Page 5 of Alien’s Love Child

CHAPTER 5

JESSE

T he engine room hums with its familiar rhythm as I make my way down the corridor. A small cleaning bot whirs past my feet, its collection bin full of the space vermin we picked up at our last stop.

"Good job, little guy," I pat its casing as it beeps cheerfully in response.

Paraxan's furry head pokes out from behind a panel, his whiskers twitching. "Captain."

"How're we looking, Par?"

He gestures to the exposed wiring. "Better since the upgrade. Fuel efficiency up twelve percent."

"Worth every credit then." I lean against the doorframe, watching him work. His methodical movements are oddly soothing. "Need anything?"

"No." He pauses, then adds, "Maybe more wire strippers. These are wearing thin."

"I'll add it to the list."

The sound of movement draws me toward the cargo bay. Davin's deep voice carries through the corridor.

"Plant your feet wider. You're too easy to knock off balance."

I pause at the entrance, watching as Taluk adjusts his stance. His red scales glisten with sweat, but there's determination in his eyes I haven't seen before.

For a moment, I wonder if I did the right thing. Bringing a stranger on board in the middle of such a high stakes job was risky, but it was a calculated risk.

Glimner isn't an easy planet to traverse, especially with such a wanted criminal in our care. The more muscle we have at our disposal, the better. Still, I have question the wisdom in my decision. Even if no one else does.

"Like this?"

"Better." Davin circles him, his blue skin almost luminescent under the bay lights. "Now, when someone comes at you from the side?—"

Taluk moves suddenly, executing a perfect defensive maneuver that has me raising my eyebrows. Maybe the kid's been holding out on us.

"Good." Davin nods, approval clear in his voice. "You're a quick study."

"Thanks." Taluk's chest puffs up slightly at the praise.

I smile to myself, mentally patting my back for bringing Davin aboard. Taluk is opening up, showing he can still learn. Once we deliver Xander, maybe it's time to stop keeping secrets from our newest crew member. He's proved himself useful enough, and something tells me he could be valuable for more than just defense training.

Davin's eyes flick to me, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "Hit the showers, kid. We're done for today."

Taluk spins around, his scales flushing a deeper red when he spots me. "Captain! I was just—I mean, we were?—"

"Training. I saw." I push off from the doorframe. "Nice moves."

He ducks his head, mumbling something unintelligible before practically sprinting past me. The sound of his boots clanking against the metal grating fades down the corridor.

"You've got him working hard." I step into the cargo bay, the recycled air carrying a hint of ozone from their workout.

"He's got potential." Davin grabs a towel, wiping his neck. "More than he lets on."

"Noticed that, did you?"

"I notice a lot of things." His silver eyes lock onto mine, something different in his gaze. The same intensity I caught at breakfast when he passed me the salt without being asked. "Like how you've been watching us train."

Heat creeps up my neck. "Just making sure you're not breaking my crew member."

"Is that the only reason?" He steps closer, close enough that I can smell the subtle spice of his skin.

"Maybe I'm concerned about ship safety." I tap my finger against his chest. "Can't have you two damaging the cargo bay."

"The cargo bay." His lips quirk. "Of course. Nothing to do with the view?"

"Well," I drawl, "the scenery isn't terrible."

He laughs, a rich sound that sends warmth spreading through my chest. "High praise from the captain."

"Don't let it go to your head." I step back, maintaining some professional distance. "We've still got work to do."

"Always work with you, isn't it?"

"Someone's got to keep this ship running."

"And you do it beautifully." There's that look again, like he's seeing straight through me.

I clear my throat. "Right. Well, I should check on Par. Make sure he hasn't rewired the whole engine room."

I hurry away from the cargo bay, my cheeks burning. What's wrong with me? I've dealt with attractive crew members before without turning into a stammering teenager.

The ship lurches suddenly, throwing me against the corridor wall. The metal grating bites into my palm as I catch myself.

"What the hell?"

I sprint toward the cockpit, my boots clanking against the floor. The door slides open with a hiss.

"Rena?"

"We're fine." Her fingers dance across the controls, making minute adjustments. "Just had to make a quick course correction."

I drop into the co-pilot's seat, scanning the readouts. "Talk to me."

"Alliance patrol showed up on the long-range scanners." She taps the screen, bringing up the radar display. "Weird thing is, they shouldn't be out here. This is way outside their usual territory."

"Could be a random patrol."

"Since when do Alliance ships randomly patrol smuggler routes in Unaligned territory?" Her blue eyes narrow. "It's like they were waiting for us."

My stomach tightens. "That's impossible. Nobody knew our route except?—"

"The crew." Rena finishes my thought. "And our passenger."

