CHAPTER EIGHT

Henny called for kumite, and the group set to work. She supervised as the women paired off and tried the new moves she’d set before them. The eyes of the men watching all around unnerved her, but she couldn’t let it show. Still, she noted the various looks of admiration, lust, distrust and disdain aimed at them from all sides.

The admiration and lust were easily dealt with, trust could be earned, but the disdain ate at her craw. Henny knew some sort of statement would need to be made. She’d seen it before with warriors in her father’s dojo. Whether male or female, when one fighter was underestimated, the best remedy was to prove otherwise.

Henny looked around the room and made note of the most antagonistic looks. Sizing up the few men who really seemed to be sneering at her and her women, she knew she could take them. She’d made a study of the jit’suku fighting methods for years alongside her father. They probably didn’t have any moves she couldn’t counter. At least not the run-of-the-mill fighters. The emperor now, he was a different story. Henny knew he’d been an elite fighter, even among the jits. He was a novitiate of the fighting priesthood, and she guessed he could probably teach her a thing or two, judging from the amazing juggling act he’d just displayed with her captain.

But she’d never challenge the emperor. At least not unless it was truly necessary.

Henny worked her way around the room toward a pair of warriors who were grumbling among themselves. She moved nonchalantly, positioning herself so they would not realize she had sought them out on purpose. Instead, she made a show of coaching the pair of women nearest the two men she’d targeted.

“They dance well,” she heard one of the men say to the other, just loud enough for her to hear, “but they’re just girls. They couldn’t fight their way out of a sack.”

Henny suppressed her grin of satisfaction with effort. Turning on her heel, she walked right up to the big male, her hands on her hips as she craned her neck to look up at him. She was tall for a woman, but all of these men were taller. It wasn’t something she was used to, but she could definitely use it to her advantage when fighting them.

“What did you just say?” She challenged him loud enough that the men near him shuffled their feet and listened with unabashed curiosity. Little by little, the rest of the room grew silent as the others became aware of the confrontation in the making. Just as she planned.

The warrior pushed himself up from his negligent leaning against the wall. He tried to intimidate her with his size, but it wouldn’t work. Henny had never been intimidated by male muscle. She’d had six brothers and a bear of a father who had taught her well how to use her slightly smaller size to her advantage.

“I said,” he paused to look around at those who listened intently all around, “that your moves are pretty, but I’d hardly call it a fighting form.”

Henny stared up at him. “I think you just challenged me.”

The warrior was smarter than he looked, holding up his hands and backing down. “I don’t fight females.”

“You will fight this female. You’ve insulted my house and my ancestors.” Henny spat at his feet, knowing the insult could not go unanswered by any jit warrior. She’d studied her enemy well and knew their weaknesses. The entire room grew uneasy, some of the men shuffling and grumbling to themselves.

Bless her heart, the captain was at her side in a flash, the emperor not far behind.

“Sire, she challenges me!”

Henny was surprised by the big lunk of a warrior appealing to his emperor before she could even get a word out. Henny stood back, watching the byplay.

Emperor Tigh’s expression was grave but full of respect when he turned to her.

“The women call you sensei, which my intended informs me means teacher. Among the jit’suku warrior class, teachers are held to higher standards than regular warriors, be they male or female. And yes, we have—had—a small number of female instructors, so there is precedent for what you have done here. Was it your intent to challenge this warrior to combat?”

Henny bowed her head in what she knew was the proper jit’suku form of respect. The warriors grumbled. “I have studied your ways, Emperor Tigh. I knew what I was doing when I challenged this warrior. Your crew needs convincing of our skills, and this warrior in particular needs a good swift kick in the—”

“Henny,” Captain Gin cut her off, and Henny had to suppress a grin, “do you really think this is wise? Or even necessary?”

“With all due respect, Captain, it is very necessary if we are to establish our place among these men.”

Ginny nodded, her eyes speaking volumes. “Don’t lose then, Chief.” Ginny backed off, her support clear.

