They could get a house or he could move into her place and help take care of her little black kitten, Angel. He could maybe take a couple of interesting bounties a few times a year to keep his skills sharp and he could look forward to seeing Francine when he got back.
The life he painted for them was truly an idea he hadn’t realized he was interested in until all the unusual aspects of this trip gave him something new to consider. Something new to look forward to. Something new to end an adventurous life he was growing tired of continuing anyway.
Maybe itwastime to settle down. Maybe he would make a life on Earth with Francine and never look back.
The vehicle slowed to a stop, throwing Raphael out of his reverie. The driver said, “Here we are, sir.”
Raphael exited and held the door for Francine as the driver removed their bags from the back of the vehicle.
“How long is the flight?”
“Not long. We’re headed for Alpha-Prime first, but just to pick up some travelers there. We don’t even have to disembark unless you want to. Then on to our final destination. Total time will be less than three hours.” He expected a message to be delivered once they docked on Alpha-Prime.
“Good.” Francine looked very relaxed this afternoon and it suited her.
Raphael had sent his questions to a friend in the bounty hunter office dispatch on Alpha-Prime. Bly Zendorr was a cousin of a well-connected family, but as a poor relation he didn’t have access to the kind of wealth his relatives did. Even so, many friends of his exalted family confided in him. He was often in possession ofextrainformation that he’d add to special dossiers for various bounties.
Well, not for just anyone. Raphael and Zendorr were friends. They came from similar circumstances, as Raphael was formerly from a lofty family and making it on his own. Zendorr often gave him surprisingly helpful tidbits of information that aided Raphael in tricky captures.
They were right on time for their departure. He’d procured first-class tickets, not only for the comfort, but also to ensure anyone noticing them would only see a rich couple on holiday and all that implied.
The spaceship jetted out of port a minute early. In no time, they landed on Alpha-Prime to take on additional passengers.
The steward opened the door to the outside dock. An official Alpha-Prime security messenger waited with an electronic clipboard and a flat package. The messenger handed the steward the clipboard to sign, then the package. The steward brought the package immediately to Raphael.
Francine quirked an eyebrow as he looked around for a private place to open it. A small study next to the restrooms held a desk along one wall and a square table centered in the room with a chair tucked beneath one side. He went inside, locked the door behind him and ripped open the security seal before even sitting down.
He’d hoped Victor might have sent a message to let him know exactly where he was located on the Ossuary Valerian Space Station. It wasn’t from Victor.
Inside was Zendorr’s carefully crafted dossier covering the events that had taken place, explaining what had happened and why there was a giant bounty on Victor. Zendorr wasn’t able to add any information that Raphael didn’t already know, but he appreciated that his friend had made the effort.
The bounty was staggering, ten times the highest he’d ever heard of. It probably set a record. If it were anyone but Victor, Raphael would be on the hunt and ready to accept the riches. That was bad news, because it meant every bounty hunter in every known galaxy would be on the hunt for his friend.
Raphael sighed, read through the entire document one more time to commit it to memory, then put it in the room’s flash-burn device. He pushed the button, reducing the contents to ash in half a second. No one else needed to have such a comprehensive list of information about Victor.
He used a fresh digital message pouch from the supply in the desk to send a return message to Zendorr, thanking him for his information. He also mentioned he might stay on the Earther colony and to send any further messages to him there; he’d pick them up as he was able.
He sealed the pouch and left the room to give it to the steward, who swiped and pushed several times on his electronic clipboard, sending a digital receipt to Raphael’s comms device.
Raphael returned to his seat in time to see five new travelers enter the first-class area. Two couples were dressed smartly for intergalactic first-class travel. The fifth, a very tall, large woman, wasn’t even dressed for third class. Her clothes looked dirty, dusty and hopelessly filled with cuts and holes, like she’d made her way to the port by way of the Outer Rim on foot in a lashing windstorm filled with glass particles. The steward tried to direct her to the next section down the hall, away from first class, but the woman frowned and whipped out her ticket, shoving it in the steward’s face.
“See? I belong here!” she said in a deep, angry voice.
The steward backed down immediately. “Of course you do, madam. Let me show you to your seat. May I bring you a refreshing beverage?”
Once the two couples and the angry woman were settled and all sipping refreshing beverages, the transport ship sailed into space, headed for a short refueling stop on the Ossuary Valerian Space Station. All the passengers would disembark at that time as a safety precaution.
Raphael and Francine planned to pretend to do some shopping in the spaceport. Once the spaceship had left for its next destination, Raphael would ensure no one had followed them. Once he was assured they were truly alone, he would escort Francine to the small home he’d rented for a whole week.
Hopefully, no one would expect them to leave the Ossuary Valerian Space Station in only two days on a late-night—or middle of the night—transport back to the Earth colony with a short stop at a more wedding and honeymoon-friendly destination. Their original flight plan included, the Gothic Ice Floe Planet. The one they were truly taking included Lava Rock World instead before heading back to the Earth colony.
Raphael had conceived the intricate travel plans to ensure he didn’t lead anyone to Victor. He wanted to help his longtime friend, not make things worse.
The rental house was situated in the heart of the city, within walking distance of several places to eat and shop. The homes on either side of the pricy rental were not so close that they could hand a cup of sugar to each other through aligned windows, but still within shouting distance. They’d have to be careful not to raise their voices and accidentally give away any relevant information about Victor.
A waist-high iron fence surrounded the property.
Francine alighted from the transport looking not a bit travel worn in her soft, gauzy white blouse and emerald-green slacks. She looked like a rich debutant on holiday. Her lovely red hair brushing her shoulders made him want to forget what he was doing and plunge his fingertips in the soft tresses and kiss her senseless. The driver took their luggage from the back of the transport and carried it through the decorative iron gate all the way to the small porch at the front door.
