by Sonia Nova
It was a long shot, but it was possible that these pirates were connected to the missing human women on the planet. The first cases had only popped up recently, around the same time that a group of new pirates from off-planet had shown up in town.
These could be those new pirates.
Or, they could be any other group of pirates who were new in town. The hell she knew. This was the biggest urban center on Riala. The area was so populated and sprawling that it could barely be called a city –more like ten cities. A megapolis. That meant there were groups of pirates arriving and leaving all the time.
The one thing that made Kira hopeful was that this junkie had mentioned that a couple of the pirates were Mehelian. The race wasn’t common among the pirates here, and the group that she believed was connected to the missing women was led by a Mehelian.
According to rumors.
Frowning, Kira checked her wristband with a swipe of two fingers. It was nearly sunset.
Maybe she should just make a note of this area and keep working on building her undercover rep. She was supposed to be a runaway woman from one of the border planets, escaping the destitute life of a housekeeper for a planet official. Keeping in character, she wouldn’t just be sitting around in a park full of dead grass and trash. She would be desperately looking for work.
Fuck…
Kira stood up from the bench, ready to leave. But just as she was about to walk off, three figures appeared across the street, about a hundred feet to her left. The dark, splotchy-colored, hairless heads of the two tallest of the group caught her eye. Those thin, tall bodies and ugly, bald heads?
They had to be Mehelian.
Heart pounding, Kira stayed still until they had just disappeared past the general store on the corner. As soon as they were out of sight, she dashed after them.
She stopped against the wall of the store and peeked around the corner. Sure enough, two Mehelian men and a Ghelian woman were walking together, talking in low voices.
Usually, that wouldn’t be enough to raise Kira’s suspicion, but they were so close to where the junkie had reported being approached. And the pretty obvious indentations of weapons hidden on their bodies didn’t much help their case.
They were pirates, that was for sure, even if they might not be the pirates she was looking for. Either way, she was going to trail them for a while and see where it led her.
“Got two Mehelian males and a Ghelian female pirate on my radar,” Kira whispered into her wristband. “I’m going to track them. Turning on my GPS beacon now.”
“Roger that,” Agent Grimmor responded in his rough voice.
Kira liked having Agent Grimmor as head of the operation. He trusted her experience and pretty much let her make all her own decisions on how to proceed, but he was also always accessible if she needed anything.
Now that the Alliance knew where to find her if things went south, she was ready to get going. She turned the corner and walked at a normal speed, her hands in her pockets and hood pulled up to cover her hair. The pink stripe she had dyed was memorable, which she liked, but also meant she often ended up covering her hair when she was trying not to be noticed.
She continued on like that, staying a block behind the group, for about fifteen more minutes, until a passerby caught her eye.
Was that… Willa Fenellem? Otherwise known as “Toothless?”
The scar across the human woman’s face and her fake gold teeth were unmistakable. Kira was barely processing that she had just walked by one of the most infamous pirate operatives on Riala, when another familiar face caught her eye on the other side of the street.
Dreik “Domino” Kimitt, a blue-skinned Ghelian male, was animatedly telling some story to a group of people on the sidewalk in front of him. Domino was another face she recognized from the intelligence briefings she had received when she landed on Riala. He was one of the most notoriously irritable and unpredictable pirate bosses, and he was in charge of a wide-ranging robotic parts smuggling operation.
Well… She must be in the right place.
Kira broke her gaze away from Domino and looked ahead of her. Shit... That one moment of distraction had cost her. The three pirates she had been tracking had disappeared into the ragtag mix of pirates that milled down this street. Apparently, she had walked straight into some kind of a pirate hub.
Keeping her shoulders hunched and her head down, Kira walked until an alley opened up on her left, between two strangely busy establishments that looked – to her – like a butcher shop and a dry cleaner’s. Definitely fronts for some kind of illegal activity.
