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Serenity’s pulsed kicked up a few notches, but she did her best not to let her excitement show. After all, what Patrick was saying seemed too good to be true.
“How?” Serenity whispered.
“Smugglers,” Patrick answered. “Ksh smugglers from Earth.”
Serenity had heard rumors of ksh smugglers, but she wasn’t sure if they were true or not. Ksh was a crop that only grew on this planet. Its fruit contained a nectar that was more nutrient dense than any other food product in the known universe. The nith grew ksh on large plantations—or rather, they used ukkur slaves to do the work for them. The ksh was then shipped to Earth, where it was exchanged for human prisoners.
But ever since the ukkur rebellion had started, the ksh shipments to Earth had been dwindling. As a result, a thriving ksh-smuggling business had grown up. Human spacers willing to risk their lives for a fortune would secretly land on the nith homeworld, load up on stolen ksh, and carry it back to Earth.
Or at least that was the rumor.
Based on what Patrick was saying, the rumor was true. But how the hell had he managed to make contact with the smugglers? Serenity asked him that very question.
“I’m like you,” he answered. “I can’t stand it here in camp. Sometimes, when the ukkur aren’t watching, I’ll take one of the skriks from the stables and ride it out of the canyon. If you know the tunnel system, there are a lot of ways to get out. I know it’s dangerous and I could get in a lot of trouble, but sometimes I just need to get out.”
Serenity nodded. She could certainly sympathize with that feeling, though she was surprised to hear that Patrick had been sneaking out like that.
“Anyway,” he went on. “About a week ago, I saw a ship. It didn’t look like a nith ship, so I decided to check it out. It was a smuggler ship, piloted by humans like us.”
“And you talked with them?”
“Of course! They offered to take me back to Earth with them, but I told them there was somebody I couldn’t leave behind.” He gave Serenity a meaningful look. “They said they would be back in another week to pick up another load. I know where they will be landing.”
Serenity’s heart was slamming with excitement, and tears of gratitude sprang to her eyes. Patrick had had an opportunity to escape, but he’d passed it up to bring Serenity along too.
“Thank you!” she said and threw her arms around the awkward young man in a hug.
No sooner had she done this, however, than Serenity felt a tingle of uneasiness raising the fine hairs at the back of her neck. She sensed that someone was looking on from afar. Someone who did not enjoy seeing her hug another male. She could have even sworn that she detected a hint of that musky, masculine scent that she knew all too well.
Serenity immediately broke the hug and looked around the canyon again.
Business as usual. Everyone was going about their business in the shade among the scattered tents.
No sign of the watching ukkur.
Weird.
“Serenity?” Patrick asked with a note of concern. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” she answered. “Yeah. But, Patrick, what about the others?”
Serenity swept her hand, indicating the rest of the human refugees milling about the camp.
Patrick’s face grew serious and he shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Serenity. But the smugglers said I could only bring one other person along with me. Their ship is not that big, and what little space they have is taken up with their load of contraband ksh.”
“But they’ll be coming back, I mean—“
“No,” Patrick said. “Serenity, think about it. If I tell one other person, then they’ll tell someone else and so on, until everybody in camp knows. How do you think the ukkur will feel about that? Or the smugglers for that matter? They aren’t philanthropists, Serenity. They are space pirates. We have to do it on their terms or not at all.”
Serenity frowned. What Patrick said made sense, but she didn’t like it.
Then again, this was probably the only chance she would ever have to return to Earth.
“When?” she asked.
“Tonight. The smugglers come and go under the cover of darkness. They’ll be landing tonight at the location they gave me. It’s pretty far, but I can arrange two skriks for us. If we ride out just after nightfall, we can make it.”
