Page 47 of The Captain's Bounty
“Aldar, son of Stinio, 500 chits,” the other captain went on. Kelys, son of Zuzax, 500 chits. And your human woman, Cory 1500 chits, but that I will sacrifice. It’s been a long voyage. My crew require diversion.” The faceless stare of the goggled mask and veils added that extra touch of deadly intent as the pirate captain tipped his head. “Now, once more and for the last time, I ask you as a friend, would you like to reconsider turning over the woman? She is a criminal, a thief of the dead, a robber of graves. She does not deserve your protection, captain.”
Grave robber? Thief? Lissa bristled, not alone.
“Says the dead man,” the being inside her replied through Lissa’s mouth.
Nobody even looked at her, not until she placed her hand on the side of the ship and shot all the power building inside her straight through the hull. The amber blast hit the Soldri ship full on.
The screen became nothing but static as other ship blew up. So did the control panel, erupting all around Bruwes and Cory in a shower of silver-blue sparks that made everyone jump.
“What the fuck!” Cory shouted, all but leaping straight out over the back of her chair. “My ship!”
Bruwes looked at her, then jerked around in his chair to stare straight at Lissa.
Her mouth opened and the alien being within said, deadpan, “Oops.”
I think I love you.
Ugh. I mean, thank you… for your words of esteem. I, too, have come to regard you with significantly less disgust. Significantly.
Which was as close to a return of affections as she could expect from that one. What she didn’t expect was the crippling hunger that hit her as the being relinquished its control over her body, doubling her over with a pained gasp, before dropping her to her knees on the floor grates.
She didn’t particularly love the way Bruwes’s face darkened into a glare, either. But, frankly, one life-endangering emergency at a time.
“Doyou want the good news or the bad?” Kelys asked, popping his head up out of the hole they’d made when they’d removed the floor grate in the bridge to figure out how bad the damage to his control console actually was.
Bruwes hated the answer already. “Good.”
“I found the problem. Should take about three hours to fix it.”
That wasn’t terrible. In the meantime, however, they were drifting, targets for anyone who might happen along.
He hated to ask, but knowledge was power, especially in vulnerable situations. “And the bad?”
“We need to stop breathing now. We only have life support for two.”
He swore.
“That’s what I said, but don’t say it again. It uses too much air.” Picking a set of tools from the selection on the floor around his access hole, the tech engineer disappeared back under the floor.
Shoving off his knees, Bruwes stalked out the door. When he got his hands on Lissa…
He almost collided with Demin, on his way back to the bridge. The doctor was rolling up his sleeves with the hand not carrying a tablet.
“Where did you put her?”
“In your room like you told me. How bad is it?”
“Kesly is going to need help,” Bruwes bit out.
“That’s why I came back. If nothing else,” the doctor held up the tablet. “I can read to him from the manual.”
“Try not to breathe, too.”
Demin stepped out of his way. “For how long?”
“Two hours.”
“Ah. Lovely.”
