Held by Luna Voss

13

Barion

That’s all four of them. I’m very lucky that I decided to retrace my tracks. That was way, way too close.

But it’s over now. The women are safe and the Rangasta crewmembers are dead.

Well, almost over. There’s still the matter of the Epeshi pirates. They can’t know we stole the mining ship.

They can’t be allowed to walk away from here at all.

“Last sweep?” I suggest to Korva, giving him a meaningful look. He nods, and I know he understands what I have in mind.

“You said there were only four of them,” Captain Tog complains. “What the hell are we doing another sweep for?”

“We think there are only four. If there happens to be a fifth one of them, I would really rather not find out by eating a plasma bolt to the face.”

The pirates grumble, but follow our lead and walk ahead of us as we sweep the ship for more crewmembers.

Or at least, that’s what they think we’re doing.

I slow down, allowing Tog and Bart get a little farther ahead of us. Next to me, Korva does the same. We trade a glance.

Then we both pull our plasma pistols, aim, and fire.

* * *

Melyta

I’m relieved that Jenyta doesn’t look too traumatized by the violence. I guess she’s made of tougher stuff than I realized.

“You can come out now!” Barion calls into the pirate ship. “All clear.”

We emerge cautiously into the mining ship. Jenyta seems more at ease than I am, having already spent a decent amount of time on Rangasta space vessels.

“What’s that?” I ask as we pass Korva, who seems to be stuffing something into a small room to our right.

“Airlock,” says Jenyta, and we both fall silent.

Korva is disposing of the bodies.

“What happened to Captain Tog and Bart?” I ask Korva.

He grimaces and gestures to the airlock.

Jenyta’s jaw drops. “What? Did they both get hit when you were fighting?”

He chuckles darkly. “Well… let’s just say they got shot and leave it at that.”

Her eyes widen and she falls silent as we keep walking toward the bridge.

“Barion and Korva killed the pirates?” she whispers, looking shocked.

“They were loose ends,” I whisper back, shrugging. “This can’t be traced back to us.”

“Damn, Mel. Look at you. Ice cold.”

I don’t respond, but I realize that she’s right. I’ve gotten used to things that the old me never could have imagined.

“I hope to shit you can pilot this thing,” Barion calls to Jenyta as we enter the bridge, “because if not, we’re going to be here for a while.”

“I told you, it won’t be a problem,” she says, striding up to the controls. “A ship like this, most of the hard work is autopilot, anyway.”

“Can we check the inventory?” asks Korva, joining us. “See what we actually just stole?”

“Sure, not a problem,” Jenyta replies, tapping buttons. “Let’s see…”

A list of part numbers appears on the screen.

“I don’t suppose you know when any of those numbers mean?” Barion asks.

She shakes her head. “What am I, a mining tech? I hope you know some of those, by the way. This equipment isn’t going to set itself up.”

“I’ve got it covered,” says Korva. “Lots of workers out there who don’t mind not paying taxes if you know who to call.”

Jenyta brings a new menu up on the screen. “Here, I found a database that lists the inventory by name… Yeah, we’re fully loaded. Look.”

We all peer over her shoulder excitedly. Barion pumps his fist, and he and Korva share a victorious grin, both men briefly extending their fangs in triumph.

I hug my mate, trying to ignore the sudden surge of horniness his pheromones just caused. “We did it,” I whisper in his ear.

He gives me a squeeze, then kisses me on the forehead. “Step one, anyway.”

“Well, where to?” Jenyta asks him. “I feel like we probably shouldn’t stay here right on the shipping route.”

“Definitely not. Let me get the coordinates, I have them here on my communicator…”

“Wait, what are you doing?” Korva barks at Jenyta suddenly, grabbing her hands and pulling them away from the computer console.

“Hey, what the fuck?” she protests angrily.

“What are you doing?” he repeats.

“Disabling contact with the rest of the Rangasta fleet. Unless you want us to broadcast our location over the entire network everywhere we go? We could do that, if you prefer?”

He squints at the screen, as though trying to verify her words, then grunts and backs off. “Sorry. Looked like you were sending out a signal.”

“Asshole,” she spits, turning back to the screen.

I wince internally and suck in a nervous breath. Jenyta is clearly out of practice being around Vostra guys, because you do not talk that way to a Vostra guy. Not unless you want to finish the conversation over his knee with your dignity gone and your panties around your ankles.

“Excuse me?” Korva hisses.

She gives him a sardonic look. “Did you not hear me?”

Korva’s next words are to Barion. “I’m allowed to spank her, right?”

“No!” I say quickly, jumping to my friend’s defense. “Absolutely not.”

“Yes,”Barion overrules me, warning me with a glance that this isn’t my decision.

Jenyta stares at him, aghast. “Fucking seriously? I thought we were partners.”

He doesn’t look remotely phased. “We are. Melyta, too. She still gets her ass spanked when she needs it. This is the Vostra. We have a way of doing things. You are here because you’re adapting to our way, not the other way around.”

Jenyta turns to me. I shrug, my face very red.

“Fine,” she says, throwing her hands up. “We’ll just stay here on the shipping route until another ship shows up and finds us. Great way of doing things.”

Korva chuckles. “Just get us out of here. But consider yourself warned. Disrespect me again and I’ll have you over my knee.”

She gulps, her own face now just as red as mine. “You have the coordinates?” she says to Barion.

“Right here,” he tells her, showing her his communicator.

Jenyta plugs in the information, and a minute later we make the jump to hyperspace. I stare out the front viewscreen, amazed as always by the sight of it. My friend, however, acts as though it’s entirely routine. Which, I suppose, it probably is for her at this point.

“Two days,” she tells us, “until we get there. Not too bad.”

“I’m going to go see what the lodgings here are like,” says Korva, strolling off. “Can’t be worse than the pirate ship.”

Barion puts his arm around me and we stand together on the bridge, watching the stars streak past.

“We’re going to do this,” my mate whispers, squeezing me. “We’re going to get everything back. We’re going to get it all back. Everything we had, and more.”