Girl of Fire: The Expulsion Project Book One (A Science Fiction Dystopian Thriller)

by Norma Hinkens

  Before I can protest he squirts something foul-smelling on my neck. I wrinkle my nose in disgust at the pungent odor.

  “Not your taste, eh? Yes? No? I have something lighter, electron-charged perhaps. Those oils run a little more, but I could cut you a good deal on two.”

  “No!” I hold out an arm to bar him from spraying me with anything else. “I’m not interested in smells. I’m looking for jewelry.” I pull the chain out from around my neck and hold up the bracelet to him. “Something like this.”

  He taps his chubby fingers on his table of wares and throws a quick glance down the street. “I have a friend who deals in spectacular jewelry. I’m sure she can help you find what you’re looking for.” He whistles to a boy assisting a customer at the other end of the vendor’s table and points two fingers down the street. The boy gives a quick nod.

  The disgruntled antique parts dealer scowls and folds his arms in front of him when we pass by. “He crook, that one!” he calls after us. “Scam you out of last credit that one will!”

  The obese vendor gives a dismissive wave and hurries me on down the street. We walk past a dozen or so stalls before we come to a stop in front of a bustling brightly-colored stall with a shimmery purple awning. The vendor squeezes behind the table and exchanges a few words with a tall, dark-haired woman holding up several strings of beads between her fingers for a customer to take a closer look at. The woman gives a curt nod, her sharp eyes appraising me, before turning her attention back to her customer.

  “Roma will take good care of you,” the obese vendor says, and then disappears back down the street in the direction of his stall.

  I study the rest of the wares on display while I wait for Roma to finish up. Trinkets mostly, gaudy and cheap. Nothing that resembles my bracelet in material or quality or design.

  I’m about to give up and move on when Roma jerks her chin in my direction. “Let me take a look at what you’ve got.”

  I wait until her customer has walked away and then pull out the chain around my neck.

  Roma walks around to where I’m standing in front of the table and takes the bracelet from me. She weighs it in her hand and then pulls out a loupe and examines it carefully from all angles.

  “Have you ever seen anything like this?” I ask.

  She slips the loupe back into her pocket. “Are you buying or selling?”

  “Buying,” I say, after a moment’s hesitation.

  Roma grimaces. “Tough to come by something like this. On the other hand, if you were selling this caliber of wares, I’d be willing to come in on it.”

  I furrow my brow in confusion. “In on what?”

  She tilts an already arched brow upward. “You bring me what you help yourself to, and I resell it and give you a cut.”

  “I’m not a thief,” I say, indignantly.

  Roma purses her lips and busies herself straightening out the necklaces the customer was looking at earlier. “I’ve been doing this long enough to know that a bracelet like that doesn’t belong to a savage dressed in some animal skin from a fringe planet.”

  I square my shoulders. “How dare you! I’m—” I clamp my lips together. It wouldn’t mean anything to her that I’m a chieftain’s daughter.

  “It was a gift,” I say, holding her gaze.

  She folds her arms across her chest and gives me a penetrating gaze. “And you want to know where it came from.”

  10

  “Can you help me?” I ask.

  Roma ignores me and busies herself pulling out some trays of rings for another customer before responding.

  “I have contacts,” she says in a low voice. “But they don’t come cheap. And hunting down something like that won’t be easy. Two thousand credits up front. Another two thousand once I have the information.” She taps something on the CipherSync on her wrist and gestures to me. “Let me see it again.”

  I dangle the bracelet in front of her. After Velkan’s warning, I’m not taking it off the chain for her to take a closer look. She holds up her CipherSync to it and a dotted red line frames the bracelet and makes a 3D holographic scan of it with a single click. “I’ll make some enquiries,” Roma says. “Come back in an hour.”

  I open my mouth to respond and then shut it again. Where am I going to find two thousand credits?

  She reads my expression and irritation ripples across her face. “Unless, of course, you can’t afford the asking price.”

  I toss my head. “You’ll get your money, but only after you deliver, not before. I’ll be back in one hour, and I’ll double your fee if you have the information for me.”

