Chapter Eight

A few hours after Thiago woke up, Eden opened her eyes to the familiar sound of the spacecraft taking flight. She took a quick shower and slipped into her jumpsuit. The glittery red fabric automatically adjusted itself to the contours of her body. After she had dressed, she descended the stairs to the first floor of the ship. There was no evidence of the break-in last night. In fact, the craft never looked better. It appeared the Blazian's late-night intrusion had prompted a round of overdue spring cleaning.

"Good morning," Eden greeted Thiago as she entered the cockpit. She threw her hair forward and wrapped a towel around her loose hair, tucking the knot inside the towel turban.

"It's hardly morning. The sun's almost down already," Thiago informed her. He wrinkled his nose, wiping off his neck. Her hair had splashed him with a drizzle of water. "I was just about to wake you. I'm stopping by the Jova Tavern to pick up some dinner and a pint of Pasquin ale. Would you like me to get you anything?"

"Why don't I come with you?"

Thiago threw his head back in hearty laughter. The marking on his forehead glowed briefly, and he turned toward Eden. His smile disappeared when he saw the stone cold look on her face.

"You're serious. I'm sorry, that is a bad idea."

"And why not?" Eden demanded, narrowing her eyes in a challenge. "Are you telling me I'm going to be trapped here for the rest of my life? Do you plan to treat me as if I'm a monster chained up in the attic?"

"I think you're a bit dramatic," Thiago said calmly, his thick, flaxen brows raised.

"I don't know about that." Eden tapped her chin for emphasis. "One, I'm one of countless intergalactic human trafficking victims, which has been going on for God knows how long. Two, I was beamed hundreds of lightyears away from Earth and my family to an unknown planet. Three, my husband's an alien!"

Thiago coughed.

"I'm sorry, half-alien. I'm not dramatic at all. I think I'm rather calm."

"Half-Arkadian. The aliens here don't like it when people treat them as a single group. We consider it racist."

"Forgive me for being politically incorrect," Eden shot back sarcastically. Breathing heavily from the conclusion of her outburst, she realized she felt better after releasing her burdens. "You know what? I'm sorry. I keep biting your head off. You can't imagine the stress I'm under right now."

Eden jolted slightly in her seat as Thiago guided the ship to a bumpy landing. She squinted through the storm of dust settling beneath the windshield. Her heart sank as Thiago disappeared from the cockpit without saying a word.

"Hang on a second. Where are you going?" She must have really made him upset this time. It wasn't as if she was crabby for fun. But even if she was, who could blame her?

"Here – put these on."

She glanced up in surprise as Thiago reappeared in the doorway of the cockpit. He handed her a padded, floor-length cloak made from scales. It had a strong, distinctive smell. Motioning for her to remove her slippers, he gave her a cute pair of boots with platform soles. He clicked a minuscule button on the side, adding an extra three feet to their height. Eden's eyes bulged in disbelieving wonder as she stared at the shoes.

"Don't worry. They're self-balancing," said Thiago, as if reading Eden's mind. He quickly unbuckled the boots. "Hurry up, then. You wanted to come along, didn't you?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Eden. She unwrapped a white, featureless mask from the cloak and pulled it over her face as her slender figure vanished in the dark cape. "Thank you."

"Keep your hood on at all times and don't remove the mask for any reason. Not even once. It might get hot in there, but you need to cover yourself if you want to go out. The folks here don't take kindly to humans running around on the loose. Do we understand each other?"

"Of course. I'll remember."

"Good. Let's go."

"I never imagined a place like this existed in the universe."

Eden deeply exhaled as she stood in the entryway of the tavern, her round eyes shining. The massive front door slammed into her butt as it swung shut, knocking her forward and nearly off-balance. The interior of the building was much larger than it appeared from the outside. Foggy, bluish-green lighting illuminated various bustling food stalls on the sides. In between were clusters of bar tables and private booths throbbing with lively chatter and inebriated merriment.

Thiago was leading them toward an oval-shaped bar. As she tagged along behind him, she surveyed the patrons with curiosity. They were mainly drunken Blazians, with a sprinkling of other alien races she couldn't identify yet.

"Thirsty?" asked Thiago, handing her a fizzy purple drink in a glass shaped like a double-stranded DNA molecule. "It's pomado-honeyberry pop. There's not a big selection. It's the only non-alcoholic drink they have."

Eden took a hesitant sip. She grinned as she chugged back half the syrupy-sweet, tangy contents of the glass. "That was delicious."

"You like that garbage?" said Thiago incredulously, shaking his head. "Why am I surprised? Do you want to take a look at the menu? I can show you some more mainstream choices."

Eden wasn't listening to him. She focused on something directly over his shoulder. Thiago looked behind him at a group of elderly Blazians slowly trudging up the steps of the stage and taking positions familiar to them. The silver-haired aliens smiled toothless grins, waving at the whistling crowds. The snazzily dressed quintet unpacked oddly-shaped equipment, including sharp string instruments, rounded harmonicas, and an accordion with glowing keys.

