Chapter 1
The mission was so fucked, and it had barely begun.
It all sounded so simple.
Step One: Find the Phoenix.
Step Two: Kill the Phoenix.
Step Three: Collect insane bounty.
Step Four: Watch Meridian implode, and live happily ever after.
Well, step four might have been stretching it, but still, I’d worked on so many ludicrously complex clandestine operations before, when I was working for the Interplanetary Alliance, or IA for short. Darren had a red-hot lead on the Phoenix’s whereabouts, and this should have been a piece of cake.
But I should have known better.
Things with Meridian and the Phoenix were never as simple as they seemed. Otherwise, how would they have evaded the authorities and continued to spread their influence throughout the system over the last decade?
Even worse, Darren had failed to mention a key element of the mission until I was minutes from stepping on the shuttle to Phobos.
I had a mission partner. But it didn’t stop there; in order to secure my place on the ship where he’d tracked the Phoenix, he’d had to secure an exception for the two of us.
AN EXCEPTION!
An exception was Starlane’s corporate version of a marriage.
Obtaining an exception for a couple was the only way to ensure you’d be assigned to the same ship or location as your partner.
They were limited, and therefore incredibly coveted.
The interviewing process was so rigorous, it was the stuff of legend.
But Darren just waves his hand and boom. Done. What the actual fuck?
I could only hope he’d managed to get one outside of the yearly allotment, because the thought of taking an exception from a true love match made me sick to my stomach.
And then there was this new husband of mine: Captain Damian Vaughn.
You know, the one that was supposed to meet me before I boarded the ship for a mission debrief, so we could get our stories straight and come up with a way to explain to his crew how we’d managed to get an exception, let alone develop a relationship worthy of being granted one, without any of them having a clue.
It also would have been nice to talk through what he’d learned about the Meridian spy he likely had on board his ship and what intel he’d gleaned about how they were linked to the Phoenix, the enigmatic and de facto leader of the criminal organization, before diving into a two-month long route that would leave us trapped on board with the mole.
But the bastard had stood me up. I waited for hours at a scuzzy port cafe, per Darren’s rushed instructions, but my mission partner never showed.
Perhaps he was hoping to work the mission solo, like me, but there were benefits to having help, as long as you weren’t working with a hostile colleague, and I had a feeling I was walking into a mess.
Still, he had to know the sheer stakes of what we were trying to accomplish. And after everything I’d been through, I’d be the first to admit I had a chip on my shoulder, and something to prove, if not to IA, then at the very least, to myself.
Meridian had taken everything…and everyone, from me, and so many others, including the captain, according to the research I’d done on the shuttle trip.
I’d spent the last three years tracking the Phoenix specifically, and the moniker was well deserved.
So many times it seemed they had been eradicated, only to reappear halfway across the system, rising from the ashes yet again, earning their moniker.
But something about this mission felt different than all the cold leads, small-time disruptions, and low-level thugs I’d been able to remove from the equation.
I could feel it. I was on the precipice of something big.
And I wasn’t about to let Vaughn stand in my way.
I was perfectly capable of handling this on my own, as long as he stayed out of my way.
“Miss Sterling?”
My eyes met those of the young woman sitting across the desk from me. How long had she been trying to get my attention? Ever since Deimos, I’d had issues with my mind drifting; it had been cited as a main reason for my discharge. Did she know that?
I glanced down at the communication tablet, or comm, in her hands. What was in my Starlane file? Surely IA had redacted most of my personal information, and if not them, then certainly Darren.
“My apologies.” I straightened in my chair. “You can call me Lark.”
Her hazel eyes softened. Officer Natalie Reese covered both medical and administrative duties on the Radiant, the ship I’d be working on for the next few months.
She looked very young to be covering either role, let alone both, but I knew well enough not to judge a book by its cover.
