“Is she flirting with you? It’s hard to tell with these females,” Kavs whispered in their language.
“Quiet,” he replied in the same tone, not wanting Vivian to be alarmed if he snarled. He changed back to English. “Good.”
“I think she is,” Ruggler chuckled. “You should taste her mouth to see how she responds.”
He really was going to take each of them inside the training room and beat on them when they returned to the ship. He was close to his male grouping, but sometimes they irritated him. Teasing him did it faster than anything else.
Vivian glanced up at the camera. “Pull up Mitch Reese’s quarters and take us there. I’ve never been to his place but he’s one of the heads of security on the night shift. He wasn’t amongst any of the dead I saw on the cameras. He’s smart, was a close friend of my dad’s, and he’s our best bet to seek help from.”
Brassi followed Vivian and his men as they entered another lift, went to a different level on the expansive ship, and then stopped outside of a door. Vivian motioned them back a few feet.
“I’m just going to signal him, have Abby unlock his quarters, and ask him to come out. Hopefully no Ke’ter is inside.”
He grabbed Vivian and hauled her back, putting his body between her and the door. “That sounds too dangerous.”
“He’ll freak out if you’re the first thing he sees.” She peered up at him. “Stand at my side. How about that?”
He didn’t like it but nodded.
Vivian reached up and pressed a button next to the door. “Mitch? It’s Vivian.”
There was no answer.
Vivian whispered, “Abby unlocked the door. We can override it to gain entry but let’s give him a minute.”
The door slid open—and a male in a gray uniform stood there holding a laser rifle.
He backed up, glancing between Brassi, his males, and Vivian. She slowly put her hands up. “Easy, Mitch. They’re friends. I let them onboard and they’ve been killing Ke’ters to save us. Meet the Veslors. They’re a trade race that were in the area. You can put the rifle down. I swear it’s fine.”
The male kept the weapon up. “What the fuck, Vivian?”
“We weren’t going to make it if we had to wait for someone from Branston Space Station to reach us. They haven’t even responded yet to our distress signal. Everything I said over the speakers when I made announcements was the truth. The Veslors aren’t our enemies. Look at me,” she urged.
The male glared at her.
“You’ve known me for years, Mitch.” Sadness crept into her voice. “The Ke’ters murdered my father and brother. They smashed the back of dad’s head in and ate Mikey.” Emotion choked her voice. “These aliens came to our rescue. They won’t hurt us. I’ve been working with them for hours while they took out the Ke’ters. The bridge is no longer under Ke’ter control. They were going to fly us somewhere to make us food. I had to shut down the engines to keep that from happening, which meant we had four days before backup power died. No life support. No power. No heat.” She paused. “Engines are back online and recharging the backup. We’re locked out of the bridge but that’s not a problem, since no one is up there to fly us away any longer. We just need to wait for rescue teams from Branston to reach us. The Veslors saved us, Mitch.”
The human glanced at each of Brassi’s males, before staring hard at Vivian again. “You’re absolutely certain about them?”
“I trust the Veslors with my life—and yours, since I brought them to you.”
She quickly told the male everything that had happened, including her fear of the commander arresting Brassi and his males, and her plan to get them off the ship before allowing Alderson out of his quarters.
Mitch still seemed tense and unwilling to lower his weapon.
“What would my dad have said, Mitch? Flip the situation around and see it from their perspective. We sent out a distress signal, the Veslors responded, and I invited them onto this huge fleet vessel, saying we needed help. It could have been a trap to capture them, but they were still willing to come. They believed me, and had faith I was telling them the truth. They trusted us. Please. Think, Mitch.”
Mitch finally nodded. “You’re right.” He sighed. “Alderson is going to lose his fucking mind, Vivian. I’m proud of you, though.” He completely lowered the weapon to his side, seeming to no longer be wary of Brassi or his males. Then he glanced at each of them. “Thank you for coming to save our asses.”
Vivian turned. “This is Brassi. He’s captain of the Brar.”
