Page 2 of Caught By Menace

“She does owe a debt. Every one of us that takes a favor from the Red Feather owes a favor in return.”

“There you go with your honor code again.” Dankirk shoved two pieces of chewing gum into his mouth and winced as he bit down. “Anyway, the sister in the colonies told me that the Artist is happy with her new husband on theValiantand living the kind of life we can only dream about here.”

Naya’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. “Sounds like some kind of bullshit story to hide what’s really going on up there in those sky ships.”

“Believe what you want. I choose to believe the woman is happy. The moons only know that she deserves it, especially after being arrested and publicly humiliated for drawing that newsletter for us.”

She remembered the horror of learning the woman, just a teenager back then, had been arrested for her crime of disseminating information. They had sentenced her to a publicshearing, the same sentence given to prostitutes, and had shaved her head in the Harper’s Well town square. It was such a cruel thing to do to someone so young.

Naya noticed the way Dankirk winced as he chewed. “That tooth bothering you again, Danny?”

He nodded. “Damn thing is killing me. The chewing helps. There’s some kind of herbal oil in the gum that numbs the area nicely.”

“You should see someone about that tooth before you get an infection and die. Go have Griff pull it.”

He growled. “I am not letting some drunken bear of a bartender jerk a damn tooth out of my head, Naya!”

“Quit being such a crybaby! He did my wisdom teeth when I was like, sixteen.”

“Yeah, well, you’re a different breed, kid. My ancestors were wimps. I’m quite fond of the analgesics they offer in more civilized places like the colonies and The City.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, unless you plan to bribe one of the licensed dentists in The City just to get an appointment and then pay the exorbitant fees for pharmacy access and medical exemptions, you don’t have a lot of choices. Just suck it up, get drunk and have it yanked.”

Dankirk shuddered. “I’ll suffer until I can see someone in Safe Harbor next week. There’s a sick kid in Grogan’s Mill that needs some kind of major surgery. The hospital on the Harbor can help him so I’m smuggling them out.”

“Are you taking the whole family?”

He shook his head. “Just the mother.”

“Is it too expensive for the whole family to travel?”

“Hardly,” he said in frustration. “It’s just mom, dad and the kid, but the dad is one of those no-intervention nutters. It’s crazy. This kid will have a totally happy, healthy and productivelife if he has the surgery but his dad is ready to start digging a grave and lighting memorial candles. I just don’t understand it.”

“Different cultures, Danny. That’s why our people settled here in Connor’s Run. They sure as hell knew they weren’t going to find the kind of freedom they wanted in places like Harper’s Well or the Mill.”

“You ain’t lying.” Danny’s head snapped to the far wall of the warehouse. “I think we have company.” He pushed her toward a dark corner. “Hide behind those boxes until I give you the signal.”

Naya didn’t argue. Silently she crept to safety and crouched down. Controlling her breathing and listening intently, she experienced such a surge of sadness. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

All those centuries earlier, when her ancestors had left Earth for the promised land in the stars, they’d believed they were going to a place of peace and prosperity. After their generational ship limped into this end of the galaxy, the Harcos took pity on them. They’d been given a beautiful planet by a race of sky warriors to start their new civilization—but it had all gone pear-shaped. Religious disagreements, corruption, a famine and an epidemic had gutted their new world.

Their civilization had fractured. Most of the wealthy citizens and nearly all of the scientists and physicians and engineers had fled Calyx for the smaller but habitable planets nearby to form the more progressive colonies like Safe Harbor and Jesco. All of the religious extremists had chosen to leave The City and form their insulated communities like Harper’s Well and Grogan’s Mill where women were property—under the guise of protection, of course—and penalties for breaking moral codes were swift and harsh. Places like Connor’s Run, where people paid lip service to the laws of The City but not much more, had poppedup in strategic locations to serve as marketplaces and trading posts between the backward villages and morally corrupt City.

This? Hiding in a warehouse to bribe an official while planning to make a daring escape off the planet to save her friend from a forced marriage to some juiced-up sky warrior? No, this wasn’t the way it was supposed to be.

A low whistle pulled her from the hiding place. She rose slowly, quietly, and waited until she could see Dankirk and the gray-haired alderman clearly. Certain it was safe, she let her hand fall from her weapon and went to meet them.

Dankirk made the necessary introductions. “Naya, this is Alderman Crane. Alderman, this is Naya.”

“We’ve never met but I know you.” Alderman Crane extended his hand. “You did a favor for my niece a few years ago.”

Naya frowned and shook his hand. “I did?”

“She came to your pawnshop asking for a weapon because she was afraid her husband was going to kill her. You told her a gun wasn’t the answer and gave her something even better—a way out.”

Naya’s eyes widened as the memory resurfaced. “Lilac, right? Blonde? Late twenties?” She nodded. “I remember her.”And the bruises on her face…

“She’s doing well now. You helped save her life. I’ll do whatever I can to return the favor.”

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