Victorious Star (4 page)

Victoria relayed the ship’s sensor data concerning the star system they approached without bothering to examine it herself. She didn’t particularly care where she was, only that the ship was where it was supposed to be, and not in danger. On the captain’s orders, she brought the ship into a calm orbit in sync with the dark side of a moon circling a class-four humanoid world.

“Nav-Pilot Chaste?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“As soon as all systems are stable, disengage and report to my appointment chamber.” He stepped from the command post and disappeared into the lift with Seht at his side.

Victoria frowned.
Disengage and report?
She had access to far more information while interlinked. She shook her head. It didn’t matter, really, since the ship could access her or vice-versa just about anywhere on the ship. She couldn’t actually fly without a direct link, but she could grab hold of any number of minor functions. She smiled. Such as lighting and temperature control in any given cabin or corridor.

Victoria did a final systems diagnostics in preparation for disengagement.

The
Hellsbreath
expressed pleasure with the pilot’s accessible and respectful functions. The ship looked forward to continued intercommunications.

You’re a grand lady, and I am pleased that you find me compatible,
Victoria returned politely. She smiled as she disengaged direct link.

All in all, the
Hellsbreath
flew like a dream.

She stepped out of the lift and reviewed her internal map of the ship to make sure she was headed the right way. A side effect of being integrated was that the ship’s schematics were imprinted into her mind. She was now incapable of getting lost.

Victoria stopped in front of Captain Ravnos’s door. She felt a sudden shiver of apprehension and tried to shake it off. She should have nothing to be worried about. The flight was fine; in fact, from what she had overheard he’d been pleased. So why was she suddenly so nervous?

She wiped her damp palms on her trousers and flinched.
The damn trousers.
That had to be it. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and knocked.

“Come.”

Victoria strode through the door, chin up, shoulders back, and with fine military precision.
Please don’t be sitting at the desk.

She glanced to her right. The chair she had first seen him in was empty. She turned to her left and found him sitting behind his massive desk busily typing something while reading his holographic projection monitor. Once again Ravnos sat without his coat, but this time his waistcoat and cravat were missing too. His shirt collar had been unbuttoned.

Seht, also coatless, stood by his shoulder, grinning like a demon about to snack.

Victoria straightened her spine and walked over to stand before the desk to await his notice.

The holographic display evaporated. Ravnos turned in his chair, kicking one booted foot out to lounge with a cool expression. “So, Nav-Pilot, what do you think of the
Hellsbreath?”

Victoria relaxed, but remained at attention. “She’s a grand ship, very responsive.”

He tapped his fingertips together. “You had no difficulty flying her?”

“She was a little shy at first. I think your last nav-pilot may have been a bit harsh with her.”

“You are a code-certified navigation pilot. Unusual,” Ravnos mused. “What exactly are you code-certified for?”

“Initial integration of a ship’s interneural system,” she answered without hesitation.

He raised a brow. “So, basically, you teach a ship how to fly with a pilot?”

Victoria gave him a short nod. “When a ship is made they can be flown mechanically, but to achieve quantum consciousness, and jump, the ship needs interaction with a living mind. I create the initial impression for the ship’s consciousness which allows for interneural piloting.”

Seht frowned. “You put in the ship’s sentience?”

Victoria shook her head. “No, the ship already has a sentience. I create the pathways for interaction between the ship and a living pilot. I give it some of its first memories.”

Ravnos’s eyes gained a dark gleam. “Out of curiosity, can you reprogram a ship that refuses to acknowledge a pilot? One that has been, say, sabotaged?”

Victoria felt a rush of violent anger. “Each ship is a unique being in its own right. To sabotage one to that extent is criminal!”

Ravnos’s brows shot up. “Oh, I agree, but could you reprogram a ship that has been hacked into and get it to respond to you?”

Victoria bit back her temper. “In most cases re-impression is not necessary. Most ships know when someone is hacking them, and will lock that person out. If the threat is great enough, the ship may lock out everyone until someone can go in and talk it into opening back up.”

Ravnos frowned. “Answer the question. Can you reprogram a ship’s sentience?”

She stared at the deck. “Yes, I have the capability. Officially, I’m certified to initiate a new ship for flight, or recover a ship that has retreated into lock-down. Occasionally a ship will retreat too far for me to reach, or be too severely damaged to respond. If that is the case, I can go in and reset. That means wiping the original impression or personality and impressing a new one.” She looked up. “It’s not something I like to do, because in effect you are killing the ship.”

Seht’s mouth fell open. “What you are saying is that you can fly any ship that you are linked to, whether it wants you to or not?”

Victoria nodded once. “I have rarely needed to reprogram a ship. Most ships will talk to me. They like me.” She gave them a tight smile. “It’s their captains that I have problems with.”

Seht raised a brow at Ravnos. “Which explains our nav-pilot’s tendency to sacrifice the captain for the ship. She likes the ship more.”

Victoria snorted. “Well, of course.”

Both the captain and the commander turned sharply to stare at Victoria.

She swallowed.
What did I say?

“That reminds me.” Ravnos leaned forward in his chair. “You have disobeyed a directive and are here to be disciplined.”

Victoria stiffened in shock. “What?”

“Senior Navigation Pilot Chaste, you are out of uniform,” Seht said with great relish.

Victoria set her jaw. It
was
the damned trousers. Well, she was not going down without a fight.

Ravnos radiated amusement but his mouth remained a thin line. “I distinctly remember providing you with a skirt, not trews.”

Victoria raised her chin just a fraction. “The directive I received was to wear what was provided.”