Brassi reached up and opened his face plate. “It’s nice to meet you.”
The male looked stunned for a split second to see his face, but then recovered. “You speak our language.”
“We learned it when we heard your distress signal. Vivian shouldn’t be arrested.” He wanted to be clear about that.
The male grimaced. “I agree, but I’m not the commander. It will be his decision…when he can give orders again. But I can’t see the brass looking at this fucking mess and letting any charges stick.”
“Charges stick?” Brassi looked at Vivian for clarification.
“He thinks I’ll be fine.” She gave him a smile. “I’ll be set free after the investigation ends. Don’t worry, Brassi.”
He hoped she was right. The female had done what was necessary to save Earthling lives. If her own people were too irrational to understand that, maybe it was best if Veslors didn’t trade with them, after all.
He still wanted to offer again for Vivian to leave with them. That way, he could be certain she’d stay safe. He wouldn’t allow any harm to come to her.
Vivian turned to the Earthling male. “Who do we get out next? I figure we should have at least five security officers with us before the Veslors leave.”
“Hang on.” Mitch turned away, went into another room, and returned with a few tactical blades. He kept his rifle, too, but the blades he strapped to his body. “I’ve got just the men and women, and their quarters are close. I assigned them to rooms close to mine for just such an event. We’ve been communicating this entire time, preparing for the worst. They’ll be ready for a fight with the remaining three Ke’ters.”
Brassi didn’t like the sound of that. “You should wait for more security to arrive.”
The male met his gaze. “I’ve been in constant contact with at least twenty of my night force since this mess started and we were locked down. We can handle the Ke’ters, now that we know laser fire won’t work on them.”
Vivian reached back and placed her hand on his chest plate. “We’ll be fine, Brassi. Abby has our backs.”
“I want more information on this Abby,” Mitch grumbled. “You have an unknown civilian operating Control Three.” He shot Vivian a worried look. “What were you thinking?”
“That I wanted us all to survive!” she snapped back. “I told you who Abby is. She upgrades systems for the fleet. Her clearance is probably higher than yours. I knew I could trust her the moment she had the override codes for long-distance coms, and was able to hack the internal coms to reach me in Control One in the first place. That takes skill and knowledge. It’s an isolated system.”
Mitch sighed. “Okay. Two quarters to the left.”
They walked to where Mitch indicated. Brassi motioned for his males to stay back and allowed the two Earthlings to face the doors alone. He would trust that Mitch had spoken to whomever lived on the other side during lockdown, and that a Ke’ter wouldn’t come barreling out to attack.
The male in that room was also heavily armed as the doors slid open. Mitch gave him some kind of hand signal and the human lowered his rifle, staring with wide eyes at Brassi and his males.
“These men are Veslors. They killed a bunch of Ke’ters already, and are friendlies. We’re going to gather some more of our people, and then they’re leaving once we’re in control again. Move out, Paul. Play nice.”
The male hesitated but walked into the corridor, giving them wide berth.
It was fine with Brassi if they weren’t immediately trusted. Vivian appeared relaxed and not afraid.
And soon he’d leave her on this ship.
It filled Brassi with regret. The short hours they’d spent together had made him want to know her a lot better.
Chapter Seven
Vivian had become increasingly nervous about the distrust the security members showed the Veslors. Mitch was keeping them in line, though. She knew she could trust him to keep his cool and not overreact—the way the commander would when he found out what she’d done. That she’d allowed a team not associated with United Earth to come to their aid.
Now, it was time for the Veslors to leave, and they’d returned to Deck Seven to see the team to their ship. Mitch had Abby release over fifteen men and women he trusted, and they grouped in front of and behind the Veslors.
Vivian was glad that Brassi and his men kept their armor in place. She’d even asked Brassi to cover his face. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her own people, but she knew anyone could panic when afraid. Human nature wasn’t always a good thing. She’d seen examples of that in her alien cultures classes. Some races made humans look barbaric or moronic in comparison.
