Chapter 2
Myanna, Zek, Kiliar, and Kyle sat around a small table in Karrde�s quarters. Myanna and Karrde had fully recovered from their wounds after a short dip in a bacta tank. Kyle still wore a bandage around his calf wound, although it was not visible under his pants. He had refused any treatment other than a change of bacta bandages.
Reis Olan had been thrown in on of the ships holding cells and had been, for the most part, forgotten. But Myanna was itching to find out why the two hated each other so much. She had not had a chance to ask, though, and she didn�t think she would get one any time soon. Karrde had always found a way to change the subject before she had even brought Reis into a conversation.
While Myanna admired Karrde�s skill in conversation, it annoyed her greatly and proved an impediment to any arrangements they might have made. Karrde would not pay the price Myanna wanted for her information about the prison compound, and Myanna was too stubborn to lower it.
There was also the subject of why Karrde had taken pains to protect Zek and Myanna. That subject had yet to come up. And that fact colored all of her thoughts. Suspicion was the first thing that came to her, but knowledge tried to cancel it out. She had yet to hear of a time when Karrde had betrayed someone he was working with.
Now Myanna, Zek, Kiliar, and Kyle sat in Karrde�s office, but Karrde was oddly absent. Each of the three had received a comm call to come immediately. Each of them had responded as quickly as possible. But Karrde had not showed up.
The three had been sitting in the room for nearly half an hour now. They had passed the time by discussing reasons for Karrde�s tardiness. They had finally agreed that this was a test. What kind of a test they didn�t know.
Finally, after nearly an hour of waiting, Karrde showed up with D�ukal on heel. She was dressed in matte black, from her fitted black shirt and pants to her black boots and gun belt. Karrde was clothed in a tight fitting white sleeveless shirt, loose brown jacket and pants, and two crossing ornamental gun belts. A slight bulge in his sleeve marked a holdout blaster.
Myanna stood up and posted her fists on her hips. �Nice of you to show up.�
Karrde raised an eyebrow in amusement. He pulled out two more chair and he motioned for Myanna and Shada to sit. He took his time settling himself into his chair. When Myanna finally showed some irritation, he spoke up.
�I suppose you are wondering why you were kept waiting.�
Myanna just crossed her arms in front of her and glared.
He smiled slightly. �Shada and I are going hunting.�
�And what, exactly, does that have to do with us?� Myanna put her booted feet up on the table. She grinned when Karrde glanced at her reprovingly.
�Nothing.� It was Karrde�s turn to grin. �More precisely, it has quite a bit to do with you.�
�And what if I don�t feel like hunting?� Myanna leaned her chair back against the wall and crossed her arms behind her head. She shut her eyes and feigned disinterest.
Karrde shrugged. �You don�t have to. All you have to do is come along for the ride.�
She opened one eye. �I don�t believe I have to do anything.�
Karrde�s smile dropped from his face. �Actually, I�m afraid you do. That is, if you want to see your ship again.�
Only a slight waver in Myanna�s smile marked her surprise. �So the infamous Talon Karrde has reverted to kidnapping ships to get what he wants. But, I�m afraid it won�t work. Ships can be replaced, after all.�
Karrde smiled. �Really. Then you won�t mind if I take it off you hands? I�ve had several offers for it already. It appears you keep a rather efficient and well-run ship.�
Myanna�s smile fell off of her face and she clunked her chair back onto all fours. �You wouldn�t dare.�
�Oh, wouldn�t I?� Karrde�s voice was dead serious. His face was impassive, but his jaw was clenched tighter than usual.
A tense silence filled the room. Zek and Kyle both cast uneasy glances at each other. Myanna�s jaw worked angrily. Her fingers dug into the upholstering of the chair.
She stood suddenly and started pacing. Finally, with a sigh that bordered on a growl, she took her seat again. �What are we hunting?�
Karrde smiled, but there was no mirth in it. Instead, it snaked a tendril of dread down her spine. �You�ll see when we get there.�
Myanna took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. When she looked up, her face was composed, and a smile even tugged at the corners of her mouth. �If I go, I�m taking my ship with me. And I�ll need the rest of my weapons back.�
Karrde stood, his eyes still cool. �Very well. Shada, get the woman her weapons and a security pass.�
She nodded and left without a word. The woman spoke very little, Myanna noted curiously. She also looked decidedly lethal.
