Redemption: Sci Fi Romance (Far Hope Series Book 2)

by E. A. James

  “Captain,” Bron’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Orders.”

  “Turrets ready?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  In a flash, the decision was made. It wasn’t a conscious decision; it was an instinct. Her body buzzed with energy as she bit down on her bottom lip, her eyes fixed on the insects swarming outside their ship.

  “Clear the way!” she ordered. “Fire at will!”

  Vinnie and Bron, standing at the plasma turret gun controls behind her, began to fire bolts of red hot plasma at the Zel’Dar swarm. The insects were too close, though. She had let them get too close.

  “Going up!” she yelled, pulling forcefully on the controls. As she did, the sound of the Zel’Dars’ razor sharp claws grating against the ship’s shield and hull made her grit her teeth.

  They followed her up, sticking closely to the ship.

  “We still can’t get them,” Bron said.

  “I can see that,” Kira replied.

  This time, when she sent the ship falling back down toward the mining colony, she didn’t yell out her warning. There wasn’t time. The Zel’Dar were slightly startled by her second sudden change in direction, and they finally left enough room between themselves and the ship that she was able to send the vessel forward. They followed behind her closely, but now, Vinnie and Bron were able to find them in the crosshairs that appeared on the rear-view cameras.

  “Awesome!” Vinnie yelled as he bopped up and down excitedly with each trigger pull.

  It didn’t take long for them to shoot down the small swarm. The point of sending them out wasn’t to destroy their ship, Kira knew that. It was to distract them long enough that Mordecai and his men could make a clean getaway.

  When the last of the insects fell lifelessly back toward the asteroid, Kira didn’t let herself relax. She squinted at her sensor array, searching for Mordecai’s ship. There was a faint beacon, far ahead of them now pinging on the sensor array.

  Without a second of hesitation, she pushed forward on the controls. The Curio shuddered slightly, and a wave of disheartening panic washed through her. But, the ship did respond. Although it didn’t respond as quickly as she would have liked, it continued to pick up speed, and they were soon pursuing the unmarked ship becoming slightly more visible up ahead.

  “Don’t relax yet,” she said to Bron and Vinnie over her shoulder. “We’re going after them.”

  The Curio continued forward, gaining on the ship. Kira felt her skin tingle with excitement as the prospect of taking down one of Grimm’s accomplices pushed all her previous thoughts from her mind. In that second she was only there, in the Captain’s chair, leading her crew on a mission through space.

  The beacon of Mordecai’s ship grew brighter on the sensor array. But then, she saw something else. Two more points of light seeming to fall out the back end of the ship. She leaned forward, staring intently at the specks as they grew larger.

  “Shit,” she muttered. “We have company!”

  The two specks were small class fighters, and they were coming straight at them at full speed.

  “Bron, Vinnie, lock in, this might not be a fun ride,” she ordered as she kept the ship on course.

  The fighter vessels continued their beeline straight toward them, weapons lowered and ready. Kira didn’t flinch as she dared the ships to get closer.

  “Don’t fire until I give the word, I’m not sure they know about our pulse cannons, and maybe we can surprise them,” she said to Bron and Vinnie over her shoulder.

  She urged the Curio forward, picking up speed as she went. Finally, just as the fighter ships were too close for comfort, she pulled up on the controls.

  “Now!” she yelled.

  Vinnie and Bron both fired. Vinnie continued to yell excitedly as Kira pulled the ship higher. The plasma blasts hit the ships, but bounced off, spraying the energetic matter out into open space. Their shields were good, very good. It would take a lot more than a few shots from the Curio to bring them down.

  Kira watched her screens as the ships began to climb after her. Their smaller size and sleeker designs meant that they maneuvered about better than her ship. But, that didn’t mean that they could outfly her. That was up to their pilots.

  Kira leveled the Curio out, waiting for the fighter ships to do the same. Once they were directly behind her, she ordered Bron and Vinnie to once again begin shooting at them. Despite the fact that the blasts were doing minimal damage, Vinnie continued to cheer with excitement every time he hit one of the ships.

  Kira waited, watching the screens. She needed the ships to split up, to fly in opposite directions. When they did, she let out a sigh of relief. The alarms began to ring out as one of the ship’s cannons locked in on the Curio. The ringing always annoyed her.

  She let out a grunt as she spun the Curio around to face off against the ship aiming at them. The Curio shook slightly at the sudden change in direction but gave into her insistent urging. Just as she did, another set of alarms went off.

  The other ship was also locking in on them.

  “Idiots,” Kira muttered. As the first ship let its blast fly, she jerked the controls to the right, letting the projectile zip past them, just barely missing the Curio’s left hull. The missile drifted off into space. The second ship released its fire now. Again, Kira jerked the ship to the side, this time placing the Curio back in the line of fire of the first ship.

  The second missile buzzed past them.

  “What the hell are you doing? Dancing with them?” Bron asked.

