Page 4 of Radiant Exception
I did know. But I’d never worked for Starlane before, having been recruited into IA immediately after graduating college. Starlane Enterprises was a mega conglomerate nightmare that had a monopoly on almost every vertical market or industry you could think of. Last I’d heard, over eighty-five percent of the population in the system worked for them directly or indirectly.
The thought of being another cog in their machine made me cringe, but if it meant I could bring down the Phoenix and Meridian as a result, it would be well worth it for them to have a retinal scan and fingerprints. Although knowing how incestuous Starlane’s relationship was with IA, they probably already had access to them anyway.
“That would be great.” I nodded, going through the menu options on the comm. I hadn’t had one in years, preferring to stay off the grid while I chased the Phoenix from the shadows.
“I’ll put something on your schedule for tomorrow after we depart.” He began scrolling through his comm, looking for something else. “Hmm, that’s weird.”
“What?” Natalie took the opportunity to lean into him to peer at his comm screen.
Rion went rigid, but Natalie didn’t seem to notice.
“Umm, she doesn’t have a room assignment,” he answered, his breathing shallow.
“Huh?” Natalie took the comm from him and scrolled through the screen. “Well, I’ll contact HQ to check.” She looked up at me. “You can keep your things in my office until we figure it out; I have a locked area for medical supplies.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t worry, we have extra beds on board, but Starlane is fastidious about their procedures, so we need to make sure it’s recorded in their system properly. Why don’t I show you to your office in the engineering bay so you can get your bearings while I check about your room assignment?” She offered.
I couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across my face. “I’d love that.” People would always be a bit of a challenge, but machines…those could be figured out, pulled apart, put back together, and fixed. I couldn’t wait to see what was running this beautiful ship.
If I thought theRadiantherself was beautiful, and she was, her engines were an absolute work of art.
Nestled at the back of the ship’s lower deck, the engineering bay was both cavernous and confined at the same time. The low hum of the auxiliary power would only increase in volume once we departed. I immediately felt at home.
“Rion’s working on your system permissions, so you may not have access to everything yet,” Natalie relayed as she ushered me into a small office, only a bit larger than Rion’s inside the engineering bay. “I’ll be back in a bit and we can continue your tour.”
I gave her a brief wave and set to wandering around the space…my space. The desk in the office had a large bank of monitors to review multiple operating systems at once. Similar to Rion’s office, the wall behind the desk had multiple doors and compartments that I’d explore later.
I wanted to see the engine itself.
Trailing my fingertips across the smooth pieces of equipment as I made my way around the space, I felt myself calming. I could do this. Not just the engineering job, but the mission.
He hadn’t explained exactly why, but Darren was convinced the Phoenix themself, or someone very high in Meridian, was aboard this ship. I didn’t need Vaughn’s help. I could do this on my own. I’d been on my own for three years. This was a mission I couldn’t fail.
My eyes snagged on a panel that was slightly ajar. Opening it revealed an eroded wire. “Not good,” I said to myself, eyes already sweeping the space, looking for gloves and tools. It only took me a moment to find them in a drawer embedded in the wall.
These new ships have all sorts of hidden compartments, I thought to myself. TheRadiantcouldn’t have been more than a couple years old. Inside and out, she was all sleek, rounded lines, unblemished paneling, surprisingly large windows on the upper decks, though none that I had seen below, but I didn’t mind.
I’d had a chance to study the registered schematics on the shuttle ride. She was top-of-the-line for freightliners, boasting ample room for a crew up to twelve members, a hydroponics lab, mini shuttle, roomy officers’ quarters, and multiple crew lounge areas, including a gym.
Distracted thinking about the ship’s layout while I worked to repair the damaged wiring, and clearly out of practice from years of defensive training, I missed the footsteps sneaking up behind me, and was startled as a large hand clamped down on my shoulder, pulling me back from the panel a second before a strong forearm pinned me against the wall at my neck.
“Who the fuck are you and what the fuck are you doing to my ship!?”
Captain Damian Vaughn was impossibly handsome, a very annoying fact, given the circumstances. Tall, broad, and muscled, his rolled sleeves revealed a solid tapestry of tattoos. His hair was cut short on the sides but left longer on top, which only served to accentuate the hard lines of his stubbled jaw, and dark eyes, staring daggers as he closed off my ability to breathe.
My hands instinctively clawed against his hold. “Chief engineer…” I tried to wheeze, but it came out a garbled mess, as his arm was pressed too strongly against my windpipe. I began pounding against his arm as the edges of my vision blackened.
Realizing what he was doing and that he was making it impossible for me to respond verbally, he pulled back just enough that I was able to gasp in a breath. “Darren sent me,” I choked out.
Vaughn’s face visibly paled a moment before he released me, resulting in me crumpling to the floor as I sputtered, trying to regain my breath.
“Geez, buy a girl a drink before you start getting rough,” I snarled.
“I told him I had it handled.” He scowled, glaring down at me. “I don’t need help. You need to leave before we depart.”
Gritting my teeth, I stared up at him. “Starlane won’t let you leave without your chief engineer.”
