week playing hide-and-seek in those tunnels, with warriors trying to track me down.”
He grinned. “You win. You shouldn’t go around stealing warships from angry alien warriors, you know.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Any luck with the pirate data?”
Wren groaned. “Don’t bring that up. Malax is grumpy as hell. Airen looked very unhappy, and I thought Sabin was ready to shoot lasers out of his eyes. Apart from those locations of the Eon outposts, nothing. The outposts have been warned to beef up the security, but who knows what the pirates and/or the Kantos have planned.”
Donovan gripped her shoulder. “We won’t let those insect bastards win.”
“Right.” She tilted her head. “You heading to your cabin?” She had a funny look on her face.
“Yes. Why?”
“Oh, nothing.” She grinned. “Have a good night.”
Donovan entered his cabin and scanned around. Nothing looked out of place.
Then he saw a card resting on the built-in desk beside the bed.
Check your cooler.
It wasn’t signed. He strode over to the small refrigerator cooler and opened it. A bottle of dark liquid rested on the top shelf.
He pulled the bottle out and gave it a little shake, watching it fizz. He popped the top and took a sip.
Cool cola slid down his throat, and he groaned with pleasure.
It was perfect. Just like the real thing.
He grabbed his comp.
Donovan: Know anything about the drink in my fridge?
Airen: I don’t know why you like that brown liquid so much. It tastes foul. And it has no nutritional properties.
Donovan: It’s an acquired taste. How did you get it right?
Airen: Wren helped.
Donovan: Thank you, Second Commander.
Airen: My pleasure. We want our Terran allies to feel comfortable aboard the Rengard. Have a good evening.
Donovan sank down into his armchair, sipped his cola, and smiled. A certain tough, female warrior was starting to thaw a little, too.
Chapter Four
The peal of the ship’s emergency alarms had Airen leaping out of bed. She shoved her hair out of her eyes, quickly fighting off the grip of sleep.
By the time she was upright, her comm chimed. “Second Commander,” a warrior’s voice said. “Your presence is requested on the bridge.”
“On my way.”
It took a second to pull on her uniform and braid her hair. When she strode onto the bridge, a thunderous-looking Malax stood, staring at the viewscreen, flanked by Sabin and Donovan.
All the men had clenched jaws, and an upset Wren stood in front of Malax. He had his arms wrapped around his mate.
“What’s happened?” Airen demanded.
Donovan turned and their gazes met. He’d clearly been dragged from his bed as well, as intriguing dark stubble covered his strong jaw. She made herself look at Malax. Right now, she couldn’t afford any distractions.
“Pirates have attacked Thessa.”
She sucked in a breath. Thessa was one of the Eon science outposts.
She turned to the viewscreen. On the feed, Eon were running in all directions, dodging explosions and screaming. The colony was being attacked and bombarded.
“There are four ships in orbit,” Sabin said. “All space pirates.”
“They’re not using typical space pirate weaponry,” Airen noted.
“No,” Malax said. “This is Kantos weaponry.”
“It’s likely a trap,” Donovan said. “To lure the Rengard to this outpost.”
Airen nodded. “They still want something off our ship. Likely the helians, or at least another attempt at our helian research data.”
“I know, but we will not abandon our people,” Malax said.
“Forty ship minutes until we reach Thessa, War Commander,” a warrior called out from his station.
It was a tense forty minutes. Airen tried not to fidget while she watched the fighting on the screen.
The security contingent of warriors at Thessa were fighting the pirate foot soldiers. Several buildings were destroyed and burning.
It was nighttime on the small moon. The pirates had attacked in the middle of the night, when people were sleeping, and at their most sluggish. Typical cowardly pirate tactics.
“You okay?” Donovan stepped up beside her.
“No,” she answered. “But I will be, once I’ve taken a few pirates down.” Hard and painfully.
“We’ll make them pay.” His voice vibrated with quiet conviction.
She nodded. “But how many will die? There are children at that outpost, Donovan.”
He gripped her arm, squeezed. Such a small move, but strangely, it made her mind settle.
“We’ll get there soon and do what needs to be done.”
He squeezed her arm again, then he moved away.
A small comfort. She sucked in a breath. She hadn’t lied to him when she said she hadn’t had anyone to comfort her, ever. She’d been raised as a ward of the Empire, and the instructors at the Warrior Academy didn’t