Page 48 of Sixth
Chapter 12
KETH-9 SMELLEDlike coolant and burned synth-oil. The junk ring turned slow against the starfield, ahalo of cracked plating and welded markets where everything had a price and nothing had aname.
Apex walked its corridors with a stranger’s face and a warrior’s mind, Core’s disguise field throwing a copper-skinned trader on his Vettian bones and flattening the sharp cut of his cheekbones into something forgettable.
Emmy paced at his side, acompact Belt mechanic today with oil on her hands and a ruthless little smirk that hid how fast her pulse ran when the crowds pressed close. Lume rode in the open throat of her tool pack, fur dimmed to a faint, patient glow, eyes taking everythingin.
“Knock off the scowl,” Emmy murmured without looking at him. “Traders who look like they hate everyone never get the good deals.”
“I do not scowl.” His voice curved low, even, regulated. It always did. He didn’t give the station his tells. He didn’t give anyone anything he didn’t intend touse.
“You definitely scowl,” she said, mouth tugging like she wanted to smile and wouldn’t let herself. “Maybe we can buy you a new face with a little warmth installed.”
“Warmth is not a face.”
“It reads like one.”
She nudged his arm and let her hand fall again, casual and quick. The touch was nothing, yet it heated his blood like a blade pulled from fire. The Valenmark at her wrist pulsed against her skin, aquiet answer under the borrowed sleeves. Then it answered in his own body, heat threading through muscle and bone. Not mystic. Not fate. Asystem coded into him by blood and law. It didn’t care what he wanted. It cared that she wasnear.
They reached the dealer’s stall where the ships lived behind shell games and lies. The woman running the place wore plating over one eye and a smile that promised she liked profit better thanair.
“Courier class,” Apex said. “Unregistered. Fast. Quiet.”
The dealer measured them like a butcher measures cuts. “Quiet costs.”
“Everything costs,” Emmy answered, and eased into the bargaining rhythm with a confidence that drew eyes. Apex watched the room instead of her. Three exits. Six cameras. Adrone with a damaged fan stuttering along the ceiling. Two mercenaries at the back pretending boredom and watching hands. He cataloged scent and sound and speed. He let Emmy play human while he stayed what he had alwaysbeen.
The dealer took them to a curve of hull tucked into shadow. The ship looked like a black knife someone had left half buried in a pile of scrap. Sleek. Mean. No legal registry. The seller tapped her wrist pad and the ramp sighedopen.
Emmy made an appreciative noise that was mostly for show. She was good. She brushed her fingers along the interior plating and shook her head like she had found flaws the dealer would need to pay for. “You didn’t fix the grav rattle on the port spine.”
The dealer’s smile thinned. “You have ears on you.”
“Yes,” Emmy said. “And an engineer’s sense that won’t let me ignore that rattle unless the price takes the sting out.”
Apex stepped into the cockpit and let his body memorize the controls. The dark drive looked hungry. The stealth field reading was crude but serviceable. He called Core into the boards and sensed the quiet acceptance of his ship’s second mind. This hull would fly. This hull would run. It would take them where he needed to go without broadcasting his name to the systems hungry forit.
They signed nothing. Credits moved like smoke. Before they’d sealed the deal, the seller leaned close with a grin that showed too many teeth and said, “Every ship’s got a secret, and this one’s got places no scan can find.” She gave a significant nod toward an innocuous appearing panel. “Perfect for when you need to disappear.”
Then the ramp lifted, the bay lights throwing hard angles across metal. Apex slid into the pilot’s seat and the universe settled properly. Emmy strapped into the co-pilot’s harness and Lume clambered from the pack to crouch on the console, tiny claws clicking, glow just enough to stain the black withblue.
“Clear to lift,”Core said in his ear.“Traffic minimal. Recommend slow roll to maintain anonymity.”
Apex lifted a fraction, enough to notice the new hull shiver. “Affirmative.”
Station lights flickered. Asiren barked once, then again, flat and ugly. The bay doors began to cycle closed.
“Dock lockdown,” the overhead announced. “Council Enforcement boarding for DNA verification. All craft remain secured.”
Emmy’s fingers froze on her harness buckle. “Shit.”
Lume went very still, ears like petals, glow dimming.
“Inspection team inbound,”Core said.“Five Enforcers. One scanner drone. Orders list Alpha-series fugitives.”
Apex killed external power and let the ship settle back into her rests. He reached across and touched the inside of Emmy’s wrist where the mark burned like a quiet star. The punch of her heart pulsed against his fingers. He didn’t smile.
“We go still,” he said instead.
