Caught by Menace (18 page)

Menace shook his head. “I’m nurturing her trust in

me.”

me.”

“Smart move,” Vicious said. “Take it slowly. There’s

no need to rush these things.”

Menace figured there was no one else he could trust

with the big issue in their relationship. “She wants to

postpone conception of our first child.”

Vicious shot him a surprised look. “I see.”

“Is that going to be a problem?”

“They’l bring you in for a mandatory reproductive

health check if she hasn’t conceived in six months.”

Menace’s eyes widened in shock. “They have that

authority?”

Irritation crossed Vicious’ face. “It’s in the smal print

of our Grab contracts. I wouldn’t have known either if

Halie…”

Menace heard the pain in his friend’s voice. “I’m

sorry, Vee. I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject.”

“It’s fine.” Vicious inhaled slowly. “I don’t care if it

takes Halie ten years to conceive our first child, but

these fucking population laws are putting undue stress on

her. It makes her feel like a failure. Knowing she’s in pain

and that I can’t fix it makes me feel like a failure.”

Menace was certain this was the first time in al the

Menace was certain this was the first time in al the

years he’d known Vicious that his friend had ever

spoken with such emotion. “I don’t know what to say,”

he admitted finaly.

“There isn’t much to say,” Vicious replied matter-of-

factly. “Biology is a bitch.”

Another thought struck him. “Can they intervene in

your bond?”

Vicious’ jaw tightened. “The clause concerning that is

vague. It’s been threatened on other men.”

“So if Orion succeeds in forcing me to give up Naya

—”

“It would set a dangerous precedent,” Vicious said.

“I won’t let them take Naya,” Menace vowed. It

wasn’t just his and Naya’s bond at stake. It was Halie

and Vicious’ too. “Can the doctors here do anything to

help Halie?”

Vicious nodded stiffly. “She’s undergoing testing next

week. We’re hopeful.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

“We have a sympathetic doctor. He and I have

discussed an option that would give Halie and me more

time.”

time.”

“I hope it works.”

“It wil. It has to.” After a moment’s pause, he asked,

“Why doesn’t your bride want children?”

“She wants them, I think, just not now. She’s been on

her own since she was a child. Her mother and brother

abandoned her, and her father was kiled by a Merkorian

when she was only nine. She seems to have a hard time

trusting and depending on another person. I understand

her concerns with bringing a child into our union so

quickly.”

“Is this your way of asking me to sign your petition for

contraception?”

Menace faced him. “Would you?”

“Of course.” Vicious frowned. “Why would you think

otherwise?”

“I know you’re very traditional when it comes to

things like this. Now that I know what you and Halie are

dealing with, I wasn’t sure.”

“Menace, my personal feelings on the issue have

nothing to do with it. I have no business getting involved

in the private discussions and decisions between couples.

If you approve of her request, I’l expedite the petition

through my office.”

through my office.”

“Thank you.”

Vicious waved his hand. “You’re not just one of my

soldiers, Menace. You’re my friend. I want you to find

the same happiness with Naya that I’ve found with

Halie. If getting her a contraceptive device does that, so

be it. Just don’t pin your hopes on an approval,

Menace.”

“I haven’t. I made sure Naya understood how unlikely

it was that permission would be granted.”

“Even if I can manage to get the petition approved,

they might only give you a few months reprieve. These

damn population laws are so invasive.”

The doors to the elevator opened. Menace fel into

step behind Vicious, folowing the protocol of their ranks.

Vicious crossed the lobby of the ship’s headquarters but

didn’t go to his private space. Instead he took Menace

to Orion’s. A pair of medics sat in chairs just outside the

ship commander’s office. Both jumped to their feet and

saluted Vicious who gave them a quick at-ease. The

admiral’s secretary rose from his desk and knocked

twice on the door before opening it and announcing

them.

them.

Menace trailed Vicious into Orion’s office. His gaze

settled on the face of the sky corps pilot who wanted to

chalenge his rights to Naya. He’d seen the man around

the
Valiant
but didn’t know him wel. The pilot sat in a

motorized chair and had his immobilized leg in a harness.

A smal medication pump had been attached to his wrist.

Menace wondered if he was even competent right now

with al the painkilers running through his system. Broken

leg or not, Menace was ready to kick the man’s ass for

distressing Naya.

Admiral Orion leaned back against his desk. Just as

tal as Vicious, Orion had the brown hair and hazel eyes

common in the first generation of children from Grabs in

the Angolier sector of the solar system. With his arms

crossed, he looked annoyed by the whole situation.

“Vicious.”

“Orion.”

The admiral sighed. “Menace, you know why you’re

here?”

“I do, sir.” Menace glanced at the pilot. “That man

wants to take my wife.”

“She fractured my damn knee so badly they can’t fix

it! What am I supposed to do now? Hobble my way

it! What am I supposed to do now? Hobble my way

through another Grab?”

“Flare,” Orion sharply reprimanded his airman.

Flare gritted his teeth. “Sir.”

Orion gestured to Flare. “He claims that the woman in

question deliberately led him into a trap and caused him

great injury. This injury prevented him from Grabbing a

woman and may have even ended his career.”

“That’s the risk he took when he entered the Grab,”

Vicious countered. “We al signed the same forms. If he

was reckless enough to folow Menace’s woman across

uncertain terrain, the consequence rests solely on his

shoulders.”

