by Jaleta Clegg
"Only if I don’t get to him first," I muttered.
Tayvis patted my bare knee, then bent closer to the display. "Xqtl is about where I remembered." He scanned through the information almost as fast as Scholar could pull it up. "I’d bet that’s where we need to go."
"How are we going to get there?" I said. "We don’t have a ship. And I doubt there are enough here to get away with stealing one."
"There are seventeen registered ships in port," Scholar said. "No Patrol ships. Fifteen ships belong to either Targon or Blackthorne, I haven’t bothered to differentiate since they don’t seem to. The other two are tramp freighters."
"Anyone you know?" Jerimon asked me.
Scholar flicked another glance my way. He pulled up the names of the ships. I shook my head.
"Never met them. Are they Family?" I asked Jerimon.
"Beats me," he said. "Jasyn’s the one to ask about that kind of thing."
"Wait one minute," Scholar said. The floating information squeezed into a tiny bubble. "You," he pointed at Tayvis, "are Patrol. That’s understandable, although how you got here without getting caught is still hard to understand. You," he pointed at me. "Independent Traders Guild. They list you as captain of a small ship. Hard to believe, but I’ll accept it for now. You," he pointed at Jerimon. "You don’t fit in. What is this Family? Are you a member of another syndicate trying to break Targon and Blackthorne?" He frowned at Jerimon. "No, if that were true, you wouldn’t be with him." He pointed back at Tayvis. "Just how did the three of you come to work together?"
Tayvis and Jerimon both looked at me.
"I blame Lowell," I said.
"You blame him for everything," Jerimon said.
"With good cause."
"Don’t you dare start fighting again," Tayvis said. "Or I might have to do something to stop it."
"Like what, Tayvis? Breaking both his legs won’t shut his mouth," I said.
"He isn’t the one who needs to shut up," Tayvis said, warning me.
"No, he’s the one who got us into this mess in the first place."
Tayvis didn’t let me finish. He reached over and put his hand over my mouth. I glared at him. I tried to shove his hand away.
"I don’t want to hear it again, Dace," Tayvis said, pulling his hand back.
"Don’t you ever do that again," I said.
"Do you always fight like this?" Scholar said, watching the three of us with interest.
"It’s usually worse," Jerimon said.
"Shut up, Jerimon," I growled.
"You better feed her soon," Jerimon said.
"There’s snaps back by the door," Scholar said.
"Go get some, Jerimon," Tayvis ordered.
"Yes, sir," Jerimon said.
"I’m beginning to think breaking his legs is a good idea," Tayvis said.
"I heard that," Jerimon called over his shoulder as he crossed the room.
"Pull up the information," Tayvis told Scholar.
Scholar shook his head, a smile teasing around his mouth. "You tell me how the three of you came to work together and I’ll think about it. You explain which family you’re talking about, too." I caught the glint of suspicion in his eyes when he mentioned family. I guessed he suspected we really worked for one of the syndicate families. Although if he’d really believed that, none of us would have been brought into his lair.
"Family," I said, emphasizing the capital letter I heard anytime Jasyn referred to them. "Jerimon and his sister are Gypsies."
"He has a sister?" Scholar said. The speculation on his face was plain.
"She’s married to an ex-Patrol pilot. They also happen to be the rest of my crew. Along with Ginni and Habim." The speculation died.
"Who escaped from the Sidyatha and have the Sidyama chasing them," Scholar said. "You have the most interesting crew. How does he fit in?" He pointed at Tayvis.
Scholar hadn’t even raised an eyebrow over the Gypsy part. Either he knew a lot more about Gypsies than I did, or he knew even less and missed the significance of it.
"He’s Patrol," I said. "He works for Lowell."
"I think that’s enough, Dace," Tayvis said.
"Your food," Jerimon said and dropped a package of snaps in my lap. They were a cross between little sandwiches and pretzels. They were food. I ripped the package open.
"That’s the surest way to get her to shut up," Jerimon said to Tayvis. "Give her food."
"Do you want your ears torn off and fed to you?" I turned to glare at Jerimon. "I’m still mad at you for what you did."
