Perilous Hunt
Author: Lindsay Buroker
Date: 2016-10-18 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Science Fiction; Space Opera; Romance; Fantasy; Adventure; Fiction; Space; Adult; Action
Description: After failing to catch up with her daughter Jelena so many times, Alisa's optimism is battered, but her determination has never waned. She, Leonidas, and their eclectic crew are hunting down a Starseer research station in the heart of the Kir Asteroid belt—Jelena's supposed location. Alisa vows that she will find her daughter if she has to search a million asteroids to do so. But Jelena and her close friend, Prince Thorian, have attracted the interest of many factions, and the Star Nomad isn’t the only ship on the hunt…

Table of Contents

Title Page

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Afterword

Perilous Hunt

(Fallen Empire, Book 7)

by Lindsay Buroker

Copyright © 2016 Lindsay Buroker

Chapter 1

Alisa’s arm itched.

She reached for it, nails ready to thwart the fiendish tickle, but her gauntleted fingers clunked against the hard shell of her new combat armor. It encased her from head to toe, including that itchy spot on her arm. She curled a lip, irritation mingling with the sense of claustrophobia that had started as soon as she donned the helmet. Her scalp crawled where the probes from the neuro-reader poked through her hair.

As much as she liked the idea of being able to shoot and order different displays on the heads-up display without having to do more than think about it, the probes felt intrusive. As did the sound of her own breath echoing inside the helmet. Was it too quick? She was surprised she wasn’t fogging the faceplate. Some technology probably kept that from happening. She had already accidentally turned on the exterior cleaning system that removed moisture such as rain. Or the spattered blood of one’s enemies.

Her arm itched again, and she glowered at it. The armor had a layer of padding as comfortable as a baby’s blanket swaddling her arm, and the self-contained climate system kept the suit at her preferred temperature, just as it filtered and recycled air to provide the optimal environment. Nevertheless, she felt like she was suffocating and badly wanted to tear off the entire contraption.

“I may not be meant to do this,” she muttered as she unfastened the helmet and sucked in a huge breath of air.

It wasn’t as if the recycled air of the Star Nomad’s cargo hold smelled like fresh grass and spring flowers, but in that moment, it seemed much more refreshing.

“How’s the fit?” Leonidas asked, coming up behind her.

Alisa flinched. She had been too busy paying attention to her claustrophobia to watch the camera displays inside the helmet. She should have seen him come in. With the cargo hatch wide open to the busy docks of Caravan Circle Station, someone ought to be making sure strangers didn’t wander inside. Mica was busy on the hull, wearing a newly purchased spacesuit to install the e-cannons Leonidas had ordered, so she wouldn’t notice intruders. Yumi was sitting with the Starseers in the corner near the chicken coop, where a training session of some sort was going on between Ostberg, Young-hee, and the five other Starseers who had stayed aboard instead of disembarking on Arkadius. Beck had left the ship to shop for supplies, hopefully including chocolate, and Admiral Tiang and Alejandro were having doctorly conversations up in sickbay, where Durant was still recovering from his coma. Alisa had no idea where Abelardus and Stanislav were.

“The fit is perfect,” Alisa said, turning to face Leonidas. Earlier, he had been helping with the weapons installation, but Mica had needed more parts, so he had gone to buy them. Judging by the sack in his hand, he’d acquired what they needed.

“Perfect?” Leonidas raised his eyebrows, no doubt having heard her muttered comment with his superior cyborg hearing.

“Perfect. I just need some time to get used to such perfection.” The last thing she wanted was to complain about the armor or give up on the idea of learning to use it, not when he’d been the one to buy it for her. Oh, she had shot a couple of the mutant dinosaurs whose bounties had funded the purchase, but her life had been so busy lately that she might never have gotten around to buying it if he hadn’t placed the order. “I’m not accustomed to the finer things in life, you know.”

Leonidas looked around the cargo hold of the seventy-year-old freighter, but wisely did not comment on its lack of fineness. A fat, brown chicken squawked and strutted away from the Starseers. Ostberg rose to his feet, his wrists sticking out below the cuffs of his black robe—apparently, the gangly kid wasn’t done growing yet—and shuffled after it. The chicken ruffled its wings, looking like it might take off at top speed, but he cooed at it, and it stopped in its tracks. He picked it up, patted it, and returned it to its coop, tinkering with the netting stretched over the top that was supposed to secure its residents. For secured chickens, they escaped often, unable to resist the allure of the rest of the ship.

“Are you ready to try some sparring?” Leonidas asked.

“Sparring? Is that what you call it?” Alisa quailed at the idea of locking her head in the helmet again, but she forced a smile. “From what I’ve seen of your battles, they mostly involved hurling people against walls.”

“Unarmed combat escalates to ferocity quickly when both participants are well protected.”

“Is it technically unarmed combat when guns and knives can pop out of your sleeves at any moment? The first time I tried to scratch an itch, a razor burst out of my arm. Startled me so much I almost wet myself.” She would have cut herself, but of course, the gauntlets had protected her digits from damage.

“I hope you have the waste elimination system hooked up then.” Leonidas smiled. Since he usually wore a serious, professional expression, Alisa always appreciated such gestures from him. He rarely made jokes, and when he did, she treasured them.

Except when her arm was itching and she wanted to rip off the rest of her armor. Her idea of ensconcing herself in the suit so she could share a bed with him—and not have to worry about him lashing out when he had nightmares—now seemed ludicrous. How could one possibly spend an hour in all this, much less a night? He wore his like a second skin, but that was after twenty years in the military.

“No,” Alisa said, “I declined its offer when it cupped my nether regions and asked for permission to do so. That seemed awfully personal, considering we haven’t known each other that long.”

“Perhaps it’s good that I ordered you an enhanced armor case. It comes with modest self-repair capabilities, as well as an upgraded sanitation treatment cycle.”

“Sanitation treatment? You anticipated me wetting myself?”

“I was thinking about if we encountered extreme radiation again and needed to decontaminate, but you can use the system however is necessary. Armor cases don’t judge.” His smile broadened.

“You’re in a good mood today. Installing weapons must make you perky.” She waved to the sack.

“Yes, but I’m also pleased to see you in armor. Given all the fighting we’ve seen these last few months, I’ve worried that a stray blazer bolt or bullet would find you.” His face sobered, his eyes growing serious. “I would hate to lose you.”

“I would hate to be lost.” Alisa smiled, always more comfortable saying something flippant than admitting to her emotions, to how much the concern on his face warmed her heart, how much it mattered to know that she once again had someone who cared deeply about her. And someone whom she cared deeply about.

He nodded, not appearing as confused by her humor as usual. Maybe he was coming to understand her.

Impulsively, she stepped forward to hug him. It was easier to admit to feelings with gestures than with words.

“If I ever was lost,” she said quietly, aware of the Starseers murmuring in the corner, even if they weren’t looking in her direction, “would you keep looking for Jelena for me? To make sure she’s safe, that she’s not…” She frowned over at the black-robed figures sitting cross-legged in a circle. She wanted to ask him to make sure that she didn’t become one of them. But it was probably too late for that, since she had developed Starseer powers during Alisa’s time away during the war. “To make sure she’s safe,” she finished.

“I will,” he said, “but you’re not going to be lost. And we’ll find her soon. We’ll finish here in a couple of hours, and then it’s straight on to Sepiron Station, right?”

“Yes. No more delays. And thank you.” She kissed the side of his neck and squeezed him, her new chest plate making the hug awkward—she couldn’t imagine how they would hug when they were both in combat armor.

“Be careful doing that with people,” Leonidas said dryly as her arms tightened around him. “You’re strong when you’re wearing that.”

Alisa released him with a lurch. “I forgot. Did I hurt you?”

Three suns, what if she was hugging someone and one of those razors popped out of her sleeves? She needed to have a chat with the AI that kept pestering her to figure out what would and wouldn’t trigger the weapons to come out.

“No. Most of my spine is synthetic, and there’s a lot of muscle protecting my organs, but with someone more fragile, it could be a problem. You’ll learn the strength of the suit eventually. If not, I can teach you needlepoint.” His eyes glinted with humor.

She snorted, remembering he had once confessed that the empire had ordered its newly minted cyborgs to study crafts that used fine motor skills to learn to control their strength. “That doesn’t seem like a useful skill. If you could knit, you could make sweaters for birthday gifts.”

“Are you saying you wouldn’t hang a needlepoint scene in your cabin if I made it for you as a gift?”

“It depends. Is the scene depicting something serene? Like a stream meandering through a flower-filled meadow? Or is it a battlefield full of blood and gore and dead bodies?”

Leonidas considered this thoughtfully for a moment. “What if the battlefield had flowers in it?”

She swatted him on the chest. “I’d laugh and nod approvingly about you developing a sense of humor, but I fear you asked that question in earnest.”

He shrugged and set his sack down on the bottom step that led to the walkway. “Why don’t we spar a little? Being active in the suit will help you forget about your itches and get acclimated.” He removed his jacket and gun holster and hung them on the railing. “You’ll appreciate your armor more once it’s protected you from some broken bones too.” He nodded and faced her.

“You talking about broken bones doesn’t get me overly excited about sparring with you.”

“What if I take my shirt off?”

“I’m ready.” She gave him a leer that she hoped he would appreciate greatly once they talked Admiral Tiang into performing his surgery. Even without any interest in sex, he had figured out that she liked seeing him shirtless. Pantsless, too, but she probably shouldn’t ask for that in front of the Starseers and the chickens. “Though technically, shouldn’t you be wearing combat armor too? Won’t it hurt you to punch someone wearing it?”

“I do knuckle hardening exercises.”

“How is it that ladies don’t drape themselves over you everywhere you go?”

His forehead wrinkled in a faintly perplexed expression.

“Never mind.”

“You in armor and me without will even our abilities out,” he said.

Even, sure. Alisa had seen him take down trained soldiers in combat armor while wearing less than he wore now. But she trusted he would be gentle with her. He always was.

Leonidas removed his shirt and draped it over the railing with the rest of his belongings. Alisa caught Young-hee and the two other female Starseers watching him as he walked toward her, and she tamped down a smug smile, though she couldn’t help but think, Mine.

“How does this work? Like Daratha sparring?” she asked, naming the unarmed combat discipline that was currently taught to soldiers, an amalgam of many styles brought from Old Earth. “Chest and head are legitimate targets and first to ten points wins?”

His expression grew faintly bemused, but he recovered and nodded. “That’s fine.”

Right. It had probably been a long time since he had fought for points. He fought to survive, to attain objectives, and to kill, if necessary.

Alisa just wanted to be able to stay alive and find Jelena. She would prefer not to kill anyone.

Is there a reason your cyborg is naked? Abelardus’s voice sounded in her mind.

Alisa frowned and glanced upward. He and Stanislav had come out onto the walkway and were looking down at her. When had they started spending time together? And why had they come here? She didn’t need an audience.

He’s only half naked, Alisa thought, glowering at Abelardus. Go away. I’m going to learn how to fight in this armor, and I don’t need you butting into my mind and distracting me.

Won’t you be distracted by your cyborg’s rippling muscles?

“Problem?” Leonidas asked quietly, his eyes narrowed as he looked from her to Abelardus.

The irritation on her face always gave away their conversations.

“Abelardus finds your rippling muscles distracting,” Alisa said.

“Ah,” Leonidas said, as if this were only natural.

Abelardus scowled down at her. Stanislav said something to him—a chastisement, Alisa hoped—and walked down the stairs.

“Alisa,” he said, inclining his head. “It is good to see you taking measures to protect yourself.”

She didn’t thank him. She didn’t trust him, or want him on her ship. He was the one who had, according to him, plucked the location of the children out of Durant’s mind, but she had no way to know if he was telling the truth. She couldn’t help but suspect that he was here spying for his brother, especially since, when she had met Tymoteusz, he hadn’t seemed to be on bad terms with Stanislav. She hoped Durant would recover enough to confirm or deny the Sepiron Station location soon. It had been three days since the Nomad left Arkadius and he had woken from his weeks-long coma, but talking to him was still frustrating since he remembered so little.

Not obviously perturbed by her lack of response, Stanislav walked over to join the group of Starseers. The chickens, which had been heretofore quiet, aside from the sole escapee, squawked as he walked by. Alisa couldn’t tell if they were agitated by his presence or excited to see him, but it seemed more the latter. Maybe he had been feeding them on the sly. It was definitely Ostberg’s favorite pastime, and the chickens had grown noticeably rotund.

The group of Starseers fell silent as Stanislav approached. They exchanged a few looks, then stood as one, leaving only Yumi sitting. Young-hee waved to her to follow. The group strode for the stairs. Ostberg looked back as they walked, seeming a little confused as they left Stanislav behind.

Stanislav watched them for a moment, a sadness lurking in his eyes, then sat down and rested his hands on his knees, as if all he had meant to do was meditate. The chickens went back to scratching at the bedding in their coop as he closed his eyes and seemed to tune everything out.

So, Dad was an outcast. Well, that was what he got for sleeping in the enemy camp.

“Ready?” Leonidas asked quietly.

Alisa pulled her helmet back over her head, determined to concentrate. Shirtless or not, Leonidas had all kinds of experience, and she should let him teach her whenever he was willing.

She assumed a fighting stance, trying to relax her legs and arms, though she couldn’t help but be aware of her new bulk. The suit didn’t weigh as much as it looked like it would, but she still felt like a Medieval Earth knight preparing for a joust. Every time she walked around without clanking, she was surprised.

“I’m ready,” she said, lifting her hands for defense. The material under her fingers and palms was thinner than anywhere else on the suit, more like padded cloth than the hard shell everywhere else, and she could make a solid fist.

She let Leonidas take the lead. They had sparred a few times before, and he stepped easily into the role of teacher, knowing how fast he could attack if he expected her to block.

With her first attempt to knock a punch aside, her arm moved faster than usual, and she missed him, completing the block before his fist reached her.

“Oops.”

“We’ll keep going,” he said, throwing more identical punches, quick jabs all at the same speed. “You’ll get used to your new speed.”

It took many tries, but she did. She started to appreciate the armor for more than the idea that it could deflect a blazer bolt. After Leonidas picked up the speed of his attacks and she successfully matched many of them, she grew excited and started to bounce around, getting more into the match. For the first time, she initiated an attack, using her new speed for a jab-punch combination, hoping to get close enough to him to hit. He blocked, not fazed by the swiftness of her punches.

He let her continue to be the aggressor, though he never gave ground. He remained in place, light on his feet and adjusting when necessary, but his defenses were like a wall she couldn’t get past. Even though she was accustomed to this from him, his comment that they would be more “even” now had led her to believe that she might actually slip past one of his blocks if she was clever enough and fast enough. And her speed definitely impressed her—the servos in the suit let her move her legs faster, her lunges feeling as if she were jumping off a springboard instead of the hard textured deck of the cargo hold. She grew frustrated when she couldn’t land a blow. If she could once plant a fist on one of those broad pecs, she would feel that she had a hope against a trained soldier in a fight.

Trying for surprise, she punched twice at his chest, then jabbed at his face, drawing his hands upward to defend. She followed up with a roundhouse kick, thinking to get him focused on her legs so she might slip a punch past his defenses. To her surprise, her leg flung at his abdomen so quickly that she nearly fell over backward. The speed startled Leonidas, too, and though he managed to deflect the attack, he gave ground, skittering back for the first time.

He shot a glare at the walkway above as he steadied himself and reset for another attack.

At first, Alisa didn’t understand the reason for that glare, but then it registered. She lowered her arms and focused on Abelardus, who was leaning against the railing and smirking.

“I don’t need your help,” she said.

“I couldn’t refrain. You were fantasizing about pounding him in the chest, and I wanted to help. I fantasize about that too.”

“If you want to spar with Leonidas, you can come down here and do so. Don’t use me as your conduit.”

“I’m just trying to help you feel successful.”

“Go away.”

Abelardus rolled his shoulders into a shrug and ambled back into the heart of the ship.

“You were fantasizing about pounding me in the chest?” Leonidas asked, touching a pectoral muscle.

“I fantasize about a lot of things involving your chest. That’s what you get for teasing me by walking around shirtless.”

“Do you want me to put it back on?” He waved to the railing.

“Absolutely not.” She glanced toward Stanislav, reminded that they weren’t alone. But he had his back to them, staring at the corner, or perhaps that fat black chicken, as he meditated. “Let’s do some more.”

“Why don’t we shift to ground-work and throws?”

“Throws?” she asked skeptically, picturing the times she’d seen him and Abelardus hurling each other across the hold and against walls.

“I’ll do you, and then you do me.”

“You know that sounds naughty, right?”

His brow furrowed in puzzlement.

“Never mind,” she said. “If I get to throw you, I guess it’s worth it.”

“I’ve seen you fight before, so I know you already know how to fall. Go ahead and attack. I’ll throw you, and you can see how little it hurts in armor. It’ll make you less tentative in battle.”

“People don’t usually call me tentative.”

“You’re not when you’re flying.” He lifted his eyebrows. “To the chagrin of your passengers.”

“Ha ha.” She raised a fist, definitely ready to attack. She still thought she might be able to slip through his defenses, even without Abelardus’s help.

He let her punch several times before he caught her wrist and twisted, planting his hip against her abdomen so quickly she barely registered it. Before she knew it, she was flying over him and to the deck several feet away, rolling several times before she came to a stop on her back. He was right that it didn’t hurt, but she still felt stunned by how quickly everything had happened. The armor let her limbs move faster, but how did she ramp up her brain to follow along faster?

A figure in a spacesuit came into view, looking down at Alisa as she lay on her back.

“I don’t think your armor is working,” Mica observed, tucking her helmet under her arm.

“No? I barely felt that.”

“But aren’t you supposed to be the one throwing him now? You’re in armor, and he’s not. You should have the advantage.”

“Yes, but he’s special.” It sounded like a reasonable argument.

“What happens when we meet other special opponents that want to kill us?” Mica asked.

“We point Leonidas at them. Special should battle special. Besides, we’ve seen him getting thrown up against walls lots of times. I don’t think it’s considered embarrassing.”

“He throws his opponents three times as often as they throw him.”

“Is that what’s required to avoid embarrassment?”

“At least a one point six ratio,” Mica said. “And I think it’s more about avoiding death than embarrassment.”

“One point six?”

“The Golden Ratio. Don’t you know anything?”

“I didn’t know that applied to combat.”

“It applies to everything.” Mica walked past Alisa and headed for the stairs. “Are those my parts?” she asked Leonidas.

“Yes,” he said, offering no opinions on how he felt about throwing ratios.

“They’re not doing any good in here. As a proper engineering assistant, you should have delivered them to me.”

“Assistant?” Leonidas asked. “I thought I was in charge of mounting the weapons, and you were assisting me.”

“You thought you were in charge? Captain, haven’t you taught this man how relationships between men and women work?”

Alisa rolled to her feet, the movement easy in the armor. She didn’t even need to use her hands. “Aren’t you two engineer and security chief right now? Not man and woman?”

“Well, the engineer surely outranks the security chief.” Mica picked up the sack, rooted through it, and stuck some small metal parts to her magnetic boots.

“I don’t think that’s true,” Leonidas said. “As section heads, we should be of equal rank.”

“Section heads? We don’t have sections full of people to command.”

“I have Beck.”

“I wouldn’t brag about that.”

Leonidas arched an eyebrow.

“Besides, he’s far more of a chef than he is a security officer.” With her parts collected, Mica headed back toward the airlock. “I’ll expect you back in your armor in ten minutes and out there to help me finish with the installation before some enemy materializes out of the ether to attack us.”

“It’s probably a good idea,” Alisa said, joining Leonidas and patting him on the back. “You can throw me around some more later.”

“I look forward to it.” He bowed.

“I’m looking forward to throwing you around even more.” She grinned, just in case the innuendo occurred to him, if not now, then perhaps later.

“Alisa?” came Stanislav’s soft voice from the corner. He rose to his feet and met her eyes with a frown. “We have company.”

Alisa looked toward the cargo hatch. She was about to ask for clarification when Beck came into view, his dyed blond hair artfully arranged to stick out in all directions. He waved at her while maneuvering a hoverboard up the ramp.

“Grocery delivery,” he announced. “Though they didn’t have as many of the staples as I’d hoped. Also, while I appreciate you giving me a grocery allowance, Captain, given how many people are on board these days, you should have been more generous.”

“I thought I was generous.” Alisa eyed the bags and crates on the hoverboard. There seemed to be plenty there for the eight-day round trip flight to the Kir Asteroid Belt, along with extras in case they were delayed. Or came back with more passengers than they arrived with, such as several young children… “What staples weren’t you able to get?”

“Their hydroponics section had some wonderful-looking fresh pineapple, galaxy fruit, and new quince. Oh, and I would have loved to get the blue salmon from the fish farm. I could have come up with an amazing glaze for it.”

“Those don’t sound like staples. Did you get rice, beans, and rat bars?”

Beck curled his lip. “Likely made with real rats, yes, but only because you were adamant about stocking inferior and tasteless shelf-stable food.”

“Uh huh, you got my chocolate, too, right?” Chocolate was definitely a staple.

“Several kinds.”

“Good man. It sounds to me like the shopping mission was a success. Here, I’ll help you unload—”

“Alisa,” Abelardus blurted from the walkway.

She grimaced up at him. Hadn’t he gone away?

He wore a concerned expression instead of a smug one as he looked down at her. “The Staff of Lore. I can feel it.”

“What?”

“I feel it too,” Stanislav said. “That’s what I intended to inform you about.”

“It’s here? At the station?”

“Not at the station yet.” Abelardus pointed at a bulkhead. “It’s out that way, I think. Tymoteusz and his people must be approaching.”

“No,” Stanislav said. “They’ve stopped. They’re hovering in space and considering the station.”

“The station or us?” Alisa asked. “And what are they doing here? Are they following us somehow?” She squinted at Stanislav, thoughts of how he might be a spy returning to her mind.

“I don’t know why Tymoteusz would,” Stanislav said slowly. “You no longer have the staff, nor do you have Prince Thorian.”

Alisa shuddered, reminded that Tymoteusz apparently wanted to kill the prince because of some delusional vision he’d had. The Alliance wanted the kid dead, too, so he couldn’t grow up and raise an army with which to reestablish the empire. She had no idea how the remnants of the empire felt about the prince, but maybe they wanted Thorian dead too. That Senator Bondarenko on Perun might want to ensure nobody could come in and take his power away. Alisa felt sorry for the poor kid—ten years old, and the entire system wanted him dead—but she felt even sorrier that her daughter was with him. What if Jelena were hurt—or worse?—simply because she was standing next to Thorian when a grenade or assassin was sent his way?

“That’s not going to happen,” Alisa muttered to herself.

She murmured to the AI in her helmet to turn on the comm. “Mica? Better finish up out there quickly. We have a visitor.”

“Someone special?” Mica asked.

“Very special.”

Mica sighed. “It always is.”

Alisa took off her helmet and strode toward NavCom. She had a feeling she was about to find out if she could fly the ship while wearing her armor.

Chapter 2

Alisa slid into the pilot’s seat and pulled up the rear camera on the view screen, zeroing in on the section of space where Tymoteusz’s ship hung. It was, indeed, the same craft he had been using when he flew away from the volcano—and the Starseer temple—on Arkadius, a compact gray ship large enough to carry a few people on interplanetary flights, but there wouldn’t be room for extra cargo. She supposed that staff was all they needed.

She was tempted to comm Station Control to ask if they could bump up their departure time, but Mica was still out on the hull, finishing the weapons installation. Besides, would they truly be safer flying out into space on their own? At least here, attached to the station, it seemed less likely that the chasadski would open fire on the Nomad. If they did, the station would surely defend itself, not wanting to suffer damage of its own.

“What are they doing out there?” Abelardus wondered, sliding into the co-pilot’s seat beside her.

“You tell me, Lord Telepath.” Alisa stuck her helmet on the deck under the console, glancing around NavCom for a place where she could pile the rest of the armor if she removed it. Not that she planned to do so with Abelardus lurking. She didn’t have much more than underwear on underneath it.

“They’re not close enough for me to attempt to contact them,” Abelardus said. “Not that I would want to initiate a chat with chasadski traitors. You should call Stanislav up. I’m sure he doesn’t mind mental chats with his brother.”

Alisa wouldn’t be surprised if Stanislav and Tymoteusz were already having mental chats, but Stanislav would not admit it if they were.

“He’s in the same ship he had on Arkadius, isn’t he?” Abelardus asked. “He won’t have many people along.”

“Does he need many?”

“Depends on what he wants to do. The Staff of Lore does, obviously, give him access to a great deal of power. If he’s here to avenge himself upon you, he wouldn’t need a large crew.”

“Gee, thanks.”

She grimaced. Would he truly come after her because her people—Leonidas, specifically—had removed his bomb from the temple and destroyed it, thus ruining his plan to sink one of the planet’s continents? He could have killed her when they’d crossed paths in that volcano. He had let her live then. Of course, that had been before she’d thwarted his plan.

“I always imagined that irate imperial soldiers would be the ones who wanted to avenge themselves upon me.” Alisa checked the sensors again. The chasadski ship was well outside of weapons range, but that might not mean much. Assuming Tymoteusz was as powerful as, or more powerful than, Stanislav, he might be able to make her brain blow up from three suns away. “Not grumpy Starseers with god complexes.”

Leonidas appeared in the hatchway, his armor on, save for his helmet.

“You’ve done more to irritate your own people of late than you have to irk the empire,” he said. “What remains of it.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“You even won over one of their formerly high-ranking military officers by being…” Leonidas considered her thoughtfully.

“Sexy and seductive?” Alisa suggested, ignoring an eye roll from Abelardus.

“Stubborn.”

“You’re such an unabashed flirt, Leonidas.”

He stepped inside and touched the side of her head, stroking her hair.

“Isn’t there a rule against cuddling in NavCom?” Abelardus grumbled. “Because if there’s not, there should be. This is a professional place, and we could be in trouble. Tymoteusz has the power to destroy this entire station, you know.”

“Even if it’s not on a fault line?” Alisa asked.

“Earthquakes aren’t all that staff can do. Not that shaking all the bolts out of a space station wouldn’t sufficiently destroy it.”

“You’re as optimistic as Mica. I would suggest that you pursue a relationship with her, but she would shoot me if I did that.”

“She’s busy canoodling with—”

“The ship is moving,” Leonidas said, sliding into the fold-down seat behind Alisa and tapping the sensor monitor.

“Toward us?” Alisa glanced at Abelardus, wondering if he could sense Tymoteusz’s motivations.

He shrugged. “I have no idea what his intent is. As I said, the individual chasadski are still too far away for me to sense. Besides, the power of the staff obliterates the auras of everyone around it. I wouldn’t be able to read any of their thoughts even if they were closer. From what little contact I’ve had with the chasadski, they’re all extremely powerful. Someday, you ought to ask your dad what he’s really been up to for the last thirty years.”

Alisa gave him a sharp look. “What do you know?”

“I just have suspicions. I doubt he got that powerful twiddling his thumbs by himself in some solitary refuge.”

“Even if he was meditating and studying for all of those years?”

“You don’t get better at manipulating people without practicing on people.”

“Captain,” came Yumi’s voice from the corridor. She slipped into NavCom with her sister, Young-hee, right behind her, the latter in a black Starseer robe, with her black hair swept back into a bun. She might have appeared regal and severe, especially for someone who couldn’t have been more than twenty-one or twenty-two, if not for the white chicken feathers scattered on her sleeve and soot on her cheek. Had she been using Yumi’s improvised laboratory for something? “Young-hee says she can feel—”

“There he is,” Young-hee growled, thrusting her finger toward the view screen. “That slimy bastard. Are we going to find a way to fight him? To punish him for stranding our people in the jungle and nearly destroying our temple?” She propped her fists on her hips and looked at Abelardus.

“Er, I would be happy to destroy him, especially if it involved getting the staff back,” Abelardus said. “But I’m not in charge here.” He looked at Alisa, which led Young-hee and Yumi to look at her too.

“I was contemplating how best to hide from him,” Alisa said.

“Hide?” Fists still on her hips, Young-hee spun toward Yumi. “You said if we stayed aboard, we would have our chance to capture that megalomaniacal criminal.”

Alisa arched her eyebrows. Had Yumi been the reason several of the Starseers had wanted to stay aboard? Alisa certainly hadn’t promised any of them that the Nomad was heading off to capture people. True, she had told Abelardus she would help him get the staff back, since she felt guilty for allowing it to be stolen from her ship, but that would be after she found Jelena.

Yumi intertwined her fingers. “All I said was that we were heading toward the Kir Asteroid Belt, that the Myers-Donald Nine comet is also heading this way, and that the soothsayers are predicting that its possible crash into the asteroids might be a sign of portentous events coming to a head.”

“Have you been smoking that purple grass you’re growing?” Young-hee asked.

“Only enough to ensure its efficacy, since I intend to sell it to fund more supplies. Are you upset that I didn’t share? You seem tense.”

“Yumi always thinks everyone seems tense,” Alisa said.

“The ship isn’t heading straight toward us,” Leonidas said, watching the sensors instead of the sisters. “It’s circling the station and appears to be heading for an empty berth.”

“Maybe Terrible Tym just needs to pick up some staples,” Alisa said.

“Salmon and pineapple?” Leonidas murmured.

“I was thinking of intellicuffs and torture implements. Do megalomaniacal criminals like pineapple?”

“If he’s going aboard the station,” Young-hee said, “maybe we can set a trap for him.”

“I’m not setting a trap for anyone carrying around a super weapon,” Alisa said. “He defeated your entire temple full of people, right? What makes you think we’d be a match for him?” She waved to include Leonidas and Abelardus, since her biggest assets, at least when it came to fighting, were right here in NavCom. It wasn’t as if she could depend on Stanislav to fight his brother. Besides, he’d gotten himself beaten up and left in a meadow the last time he’d tried that.

“He caught us unaware,” Young-hee said, frowning. “The point of setting a trap would be to catch him unaware.”

“What if he’s reading my mind right now and knows everything we’re planning?” Alisa asked.

Young-hee's frowned deepened. “Can you tell if he is?”

“I can’t tell anything. I’m a grub, or so Ostberg informs me. But if the past is any indication, my mind is honey to Starseers. They can’t keep their telepathic paws off it.” Alisa looked at Abelardus.

“Who, me?”

Young-hee turned her frown on Abelardus. She had admitted to finding Abelardus handsome before, but she did not appear overly starstruck by his handsomeness now. “You should punch any Starseers who intrude on your thoughts. It’s not acceptable except when dealing with those who have proven themselves your enemies.”

“I thought I should be punching Abelardus,” Alisa said. “I just wasn’t positive.”

“I was,” Leonidas said.

“Really,” Abelardus murmured.

“Their ship is definitely docking,” Leonidas said. “It may be a coincidence, but it’s the closest open berth to our own spot.”

“That makes me want to leave,” Alisa said.

“It may be wisest for now. A space station full of innocent civilians wouldn’t be my preferred place for battling him over that staff.”

“Do you have a preferred place for that?”

“An empty moon or asteroid where others won’t be in danger,” Leonidas said without hesitation, and Alisa wondered if he had been fantasizing about the scenario.

She would much prefer to find some sneaky way to steal the staff back that didn’t involve battles at all. Even if Leonidas was willing to fight Tymoteusz, that didn’t mean it would be wise to do so.

Young-hee sighed.

“I’ve promised Abelardus that we’ll go after the staff after we get my daughter,” Alisa told her. “If that’s what you’re here to do, then feel free to continue riding along. I would, however, appreciate it if you people—people who can presumably keep their thoughts from being read by rogue Starseers—would come up with a clever and sneaky way to deal with him. I doubt an open confrontation will be healthy for any of us.”

There, a perfectly reasonable argument. She waited for Young-hee to nod in agreement.

Instead, she turned to Yumi. “Is it possible she’d be more amenable to setting traps if she smoked the purple grass?”

Leonidas’s eyebrows twitched.

“The cyborg too,” Young-hee said.

“It likely would make them amenable,” Yumi said, “but sadly, neither has shown an interest in sampling my creations yet. It’s too bad, because they’re both tense people. They need to relax. I have many concoctions that could help them.”

“Maybe we could set a little incense burner on the console over here, and they wouldn’t realize they were being drugged.”

“They know they’re speaking aloud, don’t they?” Alisa whispered to Leonidas.

He was watching the sensors and only shook his head.

“I’m not being any less subtle than you were when you drugged my mother,” Young-hee informed her.

“I’d like to indignantly argue about that,” Alisa said, “but I don’t suppose I can.”

“No,” Young-hee agreed.

“Captain?” came Mica’s voice over the comm. “Everything is installed. We should arrange for some test firing, but I’m coming in for now.”

“Can we leave as soon as you’re in?” Alisa hurried to ask before Young-hee suggested that they “test fire” at Tymoteusz’s ship.

“As long as Beck is done unpacking his groceries.”

Alisa switched to the Station Control channel. “Star Nomad requesting permission to depart.”

“Your scheduled departure hour is not for another ten hours, Star Nomad,” a computer voice responded.

“We finished our errands early.”

“There are no refunds for unused hours in port.”

“I understand.” Alisa hadn’t expected anything else. She had chosen this station because it was on the way to the Kir Asteroid Belt, but also because it was run by a money-loving conglomerate instead of the Alliance. She didn’t need any more tangles with the military.

“Perhaps your crew would like to take pleasure in using our amenities. The newly renovated spa is open on Deck Three, and High Stakes Slots hour is about to begin in the casino.”

“We just want to leave,” Alisa said, frowning at the comm. That definitely sounded like a robot and not a person, but was it possible someone had told it to delay her ship?

“The chasadski ship is lined up and sliding into a docking spot,” Leonidas said quietly.

“The Solarium is also open to those who purchase alcoholic beverages,” the robot added, “in the event that your crew would enjoy experiencing nature before you depart. Further, we have rooms available with our pleasure humans and androids. The hourly rates are extremely fair.”

“I bet,” Alisa said. “Listen, we’re busy, and we can’t afford delays. Are you going to clear us for departure, or do we have to rip free of your docking clamps?”

“Damage to docking clamps would result in a fine.”

Alisa was about to send Leonidas out in his combat armor to damage them anyway, when the robot spoke again, his computerized voice sounding slightly petulant.

“Permission to leave granted. You are third in the queue and may depart after the yacht the Stellar Glider.”

“Thank you,” Alisa said and closed the comm. “Tymoteusz wouldn’t use a robot to delay us, would he? If he wants to talk, we’re right here. He could comm.”

“If you’re right and he wants to avenge himself on you,” Abelardus said, “he may prefer to do that in person.”

“Too bad. I prefer remote avenging.”

“I’m inside,” Mica said over the comm. “The ship is sealed up and ready for departure.”

“Thank you, Mica.”

Alisa drummed her fingers on the console, impatiently waiting for their turn. If she had known there would be delays, she would have commed Station Control before Mica finished outside.

“Tymoteusz’s ship has fully docked,” Leonidas reported.

“How long would it take him to walk over here?” Alisa tried to remember how large the station was. Not very. A lift could take a person from one end to the other in seconds, and Leonidas said Tymoteusz had chosen a close dock.

“Not long,” Abelardus said.

“I can sense them,” Young-hee said. “And the staff.”

“How many people are there?” Alisa asked.

“Six, I believe. Tymoteusz is among them.” Young-hee’s voice grew chill. “I recognize his aura. Malevolent ass.”

Alisa wondered what exactly Tymoteusz had done to Young-hee and the others when he had been kicking most of the Starseers off the temple and putting those control headbands on the remaining ones.

“Perhaps you should send the incense burner over to his ship, Yumi,” Alisa said.

Yumi snorted softly, her expression troubled as she watched her sister’s face. “Perhaps.”

Young-hee’s fingers curled into fists. Alisa hoped she wasn’t starting a mental battle that she couldn’t win. All she wanted was to get out of here right now.

Impatient, Alisa drummed her fingers harder. An irritated bleep came from the console.

“Strength,” Leonidas said mildly.

Alisa grunted in disgust and tugged off her gauntlets.

“The yacht that Station Control mentioned is departing,” Leonidas said.

“Meaning we should be free to leave any time, right?” Alisa scowled at the light on the console informing her that the docking clamps were still attached.

“In theory.”

“Alisa?” Stanislav asked, poking his head into NavCom. There wasn’t room for anyone else to come inside.

“You come to tell me what your brother is doing?”

“I do not know what he’s doing, as he did not answer me when I inquired, but I have some talent with mechanical contraptions.”

Alisa remembered the mind control headbands he had admitted to having built and shivered.

“So you could cause a corridor to collapse on his head?” Young-hee asked hopefully.

Stanislav’s brow creased. “That would cause damage to the station and possibly injury to others.”

“It would be worth it if it incapacitated him long enough for us to grab the staff,” Abelardus said.

“It’s unlikely that it would,” Stanislav said. “His defenses will be extremely strong right now.”

“What did you come to propose?” Alisa asked. “Can you talk to that robot?” She waved toward the comm console.

“It is a computer AI rather than a robot.”

“I don’t care if it’s a dancing monkey, just that it’s crabby that we don’t want to use its casino and sex-droids and doesn’t want to let us go.”

“It’s been programmed to delay you by someone who…” Stanislav tilted his head, his eyes glassy as they stared upward. “Yes, someone who is being manipulated. I will not fight over that person’s mind. I shall attempt to manipulate the AI.”

Alisa met Leonidas’s eyes, wondering if he found the things these Starseers said and did creepy.

His expression was bleak, but she didn’t know if it was because of creepiness or the situation in general.

We’re not all creepy, Abelardus informed her silently. I’m affable and personable.

Who told you that?

Handsome too. I’m perplexed as to why you don’t fantasize about my chest more often.

I don’t fantasize about it at all. Why don’t you help Stan?

Manipulating machines is not my specialty. Few Starseers have that knack.

The alarm light went out on the panel.

“The docking clamps are releasing,” Stanislav said. “You may wish to depart immediately. Tymoteusz is turning into the corridor that leads to our dock.”

“Are you sure?” Young-hee asked. “I don’t sense any of them out there. In fact… I can’t sense him at all now.”

“He’s shrouding himself.”

Alisa didn’t care if he was flying around the station on a broomstick. Her hands were gliding over the controls, ordering the Nomad to leave dock. But as she reached for the final button, another alarm light went on.

“What the—”

“What is it?” Leonidas looked over her shoulder.

“Someone just opened the cargo hatch. I can’t leave until everything’s locked up.”

He jumped from his seat, nearly bowling over Young-hee and Stanislav as he raced out of NavCom.

“Can you override it?” Yumi asked.

“Yes,” Alisa said, her hands already skipping across the console. She didn’t know if someone had opened it manually from the cargo hold or if Tymoteusz was fiddling with her controls, and she didn’t care right now. So long as she could close the hatch. She had no intention of inviting rogue Starseers into her ship, especially avenging ones.

A boom sounded in the distance, the noise rolling through the ship and to NavCom.

Alisa reached for the comm, but it came on first, with Leonidas speaking. “The hatch is closing. Go.”

The alarm winked out.

Alisa ignited the maneuvering thrusters and took them out of their docking slot. She would ask for the details later. Relief washed through her as they sailed away from the station, but she tamped it down. Just because they’d left before someone could stroll into the ship didn’t mean they were safe. The chasadski ship was faster than the Nomad. Everything was. If Tymoteusz truly wanted to catch them, he could.

“He almost made it to us,” Stanislav said quietly.

“How come you could sense him when I couldn’t?” Young-hee asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“As I said, he was shrouding himself.”

“Shrouding?” Alisa asked.

“Dampening one’s aura and essentially disappearing from another Starseer’s senses.”

“But you could sense him?” Yumi asked.

Stanislav hesitated. “I know him well.”

“Can you shroud yourself?” Alisa asked. “Or things?” Things like spaceships…

He hesitated again. Abelardus’s eyes narrowed.

“Perhaps,” Stanislav said.

What kind of wishy-washy answer was that?

Don’t you find it funny that he knows their terminology and all about the things they can do? Abelardus asked her silently.

I don’t find much funny right now. “Any chance you could shroud the entire ship so they can’t tell where we’re going?” Alisa asked Stanislav. “I assume they followed us here somehow. By our auras or whatever.”

“He may have simply stopped to resupply at the same station for the same reason you chose it,” Stanislav said. “Since he’s been threatening the Alliance, he may not have wanted to deal with them. And then he lucked upon us.”

Lucked wasn’t the word Alisa would use.

“You sure he wasn’t following us?” she asked. “And won’t continue to do so?” Alisa did not want to show up at Sepiron Station and lead someone who wanted to kill Thorian right to the place Durant said he’d been taken. “He could be reading my thoughts right now, couldn’t he?” The notion caused a queasy lurch in her gut. Damn, she’d just thought of Sepiron Station.

Alisa eyed the receding station in the rear camera display. She had been told the Starseers had limited range when it came to telepathy, but did that still apply to someone who had a super staff?

“It’s possible he’s reading your thoughts, yes,” Stanislav said, “and I’m not positive he wasn’t following us. Normally, he wouldn’t be able to track us out here in space, where distances are on an astronomical scale, but… the staff will enhance his powers, yes. I will attempt to shroud the ship. I honestly do not know if that can be done, especially without help.”

Stanislav looked at Abelardus.

Abelardus drew back, curling a lip. “I don’t want to learn any of your chasadski powers. They’re forbidden. Using our talents against our own people is forbidden too.”

“Just do what you can to keep Staff Boy from following our ship, please,” Alisa said.

“Yes, Captain,” Stanislav said, sounding bemused.

At acceding to his daughter’s wishes? Well, it was her ship.

Young-hee and Yumi walked out, murmuring to each other. Not planning to drug Alisa, she hoped.

She was about to turn back to flying when Leonidas appeared in the corridor. He strode into NavCom carrying Mica in his arms.

“What happened?” Alisa blurted.

Mica was scowling at him rather than writhing in pain. “You can put me down now,” she said, prodding him in the armored shoulder.

He looked toward Alisa. “She’s the one who opened the hatch.”

“I already told you I don’t have any memory of doing that. And you weren’t there, so how do you know?”

“You were standing by the controls, looking out toward the station, as if you were waiting for someone.”

“Well, I wasn’t. And I didn’t.” Mica continued to scowl, but a troubled expression lurked under it. A hint of uncertainty.

“We could check the camera footage,” Leonidas said.

“He did it,” Abelardus said. “He was controlling her.”

“What?” Mica asked, as Alisa asked, “Tymoteusz?”

“Yes.” He looked toward Stanislav. For confirmation?

Stanislav nodded. “To control an untrained mind for a short time is not difficult.”

“Abelardus once told me it was,” Alisa said, “to get someone to go against their nature.”

“I’m sure the chasadski have spent more time mastering such skills,” Abelardus muttered.

“It’s true,” Stanislav said quietly. “They have few compunctions against using people.”

Alisa looked down at the controls, again thinking that her mind might have been read. Abelardus hadn’t yet given her the exact coordinates for Sepiron Station—she had programmed in the asteroid belt as their destination—and she was now glad for that. Presumably, he could protect his thoughts from nosy intruders. But what if Tymoteusz already knew where the station was located? Stanislav hadn’t implied that it was a secret among his people, just that they didn’t publicize its existence.

As Alisa flew them away from the Caravan Circle Station, she pushed the thrusters, giving the Nomad its best possible speed. She hoped it would be enough to ensure they arrived at the belt first.

Chapter 3

Three days later, Alisa woke from a doze in her seat in NavCom, her back and neck protesting the unorthodox sleeping position. She checked the sensors. As usual, nothing was on them. They hadn’t seen the chasadski ship since leaving Caravan Circle, since Stanislav had started “shrouding” the Nomad.

“Guess I can risk sleeping on a mattress,” Alisa muttered, glancing at the stuffed spider hanging over the co-pilot’s seat. The ship was a couple of hours into the night cycle, and it was the only other thing in NavCom with her. She checked the autopilot, then tapped the spider for luck as she rose to her feet. She wondered if Leonidas was in his cabin and would mind company. He was probably sleeping, and she shouldn’t interrupt him. It wasn’t as if they could sleep together, anyway. Not unless she donned her armor. She had practiced a few more times with it for sparring, but she couldn’t yet say that she found it so comfortable that she wanted to sleep in it. It wasn’t as if she would feel Leonidas cuddling with her while she wore it. All she would be cuddled by was that insistent AI that kept offering to hook up the waste elimination system.

Saddened by the thought of never finding a way to share a bed with Leonidas, she trudged back toward the sleeping cabins. The murmur of voices coming from the mess hall made her pause in the intersection. With so many people aboard the ship now, many sleeping on the deck in the cargo hold, it wasn’t surprising that someone would be up. She almost turned toward her cabin without waiting to see what the people were talking about, but she glimpsed familiar tousled black hair as someone sat at the table.

“You look like a comet hit you, Colonel.” That sounded like Admiral Tiang.

“That’s not quite how the dream went,” Leonidas said. His voice was dry, but it sounded tired too.

Sympathy welled within Alisa. Had he woken from one of his nightmares? He hadn’t mentioned them in a while, but she also hadn’t been wandering past his cabin at night, where she would hear thumps—evidence of those nightmares—coming from inside. She’d dozed off in NavCom the last couple of nights, worried about pursuers.

“Nightmares?” Tiang asked, a spoon clanking in a bowl or a mug.

“Yes.”

“Typical.”

“Yes. Do you know if it’s a side effect of the various surgeries we endure? Or is it just a result of too many memories of unpleasant situations?”

“Oh, it’s highly likely the surgery that quelled your libido affected your brain’s modulatory networks. Have you experimented with supplements for increasing serotonin?”

“We used to try some drugs. They all either wore off long before the night ended or they made me sick. The serotonin booster messed with my blood pressure and made me twitchy.”

“Hm, yes. Given the metabolic tinkering that went into you men, it’s surprising any of you live past thirty.”

“Most don’t,” Leonidas said grimly.

Alisa leaned against the corner of the intersection and closed her eyes, new dread curling through her. When Leonidas had first told her about his problems, she had wondered if his life expectancy might be shortened as a result of everything that had been done to him. He seemed so healthy, so strong, that it was hard to imagine him dying from a disease or anything less than a nuclear weapon dropped on his head. How long would he live if he didn’t die in combat first? How long would he have with her? Tears moistened her eyelashes as she thought of losing someone else she cared about, maybe even loved. Wasn’t it enough that the universe had taken Jonah from her and kept dangling Jelena just out of reach?

“But not because of medical reasons,” Tiang said.

“It depends if you consider a bullet to the heart a medical reason for dying.”

“It certainly wouldn’t be considered dying from natural causes.”

“There’s not much natural about us,” Leonidas said. “Is the Alliance really putting together a cyborg program? Or were your people just trying to distract me when asking me about that?”

“There’s one in the works, yes. Would you recommend that everything that was done to you be done to our men, or, living through what you’ve lived through, would you leave the brain surgeries out of it?”

Alisa expected Leonidas to give an emphatic yes to the latter part, and to say that no man deserved that fate, but he paused so long that she began to wonder if he had left the room. She was tempted to creep forward and peek into the mess hall. He probably knew she was there eavesdropping, even if Tiang didn’t.

“It’s hard to say,” he finally said. “If there wasn’t a downside, you’d get men signing up left and right, many for reasons that had little to do with defending the empire. The Alliance,” he corrected, a twinge of bitterness in his tone. “Further, one wonders how easy men would be to lead without the… oh, I don’t even know what all they did to us, but I often noticed that cyborgs were easier to line up and get walking in the same direction than regular soldiers. We’re not without aggressions, especially in battle, but there always seemed to be fewer pissing contests in the unit.”

“Yes. I haven’t seen Dr. Bartosz’s notes, but I believe that was intentional and was a result of his tinkering.”

“I have copies of his files,” Leonidas said, almost casually, but Alisa had come to know him well enough to know the comment was anything but. Was he hoping Tiang would volunteer to look at them and help him? He had to be.

“Mm,” was all Tiang said.

The spoon clinked in the mug with the sound of stirring. Alisa bit her lip, wishing Tiang would offer to do Leonidas’s surgery. Even if this wasn’t the safest time for it, they might not be able to wait. How long would Tiang be authorized to spy on her ship? Maybe she should try talking to him, seeing if she could convince him to help. She could be diplomatic and persuasive when she needed to be, right? If nothing else, maybe she could have Beck bribe him with his cooking.

“Have you reconsidered joining the Alliance?” Tiang asked.

“No.”

“Ah.” That ah didn’t sound promising.

Yes, Alisa would definitely need to work on the admiral. Of course, she had no idea how many of Leonidas’s problems could be cured, if any of them at this late date, but she let herself hope that the brain surgery might do more than just return his sexual desires. If it could help regulate his hormones, so the nightmares would be less frequent and less intense, it would be well worth a try. Leonidas deserved to get more than two hours of sleep a night.

She was thinking of going into the mess hall to join the men, and perhaps plead her case right there, but a hatch creaked open down the corridor. She jumped and skittered back into NavCom, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. Even if Leonidas knew she had been listening, she didn’t need the rest of the crew and passengers to think their captain was a nosy snoop instead of a stately professional.

The bench in the mess hall scraped as someone stood up.

“I’m going to head to the gym and throw some weights around,” Leonidas’s voice floated up the corridor. “See if I can wear myself out.”

“Does that help with the nightmares?” Tiang asked.

“Not really.”

Someone passed through the intersection between NavCom and the mess hall, and Alisa leaned to the side of the hatch to avoid being noticed. The lighting was dimmed, so she couldn’t tell who it was. Someone going to the lav, most likely.

Alisa turned back to the spider and gave it a swat, feeling foolish for fleeing. It was her ship, her intersection, and her mess hall. If she happened to be standing in one of those places, listening to people, she had the right to do so.

After checking the sensors one more time, she headed back toward the cabins. She was tempted to go down to the cargo hold and find Leonidas, perhaps to hug him without any combat armor between them, but, despite her self-talk, she was hesitant to walk past Tiang and have him think she had been eavesdropping. He was still in the mess hall, tinkering with that spoon.

Alisa headed for her cabin.

“Alisa?” came a soft voice from behind her.

Stanislav. Yes, on his way back from the lav.

Alisa grimaced and faced him. She should have been faster. She didn’t want to talk to him.

“Sorry,” he said quietly.

He wore what could have passed for pajamas, but what were probably the clothes he wore under his robe. It wasn’t as if he had boarded with a suitcase in hand. He looked different without the black robe cloaking him. Less sinister.

An illusion, she decided. “What do you need?”

“Nothing.” He stopped several feet away. “I saw you and thought you might like to talk.”

“To talk? To you?” Alisa couldn’t keep the scorn out of her voice. Maybe it was unfair, but he hadn’t been around for the thirty-odd years of her life, including the years when she might have wanted a father, might have thought it sounded nice. To have him wanting to chat now seemed ludicrous.

He held out a hand, palm up. Was he reading her thoughts? Probably. Abelardus always stuck his nose in her head. Why wouldn’t he?

“I can see where I wouldn’t be your first choice,” Stanislav said. “But I am awake. And I’m not—” He tilted his head, as if listening. Listening with his mind. “Brutalizing a hover pad in the cargo hold.”

“He can brutalize anything down there that he wants.”

“There are Starseers sleeping under the stairs.”

“I doubt he’ll brutalize them.”

“No, just wake them up.”

“They shouldn’t have set up camp next to his gym.”

Stanislav smiled faintly. “Perhaps, but it would have been considerate of him to post his unorthodox gym hours.”

As if Leonidas wanted to be down there. He had to do something when he couldn’t sleep. Maybe she should have feigned enthusiasm for a needlepoint battlefield gift.

“You care about him a great deal,” Stanislav said quietly.

“Yeah, I do.” What was the point of lying to someone who could surf through her thoughts?

“Perhaps I could…” He put a finger to his lips and gazed thoughtfully down at the deck.

Even though she wanted nothing from this man, Alisa caught herself leaning forward, waiting to hear the rest. He couldn’t do something to heal Leonidas, could he? He’d mentioned he had originally been trained as a healer. She had no idea what that consisted of, but he’d apparently had a hand in Leonidas recovering from that coma so quickly. Was it possible that Starseers could do with their minds what doctors needed tools for?

“Let me think about what I could do,” Stanislav said, lowering his finger. “I—”

A beep filtered down the corridor from the direction of NavCom. The proximity alarm.

Alisa cursed and ran past Stanislav. She’d just checked the sensors.

She burst into NavCom, almost jumping when something zipped past the view screen. The feed from the forward camera was currently on display there. She scowled and checked the sensors to identify what she had seen.

“Imperial star clipper,” she breathed. “What are they doing out here?”

As she stared at the sensors, trying to predict the clipper’s destination, two more imperial ships came into sensor range. Warships this time. She braced herself for trouble, but they zipped past the Nomad almost as quickly as the clipper had.

The comm remained silent. Whatever had brought them to this section of the system, it wasn’t her or her ship.

“Where are they heading?” Stanislav asked, leaning into NavCom.

She projected their courses out ahead of them, though her gut knew the answer before her mind confirmed the facts.

“The Kir Asteroid Belt.”

Chapter 4

When the asteroid belt came onto the view screen, boulders of all shapes and sizes tumbling along what had once been Planet Kir’s orbit, Alisa half-expected to find hundreds of ships zooming in and out of them. The Nomad’s sensors had lost track of the trio of fast-moving imperial spacecraft hours ago, but if the empire was here, she figured everyone else would be too.

The question was, how did they know something was happening here in the belt, a spot largely ignored in the centuries since the Order Wars? And did they believe that something had to do with the Staff of Lore? Or had they heard Prince Thorian was out here somewhere, and did they want him? Maybe the empire hoped to claim him before the Alliance did. If they were here for the prince, how had they figured out he might be here? Alisa had been on a quest for weeks—no, months—to find the children, even if she hadn’t at first known Thorian had anything to do with Jelena.

“Has Abelardus given you the coordinates to the station yet, Captain?” Yumi asked from the sensor station.

She had shown up that morning as the first asteroid tumbled past the ship. Maybe she expected to find special space mushrooms out there.

“Sort of,” Alisa said. “He gave me coordinates to a point that I gather is somewhere near Sepiron Station.”

“My sister wouldn’t tell me exactly where it is, either, but it sounds like all the Starseers aboard know, so I’m not sure how much of a secret it is.”

“I just hope Tym and the empire don’t know where it is.”

“I think that’s why the others are being close-mouthed,” Yumi said. “So that we mundane individuals can’t have the coordinates read by some unscrupulous telepath flying past.”

“I believe the term is grub.”

“So it is,” Yumi said, a wistful expression entering her eyes, the one she got when thinking about how badly she had always wanted to develop Starseer powers.

“Are you and your sister getting along well?”

“Yes. She and the others don’t mind me sitting with them when they’re meditating or teaching Ostberg. They’re too busy ensuring he grows into an acceptable young man. I’m not sure how delighted he is to suddenly have six more tutors.”

“I can imagine. Is Durant teaching?” Last she’d heard, he wasn’t himself yet. Alejandro had frowned at her when she’d mentioned in passing that she would like to question him about why he had taken Jelena. Or maybe he had frowned at the implication that she wanted her hands to be around Durant’s throat as she questioned him.

“Mostly just sitting in,” Yumi said. “Ostberg still spends a lot of time talking to him, but he gets these vacant expressions a lot, like he can’t remember things. I think homesickness has started to encroach for Ostberg. He’s been talking often about a brother and parents. And a dog.”

“Well, who wouldn’t miss the family dog?”

“You like dogs? The next time we have more time to explore a station, I could search for a dog for the ship.”

“No need,” Alisa said. “The chickens are enough. And don’t think I didn’t notice that two more found their way aboard when we were at Caravan Circle.”

“Ah, you’re quite observant, Captain. I hadn’t realized you were that familiar with them.”

“I’m not, but the two new ones aren’t as fat as the others. Yet.”

“Ostberg has been caring for the flock. Enthusiastically.”

“He needs to get them on an exercise plan.”

“Perhaps more worms and insects and less corn. That would also improve their droppings.”

On that note, Leonidas walked into NavCom and sat down in the co-pilot’s seat, his eyebrows elevated slightly.

“You heard we were discussing the digestive habits of chickens and couldn’t wait to join us, eh?” Alisa asked him, pausing to search his face for signs of weariness. Had he gone back to sleep the night before? She had knocked on his hatch after sighting the imperial ships, but he hadn’t answered, so she’d assumed he had still been working out. He did look tired, with lines at the corners of his eyes, and a hint of dried blood on his upper lip. Had one of those hover pads punched back? She wished she could kiss him, blood and all, and make him sleep better.

“Actually, I came to look at the sensor logs if that’s permissible,” he said, nodding toward Yumi’s seat.

“Of course,” Alisa said, though as soon as the words came out, she wondered why he wanted to look. Was he curious about those imperial ships?

Since he had agreed to work for her, she had stopped worrying about his loyalties, and wanted to believe that hadn’t been a mistake, but she had to remember that he had originally been diverted from his personal mission to join Alejandro’s because of the staff quest. And because of the prince. What would happen if something, such as the prince’s safety, put him at odds with her own mission to get Jelena back?

