by S. E. Smith
After sharing a sumptuous dinner on the cool patio of a famous Carduwan bistro, they’d decided on dancing at The Rim, the city’s newest hotspot. Hours later, after they’d both collapsed into their pub chairs exhausted and laughing, Dini suggested they grab a nightcap and take a stroll by the moonlit river.
So…
Moment of truth.
Get involved? Don’t get involved? It always came to this. Though his four days—and very long nights—away from Adini had been filled with thoughts of her amazing eyes and generous smile, the truth was they’d only been acquainted for a few hours. And even though they seemed to be clicking on all levels, getting in any deeper than he already had just felt…reckless.
“So, we should talk,” Adini said quietly.
“We should.”
She reached down and picked up a small pebble, tossing it into the stream below. Then she turned to face him, lightly brushing her fingertip over the wing-and-planet emblem on his shirt. “As a rule, I don’t get involved with navs. No future in it. They’re always leaving.”
“And as a rule, I don’t get involved with planet dwellers. No point in it. Because I’m always leaving.”
“Seems we both have our principles.”
He ran his hand along his jaw. “Seems we do.”
“But I really like you, Taro.”
“Back at you.” Taro straightened to his full height, drawing a deep breath. “But it’s like the situation with Katrina. It’s not just a matter of wanting. It’s a matter of feasibility. I’ve never been the love ’em and leave ’em sort. And being a starship navigator doesn’t leave room for much else.”
“I hear you.” She raised her eyes to the stars with a wistful smile. “Even if I feel tempted to throw better judgment to the winds…just this once.”
Light from the twin Carduwan moons bathed her face in soft silver, and before Taro could check himself, before he could ask himself what in Empora’s Hades he thought he was doing, he bent to brush his mouth softly over hers.
After the barest touch, Dini shifted closer. She settled her hands on his forearms before skimming them up to his shoulders, sliding one higher to cup the back of his neck. The kiss deepened, and they pressed closer, mouths melding and hands seeking. As soft and sensual and unexpected as this shared moment was, Taro felt the sharp pang of remorse. This couldn’t work, and no amount of wishing would change that reality. This could never be a relationship, and one night with her wasn’t going to fix what was broken inside him.
She eased out of the kiss to rest her head on his shoulder, whispering, “I guess we shouldn’t keep testing our principles.”
“Not to the breaking point.”
He held her close for a long while, breathing in her scent, listening to the water flow below and watching the stars shimmer above. Temptation made a meal of him, plucking at his heartstrings and unraveling his fortitude. His body became all too eager to overthrow the caution in his head and heart. Though he knew it couldn’t end well, one more kiss like the last and his self-control was going to implode like an uncontained reactor.
“Walk me home, Flyboy?”
Her request was like a good splash of ice water—unpleasant but necessary to thoroughly douse the rising flames.
“I think I’d better,” Taro conceded, slipping his arm around her back.
This was the smart course of action. Every minute he spent with her just sucked him in deeper. Island Lords knew when he’d be back on Carduwa again. It was better he leave Adini behind with a reflective smile than a longing heart.
They left the transparent bridge and walked, unhurried, down the quiet lanes beneath the full and quarter moons that peered through gently rustling leaves. A warm breeze lifted Dini’s black cherry hair and ruffled her flowing skirt.
“When does Calypso leave again?” she asked.
He cleared the lump in his throat before answering. “Tomorrow. Mid-morning.”
“So soon.” They shuffled a few more steps before she said, “Where are you off to this time?”
“A quick stop on Parol, then on to Banna.”
“Ah, Banna. Lovely planet.”
“We do a lot of business there. The one planet Ithis won’t meddle with.”
“A safe port in a rising storm.”
“Poetically put.”
She slipped her arm around him and tilted her head into his shoulder, the feel of her palm warm and welcome against his ribs. “You love being a nav, don’t you?”
“Not sure love is a factor, it’s more like an ongoing infatuation.” He grimaced. Once he had loved his job…and a woman. Lyra. He closed his eyes, fighting the kneejerk reaction of his heart. His profession had cost him dearly.
