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“We’ll be heading right into a nest of the D’Narvius. Won’t we?” Gianna muttered.
Kozien knew her encounter with Oxxaro was still fresh in her mind. “Don’t worry,” he said, gripping her hand briefly but firmly. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
A bell rang, signaling the workers to go back to the dock. Kozien noted how they all walked slowly with heavy steps. Almost all of them had their eyes fixed on the ground. Kozien felt bad for them.
Back on the dock, everyone went back to work as Kozien tried to take note of anything about the ship that would help him identify it. Instead of a name, the vessel was known by a line of code—XG8.
That makes it easier to get through any flight checkpoints. Names are easily remembered, especially if the activity is suspicious.
Kozien kept his eyes on his work but listened intently to the D’Narvius standing around talking near the cargo bay. They paid little attention to the workers and for that he was grateful.
“So where are we headed after this?” one of the D’Narvius asked.
“Out to Delta Gamma,” the other replied. “The stock is moving really fast. I know the boss is pretty happy.”
Boss? Who is the boss?
Kozien was hoping to hear Gabe’s name or a reference to a Terran. Failing that, he would love to know the boss’s name or race. Any lead could take them closer to Gabe.
The two D’Narvius moved off down the hallway toward control, and Kozien cursed softly. It would look far too suspicious if he followed them.
When he returned to the dock, he saw the ship was almost fully unloaded. He didn’t have much time left to make a move and decided to put a small tracker in the cargo bay.
Kozien hurried back into the ship as if he was just eager to get the job finished. He fumbled in his pocket until he found the tiny chip.
Before they’d left his vessel, Kozien had loaded his pockets with galactic cash and a few other gadgets that might prove useful. He was glad he’d included a few of the mini trackers. The signal wouldn’t be very strong, but it would be enough to follow.
As he came to the back of the bay, he stumbled, throwing his hand up on the wall. The tiny, sticky device adhered to the edge of a support strut, and when he removed his hand, he was pleased to see the tracker was completely invisible.
Kozien quickly gathered up a few crates and trudged toward the doors like a dutiful mule. When he stacked the boxes in the dock, he saw Gianna watching him from across the room.
The ship XG8 was now fully unloaded. A voice grated through the overhead speakers, calling the dock workers to head to the next bay to unload another ship. Kozien and Gianna moved with the crowd until they came to the main corridor and then slipped away.
“Where are we going?” Gianna asked.
“Back to my ship.” Kozien broke into a jog. “I put a tracker on the D’Narvius vessel, but it’s not a strong one. We need to keep on them, and I think they are taking off soon.”
“Okay,” Gianna muttered as she ran alongside him. “Do you think Gabe will be there? Wherever the ship is headed?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Kozien said regretfully. “But it’s the only lead we have.”
It took some time to get back to his ship. When he booted up the control systems, Kozien was relieved to see his navigation software had the tracker in its sights.
“Good news,” he told her. “Now all we have to do is follow the trail.”
“White rabbit or yellow brick road?” Gianna muttered.
“What?” Kozien asked, confused.
Gianna laughed. “Earth reference. It’s a very bad joke. Either one doesn’t end well.”
“This will,” Kozien spoke with certainty. He started up his ship, enjoying the roar of the engines as they ignited. They powered up into the sky and into low orbit, following the signal of the D’Narvius ship.
Wherever it may lead.
Chapter 18
GiannasatnexttoKozien as he piloted his ship out into the stars after XG8. The tracking signal was weak, but they were locked on and wouldn’t lose her so long as they stayed within range.
