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The second we get through this I’m tearing off their clothes and giving in to what I’ve been needing. If I die, my last thoughts will be regret I didn’t give them a chance.

If we didn’t escape, Aelon would have had no warning. I might have been in the arms of Garrick and his triad when the barrage hit.

Guess that’s not the worst death. A last moment of bliss and never seeing it coming.

“Garrick, are you in range?” Aelon’s voice comes through on the sub-coms unit that relies on Old-Earth technology. It’s primitive enough that the Toads can’t block it.

“Read you loud and clear, Captain. Sub-coms functional. Coms-link and Bond disrupted. We won’t be able to call for backup.”

“I thoughtyouwere my backup,” says Aelon in a dry deadpan. I can see how he commands hundreds of testosterone-fueled aliens into battle. The man has no fear even as we fly towards the overwhelming forces of the Toads.

“You’re damn right we’re your backup!” I yell back on the link, hoping I can bolster Tasha’s courage. My voice is practically humming with adrenaline.

If we’re going to fight this, we’re doing it together.

The Instigatorslowly pilots behind Tarrion’s moon. Aelon’s second in command is in control, and he’ll fight to the last, blasting at the overwhelming force until not a single Aurelian is left to defend. The last thing they will do is send a coms message to the miners to scramble. They’ll have to survive in the jungle until rescue comes, protected by the Aurelians who will sabotage the anti-air batteries and disappear into the foliage.

Out this deep in Wild Space, it could take decades for a rescue party.

Aelon’s Reaver starts firing both Orb-Beams at low power. It’s a rhythmic burst, almost like Morse code.

The beams are an affront to my senses. They are somehow darker than the fabric of space yet rippling with electric blue-black energy.

Somehow I have to trust the twenty-six rigged Orbs in our hold. Do they have conscious thought? What if they’re bloodthirsty and prefer to be in the hands of the Toads? That cruel species would wield them for evil, quenching their thirst in the blood of innocents.

A green dot appears in our view-screen. Every second it grows. The staccato pattens of Aelon’s Reaver fire announces our presence so the Toads know we see them coming.

What will they do?

My hand clenches on Garrick’s shoulder, half reassuring him and half using him to keep myself upright as I brace for impact. If the Toads take Aelon’s message as a threat, they’ll wipe us out.

Even those brutes must know Aurelians don’t reveal their positions for nothing.

They’ll know their ambush failed.

The HUD display slowly blinks back to life. I let out a huge breath I didn’t know I was holding. The Toads turned off their disruptor field.

They want to chat with Aelon’s Reaver. The sub-coms link blinks as a message request from Aelon flashes, and Garrick hits it to answer. We won’t be able to see the visual display of the conversation between the mothership and the Reaver, but we’ll be able to eavesdrop.

Time seems to slow as we wait for the Toad to message us…

Or send missiles our way.

13

Sawoot

“So,” comes the first wet word, and I can picture the fleshy lips of the Toad commander flapping as he drools out the word. “You see your doom coming, Captain Aelon. Hah! It won’t matter. I don’t need surprise when I have you so outnumbered.”

“How does he know Aelon’s name?” I ask, not expecting an answer from my triad.

Markrin growls. “Many Toads know his name. He’s killed so fucking many of them they scare their children by saying if they aren’t good Captain Aelon is coming for them.”

My stomach roils. The person we’ve chosen as our negotiator is one of the most hated people to the Toads.

“Don’t worry,” snarls Tar’ank. “Fear is a powerful motivator for these scum.” He’s the most brutal of the three, a man with rage in his blood. When we were in the diplomat’s chambers he was the one who snapped, the one who couldn’t hold back his need.

I want to feel him give in to it.