Anyway, here is the snippet, still in Chapter 1:
<()>^<()>
The wolf shivered once the connection was cut. Damn
the cat! And damn him for forcing him into that wretched marriage with Dab! The
spotted hyena bitch was rough! She was also not his type, not at all! He'd
barely survived getting out of her clutches before they'd shipped out. It had
taken him and some cream the doc had given him weeks to heal so he could at
least sit without whimpering.
He forced his ears upright. It was hard, so hard but
he had to do it. He had to project an aura of confidence. Even if he lacked it.
His hope of remaining out of her clutches were dashed
when they'd returned. And she'd sent a reminder in the form of Commander Ayud
Bundi, a member of her clan and one of their best shipwrights to inspect Black
Death. His reminder that the XO's bride was eagerly waiting for a repeat of
their nuptial visit had sent the XO into a panting fearful fit.
At this rate he was going to lose status on the ship.
And once he went down the ladder he'd be at death's door in next to no time.
Well, if he kept things going and then hid on the ship
he might survive Black Death's time in her clutches. Hell if he'd use
his status with her to get more though. As much as he wanted to get out of her
clutches as quickly as possible, he wasn't going to court getting torn up by
her for anyone. The Admiral could piss up a rope if he expected him to
sacrifice himself for her amusement.
<()>^<()>
Tortuga
Zumika grinned as he signed on to a ship. He finally
had a posting. “Just let me get my spacebag and I'll be at the lock,” he said
with a tip of his finger to his hat.
“See that you do,” the bosun said gruffly. “Step out
of line and you'll walk the plank.”
“Ar, I'm no fool. I'll do my best.”
“Yeah, well, we'll see,” the bosun said with a shake
of his head. The skipper had wanted people with experience. They were dredging
the bottom of the barrel. Zumika at least had some experience. He also had
helped him find 2 other ratings to fill their ranks.
It seemed every ship in the ring around the asteroid
was trying to man up and get underway. The press gangs were out in force, not
that they needed to be. Everyone wanted off the rock just in case the Feds
showed up.
<()>^<()>
Jericho continued to cough, and then snuffle. His mate
had ordered him to the sickbay to find out what was wrong with him. She was
right; he didn't want to pass it on to the rest of the pack or to the cubs.
Whatever bug he'd gotten he hoped he got over it soon.
It well and truly sucked. His chest muscles ached from the pain of coughing.
He'd resisted going to the doc's though. A good dose
of liquid meds, some cough syrup and a bottle of rotgut would knock his ass out
and let him sleep. Normally his body fought off an infection while he slept it
off. But he had barely gotten to 'The Dives' open door when he'd felt the
passageway swim a bit alarmingly.
“I don't feel so good,” he said, reaching out to
clutch at Ichy's arm.
“You don't look so good either. But that's normal for
you,” Ichy replied, shaking the arm off.
“Shut up!”
Jericho laughed but that triggered another coughing fit. Dizzy and light
headed he fell over retching.
“Ah shit. What crud did you get into? Did you drink
something?” Itchy demanded, looking around them. “I warned you not to drink
that rotgut Paco makes no matter how cheap it is! Most likely he did it with
battery acid again!”
“Shut up...” Jericho coughed and then clutched at the
pain in his chest that the coughs had caused. Green snot dripped out of nose
and onto the deck. Saliva did from his open mouth as he panted. “I don't feel
so good.”
Itchy sighed and tried to help him up. When he got a hand
under the other wolf's armpit he felt how hot the other wolf was. Instinctively
his free hand went to the other's forehead. “Arrr, you're burning up matie. Tis
not good. An ill wind we nigh not need now.”
“Yeah. Got a co'd or sumin,” Jericho got out before he
spat mucus. Val had been pissed when he'd come home sick. It had hit him hard
and fast. It was something they were both aware of, working security put them
on the front line of a lot of crud. But this was a bit different.
Itchy swore as he helped his pack mate to a bench.
“Shit, you really are sick. Whatever you've got I don't want it.” He waited;
fear finally giving way to concern over his own fate if the alphas realized
he'd abandoned a mate. He forced himself to help Jericho to the medical clinic.
He left him in the waiting room and fled.
He didn't realize that he was inadvertently spreading
the contamination further.
<()>^<()>
Doctor White, the Neogorilla senior medic on Tortuga
was called in when the on duty doctor in the medical clinic became alarmed by
the outbreak. He walked in just as a Neowolf started a coughing fit. Mucus
sprayed him. He flinched away but instantly realized he had most likely just
been infected. “Frack! Well, so much for keeping a clean area,” he growled,
brown eyes flashing.
“Sorry doctor.”
“Well, no helping it. What is it anyway?”
“Symptoms are flu like. But we've got some
inconsistencies. Whatever it is, it's spreading. Spreading fast,” the junior
doctor said worriedly.
“Frack.”
“I hate to say it...”
Brown eyes locked onto blue eyes. “Then don't,” the
gorilla growled.
“But we've got to face it. It could be the plague,”
the human medic whispered.
“Frack. Find out. I've got to make a call.” Doctor
White thought about it and then shook his head. “Actually, a lot of calls,” he
said, putting his first call in to the port to order a lock down. When he got
stuck on hold he went to his office and called in every medic and then switched
to internal life support. After that he snarled at the wait as he pulled out a
battered manual on what to do.
Not that he expected it to do him or anyone else
trapped in hell with him to do much good.
<()>^<()>
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