The thought was so jarring that I dropped my spoon and bolted from the room, leaving everyone aghast.
“Yan? What the hell is wrong with you?” Amara called.
I didn’t answer. I sprinted down the circular hall until I came to a small room with a bank of small monitors that Pivek and Amara had set up. All portable, we’d made a little surveillance room, since we were still wanted criminals and all that. We had cameras and motion sensors all along the property, so if something had happened to Jinx and Jax, it would have been captured here.
The room filled up behind me.
“Yan, what’s wrong?” Rayvan asked. Amara shouldered past her and came up beside me. El and Pivek stood around the doorway, both looking concerned. I had no idea where K or Beleak were, but K was a solitary fish usually.
I pointed to the monitors. “Can you go over the surveillance from last night? Jinx never came to bed and no one’s seen her this morning.” The implication was obvious. Amara’s eyes widened as she cursed.
Pivek came over to me. ‘Give me one moment,’ he signed. His pincer-like hands worked the controls swiftly. In moments, he brought up the recordings from yesterday. He cycled through them, speeding almost faster than I could follow. The first few didn’t show anything. Finally, he cycled to the camera right outside of the main doors where Jinx had been sitting. He sped up the feed. Nothing crazy at first, just her sitting there, then me joining and having our talk, then her sitting in silence for a few hours alone.
When Jax finally came out, Pivek slowed it to regular speed. They talked, having what seemed like an argument, but there was no sound.
“Is there any audio?” I asked.
Pivek shook his head. ‘No, I don’t have the proper equipment for that. I prioritized our security on a motion and visual level.’
I nodded. He wasn’t wrong for that. If we were hunted by bounty hunters and the like, I wanted to be able to see and know where they were. Their words were less important. But in this instance, I would have liked the option.
We kept watching. They argued and then seemed to come to an agreement. Jinx turned her back to Jax. He said something, and then he…
He attacked her.
My breath caught in my throat and my heart began to race as I watched the scene unfold. Jax came up behind her and put her in a chokehold. She was too stunned to even fight back. He brought some little vial up to her nose and she passed out immediately, going limp in his arms.
Jax threw her over his shoulder and then walked out of camera view.
“Cycle the feed!”
Pivek did. He shook too, obviously just as upset at the footage as I was. He cycled through the other camera until we found what we were looking for: Jax carrying Jinx to the small hangar that we had. It was only big enough for the Sanara, with the Diego parked outside. Also inside was Rayvan’s speeder, which Jax commandeered.
We all watched as he threw Jinx into the backseat and drove off into the night.
I sat back, stunned. Silent. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even blink.
And then I snapped. I raged. I roared. I threw a punch and put a hole in the wall. My hand screamed with pain, but my anger was too great, so it was ignored. That skivving Jax… I thought we were friends! But I knew something was up with him last night. He knew something. Now he’d kidnapped my best friend, the girl I— No, I would not stand for this.
“Yan, calm down or I will put you through that hole!” Amara demanded.
I whirled around to face her. “Don’t tell me to calm down! Did you see what I just saw? That bastard took Jinx! Saints know where they went!”
She glared at me, teeth bared. “Get out of my face, Yan Slim Hands. Now.”
I glared right back at her and huffed, my nostrils flaring, but I did back down. She looked like she was ready to break me in half.
“That fenfig took my dad’s speeder too,” Rayvan whined. I grimaced at her. She pursed her lips. “You’re right, that’s less important.”
“I’m sorry, guys. I’m just so mad.”
“We get it, Yan.”
I took a deep breath and did my best to settle down. It was hard, but clear heads needed to prevail. We’d get nowhere with me raging. As much as I wanted to lose my mind and break some stuff—and that usually made me feel good—it wouldn’t get Jinx back.
“How do we find her?” I asked the room. “Jax could have taken her anywhere.”
“We can track my speeder,” Rayvan said. “I installed a tracer in it when it got stolen this one time. Boy, that was not a fun day getting her back.”
