“What’s your name, anyway?” Captain Sakai asked him. Now that they weren’t performing, the heavy pirate slang had subsided.
He bowed with a flourish and a wince. “Captain Orlando Baldessare of the Leporidae, at your service.”
“Ha, I knew it.” They held out a hand, and with a grumble, one of the buasyr in their crew forked over a credit chit.
“I think I’ve heard of you,” Eva said. “Didn’t you try to kidnap the leader of the White Falcons?”
“Oh, I kidnapped her,” he said, smiling. His teeth were sharp as daggers. “We had a lovely picnic on the third moon of Ocliri and then I returned her. In my defense, I thought she was someone else.”
“I heard you played cards with the first and second lieutenants of the Charguard and they had to drink poisoned Dokloot Horrors when they lost,” Captain Sakai said.
He rolled his head. “That was embarrassing. The second lieutenant tried to back out and the first lieutenant shot him. Raised her glass to me and took it in one gulp. Hell of a woman.”
The stories continued, each more far-fetched than the last, but Captain Baldessare kept confirming them with an easy grin, the scars on his face almost winking. Finally, he demurred.
“You must have your own stories, Captain Sakai,” he said. “How long have you been robbing pleasure ships with your crew here?”
“Ah, me, a few years now, I’d say,” they said, scratching their inner thigh. “Got the commission from my mum when she retired. Staari and Jaraari were already on the crew”—they gestured at the buasyr, who were apparently twins—“and I picked up Natsis on a station over in Ophiuchi.” The kartian rubbed her small front arms together as she lay on a couch, one eyestalk scrunched down into her head while the other two scanned different sides of the room.
“Where’d you get a bot?” Eva asked.
“Gotto? Now that’s a tale. We had docked on NS-386 for emergency repairs—”
Eva let herself be lulled into relaxing by the rhythmic voice of the human captain. Vakar sat on the ground next to her, and she put a hand on his head and idly rubbed his ridges. She was rewarded with the smell of licorice, and smiled even as she wondered how the ever-loving fuck they were going to get out of there.
The other two crew members were the truateg, Tubs, and the tiny blue pizkee, who apparently didn’t have a name but whom everyone called Zaza.
“What about you two?” Captain Baldessare said, pale hair tendrils haloed in gold in the buttery light.
Eva contemplated lying, because she assumed their conversation was being recorded, but the quennians already knew who she was, so there was no point. “Captain Eva Innocente,” she said. “Legendary smuggler.”
Vakar made an amused rumbling sound as the rest of the assembled prisoners stared at Eva.
“Huh,” Captain Sakai said. “Never heard of you, mate.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Captain Baldessare said.
“I don’t like to brag,” Eva said.
“No one’s bragging here.” Captain Sakai hugged one knee, the other leg dangling. “Not bragging if it’s true.”
“You’re the one calling herself legendary,” Captain Baldessare added.
“It was a joke,” Eva muttered.
Captain Sakai pointed at Vakar. “This your pet, then? How’d you two end up together, like?”
“He’s not a pet,” Eva said. “He’s my engineer.”
“You’re certainly stroking him like a pet.” Captain Baldessare grinned again.
Eva’s hand froze. Keeping her face neutral, she leaned backward and crossed her arms, much as she wanted to break a few of the kloshian’s pointed teeth.
“How’d you even get dragged into the big show upstairs?” Captain Sakai asked. “You’re dressed like a posh, but they’ve got you snuggled up here with us?”
“I don’t want to bore you.” Eva ignored their polite but decidedly half-hearted protests, and soon enough they were swapping more stories of their many misadventures.
Vakar stood and stretched. “So, how are we getting out of here?”
“I’m thinking some kind of elaborate plan involving a sharpened candle and a body bag.” She pinged him, ((Escape pod.))
He pinged back, ((How?))
((Careful timing.)) But before she could continue, Second Squad Leader Laetia Proculus san Aridonis marched up to the transparent wall and gave them all the stink eye.
