Raisa watched the viewing screen in the cockpit as a transport came for Jackson. The cylindrical air carriage had two propellers on the top. The blades were contained with circular ring that turned them in whatever direction was needed to steer the transport. No one stepped out after it landed. She touched the screen, as if feeling the flat texture of his image could somehow connect her to him.

“He’ll be fine,” Rick said behind her.

She dropped her hand. “Then why am I so worried?”

“Do you really need me to answer that?” He sat down in his pilot’s seat and kicked his feet up onto the console. “Jackson was practically raised by the Federation.”

“What do you mean?” Raisa didn’t take her eyes off the transport as it took Jackson away.

“The military training program coordinator found him in an orphanage. They put him into their program, pumped him full of vitamins and food paste, schooled him, trained him. I only know bits and pieces of the story, but if anyone could be called a super soldier, it’s him.”

When the transport went out of view, she turned to study Rick, half expecting him to be teasing.

“He didn’t tell you?” Rick asked.

“We didn’t discuss his childhood,” she admitted. “He doesn’t seem to like talking about the past, so I didn’t pry. I knew he was trained. I didn’t know it was for so long.”

“Can’t blame a man for that.” Rick reached for the console and pushed a couple buttons, changing the view on the screen. It showed the distance were a small spot was disappearing. “I’ve heard about those programs. All work, no joy. They stick the children into barracks and bark orders at them.”

“Rick,” Lochlann said in warning as he joined them. “Those are Jackson’s stories to tell.”

“I’m not telling Jackson’s story. I’m telling what I heard about how the Federation trains children to grow into soldiers in their orphanage camps.” Rick busied himself pushing buttons again. This time he brought up the view of the fueling station.

“That’s why he doesn’t show emotion,” Raisa said, not so much a realization as an acknowledgement. “But he feels it. I know he does. We shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t want to go back. The only reasons he’s agreed is to stop the military from chasing us, from chasing me because I drugged those soldiers.”

Lochlann gave a small laugh and nodded. “Yeah, that was awesome.”

“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch of guys,” Rick drawled sarcastically, touching his stomach where he’d been beaten. The medical booth had begun to heal him, but it was a long process, and it had been days since Lucien could be moved out of it long enough for Rick to use it.

“This isn’t right.” Raisa clasped her hands in front of her. “I’m going after him.”

“Whoa,” Rick said, dropping his feet on the floor.

“Hold on,” Lochlann said at the same time, moving to block the door. “We can’t let you do that.”

A low rumble sounded and the ship vibrated. For a stunned moment, they looked at each other.

“What was that?” Lochlann asked, moving closer to the console.

“I don’t know. Checking sensors,” Rick answered. “It came from outside the ship.”

The view showed the storefront. Light flashed over the rundown metal structure. Raisa reached to push the button that would change the viewing screen.

The flashing light came from the direction of the transport. There had been some kind of explosion.

“Jackson,” she whispered, running from the cockpit toward the outer hatch. She heard someone following her but didn’t stop. Her heartbeat quickened, and she found it hard to breathe.

“What was that?” Dev appeared from his room.

Raisa’s expression must have been enough answer because he gestured for her to keep going as he followed. She ran to the hatch along the belly of the ship, struggling as her hands shook to pull the lock so it would open. Dev and Lochlann appeared next to her.

Dev unlocked the door and hit the button to open it. He placed his arm in front of Raisa to keep her from going first as he jumped from the opening before the ladder could be extended to the ground. He looked up, holding out a hand so Raisa could use it as support as she hopped down. She placed her palm against his red one, lightly lacing their fingers as she used his strength for support and jumped from the ship. Lochlann landed behind her.

The flashing lights had subsided, but she saw black smoke filtering up into the sky. The distance was too far to run.

Raisa turned to the fueling dock store. She pushed her way inside to find the Gelertan man standing near the dirty window looking at the distance. He appeared unconcerned.

“You’re pretty,” Raisa said, her tone hard. “Get me a transport to the base.”

The man looked at her and snorted. The gesture sent a ripple down his chin and neck.

Lochlann and Dev entered the store.

“You’re a princess,” Raisa insisted. “A pretty princess.”

“Raisa?” Lochlann asked.