Thankfully, no one seemed to notice, or care, when she went down the alley and stopped in the shadow behind a dumpster.
“Agent Medina to HQ,” she whispered into her wristband.
“Go ahead, Agent Medina,” Agent Grimmor answered without a second’s delay.
“I don’t have eyes on the subjects anymore,” she reported. “But I’ve found an area of the city just swarming with pirates. I’m going to do some asking around and see if I can pick up any helpful intelligence.”
“Roger that. Be careful out there, and…”
“Who’s that you’re talking to, there?”
Kira jumped and pulled her sleeve over her wristband. The raspy, accented voice had caught her completely by surprise. She had been so well-hidden – she had thought – that she hadn’t been able to see the three pirates approach her in the alley.
Two Mehelian men and a Ghelian woman.
They must have doubled back to catch her off guard. Shit…
Kira smiled uneasily. Hopefully, they hadn’t actually seen her talking on the wristband, and didn’t have any suspicion that she was undercover. Just that she had been following them.
“Myself,” she said. “Praying,” she added, thinking fast at their incredulous expressions.
“Humans and their religions,” the nearest Mehelian man said mockingly, a smile on his thin lips. “Does your religion also tell you to follow strangers?”
Kira shook her head slowly. If they attacked, she could roll to the side, possibly take out the nearest man with the knife on her hip, and run for the other side of the alley. She glanced to her side, trying to get a better view of the end of the alley to make sure it was open – and not fenced in – but another dumpster blocked her view.
Damn it. She was not in a good position.
“Why are you following us?” the Ghelian woman asked, crossing her arms and frowning at Kira. One of the tusks jutting out from between her lips was chipped. “That’s what he’s trying to ask.”
“I’m looking for work,” Kira said, trying to keep her voice sweet and innocent. Use your cover story. It was basic undercover training to keep to your story before jumping to violence, but she had a feeling that it wasn’t going to work in this situation. “Not… Not legal work. Something that pays well.”
“And?” The Ghelian woman tilted her head, expectantly. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Bitch.
Kira kept a nervous smile on her face, though everything in her wanted to drop it and deliver a quick roundhouse kick to this woman’s ribs. “I thought you might be pirates.”
The group looked at each other. The Mehelian man who had hung back said something to his look-alike in the Mehelian language, and it didn’t sound good. The Ghelian woman nodded, apparently able to understand.
Kira realized that if she was right – if these pirates were involved in the disappearance of human women on the planet – then she was in deep trouble. She was just their type.
The Alliance had a working theory that the women were being trafficked and sold into slavery on Tssa’Ki, a black market planet on the edge of the explored universe. Kira wasn’t about to let herself get captured and brought to one of the most dangerous places known to the Alliance. Not even if it meant keeping her cover intact.
“Look, missy, we don’t appreciate being stereotyped like that,” the woman finally said, and start
ed to move her hand toward her belt… to whatever weapon she had stashed there.
In a flash, Kira was on the ground. She rolled past the boots of all three pirates and landed in a crouch, hand at her hip, ready to draw her knife.
They looked surprised, but moved quickly. The Ghelian woman drew a long, curved blade from a well-hidden scabbard beneath her coat. The two Mehelian men moved to block off each end of the alley.
Before they had a chance to draw weapons too, Kira straightened and took off running back toward the busy street. It would be stupid to stay and fight. She might be able to take them, but she didn’t want to cause a scene.
She could hear the heavy thud of boots behind her as the pirates followed her.
“Stop!” she heard the Ghelian woman yell, but by then, she was far enough ahead she couldn’t even hear their footfalls. That was good, but she wasn’t about to stop running yet.
Kira shoved through a group of pirates on the sidewalk, ignoring their curses as she picked up speed. Soon, she was on a somewhat quieter block, except for a pair of old wooden doors that were propped open. A dangling sign with a treasure chest hung above the doors, and a few rough-looking men were standing outside, smoking spicy zcey and drinking out of glass bottles.