Alisa chewed on her lip as Yumi traded seats with him, the frame of the fold-down seat creaking under his muscled weight. She did not want to twist around and openly stare at—spy on—what he was doing, but she couldn’t help but wonder.

“Captain,” Alejandro said, stepping into NavCom with a netdisc on, the holodisplay up. “Abelardus gave me this to give to you.”

“He didn’t want to come see me himself?” Alisa said, accepting the netdisc. “I’m heartbroken.”

“I believe there was an altercation.” Alejandro glanced at Leonidas, but said nothing else. “He didn’t wish to come up here.”

Remembering the dried blood, Alisa sighed. She might question Leonidas about it later, but she might not. It wasn’t as if Abelardus was unpredictable. He must have taunted Leonidas about his sexual dysfunction or whatever else was bothering him currently.

“Are these the coordinates to the station?” Alisa asked, placing the netdisc to the side of her controls.

“I believe so.”

“What happened to make him decide that we mundanes should be informed about them now?”

“From what I’ve gathered from passing comments by the various Starseers, they believe time is of the essence.”

Yumi nodded, her face unusually grim as she gazed at the asteroids ahead.

“They worried about Tymoteusz showing up here?” Alisa asked. As if dealing with imperials wouldn’t be bad enough.

“Among other things,” Yumi said.

Alisa plugged in the coordinates and turned her own attention to the controls. She would fly them manually through the belt. Her sensors might have trouble picking out ships from all the floating debris out there, and she did not want to round an asteroid and come face-to-face with those imperial ships. They might have ignored her on the way in, but if they spotted her snooping around where they were searching, they might decide that a freighter would make good target practice.

“I believe those ships came from Perun,” Leonidas said, as he pored over the sensor logs. “I recognize one. It used to be in the emperor’s personal fleet. It’s likely Bondarenko absorbed it, along with many others.”

“Into his personal fleet?” Alisa asked. “It must be nice to have a personal fleet.”

“Perhaps if you remain friends with Tommy after he’s established his sauce empire, he’ll assist you with the purchase of your own fleet, Captain,” Yumi said. “If that’s your aspiration.”

“It’s not. But if I ever get the itch for a fleet, I bet I could fund it if I simply confiscated the drugs in your cabin.”

Yumi smiled faintly. “I don’t believe I’ve created enough to purchase a fleet.”

“I’d settle for an armada.”

Alisa swooped under a sizable asteroid with a green tint to it, and her running lights caught something metallic in the distance as she came out from its shadow. Another ship?

“Leonidas?” she asked.

“Imperial star clipper,” he said.

The ship disappeared behind an asteroid and did not come into sight again.

Alisa kept the Nomad on course for the station, but she was tempted to take a circuitous route in the hope of throwing off anyone tracking them. She didn’t. If she played games, the delay might mean arriving too late, after the empire had already found the station—and those aboard it.

“I think we may be within communications range of the station,” Yumi said a while later. “This isn’t the middle of nowhere, despite its desolate appearance. I believe there are boosters on some of the outer asteroids.”

Yes, Kir had once been a desirable core planet.

“Do you think they’ll answer if a random freighter captain comms?” Alisa asked, the first twang of nerves assaulting her belly. She couldn’t wait to see Jelena again, and yet she was apprehensive about how the reunion would go, especially after her daughter had been with the Starseers for months. Who knew what propaganda they might have been pumping into her head? Who knew what they might have been telling her about her mother?

“Perhaps not. I’ll get Young-hee. If she’s not too busy gazing lustfully at Abelardus. He clearly exasperates her, but I keep catching her sneaking peeks.” Yumi stood up. “She is young and driven by hormones.”

“It happens to the best of us, but Yumi?” Alisa glanced back. “I don’t need to hear the words Abelardus and lust in the same sentence again. In case you were wondering.”

“Nor do I,” Leonidas murmured.

Alisa almost asked him about their altercation, but Alejandro remained in NavCom. Besides, since she was flying manually, it was not a good time to take her attention from the controls.

The comm flashed, and Alisa reached for it before realizing nobody was trying to contact her. The call was directed toward one of the passenger cabin units. Her first thought was that someone at the station was trying to get in touch with Young-hee or one of the other Starseers, but the message must have been addressed to Leonidas, because the ship automatically routed it to his cabin.

Alisa glanced back and caught him looking at the flashing, but he turned back toward the sensor station without commenting on it. One of the imperial ships trying to get in touch with him?

Something else to discuss with him later, if he was willing.

“Greetings, Captain,” Young-hee said, accompanying Yumi into NavCom. “You wish me to comm the station?”

“I thought your face would be more likely to earn us a welcome than Abelardus’s.”

“Lord Abelardus is a respected member of our community,” Young-hee said.

“Didn’t you say he should be punched the last time we talked?”

“Only if he’s inserting himself into your thoughts without permission.”

“He does that daily. Sometimes hourly.”

Young-hee’s expression grew wistful. Three suns, she didn’t want Abelardus trolling about in her head, did she? If she had the power, Alisa would gladly foist him on her if she wished it. Maybe even if she didn’t.

“Young-hee thinks he’s gorgeous,” Yumi said, elbowing her sister.

Young-hee sniffed and turned away, though her cheeks flushed enough to be visible even through her bronze skin.

“Lord Gorgeous doesn’t want to come up here right now,” Alisa said. “You’ll have to do the chatting.” She waved Young-hee to the open co-pilot’s seat.

Alejandro sighed heavily. Tired of being surrounded by lusty youths, was he? Maybe they needed to find him a nice woman. He might forget about his quest if he was in love.

One-handedly, Alisa operated the comm, sending a hail out to the unfamiliar system.

“Sepiron Station?” Young-hee said. “This is Young-hee Park from Temple Ice Iris.”

Had that been the name of that place? Alisa had never heard it before.

“I’m traveling in the freighter Star Nomad along with several others from the temple.” Young-hee did not mention Stanislav. “May we have permission to dock?”

Alisa perched on the edge of her seat, hoping to hear a hearty, “We’re so glad to hear from you, and would you like to chat with the children roaming the station?”

Alas, she did not get that. She didn’t get anything.

“Are you sure they’re able to hear us?” Young-hee asked, prodding the comm panel. “Or that this transmits at all? It looks very old.”

Alisa scowled at her. “You’re twenty. Everything looks old.”

“I’m twenty-two.”

“Same thing.”

“Is that rust?” Young-hee scraped at a brown substance jammed into the edge of the panel.

“Absolutely not.” Alisa swatted her hand away, but frowned at the spot and scraped at it with a fingernail. “It may be chocolate.”

“It’s reassuring to know that our pilot is up here slobbering over a chocolate bar while she one-handedly flies us through an asteroid field,” Alejandro said.

Alisa shot him a dirty look before saying, “Try again, please, Young-hee. The transmission is going through. They’re just not answering it. Tell them we have chocolate.”

Young-hee glanced dubiously at the smudge on the control panel, but obeyed the request, trying several more times to make contact as Alisa weaved past asteroids, continuing toward the coordinates.

“The station has come into sensor range,” Leonidas said.

“At least we know they haven’t been obliterated,” Alisa said.

Young-hee’s mouth dropped open in alarm. Apparently, that hadn’t occurred to her. She was new to the ship and didn’t know what kind of luck Alisa had.

“Anything strange on the readings?” Alisa asked. “Can you tell if they have power and life support?”

“I’m able to read power,” Leonidas said. “We’ll have to get closer to ascertain the rest.”

Alisa flew them between two crater-filled asteroids, and when the field opened up ahead, looked back toward Alejandro.

“What?” he asked warily.

“Why don’t you go get your medical kit and prepare yourself for a trip over to a space station?”

“You think there will be injured people?”

“I’m starting to expect the worst whenever we approach ships and stations that don’t answer our comms.” Some of Mica’s pessimism was rubbing off on her. A depressing thought.

“Maybe they just don’t want to talk to you,” Alejandro said.

“We told them we have chocolate. Why wouldn’t they want to talk to us?”

He snorted, but lifted a hand and left NavCom.

The Nomad rounded another hulking asteroid, and Alisa straightened in her seat. The station floated ahead of them, independent of the surrounding rocks. A light glowed from inside an observation dome in the center of its X-shaped structure. That X lay nestled inside of a wheel, the design reminiscent of Alcyone Station.

“It’s taken damage,” Leonidas said, his gaze on the sensor monitor. “However, in addition to power, they appear to have life support. The wheel isn’t spinning, so there won’t be gravity.”

As the Nomad flew closer, its lights playing over the silvery blue station, Alisa could see the damage. Black scorch marks darkened the hull in places, and a gaping hole had been blown in the bottom of one of the X’s legs.

“There’s also wreckage floating in the area,” Leonidas said. “It doesn’t appear to be from the station.”

“Oh?” Alisa asked. “What is it? Or what was it?”

“A ship perhaps. Not a large one.” Leonidas gave her a long look that she couldn’t read, then leaned around the pilot’s seat to tap a comm button. “Ostberg, can you come to NavCom?”

Alisa glanced back at him. “Ostberg?”

“A hunch.”

“I don’t usually invite him to NavCom,” Alisa said. “He touches things when he’s in here and talks about jotzing up the engines. I’m not sure what jotzing is exactly, but it sounds like he wants to turn my freighter into a thrust bike.”

“I only need him for a minute,” Leonidas said.

“A jotzing-free minute, I hope.”

“I’m here,” Ostberg blurted from the corridor before barging in.

“Bring the wreckage up on the view screen,” Leonidas told Alisa. “Let him see it.”

Alisa decided not to point out that she was supposed to give the commands here, not when she was curious about the ship remains. Why would Ostberg be the one to—a jolt went through her.

Oh.

Wordlessly, she adjusted one of the forward cameras to target the wreckage and display it on the screen.

“Something blew up?” Ostberg asked, glancing at Leonidas. Then he looked back, frowning as he held Leonidas’s gaze for a longer moment. Getting the gist of his thoughts?

Ostberg leaned closer to the view screen. “It could be,” he said, much more soberly.

“I’m picking up the part of the hull with the ship’s ident,” Leonidas said. “Pinging it.”

Alisa squirmed in her seat.

“It’s coming back as the Moon Hopper,” Leonidas said.

“That’s the ship they took when they left Cleon Moon,” Ostberg said. “I know it is. I saw it before they left.”

“The prince was on there?” Leonidas asked. “And the other children?”

“And our tutors. Everyone who made it away, except Lord Durant.”

“Did the ship make it to the station?” Young-hee asked. “Or was it almost there when…?”

“I’m sure they made it,” Alisa said, refusing to believe any other scenario.

Leonidas rested a hand on her shoulder. “The sensors aren’t detecting any bodies among the wreckage.”

Alisa took some solace in the statement, though the talk of “bodies” made her uncomfortable.

He squeezed her shoulder gently, as if he could guess her thoughts.

“Young-hee,” Alisa said, “are we close enough that you can tell how many people are on the station? Or even if the children might be there?”

Young-hee frowned in the direction of the station, then frowned at Ostberg, who shrugged back at her and shook his head.

“What is it?” Alisa asked.

“There’s nobody on the station,” Young-hee said.

Alisa slumped in her seat. “You’re sure?”

“I’ll go check with my colleagues, but I believe so, unless the Starseers are hiding themselves somehow.”

Alisa remembered Stanislav’s words about shrouding. The implication had been that shrouding was a chasadski skill, but was it possible some of the regular Starseers knew how to do it? Regular Starseers who wanted to protect young children from all the ships searching the asteroid belt?

“Young-hee?” Leonidas asked as the young woman headed for the hatchway.

Young-hee paused. “Yes?”

“Would you be able to tell if people were there but—” he glanced at Alisa, “—didn’t survive the battle?”

A worried bleakness flashed across Young-hee’s face. “Once someone is dead, their life aura disappears, so no.”

“You said they still have life support there,” Alisa said, frowning back at Leonidas. “They shouldn’t be dead. The station is damaged yes, but not obliterated. They could have flown away, or they could be hiding in there and shielding themselves from other Starseers. Remember how Abelardus couldn’t sense anyone when the temple was in the volcano and hidden from his powers?”

“The sensors also don’t show any life signs,” Leonidas said.

“The Starseers could be fooling them,” Alisa said stubbornly.

He sighed. “Or someone could have already arrived, kil—captured everyone inside, and left.”

“I’m surrounded by pessimists,” Alisa grumbled and hit the comm. “Alejandro, we’re going to board the station and check it out. Meet us in the cargo hold with your kit. There’s no gravity. You may want to put pants on under your robe.”

“Thanks for thinking of my modesty, Captain,” came the dry response.

“I was thinking more about the rest of us. I know you don’t laser those legs. Mica, I also want you to come along. There’s damage over there, so we may need your engineering expertise.”

“Do I have to wear pants too?” Mica asked.

“It depends on how many people you want ogling your exposed bits.”

“I prefer no more than three at a time.”

Alisa closed the comm. “I wonder if all captains have to deal with such sarcastic crews, or if I’m special.”

“You’re definitely special,” Leonidas said, squeezing her shoulder again before releasing her.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment, but I suspect I’m being naive.”

“I assume you’re going to dock with the station before sending them over?”

“Yes, will you go put on your armor? Alejandro needs a babysitter. I’ll keep an eye on the sensors while you dress.” Alisa hoped the station wasn’t locked down and that they could board it without having to cut a hole in a hatch.

Leonidas stood up. “I trust you’ll also put on your armor?”

“What makes you think I’m leaving NavCom?” She was planning on it—if Jelena was over there, hidden away from abrasive intruders, she planned to stride in to greet her personally.

“Because I know you.” He patted her and ducked through the hatchway.

Alisa smiled, despite her worry about her daughter. It was nice to be known.

She found a row of airlocks on the back side of the X and angled toward one. All of the slots were empty, but she spotted shuttle bay doors on a lower level. Her sensors weren’t strong enough to tell if the bay was empty or had ships in it.

Before she docked, she did a long-range sweep of the asteroid field, worried that other ships would arrive while her team investigated the station. Maybe she should stay behind so she could fly the Nomad away to hide among the asteroids if need be, but the idea of leaving her people behind made her uneasy. She ought to train Abelardus to pilot the ship in an emergency, but he usually went with the boarding party. He could do more in a battle than she could, after all. One day, she could train Jelena to be her backup pilot.

“Just have to find her,” she murmured, guiding the Nomad toward one of the locks.

Another flash appeared on the communications panel, another message coming in. Once again, it was directed to Leonidas’s cabin.

She glanced over her shoulder, but he had disappeared. Into his cabin where he might take the time to check his messages while he changed. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, tempted to check his incoming and outgoing transmissions. If the empire was sending him messages, they would surely be encrypted. But if he answered, she could snoop and see his half of the transmission.

“No,” she decided. With Alejandro and Abelardus, people who would put their interests ahead of hers, it made sense to eavesdrop so she could protect herself if need be. But she would trust that Leonidas wouldn’t do anything that would hurt her or jeopardize her mission or her ship.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy as she finished the docking procedure. He had, after all, served the empire for twenty years and sworn the emperor his loyalty long before he had ever met her. Even if that emperor was gone now, the way he’d turned down Admiral Hawk’s offer of Alliance employment told her that the empire wasn’t yet dead for him. Maybe it never would be.

Chapter 5

Alisa activated the magnetic boots of her armor as soon as she passed through the airlock tube and set foot in the station. She had to push off the ceiling to get her feet close to the deck before she was pulled downward, the soles touching metal. Leonidas already stood ahead of her in the large entry room, his red armor on, one of two rifles he had brought cradled in his arms. Beck floated out of the airlock tube and joined them.

“The air is fine,” Leonidas said.

Data flowed down the edges of the liquid Glastica faceplate of Alisa’s helmet, as her suit sensors analyzed the environment and agreed with him.

“Come join us, Mica and Alejandro,” Alisa said, waving through the tube back toward the Nomad.

Sepiron Station’s airlock hatches hadn’t been secured, and a panel on the outside had allowed them access without any special requirements. That had been convenient, meaning the team hadn’t had to force its way inside, but Alisa did not know if it boded well. If the local Starseers had wanted to protect the children, wouldn’t they have locked down everything?

Mica floated through the tube in her new spacesuit, her tool satchel slung over her shoulder, one hand clamping it to her side. She had come prepared to do work outside if needed.

Alejandro floated through wearing trousers and a shirt instead of his robe, sniffing dubiously at the air as he entered the chamber. Beck grabbed him and pulled him down to the deck, keeping a hold so he wouldn’t float away.

“You want me to restore gravity first, Captain?” Mica asked.

Alisa hesitated. Would they be here long enough for that? She wanted to do a quick search and then get back to the ship. Still, as she watched Alejandro’s gray-and-black hair bobbing about his head, she decided it would be more convenient for all if they had gravity. Otherwise, if he opened his medical kit, everything might float out. With luck, it would be an easy fix.

“Yes,” Alisa told Mica. “Take Beck to watch your back. The rest of us will look around.”

“Who’s going to keep the doc on a leash?” Beck asked.

Alejandro glared at him.

Leonidas started toward him, but Alisa held up a hand. “You be ready to shoot things. I’ll get him.”

Alejandro turned his glare on her. Maybe he thought she would let go and leave him stranded here. She supposed she shouldn’t find that thought appealing. Now that Durant was awake, she didn’t have as much need for a doctor… at least for the moment. But what if the children had been hurt? She had better keep him around.

As Alisa was about to head into one of several corridors offering routes away from the docking area, three more figures floated through the airlock tube in their direction. Abelardus, Ostberg, and Stanislav.

Alisa couldn’t keep from making a face. Abelardus was useful to have along, and she might have invited him if he had been in NavCom, but she didn’t trust Stanislav, and Ostberg wasn’t exactly the most mature of the Starseers.

“I’ve never been here before,” Ostberg said brightly, peering around. “Anti-grav is fun.” He made a swimming motion, then bounced off a wall.

“He assures me he can be helpful as we search,” Abelardus said, offering Alisa an apologetic shrug.

She took that to mean that Ostberg had pleaded and wheedled, and Abelardus hadn’t had the balls to say no to him.

My balls are substantial and quite sufficient, thank you, Abelardus spoke into her mind. He promised me he’s almost as good as Thorian at manipulating machinery with his mind. I thought that might be useful.

Since Alisa had no idea if Thorian could manipulate anything, she didn’t find that statement reassuring.

What did Stanislav promise you? she asked.

He didn’t ask my permission to come along, oddly.

“I don’t sense anyone aboard the station,” Stanislav said.

“So I’ve been told,” Alisa said. “We’re searching it anyway. If they’re not here, I want to know where they went.”

She refused to believe that Jelena had been killed in that ship just before reaching her destination. No, she could be here and hidden away somewhere. Or she could have been taken away by whoever attacked the station. Alisa pushed the image of that floating wreckage out of her mind. Jelena was not dead.

“Of course.”

“We have a map of this place?” Leonidas asked, eyeing the corridors.

“I’ve never been here,” Abelardus said.

“I have,” Stanislav said. “Long ago. Here.” He gazed at Leonidas for a long moment before shifting his attention to Alisa.

A map appeared in her mind’s eye, and she twitched at the suddenness and intensity of the image. It seemed to burn itself into her mind. She doubted she would ever forget the layout of the place now. Was that a good thing?

Leonidas looked back at Stanislav, more of a glare than an expression of gratitude, then pointed to an elevator just inside one of the corridors. “That way to the wheel access, Beck and Mica.”

“Give them the map, too, please,” Alisa told Stanislav, even though she had found the intrusion unsettling.

“Done,” Stanislav said.

Mica and Beck exchanged uncertain looks, but headed toward the elevator.

“Looks like their Command and Control is this way,” Leonidas said, taking the lead.

Alisa followed after him, removing a stun gun she had acquired on Arkadius from the magnetic utility belt built into her armor. Leonidas had given her a shooting lesson in the cargo hold the day before, and she now knew how to raise the built-in blazers in her arm pieces—and she knew how not to accidentally cut things by whipping out the razor blade—but she hoped deadly force wouldn’t be required here. If the place truly was empty, they wouldn’t need to use weapons at all.

Alisa peered into alcoves and down corridors as she followed Leonidas, with Alejandro clamped to her shoulder and the Starseers following in a chain attached to him. Even though she didn’t feel their weight, it was an unwieldy way to walk. She hoped Mica could return the gravity soon.

“This is fantastic,” Ostberg announced. “I wonder what it would be like to ride a thrust bike without gravity.”

The lights flickered as they turned into a new corridor, but thus far, Alisa had not seen any damage to the interior of the station, nor were there any alarms sounding to warn them about the hull breech several levels down. Maybe someone had already sealed off the damaged areas.

“If this map is right, that should be sickbay down there,” Leonidas said, pointing his rifle down a dead-end corridor that ended at a pair of clear double doors.

“Let’s take a look,” Alejandro said.

Leonidas turned down the corridor. Alisa frowned, slightly peeved that he was obeying Alejandro’s suggestions without asking her first, but she pushed away the sentiment, feeling silly for having it. Just because she’d wanted him on her team, and he had agreed to work for her, didn’t mean she wanted to micromanage him. Besides, even if she was the captain of her little freighter, she felt presumptuous giving orders to a former colonel. And with a lover, or potential lover, it was even more awkward.

“Shopping for goodies?” Abelardus asked Alejandro.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t steal from someone else’s base.”

Alisa kept walking, ignoring the dig, though she was tempted to shrug her shoulder abruptly, so Alejandro would lose his grip on her and float helplessly in the corridor.

“There may be clues in the sickbay,” Alejandro added. “If people were treated…”

Leonidas stopped at the double doors. They did not automatically open for him.

“Anything inside?” Alisa asked, peering around him and through the clear doors.

The lights were on, revealing a surprisingly modern sickbay with computers integrated into the walls behind a row of beds equipped with holodisplays and controls. A few tools that hadn’t been secured when the gravity went out floated around the space, but the chamber was otherwise tidy and clean. Off to the side, what looked like an operating room was separated behind a wall of Glastica. All manner of equipment hung from the ceiling and was tucked against the walls on articulating arms.

“Are those ImmerTech Scanners?” Alejandro asked, his head popping into Alisa’s peripheral vision as he pulled himself so close to the doors that he could have left a nose print. “Leonidas, can you open this?”

Leonidas must not have seen anything alarming because he planted his palms on the glass and arranged himself so he could pull one of the sliding doors aside. It whined pitifully as it acquiesced. Alisa stepped inside, and Alejandro pushed off her with his feet, as if she were a wall in a swimming pool, and he floated toward the operating room.

“Can we leave him here?” Alisa asked.

“You’re the captain. Such decisions are up to you.” Leonidas walked to a wall panel that hadn’t been visible from the door. A chair was locked to the deck in front of it, and several indicator lights in various colors flashed above some built-in analytical equipment with microscope-like eyepieces protruding from it.

“I could do surgery in here,” Alejandro said. “Who would have expected to find state-of-the-art equipment in an abandoned station in the middle of an asteroid belt?”

“It hasn’t been abandoned for long,” Leonidas said, eyeing the indicators.

“We had some doctors and scientists that worked out here,” Abelardus said. “Doing research and the occasional medical procedure. Nobody outside of our people knew about the station, so they weren’t bothered often.”

Alisa wondered what kinds of research and procedures the Starseers had been doing that they hadn’t wanted anyone to know about.

“We are a secretive people by nature,” Stanislav said from the doorway.

“No kidding.” Alisa joined Leonidas and lowered her voice for him alone. “I wonder if Admiral Tiang could also do surgery here.”

He gave her a sidelong look. “I hardly think this is the appropriate time or place for elective surgery.”

“If we wait for the right time and place, it may be too late. We don’t know how long Tiang will stay with us. By his own words, he’s on leave. By my reckoning, Hawk left him aboard to spy. Either way, he could take off soon.”

“He hasn’t offered to do the surgery, so it’s a moot point.”

Alisa almost said something more, but she caught Stanislav looking in their direction, and her cheeks warmed. They were here, she reminded herself, for Jelena and the other children. Even if she was right that Leonidas had a limited window with Tiang, he was right in that this wasn’t the proper time to worry about such things.

Leonidas touched one of the flashing indicators. “I believe this is tied in to the security system and indicates an intruder alert.”

“Not surprising. Are we the intruders, or was someone else?”

“Both, perhaps. You saw the damage on the airlock hatch two slots over from the one you chose?”

Alisa blinked. “I didn’t notice it, no.”

“It looked like another crew docked there and forced their way into the station. It may not have been so much that everything was unlocked when we arrived as that someone else broke the locks.”

“Someone who came and already made off with the children?” Alisa asked, pressing a hand to the bulkhead.

“Or someone who came and also found the station empty. There haven’t been any signs of an internal battle.”

“Not yet.”

He nodded in agreement. They hadn’t explored far yet.

When Alisa turned back toward the doorway, Stanislav wasn’t there. Ostberg floated inside and tinkered with a gun-shaped tool that had been floating around the room. He fired it and grinned when the fluid that flowed out turned to circular blobs hanging in the air.

“Are you making a mess, Ostberg?” Abelardus asked.

“No.” Ostberg tossed the tool aside. “I’m investigating.”

“Your potential to make messes?”

“Let’s clear out of here,” Alisa said, raising her voice so that Alejandro, who was poking around in the operating room, would hear. “Leonidas wants to find Command and Control, and I want to find…” Jelena, she thought, but she did not know how realistic that hope was when everyone kept telling her this place was empty. “Answers,” she finished with a sigh.

“Where did Stanislav go?” Leonidas asked, his voice hard as he returned to the doors.

“I can sense him looking down a side corridor,” Abelardus said. “I don’t think it’s on the way to Command and Control.”

I’m checking on something, Stanislav spoke into Alisa’s head.

It’s suspicious when you wander—float—away without permission. Alisa waited until Alejandro and the others secured themselves to her again, and followed Leonidas back toward the main corridor.

Permission? Stanislav sounded bemused.

From the captain, yes.

You are the captain of the freighter. We’re on a Starseer station now. I am worried about my people.

I’m worried about some people too. Come back and help us find them.

They are not here, he replied sadly.

Let’s find out where they went.

I assure you, that is my goal.

Alisa commed Mica as Leonidas approached another set of clear double doors, these marking the end of the main corridor. “Any progress, Mica?”

“We’ve made it to the engineering section,” Mica replied. “There’s a lot of damage down here, with things sealed off.”

“Is it possible to restore gravity?”

“We’re looking into it.”

“We? Beck is helping?”

“He’s sharing ideas for a new dragon-wing sauce. Apparently, Tiang requested more wings, and Beck doesn’t want to give him the same sauce twice.”

“So, he’s helping a lot then.”

“Captain,” Beck said plaintively. “I’m watching Mica’s back and making sure nobody sneaks up on us. I’m doing my job. But it’s not that mentally demanding. I can spare a few brain cells for contemplation.”

“Of dragon-wing sauce?”

“Precisely.”

“You mentioned damage, Mica. Have you two seen any sign of intruders down there?” Alisa asked, stopping beside Leonidas at the double doors. He touched the Glastica, which had partially melted and re-hardened, but from the inside rather than the outside. They were still able to see through them into a computer- and console-filled room that the map in her mind labeled as Command and Control. Leonidas hadn’t moved to force open the doors yet.

“Not inside the station,” Beck said. “Lots of damage from someone shooting up the outside.”

“Understood. Keep me—” A man’s puffy face floated into view right on the other side of the door, and Alisa broke off with a startled shriek.

She stumbled back, gaping at the face—at the entire person. No, at the body, she realized, her mind registering that the man’s eyes were frozen open. Clad in a black imperial uniform, the bloated figure continued to float past, disappearing from view.

“Huh,” Abelardus said.

“Captain?” Beck asked. “Are you all right?”

“Just startled,” Alisa said.

“You sure? You don’t usually scream. Not even when that giant space rat scurried through the mess hall the other night.”

“This was worse than a rat. I’ll comm you back.”

“Two more over there,” Leonidas said, nodding through the clear doors. “I can’t see their faces. Alejandro? Did you see the first one?”

“Barely.”

“It looked like death from lack of oxygen.”

“I concur,” Alejandro said.

“Like someone sealed them in there and expunged the atmosphere?” Alisa asked.

“Just like that.” Leonidas touched his helmet. “I can’t tell from this side of the doors if there’s air in there.”

“If this was some kind of booby trap that the Starseers left behind, then there probably isn’t. But if we open the doors and go in, the atmosphere here will flow in, right?” She waved at the corridor.

“Yes, I’m more concerned about the booby trap activating again once we’re inside.”

“A valid concern,” Alejandro said. “Perhaps I should have stayed in the sickbay. To further investigate the operating room.”

“To drool over the tools, you mean?” Alisa tapped the Glastica. “You’re strong enough to force the doors open again if we go in and need to get out, right, Leonidas? Alejandro, Abelardus, and Ostberg can stay out here. Our suits will give us air to breathe if needed.” She had made sure the full eight-hour supply of oxygen her suit could provide was available before she had left the cargo hold, and she assumed Leonidas had done the same.

“If that’s the extent of the trap, yes.”

“You suspect more?”

He pointed through the doors at one of the men—bodies—floating in the back. “Judging by the angle of that soldier’s leg, it was broken before he died.”

“We’ll have to be careful,” Alisa said. “We’re not turning around. This is the most likely place where we’ll find our answers, right?”

“Engineering may have some answers,” Leonidas said, “but I have seen cameras around the station. The footage is likely accessible inside Command and Control.”

“Such as footage of who came? And who left? And who might still be here?”

“Yes.”

“We’re definitely going in,” Alisa said. “Alejandro, Ostberg, and Abelardus. Go wait back there. Or even better, find Stanislav and make sure he’s not doing anything suspicious. Like calling his brother to come visit.” She doubted he was, especially since Tymoteusz’s ship hadn’t shown up again since the Nomad left Caravan Circle, but she didn’t like having him wandering around here on his own.

“Ostberg,” Leonidas said, before the group moved off. “You mentioned having an aptitude when it comes to machines. Does that extend to computers? Can you tell if there are traps inside?”

“I… not computers, no.” Ostberg hung his head. “I can influence the workings of mechanical things, but I can’t see what’s going on inside of a computer chip. I don’t think any Starseer could.”

“All right.” Leonidas waved the group back.

“Don’t worry,” Abelardus said. “We’ll come in and rescue you if you blow yourselves up.”

“Comforting,” Leonidas said, then nodded to Alisa. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

He looked down at the stun gun in her hand.

“Should I be wielding something more ferocious?” Alisa asked. “Will that scare the booby traps?”

“No, but blazers might destroy them.”

“Very well, then.” Alisa hooked the stun gun back onto her utility belt and popped up one of the small weapons from her armor sleeve. “Better?”

“Better.” He bumped his fist against her shoulder.

Did that pass for a love pat in armor?

“I do feel a little silly with such a small weapon,” Alisa admitted, rotating her sleeve to eye the petite barrel. “Even the stun gun has more heft.”

“That’s why I have this.” Leonidas hefted his big rifle. “A man likes a manly gun.”

“Is it all right for women to like manly guns too? Or men’s guns?” She winked at him, but the gesture was probably lost through the faceplate.

Big staffs are more satisfying, Abelardus informed her silently.

Aren’t you looking for my father?

Yes, but I’m not sure he wants to be found. He’s shifty.

Tell me about it.

Not answering her question—and maybe puzzled by it—Leonidas lowered his rifle on its strap to grab one of the doors with both hands. With a quick snap, he shoved it aside. It did not go cleanly into the wall, as the other one had, instead catching halfway, the top tilting farther in than the bottom. In her suit, Alisa could not feel the draft as air rushed into the vacuum of the control center, but her environmental readings fluctuated, and she assumed that was what was happening.

A beeping noise grew audible from one of the computer panels, but nothing more ominous happened. Leonidas turned sideways to step through the partially open door, his rifle back in his hands. Alisa eased through after him. She tried to focus on the instruments rather than the corpses floating through the room. It was hard. A droplet of blood that had been floating independent of the bodies splashed against her armor, and a queasy twinge went through her stomach.

A clank emanated through their part of the station. Alisa could not tell where it originated.

“Was that you, Mica?” she asked into her comm as Leonidas strode about the control room checking behind seating areas.

“Was what me?”

“Never mind.” Alisa looked at Leonidas, but he was approaching a door to the side of the main ones. From the outside, she couldn’t tell if it led to another room or corridor. Or maybe a closet.

“I should have gravity back on in a couple of minutes,” Mica said. “I’ll warn you when to brace yourselves.”

“Warn Alejandro and the Starseers too. They’re the ones floating up by the ceilings doing who knows what.”

“We’re waiting for you to make sure there isn’t an environmental booby trap,” came Abelardus’s dry call from down the corridor.

“It doesn’t look like there are any, but—”

The door opened before Leonidas reached it. Something jumped out at him.

Alisa stumbled back, her boots nearly losing their magnetic hold on the deck. Leonidas fired, but something slammed into his chest. His boots did lose their connection to the deck, and he was hurled back into the room. Two men burst out of a closet, wearing drab gray coveralls.

Alisa lunged to the side as Leonidas tumbled past her, shooting toward his opponents even as he tried to find something to grab on to so he could thrust himself back to the deck. She hesitated, debating whether it was more important to help him get a lock or to open fire on their enemies. But when one of his blazer bolts hit one of the men in the chest and the figure leaped after him, seemingly unharmed, she realized they weren’t facing humans. Of course not. The sensors would have shown lifeforms.

The second figure—an android identical to the first—sprang toward her. Looking more like a janitor than a combat expert, he did not have magnetic boots, and his feet left the deck. She fired at his chest as she lunged to the side again. Even though she hit the android, and smoke wafted from his burned shirt, he did not react. He twisted in the air, and one of his hands caught her shoulder, clamping on.

She jabbed her elbow at his chest, trying to knock him free, so she could spin toward him to shoot again. Somewhere behind her, blows landed in rapid succession, the thuds sounding like machine gun fire as Leonidas engaged with the other android. He growled, and his opponent went tumbling toward the ceiling in Alisa’s peripheral vision. A blazer rifle squealed.

On her third attempt, she caught her android in the chest with her elbow, but he did not let go. His hand darted toward her helmet so quickly that she didn’t see it until he had a grip. He forced her head to the side, and her heart pounded in her ears as she realized he was trying to break her neck. Only the sturdy armor saved her, automatically taking all the flexibility out of the neckpiece.

She twisted and finally got her arm—and the attached blazer—pointed at the android, right at his face this time. She fired into his eyes as she planted her other hand on his chest and shoved. To her surprise, thanks to the power of her suit, she pushed the android away and he flew backward. But he kicked her as he tumbled away, hard enough that her boots were knocked off the deck.

She snarled in frustration, reaching out with her legs like a swimmer trying to touch the bottom. Unfortunately, her momentum took her in the other direction. She fired at the android as she floated away, careful not to hit Leonidas, who was tangled up near the ceiling, wrestling with his opponent. Her blazer bolt struck the side of her android’s neck. Her earlier shot had caught him in the eye, burning into circuitry and destroying it.

Alisa’s shoulder struck a wall, and she groped for something to grab. She found the top of a doorjamb. Steadied, she pointed her arm at the android who had attacked her.

“We’re with the Starseers,” Alisa yelled as he reached the ceiling and stopped his spin. “We don’t want to fight you.”

The android looked at Leonidas in his crimson combat armor, then back to her. He did not have a weapon, other than his fast, strong hands, but he twisted about, perfectly comfortable in zero gravity. He prepared to spring at her again.

Alisa aimed her blazer at his face. “Stop, or I’ll shoot your other eye out.”

A useless threat against something with the mentality of a machine. What did the android care? He had probably been programmed to sacrifice himself to protect this station.

“Abelardus,” Alisa yelled as the android launched himself from the ceiling toward her. “Ostberg!” She pushed away from the jamb, but she was too late to dodge him fully. The android hurtled toward her with the speed of a bullet. “Come show these androids your Starseer library card,” she managed to get out.

She fired again at the android’s chest, but only got off a short burst before a punch too fast to block slammed into her shoulder. Even with the armor, she felt the power of the blow and heard the crunch of a dent forming. Dull pain numbed her arm, but she roared in anger and unleashed a flurry of her own punches, incensed more at having her new armor damaged than at being hurt. She didn’t try to block the android’s blows—even with her armor, her reflexes weren’t fast enough to register those lightning attacks. She only pummeled back, hoping to do more damage to the android than it did to her armor.

Alarms lit up, scrolling down her display. She couldn’t concentrate on reading them, not with android fists slamming into her faceplate.

“Gravity’s returning,” Mica said over her comm.

In the middle of a mid-air boxing match for her life, Alisa couldn’t respond. Nor could she brace herself. When gravity returned, it was abrupt, and she and the android slammed to the deck. She barely felt the fall through her armor, but she definitely felt her foe’s continuing punches. Once again, he reached for her helmet, determined to rip it off—or break her neck.

“Halt,” came a cry from the corridor. It sounded like Ostberg’s young voice.

To Alisa’s surprise, the blows raining down on her armor stopped. She hurried to push herself to her feet and scramble away, not certain how long of a reprieve she would be given.

The android also climbed to his feet, but he did not lunge after her. Instead, with a puzzled tilt to his head, he turned toward Ostberg, who stood in the doorway with Abelardus and Alejandro behind him. Even though they hadn’t worn their robes after Alisa’s warning about the gravity, Ostberg and Abelardus both carried their Starseer staffs. Had seeing them stopped the android?

Alisa leaned a hand against the wall, relieved for the help. The alarms continued to scroll down her armor, and regret washed through her at having received so much damage so soon. Better than being dead, she reasoned, looking for Leonidas as she sucked in deep breaths.

He stood a few feet away, the dismantled limbs of his android littering the deck around him. The head lay over on a seat. Alisa grimaced as she caught sight of one of the bodies over there, too, now sprawled on the deck.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help sooner,” Ostberg said. “Androids are very sophisticated. I’m not sure I even stopped him, or if it was just that he saw our staffs.”

“I don’t care what he saw,” Alisa said, “so long as he stopped.” She eyed the android warily, his shirt scorched in several places, faux skin blackened beneath it. She felt mollified that she had done some damage, but admitted there hadn’t been any finesse or calculation behind her battle tactics. If not for her armor, she would have been killed.

“Greetings, young Starseer,” the android said, pressing his palms together and bowing, as if he hadn’t just been engaged in battle, as if Alisa hadn’t melted one of his eyes away.

A finger twitched on the dismembered arm of the other android, but it did not otherwise react to the Starseers. She suspected it was out of commission. Leonidas was good at decommissioning things.

“Uh, greetings,” Ostberg said.

“What is your command, my lord?”

Abelardus snorted. “Ostberg is a little young to be a lord. Or to command a pet android.”

From the way the android continued to look at Ostberg and didn’t acknowledge Abelardus, Alisa suspected Ostberg had done more than simply wave his staff. He must have affected its computerized brain somehow.

Leonidas walked to Alisa’s side and touched one of the dents in her armor. “Are you injured?”

“Battered, but I don’t think anything is broken,” she said. “On me. I’m less certain about my armor. I hope Mica doesn’t mind taking a look. I hadn’t planned to get it dented up so soon.”

“Better the armor than you. Your case may be able to handle those repairs.”

“Uh,” Ostberg shifted uneasily under the android’s unwavering gaze. “I don’t have any commands.” He pointed to Alisa. “You can ask her for commands. She’s the captain.”

“She also has Starseer blood,” Abelardus added.

Alisa frowned at him as the android faced her, not certain she wanted a “pet android” either. But if he had answers, she would gladly listen.

“I’m Captain Marchenko,” she said, trying not to feel inane offering introductions to someone—something—that had been trying to rip her head off a minute ago. “What’s your name?”

“My nomenclature is Bravo Six.” The android looked from her to Leonidas to his dismantled compatriot and back to her again. “You have an imperial cyborg, Captain Marchenko?”

“He works for me, yes.”

Sweat dribbled down her temple, and some kind of suction thing in her helmet turned on to dry her skin. The armor thought of everything, but she needed a break from it. She needed to breathe. She unfastened her helmet and inhaled deeply. The station air wasn’t any fresher than that provided by her suit, but it felt good not to have her bun smashed against the back of her head.

Leonidas frowned at her, as if he couldn’t imagine why anyone would remove her helmet in an enemy stronghold. Or at all. Maybe he was the one who should sleep in his suit.

“He’s my security officer,” Alisa added, since the android seemed to be contemplating the situation and not finding it overly palatable. “We’re looking for the children who were sent here.” She started to ask if he knew where they had gone but decided to start with, “Do you know what I’m talking about?”

Even though the shuttle the Starseers had taken from Cleon Moon had apparently been destroyed on the station’s doorstep, she still did not know for certain that the children had ever made it aboard.

“I know of the Starseer children,” Bravo Six said.

Alisa bristled at the idea of Jelena being categorized so, but she kept her mouth shut. The android knew of them—what more could she want?

“Were they here? Are they still?” Alisa caught herself leaning forward.

Leonidas, already standing beside her, rested his hand on the small of her back, as if to offer support. She could barely sense his touch through the armor, but she appreciated the gesture.

“They were here,” Bravo Six said.

Were. Alisa closed her eyes, the disappointment stinging, even though she’d known not to expect anything more.

“Where did they go?” Leonidas asked.

The android looked blandly at him and did not answer.

“Where did they go?” Alisa repeated.

“I was not informed,” Bravo Six said. “When the imperial ships arrived, the Starseers fled in a shuttle, using their powers to ensure the imperial soldiers did not notice them. They set traps and sabotaged the shuttle from Cleon Moon to delay pursuit. We—” He looked over to the dismembered android, nothing more than parts now. “—I was left behind to further delay the soldiers.”

“You’re part of the security force here?”

“No. I was Dr. Hamilton’s research assistant. He studies geology and astronomy. I was often sent out to asteroids to gather samples.”

Alisa didn’t know what to say to that. She hadn’t imagined a Starseer scientist. She’d thought they all wandered around in their robes, meditating and playing with their mental abilities.

You know I fly and brew beer, Abelardus informed her silently.

I haven’t sampled your beer yet, so I don’t technically know that.

Your ship doesn’t have brewing supplies.

Put them on Beck’s next grocery list. Can you make a chocolate stout?

Is that what it would take to win your love?

No, but I bet it would impress Young-hee if you gave her a gift of beer.

Young-hee?

Yes, cute girl, dark hair, sharp eyes. I believe she’s from your temple. Perhaps you’ve met before.

Ha ha.

“We’re here because of the children,” Alisa told Bravo Six, who was still gazing steadily at her. “We’re going to look for camera footage that might help us figure out where they went. We want to find them and make sure their families know what’s been happening to them. Are you going to impede us further?”

“No,” Bravo Six said. “May I go with you when you leave?”

“Uh, what?”

Abelardus smirked.

“It has been two days since the shuttle left,” Bravo Six said. “There is no longer a need for me to delay intruders, nor is it necessary to defend the station. The scientists took their research with them when they left.”

That hadn’t kept him from leaping out at Leonidas.

“Did the scientists go to the same place as the children?” Alisa asked.

“They all left in the same shuttle. That is all I know. I was not informed about their destination. If I am permitted to go with you, I may be of some assistance in the search. I wish to be reunited with my owner.”

“I… guess.” Alisa rubbed her head. “How come I keep getting more passengers? I’m collecting them like Yumi collects stray chickens. At least the chickens produce eggs.”

Leonidas patted her back and headed for one of the control consoles, a console that had been smashed. Had it been like that before, or had Leonidas or one of the androids crashed into it?

“This is the security station,” Leonidas said after considering the mess for a moment. He pressed a power button, but nothing happened. “I believe it’s where the camera footage would be stored and displayed.”

“Of course it is.” Alisa leaned against the wall, lifted her helmet, and activated the comm. “Mica? I have another project for you.”

“I knew you would,” Mica replied.

“That’s because you’re very wise.”

“No, it’s because there’s always more work to do.”

“True,” Alisa murmured in agreement.

She closed her eyes, weariness seeping into her limbs. If the android was correct, the children had left two days ago. Why couldn’t she ever catch up with them?

Alisa? Stanislav spoke into her mind. I’m in the shuttle bay. I came to see if there were any ships here or if they had all been taken.

And?

Two shuttles are here, and a third is missing from its slot.

That must be the one that everybody left in two days ago, or so we’ve just been told. Is there any camera footage down there?

Maybe they would get lucky and find a database that hadn’t been mangled.

The control panel here isn’t for much more than opening and closing the bay doors.

It figured.

I was able to pull up some information on the shuttles that are usually docked here, Stanislav added. They’re short-range vessels.

Alisa straightened, opening her eyes. Meaning they couldn’t have gone to another planet or station?

I don’t think so.

So Jelena and the others are somewhere in the asteroid belt? A fresh hint of hope stirred. Dare she hope that they were still close?

Unless they rendezvoused with another ship.

Alisa frowned, hoping that wasn’t likely. “We’ll operate under the assumption that they’re here in the asteroid belt,” she said aloud, and a couple of sets of eyes turned toward her. “I’ve been informed that it was a short-range shuttle that they took,” she added.

“That is correct,” Bravo Six said.

“Is that why so many ships are searching the asteroid belt?” Alejandro asked. “Do they know Prince Thorian is out there somewhere close?” He scowled, looking over at Leonidas, as if he should fix everything.

“The prince, or the staff, or both.” Alisa shrugged. She didn’t know and didn’t care what the rest of the system wanted. She only wanted one thing.

Jelena, she thought, wishing she had the ability to telepathically project the words, we’re close, and I’m coming for you.

Chapter 6

Alisa sat up in her bunk, swung her legs over the side, and muttered, “Half lighting.”

She glanced toward the clock as the illumination increased, not surprised that she hadn’t done more than doze fitfully for an hour. There was nothing she could be doing, but she felt guilty for resting—or trying to rest—while Mica was over on the station working. Beck and Leonidas were there, too, standing guard while she tried to fix the security station in Command and Control. Ostberg had also remained, showing interest in the workings of the computers. Only Stanislav, Abelardus, and Alejandro had come back with Alisa.

She tapped the comm. “Still in NavCom, Yumi?”

Yumi had offered to keep an eye on the sensors while Alisa rested. Even though the imperial ships had come and gone, she wouldn’t be surprised if more ships showed up at the station. It clearly wasn’t the secret destination she had imagined.

“Yes, Captain. All is quiet.”

“Thank you.”

Alisa headed to the lav, thinking of heading to NavCom anyway, but paused as she passed Alejandro’s hatch. She turned back and knocked on it. If he was sleeping and did not answer, she would leave, but a question had been floating in her mind since she’d seen that pristine sickbay, complete with an operating room.

The hatch opened, and Alejandro scowled at her, as if she were some mythical siren there to lead him astray.

“What?” he asked.

“If that’s the way you greet a woman, it’s not a mystery as to why your wife left you,” Alisa said, then winced. She’d come to ask him a question, not insult him, but it was hard not to respond to a scowl with a lippy comment.

“I never said her leaving had been mysterious,” Alejandro grumbled.

Alisa lifted an apologetic hand. “Sorry. I just have a quick question.”

“Does it involve Leonidas’s genitals?”

It was her turn to scowl. Did he think that was all she had on her mind?

“For your information, I’m far more concerned about his health and his nightmares than his genitals.”

“Sure you are.”

“Are you always this crabby when woken up in the middle of the night?” Alisa asked.

“Yes, and to answer what I assume is your question, yes, that operating room would be acceptable for surgery. But last I heard, Admiral Tiang wasn’t volunteering to do it.”

Alisa felt like her scowl had frozen to her face, though now she was annoyed with herself rather than with him. Had she truly been so obvious about her intentions and her concerns that he could guess exactly what she’d been thinking about? Or was Abelardus somewhere whispering into his mind? No, he probably could guess. It wasn’t as if she had been able to hide her motivation for kidnapping the Tiangs back on Arkadius.

“Only because a charming woman hasn’t worn him down yet,” Alisa said.

“A conniving woman, more like.”

She bared her teeth at him, barely resisting the urge to do more. It wasn’t professional to wake someone up in the middle of the night and punch him in the stomach. Unless one’s profession was hired thuggery.

“Thank you for so graciously answering my question, Doctor.” Alisa turned away before the fingers she had curled into a fist decided to do something.

“Captain?” Alejandro said gruffly as she walked away.

She stopped in the intersection. “What?”

“If a conniving woman did get Tiang to agree to operate on Leonidas, I would assist with the surgery.”

She stared at him, her first thought that Alejandro wanted to take the position she assumed she would take, holding a stun gun on Tiang to make sure he cooperated. But he must mean that he would assist with the actual operation, handing the admiral tools and watching monitors, perhaps.

“I would also like for him not to have nightmares,” Alejandro added. Just as Alisa was going to nod and think semi-kindly thoughts toward him, he added, “I’d also be happy for him if he could screw whoever he wanted. Preferably not Alliance wenches.”

“You’re such a wonderful friend to him,” Alisa said.

“Blessings of the Sun Trinity upon you,” Alejandro said with a sarcastic bow and backed into his cabin.

Once again, Alisa started toward NavCom, but the sound of a spoon clinking in a mug stopped her. Was Tiang in the mess hall now? She grimaced. How much of that conversation had he heard?

After waffling with indecision for a moment, Alisa headed to the mess hall, where she did indeed find Tiang. Seated at the table, he wore socks, a shirt, and trousers, his clothes as rumpled as usual. He plucked at crumbs on a plate while stirring something steaming in a mug with his other hand.

“Captain, may I implore you to command your security officer to bake more brownies?” he asked, looking up at her.

“I think he’ll make more brownies for you without commands or imploring, as long as you call it grilling rather than baking. He lowers the lid on his barbecue and puts the pan inside.”

“I don’t care if he bakes them by the heat of his armpits. They’re quite wonderful.”

“I, er.” Alisa not only didn’t know what to say, but she worried she would now have that image stuck in her mind every time she sampled Beck’s food. At least Tiang wasn’t frowning at her and making pointed looks back down the corridor to where she’d been talking to Alejandro. Maybe he had been so forlorn at the empty brownie plate that he hadn’t been able to listen to them. “I agree that they’re wonderful, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Tiang smiled cheerfully. His eyes were watery—allergies to the dust bunnies in the less frequently used cabins? He had to be the least admirally admiral she had ever encountered.

“Sir,” she said, coming in to sit across the table from him. “You said you could fix some of the, ah, adjustments that the empire made to Leonidas.”

“If he agrees to join the Alliance, yes. I was ordered to ensure that was a stipulation of the surgery.”

“By Admiral Hawk? Does he truly have the authority to recruit ex-enemy commanders? For that matter, does he actually outrank you? Isn’t he retired?”

“Medically retired, yes, but he’s very popular and well-connected among the high command staff. I am… most days I can’t remember the names of the command staff. I can list thousands of types of neurons, mind you. And tell you what they do.”

“That’s impressive, sir.”

“My military colleagues rarely find it so.” Tiang laid his spoon—which turned out to be a tea infuser—beside his mug and took a sip. “But yes, I’m certain that if Hawk granted a battlefield promotion—or recruitment—it would be honored.”

“The empire took something from Leonidas,” Alisa said, deciding on an angle of approach. “I don’t know if he ever asked, but it’s a foregone conclusion that they wouldn’t give it back.”

“Likely not.”

“Now, you’re here, or Hawk was, offering what they took but trying to take something else in exchange for it.”

Tiang frowned. “We’re not trying to take anything from him.”

“You want his honor.”

His frown deepened.

“That’s what he would feel he was giving up if he accepted your offer. I don’t believe that,” she said, touching her chest, “but I always thought the Alliance was far superior to the empire. I honestly don’t understand the reasons for his loyalty completely, but I understand that he is loyal. And honorable. I believe that once you earn his regard, he wouldn’t do anything to betray it.” Assuming that regard wasn’t at odds with some mission the empire wanted to assign him. She thought again of those messages he had received, messages he hadn’t brought up with her yet.

“Mm.” Tiang sipped from his mug, the steam curling about his nose.

“Perhaps, if someone were to give him a gift instead of always wanting to take things from him…” Alisa said.

“You think that would result in him joining the Alliance?”

“I don’t know,” Alisa said. She was tempted to lie, but knew Leonidas wouldn’t approve of her being dishonorable on his behalf. “Probably not. But perhaps in the future, there would be some moment when he had to choose between seeing you—seeing us as enemies or as allies. If the Alliance had helped him, perhaps he would choose to see it more favorably.”

Another, “Mm,” was all Tiang offered.

She thought about stuffing his tea infuser up his nose, but Leonidas would probably consider that dishonorable too. Or at least inappropriate. Much like her humor.

She smiled sadly, thinking of the stern looks he had given her in the months they had known each other. She also thought of the times he had touched her hair and given her gentle smiles. Of how he had defended her and watched out for her in countless situations, even though she was the enemy, someone who had not only served the Alliance but who hated his empire and would never see eye-to-eye with him when it came to politics.

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. She wanted to help him. It might have started out being about sex, at least in the main, but she thought of the conversation she had overheard, that he might have, as she had once worried, a shorter life expectancy because of what he had volunteered to become. Thinking of it made her eyes film with moisture. Shouldn’t he be able to sleep peacefully for the rest of his life? However long that might be? Shouldn’t he be able to have a family if he wanted one? To not have to always worry about falling asleep, for fear of letting his guard down and hurting someone? If there was a chance that the surgery could help with more than sexual function, wasn’t it worth fighting for? Wasn’t he worth fighting for?

“I hope you will at least consider my words, Admiral,” she said, groping for another argument that might sway him. “He’s worth having as an ally. A friend.”

“I am considering them,” Tiang said.

“Oh?” Alisa looked up, meeting his eyes. She wanted to ask for more details, but she made herself say, “Thank you,” and back away from the table. It sounded like a small concession, and that was enough for tonight. She wanted to press him, but if she pushed too hard, he might balk—out of simple human stubbornness—at the realization that she was trying to manipulate him. Or connive, as Alejandro had called it. The jerk.

“Good night,” she said, heading out of the mess hall.

“Captain Marchenko,” Tiang said.

She looked back, but he was gazing toward the rec room hatch, his eyes unfocused. “Yes?” she asked.

“I’ll do it.”

Her heart tried to spring out of her chest. She couldn’t help herself—whether it was appropriate or not, she ran in and hugged him. He blinked, holding his tea out so it wouldn’t spill.

“Thank you, sir,” she blurted. “When?”

She shouldn’t push, but she wanted to lock him down. He wouldn’t go back on his word now that he had given it, would he?

“Is this the time for it?” he asked, frowning at her. “Aren’t we on an important quest for the Staff of Lore?”

An important quest for Jelena, was more what Alisa had in mind.

She opened her mouth to point out that they couldn’t quest for anything until Mica unraveled the smashed computer system, but Tiang spoke again first without prompting.

“No, but perhaps you’re right,” he mumbled, gazing into the distance again. “Alejandro said there was a sufficient facility on the station, and it wouldn’t necessarily be safe for Colonel Adler to join me in a hospital on an Alliance home world. But we are far from help if there should be complications. Of course, Alejandro is a trauma surgeon, is he not? Yes, I believe I’ve read about him before.”

Alisa found the way Tiang was arguing with himself a little odd, but she kept her mouth shut, waiting to see if it would come out in her favor. In Leonidas’s favor.

Finally, Tiang faced her, his mug clasped in his hands. “If Leonidas is willing to go forward in the morning, I am willing to try it.”

“Thank you.”

Alisa kept herself from hugging him again, instead spinning toward NavCom. No, toward her cabin. She wanted a private spot from which to comm Leonidas. She had to tell him all about it. Would he accept? Or would her efforts prove for naught? He had seemed calm enough back on Arkadius when Tiang had mentioned failsafes in his brain that were designed to kill him rather than allowing enemies to tinker with him, but would fear make him hesitate in the end?

Her step faltered before she reached the intersection. The failsafes. She had almost forgotten. How could she have? What if something did happen? What if Tiang and Alejandro couldn’t handle it? What if Leonidas… died?

She gulped. After all he’d been through and all the battles he had walked away from, just in the months she had known him, it was hard to imagine it being possible for Leonidas to die. But what if, after surviving so many external threats, something went wrong while he was under a surgeon’s scalpel, and there was no way to keep his brain from imploding or whatever the hells happened when those failsafes were triggered? Hells of a name for the term. Wasn’t a failsafe supposed to protect something from catastrophe? Could she trust a man with rumpled clothes and watery eyes to be as good as he thought he was? Had any of the cyborgs he’d operated on back in his imperial days died while he was working on them? For that matter, when was the last time he operated on a cyborg? Since the Alliance didn’t have any of them yet, it had to have been a while.

“Alisa?” came a soft query from the night-dimmed corridor.

She swiped a sleeve across her eyes. “What?” she asked gruffly, not wanting her emotion audible in her voice.

Not that it mattered. That was Stanislav leaning out of his cabin. No doubt, he could read her emotions as easily as her thoughts. She missed having true privacy.

“Do you want to talk?” he asked.

“No.”

“Ah,” he said softly, sounding stung.

“Listen, I just—I don’t know you. If we go fighting pirates and imperials and bounty hunters all across the system for a few months, and you don’t betray me during all that, then maybe we can talk. But I don’t want to confide in a stranger.”

“Was that… an invitation to travel with you and have adventures?” Stanislav asked.

