by T. M. Catron
“Ummm, Captain?” Harper asked.
“Six or seven years, I think,” Rance said. She looked at Harper. “This is Alaster Arnold—we always called him Turkey at the Xanthes Flight Academy. Although I guess we should call him Lieutenant now.”
Of course, someone from the XFA would recognize her, better than her Noble friends. At the Academy, Rance had looked much like she did now. No make-up, hair pulled back, flight suit. What were the odds she’d run into someone she knew out here?
The game was up. She might as well let them put her in energy cuffs right now.
“I heard you’d left that dustball rock we called home,” the lieutenant said. He nodded to the other soldier who took off into the galley and lower level, beginning his inspection.
Turkey approached Rance. The crew stiffened, all of them alert to a possible attack.
“I also heard about why you left,” Turkey said quietly.
“Turkey—”
He held up his hand to cut off Rance’s plea, and looked at the others, aware of their proximity and their dour expressions. But none of them would be a match for the lieutenant in his armor, except maybe Solaris. An image of Solaris fighting armored soldiers on Doxor 5 sprang to Rance’s mind. He had taken them out with ease then. But if he were to fight, he’d give away his identity.
Too bad Abel hadn’t donned his armor, but he’d left it off in the interest of looking cooperative. No, fighting wasn’t their best option right now.
Rance had got the distinct impression Turkey was trying not to talk too much while the other soldier was close, and a small ray of hope ran through her. She shook off her fear and looked Turkey straight in the eye.
“What are you going to do?”
She never liked orbiting a topic when she could land right on it.
Turkey seemed to decide Abel was the biggest threat and kept one eye on him as he addressed Rance.
“You do know there’s an exorbitant reward out for your return to your father?”
James scoffed. “Listen, Lieutenant.”
Tally shook his head at James in warning. Turkey saw the gesture and stared at Tally. “I know who you are too.”
“Look at me,” Rance said, drawing his gaze away from her friends. “I’m the captain. What are you going to do?”
There was no love lost between Rance and Turkey. Even though he’d been a year ahead of her, they’d been rivals in the XFA competitions. In rival Houses, on rival teams. He had been good, not great. But he was a favorite among his superiors because he always toed the line. With Turkey, rules were rules. Rance hoped he’d changed.
“What I’m supposed to do,” Turkey said finally as if he were offended she’d even asked. “Not only is there a reward, but all of Unity is under strict orders to arrest you on sight.”
That answered her question. He was still the same when it came to rules. “And yet I notice you haven’t commed your captain and escorted me to the brig on your ship.”
Turkey shook his head. “Not the brig, a secure cabin. We’d be blasted into the Razor Nebula if we put Davos’ daughter in the brig.”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Solaris said. The talk of putting Rance in the brig had finally made him burst. “The captain is not going anywhere with you.”
“And you are?”
“My name is Roote. I’m the CO aboard this ship, and you’ve made a grave error, Lieutenant.”
Turkey smiled. “Have I? Do you know who your captain is?”
A bead of sweat ran down Rance’s back. How would they get out of this? She tried to remember something—anything—to use against Turkey. He’d come from a poor family, she remembered. With all that talk of the reward, he seemed motivated by money.
And then she had an idea. She glanced back at the galley where the other soldier had disappeared. “Lieutenant, can I talk to you in private?”
“If you think you’re going to change my mind—”
Rance shook her head. “No, but I think there’s something you need to be aware of.”
Without waiting for an answer, Rance turned and climbed the stair to the top level. The only place they could get privacy would be the cockpit. When Turkey made to follow her, Solaris, James, and Abel all headed for the stairs, like they meant to go too.
Rance turned to them. “I said, in private. Stay here.”
“Captain,” James warned.
Rance glared him into silence. “I’ll call you if you’re needed. This way, Lieutenant.”
He followed her all the way to the cockpit. He was barely able to fit up the ladder in his armor, and no way was he sitting down. That was okay. Rance didn’t want to sit, anyway.
He angled himself where he could see the hatch as if he anticipated a double-cross of some kind.
“Look,” Rance began without preamble. “Is there anything I can say that would make you let me go? As in, poof, we just disappeared?”
Turkey laughed. “No. Why don’t you want to go back to your father?”
Rance shot him a disgusted look and then remembered she was going to be civilized with him.
“If it’s about the money,” she said. “I can figure out a way to get it to you.”
“I doubt it. You have ten million credits hiding out in a bank somewhere?”
Rance gaped at him, choking over the amount. When had the reward for her arrest gone so high?
“Come on, Devri. Go quietly, and maybe we’ll be lenient to your crew.”
Another cold shiver ran down Rance’s back. “What do you mean?”
“They’re involved too. Aiding and abetting.”
Rance snorted. “That’s not right, and you know it. I’m the captain of this ship. They’re only here for the paycheck.”
“I doubt that. They have willingly helped you. The frightened looks on their faces when I said your real name told me all I needed to know. They weren’t surprised. They were worried about you. Still, their loyalty is admirable. Stupid, but admirable.”
“I can get you something else. Not money.”
