Page 10

I sat alone at the small table, my communicator dark and silent before me. The wound in my side had become a constant battle drum that I refused to acknowledge. Pain was merely information, and right now, I had more important matters to consider.

I replayed the scavenger attack in my mind for the fifth time, dissecting each moment with cold precision.

The ambush had been too organized, too targeted.

Regular scavengers would have struck randomly, not waited at that exact location with a tactical formation.

No, someone had leaked our mission details, our route, our timetable.

Someone within the Fangs had betrayed us.

Alkard would make them pay. My leader did not tolerate traitors. But before justice could be delivered, we needed to identify the culprit. And quickly.

My thoughts drifted to Iria. The human smuggler had surprised me again during the fight. She’d fought beside me with unexpected skill and bravery. Her refusal to abandon the mission—to abandon me—continued to puzzle me.

She was unlike anyone I’d worked with before. Reckless and stubborn, but loyal in a way I hadn’t anticipated. I clenched my jaw, trying to dismiss the strange pull I felt toward her. She was just an asset. Nothing more.

The soft hiss of the galley door interrupted my thoughts. Iria stepped in, a steaming cup of Balosian trish in her hand. She paused when she saw me, then crossed to the table and sat down across from me.

“You look awful,” she said bluntly.

I smirked faintly. “You have a talent for compliments.”

“Just calling it like I see it.” She tilted her head, studying my face. “You should rest. Bleeding out on my ship isn’t part of the deal.”

“The wound is healing.” I straightened slightly, ignoring the fresh bolt of pain the movement caused. “The ambush wasn’t a coincidence. Someone betrayed us.”

Her body stiffened, shoulders squaring defensively. “And you think it’s me?”

I studied her reaction carefully—the slight narrowing of her eyes, the set of her jaw, the way her fingers tightened around her cup. All the tells of someone bracing for accusation, but none of the subtler signs of guilt.

“No,” I answered simply. “If it were you, I doubt you’d still be here.”

Her posture relaxed slightly, but suspicion lingered in her expression. “So why the interrogation room stare down? You’ve barely blinked since I walked in.”

“Vinduthi don’t need to blink as often as humans.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” She leaned forward, her voice dropping lower. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

The question caught me off guard. I hadn’t realized my observation had been so obvious. I considered deflecting, but something pushed me toward honesty.

“Because I don’t understand you,” I admitted, the words sounding strange on my tongue. “You had every reason to run during the ambush, but you didn’t.”

Iria shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. “Maybe I just didn’t want to lose my ship.”

“No.” I leaned closer, drawn forward almost against my will. “It’s more than that.”

The distance between us narrowed until I could catch her scent, breathe it in.

“What’s it to you anyway?” she challenged, but there was something different in her tone now—a softness underneath the defensive edge. “I’m just doing what I was paid to do.”

“I don’t pay you to risk your life.”

“No, you pay me to follow orders. And I did.”

“You did more than follow orders.”

A moment of silence stretched between us. The constant hum of the ship’s engines filled the space, but another kind of electricity crackled in the air. Her fingers fidgeted with her cup, a rare display of uncertainty from someone usually so sure of herself.

I reached out before I could think better of it, my gray fingers brushing against her smaller, paler ones where they rested on the table. The contact was brief but electric, sending a jolt up my arm straight to my core. Her skin was soft, cool against my touch.

Iria froze, her breath catching. I allowed my hand to linger half a second too long before pulling away, the phantom sensation of her skin still tingling against my fingertips.

“You’re not like anyone I’ve met before, Iria,” I said, my voice quieter than I’d intended.

She forced a smirk, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Is that a compliment, Lieutenant?”

I didn’t answer. Words felt inadequate suddenly, clumsy tools for something that required more precision. Instead, I leaned in, my gaze dropping briefly to her lips. They parted slightly under my scrutiny, and Iria moved forward in her seat as well, our faces drawing closer across the small table.

The air grew heavy between us, charged with something I hadn’t felt in years—perhaps had never truly felt at all. My usual iron control frayed at the edges, rational thought giving way to a baser instinct.

A loud ping from my communicator shattered the moment. We both pulled back abruptly, the connection broken. I straightened in my chair, professionalism sliding back into place like armor.

“Alkard,” I said, checking the encrypted ID.

Iria’s expression closed off, disappointment hidden behind a sarcastic quirk of her lips. “Saved by the boss.”

I stood, ignoring the protest from my wound. “I need to take this privately.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “Your ship, your rules. Oh wait—my ship, your rules.”

I stepped into the corridor, closing the galley door behind me before answering the call. Alkard’s holographic image flickered to life from my communicator.

“Lieutenant,” he greeted, his expression grave. “I received your report.”

“The attack was coordinated, sir. These weren’t random scavengers.”

Alkard nodded. “Your suspicions are confirmed. The Black Spikes are making a direct move against us. They’re trying to undermine our operations across the sector.”

His eyes narrowed. “The Black Spikes have been expanding their influence across three systems,” Alkard continued. “They’ve been recruiting our people, undermining our operations. This isn’t just about territory anymore—it’s about survival.”

Well. That was interesting. The Spikes were a rising power, but I hadn’t expected such a direct challenge.

“We have a lead,” Alkard continued. “An informant on Velaxis Prime has information about the traitor within our ranks. You are to intercept and extract what they know.”

“Velaxis Prime is in active conflict,” I noted.

“Which makes it the perfect place to hide.” Alkard’s expression hardened. “This takes priority over the current shipment. Secure what you have, then proceed immediately.”

“Understood.”

Alkard leaned closer to the transmission pickup, his voice dropping. “Trust no one, Lieutenant. Not even the ones closest to you.”

The transmission ended before I could respond, leaving me alone in the corridor with the weight of his warning. The irony wasn’t lost on me—I was already trusting Iria Jann far more than I should.

I returned to the cockpit. Iria glanced up as I entered but didn’t speak, letting me break the silence first.

“We have a change of destination,” I announced. “Velaxis Prime.”

Her hands paused over the controls. “Velaxis Prime? You really know how to pick vacation spots.”

“We have an informant there. Someone with information about who set us up.”

“And let me guess—it can’t wait.” She sighed, inputting the new coordinates. “No problem. I love visiting war zones. Really brightens my day.”

I watched her closely as she worked, noting the efficient movements of her hands, the way she muttered quick calculations under her breath.

She was clever. Loyal, despite having every reason not to be.

And something else I couldn’t define—something that kept drawing my attention when it should have remained focused elsewhere.

“This situation wasn’t what I meant in our original deal,” I found myself saying.

“Is that your way of offering me a bonus?” She shot me a sidelong glance.

“If that’s what it takes.”

“Careful, Lieutenant. That almost sounded like negotiation. You’ll ruin your reputation.” She finished the calculations and looked up at me. “Ready when you are.”

The Starfall jumped into hyperspace with a lurch, stars stretching into streaks of light around us. Velaxis Prime was hours away, giving me too much time with my thoughts—thoughts increasingly occupied by the human woman sitting beside me and the danger of the bond forming between us.