by Elin Wyn
“I can’t authorize a release until the prisoners have been properly entered into the system,” he explained.
“How long with that be?” I asked.
He replied with a non-committal grunt.
“My friends have been arrested under a misunderstanding. Surely, I can speak to someone and have it sorted out before you have to be bothered,” I smiled, mentally adjusting the levels of charm to appear friendly, open, and eager to help, but not too pushy.
The officer looked at me from the corner of his eye.
“I’ll let you know once they’ve been processed,” he said, and a flash of worry snaked through me. If their names were entered into the station’s security system, the Dominion might be able to see that. I couldn’t let that happen.
“You and I both know that the only reason we have to go to such trouble for simple things is that someone, somewhere needs piles of paperwork to tell them something so simple, a comm message would be sufficient,” I tried again.
“Someone’s need for paperwork is what keeps me in this comfortable chair,” the officer replied. “Whoever that is, I’d like to thank them.”
Time to shift gears. “Do they know that your organization has arrested the decent Shein that helped your fellow officers apprehend a crime syndicate? From what I’ve heard, you’ve been looking for that Enclave compound for years. Embarrassing that a visiting group of merchants was able to bring them down so quickly,” I said dismissively.
“I don’t take kindly to that,” the officer said in a low voice.
“And I don’t take kindly to my friends being imprisoned over your officers’ incompetence,” I bared my teeth in a feral grin.
“Unfortunately for you, that’s not my problem,” the officer pressed.
“It is now,” I replied. An alert popped up on the officer’s console.
“Looks like your friends have arrived.” I swore I could see a smirk on the officer’s face. “I’ll let you know when they’ve been processed.”
I should’ve watched mother more closely.
Before the officer could stop me, I snatched a scrap of paper from his desk. I grabbed a pen and scrawled a number on the piece of paper and handed it back to the officer.
“What’s this?” he grumbled as he unfolded it.
“What I could put into your account in exchange for my friends’ freedom,” I replied.
“Bribing an officer? That’s a violation. I could lock you up for that,” the officer warned.
“But you won’t,” I grinned.
“How do you know that?”
“The soles of your shoes are worn to their breaking point. Your trousers are a size too large. Either you couldn’t find your size or you’ve had to cut back on a meal or two to save credits. I’m willing to bet it’s the latter. You don’t look old enough to have as many lines in your face as you do. Added stress due to financial troubles?”
Color drained from the officer’s face and he looked down.
“The Dominion reduced funding for the station last year,” he said quietly. “I’ve got a sick youngling to look after.”
“Take the money, for your child’s sake.” That last bit might’ve been overkill, but I could see the officer’s resolve diminishing by the second. “You’re not releasing dangerous criminals. You’re releasing merchants that tried to help.”
“Tell anyone and I’ll have you locked up for the rest of your days,” the officer warned.
“I’ll carry this secret to the death,” I promised. I used his console to complete the transfer. My own account took a small hit, but I anticipated being able to recoup it in a few months’ time.
Assuming I could get my crew back on the Rogue Star.
“I’ll go clear up this misunderstanding,” the officer nodded and vacated his desk. I made my way back to Aryn and took the empty seat beside her.
“Did you use your superior powers of manipulation?” she asked, slipping her hand around my arm. I relaxed into her touch.
“Something like that,” I let a half-grin through, and then settled back to wait.
Within the hour, our friends were released back to us.
“It’s about time!” Aavat boomed as he strode through the lobby, flaunting his freedom.
“There’s gratitude for you,” I sighed. Aryn and I ushered our colleagues out of the lobby, eager to be done with this whole affair.
“How’d you do it?” Dejar asked me once we were far enough away from the security office. Aryn pulled back to talk to Orrin. I assumed she was asking him about Maris.
“I have my ways,” I replied with an affected air I knew would irk both him and Aavat. Void, it was good to be back with people I could have some fun with.
“I bet you begged on your hands and knees,” Aavat teased.
“No, he definitely threatened them with the wrath of the Dalech clan,” Dejar replied. “What kind of family keeps an army, anyway?”
“You’re both wrong,” I replied. “And my family doesn’t have its own army. That’s just a rumor my father cultivated to keep people off his estate.”
“Naturally. But I’m not sure that’s much better,” Aavat shook his head. “But in all seriousness, whatever you did, thank you.”
I clapped Aavat on the shoulder. “Thank you for coming to save our hurgs. It was getting a little dicey in there.”
“You’re one of us, even if you don’t know how to act like it,” Dejar reminded me. “Aryn is, too. We have your back.”
“You say that now, but just wait until you see what I’ve done to our budget.”
Aryn
The moment I set foot on the Rogue Star once more, Maris was right there to envelop me in a crushing hug.
Neither of us were touchy-feely people by nature, so the rush of contact surprised me at first. I startled myself by hugging her back.
“You better not leave me out of any top-secret missions again,” Maris threatened.
“I’ve had enough sneaking around to last me a lifetime,” I sighed as we released our grips on each other.
“You better tell me everything,” Maris insisted.