Ravnos nodded. “Correct.”

Victoria raised her brow. “I was provided with a yeoman, and the yeoman provided me with his trousers, because the skirt was two sizes too small. Therefore, I am wearing what was provided.”

Seht choked then cleared his throat. “She has a valid argument.”

Ravnos’s ice gray eyes flared with heat. “True, but unfortunately for Nav-Pilot Chaste, I am not in the mood to argue semantics.” He stood up with smooth grace. “Remove the trousers, Nav-Pilot. At once.”

Victoria knew a losing battle when she saw one. She jerked at the belt of her trousers and unfastened the waistband.
But damn it, I had to try!

“Those boots will have to come off first,” Seht said dryly.

Victoria froze, then looked at Ravnos.

He nodded. “You may remove your boots, Nav-Pilot.”

Victoria removed her boots with as much grace as standing on one leg would allow.
Thank the Fates for my physical augmentation.
She dropped the pants and stepped out of them. Her shirt fell to mid-thigh so she didn’t feel all that exposed.

“Remove your shirt, Nav-Pilot.”

Victoria’s head shot up. “Sir?”

Ravnos raised his brows. “I want to see just how far out of uniform you actually are.”

Victoria seriously considered refusing. Then she saw the blade at his side and remembered the speed of his sword-draw. She reached up to unknot her cravat and calmly contemplated what kind of havoc she could play in his personal quarters. She could easily get the ship to drop the temperature. Maybe a little frost on his bed-sheets would do him some good.

She dropped her silk shirt on top of the trousers and stood stiffly at attention wearing the lacy and irritating bra, the skimpy panties, and the belt thing that held up her stockings.

“Well now, that is nice.” The
skeldhi’s
expression clearly showed his sincere appreciation.

Victoria felt her cheeks heat with profound embarrassment while a tiny trickle of pleasure curled through her.
It’s nice to know I’m appreciated, but damn it, this is unprofessional in the extreme.

Ravnos turned to Seht. “Take down her hair. I want to see what color it is.”

The
skeldhi
grinned and strode towards Victoria. “With pleasure.”

Victoria gasped in shock.
My hair?

Rubbing his hands together in undisguised satisfaction, Seht circled around to stand behind her. “Hold still, Nav-Pilot.”

Victoria felt his fingers grasp the silver clasp that held her mass of hair, and panicked right then and there. “Captain, this is not regulation.”

“And this is not the Imperial fleet.” Ravnos had the hint of a smile curling at the edges of his mouth. “Remain as you are.”

The clasp slid free and Seht’s long fingers burrowed into her hair, digging out the pins that held her mass of braids. Her hair slithered free and spread across his hands to fall in a rich cloak to her waist.

“By the mother,” he said softly. “I believe it’s red!”

Ravnos’s brows shot up. “Red?”

“It’s brown,” Victoria ground out. “Dark brown.”

“This is not even close to brown.” He leaned close to her ear. His blue eyes gleamed and his lip curled to show a long incisor. “Believe me, I know red when I see it, and this is a deep, dark blood red.”

Victoria closed her eyes. By Fate, could this get any worse?

“Hmm.” Ravnos tilted his head. “Seht, take off her panties. I want to see what that virgin ass looks like on my desk.”

“Good idea!” He reached for the lace at her hips.

Victoria’s control snapped.
Oh no, you fucking don’t!
Death was preferable to being ass-fucked. She dropped hard to a deep crouch and lashed out along the deck, aiming for the
skeldhi’s
legs. When he jumped over her sweeping leg she lunged up and followed with flying fists and slashing feet.

Seht ducked and danced smoothly out of her way, grinning. “That did it.”

Ravnos snorted. “Took her long enough.”

She caught Seht with a hard kick to the chest, using every drop of power in her augmented legs, knocking him up into the air and back almost to the far side of the cabin.

Seht turned gracefully in mid-air and landed smoothly in a feral crouch. He bared his long teeth in a grin. “Damn, she’s good.”

Victoria spat a vicious oath. She had strained the piss out of the leg muscles around her augmentations in that kick.
What the hell is he made out of?

Seht came to his feet and jerked off his waistcoat. “So you want to play?”

“Shit.” She bolted for the door.

Ravnos lunged to his feet. “Don’t let her out!”

Seht lunged for her. He slammed the door shut just as she got it open. “Going somewhere?”

Victoria ducked his grabbing hands and whirled out of the way. There was nowhere to run. The cabin was too damn small and Seht stood against the only exit. She focused on the door.

Seht tilted his head and smiled. “If you want out, you’ll have to get past me.”

“Fine.” Furious beyond caring, Victoria dropped into a crouch and lunged with every drop of power in her legs. At the last second, she twisted and turned, flying at him with both feet.

He rolled away.

Her feet slammed into the door. The metal crunched but held. She dropped to the deck in another fighting crouch.

Seht closed on her with shocking speed.

She lashed out with a flurry of lightning-fast punches.

He ducked and dodged grinning. “Fast, but not fast enough. Try again?” He closed the distance with a rushing lunge.

Victoria sidestepped and whirled out of reach.

He swore and lunged again.

She knocked him back with a vicious kick. “Was that fast enough?”

Ravnos tackled her from behind, wrapping her in his arms and lifting her off the deck. “I got her.”

Held off the ground, Victoria couldn’t get her feet under her for any kind of kicking leverage. She punched, kicked and gouged, but he was a solid mass of powerful steel under warm flesh. She could not break free.

They hauled her screaming, kicking, and fighting across the appointment chamber.