Tigh faced the young warrior. “Male or female, when a challenge is issued by a teacher, it must be answered.”

Henny knew that the answer could go either way, but if the man refused to fight her, he’d lose serious amounts of face with his buddies. Such challenges were almost never refused, and the troublemaker she’d selected didn’t disappoint. His hands moved to the fastenings of his weapons, and he stripped off the belts that held his energy rifle and other arms. This fight would be hand to hand.

Henny grinned with feral intensity as she turned back to her women. This was going to be good.

 

“Does your Armsmaster know what she’s doing, truly?” Tigh asked Ginny as they moved to the side to watch. A space had cleared in the center of the gym area, and the two opponents now faced each other, preparing to battle.

Ginny grinned, her eyes intent on the combatants. “Oh, yeah. Henny’s one of the most gifted and highly trained martial artists in our galaxy. Your man doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Amazing.” Tigh stood back, making certain they were well out of range of the confrontation.

“Wait ‘til you see her in action. The sensei will be teaching all your men a lesson today.”

“Not to underestimate her?”

Ginny sent him a sidelong glance. “Not to underestimate human females, in general, and my crew, in particular.”

The fight started after the traditional exchange of respectful bows. Almost immediately, it became quite clear that the jit’suku warrior was outclassed. He seemed slow and bulky in comparison to the lithely athletic woman, who dodged and wove around him. Occasionally, she would get in strikes of her own, but she never once came even close to receiving any of the blows the giant warrior sent in her direction.

After a few minutes, Henny clearly decided to end the battle. She moved in closer to the large man, setting him up beautifully for the leg sweep she had taught the class earlier. In a windmill of flailing arms, the male warrior went down hard, landing on his ass in an ungraceful heap.

A few of his comrades laughed as Henny positioned herself above him for what would be an incapacitating or killing blow. But the final strike would never be delivered. This battle was done. With surprisingly good grace, the big warrior conceded the victory. There was no loss of face in a battle fairly fought.

Henny graciously offered the young man a hand up, and he accepted after just a moment’s deliberation. The crowd of watchers seemed still undecided, however. The battle had been too short, and with an opponent who was too young to really test the woman’s capability.

But she seemed to realize that. With a scoffing gesture, she motioned to the crowd. “Anyone else? I need more of a workout than that.”

Teasing grumbles sounded from the men. A few feet shuffled, and Tigh looked over the room, sending a silent signal to one of his most trusted men. Xeer was a seasoned warrior, who would give the talented woman a good fight. Tigh knew Xeer was skilled enough not to hurt her inadvertently, but he probably wasn’t good enough to best her. Xeer was strictly a weapons man who drilled in hand-to-hand combat only because it was necessary.

Nodding imperceptibly to Tigh, Xeer stepped forward. The other men cheered on their comrade, and the new battle was begun in short order.

As expected, Xeer lasted a bit longer than the previous fighter, but Henny easily outclassed him. Tigh was surprised at how handily she vanquished him. With another discreet nod, a third opponent moved forward to face the small human woman. Pantell was just as easily dispensed with, much to Tigh’s intrigue. The fourth and fifth were also quickly dispatched.

Finally, Tigh gave up trying to orchestrate her opponents, and his own armsmaster stepped forward. Tigh had every confidence in Hansa. He was the most skilled warrior onboard, after Tigh himself. Hansa had trained with the Zenai as a young boy and nearly perfected his skills in the years since. Though he had not been allowed to learn all the secrets of the priesthood, his knowledge was much greater than most. Tigh figured this match would be a little more even, but this time, the male would win.

But Henny used her size to her advantage. Her graceful movements were faster than the eye could follow, and her strikes were solid. Both combatants were pulling their blows, not allowing the full force of their punches and kicks to impact on their opponent. The goal in this combat was to score points, or prove superior skill, without damaging the opposing warrior. Both were equally skilled in being able to execute their moves without inadvertently harming the other. At the speed they were both moving, such finesse took vast skill indeed.

