The vast command deck remained empty except for Captain Kaelen. The True Drakeon stood before the central console where a massive hologram floated in the air above the projector. The image showed the Elder Radiant suspended in the dark machinery of the facility. Blue light cast long shadows across the emerald scales on the Captain's neck.

  Kaelen kept his golden eyes fixed on the image of the chained dragon.

  "Although your suit was damaged, the visual feed from your suit is crystal clear," Kaelen said softly. "The audio logs are completely empty because the recording equipment cannot capture the Resonance. The video shows you removing your helmet in the presence of an unregistered dragon. That means you opened your mind to it."

  Riven stopped a few feet away from the console. He looked at the projection of Aldertire and felt a ghost of the psychic agony return to his skull.

  "I wanted to talk to it, but it wasn’t as amicable as I thought," Riven replied. "It is an Elder Radiant and it possessed enough power to crush my mind."

  Kaelen finally turned to face him with a heavy and tired expression. He pointed to the data drives resting on the metal table.

  "Command sent us to a Ravager hive to secure a research cache," Kaelen stated. "They neglected to mention a chained dragon in the basement. I have not opened those files because their classification is top secret and far above my clearance. My orders are to deliver the drives to High Command. Some technician at Headquarters will decrypt the data and figure out what happened down there. We are a special operations unit. We execute the mission and leave the intelligence gathering to the analysts."

  Riven stared at the drives. He thought about the genetic splicing and the tortured dragons. He remembered Aldertire begging him to destroy the data. Riven looked up at Captain Kaelen. Riven inherently distrusted authority because the Academy had taught him that leaders only cared about bloodlines and wealth.

  However, Kaelen had dropped onto a hostile planet without a dragon to save the Hammers, without hesitation. He drove the sims to the max to ensure they were ready for the real fight, and honestly if the sims were easier than they might have died on Cinder. And from what Astrix said the Captain had pushed into the laboratory once he heard Riven was in there alone. Kaelen deserved to know the truth.

  "The dragon was furious," Riven said carefully. "It hated the researchers and it hated the Concordance. It used the Resonance to summon the Ravager swarm and butcher the facility staff because it wanted to destroy the lab and everything within."

  Kaelen sighed and rubbed his jaw. "I thought about as much. I am not usually one to debate morality, but it sounds like they got what was coming to them. Capturing and experimenting on a wild dragon is a recipe for a disaster. It wouldn’t be the first time the concordant tried messing with the natural order of life and paid the price."

  Riven swallowed the lump in his throat and took a step closer to the console.

  "It was not a wild dragon," Riven said. "It was a former Lancer dragon. It bonded with a human long ago."

  Kaelen froze. The golden slits of his eyes widened in absolute shock. He shook his head slowly.

  "That is impossible," Kaelen said. "The Inquisition tracks every bonded dragon. Every dragon is tracked from life to death, and those who serve get benefits if their rider dies."

  "I am telling you the truth," Riven insisted. "Aldertire showed me the memories directly. The scientists captured him after he discovered their sins. They chained him to try and see if they could use the True Drakeons to control the bodies of Dragons. Speaking of, those drives hold the genetic codes they use to breed True Drakeons. They hold the blueprints for capture devices. The Concordance uses captive dragons to power the FTL engines on our cruisers."

  Kaelen stared at Riven with total disbelief. The large Drakeon gripped the edges of the metal console. The metal groaned under his sharp claws.

  "You are telling me the Empire is built on butchering our own partners," Kaelen said.

  "Yes," Riven said. "Aldertire showed me what he saw. He begged me to destroy the data."

  Kaelen turned away from Riven. He stared back at the hologram of the chained dragon. Deep denial and sudden anger warred on his face. He breathed heavily through his nose. The Captain leaned forward and buried his face in his hands.

  "I had no idea," Kaelen said softly. His voice shook with restrained fury. "I swear to you Holt. I never knew."

  "I believe you," Riven replied.

  Kaelen turned back to Riven. The Captain pointed a single claw at the young Lancer.

  "You will not tell anyone about this," Kaelen ordered. "You will not breathe a word of this to Vex or Phillean or anyone else. If what that dragon said is true, and High Command learns you know this truth I fear what they might do."

