Cleon Moon (8 page)

Solstice sneered at this exchange. “At what rate of payment?” she asked.

“That’s private,” Leonidas said.

Alisa grimaced. She hadn’t
paid
Leonidas anything. She had tried to put him on the same pay schedule and rate as Beck, but he’d refused to accept it, saying to wait until she had more funds. When she had wanted to hire him, she hadn’t imagined him taking a charity position. That had been their first argument that hadn’t had anything to do with which side they had supported in the war. She’d only allowed him to have his way by telling herself she would pay him a portion of their earnings whenever they found successful cargo hauling gigs.

“Not much, I’ll assume,” Solstice said with another derisive sniff in Alisa’s direction.

Alisa wondered what those androids would do if she attempted to stuff one of these fancy objets d’art up the woman’s ass. Maybe that twisted sculpture that looked like a cat licking itself.

“I mentioned perks that you would receive if you were in my employ,” Solstice went on, clearly not good at taking no for an answer. “Perhaps I should mention what might happen if you
don’t
accept the position.” She smiled and sipped from her glass as she glanced toward the display wall again.

Alisa made the mistake of looking over. A two-legged dinosaur modeled after the Tyrannosaurus rex was standing on a road, eating a lone human, blood dripping from its jaws to the ground. Her stomach lurched, and she looked away quickly, struggling not to retch—or cry.

“If you’re thinking of throwing us to your monsters,” Alisa said, forcing down the bile in her throat, “then don’t bother. We were already planning on taking a trek out to hunt a few. They don’t look very challenging, not for a cyborg.”

“We’d have excellent ratings if a cyborg in imperial armor strolled out to hunt the monsters,” Solstice said, “and I might even lure a few new sponsors down to my modest moon, but I believe it would distress you more to be turned over to the Alliance.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Leonidas again. “I do have contacts in their military. It would be a simple matter to call down some ships. You would find it difficult to escape my dome without my clearance.”

“Should have landed in the swamp,” Alisa muttered.

“There’s a reason why nobody does,” Solstice said. “I understand it’s distressing to watch your ship disappear into quick-mud, never to be seen again.”

“There’s a lot that’s distressing about this moon. I’m thinking of crossing it off my list of potential retirement meccas.”

“A shame.”

Solstice set down her glass and rose to her slippered feet. She strolled to Leonidas, presuming to rest a hand on his chest. Her head barely came to his shoulder, but she showed none of the usual intimidation people displayed in the presence of fleet cyborgs, especially those clad in the dreaded crimson armor. Of course, she had those androids standing inches away from Leonidas. Why would she worry?

“I don’t truly wish to threaten you, Colonel,” she said. “I’d much prefer that we have a civil relationship, and I could even use my influence to protect you from the Alliance, should that be necessary.” She slid her hand enticingly over the pectoral area of his armor. It occurred to Alisa, when she wasn’t thinking about strangling the woman, that Solstice probably didn’t know about the way the fleet had altered its cyborgs. Alisa wished she did, because some of her interest in acquiring this particular objet d’art might wane if she knew Leonidas wouldn’t sleep with her. “I’d also prefer to see you in something more comfortable.”

“My armor is comfortable.” Leonidas lifted his hands, and the androids leaned closer, each poised to strike if need be. He pushed her gently but firmly away from him. “You are correct, however, in that I have no interest in becoming an Alliance prisoner.”

“I thought not.” Solstice let him push her back, but her flirtatious smile never faded.

“I have obligations to my current employer,” Leonidas said.

“Involving chickens?”

“Among other things.”

“I’m certain she would understand if you broke those obligations to accept another offer.”

Alisa certainly would not, but she kept her mouth shut this time. She highly doubted Leonidas would break his word to her—or leave Alejandro and his staff in a lurch.

“Perhaps,” he said, “but it would only take me a few days to fulfill those obligations. Then I could move on.”

Alisa felt her eyebrows rise, but again remained silent.

“Oh?” Solstice asked. “A few days would not be an interminable amount of time to wait. Not for such a fine head of security.”

“I can contact you when I’m done.”

