Page 36 of Pact with the Alien Devil

The maintenance corridors were narrow, dimly lit paths that snaked through the station’s infrastructure. Service bots whirred past us, too focused on their programming to register our presence. The air smelled of machine oil and recycled oxygen, with undertones of something metallic I couldn’t place.

Iria moved with absolute confidence, never hesitating at intersections, occasionally pressing herself against a wall to avoid a passing security detail. I matched her movements, though I had to duck occasionally to avoid overhead pipes.

“How do you know these routes so well?” I asked quietly as we passed through a junction.

“When you smuggle as long as I have, you learn every back door on every station,” she replied. “Plus, I used to date one of the infrastructure engineers. He showed me a few tricks.”

I felt an unexpected stab of jealousy. “An engineer?”

She glanced back with a half-smile. “Don’t worry. He got transferred to the outer rim three years ago. And he wasn’t nearly as good with his hands as you are.”

I growled softly, catching up to her and placing my hand at the small of her back.

“We should focus on the mission,” I said, though I kept my hand where it was.

She leaned into my touch for just a moment. “Of course. All business.”

The nightclub came into view as we emerged from the service exit. The Red Nebula was exactly what you’d expect from a high-end establishment hosting illegal auctions: garish and expensive. Its gleaming facade stood in stark contrast to the decaying infrastructure of the decommissioned docking ring surrounding it, like a polished gemstone set in rusted metal.

Patrons lined up at the front entrance, a mix of species dressed in their finest. The bouncers – two burly Kraelex with armor beneath their formal wear – selected who entered with practiced discrimination.

“Back entrance?” I asked.

Iria shook her head. “Too obvious. We go through the front. I have credentials.”

She produced two chits from her pocket. “These cost me a fortune last time I was here. VIP passes. No searches, no questions.”

“Where did you?—”

“Won them in a card game.” She winked. “From a very drunk Alliance official who probably shouldn’t have been gambling with government property.”

We approached the line from the side, and Iria immediately adopted a different posture – shoulders back, chin up, an air of entitlement that transformed her from scrappy smuggler to affluent patron in seconds.

The bouncers waved us through without hesitation when she flashed the passes. The interior assaulted my senses – pulsing music, flashing lights, the mingled smells of expensive perfumes, alcohol, and body heat. The crowd moved like a single organism around the central dance floor, while private boothslined the walls, their occupants hidden behind translucent privacy screens.

“The auction’s in the back room,” Iria whispered close to my ear. “But we can’t both go barging in. I’ll blend in, try to spot Miggs before he sees us.”

I nodded, scanning the room for potential threats. “I’ll position myself by the emergency exit. If things go wrong, that’ll be our way out.”

She reached up, adjusting the tiny comm device behind my ear. Her fingers brushed against the sensitive skin there, and I had to suppress a shudder.

“Keep this channel open,” she murmured. “And try not to look like you’re planning to murder everyone in the room.”

I watched her disappear into the crowd, her movements shifting to match the flow of dancers. Even knowing what to look for, I almost lost sight of her twice as she wove between patrons, picking up a drink along the way, laughing at something someone said as if she belonged.

I took my position near the exit, back against the wall, arms crossed. Around me, conversations ebbed and flowed.

“...heard the Alliance increased patrols after that weapons shipment went missing...”

“...swear, if Halkin tries to outbid me again, I’ll poison his drink...”

“...that Vinduthi by the door is making me nervous. Think he’s security?”

I tuned most of it out, keeping my focus split between the crowd and the hidden door that led to the auction room. Eventually, Iria’s voice came through the comm.

“You’re making the whole room nervous just by standing there.”

“Good,” I replied quietly. “Maybe they’ll clear out before I have to kill them.”

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