When Karn wasn’t busy daydreaming about the different ways he’d like to kill Marcus, he thought about Ivy. What had she seen in this idiot human? How could she possibly be into that?

After Marcus’s surprise announcement that he intended to marry Ivy, Karn had spent the morning either ignoring him or sniping at him. He was so much better than this useless piece of space dust.

“All I’m saying is that marriage is hard work,” Strande said. He was now sober and had turned out to be a decent Mehab. He was also happy to chat, so Karn was forced to listen to Marcus brag about how successful he’d been on Earth and all the hot women he’d had.

“You don’t think it’s worth it?” Marcus asked.

“If you find the right female, it is. I would have married my girl if I’d gotten the chance. Well, we don’t call it marriage on my planet. It’s a bonding ceremony. It’s the same kind of thing. The headaches and hassle you get from being with just one female are worth it when you find the right one.”

“That’s what made me come here,” Marcus said. “I’ve dated loads of women, and they’ve all been fun. Ivy is different.”

Karn couldn’t resist. “Different how?”

“She doesn’t take any bullshit. She always kept me on my toes. When I stepped out of line, she’d let me know. Some girls let you do what you like and still come back for more. There’s no challenge in that. It’s like kicking a puppy.”

“You kick puppies?” Strande glared at him. “I have seen images of your Earth puppies. They are adorable.”

“No, not for real. What I meant was, some girls always come back, no matter how badly you treat them. They have no respect for themselves.”

“Not Ivy?” Karn felt a certain amount of smugness at that. She had seen sense and gotten rid of this fool.

“Ivy caught me in a nightclub with another girl,” Marcus said. “Honestly, all we were doing was dancing. It was a bit up close and personal, you know, bumping and grinding. She was a hot girl and had everything on display.”

Karn leaned forward. “What did Ivy do when she found you?”

“Punched me in the face.” Marcus rubbed his jaw. “It ached for days. It took me weeks to talk her around.”

Karn’s amusement died. “She came back to you?”

“Ivy saw it was an innocent mistake. The other girl had come on to me, and it was just dancing. It’s not like she caught me naked with her, balls deep while the girl screamed my name.”

“Would it have been more than dancing if Ivy hadn’t found you?”

“Who knows? But she did. Ivy kept me on the straight and narrow. She showed me I was doing the wrong thing. You’ve got to respect a woman for doing that.”

“If Ivy is the perfect one for you, why did she leave you behind on Earth?” Karn asked.

Marcus shrugged. “It was a simple misunderstanding. I told her I wanted to come into space. She said I couldn’t handle it.”

“Maybe you can’t,” Karn said.

“I’ve had no problems. I already have my space legs. I don’t know what all the fuss is about.”

“This could be a wasted journey.”

“How so?”

“You don’t think Ivy came here to get away from you?”

Marcus laughed. “No way. She’s crazy about me. She likes to play hard to get; that’s just Ivy. She’ll be happy when she knows I’m here.”

“Ivy won’t be impressed you ended up in a holding cell.”

“It was a small amount of drugs,” Marcus said, “for personal use only. That’s not a problem back on Earth. I don’t know the rules here. It all seems uptight and serious.”

“Anyone would think we’re living in a giant tin can in space and might need a few extra precautions.”

Marcus shrugged. “It was a misunderstanding. They know that. I’ll be out of here in no time.”

Karn shook his head. If Ivy truly thought this guy was a good idea, then they deserved each other. If he heard one more story about how amazing Marcus was and what a success he’d been on Earth, serious amounts of punching would happen, focused on Marcus’s face.

“You seem really interested in Ivy. You two aren’t an item, are you?” Marcus cocked his head as he looked at Karn. “You’re not exactly her type.”

“What type is Ivy into?”

“Me.”

Karn snorted. “I know Ivy well. I can’t believe she’d be into a drug user who lies.”

“She was. For a long time. I know Ivy better than anyone.”

“You know her so well that she abandoned you on Earth and started a new life here? That seems like a lot of effort, a clear signal she no longer wants you in her life.”

Marcus jumped to his feet. “It wasn’t like that, man. I made a few mistakes; that’s all. She’ll see sense. As soon as I get the chance to talk to her, we will patch things up and move on. I’m not leaving here until she agrees to marry me.”

“Maybe she’s interested in somebody else.”

“Like you?” Marcus shook his head. “Not possible.”

The whole time Karn and Marcus bantered, Strande sat quietly between them. He was a silent referee keeping them a safe distance apart. He occasionally groomed a spot on his fur as he listened to them.