“There’s nothing you can say that will persuade me. And you don’t have anything of value anyway, except this ship. I can’t very well take that, can I?”
Rance’s mouth went dry. “What’s going to happen to the ship?”
“We can’t tow it, that’s certain. It’s a long haul back to Xanthes.”
“You’ll take me straight back to Xanthes?!”
“Where else would we take you?”
“And you’ll just leave the ship here, drifting out in the DEEP?” Rance pictured the Streaker drifting forlornly out in space, abandoned and unprotected. If pirates didn’t get it, some tow would. And it would be sold to the highest bidder at auction.
“We’ll send a salvage crew to pick it up,” he said, confirming Rance’s fear.
“A salvage crew?” Rance groaned. “NO. Turkey, the ship is mine.”
“Sorry, Devri.” He almost looked like he meant it.
Turkey gestured to the hatch and the ladder, indicating that the conversation was over.
Desperate, Rance pulled out her last trick. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, and said, “I have a Caducean Drive.”
Turkey pulled up. “What?”
“A Caducean Drive. An imperial AI.”
“I know what it is,” he said sharply. “What are you doing with it?”
“I stumbled across it.”
“Who stumbles across a Caducean Drive?” he asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion and mistrust.
“You’d be surprised,” Rance muttered. Then she added, “You can take it. I’m sure the empire is asking a bigger reward for it than Davos is for me. Take it and forget you saw me.”
“What’s stopping me from taking both of you?”
“Because you’d never find it.”
“I will if I take the ship apart.”
Rance rolled her eyes. She really needed to stop doing that. “It’s not here. Do you think I’m stupid?”
&nb
sp; Turkey looked at her dubiously. He didn’t believe her.
“This is serious, Devri. It’s no longer a charge of running out on a Founders’ marriage. You’d be in possession of stolen imperial goods, not to mention that this a horrendous breach of security.”
Rance blew out a breath of frustration. Apparently, Turkey hadn’t changed much at all. Still the law-abiding, rigid person he’d always been. She wished she hadn’t said anything. Now, she might be in bigger trouble. And what would that mean for her crew?
Turkey pulled out a small device the size of a coin and slapped it on Rance’s right wrist. A silver substance shot out of it, wrapping around her wrist.
“Hold out your other hand,” he commanded.
Rance hesitated. This was not happening. How had she let it get this far? Why hadn’t they fought them off?
Irritated at Rance’s refusal to cooperate, Turkey grabbed her other wrist. She jerked her arm, but his gauntleted hand held her tightly. The silver shot out, wrapping itself around both wrists. Then, it glowed white, sealing to her skin with an uncomfortable, burning cold. An energy cuff.
“How do you expect me to get down the ladder?” she asked snidely, her cordiality slipping in the face of becoming a prisoner. “If I slip and break a leg, you’ll have my father to answer to.”
“I’ll risk it,” he said. Then, he pulled her—not harshly despite his words—toward the hatch. Rance turned and found her footing. Her toe barely ached anymore, and she was grateful she didn’t have to hop down the ladder on one foot, hands cuffed so that she could only hang onto one rung at a time.
Turkey jumped down as soon as she reached the bottom, cutting off any thought she had of running to her cabin and locking the door. It wouldn’t have done any good, anyway. He would have simply burst through.
When they reached the stairway to the hold, the crew was standing at the base, anxiously watching them descend. The other soldier stood off the side, staring toward the airlock.
That was odd. He wasn’t even watching the crew.
Solaris’ face looked grim, grimmer even with his dark hair and sharp features. He watched Rance descend, utterly unconcerned about the armed soldier at his back.
Something was up. Solaris would never ignore an enemy at his back. Rance shot him a puzzled look, but he didn’t return it. When she reached the bottom, she moved aside to let Turkey off the stair. She turned.
Turkey stood at the top of the stair, gazing at the ceiling like it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen.
“Lieutenant?” Rance and Solaris asked together.
Rance looked at Solaris. Up close, she saw sweat breaking out on his face. A kind of energy emanated from him, along with a metallic tang that swept through the air surrounding him.
Turkey looked at him too.
“Lieutenant,” Solaris said smoothy, “did you find anything of interest?”
Turkey struggled a moment, confusion playing out across his face. Finally, he said, “There was something, but it’s gone now.”
He looked at Rance, his now-dull eyes no longer flickering with recognition.
Rance frowned at Solaris. What was he doing?
Turkey descended the stairs and halted in front of Solaris. His gaze flickered back to Rance and then to his buddy.
“We need the key,” Rance whispered, holding up her cuffed hands.
To her surprise, Turkey pulled a key out of a tiny compartment on his armor. He unlocked her cuffs by tapping the disc and put them back in their place on his belt.
“Thank you for your inspection, Lieutenant,” Solaris said. “Say goodbye now.”
“Goodbye,” Turkey said, smiling stupidly. And then he marched to the airlock, signaling the other soldier as he went.
Since the airlock was still slow, and they could only go one at a time, Turkey ended up standing in the hold far longer than Rance would have liked. The rest of the crew remained mute, the silence stretching out awkwardly while they waited for both soldiers to leave.
