Chapter 35 Lacy
Lacy
I’d been “locked” in my room for nearly forty-eight hours and I was going stir crazy.
I’d practically worn a path back and forth across the small space.
I’d tried sit-ups like they did in video montages, but quickly decided that was not for me.
My sister’s videos had played on a near-constant loop, in case I finally caught something I had missed.
And none of it was enough to keep my mind off the fact that I was trapped in a room that I technically could get out of but shouldn’t because someone had it out for me.
So much for Fortuna being my safe place.
There was a knock on my door. I sighed. Probably Dax or Burn bringing me another heat-and-eat. Better them, because I wouldn’t trust anything that Finn brought me.
But the heat-and-eats pissed me off too. I’d purchased a lot of nice, fresh supplies and apparently no one on this crew could cook. Or they weren’t feeding the prisoner the good stuff.
“Assholes,” I muttered. I paused Layla’s video and then crossed to the comms system by the door. “Yes?” At least they didn’t just barge in.
The door slid open, revealing Burn. Empty-handed Burn. Apparently it wasn’t feeding time at the zoo.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.” I stepped back and gestured broadly. Not like I had a choice, right?
She stepped inside, then waited until the door had closed completely before moving again.
Like always, she wore cargo pants with a long-sleeve top and boots.
Her hair was up in those little knots again.
Her shoulders radiated tension. And her expression, with pinched lips and tired eyes, said she was either mad or didn’t want to be here.
Probably both.
“So what brings you by?” I asked in a perky voice as I sat on the edge of the bed. That left her with the desk chair.
She didn’t say anything as she sat down, though she swiveled to study the screen. “That’s your sister?”
“Yep, that’s Layla.”
“And she’s missing?” Burn looked directly at me, her gaze never leaving my face. Like she was weighing the truth of my statement.
“Yes, I believe so.” Was she waiting for me to tell her the whole story? “I can walk you through it if you like.”
She shook her head. “Dax filled us in.”
I nodded, unsure what else to say then. Why had she come?
“You and Layla, you’re close?” She leaned forward, her forearms resting on her knees, and studied me.
I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest as I pondered my answer.
“Yes and no. We’re only a year apart, so we grew up together.
Obviously. And played together. Got in trouble together.
But we have our own interests too. Mine was engineering.
Hers was archaeology. We talk every few weeks, but I haven’t seen her in a couple of years.
” My heart squeezed. I should have made time to see her more often. “Do you have any sisters?”
Burn swallowed. “Yes, one.”
“So you know what it’s like.” I missed Layla. But we could also drive each other crazy.
Something dark and painful flashed in her eyes before her expression smoothed out. “We’re not close,” she said.
There was obviously a story there. “Where did you grow up?”
“Some backwater planet you’ve never heard of.” Her tone shut down any further questions. “Why this ship? Why our ship?”
We were having a moment and I knew how easily those could shatter. I chose the bald truth. “I was scared and it reminded me of a ship I used to have. Mako. She was the same class as Fortuna. I thought I would be safe here.”
“Why didn’t you hide on your ship?”
I smiled ruefully. “I left her at home with my dad. Didn’t think I would need her while I was working on the asteroid station.” A soft laugh escaped. “I was wrong.”
“I don’t like you much right now,” Burn said, shifting the conversation again.
Ignoring the unexpected hurt her words caused, I nodded. “I know.” Last night had made it perfectly clear.
“Fortuna is our ship. Ours!” She thumped a fist to her heart. “We spent years in the space corps, following orders, going where they sent us. Ten years and I—we!—finally had a chance to be our own bosses. Our team. Our crew. Our family.”
“And before we even had a chance, you were here first. On our ship, with Dax. Nothing was like we planned.”
When she looked at me, I just nodded.
She dropped her gaze to the ground. “Then you were nice to me and I told myself it was okay for a short time. You fixed stuff without even being asked. Little things like the squeak in my door.” Her gaze flicked back up and her lips curled in a sad smile.
