Nightchaser

by Amanda Bouchet

  “That ship is coming closer.” The com on Jax’s console was open, and Miko’s voice came from a slight distance.

  The back of my neck prickled, but I couldn’t turn my head enough to see without turning most of my body. Damn suit.

  “Fifty feet to go. I’m almost done,” I said.

  “Hurry, partner.”

  Partner. My throat closed up tight, like it always did when he called me that.

  “Shit! They’re moving in.” The panic in Jax’s voice sent my heart pounding against my ribs. “Move, Tess! Move! Move!”

  “I have to finish!” I yelled back.

  The maneuverable little ship zoomed into my peripheral vision. It was practically on top of us.

  My pulse hammered harder. I started to sweat.

  “Tess!” Jax bellowed, a sort of madness creeping into his voice.

  “Thirty feet!” I dove forward with the wand. I could cover the rest of the ship.

  “Get to the door!” They were all screaming at me now.

  Their wild pleas battered my ears as I propelled myself along the side of the bridge, sweeping the wand above and below the portside window. Shiori stood right in front of me, both her hands pressed to the transparent surface we still liked to call glass. Her lips moved fast, but I knew her words were silent. She was praying for me.

  Their fear amped up my panic, setting it loose inside me like a toxin that nearly rattled me off the ship. The small vessel closed in from the side, and I turned, almost hoping it was Shade, because at least he didn’t want me dead.

  It wasn’t. They were close enough to make out through the window now, and it was the male-female pair that had tried to ambush me on the Squirrel Tree.

  A hatch opened under their ship, and a mechanical arm came out, opening into a nightmarish claw at its head. The arm shot forward.

  I gasped and rolled along the side of the Endeavor. The claw struck the portside window where I’d just been. Shiori flinched from the sound the shock must have made inside the ship, and for a terrifying second, I thought the window might break.

  It held, thank the Powers. The hunters pulled the arm back, maneuvering for another grab.

  “Tess! Get inside!” Jax begged. Our eyes met, and he looked terrified.

  Gripping the edge of the window, I shot toward the Endeavor’s roof. “I’m coming!” I finally agreed; an extra jump would be way better than this.

  Curses and yelling came through my helmet, and I scrambled out of the way as the claw lunged for me again. Like an animal on all fours, I crawled over the outside of the bridge, trying to get to the starboard side again. The hunters stalked. The claw extended.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin when the wand flashed and sent an angry beep into my earpiece. Another bug!

  Fright thundered inside me as I narrowly escaped the claw again. My frantic shimmy dislodged me from the ship, and I grabbed back on with a shout. Breathing hard, I waved the wand around like a crazy person, trying to locate the tracking device.

  Beep, beep, beeep, beeeep, beeeeeeeep!

  I swung around. Damn the Powers! It was behind me. I had to go back.

  Chapter 23

  “There’s another bug!” I cried, diving under the mechanical arm as it reached out.

  “Leave it!” Jax roared.

  Leave it? Now that I know it’s here? This wasn’t a hypothetical problem anymore; it was real.

  The hunters would follow us almost immediately after we jumped. On Albion 5, they’d had to get back to their ship, track us, and then locate us more precisely in the Flyhole mess. All those factors would be eliminated for a hasty second jump. We’d be in the same situation we were in right now, just somewhere else.

  For the millionth time, I wished the Endeavor had firepower. But phasers weren’t authorized on cargo cruisers, and black-market stuff was way out of our budget. And bullets… They were for places with breathable atmospheres. No sparks in space.

  The wand’s signal beeped more frantically toward the nose of the ship, and I crawled over the front panel. Reflected in the window, I saw the small cruiser looming behind me again, the claw opening wide. My crew looked on in horror, but I hardly had time to register their distress, or how they looked like ghosts, aging with every breath.

  “Got it!” The device sat just above the central window, like a target on our heads.

  I ripped it off and tossed it away.

  “Move. Start moving!” I shouted.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Jax cried.

