Chapter 4
Crew members rushed past me in the corridor. Some sprinting to battle stations, others hauling supply crates toward recovery positions. The usual controlled efficiency had given way to barely organized chaos. Alert lights bathed the corridor, turning the usual off-white walls yellow.
I'd been on plenty of missions with the Knights over the last two months: everything from dropping off power banks created from the alien artifact we'd taken from Voss, to helping farmers harvest extra crops so they could feed themselves and their families.
But this was the first time I would actually be dropping into a colony with armed guards.
We had always been careful to avoid confrontation, partly to ensure there were no casualties, and partly because Torvyn had been insistent on not engaging the Corporations directly.
A thought from the ready room tickled the back of my mind.
Torvyn had mentioned something about the Reach, how direct action against the corporations could "complicate things" politically.
He'd moved past it quickly, but the hesitation had been real.
Before they rescued me, the only thing I'd ever heard about the Zorathi was that they were pirates; thieves who took whatever they wanted and didn't care who they hurt.
Blatant corporate propaganda, sure, but propaganda the Reach seemed perfectly content to let stand.
So why was Torvyn worried now?
Did this mission carry a cost I didn't fully understand yet?
I filed the questions away for later. Maybe one of the other Knights would know.
The med bay smelled of antiseptic and anticipation.
I pulled up the activity log. The usual soft beeping of monitors had been replaced by the harsh rhythm of pre-combat checks: nurses calling out supply counts, orderlies snapping beds into triage configuration.
Ambulatory patients were being moved into private quarters, clearing space on the floor for anyone wounded during the operation.
I walked over to Alicia. She looked up at me with wide eyes.
Her soft smile couldn't quite hide the fear behind her eyes.
I gave her a wink and checked her chart.
All her prescribed medications had been administered, and her dressings had been changed.
She was in as good a place as she could be. For now.
"How are you holding up, kiddo?" I asked.
"Okay, I guess," she said. "What's happening?"
"Well, remember when you first came aboard the Starbreaker?"
She nodded.
"The same thing's happening today. We're going to bring a few more people onboard. We might even find a couple of kids your age. Do you want to meet them?"
She nodded again, more enthusiastically this time.
"Awesome," I said, holding up my hand. She slapped it in a high-five. "How about this—when I get back, I'll see if we rescued anybody your age and make sure they're placed near you. Can you help me make them feel welcome?"
"Yes!" she said, excitement lighting her face. "I can tell them all about the things I've done on board."
"I'd really appreciate that." I smiled. "I need to check on a few more things. Do you need anything?"
She shook her head. "I hope you have a safe trip and bring back a lot of people."
"Me too, kiddo," I said, gently ruffling her hair.
I straightened and took in the rest of the med bay. Survivors from the other colonies we had visited sat stone-faced and silent. They knew what was happening. Some of them had lived through this exact moment not long ago.
This was real life. If we failed, people would die. And my choices had put everyone aboard this ship in danger.
Had I pressed Torvyn too hard? Had I thought this through completely?
You didn't escape the prison of that habitat just to trap yourself in another one.
That's a good point, self. I just hope I don't get anybody killed.
If you do nothing, people you could have saved will die. If you do something, at least you're giving them a chance.
When did you become so logical? Aren't you supposed to be soft and sweet?
I contain multitudes, babe.
I shook my head and straightened my shoulders. Get it together. Looking unhinged in front of the entire crew won't inspire confidence.
I made my way through the shuttle bay, watching as shielding plates were replaced, internal harnesses double-checked, and the small crafts loaded with rations and medical supplies. Everyone seemed committed. Focused. Ready.
Nobody, except me, appeared to be having doubts.
Eventually, I found myself at the aft observation deck, where viewports stretched floor to ceiling, and the chaos couldn't reach. Everyone else had a role to play. I didn't, not yet. And that left me with nothing but time to think.
I thought about Alicia.
What if the ship were attacked?
What if she got hurt, or worse?
What if Kaedren was shot again, this time by someone who actually knew how to use a blaster?
What if…
My fingers had gone white against the viewport railing. I forced them to unclench.
"Beautiful view, isn't it?"
I let out a yip and turned. Vaelix stood a few feet away, yellow alert lights playing across his blue skin like firelight. I glanced out the window. He was right. Lines of stars traced past the viewport, peaceful white-blue streaks offering a stark contrast to the chaos inside the ship.
"I hadn't noticed, to be honest," I said.
He smiled and stood next to me, taking in the view.
"I remember my first combat mission. It was years ago, before we were given the Starbreaker. Before we were Knights. Before we really understood anything."
"Did anybody die?"
He blinked, his eyes locked on the lines outside the window.
"Yes. Friends. Enemies. Good people and bad." He paused. "All of those deaths led to the outcome we needed. Or wanted, I suppose."
"What outcome was that?"
He turned to face me fully. "The Reach wasn't always unified. Like old Earth, different factions fought for different futures."
I watched him as he spoke. This wasn't small talk. He was telling me something important.
"Our faction made enough right choices to shape the Reach around our ideals: freedom, liberty, choice." His eyes held mine. "We were ready to die for those things. I think that's what you want too. Am I right?"
I nodded. My fists clenched until they shook.
My heart hammered against my ribs, and tears blurred my vision.
