by Eva Delaney
“I’m just here to see Mr. Pancake,” I said breezily.
“He does have a fuller social calendar than I do,” Antares said, his tone serious as a legal contract. I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.
I studied him, running my gaze over his long, fit limbs for intel and signs of danger. Even though Mr. Pancake wore a collar that could feed a family for a year, Antares didn’t wear gems or jewels. The bottom hem of his black jacket was frayed. His boots were cracked and holed.
He had fallen on hard times and betrayed the Supremacy for it, I decided, or perhaps he was never in it for the cash at all.
I must have been staring at him for too long because his cold expression cracked like ice and he grinned. “You can enjoy the view all night if you want.”
I started. “There’s not much to enjoy.”
He grinned wider. “If you’re not here for me, then you’re planning to steal my ship.”
“What? No!” I said even though he was almost right. “Where did you get that idea, and why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason.” But he still smiled at me. “I like the way you think, firebrand.”
“That’s my ship’s name. You can call me Commander.”
“Both names suit you.”
I couldn’t stand an enemy looking at me with something resembling admiration. Worse, I couldn’t stand how it made my heart quicken. When he smiled, he was handsome. For a scumbag. I cleared my throat and glanced away.
“Your plan won’t work. If you’re flying through Supremacy space, this ship will get you shot down quickly. Man, they hate me right now,” he laughed.
“Why?”
“Pretty much every reason!” For the first time, he sounded delighted. It was a pleasant sound in his resonant voice. The reason for it was even better: The Supremacy hated him, or so he claimed. But his cheer didn’t matter. I still hated that he assumed he knew what I was thinking, even though he did.
“I have no need to steal this shithole,” I said drawing my shoulders back. “I’ve accepted the mission. We’ll be leaving on the Firebrand after a final briefing at nine am.”
He raised an eyebrow. I expected him to ask why I had changed my mind. Instead, he said, “Then why are you on my ship in the middle of the night?” His eyes glinted.
I turned away, my face hot. My last encounter with Orion had left me so worked up that even Antares was giving me ideas—like those long fingers rubbing something other than Mr. Pancake. “Ah…” I cleared my throat and dredged up my commanding voice. “That is inappropriate banter with your ranking officer.”
“I’m not used to respecting authority.”
I suppressed a smile. “You better get used to it. I will not suffer fools on my crew.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said in that dead serious tone and I couldn’t tell if he was sincere or making fun. No matter. I wouldn’t have to deal with him for much longer.
“Now, before we embark, I need you to tell me everything you know about Agent Winters’s location.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’re here in the middle of the night.” Antares stood, slow and languid, stretching out his long limbs like a cat. “I got a better idea, Commander. It’s you and me here—”
“What…are you suggesting we…No. What?” I stammered.
“You were right about the others,” he continued as though I hadn’t made an idiot of myself. “They’ve been bickering like drunks all damn day. This mission requires professionals, competent in the unsavory arts.” He twitched an eyebrow like a silent laugh.
I opened my mouth to protest, but stopped myself. I was a smuggler. Were those skills that different from a bounty hunter’s?
“Why do we need those men getting in the way and screwing up the mission? You can fly, fight, and gather info. So can I.”
My heart was loud in my ears. Travel alone on a small ship with this tall, lean man with the sad eyes and rakish grin and long fingers…I pushed the thoughts away. Those ideas were not why he made me uncomfortable. The problem wasn’t how he looked. It was who he was: A Supremacy agent and a traitor.
“I know you don’t want me around,” Antares added as though reading my mind. He dropped his eyes to Mr. Pancake who scratched an ear. “But we both know we’ll succeed without those fools.”
He wasn’t doing this for me or The Uprising. Orion, Hamal, and Rux would make his life miserable. They’d lock him up for the entire trip. They might attack him. He was doing this to save himself.
But he was providing me with a chance to free myself and help The Uprising, which was what mattered. I could get out of here with the one man, gain the info I needed from him, and ditch him in the first space port we stopped at. It’d be much easier than trying to lose all five of them.
But could I trust anything Antares said? “Why are you really doing this?”
Antares eyed me for a long moment, then turned his gaze down to the pug and smiled. Mr. Pancake craned his neck to stare up at him. “I’m doing it for Mr. Pancake!”
“So we start this mission on a foundation of mistrust,” I said, crossing my arms.
“Like every other relationship in my life,” he said. “It generally works out.”
“If it did, you wouldn’t have betrayed your people,” I said.
Antares went very still. I tensed, ready to go for my gun if he tried anything.
“You’re betraying yours,” he said, coldly.
“I’m saving mine,” I hissed.
“By sneaking away in the middle of the night, same as I did to come here. Well…I didn’t quite sneak—”
“I don’t care how you did it.”
“I understand the urge to escape,” he said with his voice flat.
“This isn’t an escape. It’s a rescue.” That wasn’t entirely true. It was both.
“Are we going to screw over the Supremacy or not?”
He was still being evasive, and I still didn’t know if he was leading The Uprising into a trap or not. But if I left with him, I’d be the only one walking into that trap. I wouldn’t be responsible for getting anyone else hurt or killed.
