by Eric Warren
“Commander Diazal just told you this information. Don’t you think you owe her something more than just to be stranded on a non-aligned station in hostile space? Not everyone in the Coalition is bad. By your own litmus test.”
He didn’t want to think about Evie at the moment. He needed a plan. That’s where he needed to put his focus. He hadn’t spent all that time working for Veena just to be thrown in prison. Worst case scenario he could always go back to her with a clean slate—if he had no other choice. Right now he was fueled, stocked and ready to go. If the distraction was big enough there would be no way for Rutledge to find him again. Once they were gone they’d be gone. Off into the deep reaches of space if necessary.
Box tried again. “Just explain the whole thing. She’ll understand. And from what I know about Greene he might too.”
“I can’t take that chance,” Cas said. “I already put too much on the line by telling her what I did. They’re not going to give me a second chance. We have to make this happen while we have the element of surprise.” The only way this would work is if he could keep away from Evie and Laura. A plan was forming in his mind. He glanced to the side. People moved back and forth, all going about their business. A Spaxksian, about three meters tall lumbered past, his blue eyes the only discernable feature on his furry face. He pulled a white ball from underneath his robe and dropped it in his mouth, crunching as he moved along. It caused Cas to glance up to the cameras. Surveillance cameras ran the gamut of the main common areas, but they wouldn’t have them everywhere. They wouldn’t have them in the bowels of the colony.
He jogged over to one of the access terminals with Box directly behind him. “I need the manifest transfer schedule for the rest of the day,” Cas said.
Box nodded, going to work on the terminal. He was done in a matter of seconds. Cas peered around him to see the full schedule before him.
“What are you looking for?” Box asked.
“A spark.”
***
When they returned to Evie and Laura the women had been in the middle of “interviewing” more people in the common areas. They returned to Cas and Box when they saw they were back.
“Have any luck?” Evie asked.
Cas shook his head. “You?”
“Nothing yet. But there has to be something there. There are species here from at least thirty worlds, most of them in relative proximity to this system. A Coalition ship doesn’t just disappear.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Cas replied, wishing they’d found both debris and nothing at all. Because at least if they’d found debris the search would be over. But if the search was over then so was his freedom. He was done playing nice. “Look, we’re heading down to the lower levels. I want to talk to some of the people down there. They might be willing to give up some more information…for a price.” He glanced over to Evie. “Transfer me a few thousand?”
“To your personal account? No way,” Evie said. “You start bribing people and they’ll tell you whatever you want.”
“And if you don’t they’ll never tell you anything,” Cas said, his hand outstretched.
Evie huffed and pulled out a small unit from one of her jacket pockets. “Fine, but I’m going with you this time. Laura, you and Box continue finding out what you need up here.” She tapped the device and Cas felt his personal comm buzz with the transfer.
“No,” Cas replied. “I want Box with me. Things can get rough down there. I need…protection.”
Evie gave him such a pitiful look he wished he hadn’t tried to cover the lie at all. “Don’t worry,” she said, patting the sword. “I think you’ll be fine.”
He could still make this work. Box just had to make sure he was on the Reasonable Excuse by the time Cas was done with his meeting. And he’d have to find a way to incapacitate Evie. There was just no other way around it now.
“Box, get back to the ship. I want to make sure no one’s poking around.”
“The sensors would have alerted us,” Box protested.
“Still,” Cas pressed. “You never know in a place like this. Someone might have a cloaked refractor or a subsonic emitter. I want to make sure we can take off when we need to.” He forced his gaze on Box, doing his best to impress how important this was. After all their close calls, he had full confidence Box could be ready. But his allegiances might be conflicted at the moment. He’d never disobeyed Cas before, but there was a first time for everything.
“Yeah. Sure,” Box said, glancing at Laura. Worst case scenario they could fire her out of one of the ships two escape pods and pick up a replacement sometime later. They could even point her back in the direction of the station. That might be ideal, Evie would probably feel better about him if Laura stayed with Box.
“Time’s wasting,” Evie said, already heading back toward the tunnels.
“See you back on the ship,” Cas said to Box as he followed her.
Box only nodded in response.
23
“Are you feeling okay?” Evie asked as they made their way down into the lower levels. The walk was long since there were no hypervators anywhere in the colony. Most of the storage was brought in by cargo transport that docked on the exposed part of the asteroid where shipping containers used to sit, waiting to be filled with alchuriam ore. A couple hundred years ago the ore had been a valuable resource but with the advent of galvanium it had become obsolete and the mine had been abandoned. Strategically Car’pr wasn’t an important system and it had no inhabitable planets as they were all gas giants, so it made sense a non-aligned colony would eventually pop up here, out in the middle of nowhere. And from what Cas had seen upstairs it had been thriving.
“Not really,” Cas replied.
“I’m sorry I sprung that on you, I just thought you should know. I’m impressed you’re sticking it out, though. I half thought you might try to run,” she said, trying to keep her voice lighthearted.
“I haven’t yet,” he replied.
“I know the crew thinks I’m crazy,” Evie said. “But I just don’t believe one mistake should define a person’s life. And if what you told me was true, you didn’t even do anything.”