Strande leaned back and yawned, displaying a row of sharp teeth. “You should let Ivy decide who she wants to be with. From what you’ve told me of her, this is a woman who knows her own mind. Let her decide if she wants either of you. You never know; she might have found herself a new guy whilst you’ve both been in here, a guy who doesn’t end up behind bars.”

Marcus grinned. “Ivy likes danger. She loves the unpredictable. She’d be bored with anything else.” His gaze slid to Karn.

“You’re the danger she’s after?” Karn said. “It sounds like she got tired of your kind of danger and has moved on.”

“To you? You’re seriously telling me the two of you are involved?” Marcus gestured at Karn.

“What if we are?”

“Then her taste has gone downhill since she arrived here.”

Karn stood slowly from his seat, his hands clenched. “Her taste is excellent.”

Marcus stood and took a step back. “You don’t know her like I do. I know everything there is to know about Ivy Blain. I know what makes her happy. It’s not you.”

“Prove it.”

Marcus snorted. “I need to prove nothing to you. For all I know, you could be lying about being involved with Ivy.”

“You could be lying about the same thing. What’s to say you aren’t some crazy human from Earth stalking Ivy?”

“I know her favorite food is chili flavored chips.”

Karn shook his head. “Not true. She doesn’t eat junk food.”

“She says she doesn’t. Ivy is as bad as everybody else. You check out her food supplies. Tucked away in the back will be a bag of chips. Guaranteed.”

“Everyone indulges at times. You could be talking about half the population on the station.”

“Okay, hotshot. What’s her favorite drink?”

Karn grinned. “Champagne.”

Marcus glared at him. “It’s most women’s favorite drink. What about her hobbies? What does she like to do?”

Karn rubbed his chin. Ivy kept to herself. If she wasn’t working, she was in her room. She must have hobbies that only involved one person.

“Struggling?”

“Just deciding what is her favorite.”

“You’ll be figuring that out for a long time. Ivy doesn’t have hobbies. She says they’re for losers.”

Karn frowned. That couldn’t be true. Everybody had something they were passionate about.

“Who’s her best friend?” Karn asked.

“She’s not much into having girls as friends. Ivy has always been little miss independent.”

“That doesn’t sound like much fun,” Strande said. “No hobbies and no friends. Your girlfriend sounds lonely.”

“She’s not his girlfriend,” Karn said. “Marcus is making this up. Everyone has friends.” He briefly considered his own very short list of people he could count on.

“I’m repeating Ivy’s own words,” Marcus said. “She had an... incident on Earth. It made her suspicious of her friends.”

“What kind of incident?” Karn asked.

Marcus glanced down at the floor and swung his foot backward and forward. “It was a misunderstanding. She got the wrong end of the stick.”

Karn shook his head. “Let me guess; she caught you sleeping with one of her friends?”

Marcus shrugged. “We had an argument. I thought we were on a break. As far as I was concerned, I was a free agent. How was I to know Ivy would change her mind and walk in as I got down to business with her best friend?”

“You’re a piece of work. The second you had trouble with Ivy, you looked for somebody else.” Karn would never treat Ivy like that. Maybe when he’d been a horny teenager and didn’t know any better, but not now. Ivy was worth much more than that. “You don’t mess with a woman like Ivy.”

“Whatever. After that, Ivy said she was done with friends, just as she was done with me. I didn’t believe it at the time. I figured we’d have a couple of weeks apart and she could let off steam, maybe even hook up with a random guy or two as punishment. We’d get back together. Ivy loves me.”

“It doesn’t sound like she loves you anymore. If you’re so into her, what took you so long to come find her? She’s been on Prodigy for over a year.”

“How do you know that?” Marcus asked. “It sounds like you’ve been stalking my girl.”

“I’m not stalking her.” Karn let out a sigh. “Ivy is hard to miss.”

“She is incredible, which is why I’m here. To prove to her she made a mistake and she should take me back.”

“Ivy made the mistake?” Strande chuckled. “Are you certain about that?”

“Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side. We all mess up. Don’t tell me you’ve never got things wrong with your girl.”

“Nothing to that degree,” Strande said. “You find a hot female and you stick with her. You don’t go sticking your dick into another hole because things get tricky.”

“Well put,” Karn said. “Ivy deserves better.”

“You think you’re the better option.” Marcus smirked. “I know her better than anybody. I know she’s made a mistake coming here. Ivy won’t get what she needs from you or anybody else. No one else can satisfy her.”

“I doubt you could satisfy Ivy.”

