by Autumn Dawn
The Splinter ghosted towards the massive doors until it just touched the two-foot thick metal.
And then it phased through it like water through a sieve.
Gasps and muffled prayers surrounded him as the stunned crew witnessed an act of engineering that had only been a scoffed-at dream before this moment. No one had successfully mastered the phase technology, rumored to be an ongoing experiment for transporting goods. Certainly not with living organisms.
His heart in his throat, he held his breath until the external monitors revealed the shadowy Splinter on the outside of the ship, completely intact.
Then it winked out.
Before he could howl his fear, a husky, slightly breathless feminine voice came over the com. “Neat trick, huh? I left a private com in your cabin, Skye. Give me a ring later if you like. See you.”
“Jaide!”
Jaide stared at her screen in disbelief. Leaning forward, she stabbed a finger at the smug image of the Kristol trader. “Listen here, you prissy little—” cutting herself off, she reached for patience. The self-satisfied little twerp was one of the only dealers in the sector, and she’d play havoc trying to find another, short of the black market.
Even if he was a turd.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to reason with him. “Look, Mavic, you know my money’s good. Why not just take it and run? I’ll even add a generous tip,” she added, trying not to grimace. She’d never liked dealing with the pudgy butterball, not only because of his chauvinistic attitude, but also because he had a habit of skimming money wherever he could. The man was a troll, and it was all she could do to keep herself in check long enough to trade with him. One way or another, she swore to herself, this would be the last time.
“My apologies, milady,” he said with far too much satisfaction. “But I’m afraid our trade policy prohibits trading with a married woman without her husband’s permission-in triplicate.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How would you like to be a blood splotch floating in space?”
The pudgy dealer spread his hands. Too bad his apologetic gesture was ruined by his smirk. “I’m sorry, milady. There’s nothing I can do.”
So, her tricky husband had been more creative with his threats. Crossing her arms, she said, “I’ll double your fee.” That should interest the greedy little booger.
He tried to look offended. “Are you suggesting that I would take a bribe?”
Taking that stupid statement as proof that they were being monitored, Jaide cut the transmission, then sat back to think. Skye must have analyzed the spectral trail on the shield doors, found large quantities of Kristol residue, then taken steps to see she didn’t get her hands on any more. It was very devious, and she gave him points for intelligence. Without Kristol, she would soon be grounded, and the market for the synthetic was still too new to hope for any new sources so soon.
Well, spit! Now what?
Toying with her earlobe, she considered her choices. Actually, there was only one, short of stealing. She hadn’t wanted to go black market, not only because of the price, but also because of the often inferior quality of the goods. Still, she did have the equipment to purify any bad stones, and it wouldn’t take that long. If she hurried she should still be able to return to Tantalus in time for the Canyon Run.
Besides, if she worked things right, she might just be able to dig up some information on Trell. Draconian Security might not know it, but the place she needed to go for the Kristol was one of his favorite haunts. With any luck she would be able to issue a private and irresistible challenge to the vain racer. Something that would flush him out in the open, making him easy prey for her Draconian lover.
Making up her mind, Jaide set a course for the dark side of Primus II.
Even with her personal cloak making her appear to be a hulking black man in his mid-forties, Jaide’s peripheral vision was still colored with the red-shot yellow of apprehension. Sane people would not mess with a man as ferocious as she appeared to be, but then, sane people did not go to the Red District.
Bah! Skye probably does this all the time, she told herself, bolstering her courage. She chose to ignore the fact that her husband was also one of the most feared Draconians in the system, and even he never traveled without someone to watch his back in a place like this. Keeping her hand near her blaster, she took a chance and cut through a dark alley, knowing that it would cut her travel time by at least ten minutes.
Tendrils of mist curled about her legs, clinging with clammy hands to her body, sucking away the heat. Pale moonlight gleamed off the broken paving stones, showing hints of scurrying vermin.