They stopped outside the cargo doors, and the security members parted to make way. Mitch was the one who spoke. “Thank you for your assistance.” He even held out his hand to the Veslors.
“Handshakes are a sign of respect,” she informed them. She stepped closer to Vassi, the only one she could identify in their exact matching armor, since he carried his medic bag. She extended her hand and demonstrated the gesture. The rest of the Veslors watched, and then shook Mitch’s hand.
Another Veslor came toward her. “It was good to meet you, Vivian.” Brassi withdrew something from a holster on his armor. “This is a direct contact code to the Brar. Please inform me how things turn out.” He paused. “Or if you wish to speak to me. I’d welcome that.”
She smiled, feeling genuinely happy…but also sad. Her time with Brassi had affected her in ways she’d have to examine later, when she wasn’t worried about going to prison.
She accepted the metal card with programming that included the coms code to his ship. “I promise to call. Thank you so much, all of you, for everything you’ve done for us.” She wished she could see his face one more time, but it was safer if she didn’t. Some of the security team still looked tense. “We owe you. I’ll do my best to represent you to United Earth.”
“For what?” Mitch asked, moving closer.
“The Veslors would like to trade with more of our space stations. I said I’d pass that information on.”
Nodding, Mitch motioned to the door and it opened.
“They can’t wait to get the Veslors off the ship, can they?” Abby sounded as annoyed as Vivian felt. She gave a slight nod, knowing Abby could see her on the cameras, but she didn’t want to say anything aloud. Mitch had demanded she hand over her earpiece three times already. So far she’d managed to talk him into allowing her to keep it, since her and Abby were a team that had worked well together.
“Thank you,” she called out to the Veslors as they entered the cargo hold, an odd depression coming over her as the doors closed.
“I’ll let you know when they detach,” Abby whispered. “They’re boarding their ship.”
“Let’s free Commander Alderson now.” Mitch paused. “Ask your friend if the Veslors have left yet, and then we’ll move out. I’m not budging until they do.”
She inhaled slowly and blew it out. “The Veslors saved us. You’re acting as if we can’t trust them.”
“They’d be allied with us already if they were worthy of our trust. You really took a huge risk, Vivian.”
“I had no choice. And it paid off. They kept their word.”
“You let aliens onto our ship. It’s a miracle they didn’t steal the Gorison and cut life support to kill us all,” one of the female security officers grumbled. “You were fucking lucky. You gambled with our lives. Not cool.”
Vivian glared at her. “We were already good and fucked by the Ke’ters. Have you ignored the bodies we’ve had to pass with their stomachs ripped open, or are you just completely blind? They were eaten.”
“This is not the time to argue.” Mitch stepped between them. “Stow your shit, Yole. The outcome is all that matters now. Vivian did her best, and we’re no longer locked in quarters.”
“If she’s telling the truth,” Hugh Bark muttered. “It would be just like her to turn a molehill into a mountain and twist facts.”
Vivian turned on him. They had a history. “You mean like when I wrote that report about how you harassed the shit out of me until you were ordered to stay away? That was the truth—and you know it. You just couldn’t stand that I turned you down flat when you hit on me. News flash, Hugh. You’re not all that hot, and your version of pursuing a woman is actually defined as stalking.”
“Stop!” Mitch ordered. “There’s no longer a question of whether the Ke’ters attacked us or not. They did. We’ve examined the crime scenes.”
Vivian sealed her lips together.
“She lies,” Hugh mumbled.
“Wow, you dodged a bullet with that asshole,” Abby said. “He harassed you?”
Vivian glanced at the nearest camera and nodded.
“The Veslor ship has detached from the cargo hold and is flying off. I’ll admit, I was worried security would try to arrest them before they could leave.”
Vivian had feared that, too. She shared most of what Abby said with Mitch. He ordered everyone to return to the lift.
They were going to Deck Four to let Commander Alderson out next. She dreaded it, but Mitch had made it clear she was to stay with him.
