Shielder — A new Science Fiction Romance (Book 1, Shielder Series) (27 page)

"I know," Sabin responded quietly. "But if
taking it out of my hide makes you feel better, have at it. Just be
forewarned—I'll thrash you back."

Travers always managed to mirror his fowl
moods back at him. Chase released him. "Sorry. How could I let
myself be taken in by her? I fell for her story like a stupid
Antek. I only hope she's headed for Zirak. Because if she's not,
I'll have to wait until my ship's signal is picked up. I have that
frequency in another hidden program file. Maybe Nessa won't think
to look for it."

"We might not have to track the homing
device." Sabin straightened his flightsuit. "I've already received
a message from Nessa."

Chase grabbed him again. "What are you
talking about?"

With a pained look, Sabin pried Chase's
hands away and straightened his garment once more. "The day after
you contacted me from Odera, I received a message with your
transmittal code, signed with your name. It requested that I meet
you at Star Base Intrepid in three ship cycles, which is now one
cycle away. Nessa must have sent it."

What the hell was she up to? Wondering if
Sabin might somehow be involved, Chase stared at his partner
suspiciously. "Why would she want to meet you?" Was it his
imagination, or did a brief expression of guilt cross Sabin's
face?

"I don't know why." Sabin paused, then
added, "For sure."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The only thing I can figure is that if
Nessa sent that message, she must be in some sort of trouble. So
she contacted me because she had no one else to turn to. She would
have to hope I didn't know your ship had been stolen."

"I don't give a damn if she is in trouble,
or even if her life is at stake," Chase growled. "Because she's
going to be dead when I catch up with her anyway. Where and when
did she want to meet at Intrepid?"

"The message said I would be contacted with
that information later."

Chase glared at Sabin in frustration. "You
have set the coordinates for Intrepid, haven't you?"

Sabin flashed his usual cocky grin. "Of
course, partner. I'm as intelligent as I am good looking."

Chase snorted. "Then we're in trouble. How
long until we reach Intrepid?"

"One and a half ship cycles. We'll have to
take steps to ensure Nessa doesn't panic and leave before we get
there."

"I'll take care of that." Chase headed for
the cockpit. I'll send a message to my ship, using your name and
informing Nessa it will take an extra half day to get there. Then
I'll send a message to the authorities at Intrepid. Once my ship
docks, it's to be detained until we arrive. Nessa's not getting
away from me."

"She could dock at any of over fifty landing
bays," Sabin pointed out. "She might be in and out before anyone
tracks the ship."

Chase halted and faced his partner. "So
we'll set two traps for her. One at the arranged meeting site, the
other at my ship, which I
will
locate. Nessa will
not
escape me." Then, annoyed by Sabin's concerned expression, he
snapped, "And why the hell should you care what happens to her? She
deserves whatever punishment the Controllers mete out to her."

His partner watched him solemnly. "Are you
really going to turn her over to the Controllers? That's a
guaranteed death sentence."

Chase's insides knotted. Could he really do
that to Nessa, after all that had passed between them? She had
tended his wounds, even saved his life. She'd surrendered her
virginity to him with a startling passion. She had touched him in
the darkest hours of the night, a healing touch, gifting him with a
few priceless hours of forgetfulness.

He hardened himself against the rush of
emotions sweeping through him. He couldn't let Nessa's inexplicable
allure leave him vulnerable to betrayal. Not again.

But could he turn her over to the
Controllers and certain, agonizing death? No…probably not.

He would deal with her himself. And it
wouldn't be pleasant.

* * * *

Nessa circled the ship on a wide berth from
Star Base Intrepid's orbit. Certain Chase would report his ship
stolen, she wanted to spend as little time on the planet as
possible. She had taken precautions, however, locating the ship's
homing frequency file. She reset the frequency, matching it to
Sabin's ship frequency, having also found that record in the files.
Since Sabin and Chase's ship were marked only with standard
Controller agent symbols, few would be able to tell their ships
apart.

Rubbing her aching neck, she pushed the
intercom button. "Raven, how's it going in there?"

