Page 28 of Her Lawless Prince

“Hold on, I want more,” Yevgen protested.

“You don’t need more,” Nyle dismissed.

Heat replaced the tingling as the transfuser healed the skin it had penetrated to retrieve his blood. He picked up the handheld medic they had found and pressed it to his neck. He felt it injecting him. The dizziness in his head eased.

“I don’t think we should go to Torgan,” Nyle said. The black market planet was a well-known haven for shady deals and even worse characters. Anything illegal could be bought and sold within the confines of the main complex. “That is where I was before I went to Qurilixen. They were about to have a Frendle’s Chips competition. The marketplace will be packed with outlaws.”

Frendle’s Chips was a strategic game of skill and a popular gambling sport in the universes. It also attracted many unsavorys who would shoot an alien on a dare.

“I don’t think you are in a position to make those decisions.” Yevgen pulled the transfuser off his arm and tossed it at Nyle.

“I don’t think—”

“Enough of this,” Payton interrupted, her voice raised. “What was mildly amusing is becoming tedious fast. I will not continue to listen to you bicker with each other over every little thing.”

“Of course, my wife.” Yevgen sounded contrite.

Nyle glared at him. “We should be flying away from the people who ordered our kidnapping. Not straight into their prison holds.”

“Why Torgan?” Payton asked Yevgen.

“The Federation will notice if this ship changes course. Given my importance as the payload, it is reasonable to assume they will be tracking our progress. Also, Torgan is the closest port should we wish to use the escape pods. Seeing as our desired contacts, Rick Hayes and his crew, are space pirates, it is fair to assume we can locate them in Torgan’s vicinity. I have been trying to contact them.”

“Why not Torgan?” Payton turned her attention to Nyle.

“Your logic is faulty.” Nyle stared at Yevgen, wanting to reprogram the smirk on his face. “Just because they’re pirates, doesn’t mean they’ll be close to Torgan, even though pirates go there. We took over the ship, so we don’t have to use the escape pods. We can just dock at the nearest fuel port and walk off. We can take plenty from this ship to barter for a ride. Stopping at a fuel dock is not suspicious if we are being tracked. By the time the Federation sends someone to check on why the ship isn’t moving, we’ll be on our way to Qurilixen.” He turned to Payton. “Trust me. I’ve been avoiding people my entire life. I know how to disappear into deep space. Once we’re on the run, they won’t find us.”

“I agree,” Payton said. “Yev, find the closest fueling dock.”

“I could, but it’s not a viable plan. We should fly to Torgan.” Yevgen stood and looked at the viewing screen. His eyes flashed as if recording the star’s locations.

“Yev.” Payton touched his arm. “We should go to the fuel dock.”

“I can fly the ship.” Yevgen placed his hand over Payton’s. “Landing might prove difficult.”

“Tell me you can land,” Payton said.

“I will never lie to you, my wife. There are no instructions stored on this ship, and I do not recognize the layout of this antiquated alien console. Flying is easy. It was not favorable when I calculated the risk of trying to land. When we pass Torgan, we can eject the pods while the ship keeps moving.”

Nyle stared at him in disbelief. “You said you could handle this ship.”

Payton took a deep breath and stood quietly for a long moment. When she finally spoke, she said, “Get us to Torgan. Now that you have your blood, make sure you’re protected from reverse hacks and access the ship’s full database. Learn anything useful you can about the crew, their mission, whom they were supposed to meet.”

“Yes, my love.”

Payton grabbed one of the blasters off an empty chair. “Nyle and I are going to check the ship and see to it that the prisoners are fed.”

Nyle was happy for any excuse to leave Yevgen’s presence. When they were alone in the corridor, he said, “I never thought I’d side with all those technophobe groups who used to protest the cyborgtronics projects on New Earth when they first started, but...”

“Oh?”

“They were worried that cyborgs and other artificial intelligence would try to overtake humanity by wiping them all out or enslaving natural-born people.” Nyle led the way down the corridor toward where they had taken him to use a food simulator earlier. “Scientists argued that their program guidelines would be strictly supervised and that they couldn’t work past their protocols even if left on their own.”

Payton sighed. “I know you think of him as some broken machine. Yes, he’s eccentric, but I hardly think he wants to rule over humanoids. You said it yourself. He is programmed to help the Cysgodians, and he did that more times than I can count. He helped us remove the Federation’s presence on our planet and exposed General Sten as a monster. He is loyal to the Qurilixen people, and I trust him.”

“It’s one thing to watch over people on-world, but we’re in space, and his need to protect the Cysgodians doesn’t include me. I monitored him the best I could from space, but clearly I missed glitches in his programming. It’s not surprising. He’s an old model who’s been piecing himself together with spare parts. It didn’t even register that he was still activated when we tried to remove his leg.” Nyle paused by a hand scanner. “His only redeeming quality is that he is fixated on protecting his wife.”

“Half mate,” Payton corrected.

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