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  Nokx

  The Sraibur Crew: Book Three

  Layla Nash

  Juno Wells

  Copyright © 2020 by Layla Nash

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Connect with Juno and Layla

  Also By Juno and Layla

  Also by Juno Wells

  Also by Layla Nash

  Chapter 1

  EJ

  Ellie Jane—EJ if anyone asked—never had an issue getting onto a spaceship. It was always getting off the ship that was a problem.

  Which was exactly the problem she faced disembarking from the generational transporter before it took her any farther into ungoverned space. EJ hadn’t signed up for the gen ship like most of its passengers, but after getting convicted of piracy and theft on a spaceport full of damn liars, she had been marched onto it without a chance to escape.

  EJ crouched behind a rack of survival suits in the cargo bay after the gen ship, called the Hollbrd, docked to resupply at a different spaceport. She had no idea what Hollbrd meant but figured it must have translated to ‘the slowest ship in the fucking universe’ because it took forever to do anything. Maneuvering, docking, plotting a course, transiting space... Everything took forever on the massive ship.

  But at least the size of the ship worked in her favor. There weren’t quite enough crew to cover all the necessary positions, so sneaking about got easier as they got busier. Docking operations were complex and a drain on resources, since half the crew had to go out to acquire the supplies and get them to the ship, while the rest were working to repair the ship from some damage done while lumbering through an asteroid belt.

  She exhaled and kept her focus on the two security officers who lingered near the open doors in the cargo bay. She just had to get past them and then she’d be on the spaceport with a much better chance of getting to some place she actually wanted to be. EJ had seen enough on the gen ship to know she didn’t want to be exiled with anyone on it.

  EJ’s heart beat faster as something distracted the security officers on the other side of the bay. She’d only get one chance. If they spotted her, she’d be dragged back on board and locked up in the brig for however many years it took to reach the planet the gen ship occupants were meant to develop and terra-form. And since she’d never wanted to be a dirt farmer, she had to get off the Hollbrd. Immediately. There was no telling when the next opportunity would come along—or if it even would.

  She eased around the survival suits and sidled along the hull to a stack of crates that provided convenient cover. A little closer. She just needed to get a little closer to the doors and then she could jump down.

  EJ held her breath and waited until the security officers’ argument turned more heated, fully engaging both of them, before she started toward the door. She’d learned the hard way that sprinting to freedom usually meant tripping over something, running into something, or drawing attention with too much movement. Better to take her time and move deliberately, smoothly.

  It was the one lesson she’d taken from her time in the Fleet.

  She walked slowly but with purpose, trying to keep crates and equipment between her and the security officers, and didn’t start breathing again until she’d lowered herself from the ramp and down to the dock. Then she had to worry about all the crew doing resupply. They were still out purchasing everything the ship needed, which bought her some precious seconds to get away from the ship. She’d spent enough time in hiding around the ship that none of the crew should recognize her.

  EJ’s heart steadied a bit once she was on the dock and got some distance from the Hollbrd, finding some of the crowds that kept the port busy. Unfortunately the port wasn’t open to all passengers; she’d have to pass through an immigration checkpoint and health screening before getting off the docks, and since she didn’t have travel papers... Her choices were limited.

  If her time in the Fleet taught her to be deliberate, deserting the Fleet taught her many more lessons. Choosing a target was one, and surviving in all sorts of places was another. EJ landed on her feet. It was what she’d been known for her entire life. No matter the circumstances and the odds, EJ survived and managed to carry on.

  Of course, all that “carrying on” ended up with her fleeing from multiple authority figures and ship crews, including the Fleet itself and the powerful Information Ministry. Which led directly to her current predicament of trying to break out of a gen ship in the middle of ungoverned space.

  She sighed and merged into a herd of unruly settlers from a large intra-galaxy transporter. EJ debated sneaking onto it, but the same issue remained: where the hell was it going? Was she going to end up somewhere even worse? She gnawed the inside of her cheek and scanned the other ships in the docks that were loading cargo and would afford her an opportunity to stow away.

  The crowds thinned and some of the crew from the Hollbrd returned with massive hover dollies and crates of supplies, all headed right for her. EJ sucked in a breath and searched for somewhere to hide. Just because she thought the crew wouldn’t recognize her didn’t mean they for sure wouldn’t, and the last thing she wanted to do was risk a chase and inevitable recapture.

  She needed a ship. Any ship. And fast.

