by Anna Hackett
Whatever enhancements he had, it was more than just that deceptively simple silver disc at his temple.
Mal watched him come, barely realizing she’d pulled her multi-tool off her belt and flicked on the laser cutter. Her fingers clenched around it.
The man stopped nearby. “Come out.”
His voice was even, calm, not giving anything away. She watched him for a second and realized his eyes were back to normal, the eerie green glow was gone.
Mal ducked out of the wreck and stood. She saw the man’s gaze move to the laser cutter, then come back to her face.
She drew in a deep breath. “Thank you. Uh…I’m—”
“Malin Phoenix.”
Oh. “You know who I am.”
“Yes.”
Chatty guy. “You ever speak more than two words?”
“Yes.”
Mal waited but he didn’t say anything else. Right. “I was here—”
“You have a salvage license for Centax.”
She saw his eyes flicker, realized he was accessing those records at that very moment. Amazing. “You have me at a disadvantage. I have no idea who you are.”
“Centax Security.”
A CenSec. A shiver snaked through her. She’d already guessed as much but had secretly hoped it wasn’t true.
No one wanted to run into the galaxy’s deadliest killers. “Do you have a name?”
A pause. “Yes.”
She waited, suppressed the frustration bubbling in her chest. “Are you going to tell me?”
“Xander Saros.”
Xander. Yep, it suited him. He looked like a Xander. “What the hell is going on?”
“A coup.”
“A coup?” Shock was a punch to her stomach. “Who the hell would try and take over Centax?” And take on this scary cyborg and the other CenSecs like him?
“No time for explanations. More like him—” a nod at the dead giant “—will be on their way.”
“Right.” She didn’t want to face anymore giants.
“Starfreighter.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Starfreighter. You have one.”
“Yes—”
“I need it.” He wrapped a hand around her bicep and started pulling her toward the landing pads.
“Now hang on! I plan on getting off-planet. Right now.”
“As do I.”
Stars. She was practically jogging to keep up with him. She tried to pull her arm away, but wasn’t surprised she couldn’t budge a single centimeter. “Look, I’d like to help…but don’t you have an entire security force? And far better starships than my freighter?”
Her question hung in the air, unanswered, as another giant stepped into their path from behind another junker.
A nasty grin spread over the giant’s rugged face. He lifted a small pistol that glowed blue along the barrel.
Xander froze for a second. Then he shoved her behind him, so hard she stumbled.
There was a whine of an energy weapon.
Mal saw blue electricity race over Xander Saros’s body. He didn’t collapse but he dropped heavily to his knees, his arms hanging by his sides.
In front of him, the giant’s gaze fixed on Malin, his grin widening, baring his fangs.
The breath left her lungs in a rush.
Oh, shit.
Chapter Two
Malin took a step closer to her rescuer. “Xander?”
She looked down and saw that neon green flickering wildly in his eyes. Just like a console with a loose connection. Shit.
“Run.” His tone was hard, authoritative.
But there was a hint of something else in his voice. She noticed the slight sheen of perspiration on his brow and the fine tension in his shoulders. He was in pain. Whatever the giant’s weapon was, it had messed him up.
She glanced back at the giant and her stomach dropped to her knees. He hadn’t moved, but stood there, watching, looking at her like he wanted her to run.
So he could chase her down.
She stepped up beside Xander, her laser cutter clutched in her hand.
Xander glanced at the cutter and his brows drew together for the briefest instant. “Did you hear me?” he growled.
“Yes.”
Xander blinked slowly.
Poor tough guy. Probably wasn’t used to anyone disobeying orders.
Too bad.
She might be scared out of her brains, but she wasn’t leaving him here to die.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noted the giant was still not moving, just rocking on his heels. Was he trying to psych them out? Toying with them?
Xander’s gaze lingered on her throat where she knew her pulse was fluttering like an out-of-control avian droid. “But…you’re afraid,” he said.
She tightened her grip on the laser cutter. “Thanks for the pep talk.”
He blinked again. “You are either very brave or very stupid.”
“I’d prefer to go with brave…but I’m actually neither.”
“He outweighs you by a hundred and fifty-seven standard pounds.”
He could tell how much she weighed? “I said, enough with the pep talk. Now quit distracting me.” She forced herself to focus solely on the giant.
The giant reached behind his neck and there was the scraping sound of metal on leather. He pulled a wicked sword from a scabbard on his back. It was a dark, glassy color with jagged edges.
Great. Mal tried to hide her dismay.
“I will bathe in your blood,” the giant said with a wide grin, his words harsh and heavily accented.
“A sword? You had to have a fricking sword.” Mal shook her head. “My day is going rapidly downhill.”
Beside her, Xander gathered himself then lurched upward, managing to get one foot under him.
With a roar, the giant started in their direction. His yellow gaze was now on Xander.
Oh, no you don’t. Malin remembered everything her dad had taught her about fighting dirty. She took two steps forward and ducked low. She swiped out with the laser cutter.
And ran the golden laser against the giant’s heel, severing his Achilles’ tendon.
With a bellow, the big man spun, taking his weight off his damaged leg. He swung out with his sword.
