Chapter: The Call
“Walking away isn’t something that happens much in this line of business.”
—Pirate Lord Havrel Egalden in his post-arrest interview with the CID
Baeus was the first to wake; his eyes were still groggy as he floated over to Zaina, all while yawning. “Good morning. Did you sleep?”
She shook her head.
“Want to come with me to check if anything’s happened?”
She shrugged and stood. “Not like I have anything better to do. Are those two still asleep?”
“Yeah, they were out,” Baeus replied. “I must say, for a mission so fraught with uncertainty, things seem to have broken our way.”
“I know what you mean. I’m not sure I trust it, though.”
He smiled. “Sometimes what seems good fortune is, in truth, a gathering storm. And sometimes what seems good fortune is good fortune indeed. But when are we to know?”
Zaina glanced back at the cabin before they headed back toward the platforms. Was Kazlo going to be okay by himself with Reida?
She shifted her weight. “Maybe I should stay here instead.”
“I understand,” he said. “Though I’d wager they’ll both be asleep for at least another hour.”
Zaina rolled her eyes. “I think you wager too often.”
“Perhaps. I think being out in the galaxy has made me a bit more adventurous than usual.”
It struck Zaina that Baeus had been on Kaado for quite some time—he probably was having the time of his life, and she didn’t want to take that away from him. “I guess there’s nothing wrong with a little fun as long as you know when the party’s about to stop.”
“I would agree,” Baeus said. “Well—I’m heading over to see if either contestant gave up. I’ll see you back here?”
Zaina turned back to the cabin, then checked the time—it was still early. Early enough that she could spend some time with Baeus. “Ah, what the hell. I’ll come with.”
“That’s the spirit! Let’s go check it out.”
Side by side they made their way over to the platforms. Neither contestant had moved. The sun was still rising in the sky, and only three Raolgrians had gathered so far. All three were immediately excited to see Baeus, spreading their arms and exclaiming, “Rak-sha-gari!”
Baeus smiled and shouted the greeting back in a guttural voice. The four shared a laugh while Zaina stared on, confused.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing’s happened,” Baeus said. “’The game is still on—Rak-sha-gari.”
“Oh,” Zaina said, making a mental note that Baeus had a bit of a weird streak. “So, uh—what now?”
Baeus’ eyebrows scrunched up. “I suppose we head back to the cabin, wait until the others wake up. Once they’ve had a good breakfast we’ll come back here and check again. Sound good?”
“Works for me,” she replied.
Baeus said goodbye to his friends, and then the two headed back. Despite still holding on to her trepidations, Zaina was in a much better mood. Kazlo was still deep asleep when they arrived, but Reida wasn’t in her bed. One of the bathroom doors was closed, so Zaina didn’t think too much of it.
Her eyes fell on Reida’s vis-screen, there on her bed—it was open, and there was a new message. Zaina checked to make sure Reida wasn’t in sight before creeping closer. The holo-image showed a message from someone named Reetrim saying, Standing by.
Zaina raised an eyebrow. What the hell does that mean?
All her positive feelings dissipated in an instant, replaced with cold, steeled resolve. Reida was up to something, and Zaina needed to know what.
At that moment the bathroom door opened, unleashing a wave of steam into the bedroom. Reida stepped out with a towel around her body while she wrapped her hair in one. She seemed surprised to see Zaina, and glanced toward the vis-screen. Then she continued drying her hair.
“Welcome back.”
Zaina’s voice was icy. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“Yeah,” Reida said. “Captain Danjai got in touch with me last night. I’ll have to leave today. She’s sending my new crew to meet me on Dexsiman.”
“Right,” Zaina said. “Well, I hope you gave what I said some thought. About it being up to you.”
Reida nodded and turned toward Zaina with a smile, but something about it was off—it seemed forced. “Yeah. I thought about it a lot.”
“And?”
Reida’s smile faded. “Head’s still a mess.”
“Well,” Zaina said, “if you need anything, let me know. Once Kazlo wakes up we’ll head back over to Praga whatever and see if anything’s happened.”
“Perfect. Gives me a little time to eat,” Reida said, digging through a bag leaning against her bed and pulling out a nutria-bar. She found one, stood, and said, “And to get changed. Would you mind?”
Zaina walked out and closed the door behind her. She sighed. I really hope today goes smoothly. I need something good to happen.
Suddenly there was a shout from outside. Zaina’s stomach sank. Baeus.
She broke into a sprint and quickly opened the door, only to find the scholar laughing maniacally.
“What’s going on?” she asked, a little nervous—she’d been betrayed by friends before.
“Rak-shoi-ta-Gota!”
“Wh-what?”
“The game is over! It’s all been decided! Azuriqys won, as I predicted.”
A wave of elation spread from Zaina’s core. “You mean—”
“Yes! Wake Kazlo, and let’s get over there! You can get the coordinates, and I can get my winnings!”
Zaina wasted no time. She went to Kazlo’s bedroom and knocked on the door until he answered, rubbing his eyes and wearing only a pair of underwear.
