Interpreting Fate

SERIES: Outer Limits Quadrant
BOOK: 3 of 3
STANDALONE? Interconnected Standalones with a Series Arc (best read in order)
GENRE: Alien Romance
TROPES: Fish Out of Water, Resilient Heroine, Morally Gray Hero, Alien romance, Pirate King Hero, Linguist Heroine, Alien Abduction, Tropical Planet, Language Barriers, Secret Royalty, First Contact, Slow Burn Romance, Aliens with Alien Anatomy, Treasure Planet

She’s been human trafficked to aliens, but a dashing space pirate captain has other plans for her when he robs her abductors.

Delilah’s linguistic abilities have gotten her far in Starfleet. As far as an alien planet full of new languages and cultures to learn. But she never expected to be human trafficked by one of her own.

Captain Lucien has been sailing space since he was a boy. Re-kidnapping an already kidnapped human female is child’s play for him and the crew of the Lusty Maiden. But he’s never been around females, especially not in close quarters nor for any long stretches of time. Are they all this soft, this curvy? Or this feisty? So infuriating?

As Delilah and Lucien learn to communicate, what goes unsaid looms even larger for these two. Silent concerns, unvoiced feelings. Unfamiliar desires. With three alien species on the brink of war, this human catalyst is primed to accidentally light the fuse. 

The one thing she wants most is the only thing he can’t give her. Freedom.

Interpreting Fate is a gritty action packed sci-fi novel with dark themes, political intrigue, language barriers, alien first contact, piracy, abduction, and a slow burn alien romance. A content guide is available on the author's website at www.alexisbosborne.com for readers with sensitivities.

The alien tribunal wasn’t what she’d expected, or perhaps that was because her lack of a translator meant she only caught one word for every ten spoken. She was missing the subtext of tonight’s big interspecies meeting. So far, it was more like a fancy dinner than a hearing addressing the wrongdoings of the lizardmen who rescued them from that murderous planet.

Ever since they’d come through that wormhole to rescue one of their lost Marines, it had been one wild ride after another. And she was exhausted.

Delilah sipped her iced potaiya wine and squinted as she attempted to make sense of the conversation happening around her. Learning a new language was draining. She was creeping up on her first plateau and needed a break because her mind was slowly losing its ability to absorb new words and phrases and body language cues.

A passing Raxion waiter paused before her, and she accepted a canape from his tray, taking a cautious nibble to gauge its spiciness before eating it in two bites. Stars, she was hungry. When would they be allowed to eat dinner? The cantina had shut down early to prepare for the elaborate banquet, and she was so tired of rehydrated space rations and printed food.

“How long do we have to smile and wave?” Williams asked through a strained expression. He nodded at a passing Kursh dignitary who failed to hide his open gawking. The feline male’s ears twitched as he stared with wide, golden eyes.

“I think they’re planning to do speeches before we get to eat,” she said in a low voice.

Williams groaned and eyed the basket of bread on the nearby table. None of them had been brave enough to try it yet because it was black. Black bread. Not the dark brown of a good pumpernickel, but black and covered with some sort of curly flakes that resembled wood shavings. She suppressed a shudder and took another sip of her wine.

The press and noise of the crowded room tempted her to down its contents for liquid courage, but she hadn’t eaten enough today to risk getting drunk and embarrassing herself and all of humanity in front of these aliens. They were staring, but pretending not to, and it was difficult to not feel like a bug pinned under glass.

Their squad’s doctor, Darcy, was across the room, and other than catching their eye every once in a while, she seemed content with being sequestered at the head table between the Raxion ambassador and their people’s leader, Prime General Fiang.

Delilah’s stomach twisted with envy as she watched Darcy sit out of the conversation going on all around them. The crowd shifted, and then Delilah got a glimpse of the lost human they’d flown across the galaxy and risked death via a wormhole to retrieve.

Sasha Robinson appeared content to keep her distance. The hard-faced woman didn’t look the least bit happy at the arrival of her rescue team. After a failed attempt to cross paths with the woman and speak with her, Delilah decided to stay put until everything was over. Maybe they could talk at the end, once all the officials were done with their speeches and debates.

