Star Raiders (13 page)

She pressed her palm against his cheek and felt his almost imperceptible flinch. With his aversion to being touched, she wondered how he managed to seduce and bed so many women.

“What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment. Besides…” He gave her a cocky grin, the moment gone, the bad boy back in place. “Maybe I’l get lucky and she’l succumb to my charms.”

“In your dreams.” Shy let her hand drop along with the subject.

A short time later, she entered the docking bay to prepare
Liberty
for the jaunt down to Ramin Five. They needed to discover where Dempster was headed, and to do so, a trip planet-side was definitely necessary. Able and Terle had completed a few other scans and been unable to track Dempster’s ship.

The sight of a man she didn’t recognize standing just inside
Liberty
’s hatch made her pause. She pul ed her pistol and crept forward along the wal . Who was he? No one could board
Independence
without raising an alarm.

Wait a minute…
She stopped and looked closer. Anger drowned out relief.

She holstered her pistol and stormed up the ramp. Grabbing the man’s arm, she swung him around to face her.

“You jerking idiot! I could have shot you!”

The man gazed calmly back and smiled. Covered as he was from head to toe in Ramin Five rain gear, an OFU hanging around his neck, she didn’t recognize him. Stubble darkened his face, giving him a rakish air. But despite the changes he’d made to his appearance, she knew it was Greyson.

“Where’s Terle?” she asked. “He’s supposed to go down with me.”

“Terle had a smal accident. He cut his hand while replacing a damaged circuit board. It’s just a scratch, but it’s too dangerous for him to be exposed to the bacteria on Ramin Five,” Greyson explained.

“What about Able? Or Bear? Why you?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.

“Able told me he can’t handle an OFU, because of some residual lung damage, and Bear’s size would raise too many questions. Eldin’s too old, and Damon, wel …he’s just too pretty. That leaves me.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Any other objections?”

“No,” she growled. “Let’s go.” She shoved him aside and stomped up the ramp.

Even though
Liberty
was more valuable and a more attractive target for anyone looking to steal a ship, because of her greater firepower and faster speed Shy had opted to take her rather than
Spitfire
. Greyson’s ship would have been an even better option, but it would have raised too many red flags. Better to drop in without drawing any attention at al .

She fired up the engine while Greyson secured the hatch. Once he was seated next to her, she launched.

After they’d been traveling for a while, Greyson asked, “How do you suggest we find out where Dempster’s headed next? Did you have any ideas?” The silent treatment didn’t seem to work with this man. Not that she could ignore him. No matter how hard she tried, every fiber of her being was aware of his presence. The soft rhythm of his breathing tingled in her ears. She inhaled his warm male scent with each and every breath. To dispel the memories that scent engendered, she blew out a sigh of frustration.

“How much do you know about Ramin Five?” she asked.

“Not much. Just that it has the largest oreprocessing plant in the sector, and that, even though they deal with pirates as wel as legitimate businessmen, there’s been no trouble with people getting what they pay for. With everything else going on, it’s never been a priority for ASP or ELF.”

Shy nodded. That al sounded correct. Now it was time to fil him in on her plan.

“Dempster’s powerful, but he doesn’t control every pirate or smuggler. Out here he’s just one among many. He has a lot of power, so he gets few direct chal enges, but the truth is most of us distrust him.

“Because they focus attention on
all
pirates and smugglers, his forays into C.O.I.L. space make him unpopular. More and more, other groups have had to curtail their activities or join Dempster’s group for the protection he can provide. Of course, once they join they can never leave, except in a body bag. ELF and ASP

think it’s me behind al the attacks, but the people out here know the truth.” She glanced at Greyson. “You guys need better informants.” When Greyson didn’t respond, she continued. “In this sector, Fiske is the…big fish. He’s bigger than Dempster, even, so if Dempster wants to do business here, he has to play by Fiske’s rules. Dempster wouldn’t get payment for the ore until it’s inspected, assuming he’s just sel ing it, so unless he wanted to wait around he’d have to file his next port of cal . Fiske wil have that information. He’s finicky about record-keeping.”

“So we just go see this Fiske and ask?”

Shy laughed. “Hardly. Fiske now dislikes ‘air-breathers,’ giving up humanity as he has. Unless the deal is
extremely
lucrative, he conducts his business through middlemen.”

