by E. A. James
“He’s an intelligent kid. I’m sure whatever he’s doing, he’s being smart about it.”
“You two make a really good team,” she observed, leaning in and resting her head on his shoulder.
Having her so close always made Bron feel flustered. He was an awkward enough individual, to begin with, but being around her always somehow exaggerated that.
“I’m really glad we found you two,” she continued, scooting just a little closer. “You’ve helped us so much. And I don’t know what I would do if I were just sitting here alone while my father was out there on his way to Jaantu 7. I’m so worried about him, Bron.”
Her voice was soft and calm, but still, he could sense the emotions buried beneath it. He wanted to comfort her but wasn't sure exactly how to go about doing so.
“I’m glad…” he started, nudging his shoulder around slightly and moving his hand to her side. “I’m glad I could be here…”
Now he was prepared to make his move. He slid his hand around behind her back and wrapped it tightly around her waist. His heart was racing as he waited for her response. Would she pull away? Would she scoot in closer?
“I don’t ever want to hear another comment about not needing me around,” Vinnie’s voice broke through the moment.
“Vinnie!” Alaria exclaimed, jumping up to her feet and running over to the bars.
“Just in time,” Bron mumbled as he followed behind Alaria.
Vinnie, standing nearly as tall as Alaria, took a step back as one of the jail guards swiped his ID badge in front of the reader and opened the cell door.
“How did you…?” Alaria started, but she was cut short when Admiral Artanis walked to the front of their cell.
“He’s a persistent one,” Artanis said, walking slowly toward them.
“That’s an understatement,” Bron agreed.
“He showed up at the military section of the station, demanding to see me. I, of course, wasn’t in that part of the ship as I was waiting to hear from a group of special task force members in a secured conference area. But, Vinnie didn’t let that detour him. He very enthusiastically explained that his business with me was of the utmost importance.”
“I caused a scene,” Vinnie said with a chuckle.
“Another understatement, I’m sure,” Bron said, smiling at him almost proudly as he patted him on the back.
“Long story short, I was called in to give the official order to throw him in jail. He’s a minor and all, and because of that, a high ranking official needs to take responsibility for him while he’s in custody. Seeing as he was demanding to see me, it made the most sense that I am the one to give the official order,” Artanis explained.
“Thankfully he recognized me from the meeting we had on the TFS Victory,” Vinnie replied.
“Thankfully,” Alaria said. “We’ve been wanting to meet with you, Admiral.”
“I imagined as much,” Artanis replied. “There are a few things we need to discuss. But, here is not the place. Follow me, if you will.”
With that, he turned on his heel and lead the group out of the station jail. Back in the hustle and bustle of the busy space station, Artanis didn’t slow as he wove his way through the crowds. Bron was the first behind him, opening the path for Alaria and Vinnie easily with his large size and long strides.
When they reached the far end of the station, about twenty minutes later, he led them into the same high-security area that he had asked Kira and the others to meet him in before. Alaria recognized it right away and knew that where they were going was somewhere where no one outside of their group would be able to hear what was going on.
Stopping abruptly at a door labeled “Conference Room 4” Artanis waved his ID badge in front of the reader and stepped back as the door whooshed opened.
“After you,” he said, motioning for them to step into the room.
The three of them filed in. There were no other officials in the room this time. It was just them and Artanis. Something about that made a nervous lump form in Alaria’s stomach.
“Where are the others?” she asked, sitting down in the same seat she had been in when they agreed that her father would participate in the most dangerous mission any of them had faced to date.
“They won’t be joining us,” Artanis said, walking around the table. He remained standing as he continued, “as I’m sure you’ve figured out, Kira, Thor, and Dario were all successful in getting themselves captured.”
Bron grunted as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“We did,” Alaria replied. “It wasn’t part of our plan, though—for them to get caught so soon. We were supposed to have a few more days to finalize our plans. Did they speak to you before they were taken? Do you have any idea why they didn’t come back to see us?”
“We reviewed some of the security footage of their capture. It appears they were ambushed by a notorious bounty hunter and although they did try to fight back, in the end, they surrendered.”
“Shit,” Bron muttered.
Vinnie, with the same zeal he did everything, replied, “it doesn’t matter how they got caught. The thing is, they did. Now it’s our turn to hold up our end of the deal. Let’s start figuring out how we’re going to bust them out!”
Everyone turned their attention to Artanis, waiting for him to provide them with some sort of guidance. When he didn’t answer right away, the nervous pit in Alaria’s stomach grew slightly bigger.
“Unfortunately,” he said after a long pause, “there is nothing the T.A.F. can do to help.”
“Nothing?” Bron asked, stepping forward and resting his fists on the large metal table between them and Artanis. “What do you mean nothing? They are out there for you! They are risking their lives for your mission.”
