Chapter 1

“I can do this,” Calie reminded herself as she shoved the last of her food pucks into the front pocket of her backpack then tugged the zipper shut.

“I’ve had enough VR practice. How hard can it be?” She slung the bag through the opening in the shuttle.

“Besides, hey, if the simulation hypothesis is real, then this is all just a fake engineered reality, meaning...” She waved at the corner camera across the shuttle bay, where her AI pal Athena tracked her every movement. “I am also a construct, ergo, my supposed death is irrelevant.”

“This is most unamusing, Calie,” Athena grumbled from the speaker closest to Calie’s transport. “I do wish you would reconsider.”

She wouldn’t, but she also had to make light of the situation. Otherwise, she might melt into a puddle of tears and abandon her Hail Mary plan.

“We’ve been over this a billion times, Athena.” No amount of discussion would change the fact she faced certain death either way.

“Two hundred thirty-seven, actually.”

Calie rolled her eyes. “Pedant.”

“Of course.”

Calie blew out a tired-of-it-all breath. “For the two hundred and thirty- eighth time then... The space station is out of supplies. No one has visited this stupid place or even stepped on the planet in over a month. I refuse to die a slow and awful death by starvation and dehydration.”

“Our distress call is still active.”

“Yeah, but no one has answered—not even space pirates. Clearly, no one wants this place. It’s that, or they’re all too scared of my former evil overlords to even think about boarding one of their stations.”

“I promised I would not shoot at any responders.”

“No one will believe you. I again reference the bastards who kidnapped and enslaved me here in the first place.”

Calie leaned against the side of the shuttle, crossing her arms.

“Look, I know you mean well, but I would rather risk a quick death, like going up in a ball of flames when the tracker in my spine detonates because I’m no longer on the space station. If your attempt to block the signal actually works and it doesn’t immediately explode, maybe I’ll make it down to the planet to search for supplies. Plus, I could destroy that horrible mine while I’m at it.”

No one should be forced to work and die there ever again.

“Take me with you.” Athena’s tone abruptly seemed subdued. Sad? Probably. Her AI buddy had evolved a lot since they first met almost a year ago. Without Athena as her companion, Calie probably would’ve lost her damn mind mere days into her captivity.

“I won’t risk you, Athena. Someone might find you, someday, and then you’ll have a friend again.” At least, she hoped so.

“You are my one and only friend. The Q’Larev were...”

She didn’t have to finish her thought. Calie understood all too well the depths of evil possible in the aliens who stole her away from Earth. She bore the scars to prove it.

“I love you, too, Athena. Bye.” With that, she stepped into the shuttle and slid into the pilot’s seat. The door whispered shut behind her. This is it. I’m probably going to die after I exit the sta—

A high-pitched alarm shrieked and trilled. Swoops of bass interspersed with five staccato beeps jabbed her eardrums.

“Ow!” She planted her palms against her ears. “Dial it down, Athena.”

The alarm ceased.

“Multiple ships detected within scanner range, Calie.” In front of her transport, the docking bay doors began to close.

Calie slapped her palm on the console, attempting to gain control of the exit. “No! Let me out! I know you’re just making this up to stop me.”

“Negative. There appears to be a battle, and it is entering our quadrant.”

“Oh! Okay.” Calie hopped up and tore out of the vehicle, running down the empty hall toward the lift to the command center.

She didn’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed at the intrusion. On one hand, they might blow up her space station. It would, if nothing else, ensure her preferred quickie-death. On the other hand, maybe they were good aliens who would rescue her, remove the tracker in her spine, then—

A bitter laugh escaped her. Since her abduction from Earth, she hadn’t met a single friendly alien—only bossy, cruel, monstrous beings, primarily males concerned with how they could abuse, extort, and enslave others while lining their pockets with the currency Athena had told her was called universal credits .

“Brace for impact.” Athena’s voice cut through her thoughts.