“So we’l ask
them
?”

She shook her head. “No matter the bribe, they won’t tel us anything. They’l be too afraid of Fiske’s retribution—dying on Ramin Five can be a particularly slow, painful process.”

“Then how are we going to get the information?” Greyson was clearly getting frustrated.

“We’l trade for it.”

“What? What wil we trade?”

She grinned. “Me.”

Chapter Nine

“What?
” Greyson shouted.

“Don’t worry.” Shyanne laughed. “I’m not about to sel myself into slavery.”

“Then what in al the blazing galaxies are you talking about?”

“Fiske has a thing for blue-green eyes. He’s been after me for a long time to donate some genetic material for the clone he’s creating.”

“You’d let him clone you?” Greyson couldn’t hide his revulsion. Because of the misuse of the technology and the resultant created abominations, centuries ago Earth had outlawed human cloning and DNA manipulation. Part of ASP’s mandate was to prevent the trade of unlicensed DNA and il egal clones.

“No, he doesn’t want to clone me; he just wants my eye color.” Looking into Shyanne’s laughing eyes, Greyson could understand Fiske’s fascination. Blue and gold flecks floated in green irises like moonlight on the sea.

He shook his head at his fanciful thoughts and said, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Fiske is harmless—mostly. Easy as riding a slipstream.”

“Famous last words,” Greyson muttered.

He reached over and took her hand in his. Her fingers felt cool and fragile, and his overwhelming need to protect this woman shook him. “What does Dempster want with you? Why’s he doing this?”

She tried to tug away, but Greyson held on, forcing her to look at him.

“We have…history.” She gave a weak smile.

Greyson kept quiet and waited to see if she’d continue. Unlike the open young girl he’d known so many years before, the girl who’d confided in him al her dreams, this woman held fast to her secrets. He mourned the demise of that girl, and though he knew he didn’t deserve it, he longed to regain the woman’s trust.

She looked down at the console and began to speak, first in a halting whisper and then with more strength and volume. “When I was a child, I sensed Simon Dempster was jealous of me, that he wanted to be the only one Kedar loved. Odd, for a monster, eh? He hid his feelings from Kedar, so though I disliked and feared him, because Kedar held him in high regard I said nothing. As I grew older, Simon’s interest in me shifted. Before I left for school, he tried courting me, but I couldn’t stand him, and in my naiveté told him so in no uncertain terms. He didn’t take my rejection very wel . Now…now he just wants to
possess
me.” Greyson felt Shyanne shudder. He knew she’d left a lot out. Eldin had told him Dempster abducted Shyanne and held her for several days, and he could only imagine what she’d suffered at his hands. He’d read the reports and seen the vids of Dempster’s attacks.

His grip tightened. When she flinched, he gentled his hold and said, “You’re safe now.”

She gave a short, humorless laugh. “I’l die before I let him get his hands on me again.”

She yanked free of Greyson’s grip and turned back to the controls, and he fel silent as she requested approach and docking permission from the tower. A few minutes later, they landed and stepped out on Ramin Five.

Warm rain poured over Greyson in never-ending sheets that turned the world around them into a watery gray blur. His gear diverted the rain, but in seconds his clothes felt soggy against his sweaty skin. One breath of the soaking, fetid air, and he slapped the OFU over his nose. The taste of decaying vegetation and moldy water remained in his mouth.

They moved across the tarmac toward the stoneblock building that served as a transport terminal. Tendrils of vine crept along the edges of the landing zone, and through the veil of rain he saw flames. Pul ing his pistol, he put himself between them and Shyanne.

She covered his hand with hers. “It’s nothing. Plants on Ramin Five grow fast,” she explained. “It takes constant attention to keep them from overrunning the place.”

Feeling foolish, he blinked away the damp smoke of scorched foliage stinging his eyes and holstered his weapon.

Inside the building, the atmosphere was marginal y dryer and cooler. Greyson shivered. A layer of greenish black mold decorated the stone wal s and made the floor slick. The air tasted thick and sour. Both he and Shyanne kept their OFUs on.

With a harsh grunt, a heavily armed and surly guard led them toward Fiske’s office.

Al his skin not covered in grimy strips of cloth oozed a yel owish, foul-smel ing pus.

