Knocking on the door in front of her, a redheaded woman straightened the jacket of her military uniform. With short-cropped spiky hair, amber coloured eyes, and a voice like whiskey and smoke, Micha Bailey stood an impressive five feet short. Being the only one of a species that was considered barbaric at best, often added some titillating conversations. She had grown accustomed to the vagaries of ignorant expectations. Her attributes only mattered when her teammates needed them to stay alive. Unwilling to allow an upstart, from Earth—a backwater planet in a different dimension, to change the status quo that worked comfortably for centuries, the Council of War and Peace were doing everything they could to deter her team from success.

  Micha refused to let it matter. Between one suicide mission and the next she pushed her boys hard and then worked twice as hard to stay sharp. She succeeded where the council should have held her back from achieving the mission. She was aware of the expectation was that no woman, much less a tiny one, could achieve a victory of any kind. Or if it was her, specifically, and they refused to allow the idea to die? Not that it mattered. Micha Bailey lived to prove to the people of the Osirus empire that what mattered was that she was up for any challenge.

  Nearly five years earlier, Micha’s life was turned completely on its axel as she and a boy, who stopped to give her directions, were abducted along with sixty-some others. After who knew how many months of fighting for scraps, the only friend she had made ended up with his arm snapped in two. She used the last of her rations as a distraction to move elsewhere. In the fight that broke out she used the momentum of a face in the mob to vault to the rafters. Luckily, she was athletic enough because hauling her only friend to the ceiling demanded every ounce of power she had. Once there she used the jumpers they had been given to support the arm and shoulder and some of their weight. By the grace of God, it worked and bought them some time.

  She remembered dangling the arm in the hopes it would set itself. In the end she had had to tug it back into alignment. Something she hoped to never have to do again. Now she knew that without intervention the arm was at risk of permanent damage. She remembered praying madly for some sort of intervention, but his rising fever did not bode well. Then a soldier out of some crazy science fiction lobbed a palm sized orb into the cage. Next thing she remembered she remembered she woke to fresh air and Thomas was gone. Then she and everyone had been dumped on military planet Keliv III and they had been separated into teams under leaders that were to train them to kill on command.

  Micha smiled sadly. She prayed daily that he was safe. He was not the only person on this strange adventure that she had lost. Recently she had buried someone who had been the heart and soul of her team and her lover. Renden, a squirlkin, had been light and laughter and had loved her fiercely. Her shoulder jerked at the remembered cluster fuck that had occurred on Naquilla. Renden’s desire to protect the people he cared for had had him disobeying orders and collapsing a tunnel to buy the team time to get situated for the coming assault. It had left him alone.

  None of the team noticed until she had been given the ultimatum to surrender or they would disembowel Renden before skinning him alive. Not wanting to believe they had him she had scoured the hovel they were hunkered down in. not finding him she had had to slip out to the only cliff that would have allowed her to see it was true; but seeing him hanging had been a shock to the system. A shock because she knew what he would have wanted her to do. So, she did it. Small enough to go unnoticed she sighted her scope, looked lovingly at his face, then pulled the trigger. That singular bullet was the sound of her heart breaking and no one heard it. Wincing at the all consuming pain she cleared her throat. No point giving the Council even more fuel.

  As she waited for the order to enter, she ran a hand through the short-cropped mess she claimed and considered the man and the outpost she served. Behind the door was an attractive Were-Jaguar with broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes, sharp mind, and a compassion he kept a guarded secret. Commanding officer, Cheveyo Ohanzee, a felis lybica of the jaguar clans and leader of one of the largest military outposts, which was based on Keliv III. It was a dog pile chase for power. The one who held the best record, brought in the most bounties, achieved high accolades were the ones who got the best access to resources. The rest fought for their scraps.

