Chapter 2

Chapter 2

T he Cosmic Consortium government had commandeered her ship and Branson Goody was in command. Cassidy swallowed the bile that rose from her stomach. This couldn’t be happening. Why hadn’t Simpson Howard told her the truth?

She headed for the bridge with Squadron Commander Branson Goody on her heels. Anger continued to build within her. Cassidy stepped onto the bridge without having consciously been aware of climbing two ladders to reach her destination.

Technically, The Fury belonged to Galactic Solutions who had multiple contracts with the government. There were times she forgot that distinction. This was one of those moments. It was a bitter pill to swallow. She had no choice but to follow orders.

“ Titus, release the ship, ” she ordered. “ Commander Goody is in charge and you’ll take further orders from him. I need some air, and unfortunately, I won’t be able to get any. ”

The tabby’s amber eyes focused on her. “ You can’t be serious. He doesn’t have a chip in his brain. How do I take orders from this interloper? ”

The cat’s question prevented her from escaping the humiliation she suffered. Titus deserved an answer.

“Commander, Titus wants to know how he’s supposed to comprehend your orders since you don’t have neurotransmitters.”

She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping he didn’t expect to use her as a go-between. Goody would turn her into a mindless mouthpiece. Such a role would be beyond demeaning.

Goody pulled a small computer out of the utility belt he wore around his waist and tapped the screen. His large fingers made the process awkward. Her first impressions were correct; this was going to be a painful assignment.

“The cats will receive orders through my mini-interface device,” he replied.

A message transmitted into her and Titus’s chips. He must have misspelled a number of words because part of his communication didn’t make sense.

“ Brilliant, ” Titus shared his thoughts through their pathway. “ We’ll be sitting ducks as asteroids come hurdling in our direction or under attack as he poorly types out orders. Whose brilliant idea was it putting him in charge? ”

Titus never edited what he communicated. He was a cat after all. But he brought up a legitimate concern and she wanted to know who initiated the order.

Goody’s face reddened and he furiously typed. She had a sinking feeling the commander’s device had translated what Titus said.

“ Follow orders and release the ship. ” His orders echoed in her mind.

Her ship was under military control and there wasn’t a damned thing she could do about it. One thing was certain, she couldn’t stand there any longer.

Cassidy stormed off the bridge without being dismissed. She hadn’t signed up to join the military. Galactic Solutions had fine print in the contract she signed about their military partnership and how protocols would change if an assignment fell under military control. As far as she was concerned, she never read that portion of the very long document she had signed.

A hand grabbed her forearm and forced her against the bulkhead wall. Goody’s eyes were a darker shade of blue than they were a minute ago. He was furious or turned on. Neither option was good from her point of view.

“Where the hell are you going, kitten?” he shouted.

“As far away from you as I can get,” she hissed. “And my name is Captain Ryan.”

His thumb caressed her arm, making it difficult for her to think. She didn’t know if his touch had been intentional.

“As you pointed out, you’re still captain of this ship,” he said. “That damned cat didn’t understand what I communicated.”

She pushed him away from her. The physical contact had her riled up for all the wrong reasons. Anger should be driving her emotions and physical reactions, not lust.

“ That damned cat is the best pilot in the sector,” she informed him. “He understood you perfectly, as did I. Lastly, if you ever touch me again, I will end you.”

The muscles around Branson’s lips tightened.

She didn’t clarify what her threat involved. Let him mull it over in his mind. It was doubtful he’d report her insubordination.

“I expect you to run this ship and execute my orders,” Branson explained. His voice had transitioned from being charged with anger to a soothing one. “There are limitations to my ability to command your crew. Simpson Howard informed me about your special circumstances. I didn’t realize the criticality of your pets’ presence aboard this ship.”

It infuriated her he’d reduce three vital members of her crew to mere pets. Titus, Jasper, and VIC were so much more. She chose not to respond to his comment. His time on her ship would cause him to whistle a different tune in a relatively short period of time.

