He clacked his jaw shut. Cifer wasn’t sure which outcome he craved more: having her come closer so he could see her, or having her stay away so he wouldn’t be discovered. He rolled his eyes at himself.
No female—nobody—was worth being discovered and ejected from the ship before they ever got into space. Before he ever delivered the sphere. Before he got the biggest payout for a heist he’d ever contracted.
Chapter 2
Blaize reached the galley last, again. Working in the farthest bowels of the ship and doing some seriously dirty jobs meant she had the farthest to travel and the most cleanup to do before she joined the rest of the crew. Did they even notice she wasn’t present?
Rhysa and Bodi sat on opposite sides of the anchored metal table, not looking at each other. Despite the fact that Bodi was a communications specialist and Rhysa an expert navigator, those two couldn’t find a way to talk without arguing. Veda, head down, focused on the table. Whatever Rhysa and Bodi had said before she arrived must have upset the kind medic. Captain Cyra chattered brightly to her lover and the security officer slash chef, Dez, about what he was making for dinner. Dez shouldn’t be cooking. Probably shouldn’t be out of bed after saving The Treasure from a bomb. But if Cyra was okay with it, who was she to comment?
“It smells really good, whatever it is.” Blaize took a seat between Veda and Rhysa, leaving the seat next to Cyra for Dez. The table was long, and they each had plenty of space to spread out.
“Blaize,” Dez said with a welcoming tone as he pulled the lid off the food he’d prepared on the induction plate. Cyra jumped up to help him. “Now that you’re here, I can serve.”
Someone had noted Blaize’s absence.
“Sit, love,” Dez said to Cyra, his voice almost too low to hear.
“You just got out of the hospital. Your hand.” Cyra stared pointedly at Dez’s arm, which ended in a stump.
He kissed the top of her head. Cyra picked up the plates as Dez loaded them, and she passed them around the table.
Blaize leaned over and nudged Veda with her shoulder. The medic popped up her head and gave her a small smile. “So, first harvest? Are you excited? I know I am. Of course, I’m so hungry I could probably eat anything, but this smells amazing. What did you get?”
Cyra placed a plate in front of Blaize.
“Oh wow. It looks really good.” Blaize couldn’t help staring at the real—not freeze-dried—peppers diced on top of what looked like a synth protein and ricex dish. She would do everything she could to stay on the ship that not only let her be the sole engineer but was supplied with fresh food.
“Eat.” Dez lifted his fork and dug in.
Everyone else followed his example.
“Veda, congratulations.” Cyra smiled warmly at her best friend. “When you told me what you were going to attempt gardening in space, I wasn’t sure it would work. You’ve exceeded all expectations.”
“Only tomatoes and peppers so far. But more will come.” Veda spoke softly but with confidence. “I have some more prep to do before we leave, to make sure nothing is damaged during our jump.”
“I’ve been reviewing the systems, and everything appears ready from my end,” Blaize said. “The fuel is high quality. As good as what we get on Cassan or possibly better—although for the price, it should be. Everything is so expensive here. But that’s to be?—”
“Speaking of expenses. Each of you has a share of the profit on this run coming to them,” Cyra interrupted.
Blaize clamped her jaw shut. She talked too much.
“I do have enough to pay all of you back and cover the expenses of the return trip to Cassan.”
Rhysa’s pink eyes flashed almost red when she looked up. “Captain,” she said sharply. “Are you telling us you don’t want us as partners, only paid crew members?”
Bodi’s small wings twitched. “That isn’t what she said. If you’d let her finish, you wouldn’t need to argue.”
“Who’s arguing now?” Rhysa snapped.
“Let me explain,” Cyra spoke above them both. “Dez secured a contract to return some unneeded equipment to Cassan for pickup by the vendor. The mining operation has ongoing contracts for their mineral production deliveries and their supply orders, so we couldn’t get any traction on that front. But they did have equipment that needed to go back, and no one has been able to take it for them. These are one-shot deals, but they will cover our return to Cassan with plenty left over. So, I can pay anyone out who doesn’t want to stay. I hope all of you will elect to remain.” She silently met each of their gazes for a moment.
Blaize blinked to break the connection, unfamiliar with such respect.
“If you want to remain a partner, great.” Cyra smiled at Veda. “If you would prefer to be a paid crew member, that can be accommodated. I wanted to bring it up now so you have time to consider your decision. I’ll need to know your plans when we get to Cassan.”
“Will you be adding to the crew, and if so, will they be given the option to buy in as a partner?” Rhysa asked.
Blaize tensed. She hadn’t considered that an option.
