by Leslie Chase
His voice wasn't quite the warm, smooth sound that she was used to from him. And the edge of fear that she detected didn't sound abstract, either. Was the mysterious Mr. Johnson on the approaching ships himself? It fit. He seemed like the kind of man who'd want to be there for his triumph in person.
Another detail in his words caught her attention. Only Dr. Cooper had called the stardrive 'the Baby' and it was strange hearing it from someone else. Had Mr. Johnson picked that up from Cooper's notes? That was possible, but it didn't seem likely. She could only think of one other possibility, though: Mr. Johnson could have hired Cooper as an expert on the stardrive.
It would explain where Cooper had vanished to.
Ashley smiled savagely. Good. Seeing Kosar deal with him would be immensely satisfying, if it came to it. Still, she'd prefer to avoid a fight if she could.
"You're risking starting a war between humans and the Dragon Empire," she said, making one last attempt at fixing things. "Millions could die. Kosar knows the emperor personally, this isn't just some security guard."
Kosar rumbled something, amused by her words. She knew why — literally every dragon alive on Mars knew the emperor personally, they'd all been in his bodyguard unit after all. It didn't mean he was close to them! But there was no need to dwell on that detail when the threat of imperial retaliation might save them.
It wasn't that easy though. Mr. Johnson chuckled unconvincingly. "They won't dare go to war, not now that we're ready for them. Earth could pound Mars to rubble with our warheads. This is happening, Ashley, the only question for you is whether you profit from it or die resisting us."
"My answer is no," Ashley said flatly. "Come if you have to. Kosar will kill you."
Her mate squeezed her shoulders again at that, nodding down at her. His presence gave Ashley the strength to ignore Mr. Johnson's bluster and calmly close the connection before slamming her phone down.
"That — that asshole," she snarled, looking at the phone as though he was there. "He was still trying to bribe me. To get me to turn on you."
"People like him only understand wealth and threats," Kosar rumbled. "The idea that someone doesn't have a price doesn't make sense to them. But you, my beloved, have honor and integrity. You're worth ten thousand of him, so don't let him get to you."
Shaking, Ashley managed a smile up at him. Despite everything, despite her betrayal, he believed in her. That mattered more than any amount of anger.
If only I'd trusted him and told him the truth from the beginning! Then we wouldn't be in this mess.
As though he could read her mind Kosar shook his head, holding her tight. "Do not blame yourself for any of this, Ashley. This man put you in a terrible position, one nobody could have found their way out of alone. He's the one I blame, and I will make him pay for what he did to you if I have to chase him across the solar system to do it."
Ashley laughed. She couldn't help it. "Perhaps you won't have to go that far. I think he's coming here. Maybe with Dr. Cooper as well."
Kosar's lips parted in a half-smile, half-snarl that promised that their tormentor would regret that decision if he reached the ship. "Good. That will save me a journey or two."
"Only if you reach them before me," Ashley said. "I owe them both and I'm going to pay them back."
Kosar stiffened slightly at that, and she looked up at him, frowning. Something was wrong, and she didn't know what. For a moment they looked at each other in silence and then he sighed.
"Ashley, I will not risk your life here," he told her. "I can't. Before they dock with us, I'm going to make sure you're safely out of the way."
"You can't be serious," Ashley said, a bubbling feeling of outrage growing in her. "Come on, Kosar, I can help. I might not be a fighter but I'm better than nothing, and I'm not going to let you face them alone."
Kosar growled something in his own language, and Ashley glared back defiantly. Their gazes locked.
"If you think that I'm leaving you here to fight on your own, then you're dead wrong." Ashley folded her arms. "Where would you even put me anyway?"
"I'm going to get you off this ship, and as far away as possible," Kosar told her. "You are my mate, your safety is my responsibility, and I cannot guarantee it while you're aboard. If I fail, I have to destroy the stardrive rather than let them take it — and I won't be able to do that, not with you here."
