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  He looked at Mack in surprise.

  “Isn't that potentially dangerous?”

  “All information stored there is legally copied from the main science database on earth. I have no dangerous chemicals on board, either. There's nothing worth locking up in there.”

  “Okay, thanks,” he replied, and then the scientist walked away.

  Mack glanced about the flight deck - all the temporary crew had now gone off to make themselves at home. He turned to Jinx.

  “Looks like Tina's deserted you!”

  “She's just gone to get settled in,” Jinx leant back in his seat, stretching out his long legs and putting his feet up on the edge of the control panel, “She knows where to find me.”

  “I bet you'll be in for a long wait, lover boy!” Mack joked, and then he left the flight deck and went off in search of Jody, who would need the code to open up the med centre.

  “Can someone get this damned thing unlocked?”

  As Cora's voice travelled up from the metal stairway, Mack gave a heavy sigh, swore under his breath and turned back, went down the stairway to B Deck and found the young student hopelessly rattling a locked overhead compartment, it was metallic and one of many, and her luggage tag had been hung from the lever that did nothing as she tried it again in vain.

  “Now I can't get to any of my luggage!” she complained.

  “Stand back,” he said, feeling slightly embarrassed at the run down state of the old storage space, and then he pulled the lever firmly, thumping the side of it with his fist at the same time.

  The lever came off in his hand as the door flew open and the corner dealt him a glancing blow as the cases thudded out, hitting his shoulder and then falling to the floor with a clatter.

  “Thanks!” she looked down at her bags, then left them there, her eyes wide as she noticed Mack was clutching at his shoulder. There was a trickle of blood running from a cut above his left brow.

  “I'm so sorry! Oh no... you're hurt...what's protocol... Let me think..summon medical aid -”

  “No, it's just fine, Cora, I'll be okay,” he assured her, suddenly feeling much kinder to the annoying young woman who was desperately trying to remember in flight rules and regulations and thinking she was being useful, “I was on my way to find Jody anyway – I need to give her the pass code to the med centre. Just go and get unpacked and enjoy your fight.”

  “Are you sure you're okay?” she called back.

  “Yes, thank you!” he replied, and made his way back up the flight of steps, not clutching at his aching shoulder again until he was at the top and back on A Deck and out of her sight.

  Mack headed off down a long metallic corridor, came to the closed door of the med centre and punched in the code, then slid in his own access card, and the door opened.

  He went inside as the lights flickered on, bathing the light blue walls in bright light as he paused to press a key on the wall mounted pad inside to keep the door open, guessing Jody would be along soon. Then he went past the examination table and over to the white cupboards on the wall, he used his card again to unlock the first one and took out a hand held scanner.

  That suitcase had hit him with force and he was pretty sure he was okay, but when it came to flight and safety he was not about to break the rules no matter how badly he wanted to help himself to a king's ransom of gold on departing S54Q - the Pharaoh required two pilots. If he had broken a bone, Jinx would have to turn the vessel around and head back to earth and call for a replacement flight to pick up the colonists...Mack wasn't above stealing gold from an empty mine but he drew the line at risking his passengers because his ability to fly the ship might be affected...

  “You can't use that scanner without taking off your flight suit – at least the top half. It has to make contact with skin.”

  He looked up, suddenly realising he felt rather awkward to have been caught by Jody, who was a trained medic, as he held the scanner to his shoulder and realised that from this angle, he wouldn't have been able to see the screen, let alone switch the device on...

  She smiled as she walked over and took the scanner from him.

  “Go over to the table, strip to the waist and I'll check you over...What happened?”

  Mack went over to the table, pausing to rub at his aching shoulder.

  “Cora and her luggage again!”

  Jody smiled.

  “Again?” then she laughed softly, “Sorry – I'm not laughing at you...Oh, that girl and her suitcases!”

  “The locker was stiff I had to force it open, the handle came off hence the cut and the case smashed me in the shoulder.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Slightly...”

  He paused to tug down the zip of his flight suit, he stopped at the waist and stripped off the top half, then stripped off his white t shirt, placing it on the table beside him as he sat down and she switched on the scanner.

  “It's probably just a bruise but you're a good captain to get every minor injury checked...”

  As she placed the device on his shoulder, her gaze shifted to his exposed upper body – he was toned and in good shape for his age... then she noticed the distinctive tattoo on his upper arm, in small, plain ink: Mackenzie, Aidan Earth Elite Squad Unit 17.

  “That's an old army tattoo,” she said.

  He briefly looked away, dreading the questions that would follow and thankful her gaze would now be fixed on the scanner as it gave a bleep and lit up.

  “Yes it is,” Mack replied, “I served in the Earth global conflicts of 2198.”

  She paused glancing to the scanner.

  “No fractures, you're okay. The '98 conflicts? That was a year before I was born. But I remember learning about it in history years ago at school.”

  She drew the scanner away from his shoulder and turned it off, then smiled as she looked at him apologetically.

  “Sorry...I don't mean it was SO many years ago but, you know what I mean...”

  Mack nodded.

