Nickie grinned, the tension broken. “Shit, I don’t even know. Try it and find out.”
Grim chuckled. “I wouldn’t.”
Nickie shot him a glare. “Just because you’re on my shit list doesn’t mean I’m pissed at everyone.” She turned to the man and smiled. “I take it you’re Lance’s guy?”
The man nodded. “The name’s Jack. Jack Harrison. Anything you need while you’re here, you just ask for me.”
Nickie wasn’t planning on staying long enough to need anything. “Good to meet you, Harrison, but it’s going to be a short acquaintance. I’m only here to take on a delivery. Let’s get it loaded so I can be on my way.”
Harrison looked up at the ship, then down at his wrist holo, confused. “You are Captain Meredith Nicole Grimes, right?”
Nickie nodded, not liking the doubt she saw on his face. “Uh-huh. What’s the issue?”
“You’re down for an overnight, Captain.” Harrison tapped his holo, and she received a ping from him.
“My delivery is live cargo?” She was going to have some serious words with her uncle when she got back to High Tortuga.
Harrison snickered. “Cute. You might wanna call my team something other than that if you want them to put any effort into keeping your ass safe on that planet.”
Grim darted in front of Nickie and stuck out his hand before she could refuse the team’s help altogether. “We’re glad to have you along. Grim’zee, call me Grim.”
Harrison took Grim’s hand and shook it, smirking at Nickie’s look of fury. “Good to meet you, Grim. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the guys before I show you to your quarters. There's usually some kind of chow going in the team rec room at this time of day.”
Grim nodded amiably. “Sounds good to me. Boss?”
Nickie rolled her eyes at Grim’s way of making friends with every stranger they met and swept a hand in front of her. “Whatever. Lead the way.”
She allowed them to walk ahead while she considered the best way to murder someone who could hear you thinking about it. Mere, do you think I could get the drop on Barnabas?
I don’t think going after your uncle is the wisest decision, Meredith told her. Besides, it’s not really Barnabas you are annoyed with, is it?
I don’t know what you’re talking about, Nickie grumbled. Of course, I’m annoyed with Barnabas for messing with me. Now I have to babysit Uncle Lance’s guys as well as get Jennie and her crew to safety. Fucking Grim. It would be nice to have backup I can trust on this.
You’re being hard-headed again, Meredith admonished. Grim has your back. Are you sure you’re not taking your frustration out on him because you don’t feel comfortable asking your Aunt Tabitha for answers?
Nickie glared at Grim, who was chatting animatedly with Harrison as they walked. Nope. That’s a different bone I have to pick. He deserves it for lying to me. She wrinkled her nose, stifling a yawn as she followed Harrison and Grim into a small rec room. I hope this doesn't take too long. All that awkward silence on the trip over here was a bitch, and I'm wiped.
Meredith hesitated a beat before replying, You’ve had a lot to process recently. It takes energy.
Nickie groaned internally. This isn’t the time to bring up my mom, Meredith.
I didn’t mention your mother.
Nickie chose to accept Meredith’s denial in the name of getting peace and fucking quiet on the subject.
Harrison briefly introduced Nickie and Grim to the team before showing them to their quarters for the night.
Nickie wrinkled her nose at the mostly bare living area. “Kind of reminds me of my ship. Before the upgrade.”
“The Sayomi was this basic?” Harrison asked in surprise.
Nickie snorted. “Fuck, no, and if my Grandma Jean ever heard you compare this place to one of her creations, you’d be wearing your testes for earrings. I snagged a Skaine battleship a while back, and it’s been a project.”
Harrison made a show of looking pained. “Wow, that’s a harsh comparison. I mean, it's a bit spartan, but it's serviceable,”
“It’s great,” Grim interceded. “We appreciate it, don’t we, Nickie?”
Harrison frowned when the temperature in the room dropped sharply. “I’ll, um, leave you two to get settled. Those two are the bedrooms, and that’s the bathroom,” he told them, pointing to the three doors. “Sleep tight.”
