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She snatched her limb back and glared at the ceiling. “Computer, unlock this door.”

The door clunked open.

Drafe and Caah dragged on the inches-thick submarine-like hatch.

The heat hit her, like a wet blanket of stale air poured over her. She bolted forward, trailing Drafe as he sprinted down the passages, checking each door he passed. Upon peering through the forth porthole, he halted.

She expected the worst.

He spun the dial and yanked on the door. His expression darkened. Stacked high and deep were red Carne-stamped pods, confirming her worst fears.

“Find the prisoners,” she rasped.

Nenn and Caah hurried along the passage. A ‘found them’ echoed in her ears via the neck device, she suspected. She stumbled after Drafe, unwilling to believe it. Standing on the tips of her toes, she peered over the edge of the porthole at the many faces staring back.

“Farg,” she moaned, dropping onto her heels.

Caah unlatched the door and swung it outward.

“Who are you?” someone called from the darkness of the room.

“Victorious?” a woman gasped, staggering forward to grab Vic’s hand. “Did Carne send you to save us?” The Carne logo on the right sleeve of the red-and-yellow bedraggled uniform announced her as a combatant.

“Carne?” Vic shook her head.

She sat cross-legged on the dirty floor to explain what was going on, what triggered their discovery, and what the plan was to set them free.

Faces, some sort of familiar, appeared out of the dark and gathered around her as she revealed their dire circumstances.

The acrid stench of urine and unwashed bodies coiled nausea in her stomach, but she held firm, willing to suffer to save these people.

“Pods? Explosions?” A man limped closer. As he approached, Drafe shifted from foot to foot.

Vic smiled and squeezed his fingers, hoping to assure him that there was no threat here. “Yes. We located the medical facility they’re taking you to. Computer, patch me through to Tiny.”

“Patched through.”

Vic raised her chin as if it brought her voice closer to the mic, wherever it was. “Tiny, we found them.”

“Tiny can’t help you, bitch,” Leah spat. “Now I’ll get the chance to kill you. Jettisoning was too soft for what I wanted to do to you.”

“Where’s Tiny?” Vic stilled, dreading the answer.

“She’ll be dealt with soon enough.”

Vic nodded at Nenn, her instruction clear. “If you want me, Leah, come and get me, but then again, you never had the balls. Unable to face your weakness, you cut my tether, didn’t you?”

“No, that was Dieter’s idea. I wanted to shoot you while you slept.”

“Ah, yes, the coward’s way.” Vic forced a chuckle. “Well, I’ll wait for you down here, shall I?”

“I’m on my way, bitch.”

Good. In the meantime, Vic had other tasks to focus on.

“Computer, end patch. Caah, can you deactivate the engines? I don’t want anyone hitting a self-destruct button.

Let’s break that connection. We might need the engines later, so don’t do anything irreversible.

” She faced the prisoners. “Listen, you know how to fight. Take this ship, help us destroy this facility, and walk away from a life of servitude to Carne. Whatever you salvage from the facility is yours to start anew.”

The crowd rumbled approvals, some applauding. Bright smiles glowed from the shadows.

“Might even stay and make it our home if it's defensible,” someone called out.

Done. They had an army if needed. “Computer, the prisoners are hereby employed on the Mula Pesada as maintenance crew. Grant them full access to all areas on this ship.”

“Granted, Captain Vic.”

One by one, the prisoners crept from the room, only for their many footsteps to thunder across the grated floor.

“Computer, is Nikko still in the mess?” Vic wondered if Leah had informed her lover the Mula Pesada had visitors? With the way the woman had spoken, Vic would hazard a no.

“Yes.”

She nodded. “Lock him down. Where’s Dieter, Cap…Themba, Trent, and Grunt?”

“In their quarters.”

The captain’s location was no surprise. “Lock them down too, and replay archival footage of the prisoners to Grunt. I doubt the kid knew.”

“Lockdown initiated.”

Vic grinned at Drafe. “Now we wait.”

He frowned. “For the female who wishes you harm?” Tugging Vic into his arms, he pressed his lips to her temple. “Do not injure yourself.”

She snorted. “We are unmatched. I have her at a disadvantage.”

He leaned back to smile. “I know.”

Naivete rested on Vic’s shoulders. She should have known Leah and Nikko wouldn’t easily forgive. Carne combatants were vindictive. She had foolishly hoped the rest of the human race wasn’t. “Besides, this will be quick and unsatisfying.”

Caah intruded with a bounce to his steps. “Done. Antiquated machinery at its finest. Might upgrade her if there is time.”

“Why?” Drafe released her to holster his blaster.

Caah shrugged. “For the challenge of it.”

Slow, steady steps announced Leah’s arrival.

