Eomix Galaxy Books: Identity (Book 2 of 2)

by Yelich-Koth,Christa

  Their conversation went quickly—undecipherable to Torrak. Faan finally thanked Ha’re, handed him a monetary amount, and the being left the vehicle.

  On the short ride back, Faan filled Torrak in.

  “I hired Ha’re to find out everything he could about the Aleet Army, but all our previous transactions involved a third party. To know my identity, we decided I’d bid on the painting until a predetermined amount. After he won, I’d pay him one third of the final cost.”

  “You mean you didn’t have any information for me before all this?” Torrak asked.

  “I never promised I knew anything. I said perhaps.”

  Torrak tried to control his temper. “You used me.”

  “No. I told you I might be able to help you, but you had to help me first. And it’s a good thing you did.”

  Relief crashed over him. “What did you find out?”

  “Apparently, a few remnant soldiers from the Aleet Army have regrouped. They are now led by a man named Trey Xiven who wants the same status of power and control Jaxx had.” Faan paused. “But without Jaxx’s abilities, I don’t think they’ll be much of a threat.”

  “He may not have Jaxx’s abilities, but....”

  “But what?”

  Torrak bit his tongue. He didn’t know how much he should say. “Let’s just say you might not want to underestimate this Xiven guy.”

  “Are you saying he has powers like Jaxx?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Patches of moonlight filtered through the windows, lighting up her face. “Then what, exactly?”

  “Just… don’t mess with him, okay?”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  Torrak expelled a breath, frustrated. “I’m not saying you can’t. It’s just—”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I know who I need to go after to get answers.” She crossed her arms.

  Torrak rubbed his forehead. He didn’t want her to get hurt, but he didn’t want to expose her to danger if she knew the truth. Except the truth was probably the only way she wouldn’t go after Xiven. “You don’t know what you’re getting into. You should leave this whole Aleet Army thing alone.”

  Faan craned her neck to glare at him. “Excuse me?”

  “I didn’t mean that either. This isn’t coming out right!”

  “Then tell me what you mean.”

  Torrak stared into her ice blue eyes. “Fine, you want to know? The girl I’m searching for is Jacin Jaxx’s daughter. The Aleet Army kidnapped her which means they have her on board.”

  Faan blinked her eyes in disbelief. “What?”

  “And she may have his abilities.”

  “What do you mean may have his abilities?”

  “We attended the same school, for gifted students, but she never told me she had any abilities. She might not even know if she has them. Or she may have been keeping them a secret.”

  “This is bad.”

  “I don’t think she would ever help the Aleet Army. She knows how much damage her father did. I just wanted you to know how ruthless Xiven is, so you know what you might be up against.”

  “Are you sure she wouldn’t help him? Because the woman Ha’re works for, his source for information, is meeting Xiven in five standard days for a demonstration of his power.”

  “What kind of demonstration?”

  “I don’t know. Ha’re simply said it would ‘rival the Aleet Army’s previous leader’.”

  “Where is this supposed to take place?”

  “A planet called Sintaur, in the Fracc system.”

  “The Fracc system in five days? We have to leave now. We have to stop them,” Torrak exclaimed. The sense of urgency that had ebbed away throughout the evening returned full force.

  Faan smiled at him as if he were a foolish child. “And how do you plan to do that?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, flapping his hands through the air. “I’ve made it this far, farther than you can imagine, with nothing but a few monetary credits and a busted-up ship. I will figure out a way.”

  Faan pursed her lips, silent for several moments. “The odds still aren’t very good. There are six of us, three of whom are leaving tomorrow, one ship with limited weaponry, and no plan.”

  “Six of us?” Torrak raised his eyebrows.

  “You’re not the only one who has business with the Aleet Army. A deal perhaps—let’s say a free ride in exchange for my help. Unless you don’t want me to come?”

  “Of course I want you,” Torrak told her.

  Faan smiled.

  “I mean, I want you to come with me—us. With us.”

  “Well, then it’s settled.”

  The vehicle arrived at the hotel and Torrak got out.

