Sex or Suffer [Dark Colony 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (7 page)

Gray called in every favor ever owed in order to depart by midnight. During fierce negotiations to acquire crew, he managed to burn a couple of bridges to complete this ludicrous arrangement, but kept the Governor’s face firmly in mind. Bribery accomplished the final components of his audacious plan and gave him the skeleton crew he needed to get back into space tonight.

Flipping a switch, he engaged the outer surveillance monitor. With less than an hour before his deadline, Gray checked for the arrival of his impulsive passenger. She’d probably end up being late after he scrambled in a frenzy of motion to meet the departure deadline.

Gray retracted his surly declaration when he saw someone in a bulky old-style containment suit approach his docking bay. It was impossible to tell what Dr. Drake looked like under the roomy volume of the old fashioned outfit, but he had to admit he was intrigued. She slid out of the range of the camera’s view and toward the
Dalton’
s entry.

The speaker in his office soon crackled with the voice of his current first officer, Lieutenant Angelica Brice. “Captain, our passenger is requesting to come on board.” Angelica sounded very tired, but Gray was so grateful she’d agreed to come along, he’d offered her double pay as a reward for her reluctant acceptance.

“Good. Show her to the environmentally sealed quarters. Once she’s secured, we’ll get under way ASAP. You can take her out of dock.”

“Aye, aye, Captain. Would you like me to take the first shift as well?”

“No. I’ll be on the bridge to relieve you once we’re away. You need to get some sleep, Angelica. I appreciate you being here at all.”

Her mirthless laughter followed. “Just don’t forget about the enormous quantity of credits you bribed me to stay aboard, Captain.”

“Have I ever forgotten?”

“No sir, you never have.” She cleared her throat and changed the subject. “We’ll clear the dock in fifteen minutes or less. See you on deck soon. Brice, out.”

Gray sent an interstellar missive to Nathan informing him of the unexpected trip. Sub space transmissions took a few days to connect in the static ridden galaxy where they traveled. With Nathan speeding his way to the Echo Province for a negotiation deployment complement, he’d need to know of the
Dalton
’s change of plans and subsequently the rendezvous would be delayed. The
Mirage
shuttled Nathan and the negotiation team from Bravura to Echo Province.

The
Dalton
was scheduled to follow in two weeks, after R & R on Bravura. Vacation postponed, he’d have to swing by and pick Nathan and the others up on the return journey to Rycan from the Parsec Colony by way of Bravura.

Hopefully, the delegation would not be uptight with the delay. At the worst he’d have to return some of their credits, but he consoled the refund and his fatigue with thoughts of what he’d say to convince the governor the Dalton Prime Corporation was the supply operation and transportation answer to all his dreams during their coming appointment.

The taxing trip was a small price to pay to alter the level of his business. This contact would enable the success he’d always thought himself capable. A chance to meet the trade governor, with a recommended appointment was priceless. He’d join a precious few already in league with the big boys across this wide galaxy.

* * * *

Penelope was shown to her new temporary quarters by a tall exotic female who’d introduced herself as Lieutenant Brice the moment she’d stepped aboard the
Dalton
.

Completely opposite of Penelope’s fair skin and blonde hair, Lieutenant Brice had dark almond-shaped eyes, thick, dark wavy hair and lovely caramel skin. Although half a head taller than Penelope, Lieutenant Brice’s demeanor was not at all threatening. Instead, she exuded confidence and a no-nonsense air Penelope appreciated as a change of pace from the far too many pompous colleagues she endured in her own stuffy work environment.

“You’ll be staying in here for the duration of your journey to the Parsec Colony. Captain Wyckoff authorized me to tell you the normal travel time is two weeks, but we’ll try to speed it up and make the trip in ten days in deference to your lung condition.”

“Thank you so much. Please tell your captain I appreciate his judicious urgency.” Penelope moved inside the room as the alarm in her suit started chiming she only had twenty minutes of air left. She pushed a button at her waist to silence it. “Do you by any chance know if you have any replacement tanks for this suit,” she pointed to the face mask of ancient suit she wore with a thickly gloved hand, “somewhere aboard your ship?”

Lieutenant Brice narrowed her dark eyebrows, studied Penelope’s archaic garb hurriedly and shook her head. “I doubt it, but I’ll check our onboard supply unit before I go off duty.”

“I’d appreciate it.” The alarm in her suit would start again at the five minute mark only it would keep ringing and grow louder as it got to the end of her air supply. Nothing like suffering with the constant alarm in your head reminding you of your impending demise right before you suffocated to death.

“If there aren’t any replacement tanks, do you have any short term breathing apparatus I might use if I happen to open the door of my room for any reasons?” Actually, Penelope planned to be locked in the room like a prisoner under guard for the duration of the flight, but the idea of not being able to exit for an emergency was beyond disturbing.

Another perfect eyebrow arched as if in strident speculation as to Penelope’s reasons for being closed off from the world. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant Brice.”

“Sure thing.” She turned and pointed to a device on the desk. “Here is the communication device for this secure room. It links directly to the command deck twenty-four hours a day. If you have an emergency just push the call button and you’ll be connected to the officer on duty.”

“Fine.”

“The room has its own dedicated air supply which was created especially for quarantine purposes with the capabilities of controlling a level five viral breach with containment. The original specs for the ship detailed this room and the quarters next door were intended to be on a closed loop cycle, but as the Captain’s business grew, the room next door became needed for quarters.”

Penelope bent down and studied the control panel, confident she could figure it out. Newer than the computers she was used to working with at her lab, this more technologically advanced device made her feel better already. “Not that I don’t believe you, but how can I be assured there hasn’t been a breach in the air system for this room at any given time?”

