by Elle Casey
“Good. Because in all the years I’ve lived in this galaxy as a drifter, I’ve found no greater, more powerful currency than what’s between my legs. It has brought me far, and it will bring me farther than most of the people in our Alliance could ever dream of.”
“I think you’re undervaluing what’s between your ears,” I say, feeling a little sorry for her. I’d hate for my hootie to be the thing I was depending on for survival. If that were the case, I’d be dead tomorrow. Before I got my body busted up by Beltz, Alana was proving herself to be pretty sharp in that meeting, so I don’t know why she thinks her womanhood is her best asset.
“Not at all. That’s the beauty of using other parts of your body for currency. It opens the door for your brain to do the real work of diplomacy and negotiation. You can’t negotiate through a closed door.”
Not only is she making sense, she’s making me worried that she’s a lot sharper than I am. If she decides to come after me some day, I’m not sure I’ll see it coming. “Good thing we’re on the same side.” I’m wondering if her little speech is some sort of warning of her future plans. Is she planning on taking over the OSG, one penis at a time?
She stops just before the cargo area and turns to smile at me. “Yes. It is, isn’t it?”
I have a feeling her little comment is loaded with secondary meaning, but I really don’t have any idea what it is. I nod, waiting for her to elaborate or share more girly secrets with me. I don’t get to share girl talk very often, and it’s always enlightening. I’m starting to think I’ve been guilty of underestimating the fairer sex my entire life.
Her voice softens and she comes very close to me. If I’m not mistaken, she’s trying to make everyone standing around watching think that we have something hotsy totsy going on between us, when what she’s really doing is making sure no one but me can hear her.
“Watch your back. Trust no one. Be smart. Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut.”
I nod.
“We’re going to Centurion 4 together. I’m going in first while the rest of the Alliance crews help get your ship together. Then you’ll arrive. I’ll have my crew in place. You’re to go to the bar where you won the ship and await further instructions.” She reaches up and smoothes down the front of my jacket just above my boobs. It’s an intimate gesture, but it doesn’t bother me. I know she’s being a sneaky bitch right now, and I’m cool with that. Us bitches have to stick together.
“Our goal is to get the story behind what Tremblay planned to do with the schlafhammer.”
“Sleephammer,” I say, smiling.
She pinches my cheek. “I adore you.” She leans in and kisses me on the mouth, only this time, it’s more intimate than before. I can feel the softness of her lips, and it’s not entirely horrible. I freeze in place, worried that any move on my part will be taken as the go-ahead to make this a bigger deal than it is.
She backs her head away and smoothes my cheek with her fingertips. “I would love to get you into my bed. I could teach you so much.”
I put my hand over hers and wink. “Probably not in this lifetime, but I appreciate the compliment for what it is.”
She leans back and laughs, letting her hand slide out from under mine as she takes a step into the cargo bay. “She’s ready to go,” she calls out to the crewmembers standing around. She pads over on bare feet to join her bevy of beauties standing at the base of a set of stairs. I have to admit that there’s a very small piece of me that wishes I were joining them. They look so happy and self-assured, comfortable in their own skin.
The people from my ship slowly filter over to meet me in the middle of the room. Olina peels off from the group and makes her way over to her parents. Lucinda is the first one in front of me.
“You feeling better?” Her eyes scan me from my boots to the top of my head and linger there. “Nice ‘do.”
“Yep. Better than ever.” I make a quick scan of my crew. Lucinda is standing stick-straight, looking at the airlock as if it’s the only place in the world she wants to be right now. Macon is staring at the whores, his mouth hanging open. Gus is right next to him, and his face is back to normal, although I’m not sure he has as many freckles now as he had before; but at least he doesn’t have the burns and open sores anymore. Jeffers is standing off to the side with Baebong talking softly. The only one not here is Tam. “Where’s our shadow?” I ask no one in particular.
“Tam is on the ship,” Gus says. “He didn’t feel comfortable here after you told everyone his business.” There’s an accusation there that I’m not going to address right now. There’ll be time for a come-to-captain meeting when I’m back where I belong.
“Fine. You guys ready to head back?”
Jeffers nods. “Yes, we are. The crew of the DS Osiris has been very hospitable, but we’re all anxious to be home.”
“I’ll bet they have.” I grin knowingly at him.
He clears his throat and drops his gaze to the floor.
“Not as hospitable as you’d expect,” Macon mumbles.
Poor Macon. Can’t even get laid in a whorehouse. I manage not to laugh at his misery.
“Home,” I say. “That sounds good to me.” I lift my head and catch Beltine’s eye. “You ready to take us back?”
“Yep.” She flips her cowboy hat up onto her head and strides across the cargo bay to the airlock.
Before following her, I walk over to the captain of the DS Huna and his wife. After bowing at the waist for a moment, I stand with my hand on my chest. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking care of not only me but my crewman as well.”
The captain puts his hand over his heart in return. “It was our pleasure. I hope you are not too angry with me for removing your scars.” He looks at my arms, but he doesn’t seem too broken up about his mistake.