“See, Yan? Chin up, bud,” El said with a smirk.
I wasn’t ready to smile just yet. I still wanted to wring Jax’s neck. “So what? I’m sure he’ll have ditched the speeder at some point. He needs to get off-world, I would assume.”
“It’s better than nothing, Yan,” Amara added as she put a hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to get Jinx back, I promise.” Her voice softened, a tone she rarely used, but one I always appreciated. I sighed and nodded.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, now come with me. I bet you broke your hand being an idiot as always.”
I managed to chuckle and smile. “Yeah, it really hurts. Not gonna lie.”
“Actually, never mind. I’ll go get my supplies. You just sit still and calm down and don’t do anything else stupid. I know that will be hard for you.”
“I love you so much, Amara.”
“Shove it up your—”
“Language!”
She left the room. I turned to Rayvan. She had a small hand-console in her lap and was furiously typing on it.
“What are you doing?”
“Tracking my speeder,” she replied without looking up. “I’m guessing where he went, but I have to be sure.”
“And?”
Rayvan cocked her head as she looked at the screen, her tongue sticking out slightly as she concentrated. “It looks like it’s… Yep, Veritas City. By the shipping docks. If I had to guess, he had a ride meet him there, because it would be too sketchy for him to hire a pilot while he carried a drugged-up woman.”
I sat back and sighed. “Well, what good does that do us? It’s not like we can find out which hangar he used, and which ship he took.”
“No, you’re right, we need to think of another way to track him.” She stroked her chin. “I don’t suppose you can track Jinx, huh?”
“What? No!”
“I’m only kidding, Slim Hands. Barely.”
“Though in this situation, I wish we could. But that would be too easy. And nothing can ever be easy for us, apparently.”
“What about tracking Jax?” El asked suddenly. I’d honestly forgotten she was in the room, she was so quiet.
We all looked at her. “Come again?” I asked.
“Don’t you remember what he told us? Jax said that he was part of a resistance. Could we do something with that?”
I nodded. “You’re right. Maybe we can search his records, see what comes up.”
‘I’m on it,’ Pivek signed. He whipped out a data-pad and went to work. While he did that, Amara came back with a med-kit and helped fix my hand. We didn’t have any biogel, which was unfortunate because I had a feeling that my hand was definitely broken, and biogel would have had it fixed in a day or so.
She did inject me with some painkillers. They worked immediately and made my head feel light as a feather.
I smiled. “Thank you, nurse.”
Amara rolled her eyes. “Hold still while I bind your hand. And not to rub salt into the wound, but I told you to get biogel when you went out yesterday.”
“We looked, but it isn’t exactly easy to find. And expensive!”
“Well, we’ll have to get more.”
“Yes, because this really hurts.”
“And who’s fault is that?”
“Jax’s.”
She actually laughed. “I won’t argue with you on that one.”
&
nbsp; I smiled wide. Amara laughing was a rare thing. Always made me happy to see. The painkillers definitely helped, though.
As Amara finished up, Pivek hopped from foot to foot—a thing he did when he was excited. He turned to us.
‘I found him!’ He handed the data-pad to Amara. ‘I searched the wanted databases of the Empire, the Torgorans, and the Hegemony. Sure enough, he has a profile.’
“Hm.” Amara read it aloud, “Jax the Stinger.” She rolled her eyes. “Stupid name. Wanted for treason. Known agent of the Taolin Resistance.”
I frowned. “What is the Taolin Resistance?”
“It’s the resistance that works to win back the Torgoran government from King Tarvath. Taolin was the line of kings that ruled over their people before Tarvath overthrew them. I should have known that’s the resistance he was in.”
“You have an idea, don’t you?”
She nodded. “I have some old contacts with the Taolins. Mind you, I have not talked to them in over a decade and it’s very possible that they’re dead, but it’s worth a shot. If they’re still alive and still with the resistance, they might be able to tell us what we need to know.”