“How quickly do you want to get to the asteroid field?” She decided returning to business would be her best option.

“Five days,” he responded. “I’ve been led to believe this ship is capable of such speed. If interested parties are monitoring our progress, we’ll arrive at our destination two days earlier than expected. That will put us at a critical advantage.”

They could make it in five days if they pushed The Fury to the breaking point and dosed Jasper with mass quantities of catnip. She also didn’t like the us comment.

“Am I to understand you aren’t going to share why we’re hauling ass to the asteroid field?” she asked.

His response played in her brain before he uttered the words.

“That information is need to know.” He had replied exactly as she expected. “Your job is to get us to our destination, kitten.”

She chose to ignore what he called her this time around. There were more pressing matters to deal with.

Based on the firepower she believed the soldiers carried onto her ship, they weren’t on a diplomatic or humanitarian mission. The question that played in her mind was how much danger she and her crew found themselves in.

“I assume my ship’s weapons should be loaded and ready to fire,” she said.

He didn’t have to know The Fury was always prepared for battle. The technology on the ship was state of the art and the cats’ neurotransmitters would garner a space pirate top dollar. Control made sure their technology was protected at all costs. Her ship had a self-destruction protocol and contained no escape pods.

“Don’t take me to be an idiot,” Branson sneered. “I probably know more about this ship than you do. If my mission is unsuccessful, no one returns. But I have a feeling you already know that.”

Cassidy hated when she was right. She knew it from the moment she received the orders. There was no remorse in his eyes. Orders were orders and she doubted he ever questioned them.

“I just hope you’re half as good as you think you are,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Better,” he responded with a devastating smile and left her side to return to the bridge.

Her mind connected with Titus. “ Get us out of here. When we’re past Earth’s sensors, kick the ship into psycho-mode .”

Over time, they’d created names for the technical terminology of the ship’s functionality.

“ Who do I take orders from? ” Titus asked.

“ That would be me, ” she replied. “ We can interact without Goody’s knowledge. Just let me know if he asks you to do anything insane. Keep your cool and don’t extend your claws. ”

She fantasized about her cats going after Goody. They’d draw plenty of blood before the commander ultimately became the victor. It was frustrating that he wouldn’t have to seek medical attention afterward.

The Fury didn’t have a doctor or vet on board, just med-beds. Once hooked up, the technology could take care of pretty much anything. As technology improved, medical practitioners either had to work for biotech companies, find other employment, or venture to backward worlds.

“ I’m not promising anything, boss ,” Titus replied.

She’d touched base with her whole crew except Jasper. As they undocked, Jasper would begin monitoring the engines. He’d make slight adjustments to the fuel and lubrication levels. This was particularly important when they went into psycho-mode.

The white Persian was on top of the console monitoring an array of performance standards when she arrived in the engine room. His eyes appeared exceptionally large due to his round face and short muzzle.

“ You know I don’t like psycho-mode, ” Jasper complained. “ Who is this crazy commander VIC and Titus are complaining about? ”

Cassidy rubbed her eyes as she viewed the monitors. A downside of their shared neuron link was the constant communication between herself and the cats. She would link in whenever she needed to communicate with a staff member but didn’t stay connected with them.

Her hand ran down the cat’s silky back. Jasper was the only one of her cats who demanded constant petting when she was around. He purred as he continued to step on various buttons.

“ Just ignore Commander Goody and his team, ” she said. “ They won’t bother you in the engine room. If VIC and Titus are annoying you, remove yourself from the pathway. ”

Cassidy had the ability to contact any of her staff instantly even if they weren’t active in the pathway. It was a safety protocol built into one of the recent upgrades because of an unfortunate episode that occurred on another ship.

“ I won’t be responsible for any damage caused by extended psycho-mode, ” Jasper informed her. “ Have we ever spent five days at that speed? ”

The cat pulled away from her and walked to his feeding station. His paw touched a button releasing kibble and a second replenishing his water.

