Forged in Shadow

by Anna Carven

  “It’s me. Long story.” Arin played with the holoscreen settings, but for some reason she couldn’t get their images to appear.

  “You have to get me out of-” His frantic voice was cut off abruptly.

  “Where is Rykal?” And replaced with a far scarier one. This voice promised terrible things if the answer wasn’t to his satisfaction.

  “I’m right here, Kail.” Rykal leaned casually against an instrument panel, a cocky smile playing on his lips. “Been waiting for you for a while now. Did you get lost?”

  “Is your comm broken again? We’ve been trying to reach you.” This person called Kail sounded very, very grumpy.

  “I ran into a small problem. My comm might’ve gotten a little damaged in the process, but the problem’s been fixed now, and I’ve managed to capture a better ship for you.”

  Arin heard a sigh of relief from Baraka.

  “What ship?” Suspicion clouded Kail’s hard voice. “We can’t see you on our tracking system.”

  Rykal shrugged. “We shouldn’t be too far away. Human vessels can’t travel very fast.”

  A bright idea entered Arin’s head. “This vessel has some sort of cloaking on it, and I have no idea how to deactivate it. I’m not a tech-head or a navigator. The Silvermist won’t be visible on ordinary tracking screens, so why don’t we eject the ship’s escape pods? They’ll send out an alert to all Federation ships in the vicinity, and you’ll be able to track their trajectory from this exact point.”

  “Sounds feasible,” Baraka muttered.

  Kail grunted in assent.

  “Well, let’s do it then.” Rykal came up behind Arin, wrapping his arms around her torso, his sneaky hands snaking in-between the straps that held her guns in place. He nuzzled her neck, nipping her gently with his fangs. “Not that I’m allowing you to get anywhere near the inside of an escape pod again. Not after what happened last time. Your species are an untrustworthy bunch, my ashika.” He whispered in her ear, so softly only she would be able to hear him.

  Arin shuddered in a good way as Rykal pulled her against him, planting soft kisses along her neck. “They’re still on the comm,” she mouthed silently, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, even though nobody could see them.

  “Kail,” Rykal called, bringing his hands up so that they grazed Arin’s sensitive breasts.

  “Yeah?”

  “You got that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Coming?”

  “Yeah. Don’t do anything stupid in the meantime, pretty-boy. I’m tired of chasing your silver ass around this backwater galaxy.”

  “Don’t worry, dark one. Barring another gas leak, explosion, Xargek infestation, or missile attack, we’re not going anywhere.”

  “Hm.” Kail cut the comm with an irritated grunt.

  Arin turned and looked up at Rykal. “He’s a surly one, isn’t he?”

  “Kail has his moments,” Rykal said cryptically. “Let’s go down and eject these escape pods of yours, then I believe there are still Humans to be found on this vessel.” He tightened his arms, wrapping Arin in a warm embrace. “Even though I just want to stand here and hold you for a while.”

  “You can do that afterwards,” Arin murmured, a warm, fuzzy feeling rising up inside her.

  She was madly, hopelessly compromised, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Voices drifted through the walls, tickling Rykal’s sensitive hearing. “Found you,” he whispered. He tapped on the wall and was rewarded with a hollow echo.

  There was a room on the other side, and there were Humans inside.

  “In there?” Arin frowned, scrutinizing the section Rykal was pointing to. Her blue eyes flicked up and down, searching for an opening. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m rarely wrong about these kinds of things.” The other warriors thought he was a bit insane, but sometimes Rykal thought he could feel things; hunches and so-on.

  Arin tapped gently along the wall, looking for some kind of door or entry point, but it was seamless.

  Rykal shrugged. “We’ll wait until the others get here, then I’ll just cut it with something made from Callidum. They can’t escape. I just want to have a little chat with the woman who thought she could blow me into oblivion.”

  “Little chat?” Arin’s tone was skeptical. “I suspect your idea of a ‘little chat’ differs from my definition of a ‘little chat’.”

