It was more than obvious that Elyse didn't care what they thought.
Once the door shut behind them, Atyon looked Shaque directly in the eyes, and he knew what his old friend wanted. Assurance that it really was all right to go ahead with Elyse. So Shaque nodded.
With a slight nod, Atyon reached under the desk and pressed a panel with one finger. The hidden drawer slid open, and he reached in and took out the small disc. Touching the viscomm screen to activate it, he slid the disc into the slot and waited.
Elyse walked behind Shaque to get a better look at the screen.
Resting one elbow on the armrest, he propped his chin on his palm and waited, curious to see what secrets the disc hid.
Some of it was what he'd expected. Image photos of the mutants Shari had created including Darlia, the mutant once thought of as human. The image photos included that of Major Derron, also an experiment now terminated, and of Sonja and Elyse as little girls. Elyse still had sky blue eyes, something that Atyon was openly curious about when he glanced again at Elyse.
There were diagrams showing links between the mutants and Shari, DNA diagrams, and genetic coding.
There were several photo images of Shaque's sister sitting with Elyse in a darkened room. They were so serious, their faces showing no joy or sorrow. Nerissa clutched her doll in another photo image, and then the images changed.
Two tall, glass tanks filled with green liquid. In them were pictured the two naked bodies of Elyse and Sonja when they'd been captured by Darlia and her mutants. Several images were snapped when the women struggled against the uprising of their mutant sides.
The photo images changed, showing young mutants, in their midst Elyse and Sonja. But none of the images flicking past showed his sister amongst the mutants.
Nerissa. Her name echoed in his mind as he studied the images. So long ago. What had happened, how had she ended up with Elyse? And why didn't Elyse recognize her?
He felt the warmth of her presence behind him, and resisted the impulse to look around.
Several names appeared on the screen, some marked off. Donika's name appeared, along with several well-known outlaw and space-pirate names. And Donika was Elyse's twin, though not identical.
Several more graphs appeared, some names of settlements marked off, and then a couple circled, all within the Outlaw Sector.
The disc finished.
"That's it.” Atyon went to eject it from the viscomm.
"I want a copy,” Elyse said.
"I can print out the graphs—"
"Copy the whole thing."
Atyon raised his brows.
"Or I'll take a copy.” Elyse's voice didn't rise, but the threat was more than apparent.
"My. Touchy.” Atyon pressed a couple of diagrams on the viscomm. “A copy coming right up."
Taking the handtronic from his jacket pocket, Shaque handed it over to Atyon. “Put a copy on here while you're at it."
"What for?” Elyse and Atyon both asked at the same time.
"Because I don't trust you, Elyse, to let me see that disc."
"I can print the copies of your sister's photo images and give them to you."
"I don't want just her images.” He wanted to know about Elyse, too.
Atyon picked up the handtronic. “And you're travelling together, Shaque?"
"Yes."
Atyon started laughing.
Slouched back in the chair, Shaque merely raised his brows and waited for his friend's hilarity to wear itself out.
Atyon was still grinning when he handed a copy disc to Elyse and the handtronic back to Shaque. “When this little expedition is over, I want to hear all about it."
Elyse pocketed the disc, and Shaque stood up and slid the handtronic into his jacket pocket again.
"Staying for a while?” Atyon also stood up.
"No. We need to get moving.” Shaque looked at Elyse. “Do we need to pick anything up while we're here?"
"Fuel, food and fresh water."
"All available here.” Atyon followed them to the door. “Don't worry about going to the settlement. I can have your food and water supplies stocked from my kitchen, and the fuel from our flight tanks in the docking bay."
Pleased that they didn't have to waste anymore time, Shaque accepted.
Elyse went with two of the soldiers down to the kitchen to pick out the stores, while Shaque accompanied Atyon and the other two soldiers to the docking bay to supervise the fuel loading.
"Nice woman,” Atyon commented.
"Who?” Shaque watched as the docking bay attendants attached the hose to the fuel cap.
"Elyse. Pretty. Built like a woman should be."
Shaque frowned at Atyon. “She's a space pirate."
"Used to be.” Hands linked behind his back, Atyon smirked. “Handful in bed, huh?"
"I wouldn't know,” he replied coldly.
"You wouldn't know a good woman if it bit you on the arse,” Atyon responded. “Woman like that, I'd be trying to get to know her a bit better."
"I know her as well as I want to."
"She's got spirit."
"And you've got a big mouth."
Atyon only smirked more.
"We'll probably kill each other before or after this is over, anyway,” Shaque grunted, irritated at his friend's teasing.
"With passion?"
Shaque stared at him.
"I bet beneath that calm exterior of hers, that Elyse is a hot little filly."
"You'll never know,” Shaque said bitingly.
"Says who?"
"Says me."
"Do tell?"
"I need her for this mission—"
"It's a lonely flight. A long flight.” Atyon winked.
"For the information she can get me."
"Yeah, I just bet she knows lots of interesting information."
Atyon had the teasing bit between his teeth, and he was going to run with it. The only thing to do was ignore him.
