by Elin Wyn
Aryn found a sharp scrap of metal and started digging at the walls while I looked around. I found nothing, so I looked at the pipes again. I found one that was dripping water, checked the water—it was cold this time—and kicked at it until it snapped off. I smelled the water, then took a tiny taste of it, and after noticing that it was fine, I drank a bit before grabbing the broken pipe.
“Get some water,” I said as I took over at the wall. With the pipe, I was able to scrape away at the old mortar used to hold the giant blocks together. I lost track of how long we scraped at the walls, taking turns with the pipe, but it felt like forever. After getting a bigger piece of mortar out and seeing a little spot of light shine through, I got excited.
I put my good shoulder against the wall and started to push. The blocks didn’t budge. “Let me help,” Aryn said. We put our shoulders to the wall and pushed, but nothing happened. I kicked at the wall, accomplishing nothing but hurting my toe.
“Umbba,” I cursed.
“Easy,” Aryn said, putting her hand on my arm. “We’ll get through.”
“And if we don’t? We’re dead if they catch us doing this,” I said. I was losing hope, and she could see it.
She leaned over and kissed me quickly. “We’ll get through. Don’t get discouraged, pretty boy.”
We scraped, stabbed, and kicked at the wall, knocking more and more mortar free. It was taking a while, but as more mortar broke free, the more hope I had. The music was getting louder, the hole was getting bigger, and I was feeling more encouraged.
“See?” Aryn looked at me and smiled. “We’re getting through. We’re gonna make it.” I couldn’t help but share her enthusiasm. We were getting close. Just a few more minutes, that was all it would take. It had to be, any longer and I was positive we were going to be found out.
“Yeah. Move,” I said. I stood up and kicked at the broken blocks. Nothing. I kicked again, and this time something moved a bit. We looked at one another, eyes wide. “Ha.” I turned back towards the wall and started kicking again.
One block started to fall. I grabbed it and yanked at it, pulling it out of the wall. I tossed it to the side and started kicking again. Aryn joined me and between the two of us, we got three blocks out in relatively short time.
We stopped and she tried to crawl through.
“Ugh, I can’t fit.”
“Okay, get out. One or two more blocks,” I said through heavy breaths. I was tired, but the adrenaline kept me moving. We kicked, scraped, pulled, and even pushed against our little hole, and after what I was sure was too much time, the hole was finally big enough to crawl through.
I sent Aryn through first, then followed right behind. I scraped my cooked shoulder twice but ignored the pain…mostly.
She helped me to my feet, and I had a chance to look around. We were in a bathroom, of course, but this one was clean. Well, clean-ish. The music was pounding through the walls and the ceiling.
“Want to dance?” she winked, as she took my hand and tugged me towards the door.
Outside was a club, a massive crowd jumping and writhing to the music.
More than one turned to look at us as we stalked across the floor, filthy and bedraggled.
I flashed an embarrassed smile, grabbed Aryn, and pulled her behind me through the crowd.
It was time we got the kout out of there.
Aryn
“Come on!” Kovor grabbed my hand and pushed his way through the mass of people. I slammed into the shoulders and elbows of those who either refused to move or weren’t paying attention.
Normally I slid through a crowd. Now I just wanted to get distance between us and the compound.
We didn’t stop moving until we reached the pulsing heart of the station center. We slipped into the throng at the mouth of the marketplace, blending in with the day laborers, and I pulled my hood up to hide my hair.
“Which way is the port from here?” Kovor asked, looking over the heads of the other market-goers.
“We can’t go to the port!” I exclaimed. “We can’t risk leading Skud and the rest of Enclave right to the Rogue Star. What if they’re right behind us?”
“All right,” Kovor soothed. “We won’t go to the port. We’ll go to station security instead.”
“That’s worse!” I cried.
Some of the market-goers took notice of my frantic state. Kovor reassured them all with a smile and gently took me by the hand. I leaned into him so no one would think I didn’t want to go with him, but my mind whirled.
We were free, but for how long?
Kovor led me to a quiet nook between two buildings.
“Hear me out.” He lifted a hand to silence me before I could argue back. “I understand that your relationship with any official group of authority hasn’t been a positive one. In my experience, the opposite is true. Let’s go get help from the people whose job it is to help us.”
“The Dominion are supposed to help others in this system,” I pointed out. “And we sure don’t know if we can trust them.”
“Fair point,” he conceded. “But station security isn’t the Dominion. This place is so remote, I doubt they bother alerting the Dominion of every incident.”
“That’s a risk,” I said.
“Everything we’ve done since the Rogue Star picked up you human females has been a risk,” Kovor replied. “Reporting this group of the Enclave to station security could solve all of our problems. If security finds proof that Enclave and the Dominion are linked, we’ll all be safe.”
“Or station security is in the Dominion’s pocket,” I argued. “You have to admit it’s a possibility.”
Kovor rubbed his chin as he weighed our options.
“How about this. You and I are traveling merchants stuck here while our ship is under repair. We go to security and tell them Skud and his group kidnapped us because they thought we were carrying rare gems or something,” he suggested.
