Out of Darkness

by Anna Carven

  “Soon,” he said gently, as Lodan gunned the thrusters, the enemy ship coming back in sight on the primitive screen that passed for a monitor. “It will be over soon.”

  In the distance behind them, he could make out the ungainly shape of the giant Human freighter, which was carrying several thousand Humans and the rest of the First Division.

  They had been shadowing it ever since they left Fortuna Tau, keeping close watch, aware of how vulnerable the large craft was. The freighter was defenseless apart from a few token bolt-cannons fixed to its hulking body.

  That was why it was critical that they take out the remaining enemy ship.

  Lodan appeared to have gotten a lock on his target. Their cruiser surged forward as another massive acceleration ripped through the cabin.

  Jia’s jaw was clenched, and she reached out to grip his arm. Kalan took her hand into his, commanding his armor-gloves to peel away so that he was stroking her warm, bare skin.

  As they reached peak speed, the acceleration forces dropped away. Jia sighed in relief.

  Kalan stared at the monitor.

  The pilot had a lock.

  Still, Lodan waited. He’d be wanting to get closer, to ensure the hit was a sure thing; this Human cruiser had a small artillery, and they couldn’t go about wasting their precious few missiles.

  They accelerated again.

  Kalan was pushed back in his seat, as was Jia. She looked at him, made a small distressed sound, and then promptly passed out.

  Kalan swore.

  He glanced across and saw that the other Human, Emin, had also passed out. Nythian, of course, was fine.

  To his relief, Jia was still breathing. Her chest rose and fell evenly, and when he pressed his fingers to her wrist, her pulse was slow and even.

  She was just unconscious.

  Humans. How did they manage to eke out an existence in this remote corner of the Universe when their bodies were so fragile?

  With great tenderness, Kalan put a hand on Jia’s forehead and brushed the hair back from her face.

  “You keeping this one, Kal?” Nythian raised a silvery eyebrow. “You seem quite… attached to it.”

  “Attached to her,” Kalan growled. “And yeah, she’s mine, so don’t get any ideas.”

  Movement on the monitor told Kalan they were closing in on the enemy ship. It was the same model as the one they were in; a simple silver-colored thing with only the most basic weaponry attached to its hull.

  They were almost close enough now, just a little more, and they’d have them.

  Nythian regarded him warily. “Kal, you know there’s no way I’d mess with your shit. You know what the Big G said, though. We’re not to taste the exotic fruit.”

  “Too late.” Kalan bared his fangs.

  Nythian held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m not telling you what to do, brother, just repeating orders, that’s all.”

  “You know he’s always turned a blind eye to this kind of thing,” Kalan replied. “She’s mine, Ny. I’m not going to bow to the whims of the Empire on this. Not when we’re out here fighting Xargek and those fucking nobles are sitting on their asses in their plush little homes, waiting for us to raid the Universe so they can profit from the next big resource-haul. It’s not going to happen, Ny.”

  His comrade nodded, a wry expression crossing his features. “Point taken, brother.”

  Kalan scowled. He followed the General’s orders without question on battle-related matters, but when it came to his choice of mate, Kalan wasn’t going to budge.

  They could send half the fucking Imperial fleet after him, and he still wouldn’t change his mind.

  In all his life, he’d never encountered a being like Jia. She made think and feel strange things.

  He wanted to please her. He wanted her begging for his touch. He didn’t want her to be upset or hurt, ever.

  He stroked her cheek, wishing Lodan would hurry the fuck up and fire the damn missile so they could slow down.

  But right now, he didn’t dare unstrap her.

  It was too dangerous.

  “Hurry up, Lodan,” he muttered under his breath. How close did they need to get? If they got any closer, they would be eating fumes from the other craft’s thrusters.

  A dull groan ripped through the ship. A missile roared out of its launcher. It appeared on the monitor as a bright flash of light, arcing towards the enemy fighter.

  An explosion blossomed in the darkness.

