PHAELENX: Fantasy Romance (Zhekan Mates Book 3) by E.A. James (20)

REDEMPTION - FAR HOPE SERIES - BOOK #2

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

“We’re getting close,” Kira informed the crew as she entered the dining hall. “We should be to Earth within the hour.”

 

Her crew had gathered here to discuss their final plans for when they reached the Terran home planet. Over the last two weeks, they had pored over each and every news report coming from the Terran High Command. It seemed that Grimm’s rebellion had been quelled to some extent, although danger still loomed large over the entire galaxy.

 

“Good,” Bron replied, letting his voice trail off slightly.

 

Kira made her way up to the table where everyone was seated. No one spoke, waiting for their Bandurian companion to continue. The deep ridges etched into his dark black skin gave him a permanent appearance of being in a state of stern disgust. His facial features weren’t the only thing intimidating about him. His large size and muscular build made him someone anyone stuck in a tight spot would want to have on their side. Being stuck in a tight spot seemed to be something that was happening to Kira with regularity.

 

Alaria, sitting at Bron’s side, looked at him as well as she waited for him to finish his thought. When it became clear that he had no intention of doing so, she let out a soft giggle and turned to face the rest of the crew.

 

“Good for the ship,” she explained. Her light blue eyes sparkled as she tossed her platinum blond hair, typical of all Telani, over her shoulder. “We’ve done all we can to repair the vessel, but there are still some serious problems that will need to be looked at.”

 

“We will need to find a shipyard near Earth to refit,” Bron added.

 

“I’m not going to lie, I’m surprised the ship made it this far” Kira replied, taking her seat at Thor’s side.

 

Over the last two weeks, the tension between them had increased. Still, they had attempted to keep their relationship a secret, something Thor wasn’t overly happy about and didn’t really seem to understand. In reality, Kira herself wasn’t completely sure why she felt the burning desire to keep her private life obsessively private.

 

The truth was, they had barely discussed what was going on between them. With the coup and impending dangers lurking, the question of a relationship didn’t seem to hold much importance. The only time they really talked about their dynamic was the night they had left Vandor—the night Kira had made it perfectly clear that she didn’t want him to worry about her, that she was capable of taking care of herself, and that no matter what, their mission should take precedence over anything going on between them.

 

“Despite the fact that Grimm’s rebellion has been temporarily quelled,” Thor spoke, shifting his weight around to face her, “we will still need to keep a low profile.”

 

“True,” Kira agreed. “At least until we figure out a way to lift the bounties he had placed on our heads.”

 

“Dario, that goes for you, too,” Thor reminded their resident doctor and scientist.

 

The older man nodded in agreement, his graying hair bobbed up and down as he did. Still, Kira found herself surprised at Dr. Marner’s physical condition. Even though he was the oldest of the group, he was as spry and able-bodied as any of them. His dark eyes still held a youthful sparkle, and his typically tan Terran skin was nearly void of any wrinkles.

 

“Damned piece of shit!” Vinnie called out across the room, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

 

The small, Terran teenager was hunched over a maintenance robot he had acquired and stored on the ship before their departure from Vandor. He had never found time to work on it, though, and had hoped to have it up and running by the end of their journey back to Earth.

 

The device wasn’t much smaller than Vinnie, with a cylindrical body and an odd assortment of attachments dangling off of it. Vinnie claimed that the device would make their lives easier on the ship, taking care of routine maintenance tasks and running regular systems checks.

 

Kira had her doubts.

 

“Are you still wasting your time with that thing?” Bron asked, pushing himself up and walking to the other side of the room where his young side-kick remained huddled over the lump of metal with parts strewn around him.

 

“I know I can get it working if I could find the parts,” Vinnie said, not taking his eyes off his project. “You have to admit, having a functioning maintenance bot would save us a lot of time running around repairing your flying garbage pile.”

 

“Garbage pile?” Bron asked, standing over the boy, crossing his arms over his chest. “It wasn’t two weeks ago you were insisting that the ship was as much yours as mine.”

 

“That was before I realized what a mess you made of it,” Vinnie quipped in reply, finally turning to address the rest of the group. “If I can find what I need, I know I can get this bot working.”

 

“I think our first priority is to find parts for the ship, Vinnie,” Alaria explained in the sweet way she always spoke.

 

“The ship certainly is a curio,” Dario muttered, his eyes darting about as he quietly inspected the ship around him.

 

“A what?” Kira asked.

 

She and everyone else turned to the older man. His eyes shot up as he felt the stares of his companions on him.

 

“A curio,” he said again, matter-of-factly.

 

“Dario,” Kira said with a grin, “you know we rarely understand anything you say when you’re speaking English. How are we supposed to know what a ‘curio’ is?”

 

“It is English, old English. It means ‘unusual object,’” Dario explained.

 

The room filled with a small, weak round of laughter. Laughter had been hard to come by for them in recent days. The nearer they got to Earth, the more the dread of what they would find consumed their every thought.

 

“It certainly is a ‘curio’,” Kira agreed. “And I believe that’s what we should call her. ‘ The Curio.’”

 

“Call her?” Alaria asked.

 

“Every ship needs a name,” Kira replied. “’Piece of shit’ just doesn’t have the same ring as ‘Curio,’ although they both describe her pretty well.”

 

Bron let out an annoyed grunt as the rest of the crew shared another much-needed laugh. “Come on, Bron,” Thor said, shooting the Bandurian man a sympathetic look. “You know we appreciate you lending us your ship.”

 

Again, Bron grunted and furrowed his brow, and again, the small group laughed.

 

“Zola!” Alaria exclaimed, interrupting the moment with her own excitement at seeing her newest, and possibly favorite, travel companion enter the room. The cat padded its way to the center of the dining hall.

 

“I’m surprised she’s left the engine room,” Vinnie said, walking up to the table to join the others. “She has really taken a liking to it down there—the heat from the engine components and such, I assume.”

 

“It’s because I’m out here,” Alaria said, lifting the cat up and nestling her face down into her fur. “She wanted to be with me.”

 

Just then Zola’s implant began to chirp. The sound surprised the crew, everyone freezing in place as they stared at the bundle of fur in Alaria’s arms.

 

“Or, maybe she just knew that Dario had received a message,” Alaria observed, somewhat defeated.

 

She handed the cat over to her adoptive father. Dario quickly pushed the tuft of fur on the cat’s neck to the side as he removed the communication implant he had hidden there. Everyone held their breath as they waited for the report.

 

They had been waiting to hear from Grimm’s assistant Thane for weeks. They hoped that whatever news he sent would be good—good for them, at least.

 

Dario glanced at the crew nervously as he set the transmitter down in the center of the table. The tension in the room increased as they waited for him to initiate the message. The expression on Dario’s face was one of mixed emotions. He was excited to hear from Thane again, but there was fear there too. Every message brought with it the potential for danger—danger for Thane, or danger for them.

 

“Would you like to listen to it alone first?” Alaria asked, pushing herself up and walking to Dario’s side.

 

As her unofficial adoptive father, he had given her the reassurances that she needed for years when she was young, sickly, and orphaned. Now, though, it was her that was stepping up to support him.

 

"No," Dario replied, smiling down at her. "Whatever the message is, it's sure to affect all of us."

 

The relationship between Thane and Dario was the one thing that had always kept their crew going. With the reports Thane was able to transmit secretly to Dario, they were able to stay one step ahead of Grimm. Or, at least, stay out of Grimm’s path as best they could.

 

Alaria gave Dario's arm a reassuring squeeze as he reached out and initiated the communicator. Kira and the others leaned in, holding their breath simultaneously as the holographic image of Grimm's personal assistant pored out of the small cube. The young, attractive Terran man looked nervous like he always did in his transmissions. He wrung his hands in front of him a few times before finally beginning to speak.

 

"Dario," Thane began softly, "my dear Dario. I hope this message finds you well. I apologize for my extended absence. Things here have been…" his voice cracked as he looked over his shoulder nervously. "Things have been tense," he continued. "We've recently arrived at Grimm's new base of operations. It's a planet and a base that appears to have been under construction for some time. Unfortunately, I can't tell you more. I don't know where we are. I don't even know which sector of the galaxy we're in. Grimm has been adamant that the coordinates of our location remain a secret. The only person who knows is the Captain—a man very loyal to Grimm and his cause." Again, the man in the hologram looked back over his shoulder. Lowering his voice, he directed his attention forward again. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help at this time. I will message again soon, I promise. Be safe, Dario. Please, be safe."

 

With that, the image sucked back into the cube. The silence that fell among the group hung heavily in the air.

 

“Only the Captain can know,” Kira spoke finally. “That sounds like Grimm.”

 

Everyone turned to face her. She shrugged and pushed herself up. "He's always been a cautious man," she continued. "But, he has made mistakes before and he will make them again. And, as soon as he does, we'll be ready for him. Our first priority right now is getting the Curio repaired. We're approaching Earth. I'll need to return to the flight deck for our approach."

 

Everyone nodded their agreement as she turned to walk out of the room. The sound of their voices wafted after her, mixed in with Thor’s heavy footsteps.

 

He followed her out of the dining hall and down the passageway leading to the flight deck. She looked back at him and smiled, slowing to wait for him. He extended his hand as he moved toward her. She eyed it for a second, looking over his shoulder before intertwining her fingers with his.

 

“I don’t know why you insist on keeping our relationship a secret,” he said, pulling her toward him.

 

The feeling of being nestled in his strong hold always relaxed her. He was tall, for a Terran man, and she was short, for a Terran woman. Still, they seemed to fit together perfectly. His strong, muscular arms enveloped her, and her head came just to the center of his chest, where she could listen to the steady beating of his heart.

 

She turned her face up to his. His shaggy, dark brown hair hung down over his face, just barely covering his dark brown eyes. The typical Terran traits—dark hair, dark eyes, tan skin—fit him wonderfully. He embodied them so well. The rugged nature of humanity was written into the rigid lines of his face, the deep, penetrating nature of his stare, and the mischievous smile that always seemed to cross his lips when he looked at her the way he was in that moment.

 

Kira shared almost all of the intrinsic Terran qualities with him—dark hair and tanned skin. Her eyes were light, though. She had always hated their blue hue and the unwanted attention they got her. The rarity of Terran women with light-colored eyes made her somewhat of a novelty. That, combined with her petite size had somehow made men view her as appealing in ways she never thought herself to be and never wanted to be, for that matter. She wanted to be viewed the way she viewed Thor—rugged and strong, steady and able. He saw her that way, the way she saw herself, from the very beginning. He never underestimated her; he never sold her short.

 

“I’m the Captain,” she explained as she reached up and brushed the hair out of his face, “I can’t have my crew thinking that I would give preference to anyone.”

 

“Because you wouldn’t,” he said, smiling down at her.

 

“Exactly.”

 

“So, what does it matter?”

 

She pushed herself up on her tiptoes as he lowered his face to hers. “I like things the way they are,” she replied. “My history with relationships isn’t the best. I always find some way to mess them up. I don’t want to do that this time. Just give me a little more time to figure out how to navigate all of this.”

 

He rolled his eyes, but the smile didn’t fade from his lips. “You’re a pilot, shouldn’t navigation be your strong point?”

 

She elbowed him playfully in the ribs. “Somehow, navigating through open space is easier for me than navigating my way through something as complex as a relationship.”

 

“Have you ever considered that relationships are only complex for you because you make them that way?”

 

She took a step back and once again intertwined her fingers with his, leading him to the flight deck with her. “You may have a point,” she conceded. “One we can discuss further once we’re safely on Earth, with the bounties off our heads, and on that official first date you’ve been promising me pretty much since the day we met.”

