their hearts giving out under the pressure. They’d become fated to never leave their home world. Reyne imagined stretches would reach ten feet tall within a few more generations.
Even though Playa was one of the few Collective worlds to contain breathable air before terraforming, it had been more expensive and took more time to prepare the ice world to sustain life. After nearly two hundred years, there were still only three cities, the smallest population of any of the Collective planets.
Most citizens found no pleasure in making the long trip to the cold, dark planet. Kason was one of a few citizens to have ever stepped foot onto Playa. A wanderer at heart, he spread his time equally across all the Collective worlds.
The CUF was also an exception. A CUF ship docked at Ice Port every month for one very important resource—conscripts. By law, the CUF could enlist any able-bodied colonist into five-year service. Stretches were excluded from service, and fringe doctors could be paid to mark a person down as unfit for service. But, Reyne wasn’t a stretch and had no money. He left Playa a week after his eighteenth birthday to serve a government he’d never seen or benefitted from.
Collective law required only five years of service, but colonists who performed well rarely received their dismissal papers in fewer than twenty years without having connections or money. He had served eleven years on a CUF warship as a chaser before he’d earned enough money on the side to expedite his dismissal papers.
That was a lifetime ago.
A lifetime he’d rather forget.
When the space docks came into view, Reyne blew out a frosty sigh of relief. He flashed his pass-card to enter the massive building and jogged down the ramp to where the Gryphon waited. She was smaller than most haulers. Scratches and dents marred her rilon hull, and he noticed a new, six-foot-long dented slice she’d acquired from the star swarm. Still, she looked good considering the rough life she’d had. He found an uptick in his mood as he walked up the steps to her port.
Inside, he found everyone in the commons. Doc was reading a book to the crew—with Throttle in her wheelchair, Sixx on the floor with his eyes closed and hugging the biome kit he’d managed to hide from the CUF, and Boden leaning against the wall. When Reyne entered, Doc stopped reading.
Sixx sat up. The bruising under his eyes accentuated his Asian heritage. “Are we getting paid tonight?”
“Still working on it.” Reyne nodded to the mechanic. “Gear up, Boden. You’re with me.”
“Where are we going?” Boden asked.
“We’re off to pay Vym a little visit.”
He grimaced. “I hate going there. She always touches me.”
“Maybe she won’t this time.”
“I’ll go,” Sixx volunteered.
“Hell, no,” Reyne retorted. “She said she’d shoot you if you came within eyesight of her.”
“What’d Sixx do now?” Throttle asked.
Reyne tossed a sideways glance. “He slept with Vym’s niece.”
She rolled her eyes. “Smooth move, Sixx.”
Sixx leaned back down and waved a hand in the air. “What was I to do? She threw herself at me. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”
“She was eighteen.”
“She knew plenty for an eighteen-year-old.” Sixx pouted and blew out a breath. “It’s not like I have anywhere else to go. I had an appointment scheduled for later tonight, but unless you get me my paycheck, I’m going to have to cancel on Naughty Naomi. Too bad, too, because she is a very naughty lady.”
“Ew,” Throttle said.
“You, you, and you, behave.” Reyne pointed to each crewmember staying behind. “Boden and I will be back in no time. We’ll unload the cargo then.” He turned to Boden. “Let’s go.”
None of them were happy about sitting in the docks with a ship full of cargo and empty pockets. With equal parts hope and doubt, Reyne and Boden headed to Vym’s. Ice Port’s stationmaster had shown a fondness for the Alluvian mechanic
Even though Playa was one of the few Collective worlds to contain breathable air before terraforming, it had been more expensive and took more time to prepare the ice world to sustain life. After nearly two hundred years, there were still only three cities, the smallest population of any of the Collective planets.
Most citizens found no pleasure in making the long trip to the cold, dark planet. Kason was one of a few citizens to have ever stepped foot onto Playa. A wanderer at heart, he spread his time equally across all the Collective worlds.
The CUF was also an exception. A CUF ship docked at Ice Port every month for one very important resource—conscripts. By law, the CUF could enlist any able-bodied colonist into five-year service. Stretches were excluded from service, and fringe doctors could be paid to mark a person down as unfit for service. But, Reyne wasn’t a stretch and had no money. He left Playa a week after his eighteenth birthday to serve a government he’d never seen or benefitted from.
Collective law required only five years of service, but colonists who performed well rarely received their dismissal papers in fewer than twenty years without having connections or money. He had served eleven years on a CUF warship as a chaser before he’d earned enough money on the side to expedite his dismissal papers.
That was a lifetime ago.
A lifetime he’d rather forget.
When the space docks came into view, Reyne blew out a frosty sigh of relief. He flashed his pass-card to enter the massive building and jogged down the ramp to where the Gryphon waited. She was smaller than most haulers. Scratches and dents marred her rilon hull, and he noticed a new, six-foot-long dented slice she’d acquired from the star swarm. Still, she looked good considering the rough life she’d had. He found an uptick in his mood as he walked up the steps to her port.
Inside, he found everyone in the commons. Doc was reading a book to the crew—with Throttle in her wheelchair, Sixx on the floor with his eyes closed and hugging the biome kit he’d managed to hide from the CUF, and Boden leaning against the wall. When Reyne entered, Doc stopped reading.
Sixx sat up. The bruising under his eyes accentuated his Asian heritage. “Are we getting paid tonight?”
“Still working on it.” Reyne nodded to the mechanic. “Gear up, Boden. You’re with me.”
“Where are we going?” Boden asked.
“We’re off to pay Vym a little visit.”
He grimaced. “I hate going there. She always touches me.”
“Maybe she won’t this time.”
“I’ll go,” Sixx volunteered.
“Hell, no,” Reyne retorted. “She said she’d shoot you if you came within eyesight of her.”
“What’d Sixx do now?” Throttle asked.
Reyne tossed a sideways glance. “He slept with Vym’s niece.”
She rolled her eyes. “Smooth move, Sixx.”
Sixx leaned back down and waved a hand in the air. “What was I to do? She threw herself at me. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”
“She was eighteen.”
“She knew plenty for an eighteen-year-old.” Sixx pouted and blew out a breath. “It’s not like I have anywhere else to go. I had an appointment scheduled for later tonight, but unless you get me my paycheck, I’m going to have to cancel on Naughty Naomi. Too bad, too, because she is a very naughty lady.”
“Ew,” Throttle said.
“You, you, and you, behave.” Reyne pointed to each crewmember staying behind. “Boden and I will be back in no time. We’ll unload the cargo then.” He turned to Boden. “Let’s go.”
None of them were happy about sitting in the docks with a ship full of cargo and empty pockets. With equal parts hope and doubt, Reyne and Boden headed to Vym’s. Ice Port’s stationmaster had shown a fondness for the Alluvian mechanic
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