Chapter 11
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
My throat clicked with a dry swallow as I slipped my boots on with trembling hands.
I touched the control panel beside the door, made my way out into the hall and down the corridor toward the communal living quarters.
Ash lingered on my tongue and I couldn’t get the scent of burning flesh out of my mind.
It was what pushed me from the room for something cool to drink, running from the screams echoing in my head.
The ship was quiet, save for the humming of the engines.
Somewhere, I knew, Maxtalen was awake navigating the ship through the next quadrant jump—he’d said as much at our mealtime before we’d left for Keva Um’plem, and told me I could visit if I got restless.
But I wouldn’t, not with the sweat clinging to my temples and the tremors wracking through me.
A cry slipped through my lips as a hand closed over the back of my neck, spinning me until my shoulders slammed against one of the walls with a crack. The image swam for a moment. Silver eyes pierced mine. A lock of black hair fell into a face I had seen so often in my nightmares.
“You sneak around my ship,” Captain Ruciyah growled through the bottom half of his helmet. “You spy on me and my crew. What is it Lunastra really wants?”
My skin crawled at the scent of him, something heavy like a storm cloud on my home planet mixed with metal. I attempted to wrench myself from his hold but his forearm pressed against my throat, the rough fabric of his arm guard rasping against my skin.
“I don’t trust you.”
Despite the disgust crawling through my stomach, the corner of my lip twitched.
It was nice to know the feeling was mutual, even as my head swam from the pressure, the sickening feeling of my esophagus folding against itself forcing me to buck against him.
After another second, he released me and I coughed, not even bothering to cover my face.
“Why are you here?” he demanded, crowding me as I wheezed.
Specks of translucent blood dotted his skin and the half of his helmet—probably a respirator—he still wore.
They shone pearlescent in the strip lighting overhead.
For the first time I thought I understood what the village elders had meant about truly looking upon evil and how one must show it strength to survive.
So I tilted my chin up, noting the furrow forming between his dark brows, the subtle silvery scar running through his left one.
Burn it to the ground.
A fist slammed beside my head and I bit the inside of my cheek, but the only indication I gave of my surprise was my eyes closing. As I opened them, his were intent on my face, a growl slipping through his respirator. “Fucking speak!”
My lips twitched when a vein pulsed in his temple. I tilted my head to the side, mimicking his very own movement of assessment. My hair slipped in front of my face but I didn’t move it, didn’t dare twitch even as he crouched until we were eye to eye.
“You’re not just a hired body, are you?” He shook his head. “No, no, you’re more than that. There’s something else at play here and I don’t trust you or your mistress, do you hear me?”
One of his hands shot out, gloved fingers wrapping around my throat and pulling me up until I balanced on the tips of my toes. Instinctually I grappled at his wrist, gasping for air.
“All communications are monitored. The moment I find out what it is you’re up to, I’ll send you out into space with the trash.”
I couldn’t help the coughing laugh that climbed up my throat, even as I struggled for air.
My nails bit into the leather of his gloves, though I wanted to see if I could open the scar on his brow, perhaps leave a new one across his cheek.
But a hollow pang of satisfaction thrummed in my chest at the sight of his discomfort.
I was no one but a yeska and I was a threat to everything he held dear.
Good.
…
The veg turned to sludge in my throat as Captain Ruciyah strode into the mess, the entirety of his helmet firmly back in place.
Even though it was a relief not to see his face, I couldn’t pretend I didn’t know now who was behind that visor.
I did not know how I could continue on this journey.
Every instinct told me to find the nearest blaster or blade and seek my revenge.
But I knew I couldn’t—Captain Ruciyah was after something worse than even him and I might be the only one who could stop him.
Beside me Maxtalen put down his tablet and pressed his fingers to his eyes. “I keep telling myself after the next equation I’ll take a break, but here I am four hours later and I’m worried my eyes are going to fall out of my head.”
I nudged his full plate of food closer with an elbow, pointedly looking down at it. The pale skin of his cheeks darkened a purplish-pink. Captain Ruciyah cleared his throat, his attention raking down my face like white-hot Uhkazant metal.
“Now that I have everyone’s attention…” He gestured to Hudzon, and Maxtalen sank lower in his chair. Across, Crux was eyeing us both with a narrowed gaze, his mouth twisted into a grimace.
Hudzon stepped forward, two of their heavy arms crossed over their chest while another tossed the holopad down the table where it skidded to a halt in the center and projected a gleaming white planet. “This is our next stop.”
