Page 9 of Phoenix's Last Heist
“Fine! Stay here for all I care. You’re welcome, by the way, for saving your ass. Good luck with Kraxis when he gets back here and I’m gone, and he realizes you’ve had the idol in your pocket the whole time.” I don’t have any rope, damn it. I rip a strip of fabric off my shirt, then use it to tie Oglor’s hands around the base of the banthus tree. I frown. It won’t hold him for long, and he’ll berealpissed when he wakes up, but that won’t hold a candle to Kraxis’ and Brill’s rage. I shudder, not wanting to think about it. That will be a problem for future Lyra.
The ship’s ramp is lowered, engines primed, escape practically humming in reach—so why isn’t the ranger moving? Why aren’twerunning? I glance back at him, and he’s still stone-faced, watching. Suspicion radiates off him, but every second he hesitates, the noose tightens. If he wants to stand here and play moral high ground, fine—but I’m not dying for his conscience.
I turn back to climb my ship’s ramp but pause when I hear the unmistakable buzz of a plasma rifle charging up.Oh no, he didn’t.I whip around to see Orion shouldering Oglor’s abandoned weapon, aiming it straight at my head.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I mutter.
“I’m sorry, I can’t let you leave,” he says. “If you’re truly wanted by the Feds, I can’t just let you fly off.”
“Look, you’ve got your relic—and your life, I might add—and I’m getting out of here. Kraxis could be back any minute and I promise my makeshift handcuffs willnotkeep Oglor contained for very long. And if I were you, I wouldn’t want to be around when Kraxis realizes a living Xylothian might be worth more than some silly statue.”
“If the Feds find out I let you go, I’ll be charged with aiding the escape of a fugitive. I’m not willing to risk my job or my freedom, especially when I’m sure you’re going to continue desecrating sacred spaces and stealing—and stars know what else,” he says, approaching me slowly.
With every step he takes in my direction, I back one step closer to my ship. My pulse spikes, heat crawling up the back of my neck. He’s aiming at me, but it’s the calm in his eyes that really scares me. There’s no anger there—just duty. Cold, relentless duty…like he’s done this before and he’s already decided how this ends. I grip the edge of the ramp to keep my hands from shaking. I’ve bluffed bounty hunters, pirates, and customs officers—but something about Orion’s restraint makes my usual tricks feel useless. He’s not chasing a payday. He’s chasingjustice—and I have no idea how to outrun that.
“You don’t really want to shoot me, do you? I mean, I saved your life. And I know you killed that other Void Stalker, but I’m willing to take responsibility for that. It was probably self-defense, right?”
Orion stills, a flicker of anguish dancing across his face.
“Itwasself-defense, but I regret it, regardless,” he says quietly. “I don’t relish taking lives, no matter how small or corrupt they are.”
I nod, hoping I look sympathetic. “If it’s any consolation, he probably would have gutted you and eaten your organs. Void Stalkers have really fucked up appetites. You did the universe a favor. Now he can go on to meet his death god or whatever, and you will have protected countless others who would’ve been tortured and eaten.”
“That’s an odd way to excuse yourself for such unforgivable acts,” he says with a frown.
I shrug. “Hard to ask for forgiveness if you’re dead.”
He tilts his head, considering me. “So, it was a matter of survival for you to trespass on a holy site for my people, steal something valuable and important to our heritage, and sell it to one of the most selfish and evil dealers in the galaxy?”
“See, I knew you’d understand. You’ve obviously heard of Brill.” Cold fear spikes in my chest and hollows out my belly, like it always does when I think of Brill. Hard to believe I’m not used to it by now.
The darkness in his eyes confirms my suspicions, or perhaps my sarcastic reply isn’t what he wants to hear. The snap of a branch splitting somewhere in the jungle makes me jump, betraying my cool demeanor. Okay, so I’m anxious to get out of here. Orion smirks when he sees the chink in my armor.
“Look,” I say hastily. “We can make a deal. You want to know who’s trying to profit off the demise of your people, right? Well, it’s your lucky day—I’ve got names, Ranger. Lots of names. Names that make Brill look like a puppy. You let me go, and the names are all yours.”
“What is a puppy?” Orion asks, his brows drawing together.
“A puppy! It’s an Earth creature. A small, fluffy, baby thing. Like a juvenile lupitian, but cuter. The point is, Brill is the tip of the iceberg. Let me guess: the Feds don’t give a shit about chasing down a bunch of smugglers, right? Well, big guy, they’re notbadenough, you feel me? The Feds wouldhaveto do something about the looting here if they knew who was involved,” I say.
He finally lowers the rifle.
“So, I let you go, and you take me to your dealers,” he says.
“Uh, excuse me? That’s not what I offered, Ranger. I’m not going to get us killed when I show up at the doors of some of the most dangerous people in the galaxy. I’m going togiveyou the names, and then you are going to give them to the Feds. I will be long gone by then—hopefully on some sandy beach witha frosty cocktail, a tentacled dreamboat, and plenty of credits in my account.”
“No deal. How do I know your information is any good? Am I just supposed to take your word for it? You’re a looter, a thief, and a liar—and I’m not an idiot like your buddy Kraxis,” he says.
“I’m insulted that you cast such aspersions on my character, but given the circumstances, I’ll let it slide. I’ll take you toonedealer to prove my information is valid, then you can chase down the rest on your own,” I reply, folding my arms across my chest. The move draws his gaze for a moment, and I consider it a temporary triumph that he’s briefly distracted by my cleavage.
“Three dealers. Take me to three of your dealers, then I’ll trust your names,” he counters.
“Are you seriously haggling with me right now? I saved your life! One!”
A rasping sound at the edge of the clearing attracts our attention. It seems Oglor is coming to. Anxiety percolates through my limbs, making me jittery.
“Very well.Twodealers—and I won’t tell the Feds where I got the information,” he offers.
Oglor roars back to consciousness, screaming a string of what I can only assume are Void Stalker obscenities.Shit!My earlier anxiety was nothing compared to the dump of adrenaline blasting through my veins. I barely register Orion’s worried expression as I turn and run up the ramp into my ship.
