Hunter

by Sharon Partington

  But if I was so right, then how come I just felt like I’d made the biggest mistake of my life?

  ◆◆◆

  I didn’t sleep much that night, my lust-struck mind kept taunting me with visions of Joanna. Of the way she smelled. The way she tasted. It didn’t matter what I thought I knew. I couldn’t get her out of my head. I reminded myself that I could barely take care of me, never mind take care of her too. She couldn’t live in my world and I didn’t know, anymore, how to live in hers.

  I’d spent the past six years of my life on the run. It was what I knew. What I understood.

  Killing people from ambush and dissolving back into the dark. The mysterious Hunter, part man, part ghost. I’d gotten used to being alone and I didn’t need anyone else. Not Joanna, not my father. Not anyone.

  Yeah, I know. It was a very personal, very private, pity party, complete with martyr pills.

  I woke to the sound of someone hammering on the main hatch of the shuttle. I sat up, blearily, and hit the door sensor. The hatch slid open to reveal Kenny standing on the gangway. I moved out of the way so he could come in.

  “When did you get here?”

  “A few hours ago,” he said. “I changed course as soon as I got your message. The red-head is kinda cute, by the way.”

  “Joanna? When did you meet her?”

  “She answered your door. How do you think I knew where to find you?”

  Right. Wake up, Gage.

  He sat across from me in the main cabin. “So, who is she, and what’s she doing here?”

  “She’s Danny Travis’ sister. She works at the Arcturon. She...kinda got caught up in all the bullshit.”

  “The Arcturon,” repeated Kenny. “So you and Lansing had your little chat?”

  “More or less.”

  “And?”

  I sighed as I rubbed my tired eyes. It took me almost an hour to fill him in, and when I was done he was quiet for a long time before he spoke. “Corin Raas. There’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. I’ll see what I can dig up, but I can’t promise anything, the trail’s six years cold. She’s probably dead; GSF intelligence is usually pretty good about that sort of thing.”

  “If she’s dead, then I guess I’ll have to figure out another way to get my answers.”

  “And if she isn’t?”

  “Then I’ll have to find out where she’s been hiding and pay her a visit. If Lansing didn’t give the order to fire on us, then I have to know who did. And why. I have this gut feeling she knows who that is.”

  “What about your dad?”

  “I have no idea what he wants to do. He has family in the Altair system, he might go there. He might want to go home.”

  “It’s not safe for him to go home. Probably won’t be for a while.”

  “Yeah well, that’s what I tried to tell him, but he’s never put much stock in my opinions.”

  “Want me to talk to him?”

  I shrugged. “You’re welcome to try.” I hesitated. “Joanna can’t go home either; they’ll be watching her house.”

  Kenny scratched his chin thoughtfully. “There’s no place else she can go?”

  I shook my head. “Her mom died a couple of years ago. She has no other family. At least none that I know about.”

  “I don’t suppose there’s any chance of her tagging along with you?” The little half smile on his face told me he was kidding.

  “Oh, sure.”

  “Then...I guess she’ll have to stay here.”

  “She can’t stay here, Ken. She doesn’t know how to survive. Jaraslad is dangerous enough for the women who choose to be here; Joanna wouldn’t last a week on her own.”

  “She could stay at Mother Rheah’s. You know the old hag loves you, I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Right. Hiding out in a brothel? Joanna would love that, I’m sure.”

  “It’s not like she’ll be turning tricks with the other girls.”

  “Which will only draw attention to the fact that she’s there. No, Mother Rheah’s is out.”

  “Okay. Then what about Korsin? Maybe he can keep an eye on her for you.”

  I thought about that. Possible, I suppose. Of course, it meant I’d owe the oily Lyrian bastard a favor. Still, slinging booze at the Orion was slightly better than dodging horny clients at the brothel.

  “Maybe. I’ll stop by talk to him about it later.”

