Page 53 of Vindicated

Lettie clapped and Vern’s grin was wide. Even as the Raas turned to follow his raiders, I caught his arm before he could take more than a step.

I pulled him close, a reckless impulse overriding all rational thought. I knew that everything that had happened between uswas still new, and it didn't erase the fact that I was a stranger to this warbird and this life. It didn’t change the fact that I still intended to leave when a safe planet was found. Even so, I couldn't stand the thought of him walking into battle without me wishing him good luck.

"Kick some Zagrath ass," I told him, and pulled him down into a fast, hard kiss.

When I released him, a wolfish grin spread across his face that made my stomach flip flop. Then he was gone, striding off through the chaos of raiders and pilots already swarming the hangar bay as the siren shrieked.

I turned back to my friends, and every one of them was grinning at me with some amount of shameless delight.

"Well, well," Lettie said, fanning herself dramatically. “I think someone hasn’t been completely forthcoming.”

I rolled my eyes though I could feel the heat crawling up my neck. “Are you coming or not?”

I led them up the winding corridors, dodging raiders who thundered past us in both directions, their boots pounding steel. The whole ship thrummed with the energy of impending battle, and I found myself grateful that I actually knew the way through its labyrinth of bridges and staircases.

We reached the door to Lorken's quarters, and I pressed my palm to the panel the way I'd seen him do dozens of times now, and it slid open with a hiss.

"In," I said, waving them through, and the moment the door sealed shut behind us, the alarm's shriek dulled to a muffled thrum.

Lettie let out a low whistle as she walked around the low black table and the ottoman cushions surrounding it. "This is where you've been living? It’s a far cry from our sad little bunks."

Vallia stayed near the doorway, her eyes wide as she took in the tousled furs and the wall of glass.

Ringo and Hatch disappeared into the bathing chamber, followed by Hal. Moments late the stage manager’s face popped out. “You have got to come see this!"

Lettie grabbed Vern’s hand and pulled him with her. “Is this the waterfall? I’ve never seen a waterfall before.”

I nudged Vallia. “You can go see. It’s pretty impressive.”

She nodded timidly, but her gaze was still on the glass wall. Then a flash of red light from outside the window caught my attention, and I turned fully to follow Vallia’s intent gaze.

My spine stiffened and my heart lurched. Beyond the glass, framed against the endless black of space, the Zagrath battleship had come fully into view. It was massive and angular, the dark gray hull bristling with weapons. It dwarfed anything I'd imagined—a hulking predator that made my fear of the Empire visceral again.

I took tentative steps forward, my feet propelling me toward the terrifying ship as if I wasn’t the one controlling them. The idea of the Zagrath finding us was no longer a hypothetical. They were here. They’d tracked us down.

"Athena—" Hal's voice from behind me cut through my paralysis.

Red light bloomed along the enemy ship's hull, arcing toward us in a blinding streak, and Hal's hand closed around my arm, yanking me back from the glass with enough force to make us both stumble. The impact from the enemy weapons fire hit a moment later.

The entire warbird shuddered violently around us, the deck lurching beneath my feet hard enough to throw me against Hal's chest. He staggered back, and we both fell to the floor as screams shattered the air. My palms stung from the impact, but I managed to push myself to my hands and knees as Lettie staggered into the arched doorway leading to the bathingchamber. Her gaze slid to the view of the Zagrath ship and another beam of red light shooting toward us.

“Get down!” I yelled as the ship shuddered from the second impact and lurched to one side, sending me sliding into Hal and Lettie tumbling to the floor.

Then every light in the room died at once, plunging us into sudden, absolute darkness.

Chapter 45

Lorken

Iburst onto the command deck at a run, skidding to a stop at the sight through the wide viewing glass. The Zagrath battleship hung before us, enormous and malevolent. My stomach roiled, rage boiling my blood that the enemy had gotten this close to us.

“Fire at will," I barked, and the command deck erupted into a flurry of motion, as tactical officers relayed the order across every channel.

Red light bloomed from the enemy's hull an instant later, arcing toward us with terrible speed, and I braced one hand on the nearest console as the impact rocked through the ship and nearly buckled my knees. Then the lights died, plunging the command deck into total blackness before the emergency lighting flickered on and bathed everything in a dim wash of scarlet.

The doors to my left parted, and Zarn burst from hisoblek, blood still smeared along one forearm, his expression fierce.

"The traitor can wait," he said before I could comment. “The enemy cannot."