Anja's Star (Outer Settlement Agency) (8 page)

While the man’s ranting ratcheted up in intensity, she packed her weapon and took off running. Refusing to let anything stop her from getting to Retzi.

Except for Retzi.

What?

She came to a skidding stop, causing a minor pedestrian pileup that had swears coming from every direction. Including in her ear. Retzi’s swearing in her ear.

And in front of her.

Anja squinted against the early morning light and her heart dropped.

Yeah, she saw Retzi. Retzi, in another few years. “Captain Ert’zod.”

“Where the hell is my
Bastard?”

And she didn’t think he meant his son.

That particular bastard groaned in her ear. Yep, he’d heard it all.

“Well?” It’d come from both Ert’zod...and Ert’zod.

The relief she heard from Crost’s “fine then,” died when the Captain’s shadow overtook hers. He bent until his breath was hot against her nose. “Where is my fucking ship,” he asked again, pausing between each word.

“Repairs.”

His face darkened. Right,
she
was repairs. “I needed a new driver coil,” she said, coughing. “And uh, protection to get in. It’s radioactive, you see and-.”

“Yes, I know a thing or two about ships.”

“Right. Of course.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“No, no, no, of course not. It really does need those repairs.”

“And it still can’t be moved?”

“Nope.”

“Then where is my ship?”

“You really stepped into that one,” Retzi said in her ear. He was huffing and out of breath. “You had to move it because of me.”

The words rushed out of her. “I thought I saw you. Only, it wasn’t, but an OSA officer and I didn’t want to risk it, so I had it drogued to a safer location.”

“And that location is where?”

“Right around the corner,” said Retzi both in her ear and gasping right behind her. His chest heaved and sweat dripped from his face. “Cleared everything up,” he said finger rotating in the air. “No problem. Good to see you again, Father.”

The Captain stepped back, looking from his grinning men behind him, to his son and back to her. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Nope.”

“No, Captain.”

Attila pulled out his omnitab and punched something on the screen. Retzi’s device started ringing moments later. “I’m not sure what’s going on here and I don’t really care. What I can tell you, is that you have until nightfall to get
The Bastard’s Revenge
docked at the coordinates I’ve just sent you.”

***

T
here’d been no celebration after that, just running. Lots and lots of running. First to the ship they’d stolen, which, due to recent time restraints would have to stay right the hell where it was, then back to the location where Crost had
The Bastard’s Revenge
towed and hidden away.  Even then, there wasn’t time to catch a breath. Anja had to go out for protective gear while Retzi kept a lookout for Crost’s men.

“Wait!”

She skidded to a stop as Retzi pressed Crost’s omnitablet in her hands.

“Get rid of this. Drop it someplace with a lot of traffic and let’s hope some stranger picks it up.”

Anja grabbed it, stole a kiss and shot off. He thanked the stars the woman could run. She came back and went straight to work an hour later, having the heap of crap roaring into the air before twilight. They made their way as the light dimmed, landing at the coordinates right when shadows faded away into night.

Maybe that’s why he wasn’t sure he saw what he thought he saw.

Anja’s shared disbelief didn’t make it any less confusing. “Retzi?”

“There’s no way.”

“So you see it too?”

“There’s no way.”

“Unbelievable.”

“I hate my father.”

Stunned to silence, they exited the
The Bastard
slackjawed and wide eyed as they gazed upon Retzi’s lost OSA hopper.

“He stole my ship!”

“We don’t know that yet, Retzi.”

He turned to her, eyebrows raised and pointing.

“Maybe there’s something inside explaining all this.”

There was.

Inside on a table were several boxes and a glimmering blue square. Anja rushed to it. “There’s a video cube on top.” She turned it on and came to stand next to him as the image of the captain projected against the side of the hopper.

“At some point I mean to find out how your ship wound up on the black market. I hope you appreciate the lengths I had to go to steal a stolen government bird. It wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve had to order someone to do.  I don’t know what you assholes have done, but I’ve taken the bags of money for my troubles. Oh and Anja, you’re fired.”

“Damn, I love that man.”

“Me too,” Anja said, her fingers curling around his.  Retzi pulled her in for a kiss and nodded towards the main console.

“C’mon. Let’s get out of here.”

S
ix months later, Titan’s Newest Sector

Anja reviewed the specs of the rover one last time before pulling it into the garage. She smiled at the humming omnitablet in her pocket and checked the time. It was him, here right when he’d said he’d be. Though they had the worst schedules, Retzi hadn’t been late for a date once, though he’d made her late for work more than a few times.

She waved at him from the window, but didn’t go out immediately, sparing a few moments for a quick gel cleansing. Anja checked herself one last time in the mirror, before running out to his cruiser.

The bottom of her jumpsuit barely touched the seat before he leaned over to deliver those kisses she had come to love. “Long week. I’ve missed you.”

“You too,” she said, settling in for the marathon ride back into the city. “So what do you have planned this time? A drive to the party district or maybe something more offworld?”

“Well you’re right on that last bit. We’re definitely heading up, not out. I had a friend of a friend check into some old files for me.”

“What kind of files?”

“Hard to explain. Check my omnitablet.” He reached down and handed it over, eyes never leaving the road.

“Coordinates?”

“Yeah, see, Meash guys never erase any data, no matter how unimportant it may be at the time. Every worker, every instrument, including large telescopes used on school trips.”

She couldn’t stifle her gasp.

“I’m not saying it was easy, and you’ll spend a lot of time in bed repaying me for my efforts, but we found all the data files pulled that day, including the blip when some strange kid knocked it off course.”

“Stop the cruiser,” she said voice wobbling, chest aching and weak with tears.

“Can’t.”

“Oh Retzi, I-“

“See, if I stop, you’ll want to hug me and I’ll be forced to return said embrace. That might lead to me asking you to marry me and you might say no. So I can’t. Not sure I can handle it,” he added lamely. “Should I...uh, stop the car?”

“Yeah, Retzi. I really do think you should.”

And so, he did.

––––––––

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