“Jasy? This scumbag with you?” Romus asked, pressing the blade a little more into Mark’s neck.
“Yes, he is. Come on, Romus, he doesn’t know Thalians are easily offended, he’s just a capital kid,” Jasy said, trying to get between them.
“All the more reason to gut him,” Romus growled, but stopped as Jasy managed to wiggle her way between them, forcing him to look down at her. “But today’s his lucky day; I have a soft space for cute little space-hikers.” He let go of Mark and smiled at Jasy. “What are you doing on Thalia, beautiful? The last time I saw you, you were orbiting Netolia on a space station serving coffee and breakfast to transporters.”
“That’s because you left me there,” Jasy said, rather breathless now.
Romus chuckled. “Yeah, well, what can I say? Someone offered me better terms and conditions.”
Jasy smiled. “Talking of which, can we get a ride out of here? You headed anywhere?”
Romus scratched his face with a talon. “Yeah, I’m heading towards the outer rim. How much you got?”
“The terms and conditions still apply?” Jasy asked, not giving him a straight answer.
“Well, if it’s the three of you, you know that changes things.”
“How much?” Jasy asked, leading him to the table where Lizzie was.
Mark followed, rubbing his neck.
They all sat down and Romus put his feet up on the table. “Terms, conditions, every night the entire trip.”
Jasy frowned. “That’s going a bit far, Romus. Not even you can keep that up.”
“Then three thousand capital coin,” Romus said, examining his talons. “There are a lot of captains that’ll charge you more, so I think I’m being generous.”
Jasy looked at Mark and Lizzie, wondering if they were really worth this effort. She could just leave them here. Romus would take her wherever she wanted to go, of that she was sure.
She caught Lizzie’s sad eyes and said, “Fine, have it your way. Every night.”
Romus clapped his hands. “Let’s go to my ship, shall we? I was on my way to set sail when I bumped into your lovely friends here.”
Jasy grabbed her stuff and left some coin on the table for the waitress that had never brought the order.
As they walked, Mark moved to walk beside Jasy. “What are his terms and conditions?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jasy said quietly. “It’s between him and me.”
“Jasy …” Mark started to say, but Jasy gave him a ‘keep quiet’ look as they made their way towards the docks.
*~*~*~*
Romus showed them around his ship and to their quarters, a squashed room with three cots, one a bunk, and then told them they would be leaving later that day. Jasy threw her stuff on the single cot away from the bunk and lay down.
“This is too easy,” Mark said. “Did you say …?”
“This is different,” Jasy said with a note of finality.
Before Mark could say anything further, Lizzie put a hand on his lower back, silencing his comment before it could be made. She climbed to the top bunk.
“It’s comfy. Have you flown on this ship before?”
“Obviously,” Jasy said from where she was laying on her back, “but yeah, it is comfy. Romus isn’t like the other captains; he treats people like people and never rats them out. If he says he’s going somewhere, he’ll let you out exactly where he said he was going.”
Lizzie nodded and smiled. “You guys seem friendly.”
“We have a private deal.” Jasy said and turned over, finished talking to the princess.
Lizzie glanced at Mark before settling down herself.
*~*~*~*
“Romus!” Georgani’s voice boomed from the cargo ship. “How are you, old friend?”
“We’re not friends,” Romus commented, cleaning his teeth with his talons.
Jasy had decided to show Mark and Lizzie around the ship when they heard Georgani’s voice and quickly ducked behind a crate in the cargo bay. Jasy pressed a finger to her lips.
“Come now, we’ve had a few adventures together, Romus.”
“You mean where you’ve robbed me blind?”
“Did I? Now I don’t recall it going down like that, but if you think so, then I apologise.”
“What do you want Georgani?” Romus asked, straightening as some of Georgani’s men came up behind him.
“We’re looking for a couple of space-hikers. You wouldn’t have picked any up, would you?”
Romus regarded the man on board his ship and it took all of Jasy’s willpower to not peer around the crate to see the look on his face. She silently prayed to whoever would listen for Romus to keep their whereabouts to himself.
“Nope,” Romus said finally, and Jasy quietly let out a breath, “I haven’t picked one up since I picked Jasy up that time and dropped her off at the edge of the Selencia galaxy, near Netolia.”
“Really?” Georgani asked. “How long ago was that?’
“About a year ago. Now if there is nothing else I’d like to take off …” He paused and eyed the other captain up and down. “Unless you’re looking for a lift.”