Ten minutes off the streets of the Red District was a very good thing.
“I say we rape her first.”
Jaide froze as a rough looking felon came into view. Both he and his partner were so engrossed in their fallen victim that neither of them noticed her. Switching her cloak to camouflage mode so that her image blended into the rusty brown bricks, she crept closer.
The taller of the men kicked the ball of misery at their feet in disgust. Its yelp of pain was soon swallowed up by despairing sobs. “I doubt we could find its poke hole under all that fat,” he sneered.
Jaide stiffened. Eyes narrowing, she drew her blaster, walking silently closer.
The shorter one with the braided pigtails snickered. “One hole’s as good as another.” He reached for the terrified woman.
His hand disappeared in a puff of vapor.
Too shocked to scream, the man stared at his smoking stump, his mouth wide in horror. With a curse his partner reached for his sidearm.
Red laser light cut through the night, evaporating his head.
Cold fear cut through the maimed man’s stupor, and he took off with a yell. Jaide switched settings and stunned the coward, then strode toward his victim, keeping her weapon ready and her eyes open.
“Please don’t hurt me!” The woman lay curled into a rather large ball, hugging her stomach. Tears tracked down the streaks of alley grime coating her bruised face.
“I’m not,” Jaide assured her. A touch on her wrist control deactivated her personal cloak long enough to bring a gasp from the girl. Jaide didn’t dare leave it off longer than that. “Don’t worry, kid. I’m on your side.” She reached down and slid her hand under the girl’s shoulder, using the hand that held her blaster to grasp the girl’s upper arm. “Get up if you can. I don’t plan to hang around and chat with any of the local residents.”
With a great deal of difficulty, the young woman got to her feet, then stood with her arm wrapped around her ribs. “Please, I need to get home.”
“Right.” Keeping her eyes peeled for trouble, Jaide escorted the teen out of the dark alley and into the streetlights, keeping pace with her awkward steps. “What were you doing out here alone at this time of night?”
“My brother,” the girl gasped out, crouching down to hold her belly.
Jaide put a worried hand on her arm. If the girl passed out, there was no way she would be able to carry her.
“I was afraid that one of his clients had hurt him again,” she explained, and the pain on her face was more than physical. “They do that sometimes.”
Judging from the rundown apartment the girl led her to and the shamed way that she said clients, Jaide had a pretty good idea of what her brother did. Asking no more questions, she helped the girl up the three flights of creaking stairs and into her one-room apartment. “What happened to your parents?” she asked, sitting the girl down and running some water in the sink.
“It won’t get hot,” the girl offered, then lapsed into silence.
Knowing that her brother wouldn’t do what he did if things at home hadn’t been pretty ugly, Jaide wrung out a clean sock and asked instead, “How old are you?” When the girl just looked at her as if she were crazed, Jaide rolled her eyes. “Come on kid, do I look like social services?” Cradling the back of her head with her free hand, she gently set about washing the various scrapes, carefully wiping the blo
od away from the girl’s bleeding nose.
After a moment the girl finally admitted, “I’m thirteen. My name is Sorcha.”
Jaide met her eyes for a moment, giving her a grave smile. “Nice to meet you, Sorcha. I’m called Jaide.” Turning her attention back to her task, she asked, “So how old is your brother?”
Another beat of hesitation. “Fourteen.” she looked down at her hands. “His name is Taos.”
Jaide nodded and tossed her cloth into the sink. “Ok, let’s see your ribs, kid.” Sorcha blanched. “Don’t worry about it.” Jaide reassured her with a wry grin. It didn’t take a mind reader to know what was upsetting the girl. “Trust me. I was twice your size when I was a kid.”
Sorcha didn’t look convinced, but she raised her shirt anyway so Jaide could take a look. “It doesn’t hurt too much,” she whispered. Still, she grimaced when Jaide gingerly probed the bruises.
