Kim did not point out that he was demonstrating his anti-succinctness. “Don’t you have that holiday coming up where you fast and don’t talk? I like that one. I get a lot of reading done when it’s so quiet around the house.”
“Yom Kippur? Yes. I suppose I won’t be home or anywhere with a synagogue. I hope I’ll have an opportunity to observe it wherever I am. I could use some quiet time for praying for repentance and contemplating ways to achieve atonement.” Casmir’s face twisted into a bleak expression.
Kim had only meant to joke about his chattiness, not fill him with regrets and sadness, and she mentally kicked herself for the words. “Maybe we won’t make it back home in time,” she said, groping for something comforting to say, “but we’ll find a way back soon.”
“I hope so.”
“Who could stop you?” Kim waved to the murmuring crushers.
“Enough warships to blockade a wormhole?”
“Rache’s ship has that slydar hull. Maybe if you kidnap Dubashi before he can hire Rache to attack the Kingdom, Rache will be forced to continue his taxi gig and cart us home.”
Casmir’s eyes grew wistful. “That would be nice. Do you think there’s a chance of that?”
No, she didn’t, but she forced an optimistic smile and said, “Maybe. Did you get him a gift?”
She wasn’t serious, but he nodded.
“Yes. But I doubt it’s enough to make a man who hates the Kingdom want to fly us all the way across the galaxy to the Kingdom’s doorstep.”
“The wormhole gates make that a less time-consuming trip than it would typically be.”
“It’s still weeks long. Into territory where he’ll be shot at if they spot him. Especially when he very recently blew up one of their freighters.” Casmir’s expression returned to bleakness.
Kim, not wanting to think about Rache’s actions even while hoping he’d had a legitimate reason for them, chose not to respond to that.
“What’s the gift? I’ll give my opinion on its likelihood of swaying him.” Kim looked at the crushers again—maybe he already planned to give one to Rache. Casmir had packed light, with only one bag, so she couldn’t imagine he had much room for other gifts.
“I’ll show you.” He slung his bag off his shoulder.
As he rooted around, Kim sent a new message to Rache. She made herself keep the words calm and casual, though tension knotted in her gut, thanks to the reminder of the ship he’d blown up. The Kingdom ship. She couldn’t help but feel like a teenage girl running away from home with a felonious boyfriend that her parents had warned her to stay away from.
When may I expect my kidnapping?
“Here it is. I gather someone who works with Scholar Natasha Sunflyer puts these boxes together. They were all over the gift shop, and the signs said that twenty percent of the proceeds go back to help fund her research.” Casmir held up a compact rectangular box and lifted the lid. “Mushroom soap, a candle made to look like a morel, a mushroom tea energy drink, and I believe these dried ones are hallucinogenic.”
Kim pressed a hand to the side of her face. Casmir would be lucky if Rache didn’t throw him out the airlock.
“There were also purses made from dried sheets of Fomes fomentarius, which I thought was fantastic—it felt just like suede—but Rache doesn’t seem like a guy who would carry a purse.”
“Good call.”
“I did consider getting it for him anyway and calling it a satchel.”
“What made you hesitate?”
“There was a lipstick holder.”
“Ah.”
Greetings, my future captive. I am near the asteroid holding Stardust Palace Station. We’re painting a shuttle with an innocuous hull exterior since I saw the Kingdom shuttle that was ahead of us zip inside. If the knight inside spoke to the crew of the freighter that tumbled into my sights earlier, its owner may not wish to see us.
I heard about that. Kim wanted to stay neutral, wanted to refrain from openly judging him, but she couldn’t keep from adding, Is it necessary to murder people you don’t even know simply to put a thorn in Jager’s side?
You can’t be surprised, given my reputation, but I’d been informed that the knight was on that freighter, not the shuttle. And that his mission is to retrieve you and take you back to Jorg.
I know. It’s Sir Bjarke Asger.
Since you’ve asked me to kidnap you so you can’t be taken back to Jorg, I assume you want me to deal with him.
