Ivar's Escape (Assassins of Gravas #2) - N.J. Walters Page 0,10

The vegetation and houses abruptly ended, leaving a vast desert before her. The station took up a huge swath of land. There was a guard shack in front with one man inside. He stepped out as she approached. Since it was outside the town limits, and he worked for Balthazar, he had a blaster. It would be easy for him to take out anyone who approached.

Delphi held up the coin. The guard held out his hand. “Give it here.” Like the rest of the men who worked for Balthazar, he was large and muscular and had little to say.

She placed it in his palm and waited while he examined it. In that second of inattention, she could have taken him down. Good to know.

“You’re clear to go to your ship, but not to depart.” When he caught her surprise, he smirked. “Silver is for a round trip. You need a gold one to leave. Try to leave and you’ll be shot down.”

“Thanks for the tip.” She dug into her pocket, drew out a ten-dollar credit, and tossed it to him. “Have an ale on me.”

He caught the credit and shoved it into his pocket.

Delphi moved forward with the guard behind her. When they reached the heavy steel door of the station, he pulled a palm-size scanner from his pocket and aimed it at the security panel. The light went from red to green. He turned the handle and shoved it open. “Don’t be long.”

Balthazar might not allow any tech into the town itself, but he didn’t stint on it at the docking station. Her ship was in the very last slot. It was her first time here and returning patrons got the prime spots. She didn’t mind, it gave her the opportunity to check everything out.

The station was large and like every other one she’d ever visited. Instead of guards patrolling, there were two turrets high above, one on either side, both manned by men with high-powered, long-range blasters.

She got an itch between her shoulder blades. One or both the gunners were watching her through their scopes. They could be a problem. Fortunately, all the ships offered plenty of cover and hiding spots.

Her ship was smaller than the rest and didn’t look like much on the outside. Looks were often deceiving. She pretended to try to activate her scanner, feigned frustration, and then smacked the side of the ship a couple of times before pressing her hand against it for real.

For anyone watching, and she knew they were, it would reinforce the idea her vessel was a bucket of bolts.

The door slid open to reveal a rusty loading bay. As soon as it closed behind her, she sighed in relief. “Security on.”

“Security on,” the ship’s computer replied.

Delphi hurried to the command deck and dropped into the captain’s chair. “Open communication with G1.” That was the code name she’d given the ship carrying Spear and her sister, Sass. They were currently on a Gravasian battleship hidden behind the largest of Tortuga’s two moons.

There was no picture. Even though the ship’s security was supposed to be the best in the known universe, she wasn’t taking any chances.

“Is this line secure?” She had no idea what kind of tech Balthazar had in place to eavesdrop on the people coming and going, but she assumed it was there. But however good it was, Gravasian tech was better.

“It is. You’ve made contact.” Spear’s voice was level, but there was a slight edge of anxiety there.

“I have, but there’s a slight problem.”

“Tell me.” His voice was level, his tone clipped.

“He can’t remember who he is.”

Spear was silent for several seconds. “How do you know it’s him?”

“He has no idea of his personal history, but his knowledge of the universe is vast, he speaks multiple languages, knows how to behave at fancy dinners. He’s the right size and coloring, although it’s hard to tell with the unkempt hair and beard. His prison cell is dark, but it feels right. What should I do?”

No matter what, she wasn’t going to leave him there. She couldn’t.

“Hold.”

While she waited, she went to her room, grabbed a bag, and stuffed some clothes into it. She wouldn’t put it past Balthazar to question the guard or to check himself. She didn’t bother with food. They’d only confiscate it during the scan. Their reasoning was to keep anything foreign from contaminating the local soil. In truth, it was so visitors had to buy everything they needed at the settlement, which only helped to