallic disks that he attached to the hull of her ship magnetically. He then hit the emergency release on the door which caused the airlock to depressurize rapidly – pulling her vessel, the guard and the remnants of his case out into space with some force.

The man with the lizard tattoo emerged quickly from behind her ship.

He entered more information into the control panel on his wrist and the three metallic disks affixed to her ship began to glow bright red.

“Wait,” she said, as she watched the man guide her vessel away from the ship. “What’s he doing to my…”

She wasn't able to finish her sentence. A loud explosion rang out almost simultaneously and she instinctively took cover behind the bulkhead adjacent to the airlock window. Returning quickly to the window after the shockwave passed, she stared, her eyes widening.

In the space where her ship once was, there was only sparkling debris.

“What the hell?” she exclaimed, turning around to face the man with the snake tattoo. “Seriously, what the hell?”

“Grimm’s orders. He doesn’t want evidence of our rendezvous.”

“You could have left it in the dock!” Kira objected.

“Too risky,” the man with the snake tattoo replied as he moved to continue down the ships main corridor.

The second guard came back through the airlock after removing his combat armor, and without a word, he joined his partner. Together they began walking down the dimly lit corridor in silence. Kira looked out the window one more time. “Really,” she exclaimed again, “what the hell?”

She slowly started after the two guards, still in disbelief and with an ever increasing sense of dread washing over her.

CHAPTER FIVE

When Kira caught up to the guards they had stopped in what appeared to be the ship's lounge, which was nothing more than a seating area with some old and dilapidated furniture strewn about.

“Give me your things,” the man with the snake tattoo ordered her.

“I hope you don’t intend to blow those up too,” Kira retorted.

“I will take them to your quarters. My colleague will show you to the flight deck.”

She could tell by his tone that he was not in the mood for an argument, so she reluctantly handed over her bag. She paused for a second, debating the handover of her Phantom.

The guard with the snake tattoo seemed to key in on the subject of her hesitation. “Trust me, that would do you no good if we decide you’re expendable,” he said with a menacing grin.

They eyed her suspiciously as she made the silent decision to keep it on her person. “Well, maybe it will make it a little more sporting if it comes to that,” Kira replied.

The man with the snake tattoo let out a quick grunt as he retrieved her bag from the ground and took off down one of the main halls leading off the lounge. The other turned on his heel and quickly began heading in the opposite direction.

Kira nearly had to skip to keep up; his long strides almost doubled hers. It wasn’t long before they reached the flight deck. It was a common configuration —captain’s chair, control panels, a holo display for navigation and communications and a large view screen. Scanning over the flight deck, she gave a quick nod before plopping herself down into the captain’s chair.

“This will work,” she said, spinning the chair around to face the man.

He took a step in her direction, leaning over her and flipping on the holo display. A three-dimensional map flickered to life, showing the intended route of the mission.

Kira watched as the holo display traced their path through Terran space, skirting Rengar territory and finally edging through Bandurian space to make the rendezvous with Nico Rax – the bounty hunter tasked with the last leg of the mission.

“Simple enough,” Kira said, but in her mind, she questioned the route. It seemed odd to fly through Bandurian space, and so close to the Galactic Bazaar, in order to make the rendezvous. The Bazaar was a hotbed for pirates and raiders, and without question, an unmarked freighter would be too good to pass up if they ran into one of those groups.

Kira drew in a deep breath, steeling herself. “Alright, consider me briefed - what’s our estimated time of departure?”

She was beginning to think that this man didn’t speak. He hadn’t said a word to her yet.

To her surprise, he did respond. "Now," he said gruffly.

“What about our guest?”

“Secure, and none of your concern. You will not be interacting with him.”

“Good,” Kira said, mentally noting for the first time the distinct gender pronoun in reference to the prisoner– him.

Without another word the man left the room, leaving her alone to work. She familiarized herself with the control panel one more time before initiating the engine system. The anti-matter reactor hummed to life, and within seconds, Kira had thrust. She ran through her pre-warp diagnostics check and found everything in surprisingly good working order. Kira suspected that a lot of engineering hours went into preparing this ship for the mission.

In reality, it seemed as if their mission would be a simple one, as long as the prisoner remained controlled and they avoided any pirates.

Kira confirmed the coordinates one last time and the ship’s automated assistant replied in an eerily mechanical voice “Coordinates accepted.” She took a deep breath and engaged the warp system.

As the ship accelerated to warp, Kira leaned back in the captain’s chair and tried to figure out what she would do for the next two weeks. The autopilot system should take them about three hours outside of the rendezvous point and these two meatheads didn’t seem very eager to chat.

Kira reviewed the ship’s database and logs, looking back over its service as a freighter. She noticed that a great deal had been manually deleted from the logs, probably in an effort to conceal illegal shipments. Kira guessed that this was how the Terran Alliance had come to be in possession of the freighter.

For the first time since her whirlwind meeting with Grimm, Kira felt fatigue wash over her. She leaned back in the captain’s chair and let herself drift to sleep as the ship hurtled through space heading for Jaantu 7.

As the first few days passed, she began to relax. The ship was functioning well and the guards mostly kept to themselves, periodically checking in on their flight progress. She still had her questions about the nature of their mission, but the simplicity of it eased her mind, at least slightly. Her faith in Grimm was partially restored, and the two men he assigned to work as her guards seemed capable enough.

Kira had ventured some walks through the freighter to stretch her legs, but she could tell the guards were not fond of her roaming too far and tended to keep a close eye on her. She did what she could for exercise on the flight deck, but the confinement was starting to eat away at her.

Nearing the last leg of their journey Kira had to drop the ship out of warp to manually navigate an asteroid field that wasn’t in the ship's database. Kira didn’t mind the work, and at the very least, it was giving her something to do.

Just as she was finally beginning to feel at ease, the man with the snake tattoo’s voice came over the ship’s communicator.

“Captain, we’ve got company,” he informed her.

She had been watching the small dots on her sensor array as well, hoping they were nothing more than trading vessels going about their business. Unfortunately, though, it appeared that those dots were following them. She glanced at the display and counted.

Four. There were four large dots on the sensor array.

“What are they?” she asked into the intercom.

“It looks like Zel’Dar, Captain,”

“Well, that’s just wonderful,” Kira muttered, grabbing the controls with purpose. The dots on her screen were not ships; they were the dense spots of a swarm.

A swarm of Zel’Dar could contain anything from a few dozen of the insect-like creatures to hundreds of them. Due to their hard exoskeletons and unique biology, the creatures often flew through space unprotected with no need of ships or equipment. Still, they posed a threat to any vessel with the misfortune of stumbling into their path. In this case, the asteroid field had concealed the swarm until they were nearly on top of them.

As she squinted at the screen, she could see that each of the four large dots consisted of at least a dozen smaller ones.

“Are the shields up?”

“They were never down,” Snakeman replied, as she had decided to call him.

She knew the Zel’Dar were unable to reach faster than light speed, but they still weren’t clear of the asteroid field and making a jump could destroy the ship. It wouldn’t take long, but it might be just enough time for their visitors to catch up with them.

Her mind began to race in the quick, analytical way it so often did when she found herself in high-pressure situations. The options buzzed in her head as she debated between trying to find a way to escape, and formulating a plan of attack.

Glancing down at the warp generator and back out at the asteroid field, she saw that her best choice was the latter of the two options—attack. Judging by the sensor array’s report, she knew they wouldn’t have enough time to elude them.

“Any chance they’re just curious?” she asked over the intercom.

“Doubtful.”

“Good, then there’s no reason I can’t do this,” she said, pulling up on the controls sharply.

The ship rose quickly, as she spun the vessel around to face the swarm of Zel’Dar heading their way. Piloting the vessel forward, she increased her speed, zipping straight for the mass of winged, grotesque looking, oversized pests.

“Captain, what are you doing?” Snakeman’s voice came over the intercom.

For a second, Kira thought she could sense a hint of fear in his tone. It amused her to think of the large, cybernetically enhanced man huddled in the corner of the control room with a look of panic on his face.

“They’re closing, and we’re not out of the asteroid field, we have a new plan,” Kira replied.

“Bring the weapons array online,” she ordered gruffly as she continued leading the ship forward, her sights set on the largest of the clusters of Zel’Dar on her screen.

“Done,” Snakeman said.

Kira pulled up the weapons control system and target locked onto the Zel’Dar swarm. The control panel blinked red awaiting her command. Kira checked the missile count on the freighter and silently swore when she noticed only thirty-two available. That wasn’t going to be enough.

“Snakeman,” Kira said firmly into the intercom.

“Me?” the man with the snake tattoos voice came back, confused.

“Yes,” Kira said quickly. “I would ask for Lizardman, but he doesn’t seem to enjoy talking to me as much.”

“What do you want, Captain?”

“Get up here, now. I need someone to man the disruptor's.”

“On my way, Captain.”

Clicking the intercom off, Kira fixed her attention on the images of the Zel’Dar. The mass of oversized bugs was now visible through the Flight Deck’s view screen.

Checking the weapons array again, she reached over and let the first missile fly. She didn’t wait to see if it hit and instead fired the second. She quickly cycled through targets, firing and evading.

Pressing the ship forward, she dove downward, making sure to evade the ripple effects of the missiles’ explosion. The ships automated assistant came to life and notified her when her ammunition had been expended. The mechanical voice just added to the tension.

Zel’Dar we’re still all over her sensors. A number of the Zel’Dar had detached from the swarm and were closing on the freighter fast.

“What the hell are you doing to us?” Snakeman demanded as he threw open the Flight Deck door.

“Giving us a fighting chance,” Kira replied, her jaw clenched and her eyes still glued to the screens in front of her. “Do you know how to work the disruptor's?”

Snakeman simply scoffed and slumped himself down in the chair to her right. Grabbing onto the controls for the multi-barreled disruptor's attached to the front and rear of the ship, he turned to her and nodded.

Turning the ship around quickly, Kira once again began a head-first charge towards their unexpected visitors. Snakeman let the disruptor's loose, taking down four or five of the Zel’Dar at a time.

Kira kept her focus on the images in front of her, both out the windows and on the screens. She wove the ship through the buggy-eyed, black and green, horde of winged vermin, swiveling the massive craft tactfully, giving her companion the clearest shots as possible.

As Kira moved through the swarm she could hear projectiles impacting on the freighter. The automated assistant chimed in again “Shields at 72%.” Snakeman continued his relentless assault; his precision with the disruptors was uncanny.

Kira continued to pilot the freighter on pure adrenaline, her body was tense and racked with sweat. Projectiles continued to pummel the freighter and the mechanical voice continued to warn her of her impending doom.

As Snakeman worked, the frenzied group of Zel’Dar began to calm, their carcasses floating around the ship lifelessly. Still shaking with the rush, Kira spun the ship around one more time, searching the view screen and sensor array for any sign of movement.

“Shit,” Snakeman said. “That was intense.”

“Things with me tend to be,” she said confidently as she leaned back in her chair checking her instruments, still not convinced they had managed to eradicate the swarm of Zel’Dar.

Just then, a small, single light began to flicker on the screen, showing movement at the rear of the ship. She pushed herself up, quickly, trying to grab for the controls.

"There's something…" she started.

She was cut off when the ship lurched forward and the lights flickered. They lost power for a total of seven seconds, but then the system shuddered to life again with the lights flickering around them. Working the controls, she tried to turn the ship around.

“I’ve lost control,” she said, looking at Snakeman.

The ship’s automated assistant sprang back to life, “Hull Breach Detected,” the mechanical voice seemed to be losing power and Kira thought it might not remain online for much longer.

“Shit!” Snakeman said. He quickly reached for the intercom “Check the control panels? We’ve lost navigation and there has been a hull breach.”

Silence.

“Report!” he said into the intercom again. “Do you copy?”

Silence.

“Fuck!” he said, pushing himself up and quickly hurrying to the door.

“What’s going on?” Kira asked, standing to follow him.

“You stay here,” he ordered her firmly as he broke into an inhumanly fast run down the corridor.

Kira clenched her jaw and waited, eye’s peeled down the corridor for any activity. Ten minutes passed. The only noise was the occasional groan from the metal work of the ship’s hull. Fifteen Minutes…

Kira dared to activate the intercom, “Snakeman, do you copy?” Icy silence followed her words. Thirty seconds passed with no response.

“Fuck!” Kira swore. She took a deep breath, reached down and pulled the Phantom off of her hip and against her better judgment, set off down the corridor.

CHAPTER SIX

Kira kept her back pressed against the wall and her steps soft and steady as she approached the ship’s lounge.

She had no idea what she would find. Had a Zel’Dar somehow managed to board? Had Snakeman and his look-alike simply decided to relax after the attack and forgot to inform her that everything was fine?

Her heart started to beat harder in her chest and her hands tightened around the grip of her weapon. Just then, the sound of someone moving around just up ahead made her breath catch in her throat. Steadying herself, she pushed herself away from the wall and raising her gun, she stormed into the ship’s common area.

Standing there, looming over the bloodied body of Snakeman was a man she didn't recognize. His tall, muscular frame hovered in place for a moment before he spun around to face her, his movements quick and precise. He raised his own weapon and trained the sights on her. He was wielding a plasma rifle, although his weapon wasn't what she was worried about. His size and presence were enough to make her start to panic.

“You’re the prisoner,” she said, her words coming out sharp, laced in a surprise.

“Are you asking me, or telling me?” he replied.

His voice was calm and his demeanor was controlled. His tanned complexion and dark features were almost ominous, and the rugged, disheveled look he had about him only added to his imposing presence. He took a step in her direction, his gun still pointed at her.

She backed up quickly, demanding, “How did you escape? What happened to the guards?”

“Put your weapon down,” he said, ignoring her questions.

“Tell me!” she ordered.

“I don’t want to have to hurt you,” he said, taking another step towards her, “but if you don’t lower your weapon right now, you’re not leaving me much choice.”

He took another step in her direction and she squeezed the trigger of her Phantom, sending a pulse of energy flying towards him. In a flash, he stepped to the side, just out of the path of the surge. His movements were swift, unnatural even, and sent a chilling ripple running down Kira’s spine.

His eyes still locked on her, he said, “I would advise you not to try that again.”

Returning his stare with her own, filled with frustration and disgust, she lowered her gun, slightly.

“Now you,” she said.

“Put it on the ground.”

“No,” she snapped, raising the gun again. “You first.”