“Captain Sakai,” she said. “You and your crew are free to go, with our thanks for your efforts in repelling the kidnapping and the mercenary attack.”
The captain bounced to their feet and stretched, their miniskirt inching up to give a generous view of their thighs. “Come on, mates, we got us a schedule to keep. Them ships aren’t gonna rob themselves.”
Laetia shook her head in annoyance. “Captain Orlando Baldessare, despite your initial actions, we have determined that you ultimately saved the life of Raya’il of the Radiant Blessings, for which they are exceedingly grateful. You may visit them in their cabin if you desire, where they have agreed to grant you a private concert.”
Captain Baldessare shrugged, scars twisting into a smile. “Alas, it’s no fun that way. Perhaps some other time.”
What a cabrón creeper, Eva thought.
Captain Sakai strolled up to Baldessare and gave him a punch in the shoulder. “Look me up sometime, like. Or maybe I’ll be the one kidnapping you.”
Baldessare pulled a coin out of their ear and slipped it into the pocket of their coat. “I’d love to see you try.”
Eva smelled Vakar’s silent laughter. What a goddamn pair those two were.
“Captain Eva Innocente,” Laetia said. “And Vakar Tremonis san Jaigodaris. Come with me.”
The other captains and crew eyed them incredulously.
“What you want them for?” Captain Sakai asked.
“That’s classified,” Laetia replied. The wall opened and she jerked her head in the direction of the exit.
“Wait, did you say your name was Innocente?” Baldessare said. “Don’t the gmaarg have a bounty on you?”
“Isn’t Innocente the one who got Omicron blown up?” Captain Sakai added. “Armida said she’d kill you if—”
“She made it? Good for her.” Vakar stood first and helped her up. “I hope she still smells like burned fart.”
“My cousin Grissy tried to roast you on Futis,” Natsis hissed, rubbing her front hands together. “She lost another leg when you blasted off right over her head.”
“In fairness, your cousin was attempting to kill me,” Vakar said.
“It was her principal leg.” The kartian raised and lowered her eyestalks. “I thought you’d be taller.”
“I thought you’d be prettier,” Captain Baldessare said.
“I thought you’d be smarter,” Captain Sakai said.
“Being legendary is fucking garbage,” Eva said as she followed the squad leader out.
The furniture in the conference room was real, as was the food placed just out of Eva’s reach on the table. The buffet selection for humans was as small as the list of human passengers, and apparently none of those items had made it down here to the brig. Vakar politely abstained, though she could smell that he wanted to dig in. She was about to tell him to go ahead when another door opened and Pholise stepped in, the door sliding shut behind them. Laetia glared at everyone equally.
“This is an awkward position you have put me in, Captain,” Pholise said in their whispery voice, taking a seat.
“Yeah, well,” Eva replied. “I was trying to be sneaky, but then the fun started.”
Laetia leaned on the table. “We reviewed the security footage and took testimony from a few witnesses. You clearly instigated the initial counterattack—”
“Not on purpose—”
“—which gave us the time we needed to get into position before more hostages were killed, even if it did force our hand. And you eliminated a number of the mercenaries personally.”
Eva paused.
“Yes, I did do that.” Maybe they weren’t as screwed as she thought.
Laetia began to pace. “The question is, why? You were attempting to reach our honored guest, but your motivations elude us. You told their guard you wanted to rescue them. From the mercenaries or someone else? How did you know there would be an attack?”
“That’s a lot of questions,” Eva said. “Wanna run them by me again? Maybe in order of importance?”
The second squad leader stopped pacing and stood behind Vakar, gripping the back of his chair. “You. Tremonis. Why aren’t you with your unit?”
His smell sharpened in a way Eva found vaguely nauseating, and one aroma overrode a riot of others.
Shame.
Eva assumed whatever it was, Laetia would find out eventually. She’d done enough digging to know Vakar wasn’t a criminal, but quennian archives weren’t wide open to any old human with a pilot who was also an accomplished hacker. He had never wanted to talk about his past, and now didn’t feel like the time to start. Not here, at least, and not like this.
