The Zagrath were definitely coming. They were coming to finish the job I hadn’t. I bristled at the thought of another imperial assassin on the ship, not only because I hated the thought of my competition, but because I knew now I couldn’t let them succeed. I could not stand by and let them murder Bron. Not when he’d put himself on the line for me.
The heat prickling my skin was like a fever that made my heart beat unevenly and my mouth go dry. There were more reasons that I couldn’t bear the thought of the Raas being killed, but I didn’t want to think too hard about why the alien warlord provoked such unwanted feelings of desire and longing in me. All I knew for sure was that he’d been the only person to put himself at personal and professional risk for me in…well, ever. Foiling the empire’s plot against him was the least I could do, especially since I’d been plotting to kill him myself.
Once I’d dressed, I forced myself to take in a long breath to steady the relentless drumbeat of my heart. The question was, who had they sent after me, and could I find them before they assassinated Raas Bron and then me for failing to kill him first?
Chapter Twenty-One
Bron
I let out a roar as my raiding party spilled onto the imperial ship, shields braced, and our axes poised to rain terror on the enemy soldiers. We’d used our invisibility shielding to slip onto their hangar bay without trigging any alarms or sensors, but we had no desire to hide our attack now.
The Zagrath cruiser wasn’t close to the size of one of our warbirds, but it was large enough to hold the two raiding ships we’d just landed in the hangar bay as well as a pair of imperial shuttlecrafts. A member of the deck crew who looked shocked at our appearance ducked out the wide arched doors when he saw us. Moments later, red lights flashed overhead, illuminating the walls and making my fellow raiders’ faces appear even more menacing in the crimson glow.
We advanced as a single unit, our shields locked in front of us, as we moved swiftly through the ship. The imperial ship was like all the others we’d seen—bright, enclosed corridors that now pulsed red as wailing alarms echoed off the sleek walls. For as many enemy ships as I’d raided, the brightness always made me flinch as I wondered why the aliens chose glaring lights and blaring white surfaces that made my eyes ache to look at them.
“Should we break off, Raas?” Svar asked as we came to a fork in the corridor.
Remembering the layout of the last imperial cruise we’d stormed, I nodded to a pair of raiders. “Clear the right passage then return to us.”
One of the raiders gave a sharp nod. “No prisoners?”
I thought of the merciless empire that had destroyed the home world I’d never seen, subjugated millions, and kidnapped Alana, forcing her into a life as a killer. “No prisoners,” I growled.
Rounding a corner, we were rushed by two helmeted soldiers firing their blasters. The blasts ricocheted off the thick iron of our shields, then Svar swung his shield up to slam into both of their arms and send their weapons flying from their hands. Without even a moment to register the shocked looks on their faces, I sliced my battle axe through the air and lopped off their heads. Blood splattered the pristine walls as the helmets cartwheeled through the air and landed with decisive thud.
Screams came from behind us—an indication our pair of raiders had found imperial fighters—but we stepped over the lifeless bodies and moved forward. I glanced at the slick blade of my axe, the dripping blood making my pulse dance. It had been too long since I’d handed out Vandar justice, and my chest swelled at the sense that all was as it should be.
We passed more empty rooms as we moved through the ship, Svar quickly dispatching another pair of soldiers without one of them even firing off a single round.
As the lifeless bodies dropped to the floor, I grinned at him. “Well done, majak.”
His face was alight with excitement, and his eyes burned with vengeance. “It feels good to strike a blow to the enemy.”
I knew how he felt. Every dead Zagrath was one less soldier who would enslave alien civilizations or occupy peaceful planets. The fact that they were faceless creatures in helmets made it even easier.
When we reached a central space in the ship with corridors leading off it like spokes of a wheel, I sent pairs of raiders down each one.
“Strip the ship of any weapons or technology,” I told them before they rushed off down their assigned corridors. “We need to know what the enemy is up to. Once you’ve taken what we need, return to the warbird and we will follow once we’ve dispatched the command crew.”
They clicked their heels and moved off, still in defensive formation. Svar and the remaining two raiders stayed with me to breach the command deck, and we moved swiftly and wordlessly toward our target. After raiding countless Zagrath vessels, their layout was as familiar to me as the schematics of my own warbird. It helped that the ships were simplistic and consistent in design. All of their freighters were alike, as were all their cruisers.
We took out a small complement of soldiers as we got closer to the command deck, leaving them sprawled on the floor with their useless blasters still in their hands. It was almost too easy, I thought, as we paused outside the sealed doors leading to the command deck. Although we were breathing heavy and our axes were slippery with enemy blood, the ship had not been prepared for an attack and the soldiers had seemed barely able to defend themselves.
“The enemy forces are less and less of a challenge,” Svar said, giving voice to my
