The Fated Stars Read online

  Maybe she’d give herself a few days on Sirena Two, to relax and sunbathe, before moving on to the business of getting ship upgrades. She programmed the course to the resort planet into the ship and put the astronav unit into standby status. “Just as soon as I get back from this crazy side trip to the fortune teller, we’ll be on our way,” she said to the uncaring AI.

  Strapping on her blaster, Larissa left the ship and walked into town. One advantage of these small colony settlements was the proximity of everything. The place was pretty deserted today, as it was a local work day. When she reached the carnival, the attraction was open but had hardly any customers, mostly teenagers cutting school or work, and a few parents with young children, gawking at the animals or enjoying the kiddie rides.

  How can this carnival make enough credits to stay in business? To fly around the Sectors? She made a point of lingering over a game of chance, winning a small toy she handed off to a nearby kid, getting a shy smile and a whispered word of thanks. Now she was observing closely in the harsh daylight, she saw even more clearly how rundown and shoddy the setup was.

  There had to be a hidden purpose to this carnival’s existence. Smuggling maybe. Or drugs. Neither was her problem unless a client paid her to investigate, so she continued her leisurely tour of the place, trying to imitate a bored spacer killing time.

  When she reached the fortune teller’s tent, three giggly girls were already inside, so she pretended to examine the faux antiquities scattered around the interior with awe while the trio received their generic fortunes. The girls departed amidst much speculation over which boys of their acquaintance the seer had meant.

  The man hadn’t opened his eyes at all. Larissa drifted to the front. “How much for a private reading?”

  “Huh?” The carny, who was the same woman who’d been on duty the night before, gaped at her. “You pay your credit and you get whatever he says.”

  “Yeah, I understand. I was here last night, and I just wondered if I could have him tell me more.” Larissa lowered her voice and leaned toward the other. “I didn’t want to ask too many questions with my friends listening, you know?” She pulled out a ten credit token. “Of course I understand there’d be an extra fee for a private session.”

  The credit was gone from her hand as if it’d never been. The carny headed for the entrance. “Five minutes. Don’t touch anything. Stand in the circle at all times. When I get back, you’re done.” She looped the flap down as she exited, giving Larissa unexpected privacy.

  She planted her boots in the circle and studied the man’s face. “All right, you seemed to want to talk to me last night, so talk. Or am I wasting ten perfectly good credits?”

  His eyelids flickered. Difficult. They increased the pressure after last night. Please, can you help?

  “Sure, I’ll report to the local authorities you’re being held against your will—”

  No!

  His voice was a shout in her head, making her temples throb with pain.

  There are other lives at stake. Elsewhere. Can you help me? Get me out of here?

  His head lolled on the chair, and she could see the effort he was making against whatever stasis or force his captors were using. “What’s in it for me? I don’t usually work for free.” She was curious what his reaction would be.

  You’re a warrior of Thuun, how can you speak of payment? Perhaps I was mistaken in you. I thought I saw…His voice trailed off and he slumped.

  She didn’t like the idea he was judging her, even though she had to admit she’d asked for it, mentioning payment. “Thought you saw what?”

  The blue flames. Now his eyes opened, his gaze locking onto her. I must have been mistaken. There is no help to be had in this cursed place. No hope.

  She was his best hope, whether he knew it or not. Larissa was one of the top mercenaries in the Guild. She knew she’d more than half talked herself into taking him on as a nonpaying client. “Do they keep you in the bubble all the time?”

  Yes. There are different settings, depending what they want me to do. He grimaced. Right now I’m performing. They don’t realize I can communicate…with the right person…but my power is curtailed.

  The resonant voice was weakening. Larissa heard movement outside the tent, more customers arriving or the carny coming back from her break. Lowering her voice, Larissa stepped closer but still in the circle. “Do they keep you here, in this tent all night?”

  No, in the stable with the animals at night, after closing. Are you going to help me?

