Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Xaber couldn’t stay in the security system forever, but he lingered long enough to know that the one who had followed them to the restaurant didn’t stick around after they went inside.
Whatever he reported back, it should be enough to discourage anyone thinking about taking another crack at Tix. He still intended to walk her to wherever she was staying, though. A smart male would give up, but nothing was smart about someone who threatened a female who had already broken his nose.
He’d gone back through the footage and reviewed the entire encounter.
Now he understood. It was obvious to him that getting involved was the right thing to do.
Mace had been right, even if it wasn’t like his batch-brother to act impulsively.
Usually, that was his shtick. That difference in their personalities had resulted in more than one argument over the years.
Today was an exception to the norm, and he wondered why.
The most obvious reason was that Tix was an attractive female, but Mace wasn’t easily swayed by a pretty face.
Too many females were deterred by his scars and stony demeanor, and the ones who did flirt with him usually wanted something in return for their attention.
Xaber had all but given up hope that his batch-brother would ever be interested in a female, but this looked promising.
Of course, the timing was terrible. But what else was new? They never managed to do anything the easy way.
Money was tighter than he’d hoped, and they were currently stuck on Defiance Station until they figured out a way to pay for repairs to their ship.
Most of the higher bounties required reliable transport, and both the standard and jump engines on the Live True were currently acting up.
They could still make short hops to other platforms around the Drift, but there wasn’t enough money to be made on those jobs to risk getting stranded. Especially since he’d have to go alone.
Recently Mace had offered to pick up shifts as security for one of the new music venues. That steady work helped pay for everything from docking fees to pizza nights. Without it, they’d have to tap into the funds set aside for repairs, which would make their situation worse.
Xaber took a long pull of his drink and did his best to banish his worries for the time being. It wasn’t often he got to have a meal with someone besides Mace, and Tix was both attractive and interesting.
“You two seem to know your way around pretty well. How long have you been on the station?” Tix asked.
“We’ve been here since it opened for business, or close to it. When we first walked around the place, there were still plenty of empty storefronts and ‘Coming Soon’ signs around. Not so many visitors, either.”
“Not anymore,” Mace said. “Now it’s busy all the time. Which is good for business, but not so great if you want to take a quiet walk to clear your head.”
Tix laughed. “If you want quiet, don a suit and head out an airlock. I suspect that’s the only way to get some peace around here.”
Mace shook his head. “No thanks. My stomach doesn’t like zero-G.”
“You get space-sick? I thought your nanotech handled issues like that.” Tix looked between them with open curiosity. “Or are there limits to what the tech can do? From what I’ve heard, medi-bots are the best thing going. Most folks would love to have them.”
“There are definitely limits.” Xaber pointed to his batch-brother. “He’s puked in his helmet more times than I can count.”
Mace flicked out two fingers in an obscene gesture they’d learned from a group of Vardarian traders a few weeks back. “Please ignore him. He’s pretty, but his manners suck harder than a black hole. I mean, who brings up that kind of thing right before dinner?”
Tix snickered. “I’m the only child of two former IAF marines. I’ve heard worse.” Once she stopped laughing, she leaned forward and put one elbow on the table. “I’m curious. What can your medi-bots do? I’ve heard they can alter your metabolism and even block pain.”
“That’s true,” Mace said.
Xaber took note. The big male was surprisingly talkative tonight. He had to be interested in Tix.
Would wonders never cease?
Mace continued to explain about their nanotech for a few minutes.
It was the most he’d heard the male say in years.
He hadn’t been this animated since before…
Xaber’s brain shied away from the thought, but he forced himself to finish it.
Before the others had died. Before they lost Star and Morn. Before it was just the two of them.
“So, what about you? How long have you been here on Defiance?” Mace asked.
“Only a few weeks. Enough to find work and explore a little. This place is bigger than I expected. I grew up on a space station, so I figured it would be more of the same. Veth, was I wrong about that.”
“We’ve been all over the Drift and a few other places before that, and this station is one of a kind. That’s why we came here. We’re hoping this will be our new home. Someplace stable and steady.”
Flek arrived at their table with a service bot laden down with their order.
While neither of them had to eat every day, they also didn’t have to worry about gaining weight.
Their medi-bots kept them fit and healthy no matter what they ate.
It was one of the reasons so many beings were interested in getting hold of the nanotech for themselves.
That, and the fact that it would extend their lives by a considerable margin.
“This is all for us?” Tix gaped at the three large pizzas.
“It is. This is what they always order. Every time. No changes.” He pointed to each pizza in turn.
“This one is pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions. That one double cheese, olives, and spicy sausage. The last is my specialty. Smoked cheese, kynsha, and shredded protein seasoned with my secret blend of spices. You try. You will like.”
“What is kynsha? I’ve never heard of that before,” Tix asked.
“Vegetable from my home world. Sweet and spicy.”
“I’ll start with your specialty then. It sounds delicious. Oh, and your juice is fantastic. You should definitely put it on the menu,” Tix said.
Flek bared his teeth and waved his hand over his head in excitement. “Yes? Good. I thought so, but it is always best to get another opinion.”
Xaber’s hand was halfway to the first pizza when Flek tapped a three-button code into a keypad set into the edge of the table and activated the sound dampener.
Then, he asked a question that threatened to derail their evening. “I heard of a job for you. Quick. Easy. The target is on Defiance. They left Ashur Station suddenly and left some debts unpaid. Those beings want to talk to them face-to-face. You find and deliver. Get paid. Yes?”
