Star Crossed

by C. Gockel

Her radio crackled.

  “Donovan, the Dusan ships are touching down. I got at least two hundred-plus bogeys on the sensors and they’re all heading your way.”

  “Roger that.”

  She got up. If she failed now, Fyn’s death would be for nothing and a lot of good people would die.

  So, she couldn’t fail.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Stevens! You’ve got one on your tail!”

  “I see him!”

  A few laser bursts flashed past Hawkins’ cockpit. In tight fighting, the slow ship had the edge. Superior speed was actually working against them.

  “I’m taking hits!” Stevens had an edge of panic to his voice. It was his first dogfight. “Shields are down to twenty percent!”

  “I’m coming!” Hawkins did a tight, bat turn, then put the pedal to the metal. His speedjeans inflated as he hit the g-zone. He closed on Stevens, feeling his shields take multiple hits.

  They were holding, but for how long? He accelerated and banked so that he would cross behind Stevens and fired.

  The Dusan fighter tried to play chicken with him…

  His shots made contact…

  It exploded.

  He blew through the flaming wreckage.

  Behind him, Stevens took out the fighter on his tail.

  “Bravo zulu, Stevens!”

  Clear for a moment, Hawkins took a second to improve his situational awareness. All the fighter groups were kicking trash, but it wasn’t making a hell of a lot of difference. The HUD was still thick with Dusan fighters.

  “There’s too many of them! I’m hit! I’m hit!”

  Hawkins saw the fighter spiral out of control, smashing into a Dusan cruiser with a deadly flash. Both ships exploded into debris that took out the nearby ships.

  “Stick with your wingman and protect each other!”

  Dogfighting chatter filled the comms as he and Stevens dodged fire from five Dusan fighters. It was going to be a long day.

  Fyn opened his eyes, surprised that they could open. He tried an arm. It moved. He felt across his chest, finding the hole in his clothing, but the skin under it was smooth again.

  He inhaled, then exhaled slowly. It felt like breathing. Shouldn’t. He was dead, wasn’t he?

  He tried out his arms and legs. It hurt like hell. Kind of expected death to not hurt.

  So, did that mean he wasn’t dead? He didn’t feel dead. He felt healed. She’d touched him and he’d felt something. Warmth moving in to replace the cold.

  If this was healing, Sara said it was weird. She was right about that. Made him understand what weird meant, too.

  He managed to sit up. He could see. Sara had got the power back on.

  How long had he been out? And where was Sara—

  A HUD appeared in the air in front of him, with a dot flashing that he took to be Sara. She had two hundred bogeys closing in on her position.

  He got up and looked around. Kalian had tossed his gear back here…yes, there it was. He pulled on the vest and started checking his weapons.

  He had some Dusan to kill.

  Sara followed Adin’s progress through the outpost on tracking. He moved like an incoming storm. She could feel his rage as he drove his men before him. This could go really badly. Or kind of badly. She didn’t see how it could go well.

  While she waited for him, she checked the data she was sending to home plate and the status of the battle. The fleet was kicking trash, but there were just too many of them. If she didn’t act soon, there’d be no one left to help. Panic tried to take over, but she pushed it back. There was no time. When Adin was almost on her, she stood up and faced the door, her chin lifted. No one said anything as they burst in, but now it didn’t surprise her. She knew they couldn’t. It was still creepy.

  Two of his men grabbed her arms, dragged her to the wall and slammed her against it. Through a few stars, she saw Adin stride in. No more unassuming attitudes. No more charm. He was the Supreme Leader to his toenails. And he was pissed. His gaze zeroed in on her. Rage and lust warred for prominence in his eyes.

  Oh, crap.

  He strode toward her, his gaze raking her body for a heated moment. She thought she was ready for it, but she wasn’t. His body slammed into hers. His hands and mouth were rough. He bit her lip, drawing blood, then found her neck with angry insistence.