"Dace, shut up," Tayvis said.
"Are you going to stick your hand in my face again?" I felt prickly and grumpy. I wanted out of here and off this planet. I wanted my ship back. I was sick with worry over the others, it was eating at me and making me touchy. Well, more than normal.
He didn’t stick his hand over my mouth. He pulled me into his lap and kissed me until I couldn’t have said anything if I wanted to. I forgot everything except what it felt like when he kissed me. I forgot all the doubts Jerimon had planted in my mind. I forgot where I was. I forgot, at least for that moment, that people were chasing me again and were seriously trying to kill me. I even forgot the snaps.
"That’s a good method to get her to shut up," Jerimon said.
"I don’t think you have anything to worry about from Doggo or Yobo," Scholar said when Tayvis finally let go of me.
Tayvis shifted me to one side, sliding me off his lap onto the cushion. Scholar grinned at the dazed look on my face. I blushed.
"Where were we?" Tayvis said, leaning forward.
Data bloomed in the air.
"Xqtl," Scholar said.
"And no ship," Jerimon put in.
"I think I can fix that," Scholar said. "I got a friend who owns a ship. It’s wrecked, which is why it doesn’t show up on the registry. He’s got the parts. He and his brother keep saying they’re going to fix it and fly away, but they haven’t yet."
"What are you not telling us?" Tayvis asked.
"Deke has a nerve disease," Scholar said. "He can’t walk anymore, can’t hold tools either. His brother came back here a couple months back. Computer specialist of some sort. Rumor has it that he’s got a bad case of spacer shakes. Can’t face flying again. But there’s a ship, if you can fix it and fly it."
"What about it, Dace?" Tayvis asked.
"Depends on how much needs fixed." I tried to keep my mind on our current problem. It wanted to think about kissing Tayvis back, somewhere without an audience. "You find us a ship and we’ll fix it and fly it."
"Then I’ll take you tonight. Just Spacer Chick," he added. "She’s the only one dressed for it."
He laughed as I tried to pull the ruffles on my skirt lower.
Tayvis only agreed to the plan after Scholar explained the second half. As the afternoon waned, the others began to drift into the shelter. By the time we had eaten, real food this time, and had our plans set, the room was full.
Scholar and Doggo would take me to Deke’s place. The streets were swarming with Targon and Blackthorne muscle squads. Looking for the three of us, I was sure. Tayvis and Jerimon were hard to miss. Scholar assured me he had ways to get me past the goon squads without them even noticing. I suspected what he was planning by the looks he and Doggo gave me. As long as it didn’t involve Doggo’s bottle of quatzolatl, I decided I could live with it. The second half of his plan was for Torch and some others to take Tayvis and Jerimon on the high road, over the rooftops and through back ways. If things were safe at Deke’s, Doggo would signal them and bring in the others.
Scholar waved over Tifa and another girl he introduced as Gloss. "They’ll make you look so much like one of us your own mother wouldn’t recognize you," he said.
That hurt, unexpectedly. My mother died when I was three. I hid it, I was used to hiding that pain.
Tifa and Gloss dragged me into a back room.
"Here," Tifa said and handed me a black knit shirt. "Put it under that one."
&nb
sp; I unfastened the other one and pulled the black one on. It was sleeveless and very tight. I pulled the pale pink one back over the top. Tifa insisted I only fasten it partway. She handed me a pair of the tight knee length pants she and Gloss wore. I pulled them on under the short skirt. They added a shiny vest and lots of metal jewelry. Then they started on my face.
They slimed sparkly creams over my eyelids. Gloss drew neon spirals down one side of my face. Tifa rubbed something in my hair that made it stiff. It also turned it purple.
I looked like one of them, face painted and eyes outlined in heavy black. Glitter sparkled on my face and in my hair. I didn’t recognize myself.
They dragged me back into the main room.
"All done, Scholar," Tifa announced.
Tayvis rolled his eyes and shook his head. Jerimon grinned.
Doggo came up behind me and patted my spiky hair. "You sure you don’t want to stay?" he asked, leering.