Myanna smiled graciously at Karrde, much to the surprise of the other two occupants of the room. �Now that we have agreed on taking my ship,� Karrde smiled at that comment, �I must tell you that if I go, my companions are coming with me.�
Karrde nodded politely. �Of course. I wouldn�t have it any other way.�
That gave Myanna pause. �Then I have to assume you figure you have something to lose if you don�t take them. Does that mean you are wary of loosing your own people?�
He shrugged. �It could be, but it could also be that I don�t want three of your people snooping around my ship.�
Myanna laughed. �I suppose that answer suffices also. I hope you know that I�m not going wherever you have planned for us to go by myself.�
�That is why I�m bringing the Wild Karrde and the Starry Ice as backup.� Karrde�s matter of fact tone guaranteed sincerity, but Myanna picked up on something else in his voice.
�Or maybe you just don�t trust me?� Myanna cocked an eyebrow at Karrde.
A delighted grin washed over the smuggler�s face. �Finally someone who understands me!�
Myanna let out a low chuckle, then turned as the door to Karrde�s office clicked open. Shada had returned with Myanna�s gear and a small security cylinder that the lithe woman pinned onto Myanna�s tunic.
Karrde gestured at the pile of weaponry on his desk. �You had better get dressed, then we have some plans to make.�
Myanna settled herself into the pilot�s seat of her Specter. She glanced over at Zek, her beaming smile carried up into her eyes. Zek could tell she was overjoyed to be in control of her ship, and her fate, again. All of her weapons were strapped back on, and the security cylinder Karrde had issued her had been carelessly tossed aside the moment she had entered her cockpit.
Zek strapped himself into his co-pilot seat and checked the instrument panel in front of him. �We�re all green and ready to go.�
Myanna nodded towards him and laughed. �Let�s get out of here then!� She punched the throttle forward, ignoring her repulsorlifts. She laughed again as the Specter bottomed out against the flight deck, throwing sparks all over the neat hangar bay. She pulled the flight yolk back and the ship began a quick rise. The ship nearly struck the hangar ceiling. It�s top just barely cleared the ceiling, and then the ship was off.
If Zek didn�t know Myanna so well, he would assume that her maniacal laughing was a sign of insanity. But he knew it was just a sign of her joy at flying her own ship again. Zek glanced down as the comm light started flashing.
�Myanna, I think you had better take this call.�
She gave him a cocky grin and said, �Sure, put the ship thief on.�
Zek smiled and flipped the comm switch on.
�Retan!� Karrde�s outraged but somehow still suave voice came over the comm.
�What do you think you�re doing? I�ve just had three injury reports and I now have a nice streak of paint across my hangar floor!�
Myanna�s smile died and her expression turned serious. When she spoke, her voice had a chill that Zek had only ever heard her use twice before. Both were times when her ship, which was the means of her livelihood, had been threatened. �The injuries are just a taste, Karrde, of what you�ll get if you try messing with me or my ship again.�
Comm silence answered her, so she continued with a considerably lightened voice. �As for the paint stripe, your hangar was such a dull white that I felt it was my duty to brighten it up a little.� A snicker ended her jaunty comment.
�You will never harm another of my crewmen again.� The threat in Karrde�s low voice was as serious as Myanna�s had been. �Your dispute is with me and me alone. My crew are off limits, and if you ever take action against any of them again, I�ll make sure your death is as long and painful as is possible.�
Again Zek saw something rare from Myanna. He just barely caught a hint of apology in her pale yellow eyes. �Alright Karrde. If that�s how you want it.� Zek knew that was the most in the way of apology that Karrde would get from Myanna. She was too stubborn and proud for anything more.
Myanna rolled her ship and headed towards her jump point. She would make three small hyperspace jumps, then a last one to the edge of the Chorax system. There she would slave her ship�s navicomputer to the Wild Karrde�s computers. The trio of ships, including the Starry Ice, would make the final jump to their destination. Wherever that was.