She downed the rest of her wine and set the glass on the bare tray of a passing waiter, then found her assigned seat. At least there was water already on the table. The glass was cold against her hand as she sipped it and willed her growing wine headache away. Drinking on a nearly empty stomach had been a mistake.

A part of her was worried that coming on this mission at all had been a mistake too. Her mistake. Intellectually, she’d known the dangers and risks. But nothing had actually prepared her for them. As if carnivorous flowers and walking trees and alien dinosaurs weren’t enough, they had to deal with three alien species on the brink of war too. Plagued by superiority complexes and greed, they were as bad as humans. It was hard not to be disappointed.

The uncomfortable weight of aliens staring prickled at her, ratcheting up her nerves until her palms grew sweaty. She wasn’t sure which species was the worst: the Kursh, who met her gaze boldly and stared openly, or the Diggi, who snuck surreptitious glances then pretended they hadn’t been staring at all when she caught them.

It wasn’t until tonight that she’d realized exactly how much the Raxions they’d been living among for almost two weeks had been careful to not alienate them. It would have been a gracious gesture if something in her gut didn’t tell her they were up to no good.

How strange it was to be in a room among aliens and be the odd one out. She found Sasha and Darcy again and saw them both mingling and looking comfortable. Darcy waved from her place of honor across the room, and Delilah returned the gesture. Williams was busy inspecting the bread basket when Gunner plopped down into the seat next to her.

“I’m so hungry,” she said as the room’s fervor died down and all eyes turned toward the podium. One by one, everyone took their seats. Finally! Waiters flowed in and out until the lights dimmed and the prime general spoke into his microphone as he told them dinner was about to be served, and then there would be speeches and debates to follow.

Gunner leaned down next to her and dropped his voice to a low pitch. “Something tells me it’s gonna be a long night.”

To her relief, the door to the kitchen opened, and a line of waiters came out carrying trays. Her stomach grumbled as they removed her top plate from her place setting and delivered a salad.

“I think you’re right,” Delilah said as she speared the vinegar soaked leaves and tried to listen to Williams’s conversation with the Raxion sitting next to him. Settled between her crewmates, she felt like a third wheel. Without a translator and only a modest understanding of the native alien languages, she was mostly ignored.

They were here because of her. Because of her analysis. Her deciphering of an alien language caught on implant feedback, and her perseverance to get the brass to take it seriously when she told them what it was. So then why did it feel like she was merely a footnote on this transuniversal adventure? Why did it look like everyone was doing so much better at this alien discovery business than her?

Darcy was practically inseparable from the ambassador, and she met with the prime general constantly. What would it be like to have the ear of the ruler of a nation? Williams was compiling a database full of photographs, recordings, and detailed written reports about the Raxions. His notes would keep humanity busy for decades. Gunner was using their ship’s AI to reverse-engineer the alien tech. The government would call him a hero of mankind. And what was she doing? Taking children’s language lessons and jotting down observations about their culture.

The brass had barely listened to her when she told them aliens likely existed. It wasn’t until Gunner got involved and backed her up that they cared. A small, hopeful part of her wished they took her more seriously. She was tired of being treated like a child because she was a petite woman.

Delilah attempted to eat the salad, but ate very little of it and was grateful when the waiter returned to take their first course away. The soup was nearly as bad. Blood red and too thick for comfort, she didn’t even try a spoonful. By the time the main course arrived, she’d lost all hope. Why the frack is everything pickled? She speared a sliced vegetable on her fork and held it up for sad inspection.

“This is… not good,” Gunner whispered.

The meat was a mystery she wasn’t willing to brave now that she knew the Raxions were fond of eating insects. The black bread wasn’t looking so bad in comparison.

“I don’t know how much longer I can sit here,” she said with a sigh.

Gunner leaned down and grinned, flashing her his dazzling smile full of too-white teeth. “Who says we have to? Let’s go. I want to eat some actual food.”

