Sex or Suffer [Dark Colony 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (21 page)

Alice was another possible casualty of Penelope’s journey. She hadn’t dared to communicate with the Bravura Science Lab to check on her, and unfortunately she didn’t trust Damon with her care. She could only hope that he didn’t wake her or worse, ignore her.

Along with procurement of the remedy, Penelope hoped to discuss the virus with another scientist on the Parsec Colony. She wanted enough time to confer with other doctors who’d dealt with the disease eager to learn any additional information she could which would help Alice.

Two hours later, Penelope exited her cabin, holding on to Gray like touching him was her only link for survival. She released him once they made their way to the lower floor and exited out of the cargo bay area into Echo Province’s quiet dock. There was one other ship docked on the other side of the large space, but Penelope couldn’t see the ship’s name.

It was likely the one sitting idle without paperwork and the vessel Gray was about to persuade the Rycan delegation to choose instead of the
Dalton.
Penelope sent up a small prayer that by the end of day, she’d be back on Gray’s ship headed at top speed for the Parsec Colony and not writhing in agony with the prospect of harboring the SOS virus for the rest of her life because of fate and this emergency stop on Echo Province.

* * * *

The docking bay on Echo Province was just as cold and miserable as Gray remembered. Nothing had changed, including the severe scenery of this harsh foreboding planet.

Echo Province, known for their unforgiving craggy landscape, also had an insensitive attitude regarding trade negotiations with other planets. And none worse than with the Seriillial warriors, inhabitants from the other side of their own planet.

The Rycan delegation came to negotiate an agreement between Echo Province members and the Seriillial warriors, regarding a mutual trade of goods. Each of the representatives needed the other, but both refused to budge on their desires to be total rulers of the planet they mutually shared.

Gray knew from Nathan and the initial request for transport off of Bravura on the
Mirage
over a week ago that the Rycan delegation had given up hope for a peaceful negotiation on planet Echo Province and regarded being here a waste of time.

There probably wasn’t a true emergency on Rycan, but a spoiled need by the delegation to get away from the endless arguments of two races that might never get along. Echo Province and the Seriillial warriors shared the planet, but agreed on absolutely nothing else.

Penelope released her grip on Gray’s forearm before they descended the ramp to the dock. He patted her arm in an effort to comfort her before he took the lead as his crew exited the ship.

After being separated from her for the past couple of days, he was surprised by the stuttering of his heart the moment she’d stepped from her cabin. Even with the filter mask covering her face, she looked sexy enough to kiss. The best they could accomplish was to touch face masks together.

Behind him Cahill and Angelica, also wearing filter masks, descended the ramp on to the floor of the docking bay. They were the last to disembark the
Dalton
and as soon as they stepped to the floor, a contingent of Echo Province soldiers dressed in full explosive resistant suits entered his ship to sniff out any potential mischief aboard.

To his right, Gray saw the
Mirage
locked into the alternate bay, looking lonely and abandoned. Echo Province demanded that the crew stay off the ship while they waited for the delegation to complete the negotiations.

They hadn’t gone three more steps when Gray spotted a group of five Rycans approaching swiftly from a blast door cut into the jagged rock that made up the walls and ceiling of the docking station area.

A stodgy, short bald man with a ring of hair around his head attached to a full brown beard, led the pack of four other Rycan negotiators in his party. Dressed formally in the recognized uniform denoting he was an “official” Rycan negotiator, the pompous expression on his florid face summed up his personality in seconds for Gray.

“I’m Frade, leader of the Rycan delegation to Echo Province, and you are?” He leaned forward but didn’t extend a hand in greeting.

“I’m Captain Gray Wyckoff, of the
Dalton
.”

Next to the lead Rycan delegate, trying to keep up with the fast moving party of negotiators, was a tall thin man wearing a bright green jumpsuit.

Frade pointed to him and said, “This is Hendle. As you can see, he’s from this planet.”

Given that Hendle’s clothing choice was so completely opposite of the dreary surroundings, this man had to be a high official of Echo Province low dwellers. They were known for compensating in extremes to offset their lackluster environment. His squinting suspicious eyes, pursed lips and permanent frown lines bracketing his sour expression, made Gray triply assured of his identity as a high official from Echo Province. Perceptually unhappy was another mark of an Echo Province low dweller.

“And where is the leader of the Seriillial Warriors?” Gray asked, wondering if poor Nathan was trapped somewhere with a group of them.

Frade glanced over his shoulder briefly in disgust and said, “Somewhere back in the tunnels. Good riddance. They’ve ruined this negotiation with their unwillingness to compromise anything.”

The Seriillial Warriors, wherever they were, usually dressed in bland brown, black and gray clothing to camouflage them in their topside surroundings. They also exuded a very pungent body odor if anyone got too close, the stench of which was guaranteed to keep strangers away to avoid continual retching. He couldn’t imagine being locked up with them for fifteen hours as Nathan had been upon his arrival here.

Frade continued in an arrogant tone without looking up. “It doesn’t matter where those foul creatures are. Negotiations are officially off. And another thing, Captain Wyckoff, it’s about time you arrived. We’ve been deadlocked in our hopeless discussions and now our own planet needs us immediately. We’ve been waiting eternally for you to show up and escort us…” His angry speech trailed off as he looked up and finally noticed Gray’s filter mask.

“Why in the world are you wearing that mask? There is no contamination here.”

