countless floating objects settled softly onto the floor of the cabin. "Pretty smooth, eh?" He adjusted their course and came up from the cockpit. With gravity once more restored, the cabin was twice the cluttered disorder than usual. Sighing, he began to sort through the heaps of clothes and tools on the floor. "That was some fancy flying there, Nova. Your triangles are well deserved."
"I think you'd better explain what the hell you blew up down there."
"Just a place I didn't like. This soggy weather ruined the detonator I wanted to use. I'll have to remember that in the future."
"A place you didn't like?" she said in astonishment. "Have you forgotten who I am? I am a Union officer, dammit. A cop! You can't just do that right under my nose. How dare you?"
He laughed. "I'm already under arrest so I thought one more fiendish act wouldn't matter. Although I’ll point out once again that this isn’t a Union planet, Officer." His eyes shone brightly as he chuckled to himself and continued to rearrange his cabin. Nova's ripe selection of curses seemed to roll off his back like water.
"You have a foul mouth for such a pretty woman," he said finally. "Comes from hanging out with pilots for so long. If you’re done with that, I can explain.”
"I know what I need to know about you. I need your help right now but that doesn't mean I approve of you. You've caused a lot of harm to a lot of people. Don't make me part of that, you pirate."
"There are reasons."
"Like what? Because Tharron pays so well for your services? If anyone had told me six years ago that you'd become a traitor I would have laughed. Well, it isn't funny."
Seth's expression hardened and his eyes gleamed dangerously in a deep violet when he turned to her. "That place I blew up down there was one of Tharron's labs. I've been looking for it for months and being your personal chauffeur wasn’t going to cause me any more delays. In case you don't know, he owns a little Terran called Comori whose favorite pastime is to tinker with viruses and drugs and all types of nasty bugs. The kind Tharron likes to throw at Union settlements now and again. I thought I'd try to stop him for a while."
Nova bent to pick up a tangle of clothes. She did not look at him. "Why?"
"Because I don't like Tharron, either."
She carried the bundle toward the cargo door. "And yet you work for him." She released the door and then opened one of the storage bays.
"Uh, Nova–"
"What the hell is all this?"
He hurried into the cargo hold to find her leaning against a spring-loaded door to keep it from shutting.
The small storage chamber was stacked to the ceiling with long guns bundled carelessly in strips of cloth. Crates of what looked like thousands of rounds of projectile ammunition and rail gun power packs were secured to the floor. Some of the weapons were completely unfamiliar to Nova but at this point she had no thought for expanding her knowledge of firearms. She pried the lid off a plastic case embossed with Centauri ciphers. "Seth!"
The box contained dozens of sealed glass vials. She held one to the light. "You are gun running!" she accused. "Don't tell me this is your personal arsenal. That rail hasn’t even been released yet. And this thing! We're into germ warfare now? Chemical? Drugs maybe? Not enough money in green stuff?"
He took the vial from her to replace it carefully in its padded compartment.
"Well?"
"I stole it on Aikhor. Before I went out to the lab. It was a lucky find, nothing more." He pulled her away from the door to let it shut again and returned to the main cabin. "People shouldn't leave things lying around unguarded."
"Stole it? That is Union issue."
"Most rebel arsenal is Union issue."
"You stole this from rebels?"
"From people selling to rebels."
"Is that what you were doing half the night? Getting drunk and loading contraband?"
"Well, yes. Mostly. Don’t forget the part about blowing things up."
"You don't care what I think of you, do you?"
"I think you'd better explain what the hell you blew up down there."
"Just a place I didn't like. This soggy weather ruined the detonator I wanted to use. I'll have to remember that in the future."
"A place you didn't like?" she said in astonishment. "Have you forgotten who I am? I am a Union officer, dammit. A cop! You can't just do that right under my nose. How dare you?"
He laughed. "I'm already under arrest so I thought one more fiendish act wouldn't matter. Although I’ll point out once again that this isn’t a Union planet, Officer." His eyes shone brightly as he chuckled to himself and continued to rearrange his cabin. Nova's ripe selection of curses seemed to roll off his back like water.
"You have a foul mouth for such a pretty woman," he said finally. "Comes from hanging out with pilots for so long. If you’re done with that, I can explain.”
"I know what I need to know about you. I need your help right now but that doesn't mean I approve of you. You've caused a lot of harm to a lot of people. Don't make me part of that, you pirate."
"There are reasons."
"Like what? Because Tharron pays so well for your services? If anyone had told me six years ago that you'd become a traitor I would have laughed. Well, it isn't funny."
Seth's expression hardened and his eyes gleamed dangerously in a deep violet when he turned to her. "That place I blew up down there was one of Tharron's labs. I've been looking for it for months and being your personal chauffeur wasn’t going to cause me any more delays. In case you don't know, he owns a little Terran called Comori whose favorite pastime is to tinker with viruses and drugs and all types of nasty bugs. The kind Tharron likes to throw at Union settlements now and again. I thought I'd try to stop him for a while."
Nova bent to pick up a tangle of clothes. She did not look at him. "Why?"
"Because I don't like Tharron, either."
She carried the bundle toward the cargo door. "And yet you work for him." She released the door and then opened one of the storage bays.
"Uh, Nova–"
"What the hell is all this?"
He hurried into the cargo hold to find her leaning against a spring-loaded door to keep it from shutting.
The small storage chamber was stacked to the ceiling with long guns bundled carelessly in strips of cloth. Crates of what looked like thousands of rounds of projectile ammunition and rail gun power packs were secured to the floor. Some of the weapons were completely unfamiliar to Nova but at this point she had no thought for expanding her knowledge of firearms. She pried the lid off a plastic case embossed with Centauri ciphers. "Seth!"
The box contained dozens of sealed glass vials. She held one to the light. "You are gun running!" she accused. "Don't tell me this is your personal arsenal. That rail hasn’t even been released yet. And this thing! We're into germ warfare now? Chemical? Drugs maybe? Not enough money in green stuff?"
He took the vial from her to replace it carefully in its padded compartment.
"Well?"
"I stole it on Aikhor. Before I went out to the lab. It was a lucky find, nothing more." He pulled her away from the door to let it shut again and returned to the main cabin. "People shouldn't leave things lying around unguarded."
"Stole it? That is Union issue."
"Most rebel arsenal is Union issue."
"You stole this from rebels?"
"From people selling to rebels."
"Is that what you were doing half the night? Getting drunk and loading contraband?"
"Well, yes. Mostly. Don’t forget the part about blowing things up."
"You don't care what I think of you, do you?"
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