Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Seven hours straight of staring at Sync screens, reading old documents, and running computer searches was not easy on the eyes.
Justyn squinted at the screen, scanning yet another document.
The information Eos and Dathan had managed to pull together was incredible.
He swiped the screen and moved onto the next page.
The computer was running several searches for any references to the Nero.
He and Nissa were manually going through anything the computer flagged.
Beside him, Nissa shifted in her chair. Again. For the hundredth time since they’d settled in the empty cabin to work.
“This completely destroys all my beliefs about the adventure of treasure hunting.” She sank back into her chair. “This is boring.”
Justyn hid his smile. He suspected Captain Sander didn’t spend much time sitting around. No, she’d be striding through the corridors of the Resolute Freedom, checking in with her crew and solving issues. “I don’t know, I kind of like it.”
There was a thrill to finding a hidden reference to a long-ago ship and its crew. And on top of that, he and Nissa had worked steadily together, almost like they’d been doing this kind of thing for years. He even liked the companionable silences.
Being able to watch her wasn’t a hardship either. He’d learned she had a habit of gnawing on her bottom lip when she was concentrating and tapping her nails on the table when she was frustrated.
She got to her feet and walked over to the large holo-screen mounted on the wall. It showed a star map and was marked with colored dots that showed any reference of the Nero or a reference they suspected could have been the ship.
They were slowly piecing things together, but there were still a hell of a lot of gaps.
An idea popped into his head to help break up the boredom and he fought back a grin. Oh yeah, he liked the idea of spicing things up a little. Touching his Sync, he quickly typed a message.
I keep from getting too bored by remembering what you look like with your clothes off.
He hit send.
Nissa’s console chimed. With a frown, she wandered back to her seat and tapped the screen. He watched her eyebrows wing up. “Phoenix.” A warning tone.
He shrugged. “Just telling the truth.”
She shook her head. “Get back to work.” Snatching up her Sync, she went back to study the star map. She tapped one red mark. “I’m sure this is where the Nero left what we now call charted space. Back then, they were already in the wild.”
“Agreed.” Justyn eyed the map. “Surely they wouldn’t have gone much farther out than that.”
She nodded. “Agreed.”
He jumped up and stood beside her. As his shoulder brushed hers, he savored the hit of heat to the gut. “The Colony Route runs very close to this spot. Even back then, it was around. The Hydraens have a detailed oral history about ships that were already using the route and visiting them.”
“The Hydraens?”
“A humanoid race who live on a planet here.” He tapped the screen. “Hydrae is a caravanserai world.”
“Caravanserai?”
“Old Earth word. Caravanserais were roadside inns or camps offering respite to travelers on the trade routes.”
“You’re thinking the Nero might have used the Colony Route?”
“Maybe.”
Silence once again reigned, both of them mulling over their respective thoughts. Unable to stop himself, he penned another short message.
If you were naked, I’d lay you back on the table and put my mouth on you. I want to watch you come and hear those little cries you make.
When her Sync chimed again, he saw her shoot him a suspicious look. He kept his face blank as she opened it. He watched a beguiling mix of outrage, desire, and temptation cross her face. It made him want to push her back against the table and do as he’d written.
She made a choking noise. “Justyn…”
“Nissa.” He mimicked her tone. He didn’t move closer to her, just watched her face.
That face he could stare at all day, with her stubborn chin, generous mouth, and beautiful scale pattern.
“It’s true. I can’t get the memory of you out of my head.
I relive that moment in your cabin a hundred times a day.
The sweet curve of your ass, helping you thrust your fingers inside your tight, hot wetness?—”
“Stop it.” Her smooth-as-sin voice was shaky.
“No harm in a little fun, Nissa.” And damned if he didn’t want to be the one to loosen her up a bit, make her smile more.
“Focus, Phoenix.”
He heaved a sigh and turned back to the map. The line they’d extrapolated as the route of the Nero glowed. “If they knew they were headed out of charted space, into the black unknown, they would have stocked up on supplies.”
Nissa cleared her throat. “Um, yes…no food printers back then. The only printers they had then made items from plas to make parts and goods. They hadn’t worked out how to manipulate protein.”
Justyn smiled to himself. Oh, he liked seeing the captain overwhelmed and off balance. “Right. So where did they take on supplies?”
