Home Front (Star Kingdom #7) - Lindsay Buroker Page 0,67

is over and those early arrivers have taken the brunt of the damage from the station’s defenses. But in case you’re there, I wanted to warn you. Perhaps you and your captain should leave before you’re trapped there.

Qin sank down on her bunk. When Asger came in, she sent him a copy of the message. She also forwarded one to Bonita, Kim, and Casmir.

“Squirt?” Asger asked before he’d had time to read more than a line or two. His eyebrows twitched.

“It was my nickname when we were little girls. We all ended up about the same height, but I was the shortest of my sisters for a while.”

“Like the runt of the litter?” The corners of his mouth joined his eyebrows in twitching.

“Like the squirt of the litter.” She shoved him in the arm. “Read the rest.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

His amusement faded as he continued on, and he ended up swearing. “Who do you think tipped off a bunch of money-hungry pirates and mercenaries?”

“Those talks can’t be that secret if people from all over the systems were invited,” Qin said.

“Yes, but it sounds like someone deliberately sent the word out to all the disreputable sorts. All the disreputable sorts stuck in the system, twiddling their thumbs with nothing to do. And many of whom, it sounds like, are short on funds since they can’t access the banking system.”

“I’ll send Mouser a message and ask if she knows who the source was, but she probably doesn’t. We were never kept in the loop, just told who to fight and where, usually right before the mission. What little information we got came secondhand from gossipy pirates. The captains had the network wireless signals dampened in our pen to keep us from accessing much information or even communicating with each other unless it was out loud. They wanted their cameras to be able to record all of our exchanges. I’m not sure how Mouser is getting these messages out.”

“These pirates are such lovely people. You make me want to get your sisters out more than ever.”

“Thank you for that.” Qin patted his knee and didn’t make any more teasing comments about his bravery in the corridor, though she might bring it up again if he ever teased her about her old nickname. “But I guess we’ll have to stay here and help defend the station against attackers. Let’s hope the weapons on the surface of the asteroid are powerful enough that the mercenaries and pirates will be too daunted to force their way in.”

“Actually—” Asger rubbed his jaw, “—this may be a good time to try that plan with the bait. It doesn’t sound like the Druckers want to risk themselves on this attack of the station, but if they need money, they might feel forced to. Unless a more appealing and easier target comes along.”

“But we’d be fleeing from a battle.”

“And into another battle. It’s not an act of cowardice. Besides, if we won, we would take out two ships that might have joined in with the others. Even if those pirates are risk averse, if they came to believe that the attacking side was going to win…”

“They would be quick to jump in then.”

“Let’s chat with Casmir in the morning and Bonita and my father—” an involuntary grimace crossed Asger’s face, and Qin envisioned him begging Bonita to implement a no-robes-in-public-areas policy, “—and see if any of them has the connections to get a bait ship. If not, the Dragon may still work. If we float a rumor that we’re leaving Stardust Palace with a valuable cargo, it may be more believable now that everybody knows all these rich influencers are here.”

Qin was skeptical that using the Dragon would work, but if they couldn’t come up with anything better, she would try it. The chance to free all of her sisters… It was a fantasy she’d dared not dwell on that often, but now, it was impossible to stop thinking about.

Casmir was the first to respond to the messages she’d sent out.

Do you have any idea how long we have until this supposed attack will take place? he asked.

No, Qin replied. I don’t know any more than what’s in the message.

Hm. I’d been contemplating sleeping tonight. I guess I will put that on hold. Indefinitely.

Sorry. Qin felt bad that she and Asger—and Bonita and Bjarke—had been enjoying the night while Casmir was up there schmoozing the sultan and trying to gain access to his slydar detector. Not that Qin would have had any