Karn sat back in his seat in the dining hall. The furry face of a Rolon glared at him.

“All I’m saying, Beau, is that if you want me to finish this job, you need to pay extra.”

“For the agreed fee.” Beau thumped a furry gray fist on the table. “You can’t increase it now. It’s not like the job is difficult.”

“You’re paying for the quality of my work. Ask around. You know I’m the best in the business.”

“I have been asking. People say you’re difficult to work with. I knew you were an arrogant son of a bitch. I didn’t know you were also a cheat.” The Rolon’s words were a growled slur.

“I’m cheating you out of nothing. You want me to follow your beta. That’s risky. If he sees me, he could rip out my throat.”

“Then he needs to join the queue. You can’t change the terms now.”

“If you want to know if your mate is cheating with your beta, then that’s exactly what I can do.” Karn kicked a foot onto the chair opposite him.

“This is easy work. You don’t even need to make contact. All I’ve asked you to do is follow them for a week to see if Tover is making moves on my female. Take some pictures, make notes of when it happens. That’s all I need.”

“My risk assessment says otherwise.”

Beau snorted. “Risk assessment. As if you do that. I can go elsewhere. Find someone else to do this job. You might consider yourself the best in the business, but there are others snapping at your heels. They charge less and give me less lip.”

Karn shrugged and glanced around the dining hall. It was late in the evening, so there weren’t many aliens about. A few Draxdans ate dinner in one corner, and three Lillips chatted over coffee. The sweet smell of cinnamon buns drifted in the air.

He had no concerns about upping his fee to this Rolon. He was great at what he did. Forka were known for their covert abilities to sneak in and out of places, gathering intelligence or snooping on those doing wrong. Karn didn’t care who he worked for, so long as they paid him and paid him well.

Beau sighed. “Listen, how about I pay you an additional ten percent? No extra work, but I need this done quickly. I have a bad feeling my leadership is about to be challenged. I have to stop it before it happens. My beta should know better. He is not ready to take over.”

“That’s not my concern. You know the price. If you’re not prepared to pay it, then go ahead and find somebody else. I can guarantee you their work will not be as good.”

Beau growled and shoved his chair back. “That’s my final offer.”

“I’ll leave it,” Karn said. “Good luck with finding someone as good as me.”

Beau bared his teeth before stamping away.

Karn grinned and took a sip of his coffee. Beau would be back. He wouldn’t want to waste time finding somebody else reliable to do the job.

He glanced over his shoulder, half expecting to see Beau returning, his head hanging as he admitted defeat. Instead, Beau stood in the doorway, talking to two huge Dackins.

Karn grimaced and sat up straight. He knew these aliens. They were not friends.

“Hey, Karn.”

He jumped. He hadn’t even noticed Billy arrive. “You know, I’m sure you have some Forka in you. You sneak up on me all the time.”

Billy grinned. “I’m always telling you, you should train me.” His green eyes went to Karn’s half-finished burger as he flopped into the seat next to him.

Karn glanced down at his food. “What underhanded activities have you been up to today?” He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but Billy had latched onto Karn the day he’d arrived on Prodigy. Despite only having one arm, he’d offered to carry Karn’s bags, for a price.

Karn had admired the human kid’s pluck, paid him a coin, and made him do all the heavy lifting. Ever since then, every time Karn needed something doing, Billy would pop up. The kid was irritating, but he kind of liked him.

“Oh, you know, making sure people behave themselves.” Billy rubbed the attempt at stubble on his chin. He was only fifteen but acted older. “Have you done any spying recently?”

Karn glanced at the Dackins still talking to Beau. “You know I don’t spy. I gather information, so people can make decisions about important things.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said. You spy on people.” Billy’s gaze went back to the food.

Karn shoved the plate over to him. “Finish this if you like.”

“You’re not hungry?” Billy’s fingers were already wrapped around the burger.

“Whatever meat is in that burger is tougher than a boot. Besides, I need to stay in shape.” Karn patted his six pack. “You can’t afford to be a fat spy.”

“I started training.” Billy spoke around a mouthful of burger.

“What kind of training?”

“Weights. I figured I need to build myself up.”

“To do what?” Billy was way too skinny, but he was a teenage boy. From what Karn knew of human offspring, they grew overnight when they hit adolescence.

“I figured someone might take me on the payroll as hired muscle. I’m reliable and work hard. I asked a couple of aliens, but they laughed at me.” Billy glanced at the space where his arm should be. “I decided I’d show them. I’d get strong and become the best bodyguard on the space station.”

