Chapter 1

  Everyone thought the pilot just sat in a chair pushing buttons. The computer does all the flying, they said. Of course, if the computer did all the flying, there wouldn’t be pilots.

  Annalynn’s fist closed around the control stick. Most spacecraft used digital inputs. Not the Hollow Wrath. Annalynn liked being able to feel her ship.

  The planet’s gravity well was starting to tug. They would need more speed if they wanted to slingshot past. Her eyes flicked across the readouts—three pirate ships closing fast. They had far more firepower than the Wrath, and they knew it.

  Pushing the ship into a steep dive, she raced for the planet. What those sleek fighters had in weapons, they lacked in heat shielding. They might follow her into atmosphere, but they’d crawl in like infants. The Wrath was built for this.

  Flames licked across the forward viewport. The reinforced hull glowed a dull orange. Annalynn felt the controls begin to shake—close to the breaking point.

  “Boss, the ground is coming up awful fast,” Roger said, worry cracking his voice.

  Annalynn’s hair flared pink, the crew’s surest warning that she was enjoying herself. This was going to be fun. She eased the stick back. The atmosphere drives groaned, but the Wrath refused to straighten.

  “Those mountains are getting really big,” Roger muttered. He was always calm in a fight—but flying? Flying with Annalynn at the controls? He hated it.

  Annalynn couldn’t keep the smile from her face. Her hair blazed pink—pure mischief. She glanced at the ground?detection radar.

  “Roger, I don’t know why you get so worked up. There’s a gap between the ridges.”

  “Are you fucking serious?” Roger almost shouted. He stabbed a finger at the display, barely keeping himself from smashing it. “That gap is two feet wider than the ship! That’s it—we’re all going to die!”

  Throwing his hands up, he slapped the ship?wide intercom. “All hands, brace for extreme deceleration.”

  “How extreme?” came Sarsha’s calm, cool voice.

  “The kind of deceleration that comes from hitting the side of a mountain.”

  With the atmo?drive planes refusing to respond, Annalynn fired the forward maneuvering thrusters. The Wrath’s nose kicked up, widening their drag profile.

  “Everyone strap in! This is going to get bumpy!” she called, as the ship shook violently around her.

  Now the Wrath was falling like a brick instead of cutting the atmosphere like an arrow. The heat scrambled the sensors, forcing Annalynn to rely on memory alone to hit the gap.

  The ship bucked harder as they dropped subsonic. The mountain rushed up to meet them.

  With the slightest pressure on the stick, she rolled the Wrath onto its side. Still not enough—

  —they were going to hit!

  Her hair flashed red, then orange—then locked to black. Mask on. Professional. Trusting her instincts, she tapped the port?side thrusters and nudged the ship a foot higher.

  The pressure wave from the gap set off every collision alarm.

  The Hollow Wrath raced through the gap trailing fire. On the other side, Annalynn banked hard to port, bleeding off more speed. A line of fire streaked across the sky, the ship shaking and groaning.

  The shaking and groaning intensified. The artificial gravity couldn’t keep up with the G?force, and her vision began to close in.

  “Boss, the crew can’t take much more—Zara’s already out,” Roger said, the Gs having no effect on his reinforced body.

  Annalynn took a moment to check the crew’s life signs. Zara was unconscious, with Zev and Sarsha not far behind. She continued the turn, now facing the gap, and fired three missiles, hoping they would find the pirates.

  Telemetry pinged the Wrath—the missiles had acquired orbital targets. From here, they could only transmit lock confirmations, not ident codes. Annalynn hoped it was the pirates.

  Annalynn continued to let the ship spin. When they were almost even with their direction of travel, she hit the engines and shot them forward. With the sideways force gone, most of the crew sagged with relief.

  She kept them flying as fast as she could, hugging the ground in an effort to hide from radar.

  “Where the hell did we end up?” Annalynn asked Roger. From what she could see, the rock was uninhabited—not great for a ship that had just plunged through atmosphere at multiple times its rated speed.

