by Cheree Alsop
“And Dad said to come back after things die down. They miss you, Gage.”
He nodded, but couldn’t find the words to say how much he missed them as well.
At his forlorn look, Mattie nodded. “I’ll tell them, don’t worry.”
Gage drew the well-worn Coalition knife he had carried in his belt for the past two years and set it on the chair. He slid the Zamarian blade into the sheath with a feeling of rightness as though it had belonged to him all along, only he hadn’t realized it had been missing until that moment.
Mattie followed him to the front door. The hallways were void of the servants who usually ran to and fro at every hour tending to the duties of the vast Day manor. Guards also were usually found on the main level and walking the perimeter of the home due to the dangers that came from being a member of the powerful Day family. Gage had considered himself fortunate that he hadn’t run into one on his way into the house. He suspected their current absence was Mattie’s doing.
She stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Promise me something.”
Gage knew by her tone what the request would be. He turned back with the intention of telling her it was impossible, but her pleading expression stopped him. He had never been able to say no to anything his younger sister wanted.
“What?” he replied in a level tone, hoping she wasn’t about to ask what he knew she would.
“Promise me you’ll come back and visit.”
“I will,” he said. He reached for the doorknob with the hope she would leave it at that.
“For my birthday.”
Gage looked back at her. The anticipation on her face warred with denial that it could happen. The realization that she expected him to say no filled him with regret. He had missed a great deal in the last two years. Why should she expect anything else?
Gage hoped he didn’t regret his next words. “I promise I’ll be there.”
“Oh, Gage!” she said. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.
He hugged her back with one arm before he opened the door.
“Donovan won’t have any reason to bring his fleet because he won’t be expecting you,” she gushed. “I know Mom and Dad will be so happy! They miss you so much!” He heard the same wistfulness in her voice. “I’ll be counting the days.”
“Me, too,” he replied. “Now I’ve got to run.”
“I’ve made sure the way to the docks is clear.”
Gage gave her a surprised look from the front steps of the house. “How did you do that?”
“I called in an anonymous tip that you had been seen in Terenstown. Dad ordered Commander Parragosh to find you before Donovan’s troops. Of course, the Commander’s a bit busy with the wedding and all, so there’s even more chaos.”
“What wedding?” Gage asked.
“Sienna’s wedding,” Mattie replied with surprise in her tone. “I thought you knew! That’s why she had to leave. She’s getting married today. She also said to check Dock Seven because she arranged to have a ship left there for you.” She winked at him. “Compliments of high connections, I suppose.”
Gage was about to ask why a woman would choose to spend the evening before her wedding patching up a pirate, but he thought better of it.
“I’d better take advantage of their distraction, then,” he replied. He leaned down and kissed his sister on the cheek. “Love you, Mattie. Take care of yourself.”
“You do the same,” she replied.
He hurried through the darkness toward the tunnels that led to the docks his grandfather had built. His steps slowed when he drew near Senior Commandant Day’s house with the intention of saying hello to his grandfather Julius, but the thought of bringing further danger to his family wasn’t a pleasant one. If he didn’t stop in, he would give his grandfather plausible deniability when Donovan came questioning.
Gage made his way through the familiar back walkways of the Corian Merchant Capital Building and down the ramps to the docks. Keeping Mattie’s advice in mind about the ship Sienna had left in Dock Seven, Gage rounded the corner and stopped in surprise.
Dock Seven had always been left open for visiting magistrates, Coalition officials, and anyone else the Commandants wanted to treat with great respect. Usually the esteemed guests arrived in either highly decorated Golden Condors or Iridium Ospreys made posh with elaborate furniture, Venus glass chandeliers, and puola rugs. His father felt such finery was out of place aboard a starship, but treated his guests with respect nonetheless.
