by Tana Stone
“If we’re going to finish this station on time so you can host tribute brides, it is.”
Serge’s face twisted in some sort of internal struggle. I guessed he was debating how badly he wanted a fully-functional Island that could host his tribute brides, versus his promise to find me a match.
“Look of it as less of a date, and more of a quick greeting,” he said, apparently changing tactics. “All you need to do is say a quick hello to the Drexian. Then I can arrange a longer date for a time when you’re less busy and more…” he hesitated as he looked at me and frowned, “rested.”
I rolled my eyes as Nina stifled a laugh. Telling someone they looked tired or that they needed more rest was code for saying they looked like crap. Not that I was surprised I looked like crap considering I’d rolled from bed late after having a very tumultuous sleep. I hadn’t even bothered to shower before throwing on clothes and running to meet Nina for lunch. Usually, I put on mascara and lip gloss, but today I hadn’t even done that.
When we reached the door to the offices that I shared with the station engineer and foreman, I paused. “I know I don’t look my best today. Yesterday was a pretty long day, and I didn’t sleep great. Do you really want me meeting this Drexian looking like this?”
Serge opened and closed his mouth. I knew he hadn’t been able to sleep after his near-death experience, which was how he’d ended up in my quarters, deciding to focus all his attention on finding me a man. His own eyes were shadowed, even though he was making a valiant attempt to pretend everything was business as usual.
“Maybe we could reschedule it,” Reina suggested, as she wrung her hands and gave me a sympathetic look. “She only has one chance to make a first impression.”
I gave her a smile of appreciation. While Serge had been learning Earth expressions and non-holidays, it sounded like she’d been studying self-help gurus. “I promise to make an effort if we can reschedule it—and you give me advance notice.”
Serge nibbled the corner of his thumbnail, but finally let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine. I don’t want you to ruin all my hard work because you look like you’ve been ridden hard and hung up wet.”
“Excuse me?” I said as Nina almost choked with laughter beside me. That was hitting a little too close to reality for comfort, and my cheeks prickled with heat as I remembered just how hard I had been ridden.
“Earthlings say that all the time,” Serge said with a flip of his hand.
“Not all the time,” I muttered. “Which earthlings are you listening to?”
Serge held up his stubby fingers. “The Kardashians, the Jenner girls…”
Nina shot me a look. “That explains a lot.”
“What?” Serge looked from me to Nina. “Are they not on the cutting edge of pop culture?”
“Oh, they probably are,” I said, waving my palm across the side door panel, the biometric sensor beeping as the doors slid open. “But that’s not always a good thing.”
Turning to Nina, I waved her inside. “Why don’t we add what you’ve done with the waterfall to the plans?”
“Perfect,” she said, tapping her crossbody bag that held her work tablet.
We walked into the open plan office that held a series of standing drafting tables, clear partition walls dividing desks, and more views out to space. I spotted the foreman at the far end standing at a high desk, but otherwise the offices were quiet. No doubt everyone was still on break.
Nina and I walked to a curved space at the end of the room that appeared to be empty, blank walls arching around two thirds of it. Serge had followed us, with Reina close behind him, and both watched as I tapped a panel on the wall and a floor-to-ceiling holographic replica of the station appeared.
The projection of the station appeared to be suspended in mid-air and spinning slowly—just like it would look if we’d been observing it from space. It also reflected the exact progression of the construction, parts of the interior unfinished.
Nina approached the panel that had activated the hologram as she pulled out her tablet. “Here’s what I have so far.” She swiped her fingers expertly across her screen, causing the wall panel to flash green and then the rotating hologram to flicker and change. Where there had been a glass wall along one side of the atrium, there was now a flowing waterfall of blue light.
Reina clapped her hands together in delight. “It looks just like I imagined it would.”
I walked closer to the hologram, nodding. “That was fast work.”
Nina smiled, and pushed her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t do it alone. Vekron is great at finding ways to code faster.”
“As long as the shortcuts don’t cut necessary corners,” I said.
“We still need to work on the repeating sequence,” she said, pointing at the water that seemed to stutter when it reached the bottom of the waterfall’s pool.
Regardless, it’s still farther along than I would have expected.” I put a hand on her shoulder. “Good work. You just saved me from getting chewed out by the captain again.”
“That Drexian is all bark,” Serge said. “Trust me. I traveled back with him on Brok’s Inferno Force ship.”
I’d almost forgotten that Serge and Kalex had a history together that predated their arrival on the Island. “That’s right. He was part of the crew that rescued one of the kidnapped tribute brides.”
The story of the Earth women who’d been abducted by space pirates and the Inferno Force warriors who’d gone after them had become legendary back home. It had been part of the lore that had made the Drexians into such romantic heroes. They’d literally battled pirates and vicious aliens to save the tribute brides, always at great risk to themselves.