He stared back at Kira and then slowly leaned forward and set his weapon on the ground, kicking it away and spreading his arms out at his side. “Your turn.”

Kneeling down, she placed her sidearm on the floor, pushing it to her right and standing up again quickly. Their eyes locked once again, and the room filled with a tense silence.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“Who are you?” he shot back.

"Captain Kira Winter, and I'm the pilot of this…,” her nose wrinkled as she finished, "…this once fine vessel."

“I am Commander Luthor Rockhold, but I’m known as Thor,” he replied. “And, yes, I am—or was—the prisoner on this ship.”

“How did you escape?”

“When the power failed during the attack, the door to my cell was unlocked, temporarily.”

“That was awfully convenient for you,” Kira muttered.

"It was," Thor said, crossing his arms over his chest, "even more since my incarceration was unjustified."

“Said every guilty man ever,” Kira replied sarcastically.

“Perhaps,” he said with a shrug.

“You don’t really think I’m that gullible.”

“You don’t have to believe me.”

Her curiosity was rising, and the awkward tension passing between them was mounting. She took a slight step to her right, and he stepped to his left, keeping himself planted directly in front of her.

"Just tell me," she said with a frustrated grunt. "It's clear that neither of us is going anywhere, and this stand-off is getting old—fast. What makes you believe you’re innocent?"

“I was a soldier in the Arcanum,” he began.

“So were Snakeman and his twin,” Kira noted quickly.

“Snakeman?”

Kira motioned to the lifeless body of her former bodyguard lying on the ground about 20 feet away from her. "Snakeman," she said firmly.

“I’m not going to ask,” Thor said, looking at the man over his shoulder.

“Good. I wasn’t going to tell you.”

Thor turned his attention back to Kira. "It's common that the soldiers in the Arcanum are cybernetically enhanced, as you have seen with my colleagues here."

Her eyes flitted to Snakeman again, falling quickly on the cybernetic implants lacing their way through different parts of his body. She quickly looked back to Thor. She remembered the way he moved so smoothly and quickly out of the line of fire spilling out of her Phantom. Another shudder ran up her spine.

“Colonel Grimm has been doing more than a few slight modifications on his soldiers,” Thor continued. “He has descended into madness, claiming humanity as the galactically superior race. He has been violating the Modessi Limit, and running grotesque genetic experiments.”

“The Modessi Limit…” Kira said in disbelief, remembering the section of course work she did in the academy around cybernetics.

The Modessi Limit was put in place shortly after Dr. Victor Modessi began his experiments in 2232, testing human capacity to be cybernetically and genetically altered. At first, his experiments were highly successful and praised. But then, as Victor began to push his trials further and further, the results became horrific and tragic.

His subjects turned into abominations and death was not uncommon. Modessi was promptly charged with crimes against humanity and quickly went into hiding, but the roads paved by his tests remained. Today, humans were still modified. However, according to the Modessi Limit established by the Terran Alliance, no more than 8% of an individual's genetic material can be altered. Exceeding the limit proved very dangerous and unpredictable.

“You’re lying,” Kira said quickly. “I’ve known Colonel Grimm for years, and his ethics have always been beyond reproach. He couldn’t do that.”

“He would and he does. I was part of the experiments—in the beginning. But, as I watched my companions become more abomination than human, I refused to continue with the procedures.”

As he spoke, he took another step towards her. The space between them was becoming closed off, and Kira found herself feeling vulnerable—a feeling she was not very familiar with. She tried to take a step back, but the wall was at her back. Glancing quickly at her Phantom on the floor, she weighed the risks involved in trying to reach for it again.

“You won’t make it there before I do,” Thor said, following her line of sight. He looked at the gun and then back up at her. “I may not be as ‘enhanced’ as your guards were, but I definitely am more than you are.”

She knew he was right, and fixing her gaze on him again, she nodded for him to continue.

“My refusal to continue with the experiments infuriated Grimm. He gave me an ultimatum—continue with the study or be shipped off to Jaantu 7. The only thing that kept him from killing me was the honor between soldiers.”

“And you chose Jaantu 7,” Kira finished his story for him.

Thor nodded, his eyes still fixed on hers. The way he looked at her made her feel conflicted. There was sincerity in his expression, urgency almost. His dark eyes were no longer filled with a look of aggression or hostility. They were almost kind. Somehow, the edginess that seemed permanently wrapped around him softened.

Another heavy silence fell between them. She wasn’t sure she could trust him—she didn’t trust him. Despite his earnestness, she couldn’t bring herself to believe that Colonel Grimm was the monster Thor was painting him out to be. Still, her options were limited. They were the only two left alive on the ship, the ship that wasn’t working. If they were going to somehow find a way out of this situation, they were going to need to work together.

“Other Zel’Dar may be coming,” she said frankly, changing the topic of conversation quickly. “That was a small swarm, but there are always more out there.”

“We should get moving, then,” Thor said.

He turned around and began walking towards the couch in the center of the room, stepping over Snakeman’s body as he went. His movements were surprisingly graceful for a man of his size—large and bulky. Although he was wearing loose military grade khakis, his light green shirt was tight and form-fitting. She could see the muscles in his back flex as he moved and couldn’t help but gaze at his arms, toned and athletic.

Following behind him quickly, she said, “The ship’s disabled. Somehow in the attack, we lost power and navigation controls went offline.”

“I suppose that’s another thing that’s worked out well for me,” he said sarcastically.

“It’s your lucky day,” Kira replied, standing in front of him and crossing her arms over her chest. Looking down at him sternly, she added, “except for the fact that the bounty hunter we’re supposed to be meeting with will be waiting for us. He probably knows our flight plan.”

“You have a point,” he said, leaning forward. “So, what do we do?”

“Well, if you want to just sit around here, enjoying my company until Nico Rax comes barging through the door, I’m all for that.”

“While you are a very pleasant conversationalist, I think I’d rather enjoy your glowing presence over a drink, not in the midst of impending doom.”

“Why? I can be charming in virtually any situation.”

“Then put on your most captivating persona while we get this thing fixed.”

“So, we’re going to work together?” she asked, a bubble of nerves forming in her stomach.

“I promise not to kill you if you don’t try to kill me.”

“Try to kill you? I could if I wanted to.”

“You couldn’t.” Thor leaned down and palmed her Phantom, holstering it at his side.

She let out a disgruntled scoff as she continued to hover over him, looking down at him with frustrated anger. Still, his story continued to ring in her mind. What if he was telling the truth? What if Colonel Grimm really was pushing the Modessi Limit? She still found it hard to believe him, but she knew that working together would be the only way to get them both out of this increasingly dangerous situation.

“Fine,” she said, stepping towards him and holding out her hand. “Allies?”

He pushed himself up to his feet and slipped his hand into her, his grip firm and strong, “Allies.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

The engineering bay was cold—a bad sign. The small room was usually hot from the heat given off from the ships complex warp generator.

Still, they went to work. The were not engineers, so for all they knew, they were making things worse instead of better.

“It looks like a lot more than navigation is damaged,” Thor observed as they futilely worked to try and understand the complicated diagnostics presented on the control panel.

“What’s going to happen?” Kira asked, sitting back on her heels and turning to look up at Thor, kneeling down to her left. “What will happen when we don’t reach the rendezvous with Nico Rax?”

“Well, as you so acutely observed earlier, he’ll come looking for us. I have an unlucky feeling that he won’t be alone.”

His words were haunting.

Thor continued to pour over the diagnostics and as he reached out to continue work on the control panel, Kira saw the edge of a tattoo peek out just below his shirt collar. The thin red ink seemed to be part of an unintelligible circular design but Kira couldn’t make out more than that.

“I’m guessing your luck isn’t inversely related to mine,” she said, shaking off her curiosity about the ink on his upper chest and refocusing her attention on the conversation.

"Sorry, Captain," he muttered, "I'm afraid that you're as caught up in all of this as I am now. I imagine that a galactic ‘dead-or-alive' bounty will be placed on all four of us—the two of us and our previously alive hosts."

“What?” Kira asked, pushing herself up quickly and stepping back from him. “What did I do? Why would they put out a bounty on me?”

“You are transporting valuable cargo,” Thor said, flashing a cocky smile at her over his shoulder.

“Oh, is there something else on this ship I didn’t know about?” she snapped back quickly, looking over her shoulder mockingly.

When she turned back around to look down at him, she was surprised to find that he, too, had stood to his feet and was now towering over her.

“Unfortunately for you, it’s just the two of us.”

“Joy,” she said, taking another step back.

“I’m confident that Grimm will do anything to keep me from walking free. He’s desperate to keep his activities a secret and he will do anything to keep from being exposed. He’ll have our images broadcast through the galactic bounty network, and before long, we’ll be the next big news.”

“I have always wanted to be famous,” Kira replied, trying to remain calm and nonchalant.

“Well, I’m glad I could elevate your social status.” He looked back down at the control panel. “We’re not going to be able to fix this stranded out here. The Zel’Dar attack must have damaged systems outside the ship.”

“We have to do something to get out of here. My ship was destroyed unceremoniously on arrival, so I’m out of options.”

Thor thought for a moment. “Your ship?” he said softly. “There might be another vessel on board.” Thor seemed to be lost in thought and he quickly started to leave the engineering bay. Kira followed after him.

As they marched quickly down the main corridor of the freighter, whatever fear or panic had previously started to form in her stomach was quickly replaced with the rush of adrenaline and her mind shifted to the familiar analytical state that always kicked in when she found herself face-to-face with danger.

“They may have destroyed your ship, but I bet they kept the one I was brought here on,” Thor explained as they went. “It’s small, but it’ll do.”

“We’ll have to do something about this ship,” Kira said. “If they find the ship destroyed, maybe they’ll just think that we were all killed in an attack—no need for a bounty when everyone is already dead.”

Thor slowed slightly but didn't stop. "That’s possible," he said, continuing down the corridor. "Those soldiers were carrying a surprising amount of explosives with them. I'll rig the ship with explosive, you go down to the cargo hold, find our ride out of here, and start familiarizing yourself with it. We may not have a lot of time before they realize we’re no longer on course."

“Got it,” Kira replied, quickly moving down the corridor in the direction of the ship’s cargo holds.

“Wait!” Thor said. “Take this - just don’t shoot me with it later.” He handed Kira her Phantom.

“No promises,” Kira quipped, appreciating the gesture of trust nonetheless. Thor forced a concerned grin in her direction before hurrying off to collect the explosive ordinance and rig the ship.

Kira reached the end of the corridor and found the service ladder that would take her down to the cargo holds. As she approached the ladder and peered down she could see that power had been compromised on the cargo hold deck, it was emergency lighting only.

Kira cursed under her breath. She un-holstered her Phantom and turned on the tactical light located beneath the barrel. It wasn’t much, but she needed all of it to navigate through the darkness. Slowly, she descended down the ladder onto the deck below.

As she reached the platform she was startled by the darkness. The Zel’Dar attack had clearly damaged this section of the ship, and she wondered if their way out of here had been damaged, or worse, destroyed.

The emergency lighting was poor, spaced about twenty feet apart and some were either not working or flickering ominously. Where the lights were not working, Kira was forced to walk in near complete darkness with only the tactical light on her Phantom guiding her way. She could barely see more than four or five feet in front of her at any given moment.

The ship groaned from time to time, as the metalwork twisted and bent from the damage sustained in the attack. Kira clutched her Phantom tightly, walking with the weapon raised in front of her. Sweat dripped from her head and her heart pounded in her chest.

After Kira had come about ninety feet down the corridor she came to the first bay door that read “Cargo Hold #1”. She pressed the door release button. Nothing happened. “Shit,” Kira muttered.

She walked another two steps and approached the large door. She noticed the door was not fully closed and one of the panels was damaged and bent. From that bend, she could see into the cargo hold. Kira poked her Phantom into the opening to get a better look.

The light illuminated a small part of the cargo hold and she could make out the outlines of a small shuttle craft about fifty feet away from her. “That must be the ship,” Kira thought.

Kira looked at the control panel by the door for an intercom control to tell Thor she had found the ship, but there was none. “Must be inside the hold,” Kira pondered.

She took a step back, and suddenly, a scurrying noise from down the dark corridor grabbed her attention. She pivoted, bringing the Phantom up to face the direction of the noise. Her breath caught in her throat as she strained to see through the darkness.

Kira’s eyes remained fixed in the direction of the noise. The silence was deafening. Her arms ached from the strain of holding her Phantom at the ready.

After a solid minute of staring into the darkness, Kira knew she had to make a decision. She lowered her Phantom and braced herself against the cargo bay door. She pushed lightly against the door to see if it would budge. Slowly, the door began to grind against its metal tracks – the noise reverberated through the corridor – Kira grimaced at the sound and stopped pushing.

A low guttural growl echoed back from down the corridor and the scurrying sound resumed. Kira pivoted back again, bringing her Phantom up in the direction of the noise. There, about one hundred feet down the corridor Kira could make out a large shape running towards her position. The creature was moving fast and the emergency lighting revealed it momentarily before it disappeared back into the shadows as it made its way towards Kira.

Kira clenched her jaw and fired a quick shot from her Phantom. The red beam of energy burst forward, illuminating the corridor as it flew towards the creature.

The beam flew past the creature and carried on down the corridor, but as the beam missed, Kira could make out distinct features for the first time – it was a Zel’Dar. The sight of the dark blue and brown exoskeleton sent adrenaline shooting through Kira.

She fired three quick bursts and the creature deftly dodged the first but was struck on its right side with the second and third. It shrieked loudly and dove off into a service corridor about fifty feet from Kira’s position.

The scurrying sound had subsided but Kira was certain she did not kill it. “Fuck,” she exclaimed, her breathing rapid and tense.

After another moment, she decided she had to get into the cargo bay immediately. She lowered her weapon and braced herself against the door again, pushing with all her might. The door began to shriek, the sound of metal on metal ringing loudly down the corridor.

The guttural growl came again, but this time, there was more than one.

She continued pushing the door open inch by inch as the scurrying sound resumed, the Zel’Dar closing in on her position rapidly.

With a final grunt Kira managed to create an opening large enough, she pushed through, her body squeezed tightly by the metal door. As soon as she cleared the door she dove, landing on her back with her Phantom aimed at the opening in the door.

As she landed, at least one Zel’Dar launched itself at the opening in the door, getting wedged between the door itself and the metal frame. Its large mandibles thrashing as it struggled to free itself.

