Page 112 of Tempting Fate

“My friend.” My good friend. My friend with benefits. Lots of benefits. “Shohari’s brother.” I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter, you don’t know her.”

“Ah, but I do.” Reskavi stepped forward and clasped Airida’s arm. “Or I know of her from my cousin. It is good to meet you.”

Seeing the two of them together reminded me just how much larger kri’ith were than their shaa’ith siblings. Reskavi dwarfed Airida in nearly every dimension, with shoulders twice as wide and thighs twice as thick. And twice the muscle, hidden under a layer of soft flesh.

“Your cousin?” Airida asked.

“Aye, your sister’s pilot.”

Airida’s face relaxed in a wistful smile. “Paiata is a good male.”

“That he is. Now, where do we get a mug of chrya around here?”

“This way,” I said, and rested my hand on Airida’s arm. “Will you make them?”

Uncertainty flashed in his eyes, but I gave him a reassuring squeeze, rising up on tiptoes to whisper, “It’s only drinks, you got this.”

“I heard some ulthbrain dropped a pod recently,” Kapiya said. The kri’ith man was smaller than many, though his energy bristled with the presence of someone much larger. Tattoos ran down both ear ridges and, if what was on display under his deep-cut tunic was any indication, adorned his whole chest.

“If you can get out to see it, you should.” Airida gave me a pointed look and left for the kitchen building.

“How did you know?” I asked.

“Heard it on the corsair channel, of course.” Kapiya threw me a roguish grin and followed Airida.

“I’ve never seen a crashed pod,” Reskavi said, straightening his legs out in front of him. “Wouldn’t mind seeing it either.”

I should stay with Airida, but I needed to get out of here as much as he did, and I couldn’t pass up the time to catch up with my friend or get to know her partner. Mate. I glanced towards the speeder corral. “We have the afternoon free but I guess you’ve been flying for weeks. The last thing you want is more of it.”

“You kidding? I want to see your planet!” Kira’s hazel eyes sparkled. “How long are the days here?”

“We have plenty of light left. Hey, tomorrow I’ll take you to the hot springs.”

She gave a most un-Kira-like squeal. “Fuck yes!”

Airida and Kapiya returned with mugs for everyone, and we spent time talking. Kira tactfully didn’t ask about our capture—just as well, my nerves still hadn’t quite settled down.

“How are Zerena and Aliss?” I asked.

“They’re good. Aurora Five is a fun place.”

She wasn’t wrong, but it was still a space station. “Vadias Town is better.”

“Ah, but does it have a huge sex shop with the most ridiculous owner?” Kira sent a sideways glance to Reskavi, who let out a low, rumbling purr.

“No,” Fenn said. “The shop’s small, and the owner’s a dickhead.”

Was he ever. We’d only ducked in once and wouldn’t bother again. Skeevy, creepy, slimy man. Although he did have a tempting selection of lubes. “So you’re a corsair now, huh?”

“Yup.” Kira preened. “Bit of liberating this thing from here, bit of moving that thing there. Maybe picking the odd fight.”

“It does not sound so different from trading, apart from the last part,” Airida said. “I had thought the work of corsairs more… unsavoury.”

Reskavi let out a snort. “There’s corsairs and then there’s corsairs. You know the stranglehold the Galactic Alliance has on trade. Even Orith has a contract. But not all places meet the standards.” He spat in the dirt. “My brother and I were born on Rinta II. Isn’t good enough for the Alliance, so we couldn’t apply for a trading licence even if we wanted one. But guess what? Rintans need galaxy goods, same as anyone else. So what are we going to do? They can stick their formal ports, taxes and levies up their arses. Grey trade is thriving whether the Alliance likes it or not.”

“So why the fights?”

Reskavi rolled his head in a shrug. “Why not? If privateers are under the grey jurisdiction of a state, they’ll attack other corsairs who are at odds with their patron. Or, kheh, they’re pirates.”