When Turkey had left through the walkway attaching the two ships, the Malta detached from the Star Streaker and pulled away.
“What was that?” Rance said, rounding on Solaris.
He shrugged. “Just a little trick I picked up while evading pirates.”
“That’s not a good answer.”
“It’ll have to do,” he said, nodding toward the airlock. “We have about five more minutes before they come to their senses and try to board us again. Better get out of here.”
Rance hurried up the stairs with James and Solaris following. The rest of the crew scattered to find their places.
“Why do I feel you’re always evading my questions, Solaris?” Rance asked.
“Not evading, Captain. You always ask them at the worst times.”
Rance rolled her eyes before she remembered she wasn’t going to do that anymore.
They climbed into the cockpit and took their places. By the time they’d harnessed in, Harper had already sent jump coordinates to Rance’s console. James flipped switches and buttons and placed a steady hand on the throttle.
A voice came over the comm. “Stanley Alto, you will submit to a random inspection.”
The crew of the Malta was still confused. Rance hoped it was enough to stop them from following the Streaker into hyperspace.
“Punch it, James,” Rance said.
James didn’t need to be told again. The stars shifted, black turned to blue, and they made the jump.
Rance watched the radar for signs of being followed.
“They didn’t follow us,” Solaris said.
“Are you sure?”
“Reasonably.”
“That’s comforting,” James shot over his shoulder.
When Rance looked at Solaris, he’d changed back into his normal face.
“Next time,” she said wearily, “just disguise us all.”
“Let’s hope there won’t be a next time. How’s the toe?”
She waved away the question. “Don’t change the subject.”
“What subject?”
“How you confused them.”
“Ah,” Solaris said, smirking. “Again, it has to do with altering their perception of the way things are. I made our ship look like their own.”
“It looked the same as always to me.”
“But they saw their own cargo bay. It confused them enough that their minds couldn’t keep up. Caused that dazed look you saw.”
“So you can alter others’ perception of their surroundings?”
“I do it all the time when I change my face. Does it bother you?”
“It’s a bit unsettling.”
“A bit?” James asked, putting the Streaker on autopilot and swiveling his chair around to look at them. “It’s like marching into Hades blind. Solaris, no one likes the idea of you being able to manipulate them like that.”
Solaris looked disgruntled. “It never bothered you before, when I was saving your life.”
He looked to Rance for help, but she was feeling uncomfortable by the whole thing as well.
“I would never use it against you,” he said, looking into her eyes. He flicked his gaze to James, who was still scowling. “James, yes, but never you, Captain.”
“How would we know?”
“Oh trust me, you’d know. When you come out of the daze, you remember pretty much everything.”
The sinking feeling returned. Rance unbuckled her harness and stood, planning to go back to bed. The day had been too stressful already.
“Captain,” Solaris whispered. “What did you say to the Lieutenant?”
“When?”
“When you asked to speak to him privately.”
Solaris looked anxious, his eyes holding something like fear. Rance had never seen that expression on his face before, and it puzzled her.
“I offered him the Caducean Drive,” she said.
Solaris raised both eyebrows in surprise.
James choked out, “What?�
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“I didn’t have an option. I thought I could blackmail him. Solaris, do you think he’ll remember?”
Solaris took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. For some reason, he looked relieved. “Probably.”
“Then this is terrible,” she said. “Why are you smiling?”
Solaris tried to straighten his face. “I thought, maybe, you were going to give me away.”
“What?!” Rance shouted. “How could you think that?”
James shook his head and whispered, “Wrong thing to say, man.”
If Rance had felt a sinking feeling before, it was nothing to the cold water that had been dumped on her now. How could Solaris think that? After all they’d been through? She didn’t give up her friends. They were family. He was family. All she had.
Tears stung her eyes for the second time that day, but she preferred the pain of a broken toe to the pain in her chest. Rance hurried down the ladder, practically sliding down it and going to her cabin.
She heard Solaris on the ladder behind her. Then, James’ voice carried down through the hatch. “Better leave her alone. You’ll only make it worse.”
Rance was grateful James knew her moods, and thankful that Solaris seemed to understand this. He didn’t follow her as she stalked into her cabin and closed the door.
She wasn’t angry but hurt. Did Solaris really think she would give him up to the empire at the first real sign of trouble? Her chest ached, her toe throbbed again as she removed her boots, and it all sent her into a depressing spin. Rance flopped back, staring at the ceiling.
She refused to think about Turkey, or how close she’d come to being carried away to Xanthes. Rance would never see Turkey again, probably. The empire was a big place after all. But she couldn’t help but feel uneasy about being recognized. And opening her big fat mouth about the Caducean Drive. Something told her that lapse in judgment would come back to haunt her one day.
Remembering Henry, Rance sat up again and checked everything. Satisfied the little nuisance wasn’t anywhere around, she lay back down and pulled a blanket over her head. She didn’t think she could deal with any more mishaps today. Rance waved her hand, and the cabin lights went out.
CHAPTER FOUR
