Private Dicks

by Samantha M. Derr

  "Shi!" Elis shouted, and Shi's head whipped around, towards the noise. Elis was standing on the loading ramp of a small ship, waving at him impatiently. He'd picked up his own stun gun somewhere, and he shot at a goon trying to be sneaky and shoot from behind a stack of crates. Shi added his own shot, darting across the open space and shaking his numb arm to try and force feeling into it.

  "Hurry, hurry," Elis muttered, backing up the ramp and shooting off another few stunner blasts. Shi slammed the side of his hand down on the button that would raise the ramp, turning to fire another stun blast through the rapidly closing ramp.

  The ramp closed, plunging them into sudden quiet, and Shi let his arm fall to his side, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. His arm was still numb, though he thought he could feel his fingertips starting to tingle.

  "You all right?" Elis asked, moving swiftly to the control panel where Shi was standing. He punched a few buttons, then glanced up at Shi questioningly.

  "Arm's numb," Shi said, making a face. "You?"

  "Fine," Elis said, grinning as though this was the most fun he'd had in years. His cheeks were flushed and his hair was askew, and even though he was thinner than he should be, he was still Elis, and Shi wanted nothing more than to pull him close and kiss him senseless. Elis seemed to have the same thought, leaning closer—

  Something chirped from the front of the ship, and Elis jerked away. Shi pushed away his disappointment—there were more important things to focus on at the moment. Elis jogged through the small cargo bay towards the stairs that led to the rest of the ship, and Shi made himself follow, keeping an eye out for anyone who might have taken refuge—or was lying in wait—on the ship itself.

  It was a small ship, not a short range transport, but not much bigger. Most of the space on the ship would be dedicated to fuel reserves, and Shi hoped that, if they got out of Volkov's flagship, those reserves would take them somewhere other than the middle of space.

  They encountered no one on their way to the bridge, and Elis immediately made himself at home, propping Shi's tablet up on top of the main navigation console. He leaned down, pulling free a panel below the console and fishing out some wires. Shi shook his head, wondering just how much training Elis had, that he could pull apart electronics and reprogram them and hook them into other systems without hesitating.

  He was a member of Team Bakala, Shi reminded himself, taking up a position where he could see the door. His whole hand was tingling now, as though he'd slept on it wrong and it had fallen asleep, but times ten. Grimacing, Shi shook his arm, keeping his freshly acquired stun gun at the ready as Elis muttered to himself at the navigation console.

  "Anything I can do?" Shi asked, at the risk of distracting Elis.

  Not looking up, Elis pointed at a chair across the deck, situated in front of a small console. "Sit down. Strap in. Try to find the weapon systems."

  Shi obediently headed that way, nearly tripping over himself when the engines suddenly roared to life. Elis was muttering under his breath, but he'd sat down and was taking the time to strap himself in, so Shi moved more quickly to his designated seat. He'd barely managed to sit down and struggle into the restraining harness before the ship gave a familiar lurch, shoving out of its docking clamps and into the air.

  He did not want to be anyone in the hangar bay; the discharge from the ship's engines would be heating the hangar quickly. If they didn't immediately evacuate, they'd be charred to a crisp or killed whenever Elis got the hangar bay door open. Dismissing that thought, Shi focused on the console in front of him.

  The console flared to life when he hit the button to unlock it. Shi rolled his eyes as the heading of the screen lit up: Weapons Offense Interface. The ship was moving, and Shi punched through the console, trying to figure out what the ship had for weapons and how to use them.

  "Four missiles, a few scatter charges, and an EMP net," Shi listed off, hoping like hell that Elis had a plan for this part of their escape as well. Volkov wouldn't let them fly off without trying to stop or kill them. Probably the latter; Shi had no doubt Elis had likely become a larger problem than he was an asset, and Shi had never been an asset.

  "Deploy one of the scatter charges," Elis said, not looking up from where his fingers were flying over his console. His hair glowed with the light from the screens in front of him, and he occasionally turned to the tablet to make a change there, as well.

  "Now?" Shi asked, startled. "We'll get caught in the blast."