  She made a face. “What I don’t even get a, hi, Sara, how have you been?”

  His hands tried to find a way into her vest.

  “You’re looking good for a dead girl?”

  He froze.

  “Unless I look like crap. Which I could. I mean, dying isn’t pretty, is it? So you can tell me if I look like crap. I won’t be upset.”

  His head lifted. It was a relief to see reason returning to his eyes, to see humor filter in there with it.

  Sara gave him a cheeky grin, her brows slightly lifted.

  “I thought you’d be glad to see me.”

  “You…” he stopped.

  “I know.” She shrugged. “You’d think dying would make me less annoying, wouldn’t you?”

  Her gaze swept the room. There were about twenty guys at his back, all watching them.

  “Didn’t think you were into voyeurism.”

  His brows arched.

  “Companioning with an audience.”

  A bit of color came into his face.

  That was interesting. Not quite sure how to use it, but it was interesting. He didn’t say a word, but the two men released her arms. Sara shrugged her shoulders. They weren’t out of joint. That was good. It was always easier when the shoulders worked. His hand settled on her waist, desire started in his eyes again, but he was back in control.

  “Hello, Sara.” His voice was as intimate as his smile. He touched the side of her face, smoothing her hair back off her face. She could feel his gaze ping on her mouth.

  “Hello, Adin.” She tipped her head to the side. “You look tired. Not sleeping well?”

  His eyes widened. Wary crept in there. He stepped back and studied her.

  Sara kept her chin up, her slight smile in place. Carefully, cautiously, she went deeper into the Dusan network. Now, more than ever she could sense the different connections. It was incredibly complex with lots of built-in fail-safes. Her only hope to help the fleet was to disrupt the whole network, or take it completely down…

  “What are you up to?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You knew I was coming.”

  She pointed to the panel behind him. “Saw you on tracking.”

  “And you stayed?” His brows arched. “And you are here alone.”

  It was amazing. He was still sending orders to his armada. No sign of strain on his face. He looked relaxed, totally focused on her. Maybe he did deserve to be called supreme. He touched her cheek again, just one finger following the curve of her cheek.

  “You look tired, too. What have you been doing since you died?” A flicker of a smile softened his intent expression for a moment.

  Sara stepped back and sat down on a stool. She propped her elbows on a console, and let her chin rest on her hands. She felt the need. The split in focus made her feel like her brain was being sawed in half.

  “I’ve been exploring the Garradians’wonders.”

  That caused a huge flicker in his control. Clearly right bait for the hook. She went deeper into the network.

  He stepped to the other side of her console, his face a cross between a brood and a pout.

  “Want to know the funny part?” He didn’t say he did, but she went on anyway. “I didn’t have the key. I am the key.”

  His brows arched. And again his control of the grid faltered.

  “Crazy, isn’t it?”

  “It is certainly unexpected.” He pulled up a stool opposite her. His gaze reminded her of their last encounter. Focused, intent dangerous.

  Her only hope was to keep him off guard. If he found her inside his head, well, she’d seen what he could do wit
h just a thought.

  “It’s not the only unexpected thing I learned since I started playing with the wonders. There’s actually a very interesting story about how I came to be the key.”

  “And why would you share that story with me?” Suspicion darkened his eyes.

  “A fair question. But I should think it’s obvious. I’m hoping to stop this war before it gets out of hand.”

  “Before I destroy the people who brought you here.” A flicker of satisfaction sparked in his eyes.

  “You’re so sure you’re going to win?”

  It was his turn to shrug. “I believe I told you, shortly after we met, that I always get what I want.”

  “You didn’t get me.” Sara didn’t like the direction this was going. But it was helping to lessen his control.

  “I seem to have gotten another chance.” His eyes told her he still wanted her. “My suite is not far from this place.” He smiled again and his gaze warmed. “We could finish what we started.”

  “Yeah.” She looked down, then up. “Someone tried to clean that up, but you can still see the bloodstains under my chair.”