Curvy and petite, with her straight black hair pulled up into two precise buns, one on either side of her head, her Starlane-issued grey jumpsuit was a veritable canvas of artwork, all of which only added to her perceived youth, but also seemed to suit her outwardly quirky personality.
“I asked if you had any medical or mental health issues I should be aware of,” she repeated herself kindly.
I glanced back down at her comm again. “What does my file say?” I challenged, not wanting to give up more than was necessary, but also not wanting to lie if she had more information than I realized.
The edges of her lips curled up, already on to my tactics. “It says you’re in perfect health with no history of any medical or mental health issues.” She paused. “Which is odd, because I can see a scar along your clavicle, which appears to have been professionally sutured.”
I made sure my face remained neutral at the mention of the scar, a very visible reminder of the trauma I had suffered on Deimos, although just like an iceberg, the rest lay beneath the surface.
“A childhood injury. Files probably got lost in the last twenty or so years since.” I feigned a smile.
“Typical Aquarius.” She shook her head and placed the comm down on the desk.
“Excuse me?”
“You were born on January 30th, correct?” She leaned back in her chair, her eyes raking over me…assessing.
My skin crawled, having been on the receiving end of similar looks so many times over the years. Every time I lost someone, every time something bad happened…too many times to count.
“That’s correct.”
“You’re an Aquarius. Notoriously hard nuts to crack.
” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “But even I have to admit, between your experience and your sign, you’ll be perfect for the chief engineer position.
Most Aquarians are natural-born leaders, but don’t like the attention.
I bet you’re excellent at thinking outside of the box and incredibly loyal.
I’ll just have to keep an eye on you isolating yourself. ”
I blanched. “You can tell all that from my birthday?” Her accuracy was a bit spooky. I’d never believed in astrological signs or charts—and maybe Natalie was just good at reading people, but she’d been able to learn a lot in just a short while.
She gave a sharp nod before continuing. “I know you’re used to being a lone wolf, but the Radiant is a small ship with a tight crew. We need team players. I’m sure you know it’s life or death out in space. Can I count on you to at least try to ingratiate yourself with the others?”
“Yes,” I replied softly, still disarmed by how she could see through me so easily, bringing up uncomfortable truths I had barely begun to admit, even to myself.
Of course, I’d always preferred to work alone…
that way nobody would let you down. But I’d been a part of plenty of collaborative operations, and I prided myself on being a bit of a chameleon when needed.
Then again, I was proving to be a bit rusty in the secret operative department if Darren’s intelligence was to be believed.
“If nothing else, you’ll have me.” She gave me a warm smile.
“I’m not a formally trained psychologist, but the crew often comes to me to vent and mediate conflict.
You can trust that anything we discuss will remain confidential, unless I feel you are a danger to yourself or the others.
The captain will tell you the same thing. ”
I clenched my teeth at the mention of the captain. My absentee husband of convenience. Did he know I was on board? Did he know what we would be to each other while on this cargo run-slash-black op?
Perhaps mistaking my response as concern or wariness, she offered some insight.
“I’m not sure what you’ve heard about Captain Vaughn, but he’s a good man.
He’s well-liked by the crew, albeit a bit stoic.
” She paused, as if considering her next words.
“And a quick tip: he prefers going by just Vaughn; don’t know why it bothers him when people use his first name, but he’s fired crew for the offense. ”
I filed that tidbit away as I wondered what Natalie thought I might have heard about the captain prior to joining. It felt odd to need to refer to my husband by his last name, but it was as good as any, I supposed, and I was happy to have been warned before making such a misstep.
By all accounts, Captain Vaughn was a decorated military hero, gaining notoriety during the Enceladus Rebellion by staying behind to make sure all civilians were evacuated, at the cost of almost his entire team.
He’d retired from service after that. His vacant eyes in the one photo I could find of him, during a press briefing after the incident, had struck me as belonging to a man who was haunted. I knew the feeling well.
