Page 20 of Mated in the Stars
Berg whistled low, and she opened her eyes to glare in his direction.
"Could be a benefit to us." Cat reasoned, her voice thoughtful.
"That's what I figured." Sara admitted. And after last night Ak’kel might be even more unaware of her as a possible threat. Wasn’t like she’d resisted him at all.
"So, how about arming us and letting us out?" Berg asked and the rest of her crew nodded their heads in quick agreement.
Sara shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, I've been locked out of all essential systems." She sent her crew an apologetic smile. "Seems he doesn't trust his mate."
"Now we know he isn't stupid." Berg plopped down on a cot.
Joana, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward with a confident smile. "Don't be so quick to admit defeat. There are plenty of other ways to hack into our systems. Whether you planned it or not, Captain, your old ship doesn't have high end safety protocols to bypass." She patted a rusty wall inside the brig cell. "I can tell you exactly what to do."
"I'm all ears." Sara sat down and waited for Joana to explain further.
By the time Joana finished explaining, Sara nodded, determination hardening her features. It'd be tricky, but if it paid off, Ak’kel and his men wouldn't be on board and she and her crew would be free once more.
"Let's do it."
"We will wait on your signal." Berg smirked, a twinkle once again entering his eyes at the promise of payback.
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Sara wasn't cutout for this sabotage stuff. Every time she passed by one of Ak’kel's men, she nearly jumped out of her skin as she prickled with dread someone would find her out. Which was insane, because no Vrak’rir could read minds. She knew that, yet she kept her eyes peeled and her ears out for any sign she was being watched.
Eventually, she found an abandoned pad laying on a console. Stepping over to the console, she glanced around as she debated hiding it under her shirt and walking back to her cabin. But that'd be the first place she'd run into Ak’kel. No, she'd stay where she was. It wasn't like there were a ton of his men running around her ship.
Quickly, Sara typed on the pad, following Joana's instructions. Done. Now to check on her pad where everyone was located on the ship. Her crew bio signs were all in the brig, and she saw the rest of the bio signs merging on the bridge.
With Joana’s instructions, she'd fooled the ship's external sensors to detect a ship approaching. No doubt Ak’kel had called his men to the bridge expecting a firefight. Just the kind of deception that she needed.
Once everyone was on the bridge, she typed in another command which locked all bridge doors. Trying to contain her giddiness, Sara took in a couple of deep breaths as she smiled.
"Okay.’ She whispered to herself. “Now that they're sealed in, I need to head to the medical bay before they figure out a way to break out."
Right as she entered the corridor that would take her to the medical bay, Ak’kel's voice rang out over the ship’s intercom.
"Don't do whatever you're thinking." Ak’kel’s deep voice ground out through the speakers, low and threatening.
Well, damn, she thought to herself. It hadn’t taken him quite as long to figure out it was her as she'd hoped.
"Why do you assume I did anything?" She responded via a device on her lapel. Her voice steady, but her hear hammered away inside her ribcage.
"Because you're the captain. In your shoes, I'd do anything to get my ship back."
"Then you understand. No hard feelings." Sara strode into the medical bay and began digging around to find what she needed.
"You can't escape me. I'm your mate."
"Thankfully, that's one sided." Sara quipped with a short laugh. "Humans need courtship to fall in love. I just remember you killing my crew." With a triumphant smile, Sara held up the metal canister she'd been seeking.
"Release us now and I will be more lenient than if you don't."
"Sorry, but no." Sara walked out of the medical bay. She needed to find the ventilation room. Down one deck and over. The ventilation room had been constructed in the middle of the ship, so it would be more protected during any possible breaches.
"You will come to regret this." Ak’kel insisted.
"Maybe, but it'll be my mistake to regret." Sara still didn't see the downside of getting rid of this Vrak'rir. "Shouldn't have killed my crew and taken over my ship."
