“MERIDIAN STEALTH PROBE,” Zip says, and there’s an edge to his voice I don’t like. “DROPPED OUT OF HYPERSPACE AT 2,000 KILOMETERS AND CLOSING. ACTIVE SCANS. THEY KNOW WE’RE HERE, CAPTAIN.”
My bare feet hit the cold deck plating, and I’m in the pilot’s seat before Rynn finishes fastening his jacket. The viewscreenshows it: a sleek black wedge, no bigger than a personal shuttle, bristling with sensor arrays. It’s not a warship. It’s a hunter.
“How did they find us?” I bring up tactical, fingers flying across the controls. “We’ve been dark for hours.”
“I believe,” Rynn says from behind me, voice tight, “I know how.”
I twist to look at him. He’s holding the Aethel crystal, and in the cockpit’s ambient light I can see it pulsing. Not dramatically—not like last night when it lit up the room. Just a faint, steady rhythm. Like a heartbeat.
Like a beacon.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“When the crystal unlocks, it generates a specific energy signature.” His jaw is tight. “The bio-lock isn’t just security—it’s camouflage. Once opened, the encryption field collapses and the crystal’s natural resonance becomes detectable. I did not realize... I unlocked it to show you the data. And in doing so, I created a trail.”
“Fantastic.” I swing back to the controls. “Zip, how long until they’re in weapons range?”
“FOUR MINUTES. ALTHOUGH WEAPONS MAY NOT BE THEIR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE—THE PROBE IS HAILING US. STANDARD MERIDIAN CONSORTIUM DIPLOMATIC FREQUENCY.”
“Oh, they want to chat. How civilized.” I don’t bother hiding the sarcasm.
“REQUESTING IMMEDIATE SURRENDER OF LORD RYNN VALORIAN AND THE AETHEL CRYSTAL. THEY PROMISE SAFE PASSAGE FOR YOU AND YOUR VESSEL IF YOU COMPLY WITHIN TWO MINUTES.”
“They promise.” I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “Right. And after I hand over my passenger, they’ll totally let me fly away with evidence of their illegal pursuit.”
“INDEED,” Zip agrees. “HISTORICAL DATA SUGGESTS A 96% PROBABILITY OF ‘UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENTS’ BEFALLING WITNESSES.”
Rynn is beside me now, one hand braced on my chair. Close enough that I can feel his heat, smell his scent mixing with mine. Close enough that the bond hums between us, a live wire of connection.
“You should comply,” he says quietly.
I twist to stare at him. “Excuse me?”
“They want me and the crystal. You could—”
“Don’t.” I cut him off, and there’s steel in my voice. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence. We’ve been through this. I’m not giving you up.”
“Polly—they will destroy you to get to me.”
“Let them try.” I bring engines online, and Pink Slip shudders to life beneath us. “Zip, charge weapons and prep for emergency jump. We’re leaving.”
“INADVISABLE,” Zip says, but he’s already complying. “THE PROBE IS ARMED WITH EMP MISSILES. IF THEY HIT US BEFORE WE CAN JUMP—”
“Then I’ll have to make sure they don’t hit us.” I flash Rynn a grin that’s probably more teeth than reassurance. “Strap in, Lord Chaos. This is going to get interesting.”
He doesn’t move toward the passenger seat. Instead, he slides into the co-pilot’s chair and starts bringing up tactical displays. “If you insist on keeping me alive, I insist on being useful.”
“You know how to run a weapons array?”
“I did not spend thirty years as cargo without learning a few skills.” His smile is sharp. “I may surprise you yet, kethara.”
The Valorian endearment—my heart or my blood or something equally possessive—does something warm and dangerous to my chest. I shove the feeling down and focus on flying.
“Then target their sensor array. I’m going to get us close enough that you can’t miss, and when I break—”
“I fire.” He’s already locked on. “Ready.”
The probe is closing fast. 1,500 kilometers. 1,000. I wait until I can see the individual sensor clusters, then goose the engines hard.