Kira fired three quick bursts with her Phantom, hitting the Zel’Dar with each. The third found its home and a jet of blue liquid erupted from the carapace of the creature. Its body went limp, wedged between the door and its frame.

Kira let out a small cry of relief. She quickly stood, still hearing the sounds of the Zel’Dar in the corridor behind her. She didn’t know how many were out there. Looking around the cargo hold Kira found the intercom panel and approached it, hoping it still worked.

She pressed the button for the ship-wide emergency broadcast, “Thor! Zel’Dar – cargo hold deck, they breached in the attack!” Kira nearly yelled into the intercom.

A moment passed that felt like a lifetime.

“Understood, get the shuttle operational, I’m on my way!” came Thor’s reply. Kira could sense the urgency in his voice.

Kira turned and ran for the shuttle. It was a small craft with a rear loading ramp. Kira found the control panel for the ramp and hit the release – the door slowly descended and Kira cried out in celebration “Yes! At least something still works around here!”

She entered the shuttle and slid into the pilot’s seat. Kira quickly scanned the panel and began entering in commands, the ship’s engines hummed to life and the running lights illuminated the cargo hold. The shuttle lifted off the ground slightly, ready for flight.

“Get ready, I’m coming down!” Thor’s voice boomed over the intercom. Kira turned and looked over her shoulder, back out to the corridor. Kira saw several green bursts from Thor’s plasma rifle fly down the corridor and heard the pained shrieks from the Zel’Dar.

The cargo bay door began to slide open wider and the body of the Zel’Dar that was wedged in between slumped to the ground. Thor leaped through the opening and was running for the shuttle, Zel’Dar streaming in behind him.

“Go!” Thor shouted. Kira didn’t hesitate and started accelerating the vessel towards the cargo hold exit, slow enough that Thor would be able to board on the run.

Kira marveled as Thor deftly ran and jumped over obstacles with ease and even fired a few shots back in the direction of the Zel’Dar with surprising accuracy.

As Thor reached the shuttle he athletically jumped onto the ramp and hit the control for the door – it whirred shut with an emphatic clunk.

“Punch it!” Thor exclaimed as he took the seat next to her.

"What the hell am I doing out here?" Kira scolded herself. "I'm on the run with a Jaantu 7 fugitive. There might be a bounty on my head. I’m pretty sure I’m out of a job, and I’m damn sure running for my life isn’t what three weeks of leave is supposed to look like!"

Steadfast on the controls, she propelled the ship forward, praying that the landing bay doors opened before they crashed into them. The large metal gate trembled as it pushed outward, and the vast, endless sky became slowly visible.

Thor clenched his fists in his lap, almost nervously, but didn’t speak. Kira kept her eyes locked on the fine line of star-filled blackness as she urged the ship to continue forward. Just as they were approaching the door, a ball of orange and yellow began to spill into the room behind them.

The door, still not fully open, was just ahead of them. Positioning the ship just right, Kira led them into the open, the vessel just barely squeezing through the tight space.

As she accelerated the ship, the ball of heat behind them continued to surge up at them. It was another few moments before they both relaxed as the explosion calmed and the wreckage of the freighter could be seen floating through space.

Leaning back in her chair, she turned to face Thor. His eyes were still fixed out the window, and his fists still clenched at his sides.

“Well, we’re still alive, so there’s that,” she said cheerfully with an awkward laugh of relief.

“Just barely it would seem.”

“That just makes for a better bar story,” she said with a shrug.

“I have a feeling this is a story I won’t be telling for quite some time,” Thor replied, finally turning his attention in her direction. “What do we do now?”

“Well, we don’t exactly have a lot of options,” Kira replied. “We’re fairly near the Galactic Bazaar – we might be able to better assess our situation there, hopefully with some anonymity.”

“It’s a great place to go if you want to put yourself in the midst of low-life’s, criminals, bounty hunters and pirates, all eager to claim their reward,” Thor replied quickly.

“Do you have any better ideas? It’s not like we can return to Earth, and we don’t really have the provisions for long distance travel.”

“I guess if we’re going to be criminals on the run from the law, what better place to do that than the Bazaar?” Thor said, sitting back in his chair and turning his attention to the horizon again.

“Speak for yourself,” Kira muttered as she directed the ship towards the Bandurian section of space that contained their intended destination.

“I’m just someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m not a criminal; I’m just working with one.”

“I already told you, I’m not a criminal,” Thor said pointedly.

“Right, you were wrongfully accused by one of the most respected military leaders in the Terran Alliance,” Kira responded.

“He’s not who everyone thinks he is—at least not anymore.”

“He seemed the same as always the last time I spoke to him.”

“Really? The man you claim to know would ask you to participate in an off-the-record, unsanctioned mission to transport a classified prisoner to Jaantu 7?”

“Maybe…” she said, unsure.

“He’s become obsessed with genetic and cybernetic manipulation. Not only that, he’s become fanatical about his obsession. He has made claims that members of the Arcanum are superior to other Terran's. He’s been isolating himself more and more from the T.A.F. He’s gone mad with his lust for power and supremacy.”

The famously stoic, unemotional Colonel had been more and more elusive in recent years, Kira conceded. But, she only assumed that was because he had been assigned to work with the Arcanum.

“He will do anything in his power to continue with his experiments. He won’t let anything pose a threat to his work. As soon as I began to voice my opposition to his careless, dangerous, potentially lethal enterprise, I became a liability.”

“So, he sent you to Jaantu 7 just to keep a secret?” Kira asked, still suspicious of Thor’s account.

“Not only that,” Thor said. “He’s planning something. Something big.”

“What?” Kira asked, her eyes wide.

“I don’t know,” Thor admitted.

Kira scoffed, but Thor continued. “Even though I can’t be specific, I’m certain he’s planning something, though. That’s why having an Arcanum soldier who openly expressed opposition to his experimentation walking around a free man is so worrisome to him. He can’t let anything stop him from bringing his plan to fruition. Especially because I assume he’s close to putting it into action.”

Kira opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat. An unmarked gunship suddenly warped in near them and locked onto their position. She looked down at her sensors quickly and realized that they weren’t working properly.

“Damn,” she said as she grabbed for the controls.

Kira started to navigate the shuttle towards the nearest asteroid cluster in the hopes that they could outmaneuver their new pursuers. Before Kira could do much other than reorienting the vessel in her intended direction another three assault class fighters warped in and immediately locked onto their shuttle.

“I thought today felt like a lucky day,” a voice came over the ship’s communication system. “Looks like I was right.”

Just then, the gunships starboard side became visible on Kira’s view screen and a large red and black skull decal stared ominously back at them.

“Shit,” Kira mumbled, “Roughnecks.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Roughnecks were a blended group of rough-and-tumble Terran pirates, mercenaries, and devious opportunists. They happened to be on their way to the Bazaar when they detected the explosion of the freighter.

Coercing their shuttle into the holding dock of the pirate vessel was easy. Deciding what to do with their new prisoners seemed to pose a slightly larger problem for the relatively unorganized group of shameless felons. The second Kira and Thor exited their ship, the questions began to fly.

The men assumed that the two of them were military, but they didn’t know who they were. They questioned them for their names, hoping that a search of their identities would prove that a hefty ransom could be exchanged for their safe return to their fleet.

Kira remained silent, as did Thor. Keeping their identities secret was the best thing they could do. If there were a bounty out for them, this group would quickly and eagerly turn them in—there was no doubt about that.

Their silence frustrated the unkempt, chaotic group, and they were quickly escorted off the landing dock and thrown into the brig. Kira would have tried to fight back if they weren't outnumbered six to one. Even with Thor's enhancements, whatever they were, there was no way the two of them could take on the large group.

Just before throwing them into a small, damp, foul-smelling cell, four of the men came forward, one carrying a medical applicator. He went for Thor first, considering him the greater threat. It took a few attempts as Thor fought back against the group, but finally, he plunged the applicator down into Thor's neck as the other three worked to tangle him up in close quarters.

Thor instantly slumped forward, his body suddenly limp and unresponsive.

“No!” Kira called out, trying fight off the four men who had turned their attention on her.

And then, everything went dark.

Kira had no sense of time when she finally woke up. Her head ached and her mouth was dry. The ground beneath her was hard and cold, and as she rolled over, trying to get her bearings, her ears began to ring slightly.

Lying on the ground next to her was Thor. She reached up and grabbed hold of his wrist, shaking him slightly.

“Get up,” she gasped. “You have to get up. We have to get out of here.”

“There will be no escape today,” a man’s voice startled her. His voice was deep and sinister.

She sat up quickly, her head throbbing. She realized that they were no longer in the brig. They were, instead, on what appeared to be the ship’s flight deck, although the equipment around her was mismatched and most of it appeared to be somewhat out of date. The man who spoke paced back and forth in front of her, smiling down at her with a demonic look in his eye.

Finally, Thor began to rustle. He let out a soft moan as he lifted his hand to cover his eyes.

"The effects of the sedative will wear off shortly," the man spoke again. "You may care to know that we've just landed on Vandor," the man informed them coldly.

Vandor was one of the main planetary hubs making up the Bazaar.

“Thanks for the ride,” Kira replied between gritted teeth. Her head was still aching and her eyes adjusting to the lights. “We were on our way to the Bazaar ourselves, but at least this way we got a nap in.”

The man laughed, a deep, guttural sort of laugh that filled the room and stuck to the walls, hanging in the air, even after he stopped.

“You’re a funny little one, you know that,” he said, leaning in slightly, looking her up and down greedily.

His piercing brown eyes burned into her, making her stomach churn with disgust. His overall presence was ominous. His head was shaved, revealing a long, gruesome scar running along the right side of his head. And his dark, tanned skin seemed permanently stained with dirt and grime.

Thor pushed himself up slowly. As he fumbled to his feet, the man looked on with an amused, degrading expression written across his face. Even though Thor was slightly taller than him, it was clear that it took a lot more than size to intimidate him. Perhaps it was the five, equally gruesome looking men standing behind him, all holding assault rifles that gave him his reckless confidence.

Kira noticed one of the guards wearing her Phantom on his hip, no doubt taken from her when she was unconscious on their journey to Vandor. She clenched her jaw and made a mental note, she would have to get that back.

“Who are you?” Thor growled down at him.

Kira pushed herself to her feet and stepped up next to him, showing her allegiance to her former prisoner.

“I’m the captain of this fine vessel,” the man said, stepping back and stretching out his arms. “But, that has little bearing on our conversation.”

He took a firm step in Thor’s direction as if he was challenging him. “What we’re all here to figure out is who are you?”

“We’re just two people who want to continue on their way,” Thor said. It was obvious he was trying to keep his calm, but struggling to do so.

Kira suspected that Thor would have had a reasonable chance at disarming or killing this group in a fair fight, but with five assault rifles staring back at them, they were forced into submission.

“You may be able to do just that,” the captain replied. “We are a reasonable bunch. Just tell us your names and provide your identification, and we’ll make an informed decision as to what to do with you.”

Kira’s body tensed as she waited to hear Thor’s response. Despite the captain’s cool demeanor, she had a feeling that there was a beast lying just underneath the surface, waiting to be freed.

Instead of saying anything, Thor remained silent. As expected, the crooked smile on the captain’s lips vanished, and a crazed look of excitement filled his face.

“That’s fine,” he said, leaning back on his heels with a devilish grin. “If you don’t want to talk, we have ways of making you – ways that I particularly enjoy.”

With that, he reached into his holster and pulled out a sonic baton and with a flick of his wrist, it extended fully and crackled with electricity. Quickly, he thrust it forward and pressed it into Thor’s chest. Instantly, Thor fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Two of the men standing behind the captain rushed her as she leaned forward out of instinct to aid her companion.

They pulled her back violently as the captain cocked his foot and let it fly; hitting Thor square in the chest, in the same place the baton had sent a pulse of electricity surging through his body.

Kira felt her heart rate accelerate and her hands started to shake. She tried to pull herself free of the men holding her, but was unable to. The captain leaned in, pressing the baton into Thor's neck, sending another surge of current pouring into him. Thor's body began to shake, but his gaze, cold as ice, was fixed on the man as if daring him to continue.

“All you have to do is tell us who you are,” the captain said, ignoring Thor’s glare and turning his attention to Kira. “I’m just getting started with your friend over here. You don’t want to know what my men will do to a pretty little thing like you once I give them permission.”

Kira steeled herself and let her combat training take over, she spun on the man closest to her grabbing his wrist and twisting his arm beyond its range of motion. The guard let out a cry and his assault rifle dropped from his hands. Kira wasted no time and drove her elbow and forearm into his face, breaking his nose on impact. The second guard reached for her and wrapped both arms around her, trying to wrestle her down. Kira planted her feet against a command console and violently swung her head up into his face three times. The guard released Kira and stumbled back a few steps with blood pouring from his mouth. Kira squared up into a combat stance and prepared to continue the assault.

Suddenly, her whole body was on fire, pain echoed through every joint and limb and she dropped hard onto the floor, her body twitching in response as she cried out. Behind her, the captain released the baton from Kira’s shoulder and watched with amusement as she struggled on the ground.

The captain seemed to find her display amusing. When she dragged herself back to her feet she turned back towards him, he was staring at her with lustful desire.

“Maybe I won’t give you to my men,” he said, taking a small step in her direction. “Maybe I’ll just keep you for myself. I’d like to see those pretty blue eyes of yours roll back into your head.”

Disgust caused Kira’s stomach to turn. She wanted to reply with her fists, but she didn’t have the chance. Thor reached out and grabbed onto the man’s ankle, twisting it around with enough force to cause the lust to fall out of the captain’s eyes and the rage to once again creep back in.

Letting out another loud laugh, the man spun around and kicked Thor in the gut, simultaneously leaning in and pressing the baton to his neck again.

“Captain!” a man shouted, coming into the room quickly.

The captain let out a long, annoyed sigh and turned to face the new arrival. “What is it? Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?”

“You’ll want to see this,” the man said, hurrying over. “Look who just popped up on the Galactic Bounty Network.” The captain took the tablet from the man and a slow grin crept over his face as he reviewed the information.

“It really is my lucky day,” the captain said, turning to scowl down at Thor.

“The bounty was set at one million credits alive and two hundred and fifty thousand dead,” the man added.

“Each?” the captain asked.