  “A long time ago and best forgotten,” he replied.

  Their eyes met, and suddenly hers widened as she realised something.

  “You were in Unit 17? That was the Unit that was destroyed by enemy fighter droids...” she drew in a sharp breath as Mack wished he had never exposed his tattoo, “The whole unit was slaughtered... except for a young private who despite his wounds, managed to grab a damaged fighter vessel and make it back to base...he warned the others of the battle droids and our side was able to bomb the machines before they advanced... He was given the Medal of Highest Valour but asked that his name be kept out of the history books at least for his lifetime...You?”

  Mack's gaze reflected no pride, only memories of pain and horror at the sight of his unit being sliced apart by the marching android army. He recalled an enemy droid lashing out and slicing open the flesh on his ribcage, and then he breathed out slowly, remembering also that it had been a very long time ago...

  “I was twenty one years old,” he replied, “I left the army when the war ended and became a pilot. Please don't tell the others. Even Jinx doesn't know. I hate talking about it, brings back bad memories of a terrible event.”

  She nodded.

  “Of course...”

  Then he grabbed his T shirt and quickly put it back on and then pulled up his flight suit, dressing quickly and tugging up the zip once more, thankful the tattoo was covered and the need to explain was now over with.

  “Let me check that cut to your head,” she said to him, and he gave a sigh.

  “It's just a scratch, I'm fine -”

  “I'm sure you are, but I'd like to take a look anyway, okay?”

  Mack met her gaze as she stepped closer and carefully inspected the wound. As she briefly moved away and then back to clean up the blood, she glanced down at him from another angle and noticed old, deep scarring that ran in deep slash marks across his chest. She quickly looked back to the wound above his brow then stepped back, knowing he didn't want to discuss the past. />
  “All done,” she told him, “You can go now, Captain.”

  “I'm not used to being given orders. Next thing I know you'll be asking to fly this ship! Shall I save time and hand you the flight manual now, Jody?”

  She smiled.

  “No serious injuries and your sarcasm is intact, so yes, you can definitely go, Captain.”

  He got off the table and stood there for a moment, looking down at her as he he hoped the admiration he saw in her eyes stemmed from their first meeting and the instant attraction and not from the tattoo she had just seen - because he really didn't want to talk about the horrors he had seen in war time. Her gaze had briefly wandered over his exposed upper body, but had not lingered on the scarring. Maybe it didn't put her off because she was a medic and had probably seen worse...

  “Thanks,” he said to her, “For the scan - and for not saying anything about my past. I never mention it.”

  “I don't mention mine,” she replied, “But only because there's nothing to tell.”

  Their gaze was still locked and the more he looked at her, the more he felt sure she was one of those rare people he actually felt comfortable with after knowing for only a short time.

  “You'll have to tell me more,” he replied, “There must be something...”

  She smiled.

  “Only child of two earth based doctors, left college and went to uni, trained to be an off world medic, worked on earth for five years then followed my dreams.”

  “You can tell me again later,” he replied, “Maybe after dinner this afternoon?The ship has some lovely gardens...I'd like to show you around if that's okay?”

  She smiled again and the way her eyes sparkled translated as an instant yes that came to Mack as a huge relief – for some unknown reason he had feared she would reject him, probably because he liked her so damned much...

  “I'll look forward to that, Mack,” she said, and hoped he hadn't noticed the slight flush to her face.

  “See you later, then,” he replied, and then he walked out of the med centre with a smile on his face, thinking Cora had no idea what a huge favour her dangerously stored luggage had just done for him...

  Chapter 2

  Jinx was partially out of his uniform. It was around his ankles as he moved hard and fast against Tina Verity, as she wrapped her legs tightly about his waist and gasped with every thrust, tangling her fingers in his hair as he fucked her up against the closed door of her living quarters.

  “Oh yes....YES... Nick!”

  “Rik!” he said breathlessly, “My name's Rik!”

  “Jinx!” she gasped, sticking with the surname of the good looking co pilot who she had bumped into on her way out of B Deck, and quickly led back to her room, where they had kissed and partially stripped in a frenzy.

  Rik Jinx was breathless as he slammed against her one more time, groaning against her shoulder as his legs trembled and he was thankful that she lost her grip on his waist, sliding free of him as they separated.

  “Oh blimey that was good!” he exclaimed breathlessly, wiping sweat from his face and pulling up his underwear and then his uniform, before pausing to run his fingers through untidy hair.

  As she adjusted her clothing, her face was flushed.

  “I want to see you again.”

  He laughed.

  “I help to fly this ship! We''ll see plenty of each other.”

  “Good,” she replied.

  He met her gaze, smiled as he leaned in and then kissed her.

  “See you at dinner, Tina,” he said, then he zipped up his flight uniform and left the room. Tina went over to the mirror that was mounted on the wall and glanced at her reflection as she smiled...They hadn't even made it to the bedroom, it had been pure animal passion. She hoped to be seeing a lot more of Mr Jinx on this trip...