She straightened, her mind fully on the map now. “Enterprise Station.”
“Right. So, based on the size of the Nero’s cargo bays, by the time they were here—” he touched the red mark where the Nero passed the galaxy’s edge “—they were running low. They would have needed to re-supply.”
Her eyes sparked. “Right! So, you know the convoy route. Where’s the most likely place they would have stopped?”
He tapped a finger against his mouth. “Maybe Uurin. It’s a temperate planet but there’s not much civilization there. The humanoid species that call it home aren’t very advanced.”
“Where else?”
He snapped his fingers. “Hydrae! That’s got to be it.”
“The caravanserai world. Did they offer respite to travelers back then?”
“Yep.”
“Okay. Tell me more about it.”
“You’d love it.” Justyn did. “The people are so friendly. They’ve developed outside the galaxy as we know it, so they have a different view on things.
They have a slower pace of life, believe in everyone finding their own passion, not living up to external expectations.
Their architecture is simple and beautiful.
” Hydrae was a quiet little paradise. “Believe me, anyone stopping there considers never leaving.”
Nissa leaned back against the table. “Traveling the convoy routes must be so exciting. New species, new planets, new foods.”
“It is. You meet new people, see amazing things. But it’s also dangerous.
Some species prey on the convoys, looking to steal goods and ships, or take slaves.
Sometimes even the food’s dangerous. I tried some berries once that shone like a pearl.
Damned things tasted like ambrosia. Turned out they were also violently poisonous.
” He shook his head, remembering the hideous pain.
“Luckily, Elana, our medic, is smart and quick. She saved me from a painful death.”
Nissa shook her head. “And you like to bring some of these amazing things back to the galaxy, where they could be dangerous to other species.”
He grinned. “You’re just trying to trip me up and get me to admit to smuggling.”
Nissa rolled her eyes at Justyn, ignoring his question, and looked back at the star map. “So, you think Captain Griffin stopped at Hydrae for supplies?”
“Yep, I do.”
She thought so too. “Do you have access to any of their records? We need to check to see if there’s any reference to a visit in the right time period.”
“They don’t keep many records. They have excellent memories, so they tend to store things in their heads.
Their planet’s history is mostly recorded in oral storytelling.
That said, Rynan does collect data and historical records from all the planets along the convoy route.
Guy is obsessed with security and boy, does he love information.
He might have something.” Justyn moved back to the table, plugging his Sync into the computer console and working on the larger screen.
Nissa followed, trying to rip her gaze off the man’s first-class ass and the way his cargo pants hugged it. His dirty little “notes” had left her feeling more than a little hot and bothered.
Damn tempting smuggler.
She sat back in her chair, shifting restlessly. This time it had nothing to do with boredom and everything to do with the aching emptiness between her thighs.
Why shouldn’t she enjoy a man she was crazily attracted to? She wasn’t talking about long term, or forever. She was talking about enjoying every wild thing there was about Justyn Phoenix while they were on this crazy treasure hunt together.
“A-ha!” He tapped furiously at the screen. “I found Ry’s stash of files on Hydrae. There’s not much. I’m shooting you the link to the directory now. You start at the top and I’ll start at the bottom, and we’ll work toward the middle. See if you can find anything referencing the Nero.”
“Got it.”
It was tedious work. Most of the records were intelligence about climate, resources, the level of development of the Hydraen people. Certainly nothing gripping, with the exception of some interesting information about the caravanserai and its long history.
But as the minutes ticked by, Nissa felt her vision waver from staring at the screen so long. She rubbed at her tired eyes and glanced over at her partner. Justyn seemed just fine, wide-awake and alert. He was sprawled back in his chair, his gaze intently flicking across the screen as he read.
A naughty idea tickled at the edge of her mind. No. She couldn’t.
But as she watched him snatch up his drink and chug back a large gulp, her stomach tightened with pure feminine appreciation.
She opened up a blank message screen and typed.
I’ve had my fantasies, too, Phoenix. I imagine you naked, me exploring every inch of that big, tough body of yours. With my hands and my mouth. I wonder what you taste like and how your cock would feel in my mouth.
She stared at the blinking cursor. Goddess, was she really going to do this?
Screwing up her courage, she hit send.