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“Have I ever.”
“Honestly, Angie, that’s why I’d never marry a leader of any kind. It’d stress me out too much.”
Angie was unperturbed. “The council makes most of the decisions now. I think my mates might want to give up the title soon and just take up jobs as guards, like Holden was before. They want more free time.”
“They deserve that. They worked hard to make Reka 5 what it is now. Thanks for letting me know the good and the bad news. I’ll head down first thing tomorrow to sign the papers. What about the contract? Any news on that?”
Angie blew out a breath. “Technically, the law is on his side. All the information on the contract is correct. You’re hired by the ship, which is a separate business entity, not by the captain, so the captain’s identity doesn’t come into play. But it’s Ulrek. The council has to be diplomatic, but they also hate his guts. Some think they should make this an exception, But others are worried they’re setting a precedent of different laws for different people.”
“Oof. I didn’t mean for things to get complicated. I can see how that’s a slippery slope.”
“They’re still debating. I’ll let you know when they reach an agreement.”
“Thanks, Angie. And I’ll be at the tribunal hall bright and early.”
Chapter 13
Delaney
After her run-in with Craig the previous evening, Delaney planned out her day to avoid the bastard as much as possible. Heading out to the tribunal hall early in the morning should be pretty safe since Craig would be on his way to his work on the other side of the colony.
Even then, she’d take the busiest routes so there would always be people around. After signing everything, her plan was to grab a transport and head straight to the docks. The docks were well-monitored, with cameras everywhere. Craig wouldn’t be desperate enough to try something there.
Unfortunately, she never made it to the tribunal hall.
Most Reka 5 colonists called a colony transport if they needed to get from one place to another. It was like a cab, except you never needed to worry if the driver was ripping you off by driving around in circles while you were drunk because the transports were self-driving.
Privately-owned transports were very expensive since, unlike cars, they also had short flight capabilities. Craig and his buddies jointly owned one that looked like it was falling apart. Delaney didn’t know where they went with it, but she did know that they’d gotten it for not-so-legal purposes. It was a beater, so when the luxury transport pulled up next to her, she wasn’t worried.
It didn’t look like the transports colonists used here, so Delaney assumed it was a visitor asking for directions, maybe a merchant, perhaps an investor here to check out the slew of new start-ups on the colony. Reka 5 had grown so much over the last few years.
Instead of being known just for amberberry wine, Reka 5 was now the home of Hullean Visions, a tech company that had their immersive simulator games in homes and on ships across the galaxy. Wildview Starliner company also had its headquarters here. Several big-name merchants had also settled down in the colony with their human mates. All this growth meant they had a lot more visitors. So the transport could have been anybody.
By the time the door opened and she saw Craig step out, it was too late. Delaney opened her mouth to scream, deciding that her best bet was to draw as much attention to the two of them as possible. But before she could make a sound, the back door opened, and Craig pushed her in, right into the waiting arms of his friend Eric. She struggled, but he covered her mouth with a cloth. Then everything went black.
Ulrek
Ulrek surveyed the front of the NCH building, trying to guess which room was Delaney’s. She never showed up at his ship this morning, and it was almost midday. He’d asked for her at the front desk, but the moment he’d mentioned her name, security had turned from friendly and helpful to mistrustful and accusatory.
So now he was standing in front of her building. They wouldn’t let him in? Fine. They couldn’t stop him from waiting outside. Delaney had to leave her room eventually.
“What are you doing here?”
Ulrek turned to the familiar female voice. Angie stood with her hands on her hips.
“I am looking for Delaney. She was supposed to come to my ship this morning, but she never showed.”
“Really?” Angie narrowed her eyes at him. “I wouldn’t show either.”
“She agreed to come.” Ulrek leaned back on the tree.
“I don’t believe it. I don’t think she’d ever willingly step foot in your ship again.”
“She was there yesterday. She diagnosed the issue with my greenroom, and she promised she’d come back today.” He left out the part about their little challenge. Angie didn’t need to know about that.
Angie picked up her comm. “I’ve got Captain Uzzar here. He’s standing outside the NCH building and claims to be waiting for Delaney Torres. Apparently, she was on his ship yesterday and was supposed to return this morning but didn’t.” After a moment, she turned to Ulrek and asked, “When did she leave your ship?”
“Just after midday or so. She was going to The Shops. What’s going on? Where is she?” A feeling of dread started brewing in the pit of his stomach.
