by Laurie Bell
The man-shaped blur grew even larger as he approached. She flinched when something heavy dropped into the container. Then some of the weight disappeared.
“You sure are, Freak.” He pressed hard against her shoulder. “Get out of here. I said this is a private bay.”
Toni stumbled back from the unexpected push, remaining upright more through luck than skill. Her heart pounded, the lack of sight bringing her imagination to the fore. She was so vulnerable in her current condition. The shadow of the guard was big—she shouldn’t be taking this risk. At her knee, Mate growled.
With a tremble in her voice that was not entirely forced, she asked, “Perhaps there are others on board your vessel, Sir? Your master, maybe?”
“He ain’t here. I said go, little girl.”
Tugging on the harness, Toni indicated Mate should turn around. Behaving like a proper Seeing Specialist, he led her slowly from the bay. Over her shoulder, she called, “Humble apologies, Sir, for taking up your time.”
“Anything?” she asked when she was sure they were out of sight. Her chest heaved, her breathing unsteady.
“No. Maybe Zach will have found a better way in?”
She wasn’t hopeful. Dalmith’s ship was giving off all sorts of signals. Bad ones. A ship that well-armed and guarded was definitely hiding something.
“Where to now?” Mate didn’t comment on her trembling hand, but he had to feel it.
Back home. Clearing her throat, she suggested, “Let’s check in with the local bars.”
Minutes later they stepped into The Wayfarer, a dark, dingy room—as Mate described it—on one of the lower levels. Toni registered only three heat signatures and two of those were behind the counter. Waystation bars, as a rule, were overcrowded with stopover pilots looking for a drink and a hot meal between hops. Her hearing and sense of smell confirmed what her shades told her.
Mate led Toni to the counter, and she went through her begging routine again. One of the barmen offered her a few coin. She felt bad about it—it sounded like he could do with the money. “It’s quiet, are you closed?”
“It’s that place! Stealing all of my regulars.”
Strange. One full bar usually cascaded customers down to the rest. There was no logical reason for a Waystation bar to be empty. “What do you mean? What place? I’m afraid I haven’t been here very long. I’m hoping to get enough for food and passage to Sovi Coph A. They have surgeons there, and—”
“Oh, kid, you know surgeons are expensive.”
“I know.” She put on her most dejected face and felt around for a stool. The only customer in the room quickly hobbled forward and pulled one over for her. “Oh gosh, thank you! Wow, I didn’t even know you were there.”
The man grunted and returned to his seat. She watched him go. The heat map disappeared where his right leg should be—mechanical limb. It explained the limp.
The barman who’d offered her the coin took her hand and wrapped it around a cold glass. She flinched at his touch. “On the house, love.”
Now she felt really bad. “You said the other place? What happened?”
“It’s bad. Don’t go there. The owner moved in weeks ago. Bought out two bars and ran the third into the ground. I’m the only independent still standing. Well, mostly.”
The man seated behind Toni grunted again.
“That sounds awful.” And highly suspicious. The bar was worthy of a look, so to speak.
“The owner is dangerous. You don’t dare cross him.”
“And yet you’re still here. I think that’s very brave of you.”
The red blur grew closer as he leaned down. “Well, look around … oh … uh, I mean, you can hear this place is completely empty, other than for Stan over there. I’m not exactly competition. I think Dalmith lets me stay here as a warning to everyone else.”
So the empty bar was Dalmith’s doing. “Oh, dear.”
Toni was about to ask where the bar was located—insisting of course she only wanted to know where to avoid—when he added, “I’m sure there’s something shady going on. All those guards standing around an empty storeroom, ships that come and go but barely stay for more than a night. The crews all head straight to the Safe Harbor.”
Empty storeroom? It was sounding more and more like she’d found her pirates. Colten had been telling her the truth. “Safe Harbor?”
“The bar.”
“But this is a Waystation. Ships don’t usually stay, do they? What’s weird about ships coming and going all the time?”
“It’s the type of people.”
