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"The ship's clean. I took care of the skeleton crew they'd left

behind."

She'd seen the bodies of the guards. David had taken them down

cleanly and efficiently. His matter of factness made her shiver, but she knew those jits would just as easily have killed them. They were a

ruthless race, prone to kidnapping human women and selling them into

sexual slavery, or worse.

"There were only six of them," he continued speaking as they

entered the empty bridge. "Ship's sensors confirmed it, but I did a visual inspection of the areas I couldn't lock down."

She headed for the comm panel. She'd be the most use there for

now.

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"Sensors show four life signs in the aft bridge section." Her brows rose in alarm and she turned to look through the windows at the rear of

the command deck. The Captain's lounge and map room was back there.

She could see four humanoid forms huddled in chairs around the chart

table.

"It's okay. That's where I stashed the prisoners. They're out cold and tied up besides. They won't be any problem. I thought it would be good

to have a few to interrogate after this is all over."

So he hadn't killed everyone in sight. Somehow, that made her feel

better. He was a killer, but he knew when to temper his deadly skills. She nodded, unable to put her thoughts into words and knowing this wasn't

really the time or place.

"Strap in. I'm going to undock, but without a full compliment of

crew, it could get bumpy."

She did as he ordered, but switched some of the command functions

to her console.

"I can help with undocking. I've got tractors and locks on my

console."

"Good thinking. I've got all the weapons, thrusters and directionals routed to mine. I was going to blast us out, but a gentler touch might be better. Release what you can."

"I'm on it. Just give me about thirty seconds." She paused, tapping commands. "Be prepared to fire steering thrusters in five, four, three, two, one, mark."

They worked smoothly together, getting the ship undocked and

maneuvering around the dark side of the rings. Adele put her command

codes to good use, tapping into sub-systems that would tell her whether

or not she could gain control of the station remotely. Once she had all her ducks in a row, she turned to David, a smile of triumph lighting her face.

"I'm ready when you are, Captain."

* * * *

secured a weapon and comm gear from them. They seemed impressed

that he'd hidden in an emergency med chamber when the sections started

filling with sleep gas. He'd slept for a bit, but not from the gas. No, he'd decided to take a combat nap to conserve strengthas he'd been

traineduntil the gas cleared out and he could move around again. After

that, he hit the access tubes, figuring the hostiles wouldn't be able to track him in the tight spaces.

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He'd met the other soldiers briefly, then was separated from the

group during a scuffle with some stray jits, Some of those old timers

could move faster than the human eye could follow. Tim knew most of

those guys from the bar were spec ops, while he was just a grunt. A

young one at that. But these guys were like nothing he'd ever seen.

If he made it out of this alive, he'd have to ask them about it.

Though he realized they'd probably tell him very little. Most of what

those spec ops guys got up to was heavily classified, and if he wasn't

mistaken, that bartender was definitely black ops. Even scarier shit than usual.

Tim exited the tubes and raced down a wide hall, coming to a fork.

He hesitated only a moment as he remembered what the woman had said

to him at the bar. The pretty little civ lady who'd smiled at him. What a sweetheart she was. But a little creepy, too. She'd told him to take the left hall when the time came and damned if that time hadn't just come.

Altering his steps slightly, he took the left hall without looking

back, surprised when a few meters into the hall, a hand shot out from

behind a locked gate. Tim just ducked in time to avoid the tactical baton across his path that would've decapitated him.

"Whoa, man. I'm human." Tim shouted as he rounded to face the

gate. The sight that greeted him stopped him dead.

Behind that locked gate stood twenty or so uniformed police

officers. They all looked madder than hell.

"Sorry, kid." The man wore the rank of captain and had the look of a military retiree. "Can you get us out of here? Damned jits locked us in."

"Why didn't they gas you like the rest of the station?" Tim moved cautiously forward.

"Can't. The garrison is protected with special scrubbers and

overrides. The best they could do was lock us out of our weapons and

keep us penned up."

Tim smiled cunningly, holding up his rifle. "Not for long. Stand

back."

The cops smiled and cleared the gate, the captain turning to issue

orders to his men while Tim cut them free using a special setting on his energy weapon. It was slow work, but within a half-standard, he had the

gate hinges weak enough to pull apart with a little help from the inside.

"You're gonna get a medal for this, kid. If we live through it." The captain slapped him on the back as he left the garrison and his men

streamed out behind him.

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"Sir, you should know there's a small platoon of retired spec ops

soldiers already working to take back the station. I was briefly part of the group, but got separated. I'm not fast enough to keep up with spec op

guys." Tim felt embarrassed to admit it, but had to be truthful with this man, this fellow soldier.

"Few are, son." The captain patted him on the back. "There's no shame in that. Especially at your age. Do you have one of their comms?"

Tim nodded and lifted the earpiece. "Good. Get on there and tell them they've got help. We'll be into the weapons lockers in another quarter

standard, then we're good to go. We've got two hundred and twenty

trained officers ready to coordinate with whatever those soldiers have

planned."

"Do you want to tell them, sir?" Tim offered the headset to the higher ranked man.

"No, son, they know you. Introduce us first, then I'll get my own

gear once we have the lockers open and talk to your friends."

* * * *

Sergeant Kenneth "Mac" MacGregor had retired, but was still quite a legend in the military community. Who knew he'd traded his soldiers for

a group of civ cops on a perimeter station?

