“I found out some interesting things about you,” Vely said, trying to keep her voice hard, channeling her inner Liza.
“Will you give me a chance to explain?” he asked. His expression looked sincere, but she still had misgivings.
“Yes, but you have to explain to Liza and me,” Vely said.
“Of course,” he answered, as if he expected this condition.
“You don’t look great,” Vely commented, noting the pallor of his skin and the bags under his eyes.
“My time with the SSA wasn’t quite as fruitful as Liza’s,” he said. “But I can tell you about it later. We’re about to make our FTL jump.” Vely nodded.
“See you soon, Cedrick,” she said.
“Bye, Vely.”
Cedrick terminated the connection on his side. Vely sighed and lowered herself to the floor, her back pressed against the wall. She drew her knees up to her chest. Her heart was beating so hard that she could feel the pounding in her legs. Soon, she’d have both Liza and Cedrick back, and the thought made her immensely happy and nervous. Ever since she left the Moon, she’d felt so disconnected and alone. She’d never known a life without a family, and even though the Gypsy Star crew was a makeshift family, she still wanted her sister, and to feel their dyad become complete once more. There was so much about their connection and abilities that Vely longed to learn.
Vely smiled to herself and leaned her forehead on her knees for a moment, allowing her heart to slow down and her initial excitement to subside. She needed to report back to Dom, and she knew he’d be a little angry that she didn’t call him to talk to Liza himself.
She pushed herself back up to her feet and straightened her clothes. Leaving her room, she headed towards the Captain’s Quarters, which Dom had taken as his own. His door was closed, and she banged on it with her fist. The door slid open a moment later, revealing Becce, Dom, and Doctor D.
“Come in, Vely,” Dom said. She stepped into the room. A holographic map of the solar system was projected in the air over the table in the middle of the room. Several spots glowed yellow. The moving green spot, Vely assumed, was their ship. “Do you need something?”
Vely dropped into a chair at the table. “I spoke to Liza.” All three heads snapped towards her, their gazes wide.
“She contacted you?” Dom asked, and already Vely could tell he was getting overly excited. She carefully released a small amount of Tranquility into the room.
“Yes, from a ship she’s borrowing, apparently,” Vely said with a chuckle. “She and Cedrick are on their way to meet us at the colony.”
The smile that lit up Dom’s face was heartwarming. Even Doctor D and Becce were grinning.
“Thank the stars,” Becce said, dropping her head down. “Neither Warwick nor Zimir had any idea which SSA location they had been taken to. We could have been searching the galaxy forever.”
“She’s quite the resourceful girl,” Doctor D commented. “She’ll make a great pirate.” Dom and Becce laughed, and Vely rose from the chair.
“I’ll keep you posted if she calls again,” Vely said.
“Please do,” Dom said with a nod. Vely released a little more Tranquility into the room and left, leaving the three to plan.
In the hall on her way back to her room, she ran into the twins. She told them the news, and they exploded in cheers, grabbing Vely’s hands and dancing around, bumping into each other and the walls. “Liza’s coming home!” they cheered together. Home.
Vely struggled to contain her excitement during the rest of the trip to the colony. She changed into some of Liza’s clothes and waited with the rest of the crew near the passenger door while Becce docked the ship. There was still time before they should expect Liza, but Vely was already giddy with anticipation.
Doctor D and Corbin lead a bound Warwick and Zimir up from the brig, and a wave of relief washed over her. After finding out that the two were involved with Liza’s capture and sale to the SSA, Vely had been waiting anxiously for this moment.
“They’re going to know you’re pirates,” Warwick growled when Dom appeared at the door. The captain shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll tell them secrets of the Syndicate.”
“And you wouldn’t be the first, nor the last,” Dom said. “And yet, we somehow endure.” Warwick grimaced, his eyes dark and angry. The ship shuddered against the docking mechanism. Pressurized air hissed around the exterior door of the ship.
“We’re docked,” Becce’s voice said over the intercom, and Dom entered the code to open the door. Vely tried not to laugh as Doctor D and Corbin pushed their two prisoners off the ship and onto the catwalks. Warwick continued to shout threats against the Syndicate while Zimir mumbled death threats to the entire crew.