“Excellent. I’ll have my personal information sent to you. You can comm anytime and let me know when you’re ready to join me.”

Leonidas inclined his head. “I will.” He eyed his android bookends. “Are we free to go now?”

“Of course, of course. But Colonel? Don’t think of betraying me. I have an eye on your ship, and I’ll know if you attempt to leave. I assure you that the forcefield will not be lowered to let that freighter out if you’re not here at my side when it takes off.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said coolly.

Alisa pushed away from the cabinet and followed him toward the elevator. Solstice must have un-muted the speakers, because the screams of someone else dying floated to their ears as they walked out. Alisa shuddered. This shopping trip had not gone well.

Chapter 6

Full darkness had fallen by the time Alisa and Leonidas made it back to the docks, crushing her hopes of heading straight out to look for Jelena. Finding a hidden Starseer outpost in
daylight
would be challenging enough out in those marshlands, even with Abelardus as a guide. And cruising through dinosaur-infested swamps at night did not sound wise.

As she and Leonidas walked the lamppost-lined thoroughfare, with more lights floating high overhead under the dark dome, Alisa made plans to slip out into the wilderness before dawn. Maybe they would be less likely to be stalked by cameras if they left early. They would just have to watch out for the dinosaurs. Had those “monster hunters” in the vids had some kind of attractant to bring in the big predators, or were they simply that ubiquitous out there?

She shivered, remembering the people being eaten in those displays—and that nobody had gone out to help them, that watching them being torn to pieces had apparently been good for ratings.

“Are you all right?” Leonidas asked quietly.

Though he walked at her side, he had not said much since the androids had let them collect Alisa’s gear and leave the compound. For the first half of their trek, one of the spy boxes had followed them, so that might have put a damper on his tongue. Alisa hadn’t noticed it for several blocks.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m just mulling over concerns. I’m wondering how we’re going to find the Starseer outpost without ending up on the news, and I’m also wondering how we’re going to get the
Nomad
out of this dome when it’s time to leave. I’m assuming you were telling that woman what she wanted to hear to buy us time and aren’t truly planning to join her security force. Just in case you didn’t know, that would distress me greatly.”

“Because I’d be breaking my word to you,” Leonidas said, nodding in agreement.

“Because I’d
miss
you.”

“Ah.” He smiled at her. He had removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. His hair was tousled from having it on earlier. Attractively tousled.

“It’s too bad you’re a handsome cyborg, Leonidas. Solstice might have left us alone if you were homely.”

Of course, she also might have ordered those androids to drag him off to some Alliance embassy so she could collect the reward money.

“Then you’d probably leave me alone too,” he said, his smile turning wry.

“That wouldn’t happen.”

“No?”

“If you’ll recall, I wasn’t overly fond of you when we first met. Possibly because you were being unfriendly and pointing a gun at me.”

“Only because you wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“It was my ship I wouldn’t leave alone. You just happened to be clogging up the ramp with your hulking cyborg self.” She elbowed him, which would have been more appealing if he weren’t still clad in that hard shell. “It took me a while to decide I was attracted to you.”

“How long?” He tilted his head, appearing genuinely curious.

“It was after you chose to help us instead of your cyborg buddy, Malik.”

They passed a pair of women walking in the opposite direction, and he did not respond. The docks had been busy earlier in the day but had cleared out since then. Only a handful of people strolled along now, many toting bags or being trailed by hoverboards loaded with supplies as they returned to their ships. The noise of a drunken crowd came from one of several pubs dotting the docks. Alisa hoped people weren’t in there watching replays of the monster hunts—or
human
hunts—while they ate and drank.

“I came to appreciate you when you wouldn’t turn me over to your Alliance colleagues,” Leonidas said when the women had passed. “In case you were curious.”

“Up until then, you considered me a mouthy Alliance pilot it was preferable to avoid?”

“More or less. I suppose I was a little impressed with you when you handled that thuggish pirate by yourself. I’d been concerned…” He cleared his throat and looked away. “I feared I would be too late to help protect you from that. And I was.”

