Victorious Star (12 page)

Seht was a warm and comfortable weight on top of her. His head was on the other pillow, but his chest lay across hers, pressing her back into the pillows with his arm framing her head.

Victoria frowned, puzzling over how comfortable she felt having him lying on top of her. It felt natural. It felt right. She shifted under him and discovered that he was still lodged within her. He seemed to be pulsing inside her.

He groaned and turned to look at her with eyes dilated wide but still slitted like a feline’s. “Don’t move just yet. We’re still tied.”

“What?” It took effort to think. “What did you do to me?”

Seht grinned and licked his lips. “I fucked you.”

Ravnos leaned up from the other side of Seht. “He’s knotted to you. The base of each dick swells. It’s to hold you in position while he pumps a load of cum into you. I stopped him from tying or knotting before because it takes about twenty minutes for him to finish and the swelling to go back down.” He flashed a slight smile. “You’re going to make one hell of a mess when he finally releases you.”

Seht groaned. “You and your precious bed-sheets.”

“Terrific.” Victoria knew that some races tied during sex, but she hadn’t realized that
skeldhis
did. She shook her head and frowned at Seht. “I meant why did you bite me?”

Seht drew her closer and nuzzled her neck. “I have a chemical in my saliva that increases sensation, pain or pleasure. It’s used to stun someone long enough to kill -- or to fuck.”

Ravnos rolled onto his back. “He’s pretty damned potent too.”

Seht grinned at Ravnos. “You would know.”

“Seht, don’t.”

Seht’s grin broadened. “Are you quite sure you don’t want me to tell Victoria how we originally met?”

Ravnos’s voice deepened to a bass rumble. “I’m warning you right now: that is not a safe subject to discuss.”

Seht snorted. “Very well.” He groaned and rolled on top of Victoria. “Grip me with your legs so I can carry you.”

Victoria locked her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Ravnos turned over. “Where are you going?”

Seht sat back with Victoria in his arms. “To save your precious sheets.” He moved to the side of the bed.

“Wait, you’ll need robes.” Ravnos slid off the bed and opened his closet. “By the time you get out of there, breakfast will be on the table.”

Victoria peeked over Seht’s shoulder. “And coffee?”

Ravnos handed Seht a pair of long, black velvet robes and nodded. “Definitely coffee.”

“All right, you can let go.”

Victoria released him and felt his cocks slide from her body. She stood on her uncertain knees. A torrent of wetness spilled down her legs. “Blood and chaos, Seht, how much did you pump into me?”

Seht covered her mouth in a swift kiss. “Enough to impregnate a woman of my race.”

Victoria stood under the spray as the warm liquid continued to spill from her. “How much do they need?”

“We’re not a particularly fertile race, so when we do fuck, we need to ensure impregnation.” Seht reached for a cloth and the soap. “They come into season once every two years, for about sixty days.”

Victoria looked up in shock. “Sixty days?”

Seht grimaced. “Yes, but only once every two years.” He raised a brow at Victoria. “We usually keep human concubines since they like regular sex. Our females have a habit of killing anyone who gets too close when they’re out of season.”

“I thought
skeldhis
hated humans?” Victoria covered her mouth with her hands. She had not meant to say that quite so baldly.

Seht’s eyes narrowed. “Oh no, we adore humans. They’re as much fun to kill as they are to fuck.”

Victoria winced. “I deserved that. I was rude. I’m sorry.”

Seht shook his head. “Apology accepted, and I’m sorry as well. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” He sighed. “It’s a sensitive issue, especially since I serve under one.” He started soaping Victoria’s shoulders. “What, no complaints over my washing you?”

Victoria tilted her head. “Would it do any good?”

Seht smiled. “Not really.”

Victoria spread her arms so he could wash her. “Then let’s get this done, I’m hungry.”

Seht laughed and scrubbed with a will. “Does this mean you’re also resigned to occupying our bed?”

Victoria took a deep breath to hold her temper. “Do I have a choice?”

Seht scrubbed her backside. “Is it really that bad?”

Victoria let out her breath. “No, it’s just that I’m not used to being…”

“Fucked?”

“I’m an officer.” Victoria bit her lip. “It’s just not done.”

Seht snorted. “Oh, it’s done all right, and regularly. You just happen to be more capable of defending yourself than most. My guess is that the bulk of your problems stem from the fact that your previous captains hated that they couldn’t touch your luscious body. They could see it, but they couldn’t lay a finger on it without dire retribution.”

