Page 2 of Black Star

Chapter Two

Once the Black Star entered hyperspace, Captain Barnus exploded.

“You stupid bitch!” Nadira couldn’t stop the yelp of pain and surprise that escaped her throat when Barnus hit her, then yanked her out of her seat by her hair. “You could have gotten us all killed! We could have taken out two or three of those bloody Asalians if you hadn’t sabotaged my firing pattern!”

“Captain!” Damon’s normally soft, raspy voice cut through the room like a Madorian laser blade.

Barnus whipped around, taking Nadira with him, and pointed at Damon with a shaky hand. “Keep quiet, or I’ll relieve you of your station, as well!”

Before Nadira or Damon could protest, the ship lurched and bucked as the jump engines screamed in protest. The Black Star was thrown violently out of hyperspace, tumbling end over end, tossing everyone around like rag dolls.

“Evasive maneuvers! Evasive maneuvers!” Captain Barnus bellowed. It didn’t do any good. She couldn’t even crawl to the pilot’s station the way the ship was pitching. The unplanned exit from hyperspace had thrown the Black Star out of control. Nadira prayed they were in open space.

She struggled to move toward her station, but with the artificial gravity, the tumbling created a centrifugal force far greater than normal gravity. Her limbs were so heavy, she got muscle cramps from simply trying to raise them from the deck. She was pinned by her own weight.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Damon flip a couple of switches on his console -- thank the Stars he’d been in his seat when this started -- and the artificial gravity disappeared. Unfortunately, that meant everyone tumbled in all directions.

Nadira felt like she was submerged in water with everything around her constantly moving. It took her a moment to work through the disorientation, but she managed to finally make a concerted effort toward her station. Once there, she strapped herself in and grabbed the control stick. Immediately, she made adjustments in pitch and yaw, bringing them out of the spin they’d been thrown into.

The tumbling lessened immediately, and within a few moments stopped altogether. As she automatically checked their position and scanned the area, the reason for their situation became clear. Four Slavers surrounded them, one of them directly in their line of flight. They weren’t out of danger yet. She’d just bet their weapons were hot and trained on the Black Star . While they watched, another company of Slavers emerged behind them -- all part of the same group of ships they had just engaged.

“ Black Star. Black Star. You will surrender and prepare to be boarded, or you will be destroyed. Will you comply?”

“Like hell.” Captain Barnus started to say something else -- most likely something to further piss off the Asalians -- but Damon grabbed his hand in what looked like a very painful grip.

“No. You will not endanger this crew again.” Over the years, Nadira had learned to read Damon’s body language and facial expressions pretty well. She liked the man, mostly because he was the only man she’d ever known who hadn’t tried to hit on her, but also because of his commitment to the ship and the crew as well as to her. He made sure they all functioned as a single unit, emphasizing the need to work together. He’d even made the men she’d rejected quit calling her the Black Star Princess. He’d said if Nadira had a holier than thou attitude, it was because she understood her job aboard the Black Star . She was the pilot, not a sperm receptacle. Nadira knew defending her honor wasn’t the real reason he’d reprimanded them, though she appreciated Damon’s harsh words to those foolish enough to let him hear their comments.

When Barnus started to protest, Damon spun the other man around and clipped him neatly across the jaw. Barnus’s head snapped to the side and he stood there a moment before crumpling to the deck, unconscious.

Nadira was stunned. She looked at Damon, wide-eyed. “What have you done?”

“Either committed an act of treason, or saved this ship from the biggest mistake the Vok’nair Empire has ever made.”

“B lack Star. Black Star. You will surrender and prepare to be boarded. Comply or be destroyed.” The Asalian Slavers weren’t going to wait much longer.

“Communications.” Damon didn’t take his eyes from Nadira. “Signal our surrender, but with terms.”

“By your command, Sir.” The young officer’s voice squeaked. Fine lot this crew had turned into. The best the great Vok’nair Empire had to offer, and all of them scared beyond imagination. All of them except Damon. He should have been captain of this vessel, not Barnus -- and he would have been, too, if not for her. Unfortunately for the Black Star , Damon had taken another assignment. As her bodyguard. As the pilot of the Empire’s flagship, and the only female aboard, it was thought she might need extra protection.

“I’ll get us out of this, Nadira.”

“I know,” she said matter-of-factly. “I never doubted it.”