  He didn’t move, but Sara felt his mind flinch.

  His gaze sobered. “So much blood. I felt you die. And yet, here you are. Looking quite beautiful for a dead girl.”

  A slight smile as he tried to recover.

  Sara’s grin felt wry. “I am as surprised as you are.”

  He leaned toward her. “How is it possible?”

  His control slipped a bit more. Sara moved into the gap. Damn, she didn’t know how he did it. It was a…remarkable achievement.

  “To explain, I’d need to tell you the story.”

  “Your last story ended badly.”

  “Yes, it did.” Sara stared at him. “Maybe this one won’t have to.”

  As he watched the assault force close in on Donovan, Henderson went with his gut and turned over one of the cloaked ships to the Gadi force. He let the Gadi leader go with them. They were probably all going to die anyway. When he was sure they were pointed at one of the Dusan ships—and not heading back to the outpost—he gave the launch order for their cloaked ship.

  The plan was to land his squad as close to the bridge as possible and neutralize the command crew. Either they’d take the ship, or at least provide a distraction to keep Xever off guard while Donovan did whatever it was she was supposed to do down there.

  They didn’t have the firepower, even combined, to take on a battle cruiser.

  It sounded simple, straightforward.

  It probably wouldn’t be.

  Fyn found more weapons on the dead Ojemba in the hallway and added those to his gear. In addition to pulling up a HUD on demand, Fyn found he could also make the lights turn off and on, and open or lock doors. As Sara liked to say, cool.

  Near as he could tell, there were about one hundred and fifty men between him and Sara. So far she seemed to be fine. Xever was keeping his distance.

  For now.

  Fyn intended to be there when he stopped.

  With guns in each hand, both set to kill, he got in the elevator and started up. When the door opened, he did a rolling dive out into the corridor, his arms crossed over his chest. He fired both directions.

  When he got up, the corridor was clear.

  Things had gone from bad to worse. Their shields were down to fifty percent. This was close quarters fighting, but with big ass ships.

  It was a brutal, messy business.

  The Dusan were now using some of their ships as bait for the cloaked ships, while others waited for them to pop into view. They’d also dropped some kind of timed missiles, like old-style depth charges, that went for the cloaked ships as they appeared. Even with the upgraded shields, the ships were getting pounded. The cloaked fighters were taking a beating, too, when they popped into view.

  Despite it all, they were hanging in there.

  The worse news, they’d been boarded. The Dusan had managed to sneak assault transports through the chaos and into a couple of the bays. The distant sounds of small arms fire rang through the Doolittle, like a counterpoint to the battle raging in space. Everyone who could use a weapon was putting up a fierce resistance, but once again, the numbers were against them.

  The good news, the barrage of missiles had let up on the two earth ships.

  Clearly Xever hoped to take them intact.

  Take no prisoners.

  Not even the women were to be spared, though after seeing what they did to them, maybe that was a good thing.

  The even worse news, small arms fire was getting closer to the bridge with each passing minute as defenders kept falling back and back.

  Halliwell studied the HUD, trying to sort through all the data coming in. The fighters were buzzing in a cloud throughout the larger battle.

  The Dusan had lost a huge number of ships, but their ambush had turned the tide in their favor. And they still had a shit load of ships left.

  The Gadi had lost two ships.

  They’d lost two of the Garradian ships and their crews. Halliwell had ordered the other two to withdraw and regroup.

  Just under half of their fighters were down, and casualties were mounting quickly inside both the Doolittle and the Patton.

  Amidst the chaos, the cloaked ships now reengaged to support the beleaguered fleet. For now they were still holding their own.

  Barely.

  Clearly Donovan was finding it harder than she expected. He couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like to be in contact with so many minds. Perhaps it was time to help her out a bit.

  It was time punch to through the Dusan fleet.

  “Commander Gaedon, papa lima alpha on my mark.”

