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At least this bounty is close to being done. Despite Rhonda’s annoying presence, it’s been relatively smooth and proved that Bethiah and I can work together without murdering each other. I punch in the best navigation route to the casino satellite and watch as the ship turns itself slowly, orienting towards the new path. It’ll take a few days to get to our destination, but then everything will be smooth after that. We’ll drop Rhonda off, get our credits, and be on our way.
It sounds too easy. Easy always makes me suspicious. Maybe that’s why I make things difficult—I just don’t trust easy.
My leg aches and it’s buzzing somewhere inside, so I decide to stay on the bridge for a while longer. I run a ship diagnostic, even though I ran a clean one just a few hours ago. As it runs, I idly pull up the bounty database for our particular guild and scroll through the new listings to see if there’s anything interesting. We’re already occupied, of course, but it’s habit just to check what’s being posted in case it’s in the current area.
The sight of one particular bounty makes my blood run cold: ILLEGAL CLONING.
I open the bounty to review the information, and the sick anger in my gut increases. Homeworld Research and Learning Institute has uncovered a spate of illegal human clones flooding the slave markets. Look for humans without the crimson skin markers and registration codes. Anyone finding an illegal clone can bring the confiscated being to the Research and Learning Satellite for disposal and reward.
The number listed on the bounty is a nice, round, fat amount of credits, enough to send a flood of bounty hunters to every slave-trading station on the hunt for a cloned human. Dora won’t be safe, no matter what station we go to. Not until this bounty is gone. Humans are going to be hunted, cloned or not, just for a chance at the bounty.
And to turn them in to the Research and Learning Satellite is the worst part of all. Everyone knows that the experiments there are of a questionable nature. I think of Dora, being experimented on by a cold-hearted scientist, and I want to destroy something.
I need to talk to Bethiah. Now, more than ever, it’s important that we keep Dora safe.
Hauling myself up from my seat, I ignore the twinge in my leg and head for our quarters. When the door opens, it smells like sex and Bethiah’s reclining on the bed, a satisfied smile curving her lips. The shower is running in the en suite lavatory, and there’s no sign of Dora.
“Oh good,” Bethiah says, sitting up. “You’re just in time. I’m trying to see if I can make Dora squirt and my hands are getting tired. You can sub in for me.”
“Where is she?”
“Showering. We were taking a break, but now that you’re here, I’m game for round two.” Bethiah says. Her sleepy, pleased look disappears at the tension on my face and she sits up straighter. “What’s wrong?”
I hesitate, glancing around the room. Even now, Rhonda might be listening, and I don’t want to give her any information. I pull out my data-pad and access the bounty, then hold the pad out to Bethiah so she can read it.
Her eyes widen and she looks up at me.
“No more space stations,” I say in a low voice. “Not even for dinner.”
“No.” She purses her lips, her expression concerned. “Fuel and that’s it. Do we tell her?”
I shake my head. “She worries enough as it is.”
“Yes, but I don’t like keeping secrets from her. She’ll be upset.”
“Better that she be upset at us for a few days than live in fear for months on end,” I whisper. “This is for the best and you know it.”
“Yes, but there still shouldn’t be secrets between us,” Bethiah hisses. “Also, why are we whispering? She’s in the shower and can’t hear us.”
The water shuts off.
Bethiah flicks off my data-pad screen and hands it back to me. “I won’t say a thing. We’ll do it your way. Now, come and play?” Her expression turns to one of enticement.
“Won’t say a thing about what?” Dora asks, emerging from the lavatory with a towel wrapped around her dripping body.
I go blank. I can’t think of a single good lie to cover for our conversation.
Bethiah lies back down on the bed and gives Dora a lazy look. “When we dock at the casino satellite, we have to declare pets. Jamef doesn’t want to declare you at all and have you hide in the hidey-hole. So I told him we’d do it his way. It’s not worth arguing over.”
Dora makes a face at both of us. “I am absolutely not a pet. I’d rather hide, thank you.”
“Told you,” Bethiah purrs, reaching for my tail. “Now…come play?”