  Riven nodded slowly.

  "I will get a key to the engineering sector," Kaelen continued. "I will bypass the sentry protocols. We will go down to the engine room tomorrow night. We will see if you are telling the truth. Until then you remain completely silent."

  "Understood," Riven said.

  “I’m serious.” Kaelen said.

  “Understood, sir.” Riven replied

  Kaelen reached over to the console. He tapped a rapid sequence of keys. A confirmation chime echoed in the quiet room.

  "I just deleted the video footage from your suit," Kaelen said. "Nobody will ever know what you saw. The official report will state that you went into the lab and grabbed the drives and immediately ran out. That is your story. Do not deviate from it."

  "I went in and got the drives and got out," Riven repeated.

  "Go try and get sleep," Kaelen said. He turned his back to Riven and stared up at where the hologram of Aldertire sat moments ago. Riven hesitantly began to walk out the bridge.

  Before he left, Riven heard. “And Holt.”

  “Yes sir?”

  “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.” Riven looked back at Kaelen who had eyes closed.

  “Thank you sir, for not executing me.”

  A dark chuckle echoed from the Captain’s lips. “Well, let’s try to keep it that way.”

  Riven turned and the doors closed behind him.

  Riven walked down the metallic corridors of the Silent Verdict. The blue navigation lights cast long shadows across the deck plates. A crushing weight pressed against his healing ribs.

  The Concordance built their entire empire on the suffering of the dragons they worked alongside. Tomorrow night he would see the engine room with his own eyes to verify the horrific claim. If the truth held up he would face a choice that could destroy his entire life and the lives of his squad. He hated keeping this secret from his friends. He hated keeping it from Astrix most of all.

  He recalled the empty and dead eyes of the Elder Radiant. Aldertire had shown him the agonizing reality that his reality was built upon. The military captured dragons and bolted them to machines to travel through the Resonance.

  Every time the ship jumped to a new system a dragon endured unimaginable pain. Riven clenched his fist. He had joined the Inquisition to fight monsters and save the innocent. Now he realized the monsters may wear the same uniform he did.

  He reached the mess hall doors. They hissed open to reveal a mostly empty room. Dimmed overhead lights illuminated the scattered debris of the celebration. Empty bottles cluttered the tables. The smell of roasted meat and spilled liquor hung thick in the air. Vex lay slumped across a metal table. She breathed softly in a deep sleep. Raze rested his massive red head on the floor next to her. Astrix sat nearby with her silver eyes tracking Riven as he approached.

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  Riven stopped next to the table and looked at the sleeping Drakeon. He gently shook her shoulder to wake her.

  "Vex," Riven said quietly. "It is time to go back to your room."

  Vex mumbled a quiet complaint and refused to open her eyes. She swatted blindly at his hand and buried her face deeper into her crossed arms. Raze stirred from his slumber nearby. The giant crimson dragon blinked slowly and pushed his massive body up from the floor. He stretched his wings and let out a tired huff of warm air that smelled of burning hickory.

  Raze turned his heavy body toward the exit to head back to the squad quarters. Riven looked up at the massive beast.

  "Raze, wait a second," Riven called out. "Can you carry her back to her room? She is completely out."

  Raze paused and looked down at the sleeping woman. He opened his mouth to agree. The red dragon then shifted his gaze toward Astrix. Astrix stared back with a completely unreadable expression. The two dragons seemed to hold a silent conversation in the space of a single heartbeat. Raze closed his mouth and looked back at Riven.

  You are perfectly capable of carrying your wingman, Riven, Raze projected into Riven's mind. His mental voice held a faint trace of amusement. I am going to sleep.

  Raze turned around and lumbered out of the mess hall without another word. Riven stared after the red dragon in disbelief. He turned his attention to his own partner.

  "You told him to leave her," Riven accused.

  Astrix stood up and stretched her sleek black legs, yawning not unlike a cat.

  I did no such thing, Astrix projected smoothly. This is simply pay back for leaving me alone while you had secret conversations with the Captain.

  Astrix followed Raze out the door and left Riven standing alone with the unconscious woman. Riven sighed heavily and looked down at Vex. She stood a full three inches taller than his own frame. She possessed dense Drakeon muscle that made her significantly heavier than a standard human.