  Kenny grinned. “Glad I could help.” He got to his feet. “Come on. I told Joanna I’d roust you out of bed and spring for breakfast. After that, we’ll figure out what to do about Corin Raas and getting your dad to wherever it is he decides he wants to go.”

  I followed him from the shuttle and sealed the main hatch shut. We left the bay and headed back toward my room. I was glad he was here; he was the only one who really understood the shit I was going through. I didn’t feel quite so outnumbered.

  Kenny could be a charming little prick when it suited him, and it didn’t take him long to win my dad over. I wondered what Mr. Black and White would say if he knew that Kenny was the most notorious smuggler in the galaxy.

  I didn’t say much. I was content to let Kenny prattle on about whatever. I felt Joanna’s eyes on me. Except for the occasional glance, I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. The pain of knowing I could never have her had settled like a hard knot in my chest. Seeing the hurt and confusion in her eyes only made it worse.

  What would she do when I told her she couldn’t go home?

  Chapter 15

  Joanna and I had reached a sort of uneasy peace, lapsing into this forced pleasantness that felt awkward and uncomfortable but was marginally better than avoidance. She’d taken it better than I expected when I told her she couldn’t go home; after all she was a bright girl, she’d probably figured it out on her own. I hadn’t spoken to Korsin yet; I’d have to get to that later. The sly bastard had better help me out.

  I set my Joanna issues on the back burner for a while as the shredded relationship with my dad stepped up to take center stage. He’d answer me if I spoke to him directly, but he didn’t go out of his way to make conversation, and he refused to meet my eyes whenever we were together. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t run from him anymore. There was too much I needed to say and a very good chance I’d never get the chance to say it. Like it or not, he was the only family I had left, and we needed to say our piece. Both of us.

  Trying to get him alone was the problem, he was pretty good at the “avoidance game” himself, and he made no secret of the fact that he didn’t want to be around me. I finally had to recruit Kenny to help—he took us to the Orion on the pretense of having a farewell drink and, after half an hour or so, invited Joanna onto the dance floor so my dad and I could be alone. We sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, my dad staring at his drink, at the bar, at the dance floor. Anywhere, but at me.

  “So, have you decided where you’re going?” I asked at last.

  He shrugged. “The Altair system. You knew that.”

  “I thought you might have changed your mind.”

  “Why would I do that? Like you said, I can’t go home.”

  I ignored the bitterness in his voice and nodded. Why was this so hard? Were we really so fucked up we couldn’t even have a normal conversation?

  He pushed away from the table. “I should go pack.”

  When had he unpacked? He’d only brought the one bag.

  I couldn’t let him leave yet, and there was only one way I could think of to make him stay.

  “Fifty-four.” I said, resigning myself to the inevitable.

  He stared at me in confusion. “What?”

  “The number. Fifty-four. You said you wanted it, there it is.”

  He sat down again, slowly. “Why’re you telling me this now?”

  “Because. I promised you no bullshit and I’d rather not have you think I’m a liar as well as killer. It’s a small distinction, I know.”

  “So, now that you’ve told me the
number, are you gonna tell me why?”

  “I’ve already told you why. Kenny’s father wasn’t someone you said ‘no’ to. Besides, what else could I do?”

  “You could have come home.”

  “I guess I never felt very welcome there. Besides, it was my mess. You didn’t need to be caught up in it.”

  “You still coulda come to me. We woulda figured something out.” He hesitated. “I know I wasn’t much help to you after your mama died.”

  Or before either. “It doesn’t matter. I just...I’m heading into something I’m not entirely sure I’ll make it out of. I know you can’t accept what I am or what I do. I’m not asking you to. But,” I closed my eyes. “You don’t know what it was like.”

  “Then tell me.”

  The gentleness in his voice surprised me and I had to swallow the lump that rose in my throat.

