Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Xaber chatted as he followed behind Tix. She moved through the ship like she already knew the layout. That had to be a good sign.
“How long have you had her?” she asked.
“Less than a year. It took years of work and some lucky investments to pull together enough scrip to buy a ship at all. The True was in rough shape when we got her. She was going cheap, and we thought we could handle all the repairs ourselves.” He grimaced as he barked a rueful laugh. “We were so wrong about that.”
Tix stopped and turned back to face him.
Her expression was gentle as she explained, “Don’t let it bother you too much.
You’re not the first to make that mistake, and you won’t be the last. Thousands of beings spend their lives on ships and stations, but very few of them ever notice the ones working in the background to keep things running. ”
He appreciated her words. They eased the sting of admitting their mistake and gave him a bit of insight into her character.
“That’s what you do. Isn’t it? You’re one of the ones doing the work that makes things better for everyone.”
She smiled, her brown eyes lighting up with appreciation. “I am. It’s not glamorous, but it’s necessary work.”
Her confidence made her even more attractive. This was someone who believed in her skills and her ability to put things right.
Xaber understood that, and he said so. “That’s why we chose this job. We want to make things better somehow. It doesn’t matter if anyone else notices, so long as we feel like it’s worth doing.”
It felt like her gaze pierced straight to his soul. “I know. That’s why I decided to help you. I’m still not entirely comfortable with it all, but…” She smiled, and it was like watching a star appear out of the darkness.
“Like I told Mace earlier, I trust the two of you to do what’s right,” she said.
He was still processing what she’d said—and what she hadn’t said—when she turned away and set off down the corridor again. She trusted them. That was good. So was her honesty. Something niggled at the back of his mind, though. A sense that she had good reasons for her wariness about bounty hunters.
He couldn’t see her as the type to do anything illegal, so it was unlikely to be personal experience.
Maybe someone she’d known? A boyfriend? Family?
He couldn’t begin to guess, and he didn’t intend to.
If she wanted them to know, she’d tell them.
She trusted them, and he wanted to return the favor.
Besides, it wasn’t as if he didn’t have secrets of his own.
He and Mace had things they didn’t talk about to anyone else, and some they barely discussed even with each other.
They didn’t speak again until she reached the ladder leading up to the engineering deck.
“If I remember correctly, the standard engines should be above us. Yes?”
“Yes.” He held out a hand. “You go first, and I’ll carry your bag. Those must be your tools?”
She looked surprised but pleased as she unslung the bag and handed it to him. “That would be great. Thank you.”
The weight of the bag surprised him. She looked slender, but she had more strength than he expected. Both he and Mace had noted that she looked a little underweight. As if she hadn’t been eating properly.
It was a common enough sight around the Drift.
While there were fortunes to be made, plenty of beings struggled to make enough to cover the costs that came with life on a station.
Some of the other platforms even had a weekly surcharge for oxygen.
Defiance didn’t, but that still left plenty of other necessities that cost precious scrip.
Hopefully what they were paying Tix would give her a bit more to spend on food and other comforts.
And if she were willing? He’d be more than happy to take her out for dinner. Not just for pizza, but a proper date.
Mace had mentioned the idea last night. In fact, they’d talked about Tix a lot after they’d escorted her home. They had agreed she was worth getting to know better, and that was before she’d revealed she could fix their ship.
Before anything happened, she needed to know something. He and Mace shared everything, including the females they dated. It was how things were, and she would probably need a little time to decide if that was something she was willing to do.
He followed her up the ladder and into a space he hadn’t spent much time in. They’d both agreed it was best not to poke at things they didn’t know much about.
“Would you prefer me to stick around? Or do you work better alone? I have no idea how long it will take for you to take stock of things,” he said.
She took her bag back before she answered him.
“It won’t take me long to find out what needs fixing. Give me a few minutes, and I can tell you if I can do it, and how long it will take.”
A few minutes? He’d assumed it would take her an hour to examine everything. “That quick?”
Tix blew out a breath and then set the bag down on a stool bolted to the deck. It was the only seat in the area, placed in front of a large console with numerous gauges and readouts he didn’t understand.
“Before I explain, I have a question. Does this ship have a limited AI? I assume it does.”
He’d forgotten about that. She’d need permission before she worked on the ship, or the AI would activate defense protocols. “One second, let me introduce you.”
He tried not to look at the nearest speaker as he called for the AI. “Livy, please add our guest to the ship’s roster. Role, mechanic. Status, temporary.”
“Hello, Xaber.” The voice was that of an older female with an almost matronly quality. “And hello, guest. Welcome aboard. Please state your name so I can add you.”
“Hello, Livy. My name is Tix.”
Livy responded instantly. “Tix, you’re now on the roster. Access to all pertinent systems has been granted. If you need help with anything, please let me know.”
“Thanks, Livy. I’m going to interface with your systems and run diagnostics on the standard engines now. Please review in real time and let me know if anything is missing from the report.
“I will do so.”
“You’re going to interface with the ship?” Xaber asked. “How?”
