Breakeven

by Michelle Diener

  “Do you believe her?” Lucia was staring at the comm panel, her lips a tight line.

  Sebastian didn't want to, but yes, he did believe her.

  He nodded slowly.

  “Shit!” Karr kicked the nearest chair.

  “She could be lying,” Vavi said, but even she didn't sound like she believed it.

  “Do you think Rina Fattal would have talked like that? Would even be capable of talking like that, from what we've been told about her?” Sebastian hadn't thought so since he'd first seen that quick, intelligent face, looked into those quick, intelligent eyes.

  “I'm glad you've come to that conclusion.” Dee Vanuka was standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb.

  Karr took a step toward her, but Sebastian shook his head. He wasn't going to restrain her. What would be the point?

  “You're pretty sure of yourself,” he said. “Aren't you worried about us?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “You'd have gotten into the room if you wanted to. I could hardly hide in there forever. And as it happens I want you to turn this cruiser around and take me home to Garmen.”

  There was silence.

  “Take you home?” Lucia asked.

  “You took me away from it.” Dee shrugged.

  “That doesn't really suit us,” Sebastian said.

  She gave a dry laugh. “Then at least let me contact my boss so someone can pick me up.”

  Sebastian gritted his teeth. That was all they needed. Coordinating with another group would slow them down, and he didn't trust anyone enough, anyway. They didn't have time for it.

  Of course, if Rina Fattal really was dead, everything they'd planned for was shot to hell.

  “We could put her in a lifepod, like we did the other crew,” Vavi suggested.

  Before he could respond, the comm panel lit up.

  “Something's coming up on us, fast.” Lucia sat down. “Something big.” She turned to look at him, eyes wide. “Caruson warship.”

  “Running from the Arkhorans, most likely.” Sebastian turned to look at the screen himself.

  “Maybe they'll just scream past us,” Vavi said, her voice hopeful.

  “Maybe.” Sebastian thought they'd be lucky if that was the outcome.

  “Arkhorans?” Dee took her first step onto the bridge.

  “They were hailing us earlier. I thought they might be looking for you.” Sebastian looked across at her.

  “Oh.” She tapped her lip. Then gave a sudden smile. “Garmen is in the hands of the Arkhorans? And they have the Caruson on the run?”

  “The question is, why are they running toward us?” Sebastian looked down at the panel. “I think it's time we pinched to the black.”

  “Too late.” Lucia's fingers danced over the screen. “They're too close. We don't have the space we need.”

  “But the system only just warned us they were coming.” Vavi leaned over Lucia's shoulder. “How could they be on us so fast we don't have room to pinch out?”

  “They've got tech we don't know about.” Dee stood a little apart from them all. “I saw some comms feed of an incident at Cepi, where a warship fired on the ruins there and then raced off at speeds faster than anyone had seen before. I saw Caruso techs working on an identical warship in a Garmen Cores warehouse just the other day. My guess is the extra speed was a technical upgrade thanks to the Caruso, and I'm sure they wouldn't give the Garmen Cores an advantage they don't already have in their own ships.”

  “How they did it isn't as important right now as whether they'll just pass us by or not.” Sebastian's gaze was fixed on the screen.

  The warship was bearing down on them so fast he could scarcely track it, and then suddenly it was above them, and completely still.

  There was a long moment of silence.

  Dee looked up at the ceiling. “Looks like they aren't going to pass us by.”

  Chapter 5

  The man the others called Sebastian was tall and lean, his face almost hawkish, and looking at him without the lens of fear and panic, Dee realized he was a little too lean.

  They all were. Like food was rationed.

  Her fear of them had faded, superseded by the cold terror of the Caruso warship hovering above them.

  She'd seen what the Caruso had done on the Felicitos Deck and she still couldn't understand the hubris of the Garmen Cores to have thought they could go into a deal with the Caruso and not somehow end up under fiery attack.

