The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency #1)(60)

Kiva shrugged. “It was your blood. Sucked it out of you, clipped off the major vessels in his arms, drained that blood, put yours in. It’s not complicated.”

“I didn’t know if the shunts would hold.”

“They’ll dissolve soon and his normal blood flow will come back. If he’s lucky his muscles won’t be necrotic and he’ll be able to keep his arms.”

“And if he’s not lucky?”

“If he’s not lucky, then fuck him, he tried to put a bomb in my ship.”

“And kill me,” Marce reminded her.

“Right,” Kiva said.

“What if it hadn’t worked?”

“You mean, what if they figured out that was Chat on the gurney while we were still there?”

“Yes.”

“I had a backup plan.”

“What? Run?”

“No. I’d give them you.”

“What?” Marce looked at Kiva, shocked.

Kiva looked back. “Don’t look at me like that. Why do you think I had you go? Because I like your company?”

“I thought I was one of your people now.”

“Yeah, but you’re new,” Kiva said. “And there were a whole lot of other people to think about.”

Marce didn’t say anything else to Kiva for the short remainder of the journey.

As they exited the shuttle on the Yes, Sir and the ship accelerated away from the Red Rose, Marce received a ping on his tablet: a forwarded message from Vrenna.

Tracked down that thing you asked. Sjo Tinnuin heard the rumor from a friend who works for the House of Nohamapetan. Says the Nohamapetans have been paying for navigational data from ships for the last couple of years.

It sounds like maybe they’re seeing some of the same things we see. I don’t know what that means for us, but I don’t think it means anything good.

Be careful out there. Miss you already.





—V


Kiva tapped Marce on the shoulder. He looked up from his tablet. “Come with me,” she said.

“I’m tired,” Marce said, putting his tablet away.

“Do you honestly think you’re going to sleep until we’re in the Flow and these pirates are well fucking behind us? Come on.” She walked out of the shuttle bay. Marce stared after her and followed.

Presently they came to Kiva’s cabin. Marce entered and was immediately jealous. “You have a room the size of a room,” he said to Kiva, who had entered the room behind him. He stared at the immense expanse of the wall in front of him, which featured schedules, notes, and personal photos.

“Of course I do,” Kiva said. “My family owns the ship. I’m the owner’s representative. You think they’re going to put me in a fucking bunk?”

“No, I suppose not. It’s just funny.”

“It’s not that funny.”

“Says the woman who doesn’t sleep in a bunk the size of a coffin.”

“Well, you won’t be sleeping there tonight, anyway.”

“What?” Marce turned and Kiva was entirely undressed.

“Let’s get laid,” she said, to Marce.

“Uh, okay,” Marce said, and then paused. “No, hold on. I’m confused.”

“You’ve had sex before, yes?” Marce nodded. “With women?” He nodded again. “And you liked it.”

“Yes—”

“Then what’s to be confused about?” she asked, coming up to him.

“I don’t think you actually like me,” Marce said.

“I like you just fine.” She grabbed his waistband, and worked the uniform tab there.

“You were willing to give me up to the pirates if you had to. Ten minutes ago.”

“Yes. And?”

“You tell me to shut the fuck up nearly every time we talk.”

“I tell everyone that.”

“I mean—”

“Look, we’ve both had a stressful day,” Kiva said, and pulled down his uniform trousers. “Now, you could stand around trying to talk to me about all the things that didn’t happen, in which case I toss your ass out and you go back to your tiny bunk and smell your own farts until you fall asleep, or you can shut the fuck up, get naked with me, and then we bang each other until we collapse from exhaustion. It’s your choice, but if I were you I know what I would rather do. So, are we going to fuck or what?”

“This is your idea of romance, isn’t it?” Marce asked Kiva.

“Basically,” Kiva said, and then dragged him onto the bed.

A few hours later, as Marce dozed with Kiva nestled up against him, a long mellow ping reverberated throughout the ship.

“Hmmmm,” Kiva said and opened up her eyes.

“What was that?” Marce asked.

“It’s the signal that we’ve entered the Flow.”

“So we’re safe.”

“Nothing is safe in the Flow. If our bubble collapses, we cease to exist.”

“I mean we don’t have to worry about pirates or Ghreni Nohamapetan,” Marce said. He was aware of Kiva’s body next to his and felt an erection pop up almost instantly.

Kiva felt it too and shifted her body on top of his, reached down to position Marce where she wanted him, and then pushed herself onto him. “No, you don’t have to worry about pirates, or the fucking Nohamapetans,” she said, working herself on him. “You might have to worry about me, though.”