Taking Command by KyAnn Waters & Grad Stone Page A

attempting to override both ships in her weakened condition was too risky.
    If only he could be assured the government ships wouldn’t pursue. If Rodra and the others were on those government ships, they could be killed if the ships were destroyed going back through the Rincon.
    Tarik thought of what he would want in their positions. He’d want Darcolm dead and BioOne safe.
    BioOne, neutralize their weapons.
    ****
    Sweat trickled between her breasts. God, what was Tarik thinking? What was his plan? How could she tap into BioOne? Throughout this mission, she’d made mistakes. Not about to compound the problems she’d created, she would wait for instruction from Tarik or BioOne. If he gave her a sign, she hoped to hell she recognized it and hoped she’d know how to react .
    BioOne, if you can hear my thoughts, tell me what I need to do. And if you have to make a choice, your survival is most important. You need Tarik.
    Before, when BioOne communicated with her, the thoughts had felt like her own, but they had clearly been symbiotic with the ship. Now she waited for an idea and hoped to hell BioOne and Tarik were having the same thoughts.
    Shon positioned in front of Tarik, attempting to keep Darcolm’s attention on her. “You’re in the government. If all you want is the ship, why didn’t you use your resources to get assigned the ship? You could have taken command of BioOne.”
    “I have no intention of turning BioOne over to the Tri’Neith. As far as they’re concerned, there were no survivors on this mission. BioOne is mine. Once BioOne reaches full maturity, it won’t matter what I want, who I want, or where I want to go. I’ll be untouchable. However, Tarik is tenacious to the point of his own destruction.” He shifted, pointing his weapon at Tarik. “You lose, my friend. I can’t have you plotting my death the way I’ve plotted yours.”
    Darcolm squeezed the trigger. Nothing.
    Tarik lunged, slamming into Darcolm and sending him to the floor with a grunt. The blaster flew from Darcolm’s hand, skittering next to one of Darcolm’s men. Darcolm hollered. The man picked up the weapon and pulled the trigger. Again, nothing.
    BioOne had neutralized their weapons!
    Tarik rolled on the ground with Darcolm, wrestling for advantage.
    Drop!
    Shon dropped to the ground, pulling the blaster from her thigh. A feral screech rent the air as Tarik landed another blow to Darcolm’s gut. Taking a split-second to aim at a soldier rushing toward Tarik, Shon squeezed the trigger. The man dropped to the floor, screaming. His right leg disintegrated from the knee down.
    Tarik snapped his gaze to Shon. Darcolm exploited the lapse in focus, flipping Tarik to his back. Banding his fingers around Tarik’s neck, he squeezed.
    The other soldier slammed into Shon, shoving her down, his crushing weight pinning her to the floor.
    “Shon!” Tarik’s commanding voice gave her strength. Gulping in a breath and tightening her muscles, she jerked a knee up between the man’s legs and crushed his balls. Groaning and writhing, he rolled from her and curled into a tight ball.
    “Hold him,” she ordered BioOne.
    BioOne’s force field pinned the man to the floor. Shon crouched on one knee and brought her weapon up, aiming at the man she had once considered her friend. Tarik gripped Darcolm’s arms, wrenching outward trying to break the hold he had on Tarik’s neck.
    “Darcolm.” She took steady breaths. “Your weapons failed. I assure you, mine won’t.”
    Darcolm slowly released his grip on Tarik’s neck.
    Tarik gasped and shoved Darcolm to the side. He scrambled to his hands and knees and dragged heavy draws of air deep into his lungs. His color slowly returned. “BioOne, now.”
    The engines engaged, rocketing into space and knocking Shon off balance. Darcolm reached down and pulled a Rontox stiletto from his boot. Used for disemboweling an opponent, the fine edge of the small curved blade glinted in the