I don’t want to sound ungrateful, so I try for a smile. “It’s no big deal.” I turn my attention to Kimo. “I told your daughter Olina that I have space on my crew for a healer, and I have a slant-eye who could use a little excitement in his life. He’s single, and while I can’t speak for his hand in marriage, I can provide all the opportunity Olina would need to get his attention.”
“Thank you, Captain, for your offer. She did mention this to us, and we have agreed to discuss it.”
I nod. “Great. So … how much do I owe you for the MI services?”
“It has already been taken care of,” says Kaiholo.
“Lucinda?”
He shakes his head. “Beltz.”
I lose my smile. “He paid you for both patients?”
“He did.”
“He had no right to do that.”
“You can take that up with him. I needed the parts for my ship, though, so I’m grateful to him for the trade.”
“Well, I’m paying him back.” I hate that people are going to think I’m beholden to him.
“That is your decision,” Kimo says, “but if it were me, I wouldn’t be in such a hurry to do that. He is the reason you were hurt, and he has accepted that responsibility. To pay him back that debt would be the same as saying you either want war or a closer relationship.” She pauses. “Of course, if you do want either of those things, no one would blame you …”
I shake my head. “No. That’s fine. I’m good. I’ll just … leave it.” I’m going to discuss this with Jeffers later. I have a feeling he’ll be able to make more sense of it for me than I’m able to myself. “Anyway, thanks again.” I bow once more and back away as they nod and smile at me.
I have to jog to catch up with my crew who’s almost all the way through the airlock and onto Beltine’s PC. Even though I owe Beltz a debt I’m not sure how to repay, I still feel like a million credits. In the back of my mind I’m a little sad that Beltz didn’t see me leaving here looking like it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
THE ACTIVITY ON MY SHIP reminds me of a beehive. There are people everywhere, each of them being very industrious. After a full twenty-four hou
rs of rest for everyone, all but the most critical crewmembers from the other Alliance ships have arrived to clean my hull, remove the disturbing devices that were installed by unknown entities, and work on updating our systems.
“Romulus,” I say, pulling the old man aside as he’s working on pulling out unnecessary and outdated equipment from my cargo hold, “I hate to talk finances, but I’m worried about payment for all this work that everyone’s doing.”
He straightens and massages his lower back. “Not to worry. We discussed it when you were otherwise occupied in the medical bay and agreed that our Alliance is only as strong as our weakest link.” He pauses to look around. “No offense, but your ship, the way it’s limping along and bound to break down at any moment, is definitely a weak link. And with the OSG looking for you over that schalfhammer incident, we can’t have you defenseless. It’s a liability for everyone, not just you and your crew.” He pats my arm. “One day you’ll do the same or similar for me and my crew. I’m not keeping score.”
“Wow. Thank you. Thanks to everyone here.” I find myself a little choked up and can’t continue. I’ve lived so long fighting for what I need, it’s almost overwhelming to be gifted with so many things. A dark part of me is telling me I’m not worth it, that all of these people will regret being so nice to me in the future. I try to ignore that voice, though. Now is not the time to be engaging with my darker side.
He goes back to working without another word, and I leave to find Lucinda. I know Romulus said that all of this assistance was supposed to be a favor to me, but I can’t just take all of this labor and effort for nothing. Heck, they’re even giving me parts. It’s too much. I feel the strong need to shower them with gifts from my biogrid.
I find our green goddess —as everyone has taken to calling her— in her green palace, messing with the door’s keypad.
“Trying to figure out how to lock me out?” I ask. We still have the issue of her grandfather to deal with, but as far as I can tell, he hasn’t spilled the beans to her. I’m relieved, because I already have too much going on to deal with a moody green goddess.
She scowls without removing her attention from the door. “No.”
“Listen, I was hoping you could do me a favor. Actually, it’s for all of us, not just me.” I figure I have a better chance of getting a yes by presenting it this way.
Her hands go still, but she keeps her eyes on her work. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. I’ve been told that all the work going on right now is gratis, but I’m not cool with having that big IOU hanging over my head. Is there any chance … ?”
“… That I could put together some offerings to compensate them for their labor and parts?” She looks up at me for a second before going back to her lock problem.
“Yes. How’d you know that’s what I was going to say?”
“Because. It’s exactly what I would say in your position. Owing people in the Dark is dangerous. I’ve already gathered most of it. I just need to fix this door and then I’ll be ready to finish.”
“I’ll send Macon over. He’s great with locks.”
“Fine.” She drops what she’s doing and leaves me standing there as she disappears into the grid.
I call out after her, knowing very well she won’t hear a word of it. “It was nice talking to you, Lucinda! Have a nice day, Lucinda!”
I’m smiling as I leave the biogrid. Lucinda might be prickly, but her moods are kind of growing on me. I think she actually might like me a little.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I FIND MACON IN THE engine room. He has a black smear over his upper lip making it look like he’s faking a mustache. I decide not to tell him about it because he looks hilarious, and I could use a little more levity in my life.
“Lucinda needs your help.”
He frowns. “Yeah, but I’m busy here.” He points at the twins who are on their knees, both of their heads buried inside a mainframe.
