When K-Zet turned to go, Rone fell into step beside him, letting his pets trail a couple of meters behind. They wended their way through the station into a lift that took them down many floors into what seemed like the very bowels of the station. Occupants were scarcer, the corridors mostly empty. The few Travians and other creatures they passed gave them suspicious looks, although K-Zet’s presence seemed to lend weight to their right to be there. No one stopped or otherwise harassed them, that was for sure. After many turns and long walks in increasingly barren spaces, they arrived at a set of closed doors. Two large and heavily armed Travians flanked them.
K-Zet strode right up and waited for the doors to slide open for him. He acted as if he were expected, and obviously he was, because the guards gave him no more than a cursory look. Rone, however, was a different matter. They moved to block him from entering.
“Weapons,” one of them barked out, holding out his hands, palms up.
With a snort that conveyed dismissiveness in any language, Rone complied in lazy fashion. He fished a long knife out from each of his gigantic calf-length boots and with an impressive twirl, handed them over, hilts first. When the other male simply stood staring, Rone slowly pulled out smaller knives from eachsleeve, and finally one tucked within the flap of his tunic. Only then were they were allowed to pass. Frey gave the guard on his side as wide a berth as he could. The Travian stared down at him impassively, although his nostrils flared as Frey passed and a hungry look came into his expression.
K-Zet waited for them within some kind of waiting room. Large pillows were strewn all over the floor, although no one currently sat on them. Their motley group passed through the room to another set of smaller doors. They opened by unseen hands after K-Zet stood a moment before them. When next they moved, they entered a stark room commanded by the biggest, ugliest and meanest looking Travian that Frey had ever seen. Even Rone appeared slender and refined in comparison.
Rone hid his excitement. This was what he’d been working toward since the beginning of his mission. The male sitting behind the console before him was no mere clerk or even mindless muscle like the guards. This male exuded power and, while he didn’t look particularly smart, Rone was willing to bet he was like a quaz master, moving pieces around this part of the universe to his advantage. Rone stopped beside K-Zet and worked his own face into something like respect without fear. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Preen squat to his left while he felt Frey press close to his right side. He waited for the seated male to speak first.
The male made him wait. His piercing eyes roamed up and down every bit of Rone’s body, flicked to one side then dismissed Preen as inconsequential in the space of a heartbeat. That was to be expected and was one of the clear benefits of having Preen as an ally. The perusal of Frey, however, was longer, and a speculative look crossed the male’s face—too interested by half for Rone’s comfort. A proprietary and protective instinct rose up and threatened to break loose from his mouth in the form of a teeth-baring growl. He tamped it down and reminded himselfhow important it was to get inside this male’s good graces and his network of activity.
“So, you are the one who killed Arpell and three of my males.”
Rone raised his hands, palms up. “Arpell gave me no choice, although I had no idea the males with him belonged to anyone other than him. I regret any inconvenience I may have caused you, sire.”
The male grunted and gestured toward the one chair in front of his console. Rone took that for the invitation it was and sat down. Preen scooted up to one side of the chair, while Frey moved to kneel by the other. Rone ignored them and kept his gaze on his host.
The male looked past Rone. “You may go.”
Rone didn’t look back, although clearly K-Zet had been dismissed. The quiet whooshing of the doors opening and closing confirmed that the creature had left them alone. Once more, Rone waited for the male to start the conversation. Settling more in his seat, he affected a relaxed air, even though every nerve ending thrummed with pent-up energy and excitement. He wanted to pet his boy very badly, a new habit that he’d quickly become accustomed to. Knowing that it both showed weakness and would refocus the male’s attention on the human, he resisted that urge.
“I am Kuren.” Finally, a name, and a low caste one at that. Interesting. “You are Rone, I hear. An impressive name. One runs into so many high-caste males in these parts. Hard to tell which are genuine.”
“A male can make what he will of himself when free from the prying eyes of females,” Rone replied.
“True. I, myself, have never felt the need to be anything other than who I was born as.” Kuren sat back in his own chair, genuinely relaxed, Rone assumed. “Family and caste are female nonsense. A male’s power and ambition are what matter. I’vealways had both—and in amounts to spare. I’ve built up a fair business out here. I don’t like having my associates killed.”
Sensing that his response would dictate the eventual path of this interview, Rone forced a strong tone into his voice. Showing weakness around this male would be a mistake. “And I don’t like being ambushed when I did nothing more than mind my own business. Allowing myself to be shredded into so much meat would be no small concession on my part.”
“Hmm. I’m not an unreasonable male. I know Arpell set the stage for his own death.” Kuren glanced down at Frey. “Arpell was never the brightest member of my organization. Keeping that thing, however exotic its looks and tight its holes, was an intemperate decision on his part. I should have ordered its neck snapped the moment I heard that he’d brought it back with him, along with the human cargo he’d raided.”
Rone felt more than saw Frey shudder at the statement. He couldn’t resist putting his hand on the boy’s head in reassurance. It was a stupid move, but he covered it with equally harsh words. “I can’t say I blame him for that decision. The creature is delightfully tight and makes the perfect fuck toy.”
With a subtle pat, Rone removed his hand. “But, Arpell was a sore loser, and that I can’t abide. He tried to take back my winnings, so I had to kill him.”
Kuren gave him a shrewd look. “How did you beat him at quaz? Arpell rarely lost.”
“I’m a better cheater that he was.”
A moment passed. Then another, until Kuren huffed out a laugh. “Indeed? Well, with Arpell gone, I am in need of new recruits to my organization.”
“I’m gratified to hear it, because I am in need of something to occupy my time and replenish my credits.” He paused for effect. “While I would have preferred we’d met underother circumstances, I’ve been hoping to align myself with an entrepreneur such as yourself.”
Kuren narrowed his eyes. “Do you know what I do?”
“No. But then, I don’t really care. So long as it’s lucrative, I’m willing to sign onto any endeavor.”
“There are plenty of males who say that, and yet when it comes to following through, they balk.”
“I won’t,” Rone said flatly. “Those four males I killed were not the first. You’ll find there really isn’t anything I won’t do. I learned long ago that I must make my own way, set my own rules, if I am to have the kind of success I’m entitled to. Set me a task, and I’ll prove my worth to you.”
Kuren stroked his chin. “I don’t put my trust in others lightly. I do have a small task for an ambitious male such as yourself, however. If you perform this one satisfactorily, I may have more interesting and lucrative other ones in the future. Can you pilot a ship?”
“Small craft yes, although I have none of my own currently.”
“I have the craft. I need a pilot who will bring a delicate cargo to another station. It’s a short run, but an important one.”
