Mercenaries

CASSIDY was already diving for cover. She felt the blazing tingle of the blast’s nimbus wash across her calf, heard the chokzaaaap of its passage. Close. Too close. He’d nail her with the next shot.

An arm clamped hard around her waist, lifting off her feet, throwing her forward. Another sizzling jolt, this one so close she cried out in pain at the heat across her face.

Shit. He’d shielded her with his body—and he’d been hit. If he hadn’t taken it himself, the bolt would have struck her right in the head.

Another step and she landed on her feet as Rune went down on one knee. Cassidy kept going, segueing into an attack on the nearest warrior even as she prayed Rune’s armor had taken the brunt of the blast. If it had, it was just possible he’d survive.

The redhead’s startled gaze met hers in the instant before her fist slammed into his face. She snatched the beamer out of his holster as he fell.

Rune was up again, thank God, bulling right into the dark-haired one. There was a flurry of punches Cassidy didn’t see clearly; the redhead had tried to get up. She kicked him in the head and he went back down.

Cassidy obeyed, sprinting in a zigzag pattern, Rune at her heels. She heard him fire, the buzzing chok of the beamer loud in her ears.

“Traitor!” the blond screamed, agony in his voice. “Step foot on the Conquest and I’ll see you dead!”

The airlock ahead opened, probably at some command from Rune. Cassidy leaped inside, then whirled just in time to catch Rune as he half-fell through the door. “Lift off!” he gasped.

“In a minute!” She slid an arm around his waist and half-carried him to the cockpit, her nanotech implants scarcely laboring under his weight. “How badly are you hurt?”

“Bad enough,” he gritted. His face was paper-white beneath its golden tone. She lowered him into the copilot’s seat.

Cassidy grabbed the control yoke between her thighs, but it wouldn’t budge. “The ship’s comp doesn’t recognize me! You’ll have to unlock it.”

The yoke suddenly moved. The trid controls flashed on around her. Heart pounding, she brought the engines to roaring life. A flick of the controls and the vessel leaped straight up.

“The Conquest is in orbit,” Rune gasped as acceleration mashed them both back in their seats. “Kaveh has notified them we’ve taken the transport. They’re going to try to shoot us down.”

“Kaveh’s the blond, right?” She poured on more speed. “Charming bastard. Were you two lovers, or what? That wasn’t just brotherly indignation.”

He rested his head back against the seat, eyes closed, his lashes a dark fan against his cheeks. His lips looked faintly blue. “The warriors often turn to each other between visits to the women’s deck. But I never felt as he did.” Rune’s pale lips curled into a slight smile. “I prefer the company of women.”

She flicked him a look as the sky went black around them. She really didn’t like his color. How badly is he hurt, comp?

He took a beamer blast to the side. His armor protected him from the full brunt, but since the suit wasn’t powered, he sustained internal injuries. The comp rattled off details she would rather not hear.

Basically, he’d cooked half his guts saving her life. If she didn’t get him into the Starrunner’s sickbay in the next twenty minutes, he was a dead man. As it was, only his comp was keeping him from sliding fatally into shock.

With one hand, she stroked her fingers through the trid com unit controls, changing the frequency to that used by the Starrunner . “Lieutenant Cassidy Vika, aboard captured Dharani transport, to Starrunner.”

“Vika?” It was Captain August’s familiar deep rumble. “What the hell are you doing with a Dharani transport?”

“Long story.” The planet’s horizon was starting to curve. “And I’m about to come under fire. Somebody get sickbay ready. I’ve got a seriously injured passenger with a beamer burn in the side.”

“Yeah, I figured that one out.” She sent the transport yawing hard to one side, narrowly avoiding a torpedo. The craft’s klaxons began to yowl, the sound an unfamiliar wavering wail. Cassidy ignored it, intent on evasive maneuvers as the Conquest did its best to blow them out of space. Its fire was so withering, she had no attention to spare on returning the favor. She was far too busy sending the transport in rolls and yaws designed to evade the next blast.

Sweat beaded her forehead, and she prayed the transport wouldn’t take a hit. With their pressurized armor still unpowered, losing atmosphere would kill them both.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rune reach for the fire controls. Without a word he sent a tachyon torpedo on its way. The transport vibrated as it fired.

Catching her startled glance—he’d fired on his own ship?—he bared his teeth in a smile that was more grimace than anything else. “Aiming wide. Just trying to divert their attention from shooting us.”

But as he started to launch another torpedo, a second star appeared over the planet’s horizon, also headed for them. Cassidy caught her breath. Another Dharani?

A squadron of small bright stars poured from the Starrunner—August had launched a fighter wing to cover their landing. As they streamed after the Conquest like a swarm of angry bees, Cassidy brought the transport to an uneventful landing in one of the ship’s docking bays.

