During an attack, the bridge wasn’t the quiet sanctuary it had been each time she’d ventured there. It was abuzz with a purposeful energy. And she didn’t belong.

Nalini was in the way of someone important wherever she stepped. Instinctively, she stuck close to Evi at first. The general was busy, so she didn’t dare interrupt her.

She saw Hart and Star standing close, just as useless as she, so she tiptoed their way.

“Can I do anything?” she asked of them. Before they had a chance to answer, another question came to mind, and she added, “Is the ship safe? Kronos, the kid I came with, is down in his classroom.”

Hart smiled. “We couldn’t be safer. Nothing the loyalists possess can pierce our shields. The only reason we’re meeting them head-on right now is to get rid of them once and for all. We came to help against the Imperials, and this is how they thank us. These people who attack us now? They’ll never stop. If there’s to be peace, we need to get rid of them.”

Nalini would have disagreed, in general. War never created peace. Still, they were going against the loyalists.

“Oh, they need killing,” she agreed.

As Krane had asked her to, Nalini had listened to their leaders’ minds. She’d seen how they treated their own soldiers, she’d seen their slaves. Some of the soldiers may be innocent, but Nalini was all for obliterating their power-hungry, tyrannical filth from the galaxy. And if that made her a monster, so be it.

She was about to say just that when the floor trembled under her feet. The lights blinked on the bridge. Everyone stilled.

Fuck. This was a hit, a bad one, too. Hart had seemed so certain the shields would hold, she hadn’t questioned it.

“Impossible,” Wench whispered.

Evi was quicker to come to a conclusion. “Someone is messing with our shields from the inside. Dammit, Kai shouldn’t have gone to help these rats.”

Of course. The soldiers they’d saved, some were completely wrapped around the loyalists’ doctrines. Evi armed herself with blasters stocked inside one of the walls and threw weapons to her men.

Shit. This was her fault. She could have – should have – seen it.

Since her arrival, she’d been so preoccupied with petty little selfish concerns, she hadn’t so much as opened her mind or meditated once. She hadn’t tried to see anything.

Nalini had genuinely expected that Kai would demand she use her power to his advantage when she arrived. He hadn’t, but still, she’d been so resolved against the very notion of being used, so determined against it, that she hadn’t stopped to think whether she should make use of it here.

“Nalini.”

Hearing her name called pulled her out of the funk. Turning to Evi, she pointed to her own chest, confused as to why anyone would think of her in this chaos.

“Kai said you piloted cargos. Are you any good at it?”

She shrugged. “I guess.”

“I hope that is modesty. You’re in charge. I don’t have the time to comm someone else in. We need to go on manual and stay away from those fighters until I reactivate the shield.”

She was about to protest, sure there could be better pilots available, but before she’d parted her lips, Evi’s voice reached her mind.

«You’re a seer. We need to avoid getting hit again — two or three more blasts like that, and the ship is destroyed.»

Fuck. No wonder she hadn’t said that out loud; everyone would have panicked.

“Kass,” Evi addressed another woman, “you’re taking the upper deck cannons. Fire on the biggest threats, you hear me?”

But Kass wasn’t hearing her at all. “We’re letting that girl pilot the Dominion?”

“We don’t have time for this. I need you on the cannons, Kass. You’re the best and we won’t survive if you can’t keep their bombers at bay.”

“I can’t believe it. A regular we don’t know at all? Over my dead body will I let a fuckdoll—”

Kass didn’t finish her sentence. There wasn’t so much as a shift of energy in the air warning any of the eighteen mages on the bridge that one of them was using any power, but Kass fell to her knees, choking on her words, her eyes widened, her skin ashen.

Evi could, and perhaps should, have attempted to intervene. Instead, she smiled.

Nalini stepped forward, head tilted, eyes golden. Mages’ limbs often moved as a manifestation of their powers. Hers didn’t anymore; not unless she truly pushed herself. But Kass’ spirit was nothing to Nalini’s; she broke it without any effort at all, not using much of her strength.

“Let us not pretend for another instant that you could stop me from doing anything I want to do here. Evi said I’m taking command. Deal with it and do your fucking job so we stay alive, okay?”

Nalini smirked and released the girl, who coughed deeply before staring at her in disbelief. Nalini ignored her, her attention on Evi.

“I’ll keep her afloat until you get back. Whatever it takes.”

The general tapped her shoulder as she passed her, running out.

Nalini sat in the captain’s chair, and immediately an unfamiliar set of holographic controls appeared in front of her.

Nova in command. Approved.

Kai hadn’t been kidding when he said he was clearing her for all levels. Damn, she really had control over the whole damn ship.

The neko, who hadn’t shown his face since morning, entered the bridge and leaped on her lap, quite happy to show her some affection now that she was fucking busy. Typical. He started purring softly, and instead of chasing him away, Nalini surprised herself by finding some comfort in the rhythmic rumble. Alright. The beast could stay.

You can do this. You can do this, she repeated in her mind. Otherwise, Evi wouldn’t have left her in charge, right? She would have asked Kass, or just about anyone else. If she’d read the general right, she was a psychic. She’d been able to tell Nalini could handle it.

Never had she piloted a ship of this size, but a large ship was just a large ship. A bigger version of the Whistle, no doubt with more power and flexibility.

You can do this…

«Yes. You can.»

Only when those words reverberated in her mind, said in a familiar male voice, did she truly start to believe it.

She engaged manual and opened her mind up. Truly opened it, lowering each of her shields to concentrated on intaking the energy around her.

She felt the direction of each hit coming at them. For all intents and purposes, she was the hits.

