Page 39 of Alien's Challenge
“The computer is flying,” Perrigaul answered. He regarded Alice with curiosity. His nostrils flared with a deep breath and he shook his head, quills flat. No doubt he smelled Faris on Alice. “Did you fix the human? Are you keeping her?” he asked.
“If you mean, did we get the translator repaired, then yes. That was fixed. If you’re talking about me as a person, screw you. I don’t need fixing,” Alice said. “And no one’s keeping me.”
“We will reunite Alice with her Miriam and return her to Earth,” Faris said.
Perrigaul blinked. “What’s a Mir-ri-am?”
“She was abducted with me,” Alice said.
“Now we must find a random human as well as find Earth?” Perrigaul turned to face Faris. “How do you propose we finance this farce? Do you know what our ship needs to leave to be spaceworthy?”
He knew. Repairs and replacement parts created a running tally in his mind. “We’ll use our profits from the sale of the blaster. We can sell this transport.”
“You’ll use your half of the profits. Not mine.”
“You are co-owner of the ship, which means you are also responsible for the repairs and maintenance.”
“And now I am destitute as well as tasked to a fool’s errand,” he said.
“Finding Miriam and Earth isn’t a fool’s errand,” Alice added.
Perrigaul tossed a sharp look to her, as if he blamed her.
Faris stepped in front of Alice, blocking her from Perrigaul’s sight. He did not get to look at Alice that way. No one did.
“What other promises have you made?” Perrigaul asked.
“I gave my word,” Faris said, voice rumbling with a warning.
The younger male snorted. “Your word. The word of a thief.”
“Says the male who arrived in a stolen transport,” Faris said.
“Says the male who rescued you from an angry mob.” He stepped closer, radiating menace.
The intimidation tactic might have worked, but Faris knew the male too well. “How long until we reach the Hub?” he asked.
Perrigaul flicked a hand along his chin in a rude gesture, then tossed himself into the pilot’s chair. “Three hours, assuming the fuel gauge is correct. We may need to refuel.”
Faris refused to be drawn into the male’s dramatics. He escorted Alice to the bench. There were no safety harnesses. A rummage under the bench produced a ration kit.
He sniffed a ration bar, deemed it old but edible, and passed it to Alice. She nibbled on the corner.
“You did not steal a vessel with a full tank?” Faris asked.
“Why, yes,” Perrigaul said in a tone of mocking delight, “it is amazing how I determined your location and arrived just as you were chased to a literal cliff. Sometimes I impress myself. Please, don’t thank me. Your lovely scowl is all the thanks I need.”
Faris took a large bite of his half of the ration bar. “Thank you. I see that it was not a mistake trading away my Imperial-issued boots for you.”
Perrigaul laughed, his frills fluttering.
“You traded boots for him?” Alice asked.
“To be fair, they were very nice boots,” Perrigaul said. “I was not cheap.”
“You were pathetic. All big eyes and starving,” Faris said.
The scrawny youth had been half the size a hatchling should be for his age. An older male took possession of Perrigaul almost immediately, touching the child in a way that made Faris’ scales crawl. He bargained away his most valuable possession to save the child.
