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

of the VIP suite. It was meant for you, after all. But you will need to ride out the last of the trip to Earth in these beams. Do not worry, though. We are in low orbit."

Damn, Dirken thought. Back to Earth. After all of this!

"What do you mean it was meant for us?" he asked. "You couldn't have known we would show up in the hangar when we did."

'TakTrak laughed, whirling and clacking. "Do you not remember me telling you in the Ruby Lounge that I was at the Witch's Tits looking for someone who was wanted by some powerful people? You are the VIP. I know you so well, old rogue! I had a tip that you might show up there, so I outfitted the Raptores with the luxury suite and a couple of excellent escorts. I figured I would be able to lure you on to the ship with them. But when Grimmag's gangsters took you away, I thought my chance was lost. Imagine my surprise when you and Yiorgos showed up again during the attack! Feleesha thought I was a fool to wait, but here we are."

"Who are these 'powerful people?' And why me?"

The Corthian shrugged. "You will find out soon enough, my friend."

"I'm not your friend. Stop calling me that or you'll regret it!"

'TakTrak shrugged. "It is only business, old rogue. You of all people should understand. I do not wish you dead. In fact, my orders are to bring you and Yiorgos to my employers alive." He pulled a green goron'oc card from his sleeve and tossed it toward Dirken. The triangle flipped through the air and flopped to the deck in front of Dirken's feet. "We smugglers cheat our way to profit. There are no friends. Only temporary allies."

Clacking and chirruping with laughter, he turned and walked back through the narrow corridor, ducking beneath a conduit, leaving the two crewmen to guard.

Dirken tilted his head as far as he could and was just able to make eye contact with Yiorgos.

Yiorgos grunted. "'Don't worry,' you said, 'I've got a plan.'"

Dirken frowned. "Just give me a minute."

He turned and looked the guards in the eyes. The Pleiadean shifted nervously. He had a slim build and remnants of spots on his tan fur that hadn't fully disappeared — still a juvenile. He licked his lips with a dark blue tongue and flicked his eyes back and forth to the other crewman as if awaiting instruction.

The Jen'torian was a female, as evidenced by the rows of gills on her forehead and her rounded mouth. Like others of her species, she had four expressionless, all-black eyes, and a full-face mask and breathing apparatus to filter out nitrogen from the ship's air, making it hard to read her expressions. But she stood confidently and held her blaster firmly. Dirken had seen her with 'TakTrak in the past. She was a seasoned spacer and likely not given to intimidation.

Dirken formulated an idea, but what he envisioned would be noticed and they'd have the draw on him. He would need a distraction, so he waited.

He didn't need to wait long.

The ship shuddered as two explosions resounded through the corridor in quick succession.

What the fuck? Dirken thought. Those were missile hits. He and Yiorgos exchanged confused looks. The Raptores was under attack.

The young Pleiadean lowered his blaster and darted his wide eyes. "What was that?" he yelled, then wailed in his native language.

The boy's panic could work to our advantage. "'TakTrak is a wanted man in the Sol system," Dirken said aloud. "Likely the orbital patrols found him. He'll have us all killed!"

A hot water pipe burst at a joint and sprayed the corridor with water and steam.

The Jen'torian kept her weapon trained on Dirken, but half-turned toward the Pleiadean, then muttered, "Hole yerpozishish."

It took a moment for Dirken to realize the Jen'torian had said, Hold your position. The Pleiadean apparently didn't understand, either, or perhaps ignored it, because he shouted, "They'll depressurize the ship!" and ran down the corridor toward the bridge.

"Hole yerpozishish!" the Jen'torian shouted after him in vain, turning away.

That was the distraction Dirken needed.

Dirken strained against the suspensor beams, gritting his teeth as he tried to pull his right forearm toward his face and his head toward his forearm. Just as she started to turn, Dirken's chin hit the button on his bracelet.

The bracelet unfolded into a mirrored vambrace, covering his forearm. He swung it around, reflecting the suspensor rays and cutting the tension.

The Jen'torian jerked her head around at his movement and aimed her blaster. Dirken beat her to the draw. Fired. Hit her square in the chest and through her filtration tube. She fell, unmoving, to the deck, the hole in her chest smoking, the tube hissing nitrogen-free air.

Dirken activated the other vambrace, and with the two arms gesticulating as if swatting flies, he managed to reflect enough of the suspensor beams to break free and stumble to the deck.

He used the mirrors to reflect Yiorgos's beams, and the cyborg stepped down with a graceful step.

"Thanks, partner," Yiorgos said. "Smart thinking." He guarded the passage as Dirken reflected the beams from the Heart and its duffel bag and pulled it free.

"What about me?" Andy said.

"You just keep your smooth, sexy ass up there where you can't cause trouble," Dirken replied. "We'll come back for you soon enough."

The ship rocked with another blast. This time the rip of metal screeched through the air and the Raptores swung wide, tilted, and lost artificial gravity completely.

Dirken floated upward, but then expertly pushed off a conduit and glided down the corridor. Yiorgos followed.

There was movement at the far end of the corridor. A shout, then someone fired a laser, the red beam slicing across the hall. It burned a line across the wall then down the corridor and into the ceiling over Andy. Yiorgos returned fire, missing.

Dirken ducked into a side corridor. Less than a meter away, a bowl of yakisoba floated away from a mess hall table, the noodles