Page 28 of Monsters After Dark

“So, stupid plan it is.” Realigning the Stardancer, I aimed for the center of the debris and pushed the thrusters, easing my way in past whirling junk. There was treasure out there, too, but on my own I couldn’t get to it. Too much danger of the Stardancer taking a hit while I was trying to wrangle something into the hold. I needed to be safe in the eye of the storm.

It took too long, and there were too many close calls, but eventually I found my way through to the torn-open hull of the Elder battleship. Some ancient weapon had left a hole large enough to fit a ship into, and under that protection, I could risk getting out and scavenging. There was only one problem.

The hiding place was already taken.

Another modern ship was wedged into the tangle of broken struts, and I had to admit that was an impressive bit of flying. I hated to admit that, because I knew that ship and who it belonged to.

The Kyross Collective. Our nemesis, the other big fish in the small pond of independent salvage. Also a family concern, one we’d been feuding with for generations, and the reason I was alone on this trip. Stardancer Salvage used to be a family business, and maybe it would be again someday. Right now, though, the two of us were the only active crew. Dad got his license suspended after an ‘accidental’ collision with a Kyross Collective’s ship. Mom was too busy managing the business to ship out, and she needed my brothers around for security. Gemma, my sister, had a broken leg after her run in with the Kyross, which is what got dad mad enough to clip their ship.

There ought to be cousins around too, but all of them found other work as the feud between us and the Kyross heated up. I couldn’t say I blamed them. The constant conflict wasn’t just dangerous, it kept the business on the brink of bankruptcy. If this weren’t my family firm, I’d have joined them.

And now, the Kyross Collective was blocking my access to the battleship’s riches. To the salvage I needed to keep my family afloat. I drummed my fingers on the control console, counting back from ten and trying to relax my shoulders. By the time I reached zero, I felt a little calmer.

“Okay, Freefall, I can’t fit in that gap with them, and I can’t see any other way in. I think I’m going to have to talk to them and see if we can work out a deal. Maybe they’ll give me a lift home?”

Freefall hissed at that, and I agreed with her. My plan sounded naïve, but what choice did I have? The Kyross might help me for bragging rights, a big corporation would claim my ship as salvage for certain. If there was even a chance of getting the Stardancer back to Hudson Station, I had to take it.

After a final check for incoming debris, making sure I was safe for the next few minutes, I extended the antenna. Mouth dry, one eye on the collision detector, I scanned for signals again. It was a risk, leaving the vulnerable antenna out where the slightest impact could sever it. But what use was it if I didn’t use it?

The ship, identifying itself as the Third Sunrise, was already broadcasting at me. With gritted teeth, I switched on the comms.

“… my salvage. Back off.” The first words made out through the static were harsh, and the scowling alien face wasn’t much friendlier. A rugged face, with a scar running from his forehead down to his cheek, interrupted by a metal eye replacement. His other eye, dark and brooding, stared at me from the screen. He made an arresting sight—blue skin, a deep blue like lapis lazuli, and in place of hair, thick quills pulled back from his face, shimmering in the emergency lighting. Horns rose through them, an eerie white against the darker blues.

He looked like a space pirate out of a holonovella, the ‘bad guy’ that everyone secretly wished would carry off the heroine.

It took me a moment to recognize him. Krell Kyros had grown up since I’d last seen him, years ago. Our families might be feuding, but we couldn’t avoid each other completely. We hadn’t spoken beyond an awkward introduction, and I’d only seen him a few times. It wasn’t easy to reconcile the sullen youth of my memories with the man I saw in the hologram. Strong, confident, rugged—the perfect villain to drag me back to his asteroid lair.

Izzy! What the hell?Maybe being out here in the dark with no company was wearing on me, if that was my first thought when a rough alien told me to steer clear.

“Doesn’t look like you’re doing any salvage right now,” I pointed out. “You can’t possibly take the whole ship for yourself.”

“My family will arrive soon, and the looting will begin.” His voice held so much confidence that I knew he was lying. Nobody is that certain about anything. “We do not need your help.”

Another look at the sensors. No sign of anyone coming to help him. Or me.

“You’re sitting in the only ship your family owns,” I said, wincing at the flare of anger in his eye. My mouth kept going while my brain listened, mortified. “My father made sure of that when he rammed the Second Dusk.”

He leaned back in his seat, and I realized he wasn’t wearing anything on his broad, muscular chest. The sight was very distracting—Krell’s deep blue skin rose and fell with his breathing, and I imagined nestling against him, my head resting on his chest, listening to his heart beating.

I blinked, shivered, and tried to keep those unwanted thoughts out of my mind. At least Krell was too busy staring at me to notice how distracted I was. It took me a moment to realize why—I hadn’t had a chance to replace my t-shirt yet. Blood rushed to my cheeks and I could have melted into my seat with embarrassment.

Did he have a similar accident to mine, or does he just go topless all the time?I tried to distract myself with humor to stop myself dying of shame, and I leaned closer to the camera so all it showed was my face as I pressed on.

“Neither of us is getting out of here alone. Best case, one of the big salvage corps arrives in time to ‘rescue’ us and claim our ships as salvage in exchange for dumping us at the nearest station.” I’d make it home from there but losing the Stardancer would ruin my family. Watching Krell’s face as he did the math for himself, I saw him come to the same conclusion.

Krell didn’t like that any more than I did. “Then we have no choice but to bare our weaknesses to each other. I arrived in the swarm, and it left my ship crippled, the engine and sensors dead, life support barely functional. I barely made it here. How has yours fared? Can we escape this trap together?”

The damage to my life support worried me. For me and Freefall, it would do, but add a Hormza to the mix? It wouldn’t last the months it would take to fly home in realspace. My breath stuck in my chest, and I licked my dry lips nervously. I had to force myself to reply. Please, please let the answer be yes. “Does your hyperdrive still work?”

A heartbeat of silence. I gripped the patched and taped arms of my chair tight enough for my knuckles to go white.

“It does. But without engines, it is useless.” I couldn’t read him well, but I thought I saw the mirror to my hope in his one good eye.

“Mine is a wreck, but I’ve got engines,” I said, watching him exhale. As the stress left him, I couldn’t help noticing how handsome he really was. Not now, Izzy! “My life support should be enough for a couple of days. If you can reach me with your hyperdrive—”

“—and it’s compatible with your systems,” Krell said, baring his sharp, predator’s teeth in what I hoped was a smile.

“We can both get home,” we finished together.

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