“Captain Dejar is pulling everyone together in the dining hall so Kovor and I can get everyone up to speed,” I replied.
“You know that’s not what I mean,” Maris rolled her eyes. “I want to hear about all the stuff you leave out of the meeting. Starting with why you smell so damn awful.” I barked out a laugh.
“You try marinating yourself in skin dye for days on end with no way to shower properly,” I shuddered. My arms were covered with uneven splotches of silvery dye. I bet the rest of the alien population thought I looked diseased. “I had to use wet rags to wash myself! And you can bet your ass they didn’t have clean water. It’s a miracle they weren’t all dying from dysentery.” Maris tipped her head back and laughed.
“Go clean up,” Maris stepped aside so I could pass.
“I’ll see you in a bit.”
Captain Dejar allowed Kovor and me some time to collect ourselves before we had to talk about everything we’d discovered.
Kovor waited for me just behind Maris. He extended a hand to me and I took it without hesitation. Maris looked at me, her eyebrows almost to her hairline in surprise. I winked and let Kovor lead me down the corridor to the cabins.
“I suspect you want to bathe,” Kovor said.
“You have no idea,” I sighed with deep longing. “My cabin is equipped with a private bathing room. You can use it if you like,” Kovor offered, gentle fingers stroking the small of my back as we walked.
“That would be amazing,” I enthused. He led me to his cabin, one down from Dejar’s. The room was small and simple with a bed just big enough for two and a desk that looked like it’d never been touched.
“I expected something more lavish,” I teased. Somehow, the knowledge that he’d given up a lavish future for this tiny room made it all the more special.
“I’m sorry it isn’t up to your standards,” he shot ba
ck. “Shower is through that door,” he gestured to a narrow door on the opposite side of the room and handed me a fluffy towel.
“Thanks.” I clutched the towel to my chest.
“Would you like some company?” he winked.
I felt my stomach bottom out and my cheeks flush. A huge part of me was desperate to say yes, yet I hesitated. Truth be told, I was scared. We were back to our normal environment.
What if we drifted back to our former roles now that we didn’t have the threat of death looming over us?
What would keep us together?
“I-” I stammered, but the words caught in my throat.
“It’s okay,” Kovor nodded. “You’ve been through a lot. If you want to take some time to yourself, I completely understand.” My heart melted to liquid as I closed the distance between us, kissing him gently.
“Next time,” I promised before scampering into the small bathing room.
The shower was just big enough for one person. Showering together would’ve been a feat, even if I was happy to imagine exactly how that would work.
I set the towel aside, stripped down, and turned on the water as hot as it could go. I stepped into the scalding spray, watching layer after layer of old skin dye melt away. I scrubbed at my skin until it felt raw. Only when I was satisfied that every inch of my time with Enclave was removed from my body did I wash my hair. The amount of grime that came out of my hair was alarming, to say the least.
I emerged from the bathing room in a thick cloud of steam.
“I took the liberty of fetching some clean clothes for you.” Kovor apparently had found another shower. He waved the steam away with his hand and pointed to a neatly folded pile on the bed.
“You’re amazing,” I sighed.
“You’re easy to please,” he teased, then turned away, and I unwrapped my towel and pulled on clean clothing. Though, if he’d looked, I wouldn’t have minded.
Probably.
But it would have made us late for the meeting.
Another flush crept up my cheeks and I thought about what he’d look like without any clothes.
“Ready?” I asked after I’d dressed.
“Let’s get this over with so we never have to talk about Skud and his group of fools again,” Kovor said.
“I’ll drink to that.”
He opened the door for me and we made our way to the dining hall. My stomach growled the moment I smelled food.
“Do you think the captain would mind if I ate during the meeting?” I asked.
“Not at all,” Kovor chuckled. I grabbed a tray and piled it with huge portions. As I ate, crewmembers filed in and found seats. Some grabbed trays, too. Maris slid into the seat beside me and picked a few bites off my plate.
“I thought showers were supposed to make you smell better,” she joked.
“Take one more thing from my plate and I will bite your hand off,” I threatened. Kovor looked between us in alarm until Maris and I laughed.
“That’s how human females talk to each other when they’re best friends,” I explained.
“It’s true,” Maris backed me up.
“You both look so normal, it’s easy to forget how strange you humans are,” Kovor shook his head.
“Don’t think about it too hard,” I suggested. Kovor chuckled and took a bite of my food as well.
Captain Dejar, Aavat, and Commander Kalyn were the last to enter the dining hall.
“I’d like to start this meeting by congratulating Aryn and Kovor on a job well done,” Captain Dejar began. “Their mission led to the apprehension of a group that’s affiliated with the people targeting us. We have gotten some valuable information that will help us strike back in the future. I’ll let them explain. I’m sure you’re all as eager to know about this group as I am.”
Kovor stood and extended his hand to me. He pulled me out of my chair and I quickly swallowed my bite. Together, we walked to the front of the room where Captain Dejar stood.
“The group is called Enclave,” Kovor began. “This is a small cell, connected to the larger organization. At first, Aryn and I had a difficult time identifying their main means of business. In addition to petty theft, blackmail, and similar crimes, Aryn and I discovered that Enclave plays a large role in the underground trafficking of alien women.”