“What do you mean?”
The barman backed away. “Ah, nothing, nothing. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Toni hadn’t heard anyone come in through the door, but the room grew suddenly colder. She glanced over her shoulder. There was a heat signature in the doorway. She dropped her hand to the top of Mate’s head and tapped wanting an image of the person. “Is someone there?” she asked projecting a little fear into her voice. The scent of tobacco hit her like a fist. Along with the body odor of someone who hadn’t bathed—ever. The red blob wavered for a moment and then disappeared. Toni turned back to the two barmen but they had also disappeared. “Sir?” Toni called. The old guy at the table grunted. Her head snapped toward the sound.
“Knows better than to start flapping his mouth. Go home, kid. Don’t stay here. This is a bad place.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that.” Toni stood and gestured toward the door. Mate led her out. They wandered, apparently aimlessly, while they waited for Zach to check in. Ending up near the suspiciously mysterious storeroom was a pure coincidence. At least, that’s what she’d tell anyone who asked. She knew they were close when the lighting grew bright enough to irritate her eyes beneath her shades, making them water. Eight, nine, ten blurry shapes, and over her left shoulder three more. She could feel the rumble beneath the deck. Slightly more violent here than upstairs. Raised voices stilled her feet. “Careful.” They crept to the corner. Toni whistled at the number of guards stationed around the giant plasteel revolving doors. They looked like they were expecting an invading army.
“Do you want to go closer?” Mate asked, not sounding as though he approved of that option.
“Want to, but I don’t think the blindness excuse is going to fly with these guys. Maybe you can—”
“No, Boss. I will not leave you here alone while you are unable to see.”
“Mate …” Warmth filled her at his concern. She ran her hand over his head in a thank you, but she needed to know what was being kept in that store room. The two agents backed down the corridor. They were stopped by the sudden appearance of another guard. It smelt like the same man who had stood in the Wayfarer’s entrance. Mate growled, low and terrifying. Toni immediately tensed. Should she make a move for her gun or wait it out? Her breathing sped up as she heard a click and a slide of metal through leather. She recognized that sound.
The red blur in Toni’s vision flared brightly as the guard’s weapon primed.
CHAPTER SIX
It took everything she had to stare ahead unwaveringly. Forcing her breathing to slow, she gestured for Mate to continue walking.
The guard cleared his throat.
“Is someone there?” she asked, swinging her head from side to side as if trying to pinpoint the direction of the sound. Her heart raced.
“Move and I will shoot you.”
“Oh, but—”
“Remove the shades.”
Shenghi. Toni slipped the shades from her face, thumbing the display off as she did so. Her vision had improved—sort of—and she was able to make out his flinch as he took in her visage. She stared as blankly as she could. “Excuse me, Sir, but why—”
“Quiet,” he ordered and snatched the shades right out of her hand. She didn’t react. If any part of her cover still existed, she’d have to play this carefully. She stood still while the guard examined her glasses before he dropped them to the floor and stood on them
with a heavy boot. The crack of the frames was loud in the otherwise silent corridor. It was only then that Toni reacted.
“Was that my glasses? Did you drop them, Sir? What happened?” Khegh it! They were her favorite pair. Thankfully she had another back on the Blackflame, but still …
“Shut up,” the guard growled. Shoving his weapon into her chest, he prodded Toni back along the corridor toward the storeroom. The C-bot remained silent. His body vibrated against her knee, clearly struggling to contain his desire to attack. She was trembling too, only from fear. Why had she thought she could do this with impaired vision? What kind of agent was she? She could do nothing right. I’m not ready. I can’t do this. Sweat soaked through her shirt. She scrubbed damp palms against her trousers.
The guard was not the only one now. They were marched past several men holding big guns and into the storeroom. “What’s happening?” No one answered.