Georgani laughed. “I’ve heard about your terms and conditions, Romus. No, thank you. If you do hear from her, please give me a shout. My radio is always on.”
They could hear footsteps retreating and once they were sure it was safe Jasy stood up to see Romus waiting for them, leaning on the crate.
“You want to tell me what that’s about?” Romus asked.
Mark looked at Jasy, slightly panicked, but Jasy smiled and said, “Let’s go fill out those terms and conditions, Romus.” He got a smile that Mark didn’t like and Jasy turned to them. “Go back to the room, I’ll meet you there.” Lizzie nodded before Mark could say anything and Jasy looked at Romus. “Same room?” she asked.
Romus licked his lips and nodded. “Yeah.”
They walked off together, Romus’ hand finding the curve of her back and holding it there.
*~*~*~*
“I don’t trust her, Lizzie. How do we know she isn’t selling us out?”
Mark paced their small cabin, two steps and turn, two steps and turn, and it was making Lizzie dizzy.
“She hasn’t yet, Mark. I don’t know what deal she has with the captain of this ship, but she clearly trusts him and I trust her.”
“I’m telling you there is something fishy between the two of them and we can’t trust them. We should get off of this ship now while we still can.”
Lizzie sighed. “No, I trust her. She won’t lead us into danger.”
“But what are these terms and conditions she keeps talking about?” Mark demanded, frustrated that he was kept in the dark. They felt the engines fire up and Mark glanced at Lizzie. “We shouldn’t stay here.” He sat on his bunk as the space started to rise into the air.
Lizzie lay down and curled up in a ball. “I’m going to get some sleep,” she murmured before dozing off.
Mark stared at the top of the bunk and waited until he was sure Lizzie was fast asleep. He had to know what the terms and conditions were or it would drive him mad. He got up and snuck out the room.
*~*~*~*
Caught
Mark walked around the ship trying to remember the way to the Captain’s quarters from the tour Jasy had given them earlier that day. The ship was big and it was easy to get turned around. The Thalians that moved through the various decks didn’t pay him any mind, barely glancing in his direction as he wandered around lost.
He heard a door open behind him with a whoosh and he glanced back, seeing Jasy exiting through it. She was pulling her shirt on over her head and before she dropped it to cover her torso Mark saw it was covered in scars.
Jasy froze when she saw him, colouring a bright red. Romus stepped out from behind her, kissed her on the head without a second thought, fixed his pants and went off the other way.
Jasy moved towards Mark. “What are you doing here?” she asked, but she knew
the answer. “Why would you follow me? How long have you been out here?”
She was livid with him and Mark supposed, now seeing what the captain had meant, that she had every right to be.
“I didn’t know … I apologize …” He wasn’t sure what to say to make it alright. She was clearly embarrassed and had wanted to keep this a secret, and he had betrayed that. Whatever reason he had given her to help him up until this point was now gone.
“I cannot believe you. You have no goddamn right.”
Jasy looked like she was going to cry and for once Mark felt ashamed.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Mark said, but Jasy pushed past him.
Mark instinctively reached out to grab her arm and as Jasy was jerked back she swung around and raised her hand to slap him. He caught it, used to being attacked, and he brought her close to him.
“Quit it,” he barked at her. Jasy looked up at him and turned and twisted, but he had a firm grip on her and tried to talk over her struggles. “Jasy … I’m sorry … I am … please … just stop … I’m not judging you.”
That stopped her.
She glared at him. “You think I care what you think? You think you matter even an iota to me?”
Mark could feel the frown forming on his face. The blush had left her face and all he could now see was how angry she was.
“You are an imbecile. A complete idiot,” she spat at him. “You think you could survive out here in the real universe without your little guard to protect you and your perfect little princess? Please. Then you wouldn’t have come to me at all.”
Mark pushed her up against the wall, his own anger showing. “You are a nobody. A nothing. Do you understand?” His face contorted until he knew it looked like he was snarling. “You were paid to do this, just like you paid to get us on this ship. You’re nothing more than an employee, a bargaining chip and, trust me, once we’re in black space, we’ll forget about you because you matter that little to us.”
Jasy shook her head and was about to respond when the ship suddenly lurched to the side with a loud bang, sending them toppling over each other.
“What was that?” they asked each other in chorus before Jasy scrambled to get up.
Mark followed her, not sure where she was going until they were there, in the cockpit.
Romus appeared furious. “Jasy!” he growled. “Why is Georgani firing at me?” He swung a stick to his left and they avoided another hit.