 

Thor laughed to himself as they made their way into the flight deck. He didn’t slump down in his normal spot in the co-pilot’s seat next to her. Instead, he remained on his feet behind her, watching as she settled into the Captain’s chair.

 

“Fine,” he agreed. “I’m going to hold you to that, though.”

 

“I never doubted that you would,” she replied, turning her attention forward and grabbing hold of the controls.

 

CHAPTER TWO

 

“This is it,” Kira said as she dropped the ship out of warp, bringing them to the edge of earth’s orbit, “we’re home.”

 

She looked over her shoulder at Thor. He rested his hand on her shoulder as they waited to see their home planet again. It was the moment they had been waiting for, with cautious anticipation.

 

As much as both of them wanted to be back on Earth, the fact that their return was not happening the way either of them had expected only made the event bittersweet. The events of the last month replayed in Kira’s mind. So much had changed since she last saw the green and blue expanse of her home planet. Not just for her, but for the entire galaxy.

 

Thor’s grip on her shoulder tightened as he leaned forward. His eyes were fixed on the viewscreen.

 

“No,” he whispered sharply.

 

Kira turned to see what had caused his rigid demeanor to find herself becoming stiff with fear. The expanse of space in front of them was littered with the wreckage of Grimm’s uprising. Space stations were damaged and ship debris spotted the horizon. Everything was in a state of silent chaos.

 

“Everyone, to the flight deck, immediately,” Kira ordered, sending her message through the ship-wide intercom system.

 

She turned back to face Thor, his eyes still fixed on the images surrounding them. “We knew it would be bad,” he said. “But, still. Seeing it makes it real.”

 

Kira nodded her agreement as she turned back to the controls, switching off the ship’s auto-pilot and gingerly weaving the vessel through the clumps of metal and debris.

 

“Holy shit,” Vinnie said as he led the rest of the group into the flight deck.

 

“That’s putting it lightly,” Bron added as he pushed past the group and stood behind Kira.

 

“Oh, my,” Alaria said softly as she followed closely behind Bron.

 

“We knew things would be bad,” Thor said again.

 

“Do you think the High Command is still functioning?” Dario asked, hanging back from the group.

 

“I assume they are,” Kira said. “Or else Grimm wouldn’t have fled to a different planet.”

 

“That’s something, at least,” Alaria said.

 

“Something,” Thor replied. “Something that means the bounties on our heads are still active.”

 

“Always looking on the bright side, aren’t you?” Kira quipped.

 

The crew huddled together, all holding their breath as they observed the scene of destruction around them. The silence was heavy, and the nervous tension hanging in the air was palpable.

 

The soft ping let out by the intercom, indicating that their ship was being hailed, rippled through the room, violently bringing the entire crew back to the present moment.

 

“This is Terran station command, your vessel is not logged, identify yourself immediately,” a gruff voice came through the speaker.

 

“Shit,” Kira muttered, eyeing the blinking light to her right. “They know we’re here.”

 

“They know a ship is here; they don’t know it’s us,” Dario said, stepping forward. “This could be good. We could use their ignorance to gain access to a station where we can repair the ship.”

 

“Alaria,” Kira said, looking quickly over her shoulder. “You have to answer.”

 

“Me?” Alaria asked, her already large blue eyes growing even wider.

 

“You’re the only one without a bounty on your head. You can get us access,” Kira explained.

 

Everyone voiced their agreement as Bron nudged Alaria forward toward the intercom. She reached out and pressed down on the call button.

 

“This is Captain Starfire,” Alaria started. Her voice seemed to be a full octave lower than usual, and even her overall demeanor and posture seemed to change slightly.

 

Kira pulled back slightly, unable to keep the surprised smile from her lips. Someone as cheerful and upbeat as Alaria rarely sounded so authoritative and aloof.

 

“My ship is the Curio, a merchant vessel in need of supplies and repair,” Alaria continued.

 

The time between Alaria’s request and the man’s response felt like an eternity. Finally, it came. “Access granted, your vessel has been logged,” the man replied as gruffly as before. “You have been given clearance to dock at the TFS Arbiter.”

 

“Copy command, thank you,” Alaria said, shooting Kira a proud smile as she tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

 

The connection cut as suddenly as it had been established and an audible sigh of relief filled the flight deck. Kira programmed in the coordinates to the TFS Arbiter and settled back, slightly, in her seat. The closer they got to the commercial space station, the less dense the debris became. It was clear that some clean-up had taken place, closer to Earth, at least.

 

“Impressive,” Bron said, praising Alaria both verbally and with a soft nudge of his elbow. Alaria’s cheeks flushed as she thanked him and turned to face the others, all equally as impressed by her performance.

 

“It was,” Kira said over her shoulder. “And, this is good for us,” she added, eyeing the station as it came into view. “The Arbiter is a busy station—a lot of activity and trade going on. We’ll be able to blend in, hopefully not draw too much attention to ourselves there.”

 

Docking at the TFS Arbiter was easy, although it didn’t do much to ease the nervous tension that refused to leave the small group. With each accomplishment, a fresh wave of challenges always came.

 

Their greatest, at the moment, was figuring out how to fund their time on the massive commercial station.

 

“All of my assets are frozen,” Dario said, bringing the realization that their collective funds may be insufficient for their needs.

 

“Mine, too,” Thor added.

 

“I’m in the same position as you both are,” Kira said. Given the bounties on their heads, none of the Terran members of their crew had any access to their Galactic Credits.

 

“We left everything back on Vandor,” Bron replied with a grunt.

 

“I have Galactic Credits,” Alaria chimed. Everyone turned to look at her. “Yeah,” she continued, “I have some saved from my time working as an engineer.”

 

“To the rescue again,” Kira said with a smile.

 

“Good,” Dario said with a nod. “Then we should get started on the ship so we can focus on the next step of our journey. Time is not on our side.”

 

“Agreed,” Kira said. “Dario, Vinnie, you go with Alaria. Find a hangar where we can make upgrades and repairs to the Curio.”

 

The crew agreed with Kira's plan and readied themselves to disembark. Kira, as well as Thor and Bron, made sure they were carrying their side-arms. The chance they would need them had become a constant companion.

 

As hard as they planned to try to keep a low profile, the group was hard to miss. They were an odd looking collection of individuals—an elderly Terran man, a Terran woman, an Arcanum soldier, a Bandurian man followed closely by a Terran child, and a Telani woman – not exactly low profile.

 

It was obvious that they would draw a few stray glances as they made their way off their less-than-high-end ship. No one was surprised by that. It was somewhat surprising, though, when it turned out to be Alaria that received most of the unwanted attention.

 

“Hey!” a young Terran man called out to the group as he ran up behind them.

 

They all glanced back at him quickly. The collective tensing of the group was noticeable. “He’s not military,” Kira quietly informed them, noting his civilian clothes.

 

He looked to be in his early twenties. His dark brown eyes darted over the group quickly, landing on Alaria.

 

“Can I help you with anything?” he asked, assuming an air of cocky confidence as he swaggered up to them.

 

“We’re fine,” Thor said firmly.

 

“You sure?” the young man asked. “You’re new here. I’ve never seen you before. I know I wouldn’t forget a face like yours,” he said, his eyes still fixed on Alaria. “Maybe I can show you around?”

 

“We’re fine,” Alaria replied, noting as well as everyone else, that his request was clearly directed solely at her. It was painfully obvious that he was hoping to pick her up.

 

“Come on,” the young man continued, “I’m sure you’ve been bored cooped up in that ship for a while. You could probably use some entertainment.”

 

“No, thank you,” Alaria replied.

 

“Just one drink,” the young man continued to press her. “It looks like you’re in need of more…” he scanned the rest of the group quickly before returning his pointed gaze back to Alaria, “attractive company.”

 

“She said no,” Bron said, stepping forward, cutting off the man’s view of Alaria. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Either you’re hard of hearing or far too confident for a man of your size.”

 

The young man eyed the large Bandurian man in front of him with wide eyes. Bron towered over the Terran man, his size seeming to double his.

 

“She can speak for herself,” the young man continued, swallowing hard, but not willing to let his fear come through completely.

 

“I believe she did,” Bron said, taking a step toward him.

 

“Whatever,” the man muttered as he turned to walk away.

 

Bron turned back to face the group, a smile spread across his face. “I almost wish he didn’t give up so easily. He’s right. We’ve been cooped up in that damned ship for too long. I was looking for a little entertainment of my own.”

 

“Thank you, Bron,” Alaria said, her voice high and bouncy. “Really, thank you so much.”

 

“You could have handled him yourself, I know,” Bron said with a shrug, “but, I figured I’d lend a hand.”

 

Alaria smiled and her cheeks flushed.

 

Kira looked over her shoulder at Thor, who also seemed to notice the subtle sweetness in Bron and Alaria’s interaction. Thor smiled down at her and shrugged.

 

"We should get going," Thor spoke up. "Alaria, Dario, and Vinnie, you need to find that hangar. Bron, Kira, and I will begin figuring out our next move."

 

"Let's go!" Vinnie said, marching off confidently in no direction in particular.

 

“He doesn’t like doing nothing,” Bron said as he watched his young companion walk away. “You’d better hurry if you’re going to keep up with him. Once he has his mind set on something, he doesn’t stop until he gets it.”

 

“Wonder who he gets that from,” Alaria said, rolling her eyes and spinning on her heel. “Come on, Dario.”

 

The pair took off after their enthusiastic self-proclaimed leader, leaving Kira, Thor, and Bron to contemplate their own next move.

 

“I could use a drink,” Bron said. “Let’s find a bar or something. I do my best scheming when my inhibitions are lowered.”

 

“Whatever inhibitions you have,” Kira replied.

 

The trio began their search for a bar, which didn’t last very long. It was easy to find a bar on most stations.

 

After finding a place and ordering their drinks, Kira, Thor, and Bron moved to the back of the bar, where they could speak without too many distractions. The place was packed, and there were no available tables to be found. They opted, instead, for a somewhat quiet corner in the back of the bar.

 

“What’s our next step, then?” Bron asked, after throwing back a long sip of the Bandurian whiskey in his hand.

 

“We need to find Admiral Artanis,” Kira said. “Hopefully, he can get the bounties taken off our heads.”

 

“And how do we go about finding this Admiral when we have bounties on our heads?” Thor asked, eyeing her over the rim of his beer. “We obviously can’t go broadcasting through the TAF Comm system that we’re back on Earth, searching for an old friend.”

 

“Not us, but maybe Alaria,” Kira offered.

 

“And why would a Telani woman need to speak to a Terran Forces Admiral?” Thor countered.

 

“You’re just full of helpful input today, aren’t you?” Kira replied.

 

“What else would you be keeping me around for?” Thor replied, smiling as he lifted his drink to his lips.

 

Bron grunted, drawing Kira’s attention to him. At first, she figured that he had picked up on the flirtatious tension between her and Thor the way they had noted something between him and Alaria earlier. But quickly, she realized that someone behind them had bumped into him, sending his precious whiskey slopping to the floor.

 

“Watch it,” Bron said before Kira could remind him to not draw attention to them.

 

He turned around and pressed his large dark, leather-like hands into the Terran man’s back, throwing him forward, knocking his own drink to the ground.

 

The man spun around quickly, his hand balled into a fist. Kira recognized the man instantly—he was the man that was trying to pick up Alaria.

 

His eyes went wide, then narrowed quickly. A confident smile crossed is lips as he said, “I was hoping I’d see you again.”

 

Kira was shocked at his sudden bravery. Earlier, all it took was an angry glance from Bron for him to back down.

 

The man let his fist fly. Before the blow made contact, though, Bron grabbed onto his fist and twisted it around, causing the Terran man to let out a cry for help. Bron began to laugh, amused at his foe’s pathetic display.

