Ride the Stars

by Autumn Dawn

  Sesame raised a speculative eyebrow, her gaze slipping down to consider the table for a moment. Then she gave her head a sharp shake. Leaning forward, she laced her hands on the table top and fixed Nemesis with an unblinking stare. “Well, Captain Specter, let me tell you something really scary. You’re about to trust a multimillion dollar, custom built space craft to our hot little hands. We’ll have our itchy fingers all over the guts of this machine, doing God knows what to its innards and fine tuning things that give laymen nightmares. When you sign her over to me for work, she is mine in every way that matters. Are you ready to take that leap of faith with a mechanic who’s butting heads with you?”

  Never breaking eye contact, he slid the tablet over to her in a silent dare. “Sign it.”

  For a moment she balked, as if realizing she’d painted herself into a corner with her brash dare. Then her jaw tightened and she reached out and spun the contract around with one finger. “We require additional concessions, besides the double pay,” she told him, bringing the tablet to a sudden halt facing her. “We have the right to visit any place we may stop and to take on private cargo of any nature, barring the illegal, within acceptable weight tolerances.”

  “You may have an eighth of available cargo space,” he allowed after a moment’s consideration.

  “One quarter,” she said, entering it into the contract, “and as much help as we require, when we require it, to complete this job as rapidly as possible. We’ll also require complete access to all related systems, cash up front for supplies upon receipt of parts estimate, and we’re not required to be nice.”

  Nemesis laughed. “You’re actually entering that into the contract?”

  “Fair warning,” she said without looking up.

  That changed as soon as his hand circled her fragile wrist. “Fair warning here as well,” he rumbled softly. “Ultimately you answer to me, Calais. That means if I discover you’ve tampered with things you shouldn’t, or that you’ve compromised my ship in any way, there won’t be enough of your meat left to flush.”

  Jaide saw her shiver, but Sesame’s face was perfectly bland when she returned, “Should I enter that into the contract?”

  He released her. “Be my guest.”

  Jaide growled as she looked down at her borrowed coverall. Even with the arms and legs rolled up it made her look like a mouse in a lion’s skin. “You couldn’t have thought to collect my gear before taking off with me, could you?” she asked, darting a furious glance at Skye. Somehow she just knew this was all his fault. “Next time you’ll have to plan your abductions a little better.” Nothing ticked her off like wearing too large clothes. As a kid all she’d ever had were her mother’s worn-out wardrobe, and it hadn’t been much to start with. Her clothes might not impress the fashion conscious now, but by fire, they fit!

  “It’s not that bad,” Sesame said, trying to keep a straight face. Lore’s extra coverall fit her larger frame much better.

  Jaide snarled something ugly and quickly shed the baggy outfit, giving it a kick for good measure. “You owe me some clothes, pal,” she snapped at Nemesis, forgetting in her ire that she might have reason to temper her responses. Slinging the tool belt over her favorite pants, she stomped over to the bridge’s weapon’s console.

  “You can’t dismantle this panel; I’m using it!” Lore protested.

  Jaide ignored the indignant Draconian, preferring to let his captain deal with him while she unsealed the console and had a good look at the circuitry. It didn’t take long. With a grunt of satisfaction, she closed it back up, conferred with Sesame and eyed the captain’s chair. “You want weapon’s control routed to your console or to tactical?”

  “Both.”

  She grunted again, peered underneath another console, disregarding the surprised Quadril, who was still sitting there, then rose. “Done. Engine room?”

  “Just like that?” Nemesis inquired, surprised.

  “Engine room?” she demanded again, rocking on her heels with impatience. She could see Sesame’s lips twitching, but she didn’t care. Reminders of past humiliations always inspired her to reckless ire. “This is going to take a lot longer if you want to discuss it in committee, Admiral.” He gave her a warning look but led the way.

  Jaide inhaled deeply of the scent of engine fluids and metal. Ahhh...ambrosia. Expert eyes ran over the engine that was twice her height and acted as the ship’s beating heart.

  Nothing like a little surgery to bleed off aggression.