“Alright then, let’s go meet them.”
‘Are you sure you want to leave so soon?’ Pivek asked. ‘If we leave here, we ought to leave for good.’
“I understand, but this isn’t a home unless Jinx is here. We have to bring her back.”
Pivek nodded, his mandibles chittering with understanding. ‘Okay. I’ll start disassembling things and packing. I assume you’ll want to leave immediately.’
“You would assume correctly.”
With that, our large insectoid friend exited the room with haste, his legs clicking against the metal floor excitedly.
I turned to the others and managed to crack a genuine smile. I clapped.
“Let’s get to work!”
7
Jinx
We came out of jump before long, as Jax said, and arrived at Halyon. It was little white-blue marble of a world, all ice and rocks with very little liquid water aside from a long stretch of sea around the equator. It was pointed out, though, that it was highly acidic and the equipment to make it drinkable cost a hefty price.
That was typical.
We flew down to the northernmost continent, near the north pole of the planet. For a while, it was nothing but desolate fields of gray rock, pointy and lifeless. I began to wonder if there was any life on this planet, but then we came to a vast plateau of snow and ice with mountains in the distance and I saw a herd of large, furry, six-legged mammalian creatures running across.
The pilot, Powell, flew us all the way to the mountains, where we set down in a shallow valley. There was a landing pad, with some red-haired Torgorans waving us in, and the ship came to a jerking halt. It was an old freighter, much less advanced than the Sanara, but she was serviceable. It wasn’t like the resistance had ready access to top-of-the-line equipment.
I followed Jax out and into the cold air. Immediately, I was freezing. We Torgorans were a warm weather people. We could adapt of course, but I was in short sleeves and shorts, since Caelum 3 was far warmer. The frigid mountain air nipped at my exposed skin. A sudden gust whipped through the valley and made me shriek.
Jax, who was also not dressed for the climate, waved me after him. “Let’s get inside. We can find you some winter gear later.”
“I had some winter gear in my room back on Caelum.”
He pursed his lips, a silent apology rolling off him. It would take a while for me to cool off on him. Jax would always be a friend, but that didn’t mean I had to be pleased with him. In the moment, I still wanted to punch that perfectly chiseled jaw of his.
We marched across the pad to the large hangar door, a large metal thing with massive locking spikes hanging from the top. It was rusted and dented and scratched all over, seemingly like it had been in several battles. Battles the resistance was a part of? I didn’t know, but the door was thick and big and looked like it could handle a beating. So the base was secure.
As we crossed beneath it and into the base, I immediately began to feel warmer. Whatever heaters they had inside, they were top notch. I wanted to get comfortable, but as we entered, everyone around us took notice. Eyes got wide, smiles flashed, people bounced.
“Jax!” they called. “You’re alive.”
He smiled at them all, waving and shaking hands and joking. Suddenly he was in an entirely different element, not as quiet and closed-off as I’d once known him. He was never K quiet, but he wasn’t a popular man, to say the least. But here, it seemed like everyone knew him, and everyone loved him.
We kept walking. He gave clipped, short answers, never dwelling with one person too long. So fast was our pace and so fierce everyone’s reactions that I hardly got a glance. Which was fine by me. I didn’t need all the unwanted stares.
As the flock of Torgorans grew behind us, seeking answers, we came to a hallway, narrow and bright, with a fancy door at the end, codes and lights aplenty. Standing beside it was a woman wearing the same crimson uniform as the others. She studied a data-pad intently, not bothering to look at us until we were right on top of her. When her gaze found us, her body went slack as she dropped her data-pad. Her mouth fell open.
“J-Jax?” she asked, disbelief rolling off her.
He waved. “Hi. It’s me.”
“Materelle! Praise be!” the woman exclaimed, her smile so bright it was almost infectious. She had wavy orange hair that spilled out of her cap and down her back. Her eyes were stormy, rare for Torgorans. With plump cheeks and full lips, she was a beauty.