"We vetted everyone." I lean back, running through the possibilities. "And Xander's the one running from them. He wouldn't..."

"Maybe." She shrugs, adjusting our trajectory slightly. "But something about this stinks worse than Paraxan."

"You're not wrong." I check the readouts again. "How's the backup route looking?"

"Clean so far. Should add about six hours to our trip, but better than explaining ourselves to an Alliance boarding party."

"Good call." I squeeze her shoulder. "Thanks for staying sharp."

"That's what you pay me for." She smirks. "Well, that and my sparkling personality."

Leaving the cockpit, I nearly collide with a solid wall of blue. Davin steadies me with a hand on my elbow, his touch sending an electric current through my skin.

"Whoa there, Captain. Everything alright? That was quite a shake earlier."

My mind races through the implications of telling him the truth. A new crew member during a sensitive job, and suddenly Alliance patrols show up? The timing's too convenient to ignore.

"Just some space debris." I shrug, trying to appear casual. "Hazard of taking the scenic route."

His silver eyes narrow slightly. "Must have been some pretty big debris."

"Nothing we can't handle." I step back, putting space between us. "Though the hull could probably use a once-over when we dock next."

"I'm pretty handy with external repairs." He leans against the corridor wall, a small smile playing at his lips. "Military training comes in useful sometimes."

"Does it now?" I cross my arms, fighting a smile of my own. "And here I thought you were just good for teaching Taluk how to throw a punch."

"I contain multitudes, Captain." He pushes off the wall, closing the distance between us again. "Though I notice you haven't taken me up on any training sessions yourself."

"Maybe I don't need training."

"Maybe I'd just like the excuse to spend more time with you."

The words hang in the air between us, heavy with possibility. My heart thunders against my ribs, and I struggle to remember all the reasons why this is a terrible idea.

"Careful there, soldier." I tap his chest with my finger. "That almost sounded like flirting."

"Almost?" His hand catches mine before I can pull it away. "Then I must be doing it wrong."

The ship's intercom crackles to life, Paraxan's voice breaking the moment. "Captain, need you in engineering."

I extract my hand from Davin's grip, ignoring the way my skin tingles where he touched me. "Duty calls."

"Rain check on that hull inspection?"

"We'll see." I start walking backward down the corridor, considering everything 'hull' could be a euphemism for. "Maybe if you ask nicely."

His laugh follows me all the way down the hall, and I try not to think about how much I like the sound.

I enter engineering, the smell of metal and ozone stronger here than anywhere else on the ship. "Everything okay, Par?"

His whiskers twitch as he tinkers with a coupling. "Thought you might need an escape route from your... conversation."

"My what? How did you?—?"

"These ears aren't just for show." He doesn't look up from his work, but I swear his whiskers are curled in amusement.

"That's impossible. You couldn't have heard us from down here. The engine noise alone would?—"

"Not that old yet, Captain." His fur coat bristles as he works. "Though some days it feels like it."

I stop near the bulkhead, crossing my arms. "Right. Well... thanks, I guess?"

"One more thing." He finally looks up, his dark eyes serious. "Taluk's been acting strange lately."

"Strange how?"

"Talking to himself. Real angry like." He scratches behind his ear with a clawed hand. "More than usual, I mean."

"He's young." I wave it off, though something niggles at the back of my mind. "Probably just teenage angst or whatever passes for it with Vakutans."

"Probably." He turns back to his work, effectively dismissing me. "Just thought you should know."

The sound of his tools against metal follows me out of engineering. Sure, Taluk is being more angsty than normal, but Par is also being more chatty. I think we've shared more words today than the entire last month combined.

Things have really shaken up, and I can't help feeling it's my fault.

The crew quarters' hallway stretches before me, its metal walls reflecting the soft overhead lighting. Taluk stands at his locker, muttering under his breath as he rifles through its contents. His scales catch the light, shifting from deep crimson to burgundy with each movement.

"Hey, hotshot." I lean against the adjacent locker. "Saw you working with Davin earlier. Those were some impressive moves."

He jumps at my first words, slamming something into the back of his locker. "Captain! I didn't—I mean—" His throat pouch flutters, a sure sign of anxiety in Vakutans. "Thanks."

"You've been holding out on us. Where'd you learn to move like that?"

"Around." He shifts his weight, blocking my view of his locker's contents. "Just picked things up, you know?"

"Well, keep it up. It's good to see you?—"

The locker door slams shut with a metallic bang that echoes through the corridor. Taluk's scales flush an even deeper red as he practically trips over his own feet backing away.

"Whatever. Thanks."

He hurries off, his boots clanking against the metal grating. His usual awkward gait seems more pronounced, like he's trying too hard to appear casual.

"Teenagers." I shake my head, pushing off from the wall. "Same in every species."