  Though it seemed, thanks to her boss Leo and his lover, Sofie, Garmen was now out of both Cores and Caruson hands, and in the much firmer and fairer hands of the Verdant String Coalition.

  They had won.

  She would do a little victory dance, except that wouldn't go down well right now. Everyone in the room was tense as they watched the screen to see what the Caruso would do next.

  There was surely no good reason for them to stop, especially if they were being pursued.

  “If you know anything about this, tell us now.”

  Sebastian had turned, and was staring at her with dark, hostile eyes.

  Fluffy had been curled up under her hair at her nape, but at the tone of his voice, she stiffened, and rose into a crouch on her hind legs.

  No one had said anything about Fluffy, and Dee wondered if they might genuinely not have noticed her.

  “I could ask you the same.” She winced a little as Fluffy grabbed a lock of her hair to balance. “They don't even know who I am or that I'm onboard. It must be you they're interested in.”

  There was silence, and then they all heard the clang of a clamp engaging.

  “They're going to tow us?” Vavi clutched the back of a chair.

  “Be grateful this ship doesn't have inter-ship connectivity, or they'd be in here right now.” Sebastian looked directly up at the ceiling, where the thumping was coming from.

  Dee cocked her head. “That sounded like boots.”

  Lucia threw herself into a chair and her fingers danced over screens. She swore quietly. “Two individuals. Coming through the maintenance hatch.”

  “The hatch I couldn't get into?” Karr sounded disbelieving.

  “Either they know something you don't, or they've got better tech.” Vavi was checking the charge on her laz.

  No one said anything to that, and Dee guessed that whoever these people were, they didn't have better tech.

  Their clothing was dark gray--standard Deck crew gear--but Dee bet they'd stolen it, and the laz in Vavi's hands looked old and battered.

  If there was a confrontation, no matter what happened, they were still clamped to the warship. Right now, there was no way to win this.

  Sebastian and Karr had their weapons out, too. And Dee found herself adopting a defensive pose.

  Lucia glanced over at her. “No laz?”

  She shook her head.

  Lucia pulled her own out from the neat little holster at the small of her back.

  They spread out evenly through the room, all putting themselves in front of Dee.

  She would have smiled if the situation wasn't so serious.

  Usually, she was the one doing the protecting. As part of Leo Gaudier's security management team, she put herself on the front line every day.

  It was . . . strange to be the one standing at the back.

  She realized she didn't like it.

  Fluffy tugged a little on her hair again, and she lifted her hand and ran a soothing finger down her back, then arranged her hair to cover the little creature more completely.

  She heard the thump of boots hitting the floor in the corridor just beyond the door.

  Fluffy hissed in her ear, and she could only guess she had picked up on the tension everyone was feeling.

  Sebastian glanced back at her at the sound, a frown on his face, but he turned back as a second pair of boots joined the first.

  The Caruson soldiers moved straight to them, so Dee guessed they had scanned the ship and knew everyone was on the bridge.

  They e
ntered weapons first, and there was no question they had the upper hand. They were armed with the massive laz guns she'd seen the Caruson wield on the Deck to deadly effect.

  They stepped into the room and seemed to relax a little.

  “Good, you kept the daughter of Hanran Fattal safe.” The Caruson who spoke stumbled a little over the words, but he was completely understandable.

  His gaze had gone straight to her, but when he spoke he addressed Sebastian, who'd stepped into lead position.

  Dee knew her mouth dropped open a little. Had they really stopped while fleeing the Arkhoran Special Forces to see if Rina Fattal was in the cruiser and doing all right?

  Surely not?

  Sebastian had said Rina's father was running Lassa, which meant he was a top Cores exec. And while she knew there was an insidious alliance between the Caruso and the Cores, surely not on this level?

  She was wearing Rina's clothes, and from what little she'd seen of the woman, they did have similar coloring. The way Sebastian and his team stood, ranged in front of her, the Caruso might be forgiven for assuming they were her crew, protecting her.

