by Cheree Alsop
“Are you sure?” Gage asked.
Tears showed in her eyes and she grabbed the glass of water in front of her. “Nope. It’s still horrible,” she sputtered.
Gage chuckled and took another bite.
“Captain!”
Manax’s voice carried above the din of the tavern. The panic in his words brought Gage to his feet.
“What’s wrong?” Sienna asked.
Manax’s gaze locked on Gage. The Amphibite’s gills opened and closed on either side of his neck, revealing his anxiety.
“We’ve got to go,” Gage said.
He pulled more slugs out of his pocket than the meal of stew and ale was worth and set them on the table as a generous tip for the waitress. She caught up to the pair just as they were heading up the stairs from the tavern.
“You have to eat and run?” she asked with obvious imploring in her voice. She put a hand on Gage’s elbow. “Can’t you stay until my shift is over? I get off in an hour.”
Gage shook his head. “I’m afraid not, but I won’t forget you.”
“Promise?” she asked.
He gave her the lopsided smile girls never failed to find charming. “How could I forget a woman as lovely as you in this distant end of the Macrocosm?”
He felt her gaze on his back when he followed the others up the stairs. He could have sworn he heard Sienna mutter something about ‘renegade pirates’ as she stalked up after him.
Chapter Six
“So what’s going on?” Gage asked as soon as they reached the relative anonymity of the rushing hallway. Everyone was in a hurry to reach their own destinations and didn’t give the trio a second glance.
“Do you happen to have a friend from Corian named Commander Parragosh?” Manax asked. “He’s very adamant that you took something from him.”
Gage glanced at Sienna. She looked back at him, her eyes wide and face pale.
“He may be slightly right about that,” Gage replied. “How did he find you?”
“We’re not sure,” Manax said, leading the way to the loading docks. “He mentioned a correspondence to Corian from a ship he called the TDV Ace. I didn’t even know there was a TDV Ace.”
“He made it for his fiancé,” Gage said. He gave Sienna a searching look. “Did you make a transmission while I was sleeping?”
Guilt filled her face and she nodded. “I had to tell my mother I was alright. I didn’t want her or Father to worry.”
“Did you happen to mention my name?” Gage asked with trepidation.
“It may have come up,” Sienna replied hesitantly.
Gage blew out an angry breath. “Great. Now Donovan knows I didn’t die in that crash.” He gave her a piercing glare. “You have no idea what that might cost us.”
“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Mother asked who I was with and she knows your family. I thought it would help her worry less if—”
“If she knew you ditched your wedding to go cavorting across the Macrocosm with a wanted pirate?” Gage replied. “You may have given that a bit more thought.”
“Possibly,” she admitted.
A light of understanding came into Manax’s dark eyes. He looked from Sienna to Gage. “So that’s what you took from Parragosh.” He elbowed Gage. “Good for you.”
Gage winced when the Amphibite’s bony elbow met his bandaged side. If he didn’t know the man better, he would have said Manax did it on purpose. “It’s not like that,” Gage replied.
Manax looked slightly crestfallen. “So just a rescue mission, then?”
Gage glanced at Sienna. “Something like that.”
Manax nodded. “I can understand not wanting to be hitched to a Belanite. Those guys are boring.”
“Thank you!” Sienna said. “Finally, someone who understands.”
“I understand that your fiancé traveled halfway across the Macrocosm to track you down,” Gage replied. “Maybe he cares about you more than you think.”
“Or maybe he can’t stand the thought of returning home to his family empty-handed,” Sienna replied.
“Can you blame him?” Gage shot back.
Sienna nodded. “I’m not some prize to be gloated over.”
“I don’t know,” Manax said. “If you don’t mind my forwardness, if I was betrothed to someone as beautiful as you, my friends would hear about it for the rest of their lives.”
Gage rolled his eyes. “You’re not helping, Manax.”
They walked along the docks. Relief filled him at the sight of the Iron Falcon between two Copper Crows. New patches showed along its battered hull and Gage could tell he needed to replace the faring on the portside soon, but it would hold for now.
