Chapter 32
The stop at Seru was very different from the stop at Halkon. Seru was Halkon’s much seedier, evil twin. This was where the dregs of the sector came to gamble, imbibe, and forget everything about civilized society. And that’s precisely where Sloan felt she needed to be at that moment.
She was pounding yet another bottle of Seru ale and hoped that oblivion would quickly overtake her. Dev and Erl were the only ones who remained, mainly because they didn’t trust her not to get into a fight. The station leave they’d had on Halkon was jubilant, while this stop was more out of desperation. The rest of the crew hadn’t lasted more than a drink as they sensed the despair rolling off their captain.
As requested, Venu had approved Sloan’s departure without delay. What surprised her was the fact that Venu had also included imperial override landing protocols in a message she’d sent. Sloan thought back to the message as she pounded another drink.
I wish things could have gone differently. I do hope that our paths cross at some point in the future.
The words Sloan had spit out at the audacity of that message when she’d read it brought her back to the present. She risked shattering her bottle when she slammed it down hard on the table.
“Easy, easy,” Dev said, trying to calm Sloan. Everyone had been walking on eggshells since she boarded the Arrow after being dropped off on D’Arian. She’d messaged them before they were out of comm range and met them halfway before heading back to resettle the other humans. Once they arrived on the settlement planet, Sloan set up a fund for all the members of the community to ensure they would have enough to get started and to provide reserves for any others she discovered in the future.
Having this reserve on the planet went a long way to ensuring the settlement would be as welcoming and helpful as it could be to the new arrivals. The whole five million was gone in the snap of a finger, but Sloan knew she couldn’t keep those credits. She’d demanded them only because she knew what good they could do for others. Setting up accounts all over the sector to tap into when needed would make sure her crew and any future settlers always had enough.
What she’d done was best, Sloan tried to reason. Xan deserved someone who would know how to not embarrass him, could attend balls and diplomatic meeting ad nauseam, and never give him a thing to worry about. He would find someone else. That thought brought a keening sound out of Sloan as she drank some more ale.
Dev and Erl exchanged worried glances. Sloan waved them off.
“Don’t worry, boys, I just needed enough to help me black out tonight,” she said, stumbling down from her stool.
“Didn’t know those damned D’Arians have telekinetic powers, though. You remember that one we had? Wasn’t until we figured out it worked only if they touched you that we figured out how to contain that one,” the large Kirill trader behind Sloan bellowed. He was at a table sloshing his drinks all over his other companions.
“It’s not all D’Arians, though. His brother certainly didn’t have any powers when we took the rest of his credits from him during the exchange. Stupid little prince, trying to get rid of his brother. I say good riddance to those D’Arians. He was an excellent fighter once we wrapped those hands of his.” A slightly smaller Kirill let out a watery sounding laugh before taking another gulp of his drink.
Sloan felt 100 percent sober at what she’d overheard. She whipped around with laser focus on the Kirill horde.
“What did you say?” she practically shouted at the table. “Who are you talking about?”
The group kept smug faces. “We weren’t discussing anything of your concern, female,” the larger one said dismissively.
Without pause, Sloan kicked out the chair of the closest Kirill and stomped on his groin as he lay on the ground. She ground her boot into his groin, and he let out a shrill scream. Sloan took out her blaster and trained it on the rest of the table. Dev and Erl backed her up with their blasters out.
“I’ll ask again, who were you talking about?” Sloan ground her foot into the Kirill with each word. He let out another round of shrieks.
“It’s no one. Someone we dealt with years ago.” The larger Kirill dismissed Sloan before turning back to his companions. The other Kirill in their group attempted to go after their weapons. Dev and Erl both shot at their hands, close enough to singe, but not direct hits. They both jumped at the unexpected blasts. Dev and Erl trained their blasters on the big one at the center of the group, while Sloan kept hers trained on the one on the floor.
“Who was it?”
“Some D’Arian prince. His brother wanted to get rid of him and paid us to dispose of the problem,” the Kirill beneath her boot grunted while trying to remove her foot. Sloan let up a little, and he sighed in relief. Sloan whipped her head around to Dev and Erl. The shock on their faces said it all. Ragon had betrayed Xan. Ragon was on D’Arian with Xan now. What was to stop him from making another attempt on Xan’s life, especially because no one knew of his treachery? Sloan had to get back to D’Arian as quickly as possible.
Perhaps reading her face, Dev and Erl were in motion before Sloan could kick the Kirill aside. “I’ll deal with you later,” she said as they all broke out into a run to their shuttle slip. Sloan’s heart was beating so fast she feared it would escape her throat. She’d left him. She had left him vulnerable, and now he was open to attack. Sloan wasn’t going to let it happen. She couldn’t let him die.