With another jab, Toni was encouraged to head down a long corridor created by columns of crates. Unable to make out the logo stamped on the side, she would pay good coin that these crates were from the hijacked ships. So that’s what was going on. The shipments never left the second Waystation. Presumably, the original crews were killed here, or even prior to arrival, and the transponders that sent the ship’s registry details through forcedspace switched off, giving the appearance that the ships disappeared.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know who you are, Agent? I know everything that happens on this Waystation, including who does what and when. And let’s face it, you aren’t exactly forgettable.”
The man who spoke stepped from between the stacked crates. Toni could make out his basic features: black hair possibly receding—it was a little blurry—on a large head with a square nose. Darkness around his mouth and chin was probably a neat beard. She’d know for certain if he came closer. Wide shoulders and an even wider waist.
Mate was tense, watching the guards with a careful eye. Toni gripped his harness and shook it in warning. Now was not the time to attack. She hoped Zach got out a signal for Agent assistance when her shades were destroyed. At this point, she was pretty much banking on it.
“You’re actually the man I’m here to see, Dalmith,” she said. He twitched, exposing the fact he’d counted on his anonymity. “Do you really need all of these men here just to chat with me? Let’s go somewhere a little quieter, huh?”
Dalmith laughed, stroking his chin. “Bold suggestion, Agent, I’ll give you that. How did you find out about me?”
She didn’t reply. Her mind frantically searched for a way to distract them. I don’t want to die here. She’d been so close. She had the pirates who stole the supplies. Shenghi she had the supplies, and Zaambuka would never know she’d solved the case. Would he even know she was dead? Or would she become a mystery, just like the hijacked ships? It was the smuggler’s fault. Dan Colten. If he hadn’t blinded her … Oh yes, she had been blinded, but not from the flare. She only wished she could have witnessed his eventual comeuppance.
Dalmith laughed again and gestured to the men around him. “So this is all they sent to stop me? A girl with a dog?”
Toni almost rolled her eyes. It looked like she wouldn’t need a distraction after all. Dalmith liked to gloat.
“Look around you, Agent. This Waystation belongs to me. You were only allowed to land because I permitted it.”
Mate growled and Toni shushed him. What information could she taunt Dalmith into revealing? The longer he talked, the better. Still, she needed a way out when the time came. Dalmith was only speaking to her now because he intended to kill her, that was obvious. Her heart pounded, this time in anticipation. She would get out of this. She had Mate and Zach was still out there. This time, Toni wouldn’t underestimate her enemy.
She took stock of their strengths. The storeroom had one entrance. Four heavily armed men stood just inside, listening to their boss pontificate. And their weaknesses. They shuffled their feet, looked away or picked at their nails. One guard stood behind Toni and from the corner of her eye she could see his weapon pointed to the ground. Big mistake. The two men hovering behind Dalmith were the only ones who looked focused. Including Dalmith, that was eight. She’d have seconds at best. All she needed was a weapon. And, of course, Mate.
Dalmith continued loudly. “Do you think anyone can stop me? Five ships taken, a sixth tomorrow, and any other ship they send our way. The supplies are mine. If the folks on Milten Seven are in such desperate need for water, they will pay to get it back. My ships restock here. My crews, MY people, MY WAYSTATION!”
His gestures grew more and more outlandish. The guy was egomaniacal, and quite possibly crazy.
The distraction she was waiting for came only a moment later, when a massive blast shook the entire station. The floor continued to vibrate under her feet long after the explosion died away, shaking the crates so violently they started to shift. The two guards flanking Dalmith spun, searching for the cause of the blast, the others shuffled backward out of the path of the potential avalanche of crates and while they were distracted, Toni tapped Mate on the head. They wouldn’t get a better opportunity. Time to go.
Mate leapt at Dalmith. Toni tackled the guard behind her, wrestling for his weapon. When he didn’t release it, she elbowed him sharply in the head. He fell, dazed, and she snatched the weapon out of his lax fingers to slam him over the head with it. He collapsed.