“Well, I’m no doctor, but I don’t think that anything’s broken,” Jaide said at last. She straightened up. “A good night’s sleep wouldn’t hurt, though.” Taking a deep breath, Jaide took a step back, then sold away the rest of her night. “Why don’t you tell me where to look for your brother, Taos? That way I can send him back here and you can rest easy.” The very last thing she wanted to do was to go exploring where the boy was likely to be. It didn’t look like she had much choice, however, if she wanted to preserve her good deed with Sorcha. After all, she’d already invested this much time....
Taos’ corner wasn’t hard to find. After all, the kid made his living by being available to the public.
Shivering in the brisk night wind, Jaide made her way across the darkened street to the club lights the young man stood under. Taos’s spiked dark hair was misty with condensed fog and he shivered in his thin canvas jacket, but his kohl rimmed eyes surveyed her with cool composure. The ancient eyes made his beardless face look much older than his years. He said nothing as he waited for her to make her business known.
Shifting her booted feet on the hard cement in an effort not jog in place, Jaide got right to the point. “Your sister got hurt tonight looking for you.”
“What?” Taos came away from the wall, his faux composure completely slipping away as his eyes widened. “Where is she? Is she hurt bad?”
Happy to sooth his frantic questions, she nodded. “She’s just a little banged up. She’s at your apartment” Jaide broke off as he dashed by in a swirl of chill air, leaving her talking to nothing.
“Glad to be of service.” she muttered as she watched him disappear. She glanced at the club. Not surprisingly, it was an all male establishment, if she interpreted the silhouettes on the flickering sign correctly.
Hmm. Fingering her blaster, she considered the sign. From what she remembered of Trell’s home videos, he was just as likely to be found in a place like this as any other.
Perhaps the Kristol could wait. The question was, would she be safer appearing in there as a man or a woman? More importantly, she thought with a grimace, what would her husband do if he ever caught wind of her appearing in a place like that alone?
Grunting at the answer, Jaide flipped up the collar of her black suede jacket and considered the direction Taos had disappeared in. Well, what the heck, maybe the kid had some useful information. Besides, she told herself as she headed back the way she’d come, someone ought to check up on those two.
Taos wasn’t inclined to let her in the door at first, but he finally gave in to his sister’s pleading and reluctantly stepped back, looking her over critically as she stepped inside. “What do you want?” he demanded tersely, shutting the door behind her, but leaving his hand on the knob as if he’d like to boot her out again.
“Stop it, Taos!” Sorcha demanded, throwing a wadded up sock at her brother. “We owe her. I owe her.”
Jaide blew out a breath and held her hands out. “Hey, I didn’t come here to cause trouble! All I’d like is some information, if you have it.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared at her critically. “Like what?”
“Have you ever heard of a man named V.B. Trell?”
Taos’s face went white, but he said nothing.
Jaide reached into an inner pocket and pulled out the cash she’d been planning to use for the Kristol. One by one she laid the platinum coins on the table in neat stacks until a thousand international units gleamed at him. Taos watched in silence, swallowing hard as he stared at the treasure on his scarred table. “It’s enough money to start over, if that’s what you need,” she whispered softly. “Enough to take your sister someplace safer and find a new job, if you like.” Straightening up, she said in a harsher voice, “Or you can just blow it all and go back to life as usual. Your choice.” Assuming a bargaining air, she told him coolly, “All you have to do to earn it is to tell me what I want to know.”
Jaide picked up Trell and his waiting buddies just past Earth’s moon, as expected. There were four of them, just returning from a raid, and all blissfully unaware of their uninvited company.
Good boy, Taos, she thought with fierce satisfaction.
She studied Trell’s ship. It was one of the newer fighters from Synergy: a sleek barracuda with a detachable front section, a design that maximized the possibility of escape should the structure be battle-damaged.
A trickle of cold sweat slid between her shoulder blades, tickling her back and reminding her how unsuited she was to playing spy master. Still, her sensors had picked up two extra people now on his ship, whereas going in there had been only two.