  “Thanks for the new prophecy,” she said, making her voice cheery and loud. “I’ll be sure to watch out for the dark body of water you mentioned.”

  “Time’s up, lady.” The attendant rushed down the aisle, eyes wide. “You gotta leave. My boss is coming.”

  “Sure, no problem. Thanks for the extra time.” She flipped the girl another credit and spun on her heel, striding away from the fortune teller without a backward glance. As she left the tent, a brawny man in an ill-fitting, cheap suit shouldered past her, giving her a speculative once over. “Enjoying the attractions, miss?” His voice was deep and raspy.

  “Nothing like it in the solar system.” Larissa gave him a flirtatious smile.

  “Name’s Sul Kinterow, and this is my operation. I’d be happy to give you a personal tour.” His tone intimated the tour could get just as personal as she wanted.

  Repressing a shudder at the man’s oily innuendo, she shook her head. “Sorry, meeting a friend later.” Escaping, she walked slowly to the food area.

  She dawdled on her way out of the carnival, stopping to try two more games of chance and sample the wares at a candy stall. As she strove to project the appearance of moving aimlessly, like a person killing time, she was getting the layout firmly in her head and counting how many staff there were. Given the robo attendants on the rides and the games, she was surprised how many men and women appeared to be working the event. Most of them carried themselves like soldiers, not slouched and disinterested like low wage carnies. Far too watchful for her comfort. By the time she was walking through town back to her ship, tossing the sickly sweet candy in the nearest recycler, Larissa was even more convinced something ominous lay behind the traveling fair’s agenda.

  She had the Valkyrie’s AI begin a crawl through all the databases accessible to her, a few of which were authorized for mercenaries, the general ones the entire Sectors used, and a few classified areas Sectors command wouldn’t be happy to know she could still access.

  Searching for data on the carnival, Larissa was surprised how little information existed. From all indications, the operation appeared full blown about four years ago, traveling an interesting route along the Sectors frontier in this area of the galaxy, visiting the colonies in a leisurely itinerary. The AI reported there was another traveling show with the same name, in an adjacent, slightly more settled portion of the Sectors’ border.

  “There can’t be many credits in carting mangy animals, cheap rides and attractions around the galaxy. Not to mention the risk of holding illegal slaves, if the seer is telling me the truth about his situation.” She leaned back in her chair at the control console and sipped her coffee.

  Larissa had to admit she was intrigued on several levels now, not just because of her innate compulsion to help a sentient in trouble. There could be deeper implications for the security of the Sectors at stake here.

  She flew her small personal skimmer from the ship after dark, charting a wide course out over the ocean and looped back, in case anyone at the carnival had her under observation. She was concerned her second visit to the seer might have raised red flags.

  Landing the craft in a thickly wooded area about a mile from the sideshow, she checked her weapons and armor and waited for closing time to pass before setting out.

  Reconnoitering the empty, shuttered carnival from several carefully chosen angles, she worked her way toward the temporary structure she’d marked earlier as the barn for all the animals. It w
as surprising the seer was forced to sleep with the beasts but if he was in a stasis shell, he wouldn’t need food or water or any other accommodation. How can he stay sane, if that’s how they’re keeping him? Human prisoners of the Mawreg went permanently insane after just a few weeks of such treatment in the alien prison camps.

  The barn appeared to be unguarded so she unlocked the security controls with her illicit tech and slipped inside. Watched by the underfed, mangy animals, she worked her way through the areas, alert for any sign of a security guard. Other beasts slept curled up in furry clumps, taking comfort from each other’s company.

  Sure enough, the seer’s chair in a bubble sat by itself in a corner, with the man himself locked into the same position she’d seen before, held by stasis and force bonds. His eyes were open, gleaming in the dark barn.

  You came. His intoxicating voice whispered in her head, equal parts disbelief and happiness.

  “I even surprised myself,” she said softly.

  I’m grateful, my lady warrior. Can you turn off the cage?