“Each,” the man assured.

“Well, someone out there values your lives a great deal,” the captain opined.

The eyes of all of the men in the room blazed with excited greed.

“Watch them!” he commanded the others in the room as he turned to leave, “while I figure out where to turn them in.”

As soon as the captain was out of sight, Kira threw herself forward and knelt down next to Thor.

“Are you okay?” she asked, leaning in to examine the burn marks left on his neck by the baton.

“Best day of my life,” Thor replied sarcastically, pushing himself up carefully.

The men instructed to watch over them hovered close by, pointing their guns in their direction while excited conversation continued amongst them about their newfound fortunes.

“Now would be the time for any escape plans you might be keeping from me,” Thor asked under his breath with a slight smile.

Kira’s mind ran wild, trying to develop some plan of escape. But, nothing came to her. She turned to look at the group of men, huddled together near the captain’s chair about twenty feet away, her mind was empty and she didn’t see how they would get away this time. Kira wondered if their luck had run out.

Suddenly, a loud explosion broke through the relative silence, causing the metal decking under them to tremble and the lights overhead to flicker. One of the men stumbled backward, then another. The shaking of the ship caused nearly all of them to lose their footing.

“This might work,” Kira said, grabbing Thor’s hand and pulling him to his feet.

Thor threw his weight forward quickly, knocking down the two men closest to them with one swift blow. They grunted from the impact, their guns dropped to the floor as they reacted, and they went flying backward.

Thor reached the first rifle in an instant and the second rifle not long after. He tossed the second rifle to Kira who quickly turned it on the group of guards just beginning to understand the situation. She fired two quick bursts in their direction, the first shot slamming into the chest of one of the guards and sending him flying across the flight deck. The remaining guards all dove for cover and began to return fire with poor discipline, hitting equipment all over the flight deck as they fired with reckless abandon. Kira and Thor took cover behind two command consoles.

Kira looked to her left and the unconscious body of one of the guards Thor had struck lay three feet away from her. On his hip, Kira eyed her Phantom.

“Yes!” Kira shouted, as she removed the weapon from the guard and re-holstered it on her own hip.

“Do we really have the time for that?!” Thor shouted at her incredulously.

“I wasn’t leaving here without it,” Kira replied, a wide smile crept over her face as plasma fire from the guard’s assault rifles rained down around her.

Again, another loud explosion rang out, this time at the entry point to the flight deck and the doors were blown open by the violence of the explosion.

“Let’s move!” Thor yelled at Kira, who didn’t waste a moment and was up on her feet and sprinting towards the opening. Thor fired at the guards with precision, keeping their heads down and allowing Kira a clear path.

Kira made it to the door and planted herself behind the bulkhead next to it and provided covering fire for Thor, who leaped up from his position and with a few quick and graceful strides was right behind her.

Just as they moved together to cross through the torn open door, two hooded figures entered the room, wielding gauss cannons and letting loose another explosive assault.

“Get back!” one of them yelled, grabbing onto Kira’s arm and throwing her out into the hall as he continued to fire on the guards.

Thor followed close behind as they broke out in a run to escape. Close on Thor’s heels were the mysterious individuals who had come to their rescue.

Thor and Kira ran with their guns at the ready, clearing the area in front of them as they went, side-by-side, through the winding passages of the pirate’s ship. The two hooded figures continued to fire on anyone who tried to flank them from behind.

The group of four navigated their way back to the landing bay area of the ship and quickly slipped out and into the hot and polluted air of Vandor.

One of the hooded figures stopped and threw two small objects back down the corridor. After a moment, there was another explosion and a great quantity of smoke billowed out of the corridor hanging thick around the ship, concealing their escape.

“See?” Kira said in between breaths as they continued to run. “I told you that would work.”

CHAPTER NINE

“We’re not safe yet,” one of the hooded individuals said from behind them as they ran.

They could hear the commotion as the Roughnecks poured out of their ship, looking for their lost prisoners as they coughed and waved their hands trying in futility to clear the smoke. Without speaking, the group dove into the constant crowd that seemed to engulf the market on Vandor.

Kira’s heart was pounding in her ears, and her hands clung tightly to the stolen assault rifle. Glancing quickly over her shoulder, she saw the Roughnecks crew making their way through the crowd in pursuit not far behind them.

“Follow me!” one of the hooded individuals took a quick, sudden turn down one of the side-streets, leading them into a less congested but still cramped part of the market.

As they pushed past different people, some Terran, some Arkadian, some Bandurian, the men pursuing them continued to gain ground.

The hooded figure leading them took another sharp turn, then another. When one of those turns took them into a small, crowded bar, the group quickly moved to the back. Through the bar windows, Kira saw their pursuers run by, still searching for them.

“We don’t have long, they’ll know they lost us shortly,” Thor said, also watching as the Roughnecks bolted by outside.

Most of the tables were occupied, but they were able to find a small section in the back of the bar that was more or less vacant. They leaned against the wall, catching their breath and letting the blur of events that lead them to that spot sink in.

“Who the hell are you two?” Kira spoke first. She pushed herself up off the wall and eyed the two individuals.

Slowly, their rescuers lowered their hoods, revealing their faces. One of them was a Telani woman, a beautiful, pale-skinned, bright blue-eyed young woman with near platinum long flowing hair. The other was an older Terran man. Kira gawked as she saw his gray hair and dark, wrinkled eyes. How had a man of his age been able to move with such agility and endurance?

She was about to ask, but Thor spoke first.

“Marner?” he asked, shocked with a look of anger descending upon him.

The old man opened his mouth to respond when Thor bolted towards him, throwing him back against the wall and clutching the collar of the man’s black cloak. The swiftness with which he moved once again left Kira amazed and slightly afraid. His muscles tensed as he lifted the man off his feet slightly and leaned in, staring at him with a look of accusation.

Although Kira was shocked by Thor’s sudden outburst, what amazed her more was the nonchalance of the other bar patrons. Vandor was always a hectic place, filled primarily with criminals and black market dealers. The diverse crowd turned to eye them for a second, but quickly lost interest and returned to their drinks and dubious affairs.

“What are you doing here?” Thor asked. “How did you find me?”

The man opened his mouth to respond but was unable to given Thor's tight grasp on his throat.

“Put him down!” demanded the Telani woman.

“Not until I have my answers,” Thor said to her quickly and aggressively over his shoulder.

“Perhaps, if you put him down, he would be able to answer your questions,” the woman continued in a disarming manner, undeterred by Thor’s combative tone.

Thor relaxed his muscles, letting the man slide down the wall, but kept his hold on the man’s collar, ready to once again pin him up if he felt it necessary.

Dr. Marner coughed a few times before he spoke. “Thank you Alaria,” he addressed his companion first. Turning his attention back to Thor he said, “Thor, why don’t you release me and give me a chance to explain? Surely the fact that we came to your rescue shows you that we mean no harm.”

His words were soft but had a sincere quality about them. Still, Thor seemed to doubt him. He continued to hold the man's collar, eying him with suspicion and anger.

“Thor,” Kira said, stepping forward and resting her hand on his shoulder. “What’s going on?”

Kira’s hand on his shoulder diminished his anger slightly and he loosened his hold on Dr. Marner and turned to address her. “This is Dr. Dario Marner,” he began to explain. “He’s was one of Grimm’s lead scientists—one of the experts working with him to push the Modessi Limit.”

“Marner?” Kira said, a sudden realization coming to her. Dario Marner was the name of the man who had left the cryptic message for her before she set out to rendezvous with Grimm’s transport. Confused and also wanting answers, she said, “I’m going to side with Thor on this one. First, tell us what you’re doing here, then we’ll consider being a little friendlier.”

“We’ve been following you,” Dr. Marner explained looking at Kira, “since you set out to rendezvous with the transport. We nearly lost you when you were picked up by the Roughnecks. Thankfully, we packed properly for the occasion and we’re able to break you out.”

“How did you track us?” Kira asked, stepping towards him. “The mission didn’t exist. How did you…”

Her voice drifted off as she noticed Dario Marner’s eyes shift up to the screen hanging over her head in the corner of the bar.

“I promise that we will discuss all of that soon,” Dario said, looking quickly back at Kira and Thor, “but for now, I think it's best that we find a less public locale to discuss these matters.”

He pointed to what had caught his attention. Turning slowly, Kira saw her face filling the screen and a second later the image shifted to a picture of Thor. And there, flashing brightly under their names was the bounty that had been placed on their heads.

“Still want to be famous?” Thor asked, releasing Dr. Marner and looking around the bar quickly.

“I’m beginning to have second thoughts,” Kira responded wryly.

The screen flashed information on their wanted status and they were denoted as extremely dangerous. Kira’s heart started to accelerate as she turned her attention back to the odd pair who had rescued them from the Roughnecks.

“You’re right, we should probably get somewhere less public,” Kira agreed.

“Now,” Thor added.

CHAPTER TEN

The group pushed their way out of the bar, nudging past the other patrons, trying to keep a low profile. Thor led the group, followed by Kira, with Dario and Alaria right behind them.

Once they re-emerged onto the crowded street, Thor turned around to face them all. “Where do we go now?”

“Follow us,” Alaria suggested. “We managed to dock not far from here.”

“Good thinking,” Dario said, stepping forward and leading the way.

Thor remained at his side and continued to look down at the man with mistrust. They walked quickly through the crowded market. They passed the merchants’ stalls, filled with a variety of goods—everything from food to weaponry was on display. The air had a stale scent to it, and the crowded streets made it difficult for the group to walk side-by-side.

As Kira scanned the others around her nervously, she couldn’t help but notice that almost everyone was carrying some sort of firearm. The burly men and surprisingly burly women called out their sales, and the onlookers wandered slowly up from one stall to the next. She wanted to run, to hurry to safety. But, she knew that any sudden movements would draw attention to them, and attention was the last thing they wanted.

They walked past a group of Arkadians. Their green skin and immense size made them stand out among the group of Terran merchants they were bartering with. Up ahead, Kira saw a group of Bandurian men. Although from a distance they may have looked like oversized, very dark-skinned Terran men, the closer they got, the more defined the ridges running across their faces became. They were mixed in with a group of Rengar—the oversized rodents who dealt overwhelmingly with nefarious affairs, the galaxy’s quintessential opportunists.

Everyone she saw had a rough, dangerous look about them. Kira was thankful for the gun in her hands and Thor’s presence. At least their group had their own version of rugged that they could contribute to the scene, helping them blend in with the others packed in around them.

“We used an Arkadian vessel that Alaria was able to get her hands on to track you,” Dario’s voice broke into her thoughts and observations.

Thor continued pressing him for information, and the accusatory glances he continued to shoot in the old man’s direction seemed to be working because he was talking.

“We had planned to intercept your ship before the drop could be made—before you could be turned over to Nico Rax.”

“Why?” Thor asked harshly.

"Our hope was to convince you to testify in Terran High Court, against Grimm. We want to shed light on his dark experiments. We want to stop him now before his sadistic plans are able to play out."

“What sadistic plans?” Kira asked, pushing herself forward to hear their conversation better.

Just then, they rounded the corner to the docks. What they saw in front of them made Thor freeze in his tracks. He spread his arms out at his side and took a quick step back, pushing the group back with him. As one, the group ducked behind the wall of a roughly constructed brothel.

Walking along the docks, continually pausing and pacing in front of a smaller military vessel, was a small group of large men. While they had attempted to blend in with the hustle of the others around them, their almost mechanical movements and focused, direct glances gave them away, at least to Thor.

“Arcanum,” Thor said, his voice low. “Looks like you’ve been compromised, Dr. Marner.”

“Well, we can’t go back to the ship then,” Dario pointed out. “We need other options.”

“I know a place we can go,” Alaria spoke up again. Everyone focused their attention on her as she explained, “I know the owner of a small establishment here on Vandor. I’ve known her since my youth, and I’d trust her with my life.”

“As much as I want to get off this foul smelling planet, I think that might be our only option at the moment,” Kira said.

Thor glanced back at the docks, watching the soldiers as they attempted to blend in with the crowd. “Yes,” he said nodding firmly and turning back to face them. “It’s our best option, we need time to think.”

Alaria took the lead now, guiding them through the winding streets and deeper into the Vandor marketplace. Down one alley they saw one of the Roughneck guards interrogating a Rengar merchant aggressively. They doubled their walking pace after that. It felt like an eternity before she finally led them through the dilapidated door of a seedy, grungy hotel.

To Kira’s surprise, it wasn’t overly crowded. Although, the more she thought of it, it wasn’t much of a surprise given the condition of the place. The lights strung up overhead were dim and the air had a sort of dampness to it that made her skin fill with goosebumps. Still, she was thankful for the low-profile location, and the lack of any large screens on which their faces could once again appear, compromising them.

Alaria continued to walk further into the establishment, scanning the handful of faces around her. When she found who she was looking for—an older Terran woman, with wrinkled skin and dark, heavy bags around her eyes—she let out a squeal of excitement.

The woman appeared to share Alaria’s excitement. She hurried over, faster than Kira imagined she would be able to, as Alaria rushed in her direction. They embraced tightly, and the squeals of joy continued to ring out.

Dario followed Alaria to speak with the woman, leaving Thor and Kira hovering by the door, ready to make a quick escape if the need arose. Thor glanced nervously out the door, looking for any signs of their pursuers.

“Can we trust them?” Kira asked once they were alone.

“At the moment, we don’t have a choice,” Thor replied.

She turned to look up at him. There was still a burn mark visible on his neck from where the pirate captain had pressed the baton into his skin. It was faint, but the sight of it brought the dire reality of their situation crashing down on her quickly.

“That’s always a good reason to trust someone—no alternative,” Kira replied sarcastically, shifting her gaze up to his eyes.

He looked at her with a somewhat amused expression on his face. “That’s why I trusted you, and it seems to be working out well.”

“Oh, yes. It’s going great. This is just how I wanted to spend my time off—running from pirates and bounty hunters in the Galactic Bazaar.”

“Again, I’m happy to oblige.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at the dynamic that had somehow formed between them. Few people rarely followed her banter. At least they provided each other with some sort of temporary relief from the impending doom that seemed to follow them everywhere they went.

“We’re good!” Alaria’s voice called out to them.

They both turned to face her. She was smiling at them excitedly and waving them over. For a small woman, she had a lot of energy surging through her. Her petite frame and delicate features didn't seem to match her spirit, which, apparently, was locked into a perpetual high.