“Agreed,” Orion replied, “but Menace can run again

and find another bride. Flare has multiple surgeries and

months of therapy ahead of him. They may have to send

him back to Prime and you know the bride situation there

isn’t exactly thriving. If he’s bounced out of the sky corps

because of his injuries, his standing among prospective

brides won’t be nearly as positive.”

“I sympathize with your man,” Vicious said, “but you

are talking about tearing apart a couple who have spent a

day and a night together. If we were back on Prime, this

day and a night together. If we were back on Prime, this

kind of thing would ignite a blood feud.” Vicious slashed

his hand through the air. “No. Menace Grabbed her.

They’re bonded. It’s done.”

Orion looked amused. “Is that a threat, Vee?”

“It’s a fact, Orion. If you try to take Menace’s wife

away from him, you’l have every member of the land

corps aboard this ship rising up in revolt. I shouldn’t have

to remind you that my force outnumbers yours three to

one.”

Orion’s smile faded. “I’m quite aware of the balance

aboard
my
ship.”

Vicious exhaled roughly. “Let’s not do this, Orion.

We’ve been friends and coleagues too long to alow

something ugly like this to occur under our shared

watch.”

“Is that your way of teling me you have a proposal?”

“My wife remains in contact with friends on the

surface. She’s aware of a handful of women who

desperately want to leave Calyx.” Vicious addressed

Flare. “Would you be wiling to consider one of these

women as a potential bride?”

Flare’s angry expression softened. “There are women

Flare’s angry expression softened. “There are women

who want to be married to Harcos men?”

“The town Halie comes from is a terrible place.

Women there are given no opportunities. For many of

them, being chosen in the lottery for the Grabs is like

winning a one-way ticket out of hel.”

“Flare, I’m going to urge you to consider the general’s

offer,” Orion counseled the captain. “You’ve seen the

general’s wife?”

Flare nodded. “She’s very beautiful.”

“And sweet and modest,” Orion added. He shot

Menace a disapproving look. “I hear the woman he was

unlucky enough to grab is a shrew. You can take

Menace’s foul-mouthed harpy or you can choose a nice,

gentle woman who actualy
wants
to leave her home and

start a new life with a brave Harcos man.”

Menace bristled at the admiral’s description of Naya

but let it slide. He recognized that Orion was actualy

helping his case in trying to dissuade Flare from pursuing

his claim to Naya.

“Is it legal?” Flare’s question calmed Menace’s frayed

nerves. The man was considering Vicious’ option.

“It is,” Vicious assured him. “The arrangement would

be treated the same way as the matchmaking services

be treated the same way as the matchmaking services

from Harcos Prime.”

Flare gestured to his ruined leg. “I can’t go down to

the surface to get her. How do I know one of the

members of the team you send won’t claim her for

himself?”

It was a valid question. The tricky unclaimed-property

laws made it very easy for another man to swipe a new

bride. After the last Grab, there had been a massive

brawl aboard the
Arctis
when a land corps sergeant had

taken a pilot’s new bride and barricaded her in his

quarters. The Special Response Unit led by Raze had

ended up blasting the door down to get them out but the

bride was so enamored with the sergeant’s brash

“romantic” act that she’d refused to go back to the pilot.

To say it had been a clusterfuck of epic proportions was

the understatement of the century.

“I’l go.” Menace held Flare’s disbelieving gaze. “I’m

happily matched to Naya and have no reason to take

your woman. I’l go down to the surface and safely

escort your bride back to you.”

Flare narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Why should I

trust you? Can you honestly say I’m not your enemy

now?”

Menace scoffed. “Enemy? We’re brothers-in-arms.

Am I irritated that you scared my woman? Yes. Am I

going to hold it against you? No. You’ve earned the right

to a wife and a family. Naya didn’t mean to cause such a

traumatic injury, but she was partialy responsible for

your current predicament. My wife’s debts of honor are

mine. I intend to make this one right.”

Flare nodded stiffly. “Thank you, Menace.”

Orion pushed off his desk and straightened. “So it’s

settled? No more talks of blood feuds and mess-hal beat

downs?”

Vicious smiled. “I think we’ve managed to head off

disaster.”

“Good.” Orion shook Vicious’ hand and clapped him

on the back. He stepped forward and offered his hand to

Menace. Voice soft, he said, “That bit about caling your

wife a harpy? I didn’t mean it.”

Menace gripped the man’s hand. “Understood, sir.”

“I’l leave this to you, Vicious. Wil Raze’s team

handle the extraction?”

“Yes,” Vicious confirmed.

“I’l give you Zephyr for this mission. He’s my best

“I’l give you Zephyr for this mission. He’s my best

stealth pilot.” Orion walked to his desk and tapped his

communication unit. “Hunter? Send in the medics and cal

Zephyr into my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

A moment later, the medics entered the office. One of

them used the controls on the back of Flare’s chair. The

other waited by the door. Menace watched the broken

man leave the office. He couldn’t shake the sympathy

eating at him. It wasn’t completely Naya’s fault the man

had hurt himself so badly. It was simply a freak accident,

but for a military man in his prime to lose it al because of

something as stupid as a roling log? It was almost too

painful to consider.

Menace received a nod of dismissal from Vicious and

started out of the office. Just as he left, he heard Orion

ask Vicious, “Are there truly many women who want to

marry and leave Calyx?”

“There are. Why? Would you like one of them? I

could make the arrangement for you.”

“No, no,” Orion quickly replied. He laughed