Nickie nodded. “We’ll convene on the Sayomi first thing.” She took one more uninterested look around the living area once the door closed behind Harrison, then headed for her room with the food she'd snagged from the rec room.
“When are you going to be done ignoring me?” Grim called after her.
“I dunno,” Nickie retorted. “Probably when the time is right.”
Grim stopped dead in the middle of the room. “That's not fair,” he protested. “Nickie!”
Nickie slammed the door behind her, crossed the three steps to the cot on the left wall, and sat down heavily on the edge.
Screw Grim. He could keep his secrets.
She opened the container of what looked like something-with-rice and forced herself to take a bite. It tasted like cardboard next to Grim’s cooking.
Fuckdammit!
Would you like to talk about it? Meredith asked.
No. Yeah. Fuck it, I don't know! She dropped the mystery rice dish on the locker by the bed and lay down without getting undressed. I just want some answers. I don’t think it’s too much to ask from someone who claims to be my friend.
Meredith made a soothing sound. I don’t want to keep reminding you that Grim’s loyalty isn’t in question here. You know deep down that you can trust him.
Nickie huffed. Then why the fuck won’t he tell me how he ended up in that bar when we met? I’m pretty damn sure Aunt Tabitha had something to do with it. I need to know, Mere.
I don’t have access to his thoughts or I would tell you, Meredith told her gently. But I would hazard a guess that his appearance wasn’t the first time she sent someone to keep an eye on you.
Nickie frowned. Fuck it, I’m gonna ask. She opened her HUD and selected the message icon.
However, no words appeared. Instead, she stared at the message window without seeing it.
Is something wrong? Meredith's tone was full of concern.
No, it's okay. Nickie blinked away the tears that had suddenly ambushed her. I just want… I want… She switched her attention back to the message window and started a new message.
Hi, Mom.
Chapter 15 Nickie
Beyond Federation Borders, Approaching Pirate Hideout, QBS Sayomi, Bridge
“This ship is unbelievable,” Harrison marveled as the Sayomi Gated in, invisible to all the security around the outer edges of the system. “This is the closest we’ve gotten to the planet without being made.”
Nickie sat up in the captain’s chair when he entered the bridge. “You’re being generous, calling that shitsplat a planet.”
Harrison lifted a shoulder and walked over to the couch by her chair. “It’s a gigantic pain in my ass, no matter what anyone calls it.”
She glanced at him. “How much of a pain in the ass?”
Harrison grimaced. “Let’s just say I'm impressed by the ease with which we're getting in. We’ve been trying to work our way into the place for almost a year, and the most we've been able to do is observe.”
“Why not just take the whole planet out?” she asked. “Seems like the logical thing to do.”
Harrison shook his head, slipping his kit bag off his shoulder. “That would’ve been my first course of action. Higher-ups decided differently.”
“Can’t say I’d be happy coloring within the lines like that,” Nickie admitted.
Harrison half-shrugged as he opened his bag and began laying weapons out on the couch. “As much as it pisses me off to play nice, it’s working.”
Nickie raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? Sounds like you’ve found a workaround for the security.”
&n
bsp; He nodded and got to work strapping the contents of his bag around his body. “My team knows their work. What we lack in physical presence, we more than make up for with all the active tech we have floating around on the planet.”
Nickie was familiar with the type of operation. “Assholes attract other assholes. It makes sense to take advantage of that. Let them think they have a safe haven.”
Harrison put a foot up and bent to slip a blade into his boot. “Uh-huh. But in reality, we know almost everything they're up to, which means we keep on top of things out here.”
Nickie definitely didn't look at his ass. “So you knew about the kidnapped crew?”
Harrison stood up and turned around, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “Um, no. That one got by us. But we know where Bloat’s gang is based. You did a good thing taking him out.”
Nickie leaned against the console and crossed her arms. “Waste of good oxygen fucking deserved it,” she told him. “Fuckface was beating his girlfriend when I shot him.”
“Skaines have girlfriends?” Harrison teased. “Who’da thunk?”