The ship Gage stared at wasn’t a Coalition craft; instead, a TDV created by Corian’s own merchant fleet waited on the otherwise empty dock. Its sleek sides, forward arrowhead shape, and ghost thrusters were offset by gently-glowing purple lights that lined the shape and pulsed, making it appear as if the ship was alive. The usual black of the Corian’s fleet had been replaced by dark purple that shimmered when Gage walked toward it. Italicized writing proclaimed the ship to be the TDV Ace. It was ridiculous, entirely gaudy, and beautiful in a fish out of Kaltendarf kind of way.
Gage climbed up the lowered loading ramp and paused when he reached the interior. Purple continued throughout the inside of the small ship. He estimated that five people could sit in the holding bay which had been turned into some sort of high-class relaxation center complete with fluffy couches of purple gargarun fur and carved cloven feet which were attached to the floor in case of anti-gravity situations.
Gage shook his head as he crossed the thick white carpets to the small cockpit. At the sight of the fur-lined control panel and plush chairs, Gage shook his head.
“This is too much. No wonder Sienna was able to give it away. It must have been some sort of joke.”
He slid into the pilot’s seat and reached for the starter. He paused when he noticed it was set up for fingerprint recognition. If he put his finger to it and it didn’t match an approved print in the directory, the entire merchant fleet would be notified that someone was trying to steal a ship. He hoped Sienna knew what she was doing.
Gage push his finger to the scanner. A moment of tense silence followed that was broken by, “Welcome, Pilot Gage Tariq Metis. Systems are ready for take-off. What are your orders?”
“Set destination for the Black Eye Galaxy. Block all incoming transmissions from Corian or Coalition ships.”
“Yes, Pilot Gage Tariq Metis.” The engines fired up.
Gage rolled his eyes. “She couldn’t have just used my first name?” he muttered.
He grabbed the controls and maneuvered the ship toward the open ramp.
“Do you wish to engage autopilot?” the ship asked in a false-warm woman’s voice.
“No,” Gage replied. He fought back the urge to say ‘thank you’ as he shoved the thrusters forward.
“It is not recommended to take off with full thrusters,” the ship noted.
“That’s why it’s not on autopilot,” Gage replied.
The small starship shot up the ramp. Members of the fleet crew scrambled out of the way when his ship bullied in front of two others getting ready to enter the take-off ramp. Gage kept his gaze on the patch of starlight that showed beyond the steep incline. At his current speed, if any starship did pull out they would both be in serious trouble.
The yells and shouts of the fleet workers didn’t bother Gage in the least bit. He was nearly to the end of the ramp when a TDV Loader nosed onto the ramp.
“No,” Gage said under his breath. “No, no, no, no.”
He glared at the ship, willing it to back off. The pilot turned his head and his eyes widened. Gage motioned wildly for him to get away from the ramp. He could see the pilot scrambling to reverse the engines, but the ship was too slow. Crew members waved yellow glowing sticks from the ground. Officers in Corian blue and silver appeared with assault rifles at the ready.
Gage gritted his teeth and kept the thrusters at full power. He could hear Corporal Ganik’s voice in the back of his mind commending him with the same rhetoric he always repeated after
a mission, “Officer Metis, you could fly a Diamond Albatross through a hole fit for a Tin Sparrow.”
While the statement was impossible, Gage appreciated the sentiment. He hoped he hadn’t lost his touch as he watched the nose of the Loader draw near. His eyes shifted back and forth, calculating the distance. The space between the Loader’s nose and the right wing of the purple TDV would be close; if it was too close, he wasn’t going to launch from Corian with any success. Maybe Donovan would have the joy of fishing his lifeless body from the Skavian after all.
The milliseconds drew out as the gap lessened. Gage’s eyes widened. It was too close. His grip on the thrusters tightened. Officers raised their guns. The pilot of the Loader met Gage’s gaze. Gage lifted his shoulders in an apologetic shrug. Both of them watched the sparks fly when the tip of the wing met the nose of the Loader. A crack of metal on metal sounded, then the Ace was past and into the air.
“Yes!” Gage shouted. “Did you see that?”