  I pulled hard on anything I could grip and let go of the ship for terrifyingly long glides, propelling myself back over the top. The claw chased me. The armored tile I was gripping vibrated. I glanced over and saw a flash of retracting metal and dents not even a foot from me.

  Holy shit, that was close.

  Whoever was steering the claw readjusted. I sprang away before they could correct their aim.

  “Drop us out of line, Jax!” Even if I managed to get inside, we couldn’t jump like this, sandwiched between other ships. We needed a minimum of open space.

  Fear and effort got me to the other side of the Endeavor, and I crawled-flew-swam toward the open starboard door. The hunters repositioned themselves, getting so close that their powerful spotlight nearly blinded me. I turned away, squinting. The claw hit just beside my foot, and I yelped, jerking my leg up.

  The Endeavor finally dipped, and I tumbled sideways, rolling out of control until a protruding instrument caught me in the ribs. I hissed, my gunshot wound exploding in agony.

  “Tess!” Jax shouted.

  “Here,” I panted out.

  A bright light flashed near me, followed by another. Gasping, I threw myself away from the next blast. The hunters had phasers. No surprise there; they were Bridgebane’s lackeys.

  My mouth stung with the acidic taste of panic. How had they missed?

  They let off more shots that bounced off the Endeavor. They were aiming for the tether!

  Shade must have convinced them to go for the live capture. If they could shake me loose from the hull and send me floating without the rope, that claw would snatch me up in an instant. I’d have nothing to hold on to, nothing to propel myself away from them.

  There was too much hysterical shouting in my com now to make out any of it. I wished I could turn the damn thing off, but I didn’t have control over that. My side burned as I scuttled away from more phaser shots. One grazed my suit, making my pulse explode with dread.

  I held my breath.

  I didn’t freeze and die instantly, so my layers of protection must have mostly held. I could feel the cold starting to seep into my leg, though, and it scared me more than the phasers did.

  Ignoring the pain in my calf, I kept going. The door wasn’t far.

  I straightened and ran, taking a huge leap to get there faster. The Endeavor dipped again, and the ship went one way while I went the other.

  Terrified, I flailed and dropped the wand, trying to grab back on to the ship with both hands. I pitched forward, stretching my arms and fingers out.

  I missed the hull and somersaulted. My feet didn’t even hit as I came back around. My attempted dive sent me into a weightless spin, and I spiraled out into space, rotating again and again.

  Dark. Claw. Ship. Phaser beam. Up was down, down was up. I was out of control. Petrified. Momentum carried me away, every dizzying head-over-heels inch rolling out like a mile paved in solid fear.

  I screamed for Jax. Jax screamed for me back. He’d fall apart if I died. There was no one to keep him together, not when he wouldn’t really let himself have anyone else.

  A hard jolt wrenched my waist and snapped me to a harsh stop.

  “Fuck!” I yelled.

  “What?” everyone yelled back.

  I sucked air through my teeth, pain ringing inside me
like a slap. I blinked, trying to focus. Pain and panic were making it hard to see. I frantically tried to locate the hunters again.

  There! On my left.

  “Might need new stitches, Fi.”

  “Just get in here!” she cried, sounding like she wanted to tear me apart, not stitch me up.

  My sweat-pricked gaze found and followed the line of the tether home to the Endeavor, and I swung my arms forward and grabbed on. Hand over hand, I began reeling myself in.

  The hunters zipped around and let off a series of shots again, nearly severing the line. If it had been any thicker, they would have had it, but without anything technological for their instruments to lock on to, the tether was a damn hard target.

  My heart beat like a drum in an empty cavern as I pulled myself in. Double-crossing asshole, I-will-eviscerate-him-if-I-ever-see-him-again Shade had definitely convinced his buddies that a capture was better than a kill. So much more profitable. Either that, or they couldn’t shoot for shit, but bounty hunters weren’t known for their incompetence.