"Positive," I answered.
"Let’s go," Scholar said. "The goons have cleared out, for now."
The room erupted in motion. Kids scrambled everywhere. Scholar and Doggo took my arms and led me out through another twisty crawl space. We came out in another alley. Doggo sauntered to the end of it. He put his hands in his pockets and strolled away.
"It’s clear." Scholar draped his arm over my shoulder and led me out of the alley. "Relax," he breathed in my ear. "We’re just out for a walk."
I was petrified that at any moment one of the people walking by was going to recognize me and start shouting. None of them gave me more than a quick glance. Scholar nodded at a couple of the younger looking ones. No one recognized me. Scholar kept one possessive arm around me as we walked.
"Who are you really?" I asked him when we came to a more deserted stretch of street. "You aren’t really a street gang."
"You have a lot of experience with street gangs?" Scholar kept the same bland amused look on his face.
"I grew up on Tivor, in an orphanage. You’re just playing at being a gang."
Scholar stopped and gave me an appraising look. "Most of them have homes, true," he said and started walking again. "They go to school, most don’t fit in. They come to me because they feel safe there. They can express themselves."
"And dress weird." I tugged my ruffles a little lower over my butt.
"Any weirder than a shipsuit? You wear what makes you fit in."
"You aren’t like them."
"No." He shook his head. "My family moved out to a farm when I was small. They were tired of the problems of living in a big city." He gave me a wry grin. Ophir’s main port was not even close to a large city. "Targon killed them several years later for settling in the wrong valley. I came back and tried to find ways to cause Targon grief."
"What will you do when Targon’s gone?"
"You’re certainly confident in yourself. You really think you have a chance of destroying them? All by yourself?"
I shrugged. I suspected Lowell was bringing an entire battle group in, if he knew where to send them. Jerimon had as much as admitted that Lowell had sent him to frame me so he could destroy Targon. It was going to happen or I was going to die doing it.
"I got my gang," Scholar said. "I can hack any data network ever written. The main reason my parents moved here. They didn’t think there would be one to hack. I got my life here. What about you?"
"I’ve got a life, too," I said. "If I could stay out of trouble long enough."
He laughed.
"You two through flirting?" Doggo asked as he drifted back to us. "Five goons ahead. They’re looking closer."
Scholar shifted his arm to my waist and pulled me next to him. "Just play it easy and follow along."
We turned a corner into a well lit street. We were getting close to the spaceport facilities. Five men in dark outfits questioned everyone, stopping the few people out walking in the dark night. Scholar flicked a finger signal at Doggo.
Doggo grinned and walked up to one of the goons.
"Aren’t you going to ask my business?" Doggo demanded when the goon ignored him. "You think I don’t got business here?"
The goons closed ranks around Doggo.
"Go home," one of them growled.
"Make me." Doggo slapped one goon in the face then took off running.
Scholar pushed me into a faster walk. We slipped into a dark alleyway. They were too focused on chasing Doggo to notice us.
"Doggo’ll meet us later," Scholar said.
We worked our way around the small landing field through a network of alleys and empty streets. Scholar kept his arm around me. We must have looked like two street punks searching for a quiet, secluded spot. The few people we saw gave no sign we were more than that.
We came to the section of the space port that always exists. No matter how well planned the city or port is there has to be somewhere for the junked ships to collect along with all the other detritus of broken parts and equipment.
Once we passed into the junk yards, the lights were few and far between. Those that still burned were dim and orange. Scholar slid his hand down my arm to catch my hand in his. We threaded our way through a pile of junk. A single window burned yellow ahead. Scholar led me up to it then knocked.
A camera over the door buzzed and hummed. A light next to the door blinked green. Scholar pushed the door open.
Inside it was surprisingly clean and cozy. Someone had taken several ship cabins apart and linked them together into an apartment.
"Scholar," a man sitting at the table greeted us. "What are you doing out here? In trouble again? Something’s got them stirred up tonight."
"Hey, Deke. Not me or my gang this time." Scholar pulled me forward. "Spacer Chick here did it."
"New girlfriend?" Deke asked, eyeing me up and down.
