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Just like that, my happy mood dissolves.
There is a problem. There must be. The female has not yet returned for the rest of her bounty from Kim, which I thought was odd. If ever someone was driven by a love of credits, it is that female…and for her to leave them on the table is quite mysterious.
The communicator chirps again.
“Are you going to answer that?” Kim asks, glancing over at me.
“It is no one. An old friend in port I went drinking with,” I lie, and then inwardly kick myself. Kim does not like lies. I cannot keep lying to her. I need to tell her the truth. I need—
“Hmph. Well, I’ll leave you to it.” She hugs her datapad to her chest and lifts her chin, leaving the room.
I breathe a sigh of relief and scramble for the communicator before Bethiah can hang up. I slap a hand on the connection panel, letting it read my fingerprints. “This had better be important, female,” I growl at her. “I just lied to my mate again.”
“Hello to you, too,” Bethiah coos, all fake honeyed sweetness. “And how is you lying to your mate my problem?”
“Because you made me do it.” I cross my arms over my chest and glare at the bounty hunter filling the vid-screen. “Spit out your bad news and be done with it.”
“Is that any way to talk to a person who’s just trying to help you out? I can go, you know.” She reaches for a button off panel, as if about to kill the connection.
I growl at her.
“I really am trying to help, you know.” She tilts her head. “Well, and help my credit balance, but that’s a lovely side bonus.”
“What is it? Is he gone? Jamef?”
“What? Oh, yes.” She waves a hand in the air. “He took the pieces of our mutual problem and turned it in. The contract is closed, all parties paid. That’s not what I’m calling about.”
I frown. “You want credits for some reason?”
Bethiah laughs as if I’ve said the funniest thing ever. “You silly kitty cat. Of course I do. This time, not from you, though.” She lifts a finger, pointing at me through the screen. “Here’s something funny. Did you know there’s a bounty on you?”
My frown deepens to an outright scowl, and the fur on the back of my neck prickles with awareness. “There is?” I feign surprise, as if this is an utter shock to me, and then I stiffen with indignation. “You were looking for bounties on me?”
“Just looking to see what’s out there, no more, no less. I wouldn’t turn a client in.” She smiles far too sweetly for me to trust her. “Not when I know he’s flush with money.”
And easy enough to blackmail, I add silently. “So why are you sharing this information with me?”
“I just thought it was rather interesting.” Her eyes are devious, and she lets her voice trail off, as if waiting for me to provide information.
I do not. Let her tell me all about the bounty on my head. Let her confess that she will try to turn me in as the killer of my old slave-master. Let her just try and collect. I will go fighting every step of the way…
And I will bury her in my field next if she tries anything. So I cross my arms and wait.
Bethiah pouts into the screen. “You’re no fun to play games with.”
“I do not like your games. Spit out your truth and be done with it already.”
She rolls her eyes and gives a gusty sigh. “Praxiians. Biggest spoilsports in the galaxy. All right. Fine. I wanted to see if it was all right with you if I went ahead and collected on it.”
“You are asking me if you can turn me over to the authorities? My answer is no.”
“No,” she corrects. “I’m asking if I can provide information in regards to the whereabouts of a praxiian named Nassakth who was sold into honorable slavery thirty years ago. The ones seeking information are Nassani and Vusakth of some planet I can’t remember. Do those names ring a bell?”
It is not a bounty on my head. It is a bounty of…information.
My parents want to know where I am.
After thirty long years, they wish to re-unite.
55
NASSAKTH
After I terminate the call from Bethiah, I lean against the communication panel, trying to clear my spinning head.
My parents have put a bounty out for me. They wish to know where I am. The bounty is for any information pertaining to the whereabouts of Nassakth, once of Askorthi Prime. There is a fat bonus leading to direct contact with me, an amount that no doubt drew Bethiah’s eye.
I do not know what to do.
Part of me has hungered for family after all these years. My life has been a lonely one. While I was friendly with many other fighters in my owner’s stable, or those that I competed with, there was still an undercurrent of competition. We could not fully trust each other, because at any time, we could be sold or end up fighting each other to the death. I have never had a close companion…before Kim.