  Her expression remains skeptical. After a moment’s hesitation, she gives a curt nod. “Don’t be late. I close up here soon.”

  My feet keep pace with the heightened boom of my heartbeat as I hurry back to the Zebulux. I know what I have to do, but it’s risky. If Sarth catches me dipping into the dargonite before we reach Aristozonex, she’ll throw me off the ship, or worse.

  “Back so soon?” Velkan calls to me from the fuel pump. He wipes the back of his hand over his glistening brow.

  “Just checking if Buir’s done helping Ghil yet,” I call back to him. “I want her to see the stalls too.” I do want her to come with me, but that’s not the real reason I came back. I hate deceiving Velkan, but I can’t risk involving him.

  “You just missed her. She headed out with Ghil a few minutes ago,” Velkan says. “Sarth’s gone too. She had business to attend to.”

  I give a disappointed shrug. “I’ll ask Meldus if he wants to come instead.” I turn and run up the docking ramp before Velkan can dissuade me.

  Inside, I take a quick calming breath and smooth my hair back with sweaty palms before making my way over to the LunaTrekkers secured with the rest of the cargo. I walk around to the back of the LunaTrekker closest to me, pull back the tarp, and peer into the bed. Empty! The sickening feeling in my gut creeps slowly up my throat. I glance dubiously over at the second LunaTrekker tucked behind a row of fuel drums. I’m almost certain it’s not the one we stashed the dargonite in, but maybe I’m mixing them up. My mind churns furiously as I pick my way through the cargo toward the other vehicle. Is it possible Sarth moved the rock without telling me? I peer into the empty bed of the second LunaTrekker, confirming my worst fears. A flash of rage goes through me. I should have known Sarth wouldn’t be content with splitting the proceeds, even with a bigger cut. What if she’s selling the dargonite out from under me right now?

  I clench and unclench my fists, wrestling with what to do. I need that dargonite. I have no other way to pay Roma for the information about the bracelets. I press my fingers to my temples and try to calm down enough to sort out my thoughts. It’s unlikely Sarth is trying to sell the dargonite at a fueling outpost near the fringe. Most likely she’ll wait until she gets to Aristozonex where she’ll get the best price, which means she’s hidden it somewhere on board—someplace no one can get their hands on it. Her quarters.

  I turn and race up the stairway to the upper level, my footsteps clanging in my ear with every step. Halfway down the utility hallway, I run right into a stocky, shirtless man. “Nipper!” I gasp, stumbling back from him.

  “Whoa!” He grabs me by my arm to steady me. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  I shake myself loose and throw him a contemptuous look. “I could ask you the same thing, prancing down the hallway half-naked.”

  He runs a calloused hand over his bald head and gives a sheepish grin. “First chance I’ve had all week to take a shower.”

  He stares unabashedly at my hair. “Is that real?”

  I give him a disgruntled look. “Ask your captain! She hacked off a chunk as collateral to make sure I don’t turn her in for illegal cargo.”

  A dark shadow comes over Nipper’s face. “She has no boundaries.”

  I let out an appeased sigh. At least we share something in common. “I’m sorry I almost bowled you over.”

  Nipper leers at me. �
�It’s my lucky day when a pretty girl runs smack into me.”

  I swallow down my revulsion. “I’ll watch where I’m going next time,” I say, and continue down the hallway at a casual pace. His eyes burn a hole in my back, so instead of heading to Sarth’s quarters, I slip into my own room. As soon as I step through the door, I realize my mistake—I’m in Velkan’s room.

  My heart races. I need to wait a few minutes to make sure Nipper has cleared out before I go back out. I sit down on the bottom bunk and draw my cloak around me. I pick at my lip, picturing Velkan here, asleep, his dark skeins of hair spread like the paths of shooting stars around him. That shiver that went through me when his dark fingers brushed up against mine in the Great Hall goes through me again. I’ve never been attracted to anyone on Cwelt. I’ve always felt like a stranger in my own skin there, but with Velkan it’s different, yet somehow familiar. I twist my chain distractedly between my fingers. Maybe our matching bracelets mean there’s some connection between us.

