Level One was Prime Nial himself, leader of the entire Coalition Fleet, ruler of the Coalition of Planets. He controlled everything. If what she said was true, only the Prime himself could override her lockdown of this base.
Battleship commanders, like Commander Karter, only had Level Four codes. Mine were Level Five.
Fuck. Exactly who was she?
“Let’s go.” Captain Prax shifted on his feet. “I need to check on the rest of my men.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him they were probably already locked down in cells deeper inside the base, being integrated. Destroyed.
The female jumped onto the transport pad and the Prillon captain positioned himself between her and the corridor in a protective stance, not just that of a warrior protecting a helpless female. There was too much knowledge in his eyes. Respect.
Who was she? I.C.? I didn’t know any fighters with command codes. Unless she was just the victim of an accident and a transport tech had accidentally sent her to the wrong place.
Yeah, no. She was too intelligent, too quick and keen for something as ridiculous as that. And if something that random had brought her to me, that transport tech was most likely headed for a Coalition brig.
I felt the vibrations, heard the hum.
“Everyone ready?” she asked, glancing up at the six of us on the transport pad. It had been about a minute since the prisoners arrived, and they were being sent right back out of here. They were lucky.
So fucking lucky. The Atlan who was dead weight at their feet, too.
“Fuck, yes,” I said. The others shouted and growled their agreement. They’d been defeated, but their fight was back. We were getting the fuck out of here.
I heard the pounding of feet with my Hunter senses. “Incoming,” I said.
She nodded, either she believed me or could hear them, too. It wasn’t time to wonder which.
“Five seconds,” she said.
I moved with speed to stand beside her. I tipped up her chin so she’d look at me. Made her take one of those five seconds to focus on me.
“Who are you?” I asked. The hairs on my body stood on end from the impending transport.
Three seconds.
Two seconds. The team of Hive ran into the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw their weapons raised. The other warriors fired at them, but I ignored it all. I could only see her. See the female who’d saved my life. The lives of six warriors.
“I’m your mate.”
One second.
And we were gone. Transporting out of the Hive hell and to safety. With my…
Mate.
4
Niobe, Battleship Karter, Sector 437
I really hadn’t meant to spring it on him like that.
I’m your mate.
Not exactly me at my most brilliant. I hadn’t even told him my name.
But then again, I had transported into the middle of a Hive Integration base—an unknown Integration Base that was supposed to be one of ours—and been forced to fight for my life, and his, as soon as I’d had time to blink. Good thing I didn’t travel without my weapon. Good thing my instincts and reflexes hadn’t gotten rusty running the Academy. My I.C. commander would laugh at the very thought.
All in all, my years on a battleship ReCon team had paid off in a big way. The old training had kicked back in instantly, like I’d never been gone, let alone spent the last few years sitting behind a desk, or training new Coalition cadets.