Page 41 of The Alien's Stolen Rebel

Our lead opened, growing painfully slowly. All I needed was a little time. It wouldn’t be long before theStarshadow’spowerful thrusters took us out of the Fraxian fleet’s range.

TheScourgewas the first to give up the chase—its plasma barrage was devastating at short range but dissipated quickly.

That would have been cause to cheer if more ships weren’t arriving to reinforce the pursuit. Frax’s loyalist fleet was a shadow of the mighty armada he’d assembled at Caliban station. Invading a planet would be a laughable dream now, but killing us? There were more than enough of them for that.

In any other ship, we’d have lasted as long as an ice cube falling into a star. TheStarshadowproved its worth here, fast and agile. None of the pursuers couldmatch our speed, even when I flew zigzag to avoid the constant fire. But each ship dropped out of hyperspace closer to our position than the last, extending the chase. Our narrow escapes kept getting narrower, and safety lay further away.

“How’s the hyperdrive coming?” Rachel asked in the background.

“It would be done by now if you hadn’t told me to close it up and get the thrusters running,” Horzul snapped over the intercom. “Doyouwant to try getting it set back up while we’re flying? It’ll be done when it’s done.”

There goes that hope,I thought with a wince. Before I had time to react further, space ahead of us roiled and parted. A massive ship dropped out of hyperspace, hull crackling with lightning and targeting radar slamming into us.

I barely avoided a collision and knew with a cold certainty that this was it. Where Frax got a dreadnaught, I couldn’t fathom, and at this range we’d be dead before we could ask.

Instead of opening fire with its deadly energy weapons, though, the new ship broadcast on an open frequency. “This is the Martian Expeditionary VesselPodkayneto all hostile ships. We are on a rescue mission. You will stand down, or we will destroy you.”

I looked at the sensor readings and suppressed a laugh. ThePodkaynewas technically a military vessel, in that its transponder announced it as one, and it outmassed any ship in the Fraxian fleet. But Irecognized the old, worn, patched hull of a Liil mega-hauler. The humans had slapped some guns on her, upgraded the shield array, and filled the immense holds with batteries to power both. A brute force approach to combat parity, not something that I’d want to take up against a real warship.

But brute force was dangerous enough, especially for someone looking for an excuse not to fight. TheAmbush Predatorresponded by powering down weapons and broadcasting on the same open frequency.

“This is Mishoni es’Prenja Hisht-Frax, captain of theAmbush Predatorand Queen-Admiral of the Fraxian Horde. I have no desire for further conflict and will withdraw. I believe you’ll find the prize you seek on theStarshadow.” Mishoni—sorry, Queen-Admiral Mishoni—spoke with complete confidence, although she’d only just invented her title. Rachel and I grinned at each other.

“That is a hell of a promotion she’s given herself,” Rachel said.

“I suppose one doesn’t start an empire by thinking small,” I replied, shaking my head.

“True. And it sounds like she’s listened to your rules of piracy. She’s picked a plan and committed.” Rachel hugged me tight. “It’s going to be interesting to see how she does.”

As I drew breath to reply, the comms went live again.

“Starshadow,this is?—”

“Dad!” Rachel exclaimed delightedly. “I’m here!”

A brief pause. “Rachel, are you safe? Do you need rescued?”

“Nope, but we could use a tow, and I think you’ll want to meet the captain. We got married yesterday.”

23

RACHEL

The MEVPodkaynewas a mess, in the same way anything Martian seems to be. It felt like home, and the recycled air tasted better than anything I’d breathed since I’d left the red planet.

The crew kept a wary eye on my alien companions, which made sense given the lingering memories of the Uplink War. I was welcome, of course, but the smiles that greeted me hardened as soon as the rest of my crew came into view.

Fuck ‘em if they can’t get behind this,I thought, keeping my smile bright and cheery and linking arms with Kreel. He was my mate, and anyone who had a problem with it could bite me.

Nope, only one person gets to do that, and he’s right here.The blood rushed to my cheeks, and I pulled Kreel closer. Okay, more accurately, I pulled myself closer to him, but it came to the same thing. It made no differenceto the suspicious looks I got, but I held my head high anyway as we walked onto thePodkayne’sbridge.

It was like walking face-first into a tornado of love and concern. My father pounced as soon as the hatch opened, rushing over to wrap me in a bearhug.

“Ray! You’re here, you’re safe—youaresafe, aren’t you?” Kreel tensed beside me, and I appreciated the effort he made not to leap to my defense.

“Dad, stop it, I’m fine,” I said, struggling for a second before giving in and returning the hug. “Everything’s alright now, thanks to Kreel and the others.”

With a last squeeze, he stepped back to examine me, still holding my shoulders. I returned the favor, happy to see him looking well.

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