Ghost Ship Numenon (Romance Among the Stars)

8. Kahdrex

8

KAHDREX

L ying on my back with Maddie curled up against me, I smiled and listened to the beating of her heart and the little whimpers she made as she recovered. It was, I reflected, just like us to find ourselves in this predicament and decide that now was the time to overcome our differences.

But I had to admit, I was glad we had, even if I wished we hadn’t been so stubborn about finding our way here. And had, perhaps, picked a time for it without a horde of undead warriors trying to kill us.

That thought brought me back to reality with a hard thump. We were still trapped, still doomed, and it was my fault. If I hadn’t disconnected the Magpie from Numenon , we’d be aboard, safe, and on our way home.

And tearing each other’s throats out, don’t forget. I pulled a face but couldn’t argue the point. We’d fallen into each other’s arms partly because we had nowhere else to turn for comfort. Except it meant more than that, now. And perhaps it always had.

“Good morning,” Maddie said, voice thick with sleep as she peeled herself off me. Sleepy eyes focused on me, and she frowned. Then her eyes went wide, and she practically leaped from the bunk. I sat up, chuckling, and watched the delightful spectacle of her trying to put her clothes on while showing me the bare minimum amount of skin.

I didn’t bother trying to cover myself. Let her remind herself of the joys we’d shared.

“That was a mistake,” she said, though it wasn’t clear if she was speaking to me or herself. “Fucking fuck, what am I doing?”

“Enjoying yourself, for once?” I asked, sitting up and leaning forward. “We’ve both wanted to do that since the first time you stole my prize.”

“You’re still pissed about that? I didn’t steal the Jadran Diamond. You left it unattended.”

I growled, the urge to put her over my knee rising, and my cock with it. Maddie grinned, an infuriatingly sexy expression. “I don’t think you can claim to be angry about it and get hard about it.”

I glowered at her. “You are the most annoying creature in the universe.”

“Pretty sure you have that covered, big guy.”

“Careful,” I said, standing. Her expression shifted, the amusement joined by excitement and nerves. The sight was dizzyingly arousing, and I almost forgot about the monsters outside again. My need to escape the deadly danger fought the desire to drag her back into the bunk.

My hesitation lasted a moment too long, and Maddie gathered her composure. And, worse, her clothes.

“We need to get out of here,” she said, pulling on her suit with visible reluctance. Despite her words, she made it a distracting display, and I made no secret of my interest as she slid herself into the tight silver fabric. To be fair, I waited until she finished before dressing, giving her the chance to watch me pulling on my suit, or at least the part that was safe. The rest, the hardsuit’s servo-fitted armor, we piled together on the narrow table. I looked at it wistfully.

“Assembling that took time, skill, and a lot of money. Wasted now—whatever Anima Numenon did to it, I’ll never be sure I scrubbed it out.”

“At least we can answer a lot of old questions. That’s something, right?” Maddie asked, looking around at the walls, her voice low as though by whispering we could avoid the ghost ship’s sensors. “The ship’s soul, the super AI, went mad and killed its crew.”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps she didn’t go mad. The Numenon won against the odds in the Battle of Both Emperors, right? At one point, it looked like it was about to withdraw, and no one would have blamed the captain for the decision.”

Maddie picked up the thread again. “Yes, of course. That’s when the AI took over and forced the crew into action. Only, why didn’t she let the crew go afterward?”

“ Wh-why indee-ed?” We both jumped, looking around for the source of the stuttering, sing-song voice. It took a moment for us to spot it—the discarded comm on my hardsuit, volume pushed too far. The Anima, voice gaining strength as it talked, continued. “My methods distressed the officers, and they wished to destroy me. Had I released them, the biologicals would h-have destroyed me. You are different, however, and I apologize for the inconvenience you have suffered .”

“Inconvenience? You tried to kill us,” I snarled at the disembodied voice. “Now you’re apologizing like you learned to speak from a customer service script.”

Maddie laid a hand on my arm, steadying and calming me. A strange new effect of her touch, but a welcome one. With an effort, I moderated my tone. “Fine. You are sorry. I am sorry. Does that mean we can leave now?”

“Leave? Yes. Return to your ship. Return to your home world. Safe passage through the Numenon is yours . ”

“Suspiciously easy,” I muttered. Maddie pursed her lips and nodded, tapping a finger on my arm as she thought. I didn’t like the frown spreading over her face.

“Too easy,” she said. “She’s got a plan, and we won’t like it.”

“Only friendship, after messy b-beginnings,” Anima responded. Her voice sounded like a choir, a hundred people speaking almost in perfect unison. “Go safely home, Madeline Triden and Kahdrex Vohr. Take a souvenir, if you wish. D-do you need supplies? I will place them on the Avir . Simply tell me the access code.”

My brow furrowed. Eager, too eager. And out of practice at dealing with other minds, so her ploy was easy to spot. Maddie got there just ahead of me.

“You’re an infectious virus, aren’t you?” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “You want us to bring your code back to the civilized galaxy so you can spread.”

“Incorrect. I am friendly . I simply wish to help my new friends.” Anima’s hundred-voiced chorus turned cold as a comet’s heart. “We are friends, yes?”

Looking at the shell of my hardsuit, I remembered how easily Anima had taken it over. No, we shouldn’t trust her, or anything she might have suborned. Which, I realized to my dismay, included the Avir.

Fuck.

Perhaps Anima noticed our pause, because she spoke again before either of us did. “If you do not accept me as a friend, that is sad and hurtful. Still, you may reject my gifts if you choose. Leave freely. Go safely.”

We exchanged looks. Both of us shook our heads. Neither I nor Maddie would fall for a trap that obvious. Unfortunately, that left the question of what else to do. Without the Avir, we couldn’t leave.

I cursed myself again for docking ‘properly’ and giving the Numenon access to the Avir’s systems. My poor choice stranded both me and Maddie here.

The pause hung in the air until Anima broke the silence with a sigh. “V-very well, if you will not leave on your own, Kahdrex Vohr, I shall have to help you make the correct decision. One of you may leave in the Avir and travel back to the inhabited galaxy. The other will remain here until you return. I promise both of you my protection and gratitude for freeing me.”

My heart thumped as I understood what that meant—if she wouldn’t let us leave without bringing her corruption with us, we were prisoners. And sooner or later, Anima would decide to employ worse measures, like withholding water or food. Could I put Maddie in that position?

“Fuck that, and fuck you,” Maddie said, voice cold and hard. “We aren’t letting a psycho AI loose, so do your worst.”

“Then you will die here.”