Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
“Because it pays well. But every credit we spend on unnecessary fuel or repairs means our profit margin grows slimmer and slimmer. And lately there’s been nothing left.” He spreads his hands, and for the first time, I see a flicker of despair on his proud face. “We’ve been bleeding credits for a long time.”
“I didn’t know.”
“I made sure you didn’t. Hard to get crew when you’re afraid you might not get paid for the next haul.” He runs his hand along the wood grain of his desk. “If we don’t make this shipment, I won’t have the money to purchase fuel for future trips. That means if we rescue these people, we’re doing the right thing and destroying ourselves in the process.” His gaze meets mine. “And you’re out of a job. Niri and Trakan, too. And I’ll have to sell the Lady.”
I sit back, stunned. We’re not a close crew, but this is as near to stability as I’ve had since leaving the military. To think that it might be gone in a flash… “So what am I supposed to do?”
He shrugs. “Same thing I would, I imagine. File for government assistance.”
The kef he says. Now I’m getting angry. “What about your pension?” I gesture at all the medals on the wall. “Didn’t you get one when you were discharged?”
“Cashed it out so I could buy the Lady.” His expression grows hard. “Where’s your pension?”
“Donated it,” I say flatly. I don’t want to talk about this.
“Donated? But didn’t you have an honorable discharge? For valor? You could live comfortably off that for the rest of your life.”
I grind my teeth. “Didn’t want it.” Blood money. Seemed fairer that I give it to the families whose lives I ruined rather than keep it and drink it away. I get to my feet. “We need to make this delivery, then. Provided they don’t need a rescue, of course.” I’m pissed. It’ll be a huge pain to try to line up another job, and I’ll have to eat vend-machine soup until I do, but I’ll manage. I think of Niri, who’s elderly and cranky. It’s going to be a lot harder for her to line something else up, and I know she doesn’t have a nest egg. And the captain… This ship is all he’s got. I hate that I somehow feel responsible for their livelihoods. “When do we visit Farli’s people, then?”
“You seem to have a rapport with her. Talk to her and have her let us know where they are located. We can fly there shortly.”
I nod calmly, even though my thoughts are chaos. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Very good, Vendasi.”
“Mardok.” I glance uneasily at the flag on the wall. Hate that thing. I see it in my dreams. More like nightmares.
The captain flicks a hand at me. “Dismissed.”
6
MARDOK
I’m still seething from the conversation with the captain as I head through the empty halls of the ship. He’s been quiet lately, but he’s not the most garrulous of men, even on a good day. I didn’t think anything of it. To think that I might not have a job—hell, a home—when we’re done here… More than Farli’s tribe is at stake now. Niri and Trakan and Chatav will all be without a job if we don’t get this delivery out. What if Farli’s people do want to be rescued? Do we dump the cargo and screw ourselves out of a living, or do we tell them to wait patiently for the next rescue ship? We could alert the nearest Interplanetary Enforcement station and notify them of the situation, but that opens The Tranquil Lady’s crew to suspicion for being in the area in the first place. They might delay us just for questioning. And if they do take charge, Farli and her people will be shuttled through the system and…I’ll never see her again.
Either way, once I leave this planet, Farli is long gone. For some reason, that disturbs me far more than it should. I’ve just met her. I shouldn’t care. Instead, I’m obsessing over her with every waking moment. And as I head toward med bay, I keep picturing how Farli’s going to react when I leave.
She thinks we’re married. According to her customs, because she ‘sang’ to me, we’re now together and should make babies.
It’s absolutely crazy.
And yet…I’m drawn to Farli, far more than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. Maybe it’s the fascination of her naïve happiness. She’s brimming with life and love and hope and all the things I lost long ago. That has to be why I’m obsessed with her. That and the obscene way she puts her mouth on me.
It’s normal, and it’ll fade. A guy like me won’t hold her interest. She deserves better. She certainly deserves better than a life stuck on this iceball of a remote planet. And I can’t give her much of a life, on or off it. I’m just a loner with a small bank account and an even smaller living space. No family. Not many friends. If I disappeared, no one would miss me, except maybe Niri.