A muffled cry came from outside. She listened carefully, then heard another.
Delia flicked on a tiny screen to her left. A monitor came alive with the outside view of the back of the ship. “Oh!” She hardly believed what she was seeing. Invisible hands pushed on her chest, squeezing tightly. Her eyes flicked to the radar showing the Guard’s closing distance, then back to the image on the screen.
Letting out a frustrated growl, she unbuckled her safety straps and made her way to the back of the ship, easing the door open. One, two, three …
Delia jumped out and ran toward the trees, zeroing in on the figures locked in a battle.
A man with long hair had latched himself onto the back of the bodyguard, choking him in a tight arm hold, his face showing a bluish tinge. Delia pulled off her helmet and took aim. The man’s eyes lifted to acknowledge what was about to happen a second before her helmet made contact with his nose.
With a cry, the man loosened his grip. He slumped off the bodyguard, his back thudding the ground. Writhing in the dirt, his hands covered his face as rivulets of blood spilled out between his fingers.
After catching his breath, the bodyguard straightened up, wiping the dust from himself. He looked at the bedraggled man on the ground, then back to Delia.
Although pale, he gave her a smile that looked just like Shania when she was making faces behind Advisor Winchell’s back. “Is it just me, princess,” he said, “or are you my worst stroke of luck?”
“You’re welcome,” she replied, jutting out her chin. There was a strange vibration under her skin that she found quite distracting.
“That’s rich,” he replied. “If you hadn’t forced me out of the ship, I wouldn’t have been attacked.”
“If you hadn’t stowed away on the ship—”
He put up a hand, interrupting her.
He interrupted me!
“Beyond my control, remember? Classified,” he said. “Your argument is poor. But lucky for me, your aim is true.”
His smug tone made her grit her teeth. Foolish man! She opened her mouth to refute, but he’d already turned his attention to the attacker on the ground.
“In all honesty, my friend,” he said to the man. “That broken nose was a waste of natural beauty. I have nothing to give you.”
The man pushed himself off the ground, one hand still covering his face. “You have no idea what having nothing means,” he said. His voice was rough, but with an underlying weakness.
His desperation unnerved Delia. She looked up at the sky, expecting the Guard ship to appear. She pulled on the bodyguard’s arm. “We have to leave.”
His fair eyebrows rose and his smug smile appeared again.
A flush of embarrassment warmed her face. We? What in the galaxy was she thinking?
Without warning something slammed into her back, propelling her forward. Her cheekbone hit the ground with a hard smack. She saw a flash of blade and froze. A handful of her braid was pulled tight, wrenching her neck.
“Careful, Tomas!” the man in rags warned.
A knee dug into Delia’s spine. Her eyes watered, but she kept staring at the knife. Not my hair, she prayed, anything but that.
“I … I don’t want to hurt you,” a small voice quavered behind Delia.
He’s only a boy!
“We can give them her braid, right, Papa? They asked for something valuable, didn’t they?” His grip was tight, but Delia could feel him start to shake. Adrenaline was like fire in her veins. How dare they!
She brought up her elbow, but before she could make contact with the boy, he was lifted off her back. She rolled over and jumped to her feet, hands ready for a fight.
“You squirm like a greasy eel!” the bodyguard said. He had the ragged, thin boy in a tight grip, his arms pinned at his sides. “And smell just as bad.”
The knife the boy had used lay on the ground. She picked it up and rolled her eyes. It was so dull it couldn’t even cut a mini cake in half.
“Please…” The man started to cry. He reached out, turning his palms upward in a pleading gesture. “We had no choice.” The boy wiggled free from the bodyguard and ran to the man. They embraced each other, trading desperate sobs. The man looked at Delia. “I’ve been sanctioned to Delta Kur. We’ll be separated.”
Delia’s heart pounded inside her chest. She wrapped her long braid around her arm several times, like she used to do as a little girl during thunderstorms. “Sanctioned? To Delta Kur?” she asked. She knew the desert planet needed workers for its factories. In exchange, her planet of Astor received free manufactured goods and parts for androids and machines. “It’s almost a six-month-long trip. I thought it was volunteer.”
“It is for some.” The father wiped his face with a dirty sleeve, smearing the clotted blood across his cheek. Delia’s stomach turned liquid. “My brother has an android shop there, he’s expecting us … but only workers are given passage.”
At this the boy clutched his father’s shirt, trying to bury his face. His crying had subsided into tired sobs.
“My brother is the only family we have—the only chance Tomas has for some kind of future.” The man’s tears began again, but he ignored them. “He’s a good worker, and he’ll be stronger and a bit older when they arrive … but they still said no.”
“Okay,” the bodyguard said slowly. “So you ended up jumping at us from the trees because?”
“Protection,” he replied. “The pirates said they’d take us on … take care of Tomas. But we had to prove ourselves first.” He swallowed and held the boy close.
Delia’s scalp stung from where the boy had pulled her hair. “There are no pirates on Astor,” she said. “It was outlawed ten years ago.”
The father stared at her as though she had two heads.
“They exist, Your Highness.” Then he lowered his voice. “They’re watching us right now.”
Delia took a defiant stance, readying herself for another fight. “Or maybe this is just a ruse to create a diversion to escape,” she said. “Or perhaps someone else will drop from a tree. Honestly, who taught you to fight that way?”
“Your critique knows no bounds,” the bodyguard said. “These beggars are pleading and all you can—” A handful of earth exploded in the space between Delia and the bodyguard.
“It’s them!” The father bent down, covering his son with his own frail body.
Another section of ground blew up, making Delia lose her balance. A glider screamed through the air just above their heads. She could barely believe what she saw. The driver had long blue hair and a matching beard. He gave a rebel yell as he hurled several small spheres.
“Bombs away!” The bodyguard dived at Delia, sending them rolling on the ground, arms and legs tangled together.
One of the black spheres exploded close enough for Delia to feel the heat on her back. With her breath stuck in her throat she stared into the face of the bodyguard.
“I suggest a hasty escape in our ship.” He stood, pulling her up with him.
The pirate circled around again, purposely blocking their pathway to the ship.
“The trees,” the bodyguard yelled as he made a grab for her arm. “It’s our only option!”