  I look up, startled when he appears in the doorway.

  “What are you doing?” he asks, a puzzled look on his face.

  My throat closes over when I try to speak. I didn’t want to involve him, but I don’t want to lie to him either. After all, this is about him too. “The dargonite’s gone,” I say. “I need to get into Sarth’s quarters and find out where she’s hidden it. Nipper was wandering around in the hallways so I slipped in here to wait until it was clear. I … mistook it for my room.”

  Velkan’s jaw tightens. “Sarth’s quarters are off limits to everyone. She’ll throw you off the ship if she finds you in there.”

  “I need the dargonite to pay for information about our bracelets. I have a lead, a vendor who has contacts on Aristozonex.”

  Velkan leans the palm of his hand against the upper bunk and bows his head as he weighs my words. “She keeps her room locked at all times. If you break in, she’ll turn you over to port security.”

  “Not if it looks like an outside job.” I grin as I get to my feet. “And she won’t be able to report it to the authorities because she won’t want the ship searched.”

  Velkan studies me for a moment. “There’s just one hitch. You said Nipper saw you come in.”

  I frown. “Yeah, I’ll make sure he sees me leave again. I’ll go down to the engine room, check up on Meldus, and tell them both I’m heading back into town.”

  Velkan gives me a lingering look of uncertainty. He’s got to be as curious about our bracelets as I am, but there’s a lot at stake for him. As an indentured serf with no way of making a living away from his master, he’d almost certainly be rounded up and sent to a penal colony if Sarth threw him off the ship for helping me.

  “I need to get back to the fuel depot,” he says. “I’ll alert you if I see Sarth coming back to the ship.”

  I follow him down to the cargo bay and watch him walk down the loading ramp before making my way to the engine room.

  I step gingerly over the threshold into the smelly, cramped space. Half the bulbs in the overhead fixtures are burned out, and the room is filled with the sound of thrumming machines running ragged. I glance over the row of propellant tanks, but Nipper and Meldus are nowhere in sight. My eye falls on a crowbar lying among a pile of dirty tools beneath one of the turbines. I pick it up and tuck it into my belt below my shamskin. It’s perfect for what I have in mind.

  “Meldus!” I yell his name several times to no avail. I squeeze my way through the labyrinth of greasy pipes running the length of the room to the steel door at the far end of the engine room. I hammer on it with my fist and then yank it open. “Meldus, are you in—”

  My mouth drops open. Meldus stares groggily back at me, face flushed, a glass filled with an amber liquid halfway to his mouth. A cigarette dangles from his fingers. Nipper lounges in a nearby chair, legs stretched out, a smirk on his flat face. “Come on in and join the party,” he drawls, slapping a spot on the seat next to him.

  Meldus sets down his glass unsteadily and makes a half-hearted attempt to stand.

  “Don’t bother,” I say coldly. I turn my attention back to Nipper. “He’s had enough of whatever you gave him. Make sure he’s sobered up before Sarth returns. If he gets thrown off this ship, you’re going with him. I have to go into town, but I’ll be back to check on him.”

  An amused grin dances across Nipper’s lips. “You’re pretty good at giving orders, for a savage.”

  I jerk my gaze away from his laughing eyes and slip back out into the engine room. I can’t risk Meldus getting kicked off the ship. I have enough to worry about already, but I need to make sure Sarth doesn’t find him in a drunken state.

  I make my way back up to the cargo bay and then continue quietly up the stairs to the upper level. My heart thunders in my chest as I creep down the utility hallway. Time to stage a robbery, and quickly. I begin by going into the crew rooms and tossing the contents of the bunks and drawers over the floor to make the place look like it was ransacked. When I’m done, I peer out into the hallway and make sure it’s clear before darting across to Sarth’s quarters. I take a deep breath and wedge the crowbar into the doorframe above the lock. It takes a few tries but eventually the door snaps open. I suck in a breath and step inside.

