As We Rise: Rogue (As We Rise Saga Book 1) Read online

  While Jo had been cataloging the advisor, he had been shrewdly doing the same to her. With a smile, he addressed her for the first time. “Dressed as you are, I am not surprised one of my men staked a claim. Elitian men are not used to the brazen women who traverse the heavens or to the independence of those females who live in the edge worlds. To some, the defiance titillates them.” He shot a glance at the major. Major Kryten stared longingly at Jo, his fist clenched at his side in restrained anger.

  He knew he wouldn’t be allowed his claim, and Jo was thrilled at his fury. Let him stare at what he couldn’t own. She felt a wave of rejuvenation as she thought of the humiliation of his denied claim. No doubt it would be a black mark on his record.

  Jo turned back to Eltanin and decided to ignore Kryten—she had succeeded in baiting him, and his part in these negotiations were complete.

  “Where I was raised and what I cover of my flesh with has no bearing on whether I can captain a ship.”

  “That is true, Captain…” Eltanin reached a hand out to Jo and grasped hers in a firm shake.

  “Jo, but you already knew that.” Jo gave Eltanin a genuine smile.

  “That I did.” Eltanin chuckled. “You’re a shrewd woman. I may come to regret sending you my offer. Speaking of which, let us get started. Please sit.” Eltanin waved his hand toward the table. “Would you like something to drink? Eat?”

  “No, I’d rather hear your offer and decide if it’s best for me and my crew,” Jo answered as she ignored the chair the major held for her and sat at the opposite end of the table. His face twisted in anger as he took his seat.

  “Straight to the point. I like that,” Eltanin mused as he tapped on the table’s screen. “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to the former captain?”

  “He died protecting his crew,” Jo answered with a flat tone. She was not eager to speak about her father with a stranger, much less an Elitian dignitary.

  “And how did you become the new captain…”

  “I am Captain Apollo’s daughter. The ship and business was transferred to me after his passing.”

  “Your crew must trust you—to remain aboard when a young woman such as yourself is raised to such a prestigious position.” For the first time since his arrival, Eltanin studied Jo’s two crewmates, his face completely impassive as he dismissed them with a sniff.

  “What is the job?” Jo asked with an edge. Eltanin’s dismissive attitude toward her crew and his demeaning jabs at her gender were grating on her nerves.

  Eltanin chuckled. “Free women amuse me.” At his statement, the soldiers joined him with barking laugher.

  Jo gave him a blank stare. She was growing tired of his games, but refused to give him or any of his men the satisfaction of seeing a reaction from her.

  Noticing that his comrades were the only ones reacting to his joke. Eltanin coughed as he shuffled some files around on the table’s screen. “Right. I have four industrial sized bio-waste containers that need to be taken to the closest star, Astraia, for disposal.”

  “That’s it?” Jo asked, confused.

  “Yes.” Eltanin balanced his chin on his hands, which were pressed together as if he were about to pray. His shrewd eyes bored into Jo as she mulled over the information presented to her. She needed more data.

  “What’s in the containers?”

  “Waste,” he replied emotionlessly.

  “Don’t your corporations have departments that take care of their refuse?” Jo tried to keep her voice even, but she couldn’t help the acid that crept into her voice when she said refuse. Everyone knew what constituted medical waste on Leonis. “Why hire a cargo ship? Why offer them one million credits?”

  Eltanin’s lips curled into a predatory smile. “The contents of these crates are not our typical waste. It’s a by-product of a new series of experiments that have nothing to do with any of the rejuvenation, science or medical corporations. Other than the nature of the contents—which are biological specimens—I cannot reveal any more information.”

  Jo nodded in understanding. She hadn’t expected him to give her details of the cargo, but it made her feel better that there wouldn’t be mutilated body parts inside her ship—if she agreed to the deal. Which was looking more likely with this reassurance that if discovered, she wouldn’t have to explain to their non-Elitian contacts why they were hauling the bodies of their elderly for the corporations. She’d never get a civilian contract again if it was rumored that the Kismet was siding with the Consulate.

