Determination: Age Of Expansion – A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Precious Galaxy Book 3)

by Sarah Noffke

  Lewis turned to Penrae. Names weren’t allowed in Tomas’s safehouse. “My buddy here needs your protection. Do you have room for another one?”

  He knew they didn’t really need to stay. Penrae had exactly what she needed: Tomas’s identity. However, they had to play the next part right so as to not raise suspicions.

  “Gringotts’s men have been all over the station lately, you know,” Tomas said, his focus still on Lewis.

  Bailey’s eyes connected with Lewis. She didn’t look right with a swollen lip, but it did make her appear a little less straight and narrow.

  “Yeah, I figured,” Lewis stated. “I only came aboard to help my friend out. I’m loading up and leaving soon.”

  Tomas eyed Bailey, his eyes lingering on her chest a moment too long. “Where you been hanging out, Suits? Last I heard, you were on Ronin.”

  Lewis nodded. “Yeah, that’s where I’ve been.”

  Tomas cast his eyes on Penrae. “Any friend of Suits is one to me. He helped me out with a few matters of business, and I’ve been looking to pay him back.”

  Bailey’s eyes narrowed on Lewis. She immediately sensed his misdeeds, probably because his face flushed red with guilt, visible even in the darkened room.

  What could he say? He’d been desperate after what Melanie did to him and needed to get help. The only way Tomas would take him in is if he ran a couple of jobs for him, used his detective skill to sniff out some leads that had gone stale. So what if they were connected to undermining Federation law? It wasn’t that big of a deal.

  So why is my face burning hot?

  “I’d appreciate the help,” Penrae said, her voice gruff.

  Lewis widened his eyes at her with alarm.

  She coughed. “I mean, I’m tired of running. Owe you a solid for this.”

  Tomas nodded, not looking entirely convinced. “You can take a room in the back with Cross-Eyes and Smelly. I’ll warn you, one of them bites, but no one can tell us which one.”

  Penrae nodded her giant shark head, looking a bit tougher than before. Taking someone else’s identity had to be a trip.

  A man who was shorter than the others and wearing sunglasses, even in the dark room, stopped in the doorway. “Hey, boss!”

  “What is it, Shorty?” Tomas asked, his tone full of annoyance.

  “They are here. In the back…” the small man said, his eyes widening as he looked up at Bailey. He threw up his hands, backing away. “Oh, hell! Run for it! The Federation has found us!”

  The man ran, and Lewis’s pulse quickened. He straightened, backing away.

  Tomas’s eyes followed the direction Shorty had gone, and then he revolved on Bailey and straightened. “Federation! I knew I recognized you from somewhere!”

  Chapter Eight

  Deck 31, Onyx Station, Paladin System

  Tomas reached for something at his back. Bailey blocked him with a one-handed strike before he could pull his weapon. Rapidly, she struck him in the side of the neck and then in the face with her other hand, like a Three Stooges skit.

  He fumbled for his weapon at his back, but Bailey was faster, grabbing him by the wrist and spinning him around as she shoved him into the wall. She yanked the pistol from him as he struggled to turn, which she allowed. She then dove down toward her left toe while sending her right foot high into the air, slamming straight into his face.

  Tomas stumbled over a crate, falling on his head.

  A loud bang echoed from the hallway.

  “Come on!” Lewis yelled. “We have to go!”

  Gomez charged into the office, but stopped abruptly at the sight of Tomas on the ground. “What the—”

  Penrae grabbed the smaller man by the throat, holding him off the floor so that his feet kicked. His face turned a violent shade of red as he struggled to breathe. She launched him back toward the entrance where he’d come from. The sounds of stomping feet were now coming from all directions within the small safehouse.

  Lewis grabbed Bailey by the wrist, taking the lead out of the cramped office. “We have to take the back exit. More men to fight, but it’s easier to get through.”

  Bailey pulled the magazine from Tomas’s rusty pistol and threw it across the space, holding onto the gun itself to use as a blunt weapon. She didn’t want to chance firing it in the state it was in, and weapons weren’t technically allowed on the space station, so she didn’t have her own. Not a problem.

