Page 11 of Rescued

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CAIMBRIE

“What’s that?” I peered out the front viewscreen at a distant planet, holding out a warmed breakfast roll.

I was well-rested after finding a quiet bunk to sleep on in the back. At first, I found the narrow bunk uncomfortable, even compared to the sparse furnishings I’d had on the research vessel, but eventually, exhaustion overtook me, and I fell fast asleep. When I woke, I had a quick look around, digging through the supplies until I found something to eat. Feeling pretty good about my odds of survival, I went ahead and made enough for two, hoping a little kindness would earn me sympathy with Herod.

Herod gave me a sideways glance and then turned his attention back to his navigation panel.

“That is Korvak,” he explained, as if that should make me feel something. But as far as I could tell, it was just another lump of rock floating through space.

“What’s on Korvak? Friends of yours?”

“Not exactly.” He hesitated, like he didn’t want to say any more, but when I stared at him expectantly, he continued. “They’re customers. Like I said, I’m just here to pick up a few things and then we’ll be on our way. You can stay in the back the whole time, if you’d like. There won’t be much to see or do once we’re on the ground.”

I felt a lump rising in my throat. Whatever he was picking up here, he didn’t want me to know about it. I had to try another angle.

“Are you going to tell me what it is you do, then?”

“Do you really want to know, or are you just looking for a reason to argue with me?”

I faltered, struggling to come up with a rebuttal to that, and furious that he was treating me like the problem here. After all he’d put me through, I was certainly not the one who should be questioned about my intentions.

“Both,” I answered at last, biting back any further remarks.

Thankfully, he seemed amused by my frankness and rewarded me with a smile. For a flicker of an instant, I saw how charming he might have been if he wasn’t so maddening. I tried to ignore that thought, but I couldn’t seem to push it away completely.

“Sit down. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

I did as I was instructed, lowering myself into the seat beside him and watching carefully as he adjusted a few knobs on the screen. Something was happening. His tone was softer, and he wasn’t looking at me like I was an unwanted guest. Right now, he almost looked kind.

“Korvak is the home of a very wealthy weapons dealer. I happen to be one of the most notorious weapon’s smugglers in the area, and he has offered me a job that is too good to pass up. Now, ordinarily, I would not risk doing a job like this with a passenger aboard, but on account of the fact that I recently saved your life, I trust that you’ll be willing to keep this between the two of us?”

While he posed the last part as a question, I could tell from the look in his eyes that it was not a question at all. There was something threatening beneath those words, and I was reminded of the alerts warning that this man was armed and dangerous. He was wanted for murder. No, murders. And I had been witness to several of them myself, which either made me an accomplice or a witness, depending on who you asked.

My palms were sweating, and I realized I was wringing my hands in my lap as I considered my options. I had to think quickly before I found myself involved in any more crimes perpetrated by Herod. And yet, this whole situation was preposterous. How could the man in front of me be the same one on those wanted posters? Sure, I heard what he was saying about the weapons and whatnot, and I was fully aware that he was capable of killing. After all, I’d seen him in action. But other than his attitude problem, he didn’t act like some kind of notorious pirate. He seemed… kind of normal.

“You know, you could just let me off at Korvak. Tell your friends they can pick me up there?”

It was the perfect solution. I could get out of his way, and he wouldn’t have to do anything at all. Herod chuckled, shaking his head.

“Not going to happen.”

“And why not? Korvak is as good as Divoron to me. I am not familiar with either place, so one’s as good as the other, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Trust me, Caimbrie. You do not want to be let loose on Korvak. The locals would eat you alive.”

I drew back in horror, and he barked out another laugh.

“Not literally. They’re not savages,” he said between chuckles. “But all the same, it’s not a good place for a woman to be walking around by herself. Divoron is much safer.”

“Aren’t you some kind of famous criminal? Can’t you just tell the locals not to mess with me? I could handle myself from there.”

Again, he arched an eyebrow at me, and I sensed that he wasn’t sure if I was serious.

“Listen, Caimbrie. I will have you back to Divoron right on schedule. This little trip isn’t going to take up any extra time at all, so why don’t you sit back and relax, and just let me handle it?”

I crossed my arms defensively and huffed.

“Well, Herod,” I said, adding a sardonic twist in his name and stamping my foot on the ground. “I am a professional with an outstanding record in ethics, and I do not want to be associated with someone of your… occupation. It’s bad enough that I was rescued by someone who steals and murders for a living, but to ride along on a crime spree is completely out of the question. I will have no part in this.”

“Hey now,” he cut in. “Some of those murders were necessary to save your life, and I don’t recall you telling me to stop when those things were running straight toward you. If I remember correctly, you were screaming for help and had to be carried out. So, before you go leveling accusations about my character, you could at least thank me for getting you out of there in one piece.”

“Fine. Thank you for saving me, and then kidnapping me again,” I added with a smirk. “Now, I think it is best for me to get off of your ship as soon as possible so I can start finding a way back home. Korvak will be fine. Don’t you worry about me.”

“To be clear, it’s not you I’m worried about. If Adreax found out I left you on Korvak instead of Divoron, he’d have my head.”

“You should have thought of that before you dragged me away from the rest of my group then!” I snapped.

He was being impossible. He wasn’t going to let me go, and there was no use fighting him on it. I had to find another way to persuade him to let me off this ship, and that meant I needed to convince him that I wasn’t as helpless as he was making me out to be.

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