Dark Space: The Invisible War by Jasper T. Scott

scream.
    He heard a warbling hiss close beside his ear. “Let me go, you frekkin’ . . . !” Verlin twisted onto his ruined back and fired two more shots in random directions, missing with both, before he pressed a hand to his ear to speak once more into his comm.
    That was when he realized that his comm piece had fallen out when he’d hit the ground. His eyes found it lying just out of reach to his right. Verlin scrambled to reach it, but something grabbed hold of his hand and crushed it, breaking all of the bones and grinding the pieces together.
    Verlin screamed again, and then something very strong crushed his windpipe and he could scream no more.

Chapter 7
     

    T ova did not look happy. Ethan wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but she hadn’t moved a muscle since he’d explained to her that Roan was trapped aboard an enemy ship. Beside him, Atton looked nervous. That was another clue that Tova was just a step away from tearing them into bite-sized chunks.
    The guards flanking them with their ripper rifles casually at the ready gave Ethan only a small amount of comfort. If Tova wanted to, she could simply disappear, and it would be impossible to track an invisible target. Ethan reflected that he should have thought about that in advance and prepared something to defend against an invisible enemy.
    “I’m sorry,” Ethan said again. “I wish we had been able to rescue him during the evacuation, but I’m sure he’s still alive.”
    At last Tova moved, but it was just a muscle twitching in her neck—then her eyes blinked and her lips parted. Ethan heard her warbling language followed promptly by the translation. “He is living,” she said.
    Ethan cocked his head. “Really? You’ve spoken with him?”
    “He is hurt, not bad. Humans on ship think he is dead. He thinks they are you.”
    Ethan allowed his relief to show, his shoulders sagging. “Thank the immortals. Can you contact him now?”
    Tova’s yellow eyes narrowed. “Are they you? The ones who try to kill Roan?”
    “No!” Ethan answered quickly.
    “They are humans.”
    Ethan frowned. “They are humans, but they are not with us.”
    “Your species is foolish to fight itself.”
    Ethan snorted. “You can say that again.”
    “Why? Do you not hear well?”
    Ethan shook his head. “No, never mind. The point is, we are not with them or they with us. You have to make Roan understand that the men on board will try to kill him or hurt him if they find him, and he needs to hide until we can return.”
    “He understands this already. What else you desire to communicate?”
    “Tell him we will be there soon, and that if possible, we could use his help.”
    “What type of help?”
    Ethan hesitated, thinking quickly. “If he can find and shut down the main reactor or the shields just before we arrive, it would give us time and the opportunity we need to get aboard.”
    “When we arrive?”
    “Yes.”
    “When we arrive? ” Tova repeated, looming closer.
    Ethan frowned, wondering why she’d repeated the question, but then he realized that she was asking when they would arrive to take back the Valiant and rescue Roan. Good question, he thought.“Tell him it will be about a week.”
    “I tell him.”
    “Meanwhile, we’ll need you to sit down with our chief engineer and discuss ways that the Valiant could be sabotaged, so that you can tell Roan. Would you be willing to talk with our engineer, Tova?”
    She hissed. “You think we are ignorant.”
    “You are—” Tova’s eyes flashed and Ethan hastened to add, “—ignorant of our technology, anyway. It will be easier for Roan to sabotage the Valiant if we tell him what to do.”
    “I do this but take care that you do not offend me again. Your words are arrogant and foolish.”
    “Sure thing,” Ethan said, waving his hand dismissively. “One more thing, Tova . . .” Ethan regretted what he had to say next. “We need to cross Sythian Space to gather reinforcements before we can rescue