  “We’ll soon find out.” Larissa directed a narrow beam light at the controls she’d seen the carny woman using during her two visits to the seer’s tent in order to study the panel. The controls were labelled but not in Basic. Glancing at him, although he was unable to move his head, she asked, “Do you know how to operate this? I’d hate to push the wrong button.”

  All I know for sure is the largest knob activates the device. They tested it before putting me inside.

  “Here goes nothing then. Brace yourself.” Larissa toggled the button in the opposite direction as far as it would go. With a sharp buzz that echoed in the barn, the bubble shrank away, disappearing in sections. Apparently, the force ties were also connected to the same circuit, as the man slumped forward, nearly falling from the chair before Larissa jumped to catch him. “Take it easy, even if you’ve been in stasis, your muscles will be nonresponsive for a bit,” she whispered in his ear. “No need to panic, your control will come back.”

  Do I strike you as the panicking kind? He nodded fractionally and, despite her admonition, tried unsuccessfully to take some of his own weight.

  “A touch arrogant and over confident maybe,” she said softly, encouraged to hear a note of attempted humor in his mental voice. “Listen to the merc who knows what she’s talking about.”

  She remembered from her sorties into the Mawreg camps most of the prisoners had to be carried to freedom and a few never regained their mobility. Repressing the grim memory, she helped him sit on the edge of the platform. “I’m Larissa Channer by the way.”

  “Samell, High Priest of Thuun at Melgadarr,” he said in lightly accented Basic, working to get the thick silver band off his head. He threw it into the straw and rubbed his forehead as if soothing away a headache. Even in the gloom of the barn, Larissa was shocked by the deep red mark on his skin where the device had pressed tight. Samell straightened and shut his eyes for an exaggerated blink. “Although I’ll never see the temple again.”

  His actual voice was the same beguiling, rich baritone she heard in her head when he broadcast telepathically. Deep, resonant and compelling. This guy could bespell a crowd with just his words. With a start, she dug in her utility pockets. “I brought you an energy drink – I assume you can eat what we eat.”

  “I have no idea but must take the risk.” He took the container and fumbled with it so badly, his fingers shaking as if had palsy, she had to take it back and open it, helping him hold the opening to his lips.

  “We’ve got to get moving,” she said as he sipped the enhanced juice full of enzymes and boosters. “We have a hike ahead of us to my skimmer. It’d be best if we could lift ship and be off this world before they discover you’ve escaped. Then we’ll discuss what steps to take next, as far as contacting the authorities or–”

  He finished the drink and sat up straighter as he crushed the container in one large fist, clearly relishing his small accomplishment. “Such joy in even a simple task.” Eyes glowing gold and green, he stared at her in the dim barn. “I owe you a debt beyond payment.”

  “We’re hardly safe yet.” She hooked her arm under his elbow and urged him to his feet, bracing him. “We’ll go out the way I came in, at the back. We have to hike about a mile through a forest.”

  “I must free these others,” he said.

  “Others? You mean the animals?”

  Samell nodded.

  “We don’t have time. We don’t need to create a distraction – we need to sneak out.”

  “I promised them. They desire to be free as much as I did.”

  Larissa couldn’t believe her ears. “Even at the cost of risking your own escape? Listen, I’m taking a big chance here, and I say we need to go now. Once we’ve sorted out how best to shut down this shady operation Kinterow is running, the animals will get taken care of by the proper authorities.”

  He pulled away from her, leaning on the nearest stall to keep from falling.

  Chill running down her spine, she noticed all the animals were awake now, crowding the barriers of each enclosure, watching the two of them.

  “I owe them my life and my sanity,” he said, petting the neck of the big quadruped butting his shoulder and nibbling at his sleeve. “They allowed me to siphon life-force from them in tiny increments and see through their eyes at times, which is all that kept me from going mad more than once, imprisoned in my chair.”

  Is this guy for real? “Setting a bunch of predators and prey animals loose on a strange world to fend for themselves isn’t doing them any favors, even if we had time.” She ran one hand through her hair. “I can’t believe I’m even discussing the subject. We’re wasting time, and I say we go now.”