“Have you been there?” Marcus asked. “Ivy has particular needs when it comes to the bedroom.”

“That’s none of your business,” Karn growled.

“I bet you haven’t figured out her favorite sexual position?”

Karn considered their make out session in the office. Ivy had taken the lead, climbing onto him as if her life depended on it and dominating him. She’d been the same when they’d gotten to know each other in that dark corner of the Enchanted Captain on their second date.

“She likes to dominate. Ivy takes the lead and tells you what to do.”

Marcus glared at him. “That was a guess.”

“If you say so.” It was Karn’s turn to smirk. “Ivy doesn’t need someone like you back in her life. She’s doing well here. She’s moved on. So should you. It’s a desperate move chasing her all the way here.”

Strande nodded. “It’s not good to look back. You and Ivy might have been good together in the past, but things change. From what Karn has told me, Ivy’s got a reputation on the station. You don’t mess with her.”

Marcus grinned. “It sounds like she hasn’t changed that much. She had the same reputation on Earth. People knew to get out of her way or they’d regret it.”

“She was always like that?” Karn asked. “Or did your cheating and lying turn her into someone who can’t trust others?”

“Whatever, man. She’s got her own mind. It’s up to her how she behaves.”

“Was that the only time you cheated?” Karn asked. “When you were on a break?”

Marcus ran his hands through his hair. “There might have been a couple of other girls. Nobody important. I always went back to Ivy. She knew she was the only one for me. I needed to experiment before I settled for her.”

“Ivy is not the kind of woman you settle for.” Karn had never thought about being with one woman for the rest of his life, but he could imagine Ivy in his life for good. The idea filled him with excitement and a little terror.

“She’ll come back to me. As soon as she knows I’m here, everything will change. She’s been playing hardball, ignoring my messages and requests to visit. A guy can only take so many knocks before he decides to take things into his own hands.”

“You mean she’s been rejecting you, but you came anyway?” Karn sneered at Marcus. “You need to take the hint. Ivy’s not interested. She’s moved on to something better.”

“With you?”

“Why not? It sounds like Ivy’s been missing a real man in her life.”

“You’re not a man. What kind of abilities do Forka have, exactly? You’re all supposed to have special skills or abilities.”

“He’s the kind you need to be careful of,” Strande muttered.

Marcus slid Karn a sideways glare. “We might not look the same, but I’m not scared of you.”

“You should be.” Karn glared at Marcus without blinking. This guy was a serious idiot. No wonder Ivy had fled Earth to get away from him. He was as dumb as a brick, with a big ego and a tiny brain. When Ivy realized this jerk was on the station, she’d delight in throwing him off. Karn would like to see that when it happened.

The cell door locks clicked open. A cyborg guard stood outside.

“We’re getting out,” Marcus said.

“Everybody stand against the wall,” the cyborg said.

The three of them stood with their backs to the wall.

“Strande, you are to be released. Pay your fine at the desk.”

Strande grinned at Karn. “No more drinking for me. I’ve learned my lesson.”

“I bet you’ve said that before.” Karn didn’t want Strande to leave. When he’d been too drunk to stand and sang off key, he’d been a pain. When he left, it would mean Karn had to share the cell with Marcus.

“Once or twice.” Strande patted Karn’s shoulder. “Stay out of trouble.” He glanced at Marcus. “You too. Go easy on Ivy. She might not be happy to see you.”

“She’ll be delighted to see me.” Marcus took a step toward the door. The cyborg instantly raised its arm. “Stay where you are.”

Marcus raised his hands and backed away. “I just want to know when I’m getting out of here.”

The cyborg didn’t respond. It waited until Strande had left before locking the door again.

Marcus sighed and rested against the wall. “How long are they legally allowed to keep us in here?”

“A drugs charge like yours, you’ll have to go see the station magistrate. They hate it when people bring illegal substances on board.”

“You don’t think they’ll kick me off the station? It was a bit of weed. It helps me relax. Being in space makes me tense.”

“They have every right to.”

Marcus scowled at him. “What about you? Are you planning on setting up home with Ivy here when you get out?”

“Prodigy is no one’s permanent home. I’d go where ever Ivy wanted.” Karn only said that to get a rise out of Marcus. He smiled as he saw a vein throb in Marcus’s forehead.

“She won’t be into you. Ivy’s not over me. When I see her again, she’ll remember the good times we had. You’ll be history, an embarrassing notch on her bedpost.”

Karn crossed his arms over his chest. “Whatever you say.” He would not get wound up by this idiot. He’d surprised himself by realizing he cared about Ivy’s decision. Surely, she wouldn’t choose this guy. They had history, but it sounded like awful history. She wouldn’t go back to that.

