Page 2 of Stealing Mercury
The surface gave under the force of his fist. A man stepped into the path of his reach, putting himself in front of the Owner. Mercury twisted his fist in the man’s garment and jerked him through the shattered barrier and out of his way. He reached—
Tentacles of pain crackled along his spine—the familiar agony of a shock whip. He fell back, muscles no longer in his control. His back smacked against the platform. Lightning zinged along his nerves again. His body bowed tight.
The lightning faded slowly, leaving him unable to move.
He’d failed.
The blue of the city dome overhead mocked him.You surrendered to rage. You’ve only made things worse for your brothers. You’ve condemned them with your arrogance.
The mocking voice was right. Their blood was already on his hands.
Chapter One
RomaSpaceport,Roma
EarthAlliance Beta Sector
2210.145
Samantha adjusted the pack on her shoulder as she waited in the shuttle for the hatch to open. The familiar hiss and pop as it gave way only wound her nerves tighter.
“Good luck, Sam!” The pilot’s voice over the intercom reminded her she’d chosen to leave relative safety behind in favor of a shortcut that was both risky and profitable. This one job would triple what she’d made in the last year.
Wishing the pilot a smooth journey, she hopped out and strode through the docking tunnel. The gate closed behind her, eliminating any possibility of retreat.
Sevti Allandson waited inside the hangar, looking very corporate in his slim-fitting, gray uniform. The man beside him was a surprise. Samantha recognized Grande Owens, principal partner of The Roma Company. The silver-haired man with a crooked nose and ruddy cheeks had been on every news feed she’d scanned since Sevti messaged her with the job offer. Behind them, the hangar stretched out, cavernous and nearly empty. TheDove, a stellar class courier ship, stood at the far end, cargo doors open for loading.
Sevti clasped her hand in two of his. “Good to see you again.”
She forced a smile that would have come naturally if anxiety wasn’t eating a hole in her gut. “Been too long, Port Chief.”
He nodded and released her. “Back at Midway Station, right? I remember you were always fending off that skinny letch. What was his name?”
Samantha had never been any good at deception. She wanted to beg him not to drag out the chatter that had to be for Owens’ benefit. “That was Knock. Dad hired him in the end. Turned out to be a good communications man.” And a total failure as a friend.
Sevti must have heard her silent pleading to hurry things along, or maybe he’d seen her nerves fraying. Whichever, she was grateful when he got back to business. He introduced her to Mr. Owens with no sign of duplicity or guilt in his easy smile. Only eight hours earlier, he’d calmly explained how he needed her to help him steal from the man.
No, he didn’t actually want her help with the deed. He just wanted her to let the stealing happen. To let the cargo go without a fight when Sevti’s friends boarded the ship she was being hired to pilot.
Simple.
No one would expect a pilot flying alone to fend off a band of determined thieves. Sevti would see to it she got paid for her trouble and she’d finally have enough to put down a deposit on her own ship. What could go wrong? Her stomach tightened again. Apparently,itwasn’t convinced.
Owens studied her as if he could read her guilty conscience in her face. “Allandson speaks highly of you, Ms. Devlin. He’s explained the job?”
She nodded. “Said you had a problem with your flight crew and needed a last-minute replacement.”
“Every flight officer in my employ is in medical with the Diztigo virus, and this shipment can’t wait. Lucky for us, you were traveling on theReliable Liner.”
“Luckier for me, sir, but I hope your crews will be all right.” She couldn’t stop the flick of her gaze to Sevti. Her father’s old friend was taking a huge risk, and she didn’t understand why. He couldn’t need the funds. Roma Port was a dream post. Roma might only be a stage one terraformed rock, but The Roma Company owned it outright. They’d built the city, with its cluster of habitation domes, to be a playground for the wealthy. The port sprawled along the edge of the primary dome like a happy parasite, swollen with the bounty offered up by its host.
“The flight crews will recover,” said Owens. “But we’d like you to get underway as soon as possible. We don’t want you to...” He grimaced. “To catch what’s going around.”
The hesitation in his voice told her clearly that he knew someone had intentionally infected his crews with the debilitating virus and he wasn’t going to tell her. Wasn’t going to tell her he suspected someone was out to stop this shipment. He might be putting her life in jeopardy, and he wasn’t even going to warn her. It eased her conscious just a little.
“I have one question before we finalize your contract.” Owens pressed his lips together as he looked her up and down in her plain brown trousers and pullover top. She’d have liked to dress up for the meeting, but she hadn’t needed dress clothes since she signed on to theReliableas a tool slinger. She’d at least gotten the engine grease out from under her fingernails. “We verified your credentials,” he said. “Why were you working as a mechanic when you have your pilot’s certification?”
Her face heated as she met his gaze levelly. “Most corporate lines prefer to hire pilots with academy training.” He had to know she’d been an indie pilot with no corporate backing, no academy connections. He couldn’t know the rest. Her father had bullied the best hacker in the business to forge her birth records. “I got my training on the job. Mostly, I piloted my father’s freighter until last year.”