  He slung her arm over his shoulder and wrapped his other arm under her knees to hoist her up with a heavy grunt of exertion. He lacked his armor and the medical droids had just stitched him together days prior, yet he still possessed more than enough strength to carry her. Vex wrapped both of her arms loosely around his neck. She smelled strongly of stale bourbon and sweet chocolate.

  "You weigh a ton," Riven muttered.

  "Shut up, Dust Boy," Vex slurred against his collarbone.

  She did not open her eyes. Riven suddenly felt sharp teeth clamp gently onto his collarbone and he let out a startled yelp. He looked down to see a distinct teeth imprint on his neck. Vex peered up at him with a highly pleased smirk.

  "You do not say that to a woman," she muttered.

  She shifted her weight in his arms and nuzzled closer to his jaw. She exhaled a long and slow breath directly into his ear. The warm air sent a sudden shiver straight down Riven's spine. Her smirk faded quickly as her head rested back against his chest and she hummed a quiet and nonsensical tune.

  He carried her through the quiet ship corridors while his healing ribs ached with every step. He focused on the physical strain to block out the terrifying thoughts of the secret facility and the chained Elder. He felt her warm breath against his neck as the steady rhythm of her heartbeat pressed comforting pulses against his side.

  The ship hummed around them while a deep vibration rattled the floor plates. Riven thought about the engines. He wondered if a tortured dragon powered the very vibration he felt beneath his boots.

  "Am I really heavy," Vex mumbled, breaking through his thoughts. Her words slurred heavily in the quiet hallway as her fingers traced a lazy circle on the back of his neck.

  "No," Riven lied smoothly. He adjusted his grip on her waist to keep her from sliding down. "I am doing all the work and you are perfectly light."

  "Good," she replied sluggishly. Her fingers slid upward from his neck to tangle loosely in his hair. "Because I decided I am never walking again. You can carry me."

  Riven let out a quiet laugh. The brief moment of humor vanished as the ship engines cycled to a higher pitch. A low mechanical groan echoed through the corridor. Riven flinched as he imagined the sound originating from a chained beast rather than a metal turbine. He tightened his hold on Vex to ground himself in reality.

  "You are holding me very tight," Vex whispered right against his ear. Her lips brushed the skin just below his jawline. "Are you afraid I am going to run away."

  "I am afraid I am going to drop you," Riven said. His voice caught slightly in his throat as the gentle friction of her lips sent another intense shiver through his body.

  "You would not dare drop me," she teased. She shifted her weight closer and nuzzled her face into the curve of his neck. "I would bite you again. I would bite much harder next time."

  "I will keep that in mind," Riven replied. He swallowed hard to steady his racing heart.

  "You smell nice," Vex mumbled. Her hand slid from his hair down to rest heavily against his chest and she tapped her index finger directly over his rapidly beating heart. "Your heart is beating very fast. Are you tired."

  "I am just focused on walking," Riven lied.

  The truth was much harder to endure. He struggled to reconcile the untouchable warrior from the cavern with the vulnerable woman currently leaning all her weight against his ribs. She had trusted him implicitly during the combat drop and paid for that profound trust in blood. She took a near lethal blow to buy him the exact seconds he needed to kill the Queen. Her absolute sacrifice had likely saved the entire squad. Riven looked down at her resting face and wished he could take the silver star from his own chest to pin it directly onto her jacket.

  He forced his gaze forward down the long corridor and fought desperately to keep his mind pure. Vex was completely intoxicated and she deserved a wingman who protected her during her moments of weakness. Maintaining that honorable distance proved incredibly difficult. The horrifying secret waiting for him in the engine room had fractured his usual disciplined focus. The intense warmth of her body pressing flush against his side, the breaths against his neck, and her hands caressing his back were scrambling his remaining critical thought.

  They finally reached her quarters and the heavy metal door slid open automatically. Riven guided her slowly into the center of the dark room. Discarded composite armor pieces and open weapon cleaning kits littered the floor. Riven stepped carefully through the messy hazards to avoid tripping and dropping her.

  Vex shifted her weight heavily against his neck and let out a frustrated groan.

  "It is too hot in here," she mumbled.