“Go?” she whispered. “We can’t leave. This is an important function.” It was supposed to be a United Council meeting, but the truth was it felt more like an awkward wedding reception where she only knew one other guest. She’d expected a courtroom, not a ballroom.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not staying for dessert. What if it’s candied crickets?” His large, callused hand encircled her wrist. “Let’s go. We’ll tell them you have to pee and I’m escorting you.”

Gunner stood and dragged her with him, her face heating as the conversation at the table stopped while Gunner made their excuses and tugged her toward the door. Once the door was shut behind them, she could finally breathe.

Delilah grinned as Gunner cast a roguish smile her way and pulled her down the hall. She felt… bad. But in a good way. Like they’d done something naughty and any minute now someone was going to chase after them and tell them they definitely had to sit through a dozen lengthy speeches about alien unity and the perseverance of spirit through conflict.

Putting a bit more energy into her step, she rushed alongside him and her heart grew lighter than she’d felt in days. Ever since Darcy left the ship and announced she was staying behind with the aliens, the crew had been abnormally tense. A tension that was wreaking havoc on her nails because she couldn’t seem to stop chewing them. It was nice to have a hint of the old Gunner back, the man who’d been like an older brother to her since their basic training days way back when.

“What’s the hurry?” she asked, a bit out of breath as she took twice as many steps to keep up with his longer stride.

“I’m starving! If I’d known how bad the food was going to be, I’d have eaten a big lunch. I’ve had nothing since breakfast.”

That was true. Gunner had disappeared all day after they’d shared a sad breakfast of rehydrated eggs and some Raxion fruit in the mess. He hadn’t returned until right before it was time to leave for the event. “What were you doing today?” she asked.

“Not here. I’ll tell you when we get back on the ship.” They passed a guard posted in the hallway, and her stomach fluttered with nerves as the male stepped into their path.

“You must return to the meeting. Your presence is required,” the Raxion guard said, or something like it. He blocked their way and held up a hand, stepping closer.

“I have a five-fingered hall pass,” Gunner said, and then he launched himself at the guard. A solid punch to the Raxion’s cheek whipped his head to the side. He hit the floor and didn’t rise.

“Gunner! What the frack?” Delilah yelled as she stood there, shocked.

“Come on,” Gunner said as he grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her past the unconscious guard. “We’re leaving this planet while they’re distracted.”

“But… but what about everyone else? Williams and Darcy and Sasha? Ouch! You’re hurting me. Gunner, stop!”

His hold on her tightened as he dragged her behind him. “Williams will slip out and join us. He’s a big boy, he can handle himself. Darcy’s a lost cause. She told all of us herself that she wants to stay with her lizard boyfriend. And Sasha Robinson looked pretty chummy with those lions. I don’t think she wants to get rescued. We’re getting off this rock while we can, while everyone’s distracted.”

She nearly tripped over her own feet as Gunner manhandled her through the building while he brought her down the familiar trek to their ship. “Did something happen?”

Gunner and Williams were always keeping secrets from her, their heads bent in whispered conversation, stopping when she entered the room. Did they know something they hadn’t told her?

There were two more guards stationed outside the doors that led to the hangar where their ship was docked next to the Raxion spacecrafts. Gunner let go of her wrist long enough to lay them both out of the floor.

“Come on,” he ordered.

Delilah swallowed and followed him. “I wish you wouldn’t keep things from me.” They’d known each other for years. Didn’t he trust her by now? She knew when to shut her mouth and play dumb. Hell, between her short stature and blonde hair and big boobs, nobody expected her to say anything intelligent anyway. She’d always leaned into that angle whenever it suited her, but for Gunner to treat her like she was on a need-to-know basis, it chafed.

He shouted the command that awakened their ship and dropped the loading ramp, then turned and helped her up it. She followed him in and hugged herself as she looked out the gangplank, waiting for Williams to show up at any moment. How far behind was he? Were they really leaving Darcy and Sasha? Her stomach was twisted into knots.

“Delilah,” Gunner said as he put a heavy hand on her shoulder and spun her to face him. His familiar blue eyes searched hers. “For the record, I’m sorry it’s gone sideways like this. I didn’t plan it this way, you know.”

