Lost Star by Hawke, Morgan (digital book reader .TXT) 📕

Two steps ahead of him, Seht chuckled.

Aubrey plucked a leaf from a nearby bush. “So what am I supposed to do, as your pet?” He tossed the leaf and scowled after it.

Seht shoved a branch out of his way. “What is expected of you is very much like any pet you might have had.”

“Oh, really?” Aubrey snorted and followed him. “Does this mean I have to stay off the furniture?”

“Yes.” Seht didn’t even look back.

Aubrey choked. “That was a joke!”

“Actually, it is not. You are to kneel by my feet when I am seated.”

What the hell…? Heat flashed at the back of Aubrey’s skull. He winced and rubbed just at his hairline. His fingers brushed the collar. Collars, muzzles, no sitting on the furniture… Just how far did the Skeldhi take this human pet…thing? “Do I have to wear a leash too?”

“On occasion.” Seht didn’t even look back.

Aubrey’s mind went utterly blank for three whole breaths. “Seht, I’m not an animal.”

Seht continued to walk. “You are no longer human.”

Aubrey trotted to catch up to him. “I know that, but I’m not some dangerous, insane beast either!”

Seht shook his head. “That remains to be seen.”

Aubrey curled his lip. “Give it a freaking break!”

Seht laughed and lengthened his stride. “You are most definitely feeling better.”

Aubrey followed Seht out of the ravine at full dark. At least, he was pretty sure it was full dark. He could see the occasional star twinkling between clouds, and there wasn’t a trace of sunlight. However, it didn’t seem exactly…dark. He had no problems seeing anything, even in deep shadow.

Seht lifted his head and looked about. His snowy hair practically glowed. “It seems clear, but we should proceed with caution.” He pointed. “My barque is at the base of that rock formation.”

Aubrey frowned at the tall, jagged rocks Seht seemed to be indicating. He saw stunted trees and some low shrubs, but that was all. “I don’t see a ship.”

Seht leaned close. “If you look carefully, you’ll notice that the air seems…heavier just at the base of the tallest stone?”

Aubrey frowned. The air did seem to be wavering a little. “It just looks like rising heat.”

Seht nodded. “The barque is currently reflecting its surroundings as camouflage.”

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Morgan Hawke

Aubrey’s brows lifted. “That’s an interesting trick.” He’d never seen a ship blend in with its surroundings so well. “What, is it mimetic or something?”

“Yes, that also.” Seht eased down into the thinner scrub. “Keep your voice down.”

Aubrey frowned and mentally thumbed through his internal files. Mimetic objects shape-changed, some on only a small scale, such as a live-steel sword that would always retain its edge, but some ships were capable of making themselves actually seamless and mirror smooth. He moved to Seht’s left side and pitched his voice to a low whisper. “You’re saying the ship’s entire hull is nano-enhanced?”

“Actually the entire ship is mimetic, inside and out.” Seht smiled, flashing a long tooth. “Extremely difficult to steal.”

Aubrey pursed his lips. “I could see how that would pose a problem to joyriders.”

To get on board, he’d literally have to negotiate with the ship’s artificial intelligence. He was pretty sure he had a subroutine that might work…

Seht frowned at him.

Aubrey wiped his thoughts from his mind and pasted on the most innocent smile he could summon, while carefully concealing his teeth. “What?”

Seht shook his head and sighed. “You are clearly going to be a handful.”

Aubrey snorted. “Wouldn’t want you to get bored.”

Seht shot a narrowed look Aubrey’s way. “You definitely need a beating.”

Aubrey smiled. “You know, my dad used to say that a lot.” The scent of musty, sweaty cloth caught Aubrey’s attention. It smelled familiar. It smelled like…his ship-suit. He frowned. “Why do I smell…?”

Seht jerked to a halt and lifted his nose. “Damn!” He turned and dived at Aubrey, arms wide.

Aubrey didn’t have a chance to react. He was slammed onto the ground, landing hard on his back with Seht on top of him. The air woofed out of his lungs. He gasped in a breath.

Seht shoved his hand over Aubrey’s mouth. “Do not speak aloud.” He looked to the side, peering through the undergrowth, and eased the bolt rifle from his shoulder. “It seems that Moribund has yet to give up on you.”

Aubrey’s eyes opened wide. Seht’s words were crystal clear in his head, but he knew for a fact he hadn’t actually heard a thing. “Telepathy?”

“Of course.” Seht glanced at Aubrey. “You have a good nose.” He smiled. “You caught scent of them before I did.”

Rocks scattered loudly. “What?” The voice was breathy, masculine, and sounded close.

Aubrey turned to look through the brush but didn’t see anything.

“I thought I saw something.” The other voice was just as breathy, as though they were attempting to whisper.

Interstellar Service & Discipline: Lost Star

77

About four body lengths away, the brush moved. A man wearing foot soldier battle armor stepped out from behind the brush. The visor on his helmet glowed green, indicating that his night-sight was active. The green light gleamed along the long barrel of his bolt rifle. “That kid has to be dead by now. There is no way he could have survived this atmosphere this long.”

A smaller man followed him from the scrub, also in armor and wearing a night-sighted helmet. He looked about. The barrel of his rifle pointed where Seht and Aubrey lay concealed, then passed. “So we’re looking for a body, right?”

Aubrey frowned. Their voices sounded a hell of a lot closer than they actually were.

“A dark-haired and scrawny body.” The first guy moved farther into the open.

“So if it’s moving and has white hair, shoot it.”

“A body, huh?” The smaller man turned back on his companion and began walking backward, clearly covering for his partner. “And what are we supposed to do with this body, carry it all the way back?”

The first guy turned and held up a black bag. “We only need the head, stupid.”

“And if