  She let go of his neck with one hand to fumble blindly with the zipper of her charcoal uniform jacket. She managed to drag the thick garment off her shoulders and tossed it haphazardly into the dark corner of the room.

  She wore only a thin and tightly fitted black tank top underneath. Riven caught his breath. The dim overhead lighting cast soft shadows across her highly athletic physique. He spent his days watching her fight inside the bulky shell of the DAIR suit or seeing her wrapped securely in layers of thick military regulation clothing.

  He was entirely unprepared to see her stripped down to her base layers. He noticed the sharp and powerful definition of her core immediately. The tight fabric clung to the full curves of her chest as she pressed firmly against him. Crimson scales peeked out from the deep neckline and crawled up the sides of her ribs. The vibrant red scales blended flawlessly into her soft human skin. The natural transition between dragon heritage and human biology looked absolutely captivating.

  Riven swallowed hard and forced his eyes to stare at the blank wall. He ordered his brain to stop thinking about her physical beauty. He refused to become a predator taking advantage of his drunk friend. Friend. Just friends. He locked his chaotic emotions behind a rigid mental wall and focused every ounce of his remaining energy on laying her safely onto the mattress.

  He bent down to lay her on the mattress and tried to pull his body away from her grasp. Vex kept her hands firmly locked behind his neck and smiled a hazy and intoxicated smile. As her back hit the bed she pulled her arms downward with surprising strength. The sudden momentum dragged Riven completely off balance. He collapsed onto the bed right on top of her. He caught his weight on his forearms just before his chest crushed her healing stomach.

  "Vex, let go," Riven groaned. He tried to push himself up with his elbows to put some necessary space between their bodies.

  Vex ignored his protests entirely and shifted her hips upward to close the gap. She rolled onto her side and dragged him down into the sheets with her. She threw a heavy and bare leg directly over his hips to pin him against the mattress. She pressed her entire front flush against his side.

  Riven felt the distinct softness of her chest pressing firmly through the thin fabric of his shirt. She tucked her face into the crook of his neck and wrapped her arms tight around his torso. She used him completely as a body pillow. Her grip possessed the unyielding strength of a Lesser Drakeon and her hot breath hitched against his bare skin. Riven froze in place as his face burned with an intense heat.

  "Vex, you need to let me up," Riven whispered. He pushed gently against her bare shoulder, shaking slightly.

  The gentle contact elicited an immediate reaction. Vex let out a long and warm groan directly into his ear. A shiver traveled straight down Riven's spine.

  "So warm," Vex murmured. She nuzzled her face deeper into his neck and let out a soft and contented sigh, sending shivers down Riven’s back. She hooked her ankle behind his calf to pull his lower body even closer against hers. “Stop squirming.”

  Riven stopped struggling immediately. He knew he could not break her grip without waking her fully or hurting her healing stomach wound. He felt the soft and steady rhythm of her breathing against his collarbone. Every inhale pressed her soft curves tighter against his own increasingly rigid frame.

  Riven could not deny his feelings for her. He liked Vex a great deal because she brought a fun and energetic spark into his life. She was undeniably beautiful and he knew he loved her. He also knew that she deserved better.

  Riven knew his presence would only bring chaos and harm to her life. Even if Vex harbored the same feelings toward him the new information he carried made their closeness incredibly dangerous for her. If he exposed the secret of the engine room the military would likely target anyone close to him.

  A low and rumbling sound echoed from the dark corner of the room. Raze lifted his massive red head from his nesting pad. The dragon looked at the two humans tangled in the bed.

  If you two intend to mate you should let me leave the room first, Raze projected directly into Riven's mind with deep amusement.

  Riven felt his face flush completely red.

  We are not mating, Riven projected a frantic denial back to the dragon. She physically trapped me and I cannot move without hurting her stitches.

  You humans complicate the simplest biological urges, Raze communicated back. Do not hurt my Lancer.

  Raze let out a huff of warm air and lowered his head back to the floor. Riven stared at the grey metal ceiling in the dark room. He felt deeply conflicted about the intense and heavy warmth of her body tangling so intimately with his limbs. The sudden and overwhelming physical closeness terrified him just as much as the horrific truth he had to investigate tomorrow night.