Rogue Pursuit: A Space Opera Adventure (Shades of Starlight Book 1), page 11
She shook her head. “Too much of a chance you might ask someone who’s worked with one. In the colonies, it might be better not to let them suspect you’re with the government. Hard to tell who’s loyal and who’s not.”
“Okay,” he said, “where would be a reasonable destination if we said we were passing through? We could be on spring break, meeting a friend, but we keep missing him?”
“The Maura system is nearby and sees a good amount of tourists. That might work.” Her lips twitched slightly. “You’re not bad at this.”
“Gee, thanks.”
As they entered an open square, a large man in a blue and white striped robe barreled out of a shop. He rushed straight toward them, shouting unintelligibly, and was on top of them before Tai had time to reach for his gun.
11
The man—Hank—wrapped his arms around Perrin.
Her heart raced faster now than when she’d leapt out a window. Because she definitely knew this man. And she’d been here more than once or twice. Nearly this entire town was Onyx Network. Including the man currently cutting off her air supply.
Perrin pulled away first. “I’m sorry, do we know you?” She turned to Tai. “They’re very friendly here, from what I’ve seen. Guests are highly valued in this culture.”
“Right you are, young lady.” Hank hugged Tai, too, despite custom not requiring him to hug a total stranger.
Perrin swallowed a wild laugh. Nothing about this situation was funny.
“You two must be hot. Please, come in for refreshment.” Despite Hank’s desert attire and the thick beard no one in the primaries wore, his speech pattern and accent would’ve blended in on Ruby Prime.
They followed him through an alley, his robes swirling around his legs, sandals slapping the stone pavers. Several more buildings contained the symbols Tai noticed, which did indeed tell what could be found inside. Not legally, though. Medicine, water purifiers, fertilizer pellets. Items the Confed placed restrictions on, making them too expensive for the average citizen. But items that were essential on a planet that was eighty percent desert, so she helped as much as possible. Half the goods in this town had arrived on her ship.
And Tai could not find out.
Hank led them through a bright blue gate and a courtyard, and into an open-air room with colorful cushions surrounding a low table. The only light in the dim interior came from the arched windows, where curtains billowed. The breeze and the shade lowered the temperature several degrees.
Children laughed nearby, and she tensed. Hank had played along, but would his kids? Footsteps approached. Two girls and a boy raced into the room.
“What did you bring us?” the older girl asked.
Hank boomed a laugh and ruffled her hair. “They’re so greedy. Every time someone comes from off world, they assume they are bringing supplies.” He swatted them gently. “Go play.”
The kids shot confused glances at her but obeyed. She smiled in a way she hoped told them hello and sorry and told Tai she was simply being nice to children. And hid her racing heart.
Tai squinted, glancing between her and the door where the kids had disappeared.
“I imagine you’d like to wash up,” Hank said. “This way.” He pointed Tai to one room and Perrin to another. When Tai’s back was turned, he gave her a long look before following Tai.
Perrin went inside a simple room with tiled floor and walls. A moment later, Hank’s wife, Amira, appeared. Her dark hair flowed around her shoulders, and her warm eyes were tight around the corners.
“Perrin? What’s going on?” She kept her voice low, hushed. “Who is that?”
Perrin didn’t want to cause a panic but didn’t want to lie to the woman who had housed her three times. “He’s with the Confed.”
Amira hissed.
“He doesn’t know anything, I promise. He hired me to help on a mission, but we’re just passing through. He can’t find out about me.”
“This is a dangerous game you play, Perrin Hightower.”
“You don’t need to remind me.”
Amira provided a bowl of water and a cloth for Perrin to wipe her face, then forced her to sit on a stool while she washed Perrin’s hands and feet with honey-scented soap. “You cannot tell anyone else who he is. It won’t be safe for him or for you.”
Perrin hadn’t planned to, but Amira made the matter sound life or death. “I won’t.”
“Now of all the times to come here… You cannot stay.”
The bluntness from a usually friendly woman, while the woman performed the typical guest service rituals, caught her off guard. “Why not?”
Next Amira produced a white robe and helped Perrin drape it around her. “The Confed has sent troops.”
Perrin started. “Here?”
“Baytown.”
“When?”
“Last week. You didn’t bring anything?”
Perrin shook her head. “Not this time, not with him.”
“What is your business here?”
“We’re following someone.” Perrin debated telling her more but was conscious of Kel’s warning not to trust anyone, even fellow Onyx members. The extreme danger symbol was now permanently etched in her mind. “He came through a couple days ago on the workers’ transport, but he wasn’t a miner. He would’ve known how to read the markings.”
“Several dozen miners arrived, but no one stood out. We would notice, since everyone is on alert. But one of the surface vehicles was taken from a hideout. Isaac saw someone in the middle of the night and went to check the next day.”
Perrin nodded. Kel would be able to blend in but would also know how to find the stashes hidden outside of town. “We’ll be on our way, then.”
Amira pinned her with a glare. “You know we cannot allow you to leave without feeding you. It is tradition.”
Perrin hadn’t expected their commitment to hospitality to hold with Tai here. “I don’t suppose you can spread the word so people pretend they don’t know me? If everyone in town greets me by name, Tai will be suspicious.”
