by E. A. James
“Three criminals have been apprehended aboard the TFS Arbiter.”
The voice coming out of the viewscreen caused her to freeze in place. She didn’t need to turn toward the screen to know whose faces would be illuminated there. A chill ran down her spine as she scanned the crowd around her.
“Bron!” she yelled out, hoping he would hear her above the dull roar of voices that always filled the busy space station. “Bron! Vinnie!”
“The bounties for the individuals are expected to be collected by one Nico Rax within the week,” the announcer continued.
Slowly and with a great deal of apprehension, Alaria turned to face the viewscreen. It was hanging over a very busy bar, filled with a slew of rather skeptical looking individuals. There were Bandurians throwing back shots of Bandurian whiskey, Rengar traders huddled together in the corner of the bar, and a pair of Arkadian women hovering over the counter, waiting impatiently for their drinks. They all looked at Alaria, petite and deceivingly dainty, suspiciously as she moved closer to the screen.
Kira’s face flashed across the screen, with the caption “DETAINED” scrolling along below it. Next was Thor, and then came Dario. The second she saw her father’s face, a slight fearful gasp slipped past her lips.
"Watch it," one of the Bandurians grumbled when Alaria accidentally bumped into his elbow, sending a small amount of his whiskey spilling over the edge of his glass.
“Sorry,” Alaria replied absently.
“Sorry won’t cut it,” the Bandurian replied, throwing back the rest of the drink in his glass. “You owe me a new drink.”
Alaria shifted her gaze quickly to meet his. His face was filled with the typical ridges of his kind, and his dark brown skin pulled his lips as his mouth twisted into a frown. She had to tilt her head all the way back to look up at his face, but she wasn’t about to let him intimidate her.
“I’m not in the mood for your crap,” Alaria said.
Her tone was low and her words harsh. The sound of her voice surprised her, the aggressive nature of it not something she was accustomed to.
“I don’t really care what mood you’re in,” the Bandurian man replied with a demeaning laugh. “I care about my drink.”
“Well, isn’t that a coincidence. Because I don’t give a shit about your drink,” Alaria snapped back.
The Bandurian man slammed his now empty glass down onto the bar with such force that it broke on impact. With that, the entire bar fell silent, and every eye turned to watch the fight that was about to unfold.
Alaria, not missing a beat, took a quick step back and reached for her sidearm. It was drawn and pointed straight in the direction of the Bandurian before he had the chance to move his massive hand. Shards of glass were stuck into his palm, but they didn't seem to bother him. Instead, a vicious smirk crossed his lips.
“Don’t,” Alaria warned, knowing that if given the chance, his glass-punctured hand would come flying directly at her face. “I will shoot you.”
“Alaria!” Bron’s voice called out to her. “What the hell are you doing?”
She turned back to see him, elbowing his way in her direction. Vinnie was close on his heels, assault rifle already in hand. Before she could turn back around, the Bandurian with the bad temper knocked her weapon out of her hand. The sound of the metal skidding across the ground made her heart sink.
Reacting immediately, she pulled her leg up and let it fly, sending her foot into the soft part of the massive man’s stomach. He doubled over and coughed, acting more out of surprise than anything. Before he could retaliate, Alaria took advantage of his compromised state to bring her foot up again, this time letting it land in the place she knew would do the most damage—his groin.
By the time Bron reached her, the Bandurian she was facing off against was ready for a real fight. Her blows had hurt him just enough to infuriate him. Bron knew that as well as she did, which is why he didn’t hesitate to ball up his fist and let it fly right into the side of the man’s face.
The man responded in kind, letting his fist find its home in Bron’s chest. The scuffle continued, spreading out through the bar and pushing onlookers back against the walls, for what felt like an eternity.
It probably would have gone on longer, had it not been for Alaria’s loud, wordless shout.
When the two fighting Bandurians and the rest of the crowd gathered around turned to face her, they found both her and Vinnie, both with guns in hand, and sights trained on the instigator.
A soft click of a gun action locking into place, though, told Alaria that the sudden change in the room was not the result of her and Vinnie’s stance. She turned around slowly to see that three Arbiter Security Officers were eyeing them suspiciously.
“Alright,” one of the gruff, heavily armed officers said, stepping forward. “I don’t know who started this or why, but you are all going to need to come with me.”
“But…” Alaria tried to protest.
He didn’t even pretend to care about her objection. Before she could voice her argument, he had ordered his men to handcuff all of them. Bron, Alaria, and the Bandurian instigator were all escorted quickly from the bar.
“Where’s…?” Alaria asked but Bron cut her off before she could finish her question.
“We’ll get this all figured out,” he said with a wink.