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a minor accident aboard the
Dalton.
The liquid and solid waste sewer assembly leaked into the ventilation system. It’s slightly fragrant inside. You ‘do’ have full decontamination suits complete with masks, hoods and gloves equipped with enough filter units to last for five days journey to Rycan, don’t you?”

“Yes, but surely you don’t expect us to travel for five days suited up like quarantine victims, do you?”

Gray shrugged. “I’d recommend it. It doesn’t smell very pretty on board the
Dalton
right now. A filter mask will protect you from the foul scent, but a full decontamination body suit would keep your clothes from being permanently saturated for the trip.”

“This is outrageous.” Frade turned to his companions as if for confirmation of his belief. “What if we don’t wear suits?”

“That’s up to you. But if you decide to go without a D-suit and get sick then you’ll have to clean up your own mess. I’ve got a limited crew this trip and no time for nursemaids.” He turned to the green suited man, Hendle. “My crew has completely disembarked the
Dalton
. How long before we can get back on board to power up and take the delegation to Rycan?”

“Less than an hour, captain,” Hendle answered with an almost joy to his tone that Gray had never heard from one of his race. His abnormal exuberance was likely due to the fact he was about to get rid of Frade and the other delegates.

“Can’t your scans radiate a super potent deodorizer or something at the same time to alleviate the problems on board your ship?”

“I’m not letting them radiate anything onto the
Dalton
.” Gray frowned. “We have the problem under control. It’s just a bad smell not a rampant flesh eating bacterial threat.”

Frade ignored him and sent a piercing stare to Hendle gesturing for his answer.

Hendle shook his head. “Our equipment is used to detect explosives and other dangerous unstable substances with bomb capabilities. We don’t deal with any fragrance problem. Our environment is so harsh it’s rarely a problem we worry about.”

Frade gestured to the lonely
Mirage
bay. “Why can’t we take
that
ship over there on to Rycan? It’s one of yours, isn’t it?”

“Oh sorry,” Gray lamented, “It
is
mine, but
that
ship doesn’t have the approved paperwork to enter your atmosphere. We hoped it would be approved by the time you were ready to leave next week, however with this priority emergency call, the
Dalton
is your only choice of ship.”

At that opportune time, Gray scratched the side of his helmet and signaled Angelica.

The outer hull vents near the open cargo door opened and released the vilest smelling odor ever concocted into the air. At least Gray assumed the scent was bad, since he was wearing a protective mask.

There was complete silence for several seconds after the blast and then the odor reached Frade and the other delegates.

Frade’s face contorted, he gagged a couple of times and covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve. “I will not get on your ship, captain, unless you can assure me and my fellow delegates that there is no chance of that stench being on board.” The four delegates behind him nodded their heads in agreement.

“Well, sir until I get back to the Bravura docks so I can run a full decontamination and deodorization program, I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”

“You can’t force me to get on your ship, captain.”

“The priority emergency message you sent to bring me out of my way to pick you up says I can. I’ve been called from another transportation assignment and there are expenses involved with my coming to pick you up. Do you have an emergency or not?”

Frade shifted his stare from Gray’s mask to the
Dalton
as a sincere look of distaste crossed his features. His gaze drifted from the
Dalton
to the
Mirage
and after a few seconds more, his eyes narrowed.

“Has the authorization paperwork begun on your other ship by any chance?”

“Yes. But it hasn’t been approved and no date has been given for its completion. I’m here now with the
Dalton
, ready to take you to Rycan.”

“If we withdraw our priority, and demand to be put on your other ship, you won’t be able to stop us.”

Gray pushed out what he hoped sounded like a sigh of disgust. He then tried not to laugh out loud at the predictability of pompous ass holes with regard to being told what they could and couldn’t do. “A transaction complete with payment has been established for an emergency retrieval or otherwise, believe me, I wouldn’t be here. If you withdraw, you’ll still have to pay half of my fee.”

“Fine.” He turned to Hendle with an authoritative air. “See that our things are sent over to the
Mirage
and get me a priority message link to Bravura Space Command. I’ll see that the
Mirage
has its paperwork approved in no time.”

Hendle skittered off to secure the link for Frade’s business, leaving them unattended.

“Captain Wyckoff, I want you to go down to the negotiation room and explain everything to the Captain of the
Mirage
and then you may go.”

Gray whispered a vulgar curse for show and shook his head. Doing a private dance of joy after fooling this pompous ass would give everything away, but he couldn’t wait for privacy to tell Nathan what he’d done.

“As you wish. First take the priority hold off of my ship so we can leave after the totally unnecessary Echo Province security scan is complete and I’ll accompany you.”

Frade cleared his throat, but didn’t look at all sorry for causing trouble. Glancing behind him, he snapped his fingers at one of the other delegates. The other man handed him a digital hand-held computer. Frade signed his name, showed Gray the screen with the completed cancellation and transfer of the transportation request to the
Mirage
. He flipped to another screen and wired half the funds they would have earned if they’d had to take the delegation, to Gray’s business account. Finally, he sent a message to the Bravura Space Command Group requesting an immediate upgrade to the application for the
Mirage
to fly into Rycan air space unhindered.

“Satisfied?” he asked in a tone that made Gray want to put a smack down on him and push his sanctimonious face into the dirt.

Instead, he pushed out another long sigh and responded, “I guess so.”

Gray turned to Angelica and Cahill and lowered his voice. “Once you get on board, prep the ship to return to our previous course as soon as possible. You know what to do.”

“Yes, sir,” they responded in unison.

“We’ll be right back and we’ll resume our journey.”