  “We’ll leave right away in the morning.”

  Faan nodded. “I’ll be here.”

  Torrak turned toward the hotel when he thought of something he wanted to ask Faan. To his surprise, the vehicle was empty.

  “The woman in the back,” Torrak asked the driver, “where did she go?”

  “Sorry?”

  “Lady Merr. Did she get out of the vehicle?”

  The driver looked around and then back at Torrak. “I don’t see anyone, so I assume so, sir. Is there anywhere else you’d like to go tonight?”

  “No. Thank you, anyway.” Torrak walked into the hotel, puzzled. He trudged upstairs, exhausted from the late evening and lost in thought over his conversation with Faan. He knew he probably shouldn’t have told her everything, but it felt good to tell someone. And Faan wanting to join with him stroked his ego.

  Once back in his room, Torrak didn’t even bother to turn on the lights. His head tried to keep him awake by filtering through ideas about what to do next, but his body wouldn’t comply. Even though he still had on all his makeup and fake facial hair, the thought of a shower seemed like too much work, so he stripped off his shoes and shirt and crawled into bed.

  Daith stumbled through the corridor, up one level, and entered through the medical wing’s door. Doctor Milastow looked up from her desk, her eyes wide with shock.

  “Miss Tocc!” She rushed over and helped Daith to take a seat. With deft movements, the doctor began to take Daith’s vitals. “What under the stars have you done to yourself?”

  “I’ve been trying to help,” Daith croaked, the corners of her mouth dry. The ceiling flipped with the floor and Daith closed her eyes until the room righted itself.

  Doctor Milastow brought her some water. Metallic tinges danced across her taste buds as Daith washed down remnants of the blood she’d vomited up minutes earlier.

  “Well whatever you’ve been doing you need to stop.” A chilled sterile cloth passed over Daith’s face, coming away smeared red. “You are as pale as an elosi cub at birth. What happened?”

  “So many thoughts. So many images.”

  “You need bedrest. And monitoring. I’ll not have you drop dead when I’ve only been the doctor on this ship for a standard week.”

  The doctor’s smooth hands felt so good against Daith’s skin she didn’t argue.

  Doctor Milastow pulled up a chair and sat across from Daith. “Now tell me what you’ve been doing. I may not have all the answers, but you are under my care on this ship, and I take that responsibility very seriously.”

  Tears sprung into Daith’s eyes. She liked Dr. Milastow well enough, but she missed Dr. Ludd dreadfully. And he’d betrayed them. She should have read his thoughts and his emotions more—seen the betrayal before it had happened.

  With great effort, Daith felt the warmth rise up inside her and she focused on Dr. Milastow’s thoughts. Was she hiding something? What information did she want from Daith to sell to the enemy?

  “Daith?”

  Daith’s body shook. The warmth inside her dropped away and left nothing but emptiness.

  “Daith!”

  Daith’s eyes rolled toward the ceiling. She felt herself falling. Falling....

  *

  When To
rrak awoke the next morning, his face itched fiercely. He scratched his chin and his fingers entwined with his fake beard. Throwing back the covers, Torrak entered the washroom. While he waited for the water to heat up, he looked in the reflector unit. Dried blood caked his face and chest. Torrak rubbed his hands against the flaking substance, checking for a wound. Once he realized he wasn’t hurt, he raced back into his sleeping quarters.

  This time, he threw up.

  Bewetru’s body hung upside down over the bed, sliced vertically up his abdomen. Blood clung to the wall in coarse ropes, settling into large pools on the mattress. Torrak wiped his mouth as he stared at Bewetru’s swollen, purple face—his eyes were rolled back, his mouth open. He tried not to think about the fact that his face and chest were covered with the sticky liquid now clotted on the tangled sheets.

  Torrak raced next door to check on Kalil and Preeaht. After getting no answer to his vigorous knock, he used his key and burst inside, but Kalil and Preeaht weren’t there. Nothing seemed out of order, so he continued to Nuis’s room. He rushed inside without knocking.