“See what?” the ship’s voice asked.
He let out a breath of relief and guided the Ace through the atmosphere.
“Whew,” he exclaimed. “That’s what I call flying.”
“It was really just taking off.”
Gage spun in his seat so fast the pull to his stitches nearly sent him to his knees. He gripped his side and stared at Sienna.
“What are you doing here?”
“Watching you try to destroy my beautiful ship,” she replied in a forced, calm tone.
Gage watched her closely. “It’s a gaudy ship and aren’t you supposed to be at a wedding?”
She pointed to the veil that had been flung up behind her head. “I was at a wedding. Now I’m on my way to,” she leaned over the copilot seat and glanced at the star map. “The Black Eye Galaxy, apparently.” She looked at Gage. “Why are we going to the Black Eye Galaxy?”
“To meet my sh— we aren’t going anywhere!” Gage said. “I’m the one on my way to the Black Eye Galaxy and you’re supposed to be on Corian getting married to Commander Parowan.”
“That’s Parragosh, and you should be grateful to him. He’s the one who gave me the ship.”
Gage gave her a skeptical look. “I don’t think anyone’s grateful for this purple monstrosity.”
She looked slightly embarrassed. “I may have mentioned that purple is my favorite color. I can’t help that he took it to the extreme.”
Gage shook his head and leaned back in the pilot’s seat. “This is ridiculous. I can understand sending this outrage of a starship to the depths of space where no one would ever see it again, but coming aboard with a known, highly-wanted pirate sounds like a death sentence to me.”
She slipped into the copilot’s seat and put her booted feet up on the console. “Being a known, highly-wanted pirate sounds like a death sentence to me.”
“It is,” Gage replied. “Get your feet off the dash.”
She rolled her eyes and sat up. “Want me to fly so you can get some rest?”
Gage gave her an exasperated look. “What I want is for you to go back to your wedding so I don’t have Commander Parasite on my tail along with the Coalition and the rest of the Macrocosm.”
“Parragosh,” she corrected again. “And it’s not like you’re going to tell much of a difference. I imagine everywhere you go people are trying to kill you. What’s one more man?”
Gage glared at the screen in front of him. Stars raced by as the TDV Ace’s AB drive took them at faster-than-light speeds. The bubble the drive formed around the TDV shielded them from the effects of space-time manipulation. At that moment, he wished the bubble would vanish.
“So what’s your plan?” he asked when the silence became unbearable.
“I assume your rendezvous with your ship is at Gaulded Five Fifty-three,” she replied. At Gage’s surprised look, she shrugged. “Parragosh is a Belanite from the Kristo Belanite family. Thanks to him, I know most of the Gauldeds this side of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster.”
Gage sputtered. “You didn’t mention your betrothed was a Belanite. What am I supposed to do, avoid all Gauldeds for the rest of time?”
She gave a little, forced laugh. “That would be ridiculous. Belanites are fair above all else. They’ll still let you dock.”
Gage stared at her. “After running away with one of their soon-to-be relatives? I’m not so sure. Even a Belanite has to have limits.”
She shook her head and her tone was flat when she said, “You obviously don’t know Belanites.”
Gage broke his own rule in his agitation and put a foot on the console. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You’d better fill me in quickly before I turn around and drag you to that altar myself.”
She sighed and sat back as well. She looked at the console in front of her, but it was obvious by her expression that she didn’t see it.
Gage let her have her time. He had never been engaged, so he told himself he had to show some patience even if he was dealing with a stowaway. He had to give her some credit for the fact that he was away from Corian without his brother being the wiser. Perhaps Donovan’s search would give the Kratos crew a break.
“He was perfect,” Sienna began.
Gage glanced at her. “That sounds pretty awful.”
She glared at him. “Let me finish.”
He fought back a smirk at drawing a rise out of her and motioned for her to continue.