Of course, it also meant no one would have my back if he tried anything. But I was used to that. Relying on others for safety was itself a trap.
I looked Antares over, slowly. He watched me and waited. I could take him if I had to. “All right. Let’s screw the Supremacy.”
I couldn’t believe I was working with an enemy to defy orders. But I was only partially disobeying orders. Besides, I often did questionable things for The Uprising, like cutting deals with Supremacy merchants. Someone had to do the dirty work. This was just one more dirty deed to save the galaxy.
Once I got the info I needed, I would wrap Antares in a spacesuit and shove him out the airlock, anyway. The perfect plan.
If he didn’t shove me out the airlock first. Maybe he hadn’t betrayed them. Maybe this was all a trap.
Eleven
The Firebrand was designed for quick getaways in the dead of night. Its ramp opened with barely a sound and stopped an inch from the deck so that there was no thump. When I reached the top of the ramp, I breathed deep of the stale, recycled air. Few people found that smell comforting, but it was the smell of home. I had only been away for a few hours, but it still felt good to be back.
The Supremacy agent with me spoiled the moment.
I turned around and Antares was there in the dark, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Mr. Pancake’s little face poked out of its top. Somehow, Antares’s boots hadn’t made a sound as he followed me up the ramp. I shuddered.
He didn’t say anything as he waited for my command. But he was not a man accustomed to following orders. He was a man accustomed to sneaking through shadows, ambushing prey, and betraying allies. Dangerous. Treacherous.
But wasn’t sneaking through shadows what I did, too?
I shoved the thought away. I was doing this for a good cause; I wasn’t sure Antares had a cause beyond sa
ving himself or leading us into a trap. That was the difference between us.
I pressed a finger to my lips and pointed at the ladder to the main deck. I didn’t like turning my back on him, but I couldn’t risk him getting control of the cockpit first. I scaled the ladder faster than I ever have.
I almost hoped Antares would try something. If he jumped me at Star Keeper Base, he’d reveal that he was playing us and this mission would be canceled. I’d have my ship back and return to running weapons across the Supremacy border to Uprising outposts. I’d be able to escape Orion and the memories he brought back. Even the good memories stung.
But Antares didn’t even mutter a threat under his breath.
I settled into the captain’s chair, and it held me close and familiar as a hug. Reaching under the dashboard, I flicked hidden switches to start the Firebrand in silent mode. None of the lights came on, not even on the dash. The cockpit was lit only by the yellow docking bay lights spilling through the viewport. The engine was a distant soft hum, the dampeners quieting its usual roar. They sucked up an awful lot of energy, so I could only use them until we were clear of the base.
Without a sound, Antares slipped into the co-pilot’s seat. My hands tightened on the controls. You need him for a little while, I reminded myself, then you can dump him out the airlock.
In the dark, my hands flew across the dashboard to run through the pre-flight systems check. I leaned to my right, dangerously close to Antares, to reach the controls on his side of the console. I was close enough to brush his warm knee, to catch a waft of his musky scent. I took a deep breath to steady myself but inhaled a lungful of his smell instead.
To Antares’s credit, he didn’t touch the controls or offer to help. He respected that I knew what I was doing.
As Orion had when I had started flying through the rings. I shoved the thought away.
Systems check completed, I closed the ramp then locked down the cabin doors so nothing could tumble out during flight. I gripped the controls and the Firebrand lifted off from the deck.
Antares scooped up Mr. Pancake and pressed him against his chest before strapping in. Mr. Pancake panted and glanced around as though he had no idea what was happening but loved it anyway.
I guessed Antares wasn’t all bad if he loved that little dog. Too bad he had joined the cruel Supremacy.
“I can’t request the latest safe path through the rings since it’ll give us away,” I whispered. “It’s going to be a spinny ride.” And maybe a pointless one. Even with my knowledge of Star Keepers’ security, it would be difficult to escape unnoticed. I gulped. If we were caught, I’d be accused of treachery. Rux would love that. It would prove him right about me.
“You promise a rough ride?” Antares said. He almost sounded cheerful, his tone flirting with the edge of playfulness. At least I could count on him to be easy-going about danger.
I held my breath as I navigated the Firebrand out of the docking bay. The patrolling guards might flag our departure. Ion cannons that could disable the Firebrand might be trained on us the moment we entered the rings.
I swooped the Firebrand into the ring system, staying close to an asteroid to use it as cover if any guns opened fire. It was strange to think of The Uprising shooting at me. They had been my allies, my solace, since I was ten.
No warning lights or pretend dance party during this flight. Silent mode shut off the alarms and I wasn’t going to show off my insanity before this man. No fancy flying either. If I made any mistakes, the Firebrand would be damaged and stranded. Then I’d be facing the general, which I’d rather not do until I had a successful mission to prove my worth.
Despite what Polaris thought, I could fly clean and steady—if I wanted to. As I navigated the rings, I was patient and careful, waiting for the most direct paths and skipping the complex maneuvers. It took longer, but it was cleaner.
I kept waiting for the blue streak of ion fire. I kept glancing at the sensors to see if anyone was following us to haul us back to Star Keeper. My hands shook on the controls. I was so close to being named a traitor and being imprisoned. Not even Doctor Hamal would show me compassion for that.
