The Star Thief

by Jamie Grey

  “They’re supposed to be. But there’s an interesting mechanical signature some of their machinery uses. The same signature of the Athena here.”

  “You had Gheewala track the signatures.” It wasn’t a question. Dammit. Why hadn’t she thought of that? They might have learned about this days ago. The blame she’d felt toward Aldani faded, replaced by the sting of self-hatred. “But what does this mean?” she asked.

  Viktis smiled slowly and crossed his arms. The damn Ileth was enjoying himself way too much. “I had her go back several years and search for each of the MYTH signatures in this quadrant of the galaxy. The first attack was on Banos Prime three years ago, the one that killed the kid’s parents. It destroyed the MYTH research station there, but not before, I assume, the drug formula was intercepted. There was a gap in the attacks, but they started up again earlier this year. Each attack struck at one of the secret MYTH bases: Nath, Baeno, Hesperia, Lenue.” He paused, letting his gaze shift between Renna and Finn.

  Her whole body ached from her race through Lenue. Maybe her brain still wasn’t working quite right, but what Viktis said didn’t make any sense. “I don’t understand. Then how is Myka involved? Why go to such trouble to kidnap him? And then destroy the worlds he was being held on?”

  “Whoever is behind this is killing two birds with one stone. Isn’t that the human expression?” Viktis asked. “I think they’re eliminating MYTH strongholds and searching for Myka at the same time. Which begs the question. Where’s the leak?”

  Finn growled and turned away, his shoulders tense and hard as stone beneath his uniform. “There is no leak. Somehow the kid is leading them to MYTH. So we need to find out what’s so special about Myka before we can stop these people.”

  “And there’s only one person who can do that,” Renna said.

  After a long moment, Finn nodded. “Keva, patch us through to Aldani.”

  The lieutenant turned to her console, but after a moment of typing, she frowned. “I’m sorry, sir. It looks like enemy fire hit our long-range communicator.”

  “Dammit.” Finn slammed his hand down on the railing.

  “There’s still another option.” Renna let her eyes drift shut for a moment. “We have to go to Vall. Aldani said that’s where his ex-partner and his business are located. If what Aldani says is true, Draven Navang has been behind all of this from the start.”

  Viktis growled. “I knew I should never have taken a job from a corporate type. Industrial espionage, my ass.”

  Renna thought back to the business card she’d found in Viktis’s things when she’d drugged him. If only she’d done more research. Maybe she could have stopped Navang days ago. Yet another screw-up on an already messy job.

  “Too late for principles now, pirate,” Finn snapped. “If you hadn’t started all this…”

  “Someone else would have. You know how it works.”

  The two men glared at each other. Evidently she was going to have to play peacekeeper between them a little longer. “Hey! Save your pissing contest for a day when we don’t actually have to save the universe. Until then, pack it away. We have work to do.” When neither man relented, she ground out, “Right, Finn?”

  He stared at her for a moment before finally letting out a huff of air. “Keva, set course for Vall. It’s time to pay our esteemed doctor a visit.” He spun on his heels. “I’ll be in my quarters. I have some research of my own to do.” And without another word, he stalked away.

  “Moody, isn’t he?” Viktis asked. “Where should I put my stuff? Am I bunking with you, Renna, love?”

  “Hell no. Keva will find you a place to stay.”

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Keva’s voice came through the intercom, and Renna sat up in her bed. “Thirty minutes out from Vall. Prep for landing.” In two hours, maybe they’d have answers. Maybe they’d have Myka.

  And then what?

  Take the kid back to his uncle and start her new life? Stick around and see what happened with Finn? Disappear completely? She sighed and buried her hands in her hair. Why was everything so complicated? A month ago, she’d been all ready to retire. And then that one-last-job speech from Boyd had dragged her back into this life.