The frontman tapped a cymbal on his hat to start them off while the rest of the band nodded along. On cue, a powerful wave of electric bluegrass swept the tavern, bringing the entire room to their feet. A group of voluptuous Blazians and alien women with sparkling piercings all over their bodies sauntered toward the dance floor with their partners. Eden lifted an eyebrow. Trashy dancing was recognizable everywhere in the universe. She watched curiously as curvy aliens ground their privates against each other.

"They're unbelievable!" Eden shouted over the music, cupping her hands over her mouth.

"The Khula Brothers have been around for over a century. They're something of an underground legend around here. Forget them. We don't have a lot of time."

Seeing the look of joy in her eyes, Thiago groaned under his breath.

"Stay here and finish the rest of the song. I'm going to pick out some food for us. I'll be right back. Don't move a muscle and don't do anything that comes naturally to you. Don't attract any attention whatsoever."

"Got it. I'm invisible," Eden muttered, pushing him away. "I'll have whatever you're having, thanks."

Thiago cut through the crowd and into an eatery on the opposite side of the tavern. Eden leaned back against the bar, lifting her mask to drain the rest of her drink. The rumbling burp from the shadows of her hood was thankfully drowned out by the energetic music. She raised her empty glass and swayed along to the beat. A group of drunken Blazian women elbowed their way to the front of the crowd and ripped open their tops to flash the band, earning a roar of raucous approval from the rest of the patrons.

Though Eden found herself wholeheartedly relishing the fun songs, she couldn't help but feel a faint tug on her heartstrings. She began to recall all the times her father would play his Ricky Skaggs bluegrass collection in their beat-up station wagon before the creditors repossessed it. Eden sat in the front and her younger sister Janine claimed the entire backseat. The Castle trio had memorized the words to every song and sang on the drive home from school. They weren't always in the correct key, but they made up for it with enthusiasm. That was, of course, before cancer rendered their father bedridden and helpless.

The bittersweet memory faded into another. Eden pictured the pale face of her younger sister. Janine had just acquired her driver's license. The second-hand Nissan she'd worked so hard to save for was now used to drive their father to and from his chemo appointments instead of the usual carefree activities of a 17-year-old.

Eden hoped the money from TerraMates would benefit her family during her unexplained absence.

Eden swallowed, blinking furiously in an attempt to snap herself out of her daze. As the song came to an end, the crowd exploded in wild applause, hoping for an encore. She had a big smile on her face and raised her glass again to whoop along with the audience. In her enthusiasm, she started pumping her fist in the air, accidentally colliding with the massive patron behind her.

She whirled around to apologize, only to have the blood drain from her face, making her natural pallor match the shade of her blank mask. A muscular Noxx official in army fatigues glowered at her, the slimy scales on his ghost-white face dripping with the colored liquor from his empty glass. Eden had made the alien spill his drink on himself.

The Noxx sized her up, breathing heavily through his flared nostrils like an angry bull seeing the movements of the matador's cape. The milky, bright feathers on his head open simultaneously with the webbed wings on his back. He was preparing for combat. The patrons around them dispersed with startling speed.

Eden set her glass down on the bar and raised her palms defensively, retreating slowly. Before the alien could move any closer to Eden, Thiago appeared by her side, wielding a bar stool. He broke it over the official's head. Taken by surprise, the Noxx reeled backward and fell onto the floor, surrounded by fragmented stool splinters. The tavern flared up in blind-punching, table-flipping chaos. The band played on, providing a suitable soundtrack to the hysteria. Thiago and Eden crept out of the establishment in the frenzy.

"I thought I said don't draw attention. I left her for five minutes. That was a Noxx official. She must be out of her damn mind." Thiago polished off his grilled kobaru and grains bowl, muttering to himself grumpily under his breath between mouthfuls.

"I'm right here, you know," Eden reminded him from the passenger's seat. She lowered her eyes, trying to apologize again. "It was an accident. I'm sorry. I understand if you don't want me to leave the ship ever again."

"I never said that," said Thiago with a sigh. "We'll just have to stay with each other from now on. I strongly recommend you never venture out of here unsupervised."

"Thanks, Thiago," said Eden, smiling weakly. "I won't."

"Good. We'll test your understanding right away."

Eden gripped the edge of the dashboard for support as the ship landed in a clearing several feet from an abandoned warehouse. Thiago emptied his goblet and rose from his seat, striding out of the cockpit. Eden followed him, her mouth slightly open. She watched as Thiago strapped a thick belt over his shoulder and filled the slots with sharp daggers, glinting restraints, and other weaponry she didn't recognize.

"Are you leaving right now?"

"We're close to Krypt's warehouse. Hercules is coming with me to take down the target. I've programmed the shields to activate as soon as we leave. You should be safe here."

"That doesn't sound reassuring. How long should I wait for you before I start to worry?"

"It depends," said Thiago vaguely, shrugging. "I shouldn't be long. Do you know what to do?"

"I know, I know. Stay right here."

"Good. We'll see you soon."

Thiago gave her a final nod before hopping off the ship with Hercules tailing closely behind him. As soon as the front door sealed shut, Eden heard the metallic cranking of several locking mechanisms turning on. The shielded craft was now impenetrable.