“ Does the wet food dispenser need to be refilled? ” she asked.

Elon usually took care of the task. None of her cats were shy about complaining if their basic needs weren’t met.

“ I heard the soldiers brought fresh fish aboard, ” Jasper said. “ What are the chances of getting a fillet? ”

They might as well get something out of having Goody and his crew aboard. “ I’ll see to it, ” she replied.

Cassidy thought she’d check the cargo hold before heading back to the bridge. She wanted to check the gauges to make sure nothing radioactive was brought aboard her ship.

There was a slight swaying of the ship when it accelerated into psycho-mode. The Fury ’s engines continued to run silently.

When she entered the cargo hold, she immediately checked the environmental controls. VIC would’ve warned her about radioactive contamination as he monitored life support. It was one of the first items he would’ve checked. Her anal behavior would help her sleep at night.

The readings in the hold were normal. There was a slight temperature deviation, but that was typical after items were placed in the usually empty space.

“Captain Ryan, meet me in the mess.” Branson’s voice blared through the rarely used ship’s intercom. With her crew equipped with neurotransmitters, they normally communicated through that means.

She liked working on her own schedule, at her own pace. Taking orders was going to take some getting used to. It was always preferable to give orders, not receive them.

Cassidy headed up to the second level where the galley was. All living quarters were located on that level. It was doubtful the soldiers had been assigned units as of yet. They only had four small quarters available for the six of them.

Branson was the only one in the galley. He sat at a table with two plates in front of him. She must be dreaming because she smelled bacon.

“I hope you like bacon and eggs,” he said.

“Real bacon?” she asked in wonderment. Her stomach won out over any concerns she may have had about joining him. “I’m used to dehydrated rations.”

Table manners meant nothing to her. She picked up her fork and shoveled the food into her mouth. After her first bite, she closed her eyes and moaned.

“I imagine you don’t come to Earth often,” he commented.

Another fork full of food entered her mouth, delaying responding to him. “No, we rarely land on planets or dock at space stations for any length of time. My crew hasn’t had fresh food in I can’t remember when.”

Branson’s facial expression softened with amusement. All of a sudden, he appeared approachable. Maybe the mission wasn’t going to be as painful as she imagined.

He leaned back in his chair and stared at her. “Enjoy the fresh produce and meat we brought aboard,” he said.

The communication device he’d used earlier buzzed. Branson picked it up and read whatever message appeared on the screen.

“Titus communicated Jasper wants fish,” Branson reported. “Do we cook it or serve it to him raw?”

“I’d just nuke it to make sure there aren’t any living parasites,” she replied. “If you provide me the filet, I’ll be happy to prepare it for him.”

His lips formed into a mischievous grin. “I’ll have Wendell take care of it.”

Cassidy frowned. “I thought Wendell is allergic to cats.”

“He is,” Branson replied. “Wendell didn’t properly clean his gear after our last assignment. I figure administering to your cats is an appropriate punishment. He’ll think twice next time we’re done with a mission. Besides, your cats need to be fed. It’s a win-win situation as far as I’m concerned. I need you and the rest of your team not to be distracted with grunt work.”

Who knows what he’d have her do if she got on his wrong side? She also didn’t mind if he continued to cook for her. The bacon and eggs were exceptional.

She’d just finished the last of her scrambled eggs when alarms went off. The ship had various warning alarms built into the system. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember what this specific alarm was for.

“ What’s happening, VIC? ” she asked through their interface.

“ Radiation alert ,” VIC reported.

“ Impossible, I was just in the cargo hold, ” she communicated. “ There was no indication of a radiation leak. ”

“ It’s not coming from the cargo hold,” VIC explained. “The alert is coming from Cabin 29. One of the commandos was assigned those quarters. ”

Cassidy slammed her fork onto the table. “What the hell did you bring aboard my ship?”