The Star Thief

by Jamie Grey

  Pain bit into the palms of her hands. She looked down to crescent-shaped marks embedded into the skin where her nails had nearly broken through. She glanced over at the exit. If she was smart, she’d get the hell out of here right now before she got sucked in any further.

  Renna rose to her feet. She couldn’t afford to get involved with a man like Finn. He stood for everything she’d fought against: law, order, blindly following the rules.

  But instead of leaving the hospital, her feet took her into Finn’s room.

  One of the nurses adjusted the Temifen IV and ran a small machine up and down Finn’s body. “Vitals stable. He should be coming out of the anesthesia momentarily.” The drone by her head flashed a bright light across the bed, and Finn blinked.

  The latest surgery drugs used ultraviolet light as a catalyst to remove the medication immediately from the system, instead of leaving the patient groggy and confused. Most of the time, the patients were completely awake and normal within minutes.

  “How are you feeling, Captain?” the nurse asked, hovering over him.

  He blinked again and licked his lips. “Better than I expected.” His voice was hoarse, but there was still a hint of humor there.

  “We have you on some pain medication for now, but the surgery was successful and you’ll make a full recovery. The facial swelling and bruising should be gone by tomorrow.” She patted Finn’s shoulder. “Try to get some rest now.” The nurse bustled out of the room, leaving Renna standing awkwardly near the door.

  Across the room, Finn’s gaze met hers. “You’re still here?”

  His blue eyes were the right color again.

  Renna smiled. “Where else would I be?”

  “I don’t know. Halfway to some garden planet? I wouldn’t blame you.”

  “That hurts, Captain,” she teased. But inside, guilt snaked around her heart. How had he guessed the truth?

  Finn’s head fell back onto his pillows, and he closed his eyes briefly against the movement. “I’m glad Dallas was right about you. We never would have gotten out of there without you.” He took a few seconds to catch his breath, then asked, “What happened? I don’t remember much after the beating.”

  She pulled up a stool and sat beside his bed, her mind whirling. Did he not remember their kiss? Or the stories they’d exchanged?

  She didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

  Some emotion must have flitted across her face because Finn raised his eyebrow. “Did I do something embarrassing?”

  “No, not at all. We managed to subdue our guards, find the security room, and escape the facility. It was all very exciting.”

  “I get bits and pieces of memories, but it’s all kind of blurry. Hopefully it’ll come back soon.” He sighed and gingerly touched his swollen face. “We do not have time for me to be laid up like this.”

  “You’ll be better soon. I’m working on a few leads right now myself, so hopefully by the time you’re back on the Athena, we’ll have a plan.”

  “I think I remember robots,” he said with a frown. “Was that real?”

  She nodded. “And we discovered they were making some sort of drug there. I have a contact analyzing it now. Hopefully it’ll help us figure out who owns the place and what it is they’re doing.”

  “Thank you.” Though Finn was still slightly groggy from the drugs, she’d swear there was something else there behind his eyes. Friendship perhaps? “Seems I owe you another apology—and my life.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.” Renna got to her feet. “You need to get some rest. I already contacted the MYTH office on this planet like you said, but we still haven’t heard back from them. Hopefully they’ll find us soon.”

  “We’ve already found you.” A thin man with gray hair strode into the room. Even though he wore brown pants and a button-down shirt, he carried himself like a soldier. Like Dallas had.

  Finn struggled to sit up. “Major Larson.”

  “At ease, Captain.” Larson shut the door behind him, then approached Finn’s bed. “We received the Athena’s transmission several hours ago but had to verify the electronic signature. I’m sorry it took so long. With the destruction of the Hesperia branch, we’ve been cut off from a lot of our operatives.”

  “I understand, sir. I wasn’t in a position to question the delay.”

  “I see that. Miss Carrizal will fill me in on the latest mission report. I think you should focus on getting some rest.”

  Her gaze snapped to the major’s, and he gave her a ghost of a smile. She wasn’t military, and she certainly wasn’t MYTH. Why wouldn’t he ask for a debrief from Keva?

  Finn shook his head. “I’d like to be present, sir. It was my mission after all.”

  “Permission denied. I’ve already lost too many good men this month. You need to focus on getting better. Miss Carrizal will be fine with me, I promise.”

  Finn frowned at both of them, but didn’t say anything.

  Major Larson nodded. “We’ll debrief tomorrow. Goodnight, Captain.” He turned to Renna. “Shall we?”

  She followed him from the room, glancing back at Finn at the last moment. He was gritting his teeth so hard she could almost hear it from the door.

  “I took the liberty of requesting a conference room here, Miss Carrizal,” the major said, opening a door down the hall. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t trust you with the location of our headquarters yet.”

  “Why should you? I just saved the lives of your entire team.” Her tone was unexpectedly bitter as she took a seat at the small conference table. Damn Finn and damn her stupid feelings for him.

  “I am very aware of your contributions, Miss Carrizal. I am also very aware of the company you keep.”

  Of course. They’d seen her with Viktis. She’d been so busy following him she hadn’t even given a thought someone might be following her.

  “Viktis has agreed to help us track down the boy. Since he was the last to see Myka, I thought it was a good idea to use him.”

