And so it was, much later, that most of the Grennig crew sat in their small suite at the Cantina, around their chrome and plexiglass table, drinking coffee. It was the early hours of the morning, by Aurian Standard Time, but they had been to a show with Raemond, Rigondal, Gant and Elkrist, then eaten a sumptuous meal at the Cantina, followed by dancing, drinks, liqueurs and coffee. They should have been in asleep, but their heads were buzzing.
"Hal is coming," stated Delta Ten from his usual position by the door. It slid open and the gunman entered, looking more pale than usual in his black clothing. He didn't offer to speak, but nudged Starfire along the couch as he sat down, coffee in hand.
"Where have you been then?" asked Starfire, knowing she would not get an answer.
"Can you tell me something?" asked Erion. Unusually for her, she had smoked a couple of stimulant cigarillos to keep her awake and was brimming with confidence. Hal stared at her. "You never spend any leave time with us, and you never tell us where you go, but you always end up back here. Why is that?"
"Oh, I can tell you that," grinned Starfire. "We usually have this suite on the house, or at reduced rates 'cos of who we are. It's got two rooms and a high spec Vanity. It would cost a fortune if he had to pay for it, himself. Ain't that right?" Hal declined to answer, but stood up and put his empty cup in the cleaner by the food replicator.
"I'm going to turn in," he muttered, walking to the small room off the lounge. Four single bunks were arranged on the wall to the right, one on the floor and the other three above, each reached by a short ladder. Four cabinets were on the wall facing the door, for clothes, shoes and gunbelts, and there was a full Vanity Unit on the wall to the left; perfect for washing bodies and laundering clothes. Starfire yawned,
"I'm kind of knackered myself," she explained, and followed Hal out of the room.
"Fancy a game of Pan, Major?" Raan produced a pack of cards and gave them an expert, one handed shuffle." Head still buzzing with the excitement of the evening and her stimulant cigarillos, Erion realised she would not be able to sleep for at least an hour.
"Don't mind if I do, Raan." She turned to Delta Ten, still standing by the door. "Do you want to sit with us, Del?"
"No thank you, Major. I am quite happy here."
"Please yourself," she sighed, taking the pack from Raan. "No offence, Captain, but I'd like to shuffle the pack myself if you don't mind."
Erion picked up the cards and dealt out seven cards each. They both studied their cards with expressionless faces. Pan was mainly a game of bluff and neither wished to give anything away. Raan lazily placed a card on face down on the slush pile and picked up another, making sure to school his features so that his elation did not show. What were the chances, he thought to himself, of a six card flush on the first pick up.
"Show Pan?" called Erion, placing a ten credit chip on the table.
"Pan Six," muttered Raan with bad grace. Damn the woman! She had read his thoughts. He slid sixty credits onto the pile in the centre of the table and Erion took the lot with a smirk. Not only did she now know he had a six card flush but he was down sixty credits already.
A loud scream rent the air. They both jumped off the couch, sending the table, cards and coffees flying. They rushed into the tiny bedroom to see a trembling Starfire standing in Hal's arms. She had obviously just used the vanity and was wearing a long shirt as a nightgown. They couldn't see her face because it was buried in Hal's chest, but they could tell by the way she clutched at his black shirt that she was terrified. Hal turned a strained face towards them, and as Starfire was obviously in no shape to speak, Raan caught Hal's eye and said cautiously,
"What's going on?" He and Erion exchanged worried looks. Hal had the mental constitution of a rock and his small range of expressions went from bored indifference, passed through amused contempt and usually ended up at tight lipped anger. Fear was something they never expected to see in his eyes. Hal seemed to be staring at something they couldn't see and Erion had to shout to get his attention.
"Hal, what is it!" He ran a dry tongue around his lips and made a conscious effort to calm himself and slow his breathing.
"We got to go back to Serrell," he said.
THE END
The Grennig crew will return in
Starfire and the Space Dragons
If you have enjoyed this book, could you spare the time to nip over to the Amazon website and leave a review. It would be most appreciated.
Other books by Christine Westhead:
Starfire At Traitor's Gate
The first book in the Starfire series tells the tale of how the crew of the Grennig came together, were branded traitors and finally found their way to the Rebel Alliance.
The Easy Peasy Knitting Machine Pattern Book Series
Easy Peasy 4 Ply Socks
Easy Peasy 4 Ply Mitten and Gloves
Easy Peasy 4 Ply Hats and Scarves
Easy Peasy 4 Ply Slippers
Living on the Cheap
How to live on a small income
How to manage your finances and get out of debt
Baking for beginners and easy meals for those on a tight budget
Christine Westhead was born in Coventry in 1953 and moved to the North of Scotland in 1994, where she lives with her husband and an assortment of pets.
She is an accomplished machine knitter and has written several knitting machine pattern books.
She writes short stories for magazines but her passion is science fiction and she writes the Starfire series of science fiction novels
Starfire and The Planet Killer Page 26