by Elin Wyn
“The women, the ship brings them to different places, drops them off at different locales for Enclave to sell,” Itair answered.
“We already know all that,” Dejar responded.
“How?”
“Through some work of our own. We already know what Enclave does, and we’ve already figured out that The Terror is the ship they use for transport. What we don’t know is why?” Dejar leaned forward in his chair. “Is there anything you can tell us about why they do what they do?”
“They’re seen as pets.”
That got a reaction from all of us.
We’d all suspected what was going on. The galaxy wasn’t a nice place. It didn’t take much to imagine for what purposes group after group of scared women were being auctioned.
Still, it was different to hear someone mention it so matter of factly.
“They’re seen as what?” Kovor asked, face neutral.
Itair looked back at Kovor. “Pets. Can I have something to drink, please?”
Aavat grunted, poured water into the glass he’d emptied over Itair’s head, and handed it to him. Itair’s hands shook terribly as he tried to drink.
Quickly, Aavat grabbed the glass back. “Calm down. You need to take a deep breath.”
“How can I calm down? They broke into my home. What if I had been there when it happened? What would they have done to me if I had been there?”
“They, who?” I asked.
He turned to look at me. “I don’t want to say, not yet, not until I’m sure of my thoughts. But,” he forced himself to breathe deeply, to calm himself down. “If they were able to get past my security and to do what they did, I can only imagine what they would do to me.” He turned back to Dejar. “I promise you, I have information. I do.”
“Okay. Can you tell me?”
“Exotic women are wanted as status symbols, as trophies, as…” he let out a deep sigh. “They’re looked at as simple possessions. The rarer, the newer the world, the better. Some of the people that purchase them eventually make them part of their entourage, paying them. Some…some use them as labor, entertainment, or…” he stopped talking and looked at the floor.
The mental image of Lynna came all too easily to mind. “As what?” I growled as I stepped closer to him. Aavat held up his hand to stall me while Kovor stepped in front of me.
“Easy,” he whispered. “You can break him later if he’s lying, I promise.”
I nodded. Itair’s eyes were wild looking, wide as I had ever seen. I flashed him my most feral smile and he turned around as quick as he possibly could.
“I suggest you answer him,” Dejar said.
Itair’s head nodded so vigorously, I thought it was going to fall off. “Sometimes the women are used for other forms of entertainment, as well.”
“You mean, they’re…” Aavat started.
“I do,” Itair interrupted.
“Okay,” Dejar said in a voice so low I wondered if I had imagined it. “What can you tell us about their operation? Everything you’ve told us so far, we’ve already figured out. We need viable information that we haven’t had yet.”
“I know where The Terror docks when it’s on Katzul,” he said quickly. “You can get information from it there, right? Where it’s been, where it makes deliveries to. Who owns it.”
That was information we didn’t have.
We didn’t know anything about their operation outside of The Terror acting as a delivery ship. We didn’t even know yet who their clients were, exactly, except that they were of the upper aristocracy, or at least the obscenely rich.
There would be records. Who came in, something.
“Where?” Dejar asked.
“There’s a dock on the other side of the city. Not very many people of the general populace know about it, so it’s easy to dock there when you have more…sensitive…cargo that you want delivered. There’s a certain dockmaster that works with the ship. He’s their inside man.” Itair sniffled, eyes still rolling in fear.
Interesting.
“And this dock? It’s where, exactly?” Aavat asked.
I settled in for a long period of interrogation, sifting lies from truth.
Suffice it to say, I didn’t sleep much that night.
Lynna
I’d always been a naturally curious person. The creature that had accosted Valtic and me when we were shopping had been so afraid.
Such a contrast to what I’d heard about Itair from Kalyn and Shenna. He’d been gregarious, proud, vain. Smug in his castle in the sky.
No longer. There was a mystery there.
The next morning, I couldn’t help but linger near Dejar’s office in hopes of catching a bit more information, clues to the puzzle.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Kalyn startled me. I hadn’t heard her come up behind me. My hand flew up to my chest.
“You scared me!” I whispered frantically.
“You mean I interrupted your eavesdropping,” Kalyn smirked.
“They’re all in there with Itair. I want to know what’s going on. He was in such a state when he ran up to us.”
“He could’ve been putting on an act,” Kalyn warned, eyes narrow with suspicion.
“Possibly. But I don’t think so,” I said decisively.
“You always want to believe the best in everyone.” Kalyn smiled and shook her head.
I laughed. “Which is why you’re the commander and not me.”
“If you want to know what’s going on, I can find out for you,”
“You’d do that?”
“I’m the commander,” Kalyn shrugged. “Plus, I’m in bed with the captain.” With a wink, she disappeared into the office.
Shaking my head, I decided to go to the dining hall for a cup of coffee. Having Itair on board made me so uneasy that I’d barely gotten any sleep the night before, and the lack of sleep dragged on me.