Her brow creased as she stared up at him. “Don’t be hard on yourself. I don’t think anyone could have accounted for all of these unknown variables.”

He cupped her face in those large hands and crowded into her space as his gaze turned thoughtful. He licked his lips and hesitated. Panic rose within her.

Oh. Oh, no. Did he develop feelings for me? But doesn’t he like Darcy?

His staring became uncomfortable.

She fidgeted away, to put some space between them, but he stopped her from going far. Gunner was like a brother to her. Occasionally he referred to her boobs, but he’d never looked at her like this before.

What should I do?

She didn’t want to lead him on, but she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, either. “Gunner, I don’t…”

“Close the hatch,” he ordered the ship, interrupting her. Metal ground against metal as the gangplank hatch rose so the doorway could seal itself shut.

“Wait, what about Williams?” she asked again.

“Don’t worry about it,” Gunner said, his thumbs digging into her throat.

Delilah wrapped her hands around his and tried to peel them off her, but he ignored her. His thumbs pressed harder until her pulse pounded in her head.

“Gunner, stop! Let me go.”

“I can’t do that, Delilah. I’ve got a bottom line to meet.”

Her wine headache morphed into drowsiness as Gunner dug his thumbs into her neck and squeezed. She could breathe, but all she could feel was her pulse racing against his thumbs as he squeezed. His gaze was unwavering, no matter how hard she battered at his hands or raked him with her blunt, jagged nails.

“You’re… you’re hurting me,” she gasped as she tried to fight him off her. He took her kicks and ignored them as if she were only a nuisance to him while he choked her until her head pounded and blackness tinged her vision.

“Shh…” he said, his voice soft. “Just go to sleep. It’ll all be over soon, I promise.”

How could he speak so calmly while he was choking her? Tears rolled down her cheeks and splashed against his hands until the darkness swallowed her whole.

She stirred and found herself lying on her back in her bunk with a splitting headache and Gunner straddling her thighs.

“G-get off me,” she said, her voice thick with confusion. What was he doing? Was he going to rape her? Where had the man she’d known for years gone, and who was this monster in his place? What had this mission done to him?

“Hold still, Delilah. Dammit. Stop wiggling. All you’re doing is pissing me off.”

Anger hollowed out her confusion. She slapped at his hands, flinching when something ripped at her skin and burned. “What are you…”

He dodged her clawing fingers and her weak attempt to unseat him from his perch on top of her. Gunner’s mouth tightened into a thin, flat line. That was her only warning before he backhanded her, her head snapping to the side and her teeth clicking together. Her nose ran from the impact, snot rolling down her cupid’s bow. Her brain rattled inside her skull and the pounding at her temple doubled.

Gunner unrolled a stretch of tape, the ripping sound loud in the otherwise quiet room as he used his teeth to get a cut started.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, her voice oddly level, as he grabbed her wrists and crossed them, then bound them together.

“It’s not personal, sweetheart. It’s business.”

Williams wasn’t coming. He never would have agreed to this—to whatever the hell this was. Her eyes grew hot and itchy as tears pricked at them. “Don’t do this. Gunner, whatever this is, don’t do it. Please. I won’t say anything. I swear. We can pretend this never happened. Please, I won’t tell.”

His silence was deafening as he ripped another piece of tape off the roll and reinforced the binding around her wrists before moving onto her hands. He wrapped the tape around her fingers, locking them together so she couldn’t claw at him.

Her broken sobbing did nothing to stop him as Gunner finished taping her hands, then rose off her. When he grabbed her ankle and she saw that he’d already partially undressed her, her heart stuttered in her chest with the horror of it. How long had she been unconscious? How many times had he choked her out, and she’d forgotten?

Making a longer strip of tape, he crossed her feet at the ankles and secured those too. He stood over her once it was done, his expression closed off. Unreadable and cold.

Knowing it was futile, but needing to try anyway, she tried to appeal to his softer side once more. “Gunner, please. I promise.”

“I didn’t plan for this, Delilah… but I’ve got promises to keep too. And you’re going to help me do it.”