  “Very resourceful. I just want to make sure you don’t decide to join him once the boy is found.” The major sat across the table from her and regarded her with a cool expression. “I’m familiar with your work, Renna. I must say you’ve had some very impressive jobs in your past. MYTH can definitely use someone of your skill level.”

  “That’s what Major Dallas said when he…convinced me to join this mission.”

  “Erik was a smart man. I’m glad to see you took his conversation seriously. Now, tell me what happened at the facility. We’ve had three surveillance teams on that place for months, and no one has been able to crack it.”

  Renna gave him the bare bones of what had happened, leaving out the kiss with Finn. She figured the robot army was bad enough.

  “So what are your next steps?” Larson asked.

  “I was hoping you could tell us,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “Do you have any intel on the boy? Or who the facility might belong to? It feels like we’ve reached a dead end.”

  She could play this game as well as he could.

  Larson shook his head. “Not at this time. We have reports of an attack on Chasa Nine and have sent a team to investigate.”

  She frowned. Chasa was close. She’d assumed the attacks were related to the kid, but if they had Myka already, what else were they looking for? “Why that planet?”

  “Right now we have nothing besides a small clay manufacturing facility. It’s barely a blip on the black market radar.”

  “So what do you want me to do?” Renna shrugged. “I’m not MYTH. I don’t have any resources.”

  “I want you to keep digging for who created the robots you found at the facility and how those drugs are connected. And because you’re not MYTH, you can do it without anyone the wiser. We need your skills, Renna. And when your friend uncovers whatever it is you sent him to find, we’ll let you do what you need to. Just keep Captain Finn out of it. He’s one of our best. I need him to stay that way.�
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  “You think I’m going to corrupt him? Or recruit him to be a pirate like Viktis?” She shook her head with a chuckle. “I promise you’re safe there. Finn’s one hundred percent military. He’d never do that. But thanks for suggesting I’m that talented.”

  “I don’t think it—I know it. You forget we’ve been following you.”

  She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. “Right. Then let me ask you a question. Dallas offered me a deal if I did this job. Are you going to make good on it when this is all over?”

  “Dallas had permission from the highest level of our organization to bring you on board. We will honor your agreement with him.” Larson shifted in his chair. “Do you intend to honor your agreement?”

  And there was the question. The chains of responsibility tightened across her chest until she couldn’t breathe.

  “Miss Carrizal?”

  “Yes, I intend to honor my agreement.” The words felt like stones falling from her lips, each one heavier than the next. Tying her to these people. And yet there was a part of her that seemed lighter somehow, knowing she’d be part of the team a little longer. Knowing she’d be around Finn.

  Larson got to his feet. “I’m glad to hear it. Now go get some rest, you look like you could use it. I’ll check in on Captain Finn tomorrow. The doctors say he’ll be ready for duty again in two or three days. We’ll hold a debrief with the rest of the crew then.”

  “Yes, sir.” She resisted the urge to salute as Larson left the room. If she wasn’t careful, she’d end up thinking she actually was one of these people.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Viktis found her a few hours later in the same bar where she’d first spotted him. He pulled up a chair at her table and plunked down two beers. “You look like shit. I thought you were going to go get some sleep.”

  “Why does everyone keep asking me that?” She rubbed her gritty eyes and glared at him.

  “Never mind. Forget I said anything.” Viktis’s expression turned smug. “Wall found something interesting in those drugs you gave him.”

  “He’s done already?”

  “Told you he was good.” Viktis took a sip of his beer, as if he knew the delay would whet her appetite. At this point she didn’t care. She needed some good news for a change.

  “What did he find?”

  “He’s never seen the chemical compounds before. Doesn’t know what they’re supposed to do. But the base material is clay. Someone is using the drug as a carrier.”

  “So clay and…”

  “That’s the interesting part. It’s a mixture of elements Wall’s never seen. It’s got a structure similar to the voidonite used in developing implants, but there’s an added component he can’t identify.” Viktis scanned the room before dropping his voice. “He thinks it could be some sort of anti-rejection drug. Like the old kind humans used to use back in the twentieth century. From what he can tell, it’s a cytotoxin that seems to lower the immune system and allow this new chemical to integrate into the nervous system.”

  Renna stared down into her beer. The mercs at the facility all had had implants. Could this drug be an experimental new development to make the tech better?

  “Does he have any idea where the new mineral comes from?” she asked.

  “Only a few planets even contain the trace chemical. Banos Prime, Lenue, and Vall. A few others.”

  Her fingers tightened around the glass as something pinged in her memory. The feeling was gone a moment later. But it was certainly convenient some of those were the same planets that had been attacked.

  “What? I recognize that look. You know something.” Viktis leaned forward to stare at her.

  Renna wished the Ileth were as easy to read as humans, but their angular facial structure made their expressions inscrutable most of the time. Could she trust him? Viktis always had his own agenda. As soon as it didn’t line up with hers, she’d need to watch her back.

  She chose her words carefully. “The people I’m working for who want to find the boy? They’re also investigating attacks on certain planets. Some of which—if you’re right—are the same as where this chemical is found. We need to figure out how the two are connected.”

