by Kate Rudolph
No, the director would be with his mistress for another hour, according to their intelligence, but the receptionist didn’t know that and it worked to their advantage. It was amazing the kind of things a person could learn with a little hacking and a few credits.
A few androids bustled behind the scenes, but they weren’t programmed to interfere with any biological beings. That was what the security droids were for, but they weren’t programmed to operate during business hours. This entire operation was manned by the director and the receptionist, and the shipping company was about to learn why it was a bad idea to rely on such a small staff.
Getting into the director’s locked office was child’s play and getting around the security settings on his computer only a little more difficult. Resetting shipping directions for their targeted ship and a few others to throw off the scent took minutes. Taryn could have done the whole thing by herself, but he and Kiran were there to make sure everything went smoothly.
“The info should alert our target to the change,” Taryn told him as she closed out of the computer. “We should be off the ground in three hours.”
Everything was going just as they planned. So why couldn’t he stop worrying about Andie?
CHAPTER EIGHT
“THIS SEEMS KIND OF... easy.” Andie had been holding the thought inside for too long and it burst out while she and Keana were waiting for the signal to move. It turned out that a lot of waiting went into being an outlaw, and she had to find a way to expel her nervous energy or she was going to give them away. Tapping the wall behind her didn’t draw much attention, but she was sure Keana was about ready to rip her head off.
“We don’t call it easy until we’re back on the ship and away free,” Keana cautioned. “But not every job involves blasters and bloodshed. The fewer we have to fight, the better. I’m here to make money, not get dead.”
An admirable goal for anyone, Andie had to agree. “I—” A beeping sound cut her off and whatever she’d been about to say was forgotten. That was their signal.
This was the more dangerous part of the job, but the more people with her and Keana to provide backup, the more likely they were to be questioned. Back on the ship when he’d been handing out tasks, she’d seen the struggle on Xandr’s face when he revealed that she and Keana would be facing their marks alone, but she hadn’t been able to hold back her grin. He was trusting her to get the job done, and he wasn’t trying to babysit her. That had to mean something.
Relationship questions and complicated feelings were pushed to the back of her mind as she and Keana walked through the docks, passing all kinds of aliens, many species Andie couldn’t identify. She was getting better and she’d been studying, but the diversity of the universe was more varied than a single person could hope to learn. And for this job it didn’t matter. The ship they were after was flown by an Oscavian crew, and in this part of space it seemed like most people were Oscavian, even when they weren’t in their empire. Though that could have had to do with the fact that they were in a port and people from every edge of the universe tended to gather in those places.
The ship they were targeting was a mid-sized Oscavian vessel, just small enough to land on the planet rather than parking in orbit. She and Keana approached with determination, like they had every reason to be there and weren’t committing any sort of crime. Andie shoved that thought aside. It wasn’t like telepaths were real, but if she was thinking about the crime they were committing she was going to give them away. She relaxed her shoulders and let go of the tension in her hands. Keana was taking the lead, all Andie had to do was stand there.
No one waited outside the ship, which wasn’t odd. The thing was sealed up tight and crews usually relied on security systems and port guards rather than sticking a crewman at the door. And since they weren’t there to take anything by force, it was still okay.
A ship flew overhead, loud enough to hurt Andie’s ears and forceful enough to make her stumble. She snapped her gaze up and saw the heat trail as it sped off to parts unknown. It shouldn’t have been flying that low, but that was for the authorities to handle. Beside her, Keana tensed.
“What is it?” Andie asked as quietly as she could. There was no use whispering in the port; it was a cacophony around them of moving equipment, cargo, and people. The only consolation was that no one was paying them any mind.
“That sounded like an Oscavian imperial speeder.” Keana looked where the ship had flown, but it had been going so fast that it was now out of sight.
“Is this about... uh... you-know-who?” She didn’t want to say his name in case anyone was listening, but saying it like that sounded ridiculous.
“Do you know who?” Keana’s eyes were wide, the shock and challenge evident. “He told you?”
“He told me that they have a past.” As she said it, it occurred to Andie that she could have faked knowing more in an attempt to get Keana to spill, but that felt dishonest. And maybe caring about dishonesty was strange for a woman embarking on the life of an outlaw, but she wasn’t going to betray Xandr like that. If she was going to find out, she wanted to hear it from him.
“We all have pasts.” Keana shook her head and turned back to their target. “I’m sure the speeder has nothing to do with us. Let’s get this done.”
Normally they’d be on the comms communicating with the rest of the team, but transmissions were closely monitored on Praltez and they couldn’t guarantee that a secure line would remain secure for long. Instead of comms they were relying on little beeping devices with predetermined meanings. The one they’d heard earlier meant it was time for Andie and Keana to go. A sustained beep meant things had gone wrong and it was time to abort. They couldn’t do as much adapting on the fly, but with a job this simple they didn’t need to.
Andie and Keana made it to their target without anymore delays. Keana found the communication pad outside the main door and alerted the system to their presence, and a few minutes later the door opened with a hiss and a large Oscavian man stepped out with an Oscavian woman at his side. The woman wore a blaster and carried herself like a warrior.