  Renna pushed away from her bed where she’d been trying to sleep and paced the room. Her whole body thrummed with tension. Not long ago, she would have gone to find Viktis in his bunk for a much-needed distraction. Now, her thoughts strayed to Finn. To the feel of his hands on her skin, to his scent wrapping around her.

  Stop it, Renna.

  Being with Finn had been nice. More than nice, if she was being completely honest with herself. But down that road lay heartbreak and bitterness. They were completely different people, and Finn wasn’t exactly a no-commitments kind of guy. She doubted he’d ever even heard the word “fling.”

  The only other option to work off her stress was the weight room. Not nearly as fun, but it would have to do.

  When she arrived at the shuttle bay weight room, she paused in the doorway. Finn had a thin T-shirt on, his shoulder and back muscles rippling as he used the pull-up bar in the corner. She stared for a moment, mesmerized by the movement.

  Gods, he was beautiful.

  But the lust that surged through her left her with no doubt. She had to get away. The last thing she needed was another confrontation with the man. She had no doubt he’d win.

  She turned to leave, and Finn’s voice came from the corner. “Renna. Don’t go.” He didn’t even turn around to talk to her.

  “How did you know I was here?” she asked.

  “I always know when you’re close.” He sighed and dropped from the bar, landing lightly on his feet. He wiped his hands on a towel from the stand beside him before turning to face her. “We need to talk.”

  Wasn’t she the one who usually delivered the it’s-not-you-it’s-me speech? “About what?” she asked, sinking down onto one of the benches.

  He swung a leg over, straddling the seat to face her. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

  “How about starting with what happened to you after I thought you died seven years ago?” Her tone was sharper than she’d intended. Evidently she hadn’t quite forgiven him for that yet.

  Finn nodded. “After I found proof of Blur’s activities, one of the Coalition agents on the case, Erik Dallas, convinced me I had to turn Blur and the gang in. He arranged for my death after I agreed to join the new organization he was forming.”

  His gaze drifted away over her head as he talked, like he was reliving the memory. “It seemed like the perfect way to start a new life. To become someone different. I thought everyone who knew my past was dead. Gone.” He sighed and brought his gaze back to hers. “A few weeks ago, Dallas came to me. Wanted to bring in a new option to help us retrieve Myka, since we’d been unsuccessful. A thief by the name of Renna Carrizal.”

  Finn raked a hand through his dark hair. “The world I’d built so carefully came crashing down around me. You couldn’t be the same Renna from my time with Blur. It wasn’t possible. But there you were, large as life on that parking deck and obviously very good at your job. I wanted to run you through with my sword right then and there.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, that was pretty obvious.”

  “I was furious. You were a part of the life I’d worked so hard to forget. And you were a threat to everything I stood for. I tried to convince Dallas to arrest you or send you away, but he wouldn’t listen. So I was determined to make you miserable. To make you feel as on edge as I did. Then you would laugh at something the kid said or smile at him, and even after all these years, I still recognized that girl I’d known. It killed me thinking you were part of Blur’s slavery business.”

  “I wish you would have asked me about it. You were always so stubborn.”

  “Guess some things never change, no matter how hard you try.”

  His shoulders drooped, and Renna wanted to touch his arm, to comfort him. Instead she clutched her hands in her lap and let him conti
nue.

  “So when you went off with Viktis…I don’t know what came over me. I was furious. But for some reason, I was also jealous. It didn’t make sense.” Finn stared down at the bench. Traced a finger across the worn plastic. “I expected to never see you again. Assumed that you’d run off with the merc and disappear. But when you came back, everything I thought about you shifted. And even before I knew the truth about you and Blur, I’d started to respect you.”

  Renna blinked at that. “You did?”

  Finn nodded. “I saw how good at your job you were, at how much pride you took in doing things well. You’re amazing at what you do, even if you don’t always do it the way I’d approve of. We’re lucky to have you here. I’m lucky to have you here. I would never have made it out of that facility without you.”

  She smirked. “You probably wouldn’t have gotten in without me either.”