“Not surprising,” Aavat muttered.
“There’s more. Aryn, tell them what you saw on the ship,” Kovor prompted.
“Skud, the leader of this branch of Enclave, took us to pick up a delivery. At the time, neither of us thought much of it. We didn’t go to an outpost or another space station. We met another ship in deep space, far away from common space travel routes. The ship Skud met with was the dark ship that attacked us.”
Murmurs and gasps rippled through the dining hall.
“The merchandise the dark ship transported was three Mermian females,” I explained. “The person who handled the transaction with Skud wore Dominion robes.”
The murmurs broke into a round of shouting.
“I knew it,” Maris spat.
“Where are the Mermian females now?” Commander Kalyn asked.
“Hopefully long gone,” I replied. “Kovor and I helped them escape once they were on the station. With any luck, they’re on their way home now.”
“What else?” Captain Dejar prompted.
“The dark ship is called the Terror. It’s a ghost ship. You won’t find any information on it in any dockmaster’s ledger. It has no registration,” Kovor explained.
“Only the Dominion would be brave enough to openly use a ghost ship,” Orrin added.
“Skud mentioned multiple times that the shipment he received was a rarity. I don’t believe the auction business thrives on Qasar Station,” I continued. “This group likely took a bounty hunting job for supplemental income. I suspect that there are other factions of Enclave scattered throughout Dominion space.”
“Do you know where?” Aavat demanded with a dark look in his eyes.
“I have a theory,” Kovor spoke up. “I’ve been studying what I’m calling the Enclave sigil. I think if we lay that sigil over the Dominion sigil, the points on the Enclave map will line up with the map of Dominion space. If I’m right, there’s a major Enclave establishment on Katzul. It would line up with the activity we’ve seen there.”
“We’ll return to Katzul, then,” Captain Dejar said decisively. “With everything you’ve discovered, I suspect we have enough to blackmail Itair into helping us.”
“Is there nothing else to be learned from the Enclave group here?” Commander Kalyn asked me.
“We rifled through Skud’s office,” I explained. “We found a few helpful documents, but nothing proving that Enclave is involved with the auctions or with the Dominion. Without solid proof, we can’t do much.” I shrugged.
“Station security will be all over Enclave headquarters by now,” Kovor added. “We can’t go back and search without looking suspicious ourselves. I agree with Dejar, returning to Katzul is our best bet in uncovering the proof we need.”
“Let’s prepare to depart.” Captain Dejar clapped his hands together once. “The sooner we get to Katzul, the sooner we can put all of this to rest.”
“You hope,” Aavat added dryly.
“Always the optimist.” Captain Dejar clapped his friend on the shoulder. Everyone in the dining hall began to move to make preparations for leaving the port. Everyone, except Kovor and me.
“You two take a day or two to rest,” Captain Dejar instructed. “You’ve earned it.”
Kovor
As soon as Dejar dismissed everyone, I looked to Aryn. She looked exhausted. Dark circles appeared under her eyes, though they did nothing to dim their brilliance.
Before she could protest, I guided her out of the dining hall and into my cabin. When I handed her my most comfortable shirt and pulled back the covers of my bed, she got the idea. With her eyes barely open, she crawled between the sheets and was asleep before her hea
d hit the pillow.
“That was easier than I expected,” I chuckled, though I knew she couldn’t hear me. I planted a kiss on the top of her head and tucked the covers in around her. Satisfied that she was soundly asleep, I slipped out of my cabin as quietly as I could.
I’d had an idea the night before, when neither of us were sure we’d live to see tomorrow. I promised myself that, if I lived through this, I’d do something special for Aryn. I knew my options would be limited, but I had a fair idea of what she’d like.
I returned to the dining hall and peeked through the window in the door. I saw only Sars the cook and the cat that was somehow able to get into any room, even locked ones.
Sars grinned at me when I entered.
“Need another plate?” he asked. “I can’t imagine what those thick skulls in Enclave were serving you. Must’ve been pretty bad if it made you acquire a taste for my cooking.”
“I’ve always enjoyed your cooking, you old buffoon,” I laughed. “Your natural talents rival even the finest chefs.”
“Stow your flattery,” Sars said dismissively. “What do you want?”
“Help me cook something.”
Sars tipped his head back and cackled. The noise sent the cat skittering out of the back room and under the nearest table.
“Funny,” he wheezed.
“I’m serious,” I repeated. “I want to cook a nice meal for Aryn and I think she’d appreciate it if I did some of the work myself.”
“You hired me right after you bought this hunk of space junk. Have you ever cooked for yourself before?” Sars asked.
“You know the answer to that,” I sighed.
“Get back here.” Sars waved me in.
“Thank you! I’ll make you proud,” I swore.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Sars chuckled.
Together, Sars and I spent over three hours making all sorts of human-like foods. By the end of it, I’d succeeded in making three balls of cooked meat and many giant messes. Sars expertly crafted long, thin noodles from dough, red sauce with a medley of seasonings, and the rest of the balled meat.