“No. I mean, I don’t know. Let’s start with the not betraying me part and work from there, all right?”

“I’m not here to betray you,” he said quietly, his face in the shadows. He was wearing his black robe again. Maybe he slept in it.

“Why are you here? You said you needed a ride to the temple. We went to the temple. Then we left the planet. And you’re still here.”

“I needed a ride because I’ve realized that Tymoteusz having the staff is a bad idea.”

“You didn’t realize that the instant he expressed an interest? The instant you helped steal it for him?”

“I didn’t intend to give it to him when we took it,” he said dryly. “I was interested in studying it, and I thought I could keep the others from taking it away from me. I was only working with them because of Tym. I hadn’t seen him in twenty years when he landed in my front yard, asking for help.”

Alisa shifted her weight, looking for a way to end the conversation and flee. Stanislav kept missing the point about how she didn’t want to confide in him and share confidences with him until she knew him better. She didn’t want him to share confidences with her either. Besides, she was far more interested in talking to Leonidas right now and discussing the surgery.

“Perhaps you’ll wish for more details another time,” Stanislav said, and bowed. “I’ll let you go.” He peered around the corner in the direction of the mess hall. “And I shall hope the surgery goes well for him.”

“Thanks,” Alisa mumbled and headed toward her cabin.

As her hand settled on the latch, she froze. That odd, distracted look that had entered Tiang’s eyes when he agreed to do the surgery.

She spun. “Stanislav,” she whispered, stopping him from reentering his own cabin.

He turned toward her, his face impossible to read in the dim lighting.

“Did you do that?” she asked, still whispering. She jerked her thumb toward the mess hall.

He hesitated before answering. Alisa groaned. That was answer enough. A confirmation.

She strode through the intersection to join him again. “I thought I talked him into it,” she said. “That I persuaded him that it was the right thing to do.”

Stanislav lowered his chin. “You were not unpersuasive.”

“But he was going to keep saying no?”

Another hesitation.

“Damn it. You can’t just mind control people into doing what you want. Or what your relatives want.” She pressed the heel of her palm to her forehead. Had he truly manipulated Tiang on her behalf?

“It’s important to you,” Stanislav said.

“Yes, but you can’t—when you do things like that to people, it’s why they don’t like or trust Starseers.”

“He need not know.”

“That doesn’t make it any more acceptable.”

“You’ve used Abelardus to influence people to your gain before,” he pointed out.

“To keep people from killing us, yes. Not for personal needs.”

“You’re willing to risk a great deal for Leonidas’s personal needs.”

“But not this,” she said stubbornly, groping for a better argument, a way to make the differences clear. She was right, wasn’t she?

“My method of influencing someone is little different from how a woman uses sex appeal to manipulate a man.” One of his eyebrows rose.

“I wasn’t doing that.”

“You hugged him.”

“Afterward. Out of gratitude. I’d send Beck in to wave brownies under his nose if I wanted to manipulate him. I was just trying to argue my side and convince him that my side was right.”

Stanislav’s other eyebrow rose.

Alisa glowered at him. She wasn’t wrong. She hadn’t been using sex appeal. How could anyone think her sexy right now? In her faded, oft-patched clothes, she was almost as rumpled as Tiang.

“You wish me to undo my influence?” Stanislav asked.

“Yes.” Except if he did, Leonidas wouldn’t get his surgery. “No.” She balled her fingers into a fist. “I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you talk to Leonidas?”

“And get his opinion on whether his surgeon should be coerced by a Starseer into operating on him? I can already tell you what he’ll say.” If she was going to do this, she couldn’t tell Leonidas about Stanislav’s dubious help.

“See if he wishes to do it,” he suggested. “If not, then my coercions don’t matter.”

Alisa huffed in exasperation, as much at the situation as at him. But he was right. If Leonidas didn’t want to go through with it, then there was little point in fighting with Stanislav or admitting to Leonidas what he’d done.

She returned to her cabin and grabbed her comm unit. Her armor case hummed softly in the place usually occupied by her fold-down table. Hopefully, setting her water glass, snack plate, and hairbrush on it wouldn’t distract it from repairing the armor inside.

“Mica?” she asked, comming her before Leonidas. If she had already learned where the shuttle had headed, the surgery would have to wait, regardless of what Leonidas wanted or what Stanislav had done. Alisa wouldn’t put Leonidas ahead of Jelena. She loved him, but she couldn’t do that.

“Where’s my coffee?” Mica asked by way of a response.

“I didn’t realize you had put in an order.”

“I’m over here working through the night. I figured it would be assumed.”

“I’ll make you some and come visit. Any progress with that console?”

“There’s a circuit board dented in the shape of an android butt,” Mica said.

“Is that a no?”

“I’m working on it, but I haven’t been able to find replacement pieces. You can’t just hammer a hard drive back into shape the way you bang out Beck’s armor.”

“Any chance of finding backup files somewhere on the station?”

“I’m looking, but the Starseers don’t upload anything to the sys-net. It’s as if they don’t approve of their files mingling with grub files.”

“I’m sure our files are as inferior as we are.”

“No doubt.”

“Is Leonidas there?” Alisa asked.

“Yes, he’s watching the door while Beck and your new buddy bond.”

“Bravo Six?”

“You forgot to take him back to the ship with you. He’s missing you. He refers to you as Lady Captain.”

“Tell him we’ll be glad to have him help us navigate the asteroid belt once we figure out where the shuttle went.”

“We may not get that information, you know,” Mica said. “If I can find external camera footage, all we’ll get to watch is the shuttle as it flew away after it left the bay.”

“I’m hoping for internal footage, maybe from the shuttle bay, maybe with audio that lets us listen to them discussing their destination.”

“Aloud? Don’t these people talk to each other telepathically?”

“Not always. I don’t think.” Alisa frowned, hoping that wasn’t the case. “Keep working, please. I’m going to talk to Leonidas.”

“He wants coffee too.”

“He said that?” She couldn’t imagine Leonidas doing anything so wistful as vocalizing a desire for coffee. He never complained or admitted to discomfort, pain, or desires, not when he was on duty, and rarely in other circumstances.

“He yawned. I interpreted it.”

Alisa leaned back on her bunk. “I’ll make the coffee soon.” She switched channels. “Leonidas?”

“Here.”

“I heard you’re yawning. What would you say to a nice early morning surgery that might help you sleep better at night?”

He didn’t say anything. Maybe she should have found a more tactful lead-in.

“I suppose it might not,” Alisa said, “but I got the impression that, if some of the tinkering that had been done to your brain was untinkered, your neurotransmitters might play better together.”

“Untinkered?”

“I’m certain it’s a word. Even if the surgery doesn’t cure your nightmares, maybe we’d have a better idea of a starting place for other medical interventions. If nothing else, Yumi has dozens and dozens of boxes of powders in her cabin.”

“Alisa, we need to find the children before worrying about—”

“Trust me, I haven’t forgotten about that, but we’re stuck here until we figure out where they went. As for the surgery, Tiang said he would do it. Alejandro said the operating room on the station would be sufficient. And that he would assist Tiang. If you want them to do it.”

Another silence followed her words. She would have checked to see if the channel was still open if she hadn’t been able to hear Mica grunting and something clanging in the background.

“You talked him into it?” he finally asked. He didn’t sound ecstatic.

Alisa hesitated. Should she mention Stanislav? No, that wouldn’t endear him to the idea. “I talked to him about it, yes.”

“No strings attached?”

“No strings.”

“We should wait until we have the prince. And Jelena. And the staff is dealt with.”

Alisa grimaced. The last thing she wanted to wait on was that damned staff. As to the rest… “We can’t do anything until Mica accesses the footage. And it’s a foregone conclusion that the Nomad doesn’t have medical facilities sufficient for complex operations, so unless you want to accompany Tiang back to some Alliance hospital, then the station may be the best bet.”

“We’ve seen numerous ships out here in the asteroid belt. The station could be attacked again any time.”

“The station is empty. Why would anyone attack it now?”

“We’re here,” Leonidas said.

“The empire already checked here. They should be searching for that shuttle now. Not that I want them to find it, mind you, but there’s no reason for them to return to the station.”

“Alisa…”

She took a deep breath. “If you don’t want to do it, you can say so, Leonidas. I’ll understand. You can wait until a better time. Or… if you decide never to do it, I’ll understand that too. It sounds scary.”

“You wouldn’t mind?” he said quietly.

“No. Look, I’ll fight for you to have whatever will make you happy, so long as it’s what you want. But I don’t want to push you into anything.” She would be disappointed if he never found a solution to his problems, but she wouldn’t say that. She didn’t want him making the choice because of her feelings. She wasn’t even sure what her feelings were right now, knowing that Tiang was only willing to do the surgery because of Stanislav’s mind manipulation.

“Thank you. I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Coffee? Mica said you were desperately in need of some.”

“Your interpretations of what people say are often interesting.”

“Because I’m an interesting person.”

“Yes, you are.”

Chapter 7

Alisa wore her combat armor as she headed back into Sepiron Station, though she was using the helmet to hold the coffee mugs she had filled for Mica, Beck, and Leonidas. Yumi walked at her side, carrying a small pouch.

“I think this will help as much as the coffee,” she said as they navigated the corridors.

The gravity remained on, though occasionally a distant clank or clunk made Alisa wonder how sound the station was.

“It’s stronger than caffeine,” Yumi added with a wink.

“Is it legal?”

“It is legal. And it’s fresh.”

“Is it important that drugs be fresh?”

“I think so. The drisht powder was compounded from bommil leaf and syrunesk procured when we were on Arkadius.”

“When did you have time to procure anything? The only places we spent significant time were a junkyard and a jungle where we were busy being hunted by Alliance soldiers.”

Yumi smiled at her. “Do you want to know?”

“Not if you scraped a mushroom off the underside of a rusting hulk in the junkyard.”

“Bommil leaf isn’t a mushroom.” Yumi chuckled, as if that were the silliest thing she’d heard. “And syrunesk… ah, perhaps you’re better off not knowing.”

“I won’t ask for more details, but can I convince you to apply your scientific background to something less pharmacological?” Alisa asked.

“Likely so. What did you have in mind?”

“I assume most of the asteroids in this belt were cataloged at one time or another. Can you check the sys-net and see if you can find any likely locations for a hidden base or refuge? If the Starseers left in a shuttle, they must have had some destination in mind, and if it wasn’t equipped for long-range travel…”

“What if they simply met up with another ship?” Yumi asked.

Then they could be halfway across the system by now.

“It’s a possibility,” Alisa said, though she did not want to consider it, “but I’d appreciate it if you checked the asteroids, in case the shuttle stayed in the area.”

“I can do that as soon as I deliver my gift.” Yumi swung her bag.

“Some people give flowers and chocolates as gifts instead of drugs.”

“How uninspired.”

“Halt,” came a call from ahead of them. Beck stuck his head around the broken Command and Control door—it was still stuck halfway open. “Only authorized personnel are allowed to approach.”

“We have coffee,” Alisa said.

“That makes you authorized.”

“I thought so.”

Alisa stepped through, clunking her armored shoulder on the broken door. Since she hadn’t heard of any additional androids leaping out at Mica, Beck, and Leonidas, she needn’t have put the gear back on, especially since her case had still been repairing all the dents, but she figured she should wear it often to get used to it. Besides, she didn’t trust the station’s life support not to break down while she was aboard.

“The coffee has arrived,” Alisa announced.

Mica held out a hand without turning toward Alisa. Her head was stuck inside a console, the panels pulled away, revealing all manner of circuitry. Though Leonidas wore his armor and had a rifle nearby, he was also tinkering with one of the computer systems. Only Beck and Bravo Six were on guard, each standing to a side of the doorway.

“Greetings, Lady Captain,” Bravo Six said, turning his one working eye toward her.

“Greetings, Bravo Six.” Alisa felt guilty about that eye now that he was cheerfully working with her people, but he had attacked her first.

“You’re using your helmet to carry coffee mugs?” Leonidas asked, leaning his shoulder against the workstation he’d been tinkering with.

“Was coffee caddy not one of the features listed in the sales specs?” Alisa handed a covered mug to Beck, then walked over and deposited another mug in Mica’s waiting hand.

“No.”

“Are you certain? It was a long list of features.”

While Yumi settled cross-legged on the deck next to Mica, asking if she could hold anything or if a pick-me-up was needed, Alisa carried a mug over to Leonidas and offered it to him.

“It’s not drugged, is it?” he asked, eyeing Yumi and her bag.

“No…”

“I don’t want to wake up on an operating table without my consent.”

She frowned, stung that he’d thought she might arrange that. Had she been pushing that hard? Had she sounded insincere earlier? Damn it, maybe she was trying too hard. And if he was ambivalent, he might not appreciate her efforts.

“I’m sure your enhanced taste buds would detect additives if they were in there,” she said, “but they’re not in the coffee and they’re not in this either.” She extracted the other item in the bottom of her helmet, a chocolate bar, and handed it to him. He had been over here for a while without anything to eat, so she figured he was hungry. It was unopened, so he shouldn’t be suspicious of it.

He sighed and accepted it, only to lay it on the nearest flat surface and offer his arms. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair.”

She stepped into the hug, even if it was silly the way their chest pieces bumped against each other. “It’s understandable. I’m shifty. And apparently conniving.”

“Who said that?” His arms tightened around her, and he rested his chin against her hair—that was more pleasant than the bumping chests.

“Alejandro. Will you beat him up for me?”

“Of course. Can I beat up Abelardus too?”

“He hasn’t insulted me lately.”

“So?”

She snorted and cupped the back of his neck with her hand. The palms of the gauntlets were thinner and allowed more sensation than most of the armor, but it still wasn’t the same as touching bare skin to bare skin.

“Combat armor isn’t conducive to romance or cuddling, is it?” she asked.

“Unfortunately not.” He sighed again and lowered his arms. “I don’t think you would find sleeping in it an appealing way to spend the night with me.”

“Oh, I’ve already come to that conclusion. I decided you should sleep in yours. I saw there’s a command to lock it down.”

“There is. I’ve even used it before for that very purpose.”

“So someone could cuddle with you?”

“So I wouldn’t hurt someone when I dozed off during a space flight in tight quarters. Prince Thorian, actually.”

“Ah.” Alisa stepped back. “Since Beck and Bravo Six are watching Mica’s back, will you come with me to search the station? I want to take a look at the shuttle bay for myself—right now, I only have Stanislav’s word that there’s nothing useful down there. And maybe… maybe we can find where the children were sleeping.” She cringed inwardly at the thought of walking into another abandoned bedroom, as they had back on Cleon Moon, but there might be clues in such a place.

“I will.” Leonidas picked up his rifle and the chocolate bar, giving her a shy smile as he did so. He also took a big swig of the coffee before setting it down and nodding to the door.

Warmed by the gesture, she bumped shoulders with him. It seemed to be the limit of cozy, romantic gestures one could make when both parties were ensconced in armor.

“Don’t forget your coffee caddy,” he said as they walked toward the door.

Alisa snorted and grabbed her helmet.

“You’re in charge, Beck.” She thumped him on the arm as she passed. When Bravo Six tilted his head, she thumped him on the arm too.

“What?” came Mica’s muffled objection from within the computer console. “I don’t even outrank the security chef?”

“You definitely outrank the security chef,” Alisa said, while winking at Beck and shaking her head. “But you’re busy, so it’ll be up to Beck to decide if you need to be hoisted off the deck and hauled to safety.”

Mica’s response was too inarticulate and muffled to understand.

“Your command structure could use some updating and clarification,” Leonidas said, as they headed into the corridor.

“That sounds like a good job for a security chief to undertake.”

“If you put me in charge of it, the security chief will end up outranking the captain.”

“Sounds unorthodox.”

“But appealing.” He gazed down at her through slitted eyes, probably fantasizing about having the authority to keep her from throwing herself—and the rest of the ship—into harm’s way.

“I should have drugged you, after all.”

He patted her back and led her toward an elevator. Thanks to the map imprinted in her mind, she knew it went to all the different levels, including up to the shuttle bay.

“I explored a little earlier,” Leonidas said, the doors sliding shut after they entered. “I found two more imperial soldiers—both dead—near the airlock chamber. I suspect their ship or ships were responsible for scorching the hatch there.”

“And destroying the Starseer transport ship?”

“Possibly. Unless there are more enemies out here.”

“I keep waiting for our buddy Tymmy to show up. After we saw his ship at the first station, Stanislav said he’d try to shroud us or cloak us—whatever—to keep his brother from following, but I’m not sure if that’s possible. I’m also not sure if we can trust him.”

“No,” Leonidas agreed. “He could be the one helping Tymoteusz stay close to us. Tiang is a concern too. He didn’t give us a valid reason for wanting to come with us.”

“You don’t think he came along because he adores you and wants to help you?”

“I think he’s Hawk’s spy. I assumed you thought that too.”

“Yes, it came to mind the second he volunteered to spend his leave with us. We’re not a pleasure ship. Nobody would voluntarily take a vacation with us.”

“Yumi seems to find it appealing.”

“Yumi’s not taking a vacation. She’s collecting drug ingredients for the founding of her mobile drug dispensary.”

He squinted at her. “That was a joke, right?”

“I’m not sure. As to the rest, I’ve been watching people’s comm messages to see what gets sent and received via the Nomad’s dish.” As the elevator stopped and Leonidas stepped out, she watched him out of the corner of her eye. “I noticed you got a couple of messages,” she said, trying to make it sound casual, not like an accusation.

“Did you listen to them?” He didn’t sound affronted by the idea.

“No.”

“Really?” He arched his eyebrows, holding the door so she could step out.

“Really. It did cross my mind. But I thought I should trust you to tell me if I needed to know anything.”

“Huh.”

She decided not to be insulted that he had expected her to snoop. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t laid the foundation for such expectations.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they headed toward the shuttle bay.

“Senator Bondarenko sent ships to look for Thorian and the staff,” Leonidas said. “I gather their intel was slow on hearing about everything. We don’t have the resources anymore that the Alliance does.”

Alisa held back a grimace at his use of the word we instead of they. At least he was telling her about the messages.

“They want your help?” she guessed.

“They were asking for information at this juncture.”

She pressed her lips together to keep from asking if he had provided any of it. She wasn’t snooping, and she wasn’t prying. Not this time.

He met her eyes, almost as if he expected her to ask. “I haven’t answered them yet.”

“Yet?”

“First off, Bondarenko could have contacted me to enlist me in his new militia when the war ended if he wanted my help. He hasn’t contacted any cyborgs, from what I’ve heard. That he is interested in me now is telling. Beyond that, I don’t know where Thorian or the staff are, so there’s not much to share with them. When we do find Thorian… I don’t think handing him to Bondarenko is the appropriate move. His father wanted him with the Starseers until he’s old enough to… be his own man.”

Or lead an army to reestablish the empire. Alisa knew that was what the plan had been. She hoped with all of her heart that the Alliance would be too established and too entrenched throughout the entire system for that to happen by the time Thorian was old enough to think about military strategy. Though she supposed someone could claim himself regent, use Thorian as a figurehead, and try to move the agenda forward sooner. Poor kid. Everyone either wanted him dead or wanted to use him.

“You don’t think it would be better for him to be with a mother and a father?” Alisa asked. “He could be adopted, live a normal kid’s life, and not grow up learning to hurl people against walls and pry into their minds.”

“That’s not what his father asked for.” Leonidas stopped in front of a set of double doors. “And he’s already got Starseer powers, just as your Jelena does. There’s no making that go away. They have to be trained by people who know how to train such children.”

“Maybe Yumi’s mother would volunteer.” Alisa barely knew the woman, but she had raised daughters who didn’t seem interested in conquering the galaxy. They found Abelardus handsome, which was definitely a flaw, but a mother couldn’t be blamed for that.

“It won’t be up to me,” Leonidas said, “but I gather the Starseers find the orphanage system with its multiple tutors and role models to be preferable.”

“I don’t see how it would be,” Alisa said. “Boys need mothers and fathers. So do girls.” Alisa gave her braid an agitated tug—she had forgotten to put it back into a bun when she woke up.

“Yes,” Leonidas said, smiling sadly.

He waved his hand at the control panel, and the door opened for him.

“Did Mica override something?” Alisa asked. “That’s not your usual method of opening doors.”

“I overrode something.”

“Is that what you were doing to that computer? Making sure you got access?”

“I didn’t want to have to rely on Starseers or androids to finish my explorations.”

They walked into the shuttle bay, where two of the three docking spots were taken by passenger craft capable of seating about twelve people. The names on the sides read Sepiron Station Shuttle 1 and 2 and matched up to names on the wall in the bay. As Stanislav had said, Shuttle 3 was missing.

Alisa and Leonidas split up to walk around, but there wasn’t much to see except for the shuttles. A control panel on the wall near the door allowed one to depressurize the bay and open the exterior doors.

“Lots of scientific equipment in this one,” Leonidas said, leaning out of Shuttle 1 and heading for 2.

“Maybe it’s what Bravo Six takes out to the asteroids.” She wondered if the android was programmed for piloting. If so, that would be another reason to take him along. She could use another pilot that she could train to fly the Nomad. Of course, just because he had been left behind on the station did not mean he could be claimed by anyone who wandered through. His science-loving Starseer would presumably want him back.

“Shuttle Two looks to be a passenger shuttle, nothing more,” Leonidas called from within. “There are crates of shelf-stable foods in here. Water. Looks like someone packed in a hurry too.”

Alisa walked over and peered through the hatch. “Maybe they meant to take two shuttles instead of one, but ran out of time.”

She grimaced at the idea of the children crammed in with two shuttles’ worth of Starseers and only enough food along for half of the passengers. Her hand strayed to the pocket where she kept Jelena’s bracelet, but her fingers clunked against her armored thigh.

“Bravo Six said the Cleon Moon ship was used as a distraction, right?” Leonidas asked. “Something for the imperials to shoot at while the Starseers slipped away.”

“Yes,” Alisa said. “You’re right—they must have been rushed to have thrown away a perfectly good space craft.”

“It’s discomfiting that the imperials wanted to obliterate it instead of capturing it. Did they think the prince was aboard? You wouldn’t think they would have wanted to risk blowing up the staff. Or Prince Thorian.” He stepped out of the shuttle, frowning thoughtfully. “Well, perhaps they do want to get rid of Thorian. If Bondarenko could show all of Perun his body, it might get the holdout factions to support him, knowing there’s no hope of Markus’s heir reuniting the empire one day.”

Alisa grimaced. That was even more despicable than her idea that someone might want to proclaim himself the boy’s regent.

Leonidas gazed at the bulkhead. “I think you’re right that he needs a mother and father, but in addition to being the only ones who can train him, the Starseers may be the only ones who can keep him alive over the next few years.”

“You could,” Alisa said. “The emperor should have ordered you to stay with him. Of course, I would regret not having met you.” She would have regretted it more if she had encountered him in battle one day as an enemy. That was a chilling thought.

“The last time I spoke to Markus, I wasn’t that interested in leaving my men and being a child’s chaperone,” Leonidas said. “We were fighting a losing battle. I didn’t want to flee while my men stayed and died defending the emperor. But… once I got to know Thorian, I felt differently.” His voice lowered. “Besides, soon after we escaped, there was nothing left to go back to. The emperor was gone, as were the men I’d been defending his base with.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “When we reached Dustor, I offered to stay with Thorian, to be his bodyguard. But the Starseers had no interest in a cyborg’s help. And Thorian… he seemed to believe he was going to his proper fate. I’d like to think he would have preferred to have me along, but perhaps not.” He lifted an armored shoulder.

“I think you’d find life boring as a bodyguard,” Alisa said. “But you’d make a good father. Or surrogate father.” She certainly hoped that Jelena would take to him and that the Starseers hadn’t had long enough to instill their prejudices in her.

“I don’t know about that.” His gaze dropped to the deck. “I wasn’t very good with my brothers. They were ten years younger than me, and when I was a teen, I never wanted to be stuck babysitting them. I wanted to be out playing sports and having adventures with my friends. It wasn’t until Mom got sick that… I had to take care of them more then, but a part of me resented it. I was selfish, self-centered.”

“It’s a flaw a lot of us have at that age. And at later ages too.”

“I think they sensed it on some level,” Leonidas went on, not acknowledging her attempt to assuage his guilt. “Even if I didn’t say as much out loud. When we learned that Mom had a terminal disease, that brought us closer together, but when I chose the army over trying to figure out a way to raise them… Well, I’ve told you the why.”

“But you never told them.”

“No. I believed I was being noble, but deep down, I think I found the military more appealing than the idea of raising children. It was easier to send money back home than to be there, helping them with homework and making sure they were growing up well. I’ve had a lot of years to regret that. I’ve tried to mend the fences with them a few times, but it’s too late now. A part of the reason I’d like to be a father is I’d like another chance to do things right. To not make the same mistakes again.”

“You wouldn’t.” Alisa gripped his arm. “Leonidas, you can’t blame yourself for choices you made when you were eighteen. For most of us, that’s a real stupid age.”

He grunted. “Perhaps.” He looked at her. “Even though I want another chance, a part of me is scared I’ll screw up again. This surgery… it represents more than simple biological functions.”

“I expected it would.” She lifted a hand and pressed her palm to his cheek. “You may doubt yourself, but I have no doubts about you. If you choose to accept the mission, you’ll make a fine father. Jelena can guide you.” She grinned. “She’s excellent at speaking her mind and offering opinions.”

“Are you trying to daunt me?”

“Just making an offer. After spending a few months with an eight-year-old running around the ship, you may have an easier time making the fatherhood decision. One way or another.” She wistfully imagined him staying with her long-term and becoming a surrogate father to Jelena, but she didn’t want to push that idea on him before the two had even met.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Leonidas said.

“Of course I am. I’m wise.” She lowered her hand and waved toward the door. “Shall we continue our search?”

He gazed at the door but did not move. She almost asked him if he had heard the question, but he heard everything.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

“The search? Or are we talking about…”

He met her eyes. “I’ll do it.”

Chapter 8

Alisa walked into the operating room on Sepiron Station, expecting to find Leonidas lying on the table, naked with his head shaved and tubes coming out of every orifice. Instead, he sat on the table in his underwear and T-shirt, his arm hooked over a bent knee as he pensively eyed images of his brain on a holodisplay hanging over an open stretch of floor. If his head was going to be shaved, it hadn’t happened yet, though a small gray device had been attached to his temple. Alejandro was poking at a fancy, oversized remote control while Tiang hummed softly, bent over a counter, alternating between looking at a computer display and manipulating controls on some kind of scope.

Leonidas’s expression shifted from pensive to relieved as Alisa walked to the table and clasped his hand. She had to step past his armor case, with his boots and folded trousers resting on it, to reach him. His blazer rifle leaned against the wall next to the rest of his gear.

“Are you planning to hop up from this and do battle?” she asked.

“If necessary,” he said, glancing at Alejandro. “They found nanobots that could work, and they’re going to try to do this without opening my skull. They said inflammation should be minimal, and that I’ll recover much more quickly than if they were removing a tumor or something of that ilk.”

“If they work,” Alejandro said.

“I believe they will,” Tiang said, turning toward them. “Using magnetic nanoparticles to temporarily open and slip through the blood-brain barrier isn’t cutting edge by any means, and is frequently used for the diagnoses of diseases and also the delivery of molecules directly to the brain. In some cases, repairs can be made with them, but we’ll actually be injecting nerve growth factor and rebuilding pathways. It will be challenging, and I’ll be controlling the nanoparticles by hand—” he waved at the remote control, “—to ensure precision is applied and also to avoid the triggers for the failsafes.”

“I hope you have a steady hand, Admiral,” Alisa said, imagining piloting through a bomb-laden asteroid field.

“I have very steady hands. But I wouldn’t mind some of your chef’s dragon wings to ensure that my stamina stays up throughout the procedure.”

“Uh, he’s been guarding my engineer while she works, but I can see if there’s anything prepared back on the ship.”

“Stay,” Leonidas said softly, laying his other hand atop hers. “They’re starting soon.”

He appeared as stoic as always, even casual in that pose, but Alisa had come to know him well enough that she could read the concern in his eyes. Concern and something more, something she hadn’t seen before. Fear.

He could face impossible forces in battle and take it in stride, but this? He couldn’t control this. His fate wouldn’t be his own. He was at the mercy of a man he didn’t know if he could trust.

Alisa nodded and touched the stun gun holstered at her hip, reminding him that she would be watching over him while they were operating. She had removed her armor, unable to bear not scratching her itches any longer, but she was confident she could handle Tiang without it if need be. And even though she didn’t like Alejandro, she doubted he would do anything to harm Leonidas, or that he would step aside and allow Leonidas to be harmed. Alejandro owed him too many favors.

“They already did the first part,” he murmured, glancing down at his underwear. “It didn’t take long for them to repair the artery. I will have some swelling, they said. And a scar unless I decide to have someone reconstruct the skin.” He pursed his lips, his contemplative expression, as he regarded his crotch making Alisa smile. “They did that after our other surgeries, since we would have looked like Frankenstein creations if they hadn’t, but I’m not sure if I want anyone poking around down there again.”

“No one at all?” She bumped her shoulder against his.

“Not with a laser scalpel.”

“You’re lucky I’m not as into toys as Mica is.”

His expression went from contemplative to horrified, and she hugged him.

“We should start soon,” Tiang said. “The brain part of the procedure is considerably more complicated.”

Reluctantly, Alisa released Leonidas and stepped back. She thumbed her comm unit. “Abelardus?” Mica, Yumi, and Beck were still on the station, Mica doing her repairs and Yumi researching the asteroid field, so she had limited people on the Nomad to call upon.

“Yes?” Abelardus replied.

“Can you send Ostberg over with some munchies for Admiral Tiang? Maybe some coffee?” She pointedly did not say why Tiang needed to be so fueled, but from the way Abelardus sighed, he probably knew. Fortunately, he did not make comments about penises.

“I’m sure Ostberg will eat the munchies along the way if I send him,” he said.

“Whoever you can find who’s willing to run errands. The sooner we get this done—”

“The sooner we can get back to looking for the staff? You did promise to help me retrieve it.”

“After we get the children, yes. And after you come up with a plan that could actually work against someone with greater powers than you and all your Starseer buddies combined.”

“Your specialty is plans.”

“More like schemes that get everyone in trouble,” Alisa muttered. “Would you also ask Stanislav to get in touch with me if he senses anyone coming? Staffs, people, ships… Even if the imperial ships have come and gone, I can’t help but feel vulnerable out here.”

“I don’t feel the staff,” Abelardus said.

“Yes, but Stanislav has more range than you do, doesn’t he? I’d like to hear from him.”

Abelardus grumbled under his breath.

“And coffee and munchies, please. Thank you.” Alisa closed the comm before he could comment or inarticulately grumble more.

“That did not sound promising for snacks,” Tiang said, shaking his head woefully as he bent over the scope again.

“He’s not what I expected from an admiral,” Alisa told Leonidas.

Leonidas smiled slightly, but the concerned look hadn’t left his eyes, and his gaze drifted to the brain holo again.

“Fancy, isn’t it?” Alisa asked, hoping to distract him from dark thoughts. “Maybe we could have just brought Durant here.”

“Had I known this place existed, I might have considered it,” Alejandro said.

Alisa stroked Leonidas’s hair. “I’m glad you won’t be bald and scarred. You’re fearsome enough without looking like a zombie.”

“I don’t feel fearsome right now.” He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her as close as the table would allow.

She leaned against him, breathed in his warm scent, and enjoyed the feel of his body beneath her hands as she tried not to think about failsafes and dangers and whether it was foolish to be doing this here and now — or ever.

“We’re ready to get started,” Tiang said.

She kissed the top of Leonidas’s head. “I’ll be right here.”

“Good,” Leonidas said.

Alejandro ordered him to lie on his back on the table. Leonidas kept hold of Alisa’s hand, and she shifted so the men could prepare him without bumping into her. He was getting some tubes, after all, and a sedative. As the latter was administered, Leonidas gazed up at her, meeting her eyes. Even though he had chosen this freely, she couldn’t help but wonder how much she had influenced him. Would he truly have gone through with it, if not for her? If something went wrong, would it be her fault? Was it foolish to do it here, in the middle of an asteroid belt, instead of in some hospital full of doctors and experts that could be brought in to save his life if necessary? Yes, was most assuredly the answer to that question, but that option wasn’t open to them. Not now. Maybe they could have waited, found a way to get the Alliance to accept him and allow him safe passage on their planets.

She forced herself to smile down at Leonidas, trying not to let her fears show. He needed strength now. Certainty, not doubts.

As the sedative kicked in, his eyelids grew heavier, finally closing. His hand loosened as unconsciousness took him. Alejandro came over to check on him, accidentally bumping her with an elbow. He shot her a dirty look.

Knowing she was in the way, Alisa laid Leonidas’s hand on the table and stepped back. She would gladly have held it through the whole procedure, but she did not want to cause difficulties.

Instead, she moved to the doorway where she could keep an eye on the doctors and their progress. Her comm beeped, and she thought about stepping into the other room, but thought Leonidas, even if he was unconscious, might be comforted on some level by hearing her voice, so long as it wasn’t agitated. Hoping she wouldn’t have a reason for agitation, she answered.

“What is it, Mica? Progress?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

That didn’t sound as promising as Alisa would have liked.

“I’ve recovered the video footage. We’re able to see the way the shuttle went when it departed, but that’s about it. There isn’t any audio, so we weren’t able to hear the people discussing their plans on the internal feeds. Because the shuttle would have had to weave around asteroids, tracing its trajectory won’t pinpoint where they went.”

“But you can at least tell the direction they headed, right?”

“Yes, but the three imperial ships were there and firing at the station, so it’s possible they picked the best route for escape with the intention of changing their course later.”

Alisa leaned against the doorjamb. “I understand, but let’s ask Yumi to narrow her search to the part of the field that’s in the direction they traveled. We’ll check the likely prospects there first.”

“She’s here and says she’s already doing that.”

“Good. Mica? Did any of the videos show the children?”

“There’s some footage of everyone hurrying into a shuttle, yes.”

“Can you send it to me? I want to see… I just want to see.” Alisa needed to see Jelena. It had been more than a year and a half since they had been together in person, and nearly a year now since they had even chatted over the sys-net. So long. Far too long.

“Will do,” Mica said. “You have anything else here you need me to fix? I’m thinking of leaving an invoice for my services rendered. Do you think the Starseers will pay it?”

“I couldn’t guess.”

“It probably depends on whether they return or abandon the facility,” someone said from behind Alisa.

Stanislav walked into sickbay carrying a tin of cookies and an impromptu carrier full of coffee mugs. He wasn’t using a helmet for the purpose, perhaps because he didn’t have one.

“Send me the video, please, Mica,” Alisa said, and closed the comm as she faced Stanislav. “I thought Ostberg was going to be sent on this errand.”

“Abelardus said you wanted the cookies to arrive uneaten.”

“True.”

“We’re ready to inject the nanobots,” Alejandro said.

“One moment.” Tiang came to the doorway, removed his gloves, grabbed a coffee mug and a handful of cookies, and stepped outside of the operating room to munch.

Alejandro propped a fist on his hip and frowned. “Didn’t you already sterilize your hands? Now you’re eating?”

“I sterilized them to work on the nanobots.” Tiang chomped on a cookie. “I’ll sterilize them again before beginning the surgery. Don’t worry. Chocolate can’t cross the blood-brain barrier.”

Stanislav’s eyebrows rose.

“We’ve decided he’s not like other admirals,” Alisa said.

“I haven’t met many admirals,” Stanislav said, “so I don’t have a basis for comparison.”

“Most of the ones I’ve met are like Alejandro. Stiff, stodgy, and in need of stick-removal surgeries.”

Alejandro ignored her.

“Admiral Hawk seemed a reasonable man, all things considered,” Stanislav said.

Tiang finished his snack, swigged so much coffee that she was certain he would have to leave in the middle of the surgery to pee, then washed up and returned to the operating room. Alejandro pointedly turned on a fan, and Alisa imagined germs being sucked up and incinerated. Cookie crumbs, too, perhaps.

Alejandro tried to shut the door and shoo Alisa and Stanislav out, but she waved him away, touched her stun gun, and nodded toward Tiang. The doctors set to work, and neither looked toward her again. She did step back into the main sickbay room to watch through the windows, so she wouldn’t disturb the men.

“There are other ships in the asteroid belt,” Stanislav said quietly from her side.

Alisa jerked. “What? Close?”

“Not yet,” he said. “But they may be searching for the shuttle or the staff too.”

“Too? Are these not imperial ships?”

“I don’t know. I can’t tell by auras if a person is imperial or Alliance. It’s the people I sense, stark against the emptiness of space, not the ships.”

“So long as they’re not heading in this direction.” Alisa looked toward Leonidas, wondering anew if they should be doing this now. Tiang had said the surgery might take up to three hours, but they had now been hooked up to the station for nearly twenty-four without repercussions. Three more did not seem like too many to ask for.

“They’re not. I’ll let you know if it changes. And I’ll keep an eye on…” Stanislav nodded toward the operating table, or perhaps that nod was for Tiang. Was he even now applying subtle pressure so that the admiral didn’t realize he hadn’t intended to do this surgery?

“All right,” Alisa said, even if she objected to the manipulation. She had given her assent by not stopping it, and now she was committed.

Her comm beeped again. “Captain? It’s Yumi.”

“With good news?”

“I’m putting together a map of potential asteroids for you, and I’ll send it over shortly. I must warn you that any of these larger asteroids could hold a hidden installation. There aren’t any compositions that would render an asteroid unsuitable for development, other than ones comprised of harder ores, which would be more work insofar as chiseling out the core for a compound.”

“Sounds like you’re sending me a big list then,” Alisa said.

“Yes, Captain.”

“Go ahead and send it. Maybe my pilot’s intuition will help in narrowing the field.”

“That doesn’t sound like a scientific methodology.”

“And yet, I trust it.” Aware of Stanislav looking at her, Alisa asked, “What?”

“I did not know that pilot intuition was useful in determining the location of hidden bases.”

“Of course it is. You look at things like whether the asteroid is too close to its neighbors to allow good access for ships.”

“I see. That actually makes sense.”

“I’m going to choose not to be offended by the fact that you sound surprised.”

“Good.”

Alisa pulled up her netdisc to look at Yumi’s map, but Mica had also sent the shuttle bay footage, so she called that up first. On the operating table, Leonidas lay still, Alejandro on one side of him, monitoring his stats, while Tiang manipulated the remote control and watched the holo brain, the image zoomed to levels so microscopic that the nanobots were visible. Alisa reminded herself that he was a highly trained specialist doing brain surgery and not a kid playing a holo game, even if that was what it looked like.

She played the shuttle bay footage in a holo of her own that floated over her netdisc. When Stanislav leaned in to get a look, her first instinct was to hide the display from him.

“I’m curious about what my—your daughter—looks like,” he said.

She hesitated, but what intel could be gleaned from this? Kids being shuffled into a shuttle with no audio to catch words shared. If he wanted to, he could probably find a school picture of Jelena in the public records, and there were surely plenty of pictures of Thorian out there too.

As the footage played, the first people coming into sight, she shifted so he could see the holo. At first, only adults in black robes strode into view, hurrying to open the shuttle door and load a few crates. She zipped the video forward until the first child came onto the display. A boy. She did not recognize him, but she slowed the playback, anticipating…

Yes, there was Jelena.

She had expected to watch with cool detachment—it wasn’t as if this were real time—but the overwhelming emotion nearly brought her to her knees. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

Not now, she told herself, blinking away the moisture. Later, she could watch this again in the privacy of her cabin and get weepy. For now, she was the captain, overseeing Leonidas’s surgery and staying strong and professional in front of her crew and passengers. And spies.

“That’s her?” Stanislav asked, pointing.

Alisa nodded, not trusting her voice.

There were three other girls and four boys, including the somber-faced Prince Thorian, but he had selected the right one. Jelena was taller than the last time Alisa had seen her, and her brown hair was back in a braid instead of the pigtails she’d long favored. Maybe she was growing out of pigtails. Had she had anyone there to help her with the braid, or had she learned to do it herself? Alisa remembered teaching Jonah how to make a few of Jelena’s favored styles, so he could help her with her hair when she wasn’t there. Did Starseers care about such things?

One of the adults held up a hand to stop the children. They gathered outside of the shuttle. Jelena looked at the back of Thorian’s head and waved her fingers. His dark hair floated outward, as if the gravity had disappeared. One of the nearby boys giggled, and Thorian glowered at Jelena. Alisa almost groaned at her daughter making trouble, but she couldn’t pretend to be surprised. Thorian tilted his chin toward her, and her braid floated up and whacked the giggling boy on the side of his head, startling him. Jelena grinned, as did the somber Thorian, if only briefly. Well, at least she had a friend. That was good, even if Alisa would have preferred she buddy up with someone the entire system wasn’t intent on capturing or killing.

“She’s cute,” Stanislav said, as the adults ushered the children into the shuttle. “I can see you and your mother in her.”

Alisa shrugged, still not trusting her voice and not sure what to say, regardless.

“Does she—” He frowned, his eyes growing distant.

“What?” Alisa asked, dread creeping into her stomach.

“Some of the ships may be heading this way.”

“What?” she repeated, tightening her fingers around her netdisc. “Why? Damn it, there’s nothing here for them.” She looked toward the operating table, and Alejandro frowned at her, lifting a finger to his lips. Alisa turned her back to them and took a few steps away, not wanting to distract Tiang. “Can you convince the pilots to turn in another direction, Stanislav?”

“Perhaps if they get closer,” he said. “They’re at the edge of my sensory range now. But it would be better for us if they didn’t get closer.”

“No kidding. How many ships are there?”

“Heading this way? I’m not sure yet. There seem to be multiple groups out there searching. The group that has turned in this direction might have as many as eight ships.”

“Big ships or little shuttles?”

“Judging by the numbers of people aboard them, they’re large ships, military perhaps.”

“You couldn’t have discovered this an hour ago?” she asked, thrusting an exasperated hand toward the operating room.

“They weren’t heading this way an hour ago. I wasn’t even aware of them until more recently.”

Alisa started pacing. “How long do we have?”

“They may not know we’re here, or they may be looking for something else, not the station. Or us.”

“Let’s hope.” Alisa grabbed her comm unit. “Mica, are you still aboard the station?”

“Of course. I’m composing my invoice.”

“Does it have any weapons?”

“My invoice? No, do you think a few booby traps would make the Starseers more likely to pay attention?”

“The station.” Alisa made a rude gesture at the comm unit, tempted to turn on the video so the gesture would go through.

“I don’t think so, but I’ll check.”

“Check for shields too. Just in case.” Alisa did not relish the idea of trying to keep away eight military ships with nothing but the two e-cannons installed on the Nomad. They had test-fired them and confirmed that they worked, but that was different from going into battle with them. Even one military ship would make mincemeat of her freighter.

“Can I add this extra work to my invoice?” Mica asked.

“Yeah, definitely bill it to the Starseers. Most of my troubles are their fault.” She turned a glare onto Stanislav. Even if he hadn’t been a part of the group that had kidnapped Jelena, he and his staff-stealing comrades had surely compounded her problems.

But Stanislav wasn’t paying attention to her. He had moved back to the doorway and was looking into the operating room.

Alisa walked over in time to hear Tiang speak.

“His parietal lobe is bleeding.” Sweat gleamed on Tiang’s forehead, a testament to his concentration. “I wasn’t over there with the nanobots. There shouldn’t be any damage.”

“Meaning we triggered something?” Alejandro demanded.

“I’m afraid so.”

Chapter 9

Alisa gripped the doorjamb, the ships and Jelena and Stanislav forgotten as she stared at Leonidas. He wasn’t moving under the influence of the sedative, but a monitor alarm had started beeping.

“Programming more nanobots to go in and cauterize that,” Alejandro said, turning away from Leonidas and toward the scope. “We don’t have many of them. We’ll only get one chance.”

“There might not be time,” Tiang said softly.

“Can’t you use some of the ones already in there?” Alisa asked.

“They’re not—” Tiang cursed. “Did you see that, Dominguez? A foreign signal just went to his heart. It’s one of the failsafes. I shouldn’t have triggered that, damn it. I was very careful in selecting my path. Did it move over the years? I know where they put them.”

“A signal from the brain shouldn’t affect the heart,” Alejandro said, looking over his shoulder. “It’s just a dumb muscle that keeps—”

“An enhanced muscle in his case,” Tiang said. “With improved cardiac output—and a damned switch that got inserted as part of the failsafe program. I looked over Dr. Bartosz’s notes before starting this.”

His words came out quick and clipped. Scared.

“What’s going to happen to his heart?” Alisa brought her fist to her mouth, terror flooding through her. And recriminations. Why had she pushed for this? Why hadn’t she been patient? Surely, this could have waited a month or even a year. And with more time, maybe they could have found a more reasonable—less risky—solution.

“Ventricular tachycardia,” Tiang said, glancing toward a holo monitor displaying Leonidas’s vital statistics. “Which will lead to ventricular fibrillation.”

“Which leads to what?” Alisa demanded. She could hear the note of hysteria in her voice, but she couldn’t calm it down. A heart attack? Death?

“Dominguez, open his IV line,” Tiang said. “I brought mylocidane. In my bag.” He jerked his head toward the counter without taking his eyes from the brain scan. “Grab an antiarrythmic too.”

Alejandro moved to comply, but not without a frown in his direction. “You knew this was a possibility.”

“Of course I knew, but I was careful to avoid the trigger. It shouldn’t be happening, damn it.” Tiang dashed a sleeve across his brow.

“What’s mylocidane?” Alisa asked, her fingers twitching. She wanted to help, but how could she? She didn’t know anything.

“A powerful beta-adrenergic blocking agent,” Tiang said, glancing at the monitor. Alisa didn’t know what most of the stats meant, but she had no trouble reading that his heart rate had shot up and was jagged instead of regular.

Alejandro, preparing the IV, frowned at Alisa. “This would be a good time for you to take a coffee break, Captain.”

“A what?”

“You’re a distraction. Let us do our job.” He jerked his chin toward the outer chamber.

Alisa wanted to punch him, or curse at him, or both, but she clamped her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted was to distract Tiang. Either of them.

Stanislav rested a hand on Alisa’s shoulder. She was too tense to acknowledge it.

“He’s gone into fibrillation,” Alejandro said. “Will the drugs be enough? If there’s some device in there deliberately causing this? Tell me we don’t have to crack open his chest and remove the device.”

“I don’t know, but we couldn’t operate on his heart while it’s in this state anyway. Get the TAM-press. Assume we’ll have to do chest compressions.”

Footsteps thudded behind Alisa, but she did not turn to look. She couldn’t take her gaze from the operating table, alternately staring at Leonidas’s face and at the monitors. His eyes were twitching under his lids. What horrible nightmare must he be having now?

“Captain,” Beck said, “we have a problem.”

“No shit.” And she was helpless to do anything about it.

Beck only glanced into the operating room. “Some ships just came into range of the station’s sensors.”

Alisa’s comm beeped. A message from the Nomad. Abelardus was probably keeping an eye on the sensors over there.

“A lot of them,” Beck added. “And they’re coming this way.”

“How long do we have?” she asked, her gaze still on Leonidas.

Alejandro and Tiang kept working, both methodical despite the worried looks on their sweat-beaded faces.

“I’m trying to get to the failsafe switch in his brain to short it out, but it’s hard to find,” Tiang said. “There’s blood everywhere now. This is a damned mess.”

“Do you want me to insert the repair nanobots?” Alejandro asked. “They’re programmed. Or do we need to wait until his heart is stable?”

“Wait,” Tiang said.

“Not long, Captain,” Beck said, his voice growing quieter as he figured out what was going on in the operating room. “Thirty minutes? Less? If we can sense ships heading our way, they’ll be able to sense us too. I’m not sure we matter to them, but if we do… Maybe we should prepare to get out of here. If it’s just the station they want, let them have it. There’s nothing for us here, right?”

Nothing except Leonidas in the middle of the operation. Three suns, they couldn’t move him now. Alejandro shoved Leonidas’s shirt up and strapped a device to his chest, over his heart.

“Should’ve had him strip,” he muttered, glancing at the monitor and grabbing an injector.

“Get Mica, Yumi, and everyone else nonessential back on the Nomad,” Alisa told Beck. “Prepare to leave.”

“Uh, right, Captain, but don’t you need to do that? As the pilot?”

“I’m not leaving.”

Beck turned, but paused. “Is he nonessential?” He pointed at Stanislav, who stood still, his hands clasped within the sleeves of his robe as he regarded the surgery.

“I have no idea.” Alisa told herself to go find a hover gurney so they could move Leonidas to the ship as soon as possible, but she couldn’t unroot her feet from the spot.

“I knew it,” Alejandro growled, as a flurry of beeps erupted around him. “He’s in cardiac arrest. Initiating CPR and injecting molimarephrine.”

Alisa’s legs grew too weak to move, to support her weight. She sank down against the doorjamb, gripping the back of her neck with her hands. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t. She’d already lost Jonah. She couldn’t lose Leonidas too. He’d survived way too many battles to die like this. It didn’t make any kind of sense. It just didn’t.

“I’ll round everyone up, Captain,” Beck said, his voice sounding far off.

On the table, Leonidas’s torso jerked as the device initiated chest compressions. After only a few rounds, the monitor flashed an alert.

“His heart’s beating on its own again,” Alejandro said, turning off the device. He sounded surprised, even puzzled.

“I am controlling it now,” Stanislav said from the doorway, his voice a murmur, his eyes glazed as he seemed to focus inward.

Alejandro looked over at him sharply. “His heart?”

“Yes. I am attempting to lower the beats to a normal range as well, but as soon as I let go, the problem will return.”

“I’m trying to nullify the trigger in his brain,” Tiang said, still navigating his nanobots through the miasma of neurons inside Leonidas’s skull. “If we can soothe that back into a static state, or destroy it altogether, it won’t keep sending signals to the switch in his heart.”

“Understood,” Stanislav said.

Alisa’s comm beeped again, insistently. Alejandro glared over at her.

Alisa forced herself to her feet, even though she stumbled and had to grab the wall for support.

“What is it, Abelardus?” she asked.

“About time,” Abelardus said. “The Alliance is hailing us.”

“Is that who’s coming?” She should have known. Who else would sail into the asteroid field with eight ships? “What do they want? The station?”

“They want Admiral Tiang back, and they’re going to shoot the hull off your ship if you don’t hand him over nicely. They also want the staff and/or any information pertaining to it that we have. And they want us to detach from the station—they seem to want it too. Or maybe they just want to destroy it.”

“They want a lot,” Alisa mumbled, too numb to fully process the threat.

“They’re arriving with a fleet of ships. I guess they feel they can be pushy.”

“What do you mean they want Admiral Tiang? Wasn’t he placed here at their behest? Isn’t he their spy?”

“That’s not the impression that I got. Maybe you should talk to them. Or better yet, why don’t you tell Stanislav that it would be nice if he could cause them to turn on each other again?”

Alisa looked through the glass wall to where Stanislav had moved to the foot of the operating table. “Stanislav is busy.”

“Convenient.”

“No,” she whispered. “It’s not.” She took a deep breath. “How long do you think we have before the Alliance arrives, Abelardus? Beck’s estimate was imprecise.”

“Fifteen minutes. They’re coming in at top speed.”

Alisa wanted to go to Leonidas’s side, not leave it, and her initial mulish thought was to simply ignore the Alliance—let them come and find whatever they were looking for themselves. But that would only end up with her ship stuck in someone’s grab beam and her whole team in a brig. She couldn’t be captured and taken away from this search when she was so close to Jelena. The children had to be in this asteroid belt; they had to be. And Leonidas… she had to give the doctors as much time as she could to pull him through and finish the surgery.

Go, Stanislav said softly into her mind as he looked at her through the glass. Alejandro’s and Tiang’s intentions toward Leonidas are good, and I’ll watch over him.

Alisa didn’t know if his only intentions were good, but she had no choice but to nod and walk out into the corridor. She didn’t want her ranting, pleading, or berating to disturb Leonidas, and she had a feeling she would be doing all three.

“Patch me through to whoever contacted you, Abelardus,” she said.

“Uh, I don’t know how to do that. Your comm board is old. I’m surprised there isn’t a tin can on a string dangling out of it.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes now.”

“No? I thought you might appreciate a distraction.” For once, his voice wasn’t smug or grating, and it sounded like he genuinely wanted to help, but there was nothing he could do.

Not wanting to waste time educating him on the Nomad’s comm panel, Alisa reluctantly left Leonidas behind and ran to Command and Control. Assuming the comm station there hadn’t been damaged by the various fights, she could use the station’s system to contact the ships.

Mica and the others were gone, and the lights were dimmed, but Bravo Six stood by the doorway, in the same spot where he had been earlier.

“Beck didn’t take you?” Alisa asked, jogging for the comm station. Alarms flashed on holodisplays that hadn’t been up before, and a large view screen had come on, showing a fleet of ships approaching. Definitely Alliance ships.

“No, Lady Captain,” Bravo Six said. “He said I wasn’t invited.” The android, with his destroyed eye, managed to have a forlorn look. Even his tone sounded forlorn, or maybe that was her projecting her human emotions onto him. Those emotions were on edge, and she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to cry or punch something. Maybe both.

“You can come with me when I go,” Alisa said, imagining the android leaping into defense mode again when the Alliance soldiers boarded. If he did that against superior numbers, he would get himself blown up.

“Thank you, Lady Captain.”

She fumbled her way across the unfamiliar comm panel while reading the statistics on the ships. Eight of them, as promised. Was Admiral Hawk out there among the fleet? Or Commander Tomich? She didn’t know if either would be sympathetic to her plight right now, but she would prefer to deal with someone she had encountered before rather than a stranger. Unfortunately, as she scanned the ship names, only a couple sounded familiar, and only because she remembered them from memos and troop movements during the war. It was unlikely that any of them had the same captains.

She hailed the Star Hawk since she and her Striker had gotten a ride on it once. She didn’t remember the captain’s name.

It didn’t matter because nobody answered. Frowning, she checked to make sure the system was truly transmitting. It did not appear to be damaged, but two more attempts to communicate only resulted in silence. Did the Alliance comm officers believe there were Starseers in the station and that they were comming them? If the Alliance had figured out who was responsible for that earthquake on Arkadius, they would not be pleased with the Starseers right now. They hadn’t been pleased with them before, blaming even natural disasters on their presence on the planet.

“Ten minutes until they arrive, Alisa,” Abelardus said over her comm.

“Is anyone on the Nomad now who can work the comm? Mica?”

“Mica is calibrating the e-cannons, Captain,” came Yumi’s voice in the background, “but I believe I can patch you through to the Alliance ship via the Nomad’s comm, if you wish to speak to the—”

“Yes, yes, I do,” Alisa said. “Hurry.”

Since the Command and Control room was of no help, Alisa headed for the corridor. She’d already left Leonidas for too long. What if he was—

She shoved aside the thought. Not now. She would worry later. She had to be the captain now.

“Come on, Six,” she said as she ran past the android.

Bravo Six trotted along behind her as she raced back to sickbay.

“You’re on, Captain,” Yumi said.

A second later, another voice spoke over Alisa’s comm unit.

“Captain Marchenko? This is Admiral Agosti leading the Alliance fleet Walking Thunder. I command the warship Arkadian Warrior. I demand that you cease scavenging the Starseer station, undock and move away from it, and prepare to be boarded. You will return Admiral Tiang to us in one piece without resistance.”

Well, since he asked nicely…

Forcing down the sarcasm, she managed a fairly polite response. “Why wouldn’t he be in one piece, Admiral? He’s busy doing a surgery right now, but if you want him back when he’s done, you’re welcome to him. I thought he was your spy.”

Several wordless seconds followed, only the hubbub of a bridge crew preparing for action audible in the background.

“You kidnapped Admiral Tiang,” Agosti said, sounding suspicious. And confused.

Oh, the power she had to mystify people.

“No, we didn’t,” Alisa said. Not recently. “We’re also not scavenging anything. I’m looking for my daughter. The Starseers have her. You can check with Commander Tomich—he should be up to date on my adventures.”

“Commander Tomich is being detained for questioning in regard to having dalliances with a known criminal,” Agosti said coolly.

“A known…”

“You.”

“What about Admiral Hawk?” Alisa asked. “I thought he was the one who put Tiang on our ship to spy on us.”

“Admiral Tiang was kidnapped. By you. Admiral Hawk was mystified as to why you didn’t let Tiang go when you released him.”

“Er, what?” Alisa paced, looking through the operating room windows to check on Leonidas as she tried to piece together what this Agosti was saying. Had some wires gotten crossed somewhere? Or did Hawk truly believe that? She thought back to when she had released him and his men in the junkyard, along with the Starseers who hadn’t elected to stay aboard. She’d been somewhat distracted by the weapons and combat armor being delivered at the same time, but she didn’t remember Hawk waving his hands and chasing after the ship after the Nomad took off with Tiang still aboard. She’d been certain Hawk had been the one to request that Tiang stay.

“I will speak to Admiral Tiang now,” Agosti said. “Put him on the comm.”

“He’s busy.”