The odds were high that the extra passengers were kiddnaped women.
For a moment she hesitated. Her hand tightened on the control yoke as she struggled with herself. She’d come here with the intention of challenging Trell to a race. A confrontation with a ship full of hostages hadn’t been part of the plan.
Still, she couldn’t just let him get away with it.
Reaching over to her control panel, she programmed the Splinter to send a call to the Black Tide. While she waited for an answer, she sent a cloaked tracer to Trell’s vessel. It magnetized to the hull without a problem.
“Skye,” she said, hesitating a beat as he appeared on screen. Thank God he was available. No one else was on his bridge, so she must have caught them during a sleep shift. “I’ve found Trell, and he’s got guests. Unwilling guests.” Again she paused, but those women’s lives were worth more to her than petty revenge. “I’ve attached a tracer to his hull, just in case. You should be getting the coordinates right about.…” She checked her readouts. “Now.”
He glanced off screen. “We’ve got them.”
She took a deep breath. “I know you want those women back alive, and I’m for that, but...I might be able to mess up his systems from here, or delay him without revealing myself. If I do that, though, you’ll never know where he was taking the hostages. Worse, he might kill them if he figures out what I’m doing.”
For a long moment he said nothing. She couldn’t know how worried he’d been. Skye reminded himself of that as he fought not to reveal his anxiety. It had to be enough that she’d sought his counsel at this most critical juncture.
For now.
“Skye?” she prodded, getting anxious. “What would you like me to do?”
An indefinable tension drained out of him as he closed his eyes briefly. When they opened again, he was all business. “Survey at a distance. We’ll be right there. Do not engage. Do you hear me?”
Sighing, she nodded her agreement. “I hear you.” She glanced at the ships. “Though you’d better hurry up. Once these guys jump” she broke off as an idea came to her. “Wait!” Her fingers flashed over her control keys, feverishly calling up data. “How long before you can get here?”
“We don’t have time—” he started to protest, already hard at work on his end.
“How long?”
He glanced up briefly. “Three minutes.”
Her eyes grew wide with shock. “You’re following me! How—�
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“We’ll talk about it later,” he snapped, cutting her off. “What’s your plan?”
She put aside her suspicions for the moment and concentrated on her idea. “I’ll distract him, send a message to him from cloak. While I’m talking, you link your signal to mine and tap into his computer. If you’re fast and lucky, you might be able to tap into his system and separate the sections of his ship. Come out fighting and he’ll leave the tail end behind like a bad dream.”
His eyes sparkled with respect. “Do it.”
Wasting no time, she opened a link to Trell.
“Hello, vermin,” she greeted him, gloating at the shocked expressions of Trell and his partner. “Miss me?” Before he could panic and jump to light speed she sent a stream of data scrolling on his screen, just to the left of her image.
“What is that?” he demanded, his hands hovering over his controls. He was clearly torn between leaving in a hurry and curiosity.
“It’s the ship that’s going to wipe out every one of your records in the Canyon Run tomorrow. My ship,” she sneered, being as malicious as possible. She had to hold him until Skye was finished and enraging Trell past the point of caution seemed the best way to do it.
Trell opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Slowly his expression changed to one of cunning speculation as he stared at the information. “Care to make a bet?”
“Why not?” She smirked. “Easy money.”
He toyed with the piercing in his left eyebrow and turned his bald head to his partner. The gesture conveniently hid any visual signals he might be sending.
When he looked up his expression was smooth, relaxed. “Are you woman enough to wager your ship?”
Jaide laughed in his face. “I’m woman enough to beat you, Trell, and then spit in your face as I take your ship.”
Neither Trell nor his partner saw the bridge doors silently shutting behind them until it was too late.
She didn’t have to say any more. Trell’s face blanked in astonishment as the Black Tide, followed by twelve other fighters, broke out of light speed.