"Not quite," Scholar replied. "She wants your ship."
"You can’t have it," Deke said. "What you want it for?"
His brother, the one Scholar had mentioned before, came into the room. "You didn’t tell me we had company."
I stared at him in disbelief. I knew him. "Wade?" The last place I’d seen him was on Parrus.
"Dace?" He stared at me in shock.
"Spacer Chick, you know him?" Scholar asked me.
"Spacer Chick?" Wade echoed. He shook his head. "I’d ask, but I don’t think I want to know."
"Have you been holding out on me, Wade?" Deke asked, looking between us.
"I told you about her, Deke," Wade said.
"Her? Kumadai Run?" Deke sounded like he didn’t believe any of it. I was almost flattered. I was still famous. I didn’t want to be.
"She’s the one they’re searching for," Scholar said. "Her and her friends."
"What happened to your ship, Dace?" Wade asked.
"If you already have a ship, why do you want mine?" Deke asked.
"I don’t know where it is," I said.
"You lost a space ship." Wade laughed.
"No, someone took it from me, along with the crew. I want to go get it back. Which is why I need your ship."
"Ours won’t fly," Deke said. "Hasn’t flown for ten years. I can’t do it by myself, but now that Wade is here, we’ll get it flying again."
"I’ll help, if you give us a lift out of here," I said.
"How many?" Deke asked.
"Three," I said.
"Four." Scholar smiled lazily at me. "You need a navigator."
"You’re a navigator?" I asked.
He shook his head. "But I know one who would do it for you."
"You get me off this world," Deke said, "and you can fly my ship anywhere you want."
"Where are you going?" Wade asked.
"Xqtl," I said, mangling the pronunciation.
"Why?" he asked. "There isn’t much there unless you’re an antiquarian."
"Because that’s where they took my ship."
Scholar moved over to the door and flashed the outside light. We heard footsteps over the roof and then a quick
knock at the door. Scholar opened it immediately. Doggo swaggered in. Tayvis and Jerimon came in after him. Scholar spoke quietly to someone outside then shut the door.
"No sweat," Doggo said. "No one saw or heard us."
"I assume you’re Deke," Tayvis said extending his hand out to Deke. "Malcolm Tayvis."
Deke lifted one hand and waved it apologetically. It was twisted into a claw. "I’d shake but my fingers don’t work any more."
"This is Jerimon Pai," Tayvis continued, moving his hand back smoothly to wave it at Jerimon. "I hear you have a ship."
"We were just talking about that," Deke said. "My brother Wade and me are planning on flying out of here someday."
Tayvis glanced over at Wade and nodded. "I saw your picture in the vids a while back." He glanced over at me, an unreadable look. The picture in the papers had shown Wade kissing me on the cheek. Considering what we’d been through together, it was perfectly innocent.
"Tell me what trouble you’re in," Deke said to Tayvis.
Tayvis started with the short version. Deke kept asking questions.
Wade tugged at my sleeve once they were involved. "Can I talk to you?"
I let him pull me into his kitchen. It was small and neat, what I expected after seeing the main room. He leaned against a counter. He looked tired. "Nice outfit."
"Thanks," I said drily. "What did you want, Wade?"
"Do you know what you’re doing to my brother? He thinks he’s well enough to fix that ship. He’s dying."
"Isn’t there help somewhere for him?"
"Maybe, if we could get to Tebros. If we had any money."
"What about all the back pay and bonuses the Patrol offered you?" I knew the deal the Patrol had given those trapped on Vallius. Wade had been Patrol.
"Gone," he said. "I had to take a medical discharge. I can’t fly. Every time I do, all I can think about is being trapped on that planet. Six years of my life are gone."
"So you’re going to let yourself get trapped here? On Ophir? Your brother needs help, Wade. Let us help."
"By dragging us into your problems?"
"Do you know who owns this planet? It isn’t the Empire."
"We stay out of their way and they stay out of ours."
"Until you have something they want."
"I heard Scholar’s stories. They aren’t true. I don’t know who he is, but he isn’t what you seem to think."