Page 96 of Alien Captain's Prisoner

A tough survivor might escape, leaving the crew and captain of The Instigator to their fate; satisfied with the thousands of years of life and the enhanced physicality the Bond has granted her. She’d let the three men face death, along with all the soldiers and miners unlucky enough to be aligned with them.

In the past, I’ve always thought of myself as that cold-hearted, tough survivor – but a moment earlier, I’d felt the guilt of being responsible for the death of Aelon, Vinicus and Iunia – not to mention the rest of the Aurelians on board The Instigator – and I could barely live with myself.

I know I can’t live with the decision now that I have the chance to choose differently.

But if I go back, nothing will change.

Grief grabs me anew.

Captain Aelon willneverchange. He’d captain The Instigator into battle against even a Toad Mothership, flanked by thousands of assault ships. The bloodlust is all he knows – and he’ll get what he’s wanted for all these decades: An honorable death, cremated by las-fire and buried in space.

“Captain?”

My dead silence is making Sawoot nervous. She can’t figure why I’m piloting closer and closer to the Toad fleet. My sensors and my ability to sense the Bond might have been cut off, but the sensors and readings of those Toad ships sure as hell haven’t been.

“I just need to get a little closer, so I can see their numbers.”

Theme coughs nervously. “I’d… I’d recommendagainstthat, Captain.Stronglyagainst that. They haven’t noticed us –yet. But, when they do, they’ll see a Reaver. AnAurelianReaver.”

Sawoot nods. “A Reaver they’ll assume will warn Captain Aelon of their approach.”

My two crewmembers are making sense – but I’ve long-since abandoned the need to rely on logic.

“We’re going back.”

I can feel their eyes turn to me.

“Are youcrazy? That bloodthirsty captainwantedto pick a fight with the Toads! Let him get what he wished for! If we go back, we won’t be able to do anything except be held captive and die alongside him!”

Suddenly, I remember the words Theme screamed back when this adventure started – when we were first being pursued by those Toad assault vessels.

“Are you crazy? We’ll be shredded by the next barrage.”

I’d just commanded him to divert all power from our shields to the engines, as the Toads chased us towards the moon of Tarrion. He’s protested, but followed my orders – and it had saved our lives.

That’s why I’m the captain, and he’s the technician.

I suddenly realize that it’s all a circle – life, I mean. Everything is the same, and everything is different, and it all revolves back to where it started.

I turn to Theme and meet his eyes. They’re wild – not quite human anymore, in his desperate panic.

“Theme,” I snap. “I trusted you to get us out of The Instigator. Now, you have to trustme. I can convince Aelon to turn away – I know I can. I’m his Bonded mate. Hewillchange for me – but I need you to trust me right now. Can you do that?”

The lie in my voice stings. I’m killing Theme if my gamble fails. If Aelon is the man I think he is, I’ve just signed Theme’s death warrant as surely as if I put him on the Aurelian Kill List myself.

He gulps. I can see the tears forming in his eyes, but then he shakes his head and sets his jaw.

“Okay – I trust you, Captain.”

Fuck.

Be careful what you wish for, right?

Theme has his trust in me, and now I feel a new kind of guilt as I turn the Reaver around and power back towards The Instigator. I just chose my triad over my own crew. I’ll have to live with that guilt if it leads to Theme or Sawoot getting hurt – or worse.

I’m risking the two people most important to me for the chance to save my Bonded triad – and the worst part is that I don’t even know if Aeloncanchange. In fact, I’m almost convinced he can’t…

But Ihaveto try.

---