“Huh?” he asked.
“Come on, get ready! Let’s go! We can get the coordinates now!”
Kazlo nodded. “Five minutes.”
With that, he shut the door. Zaina danced over to Reida’s room and knocked. Reida, now wearing tan slacks and a white button-up blouse, answered within ten seconds. “Yes?”
“We can get the coordinates now! Be ready in five minutes, okay?”
Reida blinked a few times and gave a single nod. “Can do.”
Zaina was almost suspicious of Reida’s lack of charm, but in her mind it didn’t matter. Once they got going to the next world, none of it would matter—Kazlo would be safe, Reida would probably go her own way, and Gizmo would be one step closer to being his normal self. Zaina was starting to believe that things would go according to plan for once.
With giddy excitement she waited until Kazlo and Reida emerged from their rooms. Kazlo had a bag slung over his shoulder and wore the same clothes from yesterday. Reida had a gunslinger’s belt with a holstered scrapshot around her waist.
Zaina narrowed her eyes. Where did she get that?
Reida seemed to notice her staring, and when their eyes met, she gave Zaina a coy smile. “I’m afraid this’ll be where we part ways again. I’ve got to get home—there’s a lot of work to do.”
“That’s too bad,” Zaina lied. Really, she was relieved—all that worrying had been for nothing.
Reida shrugged. “I guess some people change easier than others.”
It struck Zaina as a particularly sad thing to say, so she didn’t respond. They were so close to finding out Gir’s secret—that was where her mind wanted to be.
The four embarked from the cabin. The walkways and wooden streets of Rafol were lined with people—Raolgrians, mostly, of all shapes, sizes, and colors, though there was the occasional tentacle-mouthed Vuulan or pointy-eared Cytomoid. They were all converging on one central point.
Baeus talked the whole way over about how much he’d won and what exactly he’d bet, but Zaina paid him little mind. She was happy he was having fun, but her attention was on Gizmo. He was still on low-power mode in her arms, silent and unmoving; she couldn’t wait to have her friend back.
They made it to the twin platforms, which were deserted; the crowd had gathered nearby, celebrating not only the winner of the endurance test, but their new Clan Head—someone Zaina didn’t know. They were all chanting and raising both of their arms toward the victors.
Baeus turned to them and said, “I’ll go get everything squared away as quickly as I can. You two get the coordinates, and then we’ll be on our way.”
Zaina nodded and turned to Kazlo. “All right, where do we need to be?”
Kazlo pointed to the top of the left platform. “Looks like that one. Would you like to do the honors?”
Zaina held Gizmo out in front of her and leapt to the top of the wooden platform. It wobbled a little under the weight of her and her armor but held firm. The moment she moved to the center-point Gizmo lit up.
Kazlo, staring at a holo-interface on his vis-screen, said, “I’m getting something—yeah, I’ve got it!”
Zaina jumped back down to Rafol’s raft-like surface and smile. “All right, where are we headed?”
“Looks like Bazo Spire,” Kazlo said, scratching the back of his head. “That’s weird. I thought it got decommissioned back in the 23,000’s.”
“It did,” Baeus said, floating over. “But it’s still a boon for underworld activity. If I recall, Gir had a particularly harrowing mission there early into his career—a hostage situation where no lives could be saved due to bad fortune, if my memory serves me well.”
Zaina’s lips pursed. Maybe that’s what’s so important. Something about that. It has to be huge. Some sort of galaxy-shaking secret.
“Well,” Kazlo said, “are we all ready to get going, then? Once we get to the Bazo Spire coordinates all we’ll need is to figure out what passphrase Gir used for the third lock.”
“Everybody check and make sure you have everything,” Reida said. She rifled through her backpack and slapped her forehead. “I’m such an idiot! I left something back at the cabin.”
“What is it?” Zaina asked.
“My vis-screen, of course,” Reida said, holding up her empty wrist. “Of course, one last delay before we all go. Hold on—I’ll go get it.”
Zaina shook her head. “That’s okay—I’ll run and get it. I’m faster than most.”
“Oh,” Reida said. “Helpful as always. Well, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate it.”
“No worries. I’ll see you guys over at the ship!”
With that Zaina jogged off, though her jog was a normal person’s sprint. She was absolutely elated—today had gone far better than she had ever expected, and they were so close to being away from Reida. That was the real reason Zaina volunteered—the sooner they saw Reida leave the sooner she’d be able to relax a little bit. The last thing she wanted was that pirate lingering behind them.
Zaina came to the cabin and went into Reida’s room. Her vis-screen wasn’t in sight, so Zaina stooped to check under the bed. When she lifted her head, something on the bed caught her eye—a small sheet of folded paper laid on Reida’s pillow.
What the hell?
Zaina snatched it up and opened it.
“To Zaina,
I really am sorry, but I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”
She crumpled the note into a ball, not bothering to read the rest. Motherfucker.
Upon dashing outside Zaina looked toward the forest—Reida’s ship was slowly ascending into the sky.
“Motherfucker!” she shouted, breaking into a full sprint.