CHAPTER NINE
The air in the brig was stale. There was something familiar about that stale, almost metallic tasting air. Of course, there was. This was not the first, nor the second, brig the group had found themselves locked up in.
Kira sighed as she slumped down on the cold metallic bench lining the wall. “It’s roomier than I thought it would be,” she observed.
Thor paced out the space and nodded. “Bigger than the one on the Roughnecks’ ship, that’s for sure.”
“It’s damper, though,” Kira said, wrinkling her nose as she glanced at the puddle-ridden ground. “Why is it damp?”
“Probably because they have to wash out the cells whenever one of the prisoners…” Dario started.
“That’s okay,” Kira said, cutting him off. “I don’t really need to know.”
Dario chuckled and Thor grunted.
“How long will it take for us to get to Jaantu 7?” Dario asked.
Kira and Thor exchanged looks as they calculated. “About six days, maybe a little more,” Kira estimated. “We’re closer than we were when you and I started out on this same journey a few months ago.”
Thor laughed and slumped down on the bench next to her. “The brig aboard that ship was much nicer than this one. Easier to break out of, too.”
Kira chuckled as she remembered the flight that brought them to where they were in that instant. The irony was laughable. It all started with a trip to transport Thor to Jaantu 7 and now they were both willingly taking that trip together, with an unexpected companion and the pressure of saving the entire galaxy resting on their shoulders.
“Which is fine since we’re not looking for a way to break out,” Dario reminded them.
“This is an odd turn of events,” Thor mused.
“It is. I’m not sure if I like it. I’m not used to just sitting around doing nothing. At the very least, I’m usually scheming,” Kira agreed.
“Well, get used to it,” Dario replied. “We have about a week in here to just sit around and do nothing.”
Kira let out an annoyed grunt. “I just hope the others are having better luck than we are,” she said. “Hopefully they at least figured out that we’re not coming back to set out for the Bazaar with them. We could have at least contacted Artanis if Nico hadn’t been smart enough to take away the comm-bad.”
“Hopefully they figure it out sooner rather than later,” Dario said. “The sooner they get to the Bazaar, the sooner they can start working on a plan to…”
The sound of a large metal door opening at the end of the hall caused them all to fall into a quick silence. Heavy, metallic footsteps rang out as the sound o
f mechanized breathing filled the silence left between them.
“Nico,” Thor said, pushing himself up.
A squeal-like laugh wafted down the corridor. “Commander Rockhold,” Nico Rax replied.
For as menacing as an individual as Nico Rax had upgraded himself to be physically, his high-pitched, squeaky voice was a clear reminder of what he really was beneath the layers of polished metal and high-end weaponry: an oversized rat.
“I cannot tell you how elated I was to see your face pop up on the bounty list again,” Nico continued.
As the rodent-shaped figure came into view through the bars of their cell, his glowing red eyes glided over them, landing on each of them just long enough to send a chill running down their spines.
“I’ve been planning my revenge since the day I last saw you on Vandor,” Nico said, shifting his gaze to Thor.
Thor, grabbing onto the bars between them, leaned in and replied, “how pathetic your life must be to have to spend your time thinking about me.”
Kira could sense Thor’s anger building. He didn’t like being in this position, none of them did. But, for him, it was more personal. She knew as well as he did that he had the strength and agility to defeat Nico Rax. They had done it before. Having to admit defeat was a blow to his ego. That, plus now having to withstand a barrage of taunting from Nico would likely push him over the edge.
“My life may be pathetic, but at least it will remain the life of a free man,” Nico replied, not insulted in the least. “You, on the other hand, will spend the rest of your days locked up in the very place you should have been all along.”
“You can’t even prove that I am guilty of what I’m accused of,” Thor replied angrily.
“It doesn’t matter to me if you’re guilty or not. All that matters is how big of a payout I’ll get for turning you in. I wonder how pathetic that must make you feel. Going from being one of the most elite fighting machines, an Arcanum soldier, and respected Commander, to now being nothing more than a pretty face with an even prettier price tag attached to it.”
“Watch your mouth, rat!” Thor yelled, reaching his hand through the bars and grabbing hold of Nico Rax by the throat.
The mechanized Rengar didn’t seem phased by the assault. With a high-pitched laugh, he grabbed hold of Thor’s wrist, squeezing it so tightly that Thor’s fingertips started to turn purple.
“Thor,” Kira said, standing up quickly and walking over beside him. “This isn’t doing any good,”
Thor didn’t shift his gaze to her. He kept his eyes glued to Nico’s. Kira rested her hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.
“Thor,” she said.
Letting out a frustrated grunt of defeat, he loosened his hold on Nico’s throat and took a small step back deeper into the cell.
“Thank you, Captain,” Nico said, his beady eyes bouncing back and forth between Kira and Thor. “Just for that, I will allow you to eat today.”
