The Alien's Stolen Rebel: An Alien Fated Mate Romance by Leslie Chase & Starr Huntress

Author:Leslie Chase & Starr Huntress [Chase, Leslie & Huntress, Starr]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

14

KREEL

Talbrek station was the last remaining habitat in the system, and that was unofficial. The asteroid mines ran dry long ago, the mining consortium which once held sway had abandoned it—and the criminals moved in, repurposing the station as a base too far from the major routes to be worth putting down. No serious gangs operated out of Talbrek, but it was useful as a neutral meeting place and somewhere to trade, or to lie low. You might find anyone aboard.

Years had passed since my last visit, but I doubted anything had changed in the meantime. Certainly, nothing would have improved.

It was also our only hope of safety. Frax’s ships spread through the system, and wherever I turned on the engines, I wouldn’t be able to hide long enough for the hyperspace drive to recharge. At the station, at least there’d be other signals to hide among. We only needed to stay undetected for a day or so, then we’d be able to make another jump out.

“That means trusting a station full of criminals to not hand us in for the reward,” Rachel said, pointing out the most obvious problem. “It’s not like the Starshadow is inconspicuous.”

“True, we will have to be careful and do our best to keep our ship disguised or hidden from view. It is a risk. However, the ruse need not last long. A day will do, or if we are very lucky, someone may have a charged drive for sale. I’ve seen stranger things in the markets. Void, I’ve sold weirder things in the markets.”

My mate nodded unhappily. “Okay, it’s not like I have a better idea, I guess.”

“That’s the spirit,” I said, and smiled. “Embrace the least bad plan and run with it! That’s the pirate way.”

That got a laugh from her. A reluctant laugh, but still a sign of humor.

“Okay, mighty pirate,” she said with a shake of her head. “How long will it take us to get there?”

“If we want to approach without broadcasting our position for everyone in the system to see? Five or six standard days. And before you say anything, yes, the irony of stealing one of the fastest ships ever built in order to crawl along like this is not lost on me.”

She laughed again. “Yes, that’s my life all over these days. But if we’re going to drift for days, wouldn’t we be better off charging the hyperdrive and jumping somewhere else?”

“Not that easy. Charging a hyperdrive is an active process, easy to detect, and worse, easy to identify. Each drive is unique—if we light ours up to charge it, Frax’s thugs will reach us well before we’re ready to leave. You’re valuable enough to risk burning out a few warships.”

“So we have nearly a week of sitting in the dark? Wait, no.” Her eyes closed and brow furrowed. “No, I forgot, I don’t know how long your days are. I guess it doesn’t matter, it’s a long wait. What are we supposed to do in the

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