  “I failed them. Delta Six. They were my command. My responsibility. It was my job to bring them out alive, instead I watched them shot down around me. The Androsians were rested, better supplied—we were exhausted, already low on ammunition. It wasn’t much of a fight. All I could do was run, Dad. Hide in that burned out camp like a fucking coward until they withdrew. I couldn’t go to the GSF because I didn’t know who I could trust, so instead I got caught up in Antonio Briani’s bullshit. I paid off my debt with other people’s blood, and I couldn’t come home. Not because I didn’t want to. But because...there was so much shit between us, I wasn’t sure you wanted me around. And you were safer if I stayed away.”

  “You weren’t sure I wanted you around? Where the hell did you get that idea? You’re my son, boy.”

  “Come on, you’ve ignored me my whole life.”

  He clasped his hands together tightly, shifting his gaze to the table. “I’m not very good at...being what your mama used to call ‘emotionally there’. Never have been. My daddy always said that men needed to be strong. Tough. He never believed in all that touchy, feely crap. ‘Men don’t cry, they swear’—that was his motto. That’s what he taught your uncle Arthur and me. Your mama would try to talk to me about stuff. Tell me how she felt and I’d just...shut down.” He looked up with a rueful half-smile. “She used to get so mad at me. It drove her crazy.” He looked back to the table again. “I’m sorry, Gage. I coulda done a better job with you. I coulda been there, when you needed me to be. I just...didn’t know how.”

  Great. He didn’t know how to be a father, and I didn’t know how to be a son. Where did that leave us?

  “What do you mean you’re heading into something you may not get out of?” he asked. “You’re not gonna do anything stupid, I hope.”

  “I promised my people I’d find out why they died, and it’s time I made good on that promise. I’ve always been able to predict the outcome of my assignments, balance the risks and benefits. I’m pretty good at covering my ass and preserving my personal security. This time it’s different. This time it doesn’t matter to me how I get the answers or what happens to me after. It only matters that I do.”

  “So, you’ll just throw your life away?”

  I smiled grimly. “Not exactly. But the odds aren’t in my favor this time.”

  He stared at me for a long moment. “When it’s over, assuming you beat those odds, then what? Go back to killing folks for a living?”

  “I don’t know yet, I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

  “Well, maybe it’s time you did. I’d hate to see you live through all this and then not know what to do with yourself.”

  I chuckled. “Always the optimist, eh, Dad?”

  He shrugged and shot me a rueful grin. “Well. I guess your mama did manage to hammer a few things through my thick head. She was always one to look on the bright side.”

  Yes. Yes, she was.

  The music changed to something slow and sultry, and Kenny and Joanna returned to the table. Kenny grinned at me. “I’m not much of a slow dancer,” he said with a wink. “How about another round?”

  I looked to my dad, and he shrugged. “Fine by me.” Kenny motioned for Kayla. “So, are you two okay?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” I said, reaching for my drink.

  My dad nodded. “We’re good.” He looked to me. “You’ll have to stop by your Aunt Mary’s once you sort things out. She said something about her house needing repairs. I’ve got a feeling it’s gonna be a big job. I could use a hand.”

  I chuckled. “I’m not exactly handy with a hammer, are you sure you want my help?”

  “You can hold a ladder, can’t ya?” my dad asked.

  “I’m pretty sure I can manage that much.”

  “Then you’ll do fine.”

  It was a small thing. Just house repairs. But it gave me one more reason to come back alive.

  ◆◆◆

  Kenny figured it would take two or three weeks to run my dad to the Altair system and make the return trip to Jaraslad. Hopefully, by that time he would have heard something about Corin Raas. I told myself not to expect anything. If I didn’t expect anything, I couldn’t be disappointed.

  I spoke to Korsin about Joanna and he agreed to take her under his wing. For the price of a favor, of course, but there was no getting around that. He gave her a job at the Orion and let it be known that she was my woman and was to be left alone. I moved her out of my rooms and into the bar. Korsin insisted that all of his female employees live under his roof and that was fine with me. Joanna and Kayla developed an instant rapport, and the little Lyrian went out of her way to make Joanna feel welcome. By the time I left, Joanna was already training behind the bar.