  All the lights in the barn flared into life, and Kinterow’s unmistakably rough voice said, “You won’t be going anywhere tonight, mercenary, and especially not with my top grossing performer. He’s my biggest draw, believe it or not. Take her.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Larissa was outnumbered, ringed by armed men coming in the door behind the ringmaster Kinterow, as well as a squad slinking up behind her. Dropping her blaster, she raised her hands. “No harm done if I wanted to get more prophecies, right? Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

  Kinterow kicked her weapon aside. “On your knees, bitch, hands locked behind your neck, and don’t waste my time. I don’t know what’s going on here, who hired you and why, but I’ve got no patience for banter.”

  The odds were definitely against her. Larissa complied with his command and made no protest as the ringmaster locked force cuffs around her wrists. “Stay put until the sheriff arrives, and you won’t get hurt,” Kinterow said, cinching the cuffs tight.

  “You called the cops? With the laws you’ve been breaking? Keeping this man a prisoner? Maybe more than just him for all I know?” She was incredulous but she heard the siren in the distance. Why would he risk the police scrutinizing his shady operation? A few words from Samell and Kinterow would be the one under arrest, not her.

  “I maintain good relations with the local authorities on every world we visit.” The carnival operator smirked. “Comes in handy, like tonight. Lucky for you or I might be proceeding differently, in ways you wouldn’t like. Unless you like it rough. Mercenaries aren’t my usual style, but for you I could make an exception.” He cupped his hand under her chin.

  “In your dreams.” She jerked her head away, nearly falling.

  “Leave her alone.” Weakened though he was, Samell struggled with the men holding him.

  With a laugh, Kinterow stepped away from Larissa and pointed at the nearest man. “Get the performer out of sight. I don’t need the sheriff to talk to him until our pet fortune teller has been reminded of what’s at stake here. In fact, give our misbehaving seer a taste now, why don’t you?”

  Grinning, the man walked over to where Samell stood between two burly workers, who held him motionless. Cocking his fist, the carny delivered a vicious blow, knocking th
e seer into the straw.

  “Take him to the bunkhouse, make sure he’s properly restrained before he shakes off the stasis sickness.” Bending over, Kinterow retrieved the headband from the ground and tossed it to one of the others, who caught it one handed. “Be sure you get this back on while he’s dazed.”

  Larissa expected Samell to send her a psychic message, but there was no sign from him as he was carried out of the barn.

  She waited on her knees, ignoring more suggestive comments from the ringmaster and his thugs until the sheriff arrived to take her into custody.

  “Surprised to see you in a mess like this, Channer,” the officer said. “Mercenary with your stellar reputation, breaking into a barn? Who paid you for the stunt? You high? Drunk?”

  She bit her lip. “I’m not talking until I have a lawyer.”

  Kinterow said, “I’ll come in tomorrow and swear out the complaint. I need to make sure she didn’t harm any of my valuable and rare performing animals while she was trespassing.”

  “No problem. I can hold her for twenty six hours on suspicion,” the sheriff said. “We’ll do the standard drug tests, although with the shit the Guild uses, we probably won’t find anything.” Eyeing Larissa as he hauled her to her feet, he added, “She doesn’t act drunk or jacked, but finding her trespassing here with a weapon is probable cause for detention until we know more.” He gave Kinterow back his force cuffs as soon as he secured Larissa’s wrists with his own.

  The deputy took possession of Larissa’s blaster as the sheriff dragged her from the barn. She was marched across the carnival grounds, conscious of the small clusters of workers gathered to watch, laughing and pointing.

  Furious with herself for being in this situation, Larissa maintained her silence until the sheriff had driven her to the jail and done the booking formalities. She’d been in jail more than once before. Occupational hazard of living on the less than law abiding side of the Sectors. Her Guild had the gravity to get her out in a few hours. “I’m entitled to one com call.”