Page 20 of Star Prince

“Forced?” Ian gave a quick laugh. “He’d volunteer the information in a heartbeat if it meant reducing his fine.”

Tee’ah felt her heart jump. “I had to give him thousands of credits as insurance against those fines. I don’t think he’s one to want to help the authorities.” She prayed that was so.

Ian shoved one hand through his hair. Hismisgivings regarding rescuing her were evident in the shadows under his eyes. She felt bad. He had saved her; he didn’t deserve the risk she was bringing him. The least she could do was make him feel comfortable about keeping her aboard his ship. “All right,” she said. “Let’s assume the cloaker talked, then. And with a few judicious bribes and maybe a few threats, Dar security used what they learned from him to find out which ship belonged to you, the Earth-dweller. We didn’t file destination coordinates with the space controller, correct?” She took a steadying breath. “So the only data available to them would have been our initial routing. Even if they retrieved, deciphered, and downloaded our routing, without knowing our destination they would have lost us when we jumped to hyperspace.”

Ian nodded, as if he agreed with her reasoning. “I’ve already had a look around the city,” he said. “There were no Dars.”

“Then the cloaker held his tongue, yes?”

“I hope so.” Her employer tipped his mug toward his mouth and drained the contents. Then he set the cup on the floor between his boots. When he focused on her, his gaze was penetrating. His voice was low. “As part of my crew, you’re going to see and do some things you don’t understand. The less you know, the better, if you know what I mean.”

Tee’ah wasn’t sure she did, but she nodded nonetheless.

“I sell Earth goods on the black market. Thatmeans I go where I want, see whom I want, and stay as long or short as I want. I don’t make a lot of money, but enough to afford a few luxuries and to support my ship and crew.”

He searched her face for shock, perhaps, or distaste. But that was not what Tee’ah felt at all. She envied his life of independence and freedom.

“If the Trade police wanted to,” he continued, “they could easily fine me out of business. Or arrest me. So I make it a point not to attract their attention.”

“I don’t care to attract anyone’s attention, either.”

He considered her statement. “That’s true. You’re on the run.”

She gulped her coffee and scalded her throat.

He paused, then shrugged. “Well, so are half the people in the frontier I suppose.” He gave her a curious look. “I saw the way the soldiers acted when they combed the bars on Blunder looking for you. They were friendly. More importantly, they had their pistols in their holsters. Right away I knew you weren’t dangerous.” He regarded her steadily. “But whatareyou, Tee?”

Her reluctance to explain sat between them like aTjhu’namishield, thick and silent. It was clear that he sensed her hesitation. Compassion filled his greenish-gray eyes. Curiosity too. Which unnerved her. If she were careless in what she revealed about herself, he would grow more suspicious than he already was. And she couldn’t afford that, couldn’t risk thechance of anyone—especially a black-market merchant—discovering who she was. She had eluded her father’s men last time, but there was no guarantee she would escape the next. After the sometimes terrifying yet exhilarating days since leaving home, she was certain that she never wanted to be trapped in the sheltered isolation of her old life again.

With that in mind, she chose the frankest reply of all. “I’m not what I was.”

He kept silent, as if hoping she would volunteer more. She didn’t. But neither did he. Perhaps he recognized that pressing her for information would lead to questions about his own activities. Perhaps there were other reasons.

He regarded her for a moment longer before he stepped into the corridor. “By the way, I need you ready to fly.”

“Again?” She had already figured that going back to bed wouldn’t be possible, but another flight so soon after the last? She gritted her teeth against her aching head. “Of course, Captain, to where?”

“To Barésh. Have you been there?”

“No. I have never heard of it.”

“That makes two of us. We’ve got data files on it, here on the ship—I want you to study them. I will too. I do know that a respectable portion of the galaxy’s trillidium is taken out of the Baréshti mines. And that it’s a god-awful place, supposedly. A stinking slag heap.”

“I wouldn’t know,” she said noncommittally.

He hesitated, as if gauging what to tell her. “I learned this morning that my competitor is headed there. I want to find out why he’s interested in the place.”

“When do we leave?”

He must have sensed the anticipation in her tone as well as her fatigue. He replied with a slightly apologetic smile. “This afternoon. Quin’s working on some repairs—today the environmental control system’s giving us trouble. Tomorrow, who knows?” he added irritably. “So get finished dressing and get something to eat.”

She stopped him before he left the room. “Is there a market nearby?”

“Yes. About a mile away.”

“Excellent. I need to go shopping.”

“I see.” He scrutinized her. “For what, exactly?”

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