 

His laugh was cut short, however, when three other Terran men came marching up to them.

 

That was where the man’s rush of courage came from—his backup.

 

“Bron,” Kira said, resting her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe we should just go somewhere else.”

 

“Screw that,” Bron said, still holding tightly to the man’s fist. He increased his hold, and the sound of crunching bones rippled through the air.

 

“Damn it,” Thor muttered as the three men grabbed onto their Terran companion, pulling him back from Bron’s grasp.

 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Bandurian?” the largest of the men asked.

 

“He started it,” Bron said, holding his hands in the air.

 

“I don’t give a fuck who started it,” the Terran man continued, “you’re not on Bandur anymore. This is Earth, and we don’t take kindly to visitors harassing our own. So if you don’t want a beating of galactic proportions, we suggest you leave.”

 

Bron laughed, reaching out and grabbing hold of the Terran man’s shirt. Even though he was large for a Terran, he was still dwarfed by Bron’s immense size.

 

“I haven’t been on Bandur for a long time,” Bron said, smiling down at the man menacingly. He cocked back his fist and left it fly, crashing into the side of the man’s face.

 

“Well shit, I forgot how much he enjoys this - should we step in?” Kira said to Thor.

 

Just as she spoke, one of the other Terran men rushed forward, hitting Bron in the side, square in the ribs. Bron let out an amused cry that sent chills running down Kira’s spine. Still holding onto the first man, he swung him around, throwing him into the second, sending them both flying back against the wall.

 

“I don’t think it would be fair if we did,” Thor replied, noting Bron’s obvious upper hand.

 

“I didn’t mean like that,” Kira replied, stepping forward just as another Terran newcomer to the fight was ready to join in.

 

"Move, woman, or you'll regret it," the man said, looking down at her with an expression demeaning enough to cause her blood to boil.

 

“Oh, screw it,” Kira said, lifting her knee and sending it square into his gut. Just as he leaned forward, she grabbed hold of his shoulders and pushed him back. Tripping over his own feet, he joined his companions in their heap on the floor.

 

The three of them groped about for a minute, fighting to get to their feet. Just as they did, fists balled and ready to fly, Thor stepped in. Even though he wasn’t as large as Bron, the sight of him clearly had its impact on the Terran men. The swiftness, precision and shocking speed with which he reached out and clamped his hand around one of the men’s throat left the other’s speechless.

 

“That was insane!” one of the men said, his eyes wide as he looked at Thor. “What are you, Arcanum or something?”

 

“If you leave now, I promise you won’t find out,” Thor said, resting his free hand on Kira’s shoulder and pulling her back.

 

With her hands still clenched into fists, she gave into his soft tug. The men exchanged contemplative looks, glancing over their shoulders at their friend who had initiated the fight. Kira saw their eyes shift again, this time looking quickly at something in the front of the bar.

 

“Fine,” one of them said, grabbing onto his friend’s wrists and tugging him forward. Thor released his hold on their companion, throwing him forward forcefully. The man tripped over his feet two or three times before he finally gained his footing and scurried out of the bar after the others.

 

Kira was about to let out a sigh of relief when she felt Thor’s hand fall from her shoulder. It wasn’t that it fell, so much as it was pulled away.

 

She turned around slowly to see a broad-shouldered, heavily armed security officer holding onto Thor’s wrist with one hand, pointing a sidearm at Bron with the other.

 

“Damn it,” Kira muttered as the security officer radioed for back-up.

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

The brig aboard the TFS Arbiter was like any brig aboard any TSF ship—poorly lit and foul-smelling. It wasn’t the worst brig Kira had found herself in, but realizing that only made her stomach flop with frustration. A month ago, the thought of being held in a brig aboard any ship would have been laughable – now it was starting to feel more comfortable than she liked.

 

The first hour they spent there was passed in silence. There was a clear frustration shared among them. Kira sensed, however, that Thor's stoic posture and pursed lips weren't only because of the circumstances they found themselves in. The men's comments before, about being an Arcanum, the way they looked at him when he swiftly moved into action—it bothered him. She knew it did. But, locked up in the brig with Bron was no place to attempt to have that conversation with him. She knew that, as well.

 

So, they sat in silence. Until, finally, Thor spoke.

 

"So much for keeping a low profile," he said, leaning his head back against the hard metal wall behind him.

 

“The little shit had it coming,” Bron said, not showing a sign of remorse.

 

“Yes, well, that little shit wasn’t worth blowing our cover over,” Kira muttered.

 

She sat on the hard ground. There was a bench in their cell, but it had an odd reddish-brown stain on it that was more than questionable. Thor didn’t mind the stain or what Kira assumed it to be and he sat on the metal slab to her left. Bron paced back and forth in front of them, checking down the hall every minute or so to see if anyone was nearby.

 

“Our cover isn’t completely blown,” Thor said, leaning back. “They still don’t know who we are.”

 

“And they’re not going to find out, either,” Kira said, glaring up at Bron.

 

“I may have a short temper, but I’m not a complete idiot,” Bron muttered, glancing over his shoulder out into the hall again.

 

They had been briefly questioned before being locked up. Thor, the calm voice of reason, did the speaking. He introduced himself as Cyrus. Kira was Rina and Bron was Bron. There was no need to create an alternate identity for him. Whatever trouble he found himself in back on Vandor was of no concern to the Terran High Command. To them, he was nothing more than a Bandurian delinquent.

 

They used the same story Alaria had come up with—they were merchants looking for supplies. After they found what they needed, they would happily be on their way.

 

“Being on your way will have to wait,” the guard registering them replied, not looking up at them from the holo screen in front of him. “Your actions in the bar will not be overlooked. You’ll be detained until your sentence is up or someone pays your fine.”

 

Their sentence was 72-hours in the brig. Seventy-two hours they didn’t have to waste. The longer they remained there, the higher the risk of being caught became and the more time Grimm had to put plans into motion.

 

“It doesn’t matter either way,” Kira said, leaning back against the cold metal wall. “They’ll be reviewing the bounty network, as they so often do, and our faces will show up.”

 

Thor let out a frustrated grunt. “And we’ll be sitting here, ready for the taking.”

 

“Someone’s coming,” Bron said, stepping away from the bars and taking a seat next to Thor.

 

The three of them held their breath as they waited for the inevitable to happen. Kira pinched her eyes shut, trying to remember a time when the thought of seeing a TAF official didn’t bring with it a wave of fear.

 

“You all look horrible!” Alaria’s voice rang out.

 

Kira’s eyes flew open. To her pleasant surprise, it wasn’t a T.A.F official standing on the other side of the bars. It was Alaria and Dario.

 

“What are you guys doing here?” Thor asked, pushing himself up.

 

Alaria took a step back as a station guard waltzed up to the bars. “Cyprus, Rina, and Bron,” he said, swiping a thin key card through the lock. “You’ve been bailed out.”

 

Alaria and Dario exchanged confused looks but didn’t speak, thankfully, as the station guard pulled the heavy metal bars back, freeing Thor, Kira, and Bron.

 

The group remained as calm as possible as they followed the guard out of the brig. It wasn’t until they were nearing the hustle of the ship that they took a moment to breathe a sigh of relief.

 

“You have no idea how glad I am to see you,” Kira said, reaching out and hugging Alaria tightly.

 

Alaria giggled, embracing Kira in return. “I’m sure you were, Rina,” she replied.

 

Kira rolled her eyes, stepping back from Alaria. “Where’s Vinnie?”

 

“He went back to the ship to look over it,” Dario informed them.

 

“That’s probably where we should be,” Thor said.

 

Without a word, they all turned to continue their trek out of the Arbiter’s docking area. They didn’t get far. They didn’t get more than three steps, actually, before a heavy, authoritative voice called out to them.

 

“Halt,” the voice ordered.

 

Kira’s shoulders slumped forward. “Now what?”

 

The group turned to see a group of six uniformed TAF soldiers walking quickly toward them. “We have orders to detain you for questioning,” one of them explained.

 

Thor tensed and Bron clenched his hands into fists. The man who spoke lifted the edge of his uniform jacket, revealing a side arm. His companions did the same.

 

“I would not recommend resisting,” he said. “Come peacefully. It’ll be best for all of you.”

 

He was right. Even if Thor, Bron, and Kira were carrying their sidearms, they wouldn't stand a chance against six well-armed T.A.F fighters. If they did get past them by some stroke of luck, the sounds of a gunfight would surely bring more.

 

Kira reached out and wrapped her hand around Thor’s wrist. He relaxed, slightly, as she stepped forward. “May I ask why we’re being detained?” she said.

 

“You’ll find out soon enough,” the man said, nodding for his men to surround the group.

 

Reluctantly, the five of them followed the TAF official back down the hallway they had just triumphantly exited through. They weren’t being led to the brig, though. The group turned right, left, and then right again to a more official, less odorous part of the TFS Arbiter’s holding area. They were being taken to the interrogation rooms.

 

The walk was silent, only the chorus on their footsteps on the hard metal floors rang out. Three of the soldiers marched in front of them, three behind. There was no chance for escape. Kira’s mind reeled with the possibilities of where they were being taken.

 

Had their cover been blown? Was it possible Grimm was there? Why the interrogation rooms? Fugitives didn’t get interrogated, they got imprisoned. What was going on?

 

When they reached the room they were being led to, the man leading the group motioned for his men to stand down. Opening the door, he led Kira and her crew in. They filed in after him, one-by-one, to see that the room was empty, save a table, and one man seated behind it in the center of the room.

 

Kira had to bite her tongue to keep from speaking the instant she saw who was sitting at the table in front of them. The man who had escorted them there didn’t say a word as he turned to leave. Still, Kira waited until the door clicked shut to speak. The man at the table beat her to it, though.

 

“Captain Winter,” he said, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve been looking for you.”

 

“You know this man?” Thor asked, looking down at her.

 

“I do,” she answered. She kept her eyes fixed on him, as she explained. “Everyone,” she said, stepping forward, “this is Admiral Artanis.”

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 

The silver-haired man seated behind the table observed the rough-looking group coolly. Kira motioned for the others to stay back while she approached him. It wasn’t likely, but there was always a chance that Artanis had joined forces with Grimm. There seemed to be no certainty in anything anymore, and she wanted to be sure they were safe before letting her guard down completely.

 

“What do you mean, you’ve been looking for me?” she asked.

 

“Just that,” Artanis replied calmly. “I began to worry when the Alliance lost contact with you just before your leave. Then, when I discovered that you were wanted by the TAF, I knew something was wrong.”

 

Thor took a step forward, walking up behind Kira as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to continue.

 

“I recognize you, as well, Commander Rockhold” Artanis said, eyeing Thor. “I’ve seen you on the bounty network, right along with Captain Winter and Dr. Marner,” he added, looking back at Dario.

 

“Kira,” Artanis said, shifting his gaze back to her. “Grimm put you on that list, along with a bounty on your head, right before he started his rebellion. Now, the three of you,” he shifted his gaze between her, Thor, and Dario, “are considered rebels, and many believe you are working with Grimm.”

 

“Working with him?” Thor asked, the tone of his voice slightly amused. “And this is our payment—bounties on our heads?”

 

“Either you are or you were,” Artins explained. “It’s just a theory that’s been passed around. Everyone is on edge these days. No one trusts anyone. Kira, you were close with Grimm.”

 

“That was a long time ago,” she replied sharply.

 

“Doesn’t matter,” Artanis replied with a shrug. “Not to anyone around here. Everyone who has worked as closely with him as you did is under scrutiny.”

 

“That doesn’t’ explain how him putting bounties on our heads means we’re on his side,” Dario began.

 

“Well, sometimes it’s about the company you keep. You’re in the same boat as she is,” Artanis said, eyeing Dario calmly. “You worked with him, with his team, didn’t you?”

