Prime Selection (7 page)

Wulf turned away from Huw and toward Mel. “Contact Nowicki on the
Leonidas
and bring him up to speed, tell him we’ll have an intership com-conference with all section officers in five standard minutes. We have less than four standard hours to come up with a plan to land on the planet without being seen or shot out of the skies, locate and rescue our people, and take back control of Tarn’s military facility.”

Mel nodded and hurried to her command chair to begin relaying the orders.

“Iolyn,” Wulf said, “notify Prime Command, Father, and Alliance Military Command of the situation as we know it.” Iolyn shifted to the communication console.

Wulf took Huw by the upper arms and shook him. “Tell me the instant the message from Nadia changes. She’s trying to warn us and using the only way she can. Do
not
be a stubborn ass! Open yourself up. Tell her we’re coming. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!” Huw closed his eyes and concentrated on the fragile thread in his mind and found it not as fragile as it had been a mere week ago.

Diew
, when had it strengthened? He’d avoided Nadia, blocked her attempts to communicate with him in this way, in the hopes distance and denial would make whatever
this
was go away. Obviously, he’d been unsuccessful.

“Hang on, Nadia. We received your warning. We’re coming.”

What he could only describe as relief came back at him. She’d received his message.

His brothers and Mel might think this was evidence of a mating of some sort, but he remained unconvinced. The connection could have no basis in biology. The medical tests would prove his case.

Still, even though Nadia couldn’t be his mate, he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her and would do all he could to avoid her injury or death.

“Don’t die, Nadia. Stay alive.”

“Hurry, Huw!”
The feminine mind touch raised the hairs on the back of his neck.

She was afraid for not just herself, but for the ships coming to her team’s rescue.

“Wulf!” His brother paused at the open door to the Captain’s Board Room. “We need to hurry.”

Wulf, grim-faced, nodded, and gave the order to the helmsman. “Red-line it, Mr.

J’ar.”

“Aye, Captain.” The Volusian programmed the helm to circumvent all engine safety measures to get the most speed from the ship. The
Galanti
surged forward even faster until the stars passed the bridge window like so many silver streaks. “Our ETA is now two point five standard hours.”

“We’re coming, Nadia.”

Huw left the Command Deck at a run and headed for Engineering where he would keep the
Galanti
running at red-line and beyond until they reached Tarn. He’d get everything out of his engines and his engineering techs or die trying.

Night, Cejuru Tarn

With no moon, the only light illuminating the flat, arid landscape upon which the military compound sat were the stars and the perimeter security lights on the compound walls. Shadows upon shadows covered the scene below her team’s vantage point. They’d taken a position near the back of the facility about one hundred meters away, hidden in the rocks that had tumbled from the foothills during one of the infrequent periods of tectonic behavior of the planetoid.

Nadia used the magnification in her night-vision goggles to zero in on the door that led to the subterranean communications room and from it to the weaponry control room.

The target building was near the back of the military compound. Between them and the entrance was open space; they’d be seen by the mercenary guards before they’d made it five meters from their hiding place.

“Bram?” She turned to look at Crewman Bram Tilga, who like most Prime was huge, well muscled, and extraordinarily handsome despite his somber demeanor. “Where are these maintenance tunnels you were telling me about?”

Bram pointed to a small, gray stone building that abutted the woods not too far from where they were hidden. “We can access one of the utility maintenance tunnels from that equipment shed. This tunnel will allow us to cross the open space without being seen.

There is an exit onto the surface closest to the door we need.” Bram’s golden gaze was calm, and his voice even and emotionless.

But underneath his purposely blank exterior, she sensed he constantly evaluated her, testing her for weakness. Well, she hadn’t expected complete trust from her new Prime crew members. They didn’t know her yet.

“How close?” she asked as she turned back to the building and looked through her goggles to see if she could spot a trap door on the hard surface.

“Less than five meters from the back of our target. You cannot see it from here, Commander.” Bram’s voice held gentle amusement. “But the door is behind the stack of palettes near the building entrance.”

Nadia slid down the rock upon which she’d perched to reconnoiter the situation and turned to face her team. “We’ll make our way to the storage shed using the cover of the trees and rocks, take out any guards stationed there, and then enter and use the tunnel.

Will you know which exit from the tunnel we’ll need, Bram?”

Bram nodded. “They are marked.”

“Excellent. Once we get to the appropriate exit, I’ll go first and distract the guards.

You two will take them out. Since A’tem and I have determined the guards change every hour on the hour,” she checked her chronometer, “we have less than a standard hour window from now to get into that building.”

“Not an issue, Commander.” Bram’s lips quirked into what might have been a smile.

“I have the backdoor codes Commander Dakkin and I created when we trained here. I can have us inside in less than a standard minute.”

Nadia grinned at the Prime. “Very good. Once we’re inside, Bram since you know the facility and the tunnel systems connecting the buildings, you will be on point. I want us in and out with communications and weapons under our control and not theirs as quickly as possible. If we manage not to alert the enemy upon accomplishment of those goals, then and only then we will scout to see if we can free the Prime prisoners.” If they couldn’t, the prisoners would be freed quickly enough once the rest of Gold arrived.

“Agreed?”

“Yes, Commander,” A’tem said. “What is the contingency plan in case we are discovered while trapped underground?”

Nadia hadn’t created one. Her main goal had always been to get off-planet communications up and running so Joen and Aeron could contact Wulf and Mel and then fix it so no one could use the laser weaponry against the rescue ships. Without a lot of luck on their side, which she’d never counted on, she’d fully expected this to be a suicide mission. Both Aeron and Joen had understood that and that was why they had wanted to come in her stead.

Before Nadia could come up with an explanation as to her initial reasoning, Bram spoke up, “We will not be trapped, Commander A’tem. There are other ways out of the subterranean complex known only by certain Elite-trained soldiers with specific security clearances.”

