BEST LAID PLANS

CHAPTER 1

The bleeding gash in my abdomen wasn’t the first clue that I made the wrong decision in taking the job on Thetas 5, but it was the most painful.

Blood flowed down my side, crystalizing in the cold night air as I hobbled down the darkened streets. I needed to stop the bleeding, but I had a ship to catch, and if I didn’t get there soon, it would depart without me, giving me more to worry about than bleeding to death. After all, I didn’t fear dying, but what I’d find when I awoke from my impermanent slumber.

Faster, Teri, you have to get off this planet before it’s too late.

Grunting, I increased my steps, one hand pressed against the laser pistol wound below my breast, the other clutching the case that held my belongings and the harbinger of my bad luck.

Knowing which missions to take, and which to avoid, meant the difference between life or death. I learned that lesson after the first time I died, and yet, I apparently, needed a refresher.

Everything had gone wrong, since the early hours of the morning when I first failed to acquire the stone box from my target, to fleeing with my life from my rented apartment, and ending with being shot by a very pissed off planetary security officer.

I can’t believe the bastard shot me. If I’d known he would take my attempt to kill him so personally, I would have done better at making sure he was dead.

Damn it, I never should have taken this job.

As emphasis, an explosion rocked the street. The force shoved me against the brick wall of one of the abandoned factory buildings. I stared into the night sky, lit bright by an orange glow as flames raged skyward only two blocks away.

This planet is going crazy. What the hell have I done?

The answer to that question was complicated. In truth, all I’d done was in reaction to being framed as a bio-terrorist that hours before had released a terrifying creature on the planet that would multiply and kill off most of the planet’s population in a matter of months.

Being framed for mass genocide sucked, especially considering that I was guilty of far worse over the course of my long life. Although I hadn’t been given much of a choice on whether I wanted to participate in the unimaginable atrocities I committed more than half a galaxy away, those sins were mine and I had to carry them with me, no matter how far I ran.

Still, I had hoped I’d left all that behind me, starting life over, living a much more saintly life as a thief for hire, and while I’d left a few bodies in my wake, those had been necessities. Just like my attempt to kill the security officer when he cornered me.

No, no guilt, it only gets in the way. I did what I needed to survive.

I didn’t have time to ponder the truth in that as an approaching siren caught my attention.

Wincing, I pushed off the wall and stepped back into an alley, folding into the shadows.

The siren grew closer, until the emergency vehicle past by me on the way to one of hundreds of emergencies overwhelming the city. And while, the medics would have probably been too busy to notice me, I couldn’t take any chances that I’d be recognized.

Resting against the wall, I sighed and sent a cloud of breath into the air. I tossed my black hair out of the way and peered down to check my wound. So much blood covered my side, I couldn’t see the brown tone of my skin. If I didn’t repair the damage soon, I really would bleed to death and that would only complicate matters.

I took another breath, then shut my eyes and focused on the injury. The laser blast from the sec’s weapon wouldn’t have been that bad had it not nicked an artery. Seeing the blue swirl of my remaining essence in my mind, I knew that I had enough energy stored within me to heal the worst of the damage until I could get to the transport ship.

All right, do this fast. You can’t miss the ship off this planet.

Focusing, I sent the concentrated life energy to repair my artery and seal as much of the outer wound as I could to stop the bleeding. The blood loss stopped almost immediately, but it took another minute or two to repair the rest. As the swirling blue essence faded in my mind, my healing came to an end. When I opened my eyes, I slipped down the wall, bracing my legs to stop me from dropping to the ground. Breathing deep threw my nose, I waited out the pain.

As I took a moment, I tried to stay focused on my current predicament, escaping Thetas 5, and not the one that I would have to face soon, which was the fact that the Caste, the cruel and sadistic aliens that wiped out my people hundreds of years ago, who took me prisoner and tortured me for more than a century, had arrived in this section of the galaxy, and everyone in it was going to die.

Tk-tk-tk.

My muscles tensed at the sound coming from above me.

