Page 25 of Mated in the Stars
"Let's see them on the viewscreen then."
An image flickered onto the viewscreen of a human male, his face framed by scruffy brown hair. When he smiled, yellow teeth greeted Ak’kel, and he felt one corner of his mouth pull back in a frown. The man was in desperate need of a bath. Thank the stars they were speaking through the viewscreen because he’d be willing to bet the man smelled like ripe garbage or sewage.
"What can I help you with?" The man asked as his eyes lazily roaming over the view of the bridge before landing on Ak’kel.
"We need information on a ship that may have visited your space port." He informed the human, his voice cold and precise.
The human leaned closer to the screen. "Well, I should be able to help you with that. If you send me the name of the ship, I can check my records."
Ak’kel raised a hand, signaling one of his men. Quickly, the man tapped away at his console, transmitting the data they had on Sara’s ship. A tense moment stretched by testing the limits of Ak’kel’s patience as he waited for the human to acknowledge he’d received the information.
"You should have the name now." Ak’kel said, watching the human carefully. He hoped Sara hadn’t gone elsewhere. Perhaps she'd chosen a different route. Maybe the male he’d interrogated had lied to him in one last loyal attempt to keep Sara from Ak’kel. Perhaps she wasn't at the gas giant or the space port. It was definitely a possibility since she knew he was hot on her ass.
"Ah, yes. I know this ship and her captain very well." The human looked up at Ak’kel through the viewscreen. A crooked grin crossed over his lips, revealing even more of his rotting teeth. "And what might this information be worth to you?"
Ak’kel’s mood darkened instantly, like a sudden plasma storm. As if he’d barter with this man for information. With the flick of his fingers, Ak’kel signaled his weapons officer, who promptly directed all arms at the space port.
Voice as cold as ice, Ak’kel growled, "How about this, you give me the information you have, and I spare your miserable life." Only one person was in control of this situation.
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"Captain, you'll want to look at this." Berg's sharp yet steady voice broke Sara out of her tense thoughts. His tone immediately piqued her interest.
Since meeting Ak’kel and successfully getting him the fuck off her ship, she'd done some research on the man. Even more than previously. After delving into his life, it’d become a lot clearer just how scary that particular Vrak’rir was. Fate seemed to have partnered her up with an absolute terror. A few words to describe him would be dangerous and unpredictable.
"What is it?" Sara asked as she leaned forward in her seat a little.
"Look." Berg gestured toward the viewscreen as he pulled up an image of a debris field. The jagged shapes and shimmering fragments of metal called to every fiber of her picker’s soul. "Almost looks like a spaceport or maybe even a space station exploded. I know we want to keep ahead of Ak'kel but," Berg turned in his seat to meet her eyes, "this might be a stop worth the risk. There’s bound to be some pretty valuable items in there just waiting to be found."
Sara nibbled on the inside of her cheek as she debated what to do. Her mind raced with the tempting salvage right before their eyes. On one hand, this would be a major pick and it was hard to resist the pull. On the other hand, Ak’kel scared the fudge out of her, and she wasn't above admitting it. If he caught them, there was no telling what he might do to them. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her temples with her fingers, feeling the weight of command on her shoulders.
"We will take a vote of the bridge staff." Sara rose from her seat and turned to face everyone on her bridge, her gaze sweeping over the faces around her. Some of the faces were new, people who’d been hired on or promoted from other parts of the ship after Ak’kel wiped out a decent number of them. "Before voting, I want each of you to consider how the men and womenunder your department might react to us staying. Do you believe the salvage would be worth the risk?"
Every crew member slowly nodded their heads in silent agreement.
"Okay. Who votes we stay and scavenge?" Sara asked.
Every hand on the bridge rose in unison, a collective decision, which made everything much simpler.
"Then inform the crew and get them ready. I want to be swift.” Sara commanded her crew. “I'm giving us only one hour to scavenge. After that, we leave. No exceptions."
Everyone on the bridge nodded. Her heart constricted inside her chest. Hopefully this didn't come back to bite them all in the ass.
Berg guided the ship in towards the wreckage, the sensors of the ship pinging softly from his console, alerting him to nearby debris. "Definitely something big,” Berg murmured, eyes flickering over the readouts before him, “and it doesn't look like anyone else has stopped by yet."
Sara’s hands tightened on the armrests of her chair. "Be careful and keep our scans of the nearby space active. I don’t want to be caught off guard."
"Expecting trouble captain?"
"Not necessarily, but I also know how attractive these debris fields can be to other scavengers. It isn’t just Ak’kel we have to worry about. Plenty of other humans pose just as much a threat to our safety." Better safe than sorry was her best practice. She’d avoided a lot of fire fights due to her sense of caution.
"Understood, Captain." Berg spun in his chair. "We are in position. Just need to get the crew ready and we can begin that countdown."
Suddenly, an alert blared through the bridge, piercing the tense silence.
"Incoming!" Berg yelled at the top of his lungs as he braced his feet against his console.
Sara barely had time to brace herself before the ship lurched violently all around her, throwing her forward. She attempted to grab her armrests, but her momentum was too sudden, and her hands slipped past the armrests as she tumbled out of her chair and landed on the floor with a grunt. Groaning, she rolled back to her feet. "Report!" She yelled. Had Ak’kel already found them? She knew he'd be pissed, but would he really risk blowing up his mate? Vrak’rir weren’t known for endangering their mates, even if he might have a few loose marbles.