Tix froze, her slice of pizza partway off her plate. He couldn’t tell if her reaction was shock, panic, or a bit of both. Her fingers shook slightly as she set the food down and stared at him with wide eyes. “You do that kind of thing? For money?”
Fraxx. This was not how he wanted her to find out what they did for a living.
Experience had taught them that most beings had one of two reactions to the information.
Either they found it intriguing or abhorrent, without much middle ground.
Even if he couldn’t read human body language and micro-expressions clearly, it would be obvious which camp she fell into.
“We’re bounty hunters,” Mace stated.
“Why?” Tix asked, her tone sharp and edged with something Xaber couldn’t name.
“Because we wanted to do something useful.” Xaber paused to organize his thoughts before he continued. He wanted to get this explanation right.
“You know what we are and why the corporations created us. We were pawns in their wars. We fought and killed for reasons that had nothing to do with us. None of it was our choice.”
He paused and was gratified when Tix responded with a small nod of understanding. She wanted to hear his explanation. That was better than outright rejection. He didn’t know her, and her opinion shouldn’t matter. But for some damned reason, it did.
“We haven’t been doing this long. Less than a year, in fact. And we have rules about which jobs we take. We don’t take corporate jobs. Ever. We only go after criminals and those who do business with them.”
Mace spoke up. “We’re trying to make things better by taking the dangerous assholes out of society. We all have to make choices. Some choices have consequences. That’s where we come in.”
“When you say taking them out of society, you mean to face justice? You don’t take contracts that ask for uh… more permanent resolutions. Do you?” she asked.
“You mean, would we kill someone? Fraxx no. We don’t…we won’t do that,” Xaber said. Dead-or-alive contracts existed, but they would never take that option. They were done killing. No more fighting anyone else’s battles.
He waited while Tix considered what they’d said. It took longer than he liked before she settled back in her seat and picked up her slice of pizza.
“Okay.”
He relaxed, but only for a second. Then he remembered that Flek was still waiting for an answer.
Xaber glanced up at the Jeskyran and wondered what the alien had thought about that whole conversation. “We’re interested. Where would we have to deliver them? Back to Ashur mining platform?”
“Yes. Ashur. Not far. It is what you look for.”
“It is.” Mace sighed and looked at Xaber. “Do you think she can make the trip there and back?”
He didn’t have the answer to that question. When they embarked on their plan to become bounty hunters, they’d forgotten one key element. Neither of them knew a fraxxing thing about ship repair. That oversight had come back to bite them in the ass.
He shrugged as if things weren’t as serious as they both knew them to be. “We need the work. If the engine acts up, I’ll find someone to do a cheap and dirty patch job to get me back here.”
Looking pleased, Flek deactivated the sound dampener. “I will send details to your comms.”
Then he was gone, leaving them to their meal.
The silence held as all three of them enjoyed a few bites of their food.
Mace looked broodier than usual, which meant his batch-brother was considering the logistics of it all.
They’d make the apprehension together, but Xaber would have to make the delivery on his own.
Mace had work the next few nights, and they needed that money.
Going solo increased the risk, but not enough for them to turn down the job.
He set down his meal and took out his comm. As promised, Flek had already sent the details. He checked the amount of the payoff and made his decision. Then he sent a quick message to Mace through their link with just the amount and a question mark.
Mace replied immediately. “Yes.”
A quick tap on the screen was all that was needed to accept the contract. Now, they waited for the client to send the info packet with the identity of their target. Until then? He could enjoy the meal and the company of their unexpected guest.
He placed the comm face down on the table. When he looked up, Tix was watching him with wary eyes.
“You took the job?” she asked.
“I did.”
“Even though you said your ship’s engines are acting up? Isn’t that risky?”
“No risk, no reward. And we really need the scrip so we can get our ship fully repaired.”
Mace rumbled in agreement. “The Live True needs more than a quick patch-up. Her standard engines are out of tune, and the jump drive doesn’t work at all.
We’ve made some inquiries with the repair bays here, but we can’t afford their rates.
You work on the docks, so you know how it is.
It’s not just the hourly rate for the work.
We’d have to pay for a full team, plus docking fees, overhead, you name it. That’s not in our budget.”
Tix nodded in understanding. “I get it. Pardon me for asking, but I’m curious. What is in your budget? Could you afford the parts needed?”
An unexpected question, but an easy one to answer. “We’ve got the parts covered. After this run, we can afford to hire someone to start the work.”
She took another bite of pizza. “This is really good. Thank you for bringing me.”
“You’re welcome,” both of them said at the same moment.
Her smile was warm as she looked between them. It was a big improvement over her wariness of a few minutes ago.
“I think there’s a way I can pay you back for all your help tonight. As it happens, I know someone who might be willing to do the work you need. They can at least look at your ship and make sure it will get to Ashur and back, so long as you’re not leaving right away.”
“You do?” Mace asked.
“Fraxx yes. That would be perfect,” Xaber said.
A small knot Xaber hadn’t been aware of until that moment untied itself and faded away. Despite her reaction to their chosen career, she trusted them. That felt good.
“See? Sometimes it pays to get involved in someone else’s battles,” Mace sent.
“Apparently. Still, let’s not make a habit of it.”
“Agreed.”
They spent the rest of the meal eating and exchanging stories. It felt like the start of something, maybe even something good. What that might look like, he had no idea, but it gave him hope that coming to Defiance Station had been the right choice for them.