Ignite by Tana Stone
Chapter Eleven
Kalex
I thunked the heavy glass down onto the bar. “Another.”
“You know I’m not technically a bartender,” Vekron said from the stool next to me, picking up the bottle of Noovian whiskey and splashing some of the green liquid into my glass.
I cut my eyes around the officer’s lounge, which had been designed to mimic the one on the Boat. A wide, floor-to-ceiling window overlooked space, the blackness outside only matched only by the glossy, ebony bar that stretched along one wall, and the matching tables scattered on dark-gray carpeting. Unlike the lounge on the Boat, this one wasn’t officially in service yet, although there was a significant amount of liquor stashed underneath the bar.
There was no background music, or candles flickering on tables, and most importantly, no bartender to sling drinks. Despite these obvious drawbacks, it was still the best place for a Drexian warrior to drink in peace. And right now, I needed to drink.
“You’ll do,” I told Vekron, swiveling to face him as I lifted my glass in an unsteady salute.
The Drexian pulled his hair from its high topknot, and let it fall around his face. “I still don’t know why we’re drinking in the dark.”
“It’s not dark.” I waved a hand at the dim, ambient lighting glowing from high in the recessed ceiling.
He lifted his own glass, clinking it against mine before taking a sip. “And you’re sure we can’t take this back to your quarters?”
I shook my head. If I returned to my quarters, Zoey might be able to track me down, and I wasn’t prepared to face her or the consequences of what I’d done. I rubbed my wrinkled brow and groaned. What had I done?
You forced yourself on her and pressed her up against a wall.
Even saying the words in my head made my face burn with shame. I wouldn’t be surprised if she reported me, and I was removed from my position as captain. It was nothing I didn’t deserve.
I slammed back the whiskey, grateful for the pain as it scorched my throat and forced a gasp from my lips. I’d lost all control and given in to my basest urges, something that a Drexian warrior could never do—not even a member of Inferno Force with a fondness for Felaris pleasurers.
But it wasn’t the memory of Felaris twins that filled my mind with an erotic haze. It was the memory of Zoey’s mouth moving beneath mine, her breathy moan needy as she pressed her hands against my chest. No matter how much whiskey I drank, I couldn’t purge that sound from my mind. Not that I wished to. The feel of her moving against me was a sensation I never wanted to forget, even it meant I left the Island in disgrace.
“It can’t be so bad.” Vekron eyed the glass I’d emptied yet again. “So, we might not make the original end date. It isn’t the end of the world.”
“I’m not drinking because of potential construction delays. Why does everyone think I’m obsessed with the timeline?”
Vekron choked out a laugh. “Because it’s all you talk about.”
I grumbled at this. Did everyone think I was preoccupied with the construction schedule? I knew I didn’t want to know the answer to that, so I changed the subject. “Did you know there was an accident on the promenade today while I was on the fly-around with Jax?”
“I didn’t witness it, but I heard about it.” His mouth twitched into a half smile. “It’s hard to miss when Serge has a meltdown, no matter where you are on the station.”
“It wasn’t only Serge who was in danger,” I said, my words slurring a bit as I spoke. “Zoey risked her life to save him.”
“That sounds about right. Our astro-architect is pretty fearless. She’d have to be, considering the number of times she’s had to face you down.”
I shot him a dark look. “She shouldn’t have put herself in danger like that. It’s not like she’s trained for battle like we are.”
Vekron shrugged. “You don’t have to have military training to be brave. I’ve always gotten the feeling that Zoey’s pretty tough for a civilian.”
“I still don’t like it.” I clenched my glass tighter. “I need to find out how the accident happened and make sure our safety standards aren’t slipping, even if it means we don’t make our deadlines.”
Vekron let out a low whistle. “I can’t say I disagree with you, although I’m shocked you’re the one saying this and not me. You care to tell me what changed?”
“Nothing,” I lied. “But this is the first accident we’ve had on site, and I don’t want there to be another.”
