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Brassi hauled her behind him, putting himself between her and the next corridor. Then he strode forward. She hesitated but followed.
The sight when she rounded the corner and peeked around him left her stunned.
Ke’ters were down, the Veslors were standing, but the damage to the corridor was telling. Burn marks scarred the walls and floors, along with lots of green blood. Some of the Ke’ters were in pieces. Parts of the ceiling hung down, due to blast damage. She noticed the gloves of some of the other Veslors were torn at the fingertips, as well, as if something had ripped through them. He and his men must have used their claws during the fight, to kill the Ke’ters.
“It’s not moving,” Abby said. “I zoomed in as close as I could. It’s breathing, though.”
“Shit.”
Brassi turned to her and opened his face plate. “What’s wrong?”
“One of the Ke’ters got back inside. Vassi shot it twice, it’s down, but it’s not dead. Do they have good healing abilities?”
“I don’t know.” Brassi’s gaze locked with hers. “We kill them when we fight.”
“I’ll keep a close eye on the bastard,” Abby promised.
“Close the vents while it’s down and bring engines online. Any time they’re running has to be a good thing to repower the batteries, right?” Vivian hoped so, anyway.
“I don’t know. Engineering isn’t my thing. I’ll call your friend Donny to ask him. I’ll be back. I’m muting my side but I can hear whatever you say.”
“Thanks, Abby.”
Brassi touched her shoulder. “How many more Ke’ters to go?”
The missing three and the single ones trapped in corridors throughout the ship had almost escaped her mind during that fight. “Not many. Are any of your men hurt?”
“We’re all fine.”
She felt grateful for that. “Do they need to rest?”
He snorted. “We were bored until we picked up your distress signal.” He lowered his voice, and something hot flashed in his golden gaze. “Veslors have excellent stamina.”
Was he hitting on her? She felt heat rush to her cheeks when she decided he was. She gave him a small smile. “Good to know.”
His expression grew somber. “Are you certain you’re not hurt?”
“I’m good. Promise. A little out of breath but getting back to normal. I don’t run much.”
“You were fast, female. Impressive with such a small body.”
It was tempting to point out that any human woman would be small compared to him. Veslors were bigger than the average human…by a lot.
He left her to talk to his men, reverting once more to growls. She wished she could understand what was being said. As far as she knew, their language hadn’t been added to the database yet for standard translators. Then again, she wasn’t wearing an earpiece that had that ability.
“Engines are back online. Donny agreed with you. Anytime they’re running is better than nothing. The Ke’ter appears to be unconscious and seriously hurt, judging by the spreading pool of grossness that passes for their blood. It kind of reminds me of sludge from solar engines when they’re old. It’s this goopy green color.” Abby sounded calmer.
“I don’t know what that looks like. I’ve lived on ships most of my life. I haven’t ever seen a solar land vehicle up close,” Vivian admitted. “I lived in a dorm at college and stayed on the grounds. But I’ll take your word for it. I’m going to need another shower. Okay, you watch the bridge but we need to go after the next Ke’ter. Plot us a course through the blast doors.”
“On it.”
Chapter Six
Brassi allowed Yoniv to take the lead as they traversed the vessel, swiftly dispatching the few remaining Ke’ters. He wanted to keep a close eye on the little Earthling he covered from behind as Vivian followed his crew. She appeared tired but she refused to rest.
His gaze kept darting to her rounded ass, and he had to fight the urge to reach out to touch it.
The females from Earth were smaller and much less aggressive than what he was used to. A Veslor female would let him know without hesitation if she was interested in him. They tended to boldly approach males they wanted to copulate with. Not so with Vivian. It left him confused and feeling off balance. She’d allowed him to hold her, though, when he’d offered her comfort during her grief. That might be the Earthling way of showing interest in a male, if they allowed one to hold them. He really wished he knew more about her race.
“Your eyes will begin to hurt if you stare at the female any harder,” Vassi called out from the front, using their language.
“Shut up,” he ordered.
Kavs chuckled. “I see the attraction, too. But you’d have to be careful pinning one down. They look easy to hurt by accident.”
“I refuse to discuss this with any of you.” Now wasn’t the time. His males could tease him later, once they were back on the Brar.
“I don’t think these females wrestle with males to copulate.”
He pondered Ruggler’s words. He was their negotiator, and usually the one he took advice from when they made new trades with unknown races. He had a gift for quickly evaluating them and figuring out how they thought. “I agree. They seem too timid.”
“The males of their race aren’t,” Nessel grumbled. “I’ve fought a few.”
“You fight everyone,” Vassi reminded him. “You like to be insulting until they attack to shut you up.”
Vivian glanced back at him. “What are you guys saying?”
Her language was soft and musical to his ears. He switched to it. “We’re discussing the upcoming Ke’ter we’ll take on.” Brassi experienced a little guilt for telling the lie but he wasn’t about to share that his crew was teasing him about his attraction to her. It might make her fearful of him. That was the last thing he wanted.
“I really appreciate this.” She smiled at him before facing forward again. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for what you’ve done.”
His gaze dropped to her ass.
