The lower deck proved to be much less crowded. There were no travelers down here, just flight crew members and skyport employees. The lighting was terrible, and the air was heavy with the stink of sweat, old food and cleaning chemicals. The climate control didn’t seem to work well, and he grimaced at the unnaturally humid and warm conditions of the service deck. The sooner they got off this rotating hunk of junk, the better.
Not a single person on the deck spared him much more than a passing glance. They were all too tired, too underpaid or poorly trained to care that a passenger was traipsing through an area that should have been off-limits. The lack of security made this an excellent target for terrorism and an easy layover spot for traveling Splinter operatives. It was exactly the sort of place where he would have placed undercover agents, but Savage had pulled all of their far-flung operatives for planetary detail on Calyx and its colonies.
He rolled his shoulders with unease as he considered one of the consequences if he chose to never return to the Valiant and his duty. Savage was a skilled Shadow Force agent, and he was damn good at dealing with the brass back on Prime. He knew how to play the political games and get what he needed for his men, but he lacked the killer instinct that allowed Terror to make ugly decisions. It was an intuition some men had and some didn’t. Leaving Savage in control would get men killed, maybe even men Terror considered his brothers. Vicious, Torment, Menace...
Torn between his desire to be with Maisie and his duties, he tried a few doors until he found one that was unlocked. He stepped inside and found himself at the top of an access shaft. The landing where he stood was only a few feet wide and long, barely enough room for a man to stand, and there was no safety rail of any kind to prevent a nasty fall.
Perfect.
Terror melted back into the dark corner of the space, waiting just behind the door. In less than minute, the bounty hunter followed, opening the door and stepping inside after his target. Terror waited for him to be free of the door before slamming it shut with his heel and grabbing the man, hooking his forearm under the man’s chin. He took hold of the bounty hunter’s arm and twisted it behind him, breaking his thumb and yanking hard to force the man’s spine into a hyperextended curve.
“What gave us away?” Terror asked, his voice low and menacing.
The bounty hunter grunted. “The girl used her hands when she ran into some guy getting off the ship.”
Terror grimaced. He would have to tell her to make sure she was more cognizant of her hand movements in the future, and she would feel guilty. Taking out his irritation on the bounty hunter, he applied more pressure. “How much is our bounty?”
“No money,” the bounty hunter coughed out. “Full pardon.”
Of course. Offering these lowlife scumbags pardons for their crimes was the best sort of motivation. Wondering where this particular scumbag had gotten into trouble, he asked, “Where did you desert?”
The bounty hunter made a low whining sound as Terror pressed on his neck. Through gritted teeth, the hunter confessed, “Concord Settlement”
What little chance the man had had to escape evaporated at his admission. The Concord Settlement had been one of the most beautiful and peaceful settlements available to retired Harcos males and their families. The settlement had been founded on an incredibly lush paradise planet, and deployments there as part of the security force were greatly desired. Men traded the assignments for credits or to jump the line on Grab lists. The childbirth rates were higher there than any other place in the Alliance. It wasn’t unheard of for families to boast three or even four children.
But then the Maul had descended on the planet and decimated it in a night of horrific bloodshed.
The families there hadn’t stood a chance once half of the security force had mutinied and fled, abandoning the planet to a nightmarish fate. The Maul were a violent, murderous reptile-human hybrid species. They had mottled, slimy skin and teeth like razors. Their claws sharp enough to disembowel with one swipe.
No one knew their origin. The Alliance had sent scout ships and scientists all over the galaxy to find their home planet. Were they a natural evolution? Had they