All within the gym area watched with fascination as the match went on and on. For every strike Hansa scored, the female scored as well. They were well and truly matched.

After long minutes of battle, and increasingly more difficult strike patterns, Henny finally made a mistake. Jumping high to deliver a spinning roundhouse kick, just as Hansa aimed a blow to her solar plexus, they tangled, and she would have fallen hard. But Hansa apparently saw what would happen and chose to break her fall with his own defeat. Putting himself gallantly in the path of her landing, he forfeited the match in favor of saving her from potential harm. There was honor in his actions that all who watched fully appreciated, including the human women, Tigh was glad to see.

Henny bowed low to Hansa, respect clear in her every move.

“You are a skilled warrior with a kind heart, Armsmaster.” The sparkle in her eye made Tigh think perhaps there was more feeling there than the gruff woman was willing to display in public.

“And never have I met a woman as skilled in the art of war as you, Master-at-Arms.” Hansa’s voice was low and respectful, making Tigh proud of the man he’d hand-picked to be his armsmaster on this trip. It had been a good choice.

Tigh sensed undercurrents flowing between the two and decided to give them some opportunity to speak privately. With a meaningful glance, Tigh indicated the show was over, and it was time to vacate the gym area. His men hopped to, trooping out of the gym quickly, leaving the women behind to gather their belongings in peace. A few stragglers appeared to want to talk with particular females, and Tigh didn’t begrudge them the opportunity to talk with the women who were also on their way out the door.

Within minutes, the gym was nearly empty, yet Hansa and Henny remained at the center of the matted floor, speaking quietly. Tigh took it as a good sign.

“Do you think they’ll be all right?” Ginny’s voice reached him as he turned back to her. Her attention was on the two armsmasters talking intently several yards away.

“Oh, I think they’ll be just fine. If I’m not much mistaken, we may have just witnessed the beginnings of a lasting friendship.”

“You think so?”

Tigh tucked her shoulders under one of his arms as he steered her toward the doorway. “I know so. Hansa respects anyone who can match him move for move. Your Henny had him hustling. I know that for a fact, for he is my own sparring partner.”

“Wow.” Ginny’s eyes widened as they moved out into the hall. She threw a look back at them over her shoulder, but Tigh guided her down the companionway, leaving the two to some well-earned privacy.

*

Henny’s doorchime sounded. She wasn’t surprised. She expected Hansa at her hatch right at shift change. He was a little late, but she wouldn’t quibble. The alien warrior was like no man she’d ever known before, and if she wasn’t much mistaken, he was staking a claim over her for the rest of his crew. It was an annoyingly primitive thing these ultra-masculine jit’suku warriors did when they met a woman they liked, but in this case, Henny didn’t mind a bit.

She kind of liked the feeling of being under this amazing man’s protection, as it were, though they both knew she could darn well protect herself. It was a cultural thing—a figurative protection that made her feel cherished in a way she’d never been by any human male.

Hansa and she had become close over the journey. They taught each other things about their respective fighting styles and built a respect based on common ideals. Hansa was a warrior’s warrior, trained in the jit’suku way, but not unwilling to see the value of Henny’s own traditions. She liked that. And she respected his skill as well. There were few beings of any race who could impress her in the fighting ring, but Hansa was definitely one.

He impressed her in other ways too. He was courting her, giving her little gifts and spending every free moment with her. He kissed like a dream too.

Henny had never felt such passion with any other man. Or—dare she admit it—such love. He hadn’t come right out and said it yet, but she felt sure he was heading in that direction. Her heart beat faster when he was near, as it was doing now, as she headed for the door to meet him.

With a bright smile on her face, she hit the hatch release, and there he was, the man of her dreams.

“Henny, my love...”

Her heart thrilled to hear him call her his love. It was the first time, and it meant a lot. But her joy turned to dismay as his eyes rolled back in his head, and he leaned heavily on the doorframe. Something was seriously wrong.

“What is it?” She reached out to steady him, and he collapsed in her arms.