Xander managed to push upright and slam Malin out of the way. She felt the whoosh of air as the blade passed close to them. Really close.
“Again,” Xander told her.
She dropped again and swiped at the giant’s other heel. This time he dropped to the ground on his knees. Surprise was stamped across his face. With a quick, almost dainty move, Mal bounded to her feet and stabbed the laser cutter into the giant’s thick neck.
Blood the color of Regalian sapphires spilled out, splashing down his chest.
Then he pitched forward and fell in an ungainly heap on the ground.
She’d killed someone. Oh, stars. She couldn’t deal with the thought right now. Wasn’t going anywhere near it until she was safely back on her ship. No, until she was back on Khan. Or maybe she’d never think about it. She moved back to Xander’s side.
“Time to go.” She wedged a shoulder under his arm and helped him to his feet. Jesus, he weighed a ton. “Put your arm over my shoulders.”
He towered over her. Her shoulder didn’t reach his armpit, so she just had to press it against his hard side.
Xander stared down at her for a second, like she was some foreign entity that wasn’t in his database. With obvious reluctance, he dropped his arm over her shoulders.
Tough guy wasn’t used to leaning on anyone. Despite everything, Mal felt a smile tug at her lips.
They moved forward, awkward at first, until they found a hobbling rhythm.
“You are more muscular and a lot tougher than I’d calculated,” he said.
“I’m a salvage mechanic. We’re tough stock.” They stumbled a few times and she muttered several curses under her breath.
Then they tripped over some scrap steel a
nd overbalanced. Xander fell to his knees and groaned.
Mal tugged at him. “Up.” Sweat was dripping down the side of his face now and his mouth was pinched. “Can’t you block the pain?”
“No. My systems…are not functioning at optimal levels.”
The reluctance in his tone was front and center. She guessed kick-ass CenSecs disliked admitting weakness. “The weapon did something to you.”
A nod. “It disrupts my advanced systems and implants.”
“Makes you mortal like the rest of us, huh?”
Those amazing green-gold eyes flicked her way. “Yes.”
“Don’t worry, tough guy. Not much farther.” She grunted. He was really heavy
“Thirty-three meters to the landing pads.”
Who needed a computer to do calculations when you had a CenSec? “There she is. The Firebird.”
Xander managed to lift his head. They were coming up on the salvage yard landing pads and sitting on the pad closest to them was her small starfreighter.
She didn’t look like much. The Firebird’s hull was a dull, striated gray. The back was larger for cargo storage, and the front tapered to a rounded nose forming the cockpit. Mal loved every inch of her.
They passed through the fence surrounding the pads. Ahead, Mal saw clouds of smoke rising above Haxx. Xander made a small noise and she saw he was staring at the smoke as well.
The icy look on his face chilled her.
Whoever was behind this was going to pay and she suspected this cyborg would be the one collecting.
Another stumble. This time Xander cursed.
“Hey, keep it together a bit longer, tough guy.” Mal bumped her shoulder up against his side and tightened her arm around his middle. Damn, the man was all hard muscle under his black uniform. “Nearly there.”
“Fifteen meters.” His voice was hoarse.
A roar sounded behind them and they both stiffened.
“Fuck.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Double fuck. Move it!” Her pulse surged, blood racing through her veins.
Three giants were running in their direction.
Mal and Xander managed a shambling run toward the ship. Shit, they weren’t going to make it.
The whine of laser fire sounded from nearby. Mal expected to feel the burn of it cut through her. Instead, she spotted Traxan huddled beside a starship engine, firing at the giants.
The giants scattered and Mal focused on reaching the ship. At the entry, she pressed a palm to the pad beside the door and it hissed open. “Go!”
They made it in. She leaned Xander against the wall to keep him upright. The giants were nearly on them. Trax was nowhere to be seen.
She pressed the control and closed the door. Please stay safe, Trax.
“They’ll bypass…your…security,” Xander barely managed to get the words out. The run had clearly taken it out of him.
“They can try,” she muttered fiercely. She touched the matching pad on the inside, yanked off the cover and disconnected some wires. “We need to take off…like yesterday—”
A weight hit the door, making Mal stumble back.
It was followed by more thumps on the metal, and the faint sound of growls and snarling.
She spun. “I’ll dump you in sick bay and get us off-world, then I’ll—”
“No.”
She blinked. “No? What do you mean no?”
“Coming to…cockpit. Can help.”
“Tough guy, you can’t even stay on your feet by yourself.”
“I. Can. Help.” His gaze was intense.
Men. She huffed out a breath. It was quicker not to argue. “Come on, then.”
Again, with her shoulder in his side, they travelled the dull-gray corridors to the front of the ship.
The cockpit was open and spacious, with a large, curved viewscreen showing a burning Haxx ahead of them. She saw him take everything in. No doubt it was very different from the sleek, snug Infiltrators he was used to piloting. Freighters went longer distances and were rarely under fire, so they could be more comfortable.
Four seats sat along the curved console below the viewscreen, the middle two designated for pilot and navigator. The other two were comms and engineering.
