Cut and Run: From the Athena Lee Universe (Smuggle Life Book 3) Read online

  “Security. Don’t see it at all.”

  “Fine. Wrong choice of words, but it does make it harder for just anyone to break. Each language and coder have their own style. Makes it tough.”

  Nicole chose that moment to walk into the bridge. The CATT, who more often than not acted like a real cat, walked to them. “I heard you talking.”

  Of course, she did. Parker swore she could hear everyone on the ship all the time. It made her cringe just thinking about it.

  “I’m sure you did.” Aldis glared at her. The two had been better around each other, but things still weren’t great. “What can we do for you?”

  “Just wanted to make sure you are giving her the most current information.”

  “I am.” Aldis clearly didn’t like being checked on by the CATT. To Parker, he looked like he wanted to stand up and kick her across the bridge and out of the room, but he remained seated.

  Rea appeared on the bridge. “ETA to Mars?” the captain asked.

  Aldis went to work on his console. “We can make the last jump in five. We’ll arrive two days early.”

  “Roger,” Rea said. With a smile that spoke of excitement and anticipation.

  Chapter Three

  Exiting the last jump and seeing Mars in the distance was a glorious sight. So much so the whole crew was on the bridge for it. Not even one of them had ever been here before. Rea didn’t blame any of them for wanting the best view of it for the first time.

  A person never forgets their first view of a planet. Well, unless that planet is so ho-hum that it wasn’t worth even visiting. Mars was not one of those. The red planet was anything but ordinary.

  Rea couldn’t believe her eyes as she saw Mars in all its glory. They wouldn’t be going to the main city. Each city on the planet was domed so the people could have breathable air.

  It was unlike the other planets in so many ways, which was one of the many reasons why Rea wanted to visit it so much. It was a shame the Empire’s Navy didn’t come here much. Not that a pirate ship like she had served on would have been sent to Mars. It wasn’t really a haven for pirates.

  The whole system was a sight to see, not just Mars. It was quite a vision to see Saturn and Jupiter as well, both massive giant balls of gas. But Rea really only had eyes for Mars. Not even Earth appealed to her. It wasn’t like she could visit any of the other ones.

  Soon, she would be on Mars. Rea felt like a little school girl inside. This was such a foreign sensation for her that she didn’t know what to do.

  It didn’t take long for the Mar’s defense to contact them. Rea hoped Nicole and the person the job was for lined up had all the correct codes, and Mars didn’t just blow them out of space. That would be bad.

  Aldis went to work on the comm system with Mars. It was a tense few minutes before the all-clear was given, and they were allowed to touch down at the city they were supposed to get their onload. It wasn’t remotely close to the main one on the planet. Nowhere near the leader of Mars and all the politics. Rea was okay with that. The further away, the better in her mind right now.

  The Rossi made its descent on to Mars, and the whole crew was anxious and excited. It was nice again to arrive early. It let them get off the ship and relax before starting the mission at hand.

  Though they did that in New Philly, and that went to hell real fast. Rea knew that was par for the course when smuggling. Expect the worst, and it will still be even worse than that. At least, that had been the case the last few jobs. From the break-in on New Reno and Taylor being kidnapped, not to mention her brother Drake and New Detroit.

  This was going to be different. It had to be different. The Rossi needed a break from the chaos that it had been through. All of them did.

  <<<>>>

  For once, it was Rea who was one the first member off the ship and exploring the city. It wasn’t often that she did something like this. The captain had to be in charge, but here she was, acting like a giddy little girl. Never in her life had Rea thought she’d be on Mars.

  Off the ship, she took a deep breath in. “Ah,” she said to herself. “Amazing.”

  The rest of the crew would be free to spend the day however they wanted. Rea would walk around the city and just look. She wasn’t going to be one of those tourist people she used to see on her home planet growing up.

