Page 38 of Seven Oars
“Rise,” the Striker ordered without answering the Tarai’s question.“I have more questions for you.”
Gingerly, Rosamma stood. The robot’s zaps had been vicious, and every muscle in her body felt about as supple as jerky.
She figured the Striker wanted her alive for now, but the chances that she’d see her brother again were less than slim.
“Tell me what you know about the Shadow Flyer,” the Striker ordered her.
It surprised her.“Lyle?”
He said nothing. The silence turned ominous.
“I met Lyle, the Shadow Flyer, through my brother,” she began quickly.“He—we—wanted to leave our home planet, Meeus, but couldn’t. So my brother made a deal with Lyle.”
“What was Lyle doing on Meeus?”
“I don’t know exactly. I heard he came under false pretenses to infiltrate a medical facility that was carrying out experiments using Rix genes.”
“What?” The Tarai alien’s ears twitched.
He, at least, had facial expressions that Rosamma’s human brain could interpret.
She half-turned to him. It was easier somehow.“Yes. The Rix defenders wanted it to stop. So they sent Lyle…”
Someone else entered the room and stopped behind her. She instinctively tensed up for a blow, but thankfully, it never came.
Her hand found the end of her unkempt braid and twisted it. It gave away her nervousness, but she didn’t care. She was out of her depth. Way out.
The Striker canted his head as if puzzling over this lowly, pale creature before him. He was actively trying to make sense of her. Rosamma’s fears spiked. Why? What was going through his mind?
She shifted on her feet, felt a stab of pain in her injured side, and went still again.
“The little dipshit works for the defenders now?” said a hoarse voice behind her.
Turning slightly, Rosamma recognized the second scarred pirate, Esseh. By“little dipshit,” he must’ve meant Lyle.
“Yes.”
“Did Shadow Flyer complete his mission on Meeus?” Striker Fincros asked.
Rosamma let go of her braid.“I don’t know if he completed it. He got sick. They… something had been done to him on Enzomora. He was in prison there. They put him on some medication to make sure he was… complacent. So he couldn’t fly,” she finished quietly.
The Tarai smiled.“That’s clever.”
“Rix methods usually are, Keerym. And effective,” Esseh informed him.
Striker Fincros cracked his fist.“How was Shadow Flyer going to get you to Priss if he couldn’t fly?”
Rosamma’s heart gave a thump every time he asked her a question. This pirate was the most terrifying for his total lack of empathy. He wasn’t good at controlling his emotions; he didn’t have any to control.
“He went off the medication,” Rosamma whispered.“But he got very sick from withdrawal. In the end, he couldn’t fly either way. His mate was desperate to get him help…” She had to stop and swallow. Her eyes landed on the Striker’s scarred face, without meaning to.“I hope he survives.”
There was a brief silence.
“He has another mate?” Esseh asked.
Rosamma looked up at him.“Another?”
“He had some on Sir-Sar.”