“Kalex was the first officer who kept the ship in orbit over the alien planet while Captain Brok snuck down and got us out.” Serge fanned himself with a silky, striped handkerchief he’d whipped from his pocket. “If it hadn’t been for him and Vekron figuring out the aliens’ secret and how to defeat them, Maddie and I never would have gotten out alive. As it was, I was subjected to the most unflattering outfits you could possibly imagine.” He lowered his voice. “And forced to work in the kitchens, if you can picture that.”
I couldn’t. “So, he wasn’t the moody asshole he is now?”
Serge sucked in a breath, looking at me with wide eyes. “If you think he’s moody, then I hope you never meet High Commander Dorn. Although, Dryx isn’t even the least bit gruff. He’s quite the charmer.”
I gave him a blank look, and his eyes went so far back in his head I thought he was fainting.
“The Drexian I picked for you,” he said, shaking his head at me. “Your future mate.”
It didn’t bode well that I’d already forgotten the alien’s name, but I had no intention of taking a Drexian mate. Then I thought about Kalex’s expression as he’d pulled me back and told me he accepted my deal. His eyes had been molten, and his touch had sizzled my skin. A Drexian lover was something else entirely.
“We’d better let these ladies get back to work,” Reina said, her expression curious as she watched me. I got the feeling she picked up on much more than her colorful counterpart, although there was no way she could know what secret I was hiding. Unless I was mistaken, Vexlings weren’t clairvoyant.
Suddenly, Reina’s perplexed expression disappeared as the entire office went dark, and we were plunged into almost total blackness.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kalex
There was a moment between the total blackout of the station and the initiation of the sirens. In that moment, there was a collective gasp on the bridge accompanied by a flash of something so brief on the now-blank window overlooking space that I almost missed it.
“Kronock,” I whispered.
Vekron let out a menacing rumble of anger next to me, then the bridge was filled with shouts as the sirens screamed.
“Did you see that?” I yelled over the din.
Vekron bumped me in the dark,
his face momentarily illuminated by the flashing red emergency lights overhead. “See what?”
I squinted through the alternating pitch dark and red flashes of light. I’d definitely seen an enemy battleship—with its distinctive scaly armor—appear for less than the blink of an eye. Hadn’t I?
“I thought I saw a Kronock battleship,” I said, this time not so loudly. I didn’t want to send my bridge crew into even more chaos by thinking we were under attack.
The lights came back on, making the dimly lit command deck seem almost bright in comparison to the darkness, although the red lights still flashed and the sirens wailed. Vekron rushed over to the closest unmanned console.
“Report!” I bellowed over the sirens and voices of the agitated warriors. “What the grek was that?”
“Running diagnostics now, Captain,” my tactical officer said, his eyes intent on his readouts. “No damage to any systems. No incoming weapons fire. No internal system malfunctions.”
As if in response to these reports, the sirens ceased their cry and the lights stopped flashing. Although I was glad, it didn’t do anything to calm my jangling nerves.
I clenched my fists and stared out the view screen, almost willing the enemy battleship to appear again so I could fire at it. “Then what happened? Why did our bridge blackout?”
“It wasn’t only our bridge,” Vekron said. “It was the entire station.”
I let out a series of Drexian curses. The entire station had lost power? With our sophisticated backup systems and fusion generators, I’d thought that was impossible.
“Incoming transmission from the patrolling fighters again,” my comms officer said.
I inclined my head at the view screen. “Onscreen.”
Jax’s face appeared, but this time he looked even more agitated. “Everyone okay over there?”
“Fine,” I responded. “What did you see?”
Jax shook his head as if he couldn’t quite believe it. “The entire station went dark.”
I released a breath I hadn’t known I was holding and bowed my head. So, I was the only one who’d thought he’d seen the Kronock battleship. I guessed that was better than the alternative—that the enemy was back and on the attack.
“And the battleship,” Jax added.
I snapped my head up as a hush settled over the bridge. “What battleship?”
“It was Kronock,” he said, with the same certainty in his voice that I’d felt the moment after I’d seen the flash of the hulking gray hull.
“Captain,” my tactical officer said, breaking the thick silence. “There was a massive energy surge outside the station, but it was for less than a second. Then it vanished.”
“Signature?” I asked, although I knew the answer.
“Kronock,” he said after a few more taps on his console.
An agitated rumble rippled through the bridge, warriors shifting restlessly where they stood. It had been a while since the Kronock had shown any signs of life, and if they were like me, they were ready to battle our old enemy.
“Alert High Command,” I said to my comms officer, who nodded grimly as he sent the transmission.
“I’ve got the coordinates of the energy fluctuation,” Jax said, his voice crackling through the screen. “I’m going to check it out.”
“Not without me you’re not,” I muttered, spinning on my heel. I locked eyes with Vekron. “I need you to take command of the station while I go out there.”
“Out there?” Vekron slid his gaze to the screen. “You mean you’re taking a ship off the station?”
“I’m used to flying,” I said. “I’m useless in here. You’re the one who can decipher the readings and work on our security frequencies.”
He didn’t look convinced. “What if they jump back in?”
“Then there’ll be one more fighter to attack them and protect the station.” I grabbed his arm. “How close are we to having shields at full power and security sensors operational?”