  Rea wasn’t sure if Mars actually got a lot of tourists with it being so close to Earth and not really part of the Empire. It was an ally, but that didn’t mean it let just anyone visit. Getting planet-side here was tough.

  From the beads of sweat on Aldis’s forehead as he talked, it seemed like it had been one of the hardest conversations he had ever had. Nicole actually joined in. For whatever reason, the CATT was the one who tipped the scales in their favor and earned them permission so they could land.

  It was good that it worked out for both a professional and personal reasons. Rea walked the streets of the city taking it all in. It was tough to tell that a war was going on and that Mars was in the center of it. The news was thin these days regarding the war. Rea had no idea what was going on.

  She didn’t like that, but it was best to keep her distance from it. Better for all not to get dragged into stuff like that. It meant death. That was the last thing the captain wanted.

  Instead, she would do her best to deal with what was already on her plate. Her brother Drake, Taylor, and the unknown woman.

  In the streets Rea walked, taking in all of the Martians and their different styles. They too gave Rea odd looks. Rea wasn’t sure if they just thought she was weird looking or that they weren’t used to an outsider or the combination of the two.

  The captain ignored it and let it all sink it. Mar’s gravity was different than her home’s. It was lighter, which made it easier to move and get around. Steve would like that here. Some of the places they had been too had been the other way around, and that hadn’t been good for them.

  The first place Rea stopped was an antique shop. Before entering, Rea made sure that no on the Rossi saw her. She didn’t let anyone on the ship know much about her. She needed them to see her as the leader, the one who had to make the tough decisions. Steve saw a different side of her, but even he didn’t see all of her.

  None on the ship knew that she liked to collect antiques from Earth and Mars. On the Rossi, in her quarters that she didn’t let the crew see, she had several items from the early days of Mars.

  Her prize possession was an Earthling plate that had been passed down through her family. It was her only piece from the planet. She wanted to add to that.

  Entering the shop, she saw lots of different pieces of furniture, which wouldn’t fit on the ship. Well, that wasn’t true. Most of the stuff in the shop would, but there was no way she would be able to hide it.

  That was key. Rea didn’t want the crew of the Rossi to know about it. She didn’t want them to see this softer side of her. It would make her job harder, and the captain wouldn’t tolerate it. With that in mind, she searched the place for smaller objects.

  An elderly woman walked over to her. “Need any help?” she asked.

  “I’m not from here. I’m looking to add to my Earth and Mars collection.”

  The white-haired woman smiled from ear to ear. “You’ve come to the right place.”

  Rea hoped so. She loved being off the ship but despised it too. Mars was both amazing and scary to her, and she had a job to do, one that started tomorrow.

  “Good.” Rea glanced around the shop. It was filled with so many things that she could spend days in here and never make up her mind. “Any suggestions?”

  The elderly women crinkled her lips and eyes. For a moment, she rubbed her chin. “One second, young lady.”

  It had been a long time since anyone had called Rea young, but she took it with grace. “Thank you.”

  The shop owner disappeared for several minutes before returning. She carried a ceramic bowl with a flower design in it. Rea’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. It was a m
atch to the plate she had on the Rossi. It’s a long lost sister. The captain couldn’t believe it.

  “I love it.” Rea couldn’t contain her joy. She absolutely had to have it.

  “I thought you might. You look like a flower girl and a ceramic one too.”

  Rea wasn’t sure what to make of that, but it didn’t matter. It didn’t take long to work out a price and for Rea to walk out of the shop with her treasure, a bowl from Earth that matched her family heirloom.

  Today had turned into one of the best days she had in a very long time, one that she won’t ever forget.

  Chapter Four

  Parker departed the ship with Steve but not because she wanted to. Because this was a new planet for her, they didn’t want her off exploring alone. Even if she was legally an adult now, they still treated her like a kid.

  For the most part, she didn’t mind and let them do it. Steve and Rea both treated her like she was their child, and while Parker felt like they were her parents, that didn’t mean she wanted to be babied. Secretly she enjoyed the feeling that someone cared about her.