Even with my laser pistol strapped to my hip, I would never reach it in time.

Don’t run. Wait for it. Let it make the first move.

I gripped the case tighter.

SCREEEE.

I pushed off the wall into a spin as I brought the case above me. The creature landed on top of the metal lid. Still in motion, I turned and slammed it against the wall. A disgusting crunch sounded from between the brick and metal. When I pulled back the case, an acrid odor filled the air. White goo and the beige chunks of a smashed thorax and limbs were visible on the wall, but the creature was dead.

I can’t believe they are spreading this fast, my building is miles from here. Forget about that, I have to get to the ship. If the skitters are here, the Caste can’t be far behind.

If I’m captured, the things they’ll do to me….

Putting my hand back over my injured side, I got moving. Running on adrenaline, I rushed through the streets until I arrived at the shipyard’s docking bay for the transport vessel, The Lexington, already overrun with citizens yelling in anger, others begging and screaming to be allowed passage onto the ship as armed guards blocked their path.

I caused this madness. It doesn’t matter. The only thing that does is getting off this planet, before all hell breaks loose.

Funny, considering most people would think that riots, explosions, and dangerous insect-like creatures the size of small pets would all fall into the category of hell breaking loose, but I knew there was worse to come.

I started towards the ship, glad that I wore all black to help conceal the blood and dirt that stained my clothes. Pushing my way through the crowd, my leg gave out, but I righted myself.

Keep moving. Get on board. No rest until I’m safe on that ship and flying off this planet. Then what? I’m going to be blamed for the death of tens of thousands of people. The two secs that I left alive will be able to identify me. Then the Reservists will know that I’m still alive and the planetary alliance will never stop hunting me.

First things first, survive, get off the planet, then worry about the rest, later.

Agreeing to focus on my escape, I fought my way through the mass of people to the ship.

“Let us in. You can’t leave us here to die,” someone yelled, agitating the crowd more.

“Stay back. This ship is a privately owned vessel, and we will use force, if needed,” one of the secs yelled back, clutching his sidearm in its holster against his dark navy blue uniform. “If your government deems it necessary, I’m sure they’ll provide an evacuation plan.”

He looked too busy picking out threats from the crowd to pay attention to any particular faces, but I kept my head down just in case. While I’d started the panic on the planet to keep the secs too busy to look for me, it didn’t mean that some weren’t good at multitasking.

I reached into my pocket to grab my DataScreen, which held my travel docs. The DS was there, but the data strip I came across was not.

It must have fallen out while I was fighting with Frons. Damn it.

Lieutenant Frons had vowed that I wouldn’t escape, and he had shot me to try to make certain he kept his word. Thankfully, I’d had a few tricks at my disposal and managed to get away, but my escape came with a high price, literally, as I thought about how many euclin chips were likely on the data strip.

Nothing I could do about the lost data strip now; I certainly wasn’t going back for it, though I could have used that money to go into hiding, once I escaped the planet and met up with my partner, Rizzo. Although, depending on what he had to tell me when I arrived, he might be my late partner.

“Stay back. If you don’t have a pass, you cannot board,” an officer yelled across the crowd. He looked in his early twenties, too young to know that only one thing would persuade the crowd to leave.

I gave a final push and broke through the front of the crowd. With a few taps on my DS, I rid myself of my alias, Dana Jameson.

As I finished, the officer turned around and I found myself staring down the barrel of his gun. “Let me see your pass!”

I moved slow—nothing worse than a jumpy kid with a gun—and handed the device over to him. He took the DS, but kept the gun pointed at me to my dismay.

It would be a shame to have made it this far, only to be shot down by this kid.

He scanned the device. “Ms. Teri Night—”

I winced as he used my real name, another reason for me to kill my partner.

“You’re our last guest,” he continued. “Get on board and get situated. We’ll be leaving a little ahead of schedule. He handed back the DS.

“Perfect,” I muttered under my breath. Quickly, I rushed past him.

“Our last guest has arrived. Prepare the ship to take off.”