  Chapter 2

  “I can’t look,” Quadril said, turning away from the sight of the woman straddling one of the large tubes running beside his engine. Sesame stayed below, taking notes.

  “I’ll look for you,” Lore offered generously, watching Jaide bend over and away from them as she inspected something not readily assessable. She muttered something and tossed a part over her shoulder in their direction.

  Quadril paled, and even Skye grew a little alarmed as it clunked off the deck. “I think I need a drink,” Quadril said, backing away, shooting worried looks over his shoulder at the woman climbing all over his engine.

  They watched him leave and turned their attention back to the woman. “I have to admit, I was skeptical when Nemesis first told us he was going to hire a female augmenter, but now that I’ve seen her at work.…” Lore hissed as she shimmied around, demonstrating her limber young body as she bent even farther, clinging to the grab bar with one hand. “He definitely made the right choice.”

  “Technically Calais is the augmenter. Jaide just works with her.” Skye was still torched about her prejudiced remarks. The woman obviously didn’t like Draconians. It shouldn’t have surprised him. It was a common enough reaction.

  “Does it matter?” Lore asked with an exaggerated leer, baiting him.

  Skye snorted, crossed his arms and frowned at their new mechanic’s wiggling behind. Did she have to do that? He was close to hissing himself, and the sight was making him more than a little tense. “Don’t distract her from her work, Lore. Their contract penalizes us for harassment on the job. Besides, didn’t you hear her? She doesn’t like Draconians.” His tone come out more disgruntled than he liked.

  “Hm.” Lore smirked at him and glanced downward. His grin turned positively wicked as he noted the hard evidence of his friend’s interest. “A first, to be sure,” he goaded, knowing Skye’s normal tastes.

  Skye wasn’t about to take the bait. “You know what I think of human women,” he answered with disinterest that bordered on contempt. “I can’t help what my body does if she chooses to put on a show.”

  Lore waved that off. “Bah! You’ve only seen the space port dregs, my friend. That’s no way to judge.”

  “Packs of rabid dogs, the whole of them. Not worth the chase.” The idea of actually accepting the ‘favors’ of such women filled Skye with revulsion. As far as he was concerned, such women had morals on a par with animals.

  His attention flickered to Jaide, who was climbing down from her precarious perch. Jumping off the last foot of toehold, she hit the deck and brushed aside the hank of hair that had escaped from her ponytail, leaving behind a long black streak of grease. Unconcerned, she conferred with Sesame, who listened thoughtfully, then entered more data into her tablet.

  What things did concern a woman like that? So quiet and watchful one moment, astringent and bossy the next. Which was the true personality? Or was she an improbable combination of both? Skye had to admit, if only to himself, he was intrigued.

  “All right,” Sesame said, just as Nemesis entered engineering, “I’ve got a rough idea of what I’ll need. We can make a quick stop at Walcha Moon Base 7 for most of it, then we can head back to the shop so we can get started”

  Nemesis crossed his arms. “We will remain on our present course. I’ll get you whatever you need at the base and you can start work on the ship right here.”

  Startled out of her self-absorption, she stared at him. “You have no fabricating tools.…”


  He waved an arm at the banks of tools lining the walls and widened his eyes in mockery. “There they are.”

  “I doubt that there’s a decent coolant gage among the lot,” she protested.

  Nemesis walked over to a drawer, extracted an expensive stainless steel gage, slammed the drawer shut, and slapped the gage in her hand.

  Her eyes narrowed. “I can’t work on a running engine, Admiral.”

  “We have an alternate energy source we can use while you’re working on this, heartflame,” he answered, giving her an insincere smile. “Besides, won’t half your time be taken up with fabrication and design? I see no reason to pull my ship out of active duty for that.”

  “What’s your rush?” Jaide complained, unhappy with the idea of being stuck here indefinitely. A long term connection to law officers of any kind couldn’t be good for her health. Her creditors wouldn’t like it.

  Besides, if she had to remain cooped up with Skye for any length of time she was sure to go insane. The man was lethal to her peace of mind.

