Chapter 29
“I didn’t know it would go this way,” Jaden said as they bumped through the streets of Larga Ways in darkness.
They were in a cart that looked like some kind of maintenance module, and were being pushed along by the woman from the warehouse, Vira, and Bart.
Fee made a mental note to keep an eye on any such modules in the future, or at least make spot checks of them.
It was a clever way of secretly transporting people through Larga Way’s streets, given they were pedestrian only zones.
Only she and Tean Lee were allowed to use runners, and she tried to keep her personal use to a minimum.
The only other exception was for the movement of items too heavy and difficult to deliver by foot, and permission had to be sought for that.
Using a large push cart was a very clever way around the rules.
“You knew enough,” Fee said, not prepared to give him any grace. “I’m sitting here in restraints, and we’re off to who knows where.”
“To the basement,” Jaden said, sounding glum. “It’s near Eazi’s workshop.”
“The basement?”
“Where Vira and her crew have been staying,” Jaden said.
“So you’ve been there?” Fee had initially thought Jaden was just passing on information, but it was looking more and more as if he was fully a part of the team.
“Once.” Jaden suddenly went quiet, as if he realized the hole he was digging for himself.
Of course, Rial had said he’d found Vira’s hideout. And it didn’t sound like either Bart or Vira realized it. Hopefully they wouldn’t be any the wiser until it was too late.
It was just too bad she’d been caught.
Should she be found by Hal or any of his team as a prisoner in this cart, it would be humiliating.
She would have to take her medicine, and whatever comments were going to come her way.
And no doubt Hal would be quite grumpy for some time.
So she might as well pump Jaden for what she could get out of him so this wasn’t an unmitigated disaster.
“How long have you been part of this plot?” she asked.
“Plot?” He sounded slightly outraged. “Do you know what Paxe did to this way station? People died. And then we lost ownership of the whole thing.”
“I know full well. I climbed under it and fixed it, remember?” Fee said.
There was a moment of silence.
“Maybe,” Jaden said. “But you got quite a reward for it, didn’t you? Control of the whole place.”
“The whole place wouldn’t still be here if I hadn’t.” There was no question about that, which is why no one had seriously pushed back against either her or Eazi taking the way station over.
“You wouldn’t have had the opportunity if Paxe hadn’t tried to kill you, and everyone on the way station with you.” Jaden sounded like it had just happened, that it was fresh in his memory, not that it was a year ago and Paxe had apologized and made a peace offering.
“I’m the one he tried to kill, and I’ve forgiven him. I fully understand others who lost loved ones not feeling the same, because that’s their right and their choice, but you aren’t one of them. So what’s this about, Jaden?”
“About Balco becoming a free planet. No more bowing to the Grih. Running ourselves completely, and becoming a trade hub.” Jaden sounded as if he was trying to convince a customer to make a sale.
“You’re already a trade hub. And the Grih hardly interfere with the running of your planet. And whatever strategic benefit they get from your vassal status, they make up for in military protection.”
“Protection from whom?” Jaden asked. “The Garmman are more allies to us than the Grih are. If we have to bow to anyone, we should move the space boundary and give this area of space to the Garmman.”
She sat in silence for a minute. She remembered Hal talking about the Garmman playing games at the space boundary. Now Jaden was talking about the boundary being moved, cutting into Grihan territory.
“Why do you say the Garmman are better allies than the Grih?” she asked.
Jaden said nothing.
“Well?” she asked.
“I’ve been told they’re willing to give us more of the trade income than we’re currently getting, and we’ll get to have Larga Ways back.” He sounded mulish.
“But Balco is making more now from the way station than it was before Eazi and I took it over. Everyone is better off.” She could understand if they’d lost on the deal, but they hadn’t.
“It’s not just about money,” Jaden said. “It’s about power. And you took it away.”
“Power to do what?” she asked, but she had a good idea what he was going to say.
Before he could answer, the cart came to a stop with a jerk and the door was opened.
“Let’s go.” Bart stood back and Fee stepped out into the gloom of a back alley.
She had no idea where they were.
Jaden hopped out beside her and looked around. “Is this the back entrance?”
“No.” Vira came around the side of the cart. “Looks like the Grih have found our basement. Luckily we saw them coming out or we would have walked straight into them.”
Fee kept her game face on, but she wanted to kick something in frustration.
“We need to get off the way station, so I want to know how you arrived,” Vira said to her.
“I came in with some Grih from Balco,” Fee said. “I don’t think that way is open to you, or me, right now.”
Vira didn’t know whether to believe her, but given they’d all just seen the Illium leave when no one else could, she didn’t have much choice.
“If you want to leave, you have to get the comms back up.” Fee hoped they didn’t want her to leave the way station with them, but if the comms went back up, then hopefully Eazi would be able to get in contact with her. “But you have to know that.”
Vira’s lips twisted in acknowledgement. “As soon as we do, the thinking systems will come back in the game.”
“Paxe can’t do anything, he’s not in the Larga Ways system, that’s Eazi’s domain.” That was actually true, although Fee wondered if Eazi had given Paxe the keys to his kingdom in case of emergencies.
She honestly didn’t know.
“I believe that. But it isn’t Paxe I’m worried about.” Vira looked down at her comms unit, then back at Fee. “We have Eazi. Tell me how to transport him in a way that he can’t connect to any comms.”
Fee shifted back. “Why would I do that?”
Vira gave a shrug. “Because if you don’t, the Garmman battleship that snuck over the space boundary when the comms first went down, and is now hiding behind Gu-gijeron, will start shooting at Larga Ways.”
Gu-gijeron was a Balcoan moon that contained deritide, an element that interfered with scanning equipment. The Garmman had picked their hiding spot well.
Jaden drew in a sharp breath at Vira’s threat. “What?”
“They won’t completely destroy the way station,” Vira told him. “But people will die.”
“Such good allies,” Fee said, glancing sidelong at Jaden. “Honestly, the best.”
Jaden looked like she had slapped him. “You’re Balcoan,” he said to Vira.
She shrugged again. “I’m looking long term.”
“Plus, I bet the Garmman are paying you,” Fee said.
Vira didn’t answer, but the statement hit another nerve with Jaden.
“What’s it going to be?” Vira asked softly. “Tell me how to secure Eazi, or Larga Ways is hit.”
“All right. I’ll tell you.” She shot Vira a furious look.
“If you lie, if he does manage to connect to the systems, Larga Ways will be hit immediately.” Vira held eye contact, and Fee could see she wasn’t bluffing.
She was wearing the crystal beaded jacket Eazi had left for her. She had to hope that when the comms came back on, she would be able to let him know what was happening without alerting Vira and her friends.
Eazi would need to pretend he wasn’t in the system, and hopefully get a message to the Illium that they had an enemy battleship just beyond one of the moons.
She glanced up at the Illium, pleased beyond measure that they’d had the foresight to undock.
“I won’t lie,” she promised. And then prepared to do just that.