  “We’re on Toss Four, a small moon of the gas giant,” Roger replied.

  “Great. Find us a cave or a forest to put down in. We need to give the old girl a chance to rest.” She patted the control console in front of her.

  Old the ship might have been, but a troop transport it still was. The ground?search sensors were dated, yet still better than most civilian models. It didn’t take long to find a small clearing in the middle of a dense forest. With her hair fading to purple, Annalynn set the ship down without a bump.

  Going over the engine shutdown procedures, Annalynn made sure the ship had survived. The heat shielding would need to be replaced, and the atmo?drive planes would require serious maintenance.

  “Sarsha, how is Zara?” she asked over the intercom.

  “Fine. We have her in sickbay. I’m going to keep her for a while,” Sarsha replied.

  “We need her to look at the drive planes,” Annalynn said, her hair flashing red before settling back to purple.

  “Boss, I can look at the planes. It’ll be faster for me anyway,” Roger interjected, trying to keep the peace. Sarsha was protective of the crew—especially Zara.

  With the shutdown complete, Annalynn and Roger headed outside. The sensors hadn’t shown any large animals present, but that only meant they hadn’t detected anything they classified as an animal.

  “I’m going to look around first, set up some early?warning stuff,” Roger said. He took off toward the tree line, carrying a small bag.

  The hull was still popping and creaking from the heat. Annalynn began walking the perimeter, noting any deformities. She had just finished her first circuit of the ship when Zev came out carrying a mobile SAM.

  “Where did you get that?” she asked, her hair flashing blue—embarrassment needling as she realized she’d missed it in inventory.

  “This? I’ve been holding onto it for a while. Thought it might come in handy,” Zev replied.

  “Wait—aren’t those supposed to be vehicle?mounted?” The launcher was massive, far too large for a person to carry, even one of Zev’s size and strength.

  Zev just looked at her, as if deciding whether she really thought he was carrying a loaded missile launcher. She knew better than that. Her hair flashing red was his only warning before she picked up a stick and threw it at him. He turned slightly to avoid taking it in the face.

  “How do you plan on powering that?” Annalynn asked, her hair locked to red.

  “Zara and Roger rigged up a power supply for it. We won’t be able to leave it on, but we should be able to fire it. We’ll have to use the ship’s sensors.”

  Taking a moment to breathe, Annalynn let her hair flow to white. “How many missiles do you have for that?” she asked, turning back to the ship to check for more defects.

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  “I have four that are new, still in the case. Two more that Roger put back together. He doesn’t think they’ll lock onto anything—he said they could be laser?guided,” Zev answered. He busied himself with setting up the SAM.

  After about fifteen minutes, Sarsha came down the boarding ramp. She headed straight for Annalynn, her pace full of tension.

  “You need to warn us before pulling shit like that!” Sarsha yelled, her usual professionalism slipping. “Zara almost died. Her implants went into overdrive—it was lucky I was in sickbay and shut them down remotely. If Zev hadn’t been with her, she wouldn’t have been able to strap herself in.”

  Annalynn, her hair locked to black, looked at Sarsha and let her vent.

  “I would if I could, but warning and not being dead don’t always go together. The crew knew we were being chased.”

  “Yes, we all knew. Zara and Zev were in the engine room trying to keep the engines from exploding. You pushed too hard.” Sarsha’s hands were held out wide.

  It took a few moments of silence before she collected herself. “Zara is sedated until I can get her implants back online. Best guess, she’ll be walking tomorrow.”

  “You know what you’re doing—we’re lucky to have you,” Annalynn said, keeping her hair locked black. “If you can, will you please check the coolant? We might need to leave in a hurry.”

  It took a moment for Sarsha to calm down. She just nodded and returned to the ship.

  “I’m surprised you’re not angry with me,” Annalynn said to Zev.

  “You kept us alive. Zara is always pushing too hard—she should have let me handle the engines. Besides, I love Sarsha, and I knew she’d be pissed at you. I’ve seen Roger break bones without blinking. But Sarsha? She’s scarier.” He shivered at the thought of his fiancée and her rage.

