Page 12 of Black Star

Not if he’s not linked and theBlack Stardoesn’t want him to see.

Nadira sat in stunned silence, barely able to input the instructions she was preparing to execute. There was a bigger picture here she wasn’t seeing.

Only because you haven’t tried, my dear.Sword Breakersounded more like a fatherly figure now than a cyborg entity.

The claxons had long since quieted, and the silence was deafening as Nadira waited. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck and between her breasts, and the clingy uniform stuck to her damp skin. She reached out with all she was to theSword Breaker, trying her best to get a feel for what was happening. All she sensed was a building sense of excitement.Black Starwould finally take her place beside him.After all these decades.

Now, Nadira! Now!

Nadira pressed the button to execute the commands she had already entered. It worked like a charm, just likeSword Breakerhad said it would. TheBlack Starseemed to be caught completely off guard, except Nadira knew better. The informationhadbeen there. She could sense it in the back of her mind. The link with theBlack Starshe had tried so hard to form all those months ago was grossly incomplete, but a link nonetheless.

The command team let out a collective breath. One young man a little less disciplined than the others pumped a fist in the air in celebration. Mikiel’s expression was blank. He gave nothing away, but his eyes were focused squarely on her. She tried to hold his gaze, but it wasn’t long before she dropped her eyes. He knew something had happened.

“Even though we have every right to bring theBlack Starback to Homeworld, I gave my word to let her go. We can hardly fault her captain for attempting to rescue a valued crewmember. Tow theBlack Starback to Vok’nair space and disable her weaponry. If she tries to follow us, disable her engines. Then set a course back to Asalian space with all possible speed. I’ll be in my quarters.” When Nadira turned to obey his command, he grabbed her arm and dragged her from the pilot’s station to the door. She cried out as his fingers bit into her arm, but he didn’t loosen his grip. He hissed in her ear. “Not a word until we’re alone.”

You cannot let him makeBlack Stargo away. The ship sounded almost frantic, not the smug, self-assured entity of only a few moments ago.Convince him to bring her with us and try to get her to join forces with the Asalian Coalition.

He doesn’t care about my opinion. What makes you think he’ll listen to me?

Just be honest with the questions he asks you. Answereverything.Tell him what you feel.

Why? Why is this so important to you?

Sword Breakeranswered her with silence.

Before she could question the ship further, Mikiel opened the door to their quarters and yanked her inside. “How did you know what maneuver I was planning? I know for a fact you haven’t been implanted with a psycom unit, yet you executed my exact command the instant I opened my mouth to give you the instructions.”

Nadira swallowed. She was so confused and disoriented she didn’t know what she should do. If she did as theSword Breakerinstructed, the goal would be to capture and turn theBlack Starinto an Asalian ship. If she didn’t, they would tow her old ship to safety. Only a few months ago, she would have kept her mouth shut. Now, well, she missed theBlack Star. She might not want her old ship turned into an Asalian vessel, but she wanted to walk her decks again. Besides, Nadira realized there was something else going on. Something she was missing, but thought she ought to be able to see clearly. “I’ve made a tentative link withSword Breaker. He told me what I should do.”

Mikiel studied her intently. “What else did it tell you?”

“That you should take theBlack Starwith you and convince her to join us.” Goddess, Nadira hoped she’d done the right thing. If not, even her father wouldn’t be able to get her out of this one should he succeed in rescuing her.

Mikiel paced the room twice before sitting down on the bed and scrubbing a hand over his face. “The ship told you this.” He made it a statement instead of a question. He looked wearier than Nadira had yet seen him. Usually he wore a mask over his emotions. This sudden lapse in control meant he was either weary indeed, or he was simply becoming used to her. She rather liked the latter.

“What would you have me do? I doubt yourfriendDamon will join an enemy force without a very good reason. The longer we stay in Asalian space, the greater the likelihood of us being discovered by another vessel more concerned with bettering their career than the good of the Coalition. Your preciousBlack Starmight end up stardust.”

“Then take us to neutral space.”

Good idea! Thank you, my dear. Thank you. TheSword Breakernow expressed his relief with an almost human inflection to his words.

Mikiel raised an eyebrow. “Neutral space.” He considered it for a moment. “Do you think you can convince Damon to defect?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Is there anyone there who has linked with her?”

“I don’t know.” Nadira found she enjoyed this simple information exchange with Mikiel. He wasn’t yelling at her, and she wasn’t avoiding him. They simply talked. It was a pleasant experience. “I do know that there is something going on between theBlack Starand theSword Breaker. I just don’t know what it is, and this stubborn ship of yours hasn’t seen fit to tell me.”

Yet. Not yet. Soon, my dear.

Nadira wasn’t sure why she suddenly felt bold enough to openly study Mikiel, but she did so now. His black uniform, lined in gold, fit his large, firm body snugly, hugging the contours of his muscles. From strong arms and powerful thighs to a massive chest and rock hard abdomen, Mikiel was the perfect specimen of manhood as far as she was concerned. The intense features of his face only accentuated his masculinity and rugged maleness. Nadira didn’t think of herself as having a very creative imagination, but the things she had done to this man in her dreams and daydreams made her wonder at that assessment of her character. Even now, she was wondering if he would stop her if she simply shrugged out of her clothing and draped her body over his.

“We’ll try it your way. If you can’t convince Damon to join us, we can always part ways without fear of a Vok’nair ambush.” His statement startled her. She had been sinking fast into a sexual haze. When she realized he was actually listening to her input, she almost had to shake her head to make sure she’d heard him right. Before she could comment on his last statement, he opened communications with the command room. “Central Command, this is the commander. Change our course to the Sclactian sector. Best possible speed.”

“As you command. Sir, theBlack Staris demanding to know our intentions.”

Mikiel stood and walked to Nadira until her breasts would surely touch him if she took a deep breath. She had to tilt her head back to keep his gaze. Never taking his eyes from hers, he gave instructions to the officer. “Inform theBlack Starwe will be discussing a possible alliance between our two ships. Make sure you word it exactly like that. Don’t embellish.”

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