Her body was already frozen and lifeless. When the external lights caught her face just right, you could see a contorted mask of terror and disbelief. And those eyes. They were wide open and glazed over. The lack of air had caused her skin to turn a sickly shade of blue. Her body was splayed and rigid. She hadn’t lasted more than a minute.

  The more I looked at Nichols, the deeper my rage boiled inside me. She’d been accused then executed without a chance to defend herself in anything like a court. I clenched my fists, swearing to myself that I would do everything in my power to bring Blackwood to justice.

  As her body drifted farther away, becoming a mere speck against the vast backdrop of darkness, I realized that our true enemy was already aboard Borag.

  I didn’t know if it was Blackwood or Kaine behind this—maybe it was both. Maybe they’d acted out of fear, greed, or spite—but it didn’t frigging matter. Not to me.

  Chapter 25: Unconventional Remedies

  Captain Hansen, to my surprise, didn’t stick around to administer justice. I’d half-believed she was going to arrest Commander Kaine—or at least Blackwood. But it wasn’t to be.

  When we were far from the airlock, she looked around to ensure that no one was eavesdropping on our conversation. She leaned in close to me and spoke quietly. “Starn, I know you can’t always be available to guard me. Can you recommend another marine that I can trust to post outside my door at night?”

  The uncertainty in her tone was disturbing. As a lowly enlisted marine, I found it strange to have my captain ask my advice about anything—but after what had happened to Commander Nichols… I guess I understood it. The navigator had most likely been innocent. If Borag’s officers could get away with a killing like that...

  I thought about her question for a moment before responding. “Captain, I would recommend Private Ledbetter for the job. He’s kind of an asshole, but he’s a good marine and someone I trust.”

  Captain Hansen raised an eyebrow, looking thoughtful. “An asshole, huh? I’ve seen Ledbetter during drills, but I haven’t had much interaction with him. Are you sure he’s reliable?”

  I knew right off what she meant by “reliable.” She didn’t want any backstabbing stooges that could be bought off by the likes of Blackwood.

  I nodded confidently. “That’s right, Captain. He has a huge mouth on him, but he’s loyal and knows when to be serious. I believe he’ll do everything in his power to keep you safe.”

  She mulled that over for a moment before agreeing. “All right, Starn. Ledbetter it is. I’ll inform Lt. Quinn of his new assignment.”

  About an hour later, Private Ledbetter showed up to relieve me from my post outside the captain’s quarters. He had a smug grin on his face as he approached. “So, Starn, you’re finally letting someone else take over this sweet gig, huh?” he said.

  He made a rude gesture. For some reason, all the Red Company guys down in the security center figured I was banging the captain on a daily basis. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course, but rumors never let something boring like reality get in the way.

  I rolled my eyes at his comment, not letting him get a rise out of me. “This isn’t a party, Ledbetter. This is about keeping the captain safe. I trust you can handle the responsibility—right?”

  He straightened up a bit, but he was still smirking at me. “Yeah, sure. I can handle it, Starn. I’ll make sure our dear captain is all tucked into bed at night.”

  I shook my head. Ledbetter was a dick—but he was a pretty reliable dick. He’d probably do his best. I left him at the post and headed down the corridor, ready for a much-needed break.

  I wandered through the ship, eventually finding Freya sitting in the mess hall. She was poking at some tank-grown fake eggs with a fork.

  When I sat down across from her, she looked up, and her eyes flashed with anger. Uh-oh.

  “Devin, is it true?” she asked, her voice trembling a bit. “Did you really space Commander Nichols?”

  “What the fuck? Hell no!” I shook my head, frustrated that she could believe such bullshit. “No, Freya, I didn’t do it. I tried to save her, in fact, but it was too damned late. Blackwood and his Green Company thugs were the ones who spaced her.”

  She looked away. Her twisted face was uncertain. “People are saying you were the one who arrested her. You were the one who led her to that airlock.”

  “I was ordered to arrest her,” I admitted. “But I’d barely touched her before Blackwood’s boys took over. I think he had it planned—or maybe Kaine did. I swear, Freya, if I could have stopped them, I would have.”

