Home > Pets in Space 6 (Pets in Space #6)(2)

Pets in Space 6 (Pets in Space #6)(2)
Author: S.E. Smith

“Ander is dead,” she stated in a tone devoid of emotion.

“What if he isn’t?” the man next to the woman said.

Raia looked at him. She couldn’t see anything but her own reflection in his goggles. She tapped the barrel of her blaster with her index finger. The silence grew. She sat back and waited.

“Are you suggesting that Ander could still be alive?” she quietly asked.

The woman paused before she spoke. “We’ve heard rumors. My name is Mieka Reddick. My two companions are Taylah Marks… and Marus Tylis,” she introduced.

Raia raised an eyebrow. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” she demanded.

Mieka sighed and shook her head. “No, but perhaps the name Berman De’Mar might,” she replied.

Raia shook her head. “Nope, never heard of him,” she retorted.

“This is a waste of our time,” Marus Tylis snapped.

Mieka turned to the man and shook her head. “Marus, she may very well be our last hope,” she quietly responded.

“Well, this was definitely your last chance to convince me to stick around and listen to you,” Raia dryly commented.

“Berman De’Mar was a friend of Ander Ray,” Taylah Marks stated.

Raia scoffed. “What does this have to do with me? Ander was murdered by the Marastin Dow fourteen years ago. If you think trying to convince me that he may still be alive will persuade me to work with you guys, you can think again. I’ve only met two Marastin Dow in my life that I would give two credits for, and neither one of them is sitting at this table,” she snapped.

“Please, hear me out,” Mieka begged with an edge in her voice.

Raia’s jacket moved as if on its own.

“What in the—” Marus exclaimed.

Raia bit back a groan when Chummy’s tiny paws peeked out. A split second later, Pi appeared on the table. Pi grinned at the startled faces around her before filling her mouth and arms with as much fruit as she could and vanished as quickly as she had appeared.

Raia should have known her two companions wouldn’t be able to resist the smell of the fresh fruit and creamy, flavored milk. She barely grabbed the cup of milk before Chummy pulled it off the table. She picked it up and slid it under her jacket into her backpack. She knew if she didn’t, Pi would reappear to get it. The last thing she needed right now was for her two friends to be seen by some cutthroat looking to make a fast credit on the black market.

And… it looks like my bag is going to need another good cleaning tonight, she silently grimaced at the noisy slurping sounds coming from the interior.

“They are one of the reasons why she is perfect for this mission,” Mieka replied.

“What mission?” Raia warily asked.

“We will pay you one hundred thousand credits to break into the Spardonian Prison and rescue a prisoner,” Mieka replied in a low tone.

Raia stared blankly at the woman sitting across from her. She must have misunderstood her. Had the woman just asked her to break into a Marastin Dow prison—and release a prisoner—for one hundred thousand credits?

She blinked and shook her head. “You want me to do what?” she asked in an incredulous tone.

“We want you to rescue General Behr De’Mar from the Spardonian Prison where he is being held. The Marastin High Council plans to execute him in less than three days. Can you do it?” Marus demanded.

Raia shook her head again in disbelief. “Why do you want me to break him out? Aren’t you guys always trying to kill each other? Wouldn’t it make more sense just to let the Council do it and save you the time, hassle, and mess?” she suggested.

“We don’t want him dead! We need him alive. Do you want the job or not?” Taylah asked in a harsh tone.

Mieka reached across the table as if to touch her arm. Raia jerked her arm away and sat back. Mieka drew back and studied her with a thoughtful but determined expression.

“Do you know Hanine and Evetta Marquette and their human mates?” Mieka inquired in a low voice.

Raia’s eyes narrowed. “So help me, if any of you have harmed one hair on their heads I’ll put a hole through each one of you,” she threatened.

Mieka shook her head in exasperation. “They are fine. They are… helping us as much as they can. You left a book with them. A book from your world,” Mieka shared.

Raia blinked in surprise. “Yeah, so what?” she retorted.

“The book, and Ben and Aaron’s translation of it into our language, has been invaluable to our cause. Have you read it?” Mieka asked.

Raia shrugged. “A few times,” she replied, purposely remaining vague until she understood exactly where the conversation was going.

“The book is very important, but it is only one component for my people. We need a strong leader. Behr is that leader. Did… Ander give you anything else with the book?” Mieka inquired.

“No,” Raia answered, looking the other woman in the eye. “Why? What are you looking for?”

Mieka sat back and glanced at the two men on either side of her before returning her attention to Raia, who could tell the other woman was holding something back. What it was, she didn’t know.

She was about to press the other woman when she felt Pi’s tiny fingers on her arm. Visions of them inside what was obviously a secure military installation filled her mind. She glimpsed the image of a man sitting on the edge of a cot with his head bowed.

I can’t spend a hundred thousand credits if I’m dead, she silently pointed out.

We help man, Chummy said, adding to Pi’s vision.

Raia pulled her arm free of Pi’s grasp and glared back at the woman. “I want fifty percent up front. I pick the rendezvous location. You’ll get that information after I have broken your man out and we are on our way,” she stated.

“How do you plan to get him out?” Taylah asked.

Raia shook her head. “What I do and how I do it aren’t part of the discussion,” she said.

“How do we know you won’t just take off with the credits?” Marus harshly demanded.

Raia looked at him. “I didn’t come looking for you. You came looking for me. Do we have a deal or not?” she snapped.

“We have a deal. Here is our contact information and the credits,” Mieka said, withdrawing a pouch and sliding it across the table.

Raia took the bag, slid it under the table, and quickly counted it out. She placed the pouch inside her backpack and sent a mental note to Chummy and Pi to transport the pouch to the ship. There was no way she wanted to walk around a Spaceport with that amount of credits on her.

“I’ll contact you once I have your man and set up the location for the exchange,” Raia said.

“Very well. Remember, you have less than three days before General Behr is to be executed,” Mieka reminded her as she stood.

“I know, I know,” Raia said with a casual wave of her hand.

Raia waited until the three Marastin Dow officers left the bar before she picked up her drink and took a sip. She barely hid her grimace of distaste. She hated alcohol. The only reason she had ordered it was to fit in. The drink was the only one she ever remembered Ander drinking, though she couldn’t fathom why. The mixture of liquor created a chemical reaction that caused steam to rise from it. Ander once told her that ice could cause it to boil and burn your throat going down. Why anyone would want something that could scorch them from the inside out was beyond her!

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