“What if they did?” Hellion scowled at him.

“They have to come at us head-on, one at a time. That opening isn’t large enough to fit two vessels.” Stag shrugged. “It makes them easier to kill. Besides, a lot of them would be taken out in the asteroid belt just to get this deep. They don’t have the hull shielding we do and some of those small fragments hit us. We didn’t suffer damage but they won’t be able to claim the same.”

“It was a logical choice,” Veller stated.

Stag flashed him a look but said nothing. At least the male wasn’t questioning his every move now. That made things a bit easier and less infuriating.

“You appear tired. Do you want me to take your chair while you get some rest? Nothing is going to happen over the next few hours. It would take that long for the pirates to catch up, if they were able to track us.”

Stag appreciated the concern Veller showed now that they’d resolved their issue, but he shook his head. Resting would mean returning to his quarters—and Nala. Or worse, borrowing a bunk from one of the men in Control while they were on shift. He hoped Hellion hadn’t noticed he’d taken one of his uniforms. The male didn’t call him on if he had.

“I’m good.”

“The chances of the pirates finding us are—”

Stag wanted to punch him. “Stow it, Hellion! Slim to none. Let’s leave it at that. They may do a search pattern and will give up within two days. We’ll stay here, then venture out a bit to read sensors once we’re clear of the belt.”

“I’ll be glad when this mission is over. I still believe this is the worst one yet. Now we’ve had to run from pirates. I’ll take dead body cleanup any day over feeling as if I’m a coward.”

Stag clenched his teeth. “Hellion…”

“I know. Stow it and stop being emotional.” Hellion sighed, facing forward. “This is going to be boring. I almost wish I were still doing repairs. At least the time flew by.”

Stag’s headache grew worse. It was a combination of lack of sleep, stress, physical exhaustion, and he hadn’t eaten a full meal in days. He retook his seat, staring at the screen. They were in a dark mass with the opening ahead. Large chunks of rocks floated by, the belt always moving them in rotation. It encircled an inhabitable planet.

His thoughts returned to Nala. She always lingered in the back of his mind, and it annoyed him. Part of him wanted nothing more than to go spend time with her. His dick responded by getting semi erect.

He closed his eyes, rubbed his temple again, and tried to forget what it felt like to be inside her.

He’d had sex with females plenty of times when he’d been auditioning to join a family unit. It had been right after they’d reached Garden and begun to build the city. None of those women had responded to him the way the Earther did. Cyborgs could be cold, remote, and they easily masked their emotions. They didn’t moan and thrash under him, nor dig their fingernails into his skin. He had to admit, it made sex more intense and pleasurable.

“Odd.”

Kelis’s soft murmur drew him from his thoughts. Stag opened his eyes and placed his hand on the pad, trying to figure out what was wrong. He detected an alarm going off on one of the docking doors located in cargo hold two. The other sensors didn’t detect another ship, which mean the seal might be compromised.

“A malfunction? Perhaps one of the debris hits we took did damage after all.” Veller stood. “I’ll go check it out.”

“Put on a suit before entering the cargo hold,” Stag ordered. “In case of a rupture. Do an exterior examination. The crates we took onboard have been stowed. They won’t float if you exit that hatch.”

“Are you reading this?” Hellion’s voice deepened with stressed. “The oxygen levels in cargo two have increased.”

Stag did, almost coming out of his chair. The oxygen levels were higher than normal. He instantly turned on the warning system to go ship-wide and opened all coms. “We’re being breached. Red alert! Arm yourselves.”

“It has to be a sensor error.” Veller rushed to the weapons panel though, collecting laser pistols, stunners, and the high-voltage weapons for each crew member. He passed them out with haste.

“Increased oxygen levels mean the motion sensors were triggered. We purposely shut down those areas if nothing alive is inside. Those sensors are reading bodies—moving ones.” Stag stood, holstering the weapons to his uniform belt. “Where the hell did they come from?”

“They had to already be inside the crater and we weren’t aware of the other ship. Our sensors are blind but they must have seen us.” Kelis paused by the door. “Life signs onboard?”

“Fifteen,” Hellion rasped. “That’s seven more than there should be. We have been boarded.”

Stag contacted Maze. “Get to my quarters. Protect Nala. We have seven intruders. Origins unknown.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Don’t hesitate to fire on them,” Stag snarled. “Do you hear me? They are hostile, or they wouldn’t have boarded us without permission.”

The medic took a second too long to answer. “Understood.”

“Yammer? Parqel? Report. Did you hear the alarm?”

“Yes,” both of them replied. Then Yammer continued, “We’re armed. Orders?”

“Seven hostels. They entered by cargo two. Locate and take them out. We’re on our way.”

Stag pointed to Kelis. “You have Control. Watch the entrance so we don’t have more company. Fire if you see any ships. Hellion, guard the door. Seal it once we’re out.” He spun, storming to the exit. “You’re with me, Veller.”

“This is the worst mission,” Hellion called out.

* * * * *

Nala lay on the bed facing the wall when the doors slid open. “It’s about time!” She rolled, expecting to give Stag a piece of her mind.

Maze entered her room and the doors sealed behind him. He slapped his palm on the pad next to it. She took note of the weapon in his hand. That was a first. He usually only carried a tray of food or his medical kit.

She sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed, swinging her legs off. “What’s wrong?”

“We’ve been boarded.”

That shocked her into silence.