Shit. Nothing to hold onto in the curved hallway, only slick walls and an even slicker floor. She wouldn’t make it to Command before—

Something struck the deflector shield. A rumble, quite like boulders in a landslide back on Earth, vibrated the hall. The station rocked but held its position.

Another strike, another quake and teeter. The hall tilted. She stumbled into the wall. Pain tracked down her shoulder to her elbow. She pushed herself upright and kept moving.

“Status!” She skidded into the open elevator. The doors swished shut, and the cabin shot upward.

“Shields at ninety-seven percent,” Athena reported.

“Well, that’s awesome.”

“It appears to be a battle between one vessel of unknown origin and multiple opponents exiting a...”

The pause from her quick-fire AI friend sent dread daggering her gut.

“It’s a Zyphorran battleship, Calie. And they’re nearing our station.”

“That’s less awesome.” Calie didn’t know who the heck the Zyphorrans were, but the way Athena said their name? She doubted they were friendly.

The elevator opened. Calie burst into the oval command room, taking in the three-sixty-degree display surrounding her. The inky sky spread out to infinity, dotted with stars and other unidentifiable-by-her objects. Nearby, several ships battled.

“Have you hailed them?” She hopped into the command chair and planted both palms on the controls embedded in the arms.

“Of course; however, they have not responded.”

She drummed her palms against the slick surface of the control panel. “Give me access. I want to shoot things.”

“They have not targeted us.”

Interesting . “So, you’re saying we’re only taking collateral damage?”

“Perhaps...”

Calie focused on the firefight. The giant chrome warship hovered behind a trio of smaller, sleek and speedy gray destroyers. The latter focused their aggression on a dark green vessel shaped like a stingray, minus the animal’s whiplike tail. Volley after volley shot at the stingray, yet the sleek ship dodged their barrage.

“Wow, whoever’s flying that pretty ship is good ,” Calie murmured, finding herself rooting for whoever piloted it. “Try hailing them.”

“No reply.”

“Bummer.”

“Incoming transmission from the Zyphorran warship,” Athena announced.

“Great.” As in, not good at all. “Audio only.”

“This is the Zyphorr Protectorate. The former Q’Larev station and the mining planet previously known as Q’Larev-9 Quarry are ours. Prepare to be boarded.”

“This is Calie. You can’t have them. The Q’Larev own them, and they don’t share their toys.”

“The Q’Larev have joined the protectorate. You, this planet, and the station belong to us now.”

“I call bullshit. They’re slavers, not joiners.”

“They have been cleansed. You will submit.”

Cleansed. That sounded bad. Like, really, really bad. Calie rubbed the spot behind her ear where the Q’Larev had inserted the universal translator. “Athena does cleanse mean what I think it means?”

“Do you believe it means their home planet was most likely attacked, then everyone on it was either killed or forced into submission by the Zyphorr Protectorate? If so, then yes.”

“Well, I’m not going to be their slave. Try hailing the stingray.” Hopefully, she could play off the whole enemy of my enemy is my friend business.

“No reply.”

Darn . “Okay, let’s target the bullies. Because, I don’t know about you, Athena, but I’d rather go down fighting than be forced into servitude to yet another race of assholes.”

“Agreed.”

“And, hey, maybe we’ll win.”

“There’s only a seven point—”

“Ah!” Calie covered her ears. “Don’t give me the odds on our survival, just shoot!”

Athena flooded the sky with nano bombs. The swarm of crab-shaped devices streamed toward the battleship. Two of the small ships attempted to eliminate them before they locked onto the mother ship, while the other one in their formation rocketed away in the direction of the space station.

“Oh, shit.” Calie pounded on the controls. “Lemme shoot, Athena!”

“I’ve got it,” Athena murmured.

The destroyer dodged every one of the AI’s shots.

The enemy’s return fire pounded the shield. The station trembled and jiggled, tilting left.

Not good. “Let me help!” Adrenaline quaked through Calie’s muscles, overwhelming her logic. Athena didn’t need assistance, but sitting there doing nothing was driving her bonkers.