 

He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he let his gaze continue to drift over the group. “You too, Commander Rockhold,” he said, nodding in Thor’s direction. “You’re an Arcanum soldier, am I right?”

 

“Former,” Thor said between gritted teeth.

 

“That’s neither here nor there. Not now, at least. We have reasons to believe that Grimm has double agents still working inside the TAF What better way to conceal your inside man than by putting a bounty on his head?”

 

“I still don’t follow the logic,” Kira said.

 

“If Grimm wants us to be arrested by the TAF, it could be because he wants to make it seem like he doesn’t need or want to associate with us anymore. He’s, in essence, giving us back to the Alliance,” Dario thought out loud.

 

"Exactly," Artanis said with a quick nod. "You could waltz in here, claim that Grimm wanted you locked up, or worse because you crossed him. When, in reality, you're only working to get inside information."

 

“That’s not what we’re doing!” Kira exclaimed, slamming her hands down on the flimsy metal table. “We’re not with Grimm!”

 

“I want to believe you, Kira. But you had better start doing some explaining,” Artanis replied in the calm, steady tone he always used.

 

She did. She explained the top secret mission to transport Thor to Jaantu 7 which led to her having the bounty placed on her head. She explained the experiments Dario had told them about, and that Thor experienced firsthand. She explained that they had begun their trip back to Earth to warn the High Command when the coup took place.

 

The story poured out of her mouth quickly. As she spoke, chills ran down her spine, the memories of each event coming vividly back to her. The contrast between the feeling of being back in the presence of the man she had long viewed as a mentor and the experiences she had lived since their last meeting made her skin ripple with goosebumps.

 

When she finished speaking, a deafening silence descended on the room as Admiral Artanis processed everything she had said. His face remained blank, stern, and focused as his eyes drifted over each of them slowly.

 

“I believe you,” Artanis said finally. His expression softened slightly, becoming sincere and gentle. “I’m afraid, however, that others will not.”

 

“Is there nothing we can do to remove the bounty?” Kira asked.

 

“At the moment, no,” Artanis spoke bluntly. “The Terran Alliance is in a complete state of chaos. They’re still trying to get a handle on the situation. The damage is widespread, and the loss of resources and manpower has left them feeling vulnerable. The last thing they’re going to do right now is pardon a suspected rebel.”

 

Kira leaned her head back, letting her frustration out in the form of an audible sigh.

 

“That’s not all,” Artanis continued.

 

“Oh good, more,” Kira muttered, shifting her gaze back to him.

 

“Grimm has been conducting raids on border colonies, hoping to destabilize the Alliance even more, and stretch TAF resources by pulling them away to minor conflicts all over the territory.”

 

“Of course he is,” Kira replied.

 

“You have to understand, Kira, I want to help you. It’s just that the time isn’t right. Things are too tense, mistrust has become the predominant feeling, and everyone is constantly looking over their shoulders.”

 

“What can we do?” Thor asked.

 

“For the time being, keeping a low profile would be highly recommended. That would include limiting the recreational activity of bar fighting,” Artanis said with a condescending look at Bron.

 

“Also, remaining here probably isn’t safe for any of you right now. I can try to get the bounties off your heads, but I’m not sure how long something like that would take, given the current condition of the Alliance.”

 

“So, we just stay off the radar and away from Earth until everything just blows over?” Thor asked.

 

"You could do that," Artanis said. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing slightly as an idea suddenly formed in his mind. "Or, you could do something of your own volition to help the Alliance and prove your loyalty."

 

“What can we do?” Kira asked.

 

"We have received multiple distress calls from three different mining colonies on the borders of Terran space. They claim that someone has been running surveillance on them, watching them. Unfortunately, these colonies are not a high priority, and I simply cannot spare the manpower to send military forces to investigate. They’re only rumors at the moment, maybe just paranoid concerns brought on by everything going on. Although, I do have my suspicions that Grimm is orchestrating here. If you were to choose to investigate the situation and help out in any way you can, the Alliance would be very grateful.”

 

Kira turned to face the others. Dario shrugged, Bron grunted, Alaria smiled, and Thor gave his always reassuring nod. It was the only option they had and it was better than just floating through space, unable to do anything to help the Alliance in their battle against Grimm.

 

“Okay,” Kira said, turning back to face Artanis. “We accept.”

 

“Excellent,” Artanis said, standing up quickly, extending his hand to her. “I will have the coordinates sent to your ship.”

 

“It’s the Curio,” Kira said, slipping her hand into his.

 

“I already know,” Artanis said, shooting her his fatherly smile. “I was surprised to see you flying a ship in that condition, Captain. But, I assume that if anyone could, it’s you.”

 

Kira thanked him for his help and led her group out of the room. Returning to the Arbiter’s bustle, the group marched toward their ship with a renewed sense of purpose.

 

That excitement quickly fell out of the air when they approached the Curio.

 

“Something’s wrong,” Thor said, stepping ahead of the others.

 

They all froze in place as they each spotted the source of Thor’s assumption at the same time. Although the hatch to the ship was closed and secured, it was clear by the burn marks on the frame that someone had forced entry.

 

“Someone’s inside,” Alaria noted, stepping forward to examine the ship.

 

“You know what that means,” Bron said, reaching for his sidearm.

 

“It means we get to have a little fun before leaving Earth,” Kira replied, readying her weapon.

 

CHAPTER FIVE

 

The scene they created bursting into the hull of the ship was full of force. Thor led the group, followed by Kira and Bron, with Alaria and Dario taking up the rear. Weapons in hand and determination in their movements, they marched their way aboard the Curio, ready for a fight.

 

A fight they would not find.

 

“Ha! Look at you morons,” Vinnie shouted.

 

Vinnie couldn’t help but laugh as he watched them storm into the room. Thor, still leading the group, stopped suddenly. Kira, thrust forward by the inertia pushing at her back, plowed into him. Behind her, Bron shuffled to a stop, thankfully, before he ran into her, squishing her small frame between his and Thor’s massive torsos.

 

Stepping around Thor quickly, she saw what had caused him to stop. Vinnie’s laugh continued to ring through the air, bouncing off the metal walls of the ship.

 

Lying on the floor in front of them were two bodies, two Terran men, collected in a small pool of blood. Vinnie, standing over them proudly with an assault rifle thrown over his shoulder, finally collected himself.

 

“You should have seen your faces,” Vinnie said, his dark green eyes bouncing with laughter. “You all came in here ready for a fight. You were so serious and focused.”

 

“What did you expect?” Thor replied, not amused by the situation. “We noticed forced entry on the ship.”

 

“And clearly you forgot that the ship was protected by yours truly,” Vinnie replied confidently. “I noticed them breaking in, armed myself, and took care of the situation.”

 

“I knew I kept you around for a reason,” Bron said, stepping around Kira and Thor and walking up to Vinnie.

 

“Who are they?” Alaria asked, walking closely behind Bron.

 

Everyone gathered around to examine the bodies as Thor retrieved the ship’s ID scanner. He knelt down and ran the device over each of the men’s identification tattoos on their forearms. Kira could tell by the look on Thor’s face that the news wasn’t anything good. The fact that they even had identification tattoos told her that they were Alliance employees of some sort.

 

“They’re members of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild,” Thor said, looking back at the group over his shoulder.

 

“They know we’re here, then,” Dario observed.

 

“We seem to have a way of making a scene wherever we go,” Kira replied.

 

“We need to get out of here,” Thor said, pushing himself up.

 

“You think?” Kira replied, turning on her heel to head toward the flight deck.

 

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Alaria called after her. “We haven’t had time to do any repairs to the ship.”

 

“Well, there’s no time for that now,” Kira said.

 

“I don’t think the Curio can handle another interstellar voyage without them,” Alaria argued.

 

“We don’t need to make an interstellar voyage,” Kira said, a thought coming to her suddenly. “We just need to get out of Earth’s orbit.”

 

“And then what?” Thor asked. “We just float around the solar system until someone takes pity on us?”

 

“We are rather pitiful,” Kira agreed, “but no. I have a better idea. I have an old friend with a small private space station near Mars. He has a repair bay. We can go there.”

 

“Are you sure he’ll remember you?” Thor asked.

 

Kira smiled and looked past him back at Bron. “I tend to make an impression, wouldn’t you agree, Bron?”

 

Bron grunted his agreement while shaking his head. It wasn't more than two weeks prior that Kira had shown up at his hangar appealing for shelter. He remembered her immediately. She was sure the same would happen again.

 

“I’ll radio him from the flight deck while Bron, Alaria, and Vinnie get to the engine room to make sure this thing will at least takeoff,” Kira continued.

 

Everyone agreed and hurried off to their respective positions. Dario remained in the common area to record a message to send to Thane, while Thor followed Kira to the flight deck. As the engines hummed weakly to life, Kira sent a quick communication to her contact, hoping that the message would reach him before their ship did. Old friend or not, seeing something like the Curio pulling up to a station unannounced would bring a sense of confusion to anyone.

 

Kira held her breath as she initiated the engines. The ship shuddered a few times, fighting back against yet another departure, but finally, the lights around the flight deck blinked on and the Curio elevated from the docking platform.

 

Departure from the station went smoothly, but it wasn’t long after they were drifting away from the TFS Arbiter that the radio next to her began to ping.

 

“Someone’s hailing us,” she said, scanning the screens around her.

 

Just to their starboard side, she saw the image of another TAF patrol ship growing ever closer.

 

“Are you going to answer?” Thor asked.

 

“What do you think?” Kira replied, pulling up on the controls and flying the ship higher, as quickly as it would go.

 

The patrol ship reacted suddenly, and more swiftly than Kira had anticipated. "They're definitely honed in on us," Kira said, as she threw the controls forward, urging the Curio to pick up speed.

 

The engines shuddered, fighting back against her. She pushed the controls forward again, keeping an eye on the patrol ship through her port-side camera.

 

“Intercom,” Kira ordered Thor, not wanting to take her attention off the screen.

 

“Connected,” Thor replied, flipping on the ship-wide intercom system.

 

“Alaria,” Kira spoke firmly, turning the ship to the right as the patrol ship closed in from the left. “What the hell is going on down there?”

 

“You want the long or the short answer?” Alaria replied.

 

“I want whatever answer is going to get us moving,” Kira replied.

 

The patrol ship was now close—too close for comfort. Kira pushed the Curio forward as fast as it would go, but it was clear that unless something was done, soon, they wouldn’t be making it to see her friend.

 

“Captain,” Alaria replied as Kira turned the ship hard right again. “There’s nothing else I can do. The ship is generating as much energy as it’s able. Weapons and defensive arrays are online, but warp capabilities and the high-speed thrusters won’t respond.”

 

“Two out of four isn’t bad,” Kira replied, looking over at Thor. Her eyes sparkled, just slightly.

 

Thor, letting out a soft sigh, said, “I know that look. Everyone, hold on. We’re going to be in for a bumpy ride.”

 

He leaned forward and switched off the intercom just as the patrol ship in Kira’s port screen locked in on their position. Just as the cannons swiveled in their direction, Kira pulled up sharply on the controls. Thor was thrown back in his seat, as the missile blast buzzed past them.

 

“Want to give a warning next time you do that?” he asked, looking over at her.

 

“What fun would that be?” she replied, pulling the ship to the side and spinning it around. The patrol ship continued to pursue them, cannons lowered and prepared to fire.

 

“Lower the missiles,” she ordered.

 

Thor, pushing himself forward again, entered the weapons code into the screen directly in front of him. Another shudder shook the ship as the missiles lowered. Before the crosshairs that appeared on her screen even moved over the patrol ship, Kira let the projectiles fly.

