Chapter 5 #2
The bond surged hot beneath her hand. I wanted to drag her into my lap. I wanted her bare shoulder beneath my mouth and her thighs around my hips. I wanted things I had denied myself so long the desire moving through me felt violent.
“You are a great deal of trouble,” I said.
“I’ve been telling you that.”
“No. Other people have been telling me. You deny it.”
“Depends who’s asking.” Her grin made my cock leap in my pants. Fuck, I wanted that mouth.
The base comm chimed before I could do anything about it.
Captain Wroxxon’s voice came through the room speaker.
“Lieutenant Vesh. General Aryk requires you and the Earth girl in briefing. Now.” Priya’s eyebrows rose at 'the Earth girl'.
The channel closed. Priya slowly removed her hand from my neck.
“He seems pleasant.”
“Wroxxon has always possessed a gift for diplomacy.” I was more than used to him being an ass.
“If he says that to my face, I’m going to need you to remember I'm not from around here.”
“Why does your origin matter?”
“I'm not part of his little crew. I don't follow his orders. Basically, I can tell him to go fuck himself.”
The implant translated the phrase perfectly and I grinned. “I look forward to seeing that.”
The briefing room was full when we arrived. General Aryk stood at the head of the table with General Jennix beside him. Mission specialists occupied the far seats. Captain Wroxxon waited against the wall, arms crossed, his attention fixed on Priya. She noticed. Of course she did.
“Starfighter Anand,” General Aryk said. “How was your first flight?”
“Short.”
“That was intentional.” The general smiled warmly. "We don't want to, how would Jamie say it—freak you out, on your first day."
“Then it was very successful, General.”
Jennix hid a smile, which was rare for her.
The commander of Battleship Resolution and the MCS program, the general was a serious female with a spine of pure steel and little tolerance for jesting.
Wroxxon looked at me. “You allowed her to take the Wraith through a debris corridor on her first flight. Dangerous, don't you think?”
“She took herself.”
“You were the senior officer.”
“She was the pilot.”
Priya pulled out the chair beside mine. “I’m also standing right here, Wroxxon.”
“That's Captain Wroxxon. And let's hope you stay alive long enough to discuss this again at a later date.”
The room cooled several degrees. I stepped toward him. Priya’s hand closed around my forearm. “Don’t,” she said quietly. “He is just poking the bear.”
“I am not a bear.”
“I'm not so sure about that. Listen, you can slam his face into the table later. Without all the witnesses."
“I would prefer everyone witness his humiliation.”
She grinned as she tugged on my wrist. “Sit.”
I sat. Wroxxon looked disappointed. General Aryk activated the display. A red planet filled the air over the table, surrounded by shipyards, orbital platforms, and projected fleet positions.
“Xandrax,” he said. “Queen Raya’s home world.”
Priya leaned forward. All humor vanished. “That’s a lot of ships.”
“More than they should have.” Jennix had her black hair pulled back so tightly the silver at her temples looked like uniform stripes.
“The Dark Fleet withdrew its support after we won the battle over Velerion. Our intelligence predicted her remaining shipyards would be crippled within months. Instead, production increased.”
The display narrowed to a moon orbiting the planet.
“The Wraith will enter here,” Aryk said. “You will remain in the moon’s shadow under ghost protocol. Passive sensors only. Count active yards, record hull construction, identify supply traffic if possible, and leave without being detected.”
“How long will we be in the shadow?” Priya asked.
“Four to six hours.”
“Escape routes?” I asked.
Two corridors appeared.
“Primary and secondary,” Aryk said. “Both are officially blind.”
My stomach tightened at the word. Priya glanced at me, then back to the display. “You haven't been able to get anyone in there? Not even a drone?”
Jennix answered. “No. However, the lanes have had zero traffic for eighteen months.”
Priya tilted her head and studied the holograms. “And if they’re not empty? They could be full of booby traps or automated weapons systems? Satellites? So, we have no idea what's going to be waiting for us in there?”
“No, we do not. If we run into trouble, we get the hell out of there,” I assured her. “The Wraith is not built to survive a fight against battle cruisers or fighters.”
Wroxxon pushed away from the wall. “This is absurd. We’re staking a deep-penetration mission on a recruit who arrived four days ago and has flown the Wraith once.”
“She has more simulation hours in the Wraith than anyone else in this room,” Aryk said.
“With zero pressure. She thought she was playing a game. This is life or death.”
“She flew the debris corridor this morning. She knew it was dangerous. I told her,” I said.
“Which proves she is reckless. A quality you appear to admire in your partners.” Wroxxon looked directly at her. “Did he tell you what happened to the last scout who trusted him? Ask him about Tavik before you let him fly you into Xandraxian space.”
“He already did,” Priya said.
Wroxxon blinked. “And?”
Her voice changed. Calm. Precise. I recognized her tone from watching her in sims. This was warrior Priya, and Wroxxon had just pissed off the wrong female.
“And I know Tavik died saving Vesh after your intelligence sent them into an ambush. I know Vesh brought him home. I also know you’ve spent six years blaming Vesh because it’s easier than admitting you failed them. ”
I'd never seen Wroxxon go pale. He did now. “You know nothing about it.”
“I know enough to recognize an asshole when I see one.”
General Jennix coughed into her fist. Wroxxon’s face darkened with rage. “General—”
“Starfighter Anand,” Aryk said mildly, “you will address Captain Wroxxon with professional respect.”
“Yes, General.”
“Captain Wroxxon, you will extend the same respect to my Elite Starfighters.”
“She is not qualified for the title.”
Aryk turned to me. “Lieutenant? Is she ready to fly?” This was the question I had refused to answer in the Wraith. Was she ready? Was I prepared to place my life in her hands out there on a mission?
Priya did not look at me. Her gaze remained on Wroxxon, her shoulders squared. She would go if I said yes. She would fight me if I said no. I could ask Aryk for more time to train, to fly together, and no one in the room would call it unreasonable.
I thought of her moving before the corridor opened. Of her steady hands. Of the way she had listened when I told her about Tavik and refused to treat me like a broken thing.
“She is qualified,” I said. “More than qualified.”
Priya’s head turned. Wroxxon scoffed. “You would say anything to keep your new bondmate close.”
“No,” I said. “I would say anything necessary to keep her alive. Today, that means putting her in the pilot’s seat.”
Aryk shut down the display. “Then it is decided. You launch at dawn.”
General Jennix nodded. "Stay alert and stay safe out there."
The specialists began transferring mission files to our implants.
Priya was quiet, reading through the data as quickly as it appeared.
Under the table, her hand found mine. I turned my palm up.
Her fingers slid between mine and held. At dawn, we would take the Wraith into the heart of Xandraxian space.
I could not promise myself I would not lose her.
I could only trust her to fly the Wraith and get us both home.
She was the better pilot. Just like Tavik had been.
My chest ached. I swallowed the lump in my throat and focused on Wroxxon slipping out of the room like a ghost. How was I supposed to feel? For the first time in six years, I would not be flying alone. For the first time since my brother's death, I had something to lose.