Maybe it was still costing him.
“You said a lot more than words, just then,” she said quietly.
All this and perceptive, too. Taro hesitated, unsure how to form a reply.
“Dini!” A figure rushed toward them from the shadows.
Taro stepped forward, putting himself between her and the approaching intruder. “You know him?”
“Yes. It’s all right. He’s one of my father’s men,” Adini whispered. “Brellan, what—”
“It’s your papa, Dini. The Ithians…they took him.” The man stumbled to a stop, nearly collapsing, his words coming on ragged, gasping breaths. “They’ve invaded your home, seized your property. I slipped them. This is all I could save. I’m sorry.” He thrust a rectangular container into Dini’s hand. “The others scattered. You…you need to hide. They’re looking for you!”
“How much do they know?”
“Enough.” The man’s gaze flickered to Taro.
“Tell me, Brellan,” Adini urged.
“They know you’re using the StarDogs as spies.”
Taro stiffened. Spies?
“Where’s my dad?” Dini questioned, clutching the box tightly in both hands before securing it in a deep pocket of her skirt.
“They took him to a transport,” Brellan whispered hoarsely, with a wild gesture toward the spaceport. “Might be off planet by now.” He reached out to take her shoulders in a desperate clutch. “The streets are crawling with patrols. Looking for the others. Looking for you. Go now! Find shelter. Good luck to you.”
Brellan dashed off into the darkness. Taro eased closer as she stood mute, watching the man flee. Not half a block away, he was intercepted by five towering men.
“Quick. In here.” Adini darted to the right, diving into the concealment of a double hedge.
Taro landed on his knees beside her. Taking her shoulder, he spun her to face him. “Is it true? You’re using the StarDogs to spy on ships?”
“Only on Ithian ships. Katrina’s no spy dog. She’s not surveilling Calypso, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Her whispered words were harsh with hurt and anger, but Taro pressed on. “You’re telling me the truth?”
She wrenched out of his grasp. “I would never lie to you, Taro.”
He blinked, swallowing hard. Somewhere inside him a voice shouted to believe her. “What in Haley’s Crest are you doing spying on Ithis?”
“My father. Not me.”
The sound of heavy footfalls thumped past the double hedge. The two of them went silent, ducking low until the noise faded.
“This way.” Adini tugged at his sleeve, and, using the hedges for cover, they slipped between several residences to reach the next street.
“Why is your father spying on Ithian ships?” Taro persisted.
She stopped to face him. “Ever heard of the Network?”
“No.”
“Well, you will. Trust me.” Adini started off again. Taro followed. After traveling in silence for half a block, she said, “I need to get to Banna. There’s someone there who can help. A friend of my father’s. Calypso is a for-hire ship, yes? Would your captain fly me? I’ll pay.”
“She’s going to ask a lot of questions first.” Taro followed as she rounded a corner and continued dow
n a dark lane. “And I may have a few of my own.”
She cast a sharp look his way. “Ask away. We’re on the same side, Taro.”
“That’s just it. We’re not on a side, Dini. We can’t afford to be.”
She turned to face him in the dark. “Then you’re going to have to make a choice.”
Taro couldn’t see her features in the gloom. He could only rely on his instincts, and they told him she was being truthful. In the distance, he heard angry shouts and the sharp crackle of a stunpulse discharging.
He took her hand. “We’ll sort this out on Calypso. What’s the quickest way to the ship?”
“Are you sure about this, Taro? I need you to be sure.”
“Where else can you go? I’m not about to leave you to the wolves.”
She squeezed her eyes shut tight for a moment then motioned to the right. “Down this street.”
They moved off at a brisk pace, fast enough to cover ground but not so rushed that it would draw attention.
Am I out of my mind? Taking a woman sought by the Ithian Alliance to Calypso? Captain Jordan might skin him alive for this stunt. And despite what his gut was telling him, he feared he should’ve been running hard in the opposite direction.
