Bartoc Secret

by Clara Woods

  “No. Unless, you’d like doing that with the leaves.”

  “Not really. I’m glad I can’t eat it and wipe my backend with it at the same time.”

  “You’ll see, it’s pretty tasty.”

  “Uh huh. I keep hearing.”

  “So?” Cassius stepped closer again. “Would you like a massage?” His hand touched her shoulder. Her tense shoulder.

  She smiled up at him. “I would love a massage.”

  “Well…” He made an inviting gesture toward Lenah’s bed.

  She took a step toward it, then stopped. “Ugh, I need to check up on that fight first. I don’t understand what Penelope could be here fighting about.”

  Cassius’s shoulders fell.

  Lenah touched his chest with her palm. “Trust me, you don’t want me worrying about this while you massage me.”

  He nodded. “They’re leaving, I think.”

  “I’ll be right back.” She stopped in the hatch. “And Cassius. Thank you.”

  He gave her a warm smile.

  When Lenah stepped out into the corridor, she saw Penelope and Thuat Jones leaving the Star Rambler. They vanished into the cargo hold just as Lenah made it outside.

  Another hatch opened. Persia.

  “What were they here for?” she asked Lenah.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I do know they were fighting.”

  Persia exited her cabin to look through the view window leading toward the cargo hold. “Looks like they’re arguing there now.”

  “Really?” Lenah joined her. “Huh.” Indeed, Penelope and Thuat had stopped in front of the outer hatch and were engaged in a lively conversation. Thuat looked angry, and Penelope was gesturing wildly. “Come on.” Lenah told Persia.

  She led the way toward the cockpit. Persia followed.

  “Did Cassius already present his surprise?” Persia asked.

  Lenah turned to her. “How do you know about that?”

  “He came to ask me if you’d like it.” She grinned. “It was really cute.”

  It was Lenah’s turn to flush. “He did?”

  Persia nodded. “In case you still had any doubt, he’s your cyborg. Through and through.”

  Lenah held the cockpit’s hatch open for Persia. “I prefer boyfriend.”

  Persia grinned, then plopped down into the copilot’s seat.

  Lenah sat down beside her and pulled up the Star Rambler’s internal cameras. The scene in the cargo hold came into view.

  She turned on the sound.

  “…need to help us,” Penelope was saying.

  Lenah grimaced. What could the young Striker have to tell Thuat Jones that she couldn’t come to Lenah with? There was only one thing.

  “We don’t share the same goals,” Thuat said, and even over the speakers, he sounded stiff.

  “Don’t we both want to kill the Cava Dara? As many as possible?”

  “You want to take an excursion to the polar regions of your ancient home planet,” Thuat said. “That’s not going to kill anything.”

  Penelope sighed. Exasperated. “I’ve told you multiple times that we’ll find Elders there to help us.”

  Lenah’s heart pumped. How could Penelope keep insisting that her childhood fairy tales were true?

  “Oh, yes?” Thuat asked. His voice indicated that he shared Lenah’s feelings. “Look, I came with you to investigate this further. To pull in smart people who can help us make a decision. Not to become part of a plot against someone I trust. Someone I like.”

  “She’s not getting it. She just wants to blindly go into a war without adequate weapons.” Penelope sounded angry.

  And Lenah felt angry. Had Penelope tried to convince not only Thuat but also Doctor Lund and Zyr of her mission? Of taking a side-trip to discover ancient legends on Thorlo when they were already late making their way to the big battle on Arcadia?

  “She has drive and is determined to face this with realistic means,” Thuat said.

  “I see,” Penelope said. There was a mechanical sound in the background as she opened the new hatch. “I thought you were smarter. I thought people in this part of the galaxy would take us seriously. Listen to our voice.” She laughed dryly. “She promised us that, and my father died for it.”

  “Child, no one here wants to harm you. From what I understand, Lenah risked her life for you.” Thuat followed Penelope out of the hatch. “But you have to be reasonable. Asking us to—” his voice died off as they climbed down the short gangway.

  Lenah turned off the camera, sitting still. Asking what? What exactly had Penelope asked of Zyr and Doctor Lund? She sighed. She should go and ask them. But what she really wanted was Cassius’s massage.

  “What a bitch,” Persia interrupted her thoughts.

  “She’s desperate. And probably scared. I’ll try to talk to her again.”

  Persia stared. “How can you be so calm?”

  “What’s she going to do? I trust Zyr and Lund to come to me before her. And we just heard we can trust Thuat too.”

  “You just want that massage.” Persia shook her head.

  Lenah’s lips spread into a grin. “So what?” She got out of her chair.

  “Yeah, yeah. Go with your cyborg.”

  “I will.” Lenah opened the hatch.

  “And just for the record,” Persia called after her. “Don’t ever be jealous again. He gives you massages, that means he’s with you no matter how often I look at his abs.”

  THE END

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  About the Author

  CLARA WOODS is the author of the Lunara Station universe.

  As a writer as well as a reader, she enjoys quirky characters on an epic adventure, humor, and a little bit of romance. Even better, if it has spaceships.

  Her other obsessions, apart from books, usually involve coffee and her rescue dog.

  Clara lives in Costa Rica, where moved to be with her better half and now enjoys the sunny weather all year around.

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clarawoodsauthor/

  Website: https://www.clarawoods.com/