The man, who was short and stocky and had hands for feet like a Relaen, snarled at him for a moment before something gleamed in his eye.
“Watch where you’re going,” he muttered and pushed off the wall.
Odd, Prospero said as the man vanished into the crowd.
“At least he wasn’t violently mad,” Nero said.
I think he recognized us.
“Do you have him on file from a past mission?” Sorina moved over to him while Athame and Rune continued on.
Negative, Prospero responded over their shared channel. I would have recognized him if that was the case. It is entirely possible that he is an agent of Daedalus.
“That was no Abyssian,” Nero said under his breath.
No, but he could be a DSA-100, Athame stated over the comm, referring to the shape-shifting robots Daedalus used to spy on sentient activity.
Nero looked over at her as she lead Rune on ahead towards a bank of kiosks and storefronts. A chill went down his back.
Why didn’t it attack us then? he asked.
Silence hung on the line for a few seconds before Sorina responded. “It could be that he was just a spacer, and we are paranoid.”
He looked into her golden eyes and a laugh bubbled up from his chest. “Yeah, that could be, too.”
He moved to push himself off the wall and continue after Athame and the boy, but Sorina put her arms to either side of his shoulders. Her ears quivered and she put half a smile on her face. It wasn’t something Relaen normally did, but she learned the gesture for his benefit and was now quite good at it.
“Wait, I think I see something over there.” She nodded her head toward a turn-off that broke the pattern of pipes and cables in the wall.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Let’s see.” She swung herself up into a horizontal position relative to the floor and headed down a pipe leading around the turn with all four of her appendages.
“Is it just me, or is she moving her butt more than normal?” Nero whispered to himself as he followed her on the deck.
It did seem like there was some excessive motion, Prospero stated. However, this is the first time we have seen her climb like that. It could be the extra hip gestures are needed to—
Shush. He moved around the corner. The passage hooked in on itself and dead-ended at an open maintenance hatch leading into a narrow tunnel about a meter wide.
Sorina was nowhere to be seen.
Did she go inside? Nero turned and something struck him in the chest and propelled him backward into the tunnel. His head caught the edge of the entrance as he flew, and sparks shot through his vision before he struck the floor. He should have bounced off, but whatever hit him landed squarely across his body and held him down.
Activating combat mo—Oh my! Prospero said.
“Oh no! I’m sorry! Are you okay?” Sorina’s cinnamon smell filled his nostrils.
He blinked several times. Prospero reset his visual sensors.
“You okay?” she continued to ask.
“Fine. It was just a bump. What was that about?”
She smiled and before he could think her lips were on his.
Oh, okay. I’ll let Athame know we’ll be a bit and run a diagnostic or something… Prospero said.
He kissed Sorina back, wrapping his hands around her body and tasting her sharp, sweet tongue with his own. She reached back with her foot as they moved against each other and tripped off a control with her toe-fingers that closed a hatch and sealed them in the tunnel.
“We don’t have long,” she said.
“This is—different.” He was shocked at her boldness and the quasi-public place she chose to pounce on him.
“Do you not like it?” Her long ears quivered.
“No, it’s thrilling, actually.” He grinned.
“Good.” She dove back in for another kiss. Her breath was hot against his cheek as his hands played over the deep ridges of her spine through her jumpsuit.
His UI received an access request and Prospero granted it before he could see what it was. Sorina’s fingers traced down his suit and the smartfabric parted before it. Her lips shifted from his, kissing their way across his cheek and onto his neck. He reached up and stroked her scalp between the braids of her hair and set his lips to kissing their way across her jawline and neck. Her jumpsuit parted beneath his touch on his next pass down her spine, and he felt the smooth, bare skin beneath the pads of his fingers.
He shivered and groaned as her hands made their way below his waist. He cupped the half-globes of her derrière. Bolts of excitement shot through him as his body became fully ready under her touch.
In short order both of their suits were in ribbons. Nero grabbed her about her waist and rolled them over sideways against the tunnel wall. Sorina wrapped a leg around his hip and grabbed the deck grate behind him. Still kissing and breathing heavily, he slid down and came back up. He purred and she smiled. Her nostrils flared as her heat enveloped him. It was not the first time, as there was ample opportunity on the trip from Zov since they finally cast aside protocol and rules that no longer applied, but the thrill of being in a strange ship where they could be caught at any time added fire to their passion. With her leg and his hands bracing them they fought the low gravity and each other in the most pleasant way possible. The fire in their bodies overwhelmed them both, and their gasps exploded down the tunnel.
“Thank you,” she said, after their convulsions ceased.
He kissed her soft on her lips and smiled. “Thank you, too. I never would have imagined you would want to do it in a place like this.”
“Why not? Am I not—the word—ah, fun-seeking?”
“Adventurous? Yes, of course you are. You’ve come with me all this way already. No one can say you are not adventurous. No, I just didn’t—um… This is the first time out in the open like this.”
Her ears twitched. “The open? This is a tunnel.”
“I meant in the somewhat open. It’s more public than usual. That’s all.”
“This area is not for the public. We should go soon,” she said but didn’t move.