“Welcome back, Captain,” Indy called as he carried several boxes into the storage bay.
“Thanks,” Gage replied. “How much longer do you need?”
“Five minutes,” Indy told him. “Klellen’s already restocked the weapons cache and we found everything on Hedge’s kitchen list. We did have one hiccup, though. Rin attempted to purchase several more TL3 pods because we’re running low, but says they’re in short supply here. He was able to buy three of them, but we’re going to have to limit our use of the AB drive until we can stock up.”
“That had to cost a pretty copper,” Gage noted, following his men up the loading ramp into the ship. “Trilithanium’s getting rare. We’re going to need to make a run to Tanus. They should have our order ready by now. If they have overstock, we can make a few bars. Have we heard from them?”
“No, but we got another transmission from Majoria,” Manax said. His voice carried a question with it as he and Gage walked up the hallway toward the bridge.
Gage waved a hand. “Delete it.”
“Who’s Majoria?”
Gage had almost managed to forget Sienna’s presence. Almost. “Why are you on the Kratos? Aren’t you staying here?” he asked.
She lifted her shoulders in a shrug that looked forced. “I wanted to see the fabled Kratos. Care if I follow you until it’s time for you to depart?”
Gage watched her a moment. There was a worried light to her green gaze that he couldn’t reject. He nodded, but wondered if he would regret it. “Fine.”
“Thanks,” Sienna replied. “Who’s Majoria?”
“No one,” Gage said, turning his attention back to Manax. “Anything else?”
Manax nodded. “The Avians are getting desperate. They said Heartrow’s set a deadline for the Fifty-second.”
“That was nice of him,” Gage replied dryly. “What day is it today?”
Manax’s expression said he was not at all surprised his captain didn’t know what day it was when he replied, “The Fiftieth, Captain.”
Gage drew the money purse from his vest and handed it to the Amphibite. “This should help.”
Manax opened the envelope, then stared at the contents. “These are notes,” he said. He took one out and studied it. His eyes widened. “For gold bars from the Coalition! Where did you get this?”
“I happened upon a Vrogite with deep pockets,” Gage replied. “We’ll let the Coalition help with the Avian situation.”
Manax chuckled. “Wise decision, Captain. Now we just need to free ourselves of the persistent Commander Parragosh. He’s vowed to follow you to the darkest reaches to get back what he says is his.”
Gage realized that was the reason for Sienna following them aboard the Kratos. The tenacious Belanite would snatch her up from the Gaulded as soon as he realized she was no longer with Gage. She kept her face averted from his as though she didn’t want him to read her expression. His heart went out to her.
A thought came to Gage. “Didn’t I see a Calypsan freighter out there?”
Manax nodded, but it was clear by his expression he already didn’t like the direction of Gage’s thoughts. “Yes, Captain. When we docked, Dyth made a point to tell you he would be by later.”
“I’ll find him first,” Gage replied. At Manax’s questioning look, he said, “Th
e Calypsan owes me a favor. I thought I recognized his sigil on the side of the ship. A hoof in a blue field isn’t exactly subtle.”
“It’s a bad idea to exchange favors with Calypsans,” Manax warned him. They paused outside the bridge. “Remember last time with Dyth’s brother? Boroth had us hauling grass across the Dark Nebulon. Rin complained that the storage rooms smelled of plants for weeks.”
“It’ll get us out of here unseen.” At the doubtful expression on his pilot’s face, Gage grinned. “Trust me, Manax. Have I ever been wrong before?”
“Yes,” Manax replied.
“Plenty of times,” Hyra called from inside the bridge. “And hello, Captain.”
“Hello, Hyra,” Gage said in a dry tone.
He turned to enter the bridge and found Sienna watching him.
“Why ask a Calypsan for a favor? All you need to do is tell Parragosh you left me on the Gaulded and you’ll get away free and clear.”
Gage gave her his rogue’s smile. “Would you believe I’m in it for the adventure?”
