Page 52 of Salvaged By the Alien Pirate

“Clever little hacker,” I growl, nuzzling the spot where my marks decorate her throat. Her pulse quickens beneath my lips. “Always finding patterns others miss.”

“Cirdox,” she breathes, though her hands still move through the data with professional precision. “We should focus on—”

I spin her to face me, claiming her mouth in a kiss that makes her neural implants misfire spectacularly. She responds instantly, her fingers tangling in my hair as I press her against the console. The bond pulses between us, raw and demanding.

When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard. “I should get back to the bridge,” I murmur against her lips, though my wings remain curled around her.

“You should,” she agrees, but her hands trail down my chest, her fingers tracing my tribal markings in ways that make them pulse with dangerous brightness. “Though we have a few minutes before anyone comes looking...” Her touch grows bolder, exploring the ridges and valleys of my muscled abdomen with deliberate slowness.

I growl softly, catching her wandering hands. “Dangerous game, little hacker.”

“Maybe I like dangerous games,” she purrs, pressing herself against me. The heat of her body through the thin material of her tactical suit sends electricity racing through my veins. “Especially with dangerous pirates.”

My wings snap forward, caging her against me as I claim her mouth in a searing kiss. She responds with equal hunger, her fingers tangling in my hair as she arches into me. The bond between us pulses with shared need, making my markings flare bright enough to cast crimson shadows across her skin.

Later, as I straighten my uniform and she adjusts her tactical suit, she gives me that wicked smile that never fails to stir my blood. Her lips are still swollen from our kisses, her skin flushed with lingering pleasure. “I’ll be up shortly. Just need to... straighten up a bit.”

“As you command, little hacker,” I murmur, feeling her satisfaction pulse through our bond. “As you command.”

Let the Eclipse and their conspirators come. They’ll find the Void Reaver’s captain and his mate more than ready for whatever challenges lie ahead.

Through the newly forged bond, a subtle warmth pulses in my chest as Neon strides onto the bridge, already analyzing data streams with the intensity that makes her such a formidable hacker. Her movements are precise and efficient as she accesses the tactical station, the glow of her neural implants highlighting the claiming marks on her neck—marks I can’t help but focus on with possessive satisfaction.

K’vex materializes on the holographic display, her six hands moving in those subtly contradicting patterns that have always set my instincts on edge. “Captain Thar’Kal,” she begins, mandibles clicking with barely concealed tension. “The Brotherhood council has concerns about recent... events.”

“Really?” I let my wings spread slightly, a casual display of strength. “I wasn’t aware the council had concerns about increased efficiency and improved tactical response times.”

From her station, Neon’s fingers dance across the controls as she initiates a series of complex navigational calculations. The results appear instantly on my command display, each projection more precise than the last. Her small, satisfied smile tells me everything I need to know about her confidence in the data. The holographic faces of the other Brotherhood captains flicker with unease as they watch us work in perfect synchronization.

I gesture to the holographic display where Neon has reconstructed the Eclipse’s supply chain manipulations, showing how they’ve been systematically corrupting luminore shipments across three sectors. The data streams paint a damning picture of their operation’s scope—one that would have remained hidden without my mate’s exceptional skills.

“A thorough analysis,” K’vex concedes, though her hands never stop their restless movement. “Perhaps too thorough. Such detailed intelligence gathering could expose our own operations to unnecessary scrutiny.” Her suggestion carries a note of concern that might seem reasonable to others, but something about it raises my hackles.

Vornak’s hologram shifts, his obsidian scales seeming to catch the projection’s light despite his incorporeal form. “The captain’s methods have proven effective,” he rumbles, though his tone carries lingering skepticism. “For now, results matter more than tradition.”

Neon responds without looking up from her station, her voice carrying that familiar edge of steel that first drew me to her. Her fingers tighten almost imperceptibly on the tactical controls, betraying the tension beneath her calm exterior. “The captain’s strategies have reduced our losses by sixty percent since implementation.” She finally raises her gaze to meet K’vex’s eyes without flinching. “Unless you’d prefer we return to previous protocols?”

The subtle tension in her shoulders and the dangerous calm in her tone tell me everything I need to know about her anger, even without our newly formed connection. My fierce little hacker, always ready to defend what’s hers. The challenge in her tone makes my markings pulse brighter, pride and possessiveness mingling through our connection.

K’vex’s gaze fixes on Neon for a moment too long before returning to me. “Of course not. But with the Eclipse’s recent movements—” She spreads her hands in what appears to be a gesture of concern. “Perhaps a more distributed approach would be prudent? Smaller patrol groups, less predictable patterns...”

“Spreading our forces thin?” I interrupt, moving to stand behind Neon’s station, my wing brushing her shoulder in a casual display of unity. “The Eclipse thrives on isolated targets.”I nod to Neon, who projects our latest intelligence onto the main display. “While maintaining our current formation has actually increased our defensive capabilities.”

The holographic data fills the bridge—shipping manifestos, security protocols, tactical assessments. Neon’s eyes gleam with that particular intensity she gets when she’s found something significant, her fingers dancing across the controls with practiced precision. The slight upturn of her lips and the confident set of her shoulders tell me she’s pleased with what she’s uncovered as she manipulates the information, highlighting patterns that only her enhanced capabilities could detect.

“This level of coordination...” K’vex’s hands move in rapid calculation patterns. “How exactly do you maintain such precise formations without compromising operational security?”

“That’s need-to-know,” Neon replies smoothly, but I catch the slight narrowing of her eyes, the way her fingers pause fractionally over the controls. After years of combat and leadership, I recognize the signs of a predator sensing prey—she’s spotted something in K’vex’s reaction, some subtle tell that’s set her hacker’s instincts humming.

I rest my hand on the back of Neon’s chair, my tribal markings pulsing in time with her neural implants—a visible reminder of our connection that makes several captains shift uncomfortably. Let them be unsettled. Let them see what happens when strength meets strategy, when trust overcomes fear.

“The Brotherhood,” I declare, letting my voice carry the full weight of command, “is entering a new era. Those who adapt will thrive. Those who cling to old doubts...” I let my wings spread fully, casting shadows across the bridge. “Well, that’s their choice to make.”

The assembled holograms shift uneasily. Vornak’s obsidian scales ripple with barely contained tension while Ralith’s tail twitches nervously. Shen’va’s ethereal wings mantle slightly, their oily feathers catching the blue light of the projection. Even Drokmar’s usually impassive frog-like features betray a hint of concern.

Only K’vex maintains her perfect composure, all six hands moving in those telling contradictory patterns. “Pretty words, Captain. But the Brotherhood wasn’t built on speeches.”

“No,” I agree, baring my fangs in what might be a smile. “It was built on results.”

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