“If you’ve done anything to him—”

“Of course we haven’t,” Alisa said, no longer bothering to hide her exasperation or frustration. “I told you. He’s in the middle of a surgery. He’s trying to save someone’s life.” She hoped the doctors had dealt with the failsafes and that Leonidas was in the clear now that his heart had started again, but she could not tell from her position. He lay still on the operating table, his face pale, that device still attached to his chest.

“Whose life?” Agosti asked. Something about the way he said the words implied suspicion. Did he know why she had abducted Tiang in the first place?

“Someone who Hawk would have an easier time recruiting if you flew off and left us alone.”

It probably wasn’t the most tactful way to speak to an admiral, but she doubted kissing his asteroids would make a difference. It sounded like the right hand wasn’t communicating with the left hand again, and that Agosti and whoever had sent him out here had already made up their minds. A known criminal. Was that what she was now? How in the hells would she fix her reputation with the Alliance? Cooperate with the admiral’s orders? But if she did, they would take Tiang away in the middle of the surgery.

The ships are coming closer, Stanislav spoke into her mind. I can’t do anything to distract them while I’m focused on helping Leonidas. Perhaps when he’s stable, I could—

Just focus on him, Alisa thought. Please.

“Leave the station and prepare to be boarded and arrested, Marchenko,” the admiral said. “Agosti out.”

The comm fell silent.

Arrested? Technically, that was better than being shot, but she wasn’t going to let herself get captured, not when she was so close to finding Jelena. She had to get her people back onto the Nomad and figure out a way to slip away into the asteroid belt. They would search the promising ones, and they would find the children. Then she could worry about the repercussions of now being a “known criminal.”

Alisa commed the ship. “Yumi? Are you still there?”

“Yes, Captain. I have the asteroid map plugged into your NavCom computer, and we’re ready to begin the search. If the Alliance ships let us go.”

“We’re just waiting on the surgery to finish up, and we’ll join you and figure something out. Are Beck and Mica there? Everyone except for me, Leonidas, Alejandro, Tiang, and Stanislav?”

“Everyone, yes, but Abelardus is pacing and talking about going over there to throw you over his shoulder and carry you back here so we can get out of here before the Alliance ships start firing.”

“What’s with everyone wanting to throw me over a shoulder?” Alisa grumbled. “Tell him to go wax his staff. We’ll be there as soon as possible. All of us.”

She stepped into the doorway again. As much as she hated interrupting the doctors, both of who appeared to be concentrating deeply, she had little choice.

“Alejandro?” she asked, figuring he would be slightly less involved—Tiang still seemed to be navigating nanobots. “How much longer? Is there any chance we can move this to the Nomad?”

He shot her an incredulous look. “Now?”

Something seemed to slam into the space station. The jolt threw Alisa against the doorjamb. Alejandro tumbled to the floor, while Stanislav and Tiang caught themselves on the operating table. One of the monitors beeped an erratic protest.

“Not helping,” Tiang said, rushing to fix something on his remote control.

“Captain,” Yumi blurted over the comm. “The lead warship is firing on the station.”

“Yeah, we noticed. I thought they wanted to search it.”

“Apparently, they don’t mind searching its half-destroyed remains,” came Abelardus’s voice from somewhere behind Yumi.

“Lady Captain,” Bravo Six said. “Do you wish me to do anything?”

“Get ready to carry Leonidas to our ship as soon as the doctors say it can be done,” she told him, eyeing the tubes hooked up to Leonidas. “And don’t forget his armor case. It’s self-ambulatory and just needs to be steered along.”

“Get over here, Alisa,” Mica said, sounding like she was leaning over Yumi’s shoulder in NavCom. “One of the Alliance cruisers is coming in to dock right next to us. We’ll be boarded in a second.”

“Put those Starseers to work delaying the ships, will you? Stanislav can’t be the only one who can confuse their pilots.”

“We’re working on it,” Abelardus said.

“Figure a way to wrap that up, Doctor,” Alisa told Alejandro as she leaned in and grabbed the big blazer rifle leaning on Leonidas’s case. “I’ll try to delay them.”

“By yourself? With one gun?” Alejandro asked, his feet back under him.

“Apparently,” she muttered.

Stanislav frowned at Leonidas, frowned at her, then strode after her as she headed for the exit. “I will assist you,” he said.

“Is his heart stable?” Alisa asked.

“The drug has kicked in and is keeping the heart rate lowered.”

She looked to Alejandro, who flicked a dismissive hand.

“Take him.” His lip curled slightly. Was he irritated that he’d needed Starseer help? “His heart has stabilized,” he added.

“All right,” Alisa said reluctantly. She would have preferred to have Stanislav at Leonidas’s side in case something else went wrong with the surgery, which seemed distinctly possible if the Alliance fired more weapons at the station.

Alisa thought about heading back to Command and Control, but what could she do when the station didn’t have weapons? There might be some more booby traps and defenses she could key into, such as flooding the corridors with gas, but that would affect her own people. Besides, the soldiers would likely come over in armor. Better to keep them from boarding the station altogether.

She ran through the corridor toward the airlocks. Weapons fire slammed into the station again, but she kept her balance and kept running. Portholes in the docking area let her see the Nomad outside, as well as the cruiser Mica had promised, the other ship cheekily pulling up right beside them. An airlock tube was in the process of being extended.

The Nomad’s airlock hatch was soundly shut and likely locked. That was fine. Alisa had no intention of leaving yet.

“Do you want me to focus on that ship or the ones firing?” Stanislav asked from behind her, slipping a chain of beads out of some inner pocket in his robe.

“The ones turning this station into a rocking chair in an earthquake. I’ll handle this.”

Alisa pressed the butt of the rifle into her shoulder and fired at the airlock controls next to the hatch where the Alliance intended to dock. The panel melted under the sustained blast, sparks flying and smoke flowing upward.

“The Starseers are earning their pay, Captain,” Mica said. “One of the Alliance ships just bumped into another. Too bad they both had shields up. But now, one of the rear ones is firing at the others.”

Stanislav smiled thinly, and Alisa suspected he might have had something to do with that report.

“I do not wish to sabotage expensive equipment,” Stanislav said, “but in this case, it is preferable to harming people. I believe I can cause chaos without putting lives in jeopardy.”

“I have little problem sabotaging anything,” Alisa said, moving to the next airlock over. She melted the control panel on that one, too, as well as the already damaged one on the end.

Outside, the cruiser’s tube connected to the seal around the hatch. The soldiers might have trouble getting through the hatch with the controls broken, but it would only take them a few minutes with metal-cutting equipment to force their way in.

Alisa looked around the docking area, seeking some way to further block the entrance. Unfortunately, there was nothing, not so much as a potted plant she could have pushed into the way as an obstacle. Shaking her head, she retreated to the corridor, grabbing Stanislav and pulling him with her. His eyes were glassy, and he barely noticed. Whatever he was doing, weapons fire had stopped hitting the station.

From the mouth of the corridor, Alisa could shoot around the corner and toward the airlock hatch. She had to keep the soldiers from storming aboard and reaching sickbay, but she doubted she could last long against them, or deter them greatly. Why had she taken off her combat armor? She would be fighting armored men, who could withstand a barrage of fire, whereas all it would take was one bolt to slip through and hit her in the chest to kill her.

A bang sounded against the hatch. Even though Alisa couldn’t see the soldiers through the tube, she had no trouble imagining an entire squadron of them there, ready to storm inside.

“Stanislav,” she said, tugging on his robe. “Can you do something to their airlock tube? Detach it maybe? Or utterly destroy it? That would be perfectly acceptable.”

“Ah?” He blinked a couple of times before focusing on her. “Oh yes, I see.” He looked thoughtfully toward the cruiser, then waved his hand.

Thanks to the portholes, Alisa could see the airlock tube detaching, the end floating upward like a worm lifting its head. Several soldiers in combat armor floated free, too, arms waving in surprise as they found themselves in the vacuum of space. Alisa did not feel bad about sending them flying. Their suits would keep them safe until their people could retrieve them.

“Good,” Alisa said, gripping Stanislav’s arm.

Her pleasure faded quickly. A few of the armored soldiers wore jet packs, and they activated them, steering through space and back toward the hatch. Before long, clangs reverberated through the docking area again. At least six men had found their way back to the side of the station and were trying to get in.

Alisa braced herself for the inevitable charge. While she could appreciate Stanislav’s Starseer powers, she would rather be standing here with Leonidas.

“Sorry.” Stanislav looked sadly at her. “You did say we should have adventures together.”

“I was thinking more like a father-daughter racketstar picnic rather than defending a space station from a fleet of soldiers.”

“Ah, you didn’t specify.”

“A mistake, clearly.”

More clangs sounded, and the metal of the inner hatch started to glow orangish-red.

Alisa touched her comm. “Alejandro? Any progress on the surgery?”

She shifted from foot to foot, keeping the rifle pointed at the hatch.

When Alejandro did not answer, her mind went on a rampage, imagining the worst-case scenarios. Imagining Leonidas dead.

“Alejandro?” she prompted.

“Yes, we’re wrapping up as quickly as possible.”

“Is Leonidas all right?”

“He’s unconscious still, and we don’t know yet what the repercussions will be after dealing with so many unexpected difficulties. Yes, yes, be careful picking him up.”

Assuming the last sentence was for Bravo Six, all Alisa said was, “Grab his armor and hurry to the ship. The Alliance is coming in. Stanislav and I are trying to delay them but—”

“Understood.” The line shut down.

“That man is so terse and grumpy,” Alisa muttered. “I can’t believe someone married him once.”

Two of the armored soldiers sailed away from the exterior hatch, spinning head over heels as they passed into view of the porthole.

“That you again?” Alisa asked.

“Yes, but—”

An e-cannon blast smashed into the side of the station, and the deck jerked under Alisa’s feet. The lights flickered and went out.

“When I’m focused on them, the other Alliance ships have time to gather themselves,” Stanislav said. “I fear I’m better at harassing people than the Starseers that came along aboard your ship.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’re an expert at harassing people.”

His eyebrows twitched.

“I can’t believe they’re firing on the station while their people are trying to board it,” Alisa said.

“They only want to disable the main systems, not destroy the station.”

“Comforting.”

Alisa eyed the overhead fixtures, wondering if illumination would return of its own accord. Right now, only the running lights from the two ships allowed her to see anything as their beams slashed through the portholes.

A siren wailed, and a computerized voice sounded. “Life support failure is imminent. Please evacuate the station. Life support failure imminent.”

Alisa groaned, again berating herself for not coming back in her self-sufficient combat armor. But that wouldn’t have helped Alejandro and Tiang, and Leonidas couldn’t don his own armor while he was unconscious with robot bugs floating around in his brain.

She reached for her comm, intending to check on the doctors again, but the inner hatch the soldiers were trying to breach blew off its hinges. It flew across the docking area and clanged off the bulkhead, as triumphant shouts came from the airlock. They must have reaffixed their airlock tube, because the air did not whoosh out, but Alisa didn’t know if that helped her people much.

“Get back,” she whispered to Stanislav as she fired, hoping to make the soldiers hesitate. They wouldn’t know how many people were waiting in the corridor for them, not right away, and they might believe Leonidas was here.

Return fire came immediately, orange and crimson blazer bolts lighting up the dark docking area. Alisa kept her shoulder to the corner of the corridor, exposing as little of her body as possible, but the blasts did not come close to striking her. They beat against an invisible barrier, deflecting back into the chamber.

The soldiers tried to charge out, but Stanislav raised his arm, and they were hurled back into their airlock tube. Alisa thought about telling Stanislav to break their tube again, but with the hatch open, that would open the docking area to space. Not good.

“Fire,” Stanislav commanded, lowering his arm. “The shield is down momentarily.”

The soldiers were already recovering from his assault, jumping to their feet. Alisa fired, trying to peg the leader with a sustained blast that might burn a hole in his armor. But he fired back immediately. She plastered herself against the wall for cover as Stanislav raised a shield again. Blaster fire pelted it.

“I do not wish to harm them,” he said, looking at her, his face in shadows. “But they will overpower us if all I do is defend.”

He had barely finished the sentence before a grenade flew out of the airlock tube. It hit his invisible barrier, but exploded in a boom, a cloud of greenish smoke flowing outward. Alisa wouldn’t be surprised if that was some sedative—or poison.

“Can you keep that from getting to us?” she asked, well aware that neither of them had armor with air filters.

He gripped his beads tightly. “I can only do so much at once.”

The soldiers pushed forward again. His eyes narrowed, and they stumbled back to the hatch.

“Alejandro?” Alisa asked, taking a second to comm him—she couldn’t shoot anyway while Stanislav had that barrier up. “Unless you want to become a permanent resident of this station, you three need to depart now.”

“Right behind you,” Alejandro said, his voice coming from the corridor behind them as well as through the comm.

Bravo Six strode ahead of Alejandro and Tiang, carrying Leonidas in his arms as if he were a child instead of a six-and-a-half-foot cyborg. His crimson armor case floated along behind Tiang. All Alejandro toted was his medical kit. He ran past the others, joining Alisa, but coughed when he opened his mouth to speak.

“What is that? Gas?”

“Yes, welcome to the reception area. Stanislav?” Alisa asked. He was concentrating on the soldiers, on keeping them back in their airlock tube, and did not look toward her. “Can you make a shield across the whole area so we can run past and to the Nomad?” She jumped on her comm again. “Mica? We’re coming. Open the airlock hatch.”

“Life support system has failed,” the computerized voice announced. “Evacuate the station. Life support has failed.”

“These are not proper surgery conditions,” Tiang said, panting as he came to a stop behind Alisa.

“Tell me about it.” In the dim emergency lighting, Alisa couldn’t make out much of Leonidas’s face, and she could only pray to the three suns that he was alive and stable. “Stanislav?”

“Yes,” he said, nodding. “I’ve erected a barrier. Go ahead. I’ll hold it.”

“Captain?” Mica asked over the comm. “The air out there is full of some toxic substance. I’ll have to override the computer to let you in.”

“We’d appreciate it if you did just that.”

More soldiers gathered in their airlock tube, the armored men bristling with weapons. One carried a grenade launcher.

An attack from one of the other ships slipped through, and the entire station shuddered so hard that even Bravo Six fell to his knees on the deck.

Stanislav cursed. He must have lost his concentration as he stumbled against the wall because the soldiers surged forward, yelling and firing. Blazer bolts streaked across the docking area like fireworks. One slammed into Stanislav’s shoulder.

“Back, back,” Alisa cried too late.

She fired around the corner, but the armored soldiers raced right into her blasts, the bolts deflecting off their helmets and chest plates.

Bravo Six stood up, still holding Leonidas. “Do we run for your ship?”

Tiang and Alejandro got to their feet too.

“That gas,” Alejandro started to warn, but Alisa didn’t hear him.

Stanislav roared in fury and pain and threw his arms out. All of the soldiers that had raced into the docking area, some almost reaching their corridor, were hurled into the air. They flew thirty feet, to the far end of the chamber, and slammed against the wall.

“Go, now,” Stanislav said, his face contorted with pain as he strode out into plain view, his arms up, those beads dangling from one hand. “Run behind me. I’ll stop them.”

The soldiers fired at him before they had their feet under them, but he had another barrier up.

The Nomad’s hatch opened.

“This way,” Alisa ordered, and ran out into the docking area, cringing since it felt like she was exposing herself to all those soldiers.

They shouted and fired, bolts slamming into Stanislav’s barrier right to her side as she ran. She hoped that barrier extended all the way to the airlock.

Bravo Six raced after her, his stride long and effortless, even with Leonidas in his arms. Alejandro and Tiang hustled after them, arms over their heads, as if they were certain those bolts would reach them. Tiang had the presence of mind to keep the armor case floating after them.

Bravo Six reached the hatchway first, racing into the Nomad’s airlock tube.

“Android coming,” Alisa yelled, certain Beck would be in the cargo hold, ready to fire if any enemies charged in.

She paused in the hatchway, waving for Alejandro and Tiang to run past her.

“Stanislav, come on,” she yelled, raising her rifle to cover him if necessary. Could he run and keep his shields up at the same time?

A blast struck the side of the station, white light flashing right outside the portholes. Alisa grabbed the airlock wall to keep from falling again, but the tube flexed behind her. A leak sprang, and the hiss of escaping air echoed in her ears.

“What the hells?” she growled, glaring upward.

The blow must have struck right above them. What Alliance idiots were targeting the station so close to their own ship?

“Captain,” Mica barked over the comm as Tiang and Alejandro sprinted through the tube. “Are you in? The three imperial ships just showed up. We’re in the middle of a—” Something blew up behind Mica, wherever she was. Engineering? NavCom?

“Stanislav,” Alisa yelled. “We have to go now.”

He had fallen to one knee, gripping the shoulder that had been struck earlier, but he still faced the soldiers. The Alliance men hadn’t ceased firing, not even when the station had been struck. Sweat gleamed on Stanislav’s face, and he did not look at her, only waving with his uninjured arm for her to go.

Leave now, he ordered into her mind. I’ll hold them off. If I don’t, they’ll charge onto your ship.

“Don’t be stupid,” Alisa yelled at him. “Just run over here, and we can—” She broke off with a startled shriek as two soldiers who must have slipped out of their airlock and sneaked along the wall sprang toward her.

The invisible shield stopped them, but they were less than five feet away. If Stanislav dropped his barrier, the soldiers would spring at her.

“Just hold your shield,” she ordered and stepped toward him. If she had to, she could drag him away as he concentrated on keeping the men back. Again, she wished she had kept her armor on. Carrying a man would have been easy then.

Movement from behind made her jump.

“Sorry, Captain,” Beck said, grabbing her around the waist, “but we’ve got to go now.”

“No, get Stanislav,” she yelled, struggling as Beck—who was in full armor—ran back through the airlock tube with her in his grip.

He hit the button at the end, closing the hatch on their end and retracting the tube.

“What are you doing?” she cried.

But he did not slow down. He charged past the group of Starseers, all sitting cross-legged in the cargo hold, their heads bent with concentration, and he carried her up the stairs, heading for NavCom.

“We can’t leave Stanislav,” she yelled, fighting him ineffectively. With Beck in his armor, it was like fighting a tank.

Beck didn’t answer, nor did he slow down until he dropped her into the pilot’s seat. Yumi and Mica were already in NavCom.

“Get us out of here now, Captain,” Mica said, flinging her hand toward the view screen.

The three imperial ships had reappeared, the same ones that had flown past the Nomad two days earlier. They were keeping the station between themselves and the Alliance ships, but also firing at the station, sending torpedoes and e-cannon blasts slamming into the already charred hull. Five of the original eight Alliance ships were visible, navigating around the station toward the imperial ships. Another one had crashed into a nearby asteroid. There had to be another one she couldn’t see somewhere. The eighth was still attached to the station, its people attacking Stanislav.

Even though Alisa knew they had to get out of there, since being attached to the station when it blew up would be suicidal, she whirled in the seat, furious with Beck.

“Why’d you grab me?” she demanded. “You could have gotten him. I could have run. My legs work just fine.”

“He told me to get you,” Beck said, touching the side of his helmet. “He said he had to stay, that someone had to keep them from overrunning our ship.”

“A sacrifice that won’t mean anything if we all get killed,” Mica said. She grabbed Alisa’s hands and planted them on the control panel. “Fly, Captain. Fly.”

Though still furious, as much at Stanislav as she was at Beck, Alisa snarled and did as ordered. Hands darting over the controls, she took the Nomad away from the airlock hatch. Lights flashed outside as blasts of energy slammed into the wheel and X of the station.

She raised the Nomad’s shields, something they couldn’t have done while the freighter remained attached to the station, and veered toward the nearest asteroid, trying to stay away from both groups of ships. For the time being, they ignored her in favor of attacking each other. The imperials kept hammering at the station too. The Alliance ship that had been docked next to them took off. She had no idea if they had their soldiers with them or if those people remained on the station, locked in battle with Stanislav.

The Nomad hadn’t made it far when the entire station exploded in a fiery ball that rivaled the light of the suns.

Chapter 10

Alisa flew at top speed toward a large lumpy asteroid spinning slowly on its axis. If they could slip behind it, and then behind another and another, they might elude pursuit. She hoped the Alliance and imperials were too busy with each other to pay attention to her, but that might be a vain hope. The Alliance wanted Tiang, and they must believe she still had him, and they probably thought she had a clue about the staff too. The imperials… Who knew what in all the suns’ fiery hells they wanted? Other than to blow that station into a zillion tiny pieces.

She swallowed, moisture gathering in her eyes as she wondered if Stanislav had still been on the station when it blew. Unless the soldiers had managed to capture him somehow and take him onto their ship, there was nowhere else he could have gone. She hadn’t been appreciative of his presence and hadn’t gotten much of a chance to know him—hadn’t figured out if he was someone worth knowing yet—but his willingness to sacrifice himself so she could escape made her believe she had been judging him too harshly. Now, she might never get a chance to find out if he was—had been—a decent person under that mysterious robe. It did not seem right for his brother to still be roaming the system if he was dead and gone.

“Why did Leonidas’s worm-brained people blow up that station?” Mica asked. She sat in the co-pilot’s seat while Yumi had the sensors, her nose pressed to the panel as she ran scans.

“Did they think the staff was there?” Beck guessed. “And wanted to do anything to keep us or the Alliance from getting it?”

“But they had already been there and searched for it.”

“Maybe it was a different group of imperials.”

“Captain, you need to change course,” Yumi said, urgency making her words quick.

“What? Why?” Alisa complied as she questioned, trusting that Yumi had a good reason for the demand. They were flying around a huge asteroid, and its bulk blocked the view of the station and the battle still going on around it.

“The other Alliance ship,” Yumi said. “It’s back in here. It’s—”

“Right there,” Mica groaned, pointing at the view screen.

A hulking warship flew into sight. It had been going one way around the asteroid at the same time as Alisa sailed the other way around it.

She veered off, heading for three smaller asteroids to their port side. She threw everything into the thrusters, but if the warship wanted them, it would catch them. Still, if she slipped deeper into the asteroid field, the larger vessel would have a harder time maneuvering. She might elude it, even with her lesser engine power.

But the Nomad halted before she could zip between the trio of asteroids, the jolt throwing Alisa forward. She hammered at the controls, but wasn’t surprised when they did not respond to her touch.

“What happened?” Abelardus asked, running into NavCom from wherever he had been.

“Grab beam,” Alisa groaned, slumping in her seat. “They have us.” She looked back at him. “Unless you and your people can do something. Isn’t Ostberg good with machines? Any chance he can break their grab beam?”

“Uh, maybe if he knows where it is.”

“Yumi, find a schematic online, will you?” Alisa asked, eyeing the rapidly closing warship, its winged hull blocking out the distant light from Rebus, as it grew on the view screen. “While we still have time.”

“The hells with that,” Mica said, jumping from her seat. “The kid can pluck the blueprint for the ship out of my head if he can use it.”

“That might work. Come on.” Abelardus waved for her to follow.

As the warship drew closer, thoughts of boarding no doubt in its commander’s mind, Alisa commed sickbay. There was nothing else she could do, and she needed to know if Leonidas had made it back safe. Alive.

“Alejandro? Tiang?” she asked. “Are you there? How’s Leonidas?”

Nobody answered immediately, and Alisa rose, tempted to run down and check in person.

“Captain?” Tiang asked, his voice flat, impossible to read.

“Yes?”

“Leonidas is…”

Alisa gripped the console, her heart pounding. “Is what?”

“Awake and wishing to know when he can see you modeling your underwear.”

Alisa nearly fell over. “What?”

Tiang laughed. If that was an indicator of the man’s sense of humor, he had a horrible one.

“He is awake,” Tiang said.

“And well?” Alisa demanded, still not sure what was a joke and what was true. “I find it hard to believe his first words involved my underwear.”

“No, he requested that we help him into his combat armor. It will likely be many days before we know if the surgery was a success in regard to sexual function.”

“I don’t care about that now, just so long as he’s all right,” Alisa said, relieved that he had wanted his armor. That didn’t necessarily mean he was well—the man would hurl himself into battle even if he were an inch from death—but it meant that his thinking was in line with the usual for him.

“He is groggy from the sedation,” Tiang said, “but we bypassed the remaining failsafes and repaired the damage that resulted from the first ones being triggered. I would not, however, recommend that he go into battle now.” His voice grew steely, and Alisa suspected he was directing those words at Leonidas. “Is that going to be a problem, Captain?”

“I hope not,” she grumbled, not encouraged by what the view screen showed her. The side of the warship faced the Nomad now, the stars and asteroids in the background completely blotted out by the hulking vessel. One of its several airlock hatches came into view as the pilot lined up his craft so that it could extend a tube for boarding. “Let me know if anything changes, Yumi.”

She hopped to her feet, wanting to kick those Starseers into usefulness—if they couldn’t break the grab beam, maybe they could at least mess with the pilot’s head—and also to check on Leonidas in person. They might not have time for more than a hug, but she fully intended to give him that. She also wanted to talk to Tiang and find out why his people thought he was here against his will.

“Admiral Tiang,” she said, swinging into sickbay.

“Yes?” he asked, turning from his patient toward the hatchway.

Alisa meant to get straight to business, but Leonidas lay on the exam table, his eyes open. Though he wore a glassy, almost dazed expression, those eyes turned toward her, and he smiled weakly. The monitors were gone, left behind on the station, but the device on his temple remained. Something to keep an eye on his brain?

“You left,” he murmured.

She swallowed, guilt and concern and other emotions she struggled to name propelling her to his side. She clasped his hand. Did he know that his heart had stopped? That he’d been dead for a moment? That he could have been dead forever?

“The station was attacked,” she whispered. She decided not to mention that an Alliance ship had the Nomad in its grasp right now. He might try to leap into his combat armor, as Tiang had said. “I felt I should do something to try and stop it.”

“Did you?” His eyes closed for a few seconds, and opening them again was a visible struggle.

“No, the empire came along and blew it up. I lost… I think Stanislav may have been on the station when it was destroyed.”

“Unfortunate. He spoke to me while I was sleeping. Dreaming.” He grimaced.

Had he had nightmares even while sedated? She wanted to ask Tiang if the surgery would put an end to that, or at least lessen their impact, but she would wait until she got him alone. No need to worry Leonidas now.

“What did he say?” she asked.

“That you would be most disappointed with me if I died.”

“He was right.”

“I tried hard to live for you.” He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

“That was very thoughtful. I appreciate it.”

“Good.” His eyes drifted shut again.

Alisa brushed her fingers down the side of his face and laid her cheek against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, steady and even. She gave herself a minute to appreciate his presence, and that he had pulled through, even though they wouldn’t have many minutes if the Starseers couldn’t do something.

We’re working on it, Abelardus spoke into her mind. Ostberg has smoke coming out of their grab beam generator, and Martya and Nyarai are trying to convince the bridge crew that Tiang isn’t here and that there’s no point in detaining us.

Tiang. Alisa lifted her head and faced him, clearing her throat to draw his attention from a netdisc.

“Care to explain why the Alliance thinks we kidnapped you?” she asked.

He tilted his head. “You did kidnap me.” He frowned thoughtfully at Leonidas. “And… I wasn’t supposed to perform that surgery, was I?”

Uh oh. With Stanislav gone, was he remembering his original thoughts about that? Would he figure out he had been manipulated? Better to get him focused on something else.

“Why are you here, Admiral?” Alisa asked. “I appreciate how you’ve helped, but if you’ll recall, I tried to drop you off with Admiral Hawk and everybody else in that junkyard on Arkadius. You said you wanted to spend your leave with us.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“I assumed Hawk told you to stay behind and spy on us, or perhaps to keep trying to convince Leonidas to join the Alliance.”

“I—no. Hawk didn’t know I was staying.”

“Why not?” Alisa tugged on her braid. How was it possible that Hawk hadn’t missed Tiang until after the Nomad had taken off? Just because there had been Starseer refugees, soldiers, and a CargoExpress man milling around didn’t mean he should have lost track of a fellow admiral—or his soon-to-be father-in-law.

“I didn’t tell him.” Tiang shrugged. “I wished to hunt for the Staff of Lore with you, so I could study it when it’s found. With all the Starseers assisting you, you seemed the most likely to find it first.”

“And you didn’t tell any of your people that you were leaving of your own accord?”

“I didn’t believe they would give me permission to go if I spoke to high command. I’m not—admirals aren’t supposed to do field work or go on covert missions, you know. Especially research admirals with little combat experience.”

“Are you saying we’re being pursued by a fleet of Alliance ships because you didn’t want to ask for permission and get turned down?”

“I didn’t believe there would be any repercussions. I had been approved for leave for my daughter’s wedding. Since the wedding was delayed, I thought I would use my leave in another way. I’m perplexed that they were keeping such close tabs on me. I didn’t think anyone would miss me unless I was gone more than three weeks and didn’t report in the day after my leave ended.”

“You didn’t think Hawk would tell someone that you’d disappeared along with a ship full of notorious criminals?”

“I don’t believe you’re a notorious criminal, Captain.”

“Would you please tell them that?” She waved her hand in the direction of the warship. “In fact, let’s go to NavCom. I need you to tell them everything.”

Tiang sighed. “Very well, Captain.”

“Alejandro?” Alisa called, leaning into the corridor since she wasn’t sure where he was. “Come keep an eye on Leonidas, please. I’m kidnapping the admiral. Again.”

“See,” Tiang said, “you admit to the kidnapping.”

“It was more of a rescue.” She wasn’t sure why he didn’t think she was a criminal. Maybe he only objected to the idea of her being a notorious one.

Still, he smiled at her proclamation.

Alejandro appeared, and after resting her hand on Leonidas’s chest for a few seconds, Alisa reluctantly headed toward NavCom while towing Tiang behind her. She allowed herself to feel an iota of hope, that having Tiang talk to that stuffy Admiral Agosti might result in the Nomad being let go. Given all the other trouble she had created for herself with the Alliance, that might be a deluded hope.

They’ve released us, Abelardus informed her as she walked.

A faint reverberation went through the ship at the same time, and Alisa could feel them moving. She hadn’t turned off the engines fully when they had been captured. She turned her walk into a run, but as she stepped over the threshold into NavCom, a flash of bluish white energy appeared on the view screen.

“Are they firing?” she demanded, lunging to check the shield controls. She didn’t think she had lowered them, but doubt flickered in her mind.

An e-cannon blast hammered into the Nomad’s side. The freighter shuddered slightly, but nothing more alarming happened. That answered her question about the shields, but if the warship opened up on them with everything it had, they wouldn’t last long.

“I’ve been monitoring them,” Yumi said from the sensor station. “They seem confused.”

“I thought they wanted Tiang back. Presumably alive.” Alisa waved Tiang to the co-pilot’s seat as another blast slammed into the side of the ship.

Growling, she navigated them toward the asteroids she had targeted earlier. The field was dense behind them. If she could slip into that area and dart in and out of the boulders, she might be able to avoid the warship.

“Yumi, comm them, will you?” Alisa asked, not wanting to take her hands from the controls. “Admiral Tiang is going to chat with Admiral Agosti, or whoever is in charge of that ship.”

As Yumi leaned forward to do so, the Nomad swooped between the trio of asteroids. Alisa felt like she was threading a needle with a piece of yarn, but the ship responded to her touch, and she guided them past without nudging the rocks with her shields.

An e-cannon blast slammed into one of the three asteroids, and the back end sheared off, tumbling toward the warship. It became an obstacle, and the Alliance vessel had to fire at it to break it up before chasing after the Nomad. Whatever delayed them was fine with Alisa.

The ship disappeared from their rear cameras as they swooped and dove, curling around more asteroids, heading into the thick of the field.

“This is Commander Gunter,” came an exasperated voice over the comm. “What are you doing to my ship and my people, Marchenko?”

Uh, she wasn’t sure. Whatever Abelardus and his buddies were doing. Confusing them, she hoped.

Instead of answering, she waved for Tiang to do so.

He took a deep breath and leaned toward the comm. “Commander Gunter? This is Admiral Tiang. I am aboard the freighter and would appreciate it if you stopped firing.”

“You are there, Admiral,” Gunter said, relief in his voice. Had the Alliance thought Tiang had been caught on the station when it exploded? Maybe they had been trying to confirm that while holding the Nomad. “Wait. I want visual. Marchenko?”

“What’s he think?” Alisa muttered. “That I’m doing an impersonation?”

Nevertheless, she turned on the video, so the Alliance could see Tiang sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, not injured or bound in any way. Gunter’s face appeared in turn on the monitor on the control console. A man with a huge bald head, he must have been leaning close to the camera because his red face filled the screen. He reminded Alisa of the blocky asteroids tumbling past outside.

“Admiral,” Gunter said. “Sir. Have you been there all along?”

“I was briefly on the station, performing a—” Tiang scratched his head, that puzzled expression returning. “That’s not important. I am here now.”

“We have orders to rescue you, sir.”

Tiang lifted his eyebrows toward Alisa. “It’s odd how often people want to rescue me these days.”

Alisa found it encouraging that he was including her in the dialogue, in a manner of speaking.

Gunter only appeared flummoxed. “Sir, weren’t you kidnapped?” He glared at Alisa.

“No, I’m here of my own volition. I am on leave, Commander. This is where I’m choosing to spend it.”

“But… why, sir?” Gunter squinted at them, giving a particularly long squint to Alisa.

“He’s not drugged if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said. “He does like my chef’s cookies.”

The squint did not lessen.

“I’d like to send a team over to assess you, sir,” Gunter said. “And a doctor.”

“I don’t need anyone to assess me,” Tiang snapped, in a rare fit of pique.

Gunter scowled. “Let me talk to Admiral Agosti. Stay there.”

The channel closed.

Alisa kept swirling deeper into the asteroid field and farther away from the warship. Stay there. Right.

“Abelardus?” Alisa asked over the internal comm. “Is there any chance you can convince Commander Gunter that Admiral Tiang is indeed a willing guest?”

We’ve moved out of my range, Abelardus replied silently. I could try if you want to swing back and snuggle up to the warship.

No, I don’t.

Still saving your snuggles for cyborgs, eh? Such a selfish woman. You should be more sharing.

“Admiral,” Alisa said, ignoring Abelardus. “Perhaps it would be better for all if you let them come and pick you up.”

“I want to stay here until you’ve found the staff.”

“We’re not looking for the staff. We’re looking for my daughter.”

“The Starseers seek the staff, whether you believe it or not.”

“I don’t care what they seek. They’re not driving.” Alisa dove the Nomad between two asteroids and glanced back at the sensors. The warship wasn’t following them. She didn’t know if that was because they were waiting for orders from their admiral or if they didn’t think they could navigate between all the tightly spaced asteroids.

“If you let them come aboard to take me,” Tiang said, rising to his feet, “they will likely take all of you, throw you in their brig, and tow the ship back to Alliance space.”

Alisa scowled, largely because he was right. She needed to get in touch with Admiral Hawk and have Tiang explain things to him. He might be the only one with the sway to make sure this fleet didn’t bother her further.

Tiang walked out, apparently done talking with the Alliance.

She couldn’t blame him for not wanting to deal with them, but it didn’t put her in a good situation. What if, despite his proclamations of being here of his own free will, they kept coming after him?

She wondered if Mica would be distressed to lose her new spacesuit—Alisa could put Tiang in it and plop him down on an asteroid, where he could wait for pickup. Except… she owed him for Leonidas’s surgery, especially since he had been tricked into doing that surgery. How could she kick him off after that?

A clunk sounded behind her. To her surprise, Leonidas came through the hatchway, bumping a shoulder against it. To her greater surprise, he wore his armor, but only part of it. The torso pieces were on, but one sleeve and both gauntlets were missing. His leg pieces were nowhere to be seen, nor was he wearing anything except his underwear down there. However, one boot had found its way on.

“It’s good to see you up,” Alisa said, even though he looked disoriented and like someone who shouldn’t be wandering around. “But, ah, did you dress yourself?”

“Yes. Should I not have?” Leonidas slumped into the recently vacated co-pilot seat and looked down at his bare legs.

“Perhaps not.”

“I’m usually capable of it. But there was swelling, and, uhm, I wasn’t sure if I should squish things.”

“The inflammation kind of swelling, right?” She grinned at him, but he only returned a puzzled look. “Never mind. In a week, you’ll get that.”

“I felt the ship being hit and did my best to prepare.” Leonidas waved at his single boot while studying the view screen. “Did we escape?”

“For the time being.”

“Good.”

“Yes, but I’m afraid they’ll be after us again,” Alisa said. “The Alliance thinks we kidnapped Admiral Tiang. Again.”

“Didn’t we think he was planted here as a spy?”

“Yes, but apparently, he planted himself as a nosy staff researcher and neglected to tell anyone back home what he was doing with his leave.”

“Where are we going now?” Leonidas asked, fastening his harness as Alisa spun sideways to sweep between two ponderous asteroids almost close enough to kiss.

“You don’t think you should go back to sickbay?”

“No. I’ll be fine once the drugs wear off. They can do that here as well as back there.”

“Can’t bear to be parted from my company any longer, eh?” She grinned at him.

“Naturally. Also, if I stay back there, Alejandro may want to check my balls again. His touch seemed overly personal.”

“You are the only one out here who doesn’t think he’s a twerp. Maybe he’s fondly disposed toward you.”

Leonidas arched an eyebrow.

“And your balls,” Alisa added.

“I think he’s a twerp too. We’re just… after the same thing.”

“Mm.” Alisa didn’t want to contemplate that.

“Do you have any ideas now about where the children were taken?” Leonidas asked.

Alisa dug out her netdisc and pulled up the map Yumi had sent. “We’ve narrowed it down to two hundred asteroids.”

“That’s a lot.”

“We started with over a hundred thousand.”

“Two hundred sounds reasonable then.”

“I thought so.” She grinned again and would have leaned over to kiss him, but she was too busy avoiding those thousands of asteroids. Later, she promised herself. “Want to pick our first destination?” she asked, extending her hand toward the holo map. “Since the Alliance ships may be distracted with the imperials right now, we might as well try to get out of their sensor range and begin our search.”

Leonidas zoomed into the area around the Nomad and pointed at one of the closest asteroids. “That big orange one looks nice.”

“Big Orange it is,” Alisa said, setting a course instead of randomly flying. “There’s a video on there that you might want to see. Mica was able to pull it off the shuttle bay camera in the station. Thorian is there.”

He nodded solemnly. “I will look at it.”

Alisa didn’t know whether she wanted to watch it again or not. She might break down into tears if she did. Was this the time for that? Or should she try to put emotion out of her mind and keep looking with the dogged determinedness of a robot?

“Alisa?” Leonidas asked softly.

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

For having horrible timing and decision-making abilities and almost getting him killed on an operating table on an abandoned station in the middle of a remote asteroid belt? Her smile might have been bleak, but she forced herself to offer it, regardless. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re alive and hope your recovery is swift and painless.”

“Yes.” Leonidas looked down at his underwear again. “Tomorrow, I hope to wear pants.”

Chapter 11

With a plate in hand, Alisa knocked on Leonidas’s hatch. The Nomad had a couple of hours before it would reach the big orange asteroid, and she wanted to check on him. She’d already looked for him in sickbay, but Alejandro and Tiang had apparently sent him to spend the night resting and recovering in his own bunk.

“Come in,” came Leonidas’s muffled invitation.

Alisa stepped into the dim cabin, hoping she hadn’t woken him up. He probably needed a lot of good sleep—she hoped the Alliance would leave them alone long enough that he could get it.

Leonidas lay in bed, his dark hair tousled, a muscled arm across his blanket, the rest of him hidden, save for one bare foot that stuck out at the end. She smiled fondly at him, feeling the urge to kiss him, but it would be too soon for that. Especially since it wasn’t a particularly platonic kiss that came to mind.

“Lights,” he murmured, and the dimness lessened.

“You don’t have to turn them up on my account. I hear you’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“I wanted to see what you were carrying.” He sounded hopeful. Alisa wondered if the doctors had let him eat anything yet.

She walked the plate over to the fold-down desk, set it where he could reach it, and sat on the edge of his bunk. “Tiang said I could bring you brain food to help heal your neurons. Like liver and oily fish and raw egg yolks.”

“Oh?” With his head on the pillow, he couldn’t see the top of the desk, though his enhanced nostrils could probably tell that she hadn’t brought any of those things.

“I asked Beck to make triple-chunk chocolate cookies instead.” Alisa would have liked to make the cookies herself, but she hadn’t dared leave the autopilot for long while they were cruising through an asteroid field. She had waited until the Nomad was passing through a relatively clear section before coming down to visit Leonidas.

His second “Oh?” was much more enthusiastic.

He started to push himself up, but she laid a hand on his chest, pressed gently, and handed him a cookie. Had he truly wished to rise, she couldn’t have kept him down, but he lowered himself back to the pillow without a fight. He had to be wiped out after that surgery.

“Thank you,” Leonidas said, accepting his prize with a smile.

“You’re welcome.” Alisa decided that it wouldn’t be appropriate to peel his blanket back so she could leer at his muscles while he ate, but she did leave her hand on his chest, again feeling gratitude that he had survived that debacle. If he hadn’t, she did not know what she would have done. Except blamed herself. Forever. “I’m glad you made it through,” she said quietly, not bothering to quell the emotion seeping into her voice.

“Me too.” He gazed up at her while he ate his cookie. “Your hair is nice.”

“Uh?” Alisa had been about to ask if he had watched the station’s shuttle bay footage, but the unexpected compliment derailed her, especially since her hair was pulled back in its usual braid, rather than arranged in some flattering style. She hadn’t even washed it since they entered the asteroid field.

She was on the verge of protesting that there wasn’t anything appealing about her hair right now, but noticed that his gaze had drifted lower, following her braid to where it draped over her shoulder and down to her chest. She wasn’t wearing anything sexy—she didn’t have anything in her wardrobe these days that would even qualify—but the T-shirt she had on hugged her features more than it disguised them.

“Leonidas,” she said, a sense of delight coming over her, “are you ogling me?”

His gaze jerked up to her face. “No, of course not,” he said, the words tumbling out, one hand coming up to grope the air, as if in search of answers. “I just hadn’t noticed before that you were—that you’re so—I mean, you were always pleasant to look at, but I didn’t realize that your curves were… curvy. And that I liked that.”

She bit her lip, pleased by his fumbled admission. She fought the urge to tease him. His cheeks were already flushing red. Still, she couldn’t resist thrusting her chest out provocatively as she leaned over to grab another cookie. She thought about putting one in his hand, which was still lifted uncertainly, as if it didn’t know what it should be doing. Instead, she guided his hand to her chest, giving him something else to grasp, wondering if he would enjoy that now or let go in favor of the cookie.

He opened his mouth, as if to protest this familiarity, but his gaze dropped to her chest again and he cupped her tentatively. A tingle of pleasure went through her as his thumb brushed her through her shirt, and she started having thoughts of peeling away his blanket again. Was he wearing anything under it? Her own cheeks warmed as the temptation to explore stole through her, but she reminded herself that he was likely wearing bandages and that this was not the appropriate time to explore.

“Is this considered flirting?” Leonidas asked, a hint of wonder in his voice.

“Mm, flirting usually involves words and playful gestures. Usually when you’re stroking a woman’s boob, you’ve moved on to the next stage.”

“Oh? What happens in the next stage?” His gaze shifted from her chest to her face, more than wonder in his eyes now. An intensity had kindled there, a look she hadn’t seen from him before, though she had often longed to see it. “Are there fewer clothes?”

“A lot fewer,” she whispered, her body heating from more than his gentle stroking. He had touched her before, but he had never looked at her like this. Before, he had touched her as a favor, to please her. Now…

His hand shifted from her breast to slide down her ribcage to her waist, and then around to her back. She leaned closer to him, in case he wanted to push her shirt off. Instead, his hand trailed lower, tracing the contours of her butt. He smiled and cupped it.

“This is nice too,” he said, squeezing lightly.

She almost laughed at his analysis, wondering if he would pause to say that about each body part the first time they had sex. Which, she firmly told herself, should not be tonight. No matter how much she was enjoying his exploratory touches. She had no idea how long he would take to fully heal down there, but couldn’t imagine that anything vigorous was on the doctor’s orders. Still, that didn’t keep her from thinking about kissing him, especially since their faces were much closer together now, as she leaned into him, both of his hands now tracing her body, raising tingles of warmth wherever they touched. There was a smudge of chocolate on his upper lip. Maybe it wouldn’t be inappropriate if she cleaned it off for him. That would simply be polite. A favor.

She had just decided that a short kiss wouldn’t hurt anything when he asked, “Can I see you naked?”

Alisa blinked and met his eyes, surprised, if only because he had never asked anything of the sort before.

“You’ve seen me naked before,” she said, not that she objected to the idea of giving him a show. The suns knew she had been waiting for him to want one.

“That was before. I need to… compare.”

“Like a science experiment?”

His smile was a touch sheepish. “Yeah.”

“Do I get to see you naked too?” She wriggled her eyebrows and slid the blanket down his chest a few inches, letting her fingernails graze the firm flesh underneath.

“Yeah,” he said again, his voice a touch raspier this time.

“Good. Let me just clean some chocolate off you first.”

She leaned forward, fully intending to get her kiss, but the hatch clanged open.

Alisa backed away so quickly she fell off the bed.

“Alisa?” Leonidas asked, rising to one elbow.

Before she could respond that she was fine, Admiral Tiang walked in with his medical kit and a syringe full of a disgusting-looking beige substance.

“Greetings, Colonel,” he said, nodding to Leonidas, as if there was nothing unusual about finding Alisa on the deck in his patient’s cabin. “Captain.”

Alisa flushed and pushed herself to her feet, feeling like she had been caught doing something naughty.

“Tiang,” Leonidas said, his tone faintly exasperated.

“I’ve prepared a vitamin, mineral, and phospholipid compound to assist with healing.” Tiang walked to the bunk, pausing to tut at the plate with disapproval.

Alisa expected him to point out that triple-chunk chocolate cookies did not assist with healing. Instead, he plucked one from the plate and bit off a piece while handing Leonidas the syringe.

Leonidas eyed the liquid-filled implement dubiously, but squeezed the contents into his mouth. Judging from the face he made, the compound was not as palatable as a cookie. Alisa had a feeling she wouldn’t want to kiss him until he had a chance to sani his teeth. Nothing like a medical visit to ruin a moment.

“Are you experiencing erectile function yet?” Tiang asked brightly, looking at Alisa’s shirt.

She realized the hem was rucked up, revealing skin. She wasn’t sure if it was rumpled from Leonidas’s roving hands or from falling off the bed, but she hurried to smooth it down. Between bringing cookies and, er, herself, she felt like a bad influence on a healing patient.

Leonidas sighed, not looking like he wanted to answer the question, but Tiang withdrew a netdisc, fired up the holodisplay, and lifted a finger, poised to fill in some notes.

“Just preliminary… stirrings,” Leonidas said.

“Ah! Stirrings are promising, especially so soon.” Tiang grabbed another cookie and tapped in notes with one finger while he munched. “Shall we do a quick exam?”

Leonidas gave Alisa a distressed look.

“Captain?” came Yumi’s voice over the comm.

Alisa used the interface on the wall to answer. “Yes?”

“There are a couple of small asteroids wandering through the field in front of us. The autopilot beeped a few times. I’m not sure if that means it needs your attention or not.”

“I’ll be right there.” Alisa patted Leonidas’s leg through the blanket. “We’ll have to continue our visit later.”

“You never answered my question,” he said, as Tiang poked into his medical kit.

She paused on her way to the hatch, trying to remember which question she might have left hanging. “The one about science experiments?”

“Yes,” Leonidas said.

“I’m certain that we can set it up so you can get your results.”

“Science?” Tiang looked up from his kit with interest. “Results? I have excellent software for collating results and making graphs if you wish a copy.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Alisa said, “but thank you, Admiral.”

Maybe she had spoken too soon. Leonidas had started stroking his chin thoughtfully at the mention of graphs. That was what she got for falling for a man who had been studying engineering before he turned to soldiering.

• • • • •

The big orange asteroid was a dud. As was a long, reddish one and one so pockmarked by craters that it looked like a dog’s chew toy. After breaking for a few hours of sleep, Alisa headed the Nomad toward the next asteroid on the list. She’d thought about joining Leonidas for that sleep, but they might have ended up doing unsanctioned science experiments instead, so she’d left him alone to recover and had dozed in the pilot’s seat.

She checked the sensor station for the hundredth time. There were ships out there, imperial and Alliance, also searching the belt. She didn’t know if they were looking for the Nomad, or if they only wanted the staff, or maybe even the prince, but she veered away from them whenever they appeared. She zipped through the maze of asteroids as fast as possible so they would fall off her sensor monitor—and she off theirs. Unfortunately, each encounter—and flight—added hours to what was setting up to be a long search. Only a day into it, she wondered if she had brought enough food and water along.

“How’s the hunt going?” Mica asked, ambling into NavCom with something steaming wrapped in a pancake.

The smell of herbed eggs wafted up the corridor from the mess hall.

“Nobody has shot at us in more than twelve hours,” Alisa said.

“That can’t last. There are probably pirates behind that next asteroid.”

“I see you’ve come to cheer me up with your pessimism.”

“Do you need cheer? Your cyborg had his penis surgery. What more does it take to make you happy?”

Alisa flushed, uncomfortable now that Leonidas’s problems were common knowledge on the ship. “I’d like to find my daughter,” she murmured, hoping to change the subject.

Mica offered a rare sheepish look and muttered a, “Sorry.”

Alisa waved her hand. She had only wanted to shift the conversation away from Leonidas, not make anyone feel guilty.

“This is for you.” Mica handed her the stuffed pancake, paper wrapped around it so she could eat it with one hand. “Beck says you better finish it quickly. Leonidas woke up hungry and went through half of the food he’d prepared. The Starseers may have to start a ritual fast.”

“I guess Tiang’s vitamin concoctions aren’t very filling,” Alisa murmured, though Mica wouldn’t know what she was talking about.

The surgery must not have changed anything about Leonidas’s appetite. Thinking of the conversation he’d been having with Tiang about shortened cyborg life expectancies, Alisa found that sad. Tiang had never said he could alter his metabolism or anything else besides his sexual function, but she had hoped the surgery would resolve a couple of his other problems. Since Leonidas had nearly died during it, he might not be willing to go under the knife—or the nanobots—again in the future.

Mica poked her, nodding at a huge asteroid looming ahead. Alisa veered around it and reminded herself that letting her mind wander wasn’t a good idea while manually flying through the field.

“I’m thinking of sending a message to Admiral Hawk,” Alisa said.

“I didn’t know you were buddies now.”

“He doesn’t know either. But he’s the only one I can think of who might straighten out the Alliance and keep them from pestering us further.”

“Maybe he wants them to pester us.”

“If he’s still hoping to recruit Leonidas, he shouldn’t.”

The asteroid field opened up, leaving Alisa space to breathe. She took a bite of the pancake wrap. Inside, she found, in addition to the perfectly cooked scrambled eggs, a Lebronazian spiced sausage that delighted her taste buds. While she ate, she tapped a number into the comm.

“Do you know how to get in touch with Hawk?” Mica asked.

“Not really. That’s Suyin Tiang’s office code.”

“The office that existed in the burning building where the roof caved in after we landed on it?”

“You don’t think she’ll be there taking comms?”

“Uh.”

“I’m sure she’ll check the messages,” Alisa said, opting for optimism. “We’re far enough out that all I can do is send a delayed message anyway.”

“It’ll be extra delayed if the roof fell on the comm console.”

Alisa hit record. “Dr. Tiang, this is Alisa Marchenko. I’m trying to let Admiral Hawk know that Admiral Tiang is here on the Star Nomad of his own free will. It seems there’s been some confusion about that among the Alliance ranks. I also wanted to let you know that, even though it’s not my primary concern at the moment, if we retrieve the staff, I’m open to working with the Alliance to find a suitable means of disposing of it, so that neither the empire nor these rogue Starseers can use it to cause further trouble. Lastly, I’ve heard that Commander Tomich may be in some trouble, on account of me. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to clear his name.” She finished with a cheerful, “Thanks for your help, Doctor,” signed off, and took another bite of her breakfast.

“I don’t recall Hawk mentioning that disposing of the staff was his primary interest,” Mica said.

“But he also didn’t mention that he wanted to acquire it for the Alliance to use or study. After the Laikagrad earthquake, he may see the wisdom of getting rid of it.”

“You’re being optimistic without reason again. We in the engineering trade call that being delusional.”

“I’m confident something will happen as a result of that message.”

“Sure, the Alliance will triangulate our position and show up at the next asteroid before we do.”

Alisa lifted a hand, on the verge of shooing Mica out of NavCom, but she remembered a thought she’d had earlier when she had encountered Bravo Six in the cargo hold, discussing his research with the Starseers and asking if any of them were scientists.

“If you don’t have any more pressing work,” Alisa said, “can you take a look at Six?”

“At what?”

“The android. Maybe you could fix some of his damage.”

“An android is a sophisticated artificial intelligence with a physical composition more human-like than machine. You can’t hammer out the dents the way you can on a dishwashing robot.”

“I feel guilty every time I look at him—and that missing eye.”

“So get him an eye patch.”

“Mica.” Alisa frowned.

“What? It’s not like I have spare cybernetic eyeballs floating around engineering.”

“Just… see what you can do. Please?”

“Fine, fine, but your tool-tinkering Starseer dad would be more likely to fix an android.”

“I don’t think he made it off the station before it blew up,” Alisa said quietly.

“No? In the confusion, I hadn’t realized… Er, sorry.” Mica hesitated, then reached over and clumsily patted Alisa on the shoulder.

Alisa managed a smile. Mica was even more awkward than she was at expressing feelings and comforting people. Alisa had often let Jonah take the lead on that, though she had found it came more naturally with her daughter than with other people. She wondered how Leonidas would do with comforting upset children. Would there be awkward pats? Or would he be quick to offer a hug? He’d known when to offer her hugs so far. Would Stanislav have offered hugs, if she’d ever given him a hint that she would accept one?

“I feel bad that I didn’t get to know him better,” Alisa said. “That I didn’t give him more of a chance to explain himself. He tried a few times. I didn’t want to hear it.”

“Because he was a suspicious Starseer who only appeared in your life after stealing your staff.”

“It wasn’t my staff.”

“It glowed for you.”

“It glows more for Tymoteusz.” Alisa shook her head. “It shouldn’t be anyone’s staff. That’s why disposing of it is the best answer.”

“Probably so. Look, he was suspicious. He helped us, but you never knew if he cared or was just here for his own reasons. Most likely the latter. I wouldn’t have trusted him either.”

“But you’re pessimistic, and I… thought I wasn’t.”

“We’re more the same than you think. You just lie to yourself about it. And then you believe your lies.”

“Your charm is without bounds.”

“Who wants a charming engineer?” Mica asked.

“I’d settle for one who could make android eyes.”

Mica snorted.

Alisa guided them closer to their fourth asteroid, trying not to feel daunted as she glanced toward the holo map and saw how many more asteroids, each marked with a red dot, they had to search.

“I never got to know my parents well either,” Mica said, surprising Alisa by volunteering the information. She so rarely spoke about herself and her past. “My dad died when I was about ten. Mom died while I was at the university.”

“I didn’t realize you had no family left.” Maybe Alisa had, if only intuitively. Mica had never spoken of wanting to return to the mining asteroid where she had grown up, or wanting to make enough money to take her family away from that life.

Mica shrugged. “Because of the way the government ran the place, children ended up knowing their instructors and mine leaders better than their parents. They put you in the crèche when you were six, and you learned right away how to be a good little worker. Even before that, you were mostly communally raised with the other kids. The adults were too busy working to spend time raising their children. The old and injured ended up with that responsibility.” She waved her hand, as if dismissing the subject. An old wound long past scarred over, even if it had affected the person she became. “I didn’t know them enough to miss them or mourn their loss, but sometimes I miss the idea of them, if that makes sense. I’d read books about other families in other places, and I’d wonder what it might have been like to know them. And like them. Guess it’s like that for you with Stanislav.”

“I guess.” Alisa glanced at the sensors, then turned that glance into a second long look. “We have company.”

“That Alliance warship coming after us again?” Mica asked.

“I don’t think so, but it’s too far out to get a good reading.” Alisa sent a ping. If it was an Alliance ship, it would automatically respond with its ident.

She didn’t get anything back. Grumbling, she set the second half of her pancake wrap on the console for later. As she had done before, she veered away, trying to put distance between the Nomad and the other ship. She resented once again adding time to their search, but she could loop back toward their destination asteroid after the other vessel was off the sensors.

Unfortunately, the other vessel veered from its own course. It picked a path through the asteroids around it, heading after the Nomad in as direct a line as possible.

Hoping that was a coincidence, Alisa turned their nose downward, trying another route. The other ship adjusted its course so that it would eventually cut them off. Faster than they were, it was closing the gap quickly.

“Do we have a stalker?” Mica asked.

“Yes, we do.” Alisa opened the internal comm. “Abelardus? We could use you in NavCom.”

Have you been missing me terribly? he responded promptly, in her mind rather than on the comm. I regret that I haven’t spent more time with you since my people came on board.

Actually, I’ve been appreciating the quiet. But I need you now.

I’ve been waiting for you to admit that for weeks. I’ll be right there.

I hope your people won’t pine overmuch in your absence.

We were discussing the possibility of setting up a beer brewing center in the kitchen.