“Understood,” a voice said through the officer’s com.

“They’re about to leave. Come on, we can take them,” someone yelled from the crowd.

A second later, the officer yelled, “I said, stay back!”

As my boots clinked up the metal ramp, I heard the first rounds of gunfire. Knowing better, I kept my eyes straight ahead as the crowd screamed.

“Seal the doors,” a voice yelled, almost as soon as I stepped into the loading area of the ship. The sound of heavy powered motors whirred to life.

It didn’t have to go down this way.

I looked over my shoulder as the metal doors blocked my view of the crowd, but the sounds of despair still filtered through.

True, I could still be out there.

Sometimes, I could be such a bitch, but in truth, they were all doomed, anyway; I shouldn’t fault myself for not wanting to share their fate.

With a heavy sigh, I turned away from the doors and moved further into the ship. I’d survived, now came the hard part, living with it.

I continued to follow the flow of the steel floor, until the corridor opened and revealed a boarding area in chaos. Voices and machinery greeted me as people milled about everywhere, attempting to confirm that their luggage had made it safely onto the ship, but with the hectic and frenzied crew rushing back and forth, it was hard for anyone to get real answers.

Thankfully, all I had to worry about was the case I carried. Tightening my grip, I worked my way through the crowd, hoping to get to my room with as little interaction between myself and my fellow passengers as possible.

“We are not leaving, unless you can confirm that my boxes have been safely loaded onto this vessel. Those paintings are priceless, and his majesty….”

I shook my head, passing by the rotund man giving the porter a hard time. People had no idea what was going on. They should have been happy just to be leaving with their lives.

I was halfway through the room when orange lights began to flash.

“Warning, proximity alert. Warning, proximity alert,” called the ship’s computer.

“Everyone, brace yourselves,” one of the officers yelled over the crowd.

An explosion rang through the ship from down the hallway I’d entered. The room bucked as everyone was thrown forward. I slammed into the person in front of me. He tried to steady us both, but we went down hard onto the floor, the case slipping from my grip as I landed. I grunted as his weight crashed down on me and pinned me to the ground. Screams rang out all around.

“Everyone stay down. Seal the secondary doors and get us the hell out of here!”

I tried to rise, but the man on top of me pushed me back down.

“Get off me,” I growled, stretching for the case, but being just out of reach.

“They told us to stay down,” he called back over the noise.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will be departing Thetas 5 ahead of schedule. Please brace yourselves for our abrupt departure,” a stressed voice called over the intercom.

The ship began to shake as the engines fired. The ship tilted upward and my case slipped further away. Intending to knock the guy off me, so that I could reach it, I looked up and saw a stack of crates tilting our way.

Damn it.

I grabbed his arm, locking my legs around him, and rolled. The crates slammed to the floor causing more screams as someone probably believed it was another explosion. Coming to rest on top of him, I shielded his body as pieces of wood and metal shot out like shrapnel.

“Thanks,” he said, once the chaos calmed down.

“Yeah, no problem,” I replied, looking over the room for any further danger. Certain that nothing else waited to flatten us, I started to rise. But the ship was finally moving to leave the planet, and the crew, likely in a rush to get away from whatever caused the explosion, skipped a few steps like starting the inertial dampeners. Halfway to my feet, the ship’s acceleration forced me back down. I landed hard on top of the man and his muscled body.

“Well, this is awkward,” I muttered as I straddled the stranger, looking down.

“I’m not complaining,” he replied.

I felt my face warm as I stared at his chiseled copper toned face. He stared back, his hazel eyes unflinching.

“Maybe we should introduce ourselves,” he suggested with a wry grin. “I’m Amir. I’d shake your hand, but it’s kind of pinned to the floor.”

I rolled my eyes. “Think we’re past the handshake phase of our relationship, anyway.”

He laughed. When he finished, his lips rested into an easy smile. “And you are?” he asked.

Before I could respond, cries of relief broke around the room as the ship stopped shaking and leveled off. Once I felt the pressure ease, I got to my feet.