  Freya gave me weird little glances. Did she really think I went around murdering people? This was the kind of thing that made me hate gossip.

  “I want to believe you, Devin,” she said softly. “But people are talking, and it’s hard to know what happened.”

  “Hey, girl. You know me,” I said. “I’m a killer, sure—but I don’t murder my own officers for fun.”

  She stared at me for a long moment. It was as if she was trying to read my mind. Finally, she nodded slowly. “Okay. I believe you. But I need you to promise me something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Promise me you’ll find out who’s really responsible for Commander Nichols’ death. Everyone says it was unfair. Make them pay for what they’ve done.”

  “Um…” I said, knowing what she was asking was probably beyond the reach of a marine corporal. “Okay, sure. I’ll figure things out. Just for you. “

  For some reason, she bought that line. She nodded and reached out a small hand to cover my bigger paw. “Thanks, Devin. That’s all I can ask for.”

  She patted my hand, but I got no kisses when I leaned close.

  After that, my arm started acting up again, the way it had up on the bridge. Muttering curses, I left Freya and headed for Dr. Sharaf’s office. My arm was twitching, and it felt like it was swelling up. It was pissing me off.

  The doctor was going over some notes when I got there. Ana was sitting in a corner, watching her.

  “Dr. Sharaf?” I began, trying to keep my tone nice and normal. “I need an injection. My arm’s been twitching, and it feels like it’s swelling up.”

  Dr. Sharaf looked up from her notes, her eyes narrowing as she examined my arm. “I see what you mean, Corporal. But your day of the month isn’t up yet. I can’t give you an injection now. We’re rationing them, remember?”

  “Yeah, right… but Doc, it’s bugging the shit out of me. Can’t you make an exception? I don’t want to freak out and kill someone like Tench did.”

  Dr. Sharaf shrugged like she didn’t care—which she probably didn’t. “Even though we’ve lost a few people with mutations, there isn’t enough of the drug to go around. If I start making exceptions, we’ll run out faster, and then everyone will suffer. I’m sorry, Starn, but you’ll just have to wait your turn.”

  Ana, who’d been listening to the conversation closely, bit her lip. She didn’t say squat.

  I tried to hide my frustration, knowing that Dr. Sharaf was only doing her job. “I understand, Doc. I’ll just have to tough this out until my day comes up. That’s just too fucking bad for me.”

  “Language, Corporal!”

  “Sorry…”

  I left the office grumbling, trying to focus on something else to take my mind off the pain and discomfort. As I walked away, I could feel Ana’s worried eyes on me, but I didn’t know what to say to reassure her. I had no choice but to wait it out and hope my mutation wouldn’t get worse before my next injection.

  Ana caught up with me when I was leaving. “There might be another way to control the mutations.”

  Dr. Sharaf appeared behind us. Sometimes, it seemed like she had the hearing of a bat—an old bat. “What have I told you about spreading falsehoods, Ana? I very much doubt you have access to some secret cure we don’t know about.”

  “Hold on, Doc,” I said. I raised a fat-ass hand, motioning for Dr. Sharaf to let Ana speak. “Let her talk.”

  Dr. Sharaf looked disgusted, but she gave Ana a nod.

  “Independents like myself,” Ana said, refusing to use the word pirate, “often suffer from this problem. We live near these dangerous installations. Exposure to the mutational virus is common.”

  Dr. Sharaf raised an eyebrow. “That does make sense. But how do you ruffians deal with it?”

  “Not all groups have a cure. That’s why you see so many who are… twisted in form. But my people use a combination of natural remedies and black-market drugs. Sometimes, there’s a light radiation treatment to manage the symptoms. It’s not perfect, but it helps us survive.”

  Dr. Sharaf considered this for a moment. “That’s interesting… but it’s not a long-term solution. And there’s no guarantee that it will work for everyone.”

  “I understand, Doc,” I said, stepping in. “But if it can help even a little, it’s worth considering, right? Especially if we’re running low on the medication. It might be enough to avert disaster before we get home to Mars.”