Karn shook his head. “Nice idea, kid. They might have a point. If you’re only swinging with one arm, your enemy will have you at an instant disadvantage.”

Billy’s bottom lip jutted out. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Still, worth a shot,” Karn said.

“You can show me a few tricks. You know, what to do if you’ve got a broken arm and can only fight one-handed. I bet you know how to do that.”

Karn’s attention was fixed on the approaching Dackins, Coven and Til. “Maybe some other time.”

Billy finished the burger and licked his fingers clean. “Are they friends of yours?” He tilted his chin toward the Dackins.

“In a way. You’d better not stick around. Spy business.”

“I can help if you need it.”

“Get out of here, kid. You’re cramping my style.”

Billy’s expression fell, but then he nodded. “See you around, Karn.” He hurried away from the table, glancing at the Dackins as he passed them.

“Are you cheating somebody else out of money?” The larger of the two Dackins, Coven, stood behind Karn.

Til took the seat opposite him and stretched his long arms to display his speckled green feathers.

Karn remained in his seat. “I never cheat anybody out of anything.”

“Then give us our money back,” Til said.

Dackins were unofficial space bankers. They loaned you what you needed, and you paid it back with interest. Their rates weren’t unreasonable, but as Karn was discovering, you messed them around too much, and they had a hard side.

“I don’t have your money.”

“We lent it to you in good faith.” Coven’s talons pressed into Karn’s shoulder. “The time has passed, and you need to give it back.”

“When you see what I bought with it, you’ll be impressed.”

“We don’t care what you used our money for,” Til said. “You knew the terms; you knew when you had to repay.”

“I got this.” Karn slid a class three attuned electron laser from the inside of his pocket. He kept it shielded with his hands. If security discovered him with an illegal laser on the station, they’d take it from him.

“Hey! Is that a class three?” Til leaned across the table. “I didn’t think they were selling these yet.”

“You have good taste,” Karn said. “That’s what I used the money on. I knew the release date of this laser and had to have one.”

Coven thumped him in the back. “We don’t care about your stupid laser. We care about our money.”

Til reached a talon across the table. “I wouldn’t mind one of these.”

“You could have one if we had the money he owes us,” Coven snarled. “This idiot is three payments overdue.”

“I’m keeping track of what I owe,” Karn said. “You will have your money.”

“When?”

“In a couple of months.”

“By then, you’ll be five payments overdue.”

“I know you guys are good for it,” Karn said. “You understand there’s a small risk when you loan money. You know I’m good for it.”

“We have plenty of money. We’re concerned that you don’t.” Til’s talon slid away from the laser, and his expression hardened. “You need to pay us.”

“I can’t do that.” Karn traced a finger across the laser. He briefly considered threatening them with it. He wasn’t normally a violent alien. Well, sometimes he enjoyed violence, but only when it was deserved, when someone really wound him up or prevented him from doing his job.

“We’ll take your laser,” Coven said. “We’ll hold on to that until you repay us.”

Karn grabbed the laser and tucked it back in his pocket. “I need it for protection.”

“Who else do you owe money to?” Coven asked.

“No one else. I don’t like debt.”

Til snorted. “Then return what you owe us, and you will be in no more debt.”

“It will be any day now. I’m due payments on a few jobs. That Rolon you were speaking to, he’s hired me.”

“That’s not the story he told,” Til said. “He was ranting about what an arrogant Forka you are. How you tried to double your fee for no reason. He said he wouldn’t hire you if you were the last Forka on the station.”

“Calm down,” Karn said, ignoring the stir of worry in his gut. “He knows I’m the best at doing that kind of work. He’d be an idiot to hire anyone else.”

“Then he must be an idiot because that’s what he said he was doing. So, keep talking. Who else is going to pay you?”

“I have business in hand,” Karn said. “You’ll get your money.”

“Not good enough. You’ll have to pay us back another way,” Coven said.

Karn inspected his nails. “I don’t work for free.”

“You can pay off your debts this way. That will make us even.”

Karn frowned. “I’ll consider it. It had better not be anything dangerous. I won’t put my life on the line to pay such a small debt.”

Coven grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. His sharp beak scratched against Karn’s ear. “It doesn’t matter what it is. You’re doing it if you want your pretty face kept intact.”

“I consider myself handsome rather than pretty, but thanks for the compliment.”

“Easy,” Til cautioned. “We don’t want security paying us attention.”

Karn felt his arm bones creak. He should have used the laser when he had the chance. “I’ll be no good to you if you break me.”

“Does that mean you’ll do the job?” Til asked.

Gritting his teeth, Karn nodded. “Tell me what it is.”