Amir followed. By the time he reached his full height, he stood a few inches above me. “Thanks again for the save.”

“You’re welcome.” I turned away from him to search for the case. I spotted it a few feet away and headed towards it.

“Wait, you’re—”

The rest of his speech was cut off as the intercom toned. “Ladies and gentlemen,” a male voice announced, “please excuse our departure. We were being fired upon by the locals and had to utilize an emergency take off procedure. The Lexington took no major damage in the incident. Please be reassured that the remainder of your flight will be a much smoother and gentler glide through space until we reach our next destination on the planet, Cebras. If you believe that you are in need of medical attention, please stop by our infirmary. Thank you.”

Reaching my case, I snatched it from the floor and sighed with relief that it remained secure. I turned to head back towards the exit. A break in the crowd formed and I started to dip through it when a hand grabbed my arm and stopped me.

“Hey,” I snapped, spinning around to find Amir.

He held up his hands in apology. “I’m sorry, but I think you’re bleeding.”

“What?” It was only then that I noticed the blood smeared on his hand. As bad I bled earlier, it was no wonder that some of it transferred to him. “I’m fine.”

He gave me a doubtful look. “I think we should get you to the infirmary.”

I shook my head. “I had a run in with some rioters on my way to the ship, but it wasn’t that serious. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Too late,” he said with a shrug. “Can I help you get to your room? At least let me carry that for you to make up for flattening you.”

He reached for my case, but I jerked it away. A bad move as it triggered the pain in my side. I dropped the case to the floor and the noise rang out over the room. Amir reached to catch me, doing a better job than last time, as I collapsed against him.

“Hey, can we get some help over here,” Amir yelled.

“No, I’m okay,” I said, righting myself. I couldn’t afford a trip to the infirmary. A medical examination would show that I wasn’t like everyone else on this side of the galaxy.

“I think you need to see a doctor,” Amir insisted as I pulled away from him.

“I said, no.”

“Is there a problem?” a voice called from behind me.

“Chris, I think she needs to see a doctor.”

“No, I don’t,” I said, turning to the newcomer. A prick of panic pierced me in the chest as one of the ship’s officers stared back at me.

Pale, I might have thought he was sick, except for the sharpness of his dark eyes that matched his black hair and handlebar mustache, which helped accentuate his lack of pigment.

“It’s Lieutenant Commander Wellington, while I’m on duty, Amir.” He looked me over, then narrowed his eyes. “You seem familiar. Have we met?”

Hearing his title, I tried not to seem too unnerved. I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

“Humph.” He bit his lip and surveyed me a second time. “You do look like you could use a trip to medical. I can show you where to go, if you like.”

“No, I just want to get to my room.”

“Of course. Your pass, please.”

“Why?”

He smiled. “I can’t help you find your room, unless I know where you’re stationed.”

“I can find it myself.”

Wellington’s eyes narrowed more. “Your pass, ma’am.”

I didn’t have a good reason to refuse to turn over my DS. Continuing to argue only served to make me look suspicious. Sighing, I reached inside my pocket and retrieved my device.

“Thank you,” he said, taking it from my hand. “Ms. Teri Night. Deck 6, Room K4,” he read aloud like he was committing it to memory, before handing it back to me. “I’ll show you to your room.”

“That’s not necessary,” I protested.

“It wouldn’t do for one of our passengers to pass out in the halls on the way to her room, now would it? I can carry that for you.” He reached to grab my case from the floor.

As I tried to think of a way to get out of being escorted, a loud noise stole our attention as several more crates crashed to the ground.

“Watch what you’re doing,” Wellington yelled as he took a step towards the commotion.

While he and Amir were distracted, I took my opportunity to escape. Grabbing my case, I dipped through the crowd before they knew I was gone. I heard one of them calling out my name, but I didn’t stop as I headed for the exit.

