Page 14 of A Mate for Vasek (Tallean Mercenaries #11)

“It’s a literal bag of dicks!” She twirled one in the air as the giggling turned into cackling.

Vasek frowned. “The males who need those do not find it funny,” he said, trying to keep a straight face. It was difficult because her laughter was contagious.

“Right.” She cleared her throat and pasted on a solemn face.

“They are state of the art, and work just like the real thing. Better than the real thing sometimes.”

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, her face still a serious mask. “Are you speaking from experience?” Her eyes went wide for a moment. “I mean your arm. Not…”

Vasek tried to manage his strict demeanor, but it lasted only a few seconds before he cracked a grin. “I can assure you that my cock is all natural and works very well. You are welcome to see for yourself.”

The slight bit of lust reached his nose, reminding him to top up that olfactinull soon. But even without his sense of smell, he could see her tan cheeks redden just a hint. “Ugh! Men!” But it was clear she was trying to hide a grin.

He lifted his hand. “I meant my arm. Not…” he said, copying her words.

She laughed. “You’re horrible!” She stuffed the dick back into the bag and tossed them over to join the ever-growing pile of artificial limbs.

“Another question,” Dawn said. She’d been asking questions the whole time, having him clarify what things were, and putting everything in neat little piles all over the shuttle floor on top of disposable plastic sheets she’d laid out.

Vasek had no idea how everything was going to get back into the cabinet, but she seemed to know what she was doing.

“Ask.”

“If all your supplies are here, how are you able to do your work on the road?”

“I keep all my essentials in a portable kit. And I refill them between uses.” In fact, Vasek had been trying to do just that when she’d seen him struggling to find what he needed and offered to help.

“What do you usually bring along and need to replace often?”

“The life- and limb-saving essentials are with me in my bag. Things like diagnostic tools and implements, sutures, synthetic skin, common medicines, and a handheld device to speed up healing. The robotic enhancements and an extra bag of blood substitute are in the larger case.”

“You can’t possibly bring everything. What if the patient needs something you don’t have?”

“I stabilize them and return to the shuttle to find what I need. Usually it’s a robotic enhancement component, but by then the limb or eye or whatever is gone and there is no rush to save it.”

“Got it,” she said, wrinkling her nose in the cutest way.

She went back to work separating the multitude of tools and supplies into ever-growing piles, and Vasek tuned into a report that summed up all the latest happenings in the outer planets.

The broadcast touted itself to be the best place to get all the latest news, though Vasek’s personal network sometimes got news to him faster than the reports.

The reporter was summarizing a failed slave uprising and ship theft at one of New Rhea’s depots that had ended up in a fiery mess when Vasek noticed that Dawn was no longer sorting his goodies.

She sat completely motionless, aside from a very slight trembling of her lips, as the reporter explained how the ship was granted permission for takeoff at the port, only to have the port officials realize what was happening right after the ship had already left.

The ship had made it to space and even managed to evade the security vessels sent up to herd it back. It seemed the humans on board had studied well and learned how to pilot as well as override the ship’s anti-theft system.

A privately crewed warship had intercepted it just a galactic hour ago. When given the choice to return to New Rhea or prepare to be boarded, the humans chose to ram the warship head on. The last recorded transmission from the ship had been, “Sayonara, fuckers!”

“There are still no confirmed reports on the number of survivors from either ship,” the announcer continued, “but several emergency shuttles were launched from both ships before the explosion.”

Dawn was shaking noticeably now, and Vasek knew without a doubt why she’d been willing to brave the wilds on her own to get back to port. The order she’d made had been from the same depot. It must have been a message, a signal that she was coming. Dawn had been part of the plans.

Had she been that miserable with Kotch that she was willing to make a break for Reka 5? However, according to the reports, the ship had been heading away from Reka 5 and toward Dominion space.

Vasek stood, his legs moving on their own, and approached Dawn, who was still unmoving. He sat down next to her.

“You were supposed to have been on the ship, weren’t you?”

Dawn turned to face him, and the tears welling in her eyes told him all he needed to know. The ones on board must be her friends.

“I am sorry about what happened to your friends. They said several emergency shuttles were launched from the ship; perhaps they are still alive. Perhaps you will meet them again in Vosthea.” Vasek rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’ve already contacted Kean at his stronghold.

He is looking for a placement for you. I was going to grant you your freedom. ”

She sniffed and said a soft “Thank you,” but it was clear that was not what she wanted.

“If you wish, I can also bring you to Reka 5, but I can’t do it right away. I have to join in some festivities and get a few things in order.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to go to Reka 5. Just leave me on Vosthea. I will find my way back to Earth somehow.”

That had a low growl erupting from Vasek’s throat. They were heading back to Earth! The trajectory of the ship made a lot more sense now.

“No! That is too dangerous.” Then he was a little softer. “You don’t want to go back there. Earth isn’t the same planet you left. “

The way Dawn’s chin suddenly stuck out had him realizing that he’d accidentally hit a sore spot.

“That’s what they all say,” she said, her voice sounding shaky. “I don’t believe them. We don’t believe them, not until we see it with our own eyes. And even then… even if it’s true… I’d rather spend my last moments there than out here.”

“That is illogical and will get many killed. You have a chance for a good life out here, regardless of what you had back on Earth.”

“What do you know? This is your home. It’s not mine!” She was yelling now, the righteous anger hiding just below the surface bubbling up to take over. “You chose to be here. I was stolen away from my home by Tallean assholes like you!” She poked him hard with an accusatory finger.

Her outburst amused him. There was that human fire he’d heard about.

Fast as lightning, he grabbed her finger, trapping it in his comparably massive palm.

“That is unfair. You know we are not all the same, just as all humans are not the same. I am trying to give you your freedom by bringing you to Kean’s compound.

Why should I do that if you are telling me you plan to throw it all away for a chance to see a planet that isn't even what you remember?”

She tried to yank her finger out of his grasp. But he refused to let her go, not until he got it through to her that going back to Earth would be the death of her, and he wouldn’t have it.

“And what if I let you out into the universe and you try to convince more humans of your delusional idea? What if the next time, you are on the ship when it explodes?”

“Better than not trying at all,” she said stubbornly.

“What about all the others who’d be on it? Are you willing to risk their lives too? For what? To see a planet mostly destroyed by the Dominion? It is nothing like you remember it. I have never been to Earth, but I’ve seen enough planets and moons conquered by the regime to know what you’d find.”

Vasek didn’t know when he’d released her finger and grabbed her by the shoulders, but he was shaking her now. Suddenly extremely conscious of how rough he was with her, he let go. He took a few calming breaths.

Dawn’s chin still jutted out stubbornly. He hauled her into his lap.

“If that ship had been heading to Earth, then the mission was doomed before it started. I say this as someone who is sympathetic to your cause. There is no way it would have arrived in one piece, and if it were found in Dominion territory, everyone on board would wish they had expired in a fiery explosion.”

Her chin dropped, and the anger melted into something akin to resignation.

“Not one to sugarcoat a diagnosis, are you?” she said with a sniff.

“I do not understand this coating of simple carbohydrates. But if you mean I speak the blunt truth, then you are correct. Aside from the destination, it seems to me that the entire mission was well-planned, and if the plan had been to head to Reka 5, you might have even had help getting there if the Second Chance or one of Trenton’s other ships, or maybe the Defiant , caught news of your escape. ”

She pressed her lips into a thin line. “Trenton refused to help after they found out what we were planning. They wouldn’t even offer credits. Said it was throwing resources away.”

“And I agree with them. I’m sorry.”

The first sob escaped her lips, and then Dawn was crying in his arms.