Before she had a chance to react, Marc swooped in for a kiss. Not a gentle press of his lips on her cheek this time, but a slow, masterful glide of his mouth against hers. She was too stunned to stop him. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her against him, kissing her hungrily. This was no longer her shy virtual friend. Marc was very much a man, with all a man’s wants and needs. Outside the storm calmed and the rain petered out. Marc pulled away, running his tongue lightly across his lips. “You taste good, Charley, but we have much to do before we can go home again.”
Throughout the rest of the evening, Charley tried to concentrate on learning to control the weapons systems, desperately trying to forget Marc’s tender kiss. Breaking up with Pete was bad enough, but a close encounter with a starship that had a crush on you wasn’t something that was covered in Fleet Academy training manuals.
Pete might be happy at the prospect of cracking a few Vashtar heads to get the Pegasus back, but while he was doing that, she would have to control the laser cannon and plasma gun array. Fighting on a simulated ship back at the Academy was going to be a whole lot different than battling against an enemy for real.
Charley stretched her arms. She couldn’t concentrate any longer. That was enough practice for this evening. She was bone tired, but she couldn’t face Pete yet. She had hurt him and guilt clawed at her insides. She shrugged the pain away. There was no time for that now. Her final task was to upload Marc’s aeronautic systems. It would take some of the pressure off if he could fly the ship while she handled the weapons. All she needed to do was teach him tactical flying in a little over a day. That should be easy. Who was she kidding? It was next to impossible.
“It’s not impossible, Charley. I am designed to assimilate information quickly.”
For the first time that evening, Marc was back inside her head again. “Okay, I’ve installed the flight simulation program. Let’s see how you get on with it.”
The cozy virtual beach house vanished, replaced by the bridge of a ship. Charley looked around her. They used the same flight simulation program at the Academy. She smiled when she remembered her first official lesson. Unlike most of the other cadets, she had been flying for years. By the time she’d reached her teens, she could fly almost anything. While they were waiting for class to begin, she had disengaged the safety protocols on the simulator and treated her classmates to some stunt flying—until the instructor arrived.
Marc interrupted her reverie. “I know this, Charley.”
“Don’t get too cocky,” she warned. “This program is just for beginners.”
“No, Charley. I mean that I know this. I’ve done this before.”
Charley remembered the medical records at Grayport and the vague references in them to Marc’s military career before the accident. “But you said that you couldn’t fly.”
“I said that my aeronautics program had not been uploaded, but I feel that I have done this before. Perhaps I am learning from your memories?”
They sped through the rest of the tutorials. Either she was the best flight instructor in the galaxy or Marc had once been a pilot. There could be no other explanation. She couldn’t wait to tell Pete. Maybe they would get out of this alive after all.
* * * * *
The bridge was silent as she passed through on her way back to her room. She needed to get some rest. There was nothing but empty space between here and Baxar Nine and Marc had promised to call her if there was a problem. Charley made her way along the silent corridors, grateful that she hadn’t encountered Tinar or any of his crew. As she reached the turn for the coms room, a leather clad figure stepped in front of her. Charley kept her eyes down, trying to walk around him. He stepped into her path again and her gaze flicked over the insignia on his upper arm. Damn, it was Kirez.
“Not so fast, female.”
Charley watched in dread as he removed one glove, exposing a pale hand with curved talons. Pete had told her that the Vashtar ate their prey live. Looking at those nails, she could see how. His index finger moved slowly along her jaw. Charley could feel the rasp of his claw on the tender skin under her chin. A trickle of sweat ran down her spine. She kept her eyes down, praying for him to stop.
“You were brave today. Not a quality often seen among females.”
Not if you beat it out of them, she was about to respond, but she bit back her reply.
“We will see how brave you are when we reach Tarsus Four. You may be glad of my protection then.”
With that, he pulled his glove back on and walked away. Charley leaned against the bulkhead wall. Her knees were shaking. That was as up close and personal as she ever wanted to get with one of the Vashtar. They had to get away from them.
Pete was sleeping when she got back to their makeshift bedroom. He had moved the mattresses apart and she could hear him breathing quietly. Charley stripped off quickly and crawled under the thermo blanket. It’s better this way, she told herself. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She wouldn’t cry now. There would be plenty of time for that if they got back to Earth.
Chapter Nine
Tinar’s announcement came midmorning. They would arrive at Baxar Nine in a few hours and there would be a provisions stop. There was a palpable air of excitement among the Vashtar crew. Their usual dour expressions were almost jovial. Charley’s stomach was tied up in knots at the prospect of the impending fight. The techies had been collecting abandoned tools from the half-finished rooms on the ship, anything they could possibly use as weapons. She had discovered Eric practicing swordplay with an outsized wrench, talking his way through the moves Pete had shown him.
Pete’s silence was driving her crazy. He hadn’t spoken to her since yesterday and she was aware of his hurt, angry glances. Charley stared at yet another MRE. She never wanted to see chicken or pasta again. Her stomach heaved and she pushed the packet away in disgust. The silence was broken by footsteps in the corridor. Lieutenant Kirez stood in the doorway.