  “As for why I sent you the offer—” Eltanin broke the silence. “There aren’t many ships in this part of the galaxy who truly are neutral. The Kismet’s former captain never formed any hard alliances with any of the factions. I once heard that he hauled weapons for the syndicates, but that could be a rumor. He did, however, deny and agree to contracts from the poorest potash farmer to the chancellor himself.”

  Jo raised her brow at the reveal of her father’s dealings with the chancellor. Her gaze drifted to Haedus, who subtly tipped his head in agreement.

  “I had hoped that the new captain of the Kismet would hold the same philosophies as its previous leader,” Eltanin continued without indicating that he saw the small communication between Jo and Haedus. “Since you are here, it looks like I was at least partly correct. That and one million credits was sure to grab your attention enough to at least listen to our request.”

  “So, the money was a ruse to get our attention?”

  “Ruse is such a nasty word. More like incentive, but it is also there to ensure the silence of you and your crew. Our business is of a delicate nature.”

  Jo allowed a worried expression mar her perfectly impassive features. She bit her lip and looked at Eltanin. “I don’t know.”

  “Captain, I do not think this is a good idea,” Sky announced. Her hostile glare zeroed in on the men across the table. “They are hiding something.”

  “Aye, but it’s a lot of money,” Haedus added. “We could survive for many months without worrying about other jobs. It will give us time to secure more contracts without fear of running out of supplies.”

  Jo pretended to think over their comments, when in truth the conversation had been planned before they arrived to Leonis Station. She anchored her attention on the flash of a news bulletin on the table’s screen, but she wasn’t paying attention to whatever was happening on the planet below them. Instead, she watched the men across from her from under her lowered eyelids, scrutinizing every move. Eltanin was leaning toward one of the men, who was whispering in his ear, nodding in agreement a few times before focusing again on Jo.

  Jo shifted her body toward Sky, hoping to those observing she seemed subconsciously inclined to agree with Sky’s opinion. Eltanin’s eyebrows rose, and the other men shifted nervously as they watched Jo pretend to war with herself.

  “Maybe I should have a meeting with my crew. This job is riskier than the ones we usually take, and I don’t want it to seem that I’m overreaching because of my new commission.” Jo fiddled nervously with the lapel of her jacket, baring more of her cleavage, and bit her lip as she coyly the avoided the advisor’s leer. The lies in both her words and actions flowed out of Jo as effortlessly as releasing a calming breath.

  “I understand this is an unusual situation, but we will need an answer soon. Our cargo needs to leave the station within the hour,” Eltanin stated. He leaned forward, raking his eyes over every inch of Jo’s exposed skin. “A male captain wouldn’t be so unsure, but it goes to show that no matter how much freedom you give a woman, she is still weak.”

  Jo’s hackles raised at his comment, but she kept her reaction from showing. She would ruin the whole charade if she didn’t play her cards right.

  “Okay.” Jo sat up straight and lifted her gaze to the men. “I’ll play.”

  “Good,” Eltanin smiled wickedly.

  “1.5 million credits,” Jo responded with a bored sigh.

  “Are you trying to negotiate, female?”
Major Kryten growled. “You should be grateful for our generous offer.”

  Jo spared a small glance at the major. He was still staring at her with all the possessiveness of a spoiled toddler, and Jo had to fight the urge to react to him. Instead she turned her steely gaze to Eltanin. It was time to show all her cards. “1.5 million, and I won’t detain Major Kryten in violation of the edge world trade agreement.”

  Silence filled the cabin with an almost oppressive weight before a crack resounded and raised voices filled the room. Jo, Sky, and Haedus sat quiet as the men raved before her. Eltanin leaned back in his chair, watching Jo with a smile that said he was impressed. Major Kryten, however, was not as calm. He was standing, partially bent over the table, with his fist halfway imbedded into the table’s screen. The screen’s rapid blinking was causing a slow ache to build behind Jo’s eyes, but the pain stalled when the screen shuddered and faded to black.