  Nuis dropped the glass he held and put his hands above his head. His eyes widened in fear as he choked on his drink. “Please don’t kill me,” he wheezed to Torrak. “I don’t know anything!”

  “What? Oh. It’s me,” Torrak told him. He ripped the fake beard off his face.

  “Torrak?” Nuis lowered his hands. “What happened? You’re covered in blood!”

  “Bewetru’s been murdered,” Torrak rubbed at the pain on his chin from pulling off the beard. “This is his blood, not mine.”

  Nuis’ legs gave way and he sat quickly on the bed. He stepped on the glass, not even flinching when it broke under his foot. “Why?” he asked, looking up at Torrak. “Why did you kill him?”

  “What? No, I didn’t kill him.” Torrak explained how he’d woken up next to the body.

  Nuis’s gaze flittered toward the door.

  “Trust me. You don’t want to look,” Torrak said.

  “Why would someone do that?” Nuis winced as he pulled his bare foot onto his lap, the jagged piece of glass sticking out.

  “I don’t know, but maybe he wasn’t the target. The room was still registered under my name. I’d forgotten we switched.” Torrak shuddered at the thought of being the one hung up on the wall.

  “You? Why would someone want to kill you?”

  “It has to be about Daith.” Torrak stopped for a moment to think. His brain swirled with all the potential possibilities. “It couldn’t have been Faan—she was with me all night. Maybe it was Preeaht and she took Kalil somewhere after? But why wouldn’t the place look out of sorts?” He walked into Nuis’s washroom and began to wash his face and chest. “Maybe someone who works for the Aleet Army, or they hired an assassin to kill me.” Torrak thought of the open arrangement he had to rent the ship. He’d used his own name and a retina scan— he hadn’t bothered trying to cover his tracks. “They must have followed me here.” A cold feeling of unease settled into his stomach at the thought of someone knowing his every move.

  Nuis called out from the other room. “You never said we might get killed.”

  Torrak dried his face and chest, annoyed at Nuis attempt to shift blame. “I never told you to come with me either.” He brought a clean towel into the other room and threw it at Nuis. “You should take care of that foot. I’ll go downstairs and see if Kalil and Preeaht are having breakfast since they aren’t in their room and nothing seemed out of place.”

  “Wait,” Nuis said, pulling out the piece of glass and wrapping his foot with the towel. “I’m sorry, it’s just… I don’t understand what’s going on. My closest friend was just killed. All we wanted was a ride.”

  Torrak paused at the door, anger and guilt mingling inside his chest. “This whole thing has gotten completely out of control. As soon as we get out of here, I’ll drop you and Preeaht off and you’ll never have to think about us again.”

  “If you want us to get out of here quickly, we need cover stories. They’ll hold us for days if they think we are suspects.”

  A knot formed in Torrak’s stomach at the thought of lying to the authorities. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “No, but they won’t care. We need to use this situation to our advantage. I’ve dealt with Central Authority before. They’re pushovers if you know the right thing to say.”

  “Oh, really?” Torrak huffed.

  “Calm down and listen. You can’t go walking around the hotel half naked and still splattered with dried…blood. Go shower and change and I’ll go downstairs and look for them. We’ll meet in my room after. I’ll tell the hotel manager about Bewetru so they can contact the authorities. I’ll say you and I were on our way to breakfast and saw the door open. When we looked inside, we saw the body and I ran downstairs to tell someone while you went in to check on him.” Nuis’s words rushed through his trembling lips.

  Torrak gaped. “Are you joking? They will never believe that.”

  “They will. I’ve gotten out of messier situations.” Nuis stood. “Go. I’ll meet you later. Make sure you don’t tell the hotel manager you and Bewetru switched rooms. In fact, it might be best if we keep up the pretense you died, in case the killer hasn’t left the city yet. By the time they run their tests and find out Bewetru isn’t you, we should be long gone.”