  My dad and I had reached a sort of understanding, even if it wasn’t quite the same as making our peace. At least now I knew there was the possibility of building some kind of relationship between us, which was more than I had a week ago. I couldn’t help thinking that if my mother’s spirit really did watch over me she’d be happy to know that the two men in her life weren’t going to be at war forever. I was a little surprised by the reluctance I felt as I watched him go. Last week I couldn’t wait to get rid of him.

  We said our good-byes and I made my way to the observation platform, watching as Bellissima pulled out of bay twenty-seven and moved towards the outer marker buoy. I drew a deep breath and let it out slowly as she made the jump to hyperspace.

  My dad was gone, and when Kenny came back I’d be one step closer to Corin Raas and the truth behind what really happened in that Androsian jungle.

  ◆◆◆

  I relegated a couple of days to taking care of my remaining miscellaneous issues. I checked Neil Owen out of my rooms then paid a visit to Bardol Vashin on level eight, where I purchased a different combination of enhancers. These would turn me from a green-eyed blond, to a brown-eyed brunette. They also dropped my skin tone another shade darker so that the almost healed bruises on my face were next to invisible. I lived on the Lady Kathy until they took effect.

  I didn’t have access to Lenny, my favorite forger, but illegal documents trading wasn’t exactly unheard of on Jaraslad and I managed to score new credentials under the name Jack Dennis. I opened a new station account under that name and rented new accommodations. Only a handful on the station knew my new alias. Joanna, of course. Kenny. Korsin and Kayla. Rachmar and Agrakh. Those few that I was absolutely certain I could trust. My new suite was almost right on top of the level five people glide, which was central enough to satisfy me, and noisy enough to drive me nuts.

  Kenny sent his feelers out, and I tried to prepare myself for what his contacts would tell him. Assuming they told him anything at all. While I waited I searched my memory, dredging up what little I knew about the Androsian rebel leader.

  Young and tough, she’d inherited control of the Chakar Resistance after her rebel father’s arrest and execution for treason—he and his group of resistance fighters had been responsible for the assassination of the ruling emperor, the event that had precipitated the civil war. The plan, apparently, had been to thrust the system from
a ruthless monarchy into a fragile democracy, since the emperor died without leaving an heir. Unfortunately, the military had had its own agenda. They’d swept that dream right out the door by declaring martial law and stepping in to ‘maintain order’ until elections could be held. They even went so far as to form a provisional government and appoint an interim President, a solution that was supposed to be temporary.

  Temporary. Sure. That had been almost a decade ago, and so far a single vote hadn’t been cast or counted.

  So the Chakar had had their little democratic dream ground to dust, which had seriously pissed them off. They retaliated by killing anything in a militia uniform and by blowing shit up. No one knew for sure where their main base of operations was situated. It seemed to drift on the wind, disappearing from one place to reappear in another as the towns and villages beyond the capital provided Corin with shelter and personnel. Politically, it was chaos.

  Finally, the interim President had recognized the precariousness of his situation and he’d requested military and humanitarian aid from the Galactic Federation. As highly trained, better armed Gold Bands took over the Androsian militia garrisons and began re-educating government troops, Corin and her rebel buddies fled the area surrounding the capital of Orlakhan and set up shop in the jungle.

  Even by rebel standards she was ruthless. She became an expert at the hit and run, guerrilla tactics the jungle battles demanded, and by the time the civil war was two years old, almost two thirds of the rebels on Andros Prime claimed to be affiliated with her in one way or another. The Chakar preferred to die for their cause rather than surrender to the GSF or the Androsian High Command. Considering the fate that awaited them, it was hardly surprising. The Galactic Federation insisted that all captured rebels be tried before a joint military tribunal as prisoners of war, but none of them really had a hope in hell of getting anything resembling fair trial. The Androsians made a pretty good show of executing those rebels it did manage to get its hands on; Corin Raas would have been too good a target to pass up.