by Tim Marquitz
“The pirates,” Jadie answered. “They’re guarding a building across the street. Quite a few of them.”
Lina came across the comm. “Looks like Dent is right near you,” she said. “I’d say less than twenty meters by my determination.”
“That puts him right behind our army of pirates,” Taj said with a grunt. While she was glad of confirmation as to his whereabouts, the small army of men outside the location wasn’t exactly reassuring.
Torbon chuckled and patted the weapon in his hands. “I can take care of them if you want.”
Taj waved him off. “Not yet. We need to be sure where Cabe is before we go indiscriminately blasting people and making a whole bunch of noise. If our pirate friends have captured him, they could hurt Cabe if we start killing them. We can’t have that.”
“So, you’re saying I get to blast people, just not yet?” he asked, looking for confirmation.
She nodded.
“Then how about now?”
Taj sighed. “Wait a minute, gack it.”
“How about now?” he asked, waving the rifle about. “Now a good time? I’m ready.”
“I’m gonna shoot you first,” she told him, spitting the words out between gnashing teeth.
“Always so hostile,” he told her, shaking his head and letting out a disappointed sigh. “I bet you would let Cabe do it if I were in there.”
“Let Cabe do what?” Cabe asked as he strode up to them, having come from the far end of the alleyway.
Taj snarled at his sudden appearance and threw herself at him, wrapping him up in a tight hug. His eyes went wide, his tail waggling hard behind him.
Torbon’s voice echoed across the comm. “We found our wayward kitty, Lina. Call off the hounds,” he said, letting loose with a chuckle he muffled against his hand. “Get it?”
Lina sighed. Everyone else ignored him.
“Ack…can’t breathe,” Cabe choked out, arms flailing. His whiskers fluttered as he gasped, finally managing to get his hands wedged between him and Taj’s arms, peeling her off. “What’s wrong?”
Taj took a quick step back. “What’s wrong? What do you mean what’s wrong? You called for help,” she said, her voice rising at the last. “Then we couldn’t find you. I thought you were in trouble.”
“Well,” he replied, raising his hands to ward her off, “I kinda was for a minute there. Doran spotted me at one point. He sent some men after me, but I managed to lose them and sneak back around in time to catch the pirates delivering Dent here, to that building across the street. I was circling back when you showed up.”
Taj grunted, fighting back her frustration with the happiness that Cabe was okay and that nothing had happened to him. She sucked in a deep breath to keep her words from coming out like flying knives. “You couldn’t have let us know you were okay? We were worried about you.”
“And by we, she means her,” Torbon clarified with a crooked grin. “I wasn’t worried. I had this to comfort me.” He lifted the charge rifle, winking at it.
Jadie raised her hand tentatively. “I was a little worried.”
“Really?” Torbon asked with a huff. “It’s always Cabe this, Cabe that. Oh, Rowl, Cabe’s gonna die, what will we ever do without him?” He pushed out an exaggerated sigh.
“Well, I am prettier than you,” Cabe replied, chuckling.
“How do you figure? I’ve got—”
“You ‘ve got to stop wasting our time, is what you’ve got,” Taj said, cutting him off. She sneered at Torbon and turned away to face Cabe. “You have any idea why they took Dent? Why they brought him here?”
Cabe shook his head. “No, they didn’t say, but I did hear them mention they were waiting for the boss to show up.”
“The same one Doran mentioned back at Pandu’s?”
Cabe shrugged. “I guess, but it’s not like anyone’s mentioned a name. They only called him the boss. Seems likely it’s the same person, though.” He waved in the general direction of the building with all the pirates out front. “Probably not a good idea to be here when he arrives, so if we’re gonna get Dent out of there, I suggest we do it now. There’s over twenty men inside, plus all those guarding the front. Who knows how many the boss will bring with him. It’s gonna get a bit hairy if we try to take them head on.”