  His face hardened into a grim expression. “That’s what I mean. I don’t want to do it without you. And that scares the hell out of me.”

  “I know the feeling.” It almost made it worse that Finn understood where she was coming from, that he was having the same conflict. “I had planned to sell my stuff, cash out my accounts, and change my name. I was going to retire to some tropical island and life on the beach. Alone.”

  “So what now?” he asked. Need and vulnerability warred in his expression. The silence stretched between them until it felt heavy and impenetrable.

  How she answered him could change everything. For both of them.

  Her mind flashed back to the series of men her mother had slept with. To the series of men Renna had slept with. The only difference was Renna had chosen her conquests, not had them chosen for her because they paid for her services.

  She curled her shoulders in, wrapping her arms around her waist as the tightness in her chest grew. She wasn’t her mother. Sometimes it was okay if life wasn’t entirely in her control. It was okay to trust people, even if they didn’t always live up to that trust.

  A shuddering breath shook her to her core. Dammit. This was more terrifying than finishing her first job.

  Finally, she raised her eyes to look at Finn. “You’re not the only one it scares the hell out of. But then I remember that the best jobs always freak me out before I start.”

  “I know that feeling. It’s the same one I get before starting a new mission. You just have to hold your breath and jump in.”

  She nodded. “Sometimes fear is good for you. It makes you sharper. More alert. It makes things more real. And if you have someone else to depend on…”

  “You don’t have to do it alone,” he finished. His lips curled up slowly. “So does this mean you’re going to stick around for a little while?”

  Renna used her finger to draw a cross over her heart. “I promise.”

  His grin grew bigger. “I can’t believe you’re still using the Code.”

  “Hey, it’s kept me alive for the last seven years. You were a smart guy back then.”

  Finn raised an eyebrow. “That was a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one.”

  She shrugged, trying to keep a serious face. “Too bad I’m still not convinced your merc skills have carried over. I might need a bit more convincing.”

  “Convincing, eh? I think we need to take care of that right now.” He leaned forward and scooped her into his arms, pulling her across his lap. She felt him thicken as she settled against him.

  “Why, Captain, is that a blaster in your pocket?” she asked with a wicked grin.

  Finn let out a low growl and kissed her hungrily. His hands drifted lower to lift the hem of her shirt and stroke the soft skin of her stomach.

  She shivered against him and let her own hands tangle in his hair, pulling him even closer.

  “Captain, we have a distress call coming through.” Finn jumped at Keva’s voice over the intercom. He pulled his lips away from Renna’s, but kept her in his embrace, pressed against his chest.

  “Who’s it from?” he asked, flashing Renna a look of disappointment.

  “I can’t tell. Looks like it’s coming from Navang’s facility. Maybe he has defectors.”

  “We’ll be right there.” Finn smiled at Renna. “Are we good?”

  She forced a stern look to her face. “For now. But I can’t wait for shore leave. You still owe me some more convincing.”

  He traced a finger across her jaw. “I promise.”

  Renna and Finn raced to the bridge where the crew was already working feverishly, talking into their comms and tapping at their consoles. An air of barely contained panic filled the space and set Renna’s teeth on edge.

  “Lieutenant Keva, status report.” Finn stood in military stance behind his chair, legs apart, hands behind his back

  Everyone else on the bridge snapped into military formality as well, straightening their backs, watching their posture. Except Renna. She leaned against the railing and crossed her arms, watching Finn with a smirk. He’d thrown on his uniform jacket as they’d run, but it hung open, displaying the muscled planes of his chest through his cotton shirt.

  There were some perks to being a thief.

  Keva bent over one of the comm screens. “I think we almost have the distress call located, Captain. Estimated landing in ten minutes.”

  “Any sign of attack? Have we been able to hail their airbase?”

  Keva shook her head. “No answer yet.”

  Finn frowned and stared out the window at the approaching planet.

