Origins: The Complete Series

by J. N. Chaney

  Maybe it was the agonizing pain raking through my body, or perhaps it was the fading adrenaline, but I actually chuckled. “You have the worst poker face I’ve ever seen, kid.”

  “Yeah,” admitted Hunter.

  “Close the doors and get us out of here, Siggy,” I ordered as I limped after the trio on their way to the lounge.

  They could use the medic kit on Edwin first. As for me, I was headed for the whiskey. After all that chaos, I deserved the whole damn bottle.

  Epilogue

  I sat once more in the pilot's seat on the bridge. After all that time with the Carsons on board, I was finally alone in the Star—just the way I liked it.

  I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes as I leaned back in my chair. The bandages only had to stay on for a few more days, and then I’d be good as new. I'd even gotten some good painkillers, thanks to one of Edwin's medical contacts on the station that had treated us.

  It was strange to think it was really over. I still couldn’t quite believe it, but the bounties had been removed almost immediately from the Renegade Net. I'd gotten word from Ollie that they had also disappeared from the various freelancer networks as well.

  “How long until we reach Taurus Station?” I asked.

  “Roughly two days, sir,” answered Sigmond.

  “Tell Ollie I won’t take any jobs for a few days once we’re back,” I ordered. “I need some time off.”

  “Right away,” said the AI. “I’ll also put in an advance order for your whiskey, Captain.”

  I grinned. “You know me too well, Siggy.”

  “I try.”

  After the short time having the Carson kids on the Star, the ship almost seemed too quiet. I had dropped them off on Avos not long ago, and through their network, they had managed to find a way around the Union surveillance. That meant they could go home, however temporarily.

  Edwin had told me they were going to swipe what they could from their house and bury their family.

  I didn't need to be there for that. As much as we had helped each other survive, I wasn't a Carson, and I never would be.

  I paused at the thought and looked over my shoulder at the gun leaning against the wall behind me. It was the sniper rifle I'd swiped from Hunter when we'd first met, and he'd left it in the lounge as a surprise before they’d driven off in their hovercar. The name Carson had been painted onto the handle in sloppy ink, and despite the careless drips on the letters, I appreciated the gesture.

  I might not have been a Carson, but I'd made a difference to those kids. As much as I hated to admit it, it felt good to deliver them safely home.

  Part of me wanted to go after the meatheads that had abducted Edwin, but that was better left alone. After the kids buried their family, I had no idea what they would be up to next. Most likely, they’d continue whatever version of honest smuggling their family was known for, and Ruby still had that hit in the Sarkonian Empire to pay for the intel she’d gotten us.

  “Sir,” said Sigmond. “You have an incoming transmission from Mr. Oxanos.”

  “First he shows up on Scartros, and now he calls me out of the blue?” I asked, frowning. “Do you know what he wants? He’s not usually this chatty.”

  “He didn't say,” responded the AI. “Should I inquire?”

  “Don't bother,” I said, leaning forward in my seat. The wound in my shoulder spasmed as I moved, and I winced as I rode out the wave of pain.

  It seemed like maybe I was due for another round of painkillers.

  “Patch him through, Siggy,” I commanded.

  Fratley appeared on the holo before me, a wide grin already on his face. My guard went instantly up, and I wondered why he’d called me. With Fratley, I couldn’t be sure.

  “Jace Hughes,” said Fratley, crossing his arms as he looked at me. “You look well.”

  “Feeling great,” I lied.

  “Now I know why you needed that cloak,” said Fratley, shaking his head as he clapped his hands together, applauding me. “You put a bullet through Colt Lockwood's brain. I’m impressed!”

  I tensed, surprised that word had already reached him. It was probably for the best that people knew what I was capable of, if only so that they would leave me the hell alone.

  “I told you I couldn’t wait for it,” I reminded him.

  “You're smart,” admitted Fratley. “You know I would have doubled the price if I had realized someone like Colt was after you.”

  “I figured,” I admitted.

  “Well, you still owe me. Big time,” said Fratley, his smile falling as he looked me dead in the eye. “A lot of people wanted that cloak, Jace. I don't want you to get too comfortable or think you have the rest of your life to pay it off. This isn't going to be like paying off the Star. This bill is going to come due soon, and you need to be ready when I tell you to start paying up. I would hate to have to come after you. I like you, but I like money more.”

  “You'll get your creds,” I promised. “You always do.”

