Haze rang the chime at Violet’s quarters. She came out, a smudge of dark on her cheek.
“You have something on your face…”
She reached up to rub her face which only made the mark smear more. “You want something?”
“The captain, er, the captain’s freng need to meet you. They’re up at the bridge if you have a few minutes.”
“Sure. I’ll be right out.”
The door shut in his face, so he leaned against the opposite wall to wait.
A few seconds later, she returned, the smear missing. “Back. Just some pencil. Hazards of the job. You said the captain needed something?”
“This way,” he said, pushing off from the wall. “I’ll take you there.”
As they walked, he found himself glancing over at her. She’d pulled her dark hair back and tied it in a knot. She was a little scrawny but curvy enough to be easy on the eye. The way she moved and carried herself was very pleasing, and immediately, he wondered how she’d do with a warng in her hands. The need to see her in battle zipped through him, and he shook himself to regain control. His tail flicked against the wall, betraying him.
“So, Haze, what do you do?”
Haze pulled himself back to concentrate on her question. “Weapons, trading with the locals. I have contacts all over, and they tend to get us what we need got. Not always a fair price, but I do what I can. I’m pretty good at reading people.”
She glanced at him at that. “Really. So, what do you read off me?”
He looked her up and down. “You’re tough. Don’t take much lip from anyone. You been in the service before? You have that air about you, like you’ve saluted.”
“Hah. Not me. I am determinedly the furthest thing from. Probably just my dad coming out in me.”
“Your dad was a warrior?”
“Career soldier. Tried to raise his family as a mini-army. Let’s just say, that didn’t work for me.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s not something I talk about too much.”
“Didn’t know my dad much. He kind of lit out of there after I was born.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It happens. …Okay. Here, we are. Bridge.”
Haze whistled.
Soon they heard the clatter of nails on the floor as the frengs made their way to the bridge from their lairs in the captain’s quarters.
The freng always filled Haze with pride. They were fierce and lethal and represented his crew - his band of Warrior Brothers - well.
Like all freng, these two had horns growing from the top of their heads. If attacked from behind, the frengs had been known to rear back on their hind legs and use their horns to slice and impale.
The sharp talons on their front paws were useful in battle to swipe open the bellies of their victims.
If that weren’t enough, they had small lethal spikes surrounding their necks. If an enemy somehow got around the horns and latched on to their necks or backs - or tried to - the freng would react by sending toxins through their neck spikes to immobilize their attackers, giving the freng one last chance to kill.
Even with all that, the freng stood five spans tall. Not much attacked a freng. More likely, it ran and hid and hoped the freng wasn’t feeling hungry …or just bored.
Haze puffed up his chest as the freng came into view. “There’s the boys.”
“Oh… my… holy… hell… What the fuck are those?” Vi’s voice climbed an octave.
“This is Mars and Io, the captain’s freng. Here, boys. Attention.” They immediately obeyed, and Haze patted them on their heads. “So, the main thing is to introduce your scent to them. Let them know you’re part of the pack.”
“You want me to touch those things?” Her voice was a little louder than normal and filled with indignation.
Mars did his little head shake, adjusting the aim of his horns as a warning. He had little patience for most things.
“Just here.” He reached over to pat Mars’ neck, demonstrating that it wasn’t a big deal.
“I’m not going to – Fine! Here.” Violet reached out fast to touch him.
In response, Mars bent his head down further, getting wide-eyed. This was Level Two of Mars’ low-tolerance-for-shenanigans alert system.
“Okay, slow down, sister.” Haze used his most calming voice. “You’re going to spook him. You don’t really want this guy spooked.”
She froze and slowly reached out to touch him.
“Better. Okay, right here.” He patted a little higher on the neck, and she followed suit. “Good, that should be good. Now Io.”
Violet approached him a little slower, and it was done. They didn’t seem too keen on her though, still shaking their heads, although not quite presenting their horns to her.
“I guess that’s good. They probably won’t eat you now.”
Violet shrugged her shoulders.
“Probably won’t eat you,” Haze repeated for effect. She was definitely not taking the freng introductions seriously. “Jeez, girl, you got a death wish or something?”
“Hey, they’re your monsters. Don’t expect me to feed them.”
“Right. Okay, boys, return.”
The boys shook their heads at Violet and headed back up to their lair in the captain’s quarters. Those three weren’t going to be good buddies any time soon, but mission accomplished.
From across the room, the office door slid open, and Fyn and Captain Vren appeared.
The captain hurried over when he saw them. “Good, I’m so glad to make the connection. You must be Violet Dunn? I’m Captain Vren. This is my First Officer of Rank, Fyn Toraves.”
“Nice to meet you. Captain. First Officer. I go by Vi, mostly.”
The captain cocked his head to the side. “It’s very nice to meet you. I hope you’re settling in okay. I know this must all be very different to you.”
Vi raised her eyebrows and nodded her head. “Yes, it’s quite nice here. I don’t have any of this where I’m from. And it’s a gorgeous view.” She gestured to the viewscreen where the black of space and twinkle of stars shown.
“Yes,” the captain agreed, “she is a good ship. Actually, Haze, might I talk with you?”