  “Yes, but we have the same goals in mind, don’t we?”

  Arin shot him an exasperated look. “My goal isn’t to kill every Human or alien who rubs me the wrong way.”

  “She tried to kill me with missiles, and she was going to kill you,” Rykal growled, his killing intent rising as he remembered the blank-faced woman who had snatched his precious Arin away and left him to die in the escape pod. “Revenge is my blood-right.” He paused, studying his mate carefully. Some of the things she said baffled him. He couldn’t understand the way Humans thought sometimes.

  Or maybe it was females in general.

  Rykal shook his head. “How are you able to be so calm about it after what she did to you? If you wish, I will grant you first choice of weapons and first choice of retribution.” He moved closer to her, inhaling her intoxicating scent. She definitely had a calming effect on him; without her nearby, he would probably still be seething with rage.

  “I’m more angry about what she did to you,” Arin said quietly, her eyes cold and clear. “I’m furious. If I think about it too much, I scare myself, because I think about doing terrible things to her, and then I realize that I’m not the noble peacekeeper I thought I was.”

  “You wish for revenge?”

  “Very much so. But our culture is different to yours, Rykal. We don’t make revenge into an art-form. We have laws to deal with this kind of thing. When you killed those men back there, a part of me rejoiced, because I wanted them to die. There was a small part of me that took savage delight in it, and that terrified me, because it showed me that I’m capable of terrible things.”

  “But revenge is a natural part of life.” Rykal was struggling to understand her logic. Humans seemed to believe in justice without bloodshed. Was such a thing possible?

  “Not where I’m from, it isn’t.” Arin pressed herself against him with a sense of ease that pleased him greatly. “But in this case, I can see your side of the argument, and I can see why you consider it justified. I’m just trying not to give in to my darker urges. Compared to Humans, you Kordolians possess so much power. Being so close to it is a little scary and a little intoxicating, and in the face of all that, I’m just asking myself whether I’m still capable of doing the right thing.”

  “Ah.” Rykal blinked, trying to comprehend her reasoning. “You’re trying to be just, and follow the laws of your people.”

  “Something like that.”

  “And are you certain justice can be done in your so-called ‘Federation’?”

  “Actually, no.” Arin looked up at him with her pink lips slightly parted, and Rykal was tempted to devour her in a devastating kiss. But this was a serious conversation, so he restrained himself.

  Something was being pressed into the palm of his hand. It had the familiar weight of sweet, pure Callidum.

  “So on this occasion,” she said softly, “I’ll ignore the law, because the law has ignored us, and look what happened. Just don’t kill any of the other Humans, and try not to kill that woman, E1, if you can avoid it. Promise me, Rykal.” Her tone became stern, her clear blue eyes like chips of ice.

  Rykal’s fingers curled around the familiar hilt of one of his throwing daggers. “You kept this?” His eyes widened in surprise.

  “Hidden in my flight jacket. I only ended up using one of them. You can open up the wall with it, right?”

  “Naturally.”

  “Fine. Do what you have to do, but promise.”

  Rykal sighed. “I promise not to kill any of the other Humans.”

  She
curled an arm around his neck and kissed him. “We walk a fine line, don’t we, my Kordolian?”

  “Between life and death, or right and wrong?”

  “Both,” she murmured. “And ever since you entered my life, you’ve turned everything upside-down.”

  “I don’t know what that means, but it sounds like a good thing.” Rykal couldn’t hold on any longer. He returned her kiss, making sure it was deep and devastating enough that Arin was reluctant to let go.

  “Mm,” she sighed. “Upside-down in zero Gs isn’t a bad thing at all.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  When the cavalry finally arrived, Arin was the one to operate the mobile airlock, going back-and-forth between the Arawen and the Silvermist until Torin, Jeral, and Kail were safely onboard the surveillance cruiser.

  Two of the warriors had stayed behind on the Arawen to make sure Baraka and Loic didn’t make a quick dash for it, and Rykal had managed to cut a hole in the wall with a throwing knife, retrieving the rest of the Silvermist’s crew, along with a shaken looking E1.

