“Cutter!” Abby’s voice cut through the spiral of panic building up in my skull.
“Abby!”
“You need to lock the wolves down, before they realize that you’re out. Secure them, and then go for your weapons—and your weapons master.”
I froze, trying to work out who she might mean, but Mack was faster.
“Stepyan.”
“Yes, Hunt Master.”
Mack stopped, halfway into his ship suit, and then he cast a glance at me.
“Hunt Master, Cutter?”
I nodded.
“Is that what they called me?”
“Only the Pack Leader.”
“Which one?”
And just how had he known that there was more than one pack? For that matter, how had I not known?
“Rovan.”
I watched as Tens replicated his ship suit and dragged it on. Personally, Mack was hotter.
And they both stilled, and turned their heads towards me.
Oh.
I turned away, feeling my skin flame at my undisciplined thinking. Mack wrapped his hand around my arm, and stopped me.
“It’s okay, Cutter. None of us are ourselves.”
I nodded, but I didn’t look at him. Honestly, if the deck had opened up and swallowed me, it would be a mercy. Mack rolled right on, as though there were more important things to be done.
“Where’s Stepyan?” he asked, and I dove into the ship’s data-stream, sending out a stream of code set to locate the supply officer.
“They put him into stasis in the supply center.”
“He’s a no-go, then,” Abby informed us. “That section is too densely occupied for the three of you to take.”
“What about Cutter’s quarters?” Mack asked. “I know she had spare boots—and I’m pretty sure she’s been storing her weapons in her quarters, again.”
Well! He shook my arm, and caught my gaze when I turned a reproachful look at his face. I rolled my eyes and couldn’t stop the slightest twitch of a smile touching my lips.
“I’m not a lending library, you know.”
He smiled back, and let my arm go.
“Tens, you’re on point.”
“But I haven’t managed to unlock the file storage, yet.”
“Cutter can’t keep moving, while she checks the ground’s clear ahead. Let Abby handle the hack.”
“I’m surprised you’d trust me with your secrets,” Abby said.
“I’m not, but I’m facing limited options, right now.”
Way to flatter a girl, Mack.
“Abby understands.”
“Of course, I understand, Mack. You will be receiving an appropriately padded bill for my services, and your lack of manners.”
Mack groaned.
“Abby…”
But she wouldn’t be swayed.
“I believe you have more important matters to attend to, Captain.”
Tens whistled.
“A bill and your rank. I think you upset her, boss.”
“Abby. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“I disagree, Captain Star. You meant every word.”
“I spoke without thinking. Come on, Abs. I’m only human—as you keep reminding me.”
‘Talk to me later. Perhaps we can come to an agreement.’
“Thanks, Abs.”
“Don’t thank me, Captain Star. You haven’t seen what I have in mind.”
I stifled a snicker, and reached out to grab the mop as I went past. At least I hadn’t used it to clear the floor, yet.
“Doc, ain’t gonna thank you for that.”
“Doc will forgive me.”
“Halloran won’t.”
This was true. I was going to have to owe Halloran a round.
“Or six.”
I glanced at the mess we’d made between us.
“I’ll split the debt with you.”
He followed my glance, and his mouth twisted with distaste.
“Deal.”
“Sweet as you are, we need to move,” Tens said.
He’d moved up to the corner that made up Doc’s main work area. I took his word for it, and trotted over. He glanced at me, noted the mop, and then looked forward, again.
“What’s that for?”
“Only weapon I could find.”
“You done much stick fighting?”
“Odyssey’s training was thorough.”
And Ax had consistently ignored the presence of mops, brooms and other cleaning equipment in a training zone for at least two weeks after I’d noticed them and used every opportunity I had to beat him like a drum with every stick that came to hand. He’d gotten pretty good with sticks, himself, after that, and I’d had to move to frypans, food particles and plates.
Damn that boy had learned fast!
“Fine. You can keep your damn mop. Get back to the present, Cutter.”
I shook the memories from my head.
“We good to go?”
“Corridor’s clear to your quarters, and I’ve locked down everything on the way. Nothing gets in or out of the rooms en route.”
“What about the wolves in the barracks’ area?”
“The what?”
“They talked about a barracks. Can we lock it down?”
“Down near the supply store,” Abby said. “They’ve stationed their troops there.”
Near the weapons and the range. It made sense. There were also a couple of scenario sections there. Mack’s training center was pretty thorough, or Stepyan’s was, I hadn’t decided whose idea that sweet set-up was.
“Mine. Stepyan just fine-tuned it.”
I blinked, and headed across the room to the door. Even though Tens had said the space beyond was clear, I stopped and waited for the other two to catch up. When they took longer than I thought they should, I looked back.
Tens had stopped in front of the regen tank. I looked towards it, noting that Rohan might have looked better in black and blue, rather than the rainbow of purples, yellows and greens he’d taken on as the bruising faded. Mack wrapped an arm around Tens, and pulled him toward the door.
“He’s okay, Tens, and we’ve gotta go. Cutter, check that corridor, again.”