"Okay. But when can we come out? Is Chase
back yet?"

The same two questions Raven always asked,
several times a day. Every time she mentioned Chase, a heated rush
of emotions inundated Nessa. Memories of the amazing explosion of
sensations when they mated, of lying securely in his arms
afterwards, of gray eyes that seemed to bore into her soul; all
lodged in her mind, refusing to be exorcized.

She reclined the seat back. As she had grown
increasingly weaker, walking between her cabin and the cockpit
drained her. She’d made a pallet on the seat, spending most of her
time in the cockpit. From there, she could run the ship and talk to
the children. Fortunately, the Orana had not progressed to the
advanced stages. No hemorrhaging or delirium—yet. She pushed that
thought aside.

"No, sweetness. Chase isn't back. But we'll
be landing on the star base this afternoon."

"We will?" Raven's voice quivered. "Please
don't make us go with Sabin. We want to stay with you."

"Oh, Raven. You can't stay with me. You
might catch the virus. Sabin will take you to a Shielder colony.
You'll have a new home."

"I don't want to leave you. I can take care
of you and make you well."

Closing her eyes, Nessa battled the
overwhelming desire to sleep. "I know you would take good care of
me, sweetness. But I can't allow you to get sick, too. What's Brand
doing?"

"He's playing Black Hole on the computer. I
taught him how," Raven replied, pride evident in her voice.

"Good for you. What are Turi and Lia
doing?"

"I think they're mad at each other. They've
been fighting a lot, rolling around and making funny noises."

Nessa suspected the two weren't fighting at
all, but didn't bother to correct Raven. Sabin would just have to
find homes for some baby lanraxes. It would serve him right if all
of them bonded with him. She almost laughed at the thought, except
any movement hurt now.

"Listen, Raven, two packs, two surgical
masks, and some miterons are in decon right now. I'm going to
sterilize the corridor again before we land. Right after we dock,
I'll ask you and Brand to carry Turi and Lia to decon and put them
in the packs. You can each carry one. Then you'll put on the masks
and we'll go out on the base. Okay?"

"Okay. What if I don't remember what to do?"
Raven sounded close to tears.

A lump clogged Nessa's throat and tears of
her own filled her eyes.
No time for self-pity
, she told
herself fiercely.
Save your energy for surviving and getting to
Santerra.

"I'll remind you. Now why don't you go play
on the computer with Brand?" She turned from the intercom to
compose her message to Sabin and arrange a meeting. Computer files
on Star Base Intrepid had helped her determine the safest place to
meet: the CTC, Central Transport Center.

Intrepid's main terminal for public
transport arrivals and departures, the CTC was the largest and
busiest site on the base. Nessa studied a schematic of the
terminal, pleased to find numerous entrances, as well as many
private communication and meeting alcoves. She chose her meeting
site carefully, and then composed a message for Sabin.

Travers, meet me at the CTC today at 1600
hours. Wait by the trams to transports for sectors ten through
twelve. I'll find you. McKnight.

Sabin responded within minutes.

Message received, old man. Transmit your
orbit and landing coordinates, so we can dock together. I have some
cargo to transfer.

Nessa considered replying, but decided to
ignore the message. Let Sabin think she hadn't received it or that
her return reply hadn't reached him.

She implemented procedures for entering Star
Base Alpha's orbit, this time using Sabin's identification code
instead of Chase's to request air space. Her request granted, she
dropped into orbit, and began her descent to the surface.

Within an hour, she had landed the ship,
wincing when it whammed against the docking lock. Her landing
skills were a little rusty. She had chosen one of the larger and
busier landing bays. Hopefully, anyone looking for the ship would
be looking in bays on the more deserted area of the base.

Unhooking her harness, she intercomed the
cabin. "Raven, we've landed. Did you and Brand stay on the floor
with the pillows, like I told you?"

"Yes, Nessa. We only bumped a little
bit."

"Are both of you okay?"

"Yes."

Nessa exhaled a sigh of relief. She'd
worried about the children not having safety restraints for the
landing. The ship responded somewhat roughly to her inexperienced
handling, not nearly so smoothly as when Chase manned the
controls.

