“Stay calm,” Danie said. “Freska won’t let him in.”
“What makes you think he’s going to ask permission?” I had to hide Chomper. I had to get more weapons. All the weapons. I’d left our quarters with just two. It felt like enough on the ship when I’d had time, seconds that would stretch out as long as I needed them to, it had seemed.
But the prey we’d been chasing had turned on us and now we were caught. I shuddered, or maybe that was my chair as another blast rocked the ship. “Chomper, go hide. Like we said.” I’d tried to prepare him for this. We’d found a spot, near the reclamation pool, that he could hide in that masked his body temperature, his scent, and neatly hid his entire form.
He chittered, gnashing his teeth. “No, no, no. Bite, bite. Bad man. Bad man!” His eyes glowed as his dusky skin grew darker and his small wings flapped to keep him in the air. His arms ended in clawed hands, the wicked points curved and capable of rending flesh.
But I grabbed him, holding one, knowing he’d never hurt me. He snuggled close, the slow flap of his wings lifting my short hair. “Please, Chomper. So I know you’re safe.”
His growl was growing bigger, and he was fierce, but he was still so young. Just a few weeks old, and I wouldn’t forget that. Small, ground-dwelling creatures at home were one thing, but monsters like the ones we were about to face were something else.
These ones used weapons and weren’t afraid to use your weaknesses against you. I didn’t want that for him, or for Chomper to be used against us. If Danie could see our bond, I knew Lakshou would be able to as well.
As the little one finally flitted off, his sulky mutters trailing off as he flew to the hiding spot we’d picked out, I made my way to my feet as well, clutching the wall when the ship rocked. I refused to go down; I had to get my weapons. “Thought Captain said we wouldn’t be seen coming,” I complained. “Someone saw us.”
Danie trailed behind me. “Or someone warned them,” he pointed out oh so calmly and logically. “That would make sense.”
I rounded on him. “Oh really? Like who? You?”
He jerked to a stop, his eyes widened. “Of course not!” He blinked and stared at me.
“Freska has the ship locked down electronically. Magic?” I snorted. “Physical means? Maybe, if you had some way to get a bot through the lock down. Or some access. Or a way through the physical shield. Do we really think all of this is a coincidence?” The bitterness ate into my tone just as much as it ate at my stomach and heart.
Someone hated Captain, or me, or the both of us since killing one of us now meant the other would die. Or maybe they were banking on just getting rid of us so they were free of someone who’d thwarted their plans.
Somehow I didn’t see that for Lakshou; he was too controlled. He’d have a plan, one that was geared toward making us suffer.
I rushed to our quarters and barely remembered to slam something in the door to stop it from closing automatically. The first thing I grabbed was a protein stick, then another. The first I would sate my hungers; the next two hungers I could only acknowledge with an ache.
The first was the messy bed, the sheets pulled back toward the foot, the pillows askew. They were hard as a rock, too small, and never stayed in place. The second was the vid. There was a picture of Captain on the screen. Just one click had taken away years from his face and stern demeanor; he laughing and smling like I’d never seen before.
NO way was I letting some bastard take that away. Strapping on my pistols, I grabbed my knives, both poisoned and unpoisoned. I handled the poisoned ones carefully, sliding them into sheaths on the outside of my thighs. I wanted them handy, just in case.
Luckily, they were both secured when the ship took another blow, this one causing the whole room to veer sharply to the right. I stumbled roughly. Danie stretched out an arm and caught me.
“How aren’t you falling?” I asked, breathlessly, resisting the urge to rub where his fingers dug in.
“Magnetic boots. Are you done?” Danie held out a hand.
“I am,” I said grimly.
“Where to? I’ll help you get there.” Danie shifted to the side and slightly in front of me as we left my quarters.
“Bridge. To Captain.” The alarm was growing more strident, and Lakshou’s voice was still spewing insults and threats. I’d been doing my best to completely ignore it.
“Ahh, of course.”
There was no sign of a breach between our quarters and the command center of the ship, but crew were rushing around everywhere. Captain stood in the center of it all, a beacon of calm, issuing orders. The sickening lurch in my soul calmed just being near him.
“Kohen, is he…?” Captain raised his eyebrows. It took me a second to figure out what he meant.
“Yes. Safe and sound. Return fire.” This was what we’d talked about. Deke had gotten to go over the ship when they were out investigating before. “Brace yourselves, everyone.”
I did. “I thought we had a few hours.”
“So did everyone else on board,” Captain said grimly. “Except for a select few. Now my pool is much narrower.”
“You suspected there were still traitors?” I stared at him, wide-eyed.
“Nothing else makes sense. The escape, the blowing up the planet, coming out here all alone…. It’s a trap. But I knew about it before we sprung it.”
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