He nodded, but still looked at me suspiciously. “And that’s why you’re drinking? You’re worried about safety?”
I twisted back around to face the back of the bar, the clear shelving devoid of the bottles that would soon fill every compartment. I rested my elbows on the obsidian surface, steepling my hands in front of me. “Aside from the accident, Jax and I picked up an anomalous energy reading during the fly-about.”
My friend swung his head to me. “Anomalous how?”
“Jax’s picked up a few of them since he’s been flying security patrols, but the energy fluctuations come in short bursts, and then disappear. He didn’t think much of them because they’re erratic and infrequent.”
Vekron drummed his fingers on the bar. “I’d need to see the readings, but an energy fluctuation could mean a lot of things.”
“I thought it might be connected to the construction and the holographic emitters we’re installing,” I said, giving myself a mental kick that I’d never gotten around to asking Zoey if her design could have anything to do with the anomalies.
Vekron gave a curt shake of his head. “Doubtful. Our holographic technology is pretty contained. Besides, unless there was a system overload, it wouldn’t create an anomalous reading you’d detect from outside the station.”
I straightened, pushing my glass away from me and pivoting to face him. “What else could it be?”
“Again, I’d need to get a look at the readouts, but did the anomaly look temporal?”
I blinked at him a few times, as my sluggish brain computed what he was asking. “Are you telling me it could be a wormhole?”
“I’m not telling you anything,” Vekron said. “But energy surges that come and go quickly usually mean temporal technology—or jump technology.”
The whiskey in my stomach churned. “The Kronock have jump technology.”
Vekron gave me a pointed look. “I know. The last thing any of us want is a fleet of enemy vessels jumping in and surrounding the station.”
“I thought the station had a protective energy field that repelled jump technology.”
“It does,” Vekron said with a weary sigh. “I developed it, but that doesn’t mean it’s foolproof. If the Kronock can hack into our security frequencies, they’d be able to jump in.”
The sick feeling in my gut wasn’t subsiding, and I pressed a hand to my stomach. “What are the chances of that?”
“Previously, I would have said not very high…” He allowed his words to drift off.
“But now?” I prodded, my voice hard.
“The Kronock continue to do things we never would have suspected. Between their biomedical research and their acquisition of jump technology, they’re clearly working hard to catch up to us.”
Before the Kronock attack on Earth, I would have brazenly said that our enemy would never be a match for us, but I’d since learned that it was a fatal mistake to underestimate their ability or their vicousness. I could never forget that the Kronock’s end game was to wipe the Drexians—and all other species they considered inferior—from existence.
“Are you saying it’s possible these energy anomalies are the Kronock?”
“It could be them attempting to jump their ships in and failing.”
“Why would it be so random and infrequent?” I asked, wishing for the first time in my life that I’d spent more time studying engineering and physics.
“Attempts at jumping in from a far distance would take a great deal of energy. And I’d assume that with each failed attempt they’ll be recalibrating and adjusting based on the new data.”
Which mean that eventually their attempts might be successful. I allowed my eyes to close for a moment as I took all this in. As much as I welcomed battle with our enemy, I did not wish to bring it to the station—or to Zoey.
“This is worse than a kiss,” I said under my breath, turning to face the empty bar shelves.
“A kiss?” Vekron asked. “What does a kiss have to do with anything?”
My eyes flew open, and I cursed the fact that I’d said that out loud. Grekking Noovian whiskey. “Nothing. I was talking nonsense.”
“Kalex, who did you kiss?” Vekron asked, clearly not buying my weak excuse.
I glanced at the bottle of whiskey, even though I knew it couldn’t help me. There was nothing to do but tell my friend.
I swiveled toward him on the bar stool and opened my mouth, as the wide doors to the lounge slid open. We both craned our necks to see the unmistakable silhouette of Zoey standing in shadows, her hands braced on her hips.
Vekron looked back at me. “Forget I asked.”