"Well I'm not going to leave you to kill yourself," Ashley shot back. "I don't even have anywhere to go unless you've hidden a spaceship from me, so what's the point of arguing?"
"In your spacesuit you'll be able to survive until a rescue ship arrives," Kosar said, and she could hear the work he was putting into sounding calm. "Wait an hour then switch on your emergency beacon. Your suit has enough air for them to reach you and save you. Please don't argue with me, my love, and do as I say. Trust me."
The idea of drifting in space for hours, waiting and hoping that she was found in time, terrified Ashley in a way that few other things ever had. But the idea of losing Kosar was worse, much worse.
"You can't do that to me," she protested. "I won't go. I will not abandon you, not when I got you into this mess — and don't tell me I didn't. I should have trusted you!"
Kosar didn't argue. Instead he lifted her easily and walked out of the bridge. At first she didn't understand what he was doing, but when she saw the airlock door, she knew.
"No! You can't do this," she said, feeling tears run freely down her cheeks as she struggled. It was futile. Against his strength there was nothing that she could do. "Please, Kosar, don't. I can't lose you."
"And I can't let you die," he said, his rough and powerful voice thick with emotion. Holding Ashley in one hand, he grabbed her spacesuit from the wall with the other and began stuffing her into it with great care and implacable strength. She tried to pull away, but it didn't matter. His grip was too strong, and before long he had the suit sealed up.
She could scarcely see him through her tears when he took her face in his hands and kissed her on the forehead.
"I don't plan on dying," he told her in a husky whisper. "But I love you, Ashley Warren, and if you stay, I won't be able to scuttle the ship if I have to."
I don't care, she wanted to shout at him. But that wasn't true, or not quite. She didn't want him to die, but that wasn't what this was about. If the bad guys won and took the stardrive they wouldn't leave Kosar alive, anyway. Perhaps, if she was gone, he'd have a better chance.
She tried to believe that, but it wasn't easy.
"Please," she sobbed, not even sure what she was begging him for. He kissed her on the lips, silencing her with his passion, and then pulled the helmet down over her head, separating them. He looked her in the eyes through the glass and gave her a solemn, heavy nod before stepping back out of the airlock.
Ashley launched herself at him, but the door closed too quickly. Beating her fists against it was as futile as fighting Kosar had been, but that didn't stop her trying. My toolbelt, she thought. Her scavenger kit held equipment that might let her open the door if she only had a second.
She didn't. Behind her, the outer door slid open, and all that separated her from the vacuum of space was the forcefield. She turned and stared out, paralyzed by the terror that the endless fall outside inspired.
Then the forcefield switched off, and the air exploded out carrying her with it.
20
Kosar
Kosar shut his eyes, unable to watch. Outside, his human mate was being pulled into space, abandoned in the endless black, and it was his doing. His choice.
But, hard as it was, it was also the only way to save her life. He didn't have any illusions about his chances — while he'd do his best against the enemies who were coming, he knew that there was a good chance he'd fail.
Now, at least, his failure couldn't cost Ashley her life. The rescue ships were already on their way, and they'd find Ashley before her air ran out. She might be frightened, upset, and angry — but she'd be a
live. That was a victory, and if it was the only one he won today, it would be enough.
Closing and sealing the airlock again, he scrambled the codes. If the attackers had the old access codes from the Imperial Research Center he could make life a little harder for them. I doubt they'll be keen to do the ship too much damage, he thought with a grim smile. It's their payday after all.
A whistling alert from the communicator got his attention. Someone was hailing him, and that had to be the pirates. At least they aren't giving me too much time to worry about Ashley's fate, he thought. That was a small mercy. Throwing his mate out of the airlock was the hardest thing he'd ever done, even if it had been for her own good.
Striding back to the communicator he answered the call. The screen lit up again, putting Kosar face to face with a human in an armored spacesuit, strapped into an acceleration couch. Human technology had come a long way in the thousand years he and the other dragons had slept, but their artificial gravity was still catching up with dragon technology. The race to catch the Grace of Herendar could not have been an easy one for them to endure.