  “That's right,” said Fratley. “I always do, and you get to start right now. I have some jobs I want you to take to start paying me back. The first one’s easy. Consider it your training wheels.”

  I frowned. I’d told him no on Scartros, but it was as if he’d forgotten. He spoke like we’d already agreed on it, and I couldn’t tell if he was out of his mind or trying to play me.

  Maybe both.

  “There's a family in the Deadlands I want you to kill,” said Fratley, ignoring me. “There’s a couple of kids, so I’ll make up for that with a nice payment. It’s just a competitor I want gone, and I think killing his family, too, will send the right message to anyone else who decides they want to try to muscle in on my business interests.”

  For a moment, I didn't answer. I just watched him, wondering why he would ask such a thing of me. He knew my rules. I’d told him more than once.

  “Well?” asked Fratley with a puzzled expression. “Any questions, or do you want the coordinates?”

  “I’m not doing it.”

  Fratley just laughed. “You don't get to tell me no, Jace. Besides, you didn't even hear the payout. It's easy for a man like you. If my competitors hear the Renegade who killed Colt Lockwood is coming for them, they're going to piss their pants.”

  I shook my head, wondering why this was so hard for him to understand.

  “No,” I repeated. “I told you back on Scartros that I’m not doing these jobs for you. Besides, I'm not interested in killing kids, Fratley. You know that.”

  “You sure about that? A hundred thousand creds is awfully hard to pay off. This job will cover nearly half that.”

  “This isn’t a negotiation. I'm good for what I owe, and I’ll earn it my own way.”

  Fratley watched me, his eyes narrowing as his frown deepened. “Don't get full of yourself. It ain’t a good look. Colt got cocky. You don't want to end up like him.”

  “On the contrary.” I gripped the armrest, irritated that he kept bringing up Lockwood.

  A long stretch of silence settled between us as we each waited for the other to speak. I knew he wanted me to cave, to show a crack in the shield and give him an in. He didn’t just want what I owed him. He wanted to own me.

  But I’d never let anyone tell me how to live or how to feel. This life—the one I’d chosen—was only for me and no one else. I got to make the rules, and I’d die before I gave it up.

  After what felt like too long, Fratley let out a loud chuckle. His eyes creased with newfound comedy, as though his personality had changed. It unsettled me, the way he did that, and the more I looked at him, the more I began to understand there was something broken inside of that man.

  “I was like you once, kid,” said Fratley, still holding the new smile. “Stubborn and talented. Hooked on the freedom you get when you have your own ship. You don’t want a boss, and I can respect that.”

  Did he really expect me to believe that?

  “Alright, Jace. I'll let you off the hook
for this job. If you run into trouble getting work, though, you call me back. There's always going to be something for you to do. But I have to warn you,” he paused and took a step closer to the camera, his voice dropping to a dangerous octave, and the smile suddenly gone again. Another shift. Another Fratley. “If you don’t pay me back in the allotted time, let’s say six months, you won't have to worry about getting jobs anymore. You get my meaning?”

  “Bye, Fratley,” I said, intentionally leaving the question hanging in the air.

  I tapped the pad by the holo to end the transmission manually, and Fratley Oxanos’s face disappeared.

  I sat there for a moment, staring at the empty holo as I replayed the conversation in my head. The more I did, the more unnerved it made me.

  “Something’s wrong with him, Siggy,” I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper. “He’s not the same man who sold me this ship. Ain’t been for some time, I think.”

  “I’m afraid you may be correct, sir. Do you have any theories?”

  I shook my head. “I just know I don't want to work for him, and I definitely don't want to owe him money again. Not after this time. We need to get this cloak paid off as soon as possible, or who knows what Fratley’s going to do.”

  I leaned back in my chair as the holo popped to life again, this time displaying an ocean of stars, along with an icon to indicate the nearest slip tunnel.

  “Get us to Taurus Station as fast as you can. Forget my time off. Let's see if Ollie can find us more work.”

  “Ready on your command, sir.”

  I sat at the helm of the Renegade Star, my ticket to freedom among the vast empty. I eyed the holo, wondering how many jobs I’d need to take to pay off my latest debt.

  The sooner I started, the sooner I’d finish.

  “Alright,” I said, taking in a long breath. “Punch it, Siggy.”

  For more updates on the Renegade Universe, be sure to join the Facebook Group, “J.N. Chaney’s Renegade Readers.”

  Renegade Star Universe

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