I checked the corridor, using the ship’s internal monitors, and gave the thumbs up.
“We’re good.”
“Find me a gun,” Tens said. “I’m gonna put every one of those mongrels down.”
“He stopped Cascade from getting shot,” I said, “and then he took the knee out from under a wolf warrior, and sassed the pack. They took their three rounds.”
“They shot him?”
“No,” and I led the way into the corridor. “Three rounds on the mats, for striking a superior.”
“That is all your fault!”
I shrugged.
“Apparently. You’ll have to ask Rohan when he gets out. Wolves said he was stable and would recover.”
“You might sound like you cared,” Mack said.
There was no answer for that. I did care, but I couldn’t do a damn thing for Rohan, and I couldn’t have done a damn thing for him when he’d met the wolves in the hangar. The only thing I could do, now, was get the ship free, and get him out wolf hands before anything like that had a chance to happen, again.
I’d thought Mack might understand.
“I do, but Tens might not.”
“Then Tens can give me a matching set of bruises when the mission is over, but we have to get through this, first.”
“I heard that,” Tens said. “Might take you up on it.”
My heart sank. Well, fine. I nodded. Time came, I wouldn’t go down easy. Right now, the wolves were the problem. Rohan had survived, and so would I.
I led the way through to my room, and pulled out the storage compartment I’d tucked in the ducts, as well as in false panels at the back of my drawers and closets. The look on Mack’s f
ace said he was getting an education, and trying to work out how he’d missed what was going on. I wished my implant wasn’t such an open book.
“I took steps,” I said. “Sorry, Mack. Girl’s got to have her secrets.”
He frowned, and then nodded.
“Fair enough.”
I didn’t know what to make of his response, but I figured he’d deal with me, when this was over—and, if that was anywhere near the money, he didn’t say. He just took the weapons I passed out, and then the ammo packs.
“Damn, girl. You getting ready for an invasion?”
“Spiders scared me when they took the ship,” I said. “I wanted to be ready when they came, again.”
“Again? You know something I don’t?”
I sure as shit hoped not.
“Nope.”
He folded his arms, looking down at me, as I reached into the back of my underwear drawer.
“Yet, here we are.”
What-thefuck-ever.
He nudged me with the toe of his boot.
“You know you don’t have to cuss so much.”
“Your point?”
He unfolded his arms, raised his arms.
“Nothing.”
“Here,” and I hauled out the three long blades I’d tucked behind a panel. “Those I bought especially for the spiders.”
“I’m sure Askavor would appreciate it,” Tens muttered.
“You don’t have to have one if you don’t want one.”
He wasn’t impressed. “Pass it over.”
I knew which one he meant. I’d bought a laser-blade the first chance I’d got, after I’d seen him wielding one on the bridge. Of course, Mack had banned it straight afterwards, but I’d remembered. I’d wanted one from the minute I’d seen Tens’s.
Mack sighed.
“Sword envy. Not something I’d have expected from a girl.”
“Not your average girl, Mack.”
I pulled a set of the armored underwear out of the drawer, and then grabbed one of the spare pairs of boots from the bottom of my closet.
“Don’t you throw the old pairs away?” Mack asked, and I smiled.
“Plenty of wear left in ’em. I keep ’em until they fall off my feet.” That much was true, and it kept me from admitting I just didn’t want to throw any of them away.
“Why not?”
Trust Tens to spoil the illusion.
“None of your goddamn business,” and I grabbed a set of light armor from the closet. “Give me a minute.”
I headed for the san, leaving the two of them to sort through the weapons, while I got changed. It was nice not to have an audience—even if it was another of the fastest changes I’d ever done.
“Did we lock the wolves down?” I asked, when I emerged, and by ‘we’ I’d meant Tens.
“Did it on the way up,” Tens said. “I don’t need to stand still to get my business done.”
“Screw you.”
“In your dreams, kiddo.”
“Not in my wors—” but Abby cut across me before I could finish.
“She’d better bloody well not.”
I stopped, and stared at Tens.
His face had paled, and was now taking on a faint shade of pink. I looked at Mack, but he looked about as flummoxed as I felt. Tens and Abs?
“Why not, sweetie? It’s not like the ship is the only shell I have.”
She was smirking, I could tell. The damn ship was enjoying the Hell out of yanking Tens’s chain—and Tens was blushing like a school boy. I looked at him, and arched an eyebrow.
“Care to kiss and tell?” I teased, and he jacked a round into the chamber of the Blazer he’d taken from my stash, scowling all the while.
I guessed not, then.
10—Taking Back the Ship
Mack and Tens waited while I picked my weapons and grabbed as much spare ammo as they’d left. I took the spare sword, and pushed away the idea it was coincidental I’d bought three blades in case the arach ever invaded the ship, again. It’s not like I’d ever planned to make a last stand with Mack and Tens.
“Hon, we never do.”
“Yeah. Thanks for that, Abby.”
