Heart of Stone by Cathryn Cade Page B

wasn't coming to her
rescue. And that meant she had to save herself. She scooted back
into the corner at the head of the bed, and crouched with the laser
propped on her knees. Oh, if only this didn't feel so much like one
of those nightmares where all she could do was wait for the
creeping menace to come for her.
    Rose didn't have long to wait for this
one. The sibilant hissing noises outside in the passageway sorted
themselves out into a verbal communication between at least two
beings. She flinched as a tiny chime sounded in her ear. Her
comlink!
    "Translator, on," she breathed. "Play
back."
    Another chime sounded, and a voice like
that of a reception droid, sweet and impersonal, murmured in her
ear, repeating in Galactic what was being said outside her
door.
    'Where device?'
    'Hidden, you skrog-brain. Search for
it.'
    'Not a skrog-brain, cold . Hate ice and
snow.'
    'Shut your maw-hole. Find quickly,
before humans return.'
    'You look there, I search this
place.'
    There were thieves on board
Masterson's cruiser. And they were after something, some device
that was valuable enough to break into his cruiser for. Where was Masterson?
    Rose swallowed the whimper of fear
trying to crawl up her throat. She didn't know what kind of beings
were out there, but they were clearly malevolent.
    If she hid in the lav, they'd think the
sleeping cubby was empty. She could leave the lav door cracked
open. But how horrible to hide in that small space and wait. Too
much like the nightmares she'd had after her parents died, of them
trapped inside their transport freighter, while she beat helplessly
on the hatch outside, trying to get in and save them.
    She took a deep breath. She was a woman
grown, and there was no one to stop the pirates except her. She had
two things on her side: a weapon and the element of surprise. They
didn't know she was here yet. The passageway outside was narrow—if
she could get her laser aimed, they'd have to fall back. Every
sentient being in the galaxy understood the power of a laser
weapon.
    She forced herself to slide across the
bed and step to the floor. Standing up, she reached for the
fastener of the hatch into the galley. Only to see it move before
she could touch it.
    The hatch flashed open, and Rose found
herself face to face with a nightmare.
    It was humanoid, with a narrow, brown
face, long snout and terrible mouth drawn open in a snarl. Two
slitted eyes glared from beneath a hooded garment.
    A Jango—nightmare come to
life.
    Rose screamed. Without conscious
thought, she fired. Red flashed from her weapon. Smoke puffed from
the dark folds of the Jango's garments. With a terrible hiss, it
fell backward into the passageway.
    The hatch slid shut. Shaking so hard
she could barely move, Rose backed away from the hatch and sat hard
on the bed. Still too close to the hatch, she crabbed backward on
shaking legs, huddling into the corner with her weapon braced on
her drawn up knees. One thought reverberated through her mind.
She'd shot him—it. She'd killed a living being.
    More hissing voices outside. Her
translator chimed again, translating in the same eerily cheerful
voice.
    'Human in here. What do
with?'
    'Open container. Kill.'
    'Female. Take turns mating first, then
kill. Mobius no care.'
    'Ah, yes. First fun, then steal
cargo.'
    There were still two or more of them
left. And they were going to rape her--before they killed
her.
    She gripped the laser so hard her hands
buzzed with the same numbness that wanted to envelop her mind. She
shook her head hard to dispel it, her hair flipping around her
face. One strand stuck to her lips, tickling her face. She ignored
it. How long until another Jango tried to get in?
    She pointed the gun at the narrow
entrance. She was shaking so hard her teeth were chattering. It was
so quiet now she could hear only the rattle of her teeth, her
breath sobbing in her throat. The smoke of laser burn overlaid the
spicy hint of sex, and the sharp stench of her own