  "No, we won't," Elis snapped. "Do it, Shi, now."

  Shi hesitated for a second, then hit the series of keys he thought would deploy a scatter charge. They were nasty things, scatter charges. They started out as a bundle of small, stable bombs. Once deployed, the bundle broke apart using a small grav-pulse that scattered the bombs. The grav-pulse also destroyed whatever element that kept the bombs stable, causing the least disturbance to set them off.

  "Done," Shi said, when the console flashed a confirmation that the scatter charge was deployed. He was going to kill Elis if they managed to get out of this alive.

  Elis punched a button on the console in front of him, and Shi was forced flat back against his seat as the ship launched into motion, far faster than normal launch speeds. They didn't really care about keeping the hangar intact, Shi thought wryly, which was one of the main reasons launch speeds were typically slow. The ship jerked strangely as it moved, and Shi bet the scatter charges were discharging.

  "Get the EMP ready for my mark," Elis said, slamming the only physical lever on his console up and forward. He ripped off the harness strapping him into place and slid out of his seat below the console. Shi frowned, turning back to his own console and wondering what Elis had planned now. The EMP on a ship this size wouldn't be anywhere near strong enough to really affect Volkov's flagship. They probably had deflection shields that would sneer at the EMP this ship could create.

  Deciding he could ask later, Shi queued up the EMP, waiting for Elis' command. The ship was too small to have a nav screen to show Volkov's ship, and Shi glanced around the small bridge, wondering what Volkov was doing. Deploying ships to run them down? Gearing up weapons to simply obliterate them? The console in front of him told him nothing, and Shi scowled, twisting his chair to face Elis.

  Elis was still under the console, rewiring it to do something, and Shi frowned, wishing for the umpteenth time that he had some idea of what Elis' plan to get them away was. Elis' shirt had ridden up slightly, showing a strip of pale skin and Shi turned away, focusing on his console and not how lovely a sight Elis made, sprawled out below the console and concentrating fiercely on his work.

  "Now," Elis said loudly, and Shi hit the button. The ship rocked as the EMP discharged, Shi grabbed the arms of his seat, bracing himself until the ship settled.

  "All right, and …" Elis said, speaking to himself. Shi swiveled his chair around again. Elis was on his feet, staring down at the console, frowning in concentration as readings swam across the left panel of the screen. He pressed a series of buttons on the right panel, then sat down, half on his own and half because of the lurch the ship gave as the engines kicked up and they surged forward.

  Elis continued to stare at the console, engrossed in whatever it was telling him. Shi waited, trying to tamp down his nerves and impatience. Nothing happened—they weren't shot down, they didn't slow down, Elis continued to not say anything, and Shi fidgeted, not happy with the lack of information.

  "What now?" Shi finally asked, his voice loud in the quiet of the bridge. Elis ignored him, tapping a few buttons on the panel in front of him. Shi scowled, crossing his arms and waiting.

  "That should do it," Elis said, ten minutes later. He'd stared unblinkingly at the console the entire time, occasionally tapping keys and completely ignoring Shi.

  "Should do what?" Shi asked, a little testily, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Elis kept talking and giving orders as though Shi was fully aware of his plan and not following orders solely because he
trusted Elis to get them out of there.

  Elis swiveled his chair, turning to face Shi. "Get us away, what else?"

  "How?" Shi asked, unhooking the straps on the harness holding him into place. He shoved the harness out of his way irritably, leveling a flat look on Elis. "What did you do?"

  Elis looked startled, then scowled at Shi, so familiar and annoyed that Shi's heart gave a twist. He'd almost lost Elis, almost lost the scowls and the way Elis never could sit still for more than a few minutes—

  "Scatter charges disabled their hangar doors, for all three levels," Elis said brusquely. "EMP combined with nav trails for six directions confuses their radar and makes it impossible to tell which way we've gone. Volkov's flagship doesn't have the speed to catch up with us, so by the time they sort out which direction was actually us, we'll have enough of a lead to get to a safe planet before they can reach us."

  "Okay," Shi said, digesting that. "Why didn't they try to kill all six decoys?"

