flipped mine off then hung it on the wall next to the clipboard. I opened the door into the cabin. The burn on my hand throbbed. Blood trickled across my scalp and down my neck.
“You can’t keep me tied up like this,” Leon said the minute I stepped through the door. He lay on my bunk, trussed up like cargo.
I planted my hands on my hips and gave him my most ferocious glare. “The way I see it, Leon, you have three choices. You can either go out the airlock—”
“You can’t do that!”
“She can and she will.” Jerimon lounged in the cockpit doorway, looking completely relaxed as he examined his fingernails.
Leon twisted his head around to stare at Jerimon. “You’re the captain. You can stop her!”
“I ought to shove you out for that.” I took a step towards Leon, straightening the captain’s bars on my collar. “But I won’t because it would take too much effort. Your second option is to spend the next three days shut in the locker under the bunk.”
Leon didn’t say a word. His face paled, his watery eyes opened wide in fear.
I leaned over his prostrate form. “Your last option is to cooperate with us. You tell the Patrol that we were duped. We knew nothing of Belliff’s smuggling operations.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“You’ll get locked up for a while, yes, but at least you’ll still be alive.”
He nodded. “I don’t really know anything. And I can’t guarantee anyone will listen to me. But if that’s all you want, I’ll cooperate.”
“Good.” I straightened, turning my glare on Jerimon. “I should shove you out the airlock for getting me into this mess in the first place.”
“I wasn’t the one who signed on with Belliff.” Jerimon’s grin faded.
“No, you’re the one who started a war with the Sessimoniss. They attacked the Venturer. They were at Viya Station looking for us. They were shooting at the Patrol.”
“Who were shooting at us because of your stunt leaving the station!”
“I was the one with the gun who forced you to do it.” Leon said. We both glared at him. He tried to make himself smaller.
“We could have dealt with the Sessimoniss except now we’re running from the Patrol.” Jerimon scowled, his grin completely gone.
“We’ve got a good story. We’ll take Leon to them on Tebros.”
“Do you really think they’ll believe it? Any idiot can see Leon isn’t a threat to anything except himself.”
“What do you think the Patrol is going to do, jump in and protect us? They’ll most likely hand us over to the Sessimoniss with an apology for causing them any trouble.”
“Who are the Sessimoniss?” Leon asked.
“Because of you blasting your way out of Viya.”
“Did you really want to be caught in the Patrol raid?”
“I doubt the Patrol raided anything. What are you trying to hide, Dace? You were part of Belliff’s smuggling ring from the start.”
“I didn’t know anything about it until Leon pulled that gun on me. The Patrol wouldn’t have tried to shoot us down if you hadn’t decided to play hero.”
“What was I supposed to think? I woke up to find some guy with a gun standing over you in the cockpit.”
“So you decided to save the poor helpless female.”
“He had a gun on you. How was I supposed to know it was an excuse for a stunner? Next time I’ll just let you handle it by yourself.”
“Do that, please!” I turned to my locker. I banged the door open before remembering all of my clothes were still in the cleaner.
“You’re bleeding,” Jerimon said as I turned.
“I know.” I pulled clothes from the cleaner, throwing them into my locker. “I’m going to clean up. Keep an eye on Leon.”
“Is that an order, Captain?”
I slammed the door. “Is that the way you want it?”
“Are you going to threaten to shove me out the airlock, too?”
“Don’t push me. You know why I don’t want him loose on the ship.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll just sit out here and keep an eye on the
“You can’t keep me tied up like this,” Leon said the minute I stepped through the door. He lay on my bunk, trussed up like cargo.
I planted my hands on my hips and gave him my most ferocious glare. “The way I see it, Leon, you have three choices. You can either go out the airlock—”
“You can’t do that!”
“She can and she will.” Jerimon lounged in the cockpit doorway, looking completely relaxed as he examined his fingernails.
Leon twisted his head around to stare at Jerimon. “You’re the captain. You can stop her!”
“I ought to shove you out for that.” I took a step towards Leon, straightening the captain’s bars on my collar. “But I won’t because it would take too much effort. Your second option is to spend the next three days shut in the locker under the bunk.”
Leon didn’t say a word. His face paled, his watery eyes opened wide in fear.
I leaned over his prostrate form. “Your last option is to cooperate with us. You tell the Patrol that we were duped. We knew nothing of Belliff’s smuggling operations.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“You’ll get locked up for a while, yes, but at least you’ll still be alive.”
He nodded. “I don’t really know anything. And I can’t guarantee anyone will listen to me. But if that’s all you want, I’ll cooperate.”
“Good.” I straightened, turning my glare on Jerimon. “I should shove you out the airlock for getting me into this mess in the first place.”
“I wasn’t the one who signed on with Belliff.” Jerimon’s grin faded.
“No, you’re the one who started a war with the Sessimoniss. They attacked the Venturer. They were at Viya Station looking for us. They were shooting at the Patrol.”
“Who were shooting at us because of your stunt leaving the station!”
“I was the one with the gun who forced you to do it.” Leon said. We both glared at him. He tried to make himself smaller.
“We could have dealt with the Sessimoniss except now we’re running from the Patrol.” Jerimon scowled, his grin completely gone.
“We’ve got a good story. We’ll take Leon to them on Tebros.”
“Do you really think they’ll believe it? Any idiot can see Leon isn’t a threat to anything except himself.”
“What do you think the Patrol is going to do, jump in and protect us? They’ll most likely hand us over to the Sessimoniss with an apology for causing them any trouble.”
“Who are the Sessimoniss?” Leon asked.
“Because of you blasting your way out of Viya.”
“Did you really want to be caught in the Patrol raid?”
“I doubt the Patrol raided anything. What are you trying to hide, Dace? You were part of Belliff’s smuggling ring from the start.”
“I didn’t know anything about it until Leon pulled that gun on me. The Patrol wouldn’t have tried to shoot us down if you hadn’t decided to play hero.”
“What was I supposed to think? I woke up to find some guy with a gun standing over you in the cockpit.”
“So you decided to save the poor helpless female.”
“He had a gun on you. How was I supposed to know it was an excuse for a stunner? Next time I’ll just let you handle it by yourself.”
“Do that, please!” I turned to my locker. I banged the door open before remembering all of my clothes were still in the cleaner.
“You’re bleeding,” Jerimon said as I turned.
“I know.” I pulled clothes from the cleaner, throwing them into my locker. “I’m going to clean up. Keep an eye on Leon.”
“Is that an order, Captain?”
I slammed the door. “Is that the way you want it?”
“Are you going to threaten to shove me out the airlock, too?”
“Don’t push me. You know why I don’t want him loose on the ship.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll just sit out here and keep an eye on the
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