When his alarm went off, Jax rolled over to slap the screen of his gPhone, and through sleep crusted eyes, spotted someone sitting in the chair that he would have sworn was covered in discarded clothes.
“Wha...” he groaned, rolling back over to sit up and rub his eyes. He blinked the sleep away and was face to face with Naomi Himura, the woman who was most definitely not an aid worker, but very possibly was a cat-burglar.
“Hi,” she said. She was leaning back in the chair, the picture of relaxation in a forest green jumpsuit. How long has she been sitting there? he wondered. He slipped his hand under the pillow for the stunner he kept there. “You have thirty seconds to explain yourself.” He withdrew his hand, stunner activated. He leveled it at her casually, a light on the top of the device indicating that it was charged.
She held up both hands. “I know this is a bit unorthodox, but—”
“But nothing. You hacked ReliefCorp to find out who I was, then followed me here, then broke into my quarters while I was sleeping.”
“I was there for all of that. You don’t need to recap it for me.” The green eyed woman—her eyes are freakishly green , Jax realized—said. She sat up straight in the chair. “Like I said, I was impressed with what I saw on Mariposa. I think we could make a good team. I’ve been reading up on you. I know you’ve got some type of job on Jebidiah, something about—”
Jax shot her.
* * *
“Mr. Ichiko, I’d like you to meet Kori Lightning and Steve Delphino,” Jax said as the pair arrived at the mechanical bay that housed the Osprey .
The well-dressed man bowed. “A pleasure to meet you all.” He turned to Jax. “I am ready when you are, Captain.”
Jax held his hand out to the lowered boarding ramp. “Rudy will show you to your berth.” He turned to the other two. “Come on. I’ll show you to your berths. Sorry, space is limited, you’ll have to share.” He turned and walked up the ramp, not seeing the look Steve and Kori exchanged. “Skip, get the pre-flight started, please.”
Kori whistled as she exited the stairwell onto the common deck. “You haven’t changed a thing.” She walked over to the sofa, running a finger along the top. The old cracked leather moved under her ebony fingered touch. She looked over at Jax, smiling. “Hi, Skip,” she said, tilting her head toward the ceiling.
“Kori! It’s good to see you again,” the ship replied.
Steve looked around. “Kind of a dump.” An offended sounding noise came from the ceiling speakers.
Jax grimaced and turned toward the short passage to the crew and guest berths. “This way.”
The hatch to the berth Jax had assigned to Kori and Steve swung open, “Here you go.” When the two entered, Jax didn’t bother to hide his grin when they turned to look at him. “Sorry, infiltrators aren’t enormous.” He winked. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” He turned and grabbed the hatch handle. Over his shoulder he said, “We take off in ten.” He closed the hatch behind him.
He knocked on the door next to Steve and Kori’s. “Mr. Ichiko, we take off in ten.” A muffled reply came through the door. He tapped his earpiece. “Baxter, you all set?”
“Roger that. Everything is secure.” Jax nodded as he reached the staircase.
Ten minutes later, Jax was sitting at his station staring out the wrap around window at the mechanical bay beyond. The heavy doors were open, and yellow strobing lights flashed in the bay.
Rudy was in his station. “We’re cleared for departure.” When Jax didn’t reply, the droid pressed, “You okay, boss?” When Jax still said nothing, the droid rolled over to stop behind the pilot’s seat. A metal hand reached out and rested on Jax’s shoulder. “Boss?”
“Huh? Sorry.” Jax looked over his shoulder at his small mechanical friend. The rust red paint that covered most of the droid’s body was chipped in places, highlighting the droid’s age. “We ready?”
The droid tilted forward on his smart material roller ball, the best he could manage a bow. “Yup, all set.” As the droid rolled backward towards his station, he asked, “Gonna be okay having Steve aboard?” He moved a metal hand in a motion to take in the rest of the ship. “And, you know.”
Jax waved the droid’s concerns aside. “It is what it is, I guess. Flings happen. They rarely turn into more.” When the droid didn’t press on the other issue, Jax reached for the intercom button. “Everyone should sit down. We’re about to depart.”
Outside the transparent steel windows of the flight deck, a heavy freighter passed by the open mech bay. The five-kilometer-long monster of a ship lumbered past, likely heading for a parking spot a few kilometers from the station where dock workers in cargo mover suits would ferry the cargo modules into the main space dock. “Big one,” Jax said to no one in particular. The moment the aft section of the massive hauler passed the open bay doors, he worked the flight controls to raise the Osprey up off her landing gear and eased the throttle forward. The sub-light engines powered up, pushing the nimble infiltrator out of the bay. Several thuds echoed through the ship as the landing gear retracted and locked down, hull panels sliding into place over the gear. On a small display off to the side of his console, Jax saw the mech bay doors sliding closed.
“Sending you our exit vector,” Rudy announced a moment before one of the screens on Jax’s console came to life, showing him their assigned route away from Kelso station.
Jax eased the Osprey away from the station and around another lumbering heavy freighter that was inbound. He looked over his shoulder. “Wormhole generator?”
“Charged and ready,” Rudy reported.
Jax nodded. “Next stop, Themura.” He activated the wormhole generator and watched as a rip in the fabric of space time opened and the Osprey leapt through.