  I’m sweating profusely—partly from exertion, mostly from fear. I sweep my gaze over the room, on the off chance the dargonite is somewhere in view, before proceeding to rip the covers from Sarth’s bed. I peer underneath it and search the mattress, and then move on to the drawers, tossing everything out as I go. Doubt nags at me. What if I’m wrong and all this is for nothing? What if I can’t find the dargonite and have nothing to pay Roma with?

  I move on to the closet and begin rummaging beneath the haphazard heap of clothes and boots on the closet floor. To my relief, I find what I’m looking for—several medium-sized buckets filled with dargonite are stashed beneath a pile of dirty blankets at the back. I hesitate, my chest rising and falling as I try to calm my breathing. If I take it all, she’ll know I had something to do with the break-in.

  I stare at the buckets, my mind scrambling to make the right decision. A thief from the fueling port would be looking for jewelry or other valuables, not a bucket of rocks. I need to make this convincing. I reach for a fistful of pebble-sized dargonite and fill my pocket. Sarth will never notice that much is missing.

  I replace the blankets and turn my attention back to the rest of the room. I see a gun safe in the corner, but I won’t be able to break into that without the code. My eyes settle on Sarth’s desk. First place a thief would look. I scatter the contents and knock over the chair, then reach for the drawer below the desk. Locked. Without hesitation, I raise the crowbar and smash it open. I rummage through the items and pull out some gold coins and an old compass that looks like it might be valuable. I must make sure there’s enough missing to convince Sarth it was a robbery. I tuck the crowbar back beneath my cloak and slip quietly out of the room. Every nerve in my body is taut as I make my way back down to the loading dock. Everything depends on getting out of here without being seen by Nipper or Meldus. I slip the crowbar into the bed of the LunaTrekker in passing. I’ll figure out how to return it to the engine room later. I tread quietly down the loading ramp, nod discreetly at Velkan leaning against the fuel pump, and then put my head down and make a beeline for the security gate. Once safely through, I let out a long breath and walk briskly down the thoroughfare, ignoring the shouts of the vendors vying for my attention.

  Roma is already packing up her wares by the time I reach her table.

  “You’re late,” she says, without lifting her head.

  “Do you have the information?” I ask.

  She flicks me a steely glance. “Money up front.”

  “Information first, if you want to double your earnings.”

  She sticks her palm out in front of me. “Pay up now or leave!”

  I bite down on my lip. I have no choice but to trust her. I rummage around in my pocket for the
smallest nugget of dargonite I can find. “This should be more than enough,” I say, dropping it into her palm.

  She peers down at it for a second, quickly closes her fist over it, and then glances furtively behind her. When she turns back to me, her face is bloodless, her eyes bulging.

  “You stupid little fool!” she hisses.

  11

  “What’s your problem?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at Roma. “You want to get paid, don’t you?”

  “I know what that is,” Roma mutters under her breath.

  “So then you’re aware of how valuable it is,” I retort.

  “Keep your voice down,” Roma says curtly. “Do you want to get us both arrested?”

  I blink in confusion. “What are you talking about? This is a market, isn’t it? We’re free to buy and sell.”

  A look of comprehension flits across Roma’s face. She beckons me closer, her sharp eyes boring into me. “You don’t know, do you?”

  “Know what?”

  “All dargonite mines in the four quadrants have been seized under Syndicate Domain Law. It’s illegal to trade in dargonite, even be in possession of it, under pain of death.”

  I take a step backward, reeling from the impact of her words. “When did this happen?”

  “Last week. The ruling was broadcast to every planet in the Syndicate. Any newly discovered dargonite mines must be declared to the Syndicate within forty-eight hours.”

  I run shaking hands over my shamskin. Images of Cweltans huddled together in the cold, damp underground caves flash through my mind. If I can’t unload the dargonite, I can’t save Cwelt from the Maulers.

  Something in my face triggers a vein of empathy in Roma. “I have an address for you,” she says. “Tango, thirty-nine, alpha, victor, zero. It’s an upscale Pawn Emporium on Aristozonex.”

  “Do they sell the bracelets there?” I ask.