“Fine,” Athena harrumphed.

Calie cracked a grin, then her fingers flew over the controls. “Just like playing a piano.” Not that she’d done that since she was a teen, but mad dexterity remained.

Her first shots struck the forest green vessel. It careened away from their station.

“Oops.” Calie bit her lip, grimacing. “Athena, tell them I’m sorry.”

“A little busy, Calie.” One enemy destroyer exploded.

“Nice work.” Shaking off her mistake, she targeted the destroyers.

Many of the bots successfully swarmed the larger vessel’s energy shield, bombarding it with detonation after detonation.

Unfortunately, Calie was a terrible shot. Worse, even more destroyers exited the warship.

Crap! “Is their shield cracking at all?”

“Negative. Ours is at fifteen point two percent.”

“Damn it.” Calie focused her efforts on the trio of new jerks gunning for the station and battering the station’s defenses. Her return volley went wide, missing most everything—

She clipped the green vessel as it reasserted itself into the melee.

“Damn it!” she swore again.

The station’s vid screen flared to life, blocking her view. A handsome and angry male face filled the space. The brightest amber eyes she’d ever seen glared at her.

“Stop shooting,” the man growled.

The face disappeared.

“Who the hell was that, Athena?” A Zyphorran? She ignored the gorgeous stranger and kept firing at the battleship.

The face reappeared. Dark brows furrowed over his blazing whiskey eyes. “Desist, woman!”

“Desist this, you jerk!” She shot at the enemy. Continued to miss. “Ugh!”

She didn’t care how handsome he seemed, with his pale, silvery blue skin and spiky dark hair, and those glowing eyes which looked like they could melt a girl’s panties.

No one told her what to do, and no one would force her back into servitude.

Never again.

The green vessel took out two enemy ships before it planted itself in front of Calie’s station.

Angry Guy’s face filled her screen. “I’m trying to help you. Stop firing!”

Oh... Cranky Guy was the pilot of the green ship. Possibly a good guy? Calie lifted her hands away from the controls.

As she watched, he took out every single destroyer before he turned his attention to the warship.

“Shield at eight point seven percent,” Athena announced. “Hm...”

“What do you mean, hm ? Should we head for an escape pod?”

“This is most intriguing. And disconcerting,” Athena murmured, not answering the escape question.

“What, that guy’s amazing battle prowess?”

“No. He infiltrated and took over my communication system to speak with you.”

Okay, now Calie was doubly impressed with good-looking Mister Frowny, because Athena was a powerful genius. No one bested her.

Calie plastered her palms on the controls. “Let’s help him kick that warship’s ass.”

“Don’t you dare,” their unknown ally barked, audio only.

“Are you eavesdropping on us? Rude!”

“The unknown male is attempting to take control of all station systems, Calie.”

“Cut it out, whoever you are,” Calie warned him. She aimed one of the station laser cannons at his ship.

“Who I am? I’m the male who’s going to disable and commandeer the warship, then eliminate everyone on board it while you sit on your pretty ass and stay out of my way.”

He thinks I’m pretty? She shook off the frisson skating down her spine. “Screw you. I’m blowing up that warship. Athena, take it out.”

“The unknown male has almost breached my security walls,” Athena replied at the same time the guy snapped, “You’re too damn close to the warship, you frustrating female. Your deflector is almost tanked.”

“Whatever, dude,” she snapped, but he was right about the shield.

A trio of round objects resembling old-timey sea mines Calie had only seen in old war movies on TV, surged from the warship, flying toward her station in a wide arc. Before she could freak out about them, a blinding flash forced her eyes closed. When she reopened them, the warship was gone.

“They must’ve heard you threaten to kill them all.” And how intriguing that a whole warship full of evil aliens can be scared off by one lone guy in a much smaller vessel...

Did that mean she should fear for her safety, too? Might not have to worry about that. The mines still headed straight for the station. Her body tensed, as if that would make a difference.

“Our shields are down, Calie,” Athena pointed out.

“Oh, crap .”