from?”
The Earther vibrated with some emotion Nokx couldn’t identify. Fear, most likely. Nerves. Maybe cold. But she straightened her shoulders and managed a normal voice when she spoke. “I’m EJ. Originally from Earth but I’ve been working through ungoverned space for a couple of standard years. I got assigned to a ship and bailed out at the port and needed passage somewhere else.”
It sounded like there was a much deeper story when she said ‘assigned to a ship.’ He didn’t think there were many reasons for someone to be forced onto a ship and held there against their will, but it still happened. If she’d ended up in that situation, she wasn’t the innocent victim she claimed to be.
Faros knew it, too. His eyebrows arched and he swiveled back and forth in his chair as he studied her. “What ship did you flee?”
“The Hollbrd,” she said, though she fidgeted and moved her feet. “It’s a generational ship, headed for some far-off quadrant. Some Class IV planet they want to terra-form.”
“And you didn’t want to be a farmer?” Harzt smirked. “Imagine that.”
EJ bristled and stiffened her spine. “No, I didn’t. I didn’t want to go at all, but sometimes shit happens. Right?”
Nokx should have left it alone, let her offend the captain and end up dropped off in hostile space. But the female didn’t understand the danger she flirted with, and since neither of the other Earthers had wandered onto the bridge yet, there wasn’t anyone to advocate for her. Nokx could have summoned Violet or Gemma, but didn’t fancy running afoul of their mates.
So he helped her as much as he could, once more gripping the back of her neck and offering a slight squeeze. “Watch your tone.”
She shot him a dark glare over her shoulder and puffed up even more, until she looked even more like a marmox trying to defend its sand burrow. He almost laughed at the adorably angry picture she presented, but managed to compress his lips so no sound escaped.
EJ didn’t back down. Her face reddened once more and her eyes shone with unshed moisture as she faced the captain and the expressionless security officer. “I’m sorry I got on your ship. I am. But I’m here now. You can just drop me off at the next port and I won’t bother any of you ever again.”
Faros wasn’t impressed. “A few tears won’t earn you any sympathy, girl. I’m immune to that nonsense.”
“Then I’m sorry for you, too.”
Nokx put the girl in a headlock to prevent her from digging her grave any deeper. “Boss, I’ll go put her—”
“No,” Faros said. He didn’t look away from EJ. “She made a choice. She pays for it. You, girl, jumped off a gen ship for whatever reason and boarded mine. We are a pirate ship. We are currently hunting prey through this quadrant, so we can board them and seize their cargo. When cargo falls in our lap—like you—we are not given to simply overlook our good fortune.”
Her breathing grew uneven and her grip on Nokx’s arm tightened, like she needed his help to stay upright. Nokx moved his arm to be supportive more than restraining and ignored the sharp look Harzt gave him. But the loadmaster didn’t interrupt the captain. It would have made things worse. He recognized the gleam in Faros’s eyes and knew it didn’t bode well for any of them.
Chapter 5
EJ
The Sraibur’s captain reminded EJ of every dirty bastard captain who’d ever tried to exploit her or take advantage of her reduced circumstances. Males in a position of power were the same in every galaxy, on every port, and on every ship. It never failed.
Not that she could really blame him for being mad. She’d stowed away on his ship, which meant he was entitled to punish her how he saw fit, especially in ungoverned space. She’d broken the unwritten rules of space voyaging. He still didn’t have to be a dick about it.
But at least the big guy who’d found her, Nokx, was a steadying presence next to her. She hadn’t expected him to stay at her side, since it was more likely for him to physically side with his captain, but the big Xaravian was as unmoving as a boulder to her right.
When the captain said they were pirates, she really panicked. Stowing away on a regular merchant ship or transport was bad enough, but a ship with illegal crew and illegal missions was a whole other ballgame. There was nothing on