  Gheewala stepped forward, her hands twisting the hem of her uniform jacket. “Sir, I’m not sure if this helps, but the strange electronic signatures are getting stronger the closer we get to Vall. From what I can tell, they’re clustered around the facility. We should be careful.”

  He nodded. “Thank you, Sergeant. Renna, you think we can sneak in and see what we’re up against?”

  “Maybe. Can we cloak our landing? If these are the same ships that attacked us on Lenue, we don’t want them finishing the job here.”

  “Already done.” Kojima’s voice came over the intercom. “There looks to be a small clearing off to the west of the facility. We should be able to land there and send a small team in.”

  “Then we go in quiet. Renna and I will head in first, then call for backup.”

  “But sir, after last time…” Keva shook her head. “We should assemble a team. You’re going to need more support than just…Renna.” She tilted up her chin defiantly.

  Interesting. The lieutenant was finally growing a backbone.

  Finn stared at Keva appraisingly. “Very well. Pull one together, Lieutenant. We’ll split into two groups. Do we have the emergency transmission cleaned up yet?”

  Viktis nodded from his chair in the corner and pressed one of the buttons on the comm device. “Here it is.”

  Static filled the bridge, and Viktis moved one of the controls. The noise sharpened into the sound of a woman’s voice. “…out of control. Please help. Trapped in section two. Chemical leak in manufacturing has affected staff and production…. Send help.”

  The words cut in and out, covered by static and a strange beeping sound.

  “What is that?” Finn asked.

  “I can’t tell. The signal is too degraded.” Viktis tried to sharpen the loop, but the recording was still choppy.

  Renna straightened from her lounging pose as her skin erupted into goose bumps. The one thing she could make out was the sheer terror in the woman’s voice.

  Finn crossed his arms. “I don’t like this. Everyone gear up and meet in the shuttle bay in five.”

  The crew scattered, and Renna made her way back to her own cabin. She didn’t need armor, but she did have a few tricks in her bag that might come in handy. She stuffed her pack with her lock-picking tools, some small thermal detonators, and an extra blaster pistol.

  “Download map of Vall,” she told her implant. A terrain map of the planet appeared. “Now the city map, please.” She found Navang’s lab at the edge
of the spaceport, a large, sprawling building with spokes running off a central hub. From the satellite image, it seemed like a normal complex of buildings, but when she drilled deeper with the infrared scan, it looked like there was a whole other maze below ground level.

  Where in all this was Myka?

  She let out a sigh and let the image fade. She needed to focus, to get this job done no matter what. The kid was counting on her. The universe was counting on her.

  No pressure.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  The rest of the crew was already down in the shuttle bay when Renna joined them. Bokal and Gheewala were staying behind, but they stood off to the side inspecting the gear. Lieutenant Keva and two of the other MYTH agents wore their black ninja suits, only Keva’s silver eyes betraying who she was behind the mask.

  Captain Finn appeared from the locker bay, wearing a similar version, but it shone metallic in the helo lights when he moved and seemed thicker, more like armor. It clung to his thigh muscles, and as he turned to talk to Keva, Renna’s gaze drifted lower to linger appreciatively on the view.

  Viktis stood nearby, checking his blaster. “I think there’s a little drool on your chin, Renna,” he said, looking up with a smirk.

  She shrugged. “Yeah? I saw you watching Lieutenant Keva as she bent to tuck her uniform into her boots.”

  “Damn, you caught me.” He slid the chamber closed and holstered his gun.

  Renna frowned. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m coming with you. These people killed my crew, remember?”

  “Finn agreed to that?” Maybe there was hope for this mission yet.

  “He didn’t have a choice.” Viktis’s glance at the man was full of cold indifference. “So am I to assume he’s the new fling of the week?”

  “Viktis…”

  “Don’t worry. I promise I won’t try to kill you this time. I’m more than over you.”

  Renna shook her head. “You never loved me, Viktis.”