“I will take care of it.”
“Thank you.”
“Be careful, Perrin Hightower.”
If she had a chromo for every time she’d heard that this week…
They rejoined the others in the family room, where flatbread, soft cheese, red jam, figs, honey, and citrus-flavored tea now covered the low table.
Tai also wore pale robes, and with his olive skin and dark hair, he fit right in. He deployed his spy training at maximum strength. He was polite, grateful, asked about their family, the history of the town, how they raised the food. Complimented every dish and ate several helpings. The creases around his smile were on full, charming display.
She briefly imagined he was like her, a nomad who loved the flavors and customs and people of distant worlds.
Hank and Amira distracted her, though. Her kind, welcoming friends could’ve been spies, too, for how normal they acted, treating him like any other guest. They answered his questions, asked generic ones in return that allowed him to easily avoid uncomfortable information.
Was Perrin the only one too nervous to make small talk and enjoy the food?
As if realizing she’d barely spoken, Hank shifted his focus to her. “You seem familiar. Have you been here before?”
“Once or twice, to drop off supplies.”
“Are you a shipper?”
In the excitement of the chase, the confusion about Kel, trying to hide the truth from Tai, she’d barely thought about the business in days. Remembering it now shouldn’t have been such a burden. That was her life. Her real one, the one she wanted to get back to. People like this needed her.
“Yeah, I work government contracts, for private companies, whoever will hire me.” She knew she didn’t sound enthusiastic, but she couldn’t discuss the part she was passionate about in front of Tai, and Hank and Amira already knew, anyway.
“Aren’t you awfully young for that?”
“I inherited the business from my parents.” She drained the rest of her tea, scalding her throat. “Speaking of work, I’m sorry to leave so soon, but we should go.”
“Deliveries?”
“Not this time.” Tai took over. “We’re looking for someone.” He showed a picture on his comp-pad. “A friend.”
“I don’t recognize him, but I did hear Isaac say he spotted someone headed into the desert in the middle of the night, night before last. Don’t know what this fellow would be doing out there, but none of the locals or miners would take that risk. Isaac is in the marketplace, if you want to ask him.”
She appreciated Hank’s clever way of putting them on the trail without revealing he knew what lay hidden under the desert sands. Perrin could follow the symbols to the hiding place, and pretend she’d stumbled upon it.
Tai stood. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Come back anytime.”
“I’ll have to, for more of that food.” Tai grabbed one last fig roll and grinned at Amira.
Tai followed Hank to the door, and Amira hugged Perrin and whispered, “Be careful with this one.”
Like Perrin didn’t know that.
Tai hugged them both, either because he truly loved the meal or because he thought he was honoring their custom.
She and Tai entered the market, Perrin taking her time at the booths to give Hank a chance to contact Isaac.
Brightly covered awnings sheltered tables that filled the black stone streets. They offered shade and cooler temperatures, blocking out all but brief glimpses of the ice-blue sky. The booths displayed fresh fruit from a few private gardens and the sole bio-dome, woven goods, metal jewelry, carved wooden boxes.
Everyone wore light-colored robes, and the murmur of conversation and bartering filled the air. But the sound lacked its usual vibrancy.
Other than the heat, this was one of her favorite cities. Not because the entire town was Onyx Network. And not because they were clever and kind, though that certainly helped. She loved the First Era feel, handmade goods, and bright colors. The fresh citrus juice and welcoming traditions.
Today, though, unfamiliar tension hung in the air.
She spotted familiar faces, but everyone pretended not to know her or waited until Tai had passed before offering her a nod, rather than the hugs and smiles she was used to.
Tai moved easily along the street. She had to stay close or, with his outfit, he would have blended in, matching his gait to the way the locals moved.
Movement in an alleyway drew her gaze. When she turned, though, she saw nothing out of place. Hair prickled on her neck. Given her illegal activities, she’d grown accustomed to trusting her instincts. But if someone was watching her, they blended into the crowd. It was difficult to tell people apart when most wore matching robes, and half had also covered their heads to block the sun.
She was probably being paranoid. Messages about danger tended to have that effect.
They found Isaac at a stall where he sold canvas paintings.
After they exchanged brief greetings and complimented his work, she said, “Hank told us you saw a stranger a couple nights ago.”
“Yes, indeed. My windows face due west, best light, great views, you understand. Saw a fellow walking into the desert, dead of night, while I was painting the stars. Nearest town that direction isn’t for two hundred kilometers.”
“We were supposed to meet a friend here, but he’s gone. We think it might’ve been him.”
“I can’t imagine why someone would do that, but if you plan to follow him, you should be prepared.”
He supplied them with canteens, showed them how to wrap their scarves around their heads, and pointed. “The western gate is down that street.”
If these people didn’t know her, would their flimsy cover story have worked? The townspeople would’ve thought them crazy. Did Tai suspect anything?
They thanked Isaac and took the street he indicated. Perrin studied the chalk markings. The colony worlds she smuggled to knew they couldn’t flaunt illegal goods without raising suspicion, so they’d learned to hide the items they shouldn’t have or lacked permits for.
