I don't like this.
I like it even less when Bist's guard hands me a note.
We have a problem. Meet me at the fueling station in private.
I bite back a curse, glancing at the a'ani at my side. I trust them both, but Bist has never asked to meet in private before. It's either an assassination attempt or a fresh kind of trouble I can't even begin to imagine. "We're heading to the fueling station," I tell them. "I think it's a trap." I turn to Dopekh. "You head back to the ship. Lock her down and guard Ruth. If I'm not back by midnight, take her to Risda III and insist that my uncle protect her. Understand?"
He nods, unhitching his weapons belt and holding it out to me. "If it is a trap, you need to be prepared. I have a few sticky mines in there and two illegal dust grenades I picked up a few stations ago." He gives me a toothy grin. "Just in case."
Dust grenades? Kef me. They're remotely timed and dissipate into the air, destroying the lungs of anyone that breathes them in. In the ventilation systems of a space station, they're downright nasty. Dopekh is clearly prepared. He needs a raise, as far as I'm concerned. "Good call."
I clip his belt onto mine, adjusting it, and then nod to Kazex. "You're with me, Kazex. When I go in, I want you to guard the doors. Make sure no one interrupts us."
Kazex nods, his hand on his own weapon belt.
We separate and I stride through the halls of Prefalon, questioning every shadow in the dimly lit station. My thoughts are on Ruth, my delightful, willful wife. The last three months have been the best of my life, and I regret that they might be cut short. I want to spend every waking moment with her, to the point that I'm willing to give up a life of piracy if that's what she wants. If she wants me to go and be a lord, I will. If she wants me to farm, I will. Whatever makes Ruth happy is what I want.
And if Bist tries to take that from me…
I'm in a foul mood as we head through Prefalon's halls. To think that things are finally coming together and if Bist ruins things, I'm going to wrench his scrawny bug neck. I glower as I turn toward the fueling station and check down the rickety hall. This is one of the oldest parts of the station, the halls seeping with dampness, the paint bubbled from water damage in some spots and chipped away in others. Rust covers the metal joints where the walls meet the ceiling, and the lights here flicker. I keep Kazex behind me as I pull out my blaster, looking for a trap. One of Bist's praxiian guards is posted in front of a side door, which tells me where he's at.
Unfortunately it doesn't tell me much else.
"Wait here," I say to Kazex. "If I don't come out in a half-hour, return to the ship."
"Yes, my lord." He tucks his blaster against his chest and presses to the wall, hiding in the shadows. I nod at him and then stride out of the darkness and down the hall.
The praxiian male nods at me, stepping to the side of the door and indicating I should go inside. My senses tingle, but oddly enough, this doesn't feel like a trap. The fueling station isn't heavily trafficked at this time of day, but it's not deserted. If it was a trap, why post an obvious guard that I'd recognize? Wouldn't it be wiser to lure me in without posting a single guard at all?
Either Bist is terrible at laying a trap or this is something else entirely.
I look up and down the halls, then head through the door, my hand on my blaster. Inside, it looks like a control room of some kind, with a workstation in the corner, a wall full of screens, and another door in the back to what must be a lavatory. It's empty of everyone except the Threshian, and I shut the door behind me.
Bist is seated at a small table in the center of the room, his big arms waving as he reaches over to pick up a hot drink. "Good, you're finally here. I was wondering if you'd respond to my message."
I don't put my weapon away. "What's with all the subterfuge?"
"You have a problem. I'm helping you resolve this problem…for the right price, of course." He lifts his cup to his mouth, mandibles teasing the edge, and I try not to look away in disgust. "As you know, there is always a price."
"What do you mean, I have a problem? More bounty hunters?"
"If only it were that simple." Bist makes a slurping sound and then sets his cup down, his entire body rippling as he bends over the table to place it aside. "I'm happy to discuss the issue with you, but I'm afraid I'll require payment to keep your secrets."