The fact that he had any connection at all to the auctions, that he profited from them, didn’t sit well with me. All Itair had to do was say the word and Enclave would be all over this ship, dragging every human woman on board out by her hair.
Every creak and bump I heard in the night had startled me awake. Usually, on nights when sleep evaded me, I’d get out of bed and walk around the ship.
Last night, the invisible villains I kept imagining kept me firmly in my room.
Kalyn must have known I’d go to the dining hall. She walked in right as I finished my cup of coffee.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Is Itair going to sell us out?”
“Dejar and Aavat don’t seem to think so,” Kalyn replied.
“What do you think?”
“I dislike that slimy bastard, but I don’t think he’s smart enough to be a spy for Enclave,” she said decisively. “He’s a coward. His loyalty will always be to himself. Right now, he believes that his best chance of survival lies with us. As long as we make sure he continues to believe that, we’re safe.”
“How does Valtic feel about him?”
“Oh, Valtic wants to kill him,” Kalyn laughed.
“That’s not surprising,” I chuckled.
“He’s also going to investigate a dockmaster Itair told them about.”
I furrowed my brow. “What?”
“Apparently, The Terror works with a specific dockmaster to gain entry to the port unnoticed. It’s a secret port on the other side of the city that most of the residents don’t even know about.”
“And Valtic’s going to check it out?” I prompted.
Kalyn nodded.
“Who’s going with him?” I asked.
“He’s going alone. He convinced Dejar that he’ll draw less attention if he goes alone.”
“Where is he?”
“Probably in his office, why?” Kalyn asked, but I was already up and making my way toward the door.
“Thanks for telling me,” I called over my shoulder.
No one else would argue with him.
No o
ne else seemed to see how close to the edge he was.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to convince him to bring me along, but I couldn’t let Valtic go alone. I’d seen the lengths he’d go to to do his job.
My throat tightened. He didn’t care an ounce for his own well-being.
He needed someone to watch his back, to be there if he got hurt while playing the hero.
Valtic didn’t answer my knock right away. I was just about to leave and look for him elsewhere when he opened his door.
“Lynna?” He looked confused, glanced down the corridor as if looking for something pursuing me. “Is there a problem? Is everything well?”
“I’m fine.” I hesitated. “I was just wondering why you’re going to find that dockmaster alone.”
“How did you find out about that?” he sighed, and I gave him a pointed look. “You sent Kalyn in as your spy, didn’t you?”
“She offered,” I shrugged, without a shred of guilt.
“I’m almost impressed.” The ghost of a smirk appeared on his mouth.
“Only almost?” I lifted a brow. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Do I have to?”
“I’m not going to leave until you do.”
“I can always shut my door.”
“Then I’ll just stand here until you come out,” I said. “Maris will bring me a chair.”
“And if I never come out?”
“You’ll miss your appointment at that dock. Besides, are you really going to starve to death just to avoid answering my question?”
“No, I just wanted to see how long I could keep that exchange going,” he grinned.
“Did you just make a joke?” I gasped, hand to my chest in exaggerated response. Good grief, he was handsome when he smiled. Maybe it was for the best it didn’t happen too often. I wouldn’t get anything done.
“It was an attempt,” he admitted. “Probably not a very good one.”
“I might die of shock,” I laughed. “I didn’t know you could joke.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“Like why you’re thinking of going to meet this mysterious dockmaster alone,” I prompted. “Don’t try to distract me. It won’t work.”
“I think it’s the safest option,” he explained.
“For who? Certainly not for you!”
“For everyone else. It’s better for a single person to endanger themselves than two, three, or four.”
“Perhaps, but I think you need backup. What if something happens? Are you going to just let the rest of the crew worry forever, not knowing? Or keep sending people after you? Are they going to go in blind?”
“Are you a tactical expert now?” he tilted his head to one side.
“I’m a common-sense expert. I used to make good money off people’s lack of common sense.”
“Well, I have plenty of that, so I don’t need a consultation.” He tried to close the door, but I held my hand out.
“Answer me this,” I said. “Why did you go with me to pick up medical supplies?”
“Because Katzul can be dangerous.”
“Exactly. Now tell me why you don’t need an escort,” I prompted.
“Katzul’s not dangerous for me.” This time his grin was feral. And still made my knees weak.
“What’s your plan when you get there?” I asked.
“I have ways of getting others to talk. People usually start talking once they realize I can easily kill them.”
“What if he’s not alone?”
“I’ll handle whoever he’s with.”
“And if they have weapons?”
“I’ll handle that, too.”
“How?”
“This might come as a shock to you,” Valtic sighed. “But I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m quite good at this sort of thing. I don’t think I have to justify or explain myself in order to do the things I’m good at.”
“It’s not that I doubt your abilities,” I said quickly. “I’m just asking you to be open to the fact that there might be a better way to go about this.”
Valtic said nothing. He looked at me with an odd expression, somewhere between amusement and annoyance. At least he was listening. I took the fact that he hadn’t slammed the door in my face as a good sign.