“What?” the man asked, looking between Keana and Andie as if they’d interrupted something important.
“We’ve come to transfer the shipment,” Keana said. She produced a tablet from her pocket and handed it over. “I have the manifest. We want to make sure everything goes smoothly.”
The man’s brow furrowed. “I thought this transfer was going to Mezo.”
Keana shrugged. “I just do what the orders tell me.” Her voice had taken on a thicker cadence, something almost folksy, and it was disturbing to hear. Keana normally spoke in a quick, clipped tone that brooked no argument.
Andie could feel eyes on her and she wanted to snap her gaze to the Oscavian woman, but instead she forced herself to move slowly, first taking in the size of the ship, then glancing at her hand before finally looking at the woman. And yes, the woman was staring, studying Andie and Keana like they were specimens in a display case. The woman’s hand rested on her hip, right above her blaster, for a moment before she stepped back into the shadows of the ship.
A trickle of alarm worked its way up Andie’s spine. Why would the woman duck out of sight? If she was providing security for the captain, wouldn’t she want to keep Andie and Keana in view?
The captain jerked back when Keana asked him a question and snapped his head around to look into the shadow of the ship. There was a quick conversation and Andie’s feeling of wrongness intensified. She took a step closer to Keana and caught her eye, trying to have a silent conversation and relay her fears. But she and Keana definitely had to work on their communication, since the woman looked puzzled when Andie tilted her head back towards where they’d come from.
“What?” Keana got close, speaking directly into Andie’s ear.
“This feels wrong. I think we should get out of here.” She hadn’t realized just how wrong it felt until she said that. This was a simple mission, easy and
as far from dangerous as it ever got, but she was practically bursting out her skin and wanted to get gone. Now.
Keana looked at her like she was crazy. “You need to work on your nerves. We’re fine.”
Andie wanted to argue, but the captain was back and his tone had changed. Now he was all smiles. “I’m sorry for the confusion. We’ve just received the manifest on our end. You know how these things get mixed up sometimes.”
Keana shot her a triumphant look, one silent communication it was too easy to read. “Excellent.”
The captain glanced back to where the Oscavian woman had to be lurking before turning back to them. “We need a bit of time to prepare the cargo. Would you please join my first mate for refreshments while you wait?”
Alarm bells rang in Andie’s head. She didn’t want to get on that ship. Something about the way the captain said it and the way the woman stayed in the shadows ratcheted up all of her anxiety and she was certain that going on the ship was a mistake. “We can wait out here,” she said before Keana could accept. “We wouldn’t want to get in your way.”
Keana looked at her for a moment but didn’t contradict her. They needed to show a united front in front of their marks if they didn’t want to raise suspicions.
“Don’t be silly.” The captain laughed and it came out a little forced. “Please, join us. I insist.”
“We’re good,” Keana replied. Finally she seemed to be feeling at least a portion of what Andie was.
The Oscavian woman stepped out of the shadows, blaster drawn. “Get inside now or we drag you.” Andie and Keana froze for a tense moment before casting sidelong glances at each other.
Then they ran.
THEY DIDN’T SPLIT UP on purpose, but at the first opportunity to turn Keana did while Andie continued going straight. And when the blaster started firing behind her Andie saw the wisdom in Keana’s dodge. She took the next turn, diving in between two ships and scrambling over a large cargo box to slip into a crevasse that looked too small for a person to hide in. Footsteps pounded past her and she hoped it was her pursuers. There weren’t many humans at this port and if they asked around she’d be easy to point out.
That wasn’t easy to fix, but she pulled up her hood to obscure her features as best she could. It was a flimsy disguise, but all she had to do was make it back to the ship and hope Keana managed to do the same.
The port was a maze of boxes and spacecraft and as she slunk from shadow to shadow Andie quickly became disoriented. She knew the Seventh was parked in the south quadrant and she was pretty sure she was headed in the right direction, but staying off the main path meant she had trouble spotting landmarks and could have easily gotten turned around. The port was the size of a small city and she could be lost for days if she wasn’t careful.
But she was much more likely to be caught if those Oscavians went to security. She had to get out of there, and dodging between ships was quickly losing its appeal. With a silent prayer to any god that was listening and a deep breath, Andie surged out of the shadows and onto the path. No one gave her a second glance. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was and if anyone was after her, but there was no one following her. She spotted a water tower in the distance and knew that was the way she needed to go. The Seventh was that way, and Keana was surely heading back there as well.
She walked down the central street for several minutes and the longer she walked, the more confident she became that she’d escaped. Perhaps the crew they’d tried to rob hadn’t called in port security, or maybe she’d just gotten really lucky. Whatever it was didn’t matter.
And it mattered even less when she took a turn only to be met with half a dozen Oscavian guards, one who held Keana to his side, a blaster trained on her. “Is this the one we’re looking for?” the guard in the center asked. He was half a head taller than the rest. “Her image wasn’t in the dossier.”
Dossier? That sounded official.
