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He checked the sensors but the debris field concealed the pirates from him as much as it concealed them from the pirates. Grunting in the back of his throat, he altered some settings on the console in front of him.
"What are you doing?" Sadie asked, leaning forward to watch him with interest.
"I'm altering the scanners," he said. "The Liis use a particular type of armor in their hulls. It's a specific alloy and I should be able to pick up on that."
She frowned, sliding him a sideways glance. "But… wouldn't that mean anybody could track them like that? Why would they give that advantage away?"
Oh, she was a clever little one. He smiled at her, shoving his loose hair back over his shoulders. "Most people wouldn't be able to reconfigure the scanners to pick up the alloy. It just happens that your mate is a genius."
She arched an eyebrow at him. "And so humble as well…"
The scans came up clear.
"Yeah, I think we lost them." He let out a deep breath and eased back on the throttle, allowing the ship’s computer to set a course to bring them out of the debris field on the other side.
"You're safe, kelarris," he said. "I just need to set a course to get us back to Devan Station."
"That was... like an action movie or something." She smiled, some of the tension leaving her body. "You were amazing. I've never seen anyone fly like that."
He chuckled, a sense of pride warming him through at her praise. He had proven himself worthy, and capable of protecting her. Exactly as a good mate should.
"I've flown these ships most of my life," he said as he laid in a course that would take them back home. "And while an asteroid field may seem dangerous to most people, combat pilots see the opportunities for concealment and attack. We're trained to use them to our advantage."
Reaching over, he took her smaller hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Her lips parted as she was about to speak, but the ship lurched to the side, slamming them both into the arms of their chairs. An ear-shattering boom reverberated through the cockpit, almost deafening them before alerts screamed.
"What's going on?" She cried out, her hand torn from his by the violent motion.
His hands flew over the controls, bringing up damage reports and sensor readings.
"We've been hit by an asteroid fragment," he said, his eyes narrowing as he fought to control the ship and keep them from smashing into the nearest rocks.
"Draanth," he hissed between gritted teeth. "Engines and stabilizers are all off-line. We're going to have to drop out of the asteroid field."
Her eyes widened in alarm. "But isn't that dangerous? Won't the pirates catch us?"
He threw a map of the nearby system up on the view screen in front of them. "There's a planet not far away, I'm going to try and make an emergency landing there. We won't be in clear space long enough for them to get a lock on us."
He hoped.
* * *
"Get dressed. Quickly," Vaarn growled. Not the good kind of growl either, when his voice was all sexy and low, like last night. This was hard, dangerous, and focused. The kind of growl she was sure he used with his enemies.
She didn't question, just scrambled out of the chair and hurried to the back of the cabin. Grabbing her clothes off the floor, she pulled them on. Her hands shook so much that she fumbled the fastenings and nearly sliced her finger open with the zipper. Hopping on one foot, then the other, she managed to get her boots on and staggered back to the co-pilot seat.
The planet loomed large, filling the view screen and racing up to meet them at an alarming speed. Shades of teal and purple swirled across its surface, only broken up by jagged mountain peaks and vast seas.
The deck went out from under her feet and she squeaked as she grabbed for the back of the co-pilot's seat. Forcing down the panic threatening to close her throat, she made a dive to sit down.
"Vaarn?" she managed, reaching for the buckle on her safety harness. She wasn't any kind of pilot, but even she could tell they were coming in too fast, too steep. Her hands trembled, and she couldn't keep a grip on the metal clasp enough to drive it home. Some great space adventurer she was turning out to be.
“No, don’t strap in.”
His big hands covered hers, stilling her frantic motions, and she looked up. He leaned over her, extricating her from the co-pilot's harness and pulling her to her feet. Turning her around, he pushed her in front of him and herded her to the back of the cockpit.
"Vaarn, please," she begged, half-turning to put her hands on his chest. "Tell me what's going on."
