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My mate stuns me more every hour with some new invention or way to work with what we have, transforming it into something new. I am thankful to her for accepting me and my faults and the fact that she still lets me protect her even though I couldn’t stop her uncle from hurting her.

“I’m alright, Armor, really. Please stop apologizing,” she says as she swipes through schematics on her tablet.

I keep her in the shield of my wings as we hike over the BlazeStar’s hull, with my Brothers assigned to stay with the ship. They are eager for some action and ready to get off-world.

“I still don’t like dropping the shields,” I tell her.

“It’s necessary to integrate them. Power has to be off, or we risk throwing ourselves into an unpredictable wormhole from hell to be lost forever.”

Is that all? “Sounds risky.”

She shrugs as she studies a diagram. “Life is a risk. It is not permanent. We do not have the luxury of hiding behind layers of safety nets. Only the very rich and powerful can afford to hide like cowards, usually behind a lot of people who will be sacrificed first. But no one escapes death. Not even them. It will come for all of us, eventually. I’d just rather die fighting than hiding. ”

Most of the Terran units like Cobra, Chaos, and Banshee, along with ship maintenance units like Turbo, Bomber, and Turbine, help mount the heavy portal units we’ve stolen from Scythe onto the BlazeStar.

“You’re sure this will work?” Chaos asks as he peels apart into three naked Titans.

Esthi covers her eyes with a hand and extends a transformer to him. “Make sure you position it to step up the voltage. BlazeStar is about four times Scythe’s size.”

Chaos One takes a unit, along with each of his brothers, and they leave to set up the portal generators that other Brothers have just bolted to the hull.

A Skysprinter races by, shooting at us. I adjust my wings as Esthi huddles inside my shield. The bullets melt against my shield, but a few tag the hull and ricochet off.

Esthi winces as she monitors the progress on a tablet. Her modified designs come online. She walks along the roof toward the nose to check the bow’s generator. Then, she hustles toward the stern.

I pick her up, run a few steps, and glide us to the back. “Just tell me when you need a lift.”

She smiles when I set her down. “Still can’t get used to that.”

“We’re low on time.”

“I know.” She flips something open and taps on a screen in the stern generator. “We’re synced. Can you confirm with the teams, please?”

The last unit hums to life and swells with storming blue light.

ArmorLocal: BlazeStar hull crew, please report parameters of portal generators.

Chaos 1Armor: Alpha, operational. Steady at 11,500 watts. Portal storm at 198wh units.

Chaos Two and Three, Cobra, Banshee, Turbo, Turbine, Bomber, and the other Titans on our crews report back with similar numbers. I relay them to Esthi.

She confirms what she’s seeing on her screen. “Looks good. Call everyone in.”

ArmorAmp, Clover: Portal generators ready.

AmpArmor: Recalling ships for docking now.

CloverArmor: Portal warm-up sequence initiated.

“We don’t want to be on the hull when this thing ignites,” Esthi says. “Anyone above it will get sliced in two.”

I forward her message to the local Titans so everyone knows.

As we hustle back to the doors, CSP, Titan, and Solcruean ships, including our acquired Scythe, turn and head for Mother, our BlazeStar. Several Titan ships hover out of the hangars on guard, waiting for a Skysprinter or other enemy ship to try to enter.

They will. It’s just a matter of time.

I pick up Esthi and jump down an open hatch, dropping us inside the ship.

Chaos Three closes the hatch behind us, finds Chaos Two, and merges with him. “I’m going to find One. Nice to meet you, Esthi.”

She only half-glances at him and returns his wave as I put her feet down. “He’s nice.”

“Counter to his name, isn’t he?”

“Just wish he could wear some pants.” She waggles her brows. “But…whatever. With the Trio of Terror, I can see why they named him Chaos.”

“Technically, it’s the Squad of Terror.” A passing Titan pats his digibadge, which reads Terror . He chuckles as he jogs after Chaos Two and Three.

Knurl slows as he runs in the opposite direction.

His textured body glints under the hallway lights.

“Have you seen Scant? He’s the best at climbing in the maintenance shafts to fix things.

I can’t because my husk gets me all bound up.

We tried to get Rhee to do it, Diesel’s mate, but even working on engines all day, she’s not strong enough to free some of the rusted parts and get the hyperdrive’s final engine online. ”

“Not sure. Has no one done a recovery mission?” Esthi asks. “Many fell from EMPs.”

“It isn’t exactly easy with everyone shooting at us,” I offer, checking the logs of recent missions. “But we do need to run a recovery mission. I’m not seeing one on file.”

ZipZap joins us, motioning to a hangar where ships are hovering in to dock. “Incoming!”

“Shields lifting in five,” Clover calls over the ship-wide coms. She speaks verbally more now than she used to with just us Titans on board. I wager it’s because of all the women who are with us now.

A few loose shots pelt the hull near the hangar.

Esthi and I run toward the sound with Knurl and ZipZap.

Titan ships and those we’ve acquired land in the hangars.

Floor locks fold up and engage. I know Mother, the BlazeStar’s AI, won’t let anyone inside she doesn’t approve of.

But that doesn’t mean some won’t set themselves on a crash course or target us.

And by the buzz of ships outside the open hangar doors, we need all the defensive firepower we can get.

“We pulled out who we could,” ZipZap adds. “But Scant was piloting alone. After the EMPs went off, we didn’t send in others because of the threat of losing Recovery Mission Brothers, too.”

Green light flashes pair with warping pulses just inside an open hangar door in the hull.

The gunner, a woman in a StarJumper’s suit, has her helmet open.

Her long dark hair is pulled back in a tight braid, exposing her pale green skin, and her eyes trained along a modified rifle.