  “I’m trying something,” Kira replied. “Open comms down to the engine room. Tell Alaria that I’m going to need warp right now.”

  Bron did as she asked, still eyeing her every move with uneasy suspicion.

  “You have to have more faith,” she said to him, feeling his accusatory glare. She continued to jolt the ship back and forth. “You should know by now that you can trust me.”

  “Trust you to scare the shit out of me,” Bron replied.

  “Keep your shit where it is and get back to the turret,” she replied with a cocky smile.

  She jerked the ship to the right again as the first ship sent another missile in their direction. Then, again to the left. She could sense that the pilots were becoming frustrated. It was evidenced by the way their missiles began to stream in her direction with less and less precision. The shots were coming closer together, meaning the shooters were taking less time to place them. When she felt the moment was right, she gave the order.

  “Bron, you focus on the front ship’s missiles. Vinnie, you got the back. The second those missiles come out of the cannons, target fire them down. They need to be close to the ships, directly under them would be best.”

  “Roger that!” Vinnie’s high-pitched, excited voice replied.

  Kira tightened her hold on the controls, waiting for the moment to come. She had to time it perfectly. She couldn’t risk getting caught up in the ripple of the explosions.

  She fixed her eyes on the screen linked to the front camera. The second the missile lowered into the cannon, she yelled, “now!” hoping that the ship behind them had matched up with his companion’s timing.

  As Bron and Vinnie released the blazes of energetic matter, Kira pulled up hard on the controls. The Curio climbed, surprisingly swiftly. She didn’t watch the screens to see if the turrets guns hit their targets. She continued to urge the ship upward.

  When a ball of orange and yellow heat rushed up below them, pushing at the bottom of the Curio, shaking the floor beneath them violently, she threw the controls forward and slammed her hand down on the warp accelerator. In a flash, the Curio leaped forward through space, leaving behind a scene of destruction in its wake.

  Leaning back in her chair, the feeling of adrenaline pumping through her veins was not the only thing Kira felt. The rush of escaping the multiple onslaughts that Mordecai had left for them would have normally filled her with a buzz of excitement.

  But not then. She
looked to her right, the seat that had come to be Thor’s regular place, to find it empty. Her heart sunk as she sighed, leaning her head back against the headrest of her chair.

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Bron said, walking up behind her.

  She had forgotten that Bron and Vinnie were in the flight deck with her still. She shook her head and pushed herself up.

  “He’s strong,” she replied. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, too. For now, though, we need to focus on our next step.” She leaned back and pressed down on the intercom system. “Dario, what is Thor’s condition?”

  “Stable.”

  “Can you leave him for a few moments? I need everyone on the flight deck,” Kira responded, feeling a wash of relief flow through her.

  “Of course, Captain. He’ll be fine without me constantly hovering over him.”

  “Good, then get up here. Alaria, you too.”

  Kira leaned back, resting her weight on the row of consoles behind her. She knew they could have met in Thor’s room in medical. That way the doctor didn’t have to leave his side. But, doing that would not be the best thing for her. It was selfish, in part. She knew that if she saw him, in any condition, lying in a hospital bed, her mind would fixate only on that.

  She couldn’t let herself do that, not yet. She had a responsibility to her entire crew, to the Alliance, to humanity. She had to stay focused, just a little longer.

  “What is it, Captain?” Dario asked, walking into the flight deck with Alaria close on his heels.

  “We need to discuss our next step,” Kira informed them. “We lost Mordecai in the fight. There’s no telling where he is, and I’m not sure venturing through space to search for him is the best use of our time.”

  “I agree,” Dario replied. “But, can we return to Earth?”

  Bron grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Your planet wasn’t the most welcoming to us the last time.”

  “We need to warn Artanis about everything we’ve figured out,” Kira insisted.

  “But, Myles and Kora have gone to do that,” Alaria said.

  “They went to warn him about Mordecai’s activity on the mining colonies, but…” Kira’s voice drifted off as she looked to Dario.

  “What?” Alaria asked, her big blue eyes bouncing back and forth between Kira and Dario.

  “There’s more that he needs to know,” Dario answered.

  “It’s not a certainty; it’s more of a hunch, really,” Kira added.

  “What the hell is it?” Vinnie asked, throwing his hands out at his sides.

  Kira quickly explained her belief that Grimm had teamed with the Arkadians to create the super-weapon she had once worked with the Colonel to destroy. She repeated, more times than she needed to, that she wasn’t sure; it was only a thought.

  “It makes sense,” Alaria said. “We knew the mineral could be used in high energy reactors. It’d be ideal for creating a gravity weapon that could turn stars supernova.”

  “The only thing the galaxy needs purifying of is madmen like Grimm and crazed religious zealots like Mordecai,” Kira replied.

  Everyone looked at her. She hadn’t realized that her usual snarky tone had somehow shifted to something much darker. She smiled weakly and shrugged.