  Three men stood on the far side of the hallway; one of them was Shorty. He was holding a small knife, whereas the others had long sticks. The hallway was narrow, and they were standing in front of what looked like the exit.

  Bailey spun around to where they’d come from. Lewis was right, they shouldn’t try to get through the alleyway—it was too small and could potentially trap them. However, Penrae could easily get out that way, and keeping her safe would be for the best.

  “Can you take Sebastian’s form?” Bailey asked her, referring to the ferret that the Saverus often looked at with a salivating glare.

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “Do it and go out that way.” Bailey pointed to the alleyway. “You know what we need to get done. Do it before word gets out. This is for DJ.”

  Penrae nodded, and then her Trid form dissolved. It appeared that she’d vanished, until Bailey saw the ferret on the floor running for the front entrance. Penrae hopped easily over Gomez’s body and scurried out the door.

  When the lieutenant turned back, Lewis had his hands up like he was surrendering, but he was doing what he did best: Talking.

  “Hey guys. This is a misunderstanding. This girl isn’t with the Federation.”

  “Why did she put Tomas down, then?” Shorty asked, jabbing the knife forward like he was practicing how he was going to gut Lewis.

  The detective jumped back a few inches, hands still up. “He pulled a gun. Wouldn’t even listen to reason. Same thing doesn’t have to happen to you three.”

  A man larger than the rest stepped out from a side room to stand behind the others.

  “You four,” Lewis corrected.

  The man towered over his housemates. His head was nearly the size of a beach ball and just as round.

  “I always knew you were a traitor, Suits,” Shorty said, spitting on the ground. “Told Tomas you were a Federation-lover from the beginning.”

  Thankfully, this hallway was wider than the one they’d come through, and Bailey was able to sidle up next to Lewis. She’d had enough talking.

  Apparently, so had Shorty. He charged at her with his tiny knife, and Bailey rushed forward, stepping onto the wall with one foot as she met her attacker. She spun around, throwing her elbow down on his back. He fell straight to the floor with a grunt.

  Keeping her momentum, Bailey slammed her forearm into the next guy’s torso. He doubled over. Behind her, she could hear Lewis fighting with Shorty. She charged forward, leaving the two she’d injured for Lewis to clean up.

  The third guy swung his baton through the air. Bailey ducked, dodging the first assault, but the second blow came around and connected with her shoulder, sending her crashing into the wall. She dropped the gun. Her shoulder screamed from the hit. She dropped to the ground and spun her leg out and around, tripping the man.

  She popped up as the giant rushed, throwing his fist in her direction. She caught it with her hand and threw him back, but he immediately came at her again. Bailey launched her fist up into his face sending him back once more. Following after him, she threw another round of punches, alternating her fists into his face, knocking him into the wall, his arms flailing.

  She barely had enough time to grab the gun from the ground before one of the previous men jumped on her back, knocking her to the ground. Bailey brought the butt of the gun down behind her, slamming it into the man’s head. He went limp, crumbling beside her. She scrambled to her feet, but it was too late. The giant was waiting for her, and he slammed his fist into her abdomen, catapulting her against the wall.

  S
he felt the drywall crack as she hit, and she slid to the ground. She pushed up to her feet, bracing herself on the wall and trying to catch her breath.

  The giant approached. He knelt down, his hand reaching for her. Bailey launched herself at him, knocking her head into his. The assault sent white across her vision, blinding her for a moment, but the good news was the move had also knocked him out. He fell back onto the opposite wall as ungracefully as a bag of garbage being chucked aside.

  Lewis raced over to Bailey, breathless. Behind him, Shorty and the other man were down, but it looked like they were trying to come back for another round.

  “You okay?” Lewis asked, checking her over.

  Through tattered breaths, she answered, “Yeah, I’m good.”

  He pointed to her left eye. “Looks like you might have gotten that scar you wanted.”