  Only one was close enough with the cargo bay open, though it was smaller than she would have liked. The Sraibur was a sleek high-tech ship that looked like she was trouble from the moment she was put into service, which meant they traveled fast and light. Minimal crew, reasonable number of hiding places, but fewer people to blend in with when she needed to get food and drink.

  Someone shouted behind her and she dared a look back. The security officers had descended the Hollbrd’s ramp to talk with the rest of the crew, waving their arms around in agitation. The crew started scanning the port, searching for something, and EJ knew her time had run out. If she was going to escape, she had to make her choice and commit.

  The Fleet would have been proud.

  She snorted under her breath and headed for the Sraibur, approaching from the
side in case there were crew in the cargo bay. When she saw the lone officer standing near a terminal and checking things off a supply list, she almost turned around and took her chances on the Hollbrd. She wasn’t prepared to deal with a ship full of Xaravians. They were barbarians and criminals; everyone knew it. They’d spent so much time warring on their planet that they’d practically wiped each other out—so they turned their violent ways on the rest of the universe.

  The only good things she’d heard about them was they challenged the Alliance, battled the Fleet, and supported the rebellion. But that didn’t mean she wanted to be stuck on a ship with them, especially since they were a crew in ungoverned space and a shady spaceport.

  Another shout and more movement from around the Hollbrd made the decision for her. EJ strode up the ramp like she belonged there and immediately sidled behind some crates. She kept a wary eye on the Xaravian at the terminal, waiting for him to hear or spot her, but when he didn’t turn, she continued on toward the back of the bay and several piles of equipment and supplies. Her heart still pounded but a familiar sense of euphoria caught her up and helped carry her through. She’d pulled it off once again.

  EJ smiled and melted back into the cargo bay, though she kept her ears tuned to any approaching footsteps. She didn’t start to relax until the rest of the barbarian crew returned, their voices loud and intimidating as they dragged in supplies and argued about something she couldn’t understand. It was nerve-wracking to hear that much of a ruckus in a language she only partly understood. The universal translator the Fleet implanted in her head wasn’t nearly as effective after not being updated in half a dozen years, so sometimes she only got the gist of certain languages.

  But the Sraibur’s cargo bay door closed and the ship hummed to life, and the familiar jolt as it took off and left the spaceport’s artificial gravity made it clear she was stuck on the ship for the near future. She sighed as she slid to the floor and rested her head against one of the crates. Her heart eventually slowed as the adrenaline faded. EJ closed her eyes for just a moment. She needed to plan and figure out where she was going to hide on the ship, but it was better to let the crew settle in and move into nighttime rest before she started moving around. She exhaled and figured it was a victory that she’d escaped the Hollbrd and left all of that misery behind on the spaceport.

  Only time would tell if new misery waited for her on the Sraibur.

  Chapter 2

  Nokx

  Nokx rather enjoyed his job as the loadmaster on the Sraibur. He’d been a security officer and even a captain long enough to know he didn’t want to deal with the responsibility and stress for the rest of his life. Hanging out in the loading bay to manage taking on cargo, maneuvering the boarding arm when they overtook a ship, and having a drink on duty were all much preferable to what Faros went through as captain.

  Nokx hadn’t wanted to stop for resupply at another neutral spaceport in ungoverned space, since the last time they did that a bounty hunter lured the first mate, Wyzak, away and nearly handed him over to their enemies. Nokx didn’t think it was worth risking another spaceport, but Faros wanted more supplies and wasn’t willing to return to rebel-held space to use a reliable merchant. Of course, the rebels also had a bounty on the Sraibur, just like the Tyboli, so the pirate ship was running out of places to dock.

  He grumbled and finished going through the manifest in the cargo bay. He’d gotten an uneasy feeling as he waited for the crew to return to the ship, even though everything looked fine. Something didn’t feel right. He’d kept the watch on the ramp while Harzt, the security officer, and Wyzak went to retrieve supplies and the rest of the crew moved through the docks and searched for signs of their Tyboli pursuers.

  Nokx thought he’d seen something worrisome in the corner of his eye, but searching around the ramp and outside the ship hadn’t revealed the origin of the flicker of movement. He’d examined the loading bay but only got halfway through the search when the crew returned with massive crates of food, liquor, and other necessities.