Vic nodded at Drafe and Caah to step back.

They faded into the shadows, no doubt an easy thing to do when their skin was the color of darkness.

She took center stage in the pool of light, unafraid to show herself.

Though not a fool, she kept her blaster drawn.

But the silly woman was taking forever to peek inside the cell.

“Leah, do hurry up,” Vic snapped.

The woman huffed and stepped through the doorway, her blaster in hand.

“You’re an idiot.” Vic started with an insult, drawing a groan from Drafe. She didn’t dare glance his way. “Despite my obvious skill and my years as a gladiator for Carne, you think you can take me?”

“A what?” Leah squeaked, her cheeks paling under a fine sheen of sweat.

Vic tutted. “Ah, your lover didn’t divulge everything.”

“You lie. Nikko would’ve told me.” Leah met Vic’s gaze, raising her chin, as well. “You’re bluffing.”

“Right, when I managed to gain the upper hand in the alley?” Vic sighed.

“I see, you want your fingers crushed again.” She ran her hand along her cybernetic arm.

“The irony abounds. You’re escorting prisoners to a medical facility that perfects skin healing technology and cybernetics.

” She flexed her fingers. “Which I now sport.”

Leah raised her blaster, preparing to fire. A bolt of white from the shadows shot it out of her hands. She cried out, shaking her fingers.

With Leah disarmed, Vic tossed a glance at the shadows. “Drafe, butt out.”

“She dies by your hand. No blasters.” His baritone ran over Vic’s senses like chilled syrup over a hot bun.

Leah called out, “Who the farg is there? Show yourself.” She took a tentative step back, as if to escape through the door.

Vic lunged forward, using her cybernetics to boost her speed. She caught Leah’s arm and flung her into the room.

Drafe leaned a little into the light, exposing his face and glowing yellow eyes, and caught her only to steady her. “Hello, human female.”

He revealed himself and, with Caah behind him, strode from the room.

Leah blinked, staring after them. “What the farg—?”

“My rescuers.” Vic grinned and holstered her blaster. “Times awasting, Leah. Let’s get this over with?”

Leah squared her shoulders and faced Vic.

“What did you do to Tiny?” Vic raised her fists and rested her weight on her front foot.

“Knocked her over the head and left her in the med-bay. Let the traitor bleed to death.”

“I doubt it.” Vic chuckled. Confidence was key, messing with Leah’s psyche as crucial, not that Vic needed those tactics, but it was second nature.

“Seems like you can’t even kill a blind woman properly.

” Farg . Nenn better get to Tiny and save her.

Lord knew what Vic would do if she lost the only ally she’d made on Mula Pesada .

True to her stupidity, Leah fell for the taunt. She screamed, announcing her attack.

Vic swung a punch at Leah’s throat, hitting it with a sickening crunch.

As she crumbled to the floor, gurgling for air, and her eyes wide, Vic crouched beside her.

“Alas, I don’t have the time to pretend to take a hit, to give you false hope, to toy with you.

I want off this fargen ship, and if it means killing you, then so be it. ”

She strode out of the cell as Leah gurgled her final breath. Not once did Vic look back.

Fire lanced through her right bicep, the force wrenching her to the side. The blaster shot came from the engine room. How the hell—? Caah yanked her to the floor as Drafe headed in that direction, weaving in and out of darkness like an apparition.

Fargen hell. She had thought it had all been too easy.

When she tried to rise, Caah pinned her down with his arm across her shoulders. He gestured to Drafe, who stalked like a predator, his movements confident and silent. “Let him hunt. He will need vindication for the scent of your blood in his nose.”

She bit her lip, fighting the compulsion to help. What if he needed back-up? What if he was wounded too? Who the farg had fired on her? In the deafening silence, nothing reached her. Not Drafe’s location or the shooter’s.

Just in case, she unholstered her blaster, wincing when her arm burned anew.

“If you shoot him, he will never live it down.” Caah grinned, his white teeth bright in the dim lighting.

“Then help him,” she snapped.

“And steal his vengeance? I am no fool, Vic.”

She shoved at him, ready to jump up and charge forth.

“Please… Remain here. If you are harmed again, he will kill me.” Caah met her gaze, his white eyes unsettling. “I guard you as I would expect him to do for me had you been mine.”

Sweet of him to say but unnecessary. “Fine. I’ll give him five more minutes. Can you check in with Nenn?” She peered into the darkness, desperate for some noise to tell her Drafe was okay. “I want to know how Tiny’s doing.” She chewed on a fingernail, a little worried her friend might die.

Caah tapped his neck. “Nenn, status?” He smiled. “Good, we will find you soon.” He whispered to Vic, “He has found Tiny and is treating her head wound.”