They reached Commander Alderson’s quarters, and Mitch hesitated, meeting Vivian’s gaze. “You’re sure no Ke’ter is in there?”
“I told you we spoke a few times. Commander Alderson said he was locked in his quarters.” Vivian also mentioned his condition. “I hope he’s sobered up since then.”
“Fucker,” one of the female security officers said under her breath. “Glad he was having a good time while we were worried about living or dying.”
“Stow that shit,” Mitch snapped and pressed the button for the door.
“It’s unlocked,” Abby let Vivian know.
The doors parted, and a very disorderly looking Commander Alderson glowered at everyone waiting outside his quarters as he stumbled out. The door sealed at his back. He wore a uniform but it held a lot of wrinkles, and some of the buttons were undone. There were even a few food stains down the front of his shirt. If he saw any of his crew looking that way, they’d be written up and fined.
He glanced at each of them—until he spotted Vivian.
“You bitch!”
He lunged forward, stumbled, and Mitch stepped between them.
“Sir, we’re in control of the ship once more. What are your orders?”
“Control? We were never in danger!” Commander Alderson blustered. “That little bitch did this to embarrass me and make the Ke’ters turn against humans.” He tried to step around Mitch, his face red and his fists balled. “Do you know what you’ve done? The Ke’ters aren’t going to share their weapons tech with us now. Hell, you’ll be lucky you didn’t start a war. This is your fault!”
Mitch moved again to block Commander Alderson from reaching her, staying between them. “Sir, we’ve toured the ship and come across crew victims, and the bodies of the Ke’ters who killed them. The threat was real.”
That drew Commander Alderson’s attention to Mitch. “What? Of course it wasn’t! It was her playing a prank and screwing my career!” He stretched an arm around Mitch, trying to reach Vivian again.
She backed up and bumped into a body. One of the security members.
“Sir, respectfully,” Mitch tried again, “the Ke’ters did attack our crew. I viewed the bodies. They were partially eaten. One of the Ke’ters still had the victim’s blood on his hands an
d face.”
He was talking about the medic, and the Ke’ter she’d killed when the attack had first happened. The medic had died by the time she’d led everyone to the Control One area on Deck Seven. That had been a very small relief, that his suffering had ended without intervention.
Commander Alderson’s face paled more. “No. No. That can’t be right. They promised to sell us weapons. The Ke’ters wouldn’t do this.”
“It’s true,” Mitch stated simply.
Commander Alderson swayed a bit on his feet. “I was going to become an admiral…”
“Is he for real?” Abby gasped. “What a shit bag. People died and he’s bitching about a promotion?”
Vivian decided to ask him an important question while he was still drunk. “Sir, why were the control station operators not at their posts?”
“I don’t answer to you!” Commander Alderson looked flustered. “Arrest her and take her to the brig!”
Mitch motioned with his hand, ordering everyone to hold still. “It’s a valid question, sir. Why were the control station operators not at their posts?”
Alderson’s expression changed to one of almost…fear? Then his face turned red before Vivian could wonder about it further.
“Follow my orders or I’ll have you all up on charges! Take that bitch to the brig! She’s still facing a court-martial. She took control of my vessel!”
“Sir,” Mitch hesitated. “Answer the question.”
“Fuck you!” Commander Alderson glared at him. “I don’t answer to you, either. Lock her in the goddamn brig now.”
“Are you drunk, sir? I smell alcohol on your breath.”
“What?” Commander Alderson sputtered. “How dare you!”
“Under regulation six-three-nine of United Earth Fleet, I’m taking over command until you are no longer intoxicated.”
“I’ll see you stripped of your rank and court-martialed too! You can’t do that!” Commander Alderson lost his shit and took a swing at Mitch.
Mitch avoided the punch and grabbed the commander, spun him around, and handcuffing the man.
“Your career is over!” Commander Alderson bellowed.
The Gorison Traveler Incident (Veslor Mates #1) Page 8