Thor and Kira followed their new companions over to an isolated corner of the room, where the group settled into a booth. Shortly after sitting down, the owner of the establishment came marching towards them, juggling four plates of warm, albeit questionable looking, food in her thick, stocky arms. With a toothless, gummy smile, she set the plates down in front of them one-by-one, insisting that they let her know if they need anything.

Although the food in front of her was a collection of things Kira would have normally tried to avoid—parts of animals that simply were not meant to be eaten and a collection of vegetables blended together to make a mushy, liquid sort of puree—the hunger churning in her stomach convinced her to dive in.

“Time to tell us what the hell is going on,” Thor said to Dr. Marner as he shoveled a fork-full of the off-white mush into his mouth.

"Well, as you know, I'm a medical doctor. In medical school, I specialized and excelled in genetic and cybernetic medicine, believing the field to be very exciting and fruitful. My interests were research based, and I published a number of papers in the field over the years. Little did I know, there were those who were following my work with great interest. Five years ago, one of those interested in my work—Colonel Grimm—showed up on my doorstep to offer me ‘the opportunity of a lifetime'. He recruited me to work with the Arcanum and paid me very well to do so. The only caveat was any discoveries we made would remain classified per Arcanum protocol.”

“At first, the opportunity was too much to pass up and I was overcome with professional excitement to work on the cutting edge of my field,” Dario continued.

“As time progressed, it became clear to me and my colleagues that Grimm’s desire to improve the soldier’s under his command was beginning to trump the laws in place to preserve human life. He continued to ask us to push beyond the Modessi Limit in an attempt to speed progress.”

“Initially, my colleagues and I refused, but we were swiftly punished and summarily threatened – our lives, our families. In one case, he brought one of my colleague's children to the research station. It was touted as a family visit, but we all understood the dark threat that lay beneath.”

“Slowly, as time marched on Grimm’s madness became apparent to us all. Sadly, out of fear for my own life I continued with the experiments, all the while plotting an impossible escape. Two soldiers died under my medical watch – brutal deaths, death’s I would not wish on anyone.”

“After those deaths, I decided that escape would not be enough. I began to sabotage the procedures being carried out through the facility. Simple things, like altering implants to make them unusable or spoiling our supply of anesthetic.”

“Shortly after I began to undermine the research, one of my colleagues found me out, and out of fear that Grimm would discover my actions pleaded with me to stop, and I refused.”

Dario stopped for a moment, his head hanging low and a wash of sadness crept over him. When he spoke again, his voice was weak “When I refused, he attacked me, demanding my surrender and saying that he would not be found an accomplice to my actions. He said that Grimm would kill him too, and he tried to strike me down.”

Another long pause followed as Dario tried to compose himself. Alaria leaned over and rubbed his shoulder, empathizing with his pain.

Dario continued, “He attacked with blood lust in his eyes, as only a man who is fighting for his own life could, and we struggled against one another for a time until I was able to throw him from me. He landed awkwardly and…and, he was a frail man. His head struck a metal bulkhead and he fell unconscious to the floor. I rushed to his aide and tried for some time to revive him, but I was unable.”

Tears flowed openly down Dario’s face now and he held his head in his hands. “I…I never meant to kill him, he was innocent like we all were. He was only afraid for his life.”

“Your actions were in defense of your own life, Dario. His death cannot belong to you,” Thor interjected. “His death belongs to Grimm, like so many others before him.”

Thor’s words struck Kira, this was the first time she had heard Thor talk with such insight and it only increased her opinion of him.

“After his death, I was forced to flee. Timing or risk of capture no longer mattered, if I did not escape I too would die,” Dario replied. “During my time at the research facility, I became quite close with one of Grimm’s aides. He secretly opposed Grimm’s actions, and remains in his service working to do all he can to slow Grimm’s progress at great risk to his own life.”

Dario stopped again, but Kira noticed that it was not sadness that held him now, but fear, and maybe something more, something that Kira was not yet sure she understood.

“He helped me hide the body,” Dario said. “Then he found me safe passage off the research facility in a merchant cargo ship that was contracted to deliver supplies to the facility. Six months ago that cargo ship delivered me to Vandor, and I have been in hiding since.”

“Unsurprisingly, a bounty was placed on me immediately after my escape was discovered,” Dario added, “and I have been pursued since my escape. I have nearly lost my life on a number of occasions in the last half year. I dare say I’m getting used to it.”

“Thank you for enlightening us Dr. Marner,” Thor replied, a great deal more respect in his tone than before. “In your time there, were you able to discover what Grimm intended to do with the Arcanum once he completed his experiments?”

“Grimm hid his intentions well, even from the research team,” Dario replied. “But my source in the research facility was adamant that Grimm intends to rebel against the Terran Alliance and establish a new order, an order intent on Terran domination through the galaxy. He is secretly recruiting through the military, finding sympathizers to his ideology in an attempt to stage a coup when he is ready.”

“He talks of supremacy and domination, his lust for power has seemingly consumed him, and his reason has all but abandoned him,” Dario concluded.

Thor looked over at Kira, raising his eyebrow as if solidifying that what he had told her previously was true.

Kira gave up on finishing her meal and turned her attention to the Telani woman sitting across from her. “How do you fit into all of this? Are you part of the dead or alive bounty club too?”

“No,” Alaria said, shaking her head with a small smile. “My connection to Dario goes back farther. As a child, I was a Telani orphan, my parents died in a mining accident when I was still too young to remember. I was mostly left to fend for myself, although there were attempts to find me a permanent home. My class in Telani society is quite destitute and it was difficult to survive let alone provide for a child. My life was further devalued when it was discovered that I had a rare genetic condition that I was told would kill me before I was 16. It was believed to be incurable.”

With a stroke of luck, I met Dr. Marner. He was still working as a medical doctor at the time and he was hired by the Telani Empire to visit remote mining colonies and offer medical care. He manufactured a genetic implant that cured my condition. Since then, this man has been like a father to me, and shortly after, he adopted me, well, unofficially at least.”

Her voice, usually filled with bounce and life, reflected her gratitude to Dario. She spoke softly, almost whimsically, as she recounted her history with the man who saved her life.

“He gave me a wonderful life,” Alaria continued. “He funded my education and gave me the opportunity to make something out of myself. Today, I’m an engineer, educated through some of the finest schools in the Telani Empire.”

“And a wonderful engineer at that,” Dario added, his tone dripping with a father’s pride.

Alaria blushed slightly as she continued, “I worked on several Bandurian and Telani military projects after graduating until I received news of my father’s situation. When I heard, I secretly abandoned my work and found my way to him, though it required a great deal of time and persistence.”

“I appreciate your honesty,” Kira replied. “I’m sorry for our aggressive demeanor earlier; we’ve just had way too many people trying to kill us over the past few days.”

“I’m still not clear on how you were able to track the cargo ship? The aide?” Thor inquired.

Dario’s cheeks blushed slightly and a small smile appeared on his lips. “Indeed,” he said, his tone cheerful and remorseful at the same time.

The light bulb finally went on for Kira as she remembered the handsome young man who approached her about meeting with Colonel Grimm. “Thane?” she asked, recalling her uncomfortable interaction with him.

Dario’s face lit up at the mention of the man’s name. “Yes,” he said, “Thane. We worked together closely, and somehow a relationship blossomed between us. We fell in love, hopelessly and completely in love. When he helped me escape, I quickly devised a secure way to send messages back to him. Now, he sends communications when he can, and he’s risking his life to pass confidential information to me in the hopes that we can stop Grimm.”

Kira sat back in the booth, letting all the information she had acquired in such a short amount of time wash over her. Everything was complex and intermingled in some way. The three individuals sitting with her had personal and emotional connections to what was happening. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, she couldn’t help but look at the faces of the people around her and feel as if she, too, had somehow become a part of their story. She felt the urgency with which they recounted their experiences. She sensed the sincerity, the fear, the anger and the sadness they all portrayed.

“I want, desperately, to stop Grimm,” Dario said softly. “I have to stop him before he carries out his plans. I have to get to the bottom of everything before the man I love is discovered and his life taken. I need your help. Please, will you help me?”

He looked at Kira and Thor with an impassioned expression of hope.

“Yes,” Thor said immediately, his eyes burning with determination. “If we don’t find a way, many will die at the hands of his madness.”

Every eye at the table fixed on Kira. She sighed softly with a look of mischief, “well, I’m clearly out of a job and have absolutely nothing else going for me at the moment - what the hell have I got to lose.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Do we get started now?” Kira asked, after the moment of excitement dwindled.

Thor chuckled softly and turned to look at her. “You’re a go-getter aren’t you?”

“I like to keep busy,” Kira said with a shrug. She turned her attention from him to Dr. Marner. “But, seriously, what do we do now?”

“It’s getting late, and returning to the ship at this hour would be nothing short of a suicide mission. I say we stay here for the night, rest up, and regroup tomorrow to figure out our next move.”

“I’m not sure returning to the ship will be possible at all” Thor said.

“Probably not,” Dario admitted, “but I’m afraid we don’t have a choice. I left the device I’ve been using to communicate with Thane on board. It’s vital that we retrieve it.”

“Then we definitely will need our rest,” Kira concluded, remembering the Arcanum soldiers they saw pacing around the docks.

“I’ve already spoken to the owner and she said we can have two rooms for tonight if we need them,” Alaria spoke up.

The group agreed to spend the night and meet again in the morning, early, to return to Dario and Alaria’s ship. As they bid farewell to the odd duo, Kira and Thor walked side-by-side down the creaky, dark hallway to the room they were forced to share.

To their surprise, the room contained only one bed. It wasn’t small but it wasn’t large, either.

“This is awkward, hope you like the floor,” Kira said, crossing the room and eying the lumpy mattress suspiciously.

“For the trouble, I’ve indirectly caused you, I won’t complain,” Thor offered, following her in and closing the door behind him. “It’s not the first time I’ve gone without a bed in my life.”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” she said, walking along the foot of the bed. “It’s big enough for both of us. We need to be well-rested for tomorrow, and sleeping on the floor is not the best way to prepare for that.”

The wooden floorboards under her feet let out a long, loud squeak as if agreeing with her sentiment. She turned around to face him and shrugged.

“As long as you keep your hands to yourself, we shouldn’t have a problem.”

“Fair enough,” Thor said, walking past her and sitting down heavily on the bed and leaning forward to begin untying his shoes.

Kira went to the bathroom, finding it to be nothing more than a hole in the ground and a faucet sticking out of the wall that sputtered out brown-tinted water, but only if twisted just the right way. She washed up the best she could, although she felt slightly dirtier afterward.

Returning to the room, she found Thor sitting shirtless on the bed, his head down examining his clothing. Her eyes went wide as they ran over the detailed tattoo that covered most of his left chest, and a small, unwitting gasp slipped out of her mouth.

“Sorry,” he said, standing up quickly and turning to face her.

Even though the lighting in the room was low, the fluorescent glow of the busy, never-sleeping market poured into the window behind him. She couldn't help but let her eyes drift over him, his muscular chest and defined arms, his tanned skin and dark brown eyes almost hidden underneath his tousled black hair. When her gaze met him, she felt her cheeks flush red.

“I didn’t have anything comfortable to sleep in, and I usually sleep like this anyways,” he explained quickly. “If it bothers you I can…”

“It’s fine,” she cut him off, trying to sound as if his physical appearance had made no impact on her. “But, if it’s okay with you, I’ll keep my shirt on.”

“It might make me feel less awkward if you didn’t,” he said jokingly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He shifted his weight back and forth on his feet, clearly feeling uncomfortable in his own exposed skin.

“As much as I’ve enjoyed getting to know you, I wouldn’t consider being chased by Roughnecks and hunted by Arcanum soldier’s foreplay,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“You’re a hard woman to please.”

“You have no idea,” she replied.

They laughed, almost nervously, as an uncomfortable silence spread through the room. Neither of them wanted to make the first move towards the bed.

“Do you have a side preference?” he asked.

“Left, I guess,” she said with a shrug.

He nodded and climbed into the bed, moving towards the side closest to the door and away from the window. Walking around to her side, she sat down, keeping her eyes focused out the window. Once he was completely under the blankets, she twisted herself around and pulled her legs up in front of her. Sliding in next to him, she lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling, tracing the outlines of a suspicious looking water stain just above her with her eyes.

“Should I turn the light off?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said quickly.

The level of awkwardness in the room had reached the point of being nearly unbearable for her. When he reached up and flipped the switch, and the light sitting next to the bed went out, she felt as if her stomach was filled with nothing but knots. The lights from the market still poured into the room, casting a deep blue glow over everything. She tried to focus on that, in a futile effort to relax.

Thor shuffled around a few times and finally lay still, on his left side. She glanced over at him to once again see his back to her. After a second of staring she quickly turned to face the window.

The lights outside were bright, and even with her eyes closed, they continued to burn into her retinas. Letting out a frustrated almost defeated grunt, she turned onto her left side. Lying there, unable to sleep, she found herself once again staring at him.

As her eyes adjusted to the low lighting, puncture marks running up and down his spine suddenly became clear. They weren’t small, but they weren’t enormous, either. Still, they had a painful look to them. Without realizing what she was doing, she reached up and ran her finger over one of them, feeling the scar tissue just below the surface of his skin.

“I thought we were keeping our hands to ourselves,” he said, not moving away from her touch.

She pulled her hand back quickly, the realization of what she had done hitting her square in the chest.

“I’m sorry,” she said, quickly.

She felt flustered, something that rarely happened to her. The unfamiliar sensation crept into her stomach and sat there, growing as the silence around them became deafening.

He rolled over, facing her. Her eyes were wide, she knew they were, but she couldn’t force them to return to their normal state. She opened her mouth to apologize again, but the words didn’t come out. Speechless—something else that rarely happened to her.

“They’re from the experiments,” he explained.

“You don’t have to talk about it,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have… I mean, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to…” her words were catching in her throat and in the end, all she could say was, “damn it.”

He laughed, his eyes dancing and his smile wide. “I have to say, I never expected to see you at a loss for words.”

“It’s not a common thing.”

"Believe me, I've noticed." He let out a soft sigh and the serious tone found its way back into his voice as he continued, "I don't mind talking about it," he said. "They are not fond memories, but you deserve to know why you’re on a virtual suicide mission with three near strangers. You didn't have to risk your life to help me. You didn't have to believe me. You didn't have to join this fight. It's only fair that you know what it is we’re asking you to fight for."