She shook her head. “I’m tempted to believe you might have a soft heart, Captain,” she said, emphasizing the title.
“Not true,” Hyra called. “The Captain has a heart of steel. You should hear them sing about it on Cantasan.” She broke out in a very loud voice, half-singing, half-shouting,
“Captain Metis, commander of the Kratos
Beat the Tifs and brought back our matos.
He saved the day, and bent them to his will
Using strength, and his heart of steel.”
Manax’s deeper voice and Klellen’s higher one joined in on the chorus.
“Captain Metis, we will not forget
That you are brave and we are in your debt.
Our price to you will be to sing this song,
So your good deeds will forever carry on!”
Sienna lifted an eyebrow at him.
Gage couldn’t hide the embarrassment in his voice when he said, “Cantasians like to sing about anything. I can’t help it if they embellish a bit.” He lifted his voice and said, “But I can assign my crew to latrine duty if they keep singing it!”
The song immediately stopped.
Sienna smiled at him. “Either way, I appreciate it, Gage. I’ll leave as soon as I find somewhere Parragosh isn’t.”
“Deal,” Gage replied. “I’ll have Hyra show you to the guest quarters.”
“Oh, good,” Sienna told him. “Then she’ll be able to teach me the words of your song. How does it go?”
Gage entered the bridge with the sound of her singing behind him.
“Captain Metis, he thinks he’s handsome and he’s charming.”
“Why does she get to sing?” Hyra whined.
“Because what she’s saying is true,” Gage said. He took a seat at the captain’s chair.
Sienna continued with, “But his ego’s so big that it’s quite alarming.”
“That’s not funny,” Gage muttered.
“It’s a little funny,” Klellen pointed out from his place at the console, his scales pink with humor even though his face showed no expression. “I’m dying of laughter inside.”
“When he smiles, the ladies faint with joy,” Sienna sang from outside the door.
“That part is true,” Gage said.
“But when he’s wrong, he pouts like a baby boy,” she concluded.
Gage glared toward the door. “Enough singing. Hyra, show Sienna a room. Preferably as far away from my quarters as possible. I don’t care if you have to put her by the garbage consolidator. Just keep her away from me.”
“Yes, Captain,” she said with a laugh. “Happy to, Captain.”
Ten minutes later found them inside the Calypsan freighter’s holding bay.
“I appreciate it,” Gage said as he shook the huge Calypsan’s beefy hand.
“I owed you one,” Dyth replied. “A Calypsan always returns a favor. Besides,” he said, his deep voice echoing along the bay, “That means I can ask you for a favor someday.”
“No, no,” Gage correct, trying to hide his alarm. “I helped you make it to Isonoe, so you owed me a favor. Now you’re paying up. That’s how this works.”
The Calypsan nodded his shaggy head. “And then when I need a favor, I can come to you because you’ll owe me after this.”
Gage shook his head quickly. “You owed me a favor for getting you to the wedding. Now you’re paying up. We’re even.”
“But I’m doing this for you, so I’ll ask you to return the favor when I need something,” the Calypsan concluded.
Behind him, several members of the Kratos crew were busy stifling their laughter.
Gage glared at them. Apparently, they were relieved enough at being able to hide their ship inside the giant freighter that they didn’t mind owing a debt to the Calypsan despite his inability to understand that there was no debt.
“We’re even,” Gage said.
“Even as in you owe me one in the future,” the Calypsan replied with a flat-toothed smile across his wide mouth. “And Boroth told me about you hauling the grass. That might come in handy.”
Gage sighed. “If you get in a bind, I’m sure I’ll hear from you.”
“Righty-o,” the Calypsan said. “Favor for a favor.”
Gage stalked back up the ramp that led into the Kratos and made his way to the bridge.
“Get things figured out with Dyth?” Manax asked, following him. There was a mocking smile on his face as if he knew exactly how it had gone.