“Strap in.” She helped him into the navigator’s chair.
When he struggled with the straps, she reached over and clicked them in place. He stared at her hands.
She knew what he saw. Short nails, callused fingers and probably the remnants of starship grease. She snatched her hands back and felt heat in her cheeks. She dropped into the pilot’s chair.
The clang of metal on metal echoed through the ship.
“Shit.” She reached out and touched a screen. It flashed to life, and showed camera footage of the ship’s entrance.
The giants were attempting to batter their way in with a ram.
“Engines,” Xander said.
She didn’t argue. Her hands began a frantic dance across the screens. Moments later, the engines roared to life.
Xander’s eyes narrowed on the command console. “Not standard.”
“Nope.” She plotted their course. “Not much is standard. I’ve added a few enhancements.”
His gaze moved to her and stayed there for a long moment. “Hidden depths.”
“You betcha. Now, hold on.” She touched the controls and the ship lifted off.
As they rose, she executed a quick turn. Her baby was a lot more maneuverable than a standard Norian freighter. The viewscreen gave another glimpse of Haxx and the thick plumes of smoke rising above the academies.
Xander’s hands clenched on the armrests of his chair but his face was its usual blank mask.
Then they shot forward. Fast.
“Engines aren’t standard either,” he said.
She turned her head and grinned. “Nope.”
He studied her for a long moment before focusing again on the viewscreen.
“Five minutes and we’ll clear atmo.” She checked the engine power levels. “Then we’ll get the hell out of here.”
But the sudden wailing of an alarm made them both tense.
“Fuck!” Mal leaned to the left, flicking at various touchscreens. “Incoming.” She looked his way. “Squadron of Infiltrators.”
He slammed a fist against the console so hard he dented the metal.
“Hey! Don’t damage my ship.” She pushed his hand off the console. “Can you contact them? Call them off.”
“They are not under Centaxian control. The mercenaries have seized control of the Security spaceport.”
Not good. Mal chewed on her lip. “You’re telling me those giants are flying those Infiltrators?”
“Most likely.”
“Shit.” She tapped at the controls. “I’ll try and pull some extra power from—”
Another alarm sounded. This time Xander reached forward and touched the screen in front of him. “Incoming ion missile. Starboard side.” He spoke like he were giving her a weather report.
“Shields are up.”
“Won’t stop these missiles. They’re designed to penetrate shields.”
Her stomach dropped. “What?”
“New Centaxian tech.”
The ship shuddered and they were both tossed forward in their seats, held in place by their straps.
More alarms sounded. Mal worked furiously at the controls. “We’ve lost grav and enviro in the cargo area. No hull breach.”
“Yet.”
“Hey, positive attitude please.”
Another hit. The ship shuddered again and this time the console to the right exploded, sparks raining over both of them.
“Damn it. I’ve lost one of the engines.” Her hands flew in a blur over the controls. “We can’t take another hit.”
Xander reached forward and touched his palms to the console.
“What are you doing?” she bit out.
He ignored her, his gaze turned inward. Once again, his eyes flared that eerie neon green.
&
nbsp; Even in the midst of chaos, she couldn’t help but stare at him. Damn, he was a handsome. Not to mention scary. “Xander—”
“I’m strengthening the shields and the weapons systems.”
“Your eyes—”
“A sign I’m utilizing my advanced cyborg systems.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “However, they are still not fully back online. But we will get off Centax, Malin.” His voice was colder than ice. “I will do whatever is required to get us out of here.”
Mal couldn’t look away from him. The luminescence of his eyes cast a glow over his black uniform. She saw the lines of pain on his face soften, and that scary blankness deepen.
He looked less man and far more…something else.
Another insistent alarm. She palmed the screen. “Infiltrators are coming back! Weapons are locked.” Her heart pounded in her chest like a wild animal attempting to burst free.
She glanced out the viewscreen, could just see the squadron of five sleek black ships heading straight toward them.
Then her ship’s lasers fired. An explosion ahead.
The lead Infiltrator went down.
She turned her head toward Xander. He stared straight ahead, his chest rising and falling at an even, steady pace.
Her freighter’s lasers opened fire again. Looking back at the viewscreen, she saw two Infiltrators go wild, spiraling downward and out of control.
The remaining two ships veered away.
“Environmental controls are reestablished in the cargo area,” Xander said in a monotone.
Mal slowly turned back to the man beside her.
“Unfortunately, the gravity system is damaged.”
“That’s okay.” She swallowed.
“So is the primary engine. I can only get thirty-five-percent power from it.”
With a shake, Mal focused back on her touchscreen, confirming Xander’s assessment. “Not great. But I can still get us home on that and a functioning secondary.”
“To Khan.”
She stilled. “You know where I live.”
“Yes.”
Her lips firmed. “What else do you have in those records of yours?”
“I know your cousins are the Phoenix brothers. And I need their help.”
“Why?”
“The mercenaries have stolen something. Something of great value to Centax. I need—” Suddenly, his body spasmed. His palms flattened against the console, his body arching forward. “We’ve lost the rear stabilizers.”
