as the loadmaster on the Sraibur. He’d been a security officer and even a captain long enough to know he didn’t want to deal with the responsibility and stress for the rest of his life. Hanging out in the loading bay to manage taking on cargo, maneuvering the boarding arm when they overtook a ship, and having a drink on duty were all much preferable to what Faros went through as captain.
Nokx hadn’t wanted to stop for resupply at another neutral spaceport in ungoverned space, since the last time they did that a bounty hunter lured the first mate, Wyzak, away and nearly handed him over to their enemies. Nokx didn’t think it was worth risking another spaceport, but Faros wanted more supplies and wasn’t willing to return to rebel-held space to use a reliable merchant. Of course, the rebels also had a bounty on the Sraibur, just like the Tyboli, so the pirate ship was running out of places to dock.
He grumbled and finished going through the manifest in the cargo bay. He’d gotten an uneasy feeling as he waited for the crew to return to the ship, even though everything looked fine. Something didn’t feel right. He’d kept the watch on the ramp while Harzt, the security officer, and Wyzak went to retrieve supplies and the rest of the crew moved through the docks and searched for signs of their Tyboli pursuers.
Nokx thought he’d seen something worrisome in the corner of his eye, but searching around the ramp and outside the ship hadn’t revealed the origin of the flicker of movement. He’d examined the loading bay but only got halfway through the search when the crew returned with massive crates of food, liquor, and other necessities.
And then he’d had to deal with a crew of rowdy Xaravians boarding the ship and fighting to get after the liquor before all the good stuff disappeared. There had also been quite a bit of talk about painted ladies near the docks who almost enticed the younger crew members to enter the port. Nokx shook his head as he turned off the lights in the loading bay and headed for his quarters. He remembered the wild days as a young Xaravian warrior on his first few tours across space. Everything was new and exciting, every female presented a different allure, and the invincibility of youth made him think no dangers could really find him.
Until they did, and he paid a steep price for it.
Nokx pushed away the thoughts. That was in the past. He didn’t have to deal with that kind of bullshit anymore. He was a loadmaster on the pirate ship Sraibur, and someone else made all the calls. Security was Harzt’s responsibility, and oversight of the full ship belonged to Faros as the captain. Nokx just handled the cargo. That was all he wanted to handle.
He paced through the corridors, feeling restless and debating going to the gym or the mess hall. Food or exercise. He wouldn’t be able to sleep for a while yet, regardless of what the ship’s clock said, so maybe the gym would tire him out sooner. Nokx still mulled over the choices when he spotted a slight figure creeping around a turn and disappearing into a side corridor.
He frowned and sniffed the air. The shape and form looked Earther, but the gold-blonde hair didn’t belong to either Violet, the captain’s mate, or Gemma, Wyzak’s mate. He didn’t think the Earthers changed their hair color at will, but there were many things he didn’t know about the mysterious females. And the Xaravians guarded their mates well, even among the trusted crew, so it wasn’t like Nokx had the opportunity to quiz the females on aspects of their nature and species.
Nokx sped up to try and catch the mystery figure. He tapped the comms unit he carried to alert Harzt to a potential issue, but didn’t speak so he wouldn’t alert the prey to his presence. His hearts sped up as he turned a corner and yet again caught just a flicker of motion and the tail end of a blonde braid. It definitely wasn’t one of the Earthers who was supposed to be on the Sraibur. A stowaway. There was a stowaway on the Sraibur.
His jaw clenched until pain ignited in his head. Or maybe another bounty hunter, on board to try and take the ship or signal the rest of her team to overrun the ship. He wasn’t going to put up with that.