“Blast it,” Raisa swore. “I’ll push the button myself.”

She made a move to go behind the counter where she’d seen the smelly man push the button for the security orb. The Gelertan moved with surprising speed as he jiggled past her. He slid his body between her and the button and reached up to grab her by the neck. Squishy flesh compressed against her, molding around her chin to smother her mouth and nose. She tried to claw the skin around her face, fighting to breathe as she became lightheaded.

Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The man released her, and she gasped for breath. Dev stood with a blaster pistol pointed at the man’s head.

“Transport,” Dev stated, not lowering his weapon.

The man reached to the side and fumbled for the button. The security orb came down and Raisa went before it. After scanning Raisa’s face, it blinked red, not recognizing her.

“Move.” Dev ordered the man to walk in front of the scanner. The Gelertan appeared frightened by Dev and did as he was told. The unit recognized the proprietor and blinked green.

“Is that it? Will a transport come?” Raisa asked the man.

He acted as if he wasn’t going to answer, but one glance at Dev had him nodding.

Raisa rushed to the window and watched for their transport. She tapped her fingers against the glass in her agitation, leaving dotted smudges behind. Smoke still drifted over the landscape. It felt like the air carriage took a long time before it appeared in the distance.

“It’s here,” Raisa said.

“Stay, or I’ll come back,” Dev warned the proprietor, his tone lower than she knew it to normally be.

“We need to be careful,” Lochlann said as he passed her a blaster. “We don’t know what kind of greeting we’ll get.”

Neither man had tried to convince her to stay behind. For that, she was grateful. Nothing about this day felt right. Something had nagged at her since she’d opened her eyes. At first, she tried to tell herself it was worry, but it was more than that. Her eyes turned toward the smoke. The urge to cry welled up inside her, overtaken only with the impulse to run.

She ran to meet the transport but it drifted past her and she had to turn around. Her hair blew around her head as she neared it. Lochlann made a series of gestures toward their ship, most likely a message to Rick who watched from within.

“I shouldn’t have let him go,” Raisa said, not thinking anyone would hear her.

“Do you think you could have commanded him otherwise?” Dev asked her.

Raisa shook her head. “No. Just as he couldn’t command me to stay on the ship when we landed today.”

“Jackson is a survivor. We have fought in many simulated battles together in the VR. He knows what he is doing.” Dev patted her shoulder. The gesture was a little awkward.

The air carriage stopped, and the door opened. Dev held out his arm to keep her back as he looked inside before stepping in. Raisa and Lochlann followed him. There were bench seats curving around the sides that didn’t have a door. They each sat against one wall. Raisa hit her hand against the door scanner, trying to make it close. Everything seemed to move too slowly. The windows were glass so she could see the countryside as they moved. There wasn’t much to look at and the angle made it impossible to see the smoke. The carriage wasn’t meant to be a tactical vehicle and so there wasn’t much in its programming past moving from one point to another and back again.

“Do you smell that?” Lochlann asked. His eyes shifted to gold and she gasped in surprise.

“Dragonshifter,” Dev stated.

Raisa nodded. “Of course.”

“We’re close to the fire.” Lochlann touched the door scanner. It didn’t open. A ripple moved over his body. Brown armor covered his flesh as he shifted. A ridge formed along his forehead and grew down to cover his nose. Talons extended from his hands.

Raisa made a small noise of surprise to see the change. She had never suspected.

Lochlann growled, showing fangs as he kicked at the carriage door. It dented at the impact and he did it again. The door flew off the moving carriage, crashing to the ground as they left it behind. Dev grabbed the door frame and leaned out of the opening. The carriage alarm began to beep in warning and she felt them slowing.

“We’re near the base,” Dev said. “Have your weapons ready but out of sight.”

Dev jumped out before the carriage stopped. Raisa made sure her blaster wasn’t on and tucked it into her pants under her shirt. She looked at the ground lurching past and leapt. Her feet stumbled, and she was flung forward. She landed on her shoulder and pain shot over her as her body rolled several times in the dirt.

“Come.” Dev reached his hand down to pull her to her feet. The word sounded like a command.