So Shaque did. It didn't stop the sly innuendos, though. It was a relief when Elyse finally appeared, a hover tray piled with stores behind her, three cook's assistants following.
"Now I know why I don't visit you much,” Shaque muttered as she approached.
"I speak the truth?” Atyon's gaze was trained on Elyse.
Shaque just looked at him.
Atyon grinned widely.
Elyse stopped in front of them, her gaze flicking from Atyon to Shaque. “Once the stores are loaded, I'm ready to go."
Shaque nodded.
"Need a hand?” Atyon watched her bend over and pick up a box from the hover tray.
"No."
Elbowing Atyon aside, Shaque silently picked up another box and walked up the ramp, the cook's assistants following with their loads.
Atyon laughed.
The man really was an irritating bastard.
Shaque was relieved once the ship left the Inka Empire behind and shot into space.
Going into the control cabin, he noted the speed with which they were going and looked at the coordinates Elyse was setting.
"First of all,” he said, “where are we headed?"
She pointed to the list of names on the viscomm. It was from the copied disc. “To visit some of these people, get some names."
"What about the people who brought you up?"
"They're dead."
"Relatives?"
"Donika is the only relative I have."
Sitting down in the chair, Shaque studied the names. “These people, you know them all?"
Elyse nodded.
Wanting to know more, but wanting to study the information Atyon had loaded onto his handtronic first, Shaque tapped his fingers on the console. “We need to visit the place where you were given the image photos. The little girl."
"A couple of these people are on the way. It'll only be a day or so away from the place.” Leaning forward, she adjusted a gauge on the console. “Save time rather than doubling back later."
She
had a point. He looked at the space map on the wall. “How fast are we going?"
"Fast."
"Care to explain?"
Elyse just looked at him.
Fair enough. “How long until we get to the first of these people, and are they in the Outlaw Sector?"
"Two weeks at our current speed and the first lot live on the outskirts of the Outlaw Sector."
He was stunned. Two weeks? A trip that should take four weeks was only going to take two weeks?
"Don't ask,” Elyse said calmly.
"How the hell—"
She looked at him, and it was more than obvious that he wasn't going to get any answers from her. He should simply be grateful that it wasn't going to take as long as it would have, so he didn't argue.
It didn't mean that he wasn't going to investigate the engines the first chance he got.
* * * *
The trip was long and hot. Cramped into tiny cell-like cabins, the children were fretful. The slavers fed them, made sure they bathed, and kept them basically healthy. Sick children didn't fetch good prices.
The girl sat by the little space shield and looked out at the stars.
* * * *
"She's been to the place she was created.” Fredrico studied the map on the wall. “Now she's heading towards the Outlaw Sector."
"So it would appear.” Veknor rubbed his chin musingly, his ebony skin giving a soft glow in the torchlight. “But where exactly is she heading?"
"And do we intercept her?"
They studied the map for a few minutes more, then without a word both turned and left the room. Seeking out The Overlord, they found him sitting in the gardens, a wilderness of plants left to go wild. The heavy scent of flowers and plants overrode the faint stench of blood and guts that drifted in snatches on the wind.
"Elyse is heading in the direction of the Outlaw Sector,” Veknor informed The Overlord. “Do you wish us to intercept her?"
"The direction is not yet certain?” The Overlord queried.
"No."
"Then continue to monitor her movements. Let me know once her direction is certain."
They nodded and left the garden.
The Overlord stared at some nearby flowers nodding their heads in the dull sunlight. “What an enigma you are, Elyse. But you have something I want. Oh yes, my pretty, you do.” His low laugh was a hiss. “You surely do."
Back in the fortress, Fredrico looked at a scanner and the tiny dot that marked Elyse's ship.
He had a bit of a history with Elyse, but not a lot. Mostly he knew her through Sonja, but even then, Elyse had remained silent, never saying much, watching him assessingly. She felt things, though. She'd felt, seen, sensed the shadow that was never far behind him and his crew.
He'd always had a healthy wariness tinged with respect for Elyse. She feared nothing, and always stood behind his cousin, even when her cousin's mutant genes went ape-shit. Loyal was Elyse.
He wondered what she'd be like when faced with The Overlord.
* * * *
Contacting Brina's ship while it was in the Arionen Belt wasn't easy. The Belt was well-known for scrambling radar and communications systems alike, regardless of the skill of the operator.
Why should it be any different now? Elyse blew a strand of hair away from her forehead as she tried again.
Illona's face appeared on the screen, went fuzzy, disappeared and re-appeared again.
"Hey!” Illona said brightly.
"I need to talk to Donika."
"Oh, nice. No g'day for a friend?"
"Just get her."
Illona crossed her eyes and the screen blurred. If the big blonde didn't hurry, communication would be cut before she even got a chance to talk to her sister.
The viscomm screen crackled, darkened, went fuzzy again, and then Donika appeared in a blurry, stretched out vision. “Hi,” she said.
A loud bang echoed off the screen.
"I need to talk to you about a girl called Nerissa,” Elyse said.
"Ner...?” The screen blanked out, and Elyse sighed. Seconds later, the crackling of Donika's voice sounded, but no picture reappeared. “Who ... I think I..."