Good. I’m still waiting for a chocolate stout.

And I’m waiting to be rewarded for producing one for you.

I’m willing to offer you a half-eaten pancake.

Generous.

It’s a very good pancake.

“Trouble?” Leonidas asked from the hatchway.

He wore his loose exercise togs and looked much sharper than the last time he had appeared in NavCom.

“Should I again attempt to dress myself in armor?” he added.

Alisa smiled at him. “Let’s see how much of an emergency we have first.”

Leonidas returned the smile and gazed warmly at her. He definitely held the gaze longer than usual. Maybe he was thinking about science experiments.

Abelardus appeared behind him, trying to shove him aside so he could get into NavCom. He would have had an easier time moving one of the asteroids. Leonidas turned a flat look over his shoulder before stepping into NavCom so Abelardus could pass.

“Abelardus,” Alisa said, waving toward the sensor panel. “Can you tell anything about that ship? Is it within your range yet?” She grimaced as she noticed just how much closer it had come in the last few minutes.

“If it’s not, it will be soon.” Abelardus folded down the seat for a better look.

“It’s not military,” Leonidas said. “A bounty hunter hired to hunt for the prince? Or a treasure hunter looking for the staff?”

“Just what we need,” Mica said. “A third organization zooming around in here, making trouble.”

“It should be close enough for me to get a read on the crew now,” Abelardus said slowly, “but I’m not able to sense anyone aboard.”

Leonidas leaned past Abelardus and touched the sensor display. “I recognize that ship. Remember the corporate android treasure hunter from the quarantine zone around Alcyone Station?”

“Captain Echo of the Explorer,” Alisa said. “Yes.”

“What’s he doing here?” Mica asked.

“The same thing he was doing there, I’ll wager,” Leonidas said.

“Looking for the staff.” Alisa frowned. “But we don’t have it, and we don’t have the orb anymore, so there’s no reason he should board us.”

“Does he know that?” Mica asked. “He’s closing fast.”

“Like a lusty star sailor eyeing his first brothel in months,” Alisa grumbled.

Leonidas arched an eyebrow.

“You starting to know the feeling?” Abelardus asked him with a smirk.

“Stay out of my head,” Leonidas told him.

Alisa snorted because she had said—or thought—the exact same thing so many times.

Because you people can’t grasp what amazing company I am, Abelardus informed her silently. I’m shocked you don’t wilt with loneliness when I’m not around.

Uh huh.

Your cyborg had lustful dreams involving you last night. Did he tell you?

No.

He’s probably ashamed. Hasn’t had to worry about morning perkiness for so long.

Alisa glared over her shoulder at him. I’m sure you find it fascinating, but why don’t you give him privacy while he sleeps? And stop frolicking through his thoughts the rest of the time too.

“Stay out of her head too,” Leonidas growled, guessing at the reason for her glare.

“You’re testier now that more than your armor gets hard,” Abelardus said.

“The maturity level of NavCom plummets any time there are men in here,” Alisa told Mica.

“I think it’s Abelardus, more than men in general. Just give them some guns and point them toward the enemy.” Mica waved at the treasure-hunting ship. It was now visible in their rear camera as well as on the sensor monitor.

Alisa raised the Nomad’s shields. “I’m hoping that android captain, if he’s still in charge over there, will remember what happened to his people the last time he tried to board us.”

“If he does, won’t he just bring bigger weapons and more androids?” Mica asked.

“I’m confident our people can handle them even if he does.” Alisa nodded to Leonidas, though she didn’t truly want to send him into battle so soon after his surgery. She hadn’t asked Tiang if it was all right—for all she knew, those failsafes in his skull were still agitated and could go off if he took a crack to the head.

“I’ll get my armor,” Leonidas said.

“You may need the leg pieces this time,” Alisa said. “And both boots.”

“You’re a demanding captain.” He touched the back of her head, fingers lingering to brush through her hair, then left.

Alisa bit her lip, her cheeks warming as she imagined such touches leading somewhere. Later. When there weren’t androids breathing down their necks.

“Make sure to tell him not to aim for the face if he does battle with an android,” Mica said.

“Why not?” Alisa asked.

“So we can get a replacement eyeball for your new buddy.”

If Alisa had been thinking of such things back on the station, she might have grabbed the head of the android Leonidas had dismantled in Command and Control. But it would have been a lurid trophy to tote through the corridors.

Yumi peeked into NavCom. “Do you need any help, Captain?”

“Why don’t you take the sensor station?” Alisa waved to the seat behind her. “Abelardus is too busy sifting through Leonidas’s thoughts to be useful back there.”

“Very funny,” Abelardus said, but he slid out of the seat and bowed Yumi into it without further objection.

“Hm,” Yumi said, “I assume you’re aware of the three ships chasing after us?”

“Three?” Alisa scowled over her shoulder. “I’m aware of one.”

“There are two more veering in from farther back. They’re coming from different directions, but they’re definitely angling to chase after us.”

“Wonderful. Are they all non-military vessels?”

“I believe so, Captain. They have specs more like civilian yachts than military craft. I do see weapons on that lead one, however.”

“Yes, we’ve met that ship before.” Alisa headed for a more densely packed part of the field, aware that the Nomad was flying past the asteroid she had wanted to check. The odds of the children being hidden away inside of it were negligible, but she did not want to risk leading strangers to Jelena. Or Prince Thorian. She didn’t know when she had become a guardian for him, but knew Leonidas would prefer he not be hurt.

“Oh, I recognize it now,” Yumi said. “It’s very modern. And fast.”

Unlike the Nomad.

“Abelardus,” Alisa asked, “is it all androids and robots on that ship and on the other two? Or are there any human crew members that your people might be able to influence?”

“Definitely not on the closest ship,” Abelardus said. “The other two aren’t in my range yet, but they should be soon, since they’re closing so quickly.”

“Lucky us.” Alisa hit the comm. “Beck, I need you to get into your armor.”

“How much trouble are we in, Captain?” Beck replied. “I’ve got pancakes on the griddle. A certain cyborg demolished the first batch.”

Leonidas was not there to refute the comment, but Alisa felt fortunate that he hadn’t made overtures toward her half-eaten one on the console.

“Find someone else to flip them for you,” she said. “We have three ships chasing us and may be fending off a forced boarding soon.”

“Will do.”

Alisa hoped the androids tried to board her freighter instead of simply blowing it up. If it turned out these ships wanted revenge and nothing more, she had no idea how she would defeat all three of them with her two e-cannons, weapons she hadn’t even debuted yet.

The lead ship came in close, flying right behind her.

“Its shields are up,” Yumi reported.

“I figured they would be,” Alisa said. “Weapons hot?”

“Not yet.”

“Might be waiting for his allies.” Mica pushed herself to her feet. “I better go down to engineering. I assume something will be scorched, perforated, or blown up before long.”

Alisa wished she could argue, but damage did seem likely. The two rear ships, civilian yachts, as Yumi had said, had enough firepower to cow a fleet of marauding pirates. As did the ultra-modern lead ship. She well remembered that it had been outfitted with all the latest—and most expensive—equipment and weapons.

“I’m not getting life auras from either of the other ships,” Abelardus said.

“Can your people do anything against the androids?” Alisa asked. “Or cause some of the equipment in the ships to malfunction? You have someone who’s an expert with machinery, right?”

“We have Ostberg.”

“He’s the one who took out the grab beam on the Alliance ship, isn’t he?”

“Only because Mica shared her knowledge with him and told him which wires to pull. He doesn’t know enough on his own when it comes to engines.”

Alisa doubted Mica would have any familiarity with these ships. She had worked on all manner of Alliance craft during the war, and had done battle against imperial warships, but civilian yachts? Neither of them had been invited to fly on any of those.

Alisa eyed the comm station. None of their pursuers had attempted to open communications. Should she bother?

The two back ones zipped around an asteroid and came into sight on the rear camera. She tensed as they zoomed in to join the first ship. Any second, one of them would lock down the Nomad with a grab beam, pull alongside it, and attempt to fasten onto her airlock hatch.

She waited, certain that would happen. But it didn’t.

All three ships settled in behind her and matched her pace, like runners drafting off the lead sprinter in a race.

Alisa took them through an obstacle course of asteroids, choosing a challenging route and hoping she might shake them. They either stuck with her or they chose different paths around the asteroids, and then settled in behind the Nomad again.

She groaned as the gist of their plan sank in.

“They’re not going to board us,” she said. “They’re going to follow us until we lead them to what they seek.”

Chapter 12

Alisa finished her pancake wrap and drank two mugs of coffee while the trio of treasure-hunting ships followed along behind, silent stalkers among the stars. She had stopped trying to outfly them, as they had proven too smart to veer close to an asteroid and crash. For the last hour, she had been mulling over possible ways to get rid of them. Unfortunately, the mulling had been unproductive thus far.

“What if we just stop?” Leonidas asked from the co-pilot’s seat, his helmet in his lap.

Alisa regretted telling him to put his armor on when it turned out that there had not been a need, at least not yet.

“I bet they’ll stop too,” Alisa said. “And wait us out. They won’t need food, so they can stay out here indefinitely. We, on the other hand, will run out of supplies eventually. Not to mention that there are still Alliance and imperial ships skulking around out here, looking for the same thing that we seek.”

“Imperial ships don’t skulk.”

“They do when they’re outnumbered and a long way from Perun.”

He gave her a dry look.

“The Alliance ships are skulking, too, in my opinion. Everyone is sneaking around out here, trying to find the staff and the children. And we don’t even know if the staff is nearby. Maybe after Tymoteusz lost us, he decided to take it off to a tropical beach somewhere for a vacation.”

“He didn’t,” Abelardus said from the corridor behind them.

Yumi, who had gone for coffee, slipped past him and returned to the sensor station.

“How do you know?” Alisa asked Abelardus.

“One of our people, Nyarai, who has excellent range says she can sense the staff. It’s not close, but it’s near the asteroid belt. The chasadski might be flying just outside of it, also watching us and waiting to see what we find. Now that Stanislav isn’t here to shroud your ship, Tymoteusz must not have had trouble locating us.”

Alisa groaned. “Why can’t people do their own research? Why are they pestering us?”

“We could fire at the treasure hunters,” Leonidas said. “They’re more of an immediate threat.”

“You’ve taken a look at their weapons complements. You really think we’d be a match for them?”

“Not in a straight battle where both sides will do anything to win, but if they think we can lead them to their prize, they may be unwilling to destroy us.”

“I’m not willing to take that chance,” Alisa said.

For now, they were only guessing why the androids were back there. She did not want to assume she knew their assignment.

“Another option,” Leonidas said, “is to simply continue the search and not worry that we’re being followed. Until we actually find the children, it doesn’t matter if there are androids watching us. And if we do find them, well, we can fight for them then. The androids may even be indifferent to the children if they’re only here for the staff.”

“That’s true,” Alisa said, assuming their employer didn’t also want the prince. Did the kid have a bounty on his head right now? “I wonder if they would believe me if I told them we’re not after the staff.” She glanced at Abelardus. “Maybe I could even tell them where to find it. I don’t suppose your long-range Starseer would like to go off with some androids and lead them to Tymoteusz.”

“Not likely,” Abelardus said. “But she might not mind directing the androids to him over the comm. If we send trouble in Tymoteusz’s direction, it should keep him busy for a while, though I have no doubt that he could ultimately destroy these three ships.”

“Don’t mention that when we chat.” Alisa tapped the comm, attempting to hail the lead ship.

“Greetings, Star Nomad captain,” came the prompt response.

It sounded like an android, but Alisa couldn’t tell if it was the same one she had communicated with—and battled against—before.

“Hello, Explorer,” she said. The ship was flying so close now that she had no trouble reading the name on the hull. “Is this Captain Echo?”

“It is. We’ve met before.”

“Yes, I remember. Is there something I can help you with? You’re flying close enough to suck my ship’s exhaust.”

“Technically untrue, Captain. Exhaust particles dissipate in space at a rate of—”

“What do you want?” Alisa interrupted.

“Despite certain difficulties faced last month, my employer still seeks the Staff of Lore. I believe you’ll lead my team to it.”

“Do you really? Or are you desperate because your employer is getting cranky and you have no idea how to find it yourself?”

The android hesitated. Maybe his employer was cranky. “I find it statistically probable that you will lead me to the staff, due to your dalliances with Starseers known to have the staff. It is impractical for us to fly randomly around the asteroid belt while hoping for a chance crossing.”

“You don’t think that’s what we’re doing?”

“I cannot know with certainty, Captain. I am observing you while I consider that very conundrum.”

“Well, here’s the truth,” Alisa said. “I have Starseers aboard, and they do have an idea as to where the staff is. I’m willing to have the person who can sense it direct you to the Starseer ship that is carrying the staff while we continue our own search.”

“You seek something in addition to the staff?”

Alisa didn’t want to seek the damned staff at all. “I do, yes. My daughter. She’s out here somewhere.”

“I believe you are uncomfortable with our presence, Captain, and that you do not want competition in acquiring the staff.”

“I am uncomfortable with your presence, but not because of anything to do with the staff. Didn’t your maker tell you it’s rude to stalk women around the galaxy?”

“No.”

“Well, it is. If you change your mind about wanting directions to the staff, let me know. But I may not be willing to extend the offer indefinitely.”

The channel closed before she cut it off.

“That was a waste of time,” Alisa announced.

“Likely so,” Leonidas said.

“I love it when you agree with me.”

He tilted his head toward the holo map. “Continue on to the next asteroid on the list.”

“I love it less when you give me orders.”

“Her love is fickle, isn’t it, cyborg?” Abelardus asked.

They both ignored him.

“If we find our people hiding there,” Leonidas said, “I’ll deal with the androids if they try to take the children away from us.”

“While I get excited about the idea of you being surly with androids, I don’t want to put Jelena in the middle of a firefight.” Alisa fiddled with the tip of her braid while glowering thoughtfully at the ships tailing them. “Yumi, is there anything in this asteroid field that could be used as… I don’t know. A way to distract these androids?”

“I’m not certain what that might be, Captain.”

“How about an abandoned floating weapons platform that we could board and use to blow up every enemy in the asteroid belt?”

“I didn’t see that on the map,” Yumi said dryly.

“Damn.” Alisa caught Leonidas eyeballing her and shrugged. “There was a space station. Why couldn’t there be a super weapons platform?”

“There are some abandoned mining facilities,” Yumi said.

“Facilities with lots of tunnels dug out inside of the asteroids?”

“Presumably so.”

“See if you can find one with lots and lots of tunnels inside,” Alisa said. “Something large enough for us to fly through.”

“I’ll see what’s in the sys-net database.”

“Hoping to lead them into a maze and get them lost?” Leonidas asked.

“If they follow me, they deserve what they get.”

“Androids won’t get lost easily.”

“What if we try out your e-cannons to collapse a tunnel on them?”

“It would be difficult to collapse a tunnel in the zero gravity environment of an asteroid,” Yumi said.

“Good point,” Alisa said, “but let’s visit one of these mining facilities. Maybe something will inspire me.”

“I think our time would be better spent continuing to search for the children,” Leonidas said. “We may have to check a hundred more asteroids before we find them.”

If they were out here at all. Alisa tamped down that thought, preferring to believe they were here and it was just a matter of time before she located them.

“Or they may be in the next one,” she said. “I don’t want a firefight going on around them. Yumi?”

“Yes, I’ve located a large mining asteroid that isn’t too far from here. It has a diameter of over twenty miles, and according to the database, was mined for gold and ahridium more than a hundred years ago.”

“Corporations coming in without permission and robbing my people of the minerals from the remains of the planet that was once ours,” Abelardus grumbled.

“Technically, that asteroid was purchased by Stardust Excavations Unlimited,” Yumi said.

“Nobody had the right to sell it. I bet that asteroid was a Starseer potato farm once.”

“Sounds like as good a place to get androids stuck as any,” Alisa said.

Abelardus gave her a sour look.

Yumi transferred the coordinates to Alisa’s netdisc, and the holo map adjusted, a new red dot joining the others, glowing more brightly.

Alisa headed toward it. “Let’s see how you androids like spelunking.”

Chapter 13

Alisa guided the Nomad through a gaping hole at the end of the asteroid and into a vast cavern that had long ago been hollowed out. Leonidas watched pensively from the seat next to her. He hadn’t objected further to her plan, but he did not appear pleased with the delay. Alisa wasn’t pleased with the delay, either, but she was even less pleased with android ships plaguing her like zits in need of popping.

“I don’t suppose we have a map of the interior?” she asked as the asteroid field disappeared behind them and darkness closed in from all sides, suffocating in its density. The running lights of the Nomad played over a chiseled rock wall as she followed it. Alisa couldn’t yet see tunnels, but she imagined they would find some, that the entire asteroid couldn’t be hollow inside.

“All I have is what the sensors can detect of the surrounding terrain,” Yumi said. “There’s no map in the public domain. It’s likely that Stardust Excavations has kept them in its private logs. The company still exists, if you’re curious. I looked.”

“Great, let’s comm them up and see if they’ll send a map.”

“We could try, but the delay—”

“I know. I’m still waiting to hear back from Hawk. We’ll just go exploring and hope we get lucky.” Lights glowed on the rear camera as the first of the android ships followed the Nomad inside. “And hope they don’t,” she added.

“Are they all following, Yumi?” Leonidas glanced toward the sensors.

“The two yachts are hovering outside right now,” she said.

“If we can take out the leader, would the others retreat?” he mused. “Or would they carry on with their mission?”

“Do you want me to comm and ask?” Alisa asked. “I think Captain Echo finds me charming.”

“Didn’t he hang up on you earlier?” Yumi asked.

“Because he was overwhelmed by how much charisma I exuded.”

“Transferring the sensor reading to your netdisc,” Yumi said, refraining from commenting on Alisa’s charisma.

Alisa accepted the transmission, and a rough map of their surroundings replaced the asteroid belt on her netdisc’s holodisplay. It revealed three tunnels at the end of the massive cavern, each tunnel large enough for a mining ship to trundle through. More importantly, large enough for the Nomad to pass through. Losing their pursuers would have been easier if the freighter had been smaller than the treasure-hunting vessels—she might have found tiny tunnels where the androids couldn’t follow—but the opposite was true.

She chose the leftmost passage at random. It curved upward, and the Nomad’s lights reflected off something metallic up ahead. Alisa’s first thought was that they were glinting off ore still in the walls, but a huge hulk of machinery blocked the passage.

Cursing, she reversed the thrusters. They almost ran into the machine, some kind of mobile drill that was no longer mobile. It looked like it might have floated around in the asteroid for years before becoming lodged.

“Think we can squeeze through on that side?” Alisa asked, eyeing the object.

“Shields are up, right?” Leonidas asked, glancing toward the console in front of Alisa.

She touched the indicator. “Yes.”

Leonidas leaned toward the controls that Mica had wired up to the e-cannons. Before Alisa realized what he was doing, he fired several times. White flashed as the energy blasts slammed into the drill.

“What are you doing?” Alisa blurted, as shrapnel pelted the sides of the tunnel and the Nomad’s shields. She would have backed them up had she known he meant to do that.

Or maybe not, she amended, as she saw the treasure-hunting ship’s lights on the camera coming up behind them.

“Now, you can squeeze through,” Leonidas said, waving to the pulverized machinery floating in the passage, none of the pieces larger than a meter across now.

“So generous of you to accommodate,” Alisa said, nudging the Nomad forward.

His eyes twinkled as he looked over at her.

“Been waiting for a chance to play with those, have you?”

“It’s important to test fire one’s weaponry before using it.”

“Is it,” she murmured, resisting the urge to make a dirty comment. He wouldn’t catch the innuendo anyway. Probably. Maybe that would change for him going forward.

“The sensors should have seen that drill,” Yumi said, “regardless of whether it was powered down. I’m going to run down to engineering and grab a couple of tools for calibrations.”

“Don’t let Mica’s pessimism squash you while you’re there.”

“Never,” Yumi said brightly and waved.

Alisa continued slowly down the passage, hoping they did not run into more obstacles. She imagined being forced to back out of the tunnel, which would also force the android ship to back out of the tunnel. Unless it got tired of patiently following and took the initiative to attack.

The tunnel continued on, the scored-out walls not as inspiring as Alisa wished. She wasn’t sure what she had hoped to find in here. A nice incinerator chamber, perhaps.

A chiseled-out chamber opened ahead, cluttered with dilapidated equipment ranging from pickaxes to a mining ship three times the size of the Nomad, all floating in the gravity-free machine graveyard.

“I wonder…” Alisa mused, eyeing the massive ship. “If the androids can’t sense the staff the way our Starseers can, could we pretend to take a field trip in there, as if we believe the staff has been hidden inside, and lure the androids in? If they hooked up to its airlock and sent a crew in to beat us to the prize, and we then left as quickly as possible, getting out before them, could we then blow up the ship? Or the tunnel that led us here? Leaving them stuck inside? At least until they can burn their way out with blazer fire or whatever they have?”

“We couldn’t pretend to take a field trip,” Leonidas said. “They have sensors and will be able to tell if we send people aboard or not. Also, if I were them, I’d wait to see if you found the staff, and then capture you and board you afterward.”

“You’re draping a wet blanket all over my brilliant schemes, Leonidas.”

He spread one of his gauntleted hands. “There’s little to be gained from this cat-and-mouse game and much to be lost.”

Alisa veered toward the mining craft, ignoring the old tools pinging off her shields.

Blocky and long, with a huge cargo hold taking up the back nine-tenths of it, the ship sported several gaping holes in the hull. It floated at a diagonal, not that up and down mattered much without gravity to deal with. She spotted an airlock hatch and flew toward it.

Aware of Leonidas watching her, she brought the Nomad in close. “I know you’re thinking I’m crazy, but I’m not committing to anything yet. I just want to see what their ship does. And if the two others come in here too.” They had fallen off the monitor, the mineral-laden rock diminishing the Nomad’s sensor range.

“I wasn’t thinking you’re crazy,” he said, his gaze toward her. He shifted it away, toward the weapons controls. “I was thinking inappropriate thoughts, actually.”

“Inappropriate?” Alisa asked, intrigued even though she was watching the android ship sail into the chamber and head in her direction. “That’s the word you use to describe my sense of humor. I find it hard to believe you were thinking humorous thoughts while we’re in the middle of a problematic situation.”

“Humorous, no.”

She arched her eyebrows at him.

“I was—” He cleared his throat. “I was thinking that you’re sexy when you scheme.”

“I’m always sexy,” she informed him with a grin, even if it wasn’t particularly true. She felt flattered that he was having such thoughts of her, inappropriately timed or not. Indeed, her own mind flashed back to the night before, sitting on the edge of his bunk while his hands roamed freely. Appropriateness was overrated. “I appreciate you having the thought. And I appreciate that you can have the thought now.”

“I’m not sure you should. These thoughts have been growing increasingly difficult to push aside. At first, I found them novel and appealing, but now, I fear they’re inconvenient and distracting.”

“What, you don’t want to think about sexy women while you’re battling an android?”

“Certainly not,” Leonidas said.

The two other android ships flew out of the tunnel and into the chamber. Ah, yes. This was her chance to trap them if she could come up with something. She had to try.

“Maybe you can appreciate your lustful thoughts later,” Alisa said, committing to lining the Nomad up with the airlock on the mining ship and extending the tube. She lowered their shields to make the connection, hoping she wouldn’t regret it. “In your bunk.”

“That would be a more appropriate place for them.”

“I believe he appreciated them there this morning,” Abelardus said, ambling into NavCom. “Vigorously.”

Leonidas glared at him.

“What were you doing?” Alisa asked. “Watching him?”

“I’m keeping an eye on him because I’m concerned about your safety. When he’s vigorous, he’s dangerous.”

“Do you have a reason for being up here? I asked you to see if your people could do something about those ships.”

“Yes, and Ostberg says he might have located a couple of crucial points inside of the lead ship. Something that looks like it’s important to the engine lubrication. Either that, or it’s a beverage dispenser.”

“Uh, what?” Alisa asked.

Abelardus shrugged. “That’s what the spigot reminded me of.”

“There may be a reason you’re only a beer brewer for your people.”

“Beer brewing is noble and takes an exquisite touch. As I have.” He tapped his fingers together. “Come find out when you tire of your overly vigorous cyborg.”

Yumi squeezed past him, tools in hand, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

Abelardus shrugged and said, “Ostberg wanted to know if he could come up to NavCom and speak to you directly.”

“You mean he asked permission before barging in on me? I didn’t know Starseers knew how to do that.”

“He’s young and timid.”

“Send him,” Alisa said, waving for him to leave, not only because he was annoying her but because the head android ship was sidling up to the wreck within spitting distance of the Nomad. “What’s he doing? There’s not an airlock in that spot.”

“There’s a hole in the hull,” Leonidas said. “It’s not as if there will be life support inside or that the androids would need it, regardless.”

“There are a few holes, yes, but they’re relatively small. I wonder…” Alisa eyed the wreck, a few thoughts percolating through her mind. One of the yachts had stayed back near the tunnel entrance, but the other was coming in close, perhaps looking for another spot where its inhuman crew might enter. “An android would go over without a spacesuit, right?”

“Most likely.” Leonidas gave her a you’re-thinking-of-something-shifty look. Or maybe she could now re-designate that to his you’re-sexy-when-you’re-thinking-of-something-shifty look.

“Mica?” Alisa commed.

“You can’t have any more of my tools if that’s what you’re asking,” Mica said.

Yumi, the sensor panel open as she tweaked something inside, frowned over at the comm. Alisa wondered if she’d had to barter or plea before being allowed to check out tools.

“I was wondering if you could make some gas.”

“Depends on how Beck’s food sits with me.”

“Ha ha. I was thinking of something explosive.”

“And I wasn’t?” Mica asked.

“Preferably something that’s not easily detected. I’m not sure what kind of olfactory senses those androids have, but I don’t want them getting suspicious ahead of time.”

“As I recall,” Yumi said, “we didn’t see Captain Echo in person, but the android that boarded the ship was a Steinway-Thomas 5580, less than two years old, so a newer model. Some of the androids modified specifically for mining purposes do have enhanced olfactory senses for detecting problems in tunnels, but that’s not a standard feature. Most have slightly better than human detection abilities in regard to smell.”

“So, a non-smelly gas, Mica,” Alisa said. “Nothing visible either. And a lot of it. Enough to fill up the cargo hold of that giant ship over there.”

“Androids are tough to destroy,” Leonidas said.

“Unless you rip a lot of their limbs off, I know. But if we can distract them long enough to get out of their sensor range… at the least, they would have to find us all over again out there.”

The two closest ships were floating near the wreck, but neither had sent any of their crew members floating over to investigate it yet. Alisa wasn’t surprised.

“We’ll have to send a couple of people in there so they’ll believe we’re looking for the staff,” she said. “And they can plant the gas at the same time.”

“I will, of course, go.” Leonidas rested his hands on his helmet.

“I suppose you’ll forbid me to go.”

“Absolutely. I can’t have inappropriate thoughts about you in the bedroom if you blow yourself up.”

Yumi’s eyebrows flew up. No, those weren’t typical comments for Leonidas.

“Didn’t we decide that those thoughts were appropriate if a bed was nearby?” Alisa asked, then tapped the comm again. “Make sure your gas is portable, Mica. And divide it into several containers. All with remote detonators please.”

“Now you’re getting pushy.”

“It’s what captains do. Don’t forget that I keep bumping your pay up.”

“To multiples of nothing, yes, I remember.”

“I paid you after we left Arkadius and I collected fares,” Alisa said dryly.

“I was expecting back pay.”

“Now who’s being pushy?”

“I have needs,” Mica said.

“What needs? Your cabin and meals are supplied here on the Nomad.”

“A woman can’t live on food alone. I need vids, books, art, and handcuffs that weren’t broken and left behind on a mining ship.”

“I’m sure you can afford your sex toys on what I’m paying you now.”

That sent Yumi’s eyebrows upward again.

“Just get my gas spruced up, Mica,” Alisa said.

“That command begs a dirty comment.”

“We don’t have time for more of them.” Alisa closed the comm and eyed the treasure-hunting ships. One was still lingering back by the tunnel entrance. Guarding the tunnel entrance, she decided. Would it open fire on the Nomad if she tried to zip away with a treasure? Maybe. Would it open fire on them if she blew up its compatriots? That had to be a certainty.

“I’ll grab my weapons and wait in the cargo hold,” Leonidas said, rising from his seat.

“You know the plan?” Alisa said, rising with him and grasping his arm. Even though she knew he was the logical one to go and that he would be tough to kill, she worried about sending him out where he might encounter a team of armed androids.

“I’ve gathered the gist.” He laid his hand on the back of hers, and she wished they were touching skin to skin instead of gauntlet to skin. “Sneakily plant gas grenades throughout the wreck, race back to the ship once the androids are searching, and detonate the grenades after I’ve gotten away, and preferably before they have.”

“That’s the plan, yes.”

“If this works, the owner of those ships may send bounty hunters after you when she learns how much monetary damage you were responsible for.”

“Then it’s a good thing I plan to start sleeping with a cyborg,” Alisa said.

“Hm,” was all he said to that, and she wondered how his sleep had been the night before. It was silly to think that whatever brain tinkering Tiang had done would solve his nightmare problems, especially so soon after the surgery, but it had sounded like the two were related.

Ostberg jogged into NavCom, almost tripping over his robe as he navigated the threshold. He wore a wide grin as he looked around.

“Be careful,” Alisa told Leonidas, releasing his arm.

She thought about kissing him, but having Yumi and Ostberg looking on made her hesitate. He shifted toward the hatchway, and she figured she had lost the opportunity, but he turned back toward her and surprised her by leaning down to initiate a kiss on his own. Ostberg nearly tripped again. Alisa noticed that, then promptly forgot about him, as the kiss turned far less chaste than Leonidas’s previous ones had been. Her toes curled in her boots, and she was on the verge of slinging her arms around him—and maybe her legs too—when an alarm beeped on the console.

Leonidas released her quickly, as if he had been caught doing something illicit. He glanced at Yumi and Ostberg, and his cheeks colored. He gave Alisa a choppy wave and almost sprinted away.

“I’ll definitely be having inappropriate thoughts about you while you’re gone, Leonidas,” Alisa said, not bothering to yell the words, knowing he would hear them.

She turned off the proximity alarm. She had already known that second ship was sailing down to join the Nomad next to the wreck. Indeed, it had nestled up right on the other side of them, hulls almost bumping.

“Which one have you been trying to tinker with, Ostberg?” Alisa asked, checking another flashing alarm on the panel. The Nomad’s airlock tube had extended to the wreck, but it had failed to obtain a seal. Not surprising. It hardly mattered since there was no atmosphere on the other ship.

“That one.” Ostberg pointed to the lead ship.

“You have an idea of something you can do to disable it?”

“I do. If I knew more, I bet I could make it blow itself up. Wouldn’t that be stellar?”

“I suppose in this instance, it would be convenient,” Alisa said, trying not to shudder at his youthful enthusiasm for making things explode, “but since ships usually have people—human beings—on them, such tactics would be less than desirable in most cases.”

“But these are enemy ships, right?” Ostberg said. “And we have to stop them from chasing us, right?”

“Indeed we do. Before you tinker with that one’s engines, can you also see if there’s anything you can do to that one guarding the tunnel up there?”

If need be, the Nomad could take off through a passage at the other end of the chamber, but that led deeper into the asteroid, and she had no idea if there was another way out.

“It’s too far away,” Ostberg said after gazing toward the ceiling with his lips and nose scrunched up. Apparently, that was his concentration face. It was similar to some people’s constipation faces, but she would tactfully not point that out. Maybe, as a teenager, Abelardus had spent time looking at himself in the mirror as he concentrated, so he could perfect his vacant expression to ensure he appeared handsome while performing his art.

You know me well, Abelardus spoke into her mind.

I figured mirrors had some role in your upbringing.

“This place is great,” Ostberg said. “Did you see all the wrecked machinery? And tools? I love the way it’s all floating around. It would be a fun obstacle course. Someday, I want to get a ship of my own and be a pilot. I’d go hunting for treasures in old asteroids like this. I could push the wreckage around and block the tunnel.” He met Alisa’s eyes, his own eyes bright. “Would that help?”

“I don’t think so,” Alisa said, though she appreciated his enthusiasm in brainstorming, however youthful his ideas were. “As Leonidas already demonstrated, it’s fairly easy to use a ship’s weapons to blow away the wreckage.”

“I saw that. With my mind from the cargo hold. Can I come up and push the button the next time we need to blow something up?”

“We’ll see.” Alisa pointed to their new neighbor. “Can you look at the engines on that one and see if something can be done to disable it?”

“Yes, of course!” He gripped the back of the co-pilot’s seat, his mouth twisting up in his concentration face again.

“I’ve calculated the amount of gas that will be needed to fill the cargo hold of that vessel,” Yumi said, “allowing for leakage through the holes in the hull. It would be more effective if Leonidas could plant the gas grenades up in the personnel area of the ship and lure the androids up there. It would take significantly less gas, and explosions would do more damage.”

“I’ll tell him.” Alisa left NavCom to do so in person, wanting to check on Mica’s progress. She also had a feeling Ostberg might have an easier time with his task if she wasn’t there to answer his questions about blowing things up.

You sure you’re not simply looking for another excuse to lock lips with him? Abelardus asked into her mind. At least he sounded more teasing than sullen. Dare she hope that he was finally grasping that she would never have Starseer babies with him?

No, she responded silently as she trotted through the mess hall, I don’t want my sexy allure to distract him overmuch while he’s working over there.

I’m certain I’m not the only one who spent a lot of time in front of mirrors growing up.

Perhaps not.

Alisa jogged through the cargo hold, nodding toward Leonidas, who stood near the airlock hatch in full armor now and with two rifles on his person. She was about to head into engineering when Mica stepped out, carrying small drums in her arms with improvised spouts on the top and detonators hooked up to them.

“Ready so soon?” Alisa asked. “You’re amazing, Mica. You didn’t even use green bean cans this time.”

“I already had the detonators from the pile of equipment that your Commander Tomich left us. He must have anticipated that you’d need to blow things up.”

“We worked together for a while,” Alisa said, gingerly taking a couple of the big canisters out of Mica’s arms.

“So he knows you well?”

“I feel like I’m a simple person who’s easy to know.”

“You are simple,” Mica said amiably.

“Thanks.” Alisa turned to find Leonidas standing behind her. “These are for you,” she said. “Actually, wait. Can we find a bag for him?” She trotted into engineering and located something that would do, then carefully placed the canisters inside of it. She did not know how well sealed the homemade grenades were and did not want Leonidas to lose one and have it go off prematurely.

Mica watched in bemusement as Alisa took the rest of them from her, carefully placing them in the bag. She then handed the bag to Leonidas.

“You know,” Mica said, “some women pack lunch boxes to hand to their men before they leave for work.”

“That’s more of a job for Beck.”

“You called?” came Beck’s voice from the walkway.

Clad in his armor and with a rifle in hand, he trotted down the stairs and past the Starseer camp to join them near the airlock.

“You’re going along?” Alisa had thought about sending him over, but figured that the fewer people they had on the wreck, the less chance of delays. The androids shouldn’t see anything suspicious about a cyborg being sent alone.

“Leonidas did just have a surgery,” Beck said. “I wasn’t sure he’d be as fearsome and deadly as usual.”

“I feel fine,” Leonidas said.

“Fearsome and deadly?” Alisa asked.

“Always. But Beck can come along and carry the gas, so my hands are free.” Leonidas patted one of his rifles.

“I’d rather carry lunch boxes,” Beck said, accepting the bag gingerly.

“Let’s go.” Leonidas strode toward the airlock hatch.

Since it didn’t look like Alisa would get another kiss, she said, “Be careful. Both of you.”

“Always,” Leonidas said, looking back and holding her eyes before disappearing through the hatchway.

Chapter 14

As soon as Alisa stepped into NavCom, Yumi said, “Three androids just floated over to the wreck.”

She pointed to the camera display that was focused on an opening in the hull, and Alisa glimpsed someone’s legs disappearing inside.

“They have jet packs and weapons,” Yumi said.

Alisa slid into her seat and tapped the shield controls and the comm. “Leonidas? You’re free to cross over. Three androids are already inside the cargo hold. It looks like going in through the airlock hatch will place you in the personnel area of the ship—that’s where Mica said to plant the gas bombs anyway—so you shouldn’t see the androids right away, but keep an eye out and also keep me apprised.”

“I will,” he said.

Alisa waited until the control panel informed her that the Nomad’s outer airlock hatch had been opened, with Leonidas and Beck heading through it, before looking at Ostberg. His face was still scrunched up, and his eyes were closed, so she didn’t bother him. She checked the locations of the three ships, verifying that none of them had moved, and leaned back in her seat. She hated waiting and wished she were over there with Leonidas.

She tapped the comm. “Alejandro, are you around in case we have any injuries?” She had barely seen him that morning and hadn’t noticed him in sickbay on her way past. Durant hadn’t been there either. He had moved out and was being cared for by the rest of the Starseers, though from what Alisa had heard, he was functioning fairly well on his own now.

A few seconds passed before Alejandro responded. “The admiral and I are in the rec room.”

“Couldn’t stay away from the video games, eh?”

“We are discussing a project.”

“Anything I should know about?”

“No.”

Alisa decided there was too much going on for her to bother bristling at the dismissal.

“Be ready in case we need your services, please,” she said.

The grunt that came back wasn’t enthusiastic.

Alisa closed the comm and resisted the urge to check on Leonidas or to ask him to send the feed from his helmet cam to the Nomad’s computer so she could watch his progress. She also resisted the urge to poke Ostberg and ask about his progress. All the resisting was hard. She clasped her hands in her lap to keep from fidgeting.

Movement on the view screen made her unclasp them and lean forward. Three more androids had left from the main ship, using their jet packs to navigate. One of them also wore a bulky backpack. Excavation tools?

As Alisa had expected, none of the androids wore spacesuits. Why bother when they were impervious to the cold vacuum of space? She imagined they might have some internal fluids that could freeze out there, but if these fancy models had been purchased with space exploration in mind, any vulnerable insides must be protected.

“They look the same as the last group,” Yumi said. “I can’t tell if one of them is the captain.”

“Probably not. Echo stayed on board last time. He—uh, why is that one coming toward us?”

Two of the androids continued toward the hole in the wreck, but one was tapping his handheld jet pack controls and maneuvering toward the Nomad. He was the one wearing the backpack.

“I couldn’t guess,” Yumi said.

“We had to lower our shields to extend the airlock tube. This could be trouble.”

“Can we retract the tube and raise them for now?”

“We’ll have to.” Alisa tapped the controls and commed Leonidas and Beck as she worked. “We need to raise the shields, so you two are isolated over there for the moment.”

“Not sure how I feel about being isolated with Leonidas and his gas,” Beck said.

“Hopefully, it won’t be for long,” Alisa said, watching as the android drew closer.

She checked the yacht next door to make sure there were not any androids sneaking up from that side. Thus far, none of the crew had flown out of that ship yet, but a giant laser drill was being extended. There was something that looked like a reciprocating saw, too. Did they plan to cut open the hull of the wreck? Or were they only preparing themselves in case an excavation was needed?

“That one’s unpacking something,” Yumi said.

The android had stopped just outside the Nomad’s shields. Having them raised had not deterred him. He removed his pack, his synthetic hair floating around his head as he dug into it. A black device came out wrapped in strands that seemed to crackle with energy. It reminded Alisa of a giant fluidwrap.

“A bomb?” Yumi wondered.

Ostberg opened his eyes but did not say anything.

The android spread his hands, and the strands unspooled, occasional white sparks appearing where the pieces tangled. They unraveled themselves and spread.

“Are they attaching to the shields?” Alisa asked as the android continued to manipulate the device and the net. “I think he’s planting an anchor. To make sure we don’t escape if we’re the first ones to get the imaginary treasure inside the wreck.” She groaned. Her plan to fool them was working too well.

She wished she could jump into the other seat and fire at him with their new e-cannons, but they were meant to attack targets from a greater distance, and to the front and rear of the ship. There was no way to curve their blasts around the hull. She would have to lower the shields and go out in her combat armor if she wanted to shoot the android.

“Ostberg,” Alisa said. “Can you mess with what he’s working on? For that matter…” She reached for the comm. “Abelardus and any other Starseers that want to get out of this asteroid and find what we’re looking for, there’s an android outside trying to trap us here. I’d appreciate it if you could thwart him.”

She had no sooner spoken the words than the android flew backward, as if a huge gust of wind had struck him. At first, he moved independently of the net and device, but then those items wadded up into a tangled mess and also floated away.

“Thank you,” Alisa said. “If you could keep him from doing that again, I’d appreciate it.”

“The far yacht is firing,” Yumi said.

“What?” Alisa had barely uttered the word when an e-cannon blast lit up the dark chamber.

It slammed into the Nomad’s rear shields. Even though they absorbed the attack, the force moved the ship just enough that the nose bumped into the wreck.

“What’s going on?” Leonidas promptly asked.

“We’re handling it,” Alisa said. “Continue with the plan, please.”

“Beck is nervous about holding my grenades when the bulkheads are shaking.”

“Holding a cyborg’s grenades is always dangerous. Next time, tell him to leave that to me.”

“Was that a joke?”

“More of an innuendo. We’re under attack. I’ll explain it to you later.”

Another blast struck the Nomad, and Alisa debated leaning past Ostberg to return fire. But they would need to move away from the hull to get a good angle. A lot of junk floated between the Nomad and the yacht by the exit, the one firing at them. So far, the ships parked to either side of her hadn’t taken aim. And that android was still floating around out there. No, wait. He was flying back, thrusters at full power. He caught the net device again.

“Keep him off our shields,” Alisa said on the internal comm. “He’s trying again.”

A third blast slammed into the back of the Nomad. She growled as the shield power dipped alarmingly.

“It’s a little hard to concentrate on that when we’re under fire,” Abelardus replied.

“Do it anyway. I don’t want to become a tombstone in the machine graveyard here.” Alisa tapped the controls and moved the Nomad away from the wreck—and the android jetting toward their hull again. “Leonidas,” she said, slapping the comm. “I’m moving the ship to try and avoid fire. Let me know when you’re ready to be picked up, and we’ll come back for you.”

“Understood. We’ve planted four out of the seven canisters. I’m trying to place them strategically, so they won’t be seen and they’ll be effective at filling the wreck with gas, but if you need us to hurry—”

“I always need you to hurry. But we’ve got a few more tricks to try, so don’t risk getting yourselves hurt.”

“Ostberg?” Alisa asked, as she guided the Nomad below the wreck and toward the far side of the chamber, using the dilapidated craft to block the rest of the ships. She didn’t want it to take fire, not while Leonidas and Beck were in it, but she doubted the androids would fire on their own people. Or kind. Whatever androids counted as to each other.

“Can we fire back?” Ostberg asked brightly. “Can I push the buttons?”

“No, but if you’ve come up with a plan to disable either of those ships, now would be an excellent time to enact it.”

“I’ll try.”

“Firing back might not be a bad idea,” Yumi said. She was gripping the back of Alisa’s seat, her knuckles white. Even though the ship had been through numerous battles now, she always worried during them. Understandably. Maybe if Alisa were saner, she would worry more.

The android outside was still trying to catch up with the Nomad. If all Alisa did was hide behind the wreck, he would easily do so. She started to call back to her Starseers again, but they must have been monitoring the android. Before he got close, he flew away again. The net device floated up to a distant corner of the chamber. Before the android could recover, his arms flailed wildly. At first, Alisa couldn’t guess what was happening, but then his jet pack straps tore, and the instrument flew away from him. It bounced off the wreck and headed into the darkness below them. The android flailed, unable to make progress in any direction.

“You’re welcome,” Abelardus said smugly over the comm.

“That was my idea,” came Young-hee’s voice, and Yumi managed a quick smile.

“But I executed it.”

“It’s possible you may be more mature than some of your tutors, Ostberg,” Alisa murmured.

“Thank you,” Ostberg said. He glanced at the weapons buttons, but did not ask if he could shoot things again. Instead, he seemed to remember his task. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, face scrunching up.

The yacht near the exit moved away from it and into the chamber, its weapons hot.

“We may have irked them,” Alisa said.

She navigated deeper into the chamber, trying to keep the wreck between her and the moving yacht, but there were two problems. The yacht was sleeker and faster than her freighter, and the Nomad was back in the line of sight of the two other ships. The lead one launched an e-cannon blast of its own toward her.

“We definitely irked them.”

She debated whether to fire back. She hadn’t wanted to start an all-out fight, but what choice did she have? Even if the androids were only trying to force her ship’s shields down so they could plant their stupid anchor, that would still leave the Nomad with damage that needed to be repaired. Or damage that couldn’t be repaired.

The yacht hurled another e-cannon bolt. The energy blast zipped far too close to the wreck for Alisa’s taste, then clipped the edge of the Nomad’s shields. That also wasn’t to Alisa’s tastes.

“Ostberg?” she asked. “Any time now. We—”

“Captain,” Mica said in exasperation. “We’re down to forty percent shield power. What are you doing up there? Knitting a scarf while your freighter practices being a bale of hay on an archery range?”

“I didn’t want to start a war. But we’re going to have to. This is ridiculous.” Alisa swept the Nomad past a chain of floating ore carriers and a crane, putting as much junk between them and the other ships as she could. “There’s not even anything here to fight for.”

“But they don’t know that,” Yumi said.

“I know. I think I out-clevered myself again.”

“I broke it,” Ostberg said, his fist clenching.

“What?” Alisa asked, looking at the two ships near the wreck. The third—the yacht that had initiated firing—was wheeling around the others to sail after the Nomad.

“An integral part of the engine in the lead ship. They won’t be able to leave until they fix it. Probably.”

Alisa grimaced, not finding that probably reassuring. “I confess I was expecting an explosion.”

“I don’t know how to make an explosion. I just unscrewed something important. It dropped on the deck, and then I floated it up and hid it behind what I think is the fuel tank. Or a water tank. There’s liquid in it.”

Alisa stifled a groan, not wanting to let Ostberg know that she didn’t have as much faith in his work as she would like. All she said was, “Can you do something to one of the other ships? Like the one chasing us and firing?”

Another e-cannon blast ripped from the yacht even as she made the request. It blew up the crane, and shrapnel sprayed all over the chamber. Alisa maneuvered away, but a second blast followed after the first. This one made it through, catching the Nomad’s shields again.

“That’s it,” she growled. “We’re firing back.”

“Can I push the button?” Ostberg asked.

“No,” she snapped, swooping along a wall of the cavern, doing her best to evade further attacks. “I need you to break something in that yacht’s engine room. If we shoot, all that’s going to happen is that their shields will absorb it. The engines, Ostberg, the engines.”

He cast her a sullen look, but sighed and scrunched up his face.

“Look,” Alisa added, feeling bad about snapping at him, even if this was a frantic moment, “if we’re able to escape and leave them here, I’ll find you some targets to shoot at.”

“Deal,” he said promptly.

Flying one-handed, Alisa leaned over to rest a finger on the e-cannon button. The targeting computer that had been jerry-rigged into the existing system displayed on a monitor. It flashed when the pursuing ship rounded a floating drilling platform and came into the Nomad’s sights. She fired, hammering the button and hoping to strike more than once before the yacht moved out of the way. The first energy bolt hurtled away. The second one came more slowly than she would have wished, but it blasted away, too. The first hit the nose of the yacht, and the second clipped its tail. As she had predicted, the enemy’s shields absorbed the blows. The yacht returned fire.

“That’s it,” Mica said over the comm. “Shields are down to ten percent power. Another big hit, and we’ll be grounded.”

Alisa let go of the weapons to focus on flying. They couldn’t be hit again. That was more important than returning fire.

“Leonidas?” she asked over the comm. “Are you two ready to be picked up yet?”

The Nomad sailed past the tunnel exit, which was now unblocked since the yacht was busy chasing them around the cavern. If they hadn’t had people to collect, they could have slipped out. Alisa glanced at the comm as she spun the ship, avoiding another blast zipping in their direction.

“Leonidas? Beck?”

Neither man answered.

“Don’t you two even think of getting yourselves killed in there,” Alisa said, imagining her men pinned into a dead-end by a legion of armed androids. “That’s an order.”

A brilliant orange flash filled the chamber, driving the shadows from every corner.

Alisa shouted an oath and lifted her hand to shield her eyes. She immediately brought it back down to the controls. Assuming Leonidas and Beck were responsible for that, they would need to be picked up. She refused to believe that they had been caught by the androids or the explosion.

“They’re too good for that,” she told herself.

“Now that’s an explosion,” Ostberg whispered with reverence.

“Yes, Mica’s gas has the power to clear a room—or a wreck.”

“I heard that,” Mica said over the comm. “You getting us out of here yet?”

“Finding our people first.”

Shrapnel hammered the shields as she guided the Nomad toward the wreck—where the wreck had been. Nothing but debris remained. She peered through all the pieces littering the chamber, trying to spot Leonidas and Beck.

“There,” she whispered, leaning forward. She spotted Leonidas’s crimson armor, and yes, there was Beck too. Leonidas had his arm, and they were floating away from where the wreck had been. Unfortunately, they did not have jet packs.

No problem. She would plant herself in their path and pick them up.

But as she accelerated toward them, the yacht that had been pursuing her came into view. It rose up from the debris field, angling not toward the Nomad, but toward Leonidas. Three suns, he would be right in their sights in a second.

“Ostberg, engines,” she said, hoping he would read her mind and grasp what she wanted. That yacht had to be the priority right now.

Alisa made sure she had a clear shot and fired twice at it. She didn’t know if the yacht was truly targeting Leonidas and Beck, or if they were simply in the way, but they could get killed by accident as easily as on purpose.

Her cannon bolts streaked away, white light in their wake. They slammed into the front shields of the yacht. The ship kept coming, but Alisa zipped in, maneuvering around more rubble to block it from getting to Leonidas and Beck. She rolled the Nomad over so the airlock would be close to them. She would have to lower the shields to take Beck and Leonidas aboard, but what else could she do? She had to get her people. The shields were almost nonexistent now, regardless.

“They’re firing at us,” Yumi said, her tight grip sinking into the back of Alisa’s seat.

Alisa only shook her head, not having time to speak. She hit the button to cycle the airlock and open the exterior hatch. Her cameras showed Beck and Leonidas reaching the ship several meters from the airlock, twisting so they could lock their magnetic boots to the hull.

The yacht fired, the blast slamming into the Nomad at close range. The shields disappeared, and the jolt hurled Alisa into the bulkhead. She cursed in pain and frustration—why hadn’t she had her harness on?—as cries of surprise came up from elsewhere in the ship.

She clawed her way back into the seat and glanced at the cameras to make sure Leonidas and Beck had not been knocked off the outside of the ship. They were crouching, gripping the hull with their hands as well as their boots. Good. Her fingers danced across the controls. As long as the men had a good grip, she need not stay here to receive more damage.

Ostberg had fallen out of his seat, and he rose now, holding a hand to a bloody nose. “I didn’t have time,” he said. “I broke things on the other two ships, but I didn’t know I had to—I mean.” He bit his lip and looked over at her.

“It’s fine,” Alisa said tersely, checking the sensors as the Nomad banked, angling back for the tunnel where they had entered. The two other ships were not moving to chase—in fact, they weren’t moving at all. Maybe Ostberg had broken them. “You did good.”

Unfortunately, the yacht got off another round before she managed to fly the Nomad around a large enough machine to shield them, at least partially. The ship shuddered again, and the lights flickered, then went out.

“How about warning people?” Alejandro shouted up from the rec room or wherever he was dithering while Leonidas and Beck risked their lives out there. While everyone risked their lives.

Ignoring him, Alisa accelerated into the tunnel. She also ignored the ominous groan coming from the engine. She prayed Mica could hold that together.

“Can I fire at them?” Ostberg asked, pointing at the rear camera display. The tenacious yacht was flying toward the tunnel, giving chase.

“Yes,” Alisa said, checking to see if Leonidas and Beck had made it in yet. They had. Good. If she had shields, she could have raised them, but the computer only blatted inarticulately at her when she hit the button. The gauge flashed, showing her that no power remained.

“Really?”

“Yes, yes, do it.” Alisa hit the comm. “Abelardus, if you and the others can figure out a way to keep that ship from following us, I would appreciate it.” She lowered her voice to mutter, “The last thing we need is them firing up our butts all the way out of this asteroid.”

“Only cyborgs allowed up your butt, eh? Got it.”

“Remind me to smack him later, Ostberg.”

Ostberg, with his tongue stuck between his teeth and his finger on the weapons trigger, did not seem to hear.

“Yumi?” Alisa asked.

“I will remind you, Captain.”

“Thanks.”

“Uh, Captain?” Yumi asked, a puzzled note in her voice.

Alisa winced in anticipation. She did not want any more mysteries, nor did she want to hear about parts of her ship falling off as they raced through the tunnel.

“What?”

The Nomad tore into the large entry cavern, and Alisa headed straight for the exit hole. Not that racing out into space would do anything to get rid of their pursuer.

“The yacht’s shields just went down,” Yumi said.

“Fire!” Ostberg cried, and obeyed his own order.

The e-cannons hurled energy blasts back toward the tunnel. Ostberg’s aim was impressive. The blasts crashed into the nose of the ship. A second round scoured its belly as it flew out of the tunnel.

The kid was relentless, hammering the button again. The android ship veered off, but too late. The blasts took it in the engines and breached the hull. An explosion erupted, and Ostberg cheered.

Alisa didn’t blame him. She thought about cheering too. But just in case the other two ships weren’t as derelict as Ostberg had promised, she concentrated on taking the Nomad out of the asteroid and into the field. She wanted to fly as far away from the treasure-hunting androids as possible.

“Captain?” Mica asked over the comm. “Are you done hurling our ship into other ships’ weapons?”

“I certainly hope so,” Alisa said, watching the rear camera as they sailed away from the asteroid. So far, none of the android ships had flown out of it, and she wanted to take advantage of that while she could. “Any chance we’ll get the lights turned back on soon?”

“I need to shut the engines down for repairs.”

“That doesn’t sound promising for my lights.”

“Judging by the number of alarms flashing at me and the clunks coming from the engine housing, you’re lucky we’re still flying at all.”

“We need to find a safe harbor outside of those android ships’ sensor ranges,” Alisa said. “I’m sure they’ll get repaired, escape the asteroid, and come looking for us eventually.”

“Don’t take too long. I think a coupling just fell off the back and floated away.”

Hoping that was a joke, Alisa asked, “How long will the engines need to be offline?”

If they had been flying straight, without asteroids littering space, they could have continued at their current speed without any input from the engines, but she would need the thrusters to navigate around obstacles. She poked through the sensor data, wondering if she might plot a course that would avoid asteroids for however long Mica needed.

“Until I figure out what’s wrong with them,” Mica said.

“A useful and precise timetable.” Alisa grimaced at the thought of more delays. She needn’t have fought with the android ships, but because she had chosen to, the Alliance or empire might end up finding the children before she did. Or what if the Starseer refugees had sent a distress call to their people on another planet or station and someone came to pick them up? Alisa might arrive at their hideout only to once again be too late. To find it abandoned.

“There’s a crack in one of the deuterium tanks too,” Mica said. “I may need twenty-four hours and a few people to help.”

“What if everyone helps? Can you fix things in twelve hours?”

“It doesn’t work like that, Captain.”

“Well, everyone will help anyway. You just point us at what cracks you need repaired, and we’ll be there with the tape.”

“It doesn’t work like that either.”

Mica grunted and closed the comm.

Ostberg looked over at Alisa.

“She’s grateful that we’ve volunteered,” Alisa informed him.

Yumi snorted softly.

“Twenty-four hours,” Alisa sighed, leaning back in her seat, again worrying that their food and supplies might not last long enough for the Nomad to check all the asteroids capable of supporting a base. “We better find them,” she whispered to herself, not willing to dwell on any other possibilities.

Chapter 15

Alisa leaned back from the seam she was welding and lifted the mask protecting her face. The Nomad hadn’t sprung any full-fledged breaches during the battle, but Mica had pointed out numerous stress fractures that needed reinforcing.

She was doing far more than reinforcing things in the engineering room. From Alisa’s spot near the cargo hatch, she could see tools and parts scattered all over the deck in there. Bangs and clangs echoed through the hatchway, accompanied by Mica’s grumbles and curses. She had Abelardus and a few Starseers in there, helping her reach positions that would normally have required ladders or grav lifts. All Alisa had for company was…

“You missed a spot,” Alejandro said, pointing.

“I’m coming back to it.”

He made a disapproving noise. Technically, he was supposed to be welding, too, but there hadn’t been a second mask, and he’d refused to risk an injury, so he was advising. Alisa kept hoping someone would trip, skin an elbow, and need his services in sickbay. She was amazed there hadn’t been injuries during the battle, especially when she had learned that a fire had broken out in engineering.

“You’re not very good at welding in straight lines,” Alejandro observed.

“I can’t draw straight lines either. You’re welcome to take my spot if you think you can do better.”

“I can, but it may behoove you to master this, since your ship frequently gets into trouble and I won’t always be here.”

