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"We are aware. Please hold position."
He glared out of the view screen. Shuttles glided between the runway bridges extending from the bay hub. One bridge over, a sleek F'Kata transport taxied into position, purple hull shimmering. Behind it, a bulky cargo hauler sat docked, its bay doors sealed shut. Bay crews in their high-vis sashes tended to the various ships, inspecting exterior panels and checking fuel lines.
He glanced down at the viewscreen below his feet, built into the floor. It gave him a view of the hangar below and the massive bay doors he would exit through when he dropped from the docking cradle.
Frowning, he tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. He had no time for delays. Every minute he lost here was a minute that another buyer could swoop in and buy up all the stocks of T’aantrilithium he needed for the new style TX-14's.
Growling under his breath, he carried on with his final systems checks, reviewing the transport's readouts on the various display screens surrounding him to ensure they were ready to depart. Engine output optimal. Fuel cells charged. Navigation calibrated. He would be ready to leave the minute control gave him a departure slot.
"Control, I am quite capable of handling this mission myself," he said between gritted teeth. They knew he worked better alone. He had no use for a human distracting him, no matter their credentials. "My departure window is imminent. I will not postpone this mission for an unnecessary addition."
"There is no need to postpone," Control said smoothly. Too smoothly. The hiss of pressurized hydraulics reverberated through the hull, telling him that the boarding bridge had been extended. The heavy ka-chunk of magnetic locks engaging preceded the airlock's cycle sequence and the sound of compressed gas hissing reached his ears as the inner seal depressurized in preparation for the human's arrival.
The airlock cycled open, and he turned in the pilot's seat, back rigid as the inner door opened. Sadie walked through, eyes wide and her body language tense. His eyes narrowed. She offered a hesitant smile that only stoked the fire raging inside him.
"What are you doing here?" he growled. He couldn’t take her on this mission. She was far too beautiful… far too much of a distraction.
She blinked. "I've been assigned as the engineering consultant for this mission."
She clasped her hands in front of her, all prim and proper. He gritted his teeth, wanting to grab her and shake her until she saw sense. If the engineering bay on the most defensible Latharian installation within seven systems wasn't safe enough for her, then a trade trip in a tiny transport definitely wasn't either.
Then he saw the whiteness of her knuckles and the tiny tremors that ran through her frame. She was nervous. Under different circumstances, he might have softened at the realization, but not now. Not when fury rolled through his veins, blinding him.
"This is unacceptable." He turned to stab at the comm panel again. "Control, the human consultant is not qualified for this mission. I demand her immediate removal from my ship."
She grabbed the back of his chair and spun it around to make him face her, her eyes blazing.
"Now wait just a minute," she said, her expression tight. "I am qualified to consult on the TX-14 model's and their components. I may not have much experience with Latharian technology but a chip is a chip. Human technology in this regard is very similar. So?—"
"You would be nothing but a liability out there." He cut her off, shoving up out of his seat to loom over her. She stood her ground, glaring up at him.
"I am not some damsel in distress." She jabbed a finger toward his chest. "And I can handle myself."
He knocked her hand away.
"We are traveling into an unsecure area of space," he snarled. "There will be no human security forces to come running if you scream."
She refused to back down. "Prince Rohn approved my assignment himself. He said I would be safe. Are you questioning his judgment?"
"Of course he did. Rohn is a draanthing pain in the ass." He snarled a vicious curse.
She crossed her arms, a mulish expression on her face.
"You'll have to pick me up and throw me off the ship. Are you going to do that?" She arched an eyebrow. "Or are we launching on schedule?"
His jaw worked. Muscles bunched and released as he fought for control.
"I will allow you to stay." He bit the words out. "But you will remain on board during the negotiations."
She opened her mouth to argue.
"That is non-negotiable," he growled.
A crackle from the console interrupted their stare-down. "Chief Engineer T'Kaan, this is Control. Please confirm your departure status. Your launch window is expiring."
He broke eye contact first, whirling to stab at the transmit key. "This is T'Kaan. I am departing as scheduled. Clear all vessels from my departure vector."
"Acknowledged, T'Kaan. You are clear for immediate launch. Safe travels."
