“How can you know that?”
“Because I know what they are searching for. But you cannot escape their attention for long. Eventually they will obtain authorization to search your ship and your persons. They will discover all your dirty secrets, and they will arrest you and impound your ship.”
Kol glowered. “What secrets do you think they will find?”
Gan shrugged and sat back again. “Perhaps they will find weapons aboard your ship that were intended for rebel factions in the Annum System. Or they’ll find proof in your flight logs that you were smuggling goods through the Aeverian line.
As Gan spoke Kol’s face darkened. His voice remained pleasant but held a dangerous edge to it.
“You hold me at a disadvantage, sir. You have requested discretion from me, then betrayed my trust.”
“Not at all,” Gan said. “You have my word that your secrets are safe with us, whether we make a deal or not. I gave examples only to prove that I know your situation is as dire as ours.”
“I see. So you are offering to get me clearance to leave today in return for safe passage.”
“That is correct.”
“How the void do you plan to do that?” asked Gosen.
“The same way I found out about your secrets.”
Kol nodded, eyes narrowing. “How’d you get inside my ship?”
“I didn’t.”
Silence filled the room for a moment. Kol leaned forward and gave him a searching gaze. Nandine and Gosen exchanged more linguistic glances. Gan’s group remained quiet and still. They were probably wondering how he knew what he knew too. Gan kept his expression smooth. He waited.
Kol shook his head and leaned back again. “No. I’m not going to make a deal without answers. You tell me how you got inside my ship and how you’re going to get us clearance or there’s no deal.”
“Fair enough. But as I said, I’ve never been anywhere near your ship so far as I know.”
“Then how the void—”
“I ripped your link.”
Kol’s head tilted. “You mean you picked my pocket?”
“No,” Gan tried not to sound like a teacher instructing an idiot. “Just now when you handed it to me.”
Kol shook his head. “There’s no way you ripped my link in the few seconds you held it unless...”
Gan lifted his hand, wordlessly commanded the smartskin to reform over it. The Captain and his shipmates watched with eyebrows half way to the ceiling as a black cloud crawled up his hand and enveloped his fingers over the course of a second. Then Gan let the skin retreat under the sleeve of his borrowed shirt.
“Sawking void,” whispered Gosen. Nandine shook her head and frowned, showing an emotion for the first time in the meeting: fear. Gan regretted the look on her face. Nothing marked him a Shaumri like his advanced smartskin.
Salazar only smiled. “You’re Shaumri.”
Gan gave a sideways nod. “I was.”
Salazar blinked, straightened his vest, took a deep breath.
“Well,” Kol said, “You’ve proven yourself to me, but I can’t trade the whole trip for access out no matter how much I want to leave now. Running a ship is expensive and I need to meet those expenses, or we find ourselves lost in deep space.”
“I understand,” Gan said. “Perhaps we can meet the expenses for you. Would a thousand credits be fair?”
Salazar lips curled into a crooked smile.
Chapter Twenty-Seven:
Has Sent You Away
Nix dropped his backpack onto his bed and started pulling clothes from his dresser and packing them into it.
“Just essentials,” Dothin called from his own room. “Basic clothes and toiletries, minimal souvenirs.”
“Got it,” Nix called back.
“Make sure you pack enough underwear!”
Ashla giggled from behind him. Nix turned and groaned at the sight of her leaning against the doorframe in the clothes she’d borrowed from him. Dothin recommended they might be safer passing her off as a boy.
“I know!”
Nix shook his head, added a few pairs to his bag. He turned to make for the bathroom. “Excuse me.”
Ashla got out of the way and smirked at him from under his cap. They had a better chance of passing Gan off as an infant. It was in the way she walked, mostly. She had the gait and posture of a holovid princess. Nix wasn’t quite ready to admit she was too pretty to pass off as a boy.
Nix pulled a small bag from under the sink and dumped his personal basics in: toothbrush, comb, etc. He returned and tucked the bag into his backpack.