“I didn’t know there would be an attack,” Eva interjected. “I was just trying to talk to Pholise about something personal. Nothing to do with your embargo stuff.”
Laetia released Vakar’s chair and he couldn’t stop himself from smelling relieved. She stepped over to Eva and spun her chair around. “Keep talking,” she said.
“That’s it, really.” Eva pursed her lips. “We scrounged up tickets to get on board, figured we might run into them at the opera, and bam. Arroz con mango. I was trying to sneak out when the merc got frisky, so I defended myself and now here we are.”
“Here you are indeed.” Laetia’s palps twitched. “I am not permitted to interrogate the honored guest, who has diplomatic immunity. But you were quite keen to reach them, so here they are. Your reward, for your assistance.”
Eva raised her eyebrows. “What, just like that? Talk to them right now, in front of you?”
Laetia shook her head in that weird quennian approximation of a shrug. “I can continue to question your crewmate instead. I am quite interested to know why some of his records are sealed, for one thing.”
Maybe Min should have dug a little deeper. But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. She glanced at Vakar, who continued to smell like a secret blend of unpleasant herbs and spices.
Okay, she was worried.
She forced herself to turn her attention to the tuann. This was going to be fun. How to ask questions and get usable answers without incriminating Pholise somehow?
“So,” Eva said.
Pholise said nothing.
“Are you okay? You were unconscious.”
“All injuries to my person have been adequately addressed.”
“Good, good.” She stared at all the food she couldn’t eat. This plan was supposed to be easy. Safe. Stupid mercs.
“I’m trying to locate a mutual acquaintance,” Eva said finally. She didn’t mention that Pholise was her only lead.
“That is curious,” said Pholise.
“You know the one I mean?”
“Not many of our acquaintances are shared, Captain.”
“Any information you can provide would be very much appreciated.”
Pholise’s head ruff flared slightly. “Assistance in this matter cannot reasonably be offered, Captain.”
“You’re sure? You can’t tell me anything?”
“My certainty is absolute.” They seemed to wilt a little into the chair, as if sorry, or ashamed.
“Great,” Eva muttered, her hands balling into fists. That was a lot of work for not a cabrón thing. “I guess that’s it, then.”
Laetia’s palps twitched. “You have nothing else to ask? You risked your lives for this audience and this is the result?”
Thanks for rubbing it in, Eva thought. “I could ask them about the weather, but we’re in space. What are you going to do with us now?”
Laetia’s smell barely concealed disappointment. “I could detain you and turn you in to the authorities when we reach our destination. Your criminal record on Nuvesta is a compelling argument for this. However, given the delicate nature of negotiations, your very presence on this ship could constitute a treaty breach.”
“You could let me hail my ship and I’ll be out of your hair in a few hours,” Eva said.
“I hardly think releasing a criminal on their own recognizance would be considered reasonable by any metric.”
“Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
“My other option, while arguably less salient, is—”
“I’ll take that one, whatever it is.”
Laetia’s palps twitched, and Eva immediately regretted her decision. Laetia’s smell said “too old for this shit” in a language that Eva probably would have recognized even without translators.
“Take these two back to the brig,” Laetia said. “Someone will be along to collect them shortly.”
“Who?” Eva asked. The only people who should have known she was here were her crew and . . .
Tito. Mierda, mojón y porquería. She had a bad feeling about this.
Neither she nor Vakar said a word as they walked back to their cell. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to hijack an escape pod, to do anything but march meekly back to whatever—or whoever—awaited them.
As soon as the containment wall shimmered back into place, footsteps signaled the answer to her most pressing question. She took a seat and stared at the floor, as if ignoring the problem might make it go away.
“Beni, Beni, long time no see,” said a faintly accented voice.
Enter the white teeth and perfect tan of one Tito Santiago, alias too many names for her to remember. The ones she knew were probably aliases, too, but this was the most popular one.