“Eat shit! Since you love coilguns so much, I built this one just for you, fuckers! For my mother! For my father! For all the Titans! Today, you meet your maker!”

She’s a terrifying sight to behold. When Amp requests confirmation Cara is secure behind the shield, several of us Brothers quickly confirm. I make a mental note not to piss her off.

In the next bay, Leah sets up another gun. Then, another female in the hangar beyond hers. Redline kisses the third female, hugs her quickly, and sprints deeper into the ship.

She must be Aniah.

“Keanna!” Fury tosses a rack of ammo to a woman in furs with beads in her hair, who catches it and loads it into another woman’s gun. “Rip them a new one, Babe!”

“Start a wildfire, my sexy Torch!” Keanna throws him a kiss, which Fury bites out of the air.

Every bay fills until the entire hangar is armed to the teeth with pissed-off mates of Brothers here and in the rows of hangars on levels overhead.

“Light ‘em up, ladies!” Leah shouts, a headset com trapped to the side of her head. She grabs her gun with two hands and launches a blue flare.

“What’s that?” Esthi asks, gripping my wrist.

A small drone with one wheel, a camera, and a single grabber arm zips up beside Leah, lugging a can of ammo up beside her, which he locks to the floor.

“Thanks, CB!” Leah calls out.

He beeps and whizzes off to haul another can of ammo to Cara. “Big family. Protect! Big family! Titan. Human. Family! One family!”

The women fire through the shimmering shield at Skysprinters who are throwing a barrage of rockets at Mother .

Esthi drags the hand down her face, messing up a few loose strands of hair. “Seems like they’re good here, so let’s focus on retrieving your Brothers.”

“Agreed.”

Esthi looks tired but doesn’t complain. “ I need to. If I’d been faster to catch up with Scythe, I might’ve prevented…”

“Stop,” I interrupt her as I escort her out of the hangar. “Think forward, not backward. What’s next?”

“I swear I heard you were all brought here on a LightBlade with grav beams.”

Fury interjects as he slings a rifle on his back. “In hibernation cells. We’ve never tried Solcrue grav beams on bare Titans. But Poppy’s the one to talk to.”

Esthi looks at me. “Where is she?”

ArmorPoppy: Request location.

PoppyArmor: Two decks below you, private hangar Five Charlie.

I encourage Esthi into an adjacent hallway.

But as we head for Poppy’s location, my fear of losing Esthi in all of this grows again.

Redline gave Aniah affection in front of other Brothers, and it makes me want to do the same with my mate.

Finding a quiet corner on our way to Poppy, I grab Esthi, pick her up by the hips, and crush her against the wall, bonding my mouth to hers.

She moans with lust. “Right now?”

Commander Savage interrupts my thoughts and my view of Esthi with a request for a private meeting.

I sigh and nip at her neck. “We don’t have time, but stars, I want you. Just promise me you’ll be safe. I’ve got to help Commander Savage.”

She takes my jaw in her hands, kisses me deeper, and digs her heels into my ass, crushing my rigid length against her hot core. “Watch your back. I want you inside me the moment this is over.”

“You’re not the only one.” I kiss her once more, reluctantly set her feet down, and lead her inside the correct hangar.

Poppy hikes out of a repaired LightBlade on rudimentary legs.

I’m in such shock that she has become mobile instead of being mounted to her pilot’s seat like all female Titans that I lose my grip on Esthi before I’m ready.

“Poppy!” Esthi hurries to her. “No one’s picked up the Titans after the EMP. I have an idea, but we need your ship.”

Poppy’s red eyes find me from across the hangar. She seems to sort whatever was running through her head and motions Esthi inside.

ArmorPoppy: Please keep my mate safe.

Poppy salutes me with a fist over her ultromotor.

PoppyArmor: With my life.

I hustle out of the hangar, stealing one last glance at Esthi and Poppy in her ship before exiting to meet up with Savage and other gathered Titans in a command center.

Schematics of Corenge are lit up on the screens around us and glow above the holo table in the center of the room.

Karambit punches me in the shoulder as he enters. “Got a little hot in the hallway. I’m a bit jealous.”

“Just focus, please. Or I’ll be the one having to save your ass.”

He casually salutes me as he inspects the schematic.

“I’ve brought you all here for a private mission,” Commander Savage says. “Please lock your network.”

I switch on my com lock so no one else can hear what’s said or what I think.

“Mothership Corenge has been supplying a lot of military support to Vessna and Marst . Amp just relayed that the captain is Jorden Opfner, the Solcrue officer that Cara once served.”

“Amp’s mate, Cara, the half-breed?” Firebolt asks.

“The one throwing bullets in the hangars?” Mace adds.

Commander Savage nods. “This is Opfner’s vessel. His soldiers fill this machine of death and destruction. He hurt Creator Besha’s daughter. He’s killed many of our Brothers, Titan and human.”

“I remember,” Redline remarks. “Please tell me we’re taking him out.”

“Not just him,” Sefina says as she and Menace step forward. She taps a spot in the center of the ship. “This is the fuel depot, where all the engines get their power from. I’ve been on Corenge before.”

Menace bares his teeth like he’s remembering something he doesn’t like. “Might be a suicide mission. We’re not going to have more than a couple of minutes. But we’re going dark, taking the most shielded and the deadliest of us to end Opfner and his soldiers for good.”

Commander Savage motions through a doorway. “Any who will comply, please form up in Kelta’s hangar.”

Every one of us files out the door. It’s not easy to leave Esthi behind, to know that I’m leaving the ship to go far away. But my Brothers jumped in to help save her. I’m going to do the same for them.

Esthi’s alive, and I carry the taste of her on my lips. That’s all that matters. If I have to greet the Black Death, I am ready.