  By the time the crew had assembled around the long table in the dining area, the mood was light as Jinx cast glances at Tina and Mack caught the look, smirked and looked away - Jinx and his charm had worked again...

  Zeke Raine was chatting to Cora about rules and regulations of space flight, particularly security - and judging by the way his gaze had intensified as he looked at her, he clearly liked her, although she was too interested in the topic and the fact that she could see stars as she kept glancing to the wide viewing port, to actually notice his attraction.

  Jules was first to start eating and remarked that he was glad in the modern age microwaveable food was available on space flights, and then as Jody took her place at the table opposite Mack, all the captain could do was notice how lovely she looked that evening in her simple black dress.

  Mack had kept on his flight suit, but the others had got changed. Jinx was in a T shirt and tight fitting black jeans that hugged his slender hips, he was in full flirt mode and Mack guessed he would be for the rest of the flight. Tina was wore a short blue dress that fitted her well and showed off her curves. Cora was wearing a white blouse and blue jeans with strappy heeled shoes and he wondered how the hell she had negotiated the metal walkways in those shoes - hardly practical for space flight. But clearly Zeke, who was dressed in a dark suit, had not cared at all to lecture her on rules on board a space craft regarding her choice of footwear as he leaned in, listening intently to her every word.

  There was an open wine bottle on the table and several of the crew had enjoyed a glass - but he was glad to see Rik had not helped himself to the alcohol. In the early days no drinking on board had been a hard rule for him to follow, but over the years, he had come to respect that, understanding this ship took two pilots to fly it and neither could risk being even slightly drunk.

  “So tell me about these onboard gardens, Mack,” said Jody.

  He looked at her, and then a buzzer sounded as a red light on the wall began to flash. All the assembled crew looked to the warning light, and then Cora's voice sounded panicked.

  “That's a code one warning message...Urgent... That shouldn't be happening on a safe flight path, right? Am I right?”

  Mack and Jinx exchanged a glance, then both rose from their seats.

  “Am I right?” Cora said again, looking to the Captain in alarm.

  “It's probably nothing to be concerned about. I need to take that call. Excuse me,” Mack replied, then he and Jinx left the dining area, ensuring the door had closed behind them before they both broke into a run and took to the stairway to A Deck, knowing a message from earth would not be relayed this far out into space on a safe flight plan unless an urgent warning was about to be issued...

  “What's the problem, control? This is Captain Mackenzie, halfway out to the back of beyond and now handling a nervous temporary crew, what's the reason for the red alert?”

  There was a static hiss and then the voice that had wished him a good flight on take off spoke up.

  “Planet I-9107 is confirmed burning up, estimated time sets you in the path of debris twenty four hours from now. Options are to turn back or increase speed and pass the danger zone by four hours. It's your call, Captain - your ship is able to handle this crisis due to speed by our estimation.”

  As he said nothing he looked to Jinx, who looked back at him with wide, startled eyes as he shook his head. As he spoke, he pressed down the mute button to block out earth ground control.

  “Shields haven't been serviced! I told you we should have got that done!”

  “I know that...But they do work, Rik!”

  “What do we do?”

  Mack thought about it.

  “If we get caught in the tail end of it, that's no disaster. The shields can handle it. But they can't estimate the exact time that planet burns. They could be days out, or they could be hours wrong. I say we carry on, top speed, it will cut down our journey time by four days.”

  “And burn up a shitload of fuel!”

  “The colony have an emergency escape craft in the event of natural disaster – there will be a fuel supply and it should make up for what we use en route.”

  “Are yo
u sure about this?”Rik's face had paled.

  “We've done it before.”

  “A few asteroids, not out running the debris left behind from a whole planet!”

  “And I'll double check the radar, have the systems reach out to maximum - we'll have plenty of warning if the worst happens.”

  “Or we could always turn back.”

  “And those colonists could be dead by the time the next flight makes it out to them - a storm of that magnitude could leave the flight path compromised for weeks! Lives could be at stake.”

  Rik Jinx looked into the eyes of his best friend.

  “We're not taking a massive gamble?”

  “No,” Mack assured him, “You get to work on setting up the scanning system - set for deep space at maximum radius on constant alert status. I'll talk to earth.”

  Rik nodded, then sat down and began to work the controls as Mack took the mute setting off and spoke again:

  “Hello control - this is Pharaoh 2... I confirm our plan of action is to scan deep space at distant radius, pick up speed and if risk to life is detected we will turn back. For now we stay on the flight path.”

  “We copy that, Captain,” the voice replied, “Stay safe.”

  Then the communication ended.

  Now the radar was wide open on the scanner, reaching out deep into space, as Rik adjusted the speed of the ship, carefully actioning the change to the flight program.

  Maximum speed confirmed?

  Blinked the message on a monitor that jumped to life. Mack leant over the controls in front of his own flight area and placed his hand on the screen as a light passed across it, scanning his hand print.

  “Speed increase confirmed - authorised, Captain Aiden Mackenzie,” he stated.

  Confirmed, the message read, and then the stars seemed to shimmer, as through the viewing port the darkness outside seemed pricked by blurry smudges as speed increased.