  I finally hit metal tiles with enough force that it would have hurt without the bulk of the space suit to cushion me. Grabbing on to the hull with both hands and the help of my magnetized boots, I scuttled toward the open door again. I would get to that starboard air lock. I had to.

  Another hard jolt stopped me, making me gasp and curl in on my injury. For fuck’s sake! The actual gunshot wound hadn’t hurt half as much as the rest of this did.

  The hunters swooped down next to me, the claw reaching out. I sprang forward but couldn’t move. Something was holding me back.

  I twisted and yanked on the rope. “Jax! I’m stuck!” The tether was caught.

  “I’m coming for you!” he yelled.

  “No! Stay inside!” He could never suit up fast enough. Either I got inside on my own, or…

  The claw twisted toward me, opening like a terrible flower. My eyes widened behind my mask—no way was that thing catching me.

  I swiped at the latch on my belt, fumbling the mechanism because of my thick gloves. I tried again, shaking from the fear and adrenaline pouring through my blood.

  Come on… Come on…

  The tether detached, freeing me. I pulled hard on two of the big screws holding down the armored plates and shot along the outside of the ship. The claw hit right below me, smacking my heel so hard my foot went numb.

  “I’m loose! Don’t move. I’m coming in.” I aimed for the opening, going as fast as I could. I’d never spacewalked without the tether before. It was as terrifying as I’d always imagined.

  “Tess. Partner. Holy Sky Mother.”

  Poor Jaxon. He’d lost hair the last time I scared him this much.

  I propelled myself toward the starboard door, using more hands than legs, my arms straining and my shoulders aching. Phaser shots chased me, getting closer and closer. The hunters weren’t aiming for the lost tether anymore. Dead was plenty good enough again.

  I reached the opening and dove inside, pain flaring again at the level of my injury as I twisted to get behind the protection of the doorframe. “I’m in! Close the door, Jax!”

  Phaser shots blasted through the gap, and I huddled into the corner as the air lock lit up like a solar storm, direct hits exploding straight into it.

  The new armored door whooshed shut, cutting off the barrage. All went suddenly dark and silent.

  A red light flickered on. It meant no atmosphere.

  “Tess?” Jaxon sounded so lost.

  “I’m here, partner. I’m okay.” Or at least, I’d tell him that.

  Breathing hard inside my helmet, I waited for the red light to turn green, indicating the repressurization of the air lock zone. If the hunters were still shooting at us, I didn’t feel it. Their small phaser wouldn’t do anything against my girl, not like the heavy artillery of a Dark Watch frigate.

  The instant the light changed, I punched in the code and went through the safety door and into Jax’s arms.

  He gripped me hard, locking me tightly against him and closing the door again with his other hand. In practically the same movement, he pressed a finger down on the com button to the bridge and yelled, “Jump, Fi!”

  “I don’t know how to fly!” she cried back through the speaker.

  “The blue button I showed you. Hit it! Now!” Jax let go of the com panel and swept me up against the wall, bracing us both.

  Pressure clamped down on me, my bones crunched, darkness came and then ultimately went—a plunge into deep night before dawn broke again.

  I shuddered, sagging against Jax.

  And that was that. We were in Sector 8. I was home. Alive. Ready to help Coltin and the others as fast as we could.

  I exhaled. I could hardly believe it. Yesterday already seemed like a lifetime ago, lived by somebody else.

  A raw sound crawled up my throat, but I didn’t let it out. I wasn’t even sure what it was. Relief? Rage? Hope? Hurt? Everything was all jumbled up, and I couldn’t see straight, even in my head.

  I struggled to find some sort of equilibrium, both emotional and physical, while Jax got my helmet off. Then we both tore at my suit. He pushed it down, and I shimmied out of the confining gear until I could step away from it in nothing but the tight, short undersuit. Blood wet my side. My bare calf was bitter red from cold.

  Jax stared at me, horrified.

  “It could have been worse.” I was trying to reassure him, but I just sounded like I was still terrified instead.

