Page 4 of Tempting Cargo
Free. I let the word sink in, fill me with warmth, and I wrapped Ellie up in a hug. “I knew you could do it.”
“We’re genuinely not prisoners?” someone asked.
“No. It’s complicated, though.”
Several people asked questions at once, and I held up a hand. “Quiet. She’s exhausted. Give her a chance to catch her breath.”
Ellie gave me a soft smile but waved me off. “It’s okay. Let me tell you what I know, then you can ask questions.” She checkedpoints off her fingers as she talked. “We aren’t going home, but we kinda knew that anyway. We’re basically refugees. I don’t know where we’ll end up.” She took a measured breath. “We’ll probably be here for a few more hours while they work things out, but then we’re going to guest quarters. No more cells.”
We’re not going home.
Other than a dull ache in my chest, I couldn’t find it in me to be too disappointed. Ceres III was tolerable, as the outer territories went, but I was in no hurry to return to asteroid mining. And definitely not back to the military, my only other option. As a civilian engineer, my job was better than some, but it was repetitive. Boring. That’s why I’d jumped at the chance to go to Tathar Refuge.
We’d known it was risky. Trust some unknown aliens who claimed to be able to broker safe passage to the nearest space station for the weekend? What could possibly go wrong?
Get arrested in a riot was what.
“Why aren’t we being taken back? They’ve kidnapped us, for fuck’s sake.” Rayna crushed the straw she’d been rolling between tense fingers, and Ellie snatched it, whacking her on the nose.
“Were you on Tathar Refuge with Galactic ID? No. They could have shoved us in a prison or refugee camp or something, but they haven’t.” She ran a hand across her forehead. “I’m not happy about it either. But the Alliance views humans as hostile aliens. According to them, we fired first at Neptune, so I think it’s going pretty well, all things considered.”
What? No, the Galactic Alliance had fired onusduring the battle of Neptune and refused to allow safe passage out of the solar system ever since. That’s what we’d been told, at least. The realisation that nobody might have even attempted diplomacy boiled my blood. Fucking humans. Fucking New Earth.
And fucking kri’ith.
Of all the alien species we’d met, kri’ith looked the most fearsome, with their wide, upturned jaws like a skull’s when they talked or smiled, complete with jutting tusks and deep-set, glistening eyes. Massive ridges ran down the sides of their ears, they had short, sparse spikes on the tops of their heads in place of hair, and every one of them was built like a seven foot strongman.
Yes, the alien pirates had been true to their word. Their ship was fast, they avoided patrols, and what they’d told us about Tathar Refuge was accurate. We hadn’t even cared they were scary, ugly fuckers.
But they had to have known they were dropping us into a potentially volatile situation, and they hadn’t even cared. Even us naïve, new-to-the-galaxy humans had been suspicious. But why would we pay attention to a group who kept to themselves in the dark cantina corners when there was the excitement of exotic drinks, food, and entertainment?
Thankfully, we’d not seen any kri’ith since leaving Tathar, apart from the odd Reserve soldier. This place was full of the tall, horned shaa, the blue, human-like nebaru, plus the reptilian gharians. So I could stop thinking about kri’ith, New Earth, or riots, and try to look forward to the future instead.
AFTER FIVE NIGHTS, I still couldn’t get over how comfortable our beds were. The guest quarters of Draim Station weren’t lavish, but we were only three to a room, and this was already better than anything New Earth had to offer.
As I headed to the bathroom—no, convenience—I picked discarded sheets and clothes off the floor, putting them back on the guys’ beds as Roth sauntered out of the convi.
“Morning, G. Ready for another exciting day of hearing about the dismal options in the galaxy?”
My lips curved up despite myself. “Can’t wait.”
“I found a shipyard yesterday that might be worth looking into. They say they’ll take anyone with mechanical knowledge.”
Hmm, though without references or galaxy experience, we’d be going in at a very junior level, which, at thirty-one, was only slightly more appealing than being captured by the Galactic Reserve. “Maybe. I’m gonna shower.”
A filmy haze of moisture covered the metal mirror in the compact room. Once I activated the steam shower, I luxuriated in the sensation of warm vapour on my skin, a treat compared with the tiny sonic booths on the Reserve ship which cleansed but never refreshed. The botanical convi gel smelled like rosemary with a tang of citrus, the fragrance filling the room as I washed, and if I stayed in the shower for a little longer than I should have, where was the harm?
Of course, it was all spoiled once I had to put on my old clothes. The tight grey trousers had been such a good idea at the time; if you can’t wear your best clothes on an illicit trip to an alien space station, when can you? At least we’d all been given new underwear.
I hoicked up the trousers, hoping I wasn’t disturbing anyone below me as I jumped to get them past my thighs.
Roth sat on his bed, shaking with mirth. “You look damn fine in those, G.”
“Yeah I do.” Which is why I’d chosen them, but they weren’t my first choice for everyday trousers. Or my second. Or, to be fair, my sixth.
“Make sure to stick that arse out when you’re at the coffee machine. Let the barmaid get a good look, yeah?”
“Shut up, dude.”