“Female, you must return to the bridge and prepare for landing.” His eyes fell on Pete. “You are honored, Alpha. Captain Tinar has said that you may accompany us on the hunt.”
Pete walked away with Kirez without giving her a second glance. Surely he wouldn’t expect her to leave him behind? She heard her name being called on the ships com. Tinar was becoming impatient and she had a more immediate problem. There was the tiny difficulty of landing the Pegasuson an uncharted planet without killing them all.
Charley slid into the com chair and pulled the visor over her face. Her mind reached out, taking control of the ship. She accessed the nav systems. No help there. Baxar Nine was a low-tech wasteland without spaceports or runways. She would have to wing it. The Pegasus broke through the upper atmosphere into a thick bank of gray clouds below. She was flying blind. There was a strong cross-wind and Pegasus rocked beneath her. “Marc, I need a reading for wind speed and direction.”
“Affirmative, Charley.”
She could feel the Pegasus drifting sideways. Charley adjusted course, flying into the wind. The ship rocked again. Her palms were slick with moisture and she was glad she didn’t need to use them. She wished she had more visual. Then the clouds cleared and Charley blinked as they were suddenly bathed in sunshine. A mountain range loomed up ahead, rushing toward them. A few more seconds and they would have flown straight into it. Charley banked hard to starboard, but it was no use. The mountains went on forever. They would have to go over them. Propulsion systems screamed in protest as she changed course and altitude. “Sorry, Pegasus.”
In a soaring arc, the ship rose above the slate blue peaks. Charley gulped. That had been way too close for comfort. Up ahead she could see a flash of green. A wide treeless plain stretched before them. That would have to do. The wind started up again, buffeting against the craft. Charley struggled to vary the angle of descent, keeping the ship in line with the makeshift runway. The Pegasusshook again as they approached the ground. Charley struggled to reduce speed and keep a straight
course. The wind eased. Almost there. Charley reduced speed again and the craft eased to a halt. “Engage ground stabilizers, Marc.”
As the ship powered down, she looked at her hands. They were shaking and she couldn’t seem to make them stop. She hadn’t expected the ferocious crosswind and now they were some distance from the coordinates that Tinar had requested. Charley slid from the com chair. That had been scary.
The hunting party assembled outside the bridge and Charley’s heart jumped when she saw him. Pete was wearing the same leather tunic and gloves as the Vashtar. Unlike them, he wasn’t armed, that would have been too much to hope for. She counted the number in the party. From the teasing comments being bandied about, only two glum-faced guards were being left behind to secure the ship.
“Woman,” Pete’s gruff tone caught her attention. “Make sure that all of your work is complete before I return.”
Charley nodded her head submissively. There was no mistaking his words. Pete expected her to proceed with the plan and leave without him if necessary. With a curt incline of his head, he was gone. She needed to speak to Marc.
Charley initiated the Array again. The beach house was gone, replaced by an office that was unmistakably Fleet Command HQ. Marc sat behind a desk, wearing a dark uniform. He had obviously paid a visit to the virtual barber and his tanned face was clean-shaven. She checked the insignia on his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. “Sudden promotion?”
Marc didn’t rise to the bait. “I broke the encryption on my father’s personal files last night and accessed my service record. I am a captain, or rather, I am now your captain, Ensign Maxwell.”
“You must be joking.”
“It is unfortunate that Engineer Olafson cannot be with us. However, we will continue with the plan as agreed. You will remain with me until the guards have been neutralized, then we will set course for Earth.”
Charley lifted her chin. “No way, I’m not leaving this planet without Pete.”
Marc moved from behind the desk. His expression held not one hint of humor. “Ensign Maxwell, are you disobeying an order from your commanding officer? That is rank insubordination.”
Damn Pete. Even though he was gone, he was still trying to push her buttons. Everything Marc had done here was designed to intimidate her. The Fleet Command Office, Marc’s uniform, everything down to the insignia on his shoulder. She was sick of this. The ultra-chauvinistic Vashtar were bad enough. She was damned if she was going to play doe-eyed female to another alpha male.
“So spank me.”
Marc’s shocked expression was replaced by a dark red flush, rising slowly from his neck until it reached his jaw. “Ensign Maxwell, I…”
Charley stood on tiptoe until they were almost eye to eye. “Oh I think you heard me, Sir. I’ve put up with this macho bullshit for long enough. If you fancy your chances playing caveman with me, bring it on.”
A roar of laughter wasn’t the response she was expecting. It was the first time she had ever seen Marc do that. “Pete said that you would be stubborn and difficult and that you would refuse to cooperate.”
Coming from Pete, that was almost a compliment. “So what’s Plan C?”
Marc displayed a schematic of the lower deck on the wall of the office. “If you can access the primary refrigeration systems without being detected, it should be possible to initiate a malfunction. The Vashtar will not want their precious meat to spoil.”
“Won’t they just get one of the other techies to fix it?” she asked.
“They had no involvement in its design. When the tech crew is unable to repair it, the guards will be forced to summon Pete.”
Charley looked at the deck plan. There was only problem. The coolant system was located right beside Professor Liston’s quarters. It would be impossible to access it while he was working there, and even if she could, the alarm would trigger almost immediately. She would have to bring Liston here and Marc would have to make sure that he stayed.
