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11
Phase 4
En route to Planet Nazzu
“What the hell am I going to do with them?” Aidan muttered.
The first few phases of the race turned out to be simple checkpoints, and there had been nowhere to land and ditch the two interlopers. Aidan surmised that the commissioners had designed it that way in hopes that more contestants would make it to the later, more difficult, and therefore more exciting phases. That, or most of the action in this first leg of the race had been geared toward pitting contestants against one another. The last time Aidan had run Phase Nine, by the fifth phase, more than half the contestants had been forced to drop out, mostly due to irreparable damage to their ships and other losses. BecauseDragoonwas still so far behind everyone else, they were missing all the action…which, although he would never admit it to the others, might be a good thing.
Now they were in Phase Four. However, because the first part of the race had been such a breeze, he was getting a sinking suspicion that the last few phases were going to be racked with peril.
Moments ago, a dossier of Planet Nazzu—The first of many mandatory stops along the way—had arrived via transmission. He discovered it was essentially a desert wasteland with few documented oases. Hardly the ideal place to leave two slight females. Though Onnika had proven to lack basic morals, could he really bring himself to abandon them on such a planet?
Aidan guidedDragoonbeyond the last checkpoint, a remotely monitored device that resembled a buoy in shape. When they passed it, a notification popped up on the screen that their ship’s location had been registered. He imagined the image of their ship was being broadcast to hordes of fans around the universe. Now it was just a straight shot to Nazzu.
The route they’d taken to get to this point had been a kind of zigzag pattern, which was typical of Phase Nine—a beeline to their final destination would be way too easy. Obstacles and deviations were necessary to amp up the entertainment value, so he expected to see more of that as well. All of it allowed race-hoppers—fans who followed along with racers—to take a separate, direct route to each stop, allowing them ample time to settle in before the contestants arrived.
SinceDragoonwas currently in last place, Aidan didn’t anticipate a whole lot of fanfare when they arrived. With so little drama in this first stretch, they’d probably received minimal airtime on the feeds streaming from the many cameras positioned around the race. Not that he cared.
With all this lack of action, Aidan had been downright bored, and he found himself checking the mess hall camera more often than he should. When Zeek caught him, Aidan wondered aloud, “What do you suppose they’re talking about?”
“Oh, probably something along the lines of, ‘Please don’t kill me. I’ll do anything.’ Blah, blah, blah. You know, the usual.”
“I think they know we’re not going to kill them.”
“Don’t be so sure. They got pretty freaked when Ash did his barbaric one-armed esophagus hug.”
Asher defended his actions. “How else should we treat interlopers?”
“Not judging, man. I’m just saying, I got the sense they were terrified.” He paused. “But maybe not entirely because of us.”
“Sounds like Zeek has developed a theory,” Aidan prompted.
“No theory. Just a hunch. You don’t try to lie your way onto A) a strange ship, B) during a deadly race, and C) with a crew that would face no consequences should you vanish from the known universe unless you have a serious reason. Not saying that reason is good or bad, we just don’t know all the facts, is all.”
Asher scoffed. “Facts. Ha. I think your mind is easily turned by a pretty face.”
“I guess that’s why I’m so clearheaded around you, Ash.”
“Something’s wrong with your eyes, too.” Asher patted his face as though preening, then he righted the conversation. “We don’t need facts. They’re criminals. They should be locked in a brig, not lounging comfortably in the mess hall.”
“This ship doesn’t have a brig,” Zeek reminded him.
“We should have gotten a ship with a brig,” Asher grumbled.
Zeek countered, “We should have gotten a ship with a massage parlor and five Ullarian masseuses. Their fingers are like magic. Especially on my tender bits, if you know what I’m saying.”
“Argh!” Asher pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just got a terrible image in my brain.”
Zeek laughed. “Work of art, my bits are, so you’re welcome.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Asher turned to Aidan. “Weareleaving them behind, aren’t we?”
Aiden gazed out into the darkness of space, as if the answer to any question resided somewhere out there. Two strange girls were not his responsibility, and it wasn’t as if they couldn’t take care of themselves. Aside from Onnika’s proficiency at pickpocketing and bribery, that had been one hell of a kick she’d delivered. He could see her taking down a weaker man with strike like that. Zeek was on the fence, but Asher was clear: He wanted them gone. Aidan was inclined to agree. They were a distraction. One he couldn’t afford.
“They’ll be out of our hair soon enough,” he assured them. “After we get to Nazzu, we won’t have to worry about them at all.” And yet, some part of him doubted his decision. He wanted a little more information. Perhaps Priya was getting it, he thought as he glanced at Onnika on the security feed yet again. She was still engaging Priya and Lear in conversation. Priya’s assessment would give him some better insight as to how they should proceed.
He tapped a few buttons on his console, transferring the controls to Asher. “Take over, Ash. I’m going to get a little shuteye before we have to work for vouchers.”
