Flicker (Phoenix in Flames Book 6) Read online

  There were ten of them on it including his friend Dane. Dane was a great guy and trained to cover communications. He was a corporal, but would be moving up in rank, he had no doubt of that.

  “Hey, Flicker. I heard your girl was bringing in a scout ship.” Dane said.

  “She’s not really my girl. I heard that too, but I won’t know for sure until I get back onboard. Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to buy some things like a gift for my mom and then I’m hitting the bar for a few hours to relax. You want to hang out with me?”

  “Sounds like a deal.”

  “I’m glad. I hate to drink alone.” Dane admitted.

  “Me too.”

  The shuttle docked so they made their way off it and toward the stores. Neither of them was a shopper, but they had family at home they needed to buy gifts for from time to time. “You know, Dane, someday we’ll both have lovely mates to do this shopping for us.”

  “Yeah and they’ll have us carry all the stuff they buy for them. They’ll load up us so much we won’t have any fun anyway.” Dane observed.

  “Is that what you’ve seen with mated couples?”

  “Yes, but they also have moments of happiness. It evens out. Right now though, we are single and we should enjoy it.”

  They walked along the breezeway that circled around the plaza where all the stores were. The second level had restaurants and motels, the third level had suppliers for ships which required large amounts of many things and equipment. Fifth level had services like a workshop that covered a third of the level. Sixth level had housing for residents, laundry facilities, and miscellaneous things.

  The first two levels were all they needed. They entered the first store which sold foods like coffees, teas, and candies including chocolates. The two of them each bought a bag full of items. Next door the store had cosmetics, perfumes and dainty female items. Dane bought something, but he bought perfume for his mom and a silk scarf for his sister.

  There were so many stores and all had their windows full of appealing items, but they didn’t have the time for all of them and they had to choose which ones had the items they needed. Dane went in a book store while he went in a store that sold pipes and the dried herbs some males smoked. He made a purchase for his father there.

  Now he and Dane were ready for the bar. They dropped their purchases off at the shuttle and hurried to the second floor. Even though it was considered day time because the lights were all on bright, the bars here were packed. Several large ships circled nearby and had crew on leave enjoying the facilities on the stations.

  “Looky, looky. These boys are from the Mazlan ship.” A male said. He looked like some of the people from the frontier that this station was a part of.

  “They do, don’t they. I heard those guys can’t really fight.” One of the guy’s buddies said.

  “Let’s go somewhere else, Dane.”

  “See, I told you they can’t fight. All they know how to do is run.” The first guy said.

  “Let’s show them different.” Dane urged.

  “We’re not here to play with the locals.” He replied.

  “I’ll show you playing.” The first guy said as he threw a punch at his head.

  Moving quickly, the punch moved past him and the guy almost fell trying to stop his momentum. The male came back with another punch that he dodged as well. “If I ever land a punch your dead.” He threatened.

  “Flicker, just take him out.” Dane observed.

  It might be the smartest thing to do since there were more of the guy’s buddies starting to move in. “We have some questions for you.” The guy said as he tried to hit him again and he just knocked him down this time.

  “Jagger, get one of them.” The guy yelled at his friend.

  It seemed odd they were so focused on him and Dane. What was it they wanted from them? He pushed his com button which should send help his way soon. It was an emergency button that would alert the ship that he needed help and they would be able to get his location. Now they just needed to keep these bullies busy until a squad of guards arrived.

  Since there was half a dozen guys attacking them, that was what they needed to handle them without hurting them too much. “What do you want to know/” He asked. Not that he’d tell them, but he was curious.

  “The female that went to your ship, what are you doing with her?” Jagger asked.

  “What female?” He asked.

  “You have to know when a female lands a fighter in your bay.” Jagger insisted.

  “We’ve been on the station all day. When did she arrive?” He asked.

  “Maybe they don’t know anything.” Their leader suggested.

  “Why don’t you tell us who this female is?” He suggested.

  “We’re here to find out things, not share them.” The leader said. “I think we’re ready to go.” All his guys started to prepare to leave. A couple of Mazlans on leave from the ship entered and the leader focused on them. “Get them boys.”

  “We need to help them, Dane.” He directed.

  It wasn’t long before it became all out fight. The bar wasn’t holding up well and the bartender and waitresses all hid behind the bar. Tables and chairs became weapons as males were knocked unconscious and some tried to escape. Phoenix and Mazlans were stronger than the aver human or most aliens. These guys were a mix of all kinds, except Mazlans and Phoenix.

  The guards finally made it when the fighting was over. The enemies were all on the floor knocked out. Going through their pockets, they took out the money they had and laid it on the bar for damages before they handcuffed the males and dragged them away.

  “This story better be good.” Thad observed. “The captain didn’t like sending in guards.”

  “Believe me, these guys are our enemy. They were trying to force information out of us that only a spy would want.” He admitted.