But this was the only way to save The Uprising.
The men would be so angry when they found out I had ditched them, and I’d rather not have to face them. Seeing the horror and disappointment in Orion, Polaris, and Hamal’s eyes would be worse than facing the general.
I sighed in relief as I pulled the Firebrand out of the rings. Almost there. But the worse threat was still ahead.
“That wasn’t spinny enough,” Antares said.
“You’re welcome to twirl around the cockpit,” I muttered.
“Will you join me?” That wicked grin flickered across his features, then vanished just as quickly. “Ma’am,” he added all serious and polite as though his voice couldn’t be anything else.
“I like your second tone better,” I said.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or making fun. “I’ll get used to following your orders.”
The way he said it sent a prickle along my spine. Being near this man was dangerous. I couldn’t wait to abandon him.
My chance was a bit closer as the jumpgate loomed ahead of me. It was wide as a moon. A massive mountain range of complicated equipment lined its inner rim. They were taller and more jagged than the natural mountains I had seen on three dozen planets. The center of the gate wavered like ripples in a pond of mercury.
Ships like my little Firebrand weren’t large enough to carry equipment and fuel to jump to hyperspace—a dimension that offered a shortcut across the galaxy and enabled us to travel much faster than light-speed would allow. The jumpgate provided ships the extra kick to blast into hyperspace.
My gaze fixed not on the gate, but on the large dreadnoughts that guarded it.
There was no sneaking by an Uprising dreadnought. I just had to hope that they recognized my transponder signals and let me go. I switched off stealth mode; the dashboard and ceiling lights eased on. I double-checked that I was broadcasting the right transponder signal and flicked on the comms. If they asked me to turn back, my only options were to follow their orders or risk being shot down.
I wondered if I could outfly them. I had never faced Uprising dreadnoughts before, but I had seen plenty of Supremacy ships try and fail. I was a better pilot than those Supremacy scum, but even I couldn’t dodge plasma blasts fifty miles wide.
“If we get through, set course for Etrea,” Antares said. I nodded and set course for the Vinera Space Port instead. I didn’t trust a word this bounty hunter said. Not yet. Vinera’s jumpgate was an excellent way to sneak into Supremacy space under the guise of legitimacy, and it would let me approach Etrea from a different direction than Antares expected. Then I would know if he had a trap waiting for me or not.
As I flew under the dreadnought, I held my breath and eyed their massive cannons. If one even twitched as though preparing to aim, we were screwed. I’d lose everything. Everyone. I didn’t want the men around, but I still liked to think that someone out there cared if I lived or not.
I glanced sidelong at Antares. His eyes were turned up toward the warship and its heavy array of guns. I wondered if he was studying it for weak spots or if he was worried that the cannons might turn on us.
The Firebrand glided under the dreadnoughts and under their cannons. Ahead, the rippling surface of pure energy was ready to swallow us like water. “Here we go,” I muttered.
The Firebrand’s nose touched the jumpgate and disappeared through it like slipping into water. Then the ship jolted as the jumpgate flung us into hyperspace. The view beyond the window changed to flickering blue-white light. Nobody could reach you in hyperspace, which was my favorite thing about it. Normally its flickering light was a comforting view. Not this time.
Because I was trapped with a Supremacy bounty hunter with no way out for the next week. He could stab me in the back, literally, at any moment.
<
br /> “That was the smoothest getaway I’ve ever been a part of. Usually something blows up,” Antares said.
“Because you trash shit, you mean.”
He cracked a grin and his face lit up in an almost charming way. “All the damn time!”
“Shit that belongs to innocent people.”
“Never. Shit that belongs to criminals, smugglers, black market dealers—”
“People like me.”
“Yes,” at least he didn’t try to hide it. “And the Supremacy.”
“How’d you do that without being fired or arrested?”
“I’ve got my ways. That was a good flight through the rings. I’ve never flown with a better pilot.”
It felt oddly good that even an enemy had to admit my skill. “I know.”
He laughed.
I quickly glanced away from him and busied myself with unlocking the cabins. A moment later the cockpit door hissed open, but that wasn’t right. Antares was still in the co-pilot’s seat with Mr. Pancake on his lap. No one else was supposed to be on-board.
“What the fuck is happening?” Orion roared.
Twelve
A tremor crawled up my spine. I couldn’t remember what my parents sounded like or even my sister, but Orion’s voice was as familiar as my own heartbeat. Which had stopped.
I turned. He stood in the doorway with his eyes blazing. His hair was a wild mess like he had just climbed from bed. My gaze dropped to his bare chest and followed a line of hair like a pathway down his stomach to his tight briefs.
It was easier to look at Orion’s bare chest and abs than to meet his gaze and admit that I had been a fool. Why had I trusted Antares?
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Antares said. He was a good actor, but a traitor would be. He had known Orion was here and lied to me. He watched me with a pleading look, as though he wanted me to believe he was innocent.
Orion’s jade eyes darted from Antares to me. “Cali?” he said, his voice somewhere between rage and confusion. It mirrored how I felt.