There was a collective groan from the group and Zoleka shook her head, chuckling. I leaned forward, examining the planet more closely. Glittering clouds swirled in its atmosphere and occasional strikes of amethyst lightning broke through the sky.
Rys leaned forward, clicking his eating sticks in one hand. “Best of luck with that one. It’d be easier to break into a Federation high-security planet than get into Louxuria.”
“Less dangerous too,” Rhiaon grumbled beside him.
Captain Ruciyah held one of his hands up and silence fell while Hudzon cleared their throat.
“Yes, well, we found out from our friend last night that a collector by the name of Phyenix Listra has the stone. He’s a mid-ranking senator within the Federation but he’s associated with Senate Leader Antares.”
“Maker,” Crux cursed, running a black-veined hand over his face.
I’d known a few Louxurians in my time on the Daskquah.
All had had a taste for the finer things in the universe and a penchant for hoarding said items. Lyrace’s quarters were so full of gifts and shiny objects it’d been a struggle to walk through the few times I’d visited.
He’d been secretive as well and I’d been on Daskquah for almost a full cycle before he’d even let me know where his quarters were.
Was that how all people of his species were?
“Maxtalen, any ideas?” Hudzon pressed.
Behind him, the captain leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. At my glance, his head tilted ever so slightly, making the hairs on my arms stand on end.
The sound of tapping filled the room as Maxtalen’s fingers flew over the tablet, his golden brows tugging together.
“There’s a gala in less than a quarter cycle from now and…
” His fingers moved faster over the keys and finally I realized he had six fingers to my five.
A chuckle slipped from his lips and he sat back from the table.
“It’s hosted by our next mark: ‘Senator Phyenix Listra is honored to open his home for the annual Cycle of the Seasons celebration.’”
I frowned before smoothing my face, but I looked around the room, hoping someone else would voice the question.
“Why do we need to wait for a gala like this? Can’t we just…you know…” Crux made a hand gesture miming flying followed by a snatching motion.
The captain pushed himself from the wall. “Because Louxurians are as good as draycans with their treasures and guard their planet more securely than the Federation themselves. It’d be suicide to try to break through a security system.”
“So we go the more elegant route,” Rhiaon agreed with a nod.
Their brother laughed, batting their arm with the back of their hand. “Too bad we forgot to pack our dancing shoes, huh?”
A sigh reverberated out of Captain Ruciyah’s mask and he rested his hands on the table. “First, we need to get on the list. Zoleka, do you have any contacts?”
The female grimaced, interlacing her pointed fingers over the parchment text she’d been reading. “Not that I know of, but I can make some comms.”
I imagined Lyrace knew someone who could get us on that list. He seemed to know every single diplomat who boarded the Daskquah and I’d wondered more than once if he’d been somebody before he’d been sold into servitude.
When no one had any other ideas, the captain instructed us each to do as much research as we could.
However, if we were reaching out to contacts we were to say Captain Ruciyah was a patron of the arts with a soft spot for Louxurian goods and antiquities.
But when the twins left for the training room and Maxtalen skittered back toward the navigation center, Greabes leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table. “What are you thinking, girl?”
Rolling my lips together, I looked between him, Hudzon, and Captain Ruciyah. Zoleka was nose deep in her book, but her attention flicked up to me a few times. Crux, however, I avoided from the intense scrutiny he was giving my face.
“I…” I cleared my throat, feeling as if the captain’s hand was around it once more.
I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of hearing my voice.
But if I was to stop them, I needed first to find out where the stone was.
Which meant I had to help them at least at the beginning.
“I know a Louxurian male who might be able to help.”
Satisfaction wove its way through my bones when a rumble slipped from Captain Ruciyah’s mask, his hands balling into fists at his sides. “Absolutely not.”
I blinked, allowing my expression to fold into one of confusion. But it was Greabes who held his hand up at his captain. “Sit your ass down before you have a heart attack.”
Though the captain didn’t sit, he did rest his hands on the table, leaning over until he was close enough I turned to Crux instead. My stomach twisted painfully at the look on the male’s face, as if he was trying to see down into my soul.
“If this male can help then I will contact him,” Captain Ruciyah all but growled.
Greabes shook his head. “If he’s Louxurian it’s got to be Juniper he speaks to. You’ll get nowhere with him.”
The captain circled the table until he loomed over me, hands flexing at his sides.
I stood before I even realized what I was doing, skittering back a few steps, and heat flooded my cheeks at the shame of showing such weakness.
His steps stuttered and he reached out a hand before it dropped, perhaps to stop me from running.
But his threat rang in my ears as if he’d screamed it.
“Tread carefully. You know what will happen if you don’t.”