  Viktis ran a hand over the bone plates on his skull. “Interesting. I bet this information would be worth a lot to them.”

  “I’m sure it will. Too bad I’m not charging them for it.” She narrowed her eyes. “I work for them now, remember?”

  “Right. Renna’s on the straight and narrow. An era has ended in this part of the traverse.”

  “And you’ll be more than happy to step in and take my place?”

  “Of course. I may not be as pretty as you, but I do have exceptional…skills.” The smirk twisting his lips left her in no doubt of the innuendo. “How about we go back to my place and I can fill you in on what I’ve learned? I promise it’ll be even better than last time.” His voice dropped to a rough growl.

  For a split second, she wanted to take him up on his offer. Viktis was safe. She wouldn’t have to worry about her heart with him. And a little stress release was exactly what she needed. The things he could do with those clever fingers…

  She squirmed in her seat and shook the thought away. She’d gone down that road once already. Then he’d tried to kill her.

  Besides, it wasn’t Viktis that her body desperately craved. And she damn well knew it.

  She smiled reluctantly. “I think I’m better off getting some of that sleep you all keep telling me I need. But thanks for the offer. Catch up with you tomorrow? We can pay a visit to Wall.”

  Disappointment flashed across Viktis’ face, but he nodded. “Want me to walk you back to the ship?”

  “Nah, I’m fine.” She stood up and cracked her knuckles. “I’m itching for a fight. I hope some fool decides a woman is easy prey.”

  Viktis chuckled. “I feel sorry for anyone who gets on your bad side. Have a good night, love.”

  Renna walked through the darkened city, inhaling cool air scented with metal and sand. Bright helolights shone down from the buildings, illuminating spots on the sidewalk, casting shadows outside the circle of light. The streets were still full of people bustling past on their way home or to the nightclubs serving as entertainment on this planet. Hover cars sped through the sky, beeping and swerving to avoid traffic. This spaceport was a backwater hellhole, but even here, the march of technology moved on. She’d spotted three new Starzales already, and they’d only been on the market for six months.

  Was she an idiot for turning down Viktis? Even if it slipped into something past one night, she already knew what life would be like with him—full of adventure, good jobs. It would be so easy to slip back into that, to postpone her retirement. She wasn’t really the type to lounge on a beach anyway.

  Renna sighed and shoved her hands into her pockets. She knew this urge, knew exactly what it was; she was running again. She did it every time things got too complicated. And this situation with Myka and Finn and MYTH was pretty much the definition of complicated.

  What the hell was she going to do about Finn?

  When she was a kid, he’d been an unattainable crush. The four-year age difference had been a chasm between them, even when she was sixteen and he was twenty. And then he’d died, and she’d buried all those feelings, as well as her desire to trust. His abandonment had been the last straw after a lifetime of other rejections.

  She’d kept a tight rein on her heart since then, but now, here she was with a team behind her. With Finn at her side. And she hated to admit it, but it felt good. She’d been strong on her own, had loved the freedom. But it was exhausting, always having to watch her back, waiting for the next up-and-comer to come gunning for her.

  A gust of wind blew a loose piece of paper down the street, bringing the smell of starfuel and exhaust from the traffic lanes. Her hair whipped around her face, and she pushed it behind her ears. Could she give up everything she’d worked for to be part of this team?

&
nbsp; The Athena was docked at one of the landing bays nearest the city center. MYTH status would do that for you. She blinked in the bright helolights as she entered the hangar and made for the ship. The facility was clean and well-lit, with mechanics and security both on staff twenty-four hours a day. Quite a bit different from the seedy ports she was used to using.

  Renna pressed her hand to the scanner at the door of the ship and the automated voice responded, “Welcome, Renna Carrizal. Please enter your security code.”

  She typed in her code, and the door slid open with a swoosh.

  Most of the CIC deck was empty, just a few techs still manning the computers or performing last-minute checks. She ignored them as she made her way down to her cabin. All she wanted was a shower and bed. In that order.

  Keva appeared instantly in her doorway as Renna passed. “Renna! How’s the captain?”

  Had the woman been waiting for her all this time? “He’s doing well. Doc says he could be back onboard in a couple of days.”

  Relief flooded the woman’s features, and Renna wondered again about Keva’s feelings for her boss. A sudden twinge of sympathy flooded through her. The man was easy to lust after, despite being infuriating. And Keva was exactly the type of woman he needed in this life. Honorable. Trustworthy. Someone who followed orders. Maybe it would be better for everyone if she left now. Before anyone else got hurt.

  Before she got hurt.

  Keva smiled. “That’s such great news. I’ll have to go check on him first thing in the morning.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.” Renna stifled a yawn behind her hand. “Night, Lieutenant.”

  “Goodnight, Renna.”

  Sergeant Gheewala stopped Renna before she could leave the ship the next morning. The woman twitched even more than usual, her eyes darting round the command center before pulling Renna into an empty navigation pod.

  “What’s going on, Sergeant?” Renna asked.

  “I’ve been hearing things.”

  From anyone else, Renna might have laughed, but from Gheewala, that meant trouble.