the mark of Gordon’s personal guard. As a Fleet officer, I could not let him remain where he was. The GEF executive had to act, so it is not a matter of your own personal vendetta going unfulfilled. Fleet intervention was always inevitable, a matter of correct procedure.”
Nell turned and walked out before she could say anything more. Maybe something really stupid—like, ‘Let’s forget all the crap and make love’—to the two men who she guessed would be staring at her back as if they wanted to stick a knife in it.
* * * *
She left the room and kept walking, back rigid, boots clicking on the hard stone floor. Her jaw clenched with anger.
Bastard, bastard fuckers. Why couldn’t they just accept she was trying to keep them safe? And it felt good to call people names, particularly when they left you on the verge of tears.
A gasp to her left made her glance sideways, only to see an aide with a bright red face.
“Sorry,” she said. “Did I speak?”
“Yes, and don’t be sorry, Commander Thorn. I agree with your assessment completely.”
“Commander Thorn!” A shout echoed down the corridor as they continued to walk. “Nell!”
Nell turned to see Angel jogging to a halt beside her. He bent, his hands on his thighs, to catch his breath. Nell looked at him for a few moments, then turned to go. Angel’s hand shot out and caught her wrist. She stared at it for a few moments before waving her party on. “This better be good,” she warned him.
Angel pulled a face at her. “Nell, don’t be too angry at Rowe.” He recovered his breath quickly and went on, “He’s just cross because things didn’t work out the way he had planned in his head.”
“You’re joking, right? I thought no all-out war and Gordon gone might be a good solution for him.”
“Yes, it is, but it’s Rowe . The macho Rim thing means that, as soon as Gordon had him abducted and sold into slavery, Gordon was a marked man. Rowe has been dreaming about revenge for a long time, and in some pretty bad places.”
Nell thought of the first time she had met him, lying beaten by some mercenary slaver at the side of the road, and had to concede that revenge would feature pretty high on anyone’s agenda under similar circumstances.
She grunted to acknowledge Angel’s point.
“And then there’s this tiny, feisty Galaxy Elite Fleet officer that keeps riding to his rescue not once, but twice? That’s hard to take, for a man that was born to absolute power in a galaxy like the Eastern Complex. Riding to the rescue was his job before Gordon got to him.”
“That is not true—he saved my life,” Nell protested, “and the lives of my crew.”
“All I’m saying is please don’t give up on us just yet, Nell Thorn.” Angel leant forward and kissed her on the forehead. “Not yet.”
With that, he turned and walked away, breaking into a run as if in a hurry, leaving Nell standing, watching him go.
Chapter Sixteen
Whump, whump, whump.
Nell braced herself as another round of fire hit her ship side-on, making it buck and rock.
Pirates had attacked them just as they had made it to the edge of Rim space, coming out of nowhere to ambush them from the cover of an asteroid belt. There was no reason why they would not; the craft they were travelling in was not a GEF vessel, but a humble diplomatic transport barge with a fraction of the firepower of Nell’s usual ship. It was a necessary concession when crossing borders with the Rim. Any act that transgressed Rim Treaty law or could be construed as an act of aggression by the GEF was always contested by the Rim authorities.
The Rim pirates had obviously identified them as easy pickings.
Nell’s craft returned what fire it could, but it soon became apparent that they were being outgunned and outmanoeuvred by the Rim-class pirate ship. Nell made the decision to make a last desperate bid to get to Fleet space, and instructed her crew to take the barge off at speed through
Nell turned and walked out before she could say anything more. Maybe something really stupid—like, ‘Let’s forget all the crap and make love’—to the two men who she guessed would be staring at her back as if they wanted to stick a knife in it.
* * * *
She left the room and kept walking, back rigid, boots clicking on the hard stone floor. Her jaw clenched with anger.
Bastard, bastard fuckers. Why couldn’t they just accept she was trying to keep them safe? And it felt good to call people names, particularly when they left you on the verge of tears.
A gasp to her left made her glance sideways, only to see an aide with a bright red face.
“Sorry,” she said. “Did I speak?”
“Yes, and don’t be sorry, Commander Thorn. I agree with your assessment completely.”
“Commander Thorn!” A shout echoed down the corridor as they continued to walk. “Nell!”
Nell turned to see Angel jogging to a halt beside her. He bent, his hands on his thighs, to catch his breath. Nell looked at him for a few moments, then turned to go. Angel’s hand shot out and caught her wrist. She stared at it for a few moments before waving her party on. “This better be good,” she warned him.
Angel pulled a face at her. “Nell, don’t be too angry at Rowe.” He recovered his breath quickly and went on, “He’s just cross because things didn’t work out the way he had planned in his head.”
“You’re joking, right? I thought no all-out war and Gordon gone might be a good solution for him.”
“Yes, it is, but it’s Rowe . The macho Rim thing means that, as soon as Gordon had him abducted and sold into slavery, Gordon was a marked man. Rowe has been dreaming about revenge for a long time, and in some pretty bad places.”
Nell thought of the first time she had met him, lying beaten by some mercenary slaver at the side of the road, and had to concede that revenge would feature pretty high on anyone’s agenda under similar circumstances.
She grunted to acknowledge Angel’s point.
“And then there’s this tiny, feisty Galaxy Elite Fleet officer that keeps riding to his rescue not once, but twice? That’s hard to take, for a man that was born to absolute power in a galaxy like the Eastern Complex. Riding to the rescue was his job before Gordon got to him.”
“That is not true—he saved my life,” Nell protested, “and the lives of my crew.”
“All I’m saying is please don’t give up on us just yet, Nell Thorn.” Angel leant forward and kissed her on the forehead. “Not yet.”
With that, he turned and walked away, breaking into a run as if in a hurry, leaving Nell standing, watching him go.
Chapter Sixteen
Whump, whump, whump.
Nell braced herself as another round of fire hit her ship side-on, making it buck and rock.
Pirates had attacked them just as they had made it to the edge of Rim space, coming out of nowhere to ambush them from the cover of an asteroid belt. There was no reason why they would not; the craft they were travelling in was not a GEF vessel, but a humble diplomatic transport barge with a fraction of the firepower of Nell’s usual ship. It was a necessary concession when crossing borders with the Rim. Any act that transgressed Rim Treaty law or could be construed as an act of aggression by the GEF was always contested by the Rim authorities.
The Rim pirates had obviously identified them as easy pickings.
Nell’s craft returned what fire it could, but it soon became apparent that they were being outgunned and outmanoeuvred by the Rim-class pirate ship. Nell made the decision to make a last desperate bid to get to Fleet space, and instructed her crew to take the barge off at speed through
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