  Then, nothing.

  The endless void of space sucked away the fire and heat, leaving only a swirling mass of debris. They shot through it and looped around, slowing down as they headed back towards the freighter.

  Their attackers were gone.

  Kalan prayed to Kaiin they wouldn’t encounter any more mercenaries before they got within sight of Earth.

  It was mainly for Jia’s sake that he was worried. Her body didn’t look as if it could withstand any more rough flying.

  When he was sure their flight pattern was stable, Kalan gently unstrapped her from her seat and began to float her towards the upper deck.

  The other Human was unconscious too, but Kalan didn’t care about him. Only Jia mattered.

  “I am going to tend to her,” Kalan warned Nythian as he floated past. “Make sure we are not disturbed.”

  Nythian nodded, curiosity brimming in his crimson eyes.

  He didn’t say a word, though, tipping his head respectfully as they passed.

  Kalan had earned that respect. With the exception of the General, he was their longest-serving member, and he’d proven himself countless times in the field.

  So if he decided to take a Human as his mate, no-one was going to argue.

  Not even the General himself could stop him from claiming her.

  She was his, and nothing was going to change that.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Jia woke up surrounded by warmth. Her head throbbed, and her memories were fuzzy.

  Why was she weightless?

  She blinked, as her world gradually came back into focus.

  What the…?

  She recalled something about a firefight, followed by lots and lots of rough flying. Then, there’d been those crazy acceleration forces.

  That had been military grade shit, bad enough to make her pass out.

  Something big and warm was all around her. Jia stretched, and met resistance. She looked down in confusion. Below her was the floor.

  Her head was doing funny things. Her perspective was skewed.

  If the floor was all the way down there, then that meant she was up against the ceiling.

  And wrapped around her waist were a pair of very muscular arms.

  Silver arms.

  He seemed to be holding her tightly against him, and he was naked.

  “Mm.” He nuzzled her neck, taking a deep breath. “I like the way you smell.”

  “Kalan,” she mumbled, trying to make sense of her surroundings, “why are we up here?”

  “You passed out,” he murmured, his voice a deep rumble. “And then, you slept for some time. How else was I supposed to make sure you didn’t bump into anything while you were asleep?” He wrapped his legs around hers. Jia glanced at her feet and saw that he was naked.

  She was fully dressed, and he was naked.

  Of course he was.

  And his hard cock was rubbing up against her.

  Of course it was.

  And he was impossibly warm.

  “You could have, I don’t know, strapped me down, or something.”

  “This way is much better.”

  Secretly, she had to agree.

  He spun her around so that she was facing him. “I am relieved,” he said, surrounding her with his strong arms. “We don’t know much about Human biology. I did not know if you were seriously hurt, or just unconscious. All I could do was wait until you came to.”

  “Those G-forces can be a bitch,” Jia quipped. “I’m not used to such thing
s. Not many Humans are.”

  “You are fine now?” His startling violet eyes were wide with concern. He lifted one hand had brushed her wild hair out of her face. It ballooned around her head like Medusa’s hair.

  “I’m fine,” Jia reassured him. “I feel a monster of a migraine coming on, but otherwise, I’m totally fine. Judging from the relative silence, I take it you got the bastards?”

  “Even this inferior Human vessel can be lethal in the right hands. Our pilot shot them down. If any more of them appear, we won’t be caught off-guard again.”

  “Good.” Relief surged through Jia. For a moment back there, before she’d blacked out, she’d thought there was a very real chance she might die.

  The fear had been very real, and only Kalan’s gentle touch had kept her from panicking.

  And somehow, the Kordolians had pulled them through.

  Talk about being saved by the enemy.

  Kalan wrapped his large legs around her lower body. He placed a warm hand on her cheek. “Are you absolutely sure you’re fine?”

  “I am absolutely fine,” she replied, sudden heat surging through her as his erect cock brushed up against her. “At least, I am now.” Especially now that she had this magnificent specimen wrapped around her.

