Read Online Drifters' Alliance, Book 2 by Elle Casey - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elle Casey
Tags: Science-Fiction, Space Opera
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little safety buffer.
“Or else what?” he asks, full of self-satisfaction, chuckling under his breath. He’s laughing at me, trying to let me know he’s not afraid. But if he’s not afraid of me, that’s a bad move on his part. I don’t like being aggressive toward someone smaller than I am, but he’s pushing me, and I refuse to be pushed.
Time to take a shot in the dark. “Or else I’m going to put your friend Rollo into the float chamber and press the red button.”
Both Baebong and Jeffers turn in their seats to stare at me. I wink at them and keep on smiling, even though inside my guts are twisting into knots. Are my instincts right this time? Usually I can count on them to never lead me astray, but this is a big reach, even for me. Could Rollo really be the link? His name and the threat I just tied to it for Captain Bob’s benefit just kind of popped out of my mouth.
My mind is racing, trying to make sense of what’s going on. So far, we know that this Captain Bob guy showed up out of nowhere acting shifty. And then there’s Rollo who also showed up out of nowhere as a shifty stowaway. Link, link, link? What’s the link? I can’t come with anything putting those two together, but the fact that they both showed up in my life the way they did … that’s one too many coincidences involving shiftiness, as far as I’m concerned. This guy in the PC is either darkshit crazy or he has an agenda, but either way I’m willing to bet he’s not in it alone.
If he’s bonkers, my options are to either blow him off course and send him on his way —which would mean watching my six around the clock for his return with vengeance on his mind— or I could abandon these coordinates myself and come back later. Unfortunately, that could interfere in my plans with the Alliance and ruin our chances of joining them or at least learning more about them. Neither option makes me happy or comfortable.
But if he’s sane, and he does have an agenda, then it’s either one he planned a while ago —before or just after I got possession of the DS Anarchy— or one that he came up with on the fly when he saw us out here. Either way, an agenda with me at the center of it is not something I’m going to let slide. I can’t have loose ends trailing along behind me in the Dark.
Crazy or sane? Crazy or sane? Which is he? And is my other mystery man Rollo involved with him in some way?
“What’s this guy’s damage?” Baebong asks, interrupting my train of thought. “Is he for real? Is he really with Rollo?”
“I don’t know,” I say, staring at the guy’s ship, trying to decide which way to go with it.
“Maybe he just happened to find us out here,” Jeffers offers.
I shake my head slowly. “The Triangulum Galaxy is pretty damn big. Two ships happening along next to each other on a route that doesn’t lead to any resources … it’s not something that happens very often, right?”
Both Jeffers and Baebong shake their heads.
“He did look kind of lost, though,” Jeffers says.
Dalaga’s moons, my ass. “ Sure, he was drifting along like a lame duck, but it just seems too neat, right? Too convenient?” Everything inside me is telling me not to trust his facade.
“I agree,” Baebong says. He leans in closer to his controls, his fingers hovering over the buttons that I know will send a blast out in this guy’s direction if necessary.
“Why did you mention Rollo?” Jeffers asks.
“Too many coincidences,” I mumble as I stare at my adversary. “Too many game players for it not to be a game.” I’m too busy calculating the risks to hold a decent conversation right now. Knowing that a single mistake here could cost me everything, I decide my best bet is to go with the worst case scenario: Captain Bob is perfectly sane and running a gambit with me as his mark, and he has an inside man helping him out. I’m going to go ahead and assume that his agenda is purposeful too, and was formed long before he
“Or else what?” he asks, full of self-satisfaction, chuckling under his breath. He’s laughing at me, trying to let me know he’s not afraid. But if he’s not afraid of me, that’s a bad move on his part. I don’t like being aggressive toward someone smaller than I am, but he’s pushing me, and I refuse to be pushed.
Time to take a shot in the dark. “Or else I’m going to put your friend Rollo into the float chamber and press the red button.”
Both Baebong and Jeffers turn in their seats to stare at me. I wink at them and keep on smiling, even though inside my guts are twisting into knots. Are my instincts right this time? Usually I can count on them to never lead me astray, but this is a big reach, even for me. Could Rollo really be the link? His name and the threat I just tied to it for Captain Bob’s benefit just kind of popped out of my mouth.
My mind is racing, trying to make sense of what’s going on. So far, we know that this Captain Bob guy showed up out of nowhere acting shifty. And then there’s Rollo who also showed up out of nowhere as a shifty stowaway. Link, link, link? What’s the link? I can’t come with anything putting those two together, but the fact that they both showed up in my life the way they did … that’s one too many coincidences involving shiftiness, as far as I’m concerned. This guy in the PC is either darkshit crazy or he has an agenda, but either way I’m willing to bet he’s not in it alone.
If he’s bonkers, my options are to either blow him off course and send him on his way —which would mean watching my six around the clock for his return with vengeance on his mind— or I could abandon these coordinates myself and come back later. Unfortunately, that could interfere in my plans with the Alliance and ruin our chances of joining them or at least learning more about them. Neither option makes me happy or comfortable.
But if he’s sane, and he does have an agenda, then it’s either one he planned a while ago —before or just after I got possession of the DS Anarchy— or one that he came up with on the fly when he saw us out here. Either way, an agenda with me at the center of it is not something I’m going to let slide. I can’t have loose ends trailing along behind me in the Dark.
Crazy or sane? Crazy or sane? Which is he? And is my other mystery man Rollo involved with him in some way?
“What’s this guy’s damage?” Baebong asks, interrupting my train of thought. “Is he for real? Is he really with Rollo?”
“I don’t know,” I say, staring at the guy’s ship, trying to decide which way to go with it.
“Maybe he just happened to find us out here,” Jeffers offers.
I shake my head slowly. “The Triangulum Galaxy is pretty damn big. Two ships happening along next to each other on a route that doesn’t lead to any resources … it’s not something that happens very often, right?”
Both Jeffers and Baebong shake their heads.
“He did look kind of lost, though,” Jeffers says.
Dalaga’s moons, my ass. “ Sure, he was drifting along like a lame duck, but it just seems too neat, right? Too convenient?” Everything inside me is telling me not to trust his facade.
“I agree,” Baebong says. He leans in closer to his controls, his fingers hovering over the buttons that I know will send a blast out in this guy’s direction if necessary.
“Why did you mention Rollo?” Jeffers asks.
“Too many coincidences,” I mumble as I stare at my adversary. “Too many game players for it not to be a game.” I’m too busy calculating the risks to hold a decent conversation right now. Knowing that a single mistake here could cost me everything, I decide my best bet is to go with the worst case scenario: Captain Bob is perfectly sane and running a gambit with me as his mark, and he has an inside man helping him out. I’m going to go ahead and assume that his agenda is purposeful too, and was formed long before he
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