“Don’t forget your medication!”
Another giggle from Ashla. Nix tightened his hands into fists so tight they ached. “I know!” Then he dug the pills out of his desk drawer, took one and dumped the bottle into his backpack.
“He’s a very nice man,” Ashla said, hovering in the doorway again.
“Whatever.”
“You should be thankful you still have a—"
“He’s not my father.”
“Sorry, touchy.”
Nix closed the backpack and snapped the clips in place. Then he threw it over his shoulders. He looked at Ashla. “I’m not touchy. I just thought you ought to know before suggesting I am a bad son.”
Nix knelt and pulled a small plastic box out from under his bed.
“What’s that?” Ashla asked.
Nix squeezed past her and went down the hall. She followed. Nix stepped into Dothin’s room then shut the door behind him.
“Rude!” Ashla’s voice was muffled against the door.
Dothin was finishing packing. His motions had an odd frenetic energy that worried Nix. Dothin was not a man who rushed to do anything. If had to be somewhere, he gave himself enough time to stop and admire the sights on his way. He was hurrying now. Nix walked up to him, dropped his back pack and lifted the box to Dothin.
Dothin looked at the box, took it. “What’s this?”
Nix, unable to meet Dothin’s eyes, shrugged and changed his footing. Dothin pulled the cover off the box and lifted a stack of wrinkled twenty credit bills.
“What is this?” he repeated.
Nix swallowed, cleared his throat, then looked Dothin in the eye. He was surprised to see fear in Dothin’s eyes, rather than his regular brand of disappointment.
“I hosted a party here the night you left.”
Dothin sighed. He folded the stack and dropped it into his pocket. Then he closed the box turned Nix around with a hand and stuffed the rest of the money in its box into Nix’s backpack.
“We’ll discuss this later.”
Nix shrugged. “Maybe it will come in handy.”
Dothin snapped Nix’s pack shut. “I said we’ll discuss it later. Not a penny of it gets spent without my permission, understood?”
“Yes.”
The doorbell rang. Nix pulled his link and checked the camera, then relaxed. “It’s Ms. Pattie.”
Dothin nodded. “Let’s go.”
Dothin led Nix out to the hallway. Ashla followed. Gan sat in the kitchen.
Dothin looked at Gan. “You two ready?”
Gan nodded and stood.
“I am,” Ashla said.
“Okay,” Dothin said. “Wait here a minute. Don’t come out until I call you. Come on Niko.”
Nix followed Dothin. Dothin opened the door and went out. Nix followed and shut the door behind him.
“Dothin!” Pattie said. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Dothin hugged her back.
“Good to see you, Pattie.”
“Dothin, what’s—”
“Pattie, I need you to do me a favor.” Dothin pulled a keycard out of his pocket and handed it to Pattie. It would unlock the doors to Dothin’s flat and the workshop in lieu of the unlock program on Dothin’s link.
Pattie took the card, looked at it, then at Dothin. “Are you leaving again?”
“I’m afraid so. Look after the place for me?”
“B
ut how? The Alliance is blockading—”
Dothin put both hands on her shoulders and Pattie took a breath. “I can’t tell you anything, Pattie. Anything I say puts you in danger. I wanted you to come so Niko and I could say goodbye in case that’s necessary.”
Pattie looked up at Dothin, then at Nix. Her eyes went glossy. Her blinking sped up. She shook her head slowly. “No.”
“Pattie—”
“No.”
Dothin pulled her into another hug. He whispered into her ear as she cried. “I hope someday soon Niko and I can come back and tell you the whole story.”
They parted. Pattie sniffed and nodded. Her eyes were red. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Dothin stepped aside and Pattie gave Nix a hug too. Nix hugged her back. “I hope to see you again soon,” he said. Nix was proud at the level tone of his speech.
Pattie released him and nodded. “You two take good care of each other.”
“We will,” Dothin said. “Now do me one more favor.”
Pattie laughed. “What?”