“That makes one of us,” he muttered. “This may be harder than anyone thinks.”

“ Black Star. You will send your captain, second in command, and pilot for negotiations. You have thirty standard minutes to comply. A security team will meet your shuttle in the main docking lock. The area will be indicated with beacon lights. Do you understand?”

Nadira shivered. Why was she included in this party? She had a sinking feeling she didn’t want to know.

“Signal our understanding and have security meet us in the shuttle hangar. Our esteemed captain might not agree with leaving his ship.” Nadira knew she didn’t want to. “And when we get back, I want gravity restored and this ship spaceworthy enough to get us back to a Vok’nair base.”

Captain Barnus was indeed opposed to leaving the ship, but Damon and the security team didn’t give him much choice. Bound and gagged, he left the Black Star a most unwilling ambassador.

The transport to the Slaver took exactly thirteen and one half standard minutes. Nadira felt every second of them. Her nerves were strung so tight, she could barely pilot the shuttle the short distance. Neither she nor Damon spoke, and Barnus could only offer muffled grunts.

Once they were locked with the Slaver, Damon turned to her. “Let me do the talking.” His quiet, raspy voice projected calm that belied the almost palpable tension. Nadira could see Damon’s unease in the way he held himself so erect. He didn’t like this any more than she did, but under the circumstances, they didn’t really have a choice. Though why they had asked her to join the party was still a mystery. There was nothing she could offer in any negotiation.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“Agree with anything I suggest and don’t let them see any hesitation on your part.”

“Understood.”

Before he opened the hatch, Damon gave her a reassuring smile as he readjusted his hold on Barnus. Nadira placed her hand on the scan pad and the air lock began to click and whir. In a few seconds, the door slid open with a hiss.

The corridor was so dimly lit Nadira couldn’t see anything at first. As her eyes adjusted, however, she could see shadowy outlines of five or six very large people.

“Which one is captain of the Black Star ?” Nadira couldn’t tell who spoke, but the voice was masculine, very deep, and obviously in charge.

“This one.” Damon pulled Barnus up beside him. Barnus’s eyes went wide with fear as he looked from Damon to the Asalians.

There was a brief pause before the Asalian in charge responded. “I will need verification.” There was no emotion in his voice, nothing to indicate his mood or state of mind.

“Understandable. I’m sure you have the Empire’s registry of ships and their command crew. You can verify him by DNA.”

“Agreed. You will come with us.”

Nadira’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness somewhat and she was able to better focus on their hosts. All five were very tall. Their body armor was dark and bulky, so it was hard to get an idea of their exact build, but Nadira knew there was no way she could take any of them on in hand-to-hand combat. Any idea of armed combat went out the airlock when they were searched and their weapons confiscated. With Asalians all around them, there was no way to return to their shuttle unless they were given permission.

She didn’t like this.

Nadira exchanged a look with Damon. He looked as impassive as the Asalian sounded. Nadira wondered if he was as calm inside as he seemed outside. Damon didn’t resist when they were led to a large room with an oval table surrounded by chairs. Nothing else graced the chamber’s interior. It looked as impassive as the Asalian himself. The guards took their stations on either side of the door, silent but large in their presence.

“Please be seated.” The Asalian gestured to the table and turned to a control panel on the wall. When he touched it, the lights brightened slightly. He turned. Nadira’s breath caught and that negative feeling she’d had about this whole situation got worse. This man was a predator.

His gaze passed over her briefly before acknowledging both Damon and Barnus, but his attention came back to her and they stared at each other for several very long minutes. She felt…

Uneasy.

It was like he’d decided he owned her, and wanted to see what he’d purchased. She had the strangest urge to cover herself, and it was all she could do not to fidget. She didn’t think fidgeting would help their situation.

He wasn’t handsome by any standard, but he was striking. Nothing about his face seemed ordinary. He had a square face, with a strong, straight jawline, chiseled cheekbones and those piercing, cobalt blue eyes. His head was shaved clean, but black eyebrows slashed at an angle over his eyes.

Nadira tried to match him stare for stare, but his penetrating gaze seemed to command submission. She shivered, and her skin prickled as if she’d stepped into the freezing cold. The man terrified her. Why was he so focused on her?