  And then he’d had to deal with a crew of rowdy Xaravians boarding the ship and fighting to get after the liquor before all the good stuff disappeared. There had also been quite a bit of talk about painted ladies near the docks who almost enticed the younger crew members to enter the port. Nokx shook his head as he turned off the lights in the loading bay and headed for his quarters. He remembered the wild days as a young Xaravian warrior on his first few tours across space. Everything was new and exciting, every female presented a different allure, and the invincibility of youth made him think no dangers could really find him.

  Until they did, and he paid a steep price for it.

  Nokx pushed away the thoughts. That was in the past. He didn’t have to deal with that kind of bullshit anymore. He was a loadmaster on the pirate ship Sraibur, and someone else made all the calls. Security was Harzt’s responsibility, and oversight of the full ship belonged to Faros as the captain. Nokx just handled the cargo. That was all he wanted to handle.

  He paced through the corridors, feeling restless and debating going to the gym or the mess hall. Food or exercise. He wouldn’t be able to sleep for a while yet, regardless of what the ship’s clock said, so maybe the gym would tire him out sooner. Nokx still mulled over the choices when he spotted a slight figure creeping around a turn and disappearing into a side corridor.

  He frowned and sniffed the air. The shape and form looked Earther, but the gold-blonde hair didn’t belong to either Violet, the captain’s mate, or Gemma, Wyzak’s mate. He didn’t think the Earthers changed their hair color at will, but there were many things he didn’t know about the mysterious females. And the Xaravians guarded their mates well, even among the trusted crew, so it wasn’t like Nokx had the opportunity to quiz the females on aspects of their nature and species.

  Nokx sped up to try and catch the mystery figure. He tapped the comms unit he carried to alert Harzt to a potential issue, but didn’t speak so he wouldn’t alert the prey to his presence. His hearts sped up as he turned a corner and yet again caught just a flicker of motion and the tail end of a blonde braid. It definitely wasn’t one of the Earthers who was supposed to be on the Sraibur. A stowaway. There was a stowaway on the Sraibur.

  His jaw clenched until pain ignited in his head. Or maybe another bounty hunter, on board to try and take the ship or signal the rest of her team to overrun the ship. He wasn’t going to put up with that.

  Nokx broke into a jog as he pursued the intruder. He got close enough to hear uneven breathing, a hint of panic in raspy sound, and lunged to catch the female. She dodged into a set of quarters with a broken door, almost disappearing before he saw where she went, and everything went silent. Nokx took his time, lingering in the corridor as he listened for the female’s movements, and calmed his breathing. She was trapped in there, so no need to get worked up.

  He waited until his irritation faded before he stepped up to the broken door. The quarters had been used as a brig for the longest while until Gemma, Wyzak’s mate, tore it apart with her cyborg arm. The engineers hadn’t gotten around to fixing it, though they were supposed to have gotten the necessary supplies on the spaceport. Nokx folded his arms over his chest and blocked the full doorway to the room. “Come out.”

  Silence was the only response.

  He rolled his eyes and tried again in Earther, in case she didn’t have a translator implant like the other females. “I know you’re in here. Don’t make me drag you out.”

  Something rustled in the darkness near the wardrobe against the wall, but no Earther appeared.

  Nokx stepped through the doorway, shoving the crumpled metal door out of his way, and flicked on the lights. “All right. You made your choice.”

  A squeak answered, then a blonde head popped out of the wardrobe. “Okay, okay.”

  He folded his arms over his chest and studied her as the Earther extracted herself from the wardrobe. She was not as tall as the other Earthers on the ship, and slight of b
uild. She looked younger as well, not that he would have said anything of the sort to Gemma or Violet. Faros learned the hard way that Earther females did not appreciate speculation about their age relative to other females. And they especially did not appreciate speculation about their mass relative to anything else in existence.

  The memory of that day still made Nokx want to grin.

  The Earther in front of him wore plain gray clothes, rather rumpled and unimpressive, and clearly wasn’t part of any crew or profession that required a uniform. Her wide green eyes found him and widened still more with some emotion he recognized as panic.

  Nokx didn’t let any sympathy leak into his voice. “Who are you and why are you on this ship?”

  The Earther blinked a few times, then gestured at something behind him. “I’m EJ. I was invited onboard.”

  “Invited onboard,” he said, carefully bland. No reason to get angry and rage at her. They both knew she hadn’t been, but he’d learned to let people spin out their lies until it was enough to trap them. “Who invited you?”

  Her eyes darted around, searching for clues in the room around them, and she cleared her throat. “Uh... Fryx.”