Dothin nodded, as if knowing Pattie would argue. “Go report us to your superiors.”
Pattie jerked. “What?”
“If the navy finds out you spoke to us it’ll be bad news for you. You’ll avoid all suspicion if you report it first. Be honest and forthright. And one more thing.”
Pattie shook her head. “You’re killing me here.”
“Give us an hour before you do?”
Pattie laughed again, wiped her eyes. She nodded. “Okay. Good luck, whatever you’re doing.”
“Thanks Pattie,” Dothin said.
“Thank you,” Nix said.
Pattie nodded, turned and walked away. Nix could hear the sound of her sobs echoing back to him. He took a deep, shuddering breath. Dothin patted Nix on the shoulder, then stepped back inside the flat.
“Let’s go.”
Nix lifted his backpack over his shoulders again and pulled the straps tight. Then he turned and started walking. Pretty soon Gan, Dothin and Ashla caught up to him. Nix slowed back, letting Gan go ahead of him. For a while he followed. Memories of Pattie filled his mind and each one made it harder to keep his cool. He couldn’t lose it here. Maybe when the danger was over, and he could find a private place, not before.
He winced as a hand enveloped his. His instinct was to pull away, but he ignored it. Ashla walked next to him. The mocking expression was gone and instead she gave a small smile and squeezed his hand.
“I’m sorry.”
He squeezed back. “Thanks.”
They took the shuttle to the central hub and then met the Captain and the other guy, Vance, in an alcove between two shops in front of a door to the service corridors.
“Right on time, gentlemen,” Salazar said as they stepped into the shadowed alcove. Ashla crossed her arms and frowned at him. He smiled, made a little flourish. “And lady.”
Gan stood with his back to a wall and peered around the corner. “Is everything ready?”
“All set. Just need you to do your magic. What about the girl’s ship?”
“I’m right here, you know,” Ashla said.
Vance, leaning against the far wall with one big black boot up against the wall, chuckled.
“Apologies miss,” Salazar said. “How do you intend to get your ship inside mine.”
“In-flight docking.”
Salazar nodded, made a smug face. “Bold. I think—”
A klaxon sounded in the distance and yellow emergency lights flashed across the transit hub.
“What the void is that?” Vance asked. He was off the wall again, with a hand tucked under his jacket.
“Lockdown,” Gan said. Nix moved over to Gan to look as well. Huge doors fell shut over the main corridors leading out from the transit hub. On the higher level, the lifts all shined red lights and the doors to vacant lift cages closed. People all over stopped what they were doing. A few gasped, some murmured and others shouted. Marines seemed to erupt from everywhere.
Every link chimed at once, and the chime matched a friendly ding-dong from the station speakers. Every screen in the place switched to display a broad, bald man with pale skin, his eyes barely visible under the wrinkles and epicanthal folds of skin.
“Citizens and visitors of Lodebar Station, this is chief administrator Baladin. It is my duty to alert you that Lodebar Station is now in lockdown. You will have noticed lifts and corridor junctions have closed around you. Do not panic. Alliance marines are en route to every junction to check identifications, so you can be routed to your proper destination. On behalf of the station administration and the Conservation of Allied Systems, I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. If we do our best to follow the rules, these men and women will do their job and leave us in peace. Thank you for your attention.”
“On behalf of station administration and the CAS,” Ashla said. “Not Antarus.”
“Great,” Salazar said. “How do we get to the ship now?”
“Easy,” Dothin said, pointing to the service entrance. “There’s a freight lift not far from here.”
Vance stepped up to the door and tapped at the buttons on the console. It flashed red and buzzed at him. He turned to Dothin. “You going to dice the console, gramps?”
Nix looked at Dothin, who sported a look he knew to fear.
“I will,” Gan said.
“Alright then,” Captain Kol said. “Here, take these. In case we get separated.” Salazar pulled a small box from the inside breast pocket of his vest, opened it, and passed it around. The box came to Nix, and he found a little cylindrical plug with a short wire coming off of it. “Tap it to your link to synchronize, then put it in your ear.”