Tens gaze sharpened, and he frowned at me. I raised an eyebrow, and couldn’t help teasing him.
“Girl’s talk. Nothing to concern you boys.”
“Cold,” Abs said. “You’re not very nice to my man.”
“No, Abs. Would you like me to be?”
“Mind your manners, child!”
Mack came over and set his hand on my shoulder.
“When you’ve finished pissing everyone off, d’you think you can turn your head to working out how we’re going to deal with the wolves on my ship?”
“Your ship, Mack?”
His grip tightened.
“Don’t you start with me, girl, or I’ll be putting you over my knee.”
“Sure, Mack. You and whose army?”
He just snorted, given we both knew he didn’t need one, and then he changed the subject.
“The ship, Cutter. How do we take back control, without getting ourselves killed?”
“We take the control center, and then fly her the fuck away.”
“With a belly full of wolves?” Tens scoffed. “Now, who’s not thinking it through?”
I gave him a tight smile.
“Control room is easy enough. The crew seats turn into emergency stasis pods, right?”
“They’re not calibrated for wolves.”
I raised my brows.
“Then you’d better get busy, hadn’t you?”
“I’ll help,” Abby said, and I wondered when Tens had ever needed his hand held. “Mind your own business.”
I raised my hands, even though Mack and Tens probably hadn’t heard Abby’s last remark.
“Fine. You go help Tens, Abs. Let us know when you’re ready. Mack and I can work on the passenger problem.”
“We could kill them all,” Mack said, and I stared at him, remembering Rovan and the squad, missing the feel of having pack all around me, horrified at the thought of killing them all.
“I’m your pack, girl,” Mack said, and I ducked my head, blushing red to the roots of my hair. He didn’t let up. “Tens is your pack.”
I saw Tens still, felt his presence in my head, felt Abby alongside him. Mack kept going.
“Rohan and that damn dog are your pack. The rest are only wolves.”
I wanted to tell him that wasn’t it, that, yes, he and Tens and Rohan were my pack, but that the wolves…I sighed.
“They said they would seek me out when the contract was over.”
“All the more reason to kill them, now.”
“No. I think we should let them live.”
“We need to find out what this contract is, first,” Tens added. “Star Shadows are loyal to the letter of the contracts they sign.”
“Like us?”
Mack shook his head.
“Not like us, girl. The wolves will take any contract that doesn’t go against lupar interests.”
“And they’ll come after anyone who hurts those interests,” Tens added, like Mack needed reminding. “We don’t want to kill them, boss. Not if we can help it.”
“They will also keep coming,” Abby added. “The only way out from under the contract is to take out the patron. If he cannot honor his obligations, the wolves consider the agreement nul; it’s written into their contracts as a standard.”
“Don’t you two have some stasis pods to recalibrate?”
For once, Mack sounded annoyed, and I wanted to know why—and, this time, I didn’t let the idea that he’d shut me out, put me off.
“What’s up, Mack?”
“They’re right, and I don’t like it. Can’t protect my crew if the threat’s still out there—and I wanted it to be simple. If we don’t get rid of the contract, it won’t matter how many hunt packs we kill; they�
�ll just keep coming.”
“And eventually the whole pack will come to avenge their losses, and it will call in favors until it will be like the entire universe is after us.”
Mack glared at Tens, and then shrugged.
“Because it will be. The Shadows can pull an awful lot of power, if they need to. Abs is right; we need to kill the contract…just as soon as we get the ship back.”
He sighed.
“And we have to do it without killing a single one of these sons…”
He stopped, looked at me.
“That’s a term you can’t use, Cutter. Just so you know. The wolves take it personal.”
I nodded. I could see why, and it occurred to me that not a single one of the warriors I’d encountered had been female.
“Shadow females are rarely seen off-world—and those that are, are to be feared.”
Okaay… It looked like I had some research to do.
“So, how do we do this?”
Mack looked at me.
“First we get rid of the command crew. That should take down the Hunt Master and the command sectors.”
“Except for the Pack Leaders.”
“Yup. Except for the Pack Leaders. Those should be locked in the barracks with their squads, and locked out of our systems. The only problem is that Stepyan had a lot of toys in that area, and some were made for blowing large holes in resilient alloys.”
“Like ship hulls.”
“If they’ve a mind to.”
“Fuck.”
“That is one way to put it.”
“Can we gas them?”
Mack gave me a wide-eyed look.
“What part of ‘we can’t kill them’ didn’t you understand?”
Given I’d raised the point, none of it.
“The part where I’m not killing them, because maybe sleeping gas will do the trick?”
“Abby?”
“Girl has a point. I’ll look it up.”
“I thought you were helping Tens.”
“I can do both.”
“Show-off.”
“Why, thank you, sweetheart.”
“Can you secure the files they took, while you’re at it? I don’t want an emergency burst putting those out in the market place.”
“Actually, we don’t want an emergency burst of any kind. We can lock them down on board, but we probably can’t hold off a boarding party, as well, not if they come in the numbers they usually use for retrievals.”
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