Page 45 of Kian

When the food was plated, Lyslee poured out three tin cups of Grummish brew and Avril handed everything out.

Lyslee took a swig and followed it up with a spoonful of the impromptu hash. The brew might have been bitter, but it also had a pleasant warming effect. He could see the appeal, especially to those more susceptible to the elements.

“Excellent,” she sighed happily. “So, what are you doing here, dragonman?”

“Well, I wanted to see if you were okay,” he said. “And check if you needed anything, though I can see you’ve got your tent in better shape than mine.”

The two women laughed.

He knew that they would never have asked his help, even if they had needed it. But he was still glad to see nothing was lacking. If it had been, he would have tended to it quietly, to save their pride.

“I also wanted to pick your brain about these bandits,” he said. “Feels like this crew is more desperate than they should be. You’ve been on this moon a lot longer than I have. What’s your experience?”

Avril glanced at her sister and they both nodded at once.

“We’ve been doing this run and a few others since we got to Sigg-3,” Avril said carefully. “You know about the old Bhimanium mine that’s up this way?”

“Not in particular,” he said. “I know the mines here failed, and it’s a hard time for folks.”

“The one up here was probably the biggest,” Lyslee said. “And being so remote from everything else, it’s also in the worst shape now. People came from all over the system to work the mines when it looked like it was going to be a boom, but when the vein ran out right away, they were in real trouble.”

“There’s not much other work out this far,” Avril put in. “And the passage home is too expensive for a lot of workers. Most can’t even afford passage back down to the town.”

“We do see bandits more often on this route,” Lyslee agreed. “But they’re just robbing caravans and moving on.”

“Exactly,” Lyslee said. “They’ll sneak in at night and grab a few things off the back of a cargo sled. There’s no confrontation, and definitely no violence.”

“That’s not what’s going on here, though,” Kian said. “We had a full out raid, and then an open, daylight trap and ambush. It’s not the same thing.”

“But they didn’t have sophisticated weapons or tech,” Lyslee pointed out. “Those arrows were homemade. And the pit was obviously dug by hand.”

“Why go through so much trouble?” Kian asked.

The women exchanged another look.

“We suspect the cargo is worth more than the sheriff is letting on,” Avril said quietly.

“Bastard didn’t want to pay us a danger bonus,” Lyslee said. “Or hire on more guards. His mouth must have been watering when he heard there was an Invicta coming along. He figured you’d help out in a pinch and save him a few credits.”

“Did you ask him about it?” Kian asked.

“Sure did,” Avril said. “And he was super cagey with his answers. Can’t push him too hard, since he’s the law out here, but I think our suspicions are right on.”

“I asked him what was in there, too,” Kian recalled. “When we were trying to use the cargo to protect him and the deputy. He was pretty shifty with me, too, even though his own safety was at stake. What do we do?”

“We only have one more day on the road,” Lyslee said, shrugging. “We just try to get there safely, and keep a sharp eye on the horizon.”

He nodded.

He had expected as much, but wanted to hear it directly from the women. They were straight shooters, and like him, warriors by trade.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, nodding again.

“Well,” he grunted. “I guess that’s that.”

“Oh, I don’t think so, soldier,” Lyslee laughed.

“We think there’s probably at least one other reason you stopped by,” Avril giggled.

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