Lieutenant Brice pressed a button on the rim of the computer screen and it lit up with the menu. She pushed the icon for environmental controls. “Right here.” A picture filled the screen of the rectangular diagram of the room. Displayed beneath the picture was the time stamp for the door opening to admit them two minutes before.

The diagram showed entries into the room. One was an air vent sealed off from the room next door located on the wall directly above the bed. The door, and then a thick oval window the size of a small painting, which would allow her to view the stars once they were in flight, remained the only other sealed ports. “Once I leave, push the green cleanse button on the panel and the room will self decontaminate from my presence.”

“How long does it take?” Penelope wouldn’t have to press the button for Lieutenant Brice, but instead for any other men she’d had been in contact with in the past few hours.

She shrugged. “About a minute or so, but once the door has been opened and re-closed, you must push the button to initiate the decontamination process. It isn’t automatic anymore since the rooms were separated and re-wired.”

“Got it.”

Lieutenant Brice strolled to a tall shelf on the right hand side of the entry with several square packages stacked up. “There are enough pre-packaged meals for two weeks since you can’t leave the room. Next to the shelf is the refrigerated beverage center with water and a few other hot and cold drinks that may be dispensed.” She lifted her arm and pointed at the door centered in the wall to the right of the desk. “Through that door are the facilities including a closet and a small unit to wash your clothes.” Tour seemingly at an end, she caught Penelope’s gaze. “Do you have any questions before I go?”

“No. You’ve been very helpful. Again, I thank you.”

She nodded once and pushed the button on the small panel for the pocket sliding door to open. “We’ll take off very shortly. Push this red button after I leave to lock your door.” Penelope, finally alone with her thoughts, closed her eyes, amazed she’d made it this far without mishap.

Penelope pushed the red button, and it promptly flashed twice. The digital display said the door was locked. The sound of an old-fashioned deadbolt lock shoving a bar of steel into place would make her feel more secure, but the level of protection afforded her on this ship was more than adequate. She was safely ensconced and brutally smothered at the same time.

She walked to the computer, pushed the green button and a whooshing air noise sounded for several seconds. It stopped and a humming noise replaced it. As Lieutenant Brice had said, the purification process took only a minute.

Penelope unzipped her bulky suit and stepped out of it. She entered the facilities room which also housed a nice sized closet and put the suit inside along with her other things. The oxygen meter displayed eleven minutes remaining on the tank. It was unfortunately the only tank she’d had left in her office at the lab. With no time to go searching for any replacements, she remained at the mercy of Captain Wyckoff and his crew.

“Dr. Drake?” A voice called. Penelope darted out of the bathroom to the computer. She pushed the communication button and Lieutenant Brice’s face filled the screen. “Yes?”

“I checked with supply. We don’t have any more tanks that will fit your suit, but I did find a filtration air mask and a box of filters for it. They won’t protect your skin if you need full coverage though.”

“I have a lung condition,” she lied. “I just need clean air.”

“Fine then. I’ll have them brought to your room. The box is small enough to fit in the decontamination mail slot to the left of your door. I’ll leave them there for you once the ship is in flight.”

“I’m very grateful, Lieutenant Brice. Thank you.” Guilt made her heart stutter, but she slapped a big grin on her face to hide her discomfort from the falsehood. Lieutenant Brice smiled briefly before ending the transmission.

Penelope pushed out a long breath to quell another crying fit. She loathed that the virus toyed with her emotions. Besides wailing inconsolably would only alarm others aboard this spaceship.

The kindness of strangers always made her slightly emotional. If she weren’t careful, she’d break down and weep because Lieutenant Brice had been so nice to her even after her requisite deceit. As a scientist obsessed with finding the truth of things, Penelope generally found the art of deception to be counter-productive, until now. With the lies stacking up around her, Penelope was suddenly very tired.

Subtle movement beneath her feet likely signaled the ship readied to leave the dock. She drifted across the room to the large bed and planted herself cross-legged in the middle of it. Once this deplorable virus was gone, she wanted her life back. She sincerely hoped her far away optimistic scenario would once again be available to her.

Penelope wanted nothing more than to wake up and have this nightmare of a virus be nothing more than a dream. Nathan Tyndall’s shocked yet lust-filled face, as she’d lured him into the alley to have sex, suddenly traipsed across the front of her mind and she sniffed back a tear.

Unless her memories were also vanquished, she decided with agonized reasoning this event would always be a part of her future regardless of the outcome from this trip.

* * * *

“Steady as she goes,” Gray murmured to himself after the
Dalton
had passed the six hour mark into its unanticipated journey. With a skeleton crew more than half filled with new recruits, he spent a long night trying to stay alert to watch for any rookie mistakes. As the hours passed and things seemed well in hand, all he could think about was crawling into his bed and sleeping for the next month. Alas, with still six hours to go on this shift and once Angelica relieved him, he’d only have twelve hours before his next duty obligation commenced. The thought made a throb of pain commence in his temples even as the future business prospects soothed that same ache.

In order to make the journey all the way to the Parsec Colony and also rendezvous with Nathan in two weeks, Gray would have to work twelve hours on and twelve hours off for the duration of the trip as there were only two others he trusted completely on this voyage. He refused to ask them to take on the same grueling shift he did to ensure the best interests of his corporation.

Angelica in the position of his first officer could handle anything. And his third in command, Ensign Jeremy Cahill, was also a very capable man.

Cahill had been with the Dalton Prime Corporation for just two years now. Straight out of the military academy, he’d spent five years in combat before shifting to this civilian job. Cahill was intelligent, competent, knew the galaxy regulations like the inside of his eyelids and most importantly he knew when to keep his mouth shut when rules were bent or outright broken.