Victoria shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“I assure you, it makes perfect sense if you’re male.” He moved around to face her and slathered her breasts with soap. “Males are simple creatures. If we can’t fuck it, we want to kill it.”

Victoria stared up at Seht in open astonishment. “It can’t be that simple.”

Seht caught her chin. “I assure you, it is exactly that simple.” He pressed a swift kiss to her mouth. “Lucky for you, Ravnos is letting me fuck you. He knows that even if he had forbidden it, I would have found a way to do so, and the results would not have been quite so pleasant.”

Victoria frowned. “You wouldn’t…”

“Oh, I would indeed.” Seht gave her a feral smile. “We are a hunting race. The pursuit is just as much fun as the catch. I would have cornered you sooner or later, and by then, the pent-up frustration would have made our eventual coupling a bit more, shall we say, forceful?”

Victoria scowled. “Are you trying to frighten me?”

“I’m trying to let you know that as soon as you boarded this ship, your ass and your cunt were ours.” He gave her a heated look. “And they will remain ours. For as long as you remain with us, you will not be leaving our bed, Victoria.”

Victoria shook with sudden fury. “What? Am I a just fuck-toy?”

Seht knelt in front of her. “You are more than just a fuck-toy. If we were looking for someone to fuck, Ravnos would have brought a fully trained pleasure girl on board.” He brushed the hair from her brow. “You are here for a reason, but you are also quite lovely, so you also occupy our bed.”

Victoria pulled her chin from his hand. “I just want to do my job and go home.”

“Are you sure?” Seht recaptured her face. “Are you sure that’s all you want?”

Victoria stared at Seht’s sculpted face and hesitated. “Of course,” she finally said, with all the conviction she could muster. But she wasn’t sure, not any more. Yes, they played domination games but they had also gone out of their way to make her feel pleasure, no matter how rough they had been. They weren’t just fucking her. They were treating her like someone they cared about, and that was more frightening than simply being fucked. Sooner or later she would leave them. And then what?

Seht grinned. “Your hesitation gave you away.”

Victoria groaned. “Can we get this shower over with? I want breakfast!”

Seht snorted and started scrubbing again. “That denial is going to get you in trouble.”

Victoria sighed. “Seht, it doesn’t matter what I want. Wanting or not wanting something won’t change the fact that eventually I have to leave. I have to go back.”

“Do you?”

Victoria closed her eyes. “Yes. I’m an officer of the Imperium. Duty comes first.”

“And if you were offered a choice?”

Victoria felt hot tears form. “For me there is no choice. I have to go back, even if it means a court-martial. It is a matter of honor.”

“Honor.” Seht sighed. “I understand.”

Ravnos was waiting by the facility door, dressed in a long velvet robe that matched theirs. “I’ll take a quick shower, then join you for breakfast.”

Seht raised a brow. “You could have showered with us.”

Ravnos flashed a brief smile. “If I had, we’d be in there another hour.”

Victoria gathered the dragging hem of her robe and headed for the salon. They could flirt all they wanted. She needed coffee.

Ravnos nodded toward the salon. “Go eat before she cleans off the table for you. I’ll be right back.”

In the salon, the table was set with plain dishes, and she could smell the coffee. She sniffed with appreciation. Victoria sat down in the chair by the wall, then reached for the thermal flask. The coffee was rich, black, and smelled Terran. She added sweet cream and a small amount of sweetener that she suspected was real sugar. She sipped. Pure delight.
For mercenaries, they certainly live well.

Seht raised a sarcastic brow as he filled his plate from the steaming tureens. “Did you want to add food to your breakfast?”

Victoria took another swallow then smiled. “I’m good for now.”

Ravnos came back to the salon with surprising speed, then piled his plate high.

Victoria finished her coffee, poured another cup then reached for the food.

Ravnos leaned back in his chair and cradled his coffee mug. He gave Victoria a cool, assessing look.

Victoria returned the look with suspicion. “What?”

“I think it’s time to explain why you are here.” Ravnos lifted his mug and sipped.

Victoria clenched her mug.
As more than a fuck-toy or in addition to being a fuck-toy?
She took a slow breath to regain her composure. “I was under the impression that I was to pilot the ship for three days.”

Ravnos leaned back in his chair. “That’s why I collected you. However, since our arrival, the situation has changed.”

Victoria nearly crushed the mug in her hand. Instead, she set it down very carefully.
I will not scream, I will not scream, I will not scream.
She took a breath. “Does this mean you’re keeping me more than the three days?”