No. Kim closed her eyes. Had he truly attacked that freighter, believing he was protecting her? If so, the deaths of those men were on her shoulders. Bonita is distracting him, so we can avoid him. So you can avoid him. We’re waiting in Ship Bay 2.
We?
Casmir is with me. As is his…protection. Kim touched the outside of the equipment-filled case she’d been lugging everywhere, ensuring herself that her “protection” was still there. Instead of working on a bioweapon, she’d made a few homemade knockout grenades to use if someone snatched her stunner but neglected to relieve her of her laboratory tools.
Yes, I’m well familiar with Zee by now.
Kim did not correct the assumption that there would be only one crusher. We both need transportation off the station. And we’re hoping you can take us with you to your meeting at Dubashi’s base.
There was a pause. Maybe she should have waited until they were on his ship to admit that.
I’m going to assume that neither you nor Casmir is planning to assassinate Dubashi. I’m fairly certain Casmir would have a seizure if he attempted to kill someone.
She frowned, not appreciating the dig at Casmir’s weakness. Mock him, and I’ll send him back to get that purse.
What?
Nothing. We’ll meet you in the shuttle bay. Bjarke won’t be distracted indefinitely. Kim didn’t know how many places Bonita could lead him. It wouldn’t take them long to discover that she wasn’t in the lab.
I’ll head over soon.
Thank you.
“He’ll be here soon,” Kim said.
“That’s imprecise.” Casmir tucked his mushroom gift box back into his bag. “I got earrings for my mother. And a dog collar for Princess Oku.”
“A dog collar?”
“She has a dog.”
“Oh.” Kim pushed the image of the princess wearing a studded collar out of her mind. “Made from mushrooms?”
“A fibrous textile crafted from them, yes. There are little cards that explain the process.”
“These gifts for the women in your life don’t look like mushrooms, do they?”
“The dog collar has silhouettes of pointers that look a bit like Chasca on it. The earrings are moons and stars.”
“I guess that’s all right.”
“Your zealous approval is a relief to me.” Casmir’s gaze grew abstracted as he checked something on the network. He lowered his voice to ask, “How soon is soon?”
“I don’t know. He’s painting a shuttle. I guess it’s not as nearly invisible as his ship.”
“Even his ship is visible if you’re close enough. Remember when it pulled up next to us at the refinery?” Casmir held up a finger, forestalling an answer. “Tristan just walked into the shuttle bay.”
“Is he looking for his sparring partners?” Kim waved at the now-silent crushers.
“He’s heading toward the Dragon.”
“Maybe he wants his pertundo back.”
Casmir’s face grew grim. “Maybe something happened to Bonita."
I’m coming now, my future prisoner.
This might not be the best time, after all, Kim quickly replied to Rache. Another knight—an ex-knight—just walked in.
We’re docking now. You implied that sooner would be better.
I know, and thank you for hurrying, but two knights and Qin are standing in the bay right now. I don’t know what they’re talking about, but I don’t think we can get past them to your airlock—which one are you docking to?—without them seeing. Kim was about to suggest that
Rache go to one of the other bays and that she and Casmir would find a way to sneak over unnoticed, but he replied too quickly.
Perfect.
Pardon?
Your kidnapping will be more believable if there are witnesses. I— Later. There’s a problem with the Fedallah.
“Something’s happening,” Kim whispered. “And Rache is coming now.”
“Now?” Casmir trotted to the end of the ship they were hiding behind and peered around it. “Let me see if I can convince that security android to disappear. And…” He glanced back at the silent crushers. “I’ll see if I can find controls for the lights.”
Kim felt a shaky panic trampling around in her belly. Witnesses were fine, but how would Rache kidnap her in front of Asger and Tristan and Qin without them fighting back? Had Casmir spoken to them? Told them not to fight? She would have to do it herself if he hadn’t, though she worried that if Asger found out about their ruse, he would feel duty-bound to tell Ishii or the prince what had really happened.
