Page 18 of Shielded in the Shadows

Seething, I descended the ladder one giant rung at a time.

What was this male’s motivation? To protect me until I got to my ship and away, as he’d stated? Surely not. There was no reward in it for him, only risk from me and the many mercs who were chasing me. It made no sense.

Did he intend to guard me until I got to my ship and then try to take me captive for the bounty? That seemed far more likely. I was apparently worth enough to someone that mercs were more than willing to kill each other for the chance to claim the reward, as I’d witnessed with the Atolani and their rival, the Halutan, in Final Chance.

Part of me wanted to confront Jarrix and demand to know who he was and what he planned to do, but since I couldn’t trust a damn thing he said, there wasn’t much point. I’d just have to find a way to either kill him or put him out of commission between the maintenance shaft hatch on Deck 14 and my ship’s docking port. How I’d do that was largely dependent on what I found once I opened that hatch.

I paused just long enough at the Deck 12 hatch to flex my cramping hands and check my ship’s status. No one had tried to access its systems or the docking port since I’d disembarked on my way to meet N’vera. That meeting felt like eons ago instead of a few hours. And the two decks and two hundred meters between me and the docking port felt like light years.

I hadn’t wanted to risk attracting notice by hacking into station security surveillance, so I didn’t have eyes on the Deck 14 docking ring near my ship. I did, however, have my shipboard port viewer, which showed only a handful of beings passing by on the walkway.

A lot could happen in the two hundred meters between the hatch and my ship’s port, though.

By the time I reached the Deck 14 hatch, I’d decided to maintain the Gandarian servant disguise, adjust my posture and gait accordingly, and bow and scrape my way from the hatch alcove toward my ship. Once I got close, I could activate the port, my stun field, and a few other surprises, dive into the ship, and leave.

I raised my wristcomm to my lips and murmured the code for Siber to begin departure procedures. I also instructed the AI to automatically disengage from the dock and follow evasive maneuvers the moment I was inside with the port sealed. I had a feeling I’d be coming into the ship hot without a nanosec to spare.

I took a deep breath and reached for the hatch.

“Stay here a moment once you open it,” Jarrix said, his voice coming from just enough distance away that he’d be out of range of my stun field. “I’ll check the area for anyone lying in wait.”

I gritted my teeth. “I don’t want or need your assistance, whoever the hells you are.”

“I see quite clearly that you’re well trained with tremendous skill and strong instincts,” he said, seemingly unruffled by my anger. His words sounded less like flattery and more like one warrior assessing another’s abilities, though he let a hint of admiration seep through.

“I understand you have no reason to trust me,” he added. “In fact, you have every reason to kill me. I’d feel the same in your place.”

His reply startled me with its apparent honesty—apparent being the key word.

“We don’t have time to be at an impasse,” he said when I didn’t reply. His tone was clipped now and much more businesslike. “I don’t know how your location leaked out, but I doubt the Atolani and Halutan you disposed of or my former crewmates are the only agents combing this station for you and your ship. You need better cover to get to your ship than this disguise.”

My nails bit into my palms. I should have used my stun field on him in the shop’s workroom, even if it meant I’d incapacitated Aama too. I’d gotten soft, and I deserved the beating my old trainers would have given me for it.

“Keela.”

There it was again: my name spoken in a reverent tone that made my belly flutter for no damn reason. “What?” I snapped. With my voice still altered to emulate a Gandarian, the sound was more like a bark.

“I must put my cards on the table,” he said, his voice a little nearer than before.

My fingers twitched toward my stun field controls. Come closer, you shadowy bastard. Just a meter closer…

“My name is Jarrix To’vok,” he continued. “For the past ten months, I have been serving aboard the privateer vessel Fleeting Fancy under the pseudonym Tal Noku, posing as a corsair and ship’s medic. In truth, I am an operative for the Galactic Alliance Intelligence Service, tasked with sending intelligence on the ship’s captain and its operations to my GAIS handler.”

It all had the ring of truth, which meant either Jarrix was admitting something guaranteed to get him killed in a very painful way, or he was a very good liar.

“My now former captain wants to collect the bounty on your head,” Jarrix continued, and he sounded angry. “Regardless of the reason for your bounty, I cannot condone turning someone over for what is likely to be torture and execution.”

Despite my misgivings, I replied dryly, “I appreciate that.”

His chuckle sounded strained. “I arrived at Final Chance intending to find a way to help you evade his crew, but then…” He paused. “The moment I saw you, my plans changed.”

I really did not like how much those words sounded like some kind of purr. “I don’t have time for your life story, Jarrix,” I hissed. “I’m being hunted. I need to get to my ship.”

“I know.” He let out a quiet and very inhuman growl. “I wish to take physical form and speak to you face to face. Will you give me one minute of truce? I will be well within reach of your weapons. You may choose to protect yourself however you choose. I only ask for a chance to meet you in the flesh.”

For a beat, I was too surprised to respond. He had to know the moment he took physical form I had a dozen ways to kill or incapacitate him even from a distance. And up close, that number doubled.

If he was who he said he was—still very much in doubt—he wasn’t that stupid, which meant either he believed he could get close enough to take me captive, or he truly had something he needed to say that was important enough to risk his life on someone who’d already made it clear she wanted him out of her way.