Not this cycle, Satan, she thought as she lay on her back. She had to get that cargo back to the ship.
With a groan, she rolled to her good side and struggled to her feet. Vakar had been farther from the blast and was approaching her with a concerned smell, saying something she couldn’t hear over the ringing in her ears. She made what she hoped was a reassuring gesture, staggering in the direction of the cargo, which had been pushed a few meters away.
To her left, Grissy skittered toward them.
The kartian pulled a small gadget out of a pouch and pointed it at Eva. It gave a brief whistle, and Grissy sang a note of disappointment. Then she pointed it at Vakar, and was rewarded with a tinny alarm.
“Not too meaty,” she whistle-sang. “Maybe good for soup, though.” She pulled out a smaller gun and aimed it at him.
“Hell no!” Eva shouted. With all her strength, she pushed the cargo toward Grissy, who fired a wild shot and dodged as the box sailed toward her. Vakar readied his own pistol, and the two stared each other down, weapons raised in a standoff.
Eva’s pistol was nowhere in sight.
She had to move quickly, or the other kartians would be on them soon—the ones who had survived, and any more coming from the port for the promise of meat. But now the cargo was out of reach, and Vakar was in danger again, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do.
Well, there was one thing.
“How much?” Eva asked Grissy.
“Pardon?”
“How much would he sell for?”
Grissy scanned her with one eye, while the other watched Vakar. “Ten thousand or so. Why, you want to barter?”
Ño, qué barato, she thought sarcastically. “How about I take him and you take my cargo? It’s worth ten thousand easily, and I can set you up with a buyer.”
What was she thinking? The Fridge would have a fit when they found out. They might even hurt Mari to get back at her. But it was the only bargaining chip she had.
To Eva’s dismay, Grissy hissed. “I only take cash, local currency.”
“Twenty thousand, then. I don’t have local cash.”
Grissy whistle-laughed, but her pistol didn’t move. “Who you tryna scam? No meat’s worth that.”
He is to me, she thought, surprised by the force of the feeling. Way to go, Pink, great plan to get me to figure my shit out.
“The cargo is,” Eva said. “Twice that, easily, to be honest.”
“Not worth the hassle, or the risk. I got redundant organs, at least. Quennian here doesn’t.”
“Eat shit, then.” Eva pointed up.
The kartian followed her gaze, then threw herself on the ground as La Sirena Negra dropped from the sky like a giant missile.
Min brought it down to hover in front of Eva and Vakar, and the cargo bay door cracked open enough to allow them inside. Pink fired off warning shots at the other hunters who had started to arrive, scenting blood.
Eva limped over to Vakar, and together they raced to the ship and jumped in.
Through the slit of the closing door, Eva saw Grissy get to her feet and dust herself off, reaching for her blaster cannon.
“Jump, Min!” Eva shouted. And so she did, engines roaring. Within a minute, they were out in the black, the pale sepia mess of Futis shrinking behind them, along with The Fridge’s cargo.
Vakar gently removed a mewling cat from his chest as he sprawled out on the floor of the cargo bay.
“Remember when we were contracted to deliver kittens to a peaceful café in a protected system?” he said to no one in particular.
“I do have that recollection,” Pink replied, staring down at the pair of them.
Eva prodded her shoulder, wincing. “At least we’re alive.”
“Yes,” Vakar agreed.
“That’s a pretty low bar,” Pink said.
Eva sighed and closed her eyes. She was fucked. If Grissy kept the cargo, at least Eva could tell The Fridge where to find it, but then they’d have to send someone to pick it up and pay the hunter off. Assuming they didn’t just kill her and take it. And if someone else got to it first, it could be anywhere on the planet within a cycle.
Would The Fridge add this to her debt total as well, or do something more extreme? And when would she get the next job from them? After these last two, she didn’t know how many more she could handle.
However many it takes, she thought sadly. Whatever she had to do to get Mari back.