As he spoke, his eyes continued to burn into hers. She felt as if the awkwardness in the room lifted, and suddenly became replaced with a strange sort of tension. She didn’t know how to define it; she wasn’t sure what it was that she was feeling. All she knew was that it came over her, suddenly, and was impossible to shake.

She nodded, showing her appreciation for his words. “Okay,” she said softly.

“The scars on my back, as I said, are from the only round of experiments I underwent.”

“What did they do?”

“Given my size, Grimm figured that I wouldn’t be the swiftest man on my feet. Truth is, I wasn’t. That’s why when a procedure was created to enhance muscle stimulation, I was the first person he thought of.”

“Muscle stimulation?”

“Reflexes,” Thor explained, “agility, speed, and strength.”

She remembered the quickness with which he moved when she fired her Phantom at him. The way he rushed up on Dr. Marner when he discovered his identity. The way he always seemed to be able to jump into action in the blink of an eye.

“The enhancements had to be grafted directly into my spine,” he continued. “I noted the effects immediately. Even as I was lying there, on the operating table, I felt as if my awareness of my surroundings increased.”

“You were awake for the procedure?”

“Unfortunately,” he nodded. “Like I said, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. And, in all honestly, I hate what they did to me. I hate that in that instant, I started to feel a little less human and a little more machine. It’s taken me a long time to feel like myself again, I’ll be damned if I let them take that from me or anyone else.”

“What about your tattoo?” Kira inquired. “I don’t recognize the design.”

“All Arcanum soldiers receive one after we are successfully accepted into the program,” Thor answered. “Unfortunately, it’s little more than a brand, a constant reminder of our supposed unquestioning loyalty to the Terran cause. It feels ironic now, but it’s still a part of my past, one that has finally led me to a place where I feel I am attempting to do some good. In a way, it reminds me of who I want to be more than it reminds me of who I was.”

His eyes locked on hers again, and his words washed over her slowly. She had never imagined that the strong, determined, military man in front of her had this level of insight. None of the men she had been around in her life did, especially in the military.

Again, a quiet fell around them. But, it wasn’t awkward; it was comfortable. It was an easy silence; one that made her feel that unfamiliar feeling of tension building up in her stomach again.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “For telling me all of that. You didn’t have to.”

“You didn’t have to do a lot of things you’ve done for me. Consider it a small repayment.”

“I appreciate it,” she said, smiling. “Although, a hotel with a functioning shower and food I can actually stomach would have done the job, too.”

He laughed, his eyes lighting up as his smile filled his face again. “I’ll keep that in mind. I have a feeling that I’ll have plenty more to repay you for.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

The next day, the group of four met in the establishment bar and, after a quick discussion of plans, set out on their mission to retrieve Dario’s communication device.

Before they left, Alaria shared a long goodbye with the owner of the establishment, and each member of the group thanked her for the safe refuge.

“How did you know her anyway?” Kira asked Alaria.

“When I was young, she took me in for nearly a year before I met Dario. She kept me safe, fed me and had me work in the kitchen to help pay my way,” Alaria responded, her smile still present and her words full of affection.

“I always try to visit when I find myself in this part of the galaxy, but I wish it was under better circumstances this time. We hardly got the chance to catch up,” Alaria continued.

“Well, if we get ourselves out of our predicament then let’s make it a point to come back and say thank you properly,” Kira responded.

“Ready?” Kira asked.

They all nodded in unison and Thor led the way stepping out into the crowded market streets once again.

Getting to the ship was the easy part. It was finding a way to get aboard it that posed a real problem.

As they made their way through the crowds to the docks, Kira found herself lost in thought. Accepting her new life as a wanted “criminal” was surprisingly easy she thought. After hearing Thor’s recounting of his experience with the Arcanum, and Dario’s account of Grimm’s rapid descent into madness, she knew that she had joined forces with the noble side. Although, the noble side didn’t feel like it had much of a chance at this point.

After a time, they approached the docks and the rows of ships steadily grew before them.

Kira, Dario, and Alaria hung back, taking cover in the market near their ships docked position while Thor went ahead to scout out the situation. It didn’t take him long to return with his report.

“There are three of them,” he informed them.

“That’s not too bad,” Kira said, happy to hear that they actually outnumbered them.

“They all have cybernetic implants,” Thor said, casting a shadow of doubt over her temporary moment of confidence.

“Shit,” she muttered.

“No,” Alaria replied, reaching for the bag she had slung over her shoulder. “This might be good for us.”

“Is it only good because that means they might kill us faster and cut our suffering short?” Kira asked.

Alaria giggled. “You’re more fun than I expected,” she said as she pulled three small metallic squares from her bag.

The small squares looked like internal components to some electronic device. Kira eyed them suspiciously, not sure why the Telani woman was so excited about them. Alaria looked at the group, apparently expecting some sort of reaction from them. The smile on her lips didn’t falter as confusion spread through her companions.

“They’re direct application electromagnetic inhibitors,” she said, holding them out. Still noting the confusion on Kira and Thor’s faces, she explained, “they’re designed to briefly incapacitate small military equipment that relies on an electric charge to function – it should work the same way for our cybernetic adversaries.”

“Oh,” Kira and Thor said in unison, each of them notably thankful for the simple explanation.

“The only catch is we have to get close enough to attach the devices to one of their implants,” Alaria added quickly.

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Dario said.

The upbeat, confident tone of his voice didn't match the sinking feeling forming in Kira's stomach. Still, the group huddled together to formulate a plan of attack, or really, a plan of diversion.

“I’ll run the point,” Thor offered. “I know these soldiers, and I might be able to hold their attention while you three get into position. Plus, if they attack outright, I have the best chance of surviving.”

“That leaves us to play the galaxy’s most dangerous game of tag,” Kira quipped. “Why can’t we just go in shooting?”

“Vandor isn’t well policed, but there are still local security forces that would take notice, plus, any one of the delinquents on this planet could take that opportunity to join the gunfight. I suspect it would escalate fast,” Thor replied.

“Alright, stealth is our best option then,” Dario added. “Thor, if you get into position we’ll select our targets and give you a signal when we’re ready.”

“Understood. Keep your weapons ready, if this goes badly, we’ll need them. Let’s move out,” Thor commanded.

Kira’s hand traced down her hip and stroked her Phantom, the familiar feeling calmed her nerves, although only slightly.

Not long after, they arrived at the docks and the same three pacing soldiers watched over the ship.

Thor nodded to the group and set out to get into position. As he made his way through the crowd the other three watched his progress and selected their targets.

“When it comes time to apply the inhibitor, press the small blue activator on the underside of the device, then, it’s as simple as touching the device to the implant,” Alaria explained.

“What happens when it comes into contact with their implants?” Kira asked.

“They connect magnetically, and that’s really all you should notice apart from the target dropping to the ground,” Alaria replied.

“This seems too easy,” Kira said to no one in particular.

“I suspect we would be fools to think that there won’t be complications, but our time is short and we must act decisively. The communication device is our only connection to the intel we need to stop Grimm,” Dario said.

“Agreed,” Kira conceded.

“Let’s get into position, Thor is almost there,” Dario said as he pointed near the ship.

Once they were in position, Dario gave Thor the signal. Thor acknowledged and made his way out from cover and walked straight up to the three Arcanum soldiers.

“Imagine seeing you guys here,” Thor said, a taunting smile forming on his lips. “It’s been some time. How are the experiments going? Well, I see.”

The three men turned to face him, their movements swift and quick. “Thor,” one of them addressed him. “Just the man we were looking for.”

As the exchange took place, Kira and the others continued to quietly move forward, closing the distance between them and the three soldiers.

Any fear or apprehension she felt earlier was gone. Her eyes were locked on the man furthest to the right, and her attack instincts were buzzing in her ears.

One of the men, the one Dario was creeping up behind, lifted the plasma rifle in his hand and trained the sights on Thor. Just as he squeezed the trigger, Thor moved to the right, the blast just missing him.

The soldier cursed, and Dario took advantage of his distracted state to run forward, pressing the inhibitor’s activator and quickly making contact with the nearly bionic arm of the guard – he dropped instantly, seemingly unconscious.

Kira followed his lead and rushed up behind the man she had been watching like a hawk. She drove the inhibitor into his back, where she could visibly see a cybernetic implant. There was a slight pause, and then he too fell hard to the ground.

Alaria was a step or two behind Kira and Dario, and her guard seemed to become aware of what was happening. He quickly spun and squared up to Alaria. She froze on the spot and after a brief moment of understanding between the two, she made a move for her plasma rifle.

Before she could reach it the guard had covered the distance between them and raised his hand to strike when Thor crashed into him. The two men violently tumbled to the ground, locked in combat.

Quickly, Alaria composed herself and raced over to the melee; she dove in and attached the inhibitor to the cybernetic implant on the guard’s leg. In an instant, he too was incapacitated.

Thor climbed back to his feet, sloughing the guard off of him to do so.

“Thanks,” Alaria said and Thor nodded an acknowledgment.

“Hurry,” Alaria said over her shoulder to everyone as she made a break for the ship. “The effects won’t last long.”

“There’s a time limit?!” Kira shouted as the group ran towards the landing.

“That feels like something we should have discussed ahead of time!” she continued.

“I can’t say for sure, but these were designed for machines and not men,” Alaria replied.

Dario turned without responding, bolting towards the hatch of the ship and running quickly up the ramp before it even descended completely. Thor and Alaria joined Kira as they waited impatiently for Dario to reappear.

Just when she felt herself relaxing slightly, a group of familiar-looking men marching in their direction caused Kira’s pulse to accelerate again.

“We have company,” she said, grabbing onto Thor’s wrist and pointing towards the disheveled pirates advancing towards them.

“Ah, the delinquents I mentioned,” Thor replied with a slight look of exasperation.

The Roughneck captain leading the group had the same crazed, frenzied look on his face he had during their last encounter, only now it was more demonic if that were even possible. His eyes were fixed on Thor.

Just as one of his men lifted his gun and began firing in their direction, they ducked behind the belly of the ship, taking cover. Kira drew her Phantom from its holster and Thor reached for the plasma rifle strapped on his back.

Ducking back around to confront the pirates, Kira focused her sites on the man shooting at them. Inhaling quickly, she squeezed the trigger of the Phantom, sending a bolt of atomic particles surging through him. Thor began methodically cutting down the men with precision accuracy.

The Roughnecks scattered to cover and began to return fire.

“Hurry up, Dario!” Alaria shouted as she pounded on the bottom of the ship.

The pirates were closing the distance and weapon fire flashed through the air, just missing the side of Kira’s head. Crouching down, she pressed her stomach to the ground and found the knee of one of the men in her sights. Letting another blast fly, she saw him collapse to the ground just before she pushed herself back up to her feet and spun around, jumping out into the open and hitting another Roughneck in the torso.

“Dario!” Thor yelled out as he lifted his gun and sent a surge of energy flying into the face of one of the pirates. “Get out here—now!”

Finally, Dario came running down the ramp and leather bag slung over his shoulder. Seeing the scenes unfolding around him, he quickly scampered back, taking cover with the others behind the ship.

The heavy footsteps of the pirates were louder now, signaling that they were closing in on them quickly. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Arcanum soldiers began to rustle, slowly awakening from their inhibited state.

“What do we do?” Alaria asked.

“Run!” Thor said, pushing Alaria and Dario forward.

Kira and Thor spun around, just as the pirates rounded the ship and recommenced firing on them. In a fury, electric energy, and particle beams spilled out of their weapons. They watched as some of the men fell to the ground, and took off running before the others could retaliate.

The group raced along the docks, turning quickly down a crowded, busy market street. The pirates now accompanied by the Arcanum soldiers were still hot on their heels, firing their guns into the air, causing the merchants and customers to fall to the ground for cover.

"This way!" Dario yelled out, taking another sharp turn and leading them down a smaller side street.

Just as they rounded the corner, a surge of electricity buzzed past Kira’s ear, nearly taking off her head. Undeterred, she continued running, maneuvering her way through the crowded street with adrenaline-fueled focus.

“I have an idea!” Kira yelled out. “Turn right! Turn right here!” As they rounded the next corner, Kira pushed herself to the front of the group, taking the lead. “Follow me,” she instructed them as she continued forward.

She led them down the main street of the Market, trying to get her bearings. She had spent some time in Vandor previously, although it wasn’t extensive. The pirates continued to shoot into the air, the explosive sounds ringing out and threatening to pull her concentration back to them.

Shaking her head, she forced herself to think, to focus. When she spotted a familiar street, she turned abruptly, nearly losing her followers. Scanning her surroundings frantically, she searched for her hopeful destination. Her mind was clouded by the intensity of the pursuit and her usually sharp senses were beginning to fail her.

“If we were having this chase in space, this wouldn’t happen to me,” she thought to herself as she continued to scan her surroundings for something familiar.

Finally, her eyes landed on the unmarked doors she was looking for. “Here!” she called out, running towards them, balling up her fists and banging on them frantically.

Thor ran up behind her and beat at the door as well. Alaria began pressing the call button with a feverish fury and Dario looked back over his shoulder, watching for any sign of their pursuers. The camera hanging overhead swiveled towards them, and Kira looked up at it, still banging heavily on the door.

A few second passed, but finally, the door swung open. The group rushed in, nearly collapsing on the ground as Thor pushed the door closed with force and purpose.

“What is this place?” Dario asked, leaning forward to catch his breath.

“The Hangar,” Kira said in between pauses to recapture her own breath.

The building they had taken refuge in was aptly named and served as a ship hangar. The large, sprawling room filled with parts, engines, weapons, and other objects one would find normally attached to a space-faring vessel. The only sign of movement came from the far corner of the room, where someone hunched over their work, welding together a sophisticated looking piece of machinery.

“Hopefully, we’ll be safe here,” Kira added.

“Hopefully?” Alaria asked, stepping forward and taking in her surroundings with suspicion.

“Identify yourselves!” a booming voice echoed off the metallic walls around them.

The group spun around to find a pulse rifle pointed in their direction. The owner of the gun and the roaring voice was a Bandurian man. His face, covered with the ripples typical of his kind, was stern and unemotional.

He took another step in their direction, swiveling the gun slowly, locking each of them in turn in his sights. “I said speak!” he demanded.

