colony on Lirricall, the largest continent.
The landing was smooth and uneventful. They would follow the ground control’s directions to a side area where they would leave the battlecruiser while they traveled on their shuttle to Lirricall. They could make out the control officers below the ship, waving them toward the area that was marked off by painted stripes on a paved surface. A sense of something not quite right hit Ryan again as they taxied slowly toward the area that was well away from the main port, but as he surveyed the scene, he could see nothing out of the ordinary. One large land transport was parked there waiting for them, and as they watched, a single person got out and stood by.
Ryan followed Mikos off the comm deck and down to the hatch, where their men were already gathering in the bay area in anticipation of disembarking. As they opened the hatch, which automatically deployed the ramp, the Gatifreyan who had been standing quietly—wearing the long, hooded gray robes favored by the people there—ran forward and stepped onto it. He came rapidly up the ramp past Mikos and started to force his way inside the ship.
“Wait a minute, damn you,” Ryan yelled at them, pushing them backward and reaching for the short-barreled disruptor pistol he wore as his sidearm. Mikos leaped to help him as the Gatifreyan pulled out their own weapon and pointed it directly at Ryan’s forehead. Things happened quickly after that.
Mikos hurled the Gatifreyan bodily off the gangway to the pavement below as a swarm of Gatifreyans jumped from the transport and began swarming up the ramp. Instinctively, Ryan grabbed the device he kept tucked in his pocket, jamming his finger on the button. The hatch began to close almost instantly, a safeguard the Tygerians employed to help prevent anyone from taking over their ships. Ryan and Mikos jumped off the gangway, which would have crushed them if they hadn’t moved quickly. The Gatifreyans still on the ramp weren’t so lucky. Their screams rang out as the craft’s engines started back up and shot straight up in an emergency ascent. Ryan knew that inside the craft, the doors were all sealing and the men inside were under strict orders to achieve an orbit and immediately notify their command of the situation. They would achieve a wide orbit around the planet until they received further instructions.
Powerful threats and demands would be levied against the Gatifreyans for this treachery, and there was no doubt a rescue would come. But first Ryan and Mikos had to stay alive long enough to be rescued. Ryan had landed badly on his right leg, but he sucked up the pain and searched frantically for his mate. He saw him lying face down a few feet away and limped painfully to his side as quickly as he could, bending over him and checking for injuries. His breathing seemed steady, but there was blood on his forehead, and he appeared to have hit it and knocked himself out when he leaped off the ramp. Ryan crouched over him, his sidearm still miraculously in his hand, and he held it steady as the Gatifreyan soldiers began to come closer.
****
Meanwhile at the prison on Gatifrey
Rasc glanced over at Kylon as they moved out into the yard at the prison with the other men.
“You tied your hair back today. Good.”
Kylon gave Rasc a long measured look. “Only because it’s hot.”
“Yes, but you tied it back—that’ll help.”
“Help who? Me or you?”
Rasc felt his face growing warm. He didn’t know how or when he’d allowed Kylon Bonnett to get the upper hand, but he seemed to have it, and Rasc found he didn’t like it much. Tygerian bastard. Beautiful asshole. He shrugged as if he didn’t much care what Bonnett thought, but Bonnett only smiled, like he knew exactly what Rasc was thinking and was enjoying it. He even reached down to pat Rasc’s ass.
Earlier that morning, Rasc had tried to turn over to his stomach at some point during the night and found his ass stuck to the fucking sheet. Bonnett had watched Rasc struggling to sit up and pry himself loose, with one arm trussed up in that damn sling. There was no offer of help. Rasc had to wash the crusty cum from his ass and from between his legs in full view of the man, who still had never said a word, but sat on his bunk, looking way too satisfied with himself. Finally, Rasc