“Perhaps. Don’t worry, you’ll still be returned.” His lip curled just a hair. “Eventually.”

I knew it! I just knew it! There goes my whole damned career.
Victoria shut her eyes. “I’m listening.”

“On the other side of this planet is the
Mordred
space station.”

Victoria lifted her head. “The roving space station? I thought that was a myth?”

Seht scowled. “I assure you, it’s very real.”

Ravnos’s gaze flicked to Seht then back to Victoria. “It’s privately owned by a retired mercenary colonel. His personal unit is still active, though commanded by his eldest son. A small branch of the unit acts as security for the station. The station acts as a brokering company for those who can’t go through legitimate dealers.”

Seht snorted. “Pirates, thieves, drug-dealers, gun-runners.”

Victoria sneered. “Criminals.”

Seht nodded. “Those too.”

Ravnos poured more coffee into his mug. “We’re here for a ship they have up for auction. The
Arcane.”

Victoria automatically accessed her Imperial files. “That’s an Archangel-class dreadnought.” She frowned as she scanned her interior data. “Are you sure it’s the
Arcane?
That ship is listed as destroyed.”

Ravnos picked up his mug. “Can you tell me who listed it as destroyed?”

Victoria shook her head. “I don’t have access to that kind of information.”

Seht leaned forward. “Can you tell us if the
Righteous
was at the battle where it was destroyed?”

“Admiral Moraine’s flagship? One moment, please.” Victoria skimmed through her data. “It’s not in those files, but it may be in my news files.” She sifted through her news listings looking for the battle, and found it. “Yes, yes it was. The
Righteous
was the only ship to return from that battle.” She looked over at Seht. “Why?”

Seht tapped a finger on the table. “It’s rumored that Admiral Moraine is the man selling that ship to the highest bidder.”

“What?” Victoria choked then glared. “You’re telling me that the hero of the Imperium is selling an Imperial dreadnought to mercenaries -- to criminals?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time he’s had a captured ship up for auction, Imperial or otherwise.” Ravnos snorted. “He’s made quite a name for himself.”

Seht curled his lip, showing a long canine. “Ever hear of the Moribund Company?”

“Of course.” The Moribund Company specialized in hijacking and capturing ships, from pleasure craft to recovered warships. The Imperium was rabid to take them out. Then she saw the implication, and her mouth fell open. “Admiral Moraine is the Moribund Company?” She shook her head. “That’s not possible!”

Seht refilled his coffee mug. “He’s here, isn’t he?”

Victoria flinched. “Yes, but…”

Ravnos shook his head. “Admiral Moraine and the Moribund Company are the Imperium’s problem. Let them deal with him. Our mission is to collect the
Arcane’s
sentience before the ship goes to auction.”

Victoria stared at Ravnos. “You want the ship’s sentience?”

He nodded. “The entire memory, complete and undamaged, if possible.”

“What for?”

“Oh, the usual. Money.” Seht snorted. “We are mercenaries, after all.”

Victoria shook her head. “I mean, who’s paying you to get it?”

Seht nodded at Ravnos.

Ravnos lifted his mug. “Your Imperium.”

Victoria choked. “The Imperium?”

“Yep.” Ravnos nodded and drank, emptying his mug.

Seht nodded. “Apparently they are willing to hire even mercenaries to get it.”

Victoria shook her head. “How are you planning to get the ship’s entire collective memory and sentience?”

Seht shrugged. “We tap into the ship, we pull the mind out, and then we leave. Simple.”

Victoria glared at Seht. “It’s not that simple. You don’t just tap into a ship and download the mind.” She looked over at Ravnos. “A ship sentience is enormous. You’ll need a highly skilled tech with the augmentation capable of containing the entire core memory.”

Seht frowned. “Just how big is a ship sentience?”

Victoria sat back in her chair. “It’s not about size, it’s about strength of personality. According to my records, the
Arcane
has been through hundreds of battles and has decades of tactical experience. It would take almost an hour to recite all the decorated captains who flew it.”

Ravnos tilted his head. “So the
Arcane
is pretty bright?”

“The
Arcane
is dangerous. It’s entirely possible that it has a complete intelligence and a very well-developed sense of self, capable of actual independent thought. Your ship is quite experienced, but even she doesn’t think in complete sentences.” Victoria sighed. “The ship has to absolutely trust the tech collecting it, or it will lock itself down cold. Or worse.” She shot a narrow look at Ravnos. “Override the tech attempting to house it. A ship that old is fully capable of imprinting itself on an unprepared tech’s mind, to the point of near-complete erasure, literally enslaving the tech. You will still have your ship, but you will have lost your tech. There are so many ways it could go wrong, just from the ship’s end.”