Vely followed behind with the twins. Becce remained on the ship to have it refueled. The rest of the crew traversed the catwalks towards the entrance to the colony. A few Enforcers in their orange uniforms milled around the entrance, monitoring people who passed through the open doorway. Dom hailed the Enforcers.
“We have a couple of pirates here for you,” he said, gesturing to Warwick and Zimir. One of the Enforcers laughed.
“Pirates turning in pirates?” he asked. Dom shrugged.
“Just how things are,” he said.
“And what’s to stop us from just taking in your whole crew?” another Enforcer asked.
“You could try, but our Tranq here would have you all turned into drooling shells in a moment, if I asked her,” Dom said. Vely flinched slightly at the threat, and she caught Dom’s eye for a moment. He winked, but the gesture did little to quell her uncertainty.
The Enforcers stared at Vely for a moment, then leaned together to talk. “Alright fine,” the first one said. He turned towards the entrance and motioned for them to follow. Doctor D and Corbin shoved Warwick and Zimir forward to follow the enforcers.
Dom hung back to walk beside Vely. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I needed a good threat.” Vely shrugged and smiled, but she couldn’t dismiss the uneasy feeling that settled in her stomach.
The crew passed through a short corridor and into the colony. A racking shiver coursed through Vely’s body. The atmosphere of the colony felt so like the Moon. The citizens looked thin and hungry, and a general feeling of depression lingered in the air. At least it wasn’t nearly as cold on this colony as it had been on the Moon. Still, there wasn’t much wealth to be had, and Vely wondered who was keeping these people downtrodden. She thought it was likely the SSA.
The crew followed the Enforcers through the colony, receiving dirty looks from the citizens. Vely tried to ignore the looks, reminding herself that they hadn’t done anything wrong. Perhaps their hatred was directed towards the Enforcers. To Vely’s relief, it was a short walk to the SSA prison, which was heavily guarded by Enforcers with very large rifles that Vely had never seen before. Before passing through the gate, the Enforcers stopped the crew.
“You can leave the pirates here with us,” one said. Dom nodded, and motioned to Doctor D and Corbin. They shoved Warwick and Zimir forward. They stumbled over the ground before the Enforcers grabbed them and hauled them in through the gates. “Wait here a moment.” They passed through the gate and disappeared into the building.
“What are we waiting for?” Doctor D asked.
Dom said nothing but glanced up at the tall structure. Vely followed his gaze. It was a square building with metal siding and imposing looking windows with metal bars crisscrossing the openings. Vely shivered; in a few windows, arms grasping out through the bars, reaching for something.
“Creepy,” she mumbled under her breath. Finally, the door opened, and a man dressed in a red officer's uniform of the SSA stepped out. He approached Dom.
“You turned in those two pirates, Shad Warwick and Zimir Tchesova?” he asked, looking down at a tablet in his hands.
“I did.”
“Let me see your S-chip,” the officer said. Dom held out his arm where his S-chip had been implanted. Vely st
ill found that to be a weird thing to do, but again, it was a better than being pickpocketed. The officer held his tablet over Dom’s S-chip and tapped a few times on the screen. A red light shone on his arm and the tablet beeped. “Two point five million Simlars have been added.” The officer glanced up. “You sure you don’t want to turn any of these pirates in?” he asked with a sarcastic grin.
“No, thanks,” Dom said. The officer shrugged.
“Pleasure doing business then,” he said, and turned around to walk back into the building. The gates banged closed.
“Let’s go,” Dom said. “This place is making me feel dirty.” Dom led the crew away from the imposing SSA building and back to the docking bay.
50
“No deal. I’ll pay for your ship to be refueled,” Liza said, hoping she had the needed Simlars back on the Gypsy Star. “We stopped your ship from getting blasted by that gamma rifle.”
“Which wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t decide to trespass on my ship,” Wayne River, the pilot of the Wasp said, his arms crossed over his chest. “Sorry. Commandeered.” Liza grinned.
“You weren’t making any money just sitting there,” Liza argued.
“I’m still not making any money. I prefer to pilot my ship under my own volition. Not being controlled by a Katho.”