  Dr. Sharaf’s naturally sour face turned a shade darker still. “You have a point, Devin. We’re in a desperate situation, and we might have to consider alternative methods.”

  “Please, Doc,” I urged. “At least look into it. Maybe we can find a way to make it work for everyone on board.”

  Dr. Sharaf finally relented. “All right, all right. I’ll do some research and see if there’s any merit to this approach. But I can’t make any promises based on the testimony of an untrained assistant.”

  She turned to Ana expectantly, with her knobby knuckles on her bony hips.

  “Well?” she prodded Ana. “Let’s hear the details, girl. I want specifics.”

  Ana gathered her thoughts before explaining her method. “The method involves a mix of herbs, supplements, and medications that pirates have discovered over the years. Some are common, while others are more difficult to find. They’re used in specific combinations and dosages to help keep the mutations at bay.”

  Dr. Sharaf listened intently, taking notes as Ana spoke. “This is all very interesting, but where do we find these herbs, supplements, and medications? I assume they’re not readily available aboard Borag.”

  Ana shrugged. “That’s the problem. Most of the things we need are back on Proxima Centauri b. Some of the pirates who are infected might still be there, too...”

  I sighed, frustrated by the situation. “So, we’re back to square one. We can’t just waltz back to the planet without running into more trouble.”

  Dr. Sharaf nodded in agreement. “Unfortunately, it’s a risk we can’t afford to take right now, especially with Borag damaged and the crew on edge.”

  Ana’s eyes met mine. “But if there’s a chance that we can help you and the others, we should at least consider it. We can’t just give up.”

  Hopeful, I turned back to Dr. Sharaf. I extended my swollen arm in her direction. “In the meantime, how about a dose right now?”

  Dr. Sharaf shook her head vigorously, her expression firm. “I’m sorry, Corporal. I can’t give you anything ahead of schedule. The supply is just too tight.”

  I gritted my teeth, feeling angry. I forced that sensation back with an effort.

  “You know…” she said, eyeing me. “I’m going to need a test subject for Ana’s methods… when we are able to employ them. Can I count on you to help out?”

  “I guess,” I said, frowning. I felt a hot surge of irritation and anxiety. “But we don’t have the materials for Ana’s approach yet. What am I supposed to do in the meantime?”

  She waved me off, refusing to elaborate. “Just trust me on this, Devin. Everything will work out. Now, I have other patients to attend to. We’ll talk more about this when the time is right.”

  With no other choice but to accept her words, I put my spacer’s suit back on, and she was soon distracted by her duties.

  Before I left her office, my mind racing with worry and curiosity, Ana approached me. She got way too close—but I let her. Something about the girl was intoxicating. She had a wild magnetism to her. I had to admit, I was still affected after spending a night with her curled up against me in the jungles of Proxima b.

  “Devin? Can I talk to you for a moment?” she whispered, glancing around to make sure Dr. Sharaf wasn’t paying attention.

  “Sure, what’s up?” I replied, lowering my voice as well.

  “I don’t know if I completely trust Dr. Sharaf. There’s something about her that just... I don’t know, it feels wicked.”

  I considered her words for a moment, then offered my perspective. “You know, Ana, I think it might be your natural paranoia. You grew up among the floating rocks of deep space, with pirates and danger around every corner. It’s probably hard for you to trust anyone, especially someone in a position of authority.”

  Ana blew out a puff of air that made her bangs fly. “Maybe I don’t know a predator when I meet one? Is that what you’re saying? Not only males are aggressive, you know.”

  “No… that isn’t—”

  “Look, there’s more to this weak old woman than meets the eye. Don’t trust her. Okay?”

  “Okay, I’ll keep my eyes open. But for now, we have to work with her to find a solution to this mutation issue.”

  She pursed her lips. She knew I was pretty much giving her a pat on the head. “Okay, Devin, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  With that, Ana slipped away.

  I left the doctor’s office full of dark thoughts. What was Dr. Sharaf planning? What kind of tests did she have in mind for me and my mutating arm?

  As I walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was about to happen—and I was sure I wasn’t going to like it.