“Darn.” Alisa wished she were out on the hull of the ship with Leonidas and Beck, certain their repair-related discussions would be less irksome. Now that she had combat armor, she could go on exterior repair missions if need be, but Mica had said two people would be enough. “Weren’t you and Tiang working on a project together?” she asked. “Maybe he needs your input now.”

“He needed my tools, not my input. I’m not entirely sure what he’s doing, just that he believes it could help with retrieving the staff.”

“Ah.” Alisa would prefer it if Tiang went back to the Alliance, so they would stop pestering her. He could work on staff-retrieval projects on one of their lovely warships.

Bravo Six strode out of engineering, carrying an atmospheric pressure reader and a box of panels. Alisa felt a guilty twinge for putting him to work on her ship, even if Mica, feeling less guilty, had been the one to assign him tasks. He was supposed to belong to the Starseers, not Alisa or the Nomad. But they had yet to find his scientist boss, and the Starseers aboard her ship had not shown any interest in utilizing him or getting to know him. Maybe they saw androids the way they saw mundanes, as lesser beings.

Bravo Six swung toward Alisa on his way to whatever task Mica had given him. “Greetings, Lady Captain,” he said.

“Greetings, Six.”

Looking into his face, specifically at his missing eye, aroused more feelings of guilt.

“You should suggest to Mica that you would enjoy getting a new eye,” she added.

“One eye is sufficient for me,” he informed her. “Unlike with humans, both android eyes are capable of gauging depth perception and a range of other metrics independently. I also have sensor cells in my skin that can analyze much of the environmental data that humans assess visually.”

“Handy. But for aesthetic purposes, it might be nice if you had both eyes again.”

“You do not find me aesthetically pleasing, Lady Captain?”

Alejandro’s eyebrows lifted.

“You’re fine, Six,” Alisa said, imagining the commentary she might get later. “Can I help you with something?”

“I came to see if you require my assistance with anything,” he informed her. “Performing repairs engages only a minimal percentage of my processing core. I used to run figures for my scientists while performing manual tasks around the station.”

“I see.” Alisa couldn’t think of any tasks she needed processed, and almost said so, but then she decided it might be helpful to get another eye—or processing core—on her main problem. “Yes, I could use help. Ask Yumi for the data on the asteroids when you get a chance. We’re looking for a hidden base where the Starseers may have fled. Your scientists might be there too,” she said, extending her hand, feeling she should offer him some incentive for doing the work. “You could be reunited with them and go back to doing important research.”

“That would be most gratifying.”

“Yumi has a big list of asteroids that are physically capable of holding a base, but I’m hoping to narrow the field further. For example, which asteroids are free enough of surrounding clutter that ships of various sizes might approach? Which ones were used in the past for mining and might already have had tunnels hollowed out when the Starseers started looking for a base? Which would be easily defendable, perhaps due to a location within the core of the belt? Does that make sense?”

“Indeed, yes, Lady Captain. I believe I can add a few more parameters too. I will contact Yumi and begin sifting through the data.”

“Excellent. Thank you.”

Bravo Six strode away, soft music notes drifting behind him. Alisa blinked. Was that android humming?

“Are you still planning to look for the staff after you find your daughter?” Alejandro asked, not paying attention to Bravo Six’s departure. Instead, he looked toward one of the Starseers coming down the stairs.

Durant.

“I told Abelardus I would,” Alisa said.

“He said that,” Alejandro said, shifting his attention back to her, “but I was skeptical if you would keep your word to him.”

Alisa scowled at him. “Why does it matter? You still think you’re going to have a chance to steal it away when all these Starseers are around? I’m sure they think it should be returned to their people.”

“It will be returned to their people. To one of them.”

“Thorian? From what I’ve heard, the kid is more interested in Zizblocks than super weapons.”

“For now,” Alejandro murmured.

“At the rate things are going, we’ll be lucky to get out of this asteroid belt so we can look for the staff in the next five years.”

“You do seem to be courting delays.”

“I’m not courting anything,” Alisa snapped.

“No? You’ve spent more time trying to fix Leonidas’s problems than you have hunting for your daughter.”

“That’s not true at all. It’s just that he’s here and I could try to fix his problems. I’m helpless to do anything for Jelena, or even find her, damn it.” She took a deep breath, refusing to let him rile her. She wasn’t going to cry. And she wasn’t going to punch him. Even though both options sounded appealing at the moment.

“Perhaps you subconsciously wish to avoid meeting your daughter again.”

“Of course I don’t. What a ridiculous thing to say.” Alisa lowered her mask, turned her back to him, and started welding again.

“Do you not fear that she will resent you for your long absence? That she won’t understand why you were gone? That she’ll feel betrayed? Or perhaps that the Starseers have influenced how she feels about you?”

“No,” Alisa growled, turning up the welding torch. Why would he say such things? Certainly, she had those fears, along with worrying that Jelena would believe what Alisa often believed, that a good mother never would have left for so long. But she wasn’t intentionally delaying because of that. It was the universe that was conspiring against her and throwing obstacles in her path.

“I would hate to think you’d allow your obsession with Leonidas’s functionality to get in the way of being a responsible mother.”

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Alisa growled, turning her torch toward him and thinking about burning off the bottom half of his robe, “but that wasn’t an obsession. And it was about far more than functionality. And even if I was overly preoccupied by it, he’s fixed now, and I’m still finding ways to get us in trouble and delayed.” She growled again. That hadn’t come out nearly as articulately as she had imagined.

Durant paused at the bottom of the stairs, looking toward engineering—Abelardus was saying something about flowcharts. Alisa assumed Durant would head over to join his brother, but he walked in their direction.

“Your patient needs you,” Alisa said, turning her back on both of them and hoping Alejandro was the reason for Durant’s approach. She didn’t want to talk to either of them.

She welded the rest of the seam, though she could feel the men’s eyes upon her.

“What?” she finally asked, turning around to scowl at both of them.

“Do you think I’m well enough to speak with her?” Durant asked Alejandro.

“I doubt it,” Alejandro said. “I’m not.”

“And yet you’re here pestering me,” Alisa said.

“Perhaps Admiral Tiang needs my assistance, after all.” Alejandro headed for the walkway.

“Doubtful,” Alisa muttered.

Alisa narrowed her eyes at Durant, wondering if Alejandro had left because he thought Durant would say something to piss her off. Thus far, he had never addressed her, and he’d usually ducked his head when passing her in the corridors.

“Captain Marchenko,” Durant said, folding his hands inside the voluminous sleeves of his robe. He had little of his brother about him, seeming far more sedate and far less cocky than Abelardus. Alisa would have guessed him the older of the two, if Abelardus hadn’t said otherwise. His hair was also a lot shorter, though it had grown bushy during the weeks he had been aboard the ship. Apparently, a coma couldn’t keep good hair follicles down.

“Can I help you, Durant?” she asked politely, though she still had urges to throttle him. Maybe he had come to apologize for kidnapping Jelena and explain what possibly could have motivated him to take her from her legal guardian and a family member.

“You are still loyal to the Alliance,” Durant said with a frown.

“More or less.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m not happy with them for chasing me all over the system and not realizing what a loyal and wholesome veteran I am.”

He squinted at her, as if he were peering into her mind. Maybe he was. Alisa thought about playing her old trick of thinking of Leonidas naked to thwart telepathic Starseers from knowing her thoughts. Now that she had seen all of his bits and pieces, if not at the same time, she could form a particularly thorough image.

“You are still loyal to the Alliance,” Durant said, nodding. “Despite a fascination with imperial cyborgs.”

“Just one.”

“The empire will rise again.”

“Sure it will. I quake in my new combat boots every time I see their massive fleet of three ships roaming around this asteroid field, hopelessly clueless and behind in the staff search.”

“Senator Bondarenko’s meager forces do not represent the true empire. There are powerful mundanes and powerful Starseers who have hidden away the necessary resources to fuel the regrowth of the empire when the time comes, when the system grows frustrated by the Alliance’s pathetic inability to bring law and safety to the people of the system.”

“Was there something in my eyes—” Alisa pointed to her unamused face with the welding torch, “—that suggested your delusions would be of interest to me?”

“You would be wise to join the imperial loyalists now.”

“I’d ask if you’d hit your head recently, but I suppose there’s no need.”

“A child should be with her mother.”

Alisa’s grip tightened on the torch handle. She had been on the verge of turning her back on him again, but he had her full attention now.

“Of course she should. Why would you—”

“You are not fit to raise a Starseer child, since you are powerless and would have no common ground with the girl.”

“I have all kinds of common ground with her. I know her favorite cartoons, her favorite candy, that she loves climbing and horses, and that she had trouble with fractions. She loves chocolate, giant planetpots, and glazed doughnuts, and we’ve made all of those things together. We have lots of common ground.”

“She’s improved at math.”

Alisa had been about to list more of their common interests, but she faltered. “What?”

“Fractions. They don’t trouble her much anymore. She’s precocious and just needs good tutors.”

Heat rushed to Alisa’s cheeks at the implication that she hadn’t been teaching her daughter well enough. But could she truly object? When she had been gone for so much of the last four years? They had done homework a few times during their sys-net chats, but she had usually left that to Jonah, whose passion had always been more history and the arts than math.

“You could be a part of her life if you were a part of our cause and accepted that your daughter will one day be a Starseer and loyal to the empire,” Durant said.

“Could be a part of…” Her grip tightened even more around the torch, and Durant glanced at it. Yes, she would like to club him with the tool. “I will be a part of her life. She’s coming back to live with me on the Star Nomad. She’s certainly not going anywhere with you. What utter gall you had to take her from her aunt in the first place. You must have looked up her family when you looked her up, and you had to know I was alive. That I would come back for her.”

“I knew no such thing. You had been out of her life for years, fighting in some abysmal and pointless war that never should have been. Her father was dead, and you were on the other side of the system.”

“So you thought she was yours to take?” Alisa yelled, almost screaming. Mica leaned out of engineering. Alisa didn’t care.

“You must see that it’s better for her to be raised by her own kind,” Durant said, patting the air placatingly. Condescendingly.

“Her own kind? She’s not a wolf cub you found in the forest. I am her kind.”

“No. You are a grub.”

“Fuck you.”

She shoved the welding tool at his chest, not sure whether she was handing the chore off to him or just wanted to hit him with something. He lifted his hands defensively and stumbled back. The tool clanked to the deck.

Alisa stalked toward the stairs, but paused at the bottom to glare back at him and say, “Your arrogant hairy ass better walk off my ship the next time we stop somewhere, or I’ll space you while you’re sleeping.”

Durant’s eyebrows twitched, but he did not reply.

Good. She’d had enough of him.

As she took the stairs three at a time, she glimpsed Abelardus leaning out of engineering beside Mica.

Bet you didn’t realize I was the charming brother, he spoke into her mind.

Fuck you too.

She was so damned tired of Starseers. She wished all of her robed passengers would disappear.

I’m not loyal to the empire, he said more soberly. I wouldn’t try to take your daughter from you.

No, you just want to give me another one.

Yes, but I’ve realized that is unlikely.

Congratulations on finding a clue. She strode through the mess hall and toward her cabin, hoping that when she clanged the hatch shut, he would take the hint and stay out of her mind. That they all would.

Chapter 16

Alisa lay on her bunk, replaying the conversation with Durant and wishing she’d said far more clever things during it. She wasn’t sure if it was ten minutes or an hour later when someone knocked at her hatch. She was still furious with Durant and regretted that she hadn’t done a lot more than shove that tool at his chest. He deserved a punch to the nose. Or a kick to the balls. Assuming that arrogant kidnapper had any.

“Who is it?” she asked, having a very short list of people she was willing to see, even though she admitted she was being childish. Her ship needed repairs, and she ought to be out there helping with them, not pouting while Mica handled everything herself.

“Leonidas,” came the muffled reply.

“Come in.”

He was on the list. Always.

The hatch opened, and Leonidas poked his head inside. He was in his armor, save for his helmet, which was tucked under his arm. She winced, reminded that others had been out working on repairs while she seethed in her cabin.

“Are you all right?” he asked softly, almost warily. Maybe he thought the wince had been for him.

“I just need a hug,” she said, forcing a smile.

She rolled out of bed and met him in the middle of the cabin, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and promptly wishing he wasn’t wearing all of his gear. He returned the hug with his free arm, wrapping it loosely around her waist.

“You didn’t mention that Stanislav didn’t make it,” he said quietly.

No, when she had visited him in his cabin, she’d had other things on her mind.

“I know,” was all she said, not sure she wanted to talk about it now. Or about anything. She just wanted to be held by someone who cared. By him.

“Are you done on the outside of the ship?” she asked. “Can you change into something more cuddly?”

“Cuddly?”

“Yes, like clothes. Or un-clothes. I can’t even tell if you’re excited to see me when you’re wearing all that.” Alisa wriggled her eyebrows at him, though she didn’t know if he would understand the innuendo.

His lips thinned in what might have been a wry expression. “I’m excited most of the time now. I’m not sure if I should see Tiang about that or not. I remember this from being a teenager, of course, but it seems like a man of my years shouldn’t be… stimulated so often.”

“Maybe your libido is making up for being locked up for so long.” She looked down, though as she had pointed out, the featureless red armor hid everything. Would it be too soon to suggest that perhaps he should find an outlet to let off any pent-up steam? The suns knew she could use an outlet for letting off steam. “I imagine it’ll mellow a bit with time,” she offered, since he appeared more distressed than pleased.

“Maybe so. It’s a little frustrating when you’re encased in armor and can’t do anything about it.” He shifted his hips and made a face.

“Nothing at all? My armor has a lot of interesting features.”

She was only teasing him—the only thing the armor did down there was offer a hookup so she could pee if needed—but from the way his brow furrowed, he seemed to be puzzling over whether it was possible.

“The features in imperial cyborg armor all have to do with war,” Leonidas said. “It’s likely the designers knew there was no use for anything else.”

“Maybe you can get an upgrade from a good armor smith.”

“Are you teasing me?”

“Absolutely.” She rose up to give him a sound kiss. The way his arm tightened around her and he responded sent a thrill through her. But he stopped just as thoughts of her meeting with Durant were fleeing in favor of considering more pleasurable activities.

Leonidas released her and backed up a step.

“Are things still swollen?” she asked, trying not to feel disappointment. That first night in his cabin, he had seemed quite interested in physical contact.

“No. I mean, technically, yes, but not in a medically concerning manner.” His brow crinkled again. “I don’t think.”

“We don’t have to—”

“I want to,” he rushed to say, then pushed his hand through his hair. “I very much want to. I’m just concerned about… Well, why don’t I change out of my armor so we can talk?”

“If you change out of your armor, I’m not sure talking is what I’ll want to do.”

“Oh.” He looked at her bunk, as if he was considering if he should sit on the edge while fully clad.

“I’m joking.” She swatted him on the butt, though she knew he sadly would feel little with that on. “Go change. If you want to talk, I’m here to listen.”

“Good. I’m here for you, too, you know. If you want to talk about Stanislav. Or—” he lifted his eyebrows, “—Mica mentioned that Durant was bothering you about Jelena.”

“I can handle Durant. I informed him that he’ll be leaving at our next stop. And Jelena will not be. Asshole.”

Leonidas chuckled. “Yes, you can handle most people.”

He saluted her and headed for the hatchway. She almost pointed out that she would be happy to handle him, but she didn’t want to be pushy. Sitting and talking about his concerns instead of hers, and perhaps trading massages, would keep her mind off Durant and his delusional promises—threats—about the empire returning. It would also keep her from pacing a hole in the deck while she waited for Mica to give the engine a clean bill of health. And it would be pleasant. Even if these delays continued to grate on her nerves, she knew she needed a chance to unwind.

“Take your time,” she told Leonidas as he stepped out. “I could use a sanibox visit, and I want to check on Mica, see if she needs anything else before I contemplate retiring for the night.”

He nodded before disappearing into the corridor.

“Mica?” Alisa commed, tugging her boots off at the same time. She might not expect anything tonight, but just in case, she would clean and remove any hair on her body that would not add to her womanly allure. “Do you need me for anything?”

“Not unless you’re suggesting something outré,” Mica said, banging on something as she spoke.

“I didn’t think I would be your chosen person for the outré.”

“True, but once I’ve had a few drinks, I get less picky. And I plan to drink later. Lots.”

“After my engine is fixed, right?”

“It depends on whether I feel being more relaxed would help with the repairs.”

“I could send someone down to give you a massage,” Alisa said. “That might be preferable to drinking and working on spaceship engines.”

“Who are you offering? Leonidas?”

“I thought I’d ask him to massage me.”

“Such a selfish captain.”

“Maybe I could convince Beck that massages are in his job description as security chef.”

“Do you think he’d like to massage Yumi too? I’ve had her lifting heavy things all day.”

“Now who’s suggesting the outré?”

Mica snorted. “Enjoy your night, Captain. I don’t need you. You’re a fine pilot, but when it comes to repairs, I’d rather have someone who doesn’t refer to half the items in the engine room as doohickeys and the other half as thingies.”

“Whatever gets me out of work.”

Alisa closed the comm and headed for the sanibox.

• • • • •

When Leonidas knocked on her hatch again, Alisa was wearing her pajamas and the closest thing to sexy panties that she owned. Which was to say that the band wasn’t sagging and they didn’t have holes in them. Given the state of her wardrobe, she had pitifully low standards these days.

She opened the hatch and extended an arm in invitation. “Sit anywhere you like,” she said grandly, as if her cabin were a magnificent parlor with copious options.

He had changed into the gym pants and T-shirt he often slept in and padded barefoot across the cabin. She smiled, always enjoying his bare feet for some reason. Perhaps because he was usually the professional soldier, clad in all his armor, and she rarely saw him in repose. Oh, what she would give to actually snuggle in bed and relax with him, without having to worry about whether he would doze off and lash out in his sleep.

He touched her arm and smiled, meeting her eyes before heading in. His gaze slipped to her chest, though he jerked it away and hustled past her. She wanted to tell him that he could ogle anything of hers if he wished—she’d been wanting his ogling for a long time—but didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by pointing out that she had noticed. They could be more open once they were comfortable with being intimate together.

She grinned at the idea of being intimate with him, her thoughts once again flashing back to the night in his cabin when he’d first shown interest in intimacy. And boobs.

“I know it hasn’t been long,” she said, “but have you noticed if your sleep has improved at all? Any fewer nightmares?”

“Uh.” He sat in the chair at the desk instead of on the bed. “I’ve had different kinds of dreams. They’re more enjoyable, if sometimes alarming in their selfishness and ah— Well, I’m not sure how long they will last, anyway. Admiral Tiang didn’t say that the surgery would change my hormones or neurotransmitters or whatever brain chemistry is behind the nightmares.”

“Dreams about sex sound more promising than dreams about battlefields.”

“I don’t know. I still woke up putting my elbow into the bulkhead last night while I was, ah, never mind. This isn’t what I wanted to discuss.”

“No?” She wouldn’t have minded hearing about his sexual dreams, especially if she played a role in them, but that could also wait. “You know, when I invited you to sit anywhere, I meant at one end of the bed or the other.” She touched his shoulder while moving to sit cross-legged on the bunk.

“The desk hides things.” Indeed, he was sitting quite fully under it, which would make talking to him somewhat awkward.

“I’m familiar with male things. I was married.”

“I’m less familiar with them these days.”

“I’m sure you’ll be comfortably reacquainted soon.” Alisa grinned at him. “Is that what was going on with the elbow in the bulkhead last night?”

He flushed, looking more like a thirteen-year-old boy caught with dirty vids than a forty-year-old man who had commanded legions.

She scooted closer and laid a hand on his shoulder. He was facing away from the bed—and from her—but she didn’t take it as a slight. “Sorry, I shouldn’t tease. What did you want to talk about?”

He bent forward, leaning an elbow on the desk and dropping his forehead into his hand. “Alisa, I wanted to ask you how you’re doing after Durant bothered you, if you’re all right after losing Stanislav, and if you’re worried that you won’t find Jelena in one of these asteroids. But I’m having trouble thinking of anything except how much I want you to move your hand farther down.”

She would have laughed—and happily complied—but she could feel the tension under her fingers, his muscles coiled as if to spring into combat—or flight. He sounded miserable, not like a man who looked forward to having sex for the first time in twenty years. His “preliminary stirrings” must have launched themselves well past a desirable equilibrium.

“I appreciate you wanting to help me,” he said, “but I think this was a mistake. The timing. I should have waited until the children were safe and there weren’t androids, imperials, and Alliance ships chasing us.”

“Given that Stanislav is gone now, it’s good that we didn’t wait,” she said before she realized her words hinted at information she hadn’t meant to share with him.

He frowned over at her. “Stanislav?”

“Ah.” Alisa withdrew her hand and clasped it with her other one in her lap. “That’s something I should have mentioned before. Actually, it’s probably something I shouldn’t have allowed to happen at all. But I wanted you to have… everything you wished to have.”

“Are you saying that he had something to do with Tiang deciding to do the surgery?” Leonidas spoke slowly, maybe imagining how that might have come about.

“I didn’t ask him to convince Tiang,” Alisa said, worried he would be angry. He was so full of honor that the idea of a Starseer manipulating someone on his behalf would surely disgruntle him. “But I was trying to convince Tiang myself, and Stanislav was eavesdropping. I guess that runs in the family.” She smiled and shrugged. He didn’t smile back. “When I talked to him afterward, he admitted that he’d been the one to make my words more persuasive. I was angry, but at the same time…” She licked her lips and looked at the faded rug on the deck. “I didn’t ask him to knock it off. Otherwise, I’m fairly certain Tiang wouldn’t have disobeyed Hawk’s wishes about doing the surgery only if you agreed to join the Alliance. I think he’s puzzled now as to how it all happened.”

She could feel Leonidas’s gaze on the side of her face, but couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. She worried she would find disapproval there. Judgment. Especially since he didn’t seem that tickled by his new virility.

“I should be irked with him for interfering,” Leonidas said, still watching her, “but it’s hard to feel annoyance toward a dead man. Also… I’m having trouble thinking of more than how much I want to touch you right now.”

Alisa pulled her gaze back toward him, the husky tone of his voice sending a hot tingle through her. His blue eyes, usually so calm and professional, now burned into her soul, his hunger visible in them.

“That would be permitted,” she whispered.

She thought he might scoot onto the bed to join her, desks and male things be damned, but instead he clenched his fist and looked away.

“It might not be wise,” he said.

“Why not?”

“My control feels tenuous at best.”

“Control? You’re not supposed to be in control in bed. You’re supposed to let go and have fun.”

“I wasn’t a cyborg the last time I had fun. An overly eager pelvic thrust wasn’t going to send anyone through a wall.”

“Oh,” she said, abruptly understanding his hesitancy. Once again, he didn’t want to hurt her. She appreciated the concern, but she highly doubted he would let himself hurt her. “I thought you’d learned control and how to be gentle early in your cyborg career. Your superior officers made you master needlepoint for practice, right?”

He snorted. “Yes, but I wasn’t excited when I was doing that needlepoint.”

“No? Sounds like a boring hobby.”

“Perhaps that’s why I haven’t kept it up.”

“Does that mean I won’t be getting a gift of a battle scene to hang over my bed?” She smiled, but he didn’t see it.

He had lowered his chin to his chest, tense. Worried.

Alisa thought about leaving him alone, or doing her best to come up with a topic of conversation that might let his libido relax some, but if he was truly responding to everything like a hormonal teenager right now, having a woman in her pajamas talking to him might not help, no matter what the topic. But he was still here with her in her cabin. He hadn’t rushed out, so she assumed he didn’t want to leave. He just wanted to not worry about hurting her.

She stood up and slipped between the bed and the chair, coming behind him to rest her hands on his shoulders. She bent down to kiss the back of his neck.

“Alisa,” he whispered, his body tensing under her touch.

“How about you give me the control?” she suggested.

He hesitated, then twisted his neck to look at her.

“What?” He sounded intrigued rather than dismissive. Good.

“I am the captain after all. You can sit on your hands, and I’ll handle the rest this time.”

He considered this pensively for a few long seconds. She didn’t have any other ideas, so she hoped he found it acceptable.

“What about pelvic thrusts?” he finally asked, utterly serious.

“I can tie your hips to the bed if you want. Mica probably has something I can borrow.”

He snorted again, but this time, a slight smile teased his lips. “I think I can make do without Mica’s help.”

“Good, because I’m not that interested in leaving the cabin right now.” She kissed the top of his head, enjoying the tickle of his soft hair against her skin, and slid her hands lower, rubbing his pectoral muscles through his shirt.

“I… don’t want you to leave either.”

“That’s good, because it’s my cabin. I should definitely get to stay.”

“Definitely.”

He shifted around in the chair, abandoning the safety of the desk, to lift his lips toward hers. She smiled again and met them for a kiss. His hunger and desire came through, igniting her own, making her want to climb into his lap right there. She supposed that if she was going to be in control, she ought to show some restraint, to make sure he didn’t worry about anything else except enjoying himself.

She stroked the side of his face, truly hoping he did. The empire was gone. It was time for him to live for himself, to be free to pursue his dreams, to take pleasure in being a man.

“Do I have to sit on my hands the entire time?” he murmured against her lips, lifting a hand to brush the side of her breast.

“I hope you won’t,” she whispered. “A science experiment isn’t much fun without touching.”

Chapter 17

Alisa woke to a soft knock on her hatch. She lay curled on her side in her bunk, her blankets snuggled up to her bare shoulders. She lifted her head, looking for Leonidas, even though she would have known without looking if he were there—it wasn’t as if her bed was that large, especially when he was in it. She was the only one under the covers, however. She knew why he had left, but she wished he could have stayed, that she would have woken up in his arms.

“Come in,” she muttered, before remembering that she was naked under the covers. It was probably Mica with a report on the repairs.

The hatch opened, and Leonidas padded in, barefoot and shirtless, the light of the corridor silhouetting his broad frame.

“You came for more?” she asked, pleased to see him instead of someone with a repair list.

He hesitated, his hand still on the hatch. “Well. That could happen, but you’d mentioned cuddling, and we didn’t do much of that last night. I would have stayed afterward, but you dozed off, and I… didn’t want to risk doing the same.”

“I know.” She scooted back to make room and patted the bed.

He lifted the blanket and slid in, offering an arm as a pillow. She snuggled into his chest. Yes, this was how she wanted to wake up in the mornings. He didn’t seem apprehensive now, not when all he had in mind was holding her. It had been hard to get him past his concerns the night before. It had been better after she had taken charge, but she had still sensed him restraining himself, and she’d seen in his eyes that he wanted to do more, to take charge himself, to fully express his passions.

She kissed his chest and slid her hand up his bare stomach. They would figure it out in time. With practice.

He stroked her hair—it had fallen from its braid and lay tumbled about her shoulders—but there was a hesitancy to the motion. “It was… awkward, wasn’t it?” Leonidas asked softly, sounding disappointed.

“I enjoyed myself,” she said, hoping his disappointment wasn’t with her. Her words were the truth. Even if they hadn’t quite reached the ultimate heights of ecstasy, it had meant so much more than simply the physical. After all the times he had been there for her in the last months, she had enjoyed finally being intimate with him, and finally being able to explore his body fully. She smiled, kissing his chest again.

“That’s not quite what I asked,” he said dryly, threading his fingers through her hair and massaging her scalp.

“I know we’ll get better with practice. Just tell me what you like.”

“I liked it all.” He kissed her on the mouth, gentle and sweet, and she had the sense that he wanted to express gratitude. “But,” he murmured, drawing back slightly, “I was still worried about…” He sighed, chin drooping to his chest.

“Overly eager hip thrusts?” she said, smiling, though she understood perfectly what he was saying. Tentative. That was the word that described most of the night. Not awkward. Just tentative.

“Among other things. I want you to know you’re safe with me. I don’t ever want to hurt you. Again.” He grimaced.

“I know.” She scooted closer and slid her arm around him so she could rest her chin on his shoulder. “But you don’t need to worry about it until I say something. If I’m not sleeping, I’m excellent at letting people know if I’m being hurt. You may have noticed I have a big mouth.”

“I lack your marital experience,” he said, lowering his hand to rub her back, “but I’m fairly certain it’s unwise for me to agree with comments like that.”

“Maybe.” She grinned and shifted so he could see her wriggle her eyebrows. “But I’ll wager you found my big mouth useful last night.”

For a second, his brow creased, but then he grinned with understanding. “Very useful.”

“Should we use it again now? It’s still early, isn’t it?”

“We should use it at every opportunity,” he said, pulling her against him.

They kissed, and she slid her hand under the covers. “You shouldn’t have bothered putting on any clothes,” she murmured against his lips, tugging at his waistband. “Given your newfound randiness.”

“I wasn’t sure the rest of the ship wanted to see me wandering the corridors naked.”

“You can send them to me if they have a problem with it. Who goes naked and where is the captain’s prerogative.”

They hadn’t gotten much further than getting his pants off when a firm knock sounded on the hatch. Alisa groaned and dropped her forehead to his shoulder.

“I suppose that’s my repair list,” she said.

Alisa thought he might tell her to ignore it or send Mica away—the thought certainly crossed her mind—but he was always the professional soldier, even when horny and naked in bed. He shifted to make room so she could slide out. Since Alisa lacked a robe, she grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around herself.

“You may want to drag a sheet over yourself,” Alisa said, as she trundled over to the door. “We don’t want Mica to be alarmed.”

“I don’t think much alarms her,” Leonidas said, but he covered himself and glanced toward the corner of the cabin behind the hatch, perhaps thinking of standing somewhere he wouldn’t be visible.

Alisa patted the air for him to stay put. She wasn’t going to hide him. Besides, it wasn’t as if he would fit in her cabinets.

When she opened the hatch, Bravo Six stood in the corridor instead of Mica. And he was wearing an eye patch. Alisa would have smacked herself in the forehead if she hadn’t been using her hand to hold up her blanket. That had to have been Mica’s work.

“Good morning, Six,” Alisa said. The blanket and sheet probably hadn’t been necessary. What would an android care about nudity and human sexuality?

“Greetings, Lady Captain. I have completed computations on the asteroids provided to me by Yumi. I’ve sorted the list in order from most to least likely for secret bases, with the ten truly ideal locations now placed at the top.”

“Only ten?” Alisa brightened, hopeful thoughts springing to life. Ten wasn’t nearly as daunting as the two hundred they had started with.

“Ten. It’s possible the Starseers did not employ as much logic as I did in making the list, but I believe it highly likely that we’ll at least find the asteroid in the first fifty locations. The other options would be suboptimal.”

Assuming there was a base and that the shuttle hadn’t flown away to wait for another ship to meet them and pick them up. Alisa made herself temper her hope with reality. She had already been disappointed too many times.

“Great,” she said. “Send the list to my netdisc, please. As soon as the repairs are done, we’ll fly off to check the first asteroid on the list.”

“Repairs are done,” came Mica’s voice from the intersection, a yawn punctuating the words.

“Glad to hear it. That’s all for now, Six,” Alisa said, waving him away. She didn’t want an entire meeting going on in front of her hatch while she was still naked. “Thank you.”

“You’re a lot more polite with that android than you are with the rest of the crew,” Mica said, passing Bravo Six and coming to a stop in front of Alisa. “Please and thank you. I don’t get all that.”

“Well, he’s missing an eye. He deserves my solicitude.”

“You just feel guilty because you’re the one who shot it out. Nice blanket, by the way.” Mica leaned around the jamb to peer past Alisa, then smirked. “Morning, Leonidas.”

“Mica,” he said, deadpan.

Mica quirked an eyebrow at Alisa. “You know he has his hand under the sheets while he looks at your ass, right?”

“I like it there. Repairs are done, you say?”

“Not fully, but the generator stopped making that disturbing clunking noise, and there are only two alarms left flashing in engineering.”

“Practically showroom new.”

Mica yawned again. “I can work on the rest while we’re underway.”

“Get some rest first. And thank you for working through the night. You’re wonderful.” Alisa gave her a one-armed hug, holding up the blanket with her free hand.

“Ugh, what are you doing?” Mica stepped back, wrinkling her nose. “You know I’m not into hugging and touching, unless it’s in bed. And then only as needed to hang on.”

“You have the warm snuggly soul of a puppy, Mica.”

Her nose wrinkled further.

“Sorry, I’ll restrain myself in the future.” Alisa lifted her hand. “I just didn’t want you to think that only Bravo Six gets my gratitude.”

“Gratitude should be given in the form of a bottle of aged brandy, not in hugs. Didn’t they cover that in pilot school?”

“There was a war going on. The classes were abbreviated.”

A cheerful whistle came from the direction of the mess hall. Was that Admiral Tiang? Alisa was on the verge of ducking back into her cabin—she didn’t need everyone aboard the ship to see her in a blanket—but a clang and a grunt sounded, and the whistling broke off. Curious, she peered toward the intersection as Tiang walked into it, carrying several pieces of equipment. Was that Alejandro’s DNA sequencer?

Tiang headed for his cabin, but his step faltered when he spotted Mica in his path.

“More stolen equipment for your new lab?” Mica asked.

“Pardon?” Alisa asked. What had she missed?

“Stolen?” Tiang said. “Of course not. Admirals don’t steal. I asked Alejandro if he minded if I borrowed a few items for my research project. He said I could.”

“I saw your cabin yesterday when the hatch was open. It looks like medical mission control in there.” Mica stepped back as he continued forward, though she folded her arms over her chest, squinting at him.

“I assure you that I’m not working on anything inimical. My project may even prove helpful.” When he reached Alisa’s cabin, he glanced toward her, and past her to Leonidas. At first, he looked like he would continue on without comment—which Alisa would have appreciated—but he paused, the scanner on the top of his stack of equipment wobbling and threatening to fall.

Mica reached out and steadied it.

“Good morning, Colonel Adler,” Tiang said. “How is your penis?”

“Sufficient,” Leonidas said in that same deadpan tone he’d used with Mica.

“Is there any scarring or swelling? Do you need me to take a look?”

“Not at this time.”

“Excellent.” Tiang trundled off to the end of the corridor and stepped into his cabin. The hatch clanged shut.

“You might want to look in on him from time to time,” Mica said. “He’s up to something. It could be nefarious.”

“What nefariousness can you cause with a DNA sequencer?” Alisa asked.

“He had more than that in his arms. And he’s got stuff all over the table in there already.”

Alisa remembered Alejandro had mentioned Tiang’s project having to do with retrieving the staff, but couldn’t imagine how medical equipment could help with that. She shrugged and said, “Maybe he’s going to retire from admiraling to become a mad scientist.”

“Last night, he was wandering around, asking the Starseers for blood samples.”

“That sounds like a point in favor of mad scientist.”

“I agree. Better watch him.”

“Did anyone actually give him blood?” Alisa couldn’t imagine the secretive Starseers sharing their genetic peculiarities willingly.

“Ostberg traded a sample for five cookies.”

“Beck has created a strange economic system aboard my ship.”

“I won’t argue with that.” Mica lifted a hand in parting. “Go back to hugging your cyborg. He probably appreciates it.”

“He does,” Leonidas murmured.

Alisa was tempted to give him more to appreciate, but if the ship was ready to fly, and she had a narrowed down list of asteroids to check, she didn’t want to delay. She grabbed a clean set of clothing. “I’m afraid hugs will have to get moved to NavCom. We have people to find.”

“Is that allowed? Hugging in NavCom?”

“So long as any messes are cleaned up afterward.”

He wrinkled his nose almost as impressively as Mica had as he climbed out of bed. “Maybe we should keep hugging confined to our quarters.”

“So long as any messes are cleaned up afterward.” She grinned and swatted him on the butt.

• • • • •

The comm console flashed, alerting Alisa to an incoming message. She steered the Nomad away from the unexciting and un-base-containing X8373-A2 asteroid, and plotted a course for the next one on the list. This was only the third one she had checked since receiving Bravo Six’s updated list, so she refused to feel disappointed. The next one might have the hidden base.

In the meantime, she dug out her netdisc to check her new message. Commander Tomich’s face popped up in the holodisplay. He wore simple civilian clothes instead of a uniform, and she could see a window overlooking city skyscrapers behind him. Even though she had sent Admiral Hawk a message, and had asked about Tomich in it, she was surprised to hear from him, especially since that Admiral Agosti had implied he was detained. Wherever he was now, it wasn’t on his ship.

“Alisa,” Tomich said without preamble, “what are you doing now? High command believes you’ve kidnapped Admiral Tiang. Admiral Hawk is saying that might not be true, but he sounds confused on the matter. He did say that you and your cyborg tried to stop the Starseers who caused the Laikagrad earthquake, and that you might not be the enemies to the Alliance that it’s appeared of late.”

“Of course I’m not,” she grumbled, though it was a recorded message. It would take a couple of hours for whatever response she sent to make it back to Arkadius, assuming he was still there. A location hadn’t shown up along with the message.

“If you want to have any hope of getting the charges removed,” Tomich continued, “you better fly your butt back to Arkadius and turn yourself in to high command.”

“Sounds like a good way to get thrown in the brig.”

“That’s not live, is it?” Leonidas asked from the hatchway. Alisa hadn’t heard him arrive, but he leaned against the jamb, a towel dangled over his shoulder, sweat gleaming on his forehead.

“No, but that doesn’t keep me from responding,” she said as Tomich paused, looking at something to the side of the video pickup. “I’m not too sane to talk to myself.”

“Ah.”

She waited to see if Tomich would say more, such as that he’d sent word to Agosti that Alisa was a good person and didn’t need to be chased through asteroid fields, but all he finished with was, “Stay safe, and don’t get caught with your lips on any imperial ass.”

“Hm.” She arched an eyebrow in Leonidas’s direction.

“I don’t believe I count since I’m your employee now and not on the empire’s payroll,” he said.

“Good to know.” Alisa wouldn’t point out that he had shown he still felt strong loyalties to the empire. What would he do if the prince wanted to put him on the payroll one day? A question for later.

Alisa waved him to the co-pilot’s seat, so he would be off the camera, and hit the record button. “Tomich, I appreciate your concern for my safety and what I do with my lips, but if you want to help the Alliance, you’ll bring some ships out here to the Kir Asteroid Belt, and maybe Admiral Hawk, too, especially if he outranks Admiral Agosti.”

“Isn’t he retired?” Leonidas murmured.

She shrugged. Hawk apparently had some influence, even if he wasn’t active duty most of the time. Someone had given him a team to use to retrieve his fiancée.

“I have some Starseers on my ship,” Alisa continued, “and they’re telling me that they can sense the Staff of Lore out here somewhere. The name of the man who has it is Tymoteusz. I didn’t catch his last name, but I’m guessing it’s Schwegler if you want to look him up.” It seemed reasonable to assume that Tymoteusz shared Stanislav’s surname, though she had no idea what the naming conventions were of a people who referred to each other as lords and ladies. “He’s the one who attacked Laikagrad, if Hawk and your superiors didn’t already tell you. By the way, from what I’ve heard, the Alliance had warning about that attack. They chose to dismiss Terrible Tym. Apparently, not a good idea. I’m going to sign off and stay on the move, as I’m looking for something else right now, but I thought you should know that the staff is indeed here somewhere. And the people you have out here hunting for it seem clueless. You better come join them. I’m sure whatever admiral you’re sheet surfing with can get you out of trouble and on a ship. Use your charm. Marchenko, out.”

“Such a persuasive tongue,” Leonidas said.

“You didn’t have any complaints about my tongue last night.”

“True.”

Alisa sent the message and turned in her seat to check the sensors. “The fourth asteroid isn’t far from the third. Bravo Six did a nice job of creating a logical path for us to check.”

“Do you trust him fully?”

“Should I not? I don’t think I’ve run into a duplicitous android yet. They’re usually blunt to a fault. Never ask an android if you look fat in your combat armor.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She frowned, wondering if she was being unwise giving Bravo Six free rein of her ship. He had been helpful so far, and he wanted to be reunited with his master, so he seemed to have a reason to work with them.

“After we check the next asteroid, perhaps you should join me in the gym,” Leonidas said. “We could work on further familiarizing you with your combat armor and also improving your martial skills.”

“I suppose there’s no chance of my tongue getting me out of that?”

“In particular, we can work on your tactics when facing androids.”

“Are we going to get Bravo Six to practice with us?”

“He’s not a combat model, but he does have the usual android strength, so we could put him to use,” Leonidas said. “I want to grab Beck, too, so we can practice tactics for dealing with multiple opponents.”

“My tactic for multiple opponents is to hide behind a big cyborg with a lot of guns.”

She expected him to frown at her lack of seriousness. It was true that she shouldn’t be making jokes here—she should be grateful to him for wanting to train her to be better at staying alive.

To her surprise, he nodded, “That’s always an option if you feel overwhelmed.”

“I’m glad to hear it. But will any cyborg do, or should I choose a specific one?”

He snorted. “You better pick one who appreciates your tongue. They’re a rare breed.”

“Ha ha. You may want to get your favorite Starseer for some sparring too. We’re even more likely to run into them out here.”

“My favorite Starseer?” Leonidas asked. “Ostberg?”

She smiled. He was her favorite too. Young-hee did not bother her, but Alisa hadn’t had a chance to spend much time with her. She and most of the adult Starseers were keeping to themselves. Only Ostberg wandered the ship, feeding chickens, helping Beck stir sauces, and asking if everyone had heard how paramount he had been in the battle against the androids, especially the part where he had blown up the ship at the end.

“If you could talk Durant into joining us,” Alisa said, “I wouldn’t mind punching him a few times while wearing combat armor.”

Leonidas rose to his feet and touched her shoulder.

“I’ll find Beck,” he said, heading to the hatchway.

“Judging by the pesto smell coming from the mess hall, he shouldn’t be hard to find. Dragging him away from his newest creation may prove to be the hard part.”

“I will convince him,” he said firmly. “He, too, needs exercise and practice against androids. We may run into those treasure hunters again before we can leave the field.”

“There’s an unappealing thought.” Alisa checked the sensors again. “Ah hah, Asteroid X4463-D4, I see you.” She smiled and pointed at the massive, lumpy sphere that floated at the edge of their range now, but her smile quickly faltered as the sensors reported something else in range. “Uh, Leonidas?”

He had stepped into the corridor, but he leaned back into NavCom. “Yes?”

“We may need to practice fighting imperials instead of androids.”

He frowned at the sensor display. “The ships from the station?”

Alisa sent out a ping to get the identification of the sole vessel floating near the asteroid. It appeared identical in make to the imperial warships that had fired upon Sepiron Station.

“Just one so far,” she said. “The others could be nearby but still out of our range. Or they could be hiding inside the asteroid.” She straightened in her seat, as she realized what the presence of that ship here might mean.

Was it possible the imperials had somehow located the children first? They must have located something. The sensors showed the ship hovering in space near the asteroid, not flying past it on the way to somewhere else.

“I’ll find Beck,” Leonidas repeated, his tone grim. This time, it wouldn’t be gym practice that he had in mind.

Chapter 18

Alisa stopped the Nomad well away from the spherical asteroid, the mass of rock large enough to qualify as a planetoid. She kept it between them and the imperial ship. It was probably pointless, since the warship would have better sensors than her old freighter, but she hadn’t decided how to deal with them yet, and did not want to rush into battle without a plan. Not that her plans ever came to fruition as she imagined. Still, she felt she should start with one.

She tapped the comm. “Abelardus, Yumi, and Mica. Please join me in NavCom for a meeting.”

She assumed Leonidas would be up shortly with Beck. She thought about calling Alejandro, too, if only because he had been on the ship for a long time, but unless they got into a battle and needed medical attention, there wasn’t much he could do. Besides, she didn’t want him to know about the imperial ship sooner than necessary. Even though Senator Bondarenko’s people had presumably been the ones after him for the orb back on Perun, he might be tempted to cut a deal or share information, believing that the empire was more preferable to deal with than she was. And Admiral Tiang… Even if he hadn’t stayed on board the Nomad to spy on her, she didn’t know what he would add to dealings with the empire.

Abelardus and Yumi arrived together, trailed by two chickens that Alisa couldn’t remember seeing before. A third, a chubby gold one, squawked contentedly in Yumi’s arms.

“I didn’t know you would bring an entourage,” Alisa said, waving them into NavCom. It was going to get tight in here, especially if the chickens stuck around.

“We were in the middle of a discussion with the chickens,” Yumi said.

“A discussion with them or about them?”

Yumi smiled. “Some of both. They’ve been providing excellent droppings for the compost I make for my plants and mushrooms, but I was thinking of increasing the sources from whence I get my organic matter, to promote biodiversity and perhaps improve fruit, vegetable, and mushroom production.”

“And Abelardus was a part of that conversation?” Alisa asked, finding it hard to imagine that he cared about the chicken poop, but she had said we.

“It was a one-sided conversation. The chickens aren’t an interest for me.” Abelardus eyed the one in Yumi’s arms. “Even though they follow me and pluck at my robe.”

He frowned down since one was showing an interest in his hem as he spoke. Alisa spotted Leonidas and Beck walking up, both clad in their armor, helmets under their arms, and waved for them to come in.

“In regard to diversity,” Yumi said, “I was asking the chickens if they would mind a few ducks or geese sharing their cargo hold.”

“Uh, don’t ducks and geese need ponds?” Alisa asked.

“Not technically, but they would thrive with a pond. Captain, have you considered adding an aquaponics system?”

“Absolutely not,” Alisa said, getting a gist of where this was going. She didn’t want to talk about ponds now, or ever, but especially not when there were imperials to worry about.

“Tommy has informed me that he has some amazing sauces for grilled fish,” Yumi said.

“He has amazing sauces for everything.”

“Why, thank you, Captain.” Beck offered a salute as he squeezed past Abelardus and into NavCom.

The chickens, alarmed by all the combat boots going by, squawked and raced down the corridor. The one in Yumi’s arms flapped her wings, insisting on being released too. Unfortunately, at the intersection, they turned toward the lav instead of toward their coop in the cargo hold where they belonged.

“Looks crowded up there,” came Mica’s voice from the corridor. “Are you sure you need me?”

Mica still sounded tired, and Alisa regretted waking her up, since it had only been six hours since she finished her repairs, but if they were about to get into a fight with an imperial ship, she needed her engineer awake and in engineering.

“We always need you,” Alisa said.

“So comforting to be indispensable.”

Abelardus moved so Mica could come inside, but she stopped outside the hatchway instead of trying to wedge her way inside. Perhaps wise, since she wore pajamas and socks. She might have the same worries about being stepped on as the chickens.

“There’s an imperial ship waiting at this asteroid,” Alisa said, pointing to the sensor panel.

Yumi pulled down the seat there and slid in for a look.

“Just one so far,” Alisa said, “but there may be others. Yumi, can you scan the asteroid for signs of life?” Such as her daughter… “Or, if we’re not close enough for that, let me know if there are any empty spaces inside that might represent a base.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Also watch for more ships,” Leonidas said.

“Hoping to get a ride home?” Abelardus asked him.

Leonidas’s eyes narrowed.

“With your imperial buddies,” Abelardus said. “Didn’t they send you messages a few days ago? Rude of you not to answer.” He smirked, and Alisa had no trouble imagining him saying something else. Silently.

Leonidas’s expression never changed, his eyes boring into Abelardus’s. “Do not intrude upon my thoughts.”

“I figured you’d be more cheerful once your penis worked, cyborg. This is disappointing, I must say. Are you at least cheerful with Alisa?”

“If you two are going to break into a fight, will you warn me first?” Mica said. “I don’t want anyone stepping on my feet.”

“There won’t be any fighting,” Alisa said. “There’s no time for it. That imperial ship—”

“Is heading this way,” Yumi broke in, sending an alarmed look at Alisa.

“Damn, I knew they’d see us.” Alisa turned in her seat, reaching for the thruster controls. There was no point in staying back now. Should she comm the imperials? Try to talk her way out of a confrontation? Try to wheedle information out of them? “Yumi, the asteroid? Is there anything inside?”

Alisa flew toward it instead of in the other direction. It wasn’t as if she could outrun an imperial warship. She might as well give Yumi a closer look. She did pick a route that would keep the hulking asteroid—the thing had to be over a hundred kilometers in diameter—between her freighter and the imperial ship for as long as possible.

“I’m reading a hollowed out area near one pole,” Yumi said. “If you get closer, we may be able to see if there are any people inside.”

“On it,” Alisa said.

“Why did you call us all up here?” Abelardus asked. “To watch you fly? Or were you hoping a sexy Starseer would dither with the minds of the people watching the sensors over there?”

“If Young-hee is available for that, I would love it.”

“I’ll let her know you’d like us to work on it,” he said dryly.

“Thank you. As to the rest, I called you all up here to apprise you of the situation and ask for opinions on how to get in to check the asteroid without the imperials noticing. It may be too late for that.”

“We won’t be a match for a warship in battle,” Leonidas said, “even with our upgrades.”

“If you’re referring to your little e-cannons,” Mica said, “those hardly count as true upgrades.”

“My cannons aren’t little. Ostberg blew up a ship with them.”

“I’m not sure it’s appropriate for you to let youths handle your weaponry.”

Leonidas looked at Alisa. “Innuendo?”

“Innuendo.” She nodded without taking her focus from the controls. The warship was following the Nomad around the asteroid, and gaining ground. “Ostberg can handle the weapons all he wants if he can halt our enemies with them. I recall that ship blowing up spectacularly, and its shields coming down at just the right moment for that to happen.”

“Starseers have some handy tricks,” Beck said. “Are Leonidas and I going to have to fight a bunch of imperial soldiers if we get boarded? And if so, what if there are cyborgs in red armor? How will I be able to tell him apart from the rest of the imperials?”

“I have a bigger cannon,” Leonidas said, so deadpan that Alisa didn’t quite know what he was talking about. Then he smiled slightly and met her eyes. “Did I do it right?”

“The innuendo?”

“Yeah.”

“It was good,” Alisa said, though she was more interested in finding an opening to the interior of the asteroid than fostering Leonidas’s sexual education. She was also somewhat shocked that he’d made a joke with battle impending. Maybe he was getting excited at the prospect of hurling people across the cargo hold. He did have that special gleam in his eyes, but she couldn’t tell if it had to do with combat eagerness or pride over his joke.

“Uh.” Beck scratched his head. “I wasn’t planning to pull off people’s armor to check cannons.”

“The last I heard, Senator Bondarenko hasn’t hired any cyborgs,” Leonidas said. “There won’t be any red armor. Just the usual black.”

Alisa’s route took them to the dark side of the asteroid, no influence from any of the system’s suns brightening the pockmarked surface. She flew low so the Nomad could skim above close enough for the lights to shine on the rock.

“I’m moderately reassured,” Beck said. “How many soldiers in combat armor will they have on that boat? My company usually avoided picking fights with imperial warships when I was in the Alliance.”

“A few hundred soldiers,” Leonidas said.

“My reassurance just unassured itself.”

“Did that make sense?” Mica asked.

“I know what I meant.”

“There’s an opening,” Alisa blurted, pointing to a spot much darker and deeper than the rest of the asteroid. They were near one of the poles, just as Yumi had said.

“The sensors show power coming from inside,” Yumi said. “I can’t tell if it’s from a base or a spaceship. It’s another ore-dense asteroid, and all that rock is blocking my scans.”

Alisa imagined an armada of imperial ships waiting inside to capture them. Or blow them up.

“Look,” Yumi said, as the Nomad flew closer. She pointed at a dark figure in combat armor arrowing toward the opening. “There’s someone going inside. A person, not a ship.”

“Several someones,” Abelardus said, assuming his distant, concentration-expression, the one he’d apparently perfected in front of a mirror. “Most have already gone in. I count twelve people in spacesuits or armor. They have propulsion, and they’re going toward the back of a hollowed-out chamber in there.”

“Are we going in after them?” Beck asked.

Alisa glanced at the sensors. The warship was gaining fast. Should she fly away and hope they didn’t follow? If they had dropped off people, wouldn’t the ship stick close to the asteroid? But if there was a chance Jelena was in there, Alisa couldn’t leave her to be found and possibly taken away by the imperials.

“Can you tell if there are any ships in there, Abelardus?” she asked. If soldiers were floating into the asteroid with only their armor on, that implied they hadn’t been able to get a ride closer in. As she had a better look at the hole, she realized it wasn’t that large. It would be a tight fit for the Nomad, and that warship definitely couldn’t fit through.

“A shuttle, I think,” Abelardus said, “but nothing bigger.”

Alisa’s breath caught. “Is anyone in the shuttle?”

“No. But I believe there are people deeper in the asteroid. I’ll try to get in touch with them if we get closer.” He tapped his temple.

“Then the answer is yes, Beck, we’re going in,” Alisa said.

• • • • •

As Alisa lined up the Nomad with the hole so she could fly straight in, the warship appeared on the rear camera, coming around the curve of the asteroid’s body. She raised the shields and made the approach faster than was wise. A jagged entrance that appeared natural rather than manmade, the hole was barely large enough for her freighter.

The Nomad’s lights shone into a dark chamber inside, glinting off something metallic at the far end.

“There are airlocks back there,” Yumi said, her face to the sensor panel.

“Is the shuttle attached to one?” Alisa asked.

“It is. And another one is open. I think that’s where the soldiers are— The warship’s firing,” she blurted.

A torpedo slammed into the back half of the Nomad, exploding against the shields. Thanks to Mica’s repairs, they were back at full power, and they held, but the ship trembled under the heavy blow. An alarm flashed on the control panel, a warning about the abrupt energy drain.

“I better get down to engineering,” Mica grumbled. “I expect this ride will only get bumpier.”

Busy navigating through the hole, which turned into a short, narrow tunnel before opening up into a hollowed-out chamber, Alisa did not say anything. The sides of the Nomad’s thruster housings nearly scraped the walls, but they made it through. The warship wouldn’t be able to fire again unless it lined its torpedo launcher up with the hole. Just in case the weapons officer planned to do just that, Alisa took her ship off to one side as she glided through the chamber.

“There,” she said, as they sailed along near the wall. “Unless they have energy-seeking torpedoes, they won’t be able to hit us. We’re out of line-of-sight.”

Leonidas looked at her. “They likely do have energy seekers.”

“Oh.”

“But their own people are in here.” He pointed toward a flashlight beam ahead of them, the dark shape of a man in combat armor just visible at the source. The soldier looked to be the last of the group, using a jet pack to navigate toward an open airlock hatch ahead of him. Another man in black combat armor leaned out of that open hatchway, waving for his comrade to hurry up. “The warship shouldn’t risk firing,” Leonidas added.

“There’s the shuttle,” Yumi said, pointing off to their port side.

Alisa adjusted the exterior cameras. Aside from the ship’s running lights and that soldier’s flashlight beam, the chamber was utterly dark, making it tough to see anything.

Just as Alisa was having that thought, illumination flooded the area, and she jumped in her seat. Her first thought was that someone had turned on the lights, but it was coming from the tunnel. The imperial ship must have moved right up to the mouth, shining a powerful search beam inside.

“Like a dog with its nose in a rabbit hole,” Abelardus said.

“We may be safe while we’re in here, but it’ll be difficult to escape,” Yumi said, her eyes concerned when they met Alisa’s.

“We’re not worrying about escaping right now.” Alisa toggled the view screen to display the side camera feed, the one pointing at the shuttle, which, thanks to the sun-like imperial search beam, was now in sight. “That looks like the shuttles that were in the station,” she said. It reminded her of the sleek Darts she’d first encountered back at the temple on Arkadius, with a similar ice-like hull.

“It is,” Abelardus said.

Alisa looked at Leonidas and found him gazing back, the significance of the moment not lost on him. They might finally have caught up with the children. He nodded solemnly at her.

“Bravo Six,” Alisa said over the comm. “Can you come to NavCom?”

The last soldier made it through the airlock, and his light disappeared inside. A moment later, the hatch swung shut.

“I guess they’re not inviting us to follow them in,” Alisa said. “Quite rude.”

Not that she wanted to run into them. She planned to dock at one of the other airlocks—there were four open in addition to the one the soldiers had used—in the hope that they came out in different places inside.

“They are imperials,” Abelardus said.

One of Leonidas’s eyebrows twitched upward.

“Will you be able to fight them?” Alisa asked him quietly.

“I hope to talk to them first and find out what they want.”

“They want to blow us up,” Abelardus said. “Perhaps you felt that torpedo striking us.”

“They don’t know who we are,” Leonidas said.

“Are you sure about that?” Alisa asked. “My freighter has grown rather infamous of late.”

“On Arkadius.”

“We also had a little trouble on Perun, as you’ll recall. And the imperials saw us at Sepiron Station too.”

Leonidas hesitated. “I still want to talk to them before opening fire.”

“Or, maybe we can avoid them altogether, find the children first, and get out without ever exchanging a word.”

“What about them?” Abelardus asked, pointing toward the blocked exit.

“I’ll sic Ostberg on the warship,” Alisa said.

“If he’s our secret weapon, I’m concerned.”

Alisa guided the Nomad toward an open airlock, careful to avoid traveling through the warship’s line of sight. She snugged them up adjacent to the shuttle, stealing several glances at it as she docked, wondering how long it had been there and how long Jelena and the others had been inside the base. Did they have adequate supplies? Were the children scared and tired of being chased and having to move every week?

“How can I assist you, Lady Captain?” Bravo Six asked, poking his head through the hatchway. A coil of cable hung from one of his shoulders, so Alisa assumed Mica had put him to work on repairs somewhere.

