Chapter 39
39
A fter we drop our passengers off at Gryxyx with as many credits as we can spare and a guarantee from my vuloi contact, Narem, that he’ll assist them in getting where they want to go, there’s nothing left to do but face Frea’set.
There’s a strong urge to stay out here in relative safety, clinging to the bubble of happiness I’ve had with Paul, but I’m not selfish enough to do that. We need to take care of this.
Turns out, arranging to bring the cargo back to Frea’set is simple.
When I comm him to explain the encrypted data was a dead end and say we can’t wait around to figure out who set me up, the weariness and resignation I convey is genuine, even if my words are false.
I tell Frea’set I can’t stomach the thought of those in need waiting on the rations any longer, so I’m going to deliver them myself, damn the risk of pissing off whoever set me up.
I sigh with relief and gratitude when he tells me to bring him the cargo instead, and that he’ll see it delivered while I continue to lie low.
I thought it’d be harder to lie to a person who I thought was my close friend for half my life, but every fake warm smile and reassuring word from Frea’set makes it easier. As we talk, my guilt about not seeing through his act fades.
Frea’set is an excellent liar. He offers his help, but makes it seem like it’s the only solution that makes sense. Nothing is forced. Everything is framed through the lens of his guilt about giving me this job and his obligations as a friend. I never would’ve detected his deceit on my own, because I can barely sense it now, even knowing he’s setting up another trap for me.
It’s masterful and heartbreaking.
Once the comm ends, the choking hurt and anger flood in.
Why would he do this?
Rema’s given me a catalog of all the things Frea’set did that made her leave him, and while it’s proof of him being a terrible partner, it still doesn’t explain this level of betrayal. Being an insensitive jerk isn’t the same thing as planning to ruin someone or get them killed.
Sure, we’ve had arguments and Frea’set wasn’t happy when I kept Rema as part of my crew when they broke up, but we got past that. Or I thought we did. Could that really be why he did all of this? He’d already decided to branch out to other work and leave our ship when that happened, so it wasn’t like I kicked him out or picked Rema’s friendship over his.
Paul’s hands land on my shoulders, kneading into the tense muscles and pulling me out of my thoughts. “What can I do?” he asks softly.
I place a hand on top of his and look back over my shoulder at him. “This is perfect. Thank you, l’thran .”
“It’s my pleasure. I only wish I could help more,” he murmurs.
“You do. If you weren’t here…” I swallow hard, unwilling to let that thought join my other worries at the moment. “You help more than you’ll ever know.”
Paul bends down to kiss my cheek. “I’m glad.”
There’s a soft snuffling sound from the pet bed by my feet.
“I think Leilit wants to help, too,” Paul chuckles, scooping down to grab the flesstra and deposit her into my lap.
The fluffy creature looks up at me with eyes I swear can see into my soul, blinking slowly, like she’s conveying a message to me.
“Oh! That means she loves you,” Paul exclaims. “Either that or she’s constipated. My research on flesstra care and behavior has been more complicated than expected.”
“Let’s hope it’s the former,” I chuckle, scratching the top of Leilit’s head. She does another slow blink and given how it’s accompanied by one of her patented soothing purrs, I’m inclined to believe it’s a sign of affection.
Paul sets to the task of massaging away my worries with deft fingers. Each moment he’s touching me helps to ease my frustration and anger. Leilit’s sweet purrs and softness help a lot, too. Between the pair of them, my mind settles back to a calmer state.
When I grow languid under Paul’s touch and Leilit is snoring, Paul eases his hands off my shoulders and sits down across the table from me.
“Anything else I can do?” he asks.
“Hmm.” I give him a lazy smile. “I can think of a few things.”
He snorts. “Other than sex. We need to go meet with everyone in a few minutes to finalize our plan now that everything with Frea’set worked out.”
“I can do a lot of excellent work in a few minutes.” I slide the tip of my boot against his pant leg, loving the pink rising on his cheeks right above his beard. “And making you come always helps me feel a lot better,” I add with a wink.
“Hadrell,” he groans in a feeble protest.
“Alright, alright. I’ll save that thought for later.”
“Great, now I’m going to have a hard-on when we go meet with the others,” Paul grumbles.
“Teasing you also makes me happy, so that works. I feel great now.” I laugh when Paul balls up a napkin from when we ate lunch earlier and throws it at me. Leilit lets out a disgruntled squeak when it lands on her and Paul’s brows shoot up.
“I’m sorry, sweet girl! I didn’t mean to hit you with it,” he coos appeasingly, and I laugh even harder.
God, I love them both so much. Having them around makes the task at hand feel much less weighty.
“Captain, er, I mean, Hadrell, we’re approaching Frea’set’s station.” Val’s attempt to use my name fills me with affection, and I smile as I move beside her and watch the derelict mining satellite that Frea’set converted to his home base come into view.
