Voyages of the Solar Wind 1: A Fire in Heaven by Michael Erickston Page A

into the system. Once we were through, we sprinted back to the shuttle hangar and up Bili's boarding ramp. We got inside the ship and hid.
    The hatch opened a little while later and he buttoned up for takeoff. "We're good, guys." He called. "I hope you made it."
    We stepped out. "We're good, Bili." I nodded to him. He tossed me our credit chit and I hit the display button. 25K showed in green LED. "Pleasure doing business, Bili. You going to retire now?" Rilar asked with a hug for our friend. Bili had turned out to be all right.
    "Yeah. Bykora and I want to settle down and raise a family. We'll be adopting, since I grew up in an orphanage. I want to help as many as I can. By the way, Jen tried to seduce me. I drink through my helmet filter, so she asked me to remove it. I refused, so she kicked me out a little early." He shrugged as he took us out and set course for Port Royal. We entered the slipstream and were there fifteen minutes later.
    As we all walked down the ramp, Bili removed his helmet and showed us his face for the first time.
    "Hello. I'm Bilior. Good to meet you both." He held out his hand with a smile.
    We shook his hand in stunned disbelief. He was Gurinkan, but I'd always thought he was Human! Rilar was even more stunned than I was, though. Hell, EVERYONE thought he was Human, and he'd been in the business for over twenty years!
    He explained. "Gurinkans really aren't known for being Bounty Hunters. I found this old armor back in the Army and decided to adapt it for hunting. I was able to pass myself off as Human under the helmet. People just assumed it. I was tempted not to help you, but if I hadn't, I'd be a hypocrite. Rilar, you aren't the only one who loves outside our species." He smiled at us both, and we shook his hand again.
    He launched again and Rilar jumped into my arms. We'd just made three months' worth of credits in a little under an hour.
    I called Jeka immediately.
    "Herro?" She asked, and I could tell she'd been sleeping.
    "Jeka, we're back! We'll meet you in your office in the morning." I told her.
    "Good. Now I'm going back to sleep. If you call me again, I'll bleed you." Click.
    We laughed as we walked back to our hangar.
    We fell into our bunk once I had the hatch secured aboard Solar Wind, and I kissed my mate lovingly.
    "We did it, love. We just gave Jen the biggest middle finger possible!" Rilar was grinning as she said it.
    "Hell yeah we did!" I replied, grabbing two beers from the 'fridge unit. We popped them open and toasted.
    "To Bili and his honor!" Rilar said with a grin. We clinked, drank, and she snuggled up to me.
    I kissed her lovingly, and she returned it just as tenderly. "I love you, Rilar." I said as we broke the kiss.
    "I love you too, Dex." She replied with a warm smile.
    We finished our beers and tossed the empties in the recycler as usual. I held her and we kissed some more and cuddled before drifting off to sleep.
    We were woken by the com. "Solar Wind, this is the CSS Grant! Dex, I am here to kill you, and I'll bring down that entire station around you if necessary!"
    We jumped up, and both of us put on flight suits. I didn't have time for pants, shirt, jacket, or any of that shit. We scrambled for the cockpit and saw the battleship hovering just outside our hangar.
    I hit the com. "Fuckin' hell, Jen! If you open fire, this station will destroy your ship!" I yelled at her.
    "I don't fucking care, Dex! I want you dead, and you are going to BE DEAD!" She had completely lost it.
    "First Officer! If you can hear me, relieve Captain Cardwell of command! She is unfit for duty in her current condition!" I yelled over the com.
    "Bridge crew are dead, Dex. The rest not loyal to me are dead as well. It's just you and me now, lover." Her voice had taken on the seductive tone that had attracted me to her in the first place. Rilar stiffened beside me, and we exchanged glances.
    I switched channels. "Solar Wind to Royal Control! The CSS Grant has been subverted and is preparing to