Vassi chuckled, once more speaking Veslor. “There you go. Ask her for a few hours in your bed in exchange for our help.”
“Shut up,” Brassi snapped again. “Our king would like better trade access with United Earth. The leaders of her planet may allow us on more of their space stations for saving so many lives on this vessel. I refuse to bargain for access to her body. That’s wrong.”
“I bet it would feel right with her under you.” Kavs paused. “If you fit. She’s so small. It would be frustrating if you got her bare, only to discover that wouldn’t work.”
A few of his males laughed. Brassi clenched his teeth, silently promising to take them into the training room and make them regret their teasing later. He’d kick their asses once they returned to the Brar.
“Speak her language,” he ordered. “We make her nervous when she can’t understand us.”
“She should be more worried about you pinning her to your bed to see if she can take you inside her. How do they even become aroused if wrestling is not foreplay?”
He snarled a warning at Kavs. “Enough!”
“Gentle touches and maybe some low growls,” Vassi suggested.
His males shut up finally, probably thinking about Vassi’s words and wondering how different it would be to copulate with a human female. Brassi knew he was imagining stripping Vivian out of her clothing and discovering how to make her feel the same attraction he suffered from.
They reached a section where the corridor remained blocked with sealed doors, and he stared down at Vivian. She stopped walking and turned to face him. Her eyes were a light green, so pretty. He found everything about her attractive, including the messy dark blonde hair that framed her delicate face and fell to her thin shoulders.
“There’s a Ke’ter trapped just on the other side. Abby says he’s pacing, as if he knows we’re coming or something. I don’t know how unless he’s in contact with the survivors and they warned him. Then again, t
he bridge crew did rush out after me. They didn’t seem to know the others had been killed, or I doubt they would have come out.”
Brassi appreciated that the female shared her thoughts with him. “It doesn’t matter if the Ke’ter knows we’re here or not. It will die.” He closed his face shield and motioned to his brother. “Protect her. Go with him, Vivian. Stay behind his armor.”
“I know the drill.” She moved closer to Vassi.
He felt a little jealous, wishing he could shield her small frame when a fight arose. They were his males, though, and while he’d let Yoniv head the group while navigating the ship, Brassi felt the need to lead them into battle, since he’d volunteered them to save the Earthlings. He was still angry that his younger brother had left her when they’d lured the enemy from the vessel’s bridge. He understood the reason, but a Ke’ter had still managed to flee—and almost kill Vivian.
He’d felt pure rage when he had tackled the Ke’ter, unsure if she’d been harmed. All he’d known for certain was that she’d landed on her knees and the Ke’ter had tried to hit her. It had died too quickly for his tastes, but he’d just wanted to ensure her safety. He and Vassi would have had a bloody fight if she’d been harmed.
He walked to the blast doors, yanked his rifle off his shoulder where he had slung the strap, and growled low. “Open the door.”
He heard Vivian softly telling the other female to do it. The blast doors slid open to reveal more corridor, and the Ke’ter quickly attacked.
Brassi lunged at it, using his blade. He hated shooting an enemy. It was too easy to take life that way. Bad blood lingered from the numerous Ke’ter attacks on their food-growing colonies, too. The elderly and the young tended to the growing fields. Not males or females trained for fighting. Attacking them was a cowardly act on behalf of the Ke’ters. He felt immense satisfaction every time he killed a member of the murderous race.
The male fired his weapon but it didn’t pierce Brassi’s armor. He snarled in rage and used the blade to go for the Ke’ter’s thin throat. It tried to flinch away but he beheaded it fast, allowing Kavs to shoot it in the heart. It was already dead but that didn’t matter. All of them had lost family to the Ke’ters at some point in the last two decades.
It was proving too easy to kill the Ke’ters trapped on the huge vessel. He returned to Vivian. “What’s next?”
She appeared worried. “That was the last one we know of. The remaining three are probably trapped in crew quarters.”
“What’s the plan to locate them?”
She hesitated, staring up at the camera, and Brassi wondered about the female called Abby behind the cameras, opening doors and moving them around the ship. Vivian finally met his gaze.
“Abby thinks we should go to the quarters of priority crew to let them out and allow them to help us.”
“Who is priority crew?”
“Abby’s pulled up the night-shift security personnel and located their quarters according to rank. The day shift was on during the attack, and we lost most of the team leaders.” She paused, grimacing. “Also, we should let Commander Alderson out.”
He had learned a lot about Vivian in a short period of time, including picking up the ability to read some of her emotions on her face. The one she showed now seemed to be distaste. “You don’t like the male. Why?”
“He’s the, um, captain of the ship.” She lowered her voice. “He’s a total dick. When the attack happened, he refused to believe I was telling the truth. He accused me of lying.”
Anger burned through him. “You’re honorable and truthful, Vivian.”
“Remember that talk we had about how some humans are good and some aren’t? Well, I don’t think much of him. He’s not going to take it well when he realizes the rescue party that I allowed to board isn’t one of ours.”
“He’ll be angry with you for letting us help?” The male sounded stupid to him.
“Big time. He’s unreasonable, set in his ways—and did I mention he’s a dick?” Then she looked wary. “I should warn you of something.”