She looked away from him and said, “The problem with perfection is that it can’t go on forever, at least that’s what I thought.” Her eyebrows drew together when she said, “Juliza told me about the heated discussions she and her boyfriend had before they got married. She said they became closer because they worked through everything together so they could be on the same page.” She shook her head. “With Fluff, there were never any arguments. He was always so agreeable.”
Gage held up a hand. “Wait a minute,” he said. He leaned forward. “His first name is Fluff?”
Sienna gave an exasperated wave of her hand. “I knew you would make fun of it, so that’s why I haven’t said it until now. His full name is Darfluff. It’s a family name.” She swallowed, then said, “And tradition dictates that the name passes to the first child.”
Gage laughed. He didn’t care that Sienna glared at him or that his side hurt. He held his ribs and laughed louder, fueled by the anger on her face.
He grinned and said, “Come on, you have to admit that a Belanite named Fluff is ridiculous.” He laughed again.
A smile tugged at the corners of Sienna’s mouth, and then a laugh escaped her. She allowed herself to join him as though it was something she had needed but hadn’t allowed herself the luxury.
Gage finally wiped his eyes. “Fluff Parragosh. That’s a name that commands respect.”
“But I didn’t respect him,” Sienna said, sobering. “He was so mild, so level-headed. He always had the right answer, always went along with what I wanted to do, never disagreed, and painted this picture of a perfect life. He had his post as Control Commander of the Corian docks; I could stay home and raise our children like a good little wife.”
“Sounds like a fine offer,” Gage suggested.
Sienna nodded. “It was,” she admitted. “Too good to live it. I don’t want my whole life to be planned out for me. I need change, adventure, new horizons.” She looked at Gage. “I can’t accept settling down on Corian forever when I haven’t seen Titus or the Mirage Galaxy or the Maze Nebula. How am I supposed to just be content with staying on Corian for the rest of my life?”
Gage wiped the nonexistent smudge where his shoe had rested on the console. “If you feel that way, why did you accept his proposal?”
“Because the white picket fence dream is what every girl is supposed to want, isn’t it?” Sienna replied. She gave him a searching glance. “Wouldn’t you rather be a commander with your brother, guiding your father’s fleet instead of at odds with each other?”
Gage gave her a straight look.
“And give up my life as a renegade pirate without a home planet and by your estimation, every man or woman I meet out to kill me? No thanks.”
She appeared immediately apologetic. “Gage, I didn’t mean—”
He rose from his seat, cutting her off. “I think I will take you up on the offer to get some rest. I’m sure Mattie would approve.”
He left the bridge before she could argue otherwise.
Chapter Four
“You sure they’re not going to send out the Gauls the instant they realize who you are?” Gage asked. He eyed the men and women who walked around them. Nobody gave the pair a second glance.
“They shouldn’t,” Sienna replied. “It’s not like I’ve done anything wrong.”
Gage lifted his eyebrows.
“I haven’t,” Sienna protested. “Besides,” she continued with a self-conscious grimace. “They’re all probably still at Corian.”
“Waiting for a wedding that’s never going to happen,” Gage replied.
She nodded. A huge, shaggy danuk walked between them going the opposite direction. He had to bend forward nearly in half to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling.
Gage scanned the crowd by habit. The Kratos hadn’t been at the docks, so his crew hadn’t arrived yet. Their absence worried him. The ship had been in pretty bad shape, but given the risk they had taken to get the power cells to Hiel, he knew Countess Emereen would do everything in her ability to get them up and running again. If he went to Hiel looking for them, it would bring the entire Coalition back on their heads. He could only hope that the Kratos hadn’t run into additional trouble on their way to the rendezvous point.
A Vrogite heading their way through the bustling crowd caught Gage’s attention. The man’s head swiveled from side to side on his slender neck as he hurried toward the docks. It wasn’t hard to read the agitation on his gray-skinned face. The way he kept his four slender arms wrapped around his robed torso told why. Gage could see the outline of the money purse beneath the fine silk cloth of his attire. The bulge told of the reason for the man’s anxiety, but not the source.
