The First Nova I See Tonight by Jason Kilgore (the false prince .txt) 📕

his arm, but Dirken didn't let go. "Sorry? Is the massage…?"

"Not the massage, you idiot! That!" He pointed at the brand with his other hand. "What is it?" He felt his face flush with anger.

Sugarplum slowed her dancing and stared at them.

Andy shook his head, a nervous smile growing. "A… is for Andy."

"Bullshit!" Dirken said. He pulled his blaster and pointed it at him. "The truth!

"Oh!" Sugarplum exclaimed, and cowered against the wall.

"I… I can't…." Andy stammered.

Yiorgos appeared around the doorway to the office, duffel bag in hand. "It's the gravjumps," he said, then he noticed what happening in the bed. "They…. What's going on?"

Dirken yanked Andy's arm up to show Yiorgos. "Look! The 'A'. Do you see this brand?"

Yiorgos blinked. "I don't understand. What about it?"

"I'm suddenly seeing this brand on the wrists of people everywhere we've gone!" Dirken pointed the blaster at Andy's head. "Tell me what this is! What does that 'A' mean?"

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

WHAT THE "A" MEANS

"Oh!" Sugarplum yelped. She backed toward the door and started to press the console to open the door when, at a knowing glance from Dirken, Yiorgos pulled his mini-blaster and said, "You're not going anywhere, Rigellian."

Sugarplum gasped and stepped away from the door, raising her arms. "Please, don't shoot!"

Dirken looked back to Andy and shoved the blaster into his hairless chest. "I'm not going to give you another chance! What is this!"

Andy's countenance of fear dissolved like an actor falling out of character and took on a serious expression. "AVA."

"AVA?" Yiorgos exclaimed.

"It's the Heart, isn't it?" Dirken asked. "That damned sphere has something to do with AVA, doesn't it?"

Andy glanced to the Heart but didn't answer. There was only the sound of the sultry Spanish guitar music, which didn't at all fit the tension of the moment. It would seem wrong to blast a hole through the escort to the tune of romantic flamenco strumming.

"I've been seeing that little 'A' on the wrists of people for the last couple days. You're part of some secret cult or gang, aren't you?"

Andy yanked his arm free. "You will know soon enough."

"We may have bigger problems, Dirk," Yiorgos said. Dirken looked over to his partner, but kept his blaster trained on the young man. "The gravjumps," Yiorgos explained. "They're too frequent. It should have taken longer between jumps if we were headed to Nüwa."

"Shit. 'TakTrak!" Dirken backed away from Andy and nodded to Yiorgos to cover both of the escorts. The cyborg understood and waved for the young man to step closer to the Rigellian. Andy did as commanded. The Rigellian shrunk away, trying to make herself as small as possible in the corner of the room near the door.

Dirken hastily pulled his clothes back on. "Did you learn anything from their computer?"

"Tried," Yiorgos replied. "It's disconnected from the galactic networks or even the ship systems. But I did some calculations with my cerebral implant. From what I can determine, the gravjump patterns indicate only three likely star systems: Sol, Tesla, or Proxima."

"Sol? Damn it, if we're taking the Heart right back to Earth the mission'll be a complete failure!" Dirken finished buttoning his pants. He raised his blaster again toward the male escort and said to him, "What do you know about this?"

Andy just bit his lip and hardened his look. If they weren't standing in a starship cargo cube with only a few unarmored millimeters between them and the void of space, Dirken might have blasted the "A" right off the bastard's wrist to get him to talk.

Sugarplum wailed, "I don't know anything! Please, let me out!"

"Well, Dirk?" Yiorgos said.

Dirken scrunched up his face. "Don't worry. I've got a plan."

"Oh shit, here we go…."

"Get the Heart. We're getting out of here." Then Dirken gestured to Andy. "Go over there." He pointed over to the bed. They young man moved slowly toward it. "Sugarplum," Dirken said, "Go ahead and leave."

The Rigellian wasted no time. She immediately leaped to the console next to the door and pressed it, but the door just emitted a sour tone and didn't open. She tried it again and again, each time failing to open the door. "No!" she cried.

"Figures," Dirken said.

A voice emitted from the console. "Done so soon, friend Dirken?"

Dirken raised a finger at the Rigellian and pressed it against his lips. "'TakTrak!" Dirken said. "I'm just wondering if you've got any more escorts to share. Maybe a crewman would like to join? I'm feeling lusty today!"

'TakTrak emitted a clacking laugh. "My friend, I can always count on you for fun! But I have no more for you. Just enjoy what you have, and I will have you to Nüwa in no time!"

"Why have you locked the door, 'TakTrak? Maybe I would like to join you in the bridge after I've had my fun."

"Sorry, friend Dirken. After the battle we just left, my crew is a bit jumpy. Wouldn't want to alarm them with strangers wandering about."

"Then perhaps you could share your navigation with us on the computer here?"

The Rigellian let out a whimper. Dirken frowned at her and waved his blaster.

"Sorry, friend Dirken. There is a connectivity problem with the VIP suite. We will have it fixed in no time."

Dirken pointed to his wrist and then at Yiorgos, then the console. Can you hack the door? Yiorgos shrugged, then nodded. Maybe. He stepped forward and waved the Rigellian away from the door. He put down the Heart and holstered his mini-blaster.

"Alright, then, 'TakTrak," Dirken said. "I guess we'll just have to amuse ourselves the best we can."

"Certainly, my friend. Do enjoy yourself! I will let you know when we get to the Nüwa system." The intercom cut out. Dirken wondered, though, if the room was bugged and 'TakTrak knew all along what was happening in here. He'd be a fool not to bug it, frankly.

A bit of cable extended from Yiorgos's mangled right forearm, but it still wouldn't extend all the way due to damage. He had to hold his