I turned his fabrication over in my head. Simple, but believable. It might work.
“Shame you have a good heart.” I smiled up at him. “You could’ve been one hell of a syndicate runner.”
“Don’t try to flatter me,” Kovor chuckled. “Besides, I would have been a criminal mastermind, I’m sure.” He squeezed my hand. “Let’s go. Skud and his thugs will notice that we’ve escaped any moment now. They could already be after us.”
We didn’t waste another minute. Kovor and I held hands as we wove through the crowds.
“Do you know where you’re going?” I called to him.
“Yes,” he called over his shoulder. “There’s directional signs all over the city.” I looked around. To me, directional signs, advertisements and building names were all equally illegible. I had just barely learned to speak Shein through the auto-tutor. Written language hadn’t seemed important yet.
It would be as soon as we were back on board. I took a deep breath and accepted the fact that this time, Kovor was in control.
I’d told him I trusted him, now was the time to prove it. The notion made me feel more anxious than the thought of Skud hunting us down.
“When we get there, let me do the talking,” Kovor instructed me. “All you need to do is look fragile and frightened. I know you’ve never looked that way in your life, so fake it.”
“I’ll do my best,” I assured him, half-amused by his odd confidence in me.
The station security building was found just before the central dome gave way to the workshop dome. We burst through the glass doors, cracking one by accident as it slammed into the wall.
“What’s the meaning of this?” a burly alien in uniform snapped.
“Please, you have to help us,” Kovor panted. I clung to his arm, wide-eyed and trembling. My legs looked like they were about to give out. Kovor tucked me under his arm, clutching me to his side. I clung to him like my life depended on it.
“What’s the matter?” another uniformed alien asked.
“We were kidnapped,” Kovor yelle
d. I let out a small sob and hid my face in his chest so the security officers wouldn’t see my lack of tears.
“What?” the officer exclaimed.
“We’ve been held for days. They were going to kill us but we escaped,” Kovor explained. He was really committing to his act. He expanded on the story we cooked up moments ago with impressive conviction.
Hell, I almost believed him.
“Slow down,” the office said calmly. “Come back into the office and we’ll have you fill out a statement.”
“You don’t understand!” Kovor shouted. “They’re coming after us! We aren’t the only ones they’ve done this to. They had other captives! Silvery women I’ve never seen before.”
“Are they still being held captive?” The office asked, finally seeming to understand the seriousness of our situation.
“I don’t know.” Kovor shook his head. “They locked us in a room under the building.”
“Do you know who did this to you?”
“Yes. They kept calling themselves Enclave.”
The officer’s face darkened. Clearly, he’d heard the name before.
“I knew it was only a matter of time before they really hurt someone,” he muttered more to himself than to us.
“You know of them?” Kovor demanded. I feared my suspicions were right, that the Dominion paid off station security to leave Enclave alone.
“Yes,” the officer nodded. “We’ve never had enough evidence to accuse them of anything other than being a nuisance. If we sent a squad with you, could you lead us to their base?”
“Absolutely,” Kovor nodded.
“Wait just a moment. I’ll have a squad ready in ten minutes.” The officer rushed into a back room. I took a deep, shaking breath.
“Are you all right?” Kovor bent over me, brushed my cheek.
I couldn’t tell if he was genuinely asking or trying to keep up appearances, so decided to give him an answer that would satisfy both scenarios.
“I’ll be all right when those monsters are spaced,” I spat.
“Did they hurt you, miss?” Another officer approached cautiously. Kovor tightened his grip on me as if he would shield me from all the dangers of the world.
I looked at the concerned officer with wide, glassy eyes and simply nodded. The officer gave me an understanding smile.
“We’ll bring them in. Don’t you worry,” he said. Kovor pressed a kiss into the top of my head.
The door to the back area flew open and ten officers filed out, armed and ready.
“We’ll follow you,” one of them nodded to us.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here?” Kovor asked me, keeping the act going. I shook my head.
“I want to stay with you.”
“Will she be safe?” Kovor asked the officer.
“We’ll protect you with our lives,” the officer swore.
Overdramatic, but I appreciated the gesture. Kovor took my hand and together, we led the team of officers back toward the Enclave headquarters. As we walked, I scanned the crowd for Skud or any of the others. I didn’t see any sign of them. Maybe they still hadn’t figured out Kovor and I escaped.
A flash of rich gold caught my eye, quickly followed by a flash of bronze.
“Did you see that?” I murmured to Kovor so the officers wouldn’t hear.
I craned my neck, looking for confirmation that I’d seen what I thought I saw.
“See what?” Kovor asked.
“I thought I saw someone we know,” I whispered. “A certain rogue.”
Kovor understood my meaning quickly enough and began to scan the crowd as well. His height was an advantage.
He must not have seen anything, for he stayed quiet until we reached the main door to the Enclave headquarters.
We both immediately noticed something wasn’t right. The door was wide open.
“Skud can’t be that stupid,” I muttered.
The security team prepared to move in when we heard shouts coming from the doorway, followed by the sounds of a struggle.