“Thank you, Val.” I glance over at Tari, who is leaning on the opposite arm of Val’s chair, one of her pink arms wrapped around Val’s shoulders. “Any attempts to disable our ship’s defenses?”
“Not yet, but I’m ready for when it happens. Val and I figured out a way of masking the defenses to make them appear down to anyone trying to infiltrate our systems. If a pulse comes through, that will automatically be enabled. The asshole won’t know we’re not helpless until it’s too late.”
I sigh and nod. “Let’s hope it won’t come to that.” There’s a part of me still holding out hope that if I walk into Frea’set’s trap, that will satisfy him and he’ll leave the rest of the crew alone. Though, that’s doubtful, since Rema will be on board.
Speaking of whom, my comm pings with an incoming message from her for the fifth time this morning. I open up the channel, already knowing what she’s going to say.
“I can handle it. Let me go with you!”
“No. It’s too dangerous,” I say, keeping my tone calm.
“For that fa-shar jerk, not me,” she protests.
“Rema, if you kill him, this plan won’t work.” Something I’ve had to tell her repeatedly since we all—excluding Rema—voted for her to stay on the ship.
“But—”
“Do you really want to spend years on the outer edges of Consortium space, working awful jobs until we can scrape together enough credits to afford a new ship and new IDs?”
“No, but?—”
“Rema, I need you on the ship with Paul.” I let some of my worry bleed into my tone. “If anything happens to me, you promised me you’d keep him safe. So quit arguing and go do what you’re supposed to be doing.”
She sighs heavily. “Fine. Don’t die, okay?”
“I don’t intend to,” I say, some of my bravado slipping back into place. Although, I don’t even know if I should call it that since it isn’t bluster.
I’m ready to deal with Frea’set and get this mess over with. Our plan is solid. We can do this .
“Val, hail his systems and start docking procedures. I’m heading down to the cargo bay.”
“Of course, Ca—Hadrell.”
There’s no time to go give Paul one more kiss, but he already gave me plenty over every inch of my body earlier this cycle, saying they were all for luck. A human superstition I’m more than happy to indulge.
Instead, I send a quick ping to his comm.
“Hadrell, everything alright?” His voice is a little shaky, but that’s to be expected when you’re about to try getting in touch with the Consortium to persuade them to absolve us of our crime.
“Yes. Just wanted to hear your voice another time before I go in. And remind you that you’ve got this, Ambassador.”
Paul laughs. “Let’s fucking hope so. If they don’t take the bait, we’re all going to end up in a prison colony.”
“That’s part of the fun, though, isn’t it?” I tease as the rush of excitement and adrenaline of our scheme creeps in. I may be slightly addicted to the danger, but who cares if it helps me pull things off?
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but, yeah,” Paul chuckles. “It kind of is.”
The joy at hearing him admit that fills me with so much hope for the future that my chest feels like it might burst. “I love you, l’thran ,” I say hoarsely.
“I love you, too, l’thran ,” he echoes. “Now go show that asshole he fucked with the wrong person.”
“Wow, look at this place!” I exclaim, taking in the refurbished docking bay with a grin. “ Esh’et , Frea, you’re doing even better than I realized.”
“Oh, this?” He grins back, the glint of his razor sharp fangs that used to comfort me now a veiled threat. “Wait until you see the rest of the place. Traipsing around the galaxy playing pirate may be exciting, but brokering pays a lot more.”
“Hah, true. Promise you won’t forget about me when you’re a billionaire?” I joke, mentally filing away his subtle jab at me.
Frea’set chuckles, the easy way he laughs setting my teeth on edge. “Never.” He reaches out a hand to tug me into a hug, and I eagerly meet him halfway like I always do. “Good to see you, sibling,” he murmurs. “It’s been way too long.”
I open myself up to his emotions while we’re touching, and the surge of amusement and disdain as he embraces me sets my teeth on edge. He’s happy I’m here, but it’s a sick, anticipatory excitement. Like a predator toying with its prey before it goes in for the killing blow.
Cocky fa-shar liar.
I sigh as we separate, forcing away my anger. “It has. You know how things are, though. You take on what should be an easy job, and it turns out to be a trap which has you fleeing for your life from the Consortium and almost dying, only to end up doing a bunch of awful jobs on the ass end of the galaxy.”
He shakes his head. “Can’t say I’ve had that exact experience, but yeah. Things get weird out here. But come on, H, you didn’t really almost die.” He gives me a knowing look. “The Consortium has a very strong ‘no unnecessary killing’ policy.”
“Yes, but my mechanic has a ‘fuck around with core systems at the worst possible moment’ policy. The shield was down on the energy core, so if we’d taken a direct hit there, there’d be no Hadrell left to be a pain in your backside.” I do my best to make my retort light and not accusatory, despite the memory of the visceral fear when we were fleeing Spire.
His deep gray skin pales. “Wait, really?”
Vash-ka , his shock seems so genuine. Did he really not think we’d die?