It was time to let the crew go, though, to bury her selfishness before it hurt anyone else. This wasn’t fair to these people, her people, not by a long shot. Pink’s expression said much the same, lips pursed in disappointment.
“Your head’s bleeding,” Pink told Eva. “Get to the med bay so I can patch you up before you make a mess.”
“I’ll be fine. It will stop eventually.”
“Sure, when you run out of blood. Vakar, talk to her. I’m getting back to Leroy.” She walked briskly toward the med bay, shaking her head.
“Are you well?” Vakar asked, sitting up next to her.
“Airtight,” Eva muttered. Vakar kept staring at her, and he smelled like cinnamon and licorice. It was distracting.
“You saved my life,” he said.
“Smell more surprised. It makes me feel like an asshole.”
“I did not mean . . . I am sorry.”
“It’s fine. You’re fine. Everything is fine. Go have her check you for injuries, please.”
Vakar’s smell turned to green things. “She will be upset with me if I leave you here.”
“I’ll be upset if you don’t. Pick your poison.” When he didn’t move, she added, “Go.”
He stood, staring down at her. She closed her eyes, and his steps receded, along with his smell.
With impeccable timing, her scent translator finally processed that nagging licorice smell, and Eva suppressed a groan.
Pink was right about Vakar. About how he felt. Damn it.
Now Eva definitely had to figure out what to do about him, and none of the options were particularly appealing. Well, some were, but she shoved those away as fast as they presented themselves.
It’s fine, she thought. You’re going to ditch him, ditch all of them, so it doesn’t matter. You’ll both move on, problem solved, congratulations.
A quiet calm spread from her chest to the rest of her body, soothing her aches as much as her racing mind. She took a deep breath and slowly released it, then looked down.
“Get off my chest, please,” she said to the calico cat Min had christened Mala.
Hazel eyes stared back at her, half-lidded. A rumbling purr started up in the feline’s face, spreading quickly to her belly.
“I guess I can’t get up now,” Eva said. It was just as well; as long as she didn’t move, she could almost pretend she wasn’t going to be in a world of pain later.
She scratched Mala under the chin and bled on the floor of the cargo bay.
Chapter 9
We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Ship
Since Eva had no way to contact The Fridge, La Sirena Negra proceeded without the cargo to the drop point, a ship floating in the middle of the Cadrion system, which was attractively close to a Gate but had been essentially strip-mined of all useful elements thousands of years before any BOFA member race showed up. The science vessel was manned by a dozen humans wearing the same uniform as the ones back on that planet where she’d ditched Miles Erck. Just thinking of the little puke made her want to drink heavily. The scientists were mostly professional, but something about their demeanor made her twitchy—their eyes were a bit too bright, almost feverish, and they stood stiff as toy soldiers.
They also seemed strangely unconcerned about the lack of cargo, but at least this way she expected word would get back to whoever did care. And then she’d find out the price of her failure, and whether she could ever hope to pay it.
Glorious showed up again right when she climbed back onto her ship. How he kept finding them she didn’t know,
but it was one more aggravation she didn’t need. Min had to fly evasively for hours, blowing through fuel they could ill afford, while Vakar and Eva struggled to keep the shields and medical equipment working without sacrificing engine power.
By the time they finally reached the system’s Gate and escaped, they were running on fumes, their energy shields were flickering like nubby candles in a breeze, and Vakar was cursing almost as much as Eva. Her injured arm was bleeding again, and the burns on her back oozed through her bandages to stain her white shirt. Worse, Vakar smelled so much like a bonfire the entire time it gave her a headache, and Pink finally ordered him to stay in the engine compartment until he pulled himself together.
As Eva lay on her bed afterward, recovering from her wounds, a call from The Fridge came in on her private channel. She sat up carefully, one arm in a sling, and cultivated an air of professional remorse as the lights dimmed and the crackling holovid appeared.
“Failure is unacceptable,” the modulated voice said.