“I have two requests,” Alisa said. “First, can you tell me if that’s the shuttle that the children and your scientist left the station in?” Having seen it on that video footage, she believed it was, but she hadn’t caught a name on the hull, and she wanted to make sure.

“Yes, it is,” Bravo Six said after a glance.

Delight thrummed through her. Finally, finally.

“Second, can you familiarize yourself with the Star Nomad’s flight manuals? It’s a Nebula Rambler 880.” She tapped the controls, and the first manual came up on the monitor. “I would like you to be the backup pilot. I’m going onto the base, and—”

“What?” Leonidas asked sharply.

“I’m going with you and Beck, and I’d like Bravo Six to be able to fly the ship away if need be. Six, Mica will be in command, and she’ll let you know if you need to leave.” Such as if more imperial ships showed up, ships small enough to fly into the chamber, and they fired at the Nomad.

“Yes, Lady Captain,” Bravo Six said, the words barely audible, since Leonidas was speaking over him.

“There’s no reason for you to go in there,” he said. “Abelardus said there are twenty soldiers. There could be more, multiple squadrons. Avoiding them won’t be practical if the base is small, and they’re going to the same place we are.”

“I’m going in,” Alisa said, half-standing as she finished the docking procedure. She would have to hurry to her cabin and change into her armor. She did not want to delay since those soldiers had a head start. She imagined the Starseer adults had some means of defending themselves, but if the warship had unloaded squadrons of men, that might not be easy. Further, those soldiers must know they would be facing Starseers. They had probably brought some tricks to deploy.

“Alisa.” Leonidas gripped her shoulder, and she sensed that he wanted to push her back down into her seat, but he didn’t use his strength against her. “Beck, Abelardus, and I will go in and get the children. We’re trained to deal with soldiers, and your combat training still needs—”

“You think I give three hells about training? I’m going because Jelena is in there.” She glared at him, but found him glaring back with a mulish expression. “You think she and those other Starseers will jump into your arms and realize you’re there to help them? She’ll see me. She’ll know—” She broke off, her throat growing tight. She blinked furiously, not sure why tears and emotion were threatening to spill over when this definitely wasn’t the time for them. Once she had Jelena… then she could fall apart. Only then.

“With Abelardus in our group—”

“I’m going.”

The indicator flashed, showing the Nomad sealed to the airlock, and Alisa stood up and shoved Leonidas’s hand away.

“Beck and Leonidas, meet me at the cargo hatch in five minutes. With plenty of weapons. Abelardus, this isn’t your fight, I know, but we would appreciate your help and that of any other Starseers who will come along. But tell them to bring weapons too. We’ll try talking—” Alisa glanced at Leonidas, “—but I’m not counting on it working. The imperials have never been fond of my mouth.”

She shoved past everyone and ran to her cabin. So far, she hadn’t managed to get into that armor in less than ten minutes, so five would be a push, but there couldn’t be any more delays.

She hit the comm button next to her bunk as she stripped off her clothes, nearly falling into her armor case as she moved too quickly. “Mica?”

“What?”

“If you have any grenades, smoke bombs, or other items that’ll irritate enemies, I’d appreciate a delivery to the cargo hatch door in four minutes.”

“A delivery? What do I look like? A robot at a burger kiosk?”

“Three minutes now.” Alisa grabbed the leg pieces and stuck her feet through, the smart armor automatically sealing to the correct pressure.

Leonidas leaned through the hatchway. “I am fond of your mouth.”

“What?” Alisa shoved a boot on.

“You said imperials aren’t fond of your mouth. I am.”

She eyed him warily, expecting him to argue again that she shouldn’t go. “Only because you’re not an imperial anymore. I’ve used my vast charms and impeccable logic to sway you to my side.”

“Your logic swayed me?” He walked in and started helping her dress.

“I’m sure I must have used some logic. At some point in the months you’ve known me.”

“I don’t recall it.”

“Well, you did just undergo brain surgery. Those nanobots probably knocked some of your memories out of your head.”

She stood to buckle her chest and back pieces to her torso, glad the armor did most of the work, aligning and fastening everything, because her need for speed made her motions jerky and imprecise.

He picked up her helmet, but touched the side of her head before handing it to her. “Stay close to me, and don’t pick any fights you can’t win. You want Jelena, and we’ll get her, but they may have as much right to Thorian as we do. More. I don’t know. It depends on what Bondarenko has planned. I want to find out. Markus wanted Thorian to go to the Starseers, but I don’t think he imagined them being chased all over the system. He needs to be with someone who can protect him.”

“Does this mean you’ve agreed that my place is out there at your side?” she asked when he lowered his hand and gave her the helmet.

“No, it means I’ll have your back even though I don’t agree with you.”

“You’re a good man, Leonidas.” Alisa made a hasty bun for her braid and shoved the helmet over her head, glad that whoever had designed the armor had thought to accommodate for hair, boobs, and hips. “Even if you insist on wearing that red armor and openly allying yourself with the empire.”

“This is state-of-the-art armor,” he said, leading her out of the cabin. “I would be foolish to give it up.”

“We could paint it. I bet Jelena wouldn’t be as alarmed to meet you if you showed up in pink armor.”

“It’s a mystery as to why the imperials don’t appreciate your mouth.”

“Can we at least apply some decals to soften the look?” Alisa asked. “I bet I could find an Andromeda Android sticker to plant on your butt.”

A throat-clearing sounded over the comm. “It’s disheartening when you rush to put together a grenade order,” Mica said, “and the person who wanted it isn’t there for the delivery.”

“We’re coming, Mica,” Alisa said, breaking into a run. Under her breath, she added, “We’re coming, Jelena.”

Chapter 19

The flashlight beams played over the dark docking chamber, revealing smooth stone floors and walls, but no computers or furnishings or anything else that hinted of life. There was atmosphere and gravity, but nobody had left the lights on. All of the airlocks opened into the large chamber, but there was no sign of the soldiers. They must have disappeared into one of the two tunnels leading away from the place.

“Which one did they take?” Alisa asked Leonidas.

He looked at her through the faceplate of his helmet, the shadows hiding his features, and gestured toward the two options, neither having signage to suggest what one might find down the passages. “They failed to mark the way.”

“I thought you might be able to use your superior olfactory senses to smell their sweat.”

“By its nature, combat armor must lock odors in while keeping environmental toxins out.”

“Sounds unpleasant.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Imperial soldiers do bathe.”

“Most of them went that way,” Abelardus grumbled, pointing at the tunnel to their left before Alisa could further quiz Leonidas on his olfactory abilities.

He, Beck, and Ostberg were fanned out behind Alisa and Leonidas. When Alisa had asked for Starseer volunteers, she had been imagining the other adults coming along, but Young-hee and two of the others had merely linked hands and promised they would keep the warship busy if it sent people in to take over the Nomad. Alisa admitted to feeling relieved that Durant hadn’t asked to come. He and his imperial sympathies could stay out of the way. As could Alejandro. He had been scarce of late, and that was how she preferred him. Tiang, as far as she knew, was locked in his cabin and working on his project. A good place for him.

“Most?” Alisa asked.

“A couple are searching in that direction,” Abelardus said.

“We’ll go that way then.” Alisa pointed to the right, in the direction of the “couple” rather than the “most.”

“Good idea,” Beck said.

Leonidas hesitated, then nodded. “Agreed.”

Did he want to catch up with the main imperial force? He had mentioned talking, but Alisa would prefer not to meet up with them at all.

She took a step toward the right, but a soft, “Captain?” from the Nomad’s airlock tube made her pause.

Yumi stood there, waving a bag of powder. Blessings of the Sun Trinity, what drug had she prepared for this?

Alisa held up a finger so Leonidas would wait and jogged over to join her. “What is it?”

“You may find some qui-gorn useful.”

“I have no doubt. What is it?” Alisa asked again. She couldn’t remember all of the drugs Yumi had mentioned during her months on the ship.

Yumi held out the bag. “It’s the one that temporarily alters the chemical composition of your brain, making it harder for Starseers to read and influence your thoughts.”

“Does it make it harder for them to hurl you into walls?”

“Sadly, no.”

“I’ll take it anyway,” Alisa said, accepting the bag. Maybe she should have been using it all along to keep Abelardus out of her head. Or maybe Leonidas would like some, since Abelardus apparently surfed through his thoughts too. “Are there any side effects?” She thought about popping open her faceplate and taking a dose right there.

“It may make your thoughts more scattered and difficult to grasp.”

“What’s new?” Alisa said, but she slid the bag into a pouch on her utility belt instead of taking a sample. She would save it for an emergency.

“Just place some on your tongue and let it dissolve,” Yumi said, glancing toward the others, who were shifting their weight impatiently. Leonidas had already stepped into the tunnel Alisa had chosen. “It’s bitter, but there’s not much of an aftertaste. I make my compounds as palatable as possible.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“You haven’t tried any of them, have you?”

“Uh, not yet.” She still had some of that mushroom powder from Cleon Moon that she could sell one day, the stuff that supposedly relaxed a person and increased one’s sexual satisfaction. She supposed she could try that one sometime, now that she had someone to be sexually satisfied with, but she hesitated to try things that could become an addiction, an illegal one at that. How would she answer questions Jelena might have about Yumi’s hobby?

“I hope you will. They’re quite delightful and will help you achieve greater awareness of yourself and intimacy with others.” Yumi smiled and looked toward Leonidas.

“Good to know,” Alisa said, flushing. She hoped Yumi had no way of knowing that her and Leonidas’s intimacy was still a work in progress. “Watch the sensors while we’re gone, will you? Let me know if anything changes.”

“Of course, Captain.”

With her drug delivered, Yumi backed into the tube. Alisa ran to join Leonidas, waving for the others to follow, hoping vainly that they could avoid the soldiers and find the children without trouble. She touched the grenades, both explosive and smoke-diffusing varieties, that she had clipped to her utility belt, reassured by their presence. The belt also held her stun gun, even if it would do nothing against armored foes. If some Starseer gave her lip and didn’t want to relinquish Jelena, she could use it.

A few steps into the tunnel, Leonidas waved at a panel on the wall that looked like it might control the lights. Nothing came on.

“They may have had long enough to place booby traps,” he said, pointing the flashlight integrated into one of his arm pieces at the floor ahead. “Watch for anything that seems out of place.”

With the warning given, he continued down the passage.

Alisa glanced at Abelardus and Ostberg as the group walked after him. “Can you tell if any of your people are here?”

Could they tell if Jelena was here?

“There are a couple dozen people inside of the base,” Abelardus said. “Not all are soldiers.”

“I recognize Lady Westfall,” Ostberg said brightly. “I can’t wait to tell her about all of my battles.” He thrust his staff to his left side and then the right.

“Any of the children?” Alisa asked, forcing herself to be patient.

“I think Brandon is there. I don’t know Thorian and Jelena as well. They were newer.”

“Can you get in touch with them? Either of you? Let them know we’re coming?”

“They already know the soldiers are coming,” Abelardus said. “I’m trying to talk to one of the adults now. None of them are from Arkadius, and they don’t know me well. I’m telling them I’m Durant’s brother. That’s not winning me as much favor as I expected.”

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Alisa muttered.

“My telepathy isn’t good that far away,” Ostberg admitted, the tip of his staff drooping. “We’re still not that close.”

“Keep trying to warn them we’re coming. I don’t want to walk into any ambushes they’re preparing for the soldiers.”

“Starseer ambushes sound unappealing,” Beck said, bringing up the rear of the group and glancing backward often, his rifle in hand.

“Like a sauce gone bad,” Alisa said.

“My sauces never go bad. They get used as soon as people open them, because they’re delicious.”

The tunnel ended at two elevators, and Leonidas paused to eye each set of doors. One set had been partially torn open, the metal dented and mutilated. It reminded Alisa of when Leonidas forced doors open with his enhanced strength. The other set was closed and appeared undisturbed. There was no power to the panel between the elevators.

Alisa walked over and pushed the button just in case.

“There’s not a car back there,” Abelardus said.

Leonidas pointed his rifle up and down the open shaft behind the warped remains of the first set of doors. “There’s not one here either. They probably climbed. Or descended.”

“Ascended,” Abelardus said, waving toward the ceiling. “I can sense the large group up there.”

“And the small group?” Alisa asked. “I thought we were following them.”

“I think they’re all together now.”

“How about we opt for a different elevator and come out on a different floor?”

“The soldiers are getting close to the Starseers,” Abelardus said. “If we avoid them, we may miss the people we came to rescue.”

Alisa groaned. She should have known they couldn’t avoid the soldiers. “Is there no way to circle around behind the soldiers and meet up with them?”

“I’m not familiar with the base layout,” Abelardus said. “I can sense people easily, because of their auras, but not lifeless corridors.”

Leonidas walked to the undisturbed elevator, gripped one of the doors, and forced it open. Metal squealed in protest, but it slid aside for him. As Abelardus had promised, there was no car back there and nothing but an empty shaft.

“Told you,” Abelardus said.

“Looks like we’re climbing,” Leonidas said.

He stepped off the edge of the floor and gripped a narrow rail at the back of the shaft. There was nothing like a ladder or a chain.

“Uh,” Alisa said, skeptical about whether she could make that climb. There were no footholds, only the featureless surface of the flat wall, and the rail did not protrude far. She would only be able to grip it with her fingertips.

“You can do it,” Leonidas said, glancing back, taking one hand off the rail and pinching his gauntleted fingers together. Right, her armor would make her grip stronger. Still, it looked like a daunting climb. “Abelardus and Ostberg might have trouble,” he added.

“I can do it,” Ostberg blurted. “I’m just not sure where to put my staff.”

“Levitate it up while you climb,” Abelardus said. “I’ll show you.”

“You want to go before or after me, Beck?” Alisa asked, waving toward the dark shaft as Leonidas ascended out of sight.

“I don’t know. Leonidas didn’t mention me.”

“He must have assumed you wouldn’t have a problem.” She pinched her gauntleted fingers together in a motion similar to the one Leonidas had made.

“Guess it’s good to know he thinks highly of me. Go ahead. I’ll catch you if you fall.”

“Really? That’s quite gentlemanly of you.”

“Or you’ll fall on top of me, and we’ll both plunge to the bottom.”

“So long as we fall in a gentlemanly manner.” Alisa lunged across the shaft, trying not to look down at the way the dark space dropped away into blackness. She caught the railing, gripping it so strongly that the metal dented under her armored fingers. “Huh.”

There was no way to hook it with her feet, but she could plant the tips of her boots against the wall and walk up it while pulling her body up with her hands. As she ascended slowly, Leonidas out of sight in the darkness above her, she tried not to think about what would happen if the elevator car appeared, zooming up or down and squishing them along the way.

I think your tin can will protect you, Abelardus spoke into her mind. Worry more about me and Ostberg. Starseer pancakes.

I’m sure you could make a shield, and the car would bounce off.

It’s hard to concentrate on creating barriers when you’re dangling from your fingertips and there’s a draft sweeping up from below, chilling your nether regions.

“I’ve reached the top,” Leonidas said quietly, his voice sounding over Alisa’s helmet comm. “I hear voices.”

“We’ll be right there.”

“I have to force the doors open. It will make noise.”

“Maybe we can have Ostberg do it. He might be quieter.”

A clunk drifted up from below, followed by an, “Ow,” from Ostberg.

“Or not.”

“I’ll handle it,” Leonidas said.

Alisa forced herself to climb more quickly, imagining Leonidas stepping out of the shaft, only to face dozens of armored men with rifles. Would they hesitate to fire because of the color of his armor? Or would they be expecting him? After his help keeping the remnants of the empire from getting Alejandro’s orb back on Perun, the imperials might believe he was working against them now.

A soft groan of metal sounded, and a slash of light entered the shaft above. A shadow stirred, Leonidas pulling himself out of the shaft.

The squeals of blazer fire erupted from above. Alisa cursed and hurried so she and Beck could help.

“I thought you wanted to talk to them,” she said.

She wasn’t surprised when he didn’t answer. It sounded like an entire army firing up there. His armor could take a lot of hits, but it wouldn’t make him impervious indefinitely.

“Captain?” Mica said over Alisa’s comm.

“Busy now.” Alisa lunged the last few feet and gripped the edge of the floor. Fortunately, after Leonidas had forced the doors open, they had stayed that way.

“Comm me back as soon as you can. We have an incident.”

Alisa groaned and pulled herself up. She didn’t want to hear about more incidents than the one she already had.

She rolled as she came onto the platform, getting out of the way of the doors so Beck could follow her right through, and also in case anyone was aiming toward the elevator. She came up on one knee, the blazers in both arms popping from their built-in sheaths. Leonidas rolled past two feet in front of her, avoiding a round of fire that bounced off the floor where he had just been. He jumped up, firing behind him.

Alisa expected a room full of imperial soldiers, so it took her a few seconds to find his opponent. A sleek black drone zipped after him, orange blazer bolts scorching from its wing tips. She fired at it at the same time as Leonidas’s rifle blasts slammed into it. Shielding protected the drone from the first few hits, but under the combined assault, it blew up.

Without a word, Leonidas turned his rifle in another direction, dodging as he fired. A blazer bolt pinged off Alisa’s shoulder, and her HUD alarm flashed once, throwing up a map of the suit and showing the integrity of the various pieces. Only then did Alisa realize how many drones were zipping about. There had to be at least twenty. Most fired at Leonidas, trying to chase him down as he ran and dove, but a couple turned in her direction. She followed his example, running in what she hoped was an unpredictable zigzag as she returned fire.

She and Leonidas had come up in an empty foyer with nothing to hide behind, and there wasn’t that much room to run either. Several drones worked together, trying to corner Alisa. She focused on bringing down one at a time, but it was hard not to simply spray fire at anything that fired at her. Her suit gave her more speed, and she could turn on a dime, almost springing into the air when she sprinted off in a new direction, but with so many enemies, blazer bolts still caught her.

A drone crashed down a few feet away. Leonidas’s work. Alisa growled, determined to drop one on her own.

“Hells’ wrath,” Beck cursed as he pulled himself into the foyer. “Who left these here?”

He immediately started firing. Alisa was glad for the help and even more glad that the drones had another target. She felt overwhelmed and frantic, unable to come up with a plan beyond shooting and trying not to be hit. She noticed a corridor as she ran past it, overhead lighting illuminating it. There was movement at the far end, armored figures. She didn’t get a good look, but it had to be the soldiers. On their way back to help their drones? Or waiting while their drones did the work for them?

Despite her determination to keep running and not get trapped, she found herself pushed into a corner, the drones working together with pack instincts. She took a blast to the helmet when she tried to get herself out of the situation. A new alarm flashed as smoke wafted past her faceplate. There were fewer drones in the air now, with seven or eight crashed and unmoving on the floor, but at least five were harrying her.

Leonidas plowed his way through the cloud of them, lowering his rifle in favor of grabbing them out of the air. He smashed one between his hands and hurled another into a wall so hard that it disappeared into the panel with a crunch.

Alisa took a blast to the chest in exchange for the opportunity to plant herself for a second and fire off three well-aimed shots. They slammed into the closest drone, and its shielding failed. Spitting smoke, it careened away to bounce off a wall and crumple on the floor.

She did not get time to celebrate. A blazer blast tagged her in the hip, and she sprang away again. Eight drones remained in the air, but the ones plaguing her shifted to another target. Leonidas. As one, the drones turned their focus on him.

He leaped away an instant before all eight fired beams at him. Several struck the floor, leaving smoking holes, and others hit the wall where he had been. He fired as he dodged, a red blur that moved so quickly, the drones clipped each other as they spun and tried to catch him.

Though she hated seeing Leonidas ganged up on, Alisa took the opportunity to breathe—and fire. She blasted into the drones, wearing down the energy shields engulfing them.

A couple of the flying menaces were hurled through the air, crashing into walls as Beck and Abelardus joined the battle from across the foyer. Alisa brought down two more on her own, ignoring the smoke wafting from her armor and the alarms warning her that she should find cover. While in the middle of an airborne dodge, Leonidas cracked his rifle against one of the drones and sent it all the way into the elevator shaft, where it ricocheted from wall to wall as it fell.

Ostberg, just climbing to his feet, peered back at it. Then he leaped forward, his staff at the ready.

But silence fell in the room, save for a couple of feeble buzzes as smashed drones twitched on the floor.

“I missed the fight?” Ostberg asked in chagrin.

Leonidas spun toward the corridor where Alisa had spotted movement before. She started to follow his lead, lifting her arm to shoot, but she froze halfway into position and gaped.

A man in red combat armor stood there. A cyborg in red combat armor. His rifle was pointed at Leonidas’s chest, and Leonidas’s rifle pointed at his chest. Soldiers in black armor crowded behind the cyborg. Near the elevator, Beck, Abelardus, and Ostberg braced themselves for another battle, but Alisa had the sense that the two red armored cyborgs only had eyes for each other.

“Identify yourself,” the imperial cyborg said.

Alisa blinked. They didn’t know who he was? Maybe the empire was less clued in about the race to the prince and to the staff than she had believed.

“Adler,” Leonidas said. “You?”

“Colonel Adler?” The cyborg’s rifle dipped slightly.

“I’m not on the empire’s payroll anymore. Who are you? Are you working for Bondarenko? I didn’t think he’d offered any cyborgs positions in his army.”

“It’s Sergeant Yakuri, sir. Bondarenko changed his mind on that. There’s a whole platoon of us who hired on.” The cyborg—Yakuri—lowered his rifle and started to reach for his helmet, as if to remove it, but paused, looking at Alisa, Abelardus, Beck, and Ostberg.

One of the soldiers behind him spoke quietly and tersely.

Yakuri lifted his rifle again, but he didn’t point it at Leonidas, instead opting for the space between him and Alisa. “What’s going on, sir? Did you join, ah…” He looked toward Abelardus and Ostberg again, no doubt seeing their robes and staffs. “Someone?”

Alisa raised a finger. “He joined me. Captain of the freighter parked outside, the one your people fired at without provocation. Colonel Adler is my security officer now.”

“Security?” Yakuri asked, a lip curling behind his faceplate.

“Chief of security,” Alisa said. “He gets fringe benefits.” She thought about detailing some of them for the sergeant but remembered that another cyborg would be unimpressed by the fact that Leonidas got to boink the captain as a part of his benefits package.

“Tell them to lower their weapons and remove their helmets,” a man said clearly from behind Yakuri.

“I don’t think he’ll do that, sir,” Yakuri whispered back. “That’s Colonel Hieronymus Adler.”

“Working for some woman.”

“Some woman?” Alisa mouthed.

“Tell them to drop their weapons now.”

“I like how he hides behind you as he says that, Sergeant,” Alisa told Yakuri.

“I get hid behind a lot, ma’am. I bet the colonel does too.”

“He is big and sturdy. I like that in a security officer.”

“Sergeant,” the cyborg’s commander growled.

“Who’s the ranking officer here?” Leonidas asked. “We need to talk. We may not be at cross purposes.”

“I’m in charge,” the man behind Yakuri said. “Major Sinclair. And you’re here for the prince, the same as we are, I’m certain. You must be trying to collect on the bounty. I’m sure nobody hired you, not when you’re in that dumpy freighter.”

“I’m starting to dislike that man,” Alisa said, turning to catch Abelardus’s gaze. Are you in my head?

I can be in anything you like. He leered at her.

How about popping into that major’s head to see what his orders are?

I’ll do what I can. I’m less interested in being inside of him.

I didn’t know Starseers were so picky.

“We’re not here for Thorian,” Leonidas said. “There’s a girl with the Starseers who was kidnapped.”

Alisa shifted, not wanting the empire to know anything about her mission. Did he feel he could be open and honest because these were imperial soldiers?

“That major is a first-rate asshole,” she whispered over her helmet comm, knowing only he and Beck would hear. Well, the cyborg sergeant with his enhanced hearing might catch the words, too, but she doubted he would disagree. “Don’t tell him my business.”

“I find that highly unlikely, Adler,” the major said, making a point of not using Leonidas’s rank—his former rank.

“Really,” Leonidas said dryly, not seeming bothered by the man’s disrespect, or the fact that at least ten armored soldiers stood in the corridor behind Sergeant Yakuri. Normally, he might handle that many, especially with Abelardus’s help, but the opposition having a trained cyborg soldier of their own left Alisa uneasy. Just because Yakuri knew Leonidas didn’t mean he wouldn’t fight him if ordered to do so.

“We should work with him, sir,” Yakuri said. “He’s got Starseers with him. They probably know about what we’ll face with the others. You know, the…” He drew a few symbols in the air with his fingers. Were those supposed to represent mental powers? Or magic? “And he’s Colonel Adler.”

“We’ve established his name,” the major said, “but he’s admitted he has no rank. You do not report to him, Sergeant. Understood?”

“Of course, sir. I’m just saying he would be a good ally.”

The major squinted at the back of his man’s head, then sighed. “You’re truly not after the prince, Adler?”

Alisa expected a prompt, “No,” even though she knew Leonidas cared what happened to the boy, but he gazed over to her instead.

“I only want Jelena,” Alisa said, not sure what he was asking with that long look. “And I’d prefer that no children were caught in some crossfire here.”

“I have no desire to take Prince Thorian with me,” Leonidas finally told the major.

Alisa tried to decide if that had been an evasive answer or not.

The major ticked a fingernail thoughtfully against the front of his faceplate. “Very well. You may accompany us to meet the inhabitants.”

“Like we asked to accompany them,” Alisa muttered. And meet the inhabitants? Is that what they planned to do with all those rifles and drones they carried? Meet people?

“We accept,” Leonidas said without consulting Alisa.

She frowned, but he lowered his weapon and walked toward Sergeant Yakuri, waving for Alisa, Abelardus, Ostberg, and Beck to follow. The major muttered something that sounded like, “Watch him,” to Yakuri, then turned his back, rounded up his troops, and headed back into the corridor.

“We’re joining the entourage of people who just tried to kill us with drones?” Beck whispered, stopping at Alisa’s side.

She hadn’t started following Leonidas yet. She glanced back at the elevator shafts, wondering what would happen if she, Beck, Ostberg, and Abelardus slipped away and tried another level. But Abelardus had said the soldiers were close to the Starseers, not on another level. Besides, she couldn’t imagine leaving Leonidas to these people, even if he was walking along willingly, even if he believed he was safe with them. She didn’t believe that.

“Good to have you with us, sir,” Yakuri said cheerfully. He and Leonidas bumped the sides of their fists together in some imperial greeting.

We’re on the same floor as the Starseers, Abelardus spoke into her mind. The soldiers are heading the right way.

How do they know which way to go?

I’m not sure yet. I’ll try to find out, but I have news for you. I’m talking to Lady Westfall, the assistant head mistress of the school on Cleon Moon and the person nominally in charge of this mission. There are some refugees from Sepiron Station, too, and they’re clashing on what to do, but none of the Starseers want to go with these people.

Oh? I thought Thorian’s Starseers—and Durant—were aligned with the empire.

Emperor Markus’s empire. I don’t pretend to know all the politics, but this Bondarenko has never been a friend to the Starseers. They don’t want these soldiers to get Thorian. He’s been entrusted to their care, and they intend to keep it that way.

So, they’ll fight for him? Alisa asked.

I believe some of them will, but they haven’t affirmed that. I only know what Westfall is relaying to me, and they’re agitated and busy. They’ve planted a few traps.

Great.

“Alisa?” Leonidas asked over his helmet comm—he was already far down the corridor with the imperials. “Are you coming?”

“Your helmet is smoking, Captain,” Beck pointed out, tapping her on the top of it.

“I know,” she said quietly.

“We following?” He sounded like he didn’t want to, but he pointed toward where Leonidas’s and Yakuri’s red armored backs were about to disappear around a bend.

“For now,” she said, answering both men.

Chapter 20

“Any time you want to get back to me would be great, Captain,” came Mica’s voice over Alisa’s helmet comm. “But don’t rush. If you’re busy having lunch or coffee, you take your time.”

“What’s wrong?” Alisa asked, foregoing the sarcastic response. She’d forgotten that Mica had commed her during the battle. Now that she was walking along behind Leonidas, Yakuri, and what had turned out to be over twenty imperial soldiers, she should have thought to check on her ship. Her mind had been busy spinning scenarios, trying to figure out how to keep Jelena from getting caught in the middle of a battle. If the Starseers did not want to go with the imperials, they surely had the means to protect themselves and keep that from happening. Alisa did not want to stumble into any traps they had set, either, and was hanging well back. She didn’t think that Major Sinclair would notice or care if her people simply disappeared, now that they had their eye on Leonidas.

“You want a list of problems?” Mica asked.

“Yes, prioritized and with bullet points, please.”

“Point One: Alejandro locked himself in NavCom with Bravo Six and is comming the warship. Point Two: Durant led the pack of Starseers into the rec room and locked the hatch. Point Three: Beck didn’t leave any munchies behind to keep your engineer fed.”

“Uh,” Alisa said. She couldn’t have asked for a more prioritized and concise list, but immediately felt overwhelmed by it. Mostly points one and two. “Can you override the comm system and interrupt Alejandro’s conversation?” she asked, more alarmed by that than what the Starseers were up to. They’d spoken to the major in charge of the ground troops over here, but if Alejandro was trying to cut a deal with the warship commander, that couldn’t be good. What could he possibly think these imperials could do for him? Did he want to abandon her ship and join forces with them to go after the staff?

“Communications isn’t routed through engineering, so no,” Mica said. “I have a blowtorch with me, and I’m contemplating forcing my way into NavCom. I shouldn’t have fixed that hatch so well the last time someone was forcing their way inside.”

Alisa cursed softly, now wishing she had left someone trustworthy behind to back up Mica if the passengers made trouble.

“I’ll comm Bravo Six,” she said.

“He may be helping Dominguez,” Mica said.

“He might not realize it’s a problem for Alejandro to make calls. Maybe he’s just reading the technical manuals I left him.”

“I’ve been banging on the hatch and yelling for them to open it,” Mica said. “He knows what’s going on.”

“I don’t think—”

“Just because he calls you Lady Captain doesn’t mean he’s loyal to you.”

“No, that’s not what I was going to say. I don’t think he would do anything to betray the Starseers from his station.” Alisa slowed down, since the soldiers in front of her had come out of the corridor and were stopping to look around. She glimpsed furniture draped with sheets, and a kitchen and dining hall large enough to accommodate at least fifty people, but dust covered everything. “The scientist Bravo Six wants to be reunited with is over here,” she added.

“Maybe Dominguez offered him a new, better gig,” Mica said. “Or an eye.”

“I’ll comm over there. Just get Alejandro out of NavCom and lock him in his cabin.”

“With what army? You didn’t leave me anyone fierce.”

“Mica, you’ve threatened to blow up Abelardus’s balls. You are fierce. Just roll a grenade under the doctor’s robe.”

Mica snorted and closed the channel.

Alisa immediately tried to comm Bravo Six. He didn’t answer. She wagered Alejandro was sitting in NavCom with his fuzzy butt on the comm panel to hide the alerts about incoming messages. She wasn’t ready to believe that Bravo Six had chosen to side with Alejandro, possibly against his own people. That didn’t make sense.

She was about to comm Admiral Tiang, to see if he could put together some tranquilizers that could be used on Alejandro—and the Starseers if they were up to no good—but the lights went out, plunging the base into darkness.

“Flashlights,” the major ordered up ahead.

The clang of metal striking metal rang out in the distance.

“Someone’s here,” a soldier said.

“A lot of people are here,” Beck muttered. “This place is busy for a secret asteroid base in a forgotten part of the system.”

“My people haven’t forgotten it,” Abelardus said.

“You didn’t know the base was here.”

“I knew the asteroid belt was here. This was our world once.”

“It’s not like you ever lived there. Unless you’re a lot more mature than we thought.”

“He’s not,” Alisa said. “I assure you.”

Abelardus looked like he wanted to give her a swat.

Another clang sounded up ahead of them.

Alisa slowed down, not wanting the Starseers to think her team was with the imperial team. They weren’t an invasion force. They were here to help. She just wished Leonidas was back with them instead of ambling along at his old buddy’s side.

She unfastened her helmet and reached for the utility pouch where she had stored Yumi’s drug. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go into this meeting with some extra insurance. As she walked, she opened the bag, licked her gauntleted finger, and poked it inside, where a fine coating of powder stuck to it. Fearing there was not time to eye it as dubiously and skeptically as it deserved, she tugged off her helmet for long enough to suck the stuff off her finger, then refastened it.

“Candy?” Beck asked, walking beside her.

Alisa grimaced at the bitter taste. “Absolutely not. It’s disgusting.” She held the bag open toward him. “Want some?”

“Remind me not to make you my marketing director for food sales.”

Despite the poor sales pitch, Beck accepted the bag, took off his helmet, and removed some of the powder. “Did she say how much we had to take to keep Starseers out of our heads?”

“No.” Alisa glanced over her shoulder. “Abelardus, can you tell what I’m thinking?”

“That I’m as handsome as I am witty?”

“I think it worked,” Alisa told Beck.

He snorted and licked his finger, then handed the bag back to Abelardus and Ostberg. “Qui-gorn?”

“Not necessary,” Abelardus said. “I can keep other Starseers out of my head.”

“I can too,” Ostberg said. “Most of the time. Unless they’re really powerful.” He eyed the bag uncertainly.

“It tastes like candy,” Alisa said.

“Oh?” He stuck his finger in and touched it to his tongue. His face scrunched up. “It’s disgusting.”

“I didn’t say it tasted like good candy,” Alisa said.

“I need to wash my mouth out with a cookie.” Ostberg looked hopefully at Beck, as if Beck might withdraw baked—or grilled—goods from within his combat armor.

“Later,” Beck promised.

Ostberg offered the bag to Abelardus, but he shook his head again. Alisa took back the drug, keeping it in hand, so she could convince Leonidas to take a dose when she got a chance.

“I suppose this wouldn’t be a good time to bring up the pond,” Beck said, refastening his helmet as they turned down another corridor.

“What pond?”

“Yumi said she talked to you, and that you were in the process of agreeing to add a pond to the ship.”

“I was in the process of figuring out how to reject her proposition.”

“Why? Lots of ships have aquaponics systems. If I could grow some fresh fish right on the freighter—Captain, I make an amazing garlic and white wine sauce.”

Grow fish? Was that the right term? Alisa imagined them popping up from pots similar to the hanging planters already spitting out baby tomatoes in Yumi’s cabin.

“Or if you prefer a Perunese sauce, I can do that too. Or a ginger lime marinade. Captain, I can do wicked things with limes.”

“I’m not sure you’re supposed to admit that to people.”

He grinned at her. “You’d admit it, too, if you could slather them on dronk-fish and grill them in a way that would make a five-star chef wet himself in a jealous rage.”

“I—uh, I’ll keep your request in mind,” Alisa said, while she decided that they were absolutely not installing a pond on the ship, especially since Yumi only wanted it so she could get ducks and geese. “But this probably isn’t the time to talk about people wetting themselves.”

Another mysterious clang came from a distant corridor.

“Are you sure?” Beck asked.

Before she could reply, a thud came from up ahead, from much closer than the clangs. Something that sounded like a heavy piece of furniture scraped across the floor. Several flashlights had been turned on, and Alisa jumped when a couch flew through a beam, smashed into a soldier’s armored torso, and continued to the wall, pinning him there. The man growled and shoved the couch away, but threw his hands up as another soldier was hurled into the wall beside him, nearly striking him.

“Abelardus,” Alisa murmured, easing out of the corridor and putting her back to the wall in case the soldiers fled the room.

Right beside you, he said into her mind, though his voice sounded more distant than usual. She had to make a conscious effort to pick out the words. She had been joking with Beck earlier, but maybe the drug already was affecting her mind. This is a distraction, but it might get deadly, Abelardus added.

“Are your people nearby?” Alisa asked aloud, not certain he would hear her silent reply now.

She popped open the flashlight in her arm piece. The beam caught more furniture flying across the room. The pieces didn’t hurt the soldiers when they struck, not through their armor, but the chaos was definitely discombobulating them. Leonidas stood in the middle of the room, and he looked back to check on her. Unlike the rest of the soldiers, he did not have his rifle to his shoulder, searching for a target.

“They’re somewhere around here,” the major growled, ducking as a table flew over his head. “Fan out and find them.”

Men broke into groups and ran toward different passages—several opened into the big communal space. A giant invisible wrecking ball seemed to crash into one group, scattering five of them, hurling them in the same direction.

Leonidas strode toward Alisa. She was still against the wall with Beck and Abelardus. Ostberg hadn’t come out of the corridor yet.

“Abelardus?” Alisa prompted.

A couple of people are close by, some of the stronger practitioners of telekinetics.

“No kidding,” she said as three more soldiers were hurled across the room. One landed on a table, breaking it with a thunderous crack that sent pieces flying. Alisa was fairly certain that the composite material it had been made from was supposed to be unbreakable.

The rest are circling around, trying to get back to the ship.

“Our ship or their shuttle?”

I’m not sure, Abelardus said. Nobody’s talking to me right now. They’re scared.

Another armored soldier flew from his feet, this one smashing into the high ceiling, helmet first. He dropped back down, his rifle bouncing off the floor and joining a pile of weapons that had formed. The pile skidded around a table and out into the corridor.

“They’re scared?” Alisa asked skeptically. “Of the soldiers?”

No.

“Adler,” Major Sinclair barked, pointing his flashlight at Leonidas, the light bouncing off his red armor. “Where are you going?” He thrust his arm toward a corridor that the other cyborg was charging through.

“To check on my captain.”

“Go help Sergeant Yakuri.”

Leonidas ignored him.

You know how I said I felt the staff again? Abelardus asked. It’s getting closer. That’s what has the others especially worried.

“How close?”

I think Tymoteusz knows we’re here and is coming.

“Damn it.” Didn’t they have enough to worry about with the imperials? “Abelardus, can you lead me to—”

A blast of power came out of nowhere and slammed into Alisa’s side. Even with her armor, it felt like an entire spaceship ramming into her, and she flew from her feet, spinning head over heels. As she tumbled through the air, she glimpsed Abelardus’s black robe, rucked up around his waist as he too was thrown.

Her back crashed into a wall. Fortunately, the armor insulated her, absorbing the bone-crunching force. She slid down the wall and to the floor, grunting in surprise when Abelardus landed in her lap with a groan. He grabbed his nose, and blood streamed through his fingers. He must not have had the chance to shield himself.

Leonidas appeared behind him, grabbing him and hoisting him to his feet. Somewhere down a nearby corridor, the faint squeals of blazer fire rang out. Alisa scrambled to her feet, Leonidas helping her up with a hand.

“Back the way we came,” he whispered.

“No,” Abelardus said. “I’ll lead. Follow— Ostberg, get over here.”

Ostberg was leaning out of the corridor, his face scrunched up in concentration.

He’s helping them, Abelardus spoke into Alisa’s mind.

“The soldiers?”

No, his teachers.

A soldier flew across the room, and Ostberg clenched a triumphant fist.

“Which way?” Leonidas said, his eyes boring into Abelardus.

“This way. Ostberg, Beck— Beck?” Abelardus looked around.

Alisa didn’t see Beck at first, either, but then she spotted him rising from the middle of the kitchen area, broken appliances on the floor all around him. Her first thought was that he’d been shopping for utensils to take back to the ship, but judging by the dazed way he touched his helmet, he had been hurled way over there.

“The Starseers aren’t doing a good job of separating friend from foe,” Alisa said, waving to grab his attention. “Beck!”

That major was still in the middle of the room, shouting orders and trying to direct his people. He glared at her, but only for a second. More blazer fire came from a corridor.

“This way, men,” he cried and raced in that direction. “Adler, you’ll help us if you want your ship to be allowed to leave.”

“This way,” Abelardus said, heading in another direction. He chose a corridor between the one they’d entered through and the kitchen.

Beck stumbled over, joining Alisa and Leonidas.

“That was fun,” Ostberg blurted, catching up as the group jogged away from the chaotic communal area.

“Beating up on soldiers?” Alisa asked.

“Thorian asked me to.”

“Thorian?” Leonidas asked.

“You’re speaking to him?” Abelardus asked.

“He spoke to me, said to help distract the soldiers. They’re trying to get out.”

“To their shuttle?” Alisa asked. “Can you tell them to go to my ship? We have shields and weapons to improve the odds of getting away from the imperials.” And from Tymoteusz, she added silently.

“I don’t know if those will increase any odds,” Leonidas said, striding along at her side, as Abelardus led them through dark labyrinthine passages.

“We also have my crazy plans,” Alisa said.

“That might do it.”

“We have to get back down to the level with the airlocks,” Abelardus said, stopping in front of another bank of elevators.

“Any chance those are working and we don’t have to climb?” Beck asked, shining a flashlight on the doors.

“What do you think?” Abelardus waved at the sensor panel by one set of doors, and nothing happened. As with the lights, there was no power to it.

“That I should have stayed aboard the ship,” Beck said.

Leonidas stepped forward and gripped one of the doors. He ripped it open, revealing another dark elevator shaft.

“Mica was complaining about the lack of munchies,” Alisa said.

“See, if I’d stayed behind I could have been grilling jakloff kabobs and making brownies.”

“Ostberg,” Alisa said. “Tell Thorian that if the Starseers come to our ship, there will be brownies.”

Leonidas raised his eyebrows.

“He’s ten,” she said. “That’s probably more of an enticement than shields, weapons, and crazy plans.”

She thought Leonidas would point out that Thorian had been raised to be a future ruler of the system and would be thinking about tactics and strategies rather than his stomach. Instead, he said, “It would have worked on me.”

“He won’t be in charge,” Abelardus said. He sneered at the dark drop-off, sighed, and dropped to all fours to swing his legs into the shaft and find one of the vertical rails to grab.

Leonidas leaped over his head, making Abelardus duck and curse, and landed on the wall in the back of the shaft. “Bring up the rear, Beck,” he said, already skimming down a rail.

Alisa wanted to follow right after him, eager to reunite with the children and hopefully get them out of here before the imperials recovered and Tymoteusz arrived, but she wasn’t as agile in her armor and feared she would kick Abelardus. She waited until he and Ostberg had slid over the side and started down before following.

Going down was much easier than up had been, but the tiny handhold provided by the rail still made the descent precarious. Once Ostberg, perhaps worried about hurrying, slipped and skidded down several feet with a startled cry.

“That was my head,” Abelardus said, waiting until Ostberg caught himself before speaking.

“It caught my fall,” Ostberg said, a slight shake to his voice. “Thanks for stopping me, Lord Abelardus.”

Alisa slid down carefully. With the extra weight from her armor, Abelardus’s head might not be enough to stop her if she fell.

“Almost to the doors,” Leonidas said.

Alisa did not know which floor they had started on and was glad he did. A squeal sounded, echoing up the shaft, and a slice of light cut in from several floors below. Alisa was calculating how far she had to go when the railing and the wall trembled.

“Is that the elevator?” she cried, looking up and down, imagining a car careening out of the darkness, knocking all of them free, and then smashing down on top of them.

“No,” Abelardus said, his voice grim.

“Then what?” Alisa asked as the trembling increased.

Ostberg squawked in alarm. “It’s going to shake me loose.” His words rattled in his chest in the same way as the shaft rattled around them. “Make it stop.”

One of Alisa’s boots slipped free, and she tightened her grip on the rail with her fingers, glad for her armor’s strength. She ordered the magnetic soles to activate, but the wall was not made of anything that attracted magnets. Her other foot slipped as soon as she got the first one back on.

“I can’t,” Abelardus said, strain entering his voice. “Hurry down. I—”

His words cut off in a yell as he slipped, both hands losing their grip on the railing.

“Abelardus,” Alisa cried as he tumbled downward in the shaft, his robe flapping about him.

Leonidas had shoved the doors open and stood on the platform, framed by the light. He lunged out at the right moment and caught the tumbling Abelardus in his arms.

“Thank you, Leonidas,” Alisa whispered as Abelardus’s yell ended in a disgruntled noise.

The shaft shook harder as Leonidas deposited Abelardus on the floor beside him. Alisa’s teeth felt like they were rattling in her skull. She doggedly continued down, but paused when she caught up with Ostberg. He was clinging on, his fingers trembling from the effort.

“Can you catch me too?” Ostberg asked, a panicky note in his voice.

Alisa looked up, movement drawing her eye. Beck’s boots. He stopped right above her.

A thunderous clang came from nearby, something falling. Was the entire base shaking? Not just the elevator shaft? She’d thought this might be another attack from the Starseers as they tried to delay the soldiers.

Not the Starseers, Abelardus informed her. The staff is getting closer.

“Tym is using it on the asteroid?” Alisa called down, hoping she didn’t confuse Leonidas by responding out loud to Abelardus.

Yes.

The shaking went up a level, and more distant crashes sounded. Alisa’s boots slipped again. Beck cursed, his own boot slipping.

“Ostberg, go,” she said.

Even with armor, it was getting hard to hold on.

Ostberg tried to slide down the railing of his own accord, but his fingers gave way, and he fell, just as Abelardus had. Leonidas caught him mid-yell and deposited him next to Abelardus. More clangs sounded, and something cracked deep within the structure of the base. Something loud and ominous. A support beam?

“Is he trying to collapse this place?” Alisa asked, skidding down the railing as quickly as possible. She wished Stanislav were with them.

He might be, Abelardus said. Does he want Thorian? Do you know? Why is he here?

“Stanislav said… his brother was afraid of Thorian.”

So he wants him dead?

“That’s what he said,” Alisa said. “I can barely hear you when you talk in my mind right now. You may want to use your lips.”

“On you? Gladly.”

A grunt sounded from the corridor. Alisa hoped that meant Leonidas had punched Abelardus.

As she approached the floor where Leonidas still stood, waiting to catch her if she fell, the light in the corridor behind him went out. It startled her into slipping again, her boots giving way beneath her. Afraid he wouldn’t see her plummeting down in the dark, she yelled and shoved out with her legs, trying to catch the wall. One heel struck it, and she thrust herself toward the doors. Her terror and her armor gave that weak, one-legged thrust a great deal of power, and she feared her head would crack against the far side of the shaft with enough power to knock her out. But she had fallen past the wall, and instead her head met air and her body met—

“Oomph,” Leonidas grunted as she slammed into him.

He reacted quickly, wrapping his arms around her. The lights came on for a second, then started flickering off and on. The floor quaked under Leonidas, but she felt safe in his grip and offered a quick, manic grin.

“I do love when you cuddle me like this, Leonidas. If we had more time, and our faceplates wouldn’t clack together, I’d kiss you.”

“I’d accept it.”

“Very gracious of you.”

“Yes.” He set her down beside Ostberg with a quick pat on the back. “Beck?” He leaned into the shaft, just as Beck swung out, landing on the platform beside him.

“No need to catch me,” Beck said. “I’m not as in need of cuddling.”

“His sauces keep him warm at night,” Alisa said.

“Enough talking,” Abelardus said, already farther down the hall, the flickering lights showing him waving for them to follow. He wobbled as the floor continued to heave. “We have to get out of here before the entire place collapses.”

A panel crashed down from the ceiling, nearly landing on Beck’s head.

“I’ll agree with that.” He was the first to take off after Abelardus.

Alisa propelled Ostberg ahead of her, and as she and Leonidas brought up the rear, she handed him Yumi’s bag. “You may want to take a sample of this, just in case it actually does something useful.”

“I hear it’s not like candy,” he said, but accepted it. His superior hearing must have let him hear that conversation even when he had been walking ahead.

“No, but Beck promised Ostberg cookies to wash away the taste later. I’m sure he will give you one too.”

Leonidas removed his helmet for long enough to take a taste, then replaced it quickly as more of the ceiling came down. He handed the bag back to Alisa.

You will not escape, boy, a voice rang in her head like a gong.

Ostberg glanced around.

“Uh,” Beck said. “Did anyone else hear that?”

“We all did,” Abelardus said, skidding around a corner and kicking another fallen panel as he ran.

“I’m not a boy,” Alisa pointed out.

“It’s not for you. It’s for Thorian.”

“Is that crazy fool going to collapse the entire base to get him?” Beck asked.

“He might,” Abelardus said. “He might.”

Chapter 21

The earthquake continued to shake the entire base, maybe the entire asteroid. The lights in the corridors went out again, so Alisa and the others were guided by the power of their flashlights as they dodged falling panels and leaped over debris. A thunderous roar came from somewhere below them.

“One of the levels under us collapsed,” Abelardus yelled over the noise.

“We’re almost back to the airlocks,” Leonidas said. “Keep running.”

“Do I look like I’m not running, mech?” Abelardus leaped over a panel, still leading the way.

“Maybe you should call him Leonidas,” Alisa said, her breaths starting to come in pants, “now that he’s saved you from falling to your death.”

Abelardus raced around a corner and should have kept going—the entrance to the docking area was just ahead—but he skidded to a stop, his arms flailing. A thirty-foot-long portion of the floor had collapsed, revealing the floor on the level below. No, the floor several levels below. A room directly under them had fallen through the floor after having the ceiling collapse onto it.

“Falling to my death could still happen,” Abelardus growled, recovering his balance, his toes nearly curled over the ragged edge. The floor groaned as he stepped back.

“Run and jump,” Leonidas ordered as more panels came down around them. One bounced off his shoulder, leaving him chalky with white dust. “Alisa, you can do it in your armor. Beck, grab Ostberg.”

“What?” Ostberg blurted.

Leonidas picked up Abelardus, hoisting him over his shoulder and eliciting a startled, “What?”

Leonidas waved for the others to clear the way, then ran and jumped. Actually, it was more of a dive, since there wasn’t much ceiling height above him. Like an arrow, he flew over the long gap, Abelardus squirming on his shoulder and smacking him on the helmet. Somehow, Leonidas got his legs under him and landed upright on the far side.

Beck grabbed Ostberg. “Here we go, kid.” He backed a few steps. “Turbo boosters on,” he said.

Was that an order for the suit? Did Alisa have similar boosters she could call upon?

As Beck jumped, she wished she had spent more time watching the instructional videos.

Beck didn’t gauge the problem the low ceiling presented as effectively as Leonidas had. His jump took him too high, and his helmet smashed through a panel. From there, he plummeted down to the floor, three levels below. Ostberg yelled.

“Beck,” Alisa blurted, lunging to look over the edge.

He landed among the rubble below, finding his feet in the mess, even though the floors continued to shake. With Ostberg still over his shoulder, he leaped over the piles, raced twenty feet, and jumped up, the servos in his leg pieces allowing him to reach their level again. Leonidas had set Abelardus down and caught Beck, helping him find his footing.

“That was amazing,” Ostberg shouted, having recovered from the startling fall.

“We could have done it on our own,” Abelardus growled.

Ignoring them, Leonidas waved for Alisa to come next. Reassured that Beck had survived falling, she backed up for a running start. She sprinted and leaped, trying to mimic Leonidas’s arrow-like dive rather than Beck’s route.

At first, she sailed over the hole, feeling almost as if she were flying without a ship, the rubble-filled floor below blurring past, but she lost momentum too soon. She lifted her head as her momentum slowed, and grimaced when she saw how far away the others still were.

Leonidas stepped forward, extending a hand. She reached for him, but fell even further before she reached his spot. Her belly slammed into the edge of the floor at his feet, and more of it dropped away under the impact of her armor. She scrabbled for something to grab onto and clasped her fingers around a red leg, not realizing Leonidas had already gripped her by the utility belt.

He hoisted her up, setting her on her feet. She struggled to keep her balance as the floor heaved again.

As they took off, running for the airlocks, shouts came from up ahead. The soldiers? No, some of those shouts belonged to young voices. Children.

Alisa’s heart leaped in her chest. Jelena?

Propelled by the notion, she sprinted into the lead, passing Abelardus and Beck. She could hear Leonidas thundering behind her, probably intent on catching up so he could run in first in case of danger, but she only ran faster, terrified that Jelena would get on that shuttle, and that it would fly away before Alisa saw her.

She sprinted into the docking area so quickly that she struggled to stop. She spun as she slowed down, staring across the chamber at twenty people in black robes. Some of those people were young—the children. She thought she spotted Thorian, recognizing him only from old vids on the news, but she skimmed over him, searching for—there. The familiar reddish-brown hair, the freckled cheeks and nose… that pert little nose. Alisa swallowed. The black robe Jelena wore was too weird for words, but it didn’t matter, not now. All that mattered was that Alisa had found her.

She opened her mouth as Jelena turned, but she couldn’t utter anything. Relief and delight and more emotions than she could name tangled in her throat, making a lump she couldn’t speak around.

One of the Starseers, a stern-looking, gray-haired woman, flung out a hand. Before Alisa knew what was happening, a wave of energy crashed into her, knocking her from her feet. She flew through the air like a forceball hurled by a star player.

“Jelena,” she managed to cry, realizations flooding her as she sailed away from her daughter. First off, Jelena wouldn’t have recognized her in the head-to-toe blue armor, and second, the Starseers had no way to know she was on their side.

She crashed into a wall at the far end of the chamber from them. A loud thud and grunt sounded a few feet away, Leonidas striking into the wall right beside her.

“Jelena, it’s me,” Alisa cried, as she crumpled to the floor. She sprang to her feet, yelling, “Don’t go!”

Abelardus and Ostberg sprinted out of the corridor, lifting their hands.

“Friends,” Abelardus blurted, as Ostberg yelled, “Lady Westfall, it’s me.”

It might have been wiser to wait until they had it all figured out, but Alisa couldn’t do it. She ran toward the group again, tearing at her helmet fasteners. “Jelena!”

“Mom?” the query floated across the room, wrenching at Alisa’s heart. It sounded so uncertain.

“It’s me,” Alisa said, slowing to a stop a few meters away, but only because a couple of Starseer men had moved to protect the children, their staffs up. She finally got the damned helmet off, dropping it on the floor. “I’ve been looking for you forever.”

She couldn’t keep herself from sending a quick, scathing look toward the Starseers, but her gaze locked back onto Jelena right away. She wanted so much to lunge in and gather her in her arms, but fear blossomed in her heart, the fear that Jelena would reject her, that she would be mad or feel betrayed after so long.

Jelena pushed between two boys, walking slowly, numbly, her hands out to steady herself. The quake had subsided—Alisa wasn’t even sure when that had happened—but she looked like she still needed her balance. Alisa felt the same way. She stepped forward, prepared to punch any Starseer that tried to block her.

“Jelena,” she whispered. “Three suns, you’re taller than a tree now.” The old saying came out of her mouth without thought, something she’d said often, something that her mother had always said to her when she had been growing up.

“It is you,” Jelena whispered, rushing forward.

Alisa lunged forward to meet her, throwing her arms open.

“Armor,” Leonidas warned from somewhere behind her.

Jelena hugged her, and, thanks to Leonidas, Alisa remembered not to squeeze too hard when she hugged her back. Later, they could do this again without the armor. Tears flooded her eyes, and she buried her face in Jelena’s hair. Finally. Finally.

She might have stayed like that all day, but her comm clicked in her ear.

“Captain, we’ve got more trouble coming,” Mica said.

No, Alisa did not want more trouble. She wanted to take Jelena aboard the Nomad, give her the tour, show her the cabin she hadn’t let anyone else have, and then make chocolates with her. Why couldn’t they do that? Why did there have to be more trouble?

Tymoteusz and several of his people are close enough now that I can sense them, Abelardus informed her, his mental voice sounding more distant than ever. They’re definitely flying this way.

Alisa forced herself to release Jelena even though frustration bubbled through her veins. Why couldn’t she at least have five minutes of peace to sniffle all over her daughter?

She tried to wipe her dripping eyes with her armored sleeve, but the cold, hard material did not allow a satisfying wipe. She glowered over at Leonidas. “Why didn’t this suit come with a handkerchief?”

He lifted his eyebrows behind his faceplate. He’d come closer, but not too close, and stood a few feet away, his rifle pointed toward the corridor. Those imperials would probably circle around and catch up soon. Meanwhile, the adult Starseers were glaring at him as if they wanted to throw him in a volcano.

“If you put your helmet back on, you can activate the snot sucker,” Leonidas said.

“Snot sucker?” Jelena asked at the same time as Alisa.

“Not the official term for it, but it’s what the troops call it.”

“What do you call it?”

He shrugged. “The snot sucker.”

Jelena started to giggle, but then she looked longer at Leonidas, clad head to toe in his red armor. The lighting was poor in the docking area, but there was enough for her to see what he wore, what he was.

“He’s a friend,” Alisa said, resting a hand on Jelena’s shoulder. She could explain the rest later. Much later. When there was the time for awkward conversations. Right now, it didn’t matter. Jelena was here. And she was going home—back to the Nomad—with Alisa. Even if Alisa had to beat down twenty Starseers to make that happen, it would happen.

“Mom?” Jelena frowned up at her.

Alisa lifted her hand, afraid she might be inadvertently squeezing with the super-powered armor.

Jelena poked her in the stomach. “Why are you wearing a blue can?”

“It’s a long story. Why are you wearing a black bathrobe?”

“It’s a long story.”

Beck, who had stopped beside Leonidas, snorted. “I can see the resemblance.”

“See it or hear it?” Alisa asked.

“Both.”

“Captain?” Mica said insistently. “There’s another ship coming in. The imperials aren’t moving to intercept it.”

“Isn’t their warship stopping up the exit?” Alisa asked, remembering that they still had to figure a way out of this asteroid. “The chasadski ship shouldn’t be able to get past them, right?”

