Flek leaned back from the table, looking pleased. “Good. Good. Now I tell you the answers you need. This is not on the bounty board yet. Not here. Other places, yes. Here?” He grinned, revealing a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. “Not yet. I tell you first.”
“No one else on the station knows about this?” Xaber asked.
Flek pointed at his thorny chest. “I am good at my job. I am what you call an information broker. Yes? Pizza does not pay for this place. Did not pay for last place, either. Not many know. Some guess. Some I tell.”
Xaber nodded. That made sense. So much so that he felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. It explained a lot about this place and its owner. “So, you deal in information. What else can you tell us about this situation?”
“That is a good question. The one who brought her to Defiance works for a friend. A good friend. When she learned of the delivery, she sent me a message. Asked me to watch over a runaway female named Tix. That message came later. By then, Iknew she was safe because she was with you. I thought it would be easy job.” Flek flicked the data tab. “Then that arrived. Less easy.”
“You knew about her.”
“I did. But I didn’t tell anyone. It was no one’s business but hers. I assumed she’d tell you, eventually. For the record, that is not the kind of information I sell.”
For a moment, the Jeskyran’s syntax smoothed into perfect Galactic Common. Xaber decided not to comment. Apparently, Flek had secrets, too.
“Thank you for protecting her,” he said.
Flek nodded. “Is your job now. Yes? You will keep her safe?”
“We will.” He and Mace said it at the same time, and it came out more like a vow than a confirmation.
“Good. Then you need two things. The first is information. The male she stole from is not the one who put out the bounty. An insurance agency did that. I believe they must want to speak to your female about what happened. It explains why the bounty can only be claimed if she’s alive and unharmed. That’s not a common stipulation.”
“There wasn’t anything in the file about an insurance company,” Mace said.
Flek pointed at his chest again. “I already say that I do business in information. If you want to protect her, find out what they want to know. Maybe give it to them. My suggestion only. You do what you want.”
“That’s a good suggestion,” Mace said.
“What’s the other thing we need?” Xaber asked.
The Jeskyran glanced around. When he saw no one was looking at them, he moved the control on the table, and the sound-dampening field darkened and then went opaque.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” Xaber said.
“You cannot. I can.” Flek flashed them a smile. Then he reached down and pulled something out of a pouch tied to his loincloth. “If you want to keep her safe, you will need this.” He set a small vial full of a silvery liquid on the table.
“What?” Mace didn’t say anything more. He simply stared at the item in wonder.
“Is that what I think it is?” Xaber asked. Like Mace, he already suspected what it was, but he needed to be sure.
“Medi-bots. Newest version.”
“How?” Xaber demanded.
“I know beings here. They know me.” The Jeskyran’s syntax shifted again, and this time his posture did, too. He sat squarely at the table, his bearing almost military as he met Xaber’s gaze. “This station needs good beings to protect it. I believe the two of you can be part of that plan.” He pointed to the vial. “This is a gift, no strings attached. But it is also an invitation. I’ve sent the information you need to your comms already. Do what you need. We’ll talk later.”
Xaber picked up the vial and put it in his pocket. “Thank you, my friend.”
Flek nodded and turned off the sound-dampening tech. Then he rose from the table. His speech and body language were already back to normal. “Yes. Friends. Good. Now. I make more pizza. Lunch rush will come soon. No one goes hungry at Flek’s.”
“Today has been full of surprises,” Mace sent to him over their link.
“Too many. Let’s go find our mechanic before any moresurpriseshappen.”
Mace held up his comm. “I’m calling her right now.”
Five seconds later, Xaber was on his feet.