  Maybe Razar would decide he needed to know now. Something was up with this woman and he had no idea what. It was becoming clear she wasn’t there to mate with someone. There were few possibilities and none of them good. He intended to question these males and find out what they knew. First he had to turn them into the captain and get his permission to do so.

  They got on the shuttle and were soon on the ship. He and Dane were able to get their bags and carry them on to the ship. The captain had them brought to him in his private office. “What the hell is going on?” The captain asked.

  Once he was brought current on the situation, he sent them to their rooms to wait for further instructions. After he was in his room, he saw that Teresa was in her bedroom probably resting. He’d hoped to talk to their prisoners but when he’d been sent here, he’d thought he’d talk to her, now he wasn’t able to talk to anyone.

  An hour later the captain sent a message:

  Contacted Razar. Instructions are to not question prisoners until arrival at Oison. Matter is only for top clearance. You and Dane will receive commendations for your actions.

  Captain Jerry McDonald

  A string of cuss words left his mouth and he saw he was being denied again. What was this female involved in and why was Razar enabling her? Right now, he was tired and achy from the fight. He stripped naked to take a hot shower. Once done, he put on sleep shorts and turned in for the night. Maybe tomorrow things would look better.

  Dreams, ones he didn’t remember upon waking, messed with him all night. So much so that his covers were twisted all around him when he finally woke. The memories of the dream weren’t completely gone, just elusive and as he chased them they moved away faster. Right as he woke, his dreams were usually quite clear and that confused him.

  His short were damp telling him he’d sweat bullets during the night. Getting up, he dropped his shots and decided to wash off the sweat and wake up fully in the shower. Now he was fully awake and aware. Drying off first, he then dressed fully ion preparation of meeting his charge. She must be up since he could smell the coffee from inside his room. />
  As he stepped into the dining room, he couldn’t breathe as he stared at the beautiful dark haired female. She was small and average height for a human. Delicate and defenseless were his first thoughts. Goddess! He’d have a devil of a time keeping his hands to himself. All he wanted to do was kiss her.

  “Well there you are. I heard you come in but I figured you’d want to sleep. I’m Teresa and I assume you’re Flicker? You Phoenix have interesting names.”

  “Nice to meet you. Yes, I’m Flicker.” Thank goodness he’d found his voice.

  “I was told you’d be my guard and as long as you were with me I could go anywhere on the ship. Is that correct?” She asked.

  “Yes, I was told that too.”

  “Good. This is my first time on a Mazlan warship and I want to see everything. I also like to work out every day. I’m sure you do too. We have two weeks before we arrive on Oison, is that correct?”

  “Yes, that sounds right. I’m sure your information is correct.”

  “I always like to double check. It’s an old habit and it’s served me well.”

  “Military?”

  “Yes, on Earth before the collapse.”

  He was surprised such a delicate and lovely female would be in the military but most of the Earth military had been females. A guess would be seventy five percent female.

  Chapter 3

  Spy Games

  She was shocked at how drawn she was to Flicker. Still, she knew she hid it well. He wouldn’t know, couldn’t know. Her life was too complicated with the deal she’d made with Razar. The leader was buying the scout ship from her and part of the deal for the information she’d taken from the slavers who taken her was a small farm with a home on it and citizenship of Oison.

  In return, she had to help them understand the information on the data sticks and teach a group pf pilots how to handle the scout ship. These things she was willing to do. Now that she’d had time to slow down and think, she wondered if her mother had been sold to the slavers as well. Tracking her down and getting her back if she still lived would be her priority.

  It had occurred to her that working for Razar gathering information might help her locate and free her mother. “Teresa!” Flicker said loudly.

  “I’m sorry.” She smiled at him. “I’ve a lot going on and I was distracted.” No lie there.”

  “I asked what you wanted to do. We can go to the cafeteria to eat and tour the ship a bit as we go or order in and decide what to do after we eat.”

  “Why don’t you tour me around and we’ll stop when we get to the cafeteria?” She decided.

  He walked to the door holding it open for her like a gentleman. It was something she was unused to. Males here were much nicer. It might be because she didn’t seem dangerous, but then again, they didn’t know her.

  Once she walked out the door, he closed it and caught up with her. “Let me take you to communications and engineering first. They aren’t far.” He offered.

  He was right, they were only a few doors down once they went two floors lower. Communications was a large room full of equipment of all kinds. There were two males listening to the area around them and a large machine that would send messages wherever they needed to go. This was familiar so she had no questions and she indicated she was ready to leave.

  Engineering was two doors down and ten times larger. Here there was access to the engines and everything else that ran the ship as well as navigation. This ship was top of the line and she was somewhat familiar with the running of it. No need to look around here either.

  “Why don’t we move on?”

  “No questions?” Flicker asked and she shook her head.

  “Where’s the cafeteria from here?”

  “We’ll have to go back up to levels and toward the middle of the ship. Just come with me. You must be hungry.”

  She let him believe it was hunger motivating her decisions. It was never a good idea to let anyone know your skills or what you were knowledgeable in. Those rules had always served her well. Now as they found their way to the proper level and approached the cafeteria, the delicious scent of food made her realize how hungry she really was.

