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comm log. “GAIS message received at thirteen hundred today. Hold on a sec. Accessed at fifteen hundred, not bad, considering we were in two dogfights.” He paused, checking another register. “Damn, the notification was dated last week.”
    “ Subspace interference likely caused the communication delay.”
    “ Sure, bud. That ain’t gonna make her feel better about gettin’ left high and dry. We need to track her down and do some real fast talkin’.”
    “Then I hope she is inked.” Every New Eden resident received an identifying tattoo. The ink used for the mark included nano-chips that allowed location monitoring.
    Jaxon nodded grimly. “Right.”
    A blast from the ship’s alarm ended the ir discussion.
    As Aegis scrambled through the tight passage to the tail fighting chair, he considered his friend’s pain for failing his mate. His own pride had been stripped long ago when he’d stayed quiet and hidden during his family’s slaughter. His only hope for redemption lay in avenging their deaths.
    By the time he slid into his harness, he had channel the ancient pain into lethal energy. His aim was uncanny. In rapid succession, three of the enemy’s fighters exploded from his blasts.
    “Should I take a nap? Or do you plan to let me shoot some Eagles?” Jaxon yelled from the ship’s nose.
    “Kill any enemy craft that escapes my blaster.”
    Another pair of Baldorean fighters swooped into range. Aegis blasted one out of the sky. The second’s hull rippled with the force of a solid hit, but the craft’s shields held.
    Deceptively quiet interior thuds followed as Jaxon fired. “ Thanks, bud. For a while there I thought you weren’t gonna share the fun.”
    Aegis bit back a grin at his friend’s mocking bravado. Three years, eleven months, two weeks, one day, and twelve hours ago, he had met Jaxon. After the first hour, he fought to resist his copilot’s charms. The warrior’s appeal never lessened.
    Again he reminded himself that acting on the attraction simmering between them meant the destruction of their friendship. Of almost equal importance, if such a forbidden relationship happened and was discovered, it would finish Jaxon’s Space Corps career. To risk his own personal disgrace was acceptable. To ruin his friend’s life was not.
    The Earth woman, a breeder deliberately designed to inflame a man’s natural desires, added a dangerous complication. She pulled at Aegis like the moons ruled the tides. Breeding instincts ran strong in Tethysian males. Such a powerful a reaction to a hologram concerned him. In person, she would be more difficult to resist.
    His cock twitched behind its pocket, the weakness of desire constant and undeniable. He shuddered with shame at the loss of control.
    Jaxon’s honor must remain unsullied. A tri-bond would rip away Aegis’s veil of humanity even faster than a forbidden sexual liaison with his co-pilot. Participation in the double match meant disaster for Jaxon and the lovely Camille. Aegis couldn’t live with such a stain on his soul.
    In addition, there had recently been rumor ed peace talks with Baldor. The tri-mating added conviction to his growing awareness he need to find an alternative venue to wage his private war. Their next furlough started tomorrow. He would resign his commission and seek another way to destroy the enemy.
    A pair of Eagle fighters screamed into range. Aegis reacted without thought, taking aim and firing in quick bursts. The vessels exploded without returning fire.
    Then a Baldorean Lion loomed in front of him. The warship was heavily shielded and even more heavily armed. Jaxon, he, and their fighter would soon be blown into cosmic dust unless they could outmaneuver the huge craft.
    Distances in space were deceptive. He had no more than three seconds to take evasive action. He seized control, locking out the ship’s computer and Jaxon then dove under the larger ship.
    “Fighter’s not responding. What in the seven hells happened?”