Read Online Anja's Star (Outer Settlement Agency) by Lyn Brittan - Free Book Online
Authors: Lyn Brittan
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Officer.”
A round of ‘sirs,’ returned his greeting and he put his badge away. “As you can see, I’m out with one of the fleet workers and uh...hoping to enjoy the trip a little longer.”
One of the men produced a shot of something glowing at that and wouldn’t be silenced until Retzi downed the glass. “Like I was saying, and if you tell anyone I showed you a government issued omnitab, I’ll deny it, but ahh hell.”
Retzi pulled it out, showing slide after slide of Crost’s mishmash fleet. “I’ve got to unload these at auction. It’s not so much about the price, you understand, I just have to transfer ownership in the system. You wouldn’t happen to know anyone in the market, would you?”
The ringleader, a blond, shaggy haired and half drunk businessman put his elbows on the table and flailed his hands around. “Land, aero or space?”
“Take your pick. Tell you what, I’m going to go back to my lady friend and you think about it. Stop by when you’re ready.”
“Wait! I’ll take one.”
“Me too.”
“Auction prices, you say?”
By the time his dinner arrived, the men at the table, and a few nearby ones, were scuttling out the door to trade in their credits for hard currency. He appreciated the break. It meant he got to watch Anja eat again. “We’re nearly free.”
She mumbled and shimmied in her seat. After a bit more chewing she leaned over. “Who’s to say they won’t run out and double check all this?”
“It’s too good of a deal,” he said between bites. “They want it to be true and they trust OSA. Plus the one already paid and he’s probably reading the deed on his omnitablet now. For all we know, he might already be at the docks and waved to the cockpit by the attendant.”
“So you’re confident.”
“Totally. But if they’re not back in ten minutes, we’re making a run for it.”
Chapter Ten
I t’d taken him two trips to get all the money back. Three if you count the last one that had he and Anja returning to the dock together. He didn’t feel comfortable until he locked the hatchway behind him though, and even then ended up flying the ship to another quadrant just for the night.
Anja smiled over, despite her marathon of successive yawns. “One more night, then I’ll get two nights of decent sleep in a row, right?”
“I promise,” he said giving the money one last look, then crossing the short space to be with her. She’d laid out some emergency blankets she’d found and created a decent sized pallet for them to sleep on. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but between holding Anja and imagining Crost’s face tomorrow and the days after when he realized the scale of what he’d lost, he didn’t anticipate anything remotely close to a fitful sleep.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to close my eyes tonight. Ignore that yawn. I mean it.”
Retzi curled up behind her, one leg on either side. He propped himself up against the wall of the ship and started massaging her shoulders. “Have you considered my offer?”
She tensed beneath his fingers, but only for the moment and he didn’t stop his ministrations when she said, “There’s nothing else to think about. Well, besides the obvious.”
“And?”
“I worked so hard with Meash Corp, living under someone else’s rules. And—”
“You don’t think my father will control you just as easily?” He could hear his voice rising, rumbling against his own eardrums. He tried to take the edge out of it, but damnit he was getting awfully close to hauling in his father into the closest OSA station right now.
“He’s on borrowed time. Everyone wants to be the agent who brings him down. I don’t need access to his files to know that. I don’t want you caught up in it. Figure out something else, because you’re not going back.”
That woke her up. Anja whirled in the next instant to shove her finger in his face. “You don’t get to make that decision for me.”
“I’ll arrest
A round of ‘sirs,’ returned his greeting and he put his badge away. “As you can see, I’m out with one of the fleet workers and uh...hoping to enjoy the trip a little longer.”
One of the men produced a shot of something glowing at that and wouldn’t be silenced until Retzi downed the glass. “Like I was saying, and if you tell anyone I showed you a government issued omnitab, I’ll deny it, but ahh hell.”
Retzi pulled it out, showing slide after slide of Crost’s mishmash fleet. “I’ve got to unload these at auction. It’s not so much about the price, you understand, I just have to transfer ownership in the system. You wouldn’t happen to know anyone in the market, would you?”
The ringleader, a blond, shaggy haired and half drunk businessman put his elbows on the table and flailed his hands around. “Land, aero or space?”
“Take your pick. Tell you what, I’m going to go back to my lady friend and you think about it. Stop by when you’re ready.”
“Wait! I’ll take one.”
“Me too.”
“Auction prices, you say?”
By the time his dinner arrived, the men at the table, and a few nearby ones, were scuttling out the door to trade in their credits for hard currency. He appreciated the break. It meant he got to watch Anja eat again. “We’re nearly free.”
She mumbled and shimmied in her seat. After a bit more chewing she leaned over. “Who’s to say they won’t run out and double check all this?”
“It’s too good of a deal,” he said between bites. “They want it to be true and they trust OSA. Plus the one already paid and he’s probably reading the deed on his omnitablet now. For all we know, he might already be at the docks and waved to the cockpit by the attendant.”
“So you’re confident.”
“Totally. But if they’re not back in ten minutes, we’re making a run for it.”
Chapter Ten
I t’d taken him two trips to get all the money back. Three if you count the last one that had he and Anja returning to the dock together. He didn’t feel comfortable until he locked the hatchway behind him though, and even then ended up flying the ship to another quadrant just for the night.
Anja smiled over, despite her marathon of successive yawns. “One more night, then I’ll get two nights of decent sleep in a row, right?”
“I promise,” he said giving the money one last look, then crossing the short space to be with her. She’d laid out some emergency blankets she’d found and created a decent sized pallet for them to sleep on. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but between holding Anja and imagining Crost’s face tomorrow and the days after when he realized the scale of what he’d lost, he didn’t anticipate anything remotely close to a fitful sleep.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to close my eyes tonight. Ignore that yawn. I mean it.”
Retzi curled up behind her, one leg on either side. He propped himself up against the wall of the ship and started massaging her shoulders. “Have you considered my offer?”
She tensed beneath his fingers, but only for the moment and he didn’t stop his ministrations when she said, “There’s nothing else to think about. Well, besides the obvious.”
“And?”
“I worked so hard with Meash Corp, living under someone else’s rules. And—”
“You don’t think my father will control you just as easily?” He could hear his voice rising, rumbling against his own eardrums. He tried to take the edge out of it, but damnit he was getting awfully close to hauling in his father into the closest OSA station right now.
“He’s on borrowed time. Everyone wants to be the agent who brings him down. I don’t need access to his files to know that. I don’t want you caught up in it. Figure out something else, because you’re not going back.”
That woke her up. Anja whirled in the next instant to shove her finger in his face. “You don’t get to make that decision for me.”
“I’ll arrest
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