 

They buzzed past the ship, just barely missing the bottom corner of the ship’s glossy hull.

 

The patrol ship jerked to the side, dropping out of view for a second. Kira scanned the viewscreens, waiting for the image to appear again. She continued to urge the Curio forward.

 

Her efforts would prove futile when the patrol ship once again appeared on her screens. This time, though, instead of being to the side, it was just below them and picking up speed.

 

“They’re going to cut us off,” Thor observed.

 

“They’re going to try,” Kira replied.

 

As the ship below them zoomed ahead, spinning around to once again face off with them, Kira dropped the Curio slightly. The timing couldn’t be better. As she lowered the ship, another missile blast came hurtling in their direction. This time, it grazed the roof of the Curio, shaking the ship violently as the projectile scraped along the shields.

 

Again, Kira fired another missile. Again, it missed.

 

“It’s like you’re not even trying to hit them,” Thor said, noting the way she carelessly let the artillery fly.

 

“I’m not,” she replied. “We’re in enough shit with the Alliance as it is. The last thing we need is to shoot down one of their patrol ships.”

 

“As wise as that may be, we won’t be able to prove our allegiance to the Alliance if we’re dead.”

 

“They won’t kill us,” Kira replied, rolling her eyes.

 

She pushed the Curio forward again. The ship moved along lazily, flying just below the patrol ship that was working to spin itself around to continue their pursuit. With quick precision, the patrol ship floated downward, locking its missiles on the Curio again, this time from the back.

 

Another blast. Another shudder.

 

A loud, long, whine came out of the console in front of them. Lights began to flash across all the screens. The shields were failing, and one more blast would shut them down completely.

 

“Are you sure about that?” Thor asked.

 

“Maybe,” Kira replied.

 

Her eyes were glued to the screens. The ship didn’t have the power behind it to spin around quickly to begin an offensive attack now. She had to keep with her original plan. Just keep moving forward.

 

She pushed the controls as far forward as they would go. The Curio buzzed along, picking up a little more speed, but unable to outfly the state-of-the-art patrol ship that was quickly gaining on them. As the alarms rang out, informing that the patrol ship’s missiles were once again locked in on their position, Kira swerved her ship to the right. The missile buzzed past, but another was close behind it.

 

“Damn it,” Kira muttered. “Lower the rear guns.”

 

Thor nodded and entered the code in quickly. As he did, the patrol ship fired another missile. This one was coming in from the right. Kira swerved left.

 

Utter annoyance was beginning to build up inside her. She was unable to do anything more than she was. Her abilities were limited by the capacities of the ship, something she found beyond frustrating. Still, she urged the Curio on, bobbing and weaving seamlessly through the missiles the patrol ship was beginning to release in a consecutively quick stream.

 

“Rear guns ready,” Thor informed her, sitting up and taking hold of the controls in front of him. “Linked to co-pilot controls.”

 

“Good,” Kira said, pulling back slightly on her controls. She let the ship slow, slightly, and the patrol ship began to rush up on them. “Shoot the missile coming at us when I tell you. Not a second before, not a second after. Exactly when I give the order."

 

He nodded, not waiting for her official order to fire. She didn’t give it right away. She let another missile fly by them, then another. Thor sat patiently, his finger resting lightly on the release button.

 

When the patrol ship locked in on their position again, causing the alarms to ring out around them wildly, Kira tensed up. Just as the missile flew, coming straight for the hull of the Curio, she ordered, “now!”

 

Thor trained the guns on it, firing at it with a fury of determination. Kira’s heart pounded in her ears. Just before the missile made contact, Thor was able to shoot it down.

 

The resulting explosion shook the ship—exactly what she was hoping for. Kira used the ripple effect caused by the blast to propel the Curio forward. Even though the blast did a number on the shields, bringing them offline completely, it provided enough push to boost them along and to send the patrol ship sputtering in the opposite direction.

 

She didn’t look behind them. It didn’t matter anymore. If the ship fired at them again, it would be the end. She knew that. She just kept her focus on moving ahead, moving to the safety of open space. She clutched tightly to the controls, pushing them as far forward as they would go.

 

“Kira,” Thor’s voice broke into her piercing concentration. “Kira.”

 

She didn’t look over at him, keeping her eyes on the viewscreen in front of her.

 

“They’re gone,” he said, reaching out and resting a hand on her shoulder.

 

“What?”

 

“We lost them.”

 

“Oh,” she said, relaxing back in her chair. Her eyes flitted across the screens. “Are you sure?”

 

“Positive. I think their ship stalled from the blast. Either that or they figured we were too much trouble and just gave up.”

 

“We are quite a bit of trouble,” Kira agreed.

 

The warning lights on the consoles continued to blink, and the buzzers kept on ringing.

 

“I didn’t think the ship would make it,” Thor said.

 

“It almost didn’t,” she replied, switching off the alerts. “There’s no way we’d survive another surprise attack like that.”

 

“But we would survive a planned one?” Thor asked, spinning his chair around to face her.

 

“Would you like to find out?” she replied, looking over at him. “We have enough enemies floating around the galaxy, I’m sure we could arrange something.”

 

“Us? Enemies? Never,” he answered, settling back in his chair with a chuckle.

 

CHAPTER SIX

 

“You’re sure this friend of yours will help us out?” Thor asked as they pulled into the station near Mars.

 

Kira shrugged, trying to hide her apprehension. “Why wouldn’t he?”

 

Thor, picking up on her unease, shifted in his seat. Turning to face her, he tilted his head to the side. “Kira,” he said firmly, “who is this old friend of yours?”

 

“He might have been employed by the TAF at some point.”

 

“The TAF?” Thor repeated. “You think it’s safe for us to be contacting someone associated with the group searching for us?”

 

“He’s retired,” Kira replied. “I’m sure he hasn’t been keeping up with all that nonsense.”

 

Thor let out a disbelieving grunt. “Right, because no one cares about the coup or the condition of the Alliance after they retire.”

 

“So, you see my point,” she replied with a smile

 

Thor shook his head, looking back at the control panels spread out around them. The warning lights still blinking wildly spoke for themselves. “We don’t have much choice, I suppose.”

 

“It’s like we have the same mind.”

 

“Or we’re stuck on the same shitty ship,” Thor replied with a crooked smile.

 

Kira laughed in agreement as she shut down the engines. The two of them collected their belongings and met with the others as they prepared to disembark. As they filed out of the Curio, the familiar figure of Officer Mac Ashford came into view.

 

It had been nearly ten years since she last saw her former training officer. He had aged well, still looking as youthful as he ever did, despite his advanced age. His dark black hair was now lined with gray and his dark brown eyes had wrinkles around them. Other than that, though, he looked the same—fit, kind, and collected.

 

The station was small, but it would hopefully serve their purpose. That wasn’t Kira’s main priority at the moment, however. At the moment, she only worried about Officer Ashford’s reaction to seeing her again after so long, especially under the circumstances. If he turned them away, it wouldn’t matter what supplies his station had or not.

 

“Captain Winter,” Officer Ashford said as he approached her. “I was surprised when I got your message.”

 

“I hope we’re not intruding,” Kira replied.

 

“Intruding on what?” Officer Ashford said, extending his arm out, motioning around the small space. There was no one else around, and the place felt completely quiet and still.

 

“Do you live here alone?” Alaria asked, spinning around to take in the view.

 

“Most of the time, yes,” Officer Ashford replied. “My wife is back on Earth with her family and the kids. They aren’t big on living in Space and I’m not big on my wife’s constant nagging. So, it’s a win-win.”

 

Kira was shocked by her former Field Training Officer’s bluntness. While she was in the academy, under Officer Ashford’s command, issues of personal lives rarely, if ever, came up.

 

Officer Ashford laughed and turned to lead the group deeper into the small station. “I can see that you’re surprised by my openness, Captain Winter,” he began.

 

“It’s not what I expected, that’s for sure.”

 

“Well, I didn’t expect to see your face pop up on the bounty list or your description to come over the Alliance news feed,” Officer Ashford replied.

 

“It’s true that we’re on the run,” Kira said, knowing it was useless to try to hide the nature of their visit. “But, I assure you that it’s for unjust reasons. We did nothing to deserve the fugitive status that Grimm placed on us.”

 

Officer Ashford let out an amused grunt. “I assumed as much.”

 

“We understand if you don’t want us here,” Kira said. “It puts you in a difficult situation, I know.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “It’s been years since anything exciting has happened in my life. Harboring fugitives seems like a good way to spice things up a bit.”

 

“If you keep this one around,” Bron said patting Kira on the shoulder, “you’ll definitely run the risk of things getting too spicy.”

 

Officer Ashford laughed out loud, stopping as they approached the station’s common area. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

 

“Because you’re the one that trained me,” Kira replied. “I learned from the best.”

 

“Flattery,” Officer Ashford observed. “Is that how you made it through my courses so easily?”

 

Kira rolled her eyes. “There was no easy way through your courses.”

 

“As sweet as this little reunion is,” Bron said, crossing his arms over his chest, “we really need to get the ship repaired and be on our way as soon as possible.”

 

“Right,” Officer Ashford said. “Who is the engineer? The repair bay is this way.”

 

Alaria, Bron, and Vinnie all stepped forward. Officer Ashford led them away, explaining that his supplies were limited, but they were welcome to use whatever they could find. Kira, Thor, and Dario remained in the common area.

 

“Your Field Training Officer? He was your Field Training Officer?” Thor asked, walking across the room, heading in the direction of a collection of mismatched chairs located in the far corner.

 

“He seems pleasant,” Dario noted, following behind Thor.

 

“He is,” Kira insisted. “He’s not going to report us, Thor.”

 

“You’re sure?”

 

“I’m positive,” she insisted.

 

“How can you be so certain?” Thor continued.

 

“Because, as I implied before, I believe Kira is innocent,” Officer Ashford said, re-entering the room.

 

“Wow, this station is small,” Kira muttered, spinning around quickly to face him.

 

“Ever since I heard that there was a bounty placed on her head, I knew something more was going on. I spoke to Artanis not that long ago, and he shared my feelings, only solidifying that my instinct was likely correct.”

 

“Have you spoken to Artanis since the coup?” Kira asked.

 

"He radioed me to tell me that he had spoken to you and that you were back in Earth Orbit. He explained, briefly, your situation, but he wasn't able to fill me in too much, given that our communication needed to be coded for your security."

 

The older man crossed the room, lowering himself down slowly into one of the chairs. He settled in comfortably as if he had known them all for years and was simply catching up with old friends.

 

“I didn’t know you and Artanis were close,” Kira said once Officer Ashford was settled.

 

“Our fields of work may be different,” Officer Ashford agreed, “but we had one very important thing in common.”

 

“What’s that?” Kira, Thor, and Dario asked in unison.

 

“Our distrust of Grimm.” Again, Ashford’s bluntness surprised Kira. “As a Special Forces Commander, he was far too bold for my taste. And then when he got promoted, I knew that it wouldn’t be long before it all went to his head.”

 

“It seems like Grimm has a lot of enemies,” Thor noted.

 

“He has even more friends, unfortunately,” Officer Ashford replied. “Although his personality may be strong and off-putting to some, many flock to him for his zeal and determination. Those qualities can be very good or very bad, depending on who possesses them and what motivates that person to employ them.”

 

Kira nodded in silent agreement. Grimm was a great leader, filling his troops with an amazing sense of duty and responsibility. She herself had gotten caught up in it, once. She wanted to be like him, to share his zest. But, she always knew something about him was damaged. There was something about him that teetered between sincere and sinister. She had never allowed herself to accept that, though, until recently.

 

“His solemnness gives him an aura of wisdom and security,” Ashford continued. “And these days, that’s all anyone really wants. Someone to tell them what to do, and to do so in a way that assures that they’re doing so in everyone’s best interest.”