I wanted all of the things he had fought for.
I wanted that for me and for those oppressed by the corporations.
I was tired of seeing the same stories on the newsfeeds: starving colonies, medical care only for those who could pay for it, and the cost of living getting more expensive every day. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.
Vaelix wrapped his arms around me. I buried my head in his chest and sobbed. Not like you see in the holo-flicks, I'm talking ugly crying. I blew snot bubbles in the chiseled pectorals of this blue-skinned man. And he just held me tight, stroking my hair.
He didn't say anything.
He didn't tell me I was overreacting.
He didn't tell me everything was going to be okay.
He didn't try to fix the problem.
He just let me cry.
And I did, probably for a solid ten minutes. I cried and ran through every single thing that could go wrong on this mission. I spiraled as hard as I had ever spiraled in my life.
Eventually, the tears slowed. My breathing steadied. And I became aware of other things; the warmth of his arms, the steady beat of his heart beneath my cheek, the rise and fall of his chest.
I took a deep breath. Sandalwood. God, he smelled good.
I nuzzled deeper into his chest and felt his muscles flex beneath my cheek.
My imagination flashed to him in training, with sweat sliding down those chiseled abs, shirt clinging to his shoulders, raven-black hair falling loose as he moved through combat forms.
I kissed his chest; just a peck at first. Then higher, finding warm skin above his collar.
I rose on my tiptoes and traced soft kisses along his neck, then his jawline, tasting salt and sandalwood.
I wrapped my arms around his back, slipping them under his shirt and drawing my fingernails down his spine.
I felt him flex his hips, something familiar growing beneath his beltline.
“Kira.” His voice had gone rough, lower than before. “We have an hour before we exit slipspace. I’m not sure we have time for this.”
“We have time,” I whispered, rising onto my toes to nibble the lobe of his ear.
A soft, involuntary moan slipped from him, his breath hitching as his hands tightened at my waist.
“I’m carrying more stress than I ever have in my life,” I murmured, pressing closer, letting him feel exactly what he was doing to me.
One hand slid from his back, trailing slowly down his arm, tracing muscle and heat.
“You’ve lived with life-and-death decisions for so long.
I was hoping you could help me… clear my head. Just a little.”
My fingers reached his hand, lacing with his, grounding us both. I felt his hesitation ripple through the tether. Love, care. Control.
He lifted a brow as I guided his hand back to my waist, then lower, letting him feel my pulse racing beneath his palm.
“Just something small,” I said softly, meeting his eyes. “Enough to take the edge off.”
I nudged his hand into place and held his gaze as he nodded, pupils darkening. The tether flared with lust and understanding. Consent. Affection. A steady, unwavering devotion that made my chest ache.
“Anything for you, my love,” he murmured, leaning in.
His fingers slid between my legs, slow and sure, as his mouth captured mine. The contact stole my breath completely. Heat coiled low in my body as my muscles tensed, my knees threatening to give out. I clutched at his shirt, desperate for balance, for him.
His free arm wrapped around me instantly, strong and supportive, fingers tracing the small of my back before gripping my hip to keep me upright. He didn’t rush. He didn’t take more than I offered. He simply stayed right there, steady and relentless, until sensation built and built—
Until anxiety, fear, and uncertainty melted together into something molten and bright.
A loud, broken moan tore from my throat as the pressure finally crested.
My body shuddered, and the release hit like a breaking wave, hot and overwhelming, followed immediately by a wash of calm so deep it left me trembling.
Through the tether came Vaelix’s quiet satisfaction, his relief at feeling my tension dissolve.
I sagged into his chest, breath coming slow and unsteady.
He gently guided me back to my feet and kissed me deeply, unhurriedly, grounding me in my body.
“Better?” he asked, his voice rumbling against my ear.
“Much,” I breathed, still catching myself.
He pressed a kiss to my temple. “Good. I need you sharp out there.”
I grinned against his chest. “Trust me. I feel incredible. Like I could take on the whole damn galaxy.”
He smiled, warm and knowing. “This feeling won’t last forever. But remember it when things get hard. What you’re doing matters. And this—” he tapped my forehead lightly “—is your plan.”
I nodded, steady now.
“I believe in you,” he said quietly. “We all do.”
As his words settled, trust surged through the tether. A collective presence. Support. Faith.
“They know?” I asked softly.
“Of course,” he replied. “The tether allows individual experiences to be shared with the group. We share everything, Kira. That’s why our bond is so strong.”
The idea should have embarrassed me. Instead, it felt right. Honest. Like there was nothing I needed to hide from any of them.
A shrill whistle cut through the ship’s comm system. Yellow alert lights flared, then cycled to red.
We both looked up, then back at each other.
“We’re about to exit slipspace,” he said, releasing me reluctantly. “Duty stations.”
“Wait, you’re not coming with us?”
He shook his head. “I’ll be running surveillance and tactical analysis from the ship. Your eye in the sky.” He cupped my cheek gently. “I won’t be beside you, but I’ll be watching over you.”
I squeezed his hand one last time. My Knights. Always there when I needed them most.
He turned toward the bridge. I headed the opposite way. Toward the shuttle bay, toward the mission, toward the plan I’d set in motion.
Time to save some lives.