“Sure captain, what’s up?”
The captain led Haze away from Vi and Fyn.
“Haze, I know your heart is set on going back, but we’ve downloaded the logs from the Mahdfel network. There’s no way to escape notice right now. We’ll reconsider once things cool down a little.”
“Damn it, captain. We ain’t getting nothing here. It’s a frasken waste of time.”
“Haze, there’ll be other dig sites. We need to keep looking. Fyn’s found a possibility out by the Glothus system.”
“Argh. Seriously? The one near Latora? You know that place is no good. It’s the worst possible location.”
“That’s why we’ll be mining the asteroid above it. Shouldn’t be a problem as Latora won’t even know we’re there. But, if we need it, we’ve got Latora within a shuttle distance away. It’s our safest option right now.”
“Captain, we’re Mahdfel. Since when do we do things because it’s safest?”
“Haze, it’s always been a concern. But especially now that we have women on board. It should be your concern too, even if Violet wasn’t here.”
Haze looked over at his mate. She was chatting with Fyn, smiling. Fyn, for his part, was doing about the same.
Don’t tell me they are liking each other, he thought. Yuck. Haze shook his head. Certainly, she’d figure it out on her own.
“Captain, I don’t think I would have joined up if this was going to be the plan.”
The captain nodded his head. “I understand, but we’d be sad to lose you. It’s your decision where you want to do your work, Haze. The Mahdfel would welcome a man of your skillset at any part of their effort.”
Haze sighed. It was one of the things that he liked about the captain: he took Haze at his word.
“Anyway,” Haze said, “my mate and
the freng are acquainted, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Thank you, Haze. You’ll let me know what you decide?”
“Yes, captain.”
He headed back over to rescue his mate. She was laughing. Traitor.
“If you’re good,” he broke in on whatever they were saying, “we can head on out.”
“Officer Fyn was telling me about the Xeo.”
“Hmph. What’s funny about that?”
“Nothing. It’s just some of the stuff the team went through to get her outfitted.”
“Oh.” Haze looked at Fyn darkly.
“Anyway, Violet,” Fyn said. “It was nice to make the connection. I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Sure, thank you, sir.”
As they walked down the hall, Haze felt his anger build. “You can stop doing that, you know.”
“What?”
“Calling that guy ‘sir.’ His head’s big enough already.”
“Haze, don’t you know anything about working with people in charge? Let them know you know they’re in charge, and they’ll let you walk all over the rules. Just so they know, you know, they could say no. Just means they’re less likely to actually say no.”
Haze snorted. “Yeah, no. Fyn likes to make rules so he can be in charge of things.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Suit yourself. So, everything okay with the captain?”
“We’re just going to the backass end of the galaxy to waste more time. I’m probably going to have to transfer out of here, soon, if things don’t change.”
The female stopped in her tracks.
Haze stopped quick too, confused. “The dining room’s that way. It’s just up ahead.”
“I was wondering where you were planning to ship me next. Middle of some battle? Was that what you had planned for us?”
“What?”
“Never mind. Let’s just see if Molly needs any help.”
11
Violet
Just as Vi was getting on the ladder up to the dining and gym level, Haze froze.
“Wait.” Haze aimed sideways and dismounted off the ladder. He grabbed the ladder, flourishing his hand toward the opening. “Manners. Ladies first.”
“Oh, uh. That’s not necess…” She thought about trying to discuss women’s lib with him but decided it wasn’t worth the effort. He didn’t seem likely to get the nuances of it. “Uh, sure, why not.”
When they reached the dining room, the table was already piled high with food, steaming hot. Vi made her way into the kitchen where Molly was piling yet another platter full of food. Vi took a deep breath and thought she’d gone to heaven.
“Molly, it smells delicious. Do you need any help getting things ready?”
“It’s okay. I think I’m about done in here. Oz, can you bring this one out too?”
“Sure, lo ma, I’ll be right back.” He scooped up the platter and left.
Vi cocked her head to the side, paying attention to the translation for a change. “So, Molly, why does he keep calling you his woman? Isn’t that kind of…?”
Molly smiled. “It just means I’m his mate.” She blushed again and looked down at the counter. “I think it’s cute the way he says it.” She looked around. “Where’s Haze? Did it go okay with those terrible lizard dog things?”
“You could have at least warned me. Why the hell are those things even on board?”
“I know. Apparently, they’re special to the crew, like a badge of honor or something.” She rolled her eyes. “Mostly, you won’t even see them, and they’ll leave you alone. The few times I’ve see them on patrol, I lean against the wall. They glance at me, keep walking, and then I remember to do that whole breathing thing.” Molly grimaced.
“Anyway, I was busy cooking this. I knew I should have come with him, but Haze insisted he could handle it. Oz didn’t warn me either. …Men are stupid.”
Vi laughed at that. “You’re sure I can’t do anything to help you?”
“No, I’m good. Besides.” She smiled sweetly, and her voice dropped. “This is kind of your Welcome Here party.”
“Aw, Molly, that’s so sweet.”
“I’m just so glad you’re here. You have no idea what it’s like, just me and a bunch of men. It’s not the same, you know? I mean, I grew up with all brothers, but after a while, it gets old.”
