Under His Command by Annabel Wolfe Page B

S-species
    males had the right to keep the children.
    No doubt Peyton would breed children as beautiful as she
    was…and why did he even just think of that? Kel felt a muscle in his
    jaw twitch.
    “You should see the look on your face.” Jake grinned. “She’s
    asked me about your family, by the way. She asked me if I’d ever met
    your mother.”
    Whatever he might have said to that was interrupted by a flicker
    of the communication screen, indicating a message from the military
    headquarters on Minoa. Kel leaned forward and flicked one of the
    controls on the panel and an image solidified. General Ian Helm
    looked more grim than usual, his mouth tightly compressed.
    “Commander Gallico. Colonel Naiad. I am glad you are both there.”

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    Annabel Wolfe
    That didn’t bode well but Kel wasn’t sure if it was any more
    alarming than the conversations he’d just had with Peyton and now
    Jake. He said, “What do you know, General?”
    “The Serpentine has been located.”
    Jake muttered something undecipherable under his breath.
    “Where?”
    “Right now they are just out from Anaya Two.”
    Damn if Peyton wasn’t right on target. Anaya Two was a small
    planet with a tiny colony of settlers, peaceful and strictly agrarian. It
    had no weapons defense program, which was a minor point in their
    favor since the escaped prisoners couldn’t confiscate anything but
    hand arms, but it did have both food and fuel. Kel swore softly. “The
    colony knows not to let them dock, I assume.”
    “The convicts are threatening to kill the crew one by one if not
    granted landing privileges. They claim all they want is to take on
    supplies.” Helm showed no emotion at all, his face a granite mask.
    “They executed the commander of the ship at the end of the
    communication just to show they aren’t trying to bluff us. We have no
    idea how many of the rest of the crew and guards are still alive, but
    maybe they are. It’s hard to say.”
    This was truly turning into a nightmare like no commanding
    officer ever wanted to face. “Do we have orders?”
    Helm gave a decisive nod. “The settlers are being sent to bunkers
    designed for emergencies such as meteor events and cosmic storms.
    We’re going to let the ship dock, but the colony itself will be deserted.
    You will take transports down and land also. At that time, you will
    have an opportunity to effect retaking the hijacked ship. I realize you
    don’t have combat troops on board, Commander, but your crew is
    trained military personnel.”
    In other words, they were in for a fight. No group of desperate
    escaped felons was going to surrender quietly.
    “Is this an extermination now?” He hated to ask it, but he did need
    to know. “Are we supposed to take the prisoners if we can?”

    Under His Command
    69
    “Commander, you are supposed to do whatever you have to do.”
    There was a pause. “On no account let them get near your ship,
    understand? What they have now is a freight vessel. We’re taking a
    chance letting you land with transports on the same planet, but the
    Council is concerned about the lives of the crew of the Serpentine and
    the settlers. If any can be saved, we’re willing to at least send you in
    to try. But if a military vessel fell into the hands of these men…”
    He trailed off and shook his head.
    Unfortunately, Kel understood all too well. Criminals aside, he’d
    never lose his ship while still breathing.

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    Annabel Wolfe

    Chapter 7
    When the light flashed, she jumped up and then had to
    consciously stop herself from running over to push the admittance
    button.
    By the stars, she was acting like an adolescent and Tara had no
    real idea why. Well, that wasn’t quite true, she admitted silently as
    she managed a sedate pace across the small space. For one thing she
    was bored. That was the first excuse she gave herself. The boredom
    on these journeys was always a problem for her, but normally she at
    least brought along some of her own