  She wriggled around, her movements emphasizing the feel of his erection against her.

  “See what you do to me?” Kalan sounded slightly pained. “I look after you while you are asleep, and this happens.”

  “So, what should we do about it?”

  “There are a number of things I can suggest,” Kalan growled, trailing a finger down her neck to the point where her collarbones met. He continued down to the soft skin between her breasts, tugging at the zipper of her jumpsuit.

  But then, he froze.

  His gaze grew distant as he held a finger to Jia’s lips. He seemed distracted somehow. Was he… listening to something?

  Unable to help herself, she took his finger between her lips and started sucking on it. He shook his head, but a smile began to curve his lips.

  His eyes became focused again.

  “I’ve just received a comm from Lodan,” he informed her. “We have reached Low Earth Orbit, and apparently, your people have registered our presence.”

  He said something in Kordolian, and it took Jia a moment to realize he wasn’t talking to her. He was speaking to Lodan, who was on the other end of the comm.

  “So what happens now?” Jia released his finger from her mouth.

  Kalan growled. “Don’t torture me like this, woman.” He closed his eyes, running a hand through his cropped hair. He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. When he opened his eyes again, they were clear. “As much as it pains me to say it, we will continue this particular conversation later, even though you are killing me right now.” He grabbed a hand-rail along the nearest wall and started to bring them down to a more reasonable level. Jia couldn’t help but admire the way his body moved, his biceps and pectorals flexing as he pulled himself along.

  Maybe the brief period of unconsciousness had done something to her brain, but all Jia could think of right now was stripping off and having sex with Kalan all over again.

  Zero-G sex would be a first for her.

  Hell, everything was a first for her. She’d just freaking lost her virginity to an alien warrior on a hijacked mercenary cruiser.

  From now on, no-one could say her sex life was boring.

  “The Humans who patrol Earth’s lower orbit have communicated with us. They say we are to attend something called a ‘customs station’. They say they are sending an armed escort to guide us into the station. Is this usually how things go?”

  Jia thought fast and hard about their situation. Whoever had been trying to kill them out there was probably linked to the corporation that ran Fortuna Tau.

  They had wanted to erase any evidence that the mining station had been taken over by Xargek and Kordolians. They’d wanted to stop the Kordolians from reaching Earth at all costs.

  And it had all been super covert. No military involved. No official orders issued. Their only attackers had been mercenaries, hastily recruited from the surrounding area. Mercenaries would do anything if the price was right.

  That meant it was dodgy, off-the-record stuff.

  Something about this plan stank to the high heavens.

  Did the geniuses behind this plan not stop to think that their actions might really, really piss off the Kordolian Empire?

  “Kalan,” Jia said softly, as he gently disentangled himself from her, “will you let me send a comm to the people on the freighter?”

  “For what reason?”

  “There’s someone out there who wants you guys dead. As for us, we’re just collateral. They don’t care whether we live or die. I just thought of something we can do to make sure they don’t try to kill us again.”

  “Hm.” Kalan’s reply was a low sound of approval. “You, my sweet Human, are a fixer.”

  His nakedness was impossibly distracting. Jia blinked. “A what?”

  “You just can’t help it, can you?” He smiled, and it was like dawn breaking over the horizon, transforming his severe features. “I love that about you.”

  Jia shrugged. It was true; she had an almost compulsive tendency to try and do something whenever she saw a problem.

  “Then, may I?”

  “Of course, my love.”

  They floated their way down to the main cabin, Kalan drawing out his armor as they went. Raised voices reached Jia’s ears. The Station Boss, Emin, was arguing with Nythian.

  “B-but you have to comply,” he stuttered, as the warrior regarded him with a blank stare. “It’s Federation protocol. We must all enter the customs station for processing.”

  “We have not yet decided on a course of action,” the soldier replied. “Enough with your blabbering already. Don’t try my patience, Human.”