"You think you remember her?’ Elyse queried.
"Could ... one ti...” The viscomm crackled, then a clear picture of her twin flared on. “...that time,” she finished saying.
"What time?"
"You didn't get it, did you?” Donika sighed.
"The Belt is interfering.” Elyse held up the photo image. “Do you recognize this girl?"
"What? What girl?"
"In this photo image."
"You're holding ... photo?” Donika's voice cracked, faded and came back.
"Can you see me?"
"No. The screen ... fuzzy."
Damn. “Hang on. I'm scanning it through to you."
"What?"
"Just wait there."
A loud explosion sounded.
"What is that?” Elyse asked as she tapped the ‘send’ command.
"Just a little ... don't worry.” Donika grinned.
"Are you on a raid?"
"Early run."
The screen emitted a squawk and went black, fuzzed, then came back. Donika was holding a piece of black paper. “What is ... supposed to be?"
Great. The Arionen Belt was interfering with transitions as well.
"Never mind,” Elyse said. “I need to meet with you."
"Be back in the Outlaw Sector in three weeks."
"I don't have three weeks. How long are you going to be at your current position?"
"This rate ... couple days..."
Turning around, Elyse studied the galaxy map of the Lawful Sector where she knew the space pirates to be. Yep, the little green light was right in the middle of the Arionen Belt, safe from being picked up by the bounty hunter, security and peacekeeper scanners.
Not safe from her own scanners, though, but then again, she had a homing beacon on her friends.
She turned back to the snowy viscomm screen. “Two days and I'll be with you. Did you get that?"
"Got it."
Elyse hesitated, then added, “I have someone with me."
"Oh? Who?"
"Shaque."
"The bounty hunter?"
"Yes."
"What?” The concerned question was whip fast. “Are you ... trouble?"
"No. He's here alone with me."
There was silence, broken only by static and the blank screen. Then a muffled snort of laughter sounded.
"You selling us out?” Brina's voice crackled through the viscomm.
"Yep. For lots of dinnos,” Elyse replied.
"Can Illona ... look at ... hunter?"
"That hot-blooded whore can look all she wants, she just can't touch until I've finished with him."
"Why? What are you ... him?"
Elyse rolled her eyes mentally. “He can get me information from areas that I can't, and I need that info."
The silence this time was heavier.
"Are you ... sure not ... trouble?” Donika asked, the concern once again coming through the distorted sound.
"Positive.” Yeah, big trouble if she didn't get answers soon.
"And you need ... this ... hunter?"
"For now."
More silence. The low murmur of voices, undoubtedly Brina discussing the pros and cons of having Shaque near the space pirate ship. Elyse couldn't blame them, having a hunter so near would make anyone nervous.
But then, Shaque wasn't actually in the role of bounty hunter. Was he?
"Is he tagged?” Brina queried.
"I scanned him myself, through the security shield. No tags on him. No way for anyone to trace you. And no way I'd let a tagged anyone on my ship."
"Then this ... be interesting. How ... days?"
"Two."
"See you then."
The screen squawked again, and then all transmission was lost.
Flicking off the viscomm, Elyse leaned back and s
tretched her arms above her head. Now she just had to decide what to do about Shaque while she was aboard the space pirate ship. Now way was she leaving him onboard to fiddle with controls and possibly succeed in transmitting the space pirates’ presence and whereabouts to the peacekeepers and bounty hunters nearby. To actually have him on the pirate ship under the eyes of herself and the crew was a possibility. Or drugging him and leaving him asleep aboard ship was another possibility.
She dismissed that idea. She'd be too worried that he'd wake up somehow and still transmit the whereabouts of her friends. No, the only way was to take the hunter onboard and amidst the female pirate crew.
Illona would be in heaven.
The Arionen Belt was on the way to the Outlaw Sector, so it was only a slight deviation of the coordinations. So she set it, then went in search of the blonde hunter to inform him of the change before he found out and blew his stack. Again.
She found Shaque studying his handtronic in the kitchenette. No doubt the information given to them by Atyon.
"I have an information source that may know about your sister,” she stated.
He looked up sharply.
"I've changed the course slightly so that we pass the place they're staying. It's on the way to the Outlaw Sector.” When he stood up slowly, she added, “So don't fret."
"What do they know?"
"If I knew that, I wouldn't have to meet with them, would I?"
"Who are they?"
She looked blandly at him.
"Outlaws?” His cold eyes glinted.
And this was where they had to lay down ground rules.
"We need to sort out a few things before we go any further together.” Crossing to the urn in the wall, she poured a mug of hot una and took it back to the table. Sitting down, she watched as Shaque sat down again, his gaze on her.
"Information is going to come from people you normally hunt,” she stated bluntly. “If you're going to go into hunt mode before, during and/or after we've spoken to them, we can't travel together."
He raised one brow.
"So you better decide now whether you're going to reign in your natural inclination to shoot first and ask questions later."
"I can shoot later, that's no problem."
"No tagging them for other hunters, no alerting the law as to the whereabouts of our informants."
Leaning back in the chair, Shaque stretched one leg out in front of him as he contemplated her.
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