Taj nodded. They needed to rescue Dent, but if they went after him now, they would have to fight their way through a bunch of pirates to reach him, which was bad enough. But if the boss showed up while they were inside, the crew would be caught between the two forces and would likely end up losing.
Losing meant dying, she was sure.
Doran had only let them go the first time because they hadn’t caused him any grief. He had no personal stake in their fates. She couldn’t imagine him feeling the same way if they went busting into the building and killing a bunch of his men in their efforts to free Dent.
But what other options were there?
Taj peeked around the corner once more, watching as the pirates moseyed back and forth in front of the building. They were loose and relaxed, but their hands hovered near their weapons in a casual way that made Taj think it really wasn’t all that casual. They were ready for anything.
She thought about sneaking around back and surveying the building, but she dismissed the idea, doubting it would provide her with additional opportunities to get inside. As prepared as the men were, she had to assume there were more around back or there simply wasn’t any way to get inside from there at all.
Besides, if she sent someone, or even went herself, there was no way they could do it alone if there was an opening. That left her people short up front, putting them at even more risk than they were already.
She growled and looked about, letting her eyes take in everything around her. It took a long moment, her brain processing every little detail of the scene but, at last, she noticed something she hadn’t seen before.
She spun around to speak with Cabe. “Where were you when you were losing the pirates?”
“Uh, only a little bit that way,” he answered, motioning off toward the left side of the building they were surveilling. “Down that narrow street over there.”
“What’s there?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” He scratched at his fur. “There’s nothing there, really. There’s an alley that leads out to the street, a kind of bottleneck, then the city opens up in every direction after a short distance. That’s how I lost them, veering off into the normal, day-to-day street traffic once I made it past the enclosed area.”
“Did you happen to go past there?” She pointed at the alley on the right side of the pirate building, where a high fence blocked the opening of the alley.
He nodded. “I did, but it’s blocked off on the other side, too, pretty congested. It’s like a delivery area. Tons of boxes and trash litter the entire thing, making it almost impossible for anyone to traverse it from one side to the other without having to move a bunch of junk.”
Taj grinned, her teeth reflecting the dim light of the alley. “Good. That’s just what I wanted to hear.”
“Wait,” Cabe started. “Why is that a good thing?”
She ignored him and turned to Torbon. “You and Jadie stay here and wait for my signal. The rest of you, come with me.”
“Hey!” Torbon called out before she started off. “What are we supposed to do while we’re waiting on you, sit around and fluff our fur?”
“You wanted to blast people, right?”
He nodded. “Well, yeah.”
“Then sit tight, stay quiet and out of sight, and you’ll get your chance.”
It looked as if he wanted to ask another question, but a quick glance at the charge rifle in his hands seemed to pacify him.
“Keep an eye on him,” Taj told Jadie, who replied with a nod. “Don’t let him start anything until I give the order.” Torbon sneered his disappointment at Taj, but Jadie brought him into check with a smack on his shoulder. He grunted and conceded to his au
nt.
After that was settled, Taj waved the rest of her people on, backtracking through the alley the way they’d first come in. The crew circled the nearest building and headed toward the area Cabe had described. He sidled up alongside her. “Care to let me know what you’re planning?”
“Nope.”
Cabe raised a questioning eyebrow. “Might help if we knew what the gack we were supposed to be doing.”
“Probably would,” she agreed, “but that would mean I needed to know what I was doing first.”
Cabe stumbled for a second, slowing and falling behind, then raced to catch back up to Taj. “So, what you’re saying is, we’re winging it?”
“We’re winging it.”
“Great,” he replied with a sigh as they ran on. “That never goes wrong.”
In actuality, Taj knew exactly what she intended. She didn’t think Cabe or the others would approve, however, but this was what leadership was all about. Making the hard choices when other people couldn’t or wouldn’t.
Or making the foolish choices.
Taj mentally shrugged, thinking about her decision.
This one could go either way, but she’d weighed the options, and her course of action was the best.