"Good. It's time to leave the ship. First,
take Brand and the lanraxes to the decon unit. Put the animals in
the packs and slip them on your backs. Put on the masks, making
sure your nose and mouth are both covered. Then attach the bags of
coins on the inside of your blankets. The hooks are already on the
bags. There's also a com unit for Sabin. Put it into the pack. Do
you understand?"

Raven sniffed tearfully. "Yes. Then what do
we do?"

"I'll meet you in the corridor. Remember,
don't get close to me." Nessa pushed out of the seat, weak and
shaky, praying to Spirit for the energy to see the children safely
into Sabin's care. She hadn't told him much in the
communication—only that she could no longer keep the children with
her, and asked him to find a good home for them.

Perhaps she should have warned Sabin of the
possibility of Orana. But since the virus didn't become highly
contagious until the final stage, when hemorrhaging began, she
thought it safer not to tell him. He might deduce she was headed to
Santerra and track her there. Even if she had already become
contagious, hopefully her precautions had prevented the children
from contracting the disease.

Slipping on her mask, she tucked a com with
maps of Intrepid and the CTC into her tunic pocket, along with a
stunner. Extra miterons jingled in her other pocket, as the
computer had readily deciphered the new code on the vault.

She reached the decontamination unit and saw
the children inside, their masks on. Raven was obediently pinning
the bags of coins on the inside of their blankets. Nessa hoped
Sabin would buy the children some tunics and boots. She opened the
door and stood back. "Come out when you're finished. Raven, don't
forget the com unit for Sabin."

Raven entered the corridor, Brand behind
her. The girl stared at Nessa, her mouth trembling. "Please, can't
we stay here?" she begged. Clutching the back of his sister's
blanket, Brand kept his gaze on the floor.

Nessa pushed aside her own inner torment.
"No, sweetness. More than anything, I want you and Brand to be
safe. Chase wants that, too." She leaned against the wall a moment,
drawing a deep breath. "Come on. Let's go."

With Nessa walking slowly to conserve her
limited energy, they eventually reached a tram connection.
Normally, she would have been avidly observing the sights and
sounds of an active star base, but not today. Intrepid was actually
a natural planet that had been commandeered as a base because of
its central location in the quadrant. To give it appeal, the
developers had planted numerous species of trees and plants,
representative of all the planets in the quadrant, along the
various tram routes. Each landing bay had nearby visitor complexes
offering lodging, food, entertainment, anything gold could
purchase. A festive, if not commercial, atmosphere made Intrepid
appear more like a vacation spot than a major shipping and
transportation exchange.

But Nessa didn't have her usual enthusiasm
for seeing all these wonders. Getting to the tram pickup point
sapped most of her energy. Having to send the children away further
dampened her spirits.

She insisted on sitting several rows behind
Brand and Raven as the tram sped them toward their destination.
Their surgical masks drew curious stares, but the star base had
such a melting pot of cultures, no one paid them much
attention.

They finally arrived at the CTC. Nessa knew
the terminal was busy, but nothing prepared her for the crush and
movement of so many bodies in one place. A teeming crowd packed the
enormous building. The children edged toward her, and she tried to
move away, but the press of the people propelled her against them.
Lia squealed in alarm, which set Turi off as well.

"Try not to touch me," Nessa gasped, to no
avail. The children couldn't move away from her. She tried to
remain calm, reminding herself, as she had repeatedly the past few
cycles, that the Orana shouldn't be very contagious yet. She didn't
want the children getting lost in this crowd anyway.

They huddled against her, panicked looks on
their faces. "It's okay," Nessa reassured them. "Hold on to my
tunic if you have to. Just be sure to wash your hands as soon as
you get to Sabin's ship. If he has a decontamination unit, make
sure you use it."

They worked their way within sight of the
meeting place. Buffeted by the crowds, Nessa had little strength
left. She got the three of them over to a wall, where she leaned
back and surveyed the area. She didn't see Sabin, but then, they'd
arrived almost an hour early.