Raisa nodded and tried to ignore the pain as she jogged after him. Seeing Dev pull out his blaster, she did the same. The circular dome of the base was near but she didn’t see any movement coming from there. Lochlann apparently had landed on his feet and hurried toward the smoking transport. It was clear the carriage had exploded. Pieces of debris were littered over the ground, and the base of the unit was covered in flames.

“Do you see him?” Raisa yelled. “Jackson?”

Dev motioned her to be quiet. He came to a stop near the main wreckage and tilted his head as if listening. Lochlann stayed in shifted form as he ran around the area to check the surrounding landscape.

“I don’t hear him.” Dev went toward the fire. Raisa tried to follow but the heat blasted her and she stumbled back. “He’s not here.”

Raisa turned her attention to the base. The solid metal dome had been butted up against several large boulders, though they were hardly strategic enough to provide protection. The air carriage had drifted to a stop several feet ahead of them.

Lochlann joined them. He had not drawn a weapon in his search. “I found footprints leading toward the base.” He pointed at the ground.

Dev started to run for the base but skidded to a stop as the entrance began to open. He tucked the hand with the weapon behind his leg to hide it from view and turned his body so it looked less unnatural. He walked forward slowly, prompting Raisa and Lochlann to do the same.

“Your name is Violette Craven Stephans en Dehauberkelsain en Thoraxian en Yyrtolzx Devekin,” Dev told Raisa. “You’re my wife, and your father was General Jack Stephans, who commanded the Rifflen base until his death. You don’t like to talk about it.”

“When did Violette officially change her name?” Lochlann asked in surprise.

“She and Lucien were bored. They added my name to hers on official military paperwork because they thought it would be funny to watch people pronounce it,” Dev said. “I offered to take her name, but she said she wanted mine.”

“But, why would I need—” Raisa tried to protest.

“Raisa drugged Federation soldiers to free Jackson. Violette is a beloved military daughter,” Lochlann interrupted her protest. He had shifted back into his human form. All traces of the dragon were gone. “We’ll just hope Violette’s image isn’t in their system.”

“It’s not,” Dev said. “I had Alexis remove it when she hacked into their system looking for the Larceny Casino information.”

“She didn’t tell—” Lochlann began.

“Now is not the time,” Dev put forth. He nodded toward where soldiers came out with drawn weapons. “Time to play nice.”

Lochlann signed heavily as if annoyed by what Dev revealed. He clearly didn’t like the idea of his wife hacking into protected databases with her computer brain. Stepping forward, he led the way toward the base. Lochlann did not pull the blaster from his hip. Raisa again hid her weapon under her shirt. Dev kept his drawn and walked to the side as if ready to draw fire away from them.

“State your names,” one of the men ordered.

“Captain Lochlann of the Draig,” Lochlann answered before pointing at Dev, “Salebinaben Johobik en Dehauberkelsain en Thoraxian en Yyrtolzx Devekin,” then at Raisa, “Violette Craven Stephans en Dehauberkelsain en Thoraxian en Yyrtolzx Devekin.”

“State your business,” the man continued.

“There was an explosion. We came to help but it doesn’t look like there were any people on board,” Lochlann said. His voice was calm and diplomatic, as he gave them no reason for aggression.

“The medic teams already swept the area. Is the traveler with you?” the soldier asked.

“Yes,” Raisa answered. Both men looked at her.

“Jackson Burke,” Lochlann added. “He’s with us.”

The soldier conferred with his comrades before lowering his weapon and waving them forward. He motioned at Lochlann’s hip. “Going to need that.”

Lochlann frowned but handed him the weapon.

“Yours too.” The man pointed at Dev’s hand. Dev gave the blaster to the man.

The man looked her over, and she lifted her hands to show she didn’t hold anything. No one asked for her weapon so Raisa said nothing. Her baggy shirt must have covered the fact she wore one. They motioned for the three of them to follow. The man guarding the entrance stayed behind as two soldiers led the way into the base—one with dark hair walked ahead of them, the other with gray fell behind. Lochlann and Dev flanked her sides.

“Is he injured?” Raisa asked.

The men didn’t answer.

“Are you taking us to see him?” she insisted.

“Everyone who comes to the base must first meet with General Ogden,” the dark-haired soldier answered.