The last strip of tape was for her mouth. He brushed strands of hair off her cheek and dried her tears before pressing it into place.

When he leaned over her to tap the control button that activated the transparent blue-tinted dome over her bunk, she knew it was over. He spoke to the ship, but his words were muffled through the thick plasglass that encased her. When the lit control panel inside of her bunk’s dome winked out, she knew what he’d done. He’d deactivated her controls, locking her out of the system.

Trapped. Like a corpse in a clear coffin. She couldn’t pretend she was Snow White, waiting for her prince anymore.

“No,” she tried to say behind the tape over her mouth. You can’t do that. He shouldn’t have been able to do it at all. Why had the ship let him? As Darcy had often pointed out, Gunner wasn’t their leader, even though they sometimes treated him like their de facto team lead. He shouldn't have the capacity to override her access to any part of the ship.

Oh, God. What else had he done while he was holed up in the captain’s deck?

“Don’t bother screaming. You’re not gonna annoy anyone but yourself,” he said as he crossed his arms.

She beat the flat of her taped fists against the thick glass, but Gunner merely turned and walked away. He left her room, her door sliding shut behind him.

She sobbed as she continued to pound on the plasglass, even though she knew it was useless. The thick high-tech glass was nearly unbreakable.

A while later, someone banged upon her door and Delilah flinched.

“You done yet? You’ve got company,” Gunner said through the door.

What? Delilah froze. Company?

“Delilah?” Darcy called out.

Oh, no. No, no, no. She had to warn Darcy somehow. Delilah beat her fists against her bunk cover till her hands were sore. Her screams echoed until her ears ached, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t give up. She wouldn’t.

“I’m coming in,” Darcy said.

It was no use. The plasglass was too thick and Darcy couldn’t hear her beating against the dome. The door opened, and Darcy scanned the room before her gaze settled on the bunk, her eyes widening as the scene before her fully registered.

Delilah saw Gunner draw his gun before either Darcy or Maddox. She screamed, knowing it was pointless.

Behind you! Watch out!

It was too late. Gunner pressed the muzzle of his gun to Darcy’s temple.

“Ah-ah,” Gunner said to Maddox, disabling the safety on his gun. “Keep your claws and teeth to yourself, lizardman. She’s worth more to me alive, but she’s also pissed me off enough that I wouldn’t mind blowing her brains all over the wall too. I gather from the way you two act that’s something you wouldn’t want to happen.”

“Gunner,” Darcy said, “what are you doing?”

“Getting rich. Obviously. Wow, aren’t you supposed to be the smart one? And here I had to cool my heels for half a year waiting for your ass… and what have you done for this team? Jack shit, that’s what. You’re nothing but dead weight, and your stunt even made Williams think about staying on this alien-infested shithole of a planet. But it’s fine. I work better alone anyway. Means I don’t have to split the pot too.”

Delilah could only cry as Gunner held Darcy at gunpoint while Maddox watched from the hallway. Darcy turned in place until the gun rested against the center of her forehead.

“You did all of this?” Darcy asked.

Gunner gave them a subtle shrug. “I can’t take credit for all of it. Made some interesting connections at that alien whorehouse. The kind that pay in guns and drugs.” He looked past her at Maddox. “You guys are into some weird ass shit, by the way.” His attention swung back to her. “Do you do that sort of stuff with him? Kinky.”

“My sex life is none of your fracking business,” Darcy answered with narrowed eyes.

“Woooow,” Gunner said, digging the gun in harder against Darcy’s head. “Not even gonna pretend to play nice when I’ve got you made? You’ve got balls. I can respect that. But that doesn’t work for me. I like women who know their place.” His other hand inched toward his other gun. Delilah’s eyes went wide as she watched it all unfold, Darcy and Maddox both oblivious to the threat.

“What is it you want?” Maddox asked, his tone polite. “Perhaps we can come to an arrangement.”

Gunner tilted his head as if thinking about it. “I know what people think when they look at me, but I’m not actually stupid. You know what else people forget about me?”

Darcy’s nostrils flared. “What?”