“If?” Cas prompted. He was still furious and now she was questioning his story. She still didn’t even believe him.
“I’m a Coalition officer,” she said. “And as much as I’d love to go on someone’s word alone, I can’t do it. I need concrete proof.”
“Concrete proof doesn’t exist,” Cas said. “So you either believe me or you don’t.”
She didn’t reply, which gave him his answer. That was fine. At least he wouldn’t feel as guilty about leaving her behind.
They reached the lower level in silence. It was a wide space full of shipping containers in one direction and a dark corridor in the other. The wide space had different partitions of containers, each indicating a different cargo port. Not all the slots had something to ship, and this place was notorious as a place where illegal goods could be exchanged. Cas wondered just how many valuables were in some of these containers. Probably enough to buy five Reasonable Excuses.
Voices drifted over the quiet and two figures appeared from behind one of the crates, approaching Cas and Evie.
Evie put her mouth in a thin line, stiffening which Cas just relaxed back, not wanting to appear threatening.
“What is your business here?” one of the figures asked. Cas couldn’t tell if the voice was male or female, the person’s face was obscured by a mask of a dragon.
“We’re looking to buy a type-four Coalition thrust assembly,” Evie said, her face completely straight. “We heard someone might have one for sale down here.”
“Hand,” the other, shorter figure said. Evie produced hers and a small beam flashed over it. “Hand,” he said to Cas. Cas stuck his out and the same light flashed on it. The figure nodded to the other one.
They both moved out of the way as Cas and Evie entered the large area. “I guess it’s a good thing we did a DNA scramble,”
she whispered.
“You did. I have no need to,” Cas replied. “Things actually tend to go better for me in places like this when people find out I’ve defected.”
“You didn’t defect,” Evie said.
“That’s not what the record says.” Cas chuckled. He should know, he wrote it himself before getting Box to upload it to the Sargan servers.
Evie glanced around. “This place is huge. Where do we start?”
“I’ll head down that way,” Cas said, indicating straight ahead of him. “You start checking for anyone in that section over there.” Another wide corridor branched off from the main one and ran at a perpendicular angle away from the first.
“Shouldn’t we stick tog—”
“We don’t have the time. We need to find it as soon as possible and we can’t wait to play it safe. Don’t worry about me, I know how to defend myself.”
Evie huffed. “Comm me if something goes wrong. Just beep the comm twice, you don’t have to say anything.”
“Yeah, you too,” Cas replied.
She watched him a second longer than he would have liked, then turned and made her way down the adjacent corridor. He followed his own corridor, knowing full well he was about to betray her. Betray everything she had trusted him with. And for a moment he hesitated. It had been a long time since someone had placed trust in him that wasn’t motivated by something other than greed or power or even revenge. But he couldn’t go back, and if he didn’t take this chance right now, he’d never see the infinity of space again. Rutledge would have him imprisoned forever. His ship was here, fueled and ready to go. Box was set. All he had to do was take a few more steps. Find the Plegarians. It was simple.
So why was he hesitating?
Cas stood there a moment, leaning against one of the shipping containers. It was a large, nondescript box, but somehow it seemed familiar. He’d been too distracted before to notice it, but now he did, he realized he did recognize it. It was the same kind Veena used when she was shipping people through one of the larger couriers. She’d pack them inside, as many as the container could handle, then ship them off to some Kor-forsaken planet as laborers or other kind of slaves. Cas had never gotten that dirty. He couldn’t in good conscience do it. If he had, he’d never had to worry about parts for his ship again. But he also wouldn’t have been able to sleep at night.
The container presented a larger problem. Why was one of Veena’s containers way out here, outside Sargan space? The only way it could be here is if one of her couriers delivered it; and Cas wasn’t aware of any courier working this far outside her territory. He inspected the container, hoping to find some evidence of when it had been shipped or which transport it had come on, but it had no markings other than her telltale seal that only the couriers knew. It helped keep them from stealing from each other when they were off-world. Veena like competition, but not for her own “goods”.
Cas knocked on the side of the container, praying he was wrong. That someone had marked the box incorrectly or perhaps even reused one of her containers. But then there came a light knock in response. It sounded weak.
“Fuck,” Cas said. He had two choices: either leave them to their fate, or try and get them aboard the Reasonable Excuse. Neither was ideal, considering there could be as many as twenty humans inside. Unfortunately not everyone always survived the journey. He tapped his comm twice to alert Evie. There was no other choice; he couldn’t leave these people here. He’d have to abandon the plan.
As he was looking for a seam to break he caught voices approaching. At first he thought it might be Evie speaking to someone on her own comm but as they grew closer he realized they were familiar for an entirely different reason.
They were the same Plegarians Laura had spoken with earlier. He ducked down behind another set of crates out of sight.
“And you guarantee full happiness,” one of them said in their odd lilt. They spoke through a type of translator that didn’t always get the words correct as it was trying to interpret the Plegarians’ emotions about any given topic. Laura had enjoyed the challenge.
“Of course. If there’s a problem just contact my mistress. She will reimburse you,” said another voice Cas recognized. Rasp, Veena’s first lieutenant. He must have been the one to deliver the cargo out here.