  "They won't kill me," Elis said, his forehead furrowing worriedly. "They don't dare."

  Shi let that one go for the moment. He didn't really want to hear how Elis was protected, since he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like it. "Where are we going?"

  "Planet called Kinfari," Elis said, shrugging. "Three days from here. They'll get us home."

  Shi nodded. Kinfari was maybe two week's travel from Helinsar, where Shi and Elis both made their home. Shi thought briefly, longingly, of his small, compact apartment. Hopefully he still had an office as well—he wouldn't put it past one of the other detectives to take his prolonged absence as an invitation to move into his.

  "What the hell were you thinking, Shi?" Elis demanded, pushing himself out of his chair. "Volkov is dangerous, and you don't have anywhere near the training to handle him! If I hadn't been there—"

  "If you hadn't been there, I would never have agreed," Shi snapped, crossing his arms across his chest and wondering why he'd expected anything else from Elis. "They needed someone Volkov wouldn't know, and someone who knew you. I was the only option."

  "They shouldn't have sent anyone at all!" Elis threw up his hands, like it was Shi's fault that his superiors were idiots. "Least of all you. You don't have any training for this type of mission. What would you have done if I hadn't had a plan to get us out? Volkov was suspicious of you, and what was your plan if you got caught? Did you have a way out?"

  "No, I didn't," Shi said flatly, anger burning through him. "I wasn't supposed to be known, and I didn't do anything to draw suspicion."

  "Except that you did," Elis pointed out, scowling. "You would have been killed—"

  "I was supposed to let you rot, then?" Shi demanded, cutting him off. "I'm sorry I was worried about you!" Shoving out of his seat, Shi stormed from the bridge, ignoring when Elis tried to get his attention. He hesitated in the corridor outside the bridge, then picked a branch at random and headed down it.

  Elis wasn't following him, and Shi squashed the hurt and disappointment that tried to rise up. He wasn't upset, he was angry. Elis was an idiot if he thought Shi had been unaware of the dangers. He was an even bigger idiot if he thought Shi should have said no, even if they technically weren't together anymore. Maybe Shi was an idiot. Elis was his ex, not his lover, and he wasn't supposed to put his life on the line for an ex, not when their last parting had been so angry.

  Shi stopped as he reached the end of the corridor. It spilled into a small room that looked to serve as the galley for the ship. Shi's stomach growled audibly, reminding him that he hadn't finished his last meal. Elis should probably eat, too, even if Shi didn't particularly want to be in his presence at the moment. Crossing the small room, Shi popped open a cabinet and scowled at the contents. Dehydrated rations, which, in addition to being completely flavorless, would have a lovely sawdust texture.

  Doing a quick inventory of the galley, Shi concluded they were going to hate eating until they reached Kinfari. Hopefully, he'd be able to get a meal that tasted like something there. Pulling out two of the metal bowls, Shi mixed the dehydrated powders with their rehydration packs. He collected three fortified juice bags and turned, planning to head back to the bridge.

  Elis was standing in the galley doorway, his face expressionless as he watched Shi. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Shi crossed the small room and shoved one of the bowls at Elis.

  "Eat." Not waiting to see if Elis followed that order, Shi returned to the other side of the room and picked up his own bowl. The rehydrated stew was no different than any rehydrated ration Shi had had, but he'd much rather eat than try to talk to Elis again. From past experience, that was almost as useful as beating his head against a wall. Usually, their fights ended after a few days of ignoring each other, when one of them broke the silence, and they carried on as though the fight had never happened.

  Elis was eating, at least. He didn't seem put off by the rations, and he deftly caught one of the juice packs when Shi tossed it to him. Shi leaned back against the counter, debating whether to break the silence or whether to continue to ignore Elis. He wanted to keep ignoring Elis, but he also really wanted to know where they stood. There was too much going on to ignore everything and fall back into routine in a few days.

  They'd reach Kinfari in a few days. If he ignored Elis for a few days this time, there was every chance they'd go their separate ways and Shi would never see Elis again. He didn't want that, but perhaps Elis did?

