Page 178 of Pets in Space 10

Kari had no choice but to go along with the two men.

She didn’t know where she was and because Gubu had kept her comm, she didn’t have a means of contacting her teammates.

She wasn’t overly worried though. The imbedded tracker in the heel of her foot could be used to find her as soon as her absence was noticed.

Until then, she’d go along with Luka and perhaps find out the reason behind her abduction. Her father would want to know everything she could discover. Speaking of. “Where are we headed?”

Her stride matched their brisk march over the shifting sand but she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to maintain the pace. Her injuries had moved from dull throb to sharp pain blazing up and down her sides from her ribs. A sore jaw made talking more and more difficult.

“We’ll know it when we see it,” Luka said, not turning back. He’d wrapped a thick swath of material around the lower half of his face and encouraged her to do the same.

She was grateful now since every breath she took came with the dusty grit of blowing sand. A large men’s jacket covered the top of her uniform and she’d rolled the sleeves up to keep her hands clear.

When she questioned the need for the jacket in the humid temps, Zair sneered. “Not everyone is open to helping USF soldiers. Walking around in that uniform is begging someone to attack us.”

Needless to say, she obviously wasn’t his favorite person. The feeling was mutual. She let silence reign a little longer until she grew drowsy and her steps became sluggish. Luka and Zair didn’t seem to have the same problem.

She skipped a few steps to catch up with Luka on his left side.

The sleeve of his shirt was rolled down but she distinctly recalled it being up to his elbow when they’d burst into the room.

Then there was the odd disappearance of the gathos.

She’d developed an instant soft spot for the animal. “What did you do to Zsusa?”

He didn’t spare her a glance. “She’s resting.”

“The mist thing before she vanished. What was that? And resting where?” The animal wasn’t in the hovercar and was nowhere in sight during their trek. She would have noticed a twenty-pound cat, dark or not.

“Why did Gubu want you to contact the admiral? What’s that about?” he countered.

“How would I know?” She feigned a nonchalance she was far from feeling. “Soldiers are need to know basis and if there’s something going on, I don’t need to know unless they want me to.”

That did get his attention and he shot her a narrow-eyed stare. “What exactly do you do for your precious USF, lieutenant?”

“It’s Kari.” Which he knew. She rolled her eyes. “And according to your brother, my military background needs to stay under the radar so cool it with the rank usage. To answer your question, I fly.”

He slowed down and she hid a relieved breath as her thighs quivered. “Shuttles or the big cruisers patrolling the borders?”

She hesitated, unable to tell if he was genuinely interested or if he’d use it against her. Since she couldn’t decide, she erred on the side of truth. “I’m a fighter pilot.”

“Starburst, Lightning or Mirage?” he rattled, naming the types of aircraft frequently used.

She exhaled warily. “Mirage.”

“They let you fly a Mirage!” Zair snarled, spinning around to glare at her.

Mirage was the name for the fastest combat jets in the Space Fleet. Their pilots were considered the elite and had a reputation for turning the tides of battle when launched.

The disbelief in Zair’s tone wasn’t anything she hadn’t faced before, but it didn’t negate her annoyance. Throughout the Academy she was judged for her petite size and above average looks.

As if being pretty meant she couldn’t do her job. She faked a mocked salute in his direction and said sweetly, “That’s right. Little, old, me gets to fly the big, bad jets.”

And she was good at it too. After watching her father progress through the ranks, a career in the military was all she’d ever wanted.

He’d started in combat as well. The only difference between them was her lack of desire to move into the administrative end of things despite his wishes.

She planned to do her ten with her wings the entire time.

Zair pursed his lips and shifted to move forward again. Beside her, Luka muffled a laugh. She tried. She really did but soon her snickers won out and the two of them shared a moment of unexpected camaraderie while Zair huffed and puffed, probably insulting her under his breath.

***

Exhaustion wore on Kari but she didn’t complain or protest. The scarf wrapped around her face did nothing to protect her hair and the streaked blonde mass had formed into tangled knots from the wind.

After all she’d been through, she continued to push forward. Luka admired her inner strength. If they weren’t on opposite ends of the fight for justice, he’d let himself pursue the attraction between them.

He grimaced. Someone like her would never be interested in someone like him. The things he’d done to attain his position would make her skin crawl.

She stumbled, but regained her footing before he could offer a hand. The move whipped the side of the coat up, showing a glimpse of the military insignia on the hip of her pants.

His brother was right. They’d need to find something else for her to wear as soon as possible.

Not many outside the space station were supporters of the USF.

The military had bulldozed their way onto a lot of planets and set up satellite stations like the one here much to the dismay of the inhabitants.

Then there was the matter of Gubu. Depending on how badly the second in command of the Rudurian Syndicate wanted her, the uniform would paint a visible target on her chest. He still wasn’t sure why the thought bothered him or why he’d gotten involved.

One would think he’d learned his lesson in the past.

The last time he’d helped a woman, the relationship had blown up in his face in a spectacular fashion. Two years may have gone by but he felt the burn of Nika’s actions to this day. It had taken him months to realize her desire for him was based on his position as head of the Atoro.

When he failed to place her above the syndicate, she’d lashed out in front of everyone and jeopardized his control over a criminal organization that prioritized and valued respect through ruthless actions.

Her behavior created doubt in his leadership abilities that he’d had to spend months rebuilding by bloodshed and fights. Thinking of Nika now was a timely reminder that he wasn’t meant for love. It was best to reach one of the nomad tribes, help Kari and part ways.

As if his thoughts conjured them, a single whistle rang out, starting high then going low. He returned it with two short blasts. Within minutes, they were surrounded by heavy cloaked figures bearing weapons aimed in their direction.

Zair held his arms up and away from the laser holstered at his hip. One of the nomads approached Luka and raised his hand to thump his chest twice.

Luka repeated the gesture and the nomad yanked down his face covering to reveal a wide smile. “Luka, my friend, you are far from home.”

“It’s good to see a friend, Ahain,” he greeted the leader of the southern nomads. He and Ahain had a fluid relationship. It leaned more toward the friendship side of the scale, but both understood that could change in an instant.

“Allow me to offer you our hospitality.”

“I will gladly accept,” Luka said. There were other nomads he could find shelter with, but Ahain definitely topped the list of those he preferred.

They must have been closer to the temporary encampment than he realized because it didn’t take long to reach Ahain’s settlement.

Once seated on the thick blankets inside his friend’s warm tent, Ahain lit the fire stones in the brazier at the center of the space.

Sitting back, he flicked his fingers at Luka. “Who do you have with you, friend?”

“My brother.” Luka gestured at Zair. “Zair, this is Ahain, leader of the southern nomads.”

Zair nodded but didn’t speak since he was busy reaching for the trays of food brought in and promptly stuffing his face. Ahain poured a hot drink from a kettle into four cups and handed them around. Luka accepted his, but Kari left hers untouched.

“You have mentioned a brother before. Who is the lovely lady with you?”

There was no way Luka could give Ahain the full story. Trust extended only so far. “She’s my friend. Her name is Kari.”