The drawings told her where to find three hidden stashes out this gate. One lay due west.
The symbols indicated the hideouts contained surface-only transport vehicles, rations, and med-kits. She didn’t recognize one drawing. Odd.
Tai paused in front of one that indicated distance. “This is the same as one of the mirror drawings.”
She swallowed, mouth suddenly dry, and not from the heat. He was right. One of the numbers matched. Wasn’t that what code breakers needed? The same symbol in different contexts to build a database? Might be time for the Network to change their communication method.
He held up his comp-pad to capture a few photos. “Okay, let’s go.”
Outside the shelter of the city, the mid-afternoon sun was relentless. Endless waves of black sand were broken sporadically by rock formations of dull gold and tiny ice-blue ponds.
Kel had to have a specific destination in mind to brave this. Or he hoped anyone who followed him would become a meal for desert scavengers. Did he expect her to be on his trail?
“Your partner must be crazy,” she said. “This isn’t a place to go wandering.”
“He must’ve had a reason. You know those markings on the walls?”
“Yeah…”
“I think there are smugglers here.”
Her breath caught. “Really?” She wasn’t sure she sounded as properly shocked and horrified as she meant to. She pretended to wrestle with her headscarf.
“If Kel knew about it,” Tai continued, “maybe the symbols are their language. He might’ve known something was out here. No ships have left, so unless he’s hiding in town, he must’ve found a way to travel elsewhere on the planet before going off-world.”
“Wow. Surely there aren’t many smugglers, though, right? These people were so nice and helpful and they fed us.”
Her jaw tightened. She deserved an award. This was taking her lying skills to new levels.
“Hard to say at this point.” The intense expression on his face warned her he didn’t intend to let the matter go.
They hiked for an hour, until the town disappeared behind the dunes, their trail of footprints the lone sign of human presence. Up one hill, down the next, sand sifting into places that had no business being sandy. The robes helped with the sun, but she felt her nose burning. Sweat plastered her clothes to her body under the robes.
They paused in the shade of a rock formation to drink. One of Isaac’s canteens held water tinted with a metallic taste. The other contained a local concoction, a mixture of citrus juice, fermented grapes, and milk that provided nutrients for people sweating off the pounds in the desert sun. She would’ve preferred to die of thirst.
After Tai choked down a swig, he chipped at the geometric-shaped rock. “Gold?”
“Pyrite,” she said. “Pirate’s gold. The planet has a few gold mines, but it’s mostly copper and iron.”
Tai used his comp-pad to keep them heading west. Perrin peeked at the screen to check their progress.
When they neared the coordinates indicated in the chalk, she searched for a hint of the hidden storage cache.
“There. What’s that?”
Tai shielded his face with one hand. “Good eyes.”
One rock with a single white dot marked the spot. The extensive rock formation had a fake canvas wall covering the far side. They yanked it off and found hollowed-out rock and a depression in the sand forming a cave, partly aboveground and partly below.
One skimmer sat inside, a small surface vehicle with an engine compartment in front, a shielded cab, and a sleek tail. An empty space next to it with indentations in the dirt indicated another had been there until recently.
Stacks of supplies sat in the corner—water, food, spare robes, med-kits.
She opened a giant crate in the other corner. A gasp escaped.
It held weapons. Heavy duty ones.
A chill shivered through her despite the heat. She understood a few stunners for self-defense. But plasma rifles with extra power cells, a pulse cannon, surface-to-air charge missiles… This would supply a small army.
Was the stash tied to whatever disturbance had summoned troops to the nearby city? Were the colonists planning an uprising?
Tai picked up a plasma rifle and inspected it. “Definitely smugglers.”
“Why would they…?” She didn’t know how to finish the thought.
She knew many in the colonies longed for more than a few loads of smuggled supplies, hoped to earn freedom one day. But she had no idea they’d reached the point of stockpiling weapons. These were far bigger than necessary for regional protection or standing up to Confed guards at the mines.
Surely, they weren’t prepping for war.
Was this what Kel had discovered? No, there had to be more. This was one Confed world, and he’d implied galactic implications. But discovering she didn’t know her friends as well as she’d thought unsettled her.
Tai seemed to detect her distress. “I’m sure it’s safe. If they were close to planning anything, these would be in town, not in the desert.”
“Right.”
“As soon as we’re on the ship, I’ll send an anonymous message. Get agents here to investigate.”
Should she try to stop him or warn her friends? Friends who hadn’t mentioned they were proud owners of an armory. She suspected Hank would remove the stashes as soon as they were gone, anyway. The thought should’ve relieved her, but instead sent a tremor of unease through her gut.
She slammed the lid on the weapons crate and moved to the skimmer. Nine days. Well, eight and a half now. And she needed to find Kel more than ever.
“What’s the range on one of these?” She ran a finger through the coating of sand on the surface of the vehicle like she’d never seen one before. Like she hadn’t been the one to supply them.
“Several hundred miles.”
Eight hundred, to be exact.
Tai consulted his comp-pad. “I read four other cities with spaceports within range. We’ll have to check them all for outgoing ships.”