 

“But, what he’s doing isn’t in everyone’s best interest,” Thor countered. “His experiments, his motivations…”

 

“What are his motivations?” Ashford asked, eyeing Thor carefully. “I only know you by name, former Commander Rockhold. So, you’ll forgive me if I doubt your full understanding of the situation.”

 

Thor’s eyes went wide and his hands balled into fists. “He wants to take over the Alliance for himself, he wants to make Terrans the supreme galactic race.”

 

“He believes Terrans to be the supreme race,” Dario agreed.

 

“You’re still not telling me of his motivations,” Ashford replied calmly. “You’re only telling me what he wants. What brought on his desires? Why did he choose to take such drastic measures? What motivates him?”

 

The room seemed to fill with a palpable tension, all pouring out of Thor’s rigid posture and piercing eyes. “I don’t need to know his motivations, I know firsthand that man in nothing but pure evil,” Thor replied between gritted teeth.

 

"Do you think he was always pure evil?" Ashford asked, not backing down from Thor's aggressive tone.

 

“Does it matter?” Thor asked, his hands clenching into fists at his side.

 

“Probably not,” Ashford conceded. “The truth is, Grimm needs to be stopped, at all costs. But, perhaps finding the root of the problem will help to tear it out before it can spread.”

 

“It already is spreading! Right now, as we speak, he’s building his army, crafting it, manufacturing it—creating his own means to destroy those who oppose him!”

 

Thor’s words were dripping with hate and rage. He was unable to separate his own experiences with Grimm from the situation they were in. Kira didn’t blame him. It was what Grimm did to him, what he was doing to others, that made him such a huge threat. She knew that. She agreed with him. But, on some level, she agreed with Ashford, as well.

 

“But, will these cyborg soldiers stop what they’re doing, simply because their leader is gone? Or will they turn him into a martyr? Will they remain loyal to him, even after he’s dead?” Ashford asked calmly.

 

"Well," Kira spoke before Thor could retaliate. "This has been quite the blood-pumping conversation, hasn't it?"

 

Everyone turned to look at her. Her cheeks flushed as she tried to think of something, anything to say to keep the conversation from becoming heated again.

 

“Who else needs some fresh air?” she continued. “Too bad there’s none of that around, huh?”

 

Her weak attempts to lighten the mood were clearly failing her. No one spoke. “Would you mind, Officer Ashford, if Thor and I explored your station a little? I would really like to stretch my legs, and well, I’m just being honest, I don’t want to leave you two alone, so…”

 

“By all means,” Officer Ashford replied.

 

Thor sighed as he pushed himself up. It was clear that he wasn’t a fan of conceding in any sort of confrontation, but she knew that the argument they were having would lead to nothing more than hostility. And, the last thing she wanted, was to be hostile toward one of the few remaining people they knew they could trust.

 

Thor followed her out of the common area and down a long, metallic hallway. Their footsteps echoed around them, filling the awkward silence that she couldn’t help but feel guilty for creating.

 

They walked along, engaging in meaningless small talk for what felt like an eternity. They explored the entire station, wandering from the small hall filled with sleeping quarters to the dining hall, to the kitchen, to the control room, then back.

 

Finally, when she felt that the argument was far enough behind them that Thor wasn’t too emotionally attached to it to hear her, she decided to bring up Ashford’s point again. She considered bringing up what Thor had said as well, about the experiments, but decided against it. That would only get him worked up again. It was clearly still a sore subject and one he almost never wanted to talk about.

 

“He has a point,” she said as they walked back down the short hall lined with doors leading to unoccupied sleeping quarters “Figuring out Grimm’s motivation could be the key to stopping him.”

 

“Killing him is the key to stopping him,” Thor replied with a grunt.

 

“That too,” Kira said, stopping and turning to face him. “But, if he’s successful in creating a revolution, in spreading an idea, killing him may not be enough to wipe that out.”

 

“And how are we supposed to figure out what the hell Grimm’s thinking? He’s beyond reason, Kira. You heard what Dario told us before. The man has completely lost it.”

 

“It’s just something we can keep in mind,” she said with a shrug.

 

Thor leaned back against the metallic wall and sighed. “You were smart to think of coming here,” he admitted. “It does seem like Officer Ashford really respects you.”

 

“You’re surprised?” Kira asked, feigning shock.

 

“Only slightly,” Thor said, reaching out and wrapping his hands around her hips, pulling her toward him. “I’ve always known you were someone to demand respect. I just never realized that you had gotten it from so many high-ranking individuals. You obviously impressed these people enough that they were concerned about you. Artanis and Ashford both.”

 

“Impressed, tormented, it’s all the same really,” Kira replied, giving into his gentle pull.

 

“Tormented?”

 

“Now I know you’re not surprised.”

 

“Not in the least,” he replied, lowering his face to hers slowly.

 

She pushed herself up onto her tiptoes, letting herself become lost temporarily in the moment, the way she so often did whenever they were alone together. He had a way of making her forget everything else going on around them. There was a part of her that wished so badly that things could be simple, and that they could just return to Earth and begin a real relationship together. But, at the same time, she knew that their relationship functioned perfectly in the environment they found themselves in. They were both seemingly at their best when they were running from danger and fighting off enemies. They were both most at ease when the pressure of external forces pushed them to their limits, forcing them to trust their instincts.

 

They both lived for the adventure they had stumbled on together.

 

Just as her lips met his, her eyes drifted shut and her heart started to race. He tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her closer into him, pulling her body against his.

 

She didn’t hear Alaria approach. She did, however, hear the unmistakable giggle float down the hall, bouncing off the metal walls as it startled both of them apart.

 

Kira, embarrassed and flustered, turned to face Alaria.

 

“This was, I mean, we were, I mean…” Kira stuttered.

 

“Calm down,” Alaria said as she bounced down the hall in their direction. “We all know about you two already.”

 

“You do?”

 

“I told you,” Thor said, nudging her in the back.

 

“It’s so obvious,” Alaria continued. “You two are too cute together to not be a couple.”

 

Kira’s face flushed bright red. She lifted her hands to her cheeks, trying to hide her discomfort. Thor chuckled weakly as he watched her react in her typical awkward fashion to her more vulnerable emotions.

 

“Can we just not talk about this right now?” Kira asked, glaring up at him.

 

His expression fell from a half-smile to a complete scowl quickly. She knew he was frustrated that she refused to acknowledge their relationship out loud.

 

“Hey, it’s your thing,” Alaria replied, her voice still laced with giggles.

 

"Well, let's keep it that way, for the time being, okay?" Kira said.

 

Even though she knew it would upset Thor, the hallway of a former Training Officer’s space station was not the place to reach a relationship milestone, at least not as far as she could see it.

 

“We’re going to have to, anyways,” Alaria said. “The ship is ready. Well, as ready as it’s going to get. We were able to repair the shield emitter and stabilize the engine, for now. Unfortunately, there’s not much else that can be done with what’s on hand. We’ll have to find a way to come into some parts to make further improvements.”

 

“Good enough for now,” Kira said, thankful for the change in topic and the chance to refocus her energy on her job and not the uncomfortable pit growing in her stomach. “Then we should get moving before someone finds out we’re here.”

 

As the last word escaped her lips, the space station shuddered, sending Alaria tumbling forward and Kira tripping backward. Thor reached out quickly, catching both of them before they could hit the ground.

 

“What the hell was that?” Thor asked as he helped the two women to regain their balance.

 

Another shudder followed by a loud explosion answered his question for him.

 

“Shit,” Kira muttered, reaching for her Phantom. “They’ve already found us.”

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

 

Kira, Thor, and Alaria rushed to the station’s common area. As they grew closer, the sound of voices became more audible.

 

“This is a private station,” Ashford said firmly. “You have no right to board without permission.”

 

“Permission is a luxury, and harboring fugitives cost you that luxury, Officer,” came the quick reply.

 

Thor reached out and grabbed onto Kira’s shoulder, pulling her back before she could round the corner. Alaria, behind them, also stopped suddenly. They all lowered themselves in unison, ducking around to get a better view of what was going on.

 

In the center of the room stood Ashford, surrounded by eleven heavily armed men, with an impressive collection of assault rifles strapped to their backs and pulse rifles in hand. It was clear from the rough-around-the-edges look the group had that they weren’t TAF patrol. They were bounty hunters.

 

“There are no fugitives here,” Ashford replied. “Just an old man that wishes to be left alone.”

 

"Then how do you explain the ship docked in your repair bay," the largest of the ten men spoke. He was a young man, with a cross expression ingrained so deeply in the lines of his face that it seemed to be a permanent feature. Scrawled across his neck was a tattoo of a scorpion.

 

“Oh, that,” Ashford said with a slight shrug. “I found it floating around not far from here. I decided to take it in and fix it up. Everyone needs a hobby.”

 

The scorpion man scoffed. “Hobby,” he said with a slow nod. “Right. Well, you should know that ship belonged to wanted criminals. Criminals with very handsome bounties on their heads—bounties we intend to collect.”

 

“That’s shocking,” Ashford said, leaning back on his heels.

 

“I’m sure you’re very surprised,” the man replied. “If you don’t mind, my men will need to look around.”

 

“Anything for the galaxies finest bounty hunters.,” Ashford replied, glancing quickly to his right.

 

Kira followed his line of sight. There was a short hallway there, leading to where the repair bay was located. She saw a shadow move swiftly down the hall, a small shadow.

 

“Vinnie,” she whispered. Hopefully, Dario was with him and Bron, taking cover somewhere on the other side of the station.

 

The scorpion man barked out a string of orders, sending his men in groups to the different sections of the station. Thor pulled back on Kira’s arm, leading her and Alaria through one of the doors lining the hallway just as a group of three men began their slow, purpose driven march in their direction.

 

The room they were in was sparsely furnished. It would have served as a bedroom if more than one person occupied the station. There was a couch positioned in the center of the room, and a dresser pushed up against one of the walls. Other than that, the space was wide-open. Not the best place to hide-out in.

 

“What do we do?” Alaria asked, her blue eyes wide.

 

“What we do best,” Kira replied, reaching for her Phantom.

 

Thor grabbed hold of his assault rifle, strapped to his back. Kira thought he was being overly cautious when he insisted on bringing it along when they disembarked. Now, though, she was very thankful that he did.

 

He locked the action into the loaded position and handed Alaria his side arm. They backed into the room a little further, listening as the group of men worked their way through one room then the next. Kira took cover, along with Alaria, behind the couch. Thor remained closer to the door, kneeling down behind the dresser. The piece of furniture did little to conceal him.

 

They all held their breath as they waited. It felt like an eternity passed as the doors to different rooms in the hallway were thrown open and shouts of “clear” rang out.

 

When the door to the room they were hiding out in finally crashed open, Thor was the first to react.

 

He took out the first man to enter the room with a single, energetic blast from his rifle directed squarely at the center of his chest. The second his body hit the ground, his companions began to fire indiscriminately from pure instinct.

 

Kira took advantage of their frenzied state. She pushed herself up, leaping onto the couch and crouching down, her Phantom trained on one of the men. She pulled the trigger quickly. The blast that flew from her weapon grazed the man’s arm.

 

His adrenaline must have been pumping because the wound didn't appear to affect him at all—other than the fact that it seriously pissed him off. He twisted around to face her, the sites of his assault rifle finding her with ease. Just as he pulled the trigger, she ducked back down. The blast buzzed over her head.

 

One of the men let out a loud shout, directed back into the hall. “Contact!” he yelled. “Contact!”

 

Thor pushed himself out from his place behind the dresser, rolling across the ground as he let loose another string of shots. One of the blasts found its home in the gut of the man that Kira had hit in the arm. This time, the effects were apparent. The man fell to the ground, clutching his stomach for a second before his head tilted back and his breathing slowed to stopping.