  The Marine dragged her to shop after shop. Even though Parker had given him a few ideas of what to get Lindsey, he was still unsure. It didn’t help that Parker didn’t want to do this. In truth, she’d rather be back on the ship and away from it all. The nightmares were taking a toll on her, and she was exhausted. If she knew how to stop the nightmares, she would do it without hesitating. Anything to stop the dreams and get a good night’s sleep.

  The young girl walked next to the Marine in silence glowering at every item that Steve pointed out. None of them were terrible, but Parker didn’t want to be here. She just wanted to be alone.

  “Kid,” Steve said. “You okay?”

  They all kept asking her that. Over and over. Steve, Aldis, and Rea pestered her with questions. They wanted to figure out what was wrong. Parker just wanted to get over it, and they kept bring it back up. She wanted to be back to normal, whatever that meant. To her, normal was this mythical state that didn’t really exist, but she was going to try to find it anyway.

  “I’m fine,” she snapped, her voice harsher, crueler than intended. She had been doing that more often lately for some reason. She wondered if that might be why they kept trying to get her to open up.

  “Parker.” The Marine at her and did his best to appear non-threatening. That wasn’t easy for the man with his sheer size and rippling muscles. “You aren’t okay. I can see you are having troubles. Tell me please, I want to help.”

  Her lips quivered, and her nose crinkled. Parker understood that the Marine just wanted to help, but she was an adult now. This was something adults did. They took care of their own problems. She had heard it often enough from adults she worked for growing up.

  “You don’t have to do this on your own,” he said as if reading her mind. “Let those who care about you help. That is what family does, we help each other. We care for each other. Parker, you are part of my family.”

  The young girl couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Part of a family? That was such a foreign concept to her. Victor was the closest she had on New Detroit, and the man had sold her like a piece of meat. The only thing he had ever wanted from her was to fill his pockets.

  On the Rossi, she had been accepted for who she was. That didn’t mean she was family, not to her at least. Until now. Sure, at the time she thought of them as a surrogate family but not a real one. She did not know what a real “family” was supposed to be. All she knew was the street life and the struggle to survive one more day.

  “Steve, I don’t know what to say.”

  They walked around a corner to yet another part of the city where the street was lined with shops. Parker held back a groan. It would take forever to get past this part of town if they had to go to every store on it.

  “Tell me what is wrong. Let me help. If not me, then Rea or Aldis. Hell, Nicole. Tell someone.”

  Parker sighed. She closed her eyes and saw the most recent nightmare of Todd towering over her. Drake had been in the room’s shadows. This time, Steve and the others didn’t rescue her. She had been shipped off planet to a wretched person who forced her to do things ordinary people wouldn’t even dream of. Her body shivered in disgust.

  “I’ve been having nightmares,” she finally said and went on to tell Steve about them. Not every part, not all of them, but most.

  Parker poured her heart out to the man. Steve stood next to her, holding her hands. He had leaned down and was eye level with her. The Marine didn’t appear comfortable, but he remained there, giving Parker all his attention, and letting her get it all off her chest. She did not realize she was leaning into his chest, letting his strength support her.

  “Kid, we will always love you. We’ll do whatever we can to save you. I would never ever abandon you.”

  Parker cried. The tears were slow at first and then poured out. “I felt so alone.”

  “I can only imagine. You shouldn’t have to deal with that. No one should. I will travel the entire Empire and beyond to save you. You know that about me.”

  Parker nodded. “I do.”

  “I won’t let anyone hurt you, and remember, you are getting to be a force yourself.”

  The young girl grinned. She was getting better at protecting herself.

  “Soon, you won’t need me,” Steve said.

  “But you’ll still be there won’t you?”

  “I will. Never fear.”

  She hugged him. “Thank you.”