“Yeah, I can see that.” I’m suspicious of the mustache now; it’s possible he smeared that grease on his face on purpose in an effort to try to look busy. I shake my head. Pitiful.
He reaches over to the nearby workbench and picks up a tool. “It’s critical that I stay here.” He uses the tool to point at the twins. “In case they need something. My help, for example. Or a tool.” He wiggles it in the air between us.
I jerk my thumb toward the door. “Lucinda has a lock that’s messed up on the portal leading into the biogrid. I don’t need to tell you how critical it is that no one gets in or out of there without permission. Access control is of paramount importance.” I stare at him with my eyes kind of bugging out so he’ll get my meaning without me having to reveal anything with the twins so close. Not that I’m going to lock Lucinda’s grandfather in there, but still … he shouldn’t be roaming around my ship without me knowing about it.
“Oh, yeaaah, right. Gotcha. Security is important.”
Gus pulls his head out of the frame. “What’s going on?”
“Just sending Macon off to fix a lock. That okay with you? Can you spare him?”
Tam pulls his head out too. “What’s up?” he asks his brother.
“She wants to know if we can spare Macon.”
They both shrug at the same time and look up at me as if confused.
“Come on, guys,” Macon says, “don’t act like I’m useless in here. You know I fixed that filtration circuit.”
“Dude. You flipped a switch.”
Macon looks so offended, I have to laugh. He’s scowling when he responds. “That’s cold, man. Cold as ice.”
“Where’s Baebong?” I ask, when I realize he’s not in here joining in the fun. I expected him to be tinkering around with one of his crazy inventions right alongside the twins.
“Dark walking,” Tam says. “Getting the last weapons installed. We’re doing our part in here.”
“Is he out there alone?”
“No. He’s got one of the chicks from the Osiris with him. That one with the cowboy hat that they left behind,” Tam says.
“She’s hot,” Gus adds. “I’d go to her rodeo.”
Tam shakes his head. “Lame.”
Gus shoves his brother. “Dick. I was riffing off the hat thing.”
Tam shoves him back. “Still lame.”
Grabbing Macon by the sleeve, I drag him toward the door. I have about a hundred things I need to get done before our mission launches tomorrow, and watching two droid-heads argue about sexy whores is not going to get the work done.
“Hey! Leave that probe on the bench!” Gus yells, pointing at Macon’s hand.
Macon and I look down at the tool for a few seconds. Then he slowly walks over to the table and lays it down before joining me at the door.
When we walk out into the corridor together, his shoulders are slumped and his feet are dragging.
“What’s the matter?”
“I don’t know. Nothing.”
“Are you mad at me because I asked you to fix a lock?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I feel useless.”
“You’re going to fix a door right now. That’s not useless.”
He stops and faces me. “Are you kidding? I’m going to be the ship’s locksmith? What the hell is that? I might as well be a brownshins if that’s all I’m good for.”
I cock my hip. “You’re acting like you plan on staying.”
He shrugs and looks at a spot on the wall. “So? Maybe I am.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Then maybe you need to ‘fess up about what you know about me and this ship and Tremblay’s plans for me so I can trust you enough to let you stay.”
His jaw tenses up but he says nothing.
I continue down the corridor. “You know where the biogrid is. Go there now and get that door fixed so Lucinda can get back to work.” I don’t wait for him to answer or comply. I have more important things to see to, and I know he’ll even
tually accept defeat.
I’m pretty sure he’s not faking his angst; he wants to be here with us, but he still has to make the decision that he’s not going to try and kill me in my sleep. He’s trying to figure out if I’m a friend or foe. Once he gets there, it’ll be full thrusters ahead — either we’ll be working together or I’ll be kicking him off my ship as punishment for trying to assassinate me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I STILL HAVEN’T SEEN BELTZ since our face-off, but I have seen more than enough of his cousin. He and the gingers are like three peas in a pod. Now that the weapons systems are in and the filtration set-up is fixed, Jens’s first priority is to reverse engineer the foreign devices removed from my ship to try and identify the signatures of their makers. If we’re really lucky, he’ll be able to trace them back to their signal receivers and find out who wants to find me or destroy me so badly; but I’m not holding out too much hope for that. Either my enemies or Langlade’s were sly enough to get the things in place, so I have to assume they’re also sly enough not to leave a calling card behind.
“You all set?” I ask Jens when I catch him walking by carrying a pack full of things that never should have been on my ship in the first place.
“Yes. Got all of them.” He smiles, but it’s too obvious, too enthusiastic. I’ve caught him trying to escape my ship before seeing me, and we both know it. This is the first time we’ve been alone.
“You and I still have to talk about that device you put under my table.”
“Yeah … um … maybe later? I really need to get to work on these.” He shakes the bag and then hefts it over his shoulder, exaggerating how heavy it is with a grimace.
I like making him sweat. “When?”
“Before dinner? We’re eating with you guys, or so I hear.”
“Fine. I’ll see you, on the flightdeck, just before dinner.”
“Maybe I’ll have some information for you by then. About who is responsible for the other devices.”