After a few hours of filling out forms and reviewing ship procedures with Natalie, she announced we needed to stretch our legs and that it was time for the ship tour. “We’ll stop by to meet Rion first to grab your comm tablet and uniforms.”
The moment we stepped into Rion’s tiny office, nestled on the lower deck, I knew he was in love with Natalie.
His round face immediately brightened upon seeing her.
He ran a hand through his floppy, curly hair, pulling it away from his eyes before adjusting his glasses, then smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles on his uniform as he stood.
“Hi, Nat.” He beamed at her.
“Hi, Rion.” She batted her lashes at him.
Oh.
It would seem the feeling was mutual.
Rion’s cheeks began to turn rosy.
“I wanted to introduce you to Lark Sterling; she’s our new chief engineer.” She motioned to me. “Lark, this is Rion Bancroft, our chief technology officer. He also helps me manage equipment and gear.”
“Nice to meet you.” I greeted him with a handshake.
“Hello. Welcome to the Radiant. We’re so glad to have you.” He smiled, but not nearly as wide as he had when he’d looked at Natalie.
“She’ll need a comm, uniforms, and a room assignment.
” Natalie leaned against his desk, encroaching on his space.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” She reached into a cargo pocket on her uniform and produced a small bag before handing it to Rion, their fingers brushing against each other during the exchange.
“I grabbed you some sweets on my way back from HQ this morning.”
If possible, Rion’s face became even redder. “My favorite.” He looked down at the bag reverently. “Thank you, Nat.” His gaze met hers again.
I swallowed hard, feeling as though I was intruding on a very intimate moment between the two of them. My gaze fell to the floor, and if I could have disappeared through the wall, I would have taken the opportunity.
“So, her comm?” Natalie breathed after a moment.
Rion stuttered, “Right.” He shoved the bag of candies in a desk drawer and then pulled out a new comm from a different one.
Turning in his chair, he clicked open a compartment on the wall behind him, revealing a stack of neatly pressed uniforms. He pulled three from the pile and set them on the desk next to the comm device.
With a few movements on his own comm and a retinal and fingerprint scan from me, mine was all ready to go. “Have you worked on a Starlane light freighter before?” he asked. “I can give you a tutorial on the non-engineering systems—those are universal, as you know.”
I did know. But I’d never worked for Starlane before, having been recruited into IA immediately after graduating college.
Starlane Enterprises was a mega conglomerate nightmare that had a monopoly on almost every vertical market or industry you could think of.
Last I’d heard, over eighty-five percent of the population in the system worked for them directly or indirectly.
The thought of being another cog in their machine made me cringe, but if it meant I could bring down the Phoenix and Meridian as a result, it would be well worth it for them to have a retinal scan and fingerprints.
Although knowing how incestuous Starlane’s relationship was with IA, they probably already had access to them anyway.
“That would be great.” I nodded, going through the menu options on the comm. I hadn’t had one in years, preferring to stay off the grid while I chased the Phoenix from the shadows.
“I’ll put something on your schedule for tomorrow after we depart.” He began scrolling through his comm, looking for something else. “Hmm, that’s weird.”
“What?” Natalie took the opportunity to lean into him to peer at his comm screen.
Rion went rigid, but Natalie didn’t seem to notice.
“Umm, she doesn’t have a room assignment,” he answered, his breathing shallow.
“Huh?” Natalie took the comm from him and scrolled through the screen. “Well, I’ll contact HQ to check.” She looked up at me. “You can keep your things in my office until we figure it out; I have a locked area for medical supplies.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t worry, we have extra beds on board, but Starlane is fastidious about their procedures, so we need to make sure it’s recorded in their system properly.
Why don’t I show you to your office in the engineering bay so you can get your bearings while I check about your room assignment? ” She offered.
I couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across my face. “I’d love that.” People would always be a bit of a challenge, but machines…those could be figured out, pulled apart, put back together, and fixed. I couldn’t wait to see what was running this beautiful ship.