“Poison...Warn...”

He keeled over, and she used his momentum to pull him completely inside her room, slapping the panel to shut the door behind them. If there were enemies about, she didn’t want to leave him vulnerable.

She tried to shake him awake and quickly checked him over. He was alive but completely unconscious, and his vitals were dangerously low by human standards. She didn’t know what that meant for jits, but she was damn sure going to find out. She couldn’t lose him now.

She’d only just managed to find him. In this big universe full of life, she’d found a man she could truly respect and perhaps, even love. It was a miracle…and yet, that miracle could so easily be taken away from her. Henny firmed her resolve and suppressed her emotions. She had to get to the bottom of this.

Hansa had warned her about poison. That meant—unless he was utterly delirious, which she doubted highly—something sinister was afoot on the ship. Henny sat back on her heels, thinking fast. She knew what she had to do.

She activated the tiny, hidden emergency com that connected all the women onboard.

“Alert. Situation alpha blue. Repeat: alpha blue.” That was the code for hostile takeover of the ship. Henny didn’t believe in going off half-cocked. If Hansa was down, there was a good bet that the rest of the command staff was already unconscious. “Command code, zed niner niner.” Henny issued the order that would detach seemingly harmless adornments from the women’s luggage. The passive recorders would now go active, following each woman around as she responded to the crisis. The human military and government had equipped them with all kinds of clandestine hardware for just such a contingency. This mission was too important. If something went wrong, both governments would need to know who was at fault and how events transpired. “Secure all stations,” she ordered further, laying Hansa more comfortably on the floor of her room then arming herself before heading cautiously out the door. “All hands report in.”

Henny closed her cabin door, leaving Hansa within, safe for now. She worried inwardly about his condition, but there was nothing she could do medically until they’d secured the ship. She went down the hall, peering around corners carefully before proceeding, her weapon drawn when the first of her crew started reporting in.

“Alpha en route.” That was the captain.

“Beta en route.” Henny ticked off the executive officer on her mental list.

“Gamma en route.” The nav officer was efficient, as usual.

“Delta. Three downed jits in my hall. En route.” That was the doctor, unable to not take note of casualties.

“Epsilon, almost there. Lots of downed jits in the hall.” Tiggy’s voice was solid, though Henny knew she wasn’t the best at hand-to-hand combat. Still, the com officer was good to go in any situation, and if she reached the bridge first and encountered resistance, she’d put up a decent fight.

Of course, Henny wouldn’t let her fight alone. As the rest of the women checked in, Henny doubled her speed. She was close to the bridge, and it would be better to have as many women as possible storm it at the same time, in case they met serious resistance there.

She moved around another corner and saw Tiggy sticking to the shadows along one wall. She was good at stealth, at least, even if she’d never be an expert martial artist. Tiggy had better skills with firearms, and that counted for a lot in this kind of battle.

“Epsilon, on your six,” Henny warned the other woman of her presence, keeping the channel open. In this kind of emergency situation, all the women would need to hear what transpired with their fellows. Henny moved up to join Tiggy, and the relief on the other woman’s face was evident.

“I can’t hear anything from inside the bridge. Door’s shut tight and locked on voice command.”

“I can help there.” Captain Starbridge moved up from another hall to join them. Two of the other women were already with her. “Tigh gave me access.”

Henny thought about their odds. Five women were gathered now, in the hall outside the bridge. It would have to be enough. She nodded to her captain. “On your order, ma’am.”

 

Ginny looked around at her crew, noting the small recorder drones that followed them all. The little devices were recording all that transpired and were programmed to transmit their signal immediately upon the death of the woman they were programmed to follow. They were failsafes so that the human government would have some idea of what had happened on the diplomatic ship. Ginny was glad of them now. Depending on what they found on the bridge, this mission could very well be over for all of them.

She caught Henny’s eye just before touching the pad on the wall that would unlock and override any security measures put in place against the regular jit’suku crew. Only Tigh had such direct access to the ship’s computer, and he’d given her the same the moment they boarded as a gesture of good faith. No one else knew, for they’d done it privately, and Ginny was glad for Tigh’s foresight now.