  The pain was bad. She needed to show Adin her back until she got it under control. Sara got up and walked over to the tracking screen, poking it with a finger and watching the ripples spread out.

  It was weird to be so many places. Here. There. Even weirder that most of the Dusan didn’t seem to be thinking that much. It was almost like their brains were empty slates that only Adin wrote on. Except for the small circle of minds waiting to take over. It was pretty creepy. But it did give her hope that if she could take the network completely down…

  The pain eased a bit. Enough. She turned and smiled at him. It helped keep a grimace at bay.

  “Did you have a brother?”

  “I had several.” He hesitated. “What do my brothers have to do with your story?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  She could feel his mind sharpen, as if he sensed an alien presence.

  She came back and sat down. “My story is about two brothers, you see. And Miri. Can’t forget Miri, can we?”

  That pulled his attention back inside the room.

  His brows arched. “Brothers?”

  Sara nodded.

  He was quiet a moment. “So Miri had many men interested in her. This does not surprise me that these brothers also both wanted her.”

  His eyes told her he still wanted her, but she felt nothing. He’d lost the power to touch her. It was a relief. She didn’t need to be fighting her own messed up libido while she fought him. She’d come a long way from their last encounter.

  “Miri loved one of the brothers, the younger, but he didn’t know how to love. He felt the hunger of passion, but was unable to be filled when he got it. He was always hungry, never satisfied.” Adin didn’t speak, but she’d affected him. She could feel it through the connection. His lips tightened. “And the elder brother?”

  “Oh yes, the elder brother…”

  She could feel his mental shift, feel the weight of his thoughts moving more and more her direction and less and less toward the battle.

  Sara clenched her hands where Adin couldn’t see them, as she wormed her mind deeper and deeper into the Dusan network. There had to be one, central command channel. If she could find it…

  Things were bad, real bad. Hawkins’ fighter shook as a stray shot pinged off his shields. They
were holding, but not for much longer. The Dusan reinforcements brought even more fighters, a big ass Dusan Flagship, and a slew of cruisers.

  “This is Halliwell. I need Alpha to tango on that Delta Foxtrot with some EM Mikes. It’s pounding us to hell!”

  Hawkins did a bat turn as he responded. “Roger that. Alpha group does anyone have any EM mikes left?”

  “This is alpha6, I’ve got one.”

  “Tango on the Delta foxtrot and I’ll cover you.”

  They accelerated towards the massive hulk. Hawkins blasted a fighter that tried to get on Jenkins’ six. The defensive fire from the ship was intense. Space was thick with lasers and projectiles. He could have got out and walked on them.

  “Fire that mike! We won’t last much longer here!”

  A streak of fire shot out from Jenkins bird. He started to bank off, but caught a blast from the ship. He spiraled toward Hawkins, catching the edge of Hawkins’s bird just before he exploded.

  His ship shook violently. Warning lights and buzzers sounded. His shields went down.

  He felt the loss of control…

  He was a smoking hole in the making, but maybe he could do some damage…

  He urged his bird towards a big tank behind the engine of the flagship…

  Halliwell watched Hawkins bird get clipped by Jenkins, saw him struggle to regain control.

  And fail.

  It began to spiral, but he managed to point it toward the flagship. It smashed into the side. Fire flashed. The big ship shook, but it seemed to absorb the blow.

  “Fall back!” he shouted. “All craft fall back from flag ship!”

  For a moment, it looked like a dog shaking off fleas as their ships scattered from the area around the flagship.

  Then a secondary explosion rocked it. Followed quickly by a third. The last explosion made it go away. The fireball engulfed several squadrons of Dusan fighters.

  But when the debris cleared, there were plenty left to continue the fight.

  Sara could see the battle from the Dusan point of view. They were winning. She had to find the way to take the network out before it was too late. Her control of the connection faltered and she felt Adin almost sense her. She rushed into speech.