Pirate Nemesis (Telepathic Space Pirates Book 1) by Carysa Locke Page A

waved this away as inconsequential. “A meal is already being prepared. Sit up slowly, and tell me if you experience any dizziness, nausea, or discomfort.”
    Mercy did as instructed, and noticed the shape of the room as she shifted upright, the limited space and nano-graph paneling, conducting light to panels inlaid into the ceiling. Now that she thought about it, she could feel the low vibration of engines.
    “We’re on a ship,” she said aloud. A really big ship, given the distance of the engines and the space allocated for an infirmary.
    “Yes, brilliant deduction,” Doc said. “Your head?”
    “It’s fine. I feel great, actually.”
    Nayla beamed happily at Mercy. The girl was so earnest and genuine, she couldn’t help but smile back. Then she glimpsed something sitting across the room that wiped away all of her tentative good feelings. A blue stasis field, about the length of a person, hovered in an empty suite. In an instant, all of Mercy’s concerns for herself were swallowed by worry for her friend. It became easy to box up her fears and put them away.
    “Atrea!” Mercy moved to push herself down from the medical bunk she was sitting on, and a steely grip closed around her arm.
    “No,” said Doc. “You leave when I say you’re finished.”
    Maybe it was the way she’d been constantly moved and handled by Willem Frain and his people, but the sudden surge of anger that swept through Mercy shocked her. She was actually shaking, the realization distant behind the haze of emotion.
    “Oh dear,” said Vashti, eyeing the two of them.
    “Get your hand off me.” Mercy enunciated each word.
    Doc let her go, but did not back away. He was crowding the table too closely for Mercy to jump down without shoving into him. “You won’t do your friend any good if you collapse halfway across the room. She’s stable, for the moment.”
    Mercy stared at him incredulously. “She’s in stasis.”
    “Yes, which means her condition isn’t changing anytime soon.” Doc scowled at her. “Yours, on the other hand…”
    “Is that a threat?”
    Doc threw his hands into the air, one still holding the datapad.
    “ Bakana yatsura kara, sukutte kure !”
    Mercy was pretty sure whatever he’d said was some kind of insult. “Listen, you piece of—”
    “Let’s everyone take a moment and calm down.” Vashti’s voice was cool and collected. “Mercy, I assure you, everything that can be done for Atrea is being done. Her father would never settle for anything less. Doc, you must understand that Mercy has been through quite an ordeal. She has no real reason to trust us.”
    “Yes,” snapped Doc, “saving her life and returning her to health is certainly not enough of a reason.”
    “ Reaper saved my life.” Mercy glared at him. “I don’t know what you’ve been doing. I’ve been unconscious for three days.” The words were out of her mouth before she realized that was part of her problem; she didn’t know what had happened to her here, or back on that space station. Not knowing was a weight in her chest that hurt, like a physical sense of pressure. She rubbed at it with one hand, but it did nothing to ease it. “I’m tired of not knowing what the hell is happening to me.”
    Doc eyed her, and something in his expression softened. “I assure you, we took no samples, did nothing beyond treating your injuries and overall condition. I would never violate any of my patients.” He eased back a step to give her more space. “You have my word as a physician.”
    Mercy wished she could believe that, but she just didn’t know what to trust, or who. These were the very people her mother had spent years hiding from. Then something Vashti had said penetrated, and Mercy looked around the room. “Wolfgang is here?”
    Vashti smiled, tilted her head slightly. “Of course. Where else would he be?”
    “Where—where is he, then?” Mercy couldn’t imagine why he wouldn’t be here, ordering someone to do something