  The sun had just set when Roger emerged from the trees, his bag empty. He looked as though he’d been out for a pleasant stroll.

  Annalynn and Zev had already finished their work and returned to the ship. Roger took a moment to look over the SAM. Zev had done a solid job setting it up—his training showed.

  Moving to the boarding ramp, Roger hit the controls to lower it. Nothing happened. He waited a second, then tried again. Still nothing.

  Touching the comm button, Roger spoke: “Zev, come let me in.”

  Only silence answered back. Stepping back, Roger looked up. One of the atmo?drive planes was out. It hung thirty feet above him—just at the edge of his enhanced abilities.

  He gave the area a quick scan, then jumped. His left hand missed the wing, but his right managed to catch the edge. Not a solid grip—just enough to hang on.

  He forced himself to hold steady, careful not to squeeze too hard and dent the wing. Even so, he could feel his grip slipping.

  Roger took a deep breath, then pulled himself up with his right hand. He propelled himself easily onto the top of the wing. He landed in a crouch, knees bent, barely making a sound.

  Lowering himself against the surface, he lay flat and scanned the tree line. The ship ran dark—no external power. The crew had left the wing extended for him. There was a top hatch nearby, one he could open manually if it wasn’t locked.

  When he got to the hatch it was locked. He tapped a pattern on it and heard the lock click.

  Roger was not expecting to see Sarsha on the other side of the hatch. Not wasting time or words, he slid down and secured the hatch. Neither of them were large people, but it was still cramped in the airlock. Sarsha moved around him and climbed down the ladder. The space was so tight her back brushed against his chest.

  Roger followed without saying anything. It was a short walk to the bridge. Annalynn was there, looking at a monitor. She only glanced at him as he walked in.

  “We detected a sensor ping. I don’t think it reflected off our hull,” Annalynn said. “So far I’m not getting anything with passive sensors.”

  “Do you think our friends from orbit followed us down?” Roger asked, looking at a different display.

  Annalynn’s hair streaked yellow, mixed with black. “It might be. The missiles locked onto something—it might be their friends.”

  “What do you want to do?” Roger asked. He knew they didn’t have a lot of firepower for ship?to?ship combat. If they could get the pirates on the ground and in the trees, he could kill them easily.

  “We can’t take off. We hit atmo pretty hard and the drive planes are stuck. Zev had to manually crank out the starboard one. Without those we’ll have to burn a lot of fuel. If we make for orbit, that would be fine.”

  Annalynn looked up. Her face was passive, but her hair was not.

  “Those fighters can’t match us down here—they weren’t designed for the air. I didn’t get a look at their hull markings. If they’re part of a bigger gang, we won’t be able to outrun them.”

  “How long to get the drive planes working?” Roger asked.

  “I looked at them, but I didn’t see what was holding them up. The mechanics looked fine. If that’s the case, Zara will be able to find it faster than any of us.”

  “Sounds to me the best plan is to get the pirates on the ground,” Roger said. He was almost smiling at the thought.

  “Yes, that would be great, but what would stop them from just shooting us while we’re on the ground? That would be a lot easier for them.” Her hair started to drift red. “Zev’s SAM might not even hit any of them. Besides, to use it we’ll need active sensors—the kind that can be traced straight back to us.”

  “Boss, we’ll be all right. If the pirates just wanted us dead we would be. They tried to capture us. That means if they find us, they’ll land. The SAM can be used to keep any bombers or gunships at bay. They don’t know how many missiles we have. You’re a pilot—how many missiles would you want to eat just to give ground pounders overwatch?”

  “You know no one likes being shot at.” Her hair flashed pink. “What we don’t know is what worries me. This was supposed to be an easy job—express delivery of some plants. I should have known the pay was too good.” Her fist slammed into the console. Breathing, she pushed her hair to black.

  “Boss, we’ve gotten out of worse than this. I can take a rescue beacon into the woods. There are a few nice places for an ambush.”