“Insufficient goods will be expunged,” one of the three Plegarians said.
“I’m sure you’ll be satisfied,” he said. “Now. Where is my payment?”
“The human is strong any moment,” a Plegarian said.
Human?
“And you’re sure it’s him?” Rasp asked.
“Joyful. We scanned his life earlier. Robeaux confirmed. He set up appointments.”
Shit. Backstabbing Plegarians! No wonder they weren’t allowed into the Coalition. They were going to turn him in to Veena! But why would she want him now? Evie had compensated her. And how did she find him in the first place? Something was very wrong here; he needed to notify Box.
“We will inspect sorrow,” a different Plegarian said. “Afternoon.” Cas peeked around the crates to see the four of them standing there. Rasp was nodding.
“Yes, yes, inspect whenever you want. There’s enough life support to keep them alive another day or so. But you haven’t delivered my payment. And if I don’t get my payment, you don’t get yours.”
“Very angriable,” the first Plegarian uttered.
Rasp shook his head and walked closer to where Cas hid. He stopped less than a meter from him.
“Yeah. Yeah, it’s Rasp. Get her for me.” A pause. “I don’t care, just get her!” Another pause and Cas risked an exhale. “My queen,” Rasp said after another moment. “I’ve made the delivery, but Robeaux isn’t here. I think the Plegarians played us.” Another pause. “Yes, of course. They played me. I apologize.” Cas drew in another breath, holding it. “No, his ship’s here. It’s docked on the asteroid, I saw it when I came in. They’re here looking for it. Him and that Coalition woman.”
Cas almost made a noise in his throat. Could Veena know what they were looking for? How? And they knew Evie was from the Coalition. What was going on?
“No, they don’t have a clue. I will. Yes, mistress. You can count on me.” Rasp ended the call. Cas didn’t have a choice. He needed to take control of this situation.
It was now or never.
24
As soon as Rasp turned his focus back on the Plegarians and his comm was in his pocket, Cas jumped from his hiding place and tackled him from behind, knocking him to the ground. They both landed with an oof! Cas made a move to flip Rasp over and start pummeling him but an ear-piercing screech penetrated the air, causing both of them to cover their ears. Even through his hands the noise was close to unbearable. Cas glanced up at the three Plegarians standing still yet wailing at the top of their lungs.
“Shut them up!” Cas yelled.
Rasp either didn’t hear him or didn’t care. He struggled under Cas’s weight, throwing him off. He got up on his knees, but kept both hands to his ears. The Plegarians remained motionless, screeching. As long as they kept wailing there was no way either of them could make a move for each other. The sound would burst Cas’s eardrums if he removed his hands. Cas got on his feet and made a move to charge one of the Plegarians when the tallest one in the back collapsed, his screech silenced. Behind him stood Evie, sword drawn and tiny blinking devices in her ears.
Rasp caught sight of her at the same time and took off running.
Evie took the hilt of her blade and smashed it into the small space between the shoulders of the other two Plegarians, knocking them out cold. The noise stopped and Cas dropped his hands.
Her face was red. “The Plegarians! You were going to make a deal with them?” she yelled, tapping each of the devices in her ears.
Cas shook his head. “We don’t have time. Veena knows what we’re looking for!” He pointed to the crate behind him. “And there are people in there; they’re payment to the Plegarians for info about
me. About what we’re doing.”
She sheathed her sword in one simple move. “I know. I heard. We can come back for them, we have to find Rasp.” She took off running in the direction he’d gone and Cas ran after her, pulling his comm from his pocket.
“Box! Veena is close by somewhere. Rasp is here in the lower levels. Make sure you have all defenses on high alert,” he yelled into the device.
“You got it, boss, but I doubt she’ll try anything this close to the colony. The other ships won’t let her fire.”
“I knew I couldn’t trust you,” Evie fumed as they pursued Rasp deeper into the storage areas. “I never should have told you about your arrest. Of course you would go to the one species that hates the Coalition more than any other.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Cas replied. “The Plegarians are just mad because you accepted the Ocarians into the Coalition and made them refugees from their own planet. How would you feel if some hulking organization came to your planet, sided with ninety percent of the population and exiled the rest?”
“That was seventy years ago!” she yelled. “And that was a complex situation. You’re over-simplifying it.”
“Yeah? How so?” Cas countered.
A bullet struck the wall to his right and he grabbed Evie, pulling them both down. Rasp stood behind the cover of another crate, firing his weapon again. It struck right above their heads as they got behind their own cover. Cas automatically reached for his boomcannon, realizing it was still in the security lock up on the Tempest.
“Dammit,” he said. “This is why you don’t take a man’s weapon from him.”
“I don’t need a gun.” Evie drew her sword again and gripped the hilt with both hands. She crab-walked out of cover, moving quickly. Rasp fired at her again, only he couldn’t get a good bead on her as she was staying low and fast, not repeating a pattern as she moved. He was obviously becoming more panicked the closer she came as he fired fast but wild. Before he knew what was happening she was on him, her sword to his throat and his gun off to the side, having been dropped when she’d nicked his hand with the edge of her sword. “Talk,” she said.