No, he had to have known. He sent the pulse to disable our defenses. That kind of thing could’ve also gotten us killed if we hadn’t noticed it.
My voice is a little hoarse when I reply. “Yes. Really.” I have to fight the urge to reach out and touch him to know how he truly feels, forcing a smile on my face instead. “But it’s fine! We made it out and we’re here.”
“Yeah… Speaking of which, where’s Rema? Is she coming?” His brow furrows.
I snort. “She’s fine. And no, she’s not coming. I tried to talk her into it, but she doesn’t want to see you.”
“Ah.” There’s a long, heavy pause before Frea’set speaks again, settling a mask of ease over his face. “No matter. Come on, we can have a drink while your crew unloads the cargo. I’d offer them some assistance, but I’m on my own out here.”
“I thought you hired a security staff,” I say, my frown of confusion genuine.
Is Frea’set really cocky enough to have no security other than his automated defense systems? Or is this another lie and mercs are lurking in the shadows, waiting for Frea’set’s command to pounce?
Esh’et , I hate how paranoid this whole situation makes me.
“I had security, but since you haven’t been around, I sent them off to handle a few outstanding jobs.”
Has he always been so passive aggressive? I pretend to grimace. “I’m sorry about that.”
Frea’set shakes his head. “No, no, it’s alright. I know that even coming here was risky. I’ve been fine without you, I promise.”
Finally, he says something I know for sure isn’t a lie.
“Am I, your oldest friend, truly that disposable?” I laugh like it’s the biggest joke in the universe.
Frea’set laughs just as hard but doesn’t answer the question, opening the door for me into what appears to be a lavish lounge area.
For someone who claims to be alone all the time, he certainly has the space to entertain guests. I follow him inside, my ocular implant scanning the space as quickly as possible while his back is turned to me. I expect for there to be armed turrets or some kind of security to incapacitate me, but there’s nothing.
He’s so damn sure I’m not a threat that he hasn’t bothered to take me anywhere secure. He knows I’m armed. Now I’m inclined to believe that what he said about being alone was the truth.
Anger and indignance flood my system, and the urge to grab Kha-shar from my hip and fire a bolt into the back of Frea’set’s head rises. My fingers twitch and my body primes for action, but I grit my teeth and clasp my hands behind my back as Frea’set goes to the small bar against the far wall.
“I’ll take some nexxit ice wine if you have any. The good stuff—it’s clear you can afford it.”
“Of course.” He smiles and pours us two glasses as I pretend to look around the lounge even as I keep a keen eye on his hands to make sure he doesn’t put anything in my drink.
“This is beautiful, Frea,” I say, filling my voice with awe. “I know you always wanted nice things. It was rough for you, being stuck on the ship, visiting shitty stations, and surviving on porridge and ration bars.” I smile at him, beaming with pride as he hands me my drink, needing to swallow back bile as my finger brushes against his and a spike of his emotions slam into me–contempt, anger, loathing, and sick pleasure. “I hope you’re proud of yourself for what you’ve done.”
His eyes flare brighter and he nods. “I am.”
“Let’s toast to that, then!” I hold my drink aloft like Paul taught me.
“Toast?” Frea’set’s forehead saelit crinkle in confusion.
“Oh, it’s something I picked up recently. A strange human custom where you tap your glasses together before sipping from them. It’s supposed to be good luck.”
“Uh, alright…” Frea’set says, holding his drink up hesitantly.
I vigorously smack my glass against his, some of the wine sloshing out and into his drink and onto his hand. “ Esh’et , sorry! I think I need more practice.”
Frea’set laughs and transfers his glass to his other hand, wiping the wine on his hand onto the front of my jumpsuit. “No harm done.”
I resist the urge to smack his hand away and wait for him to take a sip of his wine before I bring mine to my lips. When he drinks, I’m confident the fa-shar jerk didn’t try to poison me. He could have an antidote in his system like I do, but why would he bother?
I’m nothing to him. Not even worth worrying about.
The desire to shoot him takes hold again. I told Paul when this misadventure began that when I found the person who set me up, they’d have to talk to Kha-shar. Now, with Frea'set before me, it’s a struggle to not follow through on that threat.
Esh’et , it’s a good thing Rema didn’t come, because if I’m having a hard time not shooting Frea’set, there’s no way she could’ve stopped herself.
My comm vibrates against my wrist in a brief buzz. Then again, a moment later. Two pings is our signal that Paul received a reply from the Consortium and they’re headed this way. My heart hammers against my rib cage as I wait for a third vibration, which would mean things have gone to shit and we need to leave immediately, but it doesn’t come.
I sink down onto the couch, masking my relieved exhale with a sigh. Frea’set takes another swig of his wine and sits across from me with a broad grin.
That’s right. Keep smiling and enjoy the comfort while you can. Soon enough, you’ll be headed on a one-way trip to a prison colony.