“I’m not having intercourse with that Earther.”

“A shame,” Maze stated from his seat. “She’s attractive. A little on the short side, and compact, but I would be pleased to share quarters with her.”

“So would I,” Yammer agreed. “I think she’s the perfect size. She doesn’t take up much room. Our bunks are small for two to share.”

That was a problem, Stag concluded. None of his crew members were joined into a family unit, and they didn’t have access on a regular basis to a female. It seemed anyone would do. They were even willing to overlook their past experiences with Earthers if it meant having a warm body under them.

“Perhaps we can keep one of the bots onboard.”

Yammer almost fell out of his seat as he twisted around again, staring at Stag with a glint in his eye. “For us to use?”

“Your lack of physical stimulation is affecting your judgment. A bot won’t slit your throat or betray us. An Earther would.”

Yammer frowned. “You’ve got the female in lockdown inside your room, no access to coms, and I’m certain you’ve safeguarded against her getting her hands on anything that can be used as a weapon. She’s not a threat.”

“She would be if you became lax enough to trust her. She’d plot a way to cause harm. That’s what they do. How could you forget that?”

Yammer faced forward. “True.”

Maze shook his head. “I disagree.”

“You’re a medic. You’re prone to dealing with the weak and injured, not security threats and how to manage them.”

“How do you manage the Earther?”

Stag considered his answer to Maze carefully before speaking. “I saved her life. I’m responsible for her well-being until we return to Garden. I’ll keep watch over her, feed her, and make certain she stays healthy. Then she will be handed over to the council and they will decide where to place her.”

“We’re not technically supposed to rescue Earthers. Why did you?” Maze stared at him. “It’s out of character for you.”

“She had information about the Markus Models, and we’d boarded her ship as part of our mission to investigate their attacks. I am confident the council won’t have a problem with us taking her aboard the Varnish, as opposed to leaving her there to die. She is a female.”

“It might have upset a few of the council members when they read our reports, if we’d left her to die, since some are joined in family units with Earthers.” Yammer glanced at Maze. “It was a logical choice. I don’t want to be reprimanded by them. It’s better to err on the side of caution these days, with all the recent changes.”

“That was my determination,” Stag stated. It wasn’t completely true. He would have left Nala behind, it could have been too dangerous to his own men to save her, but she’d infuriated him. He’d made the extra effort.

It angered him that he felt compelled to be dishonest with his crew. It was her fault. She was already corrupting him.

He couldn’t wait to get out of the dead zone and hand the Earther over to the council. They could worry about placing her in a low-security job and finding her living arrangements.

Maze seemed to be thinking about her future as well when he spoke.

“The council will assign her to a male. She will need to be housed with and guided by one. I’m going to ask to be that male. She has already met me, and I’m a medic. I’d be a perfect candidate.”

The thought of Maze with Nala didn’t sit well with Stag. Maze would attempt to seduce her. He carefully studied the cyborg. She might find him attractive. All cyborgs had been made from what Earthers considered superior genes, for health, physical wellness, and looks.

He clenched his teeth and dropped his focus to his pad on the arm of his chair, monitoring dark space, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.

Maze was a fool if he allowed an Earther into his home. He’d regret it. She’d betray his trust in some way. They always did.

An alarm blared and he quickly read what had caused it.

Something had attached to the hull.

He barely hit the coms in time. “Brace!”

A small explosion came from the port side. He kept calm as he took in the damage readings from the ship’s sensors. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. One panel near a maintenance access had suffered a rupture but the hull under it held. He locked down that section, making certain none of his crew were in that area. He vented out the oxygen to the surrounding area so there wouldn’t be a pressure issue.

“Eject some of our solar panels,” he ordered.

“Decoys in case of other bombs?” Yammer did it. “Brilliant.”

Stag rose from his chair. “I’m going to have to do an exterior examination and patch.”

Yammer rose. “I’ll do it.”

Stag stared into the male’s eyes. “There are bombs near us. We’re aware of that now. Parts of our suits might draw them or be breached by small shrapnel if the solar panels are blown apart. We can’t go to full burn with an exposed section, even if it was small. It’s too risky. The hull in that section might have suffered fractures. I’ll do it.”

“You’re our commander. I’m not vital.”

“You are in charge.”

“Stag.” The cyborg gripped his arm. “It should be one of us.”

“I’m not losing a member of my crew. You’re in charge.” He jerked out of Yammer’s hold and stormed out of the room.

He was going to have to suit up and exit the shuttle, float out there and do a patch. They were at a full stop but those bombs were a severe danger. He hadn’t lost a man yet—and never planned to. If one of them had to die, it would be him.

Maze caught up with him at the lift. The doors opened, and Veller and Kelis faced him. “Yammer is at the helm. I’m going outside.”

“We read the damage.” Kelis stepped back against the wall of the lift. “I’ll repair it.”

“Go to Control now. I have this,” Stag ordered.

“I’m going to monitor, and be suited up to retrieve you if there’s a problem.”

Stag glared at Maze.

“It’s my job. I’m the medic. I can overrule your orders. Kelis and Veller are here to assist Yammer. They don’t need me, but you might.”