Tix raised her left hand and showed him the palm. A second later, a golden glow became visible beneath her skin. As he watched, it pulsed twice and then shifted to a green color.
“Like this.” Tix turned and placed her hand on the console.
He stared at her, stunned by what she’d revealed. Tix was augmented. That meant she wasn’t a simple mechanic. She could interface directly with the systems she worked on.
He’d heard about beings like her. They’d chosen to have tech implanted so they could do their job better and more efficiently. From what he understood, not everyone was accepting of the practice. That made Tix unique. Xaber knew all too well that different was rarely seen as a good thing.
His thoughts raced as she used the connection to pull out whatever information she needed. It was the same kind of technology he used to infiltrate security systems. He could probably do what she was doing now, but he wouldn’t know where to find the information or what any of it meant.
Still, she was like him. He liked that.
She came back to awareness with a soft inhale. He held his tongue and waited for her to speak despite the deluge of questions he had.
Tix removed her hand from the console and turned, but she addressed the AI instead of him. “Thank you, Livy. You keep very organized records.”
He swore the AI sounded pleased as she replied, “Your compliment is appreciated. I believe you have all the necessary information to initiate repairs. I am happy to assist if and when needed.”
Her lips quirked into a small smile that faded as she glanced over at him. Her shoulders tensed and her jaw hardened, as if preparing for something unpleasant. “You can ask your questions now.”
He went with the obvious. “You have implants?”
Her reply was measured and calm, but her expression stayed guarded.
“I do. I work with machines. Having augments helps me do my job better. I can interface directly with systems like Livy, which speeds up repairs and makes sure I don’t miss any problems. The implants are registered and completely legal. ”
He held up a hand in a calming gesture as his face spit into a grin.
“You’re a cyborg. Like me. Like us.”
Her shoulders visibly sagged and her smile widened. “Technically, yes. Though my abilities are nothing compared to yours. And congratulations. You’re one of a very small company of beings who didn’t react badly to that discovery. I really should hang out with more cyborgs.”
He didn’t want her hanging out with others of his kind. She could hang out with them. He and Mace were all she needed.
The possessive thought surprised him, but he didn’t question it. He’d long ago learned to listen to his instincts, and right now, they were all telling him the same thing. He wanted to know Tix better.
He didn’t reply to her last comment. Instead, he moved the conversation forward. “So, can you fix the True?”
“I can. It will take me a few hours.”
“Really? That’s all you need?”
“This won’t be pretty, but it will be enough to get you to Ashur and back again. I need to recalibrate the engines, replace a few parts and check a few areas that are throwing errors.”
He decided it was time to roll the dice. “You’re smart, capable, and cute as hell. I’ve got to know, are you seeing anyone?”
Tix’s mouth opened, closed, and then opened again. “Are you asking me out?”
“Not yet. Think of this as a friendly inquiry into your availability.”
“Ah. Well, no. I’m not involved with anyone. My life has been more than a little insane lately. I haven’t had a lot of time for socializing. In fact, dinner with the two of you last night was the first time I’ve done that since I got here.”
Her gaze turned appraising. “What about you?”
He chuckled. “If I were, I wouldn’t have asked. Mace and I have rules about dating. No cheating. No bullshit. And there’s one other thing you should know about us.”
“What’s that?” She cocked her head in open curiosity.
“We share almost everything. Including the females we date.”
Her eyes went wide, but there was no missing the spark of interest in those brown depths. “So, you’re a two-for-one deal?”
“We are.” He liked her description. It summed things up without making it feel complicated.
Tix licked her lips and then nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Xaber backed off. He’d made the offer, and now it was up to Tix to decide what she wanted to do.
She needed to get to work, and then he had a delivery to make.
When he got back, they’d continue this conversation.
Mace was interested, but there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in a supernova he’d make the first move.
This would wait until he got back to Defiance.
“I can get Mace to pick up whatever parts you need,” he offered.
She waved him off. “No need. I checked the inventory while I was in the system. You have everything I need on board already.”
That couldn’t be right. “We do?”
“You do. In the parts lockers behind you.” She pointed to a bulkhead a few meters back.
Xaber eyed the blank metal wall. “What parts lockers?”
She laughed. The bright, merry sound bounced around the small room. “Veth. It’s a good thing I’m here.” She walked past him, placed her hand on the bulkhead, and pushed. The wall rolled back, revealing a modest cubby space crammed with equipment.
“Well, fraxx. This is why we need you, Tix. Please save us from everything we don’t know about this ship. I’ll leave you to it. If you need anything, ask Livy or just call my name.” He tapped his ear. “I’ll hear you.”
“You get organized for the flight to Ashur. Livy and I have this handled.”
He smiled and then stepped into the air, forgoing the ladder to drop to the next deck.
“Show off!” she called after him.
“Cyborg,” he reminded her.
Her laughter followed him down the corridor. He’d check on their prisoner, and then he’d let Mace know the good news. Last night, he’d questioned Mace’s decision to get involved in someone else’s fight. Today, he was grateful for it. Tix was exactly what they needed in their lives.