She couldn’t think too much about him at the moment, though, or she’d lose sight of her goal in a mass of fear and nerves. He might be dead or dying. He might never again smile at her the way he had, and that would be a true tragedy. All of these men on this crew had been so good to her and her women. None of them deserved a sneak attack like this. It was up to Ginny and her crew to fix this. She had to put aside her worry and get the job done.

Ginny palmed the access port, keeping her weapon up and ready. Her crew was arrayed around her, spread three across the wide door. They’d storm in as quickly as possible and face whatever came, together, as they always had.

The door slid open, and the women tumbled in, but there was only one man standing, and Henny easily took him out with a stun shot to the head. He crumpled to the floor, joining the other jit’suku all around him. All of them were unconscious. Including Tigh.

Stars! She let herself feel the fear for him that lived in her heart for one breathless minute before she got her act together. She had work to do to get them all to safety, and there were others better suited to seeing if the damage that had been done would be fatal. Ginny had to trust in her people to look after Tigh and the others while she did what she could to defeat the enemy that was undoubtedly coming for them all.

Ginny made for the command chair and her lover, who was out cold. She couldn’t allow herself to be distracted, but her heart gave another pang, seeing him so helpless and pale.

“Doc, where are you?” Ginny called over the still-open com.

“Right here, Captain,” Doctor Heller said from the open hatch. “Sorry I’m late.”

The rest of her core crew joined them rapidly, and Ginny closed the bridge access, sealing them in. “Doc, can you check internal sensors for any other conscious jits? I’m assuming none of you found any of these boys awake on your trip here, right?”

Negatives answered her question as the medical officer did a quick scan of the ship. “The only normal life signs are from the bridge. All female, except for him.” She looked over at the traitor they’d found at the com console when they entered. It was the jit’suku doctor.

“Hansa was able to say the word ‘poison’ to me before he fell.” Henny’s expression was tightened with suppressed worry as she moved over to the weapons console and made herself at home.

Ginny looked from Tigh to Cat and back, ruthlessly suppressing the worry that gnawed at her for Tigh and his men. “Can you find out what’s been done to them? We can run the ship, but we need these men awake, Doc.”

“Leave it to me, Captain.” Cat was a capable doctor. Ginny knew, if anyone could figure a way to revive the warriors, she would.

“Captain,” Tiggy spoke from the com station. “The jit doctor was signaling three vessels that are now on an intercept course.” And there they were. Right on time. The enemy Ginny just knew had to be coming.

Ginny looked over at Krysta, her navigator. “Time to intercept?”

Krysta’s expression was grim. “At present speed, a little under a standard hour, Captain.”

“All right, ladies,” Ginny looked around at the bridge, calmed by seeing her crew once more at the ready, “we have work to do. There are three probable hostile ships out there, and we need to use the element of surprise to our advantage. Henny,” she turned to her master-at-arms at the gunnery station, “can you make heads or tails of the weapons systems?”

“Not a problem, Cap’n.” Henny was already settling into the much larger chair, easing the adjustable controls to her smaller body size. “I’ll be ready when you are.”

“Good. Nav, I want you to keep an eye on their formation. Plot me some intercept solutions. I’ll look them over in a quarter standard, and we’ll plan our action. We’re bringing the fight to them. It’s the only way to salvage this.”

Ginny went over to consult with Henny on just what kind of armament this ship had. She was unfamiliar with this particular ship configuration and needed to know what they could bring to bear on a superior enemy force. All the while, she said a little silent prayer that Cat would be able to find an antidote and restore the men while Ginny and her friends dealt with the bad boys in the big ships. She knew the others had grown fond of Tigh’s guys, too, but they were doing their jobs, setting aside their worry and working together to save them all. She couldn’t be prouder of her ladies, even if part of her still worried down deep where it wouldn’t interfere with the task at hand.