Part 8 (1/2)

That only confused him more. ”And the two of you allow him to talk to his CO like that?”

Neither of them answered his question.

Fine. Whatever. The Andarion armada was a h.e.l.l of a lot more lax now than it'd been when Fain was in it. His former CO would have had him court-martialed for such a thing.

Or splintered against the nearest wall.

Trying not to let it bother him, he went to his seat.

Dressed in the red and white battlesuit that marked the Porturnum Tavali, Captain Kareem Venik got up from the con. He saluted Fain as he surrendered the s.h.i.+p's controls. ”Returning the lady to her owner, Commander Hauk. Preflight's complete. The Storm Dancer's all ready for your loving touch.”

Fain cringed as Kareem spoke the s.h.i.+p's name out of formal Tavali tradition. ”Thanks, Captain Venik.”

He inclined his head to Fain and moved to take the gunner's chair.

Galene scowled at Fain as she heard those words. ”This is your s.h.i.+p?”

Logging into the controls and firing the engines, Fain nodded.

”Storm Dancer?”

While he fastened himself in, Fain let out a tired breath at her tone. He brought up the launch sequence and made sure he quelled the AI for the trip. ”I'd lie and say I named her for my brother, but you'd know better.” Storm Dancer and Stormy were the nicknames he'd teased Galene with when they were kids. For some reason, she'd loved to run through the rain, and laugh and dance while it soaked her to the bone. Her parents had thought her insane.

He'd always found it fascinating and adorable. And had often chased after her through the rain until he was as wet as she was. It'd been just such a chase that had led to her stripping his clothes from him on his birthday...

And to the conception of Talyn.

G.o.ds, to have that innocence and joy again. He could still feel her bashful hands on his bare skin while she explored every inch of his bare body with her inquisitive touch. Hear her laughter in his ears as he tasted her and she whispered to him how much she loved him.

That memory punched like a fist to the stones.

Refusing to look at her and see the hatred that was there for him now, he forced himself to put the past out of his thoughts. ”As soon as everyone's secure, we'll launch.”

Galene clicked her harness into place while she glanced around the s.h.i.+p, impressed with the quality and beauty of the metal beast he'd named after her.

But why? It made no sense that he would do that after he'd abandoned her and everything else he'd ever known. She couldn't understand what had possessed him. Yes, they'd been young.

Still...

In spite of what Jayne said, Omira must have meant as much to him as Felicia meant to Talyn. It was the only thing that made sense. Why else give up his life and family for her? Fain had literally thrown away his entire future for Omira.

No one did something like that lightly. Not even when they were young and stupid.

”How long have you owned this?” she asked quietly, trying to distract herself away from how gorgeous he was as he took control of the s.h.i.+p.

Fain double-checked their settings without looking at her. ”About twenty years.”

Odd. He'd have taken owners.h.i.+p just a handful of years after he'd broken her heart. Why would he have done such when he'd always hated these things? Even in the armada before he'd left her, he'd never really liked flying or piloting. He'd always preferred palace a.s.signments or infantry. As far back as she could remember, he'd told her that he wanted nothing to do with s.p.a.ce travel.

Give me solid ground under my feet, and fresh air to breathe. I want real sun on my skin, not the fake holos that pa.s.s for it.

”What made you buy it?” she asked him.

A becoming blush covered his handsome features, making him all the s.e.xier.

Before Fain could comment, Captain Venik answered. ”My father liberated the lady from her previous, undeserving owner. Since Hauk was part of the original manifest take, my father offered her and a small crew to Hauk to run until Hauk earned the price of the s.h.i.+p and his freedom.”

Did Kareem mean what she thought he did? ”Manifest? As in part of the cargo?”

She didn't miss the pain in Fain's eyes as he ran over his settings. ”I was conscripted, for a while.”

Her stomach shrank with a sympathetic pain she didn't want to feel. ”Conscripted how?”

Had he been a slave?

Finally, Fain turned toward her. His hard, fierce stare was so similar to one Talyn used whenever he was hot about something that it sent a s.h.i.+ver down her spine. ”I don't talk about my past.”

Father and son.

Jayne was right. They were far more similar than they should be, given that they'd never known each other.

Before she could respond, Talyn pa.s.sed a fierce grimace at the s.h.i.+p's markings, and in particular Fain's individual Tavali flag, or Canting as The Tavali called it, that was unique to him and his s.h.i.+p. ”You make a lot of raids into Andarion territory, Hauk?”

”A few over the years.”

A familiar tic started in Talyn's jaw. ”You have a black Zi-cla.s.s fighter with the same serial and Canting on it?”

”Yeah, why?”

”Just curious.” Talyn strapped himself in.

Fain turned back around to stare at him as a really, really bad feeling of dread went through him. There was only one reason he could think of that Talyn would know his s.h.i.+p's Canting and fighter's serial numbers off the top of his head.

Please tell me I didn't...

”Why are you asking?”

Talyn still didn't answer. He merely cut a covert glance to his mother. One that warned Fain to leave the topic alone.

Bile rose in his throat. Before his common sense could intervene, Fain asked the one question that bothered him most. ”Please tell me I've never run against my own son.”

The fury returned to Galene's eyes as her head snapped in Talyn's direction.

Wincing, Talyn cursed him under his breath as he cradled his forehead with his hand.

”Is he the rat b.a.s.t.a.r.d who shot you down during your last dogfight?” There was no missing the hatred and fury in her tone.

”No, Mum,” he said quickly. ”I swear to the G.o.ds, he's not the one who brought me down. That wasn't a single s.h.i.+p or fighter. It was a ma.s.s attack of many.”

Fain's frown deepened at their exchange. There was something more to all of this. ”What she's talking about?”