Before she could send them a message, a thud-bam! emanated from one of the airlocks. A shuttle had come in. Hard.
A siren issued an ear-splitting wail.
What the hell? How many witnesses did Rache want?
“Combat has been engaged,” a computer voice announced. “Stardust Palace Defenders, report to stations. All others, this is a Priority 1 lockdown. Civilians, remain in your quarters.”
The wailing continued.
Kim rushed up beside Casmir. Qin and Asger had donned their helmets and were looking toward the airlock the noise had come from, their hands on their weapons. Worse, numerous heads were poking out of the hatches of the other ships in the bay. Some of the crews must have opted to stay aboard rather than pay for lodging. Kim groaned. This was not the stealthy kidnapping she had originally envisioned.
“I’m telling Qin and Asger not to fight, to go in the Dragon and stay there,” Casmir said over the siren.
“Is it working?” Kim noticed neither of them were moving.
“They want to know what’s going on.” Casmir glanced at some of the other people now stepping out of their ships, curious about the warning rather than afraid.
“Do you know? That siren isn’t for Rache’s shuttle, is it? He was disguising it so nobody would know it was him.”
“I’m monitoring the security network. The station has activated its defenses and is firing at a hostile ship lurking nearby.”
“Not pirates again, I hope.”
Casmir shook his head. “They know it’s Rache. The Fedallah.”
“Wait, how? Isn’t it almost invisible?”
“Somehow the station knows it’s there and is firing at it. I’m not sure if the warship is firing back or not.”
Kim groaned. How had this turned into such a mess so fast?
Are you in the bay? Rache messaged her.
Yes.
We’re coming in. We need to get in and out quickly.
Because his warship was being fired at. No kidding. Would they even be able to escape in his shuttle, or would the station defenses target it? How much armor did it have?
“He’s coming in,” Kim repeated for Casmir’s sake.
Boots rang out in the corridor leading into the bay, the noise just audible in the lulls between one siren wail and the next. From her point of view, Kim could see a ways down that corridor, and she groaned again, recognizing the man sprinting their way.
Bjarke.
Unlike with Asger, they couldn’t tell him to step into the Dragon and ignore this. Not that Casmir’s command for that had worked. Qin and Asger were still in front of the cargo ramp with their hands on their weapons.
“We need to get everyone out of this bay, Casmir.” Kim gripped his shoulder, hoping he could do something.
The door Bjarke had almost reached slammed down, as did the other open doors around the bay. Secondary security doors slid down after them. Kim jumped as they were effectively barricaded inside.
“What—”
“Shuttle Bay Two has a leak of toxic gas,” the computer voice said. “Shuttle Bay Two is being sealed off from the rest of the station. All personnel in the bay must don self-contained spacesuits with supplemental oxygen or seal themselves inside their ships.”
The lighting dimmed, then flashed red, glinting off the crushers’ shoulders.
Kim cursed. Her galaxy suit had a helmet she could put up, but there was only a small amount of emergency oxygen contained inside. She didn’t have an air tank, and neither did Casmir.
“We’ll have to go to the Dragon,” she said.
Casmir shook his head. “It’s a ruse. There’s no leak.” He pointed around the bay at the curious people who’d hopped out of their ships. They were all charging back inside now, hatches clanging shut behind them. “I wanted to clear the deck in case there’s a fight.”
Tristan, who wore regular clothes rather than a galaxy suit with a helmet, waved for Asger to go into the Dragon as he ran toward one of the exit doors. Tristan tried to get a security panel to work, to override the controls and escape, but the door remained locked.
Casmir raised a hand, as if to warn him he would be fine, but Tristan didn’t see them. He sprinted toward a palace yacht that he must have known the code for. Its hatch went up, and he dove inside before it sealed again.
A thud came from the door that was blocking Bjarke, and a dent appeared, bubbling outward on their side. Was he using his pertundo on it? Because he knew Kim was in here? Or because he also knew Rache and the Fedallah were here?
“I think a fight is guaranteed,” Kim said.