Adini shot out an arm to stop him and gestured to a commotion ahead at the next intersection. “This way,” she whispered, pushing on his shoulder as she ducked toward an unlit alley. “We’re almost to the spaceport.”
Taro set his jaw. This might’ve been an act of pure insanity on his part, but no way could he abandon Adini when she needed him. His conscience wouldn’t let him do that. Idiotic as this decision might be.
Four
Captain Dava Jordan planted her feet and set her jaw. “I’m not set up to fly passengers, and sure as Bradley’s Rift, I don’t need any trouble with the Alliance.” She shot a withering look at Taro.
“I’ll pay you well,” Adini declared. “The StarDog’s price is twenty thousand replas. That’s my down payment, and I’ll match it when we get to Banna.”
“Katrina plus twenty thousand replas?” The skipper tilted her head. “Your assets have been seized. Just where do you intend to get the balance?”
“We have a credit account on Banna. My father isn’t stupid. The planet is the only place our assets are protected from seizure by the Ithians.”
“How do I know that account even exists?”
Adini pulled her hand from her skirt pocket and raised it, showing an access card. A hologram of the Bannan Exchange glimmered across its surface.
“Not good enough to risk tangling with the Ithians. Nav, escort her off my ship.” Captain Jordan turned to stride toward the lift.
“Captain! The streets are crawling with Alliance soldiers. She won’t have a chance!”
“Not my concern.” The skipper kept walking.
“She’s involved with something called the Network,” Taro shouted after her.
Adini jerked her head his way, her eyes wide and mouth open.
His captain stopped dead in her tracks. She cursed under her breath then turned in a slow-motion pirouette to face them. Her violet eyes glinted with so many spiking emotions Taro couldn’t begin to guess her thoughts. When she spoke again, her voice was low, fierce, and grating. “All right. I’ll transport you to Banna. But only because this is about the gigadam Ithians and my nav seems to think you’re in genuine danger.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Taro and Adini gasped in unison.
“Don’t thank me yet. You can bet the Alliance is working to shut down the spaceport for a ship-to-ship search. We need to be gone. Prep for immediate launch. We’ll sort this out in orbit.” The skipper cast a pointed look at Taro. “If this goes wrong, it’s on you, Nav. Secure her in the forward vu and report to your station.”
“Aye.” Taro’s throat went as dry as Dartis dust. Damn, his gut had better be right.
After showing Adini to a flight couch at the main deck forward vu, Taro stopped by his quarters to strip off his civvies and don his flightsuit.
He walked off the lift on the upper deck to Pareen’s report. “Launch Tower has cleared us. We’re in queue. Tugs engaged.”
Taro glanced at Captain Jordan, seated in the elevated command station to his left, her drive helmet in place, enclosing her entire head in a gleaming black cocoon. He didn’t understand how it worked—he didn’t need to know to navigate the ship—but she could control all Calypso’s systems via the device without ever touching an interface. In a pinch, she could even take over the navigation and communication consoles. From her throne, Captain Jordan lorded over the flight deck like some alien techno-queen. The StarDog was a new addition, huddled on her right shoulder, its long black tail twitching like a nervous fur stole.
The captain’s voice emitted not from the helmet but the wall speaks. “Nav, lock in a course for intermediate orbit.”
“Aye, that.”
Taro felt the bump as the tugs disconnected from the ship. “Launch coordinates input.”
“Acknowledged. Fifteen sectas to jump. Assume launch positions.”
Taro and Pareen hit the controls to swivel and lock their flight couches at 90 degree angles to face Calypso’s bow, readying for the extreme G-forces that would mold them to their seatbacks during ascent.
Pareen’s hand clamped over his right earphone. “Captain! Tower is ordering Calypso to abort launch,” he snapped.
“Eat Hades,” Captain Jordan hissed. “Shields engaged. We’re at three…two…one...”