“Hello Bron,” Kira said to the menacing figure before them.

“Remember me?”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The group remained silent, each of them waiting for the next to speak. Kira lifted her hands over her head, showing she had no intent to do harm. She took a step towards him, hesitantly.

“Bron,” she said, “Bron—it’s me, Kira.”

The Bandurian man looked at her skeptically, the dark brown skin around his eyes wrinkling as he stared at her intently. Finally, a shimmer of recognition flashed across his face.

“Kira?” he asked, lowering his weapon and hurrying towards her. “Kira? What the hell are you doing here?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have time to go into details,” she said, glancing back at her companions over her shoulder. “What I can tell you is that a handful of Roughnecks and a small, but very angry, group of Arcanum soldiers are searching for us. We had nowhere else to run. That’s when I thought of you and remembered my visit here several years back. We need somewhere to hide, or we might just be dead.”

“Nothing’s ever easy with you,” Bron said, patting her on the back.

“You know me—always living on the edge,” Kira replied with a shrug. “Will you help us?

“Of course,” Bron said, eying her three companions over her shoulder. “But you can’t stay out in the open. Those Arcanum pricks are relentless. ”

Kira winced slightly at his comment, hoping that Thor wouldn’t take anything personal from it.

“They’ll start building to building searches after they realize that we have eluded them,” Thor replied, seeming not to notice the slight.

“Lucky for you, you’ve come to the right place! Living in this cesspool means I have to be prepared for this type of situation far more than should be common,” Bron replied.

He turned abruptly and walked to the back of the hangar. Kira and the others exchanged confused looks, not sure if they were meant to follow him or stay put.

“Come!” Bron yelled out, answering the question on all of their minds.

They hurried after him. He stopped as abruptly as he started his mini-march and pointed to the floor. “Here,” he said, leaning forward and pulling up one of the metal floor panels – it was perfectly concealed.

They all looked on as he reached down into the hole and grabbed hold of a rope, pulling it towards him. Another concealed section below lifted up, revealing a hidden compartment.

“This is where I hide contraband,” Bron said proudly as he looked down at the gaping hole at his feet.

“That’s convenient,” Dario said, stepping forward and lowering himself into the hole.

Alaria followed behind, then Thor. Kira was the last to kneel down and lower herself into the hiding spot.

“Thank you, Bron,” she said, as Thor reached up to help her down.

“Thank me if we all manage to live – how is it that whenever you’re with me I’m fighting for my life?” Bron quipped.

“It seems to be my curse, but at least you can’t say time with me is boring” Kira chimed back.

Bron grunted in agreement and lowered down the floor paneling, covering the hole and plunging the group into darkness.

Not more than two minutes passed when they heard heavy pounding on the door reverberate through the hangar. Kira felt as if the sound shook the walls around them and the dirt floor under them. The entire group held their breath as they waited to hear what their expected visitors had to say.

“Who the fuck are you?” they heard Bron say after he pulled open the heavy metal door. Kira winced hearing Bron’s lack of tact.

“We’re looking for someone—a group of someone’s actually,” the Roughneck captain’s voice responded.

“If you bring no business, I have no time for you.”

“I think you’ll make time for us,” the captain replied.

Kira and the others could hear a number of men enter the hangar. Their footsteps were heavy, echoing down into the compartment as they clanged across the metal floor panels.

“I’m losing my patience pirate,” Bron said firmly.

“Just hand over what you’re hiding, and we’ll vacate the premises.”

“Hiding? The only thing I’m hiding is my rising urge to kill you all where you stand,” Bron said.

“We saw them come down this way. They are not in any of the other buildings nearby—they have to be here, with you Bandurian.”

“I will tell you again and for the last time, get out of my hangar,” Bron’s tone sent chills down Kira’s spine.

The captain let out a bellowing, haunting laugh that caused Kira to shrink back slightly as the memory of their first encounter with him flooded her mind. Thor reached up and rested his hand on her shoulder.

“Do you think you are intimidating to me, Bandurian?” the captain mused out loud.

“I could never expect someone so mentally deficient to perceive the danger that they’re in,” Bron shot back.

The sound of rifle actions locking into the loaded position rippled through the room above them.

“Enough! We will not ask again,” the captain said ominously.

“No need to ask again, I’m done talking!” Bron said at a near shout in reply.

Kira’s breath caught in her throat as the sounds of weapon fire rang out. She tried to push herself forward, wanting to run to Bron’s aid. She cursed herself for involving yet another person in this mess. The feeling of guilt worked through her, propelling her forward.

Thor tightened his grip on her shoulder, pulling her back quickly. “No, wait,” he said firmly.

“But…” Kira tried to object, but another round of shooting rang out, muting the words as they came out of her mouth.

Kira, Dario, Alaria and Thor huddled together in the darkness, listening as a struggle took place just over their heads. The shuffling of feet eventually died out, and an eerie silence fell over the hangar.

Kira held her breath as she listened for movement, the guilt pressing on her chest increasing – she instinctively tightened her grip on her Phantom.

Finally, someone above them spoke.

“Why’d you go and do that?” a small, almost child-like voice said. “I had them right where I wanted them.”

Kira let out an audible sigh of relief when Bron responded, “I was doing fine on my own.”

As he spoke, the sound of heavy footsteps followed by lighter, quicker steps grew closer to their hideout and echoed down on the small group. Kira pushed herself forward, letting Thor’s hand drop from her shoulder, and waited for the floor panels to lift.

“Like hell you were!” the child’s voice rang out. “You’re lucky I was here to have your back.”

“Lucky! Ha! I’ve been cracking skulls long before you floated into the galaxy,” Bron muttered.

Just then, the panels above their heads lifted and the light from the hangar came pouring in. Hovering over them were two individuals—Bron and a Terran child. The boy looked to be in his early teens, although he carried himself with the authority of a man, still clinging to the butt of the rifle slung over his back.

“Can you believe this kid?” Bron asked, stretching his hand out to Kira. “He takes out three pirates and suddenly he’s the one who saved the day – sort of reminds me of you, Kira.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Kira let Bron help her out of the compartment as Thor leaped up next to her. The two men helped the other two out, Thor lifting Alaria with ease and Bron tugging forcefully at Dario's arm.

“Thank you!” Alaria exclaimed as she emerged from the underground bunker. The excitement on her voice quickly faded as her eyes fell on the scenes around her.

The hangar was littered with bodies—at least eight Roughneck pirates were lying lifeless on the ground around them. The stench of blood and sweat permeated the air and the heat from the electric blasts and pulsating energy released during the exchange still wafted about.

Kira took in the scene quickly and then turned her attention to Bron and his young companion. “Thank you, you didn’t have to help us,” she said.

“My pleasure, I think that about puts us even Kira Winter,” Bron said, smiling. “Plus, I wouldn’t live on this desolate rock if some part of me didn’t enjoy the excitement of fighting for my life.”

“Me too,” the young boy piped up.

Kira looked at him with an amused expression and then glanced back at Bron, waiting for an introduction.

“This is Vinnie,” Bron said, wrapping his arm around the boy’s shoulders. “He’s a fiery little shit, but somehow, despite that, he’s someone you’ll never regret keeping around.”

“Hey!” Vinnie exclaimed, pulling away from Bron’s embrace.

“Vinnie was an orphan, dropped in Vandor and left to rot,” Bron continued. “I’ve taken him in, given him a job, and he repays me by saving my life from time to time.”

“Damn right,” Vinnie agreed.

Kira recognized the boy as the person who was busy at work when they entered the hangar. From a distance, somehow, he looked bigger than he did up close. Still, he stood nearly shoulder to shoulder with her. Hopefully, for his sake, he still had some growing to do.

“I don’t know about you all,” Bron said, turning around and walking back towards the workbench on the opposite wall of the hangar, “but I could use a drink.”

“Sounds good to me,” Thor said, following behind him. “What do you have?”

Bron reached up into the cabinet hanging over the dust-covered counter and pulled out a bottle of aged Bandurian whiskey.

“A little taste of home,” Bron said, turning back to the group.

"It's not my home, but I'll sure as hell drink it," Thor said, grabbing the bottle from Bron's hands and plopping himself down at the makeshift work table in front of the counter.

Kira, Alaria, and Dario joined him, all eagerly waiting as Bron rummaged around for glasses. When he finally found enough, he walked over and joined them, Vinnie on his heels. Thor took his time, pouring each drink slowly, careful not to let one drop go astray.

“To living to fight another day,” Dario said, grabbing hold of the glass in front of him and lifting it up.

The others quickly grabbed for their drinks, eager to toast. Just as Kira reached for the last remaining glass, Vinnie’s hand slipped in and snatched it away. Before she could respond with amused surprise, Bron took hold of the glass from Vinnie and shoved it in her direction.

A look of incredulity spread across the young boy’s face.

“One of us has to keep his wits about him,” Bron said with a shrug, causing the expression of disbelief on Vinnie’s face to turn to one of purpose.

“Maybe all of us, the Arcanum soldiers are still out there, searching for us,” Kira added.

“Tell me, Kira, how the hell did you find yourself mixed up with the Arcanum?” Bron asked.

Kira's eyes shifted to Thor, who was sipping slowly on the whiskey in his hand. He looked back at her and nodded as if consenting to her revealing the nature of their mission.

After taking a long drink from the glass in her hand, Kira recounted the events that led her to Bron’s hangar. She told of her mission to deliver Thor to Nico Rax, the infamous bounty hunter. She recounted their run-in with the Roughnecks and Dario and Alaria’s heroic stand-off with the pirates that lead to their rescue. She said all she could think of, not leaving out any of the events of the previous few days.

“I have a question,” Alaria spoke up. Her cheeks were flushed, and it was clear that the whiskey was already taking its toll on her. “How did we end up here?”

Kira laughed, setting her glass down on the table. “Alaria, that’s what I just got done explaining.”

“No,” Alaria said, shaking her head quickly. “Here—why are we here?”

“I think what Alaria is trying to ask is why you thought to come here. What is your relation to Bron?” Dario explained.

"Oh," Kira said, still laughing at the bright red color that was forming on Alaria's pale white cheeks. "I know Bron from way back. He used to serve as a mercenary, helping out the Terran Alliance on high-profile, covert missions. We worked together on a few occasions."

“Kira saved my life,” Bron added. “I was a dead man, surrounded by a small Zel’Dar swarm with no hope of escape, and she just swooped in and took them out. I’ve never seen so much tact and precision from a fighter pilot in my life.”

Kira blushed, feeling humbled by his words. “It was the least I could do. You were always right there at my side, never shying away from a fight. That’s a great feat, you know. Not many people can keep up with me.”

“And I’ll never be the same again,” Bron said with a laugh. “Don’t let this woman’s small size fool you. She’s a hell-raiser. I’m still shaking from the memory of the last mission we went on together—we went head to head with a fleet of Vorion and we had no business winning that fight, yet here we are.”

“Oh please,” Kira said, glaring at him. “You’re fine. You’re still breathing aren’t you?”

“Maybe, but sleep comes less frequently thanks to flying with you,” Bron said jokingly.

“I can fix that,” Dr. Marner spoke up. Everyone turned to look at him, chuckling slightly. “Really, I can.”

“We know you can,” Thor said, “but that was a joke.”

“Oh, forgive me, I’m afraid I’m not one for humor,” Dario admitted, looking down at his drink dejectedly.

“Dario is a very talented doctor and researcher,” Kira explained. “It’s because of him that we’ll be able to stay one step ahead of the Arcanum.”

“Speaking of which,” Thor said, swiveling around to face Dario. “Did you get it?”

“It’s right here,” Dario said, grabbing hold of the leather bag still hanging over his shoulder and lifting it gingerly to the table.

Everyone leaned in to watch as Dario reached down into the bag to retrieve the ever important item they all risked their lives to get back. They all pulled back in surprise when they saw what the contents of the bag actually were – a small black cat emerged from the bag.

“A cat?!” Thor yelled. “We went back to that ship for a damned cat?”

Dario set the small, black, furry creature down on the table and nodded.

“Are you kidding me?” Thor asked, slamming his fist down on the table. “You risked our lives so you could get your pet back?”

“This isn’t just my pet,” Dr. Marner said, stroking the cat. “This is Zola.” She mewed affectionately at Dario when she heard her name.

As he continued to pet the cat, he pushed it closer in Thor’s direction. Resting his thumb on Zola’s neck, he pushed back a clump of fur, revealing a small cybernetic implant.

“What’s that?” Kira asked, hunching in to get a better look at the small, metallic device.

“This,” Dario said, detaching the implant and lifting it up for all to see, “is the communication device I use to keep in contact with Thane. I figured with all the running around we’ve been doing, it would be best that I left Zola in possession of the most important piece of technology on our ship.”

Dario, still holding onto the small, metallic device, pushed himself up and began initiating the communication channels. “I’m going to check for any new messages,” he informed the group as he paced around behind them.

“You have to admit,” Kira said, nudging Thor with her elbow, “that was pretty smart of Dario to hide the communicator on a cat.”

Thor sighed, calming down and grabbing for the drink in front of him again. “I suppose,” he admitted.

“Nothing new,” Dario announced, returning to the table and taking his seat next to Alaria, who had reached out and taken the cat in her arms.

Zola purred contentedly as she nestled close to Alaria. It seemed like, for once, they had found a moment of peace. They all relaxed back in their seats, sipping their drinks and laughing, recounting stories of the lives they had left behind and the adventures they had shared.

The peace was short-lived, however, when the hangar’s alarm sounded, informing them with an ominous, shrill cry that someone was just outside. The group instantly fell silent as the alarm continued to ring out, followed by a heavy banging on the large metallic entrance.

Thor and Bron jumped up and prepared their weapons. Vinnie was up in an instant and positioning himself behind cover with his assault rifle trained on the entrance to the hangar.

Alaria and Dario followed suit, readying their weapons and finding cover.

A chill ran up Kira’s spine as the pounding on the door reverberated through her, causing her pulse to accelerate and her ears to ring.

“We know you’re in there!” a deep booming voice called out from the other side of the door. “We’ve come for what you’ve stolen, Bandurian!”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Kira, Thor, Alaria, and Dario all looked back and forth at each other nervously.

“Who is it?” Alaria whispered. “Roughnecks? Arcanum?”

Kira shrugged. “Whoever it is, they know we’re here.”