  Keliv III was classified as a level one planet, a score that basically meant the planet could sustain life: barely. Located in the Saurion belt, it was one of a dozen habitable planets. Keliv III was the closest enforcement settlements had to draw from. Galactic law mandated that each time a settlement outpost be established on a new planet room had to be made for the military if they wanted protection. When there was a cluster of more than three planets one plant in the same cluster was allotted to the Council of War and Peace; while smaller outposts were set up on each planet. Having had the pick of the litter the commander chose the one that had the least clearing to be operational. He had planned in great detail who left when and gave exact times based on the cargo being transported to eliminate as much delay as possible. By the time Micha had been dumped on the unsuspecting commander, it was one of twenty military-run planets in that belt that were governed by the galactic empire of which she was now a part of.

  It had been five years since she was taken from Earth, crammed into a cage with desperate, terrified men, hauled across not only a galaxy, but also across dimensions. By some standards, she was still treated like the new kid, some figured leave her be, some saw her as dangerous, but some felt she was a thorn too long as it was.

  “Come in,” a deep baritone ordered.

  Micha sighed and stepped through the door. Seated behind the tidy desk was the most powerful predator that she had met and he ran not only her outpost, but also the planet.

  “You sent for me?”

  “New mission,” The Commander looked irritated as Micha approached his desk.

  She wondered if the call had been from Central Command. Every time she was called to his office it seemed Central Command did something to end up irritating her boss, which usually meant major trouble on a major mission or a string of suicide missions. Neither mattered to Micha, who’s only concern was the safe return of her team. She’d already lost one member of her team. She reathed through the pain of his loss. She had no intention of losing anyone else if she could help it. Renden's death still haunted her. Worse was the suspicion that the whole mission had been a setup. If not for Deynon Starwing and his team, they might all have died.

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  “Sir?” Micha queried softly.

  “Central sent what information they have,” Ohanzee slid a thin file towards her with a frown on his face. “That is the biggest load of bullshit they have shoveled my way. I managed to get you a week to dig up what you can, but you have to do your digging onboard." he ignored her grimace as he continued. "I got you the military record of most of the people in that file. Luckily I managed to get them before Central found out what I was doing. I told them I was looking to shut inactive files or shunt them to the appropriate department.” The jaguar withdrew a device similar to a tablet from his desk and handed it to her.

  “Thank you.” She had someone on her team that was capable of finding hidden information when it was needed—which was most of the time.

  “They trying to kill you?” he mused.

  Micha shrugged.

  The Commander slammed his fist into the desk and spun his chair to stand. Pacing like a caged animal, his anger slipping its leash momentarily, then he was just sad. “By that which is sacred, I swear I’ve no idea what they are thinking. Sending you and your team out before a mental wellness check? its too soon. Renden…"

  She winced and swallowed hard. “Central wants me to screw up irreparably; my death would be a bonus,” a breath shuddered from her lungs. “They have told members of my team that killing me would net them big rewards; even offered Ni'yell breeding rights. We don’t care,” Micha stated. “The target?”

  “Used to be our best assassin, ‘til he went rogue. Now he is making threats against the royal family. They want him alive. What a joke.”

  “Sir, says here he worked with black ops teams, was that by choice?”

  Ohanzee nodded. “Had a knack for finding the bloodthirsty in a warrior and tapping into it. Took a bunch with him.”

  "I see,” Micha sighed. “That will only make them more dangerous.”

  “It went to you because they think you can’t retrieve the target?” the Commander was horrified.

  “We’ll just have to prove them wrong; again,” the whiskey and smoky voice stated with bite.

  Micha

  “There you are,” a tire baritone sighed. “People are looking for you.”

  Micha caressed the newest name carved into a memory totem. “He loved life,” her voice hitched. “How am I supposed to keep everyone together without him?”

  “It wasn’t him that held your team together. You did that.”

  A lone tear slid down her cheek. “God, I miss him.”

  “The pain will ease in time. For now, rely only your family. We will always be here, always support you.”

  Hand covering her lover’s name she wept silently. He had given her courage, confidence. Had taught her to speak the language that was so alien to her. He had taught her to hunt, held her when she cried and laught when she threw a fit. He had been her confidant and he was gone. She knew the other members of her team were hurting too. She just had no idea how to fix it.

  Next to her, Renden’s father knelt; his silvering copper tail curling around her. He held his silence as she radiated pain. People who thought they knew her believed she struggled with having fired the killing shot. Anyone who truly knew her knew her guilt was not being able to save the one who had saved her.