Artanis, appearing to be slightly intimidated by the Bandurian’s suddenly aggressive tone, took a small step back.
“I warned Captain Winter and the others that this would be the case,” Artanis explained. “We cannot risk straining our relationship with the Bandurians. Given that Jaantu 7 is located in the Bandurian occupied section of Delta Space, any involvement by the Terran Alliance Forces could be considered a direct violation of territorial boundaries.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Bron asked.
“Kira assured me of your abilities and expertise,” Artanis replied. “She only agreed to take on this mission because of her faith in her crew.”
“Flattery isn’t going to get our people back,” Vinnie said, crossing his arms over his chest in an effort to imitate Bron’s authoritative stance.
“We have provided you with materials and supplies for your ship,” Artanis replied. “We have done all that we can do. Now, I’m afraid, it’s up to you to get them out of Jaantu 7.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The week-long journey out to Jaantu 7 felt more like a month. For Thor, the hardest part was keeping his temper in check. But, after missing meals two days in a row, he finally caved and opted instead for completely ignoring Rax when he made his daily trips to the brig to taunt them with his victory.
For Kira, the worst part was sitting still. Her legs ached for action and her mind throbbed from the lack of mental exercise.
“Maybe simple won’t be good for me,” she said to Thor after being locked up for three days. “I’m already going crazy. I need to be doing something!”
Three days later, as they arrived at Jaantu 7, she was actually excited to throw herself into the rush of danger and adventure she knew would be awaiting them there. As they grew closer to the suspended penitentiary, a chill of nervous enthusiasm trickled down Kira’s spine.
Nico had gathered them all in the airlock, ensuring that they got a good view of their new residence as he docked his ship aboard the infamous prison. Even from a distance, the structure looked ominous. From the outside, there were no windows—at least none that they could see. The free-floating prison was completely surrounded by meteors the size of the Curio, making it difficult
to approach, and making it seem even more cut off from the rest of civilization than it already was.
The large, industrial structure was a dark spot in the midst of darkness, illuminated only by specks of light that served to highlight the prison’s poor conditions and menacing appearance.
“Looks nice,” she said, looking up at Thor.
“Just like I always imagined it would,” he said, reaching down and lacing his fingers with hers.
When the ship hissed to a stop inside of the large onboard landing bay, Kira held her breath, ready for whatever would be waiting for them on the other side of the heavy metal door.
“Welcome to Jaantu 7,” a Terran woman greeted them as they disembarked. “I hope your journey here wasn’t too arduous.”
She wasn’t ready for that.
The Terran woman, with jet-black hair and dark brown eyes, smiled at them pleasantly as she waved them toward the administration part of the maximum-security prison. Kira eyed her suspiciously, completely thrown off by her sweet demeanor and cheerful countenance.
“This is definitely not what I was expecting,” she muttered to Thor as they walked through the airlock.
Nico Rax, stalking close behind them, laughed his high-pitched laugh as he prodded at them to move faster.
“Welcome to Jaantu 7,” another cheery-faced prison employee greeted them as they moved from the landing bay into the body of the prison. “If you’ll follow me, we’ll get you processed and ready to go.”
They walked behind the tall Terran man who seemed to have an extra bounce in his step. As they moved, they couldn’t help but notice the conditions of the area around them. Everything was clean and pristine. The walls of the hall were bright with intricate light green patterns painted on the thick, white metal. The lights hanging over head gave off a soft, almost blue glow.
The desks they were escorted up to were all occupied by Terran employees, each as pleasant and kind as the next.
“And who might this be?” the woman at the second desk asked as Nico pushed Kira forward.
“Captain Kira Winter,” she replied.
“Just one second,” the woman said, turning her attention to the holo-screen in front of her and entering Kira’s name into the search engine.
As Kira waited, Nico escorted Thor and Dario up to the two desks to her right. They were greeted with the same warm welcome.
“Here you are,” the woman said, smiling up at Kira. “I will need just a few moments to get you all processed and into our system. In the meantime, why don’t you slip into this?”
Pulling a blue jumpsuit from a dispenser underneath her desk, she handed it to Kira with the same disturbingly sweet smile she had worn the entire time. The woman explained where she could find a changing room and then returned to her work.
Thor, too, was heading in the same direction, followed closely by Dario. The three of them entered the changing room together.
“What the hell is this place?” Dario asked as he ducked behind one of the ornate dividers to slip into his blue jumpsuit.
“If I had known it was like this, I wouldn’t have bothered escaping before,” Thor added.
“I don’t know,” Kira said, stepping into one of the partitioned off changing areas. “I think if I see one more obnoxiously sweet smile, I’m going to punch someone in the face and wipe it off for them.”