Eva stifled the urge to launch into sarcastic niceties. “The cargo was last in possession of a bounty hunter named Grissy,” she said calmly. “I’m sure someone can—”
“The cargo will be secured,” the voice said. “If your next mission is also a failure, there will be consequences.”
Before she could ask what they would be, the quality of the sound changed.
“Eva,” Mari said, her voice trembling. “Eva, please, please do what they say. They put me in a tank, and they got me back out to tell you . . .” She sobbed, and Eva closed her eyes, fighting to maintain her composure.
“They told me to tell you,” Mari repeated, “that if, if you mess up again, they’re sending me to the asteroid mines. That I’ll have to work there until you pay your debt.”
Eva took a deep breath. “I won’t let that happen,” she said. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”
“Eva, please—” The sound cut out again, and the modulated voice returned.
“Your next assignment will be sent presently. Apply yourself to the task, or your sister will suffer.”
The holovid went dead. Eva left the lights low, staring at her fish tank, the rush of bubbles along one side like a reminder to breathe.
Eva couldn’t let that happen to Mari. Wouldn’t. It was practically a death sentence, especially for her sweet, soft sister. Digging up Proarkhe bits was nothing like mining. Asteroid mines were hard labor. Long hours in spacesuits, rebreathing your own farts and drinking recycled piss. Handling dangerous equipment, including explosives. Digging deep into the sides of objects hurtling through space, hoping you didn’t get thrown clear into the black, hoping tunnel walls didn’t collapse and trap you until you died of dehydration or starvation.
Usually, the danger meant the job was done by robots, but there were always people desperate enough to work for less than the cost of a capable machine. And in The Fridge’s case, people who had even less of a choice.
Whatever this next assignment was, she had to get it done.
The message came in as she lay back down on the bed, blinking away tears of frustration and shame that threatened to escape her eyes.
PICKUP AT ATTACHED COORDINATES. TARGET IS DANGEROUS AND UNCOOPERATIVE. RECOMMEND AVOIDING DIRECT ENGAGEMENT. NONLETHAL FORCE REQUIRED.
That was ominous. But worse, it was exactly the kind of job she had no desire to do, especially not with her crew. It was bad enough she had put them in harm’s way so many times already; this was going after someone who was “dangerous and uncooperative.” Not to mention that if she was nabbing a person, she could guess what The Fridge wanted them for, and it wasn’t remotely good.
She had to figure out an alternate job for her crew at the same location, something that would mean leaving them on the ship. And then she’d have to take down this target herself, get them on board, and deliver them to the drop point without anyone noticing.
Yeah, that all sounded really stupid, even in her head. There had to be a better way.
The attached coordinates made her groan. The holopic of the target made her groan louder.
I’m going to need a bigger ship, she thought.
Eva and Vakar walked across the broad tarmac of her father’s used spaceship lot on New Nogales, a human settlement in the Cruz System that had been established for long enough to lose its charm along with many of its residents. The ships on display were spread out so as not to crowd each other, and ranged from little one-seater moon jumpers all the way up to a midsize merchant vessel for twenty crew. The bigger ones were in orbit, of course; asteroid wranglers, deep space explorers complete with miniature biospheres, maybe even a colony transport, depending on the current futures trade.
Eva remembered when she had last set foot here, stood in almost the same spot and seen La Sirena Negra for the first time. God, she’d loved it. Even the knowledge that it was her father’s way of getting rid of her didn’t dampen her enthusiasm. Hard to believe it had been seven years.
“Strange that we received two jobs that had to be completed at the same time,” Vakar said.
“Yeah, shitty coincidence,” Eva replied, glad her own body smells didn’t give away her feelings the way Vakar’s did. “But the retainer one has to get done, and you know, we can always use the extra creds.” She scratched at the scab on her neck, wondering whether it would ever heal. Vakar smelled like the air just before heavy rain.