“What?”
“He might have me arrested. If he does, please don’t interfere.”
Brassi was stunned, but it quickly turned to rage. “What?”
“I wasn’t authorized to enter Control One, to put the ship on lockdown, or anything else that I’ve done to keep people alive. I’m a civilian worker. It means anything to do with security isn’t my job. I overstepped a lot of bounds and broke a lot of rules. It’ll be okay, though. Once all the facts come out, I’m sure I’ll be cleared of whatever charges he files against me.”
Brassi didn’t know what to say—but he would not allow her to be arrested. That meant being locked in a cell or worse. He’d seen plenty of prisoners on the colonies they traded with. The ones found guilty of crimes were frequently used as forced laborers to pay restitution.
“Really, it’s fine, Brassi. There will be an investigation that might take a few weeks, but once they replay all the footage and piece together what happened, I can’t see anyone wanting to put me in prison or execute me for what I did.”
Now her words horrified him. “Execute? As in kill? You saved your people! You brought us onboard to handle the Ke’ter threat.”
“I’m sure they’ll realize that.” She gave him a forced smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Abby agrees with me. I might be arrested but once the investigation is over, I’ll be cleared of charges and released.” She shrugged. “I’ll just be looking for a new job. No way will Commander Alderson allow me to return to his ship.”
“That’s wrong.” Vassi spoken before he could. Brassi agreed with his brother.
Vivian glanced between them. “We have rules. I broke them. There were extenuating circumstances, though.”
“Ex-what?” That word didn’t translate.
“It was a dire situation,” she explained. “Rules had to be broken or we would have had no chance at survival. The investigators who’ll have to review what happened will hopefully see that, and I probably won’t be sent to trial.” She paused for a long moment. “Abby says she and her family know a few admirals, and she’s sure I’ll be cleared, too. It’s going to be fine. Just don’t be alarmed if I’m handcuffed and led away, okay?”
He didn’t know how to respond. It felt so wrong, and the idea of her being in trouble for anything she’d done angered him. “They should get down on their knees to thank you for saving them.”
“You actually did the saving. I just broke some rules—well, a lot of them—to get you here.”
“Will they arrest us?”
He saw her face go pale over Nessel’s question. She hesitated for a long time. “Abby and I didn’t think about that. It’s a real concern.” She paused again. “There are a few security officers I trust who worked with my father and brother for years. They’re smart and reasonable. We could let them out first, make sure they’re alive and no Ke’ters are hiding in their quarters, and then have you leave before we release Commander Alderson from his quarters.”
“I don’t like your plan,” he stated adamantly. “Even three Ke’ters are a threat if your weapons don’t kill them.”
Vivian listened, glancing at the cameras, making it clear Abby was speaking to her. She finally met his gaze again. “Abby suggested we go door to door, speak to whoever is inside first to make sure they’re human before unsealing the locks on their quarters. Anyone who doesn’t answer, or who sounds like they’re using a translator, will remain trapped until rescue teams reach us from the Branston Space Station. I managed to take a Ke’ter down with a tactical knife. A single Ke’ter wouldn’t stand a chance against at least ten people with blades. We’ll have numbers on our side, and it’s not like an attack will come as a surprise now.”
Brassi had to admit that sounded practical. He nodded. “I think we should stay with you until all the Ke’ters are found.”
“I don’t want to take the risk that Commander Alderson might order you arrested, too, Brassi
. He’s stupid and unreasonable when he’s sober—and he was drunk the last time we spoke.” She paused, glanced at the camera, and then laughed. “I don’t care that I’m not hiding my lips, Abby. I meant every word I said. He brought the Ke’ters onboard, and he thought I was pulling a prank when people he’s responsible for were being killed and eaten! Let him get pissed if he finds out I called him names when they review all the footage.”
Brassi didn’t like the idea of leaving Vivian behind if she was going to be arrested. His next words came out of his mouth without thought.
“You should come with us when we go. We can drop you off at an Earth station, after everyone realizes how you saved lives with your actions.”
She appeared surprised and her eyes widened, becoming even rounder. They were definitely pretty. Then she shook her head. “I need to stay here to speak to the investigators. Thank you for the offer, though. It’s going to be fine, Brassi. I’m also going to tell them how you and your men helped us. You saved all our lives.” She glanced at his males. “Thank you. I can’t say that enough. Not only did you save us but also the ship. That’s going to mean a lot to United Earth. Gorison Traveler is one of their largest and most expensive noncombat personnel vessels.”
She looked at the camera, listening to Abby. Then she held his gaze again. “Abby thanks you, too. Like I said, she knows a few admirals, and she promises to share how generous you’ve been by risking your lives. You and your people would be an asset to have as allies to United Earth. She feels certain she can get them to agree to opening some trade with Veslors. How do they contact you?”
“Just send a transmission to our king on Veslor home world. I’ll update him about what happened when we return to the Brar, my ship. He’ll be pleased. At one time, we didn’t associate with many other races, sticking to our quadrant, but times are advancing. Trade is healthy for our future.” He had the urge to touch her but resisted. “Making friends is good.”
She smiled. “I agree with that a hundred percent.”