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blanket around her, and followed him as he dragged his clothes on and headed for door. He quickly checked the hallway. Del was already there, his first thoughts obviously for G’baena’s safety.
    Devlin hustled G’baena towards the young man. “ Del , you and G’baena stay put. Lock the door. I’ll let you know what’s happening as soon as I can.” Del wrapped his arm around G’baena and pulled her into the room, grim determination in every movement. Devlin nodded his appreciation and then turned and ran toward engineering and his duty station.
    “Sit-rep,” he called to his second in charge as soon as he entered the room.
    “Dev,” the man said with obvious relief. He was a damn good engineer but had never been comfortable in a leadership role. “The ship is under attack by two small vessels of Pendarian origin. They don’t seem to have caused any damage yet, but they sure are trying.”
    “Ready the grapple. I doubt Jordan wants to be seen blowing up space vessels this close to G’trobia. Do we know why they’re attacking?”
    “No clue,” his second said with a shake of his head and then turned toward the area that housed the grappling hook. They only had one hook, so they’d only be able to grab one of the ships, but at least the occupants might be able to provide some explanation for their attack.
    “Devlin,” the captain’s voice said over his communicator. “Are you able to target the lead ship with the grapple?’
    “Yes, Captain.” He nodded to his second and then punched in the information the computer would need to identify the ship they wanted to grab. He’d probably only get one chance. Within a few moments, Devlin watched the targeting cameras as the grapple punched into the outer hull of one of the ships and pulled taut. He’d once seen a documentary on an ancient Earth sport called fishing. The grappling hook worked in a similar fashion. A small, maneuverable ship had a chance to escape if the pilot was good enough, but Devlin had been manning this particular equipment for a long time. No one was getting away today.
    He let the tether run a little and then reeled it back as the small ship turned toward them. Realizing the mistake, the pilot of the small craft tried to veer away, but the damage had already been done. The small ship lost speed in the frantic maneuver, and the tether slowed it even more. Devlin programmed the grapple to pull the ship into the cargo area.
    He watched the monitor with a smile on his face as the massive outer doors closed behind one of the ships that had attacked them.
    “Well done, Devlin.” The captain’s voice echoed through his communicator.
    “Thanks, Captain,” Devlin said confidently. “Our other attacker is making a hasty retreat, so I’ll meet you in the cargo bay, and we’ll have a little chat with our new friends.”
    “Acknowledged,” Jordan said, the slightest bit of humor leaking over the connection. The last time they’d reeled a tiny vessel into the cargo bay it had contained one fiery, outraged human woman with a kick-ass attitude and the skills to match. Devlin smiled as he remembered meeting Sarah that first time. She’d been so angry that G’ntriel had played her in their scam that she’d shot G’ntriel and Judge with a stun gun. But somehow, despite the wild temper that went with her flaming red hair, her arrival had changed everything for the better. He just hoped this new “guest” wouldn’t have quite the same impact. He liked his life just the way it was now.
    He grabbed his communicator and called Del and G’baena to let them know the situation, and then he hurried to the cargo bay.

Chapter Five

    “Sit-rep,” Jordan called as he marched into the area. Ben and Trey were with him.
    “Life scanners suggest five G’trobian males on board. So far, they seem to be waiting for us to make the first move,” Devlin said casually. “We’ve disabled their external arsenal, but we can’t determine what personal