  “You have no right…” Major Kryten started.

  “Oh, but I have every right.” Jo stood slowly. Her movement silenced the angry officers. Major Kryten pulled his fist out of the table and straightened his posture to full military attention. “You see, it’s illegal for an Elitian to claim a free woman who has jurisdiction to trade with at least six of the ten colonies in the Galactic Consulate Alliance. I have authority at all ports, thanks to our previous captain’s tenacious desire to protect my future and his shrewd business savvy; he collected contracts from any person who had credits to pay.”

  The major turned to Eltanin. “Sir, this cannot be true.”

  Eltanin’s smile turned grim as he shifted his gaze to the major. “But it is.”

  “Will you make the deal?” Jo asked.

  “Yes,” Eltanin stood. “You do understand that if you leave this station without the major, he will be acquitted of this accusation and you lose the ability to prosecute him later.”

  Jo shrugged. “I couldn’t care less what you do to him if he agrees to forget that I exist.”

  “Major?” Eltanin turned to the man. The major nodded as he struggled to control his shaking. Jo couldn’t tell if the reaction was rooted in outrage or panic. She didn’t expend the energy to figure it out. He was inconsequential.

  “That settles it.” Eltanin reached for a holopad one of the other officers was offering to him. “Let’s sign the document, and I’ll transfer half of your credits today. There is a clause that requires proof of completion within five rotations of Leonis or you must forfeit the second half of credits.”

  Jo nodded. Nothing he was telling her was out of the ordinary for Elitian contracts. Jo barely contained her eye roll at his mention of Leonis rotations—all the colonies defaulted to Leonid time since it was the first colonized world in the binary system. She leaned forward and let the holopad scan her UAB, signing the document.

  “It is done. May the stars guide you, Captain Jo.” Eltanin raised his hand, palm facing outward in a traditional Elitian farewell, and Jo reached her hand out as well. When their palms touched, Jo dipped her head in respect to his position before turning to leave with a slight bounce in her step.

  Six

  Jo marveled at the rectangular containers as the crew loaded them into the cargo bay. The sleek, obsidian units were roughly six feet in length and four feet deep. The lids were domed, so they couldn’t be stacked up on top of each other. Other than the digital panels gleaming next to narrow handles, the containers were unblemished. From where Jo was standing, they looked like a row of shiny coffins. The thought made Jo shiver.

  “They freak you out, too?” Sky materialized from a darkened corner. Jo hated when she did that. It reminded her just how much she didn’t know about the strange woman.

  “Aye. I can’t help but wonder what’s inside, but the credits in our account makes my curiosity easier to ignore.”

  “Something tells me that these boxes are more than waste,” Sky announced as she stepped beside Jo. She was fully armed as usual, but instead of her lowered cowl hiding her expression, it was pulled back, resting on her shoulders and exposing her youthful features. The mass of dark, curly hair framed her heart shaped face. Jo was struck by how a minor wardrobe change could transform the way a person looked.

  Jo turned to look back at her cargo. “Doesn’t matter. We need the money, and the contract states it isn’t medical waste. I won’t cart off their scavenged body parts from the aged. It’s not right.”

  “I would agree, but I created a list of possible contents, and at least five of them are horrible enough to reconsider what we are doing.” Sky turned to Jo, her face an unemotional mask. “Do you want to hear them?”

  “No,” Jo meant to state firmly, but it came out more like a question. Jo grew agitated at her own voice betraying her. She’d made her decision, and damn Sky for making her question it. “We’re completing this contract, and then we will go to Nereus. I hear they have the best beaches in the system. Everyone can relax for a few rotations while I make nice with some of the old captain’s contacts. This payload will secure this crew’s future—that’s all that matters.”

  Sky and Jo stared at each other. Sky was the most recent addition to the crew. Before the Captain died, Jo hadn’t found a single reason to interact with the abrasive woman. How did her father handle Sky’s overbearing personality? Was she even this vocal with him?