After everything Karn had learned about Marcus, he understood why Ivy treated people the way she did. She’d had her heart broken by someone she loved, and her best friend had betrayed her. That would make anybody have issues.

“You should stick to your own kind,” Marcus said.

Karn stared at Marcus. “I know you humans are often moronically backward, but even you must realize there are hundreds of different aliens in the star systems. We are all compatible with each other. We look a bit different and operate our societies differently, but one thing we all understand is that you don’t have to stick to your own kind. That thinking is dangerous and stupidly outdated.”

“Listen to you. Have you ever considered running for a seat on the Council of Representatives? That pompous attitude would fit right in.”

Karn shook his head. “That’s the sort of thing I’d expect to hear from you. You’re a space virgin. You need to open your mind. Otherwise, you’ll end up as space dust.”

Marcus sneered at him. “We all know the only reason you’re interested in humans. You can’t be that advanced on the other side of the wormhole. You guys have messed up big time over there. What the hell are you even fighting about?”

“It’s too complicated for your tiny human brain to understand.”

“I bet it’s not that difficult.”

“Too difficult for you.”

“You’re not a superior as you think.”

Karn closed his eyes, trying desperately to shut out Marcus and his whining. Part of what he said was right. The war had been going on for such a long time that everyone’s motives had become muddled. Some of the fighting was for resources, some because some races thrived on violence. There were so many different battles going on, you were never sure what side you were on.

It didn’t matter to Karn. He picked the winning side, the side that paid him the most. That was all he cared about. Get the money, do the job, and leave. He looked after himself.

Karn was being stupid. It shouldn’t bother him what decision Ivy made about Marcus. He wasn’t ready for a relationship. Relationships led to problems. They made you question yourself and do dumb things, all in the pursuit of making someone else happy. He didn’t want that in his life. He liked things simple and clear-cut. He didn’t form bonds or make things complicated.

“I can’t wait to see Ivy,” Marcus continued as if they were having a friendly chat. “I’ve got so much to tell her. I’ve been saving to get my own ship.”

Karn arched an eyebrow. “You know how to pilot?”

“I took lessons on Earth. They’re offering them for free in the hope of getting more people off the planet.”

“You sat in a simulator a few times. That doesn’t make you an ace when it comes to flying a spaceship.”

“Can you fly?”

“Of course.”

“Then it can’t be that difficult.”

Karn’s fingers flexed, but he kept his hands across his chest.

“I’m still short of all the capital to get a ship. Ivy will help out. She was always good like that.”

“Then you really don’t know Ivy. I helped her pay her last food haul. She might not have the money you’re wanting to get your grubby fingers on.”

Marcus waved a hand in the air, seeming unconcerned. “She’s always got a little stashed away somewhere. When we bought an apartment together, she put down most of the capital. She’ll come good when it comes to my ship. Well, I guess it would be our ship. She can decide where we go on our first spaceflight. I could even call the ship after her. Do aliens do that, name their ships?”

“She’s not even your girl. It might be a bit premature to go painting her name on the side of your ship. When she turns you down, you’re going to look like a dumbass.”

“She’ll love it. Ivy loves grand gestures. I took her away to Paris once. She didn’t stop talking about it for weeks.”

“Did you pay?”

Marcus shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

Karn snorted. He’d got the measure of this guy. He didn’t want Ivy because he was in love with her. Marcus wanted her assets. He’d figured he could manipulate her again and take what he wanted. He would be disappointed. There was no savings account. Ivy lived from pay day to pay day and surrounded herself with beautiful things.

Karn tilted his head, remembering the laser he’d handed over before being chucked in the holding cell. He had the same habit as Ivy. He liked the newest and shiniest things and liked to surround himself with them to feel good about himself. Was Ivy the same? Were they more similar than he’d realized?

Maybe Karn was wrong about Ivy. From the outside, she seemed strong and capable. She sure as hell knew her own mind, but she kept people at arm’s length. She never let anyone in. Never let anybody see the real Ivy. Beneath that gorgeous veneer, there was someone who’d been badly messed up by the moron in front of him. Maybe Marcus was the reason Ivy had no friends or hobbies and kept herself apart from everybody else.

“I tell you what,” Marcus said, “since you’re keen on Ivy too, how about we use a tool to decide who gets her?”

Karn squinted at him. “What do you have in mind?”

“We toss a coin. Heads or tails. Winner takes all.”

Karn walked over to Marcus and punched him in the face.