Mate knocked Dalmith onto his back and kept going, leaping over his body to plow into the guard behind, barking and snarling loudly. With all eyes on Mate, Toni turned the dial on the weapon and shot wildly in the direction of the remaining guards. Through more luck than skill, all three went down, stunned. Mate ran at the men outside the door. Toni fell to her knees as one shot back. A spray from her weapon dropped him and Mate finished the last guard with frightening efficiency.
Breathing hard, she climbed unsteadily to her feet and checked on Dalmith. He was out cold. She rolled him over and cuffed his hands behind his back. She swiped a hand over the sweat on her face and pulled the errant strands of white hair out her eyes. Straightening her body, she glanced around the now silent room. Her lips twitched. The ball of cold in her chest melted as warmth heated her blood. Looking down at Dalmith, she said, “Yup, all they sent was a girl with a dog.”
*
“The explosions were you, Zach?” Toni snorted as she cuffed the last guard. Of course they were. Her CII was apparently the technological equivalent of a pyromaniac.
“I called the Specialist Terrain Combat Troops. They reported the closest squad is six hours away. I wasn’t going to wait that long and I didn’t think you could either, so I hacked into the Waystation’s engineering systems.” Zach’s voice rose from Mate’s speakers.
“What did you do?”
“I checked the maintenance logs. Since Dalmith took over, the Waystation’s disabled NSD has fallen into serious disrepair. They hadn’t checked the containment shields in over six weeks. I might have tweaked them in a downward direction. Honestly, Boss, it did not take as long as you would think for the core to go into overload.”
“Good work.” Toni was impressed with the Blackflame’s CII. His ingenuity was unexpected to say the least. Given this was their first mission together and she didn’t yet know all of his capabilities, she was pretty pleased with his initiative. Pleased and thankful. “I assume you’ve reset them now?”
“Yes, Boss,” he confirmed.
Toni shook her head. “Any damage?”
“Not if maintenance examines everything reasonably quickly,” he answered.
She left the seven men trussed up on the floor and flicked her gaze over the wall of stacked supplies. “Zach, how many crates should we have here?”
“One hundred and eight-seven.”
“Mate, start scanning. Let’s make sure everything is here.”
The count didn’t take long. “What do you mean we’re four crates short?” Toni stomped to Dalmith, who she’d been forced to gag,
and tore the tape away. “Four crates short? Who did you sell them to?”
“What? The count is not short, all the guns are here.”
“Wait, what? What guns?” Without waiting for an answer, she raced to the nearest crate. The lid was partially sealed. Straining muscles not built for brute strength, she managed to get the lid up enough to look inside. She swore loudly.
“Boss?”
Reaching out with a finger she caressed the shiny black surface of the topmost weapon. “Guns. A lot of ’em.” She turned on Dalmith. “Who are they for?”
He didn’t answer.
“Mate?”
“Confirmed. Four crates missing, Boss,” Mate reported.
“That’s not right,” Dalmith complained. His face turned red and he struggled within his bonds. “That kheghing thief! I knew he was up to something. Rycee is going to kill me.”
“Who is Rycee? What thief?” Toni shook Dalmith several times before he responded.
“A smuggler named Colten. I let him stop here to avoid an agent. Let me guess, that was you?”
Toni slapped the tape back over his mouth. Shenghi. Her stomach tightened as heat rose into her face. The smuggler, the same smuggler who had escaped her custody and blinded her, stole four crates of weapons from Dalmith. And she’d let him get away. I’m a fool.
“Ping received from a neighboring system, Boss. A ship has dropped out of forcedspace. It’s the Renegade,” Zach reported suddenly.
Toni bounced on her toes. The gift she’d asked Zach to leave back on the Waystation—a virus that would load when he docked and linked to the station’s server, had worked. I can fix this.
“Call the STCT. Tell them to jam their TAFFs into overdrive. We need to get after that smuggler.”
*
While Zach insisted the smuggler’s signal was still active, Toni didn’t trust that Colten hadn’t discovered Zach’s hack, spoofed the signal, and disappeared already. She thought the smuggler would be very happy to leave her floundering in space, searching for a ship that was no longer there.