  It occurred to her that right now, the Caruso thought of them all not as prisoners, but as allies.

  If they learned the truth, that could change in a heartbeat.

  She wet her lip and sucked in a deep breath.

  They had a better chance of surviving as long as the Caruso believed she was Rina Fattal.

  So she would have to be Rina Fattal.

  Sebastian had just processed the Caruson soldier's words about keeping Rina Fattal safe when the Garmen woman seemed to explode behind him.

  “No thanks to you!”

  He turned, trying to keep the shock off his face, and found her with hands on hips, head angled in defiance.

  “I was on the Felicitos Deck, looking at the view, and I nearly died.” She drew in a deep, outraged breath. “And let me tell you,” she pointed her finger straight at the Caruson soldiers, “the people who were shooting at me looked a lot like you.”

  The soldiers lowered their weapons.

  “We didn't know you were there.” The second soldier spoke up. “There is a reason we asked your father for your flight plan.”

  “Last I heard, I didn't have to check in with you on everything I do.”

  Sebastian watched entranced as Dee Vanuka, if that was her real name, gave a contemptuous head toss.

  “And what do you think you're doing coming aboard without permission? And clamping us?”

  Sebastian saw Vavi was watching the display with wide-eyed admiration, but Karr was scowling.

  Lucia kept her features schooled, and he hoped he was doing as good a job.

  Then he heard it again, the strange hissing he'd heard earlier. Dee wasn't making it, though, something that made him unaccountably pleased. He shouldn't care if the woman was crazy strange or not, but somehow, he did.

  Her arm was also fine, she was waving it around without a hint of pain, yet he was sure earlier she'd held it close to her body.

  He couldn't figure her out.

  She looked magnificent. Sleek and powerful. Far more fit and energetic than the description he'd had of Rina Fattal.

  He couldn't decide if they'd all been played, and this really was his target, or whether Dee Vanuka was giving the performance of her life, and saving them all while she did it.

  The hiss sounded again, and she tilted her head to the left, and made a shushing sound, her finger running down what looked like thin air.

  Except, it wasn't. Now he was focusing, he noticed two dark eyes, almost lost against her dark hair, and the white of fangs and pink of gums as the tiny creature perched on her shoulder snarled and hissed again at the Caruso.

  “You have a pet?” The Caruson soldier frowned, leaning forward a little to try and see it.

  “Yes. And she's a very pretty girl, aren't you, sweetie?” Dee lifted the creature off her shoulder and rubbed her cheek against the top of its head.

  It made a sound Sebastian guessed was a purr.

  “What is it?” The Caruson asked.

  For the first time he saw Dee look nonplussed. She covered it well, though, ducking her head to kiss the little creature on the head, although now it was no longer hissing, it had disappeared completely and it looked as though she was kissing thin air.

  “What does it matter?” She raised her head, her eyes narrowed. “Answer the question. Why have you clamped us?”

  “Your father was worried you'd come to some harm on Felicitos.”

  “Well, I'll let him know I'm fine. Be on your way.” She shooed them with a limp hand.

  Vavi nearly choked, and covered it with a coughing fit.

  “We've been instructed to tow you to Lassa. Our ship is faster than yours.” There was no give in the voice of the soldier who spoke.

  Sebastian heard the steel in it. Knew the Caruso were probably under orders. There would be no changing their mind.

  At least they were considered allies, not enemies.

  For now.

  Sebastian had no doubt they would be dead without the performance Dee was putting on.

  “Instructed by who?” Dee cocked a hip.

  “By your father. We'll let him explain to you.” The other soldier pulled out a screen and tapped it.

  Dee froze, and he heard her draw in a sharp little breath.

  She straightened up. “Isn't he too busy to deal with something this minor?” Her voice was softer, now, less strident.

  “He requested an update.” The soldier flipped the screen over, holding it toward Dee, and she stepped closer to it.