Chapter Fourteen
After the crew made their way to an alley a short distance from the building where the pirates were holed up with Dent, Taj brought the group to a halt. They spread out around her, getting ready for whatever she had in mind.
The location looked onto a street with no foot traffic. It was a rundown neighborhood under a blanket of gloom that kept everyone on the main street from veering off into it. Only the occasional chirp of a bird echoed between the buildings to let Taj know the place was real.
She stared at the nearby crossroads, counting off steps in her head and wondering how quickly she could reach each corner.
“Uh, care to let us know why we’re here now?” Cabe asked. His impatience showed in the frantic twitch of his tail. She understood his worries, but the last thing she needed was him trying to talk her out of what she planned.
And he would try, but it had to happen.
She ignored him, continuing to survey the area, ears cocked to listen.
Cabe had apparently had enough and wrapped a hand around her arm. He spun her around to face him. “Seriously, Taj. What are we doing here?”
She met his stare for a moment until she realized he wasn’t going to back down. At last, she snorted and shook her arm free. “I don’t see any other way for us to get everything we need without putting all our people at risk. This idea of mine eliminates some of that.”
“Only if you let us in on it, Taj,” he told her, gesturing to the gathering of Furlorians that surrounded them. “Leaving us in the dark only compounds the risk we’re taking, our people are taking. You can’t expect them to just go along with whatever—”
“I’m gonna kidnap the boss,” she said, cutting his admonishment off mid-sentence.
He stiffened, eyes going wide. “Say what?” Cabe shook his head, as if trying to make sense of her words. “Are you crazy?”
Taj shrugged. The thought had crossed her mind once or twice while she envisioned her plan. “Maybe, but I think it’s the best chance we have of getting what we need and not putting Dent, or us, in any more danger than necessary.”
“So, your idea is to kidnap the boss of a bunch of pirates and you think that’s not gonna put us in more danger than…say, walking away and finding another way to get supplies and directions?”
Taj hissed, shushing him to keep the rest of the Furlorians from overhearing them. “Tell me what other options we have, Cabe,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ll wait.”
“I just told you one. Walking away,” he answered, slamming his fists into his hips and standing defiant. “This is stupid.”
“Not arguing that it isn’t,” she replied, “but it’s also an unexpected move and provides us with leverage to get everything we need.”
“Or to get everyone killed.”
Taj growled. “We’re already close to that,” she told him, inching closer. “We’ve no money, no food, and no way to contact the Federation, if they can help us or even want to. What’s left to do, Cabe?”
“We can ask around about the Federation here on Kulora,” he suggested. “Someone has to know about them and how to find them.”
“Sure, we can do that. Then what happens if the Federation is the enemy here?” She waved her hands around, encompassing the city. “Wyyvans land here freely, pirates, too, and who knows who else. All of these people operate freely, out in the open. They’re not skulking around in the dark,” she explained.
“That likely means the Federation isn’t nearby or this place would be way less peaceful, one side or the other pressing the issue and drawing the planet into a war. The fact that there isn’t a battle raging over our heads right now likely means that everyone here is in league with the Wyyvans, or at least tolerate them. It also stands to reason they don’t have any love for the Federation.”
Taj turned and paced in a tight circle, letting the heat of the moment burn off. She hated being mad at Cabe, but she felt he was being obstinate.
Maybe she was, too, but she knew it in her gut that her plan was the best move they could make given their circumstances. She just had to make him see that.
A few seconds later, she stopped and met Cabe’s eyes again.
“You think Wyyvan Command isn’t gonna notice the crew missing that they sent after us? You think they won’t send more soldiers?” she asked, picturing a flood of Wyyvans coming after them after they’d murdered an entire ship’s crew. “Even if we ditch the Discordant, they’ll know we’re on the planet. We might as well surrender to them if that’s the plan, Cabe.”