Nalini lifted their left wing a fraction, before nosediving at full speed.

“Disengage stabilizers.”

“What? Are you fucking insane?”

She was.

Through her comm, she gave everyone a heads-up, her voice resounding throughout the ship.

“Nalini Nova to crew. Everyone, hang on tight. We’re in for a bumpy ride. Evi, engage exosuit.”

She didn’t say more, unwilling to warn the snake in their midst that their general was coming for him. Through her mind, she searched her surroundings until she’d found Evi’s mind. Harsh exterior, heart of titanium, and, underneath it all, a warm center. She was easy to find.

«You’re gonna need your propulsors.»

«Got it,» the general replied.

On that note, she started to dance through the sky. The Dominion twirled and advanced at full speed, only to stop suddenly while the fighters attempting to blow them to pieces failed, confused and frustrated.

“A ship that size shouldn’t be able to move that way!” she heard their leader scream.

Nalini smiled. Any ship could; people just weren’t crazy enough to pull that sort of shit.

«You okay, kid?» she asked Kronos, taking the time for find him now that she’d adopted a rhythm.

«No. Gonna be sick. You shouldn’t be allowed to pilot. Ever.»

He was just fine.

Finally, Nalini felt something switch on within the belly of the Dominion. Her comm came to life. “Done. Shields secured. Staying down to protect it, just in case, but you can stop the swaying.”

“But it’s so much fun,” she protested.

“Nalini? Just no.”

She pouted, but blew out a reluctant, “Fine.”

She typed the command, putting the ship back on automatic; however, she did remain in the captain’s chair. It was comfy.

Only now did she notice the stares from everyone on the bridge. They’d all put their safety belts on; the Coats stood together, firmly strapped against the wall. They all seemed like they were about to throw up. Instead, they started clapping. Even Kass, although the girl also glared.

“How are they doing out there?” she asked, finding the attention awkward.

“Well. We’ve lost seven fighters, the pilots of six of them safely ejected,” one male posted behind her replied.“ Their exosuits were working just fine; they’re on their way back to the ship. Last one, dead. The enemy is attempting to flee. A hundred and seventy-two loyalist fighters destroyed, thirty-seven left.”

«Kai?» she called directly to his mind, tentatively.

«I’m here.»

«There’s a large, well-shielded fighter; blue, with pointed engines, shooting green.»

«Eyes on it. It remains behind four light fighters.»

She paused, trying to find the words. She would have liked to just say, “Blow it up,” but that wouldn’t have been fair or honest. So she settled on, «It’s your brother.»

«Half, at best.» There was humor in his tone now. «I’m on it.»

His Lotus spun around at high speed, shooting relentlessly, without a second of hesitation. Less than a minute later, the ship was exploding. Then, he shot the male who ejected out of it.

Kai reached her mind this time.

«For all the females he touched. Or made uncomfortable.»

«Thanks.»

«My pleasure.»

Kai burst back into the bridge and removed his mask. She felt a little awkward in his seat now, half expecting him to tell her to move.

He did no such thing.

“You crazy woman.” He laughed. “I thought I was a decent pilot, you know.”

Kai walked to her, stopped right in front of her, and bent down, like he had before leaving earlier. Her heart palpitated in anticipation. His lips only brushed her forehead now. A long buzz of current passed through her entire body, starting where he’d touched her down to her toes and leaving her breathless, weightless, thoughtless, just…less. And so much more, all at once.

It had taken her a long time to understand, but, finally, there was no more denying it. No more questioning what she felt. From the very start, the very first moment they’d met, she’d known Kai for what he was. She’d seen Darkness. She’d seen destruction. And yet, she’d needed him to live. Just live. Just keep on breathing, as though knowing, from the depth of her soul, that he couldn’t cease to exist.

She’d loved him then, although she didn’t quite know the meaning of that word yet. She did now.

“Their command ship is uncloaked,” Kass said from her station. “We have a shot at their high command now.”

He didn’t hesitate. “Kill them all.”

She’d seen that in a vision a long time ago. Back then, she’d been horrified. And then she always saw herself, saying one simple word. She didn’t even shout or scream. She didn’t need to.

No.

That’s just what she did now. “No.”

Kai turned to her, glaring, belligerent. “They’re threatening our very existence. Our peace.”

“And us wiping them out is going to achieve what exactly? There are families in that command ship, just like there are here. And they’ll remember what you choose to do today. You’re either condemning us to a life of war, or undermining everything those loyalist pigs have fed their soldiers today. Your call.”

Kai glared. Then he breathed. And finally, there was a sigh.

He started their comm, reaching out to the enemy’s commander ship.

“We have you surrounded. My fighters are intact. My ship and shields are intact. We can crush you effortlessly.” His thundering voice was almost bestial. “I’m very tempted to.”

Kai then glanced at her. “This world is ours. Mages will live here, free and in peace, whether you like it or not. There will be no slaves. None. These are my terms. My only terms. If you don’t like it, go live amongst the Imperials. But I tell you now, come back to this sector with an army, and I’ll show you no mercy.”

He closed the connection and reluctantly gave the order to let the loyalists go. Then, he turned to her, still grumpy, but not quite angry. “Happy?” he muttered.

Because that was all that mattered to him in the end. Her happiness.

How fucking stupid had she been? He’d cared, all along. She’d run from peace for fear of starting a thousand wars.

“Very much so.”

“Good. Now, if no one objects, get this ship home. We have a party to crash.”

Vratis had never been home.

But it could be.

Realizing he meant for her to carry on piloting the Dominion, she grinned at the unexpected present, input the coordinates and jumped to hyperspace.