  As they entered the cafeteria, she saw a few tables full of warriors. Several looked up and silently acknowledged Flicker with a nod of their heads that he returned. She missed the feeling of belonging to a group that she’d had as a soldier and later as a mercenary. Her mercenary group would consider her exposed to outside influences and no longer trustworthy since she had dropped out of sight for an extended period of time.

  The food options were both breakfast and lunch items as they would serve in a nicer restaurant on Earth. That was something hard to find there anymore. Many businesses had crashed and food was scarce. Most of the land on Earth no longer grew food stuffs. The oceans were polluted enough that it was a risk to eat fish or other animals caught from there. The Mazlans had filled the ocean with a purple seaweed that would eventually rid the waters of their pollutants now that more were no longer being dumped there.

  The safest places to live were in the major cities the Mazlans had helped build. Four were under domes, three were underground, and three were under domes in the water. They were spread around the world and each held about a hundred thousand people. Those were large numbers to feed and take care of, but she’d heard they’d been set up self-sufficiently.

  Her plate full, she made her way to an empty table not feeling much like meeting new people right now. Flicker sat down across from her and they both began to eat their food. Someone sat down next to her and she looked up seeing a guy that looked a bit like Flicker. “Phoenix?” She asked and he nodded quickly.

  “What’s your name?” He asked.

  “Teresa, you?”

  “I’m Elm. My brother Oak is across from you. Our family served Roar’s. Do you know him?” Elm asked.

  “I don’t know him personally, but I have heard of him.” She admitted.

  “We don’t have many people with hair dark like yours. Can I touch it?” He asked.

  “I’m sorry, Teresa. These boys are young and just now learning about how to act in public.” Flicker was obviously irritated.

  “It’s okay. They aren’t hurting anything.” She picked up a few strands of her hair holding it toward Elm who touched it.

  “It’s soft and silky.” He commented.

  “It tends to be that way most of the time. How did you think it would feel?” She asked.

  “Hair can be soft or it can be coarse. My sister Willow put too much conditioner on hers once and it was greasy for a week.” Elm said and Oak chuckled.

  They really were overgrown boys. She and Flicker finished their food. “We need to go now.” Flicker insisted.

  “Bye boys.” She said with a little wave. Both of them waved back and smiled. She and Flicker dropped off their trays and headed out.

  “You shouldn’t encourage them.” He observed.

  “They’re just young and enthusiastic.”

  “Let’s go back to our suite.” He suggested.

  “Whatever you say.” She cheerily agreed.

  Following along behind Flicker gave her the opportunity to observe his ass which was covered by tight uniform pants. It was well shaped and clearly muscled. She had to overcome the desire to grab it and squeeze. Goodness, she felt a bit warm and needy. This was not the usual thing for her at all. That told her she needed to keep her distance from her personal guard. Yeah, that was funny. How could she manage that with him sharing the suite she stayed in and shadowing her everywhere she went?

  A few days passed with her staying in her room researching information and trying to discover if her mom was alive or dead. She’d uncovered some information on Pettigrew Wilson. He’d been a rich man at one time but lazy and slovenly enough even then that it had made it into the story about his drop from the wealthy class.

  The man had been cruel, but a little bit stupid and his servants had robbed him blind. Too lazy to do anything
that appeared to be work, he’d placed his money in the hands of others. As to be expected, it hadn’t turned out well and at the age of forty, with no abilities, he’d no longer had a place to live or a way to support himself. He’d gone to live in a group home. Since males were hard to come by, he’d sold his services to desperate women wanting children who couldn’t afford artificial insemination.

  Even that had required too much since he’d had to stay fairly clean and try to get along with the women who paid him. The writer of the story had checked back several times and the last time he’d no longer been in the home. No one had known where he’d gone but there had been rumors that he’d turned to a life of crime. The bastard deserved the death the slavers had dealt him. Now the slavers deserved to be served some punishment too.

  That was her next goal, after finding her mother, dead or alive. Right now her personal goals were on hold as this ship sped toward Oison. Avoiding Flicker wasn’t easy and he’d figured out she was keeping her distance. Elm and Oak visited her every other day or so and Flicker hated that too. His face seemed frozen in a frown.

  “So what are you doing today, my lovely one?” Elm teased. He was the more talkative of the two. Oak was a watcher and even though he acted care free, he saw everything and filed it away.

  “Since you two Romeos are here. I’ll catch the captain and get an update. Don’t leave until I come back.” Flicker said his voice almost a growl.

  “I thought he’d never leave.” Oak chuckled.

  “We’ve got some information you’re not going to like.” Elm added.

  “Is she dead?” She asked.

  “We don’t think so. We’ve tracked down Pettigrew who many of his associates called Pete. None of them liked him and most are thrilled he’s dead. It seems he sold females to the slavers and they in turn sold them to Hattie’s whorehouse on Worlington station. That’s where they were headed when you escaped.” Elm explained.