I ran my hand through my hair, my fingers tangling in it at the ends where it had grown stiff with whatever goop Morpheus currently had drying on his skin. Apparently, I had not been out all that long. Thank God I had considered the possibility of poisons when I stocked and programmed Blue’s medbay. “No. Alder is right. We can’t leave them behind. I can’t leave them behind.”
I knew it was a stupid move. Them or me—when that was the equation, I chose me. Every time. Taking those women with us would break that rule, keep the Bufo Alvarius Empress on our ass, and put my crew, my ship, and myself in danger.
But slavery. Even Old Earthers had given up slavery ages ago.
And I could still feel that Bufo tech’s nasty appendages on my body, examining my reproductive system. The memory made me shudder.
Morpheus’s expression told me exactly what he thought of the idea. But he didn’t say anything. He simply nodded curtly and turned on his heel to leave.
“Wait,” I called after him. “How much longer do I have in this thing?”
He glanced at the readouts. “Says you’re almost done.” His frown deepened even further, if that was possible. “What kind of meds do you have in there, anyway? The Bufo Alvarius venom is some heavy-duty shit. I’ve never heard of anything that could clear it out of someone’s system this fast.”
“Oh, I’ll be paying for it later,” I assured him. “But for now, Blue has taken my blood, filtered out the poisons, and added a hydrating and metabolic boost as it cycles back in. The gasses I’ve been breathing should help get rid of anything foreign in my tissues.”
Morpheus let out a low whistle. “Damn. That’s more sophisticated than I was expecting.”
“Blue is more than she looks like,” I said fondly.
“So are you.” Morpheus spoke so quietly that I barely heard his words. When he turned his face toward me again, I caught a glimpse of a well of pain in his eyes, deep and dark. Then his expression shuttered over, and he was back to being his usual grumpy self.
I hesitated, trying to decide whether or not to say anything to acknowledge what I had just seen, but at that moment, the healing chamber let out a soft ding to indicate I had completed the treatment. With a soft whirr, the IV needles withdrew from my arms and were efficiently replaced with bandages designed to stop the bleeding. I flexed my fingers open and closed a couple of times, thankful for my ability to do so. The pod door popped open and I stepped out, shaking my hands.
I felt great. Refreshed, strong, and ready to go.
It’s going to suck when this boost wears off.
Only belatedly did I realize I was still naked.
Well, too late for modesty now.
Anyway, if Morpheus had scooped me up and carried me all the way back to the ship in his arms, there wasn’t anything he hadn’t already seen. Still, catching his sidelong glance roving up and down my body felt strangely intimate, and I had to fight myself to remain casual as I grabbed a set of slouchy medical scrubs made out of the soft knit fabric that crewmembers on most ships liked to wear off-duty. I pulled them on and tightened the tie at my waist to draw them in, then rolled up the shirtsleeves. The outfit was way too big—I had bought a standard ship’s pack and left some in strategic places throughout Blue’s crew areas, but all the ones that actually fit me were stashed away in my quarters.
“Let’s go save some breeder slaves,” I said, marching past Morpheus, who followed me out the door.
In the hallway, I started to speak to Blue, but instead stopped and turned to face Morpheus, holding out my hand. “I need my communicator back.”
I didn’t actually remember him taking it, but he was the logical choice.
Without a word, Morpheus plucked it out of his ear and handed it to me. I felt better when I was able to hear Blue’s responses without broadcasting them all over the ship. I would have to have the medbay reimplant the translator eventually, but this would do for now.
“Sitrep, Blue?”
We are ready to lift off whenever you are, Captain, Blue replied. It felt good to have her voice inside my ear.
“You still in touch with the station AI?” I asked.
He was still behind me, but I felt Morpheus jolt at my question.
I am, and she is prepared to assist us.
“Excellent,” I continued aloud, mostly for my companion’s benefit. “Have her create a diversion for the guards, but make sure it doesn’t send the breeder slaves in the docking bay running, too.”
Got it, boss.
“Why didn’t you tell me Blue had a connection with the empress’s AI?” Morpheus demanded.
I lifted my hand in a one-armed shrug and kept walking. “When would I have had time to do that? I was too busy passing out and dying. Anyway, you know now.” I swung through an open hatch into a locker and grabbed a couple of weapons, passing two out to Morpheus and taking two myself. “Be ready to start getting the slaves on board,” I instructed, this time to both Blue and Morpheus. “But wait for my go-ahead.”
Yes, Captain.
“You got it.” At the tone in Morpheus’s voice, I glanced over my shoulder. A wicked gleam in his eyes suggested he was going to enjoy disrupting even such a small part of the empress’s slave trade.
“Blue, where are most of the women currently located?”
The most direct route onto the ship and to available quarters is the north hatch.
“North hatch. Got it.” I continued down the hallway.
“What are you considering quarters?” Morpheus asked. “There’s not much crew space on this boat.”
“Blue? Where are we sending them? North cargo bay?”
Yes. I have locked down all the additional exits and