“Tito,” she said. A tiny bud of hope sprouted in her chest, but she stomped on it. “I don’t suppose you’re here to escort us back to La Sirena Negra?”
“Ay, mija, you know I don’t run a skycab service,” he replied, clasping his hands behind his back. “You’ve become quite the hot commodity.”
“And you’re a giant comemierda,” Eva replied through gritted teeth. “Was this a setup from the start, or did you get lucky?”
“That will have to be one of life’s little mysteries, won’t it?” He practically sashayed forward, grinning like a cat in a dairy. “You and me, we have a date with some very wealthy people.”
“I didn’t know you’d gone merc.”
“I didn’t know you went vigilante.” He wagged a finger at her. “There’s rules, and then there’s rules, Benita. You break the wrong ones, and they break you back.”
“I can think of a few things I would enjoy breaking,” Vakar muttered.
“Sexy,” Tito said. “Your smart mouth is rubbing off on your boyfriend here, Beni.”
“How’s your boyfriend, Tito?” she retorted. “He know you’re into kidnapping now?”
“Nope, and he never will. Now get up, and let’s go.”
She had to get away from him before he brought her to his ship, or she’d be screwed. Escaping planetside was one thing; space had fewer places to hide, and a lot less air to breathe. Then again, Vakar did have his isosphere . . .
“Where we going, hmm?” she asked. “You can tell me that much.”
“Nope.”
“Come on, just tell me if you’re unloading me here or somewhere else.”
He laughed, the kind of laugh he always had when he knew something she didn’t. Eva hated that laugh. “Okay, fine, you win. Bring it in, boys.”
A pair of humans walked in, guiding a large floating container about three meters long by one meter wide. It took some maneuvering to move it over to the cell, by which time Eva had figured out what it was. Her skin went hot and cold all at once, but she didn’t flinch. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
“Ta-da!” Tito said, gesturing at the stasis pod like it was a present just for her. “Now get in, or I’ll have one of my
people knock you out first. Then you’ll wake up from cryo with quite the headache, which, mira, I can tell you from experience, no vale la pena.”
She stared at him, then back at the pod, then let out a long breath, slowly. This was it, then. She wouldn’t be able to rescue Mari, and she certainly wasn’t going to wage some epic campaign against The Fridge. When she woke up, she’d be part of a fish-faced asshole’s fuck squad, whatever that entailed. With any luck, she would eventually escape and make her way back to her people again. Otherwise, she could look forward to a shitty life or a quick death.
“What about Vakar?” she said. “And the rest of my crew?”
Tito pursed his lips. “Don’t care. I’m assuming they get La Sirena Negra if anything happens to you, and I heard this guy is getting shipped off somewhere else.”
“Where?” Eva asked sharply.
Vakar smelled ashamed again. “I believe I know.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Eva was standing now, hands clenched at her sides. The harder she stared at Vakar, the worse he smelled, and he wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Will you be okay?”
“I am not entirely certain.” He smelled afraid, tired, but also strangely relieved. She knew that feeling from her time on Nuvesta, and the idea that he might be reconciling himself to something terrible—
“As much as I’d love to hear all about it, I’ve got a schedule to keep,” Tito said. He gestured at one of the quennian guards, who opened the cell even as she kept a weapon trained on Eva and Vakar. The other crew member grabbed Eva by the arm and hauled her over to the pod.
“No,” Vakar said, stepping forward. The guard’s weapon hummed a warning as her finger moved to the trigger.
“Don’t get shot, idiot,” Eva said. “We can’t fight our way out of here. Not this time.” Not against Tito, who had taught her everything she knew about fighting, and no doubt knew more he kept in reserve.
Tito tapped at the console, keeping one eye on her. “I have to admit, I expected you to try. Fighting, I mean. After that locura on Garilia—”
“I am,” she said, “so fucking tired of hearing about that.”
“Should have thought about that before you did what you did. You ever hear how it all turned out?”
Chilling Effect_A Novel Page 23
