Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,6

quarters… and quickly.”

“We’re supposed to be in this together. Partners and mates, helping each other,” she reminded him softly.

“This is true, and right now you will serve your part by following my directions. An unknown vessel approaches, and I will not chance any harm coming to you. You know where the blaster is. Your job presently is to protect our offspring should anyone board the ship and attempt to harm you.”

He regarded her firmly for a moment before turning once more to his controls, giving his full focus there. She waited, watching him, hoping he might call her back to remain by his side to face this unknown. Any hope that he might fled as his vibrissae began to stir once more in agitation. Kronos looked up from where he lay against one wall and whined, the cluster of vibrissae around his head moving alertly.

Pressing her lips together, Terri nodded and left the flight deck with Krono following close on her heels.

2

Veral narrowed his eyes on the approaching vessel. For the last several minutes, he had been ignoring the comm request from it as his mate made her way to their quarters. He knew she was unhappy with his decision to send her away, and her impatience and restlessness were becoming increasingly more apparent, but it was what was necessary.

He did not trust anyone when it came to her safety. Least of all those who send out emergency hails in the vast stretches of space between habitable planets so close to the system’s fringes.

Linking into his ship’s systems, he tracked Terri as she made her way toward their room at the well-fortified heart of the vessel. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the official captain’s quarters on the salvager. That was a large room that stretched across the entire front of the vessel beneath the protective shelter of the flight deck. It had once been luxurious, with a vast viewing screen.

When Veral took over the ship, however, being a reasonable and cautious male, he calculated the chances of damage done during an attack even with the protection of the flight deck and found it unsuitable. It had not taken him long to convert three of the smaller crew quarters that went unused near the center along a narrow corridor into one large chamber, and he turned the other room into a storage and work area. It had served him well over the years, and now with a mate on board the past several galactic standard months, he could not think of a safer place for his female.

Autolocking the door behind her, he withdrew his consciousness from the ship and accessed his comm system.

“Open frequency. Respond to hail,” he ordered.

The system complied, and the viewscreen in front of him opened a window that filled the surface with the frowning countenance of the Blaithari. The delicately scaled pink male regarded him hesitantly through gold eyes before bowing and bringing all six of his palms up in supplication, the scarlet crests of his hair arranged in six knots bobbing as he moved. Veral curled his lip at the copious amounts of jewelry dripping from the male. The male was a fool to comm a stranger who might rob him. Even the robe he wore was of the finest quality that spoke of wealth of a station or prestige.

Either a very wealthy trader or a male of a noble house from Blaitharsha.

Veral’s mandibles clicked as he returned the Blaithari’s regard suspiciously. “This is Salvager Vessel 289-Veral. What assistance do you require?” he growled ungraciously.

He could almost sense his mate’s disapproving glance at his immediate hostility and repressed a smile. Terri was a soft-hearted female. She did not understand the necessity and thrill of instilling fear into one before they got it into their heads to do something unwise.

The Blaithari cleared his throat nervously. “Greetings, Salvager Veral. I thank you most graciously on behalf of Oulia and Motang, the benefactors of…”

“These details and thanks are unnecessary,” Veral interrupted, his vibrissae twitching more aggressively around him. “What assistance do you require?”

“Yes, of course… I… that is…I, Egbor of House Torg’bornor formally request emergency transport to Zarcruga.”

“No. I will transport you to Janilik. It will put me two days off schedule, but it is within my means.”

Egbor gaped. “But that is not where I need to go! I am to settle into an agreement on Zarcruga, not Janilik. I am already behind schedule.”

“Then get on your long-range comm and find someone else to assist you,” Veral replied coldly. “Zarcruga