“Chasadski?” Jelena mouthed.

“It’s not a very big ship,” Mica said. “It’s like the imperials haven’t noticed it or they think it’s too insignificant to turn and face.”

“It is not insignificant,” Abelardus said, glancing toward the ceiling, as if he expected the earthquake to resume at any second.

“Maybe their conversation with Alejandro is distracting them because it’s so scintillating,” Alisa said, though she couldn’t imagine anything Alejandro said being described as scintillating.

“No,” Mica said. “I cut him off.”

“We have to go,” the gray-haired Starseer lady—Westfall—said, pointing toward their shuttle. “Thorian, come.” She frowned at the boy.

Thorian, a thin ten-year-old boy with shaggy, sandy hair in need of cutting, had walked over to face Leonidas. He had the most somber face Alisa had ever seen on a kid, and even though she was chiefly concerned about Jelena right now, she couldn’t help but feel for him. Here was someone who had lost both of his parents in the last year, his only brother a couple of years earlier, and now people wanted him dead, or they wanted to use him, all because of who his father had been.

“It’s good to see you, Colonel Adler,” Thorian said, formally and solemnly.

“You, too, Your Highness,” Leonidas said, taking one hand from his rifle so he could offer it to the boy.

Thorian looked like he needed a hug more than a handshake, but she didn’t know how well they knew each other, or if that would be welcome. To Alisa’s surprise, Leonidas dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Alisa had never seen him demonstrate obeisance to anyone. Even though she knew he’d had superior officers he had obeyed, it was unsettling to see him on his knee in front of a boy, as if he was waiting to be commanded. Or swearing loyalty.

She hoped he never had to choose between her and the empire. She didn’t want to have to face a moment when she learned that he would choose it over her.

“We have to go now,” Lady Westfall said, striding toward Thorian.

“We can go with my mom,” Jelena said. “Are there really brownies, Mom? Thor didn’t know about you, but he said there were brownies on the other ship.”

Abelardus smirked at Alisa.

Westfall frowned. She seemed to be in charge of the children, perhaps of all the Starseers. There were a couple of gray-haired men, but they did not appear authoritative. Maybe they were the researchers that Bravo Six worked for.

“We have shields and e-cannons too,” Alisa said, hoping to sway the adults. She doubted her little team could take the children against the collective will of the Starseers, not easily, and would prefer to simply get everyone aboard the Nomad. They could sort everything out later.

“Shields and weapons will be of no use against the Staff of Lore,” a young man said.

“Durant is on my ship too,” Alisa said, thinking they might want to be reunited.

“Durant will also be no use against the Staff of Lore.”

Alisa might have pointed out that she hadn’t noticed that he was of any use against anything, but clangs came from the corridor.

“The soldiers are coming,” Leonidas said.

Beck pulled one of Mica’s grenades off his utility belt. “Want me to make them reconsider coming this way?”

“They want me,” Thorian whispered, turning haunted eyes toward the corridor. “But they’re not my father’s men. They’re… I don’t know them.” He turned his gaze up toward Leonidas. “You’re not with them.”

“No. They’re Senator Bondarenko’s men,” Leonidas said.

“Bondarenko.” Thorian’s eyebrows flew up. “He betrayed my father. And my mother. And everyone there at the hidden asteroid base. He’s the one who told the Alliance we were there, that the place even existed.” His face grew pinched with worry, and he looked toward the Starseers and then toward Leonidas, like someone seeking protection.

Alisa wanted to grab him and push him behind her. Or behind Leonidas.

“Do you know that?” Leonidas asked, his eyes intent, as if the answer mattered a great deal. “Or is that something you heard from others? I remember speculation—”

“No, I know,” Thorian said in a rush, his words fast. “I saw it in his mind last year. I was with my father when they were talking, planning the defenses of Perun. I told my father, but he didn’t know how far to trust my abilities, didn’t know if I’d truly seen what I said I saw, but I did. He just didn’t… If he’d paid attention. I know I was only nine, but still.”

Alisa would have laughed at the idea of him being so much more mature and reliable now that he was ten, but he did appear mature and reliable in that robe. He was taller than Jelena, the top of his head coming to Alisa’s nose, and she could see him being as tall as Leonidas and Ostberg someday. If he lived long enough.

“All right,” Leonidas said, frowning toward the corridor. The heavy fall of boots sounded, along with grunts and orders as the soldiers navigated some obstacle.

“You believe me?” Thorian whispered, gazing up at him.

“I do.”

Several of the Starseers started moving without saying a word. They headed toward the airlock hatch leading to their shuttle. Four of them headed toward Thorian and Jelena, determined expressions on their faces.

“You’re not taking them,” Alisa said, stepping in front of Jelena.

“But, Mom. That’s Sammy and Juan. They’re teaching me all about—”

“Adler,” came a shout from the corridor.

A red-armored figure—Sergeant Yakuri—tried to race out. He slammed into an invisible barrier blocking the passage, striking so hard that he bounced back and crashed into several soldiers.

Even so, Major Sinclair made it to the barrier. He banged on it with his fist, glaring first at the Starseers and then at Leonidas. His eyes bulged behind his faceplate when he saw Thorian standing next to him.

“Adler, grab the boy. That’s an order!”

“Leonidas,” Alisa murmured into her comm, “let’s take the children and get out of here. We can sort out who belongs with whom later. Once we’re away from Tymoteusz. Abelardus and Mica say he’s coming.”

She held out her palm toward the men coming toward her—did they truly think she was going to let them take Jelena again?

Leonidas had a similar problem. He’d stepped close to Thorian and was glowering at two male Starseers approaching him.

“He belongs with us,” one said. “It’s what his father wanted.”

“Yes,” Westfall said. “It’s what’s best for the children. All of them.”

The words rang with persuasion in Alisa’s head, sounding perfectly reasonable. If she hadn’t had so many conversations with Abelardus, telepathic and otherwise, she might have caught herself pausing to listen, but she recognized the mental coercion for what it was.

“You have no right to her,” Alisa said, reaching for her stun gun. “She’s my daughter.”

She grasped Jelena’s hand. She didn’t want to throw her over her shoulder and run, but she would to keep the Starseers from taking her again.

The men exchanged looks with Westfall, and one started to lift a hand. Would they attack her again? Alisa growled, lifting the stun gun.

It flew out of her hand before she could fire.

“Adler,” Sinclair yelled again. “Get the boy, or at least figure out which one is blocking us.” At least a dozen armored soldiers crowded behind him in the passage.

“We can’t open the hatch,” one of the gray-haired Starseer scientists said, as Alisa was debating whether she wanted to bring a more powerful weapon to bear on the men in front of her.

“Force it,” another Starseer growled, pointing his staff at the hatch.

Those not trying to take Thorian and Jelena were pushing the other children toward that hatch, toward that shuttle. But they had to stop now. Nothing happened, and it remained closed.

“I tried. It’s sealed somehow.”

“I can sense someone using his power to hold it shut,” Westfall said, her eyes closed to slits.

Alisa thought of the Starseers on her own ship. Might they be working with her? Trying to force everyone onto the freighter? Or was this Tymoteusz and his people? Keeping everyone from escaping?

“We have the same problem,” Ostberg said. He had moved to the hatch leading to the Nomad’s airlock. “It’s locked.”

“Company is coming in,” Mica said over the comm. “It’s our favorite chasadski ship, the same one from the volcano and from Caravan Circle.”

“Beck,” Alisa said, “help Ostberg with the door. We’re getting out of here.”

Jelena frowned, taking a step back toward the Starseers. “Mom, we can’t leave everyone. Do you know what they’re teaching me? It’s amazing. I can wash the dishes without my hands now!”

“A trick you’ll have to show me, but we need to go. Trouble is coming.” Alisa itched to lean forward and grab Jelena, as she would have before, but it had been so long. What if she ran back to hide behind the Starseers to stay out of her reach? What if she picked them over her mother?

“It’s not budging, Captain,” Beck said from the hatchway. “Definitely something more than a mechanical failure. It’s like pulling down a foot-thick metal wall.”

“Leonidas,” Alisa said, waving toward the hatch. Surely, he could pull down a wall like that.

He whispered a few words to Thorian and jogged to the airlock. Thorian glanced at the Starseers, but ran after Leonidas, evading a grasp from one of the adults. He waved a hand behind him, and the men who had come to grab him stumbled back.

Alisa felt a stab of envy—Thorian would willingly follow Leonidas when Jelena, her own flesh and blood, was hesitating to follow her?

She growled, squashing down the feeling, and groped for reasonable words to sway her daughter.

“Jelena, they’re all welcome to come. And we have more Starseers aboard. People who can teach you. There’s even—” She stopped herself just before mentioning Stanislav. She’d almost said that she could introduce Jelena to her grandfather before remembering that he was most likely dead now. “There are Starseers to teach you,” she repeated instead.

Metal groaned behind her. Leonidas had reached the hatch, and his whole body leaned outward as he pulled at it. It was as Beck had said; he seemed to be trying to pull open an entire bulkhead rather than a door. Still, that groan made her think he might do it.

“Captain, are you there?” Mica asked, sounding exasperated.

“Yes, sorry. A lot going on here.”

“Tell me about it. Look, the warship is still out there, but the gray Starseer ship zipped past it. I think he’s coming in to dock. Right beside us.”

“He’s coming to the base?” Alisa had thought Tymoteusz wanted to collapse this place, not board it. What the hells?

“He’s coming for me,” Thorian whispered so softly that Alisa barely heard. He was standing beside the hatch while Leonidas struggled, his eyes full of fear as he gripped the bulkhead.

The Starseers who had been after him had stopped a few steps back. Where could they go if they managed to grab him? Back into the depths of the station? They would have to deal with the soldiers if they did.

“If Tymoteusz is coming,” Abelardus said, “this is our chance to fight him, to get the Staff of Lore.”

“That’s not my priority right now,” Alisa said, her eyes locked onto Jelena.

Abelardus either did not hear her or ignored her. He walked toward the other Starseers, lifting his arms, his staff in one hand. “Listen, friends. An enemy approaches, but he has with him a powerful artifact.”

“Tell us something we don’t know, genius,” one of the scientists said, almost startling Alisa into laughing. In a less perilous moment, she would have.

“Who is that?” someone else asked.

“The idiot brewer from the Arkadius Temple.”

Abelardus scowled. “I’m a pilot and a fighter for our people. Listen to me, if we band together now, all of us—” he pointed his staff at the soldiers crowding the corridor, “—we can defeat him. We can take the staff from someone who has proven that he doesn’t want what’s best for our people, and then we can find someone more appropriate to wield it. Someone who will bring prosperity to our people, who will use it wisely.”

“You?”

“It doesn’t matter who, so long as it’s not a crazy tyrant who wants to take over the system.”

Alisa couldn’t believe Abelardus was using this moment to try to get the damned staff.

“Jelena,” she said, crouching so they could see eye to eye. “I’ve been flying all over the system, looking for you. Those people took you from your aunt Sylvia without your permission, right? It was without my permission too. If you want to stay friends with some of them—” she pointed toward the other children, more than toward the adults, “—that’s fine, but please come back with me. I miss you, and I want to take you home.”

Jelena’s eyes widened. “Home is gone,” she said. “Dad is gone. You weren’t there. You didn’t see. But he’s gone.”

Alisa winced, the words sounding like an accusation in her ear. And a true one at that.

“I know,” she said. “I should have been there. I should always be there for you. Let me make it up to you. We’ll have a new home aboard the Star Nomad, aboard my ship. It used to be my mom’s ship. It’s a fun place. There are games and interesting people.” She stopped, afraid she was trying too hard.

“And brownies?” Jelena asked.

“Definitely brownies. Beck got some more chocolate at our last stop, and he can make anything.”

“We’re getting a pond too,” Beck added cheerfully from behind her. “With fish and ducks.”

Alisa might have shot him a dirty glare—they were not getting a pond—but she was too focused on her daughter to acknowledge him.

Jelena bit her lip and looked at the robed figures behind her. The Starseer group’s focus had split in two directions, neither of them toward her. Part of the group was trying to get their airlock hatch open, just as Leonidas was working on the Nomad’s, and part of the group was looking farther down the docking area, toward the hatch that the soldiers had originally come through. Alisa had a feeling that docking slot wasn’t empty any longer. Had the chasadski ship already snuggled up to the airlock? What would happen if Tymoteusz strode out here, waving that staff? Could anyone stop him? But why would he enter the base he had been trying to destroy? Didn’t he want Thorian dead? And apparently anyone standing close to him? Alisa doubted he would bother sparing her life a second time, especially with Stanislav gone.

“Jelena?” Alisa prompted and held out her hand. It was time to get out of this hole, as soon as Leonidas managed to muscle their hatch open. She would take Jelena and whoever else followed. If Abelardus and the Starseers wanted to stay here and have some epic battle with Tymoteusz, let them.

Jelena reached out and clasped her hand, then wrinkled her nose. “It’s cold.”

“That’s the armor. I’ll take it off when we’re safe. And I’ll give you a real hug.”

“And a brownie.”

Alisa grinned. “Definitely a brownie. And we can make some chocolates too. Do you still like Andromeda Android? I was thinking of ordering some molds.”

Jelena started to smile, but a clink sounded, followed by an angry hiss.

“Station breach,” a computerized voice announced, an alarm starting up in its wake.

“Shit,” Leonidas said, backing away from the hatch.

It was still shut. The tremendous force he’d been applying must have ruptured something within the bulkhead. He threw an anguished look at Alisa, as if he’d failed her, as if he lamented that his strength hadn’t been enough to solve the problem this time.

The hells with that. He wasn’t to blame.

Alisa activated her comm. “Mica, I need you to get this airlock hatch open now. Some Starseer with a staff up his butt has wedged it shut somehow. Figure out how and then blow it open if you need to.”

“That’ll damage the base even further.” Leonidas pointed in the direction of the hiss, the sound of the atmosphere escaping.

“It won’t be the first base we’ve destroyed,” Alisa said, wanting to get away with Jelena and not caring one whit about this place or the staff. “Mica, if you need help, get the Starseers out of the rec room and use them as battering rams on the hatch.”

Have I mentioned that you’re doing a fine job of endearing my people to you? Abelardus spoke into her mind.

“Have I mentioned that I don’t care?” Alisa said, glowering at him.

Maybe you could run for political office alongside that Admiral Hawk.

“Maybe you could stay out of my head.” Next time she used Yumi’s drug, she would try a larger dose.

“They say they’re dealing with their hated enemy,” Mica said.

“Terrible Tym? Are they keeping him from docking?”

“Not that I’ve noticed.”

“Just find a way to open this hatch, or drill a new one in this bulkhead,” Alisa said. “I want to get out of here, now.”

“Do I get a reward if I succeed in meeting your insane demands?”

“Beck is baking brownies later.”

You promised me you’d help me get it, Abelardus spoke into her mind, scowling in her direction.

“A brownie? I can do that.”

His scowl deepened. The staff. He’s brought it here. Now’s our chance.

The Starseers were murmuring among themselves, probably silently as well as out loud. Abelardus’s speech did not appear to have done much to sway them. Maybe because they’d already proven they would rather run than confront people. Maybe because, when they’d left their brethren behind to confront the chasadski before, those Starseers had been killed.

“What do you want me to do?” Alisa asked Abelardus quietly. “If you and your legion here manage to thwart Tym and get the staff, I’ll come back and pick you up.”

Leonidas stalked from their hissing hatch to the one where the chasadski ship seemed to be docking. There were no portholes or cameras showing the hollowed-out asteroid outside of the base, but a few clanks emanated from that direction. The ship attaching an airlock tube?

“A station breach is occurring,” the computerized voice announced. “Air levels are lowering dangerously for human occupants. Repair robots have been dispatched.”

“How’re they going to get here with the barrier blocking the passage?” someone asked.

“And how are we going to breathe if all the air escapes?” someone else asked.

A wrenching of metal made Alisa jump. Leonidas stepped back from the other airlock hatch.

“What did you do?” Alisa asked.

He held up the wheel that allowed for manual opening and closing if the computerized controls did not work. It had been bent and torn away. “Hopefully, made it so the chasadski have as much trouble getting in as we’re having getting out.”

Alisa doubted that would work. They could probably twitch their fingers and rip the hatch off its hinges.

A tremor went through the floor.

“Not again,” Alisa groaned, reminding herself not to grip Jelena’s hand any harder, not with her armor on. Oh, how she looked forward to peeling it all off.

The trembling quickly grew in intensity.

“Lady Westfall?” Jelena asked, her voice quavering with fear as she looked toward the gray-haired Starseer.

Alisa swallowed, upset that she would look to those strangers for help—for protection—rather than to her mother.

Thorian pushed away from the wall and came over to hold Jelena’s free hand. Alisa wasn’t sure whether it was to comfort Jelena or because he, too, wanted to be comforted. If he could read thoughts, could he tell how many of the people around here wanted him for their own reasons? Did it make him feel like a piece in a chess game rather than a boy?

“They’re coming,” he whispered.

The shaking grew more intense, as it had before, when the ceilings had crashed down.

Leonidas ran over to pick up Alisa’s helmet—she grimaced, feeling guilty that she had forgotten all about it, especially when it was brand new and he’d been the one to buy it for her. He raced back to her side and held it out to her.

“Put it back on,” he ordered.

Alisa hesitated. It wasn’t a bad idea, but she did not want to let go of Jelena’s hand, afraid that she might run back to the Starseers if she did. But she didn’t want to admit to that fear, either, didn’t want to admit to how tenuous she felt her grasp was on her own daughter.

She squeezed Jelena’s hand and released her, accepting the helmet. She hurried to put it on but struggled with the fasteners, thanks to the floor heaving under her feet.

The bulkhead that held the airlocks rattled, as if something had rammed into it.

“Damn it,” Mica cursed over the comm.

“What’s going on now?” Alisa asked, watching Jelena and Thorian struggle to keep their footing. A crash sounded in the corridor behind the soldiers, and several of them whirled in that direction.

“Our Starseers are attacking the other ship,” Mica said. “And it’s attacking back. We’re taking damage.” Mica cursed again. “We may have to leave.”

“Leave? This base is shaking itself apart.”

“So is this ship.”

The comm closed, and Alisa stamped a foot in frustration. How was she going to get her people out of this trap, onto the ship, and out of the asteroid?

“Thorian,” Leonidas said. “Are you still practicing your engineering skills? Your Starseer engineering skills?” He wriggled his gauntleted fingers.

Thorian had been staring at the airlock hatch—or through it—but he wrenched his gaze to Leonidas.

“I lost my Zizblocks,” Thorian said.

Alisa looked incredulously at Leonidas as the floor heaved again. This wasn’t the time for a discussion about toys.

“I’ll buy you some new ones if you can find the atmospheric generator on the chasadski ship and take out life support.”

“Life support?” Alisa asked. “A spectacular explosion of the engine and the entire ship would not be unappreciated right now.” She squinted at Thorian. Did he have the same kinds of talents that Ostberg had? For that matter, did any of the adult Starseers? And if so, why hadn’t they already tried to attack Tymoteusz’s ship?

“I already tried,” Ostberg said. A ceiling panel plunged down beside him, and he jumped.

“You tried breaking something in engineering?” Thorian asked.

“Yeah, but someone over there is shielding it. I can feel his touch. I can’t lock down anything.”

“But there are moving parts,” Thorian reasoned, frowning down at the quaking floor. He nearly lost his balance and fell over without seeming to notice, but Leonidas steadied him with a hand. “Not everything can be locked down or shielded. Not if they are to continue working. And you’re right, Colonel Adler. Life support being broken would affect them. Even powerful Starseers with powerful artifacts.”

“I already tried,” Ostberg repeated.

“Yes, but I’m better than you are.”

“Whatever. I bet you’ve never blown up a ship.” Ostberg gave Alisa a triumphant look.

She turned an entirely different kind of look on Leonidas. Were they depending on children to save them?

“Mica,” Alisa asked. “Are you—”

The floor heaved violently, and the children toppled. Alisa lunged and caught Jelena, the balancers in her armor helping her stay upright, while Leonidas caught Thorian. Ostberg pitched to the floor, along with many of the other Starseers.

A shout came from the corridor, followed by a burst of blazer fire. Only when Alisa glimpsed a crimson beam streaking across the docking area and bouncing off the wall did she realize that the barrier had fallen. The soldiers pounded their way into the chamber, fanning out, pointing their weapons at the Starseers.

“Not now,” Alisa yelled. “We have a common enemy.”

“I’m having Six undock us,” Mica said.

Alisa barely heard her over the shouts and blazer shots and the continued breaking down of the base. Still, she managed to blurt, “You can’t leave us. We’re right here.”

“We won’t go far, but your freighter will be pulped if we stay attached to the lock. The Starseer ship just fired at the shuttle, and now the warship is sending shuttles in. One just launched an e-cannon blast. Maybe they’re trying to hit the chasadski ship, but the weapon struck the base instead.”

“That wasn’t another staff earthquake?” Alisa asked, pulling Jelena with her as she stumbled to put her back to the wall.

“No. I don’t know what in the hells is going on, but everyone is firing at everyone else, and we’re in the middle of it all.”

Inside the docking area, someone fired again. One of the soldiers. His blazer bolt hit a Starseer shield and deflected into the ceiling. A black-armored soldier was hurled back into the corridor, even as the floor continued to rock. Sergeant Yakuri hurled something toward the Starseers. An explosive? No, a smoke grenade. It bounced off the Starseer shield covering the group’s heads, but didn’t fall off. It lay up there on the invisible convex barrier and spewed green smoke into the docking area.

“Get the boy,” Sinclair ordered from the mouth of the corridor, his voice sounding strangely monotone. “Yakuri, get him.”

“Leonidas,” Alisa said. “Talk to your people. Tell them to stop.”

“I’m not in their chain of command,” Leonidas said, protecting Thorian with his body just as Alisa was doing for Jelena. “They won’t listen to me.”

Yakuri turned toward them, his gaze locking on the boy.

“Try anyway. That’s an order.” Alisa didn’t know if he thought her authority extended to a position such as this—it wasn’t as if they were on the ship and dealing with ship matters—but when Sergeant Yakuri strode in his direction, Leonidas pushed Thorian behind Alisa. “Protect him.”

“I will.”

He strode out to meet Yakuri, his own rifle pointed toward the floor.

“It won’t work,” Thorian whispered, as Alisa eased him behind her, glad the armor gave her some extra width.

“It will work,” she said, hoping she wasn’t deluding herself. “The imperials respect him.”

“He’s controlling them.”

“What?” Alisa glanced at Thorian as Yakuri and Leonidas met. “Who?”

Leonidas lifted a hand, a peaceful gesture, but Yakuri whipped his rifle up with that blinding cyborg speed and shot him in the chest. Alisa gasped.

Leonidas dove to the side, reflexes taking him out of harm’s way before much damage was done to his armor, but Yakuri tracked him and kept firing.

“They’re his men now,” Thorian said.

Chapter 22

Alisa yanked one of the grenades off her utility belt. Yakuri was firing relentlessly at Leonidas. Leonidas fired back as he twisted and dodged, his great speed usually enough to evade mere mortals, but Yakuri had reflexes to match his. He anticipated the dodges and fired in time. Scorch marks appeared in Leonidas’s armor, and smoke wafted up to mingle with the green haze now covering the docking area.

“Get back, Leonidas,” Alisa whispered. She hoped the words would come through on his helmet comm but were not loud enough that Yakuri would hear them over the surrounding din—the soldiers were still firing at the Starseers, their eyes glazed behind their faceplates. “I’m throwing a grenade.”

Trusting that Leonidas would react in time, she waited until Yakuri's side was toward her and he appeared focused on Leonidas. She rolled the grenade in his direction and prayed that the sergeant would not notice it if it stayed low.

Leonidas leaped up an instant before a blast would have slammed into one leg. He whirled in the air and hurled something of his own at Yakuri.

Yakuri leaped back, firing at the projectile. It exploded with a flash several feet in front of him, but the shockwave made him stumble back. A second later, the one Alisa had rolled toward him blew up, smoke billowing and hiding him from view.

Leonidas sprinted out of the smoke to join Alisa, standing shoulder to shoulder to further protect the children.

“Thorian says someone’s controlling them,” Alisa said.

“I gathered.” With smoke wafting from his charred armor, Leonidas fired a sustained blast into the smoke.

Alisa couldn’t tell if it was hitting Yakuri or not. His red suit of armor soon appeared as he rolled away from the site of the explosion. Soot covered the side of it, but unfortunately it was still intact. He leaped to his feet, and six more imperial soldiers rushed over to join him.

“We can’t keep them all away,” Alisa said, backing up to the wall, keeping the children behind her.

“Someone has to get the hatch open,” Leonidas said, staying with her. “Get Mica on it.”

“I already tried.” She started to say more, but several of the soldiers fired in their direction.

She ushered the children into the slight alcove of the airlock hatch, doing her best to protect them with her body. The soldiers adjusted their aim in her direction. Leonidas fired back instantly, and Alisa, with terror stampeding through her chest, did the same. She pressed against the corner of the hatch, finding partial cover there.

“We can’t stand up to all of them,” she said, her blazer fire splashing uselessly off Yakuri’s faceplate.

The soldiers’ blasts struck her exposed shoulder, and her suit lit up with more warnings.

“I know,” Leonidas said over the sound of weapons fire. He was even more exposed than she, but he seemed loath to leave the children. Only his and Alisa’s armored bodies protected them. “Stay with them,” he ordered, tugging another grenade from his belt.

“Of course. I’ll guard them with my life.”

He threw the grenade, then paused, meeting her eyes. “I love you.”

After a glance to make sure the children weren’t in the line of fire, he patted her shoulder, then raced toward the soldiers to stop them from firing at her. Alisa opened her mouth to shout back that she loved him, too, but the grenade exploded, drowning out her words.

Scarcely heeding the explosion, Yakuri strode toward Leonidas.

Leonidas couldn’t possibly defeat so many, not with another cyborg in the middle of the fight. Alisa wished there was some way she could disseminate Yumi’s drug, to break the control the chasadski had over the soldiers, but even if she hurled the powder at them, their suits would filter it, ensuring they didn’t inhale any.

Several men fired at Leonidas, even as Yakuri leaped forward, engaging him in physical battle. Fortunately, the Starseers weren’t completely out of the fight. Most of them seemed preoccupied, their gazes toward the far airlock, but one thrust out his hand, hurling three of the soldiers away from the battle. Another soldier’s armor spasmed, his arms and legs flailing, with the man ending up on the floor. But still more funneled out of the corridor, heading toward Leonidas, as if they knew they had to get past him to reach the children.

“Mica,” Alisa commed, “if you can hear me, I want you to fire at the chasadski ship. Try to distract them. Are they shielded?”

Nobody answered her. Whatever was going on outside, it had to be chaotic.

Major Sinclair glared at her across the battle. Even though she was back in the alcove as far as she could go, he could see her easily from his position. He lifted his rifle, firing straight at her. Her heart nearly stopped as blazer bolts streaked at her chest. Her first instinct was to dodge, to try to avoid being hit, but her mind screamed at her, reminding her of the children—the unarmored children—behind her. She couldn’t dodge and expose them, and there wasn’t room enough for her to back up further.

She accepted the blast, feeling the thud through her chest plate, seeing the alarmed data scroll past on her faceplate. She fired back, aiming for his faceplate, hoping to get the bastard to scurry back into the corridor.

It was Yakuri who flew backward. He hit the floor and skidded toward Sinclair, startling him. He stopped shooting as he leaped away. Knowing her reprieve was short, Alisa looked around wildly, seeking a solution. She couldn’t take many more hits like that one.

“Abelardus,” she called. He and Ostberg were by the hatch where the chasadski were supposedly docking, probably trying to find a mechanical Starseer way to thwart the lock. “I need your help,” she yelled.

His Starseer shield would be a more effective way to stop weapons fire. The idea of a blast slipping past her and striking one of the children terrified her. To find Jelena only to lose her before they’d had a proper hug… That could not happen.

Coughs came from behind her.

“Are you all right?” Alisa glanced back.

“The air is gross,” Jelena rasped, wiping tears from her eyes.

That first smoke grenade. Alisa couldn’t smell the gas through her helmet filter and only now realized that several of the Starseers were coughing and holding their hands to their noses. Their barriers must not be keeping out the air fully.

“Watch out,” Leonidas yelled.

Alisa turned to spot Sinclair preparing to shoot at her again. She whipped her rifle up, firing back. Damn it, why wasn’t there anywhere in here to take better cover? She’d accept a potted plant at this point. A sturdy potted plant.

Thorian stepped out from behind Alisa and frowned in Sinclair’s direction.

“Don’t—” Alisa blurted, grabbing his arm and forcing him back.

“I need to concentrate,” he said.

“You can concentrate from behind my ass!”

He blinked up at her, but obeyed, sliding behind her. He did, however, stick his head out under her armpit and continue looking at Sinclair. Alisa expected the major to fire and worried about blocking the bolt, but Sinclair dropped his rifle for no apparent reason. He lurched away from the mouth of the corridor, smoke swirling about him as his arms made jerky movements. His walk was jerky, too, a lopsided stagger that had little to do with the tremors shaking the base. He looked like a puppet being controlled by a drunken puppet master. He yelled something about being out of control, then one of his arms locked, sticking straight up. He tipped over forward, landing on his chest plate with his legs still twitching.

The soldiers around him faltered, and many stopped firing.

“Sir?” more than one asked.

Leonidas took advantage and hurled one soldier into a wall so hard that his helmet dented when it struck. The man crumpled to the floor and did not rise.

Alisa glanced back at the children in time to see Jelena slap Thorian on the chest. “Can you break his comm too?”

Thorian nodded once without answering. Had he done that to the major’s armor?

“Comm is out,” Thorian said. “He can yell all he wants, but nobody’s going to hear him with his face in the floor.”

“Good,” Jelena said. “Do more of them. Do them all.”

Thorian looked up at Alisa. “She’s bossy,” he informed her, as if he’d been waiting a long time to report this fact to her mother.

“She gets that from me. I agree with her. If you can break more of their armor…”

“Working on it.” Thorian took a deep breath, but it turned into a coughing fit.

Alisa swatted at the air, as if that could help him with the gas.

“Fight it,” Leonidas cried, from several meters away. He was battling valiantly, taking hits if it meant he could keep the soldiers from getting through to reach Alisa and the children, but he sounded breathless—or maybe injured. “You’re being controlled by a Starseer. We are not enemies.”

A couple of the soldiers hesitated, but more of them kept firing. Some were down, or being attacked by the coughing Starseers who huddled behind their shields, sending mental attacks across the docking area, but at least eight remained standing.

Not knowing how else to help, Alisa went back to shooting. She tried to pick men who were focused on Leonidas, using sustained fire to try and drill holes straight through their suits. One must have worked because the man screamed in pain. But instead of running away, he roared and sprinted at her.

Terror rose into her throat, but she kept her hand steady, firing at his faceplate until he was almost upon them. With few other options, she lunged toward him before he could reach her, and she slammed a punch into his chest plate. He punched at her in return, not bothering to block her attack. Fortunately, the armor enhanced her strength, and she landed a solid blow, making him grunt and pause. Pain contorted his features behind his faceplate, probably from the blast that had gotten through his armor rather than her fist.

She blocked a couple of frantic punches from him, relieved that they were slower than anything Leonidas threw at her, then waded in, looking for vulnerable seams with her own punches. When he stumbled back, limbs akimbo for a second, she slammed a straight kick into his groin. Between her anger and the suit’s power, it hurled him several feet into the air. He twisted, trying to land on his feet, but she kicked him in the backside, sending him skidding toward the rest of the fighters.

“Get him, Mom,” Jelena blurted, and a surge of pleasure and pride went through Alisa, briefly overriding the terror that had ridden her since the battle began.

Leonidas spotted the soldier skidding toward the group and turned his back on the others for a second, grabbing him and hurling him into the air. He hit the ceiling before smashing down, where he lay unmoving.

Leonidas gave her a quick gesture of approval, meeting her eyes before whirling back toward the soldiers trying to take advantage of his turned back. She thought they would all fire, but the front three halted in the middle of aiming. Their bodies stiffened and jerked about in the same way Sinclair’s had.

Alisa backed into the alcove again, noting the extreme concentration on Thorian’s face. Jelena had tears in her eyes from coughing, but she looked pleased by the three malfunctioning sets of combat armor.

“You’re supposed to show a boy your appreciation when he does what you ask,” Alisa told her, smiling before turning back into her guard stance, using her body to protect them from fire.

“Like how?”

“Just say thank you,” Alisa suggested over her shoulder. “Or you could kiss him on the cheek.”

“Ew, Mom.”

She smiled at the familiar phrase, pleased and relieved that some things hadn’t changed, even if the attire had. She was also pleased to see more soldiers pitching over with their armor not responding to their wishes. The red cyborg armor was in the lot. Other soldiers that had been hurled against walls by Leonidas and the Starseers were not getting up. Only four remained fighting him. Alisa started to believe that they might triumph over everything Tymoteusz was throwing at them, but since she had no idea what was going on outside between the ships, she told herself not to get smug.

Instead, she picked another target, one of the men attacking Leonidas. Careful not to shoot anywhere near Leonidas—his armor did not look like it could take any more hits—she fired in quick bursts, hoping to find a seam again.

“Captain?” Mica said over the comm, static mangling her voice. “We’re coming through the hatch. With explosives. Back up and… vacuum of… we’ve got energy net to… everyone before they’re…”

“I can barely hear you, Mica,” Alisa yelled, but she got enough of the gist to worry.

She gathered Jelena and Thorian in her arms, thankful that the armor made picking them up easy. She turned her back to the vestiges of the fight, careful to keep the children sheltered. Still under Tymoteusz’s control, the imperials kept battling, even with their reduced numbers. She tried to make her way to a wall far from the hatches, but paused, spotting Abelardus and Ostberg.

They were backing away from the hatch that led to the chasadski ship, their staffs up as they faced it. That hatch was now open. Alisa glimpsed the glow of the Staff of Lore in the airlock tube. Four men in black robes were striding onto the base, including Tymoteusz.

“Mica,” Alisa said over her comm, as she continued to move away, “now would be a good time to attack the chasadski ship.”

“Can’t until we get you and… shields up.”

“Get back, Alisa,” Abelardus called to her over his shoulder, then lifted both arms, his shoulders tense as he faced the newcomers.

Tymoteusz’s hair waved, but he did not slow down. He flicked a finger, and Abelardus and Ostberg flew backward. His eyes met with Alisa’s, the determination in them seemingly mingled with madness, and then his gaze landed on Thorian.

With no way to attack him while she held the children, Alisa rushed on, trying to reach a corner where she could protect them and where they would be safe from explosives.

“Hurry, Mica,” Alisa whispered, but she feared it was already too late.

Tymoteusz and his men stopped in the mouth of the airlock alcove. Abelardus scrambled to his feet, blood streaming down the side of his face. Once again, he held out his staff. Alisa shook her head. They needed more than brute and mental force against this man. They needed—

Tymoteusz raised the Staff of Lore and thumped it against the floor.

An explosive crack filled the air, rock splitting somewhere above the docking area. The floor heaved, and even Alisa’s armor stabilizers couldn’t keep her upright. She stumbled, landing hard on her knees, shifting her grip to keep the children from being hurt.

“Mom,” Jelena cried.

Thorian, who had so bravely faced the soldiers, squinted his eyes shut and buried his face against Alisa’s shoulder.

Another thunderous crack boomed—it sounded as if the entire asteroid was splitting in half.

Leonidas spotted Tymoteusz and, turning his back on the two remaining imperials, sprinted toward him. He flung a fluidwrap, followed by a grenade.

A boulder slammed down in front of Alisa, and she did not see if Leonidas reached Tymoteusz. It was the first of many boulders, and all she could do was lunge toward the closest wall, hoping for a semblance of protection.

She pulled the children even closer, using her body to shield them as the floor pitched them forward. They did not reach the wall before tumbling down. A boulder struck Alisa’s shoulder, jarring her bones even through the armor. More rocks slammed into the floor all around her. The entire docking area was caving in. Alisa pulled the children underneath her body, her back to the falling rocks.

Something smacked the inside of her brain like a rubber band snapping, dazing her. A mental attack? She tried to lift her head, but her thoughts grew foggy, and she struggled to remember what she was doing.

A black-robed figure appeared next to her, somehow maintaining his footing even as boulders the size of shuttles pounded down. Hope surged within her breast. Could it be Abelardus? No. As the boulders crashed down around the man, bouncing off an invisible barrier, Alisa saw his face—and the damned glowing staff.

She shifted Jelena further under her body, careful not to crush her as rubble poured down, much of it crashing onto her back. There was no shield protecting her. With her other arm, she pulled Thorian closer, groping for something to do, some way to stop Tymoteusz from whatever he intended to do. She would have reached for a weapon, but she couldn’t let go of the children. Nor could she risk letting them be struck by the boulders still slamming down, crunching into her legs and back, pummeling her body even through the armor.

“Leonidas!” she cried, but she feared Tymoteusz had already dealt with him.

Alisa looked around the best she could without moving the rest of her body, but she couldn’t see him. She couldn’t see anyone else through the hailstorm of falling rock, the piles of rubble growing all around. The entire chamber seemed like it would be full any second.

Mommy? Jelena asked, the frightened voice sounding in her head instead of in her ears.

Tymoteusz waved his staff, and for a moment, the rocks pelting Alisa halted, his shield extending over her. He reached toward her. No, not toward her. Toward Thorian.

“No,” Alisa shouted, barely hearing her own voice with the cacophony thundering in what remained of the docking area. “Leonidas,” she cried again.

She lunged for Tymoteusz as he grabbed Thorian’s shoulder.

Her fingers sank into his calf with enough force to make him cry out. She squeezed as hard as she could from her prone position, her armored fingers digging into his flesh. She might have reached bone and broken it, but he recovered enough to smack her with the staff.

An electrical charge leaped from it and coursed through Alisa’s body as if the armor weren’t there. A scream tore from her throat as sheer pain engulfed her.

Tymoteusz yanked Thorian away from her, and she was powerless to do anything to stop him. He pulled his leg away from her weakened grip and strode away, a kicking and biting Thorian in his grip.

The barrier’s influence faded, and once again rocks pummeled Alisa. One struck her in the back of her helmet so hard that her head rang.

Mommy! Jelena cried in her mind, but she couldn’t answer. A distant explosion sounded, and the universe went black for Alisa. Pain and defeat were the last things she felt.

Chapter 23

Alisa woke to bright light shining in her face and the sound of chickens fighting with each other. She groaned and tried to roll over, to escape all of it, but her head pulsed sharply at the barest movement.

“Stay still, foolish woman,” Alejandro said.

Alisa might have obeyed him—falling back into the darkness and ignoring the pain sounded appealing—but then she remembered everything. “Jelena!”

She lurched up so quickly that the world spun around her. No, that was sickbay. She was back on the Nomad. Where were they? Still in the asteroid? Where was Jelena?

Alejandro steadied her with a hand to her shoulder. She felt it through her shirt. Her armor. It was gone.

“Jelena?” she rasped, squinting against the light and trying to see around her. “And Leonidas?” She had no idea what had happened to him once the ceiling—and a zillion tons of asteroid above it—had fallen on her head.

“They’re both here and alive,” Alejandro said.

“Is she hurt? I need to see her. I need to hug her and let her know—”

“She’s fine. Just some scrapes. She was in here a few minutes ago, wanting to talk to you. I’ll let her know you’re awake, but don’t try to move yet. You’re worse off than she and Leonidas were, but not the worst of all.”

Alisa realized she was on the deck next to the exam table instead of on it. From below, she could only make out someone’s hand and the hem of a dusty black robe hanging over the edge. A brown chicken squawked and poked its head into sickbay. There looked to be several out in the corridor for some reason.

“Thorian?” Alisa asked. Had Leonidas or one of her people managed to wrest him back from Tymoteusz?

“No,” Alejandro said, his face darkening. “He’s gone.”

“Gone?” Tears threatened Alisa’s eyes. “Gone gone? Did Tym…”

“I don’t know. Leonidas said the rogue Starseers dropped the asteroid on him and he didn’t see what happened. He didn’t see anything until he clawed his way out, and Tymoteusz was gone by then. Abelardus is the one who says he saw in his mind that Tymoteusz took the prince back to his ship. He was buried under rubble at the time, too, though shielded with his powers. He couldn’t do anything until he got out.”

“And then what?”

“Then the ship left,” Alejandro said, his voice turning to a snarl, “slinking back out past the warship without those idiots ever seeing it.”

“How can that be?”

“Who knows what powers those people used? The last I heard, the imperial soldiers on the base were yelling at the soldiers on the warship that a Starseer ship had been there and gotten away with the prince. I tried to tell the imperials that this would happen. I tried to tell them that the staff was coming—I knew he’d be here, damn it. And nobody listened to me.”

“Is that what you were doing locked in NavCom?” Alisa pressed a hand to her head, wishing the stabbing pain would go away. “Mica was suspicious of you.”

“I just wanted them to get the megalomaniacal tyrant with the staff, so we could then give the staff to Thorian. It’s the same thing I’ve always wanted—to secure the future of the empire. But now that some powerful Starseer has Thorian, and now that he’s the one with the staff, it’s going to be impossible to get them back. If Thorian is even alive.” His fingers curled into a fist. “I don’t want Bondarenko’s weak-kneed, conniving empire to be the one that survives.”

Alisa didn’t want any of them to survive, but she kept her mouth shut.

“We’ll get him back,” Leonidas said, stepping into sickbay and around the table toward Alisa. The chickens squawked at his passing. “Thorian was alive when the ship flew away. Abelardus saw it.”

Alisa lifted a hand toward Leonidas, relieved to see him up and well. Mostly well. The entire side of his face was mottled with a purple and blue bruise, but he otherwise looked fit as he knelt beside her. Now if someone would just bring Jelena to see her. Alisa needed to know that she was all right. That “Mommy!” that Jelena had cried out telepathically still rang in her mind.

“Abelardus,” Alejandro grumbled. “For all the good he was. Any of them were. They promised they could band together and do something against the chasadski, and they were worthless. Why did I expect anything else? The Starseers let themselves get captured and slapped into those headbands back on Arkadius, and the ones here were just scientists and tutors. None of them could stand up to this Tymoteusz.”

“Doctor,” Leonidas said, “you’re being rather condemning for someone who spent most of that battle hiding under the console in NavCom.”

“I did not.” Alejandro scowled at him.

“Bravo Six said you did.”

“Bastard.”

“I don’t believe he knew he was sworn to secrecy.”

Leonidas dropped down beside Alisa. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she slumped against him, glad for the support. Even sitting up was a challenge right now.

“They hit us, and the entire ship almost broke away from the airlock,” Alejandro said. “Did you see what they did to the Starseer shuttle? They annihilated it.”

“The imperial warship did?” Alisa asked, still confused as to what had happened. Where were they now? Had Bravo Six flown the Nomad away from the asteroid?

“No, the chasadski ship. It has weapons. But I think it just shook the shuttle apart from afar. I assume the staff was used for that. The earthquake stick is what they should have called it.”

Leonidas grunted and nodded toward the exam table. “How’s Ostberg?”

Alisa’s gut clenched. Ostberg was the one who had been hurt? How badly?

A chicken peered through the hatchway again. Were they here because of Ostberg? He did feed them often. Maybe their coop had been damaged during the chaos, and they had all escaped. To check on Ostberg. Alisa looked bleakly at the feathered head.

“He has a lot of internal injuries,” Alejandro said. “His spine and ribs were smashed. I’ve stabilized him for now, but I’m going to need to keep an eye on him. He definitely needs a month in a regen tank, but…” He frowned down at Alisa. “We need to get the staff and Thorian. If he’s still alive.”

The hells with the staff. She put her hand down, intending to push herself to her feet to see Ostberg, her throat tight as she thought of his injuries. He hadn’t been close enough for her to protect. He must have been too distracted to shield himself when the ceiling—the asteroid—came down on them.

Before she had lifted herself even an inch off the deck, blackness encroached on her vision, and her headache intensified, sending sharp stabs of pain to one side of her skull.

Leonidas pulled her closer. “Stay where you are for now,” he said.

“You could use time in a tank too,” Alejandro said. “I’ve stabbed you all over with localized painkillers, but you’ll feel horrible when they wear off. Armor doesn’t make you invincible, you know.”

“Why didn’t you stab me in the head while you were at it?” Alisa pressed a hand to the spot in her skull that throbbed with pain.

“I’d be happy to stab you in the head.”

Leonidas gave him a cool look.

“Your bedside manner is as lacking as ever,” Alisa muttered, slumping against Leonidas again. She would have to trust that Alejandro would take care of Ostberg. “Was anyone else… injured?” She couldn’t bring herself to ask if anyone had died. Beck had been wearing his armor, so he should have made it, even if they’d had to dig him out, too, and Abelardus must have made it, if he had been giving Alejandro details on Tymoteusz. “Jelena?”

She knew she had already asked, but she couldn’t keep from asking again, to make sure.

“She’s fine,” Leonidas said. “You shielded her.”

“Good.” Alisa met Alejandro’s eyes and then Leonidas’s, remembering the way Thorian had been torn from her grasp. And also remembering that she had promised Leonidas she would protect him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I couldn’t keep a hold on Thorian. I didn’t have the strength to keep Tymoteusz from getting him. Even with the armor.” She licked her lips. “I tried.”

Alejandro’s jaw tightened, and he looked away, his eyes hard. Maybe she shouldn’t have admitted that she had been the one to lose Thorian. But it wasn’t as if he even cared about the boy. He just wanted his precious empire to have a leader from the right bloodlines, even if that leader was ten.

There was no condemnation in Leonidas’s eyes. Just sadness. Somehow, that was worse.

“Nobody would have had the strength,” he said quietly. “I tried to reach Tymoteusz and couldn’t get close. He waved that staff, and my armor started shaking itself apart from the inside out. Like what Thorian did to the major except even worse, I think. Then the ceiling collapsed on me, and it was too late to do anything. He’d disappeared back into the ship with Thorian and was long gone by the time I dug myself out. Then finding everyone under the ten-foot piles of rubble took even longer.” His voice grew tight, almost raspy, as he added, “Finding you.”

“I’m not surprised that you’re the one who dug me out.” Alisa rested her palm against his chest.

“I didn’t know if you were dead or alive under there.” Moisture glistened in his eyes, and he blinked and lowered his gaze.

“I didn’t either.” She smiled and lifted her hand to the side of his face. She stroked his cheek and his jaw, the warm skin rough with beard stubble. “Thank you.”

Even though her skull protested, she shifted enough to kiss him, to thank him for everything. He returned the kiss, gently, that fear of hurting her more present than ever. Given her condition—and she didn’t look forward to learning the full extent of her injuries when those painkillers wore off—that was understandable, but she still hoped to one day convince him that he could relax and worry about that less. She still had a fantasy of him shoving her up against the wall and unleashing all of his passions. But that would be something to strive for later. She’d been thrown up against enough walls today.

“Mom,” Jelena blurted, hopping through the hatchway. “Are you awake? We have to get…”

Alisa flinched back from Leonidas, dropping her hand—and her lips.

Jelena gaped at her, and at Leonidas. Alisa’s first hope, that she might have broken the kiss before Jelena saw it, was squashed by the confusion screwing up her face.

“I’m awake,” she said, vainly hoping that Jelena might forget about finding her mom in a new lover’s arms—or that she might still be too young to grasp what she’d seen. Maybe what she’d been about to say would be so important that she would push this moment aside and rush on. Alisa had intended to explain everything, of course, but not during Jelena’s first hour on the ship. And not after being caught locking lips with a man her daughter didn’t know. A man who wasn’t her father.

“What are you doing?” Jelena drew back, gripping the hatchway. “With—with him?”

So much for not grasping it. Jelena’s horrified expression said she grasped far too much.

“Ah, there wasn’t time for introductions before, was there?” The words sounded inane, but she didn’t know what to say. She’d been too focused on finding Jelena to rehearse how she would explain that she’d discovered someone new to love. Jelena shouldn’t even have to deal with that now, not until after they’d had time to share their memories of Jonah and move on together. “This is Leonidas. He’s my…” She looked up at him, extending her hand and groping for a term that would suffice. My security officer? My bodyguard? My fearsome cyborg?

He didn’t give her any help. He wore a bleak expression and looked like he wasn’t sure if he should let her go and get out of the way or if he needed to keep hanging on because she would collapse without his support. That was definitely a possibility.

“Leonidas,” she finished lamely.

Leonidas nodded solemnly at Jelena, but did not say anything. Maybe he didn’t have any more idea what to say than Alisa did. Maybe he knew Jelena would find anything he said unwelcome.

Alisa blinked, struggling for control. She didn’t want Jelena to consider Leonidas unwelcome. She wanted her to like him. Too many people feared and rejected him. She didn’t want someone she cared about to do the same. And she didn’t want Jelena to feel the need to reject him. He would be a wonderful surrogate father one day, if she would let him become one. Why, oh why, hadn’t she rehearsed how she would explain this?

“He’s not Dad,” Jelena said. “You can’t—you can’t.” She waved at them, having as much trouble saying things as Alisa. But there was no mistaking the betrayal in her eyes.

“I know,” Alisa said, thinking she should agree rather than argue with her right now. Besides, she hadn’t fully come to terms with that herself. Maybe it was too soon for her to be with someone else, even if Leonidas was her greatest supporter, even if he’d saved her life numerous times, and even if he’d been there for her every time she needed him, even when they’d first met and they’d been enemies. Later, once Jelena knew Leonidas, maybe it would be easier to get her to accept him as something more than the hulking cyborg wandering the ship.

Jelena shook her head and disappeared into the corridor.

Alejandro was leaning against the counter, watching this with his arms folded across his chest. Damn him, he looked satisfied. As if he’d wanted her to get in trouble for her relationship with Leonidas. Why couldn’t he have been out there to be crushed by the asteroid collapse instead of Ostberg?

Alisa dropped her chin to her chest.

“I’m sorry,” Leonidas said quietly. “I heard footsteps, but there are so many people on the ship now—all of the Starseers and children, in addition to our previous passengers—that it didn’t occur to me that it might be your daughter. I shouldn’t have kissed you with the hatch open.”

“No, don’t think like that.” She touched his face again. She wanted to tell him that he could kiss her whenever he wanted, but that wasn’t quite true, was it? They couldn’t kiss, not in front of Jelena, at least not for now. Still, she hated to say that. The last thing she wanted was for there to be another reason for him to be hesitant with her. “Besides,” she said, opting for humor instead of seriousness, which was always easier for her, “I was the one to kiss you.”

“Yes, but you don’t have augmented hearing to know when people are coming.”

“I don’t know how even you could hear someone coming over the squawking of those chickens. Do you think they’ll stand sentinel out there until Ostberg wakes up?”

Leonidas was not distracted by her attempt at humor. His eyes grew sad, and he said, “I don’t want to come between you and your daughter. Maybe we shouldn’t—”

“No, damn it.” Alisa pressed her fingers to his lips, not wanting him to finish that sentence, not wanting him to say that they should stay apart. Even if he was right, and that it would make the transition easier all around. “I mean, maybe for a while, I have to be a mom and can’t be a lover at the same time, but later on, we’ll figure it all out. Please don’t pull away. I… would really like you to still be here holding me when these painkillers wear off.”

“Actually,” Alejandro said, “you probably won’t want anyone touching you.”

“Don’t you have some injections to prepare, Doctor? I’m sure there are other people on the ship who can’t wait for you to stab them with things.”

Alejandro grunted dismissively—or derisively—but at least he turned his back to them to look at displays hovering over the counter.

“We’ll figure it out,” she repeated to Leonidas, patting him on the chest. “You be yourself, and I’m sure she’ll get to like you eventually. It might take longer for her to like the idea of us together, but eventually, she will. I’m sure of it. You’re wonderful, Leonidas.”

He raised skeptical eyebrows, but said, “I won’t pull away. I’ll be here, when you’re both ready.”

She fought back tears. Even though it was perfectly logical to put Jelena ahead of him, the idea of having to let him go was frustrating. She’d only just gotten him. Why couldn’t she have them both now? Why was that too much to ask?

“She’s coming back,” he murmured, glancing toward the hatchway.

Even though Alisa didn’t want him to let go, for more reasons than because she needed support, he gently shifted her so that she could lean against the bulkhead and didn’t need him to stay upright. He stood at the head of the exam table, frowning down at Ostberg. Alejandro came over and murmured something to him.

Alisa stared at the hatchway, waiting for Jelena to appear, afraid of what she would say, that it would be something unfair, something harsh. Something that would hurt Leonidas. It wasn’t as if kids had a lot of tact. Not that Alisa did either. Three suns, what would she say?

The sound of someone taking a deep breath reached her ears. Jelena leaned into the hatchway again, her eyes moist. That sent pangs of guilt and pain through Alisa, the notion that her daughter needed to brace herself before coming back. And that she had been crying.

“We have to get Thorian back, Mom,” Jelena said, rushing to speak and not looking at Leonidas—making a point not to look in his direction. “He’s my friend, and he teaches me stuff, and he stood up for me with the others, and they took him, and they shouldn’t have, and they might hurt him. We have to get him.”

Alisa didn’t necessarily object to the idea, but what could her team do against Tymoteusz and his people? Even with all those Starseers and imperial soldiers around, they hadn’t managed to even scratch him. And hadn’t Stanislav said that Tymoteusz wanted Thorian dead? That he feared him?

“We will,” Leonidas said firmly, looking steadily at Jelena with that determined expression of his. He had his own reasons to want to get Thorian, but he of all people should know that Thorian might already be dead.

Jelena didn’t look at him. She acted as if she hadn’t heard him at all. That stung Alisa—and it might sting Leonidas, too—but it wasn’t anything she could fix, not right away.

“We’ll try to find him,” Alisa said, even though she didn’t want anything else to do with Tymoteusz and that awful staff, and she quailed inside at the idea of facing him again. The boy didn’t deserve to be left alone with that crazy nut—he didn’t deserve anything the universe had given him. He might already be dead, but until she knew that for sure, she would look for him.

Jelena scowled. “He’s not dead.”

“What?” Alisa hadn’t said that out loud.

“He’s not. He’s my friend, and I can feel him. He’s alive, and he’s scared.”

All Alisa could manage was an inarticulate “Er” as she realized what Jelena’s words meant. Nobody had spoken aloud that Thorian might be dead, so that meant she was able to hear Alisa’s thoughts. Just like Abelardus and Ostberg and the other Starseers. Alisa should have known that might be a possibility, but she hadn’t thought it had been long enough, that Jelena would have such skills yet.

She stared bleakly at her daughter as she realized a couple more things. First, Yumi’s drug must have worn off, and second, if Jelena had read those thoughts, she might have seen Alisa’s thoughts when she’d first come into the room and Alisa had been imagining Leonidas… romantically. Erg.

“He’s not dead,” Jelena repeated sturdily.

“Good,” Alisa said. “He seemed like a nice kid. We’ll go after him.” She said the words firmly and looked toward Leonidas, the promise as much for him as for Jelena.

Jelena, her eyes moist, looked like she wanted to say something else, but she glanced at Leonidas and Alejandro and bit her lip. Alisa opened her mouth to ask for a moment of privacy, but Leonidas got the gist before she spoke. He bumped Alejandro’s arm, nodded toward the hatchway, and headed out.

Jelena slunk out of the way as he ducked through the hatchway. Alisa had forgotten how big he was, even when he wasn’t in armor. He didn’t try to say anything to Jelena, just disappeared into the corridor, Alejandro trailing after him, leaving only the unconscious Ostberg in sickbay with Alisa and Jelena.

She thought Jelena might chastise her again for her relationship with Leonidas, but she came forward hesitantly, the tears in her eyes thickening. “I didn’t say thank you.”

“What?” Alisa struggled to sit up more against the bulkhead, wanting to give her daughter a hug, even if she didn’t know what Jelena was talking about.

“When Thorian did what I said. You told me I should kiss him or say thank you.” Jelena swallowed. “There wasn’t time. I didn’t think he’d… I didn’t know some scary jerk was going to take him.”

She collapsed next to Alisa and threw her arms around her. Alisa’s entire body hurt, but she returned the hug, her heart aching when Jelena started crying in full.

“I thought there’d be time later,” she whispered between sniffs.

“There will be.” Alisa pulled her daughter in closer and cupped the back of her head. “There will be.”

She had no idea how they would wrest Thorian back from Tymoteusz, but she wouldn’t break her word. They would find a way.

THE END

Afterword

I hope you enjoyed Perilous Hunt. I plan to have the eighth book in the Fallen Empire series out in December 2016.

If you’re looking for something else to read in the meantime, you could try my Emperor’s Edge or Dragon Blood fantasy novels. The first book in each series is free. If you want more space adventures, and don’t mind stories with naughty bits along with the jokes and adventures, I also write science fiction romance under the pen name Ruby Lionsdrake. Mercenary Instinct is the first book in the Mandrake Company series.

Lastly, if you haven’t already, please sign up for the Fallen Empire newsletter to get the free short story, “Saranth Three” and the Leonidas prequel novella, Last Command.

You can also follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Thanks for reading!