Myanna pulled the lever and sent her ship hurtling into hyperspace. She stood and stretched tense muscles. �I�m gonna� go check on our passengers. You wanna� come?�
Zek�s only answer was a yawn. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
Myanna shrugged and clomped down the corridor to the passenger hold. In the upholstered couches that lined three of the walls sat her passengers. The two that were conscious, Kiliar and Kyle, looked tired, yawning almost constantly. The third passenger, who was more like a prisoner, was unconscious on the farthest couch. Myanna had insisted on bringing Reis Olan with them. She had been afraid that Karrde would take care of him before Myanna had a chance to find out what had happened between them.
�Well, people,� she said cheerily, �we are taking a nice five minute jump.�
�Five minutes?� Kyle inquired. �I though our first jump was over an hour.�
Myanna grinned. �Well, I thought you might like to recover some of your lost cargo. For a small fee, of course.�
The delight that lit up Kyle�s face was very gratifying. �Actually, I have done some thinking. You know how a while back we decided that you owed me for busting you out of prison?�
Myanna cocked an eyebrow. �Yeah, I remember.�
�Well, I was thinking that if you would let me partner with you and Zek for a while, then I would consider your debt paid.�
When Myanna didn�t answer immediately, Kyle looked down. He began fidgeting under her steady gaze. Finally, she broke her silence. �I�ll have to talk it over with Zek before I can say anything permanent.�
Kyle sighed. �I suppose that�s the best I can ask for right now.�
Myanna gave him a respecting nod, then went back to the cockpit. As she strapped herself in, Zek brought the ship from hyperspace. Myanna assumed control and turned the Specter around. She sent it back into hyperspace and towards their original coordinates.
Five minutes later, they came out of hyperspace. Kyle�s ship was floating there derelict. Myanna brought her ship alongside and anchored it there with a locking clamp. She ran to the passenger compartment and called Kyle and Kiliar over.
�I�m afraid one or two of us is going to have to suit up and go through the hole Karrde cut since no one is in your ship to let us in.�
Kyle nodded. �Show me the vacuum suits and I�ll lead the way.�
Myanna grinned. �Of course you will. Zek doesn�t know about your stash.�
Kiliar raised a furry eyebrow. �A stash?�
�Oh yeah, Kiliar. You should see it!�
Kyle shrugged and shook his head. �It�s not really as much as she makes of it. Just a few odds and ends that I�ve picked up from smuggl�� Kyle stopped. �From criminals.�
Myanna�s eyebrows arrowed together, but she decided to ignore Kyle�s slip of the tongue. Instead, she laughed. �Don�t be so modest. You know what�s in your own smuggling compartments in your ship.�
Kyle glanced down to avoid Myanna�s eyes. She quirked an eyebrow, then smiled amusedly. He looked up and glared at her. �Yeah, I guess so.�
�Kiliar, get Zek and have him suit up and go with Kyle. I still haven�t gotten any vac suits your size.�
When they had left, Myanna went over to Reis. �Hey,� she said, sitting by his head. �I know you�re awake. I saw your eyes open when I mentioned Kyle�s stash. I bet you didn�t know your little brother had a stash.�
Reis narrowed his eyes at the yellow eyed pilot. �And why would I care?� He injected as much venom as a tied up man laid out on his stomach could, but he only succeeded in sounding funny.
Myanna laughed and gave him a haughty smile. �Maybe if you would get rid of that attitude you might get untied. I don�t appreciate passenger who tries to take me or any of my friends out so don�t expect any sympathy from me.�
Reis closed his eyes and ignored her comment. �Why didn�t you let Karrde kill me?�
Myanna blinked in surprise, but kept any emotion from her voice. �Oh, I dunno�. I guess I was just feeling nice.�
�Is it because I helped you escape?� He opened his eyes again, and their intensity startled Myanna. �You should have let him kill me. It would have solved your problems and mine.�
Myanna quirked an eyebrow. �A captive with a death wish? Usually they only entertain hopes of escape. And I, personally, wouldn�t want death at Karrde�s hands. I�m sure it wouldn�t be pretty.�
�You didn�t answer my question.�
Myanna had to laugh. �You are persistent, aren�t you? But yes, your assistance in my escape from prison is greatly appreciated. Now it is my turn to ask you a question. What did you do to Karrde to earn such hate from him?�
Reis sighed and looked up at her. �You don�t want to know.�
�Oh, you have no idea how badly I want to know,� she laughed. �I�ve been curious about it since you first opened fire on him.�
Reis shut his eyes and rested the side of his head on the padded bench. �You don�t want to know.�
Myanna gave him a sidelong glance, then shrugged. �Alright then. Have it your way. But I do want to know.� Then she stood and pulled a dagger from her boot. At the sound of metal scraping leather, Reis�s eyes snapped open in fear. Myanna swiftly cut his bonds, then returned the dagger to its boot sheath. She dropped into a crouch so she could look him in the eye.