Andie tried to backpedal, tried to get away again. She couldn’t get Keana out of there by herself, but if she got away she and the crew could come back for their first mate. But before she could move, the guards closed ranks around her.
“She was with this one at the ship. She’s a member of their crew,” said the man clutching Keana.
“She’s hired help,” Keana spat, refusing to meet Andie’s eyes. “We found her in port. I don’t even know her name. You know these rats will do anything for a few credits.” Keana scowled and struggled in the guard’s hold, but he didn’t relent.
For a second Andie thought the ploy might work and she ignored the spike of rejection that lanced through her. Keana was trying to save her, even if it meant disavowing her. It wasn’t an actual rejection, even if the rancor in the first mate’s voice seemed real enough.
“Take her with, we’ll let his grace sort it out.” That came from the guard wearing a hat and from the authority in his voice, Andie was certain he was the one in charge. And then what he said hit her.
His grace.
The Duke of Mebion was here? Why? How? Would he remember her? She hoped not, but it had only been weeks since he’d last seen her, and for her that situation had been memorable. If he knew who she was, if he remembered seeing her, he would figure out she was part of Xandr’s crew. She or Keana had to get away, had to find a way to signal to the crew that Mebion was here and had them in custody. They had to make sure Xandr got away.
Andie was a little scared for herself, but she was more worried about what would happen if her lover fell into the duke’s hands. It couldn’t be good. And these guards clearly knew who Keana was, so whatever images had been captured on Station 163 must have been transmitted.
One of them had to get away.
Andie snuck glances at Keana as they were marched through the port back the way she’d run from. The other woman didn’t look injured, and Andie knew that if she had a second’s chance she would run for freedom and trust Andie to fend for herself. They turned away from the main road and headed towards the building that dominated the center of the port. It climbed out of the ground, an edifice of stone and metal that seemed to look on defiantly at all of the space craft around them. They’d have to climb up a hill of stairs to get there and the pathway narrowed. If the guards got them up to the elevated pathway that led to the building it was over, there wouldn’t be any getting out of there.
If she was going to make a move, she had to make it now.
And Keana was somehow on the same page. Even though they hadn’t planned it, both of them struck their captors at the same time, the shock of movement sending the guards to the ground. Keana took off at a sprint, heading for the maze of streets and warrens that made up the port and Andie had less than a second to decide how to act. When she saw a guard raise his blaster to fire, her decision was made and she threw herself forward, tackling the man to the ground and ruining his shot. The other guards shot after Keana, but she was a shadow and none of them could hit her.
The guard Andie had attacked turned his attention from the pursuit to her and leered at her. “One’s just as good as the other.” His blaster came up and she forced her eyes to stay open, to watch his finger squeeze the trigger.
She didn’t feel the blast hit, but between one breath and the next everything went black.
CHAPTER NINE
“WHAT?” XANDR ROARED when Keana showed up bruised and panting, relaying a story of Oscavian guards and a kidnapped crew member.
She was doubled over in the med bay, Hayk circling her with various devices, trying to diagnose her while shooting Xandr increasingly irritated glances. Xandr ignored him. Andie had been taken in by Oscavian guards. The fucking duke was somewhere on the planet. And Keana needed to get her report out before he tore the port to shreds looking for his woman.
“Had to be a trap.” Keana straightened with a wince, clutching her side where she’d been glanced by a blaster shot. Anything more direct and she wouldn’t have been able to keep running. “The crew was suspici
ous from the first, then turned all happy, tried to get us inside. Then they tried to force us inside. Me and the girl ran. Split up. They caught me. Then they caught her. Tried to take us to the fort. We made a move. I got away, she didn’t. They don’t know who Andie is.” It came out stilted, full of winces and panting, but Xandr didn’t have the patience to wait for her to feel even a tiny bit better.
Xandr took a deep breath before he could start yelling again. He wanted to shake Keana, as if that would magically produce Andie all safe and sound. The logical part of him, the man who had survived for ten years against some of the meanest foes that space had to offer, knew that Keana hadn’t done anything wrong. It was better to deprive their enemy of one hostage than leave them with two. That didn’t mean that he appreciated it. Once his heart rate had calmed a little he clenched and unclenched his fist and spoke. “What do you mean they didn’t know who Andie is? Do you know who took her?”
Keana’s face paled and she nodded. “Mebion.”
Fuck. Xandr spun around and paced to the edge of the med bay before turning on his heel and pacing right back. There wasn’t enough room to move, especially with Hayk fluttering around, trying to treat Keana while Xandr spoke. “He’s here? You saw him?”
Keana gave a jerk of her head from side to side. “The guards who had us mentioned his grace. I tried to bluff, to make them think we’d hired Andie on planet, but I don’t know if they bought it.”
“Shouldn’t they have her image?” Hadn’t that been the point of Nevys’s little plan? Andie was the one who’d identified the camera, so surely her image had been captured.
“There was a disruption in comms when Andie went down that hallway on the station. It’s possible they weren’t able to transmit her image.” Keana eased herself onto the examination table and turned her gaze to Hayk. “Toss me some regen gel and we’ll get out of your hair.”