“Close. We just have a few more days of testing.” He held up his palms. “But I’ll move that timing up and get you full shields.”
I nodded at him before racing off the bridge. As soon as I was off the command deck, I was assaulted by the bright lights and pristine white walls of the corridors. I blinked a few times as I ran toward the inclinator, passing Drexian warriors who were clearly getting their bearings and a few stunned human crew members.
I jumped onto a waiting inclinator car and was grateful when the doors closed, and I was the only passenger. The soft hum of the music and pulsing pink light were incongruous with my pounding heart, and I once again missed the grunge and utilitarian design of Inferno Force ships.
As soon as the inclinator stopped and the doors glided open, I darted off—and straight into someone who fell back hard onto the floor at my feet.
“Zoey?” I looked down at her for a moment, too startled to move.
She glared up at me. “I guess elevator etiquette isn’t a thing with Drexians?”
I reached down and picked her up by the sides of her arms. “I didn’t see you. I’m on my way to the hangar bay.” I eyed her, noting that she was alone. The last time I’d seen her she’d been with her friend Nina, as well as Serge and Reina. “Why are you on this level?”
The floor that held the hangar bay held little else aside the enormous landing and launch area for our ships.
For a moment she looked annoyed that I was asking, then she huffed out a breath. “I’m doing a floor-by-floor inspection for damage.”
“My bridge crew is running a ship wide-diagnostic. You don’t need to inspect the ship manually. Besides, shouldn’t you be on a date?”
She folded her arms over her chest. “You mean the vid date? Those don’t go so well during a total station blackout.”
One good thing about the blackout, I thought.
Zoey lifted one eyebrow as she looked at me. “You aren’t jealous about Serge’s set-up, are you?”
I flinched at this. Jealousy was not an emotion I indulged. “Why would I be jealous? You’re free to do as you please.”
“Good.” She attempted to walk past me, but I caught her by the sleeve.
“You still should not be inspecting the ship alone. I told you we’re running a full diagnostic.”
“Did your sensors detect anything before the blackout?”
My ire flared at her implication. “Your point?”
“I don’t trust sensors.”
Of course, she didn’t. I rubbed a hand over my brow. “I don’t have time to debate you, but you shouldn’t be wandering the ship alone.”
“I’m the ship’s architect,” she spat back. “I’m always wandering the ship alone.”
“Not when there are…” I stopped myself from telling her there was a possibility of a Kronock attack, or that the blackout had been the first step in a multi-pronged attack. I didn’t want to scare her—or admit it to myself.
“What?” She studied my face with her searching, brown eyes. “What aren’t you telling me, Kalex?”
The softness in her voice sent a throb straight to my groin. I fought to urge to pull her into my chest and feel her body pressed against mine as I protected her from any harm. Instead, I pressed my lips together. “Nothing.”
Her gaze hardened. “Then where are you going in such a rush?”
I wasn’t going to lie to her. “I’m joining Jax in flying patrol around the station.”
“The captain is going to fly a security patrol? Why?”
“I want to inspect the station from the outside.” Not entirely a lie.
She tilted her head at me and gave me an arch smile. “You know, I hear they’re running some diagnostics that can tell you that kind of thing.”
I almost laughed at her remark. “I guess we’re more alike than either of us would like to admit. I need to see it for myself.”
A Drexian warrior in a flight suit hurried by us, thumping his fist to his chest to me in a rushed salute. Zoey no
dded, twisting to watch the warrior disappear around the corner. Then she stopped close to me and grabbed a fistful of my shirt, yanking me down so our faces were flush.
“Be careful out there, flyboy. You agreed to my proposal, and I’m going to hold you to it. And I expect a full report when you return.” Then she pulled my mouth to hers, kissing me hard before breaking away and releasing me. Before I could go after her, a pair of Neebix appeared from around the corner.
Zoey winked at me as she dodged the aliens with swishing tails and small horns nestled in their curly, brown hair, drawing their gaze. She slipped around the corner, leaving me breathing heavily and holding my hands over my rigid cock. Despite my irritation at the way the Neebix had looked at Zoey, I was relieved they weren’t Drexian officers who would have saluted me, forcing me to return the salute and reveal my raging hard-on. As it was, the Neebix—known for their roving eyes and impressive libido—were too distracted by Zoey to notice me at all. I sidestepped the aliens, cursing my lack of control and the infuriating woman in my head.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Zoey
“How long does it take to fly around the station a few times?” I said under my breath as I leaned my arms against the steel railing on the suspended walkway and peered down into the atrium. Aside from the lack of the usual bustling construction activity, you’d never have known that the station had blacked out.
The lighting was back, along with all the power. The station rotated on its axis while Drexian fighters circled the perimeter, their sleek, gray hulls zipping past the transparent structure. Drexian warriors strode purposefully across the promenade far below me while the inclinator cars zipped through clear tubes twisting around the perimeter. The faint yet familiar hum of the engines sent minuscule vibrations up through my feet, a comforting sensation after being pitched into total darkness and silence.