�Any trouble, and it won�t be your bonds that will be slit.� Then she rose, spun on a booted foot, and went back to the hold to await Kyle and Zek�s return from Kyle�s derelict ship.
Kyle led Zek into the cargo bay and the two suited up in vac suits. They waited for Kiliar to seal the cargo bay doors and vent the atmosphere from the hold, then opened the hatch to space. Myanna had sidled her ship up next to the hole that had been blown in the side of Kyle�s ship. The two young men climbed through the hole, careful not to tear their vac suits on its jagged edges. Kyle led Zek into the derelict ship�s hold and ran a gloved hand along the far wall�s top seam. Zek grinned and shook his head as the wall slid down to reveal a hidden compartment.
�You law enforcer types usually do get the best haul, don�t you?� Zek�s voice came over the vac suit�s comm.
Kyle raised an eyebrow. �You and Myanna are too much alike. She said the same thing.�
Zek let out a little cough. �I don�t know about that.�
�I tend to agree with Zek on this one.�
Kyle jumped as the somewhat muted, but still distinctive, voice of Myanna emerged over the comm.
�I take the sudden silence to mean you�ve forgotten I would have my own vac suits tapped?� A laugh. �I thought you two would have known better.�
Kyle scowled. �Okay, let�s get to work and get these crates over to the Specter. No need to stay here longer than we have to.�
�Yeah.� Zek looked over his shoulder and shook his head. �I don�t know about you, but I�m not exactly comfortable here. We�d be sitting mynocks if anyone jumped us.�
Kyle promptly began pulling the three unopened crates from the compartment. Zek fastened down the lid of the one the Kyle and Myanna had opened earlier. It wasn�t hard to move the crates in vacuum, but they were large and unwieldy, bumping against walls and catching on protruding objects at inconvenient moments.
When they had finally moved the four crates into Specter�s hold, Kiliar triggered the re-pressurization of the hold. As soon as the hatch lock cycled from red to green, Kiliar opened it and literally pounced on the crates eagerly. Kyle rolled his eyes and grabbed the Togorian�s arm. He felt corded muscles tense beneath his touch and wondered at the wisdom of touching the big cat. He quickly released his grip and held up his hands placatingly.
�We need to get out of these suits and back up to the cockpit.� He had meant it as a command, but it came out as more of a suggestion.
Zek over-exaggerated a nod. �Oh yeah. I�m beginning to feel a little stifled.� He pulled off the suit with obvious relief, then helped Kyle out of his. He and Kiliar stayed behind to tie down the crates while Kyle went up to the cockpit to assist Myanna if needed. Kyle had a feeling, though, that they�d probably take a look inside first.
Just before Kyle reached the cockpit, he felt the ship beginning to accelerate. He pressed his hands against the walls to brace himself, and just in time. It felt as if a giant palm had slammed into his body as the ship jumped to hyperspace. He grinned at the sound of the crates sliding and slamming into the hold wall, along with Zek and Kiliar. A loud roar of outrage accompanied him into the cockpit. He vaulted the co-pilot�s chair and sat down, kicking his feet up onto one of the consoles.
�Mission accomplished,� he said cheerily.
Myanna had to fight back a grin and put on a reproving glare. �Feet off, please. You�ll hit something if you�re not careful.�
Kyle just leaned back and closed his eyes, smile still plastered to his youthful face. �So, whad�dya� want to do with the merchandise? Of course we�ll take the pick, but do you want to sell it or keep it in storage?�
Myanna looked at him sharply. �Sell it? Why would we want to do that?�
�Oh, I dunno�. The credits could come in handy. That stuff would sell for a ton,� Kyle replied nonchalantly.