The gray-haired man didn’t speak. Raisa didn’t like the idea of an armed man behind them and kept looking at him. Whereas his companion kept glancing back at the visitors in curiosity, Gray kept his eyes focused forward.

She glanced at Dev and then Lochlann. Lochlann met her eyes briefly before darting his gaze forward as if to tell her to stop turning around. They acted like this kind of thing happened every day. Raisa had never found herself in the position of being escorted onto a military base by an armed guard under a false identity while smuggling a weapon. Her heart hammered violently, and her stomach churned. Her hand trembled and she drew it forward, balling it into a tight fist.

The Federation base didn’t look like anything special. Metal rivets lined the main corridor that branched off into smaller halls to each side at regular intervals. Rows of doors looked to be barracks. The smell of food greeted them before they finally reached what must have been the center, as the ceiling peaked overhead. The rounded curve sheltered those within. Grated walkways crossed overhead at various levels, creating a star pattern when viewed from directly below.

“Keep moving,” Gray ordered.

They were led past long tables set up for dining. She tried not to breathe through her nose as the food smell made her nauseous. Where was Jackson?

After leaving the center and moving toward another corridor, they finally stopped before a metal door. Nothing made it stand out from the rows of doors she’d seen on the way there, except the number two had been painted in the center.

The dark-haired soldier leaned his face next to a biometric scanner. The door clicked and opened on its own. He gestured them in. “Go on.”

As they crossed the barrier, she wanted to ask Lochlann and Dev if this treatment was normal. It was one thing to confront corrupt soldiers on a fueling dock, quite another to walk into a base with no escape. Still, Jackson was in there somewhere, and that one thought gave her courage.

A man in a tan cotton tunic sat behind a desk. A thick brown stripe ran down his arm, signifying his rank as general. Wrinkles were carved into his features, as if the stern expression on his face had become permanently embedded. At their entrance, he swiped his hand through a holographic screen and it disappeared.

He gave a heavy sigh before standing. A slot opened on his desk and he reached in to pull out a packet. He slipped it into a pocket on his loose pants. The material matched his tunic, down to the side stripes along the legs. The shirt fell to his knees. “I am General Ogden. This is my base. You do not belong on it.”

Dev crossed his arms over his chest as if daring the man to attempt to remove him.

“We’re here to pick up a friend who is former military, Jackson Burke. If you’ll direct us to him, we’ll be on our way,” Lochlann said.

“That is not possible,” General Odgen said. “I’ll have you escorted to the fueling lot so you can return to your ship.”

“We’re not leaving without him,” Raisa insisted.

“You’re not leaving with him,” the general returned.

“Then I guess we’re not leaving.” She placed her hand defiantly on her hips. “You can take me to him now.”

The general raised a brow at her command.

Raisa felt all her nervous energy building. She focused on a rivet on the wall. It took a lot of concentration, but she managed to force the rivet out of its hole. It clanked on the floor, drawing everyone’s attention.

“I want to see Jackson,” Raisa demanded. “Or I’ll bring this whole place down.”

It was a lie. She couldn’t cave in the base if she wanted to. Rivets were hard if not impossible in some cases. Bolts and screws with threads were much easier.

“How would your father feel about this?” the general asked. He didn’t look frightened by the threat.

“Jackson is a decorated soldier,” Dev stated, “perhaps you should ask him if he wants to see us. It would be a matter of respect for the years he gave.”

That apparently was an argument the general understood. He considered the words for a moment and then nodded. “Follow me.”

Before leading them anywhere, though, the general went and picked up the rivet off the floor. He held it out to Raisa. She slowly took it.

“Threats don’t suit you. You aren’t the type to bring down a base and kill everyone within. That takes a certain kind of creature, and your eyes give your humanity away. You can also keep the weapon at your waist if it makes you feel better.” The general walked out of his office to the corridor.

Lochlann and Dev both gave her strange looks.

“Do you know the trouble you could have brought on yourself?” Lochlann asked under his breath so he wasn’t overheard. “What were you thinking?”

“That I’m not leaving here without Jackson,” she answered. “You two weren’t saying anything.”

“We were biding our time,” Lochlann defended.

“Well, I’m new to this adventure thing,” she whispered. Raisa frowned as Dev gestured that they should follow the general.