  “You know that’s illegal. What if the ping came from search and rescue?” She looked up at Roger.

  “If they’re legitimate, then I don’t kill them and everything is fine.”

  “What we need is more information. I’ve been trying to make decisions in the dark,” Annalynn said. She reached behind herself, hands on her hips, and pushed forward until Roger heard the pop.

  “Boss, you’re the expert in flying and space stuff. I know fighting and reading the enemy. They didn’t follow us down, they haven’t started active searches. One ping means they’re afraid. Your missiles must have hit something. We can take the night. Hopefully Zara will be up and moving.”

  “And what happens if they find us before then?”

  “Then they get to deal with Zev and his oversized railcannon. We got this, boss.”

  The bridge lights dimmed slightly as the ship powered down into full stealth. Outside, the forest canopy swayed under the moonlight—quiet, but not safe.

  Sickbay was quiet; Sarsha had turned off all the noisy monitors. Zara was holding strong, still sleeping. Looking at her—her brown hair fanned out, the thin strands tangled together—Sarsha wondered what they were doing. She was only nineteen. She could barely walk, and yet here she was, part of a mercenary company.

  Snapping out of her reprieve, Sarsha went back to work. She was programming new code for Zara’s implants. If she could get them to reset, they might regain some function. Implants like hers needed regular maintenance, something they couldn’t do and couldn’t afford.

  She was sitting at her desk when Zev walked in. For such a huge man, he moved softly. She had just heard the doors whisper open when he laid his large hands on her shoulders. His thumbs began rubbing her shoulder blades.

  “How is Sparky?” he asked.

  Sarsha tensed for a moment. “You know she hates it when you call her that.”

  “Yeah, but she’s my little sister—I get to call her what I want.” His hands continued to rub her shoulders, her tension slowly giving way.

  “You were pretty mad at the captain. She kept us alive.”

  “Really? You’re going to take her side?” Her tone was sharp.

  “If you hadn’t been with Zara, what would have happened?”

  “But I was. I know you don’t like to hear it, but there are times when quick actions are needed. You’re the one who told me you can’t save every patient.”

  “Now you’re using my words against me. You’re lucky you’re so good at that.” Sarsha almost groaned the last words.

  Zev moved his hands lower, kneading her back with relentless force. A sharp intake of breath told him he’d hit a tension spot. It wasn’t long before he finished her back. He pulled the chair away and knelt in front of her. Even so, he was taller than she was.

  Sarsha looked up into his eyes—the same color as Zara’s. She brought her hands to cup his face and pulled him in. His stubble was rough, but she didn’t care. His kiss was tender, and she held it.

  Sarsha closed her eyes, enjoying this moment of calm. Soon she felt Zev wrap his large arms around her; he pulled her up and just held her, continuing the kiss. Using the last of her willpower, she pulled back.

  “What would happen if Zara woke up and saw this?”

  Zev set her down and replied, “She would say something like, ‘Ew, gross. Get a room.’” He looked over at his sleeping sister, then back at Sarsha. He bent lightly and swept her off her feet and into his arms.

  “What! No, Zev, I need to finish,” Sarsha protested.

  “I can feel your heartbeat,” Zev said. “You can finish later. Besides, we both know Zara will take one look at your program and rewrite it.”

  Sarsha wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the warmth and closeness. “I know,” she said, gazing into his eyes, “that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t stop now.”

  “You can get back to it later—you said she will be out all night.” He took a short step toward her computer. “You’ve barely begun. This will take all night. Zara needs you rested for the morning.”

  “Rested? Really, that’s your intention?” She couldn’t keep the playfulness out of her voice.

  “Not right away. But you do need a break.”

  With that, he carried her out of sickbay and to their room. He carried her across the doorway and to their bed. Shifting one arm beneath her, he used the other to pull the blankets aside. Sarsha held on, kissing him as he laid her down, his massive frame pressing against her. She felt his hands at the hem of her shirt, lifting it up.

  She shifted her weight to the side, and when he moved, she rolled them over.

  “Always in a hurry,” she said, straddling him.