first time he’d seen it, and would be until the day he died.
Sonja reached out one slender hand toward the view screens, framing the beauty between her fingers as if she could actually touch the constellations. “It’s so much more beautiful from up here.”
“Spoken like someone who has waited all her life to see it for herself,” Deke chuckled and tugged the girl back into his arms with a flash of smug satisfaction strong enough that Trevar felt it without even trying.
“All your life, huh? Well then, kitten, welcome to the party.” Trevar glanced over at her and she turned to beam at him, her smile as bright as the stars outside.
“Thank you. I mean that. Thank you both. Whatever happens, wherever I end up, I’m grateful to have gotten to see this, and to have a chance to make my own choices. I…I know you two could get in a lot of trouble if you get caught. So, thank you for not tossing me onto the station for the general to deal with. She would have sent my ass back to Earth faster than light speed.”
“She doesn’t need the credits as badly as we do,” he deflected Sonja’s praise, suddenly feeling badly about taking her money. Before he could ask her how she knew the commander was a woman, she asked them another question.
“What are you going to do with the credits?”
Deke answered, in part because he knew Trevar would want to focus on navigating them away from the station, but mostly because if Trevar started talking about their goals, he wouldn’t shut up for at least an hour. “We’re working on a down payment for a ship of our own. Once we have it, we’ll leave Alliance service and work for ourselves. Same job, only we’ll be our own bosses, and of course we’ll be hauling much more interesting cargo than the Alliance usually lets us transport.”
She laughed, snuggling deeper into his arms and lowering her head to his chest. “Sounds like you two are looking to run away from home, too. You’re tired of being told what to do, same as me.”
“You got that right,” Trevar grumbled as he studied the displays in front of him.
“I have one last question to ask,” Sonja murmured. Deke glanced down to see that her beautiful eyes were filled with fatigue, and for the first time he could see how tired she really was. The shock of her wild ride in the cargo hold had faded, but there were shadows lingering beneath her eyes.
“What’s that, sweetheart?”
“Where am I sleeping tonight?”
“My bunk. Don’t worry, I won’t be in it. Trevar and I are going to be up for hours yet.”
“Don’t want to be stealing your bed.”
Trevar chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, kitten. Tomorrow we’ll talk about sleeping arrangements. Tonight, you need to get some rest.”
“’Okay, but not yet. Can I stay up here and watch? Or am I going to be in the way soon?”
“You’re not going to be in the way. You can stay right where you are until we activate the jump engines. You won’t want to miss that.”
She nodded and he felt her grow relaxed and heavy in his arms. It was the most amazing feeling in the world, and as far as Deke was concerned, she could stay there for the rest of the damned night if she wanted. He was already formulating a plan to address their sleeping arrangements. All he needed was a few hours to program the holo-room. If things continued to work out between them, neither man was going to need to use it for recreation this trip. Not when they had something infinitely better to occupy their time.
***
CHAPTER FIVE
“How much longer do you think she’ll sleep?” Deke asked for the sixth time in the last hour, and Treva r finally gave in to the need to laugh. The Arca was flying on automatic pilot, leaving the two of them free to relax in the small amount of space that was the officially designated recreation area on board. In reality, it was a combination mess, gym, and observation lounge, separated from the galley only by a half-wall that doubled as
Sonja reached out one slender hand toward the view screens, framing the beauty between her fingers as if she could actually touch the constellations. “It’s so much more beautiful from up here.”
“Spoken like someone who has waited all her life to see it for herself,” Deke chuckled and tugged the girl back into his arms with a flash of smug satisfaction strong enough that Trevar felt it without even trying.
“All your life, huh? Well then, kitten, welcome to the party.” Trevar glanced over at her and she turned to beam at him, her smile as bright as the stars outside.
“Thank you. I mean that. Thank you both. Whatever happens, wherever I end up, I’m grateful to have gotten to see this, and to have a chance to make my own choices. I…I know you two could get in a lot of trouble if you get caught. So, thank you for not tossing me onto the station for the general to deal with. She would have sent my ass back to Earth faster than light speed.”
“She doesn’t need the credits as badly as we do,” he deflected Sonja’s praise, suddenly feeling badly about taking her money. Before he could ask her how she knew the commander was a woman, she asked them another question.
“What are you going to do with the credits?”
Deke answered, in part because he knew Trevar would want to focus on navigating them away from the station, but mostly because if Trevar started talking about their goals, he wouldn’t shut up for at least an hour. “We’re working on a down payment for a ship of our own. Once we have it, we’ll leave Alliance service and work for ourselves. Same job, only we’ll be our own bosses, and of course we’ll be hauling much more interesting cargo than the Alliance usually lets us transport.”
She laughed, snuggling deeper into his arms and lowering her head to his chest. “Sounds like you two are looking to run away from home, too. You’re tired of being told what to do, same as me.”
“You got that right,” Trevar grumbled as he studied the displays in front of him.
“I have one last question to ask,” Sonja murmured. Deke glanced down to see that her beautiful eyes were filled with fatigue, and for the first time he could see how tired she really was. The shock of her wild ride in the cargo hold had faded, but there were shadows lingering beneath her eyes.
“What’s that, sweetheart?”
“Where am I sleeping tonight?”
“My bunk. Don’t worry, I won’t be in it. Trevar and I are going to be up for hours yet.”
“Don’t want to be stealing your bed.”
Trevar chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, kitten. Tomorrow we’ll talk about sleeping arrangements. Tonight, you need to get some rest.”
“’Okay, but not yet. Can I stay up here and watch? Or am I going to be in the way soon?”
“You’re not going to be in the way. You can stay right where you are until we activate the jump engines. You won’t want to miss that.”
She nodded and he felt her grow relaxed and heavy in his arms. It was the most amazing feeling in the world, and as far as Deke was concerned, she could stay there for the rest of the damned night if she wanted. He was already formulating a plan to address their sleeping arrangements. All he needed was a few hours to program the holo-room. If things continued to work out between them, neither man was going to need to use it for recreation this trip. Not when they had something infinitely better to occupy their time.
***
CHAPTER FIVE
“How much longer do you think she’ll sleep?” Deke asked for the sixth time in the last hour, and Treva r finally gave in to the need to laugh. The Arca was flying on automatic pilot, leaving the two of them free to relax in the small amount of space that was the officially designated recreation area on board. In reality, it was a combination mess, gym, and observation lounge, separated from the galley only by a half-wall that doubled as
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