Liza was running out of options. She had a limited amount of Simlars, and there wasn’t much else she could offer the pilot, unless she could convince the other crew members to donate to the cause. Gwen didn’t have anything to her name after leaving the SSA training facility, and Cedrick’s S-chip had been depleted by SSA goons. She groaned and said jokingly, “Wanna be a pirate?”
Wayne burst out laughing.
“Not a chance,” he replied. Cedrick, who was lounging in a chair, spoke up.
“You’d make more money if you were part of the Galactic Syndicate.” Both Wayne and Liza turned to stare at him.
“How would you know that?” Liza asked. Cedrick sat up.
“I’ve been around,” he said. “If you do jobs for the Syndicate, you’d make a decent amount of money. You’d need a bigger crew, though. The benefit of the Syndicate is having access to resources that an unaffiliated pirate doesn’t have.” Liza glanced back at Wayne. He was considering the idea.
“I’ll talk to your pirate captain when we get to the colony. I still want my J-Jar filled though, Liza,” Wayne said.
“It will be.”
Liza found Gwen in a hall, staring out a window into the dark nothingness of space. She had a very brooding look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Liza asked, stepping up beside her.
“I never expected to get away from the SSA,” Gwen said, glancing at Liza. Her dark eyes were sad. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I know how that feels,” Liza said. “Trust me.” Gwen looked back out the window.
“I assumed I’d be assimilated eventually, or they’d kill me,” she went on. “Now I’m free.” Gwen absently fiddled with the SSA badge still clipped to her trainee uniform. Liza glanced down at her own. She assumed she’d die on the Moon. She still didn’t know what she was living for, other than her sister, but she knew she’d figure it out eventually. At the very least, she wouldn’t live a destitute life under the thumb of the SSA. Never again.
“Well, I hope you know that we’re not just going to abandon you on this colony,” Liza said. “You can come with us on the Gypsy Star until you decide what you want to do.” Gwen smiled.
“Thanks,” she said, still sounding a little unsure.
“Besides, Dom won’t be able to pass up two Kathos, a Tranq, and an Augur, assuming Cedrick doesn’t disappear as soon as we land.”
“Do you think he’d do that?” Gwen asked.
“Who knows.” Liza still didn’t trust him, but she didn’t hate him quite as much as she did before. She knew at any time she could just break into his mind and find out if he was lying, but that felt so invasive. Not to mention, she was sure there were things in his mind that she did not want to see.
“We’re almost there, ladies. Prepare for docking,” Wayne’s voice said over the intercom. Liza squeezed Gwen’s shoulder and led the way back to the bridge. Cedrick was already seated, looking uneasy. Liza stared at him while she sat down and buckled in the straps. She reached out with her power, wanting to prod his mind, but pulled back, chastising herself. He deserved a chance to explain himself without her interference.
The three sat quietly while Wayne guided his ship into the docking bay of the colony. The Wasp received docking clearance, and with a few bumps and jolts, was docked. Wayne stood up from his pilot’s chair and stretched as he walked into the bridge.
“I suppose we could have randomly picked a worse pilot,” Gwen said with a grin to Liza. Wayne gave Gwen a playful shove when she stood up. Liza smiled to herself and followed Wayne to disembark. The docking bay catwalks were busy with ships, passengers, and fueling attendants. Wayne nudged Liza.
“I know, I know. I need my S-chips,” she said. Standing on her toes, she looked around, trying to find The Gypsy Star. Further down, she saw the green gleam of the ship with the dumbest name in the galaxy. She motioned to the others and strode down the catwalk towards the ship. As they neared, Liza saw that the cargo hold door was open, and the crew was unloading crates. Dom and Becce were talking with a merchant, looking at a tablet between them.
Liza glanced back at Gwen and Cedrick with a smile, then broke into a run. Vely walked down the gangway carrying a crate. Hearing Liza’s boots on the metal flooring, Vely turned and looked. Vely screamed, dropped her crate and took off running. The sisters collided into a hug. Now that she was near her sister, Liza felt that strange completeness she’d first noticed on the Cove. Like pieces clicking into place. Vely squeezed Liza tightly.