A few minutes after that, they got a second surprise when David and

Adele patched into their comm from outside the station. Alex just

laughed and started planning as the men listened in. David and Adele

would lay low until the cops and Alex's team were in place. Once they

had the jits surrounded, Dave would contact the jit commander and

demand surrender. A show of force might be necessary, which is where

the cops and especially the spec ops soldiers came into play.

But it would take time to get everyone in position. Alex instructed

David and Adele to orbit on the dark side for another half standard while they all double-timed it as stealthily as they could into key positions

surrounding the command and control sectors of the station. Adele gave

them some pointers on where and what, but Alex knew most of the

layout. Still, the little lady surprised everyone who could hear with her knowledge of the station's inner workings. Everyone except her aunt,

who was listening quietly from one side of the room.

Della was content to be left behind during the actual fighting, but

Alex had dragged her from compartment to compartment, hidey hole to

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hidey hole, barely letting the woman out of his sight. Perkins and all the men thought Alex was sweet on her, so they cut him some slack, but the

woman was good in a tense situation, neither speaking too much nor

bumbling enough to get them all in trouble with the jits. She was good

people. For a civvie. At least that's what the men thought. Only Alex

knew she was quite a bit more.

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"Looks like we have about a half-standard to kill. Now, what,"

David leered at her and winked, "should we do with the time?"

Adele leapt into his lap and slid her little hands around his neck

most satisfactorily. "I don't know, Captain, why don't you order me around and see if we can't come up with a way to entertain you?"

"Oh, I like the sound of that. For starters, why don't you take off your clothes?"

"Aye, aye, Captain." She stood and moved back until she was just in front of him, giving him a good view. Her fingers went to the fastenings of her shirt as she looked at him from under lowered lashes. The sex

kitten had come out to play. She began a slow, deliberate striptease,

holding his attention and drawing out the removal of her clothing, item

by item.

Dave liked what he saw. He especially liked the sparkle of vivacious

life in her beautiful eyes as she shrugged off her clothing in a slow, sexy striptease. The best whores in the galaxy had nothing on her, because this strip was special. This woman was special. He'd lay odds she'd never

done this before in her life. That she'd do it so eagerly for him touched something deep inside.

"Come here." The words slipped out as she stood before him in just her panties. Luscious breasts swayed as she walked toward him, begging

for his touch, his kiss. "I swear you're the sexiest woman alive."

She laughed and the light in her eyes turned to fire. She didn't

believe his compliment, but he'd make sure by the end of this encounter

she knew just how beautiful he thought she was. Sexy, alluring and the

most luscious woman he'd ever seen.

"Take off your panties." His voice was scratchy. She stopped about a foot away, her eyes widening at his tone of command. "Do it, Adele.

Show me your pussy." His gaze pinned her. Dared her.

A sly smile lifted one corner of her mouth as she rose to the

challenge. Turning, she looked at him over one shoulder as she wriggled

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her panties down over the most luscious ass he'd ever seen. He wanted to reach out and grab her, but she turned before he gave into the impulse,

dragging the scrap of white satin down her hips, revealing the little tuft of curly hair at the juncture of her thighs. She kept herself neat and he liked that, but she was ultra-feminine and just the tiniest bit shy.

He'd never had a shy woman in all his life. The fact that she wasn't a

pro had a lot to do with her allure, but even more enticing was the idea that she wanted to be with him.
Him.
She was the first woman he'd ever had who hadn't either been paid for her services or had sought him out

simply because he was a soldier. For those women, any soldier would do.

They just wanted the thrill of the forbidden and he was glad to give it to them, but they didn't want him in particular.

Adele knew who he was, and still she wanted him. Dave knew in his

heart she wouldn't have bedded any of the other soldiers she met in

Alex's pub. No, she was attracted to him. She gave herself to
Dave
. Not to some nameless, faceless soldier. But to him and him alone.

"Climb up here." He patted the narrow space on either side of his legs as he sat in the command chair. There was just enough room in the

big chair for her to kneel on his lap. Just where he wanted her to be.

Hesitantly, she moved to comply, her tongue peeping uncertainly from

the corner of her luscious lips as she maneuvered into place. He took her hand to steady her as she raised one knee, then the other, her pussy

spread before him, wet and glistening. He licked his lips. Damn, the

woman was hot!

He stroked her breast with one hand, catching the other nipple with

his teeth. One hand moved down her hip, zeroing in on what he wanted

most. His fingers delved gently at first into her dewy folds, sliding and slipping around the little bud as she gasped and strained against him.

"Easy, sweetheart. I've got you." He spoke against her skin as his mouth rose, seeking hers. He took her lips in a devastating kiss as his

fingers breached her core, sliding deep. Her lithe body shuddered in his arms as she gasped. Breaking the kiss, he laid little nibbling kisses down her neck and back to her breasts. She was perfectly formed, big and

round, just the way he liked and he didn't think he'd ever get enough of her. "David!" She stiffened in alarm. He broke off, on alert, to see what had startled her. She stared behind the command chair, her eyes wide,

her shoulders tense.

He didn't sense danger, but he did feel…

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He swiveled the chair to the right.

…eyes on them.

Four sets of male jit'suku eyes, to be exact. The prisoners were

awake and watching them from the windows of the captain's chart room.

Dave looked to make certain their bonds were still secure and was

satisfied they would not escape.

"They're no threat," he whispered as he returned his attention to Adele. She was creaming on his hand, though her eyes were still round

with shock. Could it be his little hellion liked being watched? Dave