Nickie put her hands on her hips. “Well, yeah. You need a girl Skaine and a boy Skaine to make a Skainlet.” She demonstrated with a few gestures, making Harrison laugh. “Didn't your dad ever have ‘the talk’ with you?”
Harrison’s face stilled. “He might have done that if he hadn't died when I was a kid.”
Nickie grimaced. “Shit, didn’t mean to hit a nerve.” She bumped his arm with her shoulder on her way past to the elevator, wondering what in hell brought on that little sharing-is-caring moment. “Come on, we’ve got a bunch of people waiting for us.”
Nickie led Harrison to the cargo bay Sayomi had designated as the operations room, where Grim and Harrison’s team were finishing up preparing for their part in the mission ahead.
The fifteen men and women stopped working when Nickie and Harrison walked in. Harrison came to life in the presence of his team. He raised his clasped hands above his head and made his way through the avenue they created for him, stopping to give every one of them a word of encouragement.
Nickie snickered when he slapped the ass of the largest man as he skirted the drop doors on his way to the table, the rest of the team falling in behind him and fanning out to take their seats.
Nickie smirked, feeling the love from everyone in the room except Grim.
Her friend looked as uncomfortable as ever to be wearing armor, despite the fact that the armor Sofia had given him was nothing like as heavy as the traditional bulky–ass Yollin exosuit he’d worn when they first met.
Nickie dropped into the chair between Grim and Harrison, smirking when he flinched at her unexpected attention. “’Sup?”
Grim glanced at Nickie but didn’t let the reprieve from her silence stop him from bitching. “I keep telling you I’m a lover, not a fighter,” he moaned. “This armor chafes.”
Nickie’s smirk widened into a grin. “At least it’s not gonna cook you.”
Harrison knocked on the table to bring the briefing to order. “Ladies and gentlefuckers, we have around forty people—”
“Forty-three,” Nickie supplied.
Harrison swept a hand to indicate that Nickie should take over. “Feel free to share with the group. Brace yourselves, we have the honor of a Grimes among us.”
The Federation soldiers turned as one to stare at her.
Nickie clapped to silence the murmurs that went around the table. “Your commander tells me you’re shit-hot. There are forty-three of Bethany Anne's people somewhere on that planet. Let's keep the focus on them, not on my fine ass.”
“We’re all Bethany Anne’s people,” Harrison murmured.
“Whether we want to be or not,” Nickie agreed. “I’m happy to sign autographs afterward if any of you are still feeling starstruck.” She winked at Harrison, then dropped the friendly grin as the chuckles died down. “Now, I understand we’re in a delicate position regarding the op you’ve been working this last year. I want you to know I have no intention of screwing your effort.”
Harrison raised an eyebrow. “I have to admit it’s been a concern, even though the General cleared whatever action was necessary to get the crew back. How do you plan on retrieving them without causing a scene?”
Nickie lifted a finger. “I wasn’t done. I have no intention of causing a scene. But make no mistake, I’ll leave a trail of crispy criminals a mile wide if that’s what I have to do to get that woman and her crew home to their families.”
Harrison nodded. “Understood. It’s in our best interests to make sure you know what you’re walking into. Let's get you the information you need so we can get underway. Greatreeks, the images.” He nodded to one of the younger men on the right of the table. “Jason is our eyes down there,” he told Nickie.
Jason tapped his wrist holo as he got to his feet and walked around to the projection screen, where a window came up. “Bloat’s gang is…was based out of this fine establishment. I suppose they’ll lose out to Scrag’s lot now he’s dead. Maybe Doxie’s.”
Nickie’s lip curled when she saw the rusty sheet metal building. She noted that the whole neighborhood had a similar aesthetic—neon signs and sadness. “Shit, what’s that place held together by, the collective failed hopes of its patrons? I’m gonna take it there’s no weather down there.”
Jason shook his head. “The atmosphere is entirely artificial.”
She nodded. “What do you have on the gang, and the bar in general?”