  She bent her head over the screen, obscuring most of her face with her thick, dark hair.

  Sebastian tightened his hold on his laz.

  The moment Hanran Fattal worked out the Caruson had an imposter, not his daughter, things would go to hell.

  Dee pushed a hunk of hair back from her face and frowned. “Well, where is he?”

  She sounded so aggrieved, he had to fight back a laugh of admiration.

  The Caruson flipped the screen back and shrugged. “Must be interference. The signal is better on our ship. We'll let your father know you're safe.”

  They turned.

  “Wait. Where are you taking us?” Sebastian spoke for the first time.

  One of the Caruson soldiers gave him a quick glance. “The Cores hover base.” He paused, and looked around the bridge. “I suggest you buckle in. We go faster than you'll be used to.”

  The Caruson disappeared down the passage, and no one moved as they listened to them climbing back out the maintenance hatch.

  Silence reigned until they were gone.

  “That was . . . pretty magnificent.” Vavi grinned over at Dee, who sent her a smile back.

  “A little too good. Who the hell are you?” Karr stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

  “The person who just saved your life,” Dee responded, her voice suddenly weary.

  Silence fell over the group, because there was just no arguing with that.

  Chapter 6

  Dee felt tiny shivers of shock course through her as she headed for the door.

  She needed to get away from the hostile, accusing stares and--she looked down at her trembling hands--probably drink a big cup of jah.

  She'd faced down the Carusons' massive laz weapons knowing the slightest slip on her part and they'd all be dead.

  She shuddered as she stepped into the passageway and Fluffy made a kind of crooning sound and patted her cheek.

  The gesture forced a smile out of her.

  “Dee, wait.” Sebastian's fingers curled around her upper arm, and she stiffened as she turned.

  “I don't think the Caruso were exaggerating about us needing to buckle up. Lucia says we'll feel it if we're dragged behind them at the same speed they approached us at.” He dropped his hand, and gestured back toward the bridge.

  She'd forgotten about the warning the soldiers had given before th
ey'd left. She'd been too rattled by the performance she'd had to put on, and Karr's hostility afterward.

  She gave a nod, turned more fully to face him, and the floor seemed to fall away from her.

  She was flung down the passageway, almost weightless at one point in her trajectory.

  She saw Sebastian's mouth moving, but she couldn't hear him. He reached out and grabbed her, then pulled her close, his arms hard bands around her. They fell, and he somehow twisted so that when they hit the floor, he was beneath her.

  He gave a grunt as his body absorbed the impact, both of the floor, and her on top of him.

  Fluffy was hanging on by her hair, pulling on it hard.

  They all slid on the smooth surface of the passage floor, then hit the wall and slid along it, slowing a little.

  Sebastian's arms tightened around her, and her nose wedged between his shoulder and his neck.

  He was warm and solid beneath her.

  Her fingers gripped his jacket reflexively as an invisible hand seemed to press her down, the pressure so intense, she didn't know if she could stand it.

  She breathed hard, lying draped across Sebastian's body as she tried to adjust. She could feel Fluffy scrambling off her, her sharp little claws digging into her neck, and then she heard the click of her paws as she ran away down the corridor.

  Suddenly, the pressure eased a little, although it didn't go completely away.

  Dee edged carefully off Sebastian's chest and fell onto her back. She looked up at the ceiling, her breath coming in pants.

  “You all right?” She looked over at Sebastian. Found his head was turned her way, his dark eyes meeting hers.

  “Getting there.” Sebastian wheezed the words out, his body flush against hers as they lay side by side.

  They stayed like that for a while.

  It felt nice.

  Peaceful.

  “Are you all right?” Lucia leaned over them.

  Dee hadn't even heard her approach.

  “Think so.” Sebastian didn't move.

  “I cranked up the enviro and grav to compensate for the speeds we're going at, but it can't completely cancel out the effect. The system isn't designed for this kind of speed.”