He groaned, turning away. Still, Taj saw what she needed to in his eyes before he did. She’d gotten through to him, made him see the sense in her argument. Only, he wasn’t ready to admit it yet.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to. Circumstances forced the issue.
One of the other Furlorians tapped her on the shoulder. “Someone’s coming,” she whispered, pointing around the corner where they’d hunkered down to watch the traffic beyond.
Taj nodded and resumed her place at the corner, peering around it. Her stomach tightened at what she saw.
In a good way.
She grinned. While she and the crew hadn’t had much in the way of luck of late, it was clear fate was working in their favor at the moment.
The pirate boss—as that was the only person he could be—strolled down the street with confidence in his stride, his auburn skin marking his affiliation even better than the leather pants and frilled shirt he wore in common with his underlings.
It might as well be a uniform, Taj thought. Sad.
The boss stood tall and lithe, a subtle grace—or more likely a natural arrogance—setting him apart from the other pirates Taj had encountered, barring his second in command, Doran.
Alongside him walked only a handful of men, and Taj thanked Rowl for her unexpected generosity to their cause. For once, the persnickety cat goddess had offered her blessing.
The men seemed nearly as aloof as their boss, unprepared for violence, as if they couldn’t imagine anyone daring to challenge their supremacy here in their very own den.
Taj bit back a chuckle and turned to her people. She whispered, “We need the tall one alive, but the rest have to go. Understand?”
The Furlorians nodded and hoisted their weapons, making ready to leap out at Taj’s command.
Taj nodded and waved her people forward, glad to have Cabe at her side. She couldn’t imagine doing this without him there.
“Hit them hard and fast and, most of all, be safe,” she ordered.
Then she was around the corner, racing straight toward the boss and his men.
“Hey!” one of the pirates shouted, only going for his weapon when the twenty or so other Furlorians spilled out
of the alley behind her, giving him a pretty good idea as to what they intended.
Violence.
“Get down, boss,” the same pirate screamed.
As it turned out, those were his last words.
Taj pulled the trigger and blasted a smoking crater in his chest. He hit the ground an instant later, clutching at his wound, wide eyes staring blankly at the gray sky.
Bolt pistols and stolen Wyyvan blasters sounded all around her, a torrent of noise, and Taj watched as the rest of the boss’s guards were hit. Each stumbled and fell under the barrage of gunfire, only one getting off a shot in return. That blast streaked into the alley behind them, striking nowhere near any of the advancing Furlorians.
Within seconds, the pirate boss stood alone in the street, his men scattered dead at his feet. Calmly, he glanced from his appraisal of the corpses to Taj as she approached.
“You’re making a grave mistake,” he said, his voice like a handful of stones being ground together. “There will be consequences for your actions, you can be sure of that.”
Taj grinned and plucked the man’s pistol from its holster. He hadn’t even tried to draw it. “I’m counting on it actually.” She passed the confiscated weapon to another Furlorian and waved them forward. “Search this man, then bind his hands and hobble his thighs. Not too tight, though. I want him to be able to walk a bit, just not run.” As Cabe and three of the Furlorians went to follow her orders, she motioned to the others. “Let’s get these bodies out of sight. Stash them in the alley. We can’t have anyone stumbling across them until we’re long gone.”
Her people jumped to the task and dragged the bodies away. Taj settled in alongside the pirate boss as they worked, grabbing him by the arm to help hold him in place, not that he resisted. Once he was secured, and his guards were hidden away as best they could be, she marched him down the alleyway, heading back toward the first building they’d come across.
“What do we call you?” Taj asked the boss.
“I’ll be your executioner soon,” he answered, “but my parents named me Rath, if it makes any difference.”
Taj shrugged. “Just being polite,” she answered. “We’re gonna be spending a little while together, so figured it’d be best if I knew your name so I can call you something other than pirate boss. Mine is Taj, and that’s Cabe over there, the guy giving you the dirty look. He was against all this, for the record.”