She threw her arms around Jax and held him tight, her head resting against his chest. He hugged her back. It was a scene that was much too intimate, and I felt like I was intruding on something private. I sensed that the two had a history, though Jax hadn’t mentioned anyone from his resistance life since we’d been together on Caelum.
He pulled back, lips curled in a smile. “It’s good to see you, Yecella.”
Tears pricked at her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed. “I… I thought…” She swallowed hard, trying to hold back a sob. Whoever she was, she really cared about Jax. “I thought you were gone.”
“For a while, so did I. The Elexaes got me.”
“How did you escape?” Only then did she notice me. She swiped at her tears. “And who is this?”
I was about to introduce myself, but how was I supposed to explain all that had happened for us to be here? But then Jax put his arm out and did the explaining. Sort of.
“This is Jinx, an old friend. There’s a lot to explain and I promise I’ll tell you everything in due time, but first, I need you to gather everyone in the assembly hall. I have something to say. Something game-changing.”
Yecella didn’t look like she wanted to let him go. I understood the feeling. When I’d lost Yan, my world felt like it was ending, torn apart, my heart ripped to shreds. When I got him back… Well, let’s just say that I was glued to his side for the better part of a month. Not that he would ever complain about that. And Yecella definitely had some feelings for my old friend. Whether or not he reciprocated was hard to say, but hers were as plain as day to see.
A small part of me was jealous. We had so much history and shared experiences and I wanted to be a part of his life, but I also knew that he was different now. He had a life outside of me. So it was nice to see that he had so many people that cared about him and watched his back.
Yacella didn’t seem pleased to part with him, but she nodded.
“I’ll put out an announcement.” She turned to leave, but then whipped right back around and kissed him on his cheek. “I’m glad you’re back.” And then she skipped off down the next hall.
Most of our followers caught the conversation and started down the opposite hall, eager to hear what Jax had to say to them. As they swarmed around us, I looked up at my friend, crossed my arms, and cocked an eyebrow.
“So, this Yece
lla?”
He laughed. “Don’t worry about it. You two will get to know each other, I’m sure.”
“It’s seems like there’s a lot of people around here I’ll have to meet.”
“Yes. I’m…rather popular here.” He scratched his neck and offered a smile.
“That’s new.”
“Hey, I was very loveable as a child.”
I punched his arm. “Keep telling yourself that.”
We smiled at each other, basking in the warmth of our friendship, on the few good memories of our time as slaves. There weren’t many, but almost all of them involved Jax. I was so glad to have him back in my life. Still mad about the kidnapping, though.
“Come on,” he said, moving down the hall Yecella went. “We can get some warm clothes while everyone gets assembled. The heater cycles so we don’t consume too much power, so it can get drafty in here.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He led me down a series of tight corridors that almost seemed like they were carved from the rock and ice of the mountain. No, that was exactly what they were. It was hard to tell if the resistance were the ones who made this base, or if it was a lot older than that. Nonetheless, the place was impressive.
We came to a long corridor lined by at least a dozen doors. Jax brought me to one in the middle. He typed in a code on the outside and the door slid open.
“Everyone gets their own room?” I asked.
“Actually, no. I, um… I’m an officer so I have some privileges, like my own quarters.” He walked into the small space and threw himself onto his bed.
My brows rose. “You are an officer?”
“Yep. Lieutenant Jax Navari.”
I grinned. “Such a fancy title.”
His quarters were small, no bigger than our bunks back on the Sanara. But since most armies had their soldiers sleeping in large rooms all together, this was an improvement. I sat beside him. He stared at the ceiling. His room was sparse on decoration and originality, but I supposed it was hard to come by personal touches when you were fighting an overwhelming, oppressive regime.
“I didn’t even want it at first, honestly,” he said. “Lots of responsibility, lots of people under me looking to me for direction and guidance.”
The Torgoran Revolt (Plundering the Stars Book 3) Page 5