The ship’s rear atmospheric drive kicked into full power, and Calypso lifted lightly from the surface, building velocity as she rose at a sharp angle over Carduwa City. Taro struggled for breath as the Gs pressed him into his seat. His midsection ached with the pressure, but at least there was no answering ache in his heart. At least Adini was aboard Calypso this time and he wasn’t leaving her in his wake.
But at what price?
The ship shimmied hard to port and the rear drive screamed to compensate.
“Paracannons! We’ve been fired on, Cap!” Pareen cried.
“They won’t breach our shields. Nav, scan for intercepting ships.”
Taro turned his head to his scope. “All clear, Cap.”
“But you can bet they’ll be coming,” Pareen muttered.
“Not soon enough,” the captain countered. “Abandon orbit. Recalibrate new trajectory for a direct path to flashpoint.”
“Ha! Yes!” Pareen yelled. “Those Palies can eat our spacedust.”
Taro snapped his mouth closed on a smug smile, his brief glimmer of concern for Adini snuffed out by the captain’s command. No ship was going to intercept where they were going. Only a captain like Dava Jordan and a ship like Calypso had the prowess to defy the Alliance.
The ship had…capabilities.
Taro and Pareen had been sworn to secrecy upon recruitment, and well before the cap had ever allowed their butts to grace a flight couch on her vessel. They knew things about the courier ship that would shock and awe, but her captain was no less of an enigma.
Dava Jordan’s fathomless violet eyes, obsidian hair, and olive skin didn’t align her with any particular subspecies. Rumblings Taro had overheard in the hangtown pubs offered many theories. Some claimed her command presence and dominating glower suggested she carried the ancient warrior blood of Rathskia. But the Rathskians were one-half of the Alliance, and she clearly had no love for it. The only true fact he knew was that she and her remarkable ship had made their first appearance in a spaceport only six moons ago, shortly before she’d recruited him. Captain Jordan’s origins were anyone’s guess, and both he and Pareen knew it wasn’t a subject to be broached.
Right now, he was just damn glad she could do what she did.
On Taro’s monitor, the stars began to light the darkness not dominated by Carduwa’s larger moon. The G-forces squeezing his chest eased and his body went weightless against the crash harness. When the AG kicked on, the generated gravity pushed him back
into his flight couch. He hit the power controls to rotate back to his station.
Taro studied his scope as the navigational retros fired. “Scope is still clear, and we’re locked in to flashpoint at three haras, seven tempas, fifteen sectas.”
“Time for a chat, then.” Captain Jordan eased off her control helmet to place it on its cradle. Katrina jumped from her shoulder to her lap to the deck and scurried into a duct on viper patrol. “Nav, muster in the galley with our guest in five tempas.”
Taro drew in and eased out a deep breath. “Aye, Skip.”
When Taro approached Adini at the forward vu on Calypso’s main deck, she turned wide, aquamarine eyes on him. “That was some launch.”
Taro gritted his teeth. Adini didn’t realize the danger they’d just skirted, and she sure didn’t know what else she was in for. She’d picked one hell of a ship for her escape vehicle.
“We’re not in orbit,” Taro said. “Cap wants us to report to the galley.”
“What goes?” Adini pressed her lips tight and rose from her seat, following as he led the way.
He’d always been straight with her. No time to stop now. “We were ordered to abort launch by the tower. Captain Jordan defied those orders. We were fired upon. We scrapped orbit to go straight to Banna.”
“She...” Adini pulled in a deep breath. “Wow.”
Katrina joined them as they passed her closet, dropping another dead sand viper on the deck before scratching at Adini’s leg. Taro disposed of the snake while Adini swept the StarDog up in one hand.
“Good girl,” she whispered into the creature’s ear.
Taro gave Adini a tense smile. “Damn glad to have her onboard.”
“All-in-all, she’s glad to be here.”
Captain Jordan waited in the galley, her back to the bulkhead and arms locked in front of her. She motioned Adini to one of the chairs at the small galley table. Katrina scampered to the deck as Adini took her seat then scaled Captain Jordan’s flightsuit to settle on the woman’s shoulder.
“Who is this man?” the skipper began without preamble. “The one who can help your father?”
