Page 100 of Journey to the Forbidden Zone
“Now I’m gambling you. Gambling the whole damned ship on Norvik sticking to a script.”
She shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping.
“Some fucking captain.”
Mila didn’t flinch. Didn’t offer empty platitudes. She simply closed the remaining distance. She didn’t touch Carmen, but her presence was a solid wall, grounding. Her scent intensified, not aggressively, but like a warm blanket offered against the cold void outside the hull.
“Zed understood the odds,” Mila said, her voice low and resonant. “He chose the mission. He chose you. As did Sark. As did Letitia. As do I.
“Your crew does not follow your calculations, Carmen. They followyou– your fire, your defiance, your unwavering commitment to bring me home, against all logic, against all odds.” A ghost of something fierce flickered in her gaze. “That is not a weakness. It is your strength. And it binds them to you.”
Carmen’s breath caught. The sincerity in Mila’s voice, the absolute conviction, was a lifeline. It cut through the fog of doubt, the phantom whispers of Corso’s taunts about pheromones and manipulation. This felt real. Mila’s faith in her felt real. And the ache in Carmen’s chest wasn’t just fear or arousal; it was a desperate, clawing need to be worthy of that faith.
To not fail this woman who looked at her like she was something more than a desperate smuggler making terrible choices.
Before Carmen could find words, the ship’s comm system crackled to life, shattering the fragile moment. Nick Corso’s voice, thick with furious disbelief, roared through the engineering bay speakers:
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Díaz?”
Carmen stiffened, her hand instinctively flying towards the comm panel near Zed’s station. But Norvik’s voice, cold, calm, and totally devoid of Carmen’s presence, cut in first, transmitted ship-wide:
“Captain Díaz is no longer in command, Mr. Corso.”
Carmen froze, her fingers inches from the panel. A fresh wave of icy dread washed over her, momentarily eclipsing the warmth Mila’s presence had kindled. She stared at the comm speaker, waiting.
Trust us, Sark had pleaded.
The scent of Mila, sweet and demanding, was the only thing keeping Carmen from screaming.
CHAPTER 37
A slow,disbelieving grin spread across Nick Corso’s face, cracking the mask of fury. It felt unnatural, stretched tight over the seething anger beneath.
Díaz deposed? By her own crew?
The sheer, beautiful irony of it hit him like a shot of pure oxygen. That arrogant, holier-than-thou bitch, brought down, not by him, but by the very people she’d martyred herself trying to protect? It was perfect. Poetic. Better than spacing her himself.
He dropped back into the command chair, the rage he’d felt at their attack onStar Shrikemomentarily eclipsed by savage glee.
“Norvik,” he growled into the comm, forcing his voice into a semblance of control, though the grin remained. “Didn’t peg you for the mutinous type. Color me impressed. Díaz finally push her luck too far playing the saint?”
The image filled his mind – Díaz confined, humiliated, hearing her crew sell out her precious principles. It was almost as good as having her on her knees before him.
Norvik’s reply was devoid of inflection, devoid of anything resembling human triumph.
“Captain Díaz’s command decisions placed theAntillesand her crew at unacceptable risk. Her authority has been … suspended. We now control the vessel.”
“Suspended?” Nick chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. “I like the sound of that. So, Norvik, you finally ready to hand over my property?”
“The XenX female remains aboard,” Norvik stated. “However, we are prepared to transfer her to your custody under specific conditions.”
Nick’s grin faltered slightly. Conditions? The Collectivist was bargaining? After blinding his ship? The glee curdled, mixing back with suspicion.
“You’re in no position to set conditions, Norvik. My ship?—”
“Is currently experiencing significant sensor degradation and communication interference due to our deployed countermeasure,” Norvik interrupted, his voice still that infuriating monotone. “Its ability to target or intercept us is severely compromised. Additionally, theAntillesis currently initiating core overload protocols.”
Nick’s blood ran cold. Core overload?