Page 2 of Pact with the Alien Devil

Before I could protest, he darted through the crowd, leaving me alone with stolen Alliance tech and a gang of Vinduthi closing in.

I considered dropping the package and walking away. Let someone else deal with the mess. But Miggs was right—they’d seen us together.

And there was no escaping a Vinduthi on the hunt.

The thought of fleeing crossed my mind, but my body refused to move. Pride kept my feet planted, even as the tallest of the Vinduthi approached—a male with gleaming red eyes and a face that looked like it hadn’t smiled in decades.

The air in the bar grew heavy as conversations died. Glasses stopped clinking. Even the automated drink dispensers seemed to pause.

“Human,” the Vinduthi said, stopping directly in front of me. His voice was deep and steady, with none of the nervousness I’d seen in Miggs. “You have something that belongs to us.”

I tucked the package closer to my side. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His gaze flicked to where my arm pressed against the parcel, then back to my face. “We tracked a shipment of technology to this station. The signal ends here, in this bar.”

My fingers itched to reach for my blaster, but the two Vinduthi flanking him could move before I finished the thought. They’d cut me down before I cleared my holster.

“Look, I’m just a courier. I was hired to make a delivery. I didn’t know what was in the package.”

“And yet you still have it,” he said, taking a step closer. The heat from his body reached me, even from a foot away. “If you were only a courier, the exchange would be complete.”

His red eyes missed nothing.

Damn it. He had a point.

“The buyer ran.” I nodded toward where Miggs had disappeared. “I was just about to turn around and leave myself.”

He studied me, eyes narrowing. “You’re lying.”

“Not completely.” I managed a smile. “Just omitting certain truths.”

To my surprise, his mouth twitched slightly. Not a smile—I doubted he was capable of one—but a break in that stone-cold expression.

“Your name,” he demanded.

“Iria Jann.”

He nodded, as if confirming something. “The smuggler with the modified freighter. The one who slipped through the Caraxis Blockade.”

My heart skipped. That job was supposed to be a secret. “You’re mistaken.”

“No.” His certainty unnerved me. “The Vinduthi collect information as others collect wealth. It fuels our operations.”

One of his soldiers leaned in to whisper something, and the lead Vinduthi nodded.

“I am Korvan,” he said, returning his attention to me. “Lieutenant to Alkard of the Fangs. The package you hold contains weapons systems stolen from an Alliance military outpost. They were meant for us.”

My throat went dry. The Fangs were the most powerful Vinduthi syndicate on Thodos Station. They controlled half the station’s black market, and their leader, Alkard, was said to be as ruthless as he was cunning.

“Lieutenant?” I questioned, trying to buy time to figure out a pan. “You crime syndicates playing soldier now?”

A flash of something—pride, perhaps—crossed his face. “Alkard and I served together in the Border Conflicts. Many of the Fangs’ higher ranks are veterans of that war. Old titles, old loyalties... they endure.”

I studied his face, trying to understand why he was telling me this. Perhaps he wanted me to see the Vinduthi as more than just criminal enforcers—to understand the structure and discipline behind their operations. Or maybe he was just assessing how I'd use the information.

Whatever he wanted, it didn’t matter to me. I just needed to get out of here in one piece.

“Meant for you?” I repeated, steering the conversation back to the package.

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