  “Am I wrong?”

  “No,” everyone agreed.

  “Well, that settles it then. We’re going back to Earth,” Dario announced.

  “Home sweet home,” Kira replied, spinning around to enter the flight path into the holo display. “Won’t be long, and we’ll be back in the heart of Terran space.”

  “Still, no guarantees we still won’t be arrested on sight,” Kira said over her shoulder as everyone made their way back to their stations.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Thor’s condition remained unchanged during the first day of the trip. Dario informed them that the internal damage done by the pulse gun was minimal, thanks to the combat armor. But, the wounds were still there. The equipment he had on the ship was good, but not great. He wasn’t able to get a full-scope idea of how much damage had actually been done. Only time would tell.

  Kira checked in on him regularly. She barely slept at all the first night, waking regularly to wander down to the medical bay to check on his condition. Thor mostly slept.

  Her thoughts continued to shift back and forth, Grimm’s words constantly finding their way to the surface. His warnings about relationships, his urgings that her focus needed to be on her job. It was more than ten years ago, but still, his mentorship had long-since impacted her career, her life.

  She had always valued his guidance. But, for obvious reasons, she was beginning to question it. Still, the momentary realization that she was concerned for Thor in the heat of a chase, so concerned, in fact, that she considered giving up completely and running to his bedside, still made her mentally retreat back to the time when she regularly turned to Grimm for direction. Something about the things he said made sense then and part of her felt as if they still did.

  Alaria’s high-pitched giggle broke into her thoughts.

  Kira was in the dining room, pushing a bowl of pre-packaged, dried-out oatmeal back and forth with her spoon. She had just been to visit Thor, to find his condition unchanged—again. Eating seemed like a good way to pass the time. At least, it seemed like that in the moment.

  The instant she sat down, she lost her appetite.

  “See? She likes you!” Alaria said, shoving Zola into Bron’s arms.

  Kira looked up to see them, sitting on the couch across the room. The sight was an odd mixture of sweet and rugged. Alaria’s pale white skin contrasted beautifully with the dark color of Bron’s. The cat, small and agile, wiggled around wildly, trying to free herself from Bron’s muscular arms.

  “No, she doesn’t,” Bron replied. “But I’m not fond of her, either.”

  Alaria giggled again, taking the cat from him. Zola nuzzled at her face eagerly, as if thanking her for freeing her from Bron’s grasp. Again, Alaria’s laugh bounced off the walls, accompanied by Bron’s throaty chuckle. The sounds were a chorus of highs and lows, melded together perfectly in the simplicity of the moment.

  Kira’s attention was drawn to the door leading from the common area toward the medical bay when Dario’s figured appeared in it. She pushed herself to her feet. Her heart skipped as she waited for another report on Thor’s condition.

  Dario looked at her, her eyes wide, and shook his head. “Nothing’s changed,” he said solemnly. “Everything we can do for him has been done, at this point, it’s up to him. Plasma fire at that range causes cell death, and we can only hope his body slows its progress before it reaches his major organs.”

  Alaria and Bron stiffened, their laughter falling out of the air as everyone waited for Kira’s reaction.

  “He’s strong,” Kira said, “he’ll pull through.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement, although no one spoke. Kira scanned their faces, noting the way they continued to stare at her as if waiting for her to say something more, to react, to break down.

  “Can I see him?” she asked.

  “You were just with him half an hour ago,” Dario reminded her, walking across the room and taking hold of her hand. “You need to rest. You haven’t slept in at least 36 hours. You haven’t eaten since we left the mining colony. You have to take care of yourself, Kira. This is not doing anyone any good.”

  “I know,” she admitted.

  Alaria and Bron recommenced their conversation, although there was something less light-hearted about it than before. Zola appeared to be the only one that didn’t notice a change in the mood. She continued to nuzzle playfully at Alaria’s face, and bat Bron’s hand away every time he tried to pet her.

  “Dario, can I ask you something?” Kira asked as she slumped back down into the hard metal chair at the table.

  “Of course,” Dario replied, sitting down next to her. “Anything.”

  “Your relationship with Thane,” Kira began. “Do you ever fe
el like it affects your work? Do you find yourself worrying about him when you should be concentrating on something else, or just not able to focus on your job at all?”

  Dario tilted his head to the side as he contemplated the question. “I think about him all the time,” he replied. “But, I don’t think it hinders my work at all. If anything, it makes me focus.”

  “How is that possible?”

  "What Thane is doing, sending the messages, is extremely dangerous. He's putting his life at risk to help me—to help all of us. Yes, sometimes I feel guilty that he's taking such great risks, but I don’t forget why we decided to do this. And, when I think about that, I use it as motivation to make sure that I’m doing all I can to repay him, taking the information he gives me and doing something with it. Together, we’re making a difference. We’re both risking a lot, but knowing that we have the other out there, working for the same purpose, keeps us going.”