Free Smugger's Virtue (Lathos Galaxy Chronicles Book 2) by Luke Darko Page A

bits if it meant we could be together."
    "So where does all of this leave us?"
    "I don’t know," Matt admitted. "Just promise me you won’t do anything until Weathers has a chance to talk to the GA."
    "That’s an easy promise to make," she said with a smile. "I don’t think I’ll be given the chance even if I wanted it. I just hope Ragen doesn’t decide that he’s going to do something foolish first."
    "I have this voice in my head that always tries to guide me when I’m confused or in trouble. As surprising as it sounds, that voice is telling me right now to be patient and that this isn’t over yet."
    "I hope your voice is right," she said right before giving him one more kiss. "For now, I think I better leave before I rip that jumpsuit off of you and give the guards watching the monitor one hell of a show."
    "I love you, Xandra," said Matt as he hugged her close.
    "I love you too," she whispered in his ear. She lingered for another few moments and then was gone.
    Only a moment after she had left, the guard announced that Matt had another visitor. Assuming Xandra had forgotten something, he jumped to his feet but was disappointed when he looked and saw the towering form of Ilyea Kurt standing in front of his cell. The guard dropped the force field and the big man stepped inside.
    "Is that any way to greet your best friend?" the man chided as he rubbed the scar on his face and grinned at Matt.
    "Ilyea, what are you doing here?" asked Matt. The man was standing there with an amused look on his face eyeing Matt like he was an animal in a zoo.
    "You’re something of a celebrity. Earth has put out a call throughout the galaxy asking for anyone with information about crimes you may have committed to come here and testify. The message even reached me in my humble outpost."
    "I’ve been there, remember?" said Matt. "It isn’t that humble."
    "My point is, when I heard what your General Assembly was looking for, I asked myself, who knows more about what you do than me?"
    "How much is the GA paying you?" Matt asked in a deadpan.
    "Not a cent," said Ilyea as he casually began pulling small items out of his pockets and piecing them together. "I just needed a reason to come and see you. The authorities here think I’m a legitimate businessman."
    "Ilyea, I didn’t steal from you. I stole for you."
    "I know that," said Ilyea as he continued connecting pieces from his pockets. "The guards don’t know that, though. They think I’m down here to make sure you’re the man I have information about."
    "What are you building?"
    "The security on this planet is awfully trusting. They have devices that scan to make sure you aren’t bringing in a bomb, but they don’t take into account that you might be carrying the components to make a bomb, if they’re assembled correctly, of course."
    "There are security cameras that watch what we’re doing," said Matt urgently.
    "I know," said Ilyea with a smile. "I’m counting on it."
    "Sir, step away from the doorway!" said a guard with a particle weapon pointed in the big man’s direction.
    "Whatever you say, officer," said Ilyea. Instead of moving away from the force field, however, he jammed the device he had been building against it. By now several guards had assembled in front of Matt’s cell. When the device made contact with the force field, it sent an energy pulse of some sort into the hallway and away from the door to Matt’s cell. All of the guards there were thrown backwards and rendered unconscious.
    "Okay, so it wasn’t really a bomb," said Ilyea as he stepped out of the cell. He picked up one of the guard’s weapons for himself and handed another to Matt. "I just didn’t think they would have come running like they did if they knew I was making a forced energy emitter that can focus existing energy waves. Those guys are going to have one hell of a headache when they wake up. Now come on, I’m sure more guards are on their way by now."
    Matt took the weapon Ilyea offered