“I’m so glad you’re back,” Vely said, finally letting Liza go. Vely glanced over Liza’s shoulder at Cedrick, who joined their little reunion. Liza smiled and took a step back, allowing Cedrick to speak to Vely and returned to Gwen, who stood a few meters away, nervously shifting from foot to foot.
“It’s Liza!” Before she knew what was happening, Liza was crushed between several bodies. Doctor D and Corbin and the twins managed to circle her in a bone-splitting hug.
“Hey,” Liza managed to say before they released her, sudden shyness taking over. The crew had grins plastered on their faces, like they might never stop smiling. “This is Gwen!” Liza said, moving the attention away from herself. “Gwen, this is Doctor D, Corbin, and Weed and Speed.” Gwen waved.
“Pleasure,” she said. Doctor D crushed her hand in a shake, while the twins sidled up to her and lifted up a few of her dreads. Corbin introduced himself to her as well. Liza saw Becce and Dom staring at her, so she waved. Becce strode to Liza and lifted her into a hug, squeezing almost as tight as Corbin and Doctor D combined.
“Damn it, Liza,” Becce said, her eyes brimming with tears. “You’re not allowed to be kidnapped ever again.” Liza laughed.
“I’ll try.” Becce let her go but hovered around her, as if Liza might disappear again. Dom approached slowly, his face pink. Liza clenched her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. When he stood in front of her, Becce slipped away to talk to Gwen, who was still surrounded by the rest of the crew, looking overwhelmed.
Liza had not mentally prepared herself for seeing Dom again. Her icy heart melted a little at the sight of him. He was nervous too, and that made Liza blush. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Dom threw his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. His familiar smell washed over her, and for a brief moment, her eyes brimmed with tears she thought she couldn’t cry. In his arms, a million things raced through her mind to say, but they stood in silence, and that was enough.
“These are men’s, but they’re long enough,” Becce said, tossing a pair of pants to Gwen, who was already stripping off her trainee uniform. Liza saw Vely turn around suddenly, her cheeks turning pink. Liza p
inned her SSA badge to her favorite coat, the one Becce had purchased for her. When Liza had arrived, the crew was in the process of removing Zimir and Warwick’s things from the ship while Dom negotiated their sale to a merchant on the colony. While the merchant was gone to get a crew to transport his cargo, Becce and Gwen raided the crates, looking for clothes. Gwen was several inches taller than Becce, which meant hand-me-downs wouldn’t work very well. Gwen didn’t mind and happily pulled on the men’s pants and long-sleeved shirts. Liza watched this, knowing that Wayne was still outside the ship, waiting impatiently for her money to refuel his ship.
When Gwen was dressed, she clipped her badge onto the coat she’d found.
“Are you sure you want to see them again?” Becce asked Liza.
“Unfinished business,” Liza mumbled.
“And you’ll be alright without us?” she asked. Gwen clapped her hand on Becce’s shoulder, looking strange in a mixture of Warwick and Zimir’s old clothes.
“Liza here is a powerful Katho. With me as back up, we’ll be fine,” she said. Liza wrinkled her nose, knowing that Gwen was a much better Katho than she, but the look on Gwen’s face told her not to argue.
“If you say so,” Becce said.
“Ready, Liza?” Gwen asked.
Liza nodded, ruffled Vely’s hair, and strode off the ship with Gwen at her side. On the catwalks, she saw Wayne talking to Dom and Doctor D. As they approached, Wayne called out, “About time.” Liza dug in her pockets for her S-chips. Vely had counted enough Simlars across several to pay for Wayne’s ship to be refueled. She held out her hand to him.
“This should be enough,” she said, but Dom stopped her.
“No, here,” he said, pushing up his sleeve. “Take what you need.” Wayne looked confused, glancing between Liza and Dom. “I insist.” Wayne shrugged and pulled a tablet from his pocket. Using it, he transferred Simlars from Dom’s chip to his own.
“Dom…” Liza breathed, but he shook his head. When the transaction was complete, Wayne turned to Liza and Gwen.
Psychogen (Galactic Syndicate Cycle Book 1) Page 28