Page 67 of Alien's Luck
“And yours, but if anyone asks, your name is Gary.”
“That is a ridiculous name.”
“Oh? And your solution was better, Gary? Nobly sacrifice yourself and I get to live out my days without you?” She tried to jerk her hand away, but he would not release her. Never. “Your plans suck. I make the plans from now on.”
“As you like,” he agreed. He had more questions and would start with the most basic. “Where are we?”
“On the Khargal Patrol ship, near some station. I can’t pronounce the name and I’m tired of asking. Your ship is tethered, so don’t worry about that.”
“Tavat?”
“Hasn’t been seen since his ship exploded. Presumed dead.”
The villain escaped justice but failed to escape the consequences of his actions.
“That is not as satisfying as I would like,” Ari said.
“Completely. Would it help to know his island lair was destroyed, his business ruined, and there’s a very large bounty on his head just in case he survived? People are tearing theplanet up, chasing rumors of him.” Carla grinned, baring her teeth like a predator.
Yes, it did help.
“You take joy in his suffering,” Ari said.
“Don’t get all judgy on me, gargoyle. I take joy in the downfall of a villain who was also a petty man who held grudges. Do you know what he told me? Poppy’s father defaulted on a loan, so he sent her dad off to prison for the debt. A life sentence over money. How does that make sense?” she asked, tossing her hands in the air as if perplexed at the injustice.
No, that was not correct. Outraged. Frustrated. Both were accurate.
“That’s what she’s doing here. She’s looking for her dad.”
“How is Poppy?”
Carla sighed, the grin vanishing. “Still in a medical thingy. It’s been two months, and they called in a specialist from your homeworld. The good news is the infection is clearing. The bad news is they’re not sure what kind of condition her brain’s going to be in. They want to induce that fever thing her people go through, where she molts, and her body’s immune system gets kicked into hyperdrive. So we wait.”
“That is encouraging.”
“It is.” She glanced down at their still joined hands. “So, since we both agree that I’m doing the planning now?—”
“I did not agree to that.” But he would.
“You need a crew. Specifically, you need a pilot and a fence.”
“It will be difficult to find someone trustworthy but also morally flexible.”
“Very. Fortunately, I have two candidates in mind.” Her grin returned. “Hire me and Poppy.”
“You and Poppy? You just stated that we do not know how she will function when she wakes.”
“The optimistic take is she’ll be the same and can pilot the ship. If all she’s good for is smashing heads, then she smashes heads. I’ll be the fence, obviously. I’ve already got the contacts,” Carla said in a breezy tone. She laced her hands together, stretching the fingers until they cracked. “We’ll start by repatriating the pieces in your collection. I found a wonderfully detailed ledger cataloging most of the hoard and its origins. We can send a lot back to the rightful owners.”
“Convenient.”
“And we can do that hero thing if you want. Liberate people. Right wrongs. Make a difference. I’d like to start by finding out what happened to Poppy’s father. The prison kept records, so we can start there.”
“The prison was abandoned decades ago.” Anything could have happened to one male.
“True, but it’s worth trying. What do you say?”
A human had once sold him the dream of being a hero, but it had been an illusion of gold and wishful thinking. Carla, though, she’d make that dream a reality. She was tenacious and resourceful. He counted himself lucky she included him in her plans.