  Emin dropped his head into his hands, running thick fingers through his thin greasy hair. “This is a disaster,” he muttered to himself, as Jia and Kalan drifted past. “A fucking disaster.” He glanced at Jia in surprise. “You! What are you doing, lady? You’re not helping them, are you?”

  Jia sighed. “Sir, I’m just going to check on our people onboard the Hendrix II.”

  “Aiding and abetting unauthorized nonhumans is an offense, lady. You’d better find a way to cure your Stockholm Syndrome fast, because you’d get a minimum of five years in a stasis cell for that.”

  “I think we’re beyond worrying about that, don’t you, Station Boss?”

  “Stand down, mech.” He glanced up and down at her disheveled uniform. “Or I will report you to the Federation.”

  Before Jia could reply, Kalan’s arm snaked out, pinning Emin against the seat, his hard fingers clamping around his neck. “There will be no reporting,” he thundered, as Emin’s eyes bulged. “You will not speak to her in such a disrespectful manner.”

  “Kalan,” Jia said softly, putting a hand on his arm. “He’s harmless. Let it go.”

  “I will not accept anyone speaking to you in such a way.” He scowled as Emin choked and spluttered.

  Jia gently dragged Kalan away, and he finally relented. “Come on,” she urged, before he choked Emin to death. “We don’t have time for this.”

  Kalan gave Emin a baleful death-stare, before following Jia. The Station Boss was gaping at her, probably wondering how the hell she’d managed to get the terrifying Kordolian warrior to listen to her.

  They reached the cockpit, where the other Kordolian, the one called Lodan, was strapped into the pilot’s seat. He swiveled as they entered, his golden eyes widening slightly as he saw Jia.

  The two mercenaries who usually piloted the cruiser were relegated to the navigation seats. They were completely disarmed, and had resigned looks on their faces.

  They knew better than to try and take on these Kordolians with only their bare hands.

  Fear did funny things to people.

  L
odan reclined back in his seat, saying something to Kalan in Kordolian. There was a bit of back and forth, before Kalan turned to the two mercenaries. “Any idea why your people tried to shoot us down?”

  “W-we’re not associated with them,” one of the mercenaries blurted. “We take a job, and get the credits upon completion. No questions asked. I don’t know what they were doing trying to shoot us down, but it’s just business.” The man shrugged. “Our orders came from Earth, that’s all I know. They were probably contracted by the same people. Someone didn’t want you aliens to reach our planet.”

  “In some circumstances,” Kalan said darkly, “that might be considered an act of war.”

  “Kalan,” Jia chided, as she identified the comm station and pulled herself towards it. “You are not going to incite a war.” It was an offhand comment, spoken absentmindedly as she flicked through the comm’s menu. She narrowed her eyes, concentrating on the options before her. A holoscreen came up, followed by a menu. She patched through to the Hendrix II.

  “Uh, Hendrix II, this is the…” She glanced at one of the mercenaries, raising an eyebrow.

  “Black Rhino,” he mumbled.

  “This is the, uh, Black Rhino. Just checking in to see if you’re okay?” There was some kind of official protocol-speak one was supposed to use when communicating in space, but Jia didn’t know it. She spoke in Universal, mainly for Kalan’s benefit.

  Moments later, a face appeared on screen. To Jia’s relief, it was the woman in charge of the peacekeepers in the dock, Sergeant Arin Varga.

  “Morgan,” she said, a short, sharp smile flickering across her face. “We didn’t find you amongst the survivors. I’m glad you made it out.”

  “I’m fine, Sergeant. You guys okay? Are the Kordolians being civilized?” She shot Kalan a meaningful glare. He merely shrugged.

  “There was some, uh, trouble at the start, but since then, they’ve been surprisingly restrained. Not at all what I thought they’d be like.” Varga gave a wry shrug. “I suppose it’s easy to act civilized when everyone’s shit-scared of you. They haven’t killed anyone yet, so that’s a positive.”