The console cackled, comms coming to life with a screech before fading to silence again.
She covered their ears, wincing.
What was that? C’hase said.
Dani’s fingers danced over the controls. “I think they’re trying to hack our comms.”
She had no idea if they could do that, but by the looks of that ship, she was surprised someone hadn’t beamed aboard somehow.
A vertical beam of white light suddenly came to life between the console and her view screen. Dani froze. She sure hoped something wasn’t about to beam aboard her ship. Not possible by human standards, and she’d never heard of a Korthan doing it, there was a first for everything.
The beam of light became more focused until a Savage of Korth appeared. So, not some other being after all.
Black hair cropped close to grayish blue skin, he wore a black uniform. Somewhat transparent, Dani was relieved that it was just a hologram and not the actual man standing there.
But what a man he was, with striking silver eyes that pierced Dani’s soul. The sight of him stirred something unexplainable, her heart swelling. It was similar to what she felt with C’hase, but deeper— Soul deep—
Blinking, she stamped down the feeling. This man, this savage, this enemy, was shooting at them.
“Can they see me?” K’vyn asked, still standing, hands clasped behind his back, he glanced at L’iza.
“Yes,” she said. A group of colorful control holograms floating in front of her, she swiped her hand in the air as she scrolled through one.
“Why can’t I see them?”
“I know what you look like, so I can project an image of you.” She looked up. “But I don’t know what they look like or what they’re doing, so I can’t project an image back.”
Nodding, he turned back to the green hologram floating in front of him. A projector, it scanned his image and broadcast a hologram of himself through the easily hacked systems of the human ship.
“Human vessel,” he spoke at the projector. “Turn around or I will be forced to destroy you.”
He also tried speaking to his mogha again, projecting his mind outwards in all directions. Mogha companion, I feel you out there somewhere. I am here.
Dani reached out, her hand flowing through the focused light. It was a hologram.
Ask him if he knows where Mogha is, C’hase said, tone chipper.
“I don’t think he’d be interested in telling us,” she said, wondering how a being purported to be lawless and savage had the technology to accomplish a ship to ship projected hologram through a hacked system.
Mesmerized, sitting at the edge of her seat, she studied his features. Pictures of Korthans littered the newsfeeds, but she’d never actually seen one in real-time. The way he moved— Were the vids inaccurate?
“The hologram is so lifelike,” she said, blowing a strand of brown hair that had fallen across her nose back into place.
Can I see? C’hase said from beneath the console this time.
“No,” Dani said out loud to the little guy. Focus, she thought to herself.
Mogha companion, I feel you out there somewhere. I am here.
Dani’s eyebrows knitted. That was definitely not C’hase.
“Do you hear that voice?”
C’hase rubbed against her leg as he moved from under the console back beneath her chair. What voice?
Something else accompanied the voice, something pure and unadulterated; it was joy.
“Human vessel—” the man in the hologram said, snapping Dani from her thoughts.
His deep voice struck a thrill through her, igniting a tingle in places that hadn’t been touched in too long.
“—Turn around or I will be forced to destroy you.”
Well, damn. That took some of the thrill away.
What now? Should she speak directly to the hologram? Would it hear her?
“Human vessel,” the hologram stated again.
She activated the comm. Had to be the safest bet that the Korthan would hear her.
“We are an unarmed cargo freighter,” Dani said into the comm. “This shipping lane is neutral territory.”
“You are in Korthan space,” the handsome hologram replied. “I will allow you to fly back to neutral territory, but you cannot resume your current course.”
Was this a blockade? Was he even allowed to do that per Human Colony Alliance - Korthan neutral territory agreements? According to her charts, he was mistaken.
Or lying.
Taking a deep breath, Dani punched several buttons on the console, pulling up three space charts of the surrounding area. Playing games with this guy wasn’t going to help her find Mogha any quicker. She’d just go around him.
Flip. There was no safer route to Colony 739 than the route she was on. The plan was to deliver her cargo of chickens there and look around for the next clue to finding Mogha.
If they couldn’t find a way around this Korthan, Dani didn’t know what they were going to do—
Noticing a blue planet on the chart, she zoomed in. Orange and green became apparent on the surface as it was magnified. The planet was close.
Aligning the chart with the stars outside her viewscreen, she found it on the port side and blinked. How did she not see that before?
She’d just go to that planet and wait him out. Surely, he wouldn’t hang around this space lane indefinitely.
Can I come out now? C’hase said, movement at her feet as he was apparently preparing to come on out.
“No, stay put.” Dani resisted the urge to trap him with her feet.
But I want to see the ship, he said again.
“Stay where you are,” her voice was stern this time, leaving no room for questioning.
The pup groaned, more movement at her feet, but he stayed where he was.
Studying the charts, Dani let out her own groan. There was nothing on that planet. No cities. No towns. Nothing. There was nowhere for them to hide there.
Though, they didn’t have to hide, just had to wait for the Korthan to go away.
Typically, if they just got out of Korthan territory, they would be left alone. They could fly towards the planet, pretending to be leaving, then double back on the dark side of it and wait. Of course, that was assuming he didn’t consider the planet a part of his territory.
Checking the charts again, Dani shook her head. They were in clearly marked neutral territory, the planet as well.
Easing the thrusters forward, she headed towards the blue world.
She checked her radar—
Damn. Of course, the Korthan would be following.
The comm crackled as the human freighter pulled away and L’iza cut the connection.
What were they doing? Were they headed towards the planet? There was no way he was going to allow a human ship to land on a Korthan world, even an uninhabited one. Especially an uninhabited one. Especially one this close to Mogha.
“Follow them,” K’vyn ordered. “Send a few more warning shots.”
“Already on it,” L’iza said.
The hologram faded away as Dani piloted her ship in the opposite direction of the Korthan’s.
If she were a fighter pilot, she’d push the yolk down and send her ship into a spiraling barrel roll. If she were a fighter pilot, in a fighter.