Henny had him hustling. I know that for a fact, for he is my own sparring partner.”
“Wow.” Ginny’s eyes widened as they moved out into the hall. She threw a look back at them over her shoulder, but Tigh guided her down the companionway, leaving the two to some well-earned privacy.
*
Henny’s doorchime sounded. She wasn’t surprised. She expected Hansa at her hatch right at shift change. He was a little late, but she wouldn’t quibble. The alien warrior was like no man she’d ever known before, and if she wasn’t much mistaken, he was staking a claim over her for the rest of his crew. It was an annoyingly primitive thing these ultra-masculine jit’suku warriors did when they met a woman they liked, but in this case, Henny didn’t mind a bit.
She kind of liked the feeling of being under this amazing man’s protection, as it were, though they both knew she could darn well protect herself. It was a cultural thing—a figurative protection that made her feel cherished in a way she’d never been by any human male.
Hansa and she had become close over the journey. They taught each other things about their respective fighting styles and built a respect based on common ideals. Hansa was a warrior’s warrior, trained in the jit’suku way, but not unwilling to see the value of Henny’s own traditions. She liked that. And she respected his skill as well. There were few beings of any race who could impress her in the fighting ring, but Hansa was definitely one.
He impressed her in other ways too. He was courting her, giving her little gifts and spending every free moment with her. He kissed like a dream too.
Henny had never felt such passion with any other man. Or—dare she admit it—such love. He hadn’t come right out and said it yet, but she felt sure he was heading in that direction. Her heart beat faster when he was near, as it was doing now, as she headed for the door to meet him.
With a bright smile on her face, she hit the hatch release, and there he was, the man of her dreams.
“Henny, my love...”
Her heart thrilled to hear him call her his love. It was the first time, and it meant a lot. But her joy turned to dismay as his eyes rolled back in his head, and he leaned heavily on the doorframe. Something was seriously wrong.
“What is it?” She reached out to steady him, and he collapsed in her arms.
“Poison...Warn...”
He keeled over, and she used his momentum to pull him completely inside her room, slapping the panel to shut the door behind them. If there were enemies about, she didn’t want to leave him vulnerable.
She tried to shake him awake and quickly checked him over. He was alive but completely unconscious, and his vitals were dangerously low by human standards. She didn’t know what that meant for jits, but she was damn sure going to find out. She couldn’t lose him now.
She’d only just managed to find him. In this big universe full of life, she’d found a man she could truly respect and perhaps, even love. It was a miracle…and yet, that miracle could so easily be taken away from her. Henny firmed her resolve and suppressed her emotions. She had to get to the bottom of this.
Hansa had warned her about poison. That meant—unless he was utterly delirious, which she doubted highly—something sinister was afoot on the ship. Henny sat back on her heels, thinking fast. She knew what she had to do.
She activated the tiny, hidden emergency com that connected all the women onboard.
“Alert. Situation alpha blue. Repeat: alpha blue.” That was the code for hostile takeover of the ship. Henny didn’t believe in going off half-cocked. If Hansa was down, there was a good bet that the rest of the command staff was already unconscious. “Command code, zed niner niner.” Henny issued the order that would detach seemingly harmless adornments from the women’s luggage. The passive recorders would now go active, following each woman around as she responded to the crisis. The human military and government had equipped them with all kinds of clandestine hardware for just such a contingency. This mission was too important. If something went wrong, both governments would need to know who was at fault and how events transpired. “Secure all stations,” she ordered further, laying Hansa more comfortably on the floor of her room then arming herself before heading cautiously out the door.