Myanna laughed, slapping her hand on her knee. �You make it sound like all I care about is money!� Then she stopped, her face taking on a thoughtful look. �Oh, wait, that would be correct.�
Kyle snorted. �I agree, though. Let�s keep the weapons around for a while longer. Never know when they�ll come in handy.�
Myanna grinned and shook her head. �You know, I think I�m rubbing off on you.� She turned back to one of the consoles and hit several buttons in quick sequence. Her holoprojector clicked on and the image of the lounge flashed into view. �Keep an eye on your brother for me. He seemed almost suicidal when I talked to him several minutes ago. He kept insisting that I should have let Karrde kill him.�
Kyle studied the image of his brother with intense curiosity. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. �I don�t understand how I could have a brother with the same last name in the same security force who looks so much like me without knowing. I am�was a ranking officer. So was Reis. We would have had to meet at some meeting or another!�
Myanna raised an eyebrow at the distressed look on the ex-guard�s face. �Got me,� she said casually, shrugging. �Maybe someone high up didn�t want you, or him, to know.� Her eyes flicked to the man sitting dejectedly on the lounge bench, then they drifted back to Kyle. �If you were a ranking officer, why did those other guards hate you? One would think they�d show a little respect.�
Kyle sighed and slumped back in his chair. �They didn�t hate me,� he said tiredly. �I think they were all just a little jealous. My father was one of the higher ups in the force and I rose through the ranks quickly.�
At Myanna�s grin, he shook his head. �I got through purely on merit, but I suppose they all thought my father pulled strings. They dubbed me a spoiled brat and coward.�
Myanna shook her head. �No offense, but if it was me, I�d be thinking the same thing as those guards. I mean, you are awful young and your father is an officer. Maybe he did pull strings and you never knew it.�
She could see the denial rise to Kyle�s lips, then he seemed to consider her words. After a few moments of silence, he shrugged. �I suppose it�s possible.�
Myanna kicked her own feet up on the console. �I�m going to get a little sleep while I can. Feel free to do the same. Forget about watching your brother. I doubt he�ll do anything to himself without someone finding out.�
Kyle pulled his feel down and stood. �Yeah, if he does manage to kill himself, we�ll find out soon enough, right?�
Myanna was surprised by the bitterness in his voice. �What�s wrong with you?�
Kyle shook his head. �Sorry. But I just found out I have a brother. I�m not ready to let him go yet.�
Myanna studied his earnest face, then sighed. �Okay. No one�s keeping you here.�
The young man turned and left without another word. Myanna let her head fall back against her chair�s head rest, then closed her eyes and let out a low moan. She hoped bringing Reis along wasn�t going to make too much trouble.
Kyle slowly made his way down to the lounge. He keyed the code Myanna had given him into the lock keypad and stepped inside when the door slid open. Reis glanced up at him from his seat on the bench, then looked back down at the floor. Kyle went and sat next to him.
�Reis,� Kyle said softly. He wasn�t quite sure what he wanted to say to his brother, but he knew he had to find out why he hadn�t know about him.
The dark haired man looked up again. He studied his brother�s face for a moment, then looked back down at the ground. �What do you want?�
�I�I wanted to know why I didn�t know about you. Did you know about me?� Kyle fidgeted, then caught himself and stopped.
Reis sniffed. �No, of course not. I was shocked when I first saw you. It�s obvious that we�re brothers�or at least related somehow, but I�ve never seen you before in my life.�
Kyle shook his head. �Same here. My father is General Marcus Olan. Yours?�
Reis shrugged. �I have no idea. The last name�s the same, of course, but I never knew my father or mother.�
�Where�d you grow up then?� Kyle tilted his head slightly to the side.
Reis finally looked up again and met Kyle�s eyes. �On the streets.� There was no shame in the dark headed man�s eyes, only a grim pride and defiance.
Kyle had to look away from Reis�s green-eyed gaze. He didn�t really know what to say. When he turned back to Reis, the man was smiling fiercely. �Don�t worry,� Reis said haughtily. �You�re not the first who�s pitied me. But I don�t need your pity or your respect. All I need is a good blaster and I�m set.� He turned his gaze back to the floor and seemed to forget that Kyle was there.
Kyle watched Reis for several minutes, then got up and strode from the room. He keyed the lock, then leaned against the wall. The brief encounter had left him more confused than ever. None of his questions had been answered. In fact, he found that he now had more than ever. He rubbed his face with his hands, then debated where to go. He didn�t want to go up to the cockpit and unwelcome questions from Myanna. Finally, he decided to go back to the hold and check on his weapons crates.
