Stein. He didn’t return. Now he’s stopped responding to comms!”
“What?” she gasped. Oh no. Oh hell no. Not now .
“Commander Ashe requests entry,” the A.I. announced, cutting through Tate’s panic-riddled voice.
“Entry granted,” Shardae said. Then to Tate, “Tell Private Coppla to take Yazzie, Aoki and Miller down with him to investigate. Cannon blasters, not stunners. Wait! Have them go by medical first. Get an injection of antibiotics for the Scarlet Burn.”
“What?”
“Just do it!” she shouted, heart racing.
“Sergeant!” Commander Ashe stalked in with fury making her face red.
Tate severed the comm. With her heart racing, Shardae spun around to face her commander. How long had Tate been trying to contact her? How much time had passed? What the hell had happened at the brig? “Yes, ma’am!”
“Why are you not in uniform?” she asked, her hands curling into fists. “I’ve got an unresponsive brig. None of the security officers on duty are responding. You’re standing here like you just got out of the shower!”
“Forgive me, Commander, but I just got out of the infirmary,” Shardae snapped, feeling her cheeks grow hot with anger and embarrassment. “I didn’t have to report in for another six hours…”
Commander Ashe swore, ignoring her excuses like being poisoned meant nothing. “Damn it! Get dressed! We have a situation.”
“Yes, ma’am,” she said. She hurried toward her bedchamber. She paused as she watched the commander stalk out of her quarters in a huff. “A.I.: open bedchamber doors.”
She entered, snagged by the sight of Zander on her bed, his hair scattered sexily over her pillow. Suppressing yet another sigh, she pushed those warm thoughts aside and hurried to dress.
Sergeant first -- woman second. Commander Ashe’s motto.
She rushed out into the hall and wham ! Blind pain filtered through her temples. Spots littered her vision, but she swung a left at her assailant. Blinking furiously, she shook off what she could of the pain and punched again. This time her fist connected and she received an oof in reward. There was more than one person out here in the hallway, she could feel it. She also knew the security team had been dispatched down to the brig. Even if she called comms, they wouldn’t get here in time.
O’Leery held his jaw, moved it to make sure she hadn’t broken it, before saying, “Damn good punch, Simmons.”
“What the hell did you hit me for?”
“Because I can’t fucking stand you.”
The shadows of the corridor moved closer, shifting.
“Me either,” said Sauk as he slithered out of the gloom.
“Sauk,” Shardae started when someone from behind slammed into her, knocking her to the floor. Her stunner was out and she fired, the blast slamming Sauk into the wall with a thud .
Two men grabbed her arms, wrestling her to the ground. She fought them, but overpowered and outnumbered, she could only scowl up at O’Leery’s smirking face.
He stood over her, his stunner pointed at her forehead. Blood dripped down into her face.
“Seems I’m not alone in hating your ass. One more move and I’ll make a lot of people very, very happy.”
* * *
Zander bolted upright in the bed, disoriented and very cold. “Shardae!”
He threw the sheet off his nude body as the alarm slammed into his psyche. Shardae is missing .
“Fuck!” he roared. He hopped out of the bed. He stalked over to the plasma screen and logged in. His fingers a blur, he found the alert message sent through the craft. The security team had been dispatched to the brig to address the issues there. She hadn’t called for him.
“Comms,” came a voice Zander didn’t quite recognize.
“Is Sergeant Simmons still down on the brig?”
Tate normally acted as communicator for the spacecraft, but being so early in the morning, Zander didn’t know if the male voice was a replacement or something else. The entire scenario seemed slightly disjointed. He had to find
“What?” she gasped. Oh no. Oh hell no. Not now .
“Commander Ashe requests entry,” the A.I. announced, cutting through Tate’s panic-riddled voice.
“Entry granted,” Shardae said. Then to Tate, “Tell Private Coppla to take Yazzie, Aoki and Miller down with him to investigate. Cannon blasters, not stunners. Wait! Have them go by medical first. Get an injection of antibiotics for the Scarlet Burn.”
“What?”
“Just do it!” she shouted, heart racing.
“Sergeant!” Commander Ashe stalked in with fury making her face red.
Tate severed the comm. With her heart racing, Shardae spun around to face her commander. How long had Tate been trying to contact her? How much time had passed? What the hell had happened at the brig? “Yes, ma’am!”
“Why are you not in uniform?” she asked, her hands curling into fists. “I’ve got an unresponsive brig. None of the security officers on duty are responding. You’re standing here like you just got out of the shower!”
“Forgive me, Commander, but I just got out of the infirmary,” Shardae snapped, feeling her cheeks grow hot with anger and embarrassment. “I didn’t have to report in for another six hours…”
Commander Ashe swore, ignoring her excuses like being poisoned meant nothing. “Damn it! Get dressed! We have a situation.”
“Yes, ma’am,” she said. She hurried toward her bedchamber. She paused as she watched the commander stalk out of her quarters in a huff. “A.I.: open bedchamber doors.”
She entered, snagged by the sight of Zander on her bed, his hair scattered sexily over her pillow. Suppressing yet another sigh, she pushed those warm thoughts aside and hurried to dress.
Sergeant first -- woman second. Commander Ashe’s motto.
She rushed out into the hall and wham ! Blind pain filtered through her temples. Spots littered her vision, but she swung a left at her assailant. Blinking furiously, she shook off what she could of the pain and punched again. This time her fist connected and she received an oof in reward. There was more than one person out here in the hallway, she could feel it. She also knew the security team had been dispatched down to the brig. Even if she called comms, they wouldn’t get here in time.
O’Leery held his jaw, moved it to make sure she hadn’t broken it, before saying, “Damn good punch, Simmons.”
“What the hell did you hit me for?”
“Because I can’t fucking stand you.”
The shadows of the corridor moved closer, shifting.
“Me either,” said Sauk as he slithered out of the gloom.
“Sauk,” Shardae started when someone from behind slammed into her, knocking her to the floor. Her stunner was out and she fired, the blast slamming Sauk into the wall with a thud .
Two men grabbed her arms, wrestling her to the ground. She fought them, but overpowered and outnumbered, she could only scowl up at O’Leery’s smirking face.
He stood over her, his stunner pointed at her forehead. Blood dripped down into her face.
“Seems I’m not alone in hating your ass. One more move and I’ll make a lot of people very, very happy.”
* * *
Zander bolted upright in the bed, disoriented and very cold. “Shardae!”
He threw the sheet off his nude body as the alarm slammed into his psyche. Shardae is missing .
“Fuck!” he roared. He hopped out of the bed. He stalked over to the plasma screen and logged in. His fingers a blur, he found the alert message sent through the craft. The security team had been dispatched to the brig to address the issues there. She hadn’t called for him.
“Comms,” came a voice Zander didn’t quite recognize.
“Is Sergeant Simmons still down on the brig?”
Tate normally acted as communicator for the spacecraft, but being so early in the morning, Zander didn’t know if the male voice was a replacement or something else. The entire scenario seemed slightly disjointed. He had to find
Similar Books