Waiting for the atmosphere to pump in, she turned her attention to Rune. He lay lax in his seat, unconscious.

A medcrew hurried aboard, towing a float stretcher. Cassidy watched anxiously as they loaded Rune into the transparent capsule. It flooded with stasis foam, freezing his body functions for the trip to sickbay. Her heart in her throat, Cassidy followed the stretcher out of the transport and into the docking bay.

CASSIDY stared at Rune’s still, pale face through the transparent wall of the regeneration tank. He was naked, comatose, and completely submerged in the clear nanogel that was currently at work repairing his damaged organs.

“Thought you’d want to know,” August said, stepping into the treatment room, “everybody’s back home and safe. The Conquest finally broke it off and headed for open space.”

The captain’s smile was faint and wolfish. “Probably had something to do with the peace treaty the New Galvestonians and Kalistans just signed. The Conquest captain was evidently afraid they wouldn’t get paid if they kept fighting and blew the deal.”

“The Dharani are a practical people.” She didn’t turn her attention from the tube. “When they’re not being complete lunatics.”

“So I gather.” He looked up at the tube with its naked occupant. “Interesting stray you brought home. I’d love to know how you pulled that one off. The Dharani are legendary for their fanatic loyalty.”

THE whole story poured out in a rush. Cassidy didn’t hold any of it back, though her face flamed when she recounted her duel with Rune and her subsequent seduction. The captain went dangerously still at that point. She could tell he had grave doubts—until, anyway, she described how Rune had shielded her from Kaveh’s beamer blast.

“Then he fired on the Conquest,” Cassidy finished. “Wasn’t actually aiming for the ship; he just wanted to buy us time to get away.” She stepped up to the tank, gazing through the faintly glowing gel at her lover’s face. “He gave up everything for me, Captain. He can’t go back to his people; they’d kill him.”

The captain frowned, smoothing a finger across his lower lip as he contemplated the question. “I don’t know, Cassidy. Dharani Tribesmen are legendary warriors—God knows I wouldn’t mind having one as a member of my crew.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, there’s more to it than fighting prowess. On the one hand, he turned on his own people, which isn’t what I’d consider a rousing recommendation. But on the other, he did it to prevent your being gang-raped, when it would have been easier to let his friends do what they wanted.”

She angled her head toward the tube. “Then there’s the blast he took for me. If it had hit me, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“I’m aware of that.” August eyed her, bracing his big fists on his narrow hips. “Tell you what—I’ll talk to him when he comes out of it. I’m a pretty good judge of character.”

“You might want to hold those thanks, Lieutenant. If I decide we can’t take him, what are you going to do?”

Cassidy put out a hand and rested it on the cool, curving side of the tank. “I think . . . I’ll have to go with him. I’m in love with him.” She stopped, her mouth working in surprise. “Hell, I hadn’t realized that until this moment.”

The captain studied her face. “I suspect you know him a lot better than you think,” he said quietly. “And if you’re willing to give up your berth on the Starrunner for him, that says a great deal.” He smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’ve got a feeling he’s going to pass my test.”

“This is so strange,” Cassidy murmured, as much to herself as her commanding officer. “I’ve only known him a couple of days.”

THREE days later Nathan studied Rune Alrigo across the width of his captain’s desk. The big Dharani was dressed in a black civilian unisuit somebody—probably Cassidy—had produced from ship’s stores. His gaze was as level and respectful as it was wary. Sebastian sprawled in the other chair, green eyes watchful.

“I understand you took a beamer blast for my crewman,” Nathan began, his sensors focused on the man. “Was that intentional?”

Nathan’s comp silently confirmed he was telling the truth. Not that he needed the confirmation; it was written all over Alrigo’s face.

“She told me you told her that when she lost that Claiming Duel, she also lost the right to refuse any order you gave her. Wouldn’t it have been easier to order her to bang your friends?”

“She would not have obeyed, and they would have hurt her,” Alrigo told him. His expression tightened with remembered anger.

Temper stirred in those eyes, only to be ruthlessly tamped down. “There is no honor in brutalizing an outnumbered, unarmed woman.” He took a deep breath. “Just as there’s no honor in turning her into an object of contempt. When I saw the way they were treating her, I realized it would be even worse on the Conquest. I couldn’t allow that.”

“Commendable of you,” Nathan said. “And having made that decision, you had to go with her, because they’d have killed you otherwise.”

For the first time Rune looked startled. “No. I have always been prepared to die if my people demanded it. I went with her because she couldn’t have flown the transport without my codes.”

Nathan smiled, recognizing a plain fact even without the comp’s confirmation. “So. Interested in joining the crew of the Starrunner?”