Once I made it into the hallway, I followed the signs to the lifts that would take me to my floor. Fatigue washed over me, but I did my best to push it away. Still, I bumped into a few people on my way through the halls. I mumbled, excuse me, not that it changed the angry tenor of their voice. Finally, I arrived at the door to my suite.

My hands fumbled as I pulled the DS from my pocket. I used it to verify my identity and the door slid open.

“Please remember to set your door code,” the automated ship’s female voice said as I stepped inside.

I leaned against the wall and ran my hand through my hair.

I made it. I doubted I would a few times back there.

Looking over the room, I took in the beige walls with small triangular shapes in purple pastel that gave the room a soothing feel. Even the carpet looked plush and inviting and I imagined it might be as comfortable as the bed. Not that I had the chance to find out as the ECU interrupted my small reprieve.

“You have an awaiting transmission.”

Only one person would be contacting me, Rizzo.

I pushed off the wall. “Open the transmission.”

“Video or audio only?”

“Video,” I said, stumbling towards the wood desk where the vid monitor sat. I collapsed into the cushioned high back mahogany chair that matched the desk.

“Opening transmission. Please be advised that FTL travel will begin in three minutes causing your transmission to terminate until the next time we leave FTL.”

“Noted,” I snapped.

Three minutes wasn’t long, I’d have to cut back on the number of swears I flung at Rizzo.

The vid connected and I found myself face to face with Herman Rizzota, Rizzo for anyone that wanted to keep their teeth, staring back at me. His signature charming smirk, which lit up his tan face was gone, replaced by a heavy frown. I revved up to unload on him, but he beat me to it.

“Where the hell have you been?” he snapped. “You were supposed to board the ship hours ago. I’ve been pacing the damn floor, waiting for the ship to alert me that you’d arrived at your room. What, you waited to the last second just to screw with me?”

“Don’t give me any of your crap, Rizzo. I told you that I didn’t want to take the job on Thetas 5, but you insisted. I wouldn’t be in this mess, if it weren’t for you.”

“What mess, enjoying a luxury ride on my euclin?”

“No, but because of you, I’m being chased by planetary security. My cover was blown, and it won’t take them long to figure out my real name because you used it to book me on this ship,” I yelled, shoving up and leaning forward as if I could reach through the screen and strangle him from hundreds of billions of miles away.

“I told you, I had to do that because we didn’t have enough time to set up an alias that would pass the security check on the Lexington. But my switching your ship didn’t cause whatever trouble you’ve gotten yourself into. If you screwed up, that’s on you,” he said, crossing his arms.

“Listen, you son of a—”

“No, you listen, we don’t have much time, here. You can yell at me when you arrive on Cebras, but right now, I need to tell you about the second phase of the job.”

I dropped back into the seat. “Screw you and this job. I’m being hunted, Rizzo. I’ll be lucky, if I’m not arrested the second the ship gets in range of Cebras. Assuming, I can avoid being arrested, I’ll have to lay low, so there is no chance I’ll be able to run a job.”

Rizzo sat back with a smile. “Then it’s a good thing the job isn’t on Cebras.”

“What the hell are you talking about? If the job isn’t on the planet, then why am I headed there?”

If he tells me that this has all been for nothing, I will kill him.

“You’re headed to Cebras because that is where the exchange will take place.”

“But you said the client was offering a ton of money, if there’s not job on Cebras—”

“Twenty seconds until FTL,” the ECU said.

“They still are. Look, if you’re in as much trouble as you say, then you have to do this job or we don’t get paid for any of it. I’m sending over the information in an encrypted file.”

He rapidly tapped on his DS. I heard the beep as my device toned.

“Ten-seconds.”

“Rizzo, what is going on?” I yelled.

“The job isn’t on Cebras, it’s on the ship,” he rushed.

I couldn't have heard him right.

“Are you out of your mind? I can’t rob the ship I’m traveling on. Are you trying to get me caught?”

“FTL commencing.”

“Rizzo. Rizzo,” I yelled as the screen went black.

Leaning back against the seat, I stared at the screen.

What the hell am I supposed to do now?