He was amused to find Kiliar and Zek exclaiming excitedly over some of the weapons they had found. Just like two kids in a candy store, he thought wryly. The two had yet to notice him, so he decided he�d leave them undisturbed. With no other choice left to him, Kyle finally pulled together enough resolve to return to the cockpit. He was pleasantly surprised to find Myanna sound asleep when he entered, though. The ex-guard slid into the co-pilot�s seat and let his head fall back against the headrest. Sleep seemed like a good escape from the turmoil in his mind. He let his eyes drift shut and willed his thoughts to be still. After several long minutes, he felt himself falling asleep to the steady sound of Myanna�s breathing.
Myanna woke to the sound of alarms going off. Her eyes flew open and she immediately looked at the indicator board. Relief washed over her as she realized it was only the hyperspace emergence countdown warning. She slapped off the alarm and reached for the hyperspace lever, then pulled it back as the countdown reached zero. The transition from hyperspace was satisfactorily smooth as the white streaks surrounding them shrank back down to the pinpoints of stars. Myanna immediately scanned the area for other ships. As she had expected, three ships hung motionless in the darkness of deep space.
Myanna hoped Karrde wouldn�t be able to trace her route back from her arrival point. She had come straight from Kyle Olan�s ship to make up for lost time, instead of taking the several precautionary hyperspace jumps that Karrde had instructed her to take. She toggled the comm switch and greeted the smuggler.
�We�re here, Karrde,� she said without preamble. �What do you want me to do now?�
�I�m so glad you�ve deigned to grace us with your esteemed presence, Retan. If you deem this fashionably late, then I�d hate to hear what inexcusably late is.�
Karrde�s always smooth voice issued forth over Myanna�s comm unit. She smiled slightly and shrugged, even though she knew he couldn�t see her. �We had a slight malfunction with our sublight engines at the last drop point,� she lied smoothly. �Luckily we had the extra parts to fix it without extra expense or delay.�
There was a slight pause, then Karrde�s voice came back, slightly guarded. �I see,� he said, keeping the suspicion out of his voice that Myanna could literally feel emanating from him. �In that case, I suppose I can forgive your tardiness.�
A soft rustle alerted Myanna to her co-pilot. She glanced over and gave Kyle a slightly victorious smile. Kyle shook his head and grinned. �You�re good,� he said very softly. Myanna�s smile widened and she turned back to the comm.
�So what�s up, Karrde? You wanted us to come here, and now we�re here. What happens next?� She let her tone take on a sharp edge. �Or did you bring us all this way for nothing?�
�I wouldn�t exactly call it nothing.�
�Then what would you call it?� she asked, a very real note of curiosity weaseling its way into her voice.
�A matter of profit.� Karrde paused dramatically. �And I�m sure we�re all in agreement that profit is something to be desired.�
Myanna laughed sharply. �You�ve got that right, Karrde. So how do we got about making a profit here?�
�Not here, Myanna. This is where you slave your navicomputer to the Wild Karrde�s and trust me to get us where we need to go.�
�Trust isn�t in my vocabulary, Karrde.� Myanna�s voice turned icy. �I�m afraid you�re going to have to do better than that.�
Kyle suddenly reached out and flipped off the vocal receiver. �Myanna, I think you�d better go with Karrde on this one.� He shook his head and shrugged. �I don�t think arguing will do you any good. You have to remember that we�re under three ships� guns here. They�ve definitely got the upper hand.�
Myanna laughed flippantly. �Hey, you haven�t flown with me long enough to know what the Specter can do. I can get this baby out of any mess, no challenge.�
Kyle gave her a hard-edged glare. �Don�t delude yourself. I�m not trying to be insulting, just practical. It would be better for all of us if you just went along with Karrde�s little scheme.�
Myanna sighed and looked back out the viewport. As Kyle had so prudently pointed out, all of Karrde�s ships had their heavy lasers and turbolasers trained on her ship. She flipped the comm pickup back on.