  Arin’s suspicions had been right. After all the guards had been killed, they’d holed up in a safe room, thinking they could hide from a Kordolian warrior.

  To Arin’s surprise, Rykal hadn’t killed E1, but she looked as if he’d taught her the true meaning of fear. Luckily for the one known as E2, he’d already been med-evac’ed to Earth, suffering a punctured lung; a pneumothorax.

  At first, Arin had wanted to torture the expressionless agent until she got some genuine emotion out of her, but upon seeing how the woman had cowered in fear every time Rykal stalked past, Arin realized she wouldn’t get any satisfaction out of it.

  E1 was a defeated woman, and Arin couldn’t find anything more to say to her. In this case, revenge wasn’t sacred; it was pointless.

  Besides, there was enough evidence on this ship to damn the lot of them. Arin would hand them over to the Federation, ensuring everything went through the proper channels.

  When Arin opened up a line to the FSS Marcia, Rykal was sitting beside her, and the other warriors were lurking in the background, their hard gazes fixed upon her.

  “Arin.” Her mother appeared, and this time she was in her chambers, having lost her severe military jacket.

  “Mom.” Arin hadn’t called her mother that in years.

  “I thought you were… I mean, the escape pod’s signal just winked out, just like that.” Her mother’s normally pristine hair was disheveled, and the crisp white shirt she wore was unbuttoned at the collar. Underneath her eyes were deep dark circles.

  “My encounter with Nonhuman Affairs didn’t go so well. It wasn’t just a routine debrief. Did you know anything about that?”

  “No.” General Varga’s eyes widened as she glanced uneasily at the Kordolians surrounding Arin, particularly at Rykal. “What happened? I thought it was just going to be a routine debrief and interview before they returned you to the Marcia.”

  “It wasn’t that simple. I won’t go into detail right now, but there are some very shady agencies operating within the Federation. I think you should send some of your people to scour this ship and confiscate all available data. I don’t know how well the military communicates with Nonhuman Affairs, but you might find some of the information quite useful, and rather incriminating.”

  “Of course. I’ll do that. But… are you all right, Arin?” Alison Varga had dropped the military facade, and now genuine concern for her daughter shone through.

  Arin hadn’t seen her like this since she was a small child; the last time she’d seen her mother vulnerable like this had been the day her father had left.

  She’d been six years old.

  Arin could have chosen to be cold right now; she could have given in to her anger, but instead she offered her mother a small smile. “I am fine,” she said quietly, reaching out to squeeze Rykal’s hand. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. They had years of conflict to resolve, and that would take time.

  It had only taken an alien invasion, a Xargek infestation, a few nuclear missiles, and a near-death experience to get to this point, but Arin was ready to make inroads.

  After all, life was too damn short.

  She’d learned that today.

  General Varga was staring at the two of them, and Arin realized she could see them holding hands.

  Oops. She’d done it without thinking, because being around Rykal was starting to feel so damn natural.

  But if her mother noticed, she didn’t give any indication. She nodded stiffly towards the Kordolians. “I have to extend my thanks to all of you. Your efforts to get the people of Fortuna Tau to safety have saved a great many lives. You’ll be pleased to know that the Senate Committee has made its decision and that the Federation will co-operate with your mission to rid Earth of the Xargek. An escort will assist your transfer to Naea, and once on the ground, you’ll receive logistical support from us.”

  “Took you long enough,” Rykal muttered under his breath. Arin stamped on his foot. He grinned.

  Silly idiot.

  “So I’m not in trouble then?” Arin winced, expecting a reprimand. And there was still the trail of bodies Rykal had left behind. As an alien operating in space, he didn’t come under Earth’s jurisdiction, but the carnage would definitely make some people on Earth very uncomfortable if news of it got out.

  An uneasy expression flitted across her mother’s face. “I only have so much influence in the military, Arin. After the incident with Admiral Davis, my currency is all but spent when it comes to you.”