“Yeah,” he nodded, dropping the silly argument. He felt so warm and content, even with the breeze of the air pumps around them, that he was in no hurry either.
Ah, now that you two are finished, I just want to point out that this area is magnetically sealed. We are disconnected from the comm network, Prospero stated.
“It’ll be fine,” Nero said. “Rune is with Athame and no one knows who they are.”
Sorina’s ears twitched, but she snuggled in tighter against his chest. “They will be fine.”
Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Prospero grumbled.
“I’m glad I asked you on the mission,” Nero said.
“Which?”
“To Baron Keltan’s party. I’m glad I remembered you from that time on—where was it?”
“Our first job together?” Her ears wilted to the sides as she thought. “The waste pipeline mission?”
“Waste pipeline? Oh, yeah. We were in that sewer tunnel for a few days, right? I’m surprised you worked with me after that.”
“You did not smell, the tunnel did.”
“Yeah, it did.” He chuckled.
“Kestarus III.”
“Huh?”
“The planet that mission was on.”
“Oh, right.” He nodded. “Well, I’m glad you took the next job with me, and that you’re okay—and I’m glad we violated protocol.”
“What protocol? We are both fired.” Her golden eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the tunnel.
“Well, I’m fired. You aren’t.”
“I have been rogue for too long, I think.” She shrugged. “It is not important. We have this.” She hugged him tight.
“Yeah, we do.” He sighed.
“What is it?”
“Daedalus,” he answered. “He won’t give up. He’ll still be after me and Athame too by now. Eventually, the Abys
sians will find us.”
“It is a big galaxy,” Sorina said.
“He’ll find us.”
“Then we will destroy more Abyssians.” Her voice was strong and determined.
“How can you be sure?” He licked his lips. She was so certain they would win, but they almost lost on Zov—he almost lost her on Zov.
“Because now that I have you, I am not going to let anyone take you.”
“You may not have a choice,” he said.
“They will not have a choice.”
He smiled and kissed her hard.
“It’s been good to get away for a while, to be away from Kae and… what I did.”
“You did not have a choice. You saved us all.” Her hand came up and stroked his cheek.
“Yeah, maybe, but we should be getting back; don’t want Kae to panic.” He did not want to discuss it. Nothing would change the fact that he killed his best friend’s husband.
“You are the one who said the boy would be fine with Athame,” she said without malice.
“Yeah, but you’re right. It’s better if we’re all together—maybe that spacer was something to worry about. If he recognized us we’ll have limited time.”
“Kae said he could get us on that Kri’Cho ‘wormer. We will be gone soon,” she said.
“If he can do what he said and it’s headed in the right direction. If we have to take the AlCas out of here or wait it could be a long time before we see the capital. Maybe it’ll be long enough for Daedalus to do whatever it’s planning.” He sighed. “But if this wormer isn’t going the right way we won’t have a choice.”
“So why worry?” Sorina’s ears bobbed to either side.
Nero chuckled. “Why? Right… Ah, yeah…”
It’s his silly nature getting in the way of practicality again, Prospero stated. I, for one, agree with Nero this time. Not that you asked, but we should be getting back.
Sorina kissed him again. “Okay.”
They both took their time getting dressed. Once they were presentable he levered the hatch open and crawled out. His comm lit up.
Go ahead, he transmitted.
“Where the hell are you? I got back to the ship and no one’s here,” Kae’s voice was full of anger. A moment later his digital specter appeared standing in front of Nero.
We went out, he responded with a guilty look toward Sorina. What’s wrong? Did the Cleebian ship turn us down?
“No, it’s not that. I set the ship’s computer to scan for neutrino bursts when we docked. It just detected a big one. Rune likes to see wormers, especially classes he hasn’t seen before. I tried contacting him, then I tried your pet Abyssian. I couldn’t reach either.”
He felt his gut go cold.
“Nero, where’s my son? Is he with you?” Kae waited for a response, but none came to mind. “You let him go off with her, didn’t you?”
Kae, let’s not panic. We should be able to get them on the comm. We were just with them.
“Goddammit, Nero. I’m his father. I get to decide what he can and cannot do, not you. We have to find them.”
Of course. If you’ll just—
“You don’t understand. We have to find them right now.” Kae’s gritted his teeth.
Of course. They’re right down the—
“No, you’re not listening. The ship that just arrived is the Urgoryth,” Kae said.
He shrugged. Another wormer is good news, right? We can negotiate—
“No, Nero. She’s captained by a particularly unpleasant Galaenean named Gorger Tua’Nyn-something or other. Their names are too damn long. My point is that old Gorger will deal with anyone to make a buck. I ran into him when I was passing through Kiidynax.”
Kiidynax? He thought for a moment. That system where Confederate, Orgnan, and Brogh space meet?
“Yeah. I was on my way to—well, you know—and I ran into the little worm at the bar. He was very proud of the fact that he had some Confederate citizens bundled in cryo-pods bound for Orgnan space. He bought everyone three rounds because he was looking forward to the profit he was about to make—”
Wait a minute, wormers are owned by corporations. What barony would condone the slave trade? Nero asked.