  Shi set aside his empty bowl, cracking open the juice pack and taking a hearty swallow. It was pitifully flavored with barely a hit of sour-tasting apple. Shi drank it regardless, fidgeting with the transponder ring still on his finger as he tried to figure out how to ask Elis where they stood without kicking off another fight.

  Glancing at Elis, Shi found him staring at the ring. His expression was resigned and weary, and Shi felt another flash of anger. Did Elis really think that Shi would find someone new—and commit to them fully—within a few months?

  "Who do you know that they couldn't write you off? The operatives I met said that's what they should have done," Shi said, the question out of his mouth before he could think about it. It was petty, but he wasn't going to admit that he'd been hung up on Elis for the last few months if Elis had moved on.

  Elis' mouth tightened and he looked away. He didn't want to say, which could mean anything. Lover, relative, ex-lover, friend … Shi was grasping at straws, trying to come up with an explanation that fit what he wanted to be true. He needed to let go of Elis, go home and move on with his life. He needed to let his N7 license lapse, so he wouldn't have to deal with Elis or the higher tiers of the military anymore.

  "My father," Elis finally said, which made no sense. From what Shi knew about special ops, Elis would never have been trained for special ops—and especially not Team Bakala—if he had family that could be used against him.

  "Your father," Shi repeated, not bothering to keep the skepticism from his voice. Elis was going to have to give him more than that if he wanted Shi to believe him.

  "Yeah," Elis said, shrugging awkwardly. "I didn't know until about a year ago. My mother never talked about him, and I never cared enough about him to find him. Apparently," Elis' mouth twisted into an unhappy imitation of a smile, "he's been keeping an eye on me, and finally decided to meet me last year."

  "Politician?" Shi guessed, because he could definitely see that sort pulling that crap.

  "Senior Ambassador from Helinsar," Elis said, shrugging, as though it wasn't a big deal that his father was one of the most influential and powerful men on their planet. "He tried to get my special ops classification pulled, but the military refused. I guess something about millions of dollars of training made them balk, though I don't doubt they've reconsidered after this."

  Shi nodded, then thumbed the ring down his finger. He tossed it at Elis, who caught it, frowning at it.

  "We had that fight about the starshield case, and then you disappeared. I didn't hear from you for months," Shi said, not a
bove a small amount of revenge for Elis trying to treat him like he was somehow unable to take care of himself because he didn't have Elis' training. "It's a transponder. I was supposed to find you, wait until we got close to a planet, and then activate it. I wasn't going to say no, Elis, even if I thought you'd walked away from me."

  Elis stared at the ring, twisting it between his fingers for a moment. "I'm sorry."

  "I'm not a fool," Shi said, ignoring the apology because he didn't know what to do with that. "I can handle myself well enough, but I went into this knowing there was a lot of risk. I thought it was worth it. You can disagree with that all you like, but I'm not sorry I agreed."

  "I never meant to leave for months," Elis said quietly, running his hand through his overlong hair and mussing it further. "I was sent on what was supposed to be a short mission—two days, tops. It took a week, and on the way back, Volkov's men got the drop on me." Elis grimaced, and Shi wondered how, exactly, Volkov's men had managed that. Elis was too good at his job to go down easily.

  "Blowing up and ignoring each other for a few days isn't going to work," Shi said, even though his heart was screaming at him. "I never know if you're going to come back, and that's not fair."

  "I …" Elis started, looking distinctly uncomfortable, like he did whenever anything relating to commitment or relationships or feelings came up. He shifted, then shrugged. "If that's what you want, I can go my separate way when we reach Kinfari."

  "That's not what I said," Shi snapped, scowling because Elis was trying to dodge around the real issue. "I said, you need to not walk away after a fight and ignore me. I said, you can't just pretend it doesn't happen when we fight."

  "I'm not good at talking," Elis said, staring down at the ring he still held. "I never will be."

  "We're talking now," Shi pointed out, rolling his eyes.

  "And nothing's been resolved," Elis said, scowling. "I can't guarantee we won't fight in the future—"