“I feel like I should change or something,” Vi said, looking down at her simple, comfortable clothes.
“You look good, Vi. Let’s have the guys ring the crew in before the food gets cold.”
Dinner was really nice. Everyone, except Haze, had tons of manners and were welcoming and joked around with each other in an easy camaraderie. Haze pretty much ate and grunted. Molly gave Haze a couple of dirty looks, but it didn’t seem to faze him much.
After dinner, the men all cleaned up while Molly and Vi sat together.
“Well, I guess I could get used to this.” Vi leaned back and stretched her arms over her head.
“Does that mean I have a new kitchen wench?” Molly asked.
Vi heaved a sigh, accepting that dishes were definitely in her near future. “Man, I hate dishes, but a lot less than I hate chopping.”
Oz came out then and stood behind Molly’s chair, rubbing her shoulders. “So, mah lo ma, we’re all cleaned up in there. We should probably go get ready for tomorrow.”
“Oh, yes, right. Good idea.” Molly made a deep yawn. “I’ll see you later, Vi.”
“Night, kids,” Vi called after them. Get ready, my ass, she thought with a grin. As far as Vi had heard, all they were doing was traveling to a new mining spot. Considerate of Oz, though, to get that Molly would prefer to keep the pretense.
A minute later, all the men piled out of the kitchen. How they all fit in there, Vi could only guess, but they certainly did make a racket.
“Well, Violet,” the captain said, coming over to stand beside her chair.
Vi got up quickly. "Vi, please."
The captain reached out to take her hand in a friendly handshake. “It was a pleasure to renew the connection, Vi.”
“Thank you, Captain. You as well.” Fyn and Seban wished her a good night next.
She watched them leave. “I suppose I should head to bed now,” she ventured, feeling a bit tired from all the commotion.
“We’ll probably hang out here for a bit, if you want to join us,” Xain offered, sitting back down at the table. Haze sat in another empty seat gesturing to the one next to him with a smile.
Vi felt a happy tinge of nerves run through her as she took the proffered seat. She glanced around. “What do you do here for fun, anyway?”
Haze spoke up. “Fighting, tossing, pretty much whatever tussle people are up for.”
“Games, TV, anything like that?”
“We got our vid screens. I can show you how to tune it to the Galactic Network. Maybe you’ll find some Earth programs, now that your world is part of the Mahdfel network. …Might not be the largest selection yet, but better than nothing.”
“We could play a round of Claren, if you want,” Xain offered.
As the octagonal cards were dealt, she felt the strange, almost leathery cards. They were thicker than normal.
“What is this paper?” she asked.
“It’s verta; it’s made from a tree we have at home.”
As they played a few rounds together, Claren ended up reminding Vi of a cross between Uno and Skip Bo with some odd symbols on the strange leathery cards and everyone playing at once instead of in turns.
It was a lot to take in, but she started to get the hang of it. The ranking system for the alien symbols was still a bit beyond her though, as in which symbol was worth more than the next.
Xain wrote out the order for her, but it slowed her down trying to glance back and forth between her list and the cards in play.
At several points, Haze would nudge her or fend off Xain grabbing the card so that Vi could scoop in to take it from the table. Then Haze would l
ook sideways and kind of reach over to help steer the card to a better spot, all while also making his own matches.
She lost every round, but Haze was fun to play with. He didn’t seem to take the game, or the score, too seriously, and his loud, boisterous laughs were infectious. They’d spent as much time laughing as dealing cards.
As they were cleaning up the cards — way past the point when Vi’d thought she could keep her eyes open — Xain wished them a good night.
Haze paused as he was putting the cards back in their box. “You should come to The Pit some time.”
Vi glanced up, but Haze was fiddling with the cards. He glanced over at her, and she felt a little answering shiver as their eyes met.
“Let me train you. You have good instincts.”
“Hmm. I don’t know about that. I lost every round to you and Xain.” She considered though. She had this feeling he’d probably make training as much fun as cards. “Maybe.”
Plus, she’d get to see him move again and he was definitely someone she could watch for a while longer.
He smiled at her. “Eh. Can’t take that too seriously.” He gestured at the cards. “It’s not like anyone’s gonna bleed from it.”
Vi cleared her throat. “That’s true,” she said with a half-laugh.
His face sort of lit up. “Well, good then. We can figure it out at breakfast.”
Vi tilted her head to the side. “So, what’s all this stuff about where you’re going next? Molly and Oz mentioned something, sounded like they were arguing over it, or… I’m not sure really,” she said as she thought back on it. Molly and Oz almost arguing while she was in the room, and remembering how Haze had seemed to complain about the same thing on the way back from the bridge.
Haze’s face darkened. “Apparently, we’re headed to the middle of the dankest place of the galaxy, because there won’t be no trouble there.” His face made an exaggerated ‘yay me’ expression. “But at least it’s safe.” The derision in his voice dripped and puddled on the floor.
“Safe sounds good,” Vi offered.
Haze shook his head. Standing up, he put the Claren box back in its storage. “Not if it’s wasting my time and nothing to show for it.”
Haze (The Telorex Pact Book 2) Page 4