Page 54

The journey back to his ship was filled with a strange anticipation. Not the adrenaline of danger or the wariness of unfamiliar territory, but something brighter. More hopeful.

After settling Kara and the children aboard, he made his way to the shipyard at the edge of the settlement. The place was busy but orderly, with various vessels in different stages of repair. The scent of metal and engine oil filled the air, familiar and oddly comforting.

He asked directions to the supervisor’s office and was pointed toward a small prefabricated building near the center of the yard. A sign on the door read “Jerra Varn, Chief Mechanic” in three different languages.

He knocked once, firmly.

“It’s open,” called a gruff voice from inside.

He entered to find a small, stocky Veskari female bent over a schematic. Her scaled skin gleamed under the office lights, and her vertical-pupiled yellow eyes narrowed when she looked up at him.

“Captain Thraxar,” she said, surprise evident in her voice. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Jerra.” He inclined his head in greeting. They’d known each other for several years, and she’d done repairs on his ship before.

“Your ship need work?” She wiped her hands on her already grease-stained coveralls.

“No. I am looking for work.”

That got her full attention. She straightened, looking him up and down. “You’re a ship captain.”

“I am also a skilled mechanic.”

“Since when?”

“Since always. How do you think I kept my ship running all these years?”

She snorted. “Fair point. But you’ve never struck me as the settling-down type.”

His tail twitched. “Circumstances change.”

“Hmm.” Jerra tapped a claw against the desk. “I am short-handed. Lost two mechanics last month to better offers on the central worlds.”

“I believe I could be of assistance. I know drive systems, life support, navigation. Basic weapons systems.”

“And how long are you planning to stay?”

The question gave him pause. He hadn’t thought beyond the immediate future. “I do not know,” he admitted. “But I’m not looking to leave anytime soon.”

Jerra’s eyes narrowed further. “This have anything to do with that female I heard about?”

He immediately stiffened. “My personal affairs are not relevant.”

“They are if they affect your reliability.” She crossed her arms. “I need someone who’s going to stick around, not cut and run when things get complicated.”

“I do not run from complications.”

“No? Then why have you run a solitary trading route for all these years?”

The barb hit closer to home than he cared to admit. He’d spent years avoiding entanglements, moving from port to port, never staying long enough to form connections.

“That was different,” he said finally.

“Was it?” Jerra studied him for a long moment. “Look, I’ve got nothing against you finding whatever passes for happiness in that cold-blooded heart of yours. But I need to know if I hire you, you’re not going to disappear the moment things get tough.”

He thought of Kara’s face when he’d suggested staying planetside. Of Rory’s hand in his. Of Talia’s cautious trust.

“I am not going anywhere,” he said, and was surprised by how certain he felt.