Charley hurried through the empty corridors until she found Eric and the others. “There’s going to be a malfunction in the coolant system. Make sure that it can’t be fixed. When Pete is back on board, we’re going home.”
It was the first time she had seen Eric smile in days. Charley made her way to level two. She hung back when she reached the corridor, waiting for the Vashtar guards to finish their patrol and leave. She didn’t want them around for this. Charley shook her hair and opened a couple of buttons on her tunic before bursting into the Professor’s office.
“Your son just made a pass at me. There’s no way I’m going back there until you speak to him.”
Professor Liston’s face paled with shock. An emotive A.I. was unheard of. She watched his face as father and scientist fought for control. He abandoned what he was doing and apologized profusely to her. “I simply cannot understand this. The Array program was not designed to initiate any form of human sexual response.”
Charley gave him her best glare. “Oh he’s responsive all right, and believe me, programming has nothing to do with it.”
They reached the bridge without encountering the guards and Charley watched as the Professor pulled down the visor and initiated the Array before doing the same. The beach house was waiting for them.
“Oh dear lord.” The professor looked around him in wonder at the polished floors and the view of the sea through the windows. “I never imagined that he could…”
“Hi, Dad.” Marc came down the stairs, tucking a dark undershirt into his pants. He was barefoot and his hair was damp, as if he’d just come from the shower. The Professor’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Marc no longer assumed the slightly unreal form of his avatar. This Marc had all the appearance of a living, breathing human being.
Gripping the edge of the armchair, the professor sat down heavily. “When she said that you… I didn’t believe it.”
“It’s okay, Dad.” Marc clapped him on the shoulder. “But you and I need to talk.”
She caught Marc’s eye and he nodded. He would keep the professor here until it was over.
Charley opened the door to the service bay and slipped inside. So far, so good. Pulling a small laser-knife from her belt, she opened the control panel and disabled the primary alarm on the coolant system. There was a secondary one on the bridge, but Marc would control that. Setting the cutter on high, she pierced the pipes near the base of the coolant tower. Within minutes, a small pool of green liquid formed on the floor and the sulfuric smell wafted around the room. That should be enough. She had to get out of here. Charley opened the door and closed it silently behind her.
“Female, what are you doing here?”
Charley almost jumped out of her skin with fright. The Vashtar guard was alone, his small deep-set eyes glared suspiciously at her. “Ships com registered a fault in this area,” she lied. “I was just checking it out.”
The guard motioned her aside. “Perhaps I better take a look.”
He spoke into his com badge, summoning the other guard, and then he opened the door. Charley followed him into the service bay. The smell of leaking coolant hung in the air. The guard sniffed loudly and made his way to the base of the tower. He would kill her for this. Charley glanced around the room, searching for a weapon, there must be something she could use. As the guard bent to examine the pipe, her eyes fastened on a wrench. That would have to do.
When he heard the sound of metal scraping against the floor, the guard spun around. Charley swung her arm, catching him on the side of the face with the heavy wrench, and he went down, cracking his head against the tower as he fell. Her breath came in noisy gasps. Was he unconscious? She reached out nervously to touch his neck. There was no pulse. She had just killed a man.
The cloying smell of coolant mingled with the metallic tang of blood. Charley staggered into a corner, vomiting until there was nothing left. She wiped her hand across her mouth. Get yourself together, Maxwell, the other one will be here soon. Grabbing his feet, she dragged the bod
y to the darkest corner of the service bay, concealing it as best as she could. Picking up the dead guard’s weapon, she hid behind the tower.
The door burst open. Eric and the others rushed into the room. “Charley, are you in here, Charley? You’ll never believe this. We did it. We killed one of them.”
They looked so pleased with themselves. Three timid techies had taken on a seasoned mercenary and won. She gestured toward the body lying in the corner. “So did I.”
Charley slumped to the floor. This was a monumental mess. How were they going to get Pete back on board now?
They sat on the mattresses in the coms room, eating MREs. She couldn’t understand how the techies could look at food at a time like this. Her stomach was still heaving.
Eric chewed noisily. “I know,” he said, waving his fork. “We don’t need a live Vashtar. We just need a voice to send the message. There must be plenty of audio files on the ships com.”
The techies abandoned their half-eaten meals in a messy pile as they began to throw ideas back and forth at each other. Pete was right about them, they did speak another language when they were together. She couldn’t keep up with them. “In English, please,” she roared.
Eric looked at her as if she was a particularly stupid child. “We’re going to splice the ship’s audio files to make up the message and use the dead guy’s com to send it to Kirez.”
Charley bit her lip. If this went wrong, they were all in big trouble, but they couldn’t leave Pete behind. They had no choice. “Okay, do it.”
She waited anxiously as the techies worked on the audio files until a reasonable approximation of the Vashtar guard’s voice played around the room. Eric pressed the com badge and opened a channel to Kirez.
A rush of expletives greeted them. They had obviously contacted him at the wrong moment. An angry male voice came over the com. “This better be good.”
VirtuallyYours Page 9