“We’re here.” Damon broke the building tension. The Asalian continued to regard her for several more moments. After a brief pause, he turned his attention back to Damon. Damon continued to speak as if the Asalian’s concentration had been on him the entire time. “Since you’ve agreed to meet us, I sincerely hope we can work out terms we can both live with.”

“I would have introductions first and verification of your identity.” His accent was strange and harsh, but the quality of his voice reminded her strongly of Damon’s -- raspy and quiet. This was a man who didn’t have to yell at his troops to be obeyed.

“Of course. An oversight in protocol on my part. Forgive me,” Damon conceded without hesitation. He rose smoothly, gently nudging Nadira to do the same, and bowed slightly at the waist. “I am Damon Singh, second in command of the Black Star .”

“Mikiel Anjoom, commander of this vessel and the surrounding squadron. You said this one is captain?” He indicated Barnus with a raised eyebrow; otherwise there was no indication of any emotion.

“He is. Captain Hom Barnus.”

“And why is he bound thus?”

“Captain Barnus has been relieved of duty. Regardless of the outcome of the previous battles, it is not the policy of the Vok’nair Empire to fire with the intent of destruction unless there is an imminent threat of death. I know the Asalians do not kill unless there is a good reason.”

“Unfortunately, second in command, I cannot say the same for the Vok’nairs. I had the pleasure of spending many months as a prisoner of war at the behest of your government.”

Both men looked at one another, neither backing down, sizing each other up. Nadira was far from the timid type, but she was next, and the last thing she wanted was Mikiel Anjoom’s unsettling stare directed at her again. When her shoulder touched Damon’s arm, she realized she was inching closer and closer to her commander and friend. Ideally, she could hide behind his larger frame, but somehow she knew Commander Anjoom hadn’t forgotten her, nor would he. He wasn’t the type of man to forget anything.

“If he is the captain, and you are the second, then the woman must be the pilot. Yes?”

Nadira’s heart thudded in her chest. As nerve-wracking as the battle had been, this was worse. When he leveled his gaze on her once again, she broke out in a fine sheen of sweat, and she had to clench her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. Still, she met his eyes, trying not to flinch. She didn’t intend to show any weakness to this enemy.

“Nadira Greyson.” Damon stepped slightly in front of her even as he made the introduction, and she loved him for it. He was twenty years her senior, and though it had always irked her before, she was grateful he treated her like he might a daughter. She hated to think she needed his protection, but this was one time she wouldn’t argue with him over it.

Mikiel raised one dark brow and, if possible, looked even scarier than before. “The Black Star Princess? She is your mate?”

Nadira started, and her gaze flew to Mikiel’s face. How the hell had her stupid nickname made it beyond the bounds of the Black Star ?

“No.”

“Your lover?”

“No, but she is under my command, and therefore under my protection, and I have no tolerance for that title.”

“I see.” Mikiel’s eyes shifted from Damon to Nadira, a flash of annoyance crossing his features.

There was a brief period of silence while the two men stared at each other. Mikiel’s guards held an identity pad to each of them for their palm prints. Damon not so subtly shouldered himself more securely in front of Nadira and gripped her hand in his own behind his back.

“I think we should discuss our current situation, Commander. We need to get back to our ship.”

Mikiel sat back in his chair and steepled his hands. Nadira had a sinking feeling he was plotting something. She didn’t trust him.

Damon urged Nadira to sit as he did so himself. She sat, but on the edge of her chair. She was too edgy to sit back and twiddle her thumbs. Commander Mikiel’s attention kept coming back to her and there was something new in his eyes. Lust. It wasn’t overt or overwhelming, but just knowing it was there made the hair stand up on her neck.

“What did you have in mind, second in command Damon Singh?”

“I’ll give you Captain Barnus in exchange for the freedom of my ship and crew.”

“A fine arrangement for you, but what’s in it for me?”

“The captain of the Black Star would be quite a trophy.”

“The Black Star would be a better one.” He hadn’t missed a beat, hadn’t hesitated.

“I can’t deny that, but we’re out here in the middle of nowhere. Even with the four ships you have with you, I doubt there would be enough room for all the prisoners you’d have. Even if you left them aboard the Black Star , you’d be vastly outnumbered. Are you really willing to kill everyone on board for a trophy?”

“Well, actually --” Mikiel crossed his arms over his chest and looked Damon dead in the face. “-- that’s exactly what I’ve been instructed to do.”