They passed through a pair of glass doors and a soft alarm began to sound. A trio of subtly armed and armored truateg guards appeared from different sides of the room, each looking relaxed but decidedly alert. No offense, they seemed to say with their bright eyes and wet noses, but we’ll be on your ass in a heartbeat if you try anything.
The room was broad and high-ceilinged, intended to accommodate a wide range of sizes and tastes while attempting to offend none. The walls were painted with subtle shades that looked different depending on what range of visible light one’s eyes could see. Scent patterns also shifted in the air, so delicate as to be hardly discernible, and Eva knew there were nullifiers hidden in strategic areas to account for the people with particularly sensitive olfactory organs. The light installation on the ceiling was meant to mimic being underwater, and it had always fascinated her while simultaneously making her slightly nauseated. Different kinds of tables and desks were arranged in apparently random configurations throughout the room, as were holographic displays of ships that changed based on input culled from commlinks. Not entirely legal, that, but difficult to prove.
A slick-suited annae hovered over to them, their branches curled delicately behind their trunk. “Welcome, valuable customers,” they said, inclining their mawed head. “My name is Fjorsl and I am proud to serve you. You have no doubt heard of our excellent reputation, and may I congratulate you on your wisdom in patronizing our dealership.”
Eva stepped forward, raising one shoulder in a nervous tic. “I’m here to see Pete.”
Fjorsl’s teeth flexed outward. “Mr. Larsen is with other customers at present, but he will no doubt be delighted to assist you in the culmination of your transaction without delay. Perhaps there is something I may—”
“Stand down, papo,” she said. “I’m sure Pete will be out in a minute. He probably already knows I’m here.” She began to walk toward the staircase to the second floor of the building.
“I’m dreadfully sorry, but you cannot go up there,” Fjorsl said. They uncurled their branches from behind their back and gestured at the truateg, who began to close in casually.
Vakar backed up to Eva. “I thought you knew this person,” he whispered over his shoulder.
“I do,” she said. “Coño, take a chill pill and relax.”
The annae planted their feet and began to grow. Within a few seconds, they were a head taller than Vakar. The truateg were almost on them.
“Of all the stupid—” Eva said. She put her fingers in her mouth and whistled, this time a trill like the call of a bird. The truateg froze, rockin
g backward on their haunches and letting their tongues loll out of their mouths.
Fjorsl grew another half meter. “This is all highly irregular.”
A pair of double doors flew open upstairs and a man stepped out. He was tall by human standards, broad-shouldered, with salt-and-pepper hair and a build like a luchador. His brown eyes locked onto Eva’s, but his smile didn’t reach them.
“Bee Alvarez, great to see you,” he said, all honey.
“Pete, always a pleasure,” she said. “Sorry for the fuss, but we’re in a bit of a rush.”
“Anything for my most loyal customer.” He turned away as two women in business suits stepped out of the room behind him, twitching as only adrenaline-enhanced humans did. “Ladies, thank you so much for coming, and I’m sure that ship will meet your needs perfectly. Fjorsl will escort you to the vessel and ensure that you depart safely.”
At the mention of their name, the annae shrank a few centimeters, though their head remained the same size. “I would be delighted to attend to their every whim.”
“You bet,” Pete said. He bowed to the women, and they inclined their heads in return. “You take care, now. And don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything else.”
The women descended the stairs in unison, each with one hand on the banister. The look they gave Eva said suspicion, curiosity and maybe a hint of threat. They each had one cybernetic eye, pale blue where their other eyes were darker, and their skin was light as protein powder.
Eva coolly ignored them, waiting until they were leaving with Fjorsl before she began to ascend the staircase again. Vakar followed her up, taking measured steps while smelling of ozone and incense.
“Come in, please,” Pete said with a gesture. “Will your associate be joining us?”
She sighed and turned to Vakar. “Wait out here. This shouldn’t take long.”
Chilling Effect_A Novel Page 13