 

The last man remained. Alaria ducked out from behind the couch and shot a stream of plasma in his direction. She missed, but just barely. Just enough to draw his attention to her.

 

Thor, now with Kira and Alaria behind the couch, leaped up and over the couch. Just as he sent another stream of energy flying from his assault rifle, the man lunged forward, letting the shot zip past him.

 

Kira pushed herself up, ready to direct her focus to the last remaining man, just in time to see two more come barging into the room. The small space was suddenly feeling very cramped. She set the sights of her Phantom on one of the men, as Thor threw himself forward, tackling the other to the ground before he ever realized someone was rushing toward him.

 

The man's gun went flying loose and skidded across the ground. Kira fired a shot, quickly, at the man she had set her sights on previously. The shot hit him in the shoulder, and the force caused him to spin around slightly. Taking advantage of the moment, she threw herself over the couch and grabbed hold of the stray assault rifle.

 

Just as she pushed herself up, finding one of the men in the gun’s sights, a calm, almost ominous voice spoke.

 

“I wouldn’t do that.”

 

It was the man who had come into the room with the original group. She had forgotten about him. How had she forgotten about him?

 

She spun around slowly, not lowering her gun. Standing there, behind the couch, was the bounty hunter. Next to him was Alaria. His hand was wrapped tightly around her wrist, and the sidearm that she had been using previously now in his possession. He was pressing it firmly into her ribs with an eerie smile on his face.

 

“I’ll kill her,” he said calmly. “I will. We don’t need her, you see. You two are the valuable ones.”

 

Kira let out a soft sigh, turning to glance at Thor. He, too, had a defeated look on his face. He lowered his gun and nodded for her to do the same.

 

The three men—one injured, one holding Alaria captive, and one strutting along behind them proudly—escorted them back down the hall. When they reached the common area, they found the leader of the group with his gun pointed in their direction. Ashford was seated in one of the plush armchairs in the corner of the room, also with a gun pointed at his face.

 

Kira’s spirits fell even further when two more of the bounties hunters appeared, coming from the hall leading to the repair bay, escorting a terrified looking Dario. Where was Bron? Vinnie? Her heart sunk into her stomach.

 

“You lied to us, Ashford,” the scorpion man said as his men pushed their captives toward the center of the room. “I don’t like being lied to.”

 

“I don’t like having guns pointed in my face,” Ashford replied calmly. “So, I guess we’re both not enjoying ourselves.”

 

The bounty hunter leader let out a sharp, terrifying laugh. “Not quite.” He scanned the room, counting his men. “It looks like I lost two men. I don’t like losing men, either.”

 

He waved the man holding onto Alaria over to him. Alaria let out a soft whimper as she was pushed forward. She tripped, something that seemed impossible for someone as graceful as she was, and fell to the ground in front of him.

 

Kira tensed up, as did Thor. The man behind them let out a soft chuckle and pushed the barrel of his gun into Thor’s back.

 

“Now, I can’t kill the Captain,” the bounty hunters’ leader began, eyeing Kira. “Or the Arcanum soldier, or the Doctor. You see, you’re all worth much more to me alive. But, I can kill this one. She’s not worth anything. And you, Ashford. That would make two. Then, we’ll be even.”

 

“No!” Dario called out. “Don’t hurt her!”

 

The man with the scorpion tattoo let out another bone-chilling laugh as he mockingly pointed his assault rifle down at Alaria.

 

A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the room as everyone held their breath. Kira’s mind reeled. There had to be a way out. There had to be something…

 

Her thoughts were cut short when a loud explosion rang out. Everyone, including the bounty hunters, recoiled back as a bright light shot out of the direction of the explosion, followed by a heavy layer of smoke. The blast itself was so loud, it made Kira’s ears ring.

 

She didn’t even hear the plasma rifles begin to fire. She felt them, though, as they buzzed past her. Thor, somewhere from behind the thick curtain of smoke, reached out and grabbed hold of her. She spun around to face him, just in time to see the fog-covered shadow of the man who had been guarding them lift his gun, despite his obviously confused state, and point it again at Thor’s back.

 

Kira continued to give into Thor’s tug as she raised her Phantom and fired a shot just over his shoulder. The man behind him fell to the ground instantly. Maybe he yelled, maybe he didn’t. She wasn’t sure. There was too much going on, too much confusion, too many sounds.

 

The smoke began to lift as Thor pulled her into him, leading her out of the center of the room. They found their way to Ashford, no longer in the chair but standing triumphantly over the body of the bounty hunter that had the gun pointed at him.

 

“I may be old,” he said, smiling at her, “but I still got it!”

 

“Good, because we sure as hell need it,” Kira replied, spinning around to face the commotion simultaneously lifting her gun again.

 

The bounty hunters’ leader still stood in the center of the room. But, Alaria was gone. Kira scanned the area, searching for her. Everything was hazy, chaotic, and confusing. On the ground lay two more of the bounty hunters, dead. Two more were injured. The others from their group were scattered about, also searching the area. They were looking for the source of the blast.

 

Kira, too, wondered where their salvation had come from.

 

Then, an enthusiastic, energetic shout echoed off the walls, answering her question. “Die, you fucking assholes!” Vinnie yelled out.

 

He came running into the room, followed closely by Bron. Down the hall they had come from, Kira spotted a distraught Alaria and a concerned Dario peering out.

 

The pair burst into the room, guns blazing with furious energy. Kira and Thor joined in the fire. The six remaining bounty hunters scurried back and forth, sometimes returning fire, others ducking for cover. Thor kicked over one of the couches in the seating area and pulled Kira down with him for cover. Ashford joined them.

 

Bron and Vinnie took cover nearby, behind an old, metal desk that Kira hoped was sturdier than it looked.

 

“What did I tell you?” Bron yelled at Officer Ashford over the roar of gunfire. “You keep her around too long and action will find you!”

 

“I live for your entertainment,” Kira replied, popping her head up quickly and firing a quick blast at a bounty hunter charging in their direction.

 

“For the record, the thrill of a simple ship race would have done the trick,” Ashford said.

 

"I'll keep that in mind," Kira said, slumping down behind the couch again. She crawled around to the side closest to where Bron and Vinnie were hiding behind the desk. "Bron!" she yelled. "Flashbang!"

 

Bron didn’t look to acknowledge her but it was clear he heard her. He reached into his pocket quickly and pulled out a small black box. It was a stun grenade, like the one they used to distract the bounty hunters and rush in to rescue Alaria. Kira leaned back and waved for Thor and Ashford to do the same.

 

Two seconds later, another explosion went off, and the room once again filled with smoke.

 

Kira led her small group forward, following Bron and Vinnie back to the hallway where Alaria and Dario were still taking cover. Once there, Kira ran forward, embracing Alaria tightly.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked.

 

“I’m fine,” Alaria said, nodding her head. There was a smile on her face, but she still seemed a little shaken up. “Really, I’m fine. I just really want to get out of here.”

 

“I couldn’t agree more,” Kira said, pulling back from Alaria’s embrace and turning to face the rest of her crew. “Where’s the ship?”

 

“This way,” Bron said, taking the lead.

 

The sound of the bounty hunters running around in the fog of the stun grenade spurred them all to run a little faster. The hall leading to the repair bay was short, and it took less than a minute for them to arrive. Just as they burst through the door, the Curio finally in view, Ashford pulled back on Kira’s arm. She ordered her crew to get on the ship, telling Alaria and Bron to make sure the engines were ready for take-off.

 

“I’m this way,” Ashford said, motioning to a small private shuttle stationed not far from the Curio.

 

“You won’t come with us?” Kira asked.

 

“As much as I’ve enjoyed this entire experience, I’m suddenly remembering why I decided to retire,” Ashford replied with a shrug and a smile.

 

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Kira asked.

 

“I’ll be stuck on Earth with my wife, so I’m not sure I’d say okay,” Officer Ashford replied with a crooked smile. “But I’ll survive, yes.”

 

Kira patted him on the shoulder, looking over her own as two of the bounty hunters stormed into the bay and began to run toward them. “Thank you, Officer,” she said. “I owe you.”

 

“You owe me a new station, is what you owe me,” Ashford replied, pushing her toward the hatch of her ship. “But you can pay me back when you stop Grimm and become an intergalactic hero.”

 

“Deal!” Kira yelled as she hurried up the ramp.

 

She didn't have the chance to say anymore because just as she entered the Curio, the repair bay hatch began to rise. She turned to watch Ashford scurry back, heading for his personal shuttle. She didn't see him reach it and she didn't have time to wait around to make sure he did.

 

Spinning on her heel, she raced toward the flight deck. Thor was already there, waiting for her in the co-pilot seat. Initiating the engines went much more smoothly than it had before, which was a very good thing because the bounty hunters were within range of the Curio.

 

The speed with which she was able to lift the ship off the ground caused a sigh of relief to escape her lips. “Finally,” she muttered to herself. “Now I can actually do my job.”

 

She sent the ship forward as the large bay doors ahead of them began to lower. Through her rear camera, she could see Ashford take off in his private vessel and begin to follow them toward the exit. To her surprise, the bounty hunters didn’t attempt to shoot them down. The second they saw the ships take off, they turned around and raced back into the station.

 

“That’s probably not a good thing,” she said, looking over at Thor.

 

“You don’t think they’re just going to give up?” he asked, watching the camera feed with her.

 

“Have we ever been that lucky?” Kira replied.

 

The door to the landing bay was completely opened, and Kira led the Curio out into open space, throwing the controls forward the second they were past the station’s outer hull. There wasn’t even time to relax. The image of the bounty hunters’ ship came into view just moments after they parted ways with Ashford—him heading for Earth, them for anywhere but there.

 

The bounty hunters’ ship wasn’t the top-of-the-line models used by the TAF patrol squads. But, it was definitely more state-of-the-art than the Curio. Kira quickly radioed down to Alaria to confirm that the weapons and defense arrays were online.

 

“You’ll be able to warp,” Alaria informed her. “But ease into it, she’s not warmed up.”

 

“I can’t make any promises,” Kira replied as she watched the bounty hunters’ ship growing closer.

 

She prepared the Curio for warp. She knew there was the chance that she would be able to defeat the bounty hunters in combat, but given the ship’s recent performance, she thought it best to not push her luck.

 

“Thor, enter in the coordinates for the first mining colony,” she said, keeping her eye on the monitors around her. An alarm began to go off, informing her that their pursuers had locked in on them.

 

“Done,” Thor replied just as the flash of cannon fire burst out from under the belly of the bounty hunters’ ship.

 

Kira pushed down on the controls, lowering the ship just out of the line of fire. The coordinates were in, but warp capabilities were still not online. She glanced over at her readout and noticed the warp system prep stalled at 95%.

 

Another explosive flash caught her eye. This time, the blast was coming right at them. Thor clenched his fists as he waited for her to make her move.

 

She glanced back at the gauge—99%.

 

“Come on beautiful,” she said under her breath. “Come on.”

 

The bright orange glow of the projectile flying toward them was growing closer and closer. Kira tightened her hold on the controls, both bracing herself for impact and waiting for her moment to act.

 

One hundred percent.

 

“Finally!” she exclaimed, slamming her fist down on the warp-drive generator. In a flash, the Curio was sent hurtling through space, just seconds before the bounty hunters’ cannon fire reached the spot they had previously occupied. She didn’t relax at first. Neither did Thor. They both leaned forward, watching the sensor array as the wide open expanse of space continued to zip past them.

 

“Did they follow us?” Kira asked.

 

“No,” Thor said, leaning back in his chair. “We’re fine, I don’t think they had time to triangulate our coordinates.”