“Allow me to eat?” Kira asked.
“Yes. You see, to collect the bounty, I only have to deliver you alive to Jaantu 7. There’s nothing in the posting about delivering you in good health,” Nico explained. “So, Commander Rockhold, if I were you, I’d be a little nicer to me. Because I’ve heard that while it is rather unpleasant, humans can go more than a week without eating and still survive.”
“You can’t starve us!” Dario objected.
“I’d watch my tone, Dr. Marner, or you’ll be missing a meal, as well,” Nico said smugly.
Kira, Thor, and Dario all stood silently, unsure of how to respond. Kira could feel her own frustration building up in her stomach and now she wanted to throw herself across the cell and grab hold of the infamous bounty hunter herself. But, she remained calm. As painful as it was, she remained perfectly calm.
“Very good,” Nico said, nodding his head once. “I will have one of my men bring down meals for the Doctor and Captain. If you wish to share with your companion, that’s up to you. But remember, you never know when I’ll decide to take pity on you again. So, make the most of what you get.”
With that, he turned on his heel and marched back down the hall in the direction he came. No one moved or spoke until the cling of his metallic steps faded completely and the metal door through which he came slammed shut behind him.
“We should have killed him when we had the chance,” Thor said as he slumped down onto the hard metal bench.
“Oh, come on, it’s always nice to see a familiar face,” Kira said, sitting down next to him.
He looked over at her, a rather unamused expression on his face. She smiled weakly and shrugged, sliding her hand over and resting it on his.
“We knew this wouldn’t be fun,” she said.
“I didn’t know it would be humiliating,” Thor replied.
“It’ll be worth it when it’s all said and done,” Dario said encouragingly.
“When it’s all said and done, I’m going to hunt down that little fur-covered robotic freak and take care of him myself,” Thor said leaning back.
“Oh good, we’re making plans again,” Kira said leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder. “That’ll give us something to do to pass the time.”
CHAPTER TEN
“You know, I think this is the first time I’ve been locked up,” Alaria observed as she paced back and forth in front of the bars. “I don’t particularly like it.”
Just sitting around doing nothing was annoying for the first hour they were in the TFS Arbiter’s jail, but by the end of the second, it was painfully frustrating.
“Hey!” she yelled down the hall for the fifteenth time since they had taken them into custody. “Hey! I want to speak to Admiral Artanis! Artanis!”
Bron couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. He understood her irritation at being locked up, especially given the fact that they had just discovered that Kira, Thor, and Dario were picked up by a bounty hunter. But, this wasn’t his first time being behind bars, and he knew how things worked a little better than she did.
“They’re not going to pay attention to you,” he explained, walking up and standing behind her.
She leaned against the bars and turned to face him. She was easily eight inches shorter than him, and she had to lean her head almost all the way back to look up at him from that angle.
“They have to,” she said. “We have to get out of here so we can tell Artanis what happened and get to work on figuring out how to break Dario and the others out.”
“No matter what the reason, they’re not going to believe it. Trust me, people say just about anything to get out of places like this. The guards are used to just ignoring pretty much anything anyone behind these bars says.”
“How much experience do you have being in places like this?” she asked.
“Let’s just say that as much as I like to blame Kira for the trouble I get into, I was pretty successful at finding it on my own before she came along.”
Alaria smiled and turned to peer back out the bars. “Then how will we get out of here?” she asked. “The jail time for disrupting the peace is twenty-four hours. Disrupting the peace and pulling a weapon in public is seventy-two.”
“I can’t believe you,” Bron said, his tone playfully scolding.
“What?” she asked, spinning around again to look up at him.
Her light blond hair draped across her face and her big blue eyes seemed even wider as she waited for his response.
“You’ve been here for two hours and you’ve already lost faith in our trio,” Bron replied.
“Our trio,” she repeated, her eyes lighting up with understanding. “Vinnie! He’ll get us out!”
“He will. And I’m sure he won’t let me forget about it, either. That kid is keeping a list of all the times he’s saved my ass, and I know that this one will definitely make the top.”
Alaria giggled that giggle that made Bron’s stomach feel like he had had one too many shots of Bandurian whiskey. She tossed her perfectly
platinum hair over her shoulder and glided gracefully over to the bench. Bron followed behind her, his steps clumsy and heavy.
“How long do you think he’ll be?” she asked as she slid down onto the metal slab.
“Depends on how creative he’s getting with getting us out.”
Alaria patted the space next to her and scooted over just a little, making room for him. He could feel his cheeks begin to flush a little as he plopped down at her side.
“I hope he doesn’t do anything too drastic,” she said, pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. “The last thing we need is another one of our crew on the wanted list.”