�Alright Karrde,� Myanna gritted out the words. �My co-pilot has convinced me to go along with you, but I don�t trust you.�
�I�d be disappointed if you did, Retan,� Karrde said solemnly. �Now, if you�ll allow me, we should be getting under way. I�ll give you a full briefing when we�ve arrived at our destination.�
Myanna rolled her eyes and set about slaving her computer to Karrde�s. When that task was accomplished, and the ships in motion towards their jump coordinates, Myanna found time to glance at Kyle.
�I hope you know what you�ve gotten us into,� she said wearily.
Kyle could only shrug. �I don�t, but it�s got to be better than being vaporized by an angry information broker, right?�
Myanna forced a laugh. �You�ve got a point.�
The navicomputer beeped softly. Myanna barely had time to glance down at it before the stars elongated as they made the jump to hyperspace.
Myanna dug through the equipment lockers Zek and Kiliar had brought aboard. She tossed several long swords out and searched for something smaller, something more concealable. She had found a small dagger earlier, but she felt that she needed to be better armed when dealing with Karrde. She already had her blaster belted on, along with her holdout blaster on her forearm and the dagger in her booth sheath, but she still wasn�t quite satisfied. She dug around for a while longer before she found exactly what she was looking for. She fitted the eight inch knife between the fasteners of her holdout blaster and rigged the fasteners so that when she twisted her arm a certain way, the knife would drop out into her hand. The trick with the sleeve cuff had worked well, but she wanted something a little more certain.
Zek made his way into the hold just as Myanna had pulled her sleeve down to cover her newest weapon. He raised an eyebrow at the arms scattered all over the floor. �I take it you�re looking for something?�
Myanna grinned and continued fishing through the crate. �You got it.� She made a show of pulling out a very ornamental sword. �This looks about right.� She pulled the blade from its ornate sheath and hefted it. Myanna was surprised by how well balanced it was. She decided that she might just wear it.
Zek shook his head slightly. �It fits you, you know.�
Myanna laughed and admired the sword. The blade was some unknown silver metal that was gleamed prettily and had fancy engravings traced along it. The hilt was of the same metal, but colored gold. Rare-looking jewels were set in it and they sparkled as the light caught them.
�I wonder if Kyle has any more sword belts. If he does, I think I�m wearing this when we go to meet Karrde.� Myanna stood up and gestured at the crate. �Why don�t you pick something? I can�t be the only one to have one of these on.�
Zek laughed and started sorting through the weapons. He quickly chose a more blas� sword of all silver. It had only one jewel set in the hilt, but was very elegant. It fit Zek�s laid back personality. �It�s you, Zek.�
Zek grinned and admired his choice.
�Oh, by the way,� Myanna began blithely, �Kyle asked me if he could join our partnership and consider our debt to him paid.�
Zek let his hand drop down by his side and looked evenly at Myanna. �Why on earth would he want to do that?�
Myanna barked out a short laugh. �Okay, I have to admit that this probably isn�t the best way to go about making a living, or the safest, or the easiest, but it does have its advantages.� She waved a hand at the weapons crate. �For example, if we weren�t in this line of work, we would have never gotten our hands on all this merchandise.�
Zek rolled his eyes. �Yeah, or have nearly gotten killed doing it.�
The yellow-eyed smuggled shook her head. �You take all the charm out of it. But back to the subject. Do we take him on, or give him the boot at the next inhabited planet?� Myanna walked over and sat on one of the closed crates. She ran her fingers over the hilt of her blade again. �Keep in mind that he did get us out of quite a jam.�
Zek seated himself on the crate opposite hers. He leaned back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. �I don�t know, Myanna. If we took on everyone who helped us out, we�d have to get a Star Destroyer to cart them all around.�
�Not such a bad idea, except that it�s a bit out of our credit range.�
Zek turned a sober eye on her. �Myanna, please.�
Myanna threw up her hands in exasperation. �A joke, Zek, a joke. Lighten up a little, will ya�?� She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. �So do we take him up on his proposition or not?�
Zek sighed and shook his head. �You�re the captain, Captain. You decide, that way if anything goes wrong I can blame you for it.� He finally cracked a small, somber grin.
Myanna reached out and grabbed his shoulder. �I knew you�d come around. You won�t regret it.� She release him, scooped up her sword, and hurried from the room.
Zek watched her go, somehow feeling that perhaps this was one time he shouldn�t have trusted Myanna�s judgment.
To Be Continued...