Jason tapped his holo again and several new windows were overlaid on the first, each containing a mugshot. “These are all known gang members, Bloat’s lieutenants.” The windows were replaced by another set, then another. “These are persons of interest to us. We’re monitoring…pretty much everyone on the planet, but the drones we’re working with don’t react well to EM fields.
Harrison pushed an envelope-sized packet across the table toward her. “You could actually help out by taking a few inactive drones in for us.”
Nickie nodded and accepted the packet, her focus on the mugshots. “Mmhmm. Shouldn’t be an issue. Wait, go back.” Her eyes were instantly drawn to a familiar face among the scowls, missing teeth, horns, and antennae. “Hello, handsome,” she murmured.
“Is this really the time to trawl for guys?” Grim asked.
Nickie shot an elbow into his ribs. “Don’t be a dumbass. I just found my way in.”
Harrison looked hopeful. “Yeah?”
“You mean our way in,” Grim modified breathlessly, rubbing his side.
Nickie grinned. “Not gonna work. You’re so uptight, I might as well take Grandad John in with me.”
“If only,” Grim muttered.
“It would change this operation, that’s for sure.” Nickie pushed her chair back and got to her feet. “Change of plans,” she told Harrison, pointing at the dark-haired human on the screen. “Find that guy.”
“That’s simple,” Jason chirped cheerily. “That’s Darius Prior, small-time con artist and petty thief. I could go on. I’ve just sent the command out to the network. Soon as we find him, you’ll be the first to know, Captain.”
Nickie waved him off. “I know all about Darius and his delusions of being some badass fuckboy. A scumbag never changes his spots.” She shook her head at the blank looks. “I’m gonna play him to get inside that bar. You need to be ready.”
“Ready for what?” Harrison asked, concern touching his face.
Nickie shrugged. “How the fuck should I know? I’m making this shit up as I go. Just get me Darius’ location and be ready.”
She heard Grim consoling Harrison as she stalked out of the cargo bay.
“Is she your first Grimes? Mmhmm. I thought someone would have warned you…”
After a quick trip to her quarters, Nickie headed back to the elevator. “Transport bay,” she commanded, feeling less than commanding with half her body on display.
Sayomi appeared from the shoulders up on
the screen above the panel. “You look nice, Captain.”
“Didn’t realize I was talking to you, Sayomi. Thanks.” She looked down at her street clothes: a buttoned cutoff top over tight, tight jeans and her everyday boots. “Heels would have been better, but I’m not learning that lesson again.”
“A wise decision,” Sayomi intoned as the doors opened on the bay. “I wish you success. Remember, I am a call away if you are in need of assistance.”
Nickie narrowed her eyes at Sayomi’s wicked grin. “By ‘assistance,’ I take it you mean the total destruction of everything for miles around the target?”
Sayomi inclined her head. “I cannot but be who I am.”
Nickie grinned. “I’m trying to keep the destruction to a minimum, but I’ll keep your offer in mind.”
“In the meantime, I have a Pod ready and waiting for you.”
“Thanks, Sayomi.”
Meredith spoke up as Nickie left the elevator. I’ve informed Grim that we’re leaving.
Nickie clenched her teeth to stop the muscle in her jaw from twitching. Why would you do that?
Were you really thinking of going in there alone?
Nickie pushed the door to the transport bay open. I wasn’t thinking of it, Meredith. I am going in by myself. She picked up her pace, hoping to get to the Pod before Grim made it down there.
He was waiting by the open Pod with his arms folded across his chest. “Really, Nickie?”
“Whatever.” Nickie marched past him into the Pod, his sigh when she refused to meet his eyes causing her chest to constrict. She dropped onto one of the benches and waved him in. “Just get aboard if you’re coming. You can wait in the Pod.”
“Taking us down now,” Meredith announced from the speaker once the doors were closed.
Chapter 16 Nickie
Pirate Hideout, Pod
Nickie worked hard to maintain the silence as the Pod sliced through the thin atmosphere.
It came to a stop twenty feet above one of the unlit buildings.
“Open the door, Meredith.” Nickie paused in the open hatch, leaning out to see the lights on the main drag below.
Resolution Page 15
