Born of Defiance

Talyn hit his retro engines and pulled up and rolled. Brief blasts of color lit the silent darkness around him. Unfortunately, that move brought him into range for “Blister.” The pirate opened fire with some kind of weapon Talyn had never seen before. It shredded his shields and burned through the outer layer of his fighter.

“Viper-Ichi hit.” Talyn cursed as his controls shocked him. “My directionals are failing. Rear engine going dark.”

Farina flew straight at him to engage the pirates who had a hard-on for him. “Syndrome covering Viper. Need a beam, Andarions. Hurry!”

“Nightdice sheltering Syndrome and Viper. We need help. Viper’s taking massive fire and they’re going for his throat.”

Talyn jerked back as another shock went through his arm from the short-circuiting panels. He saw an Andarion fighter he assumed was Nightdice moving in to protect him.

Or so he thought.

One moment, he was opening the channel to warn Syndrome about two Tavali headed for her. In the next, the Andarion fired on him and his entire ship exploded.





Chapter 6





F

elicia flipped through the news, looking for a report on Talyn and any possible battle he might have been involved with. There was nothing. Only stories about civilians who’d gone missing, and women who’d been attacked.

She forced herself not to pick up her link. She’d texted Talyn so much that she was afraid to do so again. At this point, he could have her arrested for stalking.

The link buzzed.

“Talyn?” she asked without even verifying the number.

“It’s Erix. Is this Felicia?”

“It is. Is everything okay?”

When he didn’t answer right away, it made her heart skip a beat. “I’m at the hospital.”

Her breath caught as tears filled her eyes. “Talyn?”

“He’s in surgery. They called me when they couldn’t reach his mother. I knew you’d want to know. I’ve sent a transport for you. It should be there any minute.”

“I’m on my way.” Hanging up, she started for the lift, then remembered she was in her nightgown. Frustrated, she ran to the bedroom and threw on her clothes as fast as she could.

She didn’t know how long it took her to get to the hospital. It was somewhere between a heartbeat and forever.

As soon as she entered the waiting room, she saw Erix, seated and looking sick to his stomach. Terrified and shaking, she rushed over to him. “Have you heard anything?”

He shook his head.

“Do you know what happened?”

Erix sighed wearily as he took her hand in his. “Tavali attack.”

Felicia scowled at the look on his face. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“I overheard the medics talking. They think it might have been friendly fire that brought him down.”

“What do you mean?”

Anger snapped harshly in his white eyes. “They said that it was one of our own who fired on Talyn’s ship.”

“Anatole?”

“I don’t know. They didn’t say.”

Rage darkened her sight as she craved blood. “Is there any way to prove it?”

“If there’s footage from the battle… maybe.”

But if it was Anatole, he’d make sure that footage was deleted. Bastard!

Never in her life had she wanted anyone’s throat so badly.

Erix pulled her into a hug. “Why don’t you sit down? I’ll get us some coffee.”

“Thank you.”

As Felicia took her seat, a tall, gorgeous female who didn’t appear much older than her came in wearing a commander’s formal uniform. The commander swept her gaze around the occupants before she headed straight to the empty nurses’ station. Impatiently, she pressed and held the buzzer.

The nurse glared at her as she came forward from a back room. “May I help you?”

“I’m Deputy Commander Batur. My son, Major Talyn Batur, was brought in and I need to know where he is and his condition. Immediately.”

Felicia held her breath as she waited for the update.

The nurse pulled up something on her monitor. “He’s still in surgery, Commander. That’s all I have. Sorry.”

The anguished expression on his mother’s face brought tears to Felicia’s own eyes. “What was his condition when he was brought in? My parents are Doctors Garaint and Nila Batur.” The nurse’s eyes widened at those prestigious names that literally everyone in the medical profession knew. “Please, tell me what you have about my son. I have to know.”

The nurse read from her screen. “Critical One. He took several direct hits that exploded his ship, and was ejected into space. It appears he slammed into shrapnel or debris and was coding when they hauled him into a medpod.”

“No!” His mother fell to her knees and sobbed.

Felicia was grateful she was sitting because she had the same reaction. It felt as if all the air had been violently sucked out of her lungs.

But as she saw his mother’s agonized grief, she went to her and pulled her into her arms.

The commander wept against her shoulder and shook so hard that Felicia feared she’d pass out. Her own tears blinded her as she prayed with everything she had.

A shadow fell over them. She looked up to see Erix’s pale face.

“What happened?” he asked.