  From the office came a groan, followed by a howl of anger. A moment later, Tomas materialized in the doorway. Behind him, three men appeared from the first room, none of them looking sober, but all of them mad as hell.

  Four pairs of eyes narrowed on Bailey and Lewis, and she spun for the exit that spilled out into what looked like a dirty marketplace.

  “Come on. Let’s go!”

  Chapter Nine

  Deck 31, Onyx Station, Paladin System

  Penrae pulled the tablet from the locker where Bailey had stashed it. When the Saverus shapeshifted, she lost any personal objects she was carrying, taking possession of those items the person had whose identity she took. After she had the drug made she was going to have to store it in the locker so that Bailey could retrieve it.

  Tomas wore a sweaty hoodie, pants that fell off his butt, and a pocket full of strange pills. Real classy guy. Tomas also had a slight limp on the right side, and no hearing in one ear. The injuries were most likely a result of some collision with trouble.

  Penrae checked her surroundings before dropping the pills in a waste bin. She never understood drug use, although hallucinogens were popular among the Saverus; sacrificial rituals were also common, though, so their judgment was obviously a bit skewed.

  Since the beginning, Penrae hadn’t fit in with the Saverus. She’d tried, but questions always plagued her, and challenging the rules or beliefs was considered a crime. Never had she felt so free as when she joined Ghost Squadron, which was why she had to help put the crew back together. Saving Dejoure was crucial for that—although Penrae would have helped save the girl even if she wasn’t.

  Penrae pulled up the directions for Vernon’s lab. It wasn’t far, but it was as well-hidden as Tomas’s safehouse. She started for the location highlighted on the tablet, her affected limp causing the crowd to move to get around her. However, even with her hood up, those who passed in front of her nodded with respect. Tomas had a reputation, it appeared, with criminal types.

  She rounded the corner, scanning the cluttered stalls for the right thoroughfare. She found it between a sardine stand and a day-old-bread booth. The smells that filled this area of the deck competed for grossness.

  Why couldn’t Tomas have a bad sense of smell?

  “Hey!” someone called from the side.

  Penrae turned to find a Federation soldier wearing an annoyed expression. He was eyeing Tomas with a long glance.

  “Yes?” Penrae asked, her voice deep.

  “We’re performing random checks on this deck. I’m going to need to search you.”

  She was suddenly grateful she’d gotten rid of those pills. She hoped there wasn’t anything else hidden in Tomas’s pockets.

  “Sure, should I move over there?” she asked, pointing to the side that was less trafficked.

  The officer raised an eyebrow, seemingly taken aback by Tomas’s good attitude.

  She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. “Or you can come over to me.”

  The guy rolled his eyes. “Spread them and stay still.”

  Penrae did as she was told, and the officer patted her down. He inspected the tablet, but gave it back without question.

  “Where you headed?” he asked.

  “I’m going to the library, sir,” she said, injecting as much condescension as she could without going overboard.

  “Boy, you don’t know how to read.”

  “That’s why your mom is teaching me,” Penrae stated.

  The officer gripped her hoodie and pulled her in close enough that she could see the pores on his big nose. He had awful skin and even worse breath. “You watch your mouth,” he warned. He shoved Penrae back, making her stumble due to the limp. “I’m keeping my eyes on you, boy. I know you’re running drugs for that scum, and when I catch you, you’re going to pay.”

  “Noted,” Penrae said, giving the guy a disingenuous smile.

  She didn’t like being so disrespectful to an authority figure, but it was a part of the job. If she blew her cover, Dejoure would suffer for her mistakes.

  The officer stood back, keenly watching Penrae as she limped away. She took a few more paces and, to her horror, noticed that the alley she needed was up ahead. As discreetly as she could manage, she looked over her shoulder.

  The officer was still there. Watching.

  She strode up to the day-old-bread booth. Behind the counter was an old woman with her head covered the same as Penrae, but probably for different reasons. She was visibly shaking, and her teeth chattered as she handed a crusty loaf to a patron. The woman looked to be freezing to death.

  “What can I get you?” she asked, her voice quivering.