One of the Enclave members flew through the door, landing face first on the ground. Aavat charged through the door and kicked the alien while he was down.
“Aavat?” I said louder than I meant to.
He looked up, jaw hanging open, apparently as confused to see us as we were to see him.
“Wait!” Kovor shouted to the officers that had already lifted their weapons. “That’s my friend. No Shein were with the bastards that took us.”
“Is Enclave in there?” an officer asked.
Kovor nodded. The security team moved forward, weapons drawn. Aavat let them pass. I gnawed on my bottom lip, anxious to watch Skud and his morons go down.
“What are you doing here?” Kovor whispered.
“Dejar and I were getting restless,” Aavat said. “You weren’t supposed to be gone this long without checking in. It took us almost a full day to find this place. Half the crew’s in there now.”
“If you’d come just a few hours earlier, you would’ve found us locked in a basement,” Kovor said uneasily.
“I would’ve liked to see that,” Aavat teased.
“We told security we’re kidnapped merchants,” Kovor explained hastily. “Try not to blow our cover.”
“Right,” Aavat nodded. “You two stay out of sight. We’ll sort this out.”
“So much for keeping the crew out of it,” I muttered and waited for the rest of the game to play out.
Kovor
From a small alcove between buildings, a safe distance away, Aryn twitched next to me.
“Are you jealous that Dejar, Aavat and the others get to have all the fun?” I nudged her.
“I want to be the one to break Skud’s nose,” she wailed.
Joking.
Probably.
“The day’s not over. You might still get the chance.” I patted her on the top of her head and she tore her eyes away from the still open door long enough to scowl at me.
She was positively beautiful, especially when she was all fired up.
Between the Rogue Star crewmembers and Qasar Station security, I didn’t imagine it would take very long to bring the Enclave members down.
When nearly twenty minutes passed and there was no sign of anyone, I began to worry.
“What do you think is happening?” Aryn asked me.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I’ll go have a look if you stay here.”
“No way!” Aryn exclaimed. “We go together or we don’t go at all.”
“Is that because you’re concerned for my well-being or you don’t want to be left out of the action?” I asked with a wry smile.
“A little bit of both,” she grinned. Seeing her natural confidence returning eased a band I hadn’t realized was around my chest.
She’d been so shaken by the attack in our room, by our confinement.
Nothing should upset her like that.
And if she wanted to see the bastards who had scared her go down, who was I to deny my lady anything?
No sooner had we stepped out from our alcove than the first station security guard reappeared with Skud in tow, powered restraints binding his massive wrists. Another guard followed closely behind with another Enclave member, followed by another and another. Aryn and I stood aside and looked at each one to make sure every Enclave member we’d seen was accounted for.
Another delay as a large transport unit was summoned, large enough to hold so many. One by one, the station security officers loaded Skud and his beastly crew into the transport unit.
“Did we get them all?” The officer I’d spoken to earlier approached us.
“Looks like it,” Aryn nodded.
“Great.” He turned away from us and called to a pair of officers still lingering by the Enclave door, “Bring the rest of them!”
“The rest?” I asked. An officer appeared in the doorway restraining a furious Aavat. More officers filed out with Dejar, Orrin, Qal, and three more crewme
mbers.
“What’s the meaning of this?” I demanded. “I told you before that they were my acquaintances. They helped you!”
“That doesn’t excuse open brawling,” the officer tutted. “They’d engaged in a fight before we arrived on the premises. It’s a violation of Qasar Station law.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Aryn fumed. “They practically did your job for you!”
“A violation is a violation,” the officer replied, unfazed. “I can’t make special exceptions because you tell me they should get them.”
“We don’t have to tell you!” Aryn cried in frustration. “You saw it for yourself.”
“Report to the station office if you want to know more about the charges filed against them.” The officer plastered a smile on his face, gave us a nod, and sauntered away.
“Tell me that didn’t just happen,” Aryn groaned.
“Let’s go to the station office,” I suggested, mind working fast. We’d come far too close to being finished with this mission to have this sort of hurdle stop us. “It doesn’t look like we can do much for them here.” The Rogue Star crew was loaded into the same transport unit as the Enclave members.
“I hope Aavat has the good sense not to beat Skud to a bloody pulp inside that thing,” Aryn sighed.
“Good sense has never been his strong suit.” I took her hand in mine, letting her presence calm me, order my thoughts. Together, we rushed back to the station security building.
“Let me do the talking,” I told her once we entered the pristine lobby.
“Why?” Aryn demanded in a whisper. “Between the two of us, I’m the better liar.”
“We don’t need lies right now,” I whispered. “We need charm and a form of subtle manipulation that is only learned from living with my mother.”
“All right,” Aryn nodded. “Schmooze away.”
She hung back in one of the plush lobby chairs while I approached the officer stationed at the front desk.
“How can I help you?” he asked unenthusiastically.
“We’re here to petition for the release of a prisoner. Several, actually,” I explained. “We’ve just seen them unjustly arrested. I doubt their transport unit has even arrived.” In no hurry whatsoever, the officer pressed a few keys on his console and pulled up some kind of report.