“None, publicly, at least. Gorger’s wormer is a converted Overlord-class vessel,” Kae said.
“It is an Orgnan ship?” Sorina transmitted into the channel.
Kae nodded. “He claims it’s battle salvage from the Savorchan conflict, but he’s got Orgnan crew mixed in with the rest. If you ask me, I bet he’s working with them—not that I can prove it. The son-of-a-bitch served in the same battle group we did. He tried to use that to get me to tell him what I was doing. I didn’t. Anyways, if he’s here then there’s something fucked-up going on. That ship’s either full of criminals fleeing Confederate space, or it’s got drugs, or maybe even kidnapping victims bound for the auction blocks of Galdar.”
Nero felt a cold shiver go down his back and sat up. Are the station authorities going to arrest him or his crew?
“Not if he has not committed any crimes here. My people only have a loose government between ships. Its main function is to serve as a liaison to the Confederate government. Each world ship is a sovereignty to itself. If this Captain Gorger has not done anything to offend the authorities here, he will get to trade the same as everyone else,” Sorina said.
Nero was shocked.
The Relaen may be members of the Confederation, but their charter states that they remain neutral in matters of trade. It is an essential part of their cultural identity and their ability to survive in deep space, Prospero explained
“I am sorry, Nero, but even a known slave trafficker has a right to trade on a world-ship as long as he does not conduct his illicit business here.” Sorina’s ears twitched.
He gritted his teeth.
“You know, that time on Kiidynax, the bastard actually bragged about being able to snatch people off stations and get away with it. He didn’t give specifics, but he did mention a world-ship once or twice when he was good and drunk. He said it was easiest there because the Relaen didn’t get involved with non-Relaen affairs on their vessels. When he said that I’d had about enough and left, but do you think that could be true?” Kae asked Sorina.
Her ears vibrated. “It is true. We enforce Relaen law strictly on our ships, but if a matter is between a foreigner and a foreigner, the police treat it as a nuisance.”
“Even slave trading?” Nero’s eyes grew wide.
“No, of course not. I do not know of any specific cases, but we would not tolerate that on a Relaen ship.” Her ears vibrated.
“But you wouldn’t investigate something too hard if a foreigner was reported missing?” Kae asked.
She bristled for a moment, but her ears wilted. “I am afraid to say it, but no. I cannot see the police treating that with much seriousness. People jump ships all the time for a variety of reasons. If it is only foreigners involved there would be a report filed and little else done.”
Kae nodded with a grim expression on his face. “That’s what Gorger said. Nero, where in hell is my goddamn son?”
He shook his head, feeling his stomach turn, and looked at Sorina.
“They should be in touch through the ship’s network. I do not understand why they are unreachable except that there are areas on the ship that are shielded for various reasons.” She cleared her throat, shifting her gaze away for a moment. “They could be near or in one such section.”
“Did you know the two of them were going to run off like this?”
Kae, they didn’t run off. Rune wanted to see the ship. I’m sure he’s fine. Athame can take out an army on her own, he transmitted.
“Orgnan slavers are on their way to this ship, and my son is missing. I want him back on my ship in ten minutes, Nero.”
“I will alert the local authorities,” Sorina stated.
“We just finished talking about how your people won’t care about a Solan boy. Find him, go
ddessdammit!” Kae took in a deep breath.
“They will listen to me,” Sorina sent.
Forgive me for saying so, Agent Khepria, but if you are planning to use your CSA credentials, I remind you it will flag our position to Daedalus. We do not know how long we are going to be stuck on this ship.
She pressed her lips together and her ears drooped.
We’ll go looking—I mean, we’ll find them right now. Prospero, get Athame on the comm, Nero sent.
Connecting…
“Yes, Nero?” Athame’s voice said in his head when they linked.
Kae’s been trying to reach you. Where are you and Rune?
“Pod 52H, subsection—”
He locked Kae out of the conversation. Why didn’t you respond to Kae’s call? Is everything okay?
“Alerting Kaeden Faen to our location may have resulted in cancellation of our excursion,” she stated. “I decided silence was best.”
He gritted his teeth.
Unbelievable, Prospero said. Are you an AI? I ask because you’re behaving like Nero would—
“Hey!” he snapped.
“Your attempt to berate me through falsehoods has failed,” she stated in a monotone voice. “And I must report that there is a situation.”
He felt his blood run cold. What? Is Rune okay?
“Rune’s status is nominal. However, we are under threat at the moment.”
What? He and Prospero transmitted at the same time.
A window opened in his vision displaying an observation room with round, polyglass windows stretching from the floor to the ceiling. Standing in the center, between Athame and the door, were a group of six men. Two were spacers and the rest had hair and builds that marked them as ‘wellers. They were dressed in black fatigues with energy rifles leveled at her. They had patches over their shoulders with a concentric ring pattern he couldn’t fully see. He recognized the man in the center of the group as the spacer who passed them in the corridor. His sneer made Nero’s blood boil.
“What is it?” Kae’s digital specter asked with a frown.
“Just a moment,” Sorina said.
“I cannot act without endangering the boy. They want us to go with them,” Athame stated.
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