Shyanne’s tension echoed Greyson’s as they entered the dimly lit, humid room.

“Welcomes, Prettys Eyes,” a hissing voice greeted them. “Fiske haves misses seeings yous.”

Greyson peered through the thick steam. As his vision sharpened, he recoiled and swal owed back his meal. The man—if his genetical y altered form could stil be cal ed that—floated in a tank of murky water. With no body hair, greenish gray skin, his nose reduced to mere slits, gil s down to his shoulders from where his ears should have been and double eyelids, Fiske appeared more alien than even Silky.

Greyson knew, as did most Earth humans, that many Consortium member species bore little resemblance to humans, but owing to the restrictions of their probation, they rarely encountered any. Eons ago, to avoid xenophobic wars the Consortium’s governing council had decreed that new member species would be introduced slowly and careful y to the myriad shapes intel igent life took. After his instinctive adverse reaction to Fiske, Greyson couldn’t help agreeing. And Fiske was stil human!

Shyanne showed no reaction to the man’s appearance.

“Whats seeks yous froms Fiske?” The fish-man pul ed his body half out of the tank and leaned toward them. Streamers of glistening green algae clung to him.

“A smal bit of information,” Shyanne said.

A long, grayish pink tongue snaked out of Fiske’s slit of a mouth. “Informations iss expensives. Whats haves yous to trades?”

The covetous look in Fiske’s eyes as he gazed at Shyanne left Greyson with the urge to spatter the creature’s probably green blood al over the room. He shook himself mental y.

“Credits,” Shyanne suggested.

Fiske waved a web-fingered hand in the air. Droplets of water splashed Greyson’s cheek. “I’s nos needs of credits. Yous knows whats I’s wants, yesss?” Greyson saw her barely visible shudder, but Shyanne nodded. She held out a smal vial. “I’ve prepared what you need.”

“Takes its tos the doctors, Deek,” Fiske directed a guard who stood by the door. After the guard left, Fiske looked at Shyanne. “Whats informations does yous wants, Prettys Eyes?”

Though they had the information they’d come for, the meeting with Fiske left Greyson feeling unsettled. The trade had gone too easily. Fiske had been almost too eager to comply, too eager to give them what they wanted. Too eager to see them leave.

As they walked through the rain toward their ship, the landing dock looked strangely empty. No other spacecraft rested on the pads. Apart from the constant roar of the rain, there was no sound. No engines idling. No clunk of metal against metal. No voices.

The hair on the back of Greyson’s neck rose. Halfway to the ship, he stopped.

Shyanne paused behind him.

“Something’s wrong. Where is everyone?” Through her OFU, her voice sounded distant and hol ow. “Able, come in.”

As Shyanne tried to contact
Independence
, something moved off to his left.

He struggled to see through the curtains of rain. Metal scraped against stone. He whirled and grabbed Shyanne’s arm.

“It’s a trap! Run!”

They dashed toward
Liberty
.

“Stop or we’l shoot!” a voice shouted.

The two of them ran up the ramp. Shyanne slammed her palm against the hatch control, trying to make it open. Heat from a laser blast sizzled through the watery air past Greyson’s head and pinged off
Liberty
’s hul . He pushed Shyanne down. Another blast burned across his arm.

“Don’t hit the woman! Boss wants her alive,” someone yel ed.

Before the hatch ful y opened, Greyson and Shyanne squeezed through and closed it again. Gasping for air, he tore off his OFU, scrambled to his feet and pul ed her upright. “Get us off this soggy rock!” Discarding her OFU, she nodded and scrambled into the pilot’s seat.

The initial thrust of the engine knocked him off his feet and pressed him flat to the deck. He staggered up, but a blast rocked the ship and threw him down again.

Swearing under his breath, he pul ed himself into his seat.

“You okay?” Shyanne glanced at him as she piloted
Liberty
at top speed away from the planet. Water dripped down her face and spiked her eyelashes.

He pul ed open a rent in his rain gear and examined the burn on his arm.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “Let’s hope the blast from the laser cauterized the wound against bacterial infection.” The burn was painful but seemed minor. “Damn, I’m getting too old for this nonsense.” Her laughter made him smile. “I’m glad you find this amusing. Looks like Fiske wants more than your eyes.”