Good. Let them suffer.
"This is Captain Radcliffe of the salvage vessel New Dawn," the man said in a calm, cold voice. "I notice that your ship is out of control and on a hazardous course, and I hereby claim it as legitimate salvage. You will be returned to the nearest port with your personal belongings, but your ship is now under my command."
Kosar laughed. He couldn't help himself. The idea that the humans were pretending that this was in some way legal, despite everything, was too funny to ignore.
But the man's voice was deadly serious, and Kosar sobered quickly. If they want to play at legalities, I can do that too.
"This vessel is the property of the Dragon Empire, operating under the joint authority of the Imperial Research Center," he answered. "I am Kosar, captain of the Grace of Herendar, and you have no right to my ship as salvage or otherwise. Turn away now. Any attempt to board will be treated as an act of piracy and met with lethal force."
The human on the viewscreen didn't flinch from his anger, and Kosar had to respect that. Will he be so brave when he's within arm's reach of me? Kosar felt his hands tighten at the thought of gripping the pirate's throat. I look forward to finding out.
Radcliffe nodded calmly, as though he were thinking something similar. That gave Kosar a moment's pause. Not many humans relished the chance to fight against a dragon shifter, but the captain seemed almost eager. He reminded Kosar of the knights of old, some of whom had given dragons a tough fight. Some even managed to win, and those brave warriors had earned the respect of the Dragon Empire.
Perhaps this man would prove to be more than just a pirate captain, perhaps he'd be a worthy foe? Kosar itched to find out.
"I'll give you until we dock to come to your senses," Radcliffe told him, voice calm and ice-cold. There was something slightly off about his reactions, something that Kosar couldn't place.
Behind the captain, Kosar could just about see other humans in their suits. All of them armored, all carrying weapons, and all ready for battle. But one of them lacked the poise of the rest. He turned and moved with the jerky slowness of someone not used to traveling under heavy acceleration. There was something familiar about him, as though Kosar had seen him before. Cooper? Before Kosar could be sure, Radcliffe shut down the call.
Kosar was alone on the bridge again, keenly aware that he was all that stood between the pirates and the stardrive.
When they finally arrived, Kosar felt like he'd been waiting for hours. He lay back on the bed he'd shared with Ashley, getting as much rest as he could before the coming battle and watching the enemy. The screen linked into the ship's monitors showed three ships approaching, coming in from different directions. Different enough that even if he'd been able to change course at least one of them would still have caught him before rescue could arrive.
They'd planned this well, and Kosar was almost glad. At least if he died he'd have lost to professionals and would be able to face his ancestors with pride.
The first thing they did was disconnect the tugs from the Grace of Herendar. A volley of lasers cut the cables and the three unmanned ships zoomed away, rapidly vanishing from Kosar's scanners. Now his ship was truly immobilized, drifting on the course it had been left on. Easy pickings for the pirates.
The New Dawn was the first to dock, coming alongside the Grace of Herendar and latching on with powerful magnets. The Providence and the Black Sail held back a little, matching course and speed.
All three were more engine than spaceship, tiny life support modules on top of gigantic thrusters. Probably fast courier ships, Kosar thought. Built to quickly cross the vast distances between Earth and Mars or the small colonies in the asteroid belt. Expensive ships, but well-suited to piracy — except that they couldn't haul much loot.
That wouldn't be a problem for them here, where the whole ship they were boarding was the prize. Once they'd attached themselves to the Grace of Herendar, they could tow it wherever they wanted and plunder it at their leisure.
But first they had to get rid of him.
The outer door of the airlock blew open with a boom that echoed through the Grace of Herendar, a loud alarm following it. Kosar watched on his monitor as men advanced through the opening, heavy rifles at the ready. They moved with the precise caution of a military unit advancing into unknown territory, giving Kosar a sinking feeling.