  Rude, too.

  Nemesis’ voice turned distinctly cool. “I’m on an assignment, and I need the augmentations to complete it before somebody gets hurt.” He didn’t have to spell his threat out The implication was there, and by the grinding of her jaw, Sesame heard it loud and clear.

  “Fine. Make my life difficult.” Sesame slapped the gage to his chest, forcing him to grab it or let it fall, not flinching when his hands clamped over the tool, trapping her hand against him. Instead, she leaned closer. “Just remember this, Admiral, the harder you make this job, the longer I’ll be here, and I promise you, I’m not the most pleasant of shipmates.” Jerking her hand away, she stormed out of the engine room, leaving a roaring silence in her wake.

  Nemesis’ eyes tracked her exit. Frustration was scrawled all over his face.

  Lore chuckled. “Now that is one woman who could never be called easy. In any way.” A wicked light lit his eyes and he grinned like a trader scenting money. “This is going to be one nova of a voyage.”

  Jaide rewarded him with a scathing look for that bit of stupidity. “Why shouldn’t she be torched? There are easier ways of getting augmenters to work for you than kidnapping, you know.” Midnight eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Unless you plan to kill them in the end.”

  Lore rolled his eyes, but it was Nemesis who answered. “No one is going to kill you,” he assured her.

  She watched him for a long moment, reading his face, hunting through his eyes, looking for shadows of deception. She found none. But still.…” Why Sesame? Why do you want her?”

  Nemesis looked away, and this time she saw the lie. “She’s the best. Why else would I want her?” Before she could grill him further, he left, taking Lore with him.

  Turning her sights on Skye, who watched her through half lowered lids, she asked, “What about you? Are you going to give me a straight answer?”

  Skye considered the woman standing before him, hands on her hips. “I will if you will.”

  “What?” Her brows drew together in perplexity. “What are you talking about?”

  He took a step closer. “What’s your real name, Jaide?” She tried to hide her alarm, failing miserably. It was his turn to look doubtful. “Come,” he chided her, “We both know that’s not your birth name. Who are you really, woman?”

  Swallowing hard, she tamped down her panic, looking away. “What you see is what you get, Drac. Don’t go looking for hidden meanings. You won’t find them.”

  A slow, dangerous smile curved his provocative lips. “You think not?” He brushed her jaw with the back of a curved finger, making her look at him. “Bonbon, you have no idea how much I love a game of hide and seek. Be careful what games you invite me to play. I never back down from a challenge.”

  Now was definitely time to change the subject. She jerked her face away. “You won’t win for wishful thinking, Drac. Besides, I don’t have time for games. I have to find a better place to sleep tonight,” she said with a pointed look.

  He grinned. “My bed is very comfortable. Don’t you like it?”

  “Not when there’s a chance you’ll be in it.”

  “But heartflame,” his rough voice lowered a beguiling octave as he gave her a heated look, “That’s the best part.”

  Jaide was getting mad. Mostly at herself for being turned on by this male. She shouldn’t feel anything; she’d taken care of that years ago. This weakness for men was an intolerable trap and she wouldn’t suffer it again. Never again.

  Drawing on every ounce of her self-directed rage, she spat at the deck between his boots, drilling home her disgust. His seething look only fueled her determination. “I will find a place in cargo. I will stretch out on the couch in the galley. I will even sleep in here on top of the tool benches,” she paused to give her quiet, black words depth. “But I will never sleep with you, Drac.”

  Spinning on her heel, she left him there to simmer.

  “This deal just keeps getting deeper.”

  Jaide looked up from the hammock ring she was fastening to the wall in the corner of Sesame’s small room. She lowered her hand and leaned against her forearm braced against the wall. Her mouth she kept shut. No one benefited from her thoughts when she was in one of her moods.

  Sesame tossed her tablet on her bed in disgust and dropped down on the mattress, resting her face in her hands. She slid her hands away to cup the sides of her face, supporting her head while she bent to rest her elbows on her knees. Staring at the floor, she took verbal stock.