A pirate bar?
The perfect place to lose her pursuers.
Not slowing down her pace at all, she changed course and sprinted toward the open doors.
CHAPTER 3
XEEGAN
Xeegan suppressed another huff of laughter, hiding his face in his mug of xerkin ale. He took a sip of his drink, not taking his eyes off Zeon. He had shown up back at The Crown to keep an eye on the naïve pirate, and he was glad he had come. Not only did Zeon definitely need someone to look out for him, he was turning out to be a source of endless amusement.
The Ezak-X already stood out because of his hulking form, giant curving horns, and sharp teeth that flashed every time he talked, but his complete lack of knowledge about how to behave among pirates was drawing plenty of attention as well. The man just didn’t seem to understand who not to talk to.
At least Zeon had taken Xeegan’s suggestion and changed into more discreet clothing. He wore all black now, but still looked a bit too clean and proper for the environment. Definite Alliance puppy.
It was hard to hear over the crowd of drunken pirates packing the bar, but with his enhanced senses, Xeegan was just about able to keep track of Zeon’s conversations.
So far, the male hadn’t had much luck. He had been laughed out of a few conversations, threatened by one or two pirates, or just generally ignored. Truthfully, Xeegan was a bit surprised he hadn’t gotten into a fight yet. Somehow, the male seemed to manage to talk his way out of sticky situations.
Not that it had helped him any. The only information Zeon had gathered so far was that no one he had spoken to was willing to talk about the job, if they even knew anything.
Zeon didn’t look defeated though. Even after being growled at by a couple of well-armed Ekrin, he didn’t so much as flinch. No, what the idiot did do was thank the pirates for their time, and walk off.
In a way, it was probably brave. It diffused the situation, but at the same time, it made Zeon look incredibly stupid.
Xeegan rolled his eyes at the male, sipping his drink. This might not have been the best idea. Zeon had the mark of Alliance training all over him and he wasn’t doing much to hide it.
Now, he was wandering to a table in the back corner, starting to introduce himself to a Ghelian pirate that Xeegan thought he recognized from his meeting that morning. Thankfully, it wasn’t the ugly fucker who had insulted Zorq. Xeegan might not have been able to avoid starting something if he saw that bastard again. This Ghelian had been one of the quiet ones who had just looked to the tattooed and pierced Mehelian for direction.
“You know anything about a job with the new pirates in town?” Xeegan heard Zeon ask without a shred of caution. “I hear there are Mehelians – from off-planet – looking for workers. Have you heard anything?”
The Ghelian grunted. The race wasn’t known for their expressive faces, but Xeegan could see the annoyance on the Ghelian’s blunt features from his spot across the building.
“Maybe,” the Ghelian said. “Why do you want to know?”
Zeon seemed thrown off guard by the question. “Ah… I could use some work.”
The Ghelian looked him up and down. “Hm. You look strong enough,” he said after a moment. “I think you could…”
Xeegan’s focus was completely ruined as something rammed into his side all of a sudden. His stool skidded about a foot and the pint glass in his hand clattered to the floor, spilling cold beer across his chest and pants. “What the–”
He looked down with a snarl on his lips, toward what had collided into him.
A slight human female lay sprawled on the floor, scrambling to regain her footing. “Shit,” she mumbled, not even acknowledging him. “Damn it.” She continued cursing as she made it to her feet.
Xeegan glanced back at Zeon, annoyed. But to his surprise, he couldn’t see him or the Ghelian at the back table anymore – it was completely empty. Only two half-full glass mugs were left.
Fucking hell…
Anger and irritation erupted inside him and he turned back toward the female. Whoever the hell she was, she had just ruined everything. Because of her, Xeegan had now missed the rest of Zeon’s conversation with the Ghelian and completely lost sight of the male.
