Page 16 of A Mate for Vasek
Vasek knew something was wrong even as he approached the shuttle. He sniffed and cursed his reduced ability to smell. The olfactinull claimed to only work in the area that it was sprayed in, but anyone who’d used it before knew that it dulled theolfactory nerves for some time after. He made his decision. They weren’t going to wait around and confront Morad, even if Vasek was curious why he wanted Dawn. Perhaps Dawn would tell him.
He opened the door to an empty shuttle.
Fuck! Dawn!
Vasek had left the shuttle to check on the alarm, not even thinking she would run. They were in the wilderness, and when he’d left her, she’d been on one of his spare PPCs. She’d looked so bored, and feeling bad, he’d given it to her so she could pass the time playing some games.
Video games were a new idea among the Talleans. Before companies like Hullean Vision, the human- and Tallean-owned “virtual reality” sim and game company out of Reka 5 came along, the only thing close were training simulators. The “games” Hullean Vision came out with were similar to the training scenarios they already had, except with fantastical scenarios that one would never encounter in real life. The locales were especially imaginative and beautiful. They were a huge hit, and since then, other games, including ones just on a screen and with the sole purpose of entertainment and wasting… er, passing… time, had come out.
Dawn had been playing one of those when he’d left.
Locking up his shuttle, Vasek searched the environs, looking for clues on which way she’d gone. He could smell a bit, and when he found no broken branches or tracks, concluded that she’d gone on the path of least resistance—and least dangerous foliage—and taken the only path which led to the river.
This part of the river was too fast-moving for her to cross. She’d be swept away easily, so he could only hope she hadn’ttried. There weren’t any signs she had. His nose, while impaired, was still able to determine that she’d followed the river toward the port, rather than away.
Was it on purpose? Did Dawn know where she was going? She seemed to be moving with purpose, so Vasek assumed she did. The problem was that her path would take her straight to Morad.
He heard male voices before he found her. They had her surrounded. Vasek used their distraction to sneak in close.
Morad had found Dawn, and was questioning her. Curious, Vasek hid behind the tree and listened as he looked for the best angle to attack.
Dawn
“Look what we found, boss.”
Dawn backed away from the asshole who approached her with his blaster drawn. It was one of the thugs Kotch had hired recently. By “boss” he’d probably meant Morad.
And just at that moment she almost backed into the asshole himself.
“I can’t believe that medic lost you already,” Morad said. “If he hadn’t been the one who’d installed my eye, I would’ve never agreed to his terms. I knew the moment I caught news that Bakum was alone that the medic would have you. Saved us some time by splitting up the squad. ”
No wonder the group looked smaller than before. The other thugs must have gone after Bakum and the physical key.
“You know what I’m looking for. Tell me the code and I might let you live.”
Dawn knew he meant the code to the safe where Kotch kept his most valuable possessions. One such thing was the artifact he’d come across a few months ago. The artifact was rumored to be very valuable, and he’d been sure it meant he’d be able to retire immediately in luxury. He’d never have to sell another bloody shipment of weapons again… as soon as he found someone reputable enough to buy it from him without straight-up murdering him for it.
Bakum was supposed to have been that person. He’d murdered him for it.
Except that Bakum hadn’t known, and probably still didn’t know if he was still alive, that the safe required more than one key. Morad did, though. And for some reason, he thought she had the code.
“I already told you. I don’t know it.” She really didn’t, and she had no idea why Morad was so dead-ass sure she did. Was it something Kotch had said? “I don’t know what Kotch told you, but I don’t know the code. Don’t you think I’d tell you if I did? What use do I have with it?”
“He said that only he and his favorite slave knew the code. That must be you.”
His favorite? There was no flipping way that was her. Sure, he might have warmed to her at the end, believing that she’d brought him and his business good luck, but she wasn’t his favorite.
“I’m not his favorite.”
“You have to be!” exclaimed the guy with the scab over his cheek crease. “He brings you to work often and dresses you in the finest clothes.”
Morad narrowed his eyes at Dawn, and for a moment, she considered bolting and running back to the shuttle even though she knew she wouldn’t get far.
Disappointed that she couldn’t get her hands on the cable, she’d waited some time after Vasek had left to check on the alert before leaving. She’d worried that she might bump into him, but she hadn’t, so he must’ve gone the other way. Would he be back at the shuttle yet? Did he know she was missing? Would he even come after her?
“We asked one of the Fietes he owned,” he said, his voice low, steady, and menacing. “She says you are his favored one because he does not make you do any of the housework.”
“Because I am in the office running his business. I keep his records and run his errands, and I clean the office. A human is more prestigious for business than a Fiete. When he’s home, he spends most of his time with the Fietes. He only calls on me occasionally.”