  She needed to grieve, to face the truth and accept it, but that required someone to lend a kindness. That was not going to happen too many feared the tiny woman.

  “Renden would not want you to cave under the cruelty of others. Nor would her want his death to be used to break you.” Weary eyes locked with hers. “Yours is a heavy path to walk. You are the one who does what needs doing. It not meant to be easy. My son saw greatness in a prickly little form and discovered a companion with a deep well of compassion. There is no guilt on you. No shame,” he sighed.

  “Senden, I…” she struggled to put to words everything she was struggling with. “I don’t regret what I did. I’d do it again in a heartbeat—for anyone. I just…every time I let someone close they get hurt. How do I protect my team?”

  “By trusting them to do their jobs even as you do yours. All Renden wanted was for you to live. So, live.”

  Micha wiped her snotty nose on the back of her sleeve, then dried her eyes. Senden was right. She needed to move forward. “Thank you,” she whispered as she stood. Turning away from the totem she headed for the hidden shelter where her team was waiting for her. It was time to do what they always did—kick butt and rewrite just what history thought of them.

  Rennick

  Rennick ran a hand through the soft black fur on his head. It was not like Micha to disappear and say nothing to anyone. Nor was she one to be late. So where had she gone? The team had collected food supplies, requisitioned replacement gear and gone to Medic to get new medical supplies while she had gone to find what the commander had wanted. Twenty minutes ago they were given the order to be at the launch pad. They had thirty minutes they were expected.

  “She’ll show,” a giant behemoth murmured. “She probably needed a min to just breath.”

  “She didn’t have to disappear. She is not the only one hurting,” the youngest wolf shifter brother grimace.

  “No she isn’t, but she is also a woman who lost her lover, a leader who needs to be stronger than everyone and weakness is just one more reason to tear her, and us by default down,” rumbled their second in command. Shadows swirled across his skin. “She’s on her way back. Get ready.”

  “She ok?” Rennick querried.

  “The turmoil she has been feeling is still there, but there is a determination that was missing since Renden’s death.”

  “Why is she pushing us away?” the behemoth querried.

  “I don't know.”

  "Ill go get her," Remmick sighed.

  Rennick watched Micha approach. As she passed she touched his arm gently. It lasted less then a heartbeat, but there was a wealth of unspoken words. Turning he followed her back into the hideout. The rest o the team had changed into their new gear and were equipping their personal armor. Without saying anything she quickly changed into her new gear and began strapping into her own armor.

  “Max, I need you to dig up everything you can find on everyone in that file. We have a week to find anything and everything we need to complete this retrieval mission.” Lifting her eyes to each of the guys on her team she sighed. “I owe each of you an apology. Losing Renden…” she closed he eyes. “Losing him shook something in me I did not know how to stabilize again. I forgot that it was not just me hurting and part o me thought that maybe I could protect each of you if I just kept you at arms length. Renden would have laughed at my foolishness. He would also have reminded me that we are stronger together.

  “I need each off you to hold me to the same standards. This is not going to be the last time I stumble,” she held up a hand to halt any arguments. “Let me be clear. I do not regret firing the shot that killed Renden. I’d have done the same for any of you and has nothing to do with the turmoil I am feeling. Ni’yell, are we resupplied?”

  The nine foot man covered in shadow nodded. “Food, weapons and medical supplies.”

  Micha nodded. “Weapons?”

  Rennick nodded. “Made sure the damaged ones were replaced and requisitioned secondary knives. When I found out we were leaving I went back for everything myself and got extra ammunition as well.”

  “Medical supplies, Desohta?”

  “Medic made sure we had enough to keep for a few months in case we are unable to get back right away.”

  Micha tilted her head. “Anything anyone can think of that might come in handy before we leave?”

  “How long do we have to catch this one?” the behemoth inquired.

  “Three months for a live catch. If we discover we are missing something essential we will take it from the locker onboard and worry about the fallout later. Right now, we need to get going. Anyone know when we leave?”

  “In ten,” Ni’yell responded.

  “Then lets get going.”