Free Inherit the Stars by Tony Peak

might be around, and Kith ready to pound that airlock in. We’ll discuss this in orbit. Strap yourselves in.” He sat in the pilot’s seat and buckled his restraints.
    â€œSo, that’s it? I’m not your prisoner, and I’m not—”
    The throttle of
Frevyx
’s engines drowned out Kivita’s words. Her jaw tensed and she glared at Cheseia. Oh, how she’d like to punch her.
    Kivita buckled herself to a bench outside the bridge.Though she felt foolish in doing so, she clutched the pouch to her chest. It was just a Vim datacore. Sar could have it if he trumped Dunaar’s offer, but her reputation in Inheritor Space had grown. She needed it, had worked too hard for it.
    She sure as hell didn’t need him.
    Cheseia sat beside her and strapped in. She pushed the mane from her face and held it back with a jiir leaf headdress. The blue glasslike leaves from Sygma reflected Kivita’s haggard, pale face back at her.
    â€œSar said I should be extremely patient with you. Extremely.” Cheseia studied Kivita like garbage she wanted to toss out the airlock.
    â€œYeah? That’s sweet of you. Doing just what he says, like a good little girl. Sar? Dock with
Terredyn Narbas
. I mean it.” Her voice didn’t sound as tough as she wanted it to.
    Frevyx
shook as it lifted from Vstrunn’s surface. The clicks and pops of burnt crystals singed by the ship’s thrusters reached Kivita’s ears. She breathed even easier than before, and downed a mixture Cheseia handed her. It tasted sweet but clung to her mouth.
    â€œWhat’s this?”
    Cheseia grinned without humor. “Bellerion wood-snake milk. Sar claimed you would certainly need it after we rescued you.”
    Kivita pursed her lips to spit it out, but Cheseia’s scornful stare made her finish it. “So, you live on board
Frevyx
with him, right? Thought nobody kept Ascali slaves since feudal times. Do you give him baths, too?”
    She hated the words as soon as she spoke them. An awful, silent moment dragged by.
    As she gripped Kivita’s bench restraints, Cheseia’snose almost touched hers. “You are thinking I am probably a beast? Less than you? I could crush you terribly, but I do not. Your prickly tongue makes you the beast.”
    Cold shame doused the jealousy, suspicion, and anger growing inside Kivita. A new wave of weakness made her go limp in her seat restraints. “Damn it, I didn’t mean that. I just wasn’t expecting . . . you know.”
    Cheseia released Kivita, her gaze far away. “You have surely been through much. We all have.”
    Kivita shot her a look. “Yeah. Lots of things seem strange right now.”
    Frevyx
neared the fringes of the planet’s atmosphere, and the cabin trembled with the last vestiges of turbulence. Sar remained cool and calm on the bridge. Kivita eyed his back, the way he sat composed and certain, how he gripped the manuals. Such a serious man, but she knew a heart beat deep inside him. Why should she care now, though?
    â€œI do not wish enmity between us,” Cheseia whispered. “It is not the Ascali way. What you hold in your hand may change the Cetturo Arm greatly. Ponder that deeply, before you choose profit over benevolence.”
    Kivita didn’t look at Cheseia as the bridge viewport filled with stars. “Yeah. We’ll see. Right now I just want to get back on
Terredyn Narbas
.”

8
    Frevyx
shuddered from a slight gravity flux; Kivita’s own ship must be close. She handed the milk canteen back to Cheseia and rolled her eyes. “What’s the deal, Sar? You going to magnetize the airlocks or what?”
    She unstrapped herself and stood. More strength had returned to her limbs, but she still yearned for a long norm sleep cycle. And to get away from Sar.
    â€œYou been doing business with the Sarrhdtuu, Kiv? Your beacon is sending out one hell of a signal.” Sar’s voice held