“Good thing I’m decent at protecting myself, eh?” Alisa clasped his hand, though the ramp of the
Nomad
had come into view, so their romantic evening walk could not last long. “I’ve had a lot of practice. On account of my mouth.”

“I believe you.”

“I feel like I should swat you for that, but since you told me you wouldn’t feel it through your armor, I suppose there wouldn’t be a point.”

“Only if it made you feel good,” he said.

“It might.”

Someone came out onto the ramp, so Alisa let Leonidas go. It wasn’t as if the others didn’t know they had started spending more time together, but she had this sense that she should maintain some professional distance when others were around. Especially Alejandro, since he glared whenever he saw Leonidas standing close to her. A former Alliance pilot. She might as well have a communicable disease.

That looked like Abelardus on the ramp. Yes, he turned toward them, and the light from within the cargo hold silhouetted his head and braids. He glared at her whenever she stood close to Leonidas too. Not that she cared what he thought.

I went out to rent hover bikes for our journey
, Abelardus spoke into her thoughts, gazing at her across the distance.
I was watched as I did so. Perhaps because of my robe. Perhaps because I’m associated with your ship.

Having him speak into her head always made Alisa uneasy, and it felt like more of an intrusion when she was walking side by side with Leonidas, having a private moment with him. Since Abelardus was jumping straight to business, she kept herself from making a snide comment.

We were watched too
, she replied in her mind.
The mafia boss finds Leonidas fascinating.

Fascinating or irksome?

It’s a woman.

That doesn’t answer my question.
Abelardus smirked—she knew it even though she couldn’t see his face in the shadows.
Does she know about his problem?

Doubtful, and maybe you should stay out of his head, so you don’t give him any more problems.

He can’t satisfy you, you know. Nor will he be any help with training your daughter.

Alisa sighed.

“Is he talking to you?” Leonidas murmured as they turned onto the dock with the
Nomad
parked at the end.

“How can you tell?”

“Your expression got aggravated, and I don’t think I stepped on your foot or did anything to cause it.”

“You are definitely
not
the source of my aggravation.”

“Let me know if you want me to punch him for you,” Leonidas said. “It won’t bruise my knuckles to do so.” He glanced down at her hand.

“Thank you for the offer. I’ll let you know if that becomes desirable.”

She patted him on the back before separating to walk up the ramp. Six motorized bikes with thrusters and skids rested inside the hold.

“Do you think we should go out to look for your kin tonight, Abelardus?” Alisa asked when they entered the ship. “We might be less likely to be watched at night.”

“Don’t be so certain.” Abelardus looked past her shoulder and toward the base of the ramp.

A spy box that had not been there ten seconds ago now hovered a few meters from the ship, not attempting to hide itself. Alisa made a disgusted noise and hit the button to close the hatch.

“I’ll have one of the cameras watch it and set up an alert in case it goes away,” she said.

“Perhaps first thing at dawn would be the best time to go,” Abelardus said. “I saw that there would be some races at that track later in the morning. The monster hunting may be on hiatus for that.” He grimaced. Maybe he had also caught some footage of those people being eaten.

“Let’s hope. I want to find Jelena and get out of here. This is a loathsome place for a little girl.” Alisa hoped the Starseers did not let their charges see the local news. She could not imagine an eight-year-old child watching what she had seen today.

“I’m sure my people are taking good care of her.”

“I wish I was that confident of that.” Not for the first time, Alisa considered how this Durant—a proven kidnapper and a brother to Abelardus, who had questionable morals at best—seemed an unlikely prospect to care for a child.

“If my brother wants what I’m guessing he wants, he’ll treat her well,” Abelardus said.

“And what is it that you think he wants?”

“Someone who will grow up to birth strong Starseer babies.”

“Ugh.” Alisa couldn’t help but curl a lip. She wanted Jelena to play and laugh and be a kid, and it horrified her to think of someone wanting her as broodstock. Who would they have in mind as the father? She shuddered.

It pleased her to notice that Leonidas was also curling a lip. She didn’t know whether that was because the idea also horrified him or if it was because he wanted to punch Abelardus for being alive in general, but she approved of his response.