that cared for the sex workers who lived there. But no, they hadn’t even found a hint of her presence, or the two other females Kaine said should be somewhere on Euphoria.
That meant one of two things: either she was dead and he’d failed yet again, or she was somehow managing to survive in one of the shitholes they hadn’t yet searched.
“You sure you’re okay?” Rowe questioned again, looking pointedly to where Axis held one hand on his stomach.
“Yeah,” he said with a nod, willing the nausea that filled him away. Axis had to keep his head focused on the mission if they hoped to find the females alive. “These houses aren’t going to comply with our searches like the others have before them.”
“We know,” Paine said with a wicked grin. Rubbing his hands together, he looked like a child who’d been handed a gift. “I haven’t had a chance to use the new bow staff that was sent down from tech.”
“Upgrade?” Axis asked, eying the weapon strapped to Paine’s back. He could tell the design was newer, much sleeker than the one the quartermaster had given him before leaving One.
Paine nodded, swinging the weapon off his back to hand it over without question. “The ore that Djaromir offered up for trade has some interesting components to it. Although engineering hasn’t had access to the materials for long, they’ve done enough testing to build a few prototypes.”
Axis took a few test swings before handing it back. “It’s lighter than mine,” he said before patting his hip where his own weapon was tucked. “I still prefer my blaster though.”
“Then you should try this one,” Rowe suggested, handing over his sidearm. “It has all kinds of new bells and whistles, but it also points and shoots when you need it to.”
“Don’t you want to use it?” Axis asked even as he fondled the shiny piece of metal. Lighter and a bit smaller than the blaster he carried, the weapon still felt incredibly solid despite the weight difference. It felt so perfect in his hand he didn’t want to give it back.
“Truthfully, I prefer the staff,” Rowe replied with a shrug. “You’re more likely to use it than me, and the engineers want it to see some action. What you’re holding is still a prototype, so this is basically a field test. As far as I know, this is the first time any of these new weapons have left Phaeton One. Keep it, if you think you’ll use it.”
“Thanks,” he said, grateful for the upgrade. There was nothing wrong with his old blaster, but it was always nice to have a chance to play with the new gadgets coming from their tech geniuses on One. The weaponry coming from their labs had surprised him on more than one occasion. Adjusting his weapons, Axis put the newer blaster in the holster on his hip. Although the paired fighters preferred their staffs, he generally carried a blaster and his knife. He’d been caught in the middle of a fire fight more than once and knew that entering a shootout with only a knife was a bad idea.
“I hope you don’t have to use that,” Rowe said with a nod. “But, for some reason, I have a feeling the masters in the rest of the houses aren’t going to be happy to see us.”
“I agree,” Paine said with a nod as he eyed the first house in the line of brothels they needed to search. “Let me do the talking.”
Axis gave him a swift nod as they jogged up the steps and into the open doors of the first house. Wrinkling his nose at the smell that lingered in the parlor of the brothel, he took in every detail starting with his first step through the door.
His job was to watch…and wait.
“Are you the master here?” Paine barked at the alien scurrying towards them, his robes fluttering around his spindly red legs.
“Yes, sire.” Bowing deep, the creature knelt in front of them. “What brings Phaetons to my house?”
“We’re looking for someone,” Rowe answered, mimicking Paine’s stance in front of the house master.
“I have plenty of females—” the master, smacked his lips together a few times. “Or males, if that’s what you prefer.”
Axis took his time looking over the room, his eyes missing nothing in his perusal. A few slaves peeked around the corners, their eyes wide as they watched the Phaetons question their house master. Although none of them looked overly abused, their clothes were in