That confirmed that he was fighting professionals. As much as he preferred the glory of facing competent enemies, his odds of surviving the coming fight were dropping fast. But that didn't mean he couldn't win. All he had to do was keep them from taking the stardrive and keep Ashley safe from them. That would be enough.
And he'd already succeeded at the second goal. His mate was out there, drifting and waiting to be rescued.
Let's see how many of these warriors I can take with me, he thought.
Six emerged from the New Dawn's airlock, weapons raised and covering the room. A seventh figure followed them out, looking nervous and a lot less confident than the warriors who preceded him.
As soon as he was in, the New Dawn detached and pulled away to be replaced by the Providence. The four of the pirates pressed into the Grace of Herendar, heading back towards the engine room. The remaining three hung back to join the Providence's crew, and Kosar was glad. That was better than having to face seven at once.
Kosar shut down the hologram and stood beside the door, waiting. Anyone approaching the engine room would have to come past here, and he no longer needed to watch them. He'd seen enough, anyway — they were advancing carefully, covering each other and watching their backs. With their armor, training, and guns, that squad would be formidable opponents.
He only had two advantages, and he'd make the most of them. First, he knew the ship's layout better than they possibly could. Even if they had a map of the Grace of Herendar Kosar had the advantage of having worked on her since she'd been dug out of the ice.
And secondly, he was a dragon warrior of an ancient and proud lineage. No foe frightened him, and he was willing to give his life if need be to defeat these attackers. The humans were hired guns, and that meant that they would be unwilling to die for a paycheck.
The faint sounds of movement in the corridor outside told him that the enemy were approaching, and he grinned. They might think that they were prepared to fight him, but he'd show them how wrong they were.
Closing his eyes and centering himself, he waited until they were passing his room. Then he moved fast. The first man turned as the door opened, lightning-quick but still too slow to stop the charging dragon shifter. His gun barked, heavy bullets missing Kosar by inches and flattening against the wall behind him. Then Kosar's hand closed on the barrel, pulling it from the human's grip and throwing it into the rest of the squad.
The mercenary was fast, far faster than Kosar had expected. A punch that should have laid him out only staggered the man as he twisted asi
de, inhuman reaction speed keeping him safe. Everything seemed to move in slow motion around Kosar, the attackers starting to react to his presence as he and his first target traded blows.
You were meant to go down instantly, he snarled to himself as he swept the human's feet from under him. The others were ducking out of the way of the thrown gun still, their own weapons coming around to target him. In moments they'd be firing too, and that would be that.
But his kick caught the leader in the side of his knee and the man tumbled. Kosar caught him by the arm, feeling metal under the suit sleeve, and threw him too. The impact knocked the next two humans down like a bowling ball, and Kosar followed him, roaring like a berserker.
Cyborgs, he realized. These weren't normal humans, they'd been upgraded. Primitive implants gave them faster reflexes, stronger muscles, and shorter lives. They'd traded years for ability, and it made them even more formidable opponents.
It won't be enough. I won't let it be. His fist caught one of the soldiers in the face, smashing through his suit helmet and crushing his nose. That one was out of the fight. Another fired, shots tearing through the membrane of Kosar's wing as the shifter jumped aside. The pain was nothing, filed away until he had time to deal with it. Kosar was willing to ignore any injury that didn't put him down.
Grabbing hold of the unconscious soldier's suit, he spun, wielding the man as a shield and sweeping him into the path of the bullets. The heavy impacts shook him but couldn't penetrate his armored spacesuit, protecting Kosar as he leaped towards the shooter. With a roar, he slammed the unconscious man into his crewmate.
The last of the pirates had waited further back, guarding the rear. Too far away from the melee to get drawn in, he'd taken a knee and aimed carefully into the fight. Kosar grudgingly admired the man's fire discipline, waiting for the perfect moment to take his shot and then firing once.
The bullet slammed into Kosar's ribs with an impact that staggered him. It wasn't quite enough to punch through his scales and bones, but that was the only good news. Kosar felt a rib crack under the impact as the bullet flattened against him, staggering him, weakening him. The pain was blinding.
