Page 44 of Seven Oars
A glimpse of an ear tuft confirmed the Tarai Keerym was inside… the deck! It had to be it. With its array of screens and instruments, what else could it be?
Elated, she turned to tell Alyesha, but words died in her mouth.
A pirate stood in the passageway. They hadn’t heard a sound of his approach.
He uttered a word she thought might mean “wisp.” An appropriate description for her, a kind one, even, but not when it came from tall, gaunt Massar.
His stooped shoulders blocked the passageway. His black eyes held a glint of madness.
“Were you snooping?” he asked them menacingly.
“No, we weren’t.” Rosamma had no idea lying would be so easy.
Massar turned to Alyesha. “What were you looking for in the Command Center?”
“Nothing.” Alyesha swallowed audibly. “I was telling her not to look.”
It wasn’t a total lie, but Rosamma would much rather Alyesha had come up with something else to say.
Massar grabbed Rosamma by the arm and yanked her close. “I know you were snooping. Weak, puny creature.” He leaned in and sniffed her neck.
She hoped she smelled sufficiently stale after so many days without a shower. Cringing, she tried to pull back, but he held her fast.
With his other hand, he grabbed Alyesha.
The Tarai Keerym appeared at the door to the Command Center. Behind him stood Ucai.
“Warm bodies with hot blood. Funny aliens,” Massar said. The gill-like nostrils on his hawkish nose flared as his breath landed on Rosamma’s face. “I will punish you for your snooping.”
Unexpectedly, Ucai put a damper on his plan. “No. I’ll take them back.”
Massar tensed. “You aren’t the Striker. You can’t tell me what to do.”
Please,Rosamma thought,let them start a fight.
But Ucai was too crafty. “We’re at the Command Center. I’m on duty, which means you answer to me. You know the rules.”
Massar’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe. But you areon duty. You can’t leave the Command Center.”
“Right. I command you to stay here with Keerym while I deal with the aliens.”
Massar hissed. He shoved Alyesha away, but it was a moment more before he released Rosamma.
Ucai led them back down the same passageway toward the Cargo Hold. Before reaching it, they stopped at that area where the passageway widened and turned. There were different points of entry, all sealed, and a couple of other interior doors.
This, Rosamma now recognized, was where they’d landed, caught in the net, dragged through one of the three airlocks. Their cruiser must still be attached to it on the other side.
Her eyes skipped over the sealed ports. Which one?
Ucai herded them past the airlocks to a closed door.
He twisted the latch and swung it open, releasing cold mist and a blast of freezing air. The entrance gaped wide, waiting for them.
Instinctively, Rosamma backed into Alyesha, and for once, the other woman didn’t push her away. Neither of them wanted to know what lay inside.
Ucai smiled widely, showing long blue fangs and brown gums. His grin was as welcoming as the gaping door.
Rosamma’s teeth began to chatter. “What… what is this place?”