  Penrae nodded to a bag of rolls. “How much for those?”

  “How much you got?” the woman countered.

  Penrae hated what she was going to do next. She checked over her shoulder once more. The officer was still there, his eyes intently on her.

  “What did you say?” Penrae said loudly. “Free bread for the next minute?”

  The woman’s ancient eyes widened, and she shook her head. However, passersby had already stopped. Hordes of people rushed over, many pushing to get to the booth.

  “Nooo…” the woman croaked, but her voice was drowned out by the crowd gathering around.

  They grabbed at the bread, knocking into one another and making a huge mess of the booth.

  Penrae checked over her shoulder. She couldn’t see the officer with the people swarming around her, which meant he couldn’t see her. She ducked through a couple arguing over baguettes and slid into the alleyway.

  Doing that to the old merchant had broken Penrae’s heart. She was definitely going to have Jack transfer a giant sum of money to the old woman’s account when this was done.

  Bailey would have stayed and fought—every part of her wanted to. Those in the safehouse were the type of trash that she longed to put down and lock up. However, she wasn’t technically a Federation officer at the moment, and her partner was a known fugitive. The more heat she brought on them, the more likely it was that Lewis would get caught.

  With Lewis beside her, she busted out into a market that looked suspect in every way. Carts were crowded along the walls, with various objects strewn across their tops. Bags of white substances and pills, small, dirty paper boxes, weapons, devices—all illegal contraband.

  Faces looked up at them as they sprinted through the market. Angry faces that immediately looked on guard and ready to defend themselves.

  “Get them!” Tomas yelled at their back.

  All at once, those angry faces sprang in their direction, heeding Tomas’s order.

  Bailey reached for the closest cart and pulled it down, the objects on it spraying across the dirty floor. Lewis, taking her cue, did the same to another cart on the other side. The move wouldn’t hold them back for long, but it would give Bailey and Lewis a head start.

  She pushed a large man barreling in their direction out of her way and into another crowd that was starting for them.

  “This way!” Lewis yelled, indicating a corridor that led to the elevators for the upper decks.

  She was about
to argue, when she realized the logic of his decision: these people wouldn’t want to risk going to the upper decks, where security was tighter. She looked over her shoulder. Well, most won’t take the risk. They’re probably wanted criminals.

  Sure enough, half of the mob halted, staring at them with hostile glares. However, the other half didn’t look as deterred about the prospect.

  At the back of the group, Tomas could be seen, not moving as fast as the others. “Suits, you’re going to pay for this!” he bellowed, catching himself on a wall, looking out of breath.

  The corridor was mostly empty where they were, although ahead, it was crowded with people trying to load into the elevators.

  Bailey checked her surroundings. The halls on deck thirty-one were bare, with many of the wires and panels exposed. She ran up a curved wall and launched herself up, grabbing the thick cables that ran overhead. She thought that her weight would be enough to break the cables, but they only sagged as she dangled from them.

  Lewis, catching the problem immediately, grabbed Bailey by the hips and tugged her down hard. Her grip slipped, and they both tumbled to the ground, rolling in the opposite direction from the angry mob. The cables broke, sending sparks down as they spiraled in the air like snakes.

  The mob halted, not daring to try and pass under the potential source of electrocution.

  Bailey and Lewis pushed up from the floor.

  “Hey, you!” someone said behind them. “You damaged Federation property!”

  Bailey spun to find a Federation officer racing in their direction. Not just anyone, but Lieutenant Charlie Geos.

  He froze, catching sight of her, his face contorting with confusion. He lowered his weapon, and his chin tilted to the side, like he was trying to see her from a different angle.

  “Bailey?” Charlie asked incredulously.

  Oh, man. It had to be Charlie.

  Bailey had dated him, and it didn’t end well, which meant he wasn’t going to “look the other way.”

  He could never let anything go, and he’d been looking for a way to pin something on Bailey ever since she’d bypassed him in the pilot program. Those who try to sabotage never get ahead though, which was why Charlie was still doing patrols on the lower deck like a newbie.