Nix did as he was told, following Salazar’s example.
“Now we can communicate on the same channel in case we get separated.”
“Small problem with that,” Gan said. “The navy’s definitely scanning all chatter on the station. Here, hand me your links.”
Nix handed Gan his link. That swarm of black crawled up Gan’s right hand and he touched the link with a finger. Then he gave it back. Everyone followed suit.
“My smartskin can run frequency modulation. They’ll eventually crack it, but in the meantime, it should keep us chatting dark.”
“I got to get me one of those suits,” Vance said.
Gan took his link, touched it, and as he did he looked at him. “The price is high.”
“I’m saving myself a little nest egg. How high?”
“At least your freedom, and possibly your life.”
Vance’s eyebrows rose over the rims of his reflective glasses. “Maybe I’ll retire on it or something.”
“Good call,” Gan said. Was there the slightest hint of a smile on his face? Nix wasn’t sure.
“Ey, kid!” Vance said to him. He pulled a handgun out of his coat and held out to Nix by the barrel. “Know how to use one of these?”
Nix raised his hand to take it but Dothin got in the way and snatched it out of Vance’s hand. “No, he doesn’t.” In a series of snap motions, Dothin released the magazine into his hand, slapped it back into the grip and tabbed a small lever on the side back and forth. “I’d rather you didn’t hand live firearms to my sixteen-year-old son.” Then he tucked the weapon into the waistband of his pants and tugged at the ends of his coat.
“Whatever gramps.”
“It’s best to be armed, just in case,” Salazar said.
“We need to go,” Gan said. He turned to the door and put his hand to the door console. Little flashes of blue sparks lit up between his hand and the console for a second, then the light turned green and the doors slid open.
Salazar waved his hand at Dothin. “Lead on.”
The service complex was a series of wide, bare passages which offered back-door access to the various stores and restaurants lining the outer edges of the transit hub. This is where deliveries were made, employees entered and exited for work and bulk trash was left i
n dumpsters for station central recycling to pick up. The system also had access to break rooms, locker rooms, showers and restrooms.
Dothin led the group, followed closely by Gan. Nix and Ashla followed them, then Vance and Salazar at the back. Nix could feel the tension in the men, despite the bland expressions on their faces. Dothin didn’t make a pretext for sneaking. They passed a man delivering boxes from off a cart with a flatbed, a girl coming out of the bathroom—Dothin smiled and excused himself when he almost ran into her—and a few people sitting in a break room.
Nobody paid them much heed.
“Freight lift is right here.” Dothin pointed. Gan stepped up to the console, laid his hand on it and Nix watched the console screen go haywire. The doors opened up, revealing the large, battered lift cage, and they all stepped in.
Nix looked at Dothin as the car descended. “Where’d you learn how to use a gun?”
Dothin shrugged. “My father. Took me to the shooting range once a week.”
“What for?”
Dothin smiled. “It is the obligation of every citizen to be prepared to rise up in defense of his home and family.” The way he said it sounded like he was repeating something he heard often.
“I take it you didn’t agree. I mean, you don’t own a gun and you haven’t gone shooting recently.”
“Turned out for the best that way, though, didn’t it?”
“How so?”
Dothin looked at Nix, patted him on the back and made pistol shape with his hand, pointed at Nix. “You never know. I might have shot you.”
Nix laughed.
“What are you talking about?” Ashla asked from behind. “Why would you shoot him?”
Nix looked at Ashla, his mouth suddenly full of cotton.
“Well—”
“We’re here,” Gan said.
The car’s console chimed, and the doors lifted up, revealing another series of service passages almost indistinguishable from the ones they had left. Gan leaned out, looked left, looked right, then waved them on. They resumed their same marching order as before, but Nix could feel that they picked up the pace, and Dothin slowed to peak around corners before passing intersections.
“Lanseidis,” Salazar called. “Can we stick to the service system all the way to the shipyard?”
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