“They’re not here for you,” Bron said, pushing himself up and walking towards the pseudo office space he had set up in the front right corner of the hangar.

He grabbed hold of the screen connected to the camera hanging over the door outside. He spun it around so the group, following close behind him, could see who was there.

The rage-filled eyes of three large Vorion males were slicing through the screen, piercing into them as if they could see them all huddled around, looking back at them. Their scale covered faces and green skin shone in the lights of the market outside, and their massive, imposing frames consumed the image completely.

“We know you’re in there, Bandurian!” the largest of the three continued to yell. With his eyes fixed on the camera he pushed himself up, pressing his face closer, and the image of his grizzly countenance nearly filling the screen. “No more delays, our patience has worn thin.”

“What did you do?” Kira asked in a whisper, eying Bron curiously.

“We’ve come for our ship,” the Vorion man answered her question.

"Oh, that figures," Kira said, nodding and leaning back away from the screen. The reptile-looking man continued to stare through the screen with the same furious expression, and his intense gaze was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable.

When it became clear that Bron was not going to answer their demands, the lead Vorion inched away from the camera slowly. He could be seen issuing orders to the other two in his company, and soon after he finished speaking, each of them dispersed and went off screen, leaving their apparent leader staring down the door to the hangar.

“Can they break in?” Kira asked Bron.

“Not without a great deal of difficulty,” Bron replied. “They’ll prefer to wait us out, but I’m not even sure they’re convinced we’re inside. It could just be bluster.”

“It seems like we’re not the only ones with enemies on Vandor,” Kira noted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Bron shrugged and began walking back towards the table. “It’s nothing. I’m sure it’ll just blow over when they realize that what they’re looking for has been chopped up and sold for parts.”

“Blow over?” Kira scoffed as she and the others slumped back in their chairs. “Seems more like it’s about to blow up. I think you’ve finally stolen the wrong ship, Bron.”

“I can take care of them,” Bron said, grabbing his glass and refilling it.

The bottle passed around the table again. Despite the desire they all shared to once again create the jovial atmosphere they had enjoyed before, the nervous tension hanging in the air was too great to shake.

Vinnie was pouring over the security footage and keeping a close eye on the Vorion right outside their compound.

“What now?” Kira asked after taking a long drink from her glass.

"We can't forget our mission," Dario said firmly. "We need to find a way to stop Grimm."

“I agree,” Thor said, slamming his glass down on the table forcefully. “We have to stay focused. We knew we would be facing dangerous enemies when we united in our cause. We have to stop Grimm at all costs.”

“I’m with you,” Kira spoke up. “But, how do we plan on going about doing that when we have no ship? No ship means no way back to Earth. No way to Earth, no way to stop Grimm.”

“That’s our second biggest issue at the moment,” Thor replied.

“Vinnie – what are they up to out there?”

“Looks like they’re taking up surveillance positions at each corner of the building,” Vinnie replied to Thor.

“Unfortunately, Vorion mercenaries and Arcanum soldiers aside, our most pressing issue is transport,” Dario chimed in.

“As long as we’re trapped here on Vandor, our mission is futile,” Dario added.

A dejected silence spread through the group. The only sound was Zola’s soft purring, spurred on by Alaria’s constant coddling.

“I may be able to help,” Bron said after a long pause.

Everyone turned to look at him, with wide-eyes and skeptical hope. “Really?” Kira asked.

“If we can get you all out of here in one piece, I have access to a ship,” Bron continued. “I don’t know Colonel Grimm, but by all accounts, it would seem like his life should be forfeit.”

“Where is it?” Thor cut in.

“It’s in a remote district about an hour away from here, stationed at a dry dock and well hidden,” Bron explained.

“Please don’t tell me it’s stolen as well,” Kira said.

“Only parts of it,” Bron said, a mischievous smile rippling through his already rigid face. “But, I think you’ll find it suitable for your crew. It’s a small but heavily armed freighter, able to support about 8 crew members. It doesn’t have a name yet,” Bron added. “I constructed it myself from parts of various vessels, that I, uh, came to possess over the last two years.”

“Hey! I think you meant we built it,” Vinnie chimed in from across the room, still locked on the security monitors and watching the Vorion closely.

Bron grunted in acknowledgment. “It’s not the prettiest, but it’s well built, and she’ll take a beating if it comes to it.”

“Okay, this is our only option, let’s figure out our more immediate problems,” Kira responded, referencing the Vorion sentries stationed outside.

“It seems like we have a ship!” Dario exclaimed excitedly. The jovial light crept back into his eyes as he wrapped his arm around Alaria and squeezed her tightly.

“Bron, this is a lot to ask and even more to give. Are you certain you can do this for us?” Kira asked.

“Vinnie and I don’t have a great deal of trouble in the ship department,” he said wryly. “We’ll be back on our feet in no time.”

“Thank you, Bron it looks like I’m the one in your debt now,” Kira replied.

“We still have to find a way get to the ship—safely,” Thor said.

Thor was lost in thought for a moment and then turned his attention to the group. Dario, Alaria, and Thor immediately dove into a fast-paced discussion, plotting their route to the ship and planning for each and every possible scenario that could arise.

“Will you come with us?” Kira asked Bron as their conversation began to slow.

“No,” Bron said shaking his head. “I have my business here on Vandor and I need to tend to it.”

“You’ve been talking about wanting to get off this depressing rock for ages,” Vinnie piped up. “This is the perfect chance!”

The boy's clear thirst for adventure was also playing into his urging that Bron join the crew on their mission back to Earth. His eyes sparkled as he pressed his guardian and his hands seemed to shake with pure excitement.

“Come on you grumpy bastard,” he begged.

“No,” Bron said firmly. “You and I, young man, have to stay here and look after the Hangar. But,” he turned to face Kira and smiled, “we will help ensure that you and the others get to the ship safely.”

“We could use some extra firepower where we’re going – are you sure you won’t reconsider?” Thor asked Bron.

“I have worked hard to carve out some semblance of normalcy, and I don’t feel like giving that up just yet,” Bron replied.

"I understand. That settles it," Thor said. "We will head to the ship tomorrow. The plan is simple, but it should work. We will move in two groups. The first will be led by Bron and will consist of himself, Vinnie, and Dario. Alaria and Kira, you will come with me. We will keep a low profile and always stay within earshot of each other."

“All of you should get some rest, Vinnie and I will keep an eye on our Vorion guests and tidy up this mess of pirates,” Bron said, scanning the group. “Thor and I will discuss our route too, in case we do get separated, I want to make sure you have a way there without me.”

Everyone agreed and began shuffling around. Vinnie ran to the front of the hangar and returned with an armful of blankets. Dario and Alaria began preparing their make-shift beds while Kira hung back with Thor.

“Is it smart that we split up?” she asked, watching Alaria crawl under the blankets on the cold, hard, metal floor panels and tug Zola in after her. Bron was off dragging pirate bodies and depositing them into a large trash receptacle, likely used for large mechanical parts.

“The larger the group, the more likely we are to draw attention to ourselves,” Thor explained. “We divided the groups up the best we could. Bron and Vinnie are both able fighters, and I feel confident having you at my side.”

“You know, oddly, we seem to work well in combat” Kira replied.

Thor shifted, turning to face her. The expression on his face was the same he had the night they spent in the hotel together. It was sincere and serious. When his eyes locked on hers, she felt the unfamiliar tension suddenly form in her stomach again.

She smiled up at him and said, “I never thought I’d feel safe around a wanted criminal.”

Laughing slightly, he patted her on the shoulder and responded, “That makes two of us.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The night passed without incident and the next morning, they woke early. Kira wasn’t sure that Thor or Bron had slept. Their heavy steps rang out, startling Kira awake. The two men had huddled together in front of the screens at the front of the hangar. They were panning the camera around, checking the streets to make sure the coast was clear.

“How are our Vorion guests doing?” Kira asked.

“They tired of their watch halfway through the night and moved on,” Bron replied, looking slightly relieved.

“I’m not sure how long we have before they come back, and I’m sure the next visit won’t be so amicable,” he continued.

“Alright then, while the advantage is on our side, are we ready to move out?” Kira asked, walking up behind them.

Neither of the men turned to face her, but Thor responded over his shoulder. “As ready as we can be.”

Alaria and Dario began to move around slowly, waking up and stretching their muscles from the night of rather uncomfortable sleep on the hard floor. Vinnie, however, popped up with more energy than the five of them combined. He raced around the room, checking weapons and making sure they were all fully functional.

“Let’s do this!” the boy cried out, hurrying over to them, juggling the eclectic collection of weaponry.

Everyone took their weapon, locking them into the loaded position and tucking them under thick, bulky brown robes Bron had provided them.

Kira tucked her Phantom in its holster and buried it under a mound of fabric, clearly intended to be worn by someone much larger.

When there was nothing left to do, they all walked with purpose towards the large metal doors at the front of the hangar.

“Wait thirty seconds,” Bron instructed as he entered a series of codes into the doors control panel. “Then follow behind. Dario, behind me, Vinnie you have our six.”

The door’s locking mechanism retracted with a thud, and Bron slowly crossed the threshold from inside the hangar back out into the crowded streets of Vandor.

Kira, Thor, and Alaria nodded in agreement as Bron, Vinnie, and Dario, carrying Zola in his leather pouch, ducked out of the building. The instant the door closed in front of them, Alaria ran back to the security view screens and anxiously watched as Bron led the group down the block.

When thirty seconds elapsed and the time came, Thor stepped forward and pressed the door release button. Without a word, he slipped out, pressing his back to the building as he waited for his companions to follow behind.

As soon as they were out in the open, the group began to move, slowly so as not to draw attention towards themselves, through the streets. Up ahead, Kira could see Bron’s large frame bouncing through the crowd.

Shifting her gaze to Thor, who was walking directly in front of her, she focused on keeping a low profile and not letting the feeling of panic that was building in her stomach bubble over. She hated these situations. She hated laying low and keeping her head down. She felt more in control when she was locked in combat. That’s when her senses kicked in and the adrenaline filled her veins, driving her to attack with fervent, calculated strikes.

Now, the only thing running through her was the uncomfortable feeling of being exposed and vulnerable.

The two groups moved, unnoticed, through the crowded streets of the market. After an hour of navigating the streets of Vandor without incident, they reached the district where Bron had docked the ship, Kira felt herself relax slightly. Bron and the others ahead of them took a quick turn down one of the side streets. Thor, Kira, and Alaria were just about to round the corner after them when a robotic voice burst through the air.

“Halt!” the voice demanded.

They turned quickly, and Kira had a hard time processing what she saw. Nearly twenty yards away stood a Rengar, who appeared as much machine as anything else that he was. The typically fur-covered body of the overgrown rodent was hardly fur-covered at all. Most of the surface of his skin was metallic, shining and reflecting the early morning sun, just breaking through the heavy layer of pollution that seemed to permanently shroud Vandor. The mechanized rat had his eyes fixed on Thor, and his hands were clutching tightly to the stock of a long-barreled plasma gun.

“Nico Rax,” Thor said under his breath, grabbing hold of Alaria and pushing her around the corner.

"The bounty hunter?" Kira asked in surprise as she reached under her cloak to retrieve her Phantom.

“The one and only,” Thor replied. Turning his focus to Alaria, he ordered, “run to the others. Do not come back for us—you understand? Tell them to get to the ship. No matter what happens, the plan to take down Grimm has to go forward.”

Alaria blinked hard and nodded. Just then, Nico Rax let a fury of plasma fire roar from his weapon in their direction. Thor sensed the attack before he could even pull the trigger, and quickly pushed himself forward, shoving Alaria down the street and spinning back around to face Kira.

“You can go, too,” he said as she ducked around the corner after him.

“Hell no,” she said firmly. “If we can kill this asshole, that’s one less problem we have staring us down. Plus, he’s almost a celebrity in the Bazaar; I’ll never pay for another drink in my life.”

“Not really the time to be thinking about your legacy,” Thor chided, as another bolt of plasma slammed into the building he was using as cover.

“Alright, time to move, I’ll cover and you fall back. Keep some distance between us, two targets are more difficult than one,” Thor instructed.

Kira fell back twenty yards and took up another firing position.

“Move!” Kira shouted to Thor.

Thor gracefully rolled from cover and moved with inhuman speed to Kira’s side.

Rax continued his pursuit, following their movement with precision and covering when they took up firing positions against him.

After a few repetitions, the bionic Rengar seemed to tire of their game. With a sudden burst, Rax thrust himself through the air and with two gigantic strides he propelled himself over Kira and Thor’s position, landing directly in front of them.

Kira spun quickly with her Phantom trained on the bounty hunter. She fired two quick shots. Rax leaped up, still clinging to his gun, the beam just missing him. As he came back down to the ground, he trained his weapon on Thor and released a pulsating string of plasma. Thor shifted to the side just in time and grabbed onto Kira's wrist, dragging her behind him as he ran down a less crowded side street.

Nico wasn't giving up. He continued to run after them, firing recklessly through the crowd, a few shots nearly finding their mark. Thor was about to turn down another street when out of the corner of her eye, Kira saw Nico leap high into the air, anticipating his targets move and ready to cut them off.

Just as Thor rounded the corner, Kira pulled back on his arm forcefully. “Stop!” she yelled.

In that instant, a red-hot blaze of energetic matter buzzed past them, falling in the exact place Thor would have been if she hadn’t stopped him.

“Thanks!” Thor muttered, leaning his weight forward and taking off running again.

The two of them continued down the street in a full out run now with Rax scaling the walls behind them, darting gracefully from one building to the next.

Rax began closing the distance again and Kira dared risk a glance to identify his position. She turned and looked, but saw no sign of him.

“Wait!” Kira shouted to Thor.

Thor stopped yards away from Kira and pivoted to Rax’s last position with his weapon at the ready.

“Where the hell did he go?” Thor asked.

In seconds they had their answer, as the bounty hunter crashed down on Kira from above, tackling her to the ground.

Landing on his feet, he kept his gun trained on her, his beady eyes glowing as they focused on her.

Just as he was about to squeezed the trigger, Thor threw himself forward, knocking the rodent back. Simultaneously, he reached under his robe and pulled out his sidearm. The blast he shot into the Rengar’s chest surged through him, causing him to tumble back to the ground and dive for cover in an alleyway.

“He won’t be down for long,” Thor said, reaching out and lifting Kira to her feet. “Let’s move!”