On a Rogue Planet Read Online Free

Starboard side.” He spoke like he were giving her a weather report.
    “Shields are up.”
    “Won’t stop these missiles. They’re designed to penetrate shields.”
    Her stomach dropped. “What?”
    “New Centaxian tech.”
    The ship shuddered and they were both tossed forward in their seats, held in place by their straps.
    More alarms sounded. Mal worked furiously at the controls. “We’ve lost grav and enviro in the cargo area. No hull breach.”
    “Yet.”
    “Hey, positive attitude please.”
    Another hit. The ship shuddered again and this time the console to the right exploded, sparks raining over both of them.
    “Damn it. I’ve lost one of the engines.” Her hands flew in a blur over the controls. “We can’t take another hit.”
    Xander reached forward and touched his palms to the console.
    “What are you doing?” she bit out.
    He ignored her, his gaze turned inward. Once again, his eyes flared that eerie neon green.
    Even in the midst of chaos, she couldn’t help but stare at him. Damn, he was a handsome. Not to mention scary. “Xander—”
    “I’m strengthening the shields and the weapons systems.”
    “Your eyes—”
    “A sign I’m utilizing my advanced cyborg systems.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “However, they are still not fully back online. But we will get off Centax, Malin.” His voice was colder than ice. “I will do whatever is required to get us out of here.”
    Mal couldn’t look away from him. The luminescence of his eyes cast a glow over his black uniform. She saw the lines of pain on his face soften, and that scary blankness deepen.
    He looked less man and far more…something else.
    Another insistent alarm. She palmed the screen. “Infiltrators are coming back! Weapons are locked.” Her heart pounded in her chest like a wild animal attempting to burst free.
    She glanced out the viewscreen, could just see the squadron of five sleek black ships heading straight toward them.
    Then her ship’s lasers fired. An explosion ahead.
    The lead Infiltrator went down.
    She turned her head toward Xander. He stared straight ahead, his chest rising and falling at an even, steady pace.
    Her freighter’s lasers opened fire again. Looking back at the viewscreen, she saw two Infiltrators go wild, spiraling downward and out of control.
    The remaining two ships veered away.
    “Environmental controls are reestablished in the cargo area,” Xander said in a monotone.
    Mal slowly turned back to the man beside her.
    “Unfortunately, the gravity system is damaged.”
    “That’s okay.” She swallowed.
    “So is the primary engine. I can only get thirty-five-percent power from it.”
    With a shake, Mal focused back on her touchscreen, confirming Xander’s assessment. “Not great. But I can still get us home on that and a functioning secondary.”
    “To Khan.”
    She stilled. “You know where I live.”
    “Yes.”
    Her lips firmed. “What else do you have in those records of yours?”
    “I know your cousins are the Phoenix brothers. And I need their help.”
    “Why?”
    “The mercenaries have stolen something. Something of great value to Centax. I need—” Suddenly, his body spasmed. His palms flattened against the console, his body arching forward. “We’ve lost the rear stabilizers.”
    Her eyes widened and the ship lurched in a sickening spiral. “Shit…shit.” Without the stabilizers, they weren’t going anywhere.
    She tapped the screen, trying to repair the system. Nothing.
    The ship veered starboard, slamming her against her straps and her shoulder into Xander’s hard body.
    “I can’t fix it…from here.” She worked feverishly, shutting down systems they didn’t need and shunting power into the stabilizers.
    It didn’t work.
    “We’re headed toward Charox,” Xander said.
    Centax’s only moon. A hunk of unforgiving rock.
    Malin yanked her harness off, jumped up and ran toward the engineering console. She crouched, yanked off the outer cover and pulled out the