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Serval had been there before. He had a contact there – a bar owner who was always willing to trade information for credz. He never offered anything for free, however, and if Serval wanted information, he had to ask him directly, face-to-face, because he refused to allow any sort of proof to be recorded in message or comm.
It was not the sort of place Prince Qui’tal would normally visit. While he would certainly enjoy any type of bar that could give him some form of high or intoxication, he had expensive tastes. He would demand only the best, and Fo-Ray Space Station was not it.
Serval sent them a formal request to send him the subspace coordinates he’d need to swing from Wav’aii to their location. He had a subspace machine, but he couldn’t do the math required to operate it, so he had to either have someone do the math by hand, or he did it the ordinary way by just asking the place in question to send him subspace coordinates.
With that done, he finally closed his research. He stood, stretching his arms and then rubbing his eyes as the long hours in front of a display caught up with him. He was sore and achy, but satisfied, as he finally left the office.
The island was dark and quiet. Everyone had gone to bed. Serval enjoyed the quiet of the night as he followed the familiar paths back to his room.
Stepping inside, he found that Sophie had already returned. She was laid up in bed, curled under a blanket, sleeping with her mouth partly open. In one corner, she had already packed all their bags, including the shopping bags. She’d even, at some point, had his deliveries put in here so they could take it all to the landing shuttle tomorrow.
The sight of it warmed his heart.
Korvii really thought his Hela was better than Sophie? She took care of him so well, and he hadn’t even said a word to her about it.
Heart full of appreciation, he undressed and crawled under the blankets. Sophie didn’t wake, but she turned, snuggling into his warmth. He kissed the top of her head, making sure to keep his olules back so he didn’t suddenly shock her awake.
He closed his eyes, content to sleep. Eager for the morning. Ready to get back on the trail.
Chapter 31
Sophie
Fo-Ray Station was a huge city floating out seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Literally. It wasn’t orbiting a sun or a planet. It was just out in the blackness of space. Serval told her that most stations were deliberately put in such far away places because they were way stations for people traveling. Not everyone could afford their own ships like him, so they had to book passenger travel, and those made frequent stops to allow people to get to various places.
And unlike the refueling station, it actively encouraged visitors and tourists. Which meant that Sophie didn’t have to stay on the ship while Serval did business.
He, however, wasn’t happy about having her there.
“Fo-Ray isn’t a safe station,” he complained as she dressed. They were both in their room – and it was definitely their room now. They’d already been sleeping together on Wav’aii, so it only seemed natural to continue that now that they were back on the ship. It hadn’t taken him long at all to move out of the guest room.
“So?” She smiled back at him as she did her makeup. He had already made a comment about how long this was taking, but she ignored him. She needed time to get ready, and she wasn’t going to speed that up for no good reason or she’d spend her life rushing around. He’d get used to waiting and learn to give her extra time to prepare eventually.
It was already happening. His complaint sounded more like a passing comment as he worked off his combot while waiting for her. He said he was setting up a meeting with his informant. Unfortunately, he had changed out of his beads once they left Wav’aii, but he looked good in the dark pants and light, soft shirt. Cozy. Like he was up for a quick cuddle at any moment. She rather missed the sight of them, however, and wondered why they all had to go. Surely he could still wear like a bracelet or something? But she didn’t bring it up for now.
“So, I think you would be safer on the ship.” He scowled as he argued against her coming with him.
“I’d be safest in a sterile bubble, but no one has ever suggested I stay in one of those.”
He threw her a dull look that she caught and ignored in the mirror as she blended out her contour. She didn’t care if it was work, she wanted to look her best. If anything, it was even more necessary. They were going out for fun. Eyes would be on them. She had to look like she was having a nice night in a bar, so no one thought to question it.
She was Serval’s distraction. His misdirecting hand as he worked his magic. It was a role she was happy to play. He helped her with her work, after all. It was only fair she did what she could to help with his. And it was a lot of fun. She felt like she was living through the party scene of an action movie. Dressed up and sneaking around and preparing for some cool climax where she’d get to run around in a long dress that slit all the way up her thigh or something.
Or maybe not that, since she was pretty sure any alien could outrun her. But like the equivalent where she got to pull off sexy and badass in one breath.
She pulled herself from her thoughts to find Serval still glaring at her. She grinned at him.
“I’m not staying,” she said calmly but firmly. “You can’t keep me trapped on this ship for the rest of our lives. I signed up for adventure. Sometimes, that’s a fancy party for royalty, and other times that’s a rundown dive bar on a seedy space station. I’m down for both.”
“It’s not a dive bar,” Serval said. “Foreez runs a smoke bar.”
“Like hookah? I’ve been to those before. Super chill.”
“Some of the smoke does have a cooling effect, yes. But there’s multiple types, and varying effects. If you want something, let me order it for you. I don’t want you to take anything that will leave you too intoxicated in case something happens.”
Sophie grinned, turning back to him. “But what if I want to try the hard stuff?”
He gave her a look. “Then, we can order a cannister to go and you can try it in the safety of the ship. This is not a game, Sophie. This is serious.”