“Apparently we owe him another favor sometime,” Gage replied. He fell more than sat into the captain’s chair. “Calypsans are thick in the skull.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” Hyra said. “But hey, at least you got us off the Gaulded without being tracked.” She indicated the monitor in front of her. “From the looks of things, the Corian ship is still orbiting the Gaulded. They have no idea we left with the Calypsans. Good call.”
“Why do I have a feeling the Kratos will end up hauling grass again, then?” Gage asked.
“Because Calypsans are known for their ability to reason?” Klellen replied.
Everyone burst out laughing. Gage chuckled, then held his side at the answering pain.
“Are you alright, Captain?” Manax asked, watching him closely.
Gage sat up straighter. “I’m fine. Took a bit of shrapnel during my landing on Corian, but it’s healing.”
“You should get some rest, Captain,” Hyra recommended. “We’ll ride this freighter as far as the Undian Nebula. If all goes as planned, we’ll be on Skaw in zero-eight-hundred hours, deliver the payment, and can wing our way by Tanus to pick up the Trilithanium pods before our rendezvous with the Phoenix.”
Gage blew out a breath. “Is it that time already?”
Manax gave him a straight look. “We skipped him the last thirty. He’ll see it as a slight the second time.”
Gage nodded and pushed up to his feet. “Fine. Buzz me when we’re ready to depart this flying corral.”
“Will do,” Tersha said.
Gage stepped into the hallway, then paused. “The smell is beginning to seep through the filtration system.”
Both of Tersha’s mouths curved up in smiles. “That’s because Sienna insisted we leave the doors open so the moon kitten she picked up on the Gaulded could have free range.”
That stopped Gage in his tracks. “A moon kitten? On my ship? That’s not happening.”
“We need to see this,” he heard Hyra call behind him.
Footsteps followed Gage down the hall. At the next corner, he turned around and glared at them. His crew hurried back to the bridge as casually as possible. Gage let out a frustrated breath and continued on his way to Sienna’s quarters.
Gage paused in the open doorway. Sienna’s back was to him as she put away spare clothes she had brought on the TDV Ace into the recessed drawers along the far wall. The white walls of the room had been painted with exotic flowers from distant p
lanets, compliments of Officer O’Tule from his father’s crew over twenty years ago. Frayne was a family friend who now lived on Monet in the Julian Galaxy. Her paintings were famous across the Macrocosm; if anyone knew how many of them decorated the inside of the SS Kratos, the ship would be worth far more than just a castoff from his father’s fleet.
Gage’s attention was caught by a small creature sitting in the middle of the bed. It was white with a blue crescent moon on its forehead. When it saw him, the animal hissed and backed up.
“You’re scaring him,” Sienna chided. She scooped up the kitten and cuddled it against her chest.
“There are no animals aboard the Kratos,” Gage said.
“There are now,” Sienna replied.
Gage gave her a straight look. “I have a crew and a ship to worry about. I don’t need some little feline getting in the way or causing a mess.”
Sienna laughed as she tickled the kitten under the chin. “He’s not going to cause any problems, I promise.”
Gage shook his head. “Sienna, things get dangerous here. It’s not safe.”
Sienna’s smile fell. “A Trilekle was going to eat him for dinner. I couldn’t bear to see that happen, so I gave him my last coppers to keep it.”
Gage let out a breath. “I hate Trilekles. A visiting ambassador from the Morrer Galaxy nearly ate one of Donovan’s Venus whisps. Dad barely stopped him in time. He always said not to trust a person who prefers to eat things alive and whole.”
Sienna gave a shudder. “I can’t imagine.” She clutched the kitten beneath her chin and gave him a pleading look. “Come on, Gage. You know I’ll take care of it. Besides, I won’t be here long.”
Gage knew at that point his only other option was to tell her to let it loose on the Calypsan ship, and the huge Calypsans were notoriously afraid of cats. As much as he wanted to see the chaos that would ensue if the kitten did wander the freighter, he knew he really didn’t have much of a choice. He sighed. “Fine, you can keep it. But if he makes a mess—”
“I’ll clean it up,” she replied quickly. She threw her free arm around his neck and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you, Gage; I really appreciate it!”