Jasy shook her head. “You told him we weren’t here.”
“Take over,” Romus barked at what could only be his first mate.
He got down from his seat and grabbed Jasy by the throat. Mark moved to protect her, but two other crew members grabbed him by his arms.
“Jasy,” Romus hissed at her, “what are you not telling me? Why is Georgani after these two?”
“Terms and conditions,” she breathed out, scratching at the hand holding her up. “You agreed. No … no questions asked.”
Romus glared at her and Mark held his breath, sure that the Talian was going to squeeze her neck and snap it quickly, but he gently lowered her down, looking remorseful.
“I apologize, that was rude.”
Jasy rubbed her neck and waved a hand at him dismissively. “Don’t think anything of it,” she croaked out.
Mark was released and he went to her. “Are you okay?” he whispered and Jasy nodded, swallowing hard.
Romus was about to say something else when something hit their ship, hard.
“They’re boarding, Captain,” a crew member called.
“Well?” Romus snapped. “Don’t just sit here; go get them off my goddamn ship!” He moved to take control again.
Jasy looked at Mark. “Lizzie,” she said, before grabbing his hand and dragging him through the ship.
It felt to Mark as if a lifetime passed as they tried to make their way, with the ship lurching this way and that, towards their quarters.
When they got there, there was no sign of Lizzie. Her backpack lay at the open door, but she was nowhere in sight.
“They have her, Jasy,” Mark said. “We need to do something.”
“Come on, they’ll board through the cargo bay.”
She took his hand again and together they ran the length of the corridor and through a main deck, heading towards the main cargo door where a ship could airlock onto.
They heard screams, curses and the sounds of blasters firing the closer they got, but it was one scream in particular that made their blood run cold.
Lizzie’s shriek for Mark over all the noise made Mark drop Jasy’s hand and hasten towards the sound, forgetting he had no weapon.
Jasy followed, trying to reason with him. “Mark, stop! Mark!”
But he was beyond realisation as he reached the cargo doors and looked in.
It was a showdown between the Thalians and Georgani’s humans. These weren’t just any humans either. When Mark saw their faces bore the ancient tattoos, he knew they were original humans from Earth itself, the most dangerous species in the civilized galaxy.
Behind them Georgani dragged Lizzie back towards his ship and something deep within Mark boiled. He rolled behind a crate and pulled a blaster away from a Thalian. Shifting his weight, he launched from the side of the crate and shot down three humans instantly. He ducked back for cover and shifted to the middle of the crate. Without thinking, he stood up and took out two more humans before ducking back down.
The fighting continued even as Georgani’s ship disconnected from the Thalian one, his engines kicking in as he made his way away from the ship, leaving his crew members behind.
The Thalians killed them all and, when done, Mark stood there, staring at the spot where he last saw Lizzie.
Jasy went to take the blaster from him, but he pocketed it. “We may need it.”
Jasy didn’t do anything further and instead turned to look at Romus. “He attacked you.”
Romus nodded. “Yeah, he did; he attacked me to get that girl.”
“No, he attacked you. He didn’t believe you and he attacked you. The fact he got the girl is irrelevant. What should irritate you is he dared to attack your ship again.”
Mark realised that Jasy was trying to rile him up by bringing up the past like that, so he assisted. “When did he attack you? Did he win last time too?”
Romus’ scales flashed a darker shade of red. “It isn’t about winning, it is about survival.”
“I guess that’s what the cowards call it these days.”
Mark smiled as Romus stomped away, yelling, “No one attacks me! We’re going to get that girl back, she is mine!”
Jasy smiled at Mark. “Trust me now?”
“A little,” he responded, before following her, both of them trailing Romus.
Mark silently sent out thoughts to Lizzie that he would get her back.
*~*~*~*
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hailing from Johannesburg, Southern Africa, Sian B. Claven has enjoyed stories for all her life, whether she was reading them or making them. She has written for as long as she can remember, but Ensnared is the first book she decided to publish. Moving towards writing more for a horror genre, when Sian isn’t thinking of ways to terrify people, she enjoys writing science fiction stories, poetry and rather long and gushy birthday wishes. When she isn’t working on her writing you can find her knitting, scrap booking, reading, or playing Xbox. Sian was previously a reviewer for The Blithering Bibliomaniacs and clearly doesn’t
know what the words rest and relaxation mean, at least not in the traditional sense.
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www.sianbclaven.com
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