“Diablo?” Zayn swore. “Of all the crazy-ass planets she could have picked.”
“I’ve never heard of Diablo,” Ria said.
Dathan grimaced. “It’s not a nice place. Low tech desert world. Mostly peopled with ranchers and miners, but a whole bunch of scoundrels, bandits, and others who want to lay low live there, too.”
Zayn paced. He liked tech. He liked things with engines. He hated planets that rejected technology. “Best to wear the local gear and not take any tech. Makes you a target for thieves who’d like it for themselves.”
“And they love explosives there,” Dathan added. “If they can blow something up, they will.”
Ria nodded. “Explains why Lala decided to call it home. You sure this…weapons dealer’s info is legit?”
“Sel’s pretty trustworthy.” Zayn kept his gaze on her face. Damn, he wished she’d had time to change out of her distractingtraining gear. “His info’s gotten us out of some pretty sticky situations.”
Ria nodded, then her gaze moved back to Dathan. “Will she be easy to find?”
“Well, Diablo isn’t a small planet. But a fifteen-year-old girl with a knack for explosives shouldn’t be too hard to pinpoint.” Dathan flicked a glance at Zayn. “I don’t think this mission needs all of us.”
Zayn saw the way Ria straightened. A frown etched on her face.
“Sounds good, Dath,” Zayn said. “Ria and I can find Lastite Lala.”
Ria’s frown deepened. My brothers traded a glance.
“Nik, can you help us load up whatever we’ll need for the trip?”
“Sure,” Nik replied.
“Eos and I will start prep for our trip to the Devil’s Nebula,” Dathan said. “When you two get back with Lala, we’ll be ready to go.” His gaze was direct. “Sure you don’t need any help?”
“Nope, I think we can handle it.” Zayn looked to Ria. She gave a short nod.
It took two hours to get showered, packed, and space-bound. Zayn maneuvered theInfinitasaway from Khan and set course for the Frontier Sector.
“Diablo isn’t far from here at interstellar speed. Three hours, tops.” He looked at Ria sitting quietly in the chair beside his, staring ahead at the spread of stars. “Only thing that might slow us down is the Helio.”
“What’s that?”
Zayn fidgeted with the controls. “Well, it’s an area of space filled with cosmic radiation.”
Her eyes widened. “Is it dangerous?”
“Not physically. But it seems to affect space travelers in different ways.”
“How?” Her tone was wary.
“Well, last time we came through here, Nik was dancing a Latanian salsa, and Dathan…well, he was dancing, too. Naked.”
Ria smothered a smile. “And you?”
Zayn shrugged. “It didn’t seem to affect me much. I managed to get us through the Helio in one piece.” He grinned. “Of course, I took some photos for posterity.”
A smile tweaked her lips. “Of course. So it affects inhibitions?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I suggest we stay strapped in our chairs. How long to pass through it?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