“Maybe they just really enjoy their jobs,” Thor replied.
“Maybe they’re mocking us,” Kira said. “That’s what it feels like.”
Thor didn’t bother finding a secluded changing area of his own. He remained close to Kira as he slid his shirt up over his head. She couldn’t help but smirk as her eyes glided over his perfectly chiseled chest.
“Hey,” he said, nudging her chin up. “I’m up here.”
She laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him tightly. She pushed herself up onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. A warm chill ran down her spine as he moved his hands down lower and took hold of the edge of her shirt.
“What are you doing?” she asked, stepping back from him slightly.
"You were going to take it off anyway, right?" he asked jokingly.
“Yes, I was. And I can do so without your help.”
“I’ve helped you before.”
“Well, this is definitely not the time for you to help me again.”
“Or the place,” Dario called out. “Would you two hurry up? I’m already changed.”
“Right,” Kira replied, slipping out of her shirt and shorts and pulling on the jumpsuit.
Thor, too, changed quickly and together the three of them made their way back to their respective administering officers.
“Place all of your personal items in this box,” the Terran woman said, pushing a large metal box in her direction.
She dropped her clothes down into it.
“Anything else? Comm-bands? Phones? Weapons?” the woman asked.
“No,” Kira replied. “I didn’t really have the chance to collect anything before I got picked up,” she added, glancing back over her shoulder at Nico. “And that rat took my gun.”
He wasn’t paying attention to her or to any of them for that matter. He was at a desk of his own, processing the transfer of Galactic Credits into his account. His beady black eyes were wide with greed as he watched the holo-screen clicking off the amounts as they poured into his personal account.
“Well, I think that’s everything then,” the Terran woman said, pushing herself up from her chair and extending her hand to Kira. “You’re all set. Welcome to Jaantu 7, Kira Winter.”
“Thanks,” Kira said, eyeing her hand for a second, still completely thrown off by the overall service they had received since their arrival.
Once Thor and Dario had been formally welcomed by their administering officers, Nico Rax joined them for one last chance to gloat.
“It has been wonderful working with you, Captain Winter, Dr. Marner,” and after shooting Thor a long, boastful grin, he added, “Commander Rockhold.”
Thor’s hands tightened into fists and Kira knew he was at the end of his patience with the oversized rodent.
“Thanks for the ride,” Kira said, smiling at Nico smugly.
“If you ever need another, you know where to find me,” Nico replied, turning to walk away. “Or, at least, I’ll be sure to find you.”
Before any of them could respond, Nico disappeared through a sleek sliding door.
“This way,” a prison guard said, pulling their attention away from their escort and toward the heavy metal door down the hallway leading in the opposite direction.
Kira, Thor, and Dario turned to see a Bandurian male, dressed in thick armor and armed with at least four different weapons, grinning at them menacingly.
“What are you staring at?” he asked. “Move!”
His words were loud and sharp and caused the three of them to jump instantly into action. As they fell into step behind the dark-skinned, muscular Bandurian, Kira felt her pulse quickening. The closer they got to the large metal doors, the more adrenaline pumped through her veins.
When two more guards joined the first, all equally large and equally heavily armed, Thor shot her a nervous look. Even the bright walls and soft lighting couldn’t make the ominous feel that had suddenly settled in the air evaporate.
It took all three guards to push open the heavy metal doors. As they inched open, the dull roar of voices wafted out toward their group. Not just voices, but shouts and cries and grunts and the clang of metal hitting metal.
“Here we are,” the first guard said, grabbing hold of Kira’s arm and pulling her in behind him.
Thor and Dario were also dragged through the door with the same lack of grace or concern. The place they had been taken was a precariously perched platform, made of metal that appeared to be rusting and perhaps far too thin to support their weight.
The droning sounds they had heard outside the door were now almost deafening.
/> “Welcome to The Pits,” the guard said with a deep, guttural laugh.
Kira took a shaky step forward and peered down. At least fifty feet below them was a poorly lit, densely populated world of thugs and criminals. As the security drones buzzed about, casting light on pockets of the inmates’ realm, Kira was able to see them better.
A fight had broken out in one corner of the room. The sight of a large, green-skinned Arkadian female pinning a light green, scale-covered Vorian warrior back against the wall filled Kira with a rush of panicked excitement she hadn’t felt in well over a week. As the drones continued to zip by, more and more of the prison’s life came into view. In one section, a group of Rengar seemed to be dealing with a group of Bandurian, their beady black eyes looking up at the drones suspiciously as they whirred past. In another part of the crowded, stuffy, dark world of crime, Kira spotted a group consisting of everything from Terran to Telani, Vorian to Rengar seated around a table, their head all down and huddled close. None of them looked back at the drone as it illuminated them.