“Aren’t you going to ask?”
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me, no matter what I say.” He rested his forearm against the doorframe. His biceps muscle flexed as it supported his weight. I tried not to stare.
“I’m really good at talking,” I said.
“So I’ve noticed.” His eyes took on a soft quality. I knew he was mocking me, but not in earnest.
“I’m good at getting people to say things they don’t want to say,” I clarified. “Do you have any idea how many patients try to hide the truth from their doctor?”
“Hiding relevant information from a physician seems foolish,” Valtic agreed.
“It is. People tend to do it because they’re trying to preserve their pride,” I said, emphasizing pride.
Valtic’s eyes hardened again. I sighed, pushing my fingers through my hair. “Look, I’m not leaving until you agree to take me with you. Can’t you just agree and save us both some time?”
Now it was Valtic’s turn to heave a big sigh. He looked me up and down for what felt like ages.
“If I take you, can you keep quiet if need be?”
“Yes.”
“Are you okay with what I did to those thugs that chased you?”
“Yes.”
“Will you be alright if I have to do something like that again?” Strange. An odd note of worry threaded through his voice.
“Absolutely,” I nodded.
“Will you do what I tell you, and stay safe?”
“Probably.”
“Fine,” he huffed. “You can come.”
“Glad you’re seeing reason,” I smiled. “I’ll get changed and meet you at the main door.”
“Right,” Valtic sighed.
Within fifteen minutes, I waited by the door with shimmery silver skin. Valtic appeared a few moments later in full tactical gear and armed to the teeth.
“That’s a good look on you,” I grinned. “You look very comfortable.”
He rolled his eyes but I didn’t miss the faint smile.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Qal had pulled the Skimmer around for us. Valtic took the pilot seat and I climbed in beside him. He shut off all the exterior lights and directed us up into the night.
The Skimmer wasn’t a quiet vehicle, so we didn’t talk on the way to this mysterious dock. Not that Valtic would’ve wanted to talk in the first place. I thought I’d exhausted his word supply for the day. As we drove, I wondered why he put up with my incessant questioning, why he’d given in to my request to come along.
We rode in the Skimmer for an hour until Valtic gently brought us down out of the sky. We came to a stop in some kind of abandoned lot. Up ahead, I could just make out the outline of the port entrance against the dark sky.
I let Valtic take the lead as we cautiously approached, blending right into the shadows when we could. He found a decent vantage point to survey the area, silently directing my gaze to a lone figure wandering the dock. Valtic reached for one of his many weapons, but I stilled his hand.
“We don’t need a fight, we need information,” I spoke under my breath. “I’m going to distract him. You find something useful.”
Before Valtic could argue, I stood up and walked into plain sight. My hips swayed and I tossed my hair, making it obvious in the darkness that I was a female.
I had no solid plan, but anything would be better than Valtic pushing himself to an extreme to get what we needed.
Valtic
Of all the…she walked away from me before I could stop her. She was going to get herself killed. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay hidden in the shadows.
If I was seen trailing after her, it would r
aise the dockmaster’s suspicions and he would more than likely call for security, ending any and all chances for us to get any information.
And Lynna would be in even more danger.
How had I let her talk me into this?
Because apparently, I had a terrible time telling her no about anything.
Moving quickly and quietly, I unstrapped a small, compact rifle from my leg, unfolded it, and lined up the scope.
Before Lynna got to the man, I had his head in my sights.
My teeth ground as she called to him playfully, her hips swaying suggestively. He stopped and turned towards her, like anyone but a blind man would have done.
She was flirting with him, playing with her hair as she talked to him.
I struggled to make out their conversation, but I heard her giggle and in an odd, high voice say “Oh, my. You’re so big,” as she turned him around.
My finger twitched. No one would notice or miss him if he was gone.
Except, someone might.
Too bad that, while Lynna might not mind me thrashing an attacker to pieces in front of her, she’d probably have something to say about a spray of brain matter on her dress.
Quite possibly several things to say.
I could see her. She was safe.
The mantra eased the rage, made it easier to stay my hand and move closer in the shadows. I noticed the ring of keys on his waist, the metallic clipboard in his hand, and the overwhelming stench of sweat, liquor, and lack of bathing emanating from him. He must be the dockmaster we were looking for.
How Lynna was able to stay that close to him without retching impressed me.
She was amazing.
I still wanted to rip off his arm and beat him to death with it when he reached out and touched her cheek.
She was safe. She wanted to play the game this way.
Until she wasn’t safe, I’d back her up.
My heart was pounding, and my finger twitched so badly I had to keep it away from the trigger of my rifle.
She giggled and ran her hand down his chest. My hands itched to rip him into tiny little pieces. I forced my breathing to slow down, forced my mind to clear. I couldn’t afford to let myself be caught up by what she was doing.
What she was doing was smooth talking and flirting with him, keeping him distracted. I crept closer, now only a few feet behind them.