“Things have already gone wrong.” Seht scowled. “Moraine showing up for one.”

Victoria shook her head. “You had better have one hell of an experienced cipher tech. Or a…” She frowned suspiciously. “A highly specialized nav-pilot.”

“Oh, we do have an experienced cipher tech, or rather we did.” Seht gave Ravnos a sour look. “But now that Moraine’s here, we can’t use him.”

Victoria looked over at Ravnos. “You? You’re a cipher-tech?”

Ravnos tapped his head with a finger. “I was a core programmer before they tapped me for nav-pilot.”

“Nav-pilot?” Victoria’s mouth fell open. “You were Imperial?”

Ravnos turned and scowled at the wall.

Seht snorted. “Oh, he was Imperial all right, and good, too.” He leaned forward. “So good in fact that when a certain mercenary ship tried to take his ship, he tapped their ship and took it over.”

Victoria’s brows shot up. “He tapped the other ship?”

“Surprised the hell out of them too.” Seht grinned. “Unfortunately, the mercenary ship wasn’t alone. Through sheer numbers, they eventually overwhelmed Ravnos’s ship.” He raised a brow at Ravnos. “The mercenary captain was so impressed by the take-over, they collared him and kept him.” He nodded. “He made them one hell of a profit for years by hacking into and stealing other ships.”

Ravnos scowled. “That was a long time ago.”

Seht leaned back in his chair. “So, we have the experienced tech, but with Moraine in the neighborhood, we can’t get him or the
Hellsbreath
anywhere near the ship. They’ll blow us on sight.”

Victoria stared at Ravnos. “Moraine knows you?”

Ravnos shrugged. “Moraine and I have crossed paths once or twice.”

Seht curled his lip. “Does the phrase ‘bitter enemies’ bring anything to mind?” He filled his coffee mug.

Ravnos nodded at Victoria. “However, because of your clever camouflaging of the
Hellsbreath,
he doesn’t know I’m here, so we may still be able to pull this off.”

Seht glanced at Victoria. “It’s too dangerous. I say we use the other option.” He drained his mug in one swallow.

Victoria frowned. “What other option?”

Ravnos tapped the tabletop. “The Imperium wants the
Arcane’s
entire sentience. If we can’t collect all of it, they told us to go ahead and blow it.”

Victoria jerked back so hard her chair scooted back an inch. “Blow it?”

Seht tilted his head at Ravnos. “Apparently there is something in the memory the Imperium doesn’t want anyone to have.”

“That’s my guess.” Ravnos shrugged. “If the ship can’t be saved, it’s to be destroyed. Those are our orders.”

Victoria lunged out of her chair. “You can’t blow it! A ship like the
Arcane
has decades of personality and memories! To destroy a ship like that would be committing murder!”

Ravnos speared her with an icy glare. “Sit down.”

Victoria sat. “You can’t blow that ship.” She balled her hand into a fist on the tabletop.

“Really?” Ravnos glanced briefly at Seht. “So, Victorious Star, are you willing to rescue the
Arcane?”

“Me?” Victoria reeled in her chair. “I’m not a fully trained cipher tech!”

Ravnos shrugged. “You’re close enough. You have the necessary skills and augmentation. You’ve told us yourself that ships like you, so talking this one into leaving with you shouldn’t be that difficult.”

Victoria stared at her captain. “I’ve never done an assimilation before.”

Ravnos leaned forward. “Are you willing to try?”

“I have nav-pilot, not programming augmentation. I can only attempt an assimilation from the nav-pilot’s chair. You’d have to get me on board that ship.”

Ravnos nodded. “We can arrange that.”

Seht bared his long teeth. “You are utterly out of your mind! How are you going to get her onboard that ship?”

Ravnos sat back and smiled at Seht. “You’ll think of something. You usually do.”

Seht lowered his brows. “You’re quite sure I can come up with something?”

“Of course.” Ravnos nodded at Victoria. “I may be manipulative, but he’s sneaky.”

“Sneaky!” Seht scowled and his cheeks tinted with a hint of pink. “What a positively rude thing to say.”

Ravnos leaned back in his chair and raised a midnight brow. “Really?”

Seht nodded and folded his arms. “I prefer to be called devious.”