The airlock hatch where Rache’s shuttle was docked opened. Asger charged toward it.
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Casmir said grimly.
19
Don’t fight, Casmir’s text warning came over Asger’s contact. It’s a ruse. There’s no danger to us.
Asger paused uncertainly, the wailing of the station’s siren implying there was very real danger here. More than a gas leak was going on. Who was coming in through the airlock that had just opened?
“Get that bastard if he’s on that shuttle,” Asger’s father barked over his comm.
Asger had his helmet on, so the ferocious voice rang in his ear, urging him into motion before he’d figured out what was going on. He resumed his rush toward the airlock hatch.
“I’ll be in as soon as I can get through this door,” his father continued, a clang punctuating his words. “My contact in station security warned me they’re firing at the Fedallah, and that shuttle came from the Fedallah. It might be him. If we catch Rache—if we kill that bastard—there will be hope to redeem your career.” Another clang and a frustrated snarl. “How many doors are there? What’s going on in there?”
“Gas leak. Keep your helmet up.”
Asger didn’t have an oxygen tank, but he had a few minutes of air stored in his armor. Long enough for this, especially if he reached that hatch before the mercenaries were ready.
Rache. What was the bastard doing here in this system? Joining the thugs being hired into Dubashi’s mercenary fleet?
Two smoke bombs bounced out of the airlock tube before Asger reached it. Then a mercenary in black combat armor leaned out with a grenade launcher, pointing it straight at him.
No danger? What was Casmir talking about? Was he even in the area?
Asger dodged to the side an instant before the mercenary fired the grenade launcher.
What were the idiots bringing such weapons onto a space station for? There would be far worse than a gas leak in here soon.
The grenade boomed as it struck the far wall and exploded. Asger sprang and landed in front of the mercenary, swinging his extended pertundo toward that black-armored chest. But his foe refused to cooperate by staying in place. He ducked back into the cover of the airlock chamber, and Asger only clipped his shoulder, the blade glancing off.
The mercenary rushed back out with four armored allies at his side. The
men scattered more smoke bombs, hazing the air all around the airlock.
Qin caught up with Asger and rushed toward the leader, but someone launched another grenade. Asger dodged out of its path again, but it exploded far sooner than the first, scant inches past his shoulder.
The force hurled him sideways and into the air with so much power that he almost dropped his pertundo. But he clenched it tightly, refusing to let go, and twisted to land on his feet.
Qin had been caught even more fully by the blast. She skidded across the deck on her back, away from the airlock. She wasn’t in armor—why would she be, when all she had expected was Asger’s father?
Worried she had been seriously hurt, Asger gave up a chance to swing at more mercenaries to jump back to her side. He reached for her, intending to help her up, but she recovered on her own, leaping lithely to her feet.
“I’m all right,” Qin promised him.
Surprisingly, the mercenaries didn’t charge after them. They weren’t even firing further from within the smoke cover they’d created, the gray haze swirling in the dull red of the flashing emergency lights. Boots rang out as the men ran away from Asger and Qin and deeper into the bay. They disappeared behind the cover of the parked ships.
Asger started after them. Clangs kept coming from the door as his father tried to tear his way in. How did the mercenaries think they would get out of the bay if a knight with a pertundo couldn’t get in?
“Asger, Qin, stop fighting,” came a familiar call from behind one of the ships.
Casmir was leaning out, waving urgently.
It’s a ruse, Casmir messaged again, using his chip instead of calling it across the bay. Back away. Please. And forget you saw this.
It’s Rache! Asger threw back.
What kind of collusion could Casmir have planned with that Kingdom-hating ship-destroying bastard? Asger’s father was right. If they had the chance to kill Rache here, they should take it.
Please, Casmir repeated. I’ll owe you one. Go hide in the Dragon. Say you were taking refuge from the gas leak.
A boom rattled the deck. Shapes moved in the smoke again. Asger couldn’t tell if more mercenaries were coming into the bay or if the first group was running back to the airlock.
Planet Killer (Star Kingdom Book 6) Page 26