  “We’ve been kidnapped. Bullied into an impossible contract. And now we’re expected to do wonders unknown to modern man with only the equipment available on Captain Clueless’ flying house of torture. Wonderful,” she said with disgust. “What next? A fun filled vacation in the center of a black hole?”

  Reluctant to break her self-imposed silence, Jaide offered, “It’s not totally hopeless.” A small smile dragged at her lips. “After all, your Admiral still has to hand over his command codes.”

  That earned her a faint grin. “True. Nemesis would choke if he had any idea what I could do to his precious Black Tide with those.”

  Jaide smirked. “We could set his showers to run only cold on a rotating cycle.”

  Sesame raised a brow. “From what I’ve seen, his friend Skye could use some cold dousing.”

  Mmm. The idea had merit. In a much better mood, Jaide went back to work.

  “Want to play a game?”

  Jaide didn’t bother looking up from her calculations. That question, in one form or another, was one she was far too familiar with. Absently, she responded, “I don’t play sheet tag.” If she reduced the curvature of the—

  “You have a high opinion of yourself, don’t you?”

  Eyes still glazed with intense concentration, she glanced up at Lore, noting his mocking skepticism. “No, just a low opinion of you space jockeys. I’ve seen the kind of flotsam you guys drag around.” She turned back to her work, but now that her concentration had been broken, her empty belly set up a protest. Putting it off, she sipped at her tea, stretched her legs, crossed them at the ankle, and leaned back with a sigh.

  It had been a long, but satisfactory day, and she was in a mellow mood as she watched the four man crew of the Black Tide, plus Sesame, gather around a table with a deck of cards and a platter of munchies. Her stomach roared at her, and she considered Lore’s request with more interest, eyeing their edibles. It was the sight of the prawns curved over a bowl of red seafood dip that sealed it. “I suppose I could make the time,” she offered, rising with lazy grace and sauntering over to drop into a chair at the round table. She released the magnetism from the bottom of her chair and scooted it forward, then locked it down again.

  “Do you know how to play poker?” Nemesis asked.

  Sesame and Jaide exchanged looks.

  Snagging a shrimp, Sesame dipped it in the red sauce. Assuming a mien of bored confidence, she said, “Of course. My people inv
ented it.”

  “Perhaps,” he allowed, shuffling the cards with impressive dexterity, “But I’d like to think we perfected the game.” The cards flicked out of his hands, piling with dizzying speed in front of the others. Unintimidated, she gathered her cards, fanning them in one hand and reaching for a pimento stuffed green olive with the other.

  “Do you play much?” Lore gave the white and brownish-gray lemur perched on the back of Skye’s chair a shrimp as he waited for Jaide’s answer. The pet took the snack, cocked its masked head and eyed the shrimp Jaide held in her hand. The small primate’s ringed tail twitched hungrily.

  She inched it away from him.

  Forcing herself not to look at the lemur’s owner, she answered honestly, “As rarely as possible.” If she managed to get dragged into games on almost every starship and in every port, well, she’d just keep that to herself.

  The lemur, deciding that she needed wooing, hopped over to her chair and rested a delicate paw on her shoulder. She stiffened at the ticklish sensation, growling, “What?”

  “I love you.”

  Even Skye smiled a little at her dumbfounded expression. The others chuckled. “It’s his collar,” Lore explained with a grin. “It’s got a speaking device.”

  Jaide shook her head, then twisted to frown at the furry creature over her shoulder. “My shrimp,” she said in a no-nonsense tone. With luck he’d take the hint better than his master.

  He purred and rubbed his soft, furry face against hers. “I love you.”

  A helpless snort of amusement escaped her. “It’s still my shrimp.” She would give him points for cuteness, though.

  The lemur was no fool. Taking her face between his little paws, his soulful golden eyes looked deeply into hers as he begged, “Please?”

  He got his shrimp.

  The galley rocked with laughter.

  Nemesis grinned as the little charmer munched on his prize. “Another conquest.” A speculative light appeared in his eyes. He glanced at Skye. “It appears our Jeeves has discovered a tender heart.”