The shot was deafening in such a small area. The sound of it reverberated off the walls, even with the plasglass lid muffling the sound. Delilah blinked the tears from her watery eyes so she could see. Maddox was bleeding, his shirt torn where the shot went through, leaving a hole and blood behind.

“They forget I’m ambidextrous,” Gunner said.

Maddox threw himself at Gunner with a snarl, knocking Darcy aside as the two males grappled. His tail whipped around, hitting the man and walls with dull thunks. Gunner crowed with laughter, hands and feet and knees flying in a flurry of jabs and kicks.

“You want some of this?” Gunner taunted.

“Darcy, run!” Maddox grabbed Gunner by the wrist, squeezing and twisting to make him drop one of his guns. His tail lashed around, blocking Gunner’s knee from connecting.

But Darcy only stood there as they fought. That prehensile tail landed with a dull smack, making Gunner grunt. Gunner tried to aim one of his guns, abandoning the movement to avoid the snapping bite of sharp teeth. He swept a leg out to knock Maddox off balance and force some distance between them.

Each time Gunner aimed a gun against scaled skin, Maddox twisted, holding him off. “Run!”

Darcy darted forward instead, hesitating when they collided with the doorway. His sweeping tail nearly took her feet out from under her. Her pause made Maddox hesitate, which was all the opening Gunner needed.

Gunner raised a leg, planted a boot against Maddox’s thigh, and kicked. His arm swung up, raising one of his pistols. He aimed and fired.

The shot rang out, thunderously loud in the cramped quarters.

Maddox slumped on the floor against the wall of the hallway, a hand pressed to his abdomen and his face contorted in pain. He lifted his hand, the red of his blood stark against the green of his scales.

Darcy screamed with the anguished sound of a wounded animal.

Maddox’s throat flashing yellow was their only warning. He spit a stream of acidic venom at Gunner. Darcy dove for his gun while he was distracted, but an elbow caught her on the cheek and knocked her back. She hit the wall and slid down to the floor beside Maddox.

“Run,” Maddox hissed. “Darcy, you have to run. Now. Leave me.”

Darcy pressed her hands to his abdomen and the growing red stain there. “I can’t leave you,” she told him.

Maddox cupped her face, his expression twisted in a mask of pain. “You have to. Darcy, you’re the only one who matters. I love you. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

“Stop it,” Darcy begged.

Gunner thrashed against the doorway, drawing Delilah’s attention. The sight of his melting face made her stomach churn. One of his eyes had dissolved out of its socket, leaving a swollen red hole behind. Flesh drooped and darkened before her eyes as his cheek sagged, the acid eating deeper until the flash of pale bone showed. The right side of his face was melted too, a third of his scalp and one ear gone. His neck and chest were speckled with splatter marks, the shallower areas already healing.

Gunner’s body might heal, the muscle and tendons and skin knitting back together, but he’d always be disfigured. Good. At least his outside will be as ugly as his insides.

“Go!” Maddox ordered Darcy. The crimson stain on his shirt was spreading. “You have to live. Both of you. Run.”

Gunner’s shrieking turned to rage as he pointed his gun at Maddox and shot him again. He grinned, looking like a demon straight from hell with a bloody smile.

“No!” Darcy launched herself up from the floor and flew at Gunner, digging her thumb into his good eye to blind him.

Gunner punched her, the force of his swing knocking Darcy away. She slid back down to the floor and didn’t get up again.

And then Gunner leaned over her and raised his gun in the air, only to bring the butt of it crashing back down against her temple. They were both incapacitated in moments, and Delilah shuddered from the horror of it as Gunner holstered his guns and pressed the tips of his fingers to the ruined gore of his face.

Already it was healing. The bleeding stopped, and the skin was changed from a mottled red and black to an angry pink. Some of the melted flesh grew back, but he was still disfigured.

Gunner screamed and punched the wall. He bowed his head, breathing heavy, his fist clenching repeatedly. Delilah’s chest heaved with the force of her panic as Gunner grabbed Maddox by his ankle, dragging him out into the hallway and leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

Oh, God. What was he going to do with all of them? What else did he have planned?