  Something inside told Jo no. Her father wasn’t a warm and inviting man to anyone except Jo, and that was only behind closed doors. Sky’s newfound frankness was a recent development.

  Jo opened her mouth when her UAB chimed, reminding her it was time to eat.

  “Come find me tomorrow after your shift on the bridge. I think we need to have a heartfelt conversation,” Jo stated with authority. Sky gave a terse nod before turning her gaze back to the containers. Jo appreciated input and even sought advice from those in the crew who she trusted —which was just about every soul aboard the Kismet. However, she didn’t know or understand Sky, and it was about time Jo found out more about her chief of security.

  Her UAB chimed again and Jo left the cargo bay in a rush. Chitra had strong opinions about those who were late to their scheduled meal time. Captain or no, she wouldn’t hesitate to let Jo know how displeased she was in a loud, public way. Memories of the many times her father endured a tongue lashing from the elderly cook washed over Jo. For the first time since his death, Jo laughed at the unexpected flashbacks of her father.

  Jo was still giggling when she stepped into the galley. Chitra was standing next to the service table, arms crossed and lips pursed.

  “Just because you have your daddy’s title don’t mean you can start acting like he did. I helped raise you to be punctual. Don’t start collecting bad habits now,” Chitra chided Jo as she piled food on a tray.

  “This is the same serving you give Jax.” Jo eyed the massive portion of what looked to be some sort of vegetable stew.

  “You need it. I know you don’t eat your ration of manna.”

  “Those protein bars taste like the ashy soil on Draconis. I’d rather wait for my evening hot meal and drink the nutritional shakes you keep in the cooler just for me,” Jo leaned forward and kissed Chitra’s wrinkly cheek. With the creation of the rejuvenation corporations on Leonis, Chitra was one of the oldest people in the edge worlds at 72. Working on a cargo ship gave her protection from the corporations’ reach, and being space born provided an extra bit of security.

  It’s hard to confiscate a person if they don’t have a registered home world.

  Chitra’s eyes sparkled from Jo’s affection, and Jo vowed for the millionth time that she’d never allow the rejuvenation corporations to scavenge Chitra’s body to keep some Elitian young and beautiful.

  Ever.

  Jo sat with the rest of the crew on her meal shift. Haedus and Jo kept rotating schedules so they could have down time with each crew member every few days. The two of them were usually kept on opposite schedules to keep at least one of them on the bridge always.

 
; Jo greeted each person by name before sitting down. She enjoyed spending time with her crew in the evenings. In these moments, she felt more like a crew member instead of their captain.

  “Evening, Siaren.” Jo smiled at the young man next to her. Siaren tilted his body toward the muscular tower of a man on the other side of him.

  “Siaren. The captain greeted you,” Jax corrected soothingly. His heavily tattooed arms twitched as he lowered his body and leaned against the table, bringing his towering frame down to the timid engineer’s level. “We talked about this. I know you’re upset about Captain Apollo, but Jo has always been your friend, and it’s not her fault she had to take his place. It’s rude to ignore her.”

  “Evening, Captain,” Siaren murmured without looking at her. Jax cooed encouraging words, but Jo didn’t listen. She studied Siaren instead. She hadn’t had the chance to sit with him since before the captain died. Siaren associated Jo’s father with freedom and had thought him the center of the galaxy.

  Siaren’s long, black hair was sheared on the left side, exposing four lines of thick scars indicating that he had been wired at one point. Wiring was a barbaric custom, its popularity already fading when a small faction of dissenters arose and exposed the corporation’s schemes. The corporation had stolen children with aptitude scores high enough to devise complicated stratagems and calculations and then surgically wired them to a program designed to study their brains through a series of intense, painful tests. The system’s AI would evolve and adapt per the input from the child. Eventually, either the AI couldn’t glean any more knowledge, or the child’s mental health was severely compromised. Many didn’t survive.