 

Finally letting herself relax, Kira leaned back in her seat as she let out a soft sigh. Her skin still tingled with the surge of adrenaline, and her spirits were high on the feeling of accomplishment. In the span of thirty minutes, they had escaped the clutches of bounty hunters twice.

 

Reading the screens around her, Kira turned to Thor. “We should be there in two days,” she said.

 

“That should be more than enough time to relax and recoup before we go throwing ourselves into another dangerous and stupid situation.”

 

He pushed himself up and began moving toward the hull of the ship. She noted something in his mannerism, in the way he left without saying anything else. Something was bothering him. She had done something to upset him.

 

In the excitement, she had completely forgotten about their tense encounter in the hallway, the moment she could have stepped up and given him what he needed, her open admission that they were together. She hadn’t. She had let him down; she clammed up.

 

“Great job, Kira,” she scolded herself. “You always find a way to screw things up.”

 

CHAPTER EIGHT

 

Pacing up and down the hallway multiple times did nothing to relax Kira’s nerves as she tried to find the right way to approach Thor regarding their current situation. She had played about a dozen different conversation openers over in her mind, feeling like all of them were complete shit and discarding them as quickly as they appeared.

 

The sound of his door opening at the end of the hall shocked her, causing her to go motionless.

 

“You can stop pacing now,” he said, waving her into his quarters.

 

“I was just about to come talk to you,” she said, walking toward him.

 

“I assumed as much. You walked past my door at least five times.”

 

She walked into his quarters. It looked like all the others, containing only the bare essentials—bed, table, chair, and a small bathroom. It wasn’t her first time there. She had sneaked off to visit him multiple times during their trip back to Earth. But, this time the excitement of keeping their relationship a secret no longer hung in the air. Now, that very thing that once made her stomach flop with excitement left a bitter taste in her mouth. He was done with the secret.

 

“You’re angry with me,” she noted as she crossed the room and slumped down on his bed.

 

“Not angry, just frustrated.”

 

“So, pretty much the same thing,” she replied.

 

“Pretty much,” he admitted, sitting next to her. “Everyone knows about us, Kira. Why do you insist on keeping it a secret still? The worst kept secret on board, by the way.”

 

“It’s not that I want to keep it a secret,” she started. “I just don’t want to mess it up, you know?”

 

“You’ve said that before. But, I don’t understand why you think being more open about everything will mess it up? Besides, this whole situation is messed up, to begin with.”

 

“Because I’m so horribly awkward in these kinds of situations.”

 

“Probably because you make a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be,” he pointed out.

 

“Probably,” she agreed. “It’s just been my experience that men are intimidated by me.”

 

“Have they seen you?” Thor asked, jokingly.

 

“Not physically,” Kira replied. “Although, they probably should be. I may be small, but I can hold my own.”

 

“And then some,” Thor agreed.

 

“It’s just my status, I suppose. Men have always had a problem accepting that I’m their superior.”

 

“There are more men on this ship than women, Kira. And they all look to you for leadership and guidance. No one has a problem with that. You’re capable and we trust you.”

 

“You don’t have a problem with it for now,” she replied. “But the thing is, I am your superior while we’re on board, at least. How would you feel about your girlfriend giving you orders?”

 

Thor smiled, mischievously. “I don’t think I’d have a problem with that.”

 

“I’m being serious.”

 

“I’m not insecure about my position. I’m capable of separating Kira, the woman I have developed feelings for, and Captain Winter, the best damn pilot I’ve ever seen, and the first person I would want by my side in a fight.”

 

“That might change.”

 

“It’s like you want this to fail,” he said, his mood shifting from calm to slightly annoyed.

 

“I just need a little more time to figure it out, please. Everything has changed so fast,” she begged him. She reached out and rested her hand on his.

 

“Why don’t you let me figure it out with you?” he countered.

 

“Because it’s not a ‘you’ problem,” she said, leaning in and kissing him softly on the cheek, “it’s a ‘me’ problem.”

 

She knew there was more to her hesitation to enter into a relationship than she was saying. It was true. Her position had prevented her from being able to hold onto any real relationships, the men around her always struggling with being with someone as commanding and confident as she was. But, there was something else. Something else rattled around in the back of her mind. She couldn’t figure out what it was, though. She couldn’t figure out why she felt such a strong aversion to letting herself dive completely into a relationship. There was still something inside of her that wanted to resist. It was fear. But, a fear of what, she wasn’t sure.

 

“I should have known that nothing with you would be easy,” he said, moving his hand from the bed to her side.

 

His touch sent a shiver of comfort running through her. She let her mind rest, just for the time being. He was being patient with her. It was hard for him, but he was doing it. It was one of the many, many things that drew her to him. And, in that moment, that attraction was all she wanted to focus on.

 

“That’s what you like about me, though, isn’t it?” she replied, leaning in and pressing her hand to his chest, moving her lips from his cheek, tracing a soft line of kisses down along his jaw.

 

He tightened his hold on her waist, moving his other hand around and taking hold of her completely, pushing her back onto the bed. She let out a soft gasp as he lowered himself down onto her.

 

“I have always enjoyed a challenge,” he replied, leaning in to press his lips to hers.

 

She wrapped her hands around him, feeling the muscles in his back contract under his shirt’s light layer of fabric. As she reached down to take hold of the edge of his shirt and lift it off over his head, he did the same, matching her movements in the swift, sure way he did everything.

 

The shape of his body always had the same effect on her. It always amazed her, excited her. The way that his muscles contracted slightly with his every movement, his taunt skin pulled over them so perfectly and smoothly. There wasn’t one single flaw that she could find. Her stomach fluttered as she grazed her hand over him, tracing the outlines of his chest, letting her hand drift down to his stomach, and then lower and lower.

 

He leaned in, his eyes filled with a sparkle—a lustful sparkle that only appeared for her. His shaggy, dark hair hung around his face, accentuating the rugged look that he wore so perfectly.

 

When their bodies came together again, their skin pressing against one another’s, a rush of excitement surged through her. He lowered his face to her neck, pressing his lips to her skin softly as he ran his fingers along her sides, inching them down slowly.

 

She grabbed hold of him once more, her fingers digging into his skin. When she grazed over one of the scars on his back an even more intense desire to hold onto him built up inside her.

 

She lowered her hands, running her fingers gracefully over his bare skin as Thor’s fingers found the edge of her shorts. Her skin rippled with goosebumps as he slid his fingers slowly toward the button.

 

This time, she followed his lead, reaching down quickly to begin pulling at the ties around his waist. He pushed her shorts down to her thighs, but she didn’t wait until he was unclothed to reach her hand down and take hold of him.

 

He was already hard; he was ready for her.

 

As he moved his hand lower, she tilted her head back, trying to keep her excitement in check. She continued to work to pleasure him, while he inched closer and closer to doing the same for her.

 

Just as his fingers found her pleasure center, he lowered his lips to her right breast, taking her nipple into his mouth. She stifled a moan as she pinched her eyes shut. Her back arched on its own accord and her toes curled up.

 

The mixture of feelings, the tenderness with which he kissed her chest, contrasting with the aggressiveness with which he pleasured her with his hand, made the room begin to spin. Unable to take it any longer, she began to push down on his waistband, ready to free him completely and take him as her own.

 

He leaned back and smiled. “Looks like you’re the impatient one now,” he replied, wiggling out of his last remaining clothes.

 

“Shut up,” she said, grabbing onto his waist and pulling him down to her again.

 

She wrapped her legs around him, lifting her hips to meet him as he lowered his to her. The second he entered her, a feeling of complete euphoria washed over her. The stronger that feeling became, though, the more she was filled with lust—the more she wanted.

 

Digging her nails into his back, she tried to pull him down more, to force him deeper, to feel the pleasure he gave her with more intensity. She let out a soft, frustrated moan when her attempts turned out to be futile. He was enjoying her longing too much. He knew what she wanted, but he wasn’t ready to give it to her just yet.

 

He buried his face down into her neck and kissed her softly while moving his hips up and down, slowly. She tilted her head back and let out another frustrated groan.

 

“You don’t like tender?” he asked, still pressing his lips softly against her skin.

 

“What do you think?” she replied, digging her nails into his back again.

 

He let out a soft laugh. His warm breath washed over her skin, bringing with it a wave of desire so intense she thought she would get completely carried away in it. Pinching her eyes shut, she bit down on her bottom lip and once again attempted to pull him down into her deeper.

 

This time, he gave into her silent pleas. His hips thrust forward and her entire body surged with satisfied bliss. When he pulled back again, she didn’t have to pull him down again. This time, he thrust forward on his own accord, his movements strong and sure.

 

The moment seemed to last forever but at the same time was over all too quickly. She became lost in it, letting her worries leave her as the feeling of being with him filled her completely. The warmth that spread through her, the ecstasy that seized her, the pleasure that shook her—she wanted to hold onto them. She wanted to live in that moment for as long as she could.

 

There, with him, everything was simple.

 

CHAPTER NINE

 

“It looks abandoned,” Kira informed the crew as she walked into the Curio’s common area two days later. Everyone was seated around the small table in the center of the room, waiting for her to give the order to disembark.

 

“There’s no sign of any miners or any of Grimm’s forces,” Thor added, following behind her.

 

"As we assumed, there's no atmosphere," Kira continued. "So, we'll need to wear our combat gear. It may end up coming in handy, anyway."

 

“Is it safe to go out there?” Alaria asked, snuggling Zola tightly in her lap.

 

“Well, the fact that it’s abandoned could mean that it either is, or it isn’t,” Dario observed.

 

“That clears everything up,” Kira said, smiling as she patted the older man on the back.

 

Dario chuckled. “I just meant that either no one is left out there, and we’ll find ourselves completely alone, or whatever caused the miners to flee is still hiding somewhere, waiting to attack.”

 

“Well, then, we have no choice but to explore,” Bron said, pushing himself up from his seat next to Alaria. “That’s what we came here to do, right?”

 

“Hell yes!” Vinnie exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

 

“This kid gets excited about anything,” Kira mused. “Wish I had your enthusiasm, Vinnie.”

 

“Come on, everyone!” Vinnie continued to speak in sharp, excited tones. “It’s an adventure! That’s what we do, isn’t it?”

 

Bron rolled his eyes and set his hand firmly on Vinnie’s shoulder. “Maybe you should stay back again, to watch after the ship.”

 

“Like hell, I’m going to miss this,” Vinnie countered, shrugging Bron’s massive hand away. “The ship will be fine. Kira already said this place is abandoned.”

 

“And Dario pointed out that there might still be someone out there,” Bron replied.

 

“That’s why you need me!” Vinnie continued to insist. “Come on, Bron. How many times have I saved your ass? I deserve this.”

 

“Fine,” Bron said after a moment of contemplation. “Grab a suit, if you can find one small enough to fit you,” he added jokingly.

 

“Screw you,” Vinnie muttered, marching off to the supply room.

 

“Okay,” Kira said pulling everyone’s attention to her. “Everyone else, go suit up and report back here in ten minutes.”

 

Everyone jumped into action as Kira turned to head back to her quarters. It had been a while since she had the chance to use her combat armor. As exciting as the prospect of slipping into the high-end military gear was, she hoped that they wouldn’t need to use it for anything other than breathing.

 

Dressing quickly, she ensured that she had not only her assault rifle strapped securely to her back but that her Phantom was safely tucked into one of the many holsters the combat armor had.

 

The suit was light-weight and sleek. The black material was a synthetic blend that both protected the wearer from low-grade blasts, but also moved easily, providing a fair amount of flexibility and movement. The helmet collapsed into the suit itself, and the oxygen pack installed into the back of the suit was able to generate breathable air for hours.