AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hership received the special treatment. Hers was cradled lovingly against his belly, right next to the fuck-ton-sized rocket launcher he was packing.
“You looked like you were out of fuel… so I picked you up,” he said. “What’s the problem?”
“The problem is you didn’t ask!”
She was the crab in the tide pool minding her own business and he was the kid about to ruin her life.
“I fail to see the problem. You’re visibly stranded. I’ll take you to the Astral Reef. Since you helped me find my pirates, some of the bounty belongs to you. You can use that to refuel and then you can fly off to your heart’s content until another pirate sets their sights on you. I’ll even find you next time you get stuck!”
Lucca paused to earnestly think it over. If she got enough fuel, she could leave. She wanted to leave, right?
But the proximity of that weapon on his ship kept setting off her sensor alarms. And she didn’t know him. He sounded like he was attempting to be helpful—but people sometimes lied.
“You just destroyed a whole ship in front of me,” she said.
“Ah. Sorry. I don’t intend to use my guns on you.”
She wished she could believe him. Unfortunately, Ternetzis and humans were at war. Lucca had been hiding her identity, watching her resources gradually dwindle. It was to the point where she’d started debating whether to turn herself over and hope for mercy. Lucca didn’t know what came after that. The aliens could imprison or kill her.
And what was maddening was that she didn’t knowwhythey were at war. No one had told her. When she’d left Earth with stars in her eyes, the common opinion was that they were leaving on a peace mission.
“You have to let go of me,” she said.
He slowed to a stop and released her ship in the open. Doing nothing… going nowhere.
So she was out of fuel and even more lost than before. Perfect… There wasn’t a landmark in sight except for the distant sun and the enigmatic galaxy wheeling around them. She breathed in mindfully, trying to get her shit in order.
“Do youwantme to leave you here?” he finally asked.
Lucca had calmed down enough to realize he wasn’t forcing her. He’d just been… over-exuberant for a minute.
“I do need the lift,” she admitted. “I was just… look, I don’t know you and you just shot a ship to smithereens in front of me. That… freaked me out.”
“Ah,” he said with more recognition.
“You can’tevershoot at my ship, no matter what,” she insisted.
“I would never do that,” he all but growled. “Your ship is unarmed. I don’t shoot at unarmed ships.”
Could she tell him why it was so important? Common sense told her it was not a good idea.
In her silence, he said, “What’s your name? I can’t keep calling you research ship.”
“Lucca.”
“Lucca,” he repeated. It occurred to her that his voice sounded attractive. Of course, any warm and friendly voice would be, but she liked his more than others. It was rich and friendly, and it moved up and down the scale as he spoke. It translated more directly than the others she’d heard—as if he was speaking her language without trying.
She didn’t fully grasp the functions of her translator. Maybe she simply liked his voice.
“My name is Caligher.” He said this as his crane collected her ship once more, locking in her fate with his. “I was born under the star of the Severed Shell. If my manners haven’t put you off, you and I could make a lucrative partnership in hunting down bounties. I make a good income doing it—but I could use a ship with your equipment.”
He was carrying her off like a stork again.
“What is your star?” he asked.
“A Virgo, I guess?” she said.
“You…” His mouth snapped shut rather loudly. “I don’t know what that is.” There was a moment of bare panic in her chest, but then he changed the subject.