  Arin only half-understood what her mother was talking about. “So I’m going to be in trouble?” Had her mother actually tried to help her two years ago? She’d always thought the general had been part of the problem, because she hadn’t objected at all when Arin had been shipped off to the mining station; she hadn’t even been there to see her off.

  But perhaps her mother had cared more than she’d thought.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. You broke protocol. There’s usually a consequence for that. I’ll try my best to make them understand, but there are quite a number of people in the upper ranks who detest you for what you did to the admiral. I can’t make any promises.”

  Arin waved her hand in the air. “Don’t worry about it.” She had a plan to resign before the higher-ups could slap her with a dishonorable discharge.

  After all, she was hopelessly compromised.

  As the comm ended, Rykal turned to her, interest burning in his golden eyes. “What’s this I hear about you offending some big-shot? Tell me more.” For some reason, the idea seemed to please him.

  Arin gave him a wry look. “It’s old news. Back in the day, when I was a young officer looking to make a name for myself, an asshole called Admiral Davis thought he could force his way into my pants. He found out that he couldn’t, and in the process, he ended up with a broken nose and two black eyes.” She grinned. “And that’s why you found me on Fortuna Tau. I got exiled.”

  “I’m so glad to hear that” Rykal returned her smile with his own fierce look. “For numerous reasons, of course.” He stroked her bare knuckles in admiration, ignoring the disbelieving stares of his fellow warriors. “Strong hands, strong heart,” he whispered, “and just perfect for me.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Two weeks later

  Arin ducked into the mobile dwelling, the door banging behind her as she escaped the fierce wind outside. Tiny stinging particles of sand had hit her, and now they coated her face, hair and lower arms.

  The dust-storm had rolled in from the west, blackening the sky and engulfing everything before it.

  She shrugged off her coat, dropping it in the small foyer as she kicked off her boots and brushed off the sand. She walked through to the living area, appreciating the relative coolness of her surroundings.

  The dwelling was a sturdy structure made from wafer-thin semi-concrete. It had a bedroom, a living area, all the mod-cons one could desire, and it had been asse
mbled in a little under two hours.

  It was superbly insulated too, specially designed to withstand the heat of the North African desert.

  When the Kordolians had proved themselves useful and the public and expressed their approval, the Federation had suddenly become very kind to them, providing them with state-of-the-art accommodation.

  Arin reached the lounge. “Network on,” she commanded, and a flatscreen came to life. Arin sank down into a low chair and watched as a news bulletin came on.

  “Latest reports from the Gara archeological dig site in Naea are that the Kordolian warriors are finally managing to hold the Xargek terror at bay. Xargek related deaths in the nearby settlement town of Fadar have dropped sharply over the past week, and so far, fears of a Kordolian-fronted invasion have yet to manifest. In other news, the Prime Investigation into the Department of Planetary Security continues. At the center of the scandal is a recently confiscated surveillance ship reported to contain highly incriminating evidence. Several employees allegedly involved in violations of Federation law have been stood down, pending further investigation…”

  Arin sighed and switched off the flatscreen. So far, none of the news networks had mentioned the carnage Rykal had wrought onboard the Silvermist. Her mother had handed the ship over to the Prime Investigator, and once the Federation had realized exactly how effective the Kordolians were at fighting the Xargek, certain problems had mysteriously disappeared.

  Except for one.

  Arin reached for her link-band. “Yo, Riana,” she said.

  “Yo, Arin,” her former junior officer replied, picking up on the first ring.

  “Any leads?”

  “Plenty of leads. It’s just a case of figuring out which ones are genuine. Have you heard of Scarabus?”

  “Not at all.”

  Riana’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial near-whisper. “This is deep shit, Sarge, secret society shit. It’s an organization of sorts, and there are some very powerful people behind it. Political people. Corporate people. Off-planet people. Government people. Most of the leads I’ve picked up from the Fortuna Tau explosion trace back to them.”