  Chapter 26: A Show of Strength

  The next day, my arm was itching something awful. The swelling seemed to have worsened, too. I struggled to shove my arm into the sleeve of my spacesuit. I wondered how much longer it would be before it didn’t fit at all.

  It was time to replace Ledbetter at his post outside Hansen’s quarters. I found him yawning, totally bored out of his mind with his duty. He poked a finger at my swollen left arm and smirked.

  “Hey, Starn, what’s going on with that ham hock of yours?” he asked, laughing at me. “You been working out too much or something?”

  I gritted my teeth. I kind of felt like punching him one. “It’s nothing, Ledbetter. Just had a bit of a rough night, that’s all.”

  He squinted. He wasn’t convinced—but he also didn’t care. “If you say so, man. But if it gets any bigger, you might need a custom spacesuit. Or maybe you can arm wrestle the pirates into submission with that thing.”

  “Yeah, that’s my secret weapon.”

  He grinned and slapped me one on the back before heading off, leaving me to the post. I stood there for about an hour. The itch in my arm continued to gnaw at me. I needed a solution for this bullshit, like, right now.

  All I could do was wait and hope Dr. Sharaf and Ana would come through.

  Right around 0700, Captain Hansen opened the door of her quarters. She wasn’t in her pajamas—but she wasn’t fully dressed, either. I tried to keep my eyes front and center as she made a show of looking around.

  “Is he gone?” she asked, referring to Ledbetter.

  I was surprised she didn’t seem to trust Ledbetter yet. “Um… yeah, he’s gone,” I reassured her. “He’s an idiot, but otherwise harmless, you know.”

  She still appeared suspicious, her eyes narrowing as she glanced both ways down the corridor. “I suppose you’re right,” she said reluctantly. “It’s just... with everything that’s been happening lately, it’s hard to know who to trust. You saw what happened at the airlock.”

  “Uh… about that, ma’am… why didn’t you order someone arrested for that? Commander Nichols didn’t get a fair trial.”

  She eyed me. “No, she didn’t. But maybe you haven’t figured out some things about how this ship operates, Starn. I find that surprising, given your background.”

  “No offense, ma’am, but isn’t it your duty to—?”

  “Yes,” she said. “It’s my duty to uphold every regulation aboard Borag. But that isn’t always possible. In deep space, a mining rig’s crew is on its own most of the time. We’re not living in some gigacity on Earth, walking around a circular track for decades until we drop dead. No, far from it.”

  I didn’t quite get what she was talking about, so I just nodded and kept quiet. I’d pressed a button with this woman—she didn’t usually talk to me this much. She’d always seemed like she was made of steel in the past.

  “We’re on the frontier,” she continued, “in fact, we’re in uncharted space. Everyone back on Mars suspects we’re dead by now, you do realize that, hmm?”

  I squinted, thinking it over. At last, I nodded in agreement. “I understand that’s probably true, Captain. It’s a tough situation for all of us.”

  “That’s right. Now, what if we’re stuck here on this side of that alien portal? Permanently, I mean? What if there is no way out—what if that portal can’t take us back home?”

  My mouth opened and then shut again. I hadn’t thought about that.

  “Did you even notice that the three cruisers that followed us have lingered right there for nearly a week? Maybe they can’t escape this place, either.”

  That grim thought had never even hit me before. My mouth opened, and it didn’t close again. I just gaped at her.

  She gave me a small smile. “Now you know what the rest of us are scared of, Starn. In the future, keep in mind that while I appreciate your moralizing, I don’t really want to hear it… okay?”

  “Yes, Captain. I’m sorry.”

  As she disappeared back into her quarters, I was swarmed by new, unpleasant thoughts.

  We didn’t really know if there was any way back to our Solar System. Judging by the behavior of the three pirate ships, we were trapped here.

  I looked at her shut door and wondered what other secret thoughts she was keeping inside her head. I felt kind of relieved I wasn’t in her position, worrying about the entire crew’s safety. Captain Hansen had to make difficult decisions while worrying who was gunning for her. That was a pain in the ass I was glad I didn’t have.