  It was Jax who made a weird, strangled sound in the end. He pulled me in close, wrapping me in a fierce hug that was still gentle enough not to hurt. His arms were so big and warm, and I was shivering, inside and out.

  His embrace was exactly what I needed. I let him gather me up, and I held him back, my arms around his waist. Jax sank down as though out of strength, his face twisting into something nearly unrecognizable as I curled up in his lap.

  I felt like a child, and maybe he was getting exactly what he needed from me right then, too. Someone to comfort and protect. He rubbed my back, and I sucked down breaths that hiccupped in my throat. His voice low and deep, Jax crooned soft words he might have offered to the family he missed so much—to the wife, children, and sister ripped from him, their lives so brutally snuffed out.

  He cradled me, and I turned my face into his broad chest, squeezing my eyes shut. My shoulders shook as I tried to hold back.

  I couldn’t, and I lost it. I started crying in great, heaving sobs, blurting out, “I’m heartbroken, Jax.”

  He stroked my hair, my back, holding me against his chest. “I know you are.”

  “Why? Why did this happen?” He didn’t have answers, but I still asked.

  “The galaxy is full of bad people. You deserve better. I’m so sorry you got hurt.”

  “You were right.” I gripped his shirt, holding on to him like a lifeline and keeping my head buried under his chin. “I should have listened to you.”

  “No, I wasn’t right.”

  “Well, you sure weren’t wrong,” I said, sobbing again.

  I felt his smile against my hair, knew it was wry from his small huff of breath. “Is it wrong to try? Maybe what’s wrong is never putting yourself out there for fear of losing things you don’t even have.”

  I looked up through lashes spiked with moisture. Did Jax mean…?

  Sniffling, I wiped the tears from my face, my hand shaking. “Did you ever think…? Maybe you and Fi…?”

  He swallowed. His mouth flattened into a line as he cupped my head and slowly pulled me back down against his chest again. His big fingers moved in soothing circles over the base of my skull.

  I leaned in to him. He didn’t answer. And I didn’t press.

  Chapter 24

  Mareeka hugged me on the landing dock and then scowled and snapped, “Sick bay. Now!�
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  “How’s Coltin?” I asked without preamble.

  “Alive…I think.”

  I froze. That was terrifying—and could only mean he was teetering on the edge.

  Her blue eyes softened at my obvious distress. So did her voice. “He’s stronger than he used to be. We told him you were coming, but I’m not sure he heard.”

  Tears stung my eyes. “His breathing…”

  “Will always be a problem,” Mareeka said. She frowned. “What happened to you?”

  I was a mess. I’d shown up on Starway 8 in a bloody spacewalk undersuit, barefoot, and looking like I hadn’t slept in a week. No wonder her face was pinched with worry.

  “Nothing incurable,” I said, glancing down at my side. My broken heart was another matter. “I brought those injections I told you about.”

  A statuesque woman with warm bronze skin and glossy black hair rushed toward us from the side, and my heart swelled at the sight of her. Surral was from the New India Conglomerate. The water-and-mineral-rich Sector 15 system had been one of the first settled after most of the population of a whole huge country had up and left Earth, leaving it to fail without them. That was ancient history now, but the group of planets still nearly rivaled Sector 12’s privileged rocks in terms of wealth and resources. Most New Indians stayed in Sector 15, where they pretty much had it all. Surral had left the day she met Mareeka, who’d been visiting there on a fund-raising trip for Starway 8.

  Surral hugged me and then stepped back, scowling as well. Her stern expression clashed with the cheeriness of her rainbow-hued scrubs.

  “Hey, Surral.” I fought the urge to scuff my toe against the platform and hang my head. Neither of them looked happy with me.

  While Mareeka had ice-blond hair and piercing blue eyes that I’d seen make galactic officials tremble, it was Surral who knew how to make me squirm when she wanted to. To the outside world, the two of them were tall, lean, hard, and the unquestioned generals of this place. To us, the kids who grew up here, they were Mom and Mom.