“Hey!” he said irritably to the female as she brushed pieces of glass off her clothes. She finally looked up at him, and he was momentarily floored. There was a fire in her strangely purple eyes that made him lose his train of thought – just for a moment. “What the fuck are you doing? You interrupted my business.”
The female barely seemed to be listening to him. Her eyes darted to his side, then back to the open doors of the bar, then to the bar. What the hell was she thinking? Xeegan couldn’t tell, but it was obvious she wasn’t listening to him.
Just as she looked ready to bolt, Xeegan stepped to the side, blocking her path deeper into the bar. No way was he about to let her go now.
“Who are you?” Xeegan asked. “You got a name? So I can spread the word that you like to get into other’s business and you aren’t to be trusted.” The barb to her rep didn’t seem to faze her. “What, are you an Alliance spy?”
His comment seemed to strike a nerve, or maybe she was just done listening to him. She looked back at him, her mouth set in a firm line.
“Shut up,” she said, her tone calmer than he would have expected from her mannerisms.
“Shut up?” His jaw nearly dropped. Now, he was truly pissed.
What was this female’s deal? He had been sitting at the bar, minding his own damn business, and she had just run straight into him and blown up the whole thing. Xeegan stared down at her, giving her his meanest scowl, the one that was enough to make most pirates back off. The Ezak-X weren’t exactly known for their pretty faces, and the scar that ran along his left eye only added to the whole effect.
“Listen…” the female said in the same dry tone, completely unfazed. “You need to let me go.” She stared back at him, her oddly colored eyes filled with defiance.
Clearly, this female wasn’t most pirates.
She was short, even for a human female, and he stood nearly twice her size. Yet, she seemed to have an infuriatingly strong spirit. As angry as Xeegan was, he was… intrigued. He hadn’t seen many human females, let alone talked to them, but he had always assumed they were weak and uninteresting. Something told him this was definitely not the case with this female.
“No, you listen–” Xeegan started, but the female cut him off.
“Fuck…” She glanced back at the entrance. “Now they’ve seen you talking to me. We should run. Both of us.”
Run?
“What–?”
The female made a move to dash by Xeegan, and this time, he didn’t block her. He was distract
ed by what the female was running from, apparently: the appearance of two tall Mehelians and a nasty-looking Ghelian woman standing in the doorway of the bar. They scanned the room, locked eyes on Xeegan and the fleeing female, and moved toward them.
Fuck.
Now, whatever mess she was involved in was his mess, too. The pirates were striding over like they were on a mission – a mission that wasn’t about to end well for Xeegan or the female.
Fucking hell…
Xeegan turned on his heel and ran out the back door that led to the courtyard. It wasn’t like he had another choice. To think he had been meeting about a possible job here, just hours before. Now, he was running through the dingy courtyard as fast as he could, overtaking the human female just as she shouldered open the gate that separated the courtyard from the alley.
The shadow of Zorq’s giant, horned figure on a nearby rooftop caught Xeegan’s eye, dark against the last rays of Riala’s sun. The Ezak-T tended to avoid social situations, due to how often other pirates made comments, like the Ghelian earlier that night had. So, he had decided to wait on the rooftop while Xeegan kept an eye on Zeon.
Xeegan motioned to his friend to follow, and Zorq began to run alongside them, keeping to the rooftops and dodging between chimneys.
Even though Xeegan was now running alongside the female, matching her pace, she didn’t look at him or acknowledge him. Her attention was entirely on the landscape in front of them: dodging into the quietest, darkest alleys, leaping over obstacles like dumpsters and discarded furniture as if they were nothing.
Hell, this human may have been small, but her size and looks were deceiving. The female clearly knew what she was doing.
With his hearing, Xeegan knew that they had lost the pirates already a few blocks back, around the time when he had followed her as she’d ducked behind a vehicle and doubled back through the alley they had just come through. He had decided not to tell her though – he was now intensely curious about this female and wanted to keep an eye on her and see what she would do.