“Thank you for that, by the way. You treated Fortuna well. You treated us well, and I started to like you. Even after I found out you had been on Blazer’s crew. And then I found out it was all a lie.”
She paused. Was this my chance to defend myself?
As the silence grew, I decided to fill it.
“I think my sister’s been kidnapped.” I looked over at Layla’s frozen face. Her smile was crooked from being paused, but I could still see the twinkle in her eyes. “I didn’t know that when the men broke into my apartment. When I broke into your ship. I was only thinking about my safety.”
And now I was thinking about my sister’s.
“I’m sorry I messed up the cargo job on Elegium Station. I’ve been trying to make it up to Dax—to make it up to all of you—ever since. That’s why I recommended the stop on Rigel Naught and our current cargo.”
“But you’re not just helping because you feel bad, are you?”
Her words pricked at my conscience, but I’d been upfront with Dax. “You’re right. Dax said he’d help me find Layla. I said I’d help your team make money. I still think it’s an even trade.”
“Dax wasn’t authorized to make a decision like that.” Burn’s tone was hard. I’d lost her, assuming I’d ever had her support.
Too many captains ruined the business. If they really intended to make all decisions equally, they’d find that out soon enough.
“I’m sorry about your sister. I really hope you find her. But I don’t think it can be on this ship.”
“Thank you for your candor.” How I kept my tone even I’ll never know. I wanted to beg and plead and rage. She obviously had a tight bond with her team—her family!—why couldn’t she understand that all I wanted was to protect mine the same way?
With a long last look at the computer screen, she stood and left the room. The sound of the door closing behind her was like a fist closing around my heart.
I slid off the bed, dropping to my knees on the floor. Tear streamed down my face.
Harrier was off the main shipping corridors.
Sure, ships like ours — I shook my head.
Ships like Fortuna brought supplies, but they didn’t run on a regular schedule.
We were already more than a week behind whatever had happened to Layla.
This would set me back longer. Assuming I could find a way off the planet.
I don’t know how long it was until I had cried myself out. My body felt dry. Dehydrated. My nose was runny. Wiping the remnants of tears from my face with the bottom of my shirt, I slowly, reluctantly, stood up.
So they were stranding me on a mining planet, were they? Assholes. I’d find a way off. I’d find my sister. And we’d find the Queen of Stars and I’d rub it in their faces.
That’s a really nice plan, Lacy, but first you have to get off the planet.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
That was the main problem, wasn’t it?
I could call my dad—as a last resort—but that would still take time, depending on where he and his ship were. I’d rather solve this myself.
I mentally cycled through my options. Usually, I’d hang out in the engine room and work on something until an idea came to me.
Yeah, that wasn’t an option this time.
My dad would fight. I hated that option. Sure, I’d take on all three of them if they tried to space me, but short of a threat to my life, I didn’t want to hurt any of them. Didn’t want to hurt Dax.
My emotions regarding Dax were all over the place. He said he would fight for me and I believed him, but with what Burn had just told me, it was two against one. And he either couldn’t or wouldn’t override them as captain.
I shoved that mess to the back of my mind. Mooning over him wouldn’t help me come up with a plan.
Staring at the computer screen, at my sister’s image, I realized that Layla always started with research. Dad and I were more of the do first, ask questions later variety. Layla was the opposite, more like our mom had been.
Research. Was that the answer?
Dax hadn’t mentioned anything about cutting off my access to the ship’s systems. He’d just asked me to stay in my room.
Taking the seat Burn had vacated, I closed out the data disc and lay it carefully on the desk.
I practically had it memorized, but I would need it for the last set of coordinates.
She’d met up with a guy from a forum. A guy who said that he had physical proof from the Queen of Stars.
The data chip had been sent from a service near their meeting point.
But I was betting on her being taken back to his planet.
Back to either see this proof or to combine their research.
“What have you got for me, baby?” I whispered as my fingers practically caressed the keyboard as I carefully explored my computer access.
Yes! Turned out, all of my access was still in place. I slipped into the cargo job database and looked at the options from Harrier, the mining colony. However thin, it was the start of a plan.