  Telling him about the nightmares did help. It was as if a weight was lifted from Parker’s body, one she hadn’t realized she was carrying. Now that it was gone, she was lighter, happier. She was ready to enjoy her time on Mars.

  “Can I go look around myself?” Parker asked, wiping her hands across her tear-stained face.

  “Sure, kid.”

  One more hug from her warrior and she turned to explore the city on her own.

  <<<>>>

  Mars was a different place, one that both welcomed Parker and scared her. It was very different from New Detroit and the other places they had visited. The only place that excited her as much was Celtica. Being on the home of the pirates held such an appeal, though that visit turned into a problem, a nightmare of its own.

  Now that she was by herself, she veered away from the shops. Shopping wasn’t what she wanted. For her, it was time to see the city and what the people did. She liked to observe people, it was more fun than shopping. Not that buying stuff didn’t appeal to Parker. It just wasn’t high on her list. Not after Aldis had shown her the exciting side of New Philly, the real people. Plus, she had grown up in the underbelly of New Detroit. It was her comfort zone, not the tourist shops and sights.

  The young girl was sure Mars had both, and it might be fun to see if she could spot the criminals. She wouldn’t dare talk to any of the hoodlums here but seeing if she could locate the pickpockets and thieves would make for an interesting game.

  She wished they had a vehicle of some sort instead of having to walk everywhere. Getting a taxi would be expensive. It wasn’t like any of them were wealthy even if they were supposed to be. Drake had promised them a lot of credits for their last job. That didn’t work out at all, it was just another trap that gave her nightmares. Even selling the Stone of Detroit hadn’t netted any retirement money. Not that Parker was even close to retiring at just eighteen, but it would be nice to have a nest egg started.

  Hours pass as she walked and took in the planet. It really was one of the most beautiful places she had ever been. Even as cruddy as the old city was. In many ways, it reminded her of home, but it also had some things she had never seen before.

  Back on New Detroit people walked the same and gave each other looks that said, ‘stay away,’ just like here. But it was nicer here, even the streets were cleaner here. The people didn’t quite have the ‘look at me funny, and I’ll kill you’ feel like back home did. Mars was much more relaxed, or at least it seemed to
Parker it was. The young girl imagined the people here thought differently.

  People walked the streets, unaware of those around them and paying little attention to those they passed every day. Nothing ever changed for them, and they wanted it that way. They were like a herd of cattle going to and from work. No excitement, no challenges.

  Parker could never live that way. Being on a ship was the way to go. Traveling the Empire and seeing all the different planets was the best way to live or work. If not for being a smuggler, she would have to find some other way. Maybe the path that Steve and Rea took, starting in the Navy.

  For a brief moment, Parker envisioned herself in a Navy uniform working on a ship. It was mildly amusing for her to think about. Never would have happened, realistically she would have died before that. Following strict regulations and orders was not for her.

  Rounding the corner, Parker saw Rea exiting a shop carrying something in her arms. The smile on the captain’s face was broad. In all her time on the ship, Parker had never seen Rea smile like that, she appeared to be happy. Whatever she got there made the older woman relaxed and pleased. Parker was glad for that. Rea rarely seemed happy.

  Letting Rea walk away, Parker went to the shop to see what type of place it was. It was an antique one. From the window, it sold old boring stuff. Not something Parker thought Rea would like.

  If Parker had to guess, the stuff that made Rea happy would have been guns or tech for the Rossi. Or her military-style clothes. This was a real surprise, one that Parker was going to keep to herself. Rea seemed to want to keep this a secret, so she would too. Maybe Rea was more than she showed to her crew.

  Parker was having a great time out in the city, but it was getting late, and she had a few things she wanted to do on the ship before the job started tomorrow. It was time to head back.

  Chapter Five

  The Marine starred down the street. He was intimated by the thought of shopping alone. Steve wanted to get Lindsey a gift that was perfect, one that didn’t say the wrong things. The problem was he didn’t know the wrong or the right gift.