  Torrak went into the room he should have been in the previous night. Bewetru had thoughtfully moved all his things, folded them, and put them away. He picked out a clean set of clothes and plopped them on the sink’s counter. He hopped into the shower to clean up, knowing he should be quick, but once under the hot water, he didn’t want to leave. He couldn’t get the picture of Bewetru’s mutilated body out of his head. That could have been me. That should have been me. I shouldn’t have dragged any of them into this in the first place. And now one of them is dead. Because of me. He tried to let the water wash away the gruesome image and the guilt-infused emotions that went with it, but neither would fade. No amount of hot water in the galaxy could wash away what had happened.

  Vidlink snapshots. Reporters. City authorities. Hotel staff held for questioning.

  Torrak and his group wanted nothing more than to get off the planet, but no one else seemed to care. The hotel manager, hotel security, and several city authorities interrogated them repeatedly.

  After several standard hours, the city authorities were convinced none of them knew Torrak Spirtz and the body had been seen through the open door, upon which they notified the hotel manager.

  When the five of them finally boarded their ship, Torrak realized Faan never showed up at the hotel.

  Once back on their ship, Torrak rushed through the lift-off safety sequences. He didn’t want to stay on the planet any longer than necessary. He knew at any moment the authorities could realize Bewetru wasn’t him. While he worked, he filled everyone in on what Faan had told him about the Aleet Army. Nuis’s face became stony and Preeaht growled.

  “Faan said she wanted to come with us,” Torrak continued, “but I guess she decided to go her own way instead.” Disappointment dripped from his words. Torrak motioned to Nuis and Preeaht. “We should get the two of you to Jetur.”

  “Um, Torrak?” Kalil asked.

  “What?” Torrak stopped checking the fuel levels when he realized no one answered. He turned and faced Kalil, whose hand tightened inside Preeaht’s grip.

  Preeaht stepped forward. “You and Kalil fight for a noble cause, but you are entering into dangerous territory. With the skills I have acquired while being Nuis’s bodyguard, I believe I could be of some help.”

  Torrak hesitated. “I appreciate your offer, but I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to get involved. I can’t describe the kind of power Daith might have, and if someone else is controlling her, the result could be disastrous. I can’t guarantee your safety or—”

  “Wait… what power?” Nuis asked.

  Torrak cursed and continued his final checks. “I f
orgot I haven’t told you. It doesn’t matter. It has to do with us and the Aleet Army. You two will be gone shortly, and the less you know, the better.”

  “It makes no difference to me what sort of power this girl has,” Preeaht said. “I have found someone who means a great deal to me. I could never forgive myself if something happened to him and I could have prevented it.” Preeaht turned toward Kalil and purred.

  “You don’t know all the facts.”

  “The facts don’t matter. I would like to help, unless you don’t want me to accompany you.”

  “Torrak, please,” Kalil asked.

  Torrak smiled at his friend. “Fill her in on what’s happening. If she still wants to stay, she can stay.” Torrak turned toward Nuis. “I guess it’s just you.”

  “Well, wait. Maybe I want to stay, too.”

  “What for?”

  “I have my reasons.”

  Torrak let out an impatient sigh. “Okay, look, both of you. This is very nice, but really, you don’t know what’s involved here.”

  “It sounds to me like the Aleet Army could be a player again and getting your friend out of there will help stop them. You’ll need financial support and I want in. We both win.”

  Torrak raised an eyebrow. “I can’t guarantee your safety.”

  Nuis clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “I get it. So do you want my help or not?”

  Torrak thought about it. Financially, he needed the help, but he didn’t know why he should trust Nuis. Except that some part of him felt like Nuis belonged with this group. “As long as you’re sure, the more help we can get, the better,” he said. He finished the lift-off sequence.

  “It’s a four and a half day trip to the Fracc system and we’ll have to stop about halfway there to refuel and make repairs. So,” Torrak said, loading a star systems map, “we’ll head toward the Horju system. It’s a day out of our way, but it’s the only place we can stop that will still get us to Sintaur on time.”

  “The Horju system?” Nuis asked. “I know someone who lives on Dansu that can help us out. Dansu is the second planet from the outer rim of the system.”