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The captain taps the map projector that floats between us. A glowing circle appears at the center, and then a mist of stars spreads through the air.
“Show me precisely where you were when you attacked the slaving ship that your mate and her friends were on.”
Raina watches with childlike fascination as I pinch and pull at the miniature universe to find the right spot. I know I should focus on the task at hand, but I can’t help stealing a glance at her amazement. The way her eyes sparkle, her features lit by the glow of the projection . . . She’s too beautiful.
“We were close to these coordinates. I know we left from this spot that morning.”
Rossa nods and then taps again. The area I’ve zoomed in on is suddenly alive with glowing pink veins. They pulse brighter in some spots, weaving together and intersecting fluidly. These must be trade routes she keeps track of. As she runs her fingers over the routes, text tags appear with tidbits of information scrawled in Kar’Kali handwriting.
I already knew that Rossa was the best at tracking someone down within the black-market trade systems, but I had no idea her data collections were so well-organized.
“They were riding a fairly common slavers’ route that runs from Okrila to the border of the Rathe System,” she concludes. “They would be desperate to offload their take after losing their entire cargo hold.”
“Do you know where they would have gone just based on that information?” Raina asks, still awestruck.
“Not quite. But I have my suspicions. What I’m going to do is reach out to some informants on Tharethe Station to see where they landed and if the humans have been sighted on the ground.”
“How long?”
“If they stopped on Tharethe, I’ll know by tomorrow morning. If not, I’ll have to dig a little deeper, and it might take time.”
“I understand,” my mate says with a grim nod. “I know this is a favor to Niko, but is there any way I can repay you for what you’re doing? I have a bit of money, but I’m also a hard worker. I can help with odd jobs, clean, whatever.”
Rossa shakes her head.
“This is what I do. I appreciate the offer, but it’s not necessary. Go wash up, you smell like the Lungfish Station publics. This room was just cleaned.”
We quietly sharea meal in the cafeteria while we wait for rooms to be assigned to us. My mate asked for her own private space, and while it wounds my ego, I can’t blame her for wanting time alone. She’s gone through personal trials that I can’t fully understand. The last thing I want to do is smother her. My ego is inflated enough to take a little bruising, after all. I can tell Raina is bursting with questions, but she chooses not to ask me anything. I’m partly thankful for it because I’m not sure I want to talk. Another part of me is disappointed. She holds me at a distance, treating me as a traveling companion rather than a mate.
Then again, it could just be a sign of how delicious the food is compared to what we’ve had prior. We avail ourselves of everything—hearty vegetable soup, fresh fruit, cheese, and spice-dried meats. Rossa keeps on a cook instead of relying on machine-made foods, and many of the options include traditional Kar’Kali products that I haven’t enjoyed in years.
“Rossa seems to know exactly what to do.” Raina finally breaks the silence. “Has she been doing this a long time?”
“She’s been on her own for seven or eight passings,” I say. “Before that, she was on a ship with someone who taught her what she knows. Another Kar’Kali pirate. Most captains of our species do some work like this on the side, but it can be difficult to make a mission like this profitable. It can be tempting to spend all your funding buying freedom for people, because purchasing freedom is easier than stealing it. Rossa has a knack for keeping her finances straight. She takes the stealing route whenever she can.”
“I’m guessing we couldn’t afford to buy Frankie or Kaye.” She puts down her empty soup bowl.
“No. Humans are still rare in these parts, so that boosts the price. Add in that they are young and female? No, it would cost as much as a year’s worth of fuel and operating costs for a big ship like this one.”
Raina nods. I wish I had better news for her, but we’ll be playing the waiting game for a brief time.
“I’m glad I put my trust in you,” she says, turning toward me and placing her hand on my resting forearm. There’s no hidden room key, no aphrodisiac coursing through her body. It’s a touch that she wanted; affection that seems to say thank you. “This is better than I ever could have imagined. It’s a far cry from what I could accomplish on my own.”
This one gentle moment tears me apart. I can’t fathom how I’ll feel if she ever gives her heart and her body over to me.
I cover my scattered emotions with a smile.
“I think we both know that you can do a great deal of damage all on your own.”
CHAPTERNINETEEN
RAINA
I’ve never seenthe color drain from Niko’s face the way it did when Captain Rossa mentionedMakiva’s Revengeand a male named Kallasiko Bi’Salla. His cheeks, which are usually imbued with a touch of healthy rose color, turned ghostly gray. I’ve never seen his expression turn flat like that. I thought that boarding this ship would give me a better idea of who Niko was before piracy, but I’ve only ended up with more questions than I had before.
A robot with the inexplicable name of ‘Honey’ swings by the cafeteria to tell us there are passenger quarters prepared for our use. Most bots are more like machines than this one. He’s made to mimic a Zaledian, a species very similar to humans. But his metallic skin shines with a red finish and he has a whipping cord for a tail. Niko tells me that he’s an illegally re-programmed kill-bot, but that I shouldn’t bring that up because he’s very sensitive.
My head is still spinning slightly after the conversation in Rossa’s quarters. Niko silently guides me with a hand on my lower back. He knows the layout here without hesitation. He speaks with Rossa like a close friend, and every member of her crew knows him well. He’s not the loner pirate that he presents himself as.