Bram looked from A’tem to her and back as if deciding whether they were worthy of what had to be Prime military secrets. He smiled. “I am one of those soldiers.”

“And what are these other ways out?” Nadia asked.

“Once we are in the subterranean complex, I will point out a door closest to the communications secure room, leading to an escape tunnel into the mountains and the cave systems.”

Bram’s revelations sent a chill down her spine. “The enemy can get into the mountain caves from these escape tunnels?”

“Not the specific caves where our people are located, but into other similar cave systems,” Bram said. “Commander Ard suggested the cave system we occupy for its defensive capabilities and for the fact that not many know of the system outside of the certain Elite team members. Commander Ard told me to reveal facility security measures to you as needed. I have.”

“Thank you, Bram. A’tem and I won’t share the location of the escape tunnels with anyone else in Gold.”

“Commander,” Bram said almost gently, “I am sure Captain Wulf will reveal such secrets to his senior crew when he has the time. But you need to know all of your Prime crew members know of these tunnels and others like them in similar Prime military fortifications all across this part of the galaxy.”

And from Bram’s last statement, Nadia deduced every single Prime crew member in Gold was Elite-trained with the highest security clearance and the best the Prime had to offer. Wulf must’ve taken that into consideration when he and Mel vetted the Prime soldiers to be merged into Gold. She’d remember to thank him for that foresight later.

Her confidence level on surviving their particular mission had now gone from under five percent up to fifty. The fact A’tem had served in the Volusian military’s elite squads before joining the Alliance military bumped the fifty percent chances of mission success and survival up to maybe sixty-five.

Another thought struck her. “Then why aren’t we using these secret tunnels in the mountains to get into the compound?” Nadia scowled at Bram.

“Because the escape tunnels are meant to be exit only. They are booby-trapped against entry into the compound, but not against exit from it.” Bram’s tone was very dry and along the lines of “did you think Prime were stupid?”

Ignoring his sarcastic tone, Nadia let out a breath. “Bram, once we accomplish our primary missions, you remain on point to lead us out of the compound.”

“Gladly, Commander.” Bram inclined his head.

Of course, completion of their goals still wouldn’t be that easy, which was why she’d only bumped up the chances of success to sixty-five percent. Once they were in the military compound’s underground rooms and tunnels, they’d be like rats in a maze. And rather than trying to find their way to a piece of cheese, they’d be avoiding the entrenched enemy.

Plans in place, the trip to the storage shed and into the maintenance tunnel was accomplished easily and without trouble in under ten standard minutes.

She shoved open the lid of the tunnel, climbed out onto the dirt-packed surface, and then ran to the cover of the large pallets of boxes. A’tem and Bram, after replacing the lid over the tunnel opening, followed her quickly and quietly. She peered around the edge of their hiding place and spied the two large humanoid males who’d come on duty approximately fifteen standard minutes ago. They were alert and heavily armed with knives, laser pistols, and automatic laser rifles. They stood guard, one on either side of the only entrance to the building under which the communications room was located.

Nadia spoke, keeping her voice low and atonal so as not to carry to the guards. “We clear on the plan?”

The two men nodded.

She handed her goggles and laser weapons to A’tem. “Hold these for me. I have some men to distract. As soon as they are focused on me make your move. I’ll attempt to lure them closer to you and away from the door.” She stripped off her borrowed uniform top under which she wore another garment—a lacy, sheer bra she’d borrowed from one of her female crew members who had a sexy lingerie fetish.

At Bram’s sharp inhalation, she glared at him. “You never saw me like this, soldier.”

Bram shut his mouth, which had dropped open, and nodded, but his fiery gaze did not budge. A’tem was unfazed since he was used to working with female soldiers who’d been trained to use whatever weapons they had at hand to defeat the enemy.

She coughed and the Prime had the grace to flush along his high cheekbones and shift his gaze back to her face.

A’tem chuckled quietly.

Nadia snorted. She’d have to remember to tell Wulf they needed to run some simulations with the Prime crew members to get them used to female soldiers using their wiles and attributes to defeat the enemy. Sex was a powerful drive, and when used appropriately had taken down many an enemy soldier. The strategy wouldn’t be effective if their crew members were distracted right along with the enemy.

As ready as she’d ever be, she muttered, “Let’s get these bastards.”

She stood and stretched to her full height. Taking a deep breath in preparation to confront the enemy, she realized her breasts threatened to spill over the top of the low-cut bra. The cool night air had puckered her nipples, and they showed darkly through the translucent ivory lace.

Both A’tem and Bram stifled low groans and she shot them a narrow-eyed glance.

Bram’s lust felt like fur brushing over her skin and her mind; the emotion had a taste—wine and chocolate. She shivered from a combination of the cool night air and the waves of feelings coming from her Prime teammate.

But she couldn’t fault either man for their reaction. She wanted the enemy guards to react in exactly the same way—it was much easier to lead a man thinking with his dick instead of his brain. If this weren’t a life and death matter, she wouldn’t be caught dead in the bra that barely contained her full breasts—she looked like a Terran whore. Men, all men, no matter the race or culture, could always be distracted by a nearly naked set of breasts.

“Head in the game, soldiers.” Her voice was harsh and cold.

A’tem recovered first and elbowed Bram. “Go, Nadia. We have you covered.”

She ran fingers through her short, curly, blonde hair. The paleness of her hair and her cerulean blue eyes when set off against the golden skin of her Siberian ancestors gave her an exotic look. Licking her full lips, she slid around the protection of the stacked boxes and began the walk toward the soon-to